//------------------------------// // Sombra's Rising // Story: CMC Going Away // by PonyJoel //------------------------------// "Blueblood," King Sombra commands. Prince Blueblood's eyes change color. He is now under King Sombra's obedient spell. King Sombra is visiting Prince Blueblood's palace in Canterlot, ten blocks away from Canterlot Castle. Within the palace, there is nothing but pitch-black darkness. "Yes.., my liege..," Prince Blueblood bows in respect of his King. "Status report." "Princess Celestia has departed from Canterlot. Princess Luna has taken the throne. My sources are unable to detect Celestia's new living quarters in Equestria. We can assume she's in an idle location not marked on the Equestrian Map, my liege." "Hmm, that location I saw when reading Tempest's mind could be that location of Starlight Glimmer. If I were to go into hiding, a location off the grid that'll be subtle." "Agreed, my liege." "Where are the Royal Guards?" King Sombra demands. "Patience, my King. I have announced a party of my honor to be taken place in my palace. Princess Luna will not be joining us. She has other initiatives in Ponyville with Princess Twilight Sparkle." "So, who's coming?" "Other Nobles and Royals that'll be in great use for your army. As well as half of the Royal Guards. I paid them upfront to attend the party." "Very well. When is your party?" "Tomorrow, my King." "Good. I shall disguise myself until the timing is right," King Sombra leaves. As he leaves, the darkness disappears. Prince Blueblood is no longer tie to the spell. He has no idea what is happening. He is now focusing on his party tomorrow. King Sombra is hiding in the shadows of Canterlot, biding his time until tomorrow night. His followers are in Canterlot, observing the scenery and observing Princess Luna from afar. The next day. It is now 7:30 in the morning. Princess Luna wakes up as Discord returns from the realm of dreams. "Good morning, Luna." "Morning, Draqonecuus. Had fun tackling nightmares from anypony's dream?" Princess Luna said as she stretches. "I have," Discord said, tossing a souvenir on Luna's bed. "I have to say some ponies have the gnarliest nightmares." "Some ponies do suffer from horrible nightmares. I've encountered countless during my duration of nightly duties," Princess Luna states. "So, what are your duties of the day?" "I received an invite from Twilight Sparkle. She and her friends have something special for me, Discord." "Anything else besides a trip to Ponyville?" "I have made it clear to focus more on the betterment of Canterlot. Anything I find meaningless will be pushed aside. My first meeting will be with the Royal Guards." "Interesting. What are you planning to do with the Royal Guards?" "Since we know what the Royal Guards have been doing, it's time to reevaluate them," Luna states. "Ah, so you want me to string up those that are not worthy and whack them like piñatas for all those times they neglected everypony else in Equestria?" Discord asks, holding a baseball bat. "Nay, Draqonecuus." "Should I be in the presence of the meeting?" "Nay, Discord. I can't have distractions during the meeting. What you can do is monitor the Royal Guards from time to time. Making sure they are doing their duties and not chose money over their lives." "I can do that. I'll document everything I see from them." "Thanks." "Also," Discord uses his magic to spawn an invitation. "I'm invited to meet with Twilight and her friends. Pinkie Pie personally delivered the invite to me from her balloon." "Good to know," Princess Luna rolls her eyes a bit. She leaves her room and meets up with her advisors. She quickly dismisses any relations that deals with the Nobles and Royals. She has her priorities set before going to Ponyville. Princess Luna meets up with the Captain of the Royal Guards to initialize their meeting with the rest of the Royal Guards. Princess Luna has asked for a full progress report. Some of the Royal Guards begin to sweat. They are now worried that Princess Luna may not like the results and will relieve them of their duties. Princess Luna knows what to expect from the Royal Guards; however, she hopes they will be honest about their mistakes. As time goes by, Princess Luna sees the deception the Royal Guards expressed during their reviews. Princess Luna decided that half of the Royal Guards will be relieved from duty. She'll raise a new generation of Royal Guards that focuses on protecting everypony and not accepting bribes. After two hours, Princess Luna leaves the meeting disgusted. Princess Luna checks the time. "Nearly noon," She sighs. Her meeting filled with a lot of dishonest Royals has gotten the better of her. Discord comes up to Princess Luna from behind. "How was the meeting, my Queen?" Discord jokes by putting a bigger crown on Luna's head. "Pitiful," Luna coldly states. "You and I both know of their wrongful doings. They should have at least confessed. Instead, they told me what they've done in Canterlot and what they've done for Celestia. They had no comment for the rest of Equestria. I relieved half of the Royal Guards today." "You did what now?" Discord shockingly responds. Not anticipating that decree from Luna. "I relieved the veterans of the Royal Guards cause they have taken more bribes than the younger generation. Captain of the Royal Guards is also relieved of duties." "Wow, Luna. You are taking the initial steps of building something better." "It's because of these fools that gave my sister a bad name. I will not standby while other ponies suffer because of their greed. I only accept right-minded ponies willing to become protectors for everypony and not be bystanders for the Royals and Nobles." "So, what are you planning to do now?" Discord said, eating a bucket of popcorn. "Renew the Royal Guard Training Facility and I'll be providing personal instruction on what to do and what not to do from time to time. Right now, I'll be heading to Ponyville to see Twilight and her friends at her castle." "I'll be right behind you, Luna." "I'll have our new Captain of the Royal Guards, Stargaze to watch over Canterlot as we go." "Who's Stargaze, Luna?" A question mark spawns over Discord's head. "An uprising Royal Guard in the ranks. He works during the nightshift. I'm putting my trust and faith in him to watch over Canterlot for the day. Knowing that Pinkie Pie is throwing a party, I may arrive back late tonight." "Alright. When you feel the need to return to Canterlot early, give me a holla and I'll teleport you back." "Thanks, Draqonecuus, let's go." The two travel together to Ponyville as Stargaze arrives at the Royal Guards Headquarters. Since some Royal Guards are cut in half, Stargaze gives the order of all Royal Guards to patrol the streets of Canterlot. None of them are to disband their duties unless it is an emergency. Attending any formality with the Royals and Nobles is not regulated for the day. The Royal Guards look at Stargaze, thinking what in Equestria is he thinking? Some were hoping to make a few extra bits. Luckily for them, they were already paid in advance by Prince Blueblood to attend his party. A few hours later, Royals and Nobles are showing up at Prince Blueblood's palace for the party. Many Royal Guards are entering the palace, disobeying Stargaze's command. Followers of King Sombra closes the door of the palace as Sombra enters. Wearing a dark cloak to conceal his identity for the time being. There is a total of seventy Royal and Nobles and forty Royal Guards. King Sombra smiles as Prince Blueblood makes and grand entrance. "Showtime," King Sombra mutters as he gaze at Blueblood. "Mares and Gentlecolts," Prince Blueblood announces. "Welcome to my humble home. Today we celebrate. A toast in my honor," Everypony lifts their wine glass as the Royal Guards idly standby and watch. "And, a toast of one less Princess to take care of." King Sombra couldn't help but chuckle. Blueblood is right. One less Princess to take care of. Making it easier to dominate Princess Luna as she'll be helpless to attack an innocent pony under his will. As everypony drinks with their eyes close, the palace becomes pitch-black darkness. Sinister laughter disturbs everypony. Prince Blueblood's eye color changes as Sombra makes himself known to everypony in the palace. Screams of everypony are echoed; however, those screams cannot be heard outside of the palace. Royal Guards are trembling to see the presence of King Sombra. Last they heard, he was disintegrated by the Crystal Heart. How did he survive? "I know what you want. An Equestria where only the rich live happily while everyone else is beneath them. No more supporting the lower status. You want them as slaves. Always doing your bidding, no questions asked. The one thing the Princess would not allow you to have for she doesn't believe in slavery. Join me, and all your wishes will come true. Together, we can bring down the Princesses. I believe in enslaving those under you for they have value." The Royal Guards are disgusted by what they are hearing from King Sombra. The Royals and Nobles are intrigued by Sombra's proposition. Then, Prince Blueblood spoke. "It's true. I've seen the light our King is presenting to us. More acres of land, servants, maidens, and slaves. We live in luxury throughout all of Equestria instead of this small city of Canterlot." "Join me, in creating. A better tomorrow," Sombra chuckles as he glares at the Royal Guards. Anticipating them to attack him. "We will rather die than join you!" The Royal Guards go after King Sombra. "So be it," Sombra uses his magic to strike down the Royal Guards. Instead of killing them, he is manipulating them to follow his lead. Royals and Nobles are now having second thoughts. However, Prince Blueblood lightens up the scenery. "Don't be fooled, Brothers and Sisters. To achieve our biggest goal, some sacrifices have to be made. Changes are required. We witness some changes. Princess Celestia's departure and the unwillingness of Princess Luna to attend our meetings, to attend our formalities cause she desires to help the lower class rise. Do you want to be left and forgotten in a world our wealth will be no-existent anymore or, do you want to live in a luxurious world where we are the above and beyond?" "What about King Sombra? What will he do?" A random Noble asks out of curiosity. "Everyone of you will be secondary in ruling all of Equestria as one. My sole desire is taking back the Crystal Empire, ruling it as I have before. All four Princesses shall either be my slave or a crystal statue. I want what all of you want. When we accomplish our goal, I promise you that I will leave all of you alone in the new world order. If you have some ponies you no longer want, all I ask is you send them to me." "Will you join King Sombra and me or, will you watch as everything you built goes to waste?" Prince Blueblood calmly asks. Smiling elegantly to his Brothers and Sisters. Some of the Royals and Nobles are talking with the others on their attempts to talk with Princess Luna. Seeing how quickly she was in dismissing them. Telling them that it's pointless to her. Having and showing no care for them. They look at King Sombra and Prince Blueblood. Their temptation sounds too good to be true. King Sombra tilts his head, waiting for an answer. If they say no, he will manipulate their minds. If they say yes, he'll conjure a spell to have a grip on them, controlling them when it's time to dethrone Princess Luna. Either way, he is leaving with an army of ponies. "King Sombra," A Noble bows in respect. "My name is Jet Set. After talking with everypony, we've decided to join you. This change that has happened would more likely end our wealthy lifestyle. We are your humble servants," The Nobles and Royals bow in respect to King Sombra. Prince Blueblood rejoices in success. "You've made the wise decision. When the time is right, we will dethrone Princess Luna." King Sombra laughs evilly as everypony else joins. King Sombra uses his magic to control the Nobles and Royals. A seed is planted inside of their minds. It'll trigger when the day has arrive to dethrone Princess Luna. King Sombra doesn't expect them to fight willingly. He'll be controlling their actions. "Go home, everyone. This day never happened. I'll summon you when the time has arrived." The Nobles and Royals bow in understanding and respect. They leave Prince Blueblood's palace happily and with no regrets. As for the Royal Guards, King Sombra gives them a simple amnesia spell on them. They have no memory of seeing King Sombra at the palace. All they remember is getting paid upfront and attending the party. "Enjoy the night, Prince Blueblood. I shall return soon enough," King Sombra leaves as the palace turns back to normal. Prince Blueblood's eyes are back to normal. All he remembers is everypony having a fun time in the palace. Prince Blueblood decides to go for a hooficure. King Sombra is resting in the shadows of Canterlot. "I need the right opportunity to present itself to me," he turns to his followers. "Tomorrow, stir up some trouble that'll get Princess Luna's attention. Make her use as much magic as possible to capture you. When she's tired and alone, we will strike." "Yes, my King." "My King, what do you have in mind to keep Discord, occupied?" "Who does he care about the most?" "Somepony named Fluttershy." "Make her disappear for a while." "Understood, my liege."