Chapter Fourteen: Regret

The hours rolled by lethargically, ponies greeting their beloved princess with kind words-some of them screaming at the sight of Rhem, which prolonged a few meetings, but they eventually got through them without any further issues.

As the final equine exited the throne room, the guards precipitated themselves before the alicorn, throwing a hoof to their foreheads.

"That is all, Your Highness," stated one of them.

The solar monarch found herself somewhat surprised at the relative ease of how the meetings went. True, there were a few that could have gone better than she had hoped, especially with those that had screamed at the sight of the dragon. But, a few words and some gentle persuasion usually calmed them down. The issues were generally fairly minor-a couple of complaints, a few requests, a question here and there, and one particular pony who had wanted to demand an explanation to a problem only to completely forget what he was there to demand an explanation for upon nearly fainting dead away as he got an eyeful of the Draconian.

Thankful that no one had ran off like headless chickens, she nodded at her sentries.

"Thank you, sirs," she said, rising to her hooves and glancing at the Draconian at her side. "… Well? Did you wish to show me here? … Or should we take this outside?"

"Outside in the fresh air is usually the best place to be."

Rising up from his haunches, Rhem gestured for the alicorn to lead him away to an outside area of her choice.

She nodded, stepping out of the throne room and leading the way down the hall towards one of the larger courtyards outside of the castle. If she was going to learn to fight, she figured the best place to do so would be out in the open. Less chance for injury.

The mare cast a glance up at the sky. Her eyes lingering on the sealed form of her younger sister, she sighed.

Gazing up at the jeweled night as he followed her, he emitted a sigh of his own. It was truly a beautiful sight. Viewing a clear sky was a rarity back in Draconia. After a few more strides, he pried his eyes from the heavens and fixated his attention on the monarch.

"All right. First, I am going to try something." Walking around her and placing himself behind her, he gently took a thick lock of the ethereal tail into his mouth. "A'ter I 'ull you tail, I 'ant you to shtre'ch ou' your neck 'an low'r your head."

After his instruction, he firmly pulled on the princess' tail and held it out in place. Princess Celestia seemed confused, especially as he grasped her tail, but did as she was told. As she did so, she felt the long muscle running from the back of her head to her tail stretch out rather nicely.

"Ohhh…" she sighed. "Is this a warm-up?"

"Mhmm."

Rhem retained the firm tug on her tail for a few more minutes until he released it. He then went into a detailed discussion on nerve and stress points, activating the ones that relaxed muscles and relieved tension to serve as a live demonstration-and to relieve stress from the alicorn.

For an hour, he used several techniques with his hands to dig into and massage deep tissues. By the time he was done, he had covered the nervous and circulatory system explicitly to his knowledge, having used every relaxing technique he knew.

"How do you feel?"

Princess Celestia allowed herself to relax and let the stress and tension roll off of her as the dragon worked on her. She felt herself breathe deeper and longer, her wings unfurled and spread out, as she laid down on her stomach with her neck stretched out.

As Rhem asked her how she felt, she responded with a half-snore, nearly nodding off. She blinked, snapping more to alertness.

"Awww… You're done? I was about ready to fall asleep."

He smiled softly, placing his hands on her shoulder to work on her muscles again.

"Did you hear anything I was telling you or do I have to repeat everything?" His fingers made their way down her shoulder blade and onto her wing, taking great care not to scratch her with his sharp talons. "How does this feel?"

"I think… I might need a refresher," she chuckled. "I'll have to write them down and create a chart on this with you later."

Lifting her wing to allow him better access, she practically melted onto the ground again.

"Feels good…" she breathed. "Feels very good. I don't suppose you know how to preen feathers, do you?"

"Preen feathers?" he repeated. "No. We never had the need to know how to preen feathers before. I guess I should leave your wing alone before I mess up your feathers."

At that, he removed his clawed hands from her wing.

"No, no, no." The mare shook her head. "It's not a problem. Here, I'll direct you. Start from the top and work your way across and down. Take each feather in your teeth and give it a gentle tug. Some of them may come out, and that's fine. If they do, let them…"

Rhem nodded and brought his head down to the outstretched wing. Parting his lips, he took one of the small feathers that lined the top of the wing between his teeth. The jerk was a little too strong, yanking out the feather.

"OW!" Princess Celestia winced, lifting and turning her head to lightly glare at the dragon. "Gently, please!"

She pulled up her wing to examine it. Outside of the sharp sting, there did not seem to be any real damage. It wasn't a primary and the tiny feather would grow back. Satisfied, she settled back down, her expression softening.

The Draconian general, too, flinched - though, in shock at the princess' pained response and brief lash.

"I am not used to being gentle. I will try again."

Drawing his head back to Princess Celestia's wing, his lips closed down on another tiny feather. Before making any sort of movement, he inhaled a deep breath to assist becalming his body and focus on controlling his strength.

Giving the slightest tug, managing not to pull out the feather, he let it go, a smile tipping his lips upon realizing his success.

"Better?"

His second attempt feeling much better, she nodded and directed a smile at him, relaxing and closing her eyes partially.

"Yes. That's much better. Also, try smoothing the feathers down with your muzzle after you tug each one. That'll also help jostle and loosen up a few that would fall out naturally. I'm nearing my molting phase anyway…"

The winged reptilian nodded in acknowledgement, focusing on retaining gentleness as he shifted to the next feather. Then the next, and the next. A few came out just as the mare had foretold. The first couple times a feather came loose, he turned to the alicorn's face with eyes asking if he had hurt her. Upon reassurance, he continued.

Lowering himself onto his belly in a more comfortable position, Rhem proceeded to the next row of slightly larger feathers. A couple lodged loose and stuck to his lips, then his tongue when he tried to blow them away.

Giggling, the mare utilized her magic to levitate the feathers from Rhem's lips and release them to flutter off with the breeze.

Flashing her a sweet, almost childish smile, he resumed preening. Covering the rows of smaller feathers, he took care of the primaries, finding them very stiff compared to the soft and downy ones.

"You have very pretty feathers."

"Thank you, Rhem. I appreciate that. I'm quite proud of my wings, but feathers can be a hassle at times. Having to clean and sift through each one manually can be a real pain. I suspect leathery wings like yours would be far easier to manage."

"I would not think so. Once they receive a tear in them, the skin will not grow back. We can be rendered flightless that way." After saying that, Rhem went back to his preening job. One of the snowy white primaries came loose halfway down the wing and dropped it right in front of him. These ones were not difficult to get rid of as the downy variety. Once he finished with that wing, he nudged the princess in the shoulder with his nose. "Shall I move onto the other wing?"

Princess Celestia nodded. Yes, that made sense. At least pegusi feathers would grow back eventually, provided the wings weren't removed directly from their bodies. Once detached, not even magic would heal them, and they would have to live like earth ponies the rest of their lives.

Glancing up at the dragon, she folded her wing against her side and rolled over to extend the other to him.

Shuffling closer until his body was pressed against hers, he scanned her wing and began. The moon was high in the sky, bathing the land below in its silver beams. Truly, it was beautiful. Everything around them was beautiful. The dragon noticed this, taking admiration of the visually stunning displays as he worked his way along the alicorn's wing.

Princess Celestia also kept her gaze open and around the area. The moonlight shone down into the courtyard to illuminate the trees, the flowers, and the stone path in silver light. Her eyes rolling upward, she took in the moon and the dark craters etched into it that engraved the Mare in the Moon.

"Luna…" she whispered, wondering if her beloved sister could see them from her prison.

Rising his head and ear frills perking at the yearning note in her voice, his heart went out to her, wishing to bring her comfort. Since he was on his belly with his body pointed towards her backside and his head at her wing, he was unable to reach her head to nuzzle her. Instead, he rested his chin upon her stomach, gazing upon her with sympathetic eyes.

The monarch smiled lightly at the dragon with sorrow in her eyes, then turned her attention back up to stare at the moon. Part of her wondered if there was a way to end the spell prematurely, to bring Princess Luna back… but she had no knowledge of how to use the Elements of Harmony without her connection to them.

"I wish I could make your pain go away… It pains even me to see you like this…"

The young dragon exhaled deeply through his nostrils. Removing his head from Princess Celestia's belly, he went back to her wing, his soft scaled lips working the middle section of feathers.

"I will be fine, Rhem," she said sadly, closing her eyes and allowing her body to relax. "I… dearly miss my sister. It's been three centuries since I last saw her… and… it will be at least seven more until I get that chance to do so again."

She opened her eyes, dropping her eyes to a pebble and kicked at it with a front hoof.

"At least you will get to see your sibling again."

Before coming to Equestria, he had never thought of the possibility that killing others was wrong. That was how he was raised. But now that he did know, and that the mare he admired despised the concept of everything he had told her about Draconia, he was beginning to feel remorse.

Princess Celestia's eyes went wide.

"Oh… that's right… You…"

Her eyes watered up as she rolled over onto her stomach and moved her body around to nuzzle him. Folding both her wings against her sides, she rested her head against his neck in an attempt to comfort him, not desiring for him to experience the same emotional pain she was going through.

Expelling a sigh, Rhem pressed his head against her shoulder in a nuzzle.

"Sometimes… I dream about their last moments… Looking up at me… Dying… Their blood covered on my claws…"

"Oh, Rhem…"

Princess Celestia furled a foreleg around his neck to hold him close. Letting him cry on her shoulder, she stroked his back while she rested her chin on the crest of his neck.

"… Rhem," she piped up after a short while. "Do you recall what I said about that paradise? Where there is no pain, misery, or sadness?" She pulled away with a small smile. "Your brothers will be there, waiting for you. I'm sure of it. You'll see them again. I'm certain they'll understand you needed to survive and won't think any less of you for it."

The dragon sighed again as he lifted his head, dragging his bottom jaw over the bridge of the mare's nose tenderly.

"I hope… your sister breaks free of her possession… You need her… I can feel it."

"I know she will, one day," she said, nosing her muzzle up to nuzzle the side of his head. "I miss her terribly…

"We were meant to rule together. Side-by-side, as eternal avatars of our kingdom. Me over the day, her over the night in constant balance. I just… I just wish I had seen my sister's pain and jealousy… I could have done more to prevent it…"

"I look forward to meeting her… When I come back." Soaking in the comfort, Rhem pressed against the alicorn's body, enjoying the warm softness of her fur. It had such a calming effect on the reptile. "What is your schedule like tomorrow?"

"I hold morning court, but unless something pops up in the afternoon, I should be free…" the monarch mused. "It's getting quite late. Perhaps we should retire for the night."

A small smile breaking out on his face, Rhem nuzzled the mare once more before rising up onto his feet.

"Okay. Maybe… I can re-teach you those pressure and nerve points in the afternoon. Followed by a few reflex exercises."

"I'll be sure to have some parchment and ink to mark this down. And have a scribe or two to help as well. I want this information recorded for posterity." She smiled, getting to her hooves. "I'm sorry we couldn't move into combat tonight."

"I learned something new out of it and you were relieved of stress." The young general arched his back and unfurled his wings to stretch out his muscles. Folding his wings back up, he rolled his shoulders with a resounding crack. "I remember where my room is."

Princess Celestia arched her eyebrows and her ears twitched at the cracks originating from his shoulders.

"Hmmm. You sound like you might need some stress relief yourself." Giggling, she leaned forward to nuzzle him once more. "After all, you are my friend as well as my guest, and one I wish to make sure is comfortable. If you need anything-anything at all, just tug the rope next to the bed. It will sound a bell that will summon a servant.

"And… should you need me, don't hesitate to have somepony come by to wake me up."

"I… am glad to have a friend like you…" he stated, meeting her nuzzle with one of his own. Drawing back a little, he touched his nose to hers, gazing into her eyes. "… Goodnight."

"Pleasant dreams, Rhem."

The princess left the courtyard. Just before she stepped back inside the castle proper, she took one last look up at the moon.

I'll free you one day, my dear sister," she whispered.

She clopped inside to make a beeline straight to her own chambers, intending to retire to her bed as soon as possible. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

For the second time, the red-scaled dragon's dreams were free from horrifying visions of the atrocities that happened back in his homeland. Before visiting Equestria, he couldn't even recall any nights that had bestowed any peaceful sleep. The atmosphere in the dragon lands were haunted with a dark presence that managed to prove unsettling to anyone. But, here in the equine country, the air was serene… Warm… Inviting…

That didn't impede Rhem's internal clock. He was wide awake a few hours behind the set time for the sun to rise for morning exercises.

Princess Celestia rose about an hour before she was supposed to raise the sun. Having a light breakfast delivered to her room, she ate and decided to take a short walk in the garden.

Being alone, she let her mind wander. She wondered if peace would truly ever reign in Equestria. If it wasn't border conflicts with the dragons or the griffons, it was internal disputes within her own country. Not to mention that one day, Nightmare Moon would return. And, if she would be unable to stop her, then what?

After completing a series of exercises, the dragon prowled up and down the palace halls in a feeble attempt to learn his way around. It didn't do much good - there were too many halls and doors.

A large open window had been spotted, beckoning Rhem to come closer. Peering outside, a speck of familiar white in the garden below grasped his attention. Mischievous glint sparking in his eyes, he crawled out the window and scaled down the exterior of the castle with the use of his sharp claws. Dropping onto the soft grass-carpeted earth, the dragon stalked forth like a predator.

The alicorn continued to move through her garden, wandering past the bushes and topiary, and some of the stone statues that had been sculpted by gifted hooves and horns. A few faces of history she remembered, and had immortalized in stone form. Not to say that she actually turned ponies to stone. No, there had been only one that had been transformed into a petrified state by her.

She often didn't deliberately come to see him… She had, once, after she had sealed Nightmare Moon away in the moon - thinking that, perhaps, somehow, he had something to do with it. That he had escaped and corrupted her… But, no… No, he was still locked firmly away. The seal upon his stone prison still held…

She sighed, shaking her head. It wouldn't do to dwell on past events. It was nearing sunrise. As she reached the center of a clearing, she paid no attention at all to the light scarlet form of the Draconian sneaking up behind her-not even realizing he was there.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes. Sighing, she held her head high, wings unfurling and spreading out. Her horn glowed as she felt the solar strength filling her up from deep inside. She flapped her wings once, lifting herself a few inches to prepare to rise with the sun.

The highly trained general moved swiftly and silently through the garden, only to slow down once he as close to springing distance. He didn't pay any heed to the statue the mare had previously been distracted by, his attention strictly absorbed by her. Suppressing a snicker, he advanced several more feet then gathered up his body weight upon his hind legs. Folding them to prepare for launch, the dragon mentally calculated how much power he should use.

Utilizing the strong muscles in his legs, he pounced the alicorn and pinned her.

"Got you!"

The alicorn felt a large body tackle her from behind and drag her down. Her concentration broken, her horn stopped glowing and her eyes snapped wide open right before she came down with a mouthful of grass.

Rhem didn't even realize the mare as in the process of raising the sun. Had he known that, he would have waited.

"Hello, Celestia," he greeted. Never before had he felt so chipper (without any help from any sugary food). With a sweet purr, he applied a lick to her ear before getting off of her.

She had been about to buck him off, when she realized precisely who it was. Her licked ear twitched, and she got to her hooves, her mane somewhat wild from the frazzled shock she received.

She turned to him to narrow her eyes a bit at him, then shook her head.

"… Good morning, Rhem. You… startled me."

The alicorn dropped her glare to smile at him, stretching her neck and wings to make sure nothing had been pulled.

"You actually interrupted me. I was just about to raise the sun." Glad she wasn't injured, she gave him another slightly disapproving gaze, only for it to dissolve into another smile after a moment. "Would you care to stay and watch?"

Rhem's cheer diminished to regret and shame after learning he had unwittingly interrupted her. However, as she smiled at him, he couldn't remain in a damp mood. Mirroring her grin, he nodded and brushed his snout over her cheek.

"Yes, I would. And… I, erm, apologize for the interruption. I did not realize you were raising the sun."

"It's fine, Rhem," she reassured, breaking into a wider grin. Closing her eyes, she spread her wings once again and slowly ascended into the sky. Horn glowing anew, she rose with the sun, bringing it up over the horizon as the moon sank beyond the opposite hills and coating the land in the bright morning light.

Princess Celestia's body was illuminated against the celestial body, her form glowing a bright yellow abreast the reddish-orange background.

Rhem stood back and observed in amazement as the fiery ball arose and saturated everything below it in a wide array of colors. The princess was a stunning sight herself! Her white coat ablaze in the same manner as the sun itself. He was left breathless…

The mare held her position in the sky for a few minutes, her white color quickly returning as she slipped out of the disc that made up the sun. She released a deep, blissful sigh, now feeling charged. While she could raise the sun with merely her horn and some concentration, she preferred to raise it with all of her being. It always gave her a boost of energy-a sense of life that always refilled her.

Her inner fire re-sparked, she lowered herself to the ground to give the dragon a vibrant smile.

"… Like what you seen?" she chuckled playfully.

Fiery yellow-orange eyes sparkling with awe and admiration with a cute adoring smile accompanying them, he nodded.

"Yes, it was… incredible, Celestia!"

The male took a moment to cast his eyes upon the colors in the sky before returning them back to the princess. As he opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off by a rumble in his stomach. No servants had brought any food to him, nor did he make it all the way to the dining hall.

Princess Celestia felt a surge of pride. It was a somewhat hidden quality, but she actually liked to show off every now and again. Not that she was ruler of a country, or that she was powerful, and had many servants, and she certainly didn't like to brag…

But to use herself as a conduit for a light show? Part of her almost wished more ponies were up to watch her raise the sun. She had done it once or twice when raising the moon, but… each time, it just didn't feel the same. In fact… it actually felt… sort of wrong.

Hearing the grumbling of Rhem's stomach, Princess Celestia allowed her multi-chromatic mane to flow over her eye and obscure half of her face. Closing her eyes halfway, she gave a knowing grin.

"Oooh. Sounds like somepony's a little hungry," she teased in singsong.

"I can fix that," she said, turning around. "Let's get something to eat."

The melodic intonation in her voice inspired a soft huff of a laugh out of him. He was really looking forward to what her chefs would be making. His keen sense of smell detected food on her and brought him to the conclusion that she had already eaten.

"What did you eat for breakfast?" he queried, joining the alicorn's side as they exited the garden.

"I had a small bowl of oats and some toast, with an apple," she replied. "Nothing particularly large, but filling and enough to at least start me off. Maybe some pancakes would be good."

Yes, some light, fluffy golden buttermilk pancakes with some maple syrup. Maybe with some strawberries or blueberries. A few of those and a glass of milk would be great. Hips swaying lightly as she trotted, she lead the way back to the dining hall.

Perhaps the morning staff would be a little more receptive to him.