4000 years prior to Twilight's Ascension

The sun was centered in the horizon, and the clouds that surrounded the sun were drenched in the orange light. Canterlot castle illuminated in the distance, once a beautiful and pristine castle, now it was ravaged and laden with holes. The city around it fared no better, as many building lay burning or destroyed.

On all surroundings creatures were fighting with an weapons they could manage, and against them dark shadows clashed with them using blackened weapons and dark magic. While many times the creatures had waged war against each other, they now had a common enemy that threatened all these creature's way of life.

The alicorns were on the front lines alongside the griffons and minotaurs fighting the main front of the enemy. The griffons had supplied their best weaponsmiths, armors, and sheer numbers to combat the number of magical weapons that came against the union. The minotaurs were the strongest soldiers in terms of strength and durability, and with their affinity to their ancestors they held a small immunity against the magic they fought. Finally the Alicorns researched every type of magic they could to counter the dark corruption that had spread among their wounded. Their magic could match the enemy but not for long.

On the inside of the Union the Changelings and Zebra's handled healing and evacuating cities to strongholds near the castle. The changelings were skilled in assassination and sifting through enemy ranks while the Zebra's utilized all their knowledge of herbs and concoctions to heal and strengthen their individuals. They were led by the last remaining alicorns of the royal family.

Celestia, The Elder Sister and Princess of the Sun, had gone to each of the individual leaders of their respective races and begged for aid against the rise of dark magic. Luna stayed and trained each of the races in what to watch out for when fighting, but despite all of the preparation they had it didn't fare well in the face of the Dark Alicorns.

The Dark alicorns were lead by another alicorn who was once a close friend to the royal family, but his betrayal was lead by the deaths of King Artemis and Queen Solaria, the mother and father to the sisters.

Celestia stood on a cliffside looking out over the carnage below, and she felt a tear fall down her muzzle at the amount of life lost every minute. She may have been a hardened leader in front of her subjects and allies, but underneath she could only just maintain her mask. Celestia looked towards her setting sun and she felt he mask begin to crack.

The plains were drenched in blood, and under the setting sun gave way to a red sky. A horrible sight yes, and one that would haunt all who saw it for many years to come. She had ordered the leaders to act as generals and give orders where she couldn't in separate parts of Equestria. Luna walking up to the cliffside where her sister resided. Celestia stared off towards the maelstrom of dark clouds behind the enemy lines, but no matter how much she wish it was a bad dream reality was a cruel mistress.

'Don't worry Celestia I will always be there for you'

'You and Luna are sisters and you must rely on each other'

'You both have learned much, but there is still more to know'

'No matter what happens I always cared about you two'

'I am merely the means to an end, and you two are just in my way'

Celestia could still hear his voice, but it was the voice of her friend Mystic Rune, not the voice of her enemy Black Aether. He was a mentor figure to both her and Luna just by being there when their parents couldn't. He was hired as a mere foalsitter back when both she and Luna were young foals, but soon grew as leader to her subjects and a friend to their family. Her mother and father trusted him with their lives, and for a long time he was leading their forces against any and all skirmishes.

His betrayal hadn't been apparent, but he had been acting strange in the days leading up to his betrayal. They could've found out had they paid better attention to his demeanor but he always shrugged it off as exhaustion and hard days. Luna touched down behind Celestia and stared at her sister in silence.

"Mystic Rune, what happened to you? What happened to make you despise magic so greatly?" Celestia murmured more to herself than her sister.

"Sister, art thou troubled?" Luna asked her distant sister.

Celestia visibly jumped in surprise and turned towards her sister, "Oh tis you Luna, we didn't sense thine presence."

"Obviously, but thou art visibly troubled. So tell us sister what bothers thee?" Luna queried.

Celestia didn't answer immediately and turned back towards the war below. Luna turned her head in confusion, and trotted next to her sister. She too looked down at the war and grimaced at the horrid sight.

"Sister, is this what bothers thee?" she asked.

"No Luna, This is mere paltry to what truly bothers me," Celestia whispered. Luna turned towards her sister and looked expectantly for an answer but her demeanor fell as she saw her sister's saddened eyes.

"What bothers me is his betrayal," she murmured sadly, "We wish we could have stopped it and with it stopped the loss of life, but never before have we felt such guilt for something we could've done, but chose ignore."

"Mystic's betrayal didn't his just you sister, it hath hurt us as well," Luna said with a steeled look.

"We know Luna, but still is there anything we could've done to stop his fall? Is there one detail we failed to read? What did we do to fail so miserably Luna, what did we do?" Celestia sobbed. Luna wrapped a wing around her sister and nuzzled her neck in response to rare sight of her sister's tears.

Luna couldn't say anything, it wouldn't change the fact that Mystic was gone and Black Aether remained. She turned her head towards the battlefield and stretched her magic towards the fights below. The union had gained an upper hand and were about to rout the enemy, but despite the heavy losses the dark alicorns suffered they remained in their places even when dead.

Celestia opened her eyes to the field and she too let her magic stretch downward, and alongside her sister they searched the warzone for one particular pony and soon their magic locked to him and he knew it. Wiping her tears away Celestia stood proud as her father had and Luna matched her sister with the same determination.

"Pray tell sister, what ist thine plan?" Luna queried.

"Now that we have sensed his location, we must do battle with him," Celestia answered.

"But he's expecting us, shouldn't we bet on surprise?" Luna questioned as a shiver went down her back.

"No Luna we must face him head on, and then and only then will the war be finished," Celestia asserted. Spreading her wings she took flight towards the dark alicorn.

Luna watched in silence, but spread her wings and followed.

On the battlefield

A towering alicorn stood on a small hill watching his underlings as they fought to their demise, on his right another alicorn stood with a battle axe in her magical grip. The Leader was Black Aether himself and he watched in silent glee at the death that unfolded before him and his right hoove, Crimson Rose. Black Aether's mane and tail were a maelstrom of black, ethereal shadows and his coat was deep bluish black. His eyes were shining white, and his pupils were absent from his face. Lastly, he cutie mark was white, black and red runic circle that seemed to pulse with dark magic.

Crimson Rose, had a shining red mane and tail that flowed in the wind, but lacked the ethereal nature her master had. Her coat was pink but was shrouded in shadows and her eyes were pulsing red. The one similarity between the two was their horns had sharpened and curved to a thorn-like appearance.

"Master why do you not let me finish their forces?!" Rose hissed at her master.

"Oh Rose, thou art still so naive despite being my right hoove. It's simple, you would cause too much of a disturbance that they would focus their forces on you instead of my underlings and we wouldn't get the enjoyment we wish for," he resolved to his ever-angry servant.

Her mane shown in red light in response to her rising fury, but a quick glare from her master's empty eyes forced her back in to submission. "Thou art so narrow-minded Rose," he murmured turning back to the war, "This isn't about you or us, it's all about revenge and that's all you need to know."

She opened her muzzle to retort but he raised a wing to silence her and stared towards the sky. "We need you to return to the academy, We have guests to indulge. Finish the ritual with Black Void and await our orders," he commanded. She bowed in response and disappeared in a flurry of petals, his eyes were fixated on the clouds. They blew apart and Celestia and Luna landed in front of him breaking the surface from the impact.

The stood up and were clad in the war armor and armed with their respective magical weapons, in Celestia's magical grip a large, gold-colored halberd and Luna held a shining, silver scythe. Both their weapons and armor matched their weapon's designs and were covered in runes that modeled the sun and moon. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his first students standing before him in such righteous defiance.

"Thine tyranny ends now Black Aether!" Celestia bellowed in the royal-canterlot voice. Luna said nothing but stood strongly beside her sister matching the defiance.

"Tyranny? Oh please Celestia, you of all ponies should know that I am no tyrant," he spoke in a mellowed tone.

"Not a tyrant? You have murdered countless lives and ruined many more! Have you nothing to say for thyself?!" Luna thundered, her wrath flashing through her eyes..

Black Aether chortled at Luna's righteousness of her position, and then stopped as if somepony had disturbed him. He seemed to roll his eyes and then they closed, and when they reopened his white voids had ocean-blue eyes staring back at them in sadness.

Celestia and Luna's muzzle dropped in shock, despite the different appearance that was the look of their friend who still had some semblance of a sane pony.

"I know you see me as a tyrant, but I have to do this...It's the only way for the world to see the truth as I have," he whispered.

"What truth?" Celestia pleaded hoping to gain a proper answer.

"You'll realize it soon enough, both of you will but I believe we have wasted enough time. Wipe your emotions, and steel thyselves, for I have no mercy for cowards!" he shouted raising his own magical weapons which took the form of black dual blades.

Celestia and Luna shared a look and raised their own weapons. The wind blew around them and their stances were as still as statues. Black Aether's eyes had returned to their empty white voids and his swords were raised in a defensive position. Luna couldn't match her sister's patience and launched with her scythe in the striking position.

Aether merely watched as she her slice came right to his neck, he blocked it but it launched him to the right. His body flew through the air and Luna teleported behind him aiming an upward slash forcing his body in to the air. Celestia, while crossed at her sister for acting first without thinking, blinked above him and bucked him in to the ground.

Aether spun and landed on his hooves, but Celestia fired a beam of her magic at him. He sank into the ground as a shadow and darted into Celestia's shadow. He reappeared behind her and threw his swords down towards her back, but Luna intercepted the blades and knocked him back. He recovered and dashed some distance away.

Celestia and Luna gave chase and fired yellow and blue beams at him. He twirled and flew right next to them dodging each and every beam. They burrowed into the surround field giving the appearance of a wounded battlefield. He stopped and shot a beam of his own, it was purple and blue and it flew towards the sisters. They raised their weapons and combined a downward slash that split the beam and reflected it in opposite directions. Activating their magic, they sped through the air and clashed together with Aether's swords, the result was them rocketing to the ground and burrowing across the surface ground and knocking any unfortunate soul in their wake.

The sisters hopped back and fired more beams at his unmoving form. He sped through the cloud of dust and thrust his swords towards their middle, but he was stopped by blue and yellow runic pillars. They fell and surrounded him, and he looked up at the runic circle stretching upward towards the sky.

"FEEL THE WRATH OF ALL THAT YOU HAVE MURDERED!" the sisters said as one and the spell fell upon him. A large beacon lit up the sky and surrounding fields forcing everyone to stop fighting and stare. The sisters had felt their exhaustion creeping through their bodies, but they remained strong and determined.

As the beacon left the fields, a deep silence fell across the battlefield and the cloud of dust that picked up was being blown away. The sisters looked at the center of the spell hoping to see the tyrant defeated, but the only visible object was a rising shadow. Suddenly, the dust blew past the sisters and it revealed Black Aether, but his body was regenerating the lost parts. He began to chuckled that gave way to full laughter, and it echoed over the plains.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh sweet faust I must say that was quite painful. You two have definitely grown as mages, but you forgot one important detail," he trailed off as the regeneration ended, "I gave you the spell so I know how to stop it." His eyes glowed in a bright white light.

"Now that Mystic's psyche has decided to let me take over, I will no longer hold back against you two," he said grimly.

The sisters didn't even breath before he appeared in front of them and let loose a repulse that knocked both out of their stupor. They regained their footing and circled him, but before they could act on their next plan he appeared in front of Celestia and sliced through her armor and in to her body. The wound only appeared one second and golden blood sprayed the next and the impact forced her in to the ground.

Luna's eyes widened in anger, and she blinked behind him slashing her scythe through his neck. It hit the target but just sank slowly into the muscle like a worn knife in to fresh meat. He turned his head and gave a nightmarish grin, before knocking her black with simple beam. No chance to recover was given, and Luna was grabbed by his hoof and he rocketed her in to the ground. The impact forced golden blood out of her mouth and air out of her lungs, and his hoof began to crush her armor.

Celestia rose up with her halberd and she blinked to his side and slashed his horn.

"AGGHHH DAMMIT!" he shouted in pain and flew back holding his head. Celestia's eyes widened and she believed she had found a weakness in his invincible form but he just laughed.

"Just kidding," he cackled before bucking Celestia in the opposite direction. Not wasting time, he wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible, so he readied his swords and flew towards Celestia and almost stabbed her through the neck, but she dodged and swung her halberd though his body. Black blood sprayed across the field and some landed on Celestia's hooves.

Celestia's whole body burned in pain and exhaustion, the large gash had sealed itself but not healed and her right wing had been broken in the impact, she couldn't feel it because of the adrenaline. It mended itself, but when she turned back to Black Aether he reappeared in front of an unconscious Luna with his sword raised. Her heart stopped as she realized he would win the moment his sword met her sister's body, activating her last magic she burst forward and shielded her sister from being impaled.

Aether's eyes widened as his blade dove into Celestia's body and at the golden blood that followed from the wound. His mind had blanked and the felt his heart ache at the sight of Celestia's fatal wound. He pulled out the sword and let his magic heal the severity of the wound, but he left the main surface pain and Celestia could only halfway stare at his eyes.

A tear fell from his face and he lowered his head to hide the tears, but then he turned in response to someone's voice and he just flew away. Celestia watched his figure disappear from view and she lowered her head as sleep overtook her.

Author's Note

Hey there! I am new to being a legit writer for audiences and I am open to criticism but I don't want to here a bunch of whining of how this story is bad or how it's a rip-off of something that I haven't seen and if there is a similar story I assure you haven't read it and I will take measures avoid problems. Tell me what you think about this first chapter and give me some pointers on what I can do be better.

Revision: The previous message was from the original version of this chapter, but it still applies and I plan to make this as good as I can. Also to any first readers, make no mistake Spike is the main focus of this story, it will work up to that very early on.
Next time: Chapter 1: Awakening