On the outskirts of the Crystal Empire near the crystal archway, a single spot stood out amongst the rest. This spot was where Sombra had attempted to gain entry into the city when Cadance's shield went down, only to slam his head into it once it was back up.
However, not all of Sombra was kept out. The tip of his horn, which was quickly restored afterwards, had broken off and landed inside the shield. That piece of the dark king melted into the ground, a puddle of green and purple magic forming in its wake.
Then, something new sprouted out of the ground. A single, tiny, red and black crystal.
Inside the empire, the Crystal Fair continued to be a great success as the rest of the mane seven worked to keep the crystal ponies happy. It seemed to be working, as the crystal ponies started to glow a crystal sheen. As they continued to celebrate, Twilight was walking through the town, trying to figure out where Sombra could have hidden the Crystal Heart.
"I don't understand. Just where would it be? I looked at every bit of the castle and there's not a clue about the heart." Twilight grumbled to herself, Spike following right behind her with worry on his face. "I know I'm missing a clue. I just need to figure it out..."
It was here that Rainbow started floating above the unicorn, calling out to the crowd, "Who wants a flugelhorn?"
Pinkie, who was now dressed as a jester, popped out of the crowd with a smile. "I want a flugelhorn!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes, turning her head away. "Not you Pinkie. Now, who else wants a flugelhorn?!"
Pinkie began to pout as she yelled, "I want a FLUGELHORN!"
As Twilight started to ignore at the ridiculous display in front of her, the unicorn turned around and looked back at the Crystal Castle. She began to stare at it, wheels turning in her head. "No....it couldn't be! Don't tell me the solution is that!"
"Twilight?" Spike asked as he saw her expression change. "Are you-where are you going?!"
"I know where it is!" Twilight replied back, already rushing past the drake as she ran towards the castle.
"Twilight, wait! I'm coming with you!" Spike yelled back, running after her and hopping on her back.
The young unicorn turned her head back and frowned at him. "Get off me Spike. I have to retrieve the Crystal Heart by myself."
Spike's expression become one of sheer determination, where he then hid his claws in his armpits. "I know. I promise I won't lift a claw to help you."
Twilight came to a stop, glaring at the dragon for a second. Despite this, she knew he wouldn't budge and let out a long sigh. "Fine. But not a claw Spike, got it?"
"Got it." Spike nodded as Twilight restarted her run back to the castle. "So, where are we going exactly?"
"I think I might know where King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart. Its in the castle." Twilight looked upwards towards the giant crystal palace as it got closer into view.
"He hid it there? But didn't you already check everything?"
"Yeah...but I thought up a new idea as to where it is." Twilight let out a low gulp as she said her next words, "I just hope I'm right."
"Me too..."
As they rushed to find the heart, the other friends remained besides the fake Crystal heart, which was covered by a flag Rainbow had snagged. After the 'conversation' with Pinkie, Rainbow had agreed to help Applejack with standing guard over the fake heart, making sure no one figured out it was false. Here, time began to pass again and as it did, Rainbow had a particularly sour look on her face, which scared off most of the crystal ponies from checking the covered object.
That is, till a crystal stallion started walking towards them, causing Rainbow to get up in his face. "What are you looking at?!" she glared, causing him to slowly back pedal in fear. "That's what I thought."
"Uh...Rainbow Dash," the Applejack whispered as she walked up to her daredevil friend. "We're supposed to be actin' like nothing's wrong."
"I know...." Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm just sick of sitting here, guarding this thing."
Applejack then slung her hoof around the pegasus's shoulder. "Yah know, maybe you should let me keep the crystal ponies away from the fake heart while you show off your joustin skills? Maybe that'll cheer 'em up better than making stink faces at 'em."
Rainbow thought about this for a moment, nodding as she did so. "Seeing my awesomeness does have a way of putting ponies into a pretty good mood." She shot into the air. "Now...where's Flash?"
Meanwhile...
Flash was outside the empire, staring down its number one enemy.
Sombra simply smiled at him, obviously seeing his challenge as amusing. "Before we start, I must admit that I do find this interesting. I was honestly hoping a bit more of a fight for my prize, and I did see the skill you had when you saved that annoying unicorn. Obviously, you've been trained well...though you're quite young to be challenging me."
Flash just smirked, resting his blade on his shoulder. "Well you're right about one thing, I have been trained well. Heck, I've been training since I was a colt."
Sombra let out a mocking chuckle. "My my, they do start them off young. Seems Celestia hasn't lost her touch in making useless garbage at an early age." the unicorn's grin started to widen. "I hope you were paying attention during that time, because I have no intention of going easy on you, even if you are a squire."
Flash's smirk increased, gesturing his hoof at the king. "You don't scare me. I've faced worst than you."
"Is that so?"
Flash nodded. "Ancient alicorn, chaotic draconequus, shape changing insects...heck, you're not even my first deranged unicorn, and he was super charged by an ancient relic."
Sombra's eyebrow raised itself, tilting his head in slight curiosity. "Oh? You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
"I don't like to toot my on flugelhorn, mainly because I'd probably be worse than Pinkie, but yeah, I have."
Sombra's smile grew even more. "Is that so? Tell me colt, how many of those foes did you defeat on your own?"
That made Flash go quiet. In all honesty, he had never defeated any of his former opponents alone. The closest he came was Lightning, and that was after both Cadance and Iron had gotten several hits in. Sombra sighed at his refusal to answer, shaking his head. "I see...how sad. And you actually think you can beat me. How pathetic."
"How is that pathetic?" Flash barked back, gripping his blade as he took it off his shoulder.
Sombra's face morphed into one of disgust. "Ugh....I really don't want to explain this to a weak, pitiful squire." A small blast of air came out of Sombra's nostrils as he let out a shrug. "But, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you a lesson before beating you with ease."
"Oh yeah?" Flash asked, slightly flaring his wings in irritation. "What makes you so confident you can beat me?"
"It should be obvious colt." Sombra replied, his voice going extra low in tone. "You see, in this world, there are two types of ponies. There are the strong and the weak."
Flash rolled his eyes at this. "And let me guess, you're one of the strong and I'm one of the weak, right?"
"Correct."
"Yeah...no." Flash mockingly responded, faking a yawn. "There's no need to do that old 'evil is more powerful' shtick with me." Flash spun his blade in his hoof, repointing it at the unicorn. "Just shut up and fight."
Sombra just laughed at this, now pointing his hoof at the defender as he shook his head. "So impatient. It seems Celestia is still making garbage solders, just as I said. If you would just slow down, you could learn something colt."
"Like you could teach me something." Flash barked back, his grip on his blade tightening.
"Oh, but I can." Sombra said with a smirk, waving his hoof at the pegasus. "As I said before, there are two types of ponies in this world, the weak and the strong. But the difference between the two isn't much though." Sombra shook his head with a smile at his next statement. "Their difference is very simple colt. You see, the weak can only survive by huddling together, always having their 'friends' to protect them." Sombra pointed his hoof at Flash again. "That is why you're weak colt."
"Seriously?!" Flash scoffed back, disbelief on his face. "You think my friends make me weak? You're kidding, right?"
"I am not colt. After all, how do you think I became king?"
"Uh...by being an evil jerk with dark magic?"
Sombra's glare stiffened at the jab. "No. I became strong, and I gained that power because I was alone. I made sure that I had no one to help me, no one weak around me." Sombra then raised his hoof, flexing it with a huge grin. "With that power, I created a kingdom where the weak have no right to exist, no right to huddle together like the pathetic filth that they are."
Flash wanted to respond, but he was slightly baffled out how dark the outlook of the world Sombra had. As he stood there, Sombra shook his head at the sight, slowly pacing in the snow as he said, "So you see boy, do yourself a favor and stand down. It'll save me time and you a world of hurt." He began to walk around him, only for Flash to leap in front of him, pointing his trusty Lightbringer at the king.
"No way!" He almost yelled, conviction vibrating in his voice. "I'm not letting you anywhere near those ponies!"
Sombra's horn began to flicker at the defender's response. "Why? Why put your life on the line for ponies you know nothing about, who never asked for your help. It makes no sense."
Flash simply glared at the dark king. "I might not know them, but why do I need to?" Sombra raised an eyebrow in confusion as Flash continued. "Just because I don't know them personally doesn't mean I don't want to help them." Flash lowered his sword and looked back at the city, seeing the shield once again begin to flicker. "I don't know what kind of hell they've gone through, but I know that if I can find a way to help them, then I will." The defender then shined a massive smile, one that made Sombra almost sick to his stomach.
Flash then put his sword over his chest as he continued. "Cadance, Shining, my friends... and Ruby too. They've done everything they can to keep this city safe." Flash turned his head around, glancing at Ruby. "In fact, before all of this, I was thinking about my Knight's Vow after Ruby told me about it." Flash glanced back at Sombra, a look of pure determination on his face. "The funny thing is, I didn't need to even think about it. My friends, who are kindness, laughter, honesty, generosity, loyalty...and magic. They are the vows that my friends stand for, and I will stand for them as well. I...I will be loyal to them all and do everything I can to protect them!" Flash let out a deep breath of fresh air, his eyes staring down at the king with a look of fierce power. "That is my Knight's Vow."
His sword began to glow, its light radiating around the pegasus. "When this is over, I want to see Ruby and the crystal ponies smiling. I want them to know that they don't have to live in fear. That...that is something I believe is worth fighting for!"
Ruby was amazed to hear him say this. To think he would go through all this, just so a bunch of ponies he did not know would smile. Sombra on the other hoof, stuck out his tongue as his face cringed up. "Ugh. How disgusting can you get?!"
"What was that?!" Flash barked back, glaring at the monster.
"You seriously don't know the first thing about who you're trying to 'save' colt." Sombra replied, his tone draining at the word 'save'. He then pointed at the empire in the distance. "The so-called ponies in there are nothing but despicable fiends, all that live to persecute my kind."
"Persecute?"
"That's right. And even if you do think you can 'save' them, it won't matter. You can't beat me colt." Sombra let out a low, confident hiss. "There is nothing that can beat me."
Flash just smirked at this. "Not even the Crystal Heart?"
"HA!" Sombra guffawed, confidence on full display in his expression. "That relic will never hurt me again. It is gone, tucked away thanks to my reign a thousand years ago."
"Don't bet on it. My friends will find the heart and kick your flank before we even finish our fight."
Sombra shook his head at this. "Ah...the delusions of the weak. Always thinking that banding together will make them win. Always thinking that being together allows them to actually be able to beat the strong. Always thinking that they actually matter when they never realize that they're nothing but bugs for me to step on." Sombra's horn began to shine, ready for battle. "How pathetic. I can't wait to get back in my empire and break your friends along with the crystal ponies. It will be my greatest moment yet."
Hearing this made Flash grip his sword even more, the blade now shining. At that moment, Flash's entire body was now illuminated by the light of his sword as he said, "Not a chance! If you want to get to them, you'll have to go through me!"
Sombra laughed again, shadows starting to swirl around his body. "Is that a challenge colt? Consider my interests peaked. It'll be amusing to see just how strong the Royal Knights have become in the thousand years I've been gone." He raised his hoof and performed a 'bring it' gesture.
That taunt was all the encouragement Flash needed, gripping his blade as it shined even more. The pegasi took flight instantly, charging forward as he swung his blade at the king. The speed caught Sombra off guard, as the blade struck the king's chest armor. The light from the sword dissipated the shadows instantly as Flash spun like a top, turning and kicking Sombra in the face with his back legs. The blow made Sombra stagger back, only for Flash's tail to grab Sombra and pull him forward, letting Flash flex his wing up and smack the king in the face.
Falling onto his back, Sombra quickly rolled over and got back on his hooves. But as he did, Flash flew towards him at high speed, Lightbringer once again glowing. "Flash Cutter!" He once again slashed him in the chest, the energy blade sending the unicorn flying back into one of his crystal spikes. Seeing he still had an advantage, Flash keep charging, ready to perform another slash of the blade. Seeing the incoming defender, Sombra quickly leapt away, causing the pegasus to spin around in midair and bounce off the crystal, pointing his sword towards Sombra. "Flash Driver!" He transformed into a drill of light, soon striking Sombra again. As the blow knocked Sombra away, Flash stopped himself in mid-air and pointed his Celestia Gear straight at the knocked over king. "FLASH FORCE!" The light laser poured itself out of the blade, instantly striking Sombra into another crystal spike.
Flash spread his wings and gently glided towards the ground, watching as the crystal Sombra struck shattered and fell over, soon creating a cloud of snow in its fall. The apprentice knight smirked, resting his blade over his shoulder. "This is the guy everypony's been worried about? He can't even put up a fight."
However, the smirk was short lived, as the sound of chuckling filled the air. Flash followed the voice to the snow cloud, which faded to reveal a pile of crystal shards. Standing atop the pile was Sombra, who had taken his shredded cape in his teeth and threw it away. He didn't have a single scratch on him. The one who called himself king then smiled down at Flash. "Is that honestly the best you can do?" Flash's eyes went wide as he realized why Sombra didn't fight back. He had been gauging Flash's skills. Sombra started to walk down from the pile, shaking his head. "I expected more from you, but it seems my expectations were set a bit too high. You do not deserve the title of Royal Knight, you pathetic worm."
Flash let out a soft growl at hearing this, gripping his sword again. As he put himself in an offensive stance, shadows appeared around Sombra's hooves, spiralling around him to conceal his body. "I warned you on what would happen if you challenged me, you pitiful colt. But you refused to listen to your king. You will pay for not listening to my commands."
His body slowly vanished inside the cloud of darkness as Flash kept growling. "Oh yeah?!" Flash barked back as he flared his wings, taking to the air. "I'll show you!"
Sombra let out one final chuckle as the last of his physical form faded away. "You've wasted enough of my time colt. Prepare to witness the full power of the Umbrum. SHADOW CLOAK!" His shadow form shot up into the sky, quickly zipping like a lighting bolt. Before Flash could react, Flash felt two hooves slam into his back, knocking him towards the ground.
"Augh!" Flash cried out as he was pushed forwards, quickly flaring his wings to try and regain his balance in the air. No sooner than he had, the shadow flew back around and hit his back again. Flash quickly swung his sword around, firing off two energy blades to no success. And as the second attack flew out of Lightbringer, two hooves slammed into Flash's stomach, spit flying out of his mouth as the blow shook his body. "Urgh!" Flash moaned as his body flew into a nearby spike, pain surging through him.
Flash groaned as he began blinking, his head trying to regain its balance. "Damn, he's fast. That's not good...." The defender let out a low breath, closing his eyes as he did. "But speed isn't enough to defeat me. Theta Mode!" He opened his eyes again, the once sky blue orbs now completely blank.
With his new perception, Flash saw the unicorn drawing closer in that second. Acting on instinct, he flexed his hooves on the broken crystal behind him, instantly pushing himself off the ground with his back legs. The take to the air let him dodge the charging monster, who soon smashed the rest of the crystal Flash was just on. The pegasi then continued his flight, flapping his wings as he looked back down at the broken crystal. There, he saw the Umbrum escaping the giant mineral, shadows once again engulfing his body. Sombra then looked up, his shadow form flying up into the sky.
"Flash Cutter Barrage!" Flash unleashed a spinning flurry of energy blades, all that flew at the shadow. However, they all went right through him, causing Flash to stop in a moment of confusion. "What the heck? How did he-urk!" He asked before the shadow tackled him, knocking him into the snow with a mighty thud.
Flash, now out of his Theta Mode, picked himself up and rubbed his aching head as he saw Sombra land, turning back to his pony form. "What's with this guy? One minute he's like a ghost, but the next minute he's solid as a rock."
"I wondered the same thing." Flash turned to see that he had landed close to Ruby, who was still struggling on the ground. "It's like he can switch between being tangible and intangible."
"Is that so?" A lightbulb lit itself in Flash's brain, a smile creasing his face as he reentered Theta Mode. He then shot towards Sombra, slashing at him. However, Sombra quickly changed to his shadow form, making the blade go right through him. Flash swiped at him again and again, but Lightbringer simply went right through him, its light not even touching the shadow.
"Give it up, you worm." Sombra told him, raising his hoof as the failed attacks. "You can't hurt me."
But Flash wasn't listening, instead focusing on something else as he whispered, "Five, six, seven, eight..." He continued his slashing and counting, only for a hoof to smack the defender's face, knocking him away again.
The apprentice knight staggered back, his Theta Mode having a hard time staying on. Sombra let out a low sigh, shaking his head. "This is so disgustingly pathetic. I told you worm, you can't hurt me."
Flash however, had a smile on his face. "Seventeen seconds."
Sombra raised an eyebrow at the odd statement, but quickly dismissed it when Flash once again leapt at him, slashing away once more. Letting out another sigh, the king turned into a shadow as the attacks went through him again.
"One, two, three," Flash whispered to himself as he slashed. But once again, his strikes went right through the Umbrum.
Ruby blinked at futile attempts, trying to understand what was going on. She then looked at Sombra, seeing him about to ready his next attack. "Watch out Flash! He's about to-"
"Fifteen, sixteen, SEVENTEEN!" In that moment, Sombra once again dodged his sword swipe, only for his body to become solid as he started his counterattack. But this time, the pegasus was ready and leapt backwards, dodging the strike before pointing his sword at Sombra. "FLASH FORCE!" The laser flew out of the blade, striking Sombra back with a yell of pain.
Ruby's eyes went wide, as she watched Sombra crash into another crystal spike. "What the-what did Flash just do?!"
That was what Sombra wanted to know, his head quickly emerging out of the crystal. "Grrr...you insolent little whelp! What did you just do?!"
Flash simply smirked, twirling his blade around on his hoof. "Seventeen seconds. That's how long you can stay in your shadow form."
Sombra's eyes went wide. "How did you-"
"You don't live with Twilight Sparkle for half your life without picking up a thing or two. Plus, after a recent...body swapping incident, I've had a small interest in chemistry. Your gas like shadow is the most unstable form of matter, meaning you can't stay as it for very long or you'd probably fall apart."
Ruby was awestruck. To think a squire had figured that out in a few minutes, while someone who had been a knight as long as her had not. But as she thought about this, Flash continued his explanation. "You try to mask this flaw in your power by hiding yourself in that huge clouds of shadows, making it tough to hit you. But I've got you figured out now."
Sombra stared at him for several seconds before laughing lightly. "You certainly are more than meets the eye worm. I wouldn't have thought you had any actual smarts in that brain of yours." Sombra rubbed his chin as a new thought went into his head. "To think Celestia would actually start making her soldiers use their brains...or is this just this 'Twilight Sparkle' you just mentioned?"
"She's my best friend." Flash replied, glaring at the king as he heard a rather mocking tone from Sombra as he said his friend's name. "Something I'm guessing you don't have."
"No. I don't." Sombra remarked, "And I'm guessing that means you're even weaker than I thought if you have a friend. That's too bad, as I actually thought for a second there that you were something worth acknowledging."
This comment made Flash's eye twitch, anger now in his voice. "I suggest you shut your mouth." Flash crouched down with his sword at the ready. "You shouldn't...UNDERESTIMATE ME!" He shot forwards towards Sombra, only for the king to retake his shadow form and launched himself into the air.
Flash soon followed him, chasing the shadow while counting under his breath. But as he did, Sombra dove back down, hopping onto a side of a spike as he turned back to his unicorn form. Seeing this, Flash gripped his blade, only to see Sombra instantly turn back into a shadow and hop to another crystal. Flash quickly turned to try and chase Sombra again, only to Sombra to hop to another crystal, constantly switching his forms.
"This is bad," Ruby watched as the two kept following each other. "Sombra's going in and out of his shadow form at random intervals so Flash won't know when he can strike."
That was not all that was happening, as Flash was begining to exhaust himself as he kept chasing the king, the pain from the earlier blows now increasing. Sombra on the other hoof, was not so easily weakened. The shadow form was effortless for the king, which allowed him to dodge anything as Flash kept trying to follow him.
Then, he saw the exhaustion on Flash's face. A smile shined on his face as the Umbrum came to a stop and changing to his unicorn form on a crystal. The apprentice knight flew forward again, only to see the king leaping towards him in pony form. Flash swung his blade at the oncoming attacker, only for the sword to go right through him as Sombra morphed again. But as he dodged the sword, Sombra turned back to a unicorn and immediately a beam of magic from his horn, striking Flash in the back.
The pegasus hit the ground like a rock, kicking up a cloud of snow. As he tried to pick himself up from the blow, Sombra suddenly appeared next to him as his horn began to shine. "Be glad you got your hits in worm, because it won't happen again!"
With that, a volley of beams began to strike the pegasi, causing him to scream in pain. "AAAAHHHHH!" Flash cried as the blows kept hitting him, pain surging through him. As the attack continued, Sombra laughed at the sight, his horn unleashing another beam, this one blasting the weakened Flash into the air.
"FLASH!" Ruby screamed as she saw him fall back to earth, crashing with a thud.
Seeing the beaten warrior hit the snow again, Sombra chuckled at that sight as he moved over to the pegasus. Seeing him try and pick himself up, the Umbrum knew what he had to do. "Game's over colt. This ends here."
As those words came out of his mouth, Flash's head slowly lifted itself. "Don't....count on it." Flash moaned, only to hear a fit of dark chuckles.
"Oh? Think you can still hurt me?" Sombra mocked, raising his hoof to his face. "Let me show you how pointless this is. For starters, look at where you hit me with your beam of light earlier." Flash then stared at the hoof, his eyes widening as he did. There was a small cut, only for it disappear in a split second. Not only that, Flash noticed that Sombra's horn didn't spark, meaning there was no magic involved.
And as he saw Flash's eyes grow, Sombra began to laugh. "HA! You should see your face colt! I can finally see some despair overtaking you! That's good..." Sombra cricked his neck, letting out a low hum as he slowly said, "Because your life as a squire is now over." The king lifted his front hooves and slammed them into the ground, causing it to shake. Then, a familiar quartet of crystals shot out of the ground and formed a pyramid around Flash's body.
"Oh no, not that thing again!" Ruby said as she once again tried to pick herself up, "FLASH! GET OUT OF THERE!"
Flash looked up at the pyramid, letting out a wheeze as he stared at the crystals. However, he found that his body wouldn't move as Sombra laughed at him, his horn beginning to grow crimson. "Spirit...BREAKER!" He fired at the tip of the pyramid, causing the red lightning to spark around the four crystals.
Flash watched this, still trying to move. But as his attempts continued to fail, the bolt of red lightning shot down and struck his body. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as the electrocution started, all of his physical strength being ripped out of his body. The pain kept flowing until the crystals stopped shining, soon returning to the ground. And as the spell soon finished, Ruby and Sombra watched as Flash's body collapsed into the snow, becoming as weak and helpless as Ruby.
"Flash," Ruby whispered as tears filled her eyes. "No..."
Sombra looked down at Flash, who appeared to have lost consciousness before letting out a long sigh. "I warned you worm, you can't beat me. I will admit that you were a good opponent, but that's all I can respect." He turned away and stared at the city in the distance. "I've wasted enough time. My mirage should have made its way to the capital by now."
"Mirage?" Ruby asked, glancing at the city as well.
Sombra nodded at her question. "The last time the shield went down, I managed to sneak a small piece of myself into he city. It's slowly growing, inch by inch. Once the crystal ponies see it, the despair that they will feel will make the Crystal Heart useless. Then when the princess's shield finally gives out, I'll be able to take the city back."
"No..." Ruby whispered, tears starting to flow.
Sombra let out a low chuckle before turning back to the Crystal Knight, walking up to her as his horn began to shine again. "Now....before I get back to the city, let's do what I tried to do before I so rudely interrupted by that worm."
"What are you-"
"I'm going to turn you into an Umbrum Ruby." Sombra interrupted, slightly leaning down at the struggling knight. "I told you before, you will be with me after I take over the empire."
"So that's it. That's why you were so confident when fighting me." said a voice, causing Sombra to turn around. There, his eyes went wide as he saw Flash standing on four hooves, glaring at the shadow pony, "All this time you've been keeping us busy while your crystals cause the ponies to get scared. Big mistake buddy."
Sombra on the other hoof, just gasped at the sight. "No...that's impossible. You shouldn't have any energy left, so how can you stand?!"
Flash started staggering towards him, spotting Lightbringer on the ground between them. "Don't be too amazed. It's not like I'm running a marathon right now." He picked up his sword, which now felt like it weighed a ton. "Every second it feels like I'm about to pass out...but I'm not gonna lose." He raised his sword as a golden glow seemed to radiate from his body, not his weapon, and he stared Sombra down with blank Theta Mode eyes. "I can't let you WIN! I'm...I'm gonna beat you!"
The light disappeared as he shot forward at blinding speed, not giving Sombra enough time to retake his shadow form. The following blow stuck the unicorn, knocking him into another spike. "RAUGH!" Sombra cried in pain, his body feeling the crystal fall over. He quickly reoriented himself and looked up to see Flash once again racing towards him. The dark king tried to call upon his shadow form, only to see a few wisps of dark smoke. "No...I used too much of my magic when I preformed the Spirit Breaker on him!" He was then forced to leap away from the spike as Flash shot at him, smashing through the crystal while the king barely dodged the blow.
Sombra spun around to see a large hole that went right through the crystal, Flash standing on the other side, looking completely unphased after his charge through the mineral pillar. The pegasus turned back around and glared at the king, anger pouring out of his eyes. Then, Flash shot like a bullet out at the Umbrum, swinging his sword at breakneck speed. And as the blade was about to strike, a scythe suddenly conjured out of the air, blocking it with a clang.
There, the two stood in a deadlock, both blades creating sparks as Flash tried to push forward. As he did, Sombra's horn started to stop glowing as he gripped the scythe with his hooves, only for Flash to feel an even greater strength pushing him back. Sombra shined a small smirk and pushed forward, instantly knocking Flash back into the snow. The pegasi quickly rolled backwards, getting his balance as Sombra charged at him, readying his scythe to strike. Seeing this, Flash flared his wings, shooting into the air as Sombra missed his fatal swipe form his scythe.
"Flash Driver!" Flash screamed as looked back down and he shot towards Sombra, becoming a shining drill that was pointed right at him. Seeing this, Sombra then struck the ground with his scythe, instantly creating a dark crystal wall in front of him, stopping the drill attack.
Ruby blinked at the fight as Flash hopped off the crystal wall, taking back to the air. She couldn't believe what she was seeing as Sombra leapt onto the crystal wall, swinging his scythe at the flying pony with his magic. There, Flash quickly blocked the weapon, their blades locking in mid-air. Sombra then hopped and grabbed the blade, pushing Flash back to ground. There, their lock continued, both growling at each other.
As the two pushed against one another, Ruby just kept watching. "How is he doing this? How is Flash able to keep fighting after being hit by that attack that got me?" She remembered when the Spirit Breaker was cast on her, still feeling her weak ad exhausted body. But here was Flash, who had the same spell cast on his while way after her but he was still fighting. "Willpower? Or maybe something...else?"
She then remembered the glow that had radiated off his body. "Is that what's allowing him to fight? No...it couldn't be. He was able to stand up before it appeared. This strength is coming from inside him." She continued to stare at he pegasus, who she had dismissed so callously. "Flash Sentry, how powerful are you?"
At the same time, Sombra was thinking the same thing as they continued to lock blades, pushing each other with all their might. "How?!" He asked out loud. "How are you still standing? Why is a disgusting worm like you still resisting me?!"
Flash smirked as he continued to push forwards, causing Sombra to step back a few feet. "Isn't it obvious?! I told you Sombra....its my knight's vow! My Knight's Vow to uphold my friend's greatest qualities! That is what gives me strength!"
"Seriously?!" Sombra barked back, spit flying out of his mouth. "You're still on that 'protecting' garbage? You truly are disgusting."
Flash however, ignored his insults as he continued. "As I said, I'll uphold their values. Right now, I'll uphold Honesty. I vow to be as honest as Applejack, and honest ponies don't break their promises!" He once again pushed Sombra back, forcing him back. The push made Sombra's scythe knocked out of the blade lock, instantly making him open.
"I will beat you! Flash Cutter!" He swung the blade, unleashing the energy attack that flew at Sombra's chest.
Sombra grunted at the impact, a cracking sound following as his armor on his form started to break. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Flash, hissing as he did. "You dare strike me?! You insignificant little-"
"I made a promise!" Flash cried as he shot forward, tackling the king into the snow. Sombra quickly countered with a hoof to the face, only to then feel another slash at his chest. More pieces flew off his armor, only to then feel hoof to his left cheek. "And I'm not gonna break it!"
And as he swung his sword again, memories of his conversation Shining rang through his head.
"I don't want to force you into anything, but I need you to promise me something. If the shield falls and what's out there gets in, make sure you keep Twilight and Cadance safe."
"I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH THEM!" He screamed as he shot forward with his wings, throwing himself and Sombra through two crystal spikes, their bodies colliding and stopping the third. But as this blow happened, Sombra's eyes slit, anger pouring out of his face.
"ENOUGH!" His horn burst with purple energy, instantly knocking Flash back.The pegasus hit the ground rolling, only to jump back onto his hooves before coming to a skidding halt. He then turned back to Sombra, only to his horn flaring with rage as the king screamed, "YOU DARE STRIKE ME?! YOU DARE TRY TO BEAT ME?! DIE, YOU WORM!!!"
A beam of pure magic blasted out of his horn, causing Flash to point his sword at the king. "I won't let you! FLASH FORCE!" He cried as he unleashed the sword's laser, both beams colliding. The two magics remained locked in place, the purple and gold light pushing against one another.
Then something new happened, as the two beams began to form a sphere in the middle. The gold and purple orb grew bigger by the second, but the two ponies refused to let up. Ruby watched as this happened, fear gripping her as she thought about what could happen if that sphere exploded. That is, till she saw that Flash and Sombra were both beginning to glow the same color as their attacks, this going completely unnoticed by the two as they continued.
Then, the orb of light exploded, engulfing the two as Ruby sat there in the snow, blinking as she stared at the burst of white light.
It began with Flash's eyes flickering open. As he did, he began to look around, only to see that he was floating inside a white void, not unlike the one he had found himself in during his fights against Discord and the Scorpentine.
"What is this?" he asked himself as he spun around, only to see he was not alone. Sombra was drifting around several feet away, looking just as confused as Flash felt.
The one who called himself king glared around, spotting Flash and giving off a low growling sound. "You! What have you done!?"
Flash just gave him a shrug. "I dunno. This isn't me. I don't know what this is."
"Lies!" Sombra cried as he scrunched up his face, obviously trying to cast a spell. But nothing happened, his horn didn't even spark. "What?!"
Flash then tapped his side, only to see Lightbringer was also gone. It seemed that the to two of them were without any form of fighting one another except their hooves. However, before either of them could say anything, a bright light shone down from above them, catching their attention. Looking up, the two of them saw what looked like a large sphere of light. The inside of the orb reminded Flash of a lava lamp, as gold and black light swirled around each other within it. Flash knew he had never seen this thing before, but some how it felt...familiar.
"What is this?" Sombra asked, blinking at the sight.
"I dunno. But it feels like-"
Before Flash could say another word, two specks of light shot out of the sphere, one gold and one black. The lights flew around the orb for several seconds, pulsing like hearts, until they flew down below it. The lights then began to change shape, molding like clay until they took form. The gold light changed into the silhouette of a body with both wings and a horn. "An alicorn?" Flash asked himself in confusion, seeing that this alicorn looked buffer than the ones he had seen before, making him think this might be a male one.
He then looked around at the other light, which was the black light that had also taken the form of a pony, but this one lacked wings and had a curved horn. "An umbrum?" Sombra spoke out loud. "What is this?"
But as he said this, a bunch of black lines appeared underneath the two silhouettes, three under the alicorn and two under the umbrum. They were only a few inches long, but underneath each of them appeared came another silhouette. Two new umbrums and three new alicorns appeared, with black lines appearing under them followed by more silhouettes.
Before the two could say anything, more lines appeared beneath the silhouettes, with more silhouettes appearing beneath them. This cycle continued again and again, and as it did, the two noticed different creatures being born through the cycle. Flash watched as the alicorns began to become ponies without wings, horns or both, while Sombra watched his umbrum become creatures he had and had not seen before.
Flash at the same time saw thestrals and other pony-like creatures appear, seeing images that reminded him of creatures he had previous fought like the changelings. He even saw two images that looked like a cross between a horse and some kind of ape, while another looked like those gargoyle statues he had seen in pictures. It was only now he noticed that the alicorn line had stopped, the last two being images that reminded him a lot of Celestia and Luna.
Sombra also watched as the umbrum's line suddenly grew thinner and thinner, the creatures being born were few and far between. They then watched as several times the family trees intersected, creating a combo of creatures, one of them Flash instantly recognizing.
"Discord?"
"What does this all mean?" Sombra asked.
"I'd sure like to know," Flash replied.
They got their answer when the silhouettes of the original alicorn and umbrum sudden turned from black to gold, as the lines beneath them changed to that color along with the silhouettes beneath them. The two watched as the glow spread down the family tree like image, with less and less silhouettes lighting up as the generations went on. Eventually, there were only two lines that illuminated, one that was part of the alicorn's line while the other was from the umbrum. Finally it reached the bottom row, with only two silhouettes glowing.
Flash looked at the one from the alicorn, seeing that the silhouette was a pegasus.
"Is that...me?"
Sombra looked at the one from the umbrum, expecting to see himself. But instead, the silhouette was that of a pony, a unicorn by the looks of it, but not an umbrum like him.
"I don't understand."
He did not get an answer, as in that second, the images disappeared and the sphere of black and gold released a wave of blinding light that forced the two to shield their eyes.
BOOM!
Flash felt himself be shot through the air, crashing into a pile of shattered crystals. The pegasus moaned as he started pulling himself out of the rubble, only to feel his body going numb. "Ooohhhh...that really hurt." Flash groaned as he pushed a few pieces of crystal off of his body. "What was that?"
But as he tried to put himself back together, he saw a familiar hoof slam into the ground. The thud that followed caused him to look up and see Sombra staring down at him. The dark king glared at the apprentice knight, air blasting out of his nostrils as he growled. "I don't know what that was, but it will not save you. I will admit that you aren't the garbage I thought you were, but you're still one of the weak."
"Oh yeah? I'm pretty sure I can-AAAAHHHHH!" Flash tried to say, only to feel Sombra strike his left wing with a beam of magic, knocking Flash to the ground. Then, Sombra walked over and pinned the left wing with his hoof, causing Flash to yell out in pain.
"Be silent trash. You are before a king, a true ruler. If you will not bow, you will suffer." Sombra then leaned down, whispering as his eyes flared with blood-red darkness. "Besides, before I kill you, I will show the true face of despair. Look upon my form and see how pointless this is." The king leaned back, only for Flash to see that the armor that the defender had cracked before was suddenly repaired. In fact, it looked sturdier than ever. "You see? Your blows along with Ruby's amounted to nothing. I merely toyed with you for my amusement."
The king then conjured a scythe out of shadows and pointed it towards Flash's head. Seeing the sharp end, Flash's eyes quickly darted around, trying to find his trusty Lightbringer, only to see it had fallen out of reach behind Sombra.
That is, till Sombra's hooves slammed down on Flash's wings again, both of them this time. A scream of pain followed as Sombra chuckled at the beaten defender. "Pathetic little bird. Do you feel pain in your wings?" Sombra mocked as he twirled the scythe in his magic, the blade's edge now lowering down to Flash's chest. "This is just the beginning filth. You have made me angry, and very few ponies make me angry. And you will pay for this."
The tip of blade began to pierce Flash's flesh like a knife, blood starting to pour out. Flash cried out in pain as the blade dug into his skin, not so deep that hit anything important but enough that it likely cause a scar. Finally Sombra was done and ripped the curved blade out, ripping through even more skin and causing more blood to rush out.
"Good bye worm. As I said before, I can not be beat, especially by one who does not understand the power of being alone." Sombra's horn started to glow, raising the scythe back as he prepared for a single, deadly strike. That is, till his body shook slightly, causing the king to shine a wide grin. "Ah. It seems my magic is back. Granted, its only about eighty percent..." The Umbrum tapped his hoof, dismissing his scythe as his horn began to shine a different glow. "Let's try an experiment before I take back my throne. I was planning to have you squirm in pain before giving you a clean kill with my scythe, but now that I look at it...maybe I should do something different. How about..." Sombra leaned down again, chuckling. "Let's see what happens when I use a second Spirit Breaker on you."
Flash's eyes shrunk at this, sweat pouring down his face as he heard this. Flash wasn't one to be afraid, but he knew the pain from Spirit Breaker, and it was something he didn't want to feel ever again. However, Sombra saw the fear in the defender's eyes causing his grin to widen even more. "There we go. That's the sight I want to see. There's fear in your eyes now. That's a good time to perform the spell."
But as Sombra raised his hooves to summon the spell, his eyes took one glance at the empire behind Flash, causing him to go wide-eyed. "No..." Sombra gasped as he felt another feeling. It was one that he hadn't felt in a long time. "NO! IT CAN'T BE! Somepony has got to the Crystal Heart! I can feel my barrier over it being messed with!"
Flash quickly turned his head around, only to see a shining light above the empire while the barrier did one last flicker. And as the barrier stopped, Sombra's face contorted to one of rage as he hissed, "The Crystal Heart, how could such disgusting, filthy worms have found it?!" Sombra's body turned into its smoke form as he yelled, "I must stop them!"
The king then shot into the air, flying towards the castle. Flash tried to pick himself up, but his body was still unable to hold his weight. He could feel the cold snow under him, freezing his whole body as his wound shivered his body in pain. Then, his eyes started to close as he felt the cold take him.
A few minutes ago...
Inside the city, Twilight was currently standing at the top of the castle's tower. It was here that the Crystal Heart had been hidden, in plain sight over the entire city. But when she and Spike had discovered the last resting place of the Crystal Heart, she had been so eager to get it that she did not stop to think there may have been a trap. As such, the second she got close to the heart, she had set it off and found herself stuck in a crystal cage.
Fortunately, the Crystal Heart had been knocked out of the cage, but with Twilight stuck inside, she was unable to get it to the fair. She began to try and teleport out of the cage, only to be sucked back in as soon as she finished teleporting.
"Augh!" Twilight moaned as she slammed back into the cage with a thud. "Ugh....I can't get out." She shook her head as she got back up, only to then see something in the corner of her eye. It was giant bright light in the distance that was in the shape of an orb. The sight made her eyes go wide, only for her face to morph into pure anger. "Oh no...don't tell me that's Flash."
"Flash?" Spike asked as stood outside of the cage. "What about him Twilight?"
"See that light in the distance Spike?"
The drake turned and squinted his eyes. "Yeah...what about it?"
Twilight let out a low groan as she facehoofed. "I bet you twenty bits that's Flash. I told him to not be reckless and now I'm betting he's out there, fighting Sombra alone."
"Won't Ruby be with him?"
"Doesn't matter Spike, he'd do it with her or without her." Twilight replied as she got up and stared at the cage, grumbling at the puzzle before her. "Right now, we need to get the heart to the fair. There has to be some..." Twilight looked back at the orb of light in the distance, only to see that it was gone. Blinking at the sight, Twilight turned to her assistant outside of the cage. "Spike...you have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the fair."
Spike hopped in place, his eyes wide as he pointed to himself. "Me?" he asked, only to feel a small dark crystal appear under his foot, making him take a step away. "But Twilight-"
"Go."
"But-"
"GO!"
Spike didn't need anymore motivation. Grabbing the Heart, he leapt out the nearby window and onto a ledge. There, he looked down, only to see that things were not going so well. The fake Crystal Heart had been exposed and now the ponies were calling out to see the real one, forcing the rest of Twilight's friends to stall for time.
"Now, don't y'all worry your pretty, little crystal heads!" Applejack called out from the balcony. "The real Crystal Heart will be here any second!"
Rarity leaned over to her, whispering. "I don't know if they believe you."
"Ah don't know if ah believe me," Applejack replied, her tone slightly louder.
At the same time, Cadance was laying on the balcony, Shining by her side as her horn's glow finally gave out. This caused the shield to disappear, shocking everypony inside. As it did, everypony saw a new sight as the barrier fell. It was a giant dark cloud, one with a very familiar evil face.
"He's back!" one of the crystal ponies cried. "Its King Sombra!"
Sombra chuckled at seeing the pony's fright, soon looking over the populace. "My crystal slaves, I have returned for you all! I have defeated your precious Crystal Knight and now I shall-"
"Hey, up here!" interrupted a voice, causing everypony to look up.
"Spike?" Rarity asked as she recognized the voice. They all looked up to see him as he held the ancient artifact in his claws.
"I got the Crystal Heart!"
Sombra saw him and his eyes went wide, as he leapt into the air. "THAT IS MINE! RELEASE IT NOW, YOU WORM!" He yelled as he struck the ground, transforming into a shadow that slivered along the ground. As the shadow made its way to the heart, crystal spikes to shoot out of the ground in his wake. Seeing this, Spike quickly climbed down the tower, only to see a large crystal pillar rise in front of him, Sombra appearing on top. "GIVE THAT TO ME! IT IS MINE, ALONG WITH THIS EMPIRE!"
The yell made the baby dragon let out a scream, hopping in place in fear. And as he did, he slipped and dropped the Crystal Heart, the relic now falling off the pillar. The two then looked down as the heart fell, only for the drake to suddenly leap off the tower at the artifact, not even thinking as he tried to grab it with his claws.
"SPIKEY WIKEY!" Rarity cried out while the others just stared.
And as they continued to stare at the sight, Princess Cadance, who was still sitting on the nearby balcony, also saw the falling relic. A shiver went down her entire body, causing her to feel a surge of energy as she whispered to herself, "The heart...." She quickly turned her head to her husband, glaring at him as she commanded, "Shining, you have to throw me!"
"What?!" Shining's eyes went wide at his wife's sudden demand.
"Throw me at the heart. DO IT NOW!"
A click quickly going off in his brain, Shining grabbed and chucked his wife into the air, her wings spreading as she took flight. Before she knew it, she was in front of the falling heart, Spike falling onto her back. Her horn began to alight as the heart shined above her, already in her magic as light began to flow out of her.
"WHAT?!" Sombra yelled as he saw Cadance take the heart with ease. He gritted his teeth as his horn began to shine, hundreds of dark pillars appearing behind him. "THAT IS MINE, YOU FALSE RULER! GIVE IT TO ME!"
As his battle cry finished, a beam of pure darkness shot out of his horn, trying to destroy the heart in one go. But Cadance was faster, her horn shining as a beam of light shined through her horn as well, its power amplified by the heart. The two beams collided, causing a brilliant light to shine over the whole kingdom.
And as the two began to push each other back, the crystal ponies beneath them were awestruck. It was amazing, seeing the object that had once kept them safe again after a thousand years, and now in command of their new ruler.
"Behold!" One of them spoke aloud, "The Crystal Princess!"
Hearing this from the crowd, Cadance quickly yelled as she kept fighting Sombra back, "Everypony! The Crystal Heart has returned! Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!"
Seeing the sight, all the ponies quickly bowed, their coats shining like a row of infinite crystals. At the same time, the Mane Six all nodded to each other before bowing as well, the coats starting to shine somewhat. And as they did this, the heart began to glow even brighter, slowly pushing Sombra back.
"No....no....NOOOO!" Sombra screamed, magic pouring out of his horn like a geyser. In response, the beam coming out of his horn grew, slowly pushing back Cadance again. "I WILL NOT LOSE TO THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE! THIS EMPIRE IS MINE!"
And as the push between light and darkness continued, Twilight looked at the battle in the cage and fear covered her face. "Oh no...at this rate, Cadance won't win. But...what can I do?"
Meanwhile...
Flash just laid there in the snow, his mouth barely moving as he tried to stay awake. He couldn't move, he could barely feel his own hooves. The very motion of trying to speak was hard, as it felt like there was no energy left in him. But that wasn't what hurt the most. It was the fact that he hadn't changed a thing in the battle against Sombra, as the king showed to him that their fight was pointless. And now, his body laid there in the snow, unable to move.
"Is...this how I die?" he asked himself in a low, bare whisper. "Twi...light..."
Then, his eyes began to close again. The very motion of the world going black felt warm as he closed his irises to the world. But as he did, he felt a tug at his right hoof.
"Flash!" yelled a voice, causing him to crack his eyes open.
"Wha..." Flash moaned as he tried to find the voice's owner, only to see that they leaning over his head. "Ruby?"
Her horn began to shine, just a bare spark coming out of it. As she did, a small thin crystal came out of her necklace and floated over the long cut Sombra had given Flash, covering it in one fell swoop. She then put her hooves over it, just barely pushing down as sweat poured down the Crystal Knight's face.
"Hang on Flash. Don't give up..." she moaned as she pushed down, panting as she did. "Rule number one of a knight: Even if you're going to die, you don't give up."
Feeling the push of her hooves, Flash let out a series coughs. The motion sprayed his coat with spit, but allowed him to raise his head as he whispered, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet Flash. We still have a job to do."
"But...how? I...I lost." Flash asked, his words almost turning to muttering nonsense. "He...beat us."
"Yeah, he does that a lot." Ruby replied as she stopped applying pressure, letting out a sigh of relief. "There. That should be okay for a little bit. Granted, my magic is almost out, but we'll worry about that later."
Flash raised his head again, only to feel a new sensation on his belly. It was his trusty sword, laying there with Ruby's hoof over it. "Lightbringer...you brought it to me?"
"Yeah, I crawled over here with it." Ruby admitted as she grabbed Flash's hooves, placing them on the blade. "This blade..." she then let out a huge breath of air, panting as she almost fell over Flash's body. "This blade....it....it uses light magic, right?"
Flash blinked at her before saying, "Yes." He was amazed at how she was holding up, her body covered in bruises as exhaustion was screaming all over her face. "Yes it does."
"Good. Think you...think you can try one last shot at that monster?" she replied while moving Flash's hooves around, her panting increasing. "I'll...I'll aim it for you. All you gotta do is pour a little magic into the sword."
"Ruby...I don't feel an ounce of energy in me." Flash said as he looked at the blade and then up at the sky. There, he could see the dark shadow encompassing over the Crystal Empire. It was Sombra, locked in battle with Cadance. He glanced back at his blade. "What...what can we do?"
"We fight." Ruby remarked as she tilted the blade toward the shadow, winking as she took aim at the figure inside the dark cloud. "Tell me Flash, why are you here? And don't tell me that its because you're here for the empire, that's what your friends are here for." She glanced back at him, a look of determination in her eyes. "Why did Celestia bring you here, squire?"
"To convince you to rejoin the knights."
"Heh...of course." Ruby chuckled, smirking as she turned back to the shadow in the distance. "Good old Celestia, hasn't changed one bit. Come on Flash, if I have just enough energy to move, then so do you. You gave me hope when you said that you wanted to see the crystal ponies smile, so I need you to give them hope too."
Flash tried to smile at this, but he couldn't. He couldn't even grip his sword. "But...I don't-"
Ruby glared back at him, still trying to hide her exhaustion. "Don't give up. Sombra may have done that spell on us that takes our energy, but we're more than that. You know what we are?"
"Knights?"
Ruby shook her head. "No. We're weak. That's why we need each other to beat the strong." She then shined a huge grin, causing Flash to grow his own smile.
"You're right Ruby." Flash said as he started to grip his blade, feeling just a tiny bit of energy in his body now. "Let's do it."
"Let's."
Back at the Empire...
"STOP RESISTING!" Sombra screamed as the beams of magic from his and Cadance's horns continued to stay locked in place. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW! I WILL NOT LET FILTH PREVENT ME FROM TAKING WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!"
"I'll never give up Sombra!" Cadance yelled back, her horn's light now pouring out like a geyser as well. "I will protect my subjects no matter what!"
"You will do no such thing, false princess! Those so-called 'subjects' are mine! They exist so that I can punish them myself!" Sombra barked back, an audience of new dark crystals appearing under him as he continued to push Cadance back. "They all belong to me! This empire belongs to me! And soon...Equestria itself shall belong to me as well!"
As these last words came out of his mouth, his magic pushed Cadance back even more. Spike held tightly to her back, closing his eyes at the sight of the evil king. But as he did, he squinted his right eye open, only to see a shimmering light in the corner of his eye. He soon opened his other eye, blinking at the sight in the distance. Then, on reflex, he whispered, "Hey...that's Flash and Ruby. What are they doing down there?"
However, his whispers did not fall of deaf ears, as Sombra also noticed the change in the drake's expression in the corner of his eye. Seeing this, his took a split-second glance back as he continued to pour his magic back at Cadance. "Hmm? What is-"
BLAM!
That was the sound of a Flash Force laser, the smallest Flash had ever shot, blasting out of Lightbringer. And as the attack flew into the sky, Sombra tried to react.
But it was too late. The attack had hit its mark.
"RAUGH!" Sombra yelled as his head jerked back, pain suddenly striking him. "MY HORN! BLASTED WORM JUST HIT MY-"
The next words were interrupted by another surge of magic attacking Sombra, this one from Cadance. And as she pushed him back with her magic, the Crystal Heart by her side, Sombra turned back to her and let out a mighty roar. "DON'T YOU DARE FALSE PRINCESS! I WILL-" as Sombra tried to speak, he felt a new sensation. It was pain, as Cadance magic had won their lock of power between the two. The light from the Crystal Heart shone right through the king's darkness, hitting his body with a surge of light. And as it did, the shadows surrounding his body...were now gone.
"What....no! STOP!" He yelled as he watched his pillar under him start to crumble. As it did, the shadows and smoke disappeared, and his body began to show cracks of light. "This is...NO! I REFUSE TO LOSE! I AM STRONG! I AM SOMBRA, KING OF SHADOWS! I AM-"
BOOM!
With that, his body exploded in a blast of light, his crimson red horn flying off of his head and into the distance. King Sombra was gone, and the dark crystals he created disappeared in a flash of light from the Crystal Heart. And as the light shone from the heart, it exploded across the empire, causing the whole city to glow along with its ponies.
The Crystal Empire had been restored.
With the threat gone, the light had one more thing to do. With one final burst, it cause sent out a blast that caused the snow that surrounded the empire to disappear and reveal a bright blue sky. A rainbow of light shot out of the castle, creating an aurora that could be seen all over Equestria. And as the wave of light from the heart shined past the city, the light hit the two soldiers that were laying in the once blanketed land of white snow. Flash blinked at the sight, suddenly seeing his coat turn into a crystal gleam. "Whoa..." he remarked as he looked at his body, only to feel a wave of refreshment over his body. "What is happening?"
"Its the Crystal Heart." Ruby responded, slowly standing up as Flash noticed her coat shining twice as much as he was. Not only that, a bunch of her bruises on her body started to fade. "Its healing the empire, and that includes its ponies. The light it wields can heal almost anything, or anypony."
"Wow..." Flash said as he started to try and pick himself up. However, the long wound over his chest told him otherwise, causing him to cringe in pain. "Ugh...looks like it isn't healing everything."
"Don't push yourself Flash. You went through a lot." Ruby said with a chuckle, putting her hoof around Flash's neck as she slowly helped him up. "Just keep yourself steady, okay? Lean on me if you need it."
"Okay..." Flash mumbled as he felt his hooves wobble, pain still somewhat there. His body began to stagger again, causing Ruby to push him up slightly as she kept her hoof around his neck.
"Flash? You okay?"
"Yeah..." Flash tried to nod, blinking as he responded, "I'm..."
His next words faded into mumbles as his body suddenly slumped over. "FLASH!" Ruby cried as she managed to catch him, gently lowering him to the ground. Looking at his face, she saw that he had lost consciousness. "Flash...say something! FLASH!?"