Crystal Palace hallways

[King Sombra]

The Crystal Palace, under King Sombra's reign, is comparable to a maze. There are doors leading to nowhere, closets, trap-doors, trapped rooms, secret rooms, and stairs. King Sombra enjoys three things; secrets, traps, and stairs, expect all three to be prevalent in his domain. Be careful when you turn a corner or open a door.

[Correctional Forces]

[Enter from Crystal Palace Throne Room]

Stepping back out into the corridor, the pegasus stops and waits until the captain catches up while thoughtfully (or maybe thoughtlessly) scratched his chin. "So, ya delivered the letter cap'n?" He asks as sends glances through the corridors, checking for shadow guards while still keeping a look of general disinterest.

[King Sombra]

[Enter the Captain from Palace Throne Room]

"Yes." the Captain responds simply, trotting out and glancing around himself, his snake sliding off his neck and slithering down the hallway. He studied the pegasus's expression carefully before speaking again.

"You said we had a lot of 'shit' to do. Go ahead and remind me... and next time you curse like a sailor in front of royalty, I'll rip that tongue out. Makes us look bad." he states firmly, clenching his teeth slightly before raising a hoof and running it through his mane.

[Correctional Forces]

The pegasus blinks slowly at the captain before his bored expression springs out into a grin (of the most shit-eating sort) and lets out a snicker as he trotted on ahead. "Well well well, looks like mister capitan has grown himself a nice set of balls eh? Hah, oh you crack me up." He says, clearly amused.

"It's almost like you've forgotten who's the highest ranking of us two, eh?~" He adds and snickers again.

[King Sombra]

The captains eyes widen for a moment, before he hardens his features again, "Maybe I should kill you and usurp your rank, eh?" He suggests, glancing back towards the throne room, "Or I could report you to the Queen. I'm sure she'd love to hear how you're making her look bad in front of the king." He threatens, stiffening his neck and looking the Pegasus over as he follows behind.

"I ask again: what 'shit' is on the agenda today?" He asks, attempting to change the subject.

[Correctional Forces]

The stallion chuckles quietly and suddenly, stops, quickly spinning around to face the other "guard", his grin turning more unsettling by the minute. "Come on now shadow king, I thought we were on the same side here." He says, descending into a snicker yet again.

[King Sombra]

Knowing that his cover was blown, King Sombra let the illusion spell fade and he grabbed the insufferable stallion by the throat. He got on his back two hooves and slammed him into a wall with a shocking amount of force.

"There are no sides!" King Sombra snarls, furious, "There's only my side, and death." Sombra says before pulling his free hoof back as if to smash the stallion's snout in.

"You're going to play along, otherwise I will slice open your soft pony-flesh until you tell me everything - and like your Queen's minions - I will take your form and do with it what I will." he threatens, his eyes narrowed and his snout twisted with unadulterated anger.

[Correctional Forces]

There is a sharp sound of bones breaking as the stallion was smashed into the wall and most of his body seemed to grow limp as he was being held in Sombras hooves. But still he grinned. In fact, as blood started to spill out of his mouth, the broken bones must have punctuated something, he snickered. The eyes that were looking back at the kings were growing less and less sane for every second. "O-Oh, kin-g sombre... you're killing m-e~" He says, his voice weak, before continuing his incessant giggling.

[King Sombra]

King Sombra growled and let go of the stallion; allowing him to fall to the floor. He took a breath and regained his calm, the insanity in the stallion's eyes brought King Sombra back to his senses.

"This isn't right." King Sombra said to himself, then looked down the hall, "You're not right. This is a trick of some sort by the Queen." he continues, before whistling two times loudly. Within moments, two Shadow Guard trotted down the hall towards Sombra in unison, both wearing the face-covering helmets and both with black voids for eyes. Once they reached Sombra, they both saluted at the same time.

"We're taking this one to the Torture Dungeon. Make sure a doctor is present to keep him alive." Sombra ordered. One Shadow Guard easily and carefully picked up the bleeding and broken stallion, whilst another trotted back down the hallway in search of a doctor.

King Sombra trotted around and looked the insane stallion in the eyes, "Even the broken have a breaking point. You're going to tell me everything you know on the Queen, everything about yourself, and then you will beg for the sweet mercy of death."

[Correctional Forces]

The stallion continued to wheeze out giggles as he was picked up by the shadow guard, his eyes empty and his grin twitchy. As the king starts to talk with him however, something seems to spark in him, as his eyes are at once filled with mad glee. "Heeh... heeh... I'm sor-ry kingsly but Imma have to dec-line." He says, letting out a last snicker before biting down on something. His body immediately starts to descend into violant spasms and his face was quickly starting to take a more purple hue.

[King Sombra]

"Hmn?" Sombra hummed at the stallion's response, however he quickly realized what was happening and cursed loudly. He commanded the Shadow Guard to set the dying stallion on the ground and he took a step back himself.

King Sombra closed his eyes and focused. Then, his armor fell right off him, along with the cape and his crown. His body started to shimmer, and soon he lost all form entirely. Now King Sombra was in his Shadow Form; a black mass with eyes, a horn, and a mouth. He was completely malleable in this form, and so he shrank his head and jammed it down the stallions throat.

He would force out any blockage in the throat with his horn, then push himself all the way down his throat into his stomach where he would cause irritation using his magic. He then pulled himself out and watched as the stallion should hopefully vomit out the poison.

[Correctional Forces]

The stallion continued to spasm as the shadowy formed entered him (hue), though if it was because of the poison or the sensation of swallowing the kings shadowy form was impossible to tell. What the king would notice when inside the "belly of the beast", was that something wasn't right. It would be very hard to pinpoint what exactly was wrong with him but it was like there was something missing in him... or maybe that there was something that shouldn't be there.

When the shadow king was well back outside, the stallion lay on the floor in convulsions for a few moment before vomiting up a mix of blood, gall and poison onto the crystalline floor, a foul, rotten stench filling the air. He then lay there, earily still, his ribcage rising and lowering only the slightest as his life seemed to slowly drain from him. And still he smiled.

[King Sombra]

"This isn't a normal pony.. egh-" King Sombra stated before looking away and raising a hoof to his snout. He felt strange being totally naked, and quickly started to put his armor back on, being sure to not be near the mess on the floor.

"Get a janitor to clean all this up... and have the doctor examine this -- thing. I want to know what the Queen brought into my castle, and I want to know now." He snarled, slipping on his cape and finally his crown. He got up and shook his head to be sure no vomit was in his mane.

Sombra leaned in close to the dying pony's face and glared at him, "Whatever you've been sent here to do -- know that you've failed."

[Correctional Forces]

The dying stallion lay still for a moment before a lone, sickly eye rolled to meet the kings glare. And in spite of what Sombra said, there only was joy, a sick joy maybe, but joy nonetheless, to be found in his gaze. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but there only came a shallow sigh as he was far too weak for even words. Moments later, a final shudder would go through him and he'd be still, wearing his twisted grin as he went to the afterlife.

[King Sombra]

A scowl formed on King Sombra's snout at the sight of the creature dying. He got up and batted a hoof at the Shadow-Legion-Guard. With this one dead, his schedule quickly went back to being empty, only now he had an aggravating mystery brought on by the queens men.

"Find anypony who was associated with this one and imprison them in the torture dungeon. Bag their heads and bind their hooves. I'll be in the throne-room -- doing kingly things. Notify me once this is done. And get an autopsy done on this one as well." King Sombra commanded, turning back and going back to his quiet throne room.

[Deleted]

King Sombra would feel a ping in his mind, then feel the compulsion to look up. Something was wrong; a Shadow Guard had activated his 'Alert Crystal', and needed the King himself to assist.

[King Sombra]

Stopping in his tracks and looking up, King Sombra focused his mind, and knew that whoever needed the assistance of a King was in the torture chambers. Perhaps there was a pony he ordered to be tortured, and now they feel talkative? Or maybe they caught a changling spy! King Sombra grinned for only a moment, hoping it was the ladder. Queen Chrysalis was pushing him a lot today with her snake-leaving officers and strange not-full-pony ones; if she added a Changling to all this, it could be an act of war! How fun!

King Sombra was sure to mask his amusement as he took the broken piece of black-crystal out from his gorget and focused his magic into it. The crystal grew, and within moments he would have a vicious, sharp war-hammer in his grasp. He levitated it alongside him as he trotted to the stairs, humming an old toon as he went, swinging the mace around like an umbrella.

[Exit King Sombra to Torture Chambers]

[King Sombra]

[Enter King Sombra from his Throne Room]

As he entered his throne room he noticed his sets of soldiers lining the hallway, let it never be said his droll army wasn't always on the ready for an attack. Though he just wished a few of them would speak freely once in a few moons. It was dreadfully boring to be around them at all times without such as a peep, without a direct order to them. Though truth be told if they did speak so freely they could very easily find themselves without a tongue if they said something that bothered him. That said as much as he didn't like unexpected visits, he did seem to enjoy the mare of darkness's company. She was far less annoying then that pesky bug and didn't spy nearly as much.

"If you're still following me I hope you enjoy the taste of meat. I grew to love it sometime over the last couple of years, and the look of terror on the faces of the ponies while I eat it is priceless. If you aren't following me then ponies will think I'm mad for speaking to myself, which they aren't wrong but it is so very delightful being mad." He smirked casting a glance behind himself to see if she was indeed following.

After a second he laugh to himself. "Oh wait, you aren't appearing to anyone besides me anyways"

[Nightmare Moon]

[Enter Nightmare Moon from the Throne Room]

Nightmare smirked at Sombra's view of madness; he was certainly unconventional but that's what had given him the power that he now held, much like herself. She sighed lightly before releasing her hold over her bodily darkness to show her form, and to anyone watching it would appear as though she stepped out of the very air. That would remind ponies that they weren't safe, that she could walk right into their homes when she wished.

"You never cease to fascinate me, Sombra," she said. "One would think that such underhoofed tactics to ensure fear and submission were beneath you. I, for one, say...well done. Ponies need to be kept in line in all ways. As for my own preferences, I've always found the taste of fear and utter desperation to be the most delectable, but I suppose your meat may be a timely substitute. It has been decades since my last physical meal as at the time it seems the entire land was overcome with desire to smother their food with sugar. So I suppose I will accept your offer." Far from a thankful smile, she gave merely a respectful nod as they walked to convey that she was impressed with his tact.

[King Sombra]

Sombra visibly cringed a bit at the mention of the sugary foods. He couldn't stand anything sweet and he had to agree with the mare of darkness. "I would have to agree, those sugary treats as they call them are horrendously disgusting. Either way I am fortunate enough to have the best cooks in all of my empire work here. As for my tactics if it works I'm not about to change it, besides I kinda enjoy the title 'The Mad King'" Sombra smirked.

He continued down the hall closely examining his surrounds and his guards. He never knew when somepony was going to try to attack him so he always remained prepared. All of his guards were ready to attack should anything endanger the life of their beloved king.

[Nightmare Moon]

'Mad King Indeed,' she thought to herself. The stallion had certainly built a reputation for himself, and Nightmare knew that not all of it was from an image that he desired to project. But such was the way of being a ruler; there would doubtlessly always be those who couldn't or wouldn't see past a heartless dictator. Not that she herself believed him to be much more, but the truth stood firm. Regarding reputation, Nightmare Moon herself had garnered one of fear, her name being used to scare foals into behaving or "the Nightmare would take them away". As if she wanted to deal with their disgusting children.

However, for all that, she still retained her respectful calculation in the castle that Sombra had chosen to occupy, walking to the side and just behind him. Unfortunately, with witnessing his actions it didn't take long for her to let out a disdainful snort and fix him with a slightly incredulous look at the way he seemed to be very nearly jumping in his own skin. "Enough of this unwarranted anxiety; you look like a child who's hiding from their foalsitter after having done something wrong! Do you really expect that anyone would be so foolish as to attempt ill actions in this place you call your very home?"

[King Sombra]

"Truly come out and attack me?" King Sombra chuckled a bit. "No, it'd never happen. Though I do seemed to have bad luck when it comes to random ponies dropping by out of the ether. First those spies, then that prisoner, and well then you were in my throne. I seem to have ponies dropping in on me left and right." He groaned a bit at the last part, it'd be fairly obvious to any that he didn't particularly like the company of others, especially the unwelcomed ones. As they drew closer to the dining room the guards opened the door for the approaching King and the Nightmare herself.

"Ah, here we are Nightmare, after you" He smiled gesturing for her to go in before him like a normal gentlecolt would.

[Nightmare Moon]

Having heard out the stallion's explanation, Nightmare Moon had to admit that it was consistently irritating to have foolish ponies thinking that those among the level of the near-gods were approachable as any other commoner, and were it not for the way she herself mostly avoided that through a reputation of fear she would surely have the same dread of being stopped at inopportune times.

She paused for a moment when the doors were opened and she heard Sombra’s offer, her mind instantly on guard and wary of a trap. After a silent beat she realized that this was his attempt at...manners. He was actually attempting to be polite. "...thank...you." The words came out forced, as if they had been forgotten over the long years and left a bad taste in her mouth upon their exit. Before she could be tricked into anything more humiliating she stepped past him into the dining room, unhappy that such words had come forth by her own free will.

[Exit Nightmare Moon and Sombra to the dining room]