Hey everycreature! What's up!?
So a few months ago, I made a one shot that follows the events in the Siege of the Crystal Empire comic storyline and shortly after I made that, I also read the Fiendship is Magic comic series and the first one is about Sombra, which is my top favorite from that series (Mostly because it has more reasons for Sombra x Radiant Hope!)
Anyway, I was also intrigued by Chestnut Falls, the crystal pony who ran the orphanage in the empire and took in Sombra and was the only other pony, except Radiant Hope, who loved and took care of him. I also wondered what has become of her during Sombra's takeover of the Crystal Empire.
Last thing, this one shot is kinda of like a sequel of some sort to the one shot I made earlier, last year, just so you wouldn't get confused by some stuff!
It was a typical day in the Crystal Empire, crystal ponies going about their business, foals playing in the streets or couples taking a stroll. There was one pony in particular who had a rather difficult task ahead for the day, something that he has been delaying for some time and told nopony, not even his new wife, what he was going to do.
His name was Sombra, formerly the ruthless king of the Empire and now was just a simple resident of the Empire ever since his transformation. Ever since Sombra's transformation, he has been apologizing and seeking forgiveness from everypony he has affected. Even Princess Amore, once Sombra and his friend, now wife, Radiant Hope, put back together and brought back to life, has forgiven him for the mistakes he has done.
However there was one pony that Sombra has yet to seek forgiveness from, somepony that was long gone, but who took him in and loved and cared for him like a mother ever since the crystal guards found him and brought him into the Empire. Her name was Chestnut Falls, the crystal pony who ran the Crystal Heart Foal Center, an orphanage that took in little colts and fillies who had no family.
Ever since Sombra's transformation, Sombra has been giving donations to the orphanage, visiting the center often, but never had the nerve and strength to ever ask where Chestnut Falls was now buried, since she has long been deceased. Sombra delayed asking because he didn't find the courage to go to where his mother like figure was buried and say sorry for everything he has done. Soon enough, Sombra decided that he couldn't keep delaying, that eventually he was going to have to go.
After a walk to the orphanage from his new house in the Empire, Sombra sighed as he stood in front of the entrance, taking deep breaths as he opened the door and went to the front desk, where a young mare was, smiling as she saw Sombra.
"Sombra, so good to see you again." The mare greeted Sombra happily. "How's your wife?"
"Hope's fine, resting quite comfortably at home, thank you for asking Chestnut Flower." Sombra replied back in a happy tone. "I came to deliver my donations as usual." Sombra holding out a bag of bits.
"Thank you Sombra, your donations always bring joy to the little ones here." Chestnut Flower smiled as she took the bag of money.
"I was also wondering…" Sombra began in an awkward tone. "Since you're a descendant of a pony who once ran this orphanage, Chestnut Falls, I was wondering…" Sombra quite couldn't bring out the words.
"What is it Sombra?" Chestnut Flower wanting to know.
"I need to know, where is she buried?" Sombra finally asked.
"Oh…" Chestnut Flower a bit taken aback by this sudden question, but compose herself. "Well she's buried in the fields outside the city, where other crystal ponies are buried, shouldn't be too hard to find, her name is written on the gravestone, although it's a little old now."
"Thank you." Sombra simply said and then left the orphanage.
As he was leaving, Sombra saw some of the colts and fillies playing in the playground and while he was looking, he imagined all those years back, when nopony would play with him and Chestnut would come and sit besides him to keep him company and share a conversation, it was a little uncomfortable at first, but he grew to love those conversations.
Before going outside the city limits, Sombra stopped by the flower shop, picking up something from there before making his way out of the city to the fields. It wasn't hard to find the makeshift cemetery, all the rows of gravestones clearly visible, however it was a bit haunting to Sombra, all those lives he uprooted when he was completely evil and devoid of almost all feelings and now he felt his heart ache with misery and shame. It was quite a job to find Chestnut's grave, especially since it was covered in dust and the name was only half visible, but once Sombra found it, he came in front of it, wiping the gravestone off a little.
Once Sombra cleaned the gravestone enough, as well as planting the flowers he got from the flower shop, a bunch of white chestnut flowers in fact, he took a couple of minutes to read what was written on it:
Here lies the Crystal Mare, Chestnut Falls.
The one who ran the Crystal Heart Foal Center and took in the unfortunate little ones and cared for them like a mother.
She will be sadly missed by all, may her kindness and good heart be an inspiration to others.
Somehow Sombra felt that message was entirely directed at him, because that's exactly how he felt at the moment. He couldn't say anything, but just let the tears run down, tears of sadness and regret. While in his downtrodden state, Sombra heard a very familiar and lovely sounding voice speak from behind him.
"Sombra?" The voice of Radiant Hope called out softly, Sombra turning around and seeing his wife standing right behind him.
"Hope, what are you doing here?" Sombra asked. "You should be at home resting." Sombra pointing his hoof down to Hope's belly, which was bigger than normal, Hope was carrying their first foal, a little filly in fact.
"I'm fine, you have to stop worrying so much about me and besides, what wife would I be if I didn't worry about you too." Hope reminded Sombra. "And it looks like you need your wife more than ever." Hope argued.
Sombra knew it was useless to argue with Hope and plus he did promise when he said his wedding vows he wouldn't demand too much of Hope.
"How did you know I was even here?" Sombra asked.
"I was following you and even before you would mention Chestnut, I knew one day that you would go see her and when you left the house today, I guessed by your mood that today would be that day." Hope explaining her logical. "So, came to ask for her forgiveness?"
"Yes…" Sombra sighed as he turned back around to face Chestnut's grave, Hope coming alongside her husband. "Hope, do you think she forgives me? She took me in, loved and cared for me, she was like a real mother to me and yet I repaid her by enslaving her and then making her home a wasteland…"
Hope couldn't yet figure out a proper response as Sombra just continued.
"I don't even remember what she looks like…" Sombra trailed off as he closed his eyes, trying his hardest to avoid even more tears, but it was useless as the tears managed to break out from underneath his eyelids.
"Hey, hey…" Hope calming down her husband. "I'm sure wherever she is, she forgives you no matter what you did and I'm sure she's happy that you changed and following her example."
"You really believe that?" Sombra asked.
"I do and she still loves you like her son." Hope reassured her husband.
"Thank you Hope." Sombra wiping away his waterworks. "Hey, remember when I said I needed to think about our filly's name?"
"Yes, I do." Hope nodding her head.
"I would like to name her after Chestnut." Sombra making the decision. "If you don't mind that is." Sombra making sure he had his wife's approval in naming their first foal.
"I think that would be a perfect name." Hope smiled as she agreed with her husband. "Now come, lets get back home, you don't want me to keep standing up in my condition, do you?" Hope teasing her husband, knowing he was ever so attentive when it comes to worrying about protecting Hope and making sure their first foal was okay and safe while growing up inside Hope's belly.
"No, I don't…" Sombra started as he then lit up his horn. "In fact…" And Sombra lifted Hope up carefully before laying her on his back. "I'm going to carry you back home Mrs. Hope."
"Reminds me of those times when we were little and I pretended to save you from the dragon's tower, instead it's the other way around now." Hope chuckled.
"Yeah, those were the good old days." Sombra agreed with a lighthearted laugh as the two exited the cemetery and went back into the city, back home to continue on with their new life.
As always with sad stories like this, it gets pretty hard to finish it, like always I am close to shedding a few tears myself, just thinking about what I'm writing…
I wish something like this was addressed in the comics, it would have been such a heartwarming experience!
And with that…
See everycreature later!