Sombra was standing on a snowy cliff looking at the beautiful palace of the Crystal Empire, "I'm coming home" he said softly grinning.
"Lord Sombra" a familiar Changeling began, "The infiltrators have done it."
"Good work Mirid. Oh and how is it being dehived?"
"It's like I'm seeing the world clearly for the first time."
"I hoped as much." he said turning from the cliff and heading towards the tent he had set up. In the tent was a table with a perfect map of the Crystal Empire, and the various weaknesses of it. "The grace period will begin soon" He said seeing Chrysalis studying his map.
"How did you get this, it even has all of the guard post and patrols highlighted?" she asked looking closely.
"I may have been a slavedriver but I still had loyalty in mind and my little cult has been working hard to ensure my return will be as glorious as my initial takeover was." he explained rolling up the map. "I hear your Changelings have successfully infiltrated the Empire.
"Have you now?" she asked looking at Mirid with an agitated look.
"I no longer serve you" she spat at her former queen.
"You trade a Queen for a King, but I am still your superior and I will not allow you to talk to me like that." She said raising her hoof to smack the greying Changeling.
Sombra stopped her from hitting Mirid , "If I'm not allowed to hit your minions then you can't hit mine."
"Oh please I know that you have been playing mind tricks on them when you catch them following you." She spat at him.
"Guilty as charged" he said releasing her hoof, "However now I want to know, how does your army fare, and when will they be ready."
"They fare well and give them a day to prepare and they will be ready." she answered forgetting about Mirid.
"Good, then on the morrow we will execute the plan, just remember don't invade until you get my signal." he started to laugh at the thought of reclaiming his Empire.
Suddenly a Changeling ran into the tent panting, "My Queen... huh... the... elements of harmony... they have... arrived."
"What are these 'Elements of Harmony'?" Sombra asked angrily because he had not been informed that these things existed.
"They were an annoyance, but since Discord tricked the bearers into giving them up to stop his plants, it is little more than a title that still carries weight with the ponies." Chrysalis explained to him.
"Then it doesn't complicate things at all, does it?" he said still a bit miffed by his lack of knowledge on these 'Elements of Harmony'.
"When the Elements are at an event and someling tries to intervene for gain then that someling tends to lose."
"So even powerless they are dangerous?"
"They are resourceful, and led by an Alicorn. In fact now that I think about it, they were present when you were defeated by that reached princess.
"Realy!?" he asked.
"Yes they are led by a Princess Twilight Sparkle." Chrysalis confirmed.
"Oh, I remember her, but she was not a princess then. I could feel her use dark magic for the first time, she shined so bright in the dark. Well this will make things interesting at least."
Shining Armor woke up early, as per his usual routine, he was careful not to wake his wife. He knew the next few days were going to be trying for them, the Crystal Fair was coming up in just over a week away. He was going to do his usual morning tour of the border before she woke up. He slipped out of his room and was at the barracks before long, he got in his armor and headed out. He made it about three meters before two crystal pony guards came up beside him.
"Morning sir, you sleep well?" One of them asked.
"Yes, you?"
"Yes, I have a feeling this is going to be a good day." the guard answered, smiling.
The three of them walked along the main road and got to the edge of the Empire quickly. They began to move counterclockwise across the outer border of the Empire.
The sun was creeping over the horizon and the light was glistening of the crystal buildings. It sent pride into Shining Armor and the crystal guards.
They continued on their routine patrol, they made it to east side of the Empire when Shining Armor saw a cloaked figure approaching the Crystal Empire's border. As it neared they saw a white and yellow mare was just to to it's left.
"Greetings strangers." one of the crystal ponies said as the cloaked figure and it's companion neared.
There was a dark chuckle from the cloaked figure. The white and yellow mare spoke "Greetings and salutations crystal guardsmen. We are here to claim our new lives."
"We are willing to help anypony who needs it, there is always work to be had in the crystal mines if you are willing to work there, for obvious reasons few crystal ponies like that place." Shining Armor said.
There was another dark chuckle from the cloaked pony. "Well I'm sure that we can find something." the white and yellow mare said.
"How about King" The cloaked figure finally spoke.
Both of the crystal guards froze solid, they couldn't move not even blink. Shining Armor noticed this and demanded, "What did you do to them?"
"Of course you don't remember my voice, I only spoke for a brief moment last time we met." The cloaked figure said.
"What!?" Shining Armor said then the realization hit him, "Sombra!!" he yelled and turned around to sound the alarm. A grey Changeling landed in front of him and hissed.
"Mirid restrain him!" Sombra shouted and the Changeling jumped at Shining Armor. Shining Armor summoned a force field around him. As soon as Mirid hit the shield Shining Armor reversed his shield and enclosed Mirid in a bubble.
"I was hoping you would be restrained easily, but you had to make it hard didn't you?" Sombra asked removing his hood. His face was enough to break the crystal guards out of their fear and they charged Sombra. The poor fools didn't even make it a meter, before dark tendrils smacked them down.
"I was planing to make it to the palace before I did this, but very well." Sombra said shooting a dark beam at the Palace. The effects were almost instant, it transformed into Sombra's palace and behind Sombra thousands of green fireballs flew from the far off cliff. "Quite impressive what a few thousand Changelings are capable of." Sombra said as he started to laugh maniacally.