Before the Dawn

by SilverMuse

Chapter 7: The Crystal Cave

Chapter 7: The Crystal Cave

The days passed quicker than Sombra could count. The threat of the unicorns had all but been forgotten, at least by him. He spent much of the daylight sleeping away after long nights of practice with Princess Luna. When he was awake, he, Blue Belle, and Ambersong worked on their music and tried to impress the crowd. With Sombra’s new-found skills, he was able to add life and merriment to their performances. Ponies actually stopped to watch and leant them more food or bits. It certainly put Sombra in a much better mood, and Ambersong ceased lecturing him for spending so much time with the Princess.

Blue Belle was as supportive as she always was, though she kept asking if she could come with him one night so that Princess Luna could teach her to fly. Sombra tried not to roll his eyes each time she asked. She was such a simple, kind spirit, he didn’t want to disappoint or hurt her.

The trouble, though, with spending nights together so frequently was that they had gained an audience. The first time it had happened, there had been only five, but now more ponies seemed to enjoy spying on their little ventures, the foals especially. Sombra wouldn’t have minded as much had they not looked cross with him for stealing their Princess away, and had some not made comments when he struggled with his magic. He had grown weary of the unsolicited attention, and he suspected Luna felt the same. The last few nights, she had been a bit more forceful about sending the ponies back to their homes.

He had an idea, though, that he hoped would meet Luna’s favor. He waited in their usual spot, already sensing the ponies lurking in the grass. Amongst them, he spotted Quill, whom he assumed had been sent by the Queen or Princess Celestia to make sure he did not try anything….uncouth towards the Princess. The ponies never stayed very long, but their presence alone was enough to annoy him.

Luna arrived as she always did, in a flourish of wings and an elegant landing. She gave the hiding ponies a look that sent them skittering back a few paces, but none chose to leave.

“How amusing. They will sleep through my night unless I make a spectacle out of myself,” Luna grumbled to Sombra.

He shook his head with sympathy while feeling inwardly pleased that Luna now chose to speak so candidly with him. “I may have a way we can evade them,” he told her quietly so that none could hear. “Just past the shield of the Crystal Empire, there are crystal caves where we can escape for a time. I...I know you do not like to be away from the Empire, but it would at least give us a private place to study. The caves are beautiful, and I have found hot springs inside as well.”

Luna lifted her head in surprise. “I had not heard of these crystal caves before. You have left the Empire?”

Sombra nodded. “When I was a colt, I often grew upset when I was scolded for using my magic. I had determined to run away, but I only made it as far as the crystal caves. I have used that place as a sanctuary ever since, though I have had to go there less frequently these past few weeks.” He nudged her. “If it eases your concern, the caves are just beyond the shields, so we will not be far from the Empire at all.”

Luna considered this and glanced back at the crystal palace. “Hm, my sister may not approve, but...I would so enjoy seeing these caves.” She was quiet for a moment then gave her hoof a little stomp. “Am I not the Princess of the night, the ruler of the moon and stars? If I wish to go, then I shall go. Lead on, Sombra.”

Sombra grinned from ear to ear and motioned for her to follow. He galloped through the grass and towards the barrier of the crystal empire that would lead them outside. He glanced back, watching a few heads pop up over the grass, but when it was clear that he and Luna would not return, the heads disappeared.

Well, that will certainly improve the evening, he thought happily to himself. He glanced at Luna as she ran to keep up with him. She could have easily taken to the sky, but he was glad to have her at his side.

It did not take them long to dash through the shield closest to where the caves were stationed. The magic sent a tingle through him, but it was more pleasant than it had been in recent years. It was as if the crystal heart recognized his newfound, unbroken power and welcomed it. A cold night burst of wind rushed across them before they ran several paces and entered the crystal caves that shut out the cold wind.

Luna panted and skidded to a stop beside him. “The night is chillier outside of the Empire.”

Sombra nodded his agreement and started to walk carefully through the caves. He searched around until he found a small lantern which he lit with his magic. Light bounced across and around the crystals, filling the room with an array of colors. Blue, purple, pink red: the light danced around the cave and brought wonder to Luna’s pretty eyes. She gasped in amazement and walked over to a tall crystal set along one wall.

Sombra stood to the side and watched her admire herself in the reflective element. She looked beautiful, and he just sat and appreciated the hundreds of reflections of Luna that surrounded him.

How was I ever so lucky to find her? Sombra wondered to himself as he watched her. A certain flick of her tail or twitch of her ears had become so familiar to him. The first night they’d met, he’d been so nervous and scared, fearing that she might think him a fool. After so many evenings of studying magic, his confidence had grown along with his skills. He was still hardly worthy of her, but he felt that he was a much better match than he had been weeks ago.

Luna, likewise, seemed to have warmed up to him. She stayed with him longer in the evenings and spoke about her personal life with Celestia. It was as if she’d let down the royal guards that made her seem like more of a Goddess to the ponies than a mortal. Sombra had the privilege to see that beautiful mortal side of her, and he liked what he saw. She was not invincible, and she loved life as much as he did. He knew her likes and dislikes now, and he understood how she traveled into ponies’ dreams to comfort them. Sometimes she would apologize for telling him so much, but Sombra didn’t mind in the slightest.

“You tell me frequently enough that you do not have ponies to speak with at night,” he’d told her gently. “I am glad that you feel comfortable enough to confide in me.”

“Well of course,” Luna had laughed. “No other pony knows me like you do.”

Sombra shook his head, freeing himself of the delightful thoughts. He smiled brightly and watched Luna with soft eyes.

Luna walked slowly along the crystals, her tail and mane floating around her. She stopped and turned to look back to him. Her muzzle curved into a smile. “You’re staring.”

“Am I?” Sombra asked and pushed himself forward. He sent her a charming smile, though inside he had butterflies fluttering through his stomach. They had spent only a couple of weeks together, but it felt like much longer than that.

“Yes.” Luna sighed with the air of a playful young mare. Her blue eyes glinted in the crystal light. “Why did you want us to study your magic alone?”

Sombra chuckled and walked towards her. Playing coy, wasn’t she? He didn’t mind of course; it made the game more fun. He glanced around at the crystals and took a breath. “I wanted to show you something….something I taught myself while you slept. Watch.” He turned to one of the crystals and called on his magic. With a light flick of his horn, an orb of green power flew towards the crystal. Instead of destroying the stone, his magic bounced off of the crystals and began to dance around the room, splashing them with a faint green light. He noticed that each time the magic struck a crystal, he could hear a quiet note of music that was little more than a whisper.

Luna gasped and turned around to watch the display of light.

Sombra walked up to her side and looked down at her. “I decided to create my own stars. They are nowhere near as magnificent as yours, but….there you have it.”

“They’re beautiful, Sombra,” Luna breathed.

Sombra licked his muzzle nervously and dared to brush his nose against her cheek then up to her ear. “Beautiful, like you.”

Luna did not withdraw as Sombra both expected and feared. She shivered against him, but he did not think it had anything to do with the cold. Slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes hooded and gentle in the faint glow of his magic.

“I have something to confess,” Luna said quietly.

Sombra stiffened a little on the inside, wondering if what she said next would ruin the rest of the evening. He felt as if they had grown closer to each other over the days, but perhaps it was one sided. The doubt niggled at him. “Yes?” he asked in a guarded voice.

Luna’s tiny laugh helped calm some of his fears. “You look as if I am about to tell you that I am betrothed to a stallion.” At Sombra’s deadpan expression, Luna just chortled harder. “Oh, Sombra,” she sighed. “I have lived for many, many years, but in that time, I have never met a stallion that has made me feel so….free…so…understood.” She glanced at the crystals and then up at his starlight. “There have been ponies who have sought my favor before…have thought to bring me trinkets as they have done for my sister. But none of them could stay up the entire night with me. None of them could see the stars and moon and understand just how they make me feel.”

She turned back to him. “No stallion, except for you.”

Sombra felt his heart pound frantically against his chest, threatening to leap out and tap-dance across the floor. The image almost made him laugh, but he did not want to ruin this precious and most wondrous of moments.

“I have never met a mare braver or stronger than you, Luna. No mare has ever given me a second glance or a second chance, but you…you have awoken a magic inside of me that I didn’t even know I possessed. You melted ice that had started to form over my heart and allowed me to really feel again.” He took a big gulp. “I know you are a Princess, and I know that I can offer you nothing that you do not already have, but—”

“I think you can,” Luna replied, her eyes twinkling in the light of the crystals. “There is something that you can give me that no other pony can.”

“Name it,” Sombra insisted eagerly.

“Your love.”

No words could have described the feelings that he held for Luna. No poetry of love or oath of loyalty would do. No, instead, Sombra threw caution to the wind, steeled himself, and leaned forward to plant a sweet, tender kiss on Luna’s muzzle.

She did not withdraw.

In fact, she pressed into the kiss and reached out with a hoof to draw him close.

Sombra did as she bade, feeling her gentle wings engulf him in a hug that left him almost as breathless as the kiss.

His heart skipped beats and warmth spread through him that made him wish that he could fly and proclaim his love to all of Equestria. He breathed in through his nose then freed their muzzle so that he could nuzzle her neck.

“Sombra,” Luna whispered.

“Luna, my Lady of the moon,” he spoke sweetly into her ear then opened his eyes.

Crimson irises stared back at him through a crystal just behind Luna’s head.

Sombra’s eyes flew wide and he spun in Luna’s wings to find five unicorns standing at the entrance of the cave. Time slowed as he turned again, grabbed Luna, and dragged her down to the ground with him as red light ignited the room.

“Luna!” he cried as he covered her, his ears ringing as shards of crystal broke and fell around them in thick clumps.

Luna struggled beneath him to see what had happened, and she uttered a curse before pushing him to the side. “Stay behind me!” she ordered.

Sombra wanted to argue, but Luna pushed him back and spread her wings, preventing him from standing at her side to fight the unicorns. They paced slowly into the cave, their glowing horns pointed more at Luna than at him. Two fired, and Luna threw up a shield to protect them both, but the red magic latched onto it.

Luna grunted in frustration. “They’re leeching my power again,” she told him between gritted teeth. She looked around, as if calculating something, then bared her teeth at the unicorns. “When I say run,” she told him. “Run.”

“Not without you,” he insisted, feeling completely useless.

“With me,” she told him. Luna pushed him back one more step then shoved her shield forward, causing two unicorns to skip out of the way. Luna waited then reared back and flung her horn, not towards the unicorns, but towards the great crystal that Luna had used as a mirror to admire herself.

Her magic crashed into the stone and reflected in several directions. Each light bounced across a crystal, flowing and arching straight for the five unicorns.

None of them stood a chance as Luna’s magic crashed into chest, legs, or heads, throwing them from their hooves and sending them out of the cave. Luna panted and stomped her hoof down in warning, but Sombra knew that they could not stay here. There might be more unicorns out there, and as strong as Luna was, he did not want her to get hurt again.

“Run,” Luna instructed and took a step forward, but Sombra grabbed her wing as gently as he could and pointed another way.

“Luna, Luna, come this way. I know these caves. I know another way out. There could be more just beyond the entrance.”

Luna hesitated for but a moment before she bumped him with her nose, urging him forward. Sombra ran for all he was worth, tearing through the crystal halls and sending an orb of light in front of them to guide their way. Sometimes the orb reflected too sharply off of a crystal and caused him to try to blink the light out of his eyes. Other times, the tunnels were so dark, and so depleted of the precious crystals, that his magic did very little to light their path.

“I can hear and sense them coming,” Luna told him as they ran together. “It won’t be long. How far is the escape tunnel?”

“Not far,” Sombra assured her and turned down a corner to the right. He thought, oddly, that he could sense the unicorns too. It was like a dull thrum of magic that kept whispering in his ear. He couldn’t understand what it said, but he knew that it shouldn’t be there. It confused him, and he tossed his head a few times, trying to clear it. He was so distracted, he nearly crashed into a wall that presented a fork in their path.

Luna reached out to steady him. “Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m…fine,” he said and looked back and forth. He should know which path to take, but the whispering was growing stronger and confusing him. “Th-this way,” he said and went to the right.

Luna followed him, casting one of her lights ahead since his had dimmed to a mere speck of power. They ran together down another hall, and just when Sombra thought they had reached the end, they stepped into a tunnel…and met nothing but a crystal wall.

“Where are we?” Luna asked urgently as she paced the room.

“I…I don’t know,” Sombra stuttered and looked back where they had come. He could hear them now, their hooves beating against the ground as they raced after their prey. “It should have been this way. Oh, Luna, I’m sorry. I thought—”

“Stay behind me,” she insisted and stood protectively before him once more.

Sombra wanted to strike himself for being such a fool. What use was he? He couldn’t even protect the one that he loved! He stomped a hoof down in anger.

Crack…

The sound was so quiet that Sombra would not have heard it had he not felt a tiny tremor beneath his hooves as well. He blinked and looked down at the floor.

Crack, crack…

The noise came again, and this time, the vibrations were more pronounced. The crystals around them began to tremble a little, and the cracking beneath them grew louder until Sombra saw the ground give way.

“Luna!!” he shouted and moved to push her out of the way, but the ground disappeared beneath them, and they plummeted.

“Sombra!”

He felt Luna’s hooves reach for his and, a moment before her wings flared to carry them to safety, darkness took them both.

Comments

[PonyPon]

Ooh, I think I know where this is going.

[Blaze Evergreen Sparkle]

WTF!! I was over hear gettin all smilely and then the unicorns ruin it! WHEN R THEY GONNA HAVE THERE MOMENT!!!