Eclipsed

Two days had passed by since the initial Canterlot invasion by Umbra's force. The eclipse had finally been lowered and both the sun and moon resumed their regular cycles under Umbra's guidance. Soldiers patrolled the city streets all the time. Quite a few ponies may have managed to escape the city during the battle, but quite a few still remained, whether it was through force or by choice.

The outer wall had been built back up with the assistance of unicorns from Umbra's force, the outer wall having been made a priority due to the three princesses being unaccounted for as well as the element bearers confirmed to have escaped Ponyville.

Canterlot and Ponyville were both under Umbra's control now. Umbra managed to 'persuade' the former mayor, Mayor Mare, to step down and allow a representative of his empire to stand in as the leader of the town.

Members of the Canterlot elite that were still in Canterlot had chosen to either outwardly rejoice in Umbra's occupation or to keep their mouths completely and entirely shut in every sense of the word.

Umbra knew they were merely sucking up to him so he'd spare them or even hoping he'd raise their positions in life, both politically and economically. But he didn't care so long as they knew their place.

Currently, Umbra had walked into the Canterlot throne room, where princess Celestia and princess Luna's thrones both stood side by side.

And to one side of the thrones was the once proud princess Celestia, trapped in a cage with jagged bars and sharp spines sticking out at all possible angles. She no longer had her crown or boots, as Umbra had ordered they be taken away. She knew the cage had been enchanted to block the use of any kind of magic, so she was stuck in the confined space as Umbra went on with his assimilation of Canterlot into his regime.

"I remember these very same pair of thrones in the old castle, mother used to let me play right there when I was a little foal" Umbra spoke aloud as he point at a space just to the left of Luna's throne "watching me and whispering promises of how one day, I'd have a throne of my own"

Celestia watched on as the two thrones were levitated into the air by Umbra's magic, flinching at the sound of shattering glass as both stone thrones were hurled out of the window by the black alicorn.

"Glad to know that's one thing she wasn't wrong about" Umbra said as he watched eight stallions walk through the throne room doors, carrying a large obsidian throne through.

"You have been busy" Celestia commented as she positioned herself to avoid cutting herself on the cage bars.

"Indeed, you'd be surprised how much you can get done in a couple of decades" Umbra turned to Celestia as he stood in the spot the thrones had once been "lying in wait and scouting out the world and its changes"

"You haven't changed a bit" Celestia commented "always planning ahead"

"I wish I would say the same for you, but you've grown soft" Umbra stated as he trotted down the steps in front of where his throne was currently being placed "the Celestia from a thousand years ago wouldn't have been beaten so easily, if she were beaten at all"

"What can I say, I've grown wise with age"

"Or foolish" Umbra began to circle Celestia's cage observantly "and it's your foolishness that caused my invasion to be a success"

"Near success" Celestia corrected.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you think that what clever, ensuring I don't get the alicorn talisman?" Umbra stopped when he was behind Celestia "you're merely delaying the inevitable, once my forces are great enough I shall take back the crystal empire so, that it may become the capital city of my new empire"

"Haven't you heard? I entrusted the crystal empire to princess Cadence and her husband"

"It was not yours to give away to begin with!" Umbra scowled slightly before calming himself "but the empire can wait for now, I have other matters to attend to"

"Like what, you may have taken Canterlot, Ponyville and Griffonstone, but that doesn't mean the rest of Equestria will kneel so easily" Celestia watched Umbra as he began to walk over to his throne "you may call yourself King but it will never be true"

"Isn't that how mother and you both ruled things a millennia ago?" Umbra said "you came, you saw, I conquered"

Then with a loud clank, Umbra's throne was placed down in the centre of the back of the room with perfect symmetry. Content, Umbra merely gave the ponies that had lugged his throne around a simply nod and they made their way out of the throne room.

Before Umbra could sit down in his new throne, a pair of doors from the side of the room opened, revealing Umbra's dragon Grimshanks walking through first as he carried a box on his back. Nexus Dawn walked behind Grimshanks, the skin around his eye and upper face scarred from his encounter in the cave of harmony.

"Did you find it?" Umbra asked as he turned to them.

"Yes, my liege" Nexus bowed his head as he silently gestured at Grimshanks to place the box down.

Grimshanks grumbled slightly before placing the box he'd been carrying down. Celestia was intrigued by what Umbra could have sent his underlings to collect, that is until the markings on the box reminded her.

Umbra opened the box with his magic and looked inside. Inside was a set of four dark grey boots with orange gems adorning each boot, a necklace that bore an image of an eclipse, and a crown that was jagged yet symmetrical.

"Nice to know you kept them after so long" Umbra commented as he looked at Celestia for a brief moment "saved me the time of having Iron Hoof forge me a new set"

"Luna wanted me to keep them" Celestia said as she watched Nexus levitate the Royal garb out of the box.

"Regardless, they shall finally achieve their original purpose" Umbra said as he looked at the Royal wear being laid out "to signify my greatness"

"I see your ego has grown while you've been gone" Celestia remarked as she watched Umbra and Nexus.

Umbra's horn glowed as he had a look of annoyance on his face. Then, Celestia cried out as volts of orange electricity run up and down the cage and in turn shocking her. The electricity ceased completely as Umbra's horn stopped glowing. Celestia dropped to her knees and watched Nexus levitate the Royal shoes into position.

Umbra made her horn glow again, but this time he began to remove his armour pieces one by one. Once he'd finished removing his armour, Nexus began to speak as he carefully pulled out the crown and necklace.

"Never before has a stallion with such grandeur, nay the nobility, been able to control both the sun and the moon. And never before has Equestria been met with such a merciful and benevolent Lord" Nexus began as Umbra stepped into his Royal shoes "you may have been shunned to the depths of time and space, but never again. For your ascension has become imminent, you came into this throne room as Lord Umbra, but you leave it as King Umbra. Supreme leader of all Equestria and beyond"

Umbra lowered his head as Nexus placed the eclipse adored necklace around the alicorn's neck, setting it in place before levitating the crown into Umbra's head. Umbra's lupine grin grew as he was crowned.

"Simply because you have the Royal wear and use the title of King, does not mean Equestria will yield to you" Celestia said as she pulled herself to her hooves.

"I know that, I can't expect my reign to be accepted so easily. So I'll have to simply make them see reason" Umbra looked at Celestia "you know? The good old days"

"The good old days were what got us in this mess to begin with"

"Really? Because I thought that Nexus Dawn here was betrayed by you after your little change of heart?" Umbra said as he looked at Nexus and then back at Celestia "in fact that was only fifty years ago"

"I didn't betray him" Celestia stated "he was dabbling with dark magic, I had no choice but to let him go"

"He was possibly one of the greatest students you ever had, and then you had the sheer cheek to take on his granddaughter as your next student" Umbra shook his head before walking closer to Celestia's cage "how is Sunset Shimmer by the way? Another of your long string of failures since your knew lease on life"

"She is well, she's found a greater purpose that what I could offer" Celestia responded.

"In another dimension because of you" Nexus stated as he looked at Celestia.

"She chose to stay there, I didn't force her to remain" Celestia said, trying to reason with Nexus.

"Say whatever you like, it doesn't matter anyway" Nexus stated "she hasn't spoken to me since you told her about our past. I was lost, wandering alone and without purpose until I discovered an ancient scroll that depicted Umbra's greatest achievements"

"Yes, he freed me from the eclipse zone, and I owe him my eternal thanks" Umbra added "and once I have the alicorn talisman, Nexus will complete his training as my student"

Celestia looked back and forth between Umbra and Nexus, unable to say anything for once in her life. She'd never been in such a place where she didn't have a plan or a way of talking her opponent into a more passive state.

Her only plan was to keep the alicorn talisman away from Umbra, and she definitely knew she couldn't talk Umbra or Nexus down from what they were doing. For now, all she could do was wait and suffer knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop this.

"What's wrong Celestia, finally ran out of tricks? No more ace cards to play?" Umbra asked before he heard the throne room doors open.

Umbra and Nexus both turned around as they watched a three ponies walk through, a ruby coated unicorn mare, Iron Hoof, and Cinder Rush who had remained hidden during the battle for Canterlot as per Umbra's instructions.

"Ah, and what have you offered these ponies in return for their allegiance?" Celestia asked as she looked at the three ponies approaching "you don't plan on turning every single member of your army into alicorns?"

"Of course not, becoming an alicorn is an honour very few can be granted" Umbra stated "I've made promises I intend on keeping, and then there are those who simply wish to see me rule"

Umbra approached the three ponies, who halted and bowed their heads respectfully. Umbra gestured to the ruby mare and turned his head back to Celestia.

"Take Star Stream here as an example" Umbra said "she was a member of the lunar Royal guard, but she came to me once she learned of my existence, and she offered to become an inside source for absolutely nothing in return"

The ruby coated mare, Star Stream, simply stood at attention as Umbra spoke. Celestia had recognised Star Stream as the captain of Luna's silver armoured Royal guards. She knew Umbra must have had inside sources, but she never suspected that Star Stream was one of them.

"You wished to see us, my liege?" Star Stream asked once Umbra had finished speaking.

"Indeed I did, I have assignments for each of you" Umbra looked at them "Iron Hoof, take a legion and pay a visit to the draconequus Discord, he may be unable to help our enemies in his current state but I have a feeling they may attempt to get his aid. You should be able to catch up with a couple of them if you're patient enough"

Iron Hoof nodded in acknowledgement and bowed his head, before turning around and walking back out the hall once Umbra dismissed him.

"Star Stream, take several battalions to Manehatten and ensure its devotion to our cause, then you are to capture any and all settlements surrounding the fortress city of Stalliongrad" Umbra ordered "we must cut off the crystal empire's supply to new troops if we ever hope to take it"

"Yes, my King, it shall be done" Star Stream bowed her head down.

Once Star Stream turned around to leave, Umbra turned to Cinder Rush. "As for you, Cinder Rush, I'm sending you to Cloudsdale" Umbra explained "it is paramount that you capture the entire city before Star Stream begins her assault on Stalliongrad, to insure they cannot receive pegasi air support"

"Forgive me for questioning your wisdom, my King" Cinder Rush's semi wheezed voice caught Umbra's attention "but how do I reach Cloudsdale? I can't fly that high without my lungs tightening up"

"Ah, yes, I've just the thing to help you with that" Umbra admitted before turning back to Celestia, practically feeling the confusion emitting from her "she has pegasus lung, you see, she can't fly too high or too fast else she'd struggle with breathing. Another thing you didn't work to fix since it wasn't considered life threatening"

Umbra turned back to Cinder Rush and made his horn glow. Suddenly an object flashed up out of thin air. It was a black and red amulet that depicted a unicorn head with a pair of wings.

"The 'alicorn amulet' as it has been named by scholars, is capable of granting great power to its wearer, and it also can cure any ailment or illness so long as you wear it" Umbra explained to Cinder Rush as he gestured to the amulet "it's the last one of its kind, I only found out it was still intake when I sensed an arrogant unicorn attempting to use it. What scholars didn't realise is that it's enchanted so that an alicorn must bestow the amulet onto a lesser pony in order to cancel out the enchantment put on it"

Cinder Rush felt the amulet attach itself around her neck and immediately felt its power take effect. Her chest pains disappeared completely, allowing her to take far deeper breaths of fresh air. She. Inhaled deeply for the first time without any chest pains at all, exhaling again and looked up at Umbra.

She bowed her head respectively. "Thank you, my King" she said.

"It was my pleasure to help you, now go and set out for Cloudsdale, I have a feeling your special talent will provide a certain edge need to take the sky city" Umbra said as he gestured for the cyan pegasus to rise.

Cinder Rush nodded and turned around, trotting out of the throne room just as Star Stream and Iron Hoof had before her. Once the door closed, Nexus Dawn spoke up.

"Are you certain it was wise to trust her with such a sacred artefact?" Nexus asked.

"Indeed, Cinder Rush is a member of my airborne ranks" Umbra answered "but, it is no coincidence that the amulet also possesses the power for me to...check in on how she is doing"

A thin slit of a smile formed on Nexus's face as he gave an acknowledging nod.

"What good are subordinates that you don't even trust? Paranoia quickly leads to ones own downfall" Celestia commented in a clearly mocking tone.

Before anymore could be said, Umbra's horn glowed and the cage Celestia was locked in lit up with bright orange sparks of electricity. Celestia cried out as a violent burning feeling rocketed all over her body, shocking her with strong blasts of electricity. The feeling stopped completely as fast as it started, Umbra having decided that was enough.

Celestia dropped down to her knees, barely managing to look up as she noticed Umbra had trotted over to the cage.

"It's no longer your place to stand above and judge me on how I do things" Umbra said coldly "I'm king now, I am in charge!"

"Then why haven't you killed me if you're so sure you don't need me?" Celestia asked.

"Because..." Umbra leaned down so that he was almost at eye level with Celestia "I want to see the look on dear mother's face when I end your life right in front of her, until then you will remain my prisoner"

Umbra rose back up and turned around, gesturing for Nexus and Grimshanks to follow him. The unicorn and dragon both walked on either side of the ebony alicorn as they walked down a side entrance of the throne room.

Celestia was silent as she watched the three individuals leave the room, most likely heading down to the Canterlot archives. She sighed in defeat as she lay down in the cage.

"Oh, Luna, what have I done..."