//------------------------------//
// The Crystal Rose 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: War of the Lost City 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Within the dark void of his own mind, Sombra floated inside the darkness.

His body was wrapped up in dark chains, his mind blank while still being conscious. Every thought that began to form simply fizzled away before it could become whole, leaving him completely brain-dead despite being very much alive. He couldn't do anything. Not move, not open his eyes, not able to ask where he was or why he was there.

He was just...there.

And as he floated in infinite nothingness, the only thing stopping him from succumbing to madness was a single image that kept appearing in his head. It was a picture of a mare he could barely remember, but that seemed to mean the world to him.

"Ruby..."





The mare in question was now charging at the entity controlling Sombra, Flash right beside her. She and Armalum were the first to meet, the unicorn's sword being blocked by the armored pony's scythe's handle, Ruby leaping back from the guard. As she did this, Armalum spun around, swinging his weapon with a horizontal swipe, Flash ducking under it while sliding along the ground.

"Flash Cutter!" He struck the armor's chest with his glowing sword, cracking it before flaring his wings. Armalum slammed his scythe down at this, Flash spinning on the ground to dodge the blade. As this happened, Ruby reappeared as she swung her blade down on Armalum's head, only for the handle to block it.

This continued to happen as Flash got back onto his hooves. Flash thrusted his blade first, Armalum meeting it with his scythe before spinning it and bonking Ruby's head with the end of the handle. He then followed this with swinging the handle at Flash, the defender ducking under it before Ruby tried to slash him again, the blade end blocking her sword. Armalum spun around again, two clangs coming out next as his scythe hit both blades.

And as this sound rang out, Armalum slammed his weapon into the ground. A red energy crack came next, Flash taking to the air while Ruby began backflipping as an explosion followed this. Armalum chuckled at this, a cloud of smoke coming from the explosion while he sat within the fog. But as he did this, Flash yelled out, "Flash Driver!" He morphed into a drill of light that shot right through the smoke, Armalum countering with a blast of magic from his horn. The beam hit the drill, the magic slowing down he attack as Armalum side-stepped away from the drill.

And as Flash flew past him, Ruby appeared in a flash of light, "Raaah!" she roared as she slammed a crystal-covered hoof into Armalum's face, cracking his mask.

"Augh!" he yelped as he staggered back just as Flash landed by Ruby.

"Let's hit him with a force attack!" He said while pointing his blade.

"No, that's too powerful. He might be dusted away."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"If he's dusted, we won't be able to get the armor off of him." She magically broke the crystal spike off her hoof and reshaped it into her sword. "I'm ending this."

"Ruby-" Flash tried to say before hearing a roar of laughter. They both turned to see Armalum with the cracks in his armor now being fading as slime soaked into the pieces.

"Shouldn't you be more focused on me?!" He laughed before swinging his scythe, unleashing a wave of dark red energy. The knights brought up their weapons at this, blocking the attack. But as they felt the blow hit them, they were knocked off their hooves, both going flying back and crashing into a nearby building.





"Ouch," Heart, Springer and Trixie flinched at the sight.

Cold shook his head at this, his face completely blank as he stared at the screen, "Ruby, you have to pull yourself together." He watched as Flash and Ruby pushed themselves back up, Armalum now trying to cut both down as Ruby summoned a crystal shield to stop the blade. As she did this, Flash hopped out of the rubble, now looking for his sword that he had dropped from the previous blow.

His vision then turned to the table, now seeing Soarin's dot flying through the city, searching for Terror after defeating Wingill. He then turned to Springer, "Springer, can you still communicate with ponies other than Flash?"

"I think so."

"Try and contact Soarin and direct him towards Terror."

Springer nodded and closed his eyes.

Back in the city...

Soarin zipped by some buildings, the wind from him sweeping up tons of rubble around him. "Soarin!" He pulled himself to a stop and twitched his ears, looking around as more words entered his head. "Can you hear me?"

He did a quick nod. "Yeah, I hear ya. Barely though."

"That's fine. Terror Card is to your left, about six streets over. You'll need to be fast in case she sees you coming, if you know what I mean."

"Got it," Soarin replied before zipping up high. Flying above the buildings, he smirked as he saw Terror come out of an alleyway. "Gotcha!" Entering Theta Mode, he shot forward so fast that he made a sonic boom. This would prove to be his downfall as Terror's ears spiked at the sudden noise, causing her to teleport before Soarin could reach her.

"To your left!" Soarin spun around next, Terror firing a beam at him. The Wonderbolt easily ducked under the attack, watching it fly over him in slow motion before charging at the unicorn by as he did this, she summoned a magic shield over her whole body.

"Hey! Come out of there!" He yelled as he tackled the shield, soon punching it with a series of rapid blows.

"And let you pummel me into the ground like you did Wingill?" She asked, "No thanks."





"Aah!" Ruby cried as the bottom of Armalum's scythe bonked her head, Armalum spinning his blade next to hit with the top. But as he tried to do this, Flash fired a Flash Cutter, making him leap away to dodge the energy attack. He then fired a beam from his horn, Flash going into Theta Mode to side-step the blast.

As this happened, Ruby fired a crystal arrow into Armalum's side, making him cry out, "Augh!" he began to stagger from the blow, only to turn swing his blade at Ruby, firing an energy wave from the scythe.

"Flash Driver!" Armalum turned to see a light drill coming, the armored pony leaping to side to dodge the attack. But as he did this, Ruby slammed her hooves into the ground, summoning a wave of crystal spikes at him. He countered by thrusting his scythe into the dirt, unleashing a red crack that hit the crystals head-on. An explosion followed this, only for Flash to yell, "Flash Grinder!"

A wheel of light came next, Armalum pumping every bit of Sombra's magic into his horn. Darkness fired out of his horn, a black beam coming next as it hit the wheel. And as it struck, the beam cut through the wheel, knocking Flash out of the attack as he tried to block the beam with his sword. But as he did this, the attack pushed him down the street, his hooves now grinding as it carved a small trench in the floor.

And when the beam came to a stop, Flash fell over with a smoking sword in his hooves. Armalum chuckled at the sight before turning to Ruby. "Raaaaaaaaaah!" She roared with a crystal sword in her hoof, Armalum still chuckling as he spun around. With one swing his scythe hit the side of her blade, shattering it to pieces before the bottom handle smacked Ruby's face. "Augh!" she yelped before Armalum spun around again, this time smacking her face with the bladed portion of the scythe, "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed, now falling over with a shallow cut opening up on her face.

Armalum laughed at this, shaking his head while raising his scythe upward, "You fought admirably, but you will no long distract me from my true goal."

Flash let out a low groan as he opened his eyes at this moment, now seeing Ruby about to be eliminated. He gasped at the sight as a golden aura began to shine off of him. Armalum's scythe began to make its way down when an explosion of light made him turn to see Flash shooting at him like a meteor. His horn sparked at this, trying to summon a shield before a hoof slammed into his face.

The blow sent him flying into a building, a gasp of pain coming out of his mouth as Flash came to a stop above Ruby. The Sacred Light was now on his body as he stared at the knight, Ruby barely breathing as he hoisted her onto his back.

And as Armalum pulled himself out of a wall, he saw Flash stare at him before his whole body exploded into a burst of light. Armalum cried out in pain at this, guarding his eyes with his hoof before seeing Flash and Ruby were now gone.

A moment of silence followed this as he now saw his prey gone, making him yell, "NO!"





Meanwhile...

"Arcana of the Empress!" Terror yelled as the dome around her and Soarin shrank around her before exploding, the light now restoring her magical power.

Despite this, Soarin just smirked at the sight before charging at her at intense speed. The seer saw his punch coming, her how sparking as she tried fire a spell, only for a hoof to slam into her face, "AAAAHH!" She yelped as she stagger back, now clutching her likely broken nose. But as she did this, she threw another card upward.

Seeing the card, he tried to punch her again, only for his hoof to bounce off a shield. Feeling the barrier, he started a flurry of punches, the unicorn seeing her shield shake. "Get out of there and face me!"

"Not a chance!" Terror barked back as she kept switching her vision from Soarin and the card. And as the card stopped, she yelled out, "Arcana of the Moon!"

Soarin gasped at those words, flaring his wings to fly away. But before he could even react, a black fog covered his face. "No!" he said as he started to swing his hooves at the smoke.

"HA!" Terror laughed, "Your new abilities are impressive, but they're useless if you can't see what's coming!" She then flinched as her broken nose flared in pain, the unicorn reaching into her cape and pulling out another card. Her eyes glowed as she looked over the results, only to nod to herself before throwing the card up. And as she did this, she turned to Soarin with a big grin and lit her horn.

But when she fired a beam right at the pegasi, he turned to her and side-stepped the attack with ease.

"WHAT?! But...but you can't see!?!"

"True, but I can hear just fine," Soarin replied as he stared at her despite the fog in his face, "The Theta State isn't just about being fast, it's about processing information fast. The second you cast that spell, my ears picked it up and told my brain where you probably are and where your attack was heading."

Terror growled at this just as her card stopped spinning, the Priestess card now facing right side up. The dome shrank around Terror, healing her broken nose as she began blasting rapid fire spells at Soarin. But as she did this, the pegasi quickly flew around, going in circles at high speed, dodging each blast.

And as she finished as barrage before taking a moment to catch her breath, the darkness from the Moon card began to fade. "There you are!" He yelled, charging down right at her as she let out a yelp, teleporting away a split second later. "No! Shoot!" The Wonderbolt sighed before clenching his eyes, "Springer? I need some help."

"Got it. She's on the next street to your left."

"Thanks." Soarin replied before zipping up onto a nearby building. Having learned his previous failure of making too much sound, he crawled over to the street, looking down from the roof. There he saw Terror still panting, trying to catch her breath as he flared his wings. Her eyes glowed at this second, making her gasp as she turned to pegasi as he swooped down. "Wonderbolt Kick!"

"AUGH!" She cried as tried to make a barrier, only for Soarin to smash right through it and slamming a hoof right into her face. A small stream of blood came out of her face next, making her clutch her nose as she yelped, "Not again!"





Across the city...

Hiding in a building several streets away from their battle site, Flash placed Ruby down against the wall before taking a look at the gash she had received. "Not too deep." he commented, "You should be okay. Heck, you should count yourself lucky."

"Why?" She asked with her eyes closed.

"Well, anywhere else and this would probably leave a major scar. But if Cold can get a sword through his chest and wake up the next day without a scratch, I think you'll be fine."

"Yay me," she huffed before looking away, "You shouldn't have run. In Sacred Light mode, you would have easily beaten him."

"I thought you didn't want me to beat him? If using our Force attacks was too powerful, me going Sacred Light would definitely have been too much." Flash replied with crossed hooves, only to be met with silence. Sighing at this, Flash put a hoof on Ruby's shoulder and asked, "Ruby, what's going on?"

"I already told you, I want to weaken the other team. And to do that, we have to take Sombra out of the picture."

"Yeah...and why do I think that's a load of horseapples?!" Ruby shot a glare at him, growling as he gave her a deadpan stare, "Ruby...I wouldn't have much right to call myself the Knight of Friendship if I couldn't tell when my friend is lying to me....even if I'm not the Element of Honesty. I also wouldn't have that right if I couldn't tell if that same friend was feeling upset about something. This is about more than just weakening Shadow's team, isn't it?"

"No, it-"

"If it wasn't Sombra," Flash interrupted her. "If let's say, Doom Raizer was the one Armalum was controlling, and getting him out of the armor would lead to the exact same thing, would you care that much?!" Ruby's head leaned back at his words, looking away again as she tried to talk.

"I...I'd...I-"

"What if it was Electra, or Dark Mist, or any other villain you've ever faced?! Look me in the eye and tell me that you would do the same thing you're doing right now."

Ruby turned to him again, her eyes trying to stare at him...only to look away. "I...I...wouldn't." she let out a small sniff as she continued, "I admit it. If it wasn't Sombra under that armor, I would simply try and beat them like any other opponent."

Flash sighed, shaking his head as he responded, "Ruby, you can't let your anger at Sombra control you like this. I know he did some terrible things, but unless you let it go, you'll never be able to move on with your life."

"I...."

The defender could hear the hesitation in her voice, making him speak up, "Listen Ruby, after that first battle me and you had with Sombra, I...I had nightmares about it." She turned to him with raised eyebrows, Flash sighing as he continued, "I...couldn't move on after that fight. I felt I had lost and...I pushed everypony I cared about away from me. It wasn't till a certain friend of mine showed me that I didn't have to...well, I didn't have to sit there and frown all the time."

Ruby just stared at him, no life in her eyes or mouth. The sight made Flash sigh again as he said, "Ruby, you have to let go. I know you can't forgive him for what he did to you, but....but..." Flash's words came to a stop as he stared at her, now seeing the expression on her face. It showed only one thing, indecision. The sight made his heart stop as he asked, "Ruby...are you not angry at him?"

"No, I am," she corrected him. "At least...I think I am."

"No...I don't think you are." Flash replied as he gripped her shoulders, "I don't want to say this, but you're not thinking you still care about him but can't bring yourself to forgive him so it's better if he's just gone....right?"

The Crystal Knight shook at his words, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Um...maybe? I don't know." she muttered out before wiping her eyes, "Despite everything Sombra did to me and the empire, I...I just can't forget about the pony he used to be. The colt I spent every day playing with until I left to train as a knight. M-m-my friend."

"Ruby, Sombra is-"

"I know Flash!" She yelled, making the defender close his mouth as she continued, "I...know. I know he isn't the same pony as that colt. Heck, he's not even the same species. But every time I look at Armalum….I can't help but remember the pony under the armor. And when I remember him, I can't help but wonder what might have happened if I hadn't left him, or if I had asked to bring him with me. Maybe Luna and the other princesses could have found a way to help him. I just...I just wished I could have stayed by his side...but now it's too late. He's back to haunt me again."

Flash released his grip from Ruby, falling on his flank as he muttered out, "So that's why you want him to...crumble."

"It's better that way. Sombra could finally rest in peace and I can get on with my life." She whimpered out, those words making Flash look back up at her with a distinct glare. The other knight saw this, raising an eyebrow as she asked, "What?"

"Ruby, you know it wouldn't be better that way. Sombra can't rest in peace, and you won't be able to move on until the two of you actually talk about this. You need to tell him what you just told me. Only then can the two of you move on."

"How?!" Ruby barked back, "The second we take that armor off, Sombra will start to fall apart! And even if we managed to find a way to stabilize him, what's to stop him from attacking us?! What's to say he's any different from the monster that enslaved an entire nation?!"

Flash didn't reply at this, rubbing his forehead next as he sighed at her question. But as he did this, he felt a small pulse below him, making him look down at his scar. He felt a small surge, not pain, but nothing pleasant. Blinking at the feeling, he got up and stared down at Ruby, "Well...we won't know if he's any different until we save him from that armor."

"What?" Ruby asked with wide-eyes.

"Let's do it. Let's find a way to save him." Flash replied while leaning over and giving Ruby his hoof, "Come on, we got work to do. Heck, if we do find a way to save him, I have a feeling he'll be more than open to talk to you."

"Wh...why?"

Flash ran his other hoof along his scar, "Call it a hunch."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, only to let out a giggle, "For as long as I've known you, you've never made much sense. But I know that whenever you get a feeling like that, you have a way of making the impossible possible."

"Isn't doing the impossible the job of a Royal Knight?"

"No...but its definitely the job of the Knight of Friendship." She pushed herself back to her hooves, only to feel the floor shake. Both turned to the building's window, now seeing Armalum on a rooftop a street away, firing multiple blasts. The sight made the duo look at each other as she asked, "Alright, what's the plan?"





Several minutes later...

Armalum had teleported down off the roof, growling as he roared, "Where are you?! Answer me, you cowards!" Only silence followed this, making him screech, "Don't think hiding will get you anywhere! I will find you, and when I do, I'll crush you into the ground and show master Shadow my true worth!"

"I think you've shown him your true worth pretty well." Armalum spun around to the voice, now seeing Flash lazily step out of an alleyway, swinging his sword around like he didn't have a care in the world. "You've shown him how pathetic you really are."

"You dare try and mock me?! I've been around before your great great great grandparents pulled themselves out of the mud!" He fired a blast of magic next, the pegasus sidestepping it with ease, "I have lived longer than any creature alive, and will continue to live long after you and your descendent turn to dust."

"That's a pretty long life," Flash chuckled, "Sounds like it'll get pretty boring. But even if you do live that long, you'll only have done it by stealing the life of others. What kind of life is that?"

"Mine!"

"Not anymore," Flash pointed his sword at him. "It's time somepony stopped you from stealing lives. When I'm done with you, I'll make sure you're locked up somewhere nopony will ever be able to find you. Sure, you'll outlive me and my descendants, but you won't harm anypony anymore."

"You honestly think I'd let you do that?!"

"You won't have a choice." With that, Flash ran at Armalum as a veil of light began to hum off him. Then, he leapt into the air as he yelled, "Armorize!" With that, light exploded off of him, the unicorn firing blasts as Flash began to summon his armor.

Every beam from the unicorn bounced off the light around Flash, the pegasi then flying up and punching him in the face. "AUGH!" he yelped as he staggered back, Flash pulling his light sword off his back as began slashing at Armalum with both it and Lightbringer. Armalum growled with each strike, now summoning his scythe to block the swords, Flash and him getting inches from one another's face.

"Sombra..." the pegasus growled, "I know you can hear me."

"He hears nothing!" Armalum roared as he pushed Flash back, firing another beam from his horn. But as he did this, the knight swung his Celestic Gear, deflecting the magic with a single swipe.

"I don't believe that!" Flash yelled as he thrust his sword, this time managing to nick the mask of the helmet, "I know Sombra's in there!" Another pulse from his scar made him grunt as the Sacred Light did its job, keeping the pain down as he fought. "Come on Sombra!" Armalum unleashed a burst of red lightning that Flash held his sword up to block, "Fight it!" And as he pushed the lightning back, the pegasi then slammed a hoof into Armalum's face, knocking him back again as he said, "You're stronger than this stupid piece of tin!"

"ENOUGH!" Armalum screamed as he swung his scythe, this swipe knocking Flash back. The blow hit Flash's blade out of his hooves, Armalum then thrusting his scythe downward as he yelled, "Sombra is mine to control!" But as the blade swung down, Flash instantly vanished, the scythe then hitting the ground.

Armalum looked up next, seeing Flash appear as he took out both swords of light. He quickly appeared in front of Armalum next, slashing at with a barrage of quick thrusts, "What gives you the right to treat him like that?!" He yelled as cracks began to form in the living armor, "You're nothing but a parasite, and I won't let you do this anymore!" He brought his swords together and raised a now single shining blade above his head before bringing it crashing down upon Armalum.

The armour tried to bring up a shield at this, only for the magic dome to begin to crack at the first touch of the blade, "No..." he grunted out, "Hold!" But it was too late, as the barrier shattered, slamming down on Armalum as he screamed, "GYAAAAAAAAAH!"

Splinters of his armor began to splatter everywhere, cracks all over the body now. But as Flash saw the armor melt, the pony kneeling down to his hind legs as he kept a hold on Sombra's body, the armor spoke up, "Why should you care if I'm treating Sombra like this? I've seen his memories. I've seen what he did the Crystal Empire...how he beat you. After everything he did, you should be happy he's like this. How is what I'm doing any different from what he's done?!"

Flash sighed at the question, "Nothing. It's exactly the same."

"So why do you care?!" Armalum spat back, "He's confined and I get a body to use. It's a win-win! So why stop me?!"

"Because I'm not like Sombra," Flash replied, "If I left him like this, I'd be no better than him." He pointed his blades at him, "I'm a Royal Knight, and our duty is to save all those who need saving, even if those ponies are ones that have caused us or the ones we care about harm."

Armalum growled as a few of his cracks sealed themselves up, "Then you're a fool."

"I'm fine being a fool. If being wise means I have to be like you or Shadow..." he spread his wings and charged with a smirk, "Then I'm happy being a fool the rest of my life!" Armalum hissed as he then fired bolts of red lightning, the pegasi quickly spinning into a drill in response, "FLASH DRIVER!" The lightning struck him as he formed the attack, only to bounce off as he kept spinning.

Armalum gasped as he tried to summon a shield, only for the drill to tear right through. The drill dug right into the armor's chest, Flash then dismissing the attack before pinning Armalum with a well-timed tackle. "This worked before," Flash commented as his chest armor opened to reveal the scar. The X mark glowed like it had last time, though not as brightly, the light touching a cracked piece of Armalum, making him cry out in pain.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he tried to punch Flash, the defender dodging the first two before the metal hooves smacked his chin, "Get off of me!" Armalum roared as he then thrust his back hooves into Flash, catapulting him off as Flash flared his wings, stopping in mid-air.

Flash then pulled the swords off his back and merged them into an orb. "Flash FORCE!" The laser exploded out of the sphere, hitting the still downed armored unicorn. He screeched in pain, cracks appearing everywhere in his armor. 'That's it. Just a little more. Enough for Ruby to take the final step.' Flash stopped his Force attack and charged at the pony, Armalum summoning his scythe despite the pain and swinging it wildly. But as he did this, Flash flapped his wings to push himself backward, evading the blade's reach.

And as he did this, a light shined over the pegasi before copies of the defender began to appear, all of them now circling Armalum. The armor growled at the swarm of Flash, slashing at the first one he could. But as he did this, another Flash clone appeared at his side, slamming a fist into the armor. The blow caused yet another crack, two more clones hitting the others side. Armalum swung his scythe again, trying to push them away before three more swooped down and hit him. And as five hit him next, the armor growled as he felt a crack go across his face.

"ENOUGH!" He screeched as he unleashed a shockwave of magic, hitting the Flash army, the clones vanishing as a certain pegasi fell with a thud. "Enough games!" He then jumped onto his back hooves before thrusting his front hooves into the ground, the dirt now shaking as a quartet of crystal pillars shot out around Flash.

"Uh oh..." Flash gulped as he saw the familiar attack.

Armalum smirked beneath his mask as his horn shot out a blood red beam that that struck the top of the pyramid. "Spirit...BREAKER!" Red lightning surged around the pillars, ready to drain Flash of his energy.

But as this happened, Flash grabbed his light swords and crossed them, holding them up as the lightning shot down. The blades deflected the bolt, Flash yelling as he tried to his swords together, "RAAAAAAAAH!" The lightning splattered all over the pyramid, zapping and singing the defender. And as the bolt began to lose its energy, he swung his swords like a top, shattering the pyramid in one slice.

"WHAT?! HOW?!" Armalum yelped as he Flash turned to him and brought his swords together to form an orb.

"FLASH FORCE!" Another laser struck Armalum in the chest, making him scream in pain as cracks covered his body. And as he did this, Flash kept pushing as he thought, 'Ruby, I hope you're ready. You're not gonna get a better opening then this.'

At the same time...

Up on a high building, Ruby stood watching the battle, the knight thinking the same thing as she saw Flash hit Armalum. Floating above her was a giant crystal bow with an arrow that had a battering ram like end. And as Armalum staggered back from the ending of Flash's attack, she whispered, "Alright..." she brought the bow down and closed one eye, "Sombra….If you're in there, now's the time to come out."

With that, she fired the arrow into the chaos. Only one of the two saw the attack coming, Flash now bringing out his swords again as he yelled, "Flash Dual Cutter!" He swung them in an cross formation, unleashing an X-shaped blade of light. Armalum quickly summoned a shield, only to see the blast shatter it in one blow, but dissipate at the same time.

"You won't defeat me!" Armalum screeched as he pulled his scythe back.

"I wasn't trying to beat you," Flash replied with a smirk, "I just needed to wear you down and distract you!" Armalum gasped at his words, his eyes glancing around to see the arrow now coming. But as he tried to spark his horn, the arrow struck his chest, the impact knocking him back as all but his helmet shattered off Sombra's body.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, pieces of the armor scattering everywhere as Flash leapt back from the sight.

A flash of light appeared next, making him turn to see Ruby as she asked, "Did it work?" She got her answer as Armalum picked himself up, the knight seeing that the helmet was still on while the many shattered pieces turned into their sludge form. "I don't think so!" She grabbed Flash and teleported them both over to Armalum before slamming the ground. Before any of the slime could react, a crystal pyramid shot out the ground, surrounding the trio.

"That should keep the slime away," she grunted. "But we can't stay in here long, it's air tight."

Flash nodded and ran up to Armalum, the pony staggering back, "Stay away!" He tried to fire a blast from his horn, only for the horn to sputter out. "No!" he yelled before Flash tackled him to the ground, the scar on his chest glowing again. "NOOOOO!"

Ruby gasped as the light from the scar began to envelop them both, Armalum crying out in pain while Flash's face scrunched up, flinching in pain as well. The Crystal Knight cried out at the sight, "Flash!"

"I'm fine!" Flash grunted as kept Armalum pinned, "Come on Sombra...wake up!"

Ruby also began to call out, her voice's tone slowly growing louder, "Sombra. Sombra! SOMBRA!"





Within his mind, Sombra continued to float there thoughtlessly. He was no longer talking, just looking at the endless void with a long deep lifeless stare.

But as he did this, his eyes started to blink as he saw something in the distance. A light, tiny at first but bright enough to catch his attention. He turned to it, slowly drifting over to it as the light began to glow brighter.

Then, a voice began to echo through the darkness. A voice he recognised. "R-Ruby..." he moaned as the darkness around him started to fade. He could feel his brain swirl, his mind throbbing as he started to gain his own thoughts.

He looked down next, seeing chains wrapped around his body. He grunted as he began to pull at them, the metal rope slowly beginning to crack and break. "I...will not be controlled." The cracking of his chains echoed through the darkness, every broken chain followed by a surge of pain. And he wasn't the only one feeling it.

Meanwhile...

"Augh!" Shadow cried, falling off his throne as he gripped his head with his hooves.

"MASTER!" His followers yelled as they ran to his side, only for Shadow to push them away.

"Master, what's wrong?" Tempera asked as he stood back up.

"Sombra's fighting back against the magic I used to keep him suppressed," he growled as he clutched his head, staring up at the screen as he saw the sludge from Armalum's armor trying to push through the crystal pyramid. "I thought this might happen. Good thing I kept a slight connection."

"What do you mean?" Tempera asked before Shadow closed his eyes and flashed his horn, a brilliant light exploding from it that blinded everypony. And when the light faded, the group gasped as Tempera yelped, "MASTER!" Below her hooves was a passed out Shadow, his body resting on the floor as she leaned down, "Master, can you hear me? Oh no...what have you done?"

Back in Sombra's mind...

"Grrr...come on!" Sombra roared as he broke another chain. "I...will not..." But as he pulled against another chain, a new one suddenly whipped around his neck, making him cry out, "Augh!"

The chains tightened next, making him scream in pain as the darkness of the void began to cover his body. And as he felt the darkness seep into his body, a certain voice spoke up, "Naughty...naughty."

Sombra felt the chains spin him around, now turning to see Shadow materialize. The unicorn laughed at the sight before floating over and putting his hoof on Sombra's chin. "So...you thought you could break free? You, the little horn I found in a frozen wasteland that was destined to serve me...you don't get freedom."

He then turned to the source of the light before his body became consumed by shadows, morphing into his Corrupted Shadow form. "BEGONE!" he roared as his horn unleashed a beam of magic at the light.





"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Armalum screamed as his body suddenly burst with dark energy, Flash's eyes going wide as he felt the magic.

He only had a second to think it over when he found himself blasted off of Armalum, the power causing the pyramid to explode and send the two flying backward. "WHOA!" They both yelped, hitting the ground while the sludge began to make its way toward Sombra.

"What just happened?!" Ruby asked as they picked themselves up.

"Its Shadow!" Flash growled, "I could feel him. His Corrupted Shadow's inside Armalum. Almost like..." He stopped as they now saw the sludge begin to move up to Sombra's body, slowly forming the armor around him. He then looked back at his light swords, "If he can do it..." He let out a low breath before glancing at Ruby. "I have no idea what this is gonna do, but back me up."

"Alright," Ruby replied, knowing not to question it. Flash nodded before leaping at the armor, pulling his swords off his back and forming them into a sphere. He once again undid the armor around his chest, revealing his scar and placing the orb onto it. A flinch of pain pulsed from it, making him flinch as he got closer to Armalum.

The amour was so focused on repairing itself that it didn't notice Flash approaching, only for Shadow inside to yell, "Oh no you don't!" Another burst of magic came out next, creating a shockwave that exploded out of Sombra/Armalum. Flash raised the orb to block the wave, the pegasus feeling himself be pushed back from the attack. Shadow began to send wave after wave at this, Ruby getting knocked back as Flash kept getting closer.

The armor was almost completely formed around him at this point, only a hole in his chest un-repaired. And it was this hole that Flash thrust the orb into, causing the light to explode around them. The defender didn't know what he was doing, only to feel the Sacred Light to start forming a sphere of light around the two.

"Oookay. I hope this-" Flash tried to commented before being blinded by the light, only to blink as he then found himself floating in a void, "Works....huh? What is this place?" But as those words left his mouth, a beam of magic struck his chest, "AUGH!"

And as he was knocked back, he saw a certain unicorn in the darkness, "Shadow..."

"Hello. Figures you would find a way to worm yourself in here." Shadow chuckled as Sombra floated behind him, the chains rattling as they tightened, making the unicorn scream out in pain. The sight made Flash stare Shadow down, Shadow's wings flexing while Flash pulled his light swords off his back. Both charged at each other next, Flash swinging the blades in a X formation as Shadow blocked both with his wings.

The two began to push against each other as Shadow growled, "Welcome to the mindscape."

"We're in Sombra's mind?" Flash asked, Shadow nodding.

"Indeed. Me through the spell I placed on him, and you through the soul fragment he embedded within you."

"Soul fragment?" Flash yelped as they pushed themselves a part, both flying back before floating place, "Let Sombra go!"

"No. He's mine to use as I see fit."

"We'll see about that," Flash added as he threw his blades at Shadow, "Flash Cutter!" The swords morphed into crescent shapes, both flying around Shadow as he summoned a shield, blocking both. His wings then wrapped around his whole body as he charged at Flash, morphing into a dark bullet. Flash did the same, his light swords going back to his hooves as he began spinning like a drill. "Flash Driver!"

And as the two drills clashed, an explosion of light and darkness flew out in all directions.





Twenty seconds ago...

"FLASH!" Ruby shook her friend as he was laid out on the ground, still in his armored state. "Wake up!" A groan then caught her ear, making her turn to Armalum as his armor fully restored itself. The mare growled at the sight and formed a crystal sword, standing over Flash.

But before they could do anything, Flash and Shadow's attacks struck one another. Their strike resonated in the real Flash and Shadow, Flash's body unleashing a shockwave that slammed into both Ruby and Armalum. "GYAH/AUGH!" They cried as they were sent flying away from him, several buildings also being ripped apart by the energy wave.

At the same time...

"AAAAHHH!" Shadow's minions cried out as they were thrown back by the energy wave, their castle shaking from the attack.

"What's happening?!" Salix screamed.

"I don't know!" Tempera cried as she turned to laying stallion, seeing him twitch on the floor, "Oh, beloved..."

"This clearly has something to do with what Sentry just did," Storm growled as he turned to the screen, now seeing Flash laid out on the ground like Shadow. "Have they...connected?" The other two just blinked at his question, only for another shockwave to fly out of Flash and Shadow, shaking both the castle and city.

"They're gonna bring this whole place down!" Salix yelled as the wave slammed them into the wall.

"Master!" Tempera cried, only for another wave to hit her. "Master!"

Back on the battlefield...

Ruby staggered to her hooves as she saw Flash's body shake, the pegasi continuing to unleash constant pulses of energy. "What is...going on?" she muttered as she shook her head. "Flash..."

"Argh!" yelled another voice, making her turn to see Armalum pull himself out of a rubble pile, "Enough of this!" He summoned his scythe, "I'll end that freak right now!" He charged at the defender next, only for a flash of light to appear in front of him.

"RAAAH!" Ruby yelled as she appeared, her crystal sword blocking the scythe as she tried to push him back,"You're not getting anywhere near him!"

Armalum growled as he pushed her back, "Out of my way! I will kill him and you will do nothing!"

"You won't touch him!" Ruby screeched as she saw the sparks fly off their blades, "Flash and everypony else has pushed themselves to the limit during our time here, growing stronger because they had something worth pushing themselves for. Now I'll do the same!" Her horn shined as she began to summon a barrage of crystal arrows, "I won't lose to you again! I'll beat you and protect my friends!"





Meanwhile...

Soarin and Terror were still in the middle of their own fight when the wave came for them. "Whoa!" yelped the Wonderbolt as he took to the air, dodging the attack as Terror summoned a barrier. And as the wave pushed her shield, her hooves grinding into the street, she pulled out a card as Soarin dove down at her.

"Raaah!" He yelled tried to punch her, only for her to teleport behind him.

"Not as fast as before, it seems." She chuckled, "What? Didn't think I would notice?" Soarin turned to her, his breath staggering as sweat poured down his face, "I figured moving that fast was likely going to tire you out."

"Maybe...but I'm still fast enough!" He charged at her at full speed, his body slamming into her shield. The blow made her gasp, making her stagger back from the force of his attack as she threw up a card.

And as the dome went up, she teleported to the every edge of it. "You're right, you are still very fast." She glanced up at her card as it began to slow down, "But I can fix that." The card stopped right side up as Soarin kicked off the ground, the dome shrinking around her and exploding before he could make it. And as he threw a punch, Terror sidestepped the attack with ease.

"What?"

"Arcana of the Chariot!" She announced, "Now I'm as fast as you!" Soarin growled as he threw another punch, Terror ducking under this one. But as he did this, another wave suddenly rang out, making them turn to see the attack. She quickly summoned another barrier as Soarin flew over it, both gasping as they saw the wave shake the buildings around them.

"What is going on?!" she whispered before taking out an Emperor card. But when she tried to view the future, Soarin suddenly slammed into the shield, shattering it before punching her again. She tried to dodge this one, only for the pegasi's hoof to knock the card out of her magic.

"NO!" she screamed as the card went up and created the dome. Her horn sparked as she tried to fire a beam at the card, only to duck below a kick in the face from Soarin. As she did this, the card stopped, its side making Terror gasp.

The dome shrunk into Soarin, the light absorbing into the Wonderbolt next as he now felt like he had just taken a six hour nap. He cricked his hooves next as he commented, "Nice...I'm feeling good."

Terror shook as she saw the losing battle before, the Chariot card wearing off as he began to charge at her. "No, wait!" she tried to say, only for Soarin's hoof to hit her in the chest before she could even react. "Augh!" she screamed, her body flying down the street before her horn sparked, teleporting her away before she could hit the ground.

"HA!" Soarin laughed before turning to see another wave, flapping back up to dodge it as well. "Springer, where's Terror? And while you're at it, mind telling me what the heck's going on?!"

"I wish I knew. Flash fell unconscious and now his body's shooting out these waves. The whole city's being shaken to pieces."

"Great..." Soarin sighed before turning around now seeing a fleeing Terror Card in the distance. "I've gotta take her out before I can try and help him. I just hope that idiot hasn't gotten in over his head."





"FLASH GRINDER!" Flash spun into a wheel as he hit Shadow, the unicorn blocking the attack with his wings.

"Dark Lightning!" Shadow unleashed a burst of red lightning out of his horn at the wheel, Flash breaking out of the attack before blocking it with his swords. The two attacks collided, causing another explosion to fly through the mindscape, all the while another pulse of magic exploded out of them.

Neither knew this was happening as they continued, Shadow speaking up next, "Tell me, what makes you think you can defeat me? You must realize the disadvantage you have against me."

"Oh yeah?!" Flash barked back, "What's that?!"

"Since the moment I first saw you and your powers, I realized they were the perfect opposite to mine." His right wing morphed into a claw shape. "You've seen what happens when the two connect." He threw the wing at Flash, the pegasi blocking it with his blade, the two causing a shockwave that pushed them apart. "They cancel each other out."

"So?"

"So, these two abilities can't hurt one another. It's impossible to win using them."

"And your point?"

"My point is that without my power, I still have the many other magics I've acquired over the years."

"Which you obviously stole from ponies that actually worked to get them," Flash growled as he thought about the encounter of Shadow and Soul.

Shadow just laughed at his counter, "And what do you have without your power?! Nothing! You're just another worm with no way of defeating me. This battle is mine and you know it!"

"You're wrong. I don't know it and neither do you." He pulled out his swords again. "It's not just about how much power you have, but how you use it." He then charged at Shadow, the unicorn blocking the attack with his wings again. And as light and shadow clashed, creating an explosion, Flash continued, "And I'm gonna use the power I have to take you down and free Sombra!"

"Go ahead and try it!" Shadow mocked as he fired another bolt, Flash dodging it with a quick barrel roll, "You'll fail!"

"I won't." Flash replied as he put the swords together, "And even if I do, I still have to try! For Sombra and Ruby!"





"Crystal Force!" Ruby screamed as she fired the gem lased tornado at Armalum, the unicorn forming a shield to block it. And as this happened, the two then broke off from their attacks as they had to dodge another shockwave coming off of Flash.

Ruby teleported on the spot while Armalum swung his scythe, a wave of dark energy intercepting and exploding. But as the smoke was swept away, Ruby leapt at him with a crystal axe. Both weapons clanged as he blocked it, a beam coming out of the armored pony's horn next that Ruby ducked under. She then summoned a crystal boomerang from her horn, throwing it right at Armalum's face. He ducked under it as well as, only for Ruby to spin her axe around, locking it in the hook of Armalum's scythe. She pulled it down next, both sharp ends hitting the ground as Armalum grunted in frustration as his horn began to charge up, only to yelp, "AUGH!" He felt something clang his head, the boomerang now flying past them both.

"You little-"

"Crystal Sabers!" she yelled as her axe morphed into two blades, thrusting both into the armor before slashing them downward. Cracks slit themselves through the armor, making Armalum leap back as he then slammed his scythe down, unleashing a red energy crack at Ruby.

KABOOM!

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" She cried as she was blasted into the air, Armalum taking this opening to run over to Flash. But before he could try anything, another wave shot out of him, knocking him back. He grinded his hooves in the ground as he tried to not be pushed back too far, only to raise his scythe above the defender.

"Die!" he yelled as he swung the blade down, only for a flash of light to appear in front of him.

"Augh!" Ruby cried as she felt the blade pierce her chest, her horn shining as she grabbed the handle of the scythe.

Armalum chuckled as he saw the blood begin to drip out of her chest, "You're a fool."

"Thanks for the compliment." Ruby wheezed out as she kept pushing the scythe back with her magic, "Like Flash said, if being wise means I'd end up like you or Shadow, I'll happily be a fool!" With that, she pushed the blade completely back, Armalum's horn sparking as he took control of the scythe again. But as he did this, a hoof encased in crystal spikes slammed into his face, making him cry out.





"YEAH!" Heart cheered as he saw Ruby block Armalum's scythe with just her hoof, grabbing the handle before punching the armored pony in the face again. "Go Ruby! Beat that creep!"

"She's really going at it!" Trixie added before her gaze fell on Flash, "Though I hope he's alright. What is he doing?!"

"No idea." Cold commented before turning to Springer. "Anything?"

The jakhowl shook his head. He had gone into Mega Mode in hopes of increasing his power to connect to Flash, only to sigh. "Nothing! I can't contact him. Its like he's not fully there." He hissed before looking up at the screen, "What is happening to him?!"

His question went unanswered as the pegasus unleashed another energy wave, causing the city and castle to shake. Trixie gripped the table to get her balance, making her eep out, "Whatever it is, if it keeps up, it's gonna bring the whole city crashing down!"

"Agreed." Cold added, "They need to find a way to end this now before the damage is too much. Whatever you're doing in there Sentry, hurry up and do it faster."





"FLASH FORCE!" Flash yelled as he unleashed a beam of light at Shadow, the unicorn replying with his own powerful beam spell. The two blasts connected and caused an explosion bigger than any other, shockwaves now rocking the city even more.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he and Terror were both knocked by a wave, Soarin getting thrown halfway down a street while Terror was sent crashing into a nearby building. Armalum and Ruby were also struck by the wave, both sent flying in different directions. Ruby slid into a pile of debris from a previously destroyed building while Armalum crashed through a still standing building, the roof then collapsing on him.

In the castle, everypony grabbed hold of each other while the unicorns put up shields to protect themselves. "This has to stop!" Cold yelled as Trixie clutched a cowering Heart. "Springer, you have to contact Flash now!"

"I'm trying!" Springer barked back as he put both paws to his head, "Come on Flash! Speak to me!"

As this happened, Ruby picked herself out of the rubble, a loud explosion now making her turn to see Armalum walk out of the destroyed building. His armor was covered in cracks, his form staggering as he tried to walk over to Flash. But as he started to get there, Ruby appeared with a sword in her hoof.

"Move."

Ruby shook her head, "Never." Armalum let out a growl as he summoned his scythe, swinging it down. And as the blade came from Ruby, she blocked it with her sword, metal grinding against each other as she said, "This...ends...now!" She pushed the scythe back, the blade bouncing up as Ruby then thrust her sword at Armalum's chest. He let out a cry of pain at this, only for Ruby to thrust at it again and again.

And as the fourth thrust was about to hit, Armalum yelled out, "ENOUGH!" He swung his weapon down again, the blade this time shattering Ruby's blocking sword.

Time seemed to slow down as the two saw what happened, only for Ruby to grab the largest shard of her sword in her hoof. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as she leapt at him, Armalum doing a horizontal swipe at the knight. But as he did this, she ducked under the blade at the last second, time around them speeding up as she put everything into a single thrust of her hoof.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Armalum screamed as the shard pressed into his chest, even digging into Sombra's flesh. The pain was felt by not only Armalum, but the dark king and all those in his mind. The two armored ponies clutched their chests while Sombra's eyes filled with tears.

"SOMBRA!" His eyes shot open at the sound of his friend's voice, "You have to wake up! If you don't, this entire city's gonna be destroyed!"

"What?!"

"Whatever Flash is doing in there, it's sending out shockwaves that's ripping this whole city apart! You have to free yourself! It's the only way!" Ruby screamed as she pushed every last bit energy into her voice, "Please..." he heard her say, knowing sorrow was in her voice, "Come back to me."

The words seemed to light a fire in Sombra, making him struggle and squirm in the chains. But as he did this, Shadow turned to him and yelled, "NO! You belong to me!"

"No he doesn't!" Flash roared as he tackled Shadow, "He belongs to nopony!" He then punched the unicorn in the face as he added, "It's time you realised that!"

"Get off me, you worm!" Shadow screeched as he flared his wings, knocking Flash back before forming an orb of darkness out of his horn, "His life is mine! You need to realise you're outclassed!" He fired the sphere, Flash taking off his light swords as he put them together, making an orb as well as he fired a beam from the ball.

And as the light and darkness began to touch, time seemed to stop.

At the same time in the real world, a brilliant burst of light exploded out of the ground and formed a pillar. The sight caught everypony's attention, all turning to see the light begin to curve around before flying over the battlefield. It went right through the battlefield's shield, the light going straight for Ruby and Armalum. The Crystal Knight gasped before leaping away from Armalum, seconds before the light struck him.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his voice, Ruby going wide-eyed as she saw the armor's cracks grow large and connect to one another. She could only sit there and watch as the light consumed the armored pony.

And as this happened, Flash and Shadow were inches from having their attacks connect when the light exploded through the darkness, both ponies suddenly feeling themselves freeze in place. Their minds went back to the day they had met, now feeling the same thing as before as they froze in place.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Their gaze turned to Sombra, both gasping when they saw the light touch the chains around him. Cracks covered the chains next, Sombra screaming in pain as he then felt the metal ropes shatter and fall off his body.

A series of long pants happened next, Sombra gasping before looking up at the two ponies that had been fighting inside his mind. "Get...OUT!" His outcry echoed through the void, suddenly pushing both ponies out into the light.





"WHOA!" Flash gasped as his eyes shot open and sat up, coughing next as his eyes rapidly blinked before glancing around. Here he saw Ruby, the knight staring at a giant pillar of light that was still keeping Armalum trapped.

Pushing himself back up, he ran over to her as a mighty scream came out of the pillar next. The sounds of armor shattering came next, the two quickly leaping away from a sudden rain of pieces. And when the last piece hit the ground, both gasped as they saw a new sight. It was Sombra, his body completely free of any armor.

His form started to stagger, weaving side to side as Ruby teleported over and grabbed him before he fell. He let out a low sigh as he then looked up, seeing the mare, "Ruby?"

There was a mix of emotions on her face, but a small smile was trying to form as she replied, "Hello Sombra." They continued to stare at one another for a few seconds, only for Flash to break the silence.

"Hey you two!" they turned to him and saw he was pointing to the ground. Slime was now creeping everywhere they looked, several pieces of sludge putting themselves together to form a certain mask. And as they started to fuse, Flash fired a Flash Cutter at them, only for the attack to do nothing but make the slime jiggle. "Aw crab-apples." He turned to the duo as he yelled, "Get him out of here!"

"I wouldn't do that. You know this is pointless," parts of the slime said as Flash turned to see the mask start to appear, "You have no choice but to put me back on him. If you don't-"

"AAAAAHHHHH!" They turned to see Sombra fall over, clutching his chest as cracks began to appear all over his body.

"Sombra!" Ruby cried, her body shaking as she saw his body start to fall apart, "No...I still need to talk to you! There has to be something we can do!"

"There's nothing." Armalum instantly responded. "Put me on him or-"

"Shut up!" Flash yelled as he stabbed a light sword into the sludge, making the mask disperse for a second. And as the defender turned back to Sombra, his mind started to race, 'Come on...think Flash! If Armalum gets back on Sombra, then this is pointless!' He rubbed his hooves into his head, 'Darn it! I can't think! Where's Twilight when I need her? I gotta be able to do something with the Sacred Light...but what?!'

But as those thoughts went through his head, he suddenly felt his body freeze in place, 'Huh?!'

Ruby saw him freeze up, making her ask, "Flash?" Memories of his first battle against Cold came next, making her yell, "FLASH!"

Flash wanted to respond, but no movement came from his body. And as this happened, Armalum's mask fully formed and hovered over to Ruby, floating past her until she swung her sword at him and yelled, "Stay back!"

"Give it up!" He told her while dodging the blade, "You know you'll let me take him back. Why put him through more pain?"

"I...I won't give up!" she cried as she swung at him again, this one hitting the mask. But as it did this, she found her blade now stuck in the mask as slime began to form around it.

"Stupid mare. You won't stop me."

"I will stop you! I don't know how, but I'll-"

Her words came to a stop as a light suddenly shined behind them, making both turn back to Flash. The armor around the pegasus glowed before exploding off him into light...but instead of vanishing, the light flew into Flash's scar.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Flash screamed in pain as the light felt like it pierced his skin, only for the light to fly back out of him. He fell over next, his eyes barely open as he looked up to see a golden orb now appear in the light. It was both golden and black, the orb then shooting over to Ruby.

The mare gasped and formed a shield to try and block it, only for the light to completely circumvent her and go straight for Sombra. And before she could say or do anything, the light struck him, enveloping his whole body in its golden glow.

"Sombra..." she whispered as the black speck of light entered his body. As soon as it did, the cracks on his body began to seal up, the last one soon vanishing before his entire body exploded with light that blinded them all.





Meanwhile...

Terror moaned as she picked herself up, pushing a pile of rubble off of her. Her head was splitting and she had a feeling she had at least three broken bones.

As this happened, Soarin was flying over her, his eyes scanning some other buildings for her. Almost everything was in ruins, making it impossible for him to tell where she had fallen.

And as he did this, Terror turned around to run away from the pegasi, only to gasp as she saw something just a building over. Getting onto her hooves, she dragged her body across the floor as she said to herself, "Victory...have to...win for master."





The light that had consumed Sombra had finally receded, allowing everypony to open their eyes. But the sight before them made both knights gasp.

Sombra stood there with a golden glow wrapped around him, his body now different. His coat was still grey but it wasn't as dark, his formerly red eyes were now green with the purple mist gone. And the biggest surprise was that his formerly curved red horn was now straight and the same color as his fur. He was a unicorn.

The golden aura shot off him and flew back to Flash, hitting and sinking back into his skin. But Flash was still focused on Sombra to really notice, the pegasus picking himself up without breaking his gaze.

"Sombra?" Ruby asked while looking him over. Memories from long ago flew through her mind, showing her images of the colt she had been friends with. The unicorn in front of her now looked exactly like what that colt would look like grown up. "You're...a pony?"

Sombra didn't reply, his eyes staring at his new body.

But before anypony could say anything else, a bright light exploded in the distance. At first they thought it was the pillar from before, but soon noticed the wave coming at them. Somepony had found the orb....and that somepony was Terror, the unicorn grasping the orb as Soarin flew into the building.

"WINNERS, TEAM SHADOW!"




"NO!" Soarin yelled as he was teleported back to the castle, crashing on top of the other combatants. He let out a groan as he hopped off the pile and turned to the others. The Wonderbolt blinked as he saw long stares coming from Cold, Heart, Springer and Trixie, making him sigh, "I'm sorry. I failed."

But as he said that, they just continued to stare, making him raise an eyebrow, "Uh...you all okay? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"That's not what we're staring at," Trixie replied as Springer pointed behind the pegasus. Soarin turned around, only to go wide-eyed.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he leapt back to Cold and the others, the group getting into a battle stance, "What the heck is he doing here?!"

Flash and Ruby had now gotten back onto their hooves, the duo also turning to a fourth pony now in the room. It was Sombra, the fallen dark king of the Crystal Empire was now standing in the castle with the rest of them