//------------------------------// // A World in Gray // Story: Sombra's Redemption // by Orion97 //------------------------------// Life is never simple, but perhaps that is for the best. There is rarely any moral black and white either, just a large gray area. We too often deceive ourselves into thinking that this is false. In war we paint the enemy as monsters, cold people bent on hurting us and our families. The cold truth few stop to think about is that the enemy is usually just like them, mothers and fathers looking after their young and children playing outside in a warm afternoon. Their troops of often similar too, primarily young boys and girls either scared to death or too eager to know any better. Yet for all of this we had fought an army of undead, beings who literally felt no pain, no remorse and were empty in both senses of the word. So why did it feel like something was wrong? "Rune! Do you know where Sombra went, did he say where he was going?" Midnight asked as he barged into the tent. "He's been missing for a while and no one has been able to find him." He told her, the worry in his voice growing. "Oh, hey there romeo..." Rune smiled while Midnight just seemed confused. "W-what?" "Nothing." Her expression turned neutral. "I'm not sure where he is now, he said he was gonna look for Thunder Clap and Serenity." Rune sighed before laying her head back down. "Thanks, sleep well." Midnight said as he dashed out of the tent and looked for Sombra once more. He flew around the areas they had all been earlier that day and saw no trace of him, though he did notice something odd about the tracks in the snow. He flew closer to investigate. The undead army left a massive trail to the city but eventually he noticed an individual set of tracks that went decidedly in the other direction. "Sombra. Damn it why didn't you tell us first..." He whispered quietly to no one. After gathering Thunder Clap and Serenity they found one of the generals and notified them of their intent to follow wherever Sombra went, in case they went missing as well. Without wasting any time the group raced to follow the fading tracks in the snow. Just outside the ancient ruins "This place still creeps me out..." I thought aloud as I approached the entrance. Cautiously, I slipped inside and looked around, I quickly saw dozens of skeletal ponies patrolling, donned in old armors and wielding spears and swords. I crept behind rocks and outcroppings while out of their sight and explored deeper into the ruins, eventually coming near a disturbingly familiar temple. This is where I found that dark tome with the blood writing. I checked my bag to make sure it was still inside, sure enough it still was, I would've sworn it seemed to glow a little, as if eager to return home. I closed the bag and peeked my head just a few more inches to get a better view until a spear clanged against the rock, just barely missing me. Quickly, I recovered and jumped away from the next spear thrust, in front of me stood a skeleton, behind him about five more skeletons and I could hear more on the way. I pried a spear from the grips of my attacker and used all my strength to bring it about and smash the spear into it, the force enough to make the skeleton collapse into a broken heap of bones. My victory was short-lived as his allies all attacked at once, I dodged out of the way and made a sweeping strike with the spear, managing to knock a few off balance and back up a few paces so I had more room to work. Unfortunately, reinforcements were arriving and I found myself surrounded before long. The spear's reach at least allowed me to force them back but every second they still managed to close the distance and I was running out of options... Meanwhile in Alsia's chambers "A year ago, not long after my mommy became a general, her and daddy left each other...something about the job being the only thing she had time for. Things were harder after that but she still tried her-" Autumn continued to tell Alsia about her family when the loud clang of metal rang through the halls, interrupting her story. "What was that!?" She nearly shrieked. "I do not know. Stay here, I won't be gone long." Alsia said briefly, rushing out of the room to the growing sounds of fighting. The clashing of metal and occasional grunt or shout led her straight to the source. Her undead soldiers surrounded a gray unicorn, Sombra, and the circle was shrinking, he was too busy at the moment to even see her. Briefly amazed at how he had arrived here she knew she couldn't let him die, both out of her own interest and the fact that her master wanted him alive. Using her magic she picked up a sturdy rock with her magic and approached the side of the circle he was paying the least attention to. Just before he moved to whip the spear around Alsia hit him in the back of the neck with the rock. Hard. The blow quickly dropped Sombra to the ground, unconscious. Without a wasted second she directed the guards away and to resume their patrols, telling them that he was important and must be kept alive. They didn't bother to speak unless it was absolutely necessary but they could understand speech and follow orders. Alsia picked him up and threw him on her back and carried him to an empty room down the hall from her own chambers, an old room that once housed important meeting for some sort of ancient counsel. Quietly, she picked him off her back and pressed him against the wall, then using her magic, created resilient bonds that restrained him. Sombra wouldn't be out for long. In the counsel chamber "Ugh...what happened..." I breathed as my eyes just began to open, the last thing I remembered was being surrounded and then something hit me right in the neck. The first thing I saw when my eyes opened was the dark mare that stabbed Rune. "You!" I shouted while I struggled to reach her, just realizing I was bound to the wall and helpless. "For your sake, you may want to keep it down." She stated calmly. Not wanting to provoke her form such a vulnerable position, I did as she said. "Who are you and what do you want?" I spat out while I tried in vain to escape the restraints. "I am Alsia, you should not have come here, Sombra. My master wants you alive and you wandered in here as if you wanted to be captured." "Your...master? What does he want me for? Why should I trust you anyway? You haunted my every nightmare, you attacked the Crystal Empire, you injured Rune, need I say more?" I said bitterly. Before Alsia could respond a small voice asked something from behind her. "Alsia? Is that true...you hurt all those people and did those things?" The young filly asked, with a disappointed tone in her voice. Confused at the sight of the filly and fearful for her I shouted. "Run! Get out of here quickly! Move!" She didn't listen but was obviously shaken and looked at the mare next to her fearfully. "Autumn! I told you to stay there!" Alsia scolded her almost like a mother would. "And you told me you didn't know what was going on! I thought you were a good pony!" The filly shouted in betrayal. Before it went on any further Alsia cast some kind of spell over the whole room, it seemed like a silence spell, nothing outside of this room would hear what was going on. "Both of you, quiet. I will explain this only once. Sombra, I appeared in your nightmares to make you afraid and I do not work for my dark master out of free will...he has my family, hidden somewhere and when my work for him is complete he vowed to return them. I was little more than a puppet at first but he's allowed me more free reign as a reward for "loyal service". I just..can't do this anymore...I can't...even though he has my family...I can't live with the blood of innocents staining my hooves..." Alsia sat down as she stared at the wall blankly towards the end of her story, tears welling up in her eyes as the filly and I took in what she said and it was honestly quite shocking "I can't do it...I can't..." She whispered as she dispelled my bongs, letting me fall to the floor, free from restraint. Despite the initial urge to run, I knew I couldn't. I walked closer to Alsia until she jumped up and threw her hooves around my neck...in a hug. She sobbed and stuttered out something. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...please forgive me. I want it to end..." I was completely surprised and stunned for a moment, I expected to maybe be strangled, not hugged and begged for forgiveness. Not sure what else to say, I said the only thing that came to mind. "I forgive you, but we all need to leave. Now." I told her as she backed up and regained her composure, slightly more in control. "Autumn, right? I don't know how you got here but your mother is looking for you." At this the filly perked up noticeably. "Come on, we have to leave before those skeletons catch on to what's going on. "Alsia, I need you to lead the way, we can try to look like your prisoners but they'll probably get suspicious when we're near the entrance, we'll need to make a break for it once we're there." "Okay...just get behind me." Alsia said as she tried to dry the last of her tears. Following true to the plan, Alsia led the way forward, we caught a few glances from the skeletons but they ignored us until we came near the exit to the outside world. Then they seemed to catch on and approach. Like thieves caught in the act, we bolted. We made it out of the temple but the skeletons weren't far behind. Even so, we ran and ran as fast as we could, a couple dozen of them just a short distance behind us, surging forward like rabid dogs. Then just behind us I heard a loud boom, looking back it seemed to be a magic blast. In front of us I saw Thunder Clap, Serenity and Midnight all run past us. "That's 30!" Serenity shouted with glee as she dispatched another skeleton. "32!" Thunder Clap roared as he rammed into a pair of skeleton, the sheer force breaking them apart and flinging the bones far away. I continued to lead Alsia and Autumn forward while my friends saved us from our uncertain fate. Meanwhile Serenity projected a large bubble-like shield around them and continually shrank it, straining as she did so. The skeletons within ceaselessly bashed and threw themselves against the shield in an effort to break it. Soon cracks began to appear and Serenity looked ready to collapse. Soon the bubble shrank to the size of a boulder, then it slowly shrank to the size of a marble and it dissipated, leaving only dust to fall to the ground. With the skeletons gone there was no need to run any further. Once there was no more danger my friends approached us, focusing especially on Alsia. Serenity was the first to speak. "Sombra...who are they?" She asked, looking over the nervous filly and the silent mare beside her. "This is Alsia, she helped us escape. Next to her is Autumn Song, General Crimson Spark's daughter." I'll explain more but we really should head back to the city first." Despite having more questions already in mind they reluctantly kept quiet for now while he followed the trail back to The Crystal Empire. Alsia held her head low the entire time and once or twice it looked like she would just stop and collapse into the snow but marched on. It wasn't too much longer before we came within sight of the city. Just as we neared the city itself Alsia stopped and sat in the snow. "Alsia, come on, we're just about there." I told her encouragingly. "You know as well as I do that soon as we're in the city I'll be killed or we'll all be arrested. Enough guards saw me before that there wouldn't be a chance for me here." She said in a broken voice, doing her best to hide her tears. The others all exchanged suspicion glances while I walked closer to her to whisper. "Alsia, everyone can have a second chance." "I don't deserve it...and my mas...my former master, he still has my family...and if he hasn't already...I don't want to think about it..." She whispered back as tears began to stream down her cheeks and dot the snow beneath her like a tiny rainfall. "We'll figure something out, and I can explain it all to the guards if asked. You don't know if he hurt your family for certain. Come on, you can't just sit here and that's not up for debate." I told her as I picked her up and set her on her hooves. "Why are you doing this?" She asked as she stared at the ground, as if hoping it would tell her this was all a bad dream. "Because you did what you did because you had to, not because you wanted to." Thunder Clap looked at me sternly, demanding answers but I mouthed back to him silently "later." It worked for now, even if he seemed irritated for it. We continued on into the city, by now the guards had cleared up the worst of the battle's aftermath but it would obviously take much longer to clear everything, the odd skeleton or two still lingered on the ground, motionless. Ballistas still adorned rooftops and barricades still took residence at the ends of roads leading outside the city. Despite Alsia's fears, no one seemed to even pay her mind, but I would say that was more likely them just being occupied with their duties. Before we knew it we were near the generals' tents, ready to return Autumn Song to her mother. "General Crimson Spark? I need to ask you something!" I shouted while I stood next to Autumn, I couldn't help but smile at how I imagined she would react. "What!? I'm very busy!" She shouted angrily as she threw open the flaps of her tent. In an instant her expression and tone softened upon seeing her daughter safe and unharmed. "...Autumn? Is that you?" She said as she began to step closer. Upon seeing for sure that it was her General Crimson Spark ran up and scooped up her daughter and looked ready to weep tears of joy. "I'm so happy you're safe! I was so worried, never leave my side again!" "I'm sorry...I just wanted to be brave like you." The filly responded, her mother smiled and held her tighter. "It's okay dear, it's okay. I'm just glad you're safe." She said as she set her daughter back to the ground. When I looked behind myself I would have sworn I saw Alsia smile, even if it was only a little. She looked at each of us appreciatively. "Thank you, all of you, for finding her." "No problem, General Crimson Spark." I smiled, happy to have helped. "Please, just Crimson when it's only me." She told me. "Yes ma'am, and might I ask, how long until people will be coming back to the city?" "Most likely in about a week or so, we need to be absolutely certain there aren't any stragglers left in the city or hiding somewhere." She explained. "Thank you." While I finished talking to Crimson I noticed one of the guards watching whisper to a nearby officer while glaring at our group. "Guards! Apprehend them! They are harboring an enemy leader in their midst!" The officer shouted, within seconds armed guards surrounded Alsia, Thunder Clap, Midnight, Serenity and myself. "Take them to the Crystal Spire for for questioning!" Following his command they began to guide us towards the spire. I saw Crimson try to say something to stop it and figure out what was going on but another general stood in her way and told her something, but it just seemed to confuse her. Nonetheless by that time we were already out of earshot. As we marched on Thunder Clap looked ready to fly up and out of reach of the guards. "Don't even think about it if you like having wings." One of the guards threatened, despite the urge to try it or threaten back Thunder Clap thankfully swallowed his pride and marched with us. I didn't want to see him hurt. Eventually we were inside the Crystal Spire, we were forced down the halls towards the dungeon. Once we entered the dungeon the beauty of the crystalline walls beside the ugly cell bars struck me as almost purposefully ironic. On the bright side at least there would be something to look at while locked in a cell. One of the guards walked ahead of us with a ring of keys and began to unlock several of the cells in a row. "Pick a cell." Another guard commanded. Following his word, we each picked a cell and walked inside, doors closing behind as we entered. As I passed him to pick a cell he gestured for me to give him my bag. Reluctantly, I complied. "Hey, at least we have windows!" Midnight smiled, doing his best to lighten the tone. "Midnight, please shut the hell up." Serenity told him coldly "I still think I killed more of those skeleton things." Thunder Clap mused to himself. "I swear to Celestia, I am going to break your wings off and shove them up your-" She said angrily until Alsia intervened. "If we're going to be stuck in a dungeon can we at least be stuck in a quiet dungeon?" She said in a mellow tone. "Who the hell are you anyway?" Serenity barked. "You're the reason we're in here. And weren't you the one leading that army!?" "Alsia. And yes, but believe me, it wasn't by choice...and I tried to tell your friend I would be recognized." She calmly responded. "Hey! The lot of you! No talking." Our warden yelled to all of us, bringing the conversation to a dead halt. So we sat there in the quiet cells, nervous for whatever awaited the uncertain future.