The Price

by the-baas

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Princess Luna
Length: 6070

What if the price of a shot at revenge were a blind eye to a greater evil? The price must be paid, whether Luna can afford to pay it or not.

How much would you pay for an opportunity to get revenge on those who have wronged you? What if a deal with the devil could give you just that? The devil must be paid, and his price threatens Equestria to it's core.

Published 2014-06-13 01:10:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-13 22:31:05 UTC

Or some bizarre test?

Blast! I’m late!

Princess Luna put a bookmark in the book she had open on the library table before she closed it up and put it on the top of the pile nearest to her. This was the third time that month that she had been late to bring in the night. Usually she was only five or so minutes late, but tonight the time was closer to a half hour.

Tia’s going to be pissed.

Her topic of study was alicorns throughout history and ancient magical theory. She had read Starswirl the Bearded’s Theory of Spellcastingso many times she could recite it cover to cover from rote memory alone!

The younger princess opened the library doors to find the corridor in a state of chaos. Guards were marching up and down the hallways in rigid conformity. Somepony had scrambled the soldiers for war.

She spotted one of her own personal guards in the crowd by a glimpse of his black, leathery wings. He was giving orders to soldiers as they passed. While pointing a pegasus towards which way to go, he spotted Luna and flew over.

“Princess!” he exclaimed, “What are you doing here? You should have left to bring in the night an hour ago!”

“I lost track of time in the library,” Luna told her guard, “What is going on around here?”

“Lost track of- of all nights-” the featherless pegasus started grumbling nonsense in frustration.

“SPEAK,” Luna ordered in her ancient Canterlot voice. Her words rang off the stone walls and caused a brief pause in the march. Her guard collected himself and gave a formal report.

“What happened to the remaining one?” Luna asked.

“We don’t know. Currently he is missing. We found his crossbow at his post, still loaded and aimed at the bridge. We are still trying to locate him, but in this chaos it is unlikely we will be able to.”

“I see... Go on.”

The pegasus nodded. “After the unicorn killed the snipers, he reportedly walked right through the gate-”

“Impossible! Do you have any idea how much energy that would take!?” exclaimed the princess. The pegasus shook his head.

“We have eyewitness accounts from those who were in the courtyard when this happened. Some of these eyewitnesses include some of the unicorns holding the gate.”

“Just who is this unicorn?” Luna asked. The bat-winged pegasus shifted nervously.

“Preliminary reports label him as King Sombra.”

“Where is he now!” the lunar princess demanded. Night time could wait.

“It appears that he is moving toward the throne room,” reported her guard.

“But that’s where- I need to get there, now!” Luna tried to take off, but the guard grabbed her leg, weighing her down.

“Let go of me, Dusk. That is an order.”

“Luna,” Dusk’s voice had lost all traces of formality, ”He has probably reached the throne room by now, and we are in a huge state of disorder here. I saw some of the bodies left out in the courtyard. King Sombra means business. He killed them instantly! I have already sent Star Dasher and Comet Tail out looking for you. Moon Gazer is rounding up a small army for evacuation. I say we let King Sombra challenge Celestia and fail, but we should also be ready for the possibility he succeeds. If the worst does come to pass, then we can easily launch an attack to reclaim Canterlot. You should come with us, Luna. We must preserve the monarchy,” the pegasus said. Luna closed her eyes.

“Tell me, Dusk, what if my sister is victorious? Then what?”

“Then we-”

“I will only say this once,” Luna interrupted, “I will not lead my own army so long as my sister is still alive. Not again. I wish our relationship was one where my sister trusts me with an army, but alas, it is not the case. Let go of my leg so I can fight by Celestia’s side, and continue with your evacuation plan. That is an order.”

“Luna?” Luna’s words had crushed the young pegasus, and the order had caught him off guard.

“You weren’t wrong about the possibility of failure,” she said encouragingly. Dusk let go of her leg, and Luna took off above the chaos in the hall. The sky had taken on a red tint from the lack of any light to fill it. The red non-light shone through the windows and gave life to the shadows within. Out of the corner of her eye, Luna thought she saw one of them dart across the hallway.

Keep it together, old girl. It’s just your imagination...

She flew through the archway that led to the garden. She ascended to fly over top of the grand hedges that made up the maze. As she flew over, she saw the maze was filled with castle guards. None of them seemed to know where they were going, and all of them were rather jumpy. Luna could not tell if they were lost, or hiding. She reached the other side of the maze, and as she reentered the castle, she swore she saw stars in the sky.

I didn’t put those there, unless Tia did... Naw.

She reached the throne room a few corners later. Celestia’s personal guards were standing so intensely with their weapons drawn at the door that they didn’t even notice Luna’s arrival. She cleared her throat, causing all of them to jump three feet into the air.

“How long has he been in there?” she asked.

“About ten minutes,” reported the guard.

Luna nodded. “Thanks Sunspot,” she said as the grand doors to the throne room opened before her. She stepped inside and the doors closed behind her with a mighty THUMP.

Luna examined the state of the throne room. Windows were smashed and chunks were missing from the floor and walls. Scattered on the floor were a mixture of white and black feathers.

Since when does King Sombra have feathers? Tia...

The ratio of white feathers to black grew the closer Luna walked to the throne.

“Tia!” Luna screamed. Sitting rigidly in the golden chair was Princess Celestia. Her feathers were ruffled, and her mane was cinged. A rainbow of bruises dotted her entire body. Celestia made eye contact with her younger sister and painfully spoke.

“L-Luna...get out...get out of here-”

“That’ll do Celestia,” a voice interrupted, and Celestia’s mouth forced itself shut. The voice sent shivers up Luna’s spine.

No, not him!

A black coated alicorn stepped out from behind the throne and faced Luna. He too had a rough appearance. His mane and tail were all tangled and had shards of what were once gemstones stuck in the knots. A few shards from his mane were lodged in his neck and forehead. Trails of half dried blood flowed across his face, neck and chest. There was a deep, unexplained cut across his left flank. His feathers were singed, and smoke was still rising from his left wing. Luna was speechless.

“Good to see you again, Nightmare Moon. My, how long has it been? three, four years? You look good; lost some weight, shorter mane, but you did keep the shine. Glad to see you did as I rather quite liked it. Let me see... what else is new... oh! You also seem to have let go of your hate. That is a shame. I thought it was kind of cute.”

“B-bu... wha-” What are you doing here?

“You know exactly why I am here,” said the alicorn as if he understood, ”You look tense, Nightmare. Have a glass of wine,” he turned to Celestia, “Celestia, pour your sister a glass of wine, please.”

“No” she spat. Celestia had regained use of her mouth.

“Oh dear,” said the alicorn, shaking his head, “Let’s try that again. Celestia, would you kindly pour your sister a glass of wine?”

An agonized expression painted itself across Celestia’s face. Her horn started to glow, and she lifted a bottle of wine from under the throne. They slowly levitated to Celestia’s hoof, and stiffly she caught them. Jerkily, she began to pour the crystal liquid into the glass.

“This may be a good time to threaten you all ominously and such. ‘Don’t do anything stupid. I have complete control over your sister, so if you don’t want her to get hurt blah blah blah.’ I think you get the jist of it, but we’ll have to skip the part where I monologue about my evil plan before I put you in an over-elaborate device meant to kill you, only for you to make a daring escape at the last second. We simply just don’t have time for that. We are behind schedule as is.”

A full glass of wine was levitated to Luna.

If he thinks I am going to drink that-

“The wine is your sister’s, not mine. I prefer a nice red.”

“Just drink it, Luna... it’s... my wine... I don’t... I can’t... Don’t make him mad, little sister,” Celestia begged.

“Didn’t know your sister also likes white. I guess she probably gave you your first glass, come to think of it. You were pretty happy four years ago when I brought white,” reminisced the black alicorn.

“Luna,” Celestia gasped painfully, “Who the hell is this, and why does he speak to you like an old friend?”

“He is no friend,” Luna spat angrily. The alicorn turned to Celestia.

“I guess I did miss out on an introduction. It must have slipped my mind while avoiding your spells aimed to kill. You’re a real wildfire, Celestia; let me tell you. I have not had so much trouble taming a mare since-”

“LUNA!” Celestia screamed.

“I am terribly sorry, where are my manners?” apologized the alicorn. “Please allow me to introduce myself, for I am a stallion of both wealth and taste. I have been around for many a year, relishing in everypony’s fear and their hate. I was even around when your sister had her moment of anger and pain. I shouted with glee when you stepped up and sealed her away. Pleased to meet you, I’m sure you can guess my name.”

Celestia looked at the black alicorn blankly, “Umm... no actually,” she sheepishly replied.

Ugh! My god, Tia you’re slow!

“Beelzehoof!” Luna blurted, “The alicorn in front of you is Beelzehoof. Honestly, read a book once in awhile...”

“Thankyou, Nightmare,” Beelehoof calmly said. Luna flinched when he said her other name. Celestia looked at Beelzehoof, then at her sister, then back at Beelzehoof.

“Luna,” she said shakily, “Why is Beelzehoof in my throne room, and why is he calling you Nightmare?”

“Well...” Luna said, staring at the ground.

What do I tell her?

“...It is how I introduced myself...”

“We’ll be here all night at this rate!” Beelzehoof interrupted, rather annoyed, “Let me tell you how it is. Your sister and I made a pact four years ago where I would help her escape the moon in exchange for her promise that me and my minions can roam Equestria, without any interference from her or any other ruler. The longest day on the thousandth year rolled around; I’m pretty sure you know the rest.”

Celestia relaxed her tense muscles, and a calm expression fell upon her face. It appeared as though the white alicorn was at peace, but Luna knew otherwise. She had seen her sister like this once before, and it ended with one of the two sister’s banishment.

“Luna,” Celestia said in a calm, even tone, “I am disappointed in you.”

“Eep...” Luna squealed in fear. She feared Celestia’s wrath more than Beelzehoof. Celestia snapped.

“That’s all you have to say?! You make a deal with the devil and ‘eep’ is the only thing you have to say?! You insolent little foal! You knew I was preparing for another one of your coups when the devil was going to stroll into my throne room demanding payment! I really do wish this is all an over-elaborate attempt at a coup. That way I can deal with the problem permanently. Unfortunately, I doubt this is the case, but even so, if I wasn’t bound to this chair by your friend I’d-”

“No, no, go ahead. I insist,” Beelzehoof interrupted. Celestia stared at the black alicorn. He made a slight gesture toward Luna causing Celestia to fly out of the chair at her younger sister. Luna braced to deflect magical attacks, but instead she got tackled.

The two mares hit the ground with a THUD. Celestia had Luna pinned completely, and proceeded to brutally beat her younger sister. She kicked Luna three times in the face, then gored Luna’s flank with her horn.

“You... fool... I’ll... kill... never... should... allowed,” Celestia grunted during the savage beating.

“Ahh... Tia... stop it... I... I can...” Luna tried to say during blows. Her nose was broken and bleeding quite profusely. Celestia wound up for a devastating blow when her head snapped back and she let out an agonizing scream.

“Let’s not anypony do something she will regret tonight,” Beelzehoof called. He used magic to lift Celestia off her beaten bloody little sister. Luna rolled onto her stomach and coughed up some blood. She used her magic to suppress the nosebleed and stood up.

Celestia was bound in place five feet away from Luna. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes radiated anger. Beelzehoof walked and stood between the two sisters.

“Now that we are all suddenly bruised and bloodied, I must really take my leave. May I do what has been promised?”

What! Luna screamed in her mind, Did he just ask my permission to spread chaos? Did the devil just ask me if it was okay with me it he does his evils? It is almost like... no, that can’t be right, can it?

“Well?” Beelzehoof asked impatiently.

Lets see if I am right. “No.”

Beelzehoof shifted his weight nervously, “Do you really think you have any say in the matter? Our dearest Celestia didn’t hit you too hard, did she?”

No, she didn’t hit me hard enough. “Why is it so important that you get my permission?”

“Perhaps I want the satisfaction,” Beelzehoof bluffed.

Sweet stardust! He needs my permission to get his part of the deal! Lets see, what does it say about this kind of pact in Theory of Spellcasting?

‘This type of pact is made when there are many variable outcomes to the initial action. It is possible for the one who gets the initial gain to add conditions to what was promised come time to give payment.’

I can add conditions! I have you in check, Beelzehoof. “I will grant you permission, but under three conditions.”

Conditions?! Don’t be preposterous,” Beelzehoof nervously laughed.

“First,” Luna said, ignoring his remark, “since I know your goal is to destroy harmony-”

“What makes you think I am going to do that?” Beelzehoof interrupted.

“You are a creature of chaos,” Luna answered, “what else would you try to do?”

“Touche.”

“Second,” she went on, “You are not allowed to kill anypony. Your hooves must be clean.” Beelzehoof gave a mocking grin. He was amused. “Third, and this goes for you, sister-”

“What does she have to do with me?” asked Beelzehoof, puzzled.

“You have been manipulating my sister ever since you walked through the throne room doors. I figure I’ll try my luck that the magic will extend from the puppetmaster to his puppets.

Beelzehoof was silent. Tension grew to the the point where the silence roared in Luna’s ears. A pale light shone in through the window.

The moon? Luna tried to face the window, but she was frozen. What the-

Beelzehoof cleared his throat. “I must say, Nightmare Moon, I am impressed. You are right, I do need your permission and I must adhere to the conditions you gave me. To celebrate your victory, I brought in the night for you tonight.” Beelzehoof floated Luna next to her sister, “Celestia really showed her true colours tonight, didn’t she? Let’s fix her appearance a little...”

Celestia was consumed by a magical glow. Luna tried to call out, but no sound escaped her lips.

“What’s that?” said Beelzehoof, “You want to be like big sister? Sure, why not?”

A glow consumed Luna and every inch of her body began to tingle. She felt her wounds heal and her strength return.

“I wouldn’t rely on the mail too much,” she heard Beelzehoof say, then darkness...

Luna awoke to the sound of uneasy hoofsteps on the stone floor. She opened her eyes and saw a brilliant white figure stumble toward an open window. Both Luna’s vision and mind were cloudy.

“Must... warn... Twilight...” the figure mumbled.

Warn Twilight? Who’s Twilight, and why does she need to be warned? Where am I?

The figure stepped outside then fell to the ground writhing in pain. Her cries cleared Luna’s mind in an instant.

“TIA!” She raced outside (stumbling a little herself) and picked up her sister onto her back with surprising ease. She brought Celestia inside and gently placed her on the ground.

“Tia, are you okay?” she franticly repeated. Luna was about to put her hoof on Celestia’s shoulder when it was slapped away.

“Don’t you touch me, Nightmare Moon,” Celestia spat. Luna’s vision cleared, and she saw that her sister had changed. Her multi-coloured mane was replaced with with a soft burning flame that was cool to the touch. Her face was sharper and gave Celestia a more threatening appearance.

“I may have added a few things,” the shadows called. Celestia got up and started pacing.

“Great, just great. A crisis arises, and I can’t even warn my student about it since Beelzehoof has hinted that he is going to disrupt any message I try to send. I can’t even tell Twilight to disregard any messages she receives. I cannot warn her myself, because I am now apparently allergic to moonlight. My sister is once again Nightmare Moon, with me being something similar. We very well could be doomed. Where’s that bottle of wine?” Celestia sat in the throne and poured herself a glass.

“I’ll go,” Luna declared, “I went outside and I was fine. I can warn Twilight for you.”

Celestia thought this over in her head for a few moments, “Fine, but tell her I want to see her first thing tomorrow morning. Luna, I am still mad, but for the time being I will look past that.”

Luna nodded slowly, then took off into the night.

Celestia finished the bottle not long after her younger sister took off for Ponyville.

Why am I so bloody hungry all of a sudden? she wondered.

Is all for the best...

It was dusk when he arrived in Canterlot. The sun had just disappeared beyond the horizon, yet the sky still held light that blocked out the stars. A soft gentle breeze blew, cooling the air from the warm summer day. It was one of those weeks that could not have been more perfect. All the little fillies and colts had been spending the days of their summer vacation in the nearest creek or fountain, whatever was more accessible. The hour was too late for swimming, but not late enough for the older ponies to take romantic walks in moonlight. The streets of the Equestrian capital were barren under the sourceless glow of the sky.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and blew a dark cloud over the city; the peaceful streets took on a more sinister feel. Window shutters closed all across Canterlot, and doors locked. The elderly who had been sitting on their porches went inside grumbling about rain. No rain would fall that night. The breeze died to nothing the moment he stepped into the city.

No guard saw him pass the through the gate, for he entered within a two minute window between rotation. He wore an ancient looking, but surprisingly well-kept cloak that echoed ones worn by nobility of old. The cloak hid most of his body including his head, back and flank. It could not conceal his size, however. He was significantly larger than any earth pony, but nowhere near as big as Celestia.

Despite his size, his hoof steps were surprising silent on the smooth stone streets of Canterlot. Each step made a little click that was only audible for five feet. His legs were strong, but did not appear to get much exercise aside from an occasional sprint. His legs were a dark burgundy, and so were all but one of his hooves. His rear right hoof lacked any pigment altogether giving it a clean white hue.

He proudly held his head high as he walked. His confidence charged the air around him with an energy that silenced chirping birds as he passed. Early rising bats and nightbirds abandoned their hunts to follow him from the sky. They dispersed when he flicked his tail out from under his cloak.

It was a very well kept tail, one that flowed gracefully from his flank to the tidy knot at its tip. It was a dark, consuming violet in colour and had thin black streaks shooting through it. There were various gems braided into the hair. The gems were expertly cut and perfectly caught light at any angle, giving them a false glow. He had made it across the drawbridge that connected the palace when he was finally noticed.

“Halt! Who goes there?” a guard shouted from the wall. The mysterious pony did not stop or call back. He kept his pace instead.

“Halt!” the guard ordered again, but again got no response. The guard started to get nervous. His training had taught him dusk was the best time to assault Canterlot.

“HALT!” the guard demanded once more. When he got no response, he called to the ponies in the courtyard, “Close the gate! Enchant it! Get a troop ready to hold it if the gate falls! Damn, of all times for the captain...”

The hornets’ nest had been kicked. A barred iron gate fell over the entrance to the courtyard, and it gave off a magical glow. Snipers were posted behind arrow slits and all trained their aim on the bridge. Soldiers in full battle gear flooded the courtyard in ranks. The front row all had their spears pointed at the gate. The cloaked pony did not change his pace.

He stopped once he reached the gate and did not move. The snipers lined up their killshots, and the foot soldiers stiffened, ready to charge. The tableau held for five minutes. Each second grew more tense than the last, and some of the defenders even started wishing the cloaked pony would make a move. He held up his head and granted their wish.

“Can I please speak to the one in charge?” His voice was low and his tone polite. He was calm and in control. He did not seem worried that he stood but a twitch away from death. His demand sent unrest throughout the ranks as an aisle was formed down the centre of the group, and a decorated soldier walked down toward the gate.

“Are you the acting captain?” the cloaked pony asked.

“I am,” replied the soldier uneasily. Nopony outside the guard was supposed to know Shining Armour was taking personal days to spend time with his wife.

“You went through all this trouble for just for me?” laughed the cloaked pony, “I’m touched, really.”

“Identify yourself and your business,” demanded the acting captain. “No games here.”

“Why, I have an appointment with the princess I must keep, for I am on a tight schedule. If you could be so kind as to stand aside-”

“I am afraid I can’t let you do that. I don’t care who you think you are, or your schedule. I wasn’t told about no visitor at this hour, so there shall be no visits at this hour. I encourage you leave. Now. You want audience with the princess? Well, get a real appointment and come back during visiting hours. Turn around now, otherwise you will be shot down.”

The cloaked pony did not budge. He stood there shaking; he was laughing. The acting captain was about to give the kill order when the cloaked pony spoke.

“Nice show, nice show indeed. Any other pony would have run with their tail between their legs, but not I,” he laughed.

“You find this amusing!” screamed the acting captain, “I hold your life in the balance, and you act like this is some show for your enjoyment!? All I have to do is give the order-”

“An order that if you value your colts you will not give,” interrupted the cloaked pony.

“Really, and why would that be?” laughed the acting captain.

The pony took off his hood and revealed his face and mane. His mane was the same colour as his tail. It was tied into many tiny braids with great care. Every sixth braid on each strand had a small onyx bead woven into it. His face was round in a way that gave all his features a slightly feminine look. He had emerald green eyes that sat behind very angular eyelids. His face was a shade lighter than his legs. At his head sat a long, straight horn that had a thin ribbon of gold colour spiralling down it.

“Because,” the black unicorn explained, “If you give them that order, I will destroy all who attack me. The snipers, the herd behind you, I’d kill them all. I don’t want a massacre and I am sure the families of Equestria’s finest would agree with me.” The unicorn bowed his head sorrowfully but smiled evilly, “So many widows, so many foals with only one parent. That would be a tragedy! It is also a shame that one of your snipers is exactly seven hours, twelve minutes from being a new father. Such a shame...” he trailed off.

“Do you really think that little threat is going to intimidate us?” jeered the acting captain, “You are but one stallion against the Canterlot army. Die an arrogant fool!”

This was taken as the signal to fire. In almost perfect unison, nineteen crossbows let loose their bolts at the confident unicorn. In a split second, his horn started to glow and all nineteen bolts stopped and hung suspended in mid air. The unicorn held them there for a moment, then flung them without warning with deadly accuracy back into the slit from where they were fired. Nineteen simultaneous blood curdling whelps were heard, and rang in the ears of the soldiers in the courtyard. The unicorn turned to the twentieth slit where no bolt was fired.

“Good boy. Go, be with your wife and count yourself lucky.” He then turned to the soldiers behind the gate, “That was supposed to intimidate you.”

A murmur of unease spread amongst the ranks. The spears in the front started shaking, and even the acting captain was starting to get nervous.

“Strengthen the gate spell! He does not get into the castle!” The glow around the gate grew more intense, and the magical glow around the black unicorn’s horn appeared once more.

He closed his eyes and began walking towards the gate. The acting captain shouted threats and cursed, but they fell upon deaf ears. A strained expression appeared on the unicorn’s face once he reached the gate, but he did not break his stride. A gap in the glow surrounding the gate appeared in front of the unicorn, and he touched the iron bars with his horn. The bars did nothing to stop his advance, for he walked through it as if it wasn’t even there. Once he had fully passed through the gate, the gap in magic closed itself and the unicorn opened his eyes, but kept the flow of magic from his horn flowing.

“What the- th-that gate was supposed to be impenetrable!” gawked a very shocked acting captain. The awe was also shared by the unicorns that had been powering the spell. A few of them started to slip off.

“I told you,” the unicorn said loudly, “I am on a tight schedule and must keep to my appointment.

“Like hell you will!” shouted the acting captain as he drew his sword, “Atta-ACK!”

The acting captain suddenly began to choke. He coughed, and coughed until finally he spat out what was stuck in his throat. It was blood. Each breath made a gurgling sound much like the sound of bubbles in water. Blood then started to flow swiftly from his eyes and nose, forming a neat, bubbling red pool on the ground beneath him. A dark aura surrounded him, and he was gently lifted into the air. He hovered ten feet above his troops for a few seconds before he was violently flung against the castle wall. He fell to the ground in a mangled heap, leaving a red stain where he had impacted the wall. The unicorn turned to the soldiers.

“You heard the captain, attack,” he mockingly commanded them. Morale had died with the acting captain, for most of the soldiers and the remaining enchanters turned tail and fled.

Five soldiers did not flee, however. They surrounded the unicorn with their weapons drawn. He was much less showy in killing his foes this time. He managed to kill three of them instantly in quick succession with deadly blasts of magic from his horn.

The fourth blast, however, never found its mark. The pegasus it was aimed at was narrowly able to avoid death by taking off. She then dive bombed the unicorn with her spear pointed sharply ahead. The unicorn narrowly avoided getting skewered by teleporting three feet to the right. In a split second, the pegasus was able to recover from her dive once her target had moved, and with all the grace and skill of a Wonderbot, she dodged a counterattack from the unicorn.

A black aura surrounded both the pegasus in the air and the earth pony sneaking up on the unicorn, restricting any movement whatsoever. The unicorn lined up his third shot at the pegasus.

“Flying targets are so much harder to hit,” he said before he killed her. Gently he brought the flyer down to the ground and laid her peacefully on the ground. The unicorn then turned to his final helpless challenger.

“Wait,” said the soldier. He was an old earth pony who held the weight of many battles and lost friend on the lines of his face. “Before you kill me, I request that it be in combat.”

“What purpose would that serve?” the unicorn asked flatly.

“I would rather die with honor, than by some magician’s cheap trick,” replied the veteran.

“I guess I do have time...” mumbled the unicorn. He picked up the sword of the acting captain and released the earth pony from his spell. The veteran lunged at the unicorn to begin the dance of death.

The unicorn swiftly and gracefully blocked, dodged, and parried every blow from the earth pony, but did not counter or even attack. The veteran grew tired and frustrated, for he expected the unicorn to be inept with a weapon.

“Enough honor for you?” the dark unicorn asked evenly. He was not short of breath.

“Y-yeah...I guess,” replied the exhausted earth pony in defeat.

“Good,” the unicorn blasted his opponent with a beam of magic, killing him, “But if you think I am going to help you live out your heroic death fantasy, you got another thing coming.”

The courtyard was still around the black unicorn. The blood on the wall had began to dry, and flies were starting to appear on the body of the first fool who had opposed the black unicorn. Without a word, the unicorn began his journey to the throne room.

He walked with dignity through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Weight had been added to his step and ominously echoed down the halls. He cast no shadows as he passed windows, for the twilight was too soft to shine.

Guards were posted at every doorway connecting hallways. A few tried to fight him, and they met the same fate as the five who tried to fight him in the courtyard. Most guards, however, let him pass with their weapons drawn but otherwise unabated. He did not kill these ponies.

He seemed to know where he was going, and even knew that the garden maze could serve as a shortcut to the throne room to those who knew the way. He knew the way, and passed through the maze with ease. He was stopped for the second time that evening once he reached the grand doors to the throne room.

“Halt!” barked one of the elite soldiers guarding the doors. The unicorn ignored the command and teleported directly into the throne room. Celestia was standing on the other side of the throne room and was looking out a window. The unicorn started to make his way toward her.

“That is far enough,” she said once the unicorn had made it halfway across the room, and the unicorn stopped. Celestia turned to face her guest, “That is a nice cloak you have there. I haven’t seen one like that in many, many years.” Celestia studied the unicorn for several moments. “I am sorry, but I don’t know who you are,” she concluded.

“So you let a stranger see you alone, even after that same stranger has proven both willing and capable of murdering some of your best soldiers? I must admit, Celestia, this does confuse me so,” the unicorn respectfully replied.

“This is what you want, is it not? I am not worried about your power. Though it is impressive, it does not make up for your foolishness. I am the last mare you want to see right now.”

“How so?” the unicorn asked, holding back a smile. Celestia spat, and disgust radiated from her stare.

“In all my long years, I have never come across one so arrogant as you. You come to my castle claiming some illegitimate appointment with me, you murder the officer in charge in front of his troops, you kill all who bother you without the slightest hint of remorse, and then you stand in my presence and test my patience. What the hell is so damn funny!”

The unicorn was laughing. His cackles boomed throughout the the hall. They echoed off every nook and cranny in the hall.

“It makes Discord’s chaos seem rather juvenile, doesn’t it? As much as I respect his style, it does lack a certain-” the unicorn looked up to the ceiling as if searching for the right word, “maturity.”

“CHAOS!” Celestia spat and started pawing the floor.

“You are more of a social call, Celestia,” the unicorn continued, “I figured I at least owe it to you to let you know in person how things are going to be from now on.”

“No,” the white alicorn declared, “I don’t care how powerful you think you are or what spells you think you know! Your arrogance is what killed you, for I will not stand by and let you destroy harmony!”

A brilliant, deadly beam of magic shot from Celestia’s horn at the arrogant stallion. The stallion threw off his cloak into the air, revealing two large, dark wings on his back. His feathers were all straight and as well-kept as his mane and tail. He took off to avoid the beam.

His technique for taking off was quite awkward, but seemed to be effective for him. He jumped into the air without a flap of his wings, almost as if he forgot he had them. Once he reached the peak of his jump, he seemed to remember, and started to flap his left wing, then his right wing half a flap after. It then took three quick flaps to stabilize, and then he flew as well as any pegasus (though he was no Wonderbolt.) The whole process took about a second. Celestia was speechless, so the black alicorn spoke.

“It’s been, what, 1000 years, give or take since your last battle with another alicorn? It has been even longer for me. Oh don’t you worry, I’ll go easy on you. It is all part of the game.”