Sombra awoke with a start, having yanked himself from a dream about his upbringing, particularly before his life in the Crystal Empire as the heir to its throne and future guardian of its citizens. A life that wasn't meant to be his but at one point wished it to be so. Fate, it would seem, had a cruel sense of humor. He patted the black and maroon blanket before jolting up in bed and nearly tossing it away in shock as soon as he realized that it was Persephone's baby blanket.
That's strange...I don't even remember bringing it out. He considered whilst trembling, bringing the fabric to his face, taking in its velvety softness as the pitter-patter of tears lightly wetted it.
Soon my dear. Soon we will have revenge.
A gentle breeze swept through Sombra's fur, tousling his mane as he trotted through Ponyville, taking in the sights and sounds of the small town. Having spent most of his life in the Crystal Empire, he was unaccustomed to quiet, tight-knit communities and wondered how these ponies managed to live so peacefully. It was strange how everypony knew one another and appeared to get along, there being an absence of mistrust or general unpleasantness. He shook his head and chalked up his musings as being the result of being alone for so long.
At least when you're on your own, you have only yourself to trust and depend on. Otherwise, you're liable to become weak and can be hurt.
Carousel Boutique, to Sombra's belief, an absolute eyesore in every sense of the word. It was a towering, tent-like building and painted with vomit-inducing light blues, purples, yellows, pinks and oranges, existing as an example of the very basis of femininity. Now, you could make the argument that as a dress shop, it was meant to be colorful and girly. However, Sombra had seen clothing shops before in the Crystal Empire and none of them were this teeth-gratingly cutesy. He rolled his eyes and pressed the doorbell, which emitted a chipper and overly-long tune.
Ponies. Of all of the species that were allowed to continue drawing breath on this earth, it just had to be ponies.
"Just one moment, darling!" A female voice announced, carrying with it a decidedly sophisticated and bell-like quality to it. A moment later, the door was surrounded in a light blue aura and opened, revealing a white unicorn mare, her curly dark blue mane perfectly coiffed and presentable. Despite being raised by a middle-class family, Rarity carried herself with the grace and dignity of a noble-born lady, a nice departure from the other mares in the small town.
"Oh, good afternoon, Parcel Post. Do come in," she spoke with a broad wave of her foreleg.
As they entered the boutique, Sombra couldn't help but carefully scrutinize the seamstress, his eyes trailing the curves of her ivory body and coming to rest on her flank. Her figure was sleek but toned, having been shaped daily by something known as "yoga," a practice that the umbrum wished had existed back in his time.
Hmm, its work certainly speaks for itself.
It wouldn't be surprising that he was oogling the seamstress given that he hadn't seen an attractive mare-or any mare, really-in over a thousand years. It was liking drinking water after nearly dying of thirst.
"Everything alright, darling?"
Sombra snatched his eyes away upon realizing that he'd been staring at her for too long.
"I, uh, well..."
"Oh, it's quite alright," Rarity tittered and brushed away the bangs of her immaculate mane. "I can't really blame you for staring. I do try my best to keep myself looking fabulous, after all."
And downright delicious.
"I-I still feel like I owe you an apology, Miss Rarity. It's rude to stare."
Rarity giggled and pressed a hoof to her chest. "True, but I suppose I can let it pass this one time. I can't really fault you for having good taste." They crossed the showroom and entered her private workroom, which was cluttered with mannequins, dress sketches and rolls of fabric.
"You can set it down over there. I am so glad that it came in today."
Sombra hefted the heavy cardboard box onto the table and wiped his brow, internally grumbling about not being able to use his magic but then quickly reminding himself that doing so would ruin his disguise.
Sliding a pair of red, half-moon glasses onto her muzzle, Rarity began drawing what appeared to be some sort of gown made of polygonal shapes with a high collar and triangular sleeves, a veil of hexagons covering the sketch-model's face.
Sombra tilted his head in confusion.
Is this what is considered fashionable? Things have truly changed since I've been away.
"Well, I'm glad I could help you, Miss Rarity. Have a pleasant day!"
She stopped shading to wave Sombra off. "You as well, darling! Feel free to pop by if you need anything!"
~*~
Traveling a little way out of town, Sombra's path next led him to a tiny cottage nestled on a little hill, its exterior surrounded by several birdhouses and woodland critters of various sizes, who proceeded to flee once they entered his proximity. Animals could naturally sense the darkness permeating from the shadow pony, which was why umbrums generally didn't own pets, though he did have a dog during his time as Prince Tourmaline. Now he couldn't stand the sight of cute, fluffy animals. They were reminders of what he wasn't and this ticked him off to no end. A cluster of chipmunks scurried past him to seek shelter in a small hole, shivering as they crowded around one another to frighteningly gaze up at the newcomer. Pretty soon, not even a bird was twittering by the time Sombra crossed the small bridge and knocked on the pink stable door.
The door squeaked slightly ajar, revealing a single blue eye and a long flowing pink mane.
"Good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy! I have a couple of letters for you!" Sombra cheered, making his voice as warm and inviting as possible. Upon recognizing the speaker, the door inched open a little more and the yellow mare nudged herself into the doorway. She was very lovely in a reserved, innocent maiden sort of way and Sombra bit his tongue to avoid commenting on her beauty. From the look of things, she'd probably slam the door in his face if he so much as sneezed.
"H-hello Parcel Post. Thank you," Fluttershy whispered, holding her hoof out.
Sombra's body vibrated as he fought to contain his laughter at the pegasus' shyness, instead placing the envelopes in her hoof and backing away. He wasn't sure whether it was adorable or pathetic but it filled him with an old tingly sensation in his gut. He made a mental note to leave her and her little cottage alone when he conquered Equestria. Smiling warmly at Fluttershy, Sombra snorted humorously as the mare in question sped-read through her envelopes and tossed them over her shoulder. She then slowly pushed the door forward until only her muzzle remained visible.
"Have a nice day," Fluttershy added and closed the door behind her, being careful not to slam it. With that, Sombra jogged away with a noticeable hop in his step.
This one is just too easy. A little fire and a snarl and she'll be out for the count. That unicorn Rarity needs something dark and grimy, perhaps a horde of spiders or a mud-fiend.
He tapped his chin in deep thought, wondering how to handle Twilight Sparkle, as she was the de facto leader and a talented spellcaster.
I'll need to study her closely. Surely she has a weakness I can exploit.
Her shimmering violet eyes and radiant smile pierced his thoughts and he skidded in the dirt to keep himself from toppling over.
"What am I doing? Am I really...infatuated with that mare?"
Sombra hadn't felt this way for another since Celestia, not even taking a lover after their unfortunate and messy separation. He couldn't deny his attraction to Sunny Delivery, Rarity or Fluttershy, as they were merely physically desirable but in Twilight's case, his chest ached like one would for somepony that they-
"No! She's a means to an end. Nothing more."
He resumed his trek, feeling more and more unsure about his assertion the closer he got to the Golden Oaks Library and it took all of his willpower to resist looking in the window or knocking on the door. He sighed and reluctantly tore himself away from the site, continuing with his mail route.
Besides, we're just too different. She's her and I...well, the less said the better.
Unknowingly, a certain purple unicorn was watching Sombra from inside the treehouse, finding herself pining for the brown earth pony and uncertain of her growing attachment.