The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Ch 40 – An Inevitable Meeting

When Rayne awoke he felt sick as if his insides had been churned about. The bright light of day stung his sensitive eyes and his horn burned from within. Struggling to see through the brightness of the room he looked down noticing that he was in a bed with his left arm was wrapped in bandages. He stared at it in confusion, poking with his other hoof and was relieved to find that it was not a solid cast. Lifting the blanket that was over him he saw that the series of gauze wrappings did reach across his shoulder to down around his ribs though. It only took a single flex from the arm for him to tell that it was sorely injured.

“Wha-” He attempted to speak but immediately coughed, feeling as if the bruising reached down from his shoulder into his lungs causing him to wheeze. “What in the hell just happened to me? Did I really fall out of that window? Why did I suddenly get so dizzy? I had gotten away with it scotfree, all I had to do was leave! And, where in the heck am I?!” He thought silently to himself.

After looking around it was a room he did not immediately recognize. He was lying back in a comfortable bed with a dark pastel pink canopy. There was a side table nearby and a dresser over on the wall. The floor had a white and purple tile to it and the pink curtains were drawn open letting the sunlight in. “Wait, is this one of the guest rooms in the castle?”

“Rayne!” The stallion was startled as he heard a mare’s voice call out to him. Looking over he saw Starlight Glimmer sitting in a chair nearby as she stared at him with a worried expression on her face. “Oh my gosh! You’re awake! I’m so glad!” Rushing over to his bedside she quickly threw her hooves around him.

“YEEOOWW!” Rayne screamed in pain which quickly caused her to jump back.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! But you don’t know how worried I have been about you!” She half shouted, half ranted while sounding a bit panicked. Raybe looked to her her face seeing that it was streamed in tears as if she had been crying for hours. “Would it uh, be okay if I kissed you? Or would that hurt too?” She asked him while looking to his face nervously.

Rayne quirked an eyebrow wondering how just a kiss could hurt but then realized that there was a soreness radiating from his cheek that he hadn't noticed. Reaching up with his good hoof he found a mass of bruising on his cheek and then immediately felt embarrassed about what he must look like to her. Seeing that she still was staring at him expectantly, he reached out to stroke her eyes clean of tears and carefully whispered in a wheezy voice, “I think that I could manage to survive a kiss… from my girl who was waiting by my bedside?” He asked curiously and saw Starlight smirk without hesitation.

“Baby, you can call me whatever you want as long as you can tell me that you’re going to be okay...” Then Starlight leaned forward and Rayne was surprised by how desperate her kiss felt as she thrust her lips upon his.

Blushing a bit Rayne pulled back and asked, “So does that mean I don’t have to wait for our third date to be able to say we’re together?” Starlight shook her head and his now girlfriend gently climbed up to sit beside him on the bed. Letting him wrap his good arm around her she tilted her face upward to lock her lips with his again.

Rayne definitely took advantage of the opportunity, kissing and holding the mare for as long as she would let him. But after their momentary embrace Rayne pulled back and asked her, “What happened? How did I get here and why am I so banged up?”

Now she looked at him in surprise before asking, “Wait, you don’t remember? You were attacked last night Rayne!”

“I was what?!” He gasped, remembering the events of last evening very differently from what she was telling him now.

“We were actually hoping you could tell us a little more about what had happened. You see, last night there was a break in here at Canterlot Castle. The night guard heard shouting and then there were reports that Storm Creatures from the Storm Kings army had been seen in the hallways. It is believed that a group of his former soldiers who were holding a grudge against him broke in to revive the Storm King from being frozen in stone… but without putting him back together first. All evidence points to it being an assassination attempt… that was successful.”

“No way!” Rayne wheezed showing his best amazed face. But quietly he thought to himself, “Glad to hear that at least the first part of my plan worked. Seems like everypony came the conclusion that I was hoping for.”

“Yes but during the attack Princess Luna had been flying around the courtyard. She said that she saw the shadows of the creatures through the window. When she went to investigate she suddenly saw you bending over as if in pain and you fell from the second story of the castle. She tried her hardest to catch you but... you slipped through her hooves. You should have seen her Rayne! She was so unbelievably guilty that she had let you fall. I was told what happened by Celestia as soon as I woke up and when I came here Luna had been staying by your side all night. Can you tell me what your side of the story was for what happened?”

Now Rayne pulled back a bit having some mixed emotions about what he was just told. “So no one knows. I got away with it after all. They think I was… collateral damage? I guess that works in my favor. I doubt they could tell the bruises of my fall from anything else that I could make up to say. But Luna… I don’t like knowing how I worried her. This wasn’t her fault." Rayne furrowed his brow in frustration. "I need to get a handle on this! It is the second time I’ve passed out unexpectedly. No way it's just coincidence. I’ll have to test my magic when nopony is looking. Did Sombra poison me somehow?”

“Rayne?” Starlight asked curiously as he had just been sitting there without answering her.

“Oh, sorry. It’s a bit hard to focus. I think this bruise on my face rang my bell a bit harder than I thought. I’ll try to keep my memories in order for you.” He told her, not having to fake the strain in his voice.

“It’s okay baby, I’m here for you. Just take your time.” She assured him while holding his good hoof in her own.

Rayne just blushed and teased her, “Calling me pet names right now isn’t going to make this easier for me.” They giggled together softly. But then Rayne’s weakened voice elaborated on the story he was going to stick to in case he was cross examined again by somepony else. “After I escorted you to Celestia’s room, I went back out to the garden in the main courtyard area. Maybe you can leave this part out when you tell the story to anyone else but I was still a little high spirited from our time together yesterday.” Starlight blushed at that but then she nodded before he continued.

“I guess I lost track of time because I ended up walking myself into a thirst. I decided to head back down to the kitchens to get a drink before going to bed. But I got lost trying to get back out and accidentally found myself walking up those same stairs that we walked down... nearby the uh, well you know, ‘that’ room.” She nodded again and looked worried as his voice seemed to get more serious now.

“I almost walked right into them. I saw them tearing the door apart and didn’t know what to think. I shouted and yelled for the guards. I supposed that wasn’t very brave of me. They all had grave expressions on their faces, I could tell they were up to no good. Maybe if I had done something to stop them...”

“Oh no Rayne, this isn’t your fault! It was a good thing that you screamed when you did. A random patrol happened to be nearby and they heard you when you yelled. I was told that nopony else was actually hurt and nothing seemed to have been stolen. Who knows if the situation might have turned out worse if you didn’t alert the guards. But tell me, what happened after that? How did you get to the window?” She asked while rubbing his hoof trying to be comforting to him.

“Well I’m not proud of it Starlight. When I screamed to alert the guards the creatures turned on me. I got scared, so I ran. I took off down a hallway, I don’t even remember where. They chased after me and cornered me by that window. When I turned around, one of them sucker punched me in the gut. They laughed and turn to walk away just before I remember falling. I honestly can't tell if I was shoved, or if I just fell.”

“Oh Rayne!” Starlight said with worry, leaning forward to hug him again but being much more gentle this time.

“Hey, hey there. It’s okay. I’m okay. You don’t need to worry.” He whispered trying to console her.

“But I am worried!” Starlight shouted as she looked back at him. “You can’t just move to Ponyville, force your way into my life, give me the two best dates I’ve ever had, then go getting attacked by monsters without me worrying about you!” She was tearing up again but she looked more frustrated now as she softly punched him in his good arm.

“Hey! Careful, you’re stronger than you look.” He said playfully. But then he leaned forward and spoke tenderly while wiping another tear from her eye. “Thank you for worrying about me. It really means a lot, especially coming from you.”

The two then shared a quiet moment together. They leaned their foreheads to one another with their eyes closed, being careful not to bump each other with their horns. After this affectionate embrace Starlight leaned back and said, “I don’t want to leave you alone but I really need to go tell somepony that you’re awake. Celestia will be wanting to know your side of the story and I’m sure the doctor here at the castle will want to look in on you.”

Rayne just nodded before saying, “Don’t be long, I’ll miss you.”

Starlight chuckled as she rose up from the bed. “Okay, okay. Don’t get all sappy on me.” But despite her words, the smile told Rayne that she felt the same.

“Oh wait, can I ask you for one more favor?" Rayne called out. "Could you send a letter to Ponyville for me? Remember how I told you that I was supposed to leave early this morning? Well I was kinda supposed to start working today at my new job. This was supposed to be my first day at the Day Spa. But from the look of me I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

Starlight laughed while looking him over laying in bed covered in bandages. “Heh, yeah I would say not. Don’t worry. I’ll get Celestia herself to try to pardon you if I have to. Just take it easy. I’ll be right back.” Blowing him a kiss she quickly headed out the door and Rayne listened to her hoof steps as they trailed away.

“Phew, alright then.” Rayne said to himself as he bitterly tried to figure out what had gone wrong last evening. “I had no idea Luna was flying by right at that moment. That could have spoiled everything. And I mean everything!” He thought to himself. Looking around to make sure there was no pony else in the room he then shined his horn and grimaced as casting magic seemed to hurt. “Let’s see… Okay, three shadows under the bed. Now we wait.”

Taking a moment, he made them move around. But after remembering he hadn’t fainted after animating Flurry Heart’s toys he dismissed that spell. “Okay so Sombra's magic checks out. Next...” Looking around he saw some flowers sitting in a vase atop the dresser. Using his magic he levitated them over to float in front of him and then performed the trick he just learned from the Storm King to change them to obsidian. “Alright, now to quickly dispose of these and wait to see what happens.” Bringing the Everfree forest to mind, Rayne teleported the evidence of his new ability away. Then he sat twiddling his hooves but still felt no worse than before.

“Well what in the hell? Why do I keep… wait a minute, it couldn’t be...” Looking down to his injuries he decided to test the only power he’d gained that he never planned on receiving. Focusing on his arm and chest he made his horn glow with healing magic while purposefully leaving the bruising on his face alone. “Oh wow, that feels a lot better. I can actually breathe now.” Again he rested, taking a moment to see if any after effects of the spell would kick in. At first he thought nothing would happen, but then he felt like his skull was going to split apart and that his stomach was about to retch out of his mouth. “Oh son of a-” He groaned out loud as his vision suddenly cut crossways before the stallion fell unconscious again right where he lay.

- - -

This time when Rayne awoke he had not even opened his eyes before feeling like his brain had been slugged with a baseball bat and his belly felt like he had swallowed a jar full of thumb tacks. “ooooOoooOhhh...” He whimpered, actually feeling so uncomfortable that his eyes began to tear up from the pain. Even the sound of his own voice made him feel worse. So forgoing talking aloud he just silently thought to himself, “Well that’s just freaking perfect! How is that spell supposed to work?! My arm is certainly better but… ugh, don’t vomit… uhh. So what, I can heal practically anything but this spell is going to make me black out and get sick every time I use it? What kind of ridiculous, ass backwards, healing magic is that?!”

Rayne turned his face into the pillow, allowing the smooth fabric to catch the tears of pain that rolled down his cheeks. “Tell me, is the pain of your injuries truly that great?”

Rayne froze as another voice spoke to him. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, let alone thought to check if he were alone in the room. The pain in his forehead was clouding his senses and he could hardly even think straight. But one thing he knew for certain, that deep feminine voice had not belonged to Starlight.

He rose a hoof to shield his eyes but was surprised to find an absence of light flooding into the room. Looking around he saw that everything was bathed in a pale blue glow. Night had apparently fallen while he slumbered from his magic induced coma. “Pain doesn’t begin to cover it. I feel sick.” He said while slowly looking around for the doctor he had assumed was checking on him.

“Oh? You feel ill as well as injured? There had been no signs of you being poisoned. Would there be anything that I may do to assist you? Maybe fetch thee a bucket perhaps?”

Rayne then struggled to peer his unfocused eyes through the dark. “Wait, a minute. You don’t sound like a doctor.” He said aloud in confusion. “You sound like-” Suddenly Rayne froze as his eyes shot open wide. Four dark hooves trotted into the light from a cushioned chair across the room. Brilliant cyan eyes stared down to him from beneath a shimmering starry mane. A mare with a black coat like velvet stepped elegantly toward his bed until she was now in his view. Rayne felt the air flee from his lungs as found himself now alone with the princess of the night.

“Tis true, a doctor I am not. As well, does the sight of me truly make you so fearful?” She asked, watching his eyes spread and hearing his breath hitch as she approached.

The dark stallion lay unmoving. He couldn’t blink and he could hardly breathe. “I assure you, it is not fear that now takes the breath from me dear princess.” In his mind he scolded himself to stop staring. His brain cried and screamed to not be rude but his body would not allow him to look away. The only free throught he could manage was to think, “So this much be how Westly felt... standing in front of Princess Buttercup."

Luna turned her head to the side, staring at him from over her shoulder with an expression that Rayne was not able to read. “I am pleased that I am able to catch you awake after your altercation. It would seem that this is the second time you lay stricken unconscious before me.”

Feeling shamed but not knowing why, Rayne was now able to pull his gaze away from the princess as he simply looked down at the sheets over his lap. “You have my apologizes if I have caused you any inconvenience. It is definitely not my desire to have caused you any trouble.” He said in earnest. Rayne could feel his heart racing now. His ears pounded, his nerves felt on edge, and he knew that none of this had anything to do with recently falling out a window.

Now Luna looked down at him back to him sounding flabbergasted. “M-my inconvenience?! No, no! Please, if anypony should be apologizing it should be me!" She shouted and turned to face him properly now. "I was the one who had failed to save the stallion brave enough to call alarm when there was danger about!” Her words seemed sincere and her horn glowed to levitate over a small stool for her to sit beside the bed. “I wanted to thank you personally for what you did." Calming her voice after realizing she had shouted at him she asked, "I assume that Starlight Glimmer informed you earlier of all that happened?”

Rayne nodded and looked around the room behind behind the princess. “Is she still here?”

“No, I am afraid not." Luna said quickly. "With the recent break in we didn’t feel it safe to have visitors at this time so she was sent back home to Ponyville. As for you, we did not feel it appropriate to move you until you were awake so that the doctor may better access your condition.” Now Luna paused as if she were steeling herself for something and said, “Seeing as I am the pony responsible for allowing you to become so injured I had taken it upon myself to watch over you at night, least we allow our intruders to return and attack you again. Please, tell me, is there anything that I can do for you? Anything at all?”

Rayne looked up to the princess's face seeing the pleading expression she had. The burden in her eyes was heartbreaking to Rayne and it was clear she was looking for some form of forgiveness or recompense to alleviate her guilt. Rayne lay there being unable to speak. He looked at Luna sitting there by his bedside, seeming heavy with concern for him and at that moment he could think of nothing else in the world that he could want.

“Rayne? Are you feeling unwell again? Why doth thee not answer? Perhaps… you feel it would be better if I left?” Luna glanced down as if saddened and looked away from him seeming to turn towards the door.

The very instant that he saw this Rayne could not resist his compulsion to shout. “No!” She stared back at him now in wide eyed surprise and Rayne felt like his heart was going to burst at seeing those beautiful eyes staring at him so intently. “Don’t… don’t do that.” He begged softly.

Luna hesitated now as she looked to him confused. “Don’t do what?”

“Don’t… look so sad. Please...” He asked to her softly. Luna then blushed a little bit from how intimate his words sounded to her. But before she could respond, she became curious as to why he sounded like he was suddenly apologizing to her. “This isn’t like me… I’m not normally this rude.” He paused for a moment quite literally trying to catch his breath as she was leaning in closer to him now. “I failed to answer you because I honestly am not sure what to say. Your concern for me is… I don’t deserve it from someone like you.”

“Don’t deserve… But Rayne you-” She tried to argue, worrying that he might think he was in some sort of trouble. But she stopped as he shook his head.

“No, that isn’t quite what I meant. Princess… Luna, if I may… I don’t fully understand how things have come to be how they are now. All I really know is that at one moment I was minding my own business and the next thing I know a day has passed and of all ponies in the world here 'you' are by my side." Rayne didn't even know where his words were coming from anymore. It was as if his heart were speaking with his brain having no say in the matter. And as his heart was speaking, Luna seemed to be listening. "You, looking at me with that worried expression. You, being so concerned about my well being when it should be the other way around. You ask what you can do for me? What is a stallion to say when he awakes to find the most beautiful mare in Equestria sitting by his bedside and asking him such a thing? Tell me princess, is this real? Or am I dreaming?”

All of a sudden Luna’s eyes seemed as if they were going to burst out of her head. Her reaction came in waves as if she could not process what he had said to her all at once. “The-wha… What do you…” All of a sudden she blushed and pulled back, now realizing just how incredibly alone the two of them were in the room together. “The most beautiful… why I am not… Oh! Oh my… I, I see...” She stated, gracefully stepping back from the stool that she sat upon.

“I have offended you...” Rayne said, not being able to tell if she were flattered or scared. “Forgive me, I am just a fool who is speaking out of place. The injury to my head would be a poor excuse, I should still know better than to speak to you in such a way. Please, this is your castle and I am the stranger here. If there is anypony who should be leaving it is me after causing you such an offense.”

“No!” Luna had surprised him, shouting much like he had earlier once she saw him attempting to get up out of bed. “No, you mustn’t do that. Please stay and rest, it is an invitation from your princess.” She paused as she looked to him sincerely until he nodded and leaned back into the bedding. “And there has been no offense. I… thank you for your kind words. I dare not say that I agree with you… about me… being, the most… beautiful mare in Equestria. But your breathless actions earlier tell me that you certainly believe it to be so.”

Rayne just sat there and blushed while making no attempts to hide it. He wanted to speak. He knew that right now as she paused would have been the perfect opportunity to try and charm her. But he couldn't. Rayne knew full well that in front of Luna he was nervous. All he could do was watch how her eyes sparkled like gemstones amidsts her flawless face. And when she spoke her voice carried itself to his ear making him feel bewitched as that of a siren's song. He had not prepared for this while his heart sat there staring at one of it's truest desires. But his words failed him as body and soul he understood that this mare was a world above being swayed by empty flattery.

After a moment of silence Luna chuckled and stated, “Well, this meeting is certainly not going the way I had imagined. It had only been my intent to thank you for assisting the castle guard in stopping the intruders last night. Which, I believe I said already... Furthermore! I wanted to apologize for not being able to save you from being hurt… which I believe I 'also' already said… So that’s done now.”

“So it is.” Rayne chuckled, feeling relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one feeling a bit nervous.

Luna raised her head proudly as if she were embarrassed but not quite knowing what by. After walking back to the door she turned to say to him, “It relieves me to see you well Rayne. Please feel free stay for as long as your injuries require.” She was trying to sound proper and regal now but Rayne could tell that she was looking to escape the tension in the air.

Rayne however had another question for her as he looked out the window and then back to her again. “If I may, princess? Is it very late? Will the sun already be rising soon?”

Luna stopped now, feeling surprised by such an unusual question. “Well, no. It is not terribly late into the night.”

“Then may I have your permission to head back to Ponyville before any more of the evening escapes us?”

Now it was Luna’s turn to look out the window and then back to him. “Wait, you wish to leave now? Would thee rather not wait until the morning and ride the train?”

But Rayne closed his eyes and shook his head before looking back to her. After spending a lifetime being violently harmed by direct sunlight he looked Luna in the eye and was able to genuinely say to her, “To be honest, I have always had a deep appreciation for the night. It is beautiful walking under the stars. The air is cool and the world is quiet. If it isn’t very late then I would have to wait for hours for the next train and then wait even longer for the train ride. I feel that I have already slept enough given I just lost an entire day. And sometimes a quiet evening stroll can be good for a pony. Don’t you think so?”

Luna stood there in shock after listening to his words. “I… I do. Forgive me, I have never heard another pony speak of the night in such a way. I must say, you certainly have quite a poetic way with words.”

Now Rayne chuckled and shook his head again. “Oh no, now that I don’t. I’ll share a little secret with you and I’ll trust that you can keep it since you’re a princess.” Even though he knew they were alone, Rayne playfully looked left and right before whispering, “I am terrible at poetry. My ability to structure words into a pattern sounds like a goose trying to sing underwater.”

Luna looked at him awkwardly for a moment. His antics were a bit childish and his analogy was silly. But as he just sat there looking at her with a smile, slowly the corners of Luna’s mouth could not resist how they turned up. Soon the princess started to giggle and then she held her sides as she started to laugh. “Oh Rayne, who would ever think of such a thing? A goose singing underwater, ha ha.”

As she chuckled with delight, Rayne wouldn’t have traded this moment for all the power in the world. Looking to the joy on her face made something inside of him feel like it glowed. The sight of her like this brought Rayne a happiness that quelled every other desire his heart could ask for.

“Oh, hehe. Forgive me, I seem to have lost my composure.” Luna said as she cleared her throat. She smiled at him now as she spoke. “If you feel well enough to make it on your own than I shall not stop you from leaving. Provided that you remain safe while traveling on the road.” Rayne just nodded but looked up when she spoke again. “However before you go, I would have one last question for you.”

Rayne glanced up as he was now half way out from bed. He tested his strength as he stepped softly but found that he should have no problems walking home. “As you wish.” He told her, happy to have a chance to say the line before she left his side.

Narrowing her eyes a little, her smile faded as she told him, “As you may be aware, part of my work as a princess of Equestria is the traverse the dreams of those in need. You sir I have been seeing in great many dreams around Ponyville for about the past week now.”

“Crap! Really?” Rayne thought, but his expression remained curious to not give himself away. “Has it really… yes, it has been about a week. Today kinda got away from me but I think this had been the end of my seventh day in Equestria.”

Luna continued on as he stared at her without interrupting, “Needless to say, I was… curious about the stallion who had affected the mindset of so many. However try as I might, I have yet to come across any of your dreams Rayne. One would think that after so many days, and so many interactions with new ponies, that at least one dream would have crossed that mind of yours. Could you explain to me how this has not been so?”

The expression that she saw in the stallion’s face was soft. It wasn’t frightened or angry. It looked almost tranquil as he just looked up into her eyes and said, “I guess I just hadn’t met anypony worth dreaming about yet.”

Now Luna heavily blushed as the implication had not been lost on her. She stood there with her cheeks still burning, as Rayne stood up from the bed and thanked her for an enjoyable conversation. Then by the time the rosy glow in her cheeks subsided, Rayne had already walked passed her through the doorway and was gone. As she stood there alone Luna leaned her back against the doorframe having no idea what came over her. She felt relieved and sorrowful at the same time. She realized her pulse had quickened and she found herself looking back at the bed where she had watched him sleep for so many hours. “Ohhh… if that stallion ever visits again I just may find myself forgiving Celestia about Hot Streak." She said with a sigh as she lingered in the guest room.

Author's Notes:

So one of Rayne's greatest struggles has now been revealed! The healing magic he stole from Radiant Hope isn't going to work for him the same way that it worked for her. Consider it a conflict of elements. He has too much dark magic within him. Shapechanging from the Lord of Chaos, Umbran Magic from Sombra, and even the power to steal the essence of others from Tirek. This all goes in contrast to Hope's light magic. Consider it a form of magical rejection. Rayne will never be able to use this ability without it backfiring on the magical circuits in his horn.

Now yes, at this point Rayne is now dating Maud, Applejack, and Starlight. Only time will tell if this works to his benefit or if it only leads to complicate matters in his life.

Lastly, I would very much enjoy hearing how you felt about the scene with Luna. Think of all the times he has flirted before, confidently and without hesitation. Now in the face of her he shuts down like a helpless school boy. Hopefully some of you were moved by this scene. And for those who didn't catch it: the part about Westly, Princess Buttercup, and the line "As you wish" were all a reference to the movie The Princess Bride.