Umbrum ad Infinitum

by Pixel_Spark

Negotiations

A few days later, an envelope arrived for Sombra along with the latest scroll containing updates from his friends. Cadance and Shining Armor were happy to help with Sombra's additional population, it sounded like those ponies really needed it!

Sombra looked at the contents of the accompanying envelope and chuckled. He took off to find Crossfire's sister, and seen her eyes sparkle as she took carefully packaged feathers from the packet. There was one from each of the Princesses, from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as well! There was even a griffon's feather, donated by a long time friend of Dash's called Gilda. This made the little filly’s day and she was soon adding these gorgeous feathers to the ones she'd amassed so far!

As they'd promised, the others signed up with Girder to help out around the site. The little ones became very attached to Excel, who happily babysat them during the day, reading them stories and even teaching them lessons about the Umbrum and the Infinitum!

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The next week Sombra was scheduled to take a trip back to the Crystal Empire. He and others from the caravan group boarded the train to the empire. While the King dealt with his private affairs, Trek and the others would take a signed letter round to all the supply shops and pick up what they needed. The letter with his Majesty’s signature was all they needed, as Cadance and Shining Armor were happy to trust Sombra with managing what he required!

As they drew closer, Sombra felt his heart lift. He missed his Umbrum's, and was looking forward to seeing them again…

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The train pulled into the station with a soft hiss of steam. The staff began offloading any cargo and several went to go collect the next load for the site. After bidding the King farewell until dinner, Trek and her crew trotted away and Sombra turned towards the Palace gleaming in the distance. He smiled, it was a beautiful sight. A thought occurred, what kind of home was he going to build? He hadn’t given it any thought…

He shook his head, no need to worry. The empire wasn't finished yet, so his personal Palace could wait! He stretched his wings and took off with a whoosh. A flash of magic mid-air and he returned to his crystal form.

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As he flew, he did a double take upon spotting two familiar faces down below. Cadance and Shining Armor were walking down the main shopping street, surrounded by happy crystal ponies. He banked sharply mid-flight, aiming for the duo.

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Cadance turned as she heard heavy wing beats, and she seen a familiar face drift down to a graceful landing not far from them.

"Sombra!” Shining Armor waved "did you just get here? We thought you were expected later..."

“Ah, yes, the train came earlier then expected, seems the schedule got a bit jumbled!” Sombra explained as he trotted over to greet them.

The crystal ponies gathered in renewed curiosity. Sombra looked different somehow. Not just his outward appearance, although he had been meticulously groomed and styled by Excel and his aides for the trip, wearing his full armor and cloak as always. But the difference was in HOW he held himself. He seemed happier, eyes brighter. Gone was most of that shadow that’d haunted his face, gone was that haggard look of one ready to collapse under his own guilt. This Sombra seemed much happier than the version that’d been witnessed at the stadium.

“Oh!” Cadance smiled at Sombra “we have a visitor who'll be pleased to know you're here-”

"I think he knows. Incoming!" Shining blinked as he seen a blur whooshing towards them. He and Cadance stepped swiftly back and Sombra blinked at them.

"Incoming wha?-pffahah!"

He was cut off as he was grabbed up in a delighted hug. And a certain Draconequus' tail accidentally tickled his side.

"About time you got here!" Discord grinned, letting the dazed pony go.

"We hit a bit of a delay.." Sombra wheezed, chuckling.

Cadance giggled. She'd rarely heard or seen Discord sound so cheerful. As Fluttershy had mentioned, having similar circumstances had made these two get along great.

"Your Umbrum's are going to glomp you silly when they see you! C'mon!" Discord gestured to the Palace. Shining nodded to Sombra.

"Go ahead, we'll be there shortly." he said to the Alicorn.

Sombra nodded, and the last the crowd heard was Discord challenging Sombra to a race, then the duo shot off into the sky.

"Talk about your oddest couple ever. Who'd have expected those two to get along, huh?" Shining remarked to Cadance.

"It may seem strange, given the chaos Discord has caused. But, I think those two understand what they've both been through. Its made life easier for Sombra, that much is certain."

"He’s different now, isn’t he?" Shining Armor mused "he doesn't seem as locked up inside as he was when he left."

Cadance nodded "indeed. I was surprised when we visited, seems the work has really brought him out of his shell. That and taught him some very crude jokes."

Shining snickered as he recalled Sombra telling a few "heh, it WAS pretty funny!"

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The guard greeted Sombra respectfully as he and Discord landed at the palace's doors. Sombra was shown to where his Umbrum's waited, and as Discord predicted, he was hug tackled by the littler ones, including a certain Firefly!

When he announced he was here to share the Cutie mark trait, they couldn't contain their delight.

As he'd witnessed with the immunity transfer, Discord seen the Umbrum King's body shine like a small sun, then the light blasted out, filling the entire cavern. It faded after several seconds, and Sombra looked a little light headed. But the job was done, they could all feel it. Something new!

The ponies all cheered, dancing and hugging each other in glee. They were all curious if their cutie marks would be as amazing as their King's?

Many stared at their flanks, as if they may already have one! It made Discord giggle, and when Sombra looked at him, he was attempting to examine his own side.

“What are you doing?” he asked, puzzled.

“Well, everyone else is staring at their rears, so I figured why not!” Discord grinned.

“Stop staring at your rear! As conversation partners go, its hardly sufficient!” Sombra shook his head.

“Then whose should I stare at? Yours-? No, that wont work. The phrase is “talking out your ass”, not “talking to someone else’s ass” wait, hang on-”

“Stop right there, I am not having a discussion about the proper use of the word “ass”. You're so crude!” Sombra groaned, yet he burst out laughing anyway. Discord always made him laugh with his shameless sense of humour. And he knew it. The Draconequus caught his sniggering friends eye and grinned knowingly.

"We have something we wished to speak with you about, Infinitum!" The new head of the Umbrum's in Excels absence, a stallion called Lightshot, stepped forward and bowed deeply as the celebration of the new skill finally ended. And The King and Draconequus finally calmed down...

"What would that be?" Sombra asked, quashing any lingering laughter. Behind him, Discord grinned, HE knew.

"We want to move to the building site!" Lightshot said, watching the Kings expression nervously. Sombra's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he waited for the Umbrum to carry on.

"We want to work as hard as you do. You're out there building our home for US, we've seen all the pictures and the letters! It seems only fair that we pitch in."

Sombra smiled gently "That is my duty, as your ruler. It is heard, taxing work and I do not want you to worry-"

"I-i know sir!" The pony blurted nervously, "and your kindness is the reason were all alive and ready to live now. I apologise for interrupting, we've been discussing this for awhile now and we'd sincerely like it if you would consider our proposal, Infinitum!"

Sombra took in their eager faces, seeing how genuine it seemed.

"It's true," Discord set a paw on his shoulder as he drifted up alongside his friend "They asked me about it, pondering what you'd say. But in the end they waited to ask YOU directly. Your example has inspired them, they want to be just like their King, do you see?"

Sombra blinked at him, but Discord could see the thought process behind the pony's intelligent red eyes. At last, Sombra's gaze refocused and he nodded up at his friend before facing the Umbrum's once more.

"Mistake this not for doubt, but I must make absolutely sure. I'm not going to lie, it is a heavy duty job. You’ve only been free a short while, are you sure you want to start working so soon, my ponies?"

Their eyes lit up at his words, and Lightshot looked at the others before facing the King once more "If you can do it your majesty, then so can we! This way we can all be free and our home will be built faster with all of us there."

Sombra thought about it, running numbers through his head. The Umbrum's waited eagerly to see if their King would allow them this task?

"It will take a while to arrange living quarters, it is pretty crowded currently. But once we have room, I will come back to let you know how many of you can make the first trip."

The Umbrum cheered, and Lightshot bowed.

"Thank you your majesty. We cant wait to see the world the way you have!"

Sombra looked at the non-solid Umbrum forms. He could understand they wanted to see the world like he, Excel and Firefly had, and attain permanent forms.

--Girder's going to murder me...-- he chuckled to himself, but he was amazed at how fast the workforce was growing. It'd gone from a troupe of mostly builders and some guards to ponies, gargoyles and centaurs, and now his Umbrum's wanted to join! He couldn’t have hoped for a better group of ponies to work alongside.

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He spent the evening at the Palace, enjoying a fancy dinner with the Prince and Princess. The ponies travelling with him had been invited to stay as well, and Fast Trek said they’d gotten all they needed and more! She thanked Cadance and Shining Armor as well as Sombra, for their combined generosity, she'd never dreamed she'd meet so much royalty, and the Empire was just stunning!

As he got into bed, Sombra made a mental note to discuss the trip to the ponies secluded settlement as soon as possible, as he could see how it worried Fast Trek. Getting supplies for the stranded settlement would help, but there was still the bigger problem at hoof to deal with.

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They left the next day, Sombra bearing various gifts and souvenirs, and the supplies train left once more for the site.

"He'll be fine, wont he?" Cadance said to Discord as the chaos lord hovered, watching the train vanish into the distance. Discord nodded smugly.

"He wont have any problem. He worries a little too much even still, but he seems to be revisiting his past less and less with every time I see him."

Cadance nodded "I have had many a citizen asking about him, they’re curious about the new city, and Sombra himself! He's made a very good impression this time, and since they chose to forgive him, their curiosity about him has grown."

"I never would've thought ANY of this could happen." Shining Armor said as they turned back to the Palace "never mind that there was so much to a pony once thought of as nothing more than a tyrant!"

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Girder stared at the sheepishly grinning pony in front of him.

"I sincerely apologise for such an out of the blue announcement, They asked it of me after i transferred the cutie mark ability." Sombra apologised “They understand its hard work, but they insist they want to follow my lead.”

"Well, as I said before your majesty, we can work something out. We'll double the amount of sleeping quarters built. With every new group arriving, the work can be picked up a little faster. Well be able to balance the workforce quite easily I’m sure. Your two aides have proven invaluable in categorising everything!"

Sombra nodded, smiling "I think they much prefer that. They seemed shocked by my preference to get stuck in with the heavier work, especially how dirty my coat ends up."

"It's not for everypony, that’s for sure!" Girder chuckled "but I wont turn down a hard worker your majesty, especially one like yourself. Your Umbrum's are more than welcome, we can start construction immediately!"

Sombra nodded, then mentioned bringing supplies to the caravan groups home. They’d gotten everything they needed at the empire, and now awaited travel and transport.

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Fast Trek was surprised when she and several adults gathered around the meeting spot where Girder had told them to assemble the supplies, and they seen a cart waiting there. Hitched up to it, eagerly discussing the terrain ahead over a map with Girder, was King Sombra. He was in his illusion form, mane like inky black smoke. He wore his work boots and fluffy cloak, goggles keeping his mane pinned back. She asked why he was pulling the cart?

"It seemed prudent, given my strength, that i tow this. I also wished to meet the others at your home, explain the situation as you know it. Is that alright with you miss Trek? I do not wish to impose."

“Heck no its not a problem your majesty,” she smiled “you're more than welcome!”

She certainly wasn’t going to turn down the pony that’d helped them so much. She wondered how the town would react to seeing a shadow Alicorn? She hoped it’d be good...

And so the group set off, Fast Trek and her ponies, together with Sombra and his two personal guards, a crystal pegasi pony and Captain Corona. With their wings they could scout ahead, and they were capable fighters to boot!

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The settlement was a considerable distance away, but earlier efforts had pretty much eradicated the timberwolf problem, which let them pick up the pace and reach the site in record time. Fast Trek ran ahead to gather everypony, Sombra alongside. A lookout seen her approaching and he bellowed the news to everypony. The mayor stepped up, took a look at who was travelling with her, and went to round up his team of Deputy’s.

"I hope this will tide them over long enough.." Sombra began, as they approached the centre of town.

“It's plenty, your majesty!” Fast Trek chuckled “more then we ever thought-”

"Hold it right there!" a voice yelled, and Sombra came to such an abrupt halt the cart smacked into the back of his hindquarters. Fast Trek nearly bumped into his side, she was so startled. She shook her head as Sombra helped steady her, and frowned at the Mayor.

"Mayor Overwatch?" She frowned at the elderly pale green pony with the straw coloured mane "what ARE you doing? Its me-"

"My problems not with your return Trek, I’m relieved to see you home. My problem is with that CREATURE you brought with you."

With a sinking stomach, Sombra realised they meant him. He needed to settle this feisty old pony down before things got out of hoof. He hurriedly unsnapped himself from the carts harness, giving his wings a shake to dislodge the snow that'd settled on them and took a step forward. He smiled politely, wings raised in greeting-

But whatever words he had died in his throat as the hodge-podge of uniformed ponies that he guessed were the equivalent of guards stepped forward, makeshift spears levelled at him. Some looked a little uncertain, and kept glancing at each other and the Mayor. And at him, registering their targets bewilderment, and a measure of hurt too.

"Not another step!" The Mayor snapped "don’t think we're so far out we don’t know who you are!!"

Sombra found his voice, and swallowed down the uneasy nausea. His head buzzed painfully and he winced slightly "One moment, please-"

"Enough!" the Mayor snapped, the nearest guards stepped even closer to Sombra. The King's guards that’d been hovering out of sight exchanged looks and flew out of cover, landing either side of the King. Sombra panicked internally..

"So, you brought an army with you-?" Overwatch snarled.

"Step down!" Sombra asked the guards "this will not help matters!"

"Are you sure, Captain Sombra, sire?" Corona asked him. Sombra nodded. Both guards stepped back, remaining within safe distance of the King, but obeying his request and stowing their weapons. Overwatch twitched, what was Sombra playing at? Was he hoping to get them to drop their guard?

Fast Trek stared at the mayor, fumbling for words, then she finally pieced them together.

"Overwatch you IDIOT!" She snapped "He's the reason we're all still alive. We almost died out there, by Timberwolves!!"

"So why is he here? And with soldiers to boot-"

As they argued, Sombra's eye was caught by the fountain at the centre of town. He could feel a funny sensation emanating from it. It looked like there were worn markings around the circular orb at its top. He began to drift closer towards it, but something flashed across his vision and he stopped. The sharp end of a spear was resting across his raised foreleg, and a thin graze oozed crimson.

"S-stay back!” The pony attempted to sound threatening, but Sombra was still an intimidating figure, physically speaking. A quick glance told him this pony was mostly muscle!

But Sombra merely studied him a moment, head tilting slightly to one side. Then he calmly stepped back, ignoring the minor scratch left by the spear. The wind tugged at his flowing black mane, curiosity and sympathy in deep red eyes.

The pony blinked nervously. This wasn’t the response he'd expected. Had the pony reacted in kind, he'd have felt justified in swinging for him. Now he was just baffled. The newspapers had talked about Sombra's species, about this new home that was being built. But they didn’t really talk about the pony himself. Other than referring to him as a hero at Canterlot.

"They’re bodyguards for Celestia's sake! They’re just here to protect us, there could have been worse than the Timberwolves out here! We needed help and-" Fast Trek wasn’t giving up.

"You thought the solution was bringing HIM here!" Overwatch snapped "I don’t want our safety guaranteed at the cost of selling ourselves to Tartarus on Equestria!" he shouted back.

Trek shoved her face in close to his, gritting her teeth. "You're wrong. He saved all our lives, and he's the one who helped me get all THIS!" She threw the cover off the cart, showing all the food and supplies. Surprised gasps ran through the gathering crowd as they seen the massive pile of boxes.

"So you let this little display fool you?!" the Mayor snapped. He was a little startled, but refused to admit it.

Sombra tilted his head as their voices got louder, something felt off. Besides the buzzing in his head that was. His wings shivered and fluffed up, and he stared up at the sky.

"Ms. Trek..?" he asked.

"Seriously Overwatch, I am going to shove your head so far up your ass you'll be able to see what you had for lunch-hm?" she cut off at the urgency of Sombra's tone. She looked over at the pony, seeing his expression.

"I think we have a problem.." Sombra murmured.

"Well I’m glad your primitive brain has caught up at last, you oversized brute!" Overwatch snapped, eyes narrowing as he glared at Sombra.

Sombra frowned, suppressing his temper but BARELY "I’m only asking you hear me out-"

"You have no place here, King of Monsters!!"

The vehemence in his tone was clear. Trek seen Sombra flinch as if he'd been physically struck. The bigger stallion actually took a step back, looking unsettled.

"That’s right, I’m VERY familiar with your little antics all those years ago. I don't know who you tricked to get released without guard, but-"

Sombra's ears were ringing. This was getting out of hoof. What was he supposed to do?

Strangely, this was how he'd expected the citizens of the Crystal Empire to act upon seeing him again. Thinking back, they'd been kind to him. Perhaps because of the fragile state he'd been in after the revival and fight. Or had Cadance persuaded them to give him room to breathe until he was less...traumatised?

But the name this furious Mayor had given him…

He felt a splinter of fear burrow into his heart, he didn't want to be THAT again. He'd tried so hard this time, but what if-?

--What if it is never enough?-- he thought, insides going cold. Would he forever be a monster?

He shook his head, he didn't have time for these thoughts, there were more pressing matters to hoof then his own paranoia.

Speaking of...

"Snowstorm!" a panicked mare shouted from across the town square. Sombra snapped out of his funk, recalling why he'd butted in in the first place and looked up at the roiling mass of clouds appearing on the horizon.

“Now? It can't be-! Blast it it, it was tomorrow-” Overwatch fumed.

Sombra didn't hear this, he was busy trying to make his voice heard above the mounting wind.

"I'm guessing this isn't Cloudsdale's area of expertise?" he asked Fast Trek. She shook her head.

"This far out, even they cant stop them. Its an anomaly of the area!" Fast Trek cried as the wind picked up, throwing flurries of snow in their faces "We need to get inside!!"

Sombra heard the grumpy Mayor shout at the guards to get everypony inside, and Sombra caught "-this town cant take much more of this, get everypony into the basement!"

"The supplies-" one pony cried, but Overwatch silenced them, stating they didn’t have time!

Sombra yelled for Corona and the guard to grab the supplies and start moving them. The three of them, shortly joined by Fast Trek, began carrying as much as they could. By luck, they were able to get most of the supplies through the town halls door. Anything non-perishable could be retrieved later.

A cold wind hit Sombra's back as he stood at the doorway to the town hall, and he turned to look behind him, seeing the heavy, near impenetrable snowstorm.

"Sire, get inside!" Corona yelled at him. Sombra nodded, trotting willingly indoors.

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The door slammed behind them as they stood inside the big town hall. The howling of the wind was muted somewhat, and Sombra sighed in relief to be out of the storm. He shook himself, snow falling from his wings as he did. The feathery soft wings lifted a little, stretched, then compacted themselves back down.

"Someone ought to clip those things.." a venomous mutter caught Sombra's ears and on instinct he glanced over- at the Mayor, who else? He had gathered a few of his deputy's around him, most of whom were mimicking their boss in sending the dark Alicorn stony glares. But they didn’t all seem as certain, and Sombra seen one break away to look over at Fast Trek. Sombra followed his gaze, hearing the mare's voice a second later.

She was standing atop a table she'd dragged over to stand by the pile of supplies.

"Where's Rockhopper? We've got some medicine from the Empire, he should start taking it now!"

"Really?" the pony in question looked shocked "You found the medicine? How long will it last..?" he looked pale, mane thinning a little. Sombra wondered if there was any further treatment that would help?

Fast Trek beamed, patting the box beside her "We got enough to keep you going for awhile, give you better days! The Crystal Princess has a trade link open with the construction site. His Majesty asked them to add substantial supplies to the bill, for us."

Rockhopper did a double take, and stared at the big box of medicine, then over at Sombra who was hovering just inside the door.

"He..did that?" he said softly.

"Yes," Fast Trek said firmly "trust me Rocky, he's not a bad guy. The Mayor doesn’t know what he's talking about-"

"And you do all of a sudden? Tigers don't changed their spots Trek," the mayor ceased glaring at Sombra long enough to address her, not bothering to lower his voice. He WANTED Sombra to hear every word.

"That conniving-" Corona snarled under his breath, and started towards the Mayor, but was surprised by the King placing a restraining hoof on his shoulder a second later. Looking at the pony, he seen him shake his head.

"Don’t. Whatever he may have to say, that is his right. We start a fight here, things will spiral out of control." Sombra set his hoof down as Corona nodded reluctantly.

Fast Trek seen this and cast Corona a sympathetic look. She wanted to kick the Mayor's ego up the ass as bad as he did!

Oblivious to this, the Mayor was still ranting;

"Creatures like him, lying is in their blood. Even the papers point out he’s an abnormality in his own species." He spoke the word with disdain, and Sombra felt a guilty stab. Why were these ponies judging his entire species by HIS example? He flashed back to the Mayor's jibe about clipping his wings and felt acid rise in his throat. Memories of how he'd tried so hard to do just that raced through his head and he went a few shades paler. That spell-

He shook his head. This was not the time to let this weakness show, he reminded himself once again. This was proving tougher then he'd guessed. It was easy to be tough inside your own head, but real life rarely matched the script you wrote yourself, so you sometimes just had to learn as you went.

"Sire, are you alright?" Corona murmured, seeing the King's expression.

Sombra nodded, swallowing down the urge to be sick, and managed to clear his throat and utter "it is nothing."

"Hmph, guilt not that easy to quash, is it monster?" Overwatch seen how the low blow had seemingly staggered the Alicorn and smirked, thinking he'd gotten one up on the former tyrant.

"Overwatch, you...BUFFOON!" Trek finally lost patience and screamed, making them ALL jump. She was BEYOND furious now, and got right up in Overwatch's face, which made him back up a little.

"All you've done is adhere to a bunch of old superstitions and nonsense, you didn't even agree with us going out on this trip until it became desperate! You'd rather we perish here for the sake of tradition? Well I’m not having it! We nearly died out there, by Timberwolves. Were it not for Sombra, you wouldn’t even be seeing us here. Not to mention, he did what you could not. He. Fixed. Crossfire’s. MAGIC."

Overwatch's mouth opened, then shut. Then fell open again. He was surprised, and thought he'd misheard.

This reveal silenced the room like a switch had been thrown and all eyes turned to Sombra, who didn’t say a word.

"How?" a young colt asked the King as he turned away from watching the mayor and stepped closer to the big pony. "He was always stuck with that suppressor. The old far-"

Here Corona uttered a loud snort, and the kid switched tactics "the Mayor said the suppressor was the only way!"

"Suppressors are the worst way. Even Princess Celestia calls them barbaric," Sombra spoke up, recalling the Princesses words "she refused to use them, even on ME."

"She's smart." somepony piped up, and Overwatch snarled.

"Celestia is as wise as she is beautiful, but even she is not flawless." the Mayor muttered darkly.

"Is he OK now?" the same kid asked Sombra, ignoring Overwatch.

The King smiled, then closed his eyes. "Let me show you." he murmured.

He did as he'd done many times before and dove into his memories to show them. The watching ponies seen the Timberwolf fight, the revelation that Sombra hadn't repaired the suppressor, merely simulated it. Then the final memory of Crossfire's most recent lesson with the King, where it showed a remarkable progress, showed how happy Crossfire was and his parents hugging him tightly, beaming proudly.

"He's so relaxed, are you teaching him?" A mare asked. Sombra nodded.

"Magic left untrained can easily cause trouble. It can even affect your state of mind, as I found out." he fell silent, recalling the overload he'd suffered as a child. He shuddered slightly and shut the memories down.

The images faded and Trek declared "See! All it took was a chance, and that poor kid and his parents could finally relax! He can play with the other kids now, without fear of injuring them!"

Overwatch stared. How? How had this freak-show pony managed to solve Crossfire's dilemma? He himself had tried everything, but the kid was a stubborn, obnoxious brat that wouldn't listen. Yet that memory showed the kid's obvious, genuine relief at being told he wasn’t a problem, that there was hope…

And it was clear from the memories that Crossfire admired this insane King. He couldn’t have this. He stepped forward, ego restored.

"So now you'd rather such a corruptive influence have control over him? Doesn’t it make you suspicious that he's suddenly willing to train a pony with such magic?"

The crowd shared sceptical looks, some glowering at the Mayor. Some seemed caught between the two figures vying for their support, and Overwatch zeroed in on their hesitation.

"I didn’t have the option of someone teaching me how to use mine," Sombra said calmly, although there was an edge to his voice "like Tartarus I was going to see that kid suffer the same. I didn’t have the luxury of help back then, but he DOES-"

"Help of the kind YOU offer is no help at all!!" Overwatch lost his rag, why weren’t the other ponies backing him up, hadn’t he kept this town safe all this time?!

Sombra blinked, fumbling for words.

Mumbling and murmuring arose, some siding with the Mayor because they were confused and unsettled by Sombra's appearance in their town, and others shaking their heads because they agreed with Trek.

Looking smug, the Mayor strode over to stare up at the bigger stallion challenging him, "Once this storm dies down, I want you and your soldiers gone! You may have fooled Trek, but I’m not buying it. I’m surprised at Crossfire's parents, letting YOU around their son, I thought they had better morals. Wings, magic? You don’t deserve either of those."

He turned his back on the King and his stunned guards. "As if dealing with a thief in my village isnt enough, now I have a monster!" he snapped as he stomped away.

Corona looked about ready to live up to his name, his body posture radiated sheer fury, and he was struggling to keep his fury at this situation under control. The Crystal Empire guard didn’t look much happier, he was itching to have a few words with Overwatch.

Sombra did his best to show no reaction, thus many ponies took the lack of emotion as lack of fear. They assumed he was unfazed, felt neither guilt nor dismay. Some looked closer, and seen a lot brewing behind the King's steely gaze.

"That guys got his head so far up his backside he could wear his innards as a hat!" Corona snarled. The other guard snorted in surprised amusement, and even Sombra smiled wryly.

"It IS frustrating." Sombra finally sat down by the small window by the door, peering out into the thick snow "but don't let your fury get the better of you, both of you."

"Sire-?" the Crystal guard turned to face him "how can you be so calm?"

"Because his fury is not misplaced. As I have mentioned before, there are those who will never forgive me, no matter what I do. I just have to learn to accept that, and hope that given time, they will come around to tolerance at least, if never forgiveness."

"Sire," Corona paused a moment, seeing Sombra did not need the reality of how much this troubled him brought up, then nodded. "You have far more patience than I. Given what you have done for our King and Queen, it's insulting to hear that pony run his mouth like that. Ungrateful barely covers it."

The crystal guard nodded.

"I'm glad to have you with me, both of you" Sombra smiled gratefully "your insight is very valuable to me."

Corona felt his anger dull a bit. The King was right, they couldn't afford to get angry. But it still stung him to see that Overwatch guy talk so disrespectfully to a King. Had someone spoken so rudely to King Vorak, they would've been out cold in seconds. Gargoyles were fierce creatures, and proud warriors. They defended those they honoured with everything they had. And in serving under King Sombra's command the short time he had so far, Corona had come to see how much the King had learnt. The lessons he embodied were ones that Prince Scorpan had failed, and despite the Kings outward calm appearance, it was obvious from the tension in his body that he was a mix of angry and worried.

"Hay." they all looked up as Fast Trek approached "you guys hungry?"

At the mention of food, the Crystal pony's stomach gurgled, and Corona's responded.

"Stomach wars." Corona nodded sagely, and the stallion laughed.

"Go eat," Sombra nodded his head towards the crowds "I think some of them want to speak to you. I don't think they've met a Gargoyle before."

"Its true, we haven’t." Fast Trek smiled at Corona "I got a couple of ponies that are just dying to ask a few questions!"

"I cannot just leave his highness-" Corona began, but Sombra chuckled.

"I'll be fine," he pulled a book and a quill from his saddlebag "I have a few notes to write, so don’t worry."

"Aren’t you hungry?" Fast Trek asked, frowning. Sombra smiled warmly and shook his head "honestly, I feel full at the moment, I’m quite content."

She nodded, but honestly thought he was just holding back to avoid stirring the hornets nest that was Overwatch and his goon platoon.

"As you wish, sire." The two guards left their King's side, although Corona vowed to keep an eye on him regardless. Even if it was from a distance.

"I'm sorry about this.." Fast Trek said sadly "I wish I could make them see just how much you’ve helped. But, were an old fashioned bunch, the elders are the most bull headed, especially the Mayor. I don’t think he liked being upstaged."

"Upstaged?" Sombra frowned.

"Yeah, he's been trying for AGES to do something about Crossfire. But everything he tried either didn’t work or backfired. In the end he made out like that suppressor was the only answer. The poor kid nearly cried when he was first forced to wear it."

Sombra shuddered, recalling his own dismay back at the start "when I was sufficiently recovered to recover the connection to my magic, I feared it would be suppressed. But Celestia refused to hear it, said she wouldn’t do that to me. I didn’t understand why but I was grateful for her decision."

"Being denied magic is rough, no unicorn should have to do that." Trek shuddered.

"Might I ask something?" Sombra asked.

"Shoot." Trek smiled.

"What did that Mayor mean when he said "a thief"? Why would someone within the village be stealing?"

"Somepony's been taking supplies from the storage shed. We tried putting patrols out, but its gotten us nowhere, whoever it is, they’re crafty."

"What has been taken?"

"A variety of things. First it was dried fruits and vegetables, then it was some pots and pans, then some seeds, and more recently it was a child’s blanket! Just that. It makes no sense."

"It is an odd pattern. It doesn’t add up..." Sombra was puzzled.

"I wouldn’t worry too much about it. We have to focus on finding a way to persuade Overwatch to accept the offer you made me."

Both winced at this. It was looking more and more unlikely the more time went by.

"If only I could prove to him somehow-" Sombra sighed. Fast Trek shook her head.

"You don’t want to start a pissing contest with him, pardon my language," she added hastily as Sombra's eyebrows rose "old habit. In order to get the attention of some of the more stubborn folk here, you gotta swear like the sailing families they descended from."

"Ah, I understand." Sombra smiled softly "it seems workers enjoy this too, as I have garnered quite a lexicon of crude phrases from my fellow workers."

Trek chuckled "it still surprises me to see an Alicorn mucking in at a work site. Seems like the last thing royalty would be into. No offence."

"None taken," Sombra laughed "even Girder did a double take when I showed up, he assumed I was there to check on progress. He kept repeating "are you sure"? Until I convinced him I wasn't pulling his leg, I DID want to help out with the construction!"

Somepony called Treks name, and Sombra smiled, insisting he was fine and she trotted away with a final apology for Overwatch's actions.

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Overwatch shook his head at how friendly Trek was with that tyrant. He frowned as both guards left their Kings side and the Alicorn settled down to study a book from his saddlebags.

"What's he playing at, dismissing the guards. Is he that confident we won't touch him?" Overwatch sneered.

"No, he sent them to go talk to the townsfolk, some of them want to meet the gargoyle, they're rarely seen in Equestria." he was an expert lip reader, being deaf. Overwatch made a harrumphing sound, still bitter. That help had to come in the form of THAT pony ticked him off.

He stomped upstairs, slamming the door to his office and locking it. He needed space, and staying in the same room as that unnerving beast was more than he could deal. He knew his deputy's would keep a watchful eye on the brute.

"The papers could be making it all up, why would anypony forgive that creature? No, he must have taken advantage of his saving the Princesses to wrangle a pardon from the Crystal Empire." he muttered to himself as he stoked the fire.

But a part of his mind pointed out that Sombra had brought supplies, and if those memories were true, he'd saved Crossfire...

Overwatch was a stubborn pony, unused to NOT being in control. He'd eventually agreed to Fast Trek leading a convoy to go look for outside help, but warned her to be careful. They'd been a secular group for so long he partly resented outside interference. They'd always looked after themselves, until the storms began ripping their world apart.

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The wind tore at the windows and Sombra set his book down, peering outside again. Something about that stone he'd been stopped from approaching earlier was gnawing away at his mind. He turned the page and began sketching the ancient markings written on it. Some of them seemed familiar, reminding him of the Umbrum letters. It was as if it was descended form the same language...

"Nopony knows what that does." A child’s voice piped up. Sombra looked up, seeing a little filly with her dog sitting not far away. She nodded at the drawing "There's a story about that, want to hear it?"

Sombra nodded, smiling gently.

She beamed "The story goes the pony that built this town found it buried in the snow exactly where it stands now, in the ruins of another town long gone. He built the new town around it, believing this was a sign. The writing it on it is supposed to be magical, but so far none of the unicorns have been able to figure it out. They think it's maybe its a type of magic from long ago? That it used to be a sentinel that guarded the area.."

"I had wondered about that.." Sombra smiled "it reminds me a little of dark magic. Maybe this was from a similar race, one that used arcane magic?"

"Isn’t dark magic bad?" the kid asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.

"Magic isn't inherently bad, its all down to the user in most cases. But dark magic can be VERY hard to control, that is why its viewed as dangerous. It can put ideas in your head unless you know how it operates. You have to be firm with magic like that."

"Sounds legit." the kid said and Sombra smiled, he'd heard that phrase from Crossfire. The dog bounded over, sniffing at this new pony. He wagged his tail, deciding he liked him, licking Sombra's cheek. Sombra chuckled, gently scratching behind its ear with his magic.

"Hee.." the kid giggled "he likes you! I think he's a better judge than the Mayor. He's such a meanie pants!"

"I'm sure he is just trying his best." Sombra said softly.

She pulled a face "maybe, but he don't have to be such a bully about it!"

The dog bounded back to her and she bid the bigger pony goodbye, trotting back to her mother.

Sombra studied the drawing in his book, the filly's story echoing in his head. But he was startled by a loud crashing above him. The room fell silent, and Sombra got up, shoving the book back into his saddlebags and joining Trek at the bottom of the stairs as two of Overwatch's ponies ran upstairs to investigate.

"That was the Mayor's office-!" Fast Trek looked worriedly at Sombra. Without a word, Sombra and Corona raced up the stairs. The two ponies were wrestling with the doors, trying to open them.

"Its locked!" the first said, giving the left door a shove, but it was heavy, solid oak and wasn’t giving an inch.

"Get back!" they turned at Sombra's voice. Sombra put his full might into a powerful back kick, that sent the doors crashing off their hinges into the office.

The windows had been smashed, and a large rotted tree branch was looking like the culprit. The Mayor had been thrown back by the impact, and appeared to be unconscious. Sombra yelled for Corona to grab him. Then they discovered the Mayor's tail was pinned by the intruding tree. He had some nasty scratches and cuts from the branches too.

Sombra closed his eyes and the mass of rotten tree shuddered, then became enveloped in magic. It lifted off the floor, and the gargoyle guard quickly pulled Overwatch out of harms way. The tree came shuddering back down with a thud, and Sombra sighed in relief.

He told Corona to get the pony out of there, bring him downstairs. He followed after the gargoyle, who carried the pony on his back. The crowds murmured in worry as they seen the state of the Mayor.

"Here.." Fast Trek gestured to the couch nearest them, and Corona set him down. Another pony gave him bandages and the gargoyle began patching Overwatch up. With a practised ease he was soon taking care of the injured stallion.

"Its getting worse," Fast Trek shook her head, "we cant last much longer."

She watched in concerned silence as the gargoyle Captain worked. Out of the corner of her eye, she seen Sombra heading back upstairs.

Back in the office, Sombra pushed the tree back out the window. Another pony with a similar thought brought up some old wooden boards, and together they patched the window as best they could, to at least block the snow from coming in.

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"There has to be something we can do?" Sombra murmured to the crystal guard pony as he met him at the bottom of the staircase once the task was done. Fast Trek drifted over, and Sombra asked was there no way the Mayor would hear him out?

"I hate to say it, but its looking unlikely. Your majesty, I swear he's not as bad as he acts!" Fast Trek blurted in exasperation "I don't know why he's so mad at you. I guess you've managed to improve our chances with one encounter versus what he's been trying to do for years."

"I see." Sombra sighed.

They heard another window breaking upstairs.

"The winds getting too strong!" Fast Trek felt about to cry "there's no way to stop these storms. The town can't take much more!"

Again Sombra thought he felt a strange tugging to the outside, flashes of that artefact running through his mind.

He asked her about it, and she gave a worried laugh.

"If only that old story was true, your majesty." she sighed.

Sombra frowned, as his thoughts all pointed in one direction. "Forgive my assumptions, but I have the feeling it may well be. Since I first seen it, I had a funny feeling. I think it might be an arcane magic artefact. Normal magic would be ineffective, but DARK magic? Maybe it could work."

"So that could be why we never figured it out, in all these generations?" Fast Trek wondered. Sombra nodded.

"Dark magic is pretty much illegal, so it likely wouldn’t have been considered." He agreed.

The ponies were starting to panic, as the wind seemed to be pressing against the glass even more. The panes were rattling loudly.

"Get everypony away from the windows!" Sombra told trek. She nodded "where are you going?"

"I’m going outside. I need to see that artefact!"

"Outside, are you crazy?" she gaped "you wont be able to see-?"

"I'll find my way, trust me." Sombra promised. He approached the door, lowered his goggles and took a deep breath.

He charged the door, pitching outside into the cold. His cloak was whipped about, serving little use against the icy winds. He pressed out, using the light from his horn to light the way, but he could feel that same sense of power leading him blindly. Soon he bumped into the base of the fountain. His hooves skittered on ice as he braced himself to clamber up onto the frozen bowl, now a solid lump of ice where once water filled it. He stood on his hind legs, his wings too weighted down by snow to flap them.

He nudged the stone ball with his muzzle, his magic shifting and swirling. He seen glimpses of images, very old, of an enchantment this stone once possessed. It'd faded, the magic fading until it become dormant, sealed in stone.

He pressed his horn to the ball, hoping there was enough left inside to reignite. He felt it catch, begin to absorb his magic. It would take a LOT to waken it, but it was their only choice. It was basic, but in a way it reminded him of the crystal heart. It was a protector. What it would do exactly, whether it would shield the town or otherwise he didn’t know, but time was running out for these ponies.

There was a flash of light, and a blinding pain in his head. He was thrown backwards by an explosion of pent up force as the artefact was finally kick-started. A sharp red light blinded his vision as it exploded across the sky. His right shoulder clipped something pointy and his gasp of pain was lost in the wind as he finally came to a halt sprawled in the snow.

Lifting his head he seen a pillar of red light blazing up into the sky. It’d blasted through the storm, creature a calm around where it and Sombra were located. As Sombra stared, it flashed again, and as he’d hoped, formed a barrier that started around the fountain and spread out rapidly, the wind dying down as it soon encompassed the whole town.

Sombra stared in amazement. He could feel a small breeze brush his coat, but the snowstorm seemed a world apart now, contained by whatever this thing was. Its purpose was clear. It'd been made to guard. Its origins were unknown, but Sombra was more sure than ever it had been created using dark magic. With its ban across Equestria, this artefact had eventually lapsed, and essentially hibernated. Looking up at it now he seen the stone around it had fallen away, revealing a crudely cut crystal of a red and blue tint, the colours mixing and swirling. He heaved a sigh, grateful his crazy brand of magic had been satisfactory enough to waken it. While he DID possess dark magic, it was altering to blend with the Umbrum power he'd inherited as the Infinitum.

He'd just rolled himself onto his hooves when the doors to the town hall bust open, and a veritable stream of ponies came pouring out.

"Sire!" Corona came racing over "are you alright?"

“I’m fine.." Sombra smiled, untangling his cloak and setting it straight on his back again. He felt his shoulder throb briefly but ignored it, it was probably just a sprain.

"How...how did you do that?" Trek looked from Sombra to the artefact hovering above the fountain now, shaped like a bolt of lightning, albeit a crude one "was it..?"

"Yes, this is a type of dark magic shield. Therefore it required magic of an arcane nature to waken. Not widely used in Equestria"

"Dark magic? Isn’t that dangerous?!" somepony panicked. Sombra shook his head.

"As long as the one controlling it is well versed, it CAN be safe. It just takes a lot of training. Or being born with it. Princess Celestia is a recognised practitioner of dark magic, alongside myself."

The ponies nodded, relaxing as they realised this pony was telling the truth. The rumours from the papers said he'd been protected and guarded on Celestia's orders. It was obvious he'd been able to work it out and now they at least had a shield, the storm being held back by the pulsing energy.

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Sombra headed back inside, followed by the towns-ponies. But his good mood faded fast as he seen Overwatch was awake and...being Overwatch. He was demanding to know what was going on?!

When he seen Sombra, he immediately assumed he'd caused trouble.

"What did you do? What happened to the storm? I don't want this town protected by corrupt magic-"

Corona had had enough. The words were out of him before he could reign them in, and King Sombra was too far behind him to stop him.

"You impetuous cretin!" he snapped. His voice was sharp enough to silence the Mayor mid rant.

"You'd be in a far worse state had his majesty not pulled that tree off your sorry tail. The storm is gone because his majesty got that thing outside to generate a shield! How dare you-"

"Captain!" Sombra said, concerned. He finally reached the furious gargoyle and raised a hoof to request Corona stand down. But it was the same side of his body the injury to his shoulder was on. The cold of the snow he'd landed in had numbed it, making it easily forgotten. Now however- he halted mid-movement, cursing sharply. The ponies standing behind him seen a crimson stain bloom on the fancy cloak. Corona stopped mid-rant, honing on in his King's distress.

"Sire?" he asked.

"I-it's alright." Sombra fibbed, but the ponies were startled by the sight of the spreading bloodstain. Corona seen what they were glancing at, panicked whispers racing around. He carefully peeled the cloak away from the wound.

"It looks deep sire." he said worriedly.

"I must have hit something when the artefact kicked off, I was not expecting it to be so violent in its waking. I'm sure I can fix it." Sombra tried to shift back to his crystal form, but it seemed he'd expended more magic than he'd thought rebooting that shield and the attempt fizzled out, reverting to his illusion form again. This accidentally caused the wound to bleed heavier.

"Good grief your majesty, cease doing that!" Corona paled.

"D-duly noted.." Sombra grimaced. He'd have to wait before trying that again. It felt like contact with that thing out there had scrambled his head a little. It'd been a risk trying to wake that thing, he hadn’t had time to study any potential backlash.

"Sit down," Fast Trek said "I’ll fetch some supplies."

Corona shot Overwatch one last filthy look and guided the King as far away from the obtuse Mayor as possible. Trek handed Corona some bandages and a bowl of warm water with a cloth. Sombra cursed softly as Corona washed the wound.

The gargoyle frowned "this looks deep your Majesty. We may need to stitch it."

"There’s some anaesthetic in my office, with the wind at bay its safe to go fetch it!" the towns doctor spoke up, and Corona gave a grateful nod.

The ponies hovered as close as they could, watching as the doctor injected the numbing agent into the area surrounding the deep cut. Sombra winced and cursed softly, but otherwise didn’t seem too pained by the process. With stitches put in, the wound was bandaged and the doctor recommended Sombra try not to move around too much.

Sombra thanked him for the assistance, and headed over to his previous spot by the window. A glance outside revealed the artefact was holding up well, although Sombra had a concerning feeling growing in his gut.

He looked down at the cloak folded on the floor next to him. With the way the way he'd clipped the sharp edge of the fountain, it had left a sizeable tear in the fabric, surrounded by blood.

He soon realised if he tried to lie down the stitches would strain, the movement sending twinges of pain through him. He grimaced and sighed, instead leaning the side of his body against the wall, his tired reflection looking back at him. Hearing hoof-steps he looked around, seeing Fast Trek.

"You OK?" she asked, looking at the cut on his shoulder. He nodded, explaining he'd had worse. Once his magic recovered enough, he'd be able to fix himself in his crystal form.

"Do you wanna lie down?" she asked "you look about ready to pass out sitting up, and that doesn’t look comfortable."

Sombra gave in, and nodded gratefully. She escorted him to a spare room sometimes used by anypony working late in the offices upstairs. Sombra laid himself down as best he could, avoiding putting pressure on the cut. Eventually he dozed off, exhausted from the mental and physical madness this trip had brought. What was he going to do about that stubborn Mayor?

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He woke later on, when it was night and sat up slowly. His shoulder stung, but his head didn’t ache as much. His memory felt better at least, less muddled.

All the same, it felt like there were memories that were not his own, but he couldn’t access them yet.

He was heading for the bathroom when the night took an interesting turn, he smiled softly as he slipped past the sleeping guard sat by his door. Sombra decided against waking him, the poor crystal pony was probably exhausted.

As he walked past a window, he seen a flash of movement. He peered out into the night, seeing something whisking out of sight behind a looming shed. The storage-!

Without thinking, he engaged his magic. He felt his shoulder ache, but he was able to turn into the shadow version of him, thus making it easy to create a gateway to outside via the shadows cast by moonlight.

He crept closer to the shed, ears pricked for the smallest sound. He slipped into a crack between the thick heavy boards. Inside it was almost pitch black, but for a pale green glow. He snuck between the shelves, zeroing in on the light source. It was a small figure wearing a cloak. It was pony shaped as far as he could tell, but he couldn’t see the face.

"Hay.." he said softly. The figure whirled and he caught a glimpse of wide green eyes before they dropped the glowing tube held in their mouth. It hit the floor, breaking and going dull once the liquid was exposed to the air. The room was plunged into total darkness and Sombra heard a girls scared gasp, and bumbling hoof-steps. Then, at the far end of the shed, Sombra seen a door fly open.

Glimpses of two deputy's were caught as they moved between the shelves, and Sombra made a quick decision. he whooshed over, grabbing the cloaked intruder and whisking them both away to a far corner hidden behind some crates that seemed to be almost empty.

"Don’t make a sound," Sombra whispered "or we're both in trouble."

They stayed silent, and Sombra thought they’d escaped detection, then he heard the first pony say;

"Hay, what’s this? A test tube?"

Sombra heard his impromptu companion gasp, her voice laden with panic. He glanced around, and seen the open door at the far end.

"I'm going to make a run for it, will you trust me?" he asked. In the dim light, the cloaked one nodded. He carried her in his magic as he crept out from behind the boxes, and darted across the gap towards the door. He heard one guard blurt;

"Who's there?" but all he would've seen was a shadow moving just slightly, then it was gone.

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Outside, Sombra flew them both as far as possible, hiding them round the back of a seemingly abandoned house. The storm had dealt it a heavy blow. He set the little pony down, and sighed in relief.

"That was close..." he muttered "Who are you?"

The cloaked figured backed away. He could just about see her eyes, and they looked wary.

"I’m not here to hurt you, i promise. I seen you creeping around and wondered who you were. Are you the thief-"

“I’m not a thief!" she blurted, then clapped a hoof over her mouth. Sombra seen she had some gold bangles around her forelegs.

"Then what are you doing here?" Sombra asked.

"It's not stealing, I’m doing it for my brother!" she said sharply "he's a baby, he needs things."

"Then ask the Mayor-"

“I don’t LIVE here! Besides, he wont help."

"Why?" Sombra asked.

She sighed, glancing around before throwing back the hood. She had pale grey fur, with dark grey stripes, Her hair fell in waves around her young face, green eyes framed by big black lashes.

"I'm from a Zebra settlement." she said, before Sombra could point out the obvious.

"A Zebra?" Sombra was curious "I’ve never met one before."

"Cant say I’ve met a talking shadow either!"

"I'm-"

“Oh I know who you are! You're Sombra!" she said brightly. Then she frowned as the shadow winced, gazing away from her. Even though he was a shadow, she got the impression he'd just tensed up. He seemed to be expecting something.

Seconds of silence passed, and she asked "why did you do that?"

“Do what?" Sombra asked, throat dry.

"That. Look all scared." she blinked "I wasn't going to say anything mean."

Sombra blinked, looking startled. "but you know who i am, that must mean-"

"Yeah yeah, I’ve seen a history book," she said dismissively "but i also know about the...second round, the NOW stuff."

"How..?" Sombra asked.

"I've been stealing their papers too." she said with a cheeky grin. This made Sombra laugh softly.

"So I know you’re not dangerous. You gave me a fright when you snuck up on me like that, but once I realised who you were." She smiled "I recognised your eyes. They're kind."

She seemed very wise for a young child, and Sombra found himself relaxing a little.

"What’re you doing here? The papers are saying you live in Canterlot?"

"I came here to try reason with the mayor, but its failing. Normally i live at the building site. That’s where the new empire is being built, to house the Umbrum's."

"That’s your ponies right?" she asked.

Sombra nodded.

"The papers showed a few pictures, you look like crystal don’t you?"

"Indeed, we’ve been likened to sculptures." Sombra smiled softly.

"My names Fern." The zebra said at last.

"Are you out here alone, Fern? What about the storms?"

"I got here earlier, I’ve been hiding for awhile. Then I heard that big explosion, seen that barrier crop up. Did you do that?"

Sombra nodded "its keeping the storm at bay for these ponies."

Fern looked sad "I wish somepony could do that for US." she said sorrowfully.

"How do you mean?" Sombra asked.

So she told him.

The Zebra's had taken to living in a network of caves since the storms began, but it made it impossible to grow much food since they didn’t have the same resources the town did. So she'd taken to creeping down here to take urgently needed things.

"My brothers only tiny, he needs more than momma can give him..." she explained. Seeing Sombra's expression she blurted "I know stealing is wrong, but we need help too! And that Mayor wont help us!"

"You tried-?"

"Yes! Momma and Daddy tried. But they’re superstitious, or that Mayor is, because we showed up when their crops were failing and he blamed us. Didn’t give us a chance. They all acted scared..."

This triggered something in Sombra's memory.

"Princess Twilight, she described a story like this. How all of her town once fled every time a nearby Zebra came to town. That’s how I knew what you were, she showed me a picture..."

"Wow, you met Princess Twilight? I’ve seen her picture, she looks like a nice pony."

“She is, she is one of the ponies that helped me recover."

"Were you sick?"

Sombra paused then nodded, in a way, he had been.

"I’m better now." he added, which seemed to reassure her.

"I have to go back now, before those guards catch me again." Fern sighed.

She picked up her bag, only to realise it’d gotten torn in the escape. Things started slipping out and she whimpered in dismay.

"Let me help.." Sombra said gently. "I'll walk with you to your settlement, I cant let you go out in that storm alone."

"You sure?" she asked. There was no denying it'd be harder getting back in the storm. She had a compass she used to chart her way, but the snow would make visibility poor. Maybe with this pony’s magic..?

"I'm certain." he said softly "Lets get closer to the outskirts first."

He transferred the things she had in her bag to his. As he was doing so, he seen her eyes light up as she spotted one of the little cake boxes he kept stashed in his bag.

"Go ahead, take it." Sombra smiled "I have plenty."

Her eyes lit up and he watched her as she gobbled the cake up in a few bites, every single crumb.

"That was so nice," she whispered "I wish we could have cake at home."

"There has to be a way I can help you too?" Sombra said.

"You’ll wanna talk to momma then, she's the head of our group. Daddy’s a healer, he makes potions we use for trade and ourselves."

They stepped out into the snow, and Sombra finally transformed into his illusion form.

"Hay, that’s the you from the past!" Fern grinned "can you do the crystal form too?"

Sombra nodded, and turned into the gorgeous crystal version.

"Whoaaa, that is amazing," Fern breathed "cool!"

Sombra set her atop his back, so she could read her compass and tell him where to go. They set off, Sombra raising his wings to shield her from the chill. She let her hoof run along the soft feathers, marvelling at their shine. Between changes in direction, she asked about his ponies, about the Umbrum.

In return, she told Sombra a lot about Zebras. Not much was known to the majority of Equestria, and Sombra took it all in with an air of fascination.

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After a couple of hours trekking, Fern said they were close.

"Don’t your parents notice you’re gone?" Sombra asked. Fern shrugged.

"Not really. They’re pretty busy looking after my brother and everypony else. There's quite a few of us kids, and I bribe a few to cover my back."

"I see." Sombra was surprised by the level of effort she'd put into this.

"This is the first time I got caught by the storm. They'll definitely know I’m missing now."

"Don’t worry, I’m sure they'll understand you did it out of love for your brother."

Fern felt a little better at his kind words, and nodded.

Soon they reached a sheer cliff face, and she pointed up to where the mouth of the cave waited. Sombra swallowed nervously as he stared up at it. The last time he'd been in a cave it hadn't been great.

"Hay, you OK? You’re shaking?" Fern frowned.

"Its...I have a…a phobia of caves. The tight spaces, the stone, it feels like its going to crush me." Sombra admitted.

"Oh man, I’m sorry. But it's not that bad, I promise. The tunnels a little narrow, but inside it's big, you could fly right around if you needed to. There's lot of Zebra's there, you wont be alone."

Sombra nodded. He had a promise to keep, and he couldn’t leave this kid alone. Plus it seemed the Zebras needed help as badly as the village did. Whether he'd have a shot at convincing THEM either was uncertain.

"Alright, lets go." he said as he extended his wings, feeling his shoulder object a little. He flew them up to the mouth of the cave where he touched down.

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Fern hopped down now, leading the way past screens of branches and leaves, showing him where to duck to avoid banging his head. The whole time he walked he could feel the water splashing off his coat, could almost hear the tonnes of rock over his head. Soon they emerged into a MASSIVE cave.

Fern hadn’t been exaggerating. It was easily big enough inside to fly in. Not far, admittedly, but there was space enough. It was decorated with what had to be traditional masks and bottles, and lanterns lit the cave brightly.

"Halt right there! how did you get in here?" he jumped as two beefy Zebra stallions stepped in front of him now. They did double takes as they spotted this intruder was an Alicorn. And an odd one at that.

"Ugh, will you two knock it off!" Fern objected, and they finally looked down,. noticing her there.

"He found me out in the storm, and carried me back here. Be nice. And fetch momma please." she said primly. Sombra fought the urge to laugh at how calm she was.

"Stay with him." One muttered to the other. And so Sombra found himself staring down the pointy end of a spear for the second time in one day. The guard noticed his lack of fear and tried to read this pony's intentions. What was he? He had a faint suspicion, something about a paper. But once again, Sombra's poker face gave away nothing.

"Fern." A stern female voice met their ears and both turned as a female Zebra wearing very decorative jewellery and a headdress approached them now.

"Momma!" Fern ran over and was hugged gently by her mother.

"You gave me a fright, child of mine. Just where have you been, all this time?"

"I went...foraging. I got caught in the storm." Fern fidgeted under her mothers gaze "I went to the village."

"Fern you know better then to steal. Surely those ponies need their meal?"

"But we do too, and Ori..." she sniffled. Sombra realised Ori had to be her brother, the baby.

Fern's mother looked up, eyes widening a little at the figure the guard were keeping under close scrutiny.

"Step aside guardians, for I wish to see, the one who so kindly returned my daughter safely to me." she said calmly. The guard stepped aside as she approached. Her steely stare made Sombra think he wasn’t going to get any warmer a welcome here, and he felt his heart sink.

"I know who you are, and what you’re about, and-"

"I know, I know, “kindly get the hell out”." Sombra tried to sound light hearted yet calm "I understand. Just know that I’m not here to cause trouble, I merely wished to return the little miss to you. I couldn’t let her walk home in that storm."

To his surprise, the Zebra chuckled softly. Her eyes were smiling, making her seem less stern.

"-and there is much about you, that I wish to find out." she finished her sentence. Sombra felt himself flush slightly.

"He met the Mayor." Fern piped up "He wouldn’t listen to him either."

"Ah, so we have a common foe, there is much I wish to know. Will you follow me, where we can talk, and share some tea?"

Sombra nodded, amazed by her skills with rhyme. Was this a duty of the head of the Zebras? Fern seemed to talk with a regular speech pattern, as did the guard. Fern met his eyes, seeing his assumption, and nodded. So he was right.…

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He followed after Fern's mother, who introduced herself as Aeris. Sombra inclined his head regally, saying he was pleased to meet her. She smiled at his manners.

Sombra felt distinctly uncomfortable as more and more Zebras came out to see this stranger. Some whispered, others merely watched. Sombra felt their gazes burning into his back, and his wings fluffed up, as if trying to soothe him.

Every so often, Aeris noticed, the guests eyes flicked up towards the ceiling, and a distant clanking sound made him stumble almost imperceptibly.

--Something troubles him, what could it be?-- she pondered.

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She sent Fern to check on her baby brother, and set down with her guest. The room was decorated with all sorts of masks and pots of medicine, and some plants. The air had a flowery scent that made Sombra feel a little calmer. Aeris prepared some tea, which was wonderfully soothing, with a faint taste of herbs. The ceiling of this cave room was covered in fabric, and Sombra told himself he could make believe it wasn’t a cave.

"Do not fret, you are quite secure, there is no need for you to fear."

Sombra jumped slightly.

"My apologies," he said softly "It has been a very long day."

Aeris motioned him to speak and he found himself detailing his efforts to help the villagers, only to hit a barrier with Overwatch's refusal to see him as anything but a monster. He finished with a weary sigh, and studied her expression.

"Seems you met the same fate as us, the Mayor voiced such a fuss."

Sombra nodded "Fern mentioned he was superstitious. They’re quire....secluded out there, it concerns me."

Aeris nodded, saying she understood. Then she caught Sombra by surprise with her next statement.

"Yet there is a sadness in your eyes, what troubles one so wise?"

"Worried- oh-" Sombra scrambled to force a relaxed smile "it is nothing, truly."

Aeris shook her head, smiling softly. Seeing he wasn’t fooling her, Sombra sighed.

"I can seemingly do nothing to convince him to change his mind." he started pacing as he spoke, concern bubbling over "he simply will not hear me out! I understand his distrust of me, I told myself I would simply have to endure the lingering anger. After all, everything I did-"

"That is where you are mistaken, price for those actions has long been taken." Aeris said smoothly.

"How do you mean?" Sombra asked.

Aeris smiled again and explained she could see it in his eyes, the way he spoke, the story he'd told her about trying to help those ponies. She could see he'd endured a path of redemption most would falter at, and something about him told of a forgiveness already earned. She also added she'd read the papers Fern thought she'd hidden in her room, so she knew a little about him.

"Some pony's will seek chance to inflict hurt, the Mayors intent is to treat you as dirt. In this way he will beloved, whilst his true salvation? Into the wastes it is shoved."

"Then there’s nothing I can do?" Sombra sighed heavily. "It is so infuriating. Those in need are the ones who will suffer for his arrogance. They cannot live there for much longer!"

"The storms, they increase, the relentless assault will soon never cease." Aeris agreed.

"That’s what I’m worried about. And your home too, Fern told me about the situation."

Aeris motioned him to sit down and pored him some more tea. She spoke of their troubles, and her son, Ori. Fern worried he didn’t have enough, and this was what drove her to sneak out. She realised now all those times Fern had proven hard to find, she'd been foraging alone.

"I regret I was not there for her, it is quite a burden she must bear." Aeris sighed, looking saddened.

"She did it out of love, I got that much from her story." Sombra tried to help her feel better. Aeris smiled warmly, nodding gratefully.

"And, I know its probably a bit abrupt but maybe I can help you? If you are not adverse to it."

Aeris reached across and patted his hoof gently.

"Fear not, we would not refuse you. But it is a big burden, is there space enough with you?"

Sombra described the building site and showed her some memories of it, of what’d been accomplished so far. She seemed surprised by the fact he didn’t even insist he have his own home, happy to sleep in the barracks.

"I know it seems crazy, I’ve only just met you. But both you and that village are in dire straits, and I cannot help one and leave the other. It will take time, but I believe I can do it." Sombra explained.

Aeris nodded, and beckoned him to follow her now. They walked outside and Sombra asked where they were headed?

"We are going to address everyone, I wish them to take note. For with their curiosity satisfied, then we can vote."

Sombra understood. Aeris said she needed him to show those memories once more, and he was more then happy to.

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She walked him to a balcony made of sturdy wooden planks, where a big bell hung. She rang it several times, and soon Zebras began to gather. Sombra felt something nudge his foreleg and looked down. Fern grinned up at him.

She sat duly sat atop her mothers back, and gestured to another zebra who came over to them.

"This is my Daddy, Timber." She said to Sombra. Sombra did as he had with Aeris, and politely greeted him.

"My daughter tells me you saved her from being trapped in that village all night, you have my thanks. She's a good girl, if a little impulsive."

Fern grinned innocently. Sombra chuckled.

"She's clever, and her hearts in the right place."

Timber nodded, kissing his wife on the cheek and smiling fondly at her. "Is there big news?"

Aeris gave a brief explanation and Timber did a double take, looking at Sombra.

"I'm serious." Sombra said, before Timber could ask.

"Whoa, seriously?" Ferns jaw dropped "what's it like where you’re living?"

Aeris told her she'd see shortly, and seeing that all Zebras were now assembled in the big space below, she approached the megaphone tied to the railings. In her beautiful rhythmic prose, she explained who their visitor was, and how he came to find them. Sombra flushed a little when she described him as "a blessing amidst the storm".

When she unveiled the fact he was offering them help, whether it was a new home or supplies, the crowd burst into loud clamouring. The sound echoed around the cave and Fern noticed Sombra glance up at the rock ceiling high above his head. She felt bad for him, he clearly didn’t like even big caves...

Sombra snapped back to reality when Aeris tapped his shoulder, and explained he was best suited to answer the question.

"Question?" Sombra said softly enough that it wouldn’t be picked up by anypony but her.

"They wish to know why you would take in an entire settlement. We cannot offer you much in return, and we do not have much money for rent."

"It is not-" Sombra wondered how to phrase it, then recalled what he'd told Fast Trek. His own story. He approached the megaphone now.

"What that town is going through, what YOU'RE going through, it happened to my species a long long time ago. They too were driven out of their home, at desperations peak. They didn’t have anypony to turn to, they were relying on the crystal empire being able to show them some mercy. That is why I cant leave here without at least offering supplies. Cadance and Shining Armor, the Crystal Empires rulers, have been helping build my home alongside the Gargoyles and Centaurs."

THIS caused some amazed whispers.

"You know the Centaurs?" Somepony called loud enough for Sombra to hear. Sombra nodded. He showed them memories of Haydon and Vorak, and explained their kindness to him.

"One of the two guards I brought to the town with me is a Gargoyle, he has taught me much about their culture. That’s why I want to offer a home to not just Umbrum's, but any pony or otherwise that's seeking somewhere new."

He sighed softly "It is not a matter of striking a deal for monetary gain or otherwise. I was lucky that I had Celestia's help in finding the land we're building upon now. She gave ME a chance at a better future, a lot of ponies did. Were it not for their mercy I wouldn’t be here, so it seems only right I follow in their hoof steps and help make a difference of my own."

Fern cheered, and she wasn’t alone. Many Zebras stamped their hooves in approval. They could hear how genuine his voice was, and the memories he was displaying to them matched his words. They seen Celestia, kind and patient, helping him find his footing in an uncertain world. Seen the Crystal Empire ponies cheering as another crystalline pony offered up a crown to Sombra. Added to this was glimpses of colourful ponies and a creature they also knew from history books.

"You know Discord?" Fern asked "I’ve read about him, isn’t he a prankster?"

"One of the best!" Sombra tried not to laugh. "In fact, he has been my best friend since this all began."

Aeris was amazed. This pony had befriended the lord of chaos?

Sombra smiled gently "he understood how it felt waking up after a long time asleep in darkness. He was one of the few that got through to me back at the start."

Aeris smiled, and stepped up beside Sombra, asking the Zebra's to place their vote by the time the sun rose.

"It is late, you must stay tonight. What roams outside is a terrible fright."

"You mean the Timberwolves?" Sombra asked "I know what you refer to, they’ve been a bit of a nuisance."

But he was happy to agree to staying until dawn and the vote. As they walked along, Aeris stopped a passing guard to ask a question, and something clicked in Sombra's brain. Something he'd totally forgotten in his eagerness to help Fern and her fellow Zebras. He swore softly in the Umbrum language.

"What’s the matter?" Timber asked.

"It completely slipped my mind..." Sombra shook his head "my guard will not know where I am! I snuck out to investigate miss Fern's storage raid and come shift change, they may well notice my absence. If not then, the morning light..."

"Fret not, the storm will have died down," Timber assured him "We will travel with you back to the town. Aeris and I agree we should speak with that Mayor alongside you."

Sombra looked troubled, but Aeris assured him he needn’t worry. They would not let the Mayor walk all over them, they would be reasonable and respectful.

"Shame he will not likely show such decency in return." Sombra frowned

But Aeris told him it wasn’t a problem, they wanted to do it. She showed him to a spare room he could stay in.

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Left on his own, Sombra TRIED to sleep. But he was keenly aware of the ceiling above his head. A ceiling of tonnes of rock... He shivered, feeling chills.

--Stop it. It is perfectly safe. I’m sure of it.-- but he still felt a distinct sense of unease. The torches outside let in some light and the candle in his room helped, but it would go out eventually. He pulled the covers over his head, but that felt worse and he hurriedly pushed them off. He tried to lie down, but the knowledge he was stuck inside a cave wasn’t going away.

He paced the room as the candle wore down, until eventually it sputtered out, plunging the room into darkness. In desperation he created a spell, a small ball of purple flame that shone just bright enough to hide the ceiling in shadows.

He eventually dozed off, but it wasn’t long before he was woken by the sounds of hoof-steps traipsing the rocky corridor past his room. With a muted groan, he resigned himself to getting up.

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He waited until the corridor was quiet, then stuck his head out the makeshift door. Nopony there. He walked slowly along the enclosed rock way, keeping his heart-rate steady by controlling his breathing. This kept his wings from fluffing up the way they did when he was anxious. Things felt a little easier when he emerged into the more spacious open area. He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath before setting off towards where he'd last seen Aeris. Mid way there, he seen the balcony he'd stood on with Aeris to make the announcement. He hoped he was doing the right thing. But a big part of him knew with what he'd learnt about how his race had suffered a similar fate to the two groups he was offering help to, he couldn’t walk away.

"Good morning-" the voice startled Sombra and he yelped, wings going POMF.

"Sorry.." he blurted, and he cantered round to face the Zebra he'd been looking for.

Aeris smiled, assuring him it was alright, she hadn’t meant to startle him. She stood beside him at the railing as he turned back to gazing at the view below.

Below them Zebras milled about, there was an exchange market open by the looks of things, and tables set up to one side for them to sit and eat at. Then he noticed how many kids were either pausing to look up at him, or craning their heads from the seating area to get a look. He faintly seen one younger Zebra flapping his forelegs like wings, and the others around him nodded. Sombra realised his wings were still up, and hurriedly folded them down. The whole "when startled, go POMF" thing seemed mostly to just be him, he hadn’t seen any other Umbrum's doing it. Maybe because he was still adjusting to them in some ways?

Aeris asked was he hungry? Sombra nodded, and she asked would he be averse to dining with her and the other citizens of the settlement. It would do them good to see the pony who'd essentially saved them. Sombra nodded, following after her as they descended the rocky steps and rope bridges to get to the bottom floor. Out of habit Sombra glanced up at the ceiling, then snapped out of it and continued following Aeris. She led him to a mostly empty table, where she she said her husband would soon join them with Fern. Sombra nodded and she left to go get some food. Sombra couldn’t begin to guess at the number of eyes fixed on him now, but it felt like a lot. What should he do...or..say?

THIS was new. So far he'd gotten used to the relaxed atmosphere of the work-site, of ponies who knew about him and weren’t surprised by his presence. This was new, he was a total stranger to them. Admittedly entering the town had felt the same, but that’d rapidly turned dangerous when the storm hit and Overwatch expressed his scathing hatred. This was the polar opposite, these Zebras had accepted his offer of help, they were trusting he would keep his promise. It couldn’t have been easy for them.

His wings itched and he allowed them to fluff up slightly, afraid he might hit something or somepony if he stretched them here. That was the downside to the large fluffy things.

He felt something pet one of the wings and looked down, seeing one brave little colt sat on the bench beside him, studying the wings with curiosity.

"Why are they going floof?" he asked. Sombra cleared his throat, seeing more kids hovering nearby.

"They cramp up a lot, and when they want to stretch they start doing that.." he laughed. The kid leaned sideways, gauged the distance and shrugged.

"Go ahead, nopony's gonna get hit..." he lowered his voice "plus Fern said they look totally cool and they ALL wanna see." meaning the other kids.

Sombra smiled softly, before unfolding them slowly, sighing in relief as they stretched properly.

"Wow," the kid grinned "they’re so big! Are you a good flyer?"

"Not the best," Sombra laughed "I only got them a short while ago, and learning to fly has been a little hit and miss."

"Is it true ponies can walk on clouds?" one filly asked, waving her hoof in the air like this was a classroom. Sombra nodded.

"Pegasi, the winged ponies, certainly can. So too can Alicorn's like the Princesses." Then he added as an afterthought "and myself, although it gives me the shivers for some reason. I keep expecting to fall right through!"

He mimed how tense he'd been the first time he'd been on a cloud, and the kids giggled.

“Fern said you’re a King, is that true?” another asked, Sombra nodded.

“Cool, I’ve never met a real King before, nopony here has!” one kid said, and they all nodded. They lived so far out the most they knew of the Princesses was what they'd learned from books.

“How come you’re not wearing your crown?” another piped up. Sombra chuckled.

“I spend most of my time working at a building site, it isn’t practical to wear it. I'd be worried about it getting damaged by the work. It is kept safe in a locked chest in the communal barracks.”

“Dontcha have a Palace to live in?” one colt asked curiously. Sombra shook his head.

“I want the residential buildings, the places where everypony is going to live, to be finished first. There are a lot of ponies waiting for their new home, and I want them to get it as soon as possible. It would take forever to build a palace, so I figured it could wait...”

Aeris returned with food, as well as her husband and child. Fern greeted her friends, and went to sit with them after greeting the King. The kids bid him farewell and Sombra waved happily as they bounded away.

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Sombra heard whispers racing around the eating area as he started on his food. It was delicious, and Timber told him they used traditional recipes passed down from generations past.

"It is delicious!" Sombra said appreciatively. "There is a cook at the building site who has been making traditional Umbrum recipes from my species memories. I was informed they are very old, passed down through families in much the same way."

Timber asked Sombra to tell them about the Umbrum's. So he did. He started with the story he'd given the other Zebras at the meeting last night, how they’d been desperate and out of options. Then came the tale of the accidental war, his mothers escape, and his creation.

Jaws dropped when he told the story that coincided with the history books, how he'd lost his mind.

"Turns out I wasn’t immune to the crystal heart, it got to me too. Slowly, over time, it corroded my defences, and when my full power was set free, it accelerated the unknown damage. I never knew what I was growing up."

"But then you were awoken, in a madman’s game merely a token?" Aeris asked, recalling what she'd read from the papers Fern had stashed in her room.

Sombra nodded, a faint shiver running up his spine. He censored the story as best he would while still being honest.

"He wanted to break his brother out of Tartarus. But first he had to stop the Princesses. He was told dark magic might be the key. That led him to find what remained of my physical form after the crystal heart took me out, and use ritual magic to restore my physical body. From there he was storing the magic he took from me, I could not escape, could not fight him. Helpless to fight back or do a thing to stop him. I thought I was done for, until a little Alicorn and her friends found me and took me away from that."

"The time of day so near to night, is the Alicorn you refer to, Princess Twilight?" Aeris asked. Sombra nodded.

"She and her friends brought me to Celestia. She offered me a new home if I could help her stop Scorpan. At first I didn’t trust any of them. What reason did they have to trust me, let alone forgive what I’d done? But in the end, I was able to save Canterlot and face the Crystal Empires caretakers. And they were kind to me. They didn’t have to be, but they offered me a second chance. Now, they are working with me, giving supplies to the building site. It was more than I could’ve asked for, and it has made me so happy that they could give me a second chance. not just the rulers, but the citizens too." he smiled. "They call me the "Hero of Canterlot". At first, it felt strange to be referred to as something...good."

"Sounds like both sides learned a lot about one another," Timber remarked, and Sombra smiled happily.

"Indeed we did. I'm still catching up to everything I’ve missed these last thousand years. So much progress has been made."

"Quite a tale for you to tell. Tell me, are you feeling well?" Aeris thought he seemed a little pale. She seen him glancing at the high ceiling. It seemed there was more to this then just nerves...

"Ah," Sombra coughed "I'm fine. It still frightens me a little how easily things could’ve gone wrong if I hadn’t had the girls to help me."

"Seems to me your own strength is equally to thank," Timber added "sounds to me like you CHOSE who to fight for. You had the right reason to turn on that monster. That’s why they call you a hero."

Sombra blinked, he hadn’t thought about it that way. He flushed slightly, it was getting a little easier to discuss what’d happened. His story...

He seen movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. There were a lot of zebras standing clustered around the table. He'd been so lost in memory he hadn’t spotted them. If his wings weren’t already up, they’d have gone POMF. As it was they gave a surprised twitch then went still.

"Sorry," One Zebra said when he seen the wing twitch "we didn’t mean to startle you, we assumed you'd noticed us all.."

"Ah," Sombra laughed softly "I have a tendency to drift into my own world sometimes. Its not the first time I’ve drawn a crowd and not realised.." he flashed back to when he'd had that soul searching discussion with the pony's at the site.

He indicated his cutie mark "oddly, that’s how I gained this. By finally talking instead of hiding away. In fact, this was the first time an Umbrum had gotten a cutie mark. Traditionally we never had them before."

"Really?" one mare asked. Sombra nodded.

"In the Umbrum species, I am what is referred to as an "Infinitum". Much like the princess, Infinitum's are Alicorn's. It also comes with some unusual attributes. one of which is the ability to, how do I put it, ALTER myself. I was able to assimilate the Crystal Hearts influence in this form and convert it into an immunity. Immunity that I was then able to transfer to the waiting members of my species. Information about what the Infinitum's truly where is still unknown, those memories have not been found yet..."

"So how did you make a cutie mark?"

Sombra chuckled, flushing slightly "Truth is, I had longed for one since I was a child. I'd given up, or so I thought. but upon the realisation of just what I was meant to do, it showed up out of the blue! I guess the idea never left me and with the Infinitum's power, it could become a reality!"

The Zebra’s cheered, it sounded like a happy occasion for Sombra! Sombra smiled warmly, that was how he had felt, overjoyed.

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Soon it was time to go, and Sombra bid the other Zebra's farewell, hoping he'd seen them again soon. Many thanked him, stopping him personally to offer a smile, or to shake his hoof. Outside, the air was far more calm than it'd been the night before, and with Fern sat atop her mothers back, the three Zebras and one Alicorn set off for the town.

The storm was gone, just the regular chill wind sending flurries of snow into their faces.

As they walked Sombra answered any further questions about the Umbrum's, or what Canterlot was like? He described the city, how it'd been a home of sorts while he recovered...

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Soon they seen the village appearing out of the misty air. It seemed too still. Too quiet.

Sombra felt a funny shiver run down his back that set his senses blaring...

Author's Note:

I actually wrote this a few weeks back, but i was pretty stressed, and it got forgotten about. I wanted to get a chapter out before i start on my current project, so you'll have something to read! Enjoy~

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Will Radiant Hope appear in this story?

[Wysteria]

Someone get the Princesses to that town! Overwatch needs a serious reality check!

[Hail King Sombra]

That Mayor is such a butt-head. Can't wait to see what changes his mind, if he DOES change his mind. Sombra's had a good record of turning opinions of him around. Let's see if he can keep it.

[Coco Candy]

Long story short: Overwatch is a butt-face and he sucks