//------------------------------//
// Chapter II - Set In Motion 
// Story: Redemption 
// by The Pony of Lost Legend 
//------------------------------//

Twilight’s peaceful sleep is broken by a curt knock at the castle doors. Startled at first, the purple princess finally snaps back into realization and races to open the door with her magic. Artemis steps in first.

“We have done as you have ordered successfully, my princess,” he says. Twilight takes note to his coat, matted with blood, and his eyes. He hides it well, but looking closer, Twilight catches the heavy pain in his eyes. 

“Excellent,” she replies. “After you have brought him to me, I have one last order for the evening.” He stands at attention, obediently listening. 

“And what would that be, my princess?” he asks softly. Her eyes rest on his softly.

“I want you and the rest of the fleet that retrieved him to be medically treated and sent to bed immediately,” she says sternly. Artemis looks as though he is going to argue, but with a wince of pain, he nods. 

“Yes, my princess,” he says, bowing lightly. “Midnight, Jack, bring him in!” he calls back. Obeying their general, two taller stallions come in, the chained stallion dragged after them. 

“Oy, this one wasn’t easy, I tell ya, lass.” Jack, the dark blue pegasus, chuckles. In both of their eyes, pain clouded them just like Artemis, showing they had both loyally stayed with him. Twilight dips her head.

“Thank you dearly, now get the attention and rest you need,” she says softly. Setting down the chains hesitantly, they give each other a look of concern before leaving, Twilight and the tyrant being the only ones left. He is looking at her, his red eyes burning into her soft lavender ones. His fur also is matted with blood, a deep leg wound showing he no doubt gave her troops a hard time. Twilight clears her throat and swallows the nervous thundering of her heart in her chest. 

“Sombra,” she says softly. He remains silent for a moment, his expression giving her nothing to go off of. He soon speaks, but his tone is so bitter she wishes he wouldn’t have. 

“Twilight Sparkle,” Sombra hisses deeply, “or shall I say Celestia’s puppet?” Twilight grits her teeth. 

“You have been brought here under my orders, and you will be kept here until further notice,” she informs, stung by his rude comment. 

“As if that wasn’t clear to me.” He sneers. “You are just like her, having your puppets do all the dirty work while you sit up high and watch them die,” he adds, his eyes narrowing. Twilight’s ear gives a twitch. 

“My puppets you say?” she asks, and eyebrow raised. “Just like who, Princess Celestia?” She began to walk closer, her eyes sharp, keeping her nerves under control. “I’m sorry for remaining loyal to my ideals.” He cackles softly under his breath.

“Or so you think,” he hisses. “I cannot however say you are quite as bad as Celestia, for at least you face me.”

“You forget this is the second time I've done so, Sombra,” Twilight corrects softly. “Face to face maybe not, but under Celestia’s orders, my friends and I traveled to the Empire and defeated you no sooner after you set hoof inside its borders.” He growls softly.

“Once again, you mention it to be under Celestia’s orders,” he says, trying to gain the upper hoof. “Would you have acted the same if you knew nothing of her order? Or perhaps your own selfish desire to keep your kin safe?” 

“I would have acted no different, even if the princess had not ordered it to be so or my brother and sister-in-law were not there,” she states boldly. “My duty as a citizen of Equestria is to do the best I can to keep it safe from tyrants like yourself.” He grits his teeth, about to speak again, Twilight cutting him off before he was able to. “Now your wounds must be taken care of.”

He growls, moving backward as best he can, the chains and pain in his leg making it hard. “Stay away, I’d rather die than to have your filthy hooves touch me!” Sombra hisses. Twilight smiles softly. 

“If afraid I can’t allow that, Sombra.” She lights her horn and with a flash of light, he wobbles before dropping to the floor in a deep sleep. Smile fading, she walks forward to look at the wound better. Being alone in the vast castle, she would have to take care of his wounds as best she could. 

It was deep enough in which it would need a lengthy time to heal but wasn’t fatal. He would walk just fine again in the future. Her eyes move from his leg to his face for a few long moments, the dark stallion’s breathing soft and relaxed. Twilight sighs softly, he wasn’t so scary without his deep red eyes, in fact he seemed rather gentle almost. 

Even in that moment, her heart raced quickly, slamming in her chest so loudly that it rung in her ears. Her only fear being that the spell would break and he would slay her before she managed to do as she had planned. 

Twilight sets to work quickly, setting his injured leg closer to her, she manages to clean the wound quickly. 

================================<*>=================================

Waking up sharply, Sombra finds himself gagged by the neck and pulled back down against a soft surface. Scanning his surroundings he finds the source, a thick, heavy chain trapping his throat enough to keep him in place. Looking down, he pushes his hooves down to feel the soft surface of a mattress. 

Finally, he remembers where he is and snaps his attention to his leg. Bandaged up neatly, he could tell that the purple annoyance had gotten her way with him. Sombra growls under his breath, cursing the fact of how weak he had been to fall under her magic. Her troops had weakened him more than he had realized. Sombra grits his teeth for a moment, swearing he would have that blue pegisi’s head to dress his wall.  

He reaches his hooves up to feel the cool metal that irritated his throat, messing up his fur. Trapped like an animal, he lays back and looks to the ceiling, his thoughts racing. Sombra had no doubt he would go mad if he didn’t think of a way to break free of this wretched place. It reeked of her, the purple alicorn that had brought him to his demise the first time, no doubt planning to do the same now. 

If she thought he believed that her intentions were kind, she was mistaken. Through learning the hard way, Sombra knew well not to trust any-pony. His thoughts were cut off as the door opened, he expected the little princess, instead of her however was her guard dog. 

He lifts his head, dragging himself into a sitting position so that he wasn’t so vulnerable. The tall stallion had stopped in front of the door he had closed. Sombra took a closer look, recognizing him from the fleet that had brought him to this place. 

“Come to kill me already?” Sombra snorts in a low growl. However, the stallion stays silent, walking closer slowly. Sombra moves as best he can to get away from him. 

“Calm yourself, my princess would have my head if I killed you,” He says softly, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “In all honesty, I’m not supposed to be here, so I’m disobeying orders just to talk with you.”

“Why disobey the little princesses orders?” Sombra snarls bitterly, no matter how much he distasted the princess, he loathed nothing more than disobedience. 

“You could say I’m here to--hm how to put it--threaten you,” He says, moving even closer to Sombra, his gold eyes never breaking their lock on Sombra’s red ones. “Call it funny, call me nothing more than a low peasant,” He begins lowly. “But no sooner than you leave even a paper-cut sized on her, i’ll have your head.”

Sombra laughs darkly. “Oh please! As if you are any threat to me--”

“You forget, you are without your magic, you don’t know this place as well as I, and let’s face it, your ego would trip you so much it would be rather easy,” He hums. Sombra’s words remained in his throat, not leaving there. 

The peasant was right about two of those things, he was powerless and didn’t know the terrain well enough to not have magic. He curses bitterly. 
“Now, enjoy your stay,” the dark blue stallion was already halfway out the door, ”tyrant.” With that, he closes the door, leaving Sombra alone once more. 

“Wretched ponies…,” he mutters under his breath, “as if I’m not suffering enough by just being here!” Sombra rubs his hooves to his cheeks with a groan, wanting nothing more than to rid of this hell hole. Even on the way here, he knew this was his soon to be fate, he wanted nothing more than to take those stallions’ heads and break free. 

After thousands of years of planning, thousands of years of waiting, he had failed yet again. He would have to stall, keep the purple annoyance happy until she thought him reformed enough to leave, then he would have her head. He purrs at the idea of her surprised scream hitting his ears.

But in turn, he knew he would have to work for it now. It may take days, months even, but he would make the foolish mare trust him, by then, maybe his leg would be healed enough to fight. Sombra huffs softly, he would begin as soon as he saw her next, whenever that may be.

=================================<*>=================================

Twilight was in her study, a book in hoof and a stack of books beside her. Her ears remained perked, waiting for any sign that the former dark king had woken, he spell to make him rest broke over an hour ago. It made her uneasy, perhaps he had escaped? Just the thought made her grit her teeth as she stood up. 

Walking to the door, she opens it and quickly makes her way down the hall. Resting her hoof against the cold wood of the guest room door, she shudders deeply. On the other side of the door rested her greatest challenge yet, chained and moody. She snorts softly to herself, yes, she had expected him to be upset, pissed even, but moody? It was unbelievable to her. 

Finally resting her nerves, she pushes the door open and sigh in relief as she sees him still there. Her relief was shattered however as it fades into a state of puzzlement. Sombra was sitting on the side of the bed, strands of his mane covering his eyes. He was just sitting there, eyes closed and slumped over, the chain rested over his outer thigh. 

Twilight clears her throat, letting him know she was there. He opens an eye and looks to her. 

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he hums softly. Twilight was taken aback, he seemed like a completely different stallion than before. Could he really have changed so much in a few hours? Twilight doubted it. “Thank you for taking care of my wounds dear.”

“O-Of course…,” she narrows her eyes,”Are you...alright?” Twilight had only meant to ask that question in her head, but somehow it managed to slip out. 

“Other than the irritating chains around my throat and the pain in my leg, yes,” Sombra looks to her, the sudden eye contact making her nervous again. Twilight frowns softly, knowing this was more than likely a hoax and that he was just going to try and make it seem like he was to pity. She wasn’t going to fall for that, nonetheless, she would play alone, maybe get a few answers. 

“Would you like me to fetch you some water or anything?” she asks softly, keeping in mind she was a host, no matter who it was. 

“That would be appreciated if you would,” He hums. Twilight nods and walks out again, shutting the door and walking back down the hall. 

Sombra was up to something...but what?