“NOOOOOOOOOO!”
Shining could only scream and watch in horror as his wife crashed into Sombra, which led both of them to fall toward the ground. He thought about jumping from the balcony and make a grab for her, but he knew he would only join her fate. All he could do now was watch and hope that his wife would survive the landing.
Meanwhile, Cadance was now understanding just how stupid this plan was. She knew for a fact she wasn’t even that strong, with keeping a shield up and all, so what made her and Shining think that launching her at the crystal would solve anything. She would just have to rely on her wings to glide her down once she caught it, and even then it would be a very shaky landing.
Even Spike was having seconds thoughts when it came to this situation. Sure, he wanted to get the crystal, but he didn’t have to jump for it. He knew there was a time for bravery, but sometimes stupidity gets in the way, and even though he wanted to be the hero, maybe now wasn’t the best time.
As for Sombra, he could only groan in pain and regret all of this once he made contact with the pink princess, and the lizard as well. All three of them smashing into one another created so much pain for all of them that they would be seeing stars for a bit.
That was, untill they crashed on the crystal floor, causing cracks and letting them be in more pain than before. So now they laid there, in complete immobilization, and worse of all, Shining saw the whole thing.
“No….NO!” Shining shoved Twilights friends out of his way before they could get a word in. He didn’t care what would happen to him. He wanted vengeance! In his mind, he thought this was all that kings fault, sure Shining threw Cadance straight at him without even thinking of the consequences that would soon follow, but couldn’t just sit here and watch. He had to do something.
Shining stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at his horn; he tapped it, seeing that it still wasn’t working. He stomped his hoof in frustration. “I can’t just rush him without magic, he’s too powerful, I need help, and, no offence to the girls, but I don’t think twilight’s friends have the power to...” Then it hit him. He turned his gaze up at the ceiling. “Twilight…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh come on!” Twilight flared her horn again and tried to teleport out of the crystal trap, but it still had the same results. Her being ported back into the same crystal structure. “Spike! Are you there!?” She tried to look over the jagged, black crystals, but they were too tall. She tried teleporting again to at least get a look on the outside.
Twilight could only catch a glimpse of, well, crystal. It was the only thing surrounding, not only her, but the entire room. At least it looked like it wasn’t spreading any more. “What is he planning?” She said. “Maybe he’s just plotting, waiting for the perfect moment to strike down and destroy us.”
She stood up and held her chest and head high. “Well, I won’t let that happen! You’re gonna have to get past me before you do anything else Sombra! You hear me?!”
“T….twa…...wie….lieeet….Bleh….”
Twilights ear twitched. She recognized that voice, it was, “Shining?” She turned toward the door. (or where she thought the door was.) and yelled, “Shining? BBBFF?”
“I…..I’m….all….almo….ost….gheh...wh...th...the..er...Ufh…” Shining tried to form words, but he was far too exhausted to do so.
Twilight heard a thump. “Um...Shining?” She flared her horn again and teleported out in the open, where she was able to catch a glimpse of Shining, who laid on the floor, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. “Shini-” Was all Twilight could say before she was forced back into her cell, smacking the back of her head while doing so.
“Ow…” She rubbed the injury and stood back up. “Shining. Did...Did you run...all the way-”
“All….the way….and….did...n’t….stop…” Shining tried forming words again, but with his heart pounding against his chest, and his lungs working into overdrive, it was almost impossible. “T-Twi...ly….the….guha...theres...dan...ger…”
“There’s a badger?” She questioned. “You came up here for that?”
“N-no...C-ca...dance is...in...tru…...mpl.”
“Cadance is a trumpet?” Twilight was starting to become concerned. It seemed that Shinings brain had the same effect his heart and lungs were having.
“NO!...Cands...dances….is….hugh...Just….letmecatchmybreath….” Shining crawled to the crystal dome and rested against it.
“Um..okay? Uh...Shining, I don’t know if you know but, Sombra has me, well, trapped in here and-”
Shining slid off the crystal structure and slumped on the floor again. “W-waht!...He...He has you...too?”
Twilight scratched her neck. “Well, I wouldn’t really say he ‘captured me’ I think that he just has me. AAH!” Twilight then felt a strong force of dark magic wrap around her horn.
Shining was thrown across the room from the force of the magic, making him groan in pain and tiredness. “Oooohh….my entire body hurts….” Shining was starting to think that he couldn’t move anymore.
“SHINING! S-somethings...something’s happeniii...AAH!”
Shining’s brotherly instincts took in as he stood back on all fours. He looked at the crystal trap to see it was now glowing dark purple, and sparks of black magic were coming off it. “Twilly!” Shining put his legs into it and ran toward it, no longer caring what state his body was in, or how strong the structure was, all he cared about was saving-
*SMACK*
“Twilly?” Shining stood back and looked ahead to see he just smacked into a wall, rather than the crystal prison. “H-how in...No..” Shining turned around to see that the crystals, and his sister, had now vanished. “Great...now he stole her too...well. I won’t let that...oh no...” Shining glanced over at the door, which was wide open to show the stairs again. “Dear Celestia; give me strength.” Was the last thing he said before walking back down the huge flight of stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Maybe I was supposed to harness the power of it. No...no that’s not right, this things powered by love, right?”
Sombra held the crystal up to the now trapped Cadance, who was sitting upright with her legs encased in dark crystal. She could only glare at him in response.
With no answer, Sombra groaned. “Come on, Miss Cadenza, I just need to know if it’s just powered by love, this is very important.”
“I doubt she’ll tell you.” Sombra turned around to see the purple lizard trying to speak up, but the crystal surrounding his feet didn’t help him at all.
Sombra stood over the reptile and shook his head. “Listen, Uh, little lizard, I doubt that you know anything about-”
“I’m a dragon.” It yelled. “And my names Spike.”
Sombra laugh again, though not as evilly. “No offence lizard, but last time I remembered, dragons have wings, and are really tall.”
“He’s a baby.” Cadance said, with the same expression of hate still present in her face.
Sombra turned around. “Oh really, then can he breathe fire?”
“Wanna find out!” The apparent ‘dragon’ took a deep breath, and as Sombra turned around, a wave of green flames come his way, almost all of it engulfing him.
The crowd of ponies gasped, wondering how a dragon so small could do such a thing, even Cadance was surprised. Though, the fire didn’t last as long, since Spike could only blow for five seconds before he collapsed on the ground and panted heavily.
And as the flames cleared, there stood Sombra, with no burn or scorch marks whatsoever. He, and everyone else, looked at him in complete disbelief. He checked his hooves, his cape, he even took off his crown and saw not a single singe was seen on him.
With his expression of ‘how did I not get burnt’ still plastered on his face, he turned toward Cadance again and said, “So, do dragons like him not have fire burning capabilities or something?”
Cadance looked at Spike, who still laid on the ground in exhaustion, and looked back at Sombra, who still had an eye raised at her. “Uh...how, how did…”
“Wait a sec, isn’t this dragon a slave to that purple pony? I need to stop doing that...” Sombra pointed up, signifying that Twilight was still on the top floor of the tower.
“Y-yeah she...wait, how do you know she’s-”
“Because I know these things princess.” He smiled and tapped his front hoof twice. “That and I sorta saw her try and take this thing away,” He waved the crystal in the air while the ground started shaking. “and after I stopped her from doing so, I put her in a crystal trap and made a run for the heart,” He turned his head to a circle of crystals now forming in front of him and Cadance. “it was pretty clear that her and this lizard thing were friends of some sort.”
Spike raised his head. “I’m a dragon.” he exclaimed before falling face down on the floor again.
Cadance was speechless, not only did he trap her, but now he was in control of Twilight as well. “Y-you have her too!” Cadance strained herself in trying to get out of this crystal trap.
Sombra shrugged as the crystals shattered, revealing an unconscious Twilight Sparkle, with her horn now encased in the same thing Shining armor had. Cadance and the rest of the crowd dropped their jaws at the sight, as for Sombra, all he could do was shake his head.
“Hu.” Sombra said. “Guess I do have her too. Weird,” He started pacing while Cadance felt tears coming to her eyes. “I expected someone to try and stop me, I mean, for my sake, ponies!” Sombra ran out into the crowd. “I have two powerful mares, and one of them’s an alicorn. How can none of you at least try and fight me?”
“SOMBRA!”
Sombras ears twitch. “Oh thank the king.” He said to himself. “At least someone is brave and stupid enough to try and stop-”
*HOOF TO THE FACE*
Sombra fell into the crowd, making everypony make a hole for him to fall in. Some ponies were dumb enough to try and help him up, but Sombra got up himself. “So, who’s the pony” He cracked his jaw back in place. “who was stupid enough to...oh…It’s you.”
“S-Shining?” Cadance tried to move to her husband, but the crystals were making sure that wasn’t happening. “Shining! Y-you can’t just-”
Shining ignored her and said, “You let my wife and sister go.” he said as menacingly as possible, while also trying to stay upright from gliding down the stairs.
Sombra snicked. “Oh come on Shining, you and I both know that horn of yours ain’t gonna work, so why are you even trying to-”
Shining stomped his hoof on the ground. “I don’t need magic to stop you!” He started making his way to the king. “The only thing I need is confidence, and love,” He looked over and smiled at Cadance, who smiled back. “and friendship.”
Sombra snicked again, louder than before. “F-friendship, really? That’s how you’re going to defeat me? Friendship, tell me, how will you, and it is just you, right?”
“No.”
Sombra looked past Shining to see Twilight getting up. “T-twily?” Shining walked up to his sister and helped her get on her hooves. Sombra just shook his head.
“Really?" Sombra said. "Are you being serious right now?”
“No one is fighting alone.”
Everyone looked to the entrance to the tower to see five more ponies walking toward Sombra.
“G-girls?” Twilight slowly got up, and with the help of her friends, she was able to stand on all fours. “Y-you guys came to-”
“To help,” An orange one replied. “‘cause nopony is gonna face him alone.”
Sombra facehoofed. “Oh come on, you guys don’t even have any magic to back you up, you really think strength in numbers will help you win?”
Shining stepped forward. “It’s not just strength, it’s how close we are to one another, knowing that nothing will stop us. Not even YOU!” Shining put his back legs into it and rushed toward Sombra, ready to rid the world of his evil and take back the crystal kin-
*SMACK*
Everyone gasped as Sombra backed hoofed Shining straight back to where he ran from. “Shining!” Twilight and her friends tried to help him up, but he was now unconscious. “You…” Twilight glared at the dark King. “You monst-”
“Oh please, I heard it before, now then.” He slammed his hooves on the floor, making the whole ground shake and causing dark crystals to form around him. “Try to defeat me and take this crystal back.” He said with a look of pure evil in his eyes and a grin putting a lot of effort into showing it’s fangs.
Twilight and her friends looked at one another. “A-are you sure we can do this.” The yellow one said.
Twilight hung her head. “Girls…” Then she held it high with confidence. “I know we can do this. Because friendship always prevails, no matter what. Now come on! Let’s show this red horned beast that it’ll take a lot more than this to stop us!”