Ornate was beginning to tire from walking and began to slow down. The heat was bearing down on her and the cloak did not help. She looked ahead and squinted towards the distance. She spotted the top of the Crystal Castle and began to run quickly. She smiled at the thought of a good night’s rest in a warm bed.
Sombra noticed her quickened pace and began to run with her. He couldn’t imagine why she was so excited. It was only a town. Nothing special about it. They reached the train station and began to walk about the town.
“What are we here for?” Sombra asked.
“Well,” Ornate began, “I have to find a small job, get some supplies, and head to the next town.”
“You’re not going to stay for a couple of days?”
“Why should I?”
“Well, I just thought maybe we could get to know each other better.”
Ornate looked at him with a suspicious look.
“What do you say? I’ll pay for everything you need; the hotel, food, anything.”
She kept looking at him, wondering just what he was up to.
“Alright; deal. But first, you must tell me your name.”
“It’s Sombra.”
Ornate nodded and began to walk down the street towards the nearest hotel.
***
Princess Cadence felt strange, as if something bad was going to happen. She hadn’t felt this way since the incident with King Sombra. She quickly summoned Shining Armor who was quick to get to her side.
“What’s wrong, Cadence?” he asked.
“I feel strange,” She began. “I think something bad is going to happen. I will alert Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I want you to alert your sister and her friends. We will need all the help we can get.”
Shining Armor nodded and ran out the door. Cadence picked up parchment and a quill and began to write a letter.
***
For the first time in her life, Ornate was able to relax. The town seemed prettier than last time she had been there. She couldn’t tell why. Sombra walked with her down the street. The ponies around them gave them strange looks as they walked by. Sombra wiped the sweat off his brow. Today was unusually hot for a regular day in the Crystal Empire. He glanced at Ornate and her cloak. Why didn’t she take it off? He wondered why she wore it in the first place. Instead, he shrugged the question off and continued to follow her.
Ornate looked back at him and stopped walking.
“So,” she began, “what did you want to do?”
“Well,” he started, “I was thinking of a quiet dinner together. I would very much like to get to know you better.”
Sombra got closer to her, making her blush. She started to continue walking down the street towards the castle.
***
Twilight and her friends ran towards the castle doors and ran inside. Standing next to a large, round table were Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Twilight quickly ran up to them.
“What’s the problem?” she asked, out of breath.
“Cadence has told me that she has felt a disturbance in the Crystal Empire,” Celestia answered.
“She specifically said it felt like it did when Sombra tried to take over the Crystal Empire last time,” Luna added.
Twilight’s eyes widened, as did the rest of the gang.
“You don’t mean,” Applejack started.
Cadence nodded.
“It is possible,” she began, “that Sombra has returned. If I am right, he will be plotting revenge.”
They all walked out of the castle towards the Crystal Heart. It was spinning rapidly. Cadence sighed at the sight.
“I’m not sure if it is Sombra,” she started, “but something has walked into the Crystal Empire.”
Celestia’s sight wandered away from the Crystal Heart and she looked at a pony couple walking by. She noticed that one wore a burlap cloak and the other was dark looking. She kept her eyes on the dark one as he walked by, the thought of suspicion rising in her mind. She quickly put the thought aside and walked back into the castle with the others.
***
Sombra walked with Ornate towards the castle. He looked at the Crystal Heart and remembered the day that the little purple dragon who had taken his victory away from him. He growled at the thought of that day, but when he looked back towards Ornate, his chest filled with warmth; the same warmth he felt when he first saw her. His chest pounded hard, making him cringe a little. He still couldn’t figure out what was happening to him.
Sombra spotted a restaurant and quickly walked over to it. Ornate followed him and walked inside as he held the door open for her. As they sat down, he couldn’t help but notice that she kept her cloak on.
“She’s definitely hiding something,” he thought to himself.
He sat across from her, looking at her. She looked down as if she was concerned about herself. He couldn’t see why she would be. She was the most beautiful pony he had ever met.
A waitress came and took their order as quickly as she could. When she left, Sombra looked at Ornate, twiddling his hooves a little.
“So,” he started, “Why do you travel so much?”
Her face brightened as a smile spread across it.
“Well,” she began, “I was orphaned at a young age. After staying in an orphanage for five years, I snuck out. Traveling kept me moving so they couldn’t take me back to that awful place.”
“Oh,” he responded, a little concerned. “That’s very interesting.”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t talk to others much. You’re the first pony to hear my story.”
He brightened quickly.
“So, what’s your story?” she asked.
Sombra’s face instantly fell.
“I-It’s a long story,” he stuttered.
“Do I look rushed?” she asked sincerely.
He looked away from her.
“I just can’t. I will tell you when the time comes.”
They spent the rest of their meal in silence.