Sombra awoke in a flaming prison cell. His hooves were bound to the floor by a number of super-heated, hooked chains. With each attempt to move, the chains tightened, forcing a scream of pain from the stallion. As he opened his mouth, snakes poured out, circling around and sinking their fangs into his eyes. In place of venom, the snakes excreted magma, which quickly evaporated his eyes and flooded his skull.
Sombra's eyes snapped open, and he frantically looked about the carriage. He exhaled, trying to clear his head of those horrid visions. Again... even now I see that Hell. Hoping to distract himself, he settled on watching the scenery fly by. From what he could tell, Equestria hadn't changed very much since he was here last. Even things like Nightmare Moon failed to have a lasting effect. But from what he could remember, the Princess' throne room was in the middle of an enchanted forest. How could a train get there?
On that note, did Nightmare Moon reappear at all? His sense of time was muddled, but the thousandth Summer Solstice had surely come and gone by now. If so, was Aurora forced to kill her beloved sister? He chuckled at the thought. That should make things far easier; one alicorn was difficult enough, let alone two. On top of that, two princesses couldn't confine him to a single location; if he couldn't kill the alicorn, he could at least raze her home in the ensuing battle. Another chuckle. Yes... that's a decent lose-lose plan. But how can I make it worse?
Fighting Aurora wouldn't be the only problem though; her 'loyal subjects', as well as her Royal Guard, were what worried him. Well, worried was a bit strong. At most, they would be simply be a distraction, which could still end up fatal in a fight against an enraged alicorn. Perhaps I could draw their attention elsewhere, create a false alarm somewhere far away. The other side of the country should do. Of course, military action on such a grand scale would require an equally grand disturbance. Something like, well, me. A dragon should suffice. Or several.
He looked around the carriage once more, finding it nearly empty, except for a small family of three pegasi, who seemed to be sleeping. He got up from his seat, immediately stumbling with the train's rocky movements. Embarrassed, he straightened himself, seeing the awakened family glaring at him. He glared right back.
Chrysalis panicked, barely hiding it from the murderous stallion. Her drones were much less subtle, shaking like leaves while trying to maintain their stare down. Changeling eyes were adapted to see through nearly any disguise, aside from their own, to assist in operations and large, complicated battles. She only hoped he couldn't do the same. "May we help you, sir?"
"Yes," Sombra said. "I need some information--" The train shook again, throwing him to the ground. Getting up, he lifted Chrysalis with his magic, setting her down in the empty seat beside her. Sitting down, he continued. "I need information on Equestria. I'm from the Crystal Empire, you see."
"I... I see," she responded, pressing herself against the window. "I'll guess you're unfamiliar with the country, then?"
He snorted. "Yes. I was actually wondering where to find Princess... Celestia and Princess Luna. I wanted to thank them for freeing us from the king."
Ah... I can use this! If he can distract the bearers, at least, I can act unopposed! "Well, it won't be that easy. There was an incident a few weeks ago at a wedding between the Captain of the Royal Guard and Celestia's niece. I'm sure security is still very tight."
"What?" he sneered. "What happened?" Hopefully, the castle and soldiers would have sustained enough damage that they could be safely ignored.
"It was a changeling attack." Sombra flinched, and Chrysalis turned to the window to hide her smile. "Their queen impersonated the bride, and tried to take Equestria from within." She scowled. "As you can probably guess, they failed. Since then, guards have been combing Equestria, searching for any survivors."
"Maybe I could offer my assistance. I ran into a few earlier this morning." He laughed at the memory. "Last I checked, there were only a few left. Literally three of them, all children!"
Chrysalis shook, eyes burning green. "Is that so? How fortunate."
Siren laid her hoof over her queen's, trying to calm her down. Failing that, she turned to Sombra. "I do know a surefire way to contact the princess, s-sir."
He leaned in, staring intently. "Well? Out with it!"
She jumped, and shook even more. "W- well, her personal student, Twilight Sparkle, lives nearby. Surely she would have a direct line..." she trailed off, hoping he would take the hint.
"Ah..." he nodded in understanding. "So where, exactly, does she live?"
"Um..." she gave her brother a pleading look.
He sighed. "Really, Siren. Twilight can be found at the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. The train will stop there in a few hours."
"Wonderful." Sombra turned away and, unwilling to brave the unstable floors, used his magic to carry himself to his seat.
With him out of earshot, the trio could relax. Chrysalis turned to her son, suspicion in her eyes. "Exactly how did you know all that, hmm? I can't recall sending anyone to scout out Ponyville."
"Um, well..." he stammered, anxious of how his queen would respond. "I took it upon myself to gather some information on the bearers before the attack on Canterlot. During the attack itself, I lead a platoon into the Elements' holding chamber to prevent their usage." He bowed his head. "I hope that's alright."
"Alright?" she giggled. "That's incredible, little general! In fact, I think you deserve a name of your own. One bestowed by your queen."
"Really!?" He beamed. Being able to name yourself was one thing, but to be named by the queen was the highest honor a drone could hope for. His wings flapped rapidly, as close to buzzing as he could afford. "What shall my name be, my queen?"
She laid a hoof on her chin, humming in thought. "I'll call you... Cege."
"Cege?" He cocked his head to the side. He certainly wasn't going to complain, but it was such an odd name, certainly not one you'd give a changeling.
She nodded. "It was the name of a griffon leader. When I was young, my hive tried to take his city, only to be stopped at every turn. We actually thought he had an informant, or was a changeling himself. Turns out it was all careful planning and foresight. You remind me of him, so you get his name. Actually," she looked out the window. "We have some time to kill. Would you like to hear the full story?"
They nodded eagerly, shifting in their seats. Once they were comfortable, Chrysalis began.
As the hours passed, Sombra tried to busy himself by revising his plan. The knowledge was useful, of course, but there were so few ways to properly use it. The idea that came up most often was to corrupt her with dark magic, but Aurora knew how to neutralize that, and could use it against him anyways. Of course, that didn't help her one thousand years ago; what good would it do now?
He shook his head; he was getting off track. What mattered was her student. He knew that Aurora was a natural trickster, and an experienced manipulator. Perhaps he could plant a seed of doubt, make Twilight question her teacher's motives to the point of rebellion. But how long would that take? It would have to be slow and steady, like mental gaslighting, else he would be found out.
Furthermore, exactly how strong was she? She couldn't be too powerful, being a student, but certainly enough to get Aurora's attention. Still, what kind of place is "Ponyville" to send a young mage? It sounded like such a young, no-name town...
It clicked. "Of course!" he exclaimed, earning more looks from the pegasi. It's likely a fail-safe, in case her magic grows too powerful, goes critical, and destroys her and everything nearby. Can't have that at the castle, can we? Actually, that's not a bad idea... do I know any spells that can do that? He made a mental note to peruse the library for any modern spells; fortune favors the prepared, after all, and he couldn't risk being blindsided by some new restraint or attack.
In fact, it would be a good idea to test her skills. I could pose as a nomad and ask her to demonstrate a certain set of spells. He nodded in satisfaction. There's the alibi, now he needed a name. Being the student of an immortal creature, she was likely well-versed in history. He couldn't simply walk into her home, spouting his real name and motives.
Before he could begin to consider names, the train screeched to a halt, sending him forward. He stood up and looked out the window. He gasped.
His eyes widened and his blood boiled, for waddling down the dirt road was a small, purple figure; the dragon that had orchestrated his defeat. It looked to be alone, and was carrying a heavy-looking basket. Perfect.
Ignoring the open doors, Sombra teleported outside, reappearing on the platform. Keeping an eye on the beast, he stalked it throughout Ponyville, close enough to watch it, but far enough to avoid suspicion. Soon, the dragon stopped. Unfortunately, it stopped in the park, and began talking to a purple mare with books stacked around her. He hid behind a tree to eavesdrop.
"Hey, Twilight," Spike greeted his surrogate sister. "I brought you some lunch!" He sat next to her, placing the basket between them.
"Thanks, Spike." She opened the lid and took a daffodil sandwich. She took a bite and smiled in appreciation. After a morning of nagging, he managed to convince her to take her studies outside instead of being cooped up in the library. He insisted that it "wasn't healthy." He had a point, of course, it's just...
"Still looking up dark magic?" Spike asked through a mouthful of gems. Twilight shushed him, looking frantically around the park. Spike sighed. "You're being paranoid, Twilight. Not too many ponies even know what dark magic is."
"I know, I know." She nodded to the stack. "That's why I've been ordering these older textbooks from Trottingham, but they barely even cover it! They actually describe it as 'a dead form of magic, one whose very existence is debated today'." She heaved a heavy sigh, then continued eating. "What if somepony else who can use it shows up? We'll be sitting ducks."
"Well, it's not like you don't know dozens of other spells. Why do you need dark magic?"
"I already know how to use it; I need to know how to counter it." She noticed Spike's raised claw. "I already asked Luna, and she said I wasn't ready. I'm sure Princess Celestia would say the same thing."
Sombra's interest thoroughly peaked, he approached the pair. "You there," he said, "did you mention dark magic?"
"Um, well..." Twilight stammered. Who was this stallion, and why had he been listening? How did he know about dark magic? These questions bounced around in her head, consuming her concentration. Better start with the easiest one. "I'm sorry; who are you?"
He cleared his throat. "My name is Cavalier. I'm a travelling magic enthusiast. And you are?"
She offered a hoof. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, the local librarian. This is Spike, my assistant." The dragon waved in greeting, his mouth still full.
Again, he ignored the gesture, wondering why everypony introduced themselves that way. "I see. I would like to see your selection. I need some new materials."
"Absolutely!" she exclaimed, standing up and heading towards her home. All at once, the books and Spike were scooped up in Twilight's magic and stuffed into her saddlebags. "So sorry to keep you waiting!"
After a moment of struggling, Spike broke free, climbing onto Twilight's back. They left the park, followed closely by Sombra, wearing a predatory grin.
January 31, 698
I attended a royal summit today. Honestly, I was very disappointed. A week of training, and no one acted the way I expected them to! Especially the alicorn rulers of Equestria, Princesses Aurora and Luna. I guess I was being too serious for their liking, because when we came back from lunch, I found that my chair had been replaced with a flurry of lights and sound. They called it "fireworks," some sort of celebratory tool. I can't help but pity their subjects.
Signed,
Sombra