Things at the festival were going pretty well, that is until the shield surrounding the empire started to glitch. Twilight’s friends have been trying to ensure that things keep going on, but they couldn’t help but worry, Cadence was in pretty bad shape when they first saw her. It’s hard to tell how much longer she can keep the barrier up. but it also didn’t help that Twilight & her friends learned that, in order to keep the empire truly safe, they need a relic called the Crystal Heart. And it also didn’t help when the barrier went down for a bit, but quickly went back up a moment later. Thankfully, Pyre & Scorch were able to knock Sombra back out into the tundra, before he could even slip by and enter the empire.

So now while Twilight’s friends try to keep the crystal ponies in a good mood, so that they can power the heart, the unicorn herself began searching the entire castle for the heart. With the help of her trusted number one assistant Spike.

“Twilight we searched almost half the entire castle, but I don’t think we’re anywhere close to even finding the heart.” Spike said as followed Twilight to the next room.

“We have no choice Spike.” Twilight said as she used her magic to levitate all objects around the room, before placing them back.

“We have no idea where Sombra could’ve hid the Crystal Heart, so we’ll just have to search every room if we have to.”

After checking the room, Twilight & Spike meandered around the fourth floor of the castle, trying to think of where Sombra could’ve hid the heart. But just as Twilight passed by the throne room, she looked back into the room, and up at the throne’s head crystal. And remembered what Celestia told her before coming to the empire.

“I got it!” Twilight said as she walked into the room, Spike following behind.

“What!? Did you find where the heart is?”

“No, because…this isn’t Sombra’s castle.” Spike looked confused as he followed his guardian.

“But isn’t this where he lived when he was in power?”

“Yes. But the castle didn’t look like this.”

Twilight then struggled, as she tried to channel dark magic through her horn. As it pulsed with a black aura & sparks, and purple smoke started to seep through her closed eyes. She looked like she was in pain as she tried to use the dark forces. But the unicorn persisted through, and managed to fire a beam of dark magic at the crystal head piece, where a slow-moving wave of shadow stretched across the rooms floor. Before revealing a secret passage that lead deep into the castles foundation. Now that the path way was clear, Twilight lit her horn to create a small ball of light, and ventured down into the darken depths, where she hoped to find the Crystal Heart.

~~~~~

Scorch paced back and forth on the edge of the empires boarders, staring down Sombra, who was on the other side of the barrier. Glaring down at the titan, snarling as he waits for the right opportunity. As for Pyre himself, he was starting think he may have bitten off more than he can chew, after all, Sombra’s smoke-based body was surrounding the entire boarder of the empire. And even with what the ponies have told him, he still knows very little about what the old emperor was truly capable of.

“Why do you resist me creature?” Sombra said, his voice gravely and guttural, as his eyes continue to track the titan.

“Well for one thing, I’m getting paid for this job.” Pyre said over the mic, which caused the old king to quirk a brow.

“Paid?” Sombra said, before realization dawned on him. “AH! I see, you’re a mercenary. Rare for ponies to hire some creature like you’re kind, I’m actually surprised by this.” Then the old tyrant lowered his head, whereas the titan stopped his pacing, and walked right up to Sombra. Both mere inches away from the barrier, and staring down each other.

“Tell me, creature, what are my slaves offering you for your service?” Sombra asked. Which only got a fireball fired at his face, causing him to real back, and roar in pain in anger.

“Sorry Sombra, but…you can’t make me double-cross my clients.” Sombra snarled as he bared his fangs, his horn igniting with dark power.

“You will suffer for your insolence!”

But just as Sombra said those words, a loud blaring noise like a car alarm was wailing. Sombra then looked up to the castle, and apparently he was not pleased, as he growled and flared his horn with dark magic. A moment later the barrier started to really start to ebb, it looked like it was about to go down any minute. Preparing for a possible fight, the titan readied his weapon, and just in the nick of time, cause as soon as the shield finally went down Sombra charged with all his might right into the titan.

But as the tyrant kings smoke body enveloped the titan, Scorch was in prime condition to fire off at least two shots into Sombra’s body, before the old king bellowed out in pain & furry and tossed the titan a good ten yards. Right into the empire, and crashing right into a few buildings. The crystal ponies screamed & shouted as they saw the titan crash into their buildings, and seeing Sombra looming over the empire as he tries to snuff out the fire in his body.

“Man this is bad.” Pyre said to himself as Scorch got up, and fired another canister and fireball nearly simultaneously, causing Sombra to try and avoid the projectiles.

“This guy hits pretty hard. If I take to many hits, Scorch is scrap metal…and I’ll have to fight him myself. And I doubt my assault rifle will do much.” But just as Sombra was about to charge into the Empire, and before Scorch could continue firing, a voice cried out over the main square around the castle.

“HEY, EVERYPONY!” everyone in the crowed of ponies, Sombra, & Pyre looked up to where the voice came from. It was Spike, and he was holding something that was faintly glowing. “I GOT THE CRYSTAL HEART!”

“NO!” Sombra shouted, getting Pyre’s attention. “THAT’S MINE!” Sombra dove into the ground, turning into a shadow that was racing against the ground, creating small black crystal spikes in his wake.

But before he got too far, Scorched dashed in the path he was going in, and slammed his hand down to send out a firewall right into the shadow. Forcing Sombra back out into the open, and again for the umpteenth time, roaring in pain as fire just burned into his shadow mass. But this time, his body was reverted to its normal form. His body was now a tall unicorn stallion, with coat grey as steel with metal armor covering his body, a flowing red cape fluttering behind him as his body still had embers. All the while glaring up at the metal giant, baring his sharpen fangs and his curved red horn glowing with energy.

“I’ve had just enough you creature, and your fire spells!!!!” Sombra bellowed as shadows start to swirl around his body, and jagged crystals start to form from the darkness.

“I will deal with you first, then I will devour the Crystal Heart to fully restore myself, and fully take over the north!” Scorched put his thermite launcher away, before cracking his knuckles, as sparks of fire puffed from them.

“Do your worst Sombra, I’m not going to let you pass. Unless it’s over my dead body.” Pyre said as Scorch separated his hands, and two fireballs were created in the palms. While Sombra formed more shadows around him, and more crystals.

“That is the general idea!”

The crystals were fired like a machine gun spread from the shadows, all of them were flying towards the titan, who raised his right hand to create the thermal shield. Stopping most of the small crystal spikes, but not all of them, but the ones that did make it through didn’t do much to Scorch overall. However they were merely distractions as two waves of shadow raced across the ground, and once they were on Scorches sides, two massive crystal spires shot forward, striking the titan on both sides dealing a lot of damage.

Pyre grunted as the titan was shaken pretty roughly, but countered by swinging Scorches arms, shattering the spires before making a mad dash to Sombra. Who created a pillar of dark crystal beneath him, and shot him up into the air, before jumping backwards and blast the pillar with magic…causing it to tumble down on top of Scorch. But the titan managed to catch the pillar before it crushed him. tossing the pillar up a bit, the titan grappled the pillar like a giant pool, and swung it at Sombra with actually surprising speed, smacking the stallion the side. Sombra grunted, and before he was sent flying he shifted into a shadowy form, and slithered down the pillar until he was face-to-face with Scorch’s hatch. And started to unleash a barrage of crystal spikes from his horns magic.

While the first spike barrage was nothing much, this one was far more damaging, quickly depleting Scorches shields, and tearing into the titans own health pool. Scorch then raised a hand, and started to spray a continuous stream of fire from the hand, causing Sombra to stop his assault to form a magic shield. And now that Sombra was done attacking, Scorch opened his hatch while also stopping his fire spray, causing Sombra to drop his shield, allowing Pyre to emerge and deliver a punch to the kings face, sending him flying a good few feet until he crashed into the ground, and stumble a few more feet. Sombra managed to stop his tumble and get to his hooves, and when he looked up, Pyre was leaning over the hatch, his R-201 Carbine in his hand slung over his shoulder, and a smug smile on his face.

The two just stared at each, carefully thinking about their next move. Throughout the whole fight, the crystal ponies were all just hiding behind buildings, but were glued to the spectacle of the fight. Never have they’ve seen any pony, or creature, fight Sombra with equal measure of brutality & prowess. But before the fight could continue, both Sombra & Pyre looked down and watch the street turn a glowing neon blue.

“What the?” Pyre said as he turned to back to the castle, and see something generate a lot of light.

“NO! THIS CANNOT BE!”

Sombra was about to charge towards the castle, but after taking his fifth step, he was blasted by the light from the castle. Of all the cries of pain that Sombra gave when he was on fire, child screams compared to the banshee wail he’s letting loose as his body was bathed in the light, cracking with veins of energy…before exploding like a water balloon…and his body being scattered to the winds. As for Pyre he was trying not to go blind by covering his eyes, but after a few seconds the light started to fade away, allowing the young man to remove his arm to see that everything was so…different now. The city looked brighter, and more cleaner. The dark sky was now gorgeous with an aurora taking over, and the crystal ponies, they all looked so shiny and were parading like they won the lottery.

“Well…that was definitely…something.” Was all he said as he rubbed the back of his head. just then some of the ponies clambered over to him, praising him as they all looked up at him.

“Thank you so much!”

“You helped rid us of Sombra!” They all said so cheerfully, which actually caused the young man to blush slightly.

“Man these guys really know how to make a guy blush.” After the crystal ponies have finished their praising, Pyre was able to walk through the crowed and towards the castle, where Twilight and the others were standing.

Meanwhile, out in the tundra, in a small pile of snow, a curved red horn laid. Emitting a small red glow with purple, black & green smoke emitting from it, before the horn started to re-grow. And the head of Sombra started to form, as one eye glowed with intense anger and hatred.

“This…isn’t over…creature!”

Author's Note

and here is where the journey really begins for Pyre. will his plan of using both the changelings & ponies to get back home work, or will he be inprisoned by Chrysalis for betray, or shunned by the ponies for deceiving them?