It had taken a whole month for everything to get set in motion. Spike had hired some extra security from Equestria, making certain that each and every vulnerable area of the empire was guarded. The majority of these unofficial guards were without armor, or dressed as construction workers, employees at nearby businesses, and other believable covers.
Spike had thought that ponies would either become paranoid or suspicious if there were suddenly guards everywhere. Especially after Shining's over-militarization of the country being still fresh in everyone's minds.
Shining himself had come up with a cover-up to explain the explosive display of magical energy seen from the border at the D.M.A.V.
As far as the public was concerned, it had been a scheduled test of the weather-dome's new defensive wards. It had been purposely fired upon by magical weaponry to prove the latest advancements in national security did their job. Of course Shining actually had Twilight implement the idea afterwards, realizing that the weather-dome failing would truly be a major catastrophe.
Twilight had also been setting up a network of scrying crystals across the nation, which thankfully went largely unnoticed by the populace. Being constantly surrounded by crystal buildings, roads, and crystal ponies made it difficult for the average citizen to notice any small additions.
As of yet the culprits of the dark magic artifact robbery had yet to do anything that might make themselves traceable, but when they did Twilight would know about it.
For the time being, Spike and Shining were enjoying an evening alone in the castle's secret study. It was after dinner on open court day, and the castle staff had been told that Spike and their king would be out of touch until morning. Wordplay had been taught the spell to send letters to Spike in case of emergencies, and in the event of anything huge happening Twilight was still around.
After a month of almost constant work, and a long day of listening to the petitioners from the entire empire Shining and Spike were exhausted. Spike laid on the large sofa on his back, while Shining laid on Spike's stomach, enjoying his lover's unbelievable natural warmth.
They were currently enjoying one of their favorite mutual activities, the art of watching bad movies. Movies so terrible that they were hilarious in their backwards way.
Tonight's feature was a little gem called Invasion of The Space Goats XII: If You Can't Bleat 'Em, Join 'Em. A film from the dawn of modern cinema recently unearthed from the ruins of an abandoned theater in lower Canterlot. Luna had sent it to the couple as a gift, knowing Spike was a lover of such tripe, and also as a sign of her well-wishing for the couple's future.
Coupled with the wine Celestia had sent, it was a turning into quite an evening.
"This is a cinematic masterpiece of monumental proportions." Shining declared, just as the Goat Emperor vaporized the Vanhoover Dam.
"Right? If you couldn't see the mic up top, or tell everything was made of cardboard this'd be just as good as what Applewood comes out with." Spike agreed.
Despite Spike being completely sober, the experience was just as good for him. Shining was happy, if a little liquored up. All that mattered for the time being was enjoying each others company, and a movie so bad it was good.
Spike doubted Shining knew it, but he had never had a really meaningful relationship before. Rarity had been snatched up by a stallion of both noble birth and intentions, and very few ponies had ever shown any signs of interest in Spike due to his species. Spike had decided to give up on ponies initially, but Shining had saved Spike in his own way.
Spike had been wanting to tell Shining about it, but wasn't sure if that was the sort of thing you told your coltfriend this early into a relationship.
Spike repositioned his long neck to look up at Shining after a period of uncharacteristic silence. He found Shining snoozing comfortably, drooling a bit. Spike smiled and found himself yawning, telling him Shining had the right idea. After making note to remind himself to put a clock in the study, Spike kissed Shining's forehead and settled in to sleep in the peace and quiet of the castle study.
They remained there for a few hours until late into the night when Twilight rushed in, frazzled and looking frantic.
She quickly lifted the couch with the couple still on it, and proceeded to shake Shining and Spike awake. Spike had to hang onto the couch for fear of falling onto Shining, but it appeared apologizing was far from the first thing on Twilight's mind.
"Up! Now! There's a thing!" Twilight shouted as her brother hit the floor.
"Ugh. The hell, Twi?" Shining groused as he pulled himself up off the thankfully lush carpet.
"That was easily the best sleep I've had in a month, and I seriously doubt it's morning already. Someone had better be on fire." Spike added, almost sounding predatory.
Twilight however wasn't alone, as Wordplay entered behind her with a serving cart in tow. It was loaded with coffee, eggs, hay-bacon, toast, and every other breakfast item one could imagine. Additionally there was a bottle of medication designed to lessen the brunt of a hangover. The couple quickly began their forcibly-imposed early breakfast, giving Twilight a chance to calm down and brief Shining and Spike.
"Okay. Less grumpy now. Thank you, Wordplay." Spike gratefully told his assistant.
"It's what I do." Wordplay replied in a semi-smug way.
"Okay, so there was frantic talk of a thing? Care to elaborate on that, Twilight?" Shining asked, wanting to get to the supposed issue at hoof.
Twilight tapped her hoof on the floor of the secret study, trying to figure out how to describe what was going on.
"It's like a big, black bubble made of everything wrong with the world. It's over the whole crystal pavilion, and you can't even see through it. I looked at it for a few minutes to try and take some scans, but I started feeling sick so I came to you two directly." Twilight explained.
"I thought it was more like a dome made out of nightmares. And... like, whatever the opposite of hugs and grandma-kisses is." Wordplay interjected.
Twilight nodded her agreement, finding that a somewhat better metaphor.
"So yeah, it's pretty bad obviously. If I could handle this alone I wouldn't have barged in here, especially after last time." Twilight finished.
Shining Armor and Spike looked at each other, uncertainty plain to see on both of their faces. They needed to see whatever the thing was in person, especially since it was in the crystal pavilion. It was the open area near the castle where the crystal heart was kept, meant to assure the crystal ponies all was well.
The group quickly made their way to the front gates of the castle, where a cordon of guards was surrounding the pavilion.
Spike and Shining saw what the fuss was about as soon as they looked past the guards.
It was just as Twilight had described, a black dome encircling the pavilion. Every few seconds the dome gave of surges of red or green dark energy, arcing of in seemingly random directions. Every second you looked at it continually drained the stamina your body possessed, as if it was somehow feeding off of your energy to further it's assuredly sinister purpose.
After looking at the abhorrent anomaly for what couldn't have been more than thirty seconds, Shining Armor had begun shivering uncontrollably and Spike felt as though he was going to vomit molten slag sometime in the near future.
As soon as the group promptly turned around to avoid looking at it, they attempted to get a grip on the situation.
"Dear gods! What the hell is that thing?!" Shining Armor practically shouted.
"That was my initial reaction too. Kinda hoping Spike could... I dunno? Smash it? That's what he does to Shining Armor's barriers." Wordplay suggested.
Spike looked at his hands, then back at the dome. As he had predicted earlier, he involuntarily blew magma-chunks onto the crystal walkway. After making a mental note to have that fixed when whatever they were dealing with was over, Spike returned his attention to the others.
"So that's probably not happening. Where did this... thing, come from anyway? It's like..."
"Three forty-seven A.M." Wordplay interjected.
"Thanks. So yeah, me and Shining went to the study at about ten-thirty. Everything was just fine then. So, when did this even get here?" Spike finished.
Wordplay checked her ever-present clipboard, looking for the clarification Spike and Shining needed.
"A patrol passes through the pavilion every ten to twelve minutes, but nopony gave the all-clear within the scheduled window at about two. We had initially suspected that the guards had forgotten how to use their walkies-talkies since most crystal ponies still aren't very techno savvy. After a ten minute lapse of contact we sent more guards who reported back with vague descriptions of the dome. Guards Rough Barrel, and Emerald Isle are still M.I.A." Wordplay read off.
Shining and Spike both stiffened up at the news that there were two of their ponies unaccounted for. They collected themselves, and marched through the circle of guards all trying their hardest not to look at the dome. While every instinct in Shining Armor and Spike's beings told them to flee, their hearts told them that their duty came first.
Shining Armor charged his horn for a basic mana-blast, and quickly let the ethereal projectile loose, carefully making certain that the magic had completely left his horn before it came into contact with the dome. It was basic tactics for facing unknown foes or magics, just in case there was a risk of magical feedback tracing back to the caster. The dome seemed extremely likely to have some such defenses, so Shining only used a small amount of mana at a high speed to see the reaction with minimal chance of recoil.
The magenta magic-bullet hit the ebony surface of the dome, and was instantaneously swallowed up by the malevolent dome's oil-colored form. The only significant effect was a minor ripple in the dome's exterior, extending about three feet from the point of impact. It was as if Shining had just dropped a pebble into a lake of unbelievably dark, deep water, never to be seen again.
"Okay, your turn." Shining told Spike, as it was clear unicorn magic wasn't going to help.
Spike nodded, looking around at the ponies gathered in the pavilion's outskirts.
"I'm going to need everybody to back up out of the way, things are about to get toasty. I've never let out a full-blown fire since I grew. Not totally sure how much I've got in me." Spike warned.
The guards and Shining Armor quickly moved everyone about as far back as they could while still being in the area in case something happened. Twilight quickly threw up a barrier wall around the civilian onlookers, and Shining Armor added an additional layer of protection just to be certain. It was impossible to tell if they were protecting themselves from Spike or whatever the dome would do in retaliation.
Spike proceeded to pop all the bones in his neck, mentally preparing himself for what he needed to do and what might happen after.
Once ready, Spike took in a tremendous breath, to the point his chest seemed almost puffed out.
As soon as his powerful lungs were full, Spike let loose a stream of fire so hot and powerful that it was almost more white than green. It was utterly impossible for anyone to see beyond the glow of the flames, and even Spike himself couldn't really see the dome anymore.
Shining Armor's barrier was beginning to warp and strain from the heat and almost indomitable dragon magic. Luckily, after a while Spike's breath began petering out and eventually stopped altogether. Though a tad winded, Spike stayed focused and examined the condition of the unusual barrier.
The dome was relatively unchanged, except the portion in front of Spike, which was on fire. The surface bubbled and burned like tar, showing that whatever it was, the dome wasn't completely invulnerable.
Spike saw it as what would likely be their best shot, and knitted his clawed hands together. He raised his combined fist above his head and brought it down on the flaming portion of the dome. With each impact, the dome shuddered and shifted a bit, as if the heat of Spike's flames had made it surprisingly-tough, magical surface malleable.
"Shining, Twi! Try hitting it after I hit it! I can feel it weakening!" Spike yelled out as he continued battering the abhorrent semi-sphere.
Twilight and Shining jumped into action, lowering their shields and preparing to assault the dome. Twilight crafted a spear out mana, while Shining chose a spiked ball to craft out of his own magic. Twilight took Spike's left, while Shining took to hitting the dome with the ball on the right side. Forming a triangle of brutality, the three mercilessly fought against the dome's defenses.
After a few minutes of repeated assault against the dome, and a few brief shots of additional fire, the dome began to crack.
Before the dome could react or attempt to repair itself, Spike jabbed his clawed fingers into the opening. As soon as the gap had widened enough, Spike slipped in his other hand and pulled the pieces apart in different directions.
As soon as the integrity of the dome had been compromised, the whole thing shattered into black fragments that disappeared as soon as they hit the ground.
What was revealed was a rather disturbing sight. There were a number of simple, circular dishes placed around the pavilion, four in total. One was full of black shards and a gnarled horn, and the one opposite it was full of slate grey bits, small chunks of black crystal, and a distinct curved horn. The other two dishes were much larger, and contained Sombra's suit of armor and cape, while it's opposite held the pickled body of the changeling drone, now freed from the capsule.
Most disturbing of all was the wisps of green and red energy circling the crystal heart in slow, consistent orbit. They slowly seemed to be growing, and the crystal heart was growing continually dimmer.
At the base of the crystal heart was two guards, who seemed unconscious but alive.
Twilight attempted to use her magic to grab the guards, but a shimmering dome briefly appeared, turned magenta, and disappeared again.
"It's another barrier, and this one's definitely drawing in magic. Celestia and Luna taught me how to make one, but breaking one from outside is nearly impossible. Someone has to walk through it, and fast. Those guards look drained, they might not make up if we don't get them out soon, but this seems like a trap." Twilight told Spike and Shining, sizing up the situation.
"It's definitely a trap, but we gotta do it." Shining Armor stated absolutely.
Shining Armor and Spike rushed forward to save the guards and stop whatever was happening, but it seemed as though that had indeed been a part of the unknown plan set in motion by the thieves from the D.M.A.V. Shining Armor immediately felt like he had been bucked in the chest, as the magic in his body suddenly left him as soon as he entered the pavilion.
Spike was more fortunate, as he couldn't enter at all. The barrier flashed green, preventing Spike from getting into the pavilion. It dimmed again, becoming invisible while still keeping Spike out.
"Shining!? Are you okay? There's a ward or something locking me out!" Spike shouted frantically, pounding on the wall he couldn't see.
Shining nodded, though his strength was nearly depleted. He barely managed to walk over to the guards and push them outside the barrier. Unfortunately, as Shining tried to leave the barrier flashed magenta and Shining fell to the ground. The trap had been sprung, and Shining was trapped inside the draining field.
"Can't move." Shining groaned, sounding incredibly tired.
Spike's pupils thinned to slits, and he let loose another gout of flames. Unlike the first barrier, this one fed off it and once more glowed green. The flames shrunk until they were completely out, but Spike wasn't deterred in the least. Instead he dug his claws into the crystalline ground, trying to get under the barrier.
When he discovered the shield went underground as well Spike's eyes softened, and his heart sunk.
"I can't get in." Spike said softly, placing his palm on the invisible wall to be closer to Shining.
"That is the point, after all." An echoing, feminine voice said from seemingly everywhere.
"We still need a little time to finish our work." A much more gruff, masculine voice added.
As soon as the crystal ponies heard the second voice every last one of them began panicking. Many of them covered their ears with their hooves, while others bowed as low to the ground as physically possible, as if their very lives depended on it. Even the ever cool-headed Wordplay was reduced to a sobbing frenzy, laying next to Twilight in the fetal position.
It took very little guesswork to decipher who the second voice had belonged to.
"Sombra!" Spike growled, almost roaring at the disembodied foe.
"So good to know I'm remembered. That's all the dead can really hope for from the living. Though soon they'll be able to do a lot more for us. Isn't that right, my dear Chrysalis?"
"Yes, once we're together and we've got ourselves a body, the Crystal Empire will be just the first locale to fall to us, Sombra."
Shining Armor watched the ghostly wisps that were Sombra and Chrysalis's souls orbiting the crystal heart, their barrier siphoning off it's tremendous power. Without a way to get the crystal ponies to the heart, it didn't seem like there was a way to prevent Sombra and Chrysalis to finish their plan. After all, Shining was barely conscious and the black dome had given the deceased villains some time.
"Chrysalis? I... I killed you." Shining whimpered in disbelief, feeling as though a knife had just pierced his heart.
There was a moment of silence before Chrysalis answered. If she had a body, Shining would have likely been given a death glare from Chrysalis.
"Yes, and in doing so you committed genocide. All of my changelings, linked to me by the hive-mind perished with me. My hate for you in that moment made it impossible for me to rest. But because of that, I was able to find a kindred spirit. No pun intended."
"I was still lingering about, stealing small amounts of energy here and there to keep myself from passing on. When we met, I proposed a plan to destroy our mutual foe. You, Shining Armor.
"While studying the darkest of magics long before I died, I found a particularly old ritual capable of bonding evil souls in limbo to a single vessel. Chrysalis and myself will become one in our prepared body, combining both of our wills, hatred, and powers. All we needed was some time, our remains, a serviceable body, and most importantly...
"The magic of our mutual foe taken by force, and the magic of someone who truly loves him, given freely. We had intended to offer his drained husk in exchange for your magic, Spike. But you were so eager to get him back that you gave it to us, even though you knew shield might eat away your magic flames." Chrysalis finished.
"It took two years for someone who loved Shining to arrive for our purposes, and another month to make preparations. But it will all be worth it in just a few minutes."
After their gloating was finished, the green and red soul-wisps ceased their orbit around the crystal heart. Instead they now circled the entire pavilion, and the items in each dish began to burn with black flames. All the while, the crystal heart continued to grow darker.
Once the heart was finally completely dim, it fell to the ground with a clink that seemed to resonate through the minds and hearts of all present. The glittering coats of the crystal ponies became duller than ever before, and all those witnessing the horrid events transpiring in the pavilion began falling to despair.
The unnatural flames in each dish rose high into the air and each of the eventual pillars that formed from the flames arced together. The flames all flowed into the air the crystal heart had occupied moments before. A black sphere hovered there until the red and green wisps flew into the otherworldly fire and joined it.
The sphere shifted and changed until it was a barely equine figure. Though it was far too large, and it's limbs were stretched and riddled with holes. The black figure soon became more defined, and colors other than black began to fade in over certain parts of the developing monstrosity's form.
Once the terrible creature had finished forming, it was stood in the light of Luna's moon for all to see.
It looked like Sombra a great deal, but there were a number of changeling features. The beast's entire body was a black shell that had seemingly lost it's gloss, full of holes in each of it's limbs. It's chest was covered in armor, as well as it's front legs. It's horn was a clear mix of Sombra and Chrysalis's misshapen horns, Chrysalis's in shape, Sombra's in color.
Instead of a proper mane or tail it had green flames, billowing in the night. They gave off no heat that Shining Armor could feel, even from his close proximity to the abomination. In fact they somehow seemed to give off cold rather than heat.
But the worst part was looking into it's eyes.
It's eyes were a soft green color with blood-red irises that seemed to look into your soul. Unlike Sombra's eyes that trailed purple smoke, this creature's eyebrows were covered in the purple miasma, flowing just like the fire of it's mane and tail. The beast gave off the same feeling of dread and universal wrongness that the first dome had, testament to the intense darkness and perverse magics that had spawned them.
The invisible barrier shattered once the horrid creature was complete, shards of what appeared to be glass littering the ground before fading away all together.
Spike wasted no time in rushing forward to grab Shining while the horror was getting it's bearings. Even though the beast in front of them was horrifying, Spike still had a slight size advantage. More importantly, he had the determination to protect the one he loved from anything, whether they be pony or monster.
Spike just barely managed to grab Shining before being struck by an armored foreleg.
Luckily, thanks to Shining's obsession with training and fitness, Spike was able to roll with the blow and ensure their safety. They came out of the roll near Twilight and the others, where Spike laid Shining across his sister's back. Spike then quickly stepped forward, preparing himself to shield Shining, Twilight, and the emotionally crippled ponies.
The monster stood it's ground, still trying to get a feel for it's own existence. As an experiment, It's mangled horn lit up with a purple energy that burned like fire with sparks of red electricity coursing through it. Spike knew if it hit anything other than him ponies were going to get seriously hurt. His instincts told him he was staring death in the face, but Spike did his best to ignore it.
Spike spread his wings, hoping to shield the ponies behind him from as much as possible. Shining and Twilight had always protected him when he was small, but now it was time for Spike to be their shield.
"Twilight, as soon as it fires on me, port everybody but me out of here and into the castle. Make sure Shining, Wordplay, and the rest are okay." Spike ordered.
"Wait! What are you going to do? This is nuts!" Twilight shouted back, motioning towards the monstrous new form of Sombra and Chrysalis.
"Hopefully not die!" Spike shouted as he reared up onto his back legs and charged toward the monster.
The monster fired it's malevolent attack, just as Spike had planned. It hit him square in the chest, and Spike's body was assaulted by electricity arcing outward, while the brunt of the blast knocked him backwards a good ten feet.
Spike moved his neck to look back at Twilight with a confident grin, even going so far as to give her a thumbs up.
"Alright then. You do that." Twilight said with renewed confidence in Spike.
Twilight lit her horn, and everyone in the immediate area was swallowed up in a wave of magenta aura.
Once everyone was in her magical grasp, Twilight teleported them away, along with herself. The castle was only a short distance away, but it was a safe as safe could be in the current situation. Spike momentarily looked back to see if everyone had gotten away safely, breathing a sigh of relief as he let tears fall from his eyes.
Spike was extremely grateful Twilight hadn't seen his chest, otherwise she would have stayed to help fight. The scales that had until now prevented Spike from being seriously harmed for nearly two decades had just had their perfect record tarnished. The majority of Spike's abdomen was charred black, and his organic armor was cracking in several places.
It appeared that the dragon magic Spike had given them was more than enough to make Spike just as vulnerable as a pony, if not just a little more protected.
"Bucking Celestia-damned hell! That hurt, you overgrown stink bug!" Spike complained as he clutched his chest while his body continued smoking slightly.
"I'm sure it did reptile. Had you been a pony you'd be not but ash and memory." The creature responded with a voice like a chorus of a million nails grating on a chalkboard.
Spike suddenly wished he had proper ears, just so he could rip them off.
"Geez. Your voice is awful, uh... Somblis? Chromba?" Spike whined, unsure what to call his foe.
With a sound like a cat screaming into a fan, the creature that had once been Sombra and Chrysalis hummed thoughtfully to itself.
"Somblis? I think we like that. Allow me to show you my thanks."
With a quick flicker of purple light from it's deadly horn, Somblis began shimmering until it was invisible. Apparently, in addition to Sombra and Chrysalis's powers, Somblis retained the ability to camouflage itself like the drone that had become a great deal of it's body. Needless to say, Spike was quickly becoming even more worried about the situation.
Spike instinctively put up his guard, bracing himself for whatever was coming, taking care to shield his already damaged abdomen.
After a moment there was no magical lights, or sounds of hoofsteps to be heard. Spike was almost certain that he was alone, up until the moment he heard a faint buzzing, as if there was a fly in his ear. It was then he remembered that Somblis had wings.
Before he could react, Spike was attacked from behind. It took his mind a few seconds to realize exactly what happened, but very quickly the pain set in. As soon as Spike's brain realized the source he looked down and moved his hand from his chest to see the end of a gnarled horn sticking out, glowing a faint purple through the crimson ichor that now coated it.
"Thank you, Spike. For my name, and for building Shining Armor back up for me. Now there's so much more happiness to tear down before I destroy him. And unfortunately, you're the bottom brick in the wall that supports his happiness." Somblis taunted as it pulled it's horn from Spike's chest.
Uncloaking, Somblis pushed Spike to the ground of the pavilion and landed. Leaving Spike for dead, Somblis leisurely strode up the walkway to the castle, obviously intent on taking it's sweet time.
Spike lay there in a daze, his mind reeling from shock, and his body trying desperately to hold out.
In his darkening vision, Spike saw the crystal heart laying there beside him. It was dim and dull, completely spent of the happiness and love that made it such a powerful force of good. In his current state, Spike was only briefly aware of how similar the two of them were.
What was first and foremost on Spike's mind as he blacked out was Shining Armor.
"Shining... I hate to go so soon. But please, please don't forget there are others that care for you out there. Just don't let that monster do you in. You're better than that, you know knights always kill the monster in the end. Just... just know I love you."
With those final words, Spike's whole world faded to black. In the same instance, a point of light appeared in the center of the crystal heart. A light that signified that there was still hope, even in the overwhelming darkness.