Reclaiming his Empire; Claiming his Subjects

Pressed with his ear against the door, Shining waited for the sound of the guard's hoofsteps to reach the end of the hallway. Once he was sure no one was left outside of the room, he tightened the cloth wrapped around his knuckles, then began to punch the lock section of the door, feeling it give out little by little with each hit. He wasn't sure of what Sombra had in mind, or of why he'd been locked in an old and barely used room where patrolling guards used to rest of all places, but if the dark unicorn thought taking away his magic was enough to keep him there he was wrong.

With a sharp snapping sound, the lock split open, and the door swung free. The now bent piece of metal which had held the enchanted wooden structure shut bounced with ringing, clacking clicks on the crystal floor of the corridor, and Shining stepped out of the room. Looking around to ensure he was alone, he turned and closed the door again, then picked up the chunk of metal, wincing slightly as he touched it, its surface still hot after being bent and broken by force. Pocketing the thing along with the cloth, he began to walk down the corridor, careful not to make too much noise.

As much as he wanted to go free everyone of his subjects, he couldn't afford to. It would significantly increase the risk of being caught, and even freeing all the prisoners would mean very little when they stood no chance of defeating Sombra on their own. The Crystal Heart would likely be heavily guarded, and he had no idea where Cadance, or anypony else for that matter, was being kept. It pained him to leave them like that, but the best strategy was to escape and contact outside help. Luckily, he knew exactly where he was in the castle, and what the fastest, most secure way to escape was.

He pondered using some of the secret passages, but decided against it. Sombra had built those things, he would know about them, not to mention the traps and spells he might have put in them in the past and reawakened with his return. That left going up to the main hall, passing by the throne room, then going down on the northern side as the most efficient way to escape. Sombra's hypnotised guards were a problem, but not in small numbers. If he could knock them out quickly, and he could, it wouldn't be too much of an issue, assuming he moved fast.

Sombra himself, on the other hand, would be the end of his attempted escape. Luckily, he was, according to what the guards had said, taking care of his prisoners, which meant he wouldn't be in the throne room. The place would likely be low on security, too, with most guards busy with the prisoners or the Heart. He was confident he could sneak past it easily, he thought to himself while waiting behind a corner for a guard to exit the hallway he was about to enter. The clicks of his hooves disappeared behind a corner, and he made a dash for it.

A handful of minutes later, he passed through the door leading to the main hall. The throne room was to his left, the large doors slightly ajar and strangely unguarded. Perhaps it made sense, if it was unused and nothing of value was in it then Sombra would benefit more from keeping his guards focused on the prisoners. Security had been low enough that he'd managed to escape, the King was probably lower on personnel than he would have been willing to admit. The unicorn was about to head down the corridor on the other side of the hall, when a voice came from it.

"...going perfectly, as I've said already. I will have the next batch of recruits ready for training by tomorrow," Sombra voice said.

Blood freezing in his veins, Shining stood paralysed for a split second, then ran towards the throne room and hid behind a door, placing his ear on it to listen to the sounds outside.

Sombra's steps grew closer, along with those of another pony. "Anything else to report? Has Princes Cadance been found yet?" the unicorn asked.

Shining had to stop himself, as a spark of hope lit his chest. If Cadance was free as well then they had hope.

"Not yet, Your Highness. Nothing else, Your Highness," the second stallion replied, his voice not one Shining recognised.

"Very well then. Dismissed."

The second pony walked away, his steps slowly disappearing down the corridor Shining had come from.

Breathing slowly but heavily, trying to make as little sound as possible, Shining waited in silence with his back to the door, praying Sombra would walk away as well. No sound came from behind him.

After a minute of tense hesitation, the stallion poked his head into the hall. Empty. Sombra had likely teleported away. With a sigh of relief, he let himself relax, realising just how tense his muscles had been.

Then he looked forward, and froze once again.

Lying on the floor at the foot of the throne, thick and long metal chains tying them to it by the collars they wore, a pegasus, a unicorn and a changeling, barely dressed in outfits clearly meant to show off as much of their bodies as possible, seemingly slept, their eyes closed and their breaths even.

Checking again to make sure no one was there, Shining shut the doors to the throne room, then ran towards them. "Flash!" he called, "Sunburst! Thorax!" He lowered himself to a kneel at their side, grabbing hold of the black chains keeping them there. "Hold on, I can probably break these." He turned to them, shaking them. "Guys, it's me! What happened? What did he do to you?"

Thorax was the first to wake up. "Shining..." he said, his eyes still tired. He wore only see-through straps of green fabric, one on each of his limbs, tied at the two ends, one covering part of his face, and one on his waist, barely hiding the metal cage on his crotch.

"Thorax!" the unicorn greeted him, shaken. "I'll get you out of here. Give me a hand, I think I can snap these."

Thorax held up a hand to Shining's chest, stopping him. "Why would I want to get away? I have everything I want here."

Shining dropped the chain in shock. "Thorax, what are you saying? Don't you remember how things were before? Please, wake up, you can't seriously mean this! This is- Look at yourself!"

Thorax looked over his body, smiling. "This is what my King ordered. I live to obey, Shining. There is no greater pleasure for a drone like me than to serve the best owner he can find. This is my King's will, and it fills me with joy to follow his commands."

Shining took hold of the changeling's head, shaking it. "Thorax, please. What about us? What about your friends?"

"Friends?" Thorax looked at him with a curious expression. "I never had real friends. I was merely adapting to the way ponies work. I was always serving, Shining, just in a different way. You gave me more than the Hive did, so I served you." He smiled again. "Now Sombra has given me more than you ever could, and I serve him."

Shining drew back, shaking his head. "No, no, it's his magic, I-I swear, I'll fix it, I..." He looked around. "Sunburst!" he called, seeing the unicorn awaken.

The stallion slowly opened his eyes, and as he spotted Shining he drew back a little, seeming almost embarrassed. "Oh- Hi... Hello, Shining," he said, looking to the side.

"Sunburst!" Shining went to hug him, but stopped as he saw him draw back further. He looked over him.

The orange unicorn wore a similar outfit to Thorax's, only the fabric was white rather than green, a chastity cage identical to the changeling's, and a necklace with a red crystal pendant. His beard had been shaved, and his mane was held into a ponytail.

"Your horn," Shining said, noticing the lack of black crystals on Sunburst's head. He chuckled. "Sombra must have thought you wouldn't be strong enough to break the chains on your own." He pointed at his own horn. "Can you remove this? I can help you get out of here," he said, his tone waving and cracking as he slowly lost hope.

Sunburst kept staring at the side. "I would say I'm sorry, Shining, but it would be a lie."

Shining began to softly shake his head. Stepping forward, almost rushing towards the other, he asked, "What do you mean? Sunburst, what has he done to you?"

Before Shining could reach him, Sunburst gave a flick of his horn, and the white unicorn was pushed back in a wave of red energy. "Look at me," he said, his voice a little shaky. "Look at me now, Shining! I'm strong now. I can do anything. And there's so much more power Master can give me. We can't defeat him, Shining." His expression turned to a dreamy one, and he continued, "But I can learn from him! You have no idea, Shining, no idea of how good it feels to wield this power. And Master treats me so well!"

From his position on the ground, Shining stared at him, his eyes beginning to water. "No. No no no no no." He grabbed his own head. "Keep calm Shining. Keep calm. Get out of here, and we'll free them. It'll all be alright."

"Shining?" Flash's voice came from behind him. The pegasus was dressed exactly as Thorax, only with blue straps rather than green ones.

Shining turned around. "Oh, Flash, please, tell me you're alright. At least you."

The pegasus chuckled. "If I'm alright? I'm doing more than just alright, Shining. This is amazing!"

Shining got up on shaky legs. "Flash, please!" he yelled. "What about the things you used to say? What about Twilight? What about protecting the Empire?"

Flash gave a snort. "Oh, please. As if I cared about any of that bullshit! Being with Sombra is way better than that," he mockingly replied.

Shining's breath grew heavy. Acting on instinct, he lunged forward. Before he could reach the pegasus, however, Sunburst's magic caught him and threw him back. He landed on the ground, and slowly began to get up, rubbing his head.

Thorax crawled up to him. "Come on, Shining. You could be happy too. Why are you trying to fight it?"

Giving a sad look to the changeling, Shining turned and began to walk away.

"Going somewhere?"

The stallion froze in his steps. Slowly turning around, he felt blood drain from his face as he came to see Sombra sitting atop the throne, smiling down at him. He would have run, but chains of black crystal erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, trapping him there and forcing him into a kneel.

Sombra slowly walked down the steps of his throne, as his three slaves crawled on the ground towards him. As he reached the end of the steps, the three rubbed themselves on his legs, and he stroked their heads, receiving adoring smiles and satisfied purrs in response. He resumed his walk, moving towards Shining, and the three followed behind him, their breaths heavy and rough.

Shining grit his teeth, staring at his own reflection in the crystal floor to avoid looking at the unicorn.

As he reached the middle of the room, Sombra moved a leg to push on Shining's chin with his hoof, lifting the unicorn's head and staring into his eyes. "Nothing to say?"

Shining only kept breathing, fire in his eyes, his face a mask of hatred and disgust.

"No, huh?" Sombra lowered himself to be face to face with Shining. He brought a hand up to the unicorn's face, and began to stroke his ear. "Is this the way you treat your King? After you stole my Empire and tried to kill me, the least you could do would be showing some respect, Shining."

"Don't touch me," Shining almost spat out.

Behind Sombra, the three stallions whispered to each other, clearly disapproving the unicorn's behaviour.

"Oh, come on now." Sombra ruffled the stallion's mane. "What even is the problem? I know we've had some divergences in the past, but we should put all that behind us and move along. Like you ponies say, friendship and magic and all that great stuff." He grabbed Shining by the throat, and a moment later he was pinning him with his back on the ground, kneeling over him.

Shining tried to fight back, but his arms were still forced to the ground by his chains, and a moment later they began to be encased in black and purple crystals. He tried to speak, but Sombra's grip on his neck made it impossible.

"Why are we still fighting, Shining?" Sombra lowered himself, his eyes glowing bright green. "Why do you have to be so stubborn? We could all be happy, but you just refuse to let go!"

Shining tried and failed to look away from the stallion's glowing gaze, shaking his head in denial.

"Oh, I know what the problem is." Sombra let go of the unicorn's throat, and lowered himself further, until his horn touched Shining's. A spark of magic burst out between the two.

Shining suddenly felt himself transported away from the throne room. He looked around, seeing nothing but a void filled with writhing purple smoke. In front of him, Sombra appeared, walking towards him, and Shining found himself once more unable to move, though for no visibly evident reason this time.

"You see," Sombra said, taking a few more steps towards him, "the problem is the way you cling to this delusional belief that you're the best pony there is. And it would all be much, much simpler if you realised that's not the case." He removed his cape, which disappeared in a flash of black smoke. "Please, have a seat."

Two cushioned chairs materialised out of the air, and Shining's body moved to sit on one, outside of his control.

Sombra sat down in front of him. "I'm not exactly sure where the problem started. It was probably a mix of things. Becoming captain of the Royal Guard, marrying an alicorn, your sister's ascension, being chosen to rule the Empire, your daughter being born an alicorn. Perhaps even the way Chrysalis hypnotised you. It got to your head, Shining. You think you're the best stallion who ever lived, and you can't accept that someone might be better at something than you."

Shining tried to get up, but his body wouldn't move. Despite his rage, he found he couldn't speak either, and could only stare in anger at the unicorn in front of him.

"Now, I know what you're going to say," Sombra continued, holding up a hand. "I'm a monster, and you're the good guy, love and freedom and all that. But really, Shining, think about it for a moment. What do you have to prove your point? Because, looking at how things are, it seems pretty evident that you're wrong."

Again, Shining couldn't answer, though something akin to curiosity made its way into his mind. What exactly was Sombra trying to get at?

"Let's look at your subjects, for example. As you could clearly see, they're far happier with me as their King than they were with you. It seems pretty egotistical of you to want to take all this happiness away from them just because it's not coming from you." Sombra waved a hand, and images appeared in the air beside him, crystal ponies smiling and dancing.

Shining wanted to scream, to yell it wasn't true, to say it was all just an illusion. But something was slowly working its way into his mind, whispering to him, leading him to doubt himself. But it couldn't be true. It had to be a trick, Sombra was a monster.

Sombra shook his head. "Still delusional, I see. Come on, Shining. Wake up from this fantasy. We're waiting for you on the other side. We could all be happy, you just need to drop this pretence and realise you don't need to be the hero. You will be happy once you know your true place, and realise the world doesn't revolve around you." He stared at the unicorn with a sad expression. "Let me show you something."

Sounds and images flashed in Shining's mind. Memories, sensations. Flash's mind, as far as he could understand. There was happiness there. A warm devotion, a sense of belonging.

"This is what I have given him," Sombra explained. "Beneath me, he is happier than he ever was. He has found a greater purpose, and joy in serving it. Would you take it all away from him just to satisfy yourself? Would you leave him unsatisfied, in a life he no longer wishes for, just so you could call yourself a hero?"

Shining tried to look away, his breath becoming less regular. It was a trick, a lie. It had to be. He was doing the right thing. Flash would, he would... Flash... It would be hard, but this wasn't right, it wasn't what Flash would have wanted. He wasn't in his right mind, he was saving him! He was the good guy. It wasn't a delusion!

Sombra sighed. A snap of his fingers, and the images in Shining's mind changed. "Keep watching, Shining. You'll understand."

Sunburst's mind this time. Pride, and happiness. Fulfilment, after a life of struggles. The joy of having finally obtained something he'd given up on. A deep sense of gratitude for the one responsible for where he was now.

"I have given him what he always dreamed of. I have made him a powerful wizard, and I intend to teach him how to use his new powers. One day, he shall become one of the greatest unicorns who ever lived, and history will remember his name," Sombra explained. "And you would take this away from him? Leave him deprived of his magic, after I have shown him that he can be more? With what eyes would you look at him, knowing you took away his dream, the dream he'd given up on and I realised for him? Would you really take away his happiness forever just so you could feed your own pride?"

Shining looked to the ground. It-It was true, Sunburst would go back, he would lose his magic, but-but that didn't-it wasn't... It was Sombra's magic, and he-he would be happy! He'd been happy before, even if... And now that he'd seen it was possible... But... But he couldn't-But it didn't matter, he would... It was the right thing to do! Even, even if somepony suffered from it. And he would... He himself wouldn't suffer from it, but that wasn't-He was doing the right thing! He was right! They-Their words... It was Sombra's lies, he was doing the right thing!

With tired eyes, Sombra kept staring at Shining. "Still convinced you're doing the right thing? When will you realise that you're wrong? How many ponies will I need to show you before you admit you are the only one who wants to go back?" He shook his head, bringing a hand to his temple. "I hoped you'd be convinced sooner. But if this is what it takes, then I believe they will forgive me for showing you." He snapped his fingers again.

The visions in Shining's mind shifted once more. It was different this time, somewhat alien. Thorax's mind, the unicorn deduced. Devotion, to an overwhelming degree, unlike anything the pony had ever felt. Almost like his entire being was focused on one objective only, like the reason itself for its existence was one thing alone. Submission. Obedience.

"Thorax is a changeling," Sombra explained. "A drone, one who fled from the Hive. It's the nature itself of his kind to obey, to find a ruler and serve them. He fled from Chrysalis and chose you once, but now he has chosen me. Because he deems me a better ruler, and his instincts command him to serve me. If you took him away, he would never be happy again under you. He has found something he considers better, he would live in pain and yearning without it. It would be no better than sending him back to the Hive. You would break him, Shining. And for what? For what, when the only pony who would be happy to go back is you?"

Shining held his head in his hands. He couldn't do that to Thorax, not after he'd seen in the changeling's mind. It would destroy him. But he had no other choice, he had no other choice. He needed to defeat Sombra. It was the right thing to do. Even if others thought he was wrong, it was the right thing to do! It didn't matter if they thought he was a monster, he had to do it, he was right he had to... had to... The stallion began to cry. Why? Why did it have to be like that? It was a trick, it had to be a trick. He couldn't be wrong. He was supposed to be the hero! Why? Why did he sound delusional even to himself? Why did he look like he was hiding from the truth? Why?

Sombra stood up, appearing to have lost his patience. "Face it, Shining! You are wrong, and acting out of selfish interest."

The chairs disappeared, and Shining fell to his knees. He looked up at the unicorn, and asked, "Why?"

Sombra's expression softened. "I know it's hard. But you need to accept it. You need to break out from this fantasy world you've built for yourself." He lowered himself, bringing a knee to the ground to be closer to the stallion. "Believe me, I know it's hard. But you need to accept the truth. There is no dark magic, no evil King trying to destroy your lives. I was chosen as the new ruler of the Empire when it became clear you weren't fit to rule anymore. All that power, all that responsibility, it must have driven you mad. But I'm here to help you, Shining. You only need to accept your failures, and you can be happy again." He held out a hand towards the unicorn.

Shining stared at the hand, trying to find something to grasp and hold on to in the crumbling structure of his mind. That couldn't be right. His memories, his believes, all a delusion? He desperately searched for something that could prove he was right, something recent, something tangible. "You kept me prisoner-"

"We had to, Shining. Who knew what you could have done in your state? It was far too dangerous to let you use your magic like that." Sombra looked to the side, a sad expression on his face. "I should have listened to them and have you put in a more secure cell. I wanted you close to your home not to worsen your situation, but I did not expect you would escape. You could have hurt somepony, and it would have been my fault."

Shining subtly shook his head left to right, whispering no to himself over and over. "Cadance," he finally tried, finding something else to stop him from drowning in the storm inside his mind. "Cadance ran away, she-"

"She couldn't bear seeing her husband like this. Poor thing." Sombra gave a deep sigh. "I hope she's alright, we haven't found her yet."

The last shred of hope inside Shining was shattered, and he fell beneath the waves of his own desperation. He began to shake and cry, grabbing his head with his hands. So much suffering, and it was all his fault. He wanted to fix it. He needed to fix it. He needed to do something.

Sombra moved his arm further. "Just take my hand, Shining. There's still time to fix everything. You need to see what the truth is. You need to accept your mistakes. You need to realise your true nature. Then you will be happy. I will help you, Shining. Trust me."

The unicorn looked up. What was he supposed to do? He needed answers. His mind told him not to trust Sombra. Everything else told him he had gone insane. From somewhere inside him, something screamed that it was all wrong. An odd, obsessive feeling, ominous, hysterical. Then, a voice drew his attention, and he looked to his right.

"Take his hand, Shining. We want our friend back with us," Thorax said, flanked by Flash and Sunburst.

Shining didn't have time to reply, as another voice came in.

"Shiny, dear, please. I miss you, let him help you," said Cadance from his left.

"Cadance!" He turned towards her. "Cadance I-"

"Take his hand, big brother," Twilight said from his right. "We all want you to get better."

"Twilight-"

"Take his hand, captain," Celestia said from his right.

Shining looked around, but everypony else vanished into clouds of smoke. He took a deep breath. Sombra was right, he had to free himself of that delusion gnawing at him. He needed to see the truth. He lifted his own arm, and took Sombra's hand.

A vision materialised around him. He stood over a pool of green water, and in it images appeared. The Empire, as he knew it, yet better. Sombra's banner hang in the streets, the ponies smiled and sang, the crystals shone bright, and everyone seemed happy, happier than they'd ever been. A flash of darkness disturbed the pool, his banner replaced Sombra's, and everypony looked sad for a moment, the sky cloudy and the crystals grey. And he saw himself, sitting on his throne, alone, angry, suffering, full of hate. Then, everything went back to normal.

The other stood at his side. "This is what life is like for my subjects. And that was a glimpse of the future, if you aren't stopped. Do you see, Shining? Do you understand?" Sombra turned towards him. "I am a better King than you."

Shining swallowed a lump in his throat. "Y-You are a-a better King th-than me," he said, his voice cracking a little. It was hard, but he needed to push through, he needed to accept the truth. Inside him, the part of him that told him not to trust Sombra grew a little quieter. He felt lighter, a pleasant hint of warm spreading from within him.

"Do you take the well-being of your subjects to heart?" Sombra asked.

Shining looked at him, then at the pool. "I do," he said.

"Do you believe the well-being of your subjects is more important than yours?" the unicorn continued.

After a pause, Shining repeated, "I do."

"Your subjects are happier to have me as their King. I am a better King than you. Are you willing to give the throne to me, for the sake of your ponies?" Sombra finally asked.

Shining hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I am."

Sombra smiled warmly at him. "Good. A good King knows when to step down to his better. A good pony knows when he has been bested. It's good to know your place."

Shining hadn't even noticed the crown on his head, but he felt its weight disappear, along with the royal garments of his dress. It felt good to have that weight lifted from him. The warmth inside him spread out a little further. He wasn't fit to be King. Sombra was better than him as a ruler. That was good. It made his ponies happy. It made him happy. It was good to know his place.

Sombra turned back to the pool, and held his hand over it. The images began to shift. This time, they showed a single pony.

Sunburst, Shining realised as he stared at him. He appeared curved over his desk, studying. He seemed bitter, tired. His eyes spoke of sleepless nights, and his mane stood messy on his head. He lifted his hand, holding a quill, to write something down on a piece of parchment to his side. As he pressed the quill on the page, though, the tip broke, and drops of ink shot out from it, staining the book. Sunburst grit his teeth, snapping the quill in half between his fingers as he got up to fetch something to clean the mess.

A ripple went through the pool.

Sunburst stood in his study, smiling happily. The red crystal Shining had seen before hung from his neck. Around him, books floated in the glow of his magic, along with complex mechanisms, and intricate patterns of ethereal energy. He flipped page after page on the tomes circling his head, and more and more spells appeared in the air around him.

Shining and Sombra exchanged a look. There was no need for words, both understood. The second held out his hand over the glowing green water again, and Shining lowered himself to look more closely into it.

Flash appeared in the pool. At Cadance side, in front of the train, in Ponyville. He smiled at Twilight, but the mare appeared to ignore him. He walked back into the train, tired, his armour heavy on his shoulders.

Another ripple.

Flash stood at Sombra's side, both of them naked in his bedroom. The King hugged him, and kissed him, and whispered something into his ear. The pegasus blushed. He was happy, he felt appreciated, he was free. The two moved on the bed, but the images disappeared.

Shining looked to Sombra once more. He understood. He couldn't give them what Sombra could. Because Sombra was better. It was good to accept that. It was good to know his place. He moved his head closer to the pool. He needed to drink in more of those sights. To know more. To see how Sombra was better than him.

Thorax appeared in the water. Anxious, disguised as a pony, afraid, unsure of what to do with those around him. A ripple later, he was on the ground, as his changeling self, moaning and screaming in pleasure. Sombra was behind him, fucking him. Thorax was happy. Thorax was whole.

Shining stared at his own reflection in the pool, just a hair's breadth away. He barely noticed his clothes disappearing from his body. Another weight lifted from him, the warmth inside him spreading further. He still hungered to know more. Know how Sombra was better than him, know what he was unfit to do. So he could be freed from those burdens. It felt good to be freed. It felt good to be inferior, and not have to worry about things he wasn't good enough to do. He wanted to know just exactly what his place was, so no useless weight would burden him.

The water rippled, and he saw, as Sombra's image replaced his own. Sombra was stronger. Sombra was smarter. Sombra was more beautiful. Sombra was better. Better in everything. A better King, a better captain, a better leader, a better pony. Everything he could be, Sombra would be a better version of. Everything he could do, Sombra would do better. He was outclassed, outperformed. He was inferior. And it felt good. It felt good to know the truth. It felt good to know his place. It felt good to know how Sombra was superior to him.

Completely naked, Shining fell forward in the pool. It felt so good. He was inferior. He was unneeded. There was nothing left for him, nothing he had to do. Just blissful freedom. Nopony would ever call for him, because Sombra was there. He was useless now. No weight on him. No responsibilities. He knew his true place. He kept falling deeper into the pool, green light all around him. So good to fall. Be worthless. Be inferior to Sombra. Rejoice in his inferiority.

And yet, he felt something was still missing. Deep down, he knew what. But could he ask for it? The world had no need for him. He would have been content with just fading away. But he knew something more could fill his life. A new purpose, a new reason to exist. Perhaps, a use could be found for him. Not to live for his own worthless ego, but to serve someone else. But would Sombra accept? It was a burden to take care of one more slave, after all.

He looked up, still falling in the green light. Sombra was great, powerful, magnificent. Sombra was magnanimous. Sombra was perfect. Sombra would accept him. Sombra would give him pleasure, like he had done with so many others. Sombra welcomed those who realised their own worthlessness, and wished to find new purpose in life by serving a being greater than themselves. It was good to serve Sombra. Shining held out his hand.

Sombra took Shining's hand.

Shining felt the warmth inside himself flare up, swallowing him in a raging fire. He felt himself change. That was good. It was Sombra's will, and Sombra was above him. Serving him was good. Obeying was good, as it was the natural order of things. Changing to fit Sombra's will was good, as it meant serving a higher being. Sombra wished for Shining to love him, and Shining did, because it was good. Sombra wished for Shining to submit, and Shining did, because it was good. Sombra wished for Shining to worship him above all else, and Shining did, because it was good.

Shining loved Sombra. Shining worshipped Sombra. Shining's holes were always ready and dripping for Sombra to use them. Shining was completely and utterly devoted to Sombra. Sombra's will was the only thing that mattered to Shining. Sombra's happiness was Shining's happiness. Sombra was the centre of Shining's world. All of this was good. All of this was Sombra's will. Shining was inferior, and accepting all of Sombra's will gave him purpose beyond his worthless self.

Shining was on his knees, looking up at his King, adoration in his eyes. Straps of cloth like those he had seen on Sombra's other slaves adorned his body, although red in colour. Around his waist, a chastity cage like the one the other stallions had worn, his member confined within it. Around his neck, a collar of thick black metal, with a chain leading from it to the base of the King's throne. He was Sombra's slave. He was Sombra's fucktoy. And that was good.

Sombra stood in front of Shining, naked, his impressive cock fully erect. Behind him, his three other slaves watched with excitement, rubbing their bodies against each other and sharing sloppy kisses, all eager to see what the new slave would do.

Without the need for even a word from his Master, Shining leaned forward, and began to kiss and lap at the unicorn's balls. As he slathered Sombra's large testicles and took in their smell, he felt an alien, warm happiness spread inside him, the feeling unlike anything he'd ever known. He moved up the stallion's length, kissing it and drooling all over it, until he reached the top. Again, he took in the smell, just as intoxicating to him as the wonderful taste of Sombra's stallionhood. Spreading his maws, he swallowed the tip of the shaft.

Drops of precum were now leaking from Sombra's dick, and Shining swallowed it eagerly, more and more joy blossoming inside him. He forced himself to take Sombra's member deeper and deeper into his throat, though it was hard and almost painful. It would have been painful, had it not been his purpose. He needed to go deeper, and properly serve his King, even if it took away his breath. But Sombra's hand stopped him.

"There will be time for your training, slave," the King said, before yanking Shining's head away from his shaft by tugging at the unicorn's blue mane. Then he threw him on the ground, stepping towards him.

His face completely covered in spit and pre, some even matting his mane, Shining smiled blissfully, in a display that would have looked like madness to any sane observer. Staying on his knees like the good submissive slut he was, he pushed out his ass and held his face pressed against the floor, awaiting the moment his King would claim him, unspeakable excitement thrumming through his body.

Sombra grabbed his spit-coated shaft in his hand, lined it up with Shining's entrance, and pushed forward, easily penetrating deep into the stallion's eager hole.

Shining felt himself being filled. Not only in his ass, where his King's magnificent cock stretched his insides wide and sent shivers of pleasure down his spine, but in his whole being. This was the purpose of his life. This was the centre of his existence. Pure, white-hot bliss flooded his senses. He lived, he existed only to be Sombra's slave, and nothing could compare to the pleasure of fulfilling his duty as the King's plaything. Orgasms couldn't compare with what he felt. All-encompassing, impossibly good, wiping away all else, removing any form of awareness of the outside world. There was only pleasure and submission in Shining's mind, and the two were one.

Sombra walked to his throne, leaving behind a quivering, drooling mess, who once had been a prince, now reduced to less than a pony. Cum still dripped from the slave's ass, and his mouth hung open in a mask of unending pleasure.

The King's other slaves moved towards what was left of Shining Armor, and licked and cleaned his ass and mouth, eager to taste their King on his body. Then, as the white unicorn slowly regained some level of consciousness, all four felt their King tugging at their collar, and turned towards his throne.

Sombra stood there, still naked, his shaft still at full mast.

Without the need for words, the four slaves crawled towards him, desperate to serve and please the one who gave them purpose, desperate to taste just a bit more of the bliss only he could feed them. And inside them, only happiness was to be found, as Sombra was their King, and nothing could be greater than the King's will, no matter what it was.