//------------------------------// // Chapter Eighteen // Story: Forbidden Love // by KingSombraTheTyrantRuler //------------------------------// Forbidden Love Chapter Eighteen The Lunar Princess stood alone on the balcony as she lowered the moon to make way for the sun. She was delighted that her sister was still oblivious of her escape, even after two weeks, but she dared not to let herself feel too delighted nor too at ease, for she felt that if she let her guard down, even for a moment, she would find Celestia standing behind her, bearing a wicked grin upon her face as she dragged the girl back to Canterlot, more than ready to punish her in such a way that she wouldn't dare to even take a step without the permission of the Solar Princess. Thus, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and laying a hand on her chest as if to control the beating of her heart which threatened to launch itself out of her chest from terror, turned her head to the side, only to find the King of the Crystal Empire standing behind her. "Sombra," she gasped, "it is thou!" "Why, yes, it is I. Who else would it be? ...I hope I didn't frighten you, " he added, noticing the paleness that had taken over her face. Her breathing returned to normal, and there was no sign of her fear other than her hand which shook. "Next time, please don't sneak up on Us like that…" He felt as though something was wrong. Luna only uses plural pronouns when she's feeling that good… "Are you okay, Luna?" There's no need to burden him with your problems. " Of course We are! Why wouldn't We be okay?" "Luna… You can tell me anything. There's no need to face your worries or fears alone. " He's just saying that. "We're fine," she insisted . Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sun rising. A little later than usual, and not as smoothly as before, but it was still rising. For some reason, she felt worried. Just looking at the sun made her feel sick. "I- We feel tired," she stuttered . "We bid you pleasant dreams." With that, she turned from his balcony to return to her room, as she only went to his one as there was a better view there, which she required to properly raise and lower the moon. "Luna, wait-" he called after her in vain, but it was too late for she had already left. Something is definitely wrong. I just need to find out what. Luna returned to the room which had been given to her, and after closing the curtains, attempted to sleep. But her efforts were in vain, as sleep would not come to her, or rather, she would not let it come. Two weeks had passed. Surely, that was enough time for her sister to learn of her absence, but for some reason, she was still untouched. It seems too perfect. How could she have not noticed? No, surely she is waiting for me to lower my guard… This caused her to become slightly paranoid, jumping at the smallest sound, panicking if anyone touched her, and… avoiding sleep. She would try to sleep, but then her fear of being attacked while in such a vulnerable state would take over her, and she would remain awake. Sleep Luna… You're safe… No matter how much she tried to convince herself, her efforts were only futile, so she just groaned and started counting imaginary sheep, which despite giving the opposite effect at first, soon tired her out and made her feel drowsy... It was a cold night in the Empire, but that didn't stop Luna from going on a walk. Shadowlance and Sombra had both offered to come with her for safety, and as she could not refuse either of them, they had both come along. "Seriously Sombra," she heard Shadowlance make yet another attempt at getting the King to leave, "I've been with Luna for way longer than you have. So, you should just go back to your castle and rest." " Well, this is my Empire. I have the right to accompany Luna if she's fine with it, and therefore, you should be the one to return. " "What did you just say?! Why should I return?! Since you're the King over here, you should go back to your duties." " I have finished all my paperwork. And in a way, this can be seen as a duty. " "Oh really? What duty would that-" "Shadowlance. Sombra...I...I sort of came out of the castle because I wanted to have a relaxing walk… But… if you two are just going to argue the whole time, I might as well just go back… " "Go back? Sweet Luna, we shall both be quiet at once," promised Sombra , clasping her hand. "Yes, indeed," agreed Shadowlance , "you shan't hear another argument while we are with you." Luna just hoped that they would stick to their promise, which they actually managed to do, and thus, the entire walk was spent in silence. ...Until Shadowlance pointed to Belle Vie, which they were passing, and suggested going there. "Luna! Why don't we go to Belle Vie for a drink or two? I'm sure you must be feeling thirsty ~" " You needn't feel pressured to go there Luna, " said Sombra. "The choice might be yours, but we'll go with whatever you decide. " "Well, now that you mention it, I suppose I do feel thirsty… " And with that, Shadowlance ran towards the Café in joy, only to turn around and see that his companions were left behind, which caused him to run back and hold their hands. "Come on! Faster!" " Shadowlance, I find myself capable of walking without being pulled, " stated the King. "I can also walk by myself," said Luna. "But you two are being too slow. The Café shall close unless we hurry!" "But as the King, I can just order them to open again. Why, if they did not heed my orders, then I would make them do their business in the dungeon! Which means no business at all!" " Fine… '' Shadowlance begrudgingly agreed. Once they had entered the Café and found seats, the Vampire went straight to the counter and was about to order, only for Hope to speak before he could. "So, sixty nine coffees, all with ice cream and sprinkles in them." " Sixty nine coffees? No way! Not again! " "But you'll be sharing them with your friends this time." " Please, three coffees shall be enough. " Hope laughed. "Okay…" The order arrived soon enough and everyone began drinking. Shadowlance finished his one within a minute, while his companions took their time and finished it in five minutes. "That finished way too quick! I'm gonna go get some more, " he announces and goes… One drink led to another, and another, and eventually, an order of sixty nine coffees had arrived due to the waitress realising that the Vampire would most likely be ordering coffee all night, which she didn't really mind because more orders meant more money - more profit, but she had decided to save both of them all the trouble and gave him enough to last a while. He divided it by three and gave twenty six cups to each of them, at which Luna excused herself to use the bathroom and left. As she entered it, she felt as though something or someone was watching her, but even after searching the whole bathroom, she found that she was the only one there. … Once she was done using it, she began washing her hands and was about to leave, but the door would not open. Doing her best not to panic, Luna tried to force it open with magic, but nothing happened. The lights went out, and she was now alone and in pitch black darkness. While she didn't mind pitch black darkness, she was panicking because she didn't know what was happening. Suddenly, she heard laughter coming from behind her and spun around, casting a light spell, only to see that no one was there. But she still heard laughter. And then, a voice. "Luna…" It was strangely familiar, and she fancied she had heard it before, but she could not place where. The voice was that of a man, and was low and deep. "Did you really think you could hide from me?" Her light was extinguished and did not show itself again. "That won't work. Give up already." The darkness began to envelop her. "You can never escape from me." Never before had she been afraid of the dark… "Try and find me..." But this terrified her. "Oh right, I guess you can't… but that's no problem." A pair of red eyes appeared. "Do you remember me?" She felt a pair of hands wrap themselves around her neck. They burned her. "Someone! Help!" she shouted as she tried in vain to release the other person's grip on her. "There's no need to shout. I've placed a soundproof spell on this room. No one will hear your pleas for help." The hands began to tighten around her neck. She needed to get out of here. She began to thrash wildly, letting her flight or fight instinct take over. "Shh… Don't struggle. It'll be easier if you just stop resisting." A cloth was pressed against her nose, and she began to feel dizzy. "Shh…" The Lunar Princess awoke with a start, sweating and with her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to sit up, only to find that something was wrapped around her, and she magically turned the lights on to see that she just had her blanket tangled around her. "Luna?" The door opened and she saw Sombra there. "I heard you screaming. Did anything happen?" " Just a dream… " she muttered. "But it felt so real…" "There's no need to worry," she said quickly, catching the concerned expression on his face. "I'm fine…" He entered the room and sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her as her body trembled. "It's okay, Luna. You don't have to keep everything to yourself. Let me share your worries, your fears. You don't have to go through this alone…" "... I'll be there for you. " She lifted her tear stained face from his chest to look at him. "R-really?" He nodded, and with his thumbs, wiped her tears. "No more talk of darkness Forget these wide-eyed fears I'm here, nothing can harm you My words will warm and calm you Let me be your freedom Let moonlight dry your tears I'm here, with you, beside you To guard you and to guide you… "