Somber

Luna stalked down the alleyway; rain fell down her face and matted her pristine coat. She was unused to this district of the capital and the distinct smell of poverty filled her nostrils. Yes, poverty had its own smell, a smell of grime and death topped with hopelessness it was a pitiful smell but a much needed change from the stink of snobbishness and entitlement that plagued her and her sister with its rot.

Turning down a side street marked Nocturne Court she found herself in front of her destination, The Hope Orphanage, a small lopsided building towards the back of Nocturne Court. The white paint that had once shone brightly in the morning sun now had peeled and left the Orphanage stripped and blackened. An oil lamp flickered in the front window and a small sign marking the slum as the Orphanage creaked in the wind. Luna trotted to the door step and found shelter beneath the small awning above the door, pausing only to cast a quick drying spell and straighten her mane.  Composing herself she knocked twice on the door, her hoof booming against the thick oak.

After a moment of silence the door creaked open and bathed Luna in the dull light within, on the other side of the door stood an old mare. Her coat was a brilliant orange, and streaks of grey lined her orange mane, wrinkles lined her face and her eyes gave the impression of a pony that could look past your body and into your soul itself. In short, she was old.

“Ahh Princess it has been quite some time hasn’t it? When were you last here, why I must have only been thirty five!” The mare exclaimed before embracing the Alicorn.

“Yes sadly it has been quite a while Warm Embrace hasn’t it? And sadly I can only stay a little while I have come on business.” Luna replied. “I have come for one of your charges, a young stallion by the name of Somber Heart I believe.”

“Oh… you’re here for… him?” Warm Embrace replied looking away “Has he done something wrong?” she asked sadly

“Well no, he hasn’t. Why do you ask? Does he often get in trouble?” Luna inquired

“Well… no but he is unusual. He… well he is very talented but the other fouls… they are scared of him. I haven’t ever seen him hurt them or doing anything to harm them, but all the same something is different about him.”

“Well that is partly why I am here; I have heard of a powerful unicorn foal in this part of town and tracked the rumors down to here.”

“So, what are you going to do with him?”

“Well, that is for him to decide, if you could please take me to him?” Luna asked, Warm Embrace nodded before leading Luna into the Orphanage and up the narrow stairs to the second level. The stairs creaked under the weight of the two ponies as they ascended. Warm Embrace led her through a hallway on the right and to a door at the end of it. The door was marked with fading gold letters as the colts bunk room and giving a quick knock Warm Embrace opened the door revealing a room full of foals. The room had four bunk beds and the foals were two to a bed except for one colt in the back of the room.

The colt was a unicorn but his horn was deformed into a sharp curved horn like a rhinoceros’s the colt also was unusually big for his age, only slightly shorter than Warm Embrace and taller than the rest of the foals his age. His coat was a charcoal grey and his mane was silky midnight black, unusual colors for a pony. Often time’s ponies with grey or black coats were regarded with superstition as bad omens.

“Bloody hell it’s the Princess!” one of the foals in a bunk yelled before stooping into a bow, the action quickly replicated by everypony in the room.

“Please rise my subjects” Luna said “I require an audience with Somber Heart if you would all be so kind as to leave the room.” Luna’s request was quickly obliged and soon enough Luna and Somber Heart were alone. Luna approached Somber and sat down on the bed beside him.

“Hello Somber Heart.”

“Good evening Princess.” Somber replied shortly, avoiding Luna’s gaze. “What did I do?” He asked after a moment’s silence.

Luna laughed “Why is it that that is always the first question when I mention you?!”

“Well I’m not exactly the most popular stallion around if you couldn’t tell.”

“I could.” Luna paused looking Somber Heart over. “You are very talented aren’t you?”

Somber looked away “What do you mean?”

“You’re a very talented unicorn, unusual, but talented.” Luna replied “your magic is not like normal unicorn magic. Do you know why?” Luna asked

Somber shook his head

“Normal unicorn magic is based in thought and logic, it uses theory to bind the magical forces that surge through every unicorn’s body and direct it through the horn as magic.” Luna explained “However your magic seems to be based in your emotions, you use positive emotions to bind together your own magic and direct it through your horn.”

“What about negative emotions?” Somber asked looking up at Luna

“Well that’s the interesting part of your magic, while positive emotions binds your magic together negative emotions rips your magic apart and forces the energy released by the fission through your horn as magic.” Luna replied slowly “It is a more powerful form of magic, but it is also more dangerous and unwieldy.”

Luna then looked at him with a knowing smile. “That’s the type of magic you used in the park yesterday.”

Somber was aghast “You saw that? I am in trouble aren’t I? I knew it! I swear I didn’t mean to do that! It just happened!”

Luna stopped his ranting with a hoof “Relax Somber Heart, you are not in any trouble!” Luna said with a smile. “However I am very curious as to what happened yesterday.”

“I-I just lost control, the other foals were making fun of my horn and my coat… they were saying I was unlucky and I should hang out with the thestrals. They said I was half thestral!”

“Is something wrong with thestrals Somber Heart?”

“Well no, but I still don’t wanna be one! I don’t know what I wanna be.”

“Why not be you?”

“Why not be somepony else?”

“Well I can think of one reason.”

“What?” Somber asked looking up at Luna

“Well nopony else is Princess Luna’s personal student.” Luna said smiling over at Somber Heart

Somber Heart paused his face contorting through a tidal wave of emotions as he realized what the princess had just said. “Wha- what?!? You can’t be serious!”

“I am, that is unless you don’t want to be my student?”

“Of course I do!” Somber Heart said hugging Luna. “oh sorry your highness, that was probably improper of me.” Somber said stepping back and composing himself, before Luna swept him into a hug.

“Oh horse apples to properness.”