The sound of bodies slamming against the palace door was cacophonous, enough to distract nearly anypony from just about any task they were trying to focus on. Shining Armor, however, wasn’t just anypony, and the tasks at hoof weren’t just any tasks. Shining Armor was the head of the royal guard for the Crystal Empire, and the safety of his land and his people was more important to him than just about anything in the world.
The only things more important were the ones he was currently trying to protect.
Princess Cadance was no slouch herself when it came to combat. She had stood in front of multiple adversaries, completely willing to stare danger in the face if need be. There were ponies who would observe the title of “princess“ and assume that she was some sort of helpless sort when it came to those things, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. The only reason that Cadance wasn’t trying to participate in the battle, other than the perceived futility of it all, was that she was the one carrying the only truly helpless member of the family.
Princess Flurry Heart’s ears folded against her head as her mother clutched her close. Whereas her father was able to shrug off the crashes of flesh against crystal as if they were nothing, the little one was not quite as lucky. The infant sniffled, and the only thing stopping her from breaking into a wail was Cadance’s comforting backrubs. Despite the stress of the situation, Cadance did her best to keep calm, lest she upset the babe any more than she already was.
Shining set another bar up over the door, but the sheer volume of shadow soldiers slamming against it was too much. The previous bars had all splintered, and this one was already heading in the same direction. The forces that Sombra had summoned were far stronger than those under his employ in the past. Shining would have wondered how that could possibly be, had he any time to focus on anything other than the task at hand. The stallion grimaced, glancing back at his family before coming to a conclusion.
“Run,” Shining stated, as coolly as possible considering everything going on. “Get to the panic room. Try to send a message out to Celestia, Luna, Twilight, anypony. I’ll hold them off until I can join you.”
“They’re going to break through, Shining!” Cadance insisted. The panic in her voice stirred Flurry, but she held her close to try and quell her. “If you try to hold them off by yourself…”
“You know you can’t keep Flurry here with all of this,” Shining said, another slam on the door almost jostling him. “I promise, I’ll be right behind you.” Another thud cracked the newly-placed bar, and Shining gave an urgent look to his wife. Cadance stared at him for a long, long moment, before finally taking off further into the castle.
Shining gritted his teeth as he backed away from the door. His horn lit up as he stared down at the strange horseshoe-shaped metal piece dangling around his neck. He still wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it wasn’t until its mysterious appearance that the forces of King Sombra had come at the empire in full force. Whatever it was, Sombra wanted it desperately, and if he wanted it so desperately, then it had to be kept away from him at all costs. Shining could feel some sort of magic coursing through it, but he couldn’t place it at all. It was like nothing he’d ever seen.
With a final, sickening thud, the doors to the Crystal Palace were blown open. The shadow soldiers, some battered and bruised but still driven by an unnatural force, attempted to flood the foyer, but Shining’s preparation had paid off. With a powerful flash of magenta, a force field formed, pushing the invading army back through the door. It wouldn’t hold for long, and more would need to be done, but Shining had a promise to keep. The stallion turned and bolted down the hall as the malevolent forces pounded away at the magical shield. A barrier which would have kept any normal ponies at bay was already beginning to crack, but it bought them time.
In the panic room, Cadance fought to stay calm as she held her daughter tightly. Shining Armor was headstrong, but he rarely overestimated his abilities. If he truly believed that he could hold the army off long enough to make it back here, then she would do her best to trust his judgment. Still, every second that she waited for him was full of worry. She did her best not to show any of that worry to her daughter, but she could already feel her begin to get antsy. Flurry was very perceptive for a pony her age, and while that was typically a good thing, it certainly wasn’t when trying to keep her at ease during such a stressful time.
The door flew open, and Cadance instinctively jumped into a defensive position, lighting her horn up and preparing a spell. Her defenses only dropped when she realized that the intruder was her husband.
“I told you I’d be right behind you,” Shining said through labored breaths, slamming the door shut behind him.
“I know,” Cadance said, throwing her forelegs around him. “But you know I’m going to worry anyway.” The two embraced, trying their best to relax.
“Did you send a message out?” Shining asked, stroking his wife’s back with a hoof.
“Multiple,” Cadance replied, using one hoof to wipe the sweat off of his brow. “Though I have no clue if they made it out. Sombra’s got a powerful anti-magic field around the castle, I’m not sure if they penetrated it.”
“I hope so,” Shining said, giving her cheek a nuzzle before he let go of her. “I’m not sure if we can…”
His thought was interrupted by a sniffle from Flurry. The two parents looked at each other, then to their daughter. They knew her all too well. If they didn’t stop her now, the tears would be flowing in a scant few moments.
“Shhh, honey,” Shining whispered, leaning in to touch his nose to hers. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Cadance leaned in as well, and the two met eyes again. They didn’t need to communicate verbally to be on the same page, as they both began to sing their favorite song to calm Flurry down.
As Cadance continued to sing, Shining’s ears perked. Hoofsteps were approaching the door. They were still far away, but it wouldn’t be long now before they reached them. Cadance had heard it too, but she did her best to continue and keep Flurry at ease. Shining bit his lip, then joined back in. It was notoriously difficult to quell Flurry when she was nearing a full-on fit. Such were the follies of being parents to a baby alicorn. But this song always did the trick, and the little sniffles soon ceased.
Flurry had finally calmed down, but unfortunately, the moment wouldn’t last. Just like it had at the front door, the pounding began on the panic room door. Flurry’s eyes shot opens and Cadance clutched her to her chest as Shining stood between the door and his family.
“I don’t know if the door will hold,” Cadance said. Despite her usual resolve, her voice trembled. “Those things are more powerful than any soldiers I’ve encountered.”
Shining took a deep breath. There was nothing in the world that meant more to him than protecting his family. As thoughts of what to do flew through his head, he suddenly felt an odd tug in the back of his mind, leading his eyes towards the artifact around his neck. The power coursing through it felt even stronger than before, as if it was calling out to him. Telling him that it could help.
It didn’t make sense, but little did.
Shining took a deep breath, raising the artifact in front of himself and closing his eyes.
“They’ll break through any second,” Cadance said. “We need to…” She raised a brow as she saw the stance her husband was taking. “What are you doing…?”
“Protecting you,” Shining said. With a final impact, the door to the panic room burst open. Shining hoped beyond hope that this sudden idea would work as he channeled his magic through the artifact. As the first shadow soldier breached the doorway, he let his spell fly.
The feeling of his magic joining with that of the mysterious artifact was a bizarre one. The soldier moved as if in slow motion, and Shining could immediately sense that something was wrong. The artifact glowed a brilliant blue, brighter and brighter by the second until it began to crackle with magical energy. He could hear his wife’s voice as the army poured like molasses into the room, but it sounded far off.
“No!!!”
And then everything went black.