Cheating the Cycle of Life- A Padded Pony Collab

The discovery of King Sombra’s journal, deep within the catacombs beneath the Crystal Empire caused quite the stir of attention. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor especially were curious as to what sort of secrets the now deceased tyrant might have had, and whether there were any sort of traps or backup plans he had left in place.

To avoid the possibility of corruption, in case the journal itself was a trap, Princess Cadence contacted the pony she was convinced could properly resist the influence of dark magic, without putting the Crystal Princess or the empire at stake.

“Thank you again for coming on such short notice, Twilight,” Princess Cadence smiled at her sister in law, as the two alicorns walked through the glistening halls of the crystal castle “I would do it myself, but Shining Armor thinks it might be a trap. He said you have the most experience with dark magic, and could control it if the journal contains any portion of Sombra’s soul.”

“I’m honored to be here, Cadence,” Twilight smiled back, while maintaining her composure of seriousness “I just wish it was under better circumstances. Even if there’s a chance I could learn more about King Sombra, what I really want is to spend some quality time with you and Shining Armor, without the fate of Equestria being at stake.”

“Well, if you find anything that you think Shining Armor and I should know about, bring it our way, “Princess Cadence instructed to Twilight “Otherwise, you can just write down whatever information you find, and deliver the report when you’re finished. Shining Armor and I would rather not know too much about Sombra.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked, bringing her walking cycle briefly to a halt upon hearing such a statement.

“Sombra was blown to pieces, and there’s been no traces of his horn since then,” Princess Cadence told Twilight “Legend says that if it falls into the wrong hooves, it’s possible to resurrect him. If that happens, and he finds out we know about his past, there’s no telling what he’d do to us. Besides, Shining Armor and I have worked hard to erase Sombra’s legacy, and so far we’ve been doing a pretty good job.”

“But you’ll still look over my report, and the journal, once I’ve read through it, right?” Twilight asked.

“Of course.” Princess Cadence nodded, before she left the throne room. She knew how to access the secret catacombs underneath the throne, but preferred not to utilize the dark magic needed to open the way too often. Prolonged useage of dark magic could have disastrous consequences for those that had yet to master how to keep it under control.

Twilight took a moment to clear her head of unnecessary distractions, so that she could better concentrate on the task at hoof. Then, after carefully making sure no crystal ponies were passing by, she lit up her horn, and within seconds began to tap into the dark magic inside her.

Despite the headache forming in the tip of her forehead, Twilight managed to reveal the hidden staircase with little trouble. Once that was done, she breathed a small sigh of relief, and headed down the staircase, and walked through the door. On the other side, resting off to the side of the eternal staircase, was the journal, enclosed in a protective case.

“Time to see what sort of secrets King Sombra went to such great lengths to hide from the Crystal Ponies.” Twilight thought to herself, as she removed the journal from the protective case, and opened it to the first page.

For a while, nothing stood out to Twilight. The journal largely chronicled Sombra in his pre king days at first, gradually showing how he rose to power, and became the Crystal King.

But, the very page after Sombra’s coronation attracted Twilight’s attention. For, it read:

Dear Journal,

Today was my first full day as king of this glorious empire.

I must admit, the job is very ‘overwhelming’ to say the least. My faithful subjects lined up from miles away, just to speak to me about their problems.

Some of them raised legitimate concerns about not being able to provide for their families, or the possibility that my ‘forceful removal’ of Princess A’more (though to me she seemed more like a queen) from the throne may be viewed with suspicion by the princesses of Equestria.

But most of them just rambled on and on about pointless problems that they could easily solve on their own. But I held my tongue, for it is not polite for a king to question his subjects when they wish to meet with him.

Still, if this keeps up, I may relinquish my title to a worthy successor, and retire to the far reaches of The Frozen North. Assuming I can convince these crystal ponies to do away with their annual fair first. A task that seems like wishful thinking at this point.

Sincerely,

A VERY weary King Sombra

Twilight blinked and rubbed her eyes, surely that had to a misprint. There was no way this was the same King Sombra that became a ruthless tyrant, and tried to conquer all of Equestria.

“Perhaps it’s all just an act he put on for the first day,” Twilight thought to herself “And he dropped it from the second day onwards.” And with that thought in mind, she resumed reading.

Twilight felt like she was imaging things, this couldn’t be right. Page after page of Sombra’s journal showed that he was the exact opposite of how he had been depicted by Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence. The King Sombra documented in these pages, though obsessed with putting an end to the Crystal Fair, was the exact opposite of a heartless and ruthless tyrant.

He listened to everything his subjects had to say, even if he felt like they shouldn’t be troubling him with it. He never spoke out against them, and even pardoned a few farmers that had stolen from the castle in an attempt to feed their families.

It didn’t make any sense. How could Sombra be a kind and considerate king in the journal, yet somehow become a monster feared by the entire empire?

Hoping to find an answer, Twilight began to skim through the pages of the journal, until at last one caught her eye. It read:

Dear Journal,

Today, I finally completed all the necessary construction in the castle to indulge in a pastime that, I am told, is effective for relieving stress.

It was not easy to keep the deliveries secret from the eyes of my subjects, or the princesses of Equestria (who I suspect are weary of my motives), but I managed to fool them all.

My subjects believe it is a war room to prepare for the possibility of an attack by Equestria, while the princesses have been told it is a bunker to store more food for the farmers, to be given out in times of famine.

The truth about the room is hidden behind a well constructed illusion hidden deep beneath my first (and soon to be only) crystal throne.

For I have decided to become one of these so called ‘Adult Foals’, and have set up a nursery that will make the experience feel life like.

I have constructed a crib made from the finest wood in all the land, a crib fit for royalty, and much more comfortable than the bed in my personal chambers. It is stocked with a lovely set of pajamas ordered discreetly through a trusted source, all of them featuring the most adorable cartoon animals printed on them. And they match the onesie to a t.

In addition, my crib has a wide collection of stuffed animals from the orphanage in which I was raised, and my old security blanket and rattle.

Several packs of diapers in my size, some of them thick, and some of them not so thick lay waiting inside in of packaged boxes, and my heart is racing with anticipation as I countdown the minutes until I can try one on.

But the jewel in the crown of my special nursery is a massive crystal changing table, for it is atop this crystal beauty that I have stored the diaper packages, and the supplies needed to change myself. I look forward to that moment when I shall lay upon the padded surface to remove a used diaper, which I shall do with much mental fanfare. After that, I shall make swift use of the wipes to clean myself up, then with a sprinkle or two of foal powder, I shall fasten a new diaper to my rump. And then the process shall repeat itself whenever I feel like it.

To avoid exposure, I will arrange for a personal maid to dispose of the diapers after they have been used, and I shall pay her greatly to keep quiet about it.

All the while, my subjects and enemies will be none the wiser. I shall retreat to the nursery every day after court lets out, and ensure that my subjects know not to disturb me until morning (except for emergencies, and even then they are to knock and not to enter).

I can barely bring myself to write another sentence, as the thoughts of what I am about to do race through my mind like a shooting star.

I cannot wait any longer, I must indulge as soon as possible!

Sincerely,

The soon to be foalified, King Sombra

Twilight Sparkle gasped, she could not believe what she had just read. There were rumors that King Sombra had a secret he never wanted anyone to know about, hidden beneath his throne. But the thought of it being an adult nursery never crossed anyone’s mind.

With this newfound revelation, Twilight quickly jotted down some notes, before she resumed reading. Entry after entry after entry detailed how King Sombra enjoyed indulging in his secret lifestyle of an adult foal, and how relaxed he felt when he could end the day by changing into a fresh diaper, putting on his pajamas, and curling up in his crib with his animals and blanket.

But then, Twilight stumbled across a journal entry that was different from the others. It seemed to carry a different tone to it, one of anger and spite.

Despite the bad vibe she got from this entry, Twilight reluctantly read it:

Dearest Journal,

It seems that one of my subjects decided to ignore my requests, and follow me into my secret nursery. He saw everything, and even caught me in the midst of changing! The nerve of that stallion, to defy my privacy without even the slightest thought that my personal life was none of his concern!

Now, he has told the rest of the empire, and they all believe him! The mocking and taunting has become almost unbearable!

They are calling me ‘The Little King’, ‘King of Padding’, ‘The Young Prince Who Thinks He’s A King’, and even ‘King Stinkbra’!

I will make them ALL pay for this act of defiance!

That stallion will regret ever deciding to make that faithful decision to defy my privacy, I shall make him my personal slave for all eternity, and I shall see to it that he does not outlive me! As a slave, he will obey my commands without question, including becoming my caretaker!

But one slave alone will not keep my subjects in line, as I blindly thought they were. So the rest of the empire I shall enslave as well, as punishment for their treatment of me! They shall work the mines from dawn til dusk, and they will not be allowed bathroom breaks! Maybe then they will think twice about mocking me for my indulgence!

If they will not obey willingly, I shall FORCE them to obey! I have held back my true self for long enough, and now I finally have a reason to embrace it! They dare to mock me?! Then they shall suffer the wrath of the monster they created!

Sincerely,

The All Powerful King Sombra, Ruler For Life of The Crystal Empire

That was the last entry Twilight read, she was certain the few remaining entries chronicled King Sombra in the days and weeks prior to his downfall at the hooves of the royal sisters.

“This changes everything!” Twilight thought to herself, as she began to write the report on the journal “Now it all makes sense. King Sombra might have been struggling against his dark side the whole time he was king, until he made the faithful decision to give into it. And all because of a secret he went to great lengths to protect,” she then giggled “I must admit, the idea of him standing out on the castle balcony in his royal attire, shouting out growls and groans while in a dirty diaper certainly makes him look less intimidating.”

But as Twilight wrote the report, her thoughts kept turning back to the nursery. And she couldn’t help but wonder if it still existed.

Eventually, her curiosity getting the better of her, Twilight put down her writing quill, and began to search the surrounding area, using a hoof to feel for any kind of fake wall that would serve as the tell tale sign of an illusion set up to hide the nursery’s entrance from prying eyes.

Twilight searched for quite a while, but couldn’t find anything. Then, just as she was about to give up, Twilight found that her patience was rewarded, as her hoof passed through a wall just a short distance away from the case the journal had rested in.

Walking through the illusion, Twilight saw that the nursery was exactly as King Sombra’s journal had described it, right down to the still unopened packs of diapers, and the pajamas/onesie combo along with the security blanket.

That was when a powerful stench hit Twilight’s nostrils, and a quick investigation revealed the source. Apparently, King Sombra had indulged the very night before he was overthrown, and had not disposed of the diaper he had used on said night. The fact that the stench had not been noticeable until Twilight entered the nursery itself indicated that the illusion Sombra cast somehow confined odors to the room they originated in.

“Just wait until Cadence and Shining Armor find out about this!” Twilight said to herself, as she prepared to teleport to them with the journal. She could hardly wait to share the interesting secret she had found out.

But she had to wonder: Would they believe her without seeing the nursery itself? Twilight hoped they would, because a part of her felt bad for defying Sombra’s privacy, even if he technically wasn’t around to know about it.