• Published 4th Feb 2022
  • 804 Views, 10 Comments

To Walk Again - Cxcd



An ex-engineer of King Sombra is forced to adapt to modern-life, while being tormented with her former memories of a past gone-by.

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13 - Prisoners of Sombra

[The Crystal Empire, 4/4/3210, Two Sister's Reunion]


I could only pace my chamber, looking towards the glamorous chandeliers hanging in the middle of the grand room. I had to come to a simple conclusion, but I really couldn’t. It goes against everything I’ve stood for. Everything I’ve come to know. But I’ve been forced into a corner, here. I can’t kill a god,

How do I kill a god?

The answer, although not what I wanted, lies in something I’ve never obtained in all my years of living.

I need a friend.

Somepony who I can trust. Somepony who trusts me. Somepony who shares the same hatred for King Sombra that I do. Maybe ‘hatred’ is a big word. I had hatred, and look how I ended up. No- somepony who shares a similar distaste for King Sombra.

Where could I find somepony like that? Once again, the answer is something I don’t want to do, but afterall, a suicide mission causes for suicidal tenancies.

I need to find a prisoner in the dungeons.


“Ew- this place simply reeks of dirt!”

“What do you mean? This isn’t chocolate?”

“NO- Pinkie! That’s disgusting!”

“Don’t tell me you jus’ licked the ground.”

“I didn’t!”

“Oh, thank celestia-

“It was just the toilet seat.”

“HURK-”

“Quiet, everypony! I hear hoofsteps!”

The sound of trotting hooves became louder and louder, as the six prisoners fell silent. The dungy atmosphere added to the scare as they shrank away from the decaying metal bars.

The old wooden door creaked open, as the damp wooden planks struggled against the push. A shadow formed against the end of the hallway with a border-line godlike appearance. The pony walked forward, as the few looked on in awe.

The pony had an orange-tinted tan coat with a ginger mane. On her mane were a pair of silver goggles. Her Cutie Mark was two gears. Twilight could only assume her name had something do do with those.

“Hello, everypony. I am Rusty Gear.” Nailed it. “I am largely the reason why you are here, and I take that responsibility.” This lady gave off all the wrong vibes. From the way she presented herself, to the way she talked, she screamed nothing but evil. Twilight had experience with these ponies. Even a few months ago, a self-absorbed megalomaniac tried to take over Ponyville. This pony couldn’t be any different.

“I am the engineer for The Crystal Empire, and I want to kill King Sombra.” Well, this was something new. “And I want one of yours help.”

“Uhh- sorry miss, but this show goes as is. No exceptions!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Wait! Let’s hear her out.” Twilight spoke up. “You’re the engineer? Did you design this?” Twilight pointed at the collar currently around her neck.

“Yes, I did. Don’t overexert yourself, It’ll shock you.”

“I know.” Twilight said, slightly cringing at her failed escape attempts.

“Well- did you design these?” Rainbow pointed at a belt holding her wings shut.

“No. That is a leather belt.”

“LEATHER?”

“Anyway. Who will be the lucky one to come along?” The pony said, with a devious smile. The group largely sat silent. For a few moments, Twilight could almost watch the hope die inside the tan pony. “Nopony?” She said. Twilight was planning to let the silence ruminate across the room for longer, make sure her point was across. That was, until a small peep broke her concentration.

“I-I will.” Fluttershy said. Twilight gasped and looked across the cell block at her pink-maned friend.

“Fluttershy! What-”

“If it means helping my friends, I will do anything!” Her voice, louder than usual, boomed across the cell blocks. “S-Sorry. That was loud.”

“I have a plan! Listen to-”

“Hey, purple unicorn. She wants to help, I say let her.” Rusty said, smiling as she trotted towards the cell that held Fluttershy. She clicked open the door with a pair of keys she was storing… somewhere.

“Thank you, miss gear.” Fluttershy peeped out as she stepped outside the cell.

“No problem-o. Just follow me.” And, as quickly as she arrived, they left. Not without Fluttershy giving Twilight and her friends one last look, then disappearing behind the large wooden door.


The halls were big and scary. Fluttershy felt small compared to the portraits and statues of large ponies, all doing something to crush smaller ponies. She also felt the slightest bit claustrophobic. Pegasus weren’t meant to have their wings clamped shut like this, and the fear was building in her as she followed the tan pony.

“U-um. Excuse me, miss. I was wondering if you could- um. Unclip my wings? Please?” Fluttershy squeaked out. The pony in front stopped walking and turned to face her, looking down at her ever-so-slightly.

“Sorry, but they need to be cut off.” With this, Fluttershy made an ‘eep’ and shrunk down, practically laying on the floor. “I mean- the belt. The belt needs to be cut off.”

“O-oh.” She said, slowly raising herself back up.

“I’ll do it, as long as you promise not to fly away.” She said, rolling her head back forwards.

“I would never. My friends are in danger, I have to help them.”

“The only danger they are in is starving. The entire guard is getting ready for an attack, hence why these halls are so empty.”

“S-S-Starving?”

“I was joking. My plan shouldn’t take longer than today. They won’t be down there long.”

“If you don’t mind me asking- what is your plan?”

“Uhm- Well, you see. It’s… It’s a suicide mission.”

“Well, what is it?”

“A suicide mission.”

“That doesn’t-”

“I mean, I am literally going to kill myself in setting off a bomb large enough to blow Canterlot off the mountain its standing on.” Rusty turned around to face Fluttershy, giving her a squinting look with her eye.

What happened next happened fast. As rusty turned back around, Fluttershy practically teleported directly infront of Rusty, staring her down and forcing her to walk backwards.

“You- You are going to kill yourself?” Her nose bumped Rusty’s for a moment, taking that as a que to back up.

“Uhm- Yeah.”

“Suicide is NEVER the answer!”

“It is when your trying to kill a literal god!” Now it was Rusty’s turn to push her back. The tables flipped, and Rusty started pushing Fluttershy backwards. “I have committed atrocities. Crimes against carbon-based life-forms. If anypony deserves death, it’s me!”

“I don’t think so! Everypony deserves a second chance, not death!” The roles were reversed again, Fluttershy making Rusty back up.

“I had a second chance! I bucked it up!”

“I don’t think so!”

“Why doesn’t King Sombra deserve a second chance? What makes me any different from him?” Suddenly, Rusty was tearing up. Fluttershy could feel her weakness, and quickly encompassed the mare in a hug.

“You are very different from him.” She said, still hugging Rusty. “Sombra was designed to be evil. Sombra is barely a pony anymore. You are different. You’re just a pawn in his game. Don’t let him get to your head.” They sat there, hugging for several moments. Then, Flutterhy broke the hug, sitting down, as did Rusty.

Fluttershy still had more questions. “Tell me what kind of things you’ve done, and I’ll judge you for who you are.” Rusty looked confused, but obliged anyway.

“I am an evil mare. I’ve seen brains blotched across walls because of me. My direct actions. Pulling the trigger. I’ve developed devices to kill ponies. I’m no better than King Sombra.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Fluttershy said, pointing a hoof to Rusty. “King Sombra told you to make those things. You were doing as asked. Although still wrong- you don’t deserve death.”

“Then what do I deserve?”

“Reformation. I can’t look past the fact you are a villain. But I’ve met many villains in my days. None of them were as kind as you are.”

“You think I’m kind?”

“Of course, sweetie.” Fluttershy said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. She wasn’t sure how she’d react to being called ‘sweetie,’ but she didn’t even flinch. Fluttershy could obviously see something else going on below the surface. “Me and my friends are all about friend-ship. Understanding each-other. We have shown villians nothing more than a reaching hoof, and they always graciosuly accept it. The question is- will you accept the hoof?” Fluttershy took her hoof off her shoulder, and presented it like a hoofshake.

For a moment, there was hesitation. For a moment, she didn’t take the hoof. For a moment, she meerly stared at the thing.

Instead of taking it, Rusty dodged the hoof, stood up, and went straight for the hug.


“I’m baaack!”

“What did you do with Fluttershy?” Rainbow dash shot up from her laying position, ready for a fight.

“N-nothing. I’m here.”

“Then- why are you back?” Applejack asked.

“Oooh! Is it because you already brainwashed her? You want to convert us all to your evil slaves?” Pinkie said, surprisingly bouncing up and down, despite her dark thought process.

“What- No?”

“Then why are you back?” Twilight questioned, moving towards the bars.

“Well- I,” Rusty was interrupted by the only mare she thought wouldn’t.

“Can I answer this?” Fluttershy asked in a low, nonthreatening voice.

“Uh. Sure.”

“Everypony, Rusty doesn’t want to be the bad-guy anymore.”

“Wow. That was fast.”

“She is a kind, but broken pony.”

“Thanks for that.” Rusty said.

“It’s true. Rusty doesn’t want to do this anymore, and want’s nothing more than our help. I extended my hoof, and she took it.” Fluttershy looked at the cells. “If you don’t believe me, just know she wanted to die a few minutes ago. I took her out of that place, and you should do the same.”

“Now- I didn’t say I wanted to die-”

“Fluttershy. You are the kindest, bravest soul I know.” Twilight suddenly spoke up. “Rusty, would you like to be our friend?”

Fluttershy could see on her face. Something she might’ve never been offered. She took a step back, her iris’s shrinking into her skull, mouth slightly agape. “O-oh. Have you never had friends before?” She shook her head. Fluttershy swears she could hear something rattling in there. “Well then, let us be your first.”

“Heh. Yeah. It would be great if you could let us out, though.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh! Of course. Sorry.” She said, lowering her head and walking towards the cells with a pair of keys.

One by one, she unlocked the cells. Rainbow immediately tackled Rusty, not in anger or haste, but as a friend, ruffling her hair. Next, Twilight merely offered a smile. Pinkie had a similar reaction to Rainbow, but instead of ruffling hair, she just started talking about ‘friendship parties’ or something. Applejack also offered a nod.

Rusty came to look at the final cell, with a white unicorn laying on the floor.

“Uhh- is she okay?” Rusty asked, looking at Twilight.

“She’s fine. That’s Rarity. She’s in a fashion-deprived coma.”

“Wh- But is she okay?”

“Yeah. We just need to dangle some gems in front of her for a moment.”

“DID SOMEPONY SAY GEMS?”

“There she is.”


“Welcome, to my lair!” Rusty said, pushing open the large bronze doors with her hooves. The workshop was marvelous. Bronze and silver-steel shone, making dancing patterns across the ground. The few lights in the workshop only operated in the background, giving off a nice orange hue. It was very homely. Strung across the ground were parts of work-in-progress machines, and hanging off the ceiling were half-torn apart machines and weapons.

“What’s this?” Rainbow Dash asked, sticking out a hoof.

“DON’T TOUCH THAT!”

“Woah- why?” She quickly retracted her hoof.

“It’s very delicate.”

“But what is it?”

“It’s a machine I tried building. The idea was to give flight to Unicorns and Earth-ponies by perfectly replicating the wing structure of a pegasus, like yourself. Might I say, you have a very healthy pair of wings.”

“Thanks, sis.”

“The idea never came to fruition. Unicorns and Earth-ponies are too brutish, our bones too heavy. Pegasus have hollowed bones, making flight easier.”

“That explains why I’m in the hospital so much!”

“...did you take biology?”

“Didn’t pass it.”

“Oh.” Rusty shied away from that conversation, and walked towards Twilight, who was poking and prodding at the collar around her neck. “Here- let me get that for you.” Rusty quickly grabbed a screwdriver, and started working on the collar, unscrewing bolts in a specific sequence.


Why am I doing this? I already trust these Mares. They are probably spies sent by Celestia to hunt me down. But why haven’t they killed me yet? Maybe they want their bindings removed before my untimely death. But… Fluttershy, was it? Fluttershy treated me life a foal. And I liked it. I liked being hugged.

Does that mean I’m actually damaged? Mentally? Or am I just so starved for love I’ll take anything at this point.

“There- do you feel better now?” I asked the purple unicorn, who lit up her horn. The collar was engulfed in a blinding blaze of purple light, and it was lifted out of the way. She gave her mane a little shake, letting it fall back into place.

“Yes. Much better, thank you.” She said. Surprisingly, she didn’t murder me yet.

“Can you get my wings undone now?” Rainbow dash practically put her flank in my face. I used the screwdriver to wear the leather down, eventually snapping the thin piece of leather.

“Oooh. Can I help, please?”

“Pinkie- this equipment is mighty dangerous. I don’t think you should touch nuffin.” Applejack said, looking at her reflection in the huge boiler I was in a mere few days ago. Or a thousand years ago.

“This place is simply marvelous!” A high, eloquent voice spoke. “Just look at these designs. I must know, Rusty, who designed these master-pieces?”

“That would be me.”

“My dear, you have an eye for fashion. That much is known.”

“Let me get that collar off for you.” I trotted towards her with a screw-driver.

The pink one started talking again. “I don’t mean to burst anyponies bubble, but how are we going to deal with Sombra? So big meanie will see us coming from a mile away.”

“That’s the thing.” I said. “He expects somepony like you. He doesn’t expect me to-” I gulped between words, “-betray him.”

“So what’s the plan?” Rainbow said, now flying a few feet above the ground.

“The plan was to detonate a bomb- but seeing you guys are here now…” I looked around my workshop. I needed something explosive. It couldn’t be something that takes time to charge, or for him to see coming. It had to be a instantaneous.

“What’s this thing?” Twilight said, pointing towards my boiler.

“Aha! That’s it!” The idea came flooding to my head. “I’ll forcefully explode the boiler! He won’t know what hit him.”

“But- how do we do that?”

“I’ll have to make a few adjustments, but Twilight, I need your magic to remotely detonate it when he’s close. It’ll be as simple as turning a valve. It sure won’t be as powerful as a bomb, but it’ll destroy whatever part of his body is making contact.”

“Okay. Rusty, if we make it out of this, you can come back to pony-ville with us.”

“Pony-ville? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s a relatively new town, only founded about 160 years ago.”

“Oh buck. I keep forgetting I’ve been gone 1,000 years.”