Chapter 17: Battle for Canterlot

Shining Armor stared up at the figure of the Ghost Rider, sitting upon his black motorcycle with the engine giving a low rumble as it idled. His empty eyes stared down at him and Sombra like a malevolent god deciding their fate.

Shining had known that the Princesses took his existence seriously, even having a few of the best agents at their disposal searching for him. Never did it cross Shining’s mind, however, that the Rider was actually real. He always assumed that the “Ghost Rider” was simply a group of vigilantes trying to scare ponies, like Twilight had said. Now, seeing the Ghost Rider for himself—the flaming skull, the metal spike horn, and the chains wrapped around Sombra’s axe—he had no other choice but to believe.

Sombra didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the Rider’s appearance. Instead, he actually gave a slight bow as the Rider’s hellish motorcycle lazily rolled towards them, not seeming to mind that he had no control over his axe.

As the Ghost Rider drew near, the flames from the battlefield bent and twisted towards him, as though they wanted to be part of him. Broken street lamps blazed to life when he passed them, as his wheels left trails of flickering embers. Now closer, Shining could see that the chain that he was using to hold Sombra’s axe was coming from his back, the links sinking back into his back one by one.

“Ghost Rider.” Sombra looked up from his bow, his voice low and dignified. “My master has told me much about you. ‘The Spirit of Vengeance’.” The Ghost Rider kept his eye sockets locked on Sombra as he dismounted his bike and approached the undead king.

Once they were closer, Shining noticed that the Ghost Rider was actually taller than Sombra by a few good inches, having to look down at Sombra to keep eye contact with him.

Shining felt outclassed being in such close proximity to the two. If this was truly King Sombra, he had grown more powerful than Shining could have ever imagined. With sheer brute strength he had brought down Shining’s shields like tissue paper. Opposite him was the Ghost Rider, whose powers could be only guessed at. Seeing the pair standing against one another, all Shining knew was he did not want to be there when they started to trade blows.

Sombra did not seem to notice the difference in height between the two of them. He just looked up at Rider, his fangs on full display as he smiled at him. “My master had told me that this weakling would be a match for me, but I crushed him under my hoof. I wonder how I would fare in a fight against yo—”

Not so much as a spark of dark red traveled down the Rider’s horn before Sombra was shot backwards into the wall next to Shining, the bricks cracking from the impact. Shining watched as Sombra coughed up blood, clutched at a breath, then fell into the rubble around them. The aura around his axe disappeared at once, leaving it firmly in the Rider’s grasp.

“Your powers might dwarf those of common unicorns,” the Rider growled, his dark red aura engulfing Sombra’s axe. At once, the Rider’s magic started to affect the weapon from merely touching it; the purple edges of the axe turned dark grey and serrated, the pulsing of the weapon ceased and turned to chains instead. “But to me, you are nothing ” The Rider took a few long strides before he was in front of Sombra again. With one hoof, he pushed the dead king against the wall and held him there with the pole of the weapon against his neck, keeping him in place.

Shining could not pull his eyes away from what was going on. Moments ago, Sombra had been overpowering him, treating him like a rag doll and close to ending his life. Now, as if without any effort, the Rider had essentially bitch slapped Sombra into a wall and was holding him there like a naughty puppy. Sombra’s legs kicked back and forth, struggling to get out of the Rider’s grip, like Shining had only seconds ago. It seemed so unreal that a power like Ghost Rider’s could even exist.

“I guess… next is the… Penance Stare, correct?” Sombra coughed out, as the pole of his own weapon pressed against his windpipe. The Rider did not respond, as he kept his eyes locked on Sombra, ready to devour his dark and twisted soul. “Then in that case…” Sombra smiled at Ghost Rider. “I think… it's time to… make your… appearance!”

Shining Armor watched as a small green object jumped out of Sombra’s mane and onto his shoulder. It looked no bigger than a peanut, and he could barely make out its shape. Something about the object made Sombra smile like the psychotic Shining knew he was, and made the Rider cock his head slightly.

“Rider!” A voice fuelled by helium issued from the dot. In all that had happened, the death around him, the throbbing pain that covered his body, and the total feeling of exhaustion, Shining could not help but give out a slight giggle at the voice. That momentary break in terror was short lived as the dot jumped at Rider and hit the tip of his muzzle.

As soon as the dot had touched him, the Ghost Rider was sent flying backwards, crashing through the building opposite them. Then, from the sound of it, the Rider had gone through the next building as well. The dot hovered in the air for a moment, seeming to bask in what just happen, before it started to grow.

Shining could only watch in horror as the dot grew larger, showing its true form of a teenaged dragon. The dragon stood up straight, with talon-like feet that dug into the cobblestones and cracked them. The dragon had large broad shoulders and muscular arms that ended with razor sharp claws. A pair of wings sprouted from its back, so long that they brushed its powerful looking tail, which whipped back and forth. The dragon also had dagger-like spikes running from the top of his head down to the end of his tail. His scales looked more like armor plating, colored green but streaked with yellow markings.

“You fool, Sombra! Don’t you ever think you are on par with the Ghost Rider!” the dragon shouted, turning his head to look back at Sombra. As the dragon turned, Shining could see some of his face. The dragon’s eyes were a fierce red, so fiery it was as if the scales above had burned and decayed into a sickly yellow. Shining could see some of the sharp white teeth inside his mouth as he talked down to Sombra. The most notable things about the dragon, though, were the burn marks criss crossing his body. They looked like they had been made by white hot chains, with the way the indentations were left.

That was was when Shining realized what they were fighting. This was no normal army, this was an army of creatures brought back from hell! Turning to Sombra, Shining felt his stomach sink as he realized he was truly fighting King Sombra.

“Just do what you're told, dragon!” Sombra hissed back, taking his axe back and reverting it to its former self. “You dispose of the Ghost Rider, while I tend to the military.” The dragon gave out a loud snort, green flames shooting from his nostrils.

“I had lived thousands of years before you were even a twinkle in your great grandfather's eye boy! I am Fin Fang Foom! Lord of all Dragons!” With that, Fang Foom turned back in the direction in which he sent Rider flying, and took in a long, deep breath before leaning forward.

Green flames erupted from his mouth, shooting through the hole Ghost Rider had left and into the next building, which Rider would likely still be in. Both buildings erupted in green flames and were consumed by them, swiftly collapsing from the fire. Shining could feel the intense heat from where he was and shielded his face with one of his hooves. Whoever this Fin Fang Foom character was, he was not a teenaged dragon like Spike at all. Even on his best days, Spike could not compare to that blast of fire, and this dragon didn’t even seem winded!

Spreading his wings, Fin Fang Foom prepared to fly upwards, until chains wrapped around his large body. Looking around, Shining noticed that the chains were coming from the Rider’s motorcycle. It had come to life on its own and was defending its master. The dragon looked at the motorcycle for a moment, before grabbing the chains and pulling it towards him.

“Wretched thing!” he roared, grabbing the motorcycle as it came before him, and he hoisted it into the air above him. The engine still raged as the wheels spun helplessly in the air. With a low growl, Fin Fang Foom started to tear the motorcycle in half, the screeching of metal being ripped apart echoed all around. As he did so, Foom opened his mouth once more and set a stream of emerald fire towards the bike. The Hell-Cycle’s engine kept blaring as the flames engulfed it, slowly melting in the dragon’s claws as it split apart, till it finally died out and was dropped in a useless heap.

“Now, I shall have the Rider’s head,” Fin Fang Foom growled, as he gave a single mighty flap of his wings and was propelled high into the air. He hung there for maybe a full second, a green slice in the grey sky, before he dive-bombed the city. Orange flames and a demonic roar erupted from the area he attacked, leaving Shining to guess the Rider had somehow survived. Now the two powerful titans were engaged in battle, one that may level the city if it got out of control.

“Fin Fang Foom.” Shining was ripped from his thoughts as his attention was pulled back to his current problem of King Sombra. The stallion was looking in the direction of the fight between the Ghost Rider and Fin Fang Foom, green and orange flames colliding with one another. “One of the Rider’s many victims on his path for justice,” Sombra said, turning back to Shining, that manic grin present once again. “There were many of us willing to join my master’s forces. Most of us seeking revenge on individuals that either did us wrong in life, or had ended it. But those whom the Rider ended… their need for revenge made ours seem like playground grudges,”

Sombra advanced slowly on Shining Armor, who was desperately trying to push himself upright. He wanted to push past the pain that gripped his body, to get himself ready to fight again, but each action was a struggle of its own.

“Our master would give us anything we wanted if we helped accomplish his task tonight, but all he wanted was to fight the Ghost Rider one more time.” Shining couldn’t watch the battle for long, as he felt a cold piece of metal push against his chin, forcing him to look at Sombra. “Don’t bother yourself with them. Your last sight shall be me,” Sombra said, raising his axe into the air once again.

This time, Shining refused to be a victim in need of saving; he was a warrior, and he was not going to die lying down. Mustering up whatever strength he had left, he shot a bolt of magic from his horn, striking Sombra square in the chest. The King of Shadows had been too sure of himself, and Shining had taken full advantage of it. While that blast would not be enough to kill, it did buy Shining enough time to get back up.

Rolling away, Shining used the surge of adrenaline to pick up his swords once more and prepared to defend himself. Sombra was already on his hooves again and was charging forward, swinging his axe with monstrous strength. Thankfully for Shining, he was still faster than Sombra and was able to jump out of the way of the attack, the blade slicing air in half instead of Shining. With the axe too far away to defend its owner, Shining lunged forward to deal a fatal stab at Sombra’s throat.

The blade screaming through the air, a wall of pristine ice shot up from the ground between them. Upon contact, the blade bent horribly for a split second before snapping in two with a resounding crack! Shining Armor swore he heard a similar sound in his chest; he'd forged the twin blades himself, a rite of passage from his first Guard unit.

The months spent designing, shaping, and honing wasted.

He gnashed his teeth and set his eyes, filled with fuming rage, at Sombra.

The former Scourge of the North had recovered his axe and was getting ready to bring it down on Shining again. Abandoning the broken sword, Shining jumped back and let out a three shot burst of magic at Sombra to try to keep him on the defensive. With his own magic so used up, Shining could not make a barrier to protect himself any longer and had to rely on keeping his opponent’s back against the wall instead.

Much to Shining’s disappointment, the blasts did nothing more than inconvenience Sombra. He kept charging at Shining, the axe now shooting of purple sparks as Sombra infused some of his own magic into the weapon. Swinging the mighty weapon again, Sombra aimed to take off Shining’s head, or cut his body in half, but the white unicorn jumped back to avoid the attack. As the axe passed by him, a wave of purple magic emerged and caught Shining full in the chest.

Being sent back several feet, Shining skidded across the stone road, cutting himself on the cobbles. Before he could get to his hooves, he heard the galloping of Sombra as he charged forward ready to deal a death blow. Shining didn’t have much time to react, still a bit dizzy after hitting his head so many times.

He had just enough time to see Sombra raising his axe again. This time, there was no Ghost Rider to save him; the sounds of the Rider’s own battle were still raging all around them. Moments ago, he had been ready to stare death in face, but with the way the world was spinning, the way his head throbbed in pain, Shining could not keep his eyes open and forgoed the idea of starting his enemy down. If he was to die, he was going to die in peace.

As this resolution settled over him, a hot and sticky substance splashed across his face. He knew this feeling all too well, and the metallic smell of blood filled his nostrils. The maniac must be cutting him apart before ending him. Though he did not feel any pain, and he could not hear what would be Sombra’s psychotic laugh breaking across the battlefield. Instead, there was the sound of… gargling?

Shining’s eyes flew open. King Sombra was still standing over him, axe poised in his magical grip, but that was not what caught Shining’s attention. Protruding through Sombra’s throat was the tip of a golden spear, Sombra’s blood spurting around it. Sombra’s own eyes were wide, seeming to be in a mix of confusion and pain. Before Shining could dwell any longer on Sombra’s eyes, the King was thrown to the side, collapsing into the rubble of the battle.

Shock fell over Shining as he saw who had thrust the spear into Sombra’s neck. Standing there, breathing heavily, was Flash Sentry.

“First… Lieutenant Sentry,” Shining panted, getting to his unsteady hooves. As he began to falter, Flash came up beside him and held him upright.

“Steady, drink this. It will help recover your magic and heal some of the minor wounds,” Flash said, pulling out a vial of blue liquid from his chest plate. He helped Shining drink the potion, the effects swiftly spreading through Shining’s body as his magical energy seemed to be restored, to a point, and the throbbing pain in his body started to subside.

As his body healed, Shining took the moment to look around at the battlefield. The square had been all but destroyed during his fight with Sombra, and added damage from the Ghost Rider and Fin Fang Foom didn’t do it any favors. Shining looked around for any trace of the pair. It did not take long to find what he was searching for, as green flames illuminated parts of the city, buildings being crushed as the two powers collided with one another. He could not tell who was winning. He just hoped it was the Ghost Rider; he did not not want to fight that dragon after seeing what it did to the Rider in such a small form.

“Didn’t I tell you to go back to the castle?” Shining Armor said, turning his attention back to Flash Sentry. He already felt steadier as he levitated his sword again, infusing it with magic.

“Yes, sir. But when I heard you were engaged with an unknown enemy, I gave the orders to another so I could come to assist you,” Flash replied, looking down at Sombra, spear at the ready in his hooves. Shining was able to stand on his own now, and gave his head a hard shake before looking back at Flash Sentry.

“I could have you court martialed for disobeying a direct order,” Shining said, the shadow of a grin appearing on his face as he looked at the pegasus that saved his life. Flash just returned the smile as he relaxed slightly.

“With all due respect, sir, to hell with your orders. Do you know what Twily would do to me if she found out I let her brother die?” Shining gave out a bit of a laugh, which was cut short by the pain in his ribs.

“Only I’m allowed to call her Twily, you little jerk.” Flash now laughed, looking up at the former Captain of the Guard.

“Jerk? Such dignified language your lordsh—”

Before Flash could finish, a flood of intense magical energy erupted all around them. The energy started to collect itself, concentrating on the motionless Sombra. Sparks of green and purple danced around his body as he slowly stood up, to Shining's dismay, but something was off. His movements were jerky and erratic. Like a marionette given life, his slumped form rose from the ground as if not to its own will. For a split second, Shining could swear he saw a smoky aura around Sombra's limbs, but in less than a blink it was gone.

The blood that had been splashed against the ground turned into sparks of power itself and shot back towards their master to give him new life once again. Finally, Sombra gave out a roar of such uncontainable rage that it could make a sturdy stallion tremble in fear, and it did.

“Did you think you could kill me so easily?!” Sombra roared, the magic around him becoming more monstrous and demonic, his eyes a solid green as red and purple sparks danced across his body. “I was given the chance to kill you and your kin, Shining Armor! And I shall!” Raising his head to the sky, Sombra gave out a roar of pure power and ferocity: a sound that nopony had ever made, or should ever make again.

From his roar, ice started to exploded from the ground as spikes all around them, bent on impaling the two stallion before him. Both moved to avoid the attack the best way they could, Flash taking to the air while Shining used his regained strength to run out of the way of the spikes, his sword cutting the heads off the closer ones to keep himself safe. Rage consumed Sombra as he forced more ice to emerge from the ground, covering the square in frozen death. He even started to make some of the spikes shoot out of the ground and towards Flash Sentry, his own version of artillery.

“Any suggestions?!” Flash shouted out, as used every manoeuvre and tactic he knew to avoid the shards that were flying towards him. Shining was having a hard enough time dodging Sombra’s attack, as some of the spikes started to explode like mines, sending shards and splinters in every direction. He was able to manage it so that it crashed against his shields as he jumped around, avoiding the new spears coming out of the ground.

As he jumped around, Shining looked back over at Sombra. His eyes were still a solid green, sparks dancing across his hunched body. The dark king seemed to have lost himself to his power; whatever had brought him back seemed to have destroyed a bit of his mind. Was he really thinking about how to fight him? Or did his instincts take over, making him more savage than sane?

“Flash! I’m gonna use my magic to get his attention. When I do, attack him!” Shining shouted as another spike exploded nearby, the shards of ice shattering on his shield. Out of the corner of his eye, Shining could see that Flash was not all too confident with this plan. At this point, it was easy to see that Sombra was more powerful than Shining, and even with some of his strength regained it would not be enough to stop an all out attack from the mad king.

Shining didn’t give Flash any chance to question his orders. A small rose ball formed on the tip of Shining’s horn before he moved his head in a circular motion, creating a rose colored ring. Once sure it was created, Shining jumped out of the way of another explosion of ice, but the ring remained in place, gently spinning. Inside the ring, three rose colored orbs appeared and began to rotate as well, picking up speed at every passing second until blasts of magic started to fire from the orb that was highest.

The orbs moved faster and faster, firing bolts of magic right at Sombra in rapid succession. To a normal opponent, the blasts could have been fatal after enough hits, but Sombra was anything but normal. Pointing his red horn at where the ring was, Sombra sent a powerful blast of magic in its direction, causing an explosion that eviscerated the building behind it and the spell itself.

Sombra then turned his fury on Shining, roaring again as he readied his horn. Cannon balls of pure magic blasted across the square at Shining, who jumped and rolled out of the way of the explosions.

Once Sombra’s attention was fully on Shining Armor, and the barrage of icy death ceased for Flash, the pegasus went on the attack. Giving his wings a mighty flap, Flash shot into the sky until he was higher than most buildings. Looking down, he saw Shining playing the deadliest game of dodgeball he had ever seen. Sombra’s magic kept the unicorn moving constantly, and one misstep would be his last.

Knowing this, Flash prepared himself to attack Sombra once again, spear gripped tightly in his hooves. This time, he would make sure that Sombra stayed dead and not give him the chance to heal. Swooping down, Flash came at Sombra with everything he had, looking like an avenging angel as he soared down from the sky.

He had done this many times in training and even more on the field. It was the speciality of flying units when attacking a larger or stronger target that was confined to the ground. Coming from Sombra’s side, Flash picked up all the speed he could, keeping his spear pointed at Sombra’s throat. It was the only part that was unarmored and that could kill him permanently. His mistake last time was taking the spear out. This time, he was going to drive it in and leave it there.

On some level, Sombra could feel an attack coming and snapped his attention in the direction of Flash Sentry. As skilled and as powerful as he was, there was no time to react. His solid green eyes widened as he gave out a roar of pain, which was cut short as the spear drove through his jugular. The metal blade plunged through his neck and out the other side, letting the pole of the spear be driven partly through.

Flash let go of the spear and flew past Sombra, who could barely make a noise outside of a pained gurgle as he fell over, his body convulsing in pain as blood splurted everywhere. Making a hard turn, Flash started to slow himself down as he came close to Shining Armor. Shining was gasping for breath, sweat visibly dripping from his face and his mane clinging to his neck. Landing next to him, Flash took in a deep breath, calming himself down, his wings slightly buzzing as he looked at Sombra’s form.

“He can’t…. heal if some… something’s blocking it, right?” Flash asked, smiling slightly at his work. Who else could say they killed King Sombra, twice?

“I don’t know,” Shining’s voice was deep, as he glared over at the motionless form of Sombra. “His powers are far beyond anything I have ever seen, and, if he is truly back from the dead, how can we keep him dead?” Shining looked over at Flash; both of them had a growing anxiety inside of them that the battle was not over yet.

“I must thank you young colt.” Both of them looked over at Sombra now, their eyes widening in terror and disbelief as Sombra began to stand up, facing away from them. The ends of Flash’s spear were ablaze in purple flame, those same sparks starting to dance across Sombra’s body again. A burning rage coursed through both stallions, knowing that he was healing.

The spear kept burning, till the flames were on either side of Sombra’s neck. He began to turn towards them, the flames disappearing and leaving the familiar dark fur untouched. Not even a hair out of place! Sombra smiled at them, his sharp white teeth glowing in the flames as smoke escaped from the gaps between them, the rest of the spear burning up inside of him. His eyes were no longer solid green: the red had returned to them, as well as the purple vapor that rose from them.

“That first time you killed me, it reduced me to nothing more than those others fighting, driven by primal desires,” Sombra said, his voice even, uncaring, as though nothing could disrupt him, not even death. “That second time brought me back to my senses, so I must thank you.” He chuckled darkly as the sparks started to dance around his horn.

“Look out!” Shining shouted, pushing Flash to the side and putting up a barrier around them. Right as he did, a powerful blast of magic erupted from Sombra’s horn and barely clipped Shining’s barrier, but even that was enough to leave major cracks as the blast erased the building behind them.

“What the hell?” Flash shouted, as the two of them got back to their hooves, getting ready to fight again. Flash pulled a short blade from a sheath on his hip and took it in his mouth, unsure what he could possibly do with it against a foe so mighty. “How powerful is he?”

Shining stared at Sombra, looking at his manic grin, the sparks running across his body, and the sheer look of delight on the psycotic’s face. “I have no idea,” Shining said, his eyes fixed on Sombra, keeping his sword at the ready. “But we have to take him down!” Shining said, as he pointed the sword at Sombra. “We can’t allow him, or his master, to succeed!” Shining declared, giving his sword a flick as he pointed it at Sombra, standing ready with Flash.

“Pitiful,” Sombra growled, as his horn charged with magical energy, but before Sombra could cast his spell, a gust of wind passed between Shining and Flash and passed right next to Sombra’s cheek. For a moment there was silence, as all parties tried to figure out what it was that just passed them.

The silence was broken at once when the mighty King roared as sheets of dark blood started to pour from his cheek.

“Who dares?!” Sombra demanded, glaring at the space between Shining and Flash, who both turned to see what had attacked Sombra.

Out of the smoke and fire, a pony approached, standing tall and proud with their shoulders pushed back. Their hooves clopped loudly against the cobbles, like one with a sense of authority about themselves. Shining did not need to see the numerous metals upon their chest, the three stars on their helmet, or the ivory hilt of a dagger on their hip to know who this pony was. A sense of relief and dread washed through him as the figure emerged.

“How many times must I say it?” The pony’s voice was deep and commanding, crafted perfectly for the role of a leader. “These Canterlot forces are too weak to call themselves proper soldiers. Not an ounce of strength in them; no wonder they always need saving,” spoke the low and proud voice of Equestria’s most esteemed general. Known as ‘Old Blood and Guts’, ‘Old Stallion’, and ‘Bandito’, there stood none other than General Ironhide of Fort Overlord.

Sombra wiped the blood off his cheek, sparks covering the wound and healing it as General Ironhide walked right up next to Shining Armor and Flash Sentry. The way he walked across the destroyed square, one might have thought he was on a leisurely stroll through a meadow as he took in deep breaths, smelling the world around him. Flash had only heard of General Ironhide, while Shining had met him a few times before.

He was honorable, strong willed, a brilliant strategist, and had the respect of those who served under him. However, Shining knew that Ironhide was just as psychotic as King Sombra in many ways. He believed that he was reincarnated for battle, having fought in many great wars around the world, as a pony, griffin, minotaur, any walk of life. He was created for war and was reincarnated time and time again to fight them.

“So you're the mighty King Sombra, the Scourge of the North, the most savage of fighters,” Ironhide said, walking past the other two and stopping a few paces away from Sombra. Ironhide showed no fear as he looked into Sombra’s red eyes with his own dark brown ones. “I must say, I am honored to engage in battle with you. I have studied many of your battles when you ruled the Crystal Empire. You implemented many tactics that I myself use,” Sombra looked a bit taken aback at the sudden complement, as were Shining and Flash.

Sombra grinned at Ironhide, obviously pleased by what the earth pony had said about him. Raising a hoof, he prepared to give Ironhide a slight bow like he had with Rider. Before he could, something metallic flashed in the firelight, and Sombra gave out a roar of agony.

In a blur of movement, Ironhide had retrieved another throwing knife and had buried it in an exposed part of Sombra's armor. The hilt of the knife glistened like silver in the light of the moon as dark red blood squirted out of the wound, sparks of magic already working to heal it.

“But that's not going to stop me from crushing your skull under my hoof!” Ironhide laughed, unbuttoning his jacket. Underneath his jacket were a pair of knife holders, the hilts glowing orange from the flames.

As the demonic magic inside of Sombra pushed the knife out, Shining and Flash took up positions next to Ironhide, with Shining in the middle of the trio.

“I take that he can't be killed by conventional means?” Ironhide asked, gripping the throwing knife tightly.

“Considering we've already killed him twice, I’d say that's a good assumption,” Shining flicked his saber and eyed Sombra. “We need a way to put him down permanently, but basic never covered how to kill somepony that’s already dead and was brought back from hell,” Shining growled, needing a plan and fast. In a few moments, Sombra was going to be back in fighting shape, and Shining was no closer to coming up with an idea to beating him than he had been at the beginning of the battle. Everything they did seemed to be fruitless against Sombra, as he healed from every wound. Even with a pegasus and a war hero on his side, Shining was unsure if they could hold off the undead king for much longer.

“We need a plan,” Flash finally said, breaking Shining out of his darkening thoughts. “Maybe we should retreat? Come up with something later that can—”

“Bullshit!” Ironhide roared as he took a few paces forward. “A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week!” Shining stepped forward, putting his sword out to block him.

“General, with all due respect, we have no idea how to beat him!” Shining growled, but Ironhide gave no notice as he pushed forward.

“That's the problem with you Canterlot forces, afraid to take action!” Ironhide kept his eyes locked on Sombra. “So if you fillies are too afraid to fight, just keel over and die!”

Roaring like thunder filled the air, and before any of the warriors could look for the source a large mass crashed into the ground. The shock of the impact shook the ground itself, causing all those gathered to stumble and falter.

“By the grace of the sun…” Ironhide whispered, looking at what was before them. “What is that?”

Fin Fang Foom was before them all, much bigger than when Shining saw him last, now standing at least a storey tall and with spikes running down his arms. He gave a roar of pain as he tried holding Rider against the ground. Chains were wrapped all along Foom’s body, glowing bright orange, and the sickening smell of burning flesh followed it.

Within his clawed hand was the Ghost Rider, his orange flames burning brightly as he bashed the hand with a black mace, which glowed dark crimson from the Rider’s magic. The tips of the weapons spikes glowed orange as well, being superheated.

What really caught Shining’s attention was the armor the Ghost Rider was wearing: not the traditional leather jacket. Like everything else the Rider touched, it was a darker version of armor, being pure black with spikes protruding from anywhere they could.

Both of them were roaring and snarling at one another, like animals fighting for dominance. In a instant, Rider opened his mouth and a ball of orange fire erupted forward, hitting the dragon dead center in the face. Recoiling one clawed hand, Fin Fang Foom placed it over his burning face by instinct, allowing Rider to have his chains slither higher up the arm that held him down. As soon they were in place, the Rider snarled, and the chains started burn a bright orange.

The mighty dragon roared again as the chains burned through his scales, the hissing of the attack drowned out all other sounds, yet he refused to yield to the Rider. Clenching the clawed fist tighter around the Rider, pops and cracks could be heard from his armor.

Ghost Rider roared again, causing the chains to grow brighter with heat, to the point where it hurt to look at them, and the heat rolling off them could be felt. It become too much for the dragon as he finally let go of Rider and took to the air, but not too high up. Rearing his head back, Shining could see the flicker of green flames in Foom’s mouth. Looking back at Sombra, Shining saw him raise a shield around himself.

“Flash! Ironhide! Get behind me!” he shouted, jumping before them and using all the power he had to form a shield around them.

Right as the shield formed, Fin Fang Foom flung his head forward and an eruption of green fire poured from his mouth. Shining could only watch as the storm of fire engulfed the Ghost Rider. The flames danced all around them, wreaking havoc on Shining’s shields, but he stood his ground as the dragon kept up his onslaught.

The fire engulfed anything in sight, turning wood and bodies to ash, scorching rocks, and deforming metal. The ground beneath them grew hotter with each passing second like they were standing in a oven.

As the heat began to become too much, Fin Fang Foom stopped, his razor sharp teeth shutting off the flames. Shining kept the shield up, looking at the place the Rider had been, the ground completely destroyed from the fury of the attack. Swallowing audibly, his mind started to race.

How were Ironhide, Flash, and himself supposed to fight King Sombra and now Fin Fang Foom? Sombra was powerful enough on his own, but with a demon dragon? They would need all the Princesses and Elements of Harmony to win!

“Why won't you die?!” Shining looked up from his thoughts and a mixture of relief and fear washed over him.

Standing there, risen from a shield of dark red energy and chains, was the Ghost Rider. His armor was cracked, parts even ripped away showing either cracked bone or the torn leather from his jacket that he must have had on underneath.

With a thunderous cry, the Rider’s magic condensed the chains before him into a ball and launched it at the dragon. The attack was easily knocked aside by the dragon’s massive claws, but he was not quick enough to avoid Rider lunging himself forward and slamming his mace into Foom’s jaw. A sickening crack echoed through the square as Foom’s jaw broke. The dragon, however, stood his ground and returned the favor by grabbing the Rider again and throwing him into the sky. As the Rider become an orange dot in the clouds, Fin Fang Foom spread his massive wings and took chase.

“By the Sisters…” Ironhide whispered, watching the dots disappear above. Shining looked back at the general; there wasn't much that could stun the old war horse. After seeing a dragon and demon fight, Shining figured that it would throw anypony for a loop.

Instead, it was Shining who was thrown for a loop. Ironhide was not shocked like he had expected, but was grinning as he still looked up, a gleam in his eyes. “What magnificent bastards!” he cried out, turning to Shining. “Tell me, which one of them is on our side!” Shining looked on at Ironhide. How did he remain so calm during this? He was impressed by it all.

“I think the Ghost Rider is,” Flash Sentry said meekly, staring at where the specks had been. “Oh, Twilight is not going to like this, especially because it proves that one guy… Incoming!” Shining was pulled out of his disbelief just in time to see the ball of magical energy racing towards them.

Shining’s horn flashed blue and an aura of magic surrounded both Ironhide and Flash, pushing them out of the way of the blast just as it slammed into Shining’s barrier. Due to the distraction of the Rider and the dragon and pushing the others out of the way, the blast tore through the shield and sent Shining flying through the air. While the shield took most of the hit, the remaining power coursed through Shining’s body like an electrical charge, causing his body to contort in agony. After crashing against the ground and skidding a few feet, Shining started to push himself up, trying to get back into the fight and avoid the next of Sombra’s attacks.

Throughout this fight with Sombra, he had attacked relentlessly, never playing defensive for long. If that was to remain true, he could count that Sombra was already charging forward to split him in half with that damn axe of his. Looking up, Shining saw that Sombra had other problems to deal with as both Ironside and Flash attacked him.

Ironhide was on the attack, having closed the distance between himself and Sombra, engaging him at close quarters. Ironhide knew that a unicorn’s prefered fighting at mid to long range to use their magic, so he took that advantage away and got close enough for his knives. While Ironhide was on the offensive, Flash was playing defence for the old war horse, as he used the short sword he had grabbed to block the battle axe anytime Sombra tried to bring it down. The frustration was evident on Sombra’s face as he was forced to stay on the defensive by creatures so below him.

As Shining started to move forward, sword at the ready, he could not help appreciating the sight before him and his part in it. An Earth Pony, a Pegasus, and a Unicorn were fighting together to take on a force that none of them could handle alone, and that only by working together did they have a chance to beat it. This very teamwork was the foundation of Equestria, and why they would win the night!

Now charging forward, Shining closed the distance between to the battle and lunged at Sombra. Thrusting his sword forward, Shining barely caught an exposed part of Sombra’s armor, slicing the flesh like a knife going through hot butter.

Sombra bellowed as the blade cut through him and turned to Shining, murderous rage in his eyes as he prepared a blast of magic. Before he could release the blast, Ironhide headbutted Sombra square in the snout, causing the king to take a step back as fresh blood poured from his nose. With Sombra distracted, Shining wasted no time in firing at King Sombra’s chest, causing sparks of magic to dance across Sombra’s body. Right as the spell made contact, a loud clang echoed in Shining’s ears. Looking around, he saw Sombra’s axe was mere inches from making contact with him, but standing in its way was Flash’s sword, all of the young soldier’s might behind it. Smiling, Shining looked from the pegasus to the earth pony with renewed determination.

“Lets send this bastard back to Hell!” Shining shouted, taking a step forward and thrusting his sword at Sombra. As he did so, Ironhide swept at Sombra with one of his longer knives, while Flash dove forward with his own blade ready to carve up the enemy. Together they kept the Scourge of the North on the back hoof.

Anytime he tried to block one attack, the other two would strike with precise blows, hitting him wherever his armor did not cover. Blood rained down from open wounds, changing black to crimson. The combination of the three attackers made wounds faster than Sombra’s magic could heal them, leaving his physical shell vulnerable and sending his soul back down below.

Sombra’s eyes widened in building rage at the thought of being cast back down into hell. The unrelenting torture of being torn apart, burned alive, eaten, to have every part of him destroyed to only be put back together to endure it again and again. That fury built up in Sombra as sparks started to cross his body.

“I will never go back!” he roared, as an explosive wave of energy emanated from him, sending his attackers backwards and skidding across the stone ground. He didn’t care for any of the others but Shining Armor: the one he had been driven to kill when he was in the depths of hell, the one he wanted to make pay for everything that had been done to him. It was his revenge against Shining Armor that had kept his identity in hell, allowing to come back as himself.

Advancing forward, Sombra’s mind was filled with the horrors he had endured in hell, all the things that had been done to him to break his will, to make him just another tortured soul in the pit. He had endured the layers of hell and he was not going back; he was never going back. With his axe being dragged against the ground, he knew that his final salvation came in killing Shining Armor.

Standing above the form of Shining Armor, Sombra prepared himself to strike him down once and for all with his axe. Before he could realize this, a sharp and agonizing pain rippled through his body. He looked to his side with widening eyes. There stood Flash Sentry, driving a sword through his right side, blood oozing out with every beat of his heart. Then, before he could fully react, pain shot through his left side as multiple parts of his body were struck, before another long blade embedded itself deep within him. In unyielding pain, Sombra saw the hulking figure of Ironhide next to him with a blade of his own inside Sombra’s chest, jamming in several throwing knives for good measure.

Blood started to seep out of Sombra’s mouth as the magic that had been healing him seemed to run out, unable to keep up with the fury of the attacks. If it had been enough to suffer like he had, Shining Armor was getting back to his hooves, his sword encased in magical aura. The two’s eyes met for a moment, and in that moment both knew it was over.

“To be fair...” Shining growled, as he lifted his sword into the air, “you couldn't have handled my sister,” Shining spoke softly, before his blade sliced through the air and through the flesh and bones of Sombra.

The thud of Sombra’s head hitting the cobblestone ground could have been the most magical sound in the world to Shining at that moment, no matter how gruesome it might have been to take pleasure in such a thing. Giving out a deep sigh, the magic around his sword laxed and it fell to his side, the glowing aura around it barely visible.

Ironhide and Flash also let go of their own weapons, letting the headless body of King Sombra to fall over defeated. Each one of them seemed to give the same exhausted sigh of breath as they looked to one another, victory within their hooves. Out of all of them, Ironhide seemed to have the most energy left as he ripped his knife out of Sombra.

“You should be proud of yourselves. That was a battle I shall have fond memories of,” the old war horse said, sheathing his blade, before he looked over at Flash. “I think that little battle earned you a promotion.” Flash gave a weak salute to Ironhide, which the older stallion smiled at.

“Thank you, sir, but if that means I have to do this again… I’d rather not,” Flash said breathlessly, and he looked over at Shining Armor. “So... what’s next?” Before Shining could form an answer, the sound of multiple hoofsteps echoed on the stone ground.

Shining gave a ragged breath as he looked around. On all sides they were surrounded by the undead army. Even with the loss of what he assumed to be their general, the undead hordes didn't seem the least bit phased. Lifting his sword up again, coated in Sombra’s blood, he prepared himself to fight on.

“It looks like we're surrounded,” Flash mumbled, extending his wings, getting ready to take to the air once more. Next to him, Ironhide was pulling a knife out of Sombra’s corpse before taking his position next to Shining Armor.

“The poor bastards,” he said, the fires of war still blazing within his eyes as he scanned the area around them. He then took a step out before Shining Armor and Flash Sentry and scanned over the enemies around them. “Surrender!”

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for reading the adventure thus far! The story should be ending in about five chapters and I have been loving writing this story!

Thanks goes to Arbarano, Mr. Maximus, WolfGirl214, The Masked Ferret , and of course Jake the Army Guy for all the edits!

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Yes General Ironhide is General George S Patton