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// Part 5 
// Story: King Sombra's Slaves 
// by Mocha Jon 
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Jon thought to himself about what was going to happen now. Before he even bothered to make it out, he had to stop to consider what would happen. Shining Armor acting like a loyal dog made sense considering his military history and with Bic Macintosh being a farmer the livestock made sense, but what could Caramel do? More specifically, what was he doing? Jon looked closer and noticed he was digging holes in the dirt. "What the hell?" Jon figured it was now or never as he only had a few minutes to get out and decided to just get this over with, figuring that he couldn't hurt anymore than he already does. Caramel started digging deeper and deeper, almost like he was making a tunnel. When Jon looked in his eyes he unsurprisingly noticed the blue and orange eyes, "Alright what are you, a gopher or a squirrel looking for a nut or something? Whatever it is please let me go..." He said with depression, not really caring what Caramel thinks he is at this point.

Caramel looked up and noticed the injured unicorn and started to reply thinking he was just joking like he normally does, "Mocha Jon come on, you don't recognize your badger buddy? If that's a new joke, I like it." He responded, taking notice of his injuries, "Oh gosh, what happened? Did King Sombra do this to you?"

"You could say that..." He responded, it took him a moment to realize Caramel said 'badger buddy', as he just wanted to leave, but when it came to him he knew this would be important, "Hold up, badger buddy... Do you think you're Toby?"

"Well I'm pretty sure that's my name, after all you named me after you got em from Fluttershy, what are you doing out here anyway?" Caramel responded, as he continued digging.

Jon just sighed, he didn't have time for this, "Look you're not a badger, you may smell as bad as one, but you're not one, you're a pony named Caramel who sometimes has a country accent and sometimes doesn't. Please just move so I can get outta here, the exit's like 30 feet away." He stopped trying to humor them, knowing that every time he tries they turn against him, "If you want to come you need to dig your way out, I'm assuming you'll think that's fun despite being a pony..." He said as he tried to walk past him, though it was slowly because his leg was still broken and bleeding. Jon looked back and noticed Caramel was following him anyway with red eyes... "Son of a bitch! what now?" He yelled in frustration, still just trying to get out.

Caramel wasn't charging however, he didn't even look angry, he looked saddened. "I know what you did, after King Sombra brought me back to life, he told me what you did..." He then started to cry, "How could you? I never want to see you again!"

All of Jon's instinct told him to ignore this because it was false, but it was tugging on his heart too much, despite seeing a pony he legitimately felt as if his pet felt betrayed, "I didn't know!" He started to cry as well, "He tricked me and I've put myself through so much to get you back! I haven't smiled once sense he told me what I did, please just let me go so he can truly bring you back!" Jon was begging on his (working) knees, he knew this was all an act, but he couldn't get himself to stop seeing Toby. He was worried that if Sombra honored his word then Toby would actually resent him. He actually contemplated not finishing the quest when he saw Caramel run away from him. However he soon heard a loud howl and knew what was about to happen... "Caramel!!! STOP!!!" He tried to yell. It was too late however... He could see Shining Armor rush over and he instantly accosted the pony and started biting him...

Shining looked over... "You're next... I'm not finished with you!" He tried to yell, he was tired of chasing him.

Jon knew what was about to happen. He knew there was only one thing he could do. He had to walk away and finish the task. He remembered that Sombra healed their injuries earlier and it would be worth a shot to risk that. Jon started sobbing more as he walked away, even though he was hearing Caramel yell for Jon to help him.

After two painful minutes of walking, he finally reached the end of the labyrinth and could see the sun was still in the sky. "King Sombra, I made it. Please help me." He quietly pleaded. He knew that he was not going to feel better even though he finished the task without the King's help.

Smoke appeared all around Jon and he returned back into the palace throne room, all his injuries were healed, the bruises on his face cleared,  his leg returned to it's original state of functionality, his blood wounds from being bitten were gone, and his horn has returned, it was actually even a few inches longer. Jon looked around and noticed all the ponies he saw earlier, the one he barely knew and the Elements of Harmony and Cadence included. He turned around and noticed Sombra sitting on his throne with a grin on his face. He also notice Shining Armor, Big Macintosh, and Caramel walk in through the back door all unscaved with their eyes returned to the green and purple swirls. "You have passed. How do you feel now...?" He asked with interest and curiosity, expecting a certain answer.

Jon took a deep breath and noticed everypony was back to normal, including himself, and he knew that Sombra was the one who healed them all. "I- I want to thank you for saving us." Jon responded with hesitation but honesty.

"Really? Is that so?" He asked as he stood from his throne and walked towards Jon with a smug but professional tone.

"Yes my King, I know your magic is what took my injuries away and I'm grateful that you did." Jon wasn't sure why he answered like that, he knew Sombra was the reason they all had to suffer so much in the first place. He remembered all Sombra made him suffer through and how much he wanted to murder him earlier. But there was something inside him that told him that the King was not somepony to be messed with. As if he knew that to please him was to keep him safe. He was psychologically scared from the event.

Sombra grinned and walked right towards the stallion and noticed he was broken. "You're ready now. Big Mac, bring me the collar!" He practically demanded as if he would attack if he didn't comply. Big Mac obeyed and brought a new mind control collar towards the two.

Jon seemed confused but not resistant, "But I thought you didn't want me as a slave? You even made me wear that for like ten seconds then took it off?"

Sombra rolled his eyes, getting tired of explaining this, "I'm surprised nopony knows how hypnosis works. See it can't make anypony do anything they don't want to do if its against their moral code. I like to break my slaves mentally before I enslave them completely. Now that you had to suffer to see that I must be obeyed your brain understands that I must be served. That collar earlier was only on for that short time because you were still shocked from eating your pet but it couldn't last because your anger would have snapped you out of it. Now tell me, do you want this collar...?"

Jon knew that it would be a bad idea, he understood that he would be abused and mistreated if he said yes. He was afraid of losing his free will forever and the thought of being stuck in one place for the rest of his life would make him break down, but he complied. "Yes my King..." He was afraid that he would be killed if he said no, he thought about refusing but he knew his fate would be worse if he displeased him. "I will be your slave..." He said as he started to bow down, accepting his fate. "But before I do... What about Toby?"

Sombra used his horn and the badger appeared right on his back right then and there, "I brought him back to life right after you entered the maze, I knew you would make it out." He turned over and revealed Toby wearing a mind control collar as well, "I will admit, this smelly little rodent has grown on me, I was originally going to simply send him back out in the woods but I decided to have him serve me as well."

Jon started sobbing and due to his mental scaring, that horrible action felt like the best gift ever, "Thank you so much my King! I'm sorry I was so resistant, I will be forever grateful!"

Sombra chuckled and simply placed the collar on the unicorn in his groveling state. Once the collar was placed on his neck Jon stopped crying instantly and looked up at Sombra, his eyes instantly transformed into the same swirls every other pony had and all his fears and bad memories faded away. All he could think about was serving his King, no, his Master.

"Now slave, I want you to know that you are mine, you are to serve me and you are for me to use and abuse as I see fit!" Sombra commanded as he just snapped off Jon's new horn with no concern for his well being.

"Yes Master," was all Jon could say until his horn was removed and he screamed in pain again, remembering how that felt the first time. He held no anger or fear however, if his Master wanted him to suffer, he will suffer.

Sombra turned around and returned Jon's new fully sized horn to his new slave, "Now for your first order, you are to find a room for you and this little vermin, find the smallest closet that gives you two the least amount of room to breath or move. You must work to earn any comfort, understood?"

Before Jon would have taken great offense to all of that, he was claustrophobic and hated tight spaces, and he would have objected greatly to anypony calling his pet vermin, but his Master gave him an order that must be obeyed, "As you wish, my Master." Jon bowed one more time before taking Toby and leaving the throne room to obey his order.

"Good boy." Was all Sombra would say, and it was all Mocha Jon needed.