Luna found herself pulled into a dreamscape not her own. She began to panic, looking around her, realising she was in the pastoral dreamscape of rabbits. With even more alarm, she realised she was a rabbit. Small, blue, and rather pregnant looking.

A large purple raven cawed at her from a tree, and she saw an avocado green rabbit. Her mind began to race when she realised who it was, the last time she had seen him here he had been brown and looked just like Mr. Bun.

Rookwood.

Luna began to bounce, hopping around madly, not sure what to say or do.

“Luna… I’ve missed you.”

His voice. His voice.

“Rookwood!” Luna cried, discovering she could talk in rabbit form. She bounded forward and grabbed Rookwood, squeezing him in her little bunny legs, and pressing her nose into his face.

The two held one another for a long time, the purple raven keeping watch from its tree branch.

“This is my dreamscape.” Rookwood announced. “I am having to figure things out as I go. I really do not know what I am doing, but Death has given me time to perfect my craft, and I am to ask you for advice. I heard that you dropped by…" Rookwood buried his bunny nose into Luna’s long blue ear and squeezed her for all he was worth.

The raven cawed a few times, dancing from foot to foot on its branch.

“This is a fine start, but hardly fitting for the Lord of Nightmares.” Luna said breathlessly. “I’ve missed you so much… How long do we have here?”

“Long enough.” Rookwood replied. “But I might be a little distracted from time to time.”

“Why?” Inquired Luna.

“Because while I am here, I am also collecting souls in the griffon homeland. The plague is decimating their population and killing their young,” replied Rookwood, “and this is my first time spitting my will between two locations. I’ve never been omnipresent before.”

Luna made a surprised bunny squeak.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Rookwood said, shaking his bunny head, causing his ears to wobble around. “I am only in two places at once right now, and I feel like my thoughts are going to tear me in half.”

“I can help you Rookwood. I’ve been in thousands of places all at once,” Luna said as she pulled him even closer, sniffing his fur and running her paws up and down his back, “ the first split is always the hardest, after that it gets much easier. Other parts of you just run in the background. It becomes like breathing and walking. Welcome to the pantheon, Sovereign of Shadow. This is the first step towards much larger steps.”

Rookwood ran his paws over Luna’s rounded belly, feeling her warmth, feeling her life. It was intoxicating for him.

“I am guessing the raven is Violet?” Luna asked, now breathing heavily.

“Yes. She watches. I doubt Nightmare Moon could come here, and I pity her if she does. Death’s will is strong here, he is helping me sustain this place until I am strong enough to do so on my own.” Rookwood began to gasp and heave breathlessly as he could feel Luna’s heart beating.

“I am going to marry you.” Luna whispered.

“I know.” Rookwood said.

“And if possible, I intend to have my little bunny way with you.” Luna teased.

“I want that. I really want that. Luna, I need to feel life again. You don’t know what it is like… being dead. Remembering life. I understand why Violet spent all those hours content to just be hugged and stroked. Even though this is only a dream, it is close enough to satisfy. One day though, I will hold your body again, I want you so badly.” Rookwood’s eyes squeezed shut and he began to stroke Luna’s long blue ears.

“Bunnies Rookwood, bunnies, you had to make us bunnies!” Luna giggled. “How would you like to feel hot throbbing life from the inside?” Luna squealed as Rookwood’s bunny paw felt her up in response. “Oh, we’re going to go at it like rabbits!”

Luna awoke from her dream, knowing it had been more than a dream. Her bed was damp, the tang of her own arousal sharp in her nose, a lingering feeling of warmth down in her mareflesh. Her breathing was heavy and as she woke, she felt a trailing touch that started at her breastbone and worked its way down to her now slightly swollen teats. Something brushed up against her ear.

It was almost sundown. Luna felt strangely full of hope. It was an odd feeling, given everything that had happened. And yet, there it was, burning within her breast, lifting away some of her depression. She practically bounded out of bed, landing on her hooves, dancing into the bathroom, and began to to clean herself up for the long night ahead of her.

As she stood in the shower, she could hear the maids cleaning up in the other room, and Luna felt a faint flush of embarrassment. Having to clean up was one thing when Rookwood had been sharing her bed, but now, Luna was back to sleeping alone.

Celestia had been in Luna’s room when the sun settled below the horizon and Violet popped into existence. Violet had barely been in the physical realm for all of a few seconds before Celestia had snatched her up in a magical hold and hauled her in for a hug, cuddling her tightly on the sofa were Celestia had sat waiting.

Violet seemed all too happy to be squished by the large white alicorn. Celestia was large and warm… And Violet craved warmth.

Luna rose and began to pace back and forth. “Is he going to visit tonight?”

“I know he plans to try. But then again, he plans to try almost every night. He’s getting stronger,” Violet answered. “Collecting souls has given him strength.”

Celestia scowled slightly at Violet’s words.

Violet reached up and placed a hoof over Celestia’s scowl. “You shouldn’t condemn what is done out of love.”

“No, I suppose I shouldn’t,” Celestia agreed.

“You seem more aware of what goes on…” Luna said, realising that Violet was aware of certain details and that her voice hadn’t changed.

“I have been bonded to Rookwood. I am his psychopomp. My mind and memories are being allowed to develop so I might serve him better,” Violet explained.

A chilling thought ran through Celestia’s mind. “Violet, could somepony hurt you to get to Rookwood?”

“I don’t know,” Violet replied. “But I do know that if somepony tried to hurt me again, Death would come to claim them.”

Celestia felt herself shiver at the foal’s words. Luna seemed frozen in place, her eyes wide.

“And Rookwood would probably have permission to bring the tormentors with him to the physical realms to announce Death’s imminent arrival,” Violet added.

Celestia shuddered, shaking Violet, who giggled from the sudden tickle.

“Look Violet, your mother Luna is wearing mascara and she looks very hopeful. She hasn’t been this excited about anything in quite some time,” Celestia whispered in Violet’s ear, causing Violet’s ear to flicker.

“I have every right to be happy,” Luna grumbled.

“Yes, you do,” agreed Celestia.

“We need to start planning a wedding Celestia. After the funeral, it might be a comfort to make this a public affair, if ponies will actually attend,” Luna said.

“Do you think they would come?” asked Celestia.

“They might,” Luna answered.

“Rookwood was seen as a hero,” Celestia mentioned.

“A hero for what?”

Both sisters froze, looking at one another, and Violet once again giggled.

“Rookwood?” asked Luna.

“I was once,” replied Rookwood.

“And what are you now?” inquired Luna.

“Your devoted servant throughout the ages,” answered Rookwood.

“We were just discussing the possibility of marriage,” said Celestia.

“Yeah, I’ve been listening for a while. Took a while to find my voice,” replied Rookwood.

“Going to be difficult to have a marriage if the groom cannot show up,” Celestia commented.

“He’s getting better,” Violet offered.

Luna saw it first. A flicker of darkness within the shadow of the room. It became darker still, drawing the shadows of the room into it, becoming blacker, hard to see, like a tear in the darkness. The temperature dropped. Celestia began to feel cold terror creeping along her flesh. Something dark moved within the room. Something from the lower planes lurked in the shadows. Celestia found it hard to stomach the feeling, she had once fought these sorts of creatures on their home turf.

A foul stench filled the room, as though somepony had opened a sepulchre filled with the recently dead. It was strongest for a moment, and then began to fade away,

Celestia peered into the black shadow, expecting perhaps to see a figure cloaked in black, or even a skeleton perhaps. She didn’t know exactly what she was expecting.

She certainly wasn’t expecting a faint avocado green outline of a pony. No horn. No sense of identity for what Rookwood had been, only what he was now. He certainly didn’t need a horn. He didn’t need to focus shadow, he was shadow. He shimmered faintly in the darkness, transparent and without form.

Luna went to him, silent, trying to touch him, her hoof passing through him. She made a frustrated grunt. “You tease,” she muttered.

“One of these days, I am going to tug your ear for saying that,” Rookwood promised.

“You were certainly tugging her ears in that dream,” Violet commented.

“What?” asked Celestia.

There was an uncomfortable silence from Rookwood and Luna.

“Luna was in a dream with Rookwood and they were bunnies,” explained Violet innocently. “And they hugged a lot and make little squeaky sounds.”

Celestia looked down at the foal cradled to her barrel. “Did they now?” inquired Celestia.

Violet nodded. “They were happy little huggy bunnies,” Violet said, giggling. “And I was a bird. I got to sit in a tree and enjoy the day.”

“They were ‘huggy’ bunnies?” said Celestia in low tones.

Violet nodded.

“I’m happy for you Luna,” Celestia said unexpectedly. “It was a dream that started this, perhaps this is another omen. A dream brought you together, perhaps this will do the same.”

“Thank you sister,” Luna said, her tone embarrassed and joyful.

“I think that exchange from earlier is why I am here now,” confessed Rookwood.

“You had better not leave me standing at the podium when we are married, I’ll come to Tartarus again and speak with you personally,” Luna threatened, poking at Rookwood’s form with her hoof.

Rookwood’s face looked pained, his eyes wide, almost pleading, his ears dropping. He shifted uncomfortably from one set of hooves to the other, even though he had no real hooves to touch the ground. His tail flicked a few times. His gaze dropped away from Luna’s.

“Rookwood, I’m sorry, I was teasing,” Luna apologised.

“I really want to be there,” Rookwood confessed.

“The wedding will be the strangest ever in our history,” Celestia stated. “It will have to be at night. Probably near the midnight hour. And held in the dark or the near dark. If ponies do show up, they will also be driven to a state of near panic by the fear that Rookwood generates. I know I am having trouble right now, and I am an alicorn. I cannot imagine what it would to one of our subjects.”

“They will come,” Luna stated confidently. “They will remember what Rookwood did for them. What Rookwood did for me.”

“Can I come?” begged Violet.

“Of course you can. I’ll help you be a flower filly,” Celestia whispered into Violet’s ticklish ear.

“But I’m dead, will ponies want me there?” asked Violet.

“I’m dead. Sort of,” Rookwood added.

“Rookwood’s parents are forbidden from attending,” Celestia said forcefully.

“I’m dead to them,” Rookwood snorted.

Luna chuckled in spite of herself, trying to hold it in and failing.

“I have grandparents?” asked Violet.

“Yes, but they are icky. You can have me as your aunt,” Celestia replied.

“I’m icky sometimes,” Violet said.

“No Violet, these ponies are icky. Really icky. I’d rather hug you,” Celestia argued.

Violet said nothing, but rested her head against Celestia’s neck. “It is nice having an aunt,” Violet murmured, closing her eyes.

“I feel a sense of urgency,” Luna expressed. “I have lost a lot of my control over the dream realm. I am eager to reestablish that control, even if it isn’t my own. I do not want Nightmare Moon in control any longer. I want this union between us. I want you strong. I want you able to fight again. I want us to fight together. And to be honest, I want to see what you can do now that you do not have a physical form holding you back. Your power and ability seem only limited by the darkness you can draw upon around you.”

“I am rooted in the dark,” Rookwood whispered. “Death tells me that there may come a day that I will walk in the sunlit lands, and I will bring the darkness with me.”

Luna shivered.

“I want to see the sun again,” Violet said, not opening her eyes. “I just want to be warm.”

“I will be your sun,” Celestia promised, kissing the foal’s head softly. “And should anything ever bring harm to you, Death will be the least of their worries.”

Author's Notes:

I am having some trouble conceptualising the coming wedding scene.

I have... Gruesome plans.