I looked up at the sound of knocking on my door. Nopony was supposed to come by at this time of day. Professor Celestia had only just raised the sun, and I wasn't supposed to meet her for another hour. She needed some time to collect herself, after all. Not just anypony can raise the sun, and that takes a lot of energy.
The door cracked open, one of my teachers surprising me with her early appearance. "How are you doing today, my faithful student?" she asked me in that kind, motherly tone of hers.
"I was just reading about magical displacement theories," I responded, my voice still a bit high due to my young age. "I was wondering if maybe this branch of magic would help me find my cutie mark."
Professor Celestia laughed. "You know that's not how it works."
I let out a sigh. "Yeah, but I can still try! Maybe I'll be just as much of a natural at it as Professor Starswirl!"
"I'm not sure about that, my little pony," she said with a small smile. "His talent with latent magic is far greater than any mage I've ever known. But I do know that with hard work, practice, and time, you could prove to outdo even him. But you'll have to wait."
"But I hate waiting," I complained. "It takes so long."
That drew another laugh from my teacher. "Well, you won't have to wait much today, and I'm sure you'll have fun with your new lesson."
"What's it on?" I asked excitedly.
"Shadow magic," Professor Celestia said.
"Does that mean Professor Luna is going be here?" I pushed, trying to appear too excited.
"That it does," she replied, smiling softly. "And since I have business to attend to today, it'll just be the two of you."
I looked down, feeling heat rush to my face and hoping my teacher hadn't noticed the hint of red on my dark brown coat. "Just the two of us?"
"Yes," she said, leaning down. "So try not to get too distracted."
My face burned with the furious blush that had found its way there. "I- I don't know what you're talking about. Focus is my best spot."
She laughed again, still motherly and kind. "I know. It's why I trust you'll be able to handle this. Shadow magic is different from normal magic. It's far less predictable, and doesn't always do what you tell it to. But I'll let my sister teach you the rest. It is her area of expertise, after all." She smiled down at me as she turned to leave. "Don't have too much fun."
"No such thing!" I called after her. I could barely contain my excitement. Professor Luna was great! She was always nice to me, and made sure to go over everything I asked about. Don't get me wrong, Professor Celestia did the same, but Professor Luna was just fun to be around. She was different. She liked to make the studies into a game. She always had some sort of fun planned, too, even for the boring lessons.
As these thoughts filled my head, blue fur crept into my mind's eye. I could see her standing there, her turquoise eyes shining to match her smirk. I imagined the times I overworked myself around her, the silky feeling of her fur. I remembered the times she would hold me close. And I thought of the times we'd spend in dreams. She always made time to come visit me in mine. We'd talk, and she'd help me with problems that I couldn't solve on my own. She was always there for me, and whenever I was with her, she seemed so happy.
I hadn't realized I was walking until I ran into that silky smooth fur, though. I fell back on my haunches and looked up at Professor Luna in surprise. A blush quickly found its way to my face as I looked away. "Sorry about that, Teacher," I said. "I guess I got caught up in my thoughts."
Professor Luna let out a quiet chuckle. "It is alright, Student Sombra," she replied. "I was just coming to you. Has my sister informed you of your lesson today?"
"Yeah!" I said excitedly. "You're teaching me shadow magic!"
"Yes," Professor Luna said, starting to walk away. "But there is a place I would like to show you first."
I cantered up to her, following just slightly behind. There were a lot of things that Professor Luna had said I would learn when I was older, so maybe this was one of them. Maybe this was her dreamwalking chamber. She was always so proud of making it, but she said it was too dangerous for me to be in there. Maybe I had learned enough to see the inside!
But when she took me to a very different room, I was confused. I wasn't sure it was the dreamwalking chamber, but this looked like her personal bedchambers. That didn't make much sense.
"Um, Teacher," I said carefully, not sure how to approach this. "What are we doing here?"
"This is where I first learned how to control my magic," Professor Luna replied. "I have many good memories in this room. And I have a circle set in the stone floor specifically for training in this field. It would be best if we used it since this magic can be quite dangerous and the few other circles designed for such feats are secured for military purposes. I also thought it would be more comfortable than that training room you're always in."
"Oh," I said nodding. "That makes sense."
She smiled at me as she turned a key in the lock and opened the door into her room. It looked dark, but that was one of her specialties. She knew how to bend darkness and magic to hide whatever she wanted. It made the times we went out pranking together a lot more fun. But it did seem darker than I was expecting. I knew she wouldn't let anything hurt me, and she wouldn't hurt me either, but it was still a little scary.
She went inside, and I stayed outside the door. It really was scary. There was no telling what was on the other side. It was completely unknown. But I always searched for the unknown and made it known. That made it less scary. But going in, looking for it, that was always the hard part.
So I took a breath and stepped inside, hearing the door close behind me. The light glow of Professor Luna's horn vanished once it did, and suddenly, I was thrown into complete darkness. I couldn't see anything. My breaths started to come faster, forcing their way out of me almost as soon as I had them. But I couldn't let this happen. I couldn't be afraid of the dark. I was the personal student of the Royal Sisters, Apprentice of Magic, and I wasn't going to let a few shadows scare me!
So I forced my breathing to slow and took a shaky step forward. After a few moments, I took another. Soon enough, I was wandering around the room, almost as if it was anything else. I was still tense, and still a little scared, but it wasn't so bad.
Eventually, though, I bumped into the softness of fur, and I jumped back a little. I wasn't really expecting it, though I knew Professor Luna was in there. "Sorry, Teacher," I said, glad the complete darkness of the room was there to hid my blush.
A soft chuckle replied. "There is no need for you to apologize," she said calmly. "In fact, you should be proud."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered. "You were afraid. Most ponies are, though few will admit it. After all, the dark is the unknown. The dark holds all of our fears, so why not fear it? Even you were afraid at first. But you held that fear at bay. You pushed it back and walked in here, not knowing what was there. You stood up to your fear and pushed it aside so you could learn. That is a very important skill to have."
I paused for a moment. "But what if I was still afraid?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't want to admit it, but when it came to magic, I had to make sure I was being honest. Otherwise, ponies could get hurt.
"Contrary to what others will tell you, fear is not a bad thing," Professor Luna said. "Fear is what helps us decide whether to run or fight. Fear is a survival instinct. If you have no fear, then nothing short of death will stop you, but that death may be what you bring down upon yourself. But like with other emotions, you cannot let it control you. If you let your fear run your life, then you may be alive, but you wouldn't truly be living. You would always be afraid of what might come and what may be. A little fear is a good thing. But too much or none at all is something to talk about."
I nodded, forgetting briefly that she couldn't see me. "I think I get it."
"Good," she said. "Because walking through that door, overcoming your fear without destroying it, that was the first step in today's lesson."
I looked in her direction in shock. "That was the beginning of it?" I asked.
"It was," she said, her horn lighting to show me her face. After having been in the room for so long, I flinched away at the brightness. "If you weren't able to walk through that door, then you wouldn't be ready for this lesson. The dark is something to fear, take my word for it. But letting that fear keep you from entering would mean you don't show the proper respect for the dark. And that, my student, is what you need if you want any hope in controlling shadow magic."
I nodded, my eyes having adjusted to the level of light, but I was only paying some attention to what she was saying as I stared at the way she looked in the low light. The blue of her coat seemed to come alive with an ethereal glow when mixed with that of her magic. Her eyes shimmered in the flickering light, and nebula of stars seemed so much brighter.
Of course, that made me wonder a bit as to how she had hid the brilliant stars of her mane in the complete darkness of her room.
"You are paying attention, right?" she asked me, snapping me out of my stupor.
"Yes!" I said, trying to cover up the way I had spaced out looking at her. I couldn't let anything break my focus. This was dangerous magic. If I lost focus at any moment while using it, it could backfire not just on me, but on Professor Luna, too.
"Good," she said, nodding behind me. "Because it looks like one of the things I was just talking about has shown up."
My face paled as I turned around. I had missed whatever it was she had been talking about. So when I saw what appeared to be a pony made completely of shadows, I wasn't entirely sure what to do.
"Now just remain calm and do as I said," she told me from behind. At least I didn't have to worry about something sneaking up on me.
"Hello," I said quietly to the shadow pony. It looked at me, eyes glowing a soft red, like the embers of a flame. It cocked its head to the side, probably trying to figure out what I was. "I'm sorry, but you're not supposed to be here."
I heard some sort of soft hissing come out of its mouth, almost like it was trying to talk to me. It looked down, as if annoyed that it couldn't speak. "Shadows will consume," it whispered.
"What was that?" I asked, feeling a hoof on my back. I glanced back at Luna who had an expression of worry on her face.
"Dispel it!" she said quietly.
"Shaaadowsssss," it said louder, bringing my attention back to it. I started to channel magic through my horn, but it felt different. I could feel something boiling inside me. I could feel some sort of extra power buried beneath everything. It was normal for dispelling spells, but this was still odd. There was something completely new about it. I tried to hold on to the magic, to feel it better, but before I could, the creature lunged. "SHADOWS WILL CONSUME!" it screamed as it came at me.
I stopped thinking and just acted. I let the spell loose, and watched as the creature took the shot straight to the chest, dropping out of the air and sinking into the ground. But something was wrong. The magic was still flowing, and I had finished the spell. I could feel something heavy and oily start to fall across my skin. My vision darkened and started to turn red. Something was happening, and I had no idea what it was. All I knew was that it was some sort of magic trying to put some sort of cocoon around me.
But it was magic. And I wasn't going to let it do anything to me.
I drew my focus in, feeling a pinpoint of pain at the base of my horn. This was power beyond what I had tried to control before. I knew about it, I had touched it before, but this was the first time I had actually tried to control it, and it was exhilarating. I could feel the pulse of the magic as I pulled it in. I felt every movement f the power, and something else underneath. Something that I hadn't expected.
The magic was alive. It was trying to wrap me up in its power, but not to help me, like a healing spell would feel. This felt like the power was trying to claim me. It was trying to control me. It wanted me as a slave.
Well aren't you interesting, I heard in the back of my mind. I pushed it back, dismissing it completely. Power like this had to be controlled before it was released. With something like this, it could level the city.
I pushed back on the magic, gritting my teeth as I felt my own power start too strain. At this rate, I was going to burn out. I could hear Professor Luna scream behind me, and some of the pressure lifted from my own head. I felt an opening, a hole in the magic, and I pushed myself around it, doing everything I could to control it. And as I did, I felt it give way. The power fell off of me, sinking into the ground as my own magic gave out with a loud pop.
I stood there, feeling my horn glowing slightly with the heat of the magic I had just channeled. My legs felt like lead, barely able to support me. I looked around me, panting heavily from exertion.
I saw Professor Luna staring at me in shock. "Sombra..." she said, her mouth hanging open.
"I did it," I said quietly between pants. But before I could say anything else, the room started to spin. I felt my legs give out under me, and I collapsed, barely hearing Professor Luna scream something before unconsciousness claimed me.
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
I woke up in darkness, feeling a tube in my snout and one in my leg. My head throbbed with a dull ache, the burnout having taken its toll on me. My eyes hurt, too, the light that was getting through my eyelids being a bit too much for me. I let out a pained groan, turning over carefully to shield my face from the light. I heard nearby mutters stop and hoofsteps as two ponies approached me.
"Dim the lights," I heard Professor Luna say. "It looks like the magic had an affect on his eyesight."
I opened my mouth to say something, but started coughing, my throat dry. I felt a straw come to my lips and carefully drank the liquid, doing everything I could not to drink it as quickly as possible. After a moment, I felt a better, and squinted open my eyes in the room.
What I saw was a bit unexpected. The curtains were open, letting in moonlight, and two lamps in the corners of the room were dimmed to their lowest, yet my eyes still hurt from that much light. Of course, I knew something else was wrong, since both Professors Luna and Celestia were there with worried expressions. "What did I do?" I asked trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"You broke the circle," Professor Luna replied. "And you did something we have not seen in a long time. You did not just control the shadow magic within you, you called on that of the environment. Your body nearly incinerated from the sheer power you were trying to command. But then you conquered it. Few have such strength over the dark.
Even still, you pulled that power into yourself, and it has had... side effects. It would appear your eyesight has become quite sensitive, as we have just witnessed. This is likely a reaction to having your vision enhanced to see in complete darkness. Over time, you can train your eyes so normal light is no longer blinding. The rest of your body does seem to have changed somewhat, as well."
"What?" I asked, fear creeping into my voice slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Your coat," Professor Luna responded. "It has turned a dark grey. Your mane has also changed to black, and your eyes, fittingly, red. Your horn... well... it will work for its intended purpose. It just appears to have warped somewhat from the power you were channeling."
I lifted a hoof carefully, shocked to find it grey from my normal brown. It was weird, almost like I was in a different body altogether, but I couldn't stop there. I reached up and felt the base of my horn. My hoof trembled as I found it changed, curving back along its length. My hoof dropped, the magnitude of everything sinking in. Had I really used up that much power? Had I accidentally triggered a transmutation? How had this happened?
Then I remembered how the magic had acted. It was alive, and it could make decisions. This must've been the result of trying to wield that much power. After all, nothing came without a price.
"There's one more thing," Professor Celestia said, redirecting my attention to her. "Though this one is a bit easier to handle." She smiled gently at me. "You got your cutie mark."
My eyes widened. After all of that, after going through some sort of transformation, I had finally gotten my cutie mark? After all this time, it took shadow magic to unlock my special talent?
I moved the covers from my body, looking to my flank, and there it was! Right there, looking right back at me, was a patch of pure black fur with a single point of white light in the center. The really weird part about it, though, was the way it looked like there was an outline of dark brown fur around the mark when the light hit it at the right angle. Maybe it was the shock of everything that had happened. Maybe it was denial that it had happened. But it was just a little too much.
I passed out again.
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
I heard a knock at my door, snapping me out of the book I had been reading. It had an interesting theory as to how to change back to the form I had those four years ago. But at this point, the chances were I was just going to be stuck with this new one. Four years of study, four years of searching for even a hint of a solution, and what did my research turn up? A vague theory of something that might work in reversing what had been done to me, and a price too high to pay for it.
"Come in," I said, my deep voice reverberating off the walls of my room. It had been given to me after the incident, and while it wasn't my old one, it was still nice. Bookshelves lined the walls, with some room for a few pictures to go up. I had a family portrait over my bed, though really it was just a reminder that I was alone. It had been painted a week before my parents were killed in a cart accident. But it was a good reminder of why I did the studies I did. It helped me move forward in my work, and gave me a reason to keep going.
The door opened slowly as a familiar blue face showed up, wearing her signature smirk. "Hello, Sombra," Princess Luna said.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready to raise the moon?" I asked her, a smirk of my own finding its way onto my muzzle as I reshelved the book.
"I thought you might want to watch," she said, making her way into my room. "You always did like my night sky. And maybe afterwards, we could play a little prank on the Noontime Guard for when they wake up."
I let out a low chuckle. "If I didn't have work to do, you know I'd join you," I said happily. "But just as you watch over the dreams of those who sleep, I have my job now, too."
"You could always leave it to the other Night Mages," she told me. "You don't have to do it alone."
"But I know it all best," I said. "Well, maybe second to you. But I can't just let other ponies fight things they don't even know are out there."
"As I recall, each one of them has gone through lengthy teachings of the creatures of the night."
"There are some that they don't know about."
"And where did you read that?"
"I didn't read it."
"Then how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Because I've seen them."
Silence reigned for a moment at that statement as Princess Luna looked at me, her face slack. "What do you mean?" she asked me cautiously.
I let out a sigh. "I mean I've seen some of the things that the other mages can't know about," I explained. "I know why you didn't tell them. I don't want to know about them. But you know what I'm talking about."
"How long have you been able to see them?" she asked me, sitting down next to me.
"Ever since that lesson," I admitted, a humorless laugh leaving my throat. "I guess that happens when magic that powerful changes you. I'd say it was the real change to my eyesight. I mean, sure, I can see in the dark, but there are other things that can do that. The creatures I've been able to see, though..."
"That's why you had nightmares," the Princess said. "That's why you were so scared so soon after."
"I've learned to live with it," I said, walking over to the window as I watched the sun dip lower into the sky. "I mean, somepony has to do something about it."
Princess Luna sat there for a moment, silent. "Hey, you might want to get going. The sun's almost set, and you know how much your sister hates to do your job." I watched her quietly. "Besides, she can never do your night sky justice."
I saw the hint of a smile on her face as she stood. "You're right. Apologies for keeping you. Perhaps we will see one another sometime tonight, Guardian."
"Perhaps," I replied, watching as she stood and made her way out of my room. "Always a pleasure, Princess."
"To you as well," she said, disappearing into the hallway as I watched. I smiled softly at her, trying to contain my pounding heart. Maybe one of these days we'd be able to sit up with each other and just enjoy the company. But for now, I had a job to do.
I closed my eyes and called on my magic, the comfort filling my mind as I pulled it together into a cloak around me. I felt it settle across my shoulders, wrapping around my body and protecting me from outside sources. It wouldn't hold up to a heavy attack, but it would keep me alive long enough to mount a real defense.
I opened my eyes, and saw my aura as it pulled my weapons out from the closet. It was still strange to see the black around anything I picked up, but it wasn't too distracting anymore. The way everything about me looked so different from my original body could distract me a bit, but there wasn't much I couldn't handle anymore. I had learned quickly not to let things draw my attention in the field. One mistake, and any one of those creatures could get through and harm the kingdom.
Granted, none of them usually came too close to the borders of the city. Princess Luna saw to that. There was something about how she brought the night that kept them from straying too far away from their hunting grounds. Of course, some would still try to get passed, but none made it while I was on duty. Many a foul creature had fallen to my blade and horn.
But I wasn't the best at what I did. Not yet. I still had a lot to learn from the Princess of the Night, and a good deal from Starswirl, too. Of course, that would mean pulling him away from his research, and that was never easy. And it usually involved a lot of dodging.
I looked out my window, watching as the sun set for the night and Princess Luna's moon rose above us. I felt the calm of night settle over me. I felt confidence that I would make it through another night. And I knew that even with all the things that could kill me, I had the advantage, and I would use that whenever I needed it.
It seemed I wasn't going to need it, though, as the night went by with hardly a sound in my direction. I had been making my rounds through the castle, went around the perimeter, and was watching for signs of anything bad coming my way, but nothing was. I had never seen a night as quiet as this. It was peaceful.
It was enough to set me on edge.
I scanned around me, watching for anything, listening to everything, waiting for something. I used my enhanced vision and waited for something to make a move. But there was nothing hiding in the shadows, nothing waiting for the chance to attack.
"...come to the shadows..."
I searched my immediate area, but still nothing. My blade was half-way out of its sheath, my mind already pulling together defensive spells and countermeasures. But nothing moved. Nothing breathed. Even the wind seemed to have gone silent at the sound of the faint voice.
I switched my train of thought from defense to recon, using the charged magic in my horn to scan for anything living. There were plenty of things that could avoid normal sight, and even my own eyes, but not if they were caught in this spell. It would show me exactly where they were and what they looked like for a minute after the shockwave hit. It was a clever little revelation spell Princess Luna had taught me.
So when I saw there was absolutely nothing there, I shook my head. Nothing that I knew of could avoid detection by that spell. Maybe if it was fast enough, it could've gotten out of the way of the shockwave, but that would mean that I was horribly outmatched by whatever it was. The spell traveled at such a high velocity that hardly anything could hope to escape, and it would pick up on teleportation, so that was out of the question.
I slid my blade back into its sheath. Maybe four years of working this job had started getting to me. After all, I really hadn't taken a night off in a while. Maybe the Princess was right. Maybe I needed to spend some time off. Maybe I needed a break from the insanity that was working as a Night Guard.
I looked around, trying to find another mage to take up my post, but none seemed to be making these rounds. Maybe they had taken the night off. Maybe they thought I had the whole shift covered. That would explain why I hadn't seen any of them tonight.
With a passing thought, I threw up an alarm rune at my post. If anything showed up while I was away, I'd know about it within moments, and then it would know about me after a couple more, before meeting whatever fate it deserved. I would need something up here if I wanted to meet up with the pony I was thinking of.
With another thought, I slipped through space and found myself teleporting in front of the door to Starswirl's lab. He should have what I needed. He always had just the right thing for whatever the job was, and he was always there for his friends and colleagues.
I knocked.
After waiting a few moments, I heard the lock slide back as Starswirl opened the door to see me. "Ah, Sombra my friend," he said, pulling me into a quick hug that I wasn't expecting. "Good to see you. Though I'm a bit surprised you're not up on the roof like usual." He stepped to the side, allowing me entry into his lab.
"I was wondering about something," I said as I stepped in. "Well, maybe I was more wondering about... somepony."
"I assume you're referring to Princess Luna," he said, closing the door and going over to his workbench.
I felt my face light up, and was thankful my coat was so dark to be able to hide it. "W-where would you get that idea?"
He chuckled. "You really must learn to be more subtle about these things," he commented, tinkering with whatever was sitting on the workbench. "Besides, she's the only reason you'd be away from your post right now. Celestia has a squad of guards keeping her safe, and the rest of the Night Guard are watching over the castle. So given you weren't in much of a hurry, I figured this was something about the relationship between you two?"
I stared at him. "You are way too good at putting things together like that," I said.
"Experience," he replied. "One day, you'll be just as good as me."
"Now that might be a stretch," I said, looking away.
He walked up to me, tools still held in his telekinesis. "Sombra, you held off Shades that were trying to kill you when you were a foal. It isn't that much of a stretch."
I let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you have a point."
"But enough of that little tangent, let's get back to why you're really here," he said, turning the conversation back around. "What's holding you back from just asking her?"
I sat down, noticing a cushion under my flank that wasn't there before. Starswirl looked at me with a knowing smirk as I looked back at him questioningly. "Well, It probably has something to do with her being an immortal Alicorn."
"... Is that all?" he asked. "Usually when somepony is holding themselves back from asking another pony out on a date, there's a bit more to it than an age difference."
"It's not the age," I explained. "It's just... she's so much more than I could ever be. She's the bravest, strongest, kindest pony I know. I just... I don't know. I don't measure up. I mean, how could somepony like her be in a lasting relationship with somepony like me?"
"Ah, now I see the problem," Starswirl said, walking up to me and putting a hoof around my shoulders. "You don't think she could see you as an equal. You think she's this perfect pony that you could never hope to be good enough for."
"No," I said quickly, trying to make sure he was getting the right idea. "I know she's not perfect. Nopony is, and she is just a pony, though easily the best one I know. But I'm just a unicorn. Sure, I may be powerful, but even if we were to get together, she doesn't age. She won't die in a few short decades, unlike me. And if things get serious, then I would be putting her through such extreme pain that I'd hate myself in the Afterlife."
"No such thing," Starswirl said. "As the afterlife, that is. I've looked into it. So there's no need to worry about that."
"But it would hurt her."
"Yes, but given you're here, and not at your post- the first time since you took this job, mind you- and you're actually talking about this tells me that it's eating at you to the point of distraction," he said, waving around a screwdriver as if he was making a presentation. "And if you keep telling her no, it'll be far worse."
"What?" I asked.
"She told me about her plan to ask you to take the night off," he said. "So you obviously told her no. Think about that for a moment. She went out of her way to ask you to do something a bit unusual for you, but in a way so you'd get to spend time together. Alone. While she made her night sky. Which is one of the most private things she could invite you to sit in on."
My jaw fell open as the realization hit. "Now he gets it!" Starswirl commented, smacking in the back of the head with his hoof. "Now how about you buck up and go talk to her. She may be an Alicorn, but she enjoys personal company just as much as anypony else."
I nodded, turning to leave, but was stopped by a hoof on my shoulder. I turned and found myself looking at a pocket watch. "What's this for?"
"A friendly reminder of who it was that gave you this advice," he said. "And a way to make sure the moon doesn't stay up too long. It has one more small feature, too, but that's a surprise."
I groaned. "Why can't you just tell me what it is?"
"That wouldn't as much fun," he said. "I'll take care of your job for tonight. Now go out there and woo a Princess."
"No pressure," I muttered as he pushed me out of the door.
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
I looked at the door in front of me, my heart pounding in my chest as if it was trying to punch its way out of my chest. I could barely even keep my breathing even. I could feel sweat run down the back of my neck, even with the night as cool as it was. A slight breeze drifted through the corridor from the openings that would be windows soon.
I took a slow, steadying breath, and knocked on the door. I wasn't going to walk away now. Maybe this wouldn't work out. In fact, it probably wouldn't. But if she was up for it, then I'd make sure I tried my best to be the best coltfriend I could.
The door opened, and Princess Luna looked at me in surprise. "Sombra," she said, her voice sounding a bit off. "I wasn't expecting you. Did you need something?"
"I was wondering if... maybe that offer was still open, Princess?" I asked, not entirely sure how to approach the subject. "You know, the one where I would be spending time with you. Here."
Her face scrunched, a smile trying to force its way onto her muzzle. After a few moments, it succeeded and Princess Luna broke into some un-princess-like laughter. I stood there, not sure how to react. After a few moments, she stopped laughing, though a few chuckles managed to find their way through. "Of course, Sombra. And there's no need for formalities."
I looked up at her, my face burning, and saw a glint of mischief in her eyes. But there was something else there, too. Something... happy.
I walked in, trying to cool my face through sheer will, and failing miserably. "Of course, Princ- Luna. So... what do you want... to..." I trailed off, staring in awe at the room I was in. Glimmering obsidian formed the main dome of the room, shining with faint magic, while silver specks sparkled in turn. The whole room seemed to be formed out of the stone, but it was impossibly smooth and soft to be a rock. The whole room felt as if it was a blanket of calm and serenity, clearing my mind of doubts, but filling it with ideas, dreams I hadn't thought of in many years. And now, in this room, I felt like I could do every last one of them. I felt as if I really could be anything, and maybe even make this work. Everything just felt... right.
"This is where I raise the moon every night," Luna said, standing so close to me, I could feel her fur brush against my skin. "It keeps me focused on the task until it's done, and lets me arrange the stars of the night sky. A little known fact: it's powered by the dreams of those I protect."
"This is..."
"My dreawalking chamber," she said calmly. "It's a hub of magic and concentration, helping me find those in need so I can help them. Sometimes, a nightmare is a fear that needs to be confronted. Sometimes it's a creature that needs to be stopped. And sometimes, ponies just need some advice."
"This is amazing," I said. "It's beautiful."
"Thank you," she replied, snapping my attention back to her. "I built it." I couldn't be sure, but it seemed like there was a slight blush on her face at that admission.
I let a smile grace my muzzle, my heart still pounding from what I was about to do next. "Well, I can only think of one thing more beautiful than this," I said, using up every last bit of courage I had. I had to time it right. Maybe...
"Well, now I have to ask what that is," she said, her face scrunching up in confusion. "I would be interested in seeing it. Maybe I could-" I cut her off with a quick kiss. It wasn't much, really only a peck on lips, but it definitely got my point across, as she was left staring at me in shock.
I looked at her, hoping I hadn't just made a huge mistake. I watched her expression of confusion and shock as she moved her hoof up and brushed her lips with it. Then, her expression changed to a serene smile as she looked back at me. "I always thought you would say something first," she said knowingly.
"Yeah, well, heat of the moment, answering your question... did I do it right? I'm not really sure what-"
My eyes went wide as she cut me off with a kiss of her own. She held there for a moment, her lips pressing into mine, and my lips started responding on their own. My eyes fell shut as I relished the feeling of the kiss, the softness of her lips, the light pressure keeping me there.
After an eternity far too short, she pulled away, both our faces burning with matching blushes. "That was..." she said, trailing off at the end.
"Great," I finished for her, my eyes half lidded. "We should do that more often."
"I agree," she said softly. "Though perhaps not in front of my sister."
I cocked my head to the side. "Why not? She must understand how it is. You're a ruler, and powerful on top of it, but you're still a pony."
"Yes," she explained. "But she might stop acting like a teacher to you and more like my protective sister. She's worried about this ever since you started crushing on me."
"Does everypony know about that?" I asked, slightly exasperated.
"Yes," she replied with a small smile. "But maybe now we can actually do something with it."
"Does that make us... secret special someponies, or something?"
She cocked her head to the side. "Maybe. I'm a little new to this myself. Let's just start with close friends and see where it goes from there."
"Sounds good to me," I said, leaning against her. "You make a good pillow, you know that?"
Before she could reply, a chirping sounded in the room. I looked around, annoyed that I had to move, but couldn't seem to find the source. It sounded so close, too. What could it-
I looked down at the watch Starswirl had given me and pressed the top button on it. It opened up and showed me the time while continuing to chirp at me. After about a minute, it stopped as a warm yellow light began to fill the room. I looked up to see Luna setting the moon as the sun began its ascent into the morning sky.
"I guess I took a while to get here," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry," she replied, looking back at me. "Do you want to meet here tonight for the moonrise?"
I smiled back at her. "I wouldn't miss it."
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
"You know, when you said we'd be spending more time together, this wasn't the first thing that came to mind," I said as I balanced carefully in the air. It had only been a few weeks since our kiss, but we had started spending at least two nights a week alone together. Sure this wasn't the first time she had convinced me to do this, but still.
"Well, you still have a job to do," Luna said as she held me less than a foot above her. "And this is the best way to spend time together without Tia thinking it's anything more than furthered studies. Besides, you've said that every time."
"Still true," I replied, trying to move forward, but making no progress as her telekinesis started working like a treadmill. "I'm pretty sure she's figured it out. She's given me a few looks that I'm pretty sure mean 'if you hurt my sister, I'll banish you to Tartarus.'"
"Yes, well, my rewards encourage hard work," she said, her eyes going half-lidded and making me miss a step at her tone.
"And they also make for distractions during training," I responded, blushing. I had been doing that a lot since we started this whole thing. We had only gone as far as kissing and cuddling, but still, when she got that tone in her voice, the images that flooded my head were very distracting. And that was the entire reason she used it.
I looked down at her. She was laying prone on her back, looking up at me with a playful smile. Her mane and tail were in the form of the pale blue hair since she felt more comfortable with it. It didn't hurt that I loved that look on her just as much as the ethereal night sky she normally had, though maybe a bit more. It made her seem more like a normal pony, and I think we were both more comfortable with that. It also made it easier for her to cover up, since she was on her back, and she didn't wear her regalia when we were training.
Her eyes moved up, glancing at her horn and giving me my only warning before she dropped the telekinesis. I caught myself less than an inch lower, but had to try a little harder to move my magic at the pace it had been going at when she dropped me. It was a good exercise, since she never did it at the same time, and always had me at varying speeds. The forced concentration was also a good practice, since while I could use a weapon and cast a spell, I wasn't very good at other forms of multitasking.
"You've gotten really good at that, you know," she told me. "Huge improvement over the first time."
"The first time, I fell on top of you because I couldn't catch myself in time," I commented. "It didn't help that you hadn't given me proper warning."
"I told you I was about to do something," she said, her face tinting a bit purple at the mention of that.
"I wouldn't consider that proper warning," I commented.
"How about I warn you that I'm about to do something different now?" she said, causing me to look down at her.
Her tail twitched and gave me a glimpse of something I definitely wasn't expecting, and lost my concentration, falling on top of her in a heavily blushing heap. "That's just not fair," I muttered into her ear, not really wanting to move.
She laughed, patting me on the back. "It's completely fair," she said, her eyes glinting in the low light. "My job is to make it increasingly difficult for you to concentrate, so it's entirely fair that I use a few tricks that I have."
"Should I be expecting that more often?" I asked, trying not to sound hopeful or uninterested, which is really hard to do when the mare you're in a close-friends-but-not-really-relationship-thing with.
"Maybe," she said teasingly. "You'll just have to keep going to find out."
I didn't think my face could get any hotter up to that point. I was wrong.
"S-so," I said, clearing my throat. "What are your plans for after the moonrise tonight?"
"Nothing set yet," she replied. "Did you have something in mind?"
"Maybe dinner?" I asked. "There's a new restaurant that opened up close by that I'm curious about."
"Sounds nice," she said. "I'll need to change after the moonrise, but sure."
I nodded, nuzzling her chest in the process. "It isn't anything fancy, so you don't need to worry about wearing a fancy dress."
"Oh, is it that new hayburger place?" she asked me, suddenly very excited.
"It was an idea," I said. "I know you love those things, and I've heard a lot of great things about their food."
"You know me so well," she said, pecking me on the lips before moving to get up. I found my way off of her and watched as she started putting on her normal regalia. "I'll meet you at the castle gate in half an hour."
"Sounds good to me," I said, holding the door for her as she walked out.
She flicked her tail once more before changing it back to the flowing night sky as she walked away, making sure my blush didn't go away for too long. She glanced over her shoulder at me with a mischievous smirk and walked down the hall towards her dreamwalking chamber.
"This will be an interesting night," I muttered to myself as I closed the door behind me.
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
I looked at my watch, still a little nervous about this. We had gone out once before, and she had disguised herself since an Alicorn princess out and about tends to attract attention, but there was always the chance Princess Celestia would find out and turn me into a scorch mark on the cobblestones for not asking her permission before dating her sister. Besides, that was to a small spot right on the edge of the mountain. Not exactly the most public place to be.
I shifted a bit in my jacket.
But soon enough, I saw Luna walking towards me. Even when she was disguised, she was beautiful. She had that pale blue mane and tail that I loved so much, and they matched the purple color of her coat. She had shrunk down to the size of a normal pony, and a jacket around her midsection hid her wings.
"Good evening, 'Eclipse,'" I said, nodding curtly to her.
"Hello, Sombra," she replied smiling.
"Shall we head out?" I asked. She simply walked up and leaned against me. I smiled at that and we walked out the gate together. It was nice, just the two of us. We could just be ourselves.
We were about halfway down the road, though, when something happened. I felt it, and judging by Luna's reaction, so did she. There was something out here, and it was waiting for us to leave the castle grounds. But something about that theory just didn't seem right. Why would something wait until now to strike? Why would it wait until the two most powerful things that could repel it were right where it was going to be? Even with Luna disguised, the power she held would undoubtedly be recognizable by the creatures she held off.
Both of us scanned the area, frozen to the spot. Something wasn't quite right out here. Something was waiting just beyond our view. But nothing came out. Nothing jumped out at us from the shadows, nothing screamed or tried to pull us into something. It was just a feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"Maybe it's just been too long since we've been outside the castle," I said, trying to brush off the feeling. But Luna was still scanning everything around us. "Hey, Lulu. It's probably nothing."
She turned her head toward me, blinking a few times before letting out a breath. "You're probably right. Let's go and enjoy some dinner."
I looked at her, noticing how she didn't seem to be quite all there. "We can do this another night. If you think it's best to head back, then we should. You've been working longer than I have."
Her expression was conflicted. She definitely wanted to go to this place, but there was something off that was bugging her, and it was still nagging at the back of my mind, too. "No, you're probably right. I've gotten a tad paranoid after a few centuries of protecting the castle."
"If you're going to be distracted, then we should head back. We can do something else tonight," I explained. "The restaurant will be there for a while."
She looked at me, obviously trying to read me. "Alright," she said after a moment. "Let's head back."
I nodded and we turned around, heading back the way we came. But less than a dozen steps in, there was a growling sound from the alley next to us. I spun and put myself between the alley and Luna, even though it was probably easier for her to fight whatever it was than it would be for me.
What stood in front of me was a lot more than I was expecting. It stood at an easy seven feet tall, towering over both of us. Of course, that's exactly what I would expect, seeing as it was balancing on two legs. five separate limbs protruded from its torso, each holding a number of claws like that of a griffon. Scales seemed to line its whole body, painting it in black armor. Three glowing red eyes glared at us, saliva dripping from inch-long fangs. Its jaw seemed to unhinge as it let out an unnatural scream of rage and lunged.
I dove to the side, grabbing Luna and taking her with me into the bushes nearby as I felt for my sword. But I didn't have it. We were out on a date, why would I have my sword? Hell, I didn't even have my knife with me, and I almost always had that when I went out. But I hadn't been thinking. I hadn't even considered the chance that something would attack us like this.
I threw up a bubble around us, shielding us from the beast's second charge. It was moving far too fast for me to properly keep up with. But maybe if I could break down how it attacked, I could find a way in and get a spell off that would stun it long enough for us to get back behind the protections of the castle.
Another heavy blow landed on my shield, cracking the surface. I didn't have time to analyze this thing. I had to act, and it needed to be before it crushed the two of us into paste. I thought through every spell I knew, but none of them were specifically designed to penetrate an armored opponent like this. That's why I had a sword. It's the whole reason mages were still supplied with weapons and combat training.
Another attack rained down, the cracks widening and my head screaming under the strain of keeping the shield up and trying to come up with another spell. My legs buckled and I knelt to the ground, barely able to keep the whole shield from collapsing. Sweat ran down my forehead and I clawed at my thoughts, trying to find the one thing that would get us out of this.
Or I could just make sure Luna got out of it.
I reshaped the shield, drawing a shocked look from her as I collected the strongest parts around her, leaving myself open to a strike. Her horn lit with magic as she tried something, probably a shield to protect me or some sort of attack against the creature, but she wasn't fast enough. I felt a blow hit my side as I flew a dozen feet into the forest, crashing through trees and breaking ribs in the process.
I let out a pained breath as I watched the creature launch itself at me, landing inches away from where I was laying in a heap. My vision blurred as I pulled a single thought forward and launched a futile blast of energy at it, using as much strength as I could muster. As long as I kept its attention, Luna would have a chance to get back to the castle and send out others to kill it, if she didn't do it herself. I watched as the black bolt of desperation flashed in front of me, disappearing into the beast that stood ready to crush me, and the shocked look on its face as it fell backwards.
I coughed up blood, fire filling my chest as my head spun. Most of my ribs were definitely broken. Mild to major concussion. Definitely a sizeable amount of internal bleeding. For some reason, my hind legs had gone nub, too. Might be a broken back. And those hoofsteps? Definitely hallucinations. Luna wouldn't be coming out here on her own. It was my job to protect her and the kingdom, and she knew it. There was no way for her to know that I had somehow beaten the thing with a lucky shot. But she looked so worried.
"It's fine," I said to the hallucination. "I'll be fine."
She said something, but I couldn't make it out. Everything was blurry. At least the pain was subsiding. Maybe I was fine. Maybe I was getting better. Maybe I just needed to rest.
So I closed my eyes to rest.
~-*-~-*-~-*-~
Well, you're not dead, I thought to myself through the pain tearing its way through my body. I was in the infirmary in Luna's private recovery chamber. It was a lot darker in here, so I didn't have to worry about the light hurting my head any more than it already did. Granted that would be hard to do, but given how I was last laying amidst broken trees and bleeding internally, this was definitely better.
It would be a bit moreso if Luna wasn't currently asleep at my bedside, her hoof hooked in mine.
I held back groans of pain as I shifted around, making sure to get a good look at her. She had come to me when she needed to run. She had taken me back to the castle and put me in a room designed to help an Alicorn recover. She had endangered herself, and probably gotten a pretty stern talking to from her sister. She had stayed by my side when I was the one that had gotten us into that mess. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't blaming myself for what happened. I had no control over that creature. But if we had turned back sooner, or maybe if I had seen it a few seconds sooner, or if I had tried attacking it instead of putting up a shield, or if I had tried to teleport us out of there, or if I had-
Luna stirred and broke my line of thought, also sending a spike of pain up my foreleg. I let out an involuntary grunt, hoping it wasn't enough to draw her attention, but knowing better to assume as much. She opened her eyes and looked at me, exhaustion plain on her face, but hope in her eyes.
"Hey," I croaked out, my chest trying to collapse in on itself at the attempt at talking.
"Hey yourself," she said with a small smile, tears starting to gather at the corners of her eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I went a dozen rounds with a gorilla in a cage match and lost," I said with a chuckle. That turned out t be a bad idea as I started coughing, and that led to a lot of pain that kept me from really doing anything but laying there for a moment as Luna helped me drink some water. "Note to self, hold back on the jokes for a bit."
"You shouldn't have done that," she said, wiping at her face to try and keep herself from crying. "Sacrificing yourself like that. It was stupid."
"It was my job," I replied. "And hey, it wasn't a complete sacrifice. I'm still alive, aren't I?"
She looked down, suddenly finding the sheets very interesting. "Your injuries were more than the staff could fully heal," she said.
"So I rest," I commented. "I recover. I learn to live with it."
"You're paralyzed," she choked out, the tears finally starting to fall and stain the sheets. "Your back broke when you were thrown through the trees. Your rear hooves... they're just paralyzed."
I shifted around. That definitely explained why my back was hurting so much and why the numbness still hadn't gone away. "I'll learn to live with it," I repeated, only with a little less enthusiasm. "Besides, Starswirl's experimented with healing magic before. I'm sure he can find a way to fix this."
"But what if he can't?" she asked me, tears now running freely down her muzzle. "What if, even with all his experience, all his knowledge, he can't fix your back? What if you're stuck like this, and it's all my fault?"
"What?" I asked, not entirely sure how to respond.
"You wouldn't be in here if I hadn't frozen up," she explained. "I've been fighting creatures like this for centuries. I should've acted when it was attacking. I should've helped you. I should've done... something! But I froze up. All I could see was that thing hurting you, and I let it scare me into inaction. I didn't react, and now you're hurt, and you'll never be able to walk the same way again, and you can't keep your job, and-"
I cut her off with a kiss. Her eyes went wide, but soon slid shut as she melted into it. Sure, my chest screamed at the sudden movement, and my head didn't like it either, but the kiss was enough to push the pain back for a few seconds.
I pulled back, looking at her as she moved her head into the grasp of my hoof. I caressed her face for a moment, pulling her into my chest and only letting out a small grunt of pain as I was reminded of my broken ribs. But I held her there, letting her cry for a moment before pushing her away slightly and looking at her. "This wasn't your fault. That thing attacked us. It paid the price. Sure, I may not be in the best of conditions, and I might not be able to return to active duty anytime soon, but I'm alive. So stop blaming yourself and start acting like the Princess of the Night I know and love. Don't let this small thing keep you down. Take the hit, get back up, and keep moving. Besides, just because I can't actively work as a guard doesn't mean I'm completely out of a job. I can work as a researcher. Maybe I'll even visit the Crystal Empire. I hear they have a lot of history and a pretty good science and magic division."
She smiled softly at me, a few final tears falling. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know that?"
"Yeah, but that just means I don't give up," I said with a smirk. "Not such a bad thing if you ask me."
"Not always," she replied, sadness still in her expression, but more of a sad acceptance. Good, I thought. Can't have her doing something stupid as some sort of punishment to herself for acting like anypony else would've. "And maybe that Crystal Empire idea isn't such a bad one. Maybe spend some time away from Equestria."
"Maybe," I said. "I'll look into it. And maybe you can see if there's some vacation time you can take or something. We can look at the Empire together, make the decision together."
"I like that idea," she said. "But for now, you need to rest and heal. At least, heal what can be healed."
"Hey," I said, turning her head back up toward me hen she started to look away again. "Not. Your. Fault. If I need to take up a job as your advisor to remind you of that, then I will. I'll get passed it. You should, too."
"I will," she said, confidence starting to find its way back into her voice. "Seriously, though. You should rest."
I nodded. "Probably a good idea," I said, shifting around into a more comfortable position and trying my best to ignore the spikes of pain shooting through my chest and back. "I'll see you when I see you," I said, closing my eyes.
As I lost myself to unconsciousness, I heard Luna say something. It was definitely something I wasn't expecting to hear from her, and it was so quiet, I could barely make it out, but it put a smile on my face to hear it.
"I love you, Sombra."
Author's Note
Sorry it's a little late, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's the first of three, so there is plenty more to come. Thanks for reading!
Also, thanks to Jarkes and theponymaster for editing and pre-reading respectively.
