After King Sombra had returned and attacked the Crystal Empire, he captures Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart. Too weak to do anything themselves, Cadance and Shining had no choice but to wait for Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends to save them.
However, Sombra took a low blow by taking Flurry Heart and attacking the parental prides of Cadance and Shining. Princess Cadance took it especially hard.
King Sombra might want to start running...
Takes place in the season 9 premiere.
Last but not least, special thanks to flutterJackdash for helping me edit this story.
EDIT: made the feature list on 11/28/19!!
Chapters (2)
Look at that, Princess Cadance remembered that she was an alicorn
Twilight Sparkle: sellout for a book bride
9964552
About time!
9964560
Maybe, just maybe, they should think about getting a new Princess of Friendship if she sells out again.
Minor nitpick: equines HAVE knuckles, but they only have one above each front hoof, as the hoof itself is the "fingernail". As with any other joint, it can "pop", sometimes at will.
Feh. Considering the royal stipend the Mane 6 (theoretically) receive for being the Bearers AND for each mission AND the standard hazard/imminent-danger pay (all theoretical, of course, but the Crown would be crazy to deny payment), I'd say the amount of the bets are peanuts.
9964654
That so? will have to fix that line then. I thought about looking it up to be sure, but I really didn't think they had knuckles.
9964661
That in itself could make for a funny story idea, if they're not getting that kind of pay.
9964669
Some have explored that concept, and one story even went as far as saying that Celestia ordered the Mane 6 to secrecy that they were the EoH (which would explain why no one recognises them whenever they travel), and that they are all struggling financially.
Though it appears that they ARE known. When Lightning Dust almost got the Mane 6 killed by that tornado, many fans theorised that one reason she was expelled from the Wonderbolts was that she almost destroyed Equestria's main line of defence, which would amount to treason against the Crown.
Now I want a story of Twilight marrying a book...
9965146
It's one of several story ideas I have in my head I'm thinking about writing. Not yet sure if I will.
.....DO IT.
9965158
I'm definitely keeping that idea in mind.
9965238
Please do.
Cadance, I think marriage is your jurisdiction anyway. You don't have to go Celestia.
As a fan of the characters this is what you want to happen, but it can't because it has to fit in with the season's overall arc. But now that we know that Sombra and the other villains were a plot contrivance, why not have Cadance Unleashed smash Sombra and save herself? I'd love Discord-Grogar's reaction to this.
The other villains sat in stunned silence. Finally, "Grogar" cleared his throat to address his fellow fiends, "W-well, see that's why we must w-work together to bring down our mutual foes." The disguised draconequus turned away from the still awestruck collection of bad guys to head back to his quarters. He trudged down the corridors with just two things on his mind: "She cannot know I was involved. How do I frame them for this?"
9965327
I can't say too much here in case I write a sequel, but let's just say there's a reason why I didn't show Discord.
I hear what you mean about the events to the actual show, but that's also a big reason why I tagged this story with the "AU" tag, showing that this world's continuity won't necessarily line up with the show's and may be different. That AU tag isn't a tag I use lightly.
9965238
I'll put down 4000 bits that Luna takes out Chrysalis then for that story. Cozy Glow just gets put in Magic Kindergarten forever.
9965327
But isn’t it an Alt. Universe story like 9965340 said? I don’t get it.
Princess Cadance: "Now who's the princess in distress?"
Sombra: "Me?"
Like if you get the reference.
9965146
Too creepy for my taste.
9965327
I'm curious now on what you meant by your comment. Why does everything have to happen in season 9's overall arc, especially with this story being an Alternate Universe/AU story to being with?
I shall watch your career with great interest.
9965458
I was writing as I talk and when I say “as a fan of the characters this is what you want to happen” I’m including myself in that group as well. This story is my preferred take on that episode. I was only saying I understood why the story played out as it did originally. But you can do whatever you want here. I was endorsing your take wholeheartedly.
Ah, see? This is what I was talking about
!
Twist here, pun there, and unexpected unfolding everywhere. This was a hell of a lot better for me than 'To Save a Plant.' And the image of Cadance doing 'her job' with Sombra will stay with me forever. Also, that ending
Good job
9966227
Glad this one was more enjoyable for you
As you could tell, I upped the twists and turns in this story.
9966233
Yeah, I can tell, and I like it. This seems to be one of the ingredients of a good comedy. This, for example:
Here I was like 'Aha, Shining's gonna try to persuade her not do it. That soft bastard...
' So I chuckled nicely on the twist 
Once again, good job
.
Now, if I were to pick on something, there's one thing you could try to improve:
Maybe it's just me, but every time I see the same word used in the same paragraph (and following paragraphs for that matter), it immediately gets my attention. Using a nice synonym instead of 'cage' would improve that a lot for me.
It's just a thought
.
9965894
Makes sense.. Kinda.
This was fun, as well as funny! I enjoyed this very much. Thanks for sharing it!
9967025
Thanks, and glad you enjoyed it!
Sure it is... Let's recapitulate
Nightmare Moon ... Brainwashed
The Great And Powerful Trixie... Her house destroyed, forced to flee and, work in progress
Discord ... Turned to stone and blackmailed to be good.
Chrysalis... Managed to flee two times and in stone
King Sombra... Killed by the heart, resurrected and now being tortured by Cadence
Tirek... Tartarus and stone
Sunset Shimmer... Brainwashed by the elements
Dazzlings... Banished to another world and their jewels destroyed after trying to feed
Midnight Sparkle ... Brainwashed
Starlight... Work in Progress
The pony of Shadows... Supposedly reformed even if he did not re-appear again until the final
Cozy Glow... Send to Tartarus and then turned into another statue.
Yep, the power of reforming enemies and friendship
9968156
To be fair, most of that list didn't say "sorry" or show any kind of remorse, or not until after the "brainwashing" happened, and Sombra was lying when he said "sorry". The principal exceptions are Starlight, who made the choice to reform -- or start reforming -- in the season 5 finale without some kind of brainwash, Trixie in season 3, and Stygian, who himself really wasn't a "villain" but his alter ego, the Pony of Shadows, was.
9968188
I'm not sure but I think Discord did not say Sorry until Twilight rescue him from Tirek, not sure also if Trixie Apologized and the "brainwashed" apologized after the brainwash
9968590
I don't think Trixie actually said "sorry" but she did show remorse, and Discord showed it before Twilight rescued him, but he didn't outright say "I'm sorry" until he was rescued. That's why I had this line in my comment.
Though in a strict sense, reforming someone isn't that unlike brainwashing them, since it very often means changing who they are. It's just never thought of as "brainwashing" since it's for the better, unless their new line of thinking doesn't match up with your own.
9965450
Imagine this scene being animated. Combined with Sombra's unusually foppish voice, this would've been comedy gold.
9968923
I was thinking about that too. That voice would have been very fitting for this story!
9968967
I wish they had given Sombra a more menacing growl.
9964654
Cool fun fact
Mm
Ah. She must be using Frieza Minutes.
10008081
I meant to check out those stories, so I'll read them a little later and see if there's any elements in them that I can use for my future comedy stories.
One thing I already know is that comedy is ultimately subjective, so even the funniest stories on the site that might have you and me literally ROFL may have some feeling more or less how you feel about this story from a comedic standpoint.
Doesn't mean I won't keep trying to improve the comedy in my stories though, so hopefully you'll enjoy the next ones if you'll check them out. but even if you do I wouldn't be surprised if another feels it's not funny since I got a very similar comment about a previous comedy story of mine that did relatively well and they loved this one.
Well....
Even freaking Q himself found this one out the hard way. (sadly, it's not canon, this happened in a novel, If any of you ever get the opportunity to read the Star Trek novel "Q-In-Law", I'd recommend that you take it) What basically happened (SPOILERS AHEAD) was Q basically had been visiting the Enterprise to start mocking the mortal concept of love, and hadbeen making trouble for several characters in the process. Too bad he had to start spouting his "the reason love sucks" In front of freaking Lwaxana Troi herself after sharing his powers with her. (idiot!)The result is a curb-stomping of Q-like porportions with her slamming him around various parts of the ship. And it. is. Glorious!
It's just too bad I can't find my copy of it anywhere, because any way I tried to tell it to you folks wouldn't do the scene justice.
The best part was the Q Continuum's response to this whole thing. They sent someone to take photos!
You know what they say about the fury of a woman scorned.
Insert Ultimate battle(Ultra instinct theme) Here.
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/213901/my-little-reviews-feedback/thread/434578/reviewing-princess-cadance-saves-equestria-wait-what
I think you are now my favorite story writer.
I kind of assumed Pinkie has plenty of any given currency hidden away for various emergencies.
If Cadance found out its Discord's fault Sombra happened, things will get ugly.
Where was Spike though?
I thought he was with the girls in the premiere there when they went to the empire?
10511402
While I can't remember everything I was thinking of at the time I was writing it, but I may have had Spike out to set up The joke about him winning 100 of Rainbow Dash's bits with how she looked at his statue. I usually have Spike along with the Mane 6 in times like this, so there tend to be reasons when he's not there, as he wasn't here.
10511413
Still feels weird though..(due to he was with them in the actual premiere)
Wished he was there though to see what just happened though
Then again he would still apparently suddenly not be with the girls for no damn reason when they put the Elements back and that bit him in the tail hard(ending up brainwashed alongwith everyone Ponyville and shoved into the Mane 6's shadows while the girls were spared from the mind-control due to Sombra holding the idiot ball(according to the TV Tropes) and just leaving the girls like that.
Let's be honest here. Cadance and Shining will not be winning parent of the year awards for how they raise Flurry (A Flurry of Emotions is a perfect example of that).
But Cadance, at least, knows the #1 rule of being a mom. Never ever go after her kids. A mother protecting her kids is scarier and more unstoppable, than every MLP villain combined.
Sombra just learned that the hard way.