Chapter 144: The Dark King Cometh Pt. 3
It took little time for Storm and Applejack to relay what happened in the frozen wasteland surrounding the Crystal Empire. Despite trying to keep herself in check, anyone with eyes could see that the pink princess was shaking slightly with pent-up emotion.
"-When I went back out to help him," Storm said, finishing the story. "They were gone, every last one of them." He hung his head down. "If I had stayed by his side then-"
"Then the others would have been put in danger as well." Rarity interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You did what you had to do to protect us, Storm. Nobody will fault you for that." She glanced at Rainbow, who seemed to look away from them as they talked. "Or, at the very least, I wouldn't."
"S-She's right, Storm. As strong as you are, you are but one person. You can't be everywhere at once." Cadence told him, gaining the boy's attention. "It…It pains me that Shining Armor has been captured, but holding you or anyone responsible would be foolish on my part. I'm sure you all did everything you could to help him." Her words seemed laced with sorrow as she spoke, and she seemed to struggle as she said the next few words. "We…we can discuss it later. I suspect he is safe since Sombra might find him more useful alive. Right now, we must worry about the kingdo-Nggh!"
Everypony gasped as the woman cringed, her body fluxing in power, almost like she was hit with a power surge. A flash of light caught Storm's eyes as his gaze shifted toward the window. To his shock, the shield keeping the Shadow Beasts at bay seemed to be flickering in and out of existence.
"Princess!" Applejack ran to her side, catching the pink woman before she could topple. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Cadance sighed. "I…I have been able to use my magic to spread love and light throughout the empire. I think that's the only reason King Sombra cannot get in." She rubbed her aching head as her magic once again picked up. "Shining Armor's spell kept getting countered by King Sombra, and because of that…."
Rarity gasped. "So that means that...You have been awake all this time?!"
"It's because of that shadow varmint!" Applejack said with irritation in her voice. "No wonder ya look worse for wear. Ya can't let your magic stop and rest up."
The woman steadied herself as she slowly stood back up on her feet. "It…it is alright. I am fine."
"I'm sorry, princess," Rainbow said with a frown. "But you look anything but fine."
"Rainbow is right." Rarity quipped. "Just look at you. You can't keep going on like this."
"But if the barrier fails, then…." Fluttershy shuddered. "You know who will be coming after us."
"I won't let that happen, everyone," Storm said with a determined frown. "I promised to do my best to stop Sombra! It's why I'm here!"
"It's why we're all here, Storm." Applejack corrected. "And we'll do our best together."
Cadance smiled and nodded. "Shining nor I have been able to collect any information due to me putting all my strength into keeping the spell going and-" Her voice broke as she spoke, "Shining looking out for signs of trouble in the arctic. We have yet to be able to gather much information from the citizens."
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "The faster we figure it out, the faster we can save Shining Armor, and the faster we can kick that Dark King's ass!" She made a beeline toward the door leaving behind a rainbow trail in her wake. The rest of the girls followed suit, leaving only Cadance and Storm behind.
The Jedi looked toward the princess/ruler as he spoke.
"Cadance. I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"Storm... don't say that..."
"It's my fault. If only... if only... I could have..."
"You did your job. It's what my husband would have wanted. He'd be glad to know you got everybody to safety." said Cadance as she tried to reassure the boy that he didn't need to take it so personally. "I'm not angry with you, Storm."
The Jedi kept his head down as Cadance spoke. He knew the woman wasn't angry because of what he did, but... he still couldn't help that he could have prevented this. And that Shining Armor would be here with his wife. Storm quickly glanced at Twilight, still sleeping in his arms, as he looked up at the ruler.
"I promise. On my word as a Jedi, I will get Shining Armor back. And we'll defeat Sombra." said Storm.
"Shh. I know you will," said Cadance as she approached the boy and placed her hand on his shoulder before trailing it upward to cusp his cheek. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault."
The woman pulled his head closer, and Cadance kissed his forehead.
"Get Twilight to bed. She needs rest. Stay with her."
Storm nodded as he began to follow a servant to one of the guest rooms; Cadance slowly made her way to her throne and weakly fell back in it. The woman coughed as she could feel her life force being sucked out. The one thing Cadance didn't tell the kids, in risk of them having more pressure on their shoulders, was that the spell she was using to create the barrier was using more than just her basic magic. In truth, Cadance was using her life force to boost its power. And in turn... it was slowly killing her.
"Please... just... a little longer..." said the woman before fainting as her magic continued.
Storm stepped into a room and made his way to the bed. He gently placed Twilight on it as the princess continued to sleep. The boy took a moment to look at the girl as he sat beside her bedside; he grabbed her hand and held it before kissing it and putting it to his forehead.
"I promise, Twilight. We're gonna rescue your brother... and we're gonna beat Sombra. Count on it... my princess."
The boy then laid her hand by her side as he got up. He turned and walked a step when he felt something grab his hand. Storm turned to see Twilight's hand reaching up to grab him.
"Storm... don't... go..." muttered Twilight as she mumbled in her sleep, still weak. "Stay... with... me..."
The Jedi saw the princess as she continued to mutter in her sleep. Soon he slid into the bed next to the girl and continued to hold her hand. The boy brought his other hand to stroke her cheek; Twilight opened her eyes momentarily and saw her partner's face. She smiled as she leaned in and kissed his cheek before returning to sleep and nuzzling into him. Storm put his arms around the girl and pulled her tightly in, the boy making sure he would keep his word to both her and Cadance.
Storm awoke as he felt something soft and bouncy. The boy opened his eyes and blinked momentarily due to his blurry vision. Once he got his field of vision clear, he realized what he was feeling. It panned out to show that the boy had his face burrowed into Twilight's chest. The princess continued to hold onto his head and instinctively pulled him closer as she mumbled in her sleep.
The Jedi lay there for a bit as he seemed to enjoy it. Soon, Storm began slowly making his way out of Twilight's grip and exited the bed. The boy looked back at her before looking out the window; he could see that he'd fallen asleep the rest of the previous day as it was morning. He went to the door and slowly exited, ensuring not to wake the princess.
Storm was walking in a hallway trying to devise a plan to save Shining Armor, much less find him. He secretly passed a room as the door was open, and he heard something.
"I concur, your Majesty. It would help if you rested," said a doctor.
"I cannot," groaned Cadance as she got off the bed and struggled to stand. "The future of this kingdom... depends on me..."
"PLEASE STOP!" yelled the doctor to Cadance as she struggled to approach the door. "IF YOU CONTINUE LIKE THIS, YOU WILL DIE!"
Storm gasped when he heard that.
"Cadance... is dying..." muttered the Jedi.
"Then... so be it..." responded the woman.
Storm had stood behind the door as he took in what was said. The Jedi had more reason to get Shining Armor back and save Cadance from dying. The boy then silently left.
Despite Storm's grand gesture, the boy didn't know what to do or where to go. Still, he had made a promise to Cadance. Something he wasn't going to back down from.
"So, what's the plan, big guy?"
"Spike?" said Storm as he saw the small prince beside him.
"Yup. How can I help?"
"I'm not sure you can," said the boy as he walked.
"Why not?"
Storm stopped as he took a deep breath. "Kid... I'm... not sure if I should tell you this, but... Cadance... is dying..."
"What?" muttered the kid at hearing his sister-in-law was dying.
"Every moment she spends keeping the barrier up is eating away at her life force. If she doesn't rest... she'll be sleeping permanently," said Storm.
Spike's face dropped as he didn't like hearing what Storm said. The Jedi could see the small prince was a bit disturbed at hearing Cadance was slowly dying, especially because, as a kid, he shouldn't be concerned with the concept of death.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Spike.
"Honestly, I don't know, kid," responded the Jedi.
The small prince thought momentarily, pondering that question before slamming a fist into his open hand, an idea popping into his head. "I got it! Whenever Twilight is stumped on something, she always turns to her favorite catchphrase."
Storm blinked before he realized what the prince had said.
"To the library!" both said.
Elsewhere within the Crystal Kingdom, Rainbow was glad to be away from the others for the time being, especially the Jedi.
"How could he just leave Shining out there?!"
She asked the question out loud, but she already knew the answer.
He did it for the girls. He did it to save Twilight and the others, including me.
Still, she wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. She couldn't allow herself to.
"He should have been faster at getting back to him!"
Again, the girl's mind betrayed her words, reminding her that he tried his best to get to him, even feeling deep remorse when he could not.
He was ready to take all of the blame on himself, and if Pinkie hadn't stopped him...
"Gah! I know that! I know that he did try his best to save him…but…he just …he-"
Her mind questioned her relentlessly, wondering why she was trying to push the boy away. Rainbow began to rub her head with both hands in wild frustration; many of the crystal citizens around slowly backed away from the teen, not wanting to be on the business end of her rage-filled rant with herself.
Within the Crystal Kingdom's library, it wasn't long before the duo found themselves at the Crystal Empire Public Library after asking a few people in town. They both smiled brightly and hyped themselves up, ready to find what they needed, stop the king, and save the prince, but both Jedi and kid gasped at the sight they beheld once they entered the establishment.
"Dear Equis," Spike's eyes widened with wonder and fear. "Just look at them all! Twilight would totally have a nerdgasm if she saw this place!"
"Where do we even start? How do we start? It's gonna take us forever to go through all of this."
Spike thought for a moment, not really knowing himself, that is, until some movement caught his eye. "Hey, what about her?" He pointed at an elderly woman walking towards them. "She looks like she works here."
The woman stopped a short distance away from the pair, adjusting her glasses as she did so.
"Ahem." The old woman coughed into her hand, "May I help you, gentlemen?"
Storm smiled as he gave her a nod. "Yep. We're looking for a book."
The woman cocked her head before motioning toward the bookshelves around her. "Well, as you can see, we have plenty of those."
Spike rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "What my wayward friend is saying is, we're looking for a book about…um…how about the history of the Crystal Empire."
The Jedi looked at Spike. "Why a history book Spike?"
The small prince smiled smugly. "Well, I figure it's the best way to find out how the empire used to protect itself from danger. Maybe we can use it to see if anything can help Cadance and save my big brother."
The Jedi turned to face the woman with a smile on his face. "Got any history books?"
The elderly woman placed a hand on her chin and repeated the word history repeatedly before looking back at the pair. "Ah yes, history. Well, we've got plenty."
The librarian pointed to the massive rows behind her as both boys took it all in. They groaned in agitation, knowing it would take a while with just the two of them.
"Listen, I'm pretty good at finding books, but we'll need the girls' help. Can you find them for me while I get started?
"Not a problem! I'll be back in no time!" said Storm as he left.
The sting of ice upon his back was the first thing Shining noticed as he awoke from a blow to the head he could not remember. He would have tried to soothe the pain if not for his limbs being entrapped in crystallized ice. He had tried to move in hopes of freedom, but it was to no avail; black crystals embedded into him, siphoning his magic as quickly as he tried to summon it and keeping him in place.
"D-Darn it...that could have gone way better..."
"You can say that again, prince."
Shining stiffened at the sound of the voice, his gaze locking onto a shadow, making his way from one of the cavern entrances. The young man glared at it before scoffing in defiance as the shadow was revealed to be none other than Sombra.
"You won't get away with this."
"Is that so, your Highness? I would take your words to heart, but a loser's threat is an empty promise. You were defeated by me and my forces, after all."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You want to know why? I'll tell you why! Because your parents took away from me what was rightfully mine!" Sombra snapped. "I had a dynasty that was waiting to happen. But it seems your parents were jealous. They wanted their bloodline to be the only dynasty that would live forever. Talk about selfish. And now... Now, they will pay. Both of them will pay with their kids."
"You leave Twilight alone. You hear me!" The young man struggled furiously as he wanted to leap out of the ice and strangle the warlock before him. "I will never forgive you if you hurt a single hair on her head!"
"Oh…I don't think you have a choice in the matter. These caverns here were meant to keep me here forever. I'm sure with you, the way you are now, you'll have little to no chance of being a thorn in my side. Can't have two heroes running about, can I?" snickered the evil King. "But maybe, just maybe, if you are a good boy, I'll even allow your cute little wife to keep you company down here as you watch everything you care about crumble. That is... once I'm done having my fun with her and your little sister and turning them into my willing little slaves," spoke Sombra as he licked his lips.
He crackled loudly as he left the still struggling Shining in his bonds, the prince yelling curses unfit for most ears.
It took little time for Storm to find the rest of the girls, though discovering Pinkie Pie dressed in a perfect Fluttershy costume was an experience he thought he would never have. Pinkie aside, the Jedi led the girls towards their destination, where an already busy Spike was hard at work combing the library.
Fluttershy, the real one, already went to work, going from shelf to shelf with the Crusaders beside her, the three girls and herself checking the lower parts of the bookshelves while Rainbow and Pinkie, with the aid of bouncing, checked the higher areas of each row. Rarity and Storm stayed on the ground, ensuring nothing was missed, while Spike climbed ladder after ladder.
It had been hours since they started, yet the group seemed no closer to finding a solution than this morning.
"Is it just me," Rainbow asked after flipping through what she believed was her hundredth book. "Or do we seem to be putting all our effort into a lost cause?"
Storm groaned at the book he had just flipped through, tossing it to the side when he was done. "Darn it! Not that one, either! None of these books seems to have what we're looking for!"
"We can't just give up, though!" Applebloom called out from a book pile she was sifting through. "There's gotta be something."
"I'm not giving up Applebloom," Storm said reassuringly. "But there has to be a better way to-"
"I found something," Spike proclaimed, holding a heavy tome high. "It's the History of the Crystal Empire!"
"GASP! You did!? YIPPIE!" Pinkie bounced up and down as she cheered. "This calls for a Spike found the Book party!"
"I don't know about parties, but," Rainbow whistled, impressed. "Way to go, Spike! Who's the man?"
"Heh, I'm the man!" The small prince puffed out his chest as he pounded it with his fist proudly. "Just doing what I do best…And what is that, you may ask? Why it's none other than being amazing!"
So enticed was the prince with himself that he failed to notice the black and red blur coming at him until it was too late. Knocking the boy upside the head, Spike hit the floor and dropped the book, causing it to slide on the ground far out of anyone's reach. Just as it stopped in its momentum, two more of the same creatures that had hit Spike popped into existence around the tome, the shadow-like creatures bouncing about as if they were dancing for joy.
Storm took to battle as he turned on his lightsaber. The three Shadow Beasts ran at him; one leaped into the air as the Jedi slashed and took it out before landing. He grabbed one using the Force and threw it away. Pinkie reached behind a bookcase, pulled out a party cannon, and positioned it just right, allowing the creature to land inside the opening. Raising her hand, she said with too much enthusiasm, "FIRE." She slammed down on the fuse, causing the Shadow Beast to shoot toward another one just as it fired off an ice bolt. The blast struck its partner, freezing it within the confines of an ice block within seconds.
Pinkie giggled. "Hey! No need to give someone the 'Cold' Shoulder." The pink girl gasped before ducking as another bolt of ice shot over her head. "Hey, that wasn't very 'Cool'! You forgot to yell 'Freeze'!" Not being able to hold herself back, she laughed uproariously, rolling on the ground as she did so.
The Shadow Beast charged itself up for another attack as the pink-haired girl laughed her behind off. However, its retaliation was cut short due to a wayward book knocking it out of the sky and onto the ground below.
"Ha!" Scootaloo yelled. "Take that!"
"Scootaloo!" Fluttershy hooked an arm around the girl pulling her in just as the creature appeared before them.
Fluttershy, Rarity, and the Crusaders starred in wide-eyed shock as the Shadow Beast began to surge with electricity ready to strike. Before it could do so, however, Storm's lightsaber was plunged through its head, causing it to drop to the floor and dissipate in a cloud of smoke after a few moments.
"Too easy!" smiled Storm, turning his lightsaber off.
The boy yelped as he was assaulted by an over-enthusiastic little girl, Applebloom wrapping her arms around the Jedi's lower half. "Thanks for the save Storm. We would have been goners if it wasn't for you."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo boasted.
Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle agreed though both were happier that everyone came out of the ordeal in one piece.
Rarity's magic grasped the fallen book, holding it out towards Storm. "Whatever it is that's in here must be important. I dare say we may have found what we are looking for if that's the case."
Storm nodded as he took the book into his hands. "Yeah, they were having trouble getting this back." He smiled as he opened the book, the rest of the girls gathering around him as he did so. "Let's see what they were trying to keep us from discovering."
Before any could have a chance, someone came in through the doors.
"There y'all are!" exclaimed Applejack.
"What's up, Aj?" asked Storm.
"Sugarcube. We got a situation."
The group made their way back to the castle. Twilight was now awake as she had finally recovered. They were in the throne room as they saw Cadance sitting on her throne. The princess saw her friends as she raced to them.
"What's the situation, Sparky?" asked Storm as the girl hugged him before pulling away.
"It seems some Shadow Beasts are heading this way," said Twilight.
"But how is that possible? I thought the barrier Cadance was putting up was keeping them from getting in!" exclaimed Rainbow.
"We don't know. But... we need to stop them," grunted Cadance.
"Oh, dear. You don't look well, your Majesty," said Rarity, seeing the ruler of the Crystal Empire in an even worst state than the previous day.
"That's because as long as she keeps the barrier up, it's sucking her life force," said Twilight.
The others, minus Storm and Spike, all gasped at hearing that. They looked at the woman as her weakened state emphasized what the princess said.
"Your Highness, we've evacuated the citizens!" said a Crystal royal guard as he rushed into the room.
"Good. Get yourself ready," strained Cadance as the guard bowed and left.
"Seems Sombra has sent a small army of his Shadow Beasts to overrun us," said Twilight.
"So, what are we going to do?" asked Fluttershy.
"We're gonna fight. That's what," said Storm.
"You can't be serious, sugarcube!"
"I already failed to save one person. I'm not gonna let it happen again," said Storm as he looked to exit the room.
"You're not doing it alone," spoke Twilight as the boy turned to her, "We're partners. Whatever we do, we do together."
The Jedi smiled as they exited the throne room and prepared for the upcoming attack. They entered the communications rooms as they saw many guards scrambling.
"What's the situation?" asked Twilight.
"From what we've gathered, your Highness. The enemy will be attacking at several places at once."
Twilight and Storm looked at the hologram as they saw the places where the Shadow Beast army would strike. They looked at the edge of the barrier as the creatures dug their claws and horns in, as the barrier flickered from how weak it was.
"The first thing we must do is defend all the places," suggested Storm. "We need to get to those positions and secure them."
"Even so, that still may not be enough. One thing about fighting is that while numbers can be an advantage, it depends on which side has the better strategy. While I'll admit that defending the places will give us some foothold, the enemy will quickly overwhelm us." said Twilight. "Not to mention that they aren't just let us take them, though. If we can find a way to get most of the army to focus on one specific section of the battlefield, it may allow us to defend the other places and then start to push forward and converse on the main army. Then all we to do is finish them off."
"If we were to do that, we must ensure the enemy delivers all their attention to that spot. We need a diversion," said the boy.
"Someone to catch their attention by coming at them head-on." chimed in Twilight. "But who?"
"I'm in position," said Storm as he spoke into his comlink.
"Same here," responded Rainbow. "Alright, Jedi. Let's see that military experience that you and Twilight have leading an army."
"Remember, the enemy will attack the stadium, the spa, and the library. These places are spread out and will be too much for us for a frontal assault. So to make up for that, we will place a small strike force to repel invaders. Meanwhile, the main group will approach the center of town. Once they see Storm, they'll be focused on attacking him." stated Twilight as she relayed the info to everyone.
"Pinkie and I are just arrivin' at the spa," said Applejack.
"Fluttershy and I have made our way to the stadium," stated Rainbow Dash.
"Excellent. Me and Rarity have the library. We have some of the guards stationed to defend the home base. Remember, we have to hold them off and then push them back." stated Twilight. "And Storm, it's your job to ensure that not too many enemies slip by you. Please be careful."
"Don't worry, Twilight. I'll pace myself; you guys focus on clearing out your sections and then meeting me in the middle," said the boy as he shut off his comlink.
"It seems we all know our plan," said Cadance as she was in her bedroom, looking out of her balcony. The woman closed her eyes as she went off to sleep.
Part of Storm and Twilight's plan was to have Cadance release the barrier to allow the creature to trickle in so that they could confront them. So with the woman now asleep, the barrier was down as the Shadow Beasts began to run toward the city, looking to terrorize anything in her path. At least, Cadance getting some rest would allow her to regain some of her life force.
Storm was in the town square as the Jedi bent to a knee and closed his eyes. The Jedi concentrated as he cleared his mind. Soon the sound of rumbling was heard as the ground shook; the Shadow Beasts ran through the streets as they tore apart some of the buildings and rooftops with claws and firing magic from their horns. They approached the middle of town and saw the lone Jedi kneeling there as he awaited them. The boy opened his eyes and stared at the army of creatures before him. The creatures drooling at the mouth, ready to tear the boy limb from limb.
"Been waiting for you, so... how was the trip?" asked Storm with a playful smile.
One gave a loud shriek before they began to charge at the Jedi.
"Well, that worked," said Storm, turning on his lightsaber and charging forward. The boy was running before leaping into the air as several creatures were climbing on each other to meet the Jedi in mid-air as he brought his lightsaber downward.
The sounds of fighting could be heard as they heard and saw some magical blast coming from Storm's position.
"Well, seems the Jedi has pissed them off even more," said Rainbow.
"Then we have no time to waste," said Twilight.
While the main army was focused on taking down Storm, they also had their mission. Soon several members broke off from the main group as they headed toward their destination. A small group was heading down the street towards the spa, while a few started to make their way towards the stadium, and a third group left for the library. That left Storm to deal with the majority as he prayed that he could hold them off and buy the girls time.
Applejack was on the ground floor as she stretched her muscles, getting ready to fight. Pinkie had been stationed above the spa with her party cannon and had several Sniper guards stationed along some nearby buildings as they were lying in wait with their bows, ready to shoot at the creatures. On the ground were some Crystal Guards and some Veteran and Warmaster guards. The group was waiting for their foes to show up, which wasn't long as they could hear the growling as it got closer and closer.
"Yeehaw, get ready y'all. Mess with the bull; you get the horns!" stated Applejack as she stood her ground, pulled out her dual blasters, and spun them before aiming them forward.
"Locked and loaded," said Pinkie.
The Shadow Beasts were charging toward them as Pinkie, Applejack, and the Snipers began to fire from a distance. The Warmasters charged ahead and used their bear-like gauntlets to smash the creatures with kicks and punches while the Veterans threw out daggers that struck them. Aj was firing while spinning in a circle at the Shadow Beasts that surrounded her before she lifted a foot and stomped the ground; it generated a shockwave that caused all the creatures leaping in the air to attack her to be pushed back.
The enchantment that Night Light had given to the girls' clothing was a way for their respective powers to be amplified. Applejack smiled as she did a punch to the ground and made it open up a bit as some fell in. The girl returned to firing as she tossed one of her blasters up and spun. What happened next occurred within the blink of an eye, but in slow motion, Applejack was coming back around with the one blaster still in her hand as she took aim. The girl opened fire and let loose a barrage of shots within milliseconds of each other that took out a wave of enemies. The country gal stopped in her original position as she caught her other blaster coming down. She then continued to shoot with that blaster, letting her other one recharge from using her family's signature Crackshot technique.
In the stadium, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were preparing for what was about to come. They had set up a little barricade for themselves as they had some Assassins and Falcon Knight guards with them. Soon the sound of the creatures was heard as they got closer.
"Time to kick some ass!" exclaimed Rainbow as she pointed her blaster and fired.
The Falcon Knights took to the air as they began to use their bows and rain down some arrows from above. The Assassin all ran forward as they moved at blinding speed, slashing at the Shadow Beasts in their path. Rainbow began to take off as she used her superspeed to move about the field, firing shots at the creatures. Most focused on the chromatic-haired girl as she disappeared in a rainbow trail, allowing the others to attack them. Some Falcon Knights transitioned to their lances and swords as they swooped down to engage the Shadow Beasts.
Twilight had Rarity create one of her diamond protective barriers at the library as it surrounded the building and the area around it. Some of the magic classes of guards were with the girls as they prepared their staffs and tomes. Soon their squad of Shadow Beasts appeared and were pounding away at the barrier; Twilight gave the command as the mages opened fire with their magic and spells. The princess leaped into the action as she sliced and diced at any creatures that slipped past Rarity's barrier. Twilight kept a close eye on the shield as it was holding, but cracks eventually formed. All they could do was try to push the enemy back.
With all four teams doing their best to hold the enemy off, safe to say that it was at a stalemate. The small groups were doing their best to hold their position; Storm, however, had the tough job as he was in a 1 vs. 1000 position. The good thing is that most of the army was focused on taking him out. The Jedi was doing his best to dodge the attacks by the creatures as he did some dodge rolls and used his parkour skills to evade.
The boy slid under a Shadow Beast; the claw nearly scratched his face. He popped up and thrust his lightsaber backward before pulling it out and rolling off another creature's back as he thrust his hand out. He then sensed another trying to charge him as he threw his lightsaber, pierced the Shadow Beast through its head, and fell. He landed and turned around to face another creature leaping onto him; the Jedi's hand sparkling as his weapon reappeared just in time as he thrust his arm up, and the plasma sword struck through the creature's body.
"How are we holding up, everyone?" said Storm into his comlink as he sliced at another creature without looking.
"All good on our end," shouted Pinkie.
"Rarity and I are starting to push them back."
"Not so much on our end." Fluttershy was frightened. "Could maybe we get help?"
"Our forces are spread too thin." informed the princess.
The animal-loving girl wasn't paying attention as one of the Shadow Beasts climbed onto one of the roofs of the nearby buildings. It leaped as Fluttershy turned to see the creature. It pinned the girl to the ground as it tried to chomp her head off. Fluttershy cried and screamed for her life as she moved her head out of the creature's mouth. The Shadow Beast reeled back and lunged downward as the girl closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
The sound of a blaster going off was heard. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see the Shadow Beast slumped over her before disappearing. She looked up to see that Rainbow had shot it in the head. The girl hugged her friend for saving her life as Rainbow struggled to break free from the girl's death grip so that she could get back to shooting.
However, their side was slowly starting to be overrun as they were being pushed back. Rainbow was then slashed by one of the creatures as she screamed and tumbled to the floor. Fluttershy bent to her friend's side while the slash from the creature, coupled with the enchantment that Night Light had implanted in the girl's outfit, meant she was like a character in a video game and could take hits without being too damaged; Rainbow seemed to hit her shoulder a bit too much when she fell.
"Fall back!" shouted an Assassin as he and the remaining forces began to retreat, with any remaining Falcon Knights supporting them by shooting arrows.
"Rainbow Dash, are you hurt?" asked Fluttershy.
"I'm fine, ow. No, I'm not." stated the girl as she felt her shoulder twitch.
One of the guards dragged the girl as she tried to raise her firing arm, but the bruise was too much.
"They're surrounding us!" shouted one of the guards as they were starting to be overrun.
Fluttershy was by her friend's side as she started bandaging her shoulder. She looked back around to see the creature closing in on them.
"I guess this is how we go out," said Fluttershy.
Soon all the enemies jumped into the air and were about to finish the small group when they all closed their eyes. Soon a couple of blasts could be heard as screams came after that. The group expected them to be torn to shreds but found themselves perfectly fine. They saw the enemies around them as they were being defeated and turned into particles. The entire group looked up and saw that Cadance had appeared as she landed before the group. The princess was still weak as she approached Rainbow and healed her shoulder with a touch of magic.
"Alright, back in the fray!" shouted Rainbow as she took off.
"Your Majesty?" asked Fluttershy.
"I'll be... fine..." lied Cadance as she was anything but that. The ruler didn't want her home to be taken, so she decided to help out, even if it meant she would speed up how much energy she had left.
Soon the others joined in as they got back into action and started to fight back. With the addition of Cadance's magic, they had a much easier time as they started to push the enemy back and make their way out of the stadium and onto the streets. Back with Aj's group, they were starting to make similar progress as their small force of enemies found themselves retreating due to how hard they were being destroyed. Pinkie was relentless in her assault, firing her party cannon nonstop. On the ground, Applejack and the ground troops were making some leeway as they started to have their side push back the enemy. The same thing was happening on Rarity and Twilight's side, it took a while, but the girls could push back their obstacle just as the barrier was about to break. Soon all three sides began conversing, which was especially true as Storm started running low on steam.
"They just keep coming, but I have to do my part," said Storm, wiping his face to eliminate the sweat.
The boy did a parkour leap over one of the creatures while slashing it to kill it. Two more charged simultaneously and tried to bite his head off as he ducked, ran his lightsaber through their jaws, and flung them to the side. The Jedi Knight then struck the ground with his open-palmed hand as he used the Force to push some of them back and give him some space. A Shadow Beast was above him; Storm couldn't turn to protect himself; before it could attack him, it was shot down and slumped next to him.
"Need a hand?" said Applejack.
Storm looked to his left as he saw the country gal, Pinkie, and their section pushing their enemies back into the main army. The boy turned to the right and saw Twilight and Rarity with their section doing the same. From behind, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Cadance backed him up.
"Nice to see you haven't collapsed," said Twilight, standing beside her partner with her lightsaber out.
"Were you doubting me, Sparky," responded the boy with a smug smile. "Now, let's finish this!"
Both Jedi ran ahead of their side in the thick of it. Their friends, Cadance and the soldiers, saw how much of a fighter and commander the pair was. They showed their experience of being on the battlefield surrounded by multiple enemies. Soon the Jedi and their forces were dwindling down the Shadow Beasts as the final one was taken out by Storm and Twilight, who ran their lightsabers in unison, one through the head and the other through the body.
They retracted their lightsaber as the soldiers began to cheer at their victory. Their friends also gave some thumbs up to the pair for commanding the battlefield. Cadance was approaching them when one Shadow Beast that survived appeared on the building; it lunged to kill the ruler. Soon everything went black as Storm appeared by Cadance's side. Next to him was the body of the Shadow Beast as its head rolled off before it all disappeared into particles.
"Too slow," smiled the boy.
Cadance was about to thank him when she fainted, and Storm caught her in his arms.
"We need to get her back to the castle!" instructed the boy as he leaped into the air with Cadance in his arms as the rest followed him on foot.
While they may have fended off the assault, they knew Sombra was far from over.
Author's Note: It seems the situation continues to get worst. Cadance not only using her magic to keep the city safe but essentially killing herself in the process by not getting any rest and using that amount of magic for so long. And to top it all off, our heroes having to defend the city from Sombra's forces. However, things are far from over. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.