//------------------------------//
// Chapter 33: Those Who Always Remain 
// Story: Favorable Alignment 
// by Ice Star 
//------------------------------//


Luna:


The late dawn's light illuminates the thick layer of rolling white clouds that the Sky Scraper slowly drifts above the shores of the Germane village of Ponemünde. My coat was still damp from my morning flight and I had transformed my necklace into a light winter scarf, with a shade of green most pleasing to the eyes. Especially to Sombra, who appeared to quite like the color.

I landed with ease on the Sky Scraper's deck for what would likely be the last time for the few days we were likely to spend in Ponemünde resting and gathering information. Sombra was sitting on the deck, his back to the navigation system and his eyes knowing my steps before I had even taken them. A cup of coffee was grasped in his magic, no doubt almost empty. He had transformed his cloak into a long coat that managed to hide most of his unmarked flank. Two packed saddle bags were at his side, neither having any interesting patterns. I could see he had cut off the onyx-stone fasteners and sewed plain buttons in their place. A glass bottle with faint, glowing runes on its clean surface rested next to him. It was empty.

"What did you gather?"

"The docks are mostly empty," I replied, "we should have no trouble with any of the town's inhabitants if we dock now. While no land outside of Equestria celebrates Hearth's Warming, many Equestrian tourists appear to have made their way to this little village for a vacation spot. We'll blend right in once we complete our disguises."

Sombra nodded. "The idea of having to pass myself off as a pony who lacks any cultural appreciation, taste, or navigation skills isn't something I look forward to, but the extra lack of difficulty in blending in? It's almost a shame how easy it is to do this. Changelings can hardly get anywhere when there's spells to detect them, and yet ponies who don't want to be found can sometimes manage to slip into further obscurity than they."

Sombra's wry smile tells me that 'shame' part is far from true, and this is something he enjoys. "What is the extent of your ability to make disguises? I'll gladly lend a hoof where your ability might falter."

Reaching behind him, Sombra abruptly pulls the lever to stop the Sky Scraper's flight and leave it drifting in the air, as planned. He teleports his cup, now empty of coffee back to the ship's storage of dinnerware.

"I can't change features completely, but I can blur them and alter them a bit. Anything that is drastically different from a pony's existing features I can't make, though I can certainly pass as any number of non-existent individuals with the skill that I do have. I can change my voice with some skill even though nopony recognizes my voice anyway, so I usually don't. Changing colors isn't hard and I can conceal wings and horns - but I can't make them. It's not too hard to make a pony appear a bit shorter. I can't make ponies taller or their build much heavier - if needed I can round their build out to something else. That's about it."

I clapped my forehooves together with excitement and sat down next to him. "That is splendid, Sombra! With our skills combined, we'll be able to go unnoticed entirely. All we need to do is hide our flanks-"

"I could make us both fake marks," Sombra interjects, giving me an enigmatic look when he sees my baffled expression.

"How?"

"Dark magic allows me to create many fake marks for myself and never have one of my own. It won't have any power or meaning other than whatever you say it has. They also only last about a week before I need to recast the spell again so-" He ends his statement with a shrug.

I laughed. "What about your skill as an artist, hmm? Won't they turn out terrible if you lack the ability to design?"

"I don't need any artistic skill for it to work; I only need to be able to envision them clearly," Sombra says, rising from the deck's floor and walking over to the ship's rail. The empty bottle - it was really more of a jug, I suppose - floats in his magic's grasp and he looks out at the sea of clouds, where a town lies right below. He gives a heavy sigh and runs a hoof through his windswept mane, the metal buttons on the sleeve of his long coat shining in the morning sun's light.

"It's Hearth's Warming Eve." His voice was distant and troubled and now I knew that something must have been bothering him this morning. When I woke him up, I had simply mentioned the date and just like that he had spoken to me as little as possible. I didn't want to pry - he might just be thinking about something important - but now I knew otherwise...

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"For you, there most certainly is." Why isn't he looking at me?

"Sombra?" There - I saw his ears flick; I know he's aware of how concerned I am.

"I don't give a damn about your silly kingdom's birthday, Luna. This day has never had a meaning to me at all but... I know that ponies like to spend this day with their family-"

"They don't have to."

"If you're like me and you don't have a family, then yes. Or maybe your family is horrible. Or maybe you don't care. Luna, I know that despite what has happened between you and your sister, you still love her. I can't pretend to understand why. Yet on a day like today, even if it is only the eve before Hearth's Warming, I'm the last pony you would want to spend today and tomorrow with."

"That's-"

"You should be with your sister, not with me!" I can see Sombra's jaw set with a scowl even if his back is mostly turned to me. "You matter to me and she matters to you, and instead of spending this time with that mare, you've been stuck with me! You're stuck with me in an entirely different hemisphere and-"

I fly to Sombra's side before he can finish and wrap him in a warm hug. "Celestia will be fine without me, Sombra. There are many ponies who adore her and will be able to brighten her spirits without me. Seeing the moon rise and set each dusk and dawn should be enough consolation for her that I am not in poor condition. Had I lingered in Canterlot, I would have had a rather dreary holiday knowing that something could be done about the dire presence we have discovered and would still privately being trying to lift my poor spirits to no avail at all-"

"But Luna-"

"Shh, please just listen. What would have happened if I had stayed? I would be guilt-ridden and worried for a family I had made no attempt to seek, even when I finally had a chance! Worst of all... I would have never met you."

Sombra finally leans into the embrace. "I know you're not just saying that but... I still have to ask why? Why do I matter so much to you that you wouldn't long for Canterlot, where I'm sure you would be far happier?"

I tilt his muzzle up to meet mine in a kiss. "A long, long time ago there was a little filly who traveled the world with her lost sister in search of her parents. While her sister longed for them to be happy and reunited safe at the castle home they had left, the littlest filly came to learn with each wonder she saw that all the world was her home, the stars her roof. As long as that little filly could still see the stars she would always be home."

I pause to give Sombra a second kiss. He looks positively entranced by the tale I spin, nodding faintly for me to go on.

"When that little filly grew up she still sought the family that had been taken from her so they could see the mare that she and her sister had become. She still had hope that they could be found and she was joined by the most intelligent, brave, thoughtful pony she had ever met... a long while into their journey the young mare wrote to her niece about how much she loved every moment spent with this arrogant, endearing fellow and her niece wrote back about the holiday she would miss. That's when the young mare knew that she wanted to spend that day with her..."

My second, briefer pause was simply to think of what to properly call Sombra. 

"...beloved companion, and see his face when he got to spend that day with her too."

I conclude my tale by giving Sombra the third kiss he has always wanted and a smile meant only to reassure him, however lucid he looked, his attention was drawn elsewhere as he looked me straight in the eye.

"Really?"

I nod and watch him smirk - a splendid, arrogant smirk that tells me he shall be enjoying our time together as well. With that, he places the jug in my forehooves and gives me a brief kiss before standing on the Sky Scraper's rail. After another second, he leaps off, shifting to shadow at the last second. Once he's gone I grasp the jug tighter, enclose all of the ship in my magic, flare my wings, and follow him.



...



The streets of Ponemünde's center were bustling with the odd mix of usual residents and festively garbed tourists who trotted in groups among the warm, sunny town square. Most of the buildings would have looked at home in a more wintery setting, like the picturesque towns on many Hearth's Warming cards with their homely brick and stone buildings. A few ponies had strung up a humble amount of garlands between shops and placed a few wreaths or sprigs of holly in doors and windows.

Around us, ponies conversed in a variety of languages, most notably Germane and Equestrian, although a poor variety of Germane that no doubt was spoken by many tourists who came to view the more stately buildings of stone on their holiday retreats.

Next to me, Sombra snickered at their various errors. He hadn't altered any of his features, mostly since he wasn't very recognizable to anypony who didn't know him better but because he was also frustrated for me making him adopt a light colored mane of silvery hue that he had protested greatly, claiming it made him look far too old. I had eventually relented and let him adopt a light chestnut color for his mane, but he still detested the color. I do admit that he was more handsome with his dark mane and coat, but I wouldn't tell him that. His smirk - which had become a rather rare occurrence since we departed the Sky Scraper - was still noticeable against his white coat and he was still Sombra, which is what truly mattered to me.

And whether he was disguised or not, without any true alterations he was still quite a handsome stallion. Yes, he may have been the more recognizable of us - which was an exaggeration since light colors did wonders for that. He hadn't given up his horn, though it no longer looked like a demon's. His mark, however fake, was still something so completely Sombra: a dancing flame of some indeterminate blend of fantastic colors reminiscent of what we had seen on the beach of our battle together bent into the shape of a spade. But then again, who was to know that this was Sombra? He really was an enigma to all but me, I imagine, and even then he still had his moments of mystery.

But now, he walked along the cobbled streets of Ponemünde with a swishing trench coat and a glass jug, now filled with a suspended Sky Scraper shrunk beyond all recognition to anypony but us, peeking out of his saddle bags. Arrogant green eyes eyed the red apple he had lifted from an open air fruit stand. I had almost protested this, but we had no bits to pay for anything and it was just one apple. He was cutting it into slices as we walked away from the busiest parts of town, and with Fate turned into a rather elegant switchblade, no less. The blue-white pearl that was the pommel shone with a soft glow if I looked at it too carefully, signifying where he had skillfully attached his pocket realm this morning.

Sombra - or Fire Cracker, as he was to be called when other ponies were near - stopped for a moment and nudged me on the wither. I looked up to him - something I had to now that I was drastically shorter than him and he had refused to even create the illusion of shedding any of his height - and saw him offering me a slice of his late breakfast. I gratefully accepted with my hoof. I had neither horn nor wings in this disguise, since if Tia was to look over any records of ponies coming and going to places, she would start to look for suspicious unicorns first. When her and I needed disguises, I always preferred to stay a unicorn while Celestia opted to be a pegasus, loving flight far too much to give it up, on the other hoof, I quietly detested the light frames of being a pegasus and the sense of detachment from being a being of the sky.

My disguise was that of a thin, petite earth pony mare who was of the age I would be if I were mortal: nineteen. My dark blue coat was now a rather depth-less creamy gold-tan. I couldn't let my obvious love of rich colors be a silent giveaway to my sister. My mane and tail had to follow this rule as well, and I ended up making them pale sea green streaked with shades of a shade of blue so pale it was almost white. I paused to re-knot my scarf with a hoof and look at the mark that Sombra had given me: the swirling outline of nondescript leaves.

"What's my name going to be?" I whispered to Sombra after swallowing the apple slice. I had begun to reach for another, but Sombra smacked my hoof away and popped another slice into his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.

"You can't think of anything?"

"No, unfortunately. The mark you gave me is rather vague."

"There's no time to redo it." Another slice of apple was granted no mercy from his fangs, however Sombra did pause and offer me another.

"Thank you," I mumbled before looking away from a tourist who wandered too close and only speaking again once the obviously lost mare had passed. "But I'm afraid to ask you for suggestions since-"

"Spearmint."

"What?"

"That's your name now."

"Pardon? Is that not a kind of chewing gum?"

"It's my favorite kind of chewing gum, to be precise."

Sombra looked at me triumphantly and I glared back. "Are you serious?"

Sombra answered by reaching into the saddle bag that was not cluttered with the Sky Scraper and pulled out a tawny and calico bundle of fur with a collar of purple, orange, and yellow in a scale-like pattern. He places the kitten on his head where the now soft-furred creature stares down at me with deep brown eyes.

"What do you think, Fish? Doesn't she look like a Spearmint to you?"

"I regret ever teaching you to turn Fish into a cat."

He looks up at the kitten's sleepy stare, his magic gently caressing his tiny ears. "Oh? What's that? You agree with me? Well then, that's two votes for Spearmint."

Sombra gives me the smuggest of all smug smiles.

"Maybe I should have turned you into a cat," I hiss at Sombra.

"If you don't accept Spearmint, I'll call you Minty."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Sombra levitates Fish directly in front of me. "Would you really say no to this face?"

Fish reaches out a paw - cautiously - at first and bats my muzzle.

"I-I-"

"Admit defeat?" Sombra teases.

"Never!"

"I don't know, Minty, that doesn't sound very resilient to me."

"Don't you dare go on!"

"Admit defeat," Sombra says simply, before placing Fish on his back.

"No."

Sombra places a kiss on my muzzle and a ray of sunlight on a window behind him illuminates his mane so perfectly-

"Fine. I'll be Spearmint for today."

Sombra withdraws his sword-turned-knife and the rest of the apple from his saddle bags, giving me the last slice before we continue to make our way down the streets of Ponemünde, which gradually become less crowded as we stray further and further from the town center.

When I won't stop petting Fish, Sombra places the creature back into the saddle bag that has replaced the water bubble he had called home.

Part of the plan was that we find an inn as far away from the docks and town square, mostly so Sombra would be comfortable sleeping and eating somewhere where there wouldn't be many ponies, and so we could go unnoticed easier by selecting the inn with the fewest patrons. Our story was going to be that we were a couple of Equestrian mercenaries who had stopped to celebrate a Hearth's Warming away from home, so we hadn't heard all of the news about the missing Princess Luna. It was a very likely story. Sombra and I had even spotted a few other mercenaries in town, their spellbooks and swords peeking out of saddlebags, and folded maps poking out of front coat pockets like a gentlecolt's kerchief - or Fish's tail out of Sombra's saddlebag.

Those sorts would no doubt be asking questions of all kinds to the townsponies and innkeepers in order to catch up on any news they missed on their travels. While I would appear rather unassuming - my fake 'profession' was not likely to be guessed were I to enter any location solo - Sombra would have no trouble getting ponies to believe he was a mercenary. In fact, he might not even have to say he was. His well-packed saddlebags, roguish demeanor, enchanted weapon, skill at reading ponies, and lack of any conforming accent would help him greatly. 

The only worry would be if he spoke too much. He did have a few speaking habits that were exclusive to the crystal ponies, which might accidentally be revealed in conversation if he wasn't careful to suppress what little Crystalline accent he had managed to pick up. One odd pronunciation of 'about' and ponies would instantly become suspicious...



...



On the the northern edge of Ponemünde there was an inn and bar in called Der Sternschnuppe, as its sign proudly stated. It was a small, almost unadorned, and out of the way establishment that looked to have no need for frills beyond the swirling astral patterns carved into the wooden sign that swung quietly every now and then. The lack of cheerful songs echoing from within and the closed windows that lacked even the simplest wreath made the silent building of plain gray stone, overshadowed by a neighboring building, have an air of unfriendliness.

"What do you think?"

I looked up at Sombra, smiling gently at him. "It looks cozy."

"I was referring to the name - it's called The Shooting Star." He nods to the sign. "Don't you know any Germane?"

"No, I'm afraid not. How about you; do you speak any Germane?"

"Kein Wort."

"A translation, if you will?"

Sombra took a few steps close to the door and gripped the handle in his magic. "It means 'Not a word'. I imagine that I'll have to be using the translation spell I know whenever you need to talk to somepony."

"It is hardly my fault that the last opportunity I had to hear a bit of Germane spoken was at a summit I skipped over a thousand years ago, before this country even had half the land it now claims."

Sombra blinked. "Why did you skip a summit?"

"There was a sudden dragon attack at a nearby city. As expected, the ponies of that day and age had little idea how to properly deal with dragons."

"Your subjects are imbeciles."

"Thank you, Sombra." I reached up and petted his wither sweetly. "Now, may we get something to eat? I'm famished."

Sombra nodded and opened the door of Der Sternschnuppe. If we were to eat anything or sleep anywhere at all, he was either going to have to beat somepony at a few games of cards, or we were going to have to barter something.



...



When Sombra and I stepped inside Der Sternschnuppe, we were not greeted with any sound except for the quiet melody of shuffling hooves and clinking glass, both of which did little to fill the comfortable silence in the air. The location was bound to be such a cause for low patronage since I saw four ponies other than myself and Sombra. 

The first was a unicorn mare who sat at  a table in the corner, sipping an ale. She looked to be about five years older than Sombra, her blonde mane already streaked with premature gray that she didn't bother to hide. A broadsword lay against the rear of her chair and an unfurled map lay in front of her, weighted down by a coin purse and a lantern holding a floating werelight. Her eyes held a competitive look that drifted past me. She did not see that though I was unassuming in this form, I carried more experience than she could gain in ten lifetimes. She gave Sombra a challenging look, her eyes as brown as the wood-paneled walls coming to rest on him. He shot her a curt, dismissive glare that caused the mare to swallow suddenly, her rear hooves knocking a piece of armor that lay on the floor beside her.

Sombra smirked, though his gesture was cold and arrogant, I still admired it. The mare finally nodded to Sombra and went back to her drink.

I felt Sombra's forehoof nudge my wither and looked up to him. "You go talk to the innkeeper; she's bound to know a few languages other than Germane, if this is the kind of place I think it is. See if you can find out any news and the prices of food and a place to stay."

I looked over to the chubby pegasus mare polishing a fine silver tankard. She looked exactly like somepony's cookie-baking mother, if it weren't for the gleaming set of wingblades mounted on the wall behind her. Such blades that could only be hers, for she carried herself like one who had fought before, and the same blades marked her flank. Her faded lilac mane, despite being tied up in a cheerful bandana, was still cut short and meticulously arranged so not a single strand escaped, as any good soldier would do. She looked like a nice mare that wouldn't be a bother to chit-chat with.

"What about you? What shall you do?"

Sombra inclined his head ever so slightly to the center table, illuminated by a few of the modern lights in the large center hall, their enchanted bulbs shining brightly where the evening sunlight failed to make its way past the tightly closed shutters.

At the table sat a peaceful looking earth pony mare with an average build wearing a ruffled dress of flowing spring green. A pink sun hat hid all her face, except for a tranquil looking smile. Beside her, a few brochures were neatly stacked on what might have been a menu and cards were clutched in her forehoof. The smell of too much expensive perfume wafted by Sombra and I. Sombra cringed slightly at the scent, but made no remark.

The mare turned to look at us, smiling amiably and offering a quick hello - in the Prancian tongue, no less - before returning to her game.

"She's either a tourist or a novice, gaily dressed spy," Sombra muttered, but his eyes were on the second pony: a burly pegasus stallion with an over-styled mane of dull gold and a pale orange coat. He was the sort of pony who fancied himself to be like Sombra - intelligent, powerful, dashing, well-spoken, and charismatic - when they were really far more like Starswirl in nature, having only coarse words to speak, 'humor' appreciated by none, and a roaming gaze that leaves one feeling dreadfully disgusted long after a lout such as this is no longer in one's presence.

They may not be as easy to find as they were in the Tribal Era, but this was a timeless sort of pony. Both my sister and I have had unfortunate experience with this kind when in mortal guises and in youth, especially Celestia. I can still recall my violent reactions centuries later that sent these sorts cantering away as best as the could, their injuries aside. Only a few of these types I have encountered were unable to escape me. Even as a growing filly in the time of the tribes, I was a danger to such creeps. When their eyes said where they would try to slip their foul hooves, I would give them a few breaks and kicks. Any cronies knew to stay away from the little blue terror after a while. 

This stallion was staring at Sombra in a way that made my skin crawl, one that was familiar. A large coin purse overflowing with bits spilled out in front of this stallion who lazily held his own hoof of cards.

"Are you sure you wish to consort with that sort of pony?" I make no effort to hide the contempt in my tone. I recognized this variation of such a pony as one that was sleazy for certain with how he eyed Sombra. He reeked 'come-hither' but did not seem aggressive... but that could change. I remember the Court stories my sister used to tell of perverts and worse. I didn't want Sombra to be hurt if this stallion was more then a low-life.

"There's no need to worry. I know these types, and I've played them before. I'm only going to beat him at a few dozen games of cards; he's too stupid to realize that I'm going to play each of his flaws just as easily as I'll win each round of cards. Just give me about a few hours and I'll have enough bits to buy you something to eat and rent a room."

I nuzzle Sombra briefly before walking over to the bar. "Have fun, Sombra."



...



Some time later, I had talked about anything and everything that wasn't a lie or a potential risk to the mare at the bar. She was Equestrian and from Cloudsdale. Her historian parents had named her Windigo Breath which had gotten Windy - which is what she liked to be called - shunned from an early age. As soon as she was able to she joined the Equestrian military and ended up being sent to Germaneigh for a while.

I sipped some of the ale that Sombra had bought for me with the money he had won and listened as Windy continued to recount a tale of her many years running the inn with her Germane wife, who was a very fine cook if the food here was any indication.

"There have truly been that many fights here?" I asked incredulously.

"Ja. It's amazing the walls are still in decent shape after Eagle Eyes-" she nods over to the Germane mare in the corner after giving me her name in Equish "-has challenged so many ponies to duels over her corner seat."

"You might as well put a plaque there, with her name inscribed for all to see," I said, laughing lightly and taking a bite of my sandwich, enjoying the taste of toasted bread, butter, and fresh vegetables.

While I had wanted something heartier and less universal, Sombra had ordered the same meal for both of us: tomato soup, sandwiches, and more. He only forfeited an ale on his part. I had a sneaking suspicion he might be a lightweight. Most of the bits he had earned had been used to buy rounds for the stallion he challenged to cards, and the stallion was fool enough to accept this from Sombra, until his judgement was clouded and he lost easily, and yet still he would try to make a move with Sombra, though Sombra eventually made little effort to hide his revulsion of the advances. Still, as obnoxious as they were, I was relieved that I didn't have to intervene, and I could devour my corn cobs happily.

Thankfully, Windy had also asked the stallion to leave. Her feathers had twitched in the way that only one who has worn wingblades - like myself - would recognize. Now Sombra and I sat in a quieter Der Sternschnuppe eating identical sandwiches, with very little change to our names now that we had successfully rented a room and gotten dinner. Though we sat on stools, I leaned as close to Sombra as I possibly could while trying to plot out how to sample Sombra's soup without him noticing.

Carefully, I reached out a hoof, hoping to grab the bowl now that I lacked telekinesis... but Sombra saw what I was doing, smacked my hoof away and gave me an unsurprised, knowing look that questioned why I had bothered to try and do something like that in the first place. I smiled at Sombra in reply and he just made a brief huffing noise before nudging the bowl of soup over to me. Windy, who had just returned to the long bar counter from collecting glasses at the site of Sombra's card games, laughed warmly and muttered something about young lovers.



...



Sombra eyed the numbers on the doors that lined the inn's back hallway, away from the common room.

"Did you learn anything of interest?" he asks quietly, flicking the sleeve of his jacket so the key had stashed in there falls out.

"I might answer that."

Another roll of his eyes, this one is far more knowing then the last. "What is it you want to know?"

"Are you a lightweight? You looked like you would be sick upon seeing the single tankard I had to drink. You do realize that it would take about a dozen more of those for me to even begin to appear intoxicated, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fully aware of how to make Alicorns drunk and I am, as you put it, a lightweight..." Sombra looked down at the ground "...and I'm a nasty drunk. I was a nasty drunk."

I almost call out his name, but resist doing so. The walls do not necessarily have ears, but Sombra and I are not among allies here, so it would be wise to hold some things back.

"I've never had any substitute for it that I could trust until now, and I hated what it did to me. I already had a horrid temper so-"

I stop him by trying to pull him close, which proves to be difficult with this small frame, and give him a quick kiss. "If you ever need to talk to me, I will always be here for you, and if you need to get something off your chest, I'll be glad to listen."

"Do you do this for everypony you like?"

"No. Only for you."

I offer to take the key from his forehoof, though Sombra declines with a shake of his head. Instead, I take his saddlebags from him, even if they were hardly a burden - especially now that Fish was kept safe by Windy in a bathtub in a spare room now that the spell cast on him had worn off.

Sombra gives a heavy sigh and runs a hoof through his mane. "Right now, I really don't want to be talking about anything except what you learned from your conversations."

"Both Shining Armor and Cadance's ship and Rarity and Twilight Sparkle's ship have been at the western docks for days."

"And that's why we didn't see two airships  travelling on a crown-sanctioned journey?"

"Precisely. Each pair has exchanged information and knows of the other's presence in Ponemünde. Many of the townsponies and establishments have been questioned about sightings and asked for information or clues by Twilight Sparkle and Miss Rarity while Shining Armor and Cadance have been operating out of various restaurants. It doesn't look like we'll be able to stay very long with Twilight Sparkle about."

Sombra sighs once more, appearing nothing but exhausted to me. "Tomorrow we can go talk to Mac and Shiny Sparkle McGlitterbutt."

I watch Sombra stifle a yawn while I resist the urge to pull him into a hug. He unlocks the door, already trying to blink away sleep as his stoic expression melts from boredom to utter fatigue. Once he unlocks the door, his eyes are transfixed on the floor, as if he had forgotten something. I carry his things in for him and as soon as I set hoof in the room and turn on a light there is a loud thud behind me.

I drop the saddle bags on the floor of the darkened room and turn around... only to see Sombra lying on the floor already looking half-asleep and muttering to himself about what a relief it is to be on land again. He either has no idea that he's acting as a doorstop or simply doesn't care. Knowing that he's unlikely to budge on his own, I drag him into the room and close the door, fumbling around for any kind of switch. Under my breath, I mutter about the convenience of enchanted lanterns and other ingenious mechanisms for illumination that could have been better than strange switches with wires that only bore so much magical traces.

Once I find that, light is shed on our surroundings. The room is quite large with a small, high window that shows the starry sky outside and is cracked open so traces of the southern summer winds can waft in. I noted two doors on opposite walls; one lead to a small closet and the other to a bathroom.

But there was only one bed.

I looked down at Sombra's sleeping form. I doubt he's had a good night's sleep in a very long time, or if he sleeps at all when he's on his own. He's been doing so much for me and I can't imagine what all the emotional weight he's been dealing with has been doing to him. The last thing I'll be letting him do is sleep on the floor, even if it is what he would do. I've slept on the bare ground of countless landscapes when it was just Tia and I wandering the world, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to sleep on an inn floor of all places.

Carefully, I lift him into the bed once I have stowed the saddle bags in the closet. There's three pillows on the bed; I take one for myself and use the other two to prop up Sombra as comfortably as possible. His disguise is starting to fall away, more rapidly by the minute. Since he doesn't mind sleeping in his cloak, I leave it on him, rubbing a hoof along the restored crimson fabric before I pull the covers over him.

I see no point in trying to brush his mane away from his face and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. He moves slightly and fitfully, but only for a moment, his mane spilling across almost all of his face.

"Good night, Sombra. Sweet dreams."



...



I'm not sure how late into the night it was when I heard Sombra stir and him call out my name. I half-opened an eye, rubbing it with a forehoof. Unlike Sombra, I had chosen to keep my disguise. Once I managed to blink away enough sleep to see him clearly, he spoke again.

"Luna? What time is it? How did I get-"

He never finished his question, and it ended with a loud yawn instead.

I blinked again and looked at his outline in the dark. I could see the way his cloak fell and the curve of his horn. Once my vision cleared completely and sharpened I could make out a few other things: his jaw, his mane, the way he was sitting up so he looked like he was caught between trying to push up from the bed while still longing to lay down. With my disguise, everything was so shadowy now that I had no access to my natural night vision. Yet, I couldn't help but love the muted darkness and quiet.

"You fell asleep as soon as we stepped inside the room," I mumbled just loud enough that my words weren't completely muffled by the pillow.

"How'd I get in this bed if I fell asleep as soon as we entered?"

"I put you there."

"Oh."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not really sure what to make of that..."

"You were beyond exhausted, Sombra."

Sombra blinks sleepily and falls back into the bed in a flurry of sheets, and it's quiet once more.

"Are you well?"

"Just tired. You?"

"About the same," I add with a yawn of my own.

My gaze roams across the room, trying to note each feature, angle, and shadow in the dark. Stars are still shining outside and the sky is vast, silent, cold and midnight-dark. Not even Sombra is likely to see my smile at the sight.

Lastly, I turn to look at Sombra. It does look as if he is sleeping. I don't think that he realizes that when he sleeps he looks peaceful. Well, peaceful in a way that only Sombra can. He looks solid. Everlasting. I can imagine blinking long enough, just screwing my eyes shut and then opening them to find everything around me right now gone. Or changed. But never Sombra. Though slumber is such a simple act, he manages to look eternal without effort. Protective, too. Everything really could just disappear.

Everything could end.

But Sombra? Sheer stubbornness aside, he'd still be here, as would I. Everypony I know has always had the air of being temporary about them - even Tia has had traces of this, where I felt as if I could simply rise one morning... and find her gone. Sombra does not. It feels like he has always been here, that he'll never vanish even if I were to slumber as long as a dozen dragons were to live. We could both be lost and he would still feel constant.

Silently, I rise from the floor and sneak over to him, my eyes wide as they count his breaths. He's definitely asleep, but not deeply so. I have spent enough time watching him sleep to know how deeply he sleeps off his breathing alone.

Without a word, I slip under the blankets and nuzzle him. Sombra's reaction is slow at first, so I nuzzle him again. When he finds me staring right into his eyes and the both of us muzzle to muzzle, he swallows sharply, eyes going wide.

"Luna?" he hisses, almost pulling away.

"I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Luna, this is far closer to me then you've ever been. Is something wrong?"

"Can I stay close to you?"

"What-"

"Please?"

Sombra suppressed a sigh since we were muzzle to muzzle. "What exactly are you considering 'close'?"

I take advantage of the small frame and size of my disguise and wrap my hooves around him and drawing myself closer as quickly as possible. His reaction is slight shock and when I press my ear to his chest I can hear his quickened heartbeat. It's such a lovely sound too and I can't help but snuggle closer to Sombra.

"You just want to cuddle with me? Nothing else?" His voice comes in whispers, and is surprised and devoid of any accusations or disappointment. I love the way I can feel his warm breathing when he speaks, and everything around us is sealed in an atmosphere of safety and good feelings I've never known - then again, I've never been so close to another soul in such a loving way before. 

I nod into his coat without hesitation. It may be summer in the southern hemisphere but Sombra's years spent north has caused him to be adapted for colder climates. Since any location north of Canterlot would be receiving far more generous amounts of snow somepony like Sombra, who has braced the cold from an early age, would need a thicker coat.  I heard and felt Sombra sigh with fake annoyance, relenting and wrapping his hooves around me while I buried my face in the fluffy traces of his winter coat that hadn't fully come in on his chest, listening in relieved silence when I heard a low purr start to form.

"I take it you're starting to feel better?"

"Mhmph," I manage through gray fluff.

Sombra just held me closer. "I'll just take that as a 'yes'. I look forward to spending tomorrow with you as well."

I had already begun to drift off, clutching a hoofful of Sombra's cloak as I did. I still listened to his lulling heartbeat, only looking up once to briefly catch his enraptured expression.

"I love you."

After he said those words, his purring resumed, steadily growing louder.

"Sombra?"

At the sound of my voice it stuttered to a temporary stop, allowing me to speak. I could almost feel Sombra's confusion as he waited to hear my words.

"I love you too."