//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17: A Brief Vacation and Murder 
// Story: Changeling Fate 
// by Nightmare Rift 
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Night Crystal’s POV: 
Today is the day where I take Nightlock to see Celestia and maybe Luna. I wear my black cloak that I got from Rarity when I first came to town. I place a concealment spell on the sword that I am taking to the castle for my protection, and for Nightlock’s. Even when I pull it out of thin air, I still need to conceal it or Celestia will know I have it long before I reach the throne room. I place an illusion spell over Nightlock to make him look like a pony filly, so ponies won’t see him, scream, and then go running away in terror. We take the old fashioned way to Canterlot, the Ponyville Express. I could have teleported us to Canterlot, but I wanted Nightlock to get the full experience. We arrive in Canterlot to see an empty train station. I see that two royal guards, pulling a chariot, were sent to take us to the castle. I lift Nightlock in and then get in myself. The two royal guards take off flying and land us at the front doors of the castle. As soon as we depart from the chariot, they take off, heading to the back of the castle, where I assume the chariots are kept for training and upkeep. 

We enter the front doors and Nightlock is bouncing around looking so amazed at everything in the castle. He reminds me of myself when I was a small Changeling. We enter the main foyer of the castle and head to the throne room where Celestia is waiting for us, although Nightlock is a surprise. I open the doors to the throne room, expecting a warm welcome. Along with a ‘who is this’ question, but instead all I get is a whoosh of magic launching towards me. I turn to see Nightlock disappearing in a cloud of shadow, and the last thing I see is the eyes of Sombra. I break down in grief as I stare at the spot where the Umbrum filly I was taking care of was killed. I look up at Celestia with rage burning in my eyes, pull out the sword from underneath my cloak. I bring it clashing down into the floor, inches from Celestia’s throne, leaving it there as a reminder. It’s not like I don’t have more. I can produce that sword again out of thin air. “Why do you always have to act before asking, let alone before thinking!? I’m sorry for making you think that the colt I bring with me is a danger, when he is clearly not! You are a sorry disgrace for a princess! You deserve what is coming!” I scream at Celestia and then take a running leap off of the balcony, heading straight home. 

I cry myself to sleep that night, thinking of Nightlock, and how his shadow turned into Sombra’s eyes when he died. I will make sure that Celestia suffers for her actions, even if that means leaving her to rule myself. She killed a colt in cold blood. She will know true terror for her entire eternal life. 

Princess Celestia’s POV: 
I just killed a colt that looked like Sombra, but it was just a colt. After Night Crystal’s outbreak, I am now terribly concerned for what she is going to do. She said I was a disgrace of a princess, but why does she think that? It isn’t because I just killed an innocent colt. She sounded like she had more reasons than just that one. ‘I deserve what is coming to me’, what is that supposed to mean? We have no major villains at large, so I am lost. Unfortunately, I have a bigger problem to deal with. The sword in front of my throne. 

I walk around the sword, inspecting it carefully, wondering why she would leave a sword stuck in the ground in front of my throne. I look at the jewels imbedded in it to see Sombra’s cutie mark, as well as jewels that make up his eyes, and realize that this is Sombra’s personal sword back from the War of Crystal. I jump back as the sword begins to glow. I blink and see that it was just my imagination, but I also know that there must be some explanation as to why she has Sombra’s sword. I could only think of two reasons why she would have it. She either found it if she rummaged around the Crystal Empire castle in secret or she is secretly a Changeling young that I let live from too long ago. I need to find out sooner rather than later, but right now, she needs space since I just murdered a colt in front of her. 

I grab the sword in my magic, intending to pull it out, but I seem unable to. I pull harder and harder, but still unable to pull it out of the ground. I yell for Luna, and once she arrives, I ask her if she can pull the sword out. She is unable to pull it out as well, so I send her back to bed, and glare at the sword. However, within my glaring, I notice an inscription on the shaft of the blade. It reads, Only those with dark magic may hope to remove this blade from where it has been placed. I shudder in the prospect of that because nopony that I know of knows dark magic. The only known being with dark magic left is Styx, a mysterious pony that has been hidden since the War of Crystal. Legend says this pony was, and maybe still is, powerful and heavily trained in dark magic. Over time, their magic grew, and they would be unstoppable today. I am guessing that Night Crystal found this blade and doesn’t know of the power that the blade is imbued with. If she does, then I don’t know how she planned on removing it, since neither Luna nor I could detect any trace of dark magic coming from her. For now, I must close the throne room until I figure out some way to move the piece of ground that the sword is stuck in.