//------------------------------//
// Training Day 
// Story: Echoing Shadows 
// by LordSiravant 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Seven: Training Day

King Sombra idly flipped through his favorite spellbook, Forbidden Magicks, looking for any new spells he could perfect. This book was full of black magic spells and curses, things no Equestrian was allowed to know even existed, and its contents were responsible for Sombra's unnatural lifespan and incredible power. No one knew where this book had come from, or who wrote it, but Sombra silently thanked them for their...generosity.

Suddenly there was knock at the door. Sombra glanced up from the book and barked, "Enter."

The door creaked open, revealing the Commander of the Obsidian Guard. "Your Majesty," the unicorn greeted, bowing. "We have just received word from our spies in Equestria."

A savage grin creased the dark king's face. "And?" he pressed.

"Karzakathûl was slain by the Element of Magic and the spirit of chaos, Discord. The Princesses still live, however Princess Celestia was badly injured in the attack."

Not since the Crystal Heart incident had such a look of shock appeared on Sombra's face. "...Karzakathûl is dead?" he repeated, letting the news sink in. "By Discord's hand?!"

"I am afraid so, My Liege."

Sombra's face contorted in anger and disbelief. "He was one of the oldest and most powerful dragons out there! He was even strengthened by my magic! HOW DID HE STILL LOSE?!"

"Discord hurled a lance down his throat, milord."

Sombra growled softly. "The only sure way to kill any dragon. Clever bastard."

The dark king sharply turned, looking out the window of his personal chambers. "If Celestia was injured in the attack, then that means that the Equestrians will wait for her to recover before striking back and calling upon allies. If anything, at least the Sky Emperor bought us some time..."

"My Lord?" the commander asked, slightly confused.

Without turning from the window, Sombra ordered, "Tell Captain Dagger Wing to ready two hundred of our best Obsidian pegasi for immediate deployment. They are to capture the Gryphon capital city of Griffhala and eliminate the Gryphon Royal Family."

The commander bowed. "As you will it, King Sombra."

"You, commander, shall take a contingent of unicorns and go to the nearby mountains. I suspect that my return has begun to stir my faithful...pets from their rest. Bring them to me."

"Yes, sire."

Sombra was then left alone in his chambers. He knew that his attempt on the life of the Gryphon Prince would force their hand and cause them to bolster Equestria's forces. He was not going to allow that. Besides, conquering the proud Gryphon Kingdom would inflict a serious blow to the Equestrians' morale, even with the sudden, admittedly-unexpected presence of Discord.

Sombra frowned. Discord. He was a wild card. He hadn't counted on that draconequus showing up. He especially hadn't counted on the meddlesome idiot actually slaying a goddamned Elder Wyrm. If he was on the Equestrians' side, things would be somewhat more difficult for him. Discord was the being closest to him terms of power, as far as the dark king was concerned. Superior? Hardly. Sombra had altered, improved, and perfected many of Discord's commonly-used spells for his own use. Darkness and chaos blended together quite well.

But nevertheless, Sombra needed to think of a way to bring the chaotic spirit down a notch. Perhaps the Crystal Heart could be of use this time. He had made a mistake last time, simply hiding away the Crystal Heart instead of adapting it for his use.

The Crystal Tyrant grinned. He needed to make use of the Heart's power. And he knew exactly how he was going to do it.

XXXXXX

Two days after Karzakathûl's attack...

The group of unicorns stood straight in neat, ordered rows as a stern-looking white unicorn dressed in ornate armor inspected them, his coldly-professional eyes scrutinizing each and every one of the new recruits. Twilight had never felt more uncomfortable in her life, and was trying her best to keep herself from showing it. Rarity was doing a slightly better job of it, staring straight ahead like everypony else and not looking at the Royal Unicorn Captain. Finally the Captain spoke. "Well, aren't you all the sorriest sacks of hay I've ever laid eyes on," he snapped. "Too many years of peace have made you all fat and lazy."

Rarity reflexively scoffed at the rude remark, then widened her eyes and clamped her mouth shut as Captain Falling Skies whirled around and glared at her, looking her up and down with disdain. "You there! Prima Donna! You have something you'd like to say?"

Rarity shook her head. "Where are you from, Private?" Falling Skies demanded.

"Ponyville, sir."

"Ponyville?!" Falling Skies scoffed, getting in Rarity's face. "The only things that come from Ponyville are steers and queers! You don't look like a steer, so that pretty much narrows it down!"

Rarity balked. "I'll have you know, good sir, that I am straight as a-!"

"I DON'T GIVE TWO HORSEAPPLES WHICH WAY YOU SWING, PRIVATE! Now drop down and give me twenty!"

"Twenty what?" Rarity asked in confusion, eliciting a number of repressed snickers from the other unicorns.

"Pushups, Private! You know what pushups are, don't you?!"

"...Oh..."

Rarity, sucking up her pride, lay down on her belly and started doing the pushups. While she did this, Falling Skies addressed the rest of the group. "I am Commander Falling Skies of the Unicorn Guard, and I hereby welcome you to Fighting Magic 101! I am gonna teach you sorry little fillies about how to fight like real unicorns! I am gonna teach you about attack and defense, and most importantly, I'm gonna teach you all how to kill!"

The recruits all exchanged nervous glances. Killing pretty much went against their nature, but they all knew now that it would be necessary if they wanted to survive the Second Sombratic War. "Today we're going to start with some basic calistenics," Falling informed them. "The key to having strong magic is by first having a strong body. Now follow my lead, you sad bunch of sissies!"

The whole group wordlessly copied every stretch and move the commander made, some struggling more than others. Many ended up falling over after attempting to twist their bodies a certain way. Needless to say, the next two hours were not a pleasant experience for anypony. When the agony was finally over, ponies were lying spread-eagled on the ground, some having flopped over onto one another. Falling narrowed his eyes. "Fillies and gentlecolts, that there is just a sad display."

The Unicorn Commander snorted. "I guess I can't expect much. It is only the first day. Now, everypony listen up! You have all been assigned bunkmates at the unicorn barracks! The roster will be posted on the door of the mess hall. Each of you will find a book on your bed when you go to your quarters. You are to read the first ten pages until you have fully memorized how to perform the spells laid out in the text. First thing at 0600 hours tomorrow, I want you all out here and practicing. And if just one of you is even a minute late, all of your rations will be cut in half for the day! Do you get me?!"

The gathered unicorns all mumbled in agreement.

"I SAID, DO YOU GET ME?!"

"YESSIR!" the recruits all shouted.

"Dismissed!" Falling Skies barked.

Sighing in relief, the unicorns all gathered at the mess hall of the base at which they were stationed. There were three bases that had been hastily set up around the foot of the mountain on which Canterlot was situated, one for each branch of the Equestrian military: Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. Twilight and Rarity trotted towards the mess hall together, eager to see who they were bunking with. "My word, that Commander Falling Skies is such a brute!" Rarity complained. "Accusing me of being a fillyfooler and insulting our hometown! Clearly the military is lax in their manners."

"Rarity, it's the military," Twilight pointed out. "They don't have any use for manners. What good will being courteous to the enemy do?"

Rarity huffed. "I know, I know. It's just...this is nothing like what I'm used to! I'm used to sitting in the boutique, making my fabulous dresses where it's nice, cool, and clean! Not doing pushups for defending my integrity, constantly getting myself dirty with sweat and mud, and putting up with such an off-putting blowhard of a stallion!"

"You might as well get used to it, Rarity. It's only the first day. And I'm already aching all over."

Finally the two mares reached the mess hall, where the other unicorns were gathered around, looking at the roster. The two friends jostled through the crowd in order to get a glimpse of the sheet of parchment containing the names. Twilight reached it first, scanning it with her eyes for her name. She found hers about halfway down.

Twilight Sparkle, Vinyl Scratch. Sections D-13, 14.

Twilight blinked in surprise. The DJ? Twilight thought to herself, recognizing the name.

"Who are you bunking with, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"It says Vinyl Scratch," Twilight answered.

"Awwww, yeah! Comin' through, fillies 'n gentlecolts!" came a tomboyish, slightly-scratchy voice.

A white unicorn with an unkempt, punk-rock blue mane and tail, a musical note Cutie Mark, and magenta eyes emerged from the crowd and promptly put a hoof around Twilight's shoulder, smiling amicably. "'Sup, new roomie?" Vinyl asked, eliciting a nervous smile from Twilight.

"Oh...hi, Vinyl. I'm doing just fine," Twilight answered, laughing uncomfortably.

Rarity took this time to view her own name and bunkmate. "Oh...Lyra Heartstrings. At least it's a familiar face," she mused quietly to herself.

"No need to be nervous, Twi!" Vinyl chuckled. "I ain't Nightmare Moon, for Pete's sake!"

"I know. I've just...never really talked to you before, even though I've been to a couple of the parties Pinkie had you DJ for."

"Ah yeah, Pinks," Vinyl laughed, clapping Twilight on the back. "Don't worry about a thing! We'll get plenty'a chances to talk while we're here! By the way, how is Pinkster?"

"She's good, I guess," Twilight said, slightly getting more comfortable around the Manehattan DJ. "Princess Celestia made her the Chief Morale Officer."

Vinyl laughed. "Figured she'd get that. Only job in the whole army she'd be perfect at."

The former DJ turned towards the mess hall, smelling the delicious food within. "Mmm, I'm famished! Let's go get some chow!"

Noticing her stomach growling in protest, Twilight wordlessly followed her new bunkmate over to the lunch line, getting a tray for herself. The two mares traded idle conversation for a few minutes as they went down the line, watching as the cooks ladened their trays with various foods. Once they reached the end, Twilight and Vinyl walked over to an empty table and sat down. They were joined a few moments later by Rarity and Lyra, who had been talking about Ponyville-related things. "Well, it looks like we won't be seeing each other quite as often as I would like," Rarity explained. "Lyra and I are assigned to Bunks S-9 and 10, on the other side of the pavilion from where you and Vinyl are staying."

"Oh," Twilight responded glumly.

"It's alright, Twilight," Rarity replied. "It's not like we won't get to see each other during the drills and lunch hour."

Twilight lowered her head. "I just wish I could see the others, and how they're doing."

"Commander Stick-in-the-Mud said that we're allowed to mingle with the other two bases on weekends," Vinyl explained. "I kinda wonder how Octavia's doing..."

"Yeah, me too," Lyra added.

After a few minutes of eating their food, Vinyl finally got the courage to ask, "Hey, Twilight?"

Twilight swallowed her hay fry. "Yeah?"

"You were at the Crystal Empire when it first came back. You met King Sombra, didn't you?"

"Well...not personally. But I have seen him."

"What...what was it like?"

Twilight shuddered. "Being in his presence...looking into those eyes and seeing nothing but greed, anger, and hatred...knowing that killing you would be a pleasurable experience for him...it was like being in the presence of the thing you fear most."

Twilight didn't notice how the room had quieted down a little as several of the nearby unicorns all leaned their heads in closer to her table and strained to listen. "Even when he just a living shadow, seeing him for the first time terrified me more than anypony else ever had. And when his true form was fully restored, and he got so close to the Crystal Heart...and Spike...you have no idea how that feels. To experience pure, primal fear. That's what it means to stand before King Sombra."

All those who had overheard gulped uncomfortably. No more words were spoken during their meal.

XXXXXX

Rainbow Dash sighed as she finally got to relax in her bunk after a long, stressful day of training. Commander Swift Stroke was a very stern, but fair drill sergeant. He had been very impressed by Rainbow's slick maneuvers, and when told she had been trying to get into the Wonderbolts for years, the commander said he'd put a good word in for her after the war.

But there begged the question. Would she survive this war?

The rainbow-maned pegasus shivered. It was a terrible thought, always on her mind. Rainbow liked to call herself fearless, but the fact that she could die in this conflict scared her. It scared her a lot more than she was willing to admit. Her bunkmate Whirlwind, a pegasus whose special talent was creating tornadoes, was already fast asleep in the bunk underneath her, snoring like a lumberjack.

Rainbow groaned and put her pillow over her head in a vain attempt to drown out the sawing of logs assaulting her poor ears. She wondered how her friends were doing. Rarity was probably making everypony miserable with her constant complaining about the living conditions. Twilight was probably reciting every spellbook she had ever read to whoever was unfortunate enough to listen. Applejack had probably already tried to buck off her commanding officer's head in annoyance, if his reputation was anything to go by.

She chuckled quietly despite herself. Thinking about her friends always put a smile on her face. Her eyelids slowly became heavier and heavier as sweet, blissful sleep neared.

WOOOWWOOOOOOOOOOWWWWOOOOOOOOOWWW!

Half the pegasi in the pavilion fell out of their beds in shock as the alarm blared several times before the voice of Commander Swift Stroke spoke over the intercom. "We have just received word that King Sombra's forces are attacking the Gryphon capital city of Griffhala. All pegasi are to report to the command office at once. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

Rainbow Dash was the first out the door, coming to a stop right outside the command post, where Swift was waiting. "Excellent response time, Private Dash," he curtly congratulated. "Let's hope the others get a similar idea."

"Thank you, sir!" Rainbow barked.

It wasn't long before the other pegasi caught up and fell into ranks. "Alright, fillies and gentlecolts," Swift began, pacing in front of the assembled recruits. "Griffhala is under attack by several divisions of Obsidian pegasi. They were caught off guard and are in a tight spot. As you are all fresh recruits, I cannot send very many of you in good conscience. However, there are a few among you who have proven to be outstanding recruits in terms of speed, and/or power. Though most of the relief force will be comprised of the Royal Guard, I will select a small group of you to accompany me to the front."

The Pegasus Commander glanced at each pegasus as he said their names. "Rainbow Dash. Your speed is phenomenal, and you already possess some fighting skill, though not with a lance. You will come."

Rainbow Dash gulped, but nodded resolutely.

"Horse Power," Swift said to a hulking, heavily-muscled pegasus with a short, close-cropped blond mane and absurdly tiny wings. "You possess strength that rivals some of our strongest Earth pony warriors. You are coming too."

For once, the massive stallion refrained from bellowing his trademark "YYYEEEEEAAAHHH!" and simply settled for nodding.

"And Whirlwind. Your ability to create and control tornadoes largely by yourself will be an invaluable asset in distracting and disorienting the enemy. Just make sure it's only the enemy you distract and disorient."

Whirlwind, a dark grey pegasus with a long, black mane and a tornado Cutie Mark, saluted briskly. "I will not fail you, sir!" she stated.

"Alright, you three! Saddle up! Your armor and weapons are in the barracks! At 0300 hours, we move out!"

XXXXXX

All three bases had been alerted to Sombra's attack, but since only fliers could reach Griffhala, the unicorns and Earth ponies had to stay behind. As such, most of them had gone back to sleep. Not Twilight. She laid awake, silently praying to Mother Faust that Rainbow Dash would make it back.