Chpt 8- The Proposal
#8 of MLP: A Hero's Rebirth
It was slowly becoming dusk within Equestria. A dark Alicorn stallion stands diligently on the outer rim of a hot tub. His violet eyes stares out and to the sky as the sun dips behind the clouds and disappears over the mountains. The twinkling of stars soon cover the sky. The moon and its warming glow begins to shine as it starts its journey through the heavens. He then closed the curtains
_ A door opens behind the stallion, making him turn his head. His silvery mane and tail flowing in the ethereal winds. His gaze soon makes out the form of another alicorn, a white female._
_ "I'm glad you could make it."_
_ "You don't think I would turn down your invitation do you?_
_ The stallion smiled as she drew close and chuckled softly as she nuzzled under his chin._
_ "So tell me Lunar, why did you ask me here? It's not like you to be so secretive."_
_ The stallion walked over the curtains and pulled them back allowing the light from the moon to bath the room in its pale glow. The white alicorn eyes widened as she looked about the room. The moon's light as it came into the room, illuminated thousands of tiny stones that lined the walls and ceiling._
_ "You remember when I ordered this room reconstructed don't you?" The mare nodded._
_ "Well what better way then to use magic infuse moonstones. Whenever Luna's moon hits this room, it will sparkle like the heavens themself." He chuckled deeply. "Luna would not speak to me for a week if she heard me say that and might be inclined to throw me from the balcony were she to learn what became of those stones we found in the mountains around the city."_
_ "Lunar its beautiful. But this can't be the only reason you brought me here."_
_ The stallion shook his head. "No it's not. Shall we?" He motioned the the bubbling hot tube. The stallion slowly climbed into the tube and sat along the side and gave a sigh of relief. The mare however, using her magic, removed her tiara and necklace, placing them upon a stand she then slipped out of her shoes and slid them together._
_ "Always so prim and proper huh Tia?"_
_ The mare giggled. "I do have an image to maintain."_
_ Lunar again chuckled as the white mare joined him, sitting beside him. "I can not tell you how happy I am Lunar. It seemed as though it was only yesterday when my parents introduced you to Luna and I"_
_ "Indeed. I was a bit intimidated but you and Luna were the best friends I had always wanted."_
_ The white mare slowly moved closer to the stallion till she was leaning against his side. With a smile she nibbled under his chin._
_ "So? What is the reason you called me here my champion?"_
_ Lunar looked to the white mare and smiled before nuzzling her. "First, some champagne."_
_ Lunar's horn glowed its signature purple and brought over two glasses which the mare graciously took one using her own magic. Hen then poured some of the bubbling liquid into each glass then set it aside._
_ "A toast. To the pursuit of peace and harmony..."_
_ The mare was about to clink the glasses together before he spoke again. "To love... and a family."_
_ "Lunar, what do you mean?"_
_ He placed the glass he was holding and brought over a small box. "For you."_
_ The white mare took the box from him and even though it was through her magic, her body was shaking. When she opened it and looked inside there lay a solid gold horn ring with an amethyst set into it. The mare brought a hoof to her mouth and stared at the ring, tears staring to well up in her eyes._
_ Lunar lifts the mare's face and looked into her eyes. "Celestia. I hath known thee for a very long time. It would be a great honor if you were to be my wife. So I must ask you, Celestia, guardian of the solar disk, will you marry me?"_
_ The sun princes had tears streaming down her face as she looked at the ring then back to Lunar. She then nodded her head and pulled her hoof away from her mouth before giving a very shakey response._
_ "Yes, yes Lunar I will marry you."_
_ Lunar removed the ring from the box and placed it upon her horn before kissing his now fiance deeply._
Tom opened his eyes and slowly sat up in bed. He looked around the room, seeing both Twilight and Spike were still sleeping. He turned his head and looked out at the night sky. He sighed deeply and placed his hand on his chest. That one memory had always seem to hit him the hardest because it had such profound meaning. It was still fairly dark out and the only source of light, save for the moon were the lit street lamps.
Tom slid to the side of his bed and sat on the end. He hung his head and placed his hands on the back of his head, sighing deeply. "If I had not been killed might I be a king?" He thought to himself. He didn't want to wake up Spike or Twilight, He got out of bed, placed the new clothes Rarity had made for him and headed downstairs. He looked around the darkened library before walking to the door and left.
He walked through the dark streets of Ponyville. He looked up to see the dark houses and closed shutters. The moon's warm glow gave the ground just enough light so that he could see where he was going. He slowly made his way though town, all the while a cloud harboring a familiar cyan, rainbow maned pegasus followed close behind him.
The human soon made his way to the lake just outside Ponyville. There he sat on its banks and just picked up stones and tossing them in. The cloud slowly drew closer before the pegasus spoke.
"And just what are you doing out here at this time of night?"
Tom's head shot up and he looked around himself quickly.
"Ahem, I'm up here big guy."
Tom quickly looked up and seen a white puffy cloud hovering overhead before returning his gaze back to the moonlit waters. "Hey Rainbow."
"Don't hey me mister, I asked you a question. What are you doing out here this time of night?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
The pegasus hopped off her cloud then trotted up beside her friend. "Don't change the subject, just answer the question."
Tom sighed deeply. "I couldn't sleep ok. I just needed to get some fresh air."
"Dose it have anything to do with the princess?"
Tom grumbled. "I swear can't nopony keep a secret in this place?"
"Hey hey, take it easy I was just asking."
The human resumed to tossing rocks into the water. "It's a little of both actually. Well more me then her."
"Care to talk about it? I may not be as book smart as Twilight or as kind as Fluttershy but I'm a good listener."
Tom sighed. "Where do I start. I am sure Twilight has already told who and what I am, correct?"
"She might have mentioned it."
"I have been having memories. They come to me in my sleep and sometimes when I am wide awake. There are some when Lunar, that is to say me, was a colt. Luna and I used to prank Celestia from time to time but then she would always get us back in the end."
The rainbow maned mare giggled softly to the thought of both princesses in a prank war.
"Then there are others, like tonight that are more...intricate."
"Intricate? How?"
"I asked her to marry me Rainbow. Celestia, princess of Equestria was going to be my wife. That is until..."
"You died. Yeah Twilight said something like that. She couldn't find much about you in the Ponyville library so she asked for some books from the Canterlot Royal Library. It was no surprise that they would have more on you then any place in Equestria."
The two sat in silence for a time. They were not paticularly close because they butt heads but that dose not mean that they would not be there for one another. In his few days time in Equestria, he has come to know Twilight and her friends as his own. They were ponies he could confide in, that is aside from Luna and Celestia.
"Hey uh Lunar about the day we met. Look I uh just wanted to apologize and well..."
With warning Tom felt a kiss laid on his cheek before the pegasus took off back to her cloud and flew away. Tom sat there a bit in shock and lightly places his hand to his cheek. He smiled softly and closed his eyes.
"Thanks Rainbow."
In that one act, that one kiss, Rainbow Dash had given him her answer. No matter how bad things might be or how much of himself that he can't remember, there are those who would stand beside him and be there for him when he needed them.
Slowly the sun rose over the land of Equestria. The sun princess was already up and about. Having raised the sun already, she headed down for breakfast and was met with the same group as before.
"Good morning dear sister."
"Good morning Luna, Blueblood, Cadence."
"We heard that....Lord Lunar will not be joining us this morning."
Celestia shook her head. "Lunar's home for the moment is in Ponyville, under the eye of my student Twilight Sparkle. When I feel that the time is right to return him to his post I will send word. Right now as you all know he is still regaining his memories as well as much of his former strength."
"Yes, sister and I have agreed on this. The best place for Lunar to recover is within Ponyville."
As Celestia took her place at the head of the table, there was one seat left open to her right. It was the seat reserved for Lunar only and every pony at the table knew this.
"Sister will thou be setting off for Ponyville again once thy duties are done?"
Celestia nodded. "Yes Luna, I thought it would be best if I took Lunar up to Cloudsdale with me to inspect the new Wonderbolt trainees."
"Auntie you can not be serious? Lunar my have returned but the fact is, is that he is not a pony. He may not the same abilities like cloud walking that the pegasi have. He could fall."
Celestia smiled to her nephew. "I have already thought of this Blueblood. Though I do not think it will be needed, I know of a spell that allows other ponies to walk upon the clouds."
As the four of them await the mornings meal, Luna noticed her sister's features. She was not sure what was bothering her sister so.
"Tia, if we may ask, thou seems troubled."
Celestia was in a bit of a daze and as Luna spoke, she shook her head to wake herself from it. "No I am fine Luna really."
"I must say auntie, I see it to and am also concerned."
"It's nothing, really."
"Tia. We request that thou tell us what bother thee so."
Celestia turned her head to the side. "Luna do you remember what today is?"
The younger princess shook her head. She had been gone for a thousand years, in that time, her memories were a little faded. Banishment can do that to a pony.
"Do you remember the day Lunar sent me that letter and..."
Luna gasped and placed her hoof over her mouth. Both Cadence and Blueblood having not been alive during that would never know but it did not stop them from wondering.
"The proposal. Sister has it been that long?" Her eldest sister nodded.
"Forgive me for asking but what proposal?"
Luna looked beside her to Blueblood. "T'is the day that Lunar asked thy sister for her hoof in marriage. Were he not killed at the end of the Panther Wars, Lunar would be thy brother."
"Are you serious?" The white unicorn looked to the elder Alicorn with wide eyes.
"Isn't obvious Blueblood. Celestia loved and still dose love him. It was only natural that they would marry." Cadence added.
"Well I suppose but still, for as long as I have know her she has not ever taken a look at any stallion."
Celestia looked to them and smiled. She could always find comfort in those closest to her. "To answer your question my dear nephew, I could not bring myself to be with another stallion. Lunar had known Luna and I since we were little. There was a large piece of me missing when died."
"And now that he has returned?"
"I could not be more happier."
"Come on, I know you can do this."
Tom had his eyes closed and was following Twilight's instructions. His hands began to glow their normal purple aura as he focused his thoughts. He was attempting a spell upon himself that would allow him to fly without the use of wings. Twilight had found the spell among a number of flight spells. However she never used it because of how difficult it was but she knew that Tom had to be bale to if he was Lunar.
His power increased and slowly encompassed his form and slowly his body floated into the air. In a blast of magic his opened his eyes and was floating a few feet off the ground.
"You did it! I can't believe it. That spell was so hard even I didn't think I could do it."
Tom huffed and panted as he floated in the air. "Just how long is this spell suppose to last?"
"Three days." She looked up to him and could see Tom was a bit tired by the amount of energy he used for the spell. "I guess you're not at full power yet. Still that was a vast improvement from simply moving objects."
Tom slowly returned to the ground as Twilight trotted over to him, he then promptly fell forward, using the unicorn mare as a brace. "Thanks Twi."
"Come on Star, we should be getting back to the library, I think that should be good for right now. We cant start up again later."
The two walked from the park through the streets of Ponyville back to the library, conversing as they go.
"Star if I may, I'm not sure if I asked this already or not but, what made you fall in love with the princess you know before you died."
Tom chuckled and shook his head. His one arm was around the pony and staggered beside her.
"What can be said about Celestia. Well she is smart, caring, graceful, kind, incredibly beautiful. But more importantly it's not all that is on the outside but here." He touched Twilight's chest, right above her heart. "Everything about her that made her whom she is, is here. Her inner beauty shadows the outer in more ways then any pony can realize."