//------------------------------// // Chugga-Chugga, Choo-Choo // Story: Spike's Shadow // by DraconequusMaximus //------------------------------// Sombra and Spike awoke at the ungodly-early hour of three AM, quickly devoured whatever was ready to eat in the fridge, grabbed their few bags, and then left the house for the train station. Spike donned the dragon saddle, allowing them to reach the station just outside town by air in around twenty minutes. Thankfully, Spike was able to carry almost everything in his arms mid-flight, and Sombra kept everything else with him in the saddle-pod. Once they touched down at the shabby little station, Sombra resisted the urge to fall asleep in the dragon saddle. Sombra had been briefed on the basic idea of what a train, and a railroad was, but hadn't seen one yet. Sombra was quite intrigued, as Spike had told him that the train was one of the greatest innovation made since Sombra's time. Sombra thought the train looked much less impressive than he thought it would be. It was an ugly, enormous machine on wheels running on big, metal tracks. It seemed almost entirely metal, making Sombra believe it was too heavy to achieve the speeds that Spike and Lyra had previously described to him. Still, the modern form of travel was somewhat interesting, convincing Sombra to at least give the strange vehicle a chance. Upon disembarking the dragon-saddle, Sombra noticed there were three other ponies standing beside the train. The first was a stallion in a train official's uniform, while the other two were a pair of Luna's thestral guards. There was one mare and one stallion, and the naturally nocturnal ponies seemed wide awake and diligent. As Spike and Sombra approached the guards saluted, as did the rather nervous-looking railroad official. "Lord Spike, we are here to ensure the train official recognizes you as a normal Equestrian citizen. You will have a car all to yourself, but due to size constraints we must regrettably inform you it will have to be a cargo-car. "The crown formally apologizes for this, but all the amenities you might need are in the car, including a large barrel full of gemstones and crystals for your troubles." The first guard belted out, still saluting. Spike waved him off, signifying everything was alright. "It's fine. Does Sombra get a car to himself? I can't imagine he wants to be crammed in there with me." Spike inquired. The guards frowned, looking at Sombra. "This isn't the fanciest available train obviously. There's just the engine-car, a small dining-car, a sleeper-car that has screens for privacy, a standard passenger-car, and the cargo-car we've added for your purposes. There is only one other passenger headed all the way to the end of the line, which is Farrier's Gulch. "Even so, the princesses would also like to ask that Sombra not draw attention to himself, as he's a semi-recognizable figure. They send their apologies in this regard as well." The female guard continued. Spike nodded, though the look on his face made it clear Spike wasn't pleased that the princesses were keeping Sombra a secret. "Sombra, if you don't mind you should leave your armor with me and the bags. They make you stand out a bit. Thankfully you should at least be able to keep your saddlebags and the scarf." Spike asked of his companion apologetically. Sombra grumbled and nodded his head, allowing Spike to help him disrobe behind one of Spike's wings. Sombra didn't feel comfortable undressing in front of the guards for a reason that escaped Spike entirely, but consented to nonetheless. Spike had long since learned that ponies were weird about clothes, even though at any given time they were already nude. Eventually, Sombra was naked and unhappy, but for a good reason. To add to the illusion, Sombra wore his reading glasses in an effort to make himself less recognizable. His sword would need to stay in the dragon-saddle, which Sombra understood would almost assuredly draw attention to him. Once Sombra was fully disrobed, the thestral stallion spoke up once more. "Princess Luna has taken the liberty of fabricating an official false-identity and documents for you, Sombra. If anyone asks, your name is Coal Briquette. A pony who lives on the edge of the northern border alone, making charcoal. There's even a rather convincing false cutie mark sticker." The guard added, retrieving a folder from beneath his wing. Sombra begrudgingly accepted the papers and put them in his saddlebags. Spike was almost just as unhappy as Sombra but he still helped Sombra apply the sticker. A visage of a burning coal, with such a realistic appearance that it looked is if there really were glowing embers on Sombra's already ash-colored flank. Though Sombra was loathe to admit it the persona Luna had fabricated for him seemed a fair fit for his appearance, and the sticker was nigh impossible to distinguish from a real cutie mark once applied. Sombra tried to avoid looking at it, as until this very moment he hadn't considered his bare backside. It was just another mystery to add to the list of things Sombra had been robbed of by Dootha. Though he supposed that if his memories or soul were returned Sombra's cutie mark might reemerge, if he had earned one in the first place. Once the guards had dutifully fulfilled their roles they flew off into the night. Spike was too tired to watch them go, and instead gave his and Sombra's tickets to the increasingly nervous railroad official. Once the tickets were properly punched, the railroad official quickly showed Spike to the cargo car. Without prompting, Spike took it upon himself to pry open the car and survey his room for what would be nearly the entire twenty-four-hour day. It was just big enough for Spike, as it was entirely empty, save for the big barrel of gems in one corner and two torches that had been affixed to the back wall. It was essentially just a rectangular room made entirely of cold, somewhat dirty steel. Though that was far from an issue to Spike. "I've been in worse accommodations before. You gonna be alright on your own for the day though, Sombra?" Spike asked as he began placing the bags inside the car, not bothering to remove the dragon saddle just yet. Sombra recalled hearing the guard say there was only one other passenger. While not having his armor or Spike in the lead made Sombra feel vulnerable, Sombra was relatively confident that he could handle himself. Besides, Spike wasn't all that far away in case trouble arose. "I should be fine, I will likely sleep a bit more. Then I suppose I will read a book from my saddle bags, and later perform my daily meditation. " Sombra replied. Spike gave Sombra a tired smile before closing the cargo-car. "Take care. Don't be afraid to come talk to me if you get bored." Spike shouted as the door sealed shut. Sombra was fairly confident that he would be alright on his own for the day. The black set of saddlebags Sombra had purchased were now full of his new Daring Do novels that Sombra hadn't yet gotten a chance to read, as well as a number of supplies and mission-related materials Sombra could go back over if he got too bored. After a moment of reassuring himself Sombra made his way into the nearby passenger-car. Sombra briefly surveyed the car, finding it to be utterly unimpressive. Perhaps even mildly depressing. There were two rows of five, two-pony seats. None of which were occupied. The padding on the seats was rather old and worn, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. On at least three of the bench-like seats there were patches of random, mismatched materials. Having no desire to linger in the passenger-car, Sombra was soon on his way to the sleeper-car. Once in the sleeper-car Sombra was instantly assaulted by the most obnoxious snoring of anyone he had ever heard. By comparison the cacophony of noises Spike made during the night was like songs sung by angels. Additionally the room smelled mildly of vomit, poorly masked by some kind of lemony-scented cleaner. Sombra did his best to ignore the noise and smell for the time being and take a look at his current surroundings. Just as the guard had said before, there were a number of curtains around the room, dividing it into ten little spaces large enough for a pony to sleep in. Venturing a bit further into the room, Sombra saw a small, very uncomfortable-looking cot in one of so-called 'rooms'. Sombra found himself suddenly missing the air-mattress Spike had provided him with in the very instant he saw the poor excuse for sleeping quarters. There was very little padding on the cot, and only a thin sheet to keep warm with. Sombra grumbled, but still got onto the cot after reasoning it was still a little better than the floor Thankfully Sombra's scarf could at least keep him at a comfortable temperature. I shall have to find an appropriate gift for Spike's birthday as a show of thanks... Perhaps Lyra would know what Spike wants. Sombra thought to himself as he drifted off. Had Sombra not already been very tired he probably wouldn't have even entertained the notion of slumbering in the shabby sleeper-car. Fortunately Sombra found the pillow was at least of good quality. It only took Sombra about five minutes to get back to sleep. ~Four and a half hours of barely refreshing sleep later~ Sombra groaned in discomfort and soreness as he awoke. "Ugh. I feel as though I slept on a bed of nails. Though I think that might be a generous comparison." Sombra complained as he rose from the cot. Sombra jumped down from the cot, stretching himself out, producing a number of pops that Sombra felt far too much for his liking. Sombra took in his surroundings again, finding that the sleeper car didn't look any more impressive in the daylight. In fact, Sombra could now see the stains on the curtains and the cot. There were a number of them Sombra couldn't place, and the ones he could made him sincerely hope he was wrong about them. Note to self, avoid present-day public transportation. With no small amount of haste, Sombra made his way through the sleeper-car and into the dining-car. Sombra was instantly hit with the aroma of coffee, which did wonders towards lifting his spirits. Sombra walked past a long table with bench-seats bolted to the floor, making his way to the food table. In passing, Sombra briefly noted that there was a mare eating at the table, but Sombra paid her no heed. It wasn't in Sombra's interests to socialize if he could avoid it. It would be all the more likely his cover would be blown and the common ponies would announce his return to the world. Sombra would have no idea exactly how the scenario would play out, but what he could imagine wasn't all that pleasant. Sombra could see a rather old, graying-mare in a train uniform at the far end of the car. She was standing behind a table full of different breakfast foods. There was a refrigerator, and a small portion of the car that could barely be called a kitchenette behind her, explaining where the food had come from. Sombra walked forward, looking at the foods that were being offered. While it would surely be less than the five-star service Sombra had been accustomed to, food was food. Without being at one-hundred percent Sombra would likely be something of a liability. Sombra was determined not to drag Spike down. There were Styrofoam trays and plastic silverware to one side of the table, alongside an enormous metal cylinder full of what Sombra's nose told him was coffee. The other side of the table was covered in warming trays, which were full of either oatmeal, scrambled eggs, or biscuits and gravy. There was also a basket of apples, oranges, and bananas. I suppose it should stand to reason that this low-budget transport vehicle would lack bacon or breakfast sausages, this being a predominately vegetarian country. Sombra sighed internally. "Morning sir. What would you like to eat? We're short on passengers today, so you can have as much as you'd like." The kindly aging mare asked Sombra politely. Sombra looked over his options, taking a moment to decide. "I'd like some eggs, some of the biscuits and gravy, and an apple. Please." Sombra ordered politely. The mare nodded, and set about getting Sombra his food. As she did so, Sombra attempted to locate a cup with which to get himself some of the coffee, but he couldn't seem to find any. "Excuse me, madame? You seem to be out of cups. Would you happen to have any more?" Sombra pointed out. The mare looked up from the trays, noticing Sombra's plight. "Oh yes, I'm sorry. That mare over there used the last cup. We're all out I'm afraid. We don't usually restock until the end of the month." The mare apologized. Sombra turned around to glare at the mare at the table, but she didn't seem to notice him trying to burn a hole through her head with his eyes. Sombra continued his imaginary onslaught until a thought struck him. Sombra quickly reached into his saddlebags, and after a second retrieved the thermos he had purchased around a week ago. Sombra had thought it could be of use since they were headed to the desert, and it seemed he was right. "Would it be alright if I filled this then?" Sombra asked. Thankfully, the mare nodded her approval. Once his thermos was filled to the brim, Sombra slipped it into his bag again and took his tray. The only place to sit was at the same table as the unknown mare, so Sombra ignored his preconceived notions of dislike about her and took a seat as far away as possible. Unfortunately as far as possible seemed to be about four and a half feet. Sombra made an effort not to look at the mare, instead he got out his thermos and poured himself a cup of coffee from it's included mug. Since there was no morning paper to peruse on the train, Sombra pulled a book from his bag and began to read it. It was the first volume of the Daring Do novel series, which had been purchased during the same shopping-spree as the thermos. Sombra saw the mare glance in his general direction upon noticing the book, but continued ignoring her. Sombra ate as he read, finding the food nowhere near as palatable as anything he had eaten at Spike's home, or even the restaurants in Ponyville. Still, it was passable, at least while there were no other options. The coffee was acceptable, and the only truly on par dish of the whole meal was the apple, which bore a small sticker reading Sweet Apple Acres. After leaving the table to discard his disposable tray and returning to fetch his book, Sombra found the mare had produced a map from her cloak. Normally Sombra wouldn't have cared about her, or her hobbies. However the map the mare possessed was disturbingly familiar. Sombra instantly recognized the complex series of lines that had been marked across the map, nearly identical to the map that was in fact in the saddlebag on his right side presently. Spike had entrusted Sombra with it, being as he had no pockets. Sombra's gaze lingered on the map for too long, and the mare at the table noticed him. This also allowed Sombra his first real glance at her, as until this instant Sombra hadn't much cared to examine her. She was unremarkable in appearance, wearing a blue-gray colored hat with a pearl-colored ribbon, large red glasses, and a plum-colored cloak. The mare herself was a goldenrod color, and from what Sombra could see of her mane, it was black and mixed shades of gray. Through her enormous spectacles, Sombra could make out that her eyes were a deep reddish-purple color. "Can I help you with something?" The mare asked with a heavy amount of attitude. Sombra quickly attempted to figure out an excuse, but the only thing he could come up with seemed unbelievable, even to himself. Still, it was all he could actually come up with on the fly. "I was just curious about the markings on your map there. I have a hobby of sorts as an amateur cartographer, and I was curious as to what they represent." Sombra lied through his unnaturally sharp teeth. The mare appraised Sombra skeptically, but eventually scooted the map closer to Sombra. "It's the flight path of a very rare type of bird. They've been long thought extinct, but I think I've found a small flock." The mare replied with a flat emotionless tone. "I see, well then. I suppose my curiosity is sated. Pardon my intrusion, I will leave you to your work." Sombra replied as casually as he could fake. Sombra inconspicuously gathered his belongings, even taking a moment to finish his current mug of coffee. Once everything was safely back in his bag, Sombra excused himself from the table and headed to the door to the next car. The cargo-car that Spike currently resided in. Much to his dismay, the server mare blocked his passage. A look of nervousness evident upon her face. Sombra took that as a sign that all of the train staff knew the situation with Spike. Something Sombra thought he could use to his advantage. "I'm sorry sir, that car is reserved." The kindly old mare informed Sombra, trying to dissuade him. "I am well aware of that. The occupant is a dear friend of mine, and I feel rather certain he would be cross with you if you kept me from going to see him." Sombra whispered into the mare's ear. The mare's eyes became pinpricks at the mere thought of a dragon becoming upset with her. She quickly abdicated her spot in front of the door and allowed Sombra passage. Sombra quickly made his way across the short walkway, headed to the bolted metal door of the cargo-car. Just as Sombra was about to try and knock on the door, a crashing noise could be hear from the dining car. As soon as Sombra turned around, the door burst open and the mare with the map rushed out. "You! I know you know about the map! Are you working for Ahuizotl?! Is that who's in that car?!" The mare practically roared out, expecting answers from Sombra. Sombra froze on the spot, completely unsure of what to do. The door to the cargo-car was about a foot behind him, but if Sombra turned around, the look in the mare's eyes told him she would lunge after him. Sombra did the only thing he could think to do, and used his back leg to buck the door several times. As predicted, the mare lunged at Sombra, quickly and expertly incapacitating him and smashing his face into the floor of the walkway. Fortunately, the sound of Sombra's hooves against the metal door did their job. Sombra and the mare watched as the door was removed from it's hinges with tremendous force and fell to the ground where it was soon out of sight as the train kept on moving. When nothing else happened, the mare squinted to try and see into the dark car. Two enormous green eyes just seething with hate aimed directly at her came into view a second later. As soon as she got a general idea of what was in the car her eyes dilated to the point that her pupils were almost totally gone. With one incredibly fast flash, the mare found herself in the the firm grip of a very large purple hand connected to a perfectly-sculpted, scaly arm. Before she had any real time to react, she found herself being pulled back into the darkness of the train car. The last thing she saw before being pulled into the car was Sombra smiling triumphantly at her. Once inside, the mare could see very little other than the tremendous pair of green eyes she had quickly grown to fear. Before she could say anything, a booming voice beat her to the punch. "You've got about five seconds to explain why you've just assaulted my friend." The owner of the eyes informed the mare. The mare struggled in the titanic grip of the hand, but all that could be moved was her neck. She was in a very complete hold, intentionally trapped without being harmed. The mare even attempted biting at the hand, but she almost broke her teeth in the process. "Oh by all means, keep on struggling. I was planning on just sleeping the day away, but this is kind of interesting." The voice mocked. "Personally, I would not be opposed to seeing you crush her. Though I know I am supposed to be a good-guy now, and you have a soft spot for ponies." "Oh right, Sombra. You okay buddy?" The voice asked the stallion from before, confusing the mare somewhat. "I had my faced smashed into a metal walkway by an insane mare, what do you think?" Sombra responded angrily. "Okay fine, lemme turn on a light in here. Your colors are too dark to check for a bruise without any." The voice complained. With a loud snap, the cargo car was lit with green flames, allowing the mare to see her captor clearly for the first time. She found herself in the clutches of a dragon. Certainly not a fully grown dragon, but definitely large enough for a lone mare to worry about. In the light, the dragon looked less intimidating than he had in the dark car, but still rather displeased with the mare. It was clear the mare wasn't going to get released from the dragon's grasp anytime soon without giving some satisfying answers. "Okay, ya got me. I'll talk, so long as you don't eat and/or roast me." The mare conceded. To her dismay, the dragon actual gave her a toothy grin in response. "Good, now like I said before, tell me why you felt the need to attack my friend." The dragon continued, thinly concealed venom dripping from his words. The mare sighed, but kept her word. "Your friend there was staring at my map, looking shocked to see the lines on it. He tried to feed me a bogus story about being a map maker then tried to come here. "I figured whoever was in here was someone who also knew about the map. Specifically my arch-nemesis who I know is after the same thing we both seem to be." The mare divulged honestly. Spike's eyes widened, and with no warning whatsoever he used his tail to remove the mare's hat and glasses. "Buck me! You're Daring Do!" The dragon squealed excitedly. "Sombra, this is Daring Do, or A.K. Yearling or whatever her real name is." Daring blinked several times in rapid succession, not believing the situation. "How the hell does a fire-breathing dragon know who I am, let alone that I really exist?" Daring snapped at the dragon. Spike quickly deposited Daring Do on the floor of the train-car, being relatively careful with her. "I'm a close personal friend of Rainbow Dash, and Princess Twilight Sparkle is my adoptive mother. My name is Spike, by the way." Spike explained. "Seriously? How old are you?" Daring asked, still unsure of what to believe. "Twenty-five, twenty-six in a couple weeks." Spike said nonchalantly. "Okay then... So, who's your pal there? He a friend of Dash's too?" Daring Do asked, pointing over to Sombra. Sombra walked over to Spike's side, still concerned for his safety. "I am Sombra... Retired despot of the Crystal Empire. I have only the vaguest of ideas who this Rainbow Dash is, but I am on the side of Equestria now. Though truth be told I feel more indebted to Spike than the alicorns." Sombra introduced himself. Something clicked in Daring's mind at that moment. It was like she had just figured out a puzzle that she hadn't known she was looking at. Which, in her line of work was a thing that happened to Daring quite often. "You were the little dragon that saved the empire from Sombra, then again at the Equestria games. I read about that, but you were only like three feet tall, and Sombra was supposed to be dead. What the hell happened?" Daring asked, now even more unsure of what was happening. Spike and Sombra looked to one another, and whispered between themselves for a minute. Daring only caught a few words here and there, only able to glean that something big was going on. Bigger than Daring knew about at the very least. After some deliberation, Spike and Sombra returned their attention to Daring Do. "I had a series of growth spurts, and Sombra is actually immortal. The princesses found Sombra and helped him put himself back together, and to make a long story short, Sombra is possessed. The spirit of a tremendously powerful dragon-demon-wizard was trying to use him to return to power. "Now I have to master the ancient dragon magics to stop the dragon ghost from returning and destroying the world. Since Sombra got imprisoned and then blown to bits the spirit has been injured and rendered dormant, but it's power is returning slowly, and it'll be back to full in a year or so. "There's a gemstone in the floating temple that can give me a head-start on learning some magic, so we've gotta go get it or Sombra ceases to exist, and then the world basically ends." Spike explained, attempting to summarize everything. Daring Do for her part listened quite attentively. She was far from a stranger to ancient prophecies and magical beings revived from the dead. She actually made money off of such things. If Spike and Sombra were going to share their information openly, and had already proved themselves as heroes in the past Daring intended to repay them in kind. "Okay. Well, Ahuizotl is headed to the temple and I was going up to stop him. My informant in Zotl's operation tells me he's headed to the temple to find some artifact of super-ancient magical power. "Then my inside-source in the castle archives copied me a map of the temple's flight path, and I'm assuming the two of you have the original one." Daring replied, filling them in on her mission. Spike reached into Sombra's saddlebag and pulled out the map that had been in the manilla envelope. Daring likewise pulled her map out from under her wing. When laid side by side, it was clear they were the same map. "Looks like our missions are pretty similar at the moment. If you can promise me Ahuizotl won't get this magic gemstone it's yours." Daring told Spike and Sombra. "I seriously doubt this 'Ahuizotl' person will be able to steal it from Spike." Sombra joked. Daring didn't understand Sombra's humor, instead taking it as a sign that her nemesis was being underestimated. "Don't take Zotl lightly. He's a crafty one." Daring cautioned. Spike snickered a bit, and reached into the nearby barrel of gems that the princesses had graciously provided. Spike took a deliberately noisy handful of gems from it. Once Spike was sure Daring was watching, Spike deposited the gems in his mouth all at once. With a sickening series of loud crunches that could be equated to a bull in a china shop's worth of breaking glass, the gems met their end. "And that, is why Ahuizotl won't get his mitts on the gemstone after I get it." Spike explained. "Whoa. That was pretty cool." Daring admitted. "Okay then, I'll let you take the rock so no one else can use it." "Sweet. I've always wanted to be in a Daring Do story." Spike chuckled. Sombra however was still skeptical of the mare, being nowhere near as familiar with Daring Do as Spike. Spike was too trusting, a kind, gentle soul by nature despite his species and eating habits. It was very possible Spike would let his admiration for Daring Do influence the mission. "Exactly how are you planning to get up to the temple? The temple resides far too high up for a pegasi to fly, being as the air is quite thin and the temperature is too low. Spike can make the trip, and carry one passenger. How are you to join us?" Sombra questioned Daring Do. Daring scoffed, turning her head up at Sombra. "I've been through this kind of thing more times than I can count. Tracking down a magical doodad that could take me up to the temple was nothing. You amateurs just worry about yourselves." Daring replied condescendingly. Spike didn't particularly mind, as Daring was heavily ingrained into his childhood. Sombra however had no such preconceived notions, other than the pain in his face. At present her foul attitude was doing nothing to convince Sombra to trust Daring. "Yes, well far be it from me to question you." Sombra apologized sarcastically. Daring either didn't notice the blatant sass, or more likely she just didn't care. "I'm going to try and rest up for the trip. Wake me up when we're near Farrier's Gulch." Daring ordered before waling right out the door. Spike and Sombra watched Daring leave in relative silence, hearing her muttering something in an annoyed tone. As soon as Sombra was certain she was out of earshot he returned his attention to Spike. "This 'Daring Do', is she truly trustworthy? She seemed to have an... intensity about her. Her hotheadedness could be a problem if this foe of her's is truly as formidable as she claims." Sombra reasoned. Spike's child-like wonder at meeting one of his heroes seemed to override the counsel of a friend for the time being. "Nah, Rainbow Dash said she was a little edgy. I'm sure she'll be a big help fighting Ahuizotl. That's practically all she's been doing for like, two decades or something." Spike assured Sombra, grabbing another handful of gems. Sombra was less than pleased with the new partner they had momentarily gained, but he supposed if anyone was less than trustworthy in most people's eyes it was probably him. Daring deserved a chance, especially considering her long running hero-status. Though that didn't mean Sombra had to like her. Sombra and Spike talked as the train continued on it's way, both attempting to remain optimistic about the trip to the temple. Still, Sombra couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that things were about to take a bad turn. Sombra hoped that Spike would take notice of whatever was going to happen before it could occur.