Prologue: A Dark One’s Return
Tartarus - Sombra’s Bedchambers
Deep within the cold, damp recesses of Tartarus, King Sombra was sleeping peacefully within his bed chambers. Dreaming peacefully of moments he once was ruler of the Crystal Empire, snoring as loud as a manticore rushing through Everfree Forest, he had a dreamy grin upon his muzzle, drooling. However, from upon a black crystal orb held by a dragon claw stand, a voice radiated throughout the room.
“Sombra….Sombra, wake up…. Sombra….” Yet, the voice didn’t even phase the dark alicorn as he still slept like a newborn foal. The orb started to shake a little as the voice grew louder “SOMBRA! WAKE UP YOU INSOLENT FOOL!”
Suddenly Sombra shot up & fell out of bed onto the floor with a thud “Oof…I’m up…I’m up.” He stood up & shook his head to get rid of the cobwebs. He turned toward the crystal orb “Yes my liege, you summoned me?” He trotted over to the orb as dark magic pulsated from it.
“Yes, my loyal servant, I have. I have heard about your plan about going to Earth to capture the boy’s father, am I correct?” The pulsating magic grew with a slight anger in it’s tone.
Sombra noticed & swallowed nervously “Y-yes Master. I-I thought if I would to bring the boy’s fa..”
“SILENCE!” The dark magic boomed, causing the bed chambers of the alicorn to shake “We had a deal you pathetic excuse for a wielder of dark magic. If I gave you the magic I had left in me to bring you back into existence that you would owe me a favor, am I mistaken?” The magic calmed down a slight bit.
“No Master you aren’t, but..” Sombra felt the walls shake around him again as the orb boomed with anger again.
“BUT NOTHING!” A strong radiating pulse filled the whole room “Listen you miserable, pathetic weakling! I want you to go to Earth, & there is a place called Storybrooke I would like for you to visit.” The magical aura calmed itself.
Sombra quirked an eyebrow “Storybrooke? What is that supposed to be? A city right out of a storybook…Haha..” Suddenly the room shook again with a thunderous roar from the orb.
“Silence! There is a man in Storybrooke who goes by the name of Mr. Gold. He has something of mine that I want back, & that can bring me back to life…Hehehe!” The aura gave an evil, high pitched laugh “Not only do I want you to bring my special relic to me, but bring Mr. Gold & all those he cares about in Storybrooke to this land of enchantment & limitless magic.” The aura calmly stopped.
Sombra bowed his head “Yes my liege.I will get along my way so I can talk with the others.” He turned to trot out of his bedchambers leaving the orb on the center table.
Gold, you will pay for vanquishing me into non-existence. Yet, thanks to my resourceful intellect, I have found a way to return not only to a life of existence, but soon I shall return darker, more powerful, & more sinister than you could have ever imagined….Hehehe.
Tartarus - Meeting Area
“So Somby Ol’ buddy, does this mean while you are away to this Storybrooke, I am in charge.” Tirek threw his arms up in the air “Woohoo! You hear that Prissy Chrissy, you will do what I say for a while.” A sly smirk crept across his muzzle.
“Oh,ack…like I would take orders from such a idiotic, lump-headed fool like you.” Chrysalis turned her head to the side “I’d rather kiss a manticore’s rear end than listen to you.” She rubbed between her eyes with a hoof ‘And the name is Chrysalis, Chrys-A-Lis, not Chrissy you buffoon.”
Tirek flared his nostrils, rose up on his hind legs & stomped the ground causing a small fissure “Those are fighting words Queenie!” He balled up his fists in a fighting stance “And I have been told I am a great kisser too.” He snarled.
“Ha…by who, your mother..Ha!” A grin formed across the changeling queen’s muzzle as she lit her horn “Are you sure you want to do that centaur boy? Try it & I’ll turn you into a roast stallion.” She leaned forward into a fighting stance.
“Enough!” Sombra looked at the two with pure annoyance. “Would you two please stifle your petty arguing & let’s get down to….wait, where is Discord?” He looked around for the Draconequus with a heavy sigh.
“Last time I checked, he was playing fetch with Cerberus.” Tireck chuckled “You know Somby ol’ fella, Discord isn’t one for having meetings.” Tireck held his stomach after laughing some more.
With a heavy sigh, Sombra rubbed at his forehead “Uuh.. I will dear with him another time. For now, I need to update you both on our plan to take over Equestria.” A sly smirk crept across his muzzle.
“Yes! Finally, down to business!” Tirek clapped his two massive hands together “Time to take over once again!” He chuckled loudly.
“Although I might disapprove of your obnoxious behavior, Lord Tirek, I completely agree. It’s time to put that Miss Goody Two Shoes, Princess Cadence & her loving hubby, Prince Shining Armor through the same torture they have cause my children & me for such a long time. It is time for The Crystal Empire to receive a new queen!”
“SILENCE!” Sombra stomped his hoof “There be nothing done until I come back from where I need to go to on Earth.” He looked at the two with frustration “For now you both will stay here & await my return & then we shall get our plan finally underway!.” He chuckled.
Chrysalis & Tirek looked at each other with a shrug of their shoulders “That is fine with me, gives me time to get my children in fighting mode & ready to suck out all the love that those pesky do gooders have in them” Chrysalis chuckled & vanished in thin air.
“I guess I will go & find something entertaining to do like work on my boulder crushing power so I can deal with any ponies that want to get in my way of taking over half of Equestria.” Tirek turned & trotted off.
As for me I shall go get Master & we shall take our leave to this Storybrooke! Sombra trotted back to his bed chambers to retrieve the dark magic filled orb.
In a flash Discord appeared in the air in the middle of the meeting place So Sombra is taking orders from some higher power, huh? I better keep this information to myself until the time is right. With a flick of his fingers, Discord vanished in thin air again.
Storybrooke - Town Line
“Wow! I love this new body of mine.” Sombra gazed upon himself was he was the form of a human dressed in black slacks, black dress shoes, a black button up shirt with crimson red tie, & a black men’s coat. His eyes were blood red, & hair was slicked jet black. He smirked as he set his gaze around his new surroundings “So this is Storybrooke, huh my Lord?” He reached into his jacket pocket to pull out the orb.
The orb started to pulsate with its dark magic ‘Oh yes my faithful servant. This is the home of that insolent fool, Mr. Gold. Now obey my directions & we shall fi….whoa…some…something’s happening.” The aura started to radiate & pulsate erratically.
“My liege what is happen….OH!” Suddenly the orb exploded into a huge cloud of darkened purple smoke.
After the smoke disappeared a scaly looking man in olden worn attire appeared ‘Whoa…what the hell just happened?!: He looked down at himself to see him full human again “Wait…the only way this could happen is if I was in a land of….magic.” He drifted off as he looked around at his surroundings “This is not only Storybrooke….but..”
“But what master?” Sombra looked at him curiously & concerningly.
“This is my home….the Enchanted Forest as well.” A slow, sly grin crept across the man’s face “How did this happen though….wait! I remember, Mr. Gold took his heart out of his chest, erasing all of that darkness from it & placing it in that pirate’s chest. With doing that, he thought he was finally vanquishing me from all existence, but instead he only sacrificed himself for nothing! HAHAHAHA!”
“Master…are you okay?!” Sombra quirked an eyebrow “Who is this Gold you are speaking of & who is this pirate of a sudden? What is this place & why are we doing he…ACK!” Suddenly Sombra’s grab felt like it had a vice grip around it choking him/
“SILENCE YOU FOOL!” With a twist of the man’s hand, the grip was loosened, & Sombra collapsed to the ground coughing violently “Stop asking such meaningless questions! I will explain soon enough.” He chuckled at the fallen alicorn “Oh before I forget my pet, may I introduce myself.” With a bow as that of a gentleman he smiled mischievously “My name is Rumpelstiltskin, but you can simply call me The Dark One…Hehehehe..” A sinister giggle escaped his lips.
Sombra stood up finally catching his breath “Well, Dark One, first off I am nobody’s pet. Second of all, remember who found you in that useless crystal ball. I could easily just….AAH!” Suddenly he felt Rumpel instantly thrust his hand into his chest & with a squelch, the Dark One pulled out his heart “Hey how dare you… AAH! What the?!” Sombra collapsed to one knee grasping at his chest.
“Now who is in control you pathetic worm…Hehehehe?!” Rumple began slowly squeezing the hear tin his hand “Next time you decide to try & defy my command my pet…Hehehe…well then I will just have to..” He started to squeeze the heart a little bit harder.
“AAH!...AAH!...STOP!...ENOUGH!...I WILL OBEY!” Sombra screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground gasping for breath.
Rumple released his grip on the heart & placed it in a satchel he had around his waist “Good boy! Now since we are back in Storybrooke, also the Enchanted Forest, I wonder if my castle is still standing. There is where we need to go my loyal subject….Hehehe..” With a snap of his fingers, both The Dark One & Sombra vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.
Storybrooke: Mayor Mills House
At the home of the Mayor of Storybrooke, Regina Mills the scent of freshly baked apple pie & pineapple glazed ham radiated throughout the whole household. She was currently cooking her famous apple pie & baked ham for a feast that would be going down at the castle of her Enchanted Forest self, The Good Queen. She had her pie in a covered pie dish & ham in a covered tupperware dish.
There, that should be all of my food I’m going to bring. I hope The Good Queen’s Henry will enjoy it like my Henry does. A smile of pride crept across her face as she looked at the clock which was ten til eight o’ clock Oh gosh I got to get a move on. Making sure that the oven was turned off & all of the lights, Regina exited her mansion with a smile on her face This coronation of Lucy, Alice, & Robin is going to be beautiful! A delighted squeal escaped her lips & she loaded the ham & pie in the backseat of her 1988 Mercedes-Benz. She got into the driver’s seat & headed toward the Enchanted Forest.
Enchanted Forest: Royal Castle
Classical music was being played within the lustrous beautiful castle of The Good Queen, Regina Mills as the inhabitants of The Enchanted Forest were having fun participating in the official coronation of the three new princesses. Everyone from Princess Mary Margaret & Prince James, to Queen Regina’s son, Henry, a loyal knight to the royal family & grandson, the coronation room was filled up with many family & friends. A feeling of joy & pride swept throughout the entire room.
“Hm..hm…excuse me, everyone.” With a pleasant tone in her voice, Queen Regina called for a calm silence “I would like to welcome you all to tonight’s wonderful occasion. Tonight it is my honor as the Good Queen of the Enchanted Forest to welcome three new princesses to our land. You all know who they are, but tonight is their official coronation & they have earned their crowns. So without further ado, let me welcome our three new royals!” She motioned toward the main entrance of the coronation hall.
“First accompanied by her father, Henry Mills, & her mother Ella Mills, here comes the lovely, charismatic, & whimsical Princess Lucy, also my granddaughter!” A loud applause erupted as Lucy, ten years old walked down the aisle with her parents on each side of her. As they arrived at the center, they bowed to Queen Regina & walked to the side.
Good Queen Regina smiled warmly at the three as she looked at the door “If you are continue clapping the next princess I would like to introduce is accompanied by my sister, formerly known as The Wicked Witch, now known as The Good Witch, Zelena Mills, is her brave, tough as nails, & intelligent daughter, Robin!” An older young adult of twenty five years walked down with an older woman who was Zelena, her mother. As they arrived at the center, they bowed to Queen Regina & then to Henry, Lucy, & Ella. They walked to the other side.
Queen Regina clapped at the two before turning to the entrance one last time “Now last but not least, accompanied by her fearless pirate of a dad, Captain Hook, is the magical, quirky, yet loyal friend, Princess Alice.” The final princess walked down the aisle with her father & as they arrived at the center, they bowed to Queen Regina & the other two families before staying in the middle.
After the applause died down, Queen Regina looked at the three princesses “Now if you three would be so kind, please step forward.” The three young princesses nodded & stepped forward “Now if my trusted advisor & knight please bring me the crowns.” Out of the crowd stepped Queen Regina’s son, Henry stepped forward with three crowns. Regina started by grabbing a white gold crown with crystal diamond emblazoned around the edges “Princess Lucy, may you step forward.”
Lucy nodded & stepped forward & bowed her head “Princess Lucy, it is with great honor of mine to crown you Princess of Camelot, for I know you will keep peace & calmness upon the land. I know there can be some rough criminals in Camelot, but I know with your leadership they could come back from their bad deeds & redeem themselves.” Queen Regina carefully place the crown on top of Lucy’s head “Here stands Princess Lucy, Princess of Camelot!” She rang out as the crowd gave a thunderous ovation once again.
“Now Princess Robin, could you please step forward?” Queen Regina smiled warmly as the brunette stepped forward “You know Robin, when I look into your eyes, I see so much of your father in you & I am sure your mother could agree.” She looked over to Zelina who gave a warm nod “And you are one hell of an archer…haha.”
“Thank you Aunt Regina. I know Dad would be proud of me.” Robin gave a smile as she looked up toward Heaven “And I know he is watching over me.” Her eyes became warm & teary eyed.
“For that reason, I have decided to crown you Princess of Nottingham.” She took a took a silver crown encrusted with white diamonds & placed it upon Robin’s head “I, Queen Regina with great honor crown you Robin, Princess of Nottingham. May justice be served to those who try to wrong the citizens of Nottingham.” She smiled warmly as Robin stood up & returned to her spot.
Alice stepped up last “Oh my Queen, I am so excited! I have never thought I could be a princess, but this is a dream come true.” She smiled brightly as she stood excitedly.
Queen Regina chuckled softly “Oh well, your dream is coming true Alice.’ The last crown was a silver crown encrusted with aqua blue diamonds. Alice bowed her head “As for you my friend, I believe you would be a wonderful Princess of the magical land of Wonderland. Since my mother is gone, but in a better place, I believe they were looking for a new Queen of Hearts.” She sighed softly.
“Oh your highness, I…I.. I don’t know if I can become the Queen of Hearts. Most of the inhabitants of Wonderland feared her & I am not that way.” With a small whimper, Alice frowned but soon found a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Oh my precious jewel, Alice.” Hook looked at her “I assure you that the people of Wonderland would adore you being their queen.” He raised his hook “Besides, if they don’t…Well, then they will face your father’s wrath.” He chuckled softly.
Alice playfully smacked him away “Oh papa, please.” She chuckled as she felt another hand on her other shoulder which was Regina’s.
“Your father is right Alice, you have shown yourself to be kind, caring, & gentle-hearted, all traits that do make a great queen. So without further ado, Alice Jones, I Queen Regina crown you the official new Queen of Hearts of Wonderland.” She placed the crown upon Alice’s head “And I know it would be ruled with lawfulness but with love.” She smiled as Alice stepped to the side.
“Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome the Enchanted Forests’ new Princesses!” She spread out her arms to present the princesses & the room filled up with a thunderous applause. Queen Regina smiled at the three as she raised her hand up “If you all would proceed to the dining hall there is a feast ready to be served!” She smiled as the door leading to the dining hall was opened.
As everyone was exiting the coronation room Queen Regina placed a shoulder on Henry’s shoulder “Henry dear, how is it going with the Round Table?” She asked her son with a warm smile.
“Oh it is going good Mom. We just finished wrangling some looters in Camelot & got them in the town jail.” He smiled “Is everything going okay here Mom? I know it isn’t the same with us not living together, but I just feel this is the right path for me.”
“Oh sweetheart, don’t worry about me, I am always fine. Besides, being redeemed for all the evil stuff I have done, I feel wonderful.’ She kissed his cheek “Now let’s go get something to eat.” She chuckled as the two walked toward the dining hall.
Enchanted Forest - Rumplestiltskin’s Castle
“Aah…it is great to be home!” Rumple & Sombra appeared in the royal den of his castle. The Dark One gazed all around “Well, looks like no one has touched my castle.” A sly smirk crossed his face.
“Oh..man my liege, this place is bad at all.” Sombra smiled at the castle but turned back to Rumple “Um… exactly Master, what are we looking for?” He curled an eyebrow.
“Oh my dear servant, you will see in time. For now though let’s go to my study room.” With a twist of his fingers they vanished in the purple smoke again.
Soon they appeared in what appeared a study room. Rumple looked around took in a deep breath & exhaled “Oh it feels wonderful to be here. This my loyal subject is where I came for deep thought & to be alone. Also..” He drifted off as he walked over to a shelf with an array of different sized vials & glass tubes.
Sombra stood & looked around in wonderment as he looked at all the shelves lined with rows & rows of books ‘Wow! I might reconsider taking up residence here when my takeover is at hand. Haha.” Sombra chuckled as he walked over to Rumple “I see you was a busy body with all these potions.”
Rumple shook his head “Yes my dear pet, but I just need….Ah, there it is!” He reached up to take a vial with two sparkling beans. “These are part one of my plan…Hehehe..”
Sombra looked at him quizzically “Um…my liege, what exactly are you planning to do with two simple beans? I mean they are…AH!” Suddenly Rumple backhand smacked Sombra hard causing him to collapse to a knee.
“God, you fool no! You see Sombra, these beans are going to be a portal to bring the child we have discussed here to my world…Hehehe..” Rumple twirled the vial between his fingers before pouring the beans into his hand “You see my servant, I shall take one & you shall take the other one, put out your hand.”
Sombra got back to his feet rubbing at the side of his face, sticking out his hand “You could have warned me that you were going to hit me.” He looked at the bean “How is a bean supposed to get us on the step of taking over once again?”
Rumple sighed heavily “You truly are an imbecile…Grr..” He shook his head ‘Anyways, you will take your bean to an area of your land with the most magic & I will place my bean in the area with the most magic here. We will both throw them & they will open a portal….Hehe..”
“Oh I see now Master, but I have one question. What does the child have to do with any of this?” He looked at Rumple curiously.
“I am glad you asked my pet….hehehe..’ He walked toward one of the windows of his study to look out “I have read about a prophecy about a Dark One becoming immortal & that is what I want. I want to show everyone that Rumpelstiltskin is the greatest & most powerful sorcerer of all…hehehe..”
“And what did this prophecy say exactly?” Sombra crossed his arms with a quizzical expression.
“It says for a Dark One to gain immortality & all power, one has to have the blood of a soul of innocence & pure love.” He then turned back to look at Sombra “That is where you come in my dear servant. You will bring the child to me & we shall begin our plan of taking over each of our own worlds..Hehehe!” The Dark One clapped mischievously.
“It’s about time you brought me into this whole plan of yours Master. Now if you mind, I shall take my leave & go back to Equestria.” He turned to leave but turned right back around “Um…my liege how would I return back…Oof!” Suddenly he vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Finally, shut him up! I don’t know why I had to find a insolent fool like him, but I guess I will have deal with him until the final part of my plan comes to fruition…Hehehe.. Rumple paced around his study & then walked to a shelf of books & pulled the center of it. Suddenly, it opened to reveal a secret room & he entered.
In the center of the room was a glass case with a wand in it, but strange black aura surrounded it. Rumple placed his hand upon the glass & stroked it Soon my precious wand, you shall return to the once great power you once possessed. Oh, I am glad I found you in the river in the Enchanted Forest, but what I read about you, the one who broke you was indeed a fool. But don’t worry my precious, you will be restored soon. Soon the world will fear & remember the name of Rumpelstiltskin…HEHEHEHE!