The Ballad of Xyclone

Chrysalis' castle, Equestria, midday

"Welcome to your final ressssting place, poniessss!" the changeling guard says as he and the other guards shove Rainbow Dash through the giant stone door leading to the castle's dungeon.

"Hey! Watch it!" she complains.

"Issss that all of them?" the guard asks the changeling lieutenant.

"I think sssso," he says.

"Enjoy your sssstay!" the guard laughs, slamming the huge door shut and locking it. "Because you're going to be here for a loooong time!" He and the other guards leave, laughing evilly.

"Well, this is just great," whines Vinyl Scratch once the guards leave. "Now what the hay are we gonna do?"

"There's gotta be some way outta here..." muses Applejack, looking around.

Rarity suddenly trots up and begins to hug her. "You know, darling, I don't care where we are, just as long as I'm here with you."

Applejack smiles and blushes, embarrassed. "Rarity, please, not in front of mah friends!"

Spike walks up to them then, followed by Rainbow Dash. "What's up with you two?" he asks them.

"Yeah, you two have been acting all lovey-dovey recently," says Rainbow Dash.

Applejack and Rarity quickly break their embrace and inch away from each other, both of their faces flushed with red. "N-No, w-we're not!" stammers Applejack.

"Uh, you kinda are," continues Rainbow.

Applejack and Rarity stare nervously at each other. "Uhh..."

A strange voice suddenly slices through the room: "Why, hello there!"

Silence fills the room. Everyone looks over at the dark shadow where the voice came from. All they see are two eyes.

"How nice of you all to join me for dinner!"

Rarity hugs Applejack again. "W-Who is that? Who's there?!" Applejack asks nervously.

The figure begins to come out of the shadows. "Well, my real name is Veloci, but you probably know me as...The Scaly One!" The figure enters the dim light of the dungeon's only window and reveals himself to be a very muscular earth pony. He has brown fur with black markings splattered all over his body, reptilian eyes, and razor-sharp teeth. Everypony gasps.

Rarity hugs Applejack even tighter. "Hold me, AJ," she whispers.

Applejack gulps. "Y-Y-You're the Scaly One..?"

"O-Oh, my..." squeaks Fluttershy.

"Yes, and I haven't been fed in so long..." The Scaly One licks his lips and glares at the ponies menacingly. "...And you all look delicious! Oh, I'm gonna have a feast today!"

"Celestia help us," sobs Applejack softly, holding on tightly to her crush, Rarity. "Celestia help us all."

Twilight sits alone in a large room. Her face and body twitch sporadically. "XYCLONE IS GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" she raves madly. "ONCE I'M DONE WITH HIM, HE'S GONNA LEAVE EQUESTRIA IN A BODY BAG!"

Twilight's plotting is interrupted by the loud creak of a door. "Hello, Twilight Ssssparkle," booms a voice behind her, echoing throughout the huge room. Twilight turns around to see King Sombra there, slowly approaching her.

"SOMBRA!" she growls. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"Pleasssse, Princess, calm down, I am not here as an enemy."

"'NOT HERE AS AN ENEMY'? YOU KIDNAPPED MY FRIENDS AND THREW THEM IN A DUNGEON WITH A TERRIFYING MONSTER!"

"Thosssse were the orders of Chrysalis, not of mine. I am only here to make a propossssition to you."

"PROPOSITION? WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT...?"

King Sombra starts to pace around Twilight. "You ssssee, Twilight, I, like Celestia, have been watching you since the very beginning."

Twilight calms down, lowering her voice. "Wh...What?"

"I've watched you; I've watched your skillssss improve. I've watched your magical abilities get better and better..."

"Cut to the chase already."

"You are an incredibly talented unicorn, Twilight Ssssparkle.  I alwayssss thought that you would make a wonderful apprenticccce."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Sombra stops in front of her and offers his hoof. "Join me, Missss Sparkle. Join me, and together with Chrysalis we can rule all of Equestria with an iron hoof! You could be in control of powerful armiessss, you could control entire citiessss!"

Twilight looks down and closes her eyes. "No," she says.

"What?!"

"I said no!" yells Twilight, getting angrier. "I would never in a thousand years associate with a pony like you!"

"I'm afraid it'ssss an offer you can't refusssse. See, you and me? We're not too different from each other."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" shouts Twilight, raising her voice again.

"You have dark magic deep within you, I know it. I saw you use it very well the lasssst time I was here and tried to take over the Crysssstal Empire."

"No..." gasps Twilight, crying. "No, it can't be...You're lying!"

"You can't hide what'ssss insssside, Twilight Ssssparkle. There's a dark magician inside of you jusssst waiting to break out."

"NO!" screams Twilight, getting up. "SHUT UP!!" Twilight's eyes begin to glow purple and green. She tilts her horn towards King Sombra and dark sparks explode from it, pummeling him with evil spirits and sending him hurdling towards the furthest wall.

Panting heavily, Twilight glares at Sombra with her newly sprouted fangs.

Sombra groans as he gets back up. "Ssssee...?" he says. "Not that different!"

Twilight drops to the floor in shame. Her fangs retract back in. "Oh, Celestia..." she whimpers. "What have I become?"

"How did that feel, Missss Ssssparkle?" asks Sombra as he once again approaches Twilight. "How did it feel to use dark magic?"

"It was...it was incredible. I can't really describe it..."

"Doessss this mean you'll take me up on my offer?"

"No!" says Twilight once more. "No matter how amazing it felt, I would never bring myself to hurt other ponies!"

"Oh, really? What do you think Xyclone would ssssay to that?"

Twilight stared in disbelief at the king. "WHAT? HOW'D YOU—?"

"Like I ssssaid: I've been watching you."

Twilight's eyes start to return to normal as the craziness slowly begins to leave her body. "Oh, my gosh...you're right. Spike was right. Everypony was right; I am a monster."

"Alongside me, nopony would think of you as a monsssster. You'd be revered as a queen!"

"How many times do I have to say it?! I refuse to be your apprentice!!"

"Ssssuit yoursssself. I had a feeling you'd decline my offer. That'ssss why I came prepared. I'll just FORCE YOU INTO SUBMISSION!"

"What?!"

Sombra's eyes glow with dark magic. Then a bunch of shadowy coils fly from his horn and grab hold of Twilight's neck. The coils lift her high up off the ground and begin to tighten. Twilight's face turns a pale blue. She stares helplessly into King Sombra's sadistic grin as he slowly strangles the life out of her. "WHERE ARE YOUR FRIENDSSSS NOW, TWILIGHT SSSSPARKLE?!?! WHERE ARE YOUR FRIENDSSSSSS?!?!?!?!"

"Stop...right...there!" a voice shouts. Twilight barely is able to turn around and see two ponies standing at the opened entrance to Sombra's quarters.

"Put her down!"

"XYCLONE?! BON-BON?!" Twilight chokes out. "IS THAT YOU?!"