Darkness, an Eternity

I had no restraint anymore. I wanted Celestia and her pitiful force she calls an army to tremble and submit. I am sure she bolstered much and had many things done by now. I was awake in the room, servants now talking a little less to Violet, they were coming from the Underworld now. I stood and quickly walked to my closet, opening it and walking into the large, almost barren stone room.

"She'd always keep so many different elegant dresses in places like these. It'd almost smother my own robes." I talked to myself, knowing Cadence was in my bedroom.

I closed the doors and quickly tossed aside my robes into a basket at the end of the hall like closet. I went to a stone wall of the closet and touched a panel, pushing ever so slightly. The stone moved inwards and a large panel slid in and aside. I do so enjoy putting on my armor the proper way sometimes. I quickly began to don it, putting on my cuirass and greaves first, securing them to each other, using my dark powers to put the leather straps together on the inside and keep them locked in placed. I did the same with the rest of my armor, putting it on piece by piece. I held my helmet in hand and walked out. I was sure my dark powers were well replenished now, I had a good amount to defeat many powerful foes.

"Cadence, please do continue to watch over her. I trust in you and you have my word that her citizens will not be harmed unless I must pull the final straw." I spoke to her, walking to my bed and putting on my helmet, quickly securing it and putting the visor down.

"I trust you. You haven't brought unnecessary harm yet. I'll watch over her." She speaks, "Just do be careful, Celestia is powerful." She futilely warned me.

"I have more than enough to take her down." I looked at Violet for a moment, smiling, my face barely visible at this distance. She only stared down at me as I crouched with an empty expression.

I reached under the bed, finding the indent and pushing on it, another stone panel moving out of the way. I reached down into it and heaved a giant black shield from under the bed. The shield was at least three or four time the size of me. This was my shield which I used for sieges. It had spikes on the bottom of the large, round, bumpy, plate. These spikes may have only been on one hemisphere of it, on the edge, but they were what kept me stable during a big forceful attack or helped me plan out things during sieges and protect my underlings. It looked like black polished bone, but anyone who saw it forged know it was made of the special ore only found in the Underworld. It was forged quite well and was engraved with many markings and designs of an unknown manner to mortals. The shield held my symbol put into the center of it, large and glowing with darkness. There was a small dark core present in it to easier reflect the force of blows and to strengthen it.

I let my illusion down as I walked out of the room, quickly walking to the front of the castle, part of my massive army there, the thousands I had ordered. I had then sent a mental message to Maximillian to approach Ponyville. If I wanted to win, I'd have to keep the elements of harmony contained and in my possession. I quickly began to shout to my troops as I walked all around them and in front of the bridge.

"It's been a while since we've laid siege to anything, so today will be a different day for a lot of you. I know you to be the most battle fueled people in my forces, but today...we do not kill, we will only toss citizens from their homes and destroy them. We will force submission. We only need to attack the elements and only incapacitate them at that, you'll know them by their fighting spirit. This also means to detain them in one area...the town hall. We will utterly destroy their homes." I finished and turned around to the bridge, the Death Sword forming in my hand, "March!"

I began walking and synchronized footsteps echoed behind me. I had told Maximillian to bring siege equipment and he would be the source of arms for destruction. I had the guards march through the dead of the night through the Everfree, no creature dared to approach our roaring noise. I kept them marching for two or three more hours and we arrived on the outskirts of Ponyville. I had quickly sent in guards to catch and capture Fluttershy, binding her in ropes and being carried as we went. I ordered the troops to surround Ponyville, and so we did.

"Vincent, make sure no pony tries to escape the town..." I looked to him and spoke, releasing massive amounts of dark energy into the land about me as it turned to my kind of apocalyptic again.

The trees instantly died, their leaves turning to dust and the same fate falling upon all the flora. I quickly created a large, thick bubble about Ponyville that only my men and I could traverse through. I contained the spread of the disease in the purple bubble. I quickly ordered my men to charge on into Ponyville, and they began to force ponies from their homes and also started to destroy their property and essentials. I walked in during it and there were still many men left outside the bubble while others did work, trading off every now and then. It worked like this for the longest of time, ponies being tied up in bonds and put in the middle of the town halls and also inside. I knew Twilight was busy in the Underworld and knew that she had no way of knowing. I made sure each of the elements was tracked down and captured, but there was no need to track down Rainbow Dash, Applejack, or Pinkie Pie, those three all came for me or were easily found. Rarity had been found hiding among the captured, she's smart. And so we let her be since she was a friend of mine after all. We continued to destroy until Maximillian arrived with some trebuchets, explosives, and battering rams. It was simple siege equipment, but it would do.

I ordered the men to quickly pick up the rams and begin smashing in and collapsing houses using walls and knocking out support beams and they did just that very quickly. I had also called for a courier and sent the same one as before to Celestia, dictating that she submit or suffer more consequences. He traveled quickly as my guards continued to destroy every building. I began my trek to the Golden Oaks Library and upon arrival, I forced the door open and immediately saw the case that held the Elements of Harmony. I quickly snatched them out of it and put them all inside my armor, pressed against my leather suit. I quickly left the treehouse intact and slipped away, waiting for a response from Celestia, she was definitely thinking now. My guards had destroyed all the homes except for the treehouse and the homes of the elements, I had them wait, fire in hand and ready to burn their crops.

I walked back to where all the ponies were tied up and panicking at what was happening, Rainbow and Applejack were cursing my name. I looked about, trying to find Rarity and we did find each and approach one another. I laid a hand on her back, rubbing, attempting to soothe her. I walked into an alley that was barren of any of my guards and the ponies.

"Lucius, Sir, what are you doing?" She asked immediately, trying to keep her cool.

"You'll be the only element to know this and I know you won't get in my way. Celestia had swore herself and Luna to stop the reversal of my wife's return. They'd rather take her from me before she returns once more. It's a terrible thing I can not allow. I'm just being very firm, Miss Rarity." I spoke to her and she was wide-eyed.

"You must be joking! All these ponies barely have any place for shelter and now you plan to burn their crops!" She was most certainly shocked, but not afraid.

"Your home as well as the other Elements are intact. The crops will only be burned when Celestia refuses to surrender once she arrives. All of those who need homes may come work for me at the castle and have food, shelter, and some luxuries as servants or as guards if they wish." I finished my explanation, smiling.

"What happens when Celestia doesn't surrender?" She asked, worried for the citizens and a bit shocked to see me like this.

"I take some of you in, and she'll either surrender believing I made you slaves when I certainly did not. Or..." I was smiling now.

"Or?"

"I walk into her home after her citizens have had a few hours to evacuate and I crush it. If she doesn't surrender now or after I have your people working as happy workers or guards for me, I will crush Canterlot." I spoke and Rarity was again panicking.

"I trust you won't hurt the citizens of Canterlot except for those who stay and oppose you?"Rarity asked.

"Indeed." I turned away to head back to the crowd of captured ponies.

"You care this much about her?" Rarity had her one last question.

"She's one of four important things in my eternal life. Her, my family, my kingdom and its people, and last but not least, praising my giver of power, Lucius, the God of Darkness whom share my name." I spoke and walked out of the alley, Rarity following silently and attempting to calm the masses when I arrived back.

I saw a healed Celestia, her limbs in perfect health most likely due to healing magic, fly in and hover above the bubble, she released a large beam of her magic mixed with some holy energy, the ponies were looking relieved. My shield over Ponyville held tightly and barely suffered and damages.

"Release my people, Lucius!" she shouted and the ponies were cheering.

"If you all don't hush during this talk, you will ALL fall ill and be one of my people!" I was of course lying, but the false fear they had of my threat kept them all quiet, except for Rainbow Dash, who was silenced with more rope in her mouth.

"Stop this madness, you will not win." Celestia landed on the shield, still attempting to break through it with magic.

"You won't get through. Surrender to me and my forces or your people suffer more. I called this war and I'm finishing it!" I shouted.

"Ponykind will never surrender to you!" She shouted.

"Loyals of Darkness, burn all of their crops and do not stop the flames if they spread elsewhere. Keep the Elements homes intact!" I shouted quite loudly and the crackling of fire from all over was soon heard, "People of Ponyville, should you choose to join me like Rarity at my castle, you will have many luxuries in your line of service as a guard or as a servant. You will have the best meals and drinks you could think of!" I shouted once more.

Celestia flew off in and anger, most likely mad at me, but she hadn't surrendered, she was likely going to evacuate Canterlot and prepare her own troops, she knew that must be my next stop. She would be crushed there and killed if I had to slay her.

I had more dark energy get pumped into me from my darkest of dark blades. I began to cut the ground, making a bubble with Ponyville. I began to lift it, with all my guards and broken structures on it, moving it to my Castle. I made a small hole in the shield.

"Those who wish to join me, say so and you will be let free and put into the castle to explore and find your ways around, my guards will have more housing quarters built within a day or two. If you attempt to run, you will be contained and put back inside the remains of Ponyville and transferred back to where your town should normally be. You have fifteen minutes to decide and leave the shield." I spoke loudly to the crowd and ponies began to cry to be freed.

They wished to help me just to survive after the destruction of Ponyville, few did while most wished to oppose me after what had been done. My guards were running about, untying them. The ponies after being untied ran out of the bubble, galloping towards the castle and through the hole, walking to the castle once they left. Few of them had to be captured and tied back up. After the fifteen minutes, I moved the town back and solidified it into the ground where it once was, perfectly sealing the hole. The bubble went down and my guards had untied a few ponies so they could untie the others. We soon gathered ourselves and began the march to Canterlot, making good progress as we never stopped, my guards were trained as such.