Fluttershy took a big gulp as she finally left the edge of Equestria, she was now Celestia's rule, barely. But the young mare curled in on herself, anything could happen now, she was between kingdoms, there where no laws here. As she drug her luggage behind her across the bumpy forest ground, apparently there where no roads either, she tried to remember the directions. "Just got straight tell you see the big red oak, just tell you see the big red oak..." She kept mumbling to herself, jumping at the slightest sound, even just a twig cracking under her boots. She had to wear boots for the journey, none of her other shoes would fit, and the jeans they made her wear, just clung to her thick, curved hips and slender legs. The skirts she would usually wear would definitely rip off getting caught on a tree or something. The baggy green sweater was the only thing that she wore on a normal basis, cowering from the dark at the slightest sight of anything.
Her small yellow hand ran across the red oak, looking around. "Th-then take a l-left from there... An-and just keep going straight..." It wasn't long tell she found herself in front of the massive, ornamented black castle, her tiny figure, and brightly colored body was a contrast, but barely seen. Is it to late to turn back now? "Y-you're doing this f-for Princess C-Celestia, and all of Equestria..." Her little yellow hand gently knocking on the large wooden doors, there was no turning back now...
The door opened slowly with a loud creek, a guard standing in the doorway. He was tall, muscular and just pierced her mind with fear. A storm grey pelt, with a dark purple mane and tail, the stallion stood tall, his dark black armor highlighted from the light inside the castle. As he spoke, his green gaze just made Fluttershy more and more terrified. "What do you want?" The words almost hissed out of his mouth.
"I-I'm here f-for the maids j-job..." Fluttershy almost couldn't force the words out, the guard took her roughly by the wrist and dragged her inside, setting her in a line of mares. Oh god, there's no way I'll be staying here that long, I'll be gone in an instant.
She looked down the line, being at the very end of it, she would be either the last, or the first mare to be seen, and she was sure she would be sent home. But Fluttershy wouldn't really mind that, at least when she taught Discord about friendship, her friends where there, she was at home, she had the elements of harmony. But she didn't have any of that here, she was all alone with no resources but her stuff packed tightly in the suitcase, and of course, the nagging fear of what Twilight told her happened in Sombra's castle back when it was still in the crystal empire.
She took a deep breath, waiting for the king of the castle, as gallant footsteps came down the stairs, her eyes instantly turned the dark, winding staircase. She had never seen Sombra before, his deep black mane and tail moving every time he took a step, his charcoal gray pelt, looking smooth, but also menacing in the fire light. His robes and armor fit him well, almost like they where contoured to his every muscle. He was tall and handsome, quite the impossible catch, especially for a filly of her stature. But his horn was marvelous, the same charcoal as his coat at the base, but fading up to a crimson tip. "Sombra..." The word just slipped out of her lips with the breath she had been holding, both in awe of the gorgeous stallion and in udder terror as she stared upon the king that inflicted so much pain and misery onto his subjects.
"Is this all of them?" He growled out at one of his guards as he reached the bottom of the staircase. Hearing his loud and dark voice Fluttershy nearly lept out of her skin, looking towards the ground.
The guard shot to attention with a salute, "yes sir, every mare that showed up are right here for your picking."
"Hmm," Sombra stepped in front of the first mare, an older earth pony, she was probably ten years Fluttershys elder, but her chocolate mane looked as freshly cleaned as a new borns, you could almost put her older stature behind her. Thin, adorned in a gray suite that really brought out the few gray strands of hair that where forming in her otherwise brown mane and tail. Her mane was pulled up into a tight bun on the top of her head, and her tail was cropped short as not to get in her way. She held a clipboard in her hand, pushing her glasses back up her nose.
"There are a million reasons you should pick me your heignness, for one, I am a very seasoned housekeeper and caretaker, I'll have this place shimmering like brand new in no time what so ever. Though you live outside of Equestria, you can still participate in the Equestria stock programs, as a seasoned law school graduate I know exactly what kind of stocks you need to not only keep your wealth, but double it!" Her voice was smooth and happy like somepony off an infomercial, Fluttershy peered up at her through her baby pink mane, she had so much to offer, and it didn't look like she was even done. "I even brought a list of my other qualifications if you would like to take-"
The mare was hushed by a large charcoal finger against her mouth and a very disgruntled looking king. "You talk to much." With that he stepped in front of the next mare. She was tall and thin, her body seemed perfect to Fluttershy, maybe she was a super model or something... Her coat was a lime green color, her mane and tail where a very light yellow, both cropped short, Rarity said short was in this season. The unicorn examined her painted fingernails, they where a bright pink color. She wore a short, very very short khaki brown skirt that clung tightly to her small hips and a cropped white tank top that seemed almost like it was part of her body, with how tightly they held to her skin. Her cutiemark, which was always placed randomly on a ponies body when it appeared, was next to her belly button in plain sight, a depiction of a lemon slice and a lime slice. "And who are you miss?"
"Names Lemon Lime, the wage posted in your advertisement is base charge. Anythin' extra will cost ya a hundred bits per hour. Capish?" Her voice was like that of every dime a dozen corner whore that Sombra had ever met very irritating, like nails on a chalk board, like anypony who has had way to many cigarettes in there life time. His ears curled in, in pain at her voice, not even gracing her with an answer.
He stepped to the next mare, looking her up and down, another unicorn perfect. But it had been awhile sense he saw a zebra, let alone a unicorn zebra, though her hair was grown out and flopped to the side, with a few little braids mixed in the messy mane, adorned with beaded tips. The tail matched her mane, kind of messy with little braids and beads mixed in here and there. She wore well fitted leather pants that complimented her curved hips and legs, with a cropped red shirt, black lettering across the front that read 'sexy'.
"Introduce yourself then, I don't have all day." Sombra scoffed, already irritated by his results so far.
"My name is that of Lightning Sky, and I can you quite a mean pie. My skills in the kitchen are beyond compare, with a brush some water I could even fix your hair. You should pick me for your test, for I can guarantee, I'm the very best." She let a soft smile grace her lips, Sombra had previously thought she was perfect for the job, until she spoke, he had forgotten about how irritating it was to listen to zebras speak.
As he looked toward the next mare she was rather short, her mane and tail where long and straight, a light pinkish-white in color. Her coat was a dark smoky gray, and her eyes a very soft, light shade of blue. She had a piercing through her lip, and one of her ears, she had tight fitting black jeans that where scratched up, and a loose black hoodie. The mare had a very small figure, partly because she was so short, but she had no real curve to her body either. "Hi, names Opal Stone, you can like, pick me or like, not. Whatever, I don't care." Her voice was so disenfranchised with the world, and Sombra assumed from her size and her voice that she was, a little to young for everything he needed from this 'caretaker'.
Sombra stepped up to the next mare in line, she is what he would call petite, not as short as that last mare he spoke with, but definitely not as tall as those other mares. Her body seemed to be just perfectly curved in and out, as far as he could see, with her baggy clothes and all. She was a Pegasus, but she didn't have the figure of one, most pegasi where built light-weight to make flying much easier on there wings, but no, her body was perfect.
"Excuse me miss, what's your name?" Sombra waited a bit without an answer, before placing his hand in her light pink mane and lifting her face to look at him. Her eyes where a glorious shade of sapphire blue, looking up at him with fear. "I asked for your name miss pegasi."
Her eyes teared up slightly as he let go of her mane, her soft voice barely stuttering out, "F-Fluttershy."
"And miss Fluttershy, what do you have to offer." Sombra examined the baby yellow Pegasus with interest, his green eyes looking at every spot of her body he could see. Her mane and tail where soft and such a pretty shade of baby pink, flowing down her body in gentle beach waves.
"U-ummm, I-I can cook and c-clean?"
"And that's it? You can cook and clean and that is all your talent Fluttershy, hmmm? Can't even fly with those big, fluffy wings of yours?" Sombra said, raising an eyebrow as he towered over her, almost in a threatening manner. Fluttershy just sunk in on herself even more, wishing she could just disappear, she just wished she hadn't agreed to do this. Discord was just chaos, Sombra, well, Sombra seemed to be absolutely evil. Not a good bone in the stallions body, at least, that's what she heard from the ponies in the crystal empire...
"I-I mean, I can f-fly, not so good though..." Fluttershy looked at the ground, rubbing her foot across the floor nervously, "B-but my real talent is h-how I can h-help animals.."
"Animals like just, bunnies, and butterflies, and squirrels and birds?" Sombra was a little curious now, as to what exactly that meant.
"A-also cockatrices, leviathans, manticores... Really any animal... Th-they just love me." Fluttershy looked up through her soft pink hair, her beautiful blue eyes practically piercing through his green ones with her gaze. It was soft, it was kind, sure there was some terror mixed it, but it was almost always like that, there where very few situations in life that Fluttershy wasn't at least a little bit scared.
Sombra turned away from the mare, almost wiping his long red cape into her face with the force of his turn, he paced back and forth tapping his chin. "Decisions, Decisions..." He muttered to himself, it took a little bit before he stopped dead center in front of the line of mares. "After some careful thought, I have decided there is only really one mare out of the lot of you who is suitable for this position. And of course, that young lady happens to be... Fluttershy."
Fluttershy nearly panicked, looking up at him, "M-m-me?"
"Yes dear, you, the guards will get your luggage for you from outside, after the other girls leave. If you follow me your room is this way." Sombra turned almost as if addressing a child, who had misbehaved, instead of an adult. His step was brisk, as he headed up the stairs, with Fluttershy hurrying to catch up.
It wasn't like she meant to be checking his body out as she walked behind him, though his cape covered most of his figure, his shoulders where easily visible, strong and sturdy, the base of his large, muscular arms. Of course, from her lower angle and his quick pace, a gentle breeze formed, giving her a nice view of his rump, so many ponies seemed to believe that mares had no interest in stallions rumps, but Fluttershy also noticed when an attractive stallion had a firm, round ass to match, not to mention his muscular thighs. His pants seemed to be more fitted then most stallions wore these days, and boy, did she appreciate it. She could just imagine the view from the front... No Fluttershy, bad Fluttershy, you can't just have such dirty thoughts... Especially about Sombra... You're here to show him the magic of friendship and turn him good... That's it. But she could help but blush from her previous thoughts, easily visible on her pale yellow fur.
He stopped, motioning at the door in front of him, "here it is, take a look."
She was prepared for the worst, as she slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door inwards, with a gasp. The room was beautifully decorated, with red and black. It had a queen sized canopy bed in the direct center of the other wall, straight across from the door, covered in plush pillows and silk blankets. A large gothic window on either side of the bed and a large mahogany chest at the foot. The left side of the room held the doorway to a large walk in closet, complete with a curtain instead of a door, and a matching mahogany changing screen. To the right was a large mahogany vanity table, with beautiful drawers and a lovely necklace hanging from the top of the mirror. "I-it's beautiful..."
While Fluttershy was busy taking in the scenery, Sombra was also busy taking in his view of scenery from behind her. He wouldn't have even taken a second to pretend it was a hard choice between the different mares if he had seen her from this angle. Her clothes still left quite a lot to wonder about, how loosely it fit made him a little upset, but at the same time, it was quite alluring, he liked a woman who could keep her body to herself, rather then on display for the whole world to see. It made it much more of a treat to be the one that got to see the mare naked, if no one else got to see those kind of beautiful curves. But he couldn't think about that, Fluttershy wasn't going to be naked, at least... Not yet.
"But, why did you put me up in such a nice room?" Fluttershy turned around to look at him, tilting her head to the side. "Sh-shouldn't I be in one of those, under the staircase broom closets you just shoved a m-mattress in or s-something? Aren't I j-just a maid?"
"You're more then just a maid," Sombra said, gently brushing her cheek, "you're a caretaker, you take care of all the needs of this castle... And me... And if you really want to sleep under the stairs I can hook you up. But I insist, staying in this room is fine with me."
"A-all your needs? Wh-what does that mean?"
"That all depends on you."
Author's Note
So, first chapter! I recently fell in love with this ship so... Please! Tell me what you think sweethearts! I WANT to know!
This is really my first story so I really do want to know if you guys think it's good or not, be honest with your comments please. I promise I won't mind.