The Moon and the Aurora
The world slumbered.
Exhaustion dragged at Luna’s frame, laying heavily over every one of her limbs. She was too tired to even fold her wings, and they hung half-open at her sides, an echo of the disheveled mane that hung wildly over her face. Her hooves throbbed in pain, and thin red lines streaked over her coat where her jeweled hooves pinched.
Luna had never spent so much time outside, with others, enthusiastically greeting ponies who came up to her.
She had never spent so much time smiling.
She had never spent so much time laughing.
Public appearances were more of her sister’s forte. But today…today had been an exception. An exception that Luna had enjoyed immensely.
The Lunar Princess raised her head slightly, wincing at the ache in her muscles. She forced her limp, weary wings open, reveling in the warm night breeze that tickled her feathers, then took a short, stumbling step forwards, hooves clinking on the iridescent crystal of the balcony she stood on.
Before her, the sky was thick, velvety, and black. The moon shone palely, a half-circle of glowing white looking down on the sleeping town below. The streets of the Crystal Empire were still, lamp-posts casting pools of warm golden light on the purple road, which was now indigo beneath the night.
Now, Luna was just arranging the stars. Streaks of multi-colored dots were sprayed across the sky, like a painter who had been careless with his brush. An aura of shimmering turquoise briefly lit up on Luna’s horn, and she nudged one into place, completing the constellation of a pony facing down an Ursa Major.
Subtle patterns decorated the backdrop of indigo and navy—historic events, documented in glowing dots of light; animals chasing each other through the sky; and when Luna wanted to be humorous, she threw in a constellation in the shape of a star itself.
But there was one design the princess always paid special attention to—it was stark enough to be seen clearly, but subtle enough to only be seen by those looking for it, a delicate balance. It was a phrase—three simple words, outlined by stars:
You are loved.
Luna liked to think there were ponies who sat out at night, searching the sky for the message she displayed every evening. She just wished to let her subjects know that even during the night…they weren’t forgotten.
She was there. Her sister watched the day, she would guard the night, and everypony in it. No matter who they were. And she wished them all to know that.
Sometimes, Luna wished she could arrange the weather. Her canvas of night was beautiful as it was, but could use the purple tint of a cloud or two…perhaps one artfully painted over the moon, halfway covering it, but the silver would still shine through the veil.
It would be a perfect scene, one straight from a book of poems, even. Her fellow artists would stare at it, then splash paint over their own canvases…maybe even document her secret message.
It would be her one dream.
The creak of a door jolted Luna from her thoughts, also bringing her head up sharply. A flash of light from her horn was all it took to smooth her mane and straighten her regalia, and she took a deep breath, wishing she could rub the sleepiness from her eyes.
She turned, catching sight of the door—it hung wide open, revealing the hall beyond, and Luna expected to see her sister, a guard, perhaps a servant, or some other official—really, she expected to see somepony come to fetch her back to the political gathering her sister was currently in. She had been able to briefly escape, in order that she might raise the moon, and she had dawdled for quite some time as she arranged the stars.
But no, it was none of those.
It was King Sombra.
Luna stood for a second, mouth hanging slightly open, trying desperately to fight back the blush creeping over her face. A gentle smile graced Sombra’s features, and he approached her, making Luna’s brain short circuit.
“It’s certainly a beautiful night outside.” His voice was deep, smooth and calming. He pulled up next to her, gazing out over the kingdom. Luna opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to speak, but all that came from her throat was an odd gurgling noise—it reminded her something of a duck drowning in toffee.
…not that she knew what that sounded like…
“Y-yes.” She eventually managed to choke out. “I suppose i-it is…”
“It is you who decorates the sky, is it not?” Sombra met her eyes, looking curious. Luna’s heart did a cartwheel, and she gave a slight nod.
“…I often wonder if anything can feel quite as refreshing as a breath of cool night air.” Sombra’s eyes drifted closed, and he inhaled deeply. Luna followed his example, and pure darkness temporarily enveloped her, accompanied by the dry chill of air rushing into her limbs. A small smile flickered across her face.
“No…I don’t think anything can feel like this.” The words sprang from her limbs in a murmur, though not by any conscious decision on her part. Her wings sprang open the slightest bit, and tiny whispers of breeze danced between feathers and coat, cooling her body. The air had cleared Luna’s head, and she now felt confident of her ability to speak complete sentences without stuttering once again.
Luna opened her eyes, turning her head to Sombra, who still stood by her side.
“Do you know where my sister is?” She questioned, then realized she may have sounded rude, and hastily tacked on another sentence. “I expected her to come for me as soon as the meeting was done.”
“Well…” The king gave a sheepish chuckle, sending a jolt of surprise tingling up Luna’s spine. “I must admit that the political gathering is…not finished quite yet. But…” His voice grew quiet. “I had the desire to escape. I wanted to…see you.”
Luna was rendered speechless once again—not only by the fact that he had slipped away, like her…but also because he had come to see her. The king glanced away, the tiniest hint of a blush appearing on his face.
There was a slightly uncomfortable moment of silence, in which neither of them knew quite what to say. Luna tapped a hoof restlessly against the ground. Sombra’s eyes roved over the sky, as if he was searching for words to break the stillness.
“Your night is beautiful.” He blurted, making the both of them jump slightly with his sudden words. “That is…there’s an ethereal beauty to it that I feel the day is sorely lacking in—and I mean no offense to your sister of course. The day is also beautiful, but…in a different way.”
A brief smile darted over Luna’s face, accompanied by a flood of warmth that countered the cool air.
King Sombra thought her night was beautiful. For some reason, Luna felt as if she’d rather hear it from him than from any other pony…
“I must agree with you on that sentiment.” She said,nodding. A thoughtful expression fell over her face. “Though all the same…sometimes I wish there was just a tad more color. The sky is beautiful as it is, I should really have no grievance with it, but…well, is it odd for me to say I wish there were green?”
Sombra was silent for a second, studying the dome above. Luna began to worry that perhaps her question was bit too odd, and he was beginning to rethink the wisdom in coming out to see her.
“Green?” He asked. Luna nodded, letting her gaze trail upwards over the sky, mirroring his.
“And pink.” She added. She felt a flood of words inside her gather speed, till they began to tumble from her mouth like a river loosed from its floodgates. “For instance, if it were possible for clouds to be those colors—and if I were allowed to arrange the weather. I would paint them so liberally over the sky! And they would add such a vibrant touch of color, it would change the night, and the dark cold nightmare that others usually see it as. But if the night did have more color, I wonder if it would lose it’s appeal to those who enjoy the darkness, with it’s muted tones. All the same…that does happen to be one thing I envy the day for. It’s amount of color.”
And the ponies who worship it, she added mentally. The thought sent a ripple of melancholy through her, and her face fell for a second.
Luna realized Sombra was looking at her, with a faintly amused smile on his face. She realized she had been babbling, and felt her cheeks flame up.
“You know…” Sombra glanced over the kingdom. “I think there is a way to interject more color into the night sky.”
Luna’s eyes widened in surprise. Sombra shot her the tiniest of winks—so tiny that she almost thought she had imagined it—and took a step towards the edge of the balcony.
He closed his eyes, raised his head, and let flickering ruby consume his horn. His magic aura shimmered like a precious stone, and Luna was so busy marveling the color that she jumped and let out a loud cry when a vibrant flash of light streaked across the sky.
Her mouth dropped open, heart still pounding from the sudden shock. Sheets of emerald and magenta light—in the exact shades Luna had been imagining—rippled and danced, weaving around each other in a breathtaking display of beauty. It was something Luna had never seen before—it made her heart race, and dazzled her eyes in a way that was both breathtaking and bewildering.
“…what is it?” She asked, nearly breathless.
“It’s called an aurora,” Sombra said, stepping back over to her, a smile on his face as he observed her wide, starry eyes and open-mouthed expression. “I believe the ability to create it comes with the power of the Crystal Heart, for some strange reason. But all the same…I think it’s beautiful.”
“It’s breathtaking.” Luna forced her mouth shut before she began to drool, unable to tear her gaze away from the hypnotic dance of color. “Where did the name come from?”
“…my mother.”
With that odd answer, Luna dragged her eyes from the aurora, instead fixing on Sombra’s face. He was gazing at the light, and the smile that lifted the corners of his mouth was both mournful and wistful.
“Queen Aurora Borealis of the Crystal Empire.” Sombra continued, his tone as far away as the expression on his face. “She discovered the ability to create light…light to shine across the night sky—not masking its beauty, but only enhancing it even more. Every other month the kingdom would hold a celebration of the night—called the Lunar Festival—and my mother would light the sky with an aurora. The colors would be chosen by the subjects, by popular vote, and—”
Sombra broke off, a chuckle bubbling up from his throat.
“Forgive me, Luna.” He said. “I am babbling by now.”
“No, don’t think you have to apologize.” Luna shook her head. “Your story has…well, it’s given me such happiness to hear. A celebration for the night, and it’s beauty…” A smile flickered across her face. “It’s my one dream.”
She decided she didn’t particularly want others to know about her dream of artists painting her sky…it would only make them laugh at her. Sombra was understanding, more understanding than anypony she’d ever met, but it was still just a foalish dream. Not one fit for a princess of Equestria.
“Thank you a million times over.” Luna let out a sigh, sitting down and curling her tail around her hooves like a cat. “This is…the most incredible sight I have ever had the privilege of laying my eyes on.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Sombra gave another rumbling chuckle, taking a seat next to the Alicorn.
The two sat in silence for some time, but it was a silence much more comfortable than the one before. The gaze of both was fixed on the aurora, watching it dance from the vast and great unknown.
“Luna…” Sombra glanced away slightly. “I just wanted to say…you’re very…lovely.”
Luna’s face burned with the compliment, and she rubbed a hoof against it, reveling in the coolness of her jeweled shoes.
“I know that this union is mostly political,” Sombra continued, “but…I hope we can be happy together. I don’t think happiness is too much to ask for…no matter the stature of the pony asking for it.”
“I agree.” Luna gave a nod, smiling. “Tonight, with your simple act of kindness…just showing me this aurora, and telling me the story of your festival, it’s made me happier than I can remember being in a long time.” Now it was her turn to glance away shyly. “This marriage does root from politics, I agree, but…I don’t believe it’d be a bad thing if we…fell in love along the way.”
Sombra gave a soft smile, holding out his hoof to her. Luna laid hers on to of it, gently, cautiously leaning against him. He accepted her slight weight, letting his head drop on top of her own. A small shiver ran over Luna’s spine as she realized she could feel the warmth radiating from his coat.
The two sat in silence again, letting the sounds and sensations of the night wash over them. The aurora shone ever brighter, dancing and flickering against its backdrop of dark, velvety sky.
I've always considered myself bad at writing romance. And emotion. And....everything.
But, I hope you still enjoyed this fluffy, cheesy chapter in all it's fluffy cheesiness. Thanks for reading, and leave a comment if ya liked it! 
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I had planned on making a fanfic based off of the L-train's Fall of an Empire... Seems like someone beat me to it though. Lol.
Really? You're doing quite well at it so far.
10104610
I've considered myself bad at writing a lot of different genres, but romance was my area of expertise. And I'd agree with you. He is doing a good job.
I basically think this is Crossroads of Life.
10104803
Good, cause that's what I was trying to aim for. XD
Huh! I gotta hand it to you, Epona: you know what's melodic. Using L-Train's work to set up the mood is actually an inspired idea.
I won't say anything about your choice of plot tools, for there is nothing objective about it. What is objective is that I kept finding confused and outright missed spaces, comas, columns and capital letters all the way to the end of your third (and last for the moment of me writing) chapter.
As for the less technical sides of the story...hard to say with only having 6 thousand words. Though I can tell you that Luna and Sombra did get their relationship started properly. Sombra knew exactly what to say, almost like he knew exactly what she's like.
Luna making artwork in the sky is a brilliant thing. With you, Epona, being an artist yourself I can feel you having an experience with exactly this matter. That's a really really good thing. An artist has to pour everything they feel into their art. And I legitimately felt Luna's love for her night and for every creature under the moon being there to share it with her.
This one moment alone already makes it worth to read through.
10104825
Yeah........FiMfiction doesn't like me copy-pasting things from another document. I don't have an editor, so I usually go over the chapters myself, but.....apparently some things just don't show up with one quick read-through.
I'll try harder next time.
Thanks so much for all your kind words! It's good to know that something I've been putting a lot of thought into is being appreciated. It's also one of my headcanons that Luna is a patroness of art and culture in Equestria, as opposed to Celestia, who seems to focus and learning and innovation.
10104838
There is a neat browser app called Grammarly that can help you with your issue. I can tell you from experience that a machine can never compare to the human eye in anything that comes to the creative process; so do not trust it completely, you would still need to read your thing yourself too. For pure spelling and punctuation checks, though, it is very helpful nonetheless.
10105542
It's very helpful
10104838
I could be your editor if you like? I'm better at spotting mistakes in someone else's stories rather than mine.
10112517
That'd be great!!!!! Thanks a lot.
10112520
Thank YOU!
Well, now I’m hooked on finding out how he falls away from the light, into shadow and darkness...
I liked that you've forgone the comic lore and added something that's actually original. So far, their first meeting has been charming. The arranged marriage plot isn't feeling like it's creepy or forcing the characters to love one another, it's played as a subtle historical reality. I'd still suggest going back over these chapters with your editor to clean up punctuation marks and other quick fixes as I mentioned in a previous comment. The description still retains some mistakes, particularly with the ellipsis.
You mention that this is part of a universe, but there isn't a link to anything that explains the universe or any other installments.
Esto es demasiado hermoso. Un romance bien escrito que me ha hecho sentir un sin fin de emociones agradables. Super romántico. Gracias por esto
