Sombra awoke in a cold sweat, finding himself unable to move. Sombra couldn't remember where he was, and it was too dark to see.
Sombra struggled in the darkness, finding little wiggle room. As if reacting to his movements, something nearby shifted. It was only now that Sombra noticed whatever was keeping him immobile was particularly warm, in a pleasant way.
"Sombra?! Are you awake?" A familiar voice pleaded.
Sombra was relieved to find his assumptions had been correct, Spike was keeping him at bay for whatever purpose.
"Spike? Where are we? What is going on?" Sombra asked, hoping to find out what the hell was happening.
Sombra heard a noise, likely the sound of Spike's hands clapping.
The lights in the room flicked on, revealing the surroundings were the same as before Sombra's blackout. They were still in the hotel room, laying together on the bed. Sombra could now vaguely remember the events leading up to his bout of unconsciousness.
"How long have I been out? And more importantly, why are we... so close together?" Sombra inquired, trying to remain calm.
Spike reached into Sombra's saddlebag and retrieved something, which Sombra soon recognized as his pocket watch. Opening the lid, Spike checked the time.
"I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of six hours. You convulsed a couple times after your eyes changed, then you stopped breathing, and your body went ice cold. I freaked out, and did the only things I could think to do. I tried keeping you warm, and asked Luna to try and communicate with you in The Dreaming by letter." Spike began.
Sombra only now saw the look in Spike's eyes. The normally vibrant emerald-green was duller than usual, and the redness of the sclera Spike had been crying quite recently. The dragon was more downtrodden than Sombra had ever seen Spike before.
"Luna couldn't find you, which meant you weren't asleep. I asked Zecora what to do after that, and she said your consciousness probably tried rejoining your soul. She thinks the eyes and the blackout are signs of progress, but I was still pretty worried." Spike explained guiltily.
Sombra looked himself over after Spike let him loose, finding he was fairly cold. Additionally, his movements seemed rather sluggish and his head was a bit tingly. After an experimental deep breath Sombra felt as if his lungs were on fire.
"Did I... Die?" Sombra asked, unsure if he wanted the question answered.
Spike shook his head no, but the expression on his face was less than confident.
"Your heart was still beating. Slowly, but it was there. I dunno what to call that. Do you remember where you were? Or anything about your past?" Spike replied, equally confused.
Sombra searched through his currently befuddled mind, searching for anything that hadn't been there before.
Sombra rubbed his temples as his headache worsened. There wasn't anything Sombra could remember that hadn't happened in the last few weeks, or as King Sombra during his first return. Then, very suddenly a brief and painful flash of something Sombra couldn't rightly place.
"A... Stone tablet? It is covered in characters, or maybe runes that I do not understand. I suppose that means we have more questions to ask, with the same abysmally miniscule number of answers as before." Sombra sighed in discontentment.
Spike couldn't recall anything he knew of Dootha, or of the old world of dragons he had also learned from Zecora that sounded like the tablet Sombra described. Whatever significance the tablet held would likely remain a mystery for the time being.
"I dunno about any stone tablets, but once we get the air gem we can head home. Zecora may know something about some kind of ancient tablet-artifact or something. Still, baby steps. Any kind of progress is a good sign. This means you can definitely get more memories back, Sombra." Spike exclaimed happily.
Sombra saw a flame of hope reignite itself in Spike's eyes, it's intensity matched only by the smile Spike was giving him.
While Sombra was still rather uncertain of how he felt about his memory relapse, he just didn't seem to have it in him to put a damper on Spike's good vibes. Especially when Spike had been in such a somber state just moments ago because of Sombra.
"Yes, well... As always, you will be the first to know if anything else occurs. Though hopefully I can avoid the blackout and nearly unbearable headache next time." Sombra responded with feigned enthusiasm.
The moment Spike heard Sombra was in pain he snaked his tail into one of the bags. After some fishing around, Spike's tail emerged with a white-plastic medicine bottle. Spike popped the top with the spade of his tail and shook a few free from the bottle.
"You still got coffee in that thermos of yours?" Spike asked Sombra.
Sombra nodded and Spike retrieved it as well. With a gentle application of dragon magic Spike heated the contents of the metal thermos and poured Sombra a mug. First Spike gave the pills to Sombra who didn't object to taking them and washing them down with a generous gulp of coffee.
"What were those?" Sombra inquired, noticing no immediate effects.
"Ibuprofen. It'll relieve some aches and pains, and it should help the headache a little. Just give it a minute. I thought it'd be something useful so I brought some first-aid stuff and minor pain relievers." Spike elaborated.
Sombra nodded, finding it a prudent decision.
Spike retrieved the first aid kit and gave Sombra an impromptu physical. Which, due to the lack of any real equipment wasn't all that useful. Sombra's body temperature and pulse were dangerously low for a normal pony, but they were rising at a reassuring pace.
After another half hour, Sombra felt immensely better. Other than his now lessened headache, Sombra was back to one-hundred percent. After packing away everything Spike put everything other than Sombra's saddlebags into the cockpit. There would still be just enough room for Sombra.
Once Sombra finished the coffee he packed away his now-empty thermos and donned his saddlebags, having given up on trying to rest any further.
"How soon before we can begin the trip into the desert, and making the ascent to the temple? I rather doubt I shall be getting any sleep for the rest of the night. I am aware the count-down device has yet to activate, but we could wait to take the gem until it does." Sombra suggested.
Spike rubbed his chin in thought, looking up through the moon-roof. Luna's handiwork was at it's most beautiful in the unpolluted air of the desert countryside. Looking up at the moon sometimes helped Spike think, and the especially clear air of Farrier's Gulch made for a spectacular view of the heavens.
After a few seconds of internal deliberation Spike looked back to Sombra.
"I suppose we could head out now and get into the desert before daybreak. It would give us more time to search the temple, and hopefully get a bigger jump on Ahuizotl. But we'd need to ask Daring if she's willing to leave so early." Spike suggested.
Right on cue, the ornate door of the princess suite was kicked open, a disgruntled Daring Do standing there. She had discarded her disguise once more, and it was obvious she was raring to get some adventuring in.
Spike also noted Daring had likely helped herself to her room's mini-bar, as she currently smelled like a brewery.
"S'bout time you two girls sorted out whatever emotional hooey that was, I've been waiting at the door for ages. I suck at having down-time, especially when I'm not near my typewriter. Let's go! I need to kick some big, blue, mutant-gorilla-panther-dog in the teeth to calm my nerves." Daring all but ordered.
"I suppose that makes as good a cry to arms as any." Sombra deadpanned.
Spike chuckled nervously, hoping down from the bed and grabbing the dragon saddle from the corner of the room. Sombra double-checked his saddlebags, and Daring Do made sure her belongings were still in her bag with a cursory glance. Sombra happened to glance in Daring's direction at the moment she did so, allowing him a look at her supplies.
Daring was bringing only a canteen, a rope, her hat, a bag of sand for counter-weighing traps, a battle-worn machete, and a strange implement Sombra couldn't identify.
After leaving Woody a note (and a bag of bits for Daring's mini-bar drinks) on the front desk the trio headed out into the night.
Daring and Spike took flight, more gliding than anything. They were conserving their energy for the rougher parts of the journey coming up. Or at least that was Spike's plan. Daring was more focused on keeping herself at a calm and steady pace through her state of not-quite inebriation.
Spike was beginning to think that Sombra's bad feeling about Daring was more accurate than his own previous opinions.
Sombra watched the calm of the desert go by from the pod of the dragon saddle. The windshield-dome had been left back, as Sombra wished to view the desert firsthand.
The only climates Sombra had ever seen in memory were The Crystal Empire, and Ponyville's surrounding areas. The desert had no buildings, but the many rock formations made it seem almost like a city. The sand in the moonlight seemed blue, just as the snow just outside the Crystal Empire did at night.
Sombra felt as though he was home in a sense, at least while the desert was bathed in moonlight.
It hadn't occurred to Sombra that he might never see his former home again. The crystal ponies still had every right to never want Sombra in their land again, but Sombra's new-found state of emotional awareness made him miss it to some degree. Sombra found himself asking what home was, or more accurately, where.
I doubt I would feel comfortable leeching of of Spike forever. Though I doubt I could return to the empire any time in the near future. Sombra thought to himself.
Sombra peered out at the horizon in a sort of melancholy trance until Spike broke the near dead-silence of the desert at night.
"It looks a bit like the empire at night, doesn't it? Not exactly sparkly or anything, but still." Spike asked Sombra, keeping his eyes forward.
Sombra was silent, becoming annoyed that he was becoming so easy to read. Though the realization that Spike couldn't see him soon followed.
Sombra then remembered that Spike was quite familiar with the empire, having had a claw in saving it more than once.
"Yes, I suppose it does bare something of a resemblance." Sombra grumbled.
Spike snickered a bit, knowing he had hit the nail on the head.
"We'll get your name cleared eventually, Sombra. I'm not saying it'll be all that soon, but if Luna can almost end the world a few times and be voted Equestria's favorite princess the next decade I'd say you can be unbanned from the empire with some time." Spike replied optimistically.
Sombra allowed himself a small smile, surprised at how Spike could make the things Sombra worried about seem much more hopeful with just a handful of words.
"Hate to break up the tea-party, but I think we're getting close. My magic-item needs to be used at a specific rock formation. I can see it coming into view, we'll be there in about twenty minutes." Daring updated Spike and Sombra.
Sombra scanned the horizon, unable to see anything other than sand and smaller rock formations. Spike's enormous eyes on the other hand had already spotted the formation a full minute prior to Daring's sighting. Spike merely hadn't known he was looking for it.
Geez, Daring is just like Dash. Playing it close to the vest, all the while mouthing surface thoughts loud and without tact. At least Dash mellowed out after awhile. Spike thought to himself.
Spike did notice that Daring was becoming increasingly irritable as time went on however. Spike could tell the gray in Daring's mane was far more noticeable than it was on the covers of her books. Her eyes were even bloodshot beyond belief, though the alcohol may have played a part in that.
Spike now felt Sombra's sense of foreboding in full force.
The rest of the trip to the rock formation was mostly silent. Spike didn't wish to sour Daring's mood any further and Sombra had little to say to the brash mare on any occasion. All three of them, Sombra, Spike, and Daring merely hoped they could get through the next day unscathed.