Spike had attempted to explain the Tree of Harmony to Sombra, but he had trouble doing it justice. Or at least he claimed. Though Sombra would soon see it for himself, as Spike, Lyra, and Sombra himself were currently making their way toward the tree.
Twilight and Zecora were already performing rigorous tests in Castle Twilight. Twilight always had some sort of scientific ace up her sleeve, and Zecora was a series of intertwined mysteries held together by a quilt woven from a great many enigmas. Exactly what they were up to was anyone's guess.
Hopefully by the end of their joint effort the Alicorn Amulet's secrets would be revealed, potentially contributing some as of yet unknown weakness inherit in Dootha's minions.
Spike was of course leading the charge, Lyra and Sombra following closely behind, side-by-side.
Lyra had opted to bring a machete to cut anything in their path, despite the fact that Spike had walked many a path through the woods to ease navigation for brave (or stupid) travelers. Sombra chose not to ask why Lyra owned a machete, or why it was engraved in fancy script with the name Alice. Mostly because Lyra seemed quite eager to find a use for Alice.
More than once Sombra saw her peering over bushes, trying to find a monster to agitate. Lyra's strange cravings for destructive behavior worried Sombra at times. He couldn't help but wonder whether Spike merely considered Lyra harmless or was inexplicably blind to her antics.
Eventually at around three in the afternoon, Sombra found they had arrived at a surprisingly familiar locale. New Everfree, or more specifically the long stone bridge that led to the above-ground portion of the hive-city.
Sombra was confused, up until Spike cleared reached into a line of tall shrubs nearby and parted them.
Behind the line of shrubbery, there was a large staircase leading down into the gorge. The natural overgrowth of the forest did a remarkable job hiding it, but Spike knew every inch of his hunting grounds. Spike scooped up Sombra and Lyra, and to Sombra's surprise (and Lyra's delight) raised up onto his back legs and jumped into the gorge.
Using his unoccupied left arm and left foot, Spike dug his claws into the rock wall and slowed their descent.
As soon as they slid all the way to the ground Spike imitated the 'ping' of an elevator. While Sombra was a tad cross with Spike for the scare he did chuckle a bit at the dragon's antics.
"Bottom floor. Ladies' evening wear, linens, and The Tree of Harmony." Spike joked.
Lyra and Sombra both saw a mysterious glow emanating from around a bend in the rock face of the gorge. Lyra of course stowed away Alice in a faux-leather sheath and hurriedly rounded the corner. Sombra was very interested in the tree of course, but he opted for a more leisurely pace.
It was quite likely that The Tree of Harmony wasn't going anywhere.
As soon as Spike and Sombra rounded the corner themselves, Sombra saw why Spike had failed at articulating his words into a proper description of the tree.
The Tree of Harmony seemed equal parts mineral and vegetable, crystal that grew like a plant. It was rather luminous, and the glow gave off no warmth. Whatever the tree actually was, Sombra was somewhat wary of it. It was certainly magical, and definitely powerful, but Sombra got the distinct impression it wasn't fond of him.
He wasn't sure how he knew, but Sombra was positive that the tree didn't want him around. Sombra didn't feel the need to flee, settling for continuing his observations at a distance.
There were six oddly shaped jewels on the branches and center of the tree, one of which looked like the central star of Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark. Though they were in a different shape now, Sombra knew instantly what they were. They were The Elements of Harmony that Celestia and Luna had used against him while he was being used as a puppet by Dootha.
Yet another reason Sombra chose not to get too close. If the tree was really sentient it had already tried to get rid of him once. There was nothing to say that the tree didn't use mobile agents of harmony to solve anything it considered a problem. It was a disturbing notion, especially since Spike was deeply intertwined with the lives of the last two iterations of element bearers.
Spike noticed that Sombra was extremely on edge, unable to shift his gaze away from the tree.
Spike had no idea the tree itself was doing anything to Sombra. He did however realize the elements might make Sombra a bit uneasy. Being ripped apart by something would make anyone understandably nervous when faced with it again, though most wouldn't survive the first meeting.
"Uh, Sombra? You doing okay? I might have forgot to mention the elements would be here. That's not a problem, is it? You don't have to go up to it or anything." Spike asked apologetically.
"I am reasonably well. The tree merely seems to be exerting a certain degree of... malice, specifically towards me. I believe I shall stay where I am, though I will help if things go amiss." Sombra resolved.
Spike momentarily reevaluated his opinion of the tree.
Spike had theorized it was alive, or even sentient. He had thought it was a force for good, which it very well may be. Sombra was something of a gray area as far as good and evil were concerned. Sombra himself had done no wrong, but the progenitor of all evils slept within the emptiness of where Sombra's soul was supposed to be.
I still have to do this. I don't have a choice. As long as Sombra stays back, he should be fine... Right? Spike reassured himself.
"Alright then. Just let me handle this. I don't really know what to expect." Spike told Sombra and Lyra as he began walking up to the tree.
Once Spike was face to bark with the tree he had very little idea as to how he should proceed. The Tree of Harmony was still a tree, at least in terms of shape. Interacting with it verbally seemed pointless, but Spike wasn't sure he could rule anything out.
"Uh... Tree? Tree of Harmony?" Spike shouted at the mystical arboreal.
After a full minute of silence it seemed that there wasn't going to be any sort of verbal response.
"Why don't you try touching it? It's never hurt anybody, right?" Lyra suggested.
Lyra had a point, and a valid one at that.
The Elements of Harmony seemed relatively harmless. Sombra had been stripped of his physical form, Luna had been sealed and purified, and Discord contained. Never had they outright destroyed anything. As far as Spike and the princesses were aware anyway.
It wasn't certain.
The tree was likely very old, and it was possible that there had been bearers before Celestia and Luna.
"Alright then. Unless I'm dying, let whatever happens happen. Even then, remember what's at stake." Spike instructed.
Sombra and Lyra both nodded their understanding, though they looked a bit uneasy at the idea of their mutual best friend in harms way.
Spike took a calming breath, braced himself, and then finally placed his right hand on the trunk of the tree.
For a moment nothing happened, but Spike's eyelids slowly began to grow increasingly heavy. Once they were shut, Spike's head began to droop to the point it almost hit the ground. It was as though he had fallen asleep standing up.
Suddenly, Spike's head shot up with open eyes.
Instead of the vibrant emerald colored orbs Sombra had grown fond of seeing, there was only white light in his eyes. It was a rather haunting experience to see Spike overcome by the foreign power, but just as Sombra and Lyra had began to fear for the worst, something happened.
The jewels that represented the Elements of Harmony began to shine with the same white light.
The gems began to sink into the tree's crystalline structure, causing the whole thing to light up and fill the air with tremendous pressure. Once the jewels were entirely engulfed into the tree Spike's eyes changed from white to pure green. The stylized images of the sun and moon flowed across the surface of the tree and took their places on either side of the six-pointed star in the center of it's branches.
Then came the screaming.
Spike threw back his head and roared out in pain, his tail thrashing about violently. Spike's wings flared out at his sides and glyphs and symbols appeared all over his body. The strange characters shifted and changed, and Sombra and Lyra were forced to cover their ears as a new sound joined the pained roars in the most morbid symphony of all time.
It was as if a thousand nails were scratching and scraping a thousand chalkboards. Sombra and Lyra couldn't look away from Spike as much as they wanted to, and the only part of Spike's body not thrashing about was the arm connected to the tree.
It was impossible to tell how long the terrifying spectacle lasted, but once the runes stopped changing Spike stopped moving.
The tree began to dim, but Spike began glowing green, brighter and brighter. His form was absolutely thrumming with power.
Spike blinked and his eyes regained their usual appearance. He ripped his hand from the trunk of the tree and the glowing ceased. Within a few seconds the tree recovered it's natural luminosity, sans the Elements of Harmony.
Spike's body slumped to the ground, he was obviously very tired. His body seemed to be intact, but Sombra was quite concerned. Doubly so when Spike's nostrils began to bleed slowly.
Sombra rushed to his aid, as did Lyra.
The light from the tree actually seemed to sting greatly upon contact with Sombra's fur and flesh, but he needed to be certain Spike was alright. Some minor pain was nothing to Sombra compared to Spike's safety, he was only vaguely aware of it. Using his hoof, Sombra lifted Spike's eyelid.
Thankfully Sombra saw the eye look up to meet his worried gaze.
Spike shakily lifted himself off the ground and grabbed Sombra with his tail. He placed Sombra outside the visible stretch of the tree's roots, which Sombra noticed immediately alleviated the pain.
"You were smoking. You were right about the tree. Keep away from it." Spike warned, even though he was obviously in far worse condition.
Before anything else could be said, a powerful surge of magenta magic and ozone flared and dissipated in an instant. A concerned Twilight and Zecora appeared, standing slack-jawed in surprise at Spike and The Tree of Harmony, now bare of it's fruit-like gems.
"Spike! What did you do?! The map disappeared, and my cutie mark went crazy! Are you alright?!" Twilight pleaded with her obviously ailing son.
Spike wiped the blood from his nose as best as he could, not wanting Twilight to see it.
In the time it took Spike to do so, he found Sombra, Zecora, Lyra, and his mother surrounding him. It was obvious they wished for a detailed explanation of what had just transpired. Even Sombra and Lyra had almost no idea what had actually transpired, despite being witness to it.
Spike half-coughed half-chuckled nervously, unsure how to describe the experience.
"Well... I sort of 'talked' to the tree. Yesterday I thought of this as a way to help my mana and maybe even my size problems. The tree is connected to the elements, the elements are connected to you, Mom, and I'm connected to you through the magic you used to hatch me.
"Since the tree saw fit to give me a throne in the castle too, I kinda figured I was important to it somehow. Plus it seemed to have mana to spare right after Discord's plants died off. Turns out I was right, and it knew I was coming. It helped me out, even if there were some terms." Spike began.
"So you actually did talk to it? Like, in your head?" Twilight asked, decidedly worried.
Spike raised his hand and wiggled his flattened palm in the air, a motion completely lost on his behooved companions. Spike sighed and tried to describe his experience.
"Yes and no. I was outside my body in a weird space full of colorful lights that were all parts of the tree. I think. It was a pretty trippy experience to say the least, and it didn't talk in words. It was like it was hammering me with brain-waves or something. Hard. Like it was shouting thoughts into my head.
"I'm still not a hundred percent sure what it is, but I think it's something like a living echo. Like, whatever's left of the old gods that Dootha let fade away. Whatever it is, it's apparently got foreknowledge of how every event ever might play out. It just can't act outside a small area. That's why it made the elements out of itself. Probably.
"It was expecting me, and it gave me all the help it was able. Even though it was easily the second-most painful experience of my life. The bones were the worst part. They always are." Spike continued.
"Bones?" Lyra asked.
Spike curled his lip a bit, seemingly debating telling his companions something.
"The tree wanted to keep me safe from Beznik and whoever else is on Dootha's side, at least when I'm not on the battlefront. It etched wards into my bones. All of them. They're in the language of the gods too, so nobody should know how to cancel them out. I can't be tracked magically unless I want to be, not even through scrying, or locator spells. Nobody can watch me, or spy on me while we're on mission or training, or whatever."
Everyone blanched at the thought of getting their bones carved, except for Zecora who seemed to see it as reasonable course of action.
"Okay, but what else did it do? Did it give you more mana? Is that where the elements went?" Twilight asked, wanting to get the image of Spike suffering out of her mind.
"No. It couldn't just give me mana to keep. It used all it could spare and sped up my growth rate for the next year or so. My mana pool will grow with me, but I'm gonna have to eat a lot more to keep up. My body could get seriously messed up if I don't get enough fuel while this is happening." Spike elaborated.
Sombra and Twilight both found that logic rather hard to fault. Creating mass was indeed possible through magic, but it took a large amount of mana and was quite difficult. Trying to permanently increase the mass of a living thing was nearly impossible, and dragons were notoriously hard to use spells on.
Twilight removed a pad and paper from beneath her wing and furiously began writing.
"We'll need at least a ton each of, calcium, carbon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, iridium, osmium, cobalt, platinum, and tungsten, plus as many assorted gemstones as we can get our hooves on. That should supplement your diet enough to ensure your bone density and scale strength stay at acceptable levels. You'll need to up your meat consumption levels as well, but I'll leave that to you." Twilight listed off.
"Uh... Okay? How is it you know what my bones are made of? I don't even know that." Spike asked, vaguely concerned.
"Mothers should know how to take care of their babies, Son. Even if those babies happen to be multi-ton dragons that have magical destinies and belong to the oldest bloodline in the world." Twilight stated factually.
"That didn't answer my question at all." Spike pointed out.
"Shush. I'm trying to estimate your new daily caloric intake."
Spike decided to leave the topic alone, thinking it was likely better he didn't know the answer. For the time being he was tired, and he would need to start eating almost non-stop. That meant hunting much more frequently, or moving up to bigger game.
"What did the tree ask of you? You mentioned something about drawbacks?" Sombra reminded Spike, having heard the dragon muttering.
Spike sighed and motioned for Sombra to wait as he slowly rose from the ground and stretched, still a bit out of sorts. After briefly rubbing his aching neck, Spike used his hand to direct everyone's attention to his chest. Everyone had as of yet failed to notice that Spike had what appeared to be a minor cosmetic change.
There was an electric-green representation of Twilight's cutie mark's six-pointed star emblazoned over the point Spike's neck and body met.
"I owe the Tree of Harmony a solid. It gave me everything it could spare without withering away. I'm essentially it's errand boy for the next few thousand years while it recharges. When something that could upset the balance of harmony pops up, I go stop it. This star is basically my map-beacon. I beat up monsters, while Mom and the girls solve friendship problems.
"Plus, whenever the tree can manage it, it plans on spawning new focusing jewels for the elements. When it can do it, it'll be up to me to pick out a new set of bearers. I'll have plenty of time to prepare though, so it's cool though. Might even help the whole 'make dragons and other people friends' thing I'm gonna be doing in a thousand years or so." Spike continued.
Twilight actually let out a sigh of relief, glad to see Spike wasn't in too much more trouble than he would have been from the get-go.
"That's good. That sounds almost more of an honor than a burden." Twilight exclaimed.
"It is good that you will be alright, but I sense there is something you aren't telling us, Spike?" Zecora rhymed inquisitively.
Spike's expression fell again at Zecora's claim.
Should've known Zecora would notice something was up. Spike grumbled.
"I kinda wanted to ask it in private, but... The tree wanted me to give it Dootha, to be... erased. That would mean Sombra too, and I obviously refused. It was still willing to help, but it wants me to give Sombra something." Spike explained, unable to look Sombra in the face.
Sombra seemed to tense up, but he wasn't angry. He knew Spike wouldn't ask him to do anything that wasn't for the greater good. Though Sombra wasn't sure about the tree. Whatever it was, Spike seemed greatly troubled by it.
It took a moment, but Spike managed to swallow enough self-loathing to explain.
"It put the spell it used on me in my claw. The next time I touch you, Sombra, the magic will ward you. Just like it did me. It'll help keep you safe in the long-run, but it's going to hurt. A lot."
Sombra was reasonably frightened, but it seemed as though Spike was close to bawling. Tears were already welling up in his eyes, and anyone with half a brain would be able to see how much Spike blamed himself. Just the look alone cut Sombra more deeply than the tree ever could.
"I consent to the spell. It seems a sensible precaution. I would like to request something to bite down on. I have no interest in trying to grow a new tongue." Sombra tried to state confidently.
Zecora however purposely coughed into her hoof, drawing attention to herself.
"I believe I have a suggestion, though if you find it too unsavory you're welcome to forget the mention."
Zecora fished about in her bag until she found what she was looking for. It was a silver pin, about the length and width of a screwdriver, minus the handle. It was a rather intimidating sort of needle, but it's purpose wasn't immediately clear.
"Though I would rather not use such a barbaric method, Sombra's immortality could make for an exception. With a perfect placement of this pin, Sombra will feel nothing and the magic can begin. Afterwards, Sombra's body will heal itself as it always does, though he may for some time hear a small buzz." Zecora proposed.
All eyes went from Zecora to Sombra, making him feel just a bit more uneasy.
"We won't make you do it, but I suppose Zecora has a point. It would be a lot easier on you if you couldn't feel the magic carving the wards into you." Spike supposed, leaving the decision to Sombra.
Sombra weighed his options, not particularly liking any of them. Permanent wards against being tracked by Dootha's forces was a good idea, even if they were going to hurt. The needle seemed a good aid, if a less than pleasant proposition.
After a good five minutes of silence, Sombra came to a decision.
"I consent to the wards, and the needle. I do however have some terms. I wish for the needle to be left in my head until we return home. Both the libations to ease the pain, and my flask of regeneration-speeding potion are there. As Zecora pointed out, it will have no lasting detrimental effects, thanks to my body's ability to reform itself." Sombra stated.
"Sounds good to me. The less you have to suffer the better." Spike expediently agreed.
"Cool. I've met a guy with a plexi-glass window in his skull so you could look at his brain. Never seen somebody get shanked in the brain before though. It should be an educational experience." Lyra added, both enthusiastically and unnecessarily.
"Charming. Can we just get this over with? I'm certain Spike is tired an-" Sombra started.
Sombra was cut off by the swift and unexpected application of the needle by Zecora. Sombra quickly fell over, the needle securely sticking out of his skull. It was right above Sombra's right eyebrow, though Zecora had been right. Sombra couldn't feel any pain.
"I wasn't aware I would lose my ambulatory faculties as well. My senses beyond hearing and sight have also left me. I seem unable to move anything other than my jaw, and my eyes. I would have greatly appreciated some form of warning." Sombra passive-aggressively complained.
"I may be a bit out of practice, I have not been a medical doctor in ages countless." Zecora halfheartedly apologized.
"Okay, well... this is weird. Anybody got something for Sombra to bite down on? I would really rather not see somepony bite off their own tongue." Twilight asked squeamishly, hoping to get this uncomfortable situation over with.
"I have a stick!" Lyra yelled out.
While it was the right size, it was clear Lyra had just lopped the stick off of a nearby tree. She still had her machete floating beside her, wagging about like the the tail of an over excited dog. Twilight used her magic to grab the stick from a safe distance and pass it over to Sombra.
"I promise to testify at the trial if Lyra murders all of you." Sombra half-joked to his non-immortal companions.
Lyra suddenly realized she was waving her machete about like a lunatic and returned it to it's proper place.
Once Sombra was purposefully gagged, Spike lifted his claw. Instead of green, the claw began to glow white. Sombra felt the energy, the same power within the tree. It was cold and angry, unlike Spike's warm and calming aura.
Sombra wasn't all that worried, but he saw the look of apprehension in Spike's face. It was clear Spike would rather bare an infinite amount of pain than hurt Sombra. Unfortunately for the both of them this was a necessary evil.
Sombra closed his eyes as Spike's claw slowly closed in on him.
He didn't feel the contact whatsoever, but when he reopened his eyes he could see himself alight with the same runes that had been on Spike. The warding process caused his body to involuntarily spasm, but not as violently as Spike had.
With the warding process alone, the magic didn't take as long with Sombra. The runes faded before too long, and the stick was removed from Sombra's jaws. Spike carefully hoisted Sombra onto his back, keeping him in place with his right wing.
"Alright then. If you two wanna teleport back to the castle to keep working, I'm sure I've still got enough strength in me to see us home. We'll get Sombra sorted out, then carry on as usual." Spike assured Twilight and Zecora.
"Dibs on pulling out the needle!" Lyra shouted enthusiastically.
"No." Literally everyone else droned at the same time.
"Ugh. I never get to do anything fun." Lyra whined.
"That's because the majority of your fun activities either involve some form of perversion with Bon Bon, or destruction of property." Spike pointed out.
Lyra had no immediate response, and Twilight took it as a cue to teleport Zecora and herself. With a powerful burst of magenta mana, they were gone. Sombra had to admit watching Twilight's spellwork was interesting. She seemed versed in every type of pony magic, and even excelled at teleportation. The one magic Sombra knew nothing about.
It made him rather curious as to why he knew nothing on the subject. Perhaps Dootha knew nothing of it, or that Sombra had no need of such knowledge. When he got his horn back Sombra decided to try and get Twilight to teach him. It would be a profoundly useful skill.
"I'll try and hurry home. I doubt you wanna be all rag-doll forever, Sombra." Spike informed his temporarily immobile companion.
"I would prefer to walk again, yes. I can't even feel hot or cold right now. I am almost inclined to believe that I would be comatose, were it not for my unusual circumstances." Sombra replied, broken from his internal musing.
"Hey, consider yourself lucky, Brero. I dunno if I could take a needle to the brain and still be speaking in complete sentences." Lyra saw fit to remind Sombra.
Sombra grumbled a bit, but realized he was indeed fortunate.
The group then headed home at a steady pace. Sombra was set to rights, and then promptly made inebriated. The warding left both Spike and Sombra excruciatingly sore, but fortunately Sombra was able to get drunk and or high. That helped matters considerably, and now Lyra was able to cross 'beat an immortal at a drinking contest' off her bucket-list.
Spike wasn't so lucky, but poison joke garnered from the forest was still something of a help.
Lyra still being almost entirely sober stepped out with Spike's cart to retrieve what she described as 'an ass-load of chineighs takeout' for her tired pals. That left Spike and Sombra alone on the sofa. Spike could quite literally smell the alcohol on Sombra, but he didn't wish to leave him alone in his condition.
Even if things were most likely going to get awkward, knowing his luck.
"So... Sombra? How's the hole in your head? It's looking closed up already." Spike asked.
"It has closed entirely, yes." Sombra replied, laying on the couch in a semi-conscious haze.
"That's good. Wouldn't want you getting a weird brain infection or anything." Spike added awkwardly.
Sombra hummed his agreement, happy being care-free for the time being.
Spike and Sombra stayed there in silence for a time, but Spike had nothing but time to think. He saw Sombra beginning to sober up after awhile, though he casually pretended to read a book that was on the coffee table. It was one Sombra had been reading recently, and one Spike had read ages ago.
While Spike had a considerable amount of experience dealing with drunks, Sombra was special to him. Spike's mind was running a thousand different scenarios where he said something that Sombra's drunk mind would process wrong. He didn't want to lead him on, hurt his feelings, or do anything remotely possible to be misconstrued as taking advantage of him.
Spike knew he would never do anything untoward to Sombra, but the recent revelation that Sombra was currently the object of his affections had sparked an equally powerful typhoon of doubt and panic. Love was a disturbingly potent influence on everything that involved conscious thought, as Spike was currently remembering.
He hadn't been so nervous around a crush since he was twelve, but Spike didn't think it had been so bad even then. Spike chalked it up to the fact that he had just inadvertently harmed Sombra, and he was now in something of a state beside him. A mixture of regret, affection, and primal hoarding instincts were spiraling about rampantly in Spike's heart.
Spike currently hated himself for harming Sombra, who for lack of a better term was the crown jewel of his hoard. He also felt an overpowering need to try and right the wrong, showering Sombra with affection and gifts. Unfortunately Spike couldn't rightfully express his turbulent feelings without Sombra realizing something was up.
Fortunately, some minute scrap of reason and sensibility suddenly cut a bloody swath through the battlefield between Spike's head and heart. Spike's normal captive emotions and thoughts were freed from the tyranny of pointless guilt and shame, and a new brilliant plan shined brightly and was consequently crowned king.
Spike knew how to begin making amends, and possibly test the waters for future... expeditions.
Once Sombra had come around enough and got himself some coffee Spike felt comfortable enough to strike up a proper conversation with him. Now was the time to put things in motion. Though Spike wished he had thought of what to say beforehand.
"So uh, I know the tree business didn't go exactly as planned. I was wondering, maybe... I could make it up to you?" Spike proposed uncertainly.
Sombra looked up from his coffee, curious as to just what Spike had in mind. There wasn't any need for Spike to apologize further, but Sombra was too curious. He decided to let the conversation take it's course.
"What did you have in mind?" Sombra asked nonchalantly, silently thanking the fact that he was sober enough to act demure.
Spike grinned wide, making Sombra feel a tad guilty for leading the conversation forward without rebuffing Spike's admission of guilt. But still, Sombra's vaguely inebriated mind was just too curious to stop Spike.
"Well, two days from now, Friday, is Mom's birthday. Me, Mom, and my grandparents are going out to a fancy restaurant in Canterlot to celebrate. My grandparents informed me that they left a plus one open for both Mom, and me. They want both of us to find someone, but Mom isn't really interested in anyone, and I'm uh... unavailable?
"Anyway, I thought you might wanna join us? It's a great restaurant, one of the only omni-dietary ones in Canterlot. I'll get you something to wear too. I happen to know Equestria's most successful fashionista who's never too busy to do a rush job for a friend. Can't be caught in Canterlot without fancy duds after all." Spike offered.
Sombra's heart and the void where his soul was meant to be were currently fighting to see who could make the bigger fuss. Sombra thought his chest was going to simultaneously implode, and explode. It was undeniably impressive that Sombra was able to keep himself from being completely flushed.
Sombra silently praised every deity that he could name for deciding to give him an ashen coat that wouldn't show blush, then quickly formulated the perfect response. As with most things in life, simplicity was the key.
"I accept."