//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The world outside the eye // Story: What a wonderful world // by a touch of sparkles //------------------------------// Sombra had finally turned one. Officially a yearling he was not only of his dam’s milk, but he was able to join the rest of the tribe when they left. Up until now he stayed behind with his dam. It was dangerous for him to leave so young but it was important to learn survival. Meanwhile the tribe were packing. His dam and sire wore nothing. Apart from Nevada and Vulmon, his grandparents with greying mouths and hoof fur, the others had heavy packs strapped to their backs. Mostly consisting of firewood, frozen meats and berries and blankets. Along with the toy bricks. Sombra was almost bouncing of the walls when his sire tried to clasp a jacket around him. “Calm down bud. I get you’re excited. But I gotta get this on you. You’ll freeze otherwise, your fur hasn’t fully developed yet” He said as he wrestled with his bubbly colt, finally getting the gemstone clasp to click. The buckles were tied to keep it close to his body and his hood was pulled over his ears. “Now if you get cold you jump on mine or your dams back ok” he informed his colt who nodded fast enough to give himself whiplash. “Ok are we all set to go” his grandsire and chieftain, Vulmon, asked them all. They all said they were ready, except Sombra who ran back into the other part of the cave to grab Binkie. “I’ll have Binkie little guy. That way we don’t lose him and he won’t get hurt” Folwin said to him as Binkie flew up in darkness into the small packs he carried. Folwin had a smaller figure then the others so he wasn’t made to carry as much, apparently he was more agile than the typical umbrum. With that they left their cave, sealing it with solid black which Sombra was still yet to figure out where it came from. It had something to do with their horns giving out dark stuff that had green fire at the end. Then they started to climb up the tall hills, Sombra scrambled up while they easily walked. When they reached the top he could see the sky visibly move in swirls and arcs. “Remember, on our backs if you get cold. If you start to fall behind grab onto a tail alright” his sire retold him. Sombra nodded confidently as he hopped by the side of his dam. Then they started to trudge forwards through the thickening snow. Then as they descended the outer slopes of the eye, the wind hit. It came upon them like a wave as the bitter cold barraged them. Snow whipped up around them. Sombra suddenly didn’t feel so confident. His thin hooves sunk into the deep snow slowing him down. Meanwhile the rest of the tribe had larger hooves on the front and large hind claws which stopped them sinking. He heard his grandsire shout over the winds. “We’ll get to the glaciers, we’ll rest their then continue to the territory” “We don’t usually stop there” Yesric shouted over. “For Sombra’s sake. He won’t make it without the hot springs” Nevada replied. They continued to push through wind and snow. Sombra could hardly see past his dam who was stood right next to him. He had lost count of how many times they had ascended over a hill then descended down it. They climbed in some places up the sides of mountains and cliffs. They never stood on flat land. Yet slowly Sombra felt himself get colder and colder. He felt like there was ice in his bones. And then his legs got slower and less responsive. He fell behind quickly. He tried to bite his dam’s tail, but his legs buckled and he landed in the deep snow. He whined and called out for them, but the wind covered his voice. So he screamed with all the might he had left. “DAMMI! SIRY!” nine heads turned in panic as they all rushed back. He felt his dam pull him in closely to her chest. “He’s so cold” she rocked him back and forth with sheer guilt. There was a scramble to wrap him up in blankets. Then he was strapped on her back as Sombra’s legs were tucked into him. “I think I know a shortcut, but it does risk a stalker” Nevada stated. “If it gets him to warmth” he heard his sire say, yet his hearing seemed to be fading. Then he felt the ride increase in pace as they resulted to a fast trot down the cliff. That continued across what seemed to be very flat land. Then he felt the wind hit his face faster as they descended into a canter. Sombra simply closed his eyes and tucked himself deeper into his blankets. When he woke up it was warm. So pleasantly warm. He could hear faint fizzing and bubbling. Sounds he had never heard before. When he came to his senses all he knew was: he was covered in blankets, heard his tribe’s voices and he had his Binkie. “Binkie” he said quietly to himself. “He’s coming around” He heard his dam’s worried voice and the sounds of hoof and footsteps all surrounding him. Sombra felt more warmth around him as he fully awoke from his near freezing. “You ok bud?” his sires voice asked him, he sounded terribly weak. Sombra lightly nodded while rubbing his eyes. He heard some more talk than a wooden bowl appeared in front of him, warm de-fizzing water was pushed to his snout. “Drink this, it will keep you warm” Amarilla told him. He lapped up the warm water, his organs greatly appreciating the warmth. Although he realised his mouth tasted bitter. “Are you sure you’re alright Vacio” His dam asked her mate, worry was littered in her voice. “I had to. I couldn’t just jet him…go” Sombra looked up at him. He seemed week. While his hair was held down in braids the ends weren’t floating in shadow like they should be. There was a small wound on his shoulder with silver blood dribbling down. Next to him there was a silvery stem both ends badly cut. Closer to Sombra’s face there was a beheaded flower. He had heard of the roses, the ones that heal wounds. Apparently there was a second, but he was too young to understand what it was. It was large and had many petals. It was white but seemed grey like it had been drained of colour. “I know but, your life” “My son is worth more than a hundred of my elder years” there was a silence amongst the group, it was so solemn that it crushed them. The only noise was the fizzing water. “You’re a good sire” Folwin told his brother. Then Folwin and Amarilla curled up to him as he lay his head down. However Sombra was experiencing the opposite of his sire, he started to feel energy flowing back through his veins. He finally saw where he was. They were in a large cavern with a large opening at the other end. The fizzing was multiple pools of water sparkling and bubbling. They heated the cavern without any need of fire. He also noticed a dead creature pushed to the side. He looked around until he found the twins. “Come on, the water’s really fun” Yesqen said excitedly in her naivety of the situation. He followed the pair to the edge of the rumbling water. He had never swum before and it took his recovering brain a few seconds to recognise this as water. He dipped his hoof in and felt the waves of bubbles barrage his hooves. He looked up to see his cousins floating above the water by the sheer force of the fizz. “Oh Sombra. hold on. Let me teach you how to swim first” His dam trotted up to him, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and dragged him over to a shallower pool. One that wasn’t so heavily bubbling. “You shouldn’t really be so active, but I guess that’s just you” she said to herself as she slinked into the water, her hooves and claws just reached the bottom. She helped Sombra awkwardly wobble into the water, holding him afloat in her hooves. “Now just trot, like you normally would but in the water” he followed what she said and he started to feel himself float around and move on his own. Her hooves drifted from his side as he got a hang of it and stated to swim in circles. They started to play in the water, splashing each other and chasing each other. Eventually Sombra got tired and she dragged him out and wrapped him in a blanket. The twins had gotten tired as well and the foals were laid on each other, the adults circled them as a barrier in case anything else wandered in during the night. The next day they were all packing again, it was insisted that Sombra stayed on his dams back the rest of the walk. Then the brutal winds hit Sombra again as they continued walking. At this point he had forgotten why, they said something about controlling something back at home. He lost track of how long they walked by that point. Often it was hard to judge time in the North. Days and nights lasted six months each so it was a task to pinpoint exactly where you were in the year. But if everything started to melt and the sun was up it was the middle of the year. It was the early day so the world hadn’t quite melted yet, but icicles on the underside of mountain hangs dripped. Snow collapsed as it melted hour by hour, exposing the glassy cobalt rock the North was made of. The storms slowly came to a stop, the occasional one whipped by, but none were as bad as the one directly outside the eye. A small stream had started to build in the valley floor that made its journey ahead of them. Sombra wondered where it went. They kept going until eventually the valley opened and they stopped at a cave. This cave was much less roomy than their home. As bags were unloaded and a fire started Sombra asked again what exactly what they were doing. “Population control. For the sake of those pitiful ponies down south” his grandsire scowled. “Why don’t we like ponies?” Yesqen asked her parents. “It’s just sire who’s not too keen on them” Amarilla told her. Then their father added… “Their fine until you got to get a curious one home without them getting you killed in the process” Hearing that Sombra looked to his sire in curiosity. Wondering what exactly seemed so dangerous. His tilted head and inquisitive eyes got the answer out. “The wyverns like breeding here when the summer comes because of the salmon. We have to keep the population, how many there are, down so they don’t wander south” he told him. Vacio had recovered somewhat from his ordeal and his hair was floating again. Although he was still under the weather. “Vacio, you stay with the foals, you’re too week to fight” His dam told him, she petted his cheek fuzz. He leant away from her navy hoof with an offended look. “I’ll be fine” “No, you won’t. You stay here” his dam ordered him. While he did pout he looked down at Sombra. “That means you get the month with me” he said while grabbing Sombra then rolling onto his back, holding Sombra above him. The pair laughed as they rough and tumbled with each other. Sombra’s little hooves batted his sire’s muscles while he was nibbled lightly by his sire, despite the giant sharp teeth. “All right, so Vacio stays with the foals, the rest of us go. We leave tomorrow” confirmed Vulmon as the settled down for the “night”. They all awoke after a few hours of sleep, it was all they needed after all. However for Sombra he slept all the way through most of the preparation. He only just woke up when the last of the group was being looked over for any flaws in their conformation. “Watch where you put your eyes sire” he heard his own say. “Why would I look at yours when I’ve got my own mare to ogle at?” replied his grandsire with a laugh. “Well I don’t exactly have my youth anymore” “Oh shut it you’re as gorgeous as you were three thousand years ago” with that Vulmon cheeked over Rabia. Noting how she’s recovered well after a birth with an overdeveloped horn. “With that were all ready to go” the tribe then slowly filtered out the entrance way, Rabia being the last as she kissed her husband. Sombra however didn’t want her to go. He ran towards her just as she went to leave. “Alright, one last hug” he squeezed her within an inch of her life before his sire pulled him away so she could leave with the rest of the tribe. Leaving just Sombra, Vacio and the twins in the cave.