Rise of the Angel of Death

Discord popped into existence next to Luna, having sent Spike back to Twilight already. He helped her off the floor and used his magic to wake her up. "Lulu, what happened here?" He asked, already knowing, but hoping that he was somehow wrong.

"It's Tia she has become Solar Flare, just as we feared she would."

"Did she do this to you?"

"Yes, she feigned recovery and blasted me as soon as I opened the door." Luna admitted sullenly. "I was a fool, I should've known better. I should've sent for you as soon as she woke up just to be safe." Luna finished, tears welling up in her eyes. Discord gave Luna a small hug and stroked her mane.

"Now's not the time for that. You just wanted your sister to be healthy. No one will fault you for that. Now, I'm gonna go grab Mal, he'll be able to fix this."

Discord pulled away from Luna and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before he pinched it. "You be a good princess and keep the country from panicking, I'll be back with Mal before you can say chaos." He said going back to his cheerful demeanor. With that, he walked away from Luna, snapped his talons, and popped out of existence again. Discord instantly popped into Mal's airship while Mal was steering it. The girls noticed Discord before he did.

"Mal," Sunset called out, "Discord's here." Mal turned his head but kept his hands firmly on the wheel.

"Hey Discord, how are you?"

"Now's not the time for pleasantries I'm afraid. Celestia has fallen into her own nightmare form and is running around Equestria calling herself Solar Flare. We need you to remove the Solar Flare part of her soul like you did with Luna." Discord explained, calmer than one would expect given the dire situation. Mal became attentive and gave Discord a nod.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Mal said turning to the girls. "Girls, we gotta put our plans on hold. Right now, we gotta save Equestria." The girls all nodded quickly, Moon looking more serious than the rest. "Okay Discord, take us to Celestia!" Mal boomed.

---------------Luna herself was still recovering from the event. She stood up as a letter was appearing in front of her.

Dear princess Luna,
Celestia... I mean Solar Flare has just attacked Ponyville and destroyed my home! She has taken the Elements of Harmony with her we are going to try to get to her and the Elements. I know Malthael is going to remove Solar Flare but we just have to help her. I'm sorry.
Signed,
possibly soon to be former Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Luna read it, she inwardly cursed and headed off.

-------------In the forest Solar Flare turned to see the mane six. "So little Twilight, think you can defeat me?" She said as the box suddenly locked itself with a special spell placed on it. "Now that I've locked the Elements no one can stop me!" She boasted.

"Want to bet?" A voice was heard, Solar Flare looked up and behind as Malthael jumped on her his sickles pressed into the sides of her face as he started to remove Solar Flare from Celestia. The main six saw her slowly return to normal.

'Yes.' Twilight thought.

"I... Will.... Not.... Ahhhh." A backlash was seen, as solar Flare’s side of the soul regained control. Solar Flare glared as Malthael stood back up. Moon, Sunset and Trixie came up to him with a fourth girl.

Twilights eyes widened. 'Queen Chrysalis.'

"You will not kill me!" Solar Flare boomed. "I'm in charge now! Celestia's time is through, now I will rule all of the world!"

'Oh god, Solar Flare is so generic I'm surprised that her declaration wasn't punctuated with lightning.' Malthael thought. "I'm not going to kill you Solar." Malthael calmly said. "But I am going to stop you from taking over the world." Solar Flare sneered at the angel.

"I'd like to see you stop me, I've already resisted your soul removal. Now, I must ask, can Death die?"

"Looks like you're not gonna listen to reason." Malthael said with a sigh. "Girls, set up a barrier, I don't want her to get away. And no matter what happens in here, I don't want you girls to take it down."

"Mal, what if..." Sunset started but Malthael cut her off.

"I don't want to hear any arguments, do it now." He stated firmly. The girls complied and placed a large barrier around Malthael, its color shifting constantly due to the mixed energies. Solar Flare's horn lit up with the colors of an inferno.

"You're either very brave or stupid to face me alone. Oh who am I kidding we both know it's the latter." Malthael didn't rise to the insult and instead charged at Solar Flare, his sickles aimed for her chest.

--------------Luna flew looking for her sister. She hoped she was not too late.

----------- The fight between Solar Flare and Malthael was heating up. He had hoped to overpower and knock her out. The two clashed again blades versus horn of flames. Solar flare used both earth pony strength and pegasus wings to help her get a foot hold adding more magic as she pushed Malthael back and into a tree. Solar’s magic lit the tree and ground on fire. "Is that all you have?" Solar Flare asked walking up, only for a vortex of flames to almost hit her.

Walking out of the vortex was Malthael. "Not even close." In a flash two soul like beings appeared besides him. "Attack." He commanded.

The two soul beings flanked Solar Flare's sides while Malthael flew up into the air. Solar Flare caught the two soul beings' attacks with her horn. She had almost pushed them back when Malthael crashed into her back with a drop kick. Solar Flare collapsed onto the ground and Malthael straddled her back and sank both of his sickles into her sides. "Restrain her!" Malthael commanded. The beings did as they were told, one grabbing Solar Flare's horn while the other held her wings. While this was happening Malthael's sickles started to glow and he tried to remove Solar Flare from Celestia once more.

"No! I can resist you... Ahhhhhh!" Solar Flare screamed. Again, it appeared that Celestia would return to normal, but Solar Flare lit up her horn, causing one of the soul beings to recoil from the heat. Solar Flare caught Malthael in her magic and picked him up, his sickles still in her sides. She picked up the two soul beings in her magic as well and lit them on fire. She tossed the soul beings away and looked at Malthael with a manic look on her face. "I would've thought you'd learn your lesson." She said slamming Malthael into the ground, keeping him in her magic. "Your soul removal doesn't work on me." She continued, slamming him into the ground again. "All it does is annoy me. Now, surrender and I will end your life quickly." Malthael didn't answer, instead trying to break out of Solar Flare's magical hold. "Oh, I was hoping you'd do this." Solar Flare said, lighting Malthael on fire.

Malthael felt the flames on him as he channeled his magic within him. He suddenly glowed blue in the flames. A blast of his magic exploded and Solar Flare cried out, as her hold on him broke. A blast hit her from Malthael’s shockwave. He stood up with a glow of cold. Solar flare attempted to burn him yet he cut it off as she kept shooting and Malthael kept blocking it.

"Come!" He screamed. The beings came again this time they smashed into her sides and threw her. "It seems I'm going to have to beat you into submission!" Malthael started; his burnt outfit and slightly burnt skin still having wisps of smoke curl up into the air. Solar Flare started to stand up only to cry a bit as her wing was broken. Malthael appeared in front of her, Solar Flare managed to dodge only to get her side cut by Malthael who jumped and kicked her in the face, soon after the two beings followed up by tossing her through a tree.

Luna had finally sensed the trail from Ponyville and landed to see the fight. Luna walked up to Twilight and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the barrier housing Malthael and Solar Flare. "Thank goodness, Malthael made it here before you could do anything foolish."

"I'm sorry Princess, but I had to do something to help." Twilight admitted.

"I understand, I would do the same." Luna told her with a warm smile. "So, how fares Malthael against Solar Flare?"

"Honestly, it's really hard to tell. They're constantly trading blows. Malthael has tried to remove Solar Flare from Celestia twice now. What if he can't do it? Will he have to..." Twilight started, but Luna cut her off.

"We cannot think like that Twilight. What we need to do is have faith in Malthael's abilities." Twilight nodded and they returned their attention to the fight.

Inside the barrier Malthael slowly approached Solar Flare. She was shakily trying to return to her hooves, her body covered in splinters. Malthael simply swept her legs out from under her and stepped on her broken wing. Solar Flare screamed in pain and Malthael simply waited for it to die down. "I don't want to fight you Solar." Malthael stated. "Please, just give up. I promise that I can give you your own body and life once you're separated from Celestia." Solar Flare shot Malthael a pained glare.

"Rot in Tartarus you bucker." She spat at him. Malthael dug his heel into the broken appendage, causing Solar Flare to cry out again.

"Have it your way then." He said, stabbing her with his sickles. "By the way I recall I went to Tartarus once, and I killed it."

Once again he attempted to force out her soul. Solar Flare was once again becoming Celestia but Malthael removed his blade returning Solar Flare’s soul back before hitting her over the head with all his might. She was knocked unconscious or so it would seem. As he walked up to remove her soul her eyes opened. "Got you!" Flames lit up as everyone watched in stunned silence as the darkened sun alicorn was attempting to burn Malthael who powered through it and latched his sickle to her, trying to remove her soul. Sunset had had enough, she lowered the barrier for a moment and grabbed Solar Flare in an attempt to stop her. She grabbed hold of her horn with magic. Solar Flare struggled as her soul was slowly being removed, she attempted to toss Sunset but she grabbed onto one of her hooves. A mighty magical backlash was unleashed with a blue glow and flames, smoke and light. Finally they saw four beings, Sunset, who was slowly getting up, Malthael who could be better his outfit almost completely burned to ash with light burns and his hair singed a bit. They saw an injured Princess Celestia still a pony. And finally an unconscious girl who was as busty was Nightmare Moon and yet was a bit taller and had a bigger butt and wider hips. It was Solar Flare. Celestia started to wake up.

"What just happened?" She said in pain.

"You gave into the darkness in your soul, but Sunset and I were able to remove it." Malthael said motioning toward the woman.

"Sunset?" Celestia questioned, getting up onto shaky hooves. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Sunset Shimmer it really is you." Celestia whispered managing to walk over to the woman and wrapping her good wing and hooves around her. Sunset returned the embrace with tears in her eyes.

"Hi Princess. I'm so sorry I was so arrogant." Sunset said, fighting back the tears.

"No, I was your teacher. I'm the one who's responsible for what happened. Still, it looks like things worked out on their own. It appears you've become an even greater person than I could've imagined."

While Celestia and Sunset were having their little reunion Mal walked over to Solar Flare and checked on her. She was unconscious, but alive. Mal nodded at this and took out his charm home, and placed Solar on the couch for the time being. At that moment he needed to have a talk with Sunset. He walked out of the home with a blank expression on his face. He saw that Celestia and Sunset had just ended their embrace and he approached them.

"Sunset, what the hell were you thinking?! He boomed. "I told you to keep the barrier up at all costs!"

"I was helping you, you ass!" Sunset shot back.

"I don't care! You had no idea what your magical backlash would do while I was using my soul removal! Not to mention all the fire, or any one of a million things that could’ve happened!"

"I just didn't want her to resist the soul removal. Everything worked out fine, so what's the big deal?!"

Malthael shook with anger at this. "The big deal is that I could've very easily killed you Sunset!" Mal cried, getting the attention of everyone. Mal's demeanor suddenly changed, now he wasn’t shaking from anger, but from sobbing. "Damn it Sunset, I don't know what I'd do if I caused you to die." Sunset's anger died, she walked up to Mal and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry I made you worry like that. I was just so scared for you too. I don't know what I'd do without you." Mal returned the embrace until he managed to steady himself.
"Me too, Sunset I love you."

The display was seen by everyone. Ones like Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Pinkie Pie were starry eyed at this. Even Celestia had to admit that Malthael, despite being death itself seemed to breathe life into the world. 'What is death without life?' She thought barely realizing that she just thought of the oldest force ever. Nothing seemed like it could break the happy day. Well almost nothing. The Element’s case was suddenly encased by magic.

"Well, well, well." Everyone turned to see the lord general of Prance. "What a disgusting display." Malthael had his blades out. "Oh so you’re the being who stopped my invasion plans?" The LG stated.

"What invasion?" Celestia screamed.

"The invasion of the northern isles I spent a lot of time there stopping your forces." Malthael said.
The lord general started, "Perhaps, but today things change.... Today..." His cape gave way to reveal the feathered wings of an alicorn and above them an air fleet moved into position.

"Impossible, you were never an Alicorn." Luna and Twilight said.

"Please there is more than one way to become an alicorn, more dark ways."

Celestia got ready for a fight."What do you want?" She demanded.

"Your throne, your lives and the ponies who live here, all to rule this world." Suddenly a red object moved out from behind him. Twilight, Celestia, and the main six the all remembered it. "Sombra’s horn." Malthael held his blades up.

"It's not a horn anymore it’s a soul gem now holding a fall being." The horn merged with the lord general horn. A dark forced covered him as a second shadow was seen, Sombra with one difference. He had bat wings.

"Yes you see my anger, my hate for you all even trapped in the horn allowed me to become an alicorn. With a little help from my dark magic of course." The lord general said in Sombra’s voice.

"With him I learned how to ascend." The LG’s voice broke out.

"Together we will rule this ball of rock." The two voices said together. The darkness soon gave out. Standing there was a fusion of the two beings, King Sombra and the lord general of Prance. Two alicorns as one. The horn of Sombra, the head and body of the lord general, Sombra’s bat wings. Finally his eyes opened revealing Sombra’s eyes. "I am Demise, I invite you to Prance to try and stop me." The being started to become darkness, as did the suitcase with the elements. With that they were gone.