Eyes opened in the dark. Left and right, up and down, no, no light anywhere.
“Is… Anycreature there?” She could feel in the almost-echo of her voice that she was in a room, a small one, without much in the way of furnishings. Each of her four hooves in turn made a soft tap on the stone floor that sounded big in the silence as she raised herself to a stand.
“Ow!” And just as quickly, she was kneeling. Her side was throbbing, and taking too large a breath made her esophagus burn. Fluttershy sat and took stock of herself.
Indistinct aches and soreness all over, from lying for a long time on a hard stone floor.
A bruise on her left side, still fresh and painful even to touch.
Searing sores along the outside corner of each eye.
A distinct, deep bruise, almost a cut but at least a dent, over the whole length of her throat.
Just as Fluttershy began to recall the source of her injuries, a barely-perceptible breeze caught her attention, almost like the room itself had drawn in a breath.
Light appeared with a gust of cold air. For a moment it blinded Fluttershy and she flinched in its glow, but then she recognized the shadow it cast.
Thunk. The door shut, leaving Fluttershy alone in a small room with Sombra. He hung his magic lamp on a hook in the wall.
“Hello, my little pony. Bow to your King and captor.”
Fluttershy stood and bristled, growling “What do you want with me?”
“Oh, nothing. And...” He used his magic to pull Fluttershy’s face close to his. “Many things.” The dim lamp illuminated little but his devilish eyes and his devilish grin.
“Eep!”
“First,” Sombra dropped his magical hold, “matters of business. I am warning you of what you probably already realized—that you will almost certainly never see any of your friends ever again—”
Fluttershy gasped.
“—As they will need to be destroyed when Equestria is once again under my command. Cooperate with me, however, and you out of all of them will be allowed to live.”
She glared at him, eyes glittering in hate.
“Oh, and don’t even think about Discord. Our little display worked like a charm. Discord vanished without a trace after we left, and not the slightest peep or magical hiccup has been heard out of him in the days since. It seems you’ve been abandoned!” This time, Sombra crouched to bring his own face down to Fluttershy’s. “Maybe he never really loved you after all.”
“Discord never—!” Sombra’s smirk silenced her.
“Well, you’ll have lots of quiet time alone to think about that. Now,” he stood up again, “I understand you are a mortal and have certain needs to fill in order to be kept alive. You are of much more use to me living, so do enlighten me. What do you need to live?”
Fluttershy did not appreciate the condescension in her captor’s air. She merely glared.
“Tell me or don’t. I will personally see to it that you live whether you want to or not. But I don’t expect whatever necessities I decide to give you will be to your taste.” Sombra lifted the lamp and started toward the door.
“Water,” she stated. Sombra paused his exit. “And food, like fruits and vegetables.”
“Water, fruits and vegetables,” Sombra repeated, turning back to face Fluttershy again. “Is that all?”
“No. I will need sleep, more sleep than I can get lying on this stone floor! I need a bed, or a cushion at the very least. And companionship. Mortals like myself tend to go mad without it.” In her eyes she said, and I wouldn’t be of any use to you mad either, now would I?
“Well!” Sombra faced Fluttershy fully as he hung the lamp on the wall again. “So much for the business; now for the pleasure! I think I can fill those last two needs easily enough.” He looked down his snout at his prisoner and ran his tongue over his fangs.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy shrank and shuffled backwards until her back made contact with a wall, and she almost didn’t notice the pain in her throat as her breathing sped up.
“I will provide your companionship, and your companion will bring you a bed as often as he brings himself!” And at that, an enormous bed appeared. It took up half the room. Fluttershy’s eyes just kept growing wider and wider as she mashed her aching body further into the wall.
“Please no, please no, please no,” she whispered, squeezing shut her eyes.
And then she felt her body whirling and her eyes flung back open in time to see Sombra catch her out of his magical grip with a front hoof and slam her down onto the bed underneath him.
“My, what a tiny, sweet morsel you are!” He gave Fluttershy’s cheek a relished lick.
It already hurt to breathe, and Sombra’s massive frame crushing her up to her chest made it even worse! Fluttershy felt like she was about to explode and it was a nightmare—it had to be!—with how powerless and afraid she felt. Except that hot, poison tongue on her face was all too real.
As Sombra angled his head down to get at her neck, Fluttershy quickly lifted her front hooves with what mobility she had and placed them on his shoulders. Then she began to rub.
“Oh, King Sombra,” she cooed, “you’re so very tense! If you’re going to enjoy yourself, you really ought to let me help loosen your poor stiff muscles!”
Sombra leveled his eyes on hers, a question in his face.
“I’m an excellent masseuse,” she added, daring a coy smile.
“...Very well.” The crushing weight lifted itself and Fluttershy quietly took as huge a breath as she comfortably could. “I will experience your massage.”
“Great!” Fluttershy sat herself on the edge of the bed. “First, it would be best if you removed all that armor, oh my King.” She bowed her head for good measure. Sombra raised a skeptical eyebrow but levitated away his armor and adornments. He didn’t look any smaller wearing nothing but his own fur, Fluttershy noted. “And then, lie down in the middle of the bed, right about here...” She gently pushed on his back and shoulders to arrange him lying on his stomach on the bed.
Then she began to work. Her hooves were well-trained after so many years of helping Hairy the bear loosen up after hibernation. Sombra’s tight shoulders were no match for Fluttershy. Soon, the King heaved a heavy sigh of bliss.
When his breathing began to steady into a deep rhythm, Fluttershy saw her chance. She sang a lullaby, and gradually lightened her pressure on Sombra’s shoulders. A few quiet moments passed and Fluttershy was certain her tormentor was just about asleep.
Until his head shot up. Sombra stood and swatted Fluttershy hard onto the bed in one quick motion.
“What spell are you working, wretch?” He gritted through his teeth.
“Oh, no spell, my King!” Fluttershy appeased, not even bothering to lift herself back up. “You were just so relaxed, you started falling asleep!”
“Sleep? I am immortal. I do not need sleep. You were casting a spell!”
“No, really! It looked like your body wanted to sleep, so I was just singing you a lullaby, the same one I sing to all my animals to help them fall asleep. Maybe you don’t need to sleep, but I bet it could still be useful to you! When is the last time you allowed yourself a good night’s rest?”
Sombra’s face softened in thought, and to Fluttershy he looked rather groggy in the dim lamplight.
“I don’t seem to recall.”
“Oh, then you must try it! I bet you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, stronger and more focused, even! Do let me help you fall asleep. —My King.” She bowed her head again.
“Hmm.” Sombra made a show of locking up the door with his magic and teleporting away the keys. “If sleep does not have the effect you describe, then I relax my way next time.” The King covered her up with his body again for emphasis.
“Oh, it’ll work! It’ll work!” Fluttershy exclaimed through his fur, trying to convince herself as much as him. Sombra wordlessly got off and repositioned himself on the bed. All the kindness she could muster for this cruel stallion, Fluttershy willed into her massaging hooves and her singing voice.
At length, Sombra fell deeply asleep. Fluttershy gazed longingly down at the bed beneath her, and then moved to find herself a spot on the floor. Her shifting weight caused Sombra to roll over, and his arm caught her and pinned her to the bed again. The helpless pony found herself trapped against the Shadow King’s stomach; she tried to shimmy free but her bruised side was down against the bed and any kind of movement exacerbated its pain.
Oh well, at least it’s kind of comfortable if I stay still. Fluttershy settled in for a fearful and fitful sleep.
She awoke many times in the night, but with no windows or clocks or birdsong, Fluttershy could never tell how much time had passed. She couldn’t even be sure that it was actually night. All that mattered to her was that every time her consciousness surfaced, she was still pinned under Sombra in one way or another. This beast of a stallion was just a naturally smothering force, apparently.
Eventually, he too awoke and banished the last of Fluttershy’s slumber by stretching like a cat on top of her, crushing her again under his bowing chest and front legs. Then he rose and lowered himself from the bed.
“Well, how do you feel?” Fluttershy sat up at last and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“I feel… Refreshed. Stronger. More focused.” A pause, and his face hardened. “How did you know what effect sleep would have on me? I knew you were casting a spell!” Magic encased Fluttershy and flung her forcefully into the stone wall. She fell to the floor with a dull whump.
“I wasn’t, please King Sombra, I wasn’t!” She squeaked when she’d caught her breath again. “It’s just my talent. I’m good at taking care of animals, and of course I’m good at taking care of ponies too!” She fought back tears as she went on. “I could feel how badly your body wanted that sleep – all I did was help it do its own work!” Sombra stalked over, his eyes hard on the mare’s face. “Please, my King.”
“I will consider this, and perhaps I may come to you for sleep again. Until then,” the bed vanished and a bowl each of mixed fruits and water appeared in its place, “these will suit your other needs. I’ll return… oh, eventually. Now, a little gift to remember me by.” Sombra lowered his face to Fluttershy’s again, and she shut her eyes, too much in pain to escape and unable to sink any lower into the floor.
There was a nibble on her left ear. Fluttershy tensed and forced her eyes shut tighter.
Then there was a screaming pain, and a steaming warmth falling down her head and shoulders.
A clicking of hooves across the bare floor. A clinking and rustling of garments.
“I might as well leave this with you.” The softest tap of a lamp placed onto a hook. And a thump and click-click as the door closed and locked.
At last Fluttershy opened her eyes. The room was empty again, save for the magic lamp and the two bowls. She raised a hoof to her throbbing ear and found a cascade of blood streaming from it. No bandages, no scrap of cloth around. Fluttershy gently pressed a thick lock from her tail up to the wound to soak up the blood until it could close.
Indistinct aches and soreness all over.
A bruise on her left side.
Searing sores along the outside corner of each eye.
A bruise over the whole length of her throat.
New bruises on her right side, her knees and elbows.
And a puncture, clear through the side of her left ear.
Fluttershy shivered.