Chapter 16: An Army of Darkness

“Updates! Now!” Shining Armor barked, while running through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Shining’s voice could barely be heard over the sound of hooves clopping against the marble floor as Royal Guards and servants ran in every direction. The matter was not helped by the added sounds of explosions and the clashing of weapons ringing out in every direction.

Moments ago he had been enjoying a quiet supper with the Princesses, his wife, and parents, when an explosion broke through the peaceful meal, shattering windows all around them. Royal Guards had started to flood the room, bringing with them reports of unknown forces invading Canterlot. Instinct overtook Shining as he began to react as the former Captain of the Guard, and now General of the Crystal Army, immediately beginning to give orders in response to the threat.

Using magic, he had summoned his armor, along with his swords, strapped to either hip. He was soon joined by messengers rushing in, delivering messages from all over Canterlot as the Guard tried to push back the unknown enemy.

“Sir! We have reports of minotaurs and earth ponies overtaking the western gate. All communication with the fifth division has been—”

“Messages from the east gate report a large gang of Diamond Dogs pulling artillery are ready to advance. Orders on how to—”

“Confirmed sightings of hostile griffins and pegasi in the air, sir! They are dropping explosives down upon—”

“Royal Guard have identified that it was Capone, Red Rose, and Sharp Edge that were responsible for the attack on Canterlot Mercy! Other coma patients are also waking up—”

The messengers were cutting each other off as they brought in their reports, all seeking orders to deliver to the Guards that were desperately fighting the enemy. However, Shining did not know what orders to give, or even how to proceed with a counter attack. An invasion against Canterlot of this size and scale was unheard of in Equestrian history, let alone one without warning. Before the Changeling Invasion they had at least had some warning that it was going to happen, but now, for such a number to attack just minutes after sundown, was unprecedented.

“Tell all forces to fall back towards the castle! Have the ground forces form a phalanx around the perimeter. Command the unicorns to form a shield around them with open ports to fire from, and order the pegasi to fly through and engage the enemy,” Shining barked as he made his way forward, the messengers taking notes as quickly as they could. “Try to get word to General Ironhide out at Fort Overlord that we need his third army! Our number one priority is to keep the Celestial Sisters safe!”

With an echoing ‘Yes Sir!’ the messengers dispersed in different directions to relay the captain’s orders. As they left him, Shining proceeded to the main corridor of the castle, where the Guards were being assembled for a counter attack.

The force consisted of less than fifty ponies, but it was all that could be gathered. The rest of the army was already engaging the enemy, getting medical attention, or dead. It did not matter at this point; they had to react fast, and with as much power as they could; before the enemy took the castle. Looking over his unit, Shining Armor took a deep breath as he stood above them all.

He knew they were scared, confused, and unsure of what to do. They all looked up to him for guidance, to lead them into battle against a force that none of them understood. These were the moments that stallions dreamed of, where the world was on their shoulders and it was up to them to win the day. However, when that moment arrived, many faltered under the weight and failed. Shining Armor was determined not to be that stallion; he was going to rise above it all and win the day!

“Soldiers!” Shining barked while pounding his hoof against the floor, effectively silencing the guards below him. “Silence, we have sworn! The oath: protect the earth, the sun and moon! Our sacred friends. United, we stand ’till the end!” A hush came over the soldiers, some bowing their heads at these words, for they were words each of them knew all too well. “This was the oath we took when we became part of the Royal Guard! To protect our Princesses at all cost!” Shining bellow, looking over the stallions before him. “Today, we live out this oath till the very end! I don’t know what our enemy wants, but you can be damn sure they won’t get it!”

At those very words, the soldiers gathered in front of Shining Armor shouted out in agreement, pounding swords or spears against their shields. Shining Armor raised his hoof to silence them.

“Our forces are scattered, outnumbered, and taken by complete surprise. We must reclaim the streets of our capital! Show them that not all is lost, and that we shall win this battle or die trying!” Shining began to descend the stairs. A rose colored aura engulfed his swords, drawing them until they were floating on either side of him. “Now let's send these bastards straight to hell where they belong!” Once more the soldiers gave a roar of agreement as they formed up behind Shining Armor in a V formation.

Standing before the large doors of the castle, Shining closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He was trying to block out any fear that he had and remember what he was fighting for: his wife, his mother and father, Celestia and Luna, and, most of all, his little sister.

His eyes shot back open, a fire raging inside of them as he turned to the ponies who operated the large door. “Open them!” He ordered, and at once the ponies pulled the levers that controlled the door. Accompanied by the sound of gears grinding against one another, and the clang of heavy chains, the doors opened. Immediately, the roar of the battle flooded the castle with the sounds of metal clashing, explosions, and the roar of combatants.

“For victory!” Shining Armor shouted as he charged forward, swords at the ready on either side of him. The soldiers behind him charged as well, giving their own battle cry as they prepared to engage the enemy.

The phalanx and magical shield that Shining had ordered was not yet complete, allowing his company to charge forward into the flame-engulfed and battle-torn Canterlot. No matter where one turned, the seeds of war had touched it. Fires had been set across Canterlot, causing a red glow to come over the city in contrast with the dark skies above. Buildings had been set aflame; large chunks of others were missing. Others had crumbled to the ground, their flames adding to the menacing red gleam that seemed to be enveloping the once proud city.

As soul crushing as it was seeing the capital of their nation in flames, nothing could compare to the sight of carnage that was on every street. The bodies of the dead and dying were scattered everywhere. Guards and civilians alike laid side by side as the enemy came charging in, not caring who it was they killed. There was no time to check on them, though, to see who was still alive and could be saved.

Before them was a collection of creatures -such as ponies, minotaurs, griffins, and dogs- that seemed not to even notice the advancing soldiers as they enjoyed themselves amid the carnage of the battlefield. This would be the last mistake of many of them. For with a few long strides, Shining Armor was mere inches from the closest of them, a griffin.

Shining’s sword beheaded the griffin as if he were cutting through air, such was the ease with which he swung his sword. His enemies didn’t even have time to realize what had happened before Shining struck again, this time thrusting his sword through the thorax of one of ponies, burying his blade deep within its chest.

“Take them all down!” Shining shouted, pulling his blood-covered blade free as he advanced towards his next opponent. The disorganization of the enemy was obvious to Shining as they roared and charged his forces. They had no command structure, each one relying on his own brute strength to get him through the day. Some didn’t even seem to know who was on their side.

But there was another thing Shining noticed as the enemy clashed with his soldiers, who were working the phalanx perfectly, one defending as the other attacked. All of them seemed to have been burned in one way or another in a fire. Patches of their fur or feathers was missing, showing deformed red skin that seemed to pulsate angrily as they attacked. Others appeared to have burn marks wrapping around their bodies, as if they were clothed in white hot chains.

Shining didn’t have time to think about this though. Why should he care about his enemies wounds? They were trying to take his life, and the lives of all those whom he had sworn to protect! Blocking the swing of a sword from an enraged minotaur, he once again thrust his blade into the creature's stomach, between the cracks in his armor, forcing the minotaur to cry out in pain as blood shot from his body. As agony gripped him, causing his strength to fail, Shining slashed at the minotaur’s throat, resulting in a razor thin gash to appear, before blood started to splurt out.

It soon became obvious to any who saw the battle that the group of soldiers were easily overpowering the enemy. Their only true advantage had been their surprise attack and superior numbers, but now that they had spread themselves thin, the Royal Guard was taking the city back. Many of the attackers seemed to sense this and retreated back to where their numbers were still strong. Others seemed too invested in the fight to turn back now; others still seemed to be too far gone to even care if they won or lost.

Shining was engaged in a fight with one of latter individuals. Another minotaur, but this one had a manic smile, even with its own blood covering his face and body. His eyes were completely white; no pupils or iris to be seen. He swung his axe wildly, using his strength to keep Shining on the defensive, even though the soldiers own skills were far superior to this deranged adversary. Every time he brought his axe down on Shining’s swords, sparks flew in every direction.

“None of you can defeat me! None of you! Only he was able to kill me! No other creature should be able to!” The minotaur shouted, a combination of spit and blood flying from his mouth. Shining didn’t understand the rantings of the minotaur, nor did he spend much time dwelling on it as he fought for his life.

He was looking for that golden opportunity, to get the upper hoof on his attacker. However, this chance never presented itself, for in the blink of an eye, a spear had been driven through the minotaur's neck, causing the beast to roar out in pain as blood gushed out of the wound. Shining drove his sword through the minotaur’s adam apple to make sure he was indeed dead, before looking up to see who had helped him.

“First Lieutenant Flash Sentry and the Fifth Flying Battalion at your command, sir!” Shining smiled as he looked up at the orange pegasus, who was followed by a group of other pegasi with spears, as they took out the enemy by surprise.

“Alright, colts! Keep moving forward!” Shining Armor shouted as he gave both of his blades a hard flick, sending droplets of blood to the ground, his swords now gleaming. His soldiers gave a roar of support as they finished off the rest of the enemy that still blocked their way before charging forward into further chaos.

From what he had already seen of the enemy, Shining was sure that the night was theirs, and that by morning’s first light Canterlot would be under the control of the Royal Guard once again. It would be a grand victory to the soldiers that so many times were defenseless against threats of such great power. The guard seemed to feel it as well, that tonight would be their night to win a battle for Canterlot, and charged forward with Shining Armor to find more of the enemy.

And find them they did.

Upon venturing further, they discovered most of the enemy had congregated in the center of Canterlot. Every kind of creature in Equestria seemed to make up their numbers, with what looked like every kind of weapon possible in their possession, ready for use.

For a moment an eerie calm came over the battlefield as the two sides faced one another. One the defenders of Canterlot and all of its citizens. They were well trained and had some of the best weapons in the kingdom at their disposal. The other was an enemy of unknown origins, with number and raw strength to see them through the battle. Both forces were formidable, and held power the other didn’t. But only one could win the city that night.

The silence did not last long, as in an instant both sides gave out a cry to battle, and charged at one another, the metal of their weapons gleaming in the fire of the burning city. Both sides clashed against the other, the clanging of metal filling the night air as they made contact.

The invaders pushed and clawed at the phalanx of the Royal Guard, trying to find an opening through which to attack. The unicorns in charge of holding the shield stood their ground as other stabbed at the enemy with all their might.

Shining was in the thick of the action, taking on any enemy his blades clashed against. Griffons, Minotaurs, dogs, or other ponies; it did not matter to him. He was to defend Canterlot at all cost and that was what he was ready to do.

Shining saw a bolt of green magical energy out of the corner of his eye and instinctively dodged to the right, rolling out of the way of the blast before returning fire with a streak of blue energy. The Diamond Dog that was behind Shining did not, however, and the blast went right through him, leaving a hole where his heart should have been.

The unicorn that had initially fired the spell put up a shield to protect himself from Shining’s magic, but he was hopelessly outclassed by his opponent as Shining’s bolt broke through the other’s shielding like it was wrapping paper.

Shining did not have time to check if his opponent was down as he felt a gust of wind overhead, and then a sudden pain. Jumping back, Shining put up a shield of his own before reaching to the stinging feeling on the side of his face. Just by touching his cheek he could feel the warmth of his blood spilling down the side of his face in sheets.

Looking around, Shining’s eyes locked onto the griffins in the air as they divebombed into the Royal Guard, attacking them with their sharp talons or hoisting them into the air and letting them take a several story plunge. The group that Flash Sentry had come in with were doing their best to combat them, though the enemy was physically stronger and had the advantage of numbers. Like any good commander, Shining knew that the key to victory rested with air superiority, and that with so many griffins in the sky getting war balloons out would be a death sentence.

Lowering his shield, Shining widened his stance and started to take aim at the attackers. While he was mostly known for his defensive spells, anypony could tell you that to have a good defense you needed a strong offense. With that, bolt of blue magic shot out of Shining’s horn and blasted any griffin it came in contact with. The poor bastards fell out of the sky with every shot that connected, turning the griffins’ attention from the pegasi and phalanx troops to Shining Armor.

Giving a low growl, Shining kept firing bolts of magic at the diving griffins, damning himself for not thinking this through. There was no way to protect himself now. Even if he was to put up a shield they would break through it with their sheer numbers. He kept on firing, refusing to go out any other way but fighting.

“Take them down, Easy Company!” A voice cried out above the combatants, just before a low roar of ponies yelling overtook the square. Spears and knives were thrown at the griffins, finding their marks perfectly and forcing them out of the air. Shining shot a few more blasts of magic towards the retreating griffins before a smile overtook his face as he saw his reinforcements.

For this was no ordinary group of Royal Guards, but one of Equestria’s elite fighting forces. Charging into battle was the Easy Company of the One Hundred and First Airborne Division, a select group of only earth ponies that are trained to be dropped into enemy territory and weaken their defenses before the battle had even begun. Dressed in dark yellow armor with no plume on their helmets and equipped with short swords and crossbows, they charged into battle without hesitation, all the while bearing with them the symbol of a screaming eagle painted on their shoulders.

Streaming in, Easy Company broke through the enemy's ranks with what could only be described as impossible ease, tackling larger targets in pairs. One would either aim for the opponent's weapon to keep them from using it or force them onto their back for the other to finish them. Some members seemed at ease fighting one on one, using the advantage of surprise and better training to kill their opponent before they could realize what was happening. Others were equipped with ropes with either a hook or knife at the end of them to pull down flying targets.

“General Armor!” Shining was still recovering from his use of magic when he heard the voice. Turning to it, he was greeted by a tall, light grey pony with a snow white tail and mane. “Captain Winters of the 101st, sir,” the pony said, giving a quick salute as the battle raged on.

“Good to see you, Captain,” Shining said, turning back towards the battle to watch as Easy Company started to re-take the square. “Do you have any news on General Ironhide and the Third Army?”

“His forces have already started mobilizing, they should be arriving within the hour or so,” Captain Winters said, taking out a folded up tan piece of paper from his belt and laying it out for Shining, revealing a map.

“Our forces were scattered in the jump. Thanks to their flyers, we noted that they have griffin and pegasus combatants. The plan was for Able and Bravo Companies to reinforce the defense around the castle. Dog Company is to back up the northern gate, while Charlie is to retake the western gate. Easy was sent to find your group and help turn the tide,” Winters explained, pointing to each part of the map that was referenced to.

“Alright, do you know the status of those targets?” Shining asked, his eyes scanning the map.

“As of right now, General,” Winters started, looking up from the map, “All I know is that Easy is fulfilling what they were sent out to do. Outside of that, your bet is as good as mine,” Winters said solemnly, taking the map back and pulling out a pair of binoculars. Shining gave a low grunt. He had not been counting on so much interference from the air.

“We can only hope that they are having as much luck as you are,” Shining finally said, looking over the battle that was taking place a few feet from them. Easy Company had done more than their fair share in pushing back the enemy and giving Shining’s forces a chance to advance. “Let’s keep on pushing them back. My unit will make it down main streets. You take your forces and move them through the alleyways and side streets. Give them no place to hide and try to force them out of the city.”

“Yes, sir!” Winters said, before jumping over a fallen pillar and relaying Shining’s orders to his own forces.

Shining then turned his attention to the next problem: the skies above Canterlot. While Easy had been able to drive off most of the enemy with their tactics, air superiority was still in the enemies control. Even when Ironhide’s forces arrived they would most likely be attacked and held too far outside the city limits to truly help.

If they wanted to win this battle they needed to reclaim the skies, and soon. Scanning the air again, Shining looked for a familiar figure to help return the sky to Equestrian forces.

“First Lieutenant Flash Sentry!” It did not take Shining long to locate the orange pegasus, even in the heavy combat that was going on around him. He knew most squad commanders, in both the Crystal Kingdom’s military and Canterlot’s guard, and what kind of brother would he be if he didn’t know the stallion his little sister had a crush on?

Flash immediately swooped down in front of Shining Armor. He had a few cuts where armor did not protect him and his helmet had been knocked off. “Yes, sir!” Flash shouted with a salute as he addressed the General.

“No need for that,” Shining said as he looked over the stallion. “We need to regain air superiority and fast. Captain Winters just informed me that two companies of the 101st are securing the castle. When they succeed pull any pegasi you can and begin to retake the skies. Send a messenger to Cloudsdale to request reinforcements as well,” Shining ordered as he gave both his swords a flick. “We need to reclaim the air before General Ironhide arrives. The enemy will decimate his troops, and I don’t want to hear that old bastard complain about Canterlot forces again. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Flash replied as he gave his wings a mighty flap and shot into the sky in the direction of the castle.

Giving a nod, Shining turned his attention back to battle to see that most of the square had been secured. His unit was awaiting his command while Easy Company had already begun retaking the side streets. The battle was still only in its infancy, and the night was young. Many more fights would happen before any of his soldiers saw rest.

“Alright, stallions, move for—”

“Shining Armor!” Shining only just had enough time to look in the direction of the voice before a red blast was speeding towards him. In a fraction of a second he started to raise a shield around him before he was sent flying backwards. He shot through the window of a local shop and the sound of glass shattering and his body breaking pieces of furniture replaced the roar of battle. His whole body was contorted in pain as the sickening smell of burnt fur and ozone filled his nostrils. Judging from the way his body felt, it was safe to say that if he had not put up a shield in time the blast would have killed him.

Pushing himself up, he gave his head a hard shake, dislodging pieces of glass from his helmet as he tried to locate what had struck him.

“Shining Armor!” The voice shouted out again, and another blast of red magical energy was aimed right at him. This time, Shining put up a proper shield around himself and the blast of red magic smashed against the light rose barrier he had constructed.

The onslaught of magic did not do the shop any favors as the resulting strike caused a magical rebound to destroy whatever was left of the shop. Shining was left standing in the middle of it all, his shield still up and his swords at the ready.

Looking around once again, Shining strained to see who his attacker was. They obviously knew him and surely had a vendetta against him. His own forces were looking for the attacker so they could get revenge for their leader, wanting to know who could have taken Shining Armor like that. But not a trace of the culprit could be found, nopony engaging Shining Armor as he left the rubble of the shop, his shield lowering.

“Show yourself, coward!” Shining shouted, turning around and looking for any movement, a noise, anything that would give him a clue of who he was fighting and where they were.

“I’m the coward?” The voice responded seeming to bounce off the surroundings. “Me? I am not the one who hid behind their own sister!” Anger was evident in the voice as cracks started to appear in the surroundings buildings and the cobblestone road. Sparks of purple and green magic danced around Shining and his soldiers. Looking about, Shining could still not see who the voice belonged to, but he knew one thing: they were after him, and him alone.

“Get out of here!” Shining shouted at his unit, pointing his sword down the main street where they were to meet with Easy Company. Many of the Royal Guard had been searching for the source of the voice when they heard Shining give the order.

“But sir…”

“Whoever they are, they are after me!” Shining shouted as he kept his guard up, looking all over for his attacker. “Complete the mission! I will be fine!” Shining said, sparks of rose colored magic running up and down his horn. “Go!”

The Royal Guard looked at one another, a slight hesitation running through them before they reformed the phalanx and started to move down the main street. As much as they didn’t want to leave their leader behind, they knew he was right. They had to continue on, no matter how painful it was.

Watching his troops leave to go fight the remaining forces, Shining looked around the empty square littered with debris and corpses. “Alright! Show yourself if you are not a coward and we'll settle this!” Shining declared, keeping his swords at the ready as well as his magic, ready to perform any spell necessary.

For what seemed like hours, Shining looked around. He waited for an attack that could come from any angle, and had the power to kill him if not prepared. But the only things that moved were the shadows in the flickering flames, casting strange and ominous images upon the walls and ground. Just when it began to feel like his opponent was gone, having merely been distracting Shining from his goals, something happened. All the shadows around Shining began to creep slowly forward to the center of the square.

Shining watched the shadows swirl together, becoming darker as they converged and took shape. The shadows then began to rise into the air like a dark mist. Shining felt a cold chill run through his body as his mind tried to race for an answer, any answer other than the one forming before him. For once he saw the glowing green eyes with red pupils, and the purple mist flowing out of them, he knew who it was.

“Sombra…” Shining whispered as the shadows began to take their true form, revealing the armor-clad grey unicorn with a mane darker than any pit.

“That’s King Sombra to you, peasant,” The undead King growled as the last of the shadows took form. Standing there, just like the last time Shining had seen him, was the former King of the Crystal Kingdom. Every detail, from his crown of metal to his red cape flapping in the wind, was just as Shining remembered.

Crouching low to the ground, Shining extended his swords on either side of him as rose colored sparks of magic ran down from the tip of his horn. This could not be Sombra; never in a thousand years. He was dead, destroyed by his wife, sister, and her friends. Whoever he was facing was an imposter; one that was going to feel his wrath for taking on such a form.

“Sombra is dead. Who are you calling a peasant? I’m a prince, you know,” Shining said, smirking slightly, but not letting his guard down. He knew they were powerful, and that one wrong move could be his last.

Sombra just scoffed at Shining’s words while taking a few steps closer to the white unicorn, his armor clanking slightly as he walked. “And so is that idiot Blueblood. A title means nothing when you have no power to defend it!” At those words Sombra gave out a might roar, like that of a lion, as spikes of jagged ice started to erupt from the ground all around them.

Without much time to react, Shining put a barrier around himself as he tried to jump towards areas where the spikes had already emerged, knowing that any place without them would be a death trap. Last he knew, Sombra didn’t have powers like this, and the fact only cemented his belief that this had to be an imposter, albeit a very powerful one. Diving left and right out of the path of the emerging spikes, Shining made his way towards Sombra, swords ready to end this battle quickly.

“You choose the wrong pony to impersonate! Because, just like Sombra, you will lose!” Shining shouted as he made a lunge towards the armored pony, magic sparking from the sword to allow it to pierce metal.

“Arrogant brat!” Sombra shouted, taking a step forward, his eyes glowing red. “I am King Sombra and I will have my revenge!” Sombra’s horn glowed a deep crimson before a flash of red energy blinded Shining momentarily, but it did not stop his lunge. Charging forward, he intended to stab this imposter through the heart and end it.

Instead of the sound of shattering metal and the feeling of his sword tearing through bone and flesh, the screech of metal against metal filled Shining’s ears as he felt his blade scrape against the surface of something that was on par with his own magic. Jumping backwards, Shining put his barrier up again as he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes of spots so he could see what he had clashed against.

Held in Sombra’s magical aura was a large black double edged battle axe. The blades themselves were a dark purple, as markings ran up and down the weapons, pulsating red as though it had a heart itself.

Sombra just smiled, his fangs illuminated by the fires around them as he gave the axe a flourish. “Another gift from my master. He raised it from the depths of Hell, as he did me. I grew quite fond of this weapon while I had to fight to keep my sanity there. Long I have dreamed of plunging it into your body!” Sombra charged forward, raising the axe high before bringing it down intent on splitting Shining’s head in two.

Shining jumped out of the way of the attack, knowing that his swords could not counter such a blow. Instead when Sombra’s axe smashed into the ground, causing an eruption of ice to appear where the axe hit. Shining lunged forward to stab at him again; but like Shining, Sombra dodged the attack, and swung his axe at Shining. At such close range, Shining had no time to dodge his limited shielding took the full blow of the axe, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a wall.

There was no doubt that Sombra was physically stronger than Shining. The blow from his axe didn’t have any magical amplification that Shining could see, and yet it sent the seasoned soldier flying like a rag doll, and almost broke through his shield, and that wasn’t even a full blow from Sombra. Picking himself up, Shining barely managed to put his shield up when a bolt of magic smashed against it, causing cracks in the shield.

Before he had time to repair it, the roar of the return king broke through the ringing in Shining’s ear from the magical blast. Sombra brought his axe down on Shining’s shield, and effectively shattered it, barely missing Shining who shot a bolt of his own power against Sombra, who took it full in the chest, but didn’t seem to mind it one bit.

As skilled as Shining was, he was not immune from getting tired, especially when he had been using much of his power earlier in the fight against multiple opponents. Now fighting an opponent with equal, and as much as he hated to admit it, maybe greater power than him, Shining needed a miracle to just survive this encounter.

Trying to avoid Sombra’s next attack, Shining jumped out of the way, only to crash into a wall of ice that came out of the ground. Knocking him back, Shining had no defence as Sombra smashed the pole of his axe against Shining, sending him into the ground. The sound of Shining’s swords clanging against the ground as the magical aura around them disappeared was like that of a cannon going off to Shining as he lost his weapons.

He did not have time to even retrieve them, as Sombra slammed his hoof against Shining’s chest, cracking the armor and forcing the air out of Shining’s lung with ragged coughs. Sombra just smiled as he looked into Shining’s face, as he struggled to get out of his hold.

“How I dreamed of this moment in Hell,” Sombra growled out, his voice barely above a whispered. He was relishing in this, to see the bastard that had a hoof in his demise. “All the ways I imagined how this could transpire. To be honest, I am quite disappointed,” King Sombra let out a flurry loud dark laughter as he mocked Shining Armor, still struggling under his hoof.

“And my master said you have grown stronger in my absence,” Sombra chuckled, twisting his hoof into Shining’s chest, allowing the piece of broken metal and chains to dig into his skin. Shining growled in pain, holding out from screaming to give Sombra more pleasure. “I could have killed you without any power,” Sombra laughed.

“At least… I am my own… master!” Shining choked out, as he tried to muster up power to blast Sombra, but he could not muster the strength to do it. “You're no King, you're somepony’s bit—” Sombra lifted his hoof into the air before smashing it into Shining’s chest again, causing the piece of metal to dig further into his skin.

“Oh I am still a King!” Sombra growled, as he glared down at Shining. “My master will get the world, and he will grant me all of Equestria to do with what I wish!” He laughed, as he looked down at Shining. “I think the first thing I will do is kill your parents. I will make it slow and painful, till they beg for death and even then… I might even keep them alive after that, just for the laughs. Then make that whore of a wife my personal toy. She might be royalty, but being married to you, makes her less than a common street whore,” Shining could not hide his rage, as he struggled under Sombra’s hoof, wishing he had energy to fight back.

Seeing the torture he was putting Shining through, Sombra continued to revel in it. “Maybe if my master does not kill her, I will make your sister my wife,” Sombra whispered in Shining’s ear, causing an even greater surge of rage through Shining Armor. “She will bear my foal,” he laughed before pulling away from him.

“Now die!” Sombra lifted his axe into the air, his eyes burning with homicidal intent as stared down at the pinned Shining Armor. Shining kept jerking his body around, trying to get out of the iron grip that the dead king had him in, but it was no use. There was no way out of it and he was about to die. But he was no coward and would not give Sombra the satisfaction of seeing that his final moment was that of fear. He glared up at Sombra definitely.

“Go to hell!” Shining shouted back as he watched the axe blade rise into the air before Sombra swung down to take Shining’s head.

The blade did not reach him. Instead it was suspended in the air as Sombra gave a roar of primal anger. Shining had been so focused on staring into the face of Sombra that he had not noticed what had happened. Turning from the enraged face of the dark king, he looked to the axe and at once his eyes went wide.

Wrapped around the axe, rattling as it held it in place, were chains. Tracing the chains from the axe, Shining could see they stretched nearly a city block, till his eyes finally rested on a figure that was illuminating the night all by itself.

Sitting on a black motorcycle with lights red as blood, was the skeleton of a pony with its head on fire holding the chains wrapped around the axe in one hoof, as the other revved the engine. The fires of the burning city seemed drawn to the creature, as the fires closest to him seemed to be sucked into its own.

At the same time, Sombra looked over his shoulder to see what had stopped his axe. For a second, Shining was sure that he was going to send one of those powerful blasts of magic or an ice spell at the creature, but neither happened. Instead, a low and dark laugh escaped Sombra’s fanged mouth as he saw the creature and its chains.

“Finally,” Sombra whispered, turning towards the creature as though he had forgotten that Shining Armor was at his mercy. The creature just gave another rev of the engine as it scanned the area around them, taking in the battle before its empty eyes landed on Sombra again.

“Guilty.”

Author's Notes:

Wow did this take forever to write! So sorry for the wait, these next few chapters will be challenging me as a writer since so much is happening. This chapter was extra hard because I have no idea how to write Shining Armor!

Thank you to jszellmer and WolfGirl214 for the edits!

Another thank you toJake the Army Guy, KarmaDash, Dusk Quill, and Biker_Dash for bouncing ideas around!

Please tell me what you think of this chapter in the comments, took me forever to write this.