"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."
Lol Sombra is Vegeta. Good chapter, always nice to see update, looking forward to the next.
I'm not blaming you, Starlight deciding to pussy out like a boss was really frustrating to watch.
Anyway, it's stil a excellent chapter, good to know that your scorn for her doesn't affect the quality^^
7225523 Thanks, and glad to see someone got the reference!
7225526 Well, the story's not about her, now is it? Thanks, though.
Seriously, she's a worse Mary Sue than Radiant Hope. Pretending to be a good guy at first like Chrysalis, tragic backstory like Sombra, villain reformation like Discord, and overwhelming magic like Tirek. Great recipe for a villain right? No, it just makes that all incredibly shallow by stuffing it into a single character. But hey, new toys, so who cares, right?
7225562 Chrysalis was impersonating a good guy, the legitimacy of Sombra's backstory in respect to canon is questionable like the rest of the comics, and to be honest, I believe Starlight's overwhelming magic is more of a flaw than a perk, considering how much she uses it.
Starlight truly believed she was doing what was right, that she was the good guy for doing what she did.
As for the villain reformation thing, the only real villain thing she did was screw around with time for revenge.
7225625 You really think Hasbro doesn't pay attention to the comics? No, Starlight is a shallow rip-off of far better villains. But then, I suppose I should have given up on expecting originality from the series canon after season 4.
Good chapter, moar pls.
7225630 I think they do in a way, but it's more of a secondary canon than primary. I'm just saying not to write off a season or the rest of the show because of a single character.
7225643 I'm still writing for it, aren't I? Starlight will never be one of my favorite characters, unless she gets a shocking amount of well-written character development, but eventually I'll get around to watching the newest season, even if I have to grit my teeth through half of it.
Twilight Sparkle, Witch of Void.
Has a nice ring to it...
Anyway, uh.
Great story, glad to see it updated.
7225652 Not bad. Rather fitting for what may happen in a few chapters.
7225657
This actually ties to a reference to a completely different medium.
The "Witch of Void" section is at the top, but it's more of a general description than anything else.
Also, scroll down until you reach the actual post.
Anyway, hope you regain your Muse, and best of luck!
I T K E E P S H A P P E N I N G .
7225562 Well, Fluttershy has the same stuff, save for the reformation, and she's not a Sue... of high proportions at least...
I mean, this might just be my opinion, but Starlights reformation really stings. I mean, sure, they couldn't have ended it differently given the circumstances, except for blasting her with Harmony... and seriously, between the two, I prefer this, even if Starlight becomes unlikeable in the process, given I rather hate 1 character than gain a reason to hate the M6 more than I already do (except for Applejack... Applejack's ok), but... why write yourself into a corner like that in the first place?
7225784 Because Hasbro cares more about selling toys than writing a good story and likeable characters.
Sombra to the rescue! Huh. Never thought I'd say something like that. Perfect chance to ingratiate himself in Canterlot, maybe even plant seeds of doubt. Or he'll spend his time flirting with any mare that moves.
7225816 Huh... I suppose that is what you call "Fair Point Well Made".
7225826 No intentional flirting, but then, anyone who has read the Reflections arc already know Celestia's tastes.
7225651 Honestly I used to hate Starlight with a passion, but she's won me over in the past few episodes (Like her encounter with the great and powerful Trixie)
Also if you hate her that bad, jut watch the episodes that don't have her in? She has only really featured in two episodes since the premiere.
But you should watch, a pretty major event happened in the episode before last for one thing.
7225937 Yeah, but without somebody actually making a list for me, I'd have to either look up summaries or scan the episodes she is in.
Ugh, I try not to hate on characters too much, but everything about Starlight just rubs me the wrong way.
7225849
Power is sexy, so maybe Sombra might see the princesses in a new light.
7225953 Perhaps, but Sombra hates being second best to anypony.
7225965
Well considering his current state and present company, he can't trumpet his own horn too much. Certainly showing them up in their own city, he a 'simple unicorn' out showing the Alicorns could breed doubt, and anything that hinders the sisters, benefits him.
7225971 On the contrary, remember his fake cutie mark? All he has to do is claim that his special talent is Combat, and say that he has been training with Twilight.
7226005
Hmm. His cover is certainly a good chance to demonstrate the 'competence' of the Guard. Wouldn't it be hilarious if he ended up with Shining's old job?
7226013 Exactly!
...Well, he won't become the captain of Celestia's guard...
Mines of Mearia. Well... Trolls are not the only thing she'll see there...
Another good chapter! Congratulations on getting on the featured box again!
7226061 What about a Balrog of Morgoth?
I gotta admit, I feel a bit conflicted about this story. The writing is rough, honestly, and almost feels clumsy in places. The premise isn't particularly new, either, and I could point to at least three other stories I've read that do pretty much exactly the same thing. Still, you're writing it with so much enthusiasm, it's hard not to like it in spite of all that.
7226386 If you could point them out, then please do. I only write what I'd like to read, after all.
7226439
I'll see if I can dig them up again.
7226386
I actually have to respectfully disagree. Yes, the premise has been done to death in many a Sombra story, but it has a fresh take on Sombra's personality I've loved from the first chapter. An entire tome on dark magic could be written from his teachings and it would make it look as perfectly harmless as light magic.
I'm not sure "rough" is the right word...maybe a little more straighforward, less flowery, but that has a clean charm and character all its own that appeals to many as well.
7225562 As to Starlight Glimmer, there is a relatability in her backstory that gets to me. I had friends move away all the time when I was young and it was such a sore point growing up, I threw myself into making friends even of people that were high maintenance. Age and experience brought me back into balance, but if we learn anything from any of the characters that enriches and betters our own lives, then they taught us something worthwhile, even if poorly written in the eyes of others.
On another note, so much about this chapter (which I had been eagerly waiting for) cracked me up so much!
'Ah, the related kind of idiots,'
"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!"
"You expect me. To go help. Celestia?"
'It is bad enough that I must clean up Celestia's mess, but must I really look after your pet as well?'
And the best one...Cockatrices. Giant, monstrous cockatrices.
Sombra frowned, as he considered that. "I suppose it would be a further opportunity to prove you can trust me." - hehe, clever bastard, aren't we, Sombra?
7226569
It's your good right to feel that way. There is one story in particular I find it very reminiscent of, though, although I'll admit this might be partly faulty memory or just my own opinion. Once I manage to rustle it up again and link it here, you're free to make your own judgment there.
7226607
I look forward to seeing it!
7226607 I look forward to seeing it myself. However, don't think you've seen everything this story has to offer yet either, as there is at least one big twist yet to come. It may be pretty light-hearted so far, barring one or two moments, but the comedy tag is missing from it for a reason.
7226653 Thanks for the continued support, but I know there are better authors out there than me. Glad you liked it, though.
7226876
Well, I've read the entire rest of it so far, so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing that. I don't think this is in any sense of the word a bad story, just rather roughly drawn. Certainly not one of the worse first stories I've seen here, that's for sure. Cheesy title nonwithstanding.
7226882 To be fair, bad puns and cheesy titles have been part of the series since the beginning.
I realize I have a long ways to go as a writer, but I'm glad you're not disliking it due to my lack of skill.
7226243 Iron Bull the Manticore?
7226243
7228790
I think you mean the Bullrog.
7228846 Dammit! Well word-played, good sir.
7228846 MMMOOOOO!
God****it Maltrazz!
7231970 ?
7226569 I really don't like Starlight's backstory, I mean the line of logic her motivation takes is stupidly tenuous:
'My best ever friend got his cutie mark and had to move away! Noooo! I hate cutie marks! I should make it so everypony's the same, with no cutie mark!' - See? I don't understand how she gets from that first part to the second. A much better backstory for her, considering her motivation and goals, would be that her and her friend got their cutie marks at the same time, but because theirs was more meaningful or useful, her friend got much more attention, praise, and love, which would provide a clear reason for her to get rid of cutie marks and make everyone the same, so nopony would feel that same pain ever again, no 'one cutie mark better than another', as she had experienced.
Man i love it when Sombra has to play good guy he's just so entertaining
Celestia: Sombra, vile beast prepare to meet your doom!
Sombra: Bitch, you're just jealous of my shadow pony swagger!
I too dislike Starlight for being a poor attempt to copy Sunset Shimmer aka Best Pony and a poor excuse to keep Sunset confined to movies and out of the show proper. Then again Sci-Twi Sunlight ftw.
Now for Sombra to get in his own round of feather kicking all while showing up sun but. I have to wonder though, where is Luna in while all this is going? By the way;
Balrog roars
Twilight: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!
7452033 HA! Glad we're in agreement about Starlight Sue. Can't say I ship the two, but nothing against it, either.
Don't worry, Luna shows up next chapter. And gives some hints as to why Celestia didn't put two and two together regarding mister tall, dark, and tyrannical.
I'm actually giving you a like just for this chapter's Authors note. Great story by the way, really enjoying reading it! Can't wait to see how much tail Sombra kicks as he shows up Celestia!
7644753 Lol, thanks. Hope you like what's to come!