Chapters Two ponies were standing in the middle of a courtyard. One was a light green stallion with an orange mane, and a shield as his cutie mark, and the other was a young jet black colt with a blood red mane, and no cutie mark. "One more time Tenebris." the green stallion said. Tenebris let out a growl of frustration, and slammed his hooves into the ground.
"Enough!" he yelled, "I'm tired of shielding magic! I want to learn how to fight!"
"Being a royal guard isn't just about fighting. It's about protecting those you care about." the green stallion told him calmly.
"I've had enough of your philosophical nonsense!" Tenebris yelled, his horn lighting up with a black light. The stallions eyes widened in realization. His horn glowed just as five dark beams shot out at him. They crashed into the shield he just conjured, draining almost all of his energy.
"That spell. Where did you?" he panted.
"Well since you weren't going to teach me what I needed to know I taught myself." Tenebris told him.
"But that's-"
"Dark magic? Yes I know." Tenebris cut him off.
"How did you get in?" he asked.
"Oh. It was only guarded by one simple spell." Tenebris said.
"But, that spell was cast by Princess Luna herself." he said.
"Her magic is nothing compared to mine." Tenebris told him.
"Impossible." he said.
"Oh, it's very possible." Tenebris said, his horn glowing again. Suddenly tendrils of dark energy shot out, and wrapped themselves around the stallion. "Now I'll take all your magic for my own." he said, sucking out the stallions energy. In a few seconds he was dry. He flicked his head, and the tendrils threw him against the wall. "That's all? Some captain of the guards." The stallion lifted his head.
"You'll never get away with this." he said.
"Oh, but I already have. Next I'll suck the life out of every guard, and then I'll take the magic of the Princesses themselves!" Tenebris let out a loud laugh as he left, leaving the stallion to die on the ground.
--
Tartarus. Not a nice place by anyone's standards. It was a place filled with fires, and prison cells. It was patrolled by stereotypical demons. Though the ones that could really be called demons were the prisoners themselves. That's why they were in there. In one particular cell was a jet black stallion unicorn, who had no cutie mark.
A guard happened to be walking by when he noticed the stallion. He snorted. "Some conqueror of Equestria. Look at you now." he said, poking the stallion with his pike hard enough to draw blood. He snorted again. "Not gonna fight back? Prisoners these days are so boring." he said. The guard then left, leaving the stallion alone again.
After the guard left the stallion calmed himself with the thought that this would soon be over. A few hours later another guard came by, and unlocked his cell. He opened the door, and quickly stepped in, closing it behind him. "I've brought some food for you." he said, tossing up a loaf of moldy bread, and catching it again. "But first you have to beg for it." he said.
The stallion didn't move, making the guard angry. "I said beg for it." he said. When the stallion still didn't do anything he walked over, and kicked him. When he still got no reaction out of him he threw the bread down. "Fine." he said, "I'm going to torture some other prisoner." The stallion only sat up when he heard the door close, and the demons footsteps faded away.
He levitated the bread, and tentatively took a bite out of it. He retched at the taste, but still ate it anyways. The prisoners were only fed once a week, and he knew he had to keep his strength up. Finally he had finished eating. Next he decided to do a few physical exercises. If his body was weak his magic wouldn't be able to reach it's full potential.
Finally he conjured up the book he had been able to smuggle with him. It was an old worn leather bound book with the image of a skull on the front. He delicately brought his hoof across the cover, admiring the hoofwork it took to make. He flipped it open to the first page, and started reading.
He had already read this book from cover to cover many times in the thousand and a half years he'd been there, but he could never get enough of it. After all it was the only past time he had in Tartarus, and the book that originally had taught him black magic.
He flipped over to page ten, to his favorite spell. It was a magic draining spell. It was a basic spell, but very powerful if the right person got their hooves on it. It was a spell that allowed you to drain one of their magic, or life force, and add it to one's own.
He flipped over to page twenty three, another favorite of his. It allowed him to summon tendrils of dark magic to do what he wanted. He was able to use them for battle, or just plain picking stuff up. Very useful for keeping enemies still as he drained them of their magic.
He then continued to skim through the book until he closed it with a content sigh. He then cast a spell to hide the book again. The book faded from visibility just as a guard walked past. He then laid back, and closed his eyes. Soon. He thought. Soon, and I will finally get my revenge.
He thought about how he was going to destroy Equestria, and Bring Celestia and Luna to their knees. How he would finally get revenge for being imprisoned so long ago. He finally drifted off to sleep, an image of Equestria burning at his hooves in mind.
--
A/N: Bonus points to any of you who can guess what his name means.
Tenebris just laughed as the guards charged at him. With the flick of his head he threw the three guards caught in his tendril whose magic he'd already sucked out. His horn lit up again as he cast a spell that electrocuted all of the guards, making them immobile.
His horn then continued to glow as streams of magic were pulled out of the guards bodies, and into his own. He cackled as he finished. "What pathetic royal guards. It's a wonder that Equestria hasn't fallen yet under the weak rule of those two worthless fools." he said.
"Don't you dare call the Princesses worthless." said a familiar voice. Tenebris turned around to see the green stallion.
"Oh. I thought I dealt with you already. I'll just have to fix that then." he said, summoning up two magic tendrils that rammed the stallion into the wall. He then conjured another tendril of dark magic. "Say your goodbyes." he said before the tendril flew towards the stallion.
Suddenly, though, the tendril just stopped. Then it, and the other two, started to dissolve. He smirked, and looked up to the left to see Luna flying down. "Tenebris! What art thou doing?!" she questioned.
"Ah, Princess Luna. How nice of you to join me." he said casually.
"Do not play games with us! Tell us what thou are doing Tenebris!" she demanded.
"I'm just taking what's rightfully mine." he told her.
"And tell us. What is rightfully thou's?" she asked.
"The throne." he said, his horn glowing, "The world." Just then three black tendrils shot out, and wrapped themselves around Luna's body, neck, and horn. Luna's eyes widened in realization.
"This magic! Where did thou learn of it?!" she demanded.
"Please. You're weak spell wasn't enough to keep me out." he said.
"But that's impossible." she said.
"Oh but it's very possible. Now, it's time I take your magic!" he shouted, dark energy flowing up the tendrils.
--
It was a lovely day in Ponyville today. Not a cloud in the sky thanks to the pegasi. Today Twilight, and her friends were having a picnic in the lovely meadow, just outside of Fluttershy's cottage. a pink and white checkered blanket had been set down in the grass, and a lovely variety of foods laid upon it.
Twilight, and her friends lay upon the grass around it, looking up at the sky. Twilight let out a content sigh. "It's a great day today." she said.
"Tell me 'bout it." agreed Applejack. Two birds came flying by, and suddenly Dash longed to be in the sky. She pulled herself into a sitting position, and spread her wings.
"Hey guys watch this." she told them, flapping her wings, taking off. She then soared through the skies gracefully, performing many tricks such as loopy loops, and barrel rolls. Finally when she reached the climax of her performance she flew up as high as she could get.
She then barreled down at an amazing speed, and burst into a sonic rainboom. She then proceeded to do some zigzags, a sharp v turn, and a few loops. Finally she touched down in front of the others, her cutie mark floating in the sky. Everyone let out a lout applause, clopping their hooves on the ground. "That was amazing!" Pinkie said.
"I'll say." Applejack agreed.
"I must say, that was a spectacular performance." Rarity told her.
"Whoohoo." Fluttershy cheered in her usual quiet voice.
"That was amazing." Twilight complemented.
"Ah, it was nothing." Dash said.
"Let's eat now." Pinkie said. They all nodded in agreement, and each got something from the picnic. Twilight got a daisy sandwich, Pinkie a pie, Fluttershy a salad, Applejack an apple, Rainbow Dash some mashed potators, and Rarity, trying to watch her weight, nothing.
"Really though. I can't believe the Wonderbolts still haven't recruited you." Rarity said.
"Really?" Dash asked.
"Of course darling! You are a wonderfully talented flyer." Rarity complimented her. Rainbow basked in that compliment for a few seconds, until she leaned down to take a bite of her potato salad. Wouldn't you know it that was the exact second the ground started shaking, making her land face first into it.
"Wwwwhhhhaaaaaatttttssssss gggggggooooiiiiiinnnnngggg ooooonnnnn?" asked Pinkie, her voice made weird by the vibration of the earth. Suddenly a giant crack appeared in the earth.
"An earthquake?" pondered Twilight. The crack got wider, and then spread even farther. Farther than the eye could see. Then the shaking just stopped. Dash shook her head to get the potato salad off of her face.
"What was that?" she asked.
"It was an earthquake." Twilight told her.
"An earthquake? But aren't earthquakes-" Dash was cut off as the ground started to shake again. Then the Everfree forest seemed to get smaller. No not smaller, farther away. Quickly Twilight ran to the edge of the chasm, and gasped.
"What is it Twilight?" Applejack asked, running to her side. When they got there all the others gasped too. They were floating up in the air now. They watched as the ground became farther, and farther away.
"W-What's going on?" asked Fluttershy.
"I-I don't know." Twilight said, "We have to get a letter to the Princess! Dash, can you fly ahead, and get Spike to write a letter to the Princess?"
"Sure thing." she said, opening her wings. She flapped them a few times, and then jumped, only to land face first on the ground. "What?" she said confused. She flapped her wings again, and jumped, but to no avail. She wasn't able to fly no matter how hard she flapped her wings. "It's no use. For some reason I can't fly." Dash told her.
"What?! I guess we'll have to walk then." she said. With that they started their long trudge back to Ponyville. When they finally reached Ponyville it was a mess. There were ponies running everywhere, wailing about how they can't use magic, or fly. "The whole town's been affected?! Quick, we must not lose any more time! We have to send the letter to the Princess immediately!" Twilight said.
Soon they arrived at the library. Twilight tried to use her magic to open the door, but it wouldn't work for some reason. "What?!" she said, trying it again. "M-My magic isn't working!" she said.
"What?! But how can that be?!" Rarity asked.
"Rarity I want you to try to open that door." Twilight told her.
"Okay." she said, focusing on making the door open. Nothing happened though.
"It's just as I feared." Twilight said.
"What do you mean sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"Unicorns can no longer use magic, and pegasi can't fly. Who's the only pony capable of that?" Twilight asked. Suddenly they got it.
"Discord!" they all said in unison.
"Exactly." Twilight said.
"We gotta get a letter to the Princess quick then!" Dash said, slamming open the door, and racing in. Spike, who was reorganizing the books, was startled, and fell off the ladder he was standing on.
"Woah!" he yelled as he fell. Lucky for him his dragon scales helped from sustaining any injuries from the floor. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the ton of books that fell on him. When he drug himself out of the books he saw Twilight already had a parchment, and pencil out. She shoved them into his hands.
"Quick, Spike, take a letter!" she said.
"Uh, sure." he said.
"Dear Princess Celestia. This is of the utmost importance. Strange things have been going on, and we believe it may be the doing of Discord. Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle." she said, Spike writing it all down. "Good. Now send the letter." she told him.
"Right." he said before taking a breath, and blowing on the scroll. Unfortunately nothing came out. "Huh?" he said trying it again. "Twilight it's not working!" he said. She stomped her hoof into the ground.
"I guess we'll have to hoof it to Canterlot." she said. Just then there was a knock at the door.
The black stallion opened his eyes. "It is time." he said. A guard just happened to be passing by when he heard the stallion mumble to himself.
"Huh? What are you mumbling about in there?" he asked, "Have you finally gone crazy?" The stallion lifted his head, and his horn glowed. Suddenly two tendrils shot out, and rammed into him. "I-Impossible! You shouldn't be able to use magic!" he said. One of the tendrils started to suck the energy out of him, and the other grabbed the keys.
He unlocked the door just as he finished draining the guard of his magic power. "Well that's your mistake." he said, throwing the guard into the pits of Tartarus. As he started to walk along the path some of the prisoners noticed him.
"Hey get me outta here!" one called.
"Help us!" said another one. Finally he could stand no more, and sent out tendrils, and sucked up their magic power. After that no one called out again. He smirked, and continued along the path until he turned a corner, and ran into two guards. Their eyes widened in surprise.
"A prisoner has escaped!" one said.
"Let's get him!" the other said, flying towards him. He smirked, and sent a tendril out, wrapping it around the guard. He then sent a large volt of electricity through the tendril, shocking him. "Augh!" he screamed out, "Quick! Get reinforcements!" The other guard stumbled, and ran away as he threw the one he had into the pit.
"Yes. Go get reinforcements." he said, "I shall absorb all of their energy too." He then continued to trot along the path until he heard the sound of guards. About ten soon came into view, and he stopped.
"That's the escaped prisoner! Get him!" one roared, as they flew towards him. He just smirked as he sent out tendrils to wrap around all of them. They screamed in agony as he ripped their life force out of them and added it to his own power. He then threw them all into the pit, and continued walking.
As he went on he continued to suck out the energy of every guard he met. Soon enough he'd reached the gates of Tartarus where the three headed dog, Cerberus lay. Cerberus immediately knew that he was a prisoner, and let out a growl. Cerberus then lunged at him, it's three heads snapping at him. His horn glowed, and five tendrils shot out, and wrapped themselves around Cerberus.
He then sucked out all of the energy the monster had, which was not as much as one would think, and then slammed it against the gates, busting them open. For a moment he was blinded by the brightness of the light, but he recovered, and stared at the open desert in front of him.
It seemed that the landscape had changed since he was sent here. Last time he'd seen it it had been a dark forest filled to the brim with dangerous animals such as manticores, and hydras. "I guess a place can change in a millennium and a half." he commented.
His horn then glowed, and two wings made of dark energy sprouted out from his sides. He gave them a flap, then took off into the air, headed towards the mountains in the distance. "Soon, Celestia, soon I'll have my vengeance upon you and your sister." he said.
Finally he reached the mountain caps. He hovered over them, and looked down at the city sitting upon the side of one of the mountains. "Ah, Canterlot. It hasn't changed a bit." he reminisced. He then flew down, and landed in front of the castle, startling the guards stationed at the door.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one questioned.
"An old acquaintance of the Princesses." he said, dispelling the wings, and wrapping magic tendrils around them. They struggled, but he quickly depleted them of their magic power, and threw them off of the cliff. He then slammed open the doors with his magic powers, and waltzed in.
Along his way he found more guards, but he just took their energy too, and slammed them against the walls. Finally he had reached the throne room where Celestia, and Luna should be. He charged up the magic in his horn for a second, and then used it to bust open the door, startling Celestia.
"Yes?" she asked as she turned towards the door. When she saw who was in the door, though, her concentration broke, along with the porcelain tea cup she'd been levitating. "No! I-It's impossible!" she stuttered.
"Oh, it's very possible. I thought I told you that a long time ago." he said.
"B-But I locked you away in Tartarus!" she said.
"Oh, you did. For over 1000 years I might add." he said.
"But how?! How did you get out Tenebris?!" she demanded.
"Oh Celestia. Did you really think it would be as easy for you to seal me as it was to seal your sister." he said, making her eyes widen.
"But how do you know that?! That happened after you were imprisoned!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, I have my ways." he told her. His horn then glowed, and the ground started shaking.
"Tenebris what have you done?!" Celestia asked once the shaking had stopped.
"Tell me or else!" she told him, her horn glowing.
"Oh, no, not just yet." he said, his horn glowing, "I can't just have you ruining my plans now can I." Then a large wave of dark magic shot out, and the glow on Celestia's horn faded. His horn then glowed again, as the ground shook for a second time. When it stopped shaking he spoke again, "Now I would love to stay, and have a reunion with Luna, but I must bid you a due." Then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared.
At that moment the royal guard chose to burst in. "Princess! What's going on?!" asked Shining Armour, captain of the royal guard. She let out a defeated sigh.
"Something terrible has happened." she said, "Bring my student, and her friends to Canterlot immediately. I'm afraid we'll have to use the elements of harmony."
The dark magic headed towards Luna, but just before it attached to her, it was stopped by golden magic. "TENEBRIS!" shouted a voice from behind him. Tenebris turned his head, to see Celestia, her face contorted in rage.
"What do you think you are doing?!" she asked.
"Why Princess Celestia, how nice of you to join us." he said. Her horn lit up for a second, before a beam shot out, and hit him, making him loose his grasp on Luna.
"Do not play games with me!" she shouted, "What are you doing?!"
"I'm just taking what is rightfully mine." he said.
"And what might that be?" Celestia questioned.
"All of Equestria!" he said.
"I will not allow this madness to go on any longer!" Celestia said, her horn charging another beam. This time he was prepared, and he made a shield of magic to block the beam. "I cannot allow you to harm my little ponies any more!" she shouted, blasting another beam at him.
"Sister we shall help!" Luna said, her horn glowing a midnight blue as she also shot a beam at him. They crashed into his shield with enough force to send him back a foot.
"Pathetic!" he roared, "I've had enough!" With that dark magic gathered around him, and then shot out in a dark wave. Celestia, and Luna shielded themselves, but it broke right through their magic like it was wet paper, and sent them flying back. Just then the skies grew dark, and Tenebris laughed. "I've won now!" he said.
"No you haven't." said Celestia, wincing as she got up. Her front right leg was limp, broken. Then she tried to gather magic up for another beam, but for some reason she was unable to. "W-Why won't my magic work?!" she asked. Tenebris laughed again.
"I have blocked off all of your magic! Now I have business to attend to." he said, wings made from dark magic sprouting from his back. His wings then flapped, and he flew into the air.
"Wait!" Celestia called, opening her wings, and flapping them. Nothing happened though, she was unable to lift herself off the ground. "Tenebris get back here!" she called out.
"Worry not! I'll be back to take your magic soon enough!" he called out as he flew away from the castle. Celestia slammed her hoof into the ground, cracking it. Tenebris you won't get away with this! She thought.
--
Twilight trotted over to her door, and opened it to reveal two white guards in gold armor. Princess Celestia's royal guard. "Miss Sparkle?" he asked.
"That's me." she said.
"The Princess has summoned you and your friends to Canterlot. She says that the elements of harmony are needed." he told her. She gasped.
"Quick girls! Let's go!" she said to the other five.
"We have a cart waiting for you." he told them, leading them to the cart. They quickly stepped in as the guards strapped themselves to the front. Then, instead of opening their wings and flying, they started galloping full speed towards Canterlot.
"Huh? Why aren't we flying?" asked Twilight.
"Our wings will not work." one guard answered her. They sat quiet for the rest of the way, until they reached Canterlot. They trotted through the town, which was completely deserted, and to the castle where a lot of ponies were gathering. The ponies made way for the guards, and they walked around to the side of the castle where they met two more guards.
"Hello Miss Sparkle. We'll bring you, and your friends to see the Princess." one said.
"Follow us." the other told them as they walked into the castle. On their way through the castle's corridors they passed two guards carrying something wrapped in cloth.
"What was that?" Twilight asked.
"One of the guards. Or at least what's left of him." one said sadly. Twilight gasped.
"You mean?" she asked.
"Yes." he said. Twilight lowered her head, and her eyes hardened.
"Discord's going to pay." she said. Soon they reached the entrance to the throne room. The guard knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Celestia called out. The guards opened the door, and Twilight, and her friends walked in to see Celestia and Luna sitting on their thrones.
"Princess!" Twilight said, bowing.
"Hello Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said.
"We must act quick. Discord has already taken away our magic power." Twilight said.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken. It is not Discord who's the enemy here, it is a pony called Tenebris." Celestia told her.