//------------------------------// // Tears and Terrors // Story: Sombra's Redemption // by Orion97 //------------------------------// In everyone's lives there comes a moment when time seems to freeze, you are perfectly aware of everything and can see all the events unfold before your eyes yet you are paralyzed and unable to do anything. This was such a moment, and unfortunately it was far from my last. I paused as I listened for anymore sounds from Thunder Clap's room. In an instant I was on my hooves and threw open the door to his room, desperately hoping for something that was other than the cold truth I feared. I cast my gaze over to Thunder Clap, hoping he was actually alive and well. He still laid still and motionless in bed...then I saw his chest rise and fall back down. "S-Sombra...I..." Thunder Clap breathed quietly as he raised his hoof a few inches. I rushed to his side, tears welling up in my eyes as sobbed at his bedside. Serenity walked in calmly behind me, tears were visible in her eyes even if she tried to hide it. "Hey now...can't get rid of me that easily..." He smiled weakly. I couldn't help but a slight chuckle, technically he died and here he was already cracking jokes. "No we can't, and you knew I wouldn't abandon you, old friend." I smiled to him. "I know." "So what do you remember?" Serenity asked. Thunder Clap looked at the ceiling as if the answer were bound to fall from it. "I remember getting struck by lightning, it got dark very, very fast but I remember feeling like I was falling and then I slowed down, then I was out." "That would be Midnight Hope catching you, he's in the next room, got a little hurt but he's fine." I told him, not wanting him to worry. "I'll have to thank him when I see him, so what did the doctors do to me and...no one gave me mouth to mouth right? Mares I'll forgive but-" Thunder Clap said before Serenity cut him off, I couldn't help but laugh but Serenity wore a serious look on her face with what she told him next. "The doctors didn't do much, you were brought here and they checked you over, they didn't find a pulse, the lightning stopped your heart. For a little while you were legally dead." She told him calmly. "If they didn't fix me...then how am I alive right now?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Before I could tell him not to worry, Serenity answered his question. "Sombra...he used the black magic from the tome to save your life. The important thing is you're both okay." Thunder Clap's expression instantly grew colder. "You promised to never use it again..." "I know but it was to save y-" "Yes and it could have killed you just as well! Believe me I am very happy and grateful to be alive, but I wouldn't want to risk the life of my best friend for it." He said with a mixture of concern and gratitude. "Sorry, I just, we need you, buds for life right?" I said trying to smile "Right, and for what it's worth, thank you so much for what you did. I shouldn't get upset about you saving me, especially when I would have done the exact same thing." Thunder Clap sat up slightly and hugged me gently until a sting of pain forced him to lay back down. "You're alive but I don't think you're ready to leave the hospital, Midnight Hope is just next door and should be able to come in and talk with you. Don't worry about the Thunderbolts, I'll go in and talk to the instructor, I'm sure he'll take this all into consideration, especially with you two having been so close to graduation. "Ha, if they say we have to do all that over again you can go ahead and let me die, I will not be going through that course again." Thunder Clap said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll understand." I reassured him. "Got hit by lightning, I sure hope they do!" He laughed. Serenity walked a little closer to him as she began to speak. "Thunder Clap you know that storm cloud didn't go off on its own...Ice Mist hit it, I think we should consider pressing charges, if not for Sombra you'd be dead..." she said soberly. "No! Sorry, I mean no, please don't bring any of this down on her, if she did do it I know she wouldn't do it on purpose, she probably regrets it either way, I would like to talk to her though." Thunder Clap said with concern. "Could you ask her to see me though? I would like to talk to her about it." "Will do." Serenity smiled gently. "Ooh could you guys get me some zombie make-up and stuff? I wanna prank the doctors." Thunder Clap smiled mischievously. "Now that's a little cruel...plus I don't know where to find any unfortunately." I said trying to humor him while Serenity simply sighed loudly. After chatting for a little while longer Thunder Clap's doctor walked in to check on us and it looked like he had seen a ghost and went from thinking he was crazy to saying it was a miracle. Shortly after that we left the hospital to talk to Thunder Clap's instructor whom was sitting solemnly outside the front of the building, after convincing him that Thunder Clap was alive and Midnight would recover soon he told us that he was very happy to hear they were okay and that they'd simply be required one more flight test after they recovered, they would graduate late though obviously. Serenity and I found Ice Mist and the rest of the Thunderbolt trainees sitting by the track, as sober looking as their instructor was. Before either of us could say a word Ice Mist looked up and flew straight to us, her eyes were rubbed read and she mumbled over some of her words. "I'm so sorry! Please I didn't mean it! I never wanted to hurt Thunder Clap, please I'm so sor-ryyy. This is all my fault..." She sobbed as she fell to her knees in front of us. "Hey now...don't worry we don't blame you, and you should go see Thunder Clap at the hospital, you'll see he's alive and well, he'd like to talk to you." I smiled as I told her, in an instant she stood up and her eyes grew huge. "H-he's...alive!? I'm so glad he's okay...are you sure he wants to see me though? He probably hates me for what I did and I never even got to tell Thunder Clap how I felt about him..." She looked at her feet as she scratched at the cloud beneath her. "Sweetie he'd be happy to see you, go see for yourself." Serenity said soothingly. "Alright, I'll go see him now, I know which hospital they took him to." With that Ice Mist flew off to the hospital at a quick pace, not wanting to keep Thunder Clap waiting. After telling the rest of the Thunderbolt trainees about Thunder Clap they all cheered up noticeably and thanked us for the good news before going to the barracks, they didn't have any training for that day or the next on account of what happened. After that was done Serenity and I walked back to the hotel to try and get some rest after such a stressful day, I especially felt like sleeping for a week. After finding Thunder Clap's room from the front desk Ice Mist wasted not a moment in getting to him, thankfully for her he was alone at the moment. "Thunder Clap! You are okay!" She said with relief as she walked in, pushing the door closed behind her as she walked to his bedside. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, you never deserved it, this is all my fault. I thought you were gone..." Ice Mist said as tears slowly became visible in her eyes again. "Hey, don't worry. See? I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere, don't cry." Thunder Clap spoke gently as he wrapped a hoof around her. "None of this is your fault...things just happen. I forgive you completely, cheer up." the cheerful pegasus smiled to reinforce his point. Ice Mist raised her head to look at him, he really didn't look upset with her, he actually looked relax and fairly happy, pretty unusual given the circumstances. Thunder Clap couldn't bring himself to be mad at her anyway, it was an accident and he had a pair of bright, beautiful blue eyes right in front of him begging for forgiveness. Ice Mist smiled back at Thunder Clap. "Thank you, you're a really nice pony you know that? Anyway I should leave you be, I don't want to annoy you today especially." Ice Mist turned to leave his room when Thunder Clap asked her something on the way out. "Hey um Ice Mist, after I'm out of here do you wanna...I don't know...go on a...date maybe?" Thunder Clap asked nervously. "Nevermind...it was a stupid id-" Ice Mist cut him off before he could finish. "Yes." She smiled and Thunder Clap returned one to her as well. "I live in the house 3 buildings down from the library downtown, stop by after you're well again." Ice Mist winked and walked out of his room far happier than before. Thunder Clap sat alone, almost in disbelief at what just happened but happy nonetheless. "Get struck by lightning, check. Get revived by black magic. Ask a stunning mare out on a date, check. Yep, definitely an interesting day." Thunder Clap said to himself before slowly drifting back to sleep, not much else to do in a hospital bed. Serenity and I were settled in bed and sleeping next to each other again, but I could barely sleep that night, and when I did I was assaulted with horrific nightmares, even worse was the voice that accompanied them. "Soon I shall return to the Crystal Empire and claim what is rightfully mine...and you are going to help me take it!" The dark voice hissed into my dream. I was dreaming that I was back in the Crystal Empire, in the Crystal Spire specifically. I was standing over Serenity, fallen on the floor in front of me. Her eyes were pointing blankly in front of her and she lay motionless with a small wound where her heart would be. To my right was Midnight Hope, he was encassed completely in a large black crystal, frozen in an expression of absolute horror and anger, a hoof pointed towards me accusingly. To my left was Thunder Clap, he was beaten, bruised and bloody, still barely clinging to life. He did his best to talk to me one last time. "Are you happy now...isn't this what you really wanted." He was trying to gesture to the scene outside. Black clouds swirled around the spire. Dark creatures could be seen roaming the streets, what few ponies left had either met their fate or trying to escape, not many succeeded. "I don't understand...I never wanted to hurt anyone, how did this all happen??" I begged him for an answer. He coughed up a bit of blood and coughed more as he answered. "You betrayed us all, you snake...the black magic corrupted your mind and your very soul, every time I saw you use it we lost you just a little more. Serenity refused to give up hope for you, she cared for you and gave you her heart and you killed her, you killed her, Midnight, and me. You also killed the Sombra we once knew and loved." He spat his words at me like venom, I rushed to him as his head fell back to the ground and held him up. "Should...have burned...that damn book..." Thunder Clap whispered before he went limp and he closed his eyes. A bone-chilling voice filled my ears. "You won't need them when you can be immortal, they tried to stop you and got what they rightfully deserved, a cold death." I spun around and saw nothing, yet I spoke to the air hoping the disturbing voice would hear me. "No! This isn't how it's supposed to happen! I refuse to listen to you so just go back to hell!" "Hehe, oh Sombra, but I didn't do this...you did!" "Liar! Reveal yourself so I can destroy you!" "Ah, just like I taught you, and how you demonstrated to your old friends." The voice laughed wickedly. Before it left entirely I heard a final whisper in my ears. "Don't worry...we'll meet one day, and you will become my champion!" As the words stung my ears my dream ended and I snapped awake. I was breathing heavily and looked around like a paranoid fox. My noise woke Serenity who seemed to be shocked even more than I was. "Sombra...are you okay...your eyes they're red..." She noted, after I blinked a few times she said they were normal again somehow. "Is everything okay?" She asked as she leaned closer to me. "No...the nightmares are back...and they're getting worse. Serenity...I'm terrified..." I shook as I told her, a terrible chill tore down my spine. She reached further and held me, she tried to reassure me it was all okay, that I was safe and we'd always be safe. All I wanted was to believe everything she said, to know she was right and I was worried about nothing. I tried my best to believe her, even if I didn't I at least felt somewhat safer with her right next to me. I just hoped I'd be able to protect her from everything...especially myself.