//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: The Savior Princess // by Creativa-Artly01 //------------------------------// In the meeting hall after the defeat, the four royals plot their next move against the tyrant King Sombra. "Well, we hurt him while he was solid, that's a start," says Flurry Heart proudly. "But we need to figure out how to defeat him in his shadow form as well as his solid form." "I agree," responds Shining Armor. "He's a force to be reckoned with." "We need help." adds Twilight. "The four of us and our army clearly are not enough anymore." "I agree," adds Cadance. "But who should we contact? Celestia and Luna are on vacation and aren't your friends busy, Twilight?" "If it's dire enough, they'll all come running, trust me," responds Twilight. "I hope you're right, Auntie Twily," responds Flurry, "now send the letter." Twilight nods and does as her niece asks. A few days later, the letter reaches her friends in Ponyville and a second reaches the princesses in Silver Shoals. The following days, they all arrive by train to the Crystal Empire where they are rushed inside and briefed on the situation. "What do you mean Sombra's back?" asks Applejack. "Yeah, wasn't he banished to the ether for eternity?" inquires Rarity. "Actually no," responds Shining, "we've been keeping him prisoner under the Crystal Palace and he's escaped and has waged war on us along with his shadow and crystal zombie minions." "Well that's just peachy," says Rarity with a Humf. She plops down in the chair and crosses her hooves. "Anything else we need to know that you haven't told us your highnesses?" inquires Aj. "Well, I'm the so called Savior of The Crystal Empire thanks to mom's bloodline," responds Flurry Heart. "The reason Sombra is doing this is because he wants to destroy me and mom as we're the last of the Crystal Saviors left." "We'll we're not going to let that happen, don't worry," responds Shining holding his wife and daughter close to his side. He then looks at his sister and her friends. "Right girls?" "Right," responds Twilight. "But we have to do this war together or else we'll never win." "I know," responds Shining. He then turns to Celestia and Luna. "I hope you two don't mind helping Cadance here protecting the Crystal Heart." "Not one bit," respond the two with a smile. "We're just happy to help." The two then follow Cadance to where the Crystal Heart is being held. There, the three ignite their horns with their magic and begin to cast a spell around themselves and the heart. Meanwhile, everypony else gets into armor and gets weapons from the castle armory. They then head back out to the battle field where they find Sombra with all his minions behind him and horn now completely and thoroughly healed. "Oh foolish child, don't you know time plus a little dark magic can heal anything?" He does an evil laugh. "Don't you know you can't defeat me? I am darkness incarnate! Nothing can defeat me!" Sombra then looks up as he hears another voice. "She's not alone you know!" shouts Rainbow Dash who lands with Fluttershy and Twilight at her side along with Flurry Heart coming in not far behind them. Meanwhile from behind, Aj, Pinkie, and Rarity sneak out of the shadows much to the King's shock. "What? How? Where did all of you come from?" says the King, muzzle quivering and shaking with fear. He then begins to shoot dark magic at them and has his minions surround them. "No one hurts our king, our father," whisper the Daughter of Sombra ghost demon ponies. They then take to their solid forms to try to fight off the Mane Six and the young princess Flurry Heart. Flurry meanwhile fights back against the king with Twilight's help. Meanwhile, down on the battlefield, Shining Armor and the other soldiers deal with the main brunt and force of the crystal zombies and shadows. They only get hits in on the shadows when they take to their solid forms. "No one goes after my family! Not on my watch!" the Captain of the Guard hollers as he attacks the crystal zombies with his sword before blasting them into oblivion with his magic. "Really, because it looks like your dear daughter and sister are struggling against our Lord King Sombra," hiss the shadows. "Face it, you aren't winning this." Shining lets out a scream letting out a massive blast of magic wiping away all the shadows and crystal zombies with it including the ones up near his sister and daughter. From their place up near the king, the two look down at Shining in shock along with Twilight's friends. "Did, did your brother let out that blast?" says Rarity. "Yeah," responds Twilight. "They must've made him very angry. That can only mean one thing. The shadows threatened me and Flurry Heart and probably also Cadance, the ponies he cares about the most." The group then turn around to face the tyrant king. "All your minions are gone, what are you going to do now?" asks Flurry Heart along with Twilight Sparkle. He then vanishes back into the clouds and out of the Crystal Empire, at least for now. "Well, that happened," says Aj in disbelief. "Yeah, that was weird," agrees Pinkie Pie. "Where do you think he's heading?" "I wish I knew," responds Flurry. "Probably nowhere good, would be my guess," adds Twilight. "Come, let's go help out my brother." They run down to help up Shining and the ponies he accidentally harmed in the magic blast. "What was that about?" asks Twilight as she helps up her big brother. "They threatened you guys, threatened to hurt you guys," responds Shining. He soon gets back up on his hooves. "I couldn't let that happen." "You let out an entire massive magic surge, hurting some of your own guards in the process. They're being escorted off to the hospital some by hoof and some on cots as we stand here speaking." "I, I didn't mean to hurt any pony and you know that, sis," responds Shining Armor. "Come on, let's just go back to the castle." He walks back tail between his legs followed by everypony else. He can't blame his sister for being mad at him. He did hurt some of his best soldiers with that magic surge. However, that, to him, doesn't matter now. His family is safe...his wife, his daughter, and his little sister. His only fear is that Sombra isn't going to be staying away for long. Actually, he knows that as a fact. He will return eventually, they just need to figure out when. For now, though, he needs to find a way to get his little sister back on his side or else they're all going to be done for, their family, the empire, all of it, for good.