Count Sombra

The Crystal Empire is a dangerous place to wander at night; there are reports of ponies going missing. Of course, nopony knows why or how. They just know that somepony is responsible for the disappearances. But who? Nopony dares speak of the strange happenings in fear of it getting them as well. They keep quiet and try to live normal lives. But living life isn’t as easy as it seems with the looming Castle Sombra in the distance.

And Count Sombra himself.

Shining Armor looks at Castle Sombra through his carriage window. It towers above him and makes him feel small. Why does he get the feeling something is...off about this place? He needn’t stay here long; he’s just here on business. He’ll be here for a couple of days and then it’s off to Canterlot to reunite with his fiancee, Cadence. Still, the appearance of Castle Sombra makes him uneasy, like he shouldn’t be here. The carriage stops and he gets out, his horn casting an eerie glow across the darkened courtyard as his luggage levitates beside him. Shining turns to thank the driver but stops. The driver is gone. Chills run down his spine as he walks up the cracked stone steps to the giant entrance. Just as he’s about to knock, however, the door opens. A unicorn stands before Shining, his red eyes glinting with something Shining can’t describe, but the look fades quickly.

“Welcome, my friend. You must be Shining Armor. I’ve heard a great deal about you.” He speaks rather slowly, which Shining notes as odd. “Please, come in. I’ll take care of you myself; my employees aren’t available right now.”

“Thank you. You are Count Sombra, correct?” Shining follows him into the dining room.

“Indeed I am. You must be hungry after your journey, are you not? Please forgive me if I do not join you this evening. I already ate.”

Shining sits at the table and almost immediately begins to eat. “I brought the documents for your new home in Canterlot. I assure you it is quite wonderful.”

“We will get to them tomorrow. I hope your journey wasn’t too tiring for you.”

“No, but thank you for your concern. Although...the ponies I spoke to tried to stop me from coming here. It’s quite peculiar, don’t you think?”

Something flashes in Sombra’s eyes, but it’s gone too quickly for Shining to notice. “Yes, that is odd. But now is not the time to dwell on that. You must be tired. Come, I will show you to your room.”

Shining follows Count Sombra upstairs to the bedrooms. Upon entering the room, he sees that his luggage sits on the foot of the bed, open. “I thought you said your employees were unavailable tonight.” He turns to Count Sombra, but it appears that he’s not listening. Instead, he levitates a picture and looks at it with curiosity.

“And who might this be?”

“My fiancee, Cadence. She is very sweet,” says Shining. He gently uses his horn to place the photo back in his suitcase.

“I see that fate has been proper to you.” Count Sombra smiles. “I will leave you to unpack. Feel free to sleep in as late as you want to. Pleasant dreams, my friend.”

Shining watches him leave and sighs. It’s going to be quite a long week. He takes the picture of Cadence gently in his hooves and looks at it. He misses her already and feels that he shouldn’t have left her alone. How he wishes she were here right now. It would make things a lot simpler.

Shining winces as the razor slips in his magic grasp and grazes his chin. He hisses in pain, a tiny droplet of blood beading at the cut.

“It appears you have cut yourself.” Count Sombra emerges from the shadows.

Shining laughs lightly. “Yes, well...it is quite hard to shave with no mirrors.”

“You should know that there are no mirrors in this castle. They are useless to me.”

Shining finds this comment to be odd, but keeps it to himself. He takes off the towel that is wrapped around his neck and flinches as Count Sombra growls.

“What is that horrendous thing you are wearing?!” Count Sombra turns away.

“What, this?” Shining glances down at his necklace. “It’s a crucifix. The pony at the inn gave it to me.”

The Count growls once again and heads to the door. Shining points to his bag with a hoof. “What about the documents for your house?”

“One more thing! Do not leave your room. Ever. You are to go there and only there if you are tired. Do not sleep anywhere else.” With that said, he leaves Shining alone. The door locks with a faint click.

Shining quickly races to the door and uses his magic to try and open it. It doesn’t budge. He’s beginning to feel like a prisoner. It has been a few days since he got to this place and he’s grown wary. If only there was a way out — he would certainly take it. He tries the other door and finds it to be unlocked. Quietly, he wanders the halls and doesn’t remember where his room is. The Count’s words of warning echo in his mind. He decides to at least try and find his room. But this castle is huge; there’s no way he’s going to find his room. It is going to be impossible. Shining finally opens a random door. Tired, he flops onto the bed that is in the room and drifts off.

“Oh, what an excellent creature. But alas, he is not ours. The master said so,” says a soft voice.

“He is the master’s,” says a second.

“That is true, but he can be ours for now,” a third remarks. The three ponies smile wickedly at each other and look upon the snoring Shining Armor.

“We do need to save some for the master. It is the only way to regain his strength,” says the orange one.

“We will only take a little bit. We are so hungry,” says the blue one.

“We haven’t had anything in two days,” says the purple one, baring her fangs.

“The master knows that. I am sure he will give us something more tomorrow.”

The three ponies arrange themselves so that they are all next to Shining. What an unfortunate time for him to wake up. He’s clearly still half asleep, but they don’t care. They take off his tank top and are about to bite when they see his necklace. They hiss and cover their faces with their hooves. Shining looks at them and takes off the necklace, throwing it in a far corner of the room. The three ponies are all about to feed when a voice startles them.

“You have disobeyed me! This stallion belongs to me! You should know!” Count Sombra appears, his eyes blazing with rage.

“We are so hungry. The time is now,” they say in unison.

“I have brought you something. It is in the basement. Leave me.”

The ponies race out of the room, leaving Shining and Sombra alone. Sombra leans down and whispers in his ear. “You and Cadence shall live forever.”

“Do not dare speak of her — she is my life.” Shining says in a tired voice.

“When I go to Canterlot, I will bring terror alongside me. I will have you and Cadence by my side. And when you are gone from this world, I will remain, for I shall never die.”