Chapter 80

Luna’s eyes flickered open as she awoke, she rose her head to see Dave sat at the edge of the bed. The human was shivering as he rubbed his hand along one of his arms, his fingers traced along the black mark that designated him.

The soft sound of humming was floating through the air, the noise was soothing yet quiet. Luna heard the humming stop and the flapping of large wings take its place, Adamas flew past the window as he flew into the countryside in search of food. Luna almost forgot about the human beside her as she noticed his sniff.

Luna quietly sat up and shuffled closer to Dave, slowly lifting a hoof to rest on his back. Dave flinched and dropped his arm as he used his hand to wipe his face. “H-hey Luna,” Dave said cheerfully. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes, very much,” Luna rested her chin on Dave’s shoulder as she wrapped her hooves around his neck and held him close. “What’s wrong?” The alicorn asked softly as Dave tensed up again.

“I had a nightmare, nothing serious,” Dave said quietly as he dipped his head, his hands gripped the bed as he forced his eyes to stay closed. “Sorry I woke you.”

Luna pressed her body against Dave’s back as she closed her eyes and held her face against his neck. “You had a nightmare about Tartarus, didn’t you?”

Dave’s body tensed as Luna held him close, his chest began to shake as he shuddered again, his teeth grinding against each other as he held back tears. “I’m pathetic aren’t I?”

“No you aren’t,” Luna squeezed Dave as she began to quiver as well. “I had nightmares that I woke up and I was back on the moon for months after I returned.”

“I’m sorry,” Dave turned to wrap his arms around Luna. “I shouldn’t compare to my short stay to yours.”

Luna smiled, “Mine was a thousand years of boredom whilst yours was a year of hell.”

Dave chuckled as he pressed his face into Luna’s neck, rubbing his face against her soft fur. “If you ever go back to the moon then I am coming to get you.”

“And if you ever get dragged into Tartarus then I am coming to get you,” Luna smiled as she sat in silence with Dave, both happy in each other’s embrace as the moon began to dip towards the horizon.

Dave played with Luna’s mane as he smirked, “Worst thing about the moon?”

“Nothing but rocks,” Luna sighed. “What was the worst thing about Tartarus?”

“The food,” Dave and Luna started to giggle before breaking out into full on laughter that caused them to tear at the eyes. Dave took a deep breath to calm himself as Luna wiped a tear from her eye.

Luna smiled as she rested her head against Dave’s chest and listened to his heartbeat as he stroked her mane. “I love you Dave.”

“I love you too Luna,” Dave smiled as he kissed the top of Luna’s head. The human laid down on the bed and allowed Luna to use his chest as a pillow, the alicorn slowly fell back to sleep as Dave was left staring at the ceiling.

Dave’s smile began to fade as he thought back to his nightmare, but before he could recall any thoughts, Luna shuffled closer and snuggled against the warmth of Dave’s body. Dave began smiling again as Luna‘s breath began to gently roll across his skin, indicating she was truly asleep.

The human’s eyes glimpsed at the cutie mark on Luna’s flank and the mark on his own arm. “I wonder… nah.” Dave let his head fall as he began to slowly drift off to sleep as well, the alicorn beside him prevented him from having any more nightmares.

A few hours later…

“So…” Celestia smiled as Luna sat down and had a bowl of porridge placed in front of her. Luna narrowed her eyes at the smiling Celestia as she sensed something devious going on.

“So what?” Luna stared at Celestia as the princess of the sun continued to smile. Luna began to look away before she realized. “Oh you mean last night don’t you?” Luna blushed.

Celestia’s smile grew, “Of course!” The white alicorn watched as her sibling looked away as her face almost turned completely red the younger alicorn pressed her face into her hooves. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

Luna gasped through her hooves which resulted in a loud squeak. “You saw!” Luna yelled as she looked at her sister in disbelief. “H-how could you?” Luna shouted angrily, her sister not noticing the anger in Luna’s eyes.

“Well I had my telescope and you had left a small gap in your curtains,” Celestia tapped her chin. “To be honest, I left after you got on top.”

“Is Dave that much of a toy to you?” Luna snarled as she slammed her hooves onto the table and glared across the table at her sister. Celestia heard the spite in Luna’s voice and responded with a glare of her own.

The princesses stared at each other as neither looked away for a second, Luna’s porridge slowly turned cold as it was left unattended. Luna’s hooves were pressed against the stone table as she tried to contain her anger. Celestia sat in her chair, the only aggression was shown through her dark glare.

“I love Dave more than you know, I will not have my love questioned,” Celestia said as she continued to glare into Luna’s eyes.

“You have a strange way of showing love to anything you say you care about!” Luna scoffed as Celestia’s lips twitched into a snarl. “You won’t let me and Dave have any intimacy together without spying and you allowed both of us to suffer in our own prisons while you did nothing!”

Celestia’s face dropped into one of despair as she looked across the table at her sister, “What happened last night?”

Luna lost her anger as she pulled her hooves close to her body, “Dave had a nightmare about Tartarus and I couldn’t comfort him, he put on a brave face and bottled up his fears.”

“You know this because you went through this too,” Celestia sighed as she shook her head. “I know that Dave will be fine, we have to take it slow and he will open up to us in his own time.”

“Open up to you,” Luna muttered angrily before dropping her head in shame. “I’m sorry sister, I shouldn’t be jealous but I can’t help it.”

Celestia smiled as she walked over to Luna and wrapped her hooves around her. “Dave loves us both equally, I know things have been difficult recently but you know that Dave will always return to his clueless, happy personality.”

“I’m sorry sister,” Luna returned the hug as she closed her eyes. “It is your wedding day soon and I won’t ruin it and I will make sure it is the happiest day of your life.”

Celestia nuzzled against her sibling as she smiled. “I should hope so, seeing as you are my going to be my head bridesmaid.”

Luna pulled away slightly as she looked at Celestia, “I-I thought that you would be asking me to do the ceremony.” The younger sister began laughing as she pounced on her sister and began rubbing her face against Celestia. “I get to wear a dress and be next to you the entire time!”

“That is what I was hoping,” Celestia smiled as she rubbed her sister’s mane. “You, Cadence and Flux are going to be my bridesmaids.”

“Wait…” Luna pulled away again. “Flux? As in the Pegasus who caused all those problems?”

Celestia sighed, “Those old guards just made some wrong choices, they never meant to be bad.” The princess rolled her eyes as she grumbled, “I still can’t believe Strong Shield convinced me into asking her.”

“Is he going to walk you down the aisle?” Luna held a hoof over her mouth as Celestia nodded happily. “Dave is going to be so happy when he sees that, I wonder who his best stallion or mare is going to be…” Luna hummed as she tapped her chin, “Probably Odio.”

Celestia shook her head, “Dave mentioned he had something planned for Odio but he won’t tell us what.” The princess of the sun smiled, “But Adamas is taking Dave into Ponyville with Nox so I suppose he will be bringing back Twilight and her friends.”

“So when he comes back we are going to have the wedding?” Luna beamed as Celestia nodded.

“Dave kept mentioning that it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” Celestia shrugged as she returned to her seat. “I would also imagine that Nox will be bringing Applebloom, he has been a true gentlecolt from what I have heard.”

Luna smiled as she imagined Nox trying to be like his father. “Hopefully Nox and Dave can spend some time together, I will have to be honest and say that events have been keeping them… distant.”

“True, Nox’s sudden age jump was a shock but it is more alarming that he matured almost as quickly,” Celestia hummed as she tapped her hooves against the table. “You will have to be cautious when you and Dave have a foal of your own.”

The younger sister blushed heavily as she looked at her sister, “F-foal?”

“I assume you would like to have a child with Dave at some point,” Celestia smiled slightly as Luna blushed again.

“W-well yes but I don’t think I will be ready for quite some time,” Luna rubbed a hoof along her leg as she thought about all the possibilities ahead of her. She had wanted to be with Dave and she regularly fantasized about what life they could have. But now it was possible she hadn’t thought about it anymore. “So long as we are happy together.”

Meanwhile…

“You are coming in a little hot Adamas,” Dave held onto one of the dragon’s large spines. “Adamas you need to slow down a bit.”

The diamond dragon slammed into the ground outside Ponyville, the human was thrown from the dragon as he crashed onto a building, his face bashing against the thatched roof. Adamas snorted as Nox carefully glided down and rested on the dragon’s head.

“I am upset at you for what you did to one of my apprentices,” Adamas snorted. He paused as he looked at Dave, “I assume nopony has told you yet.”

“There are a lot of things that I haven’t been told.” Dave rubbed his neck as he looked around the building he was on. “So what is it this time?”

“When you were taken into the vault, you had a piece of your mind severed from the rest,” Adamas offered a claw to help Dave to the ground. “Your survival instinct ordered us around but still made sure he destroyed Harvest and brought you back.”

Dave hummed, “That explains the sword.”

“He made a full armour and used Odio to power it,” Adamas let Dave drop to the ground and began following him along the wider streets. “Ultimately he was an emotionless yet powerful being.”

“Anything else?” Dave waved to a few ponies as they gawped up at the diamond dragon, they smiled when they saw Dave and they continued with their day.

“You have a peculiar power.” Adamas sighed, “It turns out that you can exert your resistance past magic.”

“Like gravity or life forms?” Dave arched his head back as he noticed Adamas’ confused stare. “Something I learnt in Tartarus.”

Nox glided down from Adamas’ head and landed beside his father. “Hey dad, why are we in Ponyville?”

“I have come to pick up the super heroes, crusaders and my best man,” Dave walked through the town until he reached the large tree that housed Twilight’s library. He knocked gently, Adamas arched his head around the building and his eye peered into one of the larger windows.

The door opened and Twilight leapt out of the door and wrapped her hooves around Dave. “Why haven’t you written any letters?” Twilight said playfully as Dave gave her a friendly hug.

“Usual problems,” Dave chuckled as he released Twilight. “Sorry I haven’t been in contact for a while, but I am here to offer an invitation.”

The purple unicorn allowed Dave and Nox to follow her into the library, Adamas rolled his eyes as he remained outside and snapped his jaws at a few birds that flew past his head. Twilight walked over to one of her desks and levitated up a letter bearing a royal seal.

“Princess Celestia already sent the wedding invites to me and my friends,” Twilight smiled as Dave nodded. “It was nice of you to make the effort to come down here anyway.”

“Not to sound rude, but I didn’t come for that,” Dave shrugged as Twilight gave him a confused look. “I am here for Spike.”

“Spike?” Twilight quickly scanned the letter she had. “I assume that it would be alright for me to bring him as a plus one right?”

The library door swung open and Spike walked in with two large bags. “I have your parchment Twilight, they said that the next order should be delivered by next week.”

“Hey Spike!” Nox waved as Spike placed the bags down and walked over to the group.

“Hey Nox, hey Dave,” Spike smiled as he walked over and sat on the sofa next to Nox. “What’s going on?”

“Well Dave said that he wants to talk to you about something.” Twilight, Nox and Spike all turned their heads to look at Dave as the human stood and stared down at the young dragon.

“Spike,” Dave narrowed his eyes and Spike gulped under Dave’s glare. “Will you be my best man?”

“Best what?” Spike gawped. “You mean like best mare or stallion?”

Dave rolled his eyes, “Yeah one of them.”

Spike looked at a smiling Twilight and Nox before looking at Dave, a large grin across his face. “S-sure!”

Dave held out his hand and Spike quickly grasped it with his claw, shaking it firmly as he exchanged smiles with the human. Adamas’ eye filled one of the windows and he hummed happily, the vibrations rumbled through the tree as the large dragon smiled.

“And you big guy,” Dave turned to smile at Adamas. “You are in charge of the music.”

“What!” Adamas yelling in surprise, his voice travelling far beyond the city outskirts. “Why would you choose me to do that?”

Dave shrugged, “I hear you humming little tunes late at night, so do the night guards and Luna.” The human smirked as Adamas looked away. “So this will be perfect for you to show us what you are really made of.”