"What do you mean there's a page missing?!" Shining Armor exclaimed.
"I mean, King Sombra tore out the last page detailing the Crystal Heart," Twilight explained to her brother "Rainbow Dash overheard one of the Crystal Ponies remembering what the heart was, and why it was so important. If it's not the real thing, the entire fair will all be for naught."
"I should've known it was too easy," Shining Armor said angrily "Any ideas on where Sombra might have hidden the Crystal Heart?"
Twilight shook her head "Unfortunately, no. I suspect it might be somewhere within this castle, since nopony from the empire ever set hoof in it while he was around. But I have no way to know for sure, and it could be anywhere."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to start looking then!" Shining Armor said seriously, dashing off as fast as he could to fetch his friends.
"And that's why it's important we find that heart A.S.A.P!" Shining Armor told his friends "Without it, there will no stopping King Sombra. The empire will be his."
"Then there's no time to lose! Let's spread out and find it!" Soarin suggested, and everyone present nodded.
Unfortunately, before anyone could do anything, Cadence suddenly collapsed from exhaustion! Shining Armor rushed to her side at once!
"I've tried to hold out, but I can't keep it up any longer," Cadence said weakly, as the glow around her horn ceased "Forgive me." Everything seemed to happen at once. Without Cadence's magic, the protective dome quickly faded away, leaving nothing but the barren wilderness of the Frozen North.
And looming just outside the empire's gates was King Sombra's calling card, a looming wall of shadow. "At last," he chuckled, as he slowly and carefully closed in on his target "The empire is mine once again!"
It looked like the end for Shining Armor and his friends. But then, just as it seemed King Sombra's victory was assured, the protective dome flared up once again. The powerful protective magic contained within it cutting off the tip of Sombra's horn as it made contact with the evil king.
Everyone turned to look, and gasped at who was responsible!
Twilight was straining heavily, as her horn glowed a powerful violet red in color. Somehow, she had managed to duplicate the spell Princess Cadence had been using, and had put it up just seconds before it would've been too late to stop King Sombra.
"Well done, Twilight!" Spike shouted eagerly "That should take care of old tall, dark, and ugly!"
But Twilight shook her head "You're wrong, Spike. I've only bought us some time," she explained, as she continued to strain from the intensity of the spell "King Sombra will return eventually, and when he does if we don't have the Crystal Heart, nothing will save us! Not even my magic!"
"Thank you, Twilight, but I can't ask you to bear that burden," Cadence replied weakly, as she slowly struggled to her feet "The Crystal Empire is my kingdom, and it is MY responsibility to protect it from harm." To emphasize this point, she shut her eyes, and concentrated hard for a moment. But she managed to get her horn to spark back to life.
"Cadence, you need to rest," Shining Armor insisted "If you continue to do this, you might completely drain yourself of your magic for good. Then we'll really be in trouble!"
"Whatever the risk, I have to take it!" Cadence said seriously "Don't worry about me, focus on finding the Crystal Heart! If you find it, we can be rid of Sombra for good!"
"I think it's best if we go back to the crystal fair, and try to keep those Crystal Ponies happy," Thunderlane said to Shining Armor "If they give into despair, the Crystal Heart will be useless."
"Very well then, just make sure to keep them away from the fake heart!" Shining Armor instructed.
"We will! Let's go, guys!" Soarin shouted, and he, Thunderlane, Fancy Pants, Big Macintosh, and Braeburn all left without saying anything more.
"Aren't you going to go help them run the fair, B.B.B.F.F?" Twilight asked Shining Armor once she and him were alone with Cadence and Spike on the balcony overlooking the empire.
"I think it's better if I stay here and support Cadence as best I can," Shining Armor replied "You focus on finding the Crystal Heart!"
"No, Shining Armor, you have to go and look for it," Cadence insisted "Princess Celestia showed you how to use dark magic, meaning you're the only one who can search for any hidden traps or rooms. Sombra's bound to have the heart hidden well out of sight, and probably heavily guarded."
"But Twily can easily manage that, I can teach her the necessary spells in a heartbeat." Shining Armor said to Cadence.
Cadence shook her head "You don't have to try to protect me, to make up for your failure to do so before the wedding. What happened with Chrysalis was a mistake, but you musn't allow yourself to dwell on it. You need to focus on what's important now."
"But Cadence-" Shining Armor pleaded.
"No buts!" Cadence replied seriously "Just go! I'll be able to concentrate much more clearly if I know you're looking for that heart."
Shining Armor tried to think of a good counter-arguement, but nothing came. "Oh, very well." he said with a frown, and set off on his important mission.
Just after he had set off, Shining Armor felt a familiar surge of pain in his forehead, and he realized at once what was going on. "What do you want now, Sombra?!" he asked angrily.
"Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you for that close save back there," King Sombra said with a fiendish laugh "Even you must know that you can't simply fight fear. And I am the living ebodiment of fear. Fear is my ally, for it attracts the fearful. The strong and the weak, the hopeful and the desperate. But at the end of fear comes only one certainity, oblivion!"
"Your scare tactics won't work on me, Sombra!" Shining Armor shouted defiantly, not caring who heard him "You claim that fear is your ally, but what do you do with the ones aren't afraid?!"
But King Sombra only laughed harder "If there's one thing I know for a fact, Shining Armor, it's that everyone is afraid of something. Some are easier to frighten than others, but sooner or later we all encounter something we fear. Fear is what made me what I am, for ponies fear what is different, and what they cannot understand. The very same Crystal Ponies you're trying to protect feared me, and saw me as nothing but a monster. In the end, that is what I became, for it was what they wanted me to be."
"So you say, but forgive me if I find your claims skeptical," Shining Armor replied "You just keep laughing while you can, Sombra! Because soon, you won't have anything to be laughing about! I'll find that Crystal Heart you tried to hide, and the Crystal Empire will never be yours!"
"We shall see, Shining Armor. Remember, the clock is ticking." KIng Sombra warned, and his voice faded away with an evil (not to mention creepy) echo.
"You'll never win, Sombra! I won't let you!" Shining Armor said valiantly.
"Are you talking to... yourself?" Spike asked Shining Armor.
Shining Armor turned around, and was surprised to see that Spike was following him "What are you doing here, Spike?" he asked "Shouldn't you be with Twilight or Cadence?"
"They can manage just fine without me," Spike replied "Besides, this is just like Nightmare Moon. You seem to regard this whole thing as your burden alone to bear, yet with every major threat you've needed the help of your friends to save the day. At the very least, you need me to provide you with some much needed moral support, and to pull you back to reality if you start to lose your grip on it."
"There's really no way to convince you otherwise, is there?" Shining Armor asked.
"Nope, I'm sticking with you til the end, like it or not." Spike nodded.
Shining Armor sighed "Oh, very well. You can tag along. But you do as I tell you to, got it?"
"Of course," Spike replied happily "You won't even know I'm there, and I promise I'll cut down on the snarky remarks for once. Even I can realize a situation as serious as this."
"What do I owe you in return?" Shining Armor asked "You love those snarky remarks."
"Nothing, think of as a well deserved bonus," Spike insisted "Now come on, let's get going!"