Chapter 2
King Sombra regarded critically his newest prisoners for a moment before chuckling darkly and leaping of his throne. As he did a trail of black smoke followed him and didn’t subside until he had landed right in front of the Doctor. The unicorn king stood taller than the time pony, so the brown stallion had to look up at the grinning gaze of the tyrant.
“It’s been so long, Doctor, so you have finally returned to my empire,” the king said as he began circling his prisoner.
“It was not your empire when I was here last!” the Doctor snapped, glaring at the circling unicorn. That only cause Sombra to laugh mockingly.
“Well it is now. Tell me, who are your new friends?” The tyrant looked over at the other prisoners who were feeling a bit nervous about this large dark pony. “Those are not Swift Mane and Trinity.”
“You leave them alone, in fact I demand you release them, your business is with me!” The Doctor claimed, he took a step back when Sombra turned back to him and was nearly muzzle to muzzle with the time pony.
“Oh forgive me Doctor, I hadn’t realized our roles had switched, I suppose you are in charge here and I am your prisoner. Isn’t that the typical time pony arrogance? Thinking always that you are the ones in charge?” the king snorted, every word lacing with sarcasm.
“Just leave them alone. I’m the one you want, not them.” The other stallion didn’t flinch at the cold gaze he was receiving.
Sombra snorted and took a step back. His horn began glowing purple and green energy and suddenly the Doctor had the same kind of shackles on his legs and neck and the slaves outside. The brown stallion almost buckled under the sudden weight that was put on him.
“Take him to the dungeon. I’ll speak with him later,” the king snorted to his guards. He ignored the dark look from the Doctor as the armored ponies dragged him away.
“Foxy, Dew, Private, stay strong! We’ll get out of this. I promise! Don’t listen to him!” the Doctor called just before he was pulled out of the throne room.
The king snorted and rolled his eyes before turning his full attention to the remaining prisoners. He smirked down at them as he approached. Private had to lean on Foxy, he was so tired by now, Dew was on his other side and looked nervously at the tyrant.
“Typical time pony,” the King chuckled as he examined the three ponies in front of him.
“You don’t like time Ponies?” Foxy ventured to ask, she winced when Sombra fixed his gaze on her and scowled.
“Let us just say that we do not see eye to eye,” the tyrant growled and stepped closer, but his gaze kept going back to Private. “Hm, an Equestrian unicorn. What is your name?”
“Huh… what?” Private looked up and found himself locked in Sombra’s gaze. “Ah… Private… Private Iceland.”
“That’s an unusual name, even for an Equestrian,” the king remarked and arched his brow.
“I got eccentric parents,” the other stallion muttered.
“I’m sure.” Sombra didn’t sound too interested in this tidbit.
While the king spoke with Private, Dew Doe had noticed something by the throne. The pegasus cringed when she realized that it wasn’t a statue on a platform. It was a living pony, a young mare. She had crystalline eyes like the ones outside and her coat looked like it had once been light purple and her mane golden, but the colors were drained and she looked just as sad and downcast as the citizens outside. The mare wore a light looking leather collar that had fine chains that chained her to the platform.
The slave noticed the attention and slowly turned her head to look at Dew. The eyes were empty of hope and life, her will was utterly broken and she just simply existed. The blue pegasus cringed and really wanted to go to her to comfort her and help her out of this horrible situation. Then Sombra stepped in front of her, causing Dew to look up.
“And what is your name, little pretty?” the tyrant asked.
“Dew Doe.” The Dew tried to stand tall but even if she was an average sized mare, she was currently the smallest pony in the throne room so it didn’t look very impressive.
“Pretty name, for a such a pretty little mare,” Sombra murmured and examined the pegasus with his eyes, he grinned when Dew Doe’s eyes narrowed.
The king returned his attention to Foxy. The maroon pegasus wasn’t sure what to think when the tyrant stepped up to her and stared at her with a rather critical expression. The attention was in fact making her uncomfortable and she found herself unable to hold the gaze of the dark unicorn and glanced down to the floor.
“And what do they call you?” King Sombra placed a hoof under Foxy’s chin and raised her head so she looked at him again.
“Foxy Stripes,” the mare responded and felt like the stallion in front of her was staring right through her, into her very soul.
“And what are you afraid of, Foxy Stripes?” Echoed in her head. Images started to flash through her mind. Ponies calling her names, teasing her.
“Where you hit with an ugly stick when you were born?” a cruel voice teased.
“Are you sure you’re not adopted. That can’t be your sister.” Another snorted.
“Seriously, what’s up with that mess on your head you call a mane.” A third jeered.
“Hey, leave my sister alone!” Dew saw that Foxy was suddenly frozen and tears were starting to form in her eyes. The strangest thing was though that Sombra had never moved or said anything but suddenly purple mist had begun pouring out of his eyes and his sclera turned green.
Sombra dropped his hoof and stepped back, he looked at Dew Doe smirking. His eyes locked with hers and the mare’s angry expression was replaced with that of a shock. She gasped as suddenly her mind was flooded with images, she was frantically working, trying to reach ponies that needed medical attention, dying all around her and she was unable to do anything about it. She ran to body after body but was always too late.
Private looked confused and concerned at the mares that stood on either side of him. Both now had these same glowing sickly green and red eyes. They looked upset and were tearing up. The unicorn turned his head to the king and narrowed his eyes.
“Hey! What did you do to them?” he asked and rose away from Foxy and tried the best he could to stand by his own strength.
“Showing them their fears,” Sombra stated simply as he approached the unicorn again. “Not their worst, I’m saving that for later. But this will keep them distracted while we speak.”
“W-what do you mean?” Private still kept an eye on his friends, not liking how horrified and upset they looked. He froze when the king was suddenly standing right next to him, having pushed Dew Doe aside to do so. The larger unicorn leaned uncomfortably close to him as he gave him a strange friendly smile.
“It’s rare to find an Equestrian unicorn in these parts, once I took over the empire they have kept themselves far away and under the protection of their precious princesses,” Sombra told him and gently put a hoof on Private’s back. “I’ve been just dying to study them and the magic flowing through their veins.”
I don’t like where this is going, Private thought, he somehow managed to refrain from visibly cringing. “Is it really any different from uh yours?”
Sombra raised an eyebrow at the question, then he started to laugh. Private wondered what he had said that was so funny. He grunted when suddenly the king pulled him into a one leg hug, it stressed his wound but more importantly, seriously violated his personal space even more.
“You don’t know a lot about magic, do you?” Sombra asked, finding it rather amusing how Private tried to keep a distance by leaning his head away from him while their bodies were pressed up against one another.
“No… I failed basic magic theory in school.” Private really wanted to tell the other stallion to keep his hooves off of him but had a feeling, being a prisoner, it wouldn’t matter much.
“Your eccentric parents, must be so proud,” Sombra mocked and finally let go of the other unicorn, who stumbled a bit and had to hold himself up by leaning on Foxy.
Private just glared in response, that seemed to amuse the king even more. Sombra’s horn began glowing and the chains of the other stallion vanished, so did the shackle on his horn which had prevented him from using his own magic. The bandages were then enveloped in dark magic aura and began unwrapping, revealing the still fresh gash on the pony’s side.
Ow. Private grimaced at the sight of it and was rather glad he had not been conscious when it had been taken care of. His body began tingling as Sombra suddenly enveloped him fully in dark magic aura.
“Hey!” the unicorn protested but then saw to his amazement that his wound was healing up.
“There, much better. Now then, I want you to shoot me with your strongest magic blast,” Sombra said in a dead serious tone.
“Excuse me?” Private looked at him confused. “Shoot you? I only know like the barest basics of magic.”
“Let me be the judge of that, shoot me,” the king snorted.
Private glanced at his friends again who were still stuck in the spell the tyrant had put them under. Feeling like he didn’t have much of a choice the unicorn began building up magic energy in his horn, as much as he could muster. It began glowing bright and he actually strained to keep it all under control. Then with a growl he sent it right at the king.
Sombra didn’t look to impressed. He simply moved his head a bit to the side to duck the magic energy that sailed past him and dissipated harmlessly on the steps leading to the throne. The king glared at Private who was actually out of breath after shooting the blast.
“That was pathetic,” the tyrant grunted and shook his head.
“T… told….told you,” Private wheezed, never having used so much magic in his life.
“Perhaps you aren’t as useful as I had hoped you would be.” Sombra frowned but in his mind the gears were turning. “Then again, I would hate to waste this opportunity of having an Equestrian unicorn to study, pathetic as he is in use of magic.”
King Sombra looked at the mares, his eyes turned green and the purple mist began pouring out of them. Suddenly Foxy and Dew’s eyes turned to normal and the two Pegasi seemed to wake up with a start from a bad dream.
“That was… horrible…” Foxy stammered and fell down to her rump, putting one hoof over her chest. Dew shuddered and had to lie down on the floor.
Sombra used his magic to make the chains disappear off the Pegasi. They didn’t notice as they were still recovering from their frightful experience. Private was about to go and try and comfort both of them, when in flash the two mares had leather collars around their necks and attached to them were thin chains like a leash.
“Huh… what?” Dew sat up when she noticed her new accessory.
“Take the ladies to a room and keep them under constant watch, have chambermaids tend to them,” King Sombra ordered nearby guards.
“W-what’s going on?” Foxy wondered but was forced to stand up when a guard grabbed the chains of her collar and pulled harshly at them.
“Hey!” Private wanted to do something but found himself unable to move, he could only helplessly watch as his two friends were pulled out of the throne room.
“Private!” Dew managed to look at him confused and bewildered before being nearly choked as a guard pulled harshly at her leash and the mare disappeared out of the room.
“You better not do anything to them,” the unicorn glared at the king.
“That will all depend on you,” Sombra said and now smirked sadistically as he slowly walked over to his prisoner.
King Sombra started to slowly circle the unicorn. He was quite enjoying the fear and uncertainty emanating from him. He had new toys now and was going to enjoy seeing them all suffer, starting with this stallion. The tyrant shrunk the circle more and more as he walked, he had already realized that his prisoner hated ponies coming too close to him or even touching him. Only his closest friends were granted such a privilege.
“So tell me, Private,” Sombra stopped right in front of Private, their muzzles mere inches away from touching. The king’s eyes began turning green again and the mist returned. “What do you fear?”
Private was unable to look away from the grinning gaze, it locked him in place and the unicorn started to see images rushing through his mind. He saw things, shadowy things looking at him, poking and prodding him. It didn’t let up, they were so close, he could barely breathe. Then there were voices.
“Why is he so weird?”
“Does he even know how to speak?”
“Does he even show any expression aside from bored?”
“Seriously he just sits there, it’s creepy. Do something.”
“Why isn’t he more like his brother? He’s so active and outgoing.”
“Maybe you should consider a therapist, this can’t be normal behavior. Just look at his brother.”
“I’m not like my brother… I’m not like my brother… I’M NOT LIKE MY BROTHER,” Private screamed, the tears were flooding down his cheeks. “Leave me alone! I don’t want be like him. I want to be myself!”
Then as suddenly everything had appeared it all vanished and Private was back in the throne room, he was breathing rapidly and his cheeks were stained with his tears. The unicorn hung his head as he tried to recover from this terrible experience, he ignored the cruel chuckle next to him, knowing Sombra stood there watching him.
“And those weren’t even your worst fears,” the King murmured and stepped up to stand by his prisoner’s side. He lowered his head so his muzzle was right next to Private’s ear. “I can hardly wait to pull those out.”
“Oh get bent!” Private snapped, lifted his head again and tried to step away from the other unicorn, but he found himself still unable to move away.
Sombra just grinned, enjoying the discomfort he was causing his prisoner simply by standing so close to him. But he was tiring of this game and the Doctor hadn’t left his mind either, the tyrant knew he would have to deal with him soon enough as well. Using his magic, he produced yet another leather collar that encircled Private’s neck.
“Take him to a separate room from the mares, keep him under constant watch and have a servant tend to him,” the king ordered and walked away from the prisoner.
Private grunted when a guard came, grabbed the chains of the collar and began pulling him away. He didn’t resist though and allowed himself to be taken out of the throne room, feeling relieved to be finally out of the same room and the king.
Sombra watched the prisoner being taken away before turning back to his throne. As he walked towards it he went over in his mind what he had learned. The king knew these were no spies as his soldiers at the border had initially thought. However, they had come with a pony he couldn’t say he had cared much for seeing again.
The tyrant walked up the steps leading to the throne, stopping for a moment to gaze at the mare chained close to it. She looked back, once in a distant memory she had flinched and averted her gaze, tried to look as small as possible, tried to be invisible and hoping against all hope the unicorn would do nothing more than looking at her. Now she just looked back and waited.
The king smirked, it hadn’t escaped him that Dew Doe had been staring at his little pet on the platform. Sombra hadn’t mentioned it though as he was still determining who they exactly where and how he could use these new prisoners. Already plans were beginning to form in his dark mind plus contingencies to those. One thing was for certain, he would greatly delight in using them against the Doctor.
Sombra left his pet be for now, there would be time to enjoy her later. He continued to his throne and sat down. His thoughts turning to the time pony that now inhabited his dungeon.
He will not be easy to crack, he never was, the king sneered and rubbed his muzzle thoughtfully.
“I could tear him limb from limb, enjoy the agony of his screams and watch his blood spill all over the floor. I could feast on his innards… but these time ponies are tricky, what if he can regenerate from even that,” Sombra muttered but shook his head. “No death is too good for him. I want him to suffer.”
“His little friends will definitely be useful for that. He’s always so ‘caring’ towards those ragtag that follow him,” he snorted and rolled his eyes.
The king was interrupted in his musings when an armored soldier arrived in the throne room. The pony immediately bowed low when Sombra narrowed his eyes on him.
“My lord, we have brought that blue box your spell encased when we captured those ponies at the borders,” the soldier announced, trembling a little at the cold gaze given him by the dark unicorn.
Ah, that traveling box the Doctor uses, the king thought and rose up in his throne. “Have it put in storage for now, I’ll take a look at it later.”
“Yes, my lord.” The soldier bowed again and quickly departed the throne room.
Sombra stepped down from his throne and began walking down the steps. Now that he had secured the TARDIS and put the Doctor’s friends under guard in separate rooms, the king felt it was finally time to have a little chat with the time pony.
End chapter 2