Fury was gathered inside the dark stallion's eyes, blinded by the devouring desire for revenge that was blazing inside of him. Without hesitation, Sombra galloped towards Princess Cadance and jumped into the air, while a black aura began to surround his horn. Shouting out a soul-piercing scream, dark crystals shot out of the ground around the royal couple, and pointing at their direction, they dashed towards them.
Using his instincts, Shining Armor summoned an energy shield around him and the others, letting the projectiles shatter as they collided with the sphere. Clenching his teeth, he jumped out of the fading barrier and uppercuted Sombra with his horn. Cadance realized that he was off to deal with Sombra and it was then her duty to face the one who nearly ruined her entire life, Chrysalis.
Both standing face to face, Cadance mood shifted from seriousness to a certain rage.
"You nearly destroyed everything I ever cared for. And now you want to cause misery on everypony, just because you crave for it." She furiously accused Chrysalis.
"Sure, I nearly did that. But don't say my intentions are bad. I just want the best for my subjects, and, if destruction is the best way to do that, well, who am I to defy it, huh?" She responded deridingly.
"Calamity is never the best option!" Cadance shouted at her, before she lost control of herself and galloped towards her.
Chrysalis in return smirked and responded positively to her action. "Fair enough!Have it your way, darling. It will be a pleasure for me."
She clenched her teeth and rushed right in the direction of Cadance, ready for ramming her horn against her like Cadance with her to win this duel.
Shining Armor fell with his back on the ground, but before coming to a halt, he managed to regain control of himself and slid some meters over the ground before stopping. On the other hand, Sombra accomplished the very same and smirked at the white stallion.
"Preposterous to common sense, thinking you could outmatch me." Sombra goofed on him.
"Look who's talking? The supposed king of evil? More like the king of failing." He countered, which made Sombra clench his teeth in rage.
"You will pay for your lack of veneration for me!" Sombra shouted out loud, before crystal shards in front of him were created by magic, which he shot with a fast rate at his opponent.
Shining Armor avoided the projectiles while galloping towards the dark pony, who, due to his failure in wearing Shining Armor down, put everything into one avalanche of dark crystals, directly shot at Shining Armor. As his attack seemingly took him out, he sneered in his victory.
Suddenly, the crystals deteriorated in a bright light, temporarily blinding Sombra. Out of the light jumped the enraged Shining Armor, directly to Sombra with the intention to strike him with his horn. Sombra just regained sight to see the upcoming Shining Armor and stiffened, because of this surprising shock.
Like blades, the horns of Chrysalis and Cadance were pressed against each other, both giving all the power they got to push back the opponent.
"Laughable to see you imposing me. You are but a buttercup." Chrysalis made fun of Cadance.
"Better a gracious flower than a nasty pile of trash!" She responded tartly.
"How dare you! You are nothing!" Chrysalis shouted at her in fury, before she channeled much magic energy into the horn.
Reacting appropriately, Cadance did the very same. As a result, the air around got charged with energy, and sparks of magic began to emit in the area. Both groaned, as they tried their best to surpass their disputant, which only resulted the energy to intensify.
With a loud shout, Shining Armor swung his horn at Sombra. Barely holding it off, his head was pushed against the ground, only mere inches away from it.
"I don't think so!" Sombra insisted.
He was a strong stallion and slowly, but constantly, while he grunted, he regained ground and pushed Shining Armor back with his own horn. With one burst of energy, he flung Shining Armor away from him and used this chance to be the first to strike this time.
Though out of balance, Shining Armor regained awareness of his situation and saw the upcoming attack of Sombra, allowing him to react just in time. A big bang was hearable when both the unicorns' horns clashed with each other, and like the two mares, they tried to succeed each other.
"It is time for you to atone for your dreadful crimes!" Shining Armor threatened Sombra, which lead him to smile.
"Don't make me laugh!" He replied snootily, before channeling his dark magic into his horn.
Shining Armor understood the situation and did the very same, using everything he got to save Equestria and his beloved.
With each second, the length and power of their magically amplified horns grew, and with that, the air around them as well. wind caused by the intensity of the energy bursts streamed through their hides and manes, and the sparks actually began to damage the environment, causing the changelings and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to back off several times.
The ultimate result of all of this was disappointing. Both opponents were equally strong, and soon, they were unable to control the massive amounts of magic around them. They broke out in sweat and began to breath heavily, but eventually, it was all in vain, as they lost grip of their magic. It was already so strong, that the spells themselves collapsed, causing them to cover the area in a blinding, white explosion, that catapulted the adversaries away from each other.
As the dust blew over, the adversaries were back where they once stood, breathing heavily and regaining stamina. Cadance and Shining Armor knew that this was a fruitless undertaking, but then, they remembered how they defeated both of them the last time. They gazed at each other and nodded, before they came close to each other and pressed their horns to one another, taking a deep breath before channeling magic to perform a combined spell.
"Oh no! This trick won't work a second time!" Chrysalis shouted out loud before galloping towards them, with Sombra following who understood that their spell might be devastating.
It took long to charge, too long, and Sweetie Belle realized just that when she saw the upcoming foes.
"Guys, we need to help them. The spell will take too long." She explained them anxiously.
"But what could we do? They are extremely mean! Not to forget that they are big!" Babs Seed asked her friend in bewilderment and worry.
"You know what that calls for." Scootaloo pointed out with a vicious grin.
"Exactly." Apple Bloom affirmed her assumption. "It's time to earn our Cutie Marks as heroes."
Out of the sudden, the Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped from behind their cover and galloped towards the two enemies. Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed, close in front of them, slit over the ground, intending to trip them up so they would fall.
Sombra and Chrysalis chuckled and simply jumped over the two ponies, but before they could even realize what was going on, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo did the exact same thing right when they landed with their forelegs on the ground, pulling them away and making them tumble.
After their success, they brohoofed each other in joy, bur soon, they were covered in the shadows of the angry villains who gazed at them in rage.
"How dare you, you pest!" Sombra threatened them before he channeled magic in his horn.
First, the fillies wanted to crawl back, but then, Scootaloo looked behind the evil ponies and pointed at something behind them.
"If I were you, I would rather focus on something else." She noted with a confident grin.
When they actually turned around, they saw what the Pegasus filly wanted to explain them and their eyes opened widely, and their pupils shrunk in size when they saw what their opponents' spell had become.
Bright like a sun, a blinding, white light covered the couple up, and the fillies duck to protect themselves. Immediately when Chrysalis and Sombra intended to do something, the spell was executed. Not with a deafening or pain inflicting explosion, the light burst out and covered up the entire area, blowing every evil away.
Sombra was lifted up from the ground and slammed with his back first into the next wall, rendering him unconscious while his entire armor broke apart and his royal robe landed right into a burning piece of wood, combusting alongside the woodwork.
The green fire wall was blown out by the spell, alongside some other fireplaces. The surrounding changelings had a hard time to hold on to the ground, and some were catapulted away, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders were barely affected by the spell at all.
Chrysalis dashed back first through the air and landed painfully on the just slightly soft and dusty ground. Though damaged, she quickly stoop up and spit the dust in her mouth out and knocked off the remaining dirt on her body.
"Enough!" She yelled in fury. "Changelings! Attack!"
The dozens of changelings smirked and clenched their teeth like wild animals, slowly cornering the 6 ponies like timberwolves did with prey, ready to ambush them. They chuckled menacingly, when the fillies were already hiding under the royalties, with just a few meters distance between them and the gray pony-like creatures.
But then, nothing happened. Every changeling lifted their head and erected their ears, like a dog that would hear something in the distance. And then, the most implausible happened. They simply walked away, or flew back to where they came from.
"Hey! That was an order!" She shouted at them before the same thing happened to her.
"W-what?! He... But why?!" She stuttered to herself. "Oh I will teach him a lesson."
She then realized that Sombra, who was regaining consciousness, was severely damaged, and she alone had just a small chance to succeeded Cadance and Shining Armor.
"Don't get to lucky, ponies! This was only easy mode!" She threatened them, before she did an U-turn and galloped away.
"Hey!" Sombra shouted at her, standing weakly on his hooves. "Come back here you dastard!"
Cadance intended to chase after her, but Shining Armor held her off, signifying her that it has been enough, to which she nodded and agreed with.
"Now..." Sweetie Belle questioned the situation. "What was that all about? Why did they just leave?"
"Don't look a gift pony in the mouth, I guess." Shining Armor replied.
But then, they gazed into the sky, and they realized it was not just at their position. Apparently, every changeling in the entire town was taking flight.
"Something must have happened over at Twilight's place; or Discord's, but what?"
"It doesn't matter, as long as we get the upper hand." Shining Armor explained them. "And you four go to the barn and hide their, understood?" He ordered the fillies, to which they pouted.
"We just saved us, and this is how you thank us?" Scootaloo questioned them.
"We are very thankful, and you showed great valor and bravery." Cadance assured them. "But now, your close friends need our help, and we can't allow Pariah to threaten them with hurting you."
"Yes, you are right." Apple Bloom agreed. "Just too bad we didn't get our Cutie Marks."
Suddenly they heard a threatening laugh. Over the course of the surreal events, they completely forgot about Sombra.
"Pathetic." He goofed on the fillies. "Cutie Marks? Is that all what you care for? Isn't it a bit inappropriate for the situation? Besides, I have no such thing as well, but I'm not crying about it like imbecilic foals."
He went slowly towards the heroes, who were facing him snout to snout, but he was obviously too weak to fight, barely limping towards them. Not just that, but they noticed something peculiar. The aura around his eyes was missing.
"I'd rather care about that you, Princess Cadance, have taken everything away from me. My throne, my empire... my power." He accused her.
She shook her head and her pitch of voice changed to an understanding tone. "Sombra. I never took anything away from you. First of all, because you did not deserve it. And then, I never claimed it for me. The Crystal Ponies wanted me to be their ruler. Could they ever say the same thing about you?"
He thought about it, but just giggled. "No. But what did it matter? I knew what was best. They were my subjects, so they had to follow my will."
"Do you really think that's everything a ruler is for?" She questioned him. "Using others to the own pleasure? A ruler is there to ensure everypony is happy, and lead their subjects to prosperity. Most of all, not to subjugate everypony, but to protect them."
"I know... and I did the best to protect the Crystal Empire." He asserted, leading to utter confusion in the other ponies.
"W-what?! By ruining it?" Shining Armor asked him.
"No." Sombra replied. "By preparing it."
He sighed, but then explained everything. "Pariah was right. What I am... rather, what I have become, was due to him. Darkness flows through me since thousand years ago, because I found one of the few sources of darkness that remained after his defeat, and it overcame me with ease. I knew, that this day would come. I could feel it, foreshadow it. And though the darkness had nearly entirely corrupted me, this goal would shine bright enough to keep me on its track. To save as much as possible."
"By taking away every hope and destroying entire lives!?" Cadance yelled at them.
"By doing everything that is necessary for the cause!" He replied, causing Cadance to become silent and listen.
"You can judge me as much as you want, but you can't defy what is happening right now. Celestia and Luna did not prepare their subjects and thus, havoc is breaking loose. I would have build massive fortresses, educated as much guards as possible, created devastating spells alongside the most wise Unicorns, and I would conquered and united everypony, to ensure that we still exist after this day."
"You..." Cadance stuttered in shock. "You did all of this to save the world?"
"And then why exactly did you follow him in the end?!" Shining Armor questioned him.
"I was blinded by the desire for revenge, and the corruption in me was strengthened by him. Your light pushed the darkness in me away; and it allows me some minutes of clarity."
He sighed and looked around him. "This destruction... it is only the beginning. We could have been prepared... but we are not."
"What do you mean?" Cadance asked him.
"This is the end of all. The last day of this world. Today, as presaged... is doomsday."
The fillies were anxious about the situation, but got consoled by Shining Armor.
"Don't lose hope just yet, Sombra. We all combined can put an end to Ray's scheme. The light can surpass the darkness, and it will. You are the living proof for that."
But Sombra only laughed weakly. "So much confidence in one, young mare. But somehow... I want to believe you."
Suddenly, he collapse and fell on the ground, weakened from their combined attack, with Cadance immediately crouching next to him.
"Sombra..."
He coughed, but took all his power to explain Cadance the situation. "Don't bother me! You have to help the Elements of Harmony to stop Pariah."
"I..." She replied. "I can't just let you lay here."
"But you have to!" He ensured her. "The cause is more important than me. Besides, the darkness is corrupting me, again. I would get in your way. Even in this conversation, I am not who I used to be. I am filled with hatred and envy... towards you."
"B-but..." Cadance mumbled, only to get interrupted by him once again.
"No 'but', Princess Cadance. There is only this one chance. If you really want to help me, too... then do what I could not. Put an end to this... once and for all."
She and the other felt sorry for this poor soul. What was he more than a slave of an even greater threat. But they knew he was right. Soon, he would become the monstrosity he was before, again. Cadance nodded and stood up.
"I promise you that I will save this world and set you free from this curse."
"I..." He replied with a smile. "I know... and thank you"
Without hesitation, the two adults galloped back in the hope to find Twilight, her friends and the princesses. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, now where one threat was gone, could not stand the feeling of leaving their friends behind and followed Shining Armor and Cadance secretly without hesitation.
In this one minute, Sombra had full control of himself, and it revealed a pony that would do anything to protect his subjects. The light in him was weak, but it was not about to fade without doing everything he could to prevent total annihilation. The laying Sombra just gazed at them, and he smiled happily while closing his eyes.
"Good luck... my princess." He mumbled, before he opened his eyes widely and the same, baleful aura covered them up, again.