There was a magical beam of crimson flowing from Sombra's horn as he poured all of his rage and pain into the Crystal Heart, changing it from a vibrant blue to a blood-red. There. Now that that's been taken care of. He panted heavily and turned to exit the throne room when a flash of energy exploded outward from the Crystal Heart, sending the red outer shell bursting off in shards and leaving it in its natural blue shape. He scowled and slammed a hoof on the ground in distress. This was the third time in a row he'd tried to charge the heart with his power and it refused to take. What had changed?

After quite a lot of coaxing-and a mild sleeping draught-Sombra managed to put Twilight to bed and sat to watch her sleep, admiring the soft beauty of her face and the light breaths of air that escaped her lips as her chest gently rose and fell. She'd had a tiring and scary experience so it seemed only right that she got well rested before there were any further discussions on the future of their relationship. It wasn't as though Sombra was afraid that Twilight would leave him, although the fear kept itself coiled up in the back of his head like a waiting viper. He just wanted the both of them in their right frame of mind when the time came. In the meantime, he decided to investigate the matter of the kingdom's now-debunked magical barrier and the reason behind its failure. The Crystal Heart had somehow drained itself of his magic and replaced with a new one, the source of which he discovered to be, to his own surprise, to be love and was now vibrating with positive energy the likes of which he'd never seen before.

Sombra slumped down onto his throne and swigged his wine, feeling the onset of a migraine developing. He thought back to his days as a prince, where there was no changelings, no kingdom to rule and he only had his magic and his studies. It would seem that his rise to power began with the murder of his father, the greatest and worst moment of his adult life. And then SHE happened to me. Sombra shook his head. Princess Celestia was in the past and Twilight Sparkle was his future. Kill the colt so that the stallion may live. It seems the colt is still alive somewhere in this stallion's beating heart.

Sombra…

The umbrum nearly dropped his wine glass. "Darkness? Is that you? Where have you been?"

Recovering.... The Darkness replied, sounding oddly weak and feeble. Listen, your father...you didn't kill him, at least...not completely. Erebus...Erebus has...returned...

"Darkness, this isn't amusing!" Sombra spat, rising to his hooves. "Do not speak of such...such...taboos!"

The Darkness wheezed, No jokes, no humor. Erebus has been...inside your mind. He pushed me deep down and took my place. He is here...here in the Crystal Empire. Prepare yourself...please...

All of this was off to Sombra. First, there was the Darkness' weak tone and its out-of-character softness. Then there was its insane babbling of his long-dead father's return. Then again, I made plans in case of my own hypothetical demise and Erebus was twice the mage I am. He could've made such plans as well. Downing the last of his wine, Sombra tossed the glass aside, not caring that it shattered against a wall. "If what you're saying is true, then what's his endgame? Father always loved his little schemes and never went anywhere without one."

Don't know...barely hanging on. But I feel him nearby...watching...waiting...

"For what?"

"Your Majesty!"

Rubinstein stood in the doorway uncertainly, his chest heaving as though he'd been running a long distance.

"Yes Rubinstein, what is it?"

"Princess Celestia is fast approaching and she's not alone, sire."

Nosey ol' Tia. NOW what does she want? "Go wait by Twilight's room. Make sure she's safe." He stomped past the confounded crystal pony, his eyes alight with anger. "I'll deal with her myself."

The group hesitantly entered the Crystal Kingdom, noticing with alarming clarity that the magical barrier had been abandoned as well as the "subtle" nuisances of the Shadow King's territory, such as the giant banners and the black crystal spires. The castle itself looked as it did before Sombra's retaking of it, shimmering brightly like a thousand stars in the sun. The kingdom's inhabitants walked by the six ponies as though nothing was out of the ordinary, some even waving and throwing smiles their way. This is kinda spooky. Applejack thought to herself. What's been goin' on with Sombra anyway?

The castle doors swung open and out stepped the king himself, adorned with his usual attire of crown, armor and cloak, his face hard and unwelcoming. "Princess Celestia, Element bearers, what brings you here? I thought our agreement was clear: none of you are allowed to enter the Crystal Empire and I certainly didn't give you permission otherwise."

Keeping a cool head, Celestia replied, "Sombra, we received a rather shocking series of images from the Blue Bead. As you are aware, the only things capable of transmitting images to a Bead is another Bead. Where is Twilight Sparkle?"

"Upstairs asleep. What did you see?"

"We...-"

With a mighty battle cry, a multicolored streak hit Sombra, carrying the umbrum away from the group and sending him smashing into a nearby hut's wall. Before he had time to recover, the streak moved again, smacking him across the face and spiraling towards the ground. He was rammed back into the now cracked wall, a fuming Rainbow Dash gripping him by the shoulders, a look of murderous rage brewing behind her cerise eyes. Her right hoof connected with his cheek, followed by her left, a flurry of blows violently bobbing his head back and forth. The punches were so hard and intense that the hapless crystal pony onlookers were afraid that Sombra's neck might eventually break from the punishment.

"Why? Why, why, why?! Why did you do it, you bastard? She trusted you!"

Her punches ceased and she could only fume as the stallion stared at her pitifully. "Fight back!"

Sombra shook his head, fresh blood dribbling down his chin. "No...I can't. Twilight would never forgive me..."

"What?" Rainbow slammed Sombra's back against the wall, ignoring or unaware of her friends rushing to stop her tirade. "What did you say?"

"If I hurt one of you...even accidently...Twilight would never forgive me...," Sombra weakly gasped, locking eyes with the bewildered Pegasus. "I love her...too much to do that...do what you will...but I won't fight back..."

"Rainbow Dash, that's enough! Let...him...go!"

Celestia's voice failed to elicit a response from Rainbow, who appeared to be in a trance, unaware of her surroundings or even what to do next. Gently but firmly, Applejack placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder, her voice soft and soothing. "C'mon Sugar Cube. Let 'im go. Please," she whispered. "Look at 'im. He's had enough." Slowly, Rainbow released her grip and backed away, Applejack keeping a steady hold on her as she inspected her blood-covered hooves.

"Sombra…" Celestia helped to steady the umbrum, who had somehow managed to stay upright throughout Rainbow's frenzied barrage. She was furious yes, furious at the thought of Twilight being hurt but looking at her former lover and hearing what he had said jogged her memory of a kind stallion, one who'd never do something so despicable and all doubt immediately vanished. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes Tia," Sombra nodded, wincing as he did so before motioning for Celestia to back up. She did so reluctantly, watching as he wobbled slightly but still managed to stay on his hooves. "Well, that was a hell of a greeting," he grunted as his jaw clacked left and right. "Southern traditions are so strange."

"SOMBRA!"

"Twilight?" Applejack questioned.

Everypony turned to find a purple unicorn gallop at full speed towards them before skidding to a stop in front of the battered and bruised Sombra, her hooves rising a hair's breath away from his face. The love and devotion in her eyes and voice were undeniably sincere, closing the case on the image that the Blue Bead had shown them. She then whirled around, her gaze angrily fixed on a remorseful-looking Rainbow Dash. "What the fuck did you do to him?!"

Rainbow understandably stared wide-eyed at Twilight, thrown off by her anger and causal swearing. "I...uh…"

A hoof stroked Twilight's shoulder. "Twi, she thought you...were in danger. Don't...be...so harsh."

This calmed her down as she lightly ran her hooves over Sombra's face. "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I laugh."

Twilight smirked. "Then we have nothing to worry about."

"Aw, now isn't this touching?"

They all spun around to find a figure approaching them, his mouth contorted into a cruel grin as his single eye regarded them humorously. What at first glance appeared to be an impossibly large black cloak was in actuality a sold mass of darkness protruding from the newcomer's body, becoming a mix between massive wings and gigantic talons. Nopony had to ask who the stranger was; his resemblance to Sombra was too striking to miss. "Hello again, Princess Celestia. Sombra."

"No...it can't be!"

Erebus chuckled, "It can and is. So good to see you again, son." Behind him, a swarm of changelings darkened the sky with their entrance, their combined buzzing almost deafening everypony present. These, however, were not your garden variety changelings. Curved red horns topped their skulls, their scarlet eyes filled with fury and bloodlust as their dark gray bodies flitted around in the air. "I wanted a chance to introduce the kids. Can't you see the family resemblance?"

"It's a bug hunt! Game over, man, game over!" Pinkie Pie shrieked and dove for the nearest vendor's cart.

"Erebus, what have you done?!" Princess Celestia roared, her horn charged with a golden aura.

The former Shadow King snorted contemptuously. "Isn't it obvious? Queen Chrysalis and I had a little...arrangement. Do you like them? They're dying to meet you all. Kill them!"

Author's Note

Here it its: your designated climatic BBBS (Big Badass Battle Sequence) with the added bonus of umbrum-changeling hybrids!

BTW: Aliens is one of my favorite movies. Anyone else?

R.I.P. Bill Paxton (1955-2017)