//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Flight of the Alicorns 
// Story: Before the Dawn 
// by SilverMuse 
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Chapter 10: Flight of the Alicorns

Sombra sat very still on a grayish mound of grass. Mirrors enveloped him on all sides, reflecting his rather timid image. His black mane and tail were in tangles, his smoky body lacking its normal crystal complexion. He kept glancing from one reflection to the next, searching for the creature that had spoken to him in the crystal caves, but it did not appear. There was no light around him, and yet he could still see himself. He was very much alone, and he did not know whether to feel upset or relieved by this. He hated to be alone, but he did not want to be taunted by that...that monster.
He did not know how long he had been sitting there, but he eventually pushed himself up and walked towards the glass, hoping that it would part and let him pass.  
His nose bumped roughly against the cool surface, and he stumbled back with a jolt of surprise. Sombra rubbed his muzzle and tried again, leading with his hoof this time, but the mirror remained unyielding. He stared at his reflection, the fear and uncertainty clear and familiar in his green eyes. 
“Sombra…” a voice whispered.
No, Sombra spun and looked around, but still his reflection remained the same. He sat down, huddling against the side of a mirror as he hoped and prayed that the voice just left him alone. This had to be a nightmare. He remembered crawling into bed after bidding Ambersong and Blue Belle a quiet goodnight. 
But why then did it feel so real?
His heart pounded and his jugular shook as he swallowed down his terror. Oh how he wished that Luna was there to chase away the hidden demon lurking behind that mirror.
Silver light suddenly spilled from the ebony sky above him. Sombra looked up and gaped as a hazy blue figure broke through some kind of invisible shield. Luna appeared, wings spread and horn glowing. She flapped above him and looked around, taking in the mirrors that had entrapped him. With a blast of light, her magic crashed into the glass and broke them all.
Sombra dropped to the ground, fearful of the shards, but they rose around him harmlessly and flew into the sky. The glass twinkled and sparkled, acting like stars in his dream world.
Luna flapped her wings and landed carefully in front of him. As her hooves touched the ground, the grass became a bright green pigment rather than gray. “Sombra?” she asked in concern, the glow fading from her eyes.
“Luna,” Sombra sighed in relief. He rose and rushed to her side, unashamed. “I wasn’t sure if you would come tonight.”
“I said I would,” Luna replied and wrapped her wings around him as she had done in the crystal cave before they had been so rudely interrupted. “You were having a nightmare.”
“Yes….” Sombra swallowed and settled his chin on her wing. “I think I am still shaken after facing the Nightmist.”
“So am I,” Luna murmured.
“But you defeated it, Luna. Why should you fear it?”
Luna pulled her head back a little and nudged his nose. “For the same reason you do. That mist tested our hearts. If it could do it once, it can do it again, but as Gemfyre said, we are not completely defenseless, not when we have our magic.” She nuzzled his cheek. “Not when we have each other.”
Yes, yes, I do have her, Sombra realized with a smile. He closed his eyes and nestled his head against her neck, breathing in her lovely scent. “At least here we cannot be interrupted by nosey ponies.”
“Or murderous unicorns,” Luna added with a scoff. She ran her wings down along his sides then swept them onto her back. “I should not stay for very long,” she said sadly. “But, I wanted to see you.”
Sombra nuzzled her cheek. “I will savor whatever time you are able and willing to offer,” he told her honestly, though he would have rather she stay the entire night with him.
Luna’s eyes twinkled in the starlight. “Will you fly with me?” she asked.
Sombra stared at her. “Fly? Luna, how am I to do that if I have no wings.”
“This is your dream, Sombra,” Luna replied with a cheerful laugh. She flapped her wings, putting distance between them. “You can make your dream what you wish it to be. Come, catch me,” she said and tossed her blue mane.
Sombra watched her fly gracefully into the sky and tried not to whine in his throat. How was he supposed to make wings appear on his back? It wasn’t as if he could just imagine them and they would just…suddenly….
Something fluttered along his sides.
Sombra started to turn in a circle, trying to see what had ruffled his coat. It took him a moment to realize two brilliant ebony wings had sprouted from his back. He gaped and flapped them to make sure that they were really attached.
“Sweet Celestia!” he cried.
“What? Does my sister deserve more favor than I do?” Luna teased him.
Sombra smirked. “Sweet, beloved, Luna. Is that what you wish to hear?” Even from the ground, he could see Luna’s cheeks blush. “Will I know how to fly as well?”
“It is your dream,” she reminded him and flapped a little further away.
Not wanting her to escape, Sombra took a running step and imagined the dirt rising to create a small cliff for him to leap from. He charged forward, his wings partially raised though the wind tried to knock him back. With a grunt, he leapt from the cliff and swooped up into the starry sky. The wind coursed through his mane and sent a tingle of delight rushing through him. 
He was flying! He was an alicorn! 
Maybe now I can really be with Luna, he thought distantly as he flapped his wings to catch up to her.
Luna turned in the sky and looked down at him, the stars and moon glowing behind her. She circled in the air, waiting for him until he grew almost close enough to touch her. Luna laughed and flew out of reach, urging him to follow. 
Sombra just smiled and flapped after her. No words were spoken between them; they just flew side by side, their wings barely brushing against each other.
Luna winked and barrel-rolled above him then swooped beneath him. Her quick flight sent the wind into his wings and made him spin as well. Sombra chortled and struggled to regain his balance.
“No fair, Luna. I’m not as experienced as you.”
“Hmm...you just need practice, my love,” Luna purred. 
The night was beautiful and calm, just like his beloved Luna. All the doubts and fears that had nagged at him flew from his shoulders as he soared with his Princess above the vast plane of grass. He looked at her and could see the same love in her eyes that he felt inside his heart for her. They were soulmates, he was sure of it. No one had ever made him feel this way before, and he doubted anypony would again should they ever part.
The thought of Luna leaving him made him shudder, and he flew closer to her, his wing once more brushing against hers. Luna grinned and flew ahead of him before turning in the sky. Sombra had to back pedal so that he wouldn’t crash into her. As he reared back, Luna darted forward and stole a kiss from his muzzle before flying higher into the sky.
“Come on!” she cried.
Sombra forced the warmth from his face as he flew after her. They went higher and higher above the earth, twirling and dancing through the pearlescent clouds that floated lazily across the sky. Their wings and hooves left spiraled tendrils behind them, and Sombra looked down to admire the tips of the clouds that glowed with the same silver light of the moon. He hovered in the air with Luna and saw the mischief in her eyes.
“Ready?” she asked.
“R-ready for what?” Sombra asked worriedly.
Luna grabbed his hoof and yanked him down. “Fold your wings!” she cried as she did the same and began to plummet.
Sombra yelped and followed her, his wings still flapping around uselessly as he dreaded the impact that would come if they reached the earth too soon.
This is my dream, he reminded himself. He could collapse in a bag of feathers or a sea of pudding if he so wished.
Bolstered by these thoughts, Sombra sucked in a breath, folded his wings, and fell after Luna. He dropped through the feathery clouds and spun lightly as he passed the glass stars. Luna fell alongside him, the wind sweeping her mane and tail behind her in an ethereal blue trail, like a comet passing over Equestria. Sombra reached out for her, and when he caught her hoof, he dragged her towards him so they fell face-to-face. 
“Beautiful Luna,” he said.
“My Sombra,” Luna whispered.
Sombra drew her close and kissed her, softly, sweetly. He was barely aware of his surroundings as they drew nearer to the ground. His wings flexed out instinctively, and he felt the wind keep his back afloat as he flew parallel to the dirt. Luna hovered over him, their muzzles locked as her flared wings kept them aloft. Bliss filled Sombra, and he poured his heart and soul into the declaration of his love.
The stars spun around them in a dizzying whirl. Sombra drew back and wrapped his wings around Luna. He held her to his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin, guarding her from all dangers of the night. He admired the stars as they reflected the image of them floating together. 
“I love you, Luna,” he said quietly into the night.
Luna lifted her head and breathed into his ear. “I love you too, Sombra. Forever.” 
“Always,” he whispered back. 
They stayed like that throughout the rest of the night, basking in each other’s embrace. No words were necessary; just being together was more than he could have asked or hoped for. Sombra watched the glittering sky and imagined the future he could have with Luna. They could live their days out in a castle that overlooked Equestria, never again having to face the night alone. She was his moon, and he, her stars. No ponies would ever laugh at them again, or shun them for being who they were. 
He closed his eyes and stroked his hoof along her glistening mane. 
Luna looked at him, her smile growing sad.
“The night is ending, Sombra. I have to depart.”
“No…just a little longer,” Sombra begged her.
“I will return, I promise,” Luna said and nuzzled his chest. “When the night falls, I will return to you, my love, and we shall fly again.”
Sombra sighed and kissed her brow, just below her horn. “Then I will long for the night so that I may once more wrap you in a warm embrace.”
The world started to tremble around him, and the stars, one-by-one, began to trickle out of the sky and into a pool on the ground. Sombra saw his and Luna’s reflections start to form beneath them in the glassy sea.
“W-what’s happening?”
“You’re waking,” Luna told him. She freed herself from their folded wings and cupped his chin. “We will be together again.”
“Luna,” Sombra reached for her, but Luna slipped out of his hold. The stars pooled more and more until a giant mirror appeared below him. He scrambled to grab her hoof, but suddenly, his wings disappeared, and he began to fall faster and faster towards the forming mirror. He watched Luna vanish into one of the remaining stars, and when he looked down, he saw dark red and green eyes staring at him through the glass surrounded by a purple mist.
Somepony’s cruel cackle echoed all around him. 
“No!” he shouted.
Sombra awoke in a tangle of blankets and pillows. He lay on his side, gasping, his heart galloping through his chest. 
Just a dream…only a dream, he told himself, though most of it he wished had not been a figment of his imagination. Sombra rolled himself free of his blankets and gave himself a little shake. He looked at his back sharply, but the wings no longer existed; they had been lost back in his dream world.
He left the blankets and pillows on the floor and reached for the door. He could smell food cooking in the next room, so Blue Belle and Ambersong must be awake. Oh, they would never believe the dream that he had had.
Sombra yawned, trying to shake the lingering nightmare from his shoulders. He pushed down on the latch.
“Sombra…where are you going, Sombra?”
The voice came like a strike to the back of Sombra’s head. His eyes went wide and he turned, but there was no pony in his room. Still, he felt as if eyes were watching him. He looked around until he spotted a mirror leaning against a wall. 	Heart thumping, he grabbed a blanket and tossed it over the reflective surface.
“Not today,” he growled at the intangible being. “I will not let you ruin my night with Luna.”
With a snort, he departed and shut the door roughly behind him. He leaned against it and slumped down for a moment. 
Nightmist….leave me be, he pleaded internally. Breathing shakily, he forced himself from his room and went into the living area to find Ambersong, not Blue Belle, at the hearth, roasting some nuts and warming preserves on top of a sweet pastry. 
Ambersong looked up at him and lifted an eyebrow. “You look as if you had quite a night,” he remarked.
Sombra gave a little laugh and sat down beside him. “Indeed I did,” he said and quietly told Ambersong of his flight as an alicorn.