CADANCE! CAAAADAAAAANCE!

All he could do was watch. Watch as his beloved Cadance fell lifelessly from the skies, clutching the Crystal Heart with her.

His first reaction was one of horror and grief, which then turned into rage directed at her murderer; that amorphous, shadowy blob that dared to call itself royalty.

Without thinking, he ran towards Sombra with the full intent of tearing him apart, bit by corrupted bit.

He didn't care if he was depowered, and the desperate cries of his sister and her friends fell on deaf ears. Consumed with bloodlust he ran to a rocky outcrop closest to Sombra’s location and lept at him, all while ignoring the possibility of joining his beloved in the afterlife.

Shining goes for Sombra’s neck, intending to tear out jugular vein and let him bleed to death, ignorant of his opponent’s current state. Sombra lets out a brief chuckle;

"Planning to make me bleed, boy?"

Sombra lets out a devastating swipe, sending the brave unicorn into the ground and leaving him with several lacerations. He struggles to stand, while his opponent circles him like a vulture circling its dying prey. Gasping for breath, Shining peeks behind Sombra and sees two pegasi; one holding the corpse of his deceased wife, with the Crystal Heart still in her possession and the other holding Spike, covered in blood and frozen in utter shock.

"You think killing me will bring her back, do you?" Sombra smugly asks "You are all behind me, what makes you think you even stood a chance?" He turns his head towards the Palace. "I won’t finish you off just yet. I’ll destroy the Crystal Heart first, then I’ll personally execute your companions one by one while you watch them scream. When the heart of last one -preferrably the purple one, she seems particularly attached to you- stops beating, only then will I kill you.

The fires of vengeance flickered out of Shining’s eyes, realizing that his brazen act of retribution will be for naught. A sudden surge of realization hits him; his wife sacrificed her life to keep Spike and the Crystal Heart away from Sombra. He might have given Sombra an opening, but he sure as hell won’t let him use it.

"You’re right, killing you won’t bring her back, but her sacrifice won’t be in vain!" He screamed, leaping towards the shadowy abomination and restraining him. Sombra struggles to break free, as Shining holds on firmly.

"What are you trying to do? Slow me down?" Sombra asked with a smarmy grin on his face.

"No. I’m making sure they have a clear shot."

Confused, Sombra turns to the location of the palace. To his horror he sees the Crystal Heart, ominously glowing in the distance.

At the palace, Twilight struggles to hold her tears as the heart hums with energy, grieving the loss of Cadance. Suddenly a familiar voice catches her ears;

"Twilight! Use the Heart!"

She runs to the location of the scream and sees a massive shadow struggling to get loose. Within the mass she sees a white figure, dwarfed by the monstrous blob engulfing it.

"Twilight, Use it now!" Shining screamed, drawing every last bit of energy to hold Sombra.

"What are you doing you fool?! You’ll kill us both!"

"TWILIGHT! USE IT!"

With a solemn look on her face, Twilight gestures the crowd to continue.

Shining remembers little afterward, having used his last dredges of energy to hold the deranged tyrant in place. As he fades in and out of consciousness, all he sees are a bright flash headed toward his direction, while Sombra writhes in pain. As he falls, he says one last whisper;

"Cadance…love…I’m almost…there…"

FIN