//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: Three Days of Knight 
// Story: A Somber Tale: FIENDship is Magic 
// by Maltrazz 
//------------------------------//

"Princess? No. But a Queen? Yes."

As the sinister voice emanated from the orb, an image formed within, the owner of both being unmistakable; the Changeling ruler, Queen Chrysalis.

Sombra frowned as he listened to the Changeling Queen taunt Twilight and her friends, even showing a trio of fillies she had kidnapped. 'Judging from Rarity and Applejack's reactions, two of them must be their relatives,' Sombra thought to himself. 'And three days to rescue them? With the Secretariat Comet three days away? What kind of fools does she take us for? What kind of idiots would walk into such an obvious trap?'

He then proceeded to watch Applejack and Rarity stomped out the door, determined to save their sisters regardless of risk.

'Ah, the familial kind of idiots,' Sombra thought, as he followed Twilight and the others out the door, as well.

Catching the last part of his thoughts, Twilight shot him a glare before telling him telepathically, 'Give me a moment to talk to them. Can you go make sure the rest of the villagers are alright in the meantime?'

Sombra frowned but nonetheless replied, 'As you wish.'

Returning to the town hall, he saw the other ponies of Ponyville helping each other out of the Changeling cocoons. Approaching the mayor, who was directing the others, he asked, "Is there any way I can be of assistance?"

Mayor Mare jumped and turned to face him in surprise. Seeing who it was, she gave a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, it's just you, Black Knight. You gave me quite a scare. Most stallions don't move as quietly as you."

"I cannot help it if being silent as a shadow comes natural to me, Madame Mayor," Sombra said, grinning as he imagined how swiftly her relief would disappear if she knew who he really was.

Getting back on topic, the mayor said, "As for helping, would you mind moving the immobilized Changelings into the storeroom? The others are too scared to get near them, and I'm not too proud to say I feel the same."

As Sombra worked, he once again found himself enjoying his student's handiwork. 'The ease with which she has taken to Dark Magic almost boggles the mind. Then again, with her special talent being for Magic itself, I suppose she would have excelled just as much if she had focused on Unicorn Magic or turned to Chaos Magic.'

As he returned from moving the last of the Changelings, Sombra saw Twilight waiting in the doorway. "Is something wrong?" He asked as he approached. "Well, something else wrong, I should say."

"Actually, yes," Twilight replied as they went outside. "I was talking to the others, and it turns out that they tried to send for help before we arrived. Celestia is the one Spike has the most practice sending letters to, so they tried to reach her." Twilight held out a rolled up scroll with her magic. "They got this in reply."

Unrolling it, Sombra read aloud. "Dear correspondent: I am unavailable due to a royal emergency. Please try sending your letter again at a later time." Sombra could not help it, he burst into laughter. "They... they got form lettered? And Celestia thinks I am evil!"

Twilight rolled her eyes at his reaction. "The point is, Celestia won't be able to help us deal with Chrysalis, it's going to be difficult to save the fillies before the Secretariat Comet is overhead and she can spring her trap."

"If we traveled by hoof, perhaps," Sombra replied. "However, we can cover ground much faster in Shadowform. You and I can probably be there and back in time for dinner tomorrow."

"We probably could... if we did that," Twilight said, suddenly taking an intense interest in the scroll her friends had received.

"...And why, pray tell, would  we not do that?" Sombra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, two of the fillies that were kidnapped are Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Rarity and Applejack's little sisters, so they'd never forgive themselves if we left them behind," Twilight explained. Looking nervous, she went on, "Besides, Celestia never would have sent a letter like this unless there was serious trouble in Canterlot. As her student, I should go help her, but I can't abandon my friends. However, if my knight were to go to Canterlot in my stead..."

They stopped. Silence reigned for a moment as Sombra simply stared at her. Slowly, he said, "You expect me. To go help. Celestia?"

Wincing at his frigid tone, Twilight quickly responded, "It's not just Celestia! My parents live in Canterlot, as well as the ponies I considered friends before moving here. If something terrible is going on there, they might get hurt." Looking into his eyes, she pleaded, "I know you don't care about any of them, but will you do it for me?"

Sombra frowned, as he considered that. "I suppose it would be a further opportunity to prove you can trust me."

Seeing him waver, a grin reminiscent of his own spread across her face as she said casually, "Besides, I just figured you wouldn't want to waste time with Chrysalis when you had an opportunity to go show up Celestia..."

Sombra narrowed his eyes at her as he replied, "You know, the funny thing is, I know you are playing me..." he gave her a matching grin, "but you are right. She is all yours." Gazing at the distant castle town, he said, "Although, if I use Shadowform and hurry, perhaps I can even join you in time to face the Changeling queen, as well."

Twilight's smile fell as she said, "About that..."





Sombra's eye twitched in annoyance as he sat on the train to Canterlot. 'I swear to Tartarus, if she was not such a promising student, I would Crystallize her myself for this indignity,' He thought in annoyance. Resisting the urge to glare at the only other occupant of the train car, he asked telepathically, 'It is bad enough that I must clean up Celestia's mess, but must I really look after your pet as well?'

'Spike's not my pet, he's my assistant,' Twilight replied. 'Besides, he's been to Canterlot before and you haven't, so he can act as your guide if need be.' After a moment, Twilight added, 'I'm kind of surprised how well the telepathic link works at this distance.'

'Does distance matter when you have your pet dragon send letters for you?' Sombra replied, his irritation making him unrepentant in regards to insulting the baby dragon. Nonetheless, he explained, 'The purpose of communication magic is to bridge distances and, thus, such spells are rarely affected by it.'

'I suppose that makes sense,' Twilight replied. 'We're entering a mine now, which should take us through the Appaloosa Mountains with plenty of time to spare, as long as we don't run into any obstacles. I can't believe how ancient this place is.'

'An ancient mine leading through the mountains?' Sombra thought, as a creeping sense of dread spread through him. 'Twilight, tell me it is not the Mines of Mareia you plan to traverse.'

'Yes, it's the fastest route through the mountains, for those of us without wings,' Twilight replied.

'Twilight, the ancient ponies who worked those mines dug too deep,' Sombra explained. 'They uncovered something they should never have. There is no telling what manner of creatures you may encounter there.'

'Like a cave troll?' Twilight asked.

'That is certainly possible but pray that you do not,' the former tyrant said. 'Cave trolls are large, physically powerful, and worst of all, they are highly resistant to magic, and-' he paused as something occurred to him, 'and there's one right in front of you, correct?'

'"In front of" is one way of putting it,' his student said dryly. '"Currently holding two of my friends" is another.'

'Well, what they have in muscle mass, cave trolls lack in intellect,' Sombra said quickly. 'Add to that their terrible eyesight, and it should not be difficult to deceive it.'

'Thanks, I-' Twilight started to reply before being abruptly cut off. However, the interruption did not come from her side but rather Sombra's own, as the train suddenly lurched, the entire cabin tilting as the locomotive careened off the tracks, before finally coming to a halt on its side.

Having shifted into Shadowform to protect himself from the crash, Sombra reformed with a snarl born of irritation rather any pain. Seeing his student's assistant unconscious from the crash, he shifted into Shadowform once more, scooped up the baby dragon, and exited through one of the windows, now above them. What he saw when he exited caused his glowing eyes to widen in surprise. The train had nearly reached Canterlot before being derailed, but the creatures responsible swarmed the area in between.

Cockatrices. Giant, monstrous cockatrices.

Dozens, if not hundreds of them, surrounded the city, forcing their way slowly but surely through the magic shield attempting to keep them out. Sombra could see even more inside the city itself, having already made it inside. 'It would seem that the approaching comet is even more powerful than I thought,' Sombra pondered as he surveyed the frenzied beasts. 'To empower these creatures already... and they will only grow stronger as the Secretariat Comet comes nearer.' He grinned as he shot towards the city, easily slipping between the cockatrices in his shadowy form. 'A test of combat. What better way could I ask for to put Celestia in her place?'





Another flash of light and another cockatrice fell to the ground unconscious. Stepping over her fallen foe, Celestia took stock of her surroundings. More and more of the oversized beasts were forcing their way through the barrier around the city. The Royal Guard were doing their best to assist her but were spending more time rescuing and reviving their petrified comrades than actually fighting the monsters. 'If only Shining armor were still here. The new captain's barrier just isn't as effective,' Celestia thought. 'However, I'm sure the Crystal Empire is facing its own issues.'

When the shadow of another cockatrice fell over her from behind, the princess turned to face it, already preparing her magic for an attack. However, her eyes widened in shock as she saw a crystalline statue of a cockatrice, instead of a living creature. A moment later, the statue shattered, revealing a familiar stallion standing behind it.

"Greetings, Princess Celestia," Sombra said with his usual grin. "It seems you are in need of assistance."