Chapter Two: Licking Up Debt
Two Weeks Later
Shining Armor didn’t expect for the Princesses above to actually approve of his request from King Sombra. Considering how badly the Crystal Ponies reacted to their former Tyrant residing in their very Empire (let alone below the castle where he ruled with an iron hoof), Shining would’ve guessed that they’d laugh in his face and refuse such a notion in an instant. But much to the Prince’s shock, and especially his wife Cadance's, Celestia and Luna were able to talk over their concerns with Twilight Sparkle before agreeing with his unusual request. He could only assume that the information he purchased from Sombra in previous interviews was enough to show some level of “Trust” between the two stallions; of course, if his sister had actually followed through with placing recording devices in the Interrogation Room, there was no doubt that he would’ve been in deep trouble for his method of camaraderie that morphed into something much more sinister.
If anything though, Shining was grateful that Sombra had to be placed under even stricter surveillance from the Princesses before he could be allowed above ground. In a form of “quarantine” of sorts, Sombra had to be interviewed by the Alicorns individually to hear his testimonies and determine his fate. But unlike previous interrogations the Princesses held, Sombra was willing to speak freely enough to prove his case during those weeks of isolation. Shining was left a near-total wreck during that time, mostly because of how worried he was about him revealing how much money he spent to get on Sombra’s “good” graces. But in the end, it seemed that the prospect of being able to roam the castle freely was more gratifying than putting the Crystal Empire’s resident pay-pig on a skewer just yet.
In the days leading up to the Princesses’ decision, over half of the castle staff quit without notice due to fear or resounding anger. Shining and Cadance couldn’t even blame them, and worked their flanks off to ensure most of the ponies were given good references or compensation packages to move if they wished. In the end, the Crystal Castle felt nearly abandoned at times due to the skeleton crew who remained with large bonuses. Shining hoped that the silence and solitude would help to clear his head, especially when he was left by himself and away from Sombra’s manipulative clutches.
Unfortunately, despite how grateful he may have been to be left alone for a while, it also intensified those newfound feelings that left him ungodly anxious and needy.
“Nnnnnnghhhh…” Despite how effectively he was able to hide his flustered nature from his wife, Shining felt like a total wreck the longer he was away from that treacherous stallion. After that final “deposit” he unloaded into Sombra’s personal commissary account -- which honestly should’ve rung several red flags if anypony ever investigated it -- Shining was left unable to spend any more bits to sate the villain’s ever-increasing greed. All things considered, he knew he should’ve been fortunate to keep his bank account in check during those weeks; in fact, by the time Sombra was approved for his limited probation inside the Crystal Castle, the income Shining had amassed from the Royal Commissary and Guard G.I. Funding was more than enough to cover up the thousands of bits he had wasted earlier. Unless Cadance was ever curious enough to inspect his bank records, Shining was basically in the clear for his frivolous spending binge.
… But at the same time, the temporary state of his financial hardship was brief enough to leave him hungry for more.
His head poked out from the corner of a hallway, his muzzle trembling the slightest bit to stifle a faint whimper. The castle was nearly empty this late at night, but he still darted his eyes back and forth like a hawk for any staff ponies on graveyard shift. He wasn’t too worried about any of his Guards seeing him roaming the hallways by himself, since most of them had been assigned to patrol the outside of the castle in case of any ponies protesting outside. He also made sure to wait until Cadance went to sleep upstairs, just to ensure that his reunion would remain between himself and that particular stallion.
It took him a while to figure out where the former King may have gone, which left him wandering aimlessly across several halls. His hooves echoed off the walls, while the dark shadows and limited lighting added a sinister vibe to the usually cheerful castle. He knew that Sombra was bound to the castle grounds, not able to even step outside without breaking his strict House Arrest. But even after their numerous paid conversations in private, Shining ended up wasting a good twenty minutes walking around the castle for any places he’d assume Sombra trotted off to.
Eventually, Shining Armor entered one of the more secluded private libraries on the ground floor. Due to the rich history contained in the hundreds of books across the crystal shelves, only certain select ponies were allowed to access the room in private. Shining was almost surprised to see anypony inside at that time of night, as evidenced by the roaring fire inside of its crystal fireplace. However, his tail instinctively tucked between his legs when he caught sight of the familiar black, luscious mane sticking out from the back of a plush reading chair.
“Hello there~”
“GNGHHH!!!” Shining only stuck his head through the open doorway to inspect the fireplace, but he barely lept back out into the hallway when Sombra spoke up. It was only through sheer compulsion that he was able to break from his instinctual need to back away from the room. He was frozen briefly enough to dart his eyes back and forth, scanning both ends of the hallway to ensure he wasn’t seen by anypony else. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the stallion shuddered to himself before entering the library, and using his magic to close the door behind him.
Sombra didn’t say anything, but he sat with a cocky grin when he heard Shining lock the door with a metallic click. There may have been another plush armchair next to his own, but a large stack of books had been pulled from the shelves and placed atop the seat. Because of that, Shining Armor was left standing when he finally made himself seen in Sombra’s line of vision. The Prince awkwardly stood between Sombra and the fireplace, the illuminating glow flickering to reveal his blushing face.
“Uhhhh… H-Hello there, Sombra…” He wasn’t sure what else he could say, which left him smiling feebly in the Ex-King’s presence. Sombra was holding a thick, leather-bound novel when he glanced up at him in silence. Shining tried to keep his smile, but he was sure that Sombra knew what compelled him to come visit this late at night. But alas, with the Tyrant remaining silent behind his lecherous smile, Shining was forced to breathe out shakily through his nostrils before speaking any further. “I, uhhh… I-I wanted to, errrr… congratulate you on making parole…”
Sombra tilted his head slightly, and narrowed his eyes on Shining without saying a word. Shining’s heart began to race when he saw how brightly those blood-red eyes were peering at him, with the aid of the flames nearby illuminating them in a ghastly glow. It took everything in the Prince not to freeze up in a panic, but his smile appeared a bit more forced while he stood before him. Eventually, Sombra placed a bookmark on his open page before closing the book shut, and placing it on the small end-table beside his chair.
He took a moment to stare up at Shining in disappointment, his smile deflating just enough to make the Prince wince. He crossed his legs before asking the nervous stallion, “You wanted to congratulate… who, Shining Armor?”
It took a second or two, but Shining’s eyes widened in an instant when he realized his grave mistake. Instead of cringing in dread, the Prince closed his eyes for a second before taking a breath and readdressing himself. “I-I mean, I… I wanted to congratulate you for making parole… Sir.”
Shining tried his best not to shiver from addressing the Tyrant in such a way out-loud, especially above ground when somepony could’ve easily been listening outside the door. But at the same time, his blush deepened when he tried to convince himself the fireplace was what made him feel so hot. All the while, Sombra just stared back at him with his grin as wide and intimidating as could be.
“Aaaahhhhhh… I see that my time spent in isolation wasn’t long enough to make you forget your place~”
Shining’s ears slumped to the sides of his head, and his tail once again tried to tuck itself between his hind-legs. He averted his eyes from that menacing grin, since the light from the fireplace was bouncing off Sombra’s fangs to make them practically glow in his presence. While he was looking away from him, he didn’t notice when Sombra’s gaze veered down towards Shining’s side. Even though he hadn’t said anything about it yet, it was obvious that Shining Armor was wearing a small satchel hanging by his hip for some reason.
“I… I-I was just wanting to check up on you after your talks with the Princesses…” Shining kept his eyes pointed away from Sombra for another moment, before breathing out and turning back to him with a more pronounced blush. “... S-Sir.”
“Aww, isn’t that nice?” Sombra’s smile was just as saccharine as his “cheery” tone of voice as he tilted his head the other direction. “I must say, it’s quite admirable for a stallion of your Royal status to make sure I’m alright. I must have left quite an impression on you after our last encounter~”
Sombra’s grin remained as wide and smug as could be, which caused Shining’s muzzle to purse up tightly in intimidation. But before he could think to say anything in response, Sombra continued to speak with a more cavalier shrug of his shoulders. “But with that being said, I do appreciate your concerns greatly. I’m happy to say that I’ve been quite comfortable with my new accommodations, and I have you to thank for that, Shining.”
Shining blinked a couple times, mostly from his slight puzzlement at how… sincere that sounded from Sombra’s muzzle. He wasn’t sure if he was just trying to psyche him out, or if he was genuinely gracious for being moved out of the dungeons below. Even though there was a slight veil of uncertainty looming over his head, Shining nodded meekly to his praise and said with a smile, “W-Well, ummm… you’re welcome, Sombra. I just, uhhh… well…”
His words began to trail off, and his muzzle skewed a bit as he looked away from Sombra briefly. The Ex-King didn’t say much, but his courteous smile slowly morphed to a more devious looking smirk. Shining had to close his eyes for a moment, mostly so he could think over the rehearsed words that started to jumble in his head. Sombra only waited a couple seconds before interrupting his thoughts with a sharp huff. “Hmph! You just what, Shining Armor? It must be something significant if you’re willing to find me in the middle of the night to see how I’m doing~”
Shining couldn’t hide his flustered wince that time around. Sombra leaned back in his chair, quite enjoying the sight of his “Prince” acting so fidgety. Shining tried rubbing one of his forelegs with a hoof, but that just made him look even meeker in Sombra’s eyes. “I just, uhhh… Well, I was… k-kinda curious what you were… p… planning…”
He sighed hoarsely and hung his head in shame, clearly upset with himself for his lack of self-control. Sombra kept his devious grin, but he didn’t dare try to help Shining with his little predicament. Both of them knew exactly why he came to seek Sombra this late at night when nopony else was around. And after the weeks spent apart, Sombra was eager to see how tightly the Prince was wrapped around his hoof.
“Hmmmm… What exactly do you mean, your Highness?~” Sombra added just enough malice in his voice when he addressed Shining by his title, matching the intensifying stare he was giving him. “I was supposed to undergo my ‘reformation,’ correct? Wasn’t that why you campaigned for me to be released?~”
Shining lifted his head back up, his blush even more pronounced as he stared back at his grinning King. He shuffled a little between hooves, but he tightened up his muzzle before muttering weakly, “Y-You… You told me to do that for you, Sir…”
“Indeed I did,” he stated rather smugly. “But now that I’m here, there isn’t exactly much for me to ask for, is there? What more could I possibly need?~”
Even with Shining’s muzzle tightened up, the briefest whimper could still be heard to make Sombra’s ears flick with interest. The Prince let out a quivering exhale, and he struggled not to look away from that menacing gaze. But despite how badly he tried to stand tall before Sombra, his voice still came out pathetically faint.
“Mmnnnghhh… P… P-Please, Sir…”
Sombra slowly uncrossed his legs, and he splayed back in his seat with his semi-flaccid sheath hanging lewdly between his thighs. Shining instinctively tried to look upward to avoid staring, but his fur could be seen standing on end across his back. Sombra chuckled a little in amusement, feeling like a housecat that just cornered its little mouse. He had the Prince where he wanted him, but he couldn’t help teasing him a little more. “Please what, Shining? I don’t have all night, so you better tell me what’s on your mind before I decide to leave you be.”
The sharp inhale he made almost sounded like a panicked gasp, but Shining kept his resolve just enough to remain standing solid. He closed his eyes once again, and he cringed while trying to speak somewhat firmly. “Please! I… I know what you… w-what you want me to say…”
“Oh, do I?~” Sombra reached down with one of his hooves, and he shamelessly began to rub his sheath in front of him. “To be fair, it’s been a while since we last talked like this. Perhaps my memory got a little hazy since then--”
“S-SOMBRA, PLEASE!!”
Shining’s outburst caused Sombra’s brows to perk up in surprise, and he was left staring up at the flustered stallion in wait. Meanwhile, Shining was looking increasingly anxious as his winced expression appeared more overwhelmed. It was clear that he was feeling more than a little conflicted, which made his shaky words all the more satisfying for Sombra to hear. “S… Sir, I can’t… I can’t stop thinking about it… E-Ever since that day I just… I-I wanted to see you again… a-and…”
Shining took a deep breath, but kept his eyes closed as he lit up his horn. He used his magic to open the front flap of his satchel, and levitated out a couple of small items that Sombra couldn’t see in the limited light. Nevertheless, the Ex-King was still smiling lewdly while continuing to rub himself in front of Shining. “Theeerrrrrrreeeee you go… Be direct with your King~”
That cunningly deep voice caused Shining to gasp and reopen his eyes in an instant. The moment he saw Sombra’s malicious smile, as well as that thick stallionhood that was already slipping out from his twitching sheath, he was frozen in place while holding the items in his aura. Before he could try to do anything, Sombra narrowed his eyes on him and said, “Whatever it is you have in your possession, present them and yourself to me now. And that’s a Direct Order.”
Shining had no idea what came over him, but that intimidating tone seemed to hit a trigger he never would’ve imagined existed a couple weeks ago. He breathed out in a weak shudder, but his body complied on its own accord to Sombra’s command. After a meek nod, Shining stepped towards Sombra with his horn brightly lit. He hung his head in a mixture of shame and guilty arousal, and he lowered himself in a solemn bow between Sombra’s legs. He used his magic to place both of his items on the ground before his King as an offering:
One of them was a sleek black wallet, while the other appeared to be his personal checkbook.
“P… Please, Sir…” Shining kept his head bowed to avoid staring up at him, but he was fully aware of how badly he was sealing his fate while speaking feebly. “I… I can’t help myself… I want to… I-I-I need to pay you more, please!”
His muzzle trembled while tightly clenched, and he waited for Sombra to respond as he bowed at his hooves. His King took that moment to close his eyes, and breathed out in a deeply satisfied sigh. Sombra was rock-hard by the time he stared back down at his claimed Prince, with his rigid cock throbbing quite antsily against the light of the fireplace. He hummed to himself in a deep and sinister voice, and he reached down to pick up the wallet and checkbook with his free hoof.
“Oh my…” Sombra took his time while rifling through Shining’s belongings, leaving the little bitch wilting on the floor in wait. He didn’t pay much notice to the more personal items in Shining’s wallet, but he made sure to pull out his bank and credit cards to place on the chair’s armrest. He then flipped through the blank pages of Shining’s checkbook, and smirked in approval at the fact that a pen was already tucked inside. “Shining, Shining, Shining… How in Equestria did you ever become a Prince?~”
Shining Armor breathed out sharply, but he refrained from giving an answer to such a disparaging question. Sombra didn’t wait too long for a response, and tossed the wallet back in Shining’s face. “Well, I suppose that doesn’t matter now… Since you so graciously offered yourself for my personal use, I’ll make sure you get exactly what you need~”
The lowly “Prince” was shivering in dread when he finally lifted up his head. Shining peered up at Sombra’s menacing grin, but he could mostly just see that thick, rigid cock standing in his line of vision. Since he already allowed himself to slip off the deep end once more, Shining only let out the softest sigh before saying in a feeble voice, “Th… T-Thank you, Sir…”
“Ohhhh, don’t go thanking me just yet…” Sombra grabbed hold of the base of his cock, and he began to stroke himself at a teasingly slow rate. Shining gulped as he watched the stallion playing with himself right in front of him, but he managed to pull himself back up to his hooves. Sombra kept his lecherous smile as he groaned through his fangs, with each harsh throb of his erection making it twitch hard enough for Shining to see clear as day. He motioned his head towards one of nearby tables, where a large duffle bag was waiting for Shining to notice. “Nnnnffff… just so you know, I had a feeling you’d be desperate enough to grovel at my hooves tonight… That’s why I brought you a little gift to show my appreciation~”
It was hard for Shining to look away from Sombra stroking that fat cock, but he breathed out shakily before managing to pull away in compliance. He slowly walked over to the duffle bag, and used his magic to pull the large zipper. Sombra huffed when he looked back down at the floor, where Shining’s wallet remained forgotten. Meanwhile, Shining reeled back with a shocked look when he saw the two high-tech devices Sombra bought with his bits.
“Don’t be too shy, Shining…” Sombra leered over at him as he stopped rubbing himself briefly. “Nnnghh… Go ahead, pull them out~”
Shining complied with a nervous nod, and he lit up his horn to float out the two items carefully. One of them was a large, brand-new video camera that was already loaded and ready for use; it also included a folded tricord stand, which was easy to disassemble and place on the ground between himself and Sombra. The other device in the bag was something Shining couldn’t recognize at first, but it looked like a weird calculator of sorts; however, he was able to quickly figure out that Sombra had somehow gained access to a professional-grade credit card scanner.
“Plug that in and place it on my armrest.” Sombra picked up Shining’s bank and credit cards to free up room on his chair. He then motioned towards the tricorder and added, “And be sure to set up that camera as well. If you truly wish to resume our previous arrangement, I don’t expect you to ask any questions.”
Shining was already growing worried about what the sadistic Tyrant was planning. But at the same time, he obeyed his King’s devious whims by plugging up the scanner and placing it by Sombra’s chair. He used his magic to attach the video camera to the tripod, making sure that the lens was pointed right at Sombra in his seat. The villain leaned back with a sickly satisfied smile, absolutely loving how the Crystal Empire’s Prince was obeying his orders without complaint. He was still rock-hard by the time Shining was finished, and standing back before him with a nervous blush.
“Excellent work.” Sombra splayed out his legs even wider, making sure to fully present his stallionhood as it stood in its full thirteen inch glory. Shining’s eyes were wide-open and staring straight at that intimidating piece of cockmeat. Sombra was tempted to just order his Prince to get to work with his tongue and prove his worth. But instead, he pointed back at that camera while speaking to Shining directly. “Now then… I’m going to offer you a very exclusive, and very expensive opportunity to prove yourself to me. But before we begin, you need to promise to do whatever I say, no matter what~”
Despite how scared he may have felt about agreeing, he barely hesitated to nod his head while his eyes were closed. “Ummm… I… I-I understand, Sir… I promise to do what you say…”
Sombra showed a grin that was truly as evil as the one he sported during his rule. “Turn on the camera.”
Shining Armor shuddered greatly, but he still nodded as he walked up beside Sombra’s chair. He made sure to face the camera beside his King and that daunting cock, before he lit up his horn to press the record button on the video camera. He gulped when he heard the beep of the device being activated, and saw the red light turn on at the top.
“Ahh, that’s better…” Sombra sat in his chair like it was his impromptu throne, and he grinned straight at the camera with Shining by his side. The Prince was blushing hard, and his knees were wobbling badly from the panic of that moment settling in. But before he could try to process his thoughts, Sombra’s booming voice spoke up for the camera’s mic. “Greetings to whomever is fortunate enough to see this video! If you’re watching this, that means that you’re already aware of what I’ve been doing underneath your noses~”
Shining’s pupils shrunk immensely, and he slowly glanced over at Sombra in newfound fear.
“As you can see, I have your precious little “Prince” here beside me! Shining Armor, address yourself properly for the camera to prove it’s really you~”
He shot a venomous stare up at Shining, which compelled the stallion to jolt slightly in place. The Prince closed his eyes for a second to take a deep breath, but soon stared back at the camera to follow Sombra’s command. “M… M-My name is Shining Armor… I-I’m the Prince and Co-Ruler of the Crystal Empire, as well as Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard.”
Shining tried not to cringe from identifying himself, thus validating Sombra’s little video as being authentic. Unfortunately, he had no time to react before Sombra spoke once more.
“As you may already know, Shining here helped me quite a bit to ensure I’d be allowed in my castle again. However… I believe he failed to mention how much it cost him to be by my side…”
Shining clenched his eyes shut with a pained wince. Sombra had to nudge him with a hoof to keep him in focus. “For example! Shining Armor, please tell the camera how many bits you’ve spent to stay on my good graces behind your wife’s back~”
He let out a hoarse breath, but he could feel his muzzle opening up before his eyes to address the device truthfully. “Ummm… I… I-I believe I spent about… t… t-twelvethousandsevenhundredbits…”
Just saying that number out-loud was bad enough to make his heart shoot down to his stomach. He knew if Cadance ever learned that, she’d have a total conniption and lay into him like he was Grogar incarnate. But at the same time, he could feel his member twitching hard and smacking against the underside of his barrel. He almost didn’t realize how hard he had gotten from Sombra’s cruel treatment, but he felt another sharp nudge from Sombra’s side before he jeered, “Now, Shining! That’s no way to show your loyalty to me! Look directly at the camera with a smile, and proudly proclaim how much money you’ve given me~”
His eyes reopened wide with a clear look of fear on his face. Nevertheless, his throbbing erection helped to guide his submissive side, and he exhaled weakly before forcing a smile on his face. Sombra grinned at the camera as well, and sat in unmitigated glee when he made his bitch speak more to his liking.
“I… I’ve…” Shining breathed out before giving a more shameless smile, and proclaimed firmly, “I’ve given Sombra t… twelve thousand, seven hundred bits of my own money during his interrogations.”
That secondary admission still made his heart ache, like he just slapped all of his beliefs and ethics right in the face. But as he kept his smile for the camera recording them, each passing second following his words helped to make him feel less apprehensive about continuing on.
“Yes, that is indeed correct! And you can look through the deposits in my commissary account as proof of your ‘Prince’s’ generous deeds. Speaking of which…” That was when Sombra turned his focus back to the “Prince” in question, and narrowed his eyes on him menacingly. “Since you’re showing so much promise already, how about this…”
Sombra reached up with a hoof, and made Shining yelp out when he grabbed hold of his blue mane. The Prince was yanked down by force, but was frozen in place when Sombra whispered something into his ear. Even if the camera couldn’t hear it, Shining’s face paled in terror when he heard what was being ordered of him. Shining’s smile had instantly dropped, and he stared back at Sombra in utter shock when his fanged muzzle pulled away. “W… W-Wait, you… you want me to…t-to…”
Sombra merely nodded his head, and didn’t break eye contact when he pointed to the ground in front of his chair. “That’s a Direct Order, Shining Armor. Either do it right now, or I’ll show this video to your wife~”
Shining jolted in a panic, and his hooves moved on their own accord to pull away from Sombra’s side. When he positioned himself in front of Sombra’s chair again, Shining whimpered a little as he lit up his horn to pick up the camera and tripod. He floated the device to the side of the room, positioning it so it could get a proper shot of himself and Sombra together. He took the briefest moment to stare at that lens, gulping from the realization of how badly he was signing his own death warrant. But alas, as soon as he turned back towards Sombra and that meaty cock between his legs, Shining knew he had already gone past the point of no return. So instead of hesitating, he only breathed out through his nostrils before lowering his head.
With the camera recording every second, he bowed before Sombra’s hooves a second time and spoke in a firm, albeit flustered tone of voice. “I… I, P-Prince Shining Armor… Co-Ruler of the Crystal Empire and Captain of the Royal Guard… hereby pledge my alliance and eternal servitude to my… t-to my glorious King Sombra…”
Shining winced while his head was lowered so pathetically, and his ears twitched when he heard the deep and gratifying groan Sombra let out in response. The King went back to stroking his cock again, and he readjusted himself in his seat while grinning down at Shining evilly. “And?~”
“A-And…” After gulping nervously, Shining tried his best to keep speaking without sounding too overwhelmed. “... a-and to prove myself as such, I have… g-given King Sombra permission to take any and all of my wealth in… in exchange for his attention and dominance.”
“That’s right!” Sombra leaned back in his chair, and threw up his hind-legs so they were propped on top of the Prince’s back. Shining groaned from the hooves harshly digging into his fur, but he was forced to remain bowed when Sombra spoke on his behalf. “And you know what the best part of this is, Princesses? By the time you receive this video, I’ll have already acquired every single bit that I could from your worthless, pathetic little grub of a ‘Prince.’ It might be a year from now, or just a couple of months. But rest assured… Shining Armor will end up bankrupt and in crippling debt if this recording ever sees the light of day~”
As the Prince’s eyes widened immensely, his pupils were practically unseen as he reeled from the shock of that truthful statement. But at the same time, the prospect of encountering such a dangerous outcome was enough to make his cock twitch between his legs, and a couple spurts of precum to shoot out. Those small strands hit the crystal floor beneath him, clearly visible on the camera after Sombra made that promise.
“Mmmmm… nice to see you’re not speaking out against such a thing, Shining Armor~” Sombra peered down at his bitch while using him as a hoof-rest, and asked through his menacing grin. “In fact… It seems like you want me to take all your money behind Cadance’s back. Don’t you?~”
He may have known he was being recorded, but he couldn’t help shuddering guiltily to that thought that plagued his mind. Even as he remained bowed beneath Sombra’s hooves, he nodded his head and said in a weak moan, “Mnnnnghhh… Y… Y-Yes I do, Sir…”
“Say it~”
“Nnnnffff… P… P-Please take my money, Sir…” Shining felt absolutely pathetic, but he couldn’t stop while his cock throbbed eagerly for more torment. “P-Please, Sir! I… I want to give you more!~”
“Mmmmm, such a lousy excuse for a Prince you turned out to be…” Sombra slowly lifted his hooves off Shining’s back, but only rested one of them on the ground beside the stallion’s head. His other hoof remained extended outward, perfectly at level with Shining’s face when he sheepishly lifted his head up. Meanwhile, Sombra made sure to tap on the credit card scanner sitting on the armrest, mostly for the camera’s sake so any viewer would take notice. He then held up both of Shining’s credit cards, while the bank card remained untouched on the other armrest. “Before we begin, can you please read out the numbers of these cards for authenticity?~”
Sombra held the cards out with both hooves, with the stallion exhaling shakily when he saw them up-close. He knew how high the interest rates were for both of those cards, which were meant for emergencies before he became a Prince. But even with his massive wealth at Sombra’s disposal, he knew that using those cards would cost him greatly in the long run. Nevertheless, he tried not to moan as he began to recite the numbers for the camera. “Y-Yes, Sir… The Ponex one is three, seven, eight, two…”
Shining took his time as he stated the information of both cards, speaking loudly enough for the camera to pick up each individual number. He even made sure to specify the expiration dates of both, as well as the three-digit security codes on the backs. By the time he finished revealing so much personal info, he quivered like a fallen leaf with his head hung low. However, a light tap to the side of his head by Sombra’s hoof prompted him to keep his face pointed up at the grinning King.
“Excellent work! Now tell me, how much is included on both of these cards you gifted me?~”
Shining didn’t try to refute that last point, and merely nodded before closing his eyes. “W-Well, ummm… the Ponex card has a t… t-ten thousand bit limit… A-And the Equestrian Express has twelve thousand to spend…” Just saying those numbers was enough to make his cock throb again, since it was nearly twice as much as what he spent on Sombra already. And when he looked up at him with a nervous, albeit hopeful smile on his face, he shuddered at the sight of Sombra narrowing his eyes evilly.
“Well then… I suppose you need to work to spend all that money~” Sombra leaned back in his chair, and kept his hoof held out mere inches from Shining’s muzzle. “As my personal cash-cow, I’m ordering you to lick my hooves clean to show your dedication! Every time you give my hoof a lick, I’ll swipe one of your cards for a one hundred bit charge…”
Shining’s eyes darted between the King’s grin and that extended hoof, which was close enough for him to smell the faint hint of soap and sweat wafting from the smooth keratin. But before he could start, he heard Sombra add more maliciously, “And each time you proclaim me as your King between licks, I’ll charge three hundred bits to your cards~”
That number was enough to make him moan out like the desperate slut he was. He closed his eyes to take a breath, before nodding his head silently in understanding. Of course, Sombra made sure to ask while hovering one of the cards over the scanner. “So, little ‘Prince’... what do you say for the camera?~”
Shining didn’t even glance back at that looming device, and kept his eyes focused on the stallion above him when he reopened his eyes. “I… I say…” After one last exhale, Shining sat upright so he could grab hold of Sombra’s hoof with both forelegs. He trembled beneath him as he said with a shaky smile, “... l… l-long live King Sombra~”
“Mmmmmm…” Sombra grinned like a madpony as he gave the Ponex card a swipe through the scanner. Shining’s whole body twitched when he heard the distinct beep of the machine, approving that transaction from his card. “Well, that’s three hundred bits you just spent! And I already programmed it to be sent to my personal account, so thank you very much for your contribution~”
Shining knew that it would cost well over three hundred to clear that debt from his card. But alas, the bitch couldn’t help moaning out as he said eagerly, “Y… Y-You’re welcome, Sir…”
Shining Armor then lunged in with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the camera as he dragged his tongue across the bottom of Sombra’s hoof. He let out a soft, enticed moan as he tasted the underside of his King’s keratin, which was surprisingly salty with a hint of sweaty musk. Sombra closed his eyes and groaned through his fangs, reeling his head back in approval of the Prince’s soft tongue gliding up his hoof. But even with how tantalizing that sensation felt, Sombra made sure to give another hard swipe of Shining’s credit card to add another charge. “Nnnfffff… That’s another hundred, you worthless little slut~”
Shining didn’t mind that insult in the slightest, nor did he hesitate as he gave that hoof another deep lap of his tongue. He kept his eyes closed while moaning in guilty pleasure, savoring the unique taste and flavor of that hoof against his tastebuds. His ears twitched when he heard another swipe and beep from the machine, which caused his own member to leak more precum from his flaring head. He readjusted himself so he was kneeling before Sombra, with his rigid cock swinging freely between his knees with every harsh throb. Thick droplets of his precum began to leave a small puddle on the floor, while Sombra’s hoof began to glisten with Shining’s saliva.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh~” The Prince’s eyes closed blissfully as he heard the constant swipes with every lick he provided to his King’s hoof. He began to flick his muscle more fervently, and his cock began to smack against the underside of his barrel as the beeps increased as well. He tried counting the swipes in his head, but he quickly lost count after wasting over a thousand bits from licking alone. He had to pull back for a moment to wipe the drool from his chin, and he made sure to moan out with a deep breath, “Th-Thank you, King Sombra!”
“You’re welcome~” Sombra cackled maniacally from the Prince’s praises, and used his other credit card to add a three hundred bit transaction.
Shining moaned out from hearing that beep, and he lunged back in to devour his hoof more ravenously. His tongue swirled around the outline of Sombra’s keratin, with the bitter flavor of his King’s remnant sweat and soap making him drool uncontrollably. Each time his tongue broke contact from that steady hoof, another spurt of precum shot out when he heard Sombra swiping one of his credit cards at a rapid pace. Hundreds of bits worth of transactions quickly morphed to thousands, with Shining unable to keep track of how much Sombra was spending. Of course, his intensifying moans made it clear that he wanted more.
“Yeeessssss… Keep licking my hooves like the groveling peasant you are~” Sombra groaned as he pulled up his other leg, presenting both of his hooves for Shining to ravage. The Prince moaned out deeply as he grabbed hold of both of Sombra’s ankles, and began to alternate between them so he could hungrily lick both hooves at the same time. His tongue was drooling all over Sombra’s hooves and trickling to the floor, but it wasn’t nearly as prevalent as all his precum dribbling between his legs. Meanwhile, Sombra was grunting through his fangs as he stroked himself with his free hoof, with copious amounts of pre gushing down the underside of his shaft. “Aaaaaahhhh… You pathetic little paypig! Oink for me!”
“Mmmfffff!!” Shining reeled his head back while his tongue was still sticking out, and he needed to take a breath before saying in a slobbering moan, “O-Oink oink!~”
“That’s another five hundred.” Sombra gave one of the credit cards a hard swipe, while Shining’s eyes widened with a soft gasp. He gave a flustered, almost pleading look up at Sombra while his cock remained untouched and twitching readily. Sombra’s grin widened while he stroked himself slowly, his eyes narrowing on the needy “Prince” he had claimed so effectively. “Hmmmm… Just so you know, every ‘Oink’ you give will be five hundred individually~”
“Aaaaahhhh!!~” Shining hung his head with a pent-up and shivering moan, but he remained right before Sombra’s saliva-slickened hooves. When he stared up at his King, his bottom lip was bitten for a second before he blurted out, “P… P-Please, Sir!”
“Please what?~”
“Mnnnnghhh…” Shining groaned from his intimidating voice, causing another thick string of precum to splatter on the floor. “Please, Sir! Let… L-Let me oink some more…”
“Mmmmmm…” Sombra’s grin widened to Cheshire levels, and he held one of Shining’s credit cards right at the top of the sliding groove of the scanner. “You want it to cost you that badly, huh?~”
Shining closed his eyes with a guilty wince, but his throbbing erection prompted him to nod his head readily. “Aaaaaahhhh… Oh Goddess… Goddess, yes! I… I wanna do it, P-PLEASE!”
“Oh, alright then, you disgusting little piggy!” Sombra brought his hooves back down for a moment, mostly so he could admire Shining’s pathetic state behind his rigidly standing cock. “As your King, I’m ordering you to show just how much of a paypig you are! NOW!!~”
“Aaaahhhh!!~” With another hungry moan, Shining Armor dropped down so his chin was touching the floor. With his backside raised, the camera got a clear shot of his twitching cock swinging back and forth while he barked out obediently: “O-OINK!! OINK, OINK, OINK, OINK!!”
“Aaaaahhhhhh…” Sombra let out a long, satisfied hiss that made his forked tongue flick out between his fangs. He gave several swipes of Shining’s credit card through the machine, each one depositing another five hundred bits without hesitance or shame. Shining paused his oinking long enough to moan when he heard those rapid beeps. Without even thinking, he reached down with a hoof so he could tug at his stallionhood before he resumed.
“O-OINK! OINK!”
A couple more swipes and beeps could be heard over Sombra’s menacing groan, while Shining’s credit card debt went up another thousand bits. “MORE, you pathetic little pervert!!~”
“OINKOINKOINKOINK!!!” Shining had no idea how much was even left on the card, but he kept oinking like a broken child’s toy as he jerked himself off shamefully. Sombra gave another four swipes to the card, gifting himself another two thousand on Shining’s behalf. He sighed deeply once more, while the fetlocks of his hoof became matted with the precum oozing down his cock with every stroke. The thick, heady musk wafting off Sombra’s cock was strong enough for Shining to smell while he was still bowing at his hooves. Each breath he took made his fur stand on end, and he couldn’t stop moaning to himself while touching himself like a pervert. “AaaAAAaaahhh!!~ Mnnnghhh… O-OINK OINK OINK!!!”
Sombra gave another couple swipes to the credit card, which made Shining groan like a bitch each time it beeped. However, when Sombra tried swiping a third time, he was met with a different noise from the scanner.
‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’
Sombra and Shining both stared over at the scanner on the armrest, which was now flashing a red light in the middle. Sombra leaned in to inspect the problem, while Shining shuddered with a deep blush of realization. “Oooooohhhh…” The King slowly turned back towards Shining with his wicked smile unchanged, before turning the scanner so Shining could see the error message on screen. “Won’t you look at that, Mister Armor? It seems that you have Insufficient Funds~”
Shining was still tugging his little member when he moaned at the message plastered clear as day on the electronic screen. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath, before blurting out mindlessly, “T… T-Try a smaller amount, Sir!”
“Ooh, excellent idea!” Sombra tried swiping the card with a hundred bit charge instead, which thankfully went through with a simple beep. However, he wasn’t able to swipe a second time before another error message popped up. “Ooh boy… It seems you have less than a hundred left on this card. I guess I have to charge by the individual bit…”
Considering how much was previously on that card, Shining Armor was stunned by how quickly Sombra managed to squeeze most it out without any effort. But at the same time, the Prince could only watch with his drooling muzzle agape as Sombra kept swiping the card over and over. Each beep deposited another individual bit, not that Sombra seemed to mind the additional effort to get himself paid. He didn’t even have to look at the machine as he kept scanning the card repeatedly; instead, he stared down at Shining and grinned more evilly. “Thaaaaaat’s right… Keep stroking that puny little thing you call a cock. I’m willing to bet this gets you off better than your own wife~”
“Aaaaaahhhh!” He clenched his eyes shut as he groaned guiltily, both from the mockery of his member and that sorta-false claim regarding Cadance. Even though he wasn’t willing to confirm either detail as being true, he was too lost in pleasure to say much while he jerked himself furiously. He kept hearing that credit card being scanned through the device, draining every bit to leave him with nothing but a mountain of debt. He wasn’t sure how many times Sombra had to swipe his card, but Shining was very close to edging himself by the time he heard those beeps once more:
‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’
“Aaaaahhhhh, now it’s empty~” Sombra tossed the credit card like it was a piece of garbage, hitting Shining’s face and pausing his shameful stroke-session. Shining reopened his eyes to look down at the card, which turned out to be the one with a twelve thousand bit limit. His muzzle hung agape for a moment as he stared at the now useless piece of plastic in awe. Meanwhile, Sombra took the other credit card which was likely over half-drained already. But instead of letting his little bitch oink some more, Sombra pulled his hooves back up and commanded, “Now get back to licking your King’s hooves! If you want me to drain your other credit card, I expect you to earn it!”
Shining pulled his head back up without hesitation, and grabbed hold of Sombra’s ankles with both hooves while shouting, “T-Thank you, my King!~”
Sombra grinned approvingly and swiped the remaining card with a simple beep. “Three hundred for knowing your place~”
“Aaaaahhhh~” His elated moan was cut off when he got back to licking. Shining closed his eyes as he slobbered all over those hooves, almost as if he had completely forgotten he was being recorded on camera. Much like before, every hungry drag of his tongue across the smooth pucks of keratin rewarded Sombra with another hundred bits from the card. The King and his bitch were both stroking themselves as the mood grew hotter, and the price for Shining’s indulgences became more expensive. He even swirled his tongue across both of Sombra’s hooves after pushing them together, doubling the surface area and adding to the titillation his King was experiencing.
“OooooOOOOHHHH!!~” Sombra leaned back in his seat while Shining was devouring his hooves, his eyes tightly clenched in tantalizing pleasure. He had to let go of his cock to keep from shooting his load too soon, but it was still throbbing hard and spasming as it towered between his writhing legs. Shining was still stroking himself profusely, as he was too enamored with the taste of his King’s hooves to notice how pent up Sombra was getting. Given how deeply he was moaning above Shining’s head, it was surprising that Sombra was still able to swipe his credit card and add charge after charge alongside those licks. Of course, Sombra was still grinning wide when he peered down at him with a half-lidded, but still malicious gaze. “Nnnnnffff… Ohhhhh, Shining! You… Y-You sure know how to show your true place where it matters…”
All that Shining gave in response was a shaky moan, while still slathering his tongue across both of Sombra’s hooves like the little bitch he was. He knew that Sombra was going to max out his credit card sooner than later, but the thought of him doing that was far too tantalizing to make him stop. Not to mention, since Sombra already ran through his first credit card without pause, Shining was almost eager to have him do it again. Even though his tongue wasn’t breaking away, and continuously lapping across both pucks to leave Sombra’s legs tensed, Shining’s ears twitched when he heard the constant swiping and beeps of the scanner draining his balance away. It was undoubtedly one of the most lowly things Shining Armor could’ve imagined doing, especially for a villain as treacherous and manipulative as King Sombra; however, hearing his enamored moans between the countless transactions was more than enough to keep him going obediently.
“Nnnnnnffffffff~” Sombra wasn’t even timing his swipes with Shining’s tongue anymore, since he was basically making out with the King’s hooves like a teenager on his first date. Because of that, Sombra cleared his throat while trying not to cum prematurely. Despite his cock throbbing hard enough to nearly have its own pulse, he refrained from touching himself when he caught his bitch’s attention. “S-Shining! Mnnnnghhh… G… G-Get your muzzle up here! NOW!!”
“Huuuhhhhh?~” Shining still had his tongue sliding up one of Sombra’s hooves when he paused his efforts, staring up at his King with a lustfully half-lidded gaze. If it wasn’t for that massive cock standing erect between them, he likely would’ve been able to see how riled-up and blushy Sombra’s face had gotten. Of course, as soon as his eyes made contact with that thick, meaty scepter standing untouched, his head pulled away from Sombra’s hooves slowly. His muzzle remained wide-open when he crawled up from the floor, and he let go of his own cock as his attention went solely towards Sombra’s. Due to how much precum was coating the King’s veiny shaft, as well as over the entirety of his crowned and flaring cockhead, Shining was already drooling with every breath of the potent musk that he inhaled through his open maw.
“Mmmmmmm…” Sombra was grinning wide when he saw his “Prince’s” hungry stare on his cock, which prompted him to set the credit card scanner to the appropriate number to ensure a full draining. Shining could hear the clacks of the device well enough to make his ears twitch, but his eyes remained transfixed on that cock overshadowing his face. His hooves rested atop Sombra’s thighs, and he got himself in position while the camera got a perfect shot of the two together. Sombra held the credit card right over the scanner, and said with a lustful growl, “Drain your King’s balls, and I’ll drain your second card in full~”
Shining didn’t even hesitate as he moaned out rapturously, and lunged in muzzle-first. His lips wrapped tightly around the King’s plump cockhead, nearly dislodging his jaw due to how thick and girthy the appendage was. Nevertheless, the Prince persevered as he pushed down as hard as he could, and shoved the entirety of Sombra’s head into his muzzle. Sombra immediately moaned out with his eyes clenched shut, and used his free hoof to cling to the back of Shining’s mane. Meanwhile, the hoof holding Shining’s credit card went to work in an instant, repeatedly swiping it through the scanner to make it beep like a cash register on Black Friday.
‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’
“Mmmmmnnnfffffff…” As he sucked on his King’s cock like a common harlot, Shining Armor groaned around the girth of that meaty shaft as he heard those beeps ringing right beside his head. He had no idea how much money was being drained with each transaction, but it was doubtful he cared in the slightest. The ripe flavor of Sombra’s musk and creamy precum was more than enough to make his heart race, and his own cock to spurt thick strands of pre that littered the ground between them. His eyes were clenched shut, and his blush was as deep as it could be as he sucked Sombra off without pause. As far as he was concerned, every bit that Sombra was taking from his accounts was rightfully his by that point.
“Aaaahhhh!!~” Even while swiping Shining’s card furiously, intentionally making it the smallest amount to ensure that every bit was drained, his hips were reeling up from his seat so he could shove his cock deeper down that tight muzzle. Shining’s cocksucking skills were surprisingly decent, leaving Sombra’s drool-coated hooves curling up as they reeled off the floor in titillation. Sombra’s whole body was tensed up greatly, but he didn’t let up on the bitch’s mane as he pushed him further down his throbbing shaft. “Mnnnnnghhhhh!!! Yeah, take it!! Aaaaahhhhh… Worship your King!!!~”
‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’
Shining Armor tried his best to bob his head up and down that intimidating shaft, despite how thick and unwieldy it was inside of his drooling muzzle. The cockhead was plump enough to completely clog the Prince’s throat, with the crowned ridges grinding against every inch of his sensitive gullet. Every drop of Sombra’s load was gushing down his throat, while tears began to bulb at the corners of Shining’s eyes from his inability to breathe. He could tell that Sombra was getting close, since every throb of his shaft was intensifying between his slutty lips. But when it came to who was going to empty out first, Shining’s entire body convulsed when he heard his own limits being reached:
‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE--BEEP BEEP BEEP!’
“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Sombra could hear the muffled groan Shining belted out around his shaft, as well as the intense tightness that constricted his cock the instant his scanner reached ‘Insufficient Funds’ on the second card. Shining Armor couldn’t contain himself, as his raging erection finally met its match with the prospect of both his credit cards maxing out for his King. Without even needing to touch himself, Shining’s eyes rolled back as his hind-legs tensed up greatly, and his cock twitched hard with every rope of cum that erupted out. His orgasm was one of the most intense he had ever felt, and he felt like he was hit by a cattle prod from how harshly it struck his nerves in a flowing wave of intensity. His lips wrapped as tightly as they could around Sombra’s shaft, but a shivering whimper could still be heard through his nostrils as he came all over the floor.
Luckily for Sombra, who was reaching his peak by the time he glanced over at the corner, the camera recording them got a perfect shot of Shining shooting his load for his King.
“NNNNGHHHHH!!!” Sombra’s hips reeled up from the chair, and he tossed that now-useless card aside so he could grab hold of Shining’s head tightly. With a strenuous push, Shining’s eyes shot open when he felt that massive cock stuffing more of his throat. The constriction and suffocation were nearly too overwhelming for even a Prince like himself to handle; but even with the tears streaming down his face, his eyes rolled back in perverted bliss when he felt those distinct throbs of Sombra’s cock making proper use of his gullet. “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!~”
Even with the Crystal Empire’s soundproof architecture and skeleton crew, it was nothing short of a miracle that nopony heard the deep and ravenous roar that shook the walls of the library with Sombra’s orgasm. The King had a death-grip on Shining’s head, while multiple ropes of his thick and creamy load shot directly into the Prince’s stomach. Shining was squirming from the intensity of his King’s loads flooding him without warning, especially when his stomach began to swell out from the sheer volume that was unloaded. Due to how long he had gone without breathing, every second felt like a minute spent latched around Sombra’s girthy cock; luckily for the little bitch, just as he was about to see spots from the corners of his eyes, Sombra grabbed hold of his shoulders and yanked him off with a wet pop.
“NNNNGHHHH!!!~” Sombra pushed him off the chair, causing Shining to stumble right atop the puddle of cum he had left on the floor. The King sprawled back in his seat with sweat beading his brow, and he panted heavily like he just endured a strenuous workout. Shining was breathing heavily as well, while his wallet and credit cards laid beside him in the aftermath of his financially straining session. It was difficult enough for him to keep his eyes open, let alone process the ramifications of what he just did with the villain above him. But alas, Shining Armor still shivered antsy when he heard his King’s deep and satisfied tone of voice. “Mmmmmmm… Be… Before you leave this room, I expect you to clean up your mess for the camera…”
Shining nodded his head tiredly, already having a good idea how Sombra would want such a task to be performed. As soon as he lifted his head to scan around the room, his guess was basically confirmed when he saw no cleaning materials or tools around the enclosed space. Not to mention, Sombra was grinning down at him excitedly while splayed in his seat. As soon as the King lifted his hooves out of the way, Shining mustered up all his strength to get back on all fours, before bringing his head down with his eyes closed. “Aaaaaaaahhhhh…”
Without even needing to be ordered, the “Prince” kept Sombra smiling evilly when he began to lick up the thick puddle of cum he had left on the floor. The camera kept rolling for several minutes, recording every second Shining spent cleaning up his mess with tentative swallows. His muzzle could be seen grimacing the longer he spent licking up his own cum, since the crystal floors made them ice-cold less than a few seconds after he started. Nevertheless, he knew he couldn’t stop when Sombra had just recorded a mountain’s worth of blackmail to use against him.
“Theeeerrrreeee you go… Lick it allllll up like the worthless pup you are~” Sombra may have been fully spent, but he still teased his flaccid sheath at the sight of Shining Armor’s mindless compliance. He shuddered when he stared back down at the credit cards he wasted in Shining’s name, which were left completely unnoticed by the cum-licking bitch on the floor. Of course, as soon as Shining was about to finish his muzzle-cringing task in full, Sombra cleared his throat and ordered, “Oh, and when you finish that task, I’m ordering you to dispose of those cards I used.”
Shining looked up at him tiredly, but he complied with a nod before lapping up the last few drops from the floor. He trembled a little when he finally relit his horn, and held up the two cards he begged Sombra to empty out. He could only imagine how badly the statements for both cards would look next month, let alone how difficult it’d be to hide those expenses from Cadance. But alas, the Prince only needed a moment to breathe out before staring back at Sombra’s menacing grin.
“Toss them in the fireplace,” he commanded with a hoof pointed at the roaring fire behind Shining. “NOW~”
Shining closed his eyes with a soft exhale, but he complied as his magic floated both credit cards towards the fireplace. The useless hunks of plastic fell atop the logs inside, and ignited in unnaturally green plumes of flame for a moment before melting against the charred wood. Shining had to look away from those cards, already accepting them as lost causes after Sombra drained them entirely. When he turned back to his King, he saw him motion his head towards the door so he could leave. “Go.”
“Th… Thank you, my King…” Shining bowed his head with a heavy blush, his muzzle clenched in trepidation by how naturally he was able to say that. Sombra grinned a bit wider, and watched as his “Prince” began to leave in silence. Shining lit up his horn as he walked around Sombra’s chair, and he picked up his wallet from the freshly-licked floor. But just as he was about to open the door, he froze when he heard his King state coldly:
“Leave that wallet, Shining Armor. It’s mine now~”
Shining breathed out shakily, but he still had the slightest hint of a guilty smile as he nodded to himself. He floated the wallet towards him, placing it atop the armrest of the chair. “T-Thank you again, Sir…” Without any complaint, Shining Armor exited the library without his wallet, checkbook, or even his bank card on him. But even after being basically robbed by the former villain, he seemed to look shamefully content as he walked down the hallway by himself in the dark.
“Aaaaahhhhh…” King Sombra settled comfortably in his chair, and picked up the wallet he just snatched from his little bitch. Without an ounce of shame, he tossed it into the fireplace with the now-destroyed credit cards. As the wallet went up in flames, ruining all the pictures and forms of identification Shining Armor once owned, Sombra paid no heed to them as he held up the bank card with his hooves. After taking a moment to examine the personal details of the card, Sombra peered back at the camera still recording him. “Oh, you better believe me, Princesses… I’ve only just started~”
Chapter One: Shining's First Transactions
“Urrrrrrghhhhhh…”
Shining Armor was standing outside the interrogation room, his hoof over his face and his teeth tightly gritted in frustration. Even after several hours of intense interrogation, he hadn’t gotten anywhere with the criminal who was recently apprehended. Part of him wanted to go back upstairs and take a quick breath, or even just buy himself a coffee to keep up his energy. Unfortunately, given how badly the Crystal Empire’s citizens were reacting to the current news, the last thing he wanted to do was go back up there and deal with the pandemonium.
“Ughhhhh… why did he have to be found alive?”
Shining muttered that to himself weakly, but the hallway was empty enough for his voice to echo a little down both ends. Over a month had passed since that fateful discovery miles above the Frozen North, when the intact body of King Sombra was found encased in ice. Twilight Sparkle and her Element friends investigated the remains, and were shocked to discover how well-preserved he was beneath the surface. Shining could still recall how strongly he and Cadance protested their plans to revive his body, especially since Discord would’ve been involved to enact such a practice. In the end though, the one saving grace both of them had was the fact that Sombra’s horn was broken off from the magical blast during his defeat; they had no idea where it went, but they could only assume it was far out of reach when even Discord couldn’t find it…
Unfortunately, even with nothing but a jagged stump atop his head, the stallion was far too dominant and imposing for even the strongest Crystal Guards to stay in his presence for longer than a minute.
Shining huffed to himself bitterly, and nearly punched the wall with his hoof. Over the past few weeks, everyone from the Princesses to the Elements themselves were all desperate to get any information out of the former Tyrant. However, despite being locked in tight isolation with nothing but the most basic amenities, it didn’t seem like anything was effective enough in getting him to talk. Twilight tried to bring up the importance of friendship, while Celestia and Luna resorted to empty threats that went nowhere. By the time all other resources were used to no avail, all who was left was Shining to try and get him to act cordially.
“Come on, come on…” Shining was leaned against the door, and pinching the bridge of his snout to try and maintain his composure. “Just calm down, Shining… He can’t stay like this forever…”
He had tried every legal avenue he could think of to make Sombra open up and talk. Part of him expected the Ex-King to at least give a snide remark, or deliver an insult bad enough to warrant a punch in his fanged maw. But alas, Shining couldn’t help feeling that his silence was far more insulting than any taunting statement. Not to mention, Sombra’s smug grin was just as sinister as what the Princesses from earlier had described… never changing and always pointing at him like the eyes in a creepy painting.
Shining Armor knew he couldn’t stay outside the interrogation room forever, even if Sombra was unable to escape his chain bindings. The last thing he wanted to do was lock himself in an enclosed space with that slave-driving Tyrant for any longer than he already had; but at the same time, he knew that Cadance and the castle staff were dealing with way more headaches up above with the protestors outside their castle. He was fortunate that Twilight Sparkle and her protegè (and maybe possible girlfriend) Starlight Glimmer were upstairs, since it allowed him the opportunity to spend all afternoon interrogating that sadistic fiend. However, the Prince was fully aware that if he wasn’t able to get through to Sombra soon, this whole day -- let alone the efforts of everypony else before him -- will most likely be all for naught.
He sighed out deeply one last time, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his foreleg. Shining then pulled himself away from the door, before turning around to re-enter that blasted room. The walls were all a garish shade of white that made Shining’s eyes sting under the fluorescent lights; and since the room was only ten by ten feet all around, the metal table in the middle took up most of the limited space. The only other pieces of furniture were two metal chairs welded to the floor, and magically discharged to ensure no static electricity could be used for a possible escape. Of course, Sombra didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed while sitting across from Shining. Even while wearing heavy metal cuffs around his neck and wrists -- not to mention the thick brass cap over the base of his broken horn -- his smile remained as smug and untelling as it looked before his interrogator exited the room earlier.
Shining didn’t say anything, nor did he try to show much emotion as he sat down in the chair across from Sombra. He wasn’t expecting to hear him say much, since Sombra had already proven himself to be a master of silence before the Princesses and Elements before him. If anything, the most significant “response” he had given Shining the past few hours was the slightest widening or narrowing of his eyes between brief blinks. Combined with the cocky grin practically welded to his muzzle, Shining had to keep himself from grimacing in aggravation. Not wanting to show any weakness to his foe, Shining Armor kept his own expression as blank and untelling as the stallion before him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and silently breathed in before focusing on Sombra once more. “Okay… Well, I’ll definitely give you this. You are a very patient stallion…”
Shining hoped that he could at least shrug his shoulders, or give the slightest nod of his head in compliance with that compliment. Unfortunately, the former King remained stoic in place to ensure his streak wouldn’t be broken. Shining didn’t try to show any discomfort, and merely exhaled through his nostrils. He then leaned forward in his seat, resting his forelegs on the table between them. “Listen… I know that you’re probably just as sick of being locked in this room as any of us. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is continue wasting my time with somepony like you.”
That time, Sombra’s brows raised the tiniest bit in response. Shining didn’t say anything, but he was quick to notice it and carry the slightest semblance of hope. But instead of faltering, he held his hooves up while his elbows rested against the table. “However… Considering the circumstances right now, I feel like I need to give the Princesses something when I leave here. You don’t have to say much. Heck, you don’t even have to explain how your dark magic works. All that I want is for you to tell me something… ANYthing so we can make some progress here!”
Shining tried not to raise his voice too much, since the room was small enough to make the slightest inflection sound like a full-blown scream directly against the eardrum. Unfortunately, he still cursed himself internally for showing that tiny amount of emotion at the end. Sombra didn’t move an inch, and just carried that same damn grin with the tips of his fangs poking out tauntingly. Several seconds of uncomfortable silence passed between them, before Shining Armor closed his eyes and let out a more audible sigh. “Ughhhhhh…”
“Why?”
Shining nearly lept off his chair from how suddenly he jolted back. He was fortunate not to yelp out in a panic, but it was obvious that Sombra’s one word was more than enough to startle him. The Prince’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and he had to blink a couple times to process what he just heard. He stared back at Sombra for a moment in awe, and weakly asked without thinking, “W… What was that?”
“Why should I comply?”
Shining’s lips tightened shut, and he breathed out shakily through his snout without any statement to give. He may have had to encounter Sombra before, but this was the first time he ever heard him speak that wasn’t a ravenous growl or overconfident speech. Sombra’s voice was as rich and deep as molasses, carrying both a regal smoothness and intimidating tone that made Shining’s fur stand on end. Luckily for the Prince, that was mostly along the length of his back outside of Sombra’s view.
“Because from where I’m sitting,” continued Sombra, whose blood-red eyes slowly darted across the room to study his surroundings more tactfully. “... it seems that I’ve been doing quite well just sitting around and doing nothing, don’t you think? I mean, aside from a few slaps in the face from your Aunts-in-Law, I would consider myself rather lucky I’m not outside this castle right now~”
Now it was Shining who was finding it difficult to speak out loud. While he knew he should’ve been grateful that his captive foe was actually speaking, it didn’t mean much when all the recording devices were in the other room. Plus, he wasn’t exactly too thrilled to hear Sombra speaking so nonchalantly about his imprisoned state. Even though he wasn’t technically wrong, it was still enough to make Shining’s lips tighten frustratedly.
“Ohhh, don’t get too upset with yourself~” Sombra was disturbingly quick to catch Shining’s expression altering the tiniest bit, which made him narrow his eyes on the Prince and widen his fanged grin. “Honestly, it’s quite admirable that you thought you could get to me when the Princesses all failed. Boy, you should’ve been around when your wife tried to interrogate me~”
Shining’s hooves slammed down on the table. “HEY!!!”
“Now, now, Shining…” Sombra couldn’t lift up his hooves too high while chained, but he managed to raise them a couple inches to motion the Prince to sit still. “I’m just making a point, see? Now, I just pointed out that none of the all-powerful Alicorns were able to make me talk. However… I’m currently talking with you right now. And do you know why I would do that?~”
Shining was still sneering at him angrily for mentioning Cadance negatively. However, it took a few seconds for the Prince’s expression to soften the tiniest bit, and his eyes to close before breathing out calmly. By the time he was able to stare back at Sombra’s confident smirk, all he could do was relent his earlier frustration and confess, “I… I don’t know…”
“Well, I’ll tell you why…” Sombra leaned forward in his seat, and got up close to Shining’s face with a wide and lecherous grin. “... It’s because I prefer the company of stallions, if you catch my drift~”
It took a moment for Shining to catch what he actually said; but the moment the realization came to his head, he reeled back a little with his eyes significantly widened. Granted, Shining Armor couldn’t say that he was particularly surprised to learn such a private detail from the former Tyrant. If anything, his theatrical entrances into the Crystal Empire should’ve been a big hint that he had more… unique preferences when it came to ponies. But even with that being said, Shining tried not to let his blush remain too prevalent while keeping a neutral expression pointed back at him. “Ummm… O-Oh, uhhh… Is that so?”
“Indeed it is…” Sombra leaned back in his seat, and shot Shining a smug-looking grin. “Besides, I didn’t think it’d be appropriate to intimidate any of the mares who rule over you. I mean, what kind of stallion would I be to torment any of them? I might have done a lot of things back during my rule, but I’m not a misogynist.”
Shining opened his muzzle for a moment, but nothing could come out to counteract that claim Sombra just made. Sure, the fact that Sombra wanted to talk with a stallion certainly implied some strong gender bias; however, the Prince could understand not wanting to insult or intimidate any of the Alicorn Princesses who could retaliate with more than some strong words. A couple more seconds passed before Shining closed his muzzle, and gave a brief nod to make Sombra’s grin widen a little more. But before Sombra could say anything else, Shining gave a quick and insistent retort. “Well, ummm… I hope you understand that this doesn’t mean I’m going to cut you any slack!”
“Well, of course you wouldn’t,” said Sombra with a sincere-sounding, but still slightly ominous tone to match his cheeky smile. “After all, you’re supposed to report back to the Princesses up above about whatever I have to say. You’re just doing your job, am I right?~”
Shining narrowed his eyes on him in suspicion, and slowly leaned back so he was against the back of his seat like SombraȠwas. “That… That’s right… A-And I’d prefer you could help me with this for both our sakes.”
“Well, that implies that we should both get something out of this by the time you leave, correct?”
Shining paused briefly, but his muzzle remained closed while processing the King’s implied wording. Sombra kept a stern, patient stare on the stallion as he maintained his peculiar smirk. Shining took a split-second to glance back at the door, even though both of them were aware that nopony was likely to be waiting outside in the hall to eavesdrop. The Prince eventually breathed out before giving a shrug, and turning back to the smirking stallion across from him. “Well, ummm… I’m sure that something could be arranged…”
Sombra’s grin finally widened enough to expose the pearly whites between his glistening fangs. “You see, Shining Armor? That’s why I wanted to speak with you and none of your Superiors. I knew that you’d be willing to negotiate~”
Shining breathed out and quickly clenched his muzzle, not wanting to reveal how much that telling statement got him flustered. He wasn’t sure what Sombra was planning, but he was on high alert regarding him trying anything funny. He leaned forward again, and stared Sombra down in an attempt to catch any weakness in his lecherous smile. But alas, it was clear as the crystals above that Sombra was the one with a stone-cold composure compared to the Prince across from him.
“So,” began Shining, whose voice was surprisingly more confident than he would’ve expected when he heard it escape his muzzle. “What are you wanting to propose?”
“Hmmmmmm…” Sombra’s grin remained as wide as could be, while also staring intensely at the stallion without any fear of retaliation. “Well, let me ask you this… Considering how I’m a prisoner of this castle, and official Equestrian law dictates that any prisoner, regardless of criminal offense or notoriety, is entitled to a monetary account to be used for commissary purchases while incarcerated…”
Shining’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull from how surprised he looked from that detail. While it was certainly accurate by legal standards, he couldn’t imagine how somepony like Sombra could be aware of such a thing while frozen for Celestia-knows how long.
“... would it be inappropriate to ask for some… financial compensation in exchange for an open conversation?~”
Shining narrowed his eyes on him, and blinked a couple times with utter confoundment. Granted, he was aware that deals like that have been offered for prisoners in standard lockups in exchange for information. But considering how Sombra was anything but a “standard” prisoner, he had to take a moment to process actually complying with such an offer. “... are… are you asking for a bribe?”
Sombra was quick to shake his head while keeping a confident smile. “Of course not, Shining. What I’m asking is for you to show your worth by offering me something the Princesses would never do. None of them would be willing to pay me to talk, which is why I’ve remained silent for so long. But with you, well…”
That was when Sombra leaned forward in his seat once more, with his muzzle less than a foot away from Shining Armor’s. His stare seemed to penetrate into Shining’s very soul, which made the Prince struggle not to shiver in his line of sight. Meanwhile, Sombra tilted his head and said in a casual manner, “I technically gave you a big piece of information regarding my true orientation, did I not? I doubt even Discord was aware I swung that way. That alone should be worth a deposit into my commissary account~”
Shining sighed and closed his eyes, but he didn’t try to say anything immediately to retort Sombra’s claim. When he finally reopened his eyes, he wasn’t aware of how studiously Sombra was scanning his face for any blushing or flusteredness. He eventually rolled his eyes in relent, and tried to counteract with, “Well… I’m sure I could talk with the Royal Sisters abou--”
“Oh, no, no, nooooo…” Sombra couldn’t lift his hoof higher than a few inches from his chair’s armrest, but he was still able to wave it in dismissal before Shining could finish talking. “You see, if you mentioned that to them, they would likely scold you for agreeing to something as petty as monetary payment to make me talk. If anything, they might be upset that they haven’t considered it themselves…”
Shining’s muzzle zipped right up with a look of startling realization. Sombra leaned back in his seat once more, and shrugged when he said confidently, “If you want me to talk, I would want you to use your own bits. Not any of theirs. Yours~”
Shining didn’t realize he was blushing a little after hearing that clarification. Granted, it wasn’t like anything Sombra said was inherently wrong. If Shining trotted back upstairs and told Cadance what was discussed, she’d likely yell at him for even contemplating paying the former Tyrant for his cooperation. However, the Prince was also aware that he was in a bit of a tight spot when it came to obtaining information from Sombra, and helping to dispel some of the commotion above ground…
“I’ll tell you what…” Sombra’s grin lessened to a more natural-looking smile (or at least, how “natural” one’s smile could look while sporting a pair of viper-fangs), and he shot Shining a more genuine stare to show his sincerity. “If you deposit, ohhhh… a hundred bits into my commissary account, and I receive proof of that amount to be used after this interrogation, I’ll tell you of how I obtained the knowledge of my dark magic. Surely you have more than that in your personal account while living in such a lavish castle with all your amenities paid for, am I right?~”
Shining had to look away from him to hide his offended expression. While he couldn’t deny that he had more than enough bits to throw a hundred in Sombra’s way, the idea of actually agreeing to such a thing was enough to make him feel embarrassed. Considering how two bits were enough to purchase an apple in Ponyville’s farmer’s market, such a bribe (or whatever Sombra called it himself) would mean he would be well-fed for a couple weeks at most. His muzzle tightened to reveal his conflicted look, and he exhaled sharply through his nostrils in thought. In the end though, Shining couldn’t deny that a hundred bits was likely a minimal price to pay to appease the Princesses up above, as well as Sombra’s cooperation.
“... So…” By the time he turned back towards Sombra, Shining was still blushing a little when he asked, “If… if I deposit a hundred bits into your account… you won’t mention it to the Princesses if they interview you?”
It took everything in him not to grin maliciously at Shining for asking such a dumb question. Fortunately, he nodded quite naturally and said in assurance, “You have my word, Shining Armor… When I receive proof that you paid me, I’ll give you what you need~”
Shining didn’t seem to catch the eerie wording of Sombra’s statement, or how vague it actually sounded out-loud. Instead, the Prince sighed before pulling himself out of his seat. “Well, I… I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to do such a thing…”
Sombra’s eyes narrowed on him the tiniest bit, but he kept a gracious smile as he nodded up at him. “Alright then… I’m very glad we have an understanding.”
Shining nodded back, but it was fairly weak while carrying a weak skew across his muzzle. As he walked back towards the door, his hoof reached the knob before Sombra stated, “Oh, and one more thing…”
Shining glanced back at the Ex-King, and blushed a little deeper when he saw how sadistically his fanged smile became.
“If you want me to continue being this compliant, I expect this to be a regular exchange between us~”
Shining took a second before breathing out hoarsely, unsure of why that statement was enough to make him react in such a way. But alas, all he could do was nod before opening the door to exit the interrogation room. “Uhhhh… s-sure, I… I think something can be arranged…”
With that, Shining Armor left to find where Sombra’s personal finance account was located. Meanwhile, Sombra leaned back in his seat with a grin as wide as could be, and stared at the closed door with a truly evil gleam in his crimson eyes.
“Mmmmmm… Oh, I can’t wait to bleed you dry, you lousy excuse of a ‘Prince’...”
One Month Later
Much to the Princesses’ shared surprise, as well as Shining Armor’s, that first monetary exchange seemed to do a lot for everypony’s benefit. Sure, depositing a hundred bits into the former villain’s commissary account was a risky move to say the least, especially when anypony could look through his records and see he was able to buy junk food whenever he wished. But at the same time, Sombra provided enough substantial details of his once-unknown past to leave the Alicorns in charge very satisfied. True to his word, Sombra never once mentioned Shining’s payment when Twilight and Celestia interviewed him individually for more details. However, as the weeks went by, and Shining’s involvement became more prevalent in obtaining more information, that first hundred bit payment was far from the last.
The second time Shining Armor returned to the interrogation room for a private chat with Sombra, the price was raised to a hundred fifty bits to learn of the events that led to the King’s descent into dark magic. Once again, Shining reluctantly took the bits from his own personal bank account behind Cadance's back, and deposited the amount into Sombra’s commissary account. In return, Sombra ended up retelling a rather long… and detailed story about a young stallion he courted who introduced him to a mythical book, and introduced him to numerous sexual endevours with the aid of dark magic.
By the time Sombra’s rousing tale of intimacy and taboo pleasures was complete, Shining Armor was blushing heavier than a pony who just left a porno theater. He didn’t seem to mind dishing out so many bits to hear such a story from the former Tyrant himself. However, when it came to recounting his findings to the Princesses upstairs, he told a more condensed version of events that wasn’t nearly as inappropriate for the Royals’ ears.
The third time Shining visited Sombra for another talk, which was the second time in that week, the price was once again raised to two hundred bits. The Prince didn’t try to object too strongly, and already had the bits in hoof to make a deposit and get things going smoothly. Unfortunately, as soon as he showed Sombra the receipt of his commissary balance, he was met with quite a lot of ridicule for how swiftly he performed the task. Shining tried to bring their discussion back to focus, and asked the King of what had happened after he obtained his dark magic. But instead of gaining any credible info, Sombra merely went on a long diatribe about the significance of power and control over others. He even went into extensive detail about why his ownership of the Crystal Ponies as slaves was justified (mostly for farming and strengthening his defenses against outside nations), all while Shining sat in puzzlement with his blush remaining a heavy shade of red. He wasn’t given that much additional intel on Sombra’s past by the time he left the interrogation room in a stunned stupor; however, when he recounted what Sombra said to Cadance and the other Alicorns, all of them agreed that it was better than just being met with a stone wall of silence like their own attempted interviews.
On Shining’s fourth visit to Sombra, he was met with a three hundred bit charge if he wanted to hear more. To his credit, he tried to negotiate a lower amount that time around. In return, Sombra remained stoically silent the entire time, even after Shining deposited two hundred fifty bits into his account. The Prince almost resorted to physical intimidation when he was given nothing in return; unfortunately, Sombra made sure to remind him that he could easily tell his wife about the money he gave him already. Shining also received quite a bit of mockery when his face grew an agitated look, and he was met with laughter and insults in response to his frustrated state. In the end, Shining was left totally defeated when he exited the interrogation room with nothing to recount the Princesses, and a substantial amount of money withdrawn from his bank account.
But at the same time, Shining couldn’t help but prepare himself for his next visit more accordingly.
It only took two days for Shining Armor to try regaining Sombra’s trust again, as he offered him four hundred bits the moment he entered the interrogation room. Unfortunately, Sombra proved to be a petty bastard as he shook his head, and countered with five hundred bits instead. Shining made the mistake of trying to reason with him once more, which caused Sombra to raise the price to six hundred bits the moment he opened his mouth. As soon as Shining’s muzzle clamped shut like the lid of a heavy chest, Sombra cackled maniacally and pointed at him in mockery. The Prince had to leave the room to hide his shame, but he was quivering badly while hearing Sombra’s muffled laughter inside.
He didn’t stop laughing at him until Shining returned to the interrogation room a short while later, with a deep blush on his face and a receipt showing he deposited the full six hundred bits into his commissary account. Unfortunately for the Prince, that blush remained throughout the remainder of their private interview.
Sombra was cordial enough to accept the payment with a grin, and recount how he actually overthrew the Crystal Empire’s city consul to begin his fascist reign. The talk lasted for well over an hour, and left Shining shaking to his very core by the time he left the room. Twilight Sparkle tried to recommend installing some recording devices in the interrogation room next time around, just in case any necessary intel was missed from Shining’s recountings. But by that point, Shining was aware that the discussion of payments was too prevalent to be ignored in recording whenever he went to visit Sombra; luckily, he was able to convince her and the other Princesses that he was gaining Sombra’s trust, and that installing anything without his knowledge would be a major breach.
By the time a whole three weeks passed, Shining Armor was trying not to feel overly guilty for how much money he gave to Sombra for their interviews. Every time he went to talk with Sombra in private, the price was raised drastically to ensure “trust” between them (at least, that was how Sombra liked to put it). Shining Armor was growing irritated the more the price increased, even though he knew he still had enough in his checking account to cover for random three-figure withdrawals every now and then. Unfortunately, it seemed that the more his payments intensified over time, the less useful intel he was receiving from Sombra in response. What began as detailed recountings of his past and former abilities as King, soon began to morph into inappropriate mockery and questioning of Shining’s ethics and masculinity in response to his methods. Shining tried once or twice to reason with him, just to keep things fair and level between them; but each time he tried to speak up about how he was acting, Sombra would give him dead silence until another deposit was made for his personal use.
All the while, Shining never once mentioned his financial woes to any of the Princesses, including his own wife. Even though he and Cadance had separate accounts for their own use, Shining couldn’t help feeling increasingly shameful for the thousands of bits he already gave to Sombra. Every time he had to go down to the interrogation room, his heart would race immensely at the thought of whatever amount Sombra would demand he pay for his cooperation. Shining would always try to make the deposits accordingly, even if he was given little (or even nothing) in return. He wasn’t sure what was coming over him, but it was soon becoming a habit to start withdrawing large amounts of bits from his ATM in the dead of night, just so he could have the chance to speak with Sombra the next day about whatever he deemed appropriate. Whether it was relevant to the Princess’ interests or not, Shining learned not to complain about what Sombra said without the fear of financial retaliation.
And to make matters worse, the more that Sombra tried to mock or ridicule him during their private chats, the less that Shining tried to protest after throwing so many bits in his direction. If anything, having Sombra insulting him for whatever he paid was leaving him feeling conflicted in ways he never would have expected prior to their talks…
By the time a whole month had passed since their first interrogation, Shining Armor was starting to lose track of how many bits he had given him. He was visiting Sombra two or three times a week, each time with a larger amount of bits to keep the former King interested. Shining knew that he was being taken advantage of, and how badly he was digging himself into financial strain behind the Royals’ backs. But alas, even after depositing several thousands of bits into Sombra’s commissary account, Shining wasn’t sure how he would be able to stop this twisted exchange from getting any worse.
Sombra, who was once again chained to his seat with a casual smile on his muzzle, waited patiently for the Prince to show up and have another private discussion. The Ex-King wasn’t too worried about any interference by that point, which allowed him to feel more confident in his abilities. Even while imprisoned with his horn removed, he didn’t feel the slightest twinge of intimidation by the time Shining arrived on schedule. By that point, the stallion was blushing heavily as he awkwardly walked into the interrogation room with a large satchel hung over his shoulder.
Sombra’s grin became much more devious for a moment when he heard the distinct jingling of bits with every movement of Shining’s bag, which was hanging heavily against his side.
“Ummmm… h-hello, Sombra…” Shining sat himself down in the seat, and slowly lowered the bag from his shoulder so it could rest on the floor. Sombra could still hear the loud jingling of bits inside, which he could only assume was four figures that time around. However, the King made sure to keep his eyes pinned on Shining, and not the satchel lying beside his welded seat. Meanwhile, Shining was trying to keep his breathing calm while his eyes darted back and forth anxiously.
“Hello, Prince Shining.” Sombra nodded with a cheerful smile, which he managed to soften from the devilish gleam he was carrying just a few seconds prior. Shining was already tensing up in his seat, as if he was anticipating whatever amount Sombra would demand in exchange for their talks to commence. But much to the Prince’s surprise, Sombra’s positive demeanor didn’t change in the slightest when he asked, “So, Shining… What would you like to ask me?”
“Hmm?” Shining jolted a little, and stared back at Sombra with a puzzled look on his face. Usually, the first thing that Sombra would do is lay out a price for Shining to deposit before those sorts of questions commenced. That time around, Shining calculated that he was expected to pay at least fifteen hundred bits to appease him; of course, he made sure to pack more than that just in case. The Prince stared between Sombra’s nonchalant smile, and the heavy bag of bits on the floor beside him. He didn’t want to be an idiot and ask about money when Sombra wasn’t mentioning it. However, it took him a few seconds to think of anything to say. “... uhhhhh… you… y-you mean you want to talk?”
“Well, of course, Shining,” said Sombra with a natural nod. “That’s why you come down here, right?”
“Uhh, y-yes! I… I-I do, yeah…” Shining may have nodded his head insistently, but it was obvious by his blush that Sombra’s new demeanor was leaving him feeling particularly flustered. He took a quick breath in an attempt to maintain his composure, and even sat upright to appear less overwhelmed than he actually was. He stared back at Sombra with a professional, albeit blushed look on his face; meanwhile, his hind-legs were crossing tightly together beneath the table, fortunately out of Sombra’s line of sight.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, before Sombra tilted his head curiously. “... Well, Shining? Don’t you have any questions for me?~”
“OH! Uhhh… r-right, right…” Once again, Shining nodded frantically and tried to ignore how hot his face was getting. After closing his eyes to take a calming breath, he looked back at Sombra and his unnaturally… natural smile. Shining had no idea what was going on, but he tried to ignore the red flags and take this opportunity while it was presented. Because of that, he sighed softly and began to speak. “Ummm… Well, I… I-I was hoping that you could help me by… b-by explaining how you managed to encase the Crystal Empire in limbo…”
Despite how frazzled and blushy Shining looked, Sombra gave him a cordial nod and said with a smile, “Well, alright then. I suppose I should explain the technicalities of such a thing by now…”
Sombra cleared his throat, and caught Shining Armor by surprise when he began to freely explain. “You see, the crystal magic that’s harnessed beneath the Crystal Empire is far more powerful, but also more uncontrollable, than the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot. You can’t just obtain a specific spell or magic inhibitor to ensure its powers will remain in any one pony’s control. If you really want to encompass its power for personal usage, the most important thing is to craft a specific tool…”
As he spoke, Sombra kept a respectable tone to match his smile as he went over the analyticals of such a complex process. Shining tried to nod his head while listening, fortunate to finally receive such useful information without the looming fear of payment. However, even though he was being given enough useful details to leave his sister beaming in satisfaction, Shining was finding it hard to focus the longer Sombra spoke. Sure, he could certainly hear what he was saying clear as day; but when it came to actually retaining that information, Shining was growing too anxious to really listen to the words coming out of Sombra’s mouth.
“... of course, you have to remember that carbon fiber wasn’t really a thing back in those days. I’m sure that it could work as a suitable handle for the apparatus nowadays, but back then I had to craft a brand-new material out of…”
Shining continued to nod blankly, even though his blush was as red as a beet across his cheeks. His eyes soon drifted down towards his bag of bits, which he would’ve expected would be deposited into Sombra’s commissary account already. But even after walking in embarrassingly with the satchel over his back, it seemed that Sombra was straight-up ignoring the money inside. All he was doing was telling Shining exactly what he wanted to hear, which should have been a relieving thing for the Prince to receive. But instead, all it was doing was leaving his heart thundering in his chest, and his mind racing anxiously about what he was expected to do for him…
“... now, the specific spell used to extract the crystal magic is fairly difficult, but I’m sure you can remember enough of the details for Twilight to learn it herself. First of all, it’s absolutely essential to keep the aura contained below the standard parameter of…”
Shining tried as hard as he could to pay attention, both for the Princess’ sakes and out of respect for Sombra's sudden generosity. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a heavy veil of guilt for receiving such vital intel without compensation. Sure, he may have already paid Sombra thousands of bits by that point, which should’ve been more than enough to cover a free session between them. But after the constant bullying and financial intimidation he was forced to endure over the past month, it felt too jarring for Shining to process not paying him by that point.
“Shining?”
“H-Huh?!” Shining was jarred back to reality by Sombra’s inflected voice. He found himself slouched in his seat in a stunned stupor, with his face feeling fiery-hot to match his rosy blush. “Uhhhh… w-what were we talking about?”
“Hmph~” Sombra huffed amusedly at the stallion across from him, but his smile remained just as cheerful as before. “Oh, Shining. Please don’t tell me that you weren’t paying attention. I just went over all the intricacies of how I harnessed the Crystal Magic to preserve this empire. Isn’t that what you came down here for?”
“O-Oh! Uhhhh… Right, I… I’m sorry…” Shining exhaled in embarrassment and pinched the bridge of his muzzle with a shake of his head. He wasn’t sure what came over him, but the sudden change in their exchange was jarring enough to throw him through a loop. Even with his previous worries about having recording devices on hoof, he was pissed at himself for not having one regardless. He wasn’t sure why he found it so difficult to listen to what Sombra had just said. However, the Prince was also feeling uneasy about how… incomplete things felt between them at that moment. “Ugh… I… I-I don’t know what…”
“Is something wrong, Prince Shining?” Sombra tilted his head with a peculiar grin, his eyes narrowing on him ever so slightly. “I must say, you seem a bit out of it…”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t…” Shining paused briefly to take another anxious breath, his eyes clenched tightly shut. He couldn’t even look at Sombra while his hoof dragged down his face. “... I don’t know, I just… I wasn’t sure what to expect…”
“Well, I would’ve figured that you’d expect to obtain information from me in order to appease the Princesses upstairs…” Sombra’s tone of voice may have remained courteous and kind, but his smile grew a bit wider while staring down the flustered Prince. “Unless… there’s something else that you wanted to do while we were here~”
Shining put down his hoof, and stared back at Sombra with a conflicted look on his face. While he could certainly agree that there was a detail he expected to do for Sombta, he wasn’t sure if it was something he wanted to do for him. If anything, he should’ve been grateful for Sombra not mentioning it, and giving him the chance to accept things as they currently were. Shining stared back at Sombra for a moment, with every impulse in his body begging him not to say anything while he still had the opportunity…
… but alas, Shining could feel his muzzle shakily opening up without warning.
“... I, uhhh… I was just…” Shining’s blush grew as red as it could possibly be, and he shuddered a little before reminding Sombra, “I… I didn’t expect you to tell me all of that for… f-for free, that’s all…”
Sombra didn’t say anything for a couple seconds, and just stared back at Shining with a wide and gracious smile. “Oh, is that the case?~”
Sombra leaned forward in his seat, just enough to catch a brief gaze of the bag of bits beside the Prince’s chair. “Hmmmm… So, are you telling me that alllllllll that money was meant for me?~”
He hung his head guiltily, and tried to avert his eyes from Sombra’s lecherous smile. He shivered a little while rubbing one of his shoulders with his hoof. “I-I, uhhh… I… I sorta expected that you, uhhh… t-that you would…”
“That I would what, Shining Armor?”
Shining’s head jerked back up to stare back at Sombra wide-eyed. The Prince was too flustered to speak, and his muzzle was left slightly agape for a few seconds. “... uhhhhhh… I… I…”
Sombra wasn’t hiding behind a kind and courteous demeanor anymore. Instead, he was grinning maliciously back at the stallion squirming in his seat. “You what? Are you saying that you expected me to extort you for even more money, and possibly insult you in the process to leave you feeling emasculated by the time you leave?~”
Shining’s eyes were bulging out like a couple of saucers, and his pupils shrank with a look of realization. Unfortunately, it was hard to see much of his fearful expression while his face was as red as a beet. He may have come to the conclusion of Sombra’s plans, but by that point, the stallion was left frozen in place and unable to counteract. Not to mention, his heart was racing in his chest and causing his hind-legs to cross even tighter.
“Hmph~” Sombra didn’t need to hear Shining’s answer, since he already knew before even asking his question. “You know, I had a feeling you would react this way. That’s why I decided to not mention any payment this time around, and freely cooperate with your requests to see how you would react. Part of me was curious if you would have enough backbone to actually accept my statements without compensation, and prove your worth to myself and your Alicorn superiors upstairs…”
He then leaned in closer to Shining’s stunned, awe-stricken face while grinning more deviously. “But instead… even though you have that bag full of your hard-earned bits right beside you, which you could have easily kept to yourself without any interference, you decided to bring up our ‘financial arrangements’ anyway. After I told you everything you wanted to hear, but weren’t paying attention to~”
Shining Armor felt like he was just as trapped in his seat as the imprisoned stallion across from him. He wanted to open his muzzle and say something… anything in defense to Sombra’s twisted claims. But despite how badly he wanted to speak up in defense, he remained frozen with intimidation while staring back at Sombra’s fanged smile.
“So in conclusion, ‘Prince’ Shining Armor,” he said with a distinct inflection in that title, which was accompanied with a couple quotation gestures with his chained hooves. “I think we both know why you really wanted to come down here and see me again. And it wasn’t to appease your wife or any of the other Princesses…”
Since Shining was left petrified in his seat, Sombra was able to lean in even more and speak without any defense on the Prince’s end. “... You just wanted to appease me, didn’t you?~”
“N-NO!!!” Shining startled himself with how suddenly that came out of his muzzle. He may have still been stuck in his seat, but he was able to move the slightest bit and lift his hooves insistently. “S-S-Sombra, that’s… that’s not what I meant!”
“Then why weren’t you able to focus on what I had to say when I showed you respect?~”
“I-I’m sorry! I just… I didn’t know what to expect, that’s all!!”
“So you weren’t expecting me to show you respect, ‘Prince’ Shining?~”
“W-Well, I… Not really, no…” Shining huffed and averted his eyes after that response. Unfortunately, Sombra kept going without pause.
“And you weren’t expecting me to acknowledge your presence for free either?”
“N-No! Clearly not!” Shining crossed his forelegs while trying to hide his blush.
“So, you were expecting me to just berate and insult you today?”
Shining’s head lowered faintly. “Y… Y-Yes…”
“And you also expected me to acknowledge payment as soon as you entered the room?”
“Y-Yes!”
“So you’re saying that you want me to take your money and treat you like a little bitch?~”
“YES!!”
Shining gasped and threw his hooves over his muzzle, but that answer still escaped his mouth quickly enough to make Sombra grin from ear to ear. The Prince was left in a shocked, mortified state that left his face a deathly shade of pale. His eyes remained unblinking while staring back at the Ex-King’s maniacal grin in terror. Unfortunately, even though he still had all his magic intact, he felt absolutely helpless across from the chained and de-horned stallion.
“... w… w-wait, I… I didn’t… I d-didn’t mean it like--”
“SILENCE~”
Sombra’s loud, boisterous tone was more than enough to make Shining Armor’s body lock up in a panic. As the Prince wilted in his seat with his blush returning, Sombra narrowed his eyes on him and kept a smug grin. “Hmmmm… I must say, this is quite an exciting discovery…”
Even while chained to his chair, Sombra’s imposing stare and intimidating presence kept Shining writhing in place. His muzzle was still open, but all Sombra could hear were the weak, shaky exhales that escaped his parted lips. Sombra leaned back in his seat, and continued to stare Shining down like an apex predator eyeing its wounded prey. “You know what?” he began with a smug and overly confident tone, “perhaps you’re right, Shining. Maybe you didn’t mean to imply that you’re a spineless… pathetic little weakling that wanted to give your bits to a real stallion…”
Sombra could see the faint twitches Shining made with every inflected word meant to demean him. The Prince couldn’t even say anything, as he closed his muzzle to gulp audibly. Sombra could’ve pointed out that Shining could just leave the room right then and there, and take that huge bag of bits to return to his own bank account. Of course, unlike the blushing stallion who was seemingly glued to his seat, Sombra knew better than to point out the obvious.
“How about this?” Sombra’s blood-red eyes glanced down at Shining’s bare torso, and the edge of the table that was obstructing the rest of his body from view. “If you really want to say that you don’t want to be my personal little piggy bank, and that you don’t want to give me your hard-earned bits whenever I demand it… perhaps you should prove it~”
Shining was looking more fearful by the second, despite how badly his blush was trying to mask it. He wasn’t sure what Sombra was wanting him to do, but his eyes slowly drifted downward when he saw where the King’s lecherous gaze was pointing towards. “Wh… W-What do you mean?” he muttered feebly.
“Get up from that chair and stand on your hind-legs.”
The Prince struggled not to gasp upon hearing that demand. “W-What?!”
“YOU HEARD ME.”
Sombra kept his grin as wide and as evil as could be, staring Shining down with that inescapable gleam in his bloodthirsty gaze. Even though Shining was already quivering in his seat, Sombra made sure he continued to squirm when he spoke with authority.
“If you stand up right now, and show me that you’re not erect from the idea of being my personal cash cow, I’ll gladly accept that as proof that you wish to end things right now. However…”
Beads of sweat began to appear across Shining’s forehead, and his pupils shrunk even more with looming dread.
“... if you stand up, and I see that you’re rock-hard, I’ll take that not only as unmitigated proof, but explicit permission for me to extort as much from you as I possibly can~”
Shining Armor’s muzzle tightened badly enough for his lips to be pursed together. He felt like he was about to go under cardiac arrest from how badly his heart was thundering in his chest. His entire body was blushing a heavy shade of red, to the point that it looked like most of his bloodflow had redirected towards his once-white fur. But alas, Shining seemed just as aware as the stallion across from him that it wasn’t enough to keep the bloodflow away from his squirming legs.
“Now then!” Sombra leaned back with a cocky grin, and waited for his plaything ‘Prince” to comply with his command. “Shining Armor, get out of that chair and stand on your hind-legs. Right. NOW~”
To say that Shining was too mortified to comply would’ve been a massive understatement. His hooves were twitching badly beneath the table, and seemed unwilling to pull apart. His entire body was shivering with immense worry, which matched the rapid beats of his fluttering heart. He felt like he had just stuck his head in an oven from how badly his face was burning with intimidation…
But worst of all, it seemed that Sombra’s insistent tone was chilling enough to make him instinctively grab the edge of the table to pull himself up.
“Nnnnnnnghhhh…” Shining clenched his eyes shut with a flustered whimper, and felt his knees buckling the moment he brought down weight on them. He lifted himself up from his chair as slowly as he could, as if that would be enough to grow flaccid before Sombra could see what was between his legs. Just as his waist was about to come into view, Shining groaned and tried his best to cup his hooves over his crotch. Of course, even as he stood bipedally in front of Sombra’s waiting grin, his pathetic stance was obvious enough to indicate what he was struggling to hide.
“Pull your hooves away.”
Shining’s eyes clenched even tighter, and he shook his head meagerly like a fussy toddler. “Nnnghh…”
“Either you show me how hard you are…” Sombra stared up at the blushing stallion with his confident smile unchanged.“... or you admit what you want from me~”
One of Shining’s eyes reopened the tiniest bit, and he stared back at Sombra timidly. “... a… a-admit what?”
“Admit that you’re nothing more than a worthless little bitch who wants me to drain him financially~”
His eyes closed tightly once more, and he shuddered without being able to shake his head. “... I… I-I can’t…”
“Ohhhhhh, yes you can~”
Sombra wasn’t too worried about Shining getting soft while he stood with his clearly-erect cock behind his hooves. But since he couldn’t exactly get out of his seat to pull the Prince’s hooves away himself, he had to resort to another round of questioning.
“Tell me, ‘Prince’ Shining Armor… Did you intend to give me all those bits on the floor?~”
“... uuhhhhh…” His head hung low in shame, and his only resistance was a brief sigh. “... m… m-maybe…”
“Yes or no, Shining: Did you intend to give me all that money?”
“... y-yes…”
“Good… And were you expecting me to taunt you for being a little bitch so willing to be extorted be me?~”
Shining hated that he was being grilled by the stallion he was meant to interrogate. But alas, that question prompted him to reluctantly say with honesty, “... y… yeah…”
“And if I did those things to you, would you still have planned to have more money for me the next time we met?”
“... m… m-most likely, yeah…”
“... Did you truly believe that I would stop asking for more money from you every single time?”
“... n… n-n-no… no I didn’t…” He had no idea what was coming over him, but Shining could feel his hooves loosening up a little as he heard those answers out-loud.
“But you would’ve kept paying me regardless, wouldn’t you?~”
“... I… I-I think so…”
“Even if you couldn’t afford it?~”
Shining let out a sharp huff, and shuddered a little while hanging his head away from that fanged smile. “... uhhhhh… p… p-possibly…”
“So tell me then… Do you want me to stop?~”
That last question prompted Shining to reopen his eyes, and stare sheepishly back at the stallion smiling so eagerly. Sombra’s eyes were pinned to the Prince’s fidgeting hooves, which were struggling to remain clasped over his crotch. Shining gulped worriedly, but he couldn’t think of escaping the room while in Sombra’s presence. The King’s eyes slowly drifted back up at Shining’s face, before he asked with a raised brow, “... well?~”
Shining winced painfully, but remained standing on his hind-legs for what felt like an eternity. But in actuality, he was only frozen for another second or two before he closed his eyes. With a long, defeated sigh that escaped his shamefully pouted muzzle, Shining Armor pulled his forelegs away to reveal his thick, throbbing erection that stood triumphantly.
“... n… n-no I don’t…”
The ebony stallionhood was pointed right at Sombra’s elated grin, with the flared cockhead seeping a thick glob of precum at the very tip. Sombra let out a low and sinister chuckle, which made Shining quiver on his rear hooves with his knees buckling. But before he could think to stand back on all fours, his ears twitched when he heard Sombra’s domineering voice.
“Now then… from now on, there’s going to be some big changes. Do you understand, Shining?~”
With a hoarse and painful exhale, Shining finally dropped back down to a quadripedic stance. His head was hung low in blushing shame, but he wasn’t able to ignore the meaty slaps of his cock against the underside of his barrel. “... y… y-yes, Sombra.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Shining feebly pulled his head up, and saw the insistent glare that Sombra was shooting him. “Say it!”
Shining sighed softly, and nodded his head in compliance. “Y… Yes, Sir.”
“That’s better.” Sombra smiled at him more naturally, and admired his defeated state while chained to his seat. “Now, tell me how much money is in that bag~”
Shining closed his eyes to take a breath, and then confessed truthfully, “T… Two thousand bits…”
“A’hem!”
“T-Two thousand bits, Sir!”
“Ooh, that’s a lot more than last time…” Sombra grinned even wider while staring the shameful stallion down. “Were you hoping I’d make you give me all of it?~”
Shining wanted to clarify that he hoped to only give him fifteen hundred this time around. Unfortunately, as soon as that detail came to his head, he cringed internally from how easily he was able to justify that amount of money for a fiend like him. Not to mention, his cock was throbbing especially hard from such a question, which prompted him to give a solemn nod. “I… I think I was… Oh goddess…”
Shining exhaled sharply with a look of disgust, but his eyes remained closed to avoid Sombra’s malicious smile. “Well, today is your lucky day. Because you’re putting ALL of it in my account as soon as you leave this room~”
“Nnnffff…” Shining groaned with his bottom lip bitten, and felt a thick glob of precum shoot out of his cock and splatter on the floor. After quivering with a deep, shuddering breath, all he could do was nod his head like a little bitch. “Y… Yes, Sir…”
“In addition,” continued Sombra as he sat in his chair like it was his old Throne, “I’m expecting you to come back here tomorrow. Is that clear?~”
“Nnnnghhhh…” Shining trembled even harder, and struggled not to shoot his load while his cock remained untouched. The idea of coming back so soon felt unbelievably risky, especially since he just gave Sombra two thousand of his own bits like it was nothing. However, the little cash-cow merely nodded a second time to Sombra’s command. “... y-yes, Sir…”
“And before you leave this room…”
Shining whimpered as he stared back at Sombra, who was grinning smugly in his restraints. Even though he had no actual power over Shining Armor, he motioned his head downward and said, “If you want me to absolutely drain you, I expect you to bow at my hooves~”
Shining had no idea what came over him, but he let out a brief moan before rushing around the table. Since he already admitted to wanting to submit to Sombra financially, there was no reason for him to hold back now. Shining couldn’t have been more grateful for the room not having any surveillance, as he was able to willingly lower his head and bow at Sombra’s chained hooves.
“BEG~”
Shining winced as he took a deep breath, before allowing himself to fully give in. “P… P-Please! Please, Sir!”
“Please, what?~”
The “Prince” let out a shaky exhale, and he spurted even more precum across the floor. “P… P-Please drain me, Sir! I… I’m begging you to t… t-take even more!!~”
“How much more?~”
“Nnnnfffff!!! I… I-I don’t care!! N… Name your price!!~”
Shining had no idea how he was able to submit so eagerly for this fiend, especially when it was guaranteeing him financial ruin. But alas, he wasn’t able to stop himself when he heard Sombra’s booming voice. “Well then… No matter what number I say, I expect you to say ‘Higher’~”
“Nnnnfffffff!!!~ Y… Y-Yes, Sir!!”
The cash-cow’s eagerness made Sombra smile like a spoiled kid in a toy shop. “Good… Now, since you already paid me two thousand, how does… two thousand five hundred sound for tomorrow?~”
Shining shuddered from such a high amount being mentioned, but he felt compelled to cry out while bowing, “H… H-HIGHER!!”
“Oooohhhh… Maybe three thousand then?~”
“Nnnnghhh!! H… H-HIGHER!!~”
“Oh, how generous of you, Shining… Well, if you insist, I’ll ask for four thousand bits~”
“Nnnnffffff…” Shining tried not to tear up at such a high number, since he was already reaching close to what was in his checking account. Less than a thousand more, and he would have to dip into other funds to sate Sombra’s greed. However, he had more than enough in his savings to make him squirm when he cried out, “H-HIGHER, PLEASE!!”
“Mmmmmmmm… That’s what I like to hear~” Sombra took a deep breath, and stared down at Shining’s prone form like he was one of his personal slaves. Of course, considering what he got him to admit about himself, Shining Armor basically was by that point. “If that’s what you wish… Stand back up~”
Shining took a heavy breath, before slowly lifting himself back up. His expression was unbelievably fearful and timid, like a newbie recruit who just joined the Cadet Guards with zero experience. He looked nothing like the triumphant Prince who was highly respected outside the castle. Instead, all that Sombra saw was his own personal piggy bank he was eager to bleed absolutely dry.
“You don’t have to say ‘higher’ anymore, Shining Armor… Come this time tomorrow, you’ll be here with five thousand bits in that bag over there. After that payment, I’m ordering you to plead to the Princesses to let me out and roam the castle freely. Do. You. Understand?~”
Shining took a moment to close his eyes, and sighed before nodding to his money-pit. “Y-Yes, Sir… F… F-Five thousand it is…”
Shining then lit up his horn, and floated up the massive bag of bits before trotting towards the door. He shuddered at the idea of withdrawing so much cash at once, which would undoubtedly raise some alarm bells at the bank. But at the same time, his cock remained unbelievably hard as he went to turn the knob. Just as he opened the door, he froze when he heard Sombra say, “Oh, and Shining…”
The Prince looked back at his grinning King, who stared him down and proclaimed, “Who’s my little cash-cow?~”
Shining shivered with a deep blush, and felt himself nearly jizz on the spot when he said in response, “... Mooooo?~”
“Good boy…” Sombra narrowed his eyes on him and said with a sadistic hiss, “Now it’s six thousand~”
“NNNNFFFFFF!!!” Shining clenched his eyes shut, and his cock erupted to shoot several strings of his thick, sticky load all over the floor. The stallion moaned out uncontrollably, with his voice echoing down both ends of the empty hallway. He was fortunate that nopony except Sombra heard him cumming from such a drastic price increase. But even after spending a good thirty seconds shooting all over the floor, which left him a quivering wreck with Sombra’s money nearly falling from his aura, Shining was able to breathe out tiredly before smiling back at his new Money-Dom.
“Th… T-Thank you, Sir~”
With that, the newly-realized Fin-Sub closed the door behind him, and shivered fearfully as he trotted down the hall with his giant bag of bits jungling with every step…
Author's Note
Just as a quick reminder, I have an Official Patreon Page for all my upcoming projects and stories. I'm also planning to move across the country with my boyfriend in a month, so any and all donations to my Paypal would help us out immensely.
