Celestia fell to the ground unconscious, the darkness that had taken over her for all those years seeping away. As it left her, the colors of her mane and returned, and if it weren’t for the numerous wounds upon her body, she would have looked as if she we’re peacefully sleeping.
“This body serves no further use for me. Soon enough her army shall bring an endless war to this land. An eternal world of hate and conflict, without order, without reason, the perfect world.”
The darkness that had taken the princess began to form into a solid substance, pulling itself together in stringy wisps as if it had never known shape. As the darkness spoke, the tightened itself, becoming a mass that would have resembled a pony, were it not for the numerous jagged edges and strangely distorted curves in the shape.
“Aaaah” The creature sighed fondly, stretching a hoof forwards that shifted its shape rapidly with each movement, as if the body we’re made of some sort of black lightning. “It has been quite some time since I have needed to take a form. I guess it’s only natural that I take one akin to that I have been inhabiting.”
“Now.” It only now turned towards our group, having been either uninterested in us or simply hadn’t registered our existence until then. “I believe it is time for introductions, as pointless as they may be, it has been quite some time since I’ve killed anything with my own body, and I would prefer my victims to know just how graced they are to lose their lives to me.”
Part of the mass of darkness that comprised the creature raised itself so that it towered above the rest, looming towards us.
“I am Malevolence, brother of Benevolence, god of hate, terror, and evil. I can see that you’ve already met my one failure.”
He glanced towards Discord, who only stared at his creator, eyes filled with more hate than they had likely ever held before.
“And I have no doubt you have encountered my other creations. It is rather saddening that you made it this far. If you had died from one of them you might have known mercy, you might have decided that you’d had a good life. But now you will never-”
“Shut up.”
As Malevolence spoke he had been absent mindedly looking at his hoof, but at the sound of Discord’s voice he turned to him.
“You dare to speak against me?”
“Yes, I do in fact. You think that just because you’ve brought life into this world that you’re a god, that you’re immortal. But I know the truth. You never created life, it was Benevolence that made me live, that made me more than one of your mindless Keln.”
Malevolence just smiled at him.
“Your Keln were never alive, they could never think, never laugh, never cry. They weren’t even animals, all they were was death. Do you think I’m just going to let you get away with destroying this world?”
Malevolence didn’t care to hear an answer. As Discord spoke that last word a bolt of dark energy rattled off towards him, narrowly missing the draconequus as he teleported away, reappearing right next to his creator. Discord fired off a bolt of shimmering purple light that distorted the space around it, Malevolence countering with his dark bolt. As the two bolts met they both disappeared instantly.
Malevolence followed up his bolt by teleporting right next to Discord and warping his hoof into a spear as he drove it towards Discord. Using his own chaotic magic Discord blocked Malevolence’s attacks, turning the hooves that attempted to impale him into harmless substances. To maintain the magic Discord held onto the hooves with his own claws, forcing them to a stalemate.
Malevolence drove his head forwards, sharpening it to lethal point, Discord driving his own head forwards and using his horns to control his creators form. Locked in that position, Malevolence spoke to Discord, but it was clear that his words were intended for all of us.
“Do you truly think you can’t stand against my power? Just because my sister gave her own life to make you doesn’t put you on my level, not anywhere close.”
“No, I’m the only one who could ever be so low as to be on your level. You made me, even if it was your sister that gave me life, it was you who made me into the monster I am. So from one monster to another, I will kill you for what you’ve done.”
The two broke away from each other, Malevolence launching his own essence at Discord like needles.
Discord teleported out of the way of the needles, but even as he did so they changed their trajectory to follow him. As the lethal pins almost struck into him, a white light shone about him, and Malevolence’s essence stopped in its tracks, giving Discord enough time to teleport out, the needles returning to Malevolence as he found the caster of the light.
Celestia stood from where she had fallen, horn still glowing from the power she had just unleashed.
Malevolence didn’t seem to care that she had just stopped his attack. “So it seems that you were still alive after all? I guess I’ve been a tad careless today. But then again, today is the last day that I’ll have to care about anything, as once this day ends you’ll all be dead.”
Celestia ignored his words, but kept staring at him, wary of an attack as she addressed Discord.
“Discord, I know you want you’re revenge for what he’s done to you; no, what he has done to us. But none of us can hope to defeat him on our own. You should know that more than anyone.”
She addressed us and Twilight’s group next, but took care to monitor Malevolence’s every move. The dark god just stood there, waiting for her to finish.
“I wish I could honestly say that we could handle this, that you wouldn’t need to be hurt any more than you already have been. But this fight may prove too much for us, and if we fall…” Her tone faltered and her voice grew heavy with sadness “If we die, you must fight against him, even if it means giving up your own lives. We can’t let him win, for Equestria’s sake.”
“Are you done with your little speech yet, or do you need more time to tell them why you’re going to throw your lives away?”
Celestia, Luna, Discord and Harmony all looked to each other and nodded.
“Feels good to have everypony back together again.” Discord spoke the words, and for a moment it was as if the world only consisted of those four, without the imminent threat of death looming over them.
Harmony sighed, “Yes, though it is quite a shame that we met under such conditions.”
Luna healed up Celestia’s wounds with her magic and restored the sun alicorn’s mane to its usual state. “I finally have you back big sister.”
“And I you little sister.”
The four turned as one to face their foe, their eyes ablaze with determination.
“Now that that’s out of the way.” Malevolence clapped his hooves together and summoned up two blades of shifting dark energy, hovering on either side of him. “It’s time for you to die.”