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// 2) There's a spy in our midst! 
// Story: Lost into Shadow 
// by Lucidenn 
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"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.
~T. E. Lawrence

3 days in Canterlot, and King Sombra had already contemplated killing his host hundreds of times. This fool of a stallion was such a fragile vessel that to assert his will too strongly would break its mind and kill it. That didn't stop Sombra from taking pleasure in the myriad of ways he would wish to kill the slave; why if it weren't for Sombra residing residing in its skull, he could install a fish tank and be none the wiser. For the twelfth time that day already, Sombra swore destruction on his host for the way the fool trotted about like a filly in a town made of caramel apples.

Plain Strider on the other hand, was having the time of his life. Though not of crystal like his home, the spires of Canterlot still managed to glimmer in the morning sun. Though the ponies of Canterlot did not glisten and gleam, they somehow still managed enrapture him with the style and elegance of their clothing, their composure. Oh and the colors! So many hues and shades he had not thought possible worn and painted and warm like the whole world were smiling at him! Best of all was still to come, as he trotted on the way to the castle to finally begin the extended tour, and maybe even meet the two Princesses themselves. He could hardly keep from quivering with his excitement, oh what a wonderful day it would be!

6 hours later

King Sombra was ready to bash Plain Strider's head against the wall in frustration. Six excruciating hours into this forsake tour and he had learned NOTHING that could be useful. No Princesses, no clue about the lavender unicorn, not even about the defenses of Canterlot. The tour was almost over and his time had been completely wasted. That is, until the tour came to the hall of stained glass history. There she was at last, the mysterious lavender mare and five companions, surrounding a midnight colored alicorn with a rainbow of energy.

The Elements! Sombra hissed to himself. So, that was her secret, but he had to know more. Simply content to watch the pretty colors the stained glass cast upon the red velvet carpet, Plain Strider was most surprised to find himself suddenly staring directly at the tour guide and asking "In this window here, who are these ponies?".

The tour guide smiled at the question and began to point out each pony in turn. "An excellent question sir! Here on the far right we have the unicorn Rarity, element of Generosity. Directly beneath her is Pinkie Pie, element of Laughter. To their left we have gentle Fluttershy, element of Kindness, and directly across from her is Rainbow Dash, element of Loyalty. In the bottom left corner is Applejack, the element of Honesty. Now some say that the final element of harmony is the most powerful of them all, for it is the element of Magic and is born as a product of the other five. The bearer of this element is the unicorn in the top left, Twilight.

King Sombra knew then that he had been right to beware the meddling of this mare, not only a bearer of harmony, but the element of Magic itself no less! As the tour continued down the hall he watched as time and time again the six brought down every danger in their path, until finally they paused at a window hidden behind a white velvet curtain. 

Turning to the group, their tour guide said "And thus concludes our tour of the castle! Before i show you all the way out, I wanted to share with you the latest addition to this hall that was just completed today. The official announcement of this momentous event will occur this afternoon, but as some of you may or may not be here still in Canterlot then, here is a sneak peak! Tonight will be a very special night, for Equestria will be welcoming its very newest princess! A special pony that has done something thought truly impossible!" And with that the guide threw the curtain open to reveal a lavender mare flying above a turquoise landscape, a mare with wings, a horn, and her element of harmony upon her head "Princess, Twilight Sparkle!".

This changes everything King Sombra thought to himself. For this slave to have ascended to royalty, combined with the element of magic, if she were to challenge him head on, she might just...
win

King Sombra dashed back to Plain Strider's hotel room. He would need a new plan, but far more importantly, he would need as much information as possible on this, Twilight Sparkle. Contemptuously the shadow at Plain Strider's hooves ripped itself away and expanded, slowly morphing into a black form with cruel green and red eyes set aflame with dark magic. As King Sombra rebuilt his body, he stretched out black tendrils to drag Plain Strider, now catatonic with fear, inside the folds of darkness, until he was gone completely, and in his place stood the proud monarch complete with armor and royal red cape. The slave had proved most useful after all, with the information he had gathered, it was clear now what Sombra would have to do to learn the weaknesses of his enemy.

Raising his head, Sombra roared with laughter. Princess Twilight Sparkle, your days are numbered.