A Meeting of the Buggy Variety [closed, attn dragonofruin]

[PyroBlaze]

Dox had been quite the busy bug recently in his efforts to gather knowledge. First that zebra near Ponyville, then that unicorn in the frozen north, and now he found himself in a stretch of uninhabited land in a corner of Equestria. His network of agents had tracked Sombra to this area, and he could hardly wait to see what Sombra could share with him knowledge-wise. It wasn’t very often he got to speak with any form of immortal being outside the group he was in with Hou. He couldn’t exactly approach the alicorns, and Discord didn’t seem the type for academic discussions, on top of his ‘reformation’. That left Sombra, even if part of the reason he was around for so long being that he got himself sealed away for a while. Speaking of ancient creatures though, maybe he should find some of those yokai. They could live for quite a long time, from what he had heard. 
 

For now though, the vampiric changeling was in his Hei Xue form in all it’s glory, trying to pick up Sombra’s trail while wandering through the countryside. 

[dragonofruin]

In the time that he'd been in Equestria, Sombra had grown used to wandering its wilderness, far from the beaten paths. It was a kind of solitude he was growing to like, quite a bit. Ponies were somewhat tolerable, in small doses, though he did occasionally find himself missing what he used to have. He really did occasionally ponder trying to go after Equestria, if just for the fun of it. To get in some proper battles again, and put both his mind and his skills to use to bring down his old foes. Maybe if he was properly prepared, or maybe.. he'd just stick to this new life. It allowed him a freedom he hadn't had in the Crystal Empire.

 

As nice as it was, even now, there was something that had been nagging at him for the past day or so. While he was a paranoid beast, and he knew the feeling well, he still couldn't help wondering if he was being watched. Or at the very least, followed? The world around him didn't feel quite so empty, outside of the plants and faint presences of distant wildlife. His long pace slowed to something more thoughtful, considering how he could double back in order to take his follower by surprise, if he had one. Gnawing his lower lip for a moment with a fang, Sombra settled on an idea and moved off to the side, shifting to shadow to slip into one of the shadows cast by a nearby tree.

 

Maybe he could lurk a while and see who might come along.

[PyroBlaze]

Dox kept following the trail, soon enough emerging into the area where Sombra had hid. He looked around briefly, trying to figure out where the trail had gone. 
 

“Come now, Sombra, is this any way to treat a fellow ancient? I know we have not met, but I have heard a lot about you. You may call me Dox.” He said, introducing himself as he zeroed in on where the stallion was. When he found the trail again, his eyes moved over to Sombra’s hiding spot and a smile spread across his face. 

[dragonofruin]

Within the shadow of the tree was where his body blended, the umbrum himself waiting patiently for who might come along, and his patience was soon rewarded as a silhouette drew closer along the trail he'd taken. He tensed, waiting.. and then they addressed him. Somehow they knew who he was, and it seemed, where he was judging by which direction they were looking. His eyes, all glowing red, green, and smoky trails, flared to life an instant before he shot out of the shade of the tree as a burst of shadow before materializing before this Dox, standing tall with a sneer on his lips.

 

"Dox," he repeated. "It seems my reputation precedes me. I've heard nothing about you. Exactly who, and what, are you? Why have you come seeking me?" Sombra asked, an almost demanding tone edging his voice as he looked the creature up and down. A curved branching horn, fur and scales.. and something of a mane. This was an interesting creature he had never seen before. They were almost pony, outside of aspects of their appearance and the cloven hooves. It was intriguing. A hybrid of some sort? He tilted his head slightly, trying to figure them out and read what details he could about them.

[PyroBlaze]

"No, I suppose you wouldn't. That is just what happens when history knows you by a different name though." Dox sighed with a small shrug, not intimidated at all by Sombra's display. "I am a... colleague of Hou Shuren. I have been seeking you out so that I may add your knowledge to my own. I know many things, including that there will always be something else to learn, so we shall see what I can learn from you, hmm?" He added, the smile showing up again and showing off his fangs.

 

"You can learn from me in return, if you wish. I don't expect anything for free." He finished, looking Sombra over a bit.

[dragonofruin]

His eyes narrowed at the mention of Hou's name. "How in Equestria did you become her.. colleague? She struck me as one that doesn't play well with others." He gave Dox another quick glance up and down, judgemental of this creature. "I can't fathom why she'd work with you and would attack me, or where her assumptions came from before." He sounded offended over the fact, that Hou would pass him over for.. whatever this was.

 

"Why should I teach you anything even though you work for my enemy? This could easily be a ploy by her to learn more about me so that she might come after me later. Even if you did offer up information about her and what she's up to, which I entirely expect from you in whatever deal you offer me, for what reason should I do anything for you while you're Hou Shuren's lackey?" He sneered, his dark tail lashing behind him. He already didn't trust Dox in the slightest, even though the creature had done him a favor by being open about his association with Hou.

[PyroBlaze]

“When you live for thousands of years, you tend to run into a lot of interesting individuals. We were bound to find each other eventually.” Dox shrugged, not really appreciating Sombra underestimating him like that. Oh well, it wasn’t like Sombra had all that much to go on. 
 

“Lackey? I haven’t been anyone’s lackey for a few thousand years, at least.” His eyes narrowed slightly before continuing. “As for your concerns, that is a valid one. However, even though I am a scholar, I can keep a secret if it benefits me.”

[dragonofruin]

Sombra initially responded with a soft grunt. The names of those who'd been around as long as himself, or longer, were all well known to him, and unless Dox was just a fake name or a nickname he didn't know of, he couldn't be sure who this being was. It was likely somepony who'd managed to stay out of the eye of the general populace.. Whatever the case might be, he couldn't trust this Dox so long as they worked with, or under, Hou Shuren.

 

"Anypony who likely works with her would be nothing more than a lackey. I doubt she'd share anything, not genuinely. I'm sure she puts on her airs and charms to make anypony feel special enough that they'd willingly work for her. But what do I know? Apparently nothing, according to her." Sombra rolled his eyes and he sat down on the grass with a huff. "So what sort of information do you want, exactly? I'd ask you to tell her nothing, but I can't trust you to keep your word when you say you'll keep it secret. Or perhaps Hou will happily pry it out of your brain, if she so desires."

[PyroBlaze]

“Actually, perhaps you know me better as Hei Xue. Being a villain did seem to bring more fame than being a hero.” He shrugged, watching Sombra for the moment. “It certainly helps that I am probably one of the few she considers an equal, and I’ve been around for a very long time, just like her. Like you, except for that long stretch where you were sealed away. She is welcome to try, I could do with a good fight, but she is not likely to succeed. As for what knowledge I seek, I am primarily looking for magical knowledge. You can keep your plans and such to yourself, I am a scholar, not a spy. At least right now.”

[dragonofruin]

The king rumbled in his throat, considering the new name he was given. It was a foreign name, he knew that much, although not what region it was from. His knowledge didn't extend very far past the Crystal Empire and Equestria. Although he felt like he'd come across it before, perhaps in some story or legend in something he'd read in passing. He rubbed at his chin with the top of a hoof, frowning faintly to himself.

 

One of the few she considers an equal. Something about the statement bothered him, maybe even stung if he'd admit as much to himself. The very fact that she'd passed over him was something he couldn't help taking great offense to- he had little idea why Hou chose to make him her enemy, instead of anything like an ally. Even if he knew she probably would've expected him to answer to her, and he answered to nopony, would continue to answer to nopony. He had started to like her a little, up before she decided to force him into a fight.

 

Sombra huffed, his expression darkening for a moment. "Magical knowledge. Alright. What do you want to know?"

[PyroBlaze]

“What do I want to know... Well, that largely depends on what you have to teach, so perhaps we should start with the field you’re the most knowledgeable in. Or any that you have made discoveries in that are not recorded anywhere.” Dox hummed slightly, rubbing his chin as he tried to figure out where to start. Sombra likely knew many types of magic, so it might be hard to find something that he knew but Dox didn’t. After all, a jack of all trades tended to be a master of none. Unless they had as much time as he did to master them. 

[dragonofruin]

It wasn't hard for him to think of a list of what he was good at, at least magic-wise. He just wasn't sure what he wanted to actually give away, and when some of his magic was more unique to him; he was selfish enough to want to keep it all to himself. But maybe, if he told Dox a little bit of it, he might be able to get information from him about Hou Shuren and what she was up to.

 

"Dark magic, first of all," Sombra answered. "As an umbrum, it's what I know first and foremost. If I'm to get specific, it's curses that's more my specialty. As well as mind control, and something of a warped version of crystal formation that crystal ponies can do- though I suppose it's mostly lost to them now after what I did." He idly eyed his own hoof while he spoke, using a bit of magic to pick some dirt off of it. "I'm also fond of pyromancy, and of course spells relating to evoking one's worst fears and manipulating shadows. There's something else I know how to do that doesn't really require a spell, but it's something only innate to umbrum. A mortal trying to turn themselves into shadow would likely only succeed in tearing themselves apart."

Sombra made a face and dropped his hoof. "Other than that, just various dark magic spells and means of corruption."

[PyroBlaze]

“Hmm, crystals and curses, you say? That sounds like as good a place as any to start out. While it would be intriguing to learn about your innate abilities, perhaps we should start with something I know I can make use of.” Dox nodded to him, floating out a notepad and quill to write down the specifics. He also had to figure out how much he could give in return, especially without getting on Hou’s bad side should things lead back to him. 

[dragonofruin]

"Well, I said more than that," Sombra thought to correct with a small gesture of his hoof. "The most I could probably teach you is about dark magic, which is always useful to know. Although seeing as I still don't know what you are exactly, you'd probably have to be careful with using it. With ponies, using it too often may begin to corrupt you. How?" Sombra answered his own question with a shrug of his shoulders. As far as he knew, and had read about, there hadn't been many if any ponies suffering from side effects or corruption from too much dark magic usage. It seemed like it wasn't at all commonly used in Equestria, and he was sure the royal pony sisters were responsible for that- keeping it away from their subjects.

 

"What exactly can you offer me in return for this information? What can you tell me about Hou or anything general that I could use?"

[PyroBlaze]

“Yes, I am aware, but those sounded like the most promising subjects.” Dox sighed slightly, falling silent as Sombra moved on and kept talking. He smirked a bit at the talk about the dangers of dark magic. 
 

“Well, I don’t have this extended life due to what I was born as, I know the dangers. As for what I can tell you in return, I am sure I have multiple fields of magic I could assist your growth in. One benefit of living so long, I have had plenty of time to amass a large store of knowledge. I would be more than happy to share some with you in return, broaden your magical arsenal and make you stronger.” Dox said, debating wether he should return to changeling form so Sombra had a better idea of what he was capable of. Then again, he didn’t want to put all his cards on the table. 

[dragonofruin]

The former tyrant grunted, slightly disappointed that no information would be offered up about Hou Shuren. Yet. He supposed learning more magic would at least get to help him, should he ever deal with her or anypony like her again. His tail lashed behind him, flopping on the grass as he studied the creature across from him. "So then, how would you like to go about this? Would you like to go first and show me what you seem to know?" He tilted his head, questioning.

He was already mulling over what dark magic spells he could teach, and whether or not he should withhold anything for safety's sake. There was time for him to make a decision on that, but for now he'd just go along with it.

[PyroBlaze]

“Well, it would take quite a while to demonstrate all the magic I know, so maybe it would be best to be a bit more specific about what kind of magic you want to learn.” Dox shrugged, though his horns glowed as he started up a demonstration anyways. Various frozen orbs began forming around him, floating there as they finished. Each contained different elements inside them, one a fire, one some water, and another a rock formation. 
 

“As you can see, I am adept at using multiple forms of elemental magic, but that is by no means the extent of my abilities.” He smiled a bit, leaving it off there for now. 

[dragonofruin]

Sombra snorted softly. If that was the case, then he'd just have to be more specific when he asked next time. Even just getting a list would've helped him figure out what Dox knew and could teach him. His attention went to the strange orbs that Dox chose to summon up, and he got a glimpse of what existed within each of them. Pyromancy was a magic he was familiar with well enough, but the rest probably wouldn't hurt to learn if there were creative ways he could use them, especially in a fight.

 

"How about we start with that, then? Maybe afterward you can provide me a list of what you know so I can narrow down what I can ask," Sombra said, gesturing towards Dox with a hoof. "I wouldn't mind being able to expand my skills."

[PyroBlaze]

"Very well, elemental magic it is. The easiest way to learn these spells is to attune yourself to the element you wish to learn. Of course the process of attuning is easier for some than others, not everyone can change their body to better match the situation." Dox shrugged, a floating notebook and pen working away in the background to make the requested list of things he was confident in teaching others from memory. "Of course, it's not necessary, but I've found it brings better results."