A shining Knight and The Dark King

by kahnac

The Doom of Fear

As Shining Armor got out of the tub of love substance, and weakly got to his feet, he was met by the embrace of his loving sister, and his darling wife. Both of whom were more than happy to see Shining Armor was alright. And he happily embraced his family with equal love, and happiness as fresh new tears filled his eyes. Only these were different tears: tears brought on by the joy of being free from his torment, and for having others who stood by him through it all - and ultimately saving him from a fate worse than death. The other ponies, and royals smiled happily at the display, thankful that everything turned out well as the sparkle-family spoke.

"I knew you could do it, Shiny: i just KNEW it!" Twilight proclaimed happily. "Nopony messes with my Big Brother Best Friend Forever, and gets away with it."

"Thanks for the high praise, Twily." Shining laughed. "But to be fair: it was whatever Cadence did that helped me in the end. I don't think i could've won without her. Not that i'm ungrateful in the slightest."

"Sorry to disappoint you, my hubby-kins.......but all i did was give you a pick-me-up." Cadence admitted. "It was all you in there. You found the inner light within yourself, and cast out the darkness within. This was your win."

"Indeed." Luna interjected. "And i commend you. Long do i still think of my own fall to darkness 1000 years ago. And even now, i wished i had the strength that you had to banish it from my being. Rarely have i seen such an act of inner strength. You are truly a valiant pony, worthy of being considered a knight, and prince of his realm."

As Shining smiled at such a marvelous compliment, Princess Celestia also had her own words of encouragement. "And that is why i always considered you the greatest among the captains of equestria. It may have taken a slight nudge from sompony close: but your dedication, loyalty, passion, and strength is what makes you something special." She smiled. "Even now, you shimmer like a shining, white shield. I always knew it was right to send you here with my niece: you are both the shining beacons of hope, shielding others with your love, and strength. A magnificent gift, if i ever saw one."

And lastly, Thorax said, "I agree with the princesses a whole lot, Shining. I'm glad to have someone like you as a friend."

There were really no words for Shining to say. After what felt like ages of doubt, and self-mental abuse: to hear such magnificent words of encouragement, praise, and accomplishment felt extremely rewarding, and uplifting. He closed his eyes as his final tears fell, and a warm smile stretched across his face. "How could i have ever asked what i did to deserve ponies like all of you?"

"I dunno: dork infection, maybe?" Cadence teased, earning a chuckle from Shining, and a bop to her mane. Everypony else also shared in the chuckling laughter. Both Twilight, and Cadence had let him go, but still stood by him as he steadied himself on his feet. Now that the danger had passed, they could at last relax, and prepare to undo all that was done. And Shining could finally rest easy from his ordeal.

However, any happy thoughts were cast aside when he noticed something moving behind the group: several black, oily blobs slithering their way towards the group, with seemingly noone noticing. His eyes widened when he saw several curved, red horns protrude out of the blotches, and charge up some manner of dark spell - aimed for them.

"ALL OF YOU, LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!!!"

But despite his warning, none of the ponies in the group were fast enough to evade. And all in the group: the 4 alicorns, Thorax, Starlight, and even Flash and Sunburst were struck by bolts of black lightning added by purple, and green essence. All screamed in terror as they watched the eight ponies being struck by dark magic: unaware that, amid their screams of agony, they were also being used as conduits. Conduits for one simple thing: to drain the fear of each one of these creatures, and draw it into the black substance - and ensure every one of them suffered in agony as it happened. Shining watched in horror as his friends, and family, were not only being tortured, but also seeing the black blobs increase in size as they sucked out the fear, and consumed. But he was far from helpless, even though he was still feeling weak - though that was why he was left unharmed. That proved to be a great mistake as he summoned up as much magic as he could to perform a small love-infused magic bolt Cadence taught him to use. Already suspecting what this was, he fired a bolt of his magic from his hands, infused with his own love, at the nearest blob.

It burned on impact, and exploded as a horrifying wail suddenly echoed across the empire, frightening all in reach. Either way his theory got proven right, and he managed to save the others from the attack. Sadly, the whole of them had dropped to the floor, feeling terribly drained from the experience. And much to the distress of everypony else, the shield barrier Cadence had placed over the empire flickered on, and off briefly exposing the blizzards outside. And it continued to do so from then on. Seeing this, and left with great concern, he went to Cadence, and Twilight, making sure they were alright.

"I'm okay, Shining." Cadence said, sounding beat. "Just so.....drained."

"Me, too." Twilight said. "It felt like......like it was a parasite spell - kinda like Tirek's, only.......so much worse." She shuddered a little.

Though thankful they were okay, he still couldn't help but worry. Sadly, he had far more to worry about as he saw the black blobs begin slithering towards each other near the front of the castle. All of them began merging into one, until they formed a much larger mass. Then, to everyone's shock, something began happening: the black mass began to shift, and move about as it seemed to take shape. Suddenly, one by one, limbs began sprouting from it. Equestrian in form, yet oily black, with tendrils flailing about. Next, the black form began to harden, and shape into an armor akin to an exo-shell. Yet even so, the black mass still shifted through the crevices of this organic armor. The legs became clawed, and draconian in shape. The arms held vicious claws like the hybrid-sombra. A long, almost serpentine tail, constantly shifting, and writhing with black tendrils formed. And then, as the shadow monster rose, the armor began to take the familiar silver, and grey colors of the dread King Sombra. There was even a red cape to go with it: only this was long, ripped, and in tatters. And his head was shaped like a nightmarish helmet: the blackness flowing like his mane of old, as his horn and crown were joined together, as part of the shadow king's mask-like face. One with eyes not of the kind using dark magic, nor simply his red eyes: these eyes were glowing crimson red, as dragon-like slits stared forward in a monstrous glare. His mouth opened to release an inhuman - or pony - growl as his teeth, all shaped like sharp, and vicious blades, released steam from his mouth, with what should have been his lips lifting up to expose the teeth, as if they were slots. Hard as it was to believe, they were not seeing things.

King Sombra, in a frightening new variation of himself, was standing before the royal ponies with vile contempt.

Shining returned the look with a glare of his own as he said, "So i guess it was too good to be true that you were gone for good, monster."

The monstrous king, with his teeth covered once more, seemed to smile in amusement. "You still manage to underestimate me. Such is the weakness all ponies share. But you of all should have realized that, even though you cast me out, i would still be able to survive with the fear you gave me. All i required was additional fear to take form once again. And now................now comes the feast!"

In spite of their weakened states, the princesses, Starlight, Flash, Thorax, and several guards, and changelings, stood ready to fight. Shining himself also stood ready, as one of the troops was kind enough to give him a sword. "Go ahead, and try, Sombra! Even though we're a little weak, we STILL won't let you win!" To emphasize his point, Celestia, and Luna used their magic, as weak as it currently was, to don mystic suits of armor of shimmering gold, and glistening dark, each bearing a spear and sword respectfully. Even Cadence herself summoned armor resembling that of the crystal guard, with a beautifully curved blade. Twilight, Starlight, and Thorax simply powered up their hands via their horns, and got ready to fight - with the obvious exception of Sunburst. Either way, Sombra was in for another fight. And he seemed thrilled by it.

"So now i get to receive a battle before i feed? How thoughtful. A perfect exercise to wet my appetite. Well, then..............let's get started." he finished, in a low, growling voice as he lowered his head once again. The group almost let their guard down as they wondered what the umbrum king was doing. A few moments later, they got their answer - and a loud one in the form of a nightmarish, troll-like roar as his lower jaw split open, revealing dozens of razor-sharp teeth, and at least 3 black tendrils flailing out of his mouth as his roar pushed into the heroic ponies, almost knocking them over from the force that could rival the Royal Canterlot Voice itself.

It was while they were recovering from the assault of sound that Sombra attacked.

Rushing forth like a savage predator, his claws grew in size, and formed into savage blades. When a group of guards stood in his way, he slashed into them, and threw them to the side. He then jumped into the air, turning his hands into scythes, and lunged for the group. All of whom evaded as they drove into the ground. Shining ended up falling to the ground as he dodged, but was still unharmed. That wouldn't last long as Sombra focused his attention on him. Repeatedly he stabbed at the ground, hoping to impale Shining as he moved backwards, evading every strike. Just as he was about to aim for his chest, two beams of lavender, and bright blue magic pushed him back. Both Twilight, and Starlight, worked together to blast into sombra with their magic. They managed to blow several holes in his body, making it resemble melted metal. But they all reformed as quickly as they were made. And after erecting a black shield, he punched into the ground, and formed an onyx fissure which sprouted aerynth crystals, and split the two friends apart. That was when he attacked Twilight, grabbing her by the throat with a snarl, punching her in the gut several times before throwing her into a bunch of guards. Thorax transformed into a boa, and tried wrapping around Sombra's form, while the other Changelings tried to dogpile him. With a loud roar, he unleashed a mystical pulse which threw every-ling back, and even reverted Thorax back to normal as it did.

The alicorns were next in their assault - luna and celestia almost feeling deja vu' over fighting Sombra like this. Combining their magic, even if they were not at full strength at the time, they still unleashed a multi-colored ray of powerful magic from above, seemingly striking Sombra where he stood.He surprised them with a pillar of onyx shooting between them, but that quickly got blasted apart as he lept off. Celestia swung her spear at Sombra two times, with the shadow fiend producing a black blade that blocked the spear twice, as he ducked beneath a third swing. Luna came in with a downward slash, but Sombra blocked it, as well. Celestia exclaimed in anger as she fired a beam of magic from her spear - only for it to hit Luna as Sombra turned into shadow. "Luna!" Sombra came up behind Celestia, and used his hammer-shaped hand to strike her from the side. Yet even as that happened, Flash stabbed him in the chest with a spear, surprising the dark one. But that was all Flash was able to really do. And immediately, Sombra got over his moment of surprise before he grabbed the spear, pulled it further through his body - and in doing so, pulled Flash closer and slashed him across the chest, thrusting him backwards in an upward spin.

Pulling the spear back out, he turned once again to Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence. Both side by side against their enemy. And the sight of it made Sombra hiss, and snarl in vicious rage as his mask-like lips once again lifted up to show his maw. He then let another horrible roar loose as he bolted towards the couple with frightening speed. Yet once again, Shining was his primary target. And he knocked him on his back, as he attempted to snap his jaws at the crystal prince. Only his sword, which he lodged in Sombra's maw, kept the shadow fiend at bay, though it was a difficult task. "Get off of him!" Cadence exclaimed as she lunged her sword at the fearsome demon. But surprisingly, he caught the blade in his hand, and held it in place. He then let Shining's sword out of his mouth, rose up to his feet, and grabbed Cadence by the throat. He then prepared to tear into her with his savage teeth - before Shining jumped up into his back, and tried to throttle him from behind, forcing to let go of Cadence.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" He angrily exclaimed, not letting go of Sombra, even as he flailed around in savage rage. Suddenly, both Twilight, and Starlight used mystic beams to form lassos that grabbed Sombra's wrists, and held him in place. This gave the alicorn sisters a chance to thrust their weapons into his body, along with Cadence, and Flash, who drew his own sword - all trying to hold him down with their weapons. Even Thorax tried to help out by biting Sombra in the leg, while a few crystal ponies, and changelings tried ganging up on him with Shining. Another roar, and another pulse later, the ponies and lings were thrust backwards, along with their weapons - except Shining, who still managed to hold on. But Sombra fixed that by grabbing the back of his head, and throwing him over his shoulder onto the ground. Before he could recover, Sombra's arm changed into a tendril, and wrapped around Shining's neck like a large snake. He struggled to get loose, but the more he did, the tighter the grip seemed to be.

A low hissing growl, followed by another puff of steam, escaped Sombra's maw, as he held his helpless hostage in his grasp. All the while, watching as the ponies were mortified when they saw him holding Shining Armor in his grasp. He could taste their fear - fear of what he was going to do to their beloved prince. It was like ecstasy to him, and he enjoyed every moment of it. But it didn't last long as Sombra began casting another dark spell. Only this time, after charging his fist with the dark magic, he punched directly into the ground, next to the base of the Crystal Heart's station. It proved most fortunate that Sunburst had gathered the shards together just in case: because moments later, the dark magic turned the center pitch black, before the thorn-like pillar sank into the ground. As it did, a circular hole began to form in the very heart of the Crystal Empire. A pit, which seemed endless in its deep expansion. And slowly, Sombra began to pull Shining towards it.

"Stop!" Twilight shouted. "Let him go, or we'll-"

"Come any closer, and he dies!" Sombra threatened, making everypony weary of what to do. "You ponies, and insects, have interfered with me long enough! I should have had this fool's body for my own by now! But i will have it. Once we're away, i will have a true, physical form again, as i almost did. Then i will have my revenge on you all."

"Let him go!" Cadence shouted next.

"NO! I'll take him. I'll take him into the darkest depths of the empire. Where only shadows, and evils beyond imagining reside. And there i will break his spirit beyond repair as i feed upon his fear. As intended, he will then become my new vessel, and the empire shall be mine - and ALL of you will perish! Unless........" he said, knowingly. All the ponies, even the citizens around who had been nervously watching. Each of them fearful not just for themselves: but for their rulers, and protectors. Cadence, and co, were even more fearful as Sombra hinted at an insidious bargain coming on. Something proven to be true.

"Unless one of you takes his place."

"NO!" Shining yelled, still struggling to break loose. "Don't listen to him!"

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked nervously.

"I have no limitations to whom my vessel is. I can take any one of you here, in exchange for the life of the worthless consort. And if you agree..........i'll just take you, and leave the empire in peace for a long time. A time for me to take a long rest. And your precious prince, and crystal ponies will be allowed to live in the safety, and tranquility you worked so hard to accomplish. Live to grow old, and live happy lives.......until mortal ponies who reside, return to the dust, and is blown aside. One life........for the lives of many. Is that not generous? Or would you prefer that i be cruel? You've only seen a small portion of my cruelty - would you care to see my wrath fully unleashed, with no power to protect you?"

And much to Shining Armor's worry........everyone actually seemed to consider Sombra's proposal. Each of them looking to each other, contemplating the ultimatum. What made it worse was the fact Shining knew full well that they were all willing to give their lives for something like this. And to make things worse, Shining was able to figure out another motive behind such a bargain: if one of them gave themselves up for him, it would tear him apart from the inside, knowing that he probably could have prevented it. That they would basically die because of him. And so, the ponies began drawing closer, each about to offer themselves for Shining. Cadence showed herself to be the first to do so.

"No. No, Cadence, don't! You can't let him-!"

"I have to, Shining! I almost lost you to this monster once before: i'm not going to let it happen again. Besides..." A combination of sadness, and a smile formed as she looked to Shining Armor. "Flurry Heart needs at least one of her parents to raise her. With you, she'll at least be strong enough to lead......and you'll give her all the love she could ever need. That's more than enough for me."

Shining's eyes widened as he thought of that. His mind, racing fast, thought of his daughter, Flurry, and what it might be like without her mother around. Like her, Cadence was his world, and his life. If he lost her, he would never be the same again. Could he truly raise Flurry all by himself then? And how well would he raise here, and would she turn out well? These thoughts threw across his mind like a pebble crossing a mighty river of uncertainty. The more he thought of it, the more he realized he couldn't let such a thing happen. Flurry deserved both a father and a mother: not just one parent who may be emotionally broken by the loss of his wife. She deserved the love, and guidance BOTH could provide that would help her be the strong, but caring ruler she could one day be. But that would never happen if he just kept thinking about it - moping about it. Or let Cadence do this. He loved her too much to condemn her. And he would not let it happen.

"So, crystal princess: do we have a deal?" Sombra asked, oblivious to Shining Armor as he raised his left hand to shake. Cadence seemed uneasy about this, and the others wanted to try, and stop her: but they were just too afraid of what a wrong move could do. In the end, there really was no choice. But cadence could at least live knowing those she loved were safe. Slowly, she began to raise her hand, and accept the offer. "Alright, Sombra: I ac-"

A flash of shimmering light from Shining's horn halted her sentence, and turned hers and sombra's attention to him, as he spoke in a low voice. "Don't. Even dare. Finish that Sentence." His head then lifted, as that same fire in his eyes from the battle within himself, burned once again as his horn suddenly began to glow brightly, much to Sombra's irritation. "I know you think this is the right thing to do, Cadence. But it's not. You're the one who reminded me that i should never give up - so don't you go, and do that now! Because i'm NOT giving up! Not anymore! My love for you - for our daughter - for our friends and family - it all gives me the strength to keep hope alive! It's what gives me the strength to stand up for myself, and not give in to fear anymore! It's what saved me from myself, and Sombra: and it's what's going to save this empire, and all within!"

Suddenly, his whole body began glowing brightly, and Sombra's arm began to burn in this light. With a growl, he released Shining armor, and backed away as the latter got to his feet. He then turned to the shadow demon, narrow eyes fierce with determination, and pointed to him in challenge. "And that's one thing you'll never take away from me, Sombra! My love is stronger than my hate - stronger than my fears! All my doubts, insecurities, and feelings of failure don't matter anymore! What matters is that i can protect those i love with all my heart: just like Cadence would! And that's exactly what we'll do! Together!"

And then, what happened next was a thing no living pony had ever seen before. Even the royal sisters themselves could not believe it when they saw it: as the light surrounding Shining Armor grew stronger, the fragments of the crystal heart suddenly shot out of Sunburst's saddle bags, and flew towards Shining Armor. The small fragments glistened like beautiful stars as they circled around the confused prince. He was unsure as to what was happening right now. But his answer came when the fragments actually touched his body: their magic restored his magical strength, and then they transformed into a suit of armor that was an exact copy of Shining's own captain armor - only it was transparent, gem-like silver, with a bright blue trim. And in his hand formed a crystal sword, with his cutie mark forming the handle, with the emblem of the heart square in the middle. When this magical act was complete, everypony was in awe of this magnificent sight. They just couldn't believe it, because nothing like this had ever happened before. And Shining was just as confused as before as he checked himself over.

"What's...going on?" he asked, unsure. Though Sunburst, who seemed quite excited about what he just saw was more than happy to speak up. "That. was. incredible! The crystal heart literally just formed a suit of armor for.....well, Shining Armor! A magical relic actually changed into a suit of armor! This is amazing!" he proclaimed, hopping into the air, before starlight asked, "But, how is that possible? I though the crystal heart was no good after it was shattered - and i doubt it could do this before. So how could this happen?"

This, Sunburst had no true idea. Neither did anypony else there. That is, except for one alicorn mare who smiled as she quickly understood after putting 2 and 2 together. "I think i know." The ponies turned to her, wishing to hear what she had to say. All she said was a single word that had more significance than anything else in the world.

"Love."

At first, Shining wasn't sure of what Cadence meant, until she elaborated. "The Crystal Heart is the physical embodiment of love, and hope. That's what it needs to exist, and in turn provides to all. It's alive in a way we could never understand, kind of like the elements of harmony. And it no doubt sensed the strength of the hope, and love in you, Shining Armor, when you refused to let Sombra have his way. It must have sensed how strong, and pure your love is: so it provided you its aid. The embodiment of love allows your love to take on a physical form - to stop the power of hate, and fear! You can do this now, Shining, because love is truly on your side, and can help you overcome anything!"

It didn't take long for Shining to understand everything. And it all made sense to him. And it gave his spirit even more strength, and confidence as he smiled to Cadence once more. She returned it with joy. However, the only one tired of all this was Sombra, who roared once again into the air to draw everyone's attention.

"Spare me this romantic nonsense! Love is weak! Fear is the absolute power of this world! And it is forever greater than love could ever hope to be!"

"That's where you're wrong, Sombra!" Shining declared, raising his sword. "And i'm gonna prove it right now!" And with a snarl, Sombra charged at him once again with terrible speed. Only this time, Shining was able to duck to the side, and slash at Sombra IN his side. The result was Sombra screeching in pain as that part of him seemed to burn away, before at least 10 seconds passed before it regenerated. Now Sombra was truly angry, and ready to make Shining suffer greatly. Out of his back sprung two huge spider legs with blades at the ends. Both of which struck at Shining with him blocking their blows. He then cut them both down, and they burned to nothing. Furious, Sombra drew a blade, and slashed at Shining at least 4 times. Each one was blocked by Shining Armor, before he began attacking Sombra. And this time, Sombra was on the defensive: the armor Shining wore radiated with the same power of the Crystal Heart. And the longer he spent close to it, the weaker he grew. After all, this was as close to his natural form as one could get. So he needed to kill Shining Armor before he was destroyed. Sadly, this proved practically impossible as Shining kept delivering blow after blow, weakening him further. He was losing ground fast while his opponent stayed strong.

Desperate times emerged as he attacked the others again.

But the Crystal Heart also seemed to have restored their own strength, as well. And with Sombra's strength diminishing, he held the advantage no longer. Worse, he had chosen Celestia as his first target. Turning his arms into Spider's legs, he tried to impale her with them, but she held them up with her spear. And as she did, her horn ignited, and she called upon her own light magic to blast a hole through Sombra's chest. He was pushed back, and then surprisingly, Luna came in, and cut off his arms. As he bellowed his troll-like cry, black substance - his own shadowy essence - seemed to pour out of the holes in this body before reforming his parts: except his chest was now a patch-job, and his arms were no longer fully armored. Before he could move again, Flash, Cadence, Thorax, and Shining worked together to continuously strike down Sombra, while Twilight and Starlight repeatedly blasted him. Punches, kicks, stabs, and slashes began tearing through Sombra's form. Causing the black tendrils to writhe, and wriggle as pain afflicted him. This was insane to the dark king: he was losing! The embodiment of fear was losing. And seeing Sombra be humiliated like this had a profound effect on the crystal ponies. They no longer saw the terrible tyrant who had enslaved, tormented, and cursed them long ago: they saw a monster receiving his just desserts. And it gave new strength to their spirit, and courage they did not truly know they had before. They began cheering for their champions, and protectors. Assured that they would win. And their energy flowed into Shining's armor, and flowed all around the empire in a sea of shimmering, blue light.

And this had an even worse effect on Sombra as he convulsed from the positive emotions the crystal ponies were feeling.

"Impossible! They should be trembling in fear in my presence! Why aren't they? WHY aren't they afraid?!"

"Because they see you for what you really are, Sombra." Shining declared. "You always used fear to control others. But what happens when you can't make those significant others afraid of you anymore? What happens when their tormentor is exposed for the weak coward he truly is? This. They aren't afraid anymore - so you have no power over them anymore."

Sombra panted in pain, and rage as he staggered back to his feet, turning to face his enemies. He eyed them all, one by one, hating them all by the second. Yet as he did, he realized there was one ploy he still had left. One final trick up his sleeve which was sure to let him win.

"Then let's see if i can't use YOUR fears, instead!"

He charged again to the group, and drew Flash Sentry forth. The pegasus, however, was unaware that this was a feint. And when he rammed his spear through Sombra's jaws, dozens of dull, grey, undead hands emerged. The hands of ponies who had died because the Equestrian Military couldn't save them. Flash began to panic as he saw what he was afraid of: the dead pieces of those he himself might end up failing to save. All reaching to him, coming for revenge.

But Starlight saved him by blasting Sombra right in the face, making him spin around in a circle. When he turned back to face her, she was met with a sight she wished never to see again: her own face, from her days of being the despotic pony she had come to hate. The side of her she was afraid might still be there. "Who do you think you are, you worthless fool?!" The equalist Starlight shouted. "Have you forgotten what Twilight Sparkle did to you? What cutie marks do to ponies? We're supposed to make equestria a better place for ponies, but you threw it all away - and for a false friendship! How dare you do this?! How dare you cast aside everything you are?! Everything we-?!" The equalist starlight was then blasted by the real Starlight, who only glared at the vile shade that used her face. "Don't bother bringing up my past, you shadowy freak! I already moved past it, thanks to my friends - and i won't let myself go back down that road!"

The black shadow that had been Sombra's head reformed into an inky, black mass. This time, turning towards Thorax. And what he saw startled him: the angry, and hateful visage of Queen Chrysalis, his former ruler. One he had feared more than anything else in life. "Traitor!" The Chrysalis head screeched, before lunging at Thorax. However, he didn't let it reach him, and instead blasted it backwards with his magic. He may have been afraid of Chrysalis once before: but he wasn't so afraid anymore with the hive standing by him.

Cadence got ready to strike next, with her sword poised to strike. But when Sombra turned to her, his head morphed into her own dreaded fear: Shining Armor, with his face looking dried up to a husk, and his eyes bright, eerie green. And his voice was trying to sound sweet, but lacked any emotion behind it. She recognized the victimization of an evil Changeling's feeding, and as what she feared would happen to Shining Armor, because of that insect witch. "Cadence, my love! I'm so happy to see you alive! I'm sorry i failed to protect you, but i forgive you for leaving me to Chrysalis. Come with me: i'll show you there's still love inside me. My love for you will always burn, no matter what you let the bugs do to me." She was horrified, at first, to say the least - but only until Shining himself called her name, with a look telling her he was still there. And that he blamed her for nothing. This was enough to shake the feelings away, and with a battle cry, slashed the fake-shining away from her. No matter what she felt, she never failed Shining Armor - and she never would.

Twilight was the next to take a shot at Sombra, and actually spin-kicked him to the ground. But when he lifted his head back up, she saw a betrayed-looking Spike staring her right in the face, which made her visibly gasp. "Why? Why do you keep hurting me, Twilight? I thought you cared about me! I thought i was your friend!" Then the spike head snarled at her, and fired a torrent of black slime in her face, instead of green fire. "Guess i really am nothing but a nuisance: a burden for you to carry around to make into your slave! I hate you, Twilight! I hate you for life!" Instead of breaking down in tears, or in fright as Sombra hoped, Twilight seemed overcome by another emotion: rage. Rage that he had dared use Spike, and what part of her fears about him against her like this. To use anyone she cared for in such a way was unforgivable. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU EVIL MONSTER!" And she fired a ray of her strongest magic at "spike's" head, throwing Sombra in the direction of the Royal sisters.

Almost unsurprisingly, the thing he turned into that they both feared the most, was none other than Nightmare Moon, herself. Because she embodied the darkest moment of their lives: the moment which split them apart far longer than they ever should have been. And left a pang of guilt, and pain which still haunted them both to this day. Even now, Nightmare could see this etched on their faces, and worked on taking advantage of it. "Well! Quite the glittering assemblage of betrayers. One who betrayed her younger sister with negligence, and disregard.....and one who betrayed her own ambitions of old. How low the mighty have fallen in such a short time. Yet unsurprising, given what sort of cowards you two a-" But a sudden stab in the chest by both sisters silenced the illusion. They had already faced this part of their lives numerous times before. Now, they were more prepared to handle it.

Yet Sombra was unable to handle what had happened: each of these ponies refused to give in to their fears. As he kneeled there, with Celestia's spear running straight through him into the ground, along with Luna's sword, his mind kept questioning how this could be. Everything was going as he had planned. He was so close to winning. And yet somehow - because of Shining Armor - it was all going downhill. Victory was slipping. And as weak as he was growing, the anger, and hate brought about by this filled his heart with no end. And after melting away, and absorbing the weapons, he made one last charge at Shining Armor. This time, Shining didn't even bother with his sword: as Sombra tried to swipe at him, and he evaded, Shining simply used his gloved fist to begin dealing with Sombra, as he put his blade away. And Shining was just as good in hand-to-hand as he was with weapons. So he had no problem beating Sombra senselessly as they slowly approached the pit. In his final act of desperation, Sombra began morphing his head into what he still believed Shining feared.

Cadence, "Shining, please! Don't do this!"

PUNCH!

Twilight, "How could you do this, BBBFF? I thought you loved me!"

PUNCH!

Chrysalis, "Come back for second rounds, lover boy?"

PUNCH!

King Sombra of before, "Tremble in fear, and die!"

PUNCH

Tirek, "I'll take all of your magic, and the magic of every pony in equestria, if it's the last thing i ever do!"

PUNCH!

Thorax, "Please, Shining! I just want to have friends! Is that too much to ask for?!"

And another hard punch threw off the illusion, and exposed Sombra himself as he is. "Stop wasting your time! It may take a long time - but i WILL move past my fears! There's nothing you can show me that can effect me!"

"Is that so?! Then what about this?!" Sombra said, before taking on a final face which made Shining's eyes widen, and a feeling of hesitation come over him: the face of his own daughter, Flurry Heart. Only she was aged up, and looked like a young adult. And even though he knew this wasn't real, he still hesitated in his attack - while everyone else grew worried about what they were seeing.

"What's wrong, daddy?" she said in a mature, but still sweet voice. "Aren't you happy to see your daughter?"

He shook his head as he said, "You're not my daughter."

Seeing that he might make a move, "flurry" said, "Do you remember the day i was born? And how you promised that you would always protect me from harm?"

".............Yes. I remember."

"Well, now it's my turn to protect you, daddy." Flurry said, as she slowly approached him. Behind her back, a blade formed. "Please, come with me. I forgive you for all your failures. I forgive you for putting me in danger."

Shining shook his head, making "Flurry" seem worried, as he said, "No. I don't need forgiveness anymore: what happened with the Changelings wasn't my fault."

"Flurry" placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Daddy..."

"NO!" Shining exclaimed, pushing his not-daughter's hand off him. "I'm done placing blame on myself needlessly. No one pony can put the weight of the world on his shoulders, nor can he blame himself for everything he does. What matters is that i learn from my mistakes, and work to be a better pony than before." He then narrowed his eyes as he yelled, "You tried making me forget that, Sombra! And now you're gonna pay!"

"Flurry" glared hatefully at Shining Armor, before reverting right back to Sombra. "YOU DIE!" And he raised his dagger from behind his back, and swung it toward's Shining's heart. Seeing the attack, Shining reached for his sword as fast as possible - and was surprised when it vanished in a flash of light, and appeared in his hand. But it didn't last long, and just as Sombra made one final swing at him, Shining slashed upwards, and cut off Sombra's arm, before slashing his chest. His body burned in pain as he backed up to the edge of the pit, almost falling in. As he looked back to the ponies, he made pained gurgling, and chocking sounds. He sounded as if her were in unbearable pain from something. And it didn't take long for Shining to figure out what it was.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Shining said, in a calm, neutral voice. "Fear was what gave you everything that made you who you are. But it wasn't just your power source..........it's what keeps you alive." Sombra seemed to grow nervous as Shining went on. "Because you're Umbrum: and Umbrum feed on the fear of others to survive. That's why you wanted me - a living body to make you half pony, and free you from that hunger. Cause without it, you have no true power. Your slaves rise against you, and your enemies stand against you, no matter how much fear you subject them to. And it's starving you, while the love we have poisons you. You pride yourself on hate, and fear and your control over both, along with the power to draw from them. But you don't have either of them anymore, because you've met your match. Nopony, or Changeling is afraid of you......................now you're the one who's afraid."

Sombra couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't understand how anypony could see through him like this. And it added to the terror he tried, but failed to suppress. He was finally on the literal brink of his own defeat - his own destruction. But he couldn't give up now. Not now. And with a furious growl, he tried to swipe at Shining Armor again. But the prince ducked beneath the blow, and delivered a final impalement through the shadow king's body with his sword. This time, however, he left it in Sombra's body as he staggered backwards, slipping into the pit. But he didn't fall all the way, because he managed to grab the hold of the side of the edge with his claws. Thought it was but a reprieve as he slowly began slipping into the hole. Desperately holding on for dear life. But then he looked up once again to see Shining Armor staring him down. The unicorn whom he believed could be easily broken - was the one who ended up breaking him. He still could barely understand how he could do it. But he found the answer when the other ponies slowly approached from behind to stand with Shining Armor. It finally sank in. And at that moment, his body could no longer sustain, and maintain itself, thanks to the lack of fear, the overwhelming love and hope......and even the sword sticking through him. It began to crack, and crumble as his form began flowing into burning flakes of ash. The shadow within seemed to evaporate slowly in the light of the crystal armor's radiance. The end was here for King Sombra. And in his final moments, he acknowledged the force which had bested him once again.

"Love."

He then released his hold, and he fell into the cavernous hole he had made. Everypony looked down into the hole to see if they could still see him But rather quickly, they found that it was impossible to see in that dark expanse. And in moments, the hole itself began to close itself shut. Finally, the hole had completely shut closed, and the bottom half of the crystal pedestal array returned. It seemed that this ordeal was well and truly over. King Sombra was defeated. This time, for good.

"You think he's really gone?" Starlight asked.

"Sadly, with King Sombra: it's difficult to say." Celestia said wearily.

"But we actually saw it this time." Twilight said.

"And we saw it last time, too." Cadence retorted. "If there's anything to be certain of, Twily: it's that nothing is ever truly certain. Though it might be slim, he may come back some day."

"Maybe." Shining said neutrally, right before smiling to his wife. "But this time, we'll be ready, in case he does."

Cadence also smiled warmly, as she prepared to embrace Shining Armor. Suddenly, the crystal sword reappeared in his hand, momentarily splitting them up. Shining looked to the blade itself, pondering over everything that's happened recently. Whether he was certain he'd be truly ready, or not couldn't be determined right now. But he'd still make an effort to try, as could be expected of him. However, there was at least one final surprise left for all in the Crystal Empire: several moments after getting the sword back, it and the armor made from the crystal heart fragments suddenly began glowing bright once again. So much so, that nopony could see what was going on. In time the light did die out, and their sight returned. Imagine the surprise when the Crystal Heart hovered in front of Shining Armor - back in his tattered clothes - fully restored, and shining brightly. Before anyone could even move, the heart returned to its proper place. The shield around the city dissipated, and the heart spun in full rotation, unleashing its power through the city, giving everypony, and every-ling the glistening coat of a crystal pony, before its magic surged through the castle spire, and shot into the sky, clearing the storms away, and finally ending the Blizzard before it could claim them for good.

The crystal ponies cheered in happiness, and glee at the beautiful sight above them. And even our heroes couldn't help but enjoy the views with glee. Yet in this moment, when all was once again right with the world, two lovers who had stayed by one another through such terrible adversity stared lovingly into each others eyes. And soon followed suit with a kiss that went on for a few minutes. All of their love was poured into each other, as their horns shined with their inner lights. It was like magic dancing around the lovers. But soon enough, they parted to catch their breath. But they still held each other in an embrace of comfort, placing their foreheads to one another. They were surprised when a bright, yellow flash popped right between them. But they both laughed happily when they saw it was Flurry Heart, giggling happily in her parent's embrace. No doubt she could tell things were right again, and was tired of waiting to see her mother and father. So here she was: being gently caressed, and kissed on the cheeks by her mother. And her father? Well, let's just say that he still had plenty of joyous tears to shed seeing her, after fearing to never see her again. Now, he could hold her as close as he wanted, sharing the love he had for her happily, and with no restraint.

This was a moment to add to the cherished memories he would have for the rest of his life.

And then Sunburst said, "So, who's ready for a bath in the changeling goo?"

Author's Note:

A last stand for the shadow king himself. And it's in a way that pays homage to 2017 climax of the IT film. With our main heroes fighting against the living spirit of fear himself, in a semi-corporial version of his form. But not before he forcefully feeds on their inner fear to sustain, and build said form - which pretty much weakens the lot of them as a result. Shining was the only one spared because of how weak he was at the time. And besides, Sombra already had enough of his fear to let him survive the expulsion. Now he just needs to try things again.

And in case you're wondering about his appearance: for anyone who's read the "Venomverse" comic series, you'll notice that i based Sombra's monster version of himself on the Poisons - the alien race that assimilates Venoms aka Klyntars, and their hosts to become a pretty epic, but also creepy version of themselves. I also used the Armored Titan's design for a reference: especially with the way his mouth opens up like it does, exposing the teeth beneath. In case you're wondering: These are the poisons after they take a venom:
http://pm1.narvii.com/6590/6b9ff656c057b02441dc789789f3680bea16de3a_hq.jpg
http://pm1.narvii.com/6590/ab6e7f0ad109185fea3e4ed4b1a72675422a8466_hq.jpg
And even Dr. Doom himself, who i think is the best representation:
http://pm1.narvii.com/6590/920167e14873ae1b23f5a16cff178bd050e899df_hq.jpg

So yeah: Sombra's final form is his form (seen in the last chapter) but made to look like a Poison - but with dragonic legs, a tendril tail that looks like a conjoined mass of inky tails, and vicious claws. And the fact the crystal ponies were terrified didn't help either, as it only helped keep Sombra strong enough to toss around our heroes like dolls after he'd weakened them. He then tries to make a retreat with Shining Armor, into a mysterious underground, which probably has to do with those mines everyone keeps theorizing about. That's where he'd completely break Shining, and make him his intended vessel. However, he isn't about trickery, and promises to trade him for somepony else. Just a heads-up: he was going to kill the one who got close to him.

He just lucked out when Cadence tried to volunteer. Because no way would Shining ever let her go through what he just did, nor condemn her to oblivion. Nor would he be willing to raise Flurry alone, if it meant risking doing so after his spirit gets broken from Cadence's passing (if Sombra made good on his promise). He loves more than anything in the world, and he would literally die to keep her safe. She's his emotional center. Without her, even he knows there's a chance that he'd be a shell of himself because he lost her when he could have saved her. And he wants Flurry to have all the love a child deserves: from both father, AND mother. That's why he won't stand for Sombra's bullshit anymore, and his love proves stronger than his fears, doubts, and hate. So strong that it actually provides a miracle, courtesy of the Crystal Heart: an armor, and sword, made from the fragments of the heart itself. Made in response to Shining's dedication to his love, and virtue, and unwillingness to allow evil to have its way any longer. And it turns the tide of battle, weakining Sombra to the brink, as well as giving the Crystal Ponies themselves a sense of courage, and hope they didn't know they had before. Without them, Sombra begins to die out. So desperation sets in, and he tries at the last minute to draw out the ponies fears to feed himself. And i theorize that these things we see might actually be what each of our heroes is afraid of. However, with all that's at stake, and having come face to face with their fears in the past......or just proving that they have the strength to overcome their own fears, they batter, and tear sombra apart, and starve him further.

In the end, Sombra is defeated, and like the element he represents, returns to the darkness from whence he came. Hopefully never to be seen again. Though the ponies know better than to be too hopeful. And a last miracle is pulled off as the crystal heart reforms itself once more, and set everything right. Everypony/ling celebrates, Shining is able to embrace his family, and refind his happiness. All is right with the world once again.

Up next is the final part: our hero, and his family and friends, begin recovering, and a lesson is learned. As was the norm for this series, and still is. Yet this lesson has some real-life influence to back it up. So points for accuracy, i should say.:)