Redemption: original

Sombra stared at his bed unsure if he wanted to go to sleep at all. His last dream had taken a dark turn at the end, and that was a foreboding sign. He sighed and climbed into bed steeling himself for whatever may come. He pulled the blankets over himself and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Sombra awoke in a open place with the only defining feature being a large stone tower. The area was flooded up to his knees with what he assumed was only water, until he saw that it was red. He was wadding through blood, and he had no idea why. He wadded towards the tall stone tower hoping it would provide a clue as to where he was. As he drew close he began to hear the splashing as the blood was agitated by somepony else. He turned around to face whoever it was but all he saw was the level surface of blood stretching as far as he could see. He wondered if he was being paranoid or if he truly was not alone.

"Oh trust me Sombra you are anything but alone." Sombra stopped in his tracks as his blood froze in his veins, he knew that female voice filled with nobility and supposed worth. Facing the voice he stared at the blue and emerald corpse of the last Empress of the Crystal Empire. A crystal alicorn and the cousin of Celestia, she was half rotted with many of her ribs showing through the skin, flesh falling off the bone and her left wing twisted into an impossible position.

"NO! No! No! nononononononononono! You're Dead.... I killed you..." Sombra backed away from her his eyes wide in fear.

"You are right TRAITOR you did kill me, but I will ensure that you suffer and pay not just for my blood that you spilt but the oceans of blood from every victim of yours. Tonight I will have just against you, my murderer!" The dead Empress laughed like a madpony as the blood at Sombra's hooves began to rise. Sombra ran to the tower as he could as a massive wave of blood and bodies rushed towards him, but with each step he took the tower seemed to move further and further away. Tears streamed down his face, he did not want to die, not like this. Eventually the inevitable occurred and the tidal wave of blood and bile crashed upon his head. He was swirled around in the concoction of bodily fluids and death, deep beneath the surface. When he finally was able to control his body he swam towards the surface as fast as he could. Just as Sombra was about to breach, something grabbed onto his left hind leg, and dragged him back down. Suddenly many hooves, claws, hands, and mouths were grabbing onto him, bringing him back down and ripping his flesh. He was fighting against the bodies of thousands he had slain and they would not forgive. Entrails wrapped around his arms and neck binding him into uselessness, while is lungs filled with the blood of his victims.

Somra threw himself from his bed his body involuntarily shaking and his stomach contents risking to fly from his mouth. He hugged himself in the corner of the room trying to tell himself it was just a dream. Sleep was no longer a haven for him, and he had to avoid it. He laid on his side on the wooden floor of his room, and vomited.  The King of shadows for the first time in many years, was scared to his core, and had no idea what he could do.