Seed of the King

Years ago, King Sombra fell into defeat from the Mane 6, and those haunting echoes of that fateful day still permeated within the desolate corridors of that forsaken castle. Sombra's son, Lightning Bolt, makes his way down the cold, shadowed hall deliberately, as anger burns below a veneer of controlled rage. Every step is one heartbeat of vengeance in the silence.

Eyes once aglow with the childish wonder of innocence blaze with an inner fire now raw and of pure determination. "Enough of this," he proclaims in a voice echoing off ancient stone walls. "If my father couldn't conquer Equestria, then it falls to me. I'll take what was denied to him—and I will make them all pay for their arrogance!"

As he rounded a corner, he saw an ancient pedestal wrapped in shadow. Upon it rests an orb pulsating with some kind of dark, eerie glow, an artifact of his father's dark magic. The orb called to him, its dark aura vibrating with his own simmering rage. Approaching it with a mixture of reverence and anticipation, his heart pound against the ominous pulse of the thing. "With this power, I shall forge my path to dominance," he says.

He raises a hoof and strikes with a fearsome blow, hitting the orb as it shatter sending a shard that cuts through his flesh. The blood mixes with the seeping dark magic as it surges through his veins, coursing with the malevolent energy. Yet, the pain is unbearable, but he manages. With a determined grimace, he gritted his teeth as the dark power took hold of him. The wound seals itself as the magic binds to his very essence.

As the transformation finishes, his eye glowed bright green, encased in the eerie purple aura of Sombra's dark magic, tinged now with streaks of red and blue. The breathing evened out, and Lightning Bolt cast a gaze to hang onto a dusty, weathered portrait of his father that hung nearby.

"I'll get them back, father," he says, his voice an eerie whisper in the vacant hallway. His eyes narrow now, setting his gaze to the far-off Crystal Empire. "I am starting with the Crystal Empire. Nothing is going to get in my way," he says, the tone of his voice resounding with a chilling certainty. "Not even the Elements of Harmony."

He spreads his wings and takes off into the night sky, the dark magic fueling his flight as he sets his course for the Empire. He is ready to challenge the very forces which once defeated his father. Meanwhile, in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor stands on the balcony of the palace, surveying the peaceful night. A dark, ominous energy ripples through the air; in a flash, his senses are on high. A voice suddenly booms, echoing with malevolent intent, into the hush.

"Your precious Crystal Empire shall soon fall. I am nothing like the one you shouldn't have defeated. Prepare for your reckoning."

Shining Armor's eyes widen in alarm. He orders the guards to immediately call for others for help and raise the alarm: "The Empire is under attack!" he orders, commanding attention. "We have an unknown threat incoming. We need to prepare for the worst and protect the Empire!"

The palace bursts into chaos as Shining Armor's mind works rapidly to piece together who this threat is and what kind of danger they pose. What he doesn't know: the darkness from his past has returned, and this time, it bears a vengeance all its own. Princess Cadance proves the stalwart partner and immediately leaps to action. "I'll send them a letter to Twilight and the others," she says, with determination rising in her voice. She sits down at a nearby desk; her horn starts to glow as she pens a letter detailing everything about the ominous threat. The message is clear and urgent:

Dear Twilight and Friends,

We are facing a new and powerful threat. A dark force has come, and we are not sure what it is. We have detected a sinister energy and received a chilling message that foretold the fall of the Crystal Empire. We have put up a force field around the Empire in order to protect it, but we are not sure if it will hold against this threat.

Please come to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. Your help is crucial.

Yours in haste,

Cadance and Shining Armor

Cadance and Shining Armor began to reinforce the defenses of the Empire, sending a letter via magical courier out to Equestria as they activated the powerful force field which had protected them once before - encasing the Crystal Empire in its' shimmering barrier.

Shining Armor's face flickers with a flash of doubt the instant the force field flickers to life. "This will be enough," he says in a steady, strong voice.

All the dark power that had been instilled into him from that Lightning Bolt he had used has grown in strength, though they remain utterly unaware of this. He gets closer and closer to the Crystal Empire, and he can tell the force field is on. He smirks to himself, knowing full well the barrier wouldn't stop him.

He surges with dark magic, and a wave of energy crashes against the force field. The barrier shudders but holds for the moment, suddenly flickering under the immense strain. His dark aura is strengthened as he readies the next phase of his plan. Fully well, he knows that this protection that worked so effectively before will not be enough to stop his revenge this time around.

Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor and Cadance gaze in concern at the force field. The shining barrier still flickers and pulses under the assault of dark magic, an eccentric shine across the Empire.

"This isn't good," Shining Armor says, setting his gaze on the disturbance. "Twilight and the others need to be here right now. The force field isn't going to last that much longer."

The tension mounts higher as they wait for their friends to arrive, and the fate of the Crystal Empire possibly hangs in the balance.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance maintain a united front against the assault: the force field humming and flickering; concern taut on their faces. The shimmering barrier which engirdled the Crystal Empire pulsed erratically, having been struck relentlessly by that black shadow.

An enormous mass of darkness swirls and twists, as if alive. Every strike against the force field sends shockwaves through the Empire, shaking the very foundations of the palace. What was once an impenetrable barrier of great strength finally starts to weaken due to the continuing pressure-the glow of it dissipating with each blow.

Cadance's horn shone bright with the fierce determination channeled in magic to reinforce the barrier. The beads of sweat broke out on her brow, but she refused to yield, her efforts clear but faltering. "I don't know how much longer I can hold this!" she declared, her voice firm.

Shining Armor bounces his gaze between the faltering force field and the horizon, from which he knows Twilight and the others are racing to their aid. "We gotta hold on a bit longer," he urges with confidence, firm and resolute. "Twilight's on her way."

In one final, thunderous strike, the force field shatters, sending a cascade of sparkling fragments cascading down. The reddish-black shadow surges forward, sweeping into the Empire like an inky tide. The falling of the barrier sends ripples of panic through the guards and citizens alike as they scramble for cover.

Cadance regains her hooves beneath her once more, sapped of her magic. "It's breaking through!" she screams out, her heart sank.

Shining Armor watches, horror-struck, as the shadow engulfs the palace grounds; the dark tendrils snake through the streets and buildings, and Crystal Ponies are running, ducking inside their homes in terror. The Crystal Empire, proud and glorious, is reduced to a thick, ominous darkness.

The dark silhouette takes shape, revealing a figure that is unmistakably familiar. There's no question this figure bears resemblance to King Sombra, only his eyes ablaze with a vicious fiery intensity. "It's him!" Shining Armor gasps. ".... or at least it looks like him…" Cadence's face pales. "Sombra's supposed to be gone. This has to be something else, a leftover of his dark magic or somepony using his power." Shining Armor grasps Cadance's hoof, his face set with a determined look, his eyes showing desperation. "We can't wait any longer for Twilight. We have to do something ourselves. We have to fight back with all our might."

It was during this time that the Crystal Empire steeled themselves for the imminent attack, determined not to be bent by the shadows that now sought to engulf them. They would not be swayed. The dark figure moved further forward into chaos, with the air thick with dread and the balance of the Crystal Empire hanging precariously. It writhes and shifts to take upon itself the figure of a red alicorn, doffed in ominous silver armor and an arching horn, standing tall, imposing his eyes gleam with a fierce, unsettling light as he scans the chaos around him, a wide grin on his face, a betrayal of the wickedness which threatens to ensue.

He gazes dead at Shining Armor and Cadence, his stare coldly unforgiving, his voice explosive in a malevolent cackle. "Sombra is no longer your problem," he growls, the voice low, vile, and threatening. "This Empire will crumble beneath my power." His presence is marked by an aura of dark magic that writhes the very air about him in such a way that it's hard to breathe. The alicorn's mane of red and blue billows through the shadows, and his armor gleams ominously within the murk.

Shining Armor steels himself, his eyes narrowing in determination despite the gnawing fear. He is not afraid. "You won't get away with this!" he shouts with a firm voice, oozing confidence. "The Crystal Empire will not fall!" Cadence stood tall beside her husband, despite the wear of keeping up the barrier. Her horn shone with the last of her magic as she stood head-on against this new threat. "We won't let you take our home!" she insists with a firm voice, as her body begins to heave.

The Alicorn triumphantly laughs in the dark streets. "You're wrong," he tells her, his grin seeming to indicate otherwise. "Resistance is futile. The power of Sombra's dark magic, through me, will undo you. Much has been learned from my father's defeat. Now I will complete that which he could not.

"Father?!" Shining and Cadence exclaimed as the alicorn steps forward. The ground around him shudders, as if the dark magic thrums like a living thing within him. The crystal structures around them begin to crack and distort under his strained power, casting eerie shadows over the city. "I am Lightning Bolt, and let me inform you that indeed Sombra is my father. You're paying for his defeat. Prepare yourselves," he intones in a voice thick with dark satisfaction. "The true reign of darkness starts now. The Crystal Empire's fate is sealed."

Shining Armor and Cadance exchange a look that says they know exactly what they have to do. They have to get moving fast if they are going to save their home and their ponies. The defenders of the Crystal Empire prepare for battle as the forces of Lightning Bolt advance, ready to take on the dark power threatening to snuff them out of existence.