Northen Stars

by Flower03

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.