Northen Stars

by Flower03

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Romance, Spike, King Sombra, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 142298

Shocking discoveries that envelop her, strange flowers and the horn of an old enemy. What could possibly go wrong this break?

While Twilight was enjoying a well-deserved vacation from her duties as a princess in the Crystal Empire and perhaps using her time to investigate an enigmatic flower, she never imagined that the discovery of something shocking would end up returning her to where it all began, literally.

Now, she intends to stop the threat posed by that being, even if it must be necessary to do it alone.

But regardless, she just wasn't ready for it.

Nopony was prepared to end up in an unknown place, no one was prepared to deal with the King of the Shadows himself, let alone none were ready to face the consequences that would bring.

After all, who would be ready to start having feelings for whom they shouldn't?

***

Here's the link to the story on Wattpad:
https://www.wattpad.com/story/328881716?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=darigf03

Published 2024-04-05 19:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-12-25 16:25:24 UTC

Chapter 5

The dense forest that had greeted them behind the beach darkened as they went deeper into it. The evening sun heralded an hour when it would soon become even darker.

Twilight and Spike walked side by side after taking one of the day's short breaks, keeping a safe distance from their 'new companion' as they tried to ignore the heavy silence that had settled in the place from the moment they entered the wooded area.

"You know I don't like this at all, right?" Spike whispered as he took a brief look at Sombra. If he had heard him by chance, he gave no sign of it.

"I know, Spike, you've told me several times," Twilight rolled her eyes as she tried to make sure that her light didn't suddenly go out. "And several times I have explained the situation to you. That's not to say that I like to just trust and let him guide us."

"Couldn't you cast a spell to make sure what he says is true?" He asked in a whisper as he looked at the unicorn. "What if it's just a trap to get rid of us and have the clear path to try to conquer the empire again."

"But I've got what it takes to get back..." Twilight stopped suddenly as a grimace pursed her lips.

What assurances did she have that he simply hadn't lied to them? That he only sought a way to get them to trust him even minimally before leading them into some horrible trap? After all, he was the only one who seemed to know the place, and that was something that caused too much intrigue.

Spike waved a claw disdainfully.

"You know very well that he could have deceived us."

Twilight looked down as her mind kept thinking of anything she could do to get out of that situation. However, she picked it up again when she realized something important.

"Then why didn't he leave when we fled to the open sea, or why didn't he attack us the second time?" She asked with a slight frown on her expression. "He could have abandoned us on that beach and left." She touched her chin with a hoof, really surprised by it all. "If I didn't have what he needs to get out, he wouldn't have any reason to have waited."

"Hpm, maybe you could have a point there," Spike muttered, though he added in a rather worried tone. "I just hope you're very careful, Twilight."

"Always, Spike," She said, flashing a slight smile that was meant to reassure him. "Anyway I can't use my magic much cause of the state it's in, certainly not with that strange barrier inhibiting it... For now, the most I can do is levitation and maybe some teleportation. I have to take care that it doesn't run out completely..." She gave her horn a light tap before letting out a weary sigh. "So maybe you don't trust him, but at least trust me." She finished with an encouraging smile. "I won't let anything bad happen to us."

Spike frowned as he climbed onto her back and softened his gaze a bit more.

"Luckily I can do that," he said as he clutched Twilight's mane. "But I don't even know why we whispered," The dragon continued in the same low tone of voice. "It's not like I care if he listens to us."

Suddenly, the pony in front of them stopped, and it didn't take long for Twilight to imitate him. She raised an eyebrow as she slowly approached him until she was more or less beside him, still confused when he just closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate on something.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked in an inevitable attempt to break the silence that had been created... Even in the dark forest.

He simply ignored her, opened his eyes again and resumed his way. And in the end this only provoked more indignation in the mare. Twilight slammed a hoof into the ground after letting out a rather angry snort, this time refusing to move from her spot.

"We're not going to walk in this darkness any longer," she emphasized her words forcefully. "We have to find a place to spend the night."

The stallion stopped and turned his gaze slightly in her direction. Twilight felt an unpleasant sensation run through her as her gaze met those glowing red eyes that seemed to give off a fairly obvious trace of annoyance. However, her stance remained firm in spite of everything.

"It's getting dark and if we continue like this we'll soon be left behind, my light can't shine brightly enough," She clarified while frowning in disgust.

"Twilight," Spike said with a murmur at his friend's somewhat provocative tone.

The unicorn slowly approached, and Twilight had to look up because of the height difference when he stopped in front of her. She made a great effort not to be intimidated, which somehow ended up working.

"If you had a modicum of sense, you'd make sure you weren't left behind," Sombra replied in a deep voice. "That is, unless you want to find out whatever is hiding in this place."

Twilight frowned suspiciously at his words, not too surprised by his utter lack of empathy. After all, it wasn't for nothing that he was known as one of the most dangerous villains who had ever threatened the peace of her land. Twilight took a step back as she organized her mind's thoughts, then spoke again.

"What do you mean by what's hidden here?" She asked with a faint trace of suspicion in her voice.

He turned again, though Twilight thought she saw the glint of an arrogant expression on his face as he resumed his path once more.

"Nothing compared to what's near you.

Oh no, she wasn't going to take that.

Twilight frowned again and let out a growl of growing annoyance as she moved quickly. Spike jumping off her back in surprise at this. This time she didn't feel like playing along.

In a sudden turn of moment, Sombra stopped and looked down at the mare who suddenly found herself in front of him. His face, once expressionless, now took on a marked frown.

Twilight, on the other hoof, wasn't about to be ignored again. She stepped forward, decreasing the distance between them and put a hoof on his chest with only one intention in her mind to reaffirm.

"Listen! I also know that we don't trust each other, but you said it yourself: you need me to activate that item and we need you to get us out of here. So for now we'll have to help each other! Whether you like it or not!"

Sombra looked away to something beyond her, something that seemed to be on his mind. Twilight was well aware that if it were up to him, he would have left them to fend for themselves long ago. Deep in her mind, she imagined that he was looking for something else from them, and for some reason, that only made her misgivings undiminished. Quite the opposite.

"Fine," Sombra conceded with a grunt as he pulled away from her. "If only to reclaim what belongs to me."

With a jaded expression on her face, Twilight pulled away from him and moved on with Spike by her side. This time she led the way on her own and set out to find an area clear and covered enough for them to rest.

Luckily it didn't take her long to find an area where the trees didn't grow so close together, even though the lush foliage didn't allow them see the night sky beyond their level.

Twilight thought she heard Sombra's snort behind as them made they way to the small clearing.

"You've got the place you want," His deep voice echoed as she turned to confront him. "I don't care what you do now."

Sombra walked away from them to find a place to settle. Twilight followed him with her eyes until he seemed to disappear into the darkness of the nearby trees.

She gave a small sigh and turned to the fire that Spike had created with his breath after picking up and arranging some branches in front of him. The night had become too cold for no apparent reason.

Although she couldn't see him anymore, Twilight knew that the stallion was somewhere close enough to both of them, but at least long enough away to provide for his own comfort. However, it wasn't as if she was too worried about that fact. All she hoped was that he wouldn't come up with the sudden idea of leaving them at some moment.

"Twilight, are you okay?", Spike asked looking in her direction as he wrapped his arms around himself. He had stayed too close to the fire to keep the cold away from his body.

"Yes, Spike, just... a bit tired," She let out a sudden sigh after putting the bag down beside her, as she searched for something inside. "It's been an exhausting day, with everything we've been through it's no wonder I'm like this."

With her magic she pulled out her scarf and two neatly folded objects, which she then unfolded to reveal a pair of layers that she had brought as a spare. After all, she had never known what could happen, as she finally found out very well.

"You won't be cold with this," She walked over to Spike to wrap the scarf around his neck and leave him one of the cloaks. She smiled nervously when she realized something. "I'm sorry if it's too big for you."

Spike looked at himself, then waved a claw nonchalantly.

"It doesn't matter, this is enough." He curled up closer to the cloth. "So, Twilight... Are we going to stick with what you said?"

The alicorn looked back at the spot where the dark stallion had disappeared. Then sighed resignedly.

"I wish I had another option, but I guess it's the best thing to do for now."

"Maybe so," He replied with a slight shrug. "On the other hoof..." He began once more as he lowered his gaze. "I wonder what this strange island is... It's something that leaves me very intrigued."

She frowned and touched her chin with a hoof as the thoughts in her mind swirled on a new occasion.

"Well, considering the way we appeared, I suppose the glass mirror we found in the cave had something to do with it," She deduced as she put her hooves together. "It seems like it's a kind of portal and we somehow managed to activate it. Do you remember what happened before that happened?"

"If you're referring to the time when we were being attacked by an evil unicorn shrouded in shadows, for more information black magic practitioner, yes, I remember," He replied with an obvious sarcastic expression as he crossed his arms. "It turns out that same unicorn is the one you made an apparent truce with to guide us across the island, and that it's possibly leading us into a trap instead."

Twilight gave a few quick blinks at the way he had chosen to respond to her. Then she closed her eyes and sighed infinitely tiredly. Though she could understand him in a certain way.

"I wasn't talking about that and please Spike, don't keep reminding me of our situation," She finished in an exhausted voice after making a slight gesture of denial. "I was referring to the moment when we saw that violet glow shining through the side of my backpack. That glitter turned out to be the crystal lily I picked up for my research."

"But crystal lilies aren't purple," Spike replied.

"That one was, after all we don't know the species completely," Twilight nodded as her face showed a slight convinced expression. "When I picked it up, I could feel my magic getting stronger... As if the aura of the flower was flowing towards me."

"So you're saying that flower is magical?" He concluded.

"I know it's magical, Spike, after all it's in the Crystal Empire. It has the same magic that allows the crystal ponies to take on a crystalline appearance."

"But despite that, crystal ponies can't do magic as such," He retorted.

"They can't control magic like other species do, but they have a magical component to their own body," Twilight clarified. "What I mean is that the reason why this flower not only seems to be a living being that possesses its own magic, but is also able to channel it into other creatures to increase its power, is also new to me."

Spike took a moment to analyze the information that the alicorn had just shared with him. Then he ended up blinking in surprise when he came to a conclusion.

"That means that when it increased yours... Did it cause you to unconsciously activate the mirror portal?"

Twilight nodded and cracked a pleased smile when he came to the same conclusion as her.

"How is that possible without knowing some kind of spell?" Spike asked again.

"It's all related somehow," Twilight said, then shrugged. "I just don't know how yet, but I'll try to figure it out in the meantime."

"Maybe he knows," The dragon suggested.

Twilight wrinkled the expression on her face, knowing full well who he was referring to.

"Maybe..." She glanced briefly in a certain direction. "But it's not a priority at the moment."

"I suppose not," Spike said with a yawn as he settled into his cloak. "But now I just want to worry about my dreams..."

Twilight also made a place in front of the campfire and settled herself on the ground near it with the intention of following his idea, too exhausted by the events of the day to worry about anything else.

But as she curled up in the soft, warm fabric of her cloak against him, her mind turned one last time to the thought of a possible pair of crimson eyes watching over them. The thought made her a little uneasy, before she finally settled in as she allowed herself to be dragged into the world of dreams.

Chapter 20

After Twilight left, Spike, as usual, had obeyed and had remained in the safety of the blanket she had left for him, placed as it was next to all the other things.

In addition, he had to endure, as if that were not enough, the present feature of the climate, which had prevented him from enjoying a good night sleep. Though if he had to be honest, none of the previous nights had been that good really.

He only had to go through his own memories to realize what he had missed before. And to top it all off, the only place where he had really been able to rest at that moment was several miles away from his current location. He only hoped that when they finally had the good fortune to come out of that forest first, they would then be able to find another village in which to rest all their bad nights.

Secondly, there was the fact that, when they managed to escape completely, he was going to make his way to the castle, lock himself in whatever room was available, and forget about the world. He didn't even know for how long. He didn't want to know either.

Suddenly, something he saw out of the corner of his eye made him realize something else.

Spike suddenly turned his head to the side, as he looked at the place where Twilight had left her things to make a hypothetical fire that had been forbidden to her. An idea began to form in his mind. The problem was that he didn't know whether to listen to it or leave it at that. Although after several seconds in which he was with that thought, he ended up making his decision.

Despite the unicorn's warning not to light any fires, the atmosphere that had formed around him forced him, in one way or another, to ignore that warning and finally create one with the intention of suffocating that cold with the heat of his fire. The same thing that he took it upon himself to rekindle with his own flames. But no matter how hard he tried to warm the air, the strange cold that had settled in the forest still wouldn't go away.

Of course, a little cold was no problem for him. Dragons had the ability to keep their body temperatures constant with the heat that was housed inside, the same heat that fed their flames. But that heat they could only keep normal for short periods of low temperature.

So the almost icy atmosphere that crept through the place had begun to last long enough for Spike to begin to feel the discomfort. His fire and the blanket wrapped around him still protected him, but the scales on his body couldn't do much to keep the heat inside him. At least not for that long. So he did the only thing in his power in that situation: He covered himself completely and curled himself into a small ball as he twisted his tail around him.

The sudden crackling noise of the fire beside him warned him of how bit time it had to do its job of warming him up. In the end, only a short but quick gust of icy wind was enough to put out what was left of the small campfire. It sent a shudder through him that was quickly replaced by a sudden sensation that made his scales bristle.

His mind quickly tried to disconnect from that fleeting icy feeling. In the meantime he allowed himself for a moment to remember his favorite alicorn, once a unicorn.

"Hopefully you'll be back soon, Twilight," he whispered as the breath from his mouth came out in a little puff.

Spike closed his eyes and tried to forget his situation as much as he could. He just wanted to wait for Twilight to return to Sombra, so that the three of them could wait until dawn to get out of the place once and for all. And then, when at last the forest was far away from them, slowly receding behind them, perhaps he would allow himself to breathe easy.

Or at least wait for that illusion for the moment when they really left that island and returned to the real world. Because deep down Spike hoped that it was all maybe a simple nightmare.

The air around him continued to drop almost imperceptibly as time went on. But Twilight hadn't arrived yet. With a sudden sense of strangeness, Spike raised his head again to confirm his situation once more, only to realize that the small fire had been extinguished and now darkness reigned again in the small clearing.

The silence, ironically, felt almost deafening.

"For Celestia, now what?" he asked himself in a whisper, as confused as he was at that moment. Though a pinch of growing fear also began to lodge within him.

After the silence around him was the only thing to answer his question, Spike sat up and sat back once more, still hugging his blanket. He let the comforting warmth of it slide all over his body; at least that was something that relieved him. And since Twilight had left it to him, he was going to wait for her as long as it took to give it back to her again. But without taking long, the idea of going to look for her gradually began to creep into his mind.

In the end, though, he quickly discarded it. Even with his fire, he didn't know if he was going to be able to see anything in all that gloom. And apparently his reptilian vision didn't help him much in this case either. So he cleverly chose to stay in place rather than take a possible unnecessary risk.

His own subconscious had pointed out, after all, that it could be a very bad invention.

And even if all this turned out to be true, Spike still had to bear the nagging thought that he was going to do nothing in the end. However, the heavy cold that crept through his scales, the time spent waiting for Twilight, and the general thoughts about his situation, all of that would end up being the least of his problems.

"By Celestia, this is too dark!" he thought as he placed one of his claws in front of him, only to catch a glimpse of his silhouette.

He even imagined that if he raised his head to glance at the sky, the stars would not be seen even if all the trees around him disappeared and the clearing opened completely. But in the meantime, he couldn't have imagined what was going to happen, rather because he didn't know that something would happen.

It was a slight, almost imperceptible change in the air that alerted him at the end. It may have gone unnoticed by others, but not by him and his developed dragon senses. It didn't take long for his own instinct to kick in, even more so when the dark atmosphere that had reigned up to that point began to dim little by little in a suspicious way.

If that had happened in any other kind of situation, Spike would even have been glad that it had happened, in the familiar meaning that the sun would soon rise to light up the sunrise. But that didn't happen this time.

Because at that instant the sun still took several hours to appear. Because the darkness never disappeared so quickly, but gradually. And in the first place, because the trees around should not look like that, with that dark, withered appearance on its barks.

And before he knew it, he could see himself in a better light.

So it didn't take long for Spike to know, or rather realize, that this appearance would turn out to be nothing more than an illusion.

He closed his eyes for a few more moments as the silence dragged on, perhaps in an attempt to find some vague way to concentrate on his attempt to catch something. But it remained the same as it had been a few seconds ago.

His heart had long been beating faster than usual, stimulated by the adrenaline that had begun to cours. The fear he felt did that work on his breathing, increasing it despite his attempts to control it. That really bothered him.

Until he opened his eyes again.

And darkness fell upon the little dragon.

Spike gave a loud cry of surprise as something completely ejected him from his blanket. That whirlpool sent everything around him flying. He tried to protect himself as best he could from the impacts of the small sharp rocks that had been scattered. But he couldn't count on it ending there suddenly and abruptly. The dark mist retreated as quickly as it came, seemingly leaving him alone.

Spike fell to the ground and quickly put his claws in front to avoid a hard blow in more delicate places. Still, he winced when a scrape on his shoulder seemed to have taken away more than just a few fragments of scales.

When he opened his eyes he found the same dark mist that had dissipated, now as it swirled very quickly around him. The wind that was blowing at that moment did not seem to have any effect on it, easily opposed its dragging at the moment when it should have been otherwise. But nothing was normal anymore.

Spike stood up and tried to prepare himself in his mind for any threat that came from it, even if he didn't have all the means to deal with it. The dilated pupils of his eyes accompanied the open posture of his body. His wings spread almost involuntarily, while tiny tongues of green fire were visible from between his fangs, ready to be launched. The scales of his body, like the fur of a mammal, stood up almost entirely.

Still, any creature within meters that could smell his fear could detect that this was only defensive. That it didn't reflect the fear he really felt inside. And for them that was good in part.

A last terrifying, frightened scream was heard as the shadows swooped in one last swift ambush upon the little dragon and surrounded him completely, hiding him long enough that it couldn't escape or enter even a shred of light.

A thought, or rather a single word, prevailed in his mind in the meantime.

"Twilight..."

They didn't know what that meant, they didn't care. Even so, from within they could feel how he, in spite of everything, struggled to escape. Unconsciously, they retreated into their bliss.

At last they had a prey that not only knew how to escape.

***

Twilight had flown out in a frenzy when that last cry alerted her. But it was the failure to hear even a faint whisper that caused her alarm levels to rise significantly.

In her haste she had left Sombra behind, though she would later remember with some guilt that he was actually the last thing she had remembered at that moment. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment as long as she could get quickly where she wanted.

But for all her worries, something prevented her from getting as fast as she would have liked. Something caused her to get lost, even though she knew, or had the feeling, that she was going in the right direction. And in some very strange way she already suspected what might be.

The only problematic issue was the fact that the thought of what was the origin of it all always came to her mind, simply or perhaps simultaneously. The answers she had managed to get in the cave had only answered a quarter of what her doubts had really been, it was true. But most of these had ended up intertwined with several new ones that she hadn't been able to imagine. She just hoped she could find the eventual answer.

And yet the thought was only a fleeting thought that crossed her mind for a moment. Now almost nothing mattered when the shadows began to grow in all around. She didn't know it by her sight, but she could feel it.

She could feel something beginning to be present in that heavy darkness. Something that felt so similar to that forbidden magic that her own teacher had shown her and that she herself had finally performed, so long ago. And yet, this felt so much wilder.

And she could realize all of that without any effort on her part. This led her to the thought that having a certain sensitivity to the magical energy of the environment, further enhanced by her status as an alicorn, could sometimes be an advantage for herself. Or a disadvantage.

That could have been her case at the time.

Twilight suddenly stopped in mid-air, forcing her breathing to increase in frequency as tiredness set in. And not only that, since her entire system was stretched to the limit when she wanted to go further.

"No, no, no, where was that clearing?" she thought as she turned her head in all directions, and the sight of the great trees closing in around her was all she could see.

There was no trail she could follow, let alone one of Spike's. And now she was regretting leaving Sombra behind.

"Spike," she said almost in a whisper, deep inside herself, fearing that something had heard her and wanted to rush in her direction. Nothing came out of the trees and the atmosphere remained as undisturbed as ever.

With frustration growing inside her, Twilight made her wings carry her to the ground as she tried to do her best not to lose her nerve. The light of her horn continued its faint glow after she closed her eyes. At that moment it was the only certainty she could hold on to.

A bit farther on, however, Sombra cursed deep in his mind the moment when the alicorn had literally flown away at the dragon's scream. Without hesitating for a second to leave him behind.

It wasn't as if that mattered much to him anyway, at least not on that specific occasion. After all, it was the issue that concerned both of them at that moment that was the most important that he needed to be resolved.

He didn't know how but he imagined it, maybe he could have an idea of what was really going on. All thanks to the fact that his memories were beginning to come back to him. That place was a reservoir of magic, yes; and he could even feel his own gradually increasing under that atmosphere.

But it wasn't just that. It was also a natural containment for something more dangerous. Something that had been stored in his memory for so long that he didn't know how he had forgotten it. Or maybe if he knew, after all, being locked for a millennium in the eternal ice of the Frozen North had affected even his magic. It wasn't at all strange to think that the same thing had happened to his memories, too.

During the instant when his dark magic seemed to have returned, he had a kind of revelation. As if those same memories dormant in the back of his mind had finally managed to fight back out of his oblivion. And at that very moment he had remembered that old piece of advice that wise pony had given him long ago, and had suggested that he put it into practice.

Not without some weariness, Sombra let out one last exasperated grunt and galloped off in search of the princess. That warning ended up echoing in his head all the way. If what he remembered was true in fact, leaving her alone was going to be a potential risk for both her and him.

But he didn't go out in search of her just because he had to, as well as for his own benefit, of course. The truth was that, as much as the youngest of the alicorn princesses was irritating to him at times, deep down he couldn't help but recognize that she sometimes made a rather admirable effort to put a hoof to help them escape from that cursed place.

He would never say it out loud, of course, but it was a fact to him that the purple alicorn was intriguing to him. But that wasn't the thought that occupied his mind in that stressful situation.

If they managed to get out of it first, confident that they would never go back again, he told himself that he would take care of explaining the whole situation to them, even if deep down he was not so enthusiastic about revealing some of the information that was unlocking in his mind at that moment.

But first he needed to find her and then say so. And for that, Sombra had to force his magic into a spell, but not with his common unicorn magic. But with the magic that had always been naturally within him. At the time he didn't know why, but something in him was reluctant to use his dark magic again. Sombra quickly pushed that feeling away and put it in the shadowy corner of his mind from which it had emerged.

That was completely ridiculous!

His whole life had been conditioned by the use and practice of that essential part of himself, of his own existence. He had been taught to tap into the magic that naturally flourished in his species and ran within his veins. After all, it was he who had been chosen to finish what had been started in the past.

And yet, despite all that, the remnants of what he could feel still floated in his head as he cast his spell. A feeling he didn't like, so he quickly pushed it out of his mind.

Magic flowed through his horn with extreme ease, so familiar to him that it didn't take any extra effort to summon it as needed. Meanwhile, the effects of it began to reflect on his face. He didn't need to confirm what he already knew when the sclera of his eyes turned green and the characteristic purple smoke began to flow once more down the sides of his eyes. A second later was all he needed to head in the right direction.

He kept the light of magic that projected his horn to a minimum, just as a wise precaution so as not to attract any unwanted attention. The gloom was no problem. Because of his developed vision, fortunately it was not necessary for so much luminosity to enter his eyes. But there was also the troubling fact that his normal magic wasn't as strong as it had been on previous occasions.

In the end, he was able to get to the princess's location in a better way when he caught the remains of the last call she had made. But he wasn't sure if he was the only one who had heard it, or if something else she had alerted.

Twilight suddenly turned in his direction as she pointed her horn at him, thinking that he was some kind of real threat coming for her. In the back of her mind she whispered that it was somewhat objectively fine for her to take those precautions, but in the end she quickly straightened herself up when she realized it was only him. She gave a mental sigh as relief showed on her face. Sombra was finally able to reach her without further incident to slow his progress.

"Sombra? What...?" She took a second to rearrange the thoughts in her head. "How did you find me?"

Sombra decided not to answer her question and instead walked to stand in front of her, as if he wanted to prove something.

"That doesn't matter now, didn't you want to get to where the dragon is?" he asked in an urgent tone.

"Of course, but..." she whispered and was interrupted.

"Then listen to me and follow me," Sombra turned his body and started walking again. But first he turned his head over his shoulder, intentionally to say those last words. "And I suggest you don't leave me again."

Although Sombra had already looked back in the other direction, Twilight lowered her gaze slightly and nodded to herself as she resumed her journey on yet another occasion. This time she had to trust him completely, and she was only a little surprised that this fact did not seem to disturb or worry her in some way. But after all, that's what friends were supposed to do.

And she knew that. So just at that moment she trusted him to take her to where her little dragon was.

In the end she listened to him and stayed behind him the whole time, even when they both hurried off and began to gallop at her suggestion. The gloomy landscape of their surroundings passed before their eyes like several silhouettes of blurred outlines, giving rise to the same appearances in all directions. Which wasn't so strange in a place where all the objects in the environment looked alike.

As the light of Sombra's magic guided them along the way, Twilight lamented that her own had led her down a path so far from her goal. Her magic had felt strange and although it wasn't the first time, she could tell that this time it was a much more intense feeling than on previous occasions.

If it hadn't been for the fact that he had found her... She really didn't know what would have happened. Perhaps she would end up lost in the trees of that endless place another time? Would she ever make it away? And more importantly, what would happen to Spike if he hadn't found her?

After Twilight's mind had been revived by all those self-imposed questions, the sudden noise of something in front of them caused her to startle quickly. She almost collided with Sombra, and she didn't because he himself took it upon himself to hold her aside.

"What...?" She muttered after lowering her gaze and noticing the limb that extended over the middle of her chest.

Sombra looked at her and made a gesture of silence in her direction. Twilight's gaze turned serious and she looked forward again, totally focused.

"Come," Was all he said.

Twilight nodded without noticing, and they both picked up the pace side by side again. The stillness was such that only the soft sound of their breaths could be heard, only obscured by the clanging of their hooves against the earth. That feeling of nervousness came back to attack them both, a bit more at Twilight than at Sombra. And she realized that she couldn't fight it, she just had to go with her gut.

"Sombra...?" Twilight's voice was heard in such a strange tone that she was surprised. She paused for a moment as her face was frowned with weirdness and confusion.

If Sombra said anything, Twilight didn't hear it, because at the very moment she took a step back, a dark fog of strange origins clouded her hearing and her vision. Although there was something somewhat familiar. She gave a cry of surprise and immediately summoned a shield with some of the magic that was still being replenished.

A pink barrier quickly appeared and separated her from the menace. And though she expected more resistance from her own power, magic flowed from her horn as easily as water could flow from a brook.

The tactic worked better than she really expected, most likely because the consistency and magic of that black smoke was the same as what Sombra had used when they first met on that beach. The shield she had summoned held up without much trouble, and the only effort she had to make was to bring her own magic to life.

A few seconds later after that, it finally paid off. But she only realized it when the intensity of the darkness outside her barrier finally cleared up in a certain slight way.

The shadows of the mist receded after a couple of minutes that felt longer than she expected. It allowed her to slowly regain her senses while letting some magic flow to keep her horn light on. Twilight needed a few more seconds to gently rub her eyes before looking around.

She raised her head, and almost wished she hadn't. In a few seconds she could almost feel the blood in her body freeze at the prospect in front of her when she realized her situation.

Sombra was gone, and now Twilight felt more intensely the raw dark magic that had been played out in that environment. So much so that she even felt dizzy. To add insult to injury, all this delayed her in her efforts to reach the little dragon.

What she didn't know and didn't imagine was that the situation was going to escalate to a much higher, and dangerous, medium.

Suddenly, something clicked in Twilight's mind, and everything began to fall into place. She got up, took one last look around, and shot off in a direction she couldn't have foreseen before. She knew, she could feel that she had to go down that road even though her own mind dictated another logic. She just went with her gut and trusted that her hooves would carry her.

And just on the road in front of her, a powerful reddish light opened for a few moments, in which it ended up blinding her immediately. Twilight paused for a few moments to let the white spots disappear from her vision. After a few seconds she opened her eyes again as her mind associated with the fact that this flash might have been Sombra in his attempt to contact her.

That excited her somewhat, but she still didn't get carried away and thought about her next steps cautiously in case it could be a trap. That deep down she suspected it was, as she walked very slowly along the path.

"Sombra?" she exclaimed in a whisper that only she could have heard. More than calling him, her intention was to calm herself down.

Nopony answered, and the forest remained as silent as it had seemed before. And then she began to sense something even stranger. Her magic gradually began to diminish almost imperceptibly. It was due to the light that her horn projected, while little by little it diminished its intensity. Twilight frowned at this, but she was already very close to that place. There was no point in going back.

Just as she entered the clearing, she saw nothing. But when her vision finally cleared, Twilight could only recoil from the astonishment, surprise, and silent cry she uttered at the sight of Spike enveloped in that sea of shadows.

A bolt of offensive magic shot out of her horn before she could even think better of it, and that caused her to miss her target. The shadows swirled and dodged it quickly as if it had a life of its own. Twilight suspected it was. And before she resumed her attack it joined together and disappeared in a single direction, taking the little dragon with it.

Twilight didn't need to think twice. She spread her wings, rose and followed them as fast as she could. So engrossed as she was in her pursuit that she did not notice the dark shape of the stallion behind her.

Something similar had happened to him.

Once the dark mist had wrapped around his body, similar to when he took his shadow form, he had been inexplicably moved to another place where he could get up with his hooves. Sombra had growled in exasperation as he waited for the seconds he needed to adjust his vision to his surroundings.

After that, he began to analyze his situation, again. The alicorn princess had disappeared, and now he was really sure who, or rather who, was behind it all. So he ended up doing the most sensible thing he could do at the time: summon his magic once again to try to find her. After all, it was enough to know that the forbidden magic that reigned in the air also fed his own. But in the end something didn't go as expected.

Just as it had once happened to him, his horn crackled and went out, giving the clear signal that the spell had failed. This only confused him, and at the same time it was not something that surprised him. He could feel as if something was inhibiting it, something coming from his environment. That is why he preferred not to continue in an effort that in the end would be useless, so he let it dissipate.

And just as he was thinking about going to look for her on his own, a quick flash of pink passed a few feet from where he was without it noticing his presence. He immediately started galloping and went after it. He knew it was really her.

Now the question was: What could have happened to make her let herself be carried away in a frantic race to that part of the forest?

To his surprise, his question was finally answered when he detected the powerful presence of dark magic that had developed in that environment. It sent a shiver unconsciously down his spine.

The princess was fast, and though he galloped hard enough to overtake her, she soon began to advance still further. Sombra cursed internally, knowing that at that moment his magic had not yet recovered. And he didn't even know how long it was going to take. Therefore, he could not execute any other spell that would help him get there faster, not even a simple normal teleportation.

And by the time he finally reached her, there was practically nothing much to do.

Twilight also managed to reach them, but stopped in mid-air when she saw the shadows swirling around Spike again. Another beam of energy came out of her horn and pierced them almost as if nothing. However, she couldn't risk much when he was in the line of fire. No matter how hard she tried to free him from the fog, it simply dodged all her attacks.

"Spike!!!" She called out to him repeatedly as she tried to get to him.

She wanted him to wake up, to know that she was there to rescue him from this situation. She wanted to tell him not to be afraid. But her efforts were in vain.

The shadows receded suddenly and without warning, but it wasn't gradual. The air around her seemed to thin as Twilight followed once more. Desperation began to grow inside her when Spike soon disappeared from her sight. And suddenly something hit her hard in the side.

Twilight screamed and flapped her wings in a futile attempt to straighten herself, but that same force dragged her to the ground. She was able to cover her head with her own helmets to avoid any dangerous injuries.

She couldn't get up.

Something, a sudden, strange fear paralyzed her in the place. Her heartbeat raised her pace, so much so that she could feel the pulse in her ears. The unpleasant feeling of being watched slowly increased within her.

Then she discovered, to her horror, that her instinct was not wrong.

Twilight forced herself to look up to make sure it hadn't really been something her mind was playing out of her, in a silent, cruel mockery of her own inability to rescue her friend.

At first she saw nothing, but as her vision grew closer, the erratic movement of the shadows in the trees warned her that there was something there that must not be.

Because darkness shouldn't have a defined silhouette in the first place. And secondly, it shouldn't have a pair of bright red grooves next to each other that felt like a pair of eyes floating in the same darkness that shaped it. And the strangest thing was this very shape.

Had it not been for those two occasions when she had gone to the human world beyond the mirror in Canterlot, Twilight would never have been able to decipher it. Their bodies and limbs were long, just like a human's. And although most of them were leaning against the branches with the four branches, it could be seen that this was not their normal position.

Once again, the knowledge of that understanding left her paralyzed. And not exactly out of fear.

However, something felt strange. Those shadow beings didn't dare come within a little of sixteen feet of her, Twilight calculated. As she was thinking about what to do to get out of their control and get rid of those things, something entered her vision field and caught her attention. Something small and purple...

"Spike!!" Twilight squirmed as she called out his name, but despite her determined stance, she remained the same, unable to move.

A cold sweat began to creep under her coat as a strange, chilling noise began to drill into her ears. Twilight didn't want to see or lift her head, and yet she forced herself to do so.

It was then that a bolt of dark magic appeared at the side of her vision and struck one of the branches, scaring several away and causing others to give sudden cries of rage. Twilight felt that at that moment she should feel at ease now that Sombra had finally appeared, because she knew very well that this magic was his.

She should felt it... So why couldn't she?

Twilight raised her head and before she could realize it, a quick gust of pain settled behind her head as Sombra yelled something she couldn't comprehend.

The last thing she saw was the backlit reflection of the scales on Spike's small body, briefly illuminated by the beam of magic Sombra unleashed, before the darkness claimed her on yet another occasion.

When Twilight woke up some time later, Spike was nowhere in sight. That could only mean that he had been taken away... And she had failed.

A groan behind her made her head turn as her wings spread and her whole body went on alert again. Only when she realized that it was Sombra who was also beginning to wake up, did she put away her wings again and was able to allow herself a little relaxation. But no more than that.

Twilight looked down at her hooves, wondering to herself in a whisper.

"What...? What were those things?"

"Something I'd forgotten a long time ago," Sombra replied, much to Twilight's slight surprise.

She didn't turn around, just frowned as she realized that she had spoken louder than she thought. Nor did she try to find out more about that answer. At that moment she was so stunned that not even her own natural curiosity could shake her out of that state.

Sombra looked at her and realized something wasn't right with her. But he also couldn't blame her when she had just seen the dragon being kidnapped by those things without her being able to do anything to stop it... Or him.

Perhaps that's why he wasn't entirely surprised when he said the following.

"Try to save your energy."

"W-what? What? What are you talking about?" Twilight exclaimed in a stammer as she lifted her head to look at him.

"What I'm trying to say is that if you want your friend back, you shouldn't waste your efforts right now." He got up from his seat to get a little closer to her. "I advise you, you have to be careful."

After those words, Sombra simply closed his eyes, tired to the brim.

It had all gone so wrong. But it was no time to lament even now that the situation had escalated to worse states they had not imagined. But deep down he wondered how these creatures had managed to get to them.

After hearing what Sombra had said, Twilight sighed loudly and raised her head to the sky, perhaps trying to look beyond the treetops. To the stars and moon that had finally returned. She didn't wonder again what these creatures had been, or why Sombra knew about them.

She only let one last tired, weary-filled thought pass through her mind in an instant, before the world around her became blurry and dark.

"And now what will I do?"

Chapter 1

As it slowly ascended, the great golden disc began to bathe with its warmth the vast lands that made up the nation of Equestria, and far beyond.

Shimmering in its entirety thanks to the brilliance that enveloped it, the Crystal Empire dawned with the joy of a new summer day. The crystalline buildings reflected the soft sunlight, and the crystal ponies outside at that time also glistened for their fur.

A ray of sunlight slipped through the half-open curtains of one of the castle's rooms, briefly illuminating an empty but organized bed. The occupant of that bedroom trotted calmly, distracted as she was in filling her two backpacks with everything what she would need that day.

An aura of pink magic enveloped her pen and her respective scrolls, she left it in her packback and to close it at the end with a slight click. Then she fastened it to her side and went out, closing the door of her room.

As she made her way through the halls to where she knew her brother and sister-in-law were, Twilight felt the previous excitement that always grew inside her in anticipation of conducting field research. She had worked, had organized, and had left everything ready in advance during that week, so that the day before she would board the train of the Crystal Empire in the company of her faithful assistant and dragon friend.

Although in reality, she was only supposed to be there to take a short break, but the topic that had begun to haunt her head after the last time she came ended up leaving her intrigued in some inevitable way. And now that she was there, she couldn't let that opportunity slip away.

"Twilight!"

She turned and a greeting smile crept across her face as Spike flapped his wings to reach her. He landed beside her with difficulty. He was still learning how to handle his new wings, so at the time he looked a lot like her when she got her own wings.

Twilight suppressed a laugh at the sight.

"I suppose that investigation was true," Spike raised an eyebrow as he began to walk beside her. "After all, you get excited when something is interesting to you."

She laughed softly at his comment.

"You know me very well, Spike. Although you know that most of the time we come we do enjoy our break, only this time I need to do this. Ever since that crystal pony told us that..."

"Yes, I understand," He interrupted her after raising a claw. "Your investigative mode kicked in." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged. "I guess it's only fair that you spend your time on what you like, just please be careful, Twilight," He said, finally looking her with a certain concern. "I've been told that the Crystal Mountains can be dangerous even if it's not winter."

Twilight smiled with concern as she held out one of her hooves for a brief hug.

"I promise I'll be very careful," She finished before opening the great doors with her magic.

The room they entered was large enough for a long table to take up a portion of qthat space. And seated in this table were the rulers of the Crystal Empire and their little princess, enjoying the breakfast served.

"They were late," Shining Armor said with a smile. "A little longer and breakfast disappears."

Twilight narrowed her eyes a little as her voice feigned a certain menacing tone.

"Oh, you wouldn't dare, I remind you that you were always the last," She said as she sat down across from him. Spike sat down beside her and quickly dipped his claws into a bowl of diamonds.

Shining Armor let out a mocking laugh that could be heard throughout the room. Cadence hid hers under her hoof while Flurry Heart mimicked her mother and make a soft babble of the word 'daddy', as she flew toward her aunt. Twilight stroked her niece with a funny giggle as the three adults ponies and the dragon relaxed on their breakfast break.

"Then Twi, I suppose those backpacks are for your research, right?" Cadence pointed to the bags on the floor.

"Yes, I really hope that in these two days I can lay the foundations of what I want to find, I know that I probably won't have enough time to demonstrate everything I want to achieve," said the alicorn in a particular nuance. "But at least I'll be able to dig deeper when I get back to Ponyville. Why are those flowers that once grew on the outskirts of the Empire now found even in the frozen north? I mean, it's not supposed to! Even if it possess magic! The weather is too cold to even allow it to germinate, so I think a lot has to do with the return of the Empire..." Twilight was stroking her chin with a hoof when she suddenly heard a laugh from the two ponies and the dragon. "What?"

Cadence and Shining Armor relaxed while Spike still had a claw covering his mouth.

"It's nothing, it's just that you seem very excited about everything, as you usually are about something like that," her brother said. "But before you go, I want to show you the guard who will accompany you."

Twilight rolled her eyes and snorted briefly.

"Shining, I don't need a guard to accompany me, the Crystal Mountains aren't too far away, and I know how to defend myself if something happens."

"You don't know, other than you're going to be too busy in your study to notice your surroundings." Shining frowned and finished with a stern snort. "No arguments Twily, I'm not going to skimp on your safety. I know you're an adult mare and you're responsible for your actions, but I'm still your big brother."

"But..."

"Twilight, I think it's good for you to listen to your brother," Cadence spoke softly as she stroked her daughter. "You know he's only worried about you and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you." She gave her sister in law a smile. "You have to understand him."

Twilight turned her gaze to Cadence, before softening it and sighing in resignation.

"Fine, I just hope I can get along with him," She replied to her brother.

"Oh, trust me," Shining Armor replied with a big smile on his face. "I'm sure you will."

***

"I have already informed you about your mission, General Sentry. You must take care of and protect Princess Twilight Sparkle from any danger and help her in any way necessary during her investigation. Is that clear?"

The three ponies stood at the base of the castle where the Crystal Heart continued to slowly spin into place, as it received all the good feelings that dwelt in the hearts of its inhabitants and then used it to protect the Crystal Empire of the Frozen North.

Twilight had been a little surprised when she saw the pony her brother had chosen to accompany her, thinking that he would have chosen a lower ranking soldier instead, but she was satisfied anyway after remembering that she had spoken to him on a few previous occasions. Flash Sentry was his name.

"Of course, Captain," The blue-maned pegasus nodded.

"Well, then I wish you both good luck on your journey," He gave the Flash a nod and his sister a hug before heading towards one of the stairs that led inside the castle.

"Good, General Flash," She turned to the pony in front of her. "My brother has already informed you everything you need to know, so I just want to welcome you."

"You don't have to, Princess Twilight, but thank you all the same."

Twilight nodded with a smile, so they both braced themselves as they spread their wings. Before the two took off in the direction of their destination, she turned around for a moment.

"Oh, and just call me Twilight, please."

The weather was good enough for them to fly with relative peace of mind.

That's what Twilight had thought the instant what they landed on the side of a great snow covered mountain. She thanked Celestia that they were there at that time of year because she knew very well that in another time it would not have been so easy.

Even so, as a precaution, she had wrapped a scarf around her neck to warm herself up a little from the cold air that was blowing in the air.

While her companion stood vigilant behind her at all times, Twilight activated her horn and took a handkerchief from one of her backpacks, in which an object was wrapped. She pulled it closer, and the small petal of crystalline pallor shone even brighter in the soft aura of her magic.

Using one of her spells, Twilight let that glowing petal fade away. She already knew where what she wanted to find was. With a gesture on her part, she called Flash to follow her, and they both spread their wings again, as she led the way.

"So, princess, what exactly are you looking for?" Her companion asked as they flew leisurely through the mountains.

"Do you remember some of the bright flowers that can be seen around the Empire?"

The pegasus nodded his head, though his expression was still questioning. He was just remembering the crystalline-looking flowering plants he sometimes saw on his patrols, like many of the things that existed in the Empire. Twilight smiled after seeing his gaze.

"Well, I'd like to know why now its blooming areas have expanded to even this mountain range. After a crystal pony told me more about this species, its cultivation, its uses, and the proper way to care for it, I interested in knowing the rest. Its specific name is Diphylleia Crystallinum, but it are commonly known as crystal lilies, although it are not true lilies, just look it alike. As for its expansion, I think it has something to do with the return of the Crystal Empire, cause he also informed me that a thousand years ago it only existed in the vicinity of this. I wonder if I could write an article about this for Canterlot's botanical magazine when I'm done..." She touched her chin and looked at the guard who was only watching her with a strange expression. "Uh... General, are you fine?"

"Oh, yes, yes... Of course, miss." He cleared the thoughts from his head quickly as his mind processed half of the information that princess had told him.

***

After a while of flying, the steep ravine of one of the mountains greeted them as they landed. They both looked up at what was in front of them.

Partially obscured by the shadow of the mountain, the mouth of what appeared to be a deep cave stared back at them. Twilight frowned determinedly and stepped forward, only to be stopped for a moment by her guard.

"Princess, are you sure of this?" The pegasus asked as he frowned.

"Absolutely, General," Twilight nodded. "I know what I'm looking for is here," She replied as she looked back at the entrance.

She'd be lying a bit if she said she wasn't a little worried about whatever was waiting for them inside, but the desire to know was stronger. Plus, she had someone by her side to support her if something happened. After all, the mountain range could be unpredictable.

With a simple nod on her part, the guard and the princess entered. Twilight lit her horn into a light that allowed her to appreciate the path, as she was guided by the spell that she had performed earlier.

After a time of walking through that darkness, a bright light was present and soon the cavern opened up to a much wider space. Both Twilight and Flash were shocked by what greeted them.

The place was large enough to hold the entire crowd of the Empire's stadium, or so it seemed. The walls were completely clad in what appeared to be blue crystals that glowed softly and gave it a touch of ambient light. Or maybe it were just crystalline rocks?

Twilight didn't know it, but a new desire for knowledge began to form within her as she looked up and saw the roof rise high above them. The crystals that covered it made it look as if it were a night covered with stars. She wondered if she could fly up there with her wings and reach it.

But what was undoubtedly the most unexpected was revealed as they looked at the field of flowers that stretched out before them. Flowers with petals like the one she had used. Twilight's smile was something that could be observed very well.

She spread her wings and flew to the edge of the field, her guard distracted enough not to notice her departure. She landed carefully on the side of the flowery ground, admiring it in more detail.

Twilight had seen it before, its grew in various parts around the kingdom, but never in such numbers. The bright petals moved gently, something that gave the flower a star-like appearance. Because that's what it looked like: a star turned into a beautiful living being.

The alicorn shook her head to clear her and began her work. But before she could pull out it, another flash caught her eye out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't noticed, but in one corner, a small opening showed itself before her, as it pulsed strangely in an interval of purple light.

Attracted by that light, Twilight hung up her backpack and trotted slowly toward the spot. Luckily, her body was just the right size for her to get through that opening. She entered a chamber surrounded to the brim by crystals of a strange purple color. Although she didn't realize that, her attention was on something else.

Twilight marveled as she took slow steps toward the solitary crystalline plant, even if its presence and the purple color of its petals were a little strange to her. These themselves possessed a common brilliance, it was true, but she could not help noticing that it were not quite like the others, as if it were more... off.

As he walked towards the flower, she didn't notice it, but the purple crystals in the chamber gradually darkened, as if something was causing its brightness to weaken.

Focused on the object in front of her, Twilight used her magic to gently pull the flower away from the ground without damaging its roots. After that, she wrapped it in a special transparent dome that she had prepared earlier with various spells to keep it alive. She intended to take her object of study home.

When she finished placing the flower inside it one and then putting it in her backpack, she got up once more and looked around. She flattened her ears and frowned as she realized how dark the place had become. But when she was about to leave without wasting any time, a chilling feeling suddenly stopped her. The fur behind her neck stood on end.

"Oh no, this can't be."

She knew what it was. She felt it before, quite a long time ago, but that feeling was hard to forget. How could she do it when she herself had felt herself using it?

That was magic, and not the good kind.

A heavy and ominous aura along with an eerie silence eventually settled in the place.

Twilight turned slowly and focused her gaze on something she hadn't seen before, something hidden in the shadows of the place. She walked there, even though her instinct was telling her to get away and get out of the place as quickly as possible.

As soon as she arrived, she stopped. Only to end up taking a step back.

Surrounded by the shadows of the corner was the last thing Twilight expected to find. Meanwhile, the long dark horn flashed maliciously in front of her.

Author's Note

This work was originally done in Spanish on Wattpad and I decided to publish it here in English. It's the first time I've risked writing something in English and as you can see I'm not an expert, so this work could have a lot things wrong. So if you notice something in the reading, you can comment it, as long as you do it respect. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Anyway, I wish that enjoy it.✨

Chapter 2

Twilight's mind had gone blank as she paused to process what was in front of her. Then she finally cleared her mind and reacted with a quick blink.

She took a hesitant step in that direction, after shaking her head a little to shake out the stupor that had possessed her for a few seconds. Now her priority was to find out what that object was doing in a place like that.

The smooth and curved horn, so different from the spiral grooves and straightness of hers, was unmistakable for what it was, and together with the base's gray hue and the crimson somber glow spread along, was hard not to recognize exactly to whom it belonged.

Twilight found her mind working at full speed, as she tried to figure out what was doing that in this place. She stretched out her magic and cautiously grasped the horn, as if she feared that at any moment it would jump on top of her, although in the end she felt a little dizzy after to connect it with her aura. She lifted it up in front of her eyes while keeping it at a safe distance from her body.

Then, her thoughts began to reveal.

Twilight could remember that when King Sombra had been defeated, his horn had been expulsed to the northeast of the Empire, toward the frozen wasteland that stretched far beyond. In a way, constant missions were sent to retrieve it, but all had failed. However... How could it possibly ended up in one of the mountains of the range, to hundreds of feet high and in a cave that was most likely tens, or hundreds, feet below it?

As she tried to find the logic behind these seemingly meaningless questions that began to form in her mind, an almost imperceptible flash suddenly came out of the horn. At one point, the magical connection was interrupted and Twilight could only watch in confusion as the horn seemed to spin slowly before it hit the ground in a vibrating sound.

Immediately afterwards a sudden humming sound resounded and caused the dark crystals around her to vibrate, at the same time echoing in the chamber and increasing in amplitude in a squeaky and very unnatural tone. Twilight pulled both hooves to her ears as her face twitched into a wince.

She didn't know when her vision finally blurred, but all what she could see before unconsciousness claimed her was the dark and bubbling glow spread across the entire length of that object.

Twilight woke up with a start and blinked in confusion as she saw the silhouette of furniture in a darkened room. At first she thought that everything that had happened maybe might have been a simple dream. But she knew it wasn't.

"Twilight?" A voice to her left spoke, and she turned her head to see Shining Armor and Spike sitting next to her, both with a worried gaze on their faces.

Twilight blinked quickly as she saw them again, but Spike climbed onto the bed and lunged at her.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He hugged her tightly as Shining joined them as well.

She extended both hooves to encompass them both for a few seconds. Then they parted slightly, without quite breaking the embrace.

"For all the ponies, Twily, what happened?" Shining inquired as she sat back down next to her bed. "General Sentry quickly brought you on his back but didn't give much explanation, due to the exhaustion of flying so fast and so far. He just told us something about a cave, some flowers, and a strange sound. Did something attack them?"

Twilight looked at her brother with a slight bewildered expression, before she fully remembered what had happened.

"The cave! Shining, you need to go to that cave urgently. There's something in that place that could put us all in danger!"

Both Shining and Spike frowned as they heard her, though the latter detected in more detail what the alicorn's gaze was trying to convey.

"What's up, Twilight? I don't like the look you're making," Spike said with that worried look that he'd given her earlier. "It's almost like every time..."

"Every time that we've been at risk, yes," She finished for him and flattened her ears as she emitted a low growl.

"Tell us, Twily, what did you find there?" Her brother urged her to start talking.

Twilight set out to tell her story, starting from the moment she and the general had left the castle. She continued until she reached the moment where they found the cave and which they had entered thanks to the guiding spell she had previously performed.

While both Shining and Spike were somewhat amazed at the account of the alicorn's discovery, they soon frowned when she reached the second part of her story.

"... And when I turned around after I felt that weird aura, I saw it, the last thing I'd expect to see in that place." She looked down as she put her hooves together. "I found Sombra's horn."

The silence that followed her confession caused Twilight to raise her head again, somewhat surprised by this. She noticed how her brother had wide eyes while Spike still had an even more fearful expression on his face.

"Twily, are you...?" The white unicorn began softly, but was interrupted.

"I'm serious, Shining," She gave Spike a brief worried look. "I don't know why it was there, or why I was the only pony who found it there." Twilight grimaced. "But I know he wasn't completely destroyed. I could feel a small part of his power."

When she finished speaking, she could see her brother's expression contort into a furious grimace that wasn't directed at her. Twilight wondered if had been a good idea to confess that just now.

"How can be possible?!" The unicorn began to walk around the room, or rather to take furious steps that resounded loudly. "My soldiers scanned every portion of the northeastern and their reports were always negative! How could it has fallen into a damn cave in the mountains?!"

"I... I don't know." Twilight looked down, self-conscious at her brother's unexpected but understandable outburst. "But we must resolve this."

Shining Armor calmed his fury a little and nodded as he turned to her.

"We'll take care of that tomorrow. If I can move quickly, then I intend to lead a squad of my soldiers to begin the search as soon as possible," He said, slamming a hoof into the ground.

"Then I'm going to go with you, too," Twilight nodded as she slapped her hooves. "You need my help to guide them to the place and show them the way inside the cave. Maybe..."

She was interrupted by a quick snort from the white unicorn.

"You're going to stay here Twilight, I'm not willing for you to go through the same danger again. I am sure that General Sentry will offer to accompany us."

At her brother's statement, Twilight was left with a bewildered expression on her face that she couldn't hide quickly, but then she ended up frowning much more quickly.

"W-what... Why?!" She replied in a burst as she put a hoof on her forehead to chase away a headache that began to grow. "Shining, please, I need to go with you. You don't know the level of danger that they face if I don't accompany them. Besides, I've been there before, I know how risky it can be."

"And that's exactly why I don't want you to come with us," Shining replied with another snort that irritated his sister. "Understand, Twily, you know me and you know how I am," He concluded, letting out a sigh. "Anyway I need to talk with Cadence to plan everything in more detail, so for now you'd better keep resting."

Twilight looked down and didn't answer, still she was annoyed by her brother's refusal, but when she raised her head again to say something new, a gentle tap on her side made her turn her head in that direction. When she saw Spike's worried face, something inside her caused her to look away. She'd already seen it in Shining, but seeing it in Spike... It made her feel a little bad.

She turned to her brother again with a grudging nod on her part. After that Shining let out a low sigh as he walked away, walking towards the exit.

"Rest for now, sister, I need to let Cadence know about this first and if is possible make the plan to follow," He said after nodding with some heaviness. "Good evening.

After that farewell, the unicorn disappeared behind the threshold and closed the door. Twilight's ear turned when she heard the throat clearing of the dragon beside her, so she turned again.

"You know it's good for you to listen to your brother, Twilight. He cares about you, as we all do." He put a claw on his chest and he gave her a small smile. "Also, you'll always be able to be with me in the castle for as long as they take care of that."

Twilight looked at him for a moment after hearing that, then a small smile appeared on her face. She held out a hoof to hug him again.

"I guess you're right, it's been a stressful day anyway..." She said and shook her head as she let go him.

Spike got out of bed and walked to the door.

"Rest, Twilight, tomorrow will be another day..." He was about to utter a yawn that was covered with his claw. "I'm tired, too," He said as he said goodbye.

She did the same after seeing him come out and close the door.

As she lay back in bed with the intention of having a good night this time, Twilight couldn't help but do what she always did in her mind: try to analyze that problematic situation.

However, just for this time, she discard that option as tiredness took over her body again, inviting her into the world of dreams.

Twilight and Spike walked through the halls of the palace to where their brother and sister-in-law were. Shining Armor sent for her urgently after she had just gotten up, and that had alerted her. Therefore, she was sure that they had found a possible solution to the current problem.

Twilight opened the great doors of the throne room. A few ponies were already gathered there, all of them were soldiers belonging to the Crystal Guard. Their captain Shining Armor was a little farther away from them, busy as he was in his own duty to distribute the pertinent orders among the other subordinates.

Twilight's thoughts went for a moment to the curious fact that there were no other crystal ponies in the room besides these, or that the other royal guards were on their routine patrols around the castle.

When Twilight finally entered, she almost didn't have time to react as she was suddenly enveloped in Cadence's tight embrace.

"By Celestia, Twilight! I'm so glad you're fine!" She shouted in her ear as she pressed her to her body.

"Me too... but, Cadence... Could you please? She waved a hoof as she slapped Cadence's back with a bit of force, in an attempt to take some precious oxygen.

Her sister-in-law noticed this and let go her with a somewhat embarrassed look.

"I'm sorry... Shining told me everything you said to him and Spike, but I couldn't be with you when you woke up because I was about to put Flurry to bed at that moment." Cadence sighed, then lowered her head a little. "I was so worried about you when I learned the real reason for what happened, and I still am." Her voice took on a low tone. "Our kingdom, the wellfare of our citizens... We do not want to lose everything we have achieved so far."

Twilight frowned a little at Cadence's words. She understood them, she understood her very well, so her expression finally became determined as he put a hoof on her sister-in-law's shoulder and another on her own chest.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen."

Cadence nodded to what she said with a grateful look that lingered on her face for a moment. She didn't take long for to call her husband. He finally sent the rest of the guards to take care of their respective duties. Then they took Twilight and Spike to a separate room. They walked right behind them, then a pink aura enveloped the door and finally closed it.

Twilight looked around before a fact became apparent in her head.

"Where's Flurry, Cadence?"

"She's with Sunburst right now," She said, making an unusual but brief snort. "After updating him on the situation, we decided that would be better for her to stay with him a little longer, at least while we are busy."

"But now we must get to the question at hoof," Shining interjected. "Between us we decided what was already obvious. I'll take care of the search and Cadance going to stay here in the castle keeping an eye on the situation. According to what you said, we can't just postpone this whole situation, so we going to start as soon as possible."

"Then you're not going to consider the proposal I made to you last night?" Twilight asked and frowned, though she still harbored a modicum of hope that he would change his mind.

"I've already explained what I think about that, Twilight," Shining spoke with slight annoyance at his sister's insistence, as he shook his head. "It's going to be risky, I really need you to stay here and help Cadence as much as you can if possible."

"I don't think it's any riskier than all the previous times I've put myself in danger," She replied to his excuse, ignoring the other thing that he had said.

Shining frowned immediately, annoyed by her retort.

"This is different."

"Do you really think so?" She questioned in a slightly ironic tone.

Cadence intervened before the situation got out of hoof, feeling a little exhausted by it all.

"Shining, Twilight, I think you both need to calm down and take a better look at this situation," She suggested as she walked over and put a hoof on the shoulder of her husband. "You must understand your sister and Twilight..." She turned her gaze to her. "You know Shining only wants the best for you." She walked over to her sister-in-law and gave her a gentle touch on her back. "I know you want to help, but going with them isn't the only thing you can do to make it happen."

At her sister-in-law's words, Twilight softened her gaze and nodded, even if reluctantly.

"But I still think it's my responsibility"

After that brief meeting, Twilight and Spike said goodbye of them and went to different parts of the castle. As Spike went in a certain direction, Twilight trotted slowly toward her bedroom. On her way she was alone with her thoughts.

Even though she had agreed, and even though her brother was right in some way, she still couldn't help but feel that it was partly her fault that they were now in this predicament.

Her mind began to wander into the implications of this, what she had been thinking about until now. And at a certain point, she began to remember.

She remembered the moment when Princess Celestia had entrusted her and her friends to protect the Crystal Empire. Like they, along with her brother and her sister-in-law, had helped while they were in charge of the organization or preparing to face the threat that had been found beyond the protective barrier.

Everyone, in one way or another, had been there for her. Her friends managed to do a good job with the ponies of the Empire, Spike was by her side when they found the Crystal Heart and finally was he who took it to the others at the crucial moment when she couldn't. Together with Cadence and also thanks to the crystal ponies, they had managed to restore peace and joy to the kingdom once again. In the end, if hadn't been for all of them, she wouldn't be there at that moment to tell the story.

And her mind couldn't help but pick one last aspect. Twilight had to hold back a chill when she remembered the alternate future in which none of them had been there to make it.

Twilight then knew what she would do, even if they couldn't share her opinion. A determined expression crossed her face as she quickened her pace towards the bedroom, with one last intention in her mind.

She wouldn't let anypony else sacrifice themselves for her.

A ray of moonlight slipped through one of the windows and revealed the organized state in which the room had been left. The occupier was ready to do her job.

Twilight rolled up with her magic the piece of parchment that she had been working with, on which she had recorded all the reasons that led her to do what she was about to do. She just hoped they could understand her.

She walked back to the desk and placed the parchment on it in a way that would be visible to anypony who entered the room. She then walked to her bed to take the blue scarf she had worn before, and once again wrapped it around her neck.

One last glance was what she needed to make sure everything was really in order. After she directed her hooves towards the open window. She put a hoof on the edge of it and let out a slight sigh.

Her room received a final look before she let her thoughts wander.

"Spike, brother, Cadence... I'm so sorry..."

With a last breath, Twilight turned and spread her wings. She took off with a swift flapping her wings, toward the night sky that stretched beyond her window.

Chapter 3

The moon shone steadily, partially hidden as it was behind a few clouds that floated calmly high in the night sky. It lit up the vast frozen wasteland below. And through it, in her flight, a pony was found.

The wind that had begun to blow before reaching the mountain range was a greater challenge for Twilight, though fortunately it was not yet strong enough to require much effort. However, what undoubtedly made her more uncomfortable was the biting cold that prevailed in the air, which prevented her from flying in a better way.

She tried to ignore that feeling as she carefully adjusted the saddlebag she had brought. Still, she couldn't stop it from moving with the wind, so sometimes she needed to accommodate it so it wouldn't get in her flight.

Twilight looked away for a moment at the pale night satellite in the midnight sky. Somehow, she silently wondered what the princess of the night would think. Then she let out a little laugh when she realized that, perhaps, she was supporting her with her clarity without her knowing it.

It didn't take long for the mountain range to fully show itself. Twilight let out an exhale when noticed its huge silhouette and flapped her wings a bit more to get into it. She really needed shelter from the annoying icy wind of the arctic behind those steep slopes.

Those large formations that rose above the ground gave the feeling that anypony could get lost in its slopes if they did not have previous knowledge and experience. Although for her it was different.

Twilight knew very well where to go thanks to the guiding spell she performed on the previous occasion. So her flight had a much shorter route this time. And after a while, the light of her horn finally illuminated the entrance to that cave.

The alicorn took a look and held back a shiver as she stared into the deep darkness. Yes, she was well aware of what hidden beyond. What she had to find.

Twilight entered slowly as she was supported by the light of her magic, with each step taken she moved a bit farther away from the entrance. From one moment to the next, darkness was the only thing that accompanied her when the slight light that could be seen outside the cave was quickly consumed by the shadows around her.

The sound of the outside wind abruptly stopped after her entrance. But contrary to what it seemed, the shadows clustered where her light was strongest. In fact, it seemed very strange that its desire was to consume her completely and extinguish the unnatural glow that was now visible around her. Twilight swallowed hard before resuming her way.

She continued on her way with a bit more mental conviction, confident that as long as she went on without deviating for a single second, she would soon see the bluish light of the crystal formations that predominated in the cave of the crystalline lilies.

But as the long minutes passed, it became apparent that the path continued straight along its entire length, with no sign of an opening at the end of it. Twilight stopped with a confused look. However, she thought that perhaps on the previous occasion the way had been shorter because she had spent her time conversing with her guard. Yes, maybe it was that.

But after a while she realized that there was nothing else in her way except the rock walls around her.

Twilight paused again as she let her head turn in various directions, perhaps in an attempt to figure out what was going on. But she couldn't see anything else around her and she frowned with some apprehension about that fact.

"This can't be possible"

She was sure she hadn't been in the wrong place, unless somehow her spell had failed. Something that wasn't impossible, but it still left her with a slight bewilderment in her face. She had been very careful at the time of launching it.

However, the other fact just didn't make sense to her. If she had to prove her thoughts right... Maybe that cave had disappeared. Completely gone.

Twilight held back a grimace at the implication of what that might mean. And yet, even though a rational explanation wasn't valid at the time, she realized that she could still feel the thread of magic pull her in its direction, inviting her to go beyond.

But the heavy silence that had accompanied her from the moment she put a hoof into the cave left her more anxious than she already was. That silence made her feel as if anything unexpected was going to suddenly come out of the darker depths, wishing to trap her in its darkness...

Twilight didn't dare move.

Her heartbeat began to pick up. Meanwhile, she could feel the nerves surfacing and spreading across her skin. The chills became inevitable, even though she closed her eyes and began to breathe slowly in an attempt to calm herself down and convince herself that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

But she came to an abrupt halt when she heard the sound of stones falling from the walls. Ok, now she could feel very well how her heart wanted to leave her chest, while her mind did not stop imagining possible scenes for what she had just heard. Maybe it had just been a simple slip? But she couldn't find the logic behind what happened next.

A crack gently scratched at the stone, as if it didn't want to be heard, but ironically it resounded loudly in the silent, cold corridor. Twilight didn't think twice and quickly ran off without looking back.

The strength of her heartbeat peaked when the heavy noise of her breathing was the only thing that accompanied her at that moment. That feeling didn't allow her to think in a better way, especially when she began to hear that sound getting closer.

At one point, Twilight noticed a new opening in the rock out of the corner of her eye and without thinking too much she swerved in that direction. The light shone brightly through the narrow passageway. And immediately she felt as if her pursuer's steps suddenly stopped, however that was quickly replaced by the faint flapping of wings.

She flapped her own wings in an attempt to increase the space between herself and whatever was behind her. But just when she thought she was already a good distance away from it, the intermittent screech of a pair of claws began to be heard much closer. There was no other option for her.

Twilight tried to get rid of the threat as she charged her horn in large bursts of energy. She turned and released the power, not caring too much about where it was pointing. She wanted was to get rid of it.

Several pink beams pierced through the darkness every few seconds. However, many missed its target or just bounced uselessly off the walls.

But eventually, Twilight turned her head and had a chance to see as one caused the bright wake of a sudden explosion that roared loudly, after hitting the bright flame of a green fire that lit up the hallway. A very familiar green fire.

"How...?"

Before she had a chance to turn off her magic, the energy beam of her next attack separated without her being able to do anything to stop it. Finally hit her target, but after that moment several things happened at once.

A familiar scream echoed in the place after Twilight's vision was suddenly blinded by a powerful light. Her flight became disoriented what causing her to fall and crash into the cold, slippery ground of a wide space that she had not noticed before in her frantic race.

Twilight got up again with a wince on her face as she sorted out her belongings. With quick steps, she ran back into the darkness of the corridor while keeping her magic on, but she took a step back when she noticed the familiar little silhouette in front of her cradling one of his wings. He looked up when he became aware of her presence.

"Uh... Hi, Twilight," Spike murmured with a nervous smile.

“'Hi, Twilight'?!” She shouted with an angry look on her face that made the dragon tremble. "That's all you have to say!?"

"Of course not," He snorted as he tried to get up, but the pain in his wing stopped him immediately as he grimaced.

Twilight snorted in annoyance and frowned, sighing in resignation and opening her purse to look for something. After a few seconds she took out several bandages and without saying another word, she turned to Spike and began to use her magic to analyze his wound. He allowed the alicorn to do her job, but then lowered his head to hide the embarrassed expression on his face.

"You... You're not upset, right?" He whispered after looking up just a bit.

"What do you think?" She replied without looking at him, concentrating entirely on healing his wing. Luckily, it had just been a scratch.

Spike looked down again, this time with a sad look on his face that Twilight couldn't help but notice. She pricked up her ears as she softened her own expression a bit and she turned to him after heaving a sigh. This time spoke in a calmer voice.

"I wanna to know how you followed me, but more than anything I'd like to know why you did it."

Spike raised his head again and let out a tired sigh.

"You were weird all day, Twilight. I thought it was just because your brother had told you and had made you clear what he thought about going with him, but after we went out you didn't bring it up again and I supossed that you had accepted it", He shrugged. "But at dinner time I found your attitude towards Shining's comment about that strange. You were too calm."

Twilight stared at him for a few seconds as she blinked rapidly, just a bit amazed that he could have noticed all that.

"But how did you know when to do it?"

"Your room is practically next door to mine," Spike raised an eyebrow, and if it hadn't been for the wound on his wing, he would have crossed his arms. "I could see the exact moment you came out."

"Okay..." She scratched the back of her head nervously. "I'm a bit surprised that you could followed me through the moor and mountains without losing sight of me, considering you still don't handle it properly," She said as she pointed to her wings.

Spike touched his chin with a claw as a thoughtful expression crossed his face, then shrugged slightly.

"I really don't know how I did it."

"Well," She nodded after running a hoof across her forehead. "What I don't understand now is why you did all this. I came alone precisely cause I didn't want anypony else to take a risk for something that was my fault, but now you're here... Why?"

Spike frowned slightly and looked down. His mind was busy searching for an answer to it.

"Cause I couldn't leave you alone," He looked into her eyes again and Twilight could see the determination inside him. "I couldn't let you face that again, at the risk of you getting hurt." He shook his head and put a claw on the alicorn's hoof. "I wanted to accompany you and be there for you like last time."

At those words, Twilight completely softened her gaze and raised the corners of her mouth in a small smile. She lured Spike into a gentle embrace and he soon reciprocated. She really couldn't deny the pride she felt at the time.

"What... What will you do now, Twilight?" He asked with a slight embarrassed expression after they parted.

She let out a sigh as she finished dressing his wound, then carefully adjusted the wing to its original position.

"We can't go back now," She looked into the darkness of the passage, then turned back to him. "We'll move on and maybe we'll find what I came for, but if you want to go with me you're going to have to follow my rules."

"And those would be...?"

"You must stand by me at all times and obey me in all what I say you," She answered, after standing on her hooves. "If I say to hide, run, or stay with me you must do it. Ok?"

Spike nodded, confirming everything she had said, and stood by her side as they walked towards the light of the new cavern. It opened into a chamber quite similar to the previous one Twilight had seen. At least it had the same bright blue crystals scattered all over the walls and ceiling, but it was much smaller.

"I have another question," She blurted out suddenly to her companion. "Why didn't you show up a while ago instead of chasing me? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was for you?" She reproached him as she frowned.

"Well... I just didn't mean to scare you any more than you already were," He answered her question with a slight nervous smile. "Although I have to admit that it was a bit fun. You should have seen the look on your face!" He continued this time with a laugh.

"Spike..." Twilight muttered with an embarrassed look on her face as she shook her head slightly. She wasn't amused.

After ignoring him, she began to walk beside him again. They ended up crossing the path that led beyond that little cave.

"Twilight, do you really think we're going to find it? You know... The King Sombra's horn," Spike whispered as he rubbed his claws, apprehensive about mentioning the dark unicorn's name. "I mean, you almost did it by pure chance."

"I hope so, though I don't think we'll be so risky," She looked at him with some conviction expressed on her face. "This time I'm going to make sure I handle the situation better. Also, that time I could feel that his power wasn't very strong, so I hope it's not so risky... In any case, we must be careful, as you already know."

"Well, I just hope you're right."

"Are you sure your spell is leading us in the right direction?" The dragon asked after they had just passed through a cavern suspiciously similar to the first. Actually, it felt like they were just going back to the same place.

Twilight looked around, at the crystal formations that had strangely taken on a deeper, duller hue as they went deeper into the mountain. Then she ended up frowning.

"I'm not sure..." She shook her head as she looked down at her horn. "My magic... I've felt it strange since we started, like something was affecting it."

"Well, I don't think we'll have to walk anymore," Spike pointed his claw toward an opening that Twilight hadn't seen in her distraction.

She opened her mouth in surprise, before quickly veering off the path into the dim light within. In the end, what greeted them when they crossed the threshold was a new chamber, however, this one was much larger. But regardless, that wasn't what left them both completely surprised.

They watched their own silhouettes from afar as a large mirror was displayed beyond. Twilight and Spike traversed the room of dark blue crystals, focused on the object in front of them. In a rather spectacular view, they were able to observe how the edges seemed to be completely fused with the crystal walls. What gave the glass mirror a certain magical and powerful aura.

They were definitely sure that it possessed magic inside.

But in their slow way, neither them noticed the wisps of darkness that seemed to emanate from the crystals.

"Okay, this is really weird now," Spike said as he looked at the grimace of his own reflection, questioning what he saw. "Why is there a mirror here?"

"I agree with you on the first point," Twilight nodded as she put a hoof on the slippery edge of it. "And I don't have the slightest idea about the latter."

She ran her hoof over the edge while muttering something to herself. Meanwhile, Spike couldn't help but worry when a sudden chill went up his spine.

"Uh... I think we'd better get out here, Twilight," He said, his tone rather concerned as he tugged at his friend's wing. He really couldn't ignore the feeling that bristled his scales. And that wasn't a very pleasant thing.

"You're right," She confirmed, after pushing her hoof away. She ended up taking a few steps back as she frowned again.

Twilight was about to turn when she suddenly felt Spike tense sharply beside her. She wondered why for a second, before she herself paralyzed when she finally realized what had formed behind them.

A huge mass of darkness, like a dense black and hellish haze, rose completely in the center as it dragged the dark ties that bound it to the walls, the same ones that had slowly made it grow in size. Simply, the shadows of the room had been gathering in one place without them noticing.

Twilight immediately looked beyond, and a growing fearful pang swept through her as she realized that her only way out was blocked by darkness. Without wasting a second, she quickly put Spike in her back as she spread her wings and rise. But after that, several things happened at the same time.

An annoying squeaking sound began to echo throughout the chamber without coming from any specific source. So painful that they just brought their hooves and claws to their ears as they closed their eyes and winced at the vibration that spread so relentlessly in their bodies. That prevented them from realizing what was happening next in their environment.

Twilight nearly crashed to the ground as she activated her magic and summoned a wide protective barrier that attempted to separate them from the fickle shadows of the room. However, they couldn't help but tense up at the deep growl that began to completely reverberate in the place.

It didn't take long for the silhouette of a head to form from the shifting darkness, and then settle down to reveal its unmistakable crimson horn. A pair of bright green eyes suddenly opened and revealed the reddish pupils, squinting in rage as he finally noticed the alicorn and the dragon.

Twilight and Spike visibly shuddered as that evil gaze crept over them. The squeaking from before just didn't allow them to react quickly enough.

Everything seemed to stand still for a second, before Sombra let out a furious roar and lunged into the dim light of Twilight's magic shield.

She tried to keep the protective spell going anyway. She didn't want to think at all about what might happen if it fell apart, even though it seemed to shrink quickly at the fury of his onslaught. What Spike tried to tell her was lost in the chaos.

But despite all her efforts, cracks began to spread rapidly through the bright shield. And in the end it just took a second for the inevitable to happen.

She looked in horror as her barrier fell for the dark spell that spread far and wide. She squeezed Spike tighter as they veered out of its way and she tried to activate her magic again, but it quickly went out in a flash. Then Twilight realized that she couldn't feel her magic, and that fact just left her even more disoriented

It didn't take long for shadows to surround them again. Twilight thought to see a new trail of darkness gathering all along Sombra's horn, however, her vision was quickly covered by the dark haze.

She wrapped her hooves around Spike and he also clung tightly to her as they tried to combat the growing fear that threatened to take hold them. But above all, another feeling also struggled to prevail in her.

The feeling to protect him.

Suddenly, an inexplicable gust of wind scattered the shadows and knocked them both down. But somehow, the way it blew seemed to insulate them from the threat as if it were some kind of protective barrier. The sounds in the room seemed to increase in pitch.

Twilight's eyes widened as a powerful flash lit up a few feet from where they were, but it was more surprising when she realized what it had been. There was her purse lying on the floor, but everything was different when she could see the violet glow shining with renewed force from the side of it. She stretched out a hoof and gave it a hard tug, causing something inside to pop out.

The alicorn looked in surprise at the object she had just lifted into her hooves. She saw how the glow emanating from the flower contained within it seemed to enhance as it connected with her aura. Twilight noticed it and brought it closer to her chest.

Suddenly, the buzzing seemed to drop in pitch as she could feel a warm sensation that seemed to flow from the object between her hooves into her body. Somehow it seemed to increase her magic even more.

Then a powerful and unexpected light burst forth before their eyes, causing the shadows that threatened to consume them to quickly disperse. And finally, from one moment to the next everything seemed to vanish from their ears, disappearing completely as it was quickly replaced by an eerie silence.

Twilight and Spike saw nothing more as their surroundings faded into darkness that, again, seemed to claim them.

Author's Note

If I takes me a while to publish, it's because college consumes my time.

Thanks for reading.✨

Chapter 4

As Twilight slowly opened her eyes, she realized that many things felt different. First, she tried to sit up carefully after blinking repeatedly because of the white spots that clung to her vision.

She could have blamed her disorientation on the sudden, bright light that had blinded her moments before, but she guessed that it was most likely due to the annoying buzzing that had echoed throughout the cavern and that its remains were still piling up in her ears.

Twilight began to analyze her situation as she rubbed her hooves on her forehead to protect herself from an impending headache. Then she adjusted the bag she was carrying to the side slightly and the scarf around her neck, although she actually felt a sudden warmth that encouraged her to take it off and save it for another time.

She turned her head to look around and was sincerely surprised when the fine white sands she was sitting on betrayed her presence on a clear beach, along with the sea of bright blue waters that stretched far beyond.

She didn't realize that she had been lying right on top of the sand, now the tiny particles covered most of her legs. She looked away, the trees of a dark woods returning it. And that fact caused her a slight sense of uneasiness.

Twilight looked straight ahead again with a confused expression on her face, as she thought about her situation. Had she been teleported? What had happened earlier suggested that this was most likely. But if so, what purpose did it serve for her that she had ended up in that place?

Twilight shook her head as she got up and started walking along the beach. She had a priority before continuing with that thought.

"Spike?" Twilight called out to him as she turned her head in all directions.

She had hoped to meet him on her way. He was with her when it all happened and maybe the same thing had happened to him. Although on the other hoof, Twilight definitely didn't want to think about that situation, but her mind kept coming back to that moment.

She wanted to know why she had made a mistake. The reason why Sombra had regained his power so quickly, why he was in that place, and why they hadn't noticed his presence. But at one point, as she continued to search, a familiar voice caused her ears to move forward.

"Twilight?"

The alicorn galloped to her place where she had heard it while being encouraged by the sound of it. It didn't take long for her to notice a small purple shape standing out against the pale sand. Spike looked up to see his friend running in his direction, and he barely had time to react when she pulled him in a crushing embrace.

"I'm so glad you're fine!" She said as she wrapped her front paws around his body.

"I'm glad too, Twilight... But... Could you?" Spike gently tugged at her wing, feeling suffocated.

Twilight realized this and let go him as a slight embarrassed look was seen on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied with a soft laugh. "It's good to see that you're okay."

"Of course I am," He smiled as he shook off his scales. "So any idea why we're on a beach instead of the cave where we were attacked?"

"I... I don't know," Twilight replied with a sigh. "I should have imagined this would happen before I dragged you with me." A guilty feeling appeared in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike patted his friend encouragingly. "I also didn't think I'd go through that again." He frowned with a worried look. "You had said it would take him a while to regain his power."

"Obviously I was wrong," she said after rubbing a hoof on her forehead and looking down. "And now we're in an unknown place... My brother and Cadence are going to be very worried." Finally she lowered her ears sadly as she thought of all the ponies she'd left at home with just a note to indicate where she'd gone.

What would they do when they realized she wasn't coming back and Spike wasn't there? And her friends? What would they do when they found out she hadn't returned from her trip? Twilight was snapped out of her musings by the snap of Spike's claws in front of her.

"I'm sure they'll do everything they can to find us," He said, intending to cheer her up a bit. "They are our family and our friends after all, but for now you've got me."

Spike gave her a confident smile that managed to calm Twilight's worries a bit. She lightly handed it back to him before pulling him back into her embrace. Then they parted.

"I guess we should figure out where we are now," Spike suggested as he took a look around.

Yes," she nodded as she stood up. "I can see that we end up somewhere on the East Coast or the West Coast, if we're lucky, maybe near a city.

"That doesn't tell us much," Spike said.

"Not really..." She gave him a slightly nervous smile. "We can fly and look more accurately from the air, perhaps..."

She couldn't finish speaking when a sudden explosion deafened their ears and shook the place. They both looked up and watched with wide eyes as thick black smoke rose from the woods a short distance away. But it didn't have the airy consistency of smoke, it seemed rather... the bonds of something dark taking shape.

"No..."

Before Twilight finished her whisper, a cloud of darkness quickly emerged from the forest and enveloped them both. It hid the bright daylight they had received and eventually turned it into the blackness of a starless night.

As much as they wanted to move, Twilight and Spike just paralyzed, flooded with the feeling of something they already knew. But Spike's trembling attitude beside her caused her to adopt a determined expression.

"I don't care how or why you got your powers back!" She pulled Spike closer to her body as she summoned a weak protective barrier with her magic. "B-but I won't let you hurt us!"

A few seconds of eerie silence was what they heard before a low, deep laugh echoed in their ears.

Twilight turned her head in an attempt to locate the source, but couldn't find an exact location. It just seemed to come from everywhere and none at once.

"Do you think you can always protect him, princess?" Sombra's voice boomed, exuding a special contempt in this last word.

Twilight couldn't help but shudder at his tone as she briefly glanced at the dragon. The darkness grew more ominous as what she felt deepened within her. She couldn't see him, but she sensed that he was somewhere beyond the mist.

"Oh, little alicorn, I can feel your fear..."

The shield flickered.

Twilight felt the pain that began to form quickly in her head, just behind her eyes, as that sensation grew... It took a while for her mind to comprehend what he was trying to do.

"No! I won't let you do it!"

Twilight flexed her legs as she placed Spike on her back to quickly retreat from there, but before she could spread her wings, she felt a large weight hit her back and knock her to the ground, leaving her breathless. Spike flew off with a startled scream.

Twilight didn't know when her barrier had fallen, nor did she notice that the shadows had receded from her vision field. She opened her eyes as she breathed heavily, only to see Spike being held in a crimson magic aura, with his muzzle covered and with an intense expression in his gaze.

Twilight turned her head slightly over her shoulder, not too surprised when her captor's furious red eyes stared back at her. His horn lit up in an evil glow, summoning the spell that held the dragon back.

She tried to move, but it ended up being a futile effort. The unicorn had her tightly pinned to the ground while holding a hoof on her back. The thin crimson pupils narrowed even tighter as Sombra's great form bent over her.

"Answer me, princess. How the hell did you end up here, and why did you have a veolum in your possession?" He ended with a grunt.

"What?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She stirred, seriously having no idea what he meant.

A brief frown appeared on the dark unicorn's face, and his grip loosened slightly. Twilight, with renewed spirits, took advantage of that moment. She teleported from underneath him in a bright flash and reappeared behind Spike. She then again executed the same spell to take him out of his control.

When she reappeared in the air, she actually had to do a complex trick by maneuvering her wings when a magic bolt passed very close to them. After placing Spike in her back, her new priority now was to dodge and get rid of the lasers that were pointed in their direction.

Twilight looked down and watched from her position as Sombra's eyes had turned a familiar bright green as purple smoke seemed to flow from his sides. Even his long, dark mane seemed to move, even though there was no breeze in the air.

Twilight renewed her elusive moves as she attempted to charge her horn with pure magic to hurl it at her attacker on the ground.

Both beams struck in a thunderous explosion that momentarily knocked her out of her way. She fired one more quickly, only for an energy field to stop her attack.

"Not bad, princess! But is that all you've got?" He pointed with an arrogant smile.

Twilight gritted her teeth when she heard him utter that title in a mocking tone. She didn't intend to stand there and exhaust her magic, which could already feel quite lacking. But on the other hoof, she questioned the state of Sombra's magic.

It couldn't be possible that he had just come back and his magic was so strong. On the other hoof, she let out a relief sigh when she realized that he didn't seem to intend to use his dark powers. Though now that she thought about it, he hadn't adopted her characteristic aura either.

His body seemed to be quite solid here, in contrast to the shifting shadows she had seen before. Nor did he wear his armor, nor his characteristic crown or his red cloak. Actually, it was a better change from what she had seen of him some time ago.

With a quick look around, Twilight decided the most sensible thing to do at that moment. She charged her horn with one last powerful beam that she hurled at the unicorn and then took advantage the smoke produced by the explosion to hide and flap her wings quickly, heading with Spike towards the immense expanse of blue sea behind them. She was aware that if she went into the woods, the unicorn would only end up chasing them. So she opted for that other option, at least until that she could organize herself and think better.

But as they walked away, Twilight thought she heard Sombra's voice in the distance, rumbling in a sinister tone that made her hair stand on end.

"It's useless to run away, you won't get where you want to go."

When Twilight thought they were far enough away, she slowed down her flight a bit. The open sea was all they saw.

"Why? Why does this have to happen?" She whispered.

"I wonder too," Her passenger replied as he rubbed his forehead with his claws palm. "What are we going to do now, Twilight?"

"I don't know..." She paused in mid-air. "I need a moment to think..."

"Fine, then..." Spike fell silent as he narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what's that?"

Twilight looked up to see what had caused her intrigue, only for her vision to be quickly covered by a dense mist. Spike's gasp was lost in the confusion as she tried to maneuver blindly, without much time to analyze its strange provenance.

"I didn't think this was going to get weirder!" Spike screamed to make himself heard, even though he was on top her. Twilight rolled her eyes and snorted in annoyance.

"Me least!"

"Twilight, watch out!"

Spike's warning came a bit late when the mist cleared and the land suddenly looked too close. Twilight gasped in surprise and reacted quickly enough that she wouldn't end up turned into pony puree. Spike jumped off her back before the crash landing and she got a bit lucky when she ended up with the front half of her body partially buried in the sand.

Twilight gave an annoyed look on her face at it all, though she also had a vague awareness that somepony was approaching, somepony who made Spike gasp in fear. She looked up slowly as a shadow fell over her.

"I suppose you've figured out what I already know." The dark stallion approached the alicorn, his shadow soon covering her completely. "Try as you might, you won't be able to escape this place."

Twilight quickly slipped out of her position and as far away from him as possible, taking Spike with her. However, there was one thing she couldn't let go.

"W-what do you mean? Where are we?"

She was actually surprised when he responded.

"In a place forgotten by the world, a place at odds with time. A place where a few grow stronger, while others perish." The intense expression in his gaze sent a shiver down Twilight's spine as he suddenly smiled, revealing the sharp tips of his fangs. "The privilege is not granted to everyone."

She dared to raise her fact after ignoring the sensation his answer had caused her.

"That doesn't make sense, there's nowhere place like that in Equestria."

This time, the look that Sombra gave her definitely left her with an unpleasant feeling that ran all over her body.

"Who says we're in Equestria?" He laughed darkly.

With a growing surprise on her face, Twilight spread her wings quickly as she put Spike back in her back. Then she rose. She had to see for herself, most likely Sombra was only deceiving her when it couldn't possibly be true. Although on the other hoof...

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Spike asked with a worried look.

She didn't answer.

Total comprehension suddenly fell into her mind as she saw everything from her vantage point.

"An... An island..." she whispered, not quite believing it.

"How?" Spike tugged gently at her mane as he craned his neck to check what she had said, and it was then that he could see the huge piece of land stretching out in front of them. His face grimaced just like hers. "What are we doing here?!"

Twilight descended slowly, the look on her face dejected as she realized they were no longer in their beloved land. When she looked back at the beach, her face took on a surprised expression when she noticed Sombra still there. She frowned when she noticed something more.

"You knew about this, so you must also know some way to get out of here," she pointed out to him after landing again.

"And you think I'm going to share that knowledge with you?" He approached slowly, causing Twilight to back off.

"I-I know you won't," she answered. "But if you haven't left yet, that's cause you need something from us."

Sombra paused and frowned in annoyance.

"If you noticed, the mist that prevented you from getting out is the same one that inhibits our magic," He let out a brief snort. "Thanks to your little rebelliousness we both deplete our reserve, until it slowly recovers again."

Twilight frowned and looked down. She had noticed before how her power felt... limited. So she raised her head again and asked:

"And what do you want from us?"

"Precisely both of you."

At his words, both the alicorn and the dragon put the same confused, gaping expression on their faces. An expression that was priceless for the unicorn. But Twilight quickly recovered from her stupor and ordered her mind to organize her thoughts.

"Why? What do we have to do with our being able to escape from here? If it's to use us and try to conquer the Empire again I won't let you! I don't..."

A low, deep growl from the stallion stopped her questioning, causing her to shut up and lowered her ears. Spike clung to her tighter, trembling slightly.

"I'm well aware that we don't trust each other, but pay attention to this: unless you want to see that little prince and the pink alicorn again, you'd do well not to question me so much." He approached her again, but this time she didn't move away. "You and the dragon are the key to getting out of this place, so unless you wish to stay trapped for a long time, you will have no choice but to believe what I say."

He added just to himself: "Maybe then you can be useful to me."

Unaware of the stallion's thoughts, Twilight and Spike frowned as they analyzed the situation. Neither of them liked that, but as much as they hated to admit it, they couldn't deny that he was probably right.

Sombra seemed to know where they were, and most likely also knew of a means by which they could escape. That didn't mean they were happy to let him show them, but unfortunately they had no choice. If they went into it on their own, with no idea where to go and no map to guide them, they would inevitably get lost.

"Twilight, you're not thinking about it seriously, right?" The dragon whispered in her ear, pursing his lips in a grimace. "He's a villain, our enemy, one of the worst, and he's probably lying."

"I don't know, Spike," she murmured back. "We don't know how to get out of here and he's probably the only one who can have any idea. I don't want us to take any chances after everything we've been through, but we don't have any other options, besides, there's the other thing..." She raised her voice again to address the stallion in front of her. "What did you mean when you said we're the key to getting out? We won't follow you until we know what you want us for."

Sombra began to walk towards the dark forest as the countenance on his face continued unfazed.

"Each pony breed has its own characteristics that set them apart from others." Twilight and Spike looked at him, confused at what he was trying to say. He ignored them. "Right in the center of this place is a portal that connects to the outside world, which must be activated by one of those features."

"Are you serious?" Twilight raised an eyebrow as she grimaced. "That seems too simple, besides, you only require me, not Spike."

"Are you going to keep questioning me, or are you going to start walking?" The unicorn inquired with a nagged tone in his voice, without even turning around.

Twilight frowned but continued with the same questions, this time in her mind. Meanwhile, she wondered if the tenuous truce they had apparently established between them would last long enough to allow them to get out alive.

Chapter 6

It was some time later that she woke up due to the heavy feeling of coldness in the air. Twilight opened her eyes slowly and turned her head slightly to look around. In a way she was surprised to find the place still dark, though she had a hunch that dawn would come soon.

She stretched slightly and yawned to push away the sleep that still remained. The next thing she noticed was how the chill in the air had increased, apparently the small fire they made ended up going out during the night.

She rose from her seat as she hung up her backpack, though she left the cloak in Spike's sleeping form beside her. She left the clearing without much haste and walked without going too far. Because it wouldn't take long for the sun to rise, it no longer made sense for her to stand there waiting. In addition, she needed to find to certain stallion to warn him of her departure.

That wouldn't take too long, though.

From his place in the darkness, Sombra watched as the alicorn's form drifted away from the clearing. He thought he had really been very lucky when he realized that it had been none other than one of the equestrian princesses who had crossed his path. The same princess who had unconsciously influenced the restoration of his power.

His scarlet eyes followed her on her way, meanwhile he wondered if she or the dragon would be lucky enough to follow him across the island and survive the attempt. After all, he didn't think they would be particularly useful when he went out if they didn't, though maybe the princess had enough guts. If she succeeded, maybe her situation wouldn't be so bad when he came back and claimed what belonged to him.

Sombra gave a low snort as he got up from his place and walked in the direction of her. It was about time they started moving, before it appeared.

Nearby, Twilight scanned her surroundings with her gaze after forcing the light magic of her horn due to the darkness that still reigned in the woods. In the silence that followed, she finally gave a start when she heard the sound of hooves behind her. She turned with a quick turn, only slightly surprised as Sombra's dark form emerged from the trees.

"Are you afraid of the dark, princess?" He raised an eyebrow mockingly.

Twilight frowned.

"You just surprised me, that's all," She replied after taking a few steps back.

"You'd better not be left behind," He announced in a deep tone that sent a slight shudder down her spine. "I'll be gone before the sun rises." He turned in a certain direction as the princess's voice suddenly questioned.

"Why so early?" She asked suspiciously. "Why can't we wait for dawn?"

"It's none of your business to know." He kept pulling away from her, not caring as she snorted angrily behind him.

After Sombra left and seemed to live up to his name by disappearing into the darkness, Twilight rubbed a hoof on her forehead to ward off a nascent headache, while taking deep, slow breaths in an attempt to calm herself. It was too early for her to feel upset.

Then a sudden squeal roused her from her exercise and Twilight startled again. She looked up and moved her ears to the spot where she had caught it. She narrowed her eyes slightly, only to notice the glow of a pair of yellow eyes that stared back at her from a nearby tree branch.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as she took a closer look at the owl that had scared her, except... Suddenly she realized that the owls didn't emit squeals.

The truth was that the bird in front of her wasn't even an owl, worse, she had no idea what it was. From a distance it looked like a strange cross between an eagle and an owl, and only so far did the resemblance to those feathered animals go, unless her eyesight failed her and what she had just seen moving behind it was a long reptilian tail. Twilight could only take a step back when she noticed that this creature bore some resemblance to a cockatrice.

Several squeals from the trees made her turn her head, and Twilight saw more in the branches... more than she first thought. She retreated very slowly as the others came in a silent flight and she tried to hold back a shudder when all those yellow eyes pointed in her direction, but to no avail.

The shiver that ran down her spine was not pleasant at all. Her instinct told her that these beings were not there just by chance. Nor what she suddenly felt.

Twilight gasped as one of the creatures lunged at her in a loud shriek. Her instinct immediately kicked in as she tried to dodge sharp claws from its strong, scaly legs. Without wasting a second, she flapped her wings and flew frantically out of the place, so lost in her fear by the shrieks behind her that she did not notice the dark figure that stood in her way until she crashed into him.

She crashed so hard that she knocked them both to the ground. But it was only when she heard the loud angry growl coming from beneath her that her mind cleared a bit to notice that she had flown back towards Sombra.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He roared furiously, trying to shake her off.

Twilight didn't answer. The words in her mouth didn't come out when she heard the squeals getting closer and closer. She got up quickly and crossed the small clearing without looking back, where Spike was still asleep and oblivious to everything.

"Spike! Wake up! Now!" She hurried him as she shook him hard, there was no time to be subtle.

"What...?" He blinked with obvious reverie, however, Twilight's frantic expression and the strange sound he could suddenly hear, put him on alert.

She barely heeded his confused question as she grabbed her cloak and fastened it tightly. Then she lifted him up and put him in her back. Spike gripped as tightly as he could, even if he didn't understand what was happening. It was only when she heard the galloping sound of hooves and the eerie shrieks of the unpleasantly nearby creatures that she allowed herself to look back.

Twilight flew swiftly as the stallion passed by her without looking away, now her new goal was to follow him no matter where he went... A much better plan than going back.

"What did you do!?" Sombra shouted angrily enough to make Twilight shake off the state that had possessed her.

"I don't know! You tell me!" She yelled at him as she looked back several times, worried they wouldn't seem to lose them.

He only let out a deep growl as he looked straight ahead, with a renewed gallop. Soon she had to flap her wings much more quickly to keep them from being left behind.

"Twilight, what's going on?" Spike tugged a bit harder on her mane as he tried to make sense of the situation he had suddenly gotten himself into. "Why do those things haunt us?!"

"I don't know!"

She glanced over her shoulder briefly to confirm Spike's words, so she finally opened her eyes wide when she realized that the threat was much closer than she would have liked. But she was really the one who lagged behind.

Twilight tried to flap her wings faster in an attempt to level off at the same speed that the stallion in front of her was running. Although at that point that was already getting pretty difficult.

"Any suggestions for losing them?" Twilight asked nopony in particular.

"Do you want a suggestion? Well, I suggest you run!" Sombra rumbled angrily in front of her, still unable to understand how that stupid princess had managed to attract those creatures so easily.

Twilight grunted, tempted to gallop on the ground and give her already aching wings a moment's rest.

But before she could make that intention a reality, a sudden shriek sounded to her right. Twilight saw movement out of the corner of her eye and managed to react quickly enough not to be grazed by those sharp appendages... once again. However, Spike wasn't so lucky when he almost fell off the mare's back due to the surprise, causing Twilight to slow down for a moment.

"Spike, hold on!" She shouted as she grabbed him with a single hoof, then forced her magic and placed him once more on her back.

"Those things are everywhere!" He shrieked as he turned his head.

Twilight gritted her teeth and began to run swiftly on the ground, refusing to constantly look around. In the end, she soon surpassed the unicorn with her speed, in part due to the earth pony magic that ran through her veins.

As she followed, the screams came back louder and magic beams suddenly began to fly everywhere. She had to do the same with her magic when the creatures began to become even bolder in its attack. A couple of it fell to the ground, stunned by her magic and Spike's fire, but most simply dodged it with astonishing ease.

Twilight was shocked after turning her head for a moment and seeing a few of those birds on the ground, all stunned. She could already imagine who had caused that.

But when she decided to take a quick look at the unicorn behind her, she ended up widening her eyes in surprise as she noticed the large winged figure rising above him, claws open and ready for its attack. The warning came out without a second thought.

"Sombra!"

He frowned quickly, and Twilight saw the exact moment when he turned his head, ready to face the new threat. But she had the impression that he wouldn't have enough time. However, before she could gather the magic of her horn into a new beam, a bright reddish light blinded her for a moment.

Twilight looked away as she slowed down her running a bit, blinking to remove the white spots that stuck to her vision. When she turned again, the large bird was on the ground, knocked out by the spell the unicorn had cast.

She resumed her race while, in the past instant of her brief disorientation, the stallion had taken the opportunity to overtake them again. Now he was a few steps ahead of them.

"Why didn't we just lose them?!" Twilight shouted as the few remaining birds continued its attack.

Unfortunately, she couldn't force her magic anymore. She only had enough left to solve future problems, so she certainly needed to secure it. Although it seemed that she was not the only one suffering from this situation because she did not see Sombra resume his own offensive.

He shook his head in annoyance, glancing briefly at his curved horn. He was starting to get tired of the situation of not being able to use his true magic, of not being able to feel the wisps of dark power around him. But he would be patient, after all, when it returned, it would do so stronger than ever.

He then frowned after hearing the princess's silly question, though he knew very well that she obviously couldn't know what had triggered the chase. He forced himself to turn his gaze in her direction just so she wouldn't insist any longer.

"Because it won't leave us alone until we get out of its territory," He replied in a deep tone before turning again.

Twilight blinked several times after he said that. So surprised had she been with the stallion willingly answering her question, that she almost stumbled in her way, something she was able to avoid by spreading her wings quickly to keep her balance.

"And how will we know?" She asked, dodging a fallen log she wouldn't have seen had it not been for her light.

"Just keep running!" The unicorn shouted.

After those words he said nothing more and stepped forward. Twilight still couldn't comprehend how he didn't seem to be too exhausted despite how long they'd been at it, though she could catch the slight, labored breathing that was beginning to appear in him. She guessed that his stamina was also due to all the momentary adrenaline.

Fortunately for Twilight and Spike, it didn't take long for the squeals to start getting lower. Or perhaps farther and farther away?

The knowledge that those things were being left behind made Twilight emboldened and flapped her wings even faster, despite the faint darkness that still lingered in the forest. She had a hunch that the sun was beyond.

But she honestly didn't expect that as she stepped out of the tree line, the bright light of dawn blinded her in her face so suddenly, something that obviously caused the disorientation of her flight.

Twilight stopped suddenly, causing Spike to jump off her back as he flapped his own wings in an attempt not to encounter the hard dirt, which was made difficult by the cloak he was still wearing. At least both managed not to crash to the ground.

Twilight took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright light, after that she began to walk towards where Spike was. And in the end, they both turned their heads towards the place in the forest where the loud sound of hooves hitting the earth could be heard.

They turned in time to see Sombra come out in a calm step, completely unperturbed as he stepped out into the sunny morning.

Twilight frowned as she saw that he didn't seem to be too affected by what had just happened, not even his body betrayed the accelerated state they had started the morning with, except for the faint layer of sweat that made his dark gray fur stick slightly to him.

On the other hoof, she couldn't have been a more obvious disaster of a weary pony, luckily she wasn't too concerned about her appearance. Spike didn't seem to be doing so well either, even if he'd been on her back the whole time.

"How is it possible that we just escaped from those things and you're so fine with it?" Twilight whispered after letting out a soft sigh, still from her position on the floor. She looked up again, raising her voice. "What were those creatures?"

"Does it matter now if I tell you?" Sombra grumbled.

"Of course it matters!" She screamed in a burst that unconsciously opened her wings. "We almost could..." Twilight jumped to the conclusion of something when she closed her wings again. "The truth is that now I think we could have..."

Spike glanced at his friend, who had her front paws around her body in a hug as she trembled slightly. He knew what she had on her mind and what she couldn't pronounce. Then he walked over to her and began to caress her as a comfort.

On the other hoof, Sombra frowned upon seeing the alicorn's status and thought that maybe she didn't have what it takes to cross the island, even if she had managed to overcome the first challenge.

However, the mare's condition seemed to disappear as she separated her front hooves from her body and adopted an expression that he could see as determination.

"You'll tell us everything we need to know," Twilight demanded.

He didn't like the tone of her voice at all.

"What makes you think I'm obligated to do it?" He growled, baring his fangs slightly as he slowly approached her. "Nopony tells me what to do, least of all a mare without importance."

"You need me anyway!" Twilight began again in an angry scream. "We deserve to know if there are more things in this place that are a potential danger or wants to see us dead."

Despite the obvious and imminent potential danger in front of her, Twilight allowed herself to raise the corners of her mouth into something resembling a smile.

"I'm not entirely ignorant of what you're really looking for."

Sombra forced himself to adopt an expressionless look on his face, even though inwardly he was doing his best not to show that mare where she belonged for daring to speak to her king like that.

Ponies would always be just as impertinent.

He had really wished to abandon the alicorn and the dragon on that beach to their fate, so that now he wouldn't have to endure the annoyance of their presence. Although, perhaps, he shouldn't have to.

Sombra shook his head slightly with a sigh of disgust, pushing those thoughts out of his mind... for the time being. Obviously, it hadn't been necessary to tell the princess that she wasn't really that indispensable to get out of there, but along with the dragon she was more useful in another way.

They would be his bargaining chip when the time came. So for now, he had to force himself to put up with them for as long as he was patient.

He emitted a low grunt before speaking again.

"To answer your question, those creatures are relatives of what you ponies call cockatrices, without a rooster's head and without a petrifying gaze, but just as lethal, especially before dawn if you're in its territory. Are you happy now?"

Ignoring the sarcasm in his voice, Twilight looked down for a moment as she cocked her head.

"But why did it attack us?"

Sombra's snort was audible to both of them.

"Apparently those things are naturally drawn to magic," He gave a smile that made Twilight squint in suspicion. "Which is to say that you have shown me that new feature that it possess, unfortunately I don't think it's comforting for you know it."

"Are you saying that I caused it to persecute us?"

His insinuation ended up angering her, even if she somehow and unconsciously knew he was right.

"You were the only one who had activated her magic," He pointed simply. "My intention was to traverse its territory in complete silence to avoid its attack, something that was obviously did not end up being possible."

Twilight didn't continue to argue anything after that, just gritted her teeth and turned to Spike to check on his condition. She didn't like that he was right, but she didn't have to listen to him either.

"Twilight, I think you'd better relax for a while," Spike said as he took off his cloak. "Confronting him in this way will not bring anything good."

She sighed with infinite weariness as she tried to take his advice. Anyway, she couldn't help but look at the place where the unicorn was, who had already moved away and was clearly satisfied with forgetting about them for a while.

Twilight shook her head and looked back at Spike, determined not to worry about the stallion or what he was doing as long as he left them alone.

"You're right, Spike, I think it's time for me to rest again."

Chapter 7

"Twilight has taken longer than usual. Don't you think so, Shining?" Cadence said, frowning in a slight worried expression.

The rulers of the Crystal Empire were already at their usual breakfast place, still waiting for a certain alicorn and her little dragon companion to arrive at the table. Clearly they were already feeling some confusion about their tardiness.

Shining Armor also frowned at his wife's words.

"It's weird, Twilight usually gets up as soon as Princess Celestia makes the sun rise and she's the one who sometimes wakes Spike up," He replied after swallowing the portion of breakfast he had in his mouth. "Although maybe she just wants to relax in her room for a day after everything that happened before."

"I suppose so," Cadence said with a sympathetic look. "That was quite a lot for a single mare."

"I think so," Shining let out a brief snort. "Anyway, I'll send two ponies to their rooms to bring them breakfast."

After calling out to two of the staff crystal ponies near them, they both approached and bowed their heads in respectfully to their rulers. After Shining Armor indicated his orders, the two stallions nodded and made their way to the palace kitchens ready to carry it out.

It was not long before their paths led to the rooms in one of the wings of the castle, where the Hero of their Kingdom and the Princess of Friendship were now staying.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Prince has ordered me to bring her breakfast," One of them spoke as he tapped softly on her bedroom door with a hoof. "Please, open to me."

After a few moments of silence, the crystal pony tilted his head slightly and tried again, this time a little harder. Like the previous occasion, nopony answered, there was not even the slightest sign of noise behind it.

The stallion frowned in confusion as he took a few steps back and turned his head to where his companion was, at the door of the other room at the end of the hall. The pony shook his head.

"I don't think there's anyone in the room, Silver," He said as he approached with the dragon's breakfast tray neatly placed on his back. "It seems that Spike the Brave got up earlier than usual."

"And where would he go?" Silver asked, placing the tray he carried in his hooves on his back. "Nopony among the servants and guards saw him leave."

"Well, he's a dragon, so he could just fly," The other justified.

"Maybe," He shrugged slightly. "Princess Twilight doesn't answer me either, maybe they're just still sleeping."

"Then let's just drop their breakfasts and go out quietly again," Suggested the other crystal pony.

The servant nodded to his companion before turning to grab the door handle with a hoof. It put up no resistance and opened quickly. The stallion was a bit surprised that the princess's room was not properly locked, but he soon forgot that when he finally entered it.

He observed everything, from the perfectly arranged room to the neatly arranged bed and the open window that let in the sunlight. And more importantly, the room was completely empty. He set the tray aside to keep it from falling out of surprise.

"Tide!" He called to his friend as he ran toward him. "There's nopony here! Where's the princess?"

The other stallion entered the room and turned his gaze back to the servant, now with a frown on his face.

"The other room is empty, too. And nopony saw them come out!"

"Then I think the parchment on that desk might give us the answer," He pointed to the rolled-up paper on the princess's desk. "We have to take it immediately to Their Highnesses," He emphasized after slamming a hoof into the ground.

His companion nodded and took the paper with his snout. They both left the room, leaving it tightly closed this time, and without wasting a second, they went to the place.

***

"I can't believe she did that!"

The white unicorn's cry echoed throughout the space of his royal chambers, not at all happy when they informed them of the situation and read the note Twilight had left for them. Cadence closed the door behind her as she entered the room.

"I made it specifically clear to her that I didn't want to see her involved in the matter. But she ignored me anyway and did what she thought best!" Shining snorted furiously and with clear anger.

Cadence could only frown a little as she approached a few steps, staying by her husband's side before putting a hoof on the stallion's shoulder. He momentarily turned in her direction when he felt her touch.

"You have to calm down for now, Shining," She said after letting out a small sigh. "We must keep a cool head to better resolve this situation."

"Calm down? How am I going to calm down, Cadence?" Shining said as he turned to her. "What she did by leaving is putting her in too great a danger!"

"I know, but Twilight is an adult mare. She's aware of her actions, as she made it clear in the note."

"That doesn't take away from the fact that she can get hurt," Shining Armor shook his head. "It happened recently. What guarantees that it can't happen again?"

Cadence looked down and walked in a certain direction, toward a large table in one corner of the room. She activated her magic and picked up the paper that was there.

"Still, you read what she put in the letter," Cadence turned around with an unusual bright look in her eyes. "What was her true desire."

The scroll continued to float in her magic, before she directed it to her hooves. The bright black ink of the letters contrasted nicely with the light background, highlighting the well-kept calligraphy of the younger princess. Cadence turned the paper in his direction, and although Shining didn't pick it up, he could read very well what was written on it.

And his mind was able to highlight one phrase in particular.

"It's my responsibility to protect those I love."

Shining Armor frowned slightly and gave a low snort. Cadence smiled a bit as she noticed that she already had him.

"Even if I don't agree with what she did either, I can understand her: She went alone just because she didn't want anypony else to get hurt," The princess finished saying.

"But at the risk of her getting hurt," The unicorn argued. "Although she's not entirely alone, Spike's not here either."

"Twilight wouldn't have let him go with her, I'm sure of that. Maybe he could have followed her?" Cadence asked intriguingly after tucking a hoof under her chin.

"Most likely," Shining nodded. "But I don't know if Twilight told him or if he somehow found out."

"The second is the best possibility," Cadence reached over and stroked his shoulder. "Now, if Spike is with her, we just have to wait for them to come back."

"What if..." The stallion began, but was quickly interrupted.

"If they don't, you can go on with the original plan," The princess determined. "After all, it's already organized by you, and you told me that everypony knows what they have to do." She frowned a little worriedly. "I just hope that we don't have to use it."

"I don't expect it either" Shining stood up and let out a brief snort, Cadence followed. "We should give this news to the princesses, though I don't think they'll be too happy when they find out, especially Princess Celestia."

"She's definitely not going to like it," Cadence confirmed in dismay, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "And I also think we should tell Twilight's friends in Ponyville, they deserve to know."

Shining Armor nodded at her words.

"Princess Celestia will surely take care of it."

"Then we need to get to that right away, I'll send it to her." Cadence walked over to where what she would need was, right on her desk. Before settling in, she turned with a sympathetic expression in her gaze. "I understand how you feel, Shining, after all they are also my family, I just want to tell you that you are not alone in this."

Shining approached her with a small smile that contained sadness, but anyway, his wife's words had managed to reach him, as it always did.

"Thank you, Cady," He whispered before gently wrapping his front paws around her.

Cadence returned the hug that expressed all the gratitude and affection they felt for each other, as well as that strong emotion that she had always been able to feel in him, which made her heart fill with happiness.

"You're welcome, Shiny," She replied as she caressed his back gently, then placed a small kiss on his lips.

After the two slowly parted, Shining Armor walked to the door with the intention of leaving her alone at work so that she could focus. He, on the other hoof, had other tasks to perform. But one last worried thought of a certain mare stood out in his mind.

"Come back soon, sister."

The sound of two pairs of horseshoes echoed through the corridors of the Royal Castle of Canterlot.

The princess of the night trotted somewhat hurriedly, intrigued by the call she had received from her sister just before she decided to let herself be carried away into the dream world she dominated.

However, she had a hunch that it was all related to the infamous news that had reached them just a day before, the news of the possible return of the King of the Shadows.

When she reached the room, she activated her magic. A dark blue aura enveloped one of the doors that then ended up opening.

"I've arrived, sister," she announced as she closed the door behind her. "What news do you bring back from the Crystal Empire?"

The white alicorn standing in front of her bedroom window turned around, and Luna's alarms went off in her head as she noticed the worried expression in her gaze.

"Read it for yourself, sister," she showed him the paper that floated in the golden aura of her magic. The younger princess quickly took it with hers.

Luna's expression became more and more frantic as she read and delved deeper into the words written there. When she had finished, there was a clear frown on her face, but when she became more aware of her sister's dejected countenance, her gaze softened a little.

"Oh, Tia," Luna stood beside her and wrapped a wing around her. "I can't imagine how you feel now."

"I'm worried, Lulu," Celestia leaned back in her sister's wing. "On the hoof, I understand what she did and the reason that led her to that, I can even say that I feel proud." The corners of her mouth tried to rise into a smile, before it quickly lowered. "But on the other hoof I can only think of her, alone, trying to face him. I know that last time she managed to overcome that situation successfully, but she has never directly faced the danger that he poses."

Luna looked at her and straightened up a bit before she began to speak.

"I understand that you don't want her to be in the same situation that I went through, but you mustn't forget that she is strong and completely capable of dealing with it," Luna gave her a slight smile. "After all, she learned from the best teacher," she said in an attempt to cheer up her sister.

Luna gave herself a mental point when she noticed her sister's expression change a little. In the end, Celestia nodded slightly to her words and stood up, her sister following her.

"I think you're right." The older alicorn turned her gaze back to whatever lay beyond her window. "I have to trust that she can do it."

"Then what shall we do now, sister?" The princess of the night asked, entering into the burning question for which she had been summoned.

Celestia turned and walked toward her.

"I'll go to the Crystal Empire, Cadence and Shining Armor need support," She put a hoof on the younger princess's shoulder. "I trust you can take care of everything while I'm gone."

"You can trust me, sister," Luna adopted a determined expression as she put a hoof on her own chest. "Our subjects won't even notice your absence."

Celestia gave a faint laugh at the sound of her younger sister's enthusiasm.

"But first, there's something I need to take care of before I go," She said as she walked toward the desk in her room.

"And that is...?"

Celestia took one last look at Luna.

"Reporting this to a certain group of mares."

Chapter 8

The sound of galloping hooves could be heard echoing off the walls and glass floor of the castle of friendship. It was caused by a cowboy hat-wearing earth pony, running towards her destination because of the message she had recently received.

Suddenly, a swift gust of air passed by her side, giving her an unexpected boost. She almost tripped due to having to grab her hat tightly and put it in place when it blocked her view.

"Rainbow Dash!" She shouted at the pegasus that had caused this.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Applejack," Rainbow slowed down a bit to be by her side, "But the message Starlight sent us seems to be an important one. What do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure," Applejack shook her head as she jogged a bit more calmly now. "After all, it was just saying that she needed to talk to us and that it was urgent."

Applejack opened the great door that led to the hall where the seven thrones and the map of the castle were located. When they entered, their friends were already there and they all had the same confused expression on their faces.

"Well, we're all here," Starlight announced with a hint of relief in her voice as Applejack and Rainbow settled into their respective seats.

"Why did you call us so urgently, my dear?" Rarity asked in her usual refined tone of voice, but with a slightly worried look on her face. "Did something happen?"

"Are there any problems in Ponyville that we need to solve while Twilight is gone?" Rainbow Dash asked expectantly.

"Nothing has happened in Ponyville, Rainbow," Applejack interjected. "In any case, a few problems with pests in the family garden." She frowned a bit before muttering to herself. "I honestly have to ask Twilight for some help with that when she get back."

"Oh! Maybe she's the one who needs our help!" Pinkie Pie suggested, holding up a hoof.

"Why would she need our help, Pinkie?" The other earth pony in the group asked.

However, none of the mares noticed when Starlight's expression suddenly changed.

Pinkie Pie just shrugged.

"Well, it's not the first time we've helped her with one of her projects," She said simply.

Applejack stared at her for a moment.

"You've got a point there," She conceded.

"Truth is, girls... it's that it does have to do with Twilight, and Spike," Starlight spoke again with a marked nervousness in her voice.

The others were silent when the unicorn announced this, but what really caused her silence and the worry to spread like wildfire among them was when they heard her speak in that way.

"Now I'm worrying," Applejack broke the silence. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

Starlight sighed deeply, mentally preparing to let them know the news that was the source of her concern. She just hoped they wouldn't react so badly to it, though she doubted it a bit.

She wrapped an object near her in the turquoise aura of her magic and lifted it up as she drew it to her hooves. The object was a letter from Canterlot, on which was stamped the royal seal of Princess Celestia.

"Hmm, Starlight... I don't think Princess Celestia usually sends you letters." Rainbow raised an eyebrow with a slight tilt of her head. "Or am I wrong?"

"No, and there's a reason for that." Starlight looked up and turned to them. "When Twilight and I talked about the project she wanted to do these days in the Crystal Empire, she told me that she might have to venture near one of the mountain ranges around it. She wanted to investigate a kind of crystal flower that exists there..."

"Oh, it must be those beautiful crystal lilies we sometimes see when we visit the empire," said Rarity.

"We can understand that," Rainbow Dash interjected after gesturing with her hoof, then turned to the other unicorn. "But let's get to the question. What happened to Twilight and Spike, Starlight?"

They were all waiting for Starlight's answer. She stirred a bit uncomfortably at her position.

"Well, as Princess Celestia says in her letter, while she was studying it in a cave, she found an object..."

"What was that?" Applejack asked as her brow furrowed once more. The other girls were just as intrigued.

"The horn of a former enemy," Starlight blurted out at last. "If I remember correctly, the former ruler of the Crystal Empire who made it disappear for a thousand years."

A new silence spread among the whole group as soon as she finished telling the news. And what news.

The mares' reaction was mixed: while some expressed disbelief, surprise, and even annoyance at the same time, others had a fearful or thoughtful expression on their faces. Applejack again was the one who broke.

"I can hardly believe you're talking about the King Sombra."

"Yes, that's his name," Starlight nodded. "Twilight found his horn, but it apparently did something that caused her to faint and General Sentry had to fly her back to the castle. When she woke up, she told Spike and her brother, and he told the princesses."

When she finished answering, the room this time didn't fall silent, quite the opposite. The mares began to argue with each other, some to a lesser extent than others, but they all had something to say about the situation.

"How could that happen!?" The rainbow-maned pegasus complained with a loud cry. "The Crystal Heart was supposed to destroy it!"

"Just like Starlight just told us, it looks like it didn't quite do it, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said.

"I'm glad Twilight had a gentlecolt get her out of there in time," Rarity said as she put a hoof on her chest.

And among all the questions and comments that rained down on the table, the unicorn managed to capture the questioning that was of interest.

"When did that happen, Starlight?" The cowboy pony asked.

"Two days ago, yesterday was the princesses informed," she answered.

"Then you haven't finished telling us everything yet, cause otherwise it would have been Twilight who would have told us about it."

Starlight straightened up in place. It was time to tell them the real reason why she had called them.

"In the letter she says that Twilight decided to go back to find the horn on her own," she finally announced. "And Spike probably followed her without her noticing."

New silence.

This time he was broken by the other unicorn of the group.

"Are you serious, my dear?" Rarity asked, blinking rapidly. Starlight nodded.

"Oh, poor things," Fluttershy looked down and put a hoof on her chest.

"Of course she's serious, I just can't understand why Twilight did that," Applejack shook her head. "I know she's capable of doing it, but we're still talking about the King Sombra. He's not a pony to be taken lightly."

"As Princess Celestia says in her letter, she did it for us, so that no one else would risk her position," Starlight began again, and the others widened their eyes when they received this new information. "And I think now I can understand that."

They all lowered their gazes, meanwhile a thoughtful countenance formed on their faces.

"I know you girls know a lot more about him when you faced him and all that in the Empire," Starlight began again, looking at them all closely. "But I'm willing to go and be there for Twilight and Spike when they come back."

The next comment came from a certain pink pony.

"Starlight's right, girls," Pinkie Pie said. "Twilight is our friend just like Spike and we should support them in any situation. So who's signed up to go with me too? And with Starlight!"

Pinkie had now climbed onto the table, moved quickly to Starlight's side, and made her lift a hoof along with her. Starlight laughed nervously at her enthusiasm.

"Obviously I'm in!" Rainbow Dash jumped into the air.

"You can count on me," Fluttershy whispered softly.

"With me, too," Rarity announced. "You should always support a friend and make sure they are fine, especially after their adventures."

"Oh, of course I'm going, too," Applejack said, adjusting her hat. "After all, Big Mac and granny Smith can take care of the farm stuff while I'm gone."

"Well, I suppose we can meet in a few hours to leave the station," Starlight said at the end as she shifted her gaze around the group, she saw how they nodded.

She noticed each and every one of their expressions: Applejack and Rainbow Dash's determined gaze, Pinkie Pie's enthusiastic gaze, Rarity's worried but resolute gaze, and even Fluttershy's shy gaze, but which still denoted inner strength, willing to do anything for their loved ones.

But they all had a common goal inside them and that was to be there for their friends in whatever was needed.

Night was already beginning to fall in the Crystal Empire... and there was still no sign that Twilight or Spike would appear anytime soon.

To say that Shining Armor was frustrated was actually saying very bit, but he wasn't the only one who was upset. Cadence held a tired Flurry Heart in her hooves, tears threatening to come out of her eyes.

"I think Flurry misses her aunt."

"And I think she senses what's going on, Sunburst, too," Cadence added to his comment, as she gently rocked her daughter in an attempt to calm her down. "We need to solve this quickly."

"We'll stick with the plan that was determined before, but now this has turned into something much bigger," Shining said.

The three older ponies in the room turned their heads as the large doors of the throne room opened. Then Princess Celestia entered in all her majestic appearance and they smiled when they noticed the group of ponies following behind her.

"Ah, I'll never tire of admiring the beauty of the Crystal Empire every time we come."

"Are you serious, Rarity?" I forgot how many times we've done it," Rainbow Dash said boredly.

"Though the truth is, I have to agree with Rarity, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy spoke softly.

"Yes, it's very pretty and all that," Applejack snapped. "But now we have to concentrate on the issue at hoof."

"Of course, Applejack, I was just saying..."

A sudden clearing of their throats in front of them made them slightly startled, realize where they had finally arrived. They received a quick greeting from the three ponies.

"It's good to see them all again," Cadence smiled slightly. "Even if it's under these circumstances."

"Don't worry, princess, we're always ready to help our friends," Applejack said with a nod.

"Could you put us fully in the context of the situation?" Starlight stepped forward with her question. "The letter that Princess Celestia sent me made us a bit aware of what is going on, but we would appreciate knowing everything."

Cadence nodded, and both she and Shining Armor set out to tell everything that had happened since Twilight had returned to the castle.

The others listened intently as they spoke. From time to time they made comments and asked questions, but most of the time they remained silent. Finally, Shining Armor showed them the scroll that Twilight had left behind.

After the mares had read the words written there, the whole room fell silent. Then one mare in particular broke it.

"Well, it's obvious now that we must find them," Starlight emphasized after folding the paper in her magic.

The other mares nodded in a show of agreement to the unicorn, each with a frown of determination reflected on their faces.

"I'm willing to go on any mission you have planned," Rainbow Dash offered.

Applejack slammed a hoof into the ground, expressing her own opinion and intentions regarding the idea of the pegasus, after all she didn't want it to be her alone. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Celestia smiled at the attitude of the group.

"I suppose then we can divide the tasks between all of us to cover more," Celestia said as she stepped forward. "Do you agree with that, Cadence, Shining Armor?"

They both nodded in a clear sign of what they thought, before Shining spoke again.

"Applejack and Rainbow Dash can join me when we have to cover the terrain of the Crystal Range, we know Twilight and Spike went there."

The two nodded excitedly, a little more on Rainbow Dash's part. Then Cadence took the floor again.

"In the meantime, the others will stay with Celestia and me in the castle." She took her daughter in her hooves before pointing to two of the mares. "Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, you'll help Sunburst take care of Flurry Heart."

Fluttershy nodded at her request with a small smile on her face, while Pinkie jumped quickly up to where she was with a big smile on hers. The baby stretched out her little hooves and flew over to Pinkie as she babbled happily and settled in her mane.

"Aunt Pinkie will take care of everything!"

Cadence laughed lightly as Celestia took the floor again and looked at the next mentioned.

"Sunburst and Starlight, you'll help Cadence and me stay connected with the group for the duration of the expedition."

"It will be an honor for us, Princess," Starlight said with a smile as she pulled her friend closer with one hoof. Sunburst smiled too, though a bit more nervously.

"And what shall I do in the meantime, Princess?" Rarity asked, wanting to help as well.

"You will do one of the most important tasks," Cadence said this time. "You'll have to take care of certain aspects of the castle regarding personnel and other things, basically you have to make sure that everything is kept in as much order as possible while we're busy. Although of course you won't do it all alone, you will have our help in that."

"Oh," Rarity had a hoof on her chest with a marveled expression. "Absolutely count on me."

"Then if everything is ready," Celestia said with a small smile on her face. "I guess soon it will be time to start."

Chapter 9

Two days had passed since they left the forest. Two days that had not been easy for Twilight and Spike.

In the first place, because the situation with the other member of their strange group had not improved a bit since that day. The truth is that it had never done so and they only tried to convince themselves that the tension between them could simply be ignored.

At least and for the time being, it hadn't resulted in any further confrontation between the princess and the dark stallion. The dragon was content to mind only his own business.

In general, heavy silences predominated, and she only exchanged the necessary words with the unicorn. And it's not that she hadn't tried to do otherwise.

Secondly, because even though they didn't go back into the forest, the fact that they were following a path that was right next to it was enough for them to not be able to relax completely. What had happened recently would not be so easily erased from their minds.

In those two days, Twilight tried to get some other information out of the unicorn about where they were now, but she could have done the same with a rock and gotten the same results.

In the end she had given up for the moment with a frustrated snort, deciding to keep quiet until she could find a way to find out. Because as long as she and Spike were in that situation, she wouldn't give up on looking for an answer.

But in the meantime, her mind couldn't help but revert to the thought of what exactly that place was. How was the existence of such an island possible? What did all this mean? What else was in it, and how was it connected to the outside world? And more importantly, how exactly did they get there?

While it was obvious that there were many pieces of land scattered in the seas around Equestria and even beyond, the fact that some sort of barrier surrounded the island completely and supposedly isolated it from the rest of the world was something she had never seen before. Or at least that's what she assumed, by not letting anything out beyond a certain limit.

Twilight tried to remember if any of the many books she'd read talked about such places, but the only thing she could remember at the moment was the theme devoted to the mysteries of islands appearing or disappearing. Strange situations in which the seafaring ponies that sailed the oceans swore that they were sometimes involved.

As interesting as those kinds of mysteries were, she never bothered too much to do enough research on those subjects. All her life she had decided to focus more on studying the complex paths of magic, especially pony magic.

Now she was a bit sorry that she hadn't been more curious about it. However, that didn't matter too much anymore now.

At the time, Twilight and Spike were on a short break in the woods, but they hadn't strayed too far from the main path. She realized it was a bit odd that an unhabited place like that had a fairly defined path, but she thought that maybe the geography of the landscape was conducive to that.

"I'm so bored!" Spike yawned tiredly, not bothering to cover his mouth. "How much longer are we supposed to wait here?"

"I wonder that too, Spike," Twilight said as she looked in a certain direction. "We're supposed to wait for him to come back."

The fact that Sombra had suddenly told them to wait there, then disappeared into the trees had caused Twilight to frown. And though she tried afterwards to extract some information from him about his intentions, all she got was an answer too vague to satisfy her.

Then she had tried in vain to persuade him to go with them to make sure that what he had said was true. On the other hoof, there was the fact that she just didn't want her and Spike to be left waiting there alone. Maybe he hadn't proven to be a reliable pony, but at least he knew and was a better option than facing the unknown.

"I think he just waited to leave for good, you know?" Spike gestured with his claw. "Maybe he left us at last."

"It's a possibility, but I don't think so." She yawned too, but she did cover her muzzle with a hoof. "I don't think he can get rid of us so easily, remember he just said to wait here."

"Is it necessarily obligatory to listen to him?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, not wanting to hold back another yawn, but suddenly her ears moved in a certain direction when she felt a noise behind her. She and Spike turned around in time to see the stallion in question come out from behind some trees, but they quickly noticed that he looked different.

Different in the sense that a dark layer covered his body.

"Move if you don't want to spend the night in this place," was all he said as he passed by.

Twilight was shocked enough that Spike had to nudge her slightly, but she reacted and finally came to. She grabbed her saddlebag quickly and stepped forward to position herself beside the stallion.

"How did you get that?" She asked as she looked curiously at the piece of cloth that covered it.

He only glanced for a brief moment in her direction.

"That doesn't interest you at the moment," He replied in a deep tone, his gaze once more drawn straight ahead as they followed the forest path.

Twilight snorted in annoyance after falling behind in her wake. It wasn't new that he decided to keep her in ignorance, but that didn't stop bothering her every time. And she had a feeling that it only pleased him.

"Yes, I'm interested," she whispered as she walked back to Spike's side.

The rest of the way they were silent, at least for a certain pair of ponies. The alicorn and the dragon, on the other hoof, went on with their own whispered conversation, mostly with Spike asking her questions.

"Where do you think we're going next, Twilight?"

"I don't know, Spike, but I have a feeling something's not right," she spoke softly, looking down and muttering to herself. "Where did he get that cloak?"

"I don't think it's that important to know that," he said without worrying too much about that aspect.

"It's more important than it seems," she said as she straightened up completely. "Normally that would mean..."

Twilight interrupted herself as a low sound began to reach her ears, Spike frowned when he noticed that he picked it up too.

"This is weird," he said, rubbing one of his fins. "I seem to hear murmurs."

Indeed, it was not something they had imagined as they soon began to hear the sound of voices and the hubbub brought by the rattle of what seemed to be wheels on the road, as if they were arriving at some kind of populated place.

And that was exactly what awaited them beyond the tree line, when a village opened up before the incredulous gaze of Spike and Twilight.

It was a small village that should not have had more than twenty huts built of wood and stones, which were irregularly distributed without any apparent order between them. And in a quiet walk or just standing on the thresholds of each home were ponies.

Mares and stallions covered in what appeared to be gnawed, dull-looking clothes who spent their afternoon as they worked moving wagons or simply preparing for the night that would soon fall. A group of foals ran quite happily around the village, distracted by their own games. Meanwhile, some groups of young mares were in what appeared to be a small market. The ponies in that village were just going about their day, not caring about anything more.

However, Twilight's mind was in a frenzy as she tried to find the logic for the new situation that lay before her. She still had a surprised expression on her face as she moved her gaze all over the place. She later recognized how one of the trails leading into the village was the same one they had traveled on their two-day journey.

"This is unbelievable," she whispered. "A whole village of ponies existing in a place that shouldn't exist. How are they supposed to have gotten here?" She asked herself.

"I've seen a lot of weird things," Spike confirmed, nodding slowly. "But that's definitely a very strange thing."

They both stepped forward with the intention of stepping out of the shadow of the forest, but before Twilight could get ahead and go any further, the unicorn's front hoof stopped her in her tracks. She looked up with an obvious frown that spread across her face at his action.

"Are you really going to go out that way?" He said with a serious expression in his eyes. "Take a good look at those ponies, princess. Do you really think they've ever seen a fire-breathing lizard or a creature of your race? Be careful how you proceed, we are not in the seemingly peaceful land that you think Equestria is." He finished his warning as he lowered his limb. "I suggest you cover up and your lizard too." He ignored the dragon's frown and walked out of the tree line.

Twilight had opened her mouth with the intention of saying something, but once again she was met with the fact that he was right. And that wasn't something she liked at all.

"What did he mean by that?" Spike asked with a slight grimace.

"I don't know how these ponies got here, but they may have been trapped for a long time, so they've probably never seen a dragon," she replied ruefully, turning her head in his direction. "Or a pony that has wings and horn at the same time."

"That... It makes sense," he said after putting a claw on his chin, then looked back at the village. "Somehow I feel like they live in another age."

"Hmp, I think you might be right," Twilight conceded as her gaze drifted in the same direction. "According to the way they dress and how the houses are built, they remind me of the past time described in the history books of Equestria, the period of more than a thousand years ago."

Spike could only give an incredulous whistle as Twilight fumbled for something in her saddlebag. Soon she took out the familiar pair of cloaks and divided it between them. At least the dragon now had no more big piece of cloth, due to a fraction of magic that the alicorn used to adjust it to his size. She just put hers on tightly to hide her wings in a good way and adjusted her clasp.

Spike pulled up his hood, and when they were both sure they could go relatively unnoticed, they stepped out of the shade of the trees. They managed to quickly integrate themselves into the flow of ponies that circulated along the road, and the two relaxed when they noticed that none of them seemed to have paid attention to them.

They both walked in a certain direction when they located the stallion, who had apparently waited for them all that time they had spent with unsuspected patience. However, the look on his face reflected his obvious irritation.

But as she watched him, Twilight ended up widening her eyes in surprise when she realized something much more important.

"You say Spike and I should be careful. But don't you think they'd be more surprised by you than by us?"

"Why should they?" He pretended to be surprised at her question.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"Cause it's obviously not common to see a pony of your size and appearance," She pointed to his body, emphasizing his horn and eyes. However, she snorted in annoyance when she realized something else. "You know what? Forget it, you're not even going to tell me what I want."

"Then you shouldn't ask," Sombra replied, resuming his walk. He clearly had no intention of answering the question and bringing the princess out of her ignorance.

Twilight snorted again and went to where Spike was, a few feet behind them. She wasn't going to follow through with her insistence for that moment, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten it.

However, Twilight couldn't help but notice something strange as she avoided the habitants of that place. They did not seem to be as well as he had at first hoped. And in the end, she couldn't help but notice the somewhat jaded look she could see on the adults' faces. However, for obvious reasons she couldn't deduce what was causing this, because nothing she saw so far gave away a much bigger situation.

At one point, Sombra left them practically abandoned in front of what appeared to be a resting place, before disappearing in a certain direction. Twilight had just stood there, with strange directions and a rather annoyed and confused look on her face. But before she walked past Spike, she let out a sigh and took on a serious expression again, at least so as not to make a possible bad impression.

"Hello?" She hesitantly called out to whoever lived there.

A few seconds later an earth mare appeared, partially covered in a dull garb, as most villagers wore. However, the pale color of her mane made her blue eyes pop. She quickly walked over to where they were while responding with her own greeting.

"You were lucky today," The mare replied after Twilight had told her what the stallion had told her. "Some travelers usually pass through here at this time, but lately we don't get too many ponies, so we're mostly unoccupied."

"And you have... any idea why that happens?" Twilight inquired, perhaps in a subtle attempt to find out as much information as possible by another means, since her main source was not very cooperative.

The mare looked at her in a somewhat strange way that made her slightly embarrassed, though she quickly regained her composure.

"Everypony knows that the roads between villages can be very dangerous."

"You're right about that," said Spike suddenly, who had been silent up to that point, as he nodded firmly to her words.

Twilight looked down with a thoughtful expression as the blue-eyed mare gave her friend a curious look.

Her mind was still trying to analyze the situation as much as possible. At least it was clear to her that these were not the only ponies on the island, nor the only settlement. She knew that the question of why they existed there would have to be left for later, so she decided to concentrate on another aspect.

But after digging a bit deeper with their hostess, Twilight noticed something strange.

The ponies here seemed to be unaware of certain aspects that were normal in her own world, though that didn't really surprise her too much when she discovered it. After that, Twilight and Spike decided to go to rest.

"So what do you think of all this, Twilight?"

She frowned slightly as she disposed of her saddlebag and cloak in the safety of the room. It didn't take long for Spike to do the same.

"It's obvious that these ponies didn't have the same thing that happened to us. They weren't ponies from Equestria that somehow made it here, no, these ponies are native to this place, strange as that sounds," She replied. "What I find most strange is that they seem to live as if we have gone back a thousand years in the past and if we are to go by what we now know, a thousand years ago this probably already existed."

"Why is that? If this place has supposedly existed for so long. Aren't they supposed to have had the time to develop?"

After Spike posed those questions, Twilight lowered her head and touched her chin with a hoof as she took a short walk around the room. After a few moments, she looked up as she came up with a possible answer.

"Just as mist diminishes our magic, it makes sense that it does the same with these ponies," She confirmed as she clashed her hooves. "Since the development of our own magic has always been linked to the very growth of our species, it makes sense that by failing to reach or surpass their level they have not been able to change their conditions. However, this factor is still insufficient, so perhaps there are more issues that we do not know about", She ended up saying at the same time that she was running a hoof over her chin.

"Hmp, that's interesting, actually," Spike conceded with a thoughtful look, directing it somewhere on the wall, before returning it to Twilight.

As they both set out to relax in their respective places for the night, the sudden sound of hooves began to echo in the surroundings. Before they knew it, the door of the place opened completely with a bang and let a certain stallion in as he passed through the threshold.

It didn't take long for Twilight's face to furrow with suspicion as her mind highlighted something else important.

It was obvious that Sombra knew of the existence of these ponies beforehoof, he just hadn't had the slightest intention of sharing that information with them. A piece of information, apparently from Twilight, very important.

"You didn't tell us there were more," She reproached him as she watched him throw off his cloak, then hang it on a rusty hook near hers.

"It wasn't important for you to know at the time," He grumbled without turning. "That wouldn't have changed anything at all."

Twilight snorted in disgust as soon as the stallion let it out. She crossed her front legs as her face reflected the expression that she had several things to say.

On the other hoof, at the hint that Twilight and Sombra would start exchanging words on another occasion, Spike decided to settle down and lie down on his side of the bed with the aim of his good night's sleep. All this with the attempt to forget about both ponies for a moment. He only hoped that they wouldn't suddenly start arguing and interrupt his well-deserved rest.

He really needed it.

"How can you know that?" She asked with a sigh as she moved her hooves to lightly rub her forehead, right under her horn. "Neither Spike nor I know what's in this place, and even if we don't like it, we must take your word for it to try to get out alive and unharmed..."

"Tell me what you're trying to say at the end," Sombra interrupted as he held up a hoof to stop her words.

"I'm just trying to say one thing," She replied with obvious annoyance in her tone. "Don't you think it's best for both of us to know all the information that is vital so that nothing else takes us by surprise? That's what I think would be the best."

Sombra frowned at her for a few moments, then softened his gaze a bit, looking away. A hopeful little flame ignited in Twilight as she noticed that he might be considering it.

"The next route we'll take is about a day's journey from here, and it's the one we'll cross the mountain, to avoid making so many detours," He replied in a grave tone. "Of all the others, it is the least dangerous."

Although it wasn't exactly what she had asked, Twilight allowed herself to close her eyes with some relief.

"I'm a little glad you understood," Twilight murmured. "I just hope we don't have as much work as long as it lasts."

"All I can tell you is to prepare for that."

After Sombra said those last words, he simply turned and climbed onto his respective bed, in an attempt to take his own break from the whole situation. Twilight did the same too, but unlike the two of them it took a bit longer to fall asleep, and it wasn't for lack of tiredness.

The questions about it all occupied the thoughts of her mind for a while longer.

The next morning they all woke up and went out in silence without saying too much. Twilight was the only one who took it upon herself to thank the mare who had taken them in for their stay.

As Sombra had mentioned the night before, now Twilight, and by extension Spike, needed to walk a bit faster if they wanted to get to the road before dark that they would apparently take through the mountains with as bit risk as possible. They only hoped that nothing else would bother them on their journey.

After adjusting their cloaks once more, the three of them quickly left the other end of the village, just before the villagers began to leave their homes. Eventually, they took a new path in the direction of their next destination.

None of them imagined what would be waiting for them beyond.

Author's Note

We went back to Twilight and her group. Now I would like to read your comments and theories about it, I can wait for it.:twilightsmile:

Chapter 10

"Where have we gone?"

That was all Twilight thought as soon as they left the forest and took a detour along a parallel path to it, just a day after they resumed their journey. Yes, they had to spend the night in the open after all. But now nothing had prepared them for what they had to face, or rather, go through.

Twilight and Spike were aware, as far as they had known so far, that on their way it was necessary to cross a narrow mountain pass that rose in that place, unless they wished it to be longer if they chose to skirt it. Unfortunately, they knew they couldn't afford to waste so much time. But that didn't convince them.

"I still don't think I like this," Spike whispered to Twilight after crossing his arms and frowning, still looking at the formation in front of him, as if that path between mountain rock walls was the source of all their bad luck. "I think it's wiser to go through the woods," He said as he pointed in front of them, a clear reference to the unfortunate path. "Anything can happen there."

"Actually, you're not that wrong..." Twilight cleared her throat before addressing the stallion in front of her, with several doubts populating her mind. He turned slightly in her direction when he heard her.

"What do you want?" Sombra murmured with a frown on his face, which Twilight noticed.

She knew she'd managed to get him over annoying, but since she didn't care much what he thought anyway, she went on with what was on her mind.

"Wouldn't it be better if we went through the woods?" She asked in a suggestive tone, coming just a bit closer. "The roads between mountains can be treacherous and the truth is that I would prefer not to risk it."

"Not after everything we've been through these last few days"

Sombra turned again, turning his back on her and leaving the alicorn with the thought that, most likely, she was once again being ignored. However, neither Twilight nor Spike expected his next move. With one of his hooves he picked up a simple stone from the path and quickly threw it against one of the cliff's rock faces. It hit the wall and bounced to the floor, but not before leaving a strange echo that resonated subtly in their ears.

Twilight and Spike had the same confused expression on their faces and the same question mark over their heads at the meaning of such an act.

"The road you want to follow is not very different from this one, if anything it is even more extensive, and it is obligatory to take a long path around the mountains", His voice took on a somber tone. "And it's even more dangerous."

"B-but maybe not... "Twilight chastised herself in her mind for her sudden stutter as her thoughts turned to another issue she hadn't considered before. She wondered why she hadn't.

And what if those creatures also existed on the path they wanted to travel? Nothing guaranteed them otherwise after all.

Sombra interrupted her before she could continue with her train of thought.

"Then tell me, princess. What do you think is the most sensible thing to do? To traverse the forest, with all kinds of dangers lurking among its branches? Or take a shortcut despite the risks? I suggest you respond quickly, time waits for nopony."

Twilight frowned in annoyance at the mocking intent with which he pronounced her title, not to mention the sarcasm that permeated each of his questions, something that she was beginning to notice characteristic of him.

"What kind of dangers do you mean?" She asked after rubbing a hoof on her forehead. "We need to assess the options at least."

Twilight could see how he seemed to snort in annoyance, after rolling his eyes slightly before the words came out of his mouth.

"The least you could find would be herds of wild animals looking for its next meal, waiting for its prey to fall into its own trap as it traverse its hunting grounds, and that's just one," Sombra shrugged. "Why do you think there are such well-defined paths that don't go into it? The ponies here know very well why they shouldn't."

Twilight looked down with a thought in her head.

"Then it's almost like it's the Everfree Forest, only more extensive."

She had no idea how she could know, only the feeling that this similar forest occupied most of the island.

"And why can't we just take one of those paths?" Twilight asked as she raised her head again, her expression furrowing slightly. If that was so, she did not understand then the need to deviate.

Sombra shook his head at her question.

"I've never been aware that the center of the island is habited. Each section connects with different settlements, but as far as I know there are too few to take the time to jump through each one until we find the one closest to our destination." He raised an eyebrow as his voice took on a tone that made her squint slightly. "Are you willing to take all that time?"

Twilight lowered her head and glanced briefly at Spike. He returned it with a countenance that denoted what he really wanted at that moment. He trusted that she would know what to do to get them home safely.

"So you mean that road would take us faster?" Twilight pointed with a hoof to the path in front of her. "

"It's the only really," He replied simply.

"And how risky can it be?" She asked again cautiously. He shrugged.

"You won't find anything that wants to turn them into its next dinner, at least."

A neutral expression formed on Twilight's face.

"Very comforting."

"I don't trust you completely, and I know you know that.

"That's not my problem anyway," He turned around simply, leaving the alicorn with the word in her mouth.

Twilight rolled her eyes in a lot of annoyance.

She was aware that it wasn't the safest option, as she thought about everything that could happen. All that was needed was one misstep. She held back a slight chill at the thoughts that existed in her mind, at the same time wondering if she would ever stop having it.

But through it all, Twilight couldn't deny that the stallion was right, just as she couldn't deny the fact that she didn't want her and Spike to be in that place for too long. Thoughts of home used to occupy her mind. She missed them, both her friends and her family. After making her decision, Twilight closed her eyes and gave a slight sigh.

"Spike and I will go for the least risky option." Her face took on a serious, determined expression. "Just guide us."

Her annoyance had not gone unnoticed in the stallion's eyes, nor had the fact that her attitude changed almost suddenly. Sombra felt her emotions again isolated underneath all that determination. Who would hace imagined that one of them would show different?

"I suppose you do have some intelligence in there after all," He said mockingly before resuming his way.

Twilight let out one last snort as she positioned herself at Spike's side, letting the unicorn lead the way another time.

"Then I should assume we'll continue this road?" Spike raised an eyebrow as Twilight sighed, followed by some despondency.

"Yes, Spike, maybe it's not the best, but the truth is, the other probably wasn't a very good choice either," She said with a tired tone in her voice. "We'll keep on here and see where it takes us, although there's probably just rocks and everything else that's usually on mountain trails," She said, trying to cheer him up, though more than for him, Twilight felt it was for herself. "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Spike only gave her a brief glance.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I think it's best that you don't" she said with a nervous smile before her expression suddenly changed, concern in her eyes. "Still, I can't help but have a bad feeling about all this..."

"You're not alone, Twi," Spike sighed.

She shook her head, perhaps in an attempt to push away certain questions that would only bring more doubt the deeper she went.

"But the truth is, everything about this place gives me a bad feeling."

And along with that thought, she still wondered how ponies could possibly exist there. Still, though she wanted to find the answers, she knew that her priority was quite different at that moment, nonetheless... Was it possible that the means by which they had arrived played an important role? Deep down, Twilight was certain that she wasn't wrong about it, considering what she knew so far.

And as they continued on their walk, Twilight turned her gaze to the stallion in front of them. She couldn't help but analyze the details she had known about him up to that point, while adding other things she had noticed in the last few days, and all to find out if he was more than what she had actually been told.

According to what Princess Celestia had told her, the King Sombra was a pony whose heart was as dark as night, the tyrant of the Crystal Empire. He was the one who had enslaved its habitants, a whole race of innocent ponies. Besides, according to what she had heard, he was the one who had gotten rid of its previous ruler.

He was definitely a pony to be very careful with.

So why was she overthinking it? She didn't know it yet.

Twilight remembered once again how she had come to know the story written up to that point, as part of the challenge she had to face in the Crystal Empire. Find the heart and free the crystal ponies from what bound them to the past. That time when she showed her mentor what she had really seen in her, and what she later ended up becoming.

But now she didn't quite know what to think about the circumstances they were experiencing.

In the end, she ended up wondering what would have really happened if his powers had fully returned and his magic wasn't as limited as hers. She knew that her current situation would most likely be very different.

However, now she only hoped that she had done well to listen to the voice of her reason.

With a slight snort, Twilight decided it was best to put all her doubts away again, for the time being. What she didn't realize afterwards, however, was that her visual scrutiny would be long enough for him to notice.

"Can I know why you're looking at me so much?"

The sudden sound of Sombra's deep voice made Twilight almost jump in shock and surprise. She only wondered for a moment how he had realized she was watching him, without even turning around.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she replied with a slight look of embarrassment on her face. "I'm just... making sure we're going in the right direction." She ended up shrugging her shoulders as he turned his gaze to her.

Sombra just looked at her with a blank expression, but Twilight could almost feel the weight of his gaze. She ended up frowning because of this, but before she could open her mouth, the unicorn turned once to turn his back on her. She heard him muttering something under his breath as he resumed his walk.

Twilight knew he hadn't believed her, but since he didn't insist on it, she allowed herself to relax again with a small sigh.

"Is he right?" Twilight asked in a whisper to the purple dragon next to her, as she kept the previous countenance on her face.

Spike gave her a smile meant to reassure her, but Twilight could detect in it the nerves that inevitably betrayed him. She raised an eyebrow at this fact.

"I don't want to agree with him, but you were... Looking at him a bit fixed, the truth," he replied in a whispered tone, scratching the back of his head with a claw.

"Really?" Twilight shook her head as she bumped the palm of her hoof against her forehead, then let out an exhausted sigh. "I think I'm just... Starting to get tired of it all."

"I don't want you to worry too much, Twi," Spike said with a sympathetic smile as he gently put a claw on her back. She relaxed a bit at his touch. "I don't know why we are the ones who almost always have to deal with these situations, but I've already learned that anything that is not in our plans and that can happen is best taken slowly even if you don't forget those concerns," He finished saying while shrugging his shoulders.

"Still, it's hard to relax when the uneasiness doesn't subside," Twilight murmured, her voice trailing as she pricked up her ears.

"But you can always try," Spike finished saying as he nodded slightly. "You know it doesn't hurt to do it."

Twilight smiled a bit sideways at Spike's words, thankful that he was the one who always found a way to cheer her up. The truth is that she had no idea how she would have been able to face that situation without him, completely alone. It was definitely comforting to have the help of her faithful little assistant.

"We'll get through this together, Twilight, you'll see," Spike adopted a determined expression, still looking at her at all times as he whispered, "And when we're home it will be even easier to finish resolving this whole situation."

"You're right, Spike," Twilight smiled as she lightly stroked his head. "I don't think I still know what I'd do without you." She finished with a small laugh.

Spike raised an eyebrow, smiling in amusement.

"I don't know either," He laughed along with her before his gaze softened again. "But you know you can always count on me."

Twilight smiled once more and put a hoof on his shoulder while giving a slight nod, grateful that at that moment he was giving her enough strength to keep going.

***

The hours of daylight they had in their path passed relatively quickly as they went about their own business. Now the reddish hue of the sunset was beginning to be present in the distance, as they walked along that mountain path that did nothing but become more and more steep.

At least Twilight and Spike had to admit that the views were incredible, as long as they made sure they didn't get too close to the cliff. They could fly, but it still wasn't a soul-soothing sight.

From a perspective few had experienced, Twilight marveled somewhat at what her eye could see until it was lost on the horizon.

Tall formations in the distance, long enough for white, misty, cloudy crowns to settle on its summits; along with meadows and spaces that looked like seas of green. A typical region of any temperate zone.

A bit thanks to her previous decision, she could now see even better the strange new place they had come to end up in. Yet the place inevitably reminded her a bit of home, only it was, in her opinion, much wilder.

Twilight let out a small sigh, thinking that it might all be a bit more enjoyable if the atmosphere wasn't so tense. Silence was predominant, and it wasn't a very comfortable one. However, she still didn't know what to do to improve that situation.

She occasionally gave brief glimpses of the stallion in front of her, who kept his distance, but still all the while she made the attempt to concentrate on the dragon next to her, or just a fleeting deviation from her gaze as she surveyed the landscape. Twilight knew that, on the other hoof, he, too, preferred to ignore them.

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Spike asked as he saw his friend frown and look down, clearly with one or more thoughts floating around her mind.

"I'm just wondering why all this is," she said in a low voice that reflected a trace of guilt that Spike wasn't sure he had grasped. "I only intended to dismiss that threat, I didn't want anypony to sacrifice themselves for a mistake of mine, but as always, sometimes things don't go as plan," She muttered in a slight sigh.

"Why are you thinking that now?" Spike closed his eyes and crossed his arms, then shook his head as he noticed the direction of thought she was taking. "You know it wasn't your fault, you couldn't know what would end up happening."

"But I could have foreseen it," She rebutted, then flattened her ears with a sad expression. "I feel like I'm failing, not only my friends and family, but the ponies of the empire as well."

"Well, they've really had to go through a lot," Spike whispered as he looked down.

"They were the ones who had to suffer the curse that doomed them to disappear for so long," Twilight frowned after realizing something. "And all because of the darkness, that magic has only been limited to spreading misfortunes, the only thing it has been."

"Dark magic is much more than that, actually," Twilight was sincerely surprised by Sombra's sudden remark, when he hadn't even turned around. "It needs to feed on emotions like any other magic, especially negative emotions. But like everything, it comes at a cost that not everypony is willing to pay."

"That's not a good thing anyway," The alicorn replied in a low tone, then raised her voice. "After all, some crystal ponies are still afraid, afraid of what you might do to them if you came back."

"Maybe they should then."

Twilight didn't notice the dark smile on his face for a moment, but his words didn't stop her from grimacing.

"I suppose you don't care then what happened so long ago, or the consequences it brought," Twilight said as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, still looking at him.

Sombra just shrugged.

"That's already happened anyway."

"Did it have to be this way? It's always cause of dark magic." Twilight gestured with her hoof as she frowned. "It's because of a spell that some ponies haven't been able to overcome it yet."

"Ponies are such fragile creatures. Their minds can be subdued with astonishing ease," Sombra remarked as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "No wonder those remains were left."

Twilight frowned as a growing anger settled inside her after he said those words, instinctively placing Spike behind her. It was already beginning to become clear to her who she was really dealing with.

And why did he say that? He was also a pony.

"That wouldn't have been like that if it weren't for what you did."

Sombra paused at the tone of voice in which she had addressed him. He turned in her direction with the intention of facing her.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh, of course not. What problem could I have with the fact that you used that spell on innocent ponies?" She replied in a grunt as she walked slowly away from him.

Instead, Sombra only got closer.

"So you think they're as innocent as they seem. Let me tell you something, princess," He growled. "You shouldn't talk if you don't know the whole story."

"That doesn't matter! Nopony deserved to go through everything they went through!"

"You wouldn't think that if those you defend hadn't omitted reality from you. You're just a naive young princess."

Twilight gritted her teeth furiously as he just seemed to give a sideways smile.

"The reality is that it was you who enslaved an entire race and took over their home, taking away everything that made them happy. Only for a vain desire for power!"

It was her last words that finally made Sombra completely drop the look of seriousness he had adopted on his face.

"You know absolutely nothing! You have no right to have an opinion!"

"Yes, I do!" Twilight moved farther away from him. "All that the few books that talk about you is about the period when you subdued them! All those horrible things you did to them!"

While they were still at it, they didn't notice how Spike had been slowly moving away from them until his back hit the rock wall behind him. The two ponies in front of him simply continued their discussion, but Spike frowned as he began to feel something strange. It was almost as if a vibration began to spread everywhere.

He wasn't sure, but it could feel as if it suddenly came from the depths of the earth. Suddenly, without warning, it stopped, and a constant buzzing began to make itself present in the dragon's ears. It seemed to be as if something bumped into each other.

However, only he realized it.

"Don't ask me to just ignore it!" Twilight continued.

"Honestly you shouldn't even care about that!"

"I do care! Why I want to know why!"

"Ahh! Do you want to know why!? Because they dared to take away EVERYTHING that belonged to me!!"

Twilight walked away in surprise as she stumbled backwards, blinking rapidly.

After he said that, everything else at that moment seemed to stand still for one second, one just second in which various things happened.

"Twilight!"

It was Spike's sudden scream that really ended the fight. However, that wasn't the only thing that happened. As if everything was slowly passing by, Twilight turned her head to where Spike was, the sense of alarm on his face was almost palpable. As well as the infernal noise that she could suddenly hear.

Twilight followed the direction of Spike's claw, and raised her head. Then the sound of his voice was suddenly silenced, replaced by the rumbling noise of her throbbing heartbeat. What she saw made her blood run cold.

"Oh... no"

Chapter 11

Why did they always seem unlucky enough to have such things happen to them? Twilight didn't know, the only thing on her mind at the moment was to get out of that place as quickly as possible.

"Spike! Get out of there right now!"

Twilight tried to shout a warning at the dragon, but the sound of her voice was drowned out by the constant noise of rocks crashing against each other and hitting the walls of the hillside, while the earth seemed to shake from the force of the slide.

Spike stared completely petrified in the direction of the uphill mountain, where the disaster that was brewing at that moment covered every portion that the detached terrain touched, in a clear threat to take everything in its path.

Without wasting another second, Twilight galloped toward where the paralyzed dragon stood. Spike only reacted a bit when he heard the faint clatter of her hooves even above all that noise. He turned in her direction and stared at her wide-eyed, as he let out a cry of surprise as a magical aura completely enveloped his small body, covered by the cloak that almost hid him.

It only took an instant for the alicorn to lift him up in her levitation, moving him from that place and then placing him on her back. Moments later a mass of rocks fell very close to where he had been standing. She quickly ran away, following the unicorn that had moved away from them as soon as he noticed the situation.

Twilight couldn't help but curse in her mind as her eyes drifted upwards. From her position she saw the stretch that was still missing for them to be completely safe. She just had to be faster...

Small rocks spun with alarming speed as it slammed against each other's hard mountain wall and then tumbled off the cliff, but not before being a nuisance that the two fleeing ponies had to overcome.

Twilight managed to make the attempt to flap her wings to soar in flight, even though the layer that kept the cold away from the environment and still covered her body was a challenge of her own. That meant, after all, a much greater effort.

And as they continued on their escape, in an attempt to outwit the forces of nature so strange that they had been appeared, Twilight's thoughts went for a moment to the fact that this need not be happening. That surely didn't happen every day of being a normal place. But her mind could not be silenced by that fact, emphasizing it once more.

"You're not in a normal place."

"Almost, Spike!" Twilight shouted as she felt him tremble and hold tightly to her mane. "We're almost out of this."

Twilight was right to try to reassure him, though she still needed to get rid of the tricky stuff.

The large boulders hurtling down the mountain seemed to slow down a bit when only the remnants of the hillside earth began to remain, but further down it was a different story when those same rocks threatened to pounce on the group.

Both ponies dodged them quickly enough and Twilight was emboldened when she realized that there was only a small stretch left before the slope completely collapsed. But that was why she couldn't pay proper attention during her flight when a shadow rose from the left of her vision field.

"Watch out, Twilight!"

Spike's eyes widened and he shouted a warning when one of the boulders brushed against them as it passed too close. Twilight could almost feel the rough edge of its surface that had scraped against her wings feathers. Even though it all happened on a minimal timescale, to them it had felt as if they had made their own time stand still. A second later was that their minds were able to react.

Twilight's heart beat even faster in surprise, sending adrenaline through her body as her wings made an unconscious spin that took them away from the crevices, reaching a relatively safe area where they weren't at risk of being swept off the cliff. However, everything happened so quickly that Twilight didn't have the time to slow her fall, sending them both to the ground.

She gasped as her body rolled to the ground and only had enough time to protect her head and the weak areas with her front legs. Spike did the same when the force of the crash threw him off Twilight's back, after holding back a gasp of pain as the rocks on the wall hit his back. The layers covering them both cushioned the blow a bit.

Her ears were ringing with an annoying noise and her head was starting to ache, but she forced herself to dispel it when she noticed Spike's lying down way that seemed to rub a painful spot on his head. The alicorn tried to get up while breathing with some difficulty and coughing from the dust that had been kicked up by the accident.

At that moment, Twilight's mind highlighted the fact that they were the only ones who had managed to escape. Then she turned her head and focused her gaze in a certain direction.

The few remaining rocks continued on its way to the depths of the cliff, but it hadn't happened yet when Twilight noticed the dark form of the stallion galloping straight towards them, stopping some with his magic and dodging the rest.

But a sudden scream echoed above the recent chaos as she rose. She immediately turned her head to where she had last seen Sombra.

Twilight took a quick breath and opened her eyes in surprise when she saw how one of the falling leftover boulders seemed to hit the stallion on one of his hind legs, after an ill-intentioned movement slowed him down on his way. It all happened too fast.

Twilight's heart raced with adrenaline as conflicting emotions swept over her, but a twinge of fear began to strike above all others at the precise moment the force of the impact caused him to slip straight to the edge of the cliff, threatening to fall into the abyss. It was just then that her mind cleared enough to allow her to react quickly.

"Oh no! Sombra!"

A frightened expression formed on Twilight's face as she quickly discarded her cloak and the saddlebag at her side, leaving it lying and galloping without wasting time in his direction while Spike closed his eyes and covered his face so as not to see that potential disaster.

Even if they had previously argued, Twilight couldn't just get carried away with those issues and condemn him to a possible downfall.

Despite having most of his body practically facing danger, Sombra somehow managed to hold on to his front hooves, though for every second he continued like this, the slippery dirt left over from the debris of the avalanche gained ground in its attempts to carry him further.

With a loud snort and some effort, he tried to turn on his magic again with the intention of helping himself to give himself an impulse to climb up and escape from that damn inopportune situation. To his confusion, however, it only managed to envelop his body in a crimson aura for a second before it sputtered and died in a burst.

Refusing to give up, he began to press down on the rock face with his hind legs, but suddenly a purple blob filled the right side of his vision field. He looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly when he noticed the alicorn running in his direction. There was bit doubt about her intentions.

Twilight dodged several rocks and debris to get to him. Although the cloud of dust that had risen managed to clear enough for her to see without squinting, she couldn't help coughing on her way as the fine particles slid into her nose. And it was in one of those moments that one of her front legs accidentally brushed against the sharp surface of a rock.

Twilight slowed down a little and hissed at the moment of feeling him, although the adrenaline of the moment quickly washed away the pain that the blow had caused her, but even so she wasted no time in renewing her gallop to reach him.

Even if she didn't care too much about his well-being and even if he was a pony who had done bad and very questionable things in the past, she didn't want to just leave him to his fate while his life was in danger.

The alicorn spread her wings as soon as she reached in front of him, rose above his head and approached one of the legs with which the stallion was holding. Sombra looked at her with a suspicious expression at whatever she planned to do, but Twilight ignored him as she grabbed the limb with her own hooves.

After she wrapped it up, Twilight began to flap her wings a bit more vigorously, trying to lift him high enough so that he would finish sliding more easily and so that his own weight would no longer push him over the cliff. However, despite all her efforts, trying to elevate him began to become a rather difficult task. Had she lost strength or was it something else?

"Try pressing down with the other hoof to help you climb up!" Twilight suggested with a grumble, annoyed by the fact that she seemed to be the only one doing anything to keep him from falling into the abyss.

"I can't unless you want the earth to make me slide more than it already does!" He replied with an equal degree of annoyance when he noticed that she hadn't noticed something as simple as that.

He was still trying to press down on the rocks on the wall with his hind legs to move his body to safety. But every time he seemed to gain even a modicum of ground, the sharp vertical slope below him caused his hooves to slip off without any other choice, making his effort in vain.

"Can't you think of another way?" Sombra growled when he saw that she didn't seem to be making any progress.

Twilight frowned once more at his words, shaking her head to push away the sweat that beaded her forehead and threatened to sneak into her eyes. She gritted her teeth tighter as she tried to put all her strength into the wings of her back. Why did he have to be so heavy?

"Do you want to shut up for a moment? I'm trying to help!"

After a grudging murmur from him, Twilight forced herself to adopt a determined expression and this time used the magic for the purpose of achieving her goal. Just a second later, the glow of her aura began to spread throughout the stallion's body, enveloping him in her levitation.

From that moment on, their efforts became much easier and it only took a few seconds for Sombra to begin to gain ground and slowly move away from the edge.

Twilight only let go of him when his hooves finally touched solid ground. With tiredness seeping into her features, she slipped very slowly to the ground and lay on the spot, breathing with some difficulty. She ran a hoof across her forehead to wipe away the sweat that had clung to her coat, then took a brief look at the unicorn just a few feet away.

He didn't seem to feel any better than she was, and he certainly wasn't. His chest rose and fell equally wearily as his breath came out in faint exhausted gasps. She noticed that his eyes were closed, even though a few strands of mane partially covered his face, preventing him from seeing completely. From what she had been able to notice, he didn't seem to have any intention of opening them anytime soon.

But before Twilight opened her mouth and could say a single word, a familiar voice made her ears turn animatedly.

"Twilight!"

At the sound of Spike's voice, Twilight turned around and although she was tired, she found a way to give him a small smile when she saw him fly towards her with a worried look on his face. Wasting no time, she greeted him with a hug when he landed in front of her.

Despite his effusiveness, Spike was careful not to brush her too far with his claws. The two parted ways as he sought to externalize the question on his mind.

"Are you fine, Twi?"

Twilight didn't answer with words, instead shook her head in clear assent to his question. She gave a slight sigh as she cocked, just a second later she noticed that he was carrying her saddlebag with him. She closed her eyes, relieved to know that she didn't need to get up from her place to go get what she really needed at that moment.

"I'm fine, but could you give me some water? It's what I need most now," She asked, pointing a hoof to her bag. She couldn't stand her dry throat for long because of the dust.

"Oh, wait a second," Spike replied and slid the saddlebag in front of him. He clicked open it and searched for what she needed inside. A few seconds later he showed the waterskin in his claws when he pulled it out, so he handed it to Twilight.

It didn't take her a second to grab it with her hooves. She used her magic only to open the lid with a snap. Twilight bent it over herself, and when she was completely satisfied, she put it back down. She ended up wiping her muzzle with a hoof while sighing with pleasure.

"Thanks very much, Spike," She replied in infinite gratitude to the little dragon.

"You're welcome, Twilight," He said with a small smile, but then his face took on a serious expression. "Why didn't you use your teleportation?" He asked, giving her a look of slight reproach. "It would have been easier."

Twilight lowered her gaze, but then let out a small sigh as she slowly shook her head.

"I couldn't, Spike, remember how I told you that my magic felt limited?" He nodded at her question. "Well, since we had to escape from those creatures, it's taken me a bit longer to get it back. If I use it more than I intend on spells that require more energy, it might be possible that in another situation where we need those, I will run out of it. That's why I have to be very careful."

"Are you saying you're just going to limit yourself to levitating things?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight nodded, in a sign of her thoughts.

"For now, my levitation is strong enough.

"Then I'll trust you, Twilight," Spike finished saying as he put a claw on her shoulder, this made his support clear. "The truth is that you're still very good, even if you don't use your magic completely."

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof as she let out a small laugh. But suddenly, a snort behind her paused her moment, reminding her that they weren't alone. She turned around just in time to see the stallion move from the spot, though he was still sitting in place. Twilight noticed that he looked more recovered now.

"Now I remember why I hated this place," Sombra muttered under his breath in an annoyed tone as he ran a hoof over one of his front legs, trying to get rid of the dirt that had stuck to his coat during his escape.

But he didn't realize that somepony else had come to hear his comment.

"Did you know this could happen?" Twilight asked, looking at him with some suspicion.

Sombra glanced at her briefly without changing the expression on his face, frowning as he noted that he still had to deal with the alicorn's questions.

"Of course I didn't. Divination magic was never in my range of interests."

Twilight snorted as she noticed the biting tone of his comment, even though she had realized that he was telling the truth with it. Too bad she didn't have Applejack by her side at that moment to be safer.

But in spite of everything, her face took on a look that betrayed in part the ruminations that now existed in her mind. She had to make sure that her efforts had not been in vain.

"I guess you don't like me asking, but uhm... At least... Are you fine?..." She asked doubtfully and with a certain hesitation in her voice, as if she didn't know how to act in front of him. The truth is, she didn't know it yet.

Sombra wrinkled his muzzle as he snorted hard.

"Do you think I am fine?" He grumbled angrily, pointing to himself.

However, his tone wasn't suggestive enough for her to leave him alone. Twilight rubbed a hoof on her head as she tried her best not to lose patience with him again.

"Could you stop that attitude for a second?" She replied, tired of dealing with his bad mood. "I literally just saved your life."

"Just because you and the dragon need me to get out of here," Sombra exclaimed in a complaint and gave her a suspicious look. "Admit it princess, we are enemies. If we were in another situation, the outcome would probably have been different."

That ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back. Despite the tiredness that had been spreading throughout her body, Twilight could feel a kind of renewed wave spreading through her, as if her own body was helping her prepare herself again for a stressful situation. She ended up frowning, angered by his last words.

"Do you think so badly of me? Do you really think I'm the kind of pony who would have left someone to fend for themselves just because I don't like them?" The alicorn gritted her teeth, annoyed that he thought that way of herself. "I saved you not because you are necessary, but because it was the right thing to do. How could I have imagined this would happen?" She replied decisively, only adding a comment to herself in her mind:

"Nopony deserves to end their days like that, not even a pony like you."

Sombra wrinkled the expression on his face slightly as he took a brief glance past her, as if he had something on his mind at that moment.

"Of course nopony could have imagined it," He replied as he finished fixing the look he had ended up with after his unfortunate and near encounter with his ancestors. "However, we don't know each other at all, I don't have to show credulity to you just because of what you decided to do."

Twilight lowered her gaze and gave a slight sigh, trying to calm herself.

"I'm not talking about that, I don't care much what you think of me or what you plan to do when we manage to escape from this place, just... Let's try to get on with this as peacefully as possible," She said, looking at him again, convinced that she had to be the one to take the first step in trying to secure a possible truce between the two. "Can we agree on that?"

She cocked her head slightly, as she waited for his answer. Sombra looked at her for a brief second with a serious expression on his face, before rising from his place.

"We'll see," He replied in a deep tone as he slowly resumed his walk, passing by them.

Twilight gave another small sigh, as she nodded slowly and leaned her body toward the support Spike was giving her beside her. She knew that from somepony like him, that was the closest thing to getting a good resolution. Her mind consoled herself with the thought that it was at least some progress.

However, her mind still highlighted a more pressing fact at that moment. She turned in place, calling out to him again as she slightly extended a hoof toward him.

"Uhm... Sombra..."

The unicorn stopped and turned in her direction at the mention of his name. A raised eyebrow was reflected on his face, indicating the clear sign of wanting to know what she needed him for now. She concentrated for a moment to say what was on her mind.

"I mean, even though I know you didn't give it to me..." Twilight shrugged. "You're welcome. Anyway, for helping you get out of that problem."

He looked away, giving a brief snort as he made a slight gesture of denial. That princess had more surprises than he really imagined. He looked up in her direction again, this time with his snout slightly puckered.

"I suppose... that now you'll want me to make it up to you somehow." Sombra cleared his throat slightly, making it clear that his comment was in the affirmative.

Twilight looked at him with a raised eyebrow, though she then slowly shook her head.

"Don't worry, I don't expect anything in return," She replied with a sigh, glanced at Spike, and then looked at the stallion again. "What will we do now?"

"First of all, we must get out of this area," Sombra replied as his gaze turned to the slope destroyed in the recent disaster, as he muttered in a low tone that the mare and the dragon managed to catch. "It is dangerous to stay for a long time, the earth here is more fragile than it seems.

"And that, in the end, is not a good thing," Spike whispered to Twilight, and she nodded at his words.

"We have to start walking then," Twilight determined as Spike handed her back the bag and cape, she buttoned it and made sure it was properly positioned. "It's almost nightfall."

Twilight made a move with the goal of getting up while stretching her legs. However, when she intended to rest her hooves on the ground, a slight current of pain rose from one of her front legs to her spine, causing her to shiver slightly. She frowned at the situation in her body that she had ignored until that moment, probably because of all the adrenaline that had been going through her before.

When she turned the paw in front of her, she was actually surprised to see a short trail of dried blood tangled a bit in her coat, partially concealing the wound below. Trying to use her front hooves for support had caused the pain to resurface again.

"Ah! Twilight! That doesn't look good!" The dragon exclaimed, opening his eyes wide.

"I don't think it's that serious, Spike, you don't need to worry too much," She tried to reassure him in a calm tone of voice, managing to achieve some success. He just nodded as he looked at her with a stiff expression. "I just need to heal it."

She searched for what she needed in her bag and what she had brought just for situations like this, the same thing she used to heal the scratch caused by one of her spells on Spike's wing. She was tending to her wound, which did not turn out to be as deep as she had said, when the dragon opened his mouth again with a question.

"But doesn't it hurt?"

"Of course, but I can bear it," She replied with a sigh. "Only..."

"What's the reason for such a delay?" Sombra interrupted her sentence, approaching them both.

"I've got to fix this," Twilight said as she did her work, and finally put a small bandage over the wound after she cleaned it. "I'm almost done."

He only frowned slightly before going back the way he had come. Twilight finally finished, put it all away again, and got ready once more. She was careful to put her hoof back down, but relief swept through her as she realized the pain had subsided. She just had to be cautious.

Both ponies and the dragon continued on their way, with the evening sun in front of them to illuminate them in the search for a place to spend the night.

It took only an hour for the three of them to notice the entrance to a not very large cave that was carved into the surface of the rock, though it seemed to be just an opening large enough for them to fit.

After entering, each one settled into their respective places, except for Twilight who stayed next to Spike's sleepy form after he made use of his fire by lighting a small fire for the three of them.

"I hope that's enough for now..."

"It will as long as there isn't another vibration again," Spike said casually.

Twilight quickly turned to him.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a slight arched eyebrow.

"I'm talking about the shaking I felt before that happened. You couldn't feel it because you were arguing, but I could," he clarified with a shrug. "It's a very strange thing, I know."

"I don't think it was an earthquake, but whatever it was caused the slide," Twilight said, running a hoof over her chin. "How did you feel it?"

Spike lowered his head for a moment, thinking about a possible answer.

"It felt like something was moving, and I don't mean the earth."

After that, Twilight simply heaved a sigh.

"This is all so strange," She finished saying as she looked in the unicorn's direction.

Sombra had positioned himself, as usual, at one end far away from them and close to the entrance. However, at one point when Twilight had turned her gaze away from Spike, she noticed out of the corner of her eye when the stallion grimaced slightly as he looked at one of his hind legs.

"You're not completely fine either," Twilight pointed out when she noticed his behavior, frowning slightly. "When did that rock hit you?" She had already risen from her place and was making a point of going to him as she picked up her bag. "You should let..."

"It's just a scratch," Sombra interrupted her without turning around in a tone that left no doubt as to what he really wanted, causing the alicorn to lower her ears.

"I just wanted to help," Twilight whispered with a slight frown. However, she opened her saddlebag and pulled out another bag on which a small red cross was printed. With one movement she put it between them. "But I'll leave this here anyway, just in case."

She returned to her place when Sombra closed his eyes. Twilight adjusted the nearly sleeping Spike's cloak to her as she stood there, then glanced back at the stallion that had his gaze on the entrance, seemingly looking something beyond it.

"We've been traversing these mountains for almost a day," She said in a tired voice. "How much longer will it take to do so?"

"Mid day," Sombra replied quickly.

Twilight raised both eyebrows in an expression that betrayed mild astonishment, though she quickly remembered why he said it with such certainty. In spite of everything, she smiled with some sarcasm at his attitude.

"You seem very sure of that."

"It's because I am," he replied in a deep tone, and gave her only a brief glance.

"If you say so," She replied in a somewhat amused tone as she rolled her eyes. She returned to her normal demeanor as she fixed her gaze on him again. "Tomorrow will be another day after all."

After saying those last words, Twilight settled down and closed her eyes, ready to rest from the day. It didn't take long for her to fall completely asleep.

But while they slept, Sombra stayed awake much longer. After all, somepony had to watch and somepony was simply deep in thought. Thoughts of a certain mare who had recently saved his life, even if he had a hard time admitting it.

Right now, however, he had to turn his priority to something else.

Sombra turned to the bag the alicorn had left between them. He glanced over at it and then took a brief look at the mare, wondering inwardly what she really wanted to accomplish.

He thought about it for a long time until finally, after giving a low growl, he wrapped the small bag in his magic to attract it to him. Maybe he needed it.

Just maybe.

Chapter 12

The beauty of the mountainous landscapes. Without a doubt, it was a fact that any of those magnificent views had the power to attract and captivate even the most skeptical of convincing.

It was a fact that nature used to possess that kind of capacity, that kind of power for which it was the privilege of most spectators to be caught on their own plane. To be the one who enjoyed it.

Watching the mountains rise imposingly, some with white garlands of misty snow crowning its tips; And seeing how the green mantle of the forest extended at its bases as well, all while the warm sun bathed in its light from the horizon, was something to make you feel completely free.

It was to be assumed, then, that this was a simple thing, in spite of everything. Very beautiful, but simple.

However, no one could ever imagine the real risk involved in following a mountain road or going deeper and deeper into those trails. And it wasn't just because of nature's own dangers.

From within the woods and even far beyond, there were so many things that could happen, or that could go wrong.

Many of the ponies that habited that place were ignorant of what might happen even on their most frequent routes, but it was on the higher ground that they really did not fully know. Unfortunately, this lack of knowledge caused them to continue entering those paths, while tracing their own paths to different places they needed to reach.

However, it wasn't the usual travelers who really needed to worry at this point.

As the sun slowly sank into the distance, raining down on the earth the light left over from the sunset, the shadows of the night were slowly beginning to spread in every corner of that strange place.

Every creature there had an innate knowledge that it was not advisable to stay too long outside when the night dropped its mantle and covered everything in its path. None of them knew what it was that gave them that instinct, that it was that made a simple, clear night suddenly awaken in them a cold, unpleasant feeling.

The most likely option was that it was the natural fear of whatever might be hiding in the dark.

Although anypony would say that this was not true and should not be so, that a quiet evening should not provoke such feelings, others could somehow sense what the reality was. After all, they couldn't deny that even in that place isolated from the known world, the most peaceful night could turn that tranquility into an unsettling uneasiness.

But that could happen, at least, in certain specific places.

Places that, for obvious reasons, nopony ventured to enter. While they may have thought it might be easier if they just didn't, the truth is that didn't always happen.

And as the darkness of the night sky continued to spread, the shadows of the night only grew deeper, every little corner or corner being covered by them. Soon there wasn't just one place.

On the other hoof, the darkness of the night, so immersed in its own stillness, was not always accompanied by silence.

Somewhere it could hear the sound of nocturnal creatures beginning its own night, an owl hooting for one, the slight flapping of a bat's wings, or the faint chirping sound of crickets in the trees. Perhaps it could even hear the constant, faint noise of running water in some small stream.

That was only a slight consolation for anypony who wasn't so lucky enough to find a sheltered place to spend it quietly, or the bad luck of not reaching their destination sooner than expected, having to endure the dangers that might lurk.

After all, the quieter it became, the more the feeling of alertness would grow. It was a fact that every creature in the depths of the forest, or anypony passing by, knew.

But what would be the reason for urging them to go beyond the relative safety of their own shelters? Sometimes there just weren't any.

Many didn't want to risk entering those pieces of abandoned green spaces of the will of whoever ran their world. But the need used to be stronger.

Their very existences often depended on their ability to find the resources needed for their lives, which were only found in places far from their settlements.

After all, searching for what they needed at the edge of the forest only guaranteed them a minimal existence that was rarely enough. On countless occasions they had to travel far, but that clearly did not detract from the risk of the journey.

Although from a young age they were instilled with the knowledge that deep in these places was where magic used to be strongest, it was also for obvious reasons, where the danger could be greatest. Because after all, nopony knew how to control the wildest forms of that supernatural power.

Or at least nopony had ever tried.

All this was due to several things, and chiefly to the fact that, among the habitants of that island, the belief and knowledge implicit in the legends was still strongly rooted. Passing that knowledge between each of them was the only thing they could do to explain in a certain way how their world really worked. The only one they were aware of.

But legends always have some truth to them.

Shadowy creatures that were supposed to be just like them, creatures with the powerful strength of an icy desert reflected in its eyes, creatures that crawl in the darkness, and that lurk from the darkness. Maybe nopony ever got to see them, and maybe they wouldn't anymore.

However, from the wreckage of that unexpected landslide, as the night continued to spread, no being near it could notice the strange events that were beginning to occur from the dark rocky corners that had formed earlier.

But perhaps a small pair of faintly glowing eyes had witnessed what was happening in the surroundings. A tiny being stripped of the tree that constituted its shelter, the latter a victim of the recent accident of nature.

As it moved among the rocks, looking for a new place to settle, its eyes began to pick up a slight movement around the corners of its field of vision. It stopped immediately, intrigued or perhaps with some fear that it was a dangerous predator. Something not far from the truth.

The night shadows had begun to grow darker and darker, dulling the light even more, but it wasn't just because the night sky was gathering more firmly over the landscape.

It was a kind of darkness that seemed to grow blacker with each passing second, as if a strange black hole were emerging from the surface of the earth. And as such, it threatened to take everything in its path.

What was most disturbing, however, was how tangible it seemed to be, almost as if it had a life of its own.

But suddenly, without warning, the brewing began to creep slowly over the rugged terrain, covering anything in the blackness in its path and spreading all the way across a certain area, though it didn't take long for it to stop its own advance.

Any living thing that was within a few meters quickly left the place as soon as they became aware of the new threat. After all, its instincts didn't usually fail it.

The shadows began to condense at a specific point, slowly forming into some sort of vortex, but still constant. Soon a whole mass was visible above the rocks, but to look in its direction was like seeing a mere void of darkness. And yet, if it weren't careful, anypony could easily get lost inside it.

There was nothing else about it to indicate that it was a living thing. No eyes, face, or mouth were formed from the shadows, limbs, or anything else that every living thing possessed. It only gave the impression of being the discarded remnants of some kind of forbidden power.

But that didn't mean it wasn't a creature.

It also didn't want to say that it wasn't there for something.

Although its intentions were not yet entirely clear, it knew very well the reason why it had been sent. Perhaps if it had had a mouth it would have let out a grimace of annoyance, but as it stood, it simply wasn't too advisable to complain.

That was there for a purpose, obviously. One that the others who were just like it felt moments after it reappeared in that place. After all, even though they had been missing for many years, it never imagined meeting such a specimen again.

They were so similar, and at the same time too different.

The shadows that made it up dissolved just as it formed, quickly dispersing around it. It had only taken it a moment to ascertain the truth and decide what they would do next.

They were going to be patient once again. They had waited a long time for it, and after all, nopony could imagine what the truth was in the legends about shadow creatures.

Nopony could know what lurked in the darkness.

"Let go!"

"That's what I'm trying!"

Twilight grunted as the grip that holding one of her front paws wrapped around her tighter. She tugged more firmly, in an attempt to get the tendril of plant she'd been unlucky enough to find to let go of her once and for all.

She was quite aware that this was happening only because she hadn't been able to stay away again, but that only gave her poor comfort. When she saw that her effort was practically in vain, she activated her horn and launched a small bolt of lightning that quickly cut through the offensive vine.

Twilight moved a bit further away as she dropped her hooves on this and others that had managed to sneak up on her, but she quickly left when she saw Spike engaged in his own fight with several of the vines that had raged against the group.

"A little help, Twi?" Spike said when he saw her running in his direction.

He gave her a pleading look as he tried to keep the plants far enough away with the small flames he had summoned from the fire in his belly. Because they were still in a relatively wooded area, he couldn't use it completly because of the risk of spreading a fire.

Twilight began to push away the plants that were around the dragon as soon as she had reached his side, while using the same spell as before. Both she and Spike stayed off the ground when one dared to get close enough without them noticing.

It didn't take long for the three of them to completely get rid of the sudden and annoying invasion of twisted green vines that Twilight and Spike apparently liked to attack any kind of creatures that passed its way. The remnants of it slowly retreated when it realized its failure.

After taking care of the last one, Twilight turned her head in a certain direction for a moment and watched as Sombra finally got rid of the tendrils that had wrapped around his front leg, using his fangs to finish cutting them off. He set the remains aside as he looked at his leg again.

A loud wail beside her made Twilight turn her head again.

"I definitely didn't expect plants to attack us," Spike muttered from his place on the floor as he heaved a loud sigh of exhaustion.

Twilight also gave a weary exhale as she slumped down on her hind legs. She carefully rubbed a hoof on her forehead, in an attempt to relieve a headache that threatened to grow. And yet, thanks to the breathing techniques she had learned from Cadence, she was able to calm down in a better way.

Just then she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Twilight turned and watched as Sombra resumed his walk with the goal of getting out of that place. She arranged her belongings without wasting time and they both got up from the place where they were to follow him once more on his route.

"Is it normal here for ivies to catch poor ponies and dragons off guard on the road?" Twilight lamented as she shook her head. "Although I've already figured it out on my own."

"It wouldn't have done it if you'd kept your hooves still and away for much longer," The stallion reproached her as she and Spike left their lag and positioned themselves next to him.

"How could I even imagine it? Besides, you shouted that warning too late." Twilight returned her recrimination as she let out a slight snort of disgust, but her face eventually took on a thoughtful, somewhat guilty expression when she remembered something else. "And that little flower looked so harmless..."

She had only approached in a moment of sheer curiosity when the color of its petals had caught her attention, so she moved away from them for just a moment to get a better look at it. On that occasion, nothing had indicated to her that anything was wrong with the object or with performing that action. Nor had any alarm gone off in her head as she slowly approached, walking in its direction.

She only realized what she had actually done when she almost reached out a hoof to touch her, and Sombra's sudden warning cry made her jump slightly in fright and then caused her to stop at the spot.

She was quick in her direction as a confused expression crossed her face, which had quickly turned into one of alertness when the plant's nasty vines suddenly emerged and wrapped themselves around her forelimbs, taking her by surprise.

After that, it quickly threw itself at the rest of the group, and that's how they got into that situation.

After Twilight said those last words, Sombra frowned in disgust, glancing over his shoulder.

"You have to start learning that not everything here is what it appears to be."

At his words, Twilight looked down as a slight wrinkle formed in her muzzle when she noticed this. Again it was a fact that she was right in that regard, and she now admitted that she had not put in the sufficient and due concern that she really required. However, from that moment on, that was going to change.

"It's starting to get clear to me," She muttered under her breath.

After a slight snort, she retraced her steps to where Spike was while they both lagged behind him, but without keeping too great a distance. With the thought that she would never risk it again, she tried to keep her eyes on the road the whole time.

Although they had finally managed to get out of the mountains, they still had to cross a narrow strip of forest until they could reach the meadows that Sombra had told them lay beyond.

Twilight and Spike at least had the consolation that they were slowly moving away from the periphery of the island and getting closer with each step to their destination. They were much closer to home each time. But they still had a long way to go on that island. An island surrounded by so many mysteries, waiting for somepony to find the answers.

Twilight approached slowly to the stallion.

"Sombra?" She called out to him in an almost whispered tone.

"What do you want?" He questioned, looking in her direction with a slight arched eyebrow on his face.

Twilight quickly gave a mental sigh as she noticed that he was at least willing to listen to her. It was a slight advance.

"I'd just like to ask you a question," she clarified with a determined expression. "This place... Has it been around for a long time?"

At her questioning, Sombra only looked straight ahead again, but he made Twilight feel a bit satisfied when he finally answered.

"More than you can imagine," he said, and then gave her a brief look. "Even before your kingdom arose."

After that answer, Twilight fell silent again, lost in thought. That explained several things, but it still wasn't enough. For now, though, she'd put her curiosity aside. She didn't really feel like pushing him too hard and spoiling what bit progress she had gained.

"Maybe I didn't tell you before, but it was good that you shouted that warning to me before that happened," Twilight said in a grateful tone after coming out of her earlier musings. "Even if it didn't help much in the end, I can say that I thank you anyway."

Sombra briefly looked away as he realized her genuine gratitude, thinking that maybe it would be a good thing for her to know the truth just so she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"It really wasn't entirely your fault," he said, and at this she gave an inquisitive look. He gestured with his hoof as he said, "That plant usually attracts other creatures when it gives off a fragrance that you are not fully aware of, but which can still be detected by receptors in the brain, but it tends to affect ponies more."

At Sombra's explanation, Twilight lowered her head and nodded, in a sign of understanding, though she quickly raised it again when she realized something else.

"If you're too, why didn't it affect you then?" She asked, intrigued by that fact.

He just shrugged, though Twilight could tell something wasn't right. She left a mental note for later, but for now she just nodded.

"Well, anyway I thank you for telling me, I'll be much more careful now."

After he nodded affirmatively to her words, Twilight returned to Spike's side again. Eventually, she told him everything they had talked about when he wanted to know too.

Time passed fairly quickly as the group continued on their way, but at a certain point they stopped after the stallion suddenly decided to go somewhere else. Twilight frowned when he had told them to stay there, despite communicating that he wouldn't be too long. She wondered what he would do now.

However, Twilight could see something that had left her thinking deep down, even if she would have preferred not to pay much attention to it anyway. But she still couldn't ignore a certain fact, the fact that he was somehow acting a bit stranger than usual.

After sitting on the floor, Twilight lowered her head slightly as her mind focused for a few moments on these questions. That was the only thing she could do for now... Unless it didn't necessarily have to be that way.

Twilight frowned thoughtfully as an idea flashed through her mind, an idea that slowly wanted to take hold inside her. Although at first she was a bit surprised by the direction her mind had taken, in the end she thought that maybe it wasn't really that bad.

But could that really be possible?

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Spike walked over to her when he noticed her prolonged silence, then snapped his claws in front of her face to get her attention back. "Is there anything that worries you?"

Twilight shuddered slightly after that, at the same time she jumped up and down as she shook her head to clear her head.

"I was thinking of something, Spike," Twilight said, blinking quickly at his gesture, then coming to herself instantly.

"I had noticed that before, what I wonder now is what kept you so focused," He sat down next to her. "Can you tell me?"

Twilight looked at him and only let out a sigh as she wondered if it would be any good to explain the reason for her thoughtful silence. In the end, she made her decision faster than she would have believed.

"It's just that as I realized the situation we're living in, my mind started to highlight an idea, one that I don't know if it's entirely correct." She furrowed her brow a little, beginning to fiddle with her hooves. "Maybe if we weren't like this I don't think I'd think about it, but now I don't really know what to think...", She turned her gaze back to Spike, a worried look on her face. "What if maybe I'm wrong?"

"But what's that idea?" Spike asked as he rested a claw on her shoulder, frowning a bit when he noticed her gaze. He really didn't like it when she worried too much about something that might be outside of her hooves, but he knew he'd try his best not to see her like that.

"I'm not entirely sure it's the right choice, though I'm aware that it would be the best way to improve this situation, but..." Twilight cocked her head slightly in a thoughtful new expression. "What if maybe Sombra could be more than just an enemy?"

Spike's face reflected for a moment the feeling of confusion that had formed within him, though he quickly pulled himself together. Anyway, he ended up puckering his nose after that.

"You mean to make him an ally?" He inquired, arching an eyebrow. Twilight rolled her eyes slightly.

"Something like that," she replied with a slight snort. "I don't know much about how good that idea is since I still have my doubts, I mean, I really don't think it's likely that he'll decide to forget everything and move on so soon, though..." She gave a slight hesitation with the words that wanted to come out of her mouth. "Do you think it's a good decision?"

Spike looked down and touched his chin with a claw as a thoughtful look formed on his face.

"I really don't know, Twilight," he said as he looked up again, his face a slight frown thoughtful. "Maybe it's possible if you try, but I still wanted to remind you of something." He cocked his head slightly. "On the one hoof we both know who he is and what he did, and for that alone I would tell you to stay away from him as much as possible."

"But on the other hoof?" She continued with a small eyebrow arched with curiosity, though she had a faint idea of what he was going to say.

Spike ended up shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be such a bad idea, after all it's not the first time you'd do something like that," Spike frowned after highlighting another fact in question. "However, the only thing I would ask of you is that you tread as carefully as possible."

"I understand your point, obviously we don't quite know him," Twilight let her face reflect the same countenance as Spike when she turned her gaze in a certain direction. "But at this point we should deal with something else."

Spike suddenly jumped up and surprised Twilight, which in turn caused her to look at him with a raised eyebrow in his direction.

"Now I remember that I really had to do something!" He said suddenly, scratching his head with a claw. "Although I had forgotten..."

Recovered from her surprise, Twilight ended up covering her muzzle with her hoof while holding back a giggle.

"Then you should go," She replied with a smile.

Spike smiled back at her as he pulled something out of his bag, then quickly ran in a certain direction when he got what he was looking for.

***

It was a while later when Sombra returned to the agreed rendezvous point, however a confused expression passed only for an instant on his face when he realized that only the alicorn was in the place. The dragon was not there at the time.

"Where's your friend supposed to be?" The stallion asked after reappearing from the trees. "It seems that you continue to ignore my warnings."

"Of course we don't," she denied as her expression changed slightly. "He just told me that he needed to do something and that he would be here in a while, and he asked me not to go with him."

He just looked at her again with that neutral expression that always took over his face.

"Are you aware that a while is more than enough to get lost in this place."

Twilight lowered her gaze and frowned even more as she realized the truth in his words, but Spike had told her not to go with him and although she had insisted, he managed to convince her to trust that he was going to be fine. But now she definitely needed to make sure of it.

However, before she could execute what she had in mind, a familiar voice began to come to her in a rather faint way. Twilight guessed it was because of the distance.

"Spike?"

That call between the two was repeated several more times as she moved in search of him, but she still couldn't locate exactly where his voice was coming from.

"Spike, where are you?" The alicorn asked with a loud call to the dragon, in an attempt to locate the characteristic sound of his voice among so many trees and bushes. Honestly, she was beginning to get tired of those dense forests. "I can hear you, but I don't know where you are yet?"

Sombra rolled his eyes, annoyed by the mare's continuous calls, as various thoughts crossed his mind.

"Is she really that loud? She's going to end up attracting some unwanted thing as long as she keeps it up, and that's not going to be a good thing."

When he began to tire of the alicorn revealing their location to everyone in the forest, Sombra left the position he held behind her and walked in her direction to get on her level.

"Concentrate better for a few moments to know where he stands," Sombra said as he approached her. Twilight was a bit startled by this. "If you keep calling him that, you won't be able to tell where the sound of his voice is coming from, no matter how hard you try. You should allow a margin of time for the light breeze from the surroundings to guide it to you."

"You..." Twilight muttered. "... Are you giving me an advice?" She cocked her head slightly and looked at him curiously.

Sombra only gave a stern snort, frowning at her words.

"It's obvious, princess. Besides, I know very well what I am talking about."

Twilight glanced at him for another moment before nodding and turning her head once more, this time paying greater attention to her surroundings. The sounds of the forest continued to echo but she ignored them, focused as she was on her true goal. At the new call of his fellow dragon, her ears quickly drifted in a specific direction. Now she knew exactly where to go.

"Twilight! Come quickly! I found something!"

She hurried out to that spot as soon as she got her bearings, with Sombra following behind. Through it all, he was also intrigued by whatever the dragon had found. And yet, they both hoped it wasn't any other of the possible dangers they might encounter.

They had already had enough in the last few days.

At one point while they were crossing some bushes, Twilight decided to go ahead on her way to get to Spike. She spread her wings as she sped up, and then began to flap her wings firmly to get closer, not realizing that she had left the stallion behind.

Sombra frowned again as soon as the alicorn performed that action. He knew that she was aware that even if they both disliked it, it was necessary for them to stay close for safety. That way, at least, if something were to happen, they would be able to deal with the threat in a better way.

He had the thought that something of which he had no knowledge made her act in such an unwise way. And because of that, even if the safety of the alicorn wasn't his priority, he knew that it wasn't advisable to simply neglect her either.

Sombra shook his head and let out a snort as a fleeting, unexpected thought flashed through his mind.

"You're certainly an interesting mare, princess."

Elsewhere, Twilight soon landed again when she heard Spike's voice closer. After crossing some bushes, she went out to a small clearing among the trees through which a river of slightly opaque waters passed, due to all the elements that came down from the mountains. And very close to that river was Spike.

"Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight asked when she saw him with his back to her, crouched on the edge of a hole as he seemed to be watching something. "I managed to come as soon as I could, but I wish you wouldn't leave like that again, I was worried about you." She gave him a slight reprimand as she approached. "But what is the...?"

Twilight interrupted herself when she finished getting completely close and saw Spike stand up from his spot, while still looking at what was in front of him.

On her way to the dragon, she had wondered what he was doing to keep quiet and not answer her question. However, when she arrived and saw the same thing he did, she decided to put those issues aside and drag them into the back of her mind.

"I definitely didn't expect this."

That was all Twilight could mumble when she saw the sample of flattened dirt in the shape of some huge creature's four-toed leg.

Chapter 13

Neither of them said a single word for more than a minute after Twilight said those last words, busy as they were with what was in front of them. It was almost automatic that the two would find themselves in a new analysis in the face of the possible implications of their recent discovery. Or what it really meant to them now.

It was a few feet from the river's edge, but it was well enough embedded in the earth that Twilight wondered what kind of creature could have left such a footprint. And more importantly, that she questioned herself about its possible (enormous) size.

The four claw marks were not quite aligned, only three of them were printed at the front end. The fourth was a single claw impression formed from the back end, opposite to the others. And that really was something quite surprising, and weird.

After a slight clearing of his throat clearing, Spike spoke again.

"Even if it's not entirely clear, I can still tell that's a bit of a big footprint. Don't you think?" he said as he scratched his head with one of his claws, and turned his gaze for the first time since she had arrived.

"I think so, Spike..." Twilight nodded to his comment as she jogged around the recent find, then touched her chin with a hoof and ended up lowering it to touch an area of the earth around her. "And as far as I can tell, it seems that this has been in this place for a long time, or perhaps it is of a recent date, but I doubt that very much. Look here." She then pointed to a specific part at the front end of the footprint, near the edge of one of the claw marks. "The terrain in this place makes it difficult to determine when it was made, but the passage of time could not completely erase it, precisely because of its characteristics."

"Aren't there supposed to be more footprints, too?" asked the dragon, crossing his arms and raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Why is there only one?"

Twilight put a hoof on her chin, another as she glanced around. There was a hint of concentration in her eyes, which caused a small wrinkled frown to appear on her face; then she ended up cracking a small smile as her eyes drifted beyond the river. Now she just needed to confirm what was on her mind.

Twilight opened the clasp of her cloak and got rid of it, leaving it with Spike, who only gave her a look of understanding at what she planned to do. She spread her wings and soared over the narrow river, her eyes narrowing just a bit to detect what she was looking for more accurately.

Although she knew that the stream of water flowing down the river was a major source of erosion, she could still notice the slight mark in the same shape as the footprint of the bank, lightly impregnated in the earthy bottom.

That made Twilight actually surprised by that fact, as she analyzed various options of possible answers in her mind. She knew it was pretty unlikely that something like that would happen... Unless those marks had been made a long time ago, even before that river came up.

After checking this she took a brief look at the other bank, where the dense forest with those great trees growing almost together, was still in the distance. Twilight went down one more time and landed next to Spike.

"It seem to be still after the river, on the other bank; but time, vegetation, or perhaps both, made it disappear," she answered Spike's question as she adjusted her cloak again. "I must confess that I am a bit surprised that this one has managed to preserve itself so well.

"Now we need to find out who or what did this thing," Spike finally said, before he could hear anything.

They both turned their heads at the same time towards the trees just as the noise of the moving bushes alerted them to Sombra's arrival. Even from that distance, Twilight and Spike could see very well the frown on his face as he walked towards them. She wondered what had bothered him now.

"Just when I thought you couldn't be more reckless, you came," he growled as he assumed his serious countenance again.

Twilight knew full well that he was addressing her, and rolled her eyes slightly when she understood what he meant. What she didn't understand was why it had bothered him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she replied with a snort. "I won't leave again without a guide, but Spike needed me and I couldn't help but rush to him," she shrugged, but finally looked away a bit more. "Anyway, I apologize for leaving you behind."

Sombra didn't answer and just continued to stare at her with that expression, which made Twilight squirm a bit uncomfortably in place. In the end, he only gave her a slight nod as he reached them.

"Now I want to know what the hell is going on," he spoke again, his face reflecting a bit of that questioning expression that, in spite of everything, Twilight could see underneath all that seriousness. "It'll be dark soon, so the most reasonable thing to do would be to start walking again as soon as possible."

She shrugged, as she turned to the object at hoof.

"Well, you have the option to check it out for yourself," she pointed with a hoof at that large footprint-shaped hole.

He followed her direction and began to approach slowly, in a detour from the back end of that thing. Slowly, he ran a hoof over the edge of the earth as he frowned in an expression Twilight couldn't identify. She wondered for a moment what the meaning of his attitude was, before she spoke to him again.

"It's obviously the engraved footprint of some kind of creature," she clarified as the stallion continued his walk along the edge, then pointed a hoof at the dragon. "Which my companion found here unexpectedly."

"That I had actually come for some water and in the end that trip ended up resulting in this discovery," Spike interjected as he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders broadly with a sigh. "And it was just me who did it."

Twilight nodded and cleared her throat slightly. She had to finish informing him of the rest of the situation.

"Even if we don't know what kind of creature it might be, we did realize that these marks were actually left here a long time ago."

"And yet they were made for something almost beyond my comprehension," Sombra replied in a low tone, without taking his eyes off his current target. "A creature that possesses four claws..."

It didn't take long for Twilight's ears to move in his direction as she caught the unusual surprising tone reflected in his voice, even if at that moment his face showed practically nothing to denote that fact, as if it were something normal. The truth is that he was even more serious than usual.

"Sombra?" Twilight turned to get a better look at him, giving him a look that reflected the question at hoof. "Why do you look so... surprised by that fact?"

Sombra hardly paid attention to his question, concentrating entirely on what was in front of him as he muttered to himself.

"Never, in all the long years that I have been in existence, did I imagine that on some other occasion I would see one of these again," he said as he moved a bit further away, and then dropped into a sitting position. "This is incredible, who knew that one day that being passed through here? Luckily it was a long time ago."

"I see this is really important," Twilight said as she moved to stay close to him. Again she wondered, "What kind of creature is it now?"

"Besides being a very big one," Spike commented as he positioned himself next to the alicorn.

Sombra looked away from it to the mare and the dragon, then noticed that they were both waiting for a possible answer from him. He narrowed his eyes slightly before a low growl escaped his throat.

"You must know what it is, for after all it is also in Equestria, here it simply possesses... certain differences," he replied as he got up from the spot to approach both of them. Twilight took a step back with a suspicious expression when she noticed the look of suspicious mockery that was faintly visible on his face. "The easiest clue I can give you is the extra heads it has."

That was all he said and boy did the information have an impact on them. To say that Twilight and Spike's jaw almost dropped in surprise was saying very bit really, or at least until they were able to recover from their initial stupor. They both slowly stepped back and lowered their gazes, while their brains processed the new and recent information provided.

It didn't take her a second to find the being that matched those characteristics, and her eyes widened even wider as she realized it. Twilight gave Spike a brief glance and he returned it to her, realizing that they had both come to the same conclusion. After swallowing very slowly, Twilight let out the words she had inside her. After all, that information had yet to be confirmed.

"Do you mean... that footprint was left long ago by a hydra?" she questioned in a seemingly calm tone, in an attempt to make her voice try to reflect a tranquility she didn't feel anyway. "Is there, then, the clear insinuation that there was one living in the depths of the woods some distant day? Which wouldn't mean that it can still be found in this place!?"

Twilight couldn't stop her voice from rising several octaves at the dangerous significance of the new find, but she quickly came to herself and tried to calm herself, breathing deeply and closing her eyes on the spot. It was good to know that at least it worked.

"I almost can't believe there are more Equestria creatures here," Spike muttered as he patted her on the back.

Instead, Sombra raised only a slight eyebrow, briefly questioning what he had just seen and heard. Not that he cared too much to want to find out, either, but it was still intriguing.

"I see it was almost unnecessary to answer your question."

Twilight stopped what she was doing and immediately opened her eyes to give him a look in which she didn't try hard to hide the sheer annoyance he had caused her to begin to feel, yet she refrained from saying anything she might regret. The alicorn snorted loudly and let a new thought pass.

"Like I can still forget when one almost swallowed me and my friends."

"You see I don't," she replied after getting up from the spot. "Now, could you please explain to us what else this means?"

"It doesn't really mean anything else other than the fact that we're here," he replied, shrugging his shoulders and carefully running his hoof over the uneven ground again. "Maybe one of those will have passed through here someday, but that doesn't mean it's still in this territory.

Twilight breathed only a bit more relief after he mentioned that, and somehow managed to gradually diminish the worry inside her. Spike stepped back slightly to give her a bit more space, and she gave him a grateful smile for that. In the end, her gaze returned to the mark on the earth beside her.

"You also mentioned that the hydras here have other differences from those of Equestria," Twilight emphasized in a clear reference to the unicorn's previous comment, as she gave him a slight glance from her position. "What are those?"

"Besides the four claws on each leg, the most important difference lies in the four heads, though it is not even that much distinction as such," Sombra replied without turning, but soon his tone took on a deeper hue, almost muttering under his breath. "The magic here managed to affect it in some strange way, causing its body to develop a deadly weapon that would give them a chance to survive in its environment..." He turned his head slightly toward them, and both Twilight and Spike had to hold back a shiver at the darkness they could suddenly feel inside his eyes, even though it wasn't directed at them. "Its fangs have a venom that can corrode anything that is unlucky enough to fall into its jaws."

The heavy silence that had hung in the air for a few moments after his explanation was soon broken by a faint whistle from the dragon.

"Luckily it's unlikely we'll meet one of those," he said with a sigh as he adjusted his cloak.

Twilight soon followed suit as she slowly shook her head.

"Birds that resemble cockatrices, hydras. Is there anything else I need to name that is in this place?" she wanted to know as she gestured with her hooves and pursed her lips a bit more. "Manticores, perhaps? Insect bears or perhaps lesser and greater bears? I don't think anything else would surprise me."

Sombra only gave her a brief irritated look, but Twilight ignored him, unwilling to deal with him in those moments while snorting.

"I honestly don't know what to think anymore." She lowered her head, but when her mind lit up with the arrival of another question she raised it again quickly. "Are there dragons too?" she asked with genuine curiosity. "Besides Spike, of course."

"Oh, that would be really interesting," he said with a wave of his claw as he nodded to that option.

The stallion rolled his eyes once more at the attitude of both of them, so he ended up passing by to continue on his way.

"This island is too big for me to possess all the knowledge of what else inhabits it," he answered, glancing over his shoulder at them. "Maybe they will meet and maybe they won't, but there are definitely no dragons."

Spike let out a snort after hearing that, but Twilight let out a slight sigh as they resumed their journey.

The three of them followed their way down the river, hoping that somehow they would be able to find a shelter nearby so that they would not have to spend the night in the open again.

But they quickly realized that it wasn't necessary to go all the way down the river when a marked path opened up just outside the forest. Even though there was nopony around at the time, Twilight and Spike were now quite aware of what that meant.

"If this trail is here, maybe there's a village nearby where we can spend the night," Twilight suggested as she looked both sides of the road. "I wonder now what direction we should take..."

"I really think it wouldn't be bad to spend even one night under a solid roof and not with the stars in the background above your head," said the dragon after crossing his arms.

"Maybe we should continue to follow the path downstream," Twilight suggested, emphasizing with the hoof the fact that it was still very parallel to the newly found trail. "It's very likely that there is a town that is close to it. Truth is something that makes sense."

Spike gave a quick nod to her words, Sombra on the other hoof, just continued with his gaze fixed beyond the path, as if he was observing something that only he could notice. She only wondered for a moment what he was thinking.

Both ponies took to the road as they took the direction they had mapped out with their plan, Spike had to adjust his hood properly as a precaution before getting out and catching up with them. At least he had the valid excuse that those nights always started to get colder than it felt in the daytime hours.

In addition to the fact that he had to hide his appearance as much as possible, and although the fire that dwelt inside him was a constant source of warm and pleasant temperatures, he knew that it was always good to have a bit extra warmth.

Now that night was threatening to fall soon, Twilight and Spike began to wonder how bit life was present in the vicinity, especially pony life. The trail was more desolate than usual, compared to the fact that they occasionally met one or more travelers, though not of their same type. Most of them were just ponies who wanted to get home after their day in different locations.

"I'd like to know why these roads are so deserted compared to others we've taken." Spike touched his chin with a claw and looked back at Twilight.

"Maybe this section isn't very habited," she said, making the same gesture as Spike. "After all, we're practically surrounded by forest, even if it's not too big. Isn't it, Sombra?"

The unicorn turned his head slightly in her direction at the mention of his name, the frown on his face soon puckered again. Pressed for his opinion, he replied only with a slight nod as he returned his gaze to the path in front of them.

Twilight also wrinkled the expression on her face a bit when she couldn't help but notice the fact that he had been quieter than usual since they had hit the road, seemingly completely focused on whatever he was thinking.

Twilight could only concretize thoughts of slight suspicion about it, also from the fact that it wasn't the first time she'd noticed that. Not that she knew that stallion too well to get a better idea, though.

"Looks like that's why, Spike," Twilight replied when she turned her attention back to him.

Spike nodded to her reason as he adjusted one end of his cloak better, Twilight returned her gaze to the road.

It wasn't long into their journey that the silhouette of something tall began to stand out in the distance. Twilight and Spike narrowed their eyes a bit, noticing the figure of some kind of wooden wagon rattling slowly along the way as it was led by somepony they couldn't see.

They both quickly took the lead because of this, though Spike remained behind Twilight at all times. It didn't take long for them to notice an earth mare with gray fur and blue mane pulling at her transport, covered in a worn-out cloak to face the cold, just like them.

The mare was a bit startled when she heard the sound of hooves approaching her, but she soon calmed down somewhat when she turned her head and saw that they were only travelers on the road.

"Excuse me, we didn't mean to scare you," Twilight clarified when she saw the way the mare had tensed up. "We'd just like to ask a question."

The mare visibly relaxed after that, as she cracked a gentle little smile.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can ask me anything you want."

Twilight gave a mental sigh as she realized that they had at least managed to find a pony willing to help them.

"Thank you," she said, and then asked, "Is there a village nearby where we can spend the night?"

The mare's face wore a thoughtful expression as she lowered her gaze, but it didn't take long for her to raise it when a feeling of compassion for them settled within her. She knew very well how dangerous the nights could be if you didn't find a place to take refuge.

"My village isn't far away, I suppose you can spend the night there," the pony suggested after giving them a friendly smile, though she then gave a look that denoted an implicit warning. "But you'd better be careful, they don't like outsiders very much."

"We'll be very careful," Twilight confirmed as she gave a brief glance at Spike and Sombra, who was standing behind them. "I'm sure..."

She interrupted her words when one of the wagon's wheels hit an obstacle in the road and caused the mare to stop when she felt the slight wobble that her transport suffered. She quickly pulled it out of there.

But that slight accident had caused one of the ropes holding the boxes in place to loosen more than it already was. The difference in level it caused between all the other wheels ended up doing the inevitable.

Twilight moved quickly as soon as several of the boxes made a feint of falling, and that was what would have happened if she hadn't activated her magic in time.

The mare who had been carrying the wagon saw it all first with a look of fear of the possible disaster, which then turned into one of genuine surprise as the pink aura enveloped each object in a floating field and gradually returned it to its original position. In the end, she made a stronger knot this time.

After Twilight had completely put it back in place, she turned her head again as the voice of the mare beside her announced herself in a tone of gratitude.

"Oh dear, I want to thank you, I don't know how I would have managed if I lost all those boxes," the pony said as she gave Twilight a surprised look. "I'm really surprised that you were able to move all that on your own, and without being so exhausted."

"It's really not too much effort for me," Twilight explained with a smile, but then raised an eyebrow slightly as she asked a question, perhaps in an attempt to confirm what she had already suspected as she pointed to the boxes with her hoof. "But is it really strange that I can do that?"

"Given the fact that sometimes it takes several more unicorns to be able to climb them, I could say yes," replied the mare, after resuming her journey. "I think you're a unique pony, I haven't seen many unicorns who can do the same thing you did on their own."

"Maybe it's for something else," Twilight said with a slight shrug.

After that, she followed the mare by her side with Spike. Sombra simply preferred to stay behind them.

The journey to their current destination wasn't as long as Twilight first thought, though that may have been due to the fact that she was spending her time on something else. Specifically, to get conversation with the mare named Sapphire next to her.

It was almost dusk when the road before them finally opened to a new village partially hidden by the forest that surrounded it, but their destination was not to be found within. The gray mare led them to her little home, located at some distance from the others.

Most likely, from the fact that night would soon fall, none of the three saw too many ponies in the vicinity.

Twilight let Spike rest inside the house just because the other mare had allowed it. Sombra ended up going somewhere else. Twilight wondered for a moment what his goal was this time, but it wasn't entirely her business wherever he went as long as he didn't decide to do anything possible harmful anyway.

She continued to help her new hostess with the things she brought in her small means of transportation. And while they were slowly stirring up everything in the wagon, they also went on with their conversation.

"It's really a good thing we were able to find it," Twilight said as she took a look around. "We thought that with so many trees it would be difficult to find a pony location, but in the end the river was a great help."

"Well, maybe it's because there's more to this place than meets the eye." The earth pony sighed slightly. "And yet I'm the only one who can somehow see beyond what's being told."

"Maybe it's because of what you have to do, having the option to see places other than this one," Twilight hinted in reference to what she had told her, the life she had to lead away from her original place. "But I wonder, why does he say that?"

The mare beside her looked away as she cocked her head, as she went on with her work.

"Maybe I never really had a choice," she said after shrugging her shoulders. "But in spite of everything, I can still see that you are a peculiar pony, who likes to acquire knowledge," the mare insinuated (quite rightly) as she looked at her carefully.

Twilight could only crack a nervous smile at that. They both continued to lower the items from the wagon, then left them on the ground next to the pony's hearth, though Twilight managed to finish more quickly thanks to her magic advantage.

"I hope you don't think I'm bothering you or something," Twilight clarified as she finished arranging the boxes. "If you don't want to answer me, it doesn't matter."

The mare gave her a slight glance while emitting a small laugh, then slowly shook her head.

"Don't worry about that, I was like that too... when I was a little younger," replied the mare, her gentle gaze soon turned to one in which a trace of melancholy was visible. "But there has always been no other pony in the village besides me who was interested in knowing the things beyond what is told in the stories to frighten the foals at night, or to put them to sleep, as the case may be."

"Legends?" Twilight focused better after hearing those words.

"Oh, yes of course," she nodded and an unusual glow appeared in her eyes as Twilight began to pay attention to her. "Surely the village you and your traveling companions come from believes in these, the truth is that many do."

Although the mare had affirmed her comment with a calm smile, Twilight couldn't help but express the slight nerves that were running through her at that moment in one of her own that she ended up sketching. Then she put a hoof over the back of her neck and looked away.

"Let's say what, where we come from... we're a bit more open-minded. And we didn't really live in a village."

The earth mare showed a confused expression for a moment, but when she understood what she meant, she opened her eyes a bit wider from the slight surprise she was at learning this new information.

"Don't you know it then?" She knew what she was asking, but she still had to make sure it was the truth.

"Not really," Twilight shrugged. The mare beside her wrinkled the expression on her face a bit more.

"Maybe it's the fact that sometimes we've never been able to see anything beyond our place of origin," The pony began, once more. Twilight frowned slightly, imagining what she meant. "But the truth is that many are also afraid of what they might find."

"And afraid to go through the woods?" Twilight added.

"It's not just that," she replied. "Not only are the roads dangerous, sometimes we prefer to avoid other villages as well. But because we can't avoid exchanging between different places anyway, we try to maintain a good relationship as best we can."

"Is there anything to stop them?" Despite the fact that she didn't like to lie and even less so to a pony who had been so nice to them despite not knowing them, Twilight forced herself to rectify her comment so as not to create unwanted suspicion. "The truth is, we've never seen anything beyond our home, and I don't really know what you mean."

After she said that, the mare smiled again sympathetically. She could see more things because she used to travel, but she knew that some of those who stayed all their lives in their hometowns, it was difficult for them to get more information, unless somepony took them away.

"I can tell you that the interactions between us... sometimes they're not as good as they are. Sometimes arguments break out between the different races, which forces those who are in charge in some way in each place to try to calm them down. After all, we can't allow something like this to happen often, given the fact that each needs the other."

"Maybe that's why I noticed that other ponies we met on our trip just ignore us."

"Apparently these ponies still have deep-seated prejudices inside them, but that doesn't really surprise me much"

"I know it's not ideal, but sometimes they'd rather do that," The mare replied with a sigh. "But even if I have my reservations, too, I'd be willing to give a helmet to anypony who needed it, after all that's how my parents brought me up." She shrugged before continuing with her task. "But there are also other reasons that motivate us to try to maintain a better relationship with each other."

"Because of the consequences that would come otherwise?" Twilight asked out of curiosity. The mare nodded.

"Everypony knows what would happen if it was affected. It may be that it will lead to a bigger conflict, and you know what confrontations bring." She lowered her head, though the alicorn still noticed the strange expression she had shown for a moment. "Plus other things it's best not to think about."

Twilight gave an inquisitive look as she raised an eyebrow. The earth pony looked up again, this time her voice taking on a different hue.

"They say that if the peace remains as stable as possible, we will avoid being punished."

"Punished? By whom?"

"Nopony knows, and nopony has really seen them," She shrugged as she picked up a random branch from the ground and began to draw any kind of meaningless strokes on the ground, distracted. "The only thing the accounts of that say is what they are: creatures of ghostly, icy essence, waiting for its chance to bring the cold winter to the ponies."

The mare gave her a brief glance before continuing.

"But that's not the only danger." Twilight looked in her direction again with an implicit question on her face, though it didn't need to be put into words. "It's always good to stay sheltered when the shadows of night fall, I can assure you that nopony would like otherwise."

Suddenly, she stopped what she was doing after she finished her work. She rose from her seat and turned her head one last time to her.

"If you wish, you can spend it here," she said in a quick sign to her home, while a slightly worried look on her face. "You're not likely to have much luck looking in the rest of the village."

She headed inward after those words, as she left the alicorn alone with her thoughts. Twilight frowned a bit and walked over to the spot where the mare had been sitting.

It may have been just out of curiosity, but that feeling was replaced with a thoughtful expression as she carefully touched the dark earth around the mark. The mark of wavy strokes of some kind of form without volume.

***

While everypony else had already let the fatigue of their journey wash over them, Twilight was still trying to settle into a good position to make the attempt to sleep another sleepless night.

It was a real pity that this place seemed to block any kind of contact with the outside world, even through the dreamscape. Inevitably, it prevented her from accessing a certain princess of the night.

Because of everything her hostess had told her, Twilight knew that this was going to be a difficult night to reconcile. Again and again her mind returned to the thoughts of all these strange tales.

She had quickly deduced the fact that the mare implied that by 'creatures of icy essence' she had been referring to the legends itselves about certain ghostly horses, also when she meant that they were only stalking them. Twilight well knew that according to the legends of her homeland they used to appear when chaos, mistrust, and disharmony spread among the three races. That was why she had understood when the mare explained to her why most ponies preferred to try to find themselves on good terms.

What Twilight later couldn't explain was the fact that even if bad situations happened between them, those creatures would still have the ability to spawn in that place to feed off all that possible chaos. She didn't really know how the strange power around the island influenced that.

She also couldn't explain the fact that they knew the legends about such creatures when they weren't supposed to. Is it possible that the habitants of that place were descendants of equestrian ponies that existed more than a thousand years ago?

For now, she sensed that was the most likely option, even if she didn't yet know how they got there.

Twilight didn't hold back a last yawn as she made the new attempt to find her ideal sleeping position. With one last review of her thoughts, she finally decided to leave it all for the next morning.

But as Twilight tried to fall asleep, something else was waking up.

Deep in a damp lair, one eye opened, and others soon followed, trying to get used to the darkness inside the cavern. Soon, that wich slept found itself awake from its slumber, attracted by the characteristic scent of a particular magical aura.

All it knew at that moment was that it needed to get it.

Its instinct drove what it wanted to do, and its instinct didn't fail it, after all it was the only thing it could follow. However, as at other times, something in dark whispers dictated once again what it should do.

And it had no idea what it was.

Chapter 14

The dark, star-filled night sky that stretched over the entire village made the night seem more peaceful than usual. The full moon in the sky reinforced that appearance of ethereal tranquility.

And so it would be for a while longer.

However, although many of the ponies that dwelt in their homes were already on the verge of falling into their own dream world, for one pony in particular that had proved to be especially difficult.

Twilight stirred for the umpteenth time in place, as she tried by all means possible not to wake Spike with one of her moves, although with how tired the dragon was she didn't think it would be that easy to do. After all, he was still a growing child, he needed a lot more rest than she did.

But Twilight had been more distracted than usual. Her mind was still going back to the memory of everything the mare had told her before, and that made it difficult for her to fall asleep. Inevitably, this had left her with more questions than answers, and she knew that now she must find a way to find them.

After emitting a low snort, Twilight carefully slipped out of her small space until her hooves touched the ground beneath her. After picking up her cloak from where she had left it hanging, she slipped away in a stealthy attempt not to wake any of the other sleeping ponies oblivious to her intentions. Then she closed the front door to the home very carefully behind her.

The following was quite easy to accomplish due to the fact that there was absolutely nopony else on the streets of the small town. Twilight intended to clear her thoughts better, and to do this she needed to get to the outskirts of it, to the edge of the forest to the west.

Twilight spread her wings and rose unhurriedly, letting the light night breeze help clear her mind better. She made an attempt to always stay in the same direction with regard to the village. She knew she could use the river to get her bearings at the time she decided to return, although after a few minutes of flight she calculated that she was close enough distance to walk back if she wanted to.

Twilight descended again very carefully due to the pointed branches of the trees, given the lack of any clearings in which to land in a better way.

She shook her feathers a bit before folding her wings again, then turned on the light on her horn to illuminate her. She walked to the base of a tree, gave a small sigh and slumped down, then leaned her back to the trunk behind her. Her eyes closed only slightly, but she still remained alert to her surroundings despite there being nothing to indicate a possible threat.

Her ears moved in reaction to the different noises that harmonized the place. In a way, that prevented that area from adopting an eerie silence, somehow making her calm down. The sounds of the night came softly to her ears, and that ended up helping her in her task.

"So such things exist here, or so she has implied," she began to say to herself, keeping a very low tone of voice and wondering with some doubts: "But is it really true? I don't doubt the dangers that can be found in the forest, but sometimes the ponys' minds can be given to exaggerating about that sort of thing. Although they usually don't believe it or simply ignore it, as happened long ago with that prophecy about the return of Nightmare Moon."

To be sure, ponies could be very skeptical of such things at times, but now she was aware of the fact that it was obvious that these ponies were not the same. Those stories were part of their lives, and sometimes the legends had a bit truth to it.

"The best thing we can do is to tread more carefully," she said decisively as she put a hoof on her chin. "I just wonder if there will be more things we haven't seen yet."

"I think I'll leave that for later for now."

Twilight didn't know how long she was there as she tried to organize her thoughts in her head, but she soon figured it was time to go back. She spread her wings again and soared above the trees, then stayed that way as she followed the river that guided her with ease.

And it was because she was at such a level in relation to the ground that she ended up noticing something strange. Twilight paused for a moment and glanced as she narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to see past the leaves and branches of the treetops.

A thought crossed her mind as the point of light beneath her stopped and went out, the scarlet light belonging to a magical signature that she already recognized.

"I guess it's who I'm thinking."

Twilight carefully lowered herself again. When she finally landed she wasn't too surprised that Sombra was there, after all she had already become aware of his presence.

It did, however, make Twilight interested in the fact that he was leaning against the trunk of a tree while keeping his eyes closed. Somehow strangely, she seemed to feel as if he was... Exhausted.

He opened his eyes again when he became aware of her presence.

"What are you doing here?" Sombra furrowed on his face as he saw her walk toward him.

He really didn't expect to find her there, even though he had noticed earlier that the place where she had been lying was empty.

"I'd like to know that, too," Twilight replied after stopping some distance away. "I couldn't sleep and I went flying for a while to clear my head a bit," she ended up clearing her throat. "What's your reason?"

"Does there have to be one?" he asked, and resumed his characteristic seriousness.

Twilight looked down a bit and frowned as she shrugged. She just wanted to know, but that wasn't what she ended up saying when she raised her head again.

"I guess not," she conceded as she agreed with him, and then gestured with her hoof. "I'm just asking because it's weird that somepony decides to go into a forest in the middle of the night where obviously everything is dark and anything can happen," Twilight narrowed her eyes a bit more. "And that's not to mention that it's also weird that you took the same direction as me.

Sombra took a brief look at her, before simply closing his eyes again.

"The darkness doesn't worry me, and as for the other, I too think it's strange and unfortunate that you've crossed my path."

Twilight rolled her eyes, not caring much about the fact that he would choose to ignore her again. Maybe he didn't want to hear her, but he was going to hear her anyway.

"Well, you'll have to get used to that, though," Twilight said with a resigned expression. "At least until we get out of here."

He didn't bother to open his eyes again, and only expressed his displeasure in a loud snort. Twilight let out a sigh of exhaustion, noticing once again his uncooperative attitude.

She really believed that they had gained some progress, although she wasn't going to give up so easily anyway. Letting out another sigh, Twilight spoke again.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sombra opened his eyes and looked at her with a suspicious expression this time, wondering what that princess wanted to accomplish with her questions. Honestly, he just wanted her to leave him alone with his thoughts.

"I don't know what you mean."

Seeing that he wasn't willing to say anything to her, Twilight moved just a bit closer as her voice tried to take on a more disinterested tone.

"I'm only asking because I've noticed that you've been acting... a bit strange lately." She frowned a little. "As if something is troubling you."

A slightly awkward silence formed in the place, causing Twilight to turn her head away a bit and avoid looking at him in his direction. A surprised expression briefly formed on Sombra's face before he again hid his emotions behind a mask of coldness. He got up from his place and turned, turning his back to the alicorn.

"Nothing of importance is happening," he replied in a curt tone.

However, Twilight wasn't going to give up so easily. She needed to check if anything on his mind had anything to do with their current situation. She really didn't want them to experience so many surprises every time.

"I know that's not true," she reaffirmed her words as she slammed a hoof into the ground, however that ended up not liking it the stallion very much.

Sombra turned in her direction, and she took a step back when she noticed the look on his face. The shadows of the night made his gesture even deeper.

"Why are you trying to know, huh?" he growled slowly closer. "I'm nothing to you. I definitely don't need your worry."

Twilight frowned at his sudden attitude, but didn't back down again.

"It's not worry, it's..." She interrupted her train of thought when she realized something.

Was that really what she thought? That she was interested in whatever was on his mind just because it might be relevant information in the future?

But if she was honest with herself, the truth is that she also wanted to get both of them to have even a minimal relationship, if after all she wanted to continue with her idea. And for that, she needed to show him that she could be more than just an apparent nuisance.

But that wouldn't be possible for now.

"I thought so," Sombra murmured, turned and resumed his way towards the village.

Twilight lowered her head as she let out a sigh. However, it was her next words that somehow made him listen. Or so she wanted to believe at the time.

"I'm trying because... somehow, I wish I could understand you," Twilight murmured with a slight shrug, knowing he couldn't see her.

Sombra stopped in place, and Twilight felt a little spark of hope that he was really willing to listen to what she had to say.

However, the moment Sombra turned to face her, a strange expression suddenly crossed his face and caused him to turn his head in a certain direction again, as if he had caught something unusual that she could not yet notice.

Twilight cocked her head a bit and wondered for a moment what had caused that unexpected change in him, but she forced herself to push her questions away to a corner of her mind when he spoke again.

"We must go back to the village, now."

Twilight didn't like the tone in which he said it. Several times ago she had heard him the same way and it had not been a good thing. But before she could ask him to explain his words, Sombra turned quickly, turned on his horn once more, and began to gallop in that direction.

Twilight wasted no time in following him, spreading her wings and quickly positioning herself beside him. The sound of his hooves was all they could hear as they both followed the entire parallel path upstream.

"Can I at least know what...?" Twilight didn't have a chance to express all of her question when she suddenly began to feel a strange vibration that slowly spread everywhere.

"I don't know what's going on, I just hope it's not what I'm imagining," Sombra muttered regardless.

They were already entering the boundaries of the village when something made them stop suddenly. It was just as Twilight landed and hid her wings again that a tremor began to shake the earth, spreading throughout the village.

All the ponies who had not yet woken up ended up leaving their homes when they felt that last shudder. Twilight swept her gaze over the habitants without stopping at anypony in particular, but she detected in each of them the expression of alarm and confusion that reigned within them. But she also managed to notice something else that she couldn't identify at the time.

Twilight's mind shifted her thoughts to a more important issue at that moment, when she wasted no time galloping towards the small shack where her things were and where Spike was. She eventually left Sombra behind when she lost him in the crowd of villagers.

But she didn't need to go too far as she soon saw the dragon running towards her, with his cloak on and her saddlebag in his arms. Spike narrowed his eyes slightly for a moment when he finally realized who the pony was coming in his direction.

"Twilight, I'm glad you're okay!" He dropped her bag in front of her and took her in a tighter than usual hug. Twilight raised her head, but soon returned it to him when he, too, looked up again. "I couldn't help but get scared when I didn't see you next to me after the sound of the ponies woke me up, all of a sudden they started coming out and shouting things and then that shaking happened."

"I'm so sorry, Spike, I shouldn't have left like this."

She gently stroked his head to comfort him, but there was still nothing at that moment that could erase the guilty expression on her face.

"Yes, yes, I forgive you Twilight, but..."

Spike couldn't finish saying his sentence when a new shudder shook the whole earth, the ponies' cries of surprise rang out again. Twilight pulled away from him slightly and shook her head, trying to look above all the others to find a particular crimson horn.

It didn't take long for her to locate Sombra, though she was surprised by the fact that he had his eyes fixed on the river.

"May I know what's going on now? Why I don't think this is normal!"

Twilight paid almost no attention to the comment Spike had made next to her. Everything about her was focused on the situation that was brewing too quickly beyond. And at last, she realized something very strange.

The water on the surface of the river had begun to churn, as it bubbled in waves that seemed to rise from the depths. Meanwhile, the jolts became more powerful at the same time that it reverberated everywhere. And yet, nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

The current of the river stood still for an instant, but only for that brief second. After that, a sudden, immense stream of water opened rapidly as a large, dark body emerged in a burst from the depths of the river.

But in the midst of all this confusion and in spite of the darkness, everypony and the dragon present could see perfectly the four long necks on which sat a head with large, sharp fangs.

The hydra swept its gaze across the small town, its piercing green eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Everything suddenly stood still, in a silence that was too eerie. The noises of the night died down considerably, and the shouting of the villagers finally faded away, as they all stared completely paralyzed in the direction of the recent threat looming over them.

But that stillness was quickly broken when the deafening shriek of the creature resounded thunderously in the ears of everypony present, causing a general shudder...

That was soon replaced by screams of terror.

Twilight wasted no time in putting Spike on her back and running through the crowd as the creature began to approach the village, encouraged by the screams of the little ponies below it. Each tried to escape the threat by sheltering in their homes and that was just what Twilight planned to do with Spike when she left him in front of the gray mare's home.

"I don't know why this had to happen now, but you'd better follow me!" exclaimed the pony when she saw them appear as she quickly removed several things from inside the house.

Spike climbed off Twilight's back, however he kept her bag when she quickly unbuttoned it and handed it to him in the process. Both visibly shuddered as a terrible roar and resounding screams rose behind them.

"What are you going to do, Twilight?" Spike suddenly looked ahead, in the direction of the four headed being that had just destroyed one of the houses with a wave of its long tail. "Are you going to face that thing!?"

Twilight made a quick shake of her head. It wasn't really necessary for her to do that, though she just hoped she wouldn't be in need.

"Of course not, Spike, but there's no time and you must listen to me." Twilight looked into the home, where the mare was unblocking the way to what she thought was some kind of basement. "Hide with her and I'll try to somehow get it away from these ponies." Before Spike opened his mouth, she stepped ahead of him. "I'll be careful."

"I hope so, Twilight," Spike said with a slight frown.

She nodded and turned once more, as she began to gallop past the crowd seeking refuge in their homes. He turned to where the other mare was.

Spike had the knowledge that when it came to the safety of other beings, he couldn't make her change her mind so easily, even if she put her life in danger and he didn't agree. But he knew that was her, his Twilight, a pony willing to do anything for the good of others.

And he admired her for that.

***

After leaving Spike, Twilight moved with great effort through some ponies that were still running outside their homes.

Regardless, the creature's shrieks couldn't mask its panicked screams. For this reason, Twilight had in mind to find Sombra if she wanted to solve the current problem in a better way.

It took her longer than usual to find him due to the fact that his coat blended too well with the shadows of the night. However, she was able to locate him near one of the homes furthest from the dangerous threat, simply by observing with a critical eye from a distance.

Meanwhile, the hydra continued to destroy any buildings in its path, while its four heads tried to find its smalls preys in the rubble. Though it was a relief, Twilight was surprised that each of its attempts resulted in failure, as if the ponies that had hidden in there had vanished. That only infuriated the creature even more.

Twilight moved quickly to Sombra's side, he only looked at her with a frown as she looked past his direction. She looked at him again with a determined expression.

"If we don't get it out of here, it's going to end up destroying the whole town," Twilight said, watching as the hydra stopped and the quartet of heads seemed to sniff something in the air.

Sombra looked at her with the same neutral expression as always.

"And what have I to do with that?" he replied with a grunt.

Twilight let out a slight sigh.

"I may have a hard time saying this, but I need your help," she replied. "I know you're the only one who knows how to stop this, or at least you must have some idea. I'm also aware that this is none of your business, nor am I asking you to do it for me or others," she gave another sigh as she looked him straight in the eye this time. "But could you please help me?"

Sombra looked away and turned it once more to the creature, thinking for a few seconds about her words. Without turning, he finally answered:

"I'll only do it because this threat also threatens my safety."

After those last words, Twilight let out another brief sigh and nodded. At least it was a relief to her to know that she wouldn't have to do it alone. With a swift movement, she got rid of her cloak as she kept that place in her mind for when she decided to return for it.

The two of them scurried away quickly as they inched closer to the hydra. After ending up behind the remains of one of the nearby houses, Twilight took a brief look over it. She was surprised by the fact that the hydra was still sniffing the air, as if it couldn't locate its true target.

"We must distract it somehow," Twilight said as she turned her head back to Sombra.

"The point here is to avoid its heads in the attempt," he replied. "You must still remember what I mentioned earlier."

She nodded to his words as her mind caught the memory of that conversation for a moment.

"We have to plan a better course of action to follow," she conceded as she gathered her hooves together. "If we can get its attention, we can slowly get it to the edge of the river, and then scare it away somehow."

Twilight gave a confused look as he just seemed to shake his head.

"We must use this darkness as a potential advantage."

She turned when she caught his tone, though she couldn't quite notice his expression. Anyway, she knew that she wouldn't be happy with what he was going to say next.

"If we want to get out of this alive, we have to strike first."

Twilight ended up opening her eyes even wider in a frightened gesture after hearing his words, even though he didn't seem to show an ounce of fear at his recent idea.

"We'll end up worse off if we confront it directly, I don't think... Watch out!"

Neither Twilight nor Sombra noticed the moment when the creature had crept up to where they were hiding. Twilight only had enough time to shout the warning to the stallion when one of the heads attacked them with suppressed fury.

The force of the impact drove them some distance away from it, but it wasn't pleasant for Twilight to have her breath cut off when Sombra fell on top of her.

"I really need... that you come out of above me." Twilight coughed as she tried to crawl in search of her release.

He shook his head as he pulled away in confusion, but they only had a second to clear their heads a bit before the creature's screams reminded them of where they were.

In the blink of an eye, they both made a detour and parted in opposite directions as the creature's paw stepped very close to them. They dodged its long tail with difficulty when they found themselves behind it again.

Sombra snorted loudly for no apparent reason as he galloped, or maybe he did. The terribly annoying situation in front of him was more than enough. He was already tired of everything and everyone, but despite that, the sudden spark of an idea crossed his mind.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the alicorn, while that same thought developed further. He was well aware that it was probably one of the riskiest ideas he had ever had, after his confrontation with the Two Sisters, and yet he knew that in a way it was the only way.

Weaken it before finishing it off, that's all they could do.

And for that he needed her help.

"Listen to me! I'll go ahead and distract it from the ground!" cried the stallion. "You must fly stealthily until you land on top of it without it noticing!"

Twilight's eyes widened more than they already were.

"Did you go crazy!? Too many things can go wrong!" she replied with a cry.

"I know what I'm telling you!" he replied in exasperation and turned his head to see how the creature was still focused on them. "You must trust me for this time if you really want us to get rid of it!"

Twilight snorted again, she didn't really have any more options. Only on that occasion did she light her horn and in a burst disappeared from the place.

She reappeared a few feet above the hydra as she spread her wings. The darkness didn't let her see enough, but she could still see without all her vision how the creature's heads were trying to catch the stallion underneath it. Twilight had to admit that he was still doing a good job.

With great care she managed to get closer, however it was not an easy task because her target did not stop moving, while destroying part of the forest in its path. After getting her bearings, it didn't take long for her to yell at Sombra again.

"You've got to think of something!" Twilight's voice echoed urgently. "There must be something that affects it, some kind of weakness!"

"I'm just on it! Wait a minute!"

Time dragged on for Twilight as Sombra dodged the hydra's new lashes and thought of a possible response, though it was only a few seconds before he spoke again.

"The area where the four heads meet is its weak point!" shouted Sombra as he dodged one of the falling trees.

Twilight snorted loudly as she tried her best to grab onto the creature's hard skin, and screamed again for him to hear above the noise.

"And what am I supposed to do with that? Pass it through?!"

Through it all, Twilight charged her horn into a small sphere of power that grew larger and larger. She quickly deflected it in the direction of the spot Sombra had indicated. She intended to release it right on that spot, but she didn't get a chance to fully execute her plan when something happened that wasn't quite planned.

One of the heads had become aware of her little maneuver when it turned around at the aura of her presence. Twilight was only able to get out in one swift flight from there when it almost touched her in its lethal touch. Her heart pounded as she saw that sharp fanged mouth pass by too closely.

One minute...

She walked away, but the others had already caught her and were now ready to capture the small threat. And it was in the midst of one of her elusive movements that Twilight remembered Sombra's words.

"Its fangs possess a venom capable of destroying anything unlucky enough to fall into its jaws."

The light of a new idea lit in her head as she smiled to herself.

Twilight clicked her tongue and veered off the path in a quick aerial turn to the left of the nearest head. She flapped her wings upwards, so fast that she thought that if Rainbow Dash had seen her at that moment, she would have been as amazed as she was at that very moment.

After that brief acceleration, her speed slowed down and Twilight stopped in mid-air. She looked down and let her smile widen a bit more when she saw that the creature had completely focused its attention on her, its four heads growling at her in anger and annoyance.

It was time to implement her plan.

Even though she didn't realize it, Sombra was looking at her the whole time with a look of interest in knowing what she was planning to do now when performing her little maneuver, but it changed quickly when she did something that he definitely hadn't expect.

Twilight fell.

She folded her wings to her sides and let the force of gravity do its work in hastening her fall. With her eyes narrowed by the strong gust of wind and her front hooves pointed towards her target, Twilight began to once again charge the magic of her horn.

The creature's heads grunted louder and let out a resounding screech in her direction. However, it was quickly silenced when Twilight's offensive beam struck the side of one of its necks. Instead, it was replaced by the cry of pain from the attacked head. But she wasn't done when she took advantage of the distraction.

Swift and accurate, her hooves hit that same target hard and caused the creature to take a step back. Because the acceleration of her fall had increased the force of the impact, Twilight fully unfolded her wings and quickly slowed down in the process.

The shrieks behind her made her turn around, only to realize the great wound her magic had left it. Both ponies covered their ears when the noise echoed too loudly in their ears.

Twilight seized the distracting opportunity and lunged at the hydra's heads. She dodged its onslaughts as she flew around, between, and over it; pretty much in every direction. She wasn't discouraged that she missed some of her punches, she knew that just needed to confuse it and keep it busy. The next part depended on that.

Twilight's efforts ended up paying off at the right time. As if everything had happened so slowly, Twilight veered out of the way of the head chasing behind her, only to send it straight into crashing into one of its sisters.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Twilight didn't respond when she heard the stallion's scream as she flew over him. She just looked past and snorted as the two heads that had bumped into each other shook off in its confusion. All hissed in her direction after that, letting her see the length of its forked tongues.

It was angry. Very angry.

And she knew it.

Sombra grunted at being ignored, but he didn't wait for her to respond. He quickly dodged the wobbly tail coming in his direction, with dexterity and agility even for a stallion of his size. He turned away from the creature, but his ears moved in a certain direction and he turned his head again when he heard the alicorn's voice.

"Your information about it helped me!" she shouted as she held up a hoof. "Now I know what to do!"

At that, Sombra again took on a serious expression in which he nodded when he understood her reference. He strayed even further from the creature's path, leaving it free for the alicorn.

In a convoluted way, yet possessing a strange sense, Twilight dodged, lunged, and strayed from the path of the creature's heads. If the force of her lunges were anything that further provoked the hydra's fury, it was her elusive movements that ultimately caused what she truly wanted to achieve.

Fleetingly realizing the confusion she had left it, Twilight executed the last part of her plan. She caught the attention of one in particular, until she guided her right where she wanted.

With its jaws wide open, the head that chased her set out to finally catch its little prey, after all only a short distance separated them...

However, Twilight was faster.

She swerved swiftly as she encircled the neck of another head, directing the path of her flight past it all. And at last, there was a great shudder that ran through her as the powerful reverberation of the shriek reached beyond her ears. Twilight didn't need to turn around to know that her idea hadn't turned out to be such a bad thing in the end.

The creature let out a shriek of rage, fury and pain as the venomous fangs struck the neck of one of its sister heads.

She closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears as she flapped her wings with effort. A few seconds later she realized that the shrieks had become more and more distant, so she deduced that the hydra was already leaving the same place it had come. And that's what she actually saw when she opened her eyes again.

Twilight could only see for a moment the immense body disappearing into the dark waters of the river. These bubbled a bit before leaving the atmosphere in a strange stillness, again.

All had fallen silent as Twilight flapped weakly toward the ground. She gasped wearily from the physical exertion she had subjected her body to.

She raised her head as she began to hear the rumbling sound of hooves in her direction, only to see the stallion walking towards her. Twilight sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I really don't know what these creatures have to do with going for a walk right when we're there," Sombra grumbled. "Don't they have anything better to do?"

Twilight opened her eyes again and looked in his direction as she blinked rapidly, but now she really couldn't take it anymore as the corners of her shoulders began to shake.

The situation they had just experienced was so absurd and unexpected that she couldn't help but let out a suppressed laugh from the back of her throat, however she quickly released it completely, bursting into a fit as she wrapped her front paws around her chest.

Sombra could only stare at her in confusion as that sound burst into his ears, thinking that he had seen it all now. Not that he cared much about it, either, or so he wanted to believe.

"I thought I couldn't experience any more surprises," he said as he moved closer, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Is what I said funny to you?"

"No, no, it's just... I didn't expect you to say that." Twilight tried to calm herself down as she covered a giggle with her hoof. "And in that tone."

Regardless, Sombra allowed himself for a moment to change the expression on his face as the corners of his mouth raised slightly.

"I'm more than I really look, princess.

Twilight looked at him for a second.

"I can already feel it," she replied in a whisper, looking away as she smiled slightly.

After that, they simply resumed their way to the village side by side, knowing that for that moment, at least, they had been spared the threat.

Chapter 15

It was truly shocking to see the havoc that a creature of such size could cause.

That's what Twilight thought when she picked up her cloak from where she'd left it and moved to get a better look at the remains of several of the small town's huts.

She didn't know when Sombra had left her side, but she decided it was best to leave him alone for a while, or at least until she was done with her current priority. A few villagers pushed away the debris, either with their hooves or with the magic provided by the several unicorn horns there.

And that's what Twilight did, bringing her magic to help clear it after she asked another of the ponies about it. After all, more help was always welcome.

Twilight noticed something a bit strange after she had finished pushing some debris out of place, or rather when the other ponies let out a sigh as they looked in that direction. A large square of wood was visible on the floor, although when she approached the others she could see that it was actually the front door to what appeared to be some kind of basement. Just as she had seen in the house of the mare who had taken them in.

Twilight stepped back a bit to let the other ponies do their job to open it. It was a relief to everypony when the ponies that had hidden there emerged unscathed, apparently.

After that she cracked a small smile and turned to continue on her way, but it was the comment of one of them that made her stop for a moment in place.

"Luckily I had reinforced the hinges after the previous time, I don't know what would have happened if it had come off during the attack..."

As she walked towards the mare's home, Twilight thought deeply about those last words. Did that mean what I was thinking? She shook her head as she wondered how that could be possible.

"It took you a while, Twilight."

She blinked quickly as she reacted to the sound of Spike's voice, raising her head to notice the worried look he gave her. Twilight moved closer and stroked his head. She decided to put her thoughts aside for the time being.

"I was helping to lift the remains of a house, Spike," she said after sitting down across from him. "It's good to know that the ponies inside were safely taken to safety and are fine."

"They must have taken refuge in their own shelter," Spike said as he pointed to the pony who had accompanied him. "She told me that every home has its own."

"Oh, that's interesting..."

Twilight's hooves moved instinctively as she stepped through the doorway as Spike followed behind him. Her mind was completely focused on the question at hoof, and she didn't even notice that Sombra was already there. It was only when he cleared his throat that Twilight returned to her current reality.

"You were very absent-minded, my dear," said the mare. "We were telling you that after everything that's happened, the best thing would be for us to go back to rest." The other ponies will take care of what's missing."

"Yeah, it would be best..." Twilight lowered her head a bit. "But first I'd like to ask you something, and I'm sorry in advance if this makes you uncomfortable..."

A small sympathetic smile flashed on the earth pony's face as she shook her head, urging her to continue. Still, Twilight looked up again to look her in the eye, then expressed the question on her mind.

"It's not the first time this kind of thing has happened, is it?"

The mare's reaction was not long in coming, and Twilight was actually not too surprised when she lowered her head and looked away, as if embarrassed for omitting that detail. The truth is, she could understand it.

"I suppose it's not worth while not yo telling them after this," murmured the earth pony with a sigh.

Twilight and Spike shared a look, Sombra just lowered his. The fact that these ponies had already known what they had to do, the same emergency hiding places they had in their homes, and the fact that they had noticed a feeling of resignation in almost everypony's eyes, almost as if it were something normal, said a lot about what was really happening.

Twilight moved a bit closer to the mare and sat down beside her, meanwhile she clasped her hooves on top of each other in an attempt to appear calmer.

"Sapphire, what's really going on here?" she asked in a low, calm voice, in an attempt to convey that same feeling to her hostess.

There was a faint thoughtful frown on the gray mare's face as she lowered her head. After a few seconds she spoke again.

"I didn't want to say anything before because I figured you wouldn't want to stay in this place if you knew, which would have forced you to spend the night in the woods." Her features took on a confused expression as she wrinkled her muzzle and made a gesture with her hooves. "But I never thought this would happen right now, so recently that it didn't happen..."

"Then it's true," Twilight whispered as she opened her eyes wider. "How is that possible? And how can it be that they seem to be... so fine with that?"

The earth pony shrugged.

"We've all had to live with it for as long as we can remember," she said in a neutral voice. "That's why the old ponies have told us the story, to make sure we prepare from an early age."

"What's that story?" asked Twilight.

The mare's gaze slipped and she looked something beyond them, or maybe she was just focused on her thoughts. Then all she did was close her eyes.

"They say that for more than a hundred winters we have been living in this odyssey, year after year, since the attacks began." She let out a loud sigh. "Nopony knows why it happens, and nopony is willing to find out. Everypony thinks that maybe we deserve it, that maybe it's a punishment from some higher being for some offense done long ago."

The two ponies and the dragon who were listening to his words began to reflect rather quickly on what had been said in it, all without being able to help feeling the general surprise that had just generated in them.

"Wow..." On Twilight's face was an expression that denoted the varied emotions that were within her, but the main one and the one she could feel much more strongly was compassion for all those ponies. "I can't even imagine what you've had to go through, but I still wonder why you've been forced into that. Couldn't they leave this place entirely?"

"We'd like to, but..." We just can't." The mare's dejected face deepened as she dropped her ears. "It's too difficult to move a large group of ponies through the entire forest, running the risk that any other creature will just spot us and decide to finish us off," Twilight couldn't stop a faint lump from forming in her throat as her gaze met the pony's. "Our magic can hardly defend us, and our strength is no match for the dangers that lurk within it. That is why most choose this option, despite knowing that sooner or later we will not be able to continue resisting."

She raised her head once more and looked at them all, but quickly lowered it again as she let out a sigh.

"With each passing year it become more frequent, and it's not just that creature's," she said, nodding her head to what was outside the window, beyond the tree line. "There are more things in there that are better left unnamed. Sometimes ponies even disappear during the night, and nopony knows who takes them," she said as she shrugged.

At the time, Twilight didn't know how to sort out the thoughts in her head. But everything the pony had just told them made her think that something very strange and not good was happening in that place. Something that unfortunately was out of her hooves.

She organized herself quickly when she wanted to ask her next question.

"And they have no idea what causes these attacks?" Twilight asked.

"It's impossible to know," shook the mare. "We don't even know if we're the only ponies that happen to them, since very few of us venture beyond our home..."

"And what did you say before, with why hasn't this happened recently?"

Everyone was shocked when Sombra's deep voice joined the conversation, interrupting the next thing the pony was going to say. Twilight frowned at that as she glanced briefly at him out of the corner of her eye.

However, the other mare lowered her head slightly, suddenly feeling intimidated by the look the stallion was giving her. Twilight noticed this and quickly turned in his direction. The look she gave him made Sombra snort low and roll his eyes, softening his own a bit more.

A look of slight bewilderment formed over the face of the earth pony before she resumed speaking. But one more feeling floated to the surface, and sadness soon reflected on her face.

"I meant that because these assaults usually had a more or less long window of time before happened and... It's only been a few weeks since the last one happened."

The whole room fell silent after that, but it was not the silence of someone deep in thought, but the silence that followed after an awkward surprise. None of them knew what to say.

"I... I really don't know what I can say about that," Twilight spoke and shook her head a bit. "We've never been through anything like this, and well..."

The earth pony finally sighed as she stood up again.

"Don't worry, you have to continue your journey tomorrow anyway and I don't think it's good to fill your head with something you shouldn't care about," she said in a friendly tone. "But I really wish them luck on their way."

Twilight didn't know what else to do for her, so she just nodded and let the mare retreat along with Spike as he passed by her.

"Twilight, aren't you coming?" Spike stopped when he realized she wasn't following him. When he turned, he saw how she seemed to look beyond the small square of window.

Twilight turned and nodded.

"Stay with her, Spike."

The dragon frowned slightly, but soon nodded at her request. He followed the other pony as she watched him from her seat.

As Spike disappeared behind the door to another room, Twilight let out a small sigh and turned her gaze to the stallion. Sombra had already closed his eyes and was more than willing to get on with his restful night, unfortunately interrupted by the previous event. But he did not count on the presence of a certain princess.

Twilight only gave him a light glance out of the corner of her eye, but she still realized what she already suspected. She gestured with her hoof as she turned in his direction.

"You know, I don't think I have thanked you for the help yet."

Sombra didn't bother to open his eyes and simply replied from a contained grunt in the back of his throat.

"Now you've done it, I didn't give it to you either, so we're on hoof anyway."

Twilight's face formed a small frown as she looked down. Maybe he wasn't literally telling her to leave, but the atmosphere in the room practically felt like he was kicking her out. However, his current position was not aggressive enough to expose that kind of order.

The King Sombra had always been a figure who could strike fear into those who feared what he could do, who preferred to stay away. But after everything they had been through and had had to face, it was obvious that at that moment he was just as exhausted as she was. And it was just at the sight of that countenance and the drooping position of his body that a new idea came into her mind.

She knew that an opportunity was before her eyes and she was not going to let it pass her by.

Slowly, Twilight walked towards him and managed to make a place for herself on the piece of cloth where he was lying, doing the same action when she dropped down next to him. Sombra opened his eyes and soon sent her a suspicious look, clearly annoyed by her recent action.

"What do you think you're doing?" he grumbled in a growl.

"I guess rest," Twilight shrugged. "And after all the recent emotions, it's what I need most right now."

"I need it too, but I prefer it alone," he replied with a suspicious look. "Why don't you go with that dragon of yours?"

Twilight frowned when she heard him speak in that way of Spike. She was honestly beginning to reconsider the possibility of having a friendly conversation with him.

"Spike is safe with her, she doesn't need me right now," she replied in a dry tone although her voice soon returned to normal, while letting out a sigh. "You know? You should try to put that attitude aside, even if it's just on certain occasions."

"And why should I do that? It's not of interest to me, nor do I care about the way others portray themselves about me."

"But right now it's just us," she gestured with her hoof all around. "These ponies don't know history beyond what this place shows them, so it doesn't hurt to at least make an effort."

After that they both remained silent for a few more moments, which was only harmonized by the noises of the night outside.

"What do you think of everything that mare just told us?"

Twilight turned her head as she blinked slightly quickly when she heard Sombra's question. He just looked at her with a slight frown, but there was also a hint of what she could tell was curiosity. Twilight shook her head quickly as a thoughtful frown formed on her face.

"I can't tell you, but whatever the reason for this to happen, it seems to have been going on for quite some time... Probably long before those attacks started." Twilight looked at him as she cocked her head. "I thought maybe you might have some idea why this is happening."

Sombra snorted after her words, frowning in marked annoyance.

"Obviously I can't know, a thousand years locked in the ice of the Frozen North is no small thing," he replied dryly.

Twilight lowered her ears slightly when she noticed his tone, she also looked away in the process.

"I didn't mean to imply that, it's just that..." She paused her words for a moment and wondered if it would be good to continue trying to find out what was going on with him. But after a sigh, she finally decided she wasn't going to miss the opportunity. "I just wanted to know about it a while ago. I had told you that I realized that there is something that has been troubling you these last few days... And well, I also think that in part we have a common goal."

After those words, Twilight lowered her head a bit more. She knew that he would most likely decide to ignore her again and pass on her comment, so it actually ended up being a surprise to her when Sombra spoke again.

Although he still wondered what she really wanted to accomplish, he knew that even then he couldn't keep her in ignorance much longer. But something inside him told him that anyway.

Twilight glanced at him again briefly, but he just kept his eyes fixed on the front, not turning in her direction.

"In a way, I've felt my magic in a very strange way these past few days," Sombra began again. "And somehow I feel like it's related to whatever is going on in this place..." He shook his head after letting out a sigh, and then looked back at her while frowning in slight confusion. "This kind of thing didn't happen when I was last here, so I want to find the answers, too."

Most likely, it was because her surprise passed quickly, but in the end Twilight ended up nodding after asking her question.

"And how can we do that?"

Sombra looked away again, but this time he looked beyond the window square, toward the line of dark trees. A pensive countenance formed for a few moments.

"I can still remember that right in this area, almost deep in the forest, there is a place where you can find the answers to the questions that lie within you." Still, he was reluctant to say anything further. "It's kind of... cavern imbued with powerful magic, if I remember correctly, it is one of the few places on the entire island where it naturally becomes stronger."

Hope ignited within Twilight right after the stallion said that and then she began to make quick gestures with her hooves.

"Then we can go to that cave and..." She paused as he gestured with his.

"We could, if I knew its exact location," Sombra interrupted, and the alicorn's hope almost vanished along with his words.

But before Twilight could protest, Sombra again stopped her with a flick of his hoof.

"However, I know of a method that can get us there," he confessed after letting out a snort. "But that'll be tomorrow."

A new silence formed between them after that last piece of information, and all Twilight did was nod with a resolute frown reflected on her face. Neither of them said anything more after that and only ended up waking up in the comfort of the faint sounds outside.

Twilight leaned back in place. He hadn't told her to leave and she was fine with that. Maybe it was because he was too exhausted to bother, but it may have been some kind of breakthrough.

It didn't take long for her eyelids to become heavier and heavier, but her mind lingered for a few more moments on the reason she had been creating for days.

Maybe Spike had sensed the truth, and maybe she wasn't so wrong. Perhaps she just had to give him a chance and Sombra could become more than just an enemy, a simple mutual ally or supporter. Maybe she just had to find a way to show him the paths that friendship could take.

With that last thought floating like a soft jellyfish in her mind, Twilight dropped completely into the mists of rest.

An annoying ringing in her ears was the main cause of her awakening, followed by the continuous murmur of what she believed to be arguing voices. Twilight adjusted the hood that covered her head and pricked her ears so as not to hear it anymore, she didn't even need to open her eyes to know that it was still too early. But soon there came a time when she could no longer sleep in peace.

Twilight let out a slight grunt and began to wake up, stretching into place and yawning to ward off sleep, as she pulled her hoof over her muzzle. She really wasn't too surprised when she noticed that Sombra had already left her side to... anywhere. She wasn't sure where he'd gone, but right now it was more important to open her eyes if she wanted to find out what had interrupted her sleep.

The only thing that confused her a bit afterwards was the fact that it was so early that the sun was just beginning to rise, slowly peeking out from behind the clouds in the distance. Twilight gave a slight shrug and moved a bit farther away from the noise outside. Before investigating in more detail what it was, she needed to make sure of something.

Twilight walked into the small room where she knew Spike was, probably still asleep. She only needed to slide the piece of cloth that separated the two spaces a bit to get a better look at the small covered bulge that was lying in the position he always used to take. She gave a small smile at that sight.

"He's still sleeping, and he'd better stay that way."

She returned to her place again, though no sooner had she stepped out of the doorway than she jumped in fright when the door of the hearth burst open and let Sombra in. Twilight didn't like the look on his face at all.

"What's going...?" Her words were quickly interrupted.

"You'd better see for yourself."

That was all he said before disappearing back behind the door.

Twilight's countenance had changed from one slightly annoyed to one that expressed the growing concern she was beginning to feel within her. Without wasting much time, he readjusted his coat in a better way and followed the same path the stallion had gone from. She wondered what was going on this occasion.

But of all things, what she hadn't really expected was that in front of the place where they had spent the night there were ponies that were not part of them, but they were not a small group. As she glanced briefly over all this, Twilight could almost swear that half of the town's habitants were now there. And the most disturbing thing was that they didn't seem to be too happy.

The mare that had provided them with lodging was standing in front of one of the small groups while talking to some of the ponies, though rather than talking to Twilight it seemed that they were arguing.

"Can you tell me what's going on here?" Twilight asked in a whisper after positioning herself next to Sombra. "These ponies don't look happy at all.

"It's because they're not," he replied simply.

Twilight frowned as she caught the remnants of the murmurs in the crowd. The next thing she heard, she didn't like it too much.

—... That's none of your business, Sapphire, but we'll tell you only one thing," replied one of them in a contemptuous tone, an older-looking unicorn stallion. "Don't you think it's weird that hydra attacked just when they were supposed to stay here for the night?"

"Save your tone, old stallion." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "So many years and you still haven't learned to stop judging, or rather I should say all of you."

The unicorn snorted and lowered his ears as the rest of the crowd louder their murmurs, which made it pretty clear what they were thinking. It was obvious that because of everything that had happened, they didn't want them there.

Having seen and heard enough, Twilight stepped forward and walked towards them, deciding that she wouldn't let that kind mare stand up to her own acquaintances just to defend them. She could really understand what those ponies thought about them just because they didn't belong in the same place as them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you shouldn't bother with her" She positioned herself next to the other pony, she could only look at her with a surprised expression. "If your problem is with me and my companions don't worry, it won't be too long before we leave."

The murmurs in the crowd increased again, but Twilight ignored them at all when her attention focused on the grim expression of the stallion in front of her. At her interruption, he simply raised an eyebrow and spoke again in a tone of false regret.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid that won't happen."

Twilight frowned again and glanced at Shadow out of the corner of her eye. She realized that he only saw them with an overly serious countenance. She returned her gaze to the pony that had left her confused.

"What are you trying to tell me?" she asked in a neutral and simple tone, not letting any emotion betray itself.

The unicorn took a step forward, getting closer, but Twilight stood as steadfast as she could as she looked him straight in the eye.

"Even from the darkness, some of us watched as you and the other unicorn took care of keeping that monster away from this place, and we knew it could only be you," the stallion spoke again as he frowned. "No other pony here would have dared to do so."

Twilight did take a step back this time and almost inadvertently backed away to Sombra's side. How was it possible that they had realized that so quickly? She could already imagine it, though she was also aware of the fact that it hadn't been too subtle. Not when she'd had a multi-headed monster in the spotlight.

After giving each other another sideways glance, Twilight and Sombra could tell in a way how aware they both were of the situation. They knew that these ponies were looking for something else, something that they, it seemed, could give them.

This time it was Sombra who stepped forward. The only thing he said was in a more imperious tone than usual.

"After all you said, you've only made one thing clear," he replied, and then affirmed. "You want something from us."

Both stallions just looked at each other with the same grim expression, until the pony in front of them just nodded.

"You're smart ponies," said the other unicorn stallion as he took a step back. Then he turned, but not before glancing over his shoulder at the earth pony beside them. "You explain it them, Sapphire."

Twilight frowned at that as she turned to the pony in question. Her face reflected the question on her mind. The mare simply lowered her head and let out a loud tired sigh.

"Just come with me," she said as she turned toward her home, turning her back on the mob of habitants that was slowly beginning to disperse.

Twilight and Sombra shared one last glance before following the mare home. All they had to do was figure out what they really wanted.

"I'll be direct with you." The pony turned to them as soon as she closed the door. "We would like to ask for your help in an important matter."

"Exactly what?"

As both ponies frowned in an inquisitive countenance, the gray mare just lowered her head, closed her eyes, and sighed wearily.

"This village is not the only target of everything that hits us from the forest. We realized that what it is really looking for is the most defenseless among us, it's looking to take our foals." Her eyes widened again, slowly. "They are the ones we want back, from their capture in the last attack."

Twilight rubbed a hoof on her forehead after her words, thinking for a fleeting moment about all that meant.

"That means it leave them even weaker... By taking away those who could take care of their entire village in the future?" she raised her head and walked over to the mare, putting her hooves on both shoulders. "This is more important than I imagined, but how are you sure you can be rescued?" You've said that almost nopony ventures beyond that."

"It's because we need your help to get to them," she replied. "And because there's only one pony who's made it back from wherever they've been."

Twilight removed her hooves from the mare's shoulders and took several steps back. She glanced again at the stallion beside her, but all she found was his typical serious countenance. That said enough for her.

On the other hoof, there was also the fact that it was not yet too late for her to do what was forming in her mind at that moment. She wished wasn't too late for them.

"If that pony really has done it, maybe we might be able to help," replied the alicorn, certainly intrigued by that pony. "Who did it?"

Twilight successfully tried to ignore the annoyed and surprised look that Shadow was currently giving her. She knew she would have to deal with him later about her sudden decision.

"His name doesn't matter now, all I know is that at the time his return was unexpected, and yet he couldn't save those who also left with him." A brief dejected expression formed on her face, before her voice took on another hue. "But when you ask me that, do you mean you'll help us? Are you willing to do what we couldn't?"

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment and gave a slight nod.

"We'll do what we can," she walked over and put a supportive hoof on her shoulder for support. "If that pony is able to help us and those foals can be returned to their families, we'll do it."

Now that they were there, she wasn't about to abandon those little ponies to their fate. She just hoped she still had time.

***

"I don't think you need to worry, I'll take good care of your little one."

"My little one?" Twilight's face had a slightly confused expression on her face as she expressed her desire for the well-being of her sleeping companion.

The earth mare nodded.

"I can understand what it's like for a mother to worry about her foal's safety."

At her words, Twilight's eyes widened in surprise at what she had insinuated. And once again she let out a nervous laugh.

"Spike isn't really my son," she said with a sigh. "Anyway, I know he's going to be safer here."

Twilight turned and walked out of the hearth in the direction of where the dark stallion was. Although the pony who would be her next guide was already waiting at the edge of the forest, Twilight had not yet forgotten her conversation with the other stallion. She sighed, with the goal in her mind that he could accompany them, and not just because of the fact that she was occupying herself at that moment.

Twilight approached him slowly, only a bit worried by the strange nervousness she had suddenly begun to feel.

"Sombra? I think it would be good if..."

"Don't go on, princess," he interrupted her with apparent calmness, though his gaze reflected the annoyance he really felt. "You've made it clear without even counting on me."

Twilight looked down for a moment and sighed.

"I know I should have asked you first, but I still think we could take this opportunity to look for the answers we need, you know this puts a new spin on the whole situation."

Sombra frowned as he looked in her direction. He couldn't deny that she was right, but he wasn't going to admit it in front of her.

"That's why I'll go with you."

After that, they both turned their heads toward the door that opened behind them. Their hostess got out and trotted towards them, but not before giving a faint glance to the pony waiting beyond.

"Your route is safe. He really is someone competent and despite everything he went through he is willing to take you to the same place where he escaped a long time ago, just don't ask him how he did it," she said while she seemed to contain a shiver. "Besides, he knows the forest almost like the back of his hoof," she nodded, but at the arched eyebrow of the other mare and the skeptical look of the stallion next to her, she forced to rectify herself while she smiled nervously. "But obviously it's a saying."

Twilight said goodbye to her, and then they both headed in his direction. They each made sure they had their belongings, Twilight with her cloak and saddlebag, and Sombra only with his cloak. She made sure they had what they needed to reach their new goal.

"I don't think they're capable of that, I know what I really saw when I talked to her. What they really feel..." She shook her head and let out another sigh. "They looked desperate..."

Twilight had denied Sombra's earlier words as she made her way, when he had hinted that it was all just a trap, one in which all the ponies were involved. To her, however, it didn't make sense. And the facts corroborated this.

"Nopony really knows what another is thinking, so what makes you believe that couldn't happen?" said Sombra, somewhat surprised by what she meant. He could hardly believe that she was so naive.

Twilight gave a slight snort after he said those words, but ended up turning her head over her shoulder as she gave him a slight look of mockery. Then she took advantage of the situation to speak her mind, after shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Maybe that's why trust between two ponies or creatures must to be earned, don't you think?"

Sombra raised an eyebrow as he caught what she really meant. Then his voice took on that same mocking tone as he let the corners of his mouth rise slightly.

"I don't think so, because that's just what you think, princess."

Chapter 16

Several hours had elapsed since they had left the village, so much so that the sun was almost at its peak. On the other hoof, because they were in the dense interior of trees, it seemed that it was almost dusk.

Not a word had been said among the group as they went deeper and deeper into the thick trees. The pony who led the march did only that one job, as he walked in front of them on a path that no one but himself knew where it led.

Twilight had tried to talk to him, but all she got were grunts of affirmation or denial depending on the type of questions she asked. It was pretty clear to her that he didn't like the invasion of his privacy, but somehow she could understand it. Most likely, even he would not have wanted to remember the route to the place from which he had once escaped. She wouldn't have wanted it either.

Still, the awkward silence was something she'd almost grown accustomed to. Almost, because even she didn't want Sombra to keep quiet most of the way. Perhaps from time to time one of us would have the mouth to say something, but even so the atmosphere that had prevailed ended up prevailing in the end.

Twilight let out a weary sigh that she didn't bother to hold. She just thought that if she was like this at the time, she didn't want to imagine when that situation suddenly got worse. Because in recent times, luck was the least of them.

"Do you think this might be the right direction?" Twilight still didn't understand why she was whispering, but perhaps she guessed that the strange stillness in the forest was a big factor.

"If you mean the real purpose for which we are currently here, you must know that it is not certain. I have not yet mentioned how that place can be found," Sombra replied without taking his eyes off the road. "It would be a different story if you hadn't agreed to do what those ponies wanted."

Twilight snorted and frowned at his words.

"I couldn't just let them go through the uncertainty of what had happened to their foals. If there's the slightest hope that they might be okay, the pony in front of us shows us," she replied as she took a brief look at the stallion. "And if you think about it, now that you've told me about that place, we can also find out why this is related to what's going on here."

All Sombra did was frown after she expressed her reason, but she knew that even if he didn't admit it, he shouldn't and couldn't let it go. To a greater or lesser degree, it also affected him. Twilight, on the other hoof, was aware that this was her current priority.

The atmosphere of the group resumed its characteristic silence, which made everypony again adopt a sense of alertness towards their surroundings. Somehow, Twilight still couldn't explain why she was getting more and more nervous when there didn't even seem to be any kind of threat nearby. She could only speculate one possible reason.

She sensed that it was all related to the strange supernatural aspect of the place. After all, the fact that she herself had magic within her, different but at the same time more powerful magic than everypony else's, made her more susceptible to the ability to sense the magic around her.

She didn't yet know how that affected the stallion next to her, but when she saw out of the corner of her eye the tense expression in his gaze, she guessed that she wasn't the only one with that ability.

After all, they already knew that this place contained a strange and peculiar power.

Only when the pony in front of them stopped, did Twilight take a moment to push certain thoughts out of her mind as she walked toward him. He didn't say anything, he didn't even move. He was only looking at a fixed point beyond the trees.

"Is there anything there?"

The pony turned in her direction at her question, giving a simple nod as he turned on the magic of his horn. He wrapped what Twilight could see were the tendrils full of leaves of some plant, apparently covering something in a good way. They both watched expectantly as a simple, dark hole opened before their eyes, big enough for even Sombra to fit.

The vines obscured in plain sight the entrance to a space that would otherwise have gone unnoticed unless, of course, they knew where to look.

"I guess it's over there." Twilight turned to the stallion that had led them, however he had already turned in the same direction they had come, only letting out a growl of nod when he gave them one last look.

He continued on his way, leaving them both uncertain of a possible rescue and a mystery that cried out to be solved. Twilight watched him leave until he disappeared behind the big trees. Without wasting any time she turned her gaze back to the hole.

Somehow he had told them what they needed to know, though that didn't turn out to be much for real help. The only thing he had made clear was that this was the place he managed to get out that time, the same place that Twilight was taking several glances at as she decided what she was going to do next.

"Are you going to just walk in, or are you just going to keep looking at it?"

Twilight snorted as she turned her head at the sound of Sombra's voice, a faint annoyance on his face. She rolled her eyes in the process and turned on her hooves only to never have to hear his claims again.

After only walking a few feet inside, Twilight was forced to turn on the light on her horn when the light outside eventually dimmed in the presence of Sombra behind her. Her face was frowned with slight concern as the external sounds grew more and more attenuated as they went deeper into the darkness.

Contrary to the feeling she imagined she had at the possibility of a heavy silence, Twilight didn't really think that the rumbling sound of their hooves in the cramped place was anything more distressing than the very calm she would have preferred to feel. The darkness in front of them seemed to dim only when her light illuminated the path.

"I hope this works..." Twilight whispered as she concentrated on letting some of the magic she still had flow into her horn.

"If it doesn't work, we know whose fault it is," Sombra grumbled with a roll of his eyes, partly because of the annoyance of ducking his head.

Maybe his sides didn't quite hit the walls, but he was still too tall for such a tiny place. And that was definitely a bummer.

Twilight didn't look away, but she still let out a snort of disgust at his words, as she shrugged her shoulders in the act.

"Nopony forced you to come," she said in a nonchalant tone, turning her head slightly to look at him. "You're free to go back to the village if you want, but I know that like me, you won't pass up the opportunity to get answers."

Sombra didn't answer anything else after that and just frowned suspiciously at her comment. He really wasn't amused that she had such an ability to understand what he was thinking. But then Twilight could almost swear she could almost swear she could hear him grumbling under his breath as they made their way down the narrow tunnel.

A new heavy silence settled once again between them, the atmosphere became slightly tense. Twilight pricked up her ears as she quickened her pace a bit more, meanwhile wondering how much more time they needed to follow that course.

But neither of them felt the need to pursue these issues for a while longer. The tunnel in front of them became steeper and steeper, descending on a slope that became steeper with each step of the two. Suddenly, it just stopped.

They both frowned after that, but didn't think much of it as they resumed their journey. That was only until Twilight began to notice the faint clarity opening up beyond them, so faintly that at first she thought it was just a product of perceiving her own light. That was enough to get her excited.

"The tunnel opens in that direction," she pointed to the stallion behind her, still looking straight ahead. "Which means we're close!"

Without even waiting for Sombra to have a chance to say anything, Twilight stepped forward quickly as she made her hooves move toward that ever-increasing point of luminosity. But she wasn't prepared for the next thing she was going to find.

"What the...!" Twilight didn't have time to finish her sentence, and only had time to spread her wings quickly when her hooves stopped feeling the hard ground beneath her.

After settling down, she looked down, seeing with surprise the rather high precipice that opened up below her. She didn't realize that she had been running in a straight line towards this, but at that moment she only took another look. Twilight stifled a shiver as her gaze fell into its depths, but the darkness of the cavern fell a bit further as she turn off her horn.

Twilight turned when she heard the sound of hooves behind her, to which she let out a warning phrase as Sombra appeared in her vision field.

"You'd better not go any further." She rested her hooves back on the more stable ground and stopped in front of him after rearranging her wings. Once more she looked across the ravine. "That's a pretty big drop."

At this Sombra frowned and walked to get a bit closer. This was something he needed to see with his own eyes. After arriving, he simply stretched his head and raised an eyebrow in spite, not caring too much about what he now saw.

"Looks like it ends here." Sombra shrugged and stepped back again.

"I don't really think so," Twilight replied. "That pony must have climbed up somewhere..." she said quickly.

But she didn't need to ramble for long before the solution opened up on a stone path right next to her, hidden by darkness. Twilight frowned. The fact that anypony had been able to detect it was truly astounding.

"We don't have all day," Sombra grumbled as he saw the alicorn in her quiet observation. He moved quickly and pushed her away with a hoof, causing Twilight to let out a small snort of surprise.

On their way they were very careful in every place where their hooves trod. The narrowness of the trail and the slight grip it offered them was enough to lessen their sense of security. Even more so when they noticed how little by little it leaned into a downhill path.

Perhaps it was because they were both so focused on what was in front of them that the silence that had formed was no longer so annoying. Or maybe it was because other sounds started to make themselves present. But after a while, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Could you stop doing that? I can't concentrate on the fucking environment."

Immediately, Twilight stopped her humming and frowned at her "companion's" unfriendly complaint.

They both stopped their walk and conversation when the light of Twilight's horn illuminated the new obstacle in front of them. The road continued as before, only now it was divided into three more. Sombra stepped forward as he stared at it.

"What was missing," he snorted. "And now for where?"

"Just go straight all the time," Twilight murmured, her gaze wandering back to Sombra. "That was all that pony said."

She stepped ahead of him once more and let the last words of her sentence float in the air as she began to drift into the darkness. It didn't matter to her anymore that the journey resumed its silence, as long as her concentration returned again.

But the sounds weren't the only thing that could break it.

"Uhm... Sombra... Twilight paused as she began to wrinkle her nose at a strange stimulus.

"What?" He didn't even bother to put the question into it.

Twilight didn't notice or perhaps chose to ignore it.

"There's something... A strange smell," she said after resuming her walk once.

The stallion made the same gesture.

"I don't smell anything, are you sure the magic of this place isn't starting to affect you?" He ended with a mockery.

"Very funny," Twilight replied without changing her expression. "I'm really serious."

"I'm serious, too, princess." His tone became deep, and he took on his seriousness once more. "If I'd detected something odd a long time ago, I would have gone in a different direction. This system is old, maybe that's all the reason why."

Twilight hung her head, not quite convinced of that. But what could she say now about the fact that she didn't feel it again? She shook her head a bit to clear the ideas from her mind without letting go of her concern.

And yet a new event would succeed in completely preventing her idea.

"But, now I think that so that you can't feel it..."

Feeling a slight movement of the air around her was what stopped her from continuing.

A small disturbance that would have gone unnoticed if it weren't for the fact that they both had the same sense of displacement. A second later Twilight smelled the same smell again, only this time it was much stronger. And it wasn't pleasant at all.

"Oh by Celest-!"

Even before she could hold her nose, Twilight felt herself being pulled roughly by a hoof that wrapped around her body while another covered her muzzle. She could immediately feel the stallion lure her to his.

Twilight didn't have time to turn to complain to him when Sombra whispered in her ear.

"Turn off your horn, slowly."

Without making a single sound, partly because of the limb that covered her mouth, Twilight did as he said and slowly stopped the flow of magic. Darkness fell once more as her eyes tried to adjust to the new change, only to open wider after the sheer size of the place. But it was what she found there that really added to her confusion.

Even in the dim light, Twilight began to notice the strange, tall dark mounds that were scattered widely throughout the place, as if it was small lofty mountains. But at the same time, she was somehow able to detect movement in the one closest to them. Yes, she was sure that thing went up and down slowly... Or rather, it was breathing.

Twilight choked out a gasp when she realized what it meant, but she didn't really want to get close to check it out. Not that he was going to leave her, either.

"You noticed, didn't you?" Sombra whispered again, and she could only nod without turning around.

Twilight closed her eyes in a vague attempt to focus on something else, something that would make her forget whatever it was that was in front of them. The pulse she could feel in her ears, and her own heartbeat along with those of the stallion behind her seemed to be a good source of distraction.

"I'm going to let you go slowly and I'm seriously asking you to please not open your mouth until we get out of here, did you understand?"

Still, Twilight couldn't help but utter a quiet snort at the tone used, but in the end she nodded quickly as she opened her eyes again. The stallion let go of her and she prepared to walk away, again holding her nose.

They both traversed the wide space covered with these things, trying not to make a sound in their quest to get away to the road beyond. But due to the darkness of the place, Twilight's eyes could barely be placed to keep from stumbling. She had no choice but to be guided by Sombra, which forced her at all times to stay behind him.

On the other hoof, it was not a problem at all for him. The little light that filtered in from who knows where in that place was enough for his developed vision to function; something it didn't quite do on the mare next to him. He almost felt sorry for the alicorn.

It was only when they were at a fairly safe distance from those things, while losing sight of them in the process, that Twilight stood in front of him and allowed herself to speak again, still without removing the hoof from her snout.

"I think you know you don't need me to ask what that was," she said as her gaze reflected a clear sign of asking for explanations.

"Another creature, nothing more." This time he was direct and didn't need to mince words. He glanced behind him again and did the same action as the mare with his hoof in a grimace of disgust. "Don't question anything more for now, if by any chance I'm right, I sense we're going in the right direction."

Again he preferred to leave her on tenterhooks, and again Twilight frowned a bit and gave a simple nod in response, forced to hide her curious side for another time. With no other choice, she had to rely on him once more.

"I guess I was right after all," Twilight said with a slight arched eyebrow. "You can feel it too."

In that darkness, all Twilight could see was the faint glow of that pair of crimson eyes. It was thanks to that that she was able to notice that the expression on his face had changed slightly.

"But it doesn't affect us in the same way," Sombra replied as he resumed his path, then looked at her again. "It's best that you don't turn your magic back on, they can feel its presence too."

She nodded and turned her head forward. She made a great effort just to get a glimpse of something in the dark. As for the fact that it didn't have the same effect for both of them, Twilight couldn't deny that he was right, and that was something that had intrigued her before.

That was one more of the mysteries that kept coming to her, another that she would have to leave in the back of her mind for the moment. For now, she needed to focus on the current one.

But it was still a long way from them reaching their true goal.

***

"Come, you've got to see this," Twilight whispered to the stallion some distance away from her as she crouched down to get a better look at the pit of darkness opening up in the cavern floor.

Although she couldn't quite see him, Twilight realized the moment when Sombra quietly came to her side. She took a small leap of surprise when he spoke again in her ear.

"What am I supposed to see besides the black darkness?"

"The fact that I almost fell for it without even seeing it means something..." Twilight brushed a hoof against her chin at the possible idea that had yet to be confirmed.

The unicorn next to her only made a low laugh rumble in his throat at another meaning.

"It doesn't necessarily have to mean something," he insinuated, glancing at her as the crimson in his eyes glistened only a bit in the darkness. "Even for an alicorn princess you're pretty clumsy."

She knew it, she knew very well that he was only trying to provoke her, but that did not make Twilight give him a withering look of pure indignation. That despite the darkness she noticed his mocking smile didn't help.

In a gesture she didn't expect to make, Twilight spread her wings slightly in apparent distraction, (not) accidentally hitting the side of the dark unicorn. He grunted and returned the same expression of hatred, turning away from her. Twilight ignored him and returned to the topic at hoof.

"I mean, this hole isn't just here," she replied, still paying attention to her surroundings. "Maybe it was created for a purpose by something, or someone."

"What other purpose would a deep well have other than the purpose of using it as a trap?"

It was those last words that made Twilight suddenly straighten up and turn her head in his direction. Despite everything he thought about that mare, Sombra could see the exact moment when the pieces in her mind began to fall into place.

"What did you say?"

"You know very well what I said, princess," he replied as he closed his eyes. "That's what it probably means."

This time Twilight did open her eyes wider from surprise, but not from that information actually. It was something much bigger.

"Sombra, you're right..." Twilight whispered as she looked back at that place, all her senses activated. "And yet it's not just that!"

The princess's slightly loud cry was accompanied by a sudden determination that influenced her last move. Twilight spread her wings and jumped into the void.

"It can also serve as containment..."

The call that Shadow shouted was quickly lost from the moment she jumped out. The momentum she had generated was stronger and kept her gliding in a slow but effective spiral. She still couldn't count on really "flying" when her wings hadn't fully recovered from the previous night.

It was the hope that in the end came with her idea that had given her enough encouragement.

"If I'm right, just maybe that means..."

Sombra, on the other hoof, kept his gaze on the hole through which the mare had disappeared with his usual frown, as he walked a bit away from the edge.

"That filly..."

He didn't understand her actions, not that he tried to do so, but he definitely didn't expect to have to carry the reptile alone when he left that damn place. Although it might not have been necessary, that was not the issue that suddenly began to concern him.

He didn't have to listen to what he suddenly began to feel at the core of his power, but when that vibration began to come in, he knew he could no longer ignore it. It was on those occasions that he sometimes regretted having the knowledge they had taught him.

These creatures were beginning to awaken.

But this event was totally ignored by the purple alicorn, who could only let herself fall completely when the bottom of the well presented itself in front of her. She landed as softly as she could, yet the thud of her hooves against the hard stone was clearly heard by the echo on the walls. It was a quick sound that made her shrink slightly.

"Let's see..." She lit her horn in a dim light while using as little magic as possible, and began to walk while scanning all the space around her.

She was aware that jumping in with determination just on a hunch hadn't been the best idea, but she sensed that just this once logic couldn't help her. On the other hoof, she knew the stallion would be fine, it hadn't been necessary to fully confirm it.

The minutes passed, and it became less and less likely that she would be able to find anything in the midst of all that darkness. She was only relieved that nothing had suddenly come out to attack her. Twilight was about to wait another while before spreading her wings again, taking with her disappointment in her downcast gaze.

"I thought maybe they could be here..." She let out a resigned sigh, but something finally made her change her mind. Something she felt in front of her hooves. "What...?"

She grabbed what was in front of her, noticing the soft texture of the cloth. Cloth? Yes, it was definitely that. With a faint look of surprise on her face, Twilight picked it up with her magic to get a better look... And she let go of it quickly as she took a few steps back.

"Why...?" she murmured when, despite how gnawed and dirty the object looked, she could see the dark, nasty red stain of what her nose had detected, even in spite of time. "Why is this here?"

She couldn't continue. Her heart began to beat faster and betrayed the faint noise she had picked up from a certain direction, and even though no wind was blowing, the atmosphere brought her a smell that was quite familiar to her. Her hooves almost moved on her own, trying to move in that direction and finally finding the one who needed her.

***

Sombra was sure that he had waited for quite some time, but still the alicorn showed no sign that she would soon come up. He practically didn't care what happened to her anymore, but he knew he couldn't leave right now. Not until those things were finally awakened.

And it was in one of those moments that a faint pink light suddenly appeared near the entrance of the well. It was obviously her using her magic.

Magic.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Sombra almost wanted to scream at how reckless the mare was really being, and his expression didn't change as she came closer and turned off her light. His face showed the same annoyance befitting that situation.

It was only when Twilight finally appeared and landed panting near him that his countenance changed to surprise. As surprised as he might be if he saw any other pony in his place with two little silhouettes lying on her back.

"What does this mean, princess?" he spoke in a low tone as he approached her.

Twilight's eyes widened when she heard his question. She controlled her gasps of exhaustion as she held up a hoof silently asking him to wait. To his astonishment, Sombra listened.

After she had recovered, she looked at her back, towards where the cloth-covered figures of the two little ponies that slept on it were.

"It's them, two of the little ones who disappeared that day." Her gaze dimmed and reflected her sadness. "Only them." She looked at the stallion again, pointing to the hole. "This was what I sensed a while ago, that pit not only exists to stop intruders, it also exists to trap ponies that were unlucky enough to fall, even flying is a challenge."

"The question would be why would anyone want to leave them trapped considering that these caves are difficult to traverse" Sombra spoke again as he looked in a certain direction. "But that's none of our business now."

"Yes, now we have to take care of something else," Twilight said, looking back at the two colts. She was beginning to worry that they still hadn't woken up even after checking them and making sure everything was okay with them.

"I don't mean..."

He didn't finish his sentence, interrupted by a new and sudden vibration for the princess. Twilight grabbed the two little ponies in her magic quickly.

"By Celestia!" What is this!?"

It was only when that calmed down a bit that Sombra answered.

"This is the awakening of the creatures we saw earlier. They're big enough to cause the earth to do it too, but not big enough to drive them out" Sombra turned his gaze in that direction again, the tone of his voice deepening even deeper. "It's not over yet."

Twilight now couldn't fit into her stupor.

"What!?" She replied as she blinked rapidly. "Why didn't you say that before?!"

"Because I didn't remember," Sombra grunted and gritted his teeth, revealing the sharp tips of his fangs. That was really a nuisance to him.

Twilight stifled a snort, though she didn't refrain from rolling her eyes. She sighed in an attempt to regain her calm, with some success.

"Is there at least any other way out than by taking the same path we came from? Because otherwise it would mean going through that cavern again."

Sombra looked at her again as she asked her question, narrowing his eyes slightly at the meaning that he was thinking of something that would lead them, at least unharmed, to the exit.

"There's only that way..." he murmured, then asked. "How strong is your magic right now?"

The alicorn lowered her gaze, frowning in a thoughtful countenance.

"Enough to perform a few more spells. What happened last night took a lot more than I thought, but it's still coming back."

"Right now I need to keep mine, we still don't know what else we can find" The unicorn's serious face was what warned Twilight of the next thing he was going to say. "All that's left for us to do is have yours."

She sighed, knowing he would say that in the end, but there was no more time. The vibration was getting stronger and stronger, and Twilight was almost certain that it would somehow cause a collapse. The priority was to get them all to safety, especially the little ones.

Twilight nodded, willing to go along with his plan. Sombra walked over and stood beside her. She lit her horn and laboriously forced her magic to take on the spell's structure she wanted. In the end, and with a great flash, the four of them disappeared from that place, reappearing seconds later in the place where they started, under the light of the real sunset. But the forest was darker than usual.

"It really worked, I thought maybe I wouldn't have enough magic," Twilight struggled to her feet after a slight dizziness caused her to stay in place. She rubbed her head and checked that the rest were stable.

Sombra muttered something under his breath as he did the same.

"With that execution, though, it was almost preferable that you hadn't had it."

She just answered, shrugging her shoulders, "It was your idea after all."

After that he didn't say anything and preferred to ignore her. Twilight only looked at him for a moment, but ended up with a long sigh that was then accompanied by a small smiling expression as she looked down at her back.

"But in the end what we did didn't end up being in vain."

Chapter 17

"Don't say anything now, they're still waking up."

Twilight walked away slowly as she took Sombra with her so he wouldn't bother. In front of them were the two little foals, just awakened from their, apparently, long sleep. Or so Twilight guessed as they looked around with some confusion in their eyes.

Then she herself approached the small clearing where she had deposited them. Some evening sunlight filtered through the leaves, which had driven away the darkness a bit. They both quickly noticed her presence, and Twilight witnessed the moment when they suddenly froze. She could recognize very well the feeling that was reflected in their eyes.

They were afraid. They were afraid of what they could both do to them.

Twilight sighed, wondering what kind of things had happened for them to be this way.

"We won't do anything to them, we're just here to take them back to their homes, the ponies in the village are very worried about both," Twilight clarified gently, without making any sudden movement. In her mind she was thankful that Sombra didn't get excited either. "You can trust us."

The two colts moved closer to each other, snuggling between them while keeping their eyes fixed on the two older ponies in front of them both. Neither of them moved away as Twilight approached, but they made her sigh slightly when she seemed to see that they weren't ready to talk yet.

With a slight flash of her horn, Twilight levitated one of the blankets inside her backpack. She then placed it around the two little ponies, though they shrank slightly when she did that. They turned their heads to look at each other and at the piece of cloth that covered them, even more puzzled by those two unicorns in front of them.

The older of the two, an orange furred earth colt, was the first to speak.

"A-are you real ponies?"

A slight grimace formed on Twilight's face as she wondered in her mind what they had seen to make them ask that question.

"Yes, we really are." A second later she activated her magic again and let the cloak over her body show only a part of it, where her cutie mark was. "Come, I have a mark just like you."

The colts looked at each other for a moment and nodded. Twilight did the same and let go of her magic, moving closer to them again. Now she would find a way to find out what had happened, if they decided to talk about it and tell her.

"I know this is not the time or place to ask you this..." She began calmly again. "But we need to know what happened when you were both taken away, do you know what or who it could have been?"

Both foals bowed their heads at her words and took several minutes to answer her. Twilight almost thought they weren't going to talk, until the bigger colt opened his mouth. The other little colt just stood there, hugging his friend tightly.

"I don't know, from the moment they took us, everything was dark," he said as he kept his head down. "Others were also taken but we could never see them clearly, I just knew they were there because we could talk to each other, but from one moment to the next..."

Twilight frowned slightly as she heard the colt's voice tremble at the last thing he had said. So in an attempt to be delicate, she asked her question as subtly as possible.

"What happened?"

A sudden, low sob from the younger colt began to be heard, and Twilight couldn't help but stand beside him as she looked at him with a downcast expression. She glanced sideways at the stallion, who was only looking at them with a serious countenance in his. Meanwhile, the older colt continued with a monotone tone of voice.

"From one moment to the next, we didn't hear from them again."

Several seconds of silence, in which Twilight and Sombra looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. She swallowed lightly before speaking again.

"The others?"

The colt shook his head in confirmation. Twilight gave a slight sigh.

"Do any of you think you're willing to tell us everything?"

They immediately denied it.

"Well, that makes it more complicated," Sombra confirmed, and Twilight had to agree.

"We can't force them to talk, but they've told us enough," she said, and moved from her place again. "Besides, we have to find a place to stay."

"Then I suggest you use the method I explained to you to find that place," Sombra said with a clearing of his throat. "For now, it would be our best option."

"Sombra, do you really think it's a good idea to do that now?" she asked as she encouraged the little ponies to climb back onto her back. "Isn't it better to look for a big crack in some ordinary rock wall?"

"I don't think so, princess," he replied simply, and resumed his way to the first landmark. "And with what you're currently carrying, you'd better listen to me."

Sombra could feel Twilight's snort behind him, however she didn't say anything else as she began to follow him. He felt her resignation and he couldn't help but crack a smile satisfied by his most recent imposition.

After all, no one said him that he couldn't have a bit fun.

"This is the place," Sombra whispered as he shifted his gaze across the great space before them.

However, his tone was loud enough for Twilight to pick up on his words. She walked towards him and stopped when she reached his side.

She could definitely feel the magic permeated in that place. And since she had been for some time without feeling another powerful source... It was a bit overwhelming.

"I suppose this must be the cave you told me about, so we've spent so much trouble finding it."

And she meant it, it had taken them a long time so that outside of this one they could not see a feet beyond the prevailing darkness without a light to help light the way.

Sombra looked away at the mare next to him. He gave a brief snap of his tongue as he emphasized his next words.

"Now you think it wasn't a good idea for us to stay and look for it? Still, it was a safe haven for the night, I dare say more than any other place."

Twilight didn't answer, just looked away and left his side to return to the two little ones she had left at the entrance of the cavern. Her next words reflected that she had heard him, even if she had said it in a whisper anyway.

"You may not be entirely wrong sometimes..." She looked out for a second, and now she could confirm that night had finally fallen completely over the forest. "Now we'd better wait until the next morning, but that's not my intention at the moment."

"Do you plan to search for the answers yourself, princess?" Sombra approached, his once serious tone becoming much more suspicious. "I hope I don't have to remind you that you're not the only pony with own questions."

"I'm aware of that, but somepony has to stay here to take care of them," she pointed to the foals, who just looked at the two adults with slight bewilderment, but they then looked at each other and decided to do what they knew best: sleep and rest again.

"Excellent, then you can stay here while I go first."

Sombra turned without wasting time and walked in the direction of the depths of the place, but he left his hooves still faster than he could have liked when a particular glow wrapped around his body and stopped him in place. He turned his head back to see the alicorn with her horn lit once more.

"Not so fast." Twilight grunted at the slight effort it took to force her magic to stop him. "Whoever stays here must not only watch over them but also protect them, and you're the only pony who still has enough magic left in reserve in case anything happens."

She couldn't take it anymore, her magic still hadn't recovered enough for her to resist. So she released the barrier that had spread around the unicorn's body in a slight burst.

"So what do you suggest, princess?" Sombra said in an annoyed tone.

Twilight didn't take long to reply, ignoring the way he spoke.

"I suggest you stay here while I go, after all, our issues are similar: we both want to find out what's going on here," Twilight sighed lightly. "But I need you to point me to the safest way I can go."

"Wait a minute, and what makes you think I have to agree with all this?" Sombra said as he gestured with his hoof.

Because of all this Twilight began to rub her forehead gently, she needed to relieve that headache that threatened to grow. And she also needed to find a way to deal with that dark unicorn, the former king of the empire that ran her family in front of her.

"Because you know very well that you must support me and so must I if we want to get out of here, or at least now to find out what happens," Twilight said in a calm voice, although inside she was suppressing the real desire she had for it all to end once and for all. She removed the hoof from her forehead and, this time, turned her gaze to him with a silent plea expressed in her eyes. "I ask you once more as a please, even if you wish afterwards you can go by yourself when I return."

Sombra looked at her for that brief moment when he found himself thinking about her latest offer. However, in the end, he nodded, despite doing so reluctantly.

"Well, in any case make sure you follow the indicated path, I'm not really going to start looking for you if the opposite happens," he replied as he passed by her.

Twilight turned and ignored his comment, just asking to confirm:

"And that would be?..."

Sombra raised both eyebrows in disbelief and pointed with a hoof in the opposite direction of the entrance.

"That one, obviously. Just follow it along its entire length until it opens again. Somehow you should find another big space, that's where your destiny lies, as far as I can remember."

Twilight looked into the dark depths again. Unconsciously, she swallowed again.

"Could I find something?"

"Not that I know of, due to the nature of the magic of this place no forest creature should come and snoop around here."

Twilight nodded slowly, though she didn't feel entirely confident with those words. Not with everything they'd been through lately.

"Well... At least you're sure I won't get lost?" she asked in an attempt to believe what he had said. It was clear that she still couldn't quite do it.

Sombra just gave her a brief glance, then let out a brief snort that sounded in Twilight's ears, offended?

"Don't you trust me, princess?"

Twilight quickly made her position clear as she raised an eyebrow. With a lot of disbelief.

"That was a joking question, wasn't it?" she smiled jokingly and sarcastically. "Because otherwise I would have remember when you earned it."

The unicorn didn't even make an effort to reply, just rolled his eyes and made a slight gesture of annoyed denial.

"No matter which way you go, it will always take you to the same place," he finished saying, then leaned back into place.

Twilight finally nodded her head slightly, but something in her mind clicked when she remembered what the stallion had said earlier.

"Then why did you say a long time ago that you wouldn't look for me if I got lost, knowing that I can't even do it? Would you have been willing?" Twilight gave a slight smirk as she put a hoof on her chin, trying to press him with her question.

But Sombra had no intention of falling for her provocation.

"All I know is that right now I'd like you to just leave," he growled from his place.

"Tsk, you grumpy unicorn."

With that last thought, a roll of her eyes, and a snort, Twilight turned and started walking towards her destination. Sombra watched her leave quietly, but before her small figure could disappear into the darkness, she turned her head and spoke once more.

"I'm just going to remind you to protect them, they've been through a lot."

Sombra shrugged and closed his eyes from his spot, grumbling something under his breath.

"I'm not going to guarantee anything about brats," he replied nonchalantly.

"Fine, but Sombra..."

He opened his eyes when something in her tone made him suspicious, only to frown at the look she was sending him. A look of slight menace.

"You'd better treat them fine in the time I'm away, I'm not answering for myself if I find out otherwise."

And without another word, Twilight turned again and quickly disappeared down the dark path beyond, leaving Sombra with a frown and a strange shudder that ran through his body. It might have been hard for him, but he soon admitted that the mare was acting in ways unknown to him.

After a slight snort to push those thoughts out of his head, Sombra stared for a moment at the entrance to the makeshift shelter and realized what he had suspected when he caught sight of the shadow of something medium sized among the trees.

The creatures of darkness would not enter of its own volition, at least in that sense they were relatively safe.

A sound to the left of his side caused him to stop fixing his gaze from the edge of the forest and turn his head to the pair of new companions they had brought. His face contorted into his typical serious expression as he wondered when those two had woken up.

Both foals seemed much more active than before, but perhaps it was only because they now had the opportunity to see more than just the dark hole they had been stuck in for the past few weeks. But their activity level quickly began to be higher than he first thought, or expected. Which in the end brought with it the rest.

Sombra could only take up his resting position once more, as he tried to ignore the games the two had just begun around the wide entrance to the cave. Yeah, boredom was definitely the main motivation.

The sound of the small pairs of hooves resounded widely on the rock floor, and the light laughter of both was not long in coming. They were foals, and after being so long aware of what might happen to them without another day to rescue them, it was time for the worry to leave them.

Even if that unconsciously bothered the stallion.

Sombra sighed once more from his spot and opened his eyes as he began to notice them at an unreasonable distance from him. Thinking about it, the truth is that he was already regretting that he had listened to the purple alicorn and that he had not been firmer about his decision, although it was no use regretting at that moment.

At one point the two passed close to him, too close for his liking. With an infinitely irritated expression, he had to grit his teeth and terribly restrain himself from turning to shout something when one of them accidentally, or actually not so much, struck him by his tail.

In the end one of the colts stood in front of him, flanked by his brother.

"Uhm... Sir?" he asked somewhat shyly, though he eventually came a bit closer.

"What do you want?" He didn't even bother to take an interest in his question.

The colt recoiled in the face of the older stallion's intimidating presence, though he nevertheless pressed ahead with his goal.

"Huh... Here my friend asks if..."

"We want to know a few things!"

The older colt suddenly jumped in front of the other and completely removed him from his sight. A slightly bright look betrayed his curiosity.

The same look that could only have made the unicorn roll his eyes with a slight sigh.

Oh, he would really say a few things to the princess when she returned, especially the fact that thanks to her he now had to deal with a couple of rambunctious little brats.

The colt didn't wait for him to answer and went on as his desire to know dictated.

"For example, why is his horn curved? And why is it the same color as his eyes?" He placed a hoof on his chin, imitating an expression that could only have been supposed to be thoughtful. "Although I don't judge it, I really like that color."

Sombra narrowed his eyes in a quick look of suspicion, before something clicked back inside his head.

Oh, right... He had forgotten that foals could see beyond illusion.

With a last irritated sigh, Sombra mentally cursed his bad luck. Very high in his mind.

Or at least that was until something else interrupted his peace.

***

If Twilight had had to classify the appearance of a possible cavern filled with magical energy, she would have expected to have to say about how some kind of crystal or gem with arcane properties were embedded in its walls, ideal for storing the sufficient amounts of magic that these places used to possess. Perhaps it also had the ability to glow dimly with its own light, like the crystals she had seen on the ceiling of the crystalline lily cave.

But what she actually ended up finding she might have considered as a last resort.

In the first place, she did not even see a single hint of any kind of shining stone on the walls of the road, completely bare as she actually found it. Second, she had to light her horn and draw on the magic she still had left to enlighten herself. And third, that the treasure she ended up finding didn't disappoint her at all.

"Finding a subterranean lake," Twilight muttered to herself as she put a hoof on her chin. "Uhm, it's a bit unusual and even more so when this happens to be the place where the magical energy of the cave is concentrated."

Because it was a wide lake of incredibly crystal clear waters that was waiting for her when she followed the light to the end of the tunnel. The whole cavern remained the same, the only exception being the luminous body of water opening before her eyes.

From her place at the entrance of the tunnel, Twilight closed her eyes and allowed herself to breathe in the fresh air of that incredible place for a moment. After that, her mind cleared a bit more.

She opened them again and calmly lowered the path that led to the shore. During this she dodged the multiple rock formations that poured out of the ground, while its counterparts on the roof stood in motionless indifference.

Twilight paused and leaned in enough to see her own reflection. Her other self returned the same look of confusion that was visible on her face at that moment.

"I'm here now, but what or who am I supposed to ask now? What's the best method?" Twilight asked her own reflection. She cocked her head a bit.

Then something changed.

The reflection on the surface began to blur and ripple, and Twilight could only recoil somewhat surprised by what was happening. But her share of surprises wasn't over yet.

The water droplets on the lake's surface separated into small fragments and floated right in front of Twilight. She watched with a curious expression as it slowly came together, as if it wanted to be part of some final structure. Then she saw the shape of the letters that began to appear little by little. And then the words.

"You always start with the right one to get the answers"

That's what Twilight read after it was fully revealed.

"The one... I guess that's a question," Twilight said without being too surprised by what had just happened.

She organized the thoughts in her head before taking a step forward. She would have to start at the beginning of everything.

"What is this island supposed to be, and why is it cut off from the outside world?"

Twilight waited a few seconds for her answer to form, but the one word she could see only left her more confused.

"Refuge? What do it mean by that?" she asked again.

If that place was a refuge, who was it supposed to protect?

And if so, what would it protect it from? Rather, for her, the place itself was a kind of death trap.

There were so many issues she wanted to express, issues she was currently rambling on, that she hardly noticed when the letters were re-formed.

"The island was created with magic from a long time ago, however, the remnants of it were not lost, it simply changed"

"The remnants of magic..." Twilight whispered to herself.

Suddenly, a question crossed her mind, causing her to open her eyes a bit wider. With a somewhat suspicious look, Twilight asked: "What kind of magic was used to create it?"

The words of her answer formed, but no sooner had Twilight stepped back with a shocked look on her face. She let out a gasp before covering her mouth with a hoof.

"How can that be possible!? How can it be possible that this place has been created with... dark magic?"

Twilight rubbed a hoof on her forehead and raised her head suddenly as something else crossed her mind. Something that had eluded her before.

"Unless..."

Twilight had never had the opportunity to delve into this forbidden branch of magic. Not that she complained about that, either.

Princess Celestia had only taught her one trick, the few books dedicated to it were very well guarded by the princess herself and, if Twilight was honest with herself, she was never really interested in learning it beyond that spell that had left her with a good headache. She could still remember the enormous amount of concentration she had to muster to make the spell work as smoothly as possible.

But she never thought of its applications beyond the dark and destructive form she had normally known. However, given the great mystery that used to shroud it, perhaps what she had just read was not entirely strange.

That didn't make Twilight completely lessen her skepticism, though. Using dark magic to create instead of destroy?...

She shook her head to clear her head.

"How exactly was it created?"

Twilight counted the seconds as she waited for her answer, but in the end she ended up counting more seconds than she first thought it would take. She repeated her question once more, maybe she hadn't been clear enough before. However, the water droplets remained suspended in front of her.

Twilight let out a slight grunt and tried again, this time with her next question. She really didn't want to think at all about why that question wasn't answered.

"How is it connected to the outside world?" she asked this time.

Twilight hummed lightly as she waited. And as she had imagined, this time it worked.

"Mirror portals... I already imagined it, just like the one Spike, Sombra and I used to get here..." She lowered her head a bit.

"Spike... I really hope he's okay."

Twilight allowed herself to have that worry for a second. Then she regained her composure.

"But..." A new question was presented. "How did the ponies come to habit this place?"

More drops of water from the lake joined the existing ones.

"Some were lost searching for treasure, others escaped from their places of origin, others were brought. They all found their way out of this land, without even looking for it."

"Then it mean most of them came by accident," Twilight murmured. "It's clear to me that this wasn't the only portal..."

And now she was thinking of those poor ponies, caring about them enough to express the question that had just occurred to her.

"Is there a way to get those ponies out of here?"

A simple "no" was all she got for an answer.

"Why not?" She wanted to know, as she wondered why if Spike, Sombra, and she could do it, those ponies couldn't.

Then she read the water words again.

"Their life is linked to this place from the moment they are born"

"By Celestia, I see what that means..." She murmured, lowering her gaze.

Now, however, she had to get to the question that had really brought her to this place.

"What's causing these attacks?"

A new question, Twilight really hoped could be answered as she watched once again how words were formed.

"Where shadows are hidden, dark magic leaves traces that can be detected by its own kind"

Of all the answers she had the opportunity to read, that was probably the one that had left her most confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with an obvious frown on her face. "Dark magic can be tracked with dark magic? But that doesn't make sense right now, it doesn't explain why these attacks are happening."

Again, she was in confusion and that couldn't even give her a clearer answer. However, she forced herself to sigh slowly in an attempt to calm herself, closing her eyes in the process.

But when she opened them again, she was quite surprised to read what was written there.

"Darkness lurks and no one is free from it"

A not-so-pleasant sensation went up her entire spine. Twilight took a step back with a frown on her face as she took a deeper look at those words.

"This... It actually seems more like a warning than a response."

Twilight tried to stay calm. She didn't want to, she really didn't want to think for now about all that those words could mean.

Finally, she let out a faint sigh as she cleared her throat once more and prepared to ask her next and perhaps final question.

Then the earth shook.

Twilight let out a scream.

"And now what's going on?!"

She ended up being frightened by the sudden tremor that shook the place from one moment to the next, even though it wasn't strong enough to make the stones on the roof threaten to fall.

Twilight took a few steps back to steady herself, but when she raised her head again and saw the words that had formed in front of her, even without having asked a conscious question, fear began to run widely through her veins.

"It's not safe anymore."

She didn't stay to ask after that, nor did she watch as the droplets that were suspended in the air returned to its original place. She simply took several steps back and ran back the way she had come.

When she reappeared through the tunnel at the entrance of the cave, she knew that something very strange had happened. The first clue was that only the two foals were there at the time.

Sombra was nowhere to be found.

Twilight frowned in confusion as she walked towards the pair of foals.

"Where's the stallion that was with both?"

"He's gone," said one of the colts. "He said he had something important to check, something that had to do with the earth shaking recently."

"Miss, do you know what happened? Sir unicorn said we should wait for you, now I wonder if you know where he went."

Twilight looked at the colt waiting for her answer, but could only deny.

"I have no idea what that could have been, or where whoever was with you could have gone, but I guess we'll have to find out," she said on her walk outside.

Meanwhile, Twilight made sure in her mind not to let him slip away from a good sermon of hers the next time they met. She definitely wasn't going to leave it at that.

And it was necessary to clarify that the fact of knowing who he was, was of bit use to her.

"Stay here for a moment. I'll try to figure out where it went."

Twilight sighed after that as she walked towards the entrance, but she didn't need to stray too far from that place. Even in the dark, her vision was enough to notice him.

Sombra reappeared from a random path, like a dark silhouette that slowly lightened as he entered the range of Twilight's magical luminosity. With strong steps he walked toward her.

"I suppose it's about time you showed up," she said in a serious tone. "So I'd really appreciate it if you shared the real reason you left, because at least you were able to find something, right?"

Before re-entering, Sombra ran a hoof across his forehead.

"No, I couldn't find anything," he replied in a grunt of slight tiredness. "And as for the other, I had more important problems to solve. In case you didn't notice, the earth shook recently."

"I already knew, but now what I really want you to tell me is why you left them abandoned in that place when I made it very clear that you should take care of them," she growled under her breath.

Sombra clicked his tongue as he took a quick glance behind him.

"I don't think this is the time for that..."

Twilight was ready to reply to his answer, but her mouth closed when she saw the stallion's countenance. A strange expression suddenly appeared on his face, as if he had caught something unpleasant that she couldn't yet notice.

Not another second passed when the shaking repeated.

From the sudden fright, Twilight turned off her magic and took several steps back. She didn't notice the moment when Sombra slipped out of her frontal range of vision and quickly entered the cave.

The foals gave several frightened squeals before Twilight moved up to them and tried to calm them down with a calm voice. It was something that only half worked.

Or so it was until she felt herself being wrapped by a hoof and drawn to the body of the other pony behind her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded as she tried to walk away.

"Just don't talk, and watch," Sombra said, his gaze drawn to a point beyond the trees.

Twilight looked, and if it weren't for the fact that it was dark enough she almost wished she hadn't.

"No, not again"

Again the same threat, again the same multi headed creature. It towered over the tops of the great trees like a dark statue, and even if it was a good distance away, it was not long enough for them to stop hearing its shrieks.

And they knew it was the same because it only had three heads instead of four.

Twilight swallowed.

She couldn't do anything. Her body had become static, completely paralyzed. Sombra was probably thinking of a quick way out of this situation, and the foals... Well, both adults were almost certain that they had passed out.

The course of their thoughts changed when they saw the monster begin to move, in the opposite direction to theirs.

Then they were able to breathe easy.

"Why is it here?" Twilight asked as she watched it walk away. "I know hydras are very hard to kill, but I thought that wouldn't bother us for a while."

"Ignoring the fact that the forest is its home, it regenerates quickly," Twilight gasped after hearing that. "And perhaps it only appears when darkness falls upon this land again," Sombra muttered from his perch.

"That... it makes some sense," Twilight said. "Otherwise our journey would have been much more complicated during the day."

It took a while for Twilight and Sombra to feel confident enough that the danger was gone.

They could only relax a bit more when the sounds of the beast were already heard far enough away that they would not worry about the uncertainty of a sudden attack. In any case, they took steps to do so.

"Somepony's got to keep an eye out," Twilight said as she checked the sleeping foals.

"I'll do it, until I'm sure that thing is completely gone," Sombra said, though he didn't turn his head to look at her from where he stood. "Luckily, this is the perfect place to keep the other creatures at bay at the moment."

"How is that?" she asked, with growing intrigue at his words.

"It's simple, although the energy of this cavern keeps it hidden from most prying eyes, it also serves the function of keeping the monsters away from the forest."

After hearing what Sombra had just told her, Twilight couldn't help but remember the words she had read recently. She was also aware that she hadn't yet had a chance to analyze it thoroughly.

"They are naturally repelled, due in part to the dark magic within," she muttered to herself.

"Anyway, that's not our problem for now."

She nodded in agreement and prepared to settle down with their little companions for another sleepless night. Still, they both agreed to spend the rest of the night in the relative safety of the old cave.

At least they had the comfort of knowing that this place was safe enough to prevent some other creature from deciding to see them as if they were its dinner.

Chapter 18

The way back to the village was a little easier than they actually thought it would be. The four of them had set off the next morning, almost without mentioning a word between the two older ponies.

Sombra guided the route after taking the path downstream as a reference. Twilight, on the other hoof, stood at a distance behind him, next to the colts and with her eyes down from everything that was swirling in her mind at that moment, even though it was not the right time to do so.

Several of her doubts, and even some of the important ones, had been resolved and with that there were no problems, but just to be fair and balanced, she was compensated with others that did not leave her alone; hovering in her mind like annoying flies. The simple fact that the most important one to her wasn't answered reflected it quite well. But something "good" had come out of that, and that was that at least now she was sure that they were in a different reality from that of their homeland.

Twilight was still trying to figure out if that was good or bad. On the one hoof there was the fact that they were trapped, even if there was somehow a way out, but on the other hoof, looking at it with different eyes, it really was an incredible discovery that could make her reconsider everything she knew about magic up to that point, especially how little she knew about its more forbidden side. All of that made her feel excited, she couldn't help it.

Twilight raised her head when she heard the rustle of a branch on the road in front of her, causing her to pay attention to her other companion. She stared at him for an instant in which her face formed a thoughtful expression.

She had not yet shared with him the discovery she had made in that place, and she was surprised that Sombra did not mention anything either, or took it upon himself to go after the sudden fright they had with that creature. Maybe it was for a reason, since a part of her mind was still telling her that he must know this. Or at least a portion of that.

But there was something else that intrigued her.

All those creatures... It was too rare that they always appeared at the wrong time from the first night. Twilight already had a suspicion as to why this was happening, she just needed concrete proof to validate it.

"Could it be that..."

"We're almost there." Twilight jumped slightly as the stallion's voice reached her and interrupted her thoughts. Sombra glanced at her sideways for a moment. "And this hellish stop will soon be over."

Although he couldn't see her at the time, Twilight gave her a slight nod along with a sigh that escaped her lips.

"I'm comforted to know that at least it wasn't entirely in vain," she whispered in a low tone.

It didn't take long for the path in front of them to become clearer still, which proved the unicorn's previous point. The warm sunlight that had been beating against the stones of the road greeted them as they finally left the forest out. Although in reality, they imagined that they would come out a bit closer to the village.

"I think maybe we got a bit sidetracked..."

"Do you really believe it?" Sombra hinted as he saw the alicorn's hoof pointing into the distance, all the way down the river. He snorted wearily as he resumed. "We just followed it again."

Twilight shrugged and led the foals behind her all the way down the stretch. It didn't take long for them to see the village in the distance and hasten their way to its entrance. Their little companions were thrilled, though there was still as bit activity as the day Twilight and the others had arrived.

Something that didn't take long to change when one of the ponies saw them arrive with the two little ones they were carrying on their backs. And in less than a minute most of the ponies had surrounded them.

After that there had been the uproar, the cries of the anguished parents of those they had not found, the relieved words of the respective parents of the little ones, and the general gratitude they had been forced to receive.

But as much as Twilight enjoyed a bit internally the suffering Sombra was subjected to with all those ponies around him, she still had something, or rather someone else, that she needed to see. She slipped away from the crowd of villagers around her and followed the path to the farthest house of all.

A murmur of voices inside made her pause for a moment before she knocked on the front door. Twilight leaned in and put her ear a little closer.

"I recently heard a commotion at the entrance, I'm sure they were greeted by the other ponies," said the earth pony's voice, apparently in an attempt to calm down a smaller one.

"That's why I want to go and go out to meet her, she needs me now..."

Twilight smiled. That was undoubtedly Spike's voice, so it was time for her to leave her hiding place.

"Maybe that's not quite necessary, Spike," she smiled as she let herself be shown. "I'm already here."

At the sound of her voice, Spike turned his head and blinked rapidly as his gaze met the same as those purple eyes he was so fond of. Without waiting a second, he ran to where Twilight was waiting for him, her hooves open. Even if the young dragon didn't like physical contact too much, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to show her how worried he'd been.

"I went away for a whole day and without warning... I'm so sorry if I worried you, Spike," she said as she ran a comfort hoof over her head.

Spike pulled away and shook his head with a slight snort.

"Now, don't worry so much about that," he pointed with a claw uncovered under his cloak in the direction where the other mare had gone. "She told me part of what happened after I woke up, but now I want to know your whole side of the story."

Twilight adjusted the bangs on her forehead and sighed, in her mind preparing to recount the recent adventure she had had with the unicorn. She told him everything, keeping almost nothing to herself except a part of the information she had discovered.

Spike sat very patiently and calmly, he was quiet the whole time he lasted except for a few occasions when he inevitably couldn't do it or had to ask. And even more so when Twilight got to the last part.

"By Celestia... Did you really meet that thing again?" he asked, his face wincing in disgust.

"Yes, but at least nothing happened." Twilight gave another sigh and thanked in her mind whoever it was that had given them a little luck this time.

Spike put a claw on his chin before speaking again.

"The other thing that surprises me the most is the fact that who you know would have cooperated with you, you know, because of all that stuff that he's still a pony that's not supposed to be trusted," Spike frowned a bit as she lowered her head in a thoughtful expression. "Or at least I think so."

"I... Maybe I can have some idea what to think about that," she clarified.

Spike immediately proceeded to raise an eyebrow, his expression a clear question of what she meant. Twilight swallowed and shrugged slightly.

"I think maybe it might be possible to show Sombra... The path we've helped other ponies follow before."

When she finished saying that, the dragon's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, all of this will be much easier if I can make him more than just an ally..." she whispered as she looked at her hooves. "And somehow he proved it to me... When we were in that place."

"How was that?" he asked.

Twilight lowered her head a bit and rubbed both hooves as a small shiver ran through her as she remembered everything they encountered from the first moment they set foot in the cave. She also remembered the fact that he hadn't been as enthusiastic as she had been about putting a single one of his hooves in those places.

"I guess it's because he didn't even want to be there, or because somehow... Can I say he helped me?" Twilight shook her head to clear her mind a bit. "Anyway, I think it may be that during the short time we've been here, maybe we've changed his mind a little bit towards us, or at least a little towards me." After that hesitant moment she sighed and shook her head. "It's just that I'm not quite sure yet."

"Well, but if what you say can be correct, and your assumption is true..." Spike continued with a claw on his chin. "Wouldn't that make it easier?"

"Objectively speaking, it would, and you know why," she replied with a nod.

Spike mimicked her gesture and ended up running a claw across his forehead as he passed. Then he smiled a little smile that sought to convey some reassurance.

"I hope you're right, so I'll be supporting you on that."

Twilight smiled as well and stood up from her place.

"Thank you, Spike."

"But something else, too..." he said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Don't wait for me to get along with him so soon. You're the one who's going to take care of that for now."

Twilight let out a good laugh at the haughtiness with which he had suddenly said that. It was definitely her dragon friend being him. Once she lured him with one of her hooves from the side, into an impromptu embrace.

"Okay, I'll deal with Sombra and whatever we meet in the meantime."

Twilight let go of him after she suppressed another chuckle between her hooves, Spike on the other hoof did not do the same with his when she let him go. They both calmed down as soon as the distant noise that could be heard outside became more and more present.

"What happens now?"

Spike's question was answered the moment Twilight turned to slide the door back from its original position, opening it a bit wider to find out what was going on at that moment.

She was a little surprised when she felt Sombra suddenly push her away and close the door behind her. Twilight backed away without hesitation and uttered a complaint, frowning in annoyance at seeing him settle down a bit beyond them.

"Hey! And now what's wrong with you?"

"Don't ask me anything right now, it was your idea to leave me alone with all of them," Sombra replied in a annoyed voice, without even looking at her.

Twilight sighed, she was sure something like that would happen, but her priority had been something else when she left him on his own a while ago. So she walked back to the door, and as Spike gave the unicorn a half-hearted look, she was going to see and hold on to what the other ponies wanted.

And while she dealt with the crowd, the other two who had been left there were content to simply ignore each other, or at least that was the way it was for the unicorn. Spike ended up running to another corner after taking him one last look.

"She's certainly able to calm them down," Spike startled when he heard the unicorn's sudden voice in the small room. Sombra looked out the window at the assembled ponies. "To do everything that is supposed to be done by somepony who leads them, somepony whose leadership is not questioned."

"Uhm, it seems," the dragon replied after showing a confused look. Was he really addressing him or was he just talking to himself?

The unicorn ignored him, which proved Spike partly right. Then Sombra sat down and closed his eyes, whispering something the young dragon didn't hear.

"Maybe it's because she's never been in any situation that questions it."

Twilight appeared a few minutes later with a tired expression, but at the same time a smile. Having to face the thanks of an entire town was still not easy for her, although she should be used to it by now.

"I'm sorry if I took a bit while," she said as she ran a hoof across her forehead. "But I think our hostess will be happy when she sees all that the villagers left at the side of her house."

"Was that all?" asked Spike with a slight tilt of his head.

"Hmm? No, it was just the thanks for what we did," she replied with a smile. "That's why they let us stay another night, too."

"Good news for a change, at last," cried the dragon with a sigh.

Twilight looked in his direction and gave him a small reassuring smile. The unicorn, on the other hoof, just snorted and settled into place.

"They've figured it out, and now they think we're a threat," Sombra said suddenly. "Even if it wasn't, they wouldn't let us stay long."

Twilight didn't say anything else after he said that, just looked down and moved over to where Spike was. Anyway, she knew that in some of that, Sombra was right.

"Then we have to take this chance..." she murmured in a sigh. "And tomorrow we'll continue."

Spike nodded at the latter, while Sombra simply decided to look away.

The rest of the afternoon and the rest of the night while relatively quickly while they gave themselves a moment of mental relaxation... For now.

The next morning they would begin again their little personal hell in the direction of their goal.

It had been only a few hours since the three of them had resumed their journey, and to their surprise they had managed to advance further than they had at first imagined when the cold forest behind them sent them out into the open space beyond.

And for some reason none of them were convinced by the fact that they were forced to cross it. In an inner hunch for them, the easier path felt too exposed.

"Uhm, I think it would be good for us to continue along the edge of the forest," Spike spoke as he made a sign with his claw, demonstrating his point and his desire.

"I think you might be right..." Twilight let out a quick sigh, then looked back at the unicorn. "What do you say, Sombra?"

Not even she could foresee his final reaction.

"That for once I agree with you," he replied without looking at her and without showing the slight surprise he had felt at the fact that she needed his opinion.

"Okay..." Twilight murmured after seeing Spike raise his eyebrows.

"Wow, that was easier than I thought."

Twilight shrugged, conveying a silent "I guess" in her gesture. She took another brief look to make sure that the stallion was following them and not that he had just decided to take another break.

She knew he was very capable of that.

The hours passed swiftly on their long walk across the tree line. They only took a few breaks whenever tiredness or hunger began to set in in the group. But it wasn't long before they picked it up again.

Twilight was already carrying Spike on her back a few hours before night fell, perhaps in a quest to alleviate the dragon's constant complaints about the pain in his short legs and wings. Luckily she still had the stamina to endure him without falling from exhaustion.

"Spike, stay still for a while, if you keep moving you're going to end up on the floor," she scolded him as she glanced over her shoulder.

He gave a quick snort and sat down in a better way while crossing both arms. The alicorn rolled her eyes slightly, though she still let out a tiny smile. She thought that sometimes he was still like a little child.

"How long do you think it will be until nightfall?" he asked, and looked beyond the treetops. Twilight mimicked his gesture for a brief moment.

"Hmm, I reckon in two hours..." she replied as she rubbed the side of her head with a hoof. "We should stop for today."

"Uhm, I guess," he ended up shrugging. "I don't know if you agree, but seeing all these trees so often give me a headache."

Half an hour later, the three of them had managed to settle into a small clearing that was not too far from the plain. From their position they could see the open space beyond quite well.

As they ate their impromptu dinner of vegetables with a sprinkling of fruit, courtesy of the villagers, the alicorn's ears suddenly turned in a certain direction as she heard a snort very close to her.

"Tsk, is this supposed to be what I'm supposed to keep eating until I get out of here?" The stallion said, looking at his own ration with a frown.

At the unicorn's complaint, Twilight looked up from her food and let out her own snort. Then she looked at him again.

"Well, what else do you suggest we eat?"

Sombra closed his eyes and gave a long sigh.

"A bit meat would be nice," he shrugged slightly, and didn't notice when the duo suddenly paralyzed.

"W-what? A-are you serious?"

Twilight blinked quickly to snap out of her stupor. Spike, on the other hoof, turned his gaze and continued eating, trying to ignore what they were going to say next.

The stallion simply looked at her.

"I'm a bit surprised that you, apparently having enough knowledge about the Crystal Empire, don't know something about that aspect," Sombra replied as he resumed his dinner. "You should know that in the worst winter months it is very difficult to get fresh fruits and vegetables, especially if you live in the center of a perpetual snowstorm."

Twilight was aware of what he was saying. Crystal ponies in the past had been required to get the amount of protein they required from other than ordinary sources, but they almost always had to look for it in the icy tundra. As it also happened to the ponies that spent many seasons at sea.

She knew, she just didn't expect him to say that just now.

"I know something about that," Twilight said with a slight grumble. "I was just a bit surprised that you mentioned it just now."

"I just said it as a suggestion," he shrugged again and said nothing more.

Twilight immediately gave him a simple suspicious look.

"Fine..." she whispered to herself and lowered her head back to her ration.

Night fell upon them as they were getting ready for sleep. Twilight was thankful that she had the good sense to take the pair of cloaks and the blanket to cover herself, because otherwise she really wouldn't have known how to face the heavy cold that settled in that place every night.

To add insult to injury, Sombra had forbidden them to light any kind of fire to warm themselves. And that, according to him, was to prevent them from attracting something unwanted. Twilight had snorted over it. If something as dangerous as what they had encountered before existed in that place, they would have been attacked long ago.

"I really can't stand this," she whispered with a shudder, as she huddled a bit closer to Spike. He had long since fallen asleep and endured it thanks to his fire. At least that was useful to her, too.

Twilight glanced at Sombra's dark form, lying as he was a few feet away from them and seemingly with his eyes closed. She still wondered how he could stand it, or so it seemed.

"It's necessary," Sombra exclaimed suddenly, causing Twilight to look at him again. "Before, we couldn't feel it because we were under the shelter and the apparent calm and security that a solid roof offers. However, this is no longer the case."

"It's how lucky they are." Twilight remembered for the moment everything that had happened in that place. "Or something like that."

"Just like us, they're stuck with an enemy they don't know when they can attack," he said as the nuance of his voice deepened. "And they don't even have the power to stop it."

Twilight sighed, realizing in his words the similarity of their own situations. But there was something that wasn't quite right.

"They don't have that power because a possible truce isn't valid in their case," Twilight cocked her head as she looked away. Maybe she could bring that up in the moment. "Instead, we have the opportunity to change our situation. Quite simply, there can be some kind of alliance."

Suddenly, Sombra began to look at her suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?"

"That same, Sombra," she answered. "Is it really necessary for us to be enemies after all we have done to help each other, even if it has been indirectly?"

Sombra didn't immediately answer after Twilight raised her question. A few minutes passed as he stared, it seemed, into the nighttime nothingness beyond.

"Maybe it's something we can't escape," Sombra theorized after that time had passed. "If we are, it's because fate wanted us to be."

"I don't believe in something like that," she replied, looking down as she frowned a bit more. "And the truth is, I don't want to be your enemy," she admitted with a bit reluctance. "But I will be if I need be. So I guess the fact that whether we're allies or not... It's up to you."

Twilight then got up from her seat next to Spike and went to where he was. She sat down and held out one of her hooves to the stallion. Sombra stared at the limb for a moment as if it contained some kind of nasty bug.

"What is that supposed to be?" he asked as he puckered his nose in a grimace of disgust.

"An offer of friendship. Officially." Twilight lowered her hoof for a moment. "While we're here, why not? We can try to get out of this together, do teamwork, instead of just tolerating our existence. We escaped from this place, we returned to our home, you may try to reconquer the empire again, however, if you choose that and it happens, I..." Twilight sighed and frowned sadly. "I'll be forced to stop you."

"And what makes you think you can do it?" he asked in a somewhat arrogant voice.

Twilight ignored his tone and just shrugged.

"I don't know... But even if I could, I don't really prefer it." She suddenly looked up as a certain sparkle settled in her eyes. "Not when I'm willing to help others."

Sombra watched slowly as she lifted her hoof again and laid it out in his direction. The alicorn could have said something else after that, but at the time he didn't listen to her.

All his life, he had been shown what happened when he let others take the trust he had given them, how they used it as they pleased and then simply discarded it like trash in the cursed snows of frozen tundra. Even when he was able to fulfill his destiny, he never dared to leave it with anypony else again.

Ponies weren't at all trustworthy after all, not even those born with dark magic.

However, times were changing.

Although he had always been used to others showing what made them vulnerable to him. He couldn't blame them, after all few, very few, had managed to keep that facade calm, seemingly controlled when they found themselves in the presence of the King of the Shadows.

Hate, resentment, anger, fear... especially fear.

All those emotions he had always detected in his subjects, emotions powerful enough to fuel his magic. That was how it had previously been, with them fearing him and him being the source of their fear.

However, now that that little pony was standing in front of him, it wasn't fear or any other negative emotion that he could actually feel.

No, that pony exuded a strong aura of determination that he had seldom felt, and yet one more feeling was harbored within her, one that represented the light of her soul as a whole. One he hadn't felt for a long time: hope.

She had the hope that he would actually accept her proposal.

But was he willing to do it?

"Then what do you say, Sombra?" she asked in a slight hint.

He looked at her outstretched hoof and, through it all, emitted a small dark laugh before getting closer.

"Looks like you really think you can stop me," he growled.

Twilight's ears flattened in disappointment when she saw that he didn't seem to agree with her. Or that was until he returned to the same position.

"However," he began again, and Twilight's ears turned. "I can't deny that you've been quite a bit to me... help," he confessed reluctantly. "And even though it's partly your fault that we've ended up in this place forgotten by the world, I'm willing to cooperate with you until we can get out of here, even if it has to be for that method that forces two ponies to get along."

Twilight gave a slight roll of her eyes accompanied by a snort.

"It's really the only option right now, and as far as help goes, friends should always be there for others..."

"Yeah, yeah, I can already say that you convinced me without needing that answer," he interrupted her as he waved a hoof in the air and then dropped it into Twilight's. She reacted by shaking hers slightly. "I might be willing to give a bit importance to this... friendship."

Twilight nodded after that, letting out a small smile at will as she got up again and walked back to her original spot. She had already settled once more next to her little dragon when the voice coming from the unicorn in front of her caused her to turn her head towards him again.

"Since we're supposed to be now... friends," Sombra said suddenly, announcing himself with a clearing of his throat. "I think you should tell me what you found. Or was our trip to that cave in vain?"

Twilight blinked rapidly, not forgetting the slight bewilderment. So long he'd had... And he was asking just at that moment?"

"Are you serious? Do you have to ask me that right now?" Twilight replied without changing the seriousness of her face. Then she raised her hoof to hide a tired yawn. "You can ask me tomorrow... when we're more rested."

"Really?" he grumbled. "Tomorrow so many things can happen for..." He was quickly interrupted by the alicorn.

"I said tomorrow."

Twilight had already covered herself with her blanket, and yet she could perfectly hear the stallion's disgruntled growl after that. Sombra only glanced at her again, before ignoring her and settling down to rest.

Twilight let a funny little smile form on her face after seeing his attitude with the one eye she had open. Finally she left everything and concentrated on delving once into the charms of a possible dreamless rest.

In the end, the night ended up being much colder than on previous occasions.

Author's Note

Be prepared because unexpected things are coming after this.

Thanks for read. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 19

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!!!"

Chapter 21

When Spike opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he had never seen before.

He remembered only vaguely how he had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep after the gloomy whirlpool had caught him unawares. After that, he also remembered all the fear he had gone through during that moment. He also had the feeling that his brain was trying to bring one more memory to the surface.

He had the memory of hearing a voice calling to him in the distance, but he just hadn't had the strength to wake up and answer it. He hadn't been able to recognize it at the time, either, but then a piece clicked inside his mind as a fleeting thought flashed through it.

"Twilight?" he stammered in a whisper.

He then realized that she had not been with him at the time the ambush occurred. But he could still remember how her voice called him through the dense fog that had clouded his mind. Maybe she had managed to get to him to rescue him? Although he wasn't sure either, his mind may have played tricks on him and made him imagine everything.

Everything was so confused in his head at that very moment that he didn't know what to believe. But if he was in a position to choose something, he preferred to listen to what he heard, or perhaps imagined, in order to keep even the slightest hope that she would go in search of him.

As Spike thought about that, he began to sit up. After the mess in his mind calmed down a bit, he tried to do some sort of analysis on what he saw at that moment. Something that was summed up in searching, as strange as it seemed, for some logic to what had happened. If it really had any.

Somehow he was already sure that he had remained unconscious the entire time he had been taken there. His head was now beginning to hurt a little, and his whole body was also aware of that fact. But he somehow forced himself not to think about the dull pain that ran down even his scales. And in the same way he was able to achieve it.

Spike opened his eyes to try to observe something around him, and it was almost as if he hadn't. He could vaguely see the silhouette of himself as he raised his claws in front of him in an attempt to get some light. But his eyes only needed to accommodate the darkness. A few seconds later he could see better and glimpse the place where he was. Although it was not much.

He crawled and touched the wall to his left with a claw. Its texture was smooth, similar to that of any cavern he had visited before, although perhaps also with some roughness that alternated with that smoothness.

Spike managed to get up completely and began to follow with his hand, and without taking it off, the path of the wall in the darkness. Everything seemed to be normal until he suddenly heard an unpleasant hiss in front of him. Spike turned quickly, but when his claw accidentally slipped in that direction, a quick snap pulled it back.

He also took a step back as he gritted his teeth and covered the claw that had collided with the invisible force field. It hurt, but he quickly verified that he had not hurt himself because of it. He had only given the impression that an electric current had whipped him when he got too close. Most likely, it was there to prevent him from escaping.

Spike moved a little farther away while holding his arm away from the discomfort. And just at that moment, an emotion that he had guarded for a long time began to resurface without warning. Because he already knew fear, and what it meant to be trapped with no apparent way out.

He soon realized that he was not alone.

It appeared suddenly, without previous indications. Spike had directed his gaze to a specific point on the side of the entrance to his confinement. His eyes had closed for a second, in the blink of an eye. But when he opened them again he saw that pair of red lights, behind the black darkness with a vague face shape that contained them.

He took a step back immediately, frightened but at the same time too confused. Seconds later he watched with intrigue as the body of the creature in front of him began to take on a more solid, tall and long-limbed shape. It almost looked like a...

Suddenly a low noise began to settle in his ears, but it soon changed. For every second that passed, the sound increased in frequency from a high-pitched tone to a constant annoyance that pierced his ears.

Spike covered both ears with his claws, but the sensation left by the tone of the annoying noise was not easy to diminish. Not even doing that. He had no choice but to sit down as best he could, bow his head and close his eyes, perhaps in the vague hope that it would eventually leave.

So loud had the noise from that creature sounded, because he was quite sure that the thing produced it, that covering his ears was practically useless. Because of that, his head began to ache and nausea threatened to appear once again.

But in the end all that stopped suddenly, to his great relief.

Spike opened his eyes again as the noise ceased and the discomfort in his head slowly disappeared. When he was finally sure that it was gone, he raised his head again, this time carefully. But as soon as he did, the murmurs around him began to be heard. The contained whispers of several voices that could be heard near and far away. Voices that he could not understand what they were saying. But it did make him realize something he couldn't have foreseen before.

At first he saw nothing, the darkness of the cave had taken over his vision again. However, that was not what was actually happening. It only took a few seconds for his eyes to focus again. But what he saw caused him to recoil again with fear growing in his eyes.

The sea of shadows that had merged in front of him suddenly separated into a small crowd of independent shapes, smaller and thinner, but still rather more solid than before. That's when Spike felt familiar in some ways.

"Almost... they seem..."

"Huh?" Spike interrupted his thought and shook his head in confusion, perhaps from the sudden hiss he managed to catch.

He didn't pay attention to it. The thing was that the creatures that had taken him away were right there in front of him, just a few steps and a containment camp away. And yet that was something Spike couldn't ignore, especially now that the last image he had of Twilight as she tried to avoid being taken away was still very fresh in his mind.

It didn't matter anymore. Fear was still there, but the fury of being forcibly taken away from her was beginning to take over. And it was because of that that he got up and gritted his teeth as he approached the entrance of his cell with every intention of facing them. It didn't matter if they listened to him or not.

But he could not arrive. Something stopped him a few steps away from them and forced him to close his muzzle. Next, Spike had to witness the strangest thing that touched him at that moment.

The shadow creatures began to mutter, but it wasn't a low, ordinary murmur. It almost seemed like breathy shrieks that none of them seemed to be able to control. And to top it off, he could understand what they were saying in his own language, only he couldn't understand the context of what they were saying, or rather they were babbling.

But in the midst of all that confusion, Spike was able to catch a word that somehow piqued his interest when he heard them mumbling and cursing about it.

He had a hunch that they weren't happy at all with whatever that was. And although he might not care too much at the time, he still couldn't help but ask himself a question from the back of his mind when they disappeared from his sight.

"Who are those beings whom those shadows called umbrums."

The thick fog that had taken over her brain ended up receding little by little, while it took with it the bad dream that she had undoubtedly had. She didn't remember the details anymore, but she knew very well that it was related to the last thing that happened.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked a little confused about the fact that her coat wasn't in contact with the ground. Her cloak had been placed over it in a way that kept her away from the earth and at the same time covered her from the environment. Out of the corner of her eye she could tell that although it was not long before dawn, darkness was still quite present in that part of the forest.

She rose, sitting still with a bit of difficulty as she tried to control the sudden nausea, dizziness, and headache that had been left with her as a result of her latest grief. It was something complicated to do but at least she managed not to return the little she had had for dinner a few hours ago.

"You finally woke up," said a deep voice caught in the direction of her left ear. The voice of somepony very difficult to match.

Twilight looked up to meet the scarlet-eyed stallion. She couldn't help but notice the slight trace of tiredness within them, even though he knew very well how to hide it.

"Sombra...," she replied in a low tone. "What...? What happened to me?"

"You fainted, again," he replied after a few seconds. "You must know that you have been like this for about an hour."

With that, Twilight looked away and directed it at her hooves while her gawking mind still finished waking. She sighed and without raising her head, asked again what she wanted to know. Although deep down she didn't want to know the answer.

"Spike...?" She said with a slight sideways glance.

Sombra slowly denied, and along with that left Twilight with the horrible certainty she already feared. And although she tried to make her voice fill with determination in the next thing she said, she unconsciously couldn't help but embrace her own cloak in an attempt to find some comfort.

"No... no, well, I guess all is not lost..." she tried to say. "Perhaps... maybe we can go after them and so on..."

"I wouldn't advise you," Sombra interrupted, then let out a light sigh. "You wouldn't be that fast, not even flying. And they would already be a good distance from us."

"How do you know?" she asked as she looked up. "Please, Sombra... Tell me everything you know about those things that attacked us."

"I'll tell you, as soon as I'm sure you won't run after your friend to 'save' him, when in any case it might end up worse."

The face Twilight showed when she looked in his direction was one of surprise, perhaps also of disappointment. But something deeper and more negative was beginning to be born inside her and she could no longer help it. Anger was already growing inside her and she had to let it out.

"How do you want me not to do it!?" She exclaimed suddenly in a cry. "Spike is with... with whatever those things are. You don't understand it, but I... I just can't leave it like that!"

"Maybe I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I can't tell when a situation is favorable or not," Sombra said in a calm tone. "And this one isn't, simple as that."

Although Sombra's words did not completely quell the bubbling anger inside the alicorn, at least it made her think. And Twilight's thoughts, like her emotions, were a mess that even she didn't want to unravel. She just wanted it all to end.

Little by little the feeling that clouded her mind faded away, slower than when it arrived. All that remained in her was the impotent emptiness that she could not help but feel and that threatened to overflow her. And that's what ended up happening.

The lump in her throat tightened even tighter. So much so that Twilight couldn't take it anymore and eventually let the tears slowly fall down her cheeks.

All that had simply overtaken her and she needed to let it out. She didn't even care that Sombra was only three feet away and was watching her. She didn't want to care anymore.

And yet, as she continued to be consumed by her own sadness, she could not imagine that her eventual consolation would come with a touch on her side from who she least expected. She only realized that Sombra had left his hoof near her left flank, perhaps in an attempt to prevent her from becoming even more exalted. Surely he just wanted her to finish as soon as possible.

However, at the time Twilight didn't care about his motives. She just wanted a little support. And although she was partly not wrong in thinking that he wanted her to stop as soon as possible, Sombra also had other facts in his mind that at that moment he did not care to understand, perhaps because he did not understand them.

But not everything was turning out as planned.

The feelings and emotions within Twilight continued in the same way, scrambled and messy. So far from stopping, her tears simply continued on its slow and exhausting journey. Until something in her actions changed again. Maybe it was just instinct, but something in her was looking for more than just a touch, that alone wasn't enough to ease everything she felt.

Because of that, Twilight turned her head and lowered it until she was lying on one of Sombra's limbs, her face hidden in his direction. She could feel how he tensed up at her sudden movement, and deep down she was grateful that he had not ended up pushing her away abruptly. She really appreciated that he tolerated it even if he had not expected it at any time.

At this action on the part of the princess, Sombra could only sigh deeply and wait for her to calm down. If he was already there, at least he was supposed to do something.

Twilight stayed like this for several more minutes, until finally her crying began to stop along with her tears. Slowly she parted her head from Sombra's limb, while she had only a slight, fleeting thought about how comfortable his coat had felt.

After noticing that her bag was still on her side, Twilight opened it with her magic and quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe away the furrow of tears left on her cheeks. All that time she didn't dare to look at Sombra again. Maybe because she was partly embarrassed.

"Already... I'm better now," she finished saying.

At this Sombra looked at her and gave a slight nod to her answer. Twilight sighed and stared back at him.

"Thank you, really," she said as she left a grateful hoof on her own chest.

Sombra turned his head in her direction again, and only shrugged his shoulders at last.

"I figured I should. Isn't that what "friends" do?" he replied calmly, not without a certain sarcasm, while he looked again at some unimportant point in front of them.

Twilight immediately opened her eyes a little wider due to the surprise that his unexpected answer left her. However, she once again lowered her head to look at her hooves as a small smile began to form on her face.

"Yes... I guess you're right," she concluded after that, letting out a gentle exhale to herself.

Circumstances may not have improved yet, but Twilight was deep down satisfied that he at least understood that little aspect. Obviously there was the fact that she there were still quite a few things to show him, but perhaps the latter could be taken as some kind of advance.

"And now what have you?"

"W-what?" Twilight was surprised and looked at him at his sudden question, though more so because of the exasperated tone in which he uttered it.

"Until a moment ago you were crying... And now you smile?" exclaimed Sombra as if making some kind of observation. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Twilight could only blink quickly after hearing that, while she gave a slight tilt of her head in her slight confusion. Although it only took a few seconds for her to compose herself in understanding what he had meant. In the end she ended up letting out a little laugh, which had the other effect of making her feel good about herself.

"I... I'm sorry," Twilight exclaimed, but she couldn't contain the snort of laughter that escaped her. Sombra narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Only I can feel a little better now, and it's partly because of what you did."

"Yeah, you don't need to thank me and remember it all the time," Sombra pointed out as he got up from his place and rearranged his cloak.

His hooves clattered slightly against the ground as he moved a little farther away from her. Twilight sighed as she looked for a better way to convey what she thought, so she didn't spend too much time on it.

"I'm just trying to say that I'm happy to at least be able to count on your support," Twilight replied in a calm smile as she left both hooves on her chest.

Sombra stopped in his walk, even though he didn't turn around. Instead, he closed his eyes and made a slight gesture of denial to himself. He thought maybe it was time to stop underestimating her.

"As you say," was all he said.

Twilight gave another short, low-key smile as she got up and walked to meet him. During that moment she also adjusted the cloak and the bag that was still with her. She partly regretted that the other things had been lost, but at least she knew that it was nothing so important that it was not in hers. Although that sorrow was still with her.

Twilight shook her head to clear herself after spending those seconds in ruminations that her mind had given way to. Once again she resumed her journey to where the unicorn was waiting for her.

Sombra sensed her presence but did not turn in her direction. Instead, he waited for her to stand next to him and approach him with the impending question that he somehow knew was on her mind.

"You probably already imagined I was going to ask this, but I still need to," Twilight sat down across from him. "Can I finally know what those things were?"

This time, Sombra resigned himself and also sat across from her while letting out a long sigh. If he was going to tell her about the things that his mind still remembered, he would do it from a position comfortable for him.

"That thing that attacked us is as simple as what your eyes saw. Shadow creatures that were created without any intention when the remnants of the magic that made and permeated this place, were widely scattered in all directions. Until eventually it gathered at a single point," He ended his explanation with a slight tilt of his head. "I suppose that answers your question, at least in part."

Twilight nodded regardless, he was right. So because of that, she was able to relate a part of what she had found out in the cave with what had happened now. She thought that if large amounts of magic had been used during the process of creating that place, it was not so strange that in the end a part of it had seeped into the confines of that land.

But what or who had created that place? Twilight knew it was best to leave that question for later.

"The truth is that it is. Thank you," Twilight said and left a hoof on her chest. "But... Why? What was their intention in setting this ambush for us?

"That's something that escapes my comprehension," said Sombra as he closed his eyes.

Something in that answer didn't quite convince Twilight. Somehow she remembered a very interesting fact that she had forgotten with all that mess, arrived in the answer to one of the questions she had raised in that cave, and even in the suspicion generated by the fact that the previous creatures attacked at the least expected moment.

So Twilight let a suspicious look on her face roll as her gaze turned to him again.

"Sombra, there's something you're not telling me at all," she said in an undoubted affirmation.

He opened his eyes and frowned in a look of slight annoyance.

"I honestly don't know why you think that."

At his answer Twilight could only let out a sigh in which perhaps she sought to try to calm herself. Then the objective was to try to make him willing to say what was necessary.

"Sombra, you know I want to trust you, but more importantly I want you to trust me too," she said. Since she was looking him straight in the eye this time, she could tell the moment when his gaze seemed to change. "Trust is the foundation of any relationship between two ponies or creatures, I really hope you understand that."

After those words Twilight looked at him better, so she could see the moment when he let go of the hardness of his gaze a little. Sombra closed his eyes and exhaled in a half-tired gesture that did not fully reflect the mess of contradictions that was now in his head.

Although on the one hoof, his more rational side, he was reluctant to trust; on the other, something told him that perhaps it was time to show himself differently. Even though his mind stressed that it wasn't really because of everything she had done, deep down he knew what the truth was. He just needed to admit it.

So in the end, only the fact of giving her the benefit of the doubt prevailed.

"I can only guess that," he said, making a slow gesture of shaking his head. "You know? I've never had somepony... who to really trust." Before Twilight could say anything about that, Sombra beat her to it. "And yet I can understand what you meant, besides all that you have done so far."

When Sombra finished saying that, Twilight looked at him carefully and nodded her head while another smile appeared on her face. This time a bit wider than the previous ones.

"That's a good thing, after all," she muttered to herself.

Sombra opened his eyes again upon hearing that, only to meet hers directly. Maybe it wouldn't have been his intention, but the fact that he stared at her so suddenly made Twilight a little uncomfortable. Enough for her to hide her throat a little and turn her head in another direction, perhaps with the intention of being more distracted.

Sombra did not let that action pass, so instead he said again the words of the subject that concerned both of them. After all, that was not going to solve itself.

"I can suppose that, from all that has happened lately, it can have been only one thing that drew them to this place and to us."

"Yes, I really had a suspicion about that," Twilight said, lowering her head and putting a hoof on her chin. "It's just that I don't like the idea. You know? I may not have told you yet about the answers I found in that place, but there was one that I couldn't help but relate to all this..."

"Now that you say it," Sombra interrupted her suddenly. "I was hoping that at some point you would decide to tell it."

"Well, you know perfectly well why I couldn't do it," she replied in a tone, despite everything while letting out a snort of slight annoyance. "And now what I want to say is that... I've been thinking that there's a way that maybe they've been able to track us."

The atmosphere around them was completely still, silent, while Twilight prepared in her mind to let go of what she thought. A second earlier she glanced at Sombra out of the corner of her eye, perhaps intending to register his current reaction more closely. However, he was stoic. Anypony who didn't know might even admit that he wouldn't be able to feel anything. But Twilight wasn't sure about it, so she gave herself a quick sigh.

"Deep down, I don't want you to think that I'm accusing you of this, when perhaps you weren't even aware of what could happen..."

"I don't think there's any need to beat around the bush, princess," he exclaimed with a hint of irritation. "I guess you're saying that it's my own magic that's been attracting all those creatures, right?"

Although Twilight was expecting it somehow, she still couldn't help but make a surprised face at the quick deduction Sombra had made. Although she regained her composure after that fact.

"Actually, I do," she whispered with a certain and sudden shyness. "And from what I see, you also imagined it if you..."

Perhaps she had hoped that the same thing would not happen this time, however once again she was interrupted, but this time by a quick hoof that the stallion had raised so that she would not continue.

"I didn't imagine it, princess," Sombra replied simply and before the slight confused look she gave him, he continued with what he was going to say. "I knew it."

Twilight took a few moments to analyze Sombra's recent words and be sure of what he had actually said. Then she closed her eyes and began to speak again, in a low tone.

"Are you trying to tell me that all this time you knew... And you didn't even tell us?" she asked, trying to be as calm and focused as possible. At last she let out another sigh. "Please, Sombra, I want to know why."

Despite her annoyance that he had withheld such important information from her, Twilight was willing to give him a chance to explain it. Sombra only looked at her for a brief moment.

"I just wasn't entirely sure about it," he said without the expression of his eyes changing. "At first, I couldn't have imagined that my own dark magic would be the one to cause all this. It was assumed that not enough had yet regenerated to cause any kind of effect."

"I mean, do you say what happened later when you realized that?"

He nodded to her question.

"That doesn't quite add up, though," Sombra continued, even though Twilight's gaze demanded an explanation for what he had said. "Magic was never, not even black magic, the main source by which they had been attracted..."

After that he fell silent, with a somewhat thoughtful expression on his face. Although Twilight expected her to continue, so she forced herself to continue.

"And you don't know what that main reason could be?" She asked while making a gesture with her hoof.

"I don't know," Sombra replied in a flat tone, shaking slightly as he closed his eyes.

Twilight took another breath and let it be. Although this time she did not insist on trying to get him to continue, she sensed that there were still things to be said. But she knew that this was not the best time to press him for an answer. So at least, for now, she was satisfied with the fact that he mentioned it.

However, another very important topic was pressing inside her mind to be addressed. And this one could not wait.

"You can imagine I need your help, again," Twilight said suddenly as he opened his eyes and looked in her direction. "So even if you don't want to, I'm willing to go by myself... And rescue Spike from wherever he was taken," she let out a sigh again. "But I really need more information, and that includes at least knowing whether or not he's in danger right now."

The atmosphere around her had gone silent while Twilight waited for Sombra to answer her; and yet the dawn began to clear everything. A few minutes passed in which the stallion did not look at her, but simply seemed to pay attention to a point beyond them.

"Sombra?"

And when she thought he wasn't going to speak to her, he finally spoke.

"I just remembered," he said, shaking his head slightly, and then looking at her. "With respect to what you asked, your friend is in a dangerous situation, it's true; but he's not going to suffer damage for now."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight, with an expression of undoubted concern in her.

Although the mare's face had a look of doubts that needed to be clarified urgently reflected in it, Sombra was silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Those creatures, which by the way don't have a real name in this language, have a peculiar source as well as an unusual way of getting their energy," he began to say as Twilight listened. "Their victims are beings who are easily accessed through fear or nightmares that they themselves can induce, because this is how they usually feed. As you may have already suspected, on this site the only resource they can use are the habitants themselves; the descendants of ancient ponies who came here and were trapped with no real possibility for them to get out. Of course there were those who have tried to do it and did not succeed."

Sombra fell silent again, while Twilight processed his words. She didn't spend too much time on it. She just raised her head in his direction and nodded to him, while she was silent again.

At this, Sombra looked at her strangely.

"Is that it? Aren't you going to ask me?"

Twilight tilted her head slightly as she looked at the stallion's slight arched eyebrow. She couldn't help but find this reaction a bit pleasant.

"Well, yes, I actually have several questions," she admitted. "But there's one that interests me the most..." she said while her brow furrowed slightly in a worried expression. "You said that these creatures use the fear produced by nightmares as a way to feed themselves, however... What do they feed on, exactly?"

"The most basic and abundant form of energy found in this place," Sombra replied a few seconds later. "Technically and essentially, magic."

That last answer ended up setting off the alarms that were hidden in Twilight's mind. While the magic that permeated the environment around her was quite common, and not only in her own land, the inherent magic found within the living beings that possessed it, on the other hand, was a scarce resource by nature. And very tempting for certain beings who desired it in its greed.

What troubled her most, however, was the knowledge that it was often tied to the life force itself that allowed all who possessed it to maintain their normal and risk-free lives. So if they really drained the magic from their victims... It could only mean one thing.

She put her hooves to her mouth almost without realizing it, in recent horror when she realized what it all implied. So much so that she didn't hear when Sombra called her after he took into account the expression on her face.

"He's in danger... He... If they get to take all his magic..." Twilight only briefly noticed his call as she muttered rapidly. Her ears moved in his direction again, so in the end she ended up raising her head to meet the strange look that the stallion was giving her. "I really don't want to think about what could happen."

"Then don't think about it and concentrate on what you should do," he pointed out, his gaze hardened even more as he got up from his place.

Twilight lowered her head and couldn't help wrapping her hooves around her body to hug herself, perhaps in an attempt to give herself a little more comfort. Her gaze drifted to some point on the ground.

"It's difficult... And yet I have to," she whispered, as another question that arose in her mind waited to be uttered. Twilight looked up once more; this time she would not lower it again. "Do you have any idea how long it would take for that to happen?"

"I don't know exactly, that depends on how much magic the pony or creature in question possesses. However, the process can be quite slow," he said, and that kindled the flame of hope within her a bit. "Most commonly, they weaken little by little while consuming their magic and, therefore, their energy. As far as I can remember, the longest a pony could last before succumbing would be a month."

Twilight was really amazed at how much he knew about the aspects of that place. Despite the fact that at the same time he did not know everything. And now what interested her...

"Spike is a dragon, his magic reserve may be a bit more extensive than that of an average pony," she said as she left a hoof on her chin. "If all that is so..." she let out a sigh. "I hope I have a chance to find him before it's too late."

Twilight suddenly took a much longer look at him with a look full of decision.

"And you're going to help me," she announced as she got up from the site and gathered her things.

"It seems that that's really the only option I have," Sombra replied in a flat tone, almost devoid of any kind of emotion.

However, his thoughts were different.

"I suppose it was time to settle scores, inevitably."

"Actually, yes," Twilight confirmed. "Ignoring the fact that you need me to get out of here, and that I'm not going to take a step unless it's in the direction Spike is, you're also the only pony who might know his location."

"It may be...," Sombra conceded, moving closer until he was in front of her. "Although for that you must follow me and trust me," he lowered his head more and asked, with a certain tone of mockery. "Are you willing to do it, princess?"

"Absolutely," Twilight replied as she nodded her own, without taking her eyes off his eyes for a second.

Their gazes faced each other for a few more seconds, purple contrasting with red.

She had a goal in mind that she wasn't going to back down from, no matter what she had to do. The fire of her determination was reflected in her eyes once more, and she knew that she was going to do whatever it took to bring her little dragon back with her. And not even that stallion could prevent her from doing so.

Then, without even expecting it, he smiled. Sombra closed his eyes, rising again to his full imposing height as Twilight followed him with her gaze. Once more, he opened them, and let her catch up with his renewed trot in a new return of the road.

Meanwhile, Twilight thought something had changed. And she had the feeling that it was for the best.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed it. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 22

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.

Chapter 23

A single second. It had only taken him a measly second to realize that something was wrong, very wrong. And it didn't take long for his thoughts to be confirmed as quickly as his instinct kicked in and a portion of his memories returned. Everything had been tinged with a pinch of irony.

He had only time to shout a warning to the princess, when suddenly and without warning, she disappeared from his sight.

***

"Do you think we're going in the right direction?" Twilight asked suddenly as she looked at the rocks on the side of the road.

Somehow her questioning did not surprise Sombra, who could only observe her for a brief moment before nodding without concern. He may not have noticed, but Twilight ended up raising an eyebrow slightly after his slight delay. Although deep down she wasn't so worried about it.

"Of course, we are not so far from the most important reference that should guide us to our first objective. The real one, on the other hoof, is far beyond," cried Sombra in a murmur loud enough for her to hear.

"Maybe you want to tell me where that last place is?" she asked in a slightly suggestive tone as she approached him.

Sombra glanced over his shoulder and frowned in a somewhat thoughtful expression, which was not lost on Twilight.

"Do you remember I said the place your friend was taken to is far from here?" Twilight nodded her head at his question. "Likewise, however, it is impossible for me to know the exact location when it was never told to me."

"Wait, wait..." The surprise that the last thing he had said meant for her was something she didn't really expect. "How is it possible that you don't know? Please, tell me we're not walking in circles."

She really, really didn't want his answer to be the opposite. Not when they had so little time to reach him without her levels of worry reaching the limit. Not now that she had changed the perception she had at the beginning. And yet, nothing she had imagined was what he ended up answering.

"I thought you trusted me more, princess," he said after letting out a snort of annoyance. "If we were following the same path without getting anywhere, I would have said so a long time ago."

After hearing that, she closed her eyes. Then she decided to concentrate and be calmer, she let out a slight sigh as she turned her gaze towards him.

"I'm sorry, I do trust you," she looked away from her hooves for a moment. "I just exhaled and thought things I shouldn't have when you said you don't know where it is.

"I know very well where it is, princess..." She raised her head quickly just a second before saying something, before he stopped her. "Just let me finish," he replied when he stood in front of her when he saw the look of genuine confusion she gave him. "I don't know its exact location, and by that I mean we must go and look for it."

Twilight immediately understood what he was trying to say.

"You mean you know any place where we can find that information." It wasn't a question, she was just expressing it in affirmation.

"Exactly as you just announced," Sombra confirmed after hearing her answer, then he took on a serious expression again, a bit more different from the usual. "But I'll warn you something, princess," he said in a deep tone and approached, while clearly seeing how she frowned. "You must prepare yourself because the road will not be easy, much less short."

Twilight had already imagined that, so it wasn't at all unexpected when she nodded to his words without hesitation. For Spike, as well as for any of her friends, she would be willing to face whatever came her way and go wherever it took to bring him back to her side.

"I am, Sombra," she replied at last, adjusting the clasp of her cloak tightly. "As long as I get him back, I always will be."

Sombra looked straight into the mare's eyes, realizing what her words were expressing. The strength and determination that were reflected in her gaze, somehow made him almost moved by her. Although despite everything, the expression on his face did not change.

"Very good" was the last thing he said.

Sombra turned once more and Twilight let out an unconscious sigh of tiredness as she began to follow him. Busy as she was, she didn't notice the quick flash that had flashed deep into his crimson eyes. At that moment she was more focused on walking calmly by his side.

But because of that fact she couldn't help but crack a small smile with some complacency at the thought of how much things had changed. If somepony had told her a month earlier that she would be trapped on an unusual island next to the dark unicorn former king of the Crystal Empire and that she would even form an alliance-friendship with him, Twilight would have thought that most likely that pony had lost his mind. She simply could not have believed it.

And now, however, she also thought about all that she had improved, fortunately for the better. Even though her little dragon was far away from her at the time, kidnapped by creatures she had never known existed. It was inevitable that she would not feel worried and rightly so.

"I'll be with you soon, Spike, I promise," she thought as her gaze turned to the blue sky beyond the treetops.

Twilight looked down again, but this time she didn't fix it on the road in front of them again. On the other hoof, she ended up directing her to the stallion next to her, although it was only for a brief moment. Or so she had in mind at first.

She stared, almost out of the corner of her eye, at that face that had long ago been the cause of bleak nightmares not only for her, but also for the little dragon affected by that event. A face that she had always seen in her darkest memories with expressions of malice, hatred and resentment, but that nevertheless now showed an apathetically serious expression, as if he cared almost or nothing.

Although she knew that things could be different. If she took into account everything they had been through up to that point, it was like another trait of his personality.

Again, Twilight didn't notice how long she'd been watching him with slight intensity. But he did and immediately turned his head in her direction.

"What happens now?" asked Sombra while frowning at the insistent gaze of the alicorn.

The effect of his action was immediate. Twilight took a small leap in the surprise of having been discovered in her fleeting gaze, which she left reflected in her face. And most likely it was just because of the supposed embarrassment that she ended up turning quickly when she felt her cheeks begin to warm into a slight blush

"I-It's okay..." She said in a slight stutter that she ended up dragging, although then she let out a sigh. "I was only thinking about certain things."

"Can I ask about those things?" he asked while raising both eyebrows, feeling only a bit intrigued by what the princess might have thought as she looked at him in that way.

Sombra's question elicited a slight reaction of surprise from Twilight. If she took into account that the previous times she had hinted at the desire to start some kind of conversation longer than the words they always exchanged, the stallion only ended up answering in short terms, without much apparent desire to want to say anything more. On that part she couldn't help but feel frustrated at times, but deep down she didn't want to push for it.

And now, instead, it was he who wanted to know? Everything had definitely turned upside down and she barely noticed.

"Just my stuff, it's nothing important," she replied while shying her head and making a gesture with her hoof, as if she wanted him to forget about it. "Why do you ask? Did you really want to know?"

"In the same way that on previous occasions you inquired about me."

Twilight frowned at that answer, knowing what he meant. And in the end he hadn't even answered the question.

"That doesn't answer my question," she said in an almost flat tone, without revealing the real interest she had in it.

Sombra paused only for a moment, causing her to imitate his action as well. She almost expected him to reply something else, when in fact all he did was direct the gaze of his crimson eyes towards hers. Twilight took only a step back when she seemed to see a fleeting flash deep within them.

What she felt was nothing like fear as he leaned more in her direction.

"Yes it does, princess; pay a little more attention," Sombra replied in a low tone, walking away before she could react.

Clearly he wouldn't say it, but in the end he couldn't help but observe with some satisfaction how she seemed to remain static before his action; while he just resumed his journey. On the other hoof, Twilight could only blink quickly after that, somewhat feeling strange about her own reaction.

She gave him another look when he was just a few steps ahead of her. She let out a quick snort and stepped forward without wasting any time.

Twilight finished organizing her thoughts at just the right time. A few seconds later a sensation formed within her that was already beginning to be quite familiar. The new feeling of a bad feeling.

She took a quick look at the stallion next to her in the hope that she had not been the only pony who had felt it, however his serene look did not reveal any type of alteration in his condition. It seemed that it was just something hers. Either that, or actually Sombra was in charge of hiding any kind of emotion very well. Knowing him as she did until now, the latter was most likely.

Despite all that, Twilight decided to stay alert as she had learned to do lately. She focused on the road once more and put her worries aside for a moment as the evening light began to filter through the treetops.

That was another thing that had fascinated Twilight from the first days they had arrived here. Earlier she had wondered if the rising and setting of the sun on that land, like the rest of her world, was controlled by Princess Celestia's own magic and they had only not been able to escape due to the barrier that surrounded it completely.

Or if it had been the opposite and that the island was actually on a completely different plane, which could be accessed by the various points that had been clarified on her previous visit to the cave of the underground spring. All this she had thought about when she did not yet have the knowledge she currently possessed.

Now she was aware that such a place had not even been created as a piece of land in the middle of the sea would naturally in her own world. And that explained why it followed its own rules.

Twilight was distracted by those thoughts for quite a while, so much so that she only came to react when she realized that the warm daylight was already beginning to wane, just because she suddenly looked up at the sky. She frowned a bit and then looked at the stallion when she noticed something else, a noise that was beginning to reach her ears. Sombra also looked at her and spoke before she could say a single word of what was on her mind.

"You don't need to say it, I can imagine what you're thinking." Then he muttered only to himself. "Darkness will fall soon."

Twilight nodded, though she was only a bit surprised by his quick deduction. In a way it was a matter of logic to want to look for some shelter in which to spend the night. But she had a hunch that this time, as in all previous ones, they would also spend it outdoors. She was already beginning to get used to that.

"That wasn't all I was thinking about," Twilight stepped forward as she dodged the large trees and walked cautiously toward the constant noise she had heard a short time ago. Then she paused for a moment to look at Sombra and point in that direction. "There's something else that intrigues me, and it's over there."

Sombra followed the direction of her hoof, then nodded.

"If we're going to go, it'll be careful."

"I know, it's necessary," Twilight replied as she let out a sigh and waited for him to position himself next to her.

The path they continued along gradually opened up, as the constant noise eventually became the classic, definite sound of the water running past them. They had already imagined it when the characteristic smell of wet earth had seeped into their noses, which made them relax a bit more. Or at least, Twilight did.

"Luckily it's only a river," she approached carefully.

"That's what it looks like," he said, his brow furrowing as he stood under the sheltered shade of the trees. "So don't be overconfident."

Twilight looked at him and gave a brief smile, more out of kindness than anything else, at the warning. Deep down she felt a bit tired of him stressing that to her whenever he could, even if she knew it was necessary.

"I know, I'm aware of that," she replied in a low tone and sighed again at the sudden exhaustion.

Twilight walked to the edge of the river, seeing now more accurately that it was actually wider and quieter than she had at first expected. Although crossing it would not be a problem for her but rather for the stallion. Anyway, that wasn't her goal at the time, not even to reach her destination.

It ran its course in a gentle stream, with nothing to disturb it more than the ground itself and the occasional stones on its surface. Twilight stopped on the shore and stroked the wet earth of the edge with her hoof, then moved closer and soaked all of her coat with the liquid slide. She thought that all this seemed to be a very relaxing environment.

She let her eyes close for a few more seconds as she enjoyed a quiet moment that she knew she was rarely going to have. Not even when she returned to her land. On the contrary, she sensed that those moments of peace would be increasingly rare due to her obligations as a princess. And now much more so because of the return of somepony her friends believed was totally defeated.

But as for Sombra, everything was now much more than she had imagined at first. Things changed a lot, if she took into account that moment when they both agreed to define the state of their current relationship. She knew that they were now more than just allies, or at least she could feel it. No, what she had thought about too much at that moment was the fact about what she was going to do about him when they finally managed to escape from there.

Twilight pulled her hooves out of the river and moved a bit farther from the edge. She sat down beyond, where the ground was no longer so wet, and ended up closing her eyes as she sought to enter into the introspection of her own thoughts. And trying to organize them, by the way.

Although everything so far was going quite well between the two... What was going to happen if in the future this strange friendship they had was further consolidated? Or if the opposite actually happened? How was she going to deal with that, if either option occurred, once they returned?

She let out another sigh. She hadn't really thought about it too deeply.

Twilight could only exhale exhausted. Add to that the feeling of constant weariness from her ever-present concern for Spike, and it was almost as if she didn't feel strong beyond her physical condition. It was only because of him that she could muster the necessary strength.

"Why does it all have to be so complicated?" she wondered as she watched from afar as Sombra did everything that was needed to get their temporary camp ready in the shortest time possible.

Twilight hurriedly got up from her spot and walked over to him to deal with something else she could help with. So as she had done on previous nights, she used her magic to conjure the elements of a spell. Her objective was to form an invisible barrier that would cover several feet around the place that would allow it to detect any possible intruders in advance. However, after several lines in a row regarding that thought, the aura around her suddenly darkened.

Just as she should have done long before Spike was taken away...

Twilight frowned and shook her head to clear away all the intrusive thoughts that had formed inside her. It was useless for her to feel sorry for herself now when what she really had to do was to direct all her efforts in her concentration to get to him.

Her work ended up completely done after the unexpectedly long time she needed for it. After that she just took off her cloak and put it in her bag, while enjoying the light dusk wind that cooled her coat. The sounds coming from a certain direction let her know that Sombra was done with his business, too.

"Don't you need anything else?" she asked suddenly after seeing how he sat in front of the improvised campfire.

Sombra made a simple gesture of denial to her question, without saying a word. She took advantage of that and also decided to move to where he was to enjoy the warm atmosphere that had formed around the fire.

Once she was settled she took a slight look at the unicorn, which only seemed to be deep in thought while keeping his eyes closed. Twilight was aware that when he took that position, the last thing he wanted was for somepony to talk to him. But on that occasion she really didn't know what to do with the quiet atmosphere that had been imposed between the two.

"Hmm, Sombra?" she whispered and waited for him to listen to her.

All she had for an answer was a brief "hmp" from deep in his throat. Twilight rolled her eyes slightly at that and prepared to continue after a slight clearing of her throat.

"Don't... don't you want to talk about some specific topic?" she asked in a curious tone that tried to encourage him to comment on something, anything that would make her forget that she was not alone.

But obviously that had no effect on him, so he just sent his simple answer in a gesture of shaking his head. That didn't stop Twilight, though.

"Really?" she insisted a bit more.

He nodded this time.

"Nothing for... break the silence?"

Sombra finally dropped the facade of seriousness he had put on his face, instead, annoyance began to be visible in his gaze when he opened his eyes again.

"No, silence is too good a thing that shouldn't be broken."

"Tsk, you just did it."

Twilight frowned and looked straight into his eyes, only to have her ears finally lowered her ears as she drifted away in the cold flash of his crimson orbs. Something that was beginning to mean much more than just danger... At that moment she thought about whether she had done well (or not) to say the latter.

Sombra let out a short growl before remembering to calm down. Something difficult, easier to think about than to do. So he rested a hoof just below his horn and let out a sigh.

"By all the gods, you really are a fastidious mare of Harmony," he replied in a snort, more because of the sudden headache he had when he remembered something he didn't expect, than because of the princess's insistence.

"What?" Twilight forgot the feeling that had caused her and frowned in a flat gesture of confusion and annoyance, not quite understanding what he meant by his words. "What do you mean by that and why do you say it?"

What was he talking about? It was quite unexpected that he would let go of it so suddenly.

"Why do I say that?" Sombra looked away from her when a thoughtful and slightly distant expression formed on his face; as if he was going back into some kind of past memory. "I think it's because in a way, you remind me of somepony I once knew."

"Really?" asked Twilight, not forgetting her annoyance, but with some intrigue as to who that pony might have been.

Sombra didn't answer her question directly, but instead nodded his head slightly. Twilight perhaps hoped that he would continue and say something else, although she should have expected otherwise.

"I think I remember that she was somepony as enthusiastic as you," he spoke suddenly and without her expecting it. Sombra looked at her as he remembered something else. "But unlike you, it was difficult for her to concentrate on one thing."

"Oh..." Twilight looked down and whispered. "That's something you've already checked."

"Really..." he confirmed in an almost whisper. After that he fell silent again.

Twilight didn't press him to say anything else, though deep down she was still dying to know what else from his past this stallion had to tell, and not just related to him. After all, several important events in the history of Equestria had occurred more than a thousand years ago in the past. And he was just one of the few living ponies who had most likely witnessed them.

She really had so many questions in her head just thinking about it.

When Twilight finally got out of her musings, she took another look at the unicorn in front of her. He had already settled down and was again with his eyes closed, apparently ready to rest. It was at that moment that Twilight remembered something quite important when her stomach began to growl.

"Don't you plan to have dinner before you go to rest?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she searched for her own food in the saddlebag.

"I don't have an appetite at the moment," he clarified without adding anything else.

"Okay..." Twilight had doubts, but she wasn't going to force him right now. Instead, she decided to forget about everything for a while and enjoy her dinner.

But even as she dined, she could not help but feel the constant concern for the fate of all of them that had been with her for a long time.

After several hours following the forest path that led them upstream, both Twilight and Sombra had agreed to take a small, well-deserved break from the hot midday sun. Although for various reasons for her it was much more than just a little rest.

"You shouldn't go that far," Sombra commented in passing when he saw how she began to enter the path that led directly to the river.

"I won't, I just need to cool off a little," she said as she stretched her wings.

Twilight took flight although she stayed close to the ground the whole time, while avoiding the trunks of the trees along the way. A minute later she stopped when the sound of running water reached her ears. Before continuing, she turned her head in the opposite direction to confirm that she could indeed still see Sombra, even among the trees in the distance. That fact relaxed her a bit.

She let out a light sigh as she marked a non-existent physical path in the local land with her hooves. But such would be her surprise when she found the great mass of water waiting for her at the edge of the forest, instead of the peaceful river they had followed all this time.

It was a lake that seemed to her to be quite calm, located on the edge of a ravine not too high in which the grove beyond continued. All this gave it the impression of being a hidden place among the great treetops, away from the ordinary view of any unexpected visitor.

"Okay, I guess I shouldn't miss the opportunity."

Twilight got rid of the bag she was carrying, but not before going and sending a quick call to Sombra about her location. He sighed and got up from his place, a minute later he arrived at the place that had generated such a stir in the princess. And when he did, he found her with half of her body submerged in the calm waters, near the shore.

Sombra frowned when he began to feel somewhat strange about the existence of this place. He decided not to walk beyond the edge of the tree line.

Instead he did not fail to stay close as a precaution, although the distance from where he was to the shore of the lake was greater than he thought at first. And although he was aware that even in such a place anything unexpected could happen, the fact that his own intuition was not silenced at that moment, like a cautious voice in the back of his mind, somehow aroused his alarms.

Sombra left his thoughts for a moment when he heard a splash coming in front of him followed by the voice of the princess. He looked in her direction and wondered what she needed now.

"Did you have any idea this existed?" Twilight asked after catching his presence.

He might confirm it, but she almost couldn't help but feel relaxed as the water gently caressed her coat. It really had been so long since she had felt that way.

On the other hoof, he had already imagined that. So that's why he made the decision to step out of the dark shadows of the forest to get a bit closer. And then he took up his words when he did.

"No..." He answered her question and the face of his gaze hardened even more. "I don't think so."

Something, just something, didn't feel right. It didn't matter why, but given the fact that he was almost about to activate his magic to listen to his instinct and the hunch he'd had, it hadn't been something he could only ignore.

But at that moment Twilight almost didn't hear his answer because of the water that was covering her ears at that moment, so she didn't notice the tone with which he had expressed it. Then she decided to head in the direction of the shore and shorten the distance that separated them a bit more.

But she didn't notice the small, fast bubbles that whipped the surface of the water in a short time.

Although in reality, neither of them realized that.

"It's really so good here..." she whispered as she let out a sigh.

"You should get out at once, this is not a pleasure trip," he interjected in a reproachful tone, sending her a flat look.

Twilight also sent him one expressing mutual feeling, only she didn't use the same tone.

"I'm doing it," she closed her eyes and continued on her way to the shore, slow due to the resistance of the water. "You know? Why not-"

Twilight stood completely still after opening her eyes and noticing the strange look that was reflected in Sombra's. She couldn't define why, but she didn't feel good about the fact that he seemed to constantly look beyond her.

"Get out right now."

Twilight frowned in a worried gesture, more so because of the tone in which he had said it.

"What is it that happens?"

"Get out now I told you!"

"Okay, okay! I'm already on it," she exclaimed apprehensively, moving quickly.

Twilight shuddered, still frowning when she heard the imperious tone of his voice added to the way he had said it. But she was also worried about the latter. What the hell was going on?

Sombra only let out a growl as he walked closer to the shore. Again, perhaps it was thanks to his hearing or perhaps it was his sight that caught some imperceptible movement on the apparently imperturbable surface out of the corner of his eye. Moreover, it wasn't just because of that.

Slowly he had come to feel the fur around the back of his neck begin to stand on end in an unconscious sign of his own intuition. That feeling had intensified, and that was something he definitely didn't like at all.

But then that happened.

The atmosphere before it happened had become unusually tense, so much so that they could only keep in mind the sound of their breaths. Neither the sound of the forest, nor the slight noise of the water going along with the current meant anything.

It could all be summed up in one thing when the waters were agitated and from the center of the lake something invisible emerged and moved too quickly towards Twilight. She had practically no time to react.

Immediately she felt an enormous force carry her downwards, into the dark and cold waters of the deep. She only had time to see Sombra's form that quickly blurred as he ran in vain towards her, listening to her shout something that sounded very far away... Her name perhaps?

But she wasn't going to give up so easily. She held her breath as she tried to fight whatever was taking her away. She quickly lit her horn to conjure a quick teleportation spell. But that only remained in the attempt.

Her vision began to wane as she watched in horror as the magic unraveled in front of her, taking the spell on the spot. Her legs were already getting tired and the small bubbles escaping from her nose ended up increasing even more. Fatigue was winning and she almost wanted to let herself go.

Was it really going to be like that?

Did she simply disappear from everything, forgotten from the world? Would her body slowly sink as she headed for the dark bottom of cold waters that had felt so warm before?

And yet, through it all, her thoughts ultimately turned to who was always the first to occupy them, to her little dragon, to her friends, to her surprise even to a certain grumpy stallion.

What she would have given to see them again even if only for a single moment...

And in the end, all she could see before the air once again flooded her lungs, before she inevitably fell into darkness was, ironically, a small light.

Author's Note

Oh well, I think maybe there's a lot of questions.

Chapter 24

Emptiness and darkness.

That was the only thing she could see, the only thing she could aspire to. The sensation of cold and dampness that slipped under her coat was not the only one she felt, but it was the one that was much more present.

And all that was, until from one moment to the next the light was made again.

At first it had only been a small point, something that was almost not present. Then it became a lighter spot as Twilight slowly opened her eyes. And the surprise was great when she did it.

First of all she realized that the darkness hadn't really gone away, it had only lightened up a bit. But at least it was enough for her to see the silhouette of her hooves. Secondly... How the hell was she surrounded by water but she could still breathe perfectly?

Twilight glanced quickly, which allowed her to notice the slight sheen that covered the fur of her body widely. She thought it was most likely that. All she was sure of was that this was an obvious spell, but it wasn't one she knew. Although she wouldn't stay to find out either.

She tried to charge her horn with magic while waking up her limbs. But once again, she ran into the same problem as before. The aura around her horn faded as soon as it appeared. On the other hoof, her legs and body felt heavier than normal, which prevented her from climbing up in search of the true light from the surface.

"No, no, please"

Twilight tried her best not to start hyperventilating in panic. But in a way she was not succeeding, her heartbeat corroborated it. At this she closed her eyes again while leaving a hoof on her chest, then she began to breathe very deeply. She didn't know how long that spell lasted, but right now she couldn't check it.

It was at that moment that a murmur began to reach her ears.

Twilight shrank in place and turned her head in every direction possible, in an attempt to see something even though her sight could not reach more than several feet around her. But the murmurs increased, so it didn't take long for her to know what caused it.

"Who's there?" She wasn't surprised when the sound of her voice bounced through the water, surmising that the enchantment also allowed her to communicate.

Again it was only answered with murmurs, but at the same time these were not quite the same. It was rather as if a light mermare melody pierced the darkness of the lake's waters. The difference was that this didn't seem to be all that disturbing.

"Don't worry, we don't want to hurt you."

Twilight was surprised this time when that voice echoed inside her head. Her brow furrowed after hearing that words.

"If that wasn't your intention, I don't understand why you took me so forcibly," she replied in her mind, somehow knowing that they could hear her.

"Our apologies," the voice murmured. "But we had to..."

"Talking to you alone...", whispered a second.

"And it could only be you...", finished a third, almost slurring the words.

Twilight couldn't have been more confused at that moment. She had no idea what kind of creatures required her presence now, she didn't even know if it was all a simple trap. With everything they had been through, trust in the unknown was the last thing she felt at that moment.

"I have no reason to want to talk to you," she replied, still turning her head in any direction, in an attempt to catch sight of something.

"It may be...", replied one of the voices.

"We know you don't have to trust us, but we do know that you're interested in what we have to say."

"No, it doesn't," replied Twilight.

"Are you sure?" asked the softest voice of all, before the powerful glow of a white light illuminated the darkness of the waters.

Twilight immediately closed her eyes while letting out a groan in surprise. And when she opened them again, her gaze grew larger than she expected, again, from surprise.

Three creatures with a tall, aquatic form recognizable to her slid in front of her, prudently distanced. They appeared to be a different version of the sea ponies she had met, but they retained noticeable features such as the completely blue fins and scales on their skin. Twilight could see its slight glow even in the dark.

"Are you sea ponies?" she questioned before the logic of what she saw, but that same logic indicated something different.

"We are something similar," the voice of one of them continued to speak in her mind, specifically that of the one who was in the middle and closest to her. "But our home is not really the sea."

"Why do you keep talking like this?" Twilight wanted to know as she looked over each one.

The three ponies in front of her looked at each other again. It seemed to Twilight that they were deliberating something among themselves, as if considering the options. Then they ended up making a gesture of shaking their heads, at the same time.

"We're not really with you," he finally explained. "Because of that we can only require an enchantment."

"But that doesn't matter now," exclaimed the pony to her left, the one with the softest voice.

"But what we have to show you."

With that said, a new point of light took over her vision until it completely covered her. Twilight let out another complaint about this by the fact that her eyesight was being strained on another occasion. But the dazzling glow didn't last long and when it finally faded, she opened her eyes once more.

"What-

The confusion present in the tone of her voice was quickly replaced by the silent cry she uttered after focusing her gaze.

"Spike!!"

Before her was the blurry image of the little dragon crouching, as she watched him from her position as if she were in front of a distorted screen. Twilight could see him curled up in a ball somewhere dark and still, too still for her liking. She lifted a hoof as if she wanted to reach for him, as if she could actually reach him.

"Spike..."

"He's fine... for now," said the voice of one of them again. "Weakened by the place where he is, but alive at the end of the day."

"Why are you showing me this?" asked Twilight reluctantly and looked away from the vision. "What are you looking for from me?"

A few seconds of silence settled for a few moments in the place. However, the vision in front of her slowly faded to be replaced again, by the stillness of the dark waters. The three "sea ponies" that had been there also disappeared.

"We show you this as a warning. We had to if you plan to face those creatures," murmured the pony's voice once more, this time with a harsher and more contemptuous tone. "And then some, too."

"We can help you, tell you what you want to know... But it can't be here," explained the soft-spoken pony. "Our spell won't last long."

Because of that last one Twilight gave a quick blink and moved her ears in the direction of the sound of her voice, she couldn't help but pay more attention to that last fact as she processed the previous words of the pony. Twilight thought that even if they had been cooperative with somepony completely unknown up to that point, far from it there was nothing that could indicate otherwise.

But was it really their intention to want to help her? Or was it all a dirty strategy to attract her?

She internalized their voices once again, but in their nuances she could not detect anything that indicated bad intentions that had seeped into the environment. In the end she could only sigh, with a vague desire inside her that those words were true.

"How can I find you?" she asked after her tone took on a more determined nuance in her newly made decision. It didn't take long for the answer to her question to arrive.

"If you want to talk to one of us directly, you just have to follow the stream upstream," he explained as his voice slowly faded, blending into the fluidity of the lake's waters. "Eventually you will come across a deep cave, from which this same lake is born. You just have to go there..."

"And how will I know you're going to be there?" Twilight asked quickly, before they disappeared once and for all.

"You'll know, you'll notice our signal."

"We'll be waiting for you," the soft voice whispered. "In the meantime, I think somepony needs you right now."

And as if someone were quickly and suddenly removing a containment plug, the water around her began to stir once more.

Twilight watched it in amazement for a second until her vision was covered once more. But she could hear that melody one last time, before the same force that had dragged her down now helped her to the surface.

***

Twilight coughed and coughed again after accidentally inhaling a mouthful of water when she finally emerged from that spot. With her vision blurred as she had her, she almost didn't realize that her body had been dragged to the shore.

She continued to cough as her hooves began to move, until she could see a shadow fall on her. Twilight pulled out a hoof and gratefully accepted the stallion's help. Only then did she realize that she still had half of her body in the water and that the true edge was farther away than she thought. With which she could deduce that it could only have been Sombra who had risked entering the water to get her out of there.

Twilight leaned against him, having no idea of the storm that threatened to break out inside him. She only noticed the shiver that suddenly ran through her.

"Sombra?"

He didn't respond at first and that was her first warning. Twilight frowned, but because of her condition she still couldn't look up to see him completely.

"What the hell..."

Oh shit, he was upset. He was very upset.

And she knew it.

"Sombra, I-"

"I TOLD YOU PERFECTLY WELL TO GET OUT OF THAT PLACE QUICKLY!!

Twilight immediately shuddered from the force of the scream, as she felt him abruptly pull away from her side. But for her that was not going to stay that way.

"Fuck! I never thought you'd get into so much trouble!"

It didn't matter anymore that the bit warmth she had recovered suddenly went away, no. Nor that what he had said, deep down, made her feel bad. At that moment she felt tired, too tired to bear the stallion's words.

"You know what, Sombra? I'M SORRY, OKAY!! Twilight finally exploded and let her emotions run wild, not caring about anything else. "But you can't imagine how it feels that something drain your strength and magic without warning and you just watch helplessly as it drags you into the depths! Without you being able to do anything to prevent it!"

Twilight closed her eyes and took a breath to channel everything she was feeling. Everything she hadn't been able to let go of before. Meanwhile, a few moments of silence were present around both of them.

"So before you scream and complain to me," she continued this time in a low tone. "Maybe you should start thinking about that first."

When she opened her eyes again, she only let out a tired growl at the sight of the unicorn's frown. He seemed to be about to say something, but Twilight quickly stopped him with a wave of her hoof and several words from her.

"I don't care what you're going to say," Twilight looked away and wrapped her hooves around her chest, hugging herself. "Just... leave me alone for a moment."

She remained silent, just sitting in that place. He just looked at her and wanted to turn around to leave her alone. But somehow, something, a strange feeling, prevented him from looking away.

"Good," he said before completing his intention.

"But first answer me something," Twilight looked up once more. "What did you feel after that?"

What had he felt? The truth was that he had no idea what it was that made something inside him tighten after seeing her disappear, as if a twinge of fear had pierced him. And honestly, it had.

"I can't answer that," he replied at the end. "Because even I don't know."

But he really didn't know?

Sombra moved away from her a bit when he saw her look away once more. Although he wasn't just doing it at her request, he also needed a moment to clear his own thoughts. Especially about what he felt about all that.

Eventually he ran a hoof across his forehead and let out a slight growl that was not aimed at anyone. The thoughts in his mind began to drift into directions he hadn't fully analyzed. Like the fact that it was actually impossible for her to have foreseen it in the first place.

But then why was he thinking too much about it? Maybe it was because despite everything, he had thought that she had enough time to be able to escape... Or had that really not been the case?

At first he had thought that. But then he took another look at Twilight, seeing her expression of sadness and tiredness, and an aura around her that felt completely down. And in the end it was that. It was that unexpected sight for him that was enough to make something strange begin to squeeze inside his chest.

That fact took him momentarily by surprise. Was that remorse?

Sombra gave a brief snort that did not do much to scare away that thought. But at last he let out a silent sigh, thinking more calmly now that the latter attitude had not been the best at a time she had not even expected. And somehow he knew he just couldn't leave it like that.

He took one last look at her before turning to look for something he already had in mind with his gaze, hoping he wouldn't regret what he was about to do.

Twilight didn't know how long she was like this, while her eyes were closed, but suddenly she began to hear the sound of footsteps a bit beyond where she was. She didn't pay much attention to it, she already knew that it was only Sombra busy with who knows what.

So she was sincerely surprised when something sudden completely covered her. A couple of quick blinks later she realized that it was just the large piece of cloth that made up her cloak. But that was not her interest, but who had given it to her.

Twilight looked up again to meet the stallion's.

"You asked me to leave you alone for a while," Sombra spoke, not changing the serious expression on his face. "I think that time has passed."

Twilight frowned again, still suspicious of his actions, but she didn't turn away. On the other hoof, Sombra did notice her cautious attitude, so because of this he ended up relaxing his countenance a bit more.

"I'm coming in peace this time," he clarified as he moved to stay by her side.

"Hmp," Twilight let out a sound that sounded like a nod and then covered herself more with the cloth.

Sombra just nodded and didn't say anything else, though he didn't really have much idea what to say. But in the end it wasn't necessary, as they only lasted a couple of minutes in silence until she decided to break it.

"Thank you for the cloak," she said in a whisper, while giving him a light look.

He just lowered his head in her direction and nodded slightly. After that they remained silent again for a while longer.

But now what? He was aware that perhaps he should apologize in some way, even though he had never in his long life needed it. Yet, looking at her now, deep down he regretted having exploded like this in front of her, when it hadn't even been her fault what had happened.

Perhaps he would have gone on like this, not knowing what to do or say at all, if it hadn't been for Twilight interrupting the stillness with new words. Or rather with the question that followed.

"Was it as if you suddenly saw someone fall off a cliff?"

"What?" Sombra turned and looked at her in confusion, somewhat surprised by her sudden question.

"When you saw me," Twilight clarified as she looked up to meet his. "Was that what you felt?"

He may not admit it, but thanks to her, something was beginning to become clear.

"Maybe," he replied after several seconds of thinking about it.

Twilight heard his answer, and smiled. It wasn't a very big smile, but it was the one needed to express that she was beginning to realize something, even if deep down she wasn't aware of it.

"What are you doing?" Sombra asked in a simple tone of curiosity when he saw how she left her hoof on his shoulder and leaned back on it.

"I'm sorry," Twilight said again, a bit distressed as she let out a sigh. "I didn't mean to worry you that way."

"Who says that...?" Sombra looked at her and couldn't continue. He only let out his own sigh as he looked away. "Fine."

Twilight looked at him this time, accepting what he couldn't say while cracking a small smile at it. In the end she ended up leaning a bit more on his shoulder. But she wasn't the only pony who had something to say.

Sombra looked back in her direction, and saw her calm face, much more peaceful than before. A face that he had not stopped seeing in recent weeks. Then he knew what he had to do, even if he was still a bit reticent.

"Me too..." he began again, even though it was really difficult for him to pronounce those words. However, he finally said it. "I'm also sorry, for yelling at you like that."

Twilight raised her head and blinked rapidly in his direction, a bit more than surprised by this last fact. And although it would eventually bring up something that she wouldn't be aware of, right now she couldn't help but smile, a smile a bit bigger than the previous one.

"Okay, I can understand that you were worried, and rightly so," she said after composing herself and separating to leave him a bit space. "Besides, I don't know why, but I have a feeling you didn't want to do it."

As he listened to her, he thought that perhaps it could have been like that. That in a way that had not really been his intention.

"Maybe not," he replied as he shrugged slightly and continued with the question that was still hovering between them. "But there's still other thing you have to say."

"Oh... Well, I guess so," Twilight looked away to direct her for a second to the lake; she was already aware that he must know. "I was wondering, since you know this place much better than I do..." she said as she looked at him again. "What would you say if I told you about the existence of water ponies, different from the usual ones that live beyond Equestria? Could you recognize them?"

So that's what it was all about. He had already had his obvious suspicions, but this had definitely just confirmed it. Now all that remained was to clarify it to her.

"I recognize them, it's true," he admitted to Twilight's not so much surprise, although he ended up saying something else that she didn't expect. "To put it in a way, they are like the guardians of this place."

That last information had surprised her. But even if she considered how bit she had dealt with them, she could see that there was a certain logic to it.

"The guardians..." Twilight whispered and looked down as she put a hoof on her chin. "I suppose that's why they want to talk to me."

"Do they want to?" Sombra asked with a frown as he realized the implications of that. "Didn't they just do it?"

"Yes, but... They said they were using a spell to communicate with me, that they weren't really there," Twilight explained while gesturing with her hooves. "They also said that if I wanted to talk to them I should just follow this same road up the river, until I came to a cave."

Sombra suddenly turned to her when he heard the latter. He didn't know why, but a kind of alarm went off in his head.

"Did they tell you what kind of cave?" He asked, and at this Twilight denied.

"Not really," she replied as she crossed her hooves. "I know you may not agree with this, but I'm still going to go."

"Do you plan to go in spite of what they did to you?"

"I'm not very enthusiastic about that either, but I know what I saw. They wanted to warn me, Sombra," Twilight retracted her thoughts for a second. "They showed me Spike... and he didn't look good at all."

She looked at him again and saw that he was about to refute the last thing she had said, so she started again faster than she expected.

"I'm aware that even so, it could have been just an illusion," she said with a slight sigh.

"It's good for you to realize that," Sombra replied after letting out a snort. "Anyway, I know what you're going to tell me."

Twilight covered her mouth with one of her hooves and let out a small laugh at it, not surprised that he imagined it.

"I'm glad you know," she said after she pushed her hoof aside while smiling to herself. "Because I'm going anyway."

Twilight finished her statement and began to stand up while wearing her cloak to finish drying the rest of her coat. In all that time she did not stop paying attention to the stallion.

On the other hoof, seeing the determination with which she acted once again, Sombra also stood up and gave a half-smile sideways, still being surprised by that little mare. In a way, he wondered what other surprises she had to show him during the time they were together.

Several hours had elapsed since they both decided to follow the aforementioned path, until they finally found the place they were looking for. Now they were both in front of the mouth of a deep cave through which the river, which at that moment had already narrowed, continued.

Twilight and Sombra looked at each other in a quick blink. And both had the impression that they thought the same thing. He stepped forward while letting out a sigh.

"Let's get this over with once and for all."

Twilight nodded even though he was no longer looking at her; rather, she did it for herself. She immediately followed him and stood beside him again, as they began their walk into the darkness. Darkness that after a few minutes began to light up in a soft glow of stars.

A glow that became familiar to Twilight.

"Oh, for Celestia," she whispered after remembering where she had seen it. "It's very similar to the glow I saw in that cave."

Smooth stone walls that shone in a dim luminosity of its own. That fact caused Sombra to deviate for a moment in his memories.

"If that's so..." he said as the point of light grew larger. "Then I seem to remember where I had heard of this place before."

And then they came to where the cavern opened into a much wider space than they could have imagined. Illuminated also with the light that seemed to emit from the underground river.

Twilight stepped forward a little and moved even closer to the bank of the river. Seeing the faint bluish flash of the waters reflecting off the roof of the place, she realized that the clarity they had seen before was not only the product of the rock itself. It also came from the river itself.

"Just like the other," Twilight whispered as she sat down on the edge of it.

"The last cave we visited?" Sombra asked as he approached her side, after hearing what she said.

One look from Twilight was enough to confirm it.

"It's as if both caves were connected in some way," she said and looked away to where the river continued its journey deep. "The magic I can feel here is very similar to the one I felt in that place."

If he considered everything he had remembered, Sombra highlighted in his mind the fact that, even if somepony had once pointed it out to him, magic always ended up converging in the same place. And since there were three other sites similar to that...

"That makes a lot of sense," he finished muttering only to himself.

"But something is different," Twilight continued, despite hearing him mutter. "Everything feels so peaceful here."

"Perhaps your tranquility is about to be interrupted."

Twilight immediately gave him a flat look, though she quickly knew what he meant. She confirmed it when she saw how the center of the calm stream began to bubble, as if something or someone was trying to come to the surface.

She got up and moved a bit closer to the shore, however she stayed away only as a precaution. When the bubbling finally stopped, she watched curiously as a blue-faced head peeked halfway out of the water. And Twilight wasn't the only pony who looked at her the same way.

Not quite sure what she should do, Twilight turned her gaze to Sombra once more, as if waiting for some indication from him. He just shrugged and looked past her.

"You should come closer, don't you think?" he replied after returning his gaze.

Twilight looked at him with an expression of "what if it could be a trap?" Which caused him to roll his eyes while making a gesture of denial with his head. In the end, Twilight turned around as she let out a sigh after seeing his face.

She began to approach slowly until she reached the edge, while the other creature also did the same, but without showing herself completely. Only when she got to Twilight did she finally show her face of little blue scales. Twilight opened her eyes a bit wider as she recognized her as the soft-voiced 'pony'.

"I've seen you before," she said and the other nodded. Twilight questioned her next method. "Tell me, what should I do?"

The 'pony' closed her eyes and then made a quick movement to pull her forelimb out of the water. She extended the arm that ended in a kind of fin instead of a hoof and moved closer to Twilight.

She looked at her with a slight suspicion, not entirely sure what she meant by it. Her opponent noticed that attitude.

"If you wish, we can talk alone, in the dream world. It really is necessary to show you what you want to know." Finally she spoke for the first time, in a real voice as soft as the mental.

At this Twilight nodded her head in a gesture of understanding, but she still took another look at Sombra.

"Good," she replied to her. "But first I must make sure," she had to make sure that eventually everything would be fine, so she turned and called him again. "Sombra?"

At the mention of his name, Sombra looked at her with a questioning expression that Twilight was not surprised at.

"Could you stay close? You know, in case something happens," Twilight said as she shrugged.

Sombra was silent for several seconds that kept Twilight in expectation. But in the end his response was what she expected when he nodded from his place.

"Just do it, I'll stay here."

Through it all, she gave him a small, worried smile, before turning to the aquatic being that was patiently waiting for her in the place. Twilight sat down and let her hooves bend underneath her, in an attempt to make her head reach the same height as her opponent's. One last step before speaking to her again.

"You can continue."

Next, Twilight watched as she stretched out her arm and gently placed the fin of the end on her forehead. Twilight felt the chill of her touch as she closed her eyes, waiting for her next move. And just as she had foreseen, her consciousness faded.

Slowly fading into a deep sleep.

Chapter 25

Before she opened her eyes, Twilight had a strange feeling.

Previously, she had felt her consciousness vanish into a deep sleep, one that sought to take her to another plane different from her own. But now it was different.

Now she could feel as if that same consciousness was trying unsuccessfully to decipher why her magic felt different, but at the same time it hadn't changed at all. However, when she opened her eyes fully, that thought was quickly displaced. All because of what she saw in front of her.

"Saint Celestia..." She really couldn't contain her amazement when the vision of a huge night sky lit up her gaze. Although in reality... It wasn't a sky as such.

Twilight blinked quickly when she realized that it was in the infinite, dark void of a gigantic galaxy full of stars where she was just now suspended. Suspended as if in the middle of the deep waters of an immense sea. She even had the impression that she could feel the wetness in her coat.

"It's pretty impressive, isn't it?" announced a female voice behind her, causing Twilight to turn to face who she had been.

And it was not very great to be surprised when she found the same water pony with a calm voice that had received her and Sombra in the bed of the underground river. But now she noticed that her body gave off a slight bluish glow. Twilight took a brief look and realized hers was too, in a purple glow.

"Yes..." she replied to her words while her gaze returned to delight for a second with her surroundings. After that second she returned to her, she still had a question in mind. "May I know where we are?"

"Of course." She nodded as she moved her tail fin, causing a small cluster of stars to move to her beat as well. "This place is only an immaterial representation of a small fragment of our universe, through a dream. A dream that is always constant in my own species."

Unexpectedly, the star-studded space blurred and was replaced with the dark blue background of a real ocean. Now Twilight could justify the feeling in her coat.

"As you can see, it's possible to manipulate it," explained the pony in front of her.

"I can see it," murmured Twilight, then once more assumed the serious expression that the situation required. "But I know you didn't bring me here just for that."

The pony's eyes emitted a quick glimmer of understanding. Then she shook her head.

"No, we had already shown you in our warning," she said and paused briefly. "Do you know why this place is so isolated? That it even seems to follow its own rules?"

Both questions provoked in the alicorn a feeling of strangeness, more by its nature than by the way or intention in which she had expressed them. But regardless, she continued with her answer.

"Most likely due to the fact that it was created..." Her voice hesitated for a second, "with a different kind of magic than usual."

She had no fond memories of it. Or especially anything that had to do with the subject of dark magic.

"It has a lot to do with that," said the pony as the fin of her tail moved with the gentle current. "It had no apparent entrance and those who are bound to its essence from birth cannot leave," she said as she moved slowly around her. "Then how do you explain that you were able to get here?"

"It was more of an accident," Twilight replied after that memory assaulted her. It almost felt like it had happened so long ago. "But I can remember that there was a mirror hidden in a cave..." Her brow furrowed for a moment when she realized something else. "And a crystal flower."

"Do you remember its color?"

"Purple". Twilight closed her eyes when she remembered the flash that had lit up the cave in the midst of all that chaos. "It was a purple crystal lily."

Twilight realized something and opened her eyes again, her face looking a bit confused from all her questions.

"But what does that have to do with all this?" she asked. "Explain how we got there, yes; we even have an idea how to get out," she spoke quickly and moved her hooves in the same way for emphasis. "But Spike, my baby dragon... We still don't know how to get to him."

Twilight felt so distraught and so lost in these moments, that this very feeling was almost palpable to anypony around her.

"Unfortunately we don't have that answer either," the pony murmured with a certain sorrowful tone in her voice. "But instead it is important that you know, that you understand this information better before they reach their hiding place: this place was not always like this, and those creatures did not always exist." Her tone changed again, this time in a less peaceful feeling. "Even we aren't really from here, but those beings... They are simply something that should never have existed."

The alicorn's eyes narrowed because of the suspicion that the latter had generated in her. Therefore, the question in her mind was quickly expressed by the words that came out of her mouth.

"Something that was created?" suggested Twilight as she recalled the memory of her last visit for answers and her conversation with Sombra. "Or something that came out of nowhere?"

She nodded her head slightly.

"Listen to me well, I know that you are most likely aware that if you want to face your enemy, you must first know him," she continued in her detour while continuing to speak. "Nobody created them, it was more like the second thing you expressed. It was as if they had risen from the ashes of some kind of ancient chaos." A contemptuous tone began to take over her voice. "Ashes made of dark magic."

Twilight frowned when her words confirmed everything she had previously suspected after Sombra had told her a part of the story version. After all, like the aftermath of a disease, what was left of the mysterious creation of that island did not simply vanish into the cursed depths of the earth.

"Of everything that was once forbidden," Twilight continued, biting her lower lip when one more question that would not leave her alone came to light. "But I don't think they appeared so suddenly. Something must have caused it, right?"

"It may be," replied her opponent while giving a slight tilt of her head. "Actually, even we don't know the whole truth."

Twilight was thinking about that. Thinking that maybe they didn't know that answer, but maybe somepony else did.

In the end, she ended up letting out a new sigh.

"Okay, I understand," she muttered slowly as she returned to another question. "But if all this is so, how did you get to this place in the first place? You are practically trapped, so to speak."

Twilight wasn't surprised that the other pony took a few moments to answer her question. She wasn't even surprised by her surprised reaction, even though she didn't quite understand it. In the end, her opponent ended up lowering her ears.

"Just like everyone here," she replied in a sudden hurry. "Long before I existed."

Twilight imagined she would say that, though she didn't explain why they looked similar, but at the same time so different with the same species that lived beyond her home. Although not that she had asked either.

In the end it was not entirely necessary, since it turned out to be the curious expression shown by her opponent that betrayed the pensive countenance that was noticeable on her face. Twilight noticed this and nodded her head slightly.

"Sorry, but I can't help but wonder why you look different from the sea ponies in my land."

The pony simply shrugged, not having a concrete answer in her mind that she could tell her.

"We have already adapted."

Twilight nodded to that simple answer, not really needing to dig too deep. What did intrigue her from before was the way in which they had been found. Because in reality, there was only one viable option.

"I have this memory of a short time ago, when I wanted to clear up the doubts I had in my head," she said suddenly, as if it were just another piece of information. "But now there's more, and it seems to be coming all the time, so I can only ask you this." Twilight frowned a bit in an expression of slight desire to know. "Did you meet me at the other point of connection? The other cave, I mean."

The pony nodded again, but this time she also seemed to harden, in a certain way, the expression of her gaze.

"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk to you myself when I realized who you had been," her voice continued with the same tone of soft tranquility. "I was there, watching you as you consciously summoned its power."

She stopped again in front of her and looked her straight in the eye again. Twilight held her gaze, not letting her know the sense of judgment she suddenly began to feel.

"I didn't imagine you'd be watching me, in fact I never imagined there would be anypony there," Twilight replied without looking away.

The pony smiled in a calm and peaceful way, transmitting that same feeling to the environment around her.

"You know? Your friend is not the only one of his kind that my species has seen."

Twilight was a bit surprised by the sudden change of subject, but in the end she quickly recomposed herself. The pony kept talking.

"But most of them aren't with us anymore after all, and that's not the issue we're concerned with right now," she said in a dismissive gesture of her hoof/fin. Her countenance became serious again. "Remember this, you must not let your guard down or those creatures will take advantage of any moment of weakness to launch themselves against you. Magic is usually very tempting."

Yeah... Twilight knew very well how attractive that source of energy and power was to many creatures. So at her warning she just ended up nodding without saying anything more about it.

"We'll keep that in mind, but what did you mean by that you said a little while ago?" asked Twilight in a somewhat doubtful tone, referring to whatever she had meant earlier about Sombra.

Twilight knew that the pony had understood the question, so she couldn't explain why she took her time answering it. The reasons were hers alone.

"I meant that because in the past, there was only one species that had the power to keep them at bay."

This was definitely something Twilight was interested in.

She moved a little closer to her, who was only suspended in front of her as if she had expected that same movement. So the pony did not wait long and continued with the next thing she was going to say.

"And those beings were the Umbrums."

Twilight didn't know what, but something inside her mind seemed to have clicked when she finished processing what she said. And when she did, then came the confusion.

"Who?" she asked in her desire to know. "Who were they?"

And how had they disappeared and left that place at the mercy of whatever those things were?

"That's something I can't tell you," she said to Twilight's dismay, though she continued, "But there's somepony who can, and he's traveling right next to you."

She thought about it. Something about that made sense, after all he was the only one who could give her a concrete answer that would clarify her doubts. Now she just wondered how she was going to approach him, because she didn't really have a very good feeling about that subject.

Twilight closed her eyes and let out another sigh, even if she ran out of air. Honestly, it was a miracle that her head didn't start to hurt yet, but she shouldn't be overconfident on that part. Nor, perhaps, did she worry about the fact that she only now had that information.

"Is something wrong?" asked the other pony when she saw how she suddenly stood still and with her eyes closed longer than she should.

"Yes, I'm wondering why," Twilight said as she opened her eyes once more. Almost inevitably, her face reflected a look of weariness, "Why do you decide to show up and tell me all this now?"

The pony frowned even though it wasn't actually directed in apparent disgust at her question, but rather towards something she was thinking.

"It was because it was very difficult for us to keep track of you," she finally answered. "As you can see, we can't move on land, and our magic isn't powerful enough to span a range beyond what our source of power allows."

"The source of your power?" Twilight asked with some intrigue.

"Any body of water," she clarified.

Twilight blinked quickly after that and ended up nodding her head.

"I understand," she whispered.

Suddenly, Twilight began to take several peeks around her when she felt an unexpected tug all over her body. However, the dark landscape of the ocean around her remained undisturbed. Although she was not the only one who realized that.

"I think it's time for you to come back," murmured the other pony in that soft, gentle voice. "Dreams are good but you can't stay in them all your life; plus, there's somepony else who needs you."

Twilight sighed and lowered her head slightly, thinking for a few seconds about those words. At least until she picked it up once more.

"Yes, you're right, they both need me," she whispered while cracking a small smile.

And she needed them.

Then she finally closed her eyes and completely relaxed her presence when the blue-eyed pony brought a hoof to her forehead again. Twilight again had that pleasant feeling of when the mind fell into the unconsciousness of sleep, but the difference was that in this case she would wake up.

She climbed slowly through the haze of sleep, searching for that warm feeling that had surrounded her and brought her so much comfort. She sighed and stirred unconsciously against her unexpected source of heat.

Twilight began to wake up slowly, still dazed by the effects of her little astral trip, but she really didn't want to wake up. She felt so comfortable lying in the softness of something that had been placed next to her head, enjoying the sensation of gently running her cheek over whatever it was as she relaxed inhaled the comforting scent that reached her nose.

Wait... Scent?

And why did she move slowly up and down while she was lying on?

Twilight opened her eyes wide and the first thing she noticed was a dark gray fur that tickled her nose slightly, the same fur that had given her the feeling of warmth and comfort she had before. And the second thing she realized was that she herself was leaning against the owner of that fur.

"Fine, you've woken up."

Twilight heard the stallion's deep voice, and she didn't know what to say. She raised her head slowly as she parted her lips in a small "o," but quickly brought them back together as her gaze met that of Sombra's deep scarlet eyes. Meanwhile, her newly awakened mind was barely aware of the heated blush that was beginning to appear on her cheeks.

She could only highlight one thing. On one occasion she never would have expected, he had done more than just watch over her dreams.

"Are you really awake? Because your face indicates another thing," he said when he saw the expression of confusion and slight bewilderment that she also carried.

"Uhm... I-I..." She looked down with some embarrassment, but she didn't leave his side. "S-sorry, i-it wasn't my intention, I didn't want to...

"Twilight."

For some reason, the tone of his voice caused her to stop her ramblings, although she was actually more surprised by the fact that he finally said her name. Sombra continued, ignoring the expression on her face.

"You don't need to apologize," he snorted with some impatience. "Just... don't make a fuss about this."

After that he just looked away and closed his eyes, without waiting for her answer. Twilight just blinked quickly anyway and let out a soft giggle to herself.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you were watching," she said in a calm tone, the latter in a whisper, "and protecting me."

Then she only ended up closing her eyes and rubbing her nose lightly with the back of her hoof, without being aware that he was watching her. Without being aware of how he had looked at her while she slept without sleeping.

"Uhm?" replied the alicorn suddenly.

Twilight opened her eyes again, and Sombra turned his gaze toward the river when the same sound reached both of them. A rapid splashing noise caused by the pony's fin; by her action she almost seemed to be saying goodbye. Twilight sighed when she realized that it had been just that.

"I think it's about time we left," Sombra said as he got up from his seat, which made Twilight move a bit to let him do that.

She also intended to get up at that instant, if it weren't for the fact that she still needed a few more seconds for her body to get used to it and comply with the orders her brain was sending her. In fact, it hurt just to stretch out one of her cramped hind legs.

"Wait, just a moment."

In the end, after some stretching in her wings and legs, Twilight got up and arranged the bag on her side, which apparently hadn't moved there. But before she began to follow the stallion again, she looked for a moment at the calm river of bright blue waters.

Then, she only let out a sigh and began her walk once more. They walked the same path by which they had come, but this time with an air of a certain tranquility that had permeated the atmosphere.

And that was something that was reflected in both of them.

For the first time in quite some time, Twilight remained calm without the constant doubts and worries that had populated her mind before. She didn't mean that it wasn't quite gone yet, just that it was now rather silenced, allowing her to have a moment to herself.

The only concern that was always there was Spike's, and that was partly related to the other thing she was later to inquire about who the Umbrums had been. Twilight pointed to a mental note to ask Sombra later, on some occasion when they weren't trying to preserve their lives.

And from one moment to the next, a soft flash that began to illuminate in front of her eyes ended up pushing aside everything that was in her head for a moment.

But in contrast to the other side, there was something that didn't feel right to Sombra. The silence of the princess, in particular, was not something that was very common, but neither was it that that same silence caused him a strange and somewhat unpleasant feeling. As if that calm was only waiting for one occasion to release all that tension.

However, it was also a fact that he was not going to admit the way he had watched her sleep so peacefully. Although at that moment, for obvious reasons, he had had nothing more to do and his gaze had eventually been directed to the peaceful face of the alicorn. A face that had unconsciously given him a certain peace.

Sombra frowned to himself as he realized the direction his thoughts were going, pushing them out of his mind for a moment after Twilight suddenly beat him to it. All because in front of them opened the luminous entrance of that deep place.

"At last," Twilight murmured as she almost ran in. She crossed the exit a bit more cautiously and slowly to let her eyes get used to the evening light.

Had so much time passed? She wasn't entirely sure, but she didn't really care much about that either.

She then turned when she caught Sombra's voice behind her, apparently intending to ask the question she was expecting.

"You were a long time wherever that pony took you. Am I to suppose that you have found out something new?"

Twilight looked him in the eye again without feeling so embarrassed this time, and ended up nodding her head in affirmation. However, she felt a little tired at the time to tell him everything that had happened.

"I did, but I'd rather you didn't ask me anything right now if possible." She saw clearly how he frowned, so she hurriedly clarified quickly while gesturing with her hooves. "It's not because I don't want you to know, don't think that! It's just that I'm feeling tired for now, you know?"

Sombra had looked at her suspiciously before she began her sudden babbling, but after what she said he only approached her until he was in front of her, in passing while softening his face a bit more.

Twilight didn't know why, but the way he was looking at her somehow caused something strange inside her; almost as if she began to feel nervous, which was not strange on certain occasions but it was with herself. Or at least that's what she could highlight from whatever she was feeling, or thinking, or noticing... Or whatever her head was telling her in those moments! Honestly, she couldn't even understand herself at the time.

Suddenly, the train of thoughts that had taken course in her mind completely derailed as Sombra's voice once again reached her ears.

"Fine, princess, I can understand it," he replied as he passed by her again.

Still, Twilight looked at him again, and frowned on her face in a slight annoyance grimace.

"Hum, are we back to the 'princess' thing yet?"

"I never said I wouldn't go back to the same thing."

Twilight could almost swear that she saw a mocking smile on his face when he looked slightly over his shoulder, before he returned to his usual countenance. At this she could only roll her eyes with a snort.

"Whatever," Twilight conceded as she shrugged. Then she began to follow him again as she stood by his side. "Where should we go now."

"We can follow this same path," he indicated and pointed with his head to the path opposite the location of the cave. "But since we deviated a bit further than we were following, we will now take longer to get there."

Twilight was not very happy about this information and showed it while putting on a dissatisfied expression.

"What if we continue the one we came before?" she asked as a suggestion, but Sombra only ended up denying it to her dismay.

"If we came back it would be worse," he replied for the last time.

In the end, they could do nothing but move on. That didn't stop Twilight from letting out a frustrated sigh, though. And that Sombra did not notice her understandable attitude of discontent and slight discouragement. But anyway he couldn't do anything that was in his hooves, could he?

Sombra let out a light sigh in the hope that it would be inaudible to her. Maybe she didn't have to if he showed her that she didn't need to worry about it.

"By all the ponies, don't make that face," he said while letting out a somewhat annoyed growl that was not really directed at her.

Technically, he didn't mean for her to misunderstand his wish, but the way and tone he had said it left him much to be desired. In the end, Twilight simply raised an eyebrow.

"It's the only one I have."

The stallion snorted for his answer.

"You know what I mean," he said with a slight frown and with the intention of continuing, but what he didn't expect was that she suddenly began to laugh.

Twilight let out a laugh at the bewildered expression he initially made, though she didn't look back at him to see his current reaction.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it," she whispered when her gaze met his again.

"It's good that at least one of us finds this funny," Sombra snorted while making a gesture of denial, but he still ended up smiling slightly sideways that she couldn't see.

A few minutes of silence passed in which they advanced in their walk much more than they expected, until finally Twilight spoke when they reached a section of the forest that was ideal for taking a break.

"The truth is... I react like this because there is something I have to tell you, also ask you." She stopped her walk little by little and began to knock absentmindedly on the pebbles on the road. "And I don't really know how to start..."

"Start at the beginning because I was already thinking you'd never say it," he replied, also stopping next to her as he ran a hoof across hid chest.

Twilight grimaced lightly when she heard him.

"Don't say that, you know I only needed a moment," she said after running a hoof over her forehead and fleetingly over her mane.

With a sigh that she didn't know she was holding back, she decided to stay seated, although when she thought about it she had already dropped her hind legs on the floor. In the end, Twilight took a quick look at the tree-lined spot where they were, thinking it didn't seem too bad.

"I think we can stay here while we wait for nightfall, is that okay?" she asked him, almost reflexively the fact that she wanted to know his opinion.

The stallion did not miss that small detail while, like her, he slid his gaze around.

"I don't really have any objection," he said after several seconds in which he looked in her direction again. Several seconds in which Twilight felt strange when her eyes met the scarlet irises.

She forced herself to look away a bit as the flash of fleeting thoughts flashed through her mind.

"Oh, well... that makes me happy," she whispered in spite of everything.

A whisper that he ended up listening to and that he also took advantage of.

"Although thinking about it I think there's a lot of clarity here, it's too open," Sombra replied in a complaint, and when she raised her head to look at him badly, he simply showed her a fanged smile. "We should move to a darker place."

Twilight rolled her eyes and began to prepare for the night, after deciding not to fall for his provocation. Still, she turned once more to face him.

"I know you like the dark so don't worry, it will get dark soon," And after those last words, Twilight got up and left without waiting to see his reaction for having played along.

Not knowing that he had let out a giggle of amusement at her attitude. Leaving him alone with the thoughts that were beginning to run through his head, while he shook his head slightly with the same feeling of amusement.

"Twilight Sparkle... You don't seem to be aware of the effects you can cause."

She may not have noticed but he did in some other way, while he watched in silence what she was doing from afar. From time to time he calmly watched as the aura of her horn shone in a constant magenta flash, while the owner of that magic that still could not extend its full potential invoked the proper protective spells around the entire area.

And when he took another look, she was apparently done and was walking calmly in his direction. The dark blue cloak of night had already begun to make itself present in the firmament.

Twilight sat down and let out a sigh as she took her dinner wrapper out of her saddlebag and tried not to think about her lost little dragon, after her eyes hit something inside it. Once again she tried to push those thoughts away, so she took advantage of the presence of her current companion to distract herself. She hoped he didn't catch her gaze while keeping his eyes closed.

"Aren't you planning to have dinner?" she asked after swallowing a bite and seeing how he sat at a not too long distance from her, just realizing that he was not wearing his cloak. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Not for now," Sombra opened his eyes again, and let his deep voice refine his words. "I'm waiting for you."

If it hadn't been for the fact that she hadn't put anything in her mouth at the time, Twilight would almost have choked. Even so, she couldn't help but cough quickly in her amazement and pray to Celestia that he hadn't noticed that.

"Waiting for me?" she whispered cautiously, wanting to know the reasons why he had said that.

"Of course, or have you already forgotten that you have something to say?"

"Oh, yes... That's right," Twilight spoke quickly and with a certain tone of relief. Honestly, she was already beginning to get several ideas of the reasons for his insistence.

He didn't say any more words until she finished her meal. And Twilight unconsciously thanked him for that.

"Fine," she said at last when she was ready. "You mentioned a while ago that I was asleep a lot longer than I imagined, when for me it should have only been about thirty minutes that I was talking to that pony."

"Your perception of time was altered for wherever your mind has gone, that's clear to me."

Twilight nodded, agreeing with his words. She continued with their conversation as she began to gesture with her hooves.

"The most important thing I can tell you is that essentially, she was in charge of giving us more information about those things from before". Her mind recoiled in the memory of an incomplete warning. "Although I still need you to find out where they are."

"Well, at least she didn't say something we already knew," he growled with some sarcasm.

"She said what I needed to hear." Twilight frowned a bit at his attitude, but only for a moment. "Those things shouldn't even exist in the first place, but instead they do, and through dark magic," she clarified. "Something or someone caused their creation, I have no idea what, she didn't know either."

As she spoke, Twilight watched intently the countenance Sombra had taken on his face, but at first glance she could see nothing that might betray that he possessed any knowledge. Perhaps it was so.

"You mean, what then can we have an idea of how to destroy them?" he asked as he crossed his front hooves in a position of apparent comfort.

"I can have one, if we consider that it only takes a powerful magic of light to displace their own darkness, something as powerful like..."

"The Crystal Heart?"

Twilight didn't know why the tone in which he said it gave her a small, unpleasant shiver, but she could actually imagine it. After all, it had been that same artifact that had ended up disintegrating his own form long ago.

She guessed it wasn't very pleasant for him to remember or mention anything that had to do with it.

"Something like that," she concluded at the end, ignoring that brief feeling. "The point is, I don't know if I'll have enough magic to stand up to them." The tone of her voice rose several octaves as she spoke and gesticulated rapidly. "And even less so if it's as limited as it is now! It is impossible for us to face a whole horde of these things!"

"It doesn't matter, there's always a way and a weakness," Sombra commented suddenly, without any concern that could stand out in his tone.

Twilight removed the hoof that had begun to pass over her forehead and was quite surprised that he wasn't so worried. If her mind at that moment was in a constant frenzy to find a solution!

"Aren't you worried? Don't you consider all the variables that could go wrong because we don't have a method to deal with them?"

Sombra just shrugged his shoulders and Twilight almost felt right there that she was starting to get a tic.

"The important thing is to have a plan to go with, princess," he replied in a low tone, slowly. "It can always be modified according to what we find out along the way."

"I agree with you, but..." Twilight closed her eyes and let out a rather long sigh as she slowly calmed down. Then she looked at him again, without the concern having left her eyes. "You can't make one if you don't have the most information available."

"That's what I mean," he said when he noticed her expression. "There's still a long way to go that you can take advantage of if you want to know more than you now have."

She was silent for a few moments, making her brain analyze his words until in all those thoughts she highlighted the question that she also needed him to answer her.

"More things like something she said to me and left me too intrigued," she said to herself in a murmur that the stallion heard and that ended up arousing his interest. "Sombra..."

The aforementioned narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard her and remembered that she had said something before asking him about a certain thing. And although from his silence he said nothing, Twilight realized that in his eyes was the confirmation that she could continue.

"Who were the Umbrums?"

Once again, silence.

The atmosphere around their seemed to tense, but contrary to what she could imagine, it wasn't too great or dangerous a tension to make her feel uncomfortable. It was rather as if her question had awakened old memories that had once remained dormant.

Until the tension broke when he answered her.

"Creatures that once walked the cold wastelands of your land." A slight sound of mockery came from his mouth. "Commonly called 'shadow ponies,' they extended their reign at a distant time, long before you or me were born."

Twilight had looked away a bit when he began his story, but hearing the tone of melancholy that she thought she had noticed in his voice, she wanted to see his face once more. A face that looked in a different direction than hers, as if observing in a distant distance something she simply could not have any idea of. And though his countenance of seriousness had not changed, Twilight saw in his eyes how he seemed to recede back into memories of more than a thousand years ago.

Until he looked away in her direction when he noticed hers, causing a faint feeling of shame to spread across her face at being discovered. However, she did not look away.

"That's all I can tell you for now, Twilight."

In spite of everything, she could not prevent her lips from letting out a little sound indignant at knowing that her curiosity had not been completely satisfied.

"Why?"

"Because the real story is much more twisted than you imagine." He didn't hold back the sigh that threatened to come from inside him, it didn't matter that she was watching, because when it had to do with the memories of his damn past he couldn't help it. "It's just not something that gives me much encouragement to tell."

Twilight noticed, how could she not? Even though his expression hadn't changed, the tiredness in his voice, a feeling that was much more than just something physical, indicated something that he kept repressed deep inside.

And it was then that, perhaps because of that, Twilight began to feel a kind of knot inside her chest as she looked at the stallion that stood in front of her.

"Okay, I understand," she said before doing what she had in mind.

Twilight got up from her seat and walked the short distance between them to lie down beside him. And just like the previous time, she again left a hoof on his shoulder as she leaned against it.

"You don't need to tell me anything now if you don't want to.

Sombra just looked at her and ended up nodding slightly. But in any case he did not let the opportunity slip away that was in front of him, or rather next to him.

"This is becoming a habit for you, you know?" he said, referring to the fact that they were once again in that situation.

Twilight just rolled her eyes as she let out a snort as she remembered the first time they were like that.

"You started that time, or did you already forget?"

"That time I only did it to stop you from crying, even if you ended up leaving my coat full of mucus."

Sombra smiled mentally quite complacently when he noticed the blush of embarrassment that quickly began to spread all over the alicorn's face.

"Ah, don't say that!" she exclaimed in a cry that made her spread her wings, though she quickly arranged them on her side as she looked away and whispered to herself, "I still want to keep that memory."

This time he did let a faint smug smile burst onto his face, as he spoke the words again in his harsh, deep tone.

"As you like, princess."

Twilight couldn't help but shudder slightly, but when she turned her gaze again he had already kept his eyes closed in his usual expression of rest. She smiled and prepared to do the same as she settled into her place.

But in the end, Twilight was left thinking again about those last words Sombra had almost said about his past.

Author's Note

Happy Father's Day. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 26

Twilight's wings flapped lightly as she moved the air around her, giving her a comforting sensation she hadn't felt in a while.

The sky above her head was covered with white clouds illuminated by the glow of the sunset that had indicated an ideal moment to stretch her wing limbs, a moment that she ended up taking advantage of after that quick idea crossed her mind. And the truth is that she didn't regret it.

She never thought she would say it, but she had really missed being able to fly and fly through the sky like that, forgetting the worries that had been left on the ground only for a few moments of calm.

She couldn't let that opportunity slip away from her, especially now that her magic was replenishing at a faster rate than usual; perhaps because neither of them, in recent times, had needed to use it too much. Only on occasion to conjure protective spells, or with the intention of defending themself from the creatures that still dwelt in the forest and that occasionally crossed their path.

Although it was also due to the fact that as Sombra had told her at one point that she caught him off guard, the magical power of the barrier that enveloped the island and isolated it completely weakened a bit more as they entered it. This made it possible to have some more of her own magic. That topic was also something else that she was quite curious about, so in the end she had reminded herself to find out more about it in the near future.

Twilight rose even higher in her flight after taking advantage of an updraft, not wanting to expend too much energy on a constant and much more inefficient flapping of wings. After a few minutes like this, she finally managed to rise above the clouds and gaze at the radiant sunset sun.

After a quick glance, Twilight identified a small cloud formation where she could sit and rest for a while. Perhaps, because she still did not forget that she had left the stallion on land after she warned him of her intentions.

She sighed. Perhaps because it was also partly because of that that she made that decision, to get away from him for a few moments and be alone with her thoughts. At the time she wasn't feeling as good as she thought, and it had nothing to do with any physical discomfort that afflicted her, but (maybe) quite the opposite.

Twilight leaned back in the softness of the cloud, at the same time letting another long sigh escape her lips as she took it with her hooves and hid a part of her face in it. All while wondering why right now she was thinking about whatever she was feeling. As she tried to find an explanation for herself to the dilemma that had her mind in a mess at that moment.

Because the truth is that she had no idea why she had reacted the way she had done a few days ago, after waking up from her sleep in the middle of that cave and realizing that she had not been alone and lying in a distant place as she thought she would be. No, quite the opposite. And if she was honest with herself, she was really happy that he had at least had that little kind gesture with her. Although something told her that he was not capable of repeating it with anypony more.

"He only did it because we're a bit closer now, it must be because of that," she thought, trying to placate her doubts.

But in reality that was not what had her so thoughtful. No, but the fact that with every step they took they were much closer to their true goal, to rescue Spike and get out of this place once and for all. However... And then what?

As long as the current relationship between the two remained as it was... How would her friends and family take it when they saw her return after so long, apparently safe and sound, but with the Crystal Empire's unicorn ex-king and former tyrant to whom he had done so much damage? How was she going to explain to them that he was (maybe) no longer a threat?

Twilight sighed long again as she parted from her unexpected resting place. She may have been a bit wrong, but something told her that it was not the time to get her head hot on that question, even if it was important enough not to be ignored. But just this time she listened to her instinct.

But also, if she was really honest with herself... She didn't know why she was thinking too much about all that either!

Twilight staggered a bit in her flight when the distraction of her thoughts prevented her from noticing a treacherous current coming up. She quickly corrected her trajectory and continued on her way towards land, which already seemed much closer. In addition to the fact that Sombra was already waiting for her at the agreed meeting point.

"Then?" He asked, to the confusion of Twilight, who had barely had time to pick up her wings.

"What then?" She repeated his question as a clear frown appeared on her face.

Sombra could only look at her with a slight tilt of his head, without changing his expressionless countenance. Had she really forgotten the confirmation he asked her to make before she left?

Twilight didn't wipe away her frown until she saw the expression on his face. It was then, just at that moment, that she remembered what he had asked of her.

"Ah! Yes, I could see another village while I was up there," she replied, remembering the small open clearing she had seen in the middle of the forest, occupied by a few huts that seemed habitable and that followed a particular path that they could take. Then she ended up raising her hoof to point to the place where she had placed it. "It takes us in that direction, I think one mile or two from here."

Twilight lowered her front hoof and turned to confront him, noticing the somewhat strange look she could notice as she watched him look in the direction indicated. She cocked her head with some curiosity about it, as it gave the impression that he might have remembered something. But it was only a fleeting thing, as his expression recomposed itself faster than she would have thought.

"Then we are much closer to our goal," Sombra muttered deeply, as he moved forward in the path of the alicorn.

He walked slowly, thinking that he only had to wait to see if that place would remain as he had left it the last time he was there, if he took into account all the long time that had passed since then.

Because if it was the opposite, they could no longer resort to any other place that waited for their questions. That was the only one where the answer that both she and he were looking for could be found. Nothing more and nothing less than in the sacred temple of his species, a secret kept for more than a thousand years.

Twilight resumed her steps once again until she stayed by his side, after she reacted to his words and a new desire to know began to grow inside her. She had to admit that her mind had forgotten about it back then and the times she remembered it she hadn't had the opportunity to ask it for various reasons. But now she thought it was just the right time to find out exactly where they were going.

"Sombra?" The unicorn turned in her direction at the mention of his name, and Twilight took advantage of that moment to ask her question. "What is that place really?"

He slowed his pace, though he didn't stop to look at her. He only closed his eyes when he was about to crack a sideways smile that she couldn't see.

"You are really very curious."

Twilight heard that murmur, but before she could say anything, he quickly interrupted her. Sombra's gaze went to those large purple eyes that saw him with a peculiar gleam, as she waited for his answer.

"Do you remember what I told you about those creatures? That they also have their own resting place?" He asked and saw her nod at the memory of that conversation. "Likewise, as you hear it, the place where we go is a kind of bulwark of our knowledge."

For Twilight, everything was clear after he said that.

"It made sense that you knew where it is, after all you're one of them," Sombra frowned deeply when he heard her, however, she didn't feel intimidated and only ended up shrugging her shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't ask what happened to yours again."

Not when she didn't plan to do it anyway. However, on other hoof, he couldn't help but show his amazement at the little alicorn.

"Of course you would eventually notice," he said, then gave a half-smile sideways. "You're smart, I like that."

Twilight immediately raised an eyebrow and let out a slight snort that captured her disbelief.

"Now do you realize?"

The snapping of the leaves suddenly surprised her as Sombra stopped and turned slightly in her direction, at the same time getting a little closer.

"No, now I'm telling you out loud."

And he resumed his journey once more, without turning to see the varied reaction he had provoked in her.

He did not see the expression of slight bewilderment on her face, nor the look that this peculiar pair of eyes had given him, much less the slight pink hue that had colored the cheeks of the alicorn. And the truth is, Twilight was unconsciously thankful for that.

"Uhm, well... Not that you meant to say that before, either," she whispered as quietly as she could to herself, still looking at him.

She began to follow him once more, only to realize unexpectedly that the road that was once flat was now falling into a steep descent. However, the forest around them hadn't changed at all and remained as dark and spooky as ever.

"I definitely didn't see this coming," she whispered as she took care of where she put her hooves so she wouldn't slip on the slope.

"From the heights and with a forest around it?" Sombra exclaimed, snorting. "No, I don't think I would have seen it."

Twilight rolled her eyes at his obvious sarcasm, after dodging a hidden rock she'd inadvertently stumbled upon. In the end she decided to use her wings, even though the trees with pointed branches around her were a risk that she could not somehow ignore. But there was no other way.

"I can't take it anymore like this, I have to go ahead," she said after rising slightly.

Sombra paused for a moment as he rested a hoof on one of the thick, twisted logs, strong enough to support his weight. The slope had become even steeper, not enough to prevent him from going down but enough for gravity to begin to do its thing.

"Well, at least check that we're going in the right direction."

Twilight nodded quickly and then began to follow the path downhill, dodging some trees with difficulty as she flew as fast as she could. Until she reached the end of the road and was able to put her wings away again when she left her hooves on the ground.

She glanced around several times, only to notice the almost non-existent path to sunset that had greeted her. Another look was enough to confirm that it was the same one she had had the opportunity to see during her flight.

Her head turned again after her ear moved when she caught a sudden sound, so she turned completely to face the stallion again. The creaking of the small branches that broke behind her was what had alerted her to his arrival, so she took a few quick light jogs to get closer to him.

"By any chance can I know how you managed to get down?" She asked as she left a hoof in her mouth, though her eyes couldn't hide her amusement. "Because I don't think it was complicated for somepony like you."

He only seemed to shake the fur from her chest until he heard what she had said. Then he simply looked at her and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Was that a joke?"

"Nooo..." Twilight slurred her words as she began to walk in that direction, opposite him. "Why would it be?"

"I don't know, explain it to me since you think it's so funny," Sombra began again after detecting her move, while following her behind him.

Twilight just turned her gaze a bit, pretending to be unaware even though she ended up asking a new question.

"Then you're not going to say it?" She glanced at him sideways with an innocent smile. "It's just that I was curious."

Sombra would have continued to stare at her with the same suspicious expression if it hadn't been for something, perhaps some kind of gesture or a faint glow in her eyes, made him leave her as a hopeless case as he let out a slight exhale. So in the end he decided to satiate her apparent desire to know.

"With a lot of work and a bit magic, that's all you need to know," he replied in a quick growl regardless.

Twilight looked at him with a quick blink, though she still let out a small laugh pleased to herself at his answer.

"Fine, I think that's enough for me," she said then and finally shrugged her shoulders.

And at this he could only raise an eyebrow slightly as he fixed his gaze on her and on the road.

"Good for you, so I have to assume that at least you won't bother me again."

She just shrugged her shoulders again, as if she didn't really have an answer to give him. Although thanks to that gesture, for him it was quite clear.

After that, silence prevailed again between the two, while they calmly followed the path that little by little began to widen. And before they knew it, the evening sun completely illuminated the small village that opened up before them.

For a change with some good luck, there weren't too many ponies in sight, so they took advantage of that moment to cover themselves with their respective cloaks. Twilight hid her unmistakable wings and Sombra the fact of his unusual appearance, before she spoke again.

"It doesn't look bad at all," she said as she shifted her gaze around the place, with a certain curious gleam in it; though in the end she directed it back to Sombra. "But what are we looking for here?"

On this occasion, he did not hesitate for a second to share that information with her.

"It may not look like it, but there's a pretty important hidden entrance here," he replied and continued to the amazement of Twilight, who could only look at him with several questions on the tip of her tongue clamoring to come out. "To make it clearer, it's like a kind of shortcut that we can use to get to that place in a more direct way."

"I understand," she said after that, though she couldn't help but ask anyway. "And where is it located exactly?" She continued to walk beside him while raising an eyebrow with a certain expression of irony. "Or is it a kind of secret passage built under one of those houses?"

Sombra noticed this and just shrugged.

"It could be," he said simply, leaving a possible answer for her.

Twilight couldn't help but let out a slight snort because of that.

"Is that a yes or a no?" She asked in a flat tone, looking at him in the same way.

Faced with the slight annoyance that he could notice in her voice, he only held back a laugh in his mind and did what he knew was going to provoke the same reaction in her. So he shrugged his shoulders slightly, while nothing else looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's whatever you want it to be," was the only thing he answered, to her predictable annoyance.

"Really?" Twilight raised both eyebrows in a scathing countenance. "So I guess you're not worried about me going ahead and asking any of these ponies if they have any kind of knowledge about something like that..."

She was about to do the same when an annoyed growl from the stallion stopped her. She just turned her head as she showed a raised eyebrow in a clear expression of wanting to know what he wanted at that moment.

Sombra moved until he was in front of her.

"Just sit still for a second." His brow suddenly furrowed after his gaze caught something in a certain direction.

Twilight cocked her head a bit after noticing that, so she ended up turning to see what had caused that reaction in him. She didn't really see anything, apart from the houses and the few ponies that walked quietly around.

She rolled her eyes slightly. Most likely, it had only been because of that detail.

"Come with me and don't go too far, remember that nopony can be trusted," Sombra muttered as he stepped forward again, not turning to see if she was following him.

Another new and tired sigh escaped Twilight's lips, after she began to follow him until she stayed next to him. Only to end up stepping aside a bit when she decided she was going to let him take care of several unavoidable issues. More specifically, the fact that he searched for that hidden passage on his own.

At the same time, she only nibbled on an apple that she had taken with her magic while watching him from afar. Until she finally noticed how he was coming in her direction.

"What's going on?" She asked, after seeing him arrive with a slightly frowning face.

"Come, we're close."

After that Twilight stood up once more and followed him, as her face made clear the slight expectation that was beginning to grow within her. It increased a bit more when they stopped in front of a cabin/small house and waited for its owner to come out to receive them.

She was about to ask Sombra the specific cause why he thought it was in that place, when the door opened and out of it came a mare with brown coat that only seemed to give them a quick blink. Until her gaze stopped on the stallion.

Then Twilight watched in a slight bewilderment as she softened her expression and began to show herself in a way... unusual for the situation in which they found themselves. She didn't know why, but something about it made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, yes, yes, what do you want?" The pony asked.

Twilight found it odd that she only seemed to look at the unicorn and not at both as required by the fact posed by that very question.

"I've been told that this place is... perfect, to take shelter one night," Sombra began as he moved his gaze around the place. Honestly, the tone and expression he showed when he said it implied the opposite.

"Sure, of course, you can stay here if you prefer," she replied with a smile before she finally looked at the mare next to him.

Twilight stared at her as she watched her up and down, slowly. Meanwhile, the stallion had not expected an invitation and simply entered the place after leaving the two mares at the entrance. In the end, the pony with brown coat and blonde mane ended up smiling.

"Could you come in to accompany him, please?" Twilight raised an eyebrow when she realized that the mare hadn't offered her her invitation.

"Oh yes, yes, it's okay..." she said after a few blinks. However, she ended up giving Twilight a look that she couldn't quite identify. "You know? I think I kind of envy your luck."

Twilight now showed a bewildered expression on her face because of her recent words. Although in a way she was able to react more quickly than she expected.

"My luck? What do you mean?"

The mare simply smiled again, however, this time she looked inside her home.

"Oh, my dear," she began again in a low tone, looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "You can't deny that he's an excellent stallion."

Twilight was thankful that at that moment, as Pinkie sometimes did, she didn't have a watery liquid in her mouth because otherwise she would have spit it out instantly. But instead, her expression showed marked surprise and bewilderment when she realized what the mare had said.

And when she was able to react, she just let out the words out of her mouth that had nothing to do with what she had said. Not that she had time to fully analyze it, either.

"H-he and me a-are just friends," she stammered with a certain nervousness she couldn't hide. "Or more or less..."

"Don't worry," whispered the other mare with a quick wink. "I have not said otherwise."

This time, Twilight couldn't help but blush at the sudden feeling of shame that began to appear on her face.

"Ah! No, no, no, I meant..." She fell silent again as she closed her eyes, this time she let out a sigh much more calmly. "I'm just saying that we're both traveling, he's my companion and in a way he's with me, but right now we need a place to spend the night."

"Come with me then," the mare said at last as she walked into her home. "This is the only place where you can find shelter for miles around."

After that, Twilight let out a long sigh as she watched her disappear inside. No matter how she had reacted, right now she just needed a moment for her to calm down about what happened recently. And when she finally did, she began to walk slowly to enter the place.

But as soon as she did, the sight of that mare slumped on the ground was something she certainly didn't expect. When she was able to react after those couple of seconds in which she processed it, it was that she ended up running to her aid.

However, just at that moment the sound of the stallion's loud hooves were heard and she ended up looking up when a shadow fell on her. The alicorn's face seemed to distort in bewilderment as she noticed the calm expression on Sombra's face.

Twilight frowned deeply as she immediately raised her head to complain to him in a loud cry of anger.

"What did you do!?"

The unicorn only hinted at a slight frown at the princess's claim, however, his expression remained calm. After all, he didn't think it was necessary to get upset about something like that.

"Calm down, I just knocked her unconscious with a spell," he said as if it were a simple piece of information to give. "She did not suffer any other harm."

Twilight tried, she really tried not to stress about his words, but it was really a very difficult thing to do. And when Sombra turned his back on her to start walking in another direction, she decided to keep quiet and not follow him. But that didn't mean that her anger had subsided.

Instead, she took care of the pony that was sleeping peacefully, after wrapping her in the aura of her magic to leave her on a bed, or so it seemed, that it was very close to where she was. Twilight watched as she seemed to stir slightly as she left her there.

And in the end, when she turned to face the stallion and complain about what he had done, she ended up being more surprised than expected. For there, in front of a solid stone wall and under a table, was the aforementioned hidden passage that Sombra had told her.

In reality, it appeared to be a dark passageway that jutted deep into the earth.

"This is what I was looking for," Sombra muttered as he turned his gaze into the darkness.

Twilight approached cautiously, but she couldn't help but shudder a bit when she did the same thing as him, directing her gaze to a place that promised to attract her, catch her completely, and never let her out again.

"You know? You could have told me what you planned earlier," she whispered, still looking down the deep passageway. "There was no need to do that to the mare."

Sombra glanced at her, but then turned around completely. And yes, he had several things to say.

"Really? And how were we supposed to find this?" He pointed to the pit that opened up in front of them. "Because I don't think she would have been cooperative with us if she realized we were going to search her house." His tone had become more and more ironic, but he stopped when he looked away suddenly because of the next thing he ended up saying. "And I don't think you would have let me do it if I told you about it."

"You're right, I wouldn't have let you do it," she replied simply to everything he said. "No, at least, without you having told me first."

"I honestly have no idea how I would have told you."

Twilight sighed long as she got a sense of how tired she was beginning to feel.

"I don't know how you would have done it, but we could have looked for another solution, as simple as that," she replied in a dry tone while frowning once more in his direction, however, in the end she decided ignore him and go the easy way. "Agh, you know what? I sincerely don't want to argue with you now. Let's go now because I don't want to spend another minute here before the mare wakes up again." She walked past him and began to enter the dark passage, without to wait for the unicorn's reaction. "I really don't want to notice her face when that happens."

Sombra snorted as he began to follow her, a bit annoyed by the princess's incomprehensible attitude. Couldn't she see that this had been the only way?

"Never mind," he replied after the passage closed and darkness fell completely upon them. "Anyway, she won't remember anything after that."

Twilight immediately turned her gaze in his direction. The light of her magic, rather than illuminating her features, only made the deep frown on her face even darker.

"And that's why you had to?" She hissed in a low tone. "Is that the only reason you didn't trust me?"

She turned around completely, not waiting for a response from the unicorn as she continued on her way. At her attitude, Sombra couldn't help but let out a slight sigh as he thought of the best way to try to justify himself.

However, she was already a good distance away from him when he wanted to speak once more. Although in reality he would not have done it if it were not for the silence beginning to get too uncomfortable, at least for him.

"I don't know if that was really why," he began once more, and he knew she was listening to him when she lifted one of her ears in his direction. "But now I ask you," he continued, "Do you trust me, princess?"

It wasn't entirely his question, but rather the tone in which he had phrased it, that caused Twilight to turn completely in his direction with the same countenance as before. Only this time it was much deeper.

"Don't you dare manipulate me with that," she exclaimed without altering her voice, but she certainly continued with the same annoyed tone; however, she ended up emitting a snort while resuming the trail. Still, she had to tell the truth. "Yes I do, but just because I trust you doesn't mean you can just do something that concerns us both without counting on me first." Her gaze fell back on him, but her tone had softened only slightly. "Trust is in both directions, Sombra, I've told you before."

Regardless, she really wanted those words to stay completely in the unicorn's mind.

"Fine," he said in the calmest tone he could find, in an attempt to convey the same feeling. "Just believe me when I tell you that was the only possible option we had."

Twilight didn't respond again and simply let out a slight growl in apparent response. Instead, she just resumed her journey once more and decided not to speak to him again for at least a while. And yes, of course she was upset.

How many times had she trusted him, despite her reluctance, even from the first moment? Even when he hadn't even given her any reason to do so.

So why couldn't he do the same?

She understood in part that this is how his personality was, and she was also aware that before he had managed to cross that barrier and be honest with her about certain things; even if at first it wasn't entirely for obvious reasons. After all, in the end she had really considered all the effort he put into helping her.

In the end she had been able to understand all that... But it still hurt her that he hadn't considered her yet.

After those several minutes of ignoring him, Twilight began to hear a low murmur behind her. Her ears turned and she turned her head while keeping a small frown between her eyebrows.

"What did you say?"

Sombra looked at her and let out another exhale, rubbing a spot under his horn in the process.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said quickly, then a faint expression of surprise was visible on the alicorn's face. "It's hard for me to trust anypony other than myself."

Twilight returned her gaze to the front after a couple of seconds. Although she ended up speaking again in a low whisper while he stood behind her.

"Then I imagine that this whole situation must be a little more new to you," she said and looked at him again out of the corner of her eye.

At this Sombra looked away to a point ahead as he considered the last thing she had said. Even so, he took several seconds to answer.

"Something like that, I'm still trying," He closed his eyes while giving another slight tilt of his head. "In a way, I wish I could prove otherwise."

At last Twilight looked back at him as a feeling of understanding began to grow within her after hearing his words. At least it was good to know that he was willing to consider it.

Then she ended up letting out another small sigh as she returned to his side once more. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't feel angry with him for too long.

"Well, at least I thank you for being sincere, though you need more than an apology to show me that you're really willing to trust me." She didn't change the seriousness of her gaze as he opened his eyes again and looked back at her, though she did soften her tone a little more. "But that's okay, I'm going to accept it for now."

Sombra finally nodded slightly after she said the latter and turned her attention back to the road. Stillness crept back between them. In a way, he had already imagined that she would say something like that, but at the end of the day it had been fair. He understood it from that part.

And although now everything was a bit better again, that silence that ended up imposing itself between the two was interrupted once again by Twilight's calm voice.

"You know? I don't want you to see it as an obligation, as something you should only do to look good with me or with anyone." Her gaze again reflected a slight gleam when she met his. "I just want you to know in your thoughts, inside you, that in the end you can count on me."

Then, as if the tranquility of the environment had influenced what she felt inside her, Twilight ended up giving him a small smile that had been born from deep inside her.

"After all, we're still a team, aren't we?"

Sombra shrugged slightly and pretended that this small action on her part hadn't affected him. Of course, now he had to find a way to stabilize his heart rate.

"I suppose," he said quickly, though he corrected the intent of his words when he noticed the flat gaze she sent him. "Don't worry, princess, I understand what you mean."

And so, at last, as she decided to keep the last argument they'd had in a corner of her mind, without quite forgetting it, Twilight came a bit closer and let out a soft laugh that didn't just have an effect on her.

"That's good," she said softly. "Cause I like you to do it."

Chapter 27

Only once.

It had only been once in his life that he had been able to count on not being only him. He could still remember it, even though the annoying mist that ended up settling in his mind after his return still lingered to cloud his memories. Memories lost in time that had slowly been unlocked.

The mind really was a very curious thing. It had the uncanny ability to suppress past memories that might be a pain to recall, a pain that could cause its bearer to receive the anguish that had previously been forgotten deep inside. As an advanced defense mechanism, consciousness itself chose to block out that specific part to protect itself, hoping that nothing would ever be able to poke inside itself and bring it to light. Thus he could continue to have the illusory idea of a possible well-being.

But what happened when pretending that everything was fine wasn't enough?

Or maybe it had been, maybe it was just enough to ignore all the shit his life had become. To evade responsibilities and hope that everything would magically improve... Yes, anypony could do that.

But unfortunately, there always came a time when everything just ended up breaking down. And for him, at a certain point, it had not been the exception. Why would it be anyway?

On that occasion, when he was still so young that the clutches of life had not yet been able to snatch away his innocence, that natural naivety of knowing that anywhere he could be fine, completely safe.

But he had never been entirely sure.

His life had always been surrounded by solitude, even from the first moment he put his hooves on the empire after those guards found him lost and abandoned in the snow. He had been alone long before he could remember, even before he could escape that hell.

So it was definitely a feeling that he could understand. Perhaps he could even share it.

Perhaps because that was a feeling that had been ratified even more since that moment when he had not been able to get along with the other foals and had been left aside, discarded from their stupid games with rules as stupid as themselves. Just because he wasn't a crystal pony.

Until that changed when he encountered a peculiar little pony. Or rather he should say that she found him.

That's when he could remember that in a distant time he had been able to trust somepony else. Even if in the end that somepony had betrayed him. But it was actually fine, at least that had shown him that not everything was always as it seems.

Life, once again, showed him how hard he was. And he had made sure to follow that advice very well.

Although in the end it all ended up being a resounding failure, the memories prevailed like flashes of light and shadow in his mind, waiting asleep, fading into a fog of darkness that had lasted for the thousand years of his confinement. Until the well-known moment of his return.

A moment that had ended as it did due to his impulsiveness.

It had really been a very ironic thing. Before, he had been waiting for years endlessly, preparing for when that opportunity finally came, only for it to end in utter failure through his own fault.

And then he had to wait. Waiting once again for each fraction of his power to slowly restore itself while he felt how the seconds passed, the minutes, hours and days that successively turned into years.

Until she had finally arrived.

He didn't know exactly how long it had been since his fall, he only realized that it had been long enough when he saw that the unicorn that had influenced his defeat was the same one that at that moment wore a pair of wings on her back, an unmistakable symbol of her new status as a princess.

On that occasion he had mocked. Apparently, it was only necessary for Celestia to choose any commoner to become one and play royalty. And when he learned her title, Ha! 'Princess of Friendship,' he realized that it was impossible for her to be prepared.

He never imagined that that same princess would prove him otherwise.

From the first moment they had been trapped in that forgotten place in the world she had done it. Then he understood, much later, that she had not been a random choice. That white alicorn knew very well what she was doing. So in the end something ended up being very different this time.

Because after everything they had been through up to that point, he realized that he had underestimated the little purple alicorn more than she really deserved. At least until that moment.

But then something very curious happened that had left him quite intrigued and even suspicious at first. After all, he never imagined that she would be willing to propose a much wider truce and give him a bit of that so-called 'brotherly union between two ponies'. And to his own surprise he had accepted it, mostly to give her that possible benefit of the doubt.

And then everything that happened later with the dragon and those things had happened. She had not taken it and in the end she ended up dropping everything in front of him. So by that time he was already beginning to seriously consider everything that the alicorn had said. Even if at first he hadn't taken it seriously.

But something had also changed with that. Something that had somehow made him think. Only he didn't know yet, or didn't want to realize it.

Although in spite of everything... Could he really consider giving her his complete trust?

"After all, we're still a team, aren't we?"

Maybe it could be that way, just maybe...

"It's not long now."

Yes, maybe it was time.

"I think we're already close..."

Sombra saw the exact moment when Twilight stepped forward when a slight crescent began to show its presence beyond the dark tunnel they had been following for hours. He didn't speed up his pace, but he stayed behind her all the time while watching that no unforeseen event was going to happen suddenly.

He was aware that she could handle it if it happened, but he preferred to stay alert anyway. It was the best.

"Fine, just don't stray too far," he said in a quiet slowness, somewhat unusual for him.

He had said that as something simple that she could keep in mind, so somehow he didn't expect her to stop and turn to him, walking calmly. Twilight's next words escaped her lips in a soft, gentle tone that proved to be to his liking.

"Then come with me," she encouraged him as she returned to his side. "It is better not to be left behind."

He ended up nodding as he agreed with her and stayed by her side again. At that moment he didn't notice the small smile that was sketched on her face.

They went on their way in silence until the opening of the tunnel finally opened completely and revealed to its full extent what lay beyond. The light had not lied to them, even though darkness reigned outside. The glow they had seen was only the faint gleam of the full moon rising above the sky.

Twilight stepped forward a bit again, though she did not dare to leave the relative safety of the tunnel until she had hoped that Sombra was entirely at her side. So in those few seconds that she was like that she decided to move her gaze all over the outside.

They were greeted by the same dark and eerie forest as always in all its gloomy expanse.

The only difference was that in this region the trees did not seem to grow so close together or twisted, but rather gave the impression of having a renewed freshness of which she was not entirely sure, since she was looking at them at night.

"What happens now?" Sombra asked after reaching her side, saying his words in a slightly lower tone.

"Nothing..." Twilight whispered without taking her eyes off her point of interest, perhaps in an attempt to catch something that had escaped her before. "I just think that we have to be careful until we get to the place where we are going."

Sombra couldn't help but look at her with a flat expression at the moment she said that, in passing while letting out a slight snort that made Twilight finally look at him in the same way. Then he decided to get out of the tunnel on his own.

"Well, that's a bit too much to say, don't you think?" He asked after moving back a little to let her out.

Twilight took another look at her surroundings after ignoring his words for a second. Once again, she could not see, hear or feel anything that by chance would betray some kind of latent threat in the environment; but that was not something that left her alone either. In the end she let her lips purse slightly as she looked back at Sombra.

"I know I'm stating the obvious," she began again after she slumped down on the ground and lightly rubbed her hooves. "But right now I'd really appreciate it if we stopped right here if possible, at least so we can rest until the sun comes up again."

Then she let out a sigh as she began to settle in. She hadn't heard the stallion's answer, but she was expecting what it would be anyway. Sombra looked at her and also had to admit in his mind that maybe it was time to heed her suggestion and wait until morning to continue.

"Good, but don't start complaining that your whole body hurts." He stood next to the relative safety of the tunnel again, watching her go a bit deeper into the tunnel and grimace in disgust at his words.

Twilight definitely didn't hide the way she looked at him as she plopped down on her own hind legs, the front ones folded under her chest after giving herself the task of adjusting her cloak. After that she spoke again.

"It's not that I've complained about it so many times, but it's not my fault that the ground is so hard," she let out a slight click of her tongue after shrugging her shoulders a bit. "It is not common to me."

Twilight closed her eyes after that, but it was impossible for her not to notice the slight snort that the stallion made in front of her anyway. Sombra was still thinking about what that meant when he spoke again in a tone that indicated a bit of mockery.

"We've been in this place for about a month and I still can't understand why you keep complaining about it. I mean, is it serious?" He sent her his typical serious look once more, even though she kept her eyes closed. But he knew pretty well that she was hearing him because her body language indicated it.

Twilight had turned her ears all the way in his direction. However, just because she was hearing him didn't mean she cared about that too. So at the stallion's words, the only thing she did to get out of her discomfort was to settle into a more pleasant position for herself.

"Completely seriously," she replied without altering her voice and without opening her eyes again, just lying down with her head on her front paws while whispering to herself. "I miss my bed, so I can't say anything else..."

Twilight's mind began to dissociate little by little, prey to falling into the eventual and pleasant fog that enveloped the dream, but apparently not everything could go as well as she expected. Or at least not for long for them.

"What...?" She opened her eyes once, slowly and slightly sleepy when she began to sense something strange around her.

She turned her gaze to Sombra and quickly realized that he had felt it too. By now he had entered, and was looking at a fixed point in the distance with a marked frown on his face. This only made her alarmed and more so when he summoned an invisible protective field around the entrance.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked as worry grew within her. The feeling that something was not right ruffled her feathers.

After a while that seemed like an eternity to her, Sombra finally returned his gaze as he moved a bit closer to her. But even though the expression on his face remained unperturbed, Twilight was able to catch a fleeting gleam of alarm inside his eyes for a brief moment.

"I think I know what it might be." His gaze narrowed after he caught something medium-large among the trees. "Look over there."

Twilight did so as she approached to stay by his side. She focused her gaze to notice the large shape of some unknown creature walking through the forest. She frowned and let out a little snort, a bit tired from the fact that again her instinct told her that that was not there by pure chance.

Even from her position and despite the darkness, Twilight could tell that she had the appearance of a giant bovid. A pair of huge antlers grew from its head and twisted in a strange shape that she had never seen before in such animals, giving the impression of possessing an unsuspected edge. However, the strangest thing was its body.

Twilight really couldn't explain why the creature had six twisted legs that ended at an end that was too weird. Because actually, from where she could see, she suspected that it was claws. She had no idea what it was, but definitely the only thing she could recognize was the frontal and seemingly peaceful appearance of a deer.

However, there was something more to that... Something that inevitably made her fur stand on end and made the feathers of her wings bristle in a position of alert.

"What is that?" She whispered as quietly as she could in a tone that exuded a strange mixture of curiosity and apprehension, but there was also some fear. Fear for something she didn't know.

Sombra turned his head in her direction and frowned when he realized that she was also on alert. A low growl began to grow from his throat as he turned his gaze back to the forest. If she had been able to feel it the same way, then that only meant one thing.

"A fiend of the mountains," He answered her question without turning to look at her again. He couldn't, at least not until his instinct calmed down again when the danger finally passed. "So it's too rare for it to be in this area..."

"What do you mean by 'fiend'?" She hadn't missed that detail as she looked uneasily at the creature that was beginning to move away. "What exactly does it do?"

He took a few seconds to answer, all the while he had kept his eyes fixed on the creature with twisted antlers and now he watched with infinite patience as it moved farther and farther away from them, going somewhere they had no idea about. Only then could he allow himself to answer her properly.

"Somehow it can absorb magic in large quantities and then expel it in smaller parts, so it leaves traces wherever it goes." His gaze went once more to the mare beside him, now it seemed to reflect an implicit warning. "It may seem peaceful to some, but it's actually quite the opposite. Its danger lies in the fact that it do not attack its prey directly, but wait patiently for it to come to where it is, attracted by the smell of magical energy in the air," he concluded in a dark tone, letting out a growl when he looked beyond again. "It is, after those shadowy beings and the hydra we saw, one of the most dangerous creatures in this place."

Twilight had kept her ears down as her expression furrowed at everything she had just heard. However, there was also the fact that she couldn't help but notice the antipathy that was expressed in him. Something that was not very usual.

"I can see you don't like it very much," she said, looking away in the same way. "And I don't think it's just because of what you just told me."

"Not really."

Twilight bit her lip slightly as she heard the dryness of his answer. Deep down she thought that there was something more behind it for him to show himself like this. In any case, she was not going to insist that he tell her at that moment.

"Well, anyway I think it's gone," she got up to move away a bit and give him his well-deserved space, then ended up leaning back in her place. "It shouldn't be a problem for now."

Sombra let out something like a growl of nod after she said that. Then he simply closed his eyes while his mind wandered for a while longer with what he had been thinking about before.

Even if he hadn't wanted to remember one of his first encounters with that creature, he knew it had been important on that occasion. The problem was that at that moment he had not expected that at all, it did not matter that he had been warned long before.

Then, once again, his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the princess near him who brought a peculiar comment.

"But I still can't help wondering why the magic of all those creatures behaves so strangely."

Or rather it wasn't the comment itself, but the way she said it. Be that as it may, Sombra couldn't help but turn to her for a slightly broader explanation for her words. It was then that he realized that she had pursed her lips in a slight grimace of doubt that gave an intrigued expression to her face.

"What exactly do you mean?"

Twilight had a vague idea of how to explain it without sounding so pretentious. In the end she ended up touching her chin with a hoof while she spoke.

"Because before, for example when the birds attacked us the first time, I couldn't feel its magic in the same way I can feel it now, not even with the hydra," she explained as she looked at him, opening a bit more in her thoughts to show him her concern. "But after those things that took Spike... I can be conscious before another creature appears. And I think it happens to you too."

He looked away, but still gave a slight nod to her words. But he also had something else to say.

"Maybe I can have an answer for that."

Twilight raised her head and blinked rapidly in his direction. Sombra let out a slight exhale as he noticed the bright-eyed expression she had at the moment, searching for a satisfying answer that might satiate her innate curiosity.

And although he would not have wanted to admit it at all, in a way he could not help but find it a bit affable.

"Perhaps it's because your own power influences you to a greater extent so that you can feel it," Sombra saw clearly as she began to pay attention to him. "Because although the mist field that surrounds this place causes it to inhibit and absorb our magic, it is not strong enough to allow it to be completely depleted. And you've seen that before, even now you can count on some more of your own magic just like me."

Twilight ended up nodding at his words, completely agreeing as she blew her horn for a moment. Though she let out a sigh anyway as she recalled another thought.

"That probably makes a lot of sense, as it does with everyone here," she said as she looked down, in a whisper he heard. "But since all those creatures have a different magic than we do, it doesn't affect them too much."

"Actually, it is not entirely like that."

Twilight looked up again, her face frowning slightly, looking for an explanation for what he had said.

"What do you mean?"

"That everything on this island is linked in one way or another," Sombra looked her straight in the eye, not turning it away for a second as he said his answer. "Look at it rather as if it were an interconnected system between everything that has magic and everything that does not, and that bond is strengthened by the fact that everyone is native to this place. So, although they are also affected by the barrier, the effect is not as noticeable as it should be, except perhaps for ponies."

She had thought about that before, too.

"Why does it affect them more than anyone else?" She asked as she gently rubbed her hooves.

The stallion took a few seconds to answer. She noticed that he seemed to think about it, though she couldn't help but notice something else.

"Maybe because their magic is weaker and that causes the changes in it to be more noticeable," he ended up making a slight unimportant gesture. "That's actually something I can't answer completely, and I think you know why."

Twilight looked down. She understood him from that part at least, although she frowned at something to which her instinct asked her a bit more explanation.

"You're not entirely sure, or you don't really know that information." It was a simple statement, but she still couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Perhaps, we are not from here and it also affects us. Although if we consider what you said, that the deeper we go the weaker it becomes..." Her gaze shifted and became more expressive as she came to her conclusion. "So that's why the center is the established point of connection to the outside world, because it's the exact place where all the magic is channeled, isn't it?"

Sombra closed his eyes and nodded through it all. He wasn't surprised that she had come to that conclusion, but it still didn't prevent a slight half-smile from forming on his face.

Then his gaze met hers again. And even though she didn't realize what that caused next, in no moment did Twilight fail to notice the deep crimson glow that was seen inside his eyes.

"Just as you said, so you must find it ironic that its power decreases until it almost disappears right in that place, which increases yours accordingly."

She averted her gaze as she tilted her head slightly. The truth was that she had to agree with him on that part.

"A bit, not so much if I can fully understand the mechanism of how it works..." She put a hoof on her chin and then noticed that he seemed to say something else.

"And despite all that there's also the fact that your magic is much more powerful, regardless of whether the barrier is absorbing most of it."

Sombra settled into his place while waiting for her reaction, which was not long in coming.

"I understand," she whispered, though she looked back in his direction when she realized something. "Also, was that a compliment?"

She looked at him suspiciously, but Sombra just didn't seem to make such a big deal out of it.

"Take it as you like."

At what he said, Twilight could only look at him. Only that while he closed his eyes again and seemed ready to continue with a rest that had been interrupted by the event of earlier. She was willing to do that as well, but first she couldn't help but roll her eyes while shaking her head slightly.

That's when she leaned back in place. Her eyes closed and she went to sleep, but on her lips there was still a small smile that lasted until once again, she fell into unconsciousness.

Twilight raised her ears and turned at the call of her name. She opened her wings quickly and in less than a minute she was next to Sombra, under the canopy of a few trees that were beginning to open up to a much wider path. A clearing that would soon be seen.

"What's going on?"

The stallion did not respond at first, only a glance was enough to communicate what he was soon going to say.

"We've already arrived."

Twilight's expression became determined, and it was Twilight that she was now following with her gaze fixed on the road beyond.

"Are we...?"

She looked at him again and waited patiently for him to answer. Sombra ended up making a gesture of confirmation, but instead of saying it in words, he chose to show it to her.

"A place long forsaken," he murmured when they finally came out into the clearing.

An aura of power and antiquity crept within him as his very being fully perceived it. His body resonated and sent a shiver that wasn't entirely pleasant, but that took a turn when he felt how the core of his magic seemed to beat much harder. As if it were aware that there was something that inevitably linked him to that place, interweaving itself tightly as it waited for him to reveal all its secrets.

However, the most satisfying thing to see was her reaction.

Twilight walked slowly as she gaped, still unable to fully internalize what she was seeing. Because in front of her was the most fascinating hidden structure she had been lucky enough to see in her entire life.

Chapter 28

"So how are we going to open this up now? Or is there another way we can get in?"

Twilight had asked when she saw the large structure resembling a forgotten temple in front of her. The way it was built was nothing like anything she'd ever seen before. Although she did have to be honest, the truth is that it did not have a way that she could define as 'correct'.

It was simply nestled in the lower part of the precipice that fell on it, forming part of the natural slope but with several strange contours that protruded as if it were a kind of straight columns that mixed with the rock and camouflaged it. It hid it quite well, and the magic it could feel around it increased its defense even more. But it was because of this that Twilight could not identify any apparent entrances to the naked eye.

Sombra glanced at her sideways again after she asked her question. He hadn't been surprised by it, but now he had to tell her, or rather show her, what they should finally do.

"Obviously, although there is actually more than one," he replied as he got a little closer, until he was under the shadow of the precipice. "So I think you know what I have to use to show it to you."

Twilight looked at him as she gave him a clear nod, then looked straight ahead. Towards the immense formation that rose in front of them as a challenge they had to face. She had a feeling that it was.

"I know you're the only pony who can do this, but," she said and quickly turned to him with an excited smile. "I'd really like to see how you're going to use your magic to do it."

Sombra cracked a half-smile when he noticed her enthusiasm. He had already realized that this was hers, at least when it came to something related to magic.

"Then take a good look at it, maybe you won't have another chance."

That said, he ended up taking a few steps back as he activated it, in anticipation of an expectant Twilight. His horn lit up, but not with the usual reddish glow as always, but with the dark glow of his dark spell, spreading throughout it while the after-effects were visible in his eyes. And in his mind.

All the hatred and resentment he should have felt inside. Strangely all that seemed to have diminished, replaced by something else. A much stronger emotion that gave life to his magic. Even to the dark.

Without taking too much importance, he approached and began to perform the scan, looking for the key piece through which the entrance would end up opening. Sombra smiled to himself when he found it.

"Back off."

Twilight did so as he approached and let go of his magic. Searching for a particular spot, he used his magic to push aside a few vines that covered it, and soon left it in plain sight. The alicorn did not hide her amazement when she saw the strange pentagram imprinted on the rock that emitted a slight bluish glow.

"I guess that's the key," she said as she moved closer to his side. He just nodded.

"This place may have been abandoned long ago, but it still retains some of its magic. It was only necessary for it to react to a particular magic signature," he explained, to Twilight's amazement. "In this case mine."

"What would happen if I did?" She asked as she looked at the star inside the circle drawn on the rock, surrounded by strange symbols that she could not comprehend. She was excited about it.

"You couldn't activate it," he replied simply and moved completely closer to his target. "For this."

Sombra lifted one of his front hooves and pressed it into the circle. That reacted to his touch and caused several tendrils of shadows to sprout from the pentagram and envelop a portion of his limb, much to the amazement of the alicorn who was looking at everything and realized that he didn't seem to be affected by this. But when he turned to her and smiled, Twilight couldn't help but take a step back.

"Don't be frightened now, princess. This will be quick."

"What?"

Her question was answered faster than she thought, but not in the way she imagined. Twilight watched with anticipation and amazement as the same tendrils that had wrapped around Sombra's limb were now heading for her. Quick and swift wrapped hers too.

She let out a scream at the sudden intrusion, which was quickly silenced by the unfolding of the space around her. A couple of seconds later a feeling of slight euphoria ran through her as her head seemed to spin. Then she leaned against the weight of Sombra beside her to steady herself.

"You would have told me the way we were going to teleport and that's how I would prepared beforehoof," she said with the same slowness with which she opened her eyes again. "Although I have to admit that it left me with an exciting feeling."

Sombra cocked his head a bit at the last thing she had said.

"I'm sorry about that part, I didn't know that it would, but I couldn't ruin this either."

The first thing Twilight noticed was the smell. Her nose wrinkled when she began to realize that although that place had been stored for quite some time, it also had a strange freshness that ended up shaking her coat a bit.

Then she finally lowered the hoof she had been rubbing on her head and opened her eyes. Somewhat slowly at first, she made her eyesight accustomed to her surroundings as bright flashes formed along her vision field. Then she saw it.

"What is all this?" It was a rhetorical question, but Twilight still asked it as she lifted her head and slowly looked at every space around her.

The long corridor that had once been plunged into darkness was now illuminated by the glow of dozens of torches placed on the walls, strategically placed at a distance to fulfill its function. It lit up the solid rock walls at the base of the mountain with its fire. But the most curious thing of all was the structure that served as a base of support.

Twilight approached one to admire her in more detail and in all this she realized that she had the strange shape of a horse that reminded her of the wendigos. However, this one had a creepier element to it, as if it were a corpse shrouded in an aura of grim uneasiness. She stepped back feeling a bit of that.

"As I told you, this was the sacred place of the umbrums before they all disappeared," Sombra replied after starting to walk, turning only for a moment to make sure she followed him. "Well, almost all of them."

Twilight followed him without wasting time and without taking her eyes off him, but all that greeted them for a while were the long hallway and the torches spaced every few feet, fueled by the force of some magic she didn't quite know. She would undoubtedly ask Sombra later about it.

"How far does this go?"

"I seem to remember that now we will arrive at a much larger room."

After that, Twilight noticed a glow opening up at the end of the hallway, glowing in a slight purple light that somehow became familiar to her. It was then that she suddenly remembered that strange lily that she had been lucky enough to find and a thought, or rather a suspicion, began to grow inside her.

"Sombra."

He turned to look at her with a slight frown on her face, as if she had suddenly come to some kind of conclusion.

"What's going on?" He asked his question just as they were entering the huge room.

Twilight took a few more seconds to answer as she admired this new place, which, in a way, made it seem that the lighting was born from the walls itselves.

"The glow," she said simply as she walked calmly. "It had reminded me of that flower..."

In a way that made Sombra's previous suspicions increase, after all it could mean several things that those creatures had not attacked her on that occasion. Then he began to look at her in more detail, as if she had the answer to a question he hadn't asked yet.

On the other hoof, Twilight watched, oblivious to his gaze. At first glance it seemed to be like any other room built with ponies's hooves or magic, but it quickly stood out to the eye that it was not only made from inside the mountain but also that its structure had been molded on more than one occasion.

They were in a wide open and high space that seemed to be a kind of square or place of congregation, from which three more entrances were divided pointing in cardinal directions. Its center was occupied by a large statue that had the same shape as the cadaverous horse she had seen in the torches, built of a material that ended up leaving her slightly astonished.

The same dark crystals that she had seen in that cave where she found the flower were also what formed the structure.

Twilight watched it for a few more seconds before backing away toward him. Meanwhile, Sombra had noticed the fascination that seemed to be born from inside her eyes and the innate curiosity that he had already noticed in her before. Her enthusiasm was contagious, but there was something else about her that made him not want to stop looking at her.

"Let's see, where do we have to go now?" Twilight asked, unaware that a few seconds ago he hadn't been looking in the same direction as her. "I haven't forgotten what you told me yet, that there's a place where I can find the answer I'm looking for."

It took Sombra only an instant to get out of the state he had suddenly found himself in, as he slowly denied her words.

"No, I haven't forgotten either," he began to walk slowly as she followed him, towards the large open space opposite to the one they had reached. Then he glanced at it again briefly. "And from what I've been able to see from you so far, I can assume and be one hundred percent sure that you're going to like it."

Twilight stood by his side with increasing anticipation because of his words, though she already had a pretty good idea of where they were going. To her excitement, it could only be something like that.

But in the meantime, she stared at the wide, new corridor through which they had entered. She realized that this time it was not illuminated by torches on the walls, but that it was the rock itself that seemed to emanate the glow of light that she had noticed before. However, she did not see any kind of decoration or ornament on the walls, as if that place had been vacated long before it was forgotten.

But it was still a place that gave her several chills that she couldn't help. Twilight didn't know if it was just her.

"It's been so long abandoned that it doesn't look like there was somepony here at any time," she said quietly, still watching everything.

"You're right about that, but the legacy they left still remains. Hidden deep in it all," Sombra replied, still looking at her. "That's where we're going."

Twilight nodded at his words, but still couldn't help asking:

"But why had I never heard or read about them?"

Sombra took a few seconds to give her his answer.

"Because all knowledge about it was ripped from the ponies' memories and simply left in the void of oblivion, rotting in a wait of more than a thousand years." His voice took on a deeper note as the red of his eyes darkened. "A well-deserved end for everything they ended up causing."

Twilight frowned, not for him but for the grief she thought she saw inside his eyes as his voice faded. Then she looked down, even though she still had several issues on her mind that she didn't quite dare to let out.

However, Sombra noticed this as he looked at her elusive expression, the dubious way she bit her lower lip and how she left her ears down in the desire to ask something else she wasn't sure about. Then he let out a sigh. He wanted to continue looking at her, but not in that way.

"Ask the question, I know you have another in mind."

Twilight looked up and blinked rapidly in his direction, only a bit surprised that her face had been expressive enough for him to notice her curiosity. In the end she couldn't help it.

"It's not that relevant, it's just that I'd like to know if they were like you too," she ended up saying although she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I'm talking about the physical, I'm not talking about the other thing related to personality... Although you have already shown me that you did not end up being as I first thought you would be."

Her voice came out in a whisper lower and lower as she returned her gaze straight ahead, unable to prevent a small blush from appearing on her face for what she had meant by that. Sombra noticed, but still ended up smiling slightly as he answered.

"Not all of them were like me, obviously, but they were similar," he pointed to his forehead with a hoof. "I can even tell you that I was one of the few who possessed the horn in this form."

"Really?" Twilight asked with surprise and genuine curiosity, looking at him once more. "I always assumed that it had manifested itself to you this way due to the influence of dark magic and how I can deduce that they also used it."

Sombra nodded with a slow shake of his head.

"They had the knowledge, but not all of them had the faculty to exercise it properly." He realized that she was beginning to grasp his idea. "Think of it this way: How many unicorns in your land do you know that can't do anything more than a simple levitation spell? Even if they strive to learn more about all things magic?"

Twilight cocked her head a bit and thought about it, realizing that he was right in a way.

"The truth is that most of them only know and can perform a few spells, almost always related to their special talents," she conceded a point and ended by pointing. "But obviously there are exceptions."

"Exactly, it's because it's simply not linked to what they do best, unlike your special talent, for example". He replied in agreement and continued, following that idea. "So even though the umbrums had a natural affinity for dark magic, it was only a few who mastered that knowledge to its highest level. But I've told you before that everything has a cost, and the price to pay for that power is no exception."

He ended his explanation with a short snort as Twilight lowered her gaze, beginning to understand that idea better.

"I see..." she whispered to herself, though quickly raising her head when she realized otherwise. "By the way, how do you know that my special talent is related to magic?"

This time it was Sombra who ended up looking at her in disbelief.

"Did you really think I didn't know who you were before you were trapped here?" He asked rhetorically while smiling from the side. "It seems like you're more important than you think, Princess Twilight."

She opened her eyes even more by his words. She didn't really quite know what to say to that, so she just decided to look at one of her hooves.

"Well, it's been so long since that moment, and I was so different back then..." she said as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "If you know what I mean, of course."

"I know," he nodded, "but after my defeat I remained surviving as an agonizing form of dark magic inside my horn, a miserable existence indeed. Although I could still feel the magical energy around me, that's how I realized everything that happened afterwards."

Twilight once again delved into her thoughts after that. In a sort of inevitable way, she thought about a part of what the stallion had had to go through while he was in this shape, slowly dying waiting for time to do its job.

"I understand," she whispered. "Or at least it was, until I found you."

Twilight bit her lip after that. An inevitable feeling of empathy and compassion began to grow within her as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, not noticing anything in his expression that might indicate how affected he had been by it. She admitted it, she couldn't help but feel bad for him even in spite of everything he had done.

On the other hoof, Sombra was not entirely convinced of her attitude. He didn't understand why she looked so down if it wasn't her problem or her burden anyway.

But when he looked at her... he felt something shrink inside his chest. The truth is that he still did not fully understand those new sensations that the princess provoked in him. He still didn't know if he liked them or not, because inevitably it pushed him to do something so he wouldn't see her like that.

"Don't worry, I think we should put those things aside for now," he let out a short sigh when he saw Twilight's confused and inquisitive expression. "We're getting there."

Sombra didn't say anything else, and Twilight didn't ask her either. She just waited for several minutes in which their walks lasted until they finally stopped in front of the entrance of another corridor that opened to their left; several more were in the other directions.

He went into the one they were seeing first, and she soon followed. Eventually they came to a large circular section surrounded by several doors that separated different rooms from each other. Twilight was really surprised at how big that place seemed to be, more so when she realized how huge the doors she was seeing were at that instant.

But when Sombra approached to open a specific one, Twilight definitely couldn't contain her excitement as her eyes met what lay beyond. A soft glow began to show inside them.

"Oh, for all the ponies..."

In front of Twilight was a large, huge room with several open floors, separated from each other by stairs that grew from the rock walls itselves. There was no decoration in this one either, but what really made it special were the hundreds and probably thousands of scrolls grouped and arranged on shelves, made in the same way as the stairs and everything else in that place.

Twilight found herself thinking about the implications of the recent find as she slowly shifted her gaze around the room that was beginning to light up thanks to the walls of the place. She knew that before her eyes was the knowledge of an entire lost race that had left almost everything in absolute darkness. A knowledge that had been forgotten for more than a thousand years.

She went even deeper, while Sombra simply stood behind her.

"This is... this really is..." Twilight turned to him as she composed her expression of amazement, blinking rapidly and beginning to speak in the same way. "I mean, it's pretty impressive and all that, all these scroll-filled scrolls with knowledge bequeathed from over a thousand years ago that I've never seen before. I can't wait to start looking for it!"

Sombra had no idea why he wasn't surprised that he had been able to keep up with her words. All he did was get a bit closer while slightly raising both eyebrows in an expression of slight disbelief.

"Aren't you supposed to rest first?" He asked when he arrived in front of her.

Twilight looked at him again, this time with a slightly confused expression that later turned into one of doubt when she looked away and began rubbing her front hooves.

"Eh... I don't really want to waste too much time, you know," she murmured, showing a look of pleading. "Could you please?"

Sombra looked at her and could only let out a slight sigh of resignation when he realized that he could not refuse it. He thought then that if it was going to be like this, he would try to take advantage of it to find the confirmation he needed.

"Okay, but first I need you to come with me." The serious expression he maintained at the time he said that caused a trace of concern to creep into Twilight. "I want to show you something."

She wondered what the reason for this was as she swallowed slowly.

"What?"

He didn't know why a quick hint of insecurity crept inside him as he began to walk in a certain specific direction, with her following him by his side. Anyway, it was too fleeting to really worry about it.

"I've had some suspicions for some time about that moment when your friend was taken," he said at last, while he could clearly see how she opened her eyes wider in an expression between surprise and interest. "And only you can confirm them, Twilight."

At his words, she couldn't help but lower her ears a bit in uncertainty while frowning slightly. She felt nervous about whatever he was going to tell her about it.

"I don't think I need to ask what those suspicions are," she replied as she watched out of the corner of her eye as he led them to one of the (apparently) bare walls of the room. "I'm a little worried that you say it that way, because I feel like it's more important than I imagine."

"It is," Sombra confirmed, letting out a brief exhale as he lit his horn in the aura of his normal magic; eventually he continued to speak at the same time as he performed the spell. "I don't know if this sounds strange to you, but you may have noticed that this time they couldn't attack you properly, they just took him away and stayed a distance far enough away from you."

Twilight knew immediately what he meant, and she soon answered him as a frown began to appear on her face from the memory of that moment.

"I did realize and I had no idea why, anyway I don't know much about the nature of those creatures to begin to get a more concrete idea of what it could have really been."

He nodded as he continued to execute his spell.

"It's okay, even I haven't been able to know them completely, but there's one thing I'm sure of." His expression remained neutral as he looked straight into her eyes, finally saying the reason why they were also there. "They didn't attack you because something repelled them."

Silence ensued after that as Sombra continued the spell and Twilight analyzed those words. A second later her attention was diverted to the sudden rumble that the wall caused as the glowing marks of magic spread across the wall in front of them.

"I hope this works," he muttered quietly as he extinguished his horn and watched next to the alicorn as a kind of hidden passageway began to open.

They both entered this one when it finally did, and followed in a straight line a wide path carved through the rock of the mountain. Twilight quickly noticed how it began to glow with that soft purple glow she had seen before, but this time it was not coming from the rock itself but from a point of light that opened far beyond.

"Oh, for all the ponies..."

Twilight's amazement was great when a cavern filled with crystals, the same crystals she had had the opportunity to see so many moons ago, opened before them. The place was not too large, but from the ceiling, to the walls and the floor, dozens of crystalline formations sprouted in its most varied forms, all shining in a faint light that had been hidden for centuries from the curious eyes of the outside world.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sombra interjected as he positioned himself beside her, admiring the wonder in the mare's eyes. Twilight looked away at him and nodded immediately with a smile.

"It really is," she whispered.

However, while she marveled at all that, something else was happening very close. He was the first to notice, but it didn't take long for Twilight to feel it. She turned her head in that direction, only to be surprised when a strange violet glow began to glow from the side of her bag.

"What is it...?"

The confusion on Twilight's face was evident as she opened it with her magic. It was Sombra's response that finally opened a little light on the whole mystery.

"I think it's about time it was shown."

His horn lit up in the classic reddish aura of his magic, to extract the object that caused that subtle glow that shone brighter and brighter. That glow came to its peak when he took it out and showed it to Twilight, who could only look at it with a lot of surprise expressed on her face.

"Oh, by Celestia," she whispered as she watched the slight movement of the petals of the purple flower contained inside the sphere. "How is it possible that I didn't realize that was there?"

That flower. The purple crystal lily she had found in that cave, just that was what she now had between her hooves. Sombra noticed her puzzled expression, so it didn't take long for him to respond to her.

"I think it hid its essence so you wouldn't or it had just become too exhausted for you to feel it," he said slowly as he detailed every little gesture of her gaze. "And despite everything, it could count on enough magic to repel them."

Twilight turned to him immediately.

"Repel them?" Her eyes widened much wider as she remembered that moment, before she resumed the seriousness of her countenance. "Oh I get it, so this is what prevented it."

Twilight looked back at the flower in her hooves as Sombra continued what she had said.

"Just as you hear it," then his mind stood out something else. "Although I can still remember that you used it the first time we met in that cave, however I think it was unconsciously, right?"

Twilight nodded as she remembered that, of the light that had shone in the midst of the chaos.

"Yes, but then I had almost forgotten about it, or not given it the importance it deserved," she whispered in a reproachful tone to herself. "But what I can't forget was what I felt that time with my magic."

"No wonder you felt it," he explained when he realized it. "That's also why I know you can deduce that this is a pretty rare flower, even among those of its kind. and yes, it's true that white lilies have a bit of magic inside them that gives them that appearance," he said and pointed to the object in her hooves. "But this type is an entirely different one, because in addition to possessing it, it can also direct that of another being."

After he was done with his explanation, Twilight lowered her gaze and began to delve once more into her thoughts.

A flower that she had found alone and away from the vast field, surrounded by crystal walls that little by little had made its appearance dim, or perhaps it had been the previous presence of the unicorn in that place that had done it. And after she took her away, everything else had happened.

"I see, what you said makes perfect sense and even more so when it was because of that that I was able to activate the portal," she whispered quickly as she saw the pieces of the puzzle that began to fit together. "But... at the same time it's not quite like that, is it?"

Sombra saw how she looked at him with an expression of doubt and slight uncertainty because of all the meaning that it conveyed.

"Perhaps, it can't always do it, since there is a specific type of crystals that blocks its magic," he replied while looking away from any specific point. "I think you can imagine what it is."

Twilight nodded, but she couldn't help it anyway and let out a sigh.

"I think I know all that this means."

A few seconds of silence prevailed between them, while Twilight immersed herself in her thoughts and Sombra did the same. They respected that silence until he spoke again.

"Those creatures..." Twilight raised her head to him again to pay attention. "You may not know it, but in your hooves you have the answer to face them and rescue your friend."

The mare's gaze lit up the instant he finished saying that. She quickly looked at the small dome with the flower contained inside as a smile of renewed cheer spread across her face.

"Exactly! A source of light magic powerful enough to fend off their darkness, without our own magic being so compromised."

Sombra was about to be infected by the alicorn's enthusiasm, however, it was necessary for him to explain his point of view to her.

"Actually, that does not reject it as such."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Twilight calmed her moment of joy a bit after hearing him say that. He soon replied to her, adopting a more serious tone in correspondence with the subject he wished to talk about.

"That just like day and night, dark magic and white magic are two sides of the same coin, simply a supernatural power that only a few have been fortunate enough to master correctly," he said. She knew what he meant this time, so she paid attention to him again. "So when there is a correlation between the two, it is evident that it is also counteracted and, consequently, one can end up dominating over the other."

Still, Twilight couldn't help frowning thoughtfully.

"But how is that possible?" She gestured with one of her hooves as she explained her point. "I have to assume that both can destroy each other, but it is also clear that light magic has a greater advantage in making darkness disappear."

Sombra listened to her and despite everything he began to internalize her words, looking away slightly in the process.

"Yes, most of the time it really is," he agreed with her, although at the same time he replied. "But remember that we are all a combination of the same force embodied within us. Black and white do not have a constant place when there is also a wide scale of grays that can predominate in the same way."

His words made sense to everyone who heard them, because despite all the world in which they lived it was not always happiness and harmony; because of the very creatures that habited it. Twilight was aware of this.

"You're right about that, but it's also true that we can lean one way or the other, or even be in the middle," she stared back at him as a fleeting gleam flashed in her eyes. "Learning from both."

Twilight's smile, though small, was bright in her eyes and showed what she really meant by it. Something that Sombra understood perfectly.

"Exactly, I don't think I need to give you many examples because you can understand it yourself on your own," he let out a slight sigh before continuing. "In the end, what I mean by all that is that this little flower". He pulled the dome with his magic up to his hooves, "can channel and increase the magic needed to counteract either force, so if you feed it with positive enough emotions..."

Twilight continued for him.

"My magic can get stronger."

He nodded, even though they both already knew. He just wanted to prove his point.

"It is true that dark magic by law is usually associated with negative emotions. all the hatred, fear or anger inside you can serve as good fuel," he said in the voice of somepony who had already gone through that experience, but at the same time also denoted an implicit warning inside. "But remember, both are part of the same force that responds to our most intense emotions. It doesn't matter if it's resentment or affection, any emotion strong enough can be ideal to ignite that spark.

Sombra watched as she lowered her head after that, no doubt immersed in the various thoughts that were most likely inside her. He continued in the meantime.

"And as for this little object, it's obvious that the more white magic it has inside, the brighter and more full of life it becomes." The flower contained in the dome flashed softly, as if proving his point. "So if the opposite happens..."

"It ends up being duller and withered," Twilight finished for him in a whisper.

Sombra's gaze drifted for a few moments from the pensive mare beside him to an unimportant point far beyond. However, the fleeting gleam in his eyes continued to think of her.

"Yes, after all, darkness comes at a price, too," he spoke slowly, as if muttering to somepony other than her. "One that takes you down an eternal path of thorns."

Twilight didn't miss the obvious relationship that had to do with him, and she couldn't stop something inside her from shrinking because of it. In the end, it was that something that prompted her to prove him wrong.

"I don't think it necessarily has to be eternal," she began softly, wishing he would realize what she was looking for. "Remember, too, that even the smallest light can glow in the dark. And it's really special when you can count on somepony to guide you there."

Twilight wished her words had gotten to him, she really did. And apparently, it had when Sombra spoke once more.

"Fine, if you say it I guess it'll be true," he smiled calmly, freed for now from that worry; though Twilight couldn't help but give a quick blink at this.

"Do you really think so?"

Sombra immediately turned to her, seeing the semi-curious expression that adorned her face. He detailed it carefully as he looked away from the long eyelashes that made up it, the soft mane that fell over her side, her partially parted lips and those bright purple eyes that he sometimes couldn't help but admire and showed an inner strength that he had rarely seen in any other pony. But he knew she wasn't just any pony.

He would have ended up looking away a lot more, but that was all he needed to confirm the obvious that was in front of his eyes.

"Of course," he replied, and a shrewd smile raised the corners of his mouth; instead, his tone became even lower and deeper. "Why wouldn't I, princess?"

This time Twilight also had no idea why her face began to feel hot when she heard him speak that way, and in that voice. She could only swallow hard and crack a nervous smile as she tried to turn away and look away in another direction.

"O-okay, it's clear to me," she stammered and looked at the exit. "What if we better leave? It's a good idea, don't you think?" she said, but then corrected herself. "Or well, at least for me it is."

Twilight didn't give him time to respond after that, and just went the same way they had come, quickly ahead of him. At this, Sombra could only smile and shake his head slightly, following the elusive mare that had lately occupied a good part of his thoughts.

Chapter 29

Twilight calmly observed the small transparent dome between her hooves. The purple petals of the flower were still shining softly in a quiet stillness, much more peaceful than when she had found it again.

Sombra had left her alone for a moment, sitting in one of the odd-looking armchairs (which she had to dust off with her magic) that she had found in a corner of the sprawling library, while he searched for the scrolls that contained the knowledge they both needed.

Not that she hadn't offered to help him at first, but Sombra had denied her proposal when he showed her the problem she couldn't get around right now. That knowledge was not in her language.

Twilight hadn't been surprised by this, she even understood why he decided to go alone. At least that left her the time to prepare a powerful translation spell, which somehow wouldn't consume too much of her magic. So he had urged her to do the good to keep her, and she had agreed.

So in those moments, Twilight just admired the flower while she waited for him.

"Why were you so elusive when all this time you were the answer?"

An answer that had been jealously guarded, even without her realizing it herself.

Twilight let out a sigh as she watched the faint glow of the silent lily. She pulled it a little closer to herself, feeling the warmth of its magic in a way that comforted her and made her smile unconsciously. Smile as her thoughts drift for a moment to a certain stallion.

"No, don't go that way," she thought as she pursed her lips in a grimace, though she let out another short sigh when she began to feel her face a bit hotter than normal.

But fortunately she did not spend too long in contradiction with her own mind.

"Ah, you are here," Sombra's deep voice echoed behind her. "I thought you had gone out there to explore, after all this place is quite big."

Twilight turned her head and tilted it slightly, watching as he walked calmly toward her while carrying a few scrolls wrapped in his magic. She blinked quickly at that and straightened her body in the same way, pushing away the thought she had just had while waiting for her heartbeat to normalize its rhythm.

After that, she got off her seat and followed him to one of the nearby circular tables that grew from the same floor.

"I've been thinking about it, but I decided to take a moment to rest while I waited for you," she gave him a small smile, then pointed to the scrolls with her hoof. "Were you able to find it?"

Sombra tilted his head slightly as he put down what he had brought on the table. He let out a short sigh, hoping that his search had not been in vain.

"That's what we're going to see now," he said and returned his gaze to the alicorn, seeing how she now brought the capsule where the flower was wrapped in her magic. "By the way, you haven't stopped looking at it since we came back from the cave. Does it have something special that I may not know about that you want to tell me?"

Twilight paused for a brief moment when she couldn't help but giggle. She was a bit amused that he had assumed she was analyzing it, though that really wasn't far from the truth.

"No, I was just wondering what role it's played all this time." She came up to him and put her front hooves on the table, slumping down on her rear. "Even before, because as I told you, this was what caused me to be able to activate the mirror portal in the first cave."

Sombra frowned thoughtfully after she said that. A short time ago he remembered an important aspect that had previously been overlooked.

"True, though you didn't do it consciously, as you told me before."

"No, I didn't..." Now it was Twilight's turn to look at him intriguedly. "But what exactly are you meaning by that?"

Sombra let out a short sigh to prepare himself in what he should say. He couldn't help it, he was revealing a part of his past that he would have preferred to forget in the first place. However, at that moment he didn't feel as bad as he thought.

"I mean there's only one fact: you really shouldn't have been able to count on its power." He hurriedly explained his comment after seeing the confused look she gave him, letting out a short sigh on the spot. "These types of flowers, and this one in particular, were sacred to the umbrums, because of that very ability to increase magic, any kind of magic. That is why they used them in all kinds of rituals or ceremonies, in the day to day, and much more importantly" He paused a little that caused Twilight to lean forward a bit to give him her full attention. "It was absolutely necessary to execute the spell that led them to this place."

Twilight didn't know how to define the surprise that those last words generated in her. She just pulled back again as her mind returned to those thoughts.

"Was it the key? For them too?" She couldn't help but gawk when she saw Sombra nod, but she immediately pulled herself together. "So how do we get here if I don't know that spell? I always believed that it was only the product of my own magic augmented by the flower and reacting with that of the portal." She put a hoof under her chin as she looked at him curiously. "Or maybe you were the one who did it?"

Sombra immediately denied.

"It wasn't me, it was actually you who did it all," He showed a slight smile when he saw the somewhat pensive face of the alicorn. "Do you still remember anything specific when that happened?"

"I..." Twilight looked down as she thought about it, feeling a bit uncomfortable since the situation of her first meeting with him was definitely not something she had wanted to remember or talk about. "I remember wanting Spike and me to get out of that situation as soon as possible, I really wanted it with all my might."

Suddenly Twilight opened her eyes even wider as her mind fell into the question of what that meant. She thought that if it really was like that, it would start to make a lot of sense.

"Can it be...?" She whispered slowly, looking in his direction when she saw him just nod in response. "That this influenced more than I could have expected at first?"

Sombra ended up smiling lightly when she came to that right conclusion. Although he couldn't help adding:

"There you have it, the magic of the flower reacted to your heart's desire and the feeling of protection you had for him, two essential keys," he finished explaining, then gestured with his hoof and continued. "You don't know the spell that allows you to consciously extract its potential, so that was the only real means by which you could achieve it."

Twilight calmly accepted that explanation, knowing that at last one of the mysteries that had been on her mind since they had ended up in this place had been solved.

"I understand..." she whispered again as her gaze inevitably shifted back to the object between her hooves.

However, after those seconds she couldn't help but stay quiet and dedicate herself to thinking about everything more deeply.

Sombra definitely noticed her attitude, he had already noticed it before, but this time he simply had to ask.

"What are you thinking about now?" He wanted to know as he frowned slightly, perhaps feeling a bit worried about it. "Has your question not been answered yet?"

"No, it's not quite like that," Twilight quickly denied at this, but she still couldn't help biting her lip a little. "Actually it did, it's just that..."

Now her mind had returned to the question she had asked herself at first, the one that had finally led her to that moment. She never imagined that a question as simple as that would provoke all this.

"I was wondering about everything I wanted to find out in the beginning, before all this happened, you know? She answered calmly, hoping that he understood. "I wanted to know why these flowers survive in the hostile climate of the Frozen North. Now I can see that it's because of the magic present in the environment, it absorbs it little by little and that allows it to have a natural resistance."

Twilight had realized all this because of him, the pony she had least expected to help her. She thought about it and let a small smile form at how things had changed.

"I'm sure that's why there was a whole field in that cave too," she said at last, speaking to herself in a loud voice. She looked back at him when another question came. "How is it possible that it got there?"

Sombra paused for a few seconds to think about it and give her an eventual answer.

"Most likely, the spores have dispersed in the wind, or the magic of the cave ended up attracting it in one way or another," he said simply and looked away at the object.

Twilight also looked in that direction.

"Yes, I think you might be right about that."

She was with that thought for a few more seconds, letting a comfortable silence spread between them. Until she brought up another issue that she had recently become aware of.

"That means that your people, that is, since you told me that it was sacred to them, did you also cultivate them? Or did they only use flowers that were wild?"

In a way, the stallion was not surprised that the alicorn's mind and curiosity ended up leading her down that path. So at this, he could only nod as he looked directly into those big purple eyes.

"They could do either, it didn't matter," he answered her questions as a quick look of slight nostalgia appeared inside his eyes. "The land that existed beyond the Empire and the Crystal Mountains was their territory, after all."

Twilight could feel it regardless like a quick spark that was meant to be extinguished as soon as it was ignited. For a moment, she wondered why. So driven by that fact, she tilted her head slightly and began to speak again in a calm voice.

"You once told me that this place existed even before Equestria was formed, before the tribes came together..." She looked him in the eye again, hoping her doubt would be answered. "They were here long before that, right?"

After all, she thought that if both the umbrums and this island had been related, then it was to be expected that they had also had the knowledge they needed to face those shadow beings that stalked them.

And Sombra also sensed that this was her thought. Fortunately, he wanted the same thing she did.

"Before the ponies came to the land that would become Equestria, that part had already been conquered by them," he replied as he nodded slowly, following the same path. "Obviously, this place had also been created before that happened. I don't know exactly how long, but I think it may have been more than five thousand years ago... Or maybe more."

None of them had ever been able to reveal to him the exact date of its existence, no matter how much he had insisted on finding it out. Not even in the scrolls that supposedly contained all their knowledge. Except, perhaps, for one thing.

"Only legends remain..." he murmured, staring at an unspecified point as he recalled a past too distant for any mortal.

Twilight caught that whisper and moved both ears in his direction.

"What legends are those?" She asked in a tone of increasing curiosity and intrigue.

Sombra turned his gaze to her immediately after hearing her, however he thought that he still couldn't satiate his desire to know. So he only ended up slightly raising the corners of his lips into a sly smile, directed only at her.

"Patience, first I want to show you another place where we will eventually arrive."

Twilight showed a quick flat look after hearing that, pouting impatiently that didn't go unnoticed by the stallion. Sombra couldn't help but let out a slight laugh when he noticed this, even though the alicorn began to do her job of collecting information from the scrolls he had brought.

But as she conjured the spell to do so, Twilight couldn't help but glance at him sideways as another issue on her mind clamored to be said. And that's what she did in the end.

"Okay..." she whispered and then continued. "But could you at least answer one thing?"

Sombra looked back in her direction, this time detailing the sparkle in her eyes and how it seemed to increase as she waited for an affirmative answer from him. Then he stood still for a moment, feeling something strange inside him as his gaze completely connected with hers.

However, Twilight didn't notice and just continued with what she was going to say.

"Don't you have an exact idea of how this place could have been formed?"

After Twilight said her question, a few brief seconds of silence formed between the two of them that felt a little longer to her than it actually was. Sombra closed his eyes, freed from his sudden, strange moment, and simply ended up slowly shaking his head, holding back the tired exhale he was about to let out.

"Not exactly," he replied in a deep voice, at the same time as he began to explain. "I think anypony knew that, and what the stories tell are things too vague to really take into account."

Sombra frowned as his mind brought up one more memory. He thought and was sure that it would probably be important to her.

"But I can tell you something," Twilight prepared her rising expectations when she heard him speak like that. Sombra turned his gaze to her and nodded slowly. "I can tell you that most umbrums believed that a greater and somewhat unknown dark force had created it out of nothing."

Twilight opened her eyes a bit more to that, finally finding an answer that perhaps entered into the possibilities, even though for obvious reasons it could not be confirmed properly. Although it could not be refuted either.

However, she also wanted to hear one more opinion. Maybe the stallion next to her could shed a bit more light on that mystery.

"And what do you think?" She asked calmly, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Sombra looked at her for a moment, tilting his head slightly as he looked away at the wall, as if it had something interesting to show.

"What do I think?" he murmured slowly. "I always believed that this place has existed forever, only that something or someone modified it to mold it to its liking," he turned to her to see her curious gaze and fixed on him completely, that encouraged him to continue. "And why do I think that? Because I discovered a long time ago that not all the magical energy that is concentrated in the center of this place comes from absorbing the magic of the environment. Somehow there are remnants of an ancient and powerful magic that I could notice, too precise to believe that something simply made it come out of nowhere."

Sombra's answer was enough to get Twilight thinking, relating everything those 'ponies' had told her, how this place had its own rules and how those creatures seemed to have come 'apparently' out of nowhere. It was just too weird.

But Sombra's words, even if it could not be confirmed, perhaps had more importance than it first appeared.

"Maybe it can be possible?" She asked as she left a hoof on her chin.

"Maybe". The stallion shrugged slightly off, picked up some scrolls with his magic and continued with the scan of his analysis. "Obviously we can't be sure of that."

After that, neither of them said anything else and they just continued with their work. Twilight had completely concentrated, and even though all the knowledge she had between her hooves excited her, she was still very aware of what they were looking for specifically. However, all that search seemed like a dead end.

"For all the ponies!" Twilight exclaimed in a loud complaint about everything in front of her, causing the stallion next to her to look at her with a slight raised eyebrow. She quickly turned in his direction. "Again... You said that was some kind of map?"

He simply nodded, but after a moment he let out another sigh as he validated the work that was also costing him. It seemed as if the letters in front of him mocked his effort to find it, even though he remembered seeing him in that section. But what if maybe he had made a mistake?

Sombra looked at the scrolls for a moment. If he had, that meant he had to go back and search the common section... But that was impossible!

Such dangerous knowledge could not be within reach of any pony's hoof.

However, just as he was about to get up to look for him in that place, Twilight's voice stopped him in his attempt. It sounded strange to his ears, as if a growing worry had seeped into it. And it was getting bigger and bigger.

"Eh... Sombra?"

He turned with marked intrigue in her direction.

"What?" Then his eyes hit the parchment that Twilight had in her hooves, the same one that contained a kind of diagram that was slowly beginning to blur. He knew what it was, and he opened his eyes much wider in a look of growing horror at it. "Oh no no no! Shit!"

The map was falling apart too quickly before their eyes, and they could only act without much thought. Twilight cast a spell that prevented its erasure for a few seconds while Sombra took a blank scroll for her to transmit with another spell the partial copy of that knowledge.

The pink magic sparkled and crackled with unleashed power as it did so. A second later the previously blank scroll suddenly rolled up under their noses, the old one simply vanished.

And while that was happening, both ponies could only look at each other with a frown, betraying the growing concern they were beginning to feel. They really hoped that all that journey and all that search had not been in vain.

"Do you think that...?" Twilight gasped wearily as she looked at him, asking in her eyes what she already feared.

"That's what we're going to see right now," Sombra replied, only a bit less excited than Twilight was when he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

They both swallowed slowly and completely opened the parchment where the newly made copy was supposed to be in a hurry. Before them the contours of what appeared to be a map were gradually shown.

The two let out a sigh of relief at this, though then Twilight showed a slight confused look when she didn't see any points marking their target. Sombra took it upon himself to correct this with a small spell that required his dark magic, and soon a dot glowing black was visible almost in the center of the map.

Twilight then thought that such security about all that could not be mere coincidence.

"All this knowledge..." she murmured as she shifted her gaze across the scrolls. "All this... Did they have to keep it safe? Because of those things?"

The answer to his question might have been too obvious, but Sombra still allowed himself to give a slight nod.

"Neither of them, more than rivals, both species were enemies by nature," his gaze became dark and so burlesque for a moment. "A bit ironic since both arose from the same essence, despite the fact that their origins were very different."

His expression began to become nostalgic, almost as if he was remembering something from a long time ago that maybe it was better to leave it that way.

"And yet, in the past they formed a very strange kind of balance, almost like..." His mind suddenly focused and he looked back at Twilight, interrupting whatever he was going to say. "But with all this that you have discovered, you must already deduce that they also dwelt here. After all, this place, this island, was the refuge of my species."

Refuge.

Twilight remembered that word of a memory that already felt far away, as if it had happened in another instant or on another plane that she had no idea about, even though the time from her visit to the cave to the present day wasn't really much.

She certainly couldn't help but frown when she realized something that wasn't quite right.

"What do you mean by that exactly? They were taking refuge from what?" She leaned forward a little as she asked her question. "That is, why they came here if those creatures were also found."

Sombra didn't answer at first, he took a few more seconds to process her question. But then he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"They were safe here, apparently," he glanced sideways. "And they also stayed away from the crystal ponies."

Twilight couldn't help but frown after he said that. She wondered what the crystal ponies had to do with all this.

"What do you mean?"

A few seconds of silence formed between them as Twilight waited. Sombra didn't make her wait too long.

"The story is sometimes not as they tell it... and with them it seemed to be no different." His gaze became slightly dark, enough for her not to notice. "Tell me, doesn't it really seem strange to you that there doesn't seem to be any kind of knowledge about umbrums or about this place?"

Twilight nodded this time and in her mind she couldn't deny that it all had a very strange aura around it. As if no one was worthy of deciphering the mystery that lay behind it all.

"It's simple," Sombra continued, "they both hated each other."

In the stillness of the bright walls of the place, they both changed their position. Now it was Twilight who listened quietly as Sombra continued to say something that must have been important, if it weren't for the fact that his monotonous tone of voice told it as if it were a simple piece of information kept in some lost history book.

"I never knew exactly why, they never told me, but I do know that the tensions between the habitants of the Empire and the village were escalating more and more... Until one day the inevitable happened." His countenance didn't change, not even when he turned to her. "The umbrums were not blameless, but even they did not deserve to be razed to the ground of their entire people. Foals, mares, stallions, old ponies... Only a fraction survived."

The implications of what he was saying gave Twilight everything she needed to begin to understand him. And yet, he still had a lot to say.

"The crystal lily fields were also razed during the attack, before there was not a single umbrum left on the island. The few who were here had left as soon as it happened... but they had no idea that when they arrived they would not find anything. They couldn't even go back", he said with a slight frown, this time without looking at her. "That was the exact moment in which their fate was sealed."

Twilight at that moment didn't know how to feel, about everything and about him, but she definitely felt something start to tighten inside her chest at the memory of everything he was telling her.

Sombra, oblivious to that fact, continued to speak this time in a tone of slight mockery that seeped into his voice.

"But it couldn't stay like that, obviously." His gaze darkened even more, however, what made her shudder was the sudden coldness she could hear in his voice. "The leader decided to seek revenge for it."

Twilight could not have imagined what was going to happen next. And yet, it wasn't entirely unexpected either.

"In a way I was... chosen, sent for that." His expression became a bit nostalgic this time, even though he didn't let go of the hardness that could be seen inside his eyes. "Me, a foal with no parents or memories that the Empire's guards had found in the middle of a fierce storm."

Sombra glanced at Twilight for a moment, fleetingly detailing the drooping expression of her gaze, her ears lowered, and her slightly furrowed brow. He looked away quickly just so he didn't see her that way, then he continued.

"From that moment on, my life in the orphanage there would not be easy, but I knew it never would be," his voice sounded abnormally serious, as if he didn't really care that what he was telling had been part of his life. "It wasn't easy to be the only different pony among hundreds of crystal ponies who aren't afraid to intimidate you just for being one, especially if you were the only pony who had to count on yourself."

Twilight's gaze fell again, revealing the sadness that had crept slowly inside her. What could she say in the face of all that?

"I could only count on the help of a single pony who accepted me, but in the end that didn't matter because she ended up failing me too," he continued with a distant, almost reluctant look, while he was still oblivious to the feeling of the mare next to him. "At that time I never knew why the crystal fairs caused me the greatest pain, as if they wanted to tear my soul apart. I thought that perhaps it was because of that vision that I had had the misfortune to see in the Crystal Heart."

Twilight looked up again, slowly. Then she asked cautiously.

"What vision?"

Sombra looked at her for a moment, realizing now the way she was looking at him, and that's why he let out a sigh. He really felt so tired.

"My destiny," he replied simply. "The monster I was going to become in the future."

Several seconds of a new silence settled between the two after the weight of those words fell like a heavy and ominous blanket. However, it was quickly broken as Sombra continued with a frown.

"I was able to confirm all that years later, the day I ran from that place without looking back, when I found out that the only pony who had been important in my life was leaving me to go study with the princesses." He went on quietly, telling a story he had kept inside him for more than a thousand years. "I knew that she was fulfilling her destiny, but I could never imagine that mine, in the end, would end up finding me."

His gaze reconnected with those big purple eyes that looked at him with a feeling that made him not want to push it away, because it was more comforting than he could have imagined. However, he forced himself to do so.

"It was while I was in the middle of the frozen tundra when they encountered me for the first time."

Then, Twilight was able to fit together the missing pieces of that puzzle. Her gaze went from surprise, then to understanding, and finally to the sorrowful feeling that was seen within her when she realized it.

"Did they tell you everything...?"

Sombra simply nodded to him.

"Yes, they had revealed to me the truth of what I was, the reason why the Crystal Heart harmed me, the reason the crystal ponies rejected my existence, the dark magic that was within me," he replied in a growl as his mind recoiled into that memory. "They said that it was my duty solely and exclusively to avenge the death of all who fell, to avenge them all, and to crush those feeble crystal ponies under my hooves."

Sombra's gaze darkened again as he stared at Twilight, causing a slight chill to run through her immediately.

"And you know what? I had gladly accepted that fate, because in the end it turned out that the 'princess' knew it all along." Sombra looked away and growled, showing his fangs unconsciously as the pent-up anger of it all resurfaced once more inside him. "She had hidden it from me, because she hoped that I would not go down that path."

But he was fully aware that it hadn't been because of that.

"I know that she was just waiting for the exact moment for the heart to do its work with me, after all that's what it was created for," he replied angrily as the memories of that pain came to light. "Like a weapon against my kind."

Sombra looked down again as the harsh reality of it all hit him. He didn't want to meet Twilight's gaze. At that moment he did not want that sad look she had for him. He just didn't want to see her that way.

"And yet, in spite of everything, I can't help but wonder now if it was really worth it," he spoke in a low, tired voice, as if nothing else did. "Everything I did... Where did it end up leading them?"

He knew it, discovering that his efforts had been in vain. Realizing that he had been so consumed by revenge and hatred to realize what was really going on around him.

Then he let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"In the end, none of them could be saved."

Even if she had had all the words in the world available, even then Twilight would not have known what to say at that moment because of all that. All that pain that he had kept for so long, mixed with the anger that was also kept inside him. All that to discover that this pony was much more than what they had always told her.

Twilight swallowed, pulling a hoof toward him.

"I... I don't know what to say."

Sombra looked at her again. The tired expression of his crimson eyes connected with that purple that made him feel something strange inside him. In a way, he could feel the same way she felt. The compassion that was reflected within her.

"You don't need to say anything," he denied slowly, without completely rejecting that feeling. "This is my burden after all."

"You shouldn't have to carry all that alone, but I wish I could do something more, too," Twilight whispered, showing her desire to give her solidarity regardless.

Sombra nodded slowly at this. After all, he didn't want to see her in such a downward way.

"I think that by listening to me you have already done more than I deserve."

However, she really wished she could do more than just that. That being somepony who could only listen wasn't enough.

So after thinking about it for a second, Twilight got up and moved a bit closer until she was in front of him. Her gaze softened, and an instant later, she cracked a small smile and leaned against him, wrapping her hooves around his side as she leaned back on his shoulder and let her wing cover him, adding a part to her embrace.

Sombra let her do it, after all the sigh he ended up letting out was a pleasant relief for all the warmth he suddenly felt inside. It was enough to calm the storm that had broken out for an instant.

"Even if I don't agree with what you've done, that doesn't mean I can't understand. The fact that you said all this tells me a lot about what you may have really questioned," Twilight whispered, looking up into his. "I know that you are much more than what you showed at the beginning."

Sombra saw her bright eyes and realized that she truly believed it. He, on the other hoof, was a different story.

"Are you really sure about that?" He denied for a moment after closing his eyes, leaning against the table. "It's impossible that I could have changed after everything I did."

Twilight parted for a moment while frowning lightly. She only left her wing, unconsciously stroking the stallion's gray coat with her feathers.

"Don't say that, I think every pony or creature has the right to a second chance to redeem their mistakes, to be someone new. You just have to want to be it inside, for yourself." She put a hoof on her chest and smiled when he looked at her sideways again. "Besides, you've already shown me what you're capable of when you set your mind to it."

Perhaps her words were intended to be encouraging, but for Sombra it ended up being something more than that. Only he had yet to fully realize what it really meant. But right at that moment, he didn't want to get into those questions.

"I can't help it, I don't even know if I really regret everything I did," he let out one last exhale while resting a hoof on his forehead. "My mind is too confused a mess right now."

Twilight gave another small smile and nodded regardless. She could understand that it must not be easy for him to question everything that was previously clear in his head. But she was also ready to show him her support in all that that entailed.

"Well, maybe you just need a little more time to clear it up, don't you think?" She said with a calm look, reflecting that same feeling inside.

And it was because of all that, her calm smile, her soft voice, and the gentle look on her face, that had finally caused something to creep into that impenetrable shield he had put around him. Sombra thought he didn't really need it, or so he had thought earlier to try to convince himself of that.

However, Twilight knew that something inside him was beginning to change. Or perhaps it had already changed. For now, she was sure she could continue to believe in it.

Author's Note

Thanks for read.:twilightsmile:

This is the last chapter I've written so far, so for now there won't be any more for some time. I hope I don't linger too long on that.

Chapter 30

"Then there's nothing else I can do to help you?" Twilight asked after they both stopped in the middle of a hallway, in front of two large doors facing each other.

"Not for now, don't worry, what you did was enough," Sombra said with a last nod before sending her away.

Although with some reluctance, Twilight also nodded and murmured another goodbye. Then they both entered the two rooms in front of them, each one had their own.

After having completed the search, neither of them had anything else to do in that place. However, they would have one last night's rest before returning again to their journey the next morning.

Twilight still had in her mind the last thing Sombra had dared to confess, something she hadn't really expected. But now that she was on a bed, in a quiet and comfortable place, all that moment came again and again to her head, as if it were reminding her of the moment in which she had made a worthless judgment and without knowing what was behind it.

Yes, it is true that before she could not have had the slightest idea of what was really happening, but that fact would always be there as a reminder that somepony was not always as he was shown in the beginning.

However, now things could be different.

Twilight took one last look at the room around her before getting ready to rest. Meanwhile she tried to make her mind clear until it went blank, the ideal way in which she could fall asleep.

Although it was difficult, in the end she was able to fall asleep without paying much attention to her other worries.

On the other hoof, Sombra was also in a dilemma of his own when he closed the door to his room. Mostly because of the fact that he accepted the princess's consolation at a time when he was weaker than he really was.

He didn't like that, that show of weakness to anypony that wasn't himself. Showing himself in that way was the most pathetic thing he had done since he was a foal, when they always took advantage of that shy and insecure appearance. That is why he had learned to strengthen himself as soon as he had the opportunity to move away from the empire.

As soon as he had a chance to find out who he really was.

However, even though his mind told him that showing himself that way with somepony else wasn't something he should accept, on the other hoof, a strange sensation inside his chest made him feel that it was okay to have done it with her. As if she could somehow understand that feeling.

But if he was sincere, he had to admit that she had understood him better than he had imagined at first.

Time and time again, she had shown him that he could trust her.

A few minutes later, Sombra let out a tired sigh that felt longer to him than it really was. He removed a part of his mane that had fallen on his face and concentrated on belonging for a while more boredom on the bed he was in. Apparently it was the only thing he could do.

At the time he had no idea how much time he had spent reflecting on himself, though he honestly didn't care either. The dream hadn't come to him yet to reclaim his consciousness, and he didn't even believe it would return as they continued to venture deeper into the territory of dark magic.

There were certain disadvantages, or perhaps not, of being born naturally with that power within him.

Anyway, the fact that he couldn't sleep had put his other senses on constant alert, one that was very good for both of them to watch their backs in that dangerous place. But now that they were in such a dead and silent place, all that did was allow them to perceive in greater detail any disturbance in the environment that was out of the ordinary.

That's why he heard a strange noise coming from the room in front of his, as if it was the low sound of some kind of quiet whine that felt very strange. Only a second later did he realize that it was only the alicorn that was doing it. And it was just at that moment that a frown appeared on his face.

What was happening to the princess? And more importantly, why did I want to go see what was happening so much?

In the end, interest won out over indifference and he ended up getting out of bed. Surely it was only simple curiosity that he felt, unless a little concern for her condition had also crept in.

Anyway, nothing had prepared him for what he was going to find once he opened the door to her room.

(...)

"He's fine, for now..."

A shiver ran through Twilight's body as she recalled the moment of those words, what had caused it, seeing Spike so close and yet so far away, completely motionless before a forbidden and unknown magic.

A magic that, despite everything, she suspected came from.

"Weakened by the place where he is..."

Then her vision was covered by the sight of a strange darkness, as if something did not want her to see beyond what she could. Several shifting shadows were visible to the side of her field of vision, dancing in a strange way as she continued to strive for that point of light.

She ran, ran, ran again, and kept running, in an effort that perhaps hoped would be helpful in reaching what seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

"But he live after all."

Then she saw something, a small, dark silhouette, completely motionless as he was subdued by those very shadows she had seen. She felt helpless. She could only observe and shout the name of that little being.

Not knowing that she could never catch up with him.

Not now that the ground had fallen under her hooves...

And that she ended up waking up with a start.

(...)

At first her ears did not catch the voice that called her name urgently, but as soon as she sat down due to the startle and opened her eyes she was able to notice the dark silhouette of the stallion that until that moment had been calling her.

She didn't know what had happened. Her heart was still pounding from the damn nightmare she'd just had, though she didn't even believe it had really been a nightmare as such. It had felt too real to be sure.

Anyway, that didn't matter anymore now.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, wrapping her front hooves around her chest. "You must have been sleeping, I didn't want to wake you up."

"Twilight..."

He was not prepared for what he was going to find.

She closed her eyes tightly and, without thinking too much, laid her forehead on the stallion's chest. The tears didn't come out, but she still couldn't help but hold back a sob against him. Neither did the words she let out.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Sombra was sure she wasn't saying it for him, she wasn't even saying it for him. He didn't know how, but he was sure of it.

"Twilight... It's okay, it was just a nightmare," he said in an attempt to make her see the truth of what had happened.

"No, I know it wasn't," she whispered as she shook her head, then let out a sigh and tried to calm herself. "Don't say anything, just... stay that way."

Even if there was something to say, Sombra knew that at this moment it was best for him to remain silent. And that's what he did, it wasn't too much of a problem for him to show her calm support.

Meanwhile, Twilight didn't know why she felt so good leaning gently on his chest. Perhaps it was how comfortable his coat was, as she had seen before, or the fact that his presence alone relaxed her more than she wanted to admit. Whatever it was, she didn't want to think about it too much at the time.

However, after a while and seeing that she seemed to be calm enough, Sombra couldn't help but comment on what he thought about it.

"Well, I don't know if this is something normal among friends, but I really didn't imagine that it would be like that."

Even though Sombra had said his comment in a slightly funny tone, Twilight let her features form a small smile when she realized that he wasn't just saying it for that. She felt as if deep down he was looking for something else. Then she let a sigh escape from her lips.

"Just... stay a little longer," she whispered almost without realizing it, not that she wanted to pay much attention either.

"Wow, I didn't know that my company was so much in demand that you want me to sleep with you too," Sombra cracked an amused smile as he raised an eyebrow, despite knowing she couldn't see him.

Twilight let out a small laugh as she shook against his chest, but she still couldn't stop a soft blush from blooming on her cheeks. Maybe if she pulled away a little, he wouldn't be able to notice her heartbeat increasing.

"Of course not," she murmured as she let out another sigh.

She separated her head from her comfortable coat a couple of minutes later, now visibly calmer. Sombra realized that and decided to ask:

"Are you better?"

Twilight ran a hoof over her cheek and nodded. She didn't say anything else and simply decided to stay silent.

"Fine," he let out a sigh and began to walk away little by little. "Now try to rest, tomorrow the day will be long."

She simply nodded, watching as he made the same gesture as he walked toward the door. After Sombra closed it, Twilight lay back in bed, not having many thoughts to bother her.

Having no idea how, she fell asleep again while staring at the ceiling. Perhaps she was so tired that she did not take much importance to the way she did it.

However, elsewhere, knowing that he was not going to be able to fall asleep, Sombra dedicated himself to looking for a few more seconds at the entrance door to his room. Meanwhile, the thought of a certain mare kept coming to his mind with more and more force.

But there was only one true thing in all that.

As much as he tried to deny it, it was a fact that she had become more important than he wanted to admit.

Finally, Sombra entered the room, slowly closed the door behind him, and finally leaned back into it. Then he let out the sigh he didn't know he had been holding back as a new thought flashed through his mind.

"I already know what you're doing to me, Twilight Sparkle"

But along with the understanding that thought brought, there was also everything that it entailed for both him and her.

However, perhaps all that could wait until the next morning.

Twilight didn't remember falling asleep after her sudden nightmare, so when her eyelids opened quickly after waking up from a fading dream, she was confused by the warmth of the blankets that wrapped around her.

She jumped up and the sheets slid down her coat as her gaze shifted rapidly. Although the place was dark, she still recognized the unusual shape of the room she was in, like all the ones she had seen up to that point in the great temple they were in.

Her slow mind took a moment to analyze everything that had happened before and after that bad dream. Then she slowly remembered the time she spent with Sombra the night before. He hadn't said much after sharing his past, and neither had she as they walked calmly to their resting place.

But as she recalled what had happened after she had the nightmare, Twilight felt her face warm at the fact that he had helped her wake up and then calm down about what had happened.

She hid her face in the pillow and let out a small groan when she knew she wasn't going to be able to control her heartbeat. Less so when the thought of what he had done came back to her mind once more.

Okay, maybe she had to admit a little, just a little bit that he wasn't like other stallions she knew. And not just because of who he was, after all he had already shown her that he wasn't quite as she thought.

Twilight realized that he might be the kind of stallion that most mares would wish to dream of; of course, all that if it weren't for his background and the usual sarcastic and moody attitude that predominated most of the time in him.

But in spite of everything she could not deny that he had several things in his favor, counting the fact that he was quite competent with the fact that he had known how to guide them through all that place, he appreciated good literature just like her, he had supported her, very much in his own way but he had done it, he was quite attractive.

"Wait a minute"

Twilight backed away in her thoughts.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" She hid her face on the pillow again, grumbling inaudibly as she tried to ignore the nascent blush she was beginning to feel on her cheeks.

However, something told her that maybe she wasn't so wrong.

"Is what I thought really true?"

Twilight then sat up on the bed again. She soon found herself analyzing what her own mind had highlighted.

"Well, yeah...", She thought that maybe he even had some appeal.

Or maybe, actually... Those strong features, which enhanced his masculine face, that long dark mane, which invited her to slide her hooves while enjoying the softness of that fur that hid a firm and well-toned body. Or maybe his eyes, those pair of deep scarlet orbs that made her feel strange every time she looked into them, made him quite handsome.

Suddenly realizing what she was thinking, Twilight let out a quick squeal and covered her face with the nearby blankets, trying not to be aware of the deep blush she could feel warming her face and cheeks. Meanwhile, her rebellious heartbeat refused to slow down.

She knew, she knew very well that she couldn't begin to think about it right now, not while Spike was still captured and away from her. After they got him back, maybe she could sit down and analyze her feelings better.

Twilight was in that dilemma when the sound of movement beyond the door made her turn her ear in that direction. She quickly tried to get up, trotted to the door, and opened it just as Sombra was about to knock on it to announce his presence. In fact, he still kept his hoof up as he looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Oh, excuse me," Twilight murmured, a blush of embarrassment on her face, then went out into the hallway with him. "Don't worry, I'll be ready to go soon."

Sombra didn't mention anything at that, he just nodded and decided to say what he was coming for.

"I was actually coming to ask if the rest of your night was better than before," he said simply, without giving a glimpse of the slight anguish he really felt.

But Twilight was touched by the simple fact that he had cared enough to come and want to know for himself. Soon she felt another small blush appear on her cheeks.

"Yes, don't worry, I actually didn't even notice when I fell asleep again," she said with a calm smile. He seemed to relax a bit after listening to her.

"Okay, then I'm going to leave you to finish whatever you have to do," he replied later, as he made the pretense of returning to his room. "We'll meet in the big space you saw at the beginning, in an hour. I know you're not going to get lost."

Twilight shook her head with a smile and finally let him go. Meanwhile, she went back into her room.

She let out a broad sigh after doing so and leaned back in the doorway, trying to control her breathing gently to calm herself. At the time she didn't fully understand what was happening to her, but she figured she would eventually find out. For now, she would simply refocus on the other issues.

However, that topic was always going to be kept in a corner of her mind, waiting for it to resurface.

Chapter 31

"What are we going to do now, then? Because if I'm honest, sometimes I can't help but feel like it was all in vain."

No pony answered the question Rarity had asked. They couldn't, because deep down they also questioned the reason why they were still there. Her friends, those who were present at that moment, lowered their gaze and withdrew almost unconsciously into their own thoughts, perhaps in search of the answer that nothing and no one could give them at that moment.

It had been a while since Princess Celestia's powerful magic had found what they suspected was a crucial element in unraveling the mystery of Twilight and Spike's whereabouts. A place far from everything they knew, that was what they had found deep within the crystal mountains. An unknown cave full of crystals as strange as the same. A place where a powerful teleportation spell had been performed that not even the princess herself could be able to replicate exactly.

Something had happened in that place, without a doubt. Something that was definitely related to their friend and the little dragon.

And yet, as Rarity had said in her words, discovering that had led them to a dead end that could hardly be avoided. Still, none of them were willing to give up yet.

"Support them," Starlight whispered suddenly, an acclamation that caught the attention of the other girls. She shifted her gaze between them all, and a gleam of determination was seen within it. "For now that's what we can do, support the princesses and the prince in all their effort to rescue our friend and Spike."

Looking at each other with a determined expression, the other ponies agreed with a nod that reflected everything they felt at that moment. Then Fluttershy's soft voice was heard at the simple question she asked.

"Is it long before they come back, Starlight?"

Starlight acted as a denial in response. She knew what she meant: the return of the expeditionary team that had gone deep into the Crystal Mountain Range.

"The princess contacted them and informed them to return as soon as possible," she replied as she looked at her with a comforting expression. "So Applejack and Rainbow should arrive in a few hours."

The rest of the ponies accepted her words with a quiet nod, knowing that the only thing they could do at that moment was wait. Meanwhile, they all returned to continue with the tasks they had left halfway when the unicorn had called them, going in different directions of the Crystal Palace.

Starlight stayed in the middle of the room she was in again, waiting for Princess Celestia and her other friends to arrive. Several minutes later, the door opened again, and let the monarch's majestic presence in. The unicorn greeted her with a slight bow before rising.

"Please, Starlight, you know you don't need to do this," Celestia said with an affable smile as she gently wrapped her in her wing, then she broke away and walked to the table in the center of the room. Starlight followed her very close behind. "Well, as you may already know, the team we have sent to the mountain range managed to find the entrance to a deep cave where we found something very interesting."

Celestia then activated her magic and conjured the expansive holographic map that depicted the Crystal Empire. That vision quickly changed when, once again, the surrounding mountains were visualized as the main point of interest. Starlight paid attention to this and every word the princess began to say.

"It was shown that the magic I had performed on the spot remained, in part, a particular and recognizable signature," Celestia explained with a slight touch of emotion in her voice, which the unicorn soon noticed.

Starlight immediately turned her gaze to the princess when she realized what she had hinted at.

"So that means Twilight...?" She asked, feeling a little hope inside that she couldn't help.

"Yes," Celestia replied with a smile, sharing her excitement. "Now we're much closer to figuring out where she was taken along with Spike."

Suddenly, her gaze changed slightly and she was a little more somber and downcast.

"But unfortunately that's not all," she continued, letting out a sigh of regret and looking back at the map. "We could also notice the remnants of powerful dark magic that was executed in the chamber, and we think that can only mean one thing," Starlight knew immediately what she meant. "After all, Twilight had previously managed to find the King Sombra's horn."

The silence fell for a few seconds.

"Oh for... I just hope Twilight and Spike are okay wherever they are," Starlight whispered, looking down as she pulled a hoof to her chest, feeling the heartbreak for her friends. Then she looked at the princess again. "And in the end, what will happen to the other missing crystal ponies?"

Celestia didn't hold back the sigh that had been wanting to escape her lips. Without answering for a few seconds, she walked to the door of the room and stopped before opening it.

"I have to admit that this case is even more complicated than that of our friends, but there are many clues that point to the fact that they were all concentrated in the same place. But we will not give up their search for everything." Finally, she said goodbye with a friendly gesture. "Have a good afternoon, Starlight."

The pony watched as her monarch disappeared behind the door and left her alone in a room that only added to the feeling of worry that was inside her. Finally, she also decided to leave there and analyze everything the princess had said while walking through the long corridors of the palace in absolute tranquility.

She had to tell her friends, but she wouldn't until they were all together once again.

The air felt icy around him as he tried to move, causing immediate numbness that stiffened his limbs and creaked his joints as he tried to get up. He failed the first time, but he wasn't going to give up so easily.

Spike had no idea how much time had passed.

He had just woken up and all he could see with his enhanced dragon vision was the same damp and cold cell he had been left in. He was alone, in the darkest corner and away from the space where he had been confined. He hadn't even seen his captors since that first time, and he couldn't remember exactly what they looked like.

"Twilight..."

Spike tried to get up once more, knowing that no one would come to his aid. Her name had only escaped his mouth by reflex, like an unconscious instinct of his being to seek a little comfort. It didn't matter who it was.

He began to crawl slowly, feeling the weakness present in every muscle in his body. It had been so long since he had tasted a single bite that his stomach had already resigned itself to stop growling at him to get him to look for food. It had only survived thanks to the water that, apparently, dripped from a small notch in the wall.

His dragon body was sturdier than any average creature, that was true, but he was still a growing dragon. His energy needs were definitely subject to and dependent on a constant source of protein, but in the midst of that confinement there had been nothing.

He didn't know how much longer he could endure like that.

Finally, Spike reached the end of the barrier that separated him from the exit. Just one step further and he could get out, but he knew that wasn't going to be so easy.

Suddenly, a murmur very close to him alerted him to the presence of someone else who was in the cell in front of him. And then, when the creature encased in it moved, Spike was pleasantly surprised to realize that it was a pony, but not just anypony.

It was a crystal pony.

Spike couldn't believe his eyes. The stallion displayed the characteristic coloration in his coat that set him apart from the other pony breeds in Equestria, but much duller, as he had seen them the first time he had visited the Empire. But at that moment he could only wonder.

What the hell was a crystal pony doing in that place?

Against all odds, Spike tried to attract the attention of the fallen stallion who, like him, was lying very close to the invisible barrier that confined him. Fortunately, it seemed that his voice traveled beyond it.

"Sir...?" The pony blinked in wide confusion as he noticed the silhouette in front of him calling out to him in a strangely muffled voice. "Sir Spike?"

Several minutes after exchanging words, Spike managed to get into the context of what had happened. The pony showed no qualms about telling every detail of what he could remember.

"I was working on the outskirts of the Empire when I felt something, I have no idea what, begin to attract me, as if it had told me where to go." The pony frowned, and from his place Spike noticed it perfectly. "I couldn't resist and everything so that in the end I ended up being dragged away..."

"You have no idea what it was?" He asked without much hope, confirming it when the pony made a gesture of denial.

"Somehow I woke up alone in the middle of a forest," he murmured, and suddenly a heavy fear began to creep into his eyes. "Until those things found us."

"Us?" Spike couldn't help but point out that fact. "You mean more crystal ponies were brought in?"

The stallion looked at him with a deep discouragement in his eyes.

"Oh, Sir Spike, I don't know them, but I know I'm not the only pony."

Spike was about to say something else when a sensation stopped him.

"Shit..."

His scales bristled, his vision turned black, and all he could notice afterwards was an eerie silence that deafened his ears. Heavy and suffocating, that's how it felt.

And the next thing he heard was the scream.

"No..."

A deep scream, of fear and terror.

"No, no, no, no, please, no."

Of a deep dread that shook even the innermost part of him.

"No!"

A scream that had come from that pony for which he could do absolutely nothing.

"NO!!" He cried as he stood up in a way that was as sudden as it was painful.

Spike sat down in his place, very slowly. He felt confused, his heart racing, and, much more important than all that, helpless.

He had not been able to do anything.

"Just... it was just a nightmare," he said to himself to calm himself, like a poor consolation that never really came.

Because nothing could calm what he had felt and was still feeling.

"Twilight..."

For now, he was alone.

Completely alone.

Author's Note

Double update.

Merry Christmas.✨

Chapter 32

The dry leaves and branches around the road creaked slightly at the sharp passage of the hooves that opened with some difficulty through the undergrowth. The afternoon sunlight lightly illuminated that part of the dark forest, allowing Twilight and Sombra to continue on their way until night began to fall.

There was a strange but quiet silence that had prevailed around both of them, as if something had finally changed after everything that had happened in that place. After all that had been said.

Sombra led the way with a quiet step, feeling somewhat calm, as he had seldom done before. From time to time he would take quick glances at Twilight, who stood silently behind him, lost in her thought. He realized that she was only paying attention to the path because she could trust that he was leading them in the right direction.

He didn't quite know if that thought was right, but there was something, a voice inside him that told him that maybe that might be possible. It was enough for a discreet smile to show at the corners of his mouth.

Things between the two had changed a lot, for better or for worse.

However, there was still a long way to go, and Sombra was well aware of it. He turned his gaze back to the road once more, revealing nothing beyond his expression other than his typical serious countenance. Once again, he focused on the goal they eventually had to reach.

Twilight, on the other hoof, continued to be immersed in her thoughts for a while longer. Thoughts that, for the first time in her life, were not as focused as it really should be. Unable to help herself at the time, her mind was going back and forth on issues that she couldn't even define exactly. She felt as if something had stirred her mind, leaving her somewhat unprotected against the effects of the emotional feeling of her being.

And that wasn't something she liked very much.

Suddenly, Twilight let out a light sigh and shook her head to at least try to push away the strange mess of emotions that had been unleashed inside her. Once a little more relaxed, she turned her gaze back to the road and to the stallion that was waiting for her with a slight eyebrow arched some distance from her.

"At what moment...?" She whispered with some confusion.

Suddenly she realized that she had been so immersed in her thoughts that she did not realize the moment in which she had been left behind. Seconds later she reacted and hurried back to him. She flashed a slight nervous smile as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry about that," she said with a little embarrassment. "Sometimes I can't help but do it, but usually this doesn't happen to me," she explained after noticing his attentive and inquisitive expression, with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

Sombra stared at her for a few more seconds before nodding simply, and continuing on his way. Twilight stayed by his side as they walked, once again not knowing how to feel.

He hadn't spoken much since he'd said those words about his past, since he'd opened up a little more with her. It had been several days since they had left that place, while they were following the path previously marked out on that old map they had both found, and neither of them had mentioned much about that subject again. They only spoke when necessary, and always related to other trivial issues regarding their route.

Twilight didn't want to pressure him to open up again like he had before, she just decided to give him his space to reflect and thus calm the thoughts in his mind little by little. She was sure that what she had done was something as new and unusual as the strange feeling that was inside her. That strange feeling that confused her more than she really wanted to admit.

With a slight movement, Twilight shook her head again so as not to concentrate on that thought again and just returned her eyes to the road.

Sombra, on the other hoof, couldn't help but notice how she seemed to stir with a slight awkwardness next to him. At first he had tried not to make such a big deal out of it, but now that he was much more aware of what she really meant to him, he knew he could no longer feel indifferent to her state. Not because he didn't want to, but because there was simply something that prevented him from being oblivious to everything that was happening to her.

"Is something wrong, Twilight?" He asked in a calm voice, looking back at her.

"Huh? What?" She looked at him again with a bit of confusion, her eyelids gave a couple of quick blinks while waiting for him to explain the reason for his words.

Sombra hid the true sense of inner amusement she had generated behind the slight smile that formed on his features. Then he proceeded to clarify what he had wanted to ask in a more leisurely and patient tone than usual.

"I notice you are a little uneasy, I thought that maybe you had something to say, or that you had felt something strange in the environment, perhaps some presentiment that I have not yet noticed, wherefore I ask," he said simply and leaned a little more towards her, lowering his voice. "Is my guess correct, princess?"

Twilight didn't really know why it was, whether it was because of his closeness, maybe because of his tone of voice, or because he mentioned her title in such a peculiar way for her, but soon she felt a sudden, slight warmth begin to rise to her cheeks and she couldn't do anything about it. All she could do was look away and nod slightly, as she let out the sigh she'd been holding back.

She knew she needed to be honest with herself. She still didn't want to bother him with the erratic thoughts that populated her mind, not now that he had been more assertive than on all his previous occasions. She simply needed to clear them up, these and whatever was inside her, before taking any irreversible steps that would inevitably make them uncomfortable.

But for now, she could answer his question without needing to see how her feelings were also involved.

"I could say yes," she replied in a certain hesitant tone, then straightened up and cleared her throat shortly. "There's just something..." she murmured with a slight frown, unable to ignore the feeling that had crept around her before. "I feel a little cold in the air that doesn't feel quite right."

Suddenly, Sombra's gaze became stern when he heard her say that. It wasn't directed at her, but at the fact that he couldn't ignore as he watched the sky begin to darken. Night would soon fall, and that wasn't a very good thing.

"Fine, then we'd better stop for today," he said as he stopped in the middle of a slightly open area, a small clearing he'd noticed. The last thing he said came out in a murmur from his mouth that she couldn't hear. "Before they decide to show up."

Twilight looked at him again, this time with a serious expression, and nodded. She knew very well what he meant when she saw how his expression changed and muttered something that she had not been able to hear, but that she could perfectly intuit anyway what it was about.

Ever since they had left that kind of ancient temple, days ago, every night without fail they were stalked by a dark presence that in one way or another was impossible for them to ignore. She had not yet been able to see them, hidden as they were in the middle of the night by the forest around them, but the oppressive feeling they caused in her being was one she had unfortunately experienced before.

They could both feel these creatures of darkness and shadow following them from a distance, getting closer and closer as their path took them toward the center of the island, as if in some strange and twisted way they were aware or sensed what they were really looking for.

A shiver suddenly rose up Twilight's spine, unexpected but at the same time too annoying for her to decide to pay attention to it again. It had been the same in all those past days, always at the same hour, when dusk fell.

In an attempt to overcome that recent sensation, Twilight decided to distract her mind from other, more pressing issues. Several minutes later she began to execute the proper protection spells along with the force field around the small clearing. It really was a welcome dose of good luck that her magic was recovering more and more as they moved deeper into the island, in the direction of its center. It didn't matter that it was at a slow but steady pace, it was still a feeling she had truly missed, one that was as familiar as it was comforting.

At least, Twilight knew she could trust that the barrier created by her magic would keep those creatures at bay and far enough away, just as Sombra had explained to her the first night they spent it out in the open after leaving the place. As she had understood from the stallion's words, any protection invoked by light magic, especially her alicorn magic, helped repel them. At the same time, however, they were attracted to the natural darkness that lay within his own being.

Neither of them could do anything about the latter. Just hope that the force field would be stronger than everything else. And for the moment, they could trust that it would.

A few minutes later, her task finally completed, Twilight retraced her steps and turned back to where Sombra sat in silence. Their little resting space had already been arranged by him, and she soon lay down in the same way in front of the comforting warmth of the fire as she heaved a broad sigh of relief. Little by little, she began to feel her body relax.

Soon, the sky above their heads darkened even more, giving way to the starry mantle of night. Both settled in their respective resting places while that happened. However, before either of them could close their eyes and relax completely, a strange and much more intense sensation than usual alerted them that something was not right in the environment.

Nothing felt right around them.

Twilight frowned as another unexpected chill ruffled the fur on her back and back of her neck. She raised her head quickly and turned to Sombra, only to realize that he seemed to have felt the same too. The countenance of his face had become more severe than usual.

"Could it be...?" She hinted uncertainly, her voice coming out in a worried nuance that she couldn't help while looking at him.

Sombra didn't respond immediately. He merely gave a slight nod, several seconds later, and ended up muttering in a deep tone that enclosed the warning behind it.

"They are watching us."

Suddenly, his gaze was directed in a certain direction, to some point beyond the tree line. His expression changed again, and Twilight soon realized it. Although it wasn't addressed to her, something made her feel slightly uncomfortable when she noticed the cold menace that could be seen inside that pair of crimson eyes with narrow, dark pupils.

Twilight shrank slightly in place as she tried to shake off that feeling, ignoring for a moment that Sombra had stayed too still in place. Something about that alerted her and made her immediately turn her gaze to that exact place he was observing. That's when she saw it. She couldn't stop her heart from starting to beat with a force she had never felt before.

However, it was not of emotion.

It was of fear.

"Damn," she murmured, her brow frowning once more, without taking her eyes off the spot.

Her whole body was unconsciously put on alert, ready to face the possible threat that was shown before her. Her wings were half-spread and her ears had been pulled back at the subtle danger that had appeared so suddenly for both of them.

There, behind the pink magic of the barrier, in the distance but still recognizable, the eerie crimson glow that these beings seemed to have as eyes could be seen. Twilight had no idea exactly how many of those creatures were involved, but she didn't really need to know either.

Suddenly, Sombra's voice distracted her for a second from her observation.

"No matter how many there really are, in the end they won't be able to pass," she heard him say in a calm tone, and it was almost as if he had read her mind. She turned to him once more, a slight eyebrow raised across her face, but in time to see him nod in her direction. "The force field supports it, as I told you, so here we will be safe for now."

Twilight, however, couldn't help but bite her lip worriedly.

"I'm really a little worried that 'for now,'" she admitted with a slight frown, looking away for a second again. "How long do it take us to get to that place you said?"

Sombra was silent for a couple of seconds, in which he seemed to be thinking about something she couldn't yet define.

"A couple more days as long as we continue with this same step," he replied simply and let out a brief, somewhat tired sigh.

Twilight nodded again and moved to stay close to him, not taking her eyes off that direction. At that moment she could no longer see anything, no red dots that indicated that they were still there. She didn't know how to define later if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, she still couldn't help but stay alert, and in the end, it took several minutes before she started to relax.

"Well... I guess that's all right," she replied to the stallion's words with a sigh that betrayed some of the relief she felt. Suddenly, the memory of something important that might be useful to her came to her mind without warning, and she ended up showing a light smile because of it. "That means that the faster we get to that place, the faster you can teach me that spell that allows me to use the powers of the lily consciously. Maybe it'll be convenient for us later at a time when I need to increase my magic."

After hearing her words, Sombra nodded and looked at where the alicorn was keeping her bag on one side. Now that he was fully aware of its existence, he could feel the core of his magic react to the flower's warm and calm presence as it had never done before.

Somehow, he still couldn't believe that he hadn't been able to recognize it before.

"I just hope time and stuff allow us," he muttered under his breath, looking sideways for a couple of seconds.

Twilight couldn't help noticing it, just as she couldn't help but say the question that had been on her mind for days. Still, she tried to bite her lip to curb that curiosity. She still didn't know if he could answer that, but it was useless for her to remain silent just because of that assumption.

"By the way, before, when we were in that place, you told me that yours and those things didn't get along, because of their very nature, but that they still formed a kind of balance between the two of them," she said as she recalled the conversation they had had earlier, putting a hoof under her chin. "I don't know why, but I feel like you meant that they were like the guardians who kept those creatures from getting out of here. Or were they something more than I imagine?"

There were a few seconds of silence between the two of them while Sombra found an answer to her question, the crackling of the fire was the only thing that could be heard at that moment. Then he spoke again just as the atmosphere seemed to get colder.

"Well, you're right, you might say they were really much more than that," he confessed in a calm voice. "As you know, because these things feed on the magic of any creature through the dreams they induce, or in this case nightmares, what my species did was to prevent them from devouring without any control all the ponies that existed on this island at that time; after all these have always been their easiest prey, as you could see that time when we passed through that village."

Twilight remembered that time again. She remembered it perfectly, so she couldn't help but let a slight grimace of displeasure twist her expression when she heard the confirmation of her words. But there was one question that immediately assailed her mind.

"Then, if it really was that..." she whispered slowly as her brow frowned a little, in a somewhat more thoughtful expression. "What was it that stopped them from doing that once they left here?"

Sombra stared at her for a few moments when he heard her question, causing a somewhat inexplicable sensation to lodge inside Twilight as it met her eyes. She couldn't help but stir with a little awkwardness in place as she watched him.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted, looking away for a moment. Still, he could feel the slight sigh of relief she seemed to emit, "but I suppose they must have done something to make sure they kept them at bay, even if they weren't there. "he replied in a nonchalant tone; then he looked back in her direction once more. "Unfortunately, I was the only one who was allowed to return to this place while I was in training to consummate that revenge, and at that time I had not been interested in knowing more than I had been told at first. In my naivety, I didn't think it was really necessary."

Twilight listened calmly to those words, and finally nodded her head one last. Without saying much more, she looked down at her hooves and in the following minutes she dedicated herself to sinking into her thoughts and analyzing all that information in more detail.

It made sense that these creatures would almost always go after the ponies, the weakest prey. Although they appeared to be nothing more than monsters, it was obvious that they possessed an intelligence comparable to any being on Equestria, or on that same island, with reason. But with respect to the others... She still didn't quite know what to think about.

What serious conflict could they have had with the ruler and the habitants of the Crystal Empire that they were practically annihilated?

Twilight felt that there was still something more to that whole story that she really needed to unravel, but she didn't want to pressure Sombra into saying more than he had already said. For now she had to admit that that had been enough. After all, he had told her, even he didn't fully know what had happened.

Sombra looked at her again and, without expecting it from himself, let out a light, tired sigh as he realized that she was once again in an introspective moment with herself, probably going over every detail of what she knew so far.

Against all odds, he felt the need to add something else that he hadn't mentioned until now.

"You may not believe me," he began slowly again, and she turned to look at him with interest, "but there was a time when even a single umbrum could face a dozen of these monsters and emerge victorious too."

Twilight was a little more surprised by what he had just said. She couldn't help it. Even more so when she realized the fact that he could do it too.

"But if you're one of them..." She pointed to the obvious that was in front of her. "Wouldn't it be easy to get rid of an attack of such things?"

However, despite what she had just said, Twilight also had the thought that there was something else that prevented that from being possible. Sombra soon proved it, nodding and leaning a little closer to her.

"It's not that easy really, as I know you can imagine," he admitted with an exhausted exhale and closed his eyes again, reflecting a part of the weariness that was inside him. "It has been more than a thousand years since the last of my species set foot in this place. Although time here passes in unknown ways, things do not remain static. By this I mean that, apparently, they have become stronger as the moons go by."

It didn't take long for Twilight to stress the importance of everything she'd said, but in the end there was something that caught her attention much more strongly, and it made her feel like there was something wrong with it.

"What do you mean by 'time passes in unknown ways'?" Suddenly, a heavy certainty began to creep into his mind. "Isn't it the same as in the outside world?"

The look of uncertainty that Sombra had noticed in Twilight's eyes after opening his eyes again reminded him that there were still things he needed to clarify. And this one in particular was a very important one.

"Hmm no, it's not quite like that," he replied with a slight shrug of the shoulders, as if in fact that fact wasn't something too important. "In the past, no matter how many umbrums were in this place at the same time, the time in relation to the outside world could be the same, fall one month behind a year, or the opposite in reality."

Then he went silent again, and Twilight couldn't help but be taken aback to see that he simply didn't plan to say anything else. The silence had crept back between them after his words, but this time it was not a reflective silence, no. Quite the opposite.

Then, slowly, Twilight began to slowly say the question her mind had just fallen into.

"Then... that means that if we've only been here for a pair of months..." she hinted, slowly, and turned her gaze in his direction very slowly. "Has it been more than a year outside?"

Foreseeing what was going to happen upon seeing her erratic expression, Sombra made an attempt to get her attention immediately.

"Twilight..."

But she didn't listen to him.

"Ahh! But how can that be possible!? I'll pretty much still be a year younger when we get out and I didn't even know it!"

Ignoring everything around her, the alicorn began to walk around the small clearing while immersed in her little emotional crisis. Meanwhile, the stallion continued to make the attempt to get her attention.

"Twilight."

"I know that doesn't make much difference since I'll still be the youngest of the seven, counting Starlight, but it's still strange! In addition...!"

"Twilight!"

She stopped her external monologue at the moment when her ears could be better positioned to hear Sombra's voice, somehow managing to calm down. She immediately fell sitting on her hindlegs.

He, taking advantage of the fact that she had finally stood still, approached carefully and and sat right in front of her.

"Listen to me," he said, and put his helmets on her shoulders. "You won't have any age change or be that younger than all your friends when we go out. Do you want to know why?"

Twilight nodded stiffly to his question. The closeness of their bodies didn't help much with her nerves and even less when he leaned over more, looking her straight in the eyes. In spite of everything, she saw something in them, although she did not know how to define what.

Sombra began to speak again in a low tone.

"Because as long as I'm here, that won't happen."

Twilight moved a little farther away the moment he said those words. After all, she couldn't let him see the small blush she'd felt appear on her cheeks after that.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked in a slight stutter as she gently rubbed her nose.

Sombra walked away completely, sitting next to her as he looked back at her. Twilight raised her head once more and returned hers. Seeing that she was now giving him her full attention, he began to speak.

"Although I could never tell any pony of my race, I realized long ago that our own presence alone has the capacity to cause quite drastic changes in the way time passes in this place," he explained in a deep and calm tone, avoiding any possible startle. "After experiencing it for myself, I discovered that even the permanence of a single Umbrum was necessary for the passing of the moons to occur much more quickly than in the outside world."

Twilight soon understood what he meant. And one way or another, she was quite surprised when she did.

"You're trying to tell me... That if you're here, time contracts?" She asked in doubt, feeling a little more surprised when he answered her with a simple gesture of assent; but she still needed to clarify it completely. "But you had told me that this could be random, that even if there were more of your kind, time could become slower or faster compared to the outside without anypony to intervene."

Sombra tilted his head slightly, as if he was thinking of a better answer to give her.

"Everything I told you is true," he said, "but what I also mean is that time, in our presence, tends more to contract than to dilate, or, in other words, to become faster," he clarified, smiling at Twilight's slightly gaping expression. "That is why when they disappeared and did not return, there was nothing to prevent the slow passage of the years again compared to the outside world."

"Which suggests that now that you're here the process is reversed," Twilight added, waiting for Sombra's confirmation, indeed, to give her.

"It seems so," he said in a low, simple tone.

Finally, with some weariness in her voice, Twilight replied to his words as she began to settle into place.

"It's okay," she whispered and rested her head between her crossed forelegs. "Then I just hope that when we get out of here there hasn't been such a drastic change from that..." A soft yawn escaped her mouth. "I really hope so."

Letting out one last gasp of tiredness, Twilight stretched out her hind legs, adjusted her body, and finally closed her eyes to take her well-deserved rest. Sombra watched her all the time without saying anything else, knowing that for now, in reality, there was nothing more to say.

After letting out one last breath, he turned his gaze once more to that point. They were gone, but their oppressive presence still lingered in the air, menacing and subtle. And in the face of this, he simply couldn't let his guard down.

Sombra settled into his place, similar to what Twilight had done, but he did not close his eyes. It was going to take him a long time to fall asleep, at least until he was sure that the danger had passed... for now.

Twilight calmly looked at the snow that had accumulated on the side of the road. However, in addition to being immersed in that quiet observation, there was also a lot of scientific curiosity stored inside her that made her want to go and investigate that strange climate further.

Because this time neither of them was on the top of a very high mountain, nor by chance of life had winter come to that place, as Sombra had explained to her when she had had a chance to ask him, so it remained partly a mystery. Because of this, she felt compelled to go, find out the unexplained cause of it, and determine how the wild magic of the forest that she had previously felt had an influence.

However, that had to wait for now.

Twilight looked away from the road and went to where the stallion was waiting for her. She stopped next to him, right at the entrance to a large clearing, taking in the sight of ruins destroyed by nature.

A place that, even though it had been abandoned long ago, still retained a good part of the magic that its habitants had impregnated in every house, every rock and every forgotten and ruined corner.

And she could feel it perfectly.

Author's Note

Sorry to disappear for so long.

I will return as long as inspiration reaches me and the block allows me to.

I hope you enjoyed it.