Northen Stars

There was almost not a single minute of tranquility inside the crystalline walls of the well-known palace of the Crystal Empire. And it had been more than thirty two hours since it had been like this.

Time elapsed since the last morning before they realized that Twilight and Spike would not appear again.

Their friends were still there, except for Starlight, who had only returned to Ponyville that day to confirm that everything was in order with the castle. She then promised that she would return as soon as she had made sure of it. In the end, she took as bit time as possible. The others were still helping out in the palace.

However, Princess Celestia had left and returned the same day when a problem arose in Canterlot that her sister did not quite know how to handle, and which in the end required her help. For the Princess of the Sun, fortunately, it had only been a minor administrative mishap that managed to be resolved in her presence without anything else happening.

On the other hoof, search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. Even more so after disturbingly several crystal ponies also disappeared without even leaving a trace for them to follow. That had been another hard blow to their rulers, especially to the princess of love.

"Princess?" A soft voice was heard.

"Princess, are you all right?"

Cadence suddenly reacted with a quick shake of her head when she heard the voice of the two ponies next to her calling to her. She turned her gaze to them, to see them busy as they were with her little Flurry Heart.

"I'm sorry Sunburst, Fluttershy," she replied after a sigh. "I was distracted."

"If you wish, Fluttershy and I can go with Flurry, maybe that way you can concentrate better."

"No, you don't have to, Sunburst," she replied as she walked toward him.

Cadence activated her magic and wrapped her little daughter with it, who had her hooves stretched out waiting for her to carry her. As soon as her mother took her into hers, Flurry Heart lay down on the fur of her chest.

"It's just worry," she said after taking a brief look at the little alicorn.

"We understand how you feel, Princess," Sunburst replied with the intention of making her feel better, as he adjusted his glasses and pointed to the pegasus beside him. "Fluttershy, especially, being as close to Twilight as you are."

She nodded as she lowered her head slightly.

"I just hope Twilight and Spike are okay wherever they are."

The princess didn't say anything, just looked at her and gave her a sympathetic smile as a comfort. After all, it was the only thing she could do for now. There was nothing else to do but devote herself to the work of her mission, and wait.

At one point when the three ponies were in their conversation, somepony knocked on the half-open door of the room and ended up passing through it. The three of them watched as one of the servant crystal ponies in the castle made an appearance, most likely looking for her. He bowed slightly when he saw her.

"I have been ordered to bring you this message, Princess Cadence," he said after standing up in his original posture. "Princess Celestia wants to see you in the same place as always, she says she may have found something that might interest everypony."

Faced with this new information, the three of them looked at each other with a new twinkle in their eyes. Maybe it was a new clue that would guide them to their goal? They assumed that if Celestia was in charge of it, it was because he was really important. So after the servant left, Cadence quickly got ready to meet her.

She once again left the safety of her daughter in charge of Sunburst and his newest assistant Fluttershy. Pinkie was also helpful, but at that moment she was fulfilling an assignment from the same unicorn for the little baby.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, keep taking care of her as you've been doing all this time," Cadence wished after giving Flurry one last kiss on the forehead.

"Don't worry, princess, Flurry Heart is always happy in our hooves," Sunburst exclaimed with a small laugh. "You can go quietly."

"Please, if it's anything related to Twilight and Spike let us know," the pegasus said in a whisper.

Cadence gave her affirmation with a quick nod.

"I will, Fluttershy."

With that said, Cadence turned and walked in the direction of the door. She closed it after one last look inside. The sound of it closing ended up making her focus completely on the situation.

After giving an inner sigh that was meant to calm herself, she made her way to the special room that Celestia and she had set up in a short time to pay attention to her current goal.

Although this place was not so far from the main throne room, Cadence took a little longer than she would have expected to walk through the long glass corridors. Finding herself sometimes deep in thought didn't help with wanting to get to that or anywhere else.

Suddenly she stopped walking and looked up, fixing it once more on the large, tall double door that was the entrance to the room on the other side. The two guards guarding the place greeted her with a settlement and then discreetly stepped aside to give way to her.

As she made her way in, Cadence prepared herself in her mind for the vision of what awaited her beyond.

The crystalline-walled room had the reserved and sober look typical of places where you just want to be at peace to do paperwork, in fact there was a desk there before it was removed. The paintings of landscapes common to the surroundings of the Empire and the moderately large bookshelf that occupied two of its walls gave the place a more official air.

And in its center was a large table in the shape of a circle that made the room feel a little smaller than it actually was. But Cadence was concerned only with what was on it, as well as the pony on the other side.

As she walked slowly so as not to make her hooves resonate so much on the glass floor, the holographic representation magically created on the table changed drastically from one moment to the next. Now, instead of showing the snow-covered tundra that surrounded the Crystal Empire, it instead revealed the great mountains of the mountain range far beyond. It was a more significant change that made Princess Celestia finally speak.

"I thank you for coming so quickly, Cadence," Celestia said with a small smile.

"What's going on now, Tia?" asked the alicorn, intending to update herself on anything that would mean an advance in the search and research that was being carried out in those areas.

The question of Cadence was accompanied by a slight sigh from Celestia. Now she imagined that she could expect anything from what the eldest princess told her. And she was able to prove it when Celestia used her magic to point to something on the map.

"The unicorn that was Twilight's young student, Starlight, has also been helpful in maintaining communication with the group in the mountains, busy finding them." The image on the hologram changed to briefly show the frozen plains. The white alicorn sighed again, a bit tired. "Not much progress has been made on both searches, Twilight and Spike, and even less on the issue of the ponies missing in recent days. There's another group of ponies, appointed by your husband, who are investigating the recent disappearances, but they haven't achieved much either. Only one clue has been found as to what happened."

"But maybe that's because they happened recently," Cadence said. "We just need to give them more time."

"Actually, it's not quite like that, Cadence," Celestia said as she shook her head. "We were only reported two days ago, but I could see that they disappeared even before Twilight and Spike did."

That information was new to Cadence. Although she knew that the time needed to wait to report any kind of disappearance was twenty-four hours, it was partly strange to her that the relatives or friends of those ponies had taken even longer to do so.

"That means there was something prevented them, and it could have been anything."

Celestia nodded in agreement. However, that wasn't the only thing Cadence could see in her attitude.

"There's something else you're thinking about." That last thing she said wasn't an implicit question but rather a statement, which Celestia took care to confirm.

"Somehow I had a hunch, but..." Celestia changed the image projected on the magic map in front of them again, and once again showed the range of icy mountains. "Now the question is: Is this also related to the disappearance of Twilight and Spike? In a way, I suspect so, that's where I feel comes from. However, there is a curious fact in the testimonies of the relatives of the disappeared."

Cadence blinked rapidly as she opened her eyes slightly. She moved a bit closer to her.

"And that's...?" She tried to complete to urge Celestia to continue, lifting a hoof in the process. Instead, the older alicorn took a few seconds before answering.

"Apparently, they had all converged in places or points close to each other."

"Are you meaning that they all saw... Or at least they had decided to go to the same place?" hinted Cadence after expressing a slightly confused face. "How is that possible? And more importantly, where are you talking about?"

"I don't know the reasons why they were so close to each other, knowing that it was most likely that none of them knew each other, according to their relatives. But that's the fact, those ponies were never heard from again while they were doing their work, in the vicinity of the Crystal Mountains."

A new focus opened up in Cadence's mind after Celestia's statement. From that moment on, her eyes began to see the situation in a different way, in a new way. Now she realized why the alicorn in front of her had said that everything was related.

"Now that you told me that... I'm sure there's some way that information can help us with both problems."

"If we can figure out what really got them to those points, let's say... What it was that attracted them, it's quite possible that this will give us a good clue to know the whereabouts of Twilight and Spike. However, I need to work more on this."

With that doubt cleared up, Cadence nodded her head.

"Thank you for clarifying all this for me, Tia. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually, yes, my dear niece," Celestia replied with a small smile. "Everything that has happened in these last few days has left you almost no time to rest, I understand why you haven't, but you must take care of yourself to take care of your subjects as well."

"I don't think I need it," Cadence sighed deeply, even though deep down she agreed with her words. It hadn't been pleasant the last time she had gone almost three days without sleep and barely eating. "But I'm going to listen to your advice anyway."

"That's a good thing. Alicorns may be resilient, but a ruler's mind should always be ready to face any situation of stress or pressure." Celestia exclaimed in a whisper the next thing she said, with a certain air of amusement "And after all, a break never hurts."

Cadence let out a little nasal laugh, infected by her attitude.

"You're right."

After those last words, Cadence left the place to go in the direction of her room, leaving Celestia alone in a room that led nowhere else.

The sound of distant footsteps was what caused Twilight to wake up. Ultimately, though, she wasn't having such a good dream that she actually regretted it.

Twilight finished opening her eyes as she hid a yawn behind her hoof, her mind just worrying that the daylight wouldn't illuminate that part of the forest. Then she realized that it was actually still dark, as dark as a moonless night could be.

"Wait, what?"

Twilight suddenly raised her head to the sky, being too surprised by that fact. Even more so for something that definitely didn't escape her.

In the hours before, she had still been able to see it high in the sky.

Twilight was so puzzled in those moments that she almost didn't notice the moment when Spike's bundle next to her began to move. When she did, she gave him room to accommodate himself to his liking.

"Hmm, Twilight? What's wrong?" he asked in a low tone as he rubbed his eyes carefully. He ended up yawning as he covered his mouth with one of his claws.

"Look up at the sky, Spike." The dragon did as she told him and ended up frowning at the sudden darkness. Twilight finally said, not without some concern, "Did you notice? There is no moon and from here you can hardly see the stars.

Spike scratched the side of the back of his neck as he looked at her, not without some confusion on his face.

"I'd like to say that I'm no longer surprised after everything we've encountered and everything we've been through... But that's too weird already," he said at last. "And what woke you up? Because I don't think it was that."

Twilight shook her head at his question and subsequent answer. Then she turned her gaze to the other road beyond the strip of trees.

"I wasn't quite asleep, and it was the sound of footsteps that finally woke me up."

"I'm sure it was because of Sombra, because I don't see him here at the moment," he replied without much concern as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes, that's most likely..." Her gaze wandered in that direction when she said that, then she looked at him again. "Could you stay here? I have to go to be really sure and I also need to find out, if possible, what's going on."

With a quick glance, Spike turned his gaze to the same spot Twilight had observed. Then he looked back at her and nodded.

"It's all right, but be careful. You know it."

"Always, Spike," Twilight replied with her own nod as she gathered some of her things from around to put in her purse. She just left the blanket with Spike. "Stay here with the rest of the things, at least you'll be safer and won't be so cold."

Twilight went in the direction she'd heard the footsteps from after that last nod from Spike, who watched her leave as her figure slowly disappeared into the darkness. A few seconds later that same gloom completely covered the place where she had been. As if she had never been there.

A bit farther on, she continued on her way, supported by nothing but the light of her horn to illuminate herself, following a path that had apparently already been marked out in advance. Most likely, it would have been made by the unicorn himself.

Twilight knew that if it had just been some noise made by the same common creatures of the forest, she wouldn't have even bothered to go and find out what it was, but luckily for her, it hadn't. Because nothing in that place was like what she had always known. But at the same time, she wasn't starting to be so surprised by that fact, not without ignoring certain issues.

Putting aside the dangers she already knew, Twilight was aware that while Sombra obviously knew how to fend for himself, it was also good for her to verify it on her own. And that he should beware with many of the possible dangers that they had encountered before. Because the truth is that she was starting to get tired of everything that had already come to them, without even foreseeing it or having any kind of warning about it.

It wasn't that she was waiting for anything else at the time. Another thing that indicated to her a contrary thought and that she just wanted to make sure of what her current companion-ally was doing.

At some point along that stretch, Twilight became so absorbed in her thoughts that she only reacted when she realized how quiet the section had become. Enough for her to let show a slight frown. After waiting a few seconds, she finally decided to go back the same way she had taken before. It seemed that she had lost track of Sombra.

Or so she thought, until she noticed the faint reddish light that could be seen through the trees some distance from her. A much shorter distance than there was to the small clearing. Twilight made her decision after taking one last look in that direction: to go for that light she had seen while letting the darkness guide her on her path as well.

Her guide stood still the entire way, causing Twilight to suspect that it was the unicorn it was. And it was he who hoped she would find him, for there was no other way he could have left the clear sign that somepony was in the woods, knowing how dangerous it might be.

The light of the road grew clearer and clearer, a sign that she was now very close to the pony she had come looking for. She only needed to pass through one last portion of the dark grove. Considering that last fact, she quickened her pace once more.

Another small clearing ended up receiving it. Twilight stood some distance away from him when she finally found him, perhaps waiting for something to betray her presence. Still, more quickly than she would have thought, he realized she was watching him.

"Are you going to just stare at me?" Sombra said suddenly, giving Twilight a slight start. "Or is there anything that brought you to this place, princess?"

She wrinkled her nose slightly as she walked in his direction. She thought it wasn't really important for him to keep doing that.

"You know you can call me by my name now, right?" She replied simply. "I suppose we don't need to be so official.

Sombra glanced back at her in a brief glance, then shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"It's just out of habit."

An almost imperceptible arched eyebrow was all that could be seen on the alicorn's face.

"You'll say, I suppose," Twilight thought as she rolled her eyes with some exasperation.

"Anyway, I still wonder what you've come for," Sombra said as his face reflected a serious expression, the same one he almost always maintained.

Twilight looked away slightly, feeling suddenly embarrassed about the fact that she had only followed him to make sure she knew what he was doing. Actually, she had no other reason than that, if she left aside the other questions that interested her at the time. Like, for example, whatever happened to the sky.

In some ways, Twilight was grateful that it was dark enough. Although in the end she chose to be sincere.

"I just wanted to know what you were doing at this hour. It was only fair because the sound of your footsteps was what woke me up."

Though she didn't mean to make the latter sound too pretentious, Twilight couldn't help but add a hint of irony to her tone. In the end, she wasn't as worried about how much he took it. So without further worries she started walking in the opposite direction.

"I see," Sombra said in a tone that made Twilight turn her head just a bit toward him. She was about to answer when he followed. "Were you worried about me, princess?"

It wasn't the question, but the condescending tone in which it was phrased that ended up making Twilight turn completely. Once again, she was thankful that everything was still dark enough. She was about to answer that when suddenly something stopped her in place.

"It's not..." She had not finished her sentence when immediately and suddenly her ears detected a strange clicking sound that forced her to close her eyes, as if something had caused the air around her to vibrate quickly but violently.

Twilight was almost about to ask Sombra what it had been, or if he had heard it when the pain came. It was quick, but the pain that settled on her temple was strong enough to make her fall sitting on her back hooves.

"What's wrong with you?" Sombra asked in a puzzled tone as he frowned at her sudden disorientation.

Twilight almost didn't hear him. When the pain left she still had her hooves on her forehead, rubbing it gently to dispel the remnants that had remained. Then, very slowly, she began to open her eyes.

"Did you heard that?" She asked the stallion next to her. She turned her head and all she saw of him was the faint gleam of his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. "Why can't I see you almost?" she whispered to herself as she slowly stood up.

It was then that she realized that the darkness that reigned in the forest had become even more prominent. Not even the faint noise of the little creatures that lived there could be heard anymore.

"What are you talking about?" Sombra asked in a louder voice. It was clear to him that he could still see her perfectly. But apparently it wasn't like that for her.

"It's too dark, I can only make out your silhouette and your eyes. And your coat doesn't really help with that."

She was then able to get up completely, but that didn't last long as her head ended up crashing into something. It didn't take long for the unicorn's hissing sound to reach her ears as he pulled away from her.

"You should be careful, especially with that horn of yours," Sombra grumbled after passing his hoof through a point under his neck.

"I told you I can hardly see you!" exclaimed Twilight in a low tone.

"If you couldn't do it, you would have activated your magic, you have it for a reason."

Twilight snorted under her breath and closed her eyes again to avoid exasperation. Then she opened them again, even though she could not have done so and it didn't make any difference.

"Of course I do, but I'm still trying to recover from this," Twilight explained as she made it obvious in her tone. "Besides, what were you doing standing so close to me?"

"Tsk, I was trying to find out what happened just now. In case you forgot, it looked like you were going to faint and lie right there."

That's what he'd said, but Twilight almost expected him to follow.

"Already... I'm pretty sure you weren't going to pick me up," she whispered. That aside, her mind focused again on the previous problem. "That, what happened earlier, I think was more than just sudden dizziness. Rather, I felt as if something had squeezed my brain... It doesn't look like it, but the remnants of it still hurt."

Twilight tried to look at the silhouette of her hooves in the dim light, but she didn't need to look up at Sombra to somehow know how really surprised he was. She could feel it.

"I think I can confirm that you didn't feel it."

"No, and I'm sure it's not normal for you."

"Of course not..." Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed her hooves on the sides of her head again. "It doesn't feel right... I have a bad feeling about all of this."

Sombra moved a bit farther away from her, but still looking in her direction. He didn't like all that either. And somehow everything was made worse by that heavy silence. However, Twilight eventually pulled the hooves off her head and lifted her to look him in the eye once more. The alarmed look on her face was almost palpable, causing Sombra to become alert as well.

"We have to go back to the clearing, I don't like this... whatever I'm feeling. I left Spike alone, and now I think it was a big mistake," Twilight muttered as quickly as she got up from the spot and started walking, almost running, to get there while Sombra followed her.

However, the darkness was so great that very soon she had to stop to illuminate the place with the light of her magic and locate exactly where they were. A few steps behind her, Sombra arrived without making much of a sound.

"If you tried to calm down, you'd be less likely to get lost and start running in circles," he reproached her when he noticed her attitude.

At this, Twilight ended up sending him a look of some annoyance at what he had just said.

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"I don't think you may have seen yourself in a mirror, because you clearly don't have one available."

Twilight snorted again before he could continue. Sombra muttered to himself something she didn't hear as he shook his head slightly.

"Follow me and you'd better stay close to me." Was all he said before getting back on the way.

Twilight got up and didn't protest again, mainly because she knew it was the sensible thing to do. And all the more important, because the concern that was growing inside her for the little dragon was something more pressing than anything else.

Twilight was about to follow him when it happened.

Sombra suddenly stopped, without saying anything and only a few feet away. And when she wanted to get closer, she saw that.

Those red and green eyes she had seen so recently, which had long ago been the chief cause of her greatest fear. Something caused Sombra to close them suddenly, and wince slightly as he wore a hoof on his forehead; as if he, too, had been attacked by the same pain she had suffered before. However, the purple smoke from his eyes hadn't gone yet.

"Sombra? What's going on?" she asked in a whisper, slowly approaching.

He shook his head a bit more abruptly than he expected, as if he wanted to ward off some kind of annoying fly. However, when he opened his eyes again, it was gone.

"This presence... Something about it just feels familiar to me."

Twilight didn't need to ask anything else. The deduction came quickly and without any interruption occurring in her mind.

"This is magic... dark magic."

And finally came the scream.

A cry of fear and terror, born from the depths of the inside. And the worst. That cry, that screech too high-pitched to be that of any living creature in the forest, was one she knew all too well.

"Spike..."

The scream came out of her throat long before she could even process it.

"SPIKE!!!"