//------------------------------//
// Subverting Expectations 
// Story: The Best Laid Plans of Shrews and Stallions 
// by Maltrazz 
//------------------------------//

Twilight tried to stay courageous as she was marched along in the midst of the nearly silent Umbrum army, flanked by the two guards Sombra had entered Canterlot castle with. Only those that wore armor made any noise as they traveled and even that was only from the metal, not from any words.

With nopony to talk to, Twilight focused on her surroundings and noticed something odd. 'This looks like the route back to Ponyville,' she thought. She looked around and, sure enough, saw the railroad tracks paralleling their route. As they grew closer to the village, however, the army angled away from it, towards the forest nearby.

'Of course!' Twilight thought. 'The Everfree is so full of darkness and threatening creatures that it's no wonder we couldn't find where they had gone!' Twilight briefly considered making a break for Ponyville but quickly shook the thought from her mind. After all, escaping would only defeat the purpose of having surrendered to her captors in the first place.

As the army passed into the shadows of the forest, Sombra called the army to a halt. Leaping onto a raised root, he turned to address the assembled force, using magic to amplify his voice for all to hear. "My fellow Umbrum! When we first entered this forest, it was in defeat. We retreated from our recent imprisonment and the burning power of the Crystal Heart. Now we return victorious! We have tarnished the pride and honor of the Equestrian Princesses and struck fear into the hearts of their subjects! We have driven a wedge of Doubt into their precious Harmony!

"Now, we shall grow strong whilst they struggle to overcome their loss. We shall make this forest our home, a haven where we shall no longer have to deal with the prejudices of Ponies. We shall not repeat the mistakes of the past. We shall evolve, grow stronger, and be free! Tonight, we celebrate. A feast unlike any seen in 1,000 years, to christen our new home and our freedom!"

A roaring cheer greeted his speech, threatening to deafen Twilight. As Sombra leapt down from his perch, the Umbrum began talking amongst themselves. Twilight could not help but look around in surprise as the silent and intimidating army broke up into friends and family that chatted happily as they made their way home. Only a few of the Umbrum wearing armor stayed in position, clearly guarding her. Even they began to talk amongst themselves, however.

"Ooh, a feast! I can hardly wait," one of the mares that had accompanied Sombra into Canterlot said happily, before finishing in an annoyed tone, "to taste the cooking of somepony who's been incorporeal for a millennium."

"We won't get to eat anything until after we deal with the prisoner," pointed out the mare beside her shortly.

"Oh, gee, thanks for reminding me, Adornar," the first one replied, her dripping with sarcasm. "I had totally forgotten that we were guarding a princess!"

"No need for that, Azedo-doce. You are all free to join the others now, I shall deal with our 'guest' personally," Sombra said. Turning to the only Umbrum who had continued to remain silent, he said, "Baleiro, have the room next to mine cleaned up. The princess will be staying there so that I may keep an eye on her."

"It will be as you command, your majesty," the stallion replied before leaving along with the others.

Finally, Sombra turned to Twilight. "Now then, Princess... Sparkle, was it?" Twilight nodded cautiously, unsure of what he had planned for her, so he continued, "I believe I promised to remove that little necklace I gave you."

A quick burst of Dark Magic came from him and the crystal collar around her neck cracked and fell away.  Raising a hoof to rub her sore neck, Twilight said, "I'm surprised you would remove my restraints. Or give me a room outside of a dungeon, for that matter."

"On the contrary, I have no reason to prevent your escape," Sombra replied. "After all, should you leave without my consent, I shall consider that a violation of our peace accord." Grin widening, he added, "Perhaps you think the other princesses will find a way to defeat my forces? Or the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony will stop us?"

Scowling, Twilight said shortly, "You will be stopped. Your overconfidence is your weakness."

"And your faith in your friends is yours," he shot back. "But before we proceed further, I have one question for you. And be warned; should I ever catch you lying to me, I shall endeavor to create a particularly unpleasant punishment for you." His eyes flashed with dark magic as he added, "And I mean 'unpleasant' by my standards, not yours."

Remembering the ways the Crystal Ponies had trembled at the mere memory of his rule, Twilight could not help but feel a sliver of fear. Keeping a brave face, she met his gaze and replied, "You still haven't asked the question."

"Very well," Sombra said before asking, "When you traveled to the Crystal Empire to oppose me, did you do so on your own or did Celestia send you?"

Twilight blinked in surprise. She was not certain what she had been expecting him to ask but it certainly was not that. "Celestia sent me," Twilight said, not seeing any reason to risk lying. "She said it was a test. I suppose she wanted to see if I was ready to become a princess."

"I was afraid you would say that," the Umbrum king said with a sigh. Seeing her confused expression, he explained. "In case you have somehow forgotten, you were not the one I intended to capture and if the only act you have ever perpetrated against me was actually Celestia's doing, then that means I now have a prisoner against whom I hold no ill will."

"You... don't?" Twilight asked hesitantly. "Then... are you going to let me go?"

"I'm afraid that is no longer an option," Sombra replied. "Regardless of my personal ambivalence toward you, you are a political prisoner. You represent Equestria and, as King of the Umbrum, it's my duty to use you for the sake of my kin, be it as a trophy or a bargaining chip. However, as I said before, I'm not a barbarian. Behave yourself, and there's no reason your stay here can't be in relative comfort. Do we have an understanding?" Seeing her nod cautiously, he turned towards the castle as he went on. "Well, then, follow me. First, some ground rules. Number one, you will not be contained to your room, but neither will you be allowed to leave the castle without my consent. Private rooms will be at the discretion of their owners, of course. Number two, any attack on me or my kin will be taken as a declaration of war by Equestria on the Umbrum. Number three..."





An hour later found Twilight looking around the room that she would have to call home for the foreseeable future. Letting herself fall onto the bed, she was happy to find it almost as comfortable as the one back in her castle in Ponyville. The reason why became obvious when she glanced at the window and saw a stained glass image of a moon. 'This must be Princess Luna's old room,' Twilight thought. 'Sombra likely claimed the best room for himself, which probably would have been Celestia's, 1,000 years ago.'

Such thoughts could only distract her for a moment, however, before thoughts of her current situation began swirling through her mind. 'A "political prisoner", that's what he called me... I should be grateful Sombra didn't decide to just attack the moment he found out I wasn't Radiant Hope. I never expected Sombra to have any sense of honor but, then again, I never expected the Umbrum to be so... pony-like either. They seemed so monstrous back in Canterlot. My friends are probably worried sick...'

Twilight shot up with a start. "My friends!" She gasped. "They probably think I'm being tortured in a dungeon somewhere. If they try to rescue me, it could plunge Equestria into war!" She began pacing as she tried to come up with a solution. "I have to contact them somehow and let them know not to do anything rash. Normally I would write a letter but I can't send it without Spike. I really need to find out how Celestia always replies to that..."

"I hope you were planning to inform me about this, Princess Sparkle."

Twilight whirled to the door to see Sombra standing there, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh, I- I didn't hear you come in," Twilight said. "I'm just trying to keep my friends from causing you any trouble, Sombra."

"That's King Sombra," he replied. "Now come, dinner has been prepared and you won't have the privilege of having servants to bring any to your room. You can send your letter tomorrow."

Twilight frowned at the implication that she would expect that kind of treatment but followed him, nonetheless. As they walked, Twilight pondered her surroundings. "I'm not too surprised that you took over the Castle of the Two Sisters since you took refuge in the Everfree," Twilight said, before asking Sombra, "but how did you repair it so quickly?"

Sombra glanced back at her but, detecting only genuine curiosity, he answered. "Dark Magic, of course. I Manifested crystals to fill the holes and cracks, and then stone, metal, or wood to cover it and hide the damage."

"Wait, you did it all by yourself!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Of course," the king replied without hesitation. "My subjects were still recovering from their imprisonment, which had been far longer than my own. This past week has not been easy on any of us, yourself included, I imagine. This feast is not just a celebration of our victory but also a reward for all the hard work my kin contributed to make our campaign a success." He glanced at her again and added, "Well, partial success, at any rate."

"In this case, I'm glad to disappoint," Twilight said smugly, glad for at least the minor victory.

Twilight expected him to get angry at her but Sombra's expression actually grew amused. As they entered the main hall, Twilight stopped in her tracks. The meal was already underway, Umbrum enjoying themselves throughout the hall, so numerous that they spilled out into the courtyard beyond. It reminded her of a few royal occasions that had been open to the public when she was growing up as Celestia's student. However, it was not the sight, or even the sound, that caused the young princess to stop.

It was the smell.

It only took her a moment to locate the source of the revolting smell and her expression transformed into a look of horror when she did. "Are they eating meat!?" She gasped.

Sombra looked at her in confusion for a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. Giving her a grin that showed off his own pronounced canines, he said, "I had forgotten that you ponies were herbivores, not omnivores like us. Worry not. There are vegetable to eat, as well, and none of the meat came from ponies." Twilight noticed that he neglected to mention where it did come from.

Although her appetite was ruined by the smell of cooked meat, Twilight followed him to the head of the table, knowing she should eat something after having had nothing since breakfast. Twilight noticed a few of the Umbrum throwing glares at her but most of them seemed content to ignore her.

As Sombra took his place at the head of the table, he gestured to an empty place next to him, saying, "I plan to keep a close eye on you for now. I'm still not convinced that the Two Sisters don't have something planned, whether you know about it or not."

"Stupid ponies," a voice muttered before Twilight could reply.

Looking to the voice's source, Twilight saw an Umbrum filly sitting at the table on Sombra's other side, glaring at her and gnawing on a piece of meat. "Excuse me?" Twilight said, unsure of how to reply.

Grinning, Sombra gestured to the filly and said, "Princess Sparkle, allow me to introduce my little sister, Princess Ira."