Chapter 8
The Doctor looked up when hearing some commotion. He still lay on his hay pile, where the time pony had spent most of his time trying to ignore the dull ache in his mind. He rose up and walked to the bars of his cell, he noticed that Apple Core was also peeking out.
“Go ahead, I have few things I must attend to. I will be back shortly. Don’t try anything foolish, my guards are outside and remember the spells I put on you,” King Sombra could be heard saying.
The two prisoners then blinked when Private slowly walked into the corridor. The Doctor’s eyes opened wide in shock when seeing the state his friend was in. His face was bloodied, there was blood on his hooves, his coat looked matted and damp as if his entire body had recently been sweating profusely. The unicorn walked in slow clumsy steps as if he had barely any energy left. About the only bright thing the Doctor could see was that Private’s wound on his side had mysteriously healed.
“Private? What happened?” The Doctor asked sharply and could feel his anger rising towards Sombra. The unicorn, when hearing in which cell the time pony was in, walked closer to it and slumped down to his haunches.
“Now is not time for the silent treatment. What happened?” the brown stallion snapped when it didn’t seem like his friend was going to speak, but then he realized the unicorn might just be too frightened to talk and hoofed his face to hide his embarrassment. “Sorry, I know it’s really hard for you right now. But I need you to talk with me.”
“Oh nothing, he just cut my face open to get me to bleed over a seal on a book called the Tome of Umbrum,” Private finally whispered and grimaced at the memory.
“Before that he fused his dark magic into me, felt like I was being burned from the inside out. He also dragged out some of my fears, put spells on me that will probably kill me if I try and help you, I’m wearing this.” The unicorn started clawing at the collar with one hoof. “He keeps touching me, keeps getting close to me… he’s driving me crazy!”
“I’m sorry.” The Doctor sighed and sat down. “I knew something like this would happen. That’s why I didn’t want to stay here when I realized where we were. I knew he would do something like this.”
“King Sombra’s magic feeds off on fear and hate. It is obvious that he’s picked on that you do not like ponies coming too close to you and getting too uh familiar with you to use that term,” he explained to the unicorn.
“So that’s what he meant when he said my fear was delightful when he was about to slice my face open,” Private muttered and hung his head. “I thought he was going to kill me!”
“Hey excuse me.” The two stallions looked over to Apple Core’s cell, she looked rather concerned.
“Uh what was that about a Tome of Umbrum? That didn’t sound good,” she asked.
“It’s the historical records of the dark ponies, Sombra’s race, detailing their history and such,” the Doctor responded causing Private’s head to snap back to look at him. The time pony raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“He said it was a book full of dark forbidden magic that could enhance his powers and that it was sealed off by Meadowbrook, he plunged a knife into my face to try and open it!” Private growled.
“What a surprise, Sombra is a sadistic lying bastard. Private, he was just doing it to scare you, he’s messing with your mind,” the Doctor said and then glared towards the entrance of the corridor. “And I bet he’s actually just standing right out there, laughing at what he probably thinks is just a big joke!”
“Oh it’s no joke, Doctor,” the dark voice of the king said and Sombra walked into view.
Private so wanted to glare at the king, but found himself unable to do so. Instead he just turned his head away, avoiding looking in the dark unicorn’s direction. Sombra smirked and stepped up so he stood right next to where Private sat. The smaller stallion shrunk down and tried his best to ignore the king.
“Haven’t you done enough to him?” the Doctor snorted, glaring at Sombra who responded by simply putting a hoof on Private’s back.
“Oh I have barely started,” the king murmured, gently patting the covering unicorn.
“I told you, your business is with me. Leave him alone,” the time pony demanded and slowly rose to stand.
“Ah but he’s so generously offered to help me unseal that book I showed him. Granted I didn’t give him the right name, and that ‘seal’ he saw was just a silver coin I’ve owned for a long time, currency from a distant land I once traversed in,” King Sombra chuckled and conjured up the silver medal again, he threw it down in front of Private. “Here Private, keep it. I have no further use of it.”
“Private,” the Doctor looked at his friend worried. “Did you offer to help him?”
“I…” Private raised his head to look at the Doctor, then flinched when seeing Sombra’s grinning face almost side to side with his.
“He said, he would help me if I allowed him to see the Doctor. ‘If I help you break the seal, can I see the Doctor?’ Those were your words were they not, Private? I have granted you your request.” The tyrant’s grin turned even more sinister.
“Oh no, Private you didn’t…” the Doctor whispered startled as he heard this.
“I-I thought I was just buying myself some time,” Private whispered, now frightened beyond belief.
“I know,” King Sombra said softly and raised his hoof to touch Private’s cheek. “And now, you’re mine!”
Private’s eyes widened but he couldn’t look away again. He was locked in Sombra’s gaze; he could hear the faint voice of the Doctor protest but it was all muting out. All he could see were those eyes, those dark evil eyes, he was lost in them. The unicorn heard a sinister chuckle, followed by a dark commanding voice.
“You are mine now, little one. Obey me.”
“Don’t obey him. Don’t obey him!” the Doctor shouted but he knew he was too late. Private’s eyes were glowing green now and he just stared vacantly into the air. King Sombra let go off him and stepped back, admiring his handiwork.
“He’s not quite a statistic now is he, Doctor.” The king glanced at the cell, already seeing what he had done was working. The time pony was seething with rage.
“What? No speech? Nothing?” King Sombra mocked and then glanced at Private. “Rise.”
Without hesitation Private rose up. The glow in his eyes diminished a bit but there was still green in his eye white. The unicorn started to look around as if was first now noticing where he was. He glanced at the cell with the Doctor showing no sign of recognition, then he looked at Sombra, cringed and immediately ducked down in a deep bow.
“Sorry my lord, I didn’t notice you there,” Private immediately whimpered an excuse.
“You’re forgiven this time,” King Sombra chuckled, he turned his attention to the cell again. The Doctor was just staring at him, dark look on his face.
“One down, two to go,” Sombra laughed and started to walk out. Private followed him immediately, not even looking back at the Doctor. The two unicorns disappeared out of the dungeon.
With a sigh the Doctor dropped down again to sit. He hated to admit it but Sombra managed to strike a blow this time. Private had probably been his easiest target, the unicorn was so easily frustrated and when irritated or uncomfortable tended to be more prone to make mistakes.
“That was one of your friends right?” Apple Core glanced over to the Doctor’s cell, there was no response.
“I’m sorry, guess they won’t be so much help after all if this is what he’s doing to them.” The mare shook her head.
“He hasn’t gotten Dew or Foxy yet,” the Doctor spoke up and then glanced at the floor outside his cell. The discarded silver coin still lay there, Private had not picked it up. He smiled and carefully tried to reach between the bars. He just about could touch his hoof on the metal object. His smile turned into a grin.
“Apple Core, I know it’s going to hurt, but I really need one of those crystals that are in you,” he said and started to chuckle.
King Sombra walked after the long corridor that was leading him back up to the castle, still with a wide smile on his muzzle. This had been even easier than he had thought, almost disappointingly easy. He glanced back to where Private walked just behind him, the unicorn had a rather normal expression but did avoid meeting the king’s gaze, lowering his head.
Seeing that they were nearly back to the castle, Sombra lit up his horn for a second and the eyes of his prisoner became normal. The smaller pony stumbled on his walk and blinked in surprise as he looked around, then he shrunk in fear when seeing he was alone in a long corridor with the king.
“W-what’s going on, w-where is the Doctor?” Private asked, his last memory was sitting in front of the Doctor’s cell.
“Still where he belongs, in my dungeon.” Sombra stopped his walk and turned to look at his prisoner again. “You however, are now under my command.”
“W-what?” the unicorn’s eyes widened in shock and shrunk all the way down to the floor when the king approached and came muzzle to muzzle with him.
“I granted your wish to see the Doctor and now you are bound by your words to assist me in breaking the real seal on the book you saw upstairs. That’s one of the many spells I put on you before we came here. It’s called the Crystal Deal Spell, a very potent, no backing out spell that seals deals between two ponies,” the king explained to him in a hissing whisper. “I have fulfilled my end of the deal, now you must fulfill yours.”
“I-I don’t recall any agreement being made,” Private whispered, his ears going down and he felt a small surge of anger.
“The Crystal Deal Spell doesn’t care for such technicalities.” King Sombra gave a sinister chuckle as he raised his head. “I bound it with your exact words. ‘If I help you break the seal, can I see the Doctor?’ I answered yes by taking you to him. Now all the spell will care about is you helping me break the seal.”
Private blinked and deep down in his mind a tiny, tiny voice desperately told him that this had to be some sort of an elaborate evil cruel joke. But the more rational part of his mind told him that the king wouldn’t be joking about something like this. He had somehow managed to put himself into the servitude of the tyrant.
“T-that explains that, but why am I suddenly here and not still talking with the Doctor?” he asked nervously.
“Regular mind control spell, just wanted to hammer in the point to the Doctor that as of now.” King Sombra smirked sadistically. “You’re mine.”
“So why release me from under the mind control spell,” his prisoner asked, from his perspective it just made more sense to just keep him as an obedient drone.
“You’re more entertaining this way,” Sombra chuckled and started to turn around, he glanced back when he noticed that Private still lay crouched on the ground, staring at him with an expression that was a mix utter disbelief and terror.
“Come along, Private,” the dark unicorn ordered now sounding a little more annoyed.
Private could barely believe it, his body started to obey without his input. He rose up and began following the king, even hastening his pace to walk side by side with him. The smaller stallion stared down at his still automatically walking body, he tried to stop, he tried anything but nothing.
“W-what is going on, why can’t I stop,” the unicorn cried in panic.
“Compulsion spell, sister spell to the mind control spell, however you still have your mind for yourself but your body obeys outside commands, in this case mine,” Sombra explained with a shrug and glanced down at his Prisoner with a smirk.
“Does it stop…?” Private was starting to feel weak again, it was clear his body was forcing itself to walk at this pace despite the lack of energy to really go on.
“When I allow it,” the king said.
“Have I mentioned that I hate you,” Private whispered, actually sneering a bit when Sombra just laughed.
“No, no I do not believe you have,” the king said but suddenly he felt something off and frowned. He quickly looked back the way they had walked and narrowed his eyes.
“Stay here,” he growled and suddenly vanished down the corridor.
Private did not complain and slumped down to the floor. He just decided to enjoy the fact that he was no longer walking. The unicorn wondered though what had happened, Sombra had looked like he had been struck by something.
Wonder if something happened in the dungeon? He thought since that was the direction the king had gone into.
“What did we just do and how?” Apple Core shouted as she struggled to keep up with the Doctor, they were running at a mad pace deeper and deeper into the dungeon. Both were free of their shackles and the mare no longer had crystal shards embedded into her body. She still had the wounds though and that made it more difficult to run.
“Little less talk and more running, we need to somehow hide because I think Sombra detected our little trick,” the Doctor said and was cackling. Inside his right ear was the silver coin.
“Sorry, I’m just still processing how our shackles vanished, then you somehow managed to break the bars, then the crystals in my body vanished and all you had was that silver coin and one of the crystals in my body, which by the way hurt like Tartarus to pull out,” the mare counted up as they turned a corner into a dark corridor.
“Hey, your pain has granted us our freedom, surely that was at least a little bit worth it,” the time pony chuckled.
Apple Core couldn’t really argue with that, though saying they were free was a bit of a stretch. They were still in the dungeon being pursued by guards, she wouldn’t be calling this free until they were outside the castle.
“We really need a sewer access soon, or underground cavern or…” the Doctor fell silent and looked back. He came to a dead halt and turned to face the direction they had come from.
“What are you doing?” Apple Core stopped few feet ahead of him.
The Doctor didn’t respond; he had already noticed that the noise behind them had died down. The guards wore heavy armor and thus it was impossible for them to be very silent, especially when running. He took a step back when seeing that the shadows were moving, black smoke was starting to form, green eyes with purple mist were approaching.
“Apple Core.” The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “Keep running.”
Oh sweet mother of mercy. Apple Core felt a cold chill when seeing King Sombra come out of the smoke, staring gravely at the Doctor.
“RUN!” the time pony yelled, turned around and started galloping, pulling the frozen mare with him as he reached her.
King Sombra growled as his entire body dissolved into black smoke, safe for his head. Then he gave a monstrous roar as he started charging after them, filling the corridor with smoke and shadow.
“Doctor… can’t run no more… the wounds…” Apple Core whimpered, some of the wounds had reopened and were bleeding.
“Keep going, just keep going, find a place to hide,” the Doctor encouraged her as they managed to turn to another corridor. He stopped them both, grabbed the silver coin out of his ear and put it in Apple Core’s.
“W-what’s with the coin?” the mare asked with a frown and not understanding why they had suddenly stopped.
“Silver if properly handled can sometimes help against dark magic, it’s not a perfect solution, but it can help. But you run, now!” The Doctor said and pushed her away.
“But… what about you?” Apple Core whispered and gasped when seeing black smoky tendrils approaching the entrance of the corridor they were now in.
“He doesn’t want to kill me… he just wants me to suffer,” the Doctor said and smiled. He held back a groan as the dull feeling returned to his mind, the silver coin had actually helped block the spell.
“Apple Core, you can do it. Your mission is not yet over, go get the Princesses, tell them to use the Elements. Go, now!” the time pony pointed her away.
The stallion sighed in relief when the mare finally started running, albeit clumsily due to her injuries. Behind him was now a big thick wall of smoke and producing out of it was the head of King Sombra. The Doctor slowly turned around to face the dark unicorn.
“You want to know what I did to the other time ponies I captured, Doctor?” the king growled as he floated closer to the time pony who stared back at him with defiance.
“Let me show you!” The dark unicorn opened his mouth impossibly wide, showing nothing but a gaping hole of darkness as he plunged for the Doctor.
Apple Core shivered where she hid behind a large chunk of rock and crystal. She had run to the end of the corridor and found much to her surprise a large cave. Judging from the tools and other equipment the mare had seen, this was either a mine or it was part of the dungeon that wasn’t finished yet.
Right now, she didn’t care. The earth pony needed to rest, some of her wounds still trickled blood and it wouldn’t stop if she moved too much. The mare still couldn’t believe all the crystals were out of her. The Doctor had done something strange with the silver coin, lightly tapped at the crystals from a certain angle and poof, they were gone. He did much the same with their shackles.
Apple pulled the coin out of her ear and stared at it. It looked nothing special, had a unicorn engraving on both sides, with some markings on it that she couldn’t understand. No doubt a foreign language from whatever distant land Sombra had been in when he received it. But why would he have something that could dispel his magic?
Unless he didn’t know, which can’t be right, surely he knows what might affect his magic. Or he figured that the Doctor couldn’t use it with that spell that affects his thinking, or there is more to this coin than even old King Smokes knows, she thought, there was definitely an odd shine to this coin.
A distant sound caused the mare to freeze, she quickly put the coin back in her ear and held her breath. It was the unmistakable sound of armor on the move, soldiers were nearby, no doubt looking for her. The mare didn’t dare peeking from her hiding place, the light was maybe dim but she wasn’t taking any chances.
“She can’t have gone far, His Majesty said she should still be injured,” a gruff voice growled, it was not near but not far enough away either in Apple Core’s opinion.
“You think she went into the caverns? It would take forever to find her in that maze,” another one snorted. The armor movements stopped, Apple wondered if they had halted by the entrance.
“Bah, I say we just let her wander there, she’s injured and with no supplies. She won’t last the day,” the same guy then said dismissively. “There is no way out of here anyway, this was all dug to be part of this dungeon.”
“Yeah, what a great idea, let’s go and tell His Majesty how we didn’t find her and just let her loose in the cave system next to the dungeon,” the first voice growled sarcastically.
“So… we’re going into the maze?” the other one sighed.
“We are going into the maze,” the first voice snorted.
The sound of moving armor started again and now Apple Core dared a peek from her hiding place. She saw two soldiers head into the cavern and go deeper into it. The mare raised an eyebrow, judging from what they had said, there was no way out in that direction. Apple turned her head to the entrance that lead back to the dungeon.
That’s my way out, whether I like it or not, she thought and carefully rose up. Looks like King Smokes was satisfied with just capturing the Doctor and is letting his grunts look for me. Hopefully it means the rest of the dungeon isn’t crawling with soldiers since he thinks he knows where I went.
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Apple Core slipped out from her hiding place and headed back to the corridor.
End chapter 8