Rainbowdash and Nightmare Moon's family story/dynamics
This is all still a WIP, i havent settled on details yet, but, this is for our AU's versions of NMM and RD, as well as their kids. The eldest, Aurora. The youngest, Spectra. Despite Spectra's looks she is an alicorn as well, but due to her powerful magic her horn is tightly curled on her head and hidden. Spectra and Aurora will get their own posts most likely but this is more about RD and NMM.
Rainbows special talent is inspiring others, the sonic rainboom being her unique power. It inspires her friends to get their own cutie marks.
She is the element of Loyalty, inspiring loyalty in others.
Cutiemark: She gets her cutiemark as she performs the sonic rainboom like normal. She realizes just how fast she is, and the cheering of ponies/determination it inspires in those around her help her gain her cutie mark.
After saving the world a couple times, twilight and friends had developed a bit of a reputation as heros, and definitely the princesses favor. Luna had a special mission she was going on (idk what yet) and it required a stong flyer. She personally requested rainbow acompany her.
They end up getting stranded together for a while and trauma bond, luna admitting she asked rainbow because she thought she was pretty and thought the mission wouldnt be that bad, but while they're both on deaths door the truth comes out.
They kiss, get saved. The feelings never really went away even if they both moved on and tried to pretend it didnt happen. They did stay friends via letters though.
When luna is forcefully turned into nightmare moon by sombra (using his nightmare magic to corrupt her mind, using her to take down celestia) rainbow is devastated. Nightmare moon demands possession of rainbow when asked about allying with sombra, the remnants of luna motivating her.
As for their home life afterwards.
Nightmare moon is abusive selfish and vile, using rainbow like a slave despite claiming not to be able to live without her.
Every now and then when she goes too far, or if they get lucky and shes in a good mood, rainbow sees glimpses of lunas old self. When she sobbs over rainbows slowly fading consciousness after a bad night, apologizing and trying to fix the wounds she inflicted. Rainbow never had it in her to fight back against her. these were the worst years of her life. Too loyal to fight back or leave the one she loved.
When the kids were born rainbow stopped laying down and taking it.
When Aurora was born, rainbow realized that she DID have a piece of the real luna now. Aurora gave her hope, both as a way to make ANYTHING good out of their situation, but also, her sheer resemblence to lunas sister. At first she thought it would help bring out luna again, but nightmare moon hated her. The first time NMM tried to harm Aurora is the first time rainbow sets aside her own loyalty and love for luna and actually fights back. From then on she uses anything she can to keep her kids safe. Sometimes shes able to calm nightmare moon, those are the good days. Other days she can at least offer her own suffering in their place.
Rainbow hopes Aurora can follow in Celestias footsteps and save them.
Spectra is very loud and loves to be the center of attention. When she was younger and more naive, she used to be jealous anytime Aurora got attention, even negative attention. Shes since realized how much NMM favours her and how horribly she treats her sister and RD and feels too guilty for how she acted towards her sister to bring it up.
Aurora desperately wants to be all RD believes she can be, but she was never that great at magic, and the pressure to save the entire world when theres seemingly no hope in doing so weighs on her mind heavily. But she loves the stories she hears from rainbow about the REAL Luna and desperately wants to try and help save her. She just cant figure out how.