"Well...How should we beat them today?" Skye asked his companion.

"Hmmm..." Gusty looked at the caged creatures with spite in his eyes."Take it out on the cow-pony." He directed.

Skye grinned and floated the thorny crop up to the mare. Apple Jack just scowled.

"I don't care if ya'll kill me with the thing, I ain't taking back what I did."

"Smack her broken hoof!" Gusty cheered.

The guards gave Apple Jack a full down beating, leaving her twitching on the floor when they had finished. The mare gave a soft groan, and picked herself up.

"Gusty, Skye. You may leave for your break early now. We wish to talk to the prisoners." A familiar voice commanded the friends.

"Very well your majesties." Skye said, trotting out of the house of cells, Water Gust following shortly after.

"I'm sorry Twilight." Celestia said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Are you? If you were sorry, you wouldn't be doing this!"

"Twilight, every-pony has a deep dark secret. This one is mine."

"You didn't lock up Luna though!"

"Because it would be suspicious if the moon stopped rising and descending."

"So no-pony cares that ALL OF THE ELEMENT BEARERS ARE MISSING?"

"Twilight, please hear me out!"

"NO!"

Twilight spun around, and her friends did the same. Celestia's gentle look hardened, and yellow magic began to engulf her.

"Did I not say to listen to me?" A demonic voice asked.

Chrysalis gasped."A helhest? I thought they where all banished to the Ether."

"We were indeed...But we escaped through the use of a certain Umbrum 'King'." The demon hissed, looking at Sombra.

"You possessed me y-you..you low life of an... an ass!" He sputtered, throwing himself at the bars of the cage.

"Indeed! Me and my loyal guard entered your mind, and escaped, leaving you to freeze in the arctic wastes, while we could take the bodies of the beloved princesses."

Luna stepped from the shadow then, morphing into an armoured helhest, and making a weird sound, which was assumed a laugh.

"And the gates to the Ether will be opened soon, our kind will come out, and take over this dump of a land." The guard helhest said.

"But where are the real Celestia and Luna?" Twilight asked.

The helhest's eyes glowed, and two bundled ponies where brought fourth in the magic light. Celestia's eyes bulged when she saw Twilight and her friends. Luna tried to say something, but it came out as a muffle.

The beasts threw them into the cage with their fellow princess.

"As we also read Sombra's mind, we know about the magic of friendship, so we blocked that magic with a secret of our own, making it virtually impossible to escape." The guard said smugly.

"That's why we couldn't laser canon the bars!" Rainbow declared.

"That's indeed right! Soon I will build up my army of monsters to roam free of Equestria. Including corrupting those changelings once again." The demon horse hissed, nearing Chrysalis.

The former changeling queen flinched, and shielded her eyes from the disgusting being.

"Would you care to join the army?" It asked her.

"Don't do it Chrysalis!" Twilight pleaded. "Please! They tortured you!"

Chrysalis looked at Twilight with absolute disgust.

"Of course." She said to the helhest out of sheer spite for the princess next to her, and it opened the cage.

"And King Sombra knows the location of the Umbrum kind. Would you care to show me, and we shall release darkness unto the world, making the crystal ponies pay!" The beast declared to Sombra, whose face lit up with an evil flare.

"Of course." he purred, whipping his tail into Fluttershy's face when he trotted past.

"And Lord Tirek who was banished from the centaur island, would like to seek revenge on his family for being abandoned after learning the arts of dark magic?" The helhest hissed, looking to the demon/horse for an answer.

"I'll do anything to seek revenge." He said simply.

"Cozy Glow, would you like to be freed?" The beast asked the pegasus filly.

"Gee golly! Yes!" She exclaimed, throwing herself against the bars of the cage in a desperate manner.

The helhest guard snorted. "Too bad."

The leader pointed a hoof at the three villains.

"First things first..I am the leader! I will tell you what to do. Sombra, go to the frozen north. Avenge your family! Chrysalis, show those changelings who is boss, Tirek stay by my side. The land will be divided after the creatures are summoned."

"NO!" Twilight bellowed, throwing herself against the bars of her cell.

"And you guys, you will stay down here." The guard said slapping her across the cheek with a rotten hoof.

The villains laughed victoriously, and bounded out of the room.

"No." Twilight said, slumping in defeat.

"Come on Twi! Don't lose hope! Remember the bar Cozy Glow gave us? Well I should mention that I have a knack for that kinda stuff." Apple jack admitted.

"And you didn't get us out of here earlier?!" Rainbow Dash shrieked, crossing her fore-hooves.

"I was waitn' for the right time!" Apple Jack said, starting to work the lock. "Besides, we would've been caught again, but now that the princesses are with us, we can easily get out of here." She added hastily.

"Just hurry!" Cozy Glow said.

Twilight glanced up, fumbling to undo the tricky binds.

"Your staying here until we return Cozy. I don't trust you-No one does."

The filly pouted. "Fine." She huffed.

The door to Apple Jack's, Twilight's, Luna's, and Celestia's cell swing open then. Apple Jack had beaten the lock.

"You'll never get away with this!" Cadence declared angrily from her spot inside the crystal cage Sombra had created.

"I've already gotten away with it." The stallion replied with a smooth tone.

Cadence tried to use her horn once again, but the magic was blocked by pitch black crystals. Panting, she looked at her husband and child sadly. Shining Armour growled.

"Twiliy will-"

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends have already been dealt with." Sombra cut him off.

Shining armour bristled, and bared his teeth even more. "She will not fail! She never has!"

"I know that already, and that's why I'm trying to get this done as fast as I can."

Sombra shot dark magic at the crystal on top the crystal throne, and a large, gaping hole appeared. Cadence winced slightly at the pit, and covered Flurry Hearts eyes with her wings.

"Farewell! When I return, I will have an Umbrum army with me." He declared, going down the steps at a brisk trot.

"I hope he falls and breaks his neck on his way down." Shining Armour huffed to his wife.

"Rise with me Changelings! I have proof that the ponies have been trying to use you! They have been torturing me, telling me how they are going to burn down your hive, and expand the pony race by building their junk in our space!"

The former queen paused, and survived the changelings. They appeared to be interested. She grinned victoriously and continued continued.

"Princess Celestia and Luna have told their guards to abuse me, and they didn't feed me! They left me in the pits! But the helhest King has freed me, and promised us better land, better food, and better friendships, if we follow his order! help us stop the ponies before they destroy our-your home!" Chrysalis proclaimed over her old hive, which was decorated anew with flowers and other pretty things.

A tense silence filled the hive for a fraction of a second.

"How dare they!" A guard shrieked suddenly, his colourful light purple and orange coat dissolving back into a hideous black holey hide.

The other changelings saw this act, and a rally began. the hive was soon filled with bloodcurdling screeching in defiance and anger. One by one, they all sided with Chrysalis, until it was only Thorax and Ocellus left.

"Well my offspring?" Chrysalis purred to the last two.

"Never!" Ocellus shouted in defiance.

"You have all seen the good of friendship! The ponies would never-" Thorax was cut off by the queen.

"Very well They have clearly been infected with the foulness of the pony kind. Guards, lock them away in the deepest cage available, then follow me!" Chrysalis commanded, flying up into the air.

"Lets move!" Twilight shouted to her friends. "A.J, Rainbow, Luna and I will go to the Crystal Empire, the rest of you go to the Changeling nest!"

"Aye, Aye!" Rainbow declared, and the crew took off, galloping towards the stairs.

"Wait!" Luna called, stopping and lighting her horn.

"What is it?" Apple Jack and Twilight said in sync, turning to look at her.

"We can get there faster if I teleport us to the Empire. Cadence could be in danger."

"Good Idea!" Twilight cheered.

Luna engulfed the group in blue light, and they vanished form the mines, reappearing in front of the dais, where the heart was missing. The sky was a sickly orange, and not a pony was in sight. snow was closing in swiftly.

"Not good!" Rainbow huffed, as they galloped up the stairs of the palace, and down the hall that would lead them to the throne room. They where rather surprised when there was no guards in front of it.

Twilight threw open the doors, and scanned the area, her eyes stopping on the stair-well in the middle of the room. Cadence and her family sat inside a crystal pocket. She waved at Twilight.

"Did he?" Luna asked Cadence with panic.

The mare nodded."And he hasn't come back up yet."

"Then lets get him!" Rainbow exclaimed, shooting down the hole in a rainbow blur.

"Come on ya'll." Apple Jack waved her hoof over her head, and began to canter down the steps, leaping over the broken parts.

Twilight and Luna spread out their wings, and descended into the abyss with slow caution, unlike the other two.

"What about us?!" Shining asked.

Luna floated back up and tried her luck on the crystal. It held strong. She blasted at it a couple more times "I'm afraid not even alicorn magic can destroy it." She frowned. "But it may break if we defeat Sombra." She added.

The royal family perked up a little. "Then good luck Auntie." Cadence whispered.

"Their gone!" Rarity cried when she saw the empty nest.

"Chrysalis must have corrupted them. Lets search the area though. We may find a rebel somewhere."

The ponies cantered down the twisting halls as fast as they could, and soon some cries of help could be heard from a distance. They came from a cluster of cells, with orange tinted rocks in between, and steel bars running down.

"Hello?" Celestia responded.

"Help us! Chrysalis corrupted the hive!" Ocellus and Thorax were banging on the bars of the cage.

"Hold on!" Fluttershy said as loud she could, and Celestia fired a beam of magic at the bars.

When the dust had cleared, Thorax and Ocellus ran forth to meet their friends.

"Thanks so much professors, Princess. Chrysalis is very persuasive." Ocellus said with a sad expression.

"We need an army to defeat her now, and I don't want to fight my people." Thorax pointed out.

"You'll need two or three actually." Celestia swiftly explained the situation, drawing open mouths from the changelings.

"Oh my!" Ocellus exclaimed.

"Ocellus has made friends with the dragon, yak, griffon, and hippo-griff nations. Perhaps we can ask them for assistance?" Thorax suggested.

"That's a good plan. We need some-one persuasive enough to ask the griffon kind. Perhaps Twilight can send Spike to the dragon lands to ask Lord Ember for assistance." Celestia suggested, pulling out a pen and quill. "Ocellus, perhaps your friend Gallus could help us out? And if we need extra assistance, I'll send a letter to the yak's as well, and then when we add the pony army, we should triumph over them."

Ocellus beamed proudly at the mention of her friend.

"Of course! Gallus would be very willing to help."

"We'll need a couple hours to gather. Provided the other clans are willing."

"Yes your highness."

"Sombra!" Twilight panted, throwing open the door to his private study; a couple of busts of the king where on different tables, a bookshelf at the far end, and a pedestal with a book on it. A red rug lay beneath it.

No-pony was there. Luna scratched her head in confusion.

"Were did he go?"

"Come on out you coward! Let me kick your ass!" Rainbow demanded, flitting around the room in search for the king.

"I'm sure you'll try, but I'll kick yours first."

It was at that moment that the mares noticed the second door next to the bookshelf. It glowed purple for a minute, and then it was torn off its hinges. Shadow poured out of the door way, and a silhouette stepped forth.

"Sombra." Luna growled, the hair on her back bristled.

"Luna."

"Where is your army?" Apple Jack jeered.

"Right here." A ghostly voice responded.

A tall equine figure stepped forth. It's pelt was a shadowy texture with a blue colouring. Its eyes burned with a white light, and small fairy wings rode on its back. More beasts like this came forth, in different sizes and colours. Rainbow Dash descended to the ground, and folded her wings.

"What. Is. That?"

"The Umbrum kind. We have been locked away for a millennia, and another after you stopped our saviour from freeing us. Now that we are free, we will torment and destroy the pony kind!" The blue one declared with a cackle.

"Now Rabia, remember what I told you. We need the Crystal Ponies to fight with us. When we win, you may hurt them as you please." Sombra chided. "But first, GET THEM!"

The sudden shout spooked the mares, and they scattered across the room, making it easy for the Umbrum to capture them. Sombra laughed cruelly at the struggling mares, then turned to one of the monsters.

"Gather the armour from the tack room and enslave the ponies, then..then. He hesitated for a short moment. "We'll show them the full fury and might of the shadow's."

Twilight noticed his pause, and locked eyes with him. "Don't do it Sombra! You don't have to hurt the ponies again!" She pleaded.

There was a brief flicker of...Guilt? No pity in his eyes, but it disappeared and his face hardened into an unreadable, yet thoughtful mask. An Umbrum nudged him, and he snapped back into consciousness. "That's King Sombra now." He said gravelly.

Author's Note

What can I say except radioactive cats? Also, feel free to check out a more updated version of the story on Wattpad: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjsjNam4JLnAhWTlp4KHXAbAUsQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wattpad.com%2Fstory%2F208191510-the-punishment-of-the-villains&usg=AOvVaw1-pm_Ck7d7GEU6tOxsESvY