Northen Stars

If Twilight had to attest to all the time it took them to find a measly way out of the woods at once, she really had no idea yet how to put it in words that didn't indicate a possible contradiction.

In the first place, it had been possible for them to escape and reach the great plain they had seen days ago in a relatively short time, just a couple of days. The problem was that the perception of their own time had been much longer than it was actually.

So they felt that they had taken a lot longer than it always was. Although in the end that impression ended up disappearing when their hooves left everything in the distance.

"I don't care how far we have to walk to get to the next town, just tell me we won't go through that place again," Twilight exclaimed as she gave Sombra a sideways glance.

Both were beyond the edge of the forest, far beyond. The road they had taken until now consisted of a beautiful meadow that appeared harmless. For obvious reasons, though, Twilight no longer felt as confident as she normally would be. As well as the fact that neither of them allowed them to separate too much from the other in search of something they might need. It was necessary.

After her words, Sombra looked at her in the same way and shook his head.

"That's not our problem right now. Or at least for now."

Twilight narrowed her eyes a little at that 'for now', but in the end she let her mind forget about it just a little, or for as long as it took. Meanwhile, she was a bit more thoughtful, with her eyes in the direction of the ground. And these same thoughts weren't even something specific.

So focused was she on it that it was the sudden rustling of dry branches in front of her that made her raise her head in a slight start. She took a fresh look at the stallion that stood a few steps ahead of her by choice, supposedly a way to lead the way, but she was aware that he was actually doing it so that she wouldn't get ahead. Although she didn't plan to do it anyway when she could get lost so easily.

But what now occupied her thoughts was the fact that he was once again resuming his usual silence, although it was not so uncomfortable for her in some ways. Twilight didn't pressure him to say anything, she already knew that was a trait of his personality. After all, she had to find out if she was practically all the time by his side, or at least most of it.

And the truth was that although he was almost always sarcastic or moody, which made her a little irritated, other times he just kept quiet or analyzed precisely the different methods they both had to reach their goal, even letting his own intelligence shine when she inquired about something and he sometimes answered her accurately.

But just as now, he could remain silent much longer than expected and without her receiving any explanation for it.

And in the end, it was all a bit disconcerting to her. A little more after she finally decided to reveal the answers she had gotten just a few days ago in that cave.

Twilight thought that perhaps he would be interested in asking something if he felt that his knowledge of it was incomplete, perhaps in an attempt to inquire into something else that had escaped him. But to her unexpected surprise, Sombra only showed an expression that she had only been able to describe as thoughtful, and after that he fell silent again. Nor had he said a word during the time Twilight lingered on recounting that memory.

On the other hoof, she had quickly assumed that he preferred to analyze all that information alone, so she had no problem letting him do it. Also because she had needed it in the same way, even if she hadn't said anything.

And now Twilight was watching him once more, as if just by looking at him she could discover the deepest thoughts that were hovering in his mind. Something that would make her understand him in a better way instead of still feeling so limited. The truth was that even she didn't know where those thoughts came from, which at the same time were mixed with her desires.

A tiny white butterfly suddenly passed in front of Twilight, flapping its wings gently as the sunlight reflected for a moment on it. Twilight blinked quickly and followed it with her gaze, marveling for a moment as the butterfly landed on a flower near them. But once again, Sombra's voice in front of her made her look away again and pay attention to the road.

"What were you saying?" asked Twilight when his words came in a tone too low for her ears.

"I said," he murmured as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, without stopping his step. "That it is not yet time to rest."

"What?" Twilight looked at him with some confusion and suspicion, though it was only for a moment. "Whatever the reason you said that, I'm very clear about it. The day isn't even over."

Twilight thought she heard a slight murmur from him, something that perhaps escaped her ears again.

"I'm only saying that for one thing," Sombra said again in a quick gesture of pointing. "The day may go by faster than you think.

Twilight frowned a bit as she nodded her head quickly. The day may have passed as quickly as she learned a new spell, but that also meant that the night would come even earlier.

"I'm aware of it," she said after making that gesture.

After that, they both returned to the silent atmosphere that had been imposed previously, without anything external breaking it. And they were there for several minutes, even though something about that silence was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable for Twilight. Something that she considered a little strange since the last few days she had no problem staying quiet and reflective, almost without taking into account what was happening around her while letting Sombra guide the way to the direction that both of them, and much more her, needed to go.

Although she had the feeling that it was the sudden speech of a few minutes ago and more so because of what he ended up expressing, which left her somewhat unsettled. After giving herself the task of analyzing and realizing that, Twilight made a slight gesture of shyness with her head to herself while keeping clear what her goal was. Because after all, she didn't need to worry about anything else that was outside of her hooves.

But while she was at it, a low, continuous sound began to be heard in her ears. Twilight was sure she'd heard it before. And indeed it was the constant rattling of the wheels of the carts and the hooves of its owner along the land road that led to another route.

Twilight and Sombra took a brief look after hearing this, in secret confirmation between them that it wasn't just some kind of sound effect in the air that made them hear it. But they did not pick up their pace again until they found out if it really was so. There was no need to rush in those moments.

Twilight rather slowed down and turned her head in the direction of the stallion with the intention of saying something.

"If it turns out that we have not deviated from the path."

At the suggestion of her words he turned in her direction and gave a brief nod, though the confirmation of what he thought was practically reflected in his face. Then he let out a few words.

"Maybe we'll get there faster than I thought."

Twilight's eyes flashed unconsciously at the implication of what that meant. Maybe for a change they would not have to spend the night outdoors again and could rest in some shelter.

"Then we'd better not delay so long," Twilight encouraged him, this time she being the one who took the initiative to be in front.

And she did. Twilight stepped forward a bit further as Sombra walked unhurriedly behind her, not at all concerned with any kind of unexpected threat that might arise. Once again he realized that it was not new to her. However, he was no longer so irritated by that fact, as long as he could still keep an eye on her.

What bothered him now was the question of when he had become so attentive to everything the alicorn was doing. Even if they had a strange friendship now, strange but there it was, before he hadn't been as interested in her as he was now. Had he been consciously concerned about her safety?

"How ridiculous"

Sombra frowned as he scolded himself in his mind. Even if that was really what he was supposed to admit, he still wasn't entirely convinced that it was true. Or at least he could not yet comprehend that need.

Suddenly he heard the call of a familiar voice after crossing a small group of trees, once again it was the princess who did it. When he raised his head he found her looking a bit further down the slope to which the hill was descending, she seemed to be focused enough on it.

"And now what the hell happens?" he asked her as he followed the path in her direction until he positioned himself next to her.

Twilight took a few seconds to respond.

"It's okay, only I thought I thought the noise of the hooves was closer," she replied with sudden confusion and pointed her gaze to a point beyond, where the path descended.

The noise of the wheels of some kind of wagon that they had heard recently could now be heard quite far away, along with the sight of that same vehicle almost disappearing behind the shadows of a small forest on the road. Whoever had owned it seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere.

"No wonder, he's probably in a hurry to get to a shelter before night falls, just like we have to do," Sombra replied with an emphasis on the tone of that last sentence. "Whatever he does is not important to me."

He stepped forward and began to walk down the hill while Twilight rolled her eyes and grumbled something about his attitude. She also began to go down the slope when she realized that he was already close to the trail. Although it only took a couple of flutters to reach his side.

After that they both continued the path in silence, without anything interrupting it. The road was so smooth this time that Twilight almost felt relaxed, almost. She didn't because something, a little voice inside her head, urged her to stay alert until they reached somewhere where they could spend the night. But she wasn't the only pony who felt that way.

Unlike Twilight, that environment only caused Sombra to be more alert than he had been before. He had long been aware of the fact that he couldn't relax in that place, especially now that they were on their way to a very dangerous area. So it was a mystery to him why he could feel his companion in such a calm way and at the same time the opposite.

And so it was. His magic may not have recovered yet, but the innate ability to sense what somepony around him thought or felt wasn't entirely gone. He guessed that it was because of that that he ended up irritated after his impulsive action when the princess's emotions had overflowed a couple of days ago. He still sincerely wondered why he had done it.

On the other hoof, something inside Twilight made her frown a little in a thoughtful look, as if she suddenly felt different. That prompted her to take a quick look at the stallion next to her. The expression on his face was so serious that it caused the worry inside her to grow again.

"What happe-"

The sudden roar of thunder in the distance startled Twilight and prevented her from finishing speaking. They both stopped and looked in the opposite direction only for the image of a deep wall of black clouds to stare back at them.

Just then they were so puzzled by the speed at which it had risen, much more so Twilight, that for a few seconds they could only observe the lightning lights inside it as the clusters clustered, moving right in their direction. And at a very high speed.

"At what time...?" Twilight whispered as she listened as he muttered something under his breath.

His gaze became dark for an instant.

"That doesn't matter, we have to move and quickly."

She didn't question him. Presently they took off their cloaks and quickened their pace much more than before. In essence, Twilight used her wings while Sombra galloped quickly beside her. Their main objective was to find a place to take shelter before the storm reached them.

The furious wind of it soon ended up rising in an environment that had previously been so calm, a sign that it was moving faster than they had at first believed. It was obvious that this was not normal.

"You said there was a shelter near here! How far away is that?" Twilight yelled at Sombra to make herself heard above the noise of the lightning that was getting closer and closer. Instead, the rain began to fall in fine drops.

Sombra at first did not answer, but seemed to look at a specific point ahead of them. He wanted to make sure that it was in that direction that the right path was to be found. Then he turned his gaze to her.

"You have to see for yourself."

Twilight did so, and noticed that some sort of small, half-ruined keep stood at a not so short distance from both of them, but easy to reach in a short flight, at least for her. She looked away quickly after that brief glance, looked at the stallion, and nodded her head to him.

"I'll go ahead," Twilight reported in quick anticipation of her confirmation, to which Sombra simply nodded.

After that, she accelerated her flight and reached the improvised shelter before the rain and wind increased in intensity. Twilight slid into an area between the inner and outer walls where rain falling from a portion of the collapsed roof couldn't reach her.

She shook off quickly after landing, then proceeded to look for something in her saddlebag with which to dry herself and the stallion that would soon arrive. Which did not take long to happen.

He was quite fast, even though the rain had reached him and now his soaked coat was dripping water wherever he went, but not only this. His mane had not been spared either, remaining straight under the weight of the water while several dark strands stuck to his neck and face.

Even from her position, it was impossible for her not to hear the stallion's murmurs of irritation, annoyance and anger. It was pretty obvious in those moments that his face wasn't the friendliest she could have said. Still, Twilight couldn't help but hold back a giggle hidden behind her hoof, a little amused by his attitude.

By the time Sombra had arrived, the sky had already been completely darkened and was only occasionally illuminated by the light of lightning that fell quite close. The force of the storm was such that Twilight wondered as she looked up at the ceiling if the structure that protected them could withstand it.

"This it endures," he suddenly exclaimed.

"W-what?" What did you say?" Twilight turned, somewhat surprised that he had figured out or intuited what she was thinking.

"I'm trying to say, we're safe enough here." Sombra let out a growl as he dried his body and mane, but he paused for a moment to look at her. "At least for this occasion."

Twilight looked away slightly as she tilted her head slightly.

"If you confirm it, I guess it will be true," she said as she shrugged her shoulders a bit and lifted one side of the corners of her mouth.

Sombra let out a brief snort when he saw her half-smile, wondering for a moment what she had meant by her words. But then it didn't take long to decide that he wanted to put her to the test.

"Don't you doubt it?" he questioned with an implicit insinuation in his question.

Twilight looked away from where the rain was still raging and directed it in his direction. The expression on her face hinted at an understanding of what she had captured in his tone, though that was not all she had been able to understand. Then she ended up making a gesture of denial both for him and for herself.

"Not really," she answered, although this time she got up to stay a little closer. Somehow she was glad that he didn't walk away when she approached. "It may not seem like it, but I'm learning to trust you. Just as I wish you could do it with me, Sombra," Twilight cracked a small smile of satisfaction. "I really want to have your friendship."

An old memory suddenly assailed him. The memory of somepony who had asked him the same thing, a long time ago. A distant past. Who had it been? That was something he could no longer remember.

Sombra fell silent after that. He didn't really know what to say about it, and yet he didn't want to say anything either. But even if he didn't say it, it was inevitable that he felt like... A bit strange? He didn't know why, but a strange feeling had lodged inside him. He had no idea what it was, but at that moment he decided it wasn't entirely to his liking.

"Whatever you say, princess" was all he said again after finishing with the towel he had between his hooves.

Ignoring the tone in which he had said it, Twilight did not escape the fact that he still insisted on calling her by her title. She sighed at that moment, but in the end she understood that perhaps he still did not feel confident enough for that.

But her mind quickly forgot about it after she remembered everything she had to do to spend the night there, such as lighting the fire they needed to warm themselves. Especially now that the storm showed no signs of wanting to subside. Neither of them exchanged many words after that. Fatigue had overcome everything.

The rain continued to fall as they arranged both their resting place and their thoughts. Twilight once again had a hard time falling asleep due to concern for her little dragon companion; that was no longer new. Sombra on the other hoof, simply couldn't be so calm due to several conflicting thoughts he had regarding the alicorn that was lying only a few feet away.

But in the end it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, which caused the issues of his mind to be relegated deep inside.

Meanwhile, the storm still continued to spread far beyond.

"Do you plan to verify that all the way?"

Hearing Sombra's words, Twilight was shocked and suddenly stood up straight; ignoring the infinity of fallen branches and destruction that the storm had left behind.

"Perhaps... Or as long as we're still here," she replied without showing her slight face of embarrassment, although she regained her composure faster than she had expected. "The truth is that I didn't imagine that there could be so much disaster."

"I don't think this is a common thing," he said while, like her, he looked with some concern at the road.

"Don't you think so?" asked Twilight, a little surprised that he wasn't sure. "I figured you were sure of it. I say, since you know this place much better than I do and have spent more time in it."

"I don't know it completely," Sombra replied in a more abrupt tone than he expected, not really wanting to remember that.

Twilight noticed and decided to give him some space. However, she couldn't help but feel an inevitable curiosity about all of it. Perhaps with a bit more patience she would be able to know the basics, to find out the fact why never, not even in the few historical records that were kept during the time in which the King Sombra was in power, had there been any record of that mysterious island.

Without a doubt, the opportunity she had between her hooves to delve into everything that meant, was something that made her feel quite excited. But that wasn't the only thing Twilight felt hesitant about. At the same time, however, she knew that this was not the best time to look into it.

As she thought about it, Sombra glanced at her sideways with some intrigue as he noticed the expression on her face. Somehow it seemed a bit more disconcerting to him that a little pony like her had so much will inside her.

Twilight stopped her walk suddenly and without warning. Because of that, Sombra gave her another sideways glance as the expression on his face changed from serious to slightly suspicious.

"I think we should get some rest," she said in a sigh as she slumped down on the floor. "We've been doing this pace for hours and all we continue to see is pure destruction mixed with the forest."

"You rest if you want," he said after looking straight ahead once more. "I prefer to go ahead and see what lies beyond."

"We're supposed to continue together." At that moment she realized that maybe what he wanted was some alone time, a bit space. Because of that, her face changed and she was a little more carefree. "Although, well, if it's going to be like that, at least I hope you don't get lost," she ended up cracking a slight amused smile to herself. "I don't want to be forced to do another tracking spell."

At her words Sombra at first didn't say anything, but after a few seconds he turned his head and showed a mocking smile that she, deep down, didn't expect.

"That should rather be said to you, don't you think?"

As he walked away, Sombra could feel very well how the mare behind him grumbled something in a low voice, clearly annoyed. He couldn't help but smile with undoubted satisfaction on his face. In a way, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed annoying her from time to time.

Twilight, on the other hoof, watched him walk away as she let out a slight pout of annoyance. She muttered something he didn't hear, though it didn't bother her. Once he was at a great enough distance, she closed her eyes for a few seconds and shed her cloak to access the pouch on his side. Twilight enjoyed the breeze around her as she let the water quench her thirst.

She stayed like this for a while until her mind remembered that she had to go to Sombra. Then Twilight sighed, got up, and put her bag back to her side and her cloak once more. At least there was the fact that she was able to enjoy her little break a bit, even though she now had to continue.

Knowing this, she set out to follow the trail of the magic she had performed before. But on her walk, the path around her seemed to open up once more into a new forest that she had to traverse if she wished to go on. On the other side was a moderately open space, a sort of meadow with some vegetation on all sides, which apparently had not been so affected by the storm of the previous day.

After that brief glance Twilight shrugged her shoulders without giving it much thought, returning her gaze again in the direction she was going. She had the thought of finding him soon to get out of there once and for all. But in the end, something that hadn't even crossed her mind as a last option got in the way of that task.

That was when the constant noise of something familiar began to reach Twilight's ears. She stopped and turned her head in the opposite direction she was going. It was only when she noticed the sound of the voices of what appeared to be a group of ponies that the intrigue began to make her suspicious. She didn't know why, but the noise was louder and louder, almost as if it were screams.

"What now?" asked Twilight as she approached. At the same time, she took all possible precautions in case it was some kind of threat.

But virtually nothing could have prepared her for what was really going on. She accelerated her pace and after going through several trees she could hear it and see it more clearly. Those were the screams of a poor mare who was surrounded by a group of three stallions who kept getting in her way. While her vehicle was lying a short distance away, she only begged to be left alone.

Twilight did not hear the words they said to her in a low voice, but she could quickly guess what they really meant. And it wasn't good at all.

She decided that she wouldn't stay cross-hoed, so the moment she realized that she had come out of hiding she was already going towards them. She stepped in just in time and covered the other mare from the raised hoof of one of the stallions. Her own magic stopped it in the air.

"But what...?" The expression of those stallions went from furious to really confused when they felt the force that knocked them down.

Twilight didn't answer and instead turned to the little mare.

"Get out of here, quickly," she said in a quick but firm whisper.

All this had taken the other mare so by surprise that at this she could only whisper a brief thank you and hitch her vehicle to her. Twilight nodded as she watched her speed away, until a sound in front of her caused her to reactivate her magic. Two of them had already gotten up and made a gesture of wanting to chase their prey. She prevented them.

"What have you done!?" cried one with a pale horn.

"I prevented them from going after somepony who was probably just looking to get to her destination calmly," she said and the aura of annoyance that surrounded her seemed to intensify. "I'm giving you the same option as long as you retreat in the opposite direction, but in exchange..."

Twilight didn't finish the sentence when suddenly her whole body became defensive. The reason? They only seemed to make fun of her without having to hide it.

"What were you going to say, filly? Don't you even know what we are?" One sneered, but soon changed his expression. "And as for your recent intervention, it doesn't matter, thinking about it..." The older unicorn's gaze ended up giving her a very bad feeling. "You could take her place."

At the significance of his recent advance, Twilight could only be indignant in an expression of fury that ran wide across her face. Her brow furrowed and far from feeling intimidated, she rather held firmly in place. Until the sound of headphones ended up being heard just a few moments before she was about to face them.

"Can I know what the hell is going on here?" suddenly exclaimed a deep voice.

Sombra suddenly came to her without Twilight noticing his presence. His face reflected a completely serious countenance, however the other stallions only saw a face darkened by the cape that covered him up to the head, which somehow made them retreat.

"That mare is ours," one of them spoke and Twilight held back a chill along with a grimace of disgust when she saw him lick his lips as he looked in her direction. "We found her so alone, and we know that must not be so."

"That's a lie!" Twilight stepped forward with a furious frown on her face. "You prey on innocent ponies on the road, that's what you do."

"Don't listen to her, she wants to come with us anyway," the other exclaimed with an unpleasant smile on his face. "There's no more pony that could want her...

That pony ended up being interrupted.

"Really? I don't know... Because it seems to me that she is a mare attractive enough to have the need to get involved with stallions as disastrous as you."

Although Sombra maintained a serious tone of voice at all times, Twilight couldn't help but express a surprised face at his words. Then she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Had he just said what she had really heard?

"Why do you defend a mare like her?" the other stallion snorted and lowered his ears. "I have no idea what she could have seen in you."

"Let me show you. After all, none of you could even consider being at the level of my horseshoes." The disdain in his voice was a no-brainer.

Twilight, on the other hoof, couldn't help but roll her eyes. Already there it was his ego speaking out loud.

However, something she definitely didn't expect was for him to wrap his hoof around her body and suddenly pull her to him. Twilight tried to protest, but this time she was completely silent when she noticed the serious, gloomy look on his eyes. In a somewhat intimidating way.

And perhaps because of other extraneous and unexpected factors that distracted her, such as how strangely comfortable his coat felt.

But then she ended up turning her head towards those ponies when she felt them watching them. Twilight didn't notice it at first, perhaps because they knew very well how to hide it, but there was something clear in their eyes.

They felt challenged, even if they didn't admit it. She realized that feeling intensified the moment Sombra spoke again.

"Go," he growled.

It was the only thing he uttered and yet it had an immediate effect on the other stallions. Two of them frowned and lowered their heads slightly. The other appeared to be tougher, but in the end he also ended up lowering his ears and retreating further towards the others.

"Okay, you win," he let out a snort, not holding back from sending a look of contempt at both of them, more so at Twilight.

She didn't care and kept it all the time before he finally deflected it. A few minutes later the group had disappeared in the opposite direction to both of them.

After that, Twilight relaxed the expression on her face and turned to the stallion that was still holding her next to him. But before she could say a single word, Sombra lit his horn and they both disappeared from there in a familiar flash of bright light.

They reappeared a second later in a small clearing surrounded by a good number of trees. Sombra let go of her and moved a few feet away from her. Then he lowered the cloth that had covered him to touch his horn while grumbling something that, in spite of everything, she could hear.

"I'm not used to this yet," he murmured, rubbing his forehead lightly.

Twilight glanced at him from her position. There was no need to ask how he had found her, after all the spell was still active. Although perhaps she did owe him some explanations.

"First of all I want to say that I didn't expect to find myself in that kind of situation," she explained as she brushed off the dust that had been impregnated in her cloak.

At what she said, Sombra simply pulled the hooves down from his forehead and looked at her.

"Are you serious? Do I leave you alone for a moment and you're already getting into trouble?"

"In my defense, I'll just say that I wasn't going to let those stallions take advantage of that poor pony," She moved closer to sit in front of him. "I don't regret that."

Twilight's gaze was determined as she turned it toward him. Sombra noticed it regardless, so in the end he only ended up denying it to himself while closing his eyes for a moment.

"No, I really figured you wouldn't," he let out a slight sigh and looked back at her. "You don't have to explain anything anymore."

Twilight smiled discreetly as she realized that he supported her reasons, or at least understood her. In the end, she also remembered that he had helped her.

"I should thank you too, again." She left one of her hooves on top of another. "Without your help I probably would have had to use more of my magic to stop those stallions from doing anything," she said in a slightly annoyed tone.

Sombra nodded one last time as he rose from his place and began to walk in a certain direction. But before Twilight could do the same to follow him, he turned around with the intention of saying something.

"Do you really think they would have had a chance against you?"

Twilight didn't quite understand what he was looking for with that question, the answer being so obvious. However, she played along.

"Clearly not, not even the only unicorn in the group or even with my magic as it is," she said with a smile. "And in spite of that, I would have preferred not to have to do it."

The clearing and the surroundings were silent for a moment. Sombra looked at her in some way that she couldn't quite define. Maybe just a little surprised? Until a few moments passed before he said anything again.

"Of course you would have been like that," he said for the last time as he returned to the road.

Twilight then reanalyzed those words as she followed him, at the same time keeping in mind the aspect of her personality that she had somehow revealed to him.

Perhaps it was nothing new that he knew it, since her title of princess defined her just like that, but she allowed herself to be glad that he was aware of that anyway. Despite not yet knowing the reason why that was her feeling.