//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Strangers in the Night 
// Story: Before the Dawn 
// by SilverMuse 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3: Strangers in the Night

That….could have gone much better, Sombra sighed to himself as he walked towards Blue Belle and Ambersong. He had had the wondrous opportunity to meet one of the royal sisters, and yet all he had done was nearly strike the night Princess with a flaming barrel just because of his unstable magic.
He glanced up at his horn and blew a few strands of black mane out of his face. It was not his fault that he had never learned how to properly use his magic. There had been no other unicorns, save the Queen, in the Crystal Empire upon his birth, and so he had been forced to teach himself. Queen Gemfyre had no interest in showing him how to access his powers, and so each blast of magic was just dumb luck. He couldn’t levitate or conjure anything special, even if he tried. 
Then again, things had not been any better before he had broken his horn…
Sombra shuddered at the memory and looked over at Blue Belle as she put the last of her instruments away in a case. 
“Well?” Ambersong inquired as he trotted over to Sombra. “How did it go?”
“Poorly,” Sombra grunted and began to gather his drums. “I made a complete fool out of myself. What was I thinking? Why would someone like her want to speak with me? I could have hurt her!”
“But you didn’t,” Blue Belle argued gently. She sat back on her haunches. “You did the right thing by apologizing. The Princess even asked to walk with you.”
“I suppose,” Sombra said then grimaced. “And then she easily dismissed me. She shouldn’t waste her time with the likes of me anyway.”
Ambersong snorted and fit the flugelhorn in a strap on his back. “Oh stop, Sombra. ‘The likes of you….’ You should not berate yourself. You are who you are, and if the Princess cannot accept you, then that is her folly, not yours.”
Sombra did not quite agree, but he knew how Ambersong was; the stallion would not let Sombra win the argument. And so, he carefully reached down and began to attach the drums to a strap he tied around his sides. He carried them back to the little home on the outskirts of town that all three of them shared, the misfits of the Crystal Empire. They had grown up together as foals, and they had remained inseparable, even when they had tried to go their separate ways to pursue other careers and destinies. 
Blue Belle had thought to leave the Empire so that she could visit the other pegasi in Cloudsdale and learn to become a better flyer, but fear had kept her close to her friends. Ambersong had wanted to join Queen Gemfyre’s private bard ensemble, but he had made far too many mistakes during auditions due to his nerves. The episode had left him a laughingstock, and so he remained with his friends. Sombra had tried to join the Queen’s royal guards in hopes of proving himself to her majesty, but when his magic had disrupted training, he had been dismissed without even a second glance.
He looked sideways at Blue Belle as she flapped heavily to keep herself aloft. As he watched, she swerved left and right, never quite flying in a straight line. The ponies gave her a hard time about not being able to perform the same sort of acrobatics other pegasi could when they visited the Empire. A misfit, they called her, but they all were misfits in their own way, weren’t they?
	If only the ponies here could see us for who we really are, he thought to himself. He scrunched his nose and used a little of his magic to nudge the door of their home open. He quickly set the drums down inside then went to hold the door for his friends, letting Ambersong through first. His gaze went to Blue Belle as she hovered just outside of the house. 
“Come on, Blue Belle.”
“I want to try to fly in,” Blue Belle declared.
Sombra winced. “Maybe not tonight, Blue Belle. We….oh no.” He scrambled backwards as the young pegasus stretched forth her legs and flew straight for the door. Sombra kept it open, praying she would make it.
She almost did, but just as she flew inside, her right wing clipped the frame and sent her spiraling against the door and tumbling head over hoof into the house. Sombra winced as he heard loud crashes and shouts as poor Ambersong was caught in Blue Belle’s destructive path.
Reluctantly, Sombra stepped inside and lit the tip of his horn.
A table had been upended and a vase Ambersong had crafted lay in pieces on the ground. Blue Belle rested upside down against the wall, her dark blue tail splayed across her face. Ambersong rubbed his muzzle and slowly picked himself up off of the floor.
“What were you thinking?!” he shouted and nuzzled his injured foreleg. “Why can’t you just walk into the house like a normal pony?”
Blue Belle grimaced and rolled onto her side. “I…was just…practicing.”
“Well, practice where you can’t hurt other ponies!” Ambersong snapped at her and stormed out of the room.
Sombra sighed and walked towards Blue Belle. She dropped her head and covered her face with her front hooves. 	Quiet sniffles escaped, and Sombra saw tears run down her furry cheeks.
“Blue Belle,” he said gently. He lowered his nose and bumped it against her neck. “Ambersong didn’t mean it. He is just in a foul mood tonight.”
“But he is right. Why can’t I just be normal?”
“Because being normal is boring,” Sombra said and folded his legs beneath him. He nudged her cheek and mane, trying to comfort her. “Do you want to be like all the pretty ponies out there, strutting around and showing off their jewels? We are all unique, Blue Belle…you, me, Ambersong. We don’t fit in, no, but that is what makes us special.”
“I wish being special didn’t hurt so much,” Blue Belle murmured and rubbed a few tears from her eyes. She stretched out her wings then folded them to her sides. “Thanks, Sombra.”
Sombra nodded. “Go and get some sleep, Blue Belle. I will fix the table and vase in the morning.”
Blue Belle blinked in surprise. “Aren’t you coming to bed as well?”
Sombra shook his head. “Nay, I think I would like to stay up for a time. Do not fret; I will be back before dawn.” He nuzzled her again then stood up. 
He left the house on slow steps and shut the door behind him with a flicker of magic. The night was quiet and the sky was filled with the silvery orb and her sister stars. A peace settled over him as he stared at the beauty above.
Heaving a sigh, he walked away from the houses and palace, making his way to the open fields where he would not be disturbed. He passed a house that held a large pen full of multi-colored ewes. They slept together in piles, looking like fluffy clouds. Sombra smiled slightly and followed the road until the houses all but vanished. He stepped into the wavy grass and settled down upon a small hill, his usual resting spot to watch the moon. Perhaps this was another way he was different; he liked the moon more than the sun. He could hide away while the moon glowed and escape those scornful eyes that judged him every time he used his magic.
They treat me like the enemy sometimes, he thought and blew a few more strands of mane out of his face. Why can they not see I am just like them? I want to be loved and respected as much as the rest of them. My coat may not glitter as brightly as theirs, and my magic may not be so powerful, but I really do try. One day I’ll show them…one day they will see me for who I really am.


~*~


Contrary to their arrival, the halls of the crystal palace were nearly silent now. Luna strode up and down the stairs, searching for at least one pony that was still awake to share the evening with her, but save for a few watchful guards, there was no one. 
It was always the same in Canterlot as well. Celestia would go to sleep, and Luna would spend the entire night up by herself, watching over her subjects and entering the dreams of those afflicted by nightmares. It saddened her, though, that many of the nightmares pertained to ponies being attacked in the darkness by some sort of monster. The night was not so scary; it was beautiful and meant to be respected as much as the sun.
Luna sighed and stopped at the room that she and Celestia were supposed to share. She nudged the door open and looked within.
Celestia lay peacefully on the large, plush bed, her crown and other regalia lying on top of a table.
Luna smiled sadly and slowly closed the door. She walked along the hall and reached the balcony that overlooked the Empire. From here she could fully appreciate her moon and stars which glittered and danced in the dark sky. She watched them with somber eyes and dropped her chin onto the railing.
She thought of the celebration and how much fun she had had with the foals. She rarely experienced such joy these days; normally she slept during the day so that she could watch over the night. Celestia shared in their celebrations; Luna did not. This was such a precious treat for her, and it made her long for the ponies’ devotions even more. 
Her mind wandered over the fun she’d had until her thoughts came to the young stallion that had caused such an upset.
Sombra.
He had been so apologetic; she could not understand why the guards and Gemfyre had been so appalled that he had used his magic. He was a unicorn; could they expect any less? She frowned to herself, recalling the fear and uncertainty in his green eyes when he had gazed upon her.
He was afraid of me, she realized. Am I truly so frightening? She didn’t think so. It was not as if she was some wicked mare of darkness who gobbled up her subjects. 
Luna chuckled to herself at the image. 
How absurd. 
Shaking her head, she spread her wings and leapt from the balcony. The night was warm and welcoming to her. She soared across the Empire, admiring all the crystal homes beneath her. She flew over bundles of ewes as well as the pastures cultivated for growing crops. The crystal ponies had managed to sustain their lifestyle without outside help from the rest of Equestria. She admired their independence but at the same time wished that they could be more accepting of those beyond their protective walls.
Luna banked to the left and started to make her way back to the palace when she noticed a faint glimmer amongst the grass. Curious, she curved back to the right and flew towards it until she made out the dark shape of Sombra resting below her.
Her eyes lit up in delight. Did somepony actually appreciate her night? 
She smiled and landed lightly behind him, her wings flapping to keep her steady. When Sombra did not turn, Luna hesitated, thinking that perhaps he had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, he sighed. “Blue Belle, I told you I would come back to the house later.”
Luna cocked her head and walked forward. “I do not know this Blue Belle you speak of, but I hope that my presence is not a disappointment.”
Sombra swung his head around and looked up at Luna with wide eyes. “Pr-Pr-Princess!” he cried and sprang to his hooves. “I didn’t know…I mean…I did not wish to presume—”
“Stop,” Luna said with a raised hoof. “As I said, you may call me Luna.” She walked forward and folded her legs beneath her. She settled in the grass and reached out to pat the spot he had previously occupied. “Will you join me?”
Sombra hesitated for but a second before he flopped to the ground so fast that it made Luna laugh. “Blue Belle is a friend of mine,” he explained as he shifted around to get comfortable.
“Is she the blue pegasus I saw playing that wonderful music?” Luna asked. When Sombra nodded, she smiled. “I really enjoyed the song you all performed. I could hear it from where I was sitting with the foals.”
“Thank you,” Sombra blushed. “Blue Belle wrote it; she is quite the singer.”
“That she is,” Luna replied. She looked up into the sky and shifted her wings comfortably along her back. “Do you come out here often….to watch the moon, that is?”
“Oh yes,” Sombra replied wistfully. “I never feel quite so alone with the moon to watch over me. I feel…at peace at night, when all the other ponies are asleep and cannot judge me.”
“Judge you?” Luna asked.
Sombra looked away and reached up to poke his horn. “As you know, my magic is not exactly…impressive. I cause more harm than good.
“What you did was an accident,” Luna assured him. “Why, when I was just a filly, I would sometimes set the castle curtains on fire if I was not careful with my magic.” She tapped her chin. “In fact, I do recall one evening when I sneezed and shattered the window in the Great Hall of the castle. Both Mother and Father were quite cross with me.” 
Sombra’s eyes grew wide. “You struggled with magic as well?”
“I still do, at times,” Luna admitted with a blush. “Tia and I may be alicorns, but we have had to learn to come into our powers just like every other unicorn. Mother and Father taught us of course, but once they…left, it was just us, and we had to learn what we could from unicorns around Equestria. Had we known that Queen Gemfyre still lived, we might have gone to her instead for aid.” She folded her left hoof over her right and shrugged. “Tia is stronger than I am and has more control over her magic. I hope to be as great as her one day.” When Sombra did not reply, Luna looked at him and was surprised to see the shock on his face. “What is it?” she asked nervously.
Sombra shook himself from his thoughts. “N-nothing. I…you and Princess Celestia are just so mighty, I never would have thought that either of you had ever struggled with your magic.”
Luna grinned. “We are more mortal than you may think, even if we try to tell ourselves otherwise.” She shifted on the grass. “But what of you and your magic? You struggle as well; did you not have a teacher?”
Sombra set his jaw as if her words had offended him. “No,” he said bluntly. “The only unicorn that could have helped me died when I was born.”
Luna flushed crimson. “Sombra, I meant no offense.”
Sombra blinked, and his frustration ebbed. “You….didn’t offend me, it is just a difficult subject to discuss.” He looked down and poked at the grass with a hoof. “My mother was a unicorn, and she came to the Crystal Empire when she was just a filly. She met my father, and after many years, they had me but…my mother died giving birth to me. In his grief, my father fled, and I was left to grow up in the Empire’s orphanage, alongside Blue Belle and Ambersong. That’s how we became friends.” He curled his tail in a little protectively. “I tried to study magic, but it’s difficult to do that with no one to guide you. I also…tended to cause catastrophes whenever I tried too hard, so I was often scolded by the ponies at the orphanage. When I broke my horn, well…” 
Luna furrowed her brow in concern. She eyed his horn again, noting the way it seemed crooked. A broken horn could surely upset someone’s magic. “How did that happen?” she asked, pointing to his horn.
Sombra shifted uncomfortably. “Some ponies were teasing Blue Belle after she flew into a crystal tree. She…is not the best flyer. They gathered around her and called her names. When I saw this, I…grew very upset, and I tried to chase them off. Unfortunately, one of them moved out of the way too quickly, and I struck my horn against the crystal tree. The tip broke off, and though the healer, Rose Quartz, tried to put it back together, without magic, there was not much she could do. Even Gemfyre tried, but, as she has said, her powers are not what they were.” He glanced up at the horn. “My magic was stronger before it broke, and I could control it better. Now, it is as if my powers manifest in whatever way they desire, heedless of my commands.”
Luna stared at the misshapen appendage for a long time and considered what she might do to help. She and Celestia were supposed to give Prince Agate Shield a horn tomorrow; would it be so different to mend Sombra’s? She knew her magic was strong, possibly even powerful than Gemfyre’s, so maybe she would succeed where the elder alicorn had failed. “Might…I try something?” she asked him.
“Try what?” Sombra asked.
In answer, Luna leaned her head forward and touched her horn against his. Sombra flinched back briefly until he realized she was not going to hurt him. Tentatively, he leaned in and brushed his horn against hers. 
Luna smiled.
“Close your eyes,” she told him.
When he did so, she closed hers as well. She reached down to the magic within her, the warm pool of light that awaited her command. Her father had helped her reach it when she was a filly, and she remembered his lessons every time she touched the magic. Her horn started to glow a bright blue, and she pushed that power into Sombra, hoping to mend the damage that had been done so many years ago. She could still feel the crack in the horn, though it stayed together. His line of power had been disrupted, though not completely severed, when the horn had been broken. She concentrated, trying to reform the crack so that the line of magic would once again be complete.
She opened her eyes just in time to see Sombra’s horn shift just slightly so that it appeared straight rather than crooked. Luna pulled her magic back and tilted her head, making certain that the damage had all been mended.
“You can open your eyes now,” she told him.
Sombra cracked an eye open then looked up to his horn. His eyes grew as wide as the stars, and he jumped up with a cry. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” he cried and hopped in a circle, as if that would help him see his horn better. “It’s fixed. It’s really fixed! How did you….” he looked down at Luna in amazement and simply beamed. “Thank you, Luna.”
Luna grinned, pleased that he had finally called her by her name. “You are welcome, Sombra. Why don’t you try to use your magic?” 
Sombra hesitated and swished his tail. “I…am not sure how. I know what I want to do, but, I do not know, entirely, how to order my horn to do such a thing.”
“You must imagine it,” Luna explained carefully. “Create an image in your head of what you want it to do, and then reach deep down inside to that warm magic that you feel in the pit of your stomach. Between your desire and that power, the magic should twist to your will.”
Sombra licked his muzzle and gave a quick nod. He closed his eyes, and Luna watched with amusement as his horn started to glow a faint shade of green. Suddenly, he swung his head and brilliant sparks of blue and green light shot up and exploded in the sky, creating mini fireworks. 
Luna gasped and clapped her hooves. “Wonderful!” she cried.
Sombra looked up cautiously, as if he was afraid that he had set the land on fire. When he saw only the magic, he pranced in place. “It worked!”
“Of course it did,” Luna chuckled. “I think you are more powerful than you think, Sombra.”
He flopped to the ground beside her again and reached up to rub the horn. “Now that I can use my magic properly again, I just need to find someone to teach me,” he said, almost hopefully.
Luna grinned. ‘Well, I am not due to return to Canterlot for a few days; I could certainly teach you in the evening when all is quiet and no one can watch you. We can study together before the dawn.”
Sombra’s eyes filled with wonder and joy. “Luna…I would be forever grateful if you would be willing to show me what you know about magic.” 
“Of course,” Luna replied and tapped her horn affectionately against his. “I know what it is like to grow up without someone to help you; you deserve to have a good teacher.” 
“I thought you said your parents taught you for a time,” Sombra said as he drew his head away, a tiny blush forming upon his cheeks.
“Well, they did,” Luna agreed and rolled lightly onto her side. “For a few years they taught us, but once they vanished, well, as I said, Tia and I had to find other teachers.”
“Vanished?”
Luna swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. “Tia says that they died fighting…something, but I would like to think that they are still out there somewhere. I sense she wishes to spare me the gory details. So…I understand your pain of loss, Sombra. I may have known my parents for a while, but sometimes I wonder if it would have been better not to have known them at all. Then the loss wouldn’t be so great.” She tilted her head. “I wish I could ask my father how he endured the long nights. Was he not lonely when the ponies of Equestria went to sleep? Did it ever hurt him, too? Maybe then I would understand how he was able to rule the night for so many years.”
Sombra leaned forward and brushed his horn lightly against her cheek, drawing her attention. “Perhaps he found someone with whom to share the night,” he said. “Maybe your mother was willing to stay with him as night became day.”
“Perhaps,” Luna replied, her eyes twinkling in the starlight. She stared at Sombra for a long moment and felt a flutter in her chest that she had never experienced before. She cleared her throat a little nervously and curled up beside him to watch the moon.
They stayed there together the rest of the night, speaking of what they knew about magic, and what life was like either in Canterlot or the Crystal Empire. Luna found Sombra to be a very eager student and a happy unicorn filled with love and compassion, though the world had tried to steal both away from him. He and his friends had never been adopted, and so they had been forced to rely on each other for companionship; they’d become each other’s family. 
Luna was glad that he at least had that much, but he deserved much more. He had a good heart; she just hoped he could see it.
When Luna set the moon, and Celestia raised the glorious sun, both Luna and Sombra where still nestled in the grass just beyond the crystal palace.