‘I actually had something to teach you today, Som-bra.’
‘More than one plus one?’
‘I am supposed to be teaching you how to use that horn of yours.’
‘Are there new crystals for me to make?’
‘Kind of, you’ll see!’
Sombra braced himself for a kiss, or a spanking, or something, but nothing came.
‘Som-bra, stand over there.’ said Luna, looking at a pillar a few metres away.’
A little bewildered, Sombra did as she said.
‘Don’t be scared.’
‘Okay?’
Luna concentrated hard, her horn surrounded by the dark aura once more. She looks like she’s just fizzling it uselessly again, like when she asked me to a long time, but she wasn’t. He suddenly found her eyes ever so captivating, they looked like the black crystals he could make.
‘Luna? Your eyes are strange.’
‘I’m not teaching you anymore.’
Why does it hurt so much to hear her say that?
‘What?’
‘You heard me, Sombra. I’m not teaching you. I never want to see you again, leave.’
‘You can stop teaching me I suppose, but do I really have to leave? And what happened to the Som-bra thing? Am I just Sombra now?’
‘I was bored, Sombra. You know how alicorns just get so bored. I thought teaching you would be some fun; it wasn’t.’
‘And this is what you wanted to show me?’ whimpered Sombra.
‘Yeah, I realised that you weren’t making things any less bland. And you’re thinking I cared for you?’
‘But you fucking did!’
‘Do I look angry to you, Sombra? Do I look mad? You’re a butterfly to me, dead in a few centuries. What kind of pony cares for a single butterfly? As a collective, perhaps, but they’re too brief, they’re gone just as they’re there. There’s no meaning to them, just as there was never any meaning to you, or us.’
‘So your sister’s the only one?’
Luna crafted a truly heinous smile.
Fuck off, this isn’t a dream!
‘No it’s not, Som-bra, so wake up. Please, wake up.’
He felt like he was breathing again.
‘What is there to wake up from?’
‘Magical shenanigans.’
‘Aren’t those what dreams are?’
‘You’re being awfully pedantic for somepony with tears on his face.’
‘Oh.’
Sombra opened his eyes to a weeping Luna.
‘I’m so sorry Som-bra, I’m so so sorry. Are you okay?’
‘Yeah fine, I think. Kind of upset, but okay. You look worse than me.’
She hugged him tighter.
‘It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry.’
‘Hey, calm down okay? I’m okay.’
‘I thought I could get you out faster–’
‘I don’t wanna hear it, you’re way too freaked out. Hush for a bit.’
Luna didn’t stop crying for several minutes, so at some point, Sombra started hugging her back.
‘I can’t do this anymore Som-bra, I can’t hurt you any more.’ Luna said, her sobbing having barely subsided.
‘I’m not sure I want you to stop, it’s getting rather interesting. But if it makes you so upset...’
‘You should want me to stop! These lessons, when they’ve been lessons, have been nothing but me hurting you because I don’t know what I’m doing, nopony knows what we’re doing.’
‘Do you even know what happened just now?’
Luna took a moment to bring herself to say it.
‘You saw your worst fear didn’t you? And I couldn’t get you out of it, and I couldn’t bring myself to knock you out again.’
‘That’s what it was? Well I’m not traumatised like you seem to think I am, it wasn’t like me forgetting the dream, nothing like that.’
‘So you’re saying I shouldn’t be upset?’
‘No, I’m saying you don’t need to be.’
Luna laughed a little among the many tears. Sombra finally let her go, not looking anywhere else but at her. A beautiful rainbow had formed above the two, though neither were inclined to notice just yet.
‘But you know what I’ll do if you stop teaching me, Luna? I’ll teach myself, and you know I’m going to end up as a crystal if I do that.’
‘Oh don’t do that.’ Luna mewled
‘Then teach me.’
If she hadn’t been so upset, Luna would have been stunned to hear her coltfriend being so forceful.
‘Is that what you’re really going to do? What could be worth it for you to suffer so much? Is this what stops you from feeling glum?’
‘No, you do that by yourself... I guess we’re going to find out what’s worth it.’
They finally noticed the rainbow above their heads and remarked at its splendour, which was the last thing they talked about before returning to his new home in Canterlot.
He walked halfway towards the station out of habit before correcting himself. It’s a good question she asked, what could be worth it? It’s whatever we find, that’s what’s worth it. You’d think it would be something useful, having a cutiemark based on it. I don’t know, ponies do what their cutiemark tells them they’re good at right? That’s probably why. Anger’s gone, glumness gone, suddenly you just want to want to find what magic can do, and nothing beyond that, at least for now.
As he walked through the doorway, even if he wasn’t exactly surprised, it was strange to return to such a big home with so little in it. As if I’m a rich beggar.
‘Evening Robyn.’
‘Oh good timing, supper’s ready!’ yelled Robyn from the kitchen.
It’s been a wild day, so there’s light at the end of the roller-coaster tunnel? Not so eloquent.
‘Great! Mind if I eat it in my room?’
‘No if you want to!’
He regretted it afterwards, it was a bit lonely. The supper was good though. Is it really your cutiemark that’s driving you to do this, Sombra? You could just visit Luna as often as you’d like, and that would be a happily ever after. What else could it be? Do you enjoy having some limited power over her? No, not particularly. Would you be dissatisfied not ever knowing for sure what your cutiemark is? No, I don’t think so, it didn’t bother me before. Are you suspicious of Luna? Haha, yes.