Chapter Ten: Revelations and Dark Promises
Shining Armor and Cadence returned to the Palace. She smiled at the Unicorn stallion and he couldn’t help but return it. “Goodnight, my handsome prince,” she smiled.
“Sleep well, princess,” they began leaning forward, but the Dragon Carpet took that as his cue. It bumped Shining Armor up and their lips met in a kiss. Neither of the ponies, not even the Carpet, noticed Cadence’s Cutie Mark. Sombra’s spell of Hatred was broken. The red disappeared instantly and was glowing bright crystal blue. Her Cutie Mark was renewed and reborn. They pulled away. She walked slowly into her room, a blush on her cheeks and a smile gracing her lips.
Shining Armor fell back onto the Carpet and it slowly floated back to the ground. “For the first time, things are starting to go right,” it was then that four sets of hooves grabbed him and another Unicorn’s magic prevented his from working by placing blackened crystals on his horn. “Hey! What!?” a white cloth was tied around his own mouth. “Spike! Spike!” his words were muffled and he saw that the Dragon/Elephant was in a fire prove net tied to the tree.
The Guards put shackles on his hooves and the Alicorn Amulet Scepter was placed on the ground in front of his face. His blue eyes looked up and glared as they met Sombra’s red ones. He did not notice how the Amulet’s ruby eyes were glowing the same color as the Guard’s hypnotized eyes. It would seem that everypony in the Palace might just be under Sombra’s Dark Magic. But the thing that made Shining Armor glare harder as his blood boiled with fury, was that Twilight was standing right next to the dark Unicorn and he did notice how her eyes were dulled to a reddish coloring and he knew it was hypnotism.
“It would appear you’ve worn out your welcome, Prince,” Sombra smirked at the white stallion’s glare. “It would seem that you are ever so Kind and Generous to bring such a lovely mare into the Palace’s midst,” he pressed one of his hooves to Twilight’s cheek and Shining Armor saw red as she leaned into his touch. “Not to mention the Loyalty your sister felt towards you, and the Honesty just poured off her to me,” he grinned. “She’s just ever so Magical,” Sombra turned away, pulling Twilight with him as he gave the Guards one last order. “Make sure he is never found,” and the hard metal covered hoof on the back of his head was the last thing Shining Armor felt before everything went black.
~After~
The Guards dropped him over the cliff and their spell broke when they saw the large splash in the water. Confused and dazed they merely returned to the Palace. Shining Armor struggled to ‘swim’ to the land, the chain connected to the ball making it nearly impossible. Without the air, the unconsciousness returned.
His turban was over on the side, with the Lamp hanging out being ever so close to his hoof. In a poof of white, green, and Fluttershy pink, Chaos appeared. She clucked her tongue. “Never fails, get in the bath and there’s a rub of the lamp,” she pushed the lamp towards his hoof and rubbed the hoof against it. She disappeared as the bubbles formed out of the lamp opening and Discord appeared, wearing a shower cap, holding a rubber duck, and washing his back.
“Never fails,” he grumbled. “Hello?” he turned and gasped at the sight of Shining Armor. “Oh, come on. You can’t cheat on this one, I can’t help you unless you wish for it. Say, ‘Discord, I wish for you save my life’,” he shook Shining Armor, earning no response. “Fair enough,” he turned into a submarine and pulled the Unicorn up to the surface.
Shining Armor coughed out the water, shaking the wetness from his body and clothing. “I-” Discord smiled at him and Shining Armor returned it. They hugged, more or less awkwardly. “Thanks, Discord,” Discord pulled him up as he began to fly back to the castle.
“I’m getting fond of you kid. Not that I’ll pick out curtains or anything,” Discord promised, zooming back to the Palace.
~With Cadence~
As she brushed her mane she was humming the song she and Shining Star sang together while on the magic carpet ride. “Cadence,” she heard Starswirl’s voice and turned to see the said Unicorn standing by the opened double door.
She smiled, feeling her Cutie Mark glow. Now she understood her Cutie Mark. Perhaps it had just been her hatred and anger before at all the previous suitors, but Shining Star opened her eyes. Her Cutie Mark was to feel and spread the Love. “I had the most wonderful time Starswirl, I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” Starswirl’s eyes looked dazed, almost entranced and unresponsive as she spoke.
Fluttershy nodded and stood as well, both Pegasus mares walking towards their Unicorn godfather. “You should be Cadence, you won’t have to marry. I’ve chosen a suitor, and for Fluttershy,” the other door opened, revealing the dark Unicorn that Cadence hated more than anything. “She will wed... Sombra,” Cadence looked speechless and Fluttershy saddened.
“Speechless? A fine quality in a bride,” Sombra looked to the buttermilk Pegasus but Cadence stood between the two.
“She will never marry you!” she looked to Starswirl after she snapped at Sombra. “Starswirl, I’ve chosen a suitor. I choose Prince Shining Star,” Sombra raised his eyebrows.
“Prince Shining Star left,” he shrugged and an all to familiar voice interrupted anything else Cadence might have said.
“Better check the Amulet again Sombra,” Cadence grinned at him and the ‘parrot’ seemed to panic.
“How in the he--,” she cut herself off and made a birdlike sound.
Shining Star walked up to Sombra and glared. “Tell them the truth, Sombra,” he snapped. “You tried to have me killed!”
Sombra clucked his tongue and held the Amulet closer to Starswirl. “He’s obviously lying,” Sombra stated and the Amulet’s ruby eyes swirled as Starswirl repeated those words.
“I know what’s wrong,” Shining Armor ripped the scepter from his hooves and smashed it on the ground, ignoring the rage that flashed in Sombra’s blood colored eyes. Starswirl shuddered as he was broken from his hypnotic state.
“You’re Highness, Sombra has been controlling you with this,” Shining Armor showed Starswirl the broken scepter.
“YOU TRAITOR!” Starswirl shouted. “GUARDS! GUARDS! Arrest Sombra!” two of the Unicorn Guards grabbed the dark Unicorn.
“This is not done yet, colt, and has your lovesick potential made you forget your sister?” Sombra smirked as he and Chrysalis disappeared in a flash of purple smoke.
“Find him, search everywhere!” Starswirl ordered the guards as they ran out of the room. “Sombra...” Starswirl walked between the stallion and the mare who were about to share another kiss. “My most trusted advisor... how will I--” he cut himself off and looked back to the two. “Have you truly chosen a suitor at last?” he asked and Cadence nodded with a smile. “Praise Luna! You two will be wed at once! A fine upstanding youth, a new Sultan is exactly what this kingdom needs,” Shining Star looked concerned at that but was silent, still thinking about Twilight as well as this new information.
~Sombra and Chrysalis~
Sombra slammed the wooden door shut and the moment his back was pressed against it he smiled with that mad gleam in his eye. “We gotta get outta here! Forget her!” Chrysalis pointed a holey hoof at the purple Unicorn when she returned to normal, ignoring said Unicorn’s glare. “Bring the guns, the weapons the knives... Eh, what about this picture?” she pulled out a picture of her and Sombra. “I don’t know I’m kinda making a weird face in it,” she and Twilight noticed Sombra’s maddened laughter.
“Great, it’s happening again,” she flew back down to the Unicorn. “Sombra! Get a grip!” his hoof wrapped around her neck and her face went from black to blue. “Good grip,” she wheezed.
“The Cutie Mark. Like a Cutie Re-Mark,” he released Chrysalis’s throat and stormed up to where the Unicorn mare was chained to the wall by a red magicked chain, her horn also covered in the black crystals that cut off her magic. “Your filthy brother renewed her Mark,” he snapped, pressing his face closer to hers. “You want to know about that glowing? Let’s just say if they did get hitched then you’d be having a sister-in-law. Who’d be an Alicorn!” Twilight’s mouth hung agape.
“I will not stand for it!” he vowed, slamming his hooves into the stone floor, creating two large dents that startled both the Changeling Queen and Unicorn mare. “But then again, who would your brother choose to save?” his horn glowed a malicious red. “His precious baby sister or his bride?” he cast a spell on her, much more powerful than the hypnotic one of the Amulet.
“Chrysalis,” he growled as he continued the spell. “Get your army ready, you’ll get the love of those ponies soon enough. But pose as Cadence, his love for her is stronger than you’d think,” she grinned and nodded, flying off as she changed into a fly to tell her precious Changelings the good news. “I will start with Saddle Arabia and move on to the rest of Equestria. But for now, I will do away with your brother and Cadence. Even if it is the last thing I do,” he vowed. He meant it, every last word.