Dark Conflict

by Six Quills

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Nightmare Moon
Length: 30593

An ancient, forgotten evil returns, and Celestia and Luna find themselves forced into a deadly game.

In the wake of Discord's return to stone and a restored peace to Equestria, the world is again plummeted into darkness as an ancient, forgotten evil returns. Celestia and Luna quickly find themselves forced into a deadly tournament, as Twilight and her friends race against time to save them.

Although this story features Pen Stroke's Nyx (Past Sins), this story itself is not related to Past Sins, nor does it require a reading of Past Sins.

Published 2012-05-01 00:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-02 01:49:05 UTC

Return of an Ancient Malice

DARK CONFLICT

An MLP: FiM FanFiction

by Six Quills

Editing by

Red-Velvet-Wings

Hodd

A Very Special Thanks to Pen Stroke for allowing me to feature

his OC Nyx (Past Sins) and for being my final editor

________________________________________

Dedicated to the Brony Community

The Greatest Family I’ve ever been a part of

Spread the Love and Tolerance everyone!

________________________________________

CHAPTER 1:

Return of an Ancient Malice

Night time was just beginning in Equestria as Princess Celestia lowered the sun on the horizon to make way for the moon. Luna had prepared a very elegant and beautiful waning crescent moon and complimented it with a clear, gallant view of the stars. Ever since the defeat of Discord several weeks before, Celestia and Luna had been making the days and nights more beautiful than they ever were before; and why wouldn’t they? With the defeat of Discord, balance and peace had been ensured for Equestria. Any possibilities of a threat to this harmonic time were non-existent. All was good…as far as they could tell. Unbeknownst to the Princesses, however, that delicate balance was about to be shifted once again.

On the western edge of Equestria, high in the mountains of the Unicorn Range, lurked a foreboding figure. Disguised by the shadow of the mountain, the figure climbed along a long forgotten path. Higher and higher it climbed, the path eventually bringing the figure into Luna's gentle moonlight.

The figure was an alicorn, the most majestic and legendary of all ponies. This particular alicorn stood very tall, just a few inches taller than Celestia. Its facial and bodily features could not be seen, as its head was covered in a dark blue helmet that stretched down its neck, and the rest of its body was covered in a luxurious, royal black cloak. Its eyes were nothing but a dim white glow underneath its helm. The alicorn moved to a ledge that overlooked all of Equestria. Far off in the distance, it could see Canterlot Castle hanging majestically off the side of the mountain. The alicorn then spoke, revealing it to be male, with a deep clear voice.

“It seems Celestia and Luna have managed to create a very peaceful kingdom,” he spoke with a sense of interest in his voice. He then turned his attention downward to the settlement of Ponyville. “Hmmm… I’ve never seen this town before. We must have been gone longer than I thought…”

Another figure stepped out of the shadows behind the alicorn. It was an all-black male pony, wearing golden armor quite similar to that of the royal guard, with the exception of its far more ancient appearance. Under the light of the moon, he was revealed to also be an alicorn. He was the same size as your average pony, but he was an alicorn nonetheless. He walked up and positioned himself next to the taller alicorn.

“Well, My Lord, we are finally back. It's been two thousand years since we were last here.” The Guard spoke with a deep respect in his voice.

“I know, captain,” replied the tall alicorn. “I doubt anyone of this time will remember me, but that doesn't matter. Rally the soldiers!”

The captain nodded, turned, and gave a loud whistle. At his call, twenty more alicorn soldiers stepped from their master's shadow. They lined up, and snapped to attention as the alicorn lord turned to face them.

"Fly to the cities of this land, my soldiers, and hide amongst the populace. Listen and learn, for I am curious about the state of this world. Report back here by midnight tomorrow, and then steel yourselves, for then we begin our game."

The alicorn gave a light smirk before turning around and returning to the edge.

"Now go!" the alicorn lord shouted, sending his soldiers flying off into the night, each bound for a different city and town of the kingdom. The only soldier that remained beside him was the captain. The pair watched the other soldiers until they had disappeared from sight. Then, the lord glanced down at his captain.

“Perhaps it is best, Captain, that we do not call me by my real name whilst here in Equestria. From now on just refer to me as… Grimveil… yes… Grimveil sounds adequate.”

“As you wish, Lord Grimveil.” The Captain said with a respectful bow. The two then retreated back into the shadow of the mountain.

Twilight Sparkle smiled and stretched as she awoke in her bed. After a late night of studying, she had allowed herself to sleep in a little later than usual. Still, the morning sunlight was now flowing through her bedroom window and into her eyes. She got out of bed, made her way downstairs, and smiled pleasantly. Spike was already at work giving the library a touch-up cleaning.

“Good Morning, Spike. Sleep well?” Twilight asked with a morning cheer in her voice.

“Oh, hey Twilight. Yea I slept alright. I already made you breakfast. It’s sitting in the kitchen.” Spike replied, a bit busy with his chores.

“Why thank you Spike. The day is going so well already. Don’t forget we have that banquet in Canterlot this evening.”

“Oh yea that’s right.” Spike replied jumping down from the bookshelves he was dusting. “Princess Celestia is holding a banquet tonight in Honor of you and your friends. That’s twice now that you guys used the Elements of Harmony to defeat evil. I’m beginning to wonder if Princess Celestia herself couldn’t use them like you guys have.” Spike blushed with his compliment.

“Haha, well I don’t know about that.” Twilight replied with a chuckle. “Just be ready by this afternoon. Celestia is sending us a Royal Chariot, so be sure to look your best.”

“Will do Twilight!”

Twilight nodded at Spike, before trotting into the kitchen as Spike returned to his work. The breakfast she found there was wonderful. Pancakes, just the way she liked them, with a tall glass of orange juice. Sometimes, Spike knew her to well.

Twilight munched on the breakfast greedily, her late night studies giving her a strong, morning appetite. It wasn't long before her plate was clean, her glass was empty, and her stomach was full.

It was just as Twilight was beginning to clear the table of her dishes that she heard a knock coming from the library door. After dropping her plate and glass in the sink, Twilight quickly went to answer the door, finding Rarity standing on the library doorstep.

“Good morning Twilight,” Rarity said with her elegant voice. “I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I just finished touching up our dresses for the banquet tonight and I wanted to bring yours by." With a flick of her horn, Rarity opened her saddle bags and withdrew the perfectly folded dress. Twilight smiled at the sight of the dress, taking it from Rarity using her own magic.

"Oh, it looks just like new, Rarity. Thank you!”

“Oh you’re quite welcome dear. We’re going to have a lovely time at the banquet tonight, I just know it, so long as that dreaded Prince Blueblood isn’t within a hundred miles of the castle grounds!” she replied, making no effort to hide the annoyance in her voice. “Now, I would love to stay and chat but I have to get these dresses to the others. I’ll see you when the chariot arrives!” Rarity turned and trotted away.

Meanwhile, on the edge of Ponyville, under the guise of a traveling Earth Pony salesman strolled in one of Grimveil’s soldiers. He looked nothing like the way he did the night before. His Golden Armor was gone, and his black coat, wings, and horn had all been replaced by a brown coat and brown mane. He spent the morning strolling through Ponyville, taking in the design and build of the town. It seemed like a good old fashioned type of town, but he did take notice of some forms of technological advancement, such as a device he learned was called a scooter, being skillfully ridden by a small orange filly Pegasus.

He eventually set up his fake shop in the middle of the town square around noon, and spent most of the afternoon examining every pony that walked by. He studied the lifestyles and day to day activities of the ponies. It was personally very boring for him, but if this was what Lord Grimveil ordered him to do, then he would do it without question.

As the evening finally arrived his boredom came to an end as a large Royal Chariot descended into Ponyville. A crowd had gathered quickly, but it was soon parted as a group of six ponies and a baby dragon made their way through. Each pony was wearing a magnificently stunning dress, but the soldier took notice of something else. Each pony was wearing a beautiful piece of jewelry, specifically five necklaces and a tiara. From those necklaces, he felt a magical presence, one that he had been trained to identify.

“Well well, the Elements of Harmony…” he muttered to himself. He started to pack up his shop and head out of town. “It looks like they’re heading to the castle. No need for me to follow, we already have the castle covered. My work here is done…” Once he was safely outside of town, he shed his disguise and took flight towards the mountains.

The banquet proved itself grander than even the gala. Twilight and her friends were catered to as if they were royalty. Twilight and Celestia talked endlessly all night long, Rainbow Dash got to hang with the Wonderbolts again, and even Prince Blueblood was kept out of the castle that night for Rarity’s sake. Everything was flawless. All six ponies, along with Spike, were having the time of their life. Yet, despite their wishes that the night would last forever, Celestia rose from her seat to offer one final toast and mark the banquet's end.

“I would like to thank you all one last time for joining my sister and I on this night as we honor these six ponies. They’re unbreakable friendship has saved Equestria from evil once again, and we are ever so joyous to declare you as the Defenders of Equestria. May you always wield the Elements of Harmony in the name of all Ponykind!” Celestia loudly proclaimed, getting excited at her own words. The entire ballroom of ponies cheered loudly for Twilight and her friends, and they could do nothing but blush in response.

As the closing ceremonies ended and everypony in attendance began to head home, one of the Royal Guards that was stationed at the banquet, who was actually another disguised alicorn, crept away from his post and headed into one of the towers. As soon as he made it to the top and had a clear view of the skies, he shed his disguise as a guard and flew off into the distance. Thanks to his black coat, he blended in with the night sky, making him practically invisible, with the addition of keeping his Golden Armor under black illusion as well.

As he was flying back to the rendezvous point he began talking to himself.

“So the Elements of Harmony have new bearers…Lord Grimveil will definitely be interested in this…”

Across Equestria, clocks struck the midnight hour and all of Grimveil’s alicorn soldiers gathered on the same mountain ledge from whence they left. Emerging once again from the shadows of the mountain, was Lord Grimveil, accompanied by his Captain.

“What do you all have to report?” he spoke.

The Soldiers took turns reporting everything they had seen. Most of it was the same thing repeated over and over again. They were things like the daily lives of ponies, the celebrities of the time, and other similarly mundane subjects. The only thing that really interested Grimveil was the fact that the technology of Equestria had advanced, most notably in the metropolitan city of Manehattan.

Satisfied by what he heard, Grimveil opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by two soldiers.

“Lord Grimveil, there is one last thing you may be interested in hearing. It appears that the Elements of Harmony have changed wielders. Instead of the Princesses, they are now controlled by six ponies from the settlement of Ponyville.”

Grimveil raised an eyebrow. “Well…that is interesting. However, I’m really not all that surprised. It doesn’t matter though. It will only require a small change to my plans.” Grimveil walked to the edge of the mountain and overlooked Equestria once more.

“You are all dismissed for now. Tomorrow morning we put our plan into motion, and pay a little visit to our beloved princesses.”

Grimveil put on a small grin. The soldiers dispersed for the night and headed back into the safety of the shadows. The Captain moved forward and stood next to Grimveil on the ledge.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, my Lord?” he asked with concern.

Lord Grimveil glanced down at his captain for a moment before returning his gaze to the landscape below.

"Captain Shank Spear, you have followed me loyally without question for several millennia. Trust me on this. I know what I’m doing.” Grimveil gave another sinister smile.

“Yes, my Lord.” Captain Shank said with a respectful bow.

Twilight was awoken by the next morning far more rudely than she had been the day before. Spike had jumped up on her bed, and was now bouncing of the covers and frantically waving his claws.

"Come on, Twi, wake up!" he shouted.

Twilight finally gave in to Spike, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eye. "All right, I'm up, now what's going on?"

"I just got a letter from Princess Celestia! Canterlot Castle is surrounded by an army of alicorns!"

After a few seconds of collecting herself after the sudden awakening, she was able to process everything Spike had just said.

“An army of alicorns? That’s absurd Spike. Are you sure you didn’t eat too many gems this morning?”

“I thought the same exact thing! But the news is all over Equestria! Just out of nowhere a large group of smaller alicorns led by a larger alicorn appeared and marched on the castle gates! Thank Goodness they stopped there! Celestia wants you and the others in Canterlot right away to wield the Elements!”

Twilight quickly jumped up out of bed to learn the others had already heard and were waiting for her in the town Square.

“Well there you are Twilight. We were wonderin’ when you were gonna get here!” Applejack said with a hastened tone. “Come on, we gotta hightail it to the castle!”

The six ponies jumped onto a chariot that Celestia had sent, and without hesitating a second, it was racing towards Canterlot. It wasn’t long before the chariot arrived at Canterlot, and the six ponies could do nothing but stare at the alicorn army as they flew by. The smaller alicorns were standing perfectly at attention, but the larger one, Lord Grimveil, turned his head and stared back, his eyes following as they flew by. Twilight felt her stomach and chest clench, stricken with fear. She hadn’t felt a fear like this since she looked into the eyes of Nightmare Moon. She breathed a sigh of relief as they flew out of sight of the alicorn and landed in the castle, where Celestia and Luna were waiting.

“Thank you all for coming,” Celestia said with a deep worry. “I’m sorry but I know nothing more than you do about these visitors. I needed you here to wield the Elements of Harmony in case things are as bad as I fear.”

“How can there be more alicorns, Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked hurriedly, “I might have been able to believe one or two more alicorns, but there must be at least fifty of them out there!”

“I don’t know, Twilight.” Celestia replied in a grim tone. “We have yet to approach them and find out who they are, where they came from, or what they want. Still, I hope that you six will stand with me and Luna all the same.”

"Don't worry Princess, we're with ya!" Rainbow Dash yelled, demonstrating her famed loyalty.

Princess Celestia returned Rainbow's assurance with a nod as she led the group through the castle's front door and into the royal courtyard. There, the Equestrian Royal Guard had prepared for battle, standing at attention and awaiting for Princess Celestia's order to throw back the encroaching army.

After giving a few steadying nods to the generals and commanders amongst the royal guards, Princess Celestia came to a stop before the castle gates. With a flick of her horn, she opened the sturdy doors for the alicorn army standing on the far side.

“Well, Princess Celestia, it sure isn’t polite to keep your guests waiting…” Grimveil grinned as he slowly walked through the gates and stood in front of the princesses.

“Who are you, and why do you bring an army against our castle?” Celestia asked coldly.

“I am Lord Grimveil. Now, the reason I stand before you is because I am seeking entertainment, and I was hoping you could provide some.”

“Thou bring an army to the gates of our home in pursuit of entertainment!" Luna barked, making no effort to hide her confusion or irritation. "If thou seek such distractions, then tell your soldiers to stand down and entertain thyself at a theater!"

“I'm sorry Luna, but I've never been one for the theater. It's too predictable, really. Once you've seen the show once, you always know what's going to happen, even if the cast makes the occasional mistake. No, the entertainment I seek is far better. Now, I have indulged your questions for long enough. It's time for the game to begin."

Sensing Grimveils dark intentions, Twilight and the others stepped forward and charged the Elements of Harmony. However, as they brought the Elements to a full charge, Grimveil unleashed a flash of white light from his horn. The light knocked Twilight and her friends back and threw off their concentration, causing the elements to unleash the energy they had gathered in every direction. The Royal Guard was forced to scatter to avoid being struck by the powerful magic, and the scene soon devolved into chaos.

The six ponies got up and prepared to face him again, but when they re-focused their attention to where he was standing, Grimveil, along with his entire army of alicorns, had vanished.

“Where’d they go?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Princess, where did they-” Rainbow Dash stopped as a gasp escaped her throat. Both of the princesses had vanished along with Grimveil and his army. Soon, the other mares and the royal guard made the same realization, and began a frantic search for their princesses. The royal guard rushed into the castle, going to search every corner and corridor while the Twilight and her friends remained outside to search the courtyard.

Out in the wide open plains of Equestria, a gaping rift began to form in the earth. It spread open farther and farther, until it was roughly a mile wide. Then, from the depths of the rift, something began to emerge. At first it just appeared to be nothing more than a giant hunk of rock, but as the rock continued to rise from the bowels of the earth, it revealed carved columns and archways. It was a coliseum, larger than any Equestria had ever seen. It rose from the earth, and did not stop when it was at ground level. With the snap of stone it broke free, and rose into the sky until it was floating at the same height as Cloudsdale. Under the bright sunlight, almost all of Equestria was able to see this magnificent structure. The coliseum was about a mile in diameter and over half a mile tall. Its design and build was that of ancient Equestrian architecture.

As everypony gazed upon this floating coliseum, Lord Grimveil appeared upon an outer balcony. Using his magic, he projected his voice all across Equestria.

“Dear citizens of Equestria: I have borrowed your beloved Princesses. I assure you they are safe, for the time being, though whether they remain in such a state of health is up to their own ability. Fear not for the sun and moon, they shall continue across the sky under my guidance. Continue your daily lives as if nothing has changed, and do not approach the coliseum!”

The princesses Celestia and Luna, once they had recovered from Grimveil's blinding magic, found themselves at the center of an enormous arena. They looked around at the ancient architecture until their attention was drawn by several more flashes of light. In each flash, another figure appeared on the arena floor.

Among the first were enemies the princesses believed defeated: Nightmare Moon and Discord. Those two were then joined by others, five additional alicorns appearing in similar flashes of light. A final flash of light then drew everyone's attention upward, to a balcony that hung above the arena floor. There, Lord Grimveil came into view, a smug grin on his face.

“Welcome everyone, to Equestria’s most magnificent tournament…the Grimveil Battle Royal!”

Eve of the Struggle

CHAPTER 2:
Eve of the Struggle

Grimveil's laugh echoed across the coliseum walls, sending a shiver down Princess Celestia and Luna's spines. Still, the two sisters stood strong together. Celestia stamped a hoof, and spoke with a firm, demanding tone.

"Explain yourself Grimveil! Where have you brought us?" Princess Celestia's demand brought an end to Grimveil's laughter, though he still looked down upon them with a devilish grin.

“The Grimveil Battle Royal is the pinnacle of all tournaments, where you will fight against Equestria’s most powerful heroes and villains! As for where you are, you’re in an ancient coliseum currently floating high in the skies above Equestria.”

“Now, everyone listen closely as I will explain how this tournament works.” Grimveil cleared his throat. “As I stated before, the Grimveil Battle Royal is my own special tournament in which you will all be forced to battle each other. Firstly, make no attempt to escape. The entire coliseum is surrounded by a magic barrier that I cast myself. Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out. Secondly, you are all free to roam about the coliseum, but stay away from my quarters and the quarters of my soldiers. As far as the tournament goes, there is really only one rule… no killing. As much as I would love to watch you all struggle to your final breath, that would make this little tournament of mine go by far too quickly. However, do not take this as a request to go easy on one another. I expect you all to beat each other within an inch of your lives, then stop. Lastly, to clear a question that I know you all want to ask…there is no prize for winning this tournament. In fact, there isn’t even a system. Whoever I want to see fight, will fight. If you refuse to fight, then you will suffer a fate far worse than death.”

A pulse of energy came from Grimveil as he spoke those final words, as if they alone were enough to snuff out the life of anypony that dared to defy him.

“What happens when the tournament ceases?” Luna asked in a demanding voice.

Grimveil looked up at the sky for a moment as he pondered her question. “To be completely honest my dear Luna, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll most likely imprison all of you and take over Equestria. Or, perhaps I’ll have you all sentenced to death. It really doesn’t matter, for now I just want to enjoy the carnage. Now you should all go get some rest. You'll find living quarters throughout the coliseum, and I suggest you make use of them. You're going to need your energy for the battles tomorrow.”

Grimveil turned and left the balcony, disappearing into the coliseum. Celestia and Luna were tempted to follow him, but feared the repercussions of such an action. Although Grimveil had yet to do anything overly aggressive, the power the princesses sensed within him made them weary. He was simply too strong to attack directly.

Besides, Grimveil was not the only one the princesses had to fear. Within moments of Grimveil's departure, Discord approached the royal sisters with a smug smile on his face.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the all glorious Princess Celestia and her baby sister Luna. Fancy meeting you here, especially with that little ‘turning me into stone’ incident. Pardon me if I’m a bit stiff,” he said, cracking his neck. “Hey, no hard feelings, right?” he added with a mischievous laugh.

"Gotta say, though, I'm liking this Grimveil fellow. The coliseum rising from the ground, the kidnapping of not one, but both of Equestria’s royal princess sisters, oh, it just reeks of chaos! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be finding a room before all the good ones are taken. Maybe I can find a good spot by the pool,” he said to himself. He turned his attention back the Celestia. “I’ll see you in the arena.” Discord laughed before teleporting away in a white flash.

With Discord's departure, that left Princess Celestia and Luna with the remaining contestants in Grimveil's twisted tournament. Apart from themselves and Discord, they saw six other alicorns. Among the other six was not just one but two Nightmare Moons, however Celestia and Luna took notice of subtle differences between the pair. While one was a carbon copy of the witch that Luna had become, the other wore no armor and bore a different cutie mark: a single blue shield.

That left four alicorns that Celestia and Luna did not recognize in the least. They were all of Luna's size, and each bore unique coloring and markings. One was an all-black colt with a gothic skull and crossbones for a cutie mark. The next was colored a blood red, with a dark-red, fiery mane, and was covered in what looked like war paint. A large sword lay across his flank. The third was a mare with a very pale coat and sickly green mane. She looked down at the ground as if ready to collapse, a rotten apple core as her cutie mark. The final alicorn was another mare, colored a pale green and covered in what looked like red sores. She had a gray mane, and for a cutie mark, she had a toxic green splatter.

Despite never meeting the four ponies before, Celestia and Luna kept a respectful distance. Although the two mares were busy looking at the ground, the two colts looked back at the princesses with a maleficent glare. Whoever the four alicorns were, they were not ponies that seemed interested in being allies.

Unable to shake the feeling that they were alone against an army of enemies, Princess Celestia and Luna turned to leave. They intended to explore the coliseum, hoping both to find a room for themselves and, by chance, a means of escape. Their exit from the arena floor, however, was cut off by Nightmare Moon, who carried a wrathful complexion.

“I’m not surprised to see you here, sister” she said to Celestia, “But seeing my original self here can only mean that you two are not from where I came from…In my Equestria, your student failed to defeat me with the Elements and you were eternally banished to the sun! I certainly can’t wait to defeat you in this ‘tournament’ and create an eternal night in this Equestria as well!” Nightmare Moon transformed into her small cloud form and disappeared through a nearby archway.

“What shall we do, sister?” Luna asked.

“I’m not sure. Let’s have a look around first, and then we’ll think of something.”

They stepped off the arena and entered into the infrastructure of the coliseum. Unlike the outside, which had a sense of elegance to the coloration and structure, the inside was dark and dreary, as if the place had seen many a gruesome battle. Certain parts of the walls and ceiling had begun to crumble, but most were still intact.

In some places, the two sisters found mostly intact murals carved into the stone walls. A large portion of these were depictions of battles between ponies, while others artistically represented weaponry or other battle-related objects. Celestia and Luna followed the carvings down the hall until they came across a very large carving.

It was a tall, royally clad alicorn sitting atop a throne whilst a large number of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns battled each other to the death below. It reminded the sisters too much of their own current situation, and the thought of what horrible events had transpired here sent a shiver down the sisters' spines.

Forcing themselves away from the mural, the two sisters explored the rest of the coliseum, hoping to find a way out. When that search proved fruitless, they set out to find a place to rest: one of the living quarters Grimveil mentioned. Much to their surprise, there were already beds laid out, and the room was surprisingly clean for just being unearthed.

The room itself was rather large, thirty by thirty feet, and was lined with marble furniture such as drawers and couches. This room was obviously used by someone of importance at some point in time. With nothing to do, Celestia began exploring things around the room. She found plenty of old broken artifacts in and amongst the furniture, but what actually got her attention the most was a small pile of paper, some quills, and a bottle of ink inside one of the drawers. The paper was a bit dry but still writable, and the ink was fresh, perhaps thanks to the bottle being so tightly sealed.

“Luna, use your magic to create a small fire. I’m going to send a letter to Twilight.” Celestia said as she hurriedly grabbed the paper and began to write, as if fearing her actions would be discovered at any moment.

“Did Grimveil not say that nothing could pass through his barrier?” Luna responded as she used her magic to create a small flame.

“Yes he did, however my method of sending letters uses a very unique type of magic. While we are unable to leave, perhaps this letter can.” After finishing the letter, Celestia rolled it up and threw it on the fire. Instead of burning, the letter dissolved into the air, signifying that the teleport was successful. A smile blossomed onto Celestia's face at the small victory, but soon after Grimveil's voice boomed through the coliseum.

“That was very clever of you Celestia, finding a way to get around my barrier, but it won’t work again. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise I’d be punishing you…”

“At least the one message got through… that should be enough to let Twilight know-” Before Celestia could finish, a figure appeared at the door. Standing there, looking in on them was the Nightmare Moon look-alike they saw earlier.

"I know you think I'm Nightmare Moon, but I'm not. My name is Nyx." The alicorn said with the same voice as Nightmare Moon, but with a much gentler inflection. Celestia had no intention of trusting her just yet. Celestia stood up, holding her head high, openly showing her distrust. Luna stood quietly beside her sister.

"Why should I believe you so easily? How can I be sure you are not Nightmare Moon attempting to fool me?" Celestia sternly asked.

Nyx was quick to take a low and hesitant step back. She did not want to alienate the princesses by being too bold at their first meeting. Nyx kept her head low.

"I have no true proof other than my word, Princesses. Please believe me that I have no intention of harming either of you and have no alliance with Nightmare Moon." By this point, Luna was tired of being quiet. She stepped ahead of her sister in a more casual manner.

"If you are not Nightmare Moon," Luna asked curiously. "Then why do you bear her resemblance?"

Nyx relaxed considerably, looking away from Celestia for a moment to answer Luna. "To make a long story short Princess, I was created from the remains of Nightmare Moon. An evil cult had attempted to resurrect her, but failed when the Princess Celestia of my Equestria intervened. Instead of getting Nightmare Moon, I was created instead as a young filly. I may look and sound like Nightmare Moon, and I may even have the same powers as her, but I am my own pony. I only wish to let the two of you know that you are not alone in this tournament." Nyx explained, still keeping her head low.

Celestia stepped back, taking a slightly more relaxed stance. She was still unsure of Nyx. Luna however, seemed to be very at ease with this newcomer, taking a few steps away from her sister.

"Nyx, are you happy you didn't follow in the path of Nightmare Moon?" asked Luna quietly, already feeling what Nyx had been trying to prove her entire life.

"I am, Princess. Nightmare Moon was a terrible creature, and though she may have been powerful, her heart and magic were dark, leaving her alone to deal with the thick darkness that eventually consumed her. Nightmare Moon was the farthest thing from good, and I was taught to always be good, to always help others, and to always value the magic of friendship."

As soon as Nyx mentioned 'the value of the magic of friendship', Celestia was able to relax. It told Celestia that Nyx was indeed telling the truth.

"Thank you for offering to be our ally during this tournament, Nyx. Perhaps if the three of us work together, we may find a way out of here. For now, though, it doesn't seem like there is much we can do."

"I'm afraid you are right Princess." Nyx replied, standing upright as Celestia accepted her. "I guess we just wait for now."

"Well since we have time, I wouldn't mind hearing your entire story Nyx. To think, there was any type of spell that could revive Nightmare Moon." Celestia said inquiringly.

"Well, alright." Nyx answered. The three alicorns seated themselves as Nyx explained her backstory and how she came to be who she was.

Down in the Canterlot Royal Garden, Twilight had gathered her friends together to try and make sense of the situation. Twilight was pacing back and forth as the rest were trying to comprehend the events that had transpired.

“Well I can’t make any sense of this, Twi.” Applejack finally said breaking the silence. “A whole buncha alicorns come out of nowhere and snatch up the princesses. It’s just crazy!”

“Oh I sure hope the Princesses are okay. The loud voice said they were fine, but wouldn’t be for long.” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Come on girls, think!” Twilight yelled out. “A random alicorn comes out of the blue, overpowers both princesses, and then snatches them away! It can’t just be some ‘new enemy’. There’s gotta be something behind all this!”

Twilight's confused rant was abruptly interrupted by Spike, who belched up a plume of green fire. The fire quickly formed into a scroll, which Twilight eagerly snatched out of the air. Twilight wasted no time in unfurling the scroll as her friends crowded in to read over her shoulder.

Twilight,

Luna and I are alright for the time being, but I’m not sure how long we’ll hold out. Grimveil is forcing us to compete in some sick tournament where we must battle for his entertainment. Somehow, he has revived Discord and brought Nightmare Moon over from some alternate dimension. It’s not just them either. There are a small number of other contestants that I don’t even recognize. Escape from this coliseum is impossible. He’s surrounded it with a very strong barrier that we can’t break or teleport through. I was lucky enough to slip this message through but I doubt it will work again. Twilight, do not attempt to break through the barrier. There is no doubt in my mind that my guards will attempt a strike at the coliseum. Try to convince them otherwise, for I fear that Grimveil won’t show mercy to anyone that approaches. Instead, I want you and your friends to go to the Canterlot Castle Library. See if you can find out anything about Grimveil, and if there is a way to stop him. Luna and I will do our best in here. We have no choice but to abide by his rules for now. Good luck my little ponies…

Celestia

"Well, at least we know they're alright," Applejack said with semi-relief. "Still, this Grimveil characters gotta be mighty strong if he's keeping Celestia and Luna locked up."

“Yes, but there’s still no time to lose!” Twilight exclaimed to her friends. As quick as a flash, the six friends were off and racing through the castle.

“Applejack! Rainbow Dash! You two head to the soldiers and try to stop them from attacking the coliseum. The rest of us will head to the library and begin searching.” Twilight ordered.

Rainbow Dash gave a quick salute before flying off, with Applejack following at a full gallop on the ground. They made their way to the parade grounds, where a massing of Equestrian soldiers was gathering in battalion formation. They quickly found the pony in command.

“Pardon me, sir!” Applejack said hastily. “We got a letter from Celestia from inside the coliseum! She says awful things will happen to ya’ll if you go near it.”

“Yea!” Rainbow dash supported. “Attacking that thing is a really bad idea!”

The commanding pony looked at the two ponies with an angry look.

“I appreciate your concern but it is our duty as Equestrian Soldiers to always go to the Princesses' aid. It doesn’t matter what fate befalls us. We must do our duty.” The commander said with honor.

“But-” Applejack started but was cut off.

“That’s enough!” The commander exclaimed. “I value your input as the Wielders of the Elements, but this is not a matter of the Elements. This is a matter of protecting the princesses. At sunrise we attack.”

Eventually morning arrived, and the six ponies were exhausted from reading. They had stayed up all night long, but had yet to find anything. They were all on the verge of dozing off, but the sound of marching on the castle grounds startled them fully awake. The soldiers had begun to mobilize. Pegasus soldiers began taking flight in formation, while Unicorn and Earth Pony soldiers were gathering into large floating platforms that looked like war balloons. Rainbow dash and Applejack came bursting into the library.

“We tried our best all night Twi, but they’re too gung-ho on their ‘Duty as Soldiers’ to listen to us.” Applejack reported.

“We’ll have to hope for the best then.” Twilight replied, half asleep. “Help us look through these books…”

Inside the coliseum, Grimveil had summoned all of the contestants to the arena floor, itching to see his tournament begin. Grimveil settled into his seat before clearing his throat.

“Welcome all of you to the first day of the Grimveil Battle Royal!” he proclaimed. “I think I know the perfect match to start things off… Celestia, you will battle with… Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she didn’t have to fight Luna. Nightmare Moon would be a much easier opponent to face.

The two alicorns stepped into the arena and circled each other for a few seconds before stopping. They stared at each other from across the battlefield. The battle between the Sun Princess and the Queen of Eternal Night was about to begin.

Chaos Unfolds

CHAPTER 3:
Chaos Unfolds

The arena was silent as the grave as Celestia and Nightmare Moon stared each other down. The pair had met on the battlefield before, but things were not the same. Without the Elements of Harmony, Celestia would have to rely on her own power. At the same time her sister, her real sister, looked on from a distance, while the black mare before her was a corrupt shadow from another, parallel Equestria. Thus, Celestia would receive no aid, but also wouldn't have to hold back.

Nightmare Moon was the first to charge, and Celestia quickly followed suit. The pair galloped at one another, magic charged in their horns. They prepared to clash, but at the last moment Nightmare Moon transformed into her blue cloud, and dissipated through Celestia. She then reformed behind the sun princess, and unleashed a surge of lighting.

The crackling strands of electricity ripped apart the arena floor as they screamed towards Celestia. As the lightning approached its target, Celestia just managed to turn in time to see the spell coming. She could not physically dodge, but instead called on her magic and vanished in a teleportation spell. Nightmare Moon watched as her lighting slammed into the spectator benches, gritting her teeth in aggravation. She tossed her head around, failing to find Celestia anywhere nearby. Then, she had a thought, and turned her gaze upward.

Celestia had teleported herself high above the arena floor, and then entered into a fast free-fall. Nightmare Moon was only just able to jump clear as Celestia crashed down like a meteor, her hooves slamming against the ground with such force it cracked under the strain.

"You're faster than I remember, but not smarter," Nightmare Moon said with a laugh. "You tried to attack me the same way last time we fought. Poor, predictable Cel-"

Nightmare Moon’s voice stopped as a blinding light blasted out of the ground beneath her, striking her square in the stomach, and sending her tumbling through the air. She landed with a thud several feet over. The blow knocked the wind from Nightmare Moon's lungs, but she scrambled back to her hooves all the same.

She turned her gaze to where she had been standing, looking at the large hole that had been blown in the coliseum floor. From there, Celestia climbed into view while the one that had dropped from the sky faded away.

“Perhaps you have managed to learn a few new tricks, you old horse, but that won't be enough. I know you Celestia, and you are not a fighter. You lack the aggression and brutality. You could have done me in with that attack, but you’re too timid…” Nightmare boasted.

Celestia softened her eyes. “You’re right Nightmare Moon. I’m not a fighter. It is not in my nature to hurt anypony, even one who seeks to vanquish me.” Celestia's gaze hardened and her horn flared with magic. "But if I have no choice in the matter, then I will fight with everything I have!"

The search of the royal library had been fruitless. Twilight and her friends had spent hours combing the shelves. They had found a plethora of information about Equestrian history and significant ponies, but nothing on the mysterious alicorn Grimveil.

“Ugh. We’ve been searching forever!” Rainbow Dash complained. “If I have to read another book I think my head’ll explode.”

"I know," Twilight agreed, rubbing her temples. "I'm at my limit too, and we're running out of relevant books. I still can't believe we haven't found anything."

“What are we gonna do?” Fluttershy asked. “There’s no other Library in Equestria with a collection of books like these. If we can't find out about that scary pony here, where else could we look?”

Twilight stepped away from her book, pacing the floor to try and vent her pent up frustration. Fluttershy was right. Canterlot Castle had the largest library in Equestria and contained the oldest books. If they were to discover the mystery behind Grimveil, assuming there was a mystery at all, where else could that information possibly be? Her head began to spin. There were numerous libraries across Equestria, but she doubted any of them would have what they were looking for.

“Hey, why don’t we look in the old Library?” Pinkie Pie stated, her face buried in a book.

“What do you mean ‘Old Library’?” Twilight asked as she moved over beside Pinkie Pie, the others following. She took the book Pinkie was looking in, looked to the page Pinkie had been on, and began to read. The passage mentioned the old castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

“Although the castle itself was a magnificent example of great architecture, one of the crown jewels of the castle itself had to be the Royal Library. It contained thousands upon thousands of books, dating back to the ancient times long before the Founding of Equestria. However, when Celestia decreed that Canterlot would be the new capital, she ordered that the old library be preserved with all of its contents and not moved to the new capital. To this day the library is presumed to still remain, although nobody knows what condition the library is in after a thousand years.”

After finishing the passage, Twilight closed the book to look at the cover. It was titled ‘Great Structures of Equestria’, a book they decided to skip over since they didn’t believe it would contain anything useful.

“Pinkie, how did you know to look in this book?” Twilight asked.

“Well we were looking through all the other books and I got bored so I decided to look through some other books and I noticed all the pretty pictures in this one. Then I came across the old castle on this page, and realized it was that old castle where the elements were, and I suddenly remembered we were there! So I started reading and then I came across this passage and now we’re going to the old library!” Pinkie ranted out in her usual hyperactive tone, hopping about the library.

While it took Twilight a moment to process everything Pinkie Pie had said, she completely agreed with her friend’s logic. She looked to the others, and waved a hoof. "Come on girls, she's right! We got to get to the Everfree Forest!"

________________________________________

In stiff formation, the Royal Guard flew out across the skies of Equestria. Pegasi en mass flew alongside airships loaded down with unicorn and earth pony guards. Together, the force represented the largest deployment of the royal guard in centuries, and every soldier had but one mission: to besiege Grimveil's coliseum.

The royal guard, however, would not take the coliseum so easily. As they approached, Grimveil's own army mobilized. Lead by Captain Shank Spear, the alicorn soldiers positioned themselves in front of the oncoming royal guard.

“Did Lord Grimveil not instruct that everypony stay away from the coliseum?" Captain Shank Spear asked, projecting his voice out with a great, booming tone. "This will be your one and only warning. You have five minutes to comply."

Shank Spear turned away from the on-coming army, and glanced at his lieutenant, Silver Chevron. "If they do not comply, you know what to do."

“Sir, yes sir.” The Lieutenant replied sharply.

The five minutes were over quickly, and the Equestrian army refused to retreat. They were determined to rescue the princesses and were prepared to die in the process. With the blare of a horn, the Royal Guard launched their attack.

The Pegasi Squadrons were the first to reach the alicorn Guard, but they never even touched them. The barrier that had been cast by Grimveil deflected every pegasus pony that rammed it, and sent them spinning backwards through the air. Seeing their fellows unable to breach the barrier, the war balloons turned hard and came to a stop just outside the magical shield. Then, the earth ponies and unicorns began their volley. Arrows and magic spells began falling against the coliseum's barrier with a heavy barrage. Still, the barrier remained unscathed and unbroken.

As if their ultimate defense was not enough, the alicorn guards joined in the coliseums defense. They charged their horns, and then released shots of energy. The shots themselves were not targeted at the attacking ponies, but instead the war balloons. The shots pierced the delicate fabric of the balloons, and set them ablaze. The pegasi had to relent from their attack on the barrier, swooping to rescue their comrades from the falling death-traps their war balloons had become.

The war balloons crashed into the ground and erupted into multiple fireballs. The Unicorn soldiers were hastily using their magic to quell the flames in an attempt to rescue the soldiers who were unable to be saved beforehand.

In all, it took only a few brief minutes for the all-out attack on the coliseum to be squashed by the small force of defending alicorns. Never had any of Equestria’s soldiers seen or been a part of such a humiliating defeat.

They, however, could not linger on the defeat. The commanders of the army called for a full retreat, and the army quickly turned tail to flee back to Canterlot. In the retreating army's wake, Lieutenant Silver Chevron boomed out a final warning.

“Consider this only a warning. If you attempt this again, we will kill all who approach… consider yourselves lucky that we decided to let you all live…”

Strangely enough, no soldier had in fact died in the wreckages. They were all pulled to safety, and although harboring numerous injuries, they were all alive. Grimveil’s alicorn army had strategically placed the shots to allow the balloons to stay afloat long enough for every soldier to be rescued.

Inside the coliseum, the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon had evolved into a brutal brawl. Celestia was battered and bruised, but she had put up a good fight. Nightmare Moon was in a similar, worn down state, injured from the blows Celestia had landed and exhausted from her efforts.

The arena itself suffered the most from the battle. As the two alicorns bucked, checked, and fought each other with their magic, the arena took on more and more scars of battle.

“I didn’t think you had this much potential, dear sister.” Nightmare Moon mocked.

Celestia breathed heavily. She indeed had never put out so much energy before. Furthermore, she still couldn’t even believe she was fighting so willingly. Violence was not in her nature at all, yet here she was locked in horrible combat.

"Potential or not, it's time I ended this," Nightmare Moon continued to mock, noticing Celestia’s worn state. “I shall succeed here where my... counterpart failed. I shall wipe you, your student, and her friends from this world, and claim it as my own. I shall rule both this Equestria and my own with an iron hoof, and all shall know the night eternal!” Nightmare Moon finished her speech with an evil laugh, only slightly hindered by her exhaustion. Celestia however, felt a spark inside her.

"No, you shall not take this Equestria. You were defeated here, in this world, not once but twice, and today I shall defeat you again. You shall not threaten me, my kingdom, my student, or my sister again!" Celestia shouted, accompanied by a large surge of magic in her horn.

Before Nightmare Moon could react, shackles made of energy had formed around her ankles and hooves. She tried to break free, but her efforts were fruitless. She tried to morph into her cloud form, but was unable to do so, as it was blocked by the magic of the shackles. She then looked up to see several dozen swords made of light floating around her. She looked back at Celestia, who had a dark expression on her face. Celestia’s horn then flashed brightly as the swords lunged out, striking and enveloping Nightmare Moon in a bright flash of light.

Grimveil looked on in amazement. He had gotten so caught up into the fight that his mind had blanked at the sight of such a gorgeous combat maneuver. As the flash dissipated though, he was surprised to find Nightmare Moon was still alive. The swords were not meant to kill, but only to subdue. Nightmare Moon laid defeated on the arena floor, barely conscious. Grimveil stood from his seat and pounded the ground with his hooves in applause.

“A marvelous first battle!” he shouted in excitement. “I can only hope the rest are able to match up like such. You did well Celestia, and even managed to maintain my no-killing rule. You are a far more fearsome warrior than I would have believed."

Celestia, whose gaze had softened to reflect her regret of actually succumbing to combat, quickly turned to Grimveil, unleashing the harshest of looks. Without saying a word, she turned her back on him, and limped off the arena floor. She had never felt such resentment.

Grimveil responded to Celestia's cold shoulder with a sinister smile and a light chuckle. He then turned to look at the defeated Nightmare Moon.

"Send her and Celestia to the infirmary," he told a nearby guard. "I want them ready to battle again as soon as possible."

Sundown had finally arrived, and Twilight and her friends were already well into the Everfree Forest. They soon found themselves outside the old castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

“Alright girls, somewhere in these ruins is the old library. Let’s fan out and start looking.” Twilight ordered.

The six ponies dispersed throughout the castle remains and began searching every nook and cranny for what could be, or could be an entry to, the old library. Twilight herself looked back at the enormous coliseum floating miles away.

“Don’t worry Princess. We’re coming…” she said quietly to herself before joining the others.

Revelation

CHAPTER 4:
Revelation

The sun sank beneath the clouds, ending the dreary day. Celestia lay sprawled out on a bed in the infirmary with Nyx and Luna standing at her side. She was barely awake, still battered and bruised from her battle with Nightmare Moon. She could barely speak; her voice hoarse.

“I can’t recall a time I was this badly wounded.” She wheezed to her comrades beside her.

“Don’t speak, Sister,” Luna cautioned. “You need to rest.”

“What did they do with Nightmare Moon?” she asked again, still wheezing.

“She’s also here in the infirmary. She’s out cold, but they’re tending to her as well.” Nyx responded. “Grimveil declared another match, but we didn't stick around to watch the fight between Pestilence and Famine."

"Pestilence?... Famine?" Celestia echoed.

Luna nodded. "Yes, sister. Grimveil introduced them and the other two alicorns we didn't recognize. He called them the Apocalypse Ponies. The other two are called War and Death."

"Where did they come from?" Celestia followed up.

“Grimveil didn't say. All he said was that they are ancient creatures and that their presence heralds the end of Equestria. He also mentioned that he diminished their power to 'make things fair’.” Nyx finished explaining.

“Grimveil must be horrifically strong if he’s able to diminish the power of somepony who can destroy the world,” Luna said.

Celestia dropped her heavy head back onto the bed. “This is far too much for me to handle right now. I need sleep…”

“We know. Get your rest; we’ll talk more once you’ve healed,” Nyx said softly as she and Luna turned to leave the infirmary.

“I must be honest; the thought of having to face one of those Apocalypse Ponies frightens me.” Luna said on the walk back to their room.

“I agree,” Nyx replied. “But I think I fear facing you or Celestia even more. I can harm an enemy if I must, but I could never do it to either of you. We must find a way to escape!”

"Do not worry, Nyx, while we cannot escape we managed to get a letter through. Twilight and her friends are on the outside, and I'm sure they will find a way to reach us.” Luna explained.

"Tw... Twilight Sparkle? She's... still alive?"

Luna nodded, "But of course. Why would she not?"

"I... I just assumed the timelines of our Equestria's were closer together than that. I... I didn't even think she could be. "

The very thought of Twilight filled Nyx with sadness. In her Equestria, Twilight had long since passed away, as she was just a regular unicorn pony. Nyx was an alicorn, and therefore lived far longer, the only childhood relative still alive being Spike.

“Come on Twilight…I know you can do it…” Nyx said softly to herself.

In the Infirmary, Grimveil and Shank Spear had entered in the darkness and loomed several feet off the foot of Celestias cot. They both looked over her, examining her rate of recovery.

“How well is she healing?” Grimveil asked his Captain.

“The medics say she’s recovering at a standard rate. Tomorrow morning we’ll administer stronger healing magic, and she should be back on her hooves sometime tomorrow,” The Captain replied.

“Good. She put on a marvelous display. I can’t wait to send her into the arena again” Grimveil put on a small smile.

“My Lord,” the Captain questioned. “Are you sure things are going the way you want them to? We didn’t plan for Celestia to get so brutal.”

“No worries, my dear Captain Shank Spear. I think everything’s going exactly the way we want them too,” Grimveil put out a small grin before the two of them exited the Infirmary.

“You’re dismissed for tonight Captain. Report to me tomorrow morning as soon as the soldiers are awake and ready. With no army to face, I think our soldiers deserve a little entertainment.”

The Captain bowed low and retreated to his quarters, while Grimveil strolled to a nearby window looking out over Equestria.

“To think it’s been two thousand years since I’ve been here. Time sure does fly. But how long I’ve been gone matters not. Soon I will spread darkness all across Equestria, just as I did so many years ago…” Grimveil gave out a light, barely audible laugh.

The morning sun was just barely beginning to rise, a red and orange veil forming across the horizon. Twilight and her friends had been searching all night long through the ruins of the old castle. All six of them were on the verge of collapse as sleep had been withheld from them for nearly two days. With the scarce bit of energy she had left, Twilight rallied her friends together to get a report.

“Well girls? Anything?” she asked with tired desperation.

“I'm sorry Twilight, but I couldn’t find anything in this rubbish.” Rarity reported.

“Me neither,” said Applejack. “Nothin here but a buncha old rocks.”

Twilight turned her attention to Pinkie, hoping Pinkie had another mishap-finding.

“Well Pinkie? You didn’t accidentally stumble across it like you do everything else?”

“Sorry Twilight.” Pinkie replied with her head drooping.

Twilight groaned. She had absolutely no energy left to keep looking, and neither did the others.

“We can’t keep working like this. Let’s all just lie down and get some of our energy back,” said Twilight. They all nodded in agreement and found a soft spot of ground to fall fast asleep.

Twilight began to dream. She found herself in the middle of some very brightly lit structure. As she walked through it, she noticed many different ponies running about. At first she couldn’t see why, but she soon noticed that the structure was crumbling around her and revealing an endless black void beyond its walls. Not knowing which way to go, she ran straight ahead through two large doors, ending up in a long grand hall. The walls were still dissolving away, but she stopped in her tracks, noticing Princess Celestia standing directly in front of her, but facing away from her to what appeared to be a large and ornate doorway of light. Twilight moved closer to see what she was doing, but before she could get close enough, the doorway of light collapsed, and Celestia turned to exit. Twilight attempted to stop her, but Celestia phased right through her as if she was a ghost.

As the walls finished dissolving away, she noticed the large hallway she was in change form. It no longer resembled the grand hall she was in before, but instead resembled old abandoned ruins. She looked around for a second, and then suddenly realized, she recognized this place…

Twilight quickly awoke and jumped up, frantically awakening her companions.

“Come on girls! Get up! I know where the library is!” she shouted. The other ponies got up, but they were barely rested. Judging by the position of the sun, they guessed they had slept for maybe three hours.

“Hold on Twilight,” Applejack yawned. “Whatya mean you know where the library is?”

“I just had a dream! In it I saw Princess Celestia looking through some doorway. After she left, the room she was in changed, and then I recognized it! It’s the old throne room of this castle!” she explained as she started leading them through the ruins. They soon found themselves in the old throne room, standing in front of where the throne itself used to sit.

“There must be some way to make it appear.” Twilight said to herself as she charged her horn with magic. She couldn’t even begin to guess at a spell to make it appear, but perhaps forcing magic in the area would trigger it somehow.

After a few minutes of surging magic, a small spark flickered in the air. Realizing she had found the right magic to trigger it, she surged even more. More and more small sparks and flickers began to appear at an increasing rate. Eventually, the sparks formed a straight horizontal line of light roughly three feet wide. The line then extended upwards and downwards forming a large rectangular doorway. The doorway was not made of any material item, but was entirely composed of pure light.

“Come on! This has to be the library!” Twilight yelled as she ran through the massive doors. The other five hesitated for a second, but soon followed her through. The six friends found themselves outside an old tower, which was strangely in what appeared to be an underground cavern, the only light coming from numerous torches.

“Why is there a tower underground?” Rainbow asked.

“I guess when Celestia moved to the new capital, she didn’t want the old library to decay, so she must have transported it into here. Knowing her, it was probably easier to put an anti-degradation spell around it in a cave rather than in the middle of the Everfree Forest.” Twilight explained.

They entered the tower, and beheld the most magnificent sight. Bookshelves ran up every side of the tower for sixty feet, and were filled to the brim with books. Numerous fountains and statues of ponies decorated the floor, and gold decorated every surface.

“Ok let’s get to it!” Twilight ordered. “We got a lot of books to read!” The rest of them reluctantly began grabbing books, not sharing in Twilight's enthusiasm.

Grimveil was up in his balcony with Shank Spear as all of his alicorn soldiers began to cheer. Grimveil waved his hoof to silence them and cleared his throat.

“My faithful soldiers, as a reward for your victory against the Equestrian Army, I welcome you to today's first match!” he announced loudly. The audience erupted cheers and applause.

“The next match shall be Discord… versus Famine,” Shank Spear announced from the balcony. The pale, skin-and-bones alicorn stumbled into the arena, where Discord, who had already teleported in and was waiting, couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh my, you really do look awful,” he joked.

Famine just stood there in silence, unaffected by Discord’s words.

“Ugh really? No banter or anything? How dull…” Discord said in disgust. “Fine, if you want to be such a drag then I guess I’ll just end this quickly.”

As soon as the bell was sounded, Discord snapped his fingers, causing an explosion right beneath Famine. The fire enveloped Famine, and when the explosion dispersed she was nowhere to be seen. Discord snorted in laughter, landed on the ground, and huffed in disappointment.

"Well, that was boring." He turned to look at the other combatants. "I hope the rest of you will put a better challenge, otherwise this tournament isn't going to be any-"

Discord was suddenly stopped by a familiar pale alicorn, standing right in front of him. He paused for a second, absorbing the situation.

“Teleportation. How original,” Discord mused. He snapped his fingers again, removing the gravity around Famine, causing her to float helplessly in the air.

"There, now let's try that again," he said snapping his fingers again, causing yet another explosion. Like before, Famine was engulfed in the fire, and again when the smoke cleared, she had disappeared. Discord, however, didn't celebrate so quickly. He turned, and saw that Famine was standing just a few feet away, unscathed.

“Ok…this is getting annoying,” Discord retorted, materializing an arcane sword in his hand. The sword was just as chaotic as he was. It was a large broadsword with many smaller blades protruding from the main blade in random directions. It curved like a scimitar and had the hilt of a rapier. “Let’s see how fast you really are.”

Discord flash teleported behind Famine and smiled evilly as he swung his blade straight at her neck. Famine responded by turning into a white mist and whisked across the arena.

“Well, aren't you just a little ball of chaos. You look like you're about to collapse, yet you're able to pull of that little trick. It's just the kind of misdirection I can appreciate." Discord smiled and gave his sword a toss. "I think I may actually have a little fun with you."

The two began moving all across the arena, Discord attempting to slash Famines mist-form while Famine herself did nothing but dodge. He would approach from every angle, testing all of her openings for a weak spot, but despite his strategic moves, Famine was able to easily evade every blow. It was practically impossible for anyone watching to keep up with the two of them. In a matter of just a second or two, they each could have changed locations five or six times.

As the battle went on, things only got fiercer. Discord became much more violent with his attacks, aiming less and blindly swinging more. Famine was still able to avoid all of his strikes with seemingly relative ease. Despite being unsuccessful so far, Discord had a good feeling. He felt he was slowly catching up to her speed and able to compensate for her movements. As soon as he did, one hit from his sword would be enough to knock her out, even if she was in mist form.

“You really are quite the worthy opponent, Famine.” Discord said, continuing his assault. “Although, it’d be a lot more fun if you’d actually do something rather than avoid me. All you seem to do is let your horn glow and whisk around. Why not spice it up a little?”

Discord couldn't believe that Famine was doing nothing but avoiding him, and that the glow from her horn was merely the magic she used to transform. However, Discord had no real idea as to what the sickly alicorn was doing.

The two continued their battle, returning to their extremely fast paced duel. Discord had just about matched her speed, when suddenly a massive hunger struck him, causing him to double over as he held his stomach. Still, Discord smiled up at Famine.

"Oh... oh, bravo. You really are just full of surprises. Famine, I should have guessed your game the moment I heard your name. You make creatures weak with hunger, so you've been dragging the battle out while slowly weakening me. Oh yes, very clever, but I've caught onto your game and-"

Discord cringed, collapsing onto the arena floor. He cursed weakly as the last of his strength was drawn out of his body.

“I’ll think of a witty comment later…” he muttered before blacking out.

Famine took on her regular form again and stood at the edge of the arena. As soon as Grimveil declared her the winner, she turned and stumbled down to meet with her comrades.

“So that’s what an Apocalypse Pony can do…” Nyx quietly said to herself. “If that’s what Famine is capable of, then I don’t think I even want to know what the ones named War and Death can do…”

As they looked over at the Apocalypse Ponies, Famine slowly turned her head around to look at them. As Famine stared them in the eye, Nyx and Luna were instantly filled with fear. This ‘Battle Royal’ had become a living hell.

Back in the Old Castle Library, Twilight and her friends continued their search. Despite the daunting number of books, they were able to disregard most since they weren't in any way related to the topic they were searching for. That, however, still left many books for them to read through.

Twilight herself was half way through a book titled "Royal Figures of Ancient Equestria" and was about to disregard it as another dead end when she turned the page, where a familiar black alicorn was staring back at her.

“Girls come and look at this!” She yelled to her friends. They trotted over as Twilight read a passage aloud.

“Of the many royal leaders of Equestria, few were evil or cruel. However, there was one alicorn in particular; whose existence is a bloody stain on Equestrian history. His name was Malicious Shadow. A very powerful alicorn, Malicious swayed the hearts of many Equestrian citizens into following him, and then used his great magic to take the throne and turn Equestria into a horrible land of nightmares. He ruled over the land with a merciless iron hoof and severely punished any pony that didn’t abide by his harsh laws. His most notable form of punishment was the forced combat of life and death in his great coliseum. He forced large groups of ponies to fight each other, either in a brutal free-for-all or an arranged tournament, until only one stood alive. His leadership over Equestria only lasted a number of years, however, as a group of alicorns had lead a rebellion against him and overthrew him. Although his fate was never confirmed, he was believed to be killed, though some believe he was banished to some faraway place for all eternity.”

As Twilight finished reading the passage, they each looked over at the next page, where a portrait of Malicious Shadow was placed. Their eyes widened as they recognized the figure. This ‘Malicious Shadow’ was exactly identical to Grimveil.

Light of Hope

CHAPTER 6:
Light of Hope

The sun peeked up over the horizon, the dawn finally arriving. The sun's normal vibrancy was blocked by a sky filled with dark and ominous gray clouds. A steady rain had started overnight and had continued on through the morning. Grimveil had already awakened his contestants and they were all gathered to bear witness to the next battle.

Celestia, Luna, and Nyx waited anxiously on the edge of the arena. At this point, every contestant had battled except for Nyx and Luna. The three feared the announcement of their impending struggle. Grimveil eventually climbed into his balcony, accompanied by Shank Spear and Silver Chevron.

"Good morning everyone," Grimveil said with an evil sneer. "I trust you all slept well. If not, then let the excitement of battle invigorate you. The first bout of this glorious day shall be Luna versus Pestilence!"

Grimveil's voice seemed to echo endlessly through the coliseum as Luna froze in place. Although she was grateful to not be fighting Nyx, she was shell shocked by the fact she now had to battle an Apocalypse Pony. Despite her fear, she worked up her courage and forced herself to move into the arena, where she stared at Pestilence head on, challenging her.

The arena was dead silent. Luna stood in a defensive stance as Pestilence stared back at her. The Apocalypse Pony’s pale gray mane drooped sadly over her head, and the sores that covered her body seemed to almost pulse with pain and agony. Although she seemed ready to fall over dead, Pestilence’s gaze was very determined, and her eyes harnessed the same ferocity as that of War and Death.

After just a few seconds of silence, the bell rang loudly. Pestilence slowly walked forward, gradually turning into a sickly green mist.

"So, you are similar to Famine... " Luna said to herself, preparing her strategy.

It was late morning when Twilight finally awoke, the two days of no sleep finally rested away. She made her way down to the first floor of the library to find Spike fast asleep in a chair. She decided not to wake him as she made her way into the kitchen. She made herself an enormous breakfast, being that she had barely eaten in the past two days, and enjoyed a quiet morning. With a full belly, Twilight's mind was able to slip back into gear, and return to the matter at hoof. They knew who Grimveil was, but they needed to find a way to inform Celestia. Needing to work on something while she though, Twilight busied herself cleaning the kitchen while she contemplated the situation. She pondered the few options she and her friends had, and her thoughts were only broken as Spike stumbled into the kitchen, still half asleep.

"Oh, hey Twilight. Did you sleep ok?" he asked groggily.

"Yes I did," she answered. "We found out the identity of Grimveil. He's actually an ancient tyrant of Equestria named Malicious Shadow, and we believe the key to his defeat lies with the Elements of Harmony. We need to let the Princess know, but unfortunately the old library is closed off to us now thanks to a protection spell. I don't know what to do!" Twilight hung her head as Spike patted her on the back.

“It’ll be alright, Twilight.” He comforted. “You’re the most talented Pony in all of Equestria. You’ll come up with a solution eventually, just don’t give up. Think of Star Swirl the Bearded. He was the most talented unicorn to ever live and created hundreds of world-renown spells, all because he didn’t give up.”

The mention of Star Swirl jogged something in Twilights memory. It only took her a few seconds of recollecting to remember what it was. A couple weeks ago, she had been reading one of his biographies and took note of certain passages. Without even saying a word to Spike, she darted into the library and quickly pulled out the biography, skimming the pages until she found one of the passages.

In his final years of life, Star Swirl had attempted to complete several spells that he had begun years before. Dedicating all his magic to the completion of these spells, he created some of the greatest magics known to this day. After his death, a list was discovered amongst his possessions that named all the spells he was unable to complete. Over the years, unicorns have managed to complete many of these spells. However, several still remained; their formulas being too complex to configure. One spell in particular has had so many failed attempts at completion that it was deemed impossible. Star Swirl called it the Spectre Spell, a spell designed to convert a pony's body into an ectoplasmic energy, allowing him/her to become invisible and phase through both material and immaterial objects as if they were a ghost.

“This spell would be exactly what we need!” Twilight exclaimed.

"I bet you could complete that spell and use it to ghost right through that barrier!" Spike explained with enthusiasm. Twilight looked at the page with both amazement and doubt.

"I don't know Spike. It's a good idea, but it says this spell was deemed impossible to complete. What makes you think I can complete it? The Unicorns who worked on this spell know a lot more about magic than I do." Twilight replied.

"Yea, but Celestia even said she never met a Unicorn with your potential before. I'm pretty sure if theres anypony who can do, it's you!" Spike reassured.

"Well I'll have to bring every book I have on Spell-making, but perhaps you're right Spike. Go get everyone else and tell them to meet me in the town square!" Twilight ordered as she began to gather her books. Spike immediately left to go find the others.

Half an hour later, the six mares had reassembled in the center of Ponyville.

"Alright girls," Twilight began, "I’ve discovered a way that appears to be our best chance at getting through that barrier. We need to head to the Equestrian Magic Museum and search through all of Star Swirls research notes on the Spectre Spell. If I can complete it, we might be able to use it to ghost through that barrier." They all looked at her with confused expressions.

"Who’s this Star Swirl feller?" Applejack finally asked.

"No time to explain. We need to get to Manehattan as fast as possible!" Twilight snapped back. The six of them immediately departed for Canterlot to obtain a chariot to transport them all the way to Manehattan.

"I'll be honest with ya Twilight, I'm not really lookin forward to goin back to Manehattan. You remember me tellin ya that story? Way too hoity-toity for me." said Applejack.

"I know AJ, but that's where Star Swirls research notes are, and I'll need you guys to assist me in completing that spell. Just be glad we don't have to visit your relatives."

The six of them arrived in Canterlot soon after and acquired a royal chariot and two solider ponies to pull it. Just minutes later, they were speeding towards the metropolitan city.

Pestilence drew ever closer to Luna with her slow approach, gradually fading into a nauseating mist. As she neared the center of the arena and completed her transformation, she lunged herself forward at Luna. Luna took flight at Pestilences charge, putting all her strength and speed in avoiding the green cloud. Unlike Famine, Pestilence attacked aggressively. She chased Luna at full speed, their battle quickly becoming a game of cat and mouse.

“Will she be ok?" Nyx asked.

"Due to her younger age, Luna is lacking in power," Celestia answered. "But she is very intelligent. I'm sure she'll be alright." Despite the assuring words she spoke to Nyx, Celestia looked back to the arena with concern in her eyes. She then sucked in a breath, and whispered quietly. "Be careful, Luna."

Luna banked hard, continuing to try and out race Pestilence as she soared along the outer wall of the arena. She waited until Pestilence lunged out again before spreading her wings and flipping over. In that moment, she unleashed a barrage of lighting, sending the bolts firing in every direction in hopes of catching Pestilence's gaseous body in the crossfire.

For the most part, Pestilence was able to dodge the lighting, but a single bolt nicked the edge of her cloud-like form. For a moment, her body seized up under the current, but she recovered quickly and flew away from Luna before the moon princess could attack again.

Discovering her opponent's weakness, Luna tried to repeat her strategy. Unfortunately it was no longer effective. Pestilence took strength away from her pursuit speed and applied it to her evasion, making it for more difficult for Luna to strike her. Luckily for Luna, Pestilence was unable to get close, as it would drop the swiftness of her evasions and make her susceptible to an attack. In a sense, they were both at a standstill.

The battle continued like this for several minutes. Luna would shoot some lightning, and Pestilence would dodge. The battle fell into a rhythm, and it became apparent Grimveil was growing bored. No pony was sure what he would do if he wasn't entertained by the battles, but both Celestia and Nyx couldn't help but glance at one another nervously.

Luna began to see that she and Pestilence were at a stalemate, and she needed to come up with something new before she wore herself out. She tried to move as Pestilence did, but Pestilence countered by moving in sporadic patterns the moon princess couldn't hope to duplicate.

Things then turned even worse for Luna as Pestilence began using a strategy of her own. She swiftly whisked across the field, ducking into Luna's blind spot. The moon princess tried to turn to keep her eye on Pestilence, but could see nothing but a trail. The trail encircled, and soon Luna realized she was surrounded on all sides by Pestilences mist body.

Celestia cringed. She knew Luna could only unleash lightning generally in a straight line. All Pestilence had to do was dissipate where she shot and the battle would be over. Pestilence didn't wait for Luna to respond. In a sudden motion she clenched her halo form around Luna, preparing to unleash her deadly disease magics.

CRASH! A loud clash of lightning could be heard throughout the arena. In a clever move, Luna had summoned a bolt of lightning from the air above her and struck herself. Unable to be damaged by her own lightning magic, her body surged with the energy, and as soon as Pestilence touched her, she was stunned and sent flying, even being forced to enter her regular form again. But Luna's strategy was not without its price as she found herself in a daze. Pestilence struggled to reassume her mist form and lingered a few feet away from Luna.

"She's very quick," Luna said to herself. "And she's lacking in power just as I am. If I can't outdo her speed somehow, I won't be able to win this..." In this short lull between the two dazed competitors, Luna's attention drew upwards into the skies above the coliseum. As she looked up, she noticed a few high-flying clouds that moved into the barrier, which caused them to dissipate.

"I have an Idea..."Luna said to herself with a smirk.

The break came to an abrupt stop has Pestilence had fully reassumed her mist form and was lunging at Luna yet again. The battle had resumed its previous rhythm, where Pestilence attacked and Luna dodged in response.

“My Lord, you look disgusted.” Shank Spear said to Grimveil.

“This battle has become too repetitive. Luna's stunning counter earlier was impressive, but everything else has been so dull. If they don’t change it soon then I will force them to make it more exciting.” Grimveil replied, resent heavy in his voice.

Grimveil got his wish, however, as Luna faltered. Her speed slowed, and the moon princess was forced to land. Her breathing was heavy, the battle taking its toll.

Pestilence also took notice of Luna's weakness, and lunged towards her like a striking serpent. The cloud focused into a single stream, as if she was going to pierce Luna's chest like a spear.

It was exactly what Luna wanted.

The moment Pestilence was close Luna turned her head and pointed her horn at her opponent. She then cast out a magical barrier. It was at first a flat wall, which stopped Pestilence’s approach. The magic then extended. Four more walls surged forth, followed by a fifth.

Pestilence became trapped within the resulting cube, which then morphed into a smooth, perfect sphere of magic. Like a bug trapped in a jar, Pestilence pounded her smoke like form against the barrier, but it held strong.

Luna then smiled, casting her lightening into the barrier. The interior of the sphere became filled with sparking energy, which lanced and pierced Pestilence’s smoky form. The Apocalypse Pony was forced to revert to her physical body, and even then Luna kept up her assault, spending all her magic until Pestilence finally collapsed within the bubble, defeated.

Grimveil stopped his hooves in applause.

“Excellent display my dear Luna. You undoubtedly derived your strategy from the barrier I use around this coliseum, am I wrong? A marvelous use of resources, Princess!" Grimveil said in approval.

Luna ignored Grimveil's praise, and returned to her place in the arena's seats with Celestia and Nyx. Celestia embraced Luna warmly, unable to hide how happy she was to see Luna had won and done so without harm.

The day, however, was not over. As Grimveil finished applauding he lifted his voice again, calling for the next match. "Let the battles continue! The next match shall be Nyx versus Nightmare Moon!"

Both Celestia and Luna turned to their unexpected ally, whose eyes had narrowed to pinpoints. She looked across the arena seating. Nightmare Moon had been released from the infirmary the day before, and was looking as fit as ever. She also wore a dark sneer, and her eyes flashed with vengeful rage. She was going to make Nyx pay for the defeat Celestia had handed her in the tournament’s first bout.

Luna pulled herself free of Celestia's embrace, and leaned forward in her seat as the two mares took to the arena floor. They were both mirrors to the mare she used to be. One, the dark queen of another Equestria, who had bested the Elements of Harmony, and the other, a copy of her dark self that had fought for her own redemption.

Two shadows of the moon princess, and Luna wasn't sure which one would be the stronger.

The chariot finally arrived at Manehatten and the six ponies were dropped off in the center of town. They headed straight for the museum, Twilight and Applejack having to force the other four along to prevent them from getting lost in the scenery of such a different place. It wasn’t long before they got to the museum and were speaking with the Head Curator.

“Welcome to the Equestrian Museum of Magic.” The Curator greeted them. "How may I be of assistance?"

“We’re here on official business from Canterlot. I’m Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia.” Twilight said, pulling out some paperwork that proved her authority. “We need to see the research notes of Star Swirl the Bearded that are kept in the museum vaults.” After examining the paperwork, the Curator led them into the basement floors of the museum and to a giant vault. The curator used some spell to unlock the vault door and reveal piles of old papers.

Twilight and the others rummaged through them, and eventually came across a stack of papers pertaining to the Spectre Spell. The curator then led Twilight and the others to a laboratory for magic spells also located somewhere in the basement levels.

“Alright everypony, let’s get to work,” Twilight said. She picked up the first page and began to read.

Mirror Match! Nyx vs. Nightmare Moon

Nightmare Moon looked up and down her opponent, Nyx, and a sneer of disgust formed on her lips. She then took a step, and began to circle Nyx, her gaze criticizing every detail.

"No armor, a different cutie mark, and you seek the approval of this world's Celestia and Luna," Nightmare Moon said in a haughty tone. "I had hoped you would be an ally of mine in this strange tournament, but now I see you are just a pathetic forgery, not even fit to clean my shoes. How did such a weak willed copy of me come into existence? Did the Celestia of your world enjoy toying with creating ponies?"

"No," Nyx answered, trying to hold her ground under Nightmare Moon's scrutinizing stare. "And I am no copy. I am the Nightmare Moon of my world, but I was given a chance to be something other than a monster."

"A monster," Nightmare Moon said before breaking into a loud, dark laughter. "So you would rather be accepted, be beneath the royal sisters, just so ponies don't call you a monster. You are even more pathetic than I thought."

Nightmare Moon came to a stop in front of Nyx, and planted her hooves firmly in the ground. "I am going to enjoy beating you within an inch of your life.

The bell sounded, and Nightmare Moon rocketed forward with murderous intent in her eyes. She closed the distance between herself and Nyx within seconds, and was about to launch her own attack when Nyx's horn flashed and an arcane sword formed between them and swung in a diagonal strike. Nightmare ducked down to the right, and then taking advantage of the opening Nyx left, flung her whole body upwards into Nyx. Yet, before Nightmare Moon could land her own blow, she felt something connect with the side of her helmet. Nyx had continued her sword swing after she had missed Nightmare Moon, letting the sword swing completely around her body. The flat side of the blade struck Nightmare Moon firmly, and knocked her away.

The blow Nyx was able to land brought a smile to her face, but that smile quickly faded. Nightmare Moon burst into a cloud within moments of being hit, and she then began to zip around the arena randomly. Nyx did her best to keep track of Nightmare's movements, but she quickly lost track of her.

And the moment that happened, Nightmare Moon struck from Nxy's blind spot. She reformed, and bucked Nyx hard in the side.

This sent Nyx flying, and she tumbled across the arena floor with a few thuds as her sword vanished into thin air. Yet, Nyx recovered quickly, climbing back to her hooves and searching for Nightmare Moon. However, Nightmare was nowhere to be seen on the arena floor.

Nightmare Moon had taken to flight, and after getting sixty feet above Nyx, she unleashed a rain of lightning. Acting on instinct, Nyx reverted to a mist form and tried to evade the descending bolts. She managed to avoid a few, but the sheer amount of lightning Nightmare Moon was raining down proved too much. Nyx took a hit, and was shocked back into her normal form, which in turn caused her to be hit by several more of the lightning bolts.

Nyx lay gasping when the assault finally ended, her muscles spasming from the energy still coursing through her body. She lifted her head, and saw Nightmare Moon looking down on her with a satisfied smile as her horn crackled with energy. Seeing Nightmare's intent, Nyx called on her magic as quickly as she could. She threw up a blue bubble shield around her just as another barrage of lightning began. The bolts bounded on the barrier like rain on a metal rough, and it began to crack under the strain.

With a final bolt, the barrier shattered, but Nyx had recovered enough in those moments to jump clear of the rest of the attack. She then spread her wings, and took flight.

Nightmare Moon chuckled as she watched Nyx level off in the air. "Perhaps it is true, that you are the Nightmare Moon of another Equestria. Any lesser alicorn would have succumbed to that lighting." Nightmare Moon ended her chuckle, and a deep frown formed on her lips, "You are, however, still pitiful. You fight to defend yourself, not to defeat me, and thus this fight is already mine."

Nyx face contorted in anger, and spread her wings wide and threateningly, dashing forward quickly in the air towards Nightmare as she mirrored her flight. Nyx materialized her arcane sword while Nightmare charged her horn with lightning. The two alicorns clashed, resulting in a bright flash that stung the eyes of everyone in the coliseum.

It had been almost an hour since Twilight had begun reading the research notes of the Spectre Spell, and she was only about a quarter of the way through the stack. She made a brave attempt to understand the contents of the notes, but the look on her face gave away the fact that she was very confused. She set down the current page to take a small break. The other ponies, who were sprawled out on the floor in boredom, jumped up to see how things were going.

“Well Sugarcube? How’s it goin’?” Applejack asked.

“Ugh, not as well as I hoped.” Twilight responded despairingly. “I’m able to grasp most of what’s written, but all these formulas he developed are just too complicated for me. I’ve searched through all of my Spell-making books several times each, but I just can’t understand all of it! Star Swirl knew way more than I do about this.” Twilight drooped her head, giving into the despair.

“Hey, buck up there Twilight!” Applejack said, trying to cheer her up. “I’ve seen you do some amazin things with your magic. I know that if you really put your heart in it, you’ll be able to figure this thing out.” Applejack gave Twilight a heartwarming smile, the same smile she used to ensure her when she was hanging from the edge of the cliff in the Everfree forest that she would be alright, far back when they were searching for the elements of harmony.

“Yea Twilight.” Rainbow Dash interjected. “You got this! And we’ll help in any way we can!”

“Indeed we will!” Rarity included.

“Yes indeedy! Yes indeedy!” Pinkie Pie also included with her signature hopping.

“We’ll all do this together!” Fluttershy said with one of her rare bouts of courage.
Twilight's eyes welled with tears, happy to have friends that believed in her even when she didn’t. Perhaps with her friends there to encourage her, she just might be able to do this.

“Thanks so much guys!” Twilight responded, blinking back her onslaught of emotion. “How bout we complete us a spell?” The six friends clopped hooves as Twilight dug back into the notes. It was going to be a challenge, but she truly believed now that she’d complete this task.
________________________________________

Nyx and Nightmare Moon were caught in a deadlock. Nightmare would unleash a barrage of lightning attacks as Nyx deflected them with her sword. Nightmare wasn’t quite fast enough to move in on any of Nyx’s openings, but at the same time she didn’t give Nyx any opportunity to get on the offensive. Realizing she wouldn’t get anywhere, Nyx thought up a new strategy.

She entered her mist form and scurried away, putting some distance between the two of them. Nightmare Moon followed after her in pursuit, but before she could close the gap, Nyx returned to her normal form, facing the oncoming Nightmare Moon. She brought out her sword again and prepared to strike.

Nightmare Moon knew exactly what to do, as this was similar to what Celestia had done. As Nyx swung her sword, Nightmare swerved her mist body around the strike and entered her regular form behind Nyx, just as she had done to Celestia. Then, just as before, she unleashed a powerful lightning attack. However, this is exactly what Nyx had planned for. Without even looking, Nyx bucked her hind legs, and what appeared at her hooves was another magic shield. The shield not only blocked, but instantly deflected the attack back at Nightmare. Nightmare had no time to respond, and was struck by her own technique, sending her to the ground. The shield had also acted as a surface, of which Nyx used to push off of and flip over, now facing the falling Nightmare Moon.

In one large attack, Nyx cast a large bolt of pure arcane energy upon Nightmare, but as the bolt struck, her body vanished into thin air. Uncertain of what happened, she began scanning the battlefield. Looking behind her, she saw Nightmare Moon, hovering just inches away from her with her horn fully charged. Without delaying a second, Nightmare unleashed a powerful burst of magic that sent Nyx clear across the arena. Although knocked senseless for a second, she managed to scrap her wits together and face Nightmare.

“That little trick you pulled you learned from watching Celestia and I, am I wrong?” Nightmare Moon taunted. “You’re not the only one who learns. I can cast illusions just as Celestia can, though they are a cowards way of fighting.”

“Well I guess that kinda makes you a coward doesn’t it?” Nyx replied with a grin.

“Whatever I need to do to win…” Nightmare moon said haughtily in response. “Tell me Nyx, while we are in this lull, exactly how were you made from my remains?”

“If you must know, a cult called the Children of Nightmare used a very ancient spell to revive you. But the spell was interrupted, which resulted in me. I may have been born from what was left of you, but I am my own Pony.” Nyx explained.

“Hahaha!” Nightmare Moon laughed. “You may be your own pony, but you were still created from the same evil magic that resides in me, though you are a much lesser doppelganger. I’m ashamed to say we are similar.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” said Nyx. “I am nothing like you!” Nyx lunged forward through the air at incredible speed, getting close up to Nightmare in less than a second, and ramming her almost head on, missing just enough so her horn wouldn’t impale her. Nightmare was sent flying through the air, and before she could recover, Nyx had already flanked to the right and rammed her from the side.

Nyx didn’t stop there. She again flew through the air and shoulder checked Nightmare from above and sent her careening towards the ground. Nyx finished her combo by releasing another bolt of pure arcane energy into Nightmare from above. Nyx looked down into the smoke of the aftermath, hoping to see Nightmare Moon defeated.

"Enough!"

Nightmare Moon's bellow rang out, driving away the smoke with its sheer force to reveal the enraged alicorn. While her body was battered from the attack, Nightmare Moon's determination looked to have only increased. She spread her wings, and with murderous intent in her eyes she charged into the air, flying directly at Nyx.
________________________________________

Twilight had made it about halfway through the research notes. Around her, the desk was an utter mess. A mountain of books sat open, turn to different pages and choked with bookmarks. Papers all across the desk held scribbled notes; many of them crossed out or crumpled up in frustration.

“Well girls, I’m still not able to understand all of it, but I believe I know enough to perhaps make a semi-complete Spectre Spell. Rarity, since you’re the only other unicorn, I’m going to need your help.” said Twilight.

“Of course, dear. Anything I can do to help I’ll gladly do.” Rarity responded.

The two unicorns began working on the spell. Twilight spent a long time attempting to complete some partial formulas, while Rarity used her magic to help her test the results with limited success.

“A Transformation Spell is generally divided into three stages: Definition, Transformation, and Maintenance. The Definition step does exactly what it says; it defines what the item will transform into. The Transformation step is the part of the spell that actually changes whatever object the spell is being cast on. Lastly, the Maintenance step merely depicts how well and for how long the spell works. The Transformation step is already complete, as it’s generally the same as any other transformation spell. What needs to be finished is the Definition and Maintenance stages.” Twilight explained to Rarity.

Rarity smiled a little, "Well, that doesn't sound too bad."

Twilight looked over at her, and shook her head. "No, it really is bad. Since ghosts don't really exist, it's very hard to make a definition of what a pony would be like when they became a ghost. That's how a lot of transformation spells work is a pony focuses on turning something into something that already exists, making the definition stage much easier."

“I see. So what exactly are we trying to do now?” Rarity asked.

“The problem is that there are too many gaps in the definition stage, again because you can’t really define what a ghost is. We can’t cast the spell unless the gaps are filled with the proper formula, and I don’t know enough about formulas to make one.”

“So we’re just filling the gaps then?” Rarity asked herself. It reminded her of a time she was working on an order of dresses, but had run out of a specific gem she needed to complete them. Instead of freaking out, she realized she could mimic the intended glamour of those gems by ‘filling the gap’ with various other gems, whose combined charm easily made up for the missing stones. As this memory filled her head, a thought struck her.

“…..IDEA!!” she exclaimed.

“Huh? What idea?” Twilight asked, surprised at Rarity’s outburst.

“What if we don’t actually need to make the Spectre Spell…but only mimic it?” Rarity exclaimed.

“…I don’t follow, Rarity…” Twilight said.

“Instead of trying to make a new formula, why not fill the gaps with formulas from other spells?” Rarity explained. Twilight paused for a moment.

“Rarity! You’re a genius!” Twilight yelled out.

“Well, I do try…” Rarity said with a laugh as she gently batted her mane.

The other four, who had been waiting patiently as Rarity and Twilight worked, crowded around the two unicorns.

“Ya’ll figure something out?” Applejack inquired.

“Yes we did!” Twilight exclaimed. “All I need to do is find the right spells to fill the gaps with and we’ll be good to go!”

Twilight spent a few minutes going through every spell she had ever learned, and eventually gathered all the spells she believed she would need. After putting their formulas in place, she was ready to test. Rarity volunteered to be a test subject.

“Ok…here goes…” Twilight said nervously. She cast the spell on Rarity. She glowed for a minute, but then suddenly vanished from sight. The five of them waited, paying very close attention the area surrounding them. After a few minutes, rarity reappeared elsewhere in the room.

“Oh Twilight! It works!” Rarity exclaimed. “I can fly around too!”

“Yeehaw! You did it Twilight!” Applejack hollered in joy.

“There’s no time to celebrate girls! Let’s get back to Ponyville, grab the Elements of Harmony, and get ready to enter that coliseum.”

In the coliseum, Nightmare Moon had been giving Nyx a real beating. Her rage was driven to an all-time high, and she was unleashing all of it on her opponent. After finally knocking Nyx into the ground, she charged up her horn and unleashed an incredibly strong bolt of lightning. Nyx, barely able to move, summoned up all her magic and cast a shield to stop the bolt. It was enough to stop it, but Nightmare continued her electrical onslaught, drilling away at Nyx’s shield. Nyx was slowly being pushed back as her shield began to dissolve.

“It is exactly as I said, Nyx!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “You are nothing but a loathsome copy! In no way could you have ever hoped to match up to my might! You are just as feeble as the Twilight Sparkle of my world. She didn't have the strength to wield the elements of harmony, and when they failed to destroy me I took great pleasure in ending their miserable existences. Perhaps, once I've finally figured out a way to escape this blasted tournament, I'll do the same to this world's Twilight Sparkle, while you watch?"

Those words from Nightmare Moon caused a mighty spark inside of Nyx. Nightmare Moon was threatening the very pony that she held most dearly to her heart, and this only heightened her anger to an incredible level.

“You can insult me all you want,” Nyx said just loud enough for Nightmare Moon to hear. “I couldn’t care less about that. But when you threaten the lives of the ones I hold closest to me, I can’t let that go. It is my destiny to protect my family, my friends, and everypony in Equestria! I will protect them all from the likes of you!”

At this moment, the shield Nyx was casting grew and pushed itself towards Nightmare Moon, devouring the lightning bolt as it traveled. Nightmare attempted to push through it, but her effort was in vain. The shield was rapidly upon her, and before she could even attempt to fly away, it struck her. At first it just pushed her, but it soon devoured her too, swallowing her into the arcane presence. The shield then exploded, sending a shockwave throughout the coliseum. Clouds of dust shot up everywhere, completely covering the arena. As it finally cleared Nyx looked into the center of the arena to see Nightmare Moon lying on the ground, unconscious and defeated. Nyx had done it. She had won.

The Calm Before The Storm

When she was sure Nightmare Moon wasn't going to stand, Nyx dropped to her knees, wincing in pain as she breathed. She had won the battle, but it had not been easy. Still, it had been the spectacle Grimveil had been hoping for. He applauded, and threw his thunderous voice across the coliseum.

"Well done Nyx. In truth, I believed you would fall to Nightmare Moon's rage and darkness, but it seems that while you know redemption, you still have your counterparts temper. Very interesting," he said aloud. "Now, night is falling over Equestria. Return to your quarters and rest, for the battles resume on the morrow."

With that Grimveil waved the contestants off and departed from his balcony. Just as quickly, a pair of alicorn guards brought a stretcher out for Nightmare Moon, so that they could carry her to the infirmary. At the same time the other contestants began to depart for their rooms, except for Luna and Celestia, who quickly rushed into the arena to help Nyx.

"Here, lean on me," Celestia said. She and Luna pulled Nyx up to her hooves, and then Celestia let Nyx rest some of her body weight on her as the trio began to walk towards their own room.

“That was a lot more brutal than I had anticipated it would be,” Nyx said with a cringe in her voice.

“At least you won,” Celestia replied. “I fear what Nightmare Moon may have done if she had taken victory. Even if she did not kill you, she would have beaten you within an inch of your life.”

"I don't doubt that," Nyx said before coughing, her mouth filling with the taste of blood. "Oh, I need to lie down."

Luna stayed ahead of Celestia and Nyx, insuring the path ahead as clear and opening doors. "Don't worry, we’ll get you to bed."

In time, the three alicorns returned to their room. Nyx immediately took to her bed while Luna and Celestia lingered by the door. Luna turned to her sister, concern ringing in her voice.

“Everyone has battled at least once now,” she said. “This means tomorrow anypony is fair game.”

Celestia nodded her head, and then began to pace nervously back and forth across the room. She kept her eyes focused on the ground as she paced, and flared and stretched her wings as her mind turned over the dire situation they found themselves in.

"I don't know how long we'll be able to withstand this," she said after a few minutes of silent pacing. "Even if Grimveil will not let us kill our opponents, death will come quickly if this keeps up. Fatigue and the constant damage being done to our bodies will take its toll."

Celestia stopped pacing, stomped a hoof, and tossed her head in aggravation. "Perhaps that was his plan from the start, to kill us slowly and then take Equestria for himself. And there's nothing we can do to stop him.”

"Sister, please," Luna interjected. "We can't lose hope. Twilight got your letter, and I'm sure she'll think of something."

"I cherish your optimism Luna, but even if the Elements of Harmony hold the power to defeat Grimveil, how are Twilight and her friends going to use them when they are trapped outside the barrier."

"Twilight will figure out a way," Nyx said. She lifted her head from her pillow. "If she is anything like the Twilight I knew from my world, than we have nothing to fear. She'll find a way."

With a slightly boosted ego, Celestia and Luna nodded in agreement before the three of them retired for the night. They found rest easy enough that night and slept fairly well. Morning, however, came faster than they hoped and they soon found themselves standing in the arena of the coliseum once again. All of the contestants were there, save Nightmare Moon, most likely still in the infirmary. It wasn’t long before Grimveil appeared on his balcony once again.

“It’s wonderful to see all of you here so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” he declared sarcastically. “I have a special treat for all of you today. We’ve spent so much time in here that I’ve cramped up quite a bit. So, I’ve decided to go for a little stroll around Equestria. Of course, as I don’t want to miss any of the action, I decree that there will be no battles today. You are all free to take the day to recuperate. My guards will stay behind to assure that all of you stay in line.” Grimveil turned and left his balcony, Shank Spear following behind him.

Every contestant seemed to have mixed reactions. Celestia, Luna, and Nyx were relieved, definitely thankful for this change of events. Discord seemed a bit disappointed, probably itching for some type of redemption from his humiliating defeat. The Apocalypse Ponies just stood in silence as they always do. Celestia, Luna, and Nyx returned to their quarters, not wanting to converse or mingle with anyone else.

Down in Equestria, directly below the coliseum, appeared Grimveil and Shank Spear from a teleport spell.

“Where shall we go to, my Lord?” the Captain asked.

“I feel like heading north. I’m curious to see my old home.” Grimveil replied. The two of them then departed.

With the Spectre Spell complete, Twilight and her friends returned to Ponyville. They rested and recuperated from their long hours spent reading, and then rose with the sun that morning to gather around a table, on which Twilight had spread out a map of Equestria.

"All right, girls," Twilight said as she set a hoof on the map. "I can't maintain the Spectre Spell long enough for us to sneak in from here. We need to get closer, but we can't just cast the spell out in the open where Grimveil's forces can see us. We need a way to get closer and stay hidden at the same time,” Twilight explained.

“What if we dug a tunnel underground up to the coliseum, then came up from underneath it?” Rainbow Dash asked, throwing out the first idea that came to mind.

“I don’t think we have the time to dig out a tunnel that long there, RD.” Applejack replied. “Maybe we could all ride in that balloon while hidin’ in a cloud. It’d be pretty easy to get close that way.”

Twilight shook her head, "I don't think that'll work either Applejack. Grimveil's forces are smart, I'm sure they'd notice a stray cloud floating towards the coliseum and we'd be found out.”

"Hmmmm,"Rarity murmured to herself before pointing at a spot on the map." "What about right here? Could we maybe use that as cover to get close?”

Twilight examined the spot Rarity was pointing to. A large forest to the northwest of the coliseum branched downwards into the plains. It was a thin strip of woods, not any more than maybe a quarter mile thick, but it would do just fine. They’d be able to travel through the woods undetected and cast the Spectre Spell near the edge.

"That's perfect, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. She traced the path they would take with her hoof as her smile widened. "If we enter the woods a few miles away, we can walk the rest of the way and get close enough to use the spell.” The six of them ran out the door and headed northwards to the forest.

After departing an hour after the sunrise, Grimveil and Shank Spear had left the coliseum and flown north. They had been flying for quite some time, and passed over several different landscapes along the way. Still, they had arrived and landed at their destination, a cliff that overlooked a small valley. A small river flowed through the valley, and the rest was dominated by smooth, rolling hills of tall grass, which swayed in the wind. The area was serene, but wild. There were no settlements or towns. The only creatures that called the valley home were a few stray wild animals.

Grimveil and Shank Spear looked down upon the valley in silence for a time, and then with a flurry of wings they descended to the base of the cliff. They walked across the rolling hills, across the small river, and then came to a stop by an exposed patch of dirt.

"Time has not been kind, but that's no surprise," Grimveil said. He called on his magic, and began to dig into the ground at his hooves. The hole grew large quickly, and three feet down from the surface, Grimveil found something made of stone. He worked to uncover it more, revealing it was an alicorn statue. The statue, however, had been eroded to the point there was no way to tell who it had originally depicted.

"What is this place, my Lord?" asked Shank Spear.

“This was my home, Captain.” Grimveil replied, his gaze locked on the eroded statue.

“You’re home was here, my Lord?” Shank Spear asked again. “I would imagine you lived in a castle of some sorts.”

“I did, Captain. This is where I lived before I came to be the ruler of Equestria,” Grimveil replied. He closed his eyes and let old memories run through his mind. He couldn’t remember much, but he did remember vast dark clouds overstretching Equestria, fields and forests burning, and unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi alike, suffering under tyrannical rule.
Grimveil didn’t stay in his memories long, and he quickly snapped back.

“No use in memories. Its best not to linger on what was, but what is to come. Follow me Captain, there’s one more place I want to visit.” Grimveil said, leading Shank Spear out of the valley and south again.

Inside the coliseum Celestia, Luna, and Nyx were lounged in their room. They had spent most of the day resting, but were also formulating some kind of plan in case Grimveil would force them to fight each other.

“Maybe we could fake it?” Nyx asked.

“I doubt it.” Celestia replied. “Faking a battle is difficult enough, but to fake it so even Grimveil is convinced just doesn’t seem possible. We may very well have to fight each other.”

“Well if I end up fighting either of you don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.” Nyx said with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. Celestia turned her attention to Luna, who had been sitting quietly to the side, deep in thought.

“What are your thoughts, Luna?” Celestia asked.

“Did anypony sense the aura coming from Grimveil?” she asked.

“Of course we did. He emanates pure evil,” Nyx said in response.

“No, not that. There is something else. It was only for a brief second, but I swear I could feel a different aura emanating from Grimveil. It wasn't a good aura, but it wasn’t evil either. It’s almost as if he was hiding something,” Luna explained.

“Oh, it appears you noticed it too,” said a familiar voice from the doorway. The three alicorns turned to see who had arrived…it was Discord. “Looks like I’m not the only smart one around here.”

“What do you want with us Discord?” Celestia asked angrily, jumping to her feet.

“Oh I just thought I’d come by and say hello to my favorite princesses.” Discord said with a sarcastic smile. Celestia was ready to force him to leave, but Luna stepped forward.

“You also sensed the change in his aura?” she asked.

“You mean when you triumphed over Pestilence? Yes, for that brief second when you won I felt his aura change. Grimveil is indeed hiding something from all of us, but it’s something I can only admire. After all, chaos is my trademark, and anything that aids in creating confusion and disorder I must applaud.” Discord explained.

“What do you think he’s hiding?” Luna asked in rebuttal.

“I’m afraid that’s beyond my knowledge, little Luna. But I wouldn’t get any of your hopes up. This Grimveil is as dark as they come, and I’m sure whatever he’s hiding isn’t pleasant. Now, if you’ll pardon me I have other places to be.” Discord said, snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Luna returned to where she was, dismissing the thought in her head.

Twilight and her friends poked their heads out from the tree line, looking up at the coliseum which floated nearby. Because of the sun, its dark shadow fell across them, and it almost felt like the coliseum was looking at them. Still, they had yet to be detected by Grimveil's forces, and they were in position.

After retreating back to a small clearing, the six friends circled up. They all turned their eyes to Twilight, who sucked in a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.

"Now remember the plan," Twilight told her friends. "Once I cast the spell, fly straight for the window with the large crack in its frame. Hide someplace close to that window, and when the Spectre Spell wears off make your way back to that window. We'll regroup there before we start looking for the princesses."

"Uh, hate to be a downer Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "but what if we can't get through the barrier?"

"Then come straight back here. I imagine if one of us is able to get through, then we'll all be able to, but we can't let Grimveil's soldiers catch us. So if you can't get through, come straight back here and we'll try to figure out something else."

Each of Twilight's friends nodded their head, confirming they understood the plan. Twilight then nodded her own head, and then widened her stance. She gritted her teeth, and called on her magic. It wove around her and her friends, and then with a bright flash the Spectre Spell took hold.

Twilight could tell the spell had worked. She felt light as a feather, and she could no longer see her own body or any of her friends. Still, she could not enjoy the strange sensation. The spell would not last long, and like her friends, she needed to get to the coliseum.

By will alone she guided her body out of the forest and up to the coliseum. She flew straight for the window with the crack, and as the barrier loomed she shut her eyes and prepared for the worst. She waited to feel something, to feel herself slam against the barrier or get shocked by it.

Still, she never felt anything, and after a few tense seconds she opened her eyes again to see she was still flying towards the coliseum, but now she was on the other side of the barrier. Her spell had worked!

Twilight felt the urge to do a backflip in the air, but at the same time a tingling sensation told her the Spectre Spell was beginning to fade. Knowing she didn't have much time, Twilight rushed to the window and flew through it. The window opened into a storeroom that had its door shut, so Twilight choose to remain there, and hoped her friends would do the same.

The tingling sensation Twilight felt worsened, and then faded away as the spell ended and her body once more became solid and opaque. Nearby, she saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash fade into view.

Twilight was happy to see two of her friends, but was more concerned about the others.

"Where are Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie?"

"Don't worry, we're right here," Rarity assured Twilight. The trio stepped out from behind some of the crates in the storeroom.

"Why were you back there?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because Twilight told us to hide, silly" Pinkie Pie answered happily, "and you can't hide by just standing in the middle of someplace, unless you're hiding from Derpy. Sometimes, that actually works with her."

Twilight laughed a little, both at Pinkie's randomness and because her friends had all made it into the coliseum. "Yes, but we can't think about Derpy right now. We need to find the princesses."

________________________________________

Celestia was awoken from her impromptu nap when she heard a very quiet knocking. She sat up, and looked around the room to discern the source of the knocking. Luna had yet to return from wandering through the coliseum, and Nyx had just sat up in here as well. Neither one of them was causing the knocking sound, and after listening carefully Celestia was able to determine the knocking was coming from the door.

"Who is it?" Celestia asked. She rose from her bed, and moved towards the door.

"It's us, let us in!" Celestia heard Twilight whisper back. In a flash Celestia opened the door, and quickly let the six mares slip inside the room before she shut the door again. Then then turned and smiled down at Twilight.

"Oh, Twilight, I am so relieved to see you."

Twilight moved right up to Celestia, and embraced her mentor. "I am too, princess. It took some work, but I was able to finish Star Swirl's Spectre Spell, and that let us in."

Celestia smiled warmly, and a laugh escaped her throat. "The Spectre Spell, you truly are an amazing spell caster, Twilight."

Twilight blushed and stepped away from Celestia,"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without my friends." Twilight then began to look around room, "So where's Lun-"

Twilight's voice dropped, and a panic filled her voice at the sight of Nyx. "Princess, what is Nightmare Moon doing here!? Did Grimveil turn Luna back into her? Does she want to take over Equestria again?"

"No," Celestia answered calmly. "I can understand your fear, Twilight, but this mare is not Luna. Her name is Nyx, and she is the Nightmare Moon from another world. Still, you don't have to worry. She is kind, and has proven herself a good friend to me and my sister during these troubling times."

Twilight and her friends looked anxiously among one another, none of them really sure about trusting a Nightmare Moon from another world. Still, while the others stayed back, Pinkie Pie walked up to Nyx's bedside. Her blue eyes then met with Nyx's, and the pair stared at one another for a while.

Pinkie Pie then smiled, and turned back to her friends. "Don't worry girls, Celestia's right, this Nightmare Moon is nice."

"How can you tell?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, she doesn't have mean grumpy eyes like Nightmare Moon did. That, and look, her cutie mark is different." At that Pinkie Pie looked back at Nyx and stuck out a hoof. "So it's nice to meet you Nyxie. I'm Pinkie Pie."

Nyx laughed, a wide smile on her face despite the fact that a few tears were starting to pull from her eyes. She reached out, and shook hooves with Pinkie Pie. "It's.... it's nice to meet you, Pinkie Pie," Nyx choked out. "Or, for me... it's nice to see you again."

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie Pie said happily, "if you're from another world then your world must have its own Pinkie Pie. Oh, do you think I could meet her sometime? Oh, and what if we got more Pinkie Pie's from other worlds. I could throw the biggest Pinkie Pie party ever!"

"That... that sounds like fun, but... the Pinkie Pie of my world died a long time ago," Nyx answered. She struggled to keep her voice from wavering, but a smile was still on her face. "Still, we have more important things to worry about."

Celestia nodded, and looked down at Twilight. "I want you to tell us everything you were able to learn about Grimveil." The nine of them sat down as Twilight explained their findings.

________________________________________

"So Grimveil is really Malicious Shadow," Celestia said, her voice heavy in her throat. "To think, such a monster has returned to Equestria."

"So you know about him, princess?" Twilight asked.

"Only what you've just told me, but that is enough for me to be concerned." Celestia said.

"But we have the Elements with us," Rainbow Dash said, tapping on the lightning bolt shaped gemstone in her necklace. "He doesn't stand a chance now."

"That's if Grimveil let's you use the elements, "Nyx pointed out. “From what Celestia and Luna have told me, I doubt he'd ever give you the chance to use them."

"Besides that, I don't think he's the real Malicious Shadow," Luna said. She was scratching her chin, and her eyebrows were furrowed from the deep thoughts her mind was contemplating.

"What?" Twilight asked in shocked. "How can he not be Malicious Shadow? We found him in the book!"

“Think for a second, Malicious Shadow was ruthless," Luna said. "He killed anything and everything he desired whenever he wanted. He tortured ponies and forced them to death for his amusement. Grimveil, however, hasn’t done anything like that. He’s been forcing us to battle, but he doesn’t want any of us to die. He hasn't made a violent attack against Equestria either."

"But what about what his soldiers did? They fought off the Equestrian Army when they attacked this place," Applejack said.

"When they attacked," Luna echoed, focusing in on a key part of what Applejack had said, "meaning they were acting in defense. No, I don't think Grimveil is Malicious Shadow, but I do think he's using Malicious Shadow's visage as a cover for something."

"He might be Malicious Shadow or another pony all together. In the end, it doesn't change what we have to do. We have to stop him, and I think the Elements can do it." Celestia said with confidence ringing in her voice.

"But how?" Applejack asked before pointing at Nyx. "Even if we could use the Elements, Nyx is right. Grimveil isn't going to give us the chance to use the Elements of Harmony.”

Celestia nodded, "True, he won't give us the chance, but we'll make one for ourselves. If we distract Grimveil long enough, you six will be able to use the Elements of Harmony against him."

"No offense, Celestia, but I don't think the three of us could distract him long enough," Nyx said.

"Then it's time we extended a hoof of friendship to others," Celestia said. She turned and began to move towards the door. "Nyx, you stay here and make sure Twilight and her friends are not discovered. Luna, come with me, we have some ponies we need to talk to."

Grimveil and Shank Spear had traveled to an area east of the coliseum. After a long flight, they decided to land and walk the rest of the way, since their legs needed a good stretch. They had spent much of the day’s travels discussing the Battle Royal so far as well as the future of Equestria. Although Grimveil was getting close to the place he wanted to visit, the distractions of their conversations slowed him down, and after looking at the position of the sun, decided it was best to save it for a later time.

“It appears we’ve let the day slip by Captain,” he said to Shank Spear. “The place I wanted to visit will have to wait. We should head back to the coliseum.”

“My Lord, I must ask you,” Shank Spear said. “Do you think our plan will be complete soon?”

“I believe so. If everything has gone correctly, the wielders of the Elements should have already found a way inside and contacted the Princessess,” Grimveil said with a sinister smile. “Yes, everything is going exactly the way we planned.” The two alicorns took flight and began their return to the coliseum.

Inside the coliseum, Celestia, Luna, and Nyx had gathered all the contestants together in a small room away from the patrolled areas of the guards. Discord, the Apocalypse Ponies, and even Nightmare Moon herself had all gathered, albeit the latter was very reluctant.

“So you’re saying we should all ally ourselves together and attempt to beat Grimveil with our combined power?” Discord asked. “A very bold plan Princess, but why should I ally myself with you? Don’t forget that you imprisoned me in stone for over a thousand years!”

“There’s no time for us to be quarreling with each other,” Celestia responded. “If we must, we can settle things after Grimveil has been defeated, but for now we have no choice but to call a truce. Grimveil keeps us apart by forcing us against each other, but if we unite then we stand a chance at getting out of this. So I’ll ask again, will you all ally yourselves with us to defeat Grimveil?” Celestia put her hoof out, and Luna put her hoof on top of hers.

Several seconds had passed, but eventually Discord agreed with a sigh and put his paw in. The Apocalypse Ponies, also after several seconds of debate, approached and put their hooves in. Nightmare Moon was the last to put her hoof in, very reluctant to do so.

“I swear when this is over, I will vanquish all of you!” Nightmare Moon shouted, still extremely angry from her defeats.

“Good,” Celestia said. “Heres the plan,” Celestia brought them in close and quietly discussed her scheme.

Epitome of Darkness

CHAPTER 9:
Epitome of Darkness

Grimveil rose with the morning sun, and prepared himself as always. Shank Spear was waiting dutifully outside his own personal quarters, and the pair made their way to the arena balcony. Still, unlike other mornings where they would find the arena floor empty, waiting for the day’s conflict, Grimveil's eyes were met with another sight.

Before him, all of the contestants had gathered, with Celestia and Luna standing in the lead. They were looking up at his balcony with malice in their eyes. Yet, he met their hateful glares with a small smile and a chuckle.

"Well, I was intending to announce a battle between Celestia and Luna this morning, but it seems you all have something else in mind."

"This is the end of the line, Grimveil,” Celestia declared. "Your tournament ends now!"

Grimveil laughed, shook his head, and spread his wings. He then leapt from his balcony, and dropped to the arena floor like a heavy stone. He then strode towards Celestia and Luna, a smile still on his lips.

"Oh no, the tournament has simply entered its final round. The combatants against the master; all of you against me. It will be the greatest fight this arena has ever witnessed... and when it's over, Equestria will be mine. I'll even allow you the first blow." Grimveil said. He lifted his hoof, and motioned the alicorns and draconequus in his direction. "Come, Celestia, lead your ragtag band, and show me your power."

Celestia was eager to oblige Grimveil's request, but before she could Luna took a step forward.

"What's your real name?"

Grimveil arched an eyebrow, and laughed under his breath. "What do you mean? I am Grimveil."

Luna shook her head. "No, I don't think that's the truth. You bear the appearance of Malicious Shadow, but you lack his intent. He had no qualms about letting ponies die in his arena, but you forbade us from killing one another. So who are you?"

Grimveil smirked back. “I applaud you Luna, I didn’t think anyone would catch on that I was concealing my true identity. Still, I'm afraid I am who you fear me to be. Though I have taken a different name, you look upon the visage of the one who was once known as Malicious Shadow.”

"But then why have you spared our lives?" Luna pressed.

"Because I've been gone for far too long," Grimveil answered, his eyes hardening, "and I wanted to savor your suffering, for you nine are the strongest this world has to offer. In fact, two of you aren't even from this world. Once you're gone, no others will be able to stand against me. They will be like ants beneath my hooves."

“He’s still hiding something…” Discord whispered to Luna. Although they desired to know what he was hiding, there was no time left. It was time to defeat Grimveil once and for all.

“Well then, let the final round begin!” Grimveil declared. Celestia and her allies lunged forward at him, ready for the fight of their lives.

Celestia and Luna were the first to engage Grimveil. Avoiding any physical battle, they both combined their magic and unleashed a wave of powerful energy. Grimveil was prepared for this type of opening move, so he flung himself forward in a spiral formation, and acting like a drill, plowed through the princesses’ attack and landed gracefully on the other side, his horn charged with magic and ready to assault the two sisters. However, he was welcomed on the other side by a barrage of attacks from Death and War, their signature shadows and flames weaved together into spheres. Grimveil ignored Celestia and Luna and focused his attention on the incoming projectiles. He dispersed himself into a fluid-like shadow and laid out flat on the ground, allowing the attacks to pass over him. As he then moved towards Death and War, Famine and Pestilence, already in mist form, glided in from the sides and slammed their mist bodies into Grimveils shadowy form, causing them to mix together. Grimveil had a small portion of his energy drained by Famine’s power, but nothing that made Grimveil feel any weaker, and Pestilence’s attempts to infect him proved fruitless. Not comfortable with two bodies mixed in with his own, Grimveil re-entered is normal form and used his magic to grab the mist bodies of Pestilence and Famine, and hurled them to the other side of the coliseum.

Grimveil put on a small smirk as he could easily see he was dominating the battlefield, but it quickly faded as he suddenly felt himself lifted and floating helplessly in the air. Discord had cast his chaotic magic and summoned his arcane blade. Teleporting to point blank range, Discord swung his sword downward, fully prepared to cleave Grimveil in two. As his blade struck Grimveil’s body, Grimveil disappeared in a white flash, and in that same instant, reappeared above Discord, unleashing a powerful downward kick that sent Discord straight to the floor. Discord slammed into the ground with tremendous force and rebounded a few feet back into the air. Grimveil appeared again in a white flash next to Discord, spinning himself and side-bucking Discord across the arena floor with his right hind leg, crashing him into the spectator stands.

Refocusing his attention on the other combatants, Grimveil was met by a charging Nyx and Nightmare Moon. The two alicorns charged their horns full of lightning and unleashed them in a spinning barrage with a wide range, giving him no room to dodge. As the attack closed in, Grimveil scanned the assault, and flung himself into the only opening, straight down the center of the attack. A few bolts of electricity licked his body, but it wasn’t any type of pain that he couldn’t easily shake off, so he landed gracefully on the other side of the attack. As he landed, he grabbed Nyx and Nightmare Moon with his magic, and with great force, thrust them into the spectator stands, cratering the masonry.

“Is that the best you can do?” Grimveil asked turning around to face everyone. “I expected better!”

Death and War charged Grimveil and assaulted him with a combination of medium and short range attacks. War began to attack physically with strong bucks and kicks as Death stayed farther behind and expelled strong bouts of shadow. The two apocalypse ponies’ strategy worked well at first. War took Grimveils attention just enough for several of Deaths attacks to land. Grimveil, although a bit battered from the attacks, quickly adapted to the strategy, and was now easily blocking each kick and dodging each magic attack as if they were moving in slow motion.

Discord had gotten up from his knockout, and after summoning his blade, teleported into the fray with War and Death. As Grimveils attention was drawn forward on War and Death, Discord appeared behind him and attempted a sideward strike. Grimveil was almost caught off guard, but he sensed the strike and jumped straight up, causing the blade to strike War, which sent him careening into the edge of the arena. As Grimveil was in the air, he unleashed a powerful force of magic upon the now unprotected Death, knocking him back. Grimveil finally landed with strong stomp of his hooves, releasing a shockwave of magic that expelled Discord.

In the confusion of that onslaught, Celestia and Luna had combined their magic again and charged up a massive horde of energy. Now fully charged, they freed it upon Grimveil as soon as he landed with blinding speed. Grimveil just barely saw it coming and was left with no time to dodge or evade, so he decided to take it head on. He clashed his horn with it and used is own magic to push against Celestia and Lunas force. Overall their forces matched, forcing the energy to rupture and explode. It managed to throw Grimveil back a bit, but he landed easily and regained a strong foothold.

As Celestia and Luna, as well as the Apocalypse Ponies, began to assault Grimveil again with various magic and tactics, Nyx and Nightmare Moon struggled to their feet after being thrown into the solid stone spectator stands. Albeit a few bruises, they seemed okay, and were ready to jump back into the heat of battle.

“He’s ridiculously strong,” Nyx said.

“Indeed,” Nightmare Moon responded grimly.

“Maybe we should combine our power,” Nyx suggested. “Have you ever heard of the Umbral Wrath?”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Of course I have. It’s the pinnacle of all Lunar Magic, something that not even I can cast on my own. I’m surprised someone as young as you knows of such an ancient magic.” Nyx nodded back with a smile.

“I read a lot of old books, but forget about that. If we combine our power, we can pull it off. I’m sure of it.” Nightmare Moon nodded in reply.

The two of them stood side by side as their horns began to glow. They concentrated all of their will power into their magic, building it up as much as they could. They next began to synchronize, making sure their magic was operating on equal terms. Now combined, the power of their magic sky-rocketed, and they aimed their horns at Grimveil.

Grimveil had just managed to thwart off his opponents yet again, leaving him completely untouched. He opened his mouth to say something, but sensed the massive accumulation of power behind him. He turned to see Nyx and Nightmare Moon surrounded with raging auras of magic. Grimveil was about to charge them, but before he could even move a muscle, a tiny black sphere, no larger than a pebble, sprung forward from the two alicorns’ auras. It slid to a halt in front of Grimveils face, and in an instant, that tiny black sphere erupted and expanded, creating massive shockwaves of dark blue magic to ripple through the entire coliseum. The coliseum itself shook violently and cracked all over as the giant sphere of magic unleashed an enormous payload of power and energy. After a few seconds of this massive sphere of energy lingering in the air, it collapsed in on itself and vanished, revealing Grimveil, horribly battered. The attack was indeed powerful, and Grimveil had taken full wind of it, but it wasn’t enough to do him in quite yet.

Without wasting a second, Grimveil flash teleported behind Nyx and Nightmare and gave them both a very strong, anger-fueled buck that sent them both flying back into the arena.

“That was quite amazing you two,” he said with angry tones. “I haven’t seen anyone use the Umbral Wrath in thousands of years. I didn’t think either of you would have the talent to use it.”

Grimveil flew back into the arena and faced his opponents yet again. Celestia, Luna, Death, and War took advantage if his battered state and began to assault him once again. They unleashed powerful magic attacks and melees at rapid succession, but despite being hit by that overwhelming technique, Grimveil, now fueled by anger, maintained dominating speed and power.

It wasn’t long until the nine combatants were drained of too much energy. Noticing their weakened state, Grimveil made no attempt to dodge anymore assaults, but merely stood and pushed against them. He gazed across the battlefield at Celestia as he could slowly see her energy fading.

“Surely you realize it’s impossible for you to win at this point,” Grimveil boasted. “Give up now and perhaps I’ll make your deaths somewhat painless.”

Celestia and the others were all very much drained, but she responded to Grimveil with a smirk. Unbeknownst to Grimveil, Twilight and the others had jumped into the arena and brought their Elements to full charge. The six ponies levitated, the signature white aura of the elements surrounding them. Grimveil had just barely looked behind him as the full might of the Elements of Harmony was unleashed, the arching rainbow of their power crashing down upon him. He had no time to dodge and no time to block.

The power from the elements had created an enormous explosion, completely shattering whatever remained of the arena floor. Thick shrouds of smoke and debris filled the battlefield, and all was silent. Everyone gazed into the smoldering wreckage, trying to locate a defeated Grimveil. After almost a minute, there was no sign of Grimveil through the smoke. It appeared as though Grimveil was defeated. They all began to breathe sighs of relief, not possessing the energy to cheer.

Their victory didn’t even last a few seconds, however, as a stream of smoke rocketed out of the debris, arched through the air, and landed on the ground in front of the contestants. Out of this smoke walked Grimveil, bearing the same appearance as he did before being struck. Everyone’s mouth gaped open. Grimveil had just survived a direct hit from the Elements of Harmony, completely unscathed. Celestia and the others couldn’t even begin to fathom how he could have survived a direct hit from the Elements. With this, whatever hope that remained was drained from everyone’s eyes. Celestia and the others could do nothing but slump in defeat.

“You all did well to get this far…but as I said, you never stood a chance,” Grimveil said. “This is the end.”

Grimveil’s horn glowed with a brilliant radiance. In one fell swoop, he unleashed a blindingly bright white flash from his horn that encompassed the entire coliseum and everyone in it. Celestia closed her eyes and prepared for her death.

Celestia slowly opened her eyes, lazily looking around her. Surrounding her was nothing but an endless void of white. She began to move her body, taking immediate notice that her injuries from the battle were gone, and that she had the energy as if she had just had the best night of sleep in her life. She sat there for a few seconds in silence.

“This must be the afterlife,” she said quietly to herself. “I must be dead.”

Celestia started to weep and began to think of Equestria, of her sister, and of Twilight. Had they all died as well? What was going to become of Equestria, now that Grimveil reigned supreme? Her subjects would now fall under a horrible tyrannical rule and it was all her fault. It was her duty to protect her people from evil, and she had failed.

“Do not cry, Celestia. You are very much alive, perhaps more alive now than you ever have been before.” said a soft male voice coming suddenly from the endless void.

Celestia jumped to her feet in surprise, looking around frantically to see whose voice she heard, but saw no one. As she glanced around however, she noticed the white void slowly fading away. She began to see different colors through the whiteness.

After rubbing her eyes, the void had completely vanished, to reveal a place she recognized. She was standing in the coliseum, in the exact same spot she was before the final blow. She looked around her again, this time noticing the others there as well. Luna was there, as well as Nyx, Discord, Nightmare Moon, the Apocalypse Ponies, and even Twilight and her friends. They all looked around, completely baffled and confused.

“You never died,” said the voice again, drawing everyone’s attention forward. “Rather, you’ve all been completely restored…”

The voice was coming from Grimveil. The harsh deep evil tone that was Grimveils voice was now replaced by a gentle voice. He stood away from the group, and dark shadows blew off him, like smoke from an extinguished fire.

“Celestia and Luna, you have both performed exactly as I hoped you would.” Grimveil said again with his new voice. “You have made me proud.”

Celestia and Luna stared on in absolute confusion. Why did Grimveil have a soft voice all of a sudden? What was he talking about when he said he was proud of them? Why did he completely rejuvenate them instead of killing them? These thoughts continuously looped in their head, leaving them speechless.

“Luna,” Grimveil said again. “You wanted to know who I really am. Its time I showed you. I’ve been waiting eagerly to drop this horrible visage…”

Grimveil’s body was covered in a bright flash of light. The light soon dissipated to reveal a completely different alicorn. In place of Grimveil stood a tall alicorn with a dark navy-blue coat and a long mane and tail that shined and sparkled a brilliant gold. His face was kind and gentle, and he had eyes that possessed the wisdom and knowledge of several millenia.

“My name,” The alicorn spoke. “….is Solaris.”

Celestia turned pale as if she had seen a ghost, for from her perspective, she might as well have. The face of this alicorn burned into her mind as she recognized this figure from her distant past.

Celestia finally worked up the courage to speak.

“………Father?”

Truth Behind the Conflict

“……Father?” The word that had escaped Celestia's lips echoed across the coliseum, bewildering almost everyone in attendance. The apocalypse ponies glanced at one another, Nightmare Moon and Nyx's jaws dropped, and Luna stared on in disbelief. Even Discord was caught off guard by the strange turn of events.

The first to speak after Celestia was Luna, who approached her sister cautiously. "Father?... I don't understand Celestia."

“I didn’t think you would, Luna.” Solaris replied. “You were still barely a new-born filly when I left.”

"Left!?" Celestia blurted out, her mind starting to process the situation. "You didn't leave. You died! Grimveil, what horrible trick are you trying to play on us!?"

Solaris gave a light smile. “…Grimveil….I sure picked an appropriate alias didn’t I? I understand how difficult it must be to understand what you are facing right now, but I am indeed Solaris, your father, and the last King of Equestria.” With these words, Solaris flared his wings out, and his entire body was emblazoned in a flash of golden fire.

“He’s telling the truth…” Luna said. “I can feel it in his aura. He is who he says he is…”

“But how can that possibly be?” Celestia replied in frustration. “Our father died when we were still fillies. If you really are Solaris, then how are you standing here now?”

“I will explain it all in good time, Celestia” Solaris responded. “But first we have something to finish here.”

“Well this certainly is a quite a change of pace!” Discord burst out. “I have to commend you, Solaris. I was expecting something bizarre to happen, but not quite this!” Discord applauded.

“Don’t be so high in spirit, Discord.” Solaris said to the Draconequus. “Your freedom from your imprisonment won’t last much longer.” Discord reeled back in surprise.

“Hey, what have I ever done to you? I’m eons old, yet your name and face are unfamiliar to me. You must be from before my arrival in Equestria.” Discord sneered. Solaris ignored Discord and turned his attention back forward and approached Celestia and Luna.

“This ploy of mine would best be considered as a rite of passage. According to tradition, a King and Queen cannot pass leadership onto their children until they have proven themselves worthy in a dire situation. These situations occurred naturally in olden days, but Equestria has endured a very lengthy time of peace, leaving very little room for anything dire. Your dealings with Nightmare Moon and Discord came close, but they just weren’t enough. As such, I felt it necessary to manufacture one, so that you two could prove yourselves. Now that you have both performed as I hoped, I can pass the true crown onto you, and by law you can now take on the title of Queens of Equestria, if you wish. You may resent me if you must. The only way to conduct a successful rite was to create the most realistic situation possible, and this was unfortunately the only way I could do so. I held back whenever I could, and if it puts your mind at ease, no one was ever in any real danger.”

“Wait...your alicorn guard…how do you explain them?” Luna asked.

“Ah yes, thank you for reminding me Luna.” Solaris replied. He let out a loud whistle, which was followed by the entire alicorn guard flying into the arena. As they landed, however, they were each shrouded in white mist steaming off of their bodies. When the mist cleared, the alicorn guard could no longer be seen. What was seen instead were various Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns of various sizes and colors, all dressed in the ancient golden armor they were wearing before.

“Allow me to introduce my Elite Royal Guard. They are not truly alicorns, just merely made so temporarily by my magic. They have served me loyally for millennia…” Solaris explained.

“Ok hold on a second...” Nyx joined in. “This alicorn is your father…and he mysteriously returns thousands of years after being assumed dead to conduct a rite of passage? This doesn’t really make any sense.”

“I understand how confused you must all be, and I promise I will explain everything, but first this must be done,” Solaris said before turning his attention to Discord. “Discord, your part in this conflict is over, and as an enemy of Equestria you must return to your banishment. I return you to your imprisonment in stone.”

Before Discord could even make a sound, a white flash from Solaris’ horn immediately transformed him back into stone, and was then teleported back to his placement in the Canterlot Gardens. Solaris then turned his attention Nightmare Moon.

“It breaks my heart to see such an evil transformation in my own daughter,” he said. “But then again, you aren’t really my daughter. I shall return you to the world from which you came, where you rule with eternal night. I wish I could save that Equestria from you, but meddling with other realities is unwise, and I have already done too much here.” Another white flash from his horn and Nightmare Moon was gone, again before a word could be said. Solaris then turned to the Apocalypse Ponies.

“I know that you four are the Heralds of Armageddon, and that your mere presence marks the end of the world. However, I’m confident that when you come to destroy us, we will have the power in our hearts to stop you. I return you noe to the hell from which I brought you…” Solaris said. Again, with a final flash of his horn, the Apocalypse Ponies were gone. Finally, Solaris approached Nyx.

“Nyx, I cannot thank you enough for helping my daughters. They needed someone they could trust and rely on, and you were there for them during this entire ordeal. I also apologize, for I must send you back now. I know of your sheer love of knowledge and learning, and I know that you very much want to stay and hear the story I have to tell, but your role in the conflict is over. You will be returned to the exact time and place from which I took you.” He said.

Nyx was indeed a little boiled at the fact she wasn’t going to hear Solaris’ explanation for everything, not to mention all the confusion that was still bustling around in her head. However, there was only one thing that her mind was focusing on all of sudden.

“May I do one thing before I go?” she asked quickly. Solaris gave her a nod. She walked over to Twilight and the others, who were still lost and confused and couldn’t even think of something to say. Twilight looked up at the Nightmare Moon look-alike towering above her.

“I know this may seem very unorthodox and out of place Twilight…” Nyx began. “But…could I please just hug you?” Twilight reeled back in utter surprise, completely thrown off by the uncanny fact that a fully grown alicorn wanted to hug her, but she gave her the benefit of the doubt and allowed her to embrace. Nyx sat down and wrapped her front legs and wings around Twilight in a firm embrace. If one was watching closely, a small tear could be seen rolling down Nyx’s cheek.

Nyx let go of Twilight and stood back up, wiping the tear from her eye. “Thank you. If you must know why, in the Equestria I’m from, you died many years ago, and well, you were my mother…”

Twilights face turned pale, just as any ponies would at learning they were the mother to a large alicorn. Nyx gave a last smile to Twilight as another tear rolled down her cheek.

“Alright,” she said to Solaris. “I’m ready now…” In another white flash, Nyx was gone.

“Well, let us leave this depressing foundation. I have waited a long time to see it gone…” Solaris said.

Solaris teleported everyone out of the coliseum and down to a spot in the meadows below. In front of them, up in the sky, the coliseum began to crumble, bit by bit, down into the massive crevice from which it was drawn. It was only a matter of seconds until the entire floating stadium had dissolved away, and its remains buried deep within the Earth.

“All of you, walk with me…I will explain everything, starting at the very beginning…” Solaris said. He began to lead them northwards, following the same route he took with Shank Spear before. As they walked, Solaris told his story.

“I was only a young alicorn during the rule of Malicious Shadow. His reign was cruel and unmerciful, and many of us suffered and died because of him. I was lucky to have never been subject to his torture, but some of my friends could not say the same. As you know, Malicious Shadow was defeated by a group of alicorns who banded together against him. That group was led by none other than myself and you’re mother…Selena. Upon realizing our destinies of ruling Equestria, Selena and I knew it was our job to overthrow Malicious and shred his veil of darkness. The battle was difficult, and most of my friends fighting with us were slain. However, in the end, we were able to summon enough power to banish him and seal him away.

In the many years that followed, your mother and I worked diligently to turn Equestria into a flawless utopia for everypony. Equestria enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity, and it was during that time that you, Celestia and Luna, were born… but things took a turn for the worst. Shortly after your birth, Luna, your mother became deathly ill, and despite all the medical magic we knew, nothing could save her. With her death, I was thrown into a great depression. If it weren’t for you, my two young daughters, I may have very well given up.

But I didn’t have much time to grieve, for with her death, the seal that held Malicious Shadow weakened. He was sealed away in a faraway place, and I had to leave Equestria with my Royal Guard to go and seal him away once more. It was the last time I ever saw Equestria. Although I was successful in defeating Malicious and sealing him away, he managed to pull off one last act of desperation. Much to my surprise, he dragged me, along with my Elite Guard, into the seal with him. We did not end up as deep into the seal as he was, but we were trapped all the same. For two thousand years we were sealed away. However, that seal is how I managed to gain all the magic I have now. For those two millenia there was nothing I could do but practice magic, and with my Elite Guard to assist me, I had learned many spells that any alicorn could only have dreamed of before.

However, as well as practice magic, I was also able to watch the world change outside. On rare occasion, I was able to use my magic to view the world through the seal. I watched as you two grew up, I witnessed the take-over of Discord, and I even witnessed your transformation into Nightmare Moon, Luna. It broke my heart to see such dreadful things befall you; burdens that should have been mine to bear. The arrival of Discord was not something I could have foreseen, but I left behind treasures for you, Celestia and Luna, that ended up aiding you in his defeat... the Elements of Harmony.

It was only in the last two weeks or so that we were finally able to break free from the seal. I had planned to return, but we were in that seal for so long. Our time in this world had passed by without us. So, I came to the decision to pass my will onto the both of you, and so everything came to be…”

Celestia and Luna, as well as Twilight and the others, had listened silently the whole time. Solaris’ story was lengthy, but it explained everything. Many of the questions in their heads had been answered, leaving them with just a few scattered inquiries.

“So you created the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. That is why they could not harm me in the battle. Their magic is synchronized with my own, to say the least. Their creation came out of a great personal cost. The Elements go far beyond being just an incredible source of good magic. They are very precious, and there is a great secret behind their creation,” Solaris explained.

“Well, what was it?” Twilight asked in eagerness. Solaris responded with a light smile.

“That is a mystery best left unspoiled. In time Twilight, you will find out on your own…”

After a while of walking, they eventually came across the same valley that he had come to before with Shank Spear. He led them down into the valley and to the hole where the statue was dug out.

“This statue…is me,” Solaris pointed out. “This was my village. Your mother and I lived here before we set out to defeat Malicious.” Solaris’ mind began to drift. The memories he had here before started coming back. The dark clouds, the strong winds… he was remembering when Malicious first took control, and the horrible things that had transpired that day, but he quickly snapped back to. Those were dark memories that he wished to not dwell on. He spent the rest of the day describing what it was like for him back in those days and showing them what the village used to be like. Eventually night came, and Celestia and Luna decided they’d let Solaris and his guard stay in Canterlot Castle.

Several days had passed, and Solaris continued to stay in Canterlot Castle. Life in Equestria had returned to normal, Celestia and Luna returned to their routine, and Twilight and her friends resumed their daily lives in Ponyville.

One morning, after Celestia had raised the sun, Solaris met with Celestia and Luna in the castle courtyard. He seemed to have a sense of eagerness, yet at the same time, a bit of depression.

“Come with me today. I want to show you something,” he said.

They spent the day traveling to the Foal Mountain range just east of Canterlot. It was a generic bunch of mountains, however as they flew in closer, Celestia began to notice a grassy grove near the top of one that she had never noticed before. After landing, they began walking through the grove, which was decorated with beautiful flowers and trees. What grabbed their attention, though, was a stone structure in the center. Getting closer, they saw the entire structure was covered in a thick moss.

“I was going to come here with Shank Spear,” Solaris said. “But we ran out of time. Besides, I figured you’d want to come with me.” Solaris began to gently scrape the moss off the structure with his magic, maintaining a reverence as he did. After it was cleared, words could be seen clearly etched in the front:

“Here Lies Selena
Beloved Queen, Wife,
Mother and Friend”

Celestia and Luna gazed at the writing, realizing this was the place their mother was buried. Solaris put one hoof gently on the name written in the stone as small tears began to roll down his face. Noticing their father crying, Celestia and Luna couldn’t help but embrace him and began to cry a bit as well. They never knew their mother very well, but they knew she was a great pony, and would have been the greatest mother in all of Equestria.

Solaris stayed at the grave all day and for most of the night, almost as if he was silently telling Selena everything that he’d been through and of his time without her. Before they left, Solaris took one last look at the tomb, and silently whispered a single word.

“Soon…”

It wasn’t until the sun was ready to be brought up did they arrive back in Canterlot. Celestia motioned to raise the sun, but Solaris put his hoof on her shoulder and stopped her.

“Would you mind if I raised the sun one last time? I’ve had a unique sunrise in mind for a very long time…” he asked. Celestia nodded with a smile. Solaris stretched his horn out to the horizon and drew the sun up in a slow ascent. On that day was the most beautiful sunrise Equestria had seen in ages. The sky was filled with a motley blend of fuchsia and lavender, with a misting of orange and red. The vibrant array of colors reflected perfectly off the scattered morning clouds. The sun itself shone brightly, but not so bright as to be unable to look at. Looking into the dawn he had just created, Solaris couldn’t help but shed another tear.

Over the next few days, Celestia and Luna noticed a change in Solaris. He was becoming less and less lively each day, almost as if he was aging rapidly. Eventually one morning, he barely had the energy to get out of bed.

“Are you okay father?” Luna asked. “Whats happening to you?”

“It’s alright Luna,” he replied. “I knew this was going to happen. The great amounts of magic I had obtained managed to prolong my life, but now that I’ve exhausted them, my age is catching up with me. Soon…I will pass on…”

“I’m sure there’s something we can do,” Celestia said. “There must be some medical spell that’ll help you.”

“No, there is nothing that can be done,” Solaris replied exhaustively. “My time will soon be upon me.” Solaris managed to work up enough strength to sit up in bed and take Celestia and Luna in a strong embrace.

“I’m glad I was able to see and talk with you two. I wish I could have been here to watch you grow up, to watch you each day as you became the wonderful mares you have grown up to be. I love you, Celestia and Luna, and I am proud to be your father.” The three embraced each other even tighter as they all shared a tear together.

Solaris died that very night; passing away peacefully in his sleep. A funeral service was held for him, in which a large number of ponies from all over Equestria attended. Twilight and her friends were there, as well as the Canterlot Royal Guard and Solaris’ Elite Guard. Celestia had ordered the weather patrol to make it rain the whole day. It only seemed fitting to do so. Celestia and Luna tearfully placed their father’s coffin in the stone tomb, alongside his wife Selena. Luna used her magic to etch new words into the tomb:

“Here Lies Solaris
Proud Father, Loving Husband
The Last King of Equestria”

As the funeral service came to a close, Celestia turned to Shank Spear.

“What will you do now?” she asked.

“We served your father loyally for thousands of years. He used his magic to prolong our life as well. Now that he’s gone, our age will soon catch up to us as well, and we too will pass on. Our only request is that we be buried with our families, whom we have long since been separated from.” he explained.

Celestia nodded in approval, then departed for Canterlot Castle with Luna.

That night, Celestia had ordered that the skies be cleared of all clouds, so that she could see the stars perfectly. Luna was just finishing up her newest constellations. They were both depictions of Solaris and Selena, the two alicorns of which they were proud to be their children. As they glanced up at the new network of stars in the sky, their hearts fluttered as they witnessed something very touching to them. Passing right between the constellations of Solaris and Selena, two shooting stars glittered and danced across the sky.

“They’re with each other now…” Celestia said. She put her wing around her sister as the two princesses stared up into the stars and smiled.

THE END

Apocalyptic Combat! War vs. Death

Apocalyptic Combat! War vs. Death

CHAPTER 5:
Apocalyptic Combat!
War vs. Death

High noon had arrived on day two of the Battle Royal. With Discord and Famine's match at its end, all in the coliseum looked to the balcony where Grimveil and Shank Spear sat, waiting to hear who the next victims would be. Both Luna and Nyx were among those who silently waited for Grimveil's announcement, but to the pair’s surprise, they were joined in their seats by another alicorn: Celestia. She was still dressed in several bandages, but was looking much better than the night before.

“Celestia!” Luna exclaimed with relief. “You have recovered!”

"Yes, it seems Grimveil doesn't want any of us to be laid up in bed for longer than needed. So, what have I missed?" Celestia asked.

"This tournament has gone to hell,” Nyx answered. “Famine of the Apocalypse Ponies nearly killed Discord by causing him to starve to death. She just... drained him of all his energy. Now he's in the infirmary and Grimveil’s deciding the next match."

Celetia turned to glare at Grimveil's balcony. "And how much longer do you-"

"My friends!" Grimveil bellowed out, cutting Celestia off and drawing the cheers of his army. "Let us continue the tournament. After Famine's decidedly one sided defeat of Discord, it is time for us to see a pair of ponies who are not only on equal standing, but often go hoof in hoof. The next bout shall be between War… and Death!"

Everypony in the coliseum looked over at the Apocalypse Ponies, eager to see what their reactions were. War and Death, however, maintained their silent expressions. The two ponies strode into the arena taking their places as the audience leaned in, eager for the bout they were about to see. All was silent, no pony dared breath. Then Grimveil rung the starting bell, and before even a second had passed, an explosion in the center of the arena rocked the entire coliseum.

The battle between War and Death had begun.

Twilight and the others were still in the old library, sitting silently as they absorbed the reality of their situation. Grimveil was none other than the ancient tyrant of Equestria, Malicious Shadow. It didn't matter what had befallen him after he was defeated last time, he was back with a vengeance, and he was starting it off with his favorite form of torture. Upon finishing her reflection of the scenario, Twilight began to pace around the library.

“Well, we know who he is….but what now?” she asked herself. “This information is useless unless we can get it to the Princess.”

“And on top of that, how do we even beat this guy?” Rainbow Dash also asked. “Sure we know who he is, but the book said nothing about how he was beaten last time. Just that it took a lot of other alicorns to do it.”

“Perhaps the Elements of Harmony are what we should use,” Rarity intervened. “After all he was very quick to stop us from using them back in Canterlot.”

“Rarity has a good point,” Twilight replied. “The Elements may be the key to his defeat, just as they were to Nightmare Moon.”

“But what good is any of that if we can’t even get around that barrier?” Applejack included.

“What if we used the Elements to punch a big hole in it?” Rainbow Dash queried. “Would that work?”

“It’s too risky.” Twilight replied. “Even if it would work, I’m sure those alicorns guarding it would probably kill us before we could even get close enough.”

“Well then what choice do we have?” Applejack said. “Doesn’t really seem like we could sneak in either.”

“Then let’s take advantage of this library. It’s full of old books. I’m sure that somewhere in these pages there’s a spell or something that can get us past that barrier.” Twilight said confidently.

“Ugh, more reading?” Rainbow Dash complained. “I don’t think my eyes can handle it.”

“Come on Rainbow! Princess Celestia needs us! Times wasting!” she exclaimed, pushing Rainbow Dash towards a bookshelf.

Rainbow glared at the bookshelf before looking back at her friends, who had already started searching the library for ancient spell books and similar works. Rainbow Dash picked up a book off one of the lower shelves. The book seemed to be about basic spells and enchantments. Not really something that would contain a spell to get around an all-powerful barrier, but Rainbow Dash was fed up with reading, so anything would work for her. She lazily flipped through it, scanning the pages. As she approached the end of the book, she began flipping faster, eager to get this reading over with. Just as she hit the last page, she carelessly flipped too hard, and ripped the page right down the middle.

Before Rainbow Dash could even say ‘Oops’, a bright glow of light covered the library. Every statue within the library began to emit a bright golden radiance.

“W-whats going on?” Fluttershy squealed in horror.

"I don't know." Twilight replied worriedly.

"Hey, I just want to say, it wasn't me." Rainbow excused, the torn page dangling off her hoof.

Twilight snatched the paper from her grasp. "Rainbow, what 's that?"

Rainbow looked down at the parchment in her hoof. "Oh, this... it's just a page I might have accidently ripped out of a book."

"You WHAT!?" Twilight yelled.

Before another word could be said, the glow from the library suddenly expanded, increasing itself to a blinding flash. The six ponies, who had shielded their eyes from the light, slowly opened their eyes to find themselves back in the old castle.

"What happened? How'd we get back into the throne room," Pinke Pie spoke as she turned to where the doorway had been. "And where did the door go?"

"Darn it!” Twilight screamed in anger. “Princess Celestia must have put a protection spell on the library that kicks everypony out if something gets damaged. Now we’ll have to go back to Canterlot and search through all those books again.”

“Hold on there Twi, none of us have gotten any real sleep in the past couple days. It’s probably best if we just head back to Ponyville and catch up on our rest and all before we start digging through books again.” Applejack said with concern for the group.

“Yeah, you’re right Applejack. Let’s head back to Ponyville.” Twilight replied, letting her exhaustion take over. All six of them then slowly made their way back to Ponyville.

The thick smoke from the explosion was finally clearing, revealing War and Death standing in the midst of the aftermath. In the second that the bell had rung, they launched towards each other at frightening speed and impacted in the center, unleashing the previous explosion. They were once again staring at each other across the arena. Neither of them said anything, not even making a sound. They silently glanced back at each other, as if they knew what the other was thinking.

Celestia, Luna, and Nyx had reared back from the explosion, but were now leaning their heads in to see what was going to happen next. If these two alicorns could cause a massive explosion in under a second, then this match was sure to be destructive.

The tense silence between War and Death suddenly ended as they launched at each other again. Instead of clashing like they did before, they each dodged to the side and unleashed a barrage of assaults. War launched fireball after fireball, varying in size and strength. Death met War's barrage with one of his own. He launched spheres of black mist, which swirled and pulsed around a glowing, white core. Each of War's fireballs clashed with a one of Death's spheres. In the impact, the flames of the fireball were devoured by the mist, each projectile canceling out the other. War and Death dashed and darted around the arena, launching attack after attack from their horns.

Yet, finally, Death was able to get ahead of War, launching a dark sphere that War wasn't able to counter with a fireball. He was forced to dodge, ending his volley of attacks. War, however, used his dodge to roll into a new attack. War engaged in a head-on charge at Death. As he ran, his entire body became wreathed in flame, resembling a meteor. Death followed suite by changing his direction as well, charging, wreathing himself in the shadowy mist.

The two collided in the center, their auras clashing and mixing, unleashing a large spreading veil of fire and shadow. Everypony spectating, Grimveil included, ducked as the wave screamed across the coliseum, ripping and cracking into the masonry. The two apocalypse ponies were now caught in a deadlock, their horns pressing up against each other as they tried to push each other down. In one strong push, however, they each launched backwards into the air. Being airborne, they now adjusted their tactics.

They swiftly circled each other, unleashing quick barrages at each other. The match had pretty much been mirrored up to this point, as each alicorn seemed to implement the same exact battle tactic as the other at the same exact time. This changed as War began to fly upwards and overtop of Death. War stopped his quick ascent and charged up a massive amount of magic in his horn. Death launched a few quick shots of black mist, but they were to no avail as War unleashed a massive fireball downwards upon Death. The fireball absorbed the black mist and continued its descending path. Death couldn’t dodge, as the fireball was as large as the arena and gave him no horizontal room. His best option was to quickly drop to the arena floor, and prepare for impact.

The fireball struck the ground and unleashed its fury. Massive waves of fire and gale force wind were sent cascading out towards the crowd. Luckily, Grimveil had quickly cast protective barriers around the viewers as well to shield them from the flames. The heat, however, managed to scourge through, forcing everyone to duck once again to evade the heat.

As the fire and wind settled, War looked down through the smoke, trying to see what had become of Death. Before the smoke could clear enough; a large shot of black mist blasted up through the smog, and struck War square in the chest, sending him skywards. It wasn’t a devastating blow, but it was enough to make War tumble through the air. War flared his wings to end his spinning and recover, but when he looked down, Death had disappeared. He then noticed a shadow falling across him, and when he looked up he saw Death hovering above him, wings spread and hind legs curled like springs.

In one strong kick, Death sent War careening for the ground at incredible speed. War attempted to slow his descent with his wings, but Death did not allow him. Dropping out of the sky like an eagle in a dive, Death slammed into War, putting his shoulder right in the crook of War's back. This caused War's wings to fail, and the pair collided with the arena floor with earth shattering force.

Grimveil and Shank Spear gazed on in amazement. This was without a doubt the most destructive battle they had seen in ages. Grimveil was enjoying it greatly, but Shank Spear was more reserved.

“Perhaps you should reduce their powers a little bit more, my Lord. They’re proving to be quite a force.” He asked worriedly.

“I appreciate your concern, Captain, but as great as their power is, it’s nothing to be worried about. Besides, they’re both Apocalypse Ponies…they can’t kill each other.” Grimveil replied.

“I’m not worried about them killing each other.” Shank Spear replied. “With such power they could break the barrier.”

“I can understand your worry, Captain, but fear not. My power is far beyond theirs, and everyone else’s in this stadium for that matter. Even combined they could not break the barrier. Everything is completely under my control.” Grimveil said with a grin.

“As you say, my Lord.” Shank Spear bowed and returned to watching the match.

A large veil of smoke and dust lingered atop the shattered arena. Death flew high above, ready for an attack from War, and sure enough it came, but not as death expected. Instead of some massive fireball or barrage of small attacks, a single tiny red shot of what looked like compressed fire burst upwards through the air aimed straight for Death.

Death was high enough in the air to see it coming, and dodged to the side. The shots purpose, however, was not a direct hit. As it passed Death, it decompressed, sending an explosive shockwave through the air that threw Death downward.

War’s assault didn’t stop there. He burst forth from the concealing smoke, wreathed in flame and flying headlong at Death. The pair collided, War smashing into Death and sending him tumbling off in a new direction. War then banked hard and collided with Death again, juggling Death in the air like he was some rag-doll.

“My Lord, I must express my concerns once more. If the Apocalypse Ponies are allowed this much power, then there won’t even be a competition between them and the other contestants.” Shank Spear said to Grimveil.

“I will confess that I have let a great deal of their power return to them specifically for this match, but again do not worry. As soon as this match is finished, I will dull their powers again to make them equal to the others.” Grimveil replied.

Shank Spear didn't reply, turning back to the ongoing fight. Death had managed to recover from being juggled by War. The pair circled once, and then threw themselves at one another again, War still wreathed in his aura of fire while Death once more became wrapped and embraced in the clinging black mist.

Eruptions of fire and shadow burst through the air as Death and War clashed again. War and Death were beginning to wear out, both of them decreasing in their speed. Eventually they had forced each other back down to what remained of the arena floor. Summoning up all of their magic, War and Death charged their horns to full might. Simultaneously, they discharged their magic; War's being an enormous fireball of white flame, and Death's being a large sphere of pure black mist and shadow. The two attacks collided in the center of the arena, their forces pushing against each other. But, as neither was strong enough to overcome the other, they mixed and combined. The result was yet another massive explosion that enveloped the entire arena. Strong gusts and shockwaves of wind, fire, and shadow ripped through the coliseum, forcing everyone to duck. Grimveil had quickly cast the barriers again to protect the audience; however the coliseum suffered even more damage as more of the masonry and stone shattered and burst.

Once more, the audience leaned forward in their seats, eagerly watching as the smoke from the explosion began to fade and settle. They searched for the combatants, expecting them already to be continuing the fight in the smoke's shroud.

Yet, when the smoke cleared enough to reveal Death and War, the pair of ponies were no longer locked in combat. The final attack had been too much for either of them to stand. Both apocalypse ponies had collapsed, too spent from their battle to continue.

"Behold, my soldiers, for you have borne witness to a battle that exemplified the defining, destructive power of the Apocalypse Ponies. Now, the day is growing late, and I’m sure you’ve all had your fill for today. Everyone is dismissed. The next battle begins tomorrow at dawn.” Grimveil turned and exited his balcony as the alicorn soldiers returned to their quarters.

As the rest of the audience filed out of the coliseum Nyx, Luna, and Celestia remained rooted in their seats. They couldn’t believe what they had just seen. The power of the Apocalypse Ponies was far greater than they could imagine. They each wanted to say something, but couldn’t. They were so overwhelmed that they could do nothing but stand in silence. Even when they eventually did leave the coliseum and retired to their quarters, none of them were able to rest. Their sleep was haunted by the nightmares of what could await them in the near future.