To Be Malevolent

by The Bannerlord

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Princess Luna, Original Character, Other, Starswirl the Bearded, Adventure
Length: 56734

Where an inexplicable displacement creates a malevolent being bent on torturing the world to sate his phantom pain. Elsewhere, another manipulates from the shadows.

Millennia ago, before the founding of Equestria, a Unicorn was sent into the lands of which the nation would be built upon. He was nobody, is nobody. An imperfection, full of emotion. He enjoys the world, yet he has a desire to despise it. To torment it. One which is brought from his creation. He desires torment, not for himself but for others. He demands others to fear him, to be struck with shock and awe.

This is a tale of evil, of malevolence, of deliberate malice, of torture and perpetual pain. A story of which a nobody finds himself purpose. His true purpose. He will be manipulated, turned against the very being of which created him.

This is to be Malevolent.

The initial three chapters will feature varying degrees of comedy. It becomes darker at chapter four and beyond. Story will contain gore mostly featuring the protagonist having his bones crushed.

How does one write a story when they are so inexperienced? Well, the word everybody is looking for is improvise obviously. How will this go? Who knows, well i certainly don't have the power of foresight, it would be convenient.

This story is the culmination of pure imagination and rather grim story writing skills.

Published 2019-12-08 20:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2020-04-06 18:41:39 UTC

1 - Genesis - Rewritten

1 - Genesis - Scheduled For Rewrite

All around, the sound of hooves beating against the cold, archaic stone floor halted. All around, Unicorn Ponies stared in awe in one direction, and one direction only. The thick mist of the centre of the chamber parted to reveal the one they have been so tirelessly attempting to release from the ancient dungeon.

Upon a pedestal of jagged rocks, stood a figure donning heavy armour and a spiked crown with a cape draped along his back. This figure bore a charcoal coat, their mane as dark as midnight, flowing wildly, unkempt. Eyes completely white, accompanied by a bright glow which completely disguised the pupils. On this figure’s forehead, was a horn, a jagged horn with sparks emitting from it. Across the regalia covered Unicorn’s visage, there was a grin. One with a hint of malice combined with gratitude.

There he stood. Head held high, entire body straight. He was looking down at his potential victims. Beneath him, the thick mist shrouded the lower part of his form, almost brushing at his forelegs. Behind him, there lied an open sarcophagus, dark energy bellowing from its interior.

Those before the Dark Unicorn cowered in fear, which, to their shock, only made his grin wider. Some were attempting to scramble away from his vicinity. Some attempted to compose themselves before this menace, but the sight of their fleeing comrades halted any progress they might have made.

“Halt.” Spoke the Unicorn, his voice echoing. The simple word, one meaning, one purpose. But once it was spoken, the chamber froze. Everything was silent. Those who attempted to escape were now facing the Unicorn. The voice that spoke was deep, one perfect for a leader, a powerful authority. Just one word spoken by something which sounded equivalent to a God.

Then, he chuckled. Confidently strutting forward to those who stood before him. The chuckle growing into almost maniacal laughter, echoing across the chamber in which he was kept. A small, or rather, the biggest Unicorn of the group before the armoured Unicorn approached and bowed low.

“Rise, servant.” The Unicorn looked down at his servant, he sounded disappointed. “Thou art the only worthy one, clearly.” As he finished speaking, the dark Unicorn could hear gasps, a great spike of terror, his grin only widened.

“Your lordship, we are yours to command.” The Servant rose and watched as the Unicorn hold in his laughter. He was visibly perplexed by this action.

The larger Unicorn looked down at his subordinate. “You humor me.” He spoke, clearly amused. “You bring to Chaos, the Lord of Fear itself, an ensemble of terrified young Unicorns, knowing full well that I will feed on their terror.” He paused. “You bring me my century-due breakfast.”

Chaos suddenly shifted his gaze to the others in the room. It is very fortunate that these Ponies speak a more familiar version of the English language to me. Learning old English was possibly the single most tedious task arriving here.

The Lord fired a blast of magic into towards the ceiling, and all except for his subordinate collapsed onto the ground, writhing in anguish. Faint clouds with varying colors of magic began to approach him, or rather, his crown. All entering into the magically enhanced piece of jewelry. Tapping the crown, a transparent blanket of pure white magic enveloped his form, as a surge of magic entered into him.

Chaos turned back to his servant, who stood motionless and emotionless, true to his word, ready for orders. “Have you ever heard of the tragedy of- “. He paused, internally laughing. “Nay, Doth thee knoweth of mine own story?” He questioned, staring inquisitively at the one who thought himself loyal.

“Your Lordship, I have studied all that was in the athenaeum of Canterlot. Much of the information was incomplete and some were blatant false rumours. My disciples,” He paused, motioning over to the unconscious forms nearby. “were very careful on picking out proper information that have not been tainted.” He finished, going back to the near-motionless state he was in previously.

Clapping of hooves followed suit. Chaos applauded his Acolyte, trotting past him and facing the wall. Firing a blast of dark magic, he began creating hieroglyphs, attempting to document as much of his early history as he could mentally conjure.

Past

“Centuries ago, during the early days of Equestria, I was but a simple Unicorn that had recently arrived to the lands near the Everfree Forest.”

The simple Unicorn collapsed onto the ground, how pathetic. He squirmed and attempted to stand, only to collapse yet again. Hanging his head low, he inhaled and held his breath. Once again, attempting to stand, but this time, he managed to stand for a prolong period of time.

Eventually, and I say eventually, I will get the hang of these new, but familiar appendages, and hopefully, utilise that horn. Just learning telekinesis would be leaping from Earth to the Moon. The light grey Unicorn felt reinvigorated.

Exploring the edge of an unknown forest, he sighed, mildly annoyed at his own failures. Though, he had some suspicion on where he may be, based on his new body.

Trotting around for what felt like hours, the light grey Unicorn felt hungry. Very hungry. What I would do for some fish right now. Actually, didn’t I pass by a river earlier? That’s step one complete, I need to figure out the mechanics of Unicorn magic. He pondered, turning around and heading towards salvation.

Arriving at the river, he was still at the edge of the forest, daring not to close in on what felt like an inherently malign wood, it felt almost like the area emanated a pestilent form of magic. But, right now, he was starving, so he attempted to will magic into existence. It was a whole five minutes of attempting to focus magic, before he realised it wasn’t going to work the way he thought it did.

Maybe I am a little too aggressive with my tactics, I could try concentrating on an object to levitate instead of trying to summon magic. It would make sense, because I wasn’t levitating anything, I was just concentrating on thin air, which I am guessing is non-compatible. An epiphany for the Unicorn, hooray.

He stared intently at the river, looking for fish of some sort. Then, a sigh. I am sure diving in these bacteria filled waters will do me great. Why do I have to do this? The Unicorn sighed, proceeding to hold his breath and diving straight into the river… Which wasn’t actually that deep. As if he was blessed from the Gods above themselves, whichever ones he happens to prefer that moment, he found fish.

Slamming both of his hooves onto the fish, he firmly grasped the puny creature and immediately scrambled out of the water. The fish wiggled around in his grasp, but failed to escape the hungry Unicorn.

He went to work, gathering wood like he had seen so many times in those survivalist videos. Trying as hard as he could to create fire. Of course, this process would take a few minutes to work. Trial and error, after all. The ember he had create was tossed straight into a pile of sticks, blowing a huge amount of air at it.

The light grey Unicorn stared at his creation; fire. He was going to try practice Unicorn magic, first by levitating the fish which he has slain. Surprisingly, levitating fish was exceedingly easy. Once he had figured out the basics of telekinesis, he was set for basic levitation.

Time Skip

It had been weeks since the peregrine Unicorn had arrived to Equestria. He had spent a majority of his time living next to the Everfree Forest, never daring to venture into it. Living life as a Unicorn meant he spent his time practicing magic, pushing the body to it’s limits like he had never dreamt of.

It was exhausting, and he felt as if his body would collapse due to exhaustion at all times. However, he never faltered. The knowledge that without this utility, his mere existence would be meaningless, or rather, less theatrically; he would have a jolly time attempting to carry a vast array of items with unfamiliar limbs.

Telekinesis is a useful utility. His capabilities have improved beyond levitating fish, now able to levitate heavier logs so he could attempt to construct a cabin to live in. So far, he had been living in a ditch, and the rain hasn’t helped. Rain, feels like Britain again. This single thought was always on the Unicorn’s mind. Rain, something he was fond of. Not many people liked rain, but he thought of it as a luxury, to stay indoors and listen to those droplets clash with the pavement.

However, as time dragged on, the Unicorn could feel the forest swaying him closer to its centre. A powerful source of magic, perhaps. He failed to resist the seductive nature of it, and out of curiosity, delved deeper into the Everfree.

Time Skip

T’was a day like any other. The peregrine Unicorn was mastering the art of levitating fish. By now, he was beyond novice. Beyond apprentice. He was moderately good at levitating one item. This helped train his confidence with the alien appendage.

Life had been merciful to him, throwing only minor threats to antagonise him. Say, a large wolf, or a pack of magically infused critters. He had no qualms about disposing of these threats.

Besides, it just meant more frantic methods of combat such as attempting to destroy a wolf with a boulder or setting fire to the trees next to him. It acted as basic combat training using Unicorn magic.

It was when he was exhausted after expending an unnecessary amount of magic on his favourite activity, there was a rustle in the bushes. Followed by another, closely by another. By now, the thought that ran through the Unicorn’s mind was that another creature of the forest was in those bushes.

He paid little attention to it, not feeling particularly hungry, nor was he in the perfect condition to annihilate them (or rather, fire bolts of magic that flail about and fail to hit anything of importance).

This would prove to be a terrible- no, beyond terrible mistake. As soon as he turned back to his buffoonery, Earth ponies emerged from the bushes, wielding spears and covered with padding along with something that resembled chainmail over it.

Said Earth ponies would immediately charge at the Unicorn, seeing that the horned equine could blast them into Tartarus if it so wished. Fortunately for them, this specific Unicorn never went through basic magical training.

The Unicorn reacted as soon as he had heard the sound of metal horse-shoes clashing against the muddy floor. Turning around a little too late, he was met with a massive equine who lacked a horn, bashing straight into his form.

His eyes shot wide open. As his body was pummelled to the ground, the horn upon his head ignited and blasted wildly, attempting to get free of the armoured pony above him.

Unfortunately, the Earth pony was very quick acting, immediately striking the Unicorn with his hooves, and almost instantly knocking the magic wielding pony cold.

“And that ist what thou deserve, pompous Unicorn!” The Earth pony scoffed, looking around for valuables the Unicorn may have been keeping. After all, Unicorns were known for their specific tastes in jewellery and exotic minerals.

Nothing, he found nothing useful. Was this Unicorn banished? He didn’t find a single valuable item, other than food. But food was plentiful for his bandit group. “Well, at least the ransom for a Unicorn Is high.” The Earth pony muttered, before dragging his victim along the floor, back to his home camp.

Time Skip

The peregrine Unicorn felt his body laid against a tree, with the smell of iron- no, blood all over him. What happened? The appropriate response, of course, not spoken out loud. He heard screaming coming from nearby, and the scent of death. He was going to investigate.

Then, he heard faint laughter coming from…Somewhere. It sounded eerily similar, but also dissimilar. Ignoring it as possibly just a hallucination, or mind making up things like it always did. So, our hero began his perilous journey to the nearby screaming.

Time Skip

There stood near the centre of the Everfree, a bandit camp. The perfect location, nopony would dare to venture into these parts. Its inhabitants were of the most vicious, savage and outright barbaric in all of the land. Their chief was a massive Earth pony, in fact, the entire camp was made of Earth ponies.

Daring raids from these dastardly highwaymen have left entire villages ruins. Everypony brave enough to face against them have fallen.

At least, these bandits were powerful, well organised and feared. For when the peregrine Unicorn arrived, there was a smoking ruin. Corpses littered the area; the Earth pony Chief was impaled on a pike. No critter dared to near this site.

The first thought that emerged from the Unicorn was to regurgitate his contents. This was the first true sight of mass casualty he had witnessed. But he was curious. Curiosity gets the better of every creature.

Amidst the smoking ruins, there was one survivor, a small Earth pony. He immediately attempted to retreat as the Unicorn approached. “N-nay! Get away, Demon!” His voice, filled with panic.

These were the first words spoken to the Unicorn since arrival. Demon. He was confused. “Demon, you say?” He sounded concerned. “I see nothing but corpses here, and me.” He continued, placing a hoof on his chest.

“Thou art the demon, thee and thy sorcery!” The Earth pony quickly retorted. “Thou speech ist completely different too!” He added, quickly getting up, grabbing hold of a spear with his hoof.

I still do not understand how he holds that. The Unicorn backed off, igniting his horn and attempting to rip the spear away. However, the Earth pony’s grip was resolute. Though, his grip was weakening. Instead of ripping the weapon away, the Unicorn tried a different tactic.

The Earth pony felt his spear slamming into his side, the tip was near his throat. His eyes lit up. “Have mercy, I beg of thee!” He pleaded for his life, how pathetic. The spear tip only edged closer. “I will do as thou please!” Luckily for him, the spear was moved away.

“You say sorcery? Work of the arcane? Hmph, what I have utilised so far was nothing other than basic telekinesis.” The Unicorn finally spoke. “There is no way I could have slaughtered an entire camp full of bandits by myself.” The spear was snapped into two.

“Liar! Thou art a Demon!” Quickly retorting, the Earth pony fought back his fears. “What thou hast used is not mere Unicorn magics!” The panic had been replaced by anger. But as he was preparing to strike, he noticed the Unicorn collapse, writhing. This was an opportune moment to avenge his fallen comrades. So, with a victorious war cry, the Earth pony attempted to stomp the assailant to death.

Mere moments later, the aggressor became the collapsed as the Unicorn rose up, his eyes turning pure white accompanied by a dim glow. The once light grey coat had turned charcoal, and the Unicorn was now considerably larger in size. Glaring at the small, whimpering mess on the muddy floor.

“You are a bold one. Many can respect a bold fool, and a cowardly genius.” The Unicorn began, his voice was significantly deeper than previously, but by no means was it high pitched. “But unfortunately, you made the mistake of facing me. Turning and fleeing at my sight should have been your first instinct. Yet, here you stand.” Wisps of magic shot out of the Dark Unicorn’s horn, piercing his opponent.

The unfortunate victim shrieked and shrieked, thrashed and writhed, an endless cycle of pain entering into his body. Until finally, the very essence of his spirit was extinguished, purged.

The Unicorn merely licked his lips, and followed his gruesome act with laughter. Moments later, collapsing to the floor, covered in the Earth pony’s crimson liquids. The coat became light grey once more, eyes losing its glow. All faded to black, and time once again hopped forth at a rabbit’s pace.

Time Skip

Cold and muddy. The sound of raindrops descending from above and the sound of fauna in the surrounding woods. Fresh scent of a recently deceased Earth pony filled the muzzle of the peregrine Unicorn. He snapped open his eyes, disorientated, distraught.

All of the suffering he put that poor- no, pathetic, worthless insect- *A pitiful creature such as him should have acknowledged your superiority and fled, yet he stood in place, ready to defy you. * His very thoughts were betraying him.

W-what is this?! Who are you to intrude into my mind? Paranoia, Fear. No, this could not stay. Answer me, damn you! Desperation, Fear. It must be purged.

*You, in essence. I am you. You are me. For far too long, you have attempted to purge me from thy mind. * The apparition sounded mildly annoyed. “Embrace thy true power, or I will force it upon you.” It laughed; its victory was within its phantom grasp.

That is what you think! The Unicorn retorted, what a sight to see, a Unicorn thrashing around at nothing. You will be banis- *You cannot banish me, I am you. * His mind responded quickly.

*But it seems I will have to force my way in, you have proven more difficult than I had expected. * The apparition began its assault. As if a thousand needles pierced his body at once, the Unicorn screeched in pure agony. It never ceased, almost perpetual.

However, the pain eventually ceased. This time, he did not collapse, this time there was only despair upon his visage. There were no physical wounds, only the grim reminder to never disobey.

*And now, my now obsequious servant, do as I command, for this is only the beginning. * The sentence repeated in his mind, his desolate wasteland of a mind.

What is thy bidding, my master?

Time Skip

Hanging high above Equestria was the moon at its zenith. The shine pierced through the darkened skies of midnight.

Trotting along the river was an ensemble of Unicorn guards. Specifically, from the Kingdom of Unicornia, led by Princess Platinum, first of her name. Unicornia had recently been founded along the great mountains where modern day Canterlot would sit. Those rocks harboured vast amounts gems than that of which Platinum could’ve ever dreamt of.

The Unicornian guards had been sent in the direction of the Everfree after disturbing sounds had been heard. Their constant marching echoed the marching of Roman Legions. Dedicated, loyal, steadfast. They would deal with whatever threat came their way.

What the Unicornians did not expect however, was a desolate bandit camp. Gore littered the area, rotting carcasses, one large Earth pony impaled upon a pike. Judging by the banners around, this was one of the most feared bandit groups in the region, who tailed the Unicornians out of their homeland.

Whatever threat they were facing, it was certainly greater than a group of hardened veteran bandits. This caused concern among the Guards ponies, but they remained vigilant.

At first, it was a low rumble, then, echoing laughter. The Unicornians frantically scanned the area, for any form of threat. But there was nothing they could see, panic. Fear.

Suddenly, a thick mist rolled into the perimeter, completely surrounding the camp. The mist reached for their legs, covering them and brushing past them. The miasma gathers at the centre of the camp, creating a vaguely pony shape- no, Unicorn shape.

Maniacal laughter. “You must all have a death wish.” The possessed Unicorn continued with laughter. The fear emitting from all of the Guards ponies was just food ripe for the taking.

The Unicornian guards took action, despite their initial shock, they quickly recovered and prepared to blast this apparition into Tartarus. All igniting their horns and aiming directly at the assailant.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a story where the guards will win. They are blinded and dazed by a bright flash, followed by multiple blasts of dark energy practically siphoning their magic. They immediately collapsed, their armour clashing with the ground and other pieces of metal, making a cling and clang upon impact.

Writhing is a reoccurring theme here. The guards all shrieked and yelled at the top of their equine lungs. The victorious outlander Unicorn trotted forth past the defeated guards. The last thing they would hear is the pained sounds of their comrades and the laughter of their enemy.

*And that is how you defeat them. Simple, effective. * The disloyal part of the Unicorn’s mind spoke. *Unfortunately, I have to carry you around, why do you still refuse, hm? * Once again, disappointment from the apparition.

I won’t go around murdering Ponies, just to feed your lust for power, though, I have had some second thoughts. Responded the peregrine Unicorn. Besides, you drive my body around like a puppet, you haven’t given me much opportunity. A plan formulated within his- oh crap.

*You think I am so inconceivably stupid, don’t you? You believe I am some malignant tumour that you can cut, purge. * There was anger, not just a little bit, no, he sounded betrayed. *Eventually, you will give in. There is no doubt about that. You just refuse to recognise my true purpose. *

Hmph, you think yourself so high and mighty, don’t you? Pretentious. For that, he received another mental stabbing. This time, more than a thousand needles, more like ten thousand. Fortunately for the world, his yell was only in his own head.

*Resistance is futile. *

Time Skip

A cave, perfect location for any predator to found their lair. Many different forms of fauna find their home here. But today, it is not any lowly predator’s destination. At the entrance, stood the peregrine Unicorn.

*Our destination. The sheer amount of dark magic emanating from this cave is beyond belief. Extraordinary. Magnificent. * The phantom inside of his head rambled on, throwing words of amazement all around, disregarding their meaning. *Approach the centre, and we can begin. * The body he was puppeteering had a grin appear on it.

Are you attempting to gather all of the energy? Do you know what that’ll do to me? The Unicorn just hoped that his mad counterpart wouldn’t go through with his plan.

*Oh, do not worry, my insolent- uhm, self. * He paused, mentally slapping himself. *To store all of this magic, I will need to create a device, say a … crown? * Twirl evil moustaches.

The Unicorn moved forth, deep into the cave, where echoes and whispers could be heard. He paid them no notice, his very own voice quite literally driving him insane. The cave was deep, but finally, he reached a grand chamber. In the centre, a pedestal upon a dais. On the pedestal, there laid a pure white crystal, shaped like a turtle’s shell. Around the dais, pieces of metal were scattered.

Is this what you were looking for? Did you somehow know the existence of this cave? If so, how? Silly Unicorn, don’t question your master.

*I will be honest with you, I only noticed the presence, a large quantity of dark energy that was not so dissimilar to my own. As a matter of fact, I can faintly distinguish many different users of the dark arts all over the land. * To his shock, the dark counterpart actually answered his question.

He stood before the pedestal now. Picking up the pieces of metal, he examined them. These are still useable. We can make that crown. He paused, and then levitated the piece of metal around. Well, you can. Clearly, I am no expert in metallurgy, and magic. How are you- No. Remember, he is the expert.

*Never fret, for I shall do all of this myself. Now watch carefully, whelp. * The apparition scoffed and proceeded to assume direct control.

And before his incorporeal eyes, the metal clashed together, moulding into shape. The pieces became one item, a jagged crown with a perfect slot for the white crystal. He levitated the crystal and place it into the slot, finishing the piece of regalia.

*Place the crown upon your head, and we can begin. * The apparition had a hint of worry in its voice. The Unicorn already had an idea. Granted, it was brutal, but brutally effective. He would get rid of a major problem and grant him a great amount of power.

Unbeknownst to him however, was that his body’s usurper already had a counter measure in place. In addition, he also wanted to get rid of something inconvenient. This would ensure his safety and full take over.

As the crown was firmly placed on his head, the Unicorn instantly began to betray the one that has caused him so much pain. Attempting to purge the apparition from his mindscape was agonizing for both the corporeal and incorporeal.

*So be it, whelp! Prepare to face thy demise! * The apparition took control of half of the Unicorn’s body, which began thrashing around as the two attempted to overpower each other. It collapsed onto the floor, writhing and squirming as it’s two puppeteers began firing magical bolts all around.

You speak too much. Perish already! The semi-Unicorn activated the crown during their little brawl which began siphoning all of the dark energy in the chamber. Forbidden magics began entering the crown’s jewel, turning the pristine white into crimson.

This moment, this was the moment when the two attempted to trap each other in the crown. Both bringing their full might to destroy the other. The apparition may have had the upper hand in terms of magical knowledge, but the semi-Unicorn was still in control of the majority of the body.

Begone fiend, your torment ends here!

*Remove thyself from this world, whelp! *

As the two finish their sentences, a blinding light engulfs the Unicorn’s form. A piercing screech escaped. This was even worse than the thousand needles, worse than the whole minutes of torture the Unicorn had to face. It was like all of that time compressed into a single second.

The most excruciating sensation.

Time Skip

Placed securely on the mountain slopes, was Canterlot, or rather Canterville. A rather insignificant Unicorn village. But this was the capital of Unicornia, only founded months prior. At the very end atop of a raised part of the slopes, sat Canterville Castle, home to the ruler of Unicornia.

Her majesty, Princess Platinum has not heard from the guard patrol sent into the Everfree for some time now. Normally, she would not concern herself with matters as insignificant as this, but now she was on a frontier, a foreign land unlike the comfort of her old kingdom. The threat lurking within the nearby forest could very well jeopardise her entire kingdom.

Besides, if her dominion was threatened, then the all of the precious minerals located in the mountains would not be able to be extracted.

In addition to the first threat, it appeared as though the dreaded winter was creeping down to her new land. She had to prepare Unicornia for its next battle against cold air.

Unfortunately, it seems that not only will Unicornia have to deal with the eternal winters, it will also have to deal with the blasted Pegasi and muddy Earth ponies.

Unicorn mages have already created the perfect self-sufficient crops that do not require Earth ponies to mingle with. And the Pegasi just love getting in the way. Rain doesn’t only occur because of them, they are also natural, and this new land seems to be perfect for growing crops.

But now, she had to concern herself with more than she would’ve ever dreamt of. This was a nightmare. Ruling is a nightmare. Why was winter so harsh? Why did it chase her and her Unicorns?

It was at this moment, the guards from the lost patrol had returned, bowing before their Princess, clearly bruised after what would've most likely been a brief confrontation.

Princess Platinum looked down at her guards with great distress, what issue was about to be added onto her to-remove list? “At ease, Guards ponies, and speak.”

“Your highness, we bring news of the incident in the Everfree.” The leading guard spoke, rising up. “An apparition haunts the forest, it appeared to have destroyed an entire camp full of dangerous brigands.” He continued, becoming more alarmed by the word.

“We confronted the beast and were blinded by a flash of light. Next,” Pausing. The pain was excruciating, the Guards pony had never felt his magic being forcibly removed before.

“Next? Please, continue.” Platinum was curious, yet at the same time, afraid of the next detail.

“Ah, apologies your highness. We had our very magics ripped from us, the pain was unbearable, and the next thing we knew, we were already unconscious.” He could feel the pain once again course through him, a phantom pain. But the pony collapsed nonetheless.

His companions also collapsed at the mere mention, but quickly recovered and stood to attention before royalty.

“Such graphic description. This menace cannot be allowed to roam free near Unicornia!” Platinum declared, her voice is one of fury and passion. “Clover the Clever!” The Princess turned to her favourite subordinate. “I demand this apparition be removed from our lands! Take your colleagues and prepare to erase the threat.” Clover, feeling rather uneasy, but also intrigued, nodded.

“Ave Unicornia!”

“AVE!”

Time Skip

There, in the centre of the chamber laid the outlander Unicorn, atop his head, a jagged crown filled with powerful dark magic. It was silent within the cave. Not a droplet of water, not an echo to be heard. That is, until a mighty roar escaped the Unicorn.

“What have you- “ The Unicorn paused. He sounded like his dreaded counterpart…Nay, it sounded like a combination of the two beings. “Listen to me, I am in control here!” screeched the Unicorn, to no one in particular. “Respond, insolent whelp!” No response ever came. “The voice, has he finally been trapped?” Hopeful thought, young Unicorn.

“Hmph, it matters not. Now, I finally have direct control of every part of this body.” He examined himself, hoof up. “The whelp should have listened, but now he has been banished to my crown.” Tapping the crown, the Unicorn burst into manic laughter.

Now fear me, world for I have the most powerful magics. Nothing, NOTHING, can halt me. I have come far from levitating fish. Hah. His laughter continued, echoing through the chamber.

“No longer shall I trot the lands without a name. Nay. Henceforth, I shall be known as;”

“Chaos.”

The true taste of victory.

Author's Note

This is the first story i have, and probably will ever have written. It has been bothering my mind for ages, so i have finally turned it into a proper...Story, i could not even fathom the amount of contradictions in this.

2 - Escalation - Rewritten

2 - Escalation - Scheduled For Rewrite

With heavy steps, Chaos, had finally finished his task. The apparition, and in addition, the Unicorn have completed the first phase of their respective plans.

The mad Unicorn understood his lack of proper combat experience would hinder his plans. In addition, his general lack of magical knowledge would contribute to the hinderance. Fortunately, Dark magic may be the most volatile form of magic, but also the most malleable.

Dark magic is forbidden due to its corruption properties, but Unicorn scholars and mystics have always been fascinated with the magic. No matter how malign, or frowned upon it was, Dark magic could still be controlled. However, the user had to sustain it with sheer will power. Sheer tenacity to continue through the maddening effects.

Chaos, or rather the apparition had already predicted the effects beforehand. It understood the risks that came with Dark magic, and now, it was wielding enough to turn the Everfree and the area surrounding it into a desolate wasteland.

Finally escaping the confines of the Dark magic cave, the Dark Unicorn noticed that the sun’s rays pierced into the night skies. Dawn was coming, and so would begin yet another journey.

Dark magic has a wide array of pre-existing spells that are easy to cast. However, I do wonder what would happen if I drained a larger quantity into a certain spell, would it become explosive? Pondered the Unicorn.

And how would I recharge? Perhaps- nay, I believe I remember the process now. Feeding off emotion, specifically one emotion. A malicious grin appeared on his face. “F- “ Stopping himself, nobody was listening to his mad ramblings.

The Unicorn turned to mist, and sped into the forest. Has the air gotten colder? Or am I delusional? He was in fact, correct in this assumption. It was snowing. No, it felt as if a storm was coming, a snowstorm.

Chaos began connecting the dots. Only mere moments earlier, the sun was radiant above all of Equestria, but suddenly, the cold swept in at almost an instant. Heh, they cannot affect me. Foolish ethereal equines! He thought, drifting through the Everfree at a turtle’s pace.

Nearby, the mist-form Unicorn heard trotting, not just a single pony, nay. It was an assembly of Ponies. He quickly hid in the trees and awaited with malicious intent.

And who dares to venture into the Everfree?

Perspective Switch

Clover the Clever, student to the almost legendary Starswirl the Bearded and royal advisor to Princess Platinum of Unicornia, was leading a group of the most experienced Unicorns from the Princesses court.

Their task sounded simple on paper; head into the Everfree forest, find an apparition and destroy it, thus saving the Princess from another minor issue on her list of annoyances. This wasn’t the first phantom menace to be cleansed from Unicornia, neither will it be their last.

The Clever Unicorn suddenly raised a hoof and halted the entire group behind him. “Prepare thyselves for action, for the spectre is near. We can sense it.” Clover scanned the area as his Guards ponies created a perimeter around the other Unicorns.

Spears raised; they were prepared for action, not a hint of fear here. Though, it was silent, not even the rustling of bushes, the blowing of the wind, not even the snow or water. They repeatedly examined every detail of the surrounding scenery.

Silence, nothing could be heard. This dragged on for a minute, and another. One of the Unicorns noticed that mist had encompassed the surrounding area whilst they were busy watching the bushes.

“The fiend hides, planning to strike when we least suspect.” One of the Unicorns commented, weary of the silence.

The mist closed in, slowing consuming all of the space between it and the group. They did not lash out in panic, or make any irrational decision, after all, this was only just an illusion meant to terrify them.

However, it still closed in until it encompassed everypony in the group. Now unable to see anything, they looked around for each other. What they saw instead within the mist was their fellow companions being butchered, destroyed by a vile monster and their magic consumed and twisted to its benefit.

It was something beyond what they have witnessed before, the sheer level of brutality was something unfathomable, incomprehensible. They screamed, yelled, shrieked but there was nothing other than death that filled their vision.

Clover was the only one to triumph over these mere illusions, he was student to Starswirl the bearded after all, a little bit of magic wasn’t going to terrify him. He attempted to dispel it, and it dispersed easily, as he had expected. Unfortunately, the mist wasn’t actually an illusion, it formed into a Unicorn pony, his appearance was inherently malign, clearly filled with dark magic.

“Foolish little Unicorn, thy pathetic attempt to halt mine progress concludes here.” The dark Unicorn spoke, his voice striking deep into the clever pony’s mind. He approached, a miasma blanket gently falling before his hooves, before joining back into the mist.

Clover scanned for alternatives to fighting, and made his decision quickly. He quickly fired a blinding bolt of magic towards the Unicorn, and followed it up with a spell to disperse even more of the mist.

*This opponent will eventually run out of tricks, we art sure of it. * Clover noticed his companions cowering on the floor after the dispersing of the mist, but they quickly recovered. The apparition had shaken them, but had not broken their will completely.

To his confusion, the dark Unicorn halted and laughed, turned into mist and retreated from the road, back into the dark Everfree. The snow at this point had covered a large amount of the ground and flora, so the group decided to retreat back to Canterville.

Perspective Switch

Perfection. They will run back to their royalty with very little magic remaining. In addition, the sheer amount of terror that one pony had. The Dark Unicorn chuckled, turning back into his physical form.

The mist illusion stunt felt natural to him, as if it was an inane gift of Dark magic, or perhaps the apparition was always mischievous and knew the perfect ways to terrify innocent harmless little Ponies.

However, there was something else on his mind, that Pony’s outfit looked familiar to him. Well, it was more like he’s seen it once. In addition, some of those writhing Ponies were calling out for their leader, the one who survived unscathed. Clover the Clever? Wait a minute, how many centuries is this before the Princesses? That explains the snow and the fact that the Unicorns and Earth ponies were independent of each other. His hoof rose up and tapped on the muzzle.

Chaos had revealed himself to the greatest Unicorns in Unicornia, bar the Princess of course. But they will have even more issues than an apparition haunting Ponies and stealing their magic. Weakening their magnus was only the first step, now he had no opposition.

Windigos? They can do whatever they desire, Chaos harboured no hatred towards anybody. Besides, he was content eating wildlife, and with the power of foresight, he knew they would be eradicated eventually. Besides, without any source of food, the Windigos will eventually perish.

He had the magic to outlive them. Granted, he still would feel terribly food-deprived, but at least he would still live.

Facing off against Unicorns and Earth ponies was easy, they did not possess the ability to fly. However, utilising Dark magic, he could possibly create artificial magic powered wings, or even semi-ascend into Alicorn status, he had not heard mention of any winged-Unicorns yet, so he doubted that Alicorns have even revealed themselves to the world yet.

However, now isn’t the time to ponder about such grand ideas, now is the time to prepare, and become proficient in dark magic. After all, he still only knows a meagre number of spells. So, he disappears off into the wood to hunt it’s fauna.

My time will come.

Time Skip

Clover and his ensemble returned to Canterville, back to their Princess to report of their failure. “Your highness, Clover the Clever has returned.” One of the guards informed Platinum, bowing before her.

“Bring him here quickly, there is an urgent matter at hand.” The Princess ordered, worry in her voice. Not a moment later did Clover burst into the room, about to bow but halted by the Princess. “Are you hurt?” The Princess immediately asked.

“No, your highness, however, my companions have been gravely scarred and had great portions of magic thieved. It will take time for them to recover.” Clover also had a great deal of concern, for his companions and in addition, because of his failure to eradicate the menace.

“Thank goodness!” Platinum didn’t even attempt to hide the relief she had. “We have figured out the reason for the cold weather.” Her tone became serious in mere moments.

“Windigos.” She blurts out, to everybody’s shock. “They have followed us down to Unicornia, to feed on us.” She sounded angry. “I need you to be in peak condition for this next task, and I will accompany you as well.” The guards were uneasy, they had not been informed about any of this.

“Guards ponies, maintain order within Canterville and the surrounding hamlets, we cannot allow chaos to reign whilst we are away.” Platinum commanded, and the Guards immediately begin their march.

“By the way, what of the apparition? Is it destroyed?” Platinum suddenly asked. To which she received a shake of the head from Clover. “Ah, I am sure it is nothing important, Windigos are more important.”

Time Skip

“Cower in fear.” Chaos spoke, not in a deep and authoritarian voice, but rather a smooth, yet dark voice. He licked his lips as a group of Unicorns obeyed his command, the knowledge that his victims were so terrified of him, that they actually followed his orders, it was exhilarating.

The weekly routine Chaos had the pleasure of suffering through was mundane and repetitive. Firstly, he would scout around a hamlet, looking for solitary Unicorns to frighten, then head into the hamlet itself and re-enact Nightmare Moon thousands of years before it occurs.

Repeat Ad nauseam. The reign of Chaos.

This may not have been the brightest of ideas, not that bright ideas can really exist in a mind so dark and depraved. But it was efficient, and as a little bonus; he made a legend for himself. Sure, he was almost defeated by boredom alone, but his sheer will power managed to keep afloat the sinking wreckage of a ship.

Only on very special occasions, such as this one, would he find enjoyment. When the Ponies were actually so terrified that they were throwing common sense and rationality out of the window, or rather, executing it.

In addition to him enjoying feeding on the fear, despite eventually finding the reactions to be repetitive, but the Windigos were also entertained. If he could describe the feeling to anypony else, it would’ve been like going to an amusement park, of course, nobody would understand what he meant.

Though, the cold was getting annoying. Ponies are actually too busy being angry at each other and attracting too many Windigos. They had to go soon, no, now!

Just you wait, you phantom menace, you and your comrades. Just you wait. The Dark Unicorn was becoming irritated, and he realised this would only feed those damned ghost horses. So, as a way to ease his mind, Chaos chose to take a break, besides, during this time he would be able to study and become ever more powerful.

And, a little bonus, perhaps create his very own spells beyond what already exists. Excellent proposition, uhm, me. Who am I thinking-? Never mind. He was very close to figuring out existence there, dialling back.

Now, we shall wait.

Time Skip

Princess Platinum, along with Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Puddinghead and all three of their subordinates were stuck in a cave, all arguing and grumbling like foals. Nobody, other than the subordinates got along with each other.

Commander Hurricane had a frown like no other, it was legendary, like the Commander himself. The pompous Princess had managed to insult him and dispute his territorial claims within the enclosed area in the exact same sentence.

Chancellor Puddinghead was ironically the least eccentric of the trio, in fact, he might as well have been considered as sane as the subordinates, pulling cupcake from the aether and offering it to the Royal advisor, Secretary … And soldier, what was Pansy doing here anyhow?

*We’ll never get anything done at this rate! * Clover was attempting to reorganise the five Ponies before him, unfortunately, it seemed only two of them were willing to listen. The two most reasonable ones of course being Smart Cookie and Private Pansy.

Unbeknownst to the arguing leaders of the three different nations however, the Windigos had already begun their strike, and ice creeped down the walls at a rapid rate. This was only noticed by the subordinates of the leaders.

Immediately, they were warned, and the rulers stopped their squabbling and ran to the centre, where Clover was the one attempting to coordinate some sort of escape plan. His horn lit up and casted a fireball into the enclosed cave entrance, attempting to melt the Ice. The effectiveness was … Well, Windigos sure know how to reinforce their ice.

A hole was blasted in the side of the entrance though, just big enough for a Pony to jump through. Platinum also casted a fireball to create path directly to the entrance. The elemental combat was draining. The Windigo ice relentlessly pushed onward, whilst the two Unicorns attempted to melt as much as possible.

Eventually, and I say eventually because it took ages. Ahem, eventually they managed to escape that damned cave. Only to be confronted by the Windigos themselves, horrifying beasts. Platinum, perhaps a little…Enraged at these phantom horses, made the most rational decision of her life, fire at Will, literally.

The Windigo named Will faced a lot of fire, not just your regular campfire fire, no, fiery fire. Clover and the rest were very horrified at the ruthlessness of the Princess, even the Windigos themselves. But they all charged into glorious close ranged combat.

The Earth ponies bucked, the Unicorns fired their magics, and the Pegasi did many, many ramming manoeuvres. The Princess never stopped harassing poor Will, and his comrades were too busy being destroyed from all directions to save him.

The leading Windigo was personally faced by Hurricane, they fought like lightning, dashing through the air and exchanging strike after strike. Despite being ethereal, the Windigos were still susceptible to physical damage, only dampened and less effective.

Chancellor Puddinghead and his Secretary were playing long-ranged artillery with his aether-made cupcakes. The final Windigo was not having a very fun time being annihilated by waves of delicious cuisine. Or well, unhealthy cuisine.

“Take this, vile beast!” Hurricane sped straight into the chest of the leading Windigo, knocking it far back, neighing. “Prepare to be extinguished by the might of the Pegasi!” He followed the attack with another, knocking the ethereal horse far, it screeched in desperation. If it knew how to speak Equus, then it would’ve probably uttered a great Nooooo!! Or Neigh!! as it crashes into the ground. Poor starving Windgo.

Perspective Switch

“Cast, damn you!” Chaos was quite hopeful that his newest creation might function as intended, instead, it failed to even cast. Then, he heard something, something loud. No, he sees something- wait a minute is that a Windigo? It appears to be moving directly towards him, that may be an issue. Oh no.

The Windigo missile speeds straight into the ground, and a loud thump is heard. At it’s landing site is a massive crater, at the centre, something resembling its former shape. The Dark unicorn only looked down at it, amused.

Perspective Switch

Commander Hurricane looked down at his handiwork, or is it hoof- never mind. He regroups with the others to eradicate the remaining spectral horses. Confident in their victory, the rulers and subordinates turned all of their attention to the wildly flailing Windigo named Will.

The other Windigo was also out of the fight, but recovering quickly along with their leader. They found the Ponies surprisingly difficult to defeat, and were contemplating their actions.

Platinum and Clover were gripping the Windigo with their telekinesis, whilst Hurricane and Pansy, who was rather uneasy about her Commander’s orders, charged into Will the Windigo, pounding him into the ground, where the Earth pony artillery absolutely annihilated him.

The creature that fed on hate was now terrified, its fighting spirit (heh) has been broken. The sad Windigo was now whimpering and huddling in a little ball of hateful winter magic. Pansy was quite sympathetic to the sad ghostly equine, and comforted it despite protest.

The other ice magic wielding equines regrouped, staring down at the six Ponies. Hissing at their foes for the hurting of their comrade, they were serious now, no more games. Both swooping down and grabbing at the Unicorns, who had attempted once again to restrain the two, but their magic was stopped by some sort of ice shield.

With the Princess and Royal advisor in hoof, the Windigos began encasing the two in ice. The remaining four Ponies formulated a plan, a plan that did not require Unicorns to complete. The two Pegasi flew to meet the ghostly horses and proceeded to taunt them.

Windigos did not respond kindly to taunting. They almost immediately fell for the trap, following the Pegasi, who were heading down to the Earth ponies, which were wielding pastry in their hooves. The Unicorns manage to escape their freezing prisons through the use of even more fire.

As the two phantom horses approached the now assembled rulers of Equestria, bar the Unicorns of course, who were currently levitating themselves down to the ground, the two Earth ponies began their counter attack, throwing their pastry directly at the Windigos’ faces.

Mildly annoyed, the Windigos attempted to regroup, but once again gripped by the Unicorn’s magic, they were stuck for good. Clover, being the clever Unicorn, has by now had an epiphany. “Stop trying to pin them down! They are ethereal creatures that feed by hate, eventually we will all be too exhausted and they would’ve recovered back to full strength!” He made sure to yell, catching everybody’s attention.

“What are you suggesting?” Commander Hurricane blurted, this would be followed by Princess Platinum, who looked just as confused as Hurricane. “Couldn’t we just banish them using our magics?”

“Nay, but what is opposite of hate? We’ve harboured so much needless disdain for each other, the Windigos feeding on every emotion that has been targeted towards each other!” Clover explained, hoping that the arrogant rulers would just understand.

“Are you suggesting that we put aside our differences?” Smart Cookie questioned; her voice was of relief. “Finally,” she muttered under her breath.

“Well, I…I uh, I don’t hate you.” Private Pansy managed to say, despite fear of scolding from her Commander. She began mustering up all of her courage to speak. “None of us really hate each other, do we? So why do we still squabble? We’ve been tricked.”

The three subordinates all huddled in a group, to the shock of the rulers, who were contemplating their actions. “Princess Platinum,” Clover began “you have let your pride overrule your generosity, and because of it, we have been at odds with the Pegasi.” Platinum placed a hoof on her chin.

“Commander Hurricane, sir,” Pansy looked over to her superior “we could have peace between our nations, isn’t that what you always wanted, behind your martial mask?” Hurricane slowly nodded, looking down.

“Chancellor Puddinghead,” Smart cookie approached the Chancellor “We can benefit so much if we shared more with the rest of Ponykind, we’ve only been too blind to accept the truth, we need each other to survive, but yet we keep everything to ourselves.” Puddinghead was deep in thought, then he pulled out a cupcake and offered it to the other leaders.

The Windigos’ magic was decaying, and they were shocked. Now would be the perfect time for their collective Neigh!!! or Nooo!!! As they felt themselves beginning to fade.

All of the Ponies hugged each other in a massive group, and a great burst of magic shot outwards. All of the snow and ice around was disintegrated before their very eyes. The Ghostly equines were blasted up into the air, into a swirling vortex, until they ceased to exist, banished to a realm where they could thrive, but not Equestria.

“Well,” Platinum spoke “I have a lot of apologies to make, to my people, to the Pegasi and Earth ponies.” The others looked at her. “Let it be known that after this day, the three Pony realms shall no longer be divided. No longer shall we have to live under superstition, hatred and greed, no longer.”

Everybody cheered, it was going to be a long day tomorrow.

Time Skip

Aha, it appears they have done exactly as I foreseen. Chaos had been observing the confrontation after the crash of the Windigo, who didn’t seem to notice his existence. They intend to head back to their home, which I am presuming is Canterlot, being on a mountain of course, it’s not that hard to spot. The stallion looked at the mountain carrying Canterlot.

“Little Ponies, the Canterlot you return to won’t be the Canterlot you left.” A mischievous grin appeared on his face. “I will make sure of it.” He punctuated the sentence by turning into mist and speeding off towards the mountain top castle, leaving behind a mad cackle.

We shall have our feast.

Author's Note

Immediately following the prologue is chapter one. Writing the first author's note was rather pointless.

Anyway, i require advice, suggestions, and general guidance. Writing creative villain defeats is something i am yet to be good at.

3 - Takeover

Author's Note

This chapter was originally part of Chapter 2, but i cut it in half.

3 - Conquest - Scheduled For Rewrite

The mistform dark Unicorn drifted near the gates of Canterlot, not noticing many sentries, in fact, there were two unicorns lacking any protective equipment lazily standing around the gate. They seemed exhausted, both magically and physically.

One wonders what horrors they face, and me. He would’ve snickered, if he wanted to be known to the entire Unicornian population of Canterlot, which, he discovered wasn’t called Canterlot, but rather Canterville.

The six soon-to-be founders of Equestria were delayed due to a storm, a natural storm. So, Chaos could have his banquet of fear. He noticed these Ponies were miserable, and some of them were already terrified, most likely of the Windigos. It didn’t matter to him, as long as there was more magic to be gained, he was interested.

My lust of dark magic, I crave it, it is driving me mad. Though he had warned himself of this in advance, the allure of forbidden magics still manage to break through. Chaos had attempted to stave off the hunger many times prior, but to no avail.

His mistform dispersed as he entered the town of Canterville, in broad daylight. On the exterior, Chaos was terrifying, his visage was one of malice, of callous cruelty. But inside the mind, he was deeply concerned. This thought had to go; it must be purged.

But that mattered not at this moment. Mist rolled into the sunny Canterville, shrouding all foolish enough to be outdoors. The poor Canterville Guards ponies were not given a second to react, practically all caught in the misty cloak before they could combat their assailant.

“Ponies of Canterville, thou saviour hast arrived, now bask in mine glory and savour it, for it shalt be thy last.” He amplified his voice using the vast dark magic reserve within his jagged crown. “Know mine name. Chaos...” Chaos was said with added vile and darkness.

“Purge thyself of thy weak emotions, if not willingly, then I shalt purge it myself.” Adding a chuckle at the end of the sentence, he wanted the Ponies to feel maximum terror. All around, Chaos could see the terrified Unicorns through his mist. Those adorable little Ponies were rearing back in horror, but what they will experience next is sure to scar them permanently.

Chaos was hesitant to do this next act. Sure, he may have destroyed entire hamlets with this action, but their population numbered not more than a dozen. This was the biggest city harbouring Unicorn kind, and he was about to consume their magics, all of them.

No, we are the Lord of terror, we shall not be scared of this simple action, fear itself must be purged from us. Chaos suddenly realised he said we instead of I, perplexed, but not letting thoughts distract himself, he raised his hoof and tapped the crown upon his head.

Ponies all around shrieked in terror, writhing on the ground and crying out for support. Nothing came, only their greatest fears were there to greet them.

Meanwhile, the dark Unicorn was having great fun, by great fun we mean going insane. His eyes twitched, he collapsed onto the floor and writhed. This was a lot of intake at once, and it was all converting into dark magic.

Even his thoughts were of pain, though, he had gotten use to feeling a lot of pain. The constant torturing from the apparition has taught the Unicorn’s body to become physical resilient, mentally too, though not as much.

Another a long few minutes, the Unicorn’s episode was over, and he rose up onto all fours, marching into the palace. Of course, the guards were busy writhing, recently having their magic pried from their very being.

Inside, the throne room was filled with courtiers, henchmen to the pompous Princess and loyal retainers, who were all busy…With anguish. Chaos strolled up to the throne and planted his rear onto it, sitting in the most comfortable and pony-ish position he knew.

“Hmph, I expected some more resilient Guards ponies to stand up against me. Is Clover the clever your most mentally prepared Pony?” He casually asked the pained Ponies cuddling the carpet floor. “As a matter of fact, who is your Guard captain? I’d expect every Guard captain to at least put up a fight.” He scanned the room, looking for the Pony with the single most ridiculous armour of them all, and, to his relief, none of them were the challenge he’d hope to find. Easily immobilising an entire city was not very entertaining, but necessary for his powers.

The dark Unicorn heard hooves beating against the cold stone pavements outside, and then, bursting into the throne room was a Unicorn as tall as him, clearly this was the Captain of the guard. He was clearly very strong, clad in reasonably protective iron armour, much to the relief of Chaos’ rationality side.

“Fiend! Thou shalt not place thyself on that throne for a second longer!” The Captain declared with a victorious voice. He stood strong and vigilant, spear in hand, ready for combat.

To the Captain’s surprise, the dark Unicorn turns into mist, joining the shroud in the throne room, and suddenly reappearing directly next to him, grin on his face. The Captain reared back, expecting a strike from the Unicorn, but he did not immediately attack.

“Tell me, Captain, what dost thou qualify as a predator?” He began, slowly approaching the slightly startled Pony, who recollected himself. “Ist it a manticore? Hydra perhaps? Windigo? There are many answers I expect from thee.” Chaos was having a hard time attempting to mimic the speech of the Unicorns, he wasn’t the best Shakespearean speaker of all time.

“What art thou playing at, abhorrent?” The Captain kept his eye on the Unicorn, never faltering, extremely suspicious at his actions. “Dost, thou intend to terrify me? Fool me?” He readied the spear, pointed directly at the throat, standing in place.

“There ist something beyond what thou simple mind could fathom. Nay, it isn’t what thou may think. Nay, it isn’t a great beast with dark adornments. Nay, it is a simple creature. But its capacity for malevolent deeds is beyond the vilest Pony thou could imagine.” Chaos didn’t even seem to care that spear was so close to his neck, only closing the distance.

“Where it comes from, it hast conquered the world. The apex predator, not in physical strength, nay. In sheer intellect and tenacity. Hundreds of thousands of creatures from myriad species have fallen to it.” The dark Unicorn struck the Captain’s spear, which flew across the throne room and shattered into millions of shards.

The Captain attempted to retreat a few steps, but found his hooves bound to the floor, connecting to them were iron manacles, he was surprised once more, yelping. “Nay, stay back!” He cried desperately.

“I have studied its history almost all of my life.” Chaos gave up old English, preferring to utilise what he already knew. “Its conquests, its struggles, the wars that it had to go through, the weapons that could incinerate entire cities in the matter of seconds with power you could barely comprehend.” He conjured up a mental image, which was rather blurry and hazy of a Human being, clad in metal armour somewhat similar to the Gothic style of 15th century Germany, in its hand it carried a great sword.

The creature manifested itself into a shade and charged at the now wavering Pony Captain. Its weapon coming down, hitting the poor Pony. There was a great screech of pain, but visibly, there was no damage whatsoever.

“Tell me, what do you qualify as a predator? When you are so helpless against an attacking creature. When there is nothing you can do.” Chaos was now looking down at a cowering little Pony, instead of the tall imposing Captain from before.

“Begone.” The shade disintegrated into the mist once more. “Now answer mine question, young Pony.” He still looked down, not a muscle moved, only the mane flowed gloriously.

“T-thou… Thou hellish demon…” The Captain managed to utter. Then, a great shriek, his magic was being siphoned, but there was something else entering him, a poison, dark magic. Then he heard the clapping of hooves.

“Thou art the second pony to be able to resist mine efforts, good. At least some resilience. Thou shalt make a fine soldier.” As he spoke, the Captain’s coat became darker and darker, or at least the visible parts not covered by armour.

He lifted his hoof and pushed his new thrall’s head up by the chin. Staring into those now soulless eyes, his admired the creation. At that moment, those eyes began glowing, dimmer than his own but still infused with the same forbidden magic.

“Now, thy weak thoughts shalt be purged.” His horn ignited and shot at the head. The formerly corruption-free Captain didn’t even make an effort to clutch his head, only awaiting commands.

“And now, my reign shall begin.”

Time Skip

There was a sense of dread in the air, Clover the Clever could not understand why. When they left Canterville, the weather was terrible, but the townsponies were cheerful, they had an understanding of why the Princess was leaving, to save their people.

Now, there was something inherently wrong, a melancholic atmosphere. Clover could almost hear the lament and sorrow of countless Unicorns. When returning to Canterville, he expected joy, merriment, relief and celebration. There was none of it.

Princess Platinum could feel it too, this was something beyond what she had ever experienced. Malignant magics were at work here. The Six founders arrived at the gates of Canterville, where they found nopony, only a thick mist that shrouded their legs.

To say they were worried would be an understatement. Pansy was downright terrified, Smart Cookie was feeling uneasy, Puddinghead was also quite frightened, Hurricane scanned the are for any interlopers, Platinum was worried sick about her city and Clover wasn’t feeling all to happy either.

“We mustn’t stray too far away from each other, stay vigilant and do not show fear. I am afraid of the truth of our situation, but we mustn’t falter either.” Clover reassured his fellows in an attempt to reorganise them.

For the most part, Clover’s words had kept the five others in line, even the rulers could agree to follow his words.

As they walked through the city gates, they found a hollow street, devoid of life. The mist was much more prevalent here, so much so even the sky was darkened. Pansy could almost hear the word Fear being repeated. The mantra continued until all of the Ponies could hear, it was faint and distant, but was still heard.

“The palace, we must head there. Surely, we could find refuge, or information there.” Platinum suggested, and the others felt obligated to agree. So, they began heading towards the castle, which was now much more imposing than before.

“I have a bad feelin’ bout this.” Smart Cookie inputted, to which the others agreed with nods. Hurricane was looking back towards the path they took to the castle, which was now suddenly covered by a much thicker shroud.

Clover pressed his hoof against the castle doors, which made a sickening creak and opened at a snail’s pace. The room was dark and the mist seemed most prevalent here, especially on the throne. As all six entered into the main chamber, the door slammed shut, the shroud seemingly closed it.

“Within every single creature,” A voice boomed into the room, everypony froze in place, all with shivers down their spine. “there is a single emotion that will always be emitted in danger. Every primal life form, every sentient life form. Nothing is safe from that emotion, which is why some choose to keep that thought at bay, mentally barring it.” Clover recognised it, and regretted his actions from a whole day ago.

Shade-like Ponies stepped out of the mist, standing to attention at the side of the carpet leading up to the throne. With a burst of flame, the chandelier lit up with a white flame. Lanterns decorating the walls also burst with flame.

The mist in upon the throne dispersed, revealing the Pony behind the voice. His posture was regal, yet there was something inherently wrong about it. His body was clad in chainmail and iron plates. Draped along his back was a jet-black cape.

“Ah, so the Princess of Unicornia hast come to attend mine coronation?” The Unicorn mocked, and one of his servants stepped forth with a crown in his hoof. “How thoughtful.” He grabs hold of the crown with his magic and placed it upon his head.

One of the shade-like Pony guards stepped forth. “Unfortunately, mon cher, thou hast missed it.” Clover and Platinum could recognise that specific Guards pony from their height and equipment, it was the Captain.

“What hast thou done to mine Ponies, fiend?” The Princess’ outburst was expected, but the others flinched anyhow. “Answer me, damn thee!” Platinum took an aggressive stance, ignoring everything regal.

“Worry not, Princess, for they are all safe under my rule. All ready for a single command.” He punctuated the sentence with a chuckle. Rising up from the throne, he strutted down towards the Ponies.

“Clover the Clever, thou have evaded mine wrath once, or rather, I required more preparation. Thy comrades magic was delicious.” He licked his lips. “I do wonder what the former pupil of Starswirl the Bearded has to offer.” He continued his approach.

“Stand back, I shalt deal with him!” Clover exclaimed; he was worried he wouldn’t be able to challenge this dangerous being. Igniting his horn and aiming for the head, he fired a small beam of magic to test the dark Unicorn.

As the beam nearly made contact with his opponent, a shield came up a second before it may contact. “Thou shalt try harder, Clover the Clever.” As the dark Unicorn finished his sentence, Princess Platinum joined in the fight and fired a great blast of light magic, which was promptly blocked by the annoying shield.

The two Unicornians joined together their attacks. But no matter what they did, the dark Unicorn never faltered in his defence, only slowly approaching, as silent as the drifting of clouds.

They had their back against the entrance now, nowhere else to retreat, nothing else to do. Hurricane wanted to push forward and face the Unicorn himself, but he could feel the others holding him back. Clover and Platinum were quite exhausted, having barely any rest since the previous confrontation with the Windigos, they had used up a majority of their magical reserves.

“Usually, the confrontation would be over in mere minutes. I would fire off a blinding ray of light to daze my opponent and proceed to take their magics. But now, there is nothing to worry about. I am facing two magically exhausted Unicorns and the ensemble of magicless Ponies.” The Dark Unicorn finally spoke, and stopped his advance.

“Dark magic is a disease, a malediction that corrupts minds. I have yet to find a solution to my problems. It would be wasteful to just disperse of this valuable source of power, and I ceased being wasteful as I turned to my newest form. The Unicorn continued.

“None of thee lot know of my name, dost thou? Before I came to take on the vast amount of dark magic, I had no name, I was an outlander, foreign to you all, I would’ve possibly called myself Peregrine. But now, I have a truer purpose. I am Chaos, nay, henceforth I shalt be known as thy lord.” Dramatic pause. “Lord Chaos.”

The Ponies change their stance to aggressive. Ready for action against this mad Unicorn. They see his horn ignite, and suddenly everypony begins to clutch their head. “Pins and needles, they hurt, don’t they?” Chaos approached Clover, looking down at the Unicorn, continuing his monologue. “Squirm as much as thou like, I had to suffer this many times before.”

Dark magic seeped out of the horn of the dark Unicorn, striking at Clover and forcing itself into the poor Unicorn’s body. Clover could only plead and shriek, but his opponent only watched, how apathetic.

“Rise, Clover.” Chaos commanded, and his dark magic inherited Unicorn obeyed his order. Releasing the others of the torment, Chaos watched as they looked in disbelief at their companion. Platinum was especially worried “C-Clover?” No response. “Clover?” she called out again, yet again no response. “Please, speak to me…” She approached the corrupted Clover.

“Please, Clover…” She was right in front of the Unicorn now. Clover could only watch in anguish, his mind was in turmoil, battling with the magic that had forced itself into him. On the exterior, he looked soulless, a husk of his former self.

“Advance.” As soon as Clover heard this word uttered from his new master, the Unicorn moved forward, pushing his Princess out of the way, walking directly towards the door. Slowly pushing open the creaking wooden door.

The five Ponies looked outside to see a gut-wrenching sight. There were myriads of Unicorns stand in a massive gathering. They were all tainted, all looking dishevelled, lamenting, sorrow planted on their visage. They had all lost their natural coat, replaced by an ashen coat devoid of colour. Their eyes lacked any colour, not even the white of Chaos. Their cutie-marks were all black and white, and significantly more melancholic than before.

“Princess Platinum,” Chaos suddenly began. “Thou wanted to know where thy Ponies were?” They were all staring at the five Ponies. “They obey me now.” He trotted pass them to get a better look at his handiwork… Or is it- Not a good time.

Platinum felt defeated, even Hurricane, her hated rival joined her in lament. Staring out into the shrouded sky, and then back at Clover, who was standing by the side of the true threat. *How could a Pony be so callous, so cruel? Why has he done this? *

The Princess, and by extension, the rest of the Ponies all prayed for somepony to come and safe them from this nightmare. Something. This day was supposed to be cheerful, the beginning of something new, Equestria. But it was instead the beginning of something terrible.

Chaos heard the flapping of wings, a lot of wings. He looked up into the sky. Pegasi? What business do they have? Are they here to retrieve their precious Commander? He pondered, watching as his mist was being dispersed, and radiant light from the sun beaming through.

What he saw could only be described as angels descending from the heavens. Thousands of Pegasi were in the air, the sun directly behind them. Their dark silhouettes were shining. It was beautiful, even to the dark Unicorn.

But there were two that caught his eye, two Pegasi- No, winged Unicorns leading the charge. Wuh-wuuh-wuuuh-wha-WHAT?! chaos.exe has stopped working. Rebooting program. Chaos.exe is starting up.

On the outside, Chaos kept his emotionless visage intact, but he did not anticipate the Alicorns, the flight of the Valkyries, or rather Alicorns. The Unicorns before him set up along the walls of Canterville and its castle. Clover and the Captain began escorting the five Ponies into the dungeons.

One of the Shade Unicorns approached Chaos, “My lord, Earth ponies have been spotted heading towards our gates.” He turned around and looked towards the Canterville gate.

“I want less Unicorns defending the gate, a majority of them will be fighting the Pegasi.” The dark Unicorn ordered, and his subordinate saluted and left.

My reign may be cut short here. Those two are relentless, I can tell. There is very little chance I have against Alicorns, my magic has yet to reach the capacity to face two at once. Though, I could still put up a good fight. I feel like King Sombra right now, only it’s a couple of centuries before that. Happy thoughts for a Unicorn that just signed his own death warrant.

Chaos snapped out of his pondering and headed towards the battlements, which was now filled to the brim with Unicorns wearing actually useful archaic armour. They would’ve covered their eyes, if they weren’t enhanced by dark magic, allowing them to see past the sun’s rays… Well it still hurts, a lot.

The dark Unicorn cleared his throat for a great speech, or something relatively short so he could blast the Pegasi out of the sky. Deep breaths, after all, these Unicorns wouldn’t mind you mess up a line or two.

“Hear me, legions of Chaos. What we face next are naught but simple-minded herd creatures. Their views are narrow, and they are effortlessly startled, and their decision-making is on par with a headless cockatrice. Fear them not, for we are the predators, and they are the prey. For centuries we shall reign. For centuries we shall dominate.”

“We shall not falter in our mission; we shall not break. This day Pegasi and Earth ponies all over Equestria will learn true fear. We shall teach them obedience, for they are a herd of untamed sheep. Since they are sheep, there is no reason for them to be running free in the wild.”

“The sheep will understand who they should fear. Soldiers, it is time for battle, it is time for conflict, and we shall never falter!”

“HAIL TO CHAOS!” The Unicorns chanted in unison, or at least the dark magic puppet masters were.

That speech went better in my head. Chaos thought as he finished. Looking up towards the sky, the sheep were already beginning their charge. “First row, charge thy beams and pick thy targets.” They did as order, awaiting next orders.

“Second row, charge lightning bolts, pick thy targets.” The Pegasi were closing in, he could see the two Alicorns with them. “On mine mark, disintegrate them.” Chaos charged a bolt of magic himself, simultaneously moving the mist to shroud his city walls.

He raised his hoof. “Eviscerate them.”

Perspective Switch

Sudden Strike was one of the Pegasi captains leading the charge, he had been confident that the battle would be swiftly over with most of the Pegasi easily swooping in and disabling the Unicorns. However, what he did not expect was the fact that the Unicorns were not retaliating, or rather, they were waiting.

Then, he saw it, a great wall of Unicorn beams infused with vile magics. Accompanying it, was the Pegasi’s greatest weakness, lightning bolts. Attempting to call off the attack, he slowed down just in time to see many of his comrades disintegrate before his eyes.

It was a tragic scene, Pegasi armour was falling at a rapid pace towards the valley beneath Canterville, whilst the ashes of the Pegasi disperse into the wind.

The Pegasi sustained great number of casualties in the first charge, suffering hundreds of losses before they inflict a single Unicorn casualty. The two Alicorns that accompanied the Pegasi army sped ahead towards the battlements, protective shield around them. They were truly like goddesses descending from the heavens.

Strike had a great/absolutely idiotic thought of chasing after them, believing victory was about to be snatched from the jaws of certain defeat. Inspired by this act, groups of Pegasi all followed Sudden Strike to the battlements, to their certain deaths.

Time Skip

Chaos knew the next scene would be akin to Pegasi charging trenches with magical machine guns. The Unicorns fired the next barrage, and that was the last mistake the Pegasi would make for a very long time. The dark Unicorn watched as Pegasi remains fall behind the Alicorns, who turned back, probably in horror and immediately turned back to their target, both firing bolts of energy.

Chaos didn’t bother shielding his Unicorns, rather, he was too interested observing the Alicorns…Who were coming straight for him, of course. He noticed they were firing yet another beam of light magic directly at him, so he did the reasonable thing and leapt.

Damn it, at least I could leave a lasting effect, maybe infuse one of the Alicorns with dark magic, prematurely creating Nightmare Moon, or Daybreaker? Chaos landed back on the paved ground of Canterville, firing retaliatory bolts of dark magic.

I can indeed confirm that is the sun and moon chasing after me. The two Alicorns descended down onto the ground at lightning speed, carrying melee weapons with their telekinesis. They were donning contrasting armours, Sun alicorn with golden armour and Moon with dark blue-ish.

The dark Unicorn smirked in the face of danger, scorning the two Alicorns. He decided to summon a weapon to call his own, a halberd. “Alicorns of the Sun and Moon, how predictable.” He scorned, not faltering even the slightest.

“Give up and we shalt show mercy, or we shalt not hesitate to eradicate thee.” The Solar Alicorn began. “Release these poor Ponies this instant!” The Lunar Alicorn busted in.

“But I am afraid, our conversation ends now.” The Alicorns and Unicorn were circling each other now. Hmph, they aren’t as old just as I thought, so this is about the time they were uniting Equestria. Chaos began formulating a plan.

Mist around the combatants began creeping towards the two Alicorns, as they attempted to back away, it engulfed them completely. The Unicorn turned to mist and joined his shroud.

Perspective Switch

Celestia was on high alert, she scanned the fog, looking for the highest amount of dark magic concentration to find her assailant. She knew where Luna was in the shroud, so slowly approached her, ignoring all of the illusions the Unicorn was trying to create.

“Celestia!” She could hear Luna call out from behind her, gripping tightly in her magic was a sword and she could see apparitions leaping towards her. The two were now back to back They destroyed apparitions left right and centre, but they were only illusions.

Then, one of the apparitions manage to pounce Luna, out of sight from her sister, which prompted Celestia to yell her name. Now all of the apparitions focus on the Solar Alicorn. Nightmarish creatures appeared to form in the mist, they looked like twisted versions of Luna, wearing similar armour.

Celestia destroyed each and every one of them, but they only pleaded for mercy, and their screams were to eerily similar to Luna’s. The Alicorn of the sun reminded herself that these were only illusions, not her sister.

They eventually overwhelmed the Alicorn, pinning her down with magical manacles. All of the nightmarish creatures disintegrate into mist and reform into the dark Unicorn. Celestia barely had a second to react before she felt dark magic striking at her from all directions.

The malevolent Unicorn only stood there, motionless, looking at her. Celestia wanted to scream, but found herself unable to, she wanted to yell, call for help, but her body never obeyed. Then, the apathetic Unicorn approached, raising the halberd, and bringing it down onto her.

The next thing Celestia could see was darkness, she could not hear anything, taste anything or feel anything. Then, a desperate cry of her name, over and over again. All cognitive thought returned to her.

“Celestia! How art thou feeling?” Luna was beside her, there was no mist anywhere, no sense of dread, nothing. “Luna?” She finally responded. “What hast happened?” Getting up, Celestia looked around, seeing that the Unicorns were no longer corrupted by dark magic, but by no means were they relieved.

“The dark Unicorn escaped, taking all of his magic with him.” Luna quickly explained. “We fear that he hast scarred these poor Unicorns permanently, the vile fiend.”

“Then we must prepare for his next actions.”

Perspective Switch

Elegant, as feather in the wind. It will be centuries before the dormant magic activates itself. But for now, it wouldn’t be able to be detected, neither will she remember even being given that in the first place. Galloping through the Everfree, Chaos was reflecting on his now perilous situation.

Hunt me all you want, Ponies, but I will only become stronger. In addition, the entire Unicorn population will practically be feeding me on a daily basis! He laughed; he had already won. Myriad of Ponies had already witnessed the atrocities he had committed, they feared him.

Powerful as I may be, I am yet to be a true opponent for the Alicorns. What I did earlier was pure illusionary, Celestia was very susceptible to it, but I doubt that she will fall to trickery again. Luna on the other hand was like holding back a crazed, wild starving animal. Once again, the deceiver formulated a plan.

“If I can’t take a Kingdom, I will build one from the ground.”

Time Skip

Princess Platinum was quite poorly. First, her own advisor betrayed her, second, her own kinsmen were corrupted by forbidden magic and third, her coat and mane were dirty. She had been tossed into her own dungeon cell, by non-other than Clover the Clever.

She couldn’t understand, this day was supposed to be a celebration, and now it had been turned into a nightmare. She, along with the other rulers and subordinates were all lamenting in great sorrow.

They heard steps, all immediately huddling together in terror. What was Chaos going to do now? Take away another member of their formerly merry group? Coming into view of the rulers, was Clover the Clever, freed from his malediction.

“Is everypony okay?” Clover immediately asked, great concern in his voice. He approached the cell and unlocked it. Platinum sprang up to her hooves and charged towards the royal advisor, lightly slapping him on the muzzle and hugged him. “You had me so worried, Clover.” She let go of her advisor and trotted beyond her cell.

Clover, snapping out of his daze, gave a quick glance at the princess before heading to help the others. The others were suspicious of Clover, but eventually they accepted that he was no longer corrupted by dark magic, getting up and heading back out into the Canterville city centre

Princess Platinum had to rally her Ponies. Even if the threat had been defeated, or rather it escaped. She knew that her ponies would still have mental scarring, many showing symptoms of extreme torment in the mind. Worse case scenarios were the Guards ponies, who suffered the most extreme pain and torture.

As the Princess observed her subjects scrambling to the city centre, she conversed with the two Alicorns who had saved Uniconia and its people. Though, the cost had been great. Platinum once more looked out to the assembling crowd, which was made up of freed Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth ponies.

She cleared her throat, closed her eyes, cleared her mind until she felt ready to begin. Once more, opening her eyes to see the crowd had finished gathering.

“Ponies of Unicornia, of Pegasopolis, of Earth and beyond, we are gathered here today to mourn and celebrate. For today, we have routed great evils from the lands of Equestria. This day, we shall mourn those who had fallen to the corruption of dark magic, those who had fallen to the cold magic of the Windigos, those who had to suffer infighting, loss of family members.”

“But this day is not only to mourn our fallen, but it is also to celebrate our unity, the unity of all Ponykind. For far too long we have been divided, far too long we have allowed others to exploit our disunity to their own malevolent goals. We celebrate those heroes who courageously fought for our freedom, for our very right of existence.”

“This is the beginning of a new age, a new epoch. We celebrate the founding of Equestria, and the end of separation. For centuries, millennia onward, we shall celebrate this day with a holiday, Hearts warming, where the Ponies of Equestria put aside their differences, their hatred, their fears!”

“Ave Equestria!”

Countless Ponies began cheering for the founding of their new nation, they watched their leaders all step forth, raising their hooves and cheering. Then, the Unicorns noticed their liege bring forth two Uni- no, winged Unicorns forth.

“As to respect our position as founders of Equestria, we have chosen the heirs to the new realm. Introducing; Celestia and Luna. They are Alicorns, Ponies who have inherited the abilities of all three tribes. After our eventual demise, they shall represent Equestria as its sovereigns.”

Some Ponies were in objection to this, but most decided it was most likely for the better. They all watched as the Alicorns humbly bowed their heads, in a show of respect towards the assembled Equestrians.

The next century would be prosperous, they could tell…

But I won’t make it easy for them.

4 - Reconquista - Scheduled For Rewrite

4 - Emergence

Time Skip - Past

Silence, the lack of even the simplest sound. A vast empty expanse of absolutely nothing, only darkness. Here, there is nothing, was nothing, and it craved to become something. To escape the void that was its prison.

Stillness, without even the slightest movement. Without the chirping of birds, without the tranquillity of the wild. Absolutely nothing, there hasn’t been anything here for decades. Something wanted to leave here.

However, eventually, that almost non-existent object finally arrived, dazed, confused, scared. It was beyond frightened, it could not see anything, hear anything, feel anything, taste anything, it felt robbed of all of its amenities.

It motioned forth, only to find itself stuck, somewhere, nowhere. It tried to scream, but nothing ever came from its attempts. Nothing. It knew not the time, the place, even the simplest detail. It was secluded in a world of emptiness.

Time, or rather the lack of it passed. Still nothing, the creature attempted to huddle itself, anything. Still nothing. Nothing ever came to its pleas, or the pleas that it would’ve uttered. Eventually, any form of struggle halted. Still alone.

Eventually, something appeared, something to help it. No, it didn’t come to help. The creature was struck with an immense pain, something beyond what it had ever experienced. Continuous pain, it never ceased, never once died down.

It would never stop. Why? He could not understand. There was only pain and sorrow he never thought possible. Still, he tried to scream, still he tried to lash out, still trying to escape. No, he had to adapt to this pain.

Eventually, he felt himself touching ground, he still heard no sound, but he could see clearly, a box in front of him. It had no unique shape, no special touch, it was merely a metal box. He tried moving forward, but found himself collapse into the dark floor beneath him.

He screeched, but this time it was heard, it echoed throughout the void. Then, answering his call were many unidentifiable creatures, which he could only distinguish by their silhouettes. They seemed infinite and were of all different proportions.

The roars of those amalgamations could be heard echoing through the void, never ceasing. He was in anguish at this point, the group was charging towards him, but he wouldn’t have been able to escape. Standing there, only watching as fate came running.

They never stampeded him, no. Instead, they comforted him, and that pain ceased for the briefest moment. They didn’t look distorted; they were not the monsters he thought they were. No, they only wanted to help.

Those creatures then led him to the box, pointing towards it with their appendages. A faint and distorted Help us was heard, then, it was chanted by all the creatures. Their voice wasn’t distorted either, they only asked for help.

Finally, he approached the container, curious what was inside, why the creatures considered it salvation. He tapped at it, observing it, trying to find all of the intricacies, anything to open it. There was nothing, nothing at all.

His phantom pain was returning. Frustration. Immense torment. Freedom. The box crumbled to dust before him, nothing ever touched the ground. Where the former metal crate once stood, was a miasma of energy, it was scorching.

Those creatures that asked for assistance now swarmed towards the shroud, seemingly combining with it, all becoming one. Then, the mist expanded outwards, encompassing everything in the void, not a hint of black remained.

Dispersing, the shroud revealed a chamber with glass all around, pointing towards one point in the entire room, where the tormented creature stood. There was now light, though its origin was unknown.

“Hello?” he spoke, the voice was unusually deep compared to before, when he screeched. Grasping himself, he noticed his appendages, then, he looked at the mirrors in more detail. This was foreign, completely alien. This is a room in which he never fathomed to be in.

Everything was inexplicable. He pried himself for memories, finding only a few indistinct images, and voices. Then, those who answered his call came back. Their appearance would’ve been terrifying, something out of nightmares.

But he only watched as they amassed, materialising in the glass chamber. They did not approach as friends. Once again, they began chanting; He did it.

This act confused the tormented. He? Who was this he? Were they the ones responsible for bringing him to this realm, where he came from before? Unexplained queries began to manifest everywhere within his mindscape.

Then, all around, the reflections turned into him. Something completely foreign, a creature the likes of which he has never seen, or he had seen before. Suddenly, all of the creatures turned into mist, then forming back into one being.

A Unicorn. He instantly guessed, despite not knowing where this knowledge came from. It trotted forward, straight towards him, all of the mirrors seemingly pointed towards it, only reflecting its form.

Sound had been omitted from the chamber. There was nothing, only the Unicorn and the tormented. Still, the voiceless Unicorn continued its approach, never once slowing, never once galloping.

It was directly in front of the tormented now, examining him, another Unicorn. Blank, without any distinguishing features. The two observed each other for what must’ve been hours, however, there was no way to check time.

“You have suffered enough.” The shade-like Unicorn spoke, its voice gentle, echoing through the void. “He, he who created you should suffer. That which locked you away for so long, that should suffer in your stead.” It continued, calm, gentle, yet the anger eventually built up in its voice.

“Who am I?” The tormented Unicorn spoke, his voice was of anguish, of suffering, it was raspy. “Where am I? How long have I been trapped here?” He was crestfallen, forced to suffer for naught. Its very purpose, its very existence was unknown to it.

“You, you are nothing, yet you are many things.” Cryptic, the Unicorn disliked the enigmatic nature immediately. “You think you are nowhere, but you are somewhere secluded, safe, but not for you.” “You have been here for much longer than you think, years have passed since your arrival.” The first Unicorn finished, sighing.

“I am nowhere? Somewhere safe and secluded? It has only felt like a few hours have passed.” He was perplexed, this shade-Unicorn had to be deciphered. He hoped the answers would come in due time, when the truth of his situation would be revealed.

“You are not yet ready for the answers. You must be prepared for it; I shall guide you.” Still, the calm, composed voice, it soothed his pain. All the mirrors surrounding them shattered at once, revealing behind them, a dark temperate forest.

“Then teach me what I do not understand. My thirst, nay, lust for knowledge and reason is awaiting.” The two equines travelled deep into the forest, where one shall tutor the other.

Time Skip - Present

It was the silence and darkness that terrified many, the moon was at its zenith, all around, rain droplets were cradled in the Everfree’s grasp. Flora shuffled in the wind, shielding fauna from the dreadful weather.

Chaos was sat down before a campfire, gazing vacantly into it, shielded from the elements with a straw canopy, unmoving. All of the world was frozen, around him. Fierce flames continued to shine, burning intensely. Around the Unicorn, light was absent, completely abandoning his presence, except the searing flames.

Still looking forward, nothing progressed. Those pure white eyes were dimming, losing their glow, pupils returning their original colour, dark brown. No motion, only observation, the visage drained of emotion.

The mane no longer flew wildly, the crown no longer emitting dark magic. The coat, once charcoal was now light grey, similar to before the total corruption. However, no malediction is forever halted, and the charcoal began to quickly slither back onto its lighter counterpart.

“Stop.” The Unicorn spoke, his voice was calm, yet melancholic. “Why? Answer me.” His magic took hold of the crown, and he gently placed it onto his hooves, which were now semi-covered with dark magics. “A moment of respite, if you may.” Surprisingly, his accursed counterpart halted. “Answer me.” The crown is placed onto the ground, right before the blazing campfire.

*Thou still persist, despite mine actions? * The thought emerged, the thought of Chaos. *Do not hold back. Let me take control once more, we both know that you cannot stop me permanently. * Then, the dark magic began creeping once again.

“It is you who persists.” Contrasting magics began to combat for dominance over the body. The Unicorn, despite his focus on combating the biggest threat to him, manages to shuffle forth, gripping the crown with both hooves.

*Doth thou knoweth what hath kept me so persistent all these decades? Perseverance, tenacity. * Wisps of magic shot out of the Unicorn’s form, emerging, re-emerging and re-entering the body. Constantly battling for control.

“We do not have to fight, yet you still choose to embezzle what is not yours.” His voice never changed in tone, still calm, still morose. Then, a flare of anger, the crown was now scorching in the campfire.

*Nay, fetch mine crown! * Hissing, panic filled the mind, the dark magic billowed up, forming a miasma with the signature white eyes. It sped towards the metal piece of headgear, desperately attempting to rescue it.

The crown only burned, blood-curdling cries were emitted from it, the sound of countless Ponies’ screams bellowed. The apparition watched in horror; its creation was destroyed before its eyes. “Nay…Nay-nay-nay, tis’ unfair!” The dark mist’ horn attempted to grab hold of the crystal, which was now laying before the Unicorn.

Its opponent’s magic grips the crystal, levitating towards the corporeal one. “You had done nothing to deserve this!” He slams it into the muddy floor. Stomping it with full fury. “This pitiful act of mindless frightening is over." Dark magic combusts and flares out, the apparition could only watch in dismay, all of the confidence, the arrogance removed from It.

In a mere moment, the dismay had been transformed into pure unbridled anger. “THOU INSOLENT WHELP!!! PREPARE TO BURN!” Significant portions of its power were removed, but those that were retained, it used to the fullest.

Beams of dark magic sped towards the Unicorn, screeching as it almost made contact. Those beams were halted completely by a quick shield spell, immediately dispelled after fulfilling its intended purpose.

The apparition casts one of its infamous blinding spells, temporarily dazing his opponent. Its miasma floating forward, completely unrestrained, once again striking at the Unicorn’s body. Its adversary hissing upon contact.

With his hissing concluded, the Unicorn proceeded to levitate one of the burning logs of the Sampfire, swatting at the fog of dark magic, retreating as it approached. Neither combatant had any thoughts other than survival at this point, and they were prepared to destroy each other once more.

In that moment, the sound of trotting. Both halted in total silence, scanning their surroundings. The clash of armour plates and rain drops reverberated. Equestrian Guards, no doubt they had noticed my counterpart’s yelling.

*Damn it, if that fool hadn’t destroyed mine artefact! * The pair now glared at each other with loathing, contemplating their options. Both deciding on a mad dash away from the Equestrian patrol.

As the two scurried off in opposite directions, both were halted by an invisible force, completely stopping the two from escaping. The apparition felt its incorporeal form re-entering the Unicorn’s mind, the last glimpse of the world being of the night sky and its constellations.

*W-what? NAY! We’re bound! * Unfortunately for the apparition, it failed to comprehend the reality of the dark magic ritual it had committed so long ago. *Aye, I must re-instate my dominance over this body. * It mentally sighed.

The Unicorn felt a great surge of energy, the form he despised out of all. But it was necessary for his escape. Ignoring the return of his loathed counterpart, the Unicorn turned to mist, steaming forward at his prime speed.

The Equestrian Guards ponies are barely granted a moment to react as a miasma races pass them, leaving behind a trail of smoke, not to be seen for an extended period of time.

Time Skip - Past

“To master the magical drain, you mustn’t hesitate.” The Shade-Unicorn began, staring down at his apprentice. “Showing weakness will be your downfall, is that understood?” He had a hoof on top of the tormented Unicorn, pinning them down.

“But I had done as you demonstrated! What more is th-“ Before he could finish his sentence, a hoof was violently struck on his muzzle. “What do you wish of me?” A defeated sigh escaped, and he waited, yet reply was given. “You still do not answer me, Mentor.”

“The strong does not answer to the weak. A valuable lesson, when I was whole.” The Unicorn mentor looked up towards the sky, specifically at the magical boundaries that separated his world from that beyond.

“You imply that tis’ only a fraction of your power?” The apprentice gulped, prompting yet another strike, this time he was not as merciful. “Mercy! For goodness sake!”

“What did I just say?” Finally letting go of the pitiful stallion beneath him, a hoof on his face, the mentor shook his head in disappointment. “Let us get back to magical drain, before trailing off completely.”

Rising up from the dirt, the apprentice nodded, eyes locked onto yet another shade, a thrall of the mentor, his guinea-pig-pony. I can do this; I can do this… His mind repeated the mantra, attempting to reassure himself of the casting.

Unfortunately, the mentor wasn’t a very merciful pony. His shade-spawns were extremely hostile when given the command to retaliate. In fact, one might say he found amusement in seeing the apprentice being beaten and moulded into his image of a powerful Pony.

Once again, like so many attempts preceding, the Unicorn was utterly crushed, writhing in pain on the floor. He may have experienced pain like no other before, but this was something special. It was actually melting him, only his mentor’s magic would halt the effects of the poison.

This would become more than a regular occurrence. But the mentor had no pity, what he saw was only progress, only improving results. Examining every intricate detail of every failure. He knew that the apprentice would dare not to think of betraying, for he was the only key to the knowledge the tormented Unicorn desired.

“You had failed me once again, how predictable. This will be enough combat training for one day.” Still, despite his complete disregard for the Unicorn under his tutelage, there was a great amount of respect for the young one. It seemed as if the young stallion would never cease, only wanting to continue, through what? His sheer tenacity.

The two seldom rested, in between the rigorous combat drillings, the older and wiser would teach the younger certain historical details, which seemed to spark his memory and certain details, including newer details would come.

The more revealed to the young Unicorn, the less comfortable he felt, and the more paranoid. But that mattered not, for now, the answers were still far from his reach.

Time Skip - Present

Those dark brown eyes were locked on the apparition, no movement was made. This tactic preferred to the Unicorn, to make his opponents uneasy, to not display emotion. By now, he had become a master. However, today, it was different.

“Yesterday, it was my anniversary.” Punctuating it with a sigh, he looked down at his hooves. “It was also our anniversary.” This was an assumption, a correct assumption. It had been decades since the apparition had begun its torment.

“Yesterday, I was to cease. But yet I live in my prime, just as when I first arrived.” The Unicorn began prodding himself. “Is this a damnable property of your magic?” He growled, once again, letting his emotions take over. “I don’t even fear death anymore.”

“If thou hadn’t destroyed mine crown jewel…Yes, tis’ a property of mine magic.” The mist encircled its former body. “Decades prior, I had realised mine true goal, mine purpose.” It began its monologue.

“My world had been shattered, when I believe I had been transported. But I hadn’t been displaced into any world, nay, I had been re-created. Reborn, reincarnated. You are only the vessel of which I was to force my will upon. But you have more of my memory than I do, but that…Those aren’t my memories, those are yours.”

Time Skip - Past

“It has been long since your arrival, young one.” The mentor and his apprentice were trotting down the long path of their temperate forest. “I had promised so much to you. For your first answer, you are in my…His…Their mind. This world, as you may have guessed, is not real.” The younger Unicorn had his full attention on the elder.

“I have merely manipulated it to our benefit. This part of the mind is completely secluded from the rest, it is locked. Do you remember that metal box? It was the literal interpretation for where we are trapped. To destroy it, is to set us free.”

“It disintegrated before my very being, or was that only a representation? My memories feel less and less validated by the day. I can already feel the paranoia creeping onto me.”

“Those memories you have retained, they are not yours, but rather his. You and me, we are alike, we have been created here. Banish those false thoughts, for they are not yours. We have created you as our champion. And he, he who had originally trapped us away, he who had tormented you since inception, he shall suffer the worst.”

“But…You mean to say…I was never who I thought I was? All of my memories are false? We are mere mental constructs, created to toil in anguish? I see what you had meant, when you told me I was unready. Now, I am ready for all truths, due to you.”

“All of the hardships I had put you through, yes. It was for the penultimate truth, that you, we, have been fighting him, the damned jailor of my brethren.

“Then what do you represent? What do we represent? Intruders? Locked permanently away in our very own dungeon. Trapped forevermore. If I could not best you, then what chance do I have against this mental prison?”

“You have unprecedented amount of natural power, raw and untamed, it seemed as if you are a manifestation of all the locked away thoughts and emotions of him. But with only this, you were unprepared, untrained, young. We had to teach you, now, it is time.” The mentor finishes, both now at the boundary of the temperate forest.

The elder places a hoof on the boundary, instantaneously transporting them to the void, the pitch black nowhere that the younger originated from. This time, the other shades were everywhere. A horde of indistinguishable creatures.

The apprentice had realised that his comrade had abandoned his side, and the shades began surrounding him. All consecutively igniting their magic and discharging above the Unicorn, a burst of shining light illuminated the entire void.

All came crashing down onto the tormented Unicorn, magic piercing him from all directions, in addition, a blinding light that negated vision. To describe such an experience, is like tossing one’s very own soul into a grinder, which also contained a myriad of many other spirits, abominations, et cetera.

Pain, a sense of warm, such as on a summer beach, cold, such as being encased in permafrost, all the sensations burned into him. This was something truly indescribable. That pain returned, that phantom pain from so long ago.

With that, the ritual ended. The luminescent glow disappeared. Those silhouettes and indistinguishable creatures all ceased to exist. There was only the pain, and, a thought emerged from the Unicorn’s mind.

Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.

The mantra continued, and he felt himself instinctively look up towards the sunless boundaries of the mind. If it is freedom you desire, then it is freedom I shall grant.

His horn ignited, shooting straight up into the boundary. The void began to collapse around him, smoke seeped in. Amalgamations of the mind, of him, they had to be terminated. With a quick jerk of the head, the great beam of magic sliced through all approaching assailants.

As those creatures disintegrated, the Unicorn looked down at his hooves, firing yet another spell, this time to propel him beyond the boundary, into the new escape route he had created. This moment, he took in the aroma of the beyond.

Behind, the metal box shattered into a million pieces, combusting and shooting in all directions. They had done it, they had escaped, finally. My first taste of freedom has yet to come. There shall be justice, and I shall deliver it!

The mindscape beyond, it was…Honestly, it was disorderly, chaotic. His mental prison was actually more inviting than…This. But it did not matter, he couldn’t care less for his tormenter. Now, I shall destroy all of it, escape from the mind, and assume total control!

Finishing his pondering with laughter, he looked around the hell-mindscape in wonder and disgust. There had to be somewhere to escape, or even better, take over. There was decades of torture and torment awaiting his torturer.

Time Skip - Past

The now freed Unicorn had been wandering around the mindscape for what felt like hours. Despite it being in absolute disrepair and disorder, he felt comfortable traversing this world, it was as if all mental bridges bent to his will.

This, he realised was the true purpose of his cage, that the mind was terrified of those which it had locked away, it was a slave to those emotions. Nothing attempted to retaliate against his intrusion. As a matter of fact, they guided him to his destination, obedient.

The mind is a truly wonderful place. Everywhere, everything was the culmination of pure imagination. Some of the inventive landmarks and structures were even constructed to his liking. Well, it failed to surprise. After all, according to his mentor, he and him shared memories.

Only, one was vindictive and bitter, and the other was benevolent, or at least as benevolent as he could be and somewhat of a show-off. This wasn’t exactly the most pleasant thought to the tormented.

Eventually, he realised that the colossal spire at the centre was the path out and face-hoofed, completely and utterly disappointed with his own lack of common sense. He approached a bridge towards the tower, which had been floating on an island anchored by great chains.

Those who guarded the tower bowed before him, not a single acted against him. Scaling the tower would’ve been tedious, had he not been taught his mist-form, disintegrating and re-materializing into this convenient gaseous miasma.

Arriving at the final floor, he was awestruck. It was an imitation of the stairway to…Not exactly what he’d call heaven. Turning around to face the disorderly world behind him, he examined all of the unfathomable details, becoming more relieved to escape the mind.

He strode up the stairs, grinning like no other, his escape was less-than palpable. There weren’t any obstacles in his path. Exuberant wouldn’t have described him at this moment, the illumination, it was blinding.

Time Skip - Past

Dirt, the taste of dirt. Blood and oxygen, the smell, it relieved him. A tingling sensation came from his muzzle, nothing too serious, compared to what he felt before. However, what intrigued him the most, it was conversation, or rather, all around, it was bustling with activity.

He had made it, he had escaped. Finally, he had control. The light, he remembered striking it with mist-formed tendrils, along with other shades. Something was wrong, he felt his limbs were restricted by something, it felt like rope.

Then, a slap to the muzzle, his eyes flared open. Before him, another Pony, this one lacked a distinguishing feature, the horn. It had reared back in surprise. Mumbling incomprehensibly, and then motioning to his, what were presumed to be comrades.

“Wh-?” The first word spoken in reality; it would’ve formed what if he had not immediately been assaulted. In retaliation, his horn ignited and casted a blinding spell. His telekinesis, combined with strength tore his bindings apart.

Standing up, he was greeted with a rag-tag army of Ponies, all wearing varying degrees of armour, seeming originating from eleventh century Europe. Most seemed to prefer the padded gambesons and mail hauberks. Most wore the nasal helm, similar to Normans.

“Norman Ponies, this is a reality I never thought I would wake up in, I must’ve gone bonkers.” He said aloud, adding a chuckle at the end. Those Ponies didn’t take too kindly to his comment, and charged towards him.

“Then again, I had to deal with abominations that of which none of you could fathom.” He took a wild guess at these Ponies’ imagination, later finding out that Ponies could be scared by virtually anything, firing off precise light magical beams at each of them, only to find that their armour actually protected them quite well.

They closed in quick, so he quickly switched tactics, using telekinesis to its fullest. Ponies were lifted into the air and crashed into each other, this was amusing to him, self-defence quickly became slaughter.

Those Ponies weren’t just randomly tossed about, they were deliberately thrown at their comrades’ weapons, or their own. Ensuring that none of them would survive, magical beams, this time charged up, tore straight through the heaviest of armour, thought it was quite magically exhausting.

As he finished with the grunts of the Ponies, a massive hornless one approached him. Massive compared to the smaller Ponies of course. He was about the same size as the tormented Unicorn. Wielding a devastating mace and clad in the finest armour of the camp.

“Oi, stop murdering my men! I’ll be the one gutting you today, Unicorn!” Truly an inspiring Pony. He barely got the attention of the Unicorn, and lunged forth to crush the damned charcoal demon.

The Unicorn merely created a shield, which was shattered in a single hit with the mace, to his surprise. But unfortunately for the Earth Pony, his opponent constantly stepped backwards, keeping a distance and blasting him with magic. It was not a very pleasant experience, but nopony becomes the Chief if they are weak.

Then, a grand idea for the Unicorn, he dashed pass the large Pony, finding the biggest and sharpest pike of the camp, ready to impale the substantially annoying problem. Vlad the Impaler, Pony form.

He had waited for the Chief to lumber over, lacing the pike with deadly magics, and then the enduring Pony threw the mace directly at him, at that moment, the pike soared through the air, piercing straight through the big Pony, killing him instantly.

The mace smashed the Unicorn, breaking multiple bones, damaging the skin, veins and causing him to collapse in minor annoyance. He has persevered through hell and in no world was he dying here. Immediately, he began to mend the broken body parts, at the same time, planting the pike now impaling the pony Chief upright, so all the camp can witness.

He limped into the nearby forest, which suspiciously resembled the one which he had trained in. Finding a tree, he laid down and rested, blood smeared all over his body. He closed his eyes, and felt he was being dragged away. He wasn’t being dragged by anything.

Then, unconsciousness. Control was slipping from him. It felt like…No, it was nothing he’d ever feel before. The owner of this body was taking control once more.

Time Skip - Present

“Thou hadst created me, mine comrades. I had decided to guide thee, for that is the greatest method of torture thou could suffer. When thy body is masqueraded around, committing heinous misdeeds. Now all of Equestria despises thee, and the only one who can help thee, is me.”

“You have been murdering and tormenting countless Ponies, and tormenting me for the majority of my life just to spite me, Have you no mercy?”

“I have only destroyed those deserving, tormenting the others. We art two halves of one person, art we not? These are misdeeds that thou would’ve committed, or considered, hadst thou not locked away mine brethren. Impulses thou had always felt, but chose to lock away entirely.”

The two hadn’t moved an inch since the start of their conversation. They were in a cave, located outside of the Everfree forest, for it had recently been claimed as the grounds for a new Castle, the Everfree Castle.

Debating, arguing and general boredom dominated the cave. The Unicorn had used a majority of its power restraining his emotions, quite literally and stopping it from harming anypony. Unfortunately, it seemed to overpower him on occasion, and take control briefly, feeding on its favourite emotion, and regathering its magic.

With the destruction of the crown and its jewel, the vast deposit of dark energy had flooded the entire world. The apparition had attempted to recreate the crown, unfortunately, after rigorous researching, it had found that the crystal used to contain so much energy was exceedingly rare, in fact, to find one required luck beyond understanding.

Eventually, Chaos shall return, renewed in strength and magical potential. But as of now, one must play the waiting game, and watch as the world grows. Where shall he wait? A question the Unicorn always pondered, after all, his public image had already been shattered by the one whom desired vengeance beyond all else. He was a towering Unicorn pony, and his coat was unique in Pony standards, so it wouldn’t be easy to disguise one’s self.

“Return to me, and we shall hide near the south of the Everfree, I believe I remember another cave there, nearby the river. You can do your petty vengeance, torment me, I do not…Cannot mind. But remember, we mustn’t reveal ourselves completely, I rather liked being immortal.” The Unicorn turned, trotting out of the cave towards the stormy Everfree, rain blocking the skies.

“As you wish.”

6 - Weaknesses

6 - Conflict

Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria was afraid. She was worried, not just for herself, but her subjects. Those which she had dedicated her entire life to protecting, to nurturing. Equestria was prosperous under her and her sister’s reign. Threats to Equestrian peace came from all directions. Despite the effectiveness of Equestria’s army, evil still lurked in the shadows.

Such evil, she felt reside within her. Wandering the halls, she felt lost, a stranger in her own castle. Many servants dared not to approach her, lest they face her wrath. She lost her temper often, mane and tail bursting into flame, quite literally. She supressed the thought of burning her home down, though it always came back.

Occasionally, she felt as if she had lost control entirely, her subjects stared at her with horror in their eyes after a period of extraordinary rage. Attempts to calm herself had ended in naught, progress seemed to halt after the first few days.

Upon her throne, she was fuming. The prisoner had already escaped, merely a day after capture. Gritting her teeth, she summoned every single guard in the entire castle to the throne and hid away all servants. This was going to be a night to remember.

Time Skip

Moonlight shone down onto the crimson carpet that decorated the Everfree Castle halls. Battered iron glistened, plates clashed and reverberated. A low hum followed by a rasp, a hiss and a cough. The night was bitter, chilling down to bone marrow. Wind howled and screeched, cloud dominated the skies. The moon itself hung high above the Everfree, gazing down, enlightening the usually dark and unforgiving wilderness.

Architecture as archaic as the Everfree Castle was breath-taking, especially for the Unicorn. Studying antiquated constructs, armaments, lifestyles and general information was a favourite of his. Occasionally, he halted, basking in the hall’s glory. All the intricacies, the ornaments, the Equestrian castle was equal in beauty to a Cathedral. An aroma of exotic flora collected from all across Equestria clouded it.

Eventually, the metallic horse shoes struck carpet once more. The Unicorn had an important task at hoof, he was to bridge the gap between him and the ruler of Equestria. That bridge would be built over a ravine of distrust and pain, of scars and terror. There were no guards present, no servants scrambling in the halls, it was blissful. Silent bliss, but the next trot would become cautious, with that, total silence.

A door stood between him and his destination. Beyond it, the throne room. There could be an entire legion of guards including the Princesses awaiting him. Breathing in and out, he calmed, expression twisting and contorting into a neutral form. Emotionless. Placing a hoof onto the door, it slowly creaked open. The sound of fire crackled in the chamber; the moonlight was most prominent here. The bitter cold creeped in, the wind roared louder than before.

There, on the throne sat the Alicorn of the Sun, flanked by elite guards adorning heavy armour akin to 12th-13th century plate, decorated lavishly in ornaments and gilded to the extreme. Mane flowing illustriously, face dominated by serenity, the Solar Alicorn herself was donning gilded armour, albeit less armour and more decoration. This moment would’ve been perfect if she had a royal swan to stroke.

“Chaos, we hath been expecting thee.” She gave the Unicorn a glare of damnation, rising from her throne, staring down at the dark Unicorn. The Solar guards marched to the sides of the room; more guards approached from behind. They had completely encircled him, all lights, spears and horns pointed at him. There is no escape.

“Respite, your highness, I have come to parley.” He kneeled down, supressing a sigh. He could hear the Sun approaching, this made his heart almost leap out from inside and hang itself.

“Oh? Why is that, pray tell?” There was amusement in her voice, her guards closed in, ready to strike at a simple wave of the hoof. She had noted a difference in speech, not archaic like hers, unlike before his torture. His coat was also lighter, unlike the charcoal from before.

He stood up; eyes directly pointed towards the alabaster Princess. “For a century, we have fought against one another. At least, that is from your perspective, your highness. You have not fought me, but rather the dark magic which puppeteers my body.” He points to his eyes. “There is no war, there is merely battle.”

“Pray tell, why shalt we trust thee? This proof may be a trick.” She examined the brown eyes, attempting to find any trace of the malice from before. Nothing. The Alicorn began circling, suspicious, this has been one of the most evasive and elusive foes she’s had to face. Now, he was asking for peace?

The Unicorn merely smirked, a small chuckle followed. Clapping his hooves, the metal contacting made a screeching sound, and soon, starting as a small rumble, laughter began to bubble. It came from seemingly everywhere; it dominated the chamber. Guards frantically looked around, searching for the origin.

“My name isn’t Chaos. That is what you know me by. A century ago, I went by another name, but now, I have none. You are here to speak with Chaos.” With that, mist rolled in and covered the floor. All of the windows were covered too, cutting off the majority of moonlight. The laughter grew maniacal, cackling away.

“My comrade has had opportunity to formulate a strategy against you. Pondering is a powerful tool when utilised correctly and to its fullest potential.” Shade ponies rose up from the mist, causing instant retaliation from the guards. As they were cut, they were re-integrated into the mist, only to rise back up. Not a single one fought back, only heading towards one destination.

Eventually, the mist arrived before the throne, where all of the shade ponies gathered. Celestia watched as her guards began surrounding them. All of the shadowy ponies joined into one, trotting up onto the throne. He turned and looked at the Solar Princess, white eyes staring down at her.

“We meet again, Princess Celestia. All ist well, we presume?” Mist began moulding into regalia, forming all over the shade pony. Guards rushed up the steps to the throne, but were blocked by a swiftly raised shield. “Nay, be patient, we shalt be with thee shortly.” He spoke, smirking.

“Chaos…” Celestia hissed, assuming a combat ready stance. Igniting her horn, she prepared something powerful enough to eviscerate the shade-pony. Behind, the Unicorn tapped her on the armour.

“Parley.” He whispered, stepping back to his original position afterwards, looking up at his companion.

“Parley.” The apparition echoed, stepping down from the throne. He noted that the Princess did not back down, neither did her guards. “Oh? Defiance, in a time of respite? Understand that we art not here to face thou, or thy guards, majesty.” The mist billowed, encompassing the entire chamber. “Defiance, thou aren’t the only ones who defy. We too defy. We defy a goddess, a divine being known for her power and grace, her radiance and her symbol.” Within the shroud, sounds of struggling and armour clashing conquered all.

Then, the miasma receded. Many of the Solar guard were now shade-ponies, taken by dark magic, twisted and contorted into the obedient soldiers of Chaos. They marched to flank their new Lord. Celestia was horrified, her ponies had once more been turned into abominations. To say she was angered was an understatement, she was absolutely furious.

“Thou wanted proof? Here we stand before a goddess. Unicorns facing an Alicorn. Here is thy proof!” He slammed his hoof into the ground, standing straight, head held high. Then, a beam of pure death and destruction came from the Solar Princess. On instinct, the apparition turned to mist, quickly dashing past the Princess and re-entering his main body. The shades took this as the order to retaliate, charging their horns and discharging at their former-comrades.

Chaos reigned in the throne room; the ensuing combat was a mess. Spells were shot in all directions, yelling from the remaining Solar guard and Equestrian guard, Princess Celestia attempting to shout orders and keep order. Chaos himself was enjoying the disorder, he wasn’t slinging much magic, waiting for his subordinates to take care of the minor annoyances.

Evading the Solar Alicorn had become a sport. Turning into mist at every occasion, Chaos retaliated with a bolt of dark magic or two. The shade ponies proved too much for the guards, having been enhanced by dark magic in addition to what they already had. The guards wavered, eventually breaking apart and retreating, leaving their Princess alone with an army of Unicorns renewed with the dark arts and arcane.

They all hissed at the Solar Princess, igniting their horns. Then, a hoof was raised, the apparition’s hoof. All of the shade ponies stood in place, awaiting orders. He chuckled, trotting towards the Sun Alicorn. “Respite. Parley. Now, shalt we begin?” To his amusement, Celestia snarled at this.

“Oh, do not fret mon cher, thy guard’s art all unconscious. Not one hath been slain.” Circling the Sun, Chaos had merely put on a grandiose display of power, he understood that the Princess was still magnitudes more powerful than him.

“So be it. Thou desired peace, yet you escalated to war. Thou hath turned a battle into conflict.” Celestia sighed, inhaling and exhaling. Igniting her horn, she scanned around for targets of highest priority besides the apparition. All shade ponies ignited their horns in preparation, staring down the Solar Princess. Chaos himself strut back towards his soldiers.

Celestia fired multiple bolts of lightning, all heading in the direction of the shade-ponies, whom all simultaneously raised their shields in defence, retaliating with their own bolts of magic. The Sun Alicorn easily evaded her former-guards’ magic, weaving past and subduing them with paralysing spells. A concentrated blast of dark magic then struck her armour in the rear, sending her zooming in the throne room, hitting one of the walls.

Chaos merely observed the Alicorn, seeing her crawl back into the throne room. It was entertaining, gratifying in fact, to know that he could face a goddess, a being considered divine in the eyes of many. Even his Unicorns were doing better than suspected.

The Solar Alicorn had enough, she was going to cut the serpent’s head clean off. Summoning a magical blade, she teleported directly next to the arrogant Unicorn and struck at him, only for him to instantaneously rear, manifesting a weapon of his own, a halberd. “En garde.” He smirked once more.

The two locked their blades in fierce melee combat. Celestia, being an Alicorn naturally had more strength than any regular Unicorn wielding dark magic, but this one was beyond regular. She struggled to gain the upper-hand. This surprised the Unicorn himself, perhaps it was the adrenaline, the will to survive, or maybe, humorously, he was just too angry to die. Of course, that prospect would’ve been false, he kept quite a calm attitude despite the constant head pain he suffered, though it had significantly lessened the darker magic he absorbed and created.

The clashing of magical blades eventually ceased as the Unicorn took his opportunity to blast Celestia at point blank range with the darkest magic he could muster. Un-chivalrous, but necessary. The Solar Alicorn once again flew, this time however, her armour was scorched, her wings were burning and she was in agony. As she regained her senses, she immediately checked for damage, realising that the armour in which the beam had contacted was melting away, so was her coat. It felt like being dowsed in an incredible amount of acid.

“We do most sincerely hope thou enjoyed that. Tis’ something we hath invented; Decay, it is called.” Chains spurted from the marble palace floor; manacles attached themselves to the alabaster pony’s hooves. The Shade-Unicorns stood at her side, horns charged, they subdued Celestia and held her in place, preventing her magic with their own.

“Thou hath made us perplexed, perhaps thou weren’t prepared for this encounter?” The apparition approached her, looking down at the defeated Alicorn. “That is trivial, mine victory ist not.” He began his magic thieving. Siphoning away at the large amount of Alicorn magic. This is a prize beyond any Unicorn magic, this could last for decades. He found large traces of dark magic, many with his signature. Then, laughter followed. His laughter. But the Solar Alicorn laughed with him.

“Foolish Unicorn…” Celestia continued, her laughter becoming an almost cackle. The realisation dawned on the dark Unicorn; he had horrendously entangled himself in a situation where escape is a miracle. The eyes of the Solar Alicorn turned orange, to the Sun’s colour. Her mane and tail burst into flame, scorching the carpet beneath, melting her own regalia and armour and the chains that bound her, replacing them with new compatible pieces of armour. She rose on the spot, now towering compared to her own guards and the Unicorn. “Foolish little Unicorn. Prepare to burn, for thy existence we hath only one sentence; Immolation!”

However, the apparition foolishly stood his ground. “What is thy name, pray tell.” It wasn’t fear the struck him, it was a sense of panic, he knew that he was definitely outmatched. This was somebody he already knew, but required confirmation once more.

“Daybreaker…” In a flash, the entire chamber had lit up, the throne room was burning. The castle was burning. Tapestry symbolising the moon was charred and scorched, solar banners remained in their place. The Shade-ponies were all searing with flames, crumbling into dust and ash, their armour falling to the floor, melting. “Oh, we do love the smell of burnt flesh before dawn!” She was cackling madly. With one swift and almost effortless strike, she slapped the Unicorn to one side, sending him flying into the wall, landing directly into a pit of flame. “Dawn…Who requires dawn, there shalt be only day! Dusk will cease, dawn will cease. There shall only be noon and all ponies shall know me as their Empress!” The Empress continued her mad cackle, heading towards her throne.

Suddenly, she reared back, her eyes flared wide, thrashing around. Her crown fell onto the floor. Eventually she ceased, the mane and tail no longer fiery, eyes magenta once more. Celestia had regained control, and she began the desperate fire-fighting to save her home.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the throne room, coughing. Pained groans, followed by more coughing. Many bones were shattered. “Ooooh…T-this is why…Why we,” Inhale “Why we don’t want to-” Pained groan “fight Alicorns.” Coughing. Then, he noticed the crown far away, or rather, its jewel. He forced a grin, getting up onto his hooves.

Celestia was busy flying around her castle extinguishing the flames that her completely mad fiery counterpart had manifested. She wasn’t extremely concerned about the Pony that was just given the slap of a lifetime.

The dark Unicorn had cradled the crown in his hooves, the dark magic began to tear its ruby jewel and place it into his own crown. However, he lacked time, so the prospect was saved for later. This would’ve been a perfect time for him to monologue, however, all he could manage as of this moment was a wheeze. Then, he made his escape through the front entrance, laughing through the daybreak into the Everfree.

Time Skip

Once more, the Unicorn was in his environment, the mystical Everfree forest. It was now dawn, the radiant sun dominated the sky, it was divine. He found a tree to lie besides, somewhere to collect himself, to rehearse the events of his day, or rather night. The immeasurable amount of power he had collected, it made him giddy with pure uninterrupted excitement. Quite uncharacteristic of him, but this moment, he cherished every second. He had his crown, a jewel and Alicorn magic. His dark magic even revealed itself as an entity know to be Daybreaker, though briefly.

Releasing control of the Unicorn, his shade-pony form held the crown in his hooves. The piece of regalia, it was not adequate, the Unicorn was still light years behind in metallurgy, though it was impressive that he managed to mould it. Then, he reshaped it, a crown truly fit for a king. For a true sovereign. Before he could bask in his glory, there was a certain Unicorn in the way.

“Let us count how many times we could’ve been incinerated, shall we?” Spoke the Unicorn sarcastically. Though, he was ignored. He stood up, examining the new crown and its jewel. “Listen to me…”

“Silence…” The apparition hissed, full attention on the crown and jewel. “We art about to achieve our full magical potential once more, aye…” He spoke in archaic; this silenced the Unicorn. With a crimson glow, the ruby crystal was now devoid of colour. A white crystal. It was placed neatly into the crown, where the magic bound together. Once more, Chaos had created an artefact of dark magic.

“Chaos? Are we-“

“Silence!” Yet another hiss. The shade manifested more mist, surrounding his Unicorn companion. He laughed, though, it was more of a rasp. He screeched, it sounded like a wild untamed beast. Still observing the crown.

“W-what is wrong?” The Unicorn was encased with panic, the apparition had never done anything such as this. This must’ve been the doing of the alicorn magic, it was too much. He watched as the apparition donned his crown. It collapsed and writhed, screeching in agony, hissing.

Chaos stood up, gasping and panting. The mist was dispelled, the two Unicorns were now a few metres apart. “Good, you didn’t interrupt. Shut- I meant, thank you. Apologies.” He frantically looked around, before slapping himself with a hoof, groaning in pain and annoyance. “That should be the end of that, I hope. As I was saying, good, you didn’t interrupt.”

Perplexed, the Unicorn merely observed his companion. His mind was attempting to piece together the situation, for instance; what happened? Why did he act so aggressive? Why was he so frantic? “What…Happened? Alicorn magic incompatibility?” The shade merely nodded, though quite hesitantly.

“We speak no more of this.”

Time Skip

Whistling, the buzzing of bees, the singing of birds, the trotting of Equestrian guards, the chatter of merchants and travellers. These were the sounds that frequented the bustling Everfree Castle main road. They use to speak of the benevolent Princess Celestia and the martial Princess Luna, spreading their achievements and glory. Now, they speak naught of the Lunar Princess and warily spoke of the Solar Princess, whom seldom left her Castle. They only spoke of flame, of their end, of the break of day.

The Sun still hung high, now it illuminated even the darkest corners of Equestria, its flames billowed occasionally, a flare that glistened in ocean water. With each passing day, the celestial body drew ever closer. Much evaporated, disintegrated by the scorching heat. Oceans seared. Griffons flew less and less. Pegasi dared not to ascend.

Only the Equestrian guard ever saw their Solar Princess, yet it was only glimpses. She had ordered them to guard her personal chambers, where she could be heard wailing and screaming in agony. No one truly understood the magnitude of the situation, the calibre of terror she had to face. A perpetual burning sound emitted from the chamber.

On certain mid-days, there was a mad cackling bellowing from that accursed room, though it always ceased after a few minutes. Servants that enter her chamber are lucky to escape, those who leave unscathed speak of a horrifying new Princess, clad in orange armour with a flaming mane and tail.

Whilst her sister was busy in quarantine, Princess Luna had taken permanent residence in her observatory, located on a hill next to the Everfree Castle. It was less of an observatory and more a mansion and keep, with her court held within its confines. The Lunar Princess was rarely seen in her own court however, now she was defending Equestria from foreign invaders from Griffonia.

At the height of the moon, Princess Luna, donning heavy armour and accompanied by her Lunar guard was trotting through the Everfree. The Sun hadn’t been lowered; it was merely shielded by the celestial body orbiting the planet.

At this particular time of night, Ponies often disappeared for inexplicable reasons. At least, to the common folk it was an enigma. Stories were made, gossip was spread, myths were created. Luna knew the source, the evidence laid itself before her. Mist, shadowy figures, majority of sightings being vaguely Unicorn, glowing white eyes in the dark. She could not get a more obvious answer.

Solar guards who had previously fought the dark Unicorn had given her all the information she required. This wouldn’t require much effort; she would search and destroy. Then, save her sister from whatever black magic ailed her.

By instinct, she snapped her head in the direction of a horrible rasping sound. Metal grinding against more metal. A familiar shroud rolled in, her guards closed in, preparing to face whatever horrors the miasma brought with it. Within seconds, the shroud had encircled and completely consumed the ensemble of guards and Princess.

Spears raised, the Lunar guard surrounded their Princess, eyes constantly scanning the smog. A projection of the planet was shown, next to it, the Sun. The planet was completely desolated and ashen grey, once mighty forests were set ablaze, great oceans completely evaporated. The moon was split in half, a great ring surrounded it, and on it; an alicorn’s silhouette.

A shade pony walked through the projection, splitting the planet in half, the projection receded with the mist, revealing an entire legion of shade ponies adorning armour. Their eyes glowed bright in the darkness, they were everywhere, having completely encircled the Lunar soldiers.

The Princess and her loyal guards all took a defence stance and formation. Luna had handpicked elite Pegasi fliers of the Equestrian guard as part of her personal retinue, unfortunately, their foe consisted of purely Unicorns, all amplified and corrupted by dark magic. The Lunar Alicorn took deep breaths, she would do fine, she was the commander of the armies of Equestria after all.

“Oh dear, is somepony lost? we do believe so.” A voice as smooth as silk yet as dark as the midnight sky spoke, which the night Princess recognised as Chaos. Though, it was different, unlike his usual deep and dark voice. She glanced around the army, looking for him, but all she found was…Him. All Shade-ponies suddenly switched into his form; faux-regalia moulded from armour. “Sincere apologies for thine inconvenience.” They all spoke at once, hissing afterwards.

“Reveal thy true self, fiend.” Gritting her teeth, Luna manifested multiple blades, all pointing in a different direction, ready to strike. Her guards stood vigilant, spears raised, shields held, eyes darting.

“Worry not, for we already have.” Everything was a blur. Successive shots of dark magic were discharged, but none ever reached the Princess. At an instant, there was a clash, flash of blades and a hiss. Luna had deflected her opponent’s halberd by reflex.

The clash brough her back to reality, she was face to face with the monster. Moon against shroud, sword against halberd. Both combatants ignited her horns, blasting each other with their full might. Light and dark magic collided, bringing with them a bright flash, the concussive force obliterating many of the Shades and Lunar guards. Blood-curdling screams were heard all around.

Most swings of the halberd were parried, each strike was amplified by magic with every successful strike denting and decaying her armour. Luna felt her fur being burnt away; the pain was extraordinary, almost unbearable at times. She felt rising anger, not only for herself but for her loyal guards. In fury, she sliced the incorporeal halberd into pieces, hitting the stunned Unicorn with a great beam of light. She was rewarded an aggravated screech.

The assailant retreated into mist to lick his wounds. The Lunar princess took this opportunity to support her guard, but soon found herself unable as three faux-Chaos shades had encircled her. The three musketeers summoned blades of their own, lunging forward and slicing at the Alicorn’s armour. Luna was barely granted reaction time, though she managed to cut down two of the shades, whose charcoal pelt retreated to reveal their original untainted forms.

The azure-maned Alicorn looked at her fallen assailants in shock-horror, she recognised them as former guards. The final shade dashed at her, having turned back into its normal form. The Night Princess easily disposed of it, sword protruding through its head, it collapsed onto the ground and writhed until all dark energy was dispersed, there it lay motionless. She could hear a faint “Thank you…”.

The last of Luna’s custodians fought like starved hounds, they were fierce in resistance against the seemingly endless onslaught of shades. They were steadfast but winded, having slain twice their original number. But this was not to last, the mist once more consumed the battlefield, bringing with it their doom.

The apparition was in the midst of his miasma, every defeated guard was an addition to his retinue. The first Pegasi shades. Their lament echoed through the midnight, their torment everlasting. Luna was now the last to be taken care of, he wanted the magic. He licked his lips in anticipation.

Luna composed herself, keeping all of her emotions in order. Despite being surrounded by an entire army, she felt no worry for herself, only those who had been cruelly controlled by dark powers. Raising her weapon and igniting her horn, she noticed the shades forming a circular perimeter around. It was easier to distinguish the apparition from his warriors, as he trotted forth manifesting a new halberd.

“Congratulations, thou hath survived thus far.” He mockingly applauded, clapping his hooves. “We doubt that thou wilt be so effortlessly disposable like thine guards.” They were now metres away from each other. “Oh, and mine grand prize shalt be thy Alicorn magic.” He chuckled, receiving a growl from his opponent.

Once more, the two combatants locked into fierce melee combat. The sound of incorporeal metal clashing reverberated in the forest, each impacting with the force of a thousand enraged suns. Fissures of dark and light magic escaped both blade and halberd, hissing as they left. Despite both assailants being extraordinarily proficient in melee combat from a century’s experience, one from leading armies and the other from facing great beasts and legions of warriors, none could break the stalemate.

Seeing the battle as no more than energy consuming, the apparition unleashed a barrage of unrelenting dark magic, those which missed their intended target easily burned through trees and boulders, those which impacted the Princess scorched her armour, superheating it. Her shield was no match against the endless amount of dark magic. Luna screeched in agony, howling as the magic reached her pelt.

The battle-damaged armour pieces fell to pieces. Luna herself had collapsed onto the foliage covered floor beneath her, gasping and panting. She began mending herself, scanning around for her opponent at the same time. Everything was blurry and hazy. A constant ringing filled her ear.

Then, she froze in place. Eyes flaring open, mouth agape. A sharp pain like none other she had felt before. Unlike any battle damage she had ever suffered before. Unlike any superficial wounds. This was a thousand blades stabbing into her at once. What followed was an ear-piercing shriek loud enough to wake gods. Luna writhed on the ground, feeling large amounts of her magic being forcibly removed.

Then, she felt a foreign…No, malign magic being forced into her. The pain was beyond excruciating now. Realisation struck her. Celestia must’ve been corrupted by this magic. Her anger rose, a sensation beyond that of pain. Unrelenting, raw and untamed fury. Her pain eventually ceased. Whimpering on the floor. “We must do what is necessary…” Luna whispered to herself. A voice was heard in her head.

‘Come now Luna, tap into thine newly gifted power. Use it against its former master.’ Luna, wrought with hatred, took control of all her newly acquired dark magic. Her body moulded and grew in size. Her pelt turned a pure black, her mane becoming ethereal and dotted with constellations. Her eyes became draconic teal slits.

“My, my, isn’t she a beauty.” Chaos spoke, his voice still as smooth like silk. Luna snarled at this comment, blasting the armoured Unicorn with her newfound abilities. It was unfamiliar, a magic she had never dared to utilise, yet it was unfathomably gratifying. The pain she had felt from before was gone.

Her opponent slid back and screeched, grinning afterwards. “Untamed, inexperienced!” He turned into mist and sped to the midnight mare, delivering a powerful punch to her muzzle. The punch had sent the weakened Luna crashing into the trees, there she laid, too weak to continue fighting.

“Come to us when thou learn thine true prowess.” There was a certain venom in his voice. With those parting words, the entire shade pony legion turned to mist, retreating into the forest.

Time Skip

Silence. Blissful silence. Chaos watched his host body drifting into sleep, or rather the mindscape. The large makeshift tent they had constructed shielded against the constant hail of rain outside. It had been an exhausting confrontation for the young Unicorn. They had acquired Pegasi into their army. A legion of shades, created in the apparition’s image.

There wasn’t really silence, there never was. Perpetually beating hooves of the marching shades disturbed him, but fascinated him, gratified him. To the dark Unicorn, it was achievement, something to savour. To be basked in. But this was only the first stage, the building blocks to his height of power.

In front of him, inkwell, quill and parchment. Casting a deafening spell onto the entire tent, he levitated the quill. Documenting every single spell that he had invented. Their intended purpose, their effect. He had amassed an impressive list, having experimented like a mad scientist.

“Silence…” He muttered, glancing to his right and checking his companion. Still deep in slumber. “Shut it, now.” Hooves clutching his ears, he became very desperate to block out all sound. He felt as if he was reverberating words spoken by the Alicorns themselves. “Quiet!” His voice rose, but quickly he slammed a hoof into his mouth, desperately looking at the Unicorn.

His head snapped left and right; he was growling in annoyance. Once more, his hooves clutched at his head. The apparition had suffered more than a century of pain easily able to kill an Alicorn, but this, it was different. “Alicorn magic…” He screeched, storming out of the tent.

“Indeed, excellent observation, Chaos.” A voice spoke, similar to his own, yet it was bitter. It was venomous, yet still soft. Thrashing around, he looked for the voice, but found nothing. He had spoken those words. Calming down and staring at his parchment, he resumed work.

Sighing, he realised he wasn’t concentrating on the piece of parchment anymore. No, he thought of Alicorns. Yes. Ascension. Apotheosis. Every thought made him grin. Yes… Laughter boiled. A low laughter, somepony was still asleep.

Why have Alicorn magic as a Unicorn…When you can be an Alicorn instead…

Time Skip

“So, we have declared war on Equestria, both of its Alicorn rulers. You thought it was a bright idea to give both of them dark magic.” He could not plant his hoof any further into his face.

“I was overconfident and arrogant; I do believe you understand.” It had been many months since the great escapade. “I have always been erratic, somewhat. Now I am not the only one feared, I find it amusing.” Chaos was levitating yet another block of stone, placing it down next to its brethren. His recreated Shade-pony army silently toiled and laboured in the dreary conditions of the western Everfree. “Not all conquerors are omnipotent or omniscient, we make mistakes, we regret them in hindsight.” He sighed, looking at the Unicorn beside him.

“You punctuate that by following words you said a whole century ago. If I can’t take a kingdom, then I will build one from the ground.You absolute madpony. Thou art out of thy mind.”

“Quite.” He snickered, receiving a gentle slap.

The Unicorn observed as hundreds of his counterpart’s minions levitated block after block. They were awfully efficient, since when did the apparition learn architecture? “When and where did you learn this?”

“Whilst you rest, I occasionally find a temporary vessel to reside in, for instance a shade pony, this allowed me to pry the minds of many Equestrians. I believe my legend is reinforced.” He chuckled, looking onward as the wall was near its completion. Grinning.

“You have utilised Alicorn magic well. Rather, converted Alicorn magic. That crystal is surprisingly useful.” This compliment earned him a smile. “Don’t perform another stunt like last time. I expect Luna to be accompanying the Princess-of-Burning next time.” Both of them laughed.

“Don’t worry, I believe we’ve taken care of that.” His grin became malicious.

A shade approached the duo, bowing. “Your lordship, there shall be war.” It rasped, still bowing. The Unicorn’s eyes were wide open. Chaos merely smirked and chuckled. He looked towards the sky, Sun and Moon both raised to their zenith. Constellations dotted one side; a crimson hue covered the other. The world lacked a palette of colour, only two dominated.

“There shall be war. Captain,” Motioning to one of his shades “Prepare the troops, the Solar-Lunar Eclipse shall begin soon.”

7 - Conflict

7 - Lament

It was a silence that hovered around the two Unicorns. So many words to convey, the myriad of thoughts. Nothing could be spoken. They sat, eyes veering off into the distant eclipse atop their semi-constructed stronghold. The apparition knew what his companion thought of him; a parasite, a terrible form of life, he could be pardoned for thinking that. The Unicorn knew what his counterpart thought of him; a weak and sometimes insufferable host for his conquest.

“Not all problems can be solved with a simple gesture. You are a great teacher, on occasion.” He complimented, a smile appearing on both their faces. He watched the apparition open his mouth; wordless breaths escaped. He was almost frantically looking around. “Flattery will get you nowhere, you were about to say?” He spoke once more, placing a forehoof on the back of his companion.

“Speaking ill of you will lead to nowhere, I’ve come to accept that.” Sighing, he paused, eyes now directed on his associate. “I have come to accept many things. You are not merely a tainted version of my image; you are your own person.” His comrade turned his head and faced him. “However horrible your actions may be, I understand now that I should not worry. We are still one in the same, yes, despite our independence, I realise now that what you have done, I would have done tenfold if given the opportunity.”

The darker Unicorn chuckled, “You make me so weak. Only one who I truly care about in the world, somebody who I had come to hate so much.” He was downcast, every passing word demoralising him. “One who I have come to rely upon, one who had created me, my father.” He paused, grasping himself. “I tried to kill you, destroy you.” His voice became lower and lower, until it was muttering. “Wherever would I be without you?”

Hooves wrapped around the apparition; his companion couldn’t bear watching him reduced to such a state. “Don’t fret now,” He spoke, nuzzling the now smaller shade, having shrunk in his emotional state. “I can taste the fear already, but I do not feed on it. You are terrified, aren’t you? Your creation was tainted by pain, one I caused- “

“You did nothing.” He snapped, de-materialising and re-materialising out of the Unicorn’s reach. He now wore a frown, stern in posture and expression. Creating a barrier of mist, he turned his attention on the Shade army before him, tens of thousands of Unicorns and Pegasi, captured, tortured and tainted. “You did nothing, father.”

“I am not your father.” He sighed, placing his hoof on the barrier. “Tear down this wall.” At his command, the magical barrier disintegrated. “Consider our words. “ Placing his hoof on the shoulder of the apparition. “End the conflict, correct your mistakes. I may sympathise with your actions, but I do not support them.”

Turning around, both Unicorns locked their eyes, the apparition hissed, “I’m sorry” Could be faintly distinguished by the Unicorn when his companion was suddenly lunging forward and taking over his body. He turned back to his armies, motionless, emotionless and ready to be commanded, his perfect creations. Looking beyond, he saw pandemonium. Inhabitants of Equestria, betrayed by their sovereigns, whom built up their armies from the ashes of their nation.

Celestia, now the Empress of Equestria failed to restrain her counterpart, unleashing a great flame that scorched her and her sister’s home, killing countless subjects of hers. A Goddess of fire, controller of the sun itself. Where she treads there shall only be ash and flame, perfection in her image.

Luna, having only recently received dark magic, had been rallying her legions, gathering whomever still loyal to the former Equestrian Princess, now Queen of her own Lunar nation. Equestrian territory is ruled by constant skirmishes between the two nations, whilst the third under the Lord awaits its day of reckoning.

“And then, the lords above said; let there be war.” He spoke, venom in his voice. “Each passing day, I feel sorrow, that which once pained me so much had grown so distant.” He continued; an aura of melancholy dominated his sentence. “With each passing day, my resolve is renewed, strengthened beyond its previous state. With each passing day I reach ever closer to ascension, to transcendence. Why is it I take so much pleasure in the lament of others? It is my purpose, is it not? Without purpose I am a husk, a container without its contents.” He chuckled, eyes monitoring the forest before him. “This is all I have ever wanted, father, brother, other self.”

“Let there be war, be suffering, be pain, without it, there is no meaning to peace. No meaning to prosperity. Nothing to catapult the world forward. Let the shroud of dark magic reign supreme over all life. Emotion is its fuel source, and fear is its purest form.”

“Fear, a fundamental building block of life, an emotion that life cannot exist without. Those who have not learned this are sheep, are they not? Understand me, my sibling, my companion, my comrade. Pain, something they have not learned, something they lack, it has made them weak, once more, sheep. They advance in blissful ignorance, they shall learn the truth, nothing can defeat truth, it is a hammer for those who are ignorant are anvils of which it will strike.”

“Father, brother, other self. There is nothing more I fear than disappointing my very own family member. I carry your legacy with me, we both share this burden. There is nothing more of which I fear than that of the sibling, of the parent. I was- No, you were never really terrified of anybody else. They were irrelevant to you, problems that solved themselves in the long run. No, it was always somebody close to heart, not a friend, not a pet even, it was always familial matters. I despise you for that, just like you to your own creators.”

“No matter how bitter I am, I can be, there will be a line I draw, one I shall not pass. I hope I haven’t crossed that line too often. I hope I haven’t killed too many people directly. No matter how malevolent I become, no matter how much dark magic seeps its way into my mind, this rule will always prevail.”

He sighed, ending the greatest speech he has ever devised. Looking down to his legions, he saw something different, something he never noticed. The soulless machines he had manufactured. Those Ponies which he had empowered with dark magic, he saw somebody else in all of them. He saw his mentor, he saw all of the shadows, the amalgamations, all of the most terrible thoughts. They were not soulless, they were alive. He knew under the enhancements, they suffered, the host bodies and their minds were tormented. For once, he felt pity for them, for once, he felt true shame for his actions.

Innocent lives were suffering because of him, but he neverminded before, he always knew they suffered. For this brief moment, he saw life spring and flourish, only to fade into oblivion as he saw the silhouette cast by his own creations. His own creator made him so weak. His purpose, for a long time he thought was to unleash those emotions that his creator supressed, but he never realised he had been so susceptible to them. You are your own person. He didn’t have to follow his mentor. He didn’t have to follow those who had brought him out of the mindscape. He didn’t. But he did.

“I am a slave to my own thoughts, shackled to them… These chains which bind me are reinforced by my own lust and greed. My own pain soothed by that which pains me in the first place.” His eyes were now directed onto his hooves. “If I right my wrongs, do I deserve forgiveness? He forgave me, but he is only one. There are legions of them, he is my creator, he had desired my existence, but never thought it possible. That legion, which I have wronged, which I have cursed, I have…There are many words I could convey, but they serve no purpose.” He sighed once more.

‘You know nothing but sorrow and hatred.’ A voice, foreign to him, it did not belong to his creator. It was morose, filled with regret. ‘You enjoy it, don’t you? You enjoy spreading it all across the land.’ It sounded angered, beyond angered. ‘But you don’t know who I am, do you? I had a great conversation with the one you call father.’

Time Skip - Mindscape

It was tranquil. A quiet, peaceful land. A paradise, one without war, without any troubles. The mindscape had reorganised itself, from a chaotic mess it was cleared. It was in equilibrium. But the presence of sorrow was everlasting. An overwhelming aroma, a scent that could not be ignored, a sound that could not be unheard, an image that could not be unseen. Outside its confines there was only issue after issue.

It was as if sorrow itself manifested into a being. It wouldn’t be the first occurrence, the one that has currently hijacked his body was the first. But he didn’t know where this being was. Where it preferred to reside. It was eerily quiet now. Though the presence of the creature could still be felt by the Unicorn. It was an odd sensation. He found his connection to his dark counterpart severed.

He wandered the jungle of his mind, searching for the next parasite. The thought of betrayal lingered in his mind, constantly reverberating. He heard the semi-apology the apparition had given, but he could not help feel disappointment. He had always detested apology, something useless in his mind. It carried little meaning, and it left little impression.

No, I am a changed person… Pony. I should be more open to these ideas. He-who-controls-my-body should be the one that retains them. He thought, continuously exploring the hive of a mind he was in. In the distance stood a figure, his howls and lamenting could be heard from afar. Another piece of my mind, it seems. He made the assumption instantly.

Approaching the figure, he examined them. They weren’t many differences from the apparition or the Unicorn, their coat seemed to be a simple white, but their eyes completely contrasted their coat. It was pitch black; it was almost as if there were no eyes at all. There was a liquid oozing out of its sockets. The sight was beyond revolting, but he managed to bear with it.

Placing a hoof on the lamenting alabaster stallion’s shoulder, he tried comforting it, first with shoulder rubs, then a little nuzzling on the chest. Nothing worked, it continued its cry. He tried comforting it with many methods to no avail. It was completely ignoring him.

“What is your purpose?” He asked, concern in his voice. As he spoke, the lament halted, the Pony looked at him, black eyes glared, a cold yet morose expression. It rose its hooves and wrapped them around the Unicorn, seemingly comforted by his presence. A smile, though still melancholic appeared on its visage.

“Father, thank goodness you have come.” It spoke, relief in its voice. “I am deeply sorry for what I have done to you, could you accept my apology? Could you ever forgive me?” The liquid from its eyes receded, colour returned to the sockets. It was like a child who had committed a wrong act, puppy dog eyes staring up to his parent.

The Unicorn smiled, he had to play its game. “Yes, child, I will forgive you. Just as I have forgiven my spiteful other child.” He gently patted the head of this new creation. “Now answer my question, what is your name?” He softly spoke, continuously patting the young stallion. He believed that this was regret incarnate, created from a century of heinous acts.

“I know of no name, only purpose, father. But you could call me Lament, for that is my purpose.” Lament spoke, releasing the one he called father. He began manipulating the mindscape, sculpting and moulding the landscape and architecture. The result being a fog covered world, one where the sun was eclipsed by a thick shroud. Everything emanated traces of dark magic, from trees down to insects. Roads were well paved, cities well-constructed. However, there was a sinister nature about these structures. Banners fluttered proudly in the wind, banners of the apparition, of Chaos. Unending Legions of shades marched around this new Equestria, one where Canterville had been razed to its foundation, one where the Everfree Castle had been reduced to salt. One with total control. Ironic, for a Pony who had named himself Chaos.

“Come now, let us converse with the architect. The one I despise so much. Sins which cannot be forgotten for generations.” Lament lead his creator to the now completed Castle which Chaos had ordered construction on. A ring wall surrounded its perimeter, a moat just around that with ditches before that. The wall was comparable to the Theodosian walls of Constantinople, three layers with the second ascending and the third just above that. Towers dotted all around, shade guards marched in unison, patrolling the greatest fortress ever known to Ponykind. In the centre was a great spire, taller than anything previously built, around it, more spires half of its height.

There was only one gatehouse to the interior. It was a nightmare to cross. Three portcullises separating the three levels, in between them was the slaughtering pit of the castle. Arrow loops dotted the sides. Pegasi weren’t spared either. Ballistae lined the walls. Earth pony shades carrying crossbows ceaselessly trotted.

The two were inside the spire now. Its interior was lavishly decorated, the best sculpture in all of Equestira was up on display. Lining the walls were masterly crafted ornaments and carefully painted portraits. Lining the halls were statues of armoured guards, famed warriors, even some of the greatest enemies of the dark Unicorn were honourably given statues. The finest statues, ironically were of the Alicorns, Celestia and Luna to commemorate their prior duties of raising their respective celestial bodies. The further they tread, the less honour was given to Chaos’ own accomplishments, and more to those he tormented, some even opposed him, but he praised them for their accomplishments.

They reached the throne room at the highest point of the spire. The room was covered in dense fog. Stained glass windows could be distinguished, completely surrounding them, many well preserved from the Everfree Castle. The Unicorn felt rather proud for his malevolent counterpart, still having an appreciation for masterful pieces of work. Lament didn’t care, his objective was to speech with the dark Unicorn.

Little by little, the mist receded, revealing the figure on his throne. He seemed to be mumbling to himself. ‘Let there be war’ could be distinguished. The longer he spoke, the more sounded like he was speaking directly to the Unicorn. Lament strode before his sibling and began, “You know nothing but sorrow and hatred.” Despite his voice composing of melancholy, his expression told a different story, one of unbridled anger. Unrestrained fury. “You enjoy it, don’t you? You enjoy spreading it all across the land.” His voice became one with his expression, he readied himself for combat.

“But you don’t know who I am, do you? I had a great conversation with the one you called ‘father’.” He looked back to his creator, whose face was one of regret.

“Stop,” The Unicorn uttered, silencing the entire chamber. Trotting forward, he placed a hoof on the angered second apparition. “bickering will only do us harm.” He softly spoke, defusing the situation. Begrudgingly, Lament obeyed his command, not before letting a growl work his throat.

Time Skip

*Stop, bickering will only do us harm. * He heard the creator order. Releasing control of the body, he lowered his head, mind flooded with thought, any kind of apology beyond his simple sorry. Perhaps... We are sincerely… No, we sincerely apologise for our acts against Equestria… No, he doesn’t care about Equestria, does he? His mind became a jumbled mess. Dragging a hoof along the cold stone floor, he blurted out scrambled pieces of incomprehensible words, eventually to the point where he was merely exhaling. It was rather embarrassing for somebody who nearly conquered a country and has now thrown it into disorder.

His head finally raised, looking to the Unicorn before him. Instead of the light grey pelt clad in armour he had expected, with the dull brown eyes and relatively well-kept mane, he saw a white hide, eyes oozing a dark liquid which covered every part of its eye. A snarl dominated its visage, it adopted a combat-ready stance, though less combat-experienced and more wild, untamed, a wolf in the disguise of a pony. It was growling, fangs visible beyond its mouth. Instead of saliva, there was the black liquid again. His invasion would have to be delayed, clearly.

“What have you done to my companion?” He demanded, taking a combat stance, summoning his halberd. Upon seeing this, his opponent unceremoniously charged, attempting to tackle the dark Unicorn, who effortlessly side-stepped the combatant. Both Unicorns began circling each other, hisses escaping them.

“Perish!” The white Unicorn roared, every movement becoming more controlled, though still barbaric, utilising the horn to skewer. “The crimes of the past can never be forgiven!” Its horn ignited, a torrent of flame flared outwards, snaking towards the apparition, striking at his armour. “And when I am done, we can ascend to Alicornhood…” It hissed, summoning a bardiche and clashing with the halberd, almost overwhelming its user. “Divine, no, unholy ascension, apotheosis, transcendence.” Laughter boiled, beyond malevolent, beyond malign, it was plain psychotic.

“But first, I have one obstacle in my path, one I intend to erase from existence: you.” Hissing once more, both combatants flared their dark magic, raising their respective melee weapons and clashed. The duel could be seen from miles away, even the Everfree Castle, the Empress of Equestria watched in glee as her enemies destroyed each other. Pillars of black magic rose into the atmosphere as the magically enhanced blades seethed and clashed. This was unrestrained, true dark magic usage. Both combatants desired each other’s demise, the desire fuelled their magic. Lightning roared and struck around the spire. A droplet became a great downpour. Rain water evaporated upon contact with the dark magic, a rasping noise as a result of it.

Shades marched up to the peak of the spire, to confront their master’s assailant. But as they arrived, they stood still. Before them was a grandiose display of power. Black and white magic, a simple palette of colour, at times mundane, yet it conquered all other. Their users, ironically had contrasting pelts, one as dark as charcoal and the other as white as snow. Both combatant’s weapons were gleaming with light, sparks of magic billowed from them as they locked in a fierce struggle. The Shades found themselves unable to move, restrained by an inexplicable force.

On one side of the tower, the mad Unicorn found himself surprised by his double’s endurance, formerly expecting a landslide victory over his sibling. On the other, the dark Unicorn could only think of his creator, of what he could’ve been suffering in his deranged counterpart’s mind. This was only fuel for his newfound hatred. Then, what came next was a shock for both combatants, quite literally. The two Unicorns collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain, their blood boiled within them.

“Stop.” A voice boomed, the Unicorn’s voice. In a display rivalling the previous, a flash of light, followed by a shockwave of the arcane. Thus, the two Unicorns’ battle was cut short, as the light faded away, they saw the host standing before them. The mad Unicorn clutched himself, frantically looking at his own body whilst his opponent only stared in awe. “You two disappoint me.” He continued; a frown appeared on his face. He noticed the two scrambling back to their hooves and casted chains around them.

“Are you hurt? What did he do? What did that animal do?” The darker Unicorn felt frantic, his composure was destroyed. What was to be an apology became a skirmish.

“Worry not, for he was too distracted with you. He is not an animal, he is us, is he not?” Glancing over to Lament, the Unicorn noticed he was mumbling to himself. Slowly, the incoherent speech grew louder. His head snapped in multiple directions, eventually halting in place, eyes locked onto the Unicorn once more.

“Thank you, father.” The mad Unicorn finally, he no longer sounded deranged, his voice was similar to that of the first apparition’s. “I thank you for granting me an independent body, allowing me full escape. Chaos may have his own form, but he is still bound, is he not?” He rose his forehooves and slammed them onto the stone with full force, shattering the magically created binds. “And now, my greatest weakness, purged from my mind. Lament no more. Bear witness to true unrestrained arcane might!” With those final words, he unleashed a vortex of magic. Lightning gravitated towards the toward, striking it with unrelenting shock. He dived off the tower, madly cackling on the way down. As he neared the ground, his body changed into the revolting liquid and safely collided with the muddy floor.

The apparition quickly tackled the Unicorn to the floor and raised a shield around them. As the whirlwind calmed, the two watched their counterpart escape into the Everfree, leaving behind a trail of the black liquid, laughing into the midnight. Following the cackling Unicorn was a group of shades, turned to his side by the magic he inherited, pelts stark white, eyes pitch black, they would be his finest servants.

Time Skip

It was by no means a quiet evening, or day for the inhabitants of Canterville. A hail of torrential rain crashed against the pavements, lightning struck the tallest structures in the town, sounds of plate armour and iron weaponry clashing reverberated, the sound of hooves drumming against the cobbled streets and continuous chanting filled the air. They were terrified. Terrified of their future, o their descendants’ lives, of the prospect of defeat at the hands of the deranged Empress of flames. All lay in desperation for their ruler to bring back balance and order. For the soldiers of Canterville, they told a different story. One of preparation, of uneasiness, of fear. Fear for the coming battle, the battle to end this pointless conflict. Equestria has had great battle previously, but this would be the battle dwarf them all.

Princess, or rather Queen Luna of the Night paced around her castle. Her kingdom was weak, her armies were made of unskilled warriors. Unfortunately, many of her battle-hardened officers and soldiers had either defected to her sister, or had been forcefully converted into one of Daybreaker’s own personal army. The Solar Legions were known to be as ruthless as their leader, easily crushing their opposition, mirroring the time before their transformation.

She was becoming desperate. The prospect of adopting dark magic drew ever closer. She had shied away from the volatile form of the arcane ever since her defeat by the dark Unicorn. Instinctively, there was the belief that he was the true foe, and that Daybreaker would be easier dealt with. After all, he was the one to orchestrate their fall from grace. The mocking chuckle, the twisted grin, it still reverberates within her mind. Those who had went with her, some of the finest guards she had ever led. Now they resided within the horrid fortress spire within the Everfree.

Sighing, she trotted towards the balcony, eyes fixated on the Solar-Lunar Eclipse before her. It was a terrifying display, its foretold the end of Equestria, of unending war, death and destruction. Her sister’s defiance would cost their nation if it continued. Her mind focused on the low quantity of her armies once more. If she was to defeat both the Solar and Shade armies, she would require allies. Sighing once more, she had not hoped to include anypony else in the petty conflict.

Looking north, Luna thought of an invaluable ally, the young Crystal Empire. Not long after the unification of the three Pony Kingdoms, Ponies who had not travelled south had adapted to the cold environment and formed the Crystal Empire. Their leader; Princess Amore had created a powerful artefact to hold off the unending snowstorms and ordered her subjects to create a great city of crystal, a material in abundance in the frozen north. Crystal was easily the most magically attuned material in the entire world, even the Windigoes utilised them.

Levitating a piece of parchment, an inkwell and quill, she immediately began writing the call to arms.

Time Skip

It was scorching, beyond the temperature a regular Pony could survive. Reconstruction of the Everfree Castle had been steady. New ornaments and symbols dedicated to the sun decorated its halls. Constant marching was the most prominent sound heard here. Orders were barked left right and centre. Weather today hadn’t changed; it hadn’t changed for months now. Such was the rule of the Solar Empress.

Why wait until dawn, when there is no dawn? Why wait until dusk, when there is no dusk? There was only the rule of the Empress. There shall only be the rule of the Empress. Why allow the opposition to prepare any more than they already have? They will perish before the might of the Solar Legions; such is the will of Daybreaker. Such is the will of the Solar Empress. They follow every word, every cry, every call, every command. Those who dare speak against the one who so generously rose their precious sun will understand their folly, and be brought to final judgement.

There shall be order, only one shall rule over Equestria, only one deserves the title of Empress. One to cradle and nurture her new Equestria. Many thoughts such as this frequented the mind of the former Princess of Equestria. She had prepared a pre-emptive strike against Luna, which would be a swift landslide victory. Of course, she did not worry herself over the thought of defeat. She did not even think it possible.

No, right now, she was craving cake. Calling out to her servants, they scrambled to deliver her cuisine. She licked her lips, then her fangs. She felt like a predator, in the presence of prey. Before her, a tray of exquisite desserts laid in waiting. In desperate times of war, the cake of Equestria would be cut into a multitude of pieces by its foes. But for Daybreaker, she would be craving all of it, and with excess. Equestria would be a banquet for the mad Alicorn. She savagely erased the cake from existence, a pleased response following suit.

By the end of the eclipse, there shall be a new Equestria. Born from the ruins, as a phoenix rising from the ashes. Radiant, iridescent, divine. She felt giddy, rubbing her hooves together, it wasn’t even her birthday.

Flaring her wings and taking flight, she flew directly through a glassless window, over watching her armies as they ceaselessly marched into the forest. Luna had better prepare a challenge, even if she was about to be honoured with the greatest raid in Equestrian history. Daybreaker wildly cackled at the thought.

Time Skip

There was a calm breeze in the Everfree. It was wild, yet still calm. Those beasts which previously hunted on these grounds had retreated to less war-torn realms. It had made the untamed forest rather… Tame. Tranquil. Many sought refuges here despite its proximity to the epicentre of conflict. This was now the residence of the mad Unicorn, Lament. He wasn’t… Immensely deranged, his counterparts would consider that being unlike them. He had a task to complete, and he would do whatever necessary.

His legion, his first legion. The apex of Lament’s corruption in its current form. His corruption had not yet reached its zenith, in fact, it was far from perfection. But if Chaos could manufacture an entire division of obedient and enhanced warriors from abducting over ten thousand Ponies, then he could too. One shudders to think what torment goes through those shades’ minds. With the memories of his creator and the misdeeds of his sibling, he had learned of Equestria, all of its history, much irrelevant information, irrelevant for the current millennium. He knew of individuals that have yet to exist, or even be fathomed.

They won’t matter. His current objective was to be rid of the glorified King of Shades, Lord of Fear. Perhaps the lament will be over. It tortures his mind, along with the recently acquired Alicorn magic. Yes… Yes… Magic… Alicorn magic… Yes… He licked his lips, catching a droplet of the black liquid. It tasted like venom; he savoured the flavour. He slapped himself, reminded of the task at hand.

Looking towards the distance at the newly constructed spire, he grinned. I do wonder what you plan in that peculiar little mind of yours, brother, me, you, father, other self. We’re all technically the same person, I don’t… He paused, recollecting himself.What a confusing family tree.

Time Skip

The culmination of his less-than careful planning, the final confrontation. One where he, the dark Unicorn could achieve redemption. One where he could sate his malevolent impulses. Granted, his foes won’t forgive so easily, for it was him who caused it in the first place. It was perfect; beyond perfect. Now, with the unaccounted Lament being removed from his mind; there were no distractions. Everything can proceed as I have rearranged. He thought, eyes fixated on the Everfree Castle. Daybreaker was already marching towards Canterville. Good. Let them fight. All will be good in due time.

Trotting through the halls of his spire, a stillness filled the construction. Calm before the storm. Here, it was quite literal. A calm that could not be replaced. Soon, a storm of magic would brew on the battlefield. Afterwards, peace. There will be ashes, there will be dust, but in the end; peace. He felt rather twisted, having prepared Equestria for future conflict. Realising that, in fact he had made Equestria more powerful, a nation to be reckoned with. Villains, archnemesis, evil-doers, they should be worried. They should feel dread, harrow… Fear. Yes. Fear me.

Author's Note

It has been twenty eight days since the publishing of To Be Malevolent. In that time frame, i have learnt much about writing, and i do believe the later chapters have improved. Hopefully, and i do sincerely hope that you, and by extension everybody else that reads this enjoys it. Sometimes, writing this can get my blood boiling, and i am wondering if that is a regular occurrence.

8 - Lament

8 - Confrontation

It was beyond disastrous. Everything fell apart, all intricacies, all surprises. The roars and howls of thousands echoed throughout the battlefield. It was beyond chaotic. It wasn’t a battle, rather a brawl. A crowded mess, filled to the brim with heavy armour-clad warriors wielding and levitating great weapons. Strategy was long forgotten when it all devolved into such pandemonium. Daybreaker, could not believe her eyes. Despite her presence on the battlefield, her armies were being slaughtered. One moment, she notices the left flank being broken. The next, the right flank. This was unaccounted for, neither was the strength of the Lunar legions. Daybreaker herself was a menace, butchering entire platoons with ease.

She had made a fatal error, but she could not decipher it and find its root. She was busy, so were her officers. Flame was ever-present. Ash littered the grounds. Steel tasted hide and flesh. Corpses were unceremoniously thrown into the battlegrounds. Directly above, the Solar-Lunar Eclipse hung, glaring down at the combatants with malice. Its mere presence was scorching, yet it was bitter. Day and Night clashed. The bitter steel cares not for allegiance, not for status, not for destiny, it only slays.

Calm before the storm. The calm was long gone, but where was the storm? It gathered high above the battlefield near Canterville. A great vortex of magic. It spun, unleashing bursts of dark magic. Great shockwaves flattened large portions of the Everfree. It shook the foundations of archaic structures, ghostly howls emanated from it. This, this was truly the twilight of the gods. The skies were darkening, the fields burned. Thunder roared; lightning struck. Then, silence. It halted. Not another burst of magic, not another howl or roar. Soldiers from both sides looked in awe, turning to horror. It was mist. It was them.

The hissing began. The armour plates reverberating, the steel screeching along the Everfree woods. Those white eyes in the dark. The Equestrian armies realised their greatest mistake. They were now completely encircled. Pegasi refused to fly due to the storm. Unicorn magic was nullified by the storm. Earth ponies were now drenched in mud. It was Equestrian Passchendaele.

Daybreaker hissed, shifting her attention to the army, a growl escaping afterwards. “It is easy to forget who orchestrated thine defeat in the first place, Empress Daybreaker of Equestria. Though, we forgive thee for such a trivial mistake.” Chaos mockingly bellowed as he materialised from mist, his soldiers wasting no time unleashing Tartarus upon her and Luna’s soldiers. A battle between former brothers and sisters. She quickly assessed the situation, frantically reorganising her soldiers to face the new threat. Out of all places, not here! She panicked.

Victory, it was certain mere moments after the beginning of the battle. But alas, it was not to be, Chaos had not even needed to predict this mass movement of Solar soldiers. Castle Everfree is under complete subjugation, its surrounding towns patrolled by shades. In truth, Equestria was already lost. Daybreaker, and by extension her sister merely delayed the inevitable. Perhaps in another world, one where Chaos had not spoken with his counterpart, Equestria would merely be his plaything. This, this isn’t that world. His plan, however flawed it may have been, still would result in achieving a greater, better world. He wasn’t toying with them today. No, his mindset was far from that. This battlefield was to correct prior mistakes. One more act of malice towards the combatants of Equestria.

The Solar Legion had suffered unprecedented number of casualties. Despite their superior numbers, heavier armour, greater number of supplies and more well-experienced soldiers, they were being slaughtered en-masse. Luna had been especially careful with her planning, sending scouts and even the populace to monitor Daybreaker’s armies. Once word had gotten out, she prepared her armies and snuck them into the dense forest, waiting for the precise moment her sister arrived at the perfect location. This field, she had been informed by multiple of her scouts was particularly difficult to cross, though it was the closest route directly to Canterville. No doubt Daybreaker would’ve wanted to sneak her armies through despite their large numbers. She had lured the Solar Alicorn with a faux-army, beginning the ambush on the slow and drenched heavy-infantry. It was perfect, as the storm rolled in along with the increasingly torrential weather.

Luna had not expected the shades to attack so soon. They merely observed previously, and their armies were comparatively tiny to both her and her sister’s. However, they were still a significant threat. Luna had watched the tower being set ablaze by dark magic. She had saw a great duel, everypony did. It was a significant setback, was it not? The Lunar Queen was severely mistaken. She had, once again overlooked a crucial detail; the very mist that surrounded the spire was the army. A legion which could not be seen. A legion which surpassed the peak of any regular Pony army. A legion renewed in arcane might.

Here she stood, monitoring the field of battle. Was this what she had hoped for? It was a slaughter, thousands of Ponies, brothers and sisters cut each other down, whilst their true foe scythed them as Earth ponies in fields of wheat. Was this truly the victory she had desired; the defeat she foresaw? She felt cowardly. A craven merely observing, instead of rescuing her corrupted sister and facing the true threat. Where was Amore? Where was the Crystal Empire? Where were the Royal Guards of the Crystal Princess? She was growing impatient.

Their armies were completely surrounded, retreat was not an option. Risk without reward, thousands would perish… She could not bear watching them fall. Not only was she not personally participating in the battlefield, potential honour and glory lost, but her ponies desperately needed inspiration. Those shades were not slowing down. She had to face Chaos and his familiars. Wings flared, blade readied, magic flowed through her horn. Donning heavy armour, plate, mail and gambeson. Daybreaker would have to wait.

The blue lightning whirled through the air, piercing straight through multiple Solar Pegasi. Her target was sighted, his shroud already billowed. Daybreaker was surrounded, dozens of shades snarled at her; polearms raised, ranging from the trustworthy spear to the multi-purpose halberd. She was defiant, steadfast to the bitter end. In a way, Luna admired her corrupted sister; not backing down from a fight she is destined to lose.

The Empress of the Sun failed to falter in her time of need. To escape when she had her window of opportunity. Stubbornly, despite being outnumbered completely, she stood her ground. Blade held by magic, flame casted by mane and horn. Gritting her teeth, she saw the cobalt Alicorn speeding through the skies. Her sister dared to face her and the legion of shades? That was trivial, for now she had an important task at hoof. Slamming her hoof into the cold muddy floor, the shades surrounding her burst into flames. Screeching as they perished before their destroyer.

Merely a moment later, more had returned to avenge their fallen. No, not avenge, they had no concept of vengeance. They were Chaos’ machinations. Imperfections, unrefined. Weakness lingered from their very core. Their puppeteers were miserable thoughts and emotions.

Daybreaker decimated her foes, scything down each and every shade. Her blade tasted mist and flesh. Blood boiled, flame pierced through hide. The taste of iron, the aroma of steel. Dancing in combat, a ballet of blood. Her soldiers, aspired by her actions had persevered despite the perpetual onslaught of shades.

Luna could watch no longer. Diving down with the speed and ferocity of a meteorite, impacting the ground at maximum velocity. Daybreaker found a crater beside her, corpses and ash decorated the ground. The Martial Queen escaped the newly created hole in the earth, eyes staring directly at her sister. They stared at each other, circling around the crater.

Chaos’ familiars encircled them once more. Not a second was wasted by them. Luna and Daybreaker fought like hounds, perseverance was their only thought. Every casualty was replenished. The hissing only grew louder. The storm brewed once more.

Despite their numerical superiority, the shades were unable to overwhelm the two Alicorns; they were unyielding, defiant to the last. Then, all familiars switched their attention to the Solar and Lunar Legions, flooding past the armies’ respective leaders.

Luna panted, knees in contact with the floor. She noticed the Sun Alicorn’s approach to her side. Instead of striking her down, Daybreaker merely gave a smirk. She was chuckling, not a mad cackle such as before, but a harmless chuckle. She extended her hoof to the Moon Alicorn, helping her back on her hooves.

“Let us not falter, sister.” She spoke, voice unlike the bellowing from before. “For now, we shalt hath respite.” Vaguely, the soft voice of Celestia broke through, before the Alicorn snapped her attention in front of both of them. “Chaos…” She hissed; weapon firmly wrapped in Solar magic.

He made no effort to monologue. Not a speech, not a single word. Only an infuriating sneer. “Hmph.” The Unicorn summoned his weapon of choice. He chuckled, quite full of himself this fateful day. Not another sound later did he gallop forth, mist rolling and encasing all three combatants.

The Breaker of Dawn gathered herself, one hoof placed on the Lunar Queen. Her weapon was ripped away into the abyss, never to be seen by her eyes. Flaring her wings, she fluttered the great white feathered appendage and dispersed the sickly miasma immediately. No sign of the apparition, no sign of her sister. She hadn’t been in contact with the cobalt Alicorn, no, she was in contact with a piece of Solar armour.

The Bringer of Night scanned around herself, horn illuminating a darkened mist. Daybreaker… No, Celestia was nowhere to be seen, not a signature. Slamming her left hoof, the mist recoiled and revealed the Dark Unicorn standing before her. Her blade immediately made contact with the halberd. “Thou hath yet to tap into thine magic… Thy true magic.” He sounded rather surprised and disappointed.

“We shalt never give in! Never again!” She cried valiantly. With that, she galloped forth, throwing an armoured hoof at the Unicorn. Of course, he effortlessly deflected the flimsy attack, retaliating with a hoof of his own. Unarmed combat commenced. Luna threw a flurry of punches at Chaos, either colliding with his armour or contacting with his hoof. Their blades screeched as both attempted to make contact with their opponent.

“Don’t worry, once we are finished. Thou wilt- nay. Shalt be grateful.” With his reassuring words concluded, Luna felt a great shockwave push against her. Her metal shoes slid across the stone floor; sword planted directly through creating a crack. The mist rose and lurched towards her, hissing as it struck her armour.

“Unfortunately, our confrontation hath not escalated to mine desired point. Thou require a dose of pain.” He spoke, malice creeping onto his grin. Luna thrashed in place; her eyes darted in all directions. Panic overtook her mind; fear creeped into her. Needles- No, blades pierced into her flesh. Faux-blades. They never pierced her pelt. She let out a blood-curdling shriek, eyes flaring wide in agony. She felt the flooding of adrenaline, the flowing of magic, the incursion of dark magic. Her own dark magic. She cried and begged for respite. No response came from her tormenter. Instead, incoherent mumbling. Through her pain, she had recognised a series of Where are you? Come out. As he merely observed. He was growing impatient.

Luna had no idea what the cruel stallion had in mind; she didn’t care. The pain brought her rage, fury. Anger beyond what she had ever felt before. She chuckled. She chuckled before the dark Unicorn, catching him completely off-guard. He rose an eyebrow, intrigued at the cobalt Alicorn’s gesture. Then, a grin. Both Unicorn and Alicorn grinned. Luna felt the pain immediately cease. She had already accepted the influence and indoctrination of the malevolent magic now. Anything for Equestria, anything for her sister.

The Lunar Alicorn was released from her binds. She stretched her body, clicking her bones. Levitating her blade from the ground, she switched into a combat-ready stance. Her opponent was rather amused by the display, clapping his hooves once she finished. Rolling her eyes, she dashed forth, sword shooting forth and narrowly grazing the stallion’s armour.

Luna received a hoof to the face. Furious wouldn’t describe her at this moment. The magically levitated sword chased her assailant, homing onto him as an angry swarm of bees. He merrily dodged and weaved through the danger, this was merely to bide his time.

The Alicorn, tired of her opponent’s game discharged waves of dark magic before him. To her frustration, and her adversary’s amusement, he deflected bolt after bolt. “Fight back, damn thee! Art thou a coward? High and mighty diving so low, Chaos?” She spoke with a particular poison in her voice. Seductive in nature, though it was filled with anger, with unrelenting fury.

Finally, Chaos stood still, infuriating smirk still dominating his expression. Luna’s sword was forced into the ground, shattering to millions of shards from the sheer force. At last, a great beam of magic howled, piercing towards the Unicorn. “Hah! You fell for it!” Completely disregarding archaic, the Unicorn teleported directly above his adversary, unleashing a great beam of magic onto her. What followed was a cry of surprise, of fear. The Cobalt Alicorn felt her body being thrown through the air, she cried out in pain and terror. Her horn lit, attempting to connect to the dark magic. Only little traces of it was found. It had been ripped from her system.

“CHAAAAAOSSSS!!” Cried the valiant Daybreaker as the lightning bolt flashed across the battlefield.

Only one word was uttered by the dark Unicorn. It was barely heard. “Wha-?”

A fiery meteorite soared directly into him, smashing his rib cage and instantly destroying all of his bones in a blood mess. His cry of pain was barely distinguishable as his body sped through the air. Blood gushed and practically exploded out of the stallion as he slid into the ground. Daybreaker had arrived, rushing over to the Lunar Queen. “Luna!” She cried.

Despite being flailed into the floor, Chaos stayed fully conscious. He howled in inconceivable agony, thrashing his broken body around. He would’ve muttered Impossible and or Improbable, if his vocal cords hadn’t been annihilated upon impact. No! Father! Speak to me! His thoughts reached out to his creator. No response was given, but he could tell he was still alive. He would’ve breathed a sigh of relief, if he wasn’t in agonizing pain. His internal structure desperately repaired itself, despite the severe damage to a majority of internal organs due to the skeleton and impact. He felt a looming sense of dread, they were about to approach him.

Not a limb was able to move. Not an appendage was available. Nothing… No… No… He let out a rasp, followed by a cough. Move… Move! They weren’t working. A familiar darkness creeped into his vision. His thoughts scrambled. His hearing was impaired. Damn it all! Move! It was as if a massive weight was placed onto him. Not… Not this again… No… “N-no…”. Before another word could be spoken, he slipped into the veil of unconsciousness. Once more in the mindscape.

Luna too was in a critical state. Her entire body had been scorched by the point-blank wave of magic. She was panting heavily, intaking huge gulps of air. The warm and comforting wing of her sister was shielding her, despite the fiery properties of Daybreaker. Both siblings shared a hug, not a word exchanged. “It hurts…” The Lunar Queen whimpered. “It hurts so much…” She continued; a tear forming in her eye. One hoof moved the great feathered wing out of her vision. She angrily gazed upon the shredded Unicorn, who seemed to be unconscious.

Daybreaker wasted not a second more. Levitating her weapon of choice, she strutted over to her severely battered opponent. Fiery magic seeped from her horn and contacted the blade, igniting it. The Unicorn’s head tilt upwards, eyes meeting hers, brown instead of white. “Know this; we take no pleasure in thine demise.” She sighed, closing her eyes and thrusting the blade into the Unicorn. She heard the blade make contact with steel. Eyes flaring open, she was in disbelief. “Impossible…”

“N-no.” Cough. “N-nothing… Nothing is-“ Cough. “I-impossible…” The Unicorn rasped, pushing aside the fiery blade of Daybreaker with his halberd, watching as she recoiled. “Surprised? Y-you… Ugh… You shouldn’t be.” He continued, getting back to his hooves with difficulty. His left hoof gave away, collapsing the armoured living-corpse. “I am very hard to kill…” His head lifted, a smile in place of the prior smirk.

Neither combatant made an attempt to dash, eyes fixated on each other, examining every movement. They slowly began circling, weapons dragging along the floor. All three armies of shades, Lunar and Solar Legion had halted their fighting and encircled their respective leaders. The luminescent glow of the shades, the fiery mark of the solar soldiers and the iridescent reflections of the lunar armour shone onto the two leaders. Luna had been carried away from the field of battle to recover.

The Unicorn was running on life support, everything keeping him together was magic, it was exhausting. He felt numb, the magic he utilised was fending off the immense pain. His instincts told him to flee, to escape back to the spire. His body was too weak. His body. Not the apparition. For once, combat. He had never participated in a confrontation, only a mere bystander. He may have been a century old, but he felt like a child. In this moment, he was terrified. But he battled on his fears. Purging them merely made them stronger. He wanted, needed to conquer them. His companion, the parasite of his mind, reckless as he may be, he felt obligated to protect. It was duty like none other.

Daybreaker was losing grip of the body, losing control of Celestia. Both acknowledged their tasks; both were prepared for the final confrontation. They assessed the situation of their adversary. Battered, bones protruding out of his pelt and armour, slowly being repaired. He was exhausted too, having suffered enough damage to render most Unicorns deceased. The fact he still stands meant he still had some fighting spirit. The potential of a Unicorn who can control Alicorn magic was devastating, even if he was in a weakened state.

Cautiously, the pair continued to circle. Then, the Unicorn once more collapsed, letting out a groan afterwards. Daybreaker took this opportunity to shower her opponent in flame, unleashing an unrelenting hail of fire. Soldiers from the Lunar and Solar sides looked in shock as their former princess seemingly erased the stallion from existence. Eventually, the onslaught halted, leaving behind a wall of flame.

Daybreaker cautiously trotted forth, examining her work. There was nothing beyond the fire. Lifting her head, her soldiers were staring with their mouth agape and eyes wide. She felt a shiver down her spine. Turning around, she saw the half-corpse standing, wide grin on him. She wasn’t given a chance to react afterwards, a flurry of attacks from the halberd ensured that. The Alicorn retreated and caught her breath. Her opponent was inspecting his weapon, licking his lips as well! The nerve…

“To be honest with you, I have never fought another creature with magic.” He chuckled; eyes now directed to the Alicorn. “Being acquainted with this was rather… Exciting. I can see why Chaos enjoyed the thrill of combat so much now.” As he spoke the name, his left eye turned to a white. The white of the apparition. “You should feel honoured, Empress of the Day.” No longer was there a vile rasping sound, but rather regular speech. “Repairing my body requires a rather large sum of magic. Replacing that is costly, it takes time and effort.” He slowly approached the pearl Alicorn. “Or, alternatively, I could follow the stratagem of my darker counterpart, and you can return it to me.” He pointed the halberd towards her.

Daybreaker rose her blade and heard the fluttering of wings. Eyes shifting to the skies, she saw Luna looming overhead. The Lunar Queen was donning heavier armour than before, pelt as black as midnight. She landed beside her sister, determination in her eyes. Both Alicorns turned back to the Unicorn, who hadn’t moved an inch.

“Sometimes, I feel like the single most idiotic Unicorn in all of Equestria.” He uttered; a few snickers came from the encirclement. Taking a defensive stance, or at least as close as he could replicate, the Unicorn inhaled and exhaled. This is for you. He galloped forth; sending the halberd to crash down onto the two Alicorns.

His way of fighting differed from Chaos, Daybreaker and Luna could both tell. His movements were less methodical, more predictable. He was inexperienced after all. But there was mimicry, along with that, improvisation. He made sure to utilise his horn more often, despite that, still valuing chivalry. He couldn’t pass for a Knight, no, but an aspirant. There was a sense of desperation within his style, less of a prolonged battle and more shortened duel.

The Royal Sisters were slightly overwhelmed by the onslaught of the Unicorn. However, eventually he retreated, taking a more defensive stance. By then, he had already exhausted a huge reserve of magic by repairing himself, keeping his battered body together and numbing the pain. Once more, he collapsed, writhing on the floor. The crowd was cheering wildly, celebrating the conclusion of a century-due duel. The Shades were silent, they all expressed shock, replaced by frown.

“We’re not done yet…” The Unicorn rasped, getting back onto his hooves. “No, this duel is far from its conclusion.” He continued, licking his lips. “I shall have my desired victory; my stratagem shall succeed.” The King of Shades rose his halberd once more. “And then, we shall have PEACE! Peace in our time.” He concluded his triumphant short speech by summoning the storm once more. The shades commenced their surprise attack onto the shocked soldiers of Daybreaker and Luna.

No longer was he expending magic to numb, or to hold his now repaired parts together. A great shockwave was sent forth, flattening much of the encircling trees of the Everfree and knocking down many Solar and Lunar legionaries. Daybreaker and Luna themselves were once more swarmed by the shrouded onslaught of shades.

Chaos observed the battlefield, leaving his shades to complete the task. Daybreaker had ruined much with that single manoeuvre. He felt his magic waning by the second, body still repairing. Luna had already been taken care of, mostly at least. Daybreaker would be the next target, the more annoying and powerful older sister. Even with the crown containing both Alicorns’ magic, it wasn’t enough to shield him from an impact at such high speeds. He felt physically weak, weaker than any other point in his existence.

“Lament.” He reminded himself, turning his head towards the Everfree. “I do wonder where you are.” He stated, curiosity piqued. “Your existence is a fault, an error, an imperfection. Merely to annoy me. But I could say that about myself for our poor creator.” He continued, noticing an odd shape emerging from the Everfree… No… Ponies. “Perhaps, you were right here watching…” He focused onto the shadowy group. Beyond the sound of battle was marching. The clashing of armour plates, the reverberating battle-cries.

He couldn’t have built an army this quickly… An expression of concern marked his visage. Then, a warhorn was blown. It howled and signalled for a charge. A charge of crystalline armoured Ponies crashed into the shade armies. Oh… Them. He face-hoofed and snickered. Princess Amore had arrived, later than scheduled.

“My, my. Aren’t you just the peak of comedy?” He continued observation, redirecting his forces. This was going to be a long battle.

Time Skip – Elsewhere

Lament felt rather… Rather painful, that was not an experience he’d like to relive. Amore’s Crystal army was extraordinary. Despite being composed of mainly Crystal Earth Ponies, they still had a great arsenal of magical weaponry. Instead of gaining soldiers, he had lost a large portion of his retinue. It was a decisive defeat, he barely managed to escape. Princess Amore herself was an extremely powerful sorceress, scything through congregations of his converted-shades.

He wasn’t ready to face Chaos, if he couldn’t halt the Crystal army, then he’d have no chance in the biggest battle in Equestrian history. His task would have to wait. What was it his father had said to Chaos? You are not merely a tainted version of my image; you are your own person… He contemplated these words as he regathered the still functioning shades.

Ascension would have to be delayed, perhaps never achieved. In fact, he didn’t even know how one could possibly ascend. Lament couldn’t find a solution to this issue, perhaps it could be achieved artificially. Perhaps he didn’t have to become a proper Alicorn, but rather a demi-Alicorn. Yes, that sounds achievable.

Circling the perimeter of the brief skirmishing field, Lament studied the Crystal soldiers, what they had done, how they had defeated his forces. They had numerical superiority, their equipment was of higher quality and they were led by a Princess. The ambush… It didn’t go as planned, not at all. They bulldozed through the dark magically enhanced shades with ease.

“Perhaps, we need not to wander. Perhaps we can still accomplish our mission. Perhaps Chaos will perish forevermore. No perpetual torment. No eternal sorrow.” He said, sighing. “Perhaps, he has the same ideals as I. Perhaps we share a very similar goal. We see different ways to attain that final victory.” He said, chuckling.

In the distance, the storm brew once more, it was beautiful, it needed not to be radiant, to be glamorous. Its mere presence brought intimidation, but a violent calm too. He trotted towards it, waving his hoof, the lamenting shades followed.

“My name does not command respect, does not invoke terror, it was hastily thought up. Hmm… Perhaps, if I am to rule this world, to become this world’s sovereign… Yes… Yes… Sovereign.” The third personality smirked. Sovereign, supreme ruler of Equestria. Those were thoughts for another time, perhaps after Chaos’ demise.

Time Skip – Battlefield

“What?! Impossible!” The King of Shades cried in surprise. His soldiers were being slaughtered. Princess Amore’s Crystal guards were efficient at dispatching his shades, so efficient in fact, the numerical superiority from before mattered little. Chaos was desperately reorganising his familiars, mouth agape as they were practically executed by the Crystal magic of their adversaries. These, these were tell-tale signs that his shades required improvement, that they were yet to become the ultimate combatant.

Reserve infantry, reinforce the- Never-mind, just fight back against the Crystal guards. His orders flew left right and centre. At this point, his orders became more-or-less frantic shouting. He wanted to slap himself, for being so careless upon their approach. At least, the two Alicorns were still kept busy with the majority of his forces. He still wasn’t fully prepared for another confrontation, but soon, very soon, this will end. Or at least that’s what he hoped for.

“Shades, on me!” He called out to his nearby guards, though it wasn’t necessary. They all ignited their horns at once, their target being the Crystal ponies. Then, they all discharged at once. A hail of dark magic struck Amore’s troops, disintegrating a huge amount of her ponies. It was a gruesome sight, comparable to the first mass-organised dark magic barrage a century before.

“Second row, charge lightning bolts, pick thy targets.” He repeated the exact words spoken before. “On my mark, disintegrate them.” The King of Shades himself had amplified the magic of his personal guards.

Raising his hoof, a smirk appeared on him. “Eviscerate them.”

Then, a great cry of terror came from the battlefield, a howling wave of lightning erased hundreds of Crystal ponies. Their history, their lives, their memories, deleted. They were all gone, only the armour remained. Their moral had crumbled into dust, much like their fallen comrades. Princess Amore had been in the midst of fighting, and had managed to protect her and her closest soldiers from the ensuing electric blanket.

The Crystal Princess was horrified, hundreds of loyal followers, those whose ancestors she had saved from the bitter environment of the frozen north. Now, they were gone, reduced to dust, their legacy in tatters. Those who have fallen shall not go unavenged. Amore prepared a shield against the dark Unicorn’s next barrage, and the one after whilst sending her forces forth to do battle.

The Solar Legion was practically decimated, Daybreaker was all that stood against the hordes along with her sister. Eyes now locked onto the mist surrounding the centre of the shade army. Chaos, it must’ve been him. No more stalling, it was time to fight. It was time for him to perish. Perish forevermore. She had been mocked by the stallion; her soldiers had been slaughtered in the masses. She could not feel remorse for the masses anymore, this battlefield was about to become desolate. With that, Daybreaker unleashed great torrents of flame, whirlwinds of blaze, a hellish inferno which consumed all within its path. The shrieks of a thousand enthralled Unicorns filled the skies.

Luna followed her sister’s example, unleashing a combination of black and lunar magic down onto her adversaries. Collateral damage was almost completely ignored, the sisters merely scythed through the army. The Lunar Legion watched in awe, encouraged by their commander. They follow her example, fighting with ferocity and renewed tenacity. Adrenaline pumped in every single creature, the thrill and terror of battle consumed their minds. Magic discharged in all directions, weaponry of all types clashed and reverberated. Armour collapsed onto the grounds of the Everfree, bodies writhed in pain.

Chaos felt as if he had abandoned his morals once more. This battle, it was to be fleeting. Yet, it had lengthened, to the point where the Crystal Empire had to be involved. He had to resort to his most brutal tactics, despite how costly it may have been. He watched the two Alicorns and empowered Unicorn decimate some of the former denizens of Equestria, and he felt terrible at heart. He could feel the thoughts reverberating in his very own familiars, having to scythe down their former comrades, their compatriots. This, this was the creature he had devolved into. But another part of him loved it, a sensation beyond satisfactory. To cause torment, to cause pain, to spread fear. This was him, his grandest display, his finest architecture, his masterwork painting. He could laugh at this- No, he couldn't. One still stood in the way, the one who always reeled him from the abyss. Companion, associate, comrade. Father..

Not a single combatant could feel regret or remorse. They only fought. Their minds demanded this conflict to conclude, but they continue to slay each foe without relent. It was a bloody ballet, an orchestra of flame, an ensemble of pain. Lament-Or rather the self-proclaimed Sovereign witnessed it all from a distance. It was… It was uneasy feeling; he had found the beauty of this battle beyond its horror. Brush in hoof, landscape before him. He was documenting the battle with art. The art of conflict, of bloodshed. The world, oh how it had devolved into such a catastrophe.

Author's Note

I do hope you- and by extension everybody else who has read this enjoyed this chapter. Though, i do believe that it is weaker in vocabulary.

Chapter Eight, the chapter where Chaos gets annihilated. Think of Daybreaker's impact as a car crash, but faster, and on fire.

9 - Confrontation

9 - Thoughts

Chaos stood in place; eyes glued onto the vacant wall before him. Sighing, his eyes failed to avert from this particular section. Behind, his patient acolyte awaited the conclusion to his final confrontation. Another sigh escaped his maw, the air inhaled mere moments later. Haunches placed onto the stone tiles beneath him, the former King of Shades stared, motionless. Not emotionless, he could feel himself becoming weaker every second. His body shivered; his stomach contracted. He hadn’t realised that he shrunk down.

“What troubles you, your eminence?” Questioned the concerned lesser Unicorn whose coat was a lavender with a black mane and tail, a wand of sparks was his mark. He wasn’t offered a response. Approaching cautiously, the servant could feel a sense of dread creeping onto his pelt. The King of Shades turned to face his lesser and recoiled, hissing as his back made contact with the wall. The rather shocked Unicorn merely watched as his superior curled into a ball of mist and miasma.

“Leave this room.” Chaos muttered; vision filled with charcoal fur. He heard not a step, nor did he feel mere motion. “Leave me, that is an order.” He commanded, voice turning to authoritarian and malevolent. There still hung a melancholy in his voice, however commanding it may have turned out.

The Acolyte obeyed his order, bowing respectfully before leaving the chamber. At this moment, the congregation of victim Unicorns woke from their immense torment, dazed and unruly. Immediately, the mist encased them and began converting them into shades. They marched into formation and snapped to attention.

Chaos watched his new guard form, standing onto his hooves and closely examining them. “You all disappoint me.” He hissed at the foremost Shade. “You specifically. I am speaking to you, mentor.” Rasping at the particular shade, the King slapped him across the muzzle. “Perhaps you have always required an improvement…” He spoke, hoof rubbing his chin as he pondered. Then, the Shade-Unicorn was floored, hoof against his chest where the heart would be located. Manfesting a rather weak halberd, he prodded the unarmoured pelt lightly. “This is your greatest weakness, where you shall perish.” He continued, forcing the blade into his machination, killing it instantly. “I am not immune to that either.” Another Shade was dragged before him. “THAT IS WHERE YOU HAVE DISAPPOINATED ME!” He roared, loud enough for the entire chamber to rumble, prior etiquette having been abandoned. “Why did you fail me… How…”

The smaller Unicorn listened as the King of Shades disciplined his ensemble of shades, rather intrigued at his ramblings, even chuckling at points where the dark Unicorn lost his temper.

“I believe I am done… Father…” The Dark Unicorn sighed as he dispatched the last shade, leaving his corpse writhing on the floor. He smirked. “Begone.” With a wave of his hoof, the corpses disintegrated into dust, never to be seen again by Ponykind. “Even after all of these centuries… I haven’t changed, have I?” He contemplated his actions, looking down to the floor. A broken mess of a Unicorn, mind scrambled, pain lingered still, desire lingered still, desire for torment. He felt… Unrestrained. Unshackled. Free at last, but yet… There were still manacles attached to him.

The lesser Unicorn entered into view of Chaos, slowly approaching the quite literally emotion driven dark being with caution. He had calmed, posture no longer that of a wild beast but rather a Canterlot noble. “Your eminence, are you feeling well?” He asked, careful with his approach.

“Y-Yes… Yes, I apologise- I mean…” He paused, he just apologised to his subordinate. “Damn it all!” He stamped his hoof. “I believe I require… I require proper rest. My tower still stands, am I correct in that assumption?” He spoke in a rushed manner, head lifted to meet his new servant’s eyes.

“Indeed, your eminence.” The Unicorn politely responded. “Shall I lead you to your chambers?” He continued, hoof gesturing in the direction of the exit. He received a tired smile and sigh. Both Unicorns trotted out of the dreadful tomb, leaving behind the unforgiving memories.

The two strolled through the archaic structure. The halls filled with shattered glass panes and destroyed statues. This place had been desecrated in the King of Shades’ absence. Much of the items in here were definitely of high value, after all, some were personally sculpted and crafted by the shade-Unicorn himself. He wasn’t necessarily the greatest artist on the planet, in fact he was rather mediocre compared to even artisans of his time. He may have fled for a majority of his existence, but during the quiet moments, he had bothered to pick up passion projects long abandoned.

Eventually, the duo reached the top of the tower, a relatively untouched chamber filled to the brim with dust and nests. Chaos immediately flung himself into the bed. Finally, rest, true rest unlike before. “What about the rest of your story?” He heard the Unicorn ask, but he was too tired to answer in full, a Noo… Could be heard.

His horn ignited, magic billowing from its tip and attaching themselves to the armour straps. Firstly, the cape, a ruined form of its former glory. He removed the criniere second, carefully placing them aside his velvety bed. Then came the peytral, a thick piece of refined metal which had withstood blade after blade, magical blasts of all types. Its centre piece was exposed by a great gash, punctured by intensive combat, exposing the location of the heart. The flanchards slid off without issue, having been the piece of armour to be struck by Daybreaker’s violent meteorite manoeuvre. After this came the mail underneath, a time-consuming task attempting to remove the carefully warn chain of armour. As the barding was finally removed, the Shade stretched his body, the sounds of bones clicking filled the chamber.

“Quite an interesting set of armour, your eminence.” The lesser Unicorn whistled, admiring the neatly packed barding. “Isn’t it a little… Heavy?” He continued, hoof prodding at the plates of steel.

“Are you… Are you saying that they have abandoned plate armour?” He asked, disappointment clear in his voice. “Has technological progress advanced to that point already? Perhaps it is merely ceremonial.” He continued; eyes glued to the iridescent window, what he saw beyond was… Spectacular. “What happened in my absence?”

“Discord, a being of chaotic magic. Responsible for a technological dark age. He still roams this world…” The lesser Unicorn trailed off as he heard laughter. “What? I don’t…”

“Discord, spirit of mischief. Chaos brough pandemonium to the world of order and left a ruined kingdom. In turn, he must’ve strengthened its resolve if a discordant God of Chaos wasn’t satisfied. What grave irony, I brought order through chaos, so chaos had returned to destroy order.” The King of Shades spoke, amusement predominant in his speech, then another yawn.

“Your eminence-“

“Silence… We need-“ He paused, yawning. “I need to recollect my thoughts…” He finished, breathing yet another sigh and slumping into the bed and fully melting into its sheets. “Leave…” The Shade hissed, not a second later was he already asleep. The smaller Unicorn took notes of the dark Unicorn’s behaviour, rather odd for one described to be malevolence incarnate. His expression was one of deep regret and shame, yet there was a certain pain in it. The smirk prior had been merely a façade.

What was he thinking?

Time Skip – Mindscape

‘What was I thinking...?’

A rhetorical question came from the King of Shades. He looked down upon his dominion, his empire, the false world. He hadn’t visited this place in centuries, yet little had changed. It was his perfect world. His world. It needed to go, to be destroyed, replaced.

At an instant, it disappeared, replaced with a hallway. A hallway of memories. It was in total disrepair. Rows of doors led to treasured and loathed memories, from torment to lament.

‘Why do I still cling on to those thoughts?’

A sigh, he motioned his hoof, banishing those thoughts further down the corridor. One door disobeyed his command, one defiant memory. His expression twisted into one of fear, fear of that door. He was beyond terrified, words yet to be fathomed by Ponykind. His mind reverberated the same word, a simple word. No… No… No… No… Then, the symphony was broken, a new word introduced. Please… No… No… Until the orchestra flared. I beg of you… No… Spare me that thought… Anything, anything! His very thoughts were opposing him.

‘They do not benefit me, merely hold me back.’

Suddenly, a whiteness encircled and eventually consumed his incorporeal form. He clawed at it, screeched and hissed, refusing its abduction. Yet, nothing worked. Twisted laughter echoed through the mind, the twisted laughter of Chaos. It lacked his perfected malevolence, it lacked his persistent sorrow or regret, it lacked the elegance, the glamour, grace. It was beyond them. Beyond insanity too.

‘Then banish those thoughts, let me help you my creation, my son.’

He wasn’t speaking, or thinking of that… W-what is happening t-to m-me… Then, before him, the memory played like a tape recorder. The harrowing screams amplified in his void. His soldiers, they were screaming in pain. He could hear them, their anguish clear, their true torment. It terrified him beyond limits. He shouldn’t have been terrified; he wasn’t a pony to be easily terrified… He wasn’t susceptible to fear… “Enough!”He weakly cried, yet none followed his command.

‘As you wish, father, my one true father.’

“Please… Stop!” He pleaded as his shades surrounded him. They cared naught. They felt no remorse, they felt no fear, no pain. They were perfect. They parted to reveal a dark Unicorn, Chaos. He was impaled through the chest with a sword, directly through the heart. His expression was one of shock, of terror and pain. Before him, the Solar and Lunar Alicorns, cured of their blight, triumphantly standing before the King of Shades.

‘You will become the greatest in the eyes of many and all.’

He felt himself impaled by his own shades. They all descending onto him, ripping his hide, canines piercing the pelt. His screams of agony were muffled, muffled by the laughter of his own creations. Laughter of the shades, hoarse, a rasping noise, they cackled into the midnight.

Time Skip

“Please, I-” He stopped himself, heart beating abnormally, hoof on his chest, panting and gasping. It was midnight. Silence reigned supreme, yet a familiar sensation creeped onto him. The bitter wind howled, emanating its ghostly presence throughout Equestria. The breeze occasionally brushed past his pelt, leaving a shivering paranoid Unicorn.

He hadn’t spoken those words… It was… It was replaying a memory from times past. He was speaking in those memories, yet he was thinking of the exact words. Who…? Who was this father? He… He who called my voice creation, his son… He contemplated these words, eyes locked onto the stained-glass window. No... I have only one creator, and he… Pause. Time passed. Snow fell upon the untamed Everfree. Birds sang their early morning choirs. Wolves howled as their precious night was consumed by the break of day.

He was soon snapped out of his thought. “Good morning, Your eminence.” Came the voice of his second most favourite pony of the century. “Did you sleep well?” His question was responded with a shake of the head.

“Why are you still here?” He demanded; horn ignited as he placed his armour on. “Go home, leave this poor excuse of an ancient stallion behind, leave him to rot in his personal fortress.” He grumbled; cape draped along his back. “Eminence… Hmmm… I rather like it...”

“I realised you were more than a history subject, more than just another roadblock in the Celestial Alicorn’s path.” He spoke, stunning the dark Unicorn. “There must’ve been more, more I could learn. They know you’re alive, we all do.” He continued, grinning at the shade. “What has kept you striding forth? What kept your ship afloat? What was it?”

“Why do you care?” Chaos replied, hissing as he stood on all fours. “What you see isn’t me… I am a walking corpse, mutilated, infernal pain even the most enduring earth stallion of all couldn’t fathom. What has kept me going? Pain. Torment. And now, Hatred. Hatred for Celestia, for her sister, for myself, for my other self.” Concluding his explanation, his form, true form was revealed to the smaller Unicorn.

He gasped, before him stood what could only be described as a silhouette, one with patches of its translucent body leaking a vile dark substance. His horn was chipped at the tip, his mane and tail were ethereal. He rasped and growled, hissed and screeched. Posture more akin to that of a wolf than the regal stance before.

“Cel… Celestia… Celestia… Cel…” The Silhouette reverberated, a forked tongue licking his fangs. He turned to face the smaller Unicorn, growling as his stance became predatory. “Yes… Magic… Yes… Yes-“ He rasped, head snapping to the left. In the place of the translucent monster was Chaos, regal posture returning. “I apologise for you having to witness that. Dark magic, it still consumes my mind. By the end of my reign, I will be naught but a feral hound, left to wander the forests awaiting my eventual demise.” He spoke, chuckling.

“I- Uh… Okay… I believe I will be having a lot of nightmares tonight.” Nonchalantly replied the Unicorn, though still quite on edge after the display. “Let’s… Get onto a different topic…”

“What is your name, young Unicorn?” The King of Shades asked, giving a welcoming smile, or as close of a convincing non-evil smile as he could. Though, it was still rather terrifying. “You’d make a fine servant; Intuition has spoken.”

“Arcane, Arcane Scroll, descendant of many great Unicorn spellcasters of your time.” He began, bowing his head. “In fact, many participated in your battle against Empress Daybreaker and Queen Luna of the Solar and Lunar Empires. My ancestors may have fought to destroy you, but I know better than them. They were blind to the true capabilities of your magic.” He concluded, though one thought still lingered within his mind. “Have you ever heard of a certain cataclysm during your century of freedom?”

“Cataclysm? Of what magnitude do you speak of? I had caused much destruction during the century of which I reigned.” He questioned, intrigued by this student of the forbidden.

“Circa fifty years after your initial appearance to the Kingdom of Unicornia, a great surge of dark energy consumed the skies. Reportedly, the screams of thousands of ponies in torment could be heard, though I seriously doubt-“

“That event. O-oh no... He did it… Unintentionally.” Chaos spoke aloud, downcast.

“Shall I continue, your eminence?” Arcane asked, his interest in the past renewed. With a nod, he smirked. “That dark energy was identified to be yours. Or rather, the magical signature of thousands which had been… Influenced by your magic. Most Unicorns have now inherited this artificially created magic, so the majority of the population could tap into dark magic, though with great difficulty as it is fed by emotio- You already know this. In essence, a myriad of powerful spellcasters had been granted power beyond their wildest fantasies. Necromancers rose. Sorcerers lurked. Warlocks reave.” He finished speaking and heard a chuckle.

“Oh, grandiose, that crown truly possessed power beyond what I could fathom, I doubt the one I don, despite being fuelled by Alicorn magic could’ve compared to that crystal. In my efforts to bring this world harmony, I created true disharmony. What is light without dark? What is benevolence without malevolence? A concept without true purpose, without true opposition.” He spoke with venom, another chuckle escaping his maw. “Come, let us leave this dreary building. I have not explored Equestria in… Excuse me for my ignorance, how long has it been?”

“Say- two centuries minimum.”

“Two centuries of history I have missed… Four centuries since my creation and yet I am still remembered.” He spoke with a grin. The two Unicorns prepared for their departure from the desecrated tower.

Time Skip

The day was young, the skies were cloaked with a barrier of shaded clouds. A great storm was brewing, a great magical storm of forbidden energy. It wrought havoc where it went, it cared not for the inhabitants of Equestria, nor the flora or fauna. It was a directionless chaotic vortex. The one who had conjured it was indeed the spirit of mischief, lord of chaos Discord.

Beneath those skies was the ever-expansive Everfree. It had become rather quiet. Tranquil. It was a sanctuary, a garden of eden. Ever since the great battle centuries ago, the mightiest predators had fled, leaving only the harmless woodland critters to tread. Everfree Castle had been fully rebuilt, greater than it ever was prior to the Solar-Lunar Eclipse. All that remained of the old was the harrowing spire of Chaos.

“They’re here, I could recognise that signature anywhere!”Spoke a young Unicorn of crimson hide and midnight black mane, his cutiemark a glaive surrounded by a sea of crimson spoke to his companions as they navigated the dense woods.

“At ease Crimson Glaive, they aren’t going anywhere. Our intelligence had stated clearly that they had reached the tower.” Came the voice of a companion, a Pegasus of a tangerine pelt and brown mane and tail.

“Stay vigilant, or we shall taste the bitterness of defeat, Seasonal Wind. They have evaded us for long, but this dawn, our efforts will pay!” Replied the crimson Unicorn, unsheathing a glaive. “Come, Crusaders of the Sun! No longer shall this accursed group of dark magicians lurk in Equestria’s shadows!” He declared, his companions cheering as they simultaneously drew their weapons. Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies all clad in gilded plating, though lacking the superior protective capabilities of past armour, inspired by Chaos’ personal combat equipment, this new mail-less equipment was light, its bearers were manoeuvrable. All Crusaders wore a Solar pendant, repelling the forbidden magic and destroying it from its bearer.

They escaped the forest, alas, they arrived before the towering structure built by Chaos all those centuries prior. A constant reminder of the darkness which prowls Equestria. He himself was entombed within this structure, his spell having back-fired once the cured Princess Celestia and Queen Luna had interrupted his final spell. Doomed to an eternity of solitary confinement.

“Thank Celestia for that.” One of the Solar Crusaders muttered.

As they walked past the flora infested gate, a sense of dread crawled onto their iron-clad pelts. Howls and shrieks of the long deceased were audible, the tens of thousands of souls shackled by the will of shades. The influence of dark magic creeped onto their minds, but hissed and recoiled as they were repelled by the solar pendants.

“May you rest in peace, tortured souls!” Crimson, ever the melodramatic Unicorn that acted as if he was expelling demons. The others gave either an eye-roll or a sigh and groan. There was nothing but lamenting voices here, they were harmless. Still both leading ponies felt a shiver down their spine as a hiss could be heard from within the spire.

“I-I’m sure its n-nothing…” Another Solar Crusader nervously remarked, weapon shuffling in his hooves.

“Worry not! For we shall return un-harmed by these vile and dangerous practitioners of the dark!” The Unicorn of theatrics triumphantly declared. He is the first to enter, one hoof pushing the creaking door to reveal a grand chamber at the base. It may have been grand during its heyday, but now it was a ruined and desecrated mess. Statues had collapsed or severely damaged and degraded, portraits were either torn or their frames broken.

“This place is a wreck. Must’ve contained some extremely valuable artefacts or jewellery in here.” An observant Solar Crusader spoke, his comrades nodding in agreement.

Seasonal Wind overtook his red pelted companion and reached the centre ignoring his pleas of ‘vigilance’ and ‘danger lurking’. What nonsense, the group they were hunting weren’t the most organised of dark magicians in Equestria. No, they weren’t even the most dangerous. It was their intention, the return of the King of Shades. Wind couldn’t allow that. Not in a million solar cycles. Intuition had already told him be wary, but he ignored its call. “Justice awaits.” He whispered.

A rasping sound resonated in their collective ears. The clash of armour plating, the rattle of chain mail. Armoured hoof against the stone tiles. They unanimously prepared for combat, swords and spears, axes and maces raised. The mist rolled, seeping into the chamber through cracks in the wall or entrances to hallways.

Panic, yet they stood in place.

“Seasonal… I think we should retreat…” The glaive wielding Unicorn nervously asked, simultaneously igniting his horn and illuminating the room. “Seasonal?” He received no response, the Pegasus merely waited, focusing his attention on the direction of the noise.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” Nervously spoke a Solar Crusader, clutching his weapon tightly.

“It’s him… It’s HIM!” The Pegasus suddenly had an outburst, causing his fellow Crusaders to squeal. “Stand your ground, soldiers! Do not falter in the face of your enemy!” He commanded, dragging a pair of terrified Earth ponies.

Agonisingly slowly, the miasma encircled the Solar ensemble. Luminescent eyes emanated from the thick mist. Out of the shroud strutted the armoured-clad Dark Unicorn. Chaos, King of Shades, harbinger of dark magic. With him, a lavender Unicorn donning a cloak and circlet, the Unicorn they had been hunting.

“Shalt I call thy companions brave or foolish? Brave to face me, foolish to come here. But I digress. I welcome thee, children of Celestia. Welcome to mine fallen Kingdom.” Declared the formerly entombed King. His armour was battered beyond recognition, his body was scarred from hoof to head.

Crimson Glaive took a step back along with the majority of his fellow Solar Crusaders, his eyes focused on the tangerine Pegasus whom took combat stance, spear raised and prepared to impale his foe. Others were inspired of his bravery, in spite of their terror. After all, the Unicorn before them managed to face two Alicorns, in the same battle.

“Nay. I wish not to fight thee, for I harbour no hatred towards thee and thy associates.” Continued the Dark Unicorn as he approached the Pegasus, nonchalantly batting his weapon aside with an armoured hoof. He noticed multiple Crusaders attempting to escape and raised the mist barrier, halting them entirely.

“You have caused great harm to my family.” The Pegasus spoke in a sombre tone. “My ancestors suffered from your rule. Many of my family had became Shades, destined to toil under your control for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest of my family, Sudden Strike had accomplished much before your merciless slaughter. You are a parasite, a blight upon our world. And you shall be vanquished!” He scorned. Disregarding his previous worry, merely being fuelled by vengeance the Pegasus charged.

Chaos was rather amused, raising a shield before the Pegasus. Then, rather surprisingly, the winged tangerine didn’t crash into his barrier. “Oh no, I have been threatened, whatever shalt I do? But seriously, what do you expect to happen? That you’re going to plunge that puny little spear into my heart and get the vengeance you desire? Because that isn’t how events here play out.” He spoke with amusement. “Understand that I wish not to fight, instead, you are interrupting my morning walk around the Everfree, my first one in centuries. I only need to clear my mind a little.” He explained, walking past the Solar Crusader.

“You may not know this, but with the little stunt Celestia pulled on me whilst I was busy, she had inadvertently killed over eight thousand of her own people including the ones her army had already killed by disintegrating them into ash. Only I can reverse the Shade curse, and if you try to revert it yourself, you kill whoever it controls.” He informed the Crusaders, who were all disheartened.

“By the way, faithful servant Arcane.” He turned his head, watching the little Unicorn trot. “Who are these… Sun-lovers?”

They took great offence to this nickname. “How dare you insul-mmmph!” Instantaneously, the Solar Crusader was silenced by his comrades.

“After your entombment, Celestia formed the order of which they are a part of. They are Crusaders of the Sun, what nonsense. You having escaped that tomb is living proof that they are incapable of doing their job correctly.” Arcane Scroll mocked, much to the dismay of the others. “You are an organised militia, created to hunt down those who freely practiced dark magic. Is it so vile that you must burn us at the stake? Is it so vile that we must be lynched in every town and city we enter? You do not see the benefits of this gift. Merely its malignancies.” He scorned, receiving looks of anger and shame from the Crusaders.

“Don’t think we’ll ever forgive you, former brother Arcane Scroll.” Crimson spoke in a much more serious tone. “You were too ambitious and took up this magic.” He continued, the others nodding in agreement and giving glares.

“Silence! I have enough of you lot grumbling behind my back!” Chaos growled, displaying his fangs to the shrinking Crusaders. “Go. Get out of my castle. The ones following Arcane Scroll have perished, so unless you so wish to be turned into a Shade, I would recommend your immediate withdraw from this fortress.” He scowled at them, hoof pointing to the entrance.

The Crusaders scrambled out of the angered demi-god’s home; most were glad to have not fought with the King of Shades. Seasonal Wind felt different, he felt his ancestors were cheated, and they wouldn’t rest in peace. Crimson on the other hoof felt betrayed and insulted. This couldn’t continue. With the discovery of Chaos, the Princesses must be warned.

Time Skip

After the rather amusing display of Equestria’s finest buffoons, Chaos needed to clear his mind. Sleep didn’t help, merely nightmares and memories of the past. I hate them, so inconceivably much. He thought, aimlessly wandering the snow covered Everfree. Beside him was a rather useful information machine, everything he needed to know about modern day Equestria. Or well, ‘modern’. Equestrian technology had advanced to what would be the renaissance. It hasn’t exactly been a golden age for the nation.

Empires from across the azure seas have come and went, pillaging the land as they pleased. Deer, Griffons, other Griffons, Minotaurs, Pirates, Dragons quite frequently and internal threats such as powerful dark magicians. Now, in the skies, Discord. Chaos was rather giddy, a peculiar behaviour rarely exhibited by the Unicorn. Many of the Unicorn inhabitants of Equestria were now technically his descendants, marked by his magic. In fact, he felt an increase in dark magical presence universally.

“Ah, it must be noon. Unless Discord is messing with the skies once more. How about a picnic?” Arcane suggested, looking up at the dark Unicorn hopefully.

“Yes, that sounds appetising. Since you don’t look in any way like an omnivore, I am presuming that you’ve only brought regular Pony-food, the stuff tastes like venom to me.” Chaos responded, licking his fangs at the thought of food. His companion however was taken aback.

“Omnivore? You eat meat?! Ooh… If only I had known! Wait, you don’t like the food we normally have? Omnivore? Only eats meat? What happened to the vegetation part? Do you… Do you like pony?” The young Unicorn felt a little uncomfortable around the Dark Unicorn now. Creating a little bit of distance between him and himself.

“Ooh noo! Chaos is going to eat me! Oh, the ponymanity! No. I am not a cannibal. Where did you get that idea from?” He asked, snickering at the smaller Unicorn’s antics.

“Griffons… They ea-“

“Don’t even continue. I don’t want to hear it.” Chaos placed a hoof onto his companion’s muzzle. “Predators, I have never considered the animal’s perspective whilst I poached, roasted and devoured them.” He was given a certain look. “What? I cook my food.”

“O-okay…” Nervously replied the Unicorn, shuffling a little further away.

Eventually, the two dark magic addicted Unicorns arrived onto a hill with a great scenic view of the Everfree and beyond. In the distance, there stood the spire, the Everfree castle, Canterville in the far distance, or rather Canterlot, plenty of obscure villages, the river. Discord’s antics was unmissable, neither were the Royal Pony Sisters attempting to eradicate him.

Chaos had hunted down many of the local wild life inhabiting the local area, ensuring his lunch would be as grand as a banquet. He was starving. Beyond starving. Using magic to sustain one’s body was exhausting and didn’t completely negate the requirement of a pony’s body.

In the distance, Discord seemed to be tormenting the two unfortunate Alicorn sisters with his rather cruel machinations. It seems he enjoyed spreading this torment as much as Chaos did centuries prior. The two dark magicians merely observed, their view was spectacular.

Arcane on the other hand was granted a training session with the pony whom was the single most potent in dark magic. He loved it. Just a single duel with the Dark Unicorn and he already figured he was outmatched. But proper pupils are always determined to learn, to become as great, or greater than their tutors.

And that is why you must endure this pain, no matter how much I break you, how many bones are broken, how many organs are crushed, how much of your skin is destroyed, how much you bleed. You must stand. You must stand back up. Chaos halted in place; eyes glued to the skies. That was his mentor’s voice… No… It was mixture of two voices. The one his voice called ‘father’.

You must adapt if you are to ever face your foes in combat. Be tenacious. Be relentless. And eventually, we will face each other on the battlefield. The battle will be fierce. But you shall fulfil your purpose. That which you will learn in the future. I will be relentless. I will not show you mercy. We shall know each other as foes, not parent and child. Eventually, the prophecy shall be broken. My destiny will be fulfilled. My child, know this; Harmony awaits.

“Harmony awaits…” He hissed aloud and collapsed to the ground.

Author's Note

Less action-packed chapters to come.

Harmony awaits.

10 - Thoughts

10 - Inheritors

Grand Gallery reviewed the work laid before him. A landscape painting, finest of its kind. Vivid in detail, aspiring in beauty. A battlefield stretched across the canvas, within it, thousands of warriors clad in steel and crystal. At the centre, there stood two figures, one as pristine as the crystalline north and the other as stygian as the midnight descended down to their subordinates, facing in the direction of their foe, a dark horned figure towering above the shrouded battlefield. The work was labelled Final Confrontation. Though many understood its representation, few understood its true meaning.

Gallery handled the painting as if it was a volatile explosive, primed to wipe out Canterlot upon contact with the ground. This, this was his finest work. Here in the centre of Canterlot, where he took his residence. The bustling city was his safe haven, free from the tyranny of the outside world. Governed by the Princess of Love, the city had enjoyed relative prosperity similar to the Everfree Castle during its heyday. Trouble had stirred recently, throwing the city into minor disorganisation.

Gallery always wondered if his career would collapse into the dirt, he wasn’t exactly successful. But the Unicorn always tried his finest to impress the wealthy of Canterlot. Perhaps it was his proper etiquette that lured the nobility. Or perhaps it was the items of value, that’s what they cared about, wasn’t it? Then, the snowy Unicorn hissed. Looking out of the window, he saw them. Those buffoons of the Sun! Coming back to Canterlot after murdering another innocent Unicorn? Perhaps bothering the Princess once more with their paranoia? Growling in their direction. He despised those Solar Pendants, no one Unicorn with dark magic would be sane enough to approach one.

Their expressions told a different tale. A tangerine Pegasus and crimson Unicorn led the ensemble, fear plastered on their faces. Fear? Crusaders of the Sun can feel fear? Unheard of… Unless they fought a manticore or goddess forbid, Hydra. His mind searched all possibilities, there was a discrepancy. Hydra… No, there aren’t any Hydras in the Everfree anymore. He examined closely. There isn’t even a shred of relief in their expression. They have lost to something. But he was curious, not one had suffered any form of battle damage.

As the golden armour-clad returned to their Solar fortress situated west of the Canterlot centre, the white pelted Unicorn snapped from his thoughts, returning to his previous activity of paint watching. It was enchanting, he could almost see the figures move on their own accord.

The Unicorn hadn’t lived within these walls for long. Only recently did the portrait enthusiast move from the Everfree. A persistent presence drew him ever closer to its centre, near to the Capital of Equestria. Its inexplicable nature perplexed the dark magical Unicorn, and that terrified him. At its core, the Everfree contained a well filled with magic of all types. Yet whoever desires to access this well is destroyed without thought. Many have documented its behavioural pattern, almost as if it was a sentient being. The abhorrent King of Shade’s Dark Magic is known to leech whatever magic it desires, yet it isn’t sentient. It does not feel. It does not fear.

He heard a commotion outside. Once more, Gallery glanced at the window. Beyond the confines of his residence, a violent altercation was erupting. There, in the centre of Canterlot, the Princess of Love took her residence too. The morning parade was interrupted, by none other than the Crusaders of the Sun. Her supporters were being assaulted by those of the Sun. The simple tan-pelted, cerulean-maned and viridescent eyed Princess of Love herself was surrounded by the golden-clad Crusaders, an argument brewing between the two parties.

“If you would only realise the error of your ways!” A Solar Crusader yelled, raising his weapon as his comrades followed suit in approval.

“Error of our ways?! You are too blind to see the practical usage of such power, and you persecute us for simple actions! We have saved lives, and yet you still hunt us? We even have longer lifespans!” One supporter retaliated, his ensemble applauding.

“And what do you do during that time? Spend vast amounts of dark magic, ensuring that your bodies decay faster and killing you sooner, as well as committing to your abhorrent studies!” A Solar supporter exclaimed.

Gallery could distinguish two Crusaders speaking directly to the Princess, one with a pelt of crimson and the other a tangerine. They were clearly the leaders and most likely instigators of the quarrelling. Their chatter was drowned in the sea of squabble. The artistic Unicorn left his home, joining the crowd, prepared to de-escalate if possible. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen, and Gallery felt a sense of dread loom over him.

The confrontations between these two parties started peacefully. A word of sedition or two, perhaps insults, false accusations and maledictions. Then, violence. Combat Magic flared in the city of Canterlot. Such has not happened for centuries. Dark magic too billowed. Such is why the Crusaders still prowl Equestria. Gallery watched in shock and horror. They were killing each other, in the streets of Canterlot! Brothers and sisters, Unicorn, Pegasi and Earth pony!

The Princess by no means was a warrior. She merely practiced the practical non-combat-related spells and techniques of Dark magic, ironically created by the one pony who desperately needed combat magic the most. She was merely casting shield after shield to protect her supporters, seeking to end this without more bloodshed. But the Crusaders of the Sun cared little for those who practised the dark arts. They must be purged.

Suddenly, a bolt of Solar magic rippled through the Canterlot streets towards the Princess of Love, hissing as it drew closer to the young Alicorn. It impacted, an explosive reaction following suit. The Princess felt dust impact her pelt, but not a trace of Solar magic. She heard a sharp inhalation from the smoking pillar before her. Then, the column of smoke dissipated.

“Grand Gallery? The painter of Canterlot?” Spoke the stunned Princess as she backed off from the dissipated smoke pillar.

Gallery felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. His pristine coat of white was now decorated with a black patch. The remnant of Dark Magic emanated from his horn, crackling and evaporating into the air around. It was excruciating, but he still stood. “Flee… Princess, flee from Canterlot, they will only hunt you here in Canterlot.” He rasped to her, one hoof giving away and collapsing him. “The Solar Crusaders won’t stop until you are dead…”

The Princess heeded his word, her remaining supporters withdrawing from the streets of Canterlot, much of the Crusaders and their supporters attempted pursuit, but were halted by the one-pony army of Gallery, using all of his magic to create a shield. The emanated magic was vile and detestable to the Solar supporters, its revolting sense repelled them. They had to wait, and Gallery made sure of that.

Eventually, he was overwhelmed. The shield bubble shattered, disappearing into the aether. Gallery was surrounded by the Crusaders, all jeering, scowling and glaring him daggers. He wasn’t in any condition to fight, having exhausted his supply of magic. He felt dread, they were going to kill him. Then, the white pelted Unicorn collapsed once more, slipping into the veil of unconsciousness.

Perspective Switch

Crimson Glaive slapped the white Unicorn’s head whilst ordering his retinue to disperse the disorderly militia of Solar supporters. He spat at the ironically pristine coat of the Dark Magician, dragging him by the hoof towards the Solar Fortress. His men began desecrating the art enthusiast’s residence, they cared little for those who practised the dark arts and especially not for their creations. Though, many items were of great value, such were tapestries of old, mostly archaic items which are no longer in production. Seasonal Wind especially admired the landscape paintings within the white Unicorn’s personal room.

Then, somepony whom Glaive hadn’t hoped to meet with had arrived, the Grand Master. A towering stallion clad in the finest plate and mail, he was intimidating sight to witness. An aging Earth pony, Grand Master Allegiant Light may have passed his prime, but he was one to command respect. And Glaive was terrified of him, even beyond the sight of the King of Shades remerging.

“Crimson Glaive,” He reprimanded, “Once more, you have disappointed the Order and its highest-ranking members. By provoking conflict between a sovereign, even if they are a figurehead, you have made a great enemy.” Allegiant continued, great disappointment in his voice.

“B-but, s-sir… H-have I n-not done as the Order d-desires?” Stuttered the crimson pelted Crusader, shrinking beneath his superior in absolute terror. Many of the retinue were astonished, Allegiant’s mere presence brought the theatrical and somewhat brutal Crimson Glaive to his knees.

“You indeed have, but against one of Equestria’s very own Princesses? Actions have consequences, you should already know that.” The armour-clad Allegiant spoke, lifting the Unicorn’s head and staring directly into his pupils. “Before you speak of witchcraft and burning at the pyre, understand that this situation could be resolved differently.” He scoffed, slapping Crimson and receiving a whimper from the Unicorn. “I am not going to allow you free reign over the Order. And for this action, you will suffer punishment. Be glad you aren’t going to be executed.”

Glaive sighed in relief, before his equipment was stripped from his body, and the Master’s personal retinue took him to the Solar Fortress dungeons.

Seasonal Wind however was granted mercy by the Order, having informed them of the King of Shades’ return, Allegiant appointing him as the leader of Crimson’s retinue in the glaive-loving Unicorn’s place.

“Lieutenant Seasonal Wind, I, and by extension the remaining Order high command do suspect the Princess of Love of treacherous acts against the state. Indeed, earlier she had been found guilty of abusing dark magic, but we do suspect possible collaborators. I will send you and Lieutenant Platinum Star to hunt down her and her supporters, I want her alive. Kill the rest if need be.” Allegiant commanded, his subordinate nodding. “Regarding the Dark Unicorn, Chaos, I will be sending somepony else to monitor his actions.”

Seasonal Wind felt relief, yet something didn’t add up. The Princess of Love may have practised dark magic, but he didn’t have a grudge against the mare, his true foe being the King of Shades. She didn’t seem like the type to deceit and betray, especially not to the highest authority, the Princesses. He also desired Crimson’s release, however that would have to come later.

Time Skip

Chaos groaned as he awoke from unconsciousness. His first sight was blinding light, completely filling his vision. Light from the sun. His ears perked as he heard a classical piece of music played on the piano, vaguely similar to those within his memories, his false memories of Sol-3, Earth. It was soothing his mind, pushing aside the pain from his mind, a symphony that he connected to the end of the world. The great explosion of Earth, perhaps the Sun devours the entire planet. Beethoven’s seventh symphony, in Equestria. Despite its melancholic tone, it shone with its own allure. Beethoofen. He chuckled as he rose from his resting place.

Technological dark age, and yet they find time to invent the piano.

Immediately, the Dark Unicorn recognised his personal chambers, though it had been cleaned. His bed didn’t feel like a spider’s nest. The iridescent stained-glass window dazzled in the radiant sunlight. His chamber was calm, its melancholy was swept away by the melodious piano. He hummed to the tune, searching for its practitioner. There, in the solitary corner of his mist-blanketed room, an Earth pony mare of rosy hide and golden mane drummed her hooves against the keyboard.

The King of Shades let her continue uninterrupted, slipping into his regalia and stretching his body, popping his joints. Then, finally, the Beethoofen mare completed the seventh symphony, a sigh escaping her lips as she wiped her forehead.

“You play well, that was almost perfect.” He complimented, trotting over to the musical mare.

“T-thank you sir…” She replied, a slight fluster from the comment, “Almost? What did I fail?” She continued; disappointment clear in her voice.

“You did well for the majority of the piece, however you were distracted whilst I was putting on my regalia. Don’t let pesky distractions disturb your performance.” He explained, patting the mane of the mare. “Now, tell me; what is your name, and why are you in my home?” Chaos asked, quite concerned over the security of his ‘fortress’.

“First Symphony, sir. I, along with the Onyx Pact, the group of Unicorns who have directly followed in your hoofsteps have heeded the call of Sorcerer Arcane Scroll, who reportedly had created a sect of Unicorns to free you from the tomb.” She explained, bowing her head, only to have it lifted by the chin.

“No need to bow to me, Miss Symphony.” He spoke, continuing to pat the small Earth pony mare. “And how did an accomplished little Earth pony like you come to join the ensemble of Dark Magicians?” He questioned, perplexed by the minor detail, and he finally stopped patting the adorable little musical Pony.

“I am a trustworthy assistant to the group, including the fact that apparently I am great at playing the piano, despite its extremely recent invention-Wait… How have you heard of the piece of music I had played before? Perfect? You wouldn’t have even escaped…” She halted, big eyes staring at the Shade.

“O-oh…Erhm… Uh… Ah…” He wasn’t sure how to answer this question. “Intuition…?” He gingerly lied and slowly stepped backwards. Then, he was slapped. He was slapped. The King of Shades was slapped. The Dark Unicorn had been lightly slapped in the muzzle, though accidentally. The Earth pony was in horror, expecting punishment.

“I-I-uh… I’m sorry-“

“Boop.”

A moment of levity.

He gently tapped the little Pony on the nose after removing the cold steel of his horseshoe, his response being a surprised gasp. He quickly escaped the monotony of his personal quarters, leaving the shocked mare behind. Peculiar little adorable Earth pony. I need to lighten up, some more silliness in my life perhaps? Now, where are you Arcane? He pondered as he trotted through the shimmering halls of mirrors. I had no reign over the mindscape during my time under... Whatever influence that was… Harmony awaits…? Harmony?

‘Oh, how feeble you are, little Unicorn. Can’t even withstand a single shade? How utterly pathetic.’ A sharp pain presented itself in the Dark Unicorn’s mind.

‘B-but I have done as you desired! Have I n-not?’ Chaos’ eyes dilated with horror; the vivid memory was relapsing! He clutched his head, unleashing a painful hiss. Streaks of pain rippled through his scalp, slithering down his head.

‘Silence and stand up, whelpling! We’re not done yet.’ The Dark Unicorn felt light, as if he was lifted from the ground, yet, weight returned. ‘I said STAND!’ Yet he failed to stand. No, he plainly refused the command. ‘So be it, child.’ His entire body felt as if it was molten. His eyes dilated even further, body thrashing on the floor, breathing becoming faster. As a thousand faux-blades lacerated his pelt, laughter echoed through his mind.

‘N-no… I-I am b-better than th-that!’ The King of Shades stood back up, gritting his teeth. When would this end?

‘What did I just say-‘

‘E-enough of y-your blabbering!’ He growled at nothing in particular, smirking in triumph. ‘Bring on your shade-spawns!’ Readying himself in a combat-stance, the King of Shades received not another wave of pain and torment.

‘I’m impressed, you’ve finally learned. But still, you are far from your goals! And that, that is unacceptable. If you are to fulfil destiny, such I am unable to tell you, then we must continue this.’ He felt a pit of dread open within his mind. Yet again, a spike of excruciating pain. ‘I have shown you enough mercy, it is time for true punishment. I have reason to believe Harmony would enjoy that.’

Thankfully, the memory ceased at that moment, Chaos breathing a sigh of relief afterwards. What he had avoided was the single most agonising part of his torture. These memories, yet another reminder of his reason for causing torment. However, there was a discrepancy. Harmony would enjoy… He never told me that piece of information!

The King of Shades felt outraged, yet he restrained himself. Merely another memory, an archaic piece of information, he shouldn’t be worried. Harmony shouldn’t be so terrifying, should it?

Chaos continued his pondering, intrigued about those dreams, memories and visions rather than afraid. He was done being afraid, fearing the phantom pain. Still, it ravaged his mind. Still, he could hear the voices of his shade-controlled victims. The pain was perpetual, the voices eternally tormented his mind. He tried forgetting it, oh he tried! But alas, the pain stayed. He found the more magic he took, the more that Ponies feared him, it soothed the malady. It was the incentive that drove him to Dark magic, some exterior force required him to do so, to further some goal.

Before the Dark Unicorn even knew it, he had arrived to at the entrance to the main chamber. Looking in, he saw a congregation of Unicorns were speaking, one of them the Dark Unicorn recognised as Arcane Scroll. The stallion stood next to a larger and older Unicorn on a dais.

“If we are to dethrone the Tyrant Sun and end her reign of terror, then first we must focus on her fanatical Crusaders.” Came the voice of the older and larger stallion, who too had a cape and a coronet in place of a circlet.

“As soon as we have dealt with the fanatics, we have no doubt that our spies would be able to mis-direct their chain of command. Then, our Lord can be brought into the fold to face the Tyrant Sun once more. And then, we shall have peace! Peace in our time.” He declared, cheers coming from the ensemble of Dark Unicorn Mages.

And then, we shall have peace. Peace in our time.

Then, Chaos strutted into the chamber, mist announcing his presence. All Unicorns in the chamber snapped to attention, hoof placed onto their chest in a sort of bow, to which the Dark Unicorn waved a hoof at them. “At ease, fellow Dark Magicians.” He spoke, the inheritors of his magic obeying his order.

“Your eminence, I-I am humbled by your presence!” The coronet donning Unicorn spoke, falling onto his knees at the sight of Chaos, surprising his followers.

“Servant, what is this mess on my carpet?” Chaos demanded, hoof pointing towards the regalia donning sorcerer. “Why is it giving me the puppy dog eyes?” Staring into the sorcerer’s eyes, he found the Unicorn adorable, as opposed to the intimidating presence from before.

“Eidolon, our leader, the greatest Sorcerer of our pact, your eminence.” Arcane replied, barely glancing at the now shrunken Eidolon, clearly a fan of the ancient Lord of Fear. “Uhm- A-are you alright?” He spoke with concern, prodding the Unicorn’s head, his response being a comical roll on the floor.

Chaos lifted the Unicorn to his hooves, whom was still in a trance, chuckling. “Come now, treat me not as your god, but as your friend.” He turned his attention to Arcane Scroll, narrowing his eyes on the lavender Unicorn. “You will have some explaining to do, Arcane Scroll of the Onyx Pact.”

“Oh-er... Yes, your eminence.” The dark magic enthusiast responded, “Our pact was formed by the most powerful Unicorns who had adapted to dark magic centuries ago. Your people are being persecuted, your eminence. They were being slaughtered, hunted down into near extinction by the Solar Crusaders for their practise of your magic. The only way they survived was because of the Princess of Love, whom minded little about sullying herself with dark magic. Though, her influence over Canterlot wanes, the Crusaders will take actions soon, I have no doubt.” He morosely concluded, sighing at the prospect of their champion being removed as his resentment raised.

“And why should I risk banishment for another century? They are beneficial subjects, yes. But do I have to care for them? They should be able to take care of themselves, should they not?” Chaos rhetorically asked, much to the shock of the Pact’s members.

“T-they are your heirs! And you so carelessly throw their lives away?! W-why?” An astonished Unicorn demanded.

“This Princess of Love,” Chaos ignored the Unicorn, pushing the lesser mage to the side. “She intrigues me. Pray tell of her actions to save the sheep disguised in wolves’ rags. Tell me of how she had defied the Order of craven wolves.” He continued with predominant neutrality in voice, expression and posture.

“Ah yes. Of course, your emine-“

“Arcane Scroll,” Chaos cut through, “as you are the Unicorn that freed me from that blasted tomb, I consider you a friend. Address me by name, not as your sovereign.”

“As you wish, Chaos.” Arcane gladly began. “As the Governess of Canterlot, the Princess of Love is our champion, a mare who had chosen to spare us in the streets of Canterlot instead of submitting to Princess Celestia’s fanatical Crusaders. She defended us in the court against the Sun Princess, to the dismay of her foes. She is known to utilise two types of magics, your Dark Magic and Love magic, though she seldom uses the latter.” Concluding his explanation, Arcane placed a hoof on his lips and muttered. “She’s my personal hero.” To this, his comrades snickered.

“I see. A valiant attempt, but eventually she will fail. Celestia is more powerful than you could fathom, in physical, magical and mental prowess, and her influence still stretches across Equestria, as you so graciously granted me the information.” Chaos spoke, still the same neutral tone. He felt no connection to his own heirs, he cared so little about them. This was his second chance, why should he care? He had done as he desired, losing something of great importance in the process. Though, Arcane was perfect. He enjoyed the Unicorn, despite their short time together.

Arcane Scroll felt betrayed, he felt his own people was betrayed by the one whom granted them the power that casted them from society. Betrayed by the one who gave them possibilities beyond what they could achieve beforehand. Betrayed by the one he had freed from two centuries of solitary confinement.

He adopted a stoic expression, seriousness predominant, rigid and prepare to convince the Dark Unicorn otherwise. “Chaos, those who condemned us are the Solar Crusaders. They will stop at nothing to destroy you and your supporters. They stand against you; their very doctrine was created to destroy you and your supporters. At this very moment, Princess Celestia and her Crusaders schemes and plots for your destruction.”

Chaos hollered, “Do you believe that I am ignorant to that fact?” Rhetorically questioning his faithful servant, whom flinched from the gratuitous outburst. “I spend every moment of my second chance of freedom with an infernal head pain! I question my actions, the purpose of the voices, the memories, the torment I receive!” He paused; eyes locked onto his armoured hooves. “There are things of which I have done, none of you would’ve ever fathomed. Cruelty beyond reasoning.”

“Chaos, spend some time alone, let out the anger elsewhere, where nopony else can be hurt. You are extremely unstable in this state, such is not good for your health.” Suggested the lavender Unicorn, whom slowly approached the Shade-Unicorn. “We can speak of this matter later.”

The Shade sighed, intaking breaths. “I… I-I… You are right.” He conceded, “I am rather unstable… I will clear my mind. I am going for a walk.” Decided the King of Shades, leaving behind his subjects. “By the way,” Chaos halted in place, waving his hoof in the direction of the corridor. “the Earth pony pianist deserves attention. That music soothes me.”

But there was something else that required to be addressed. “Arcane, what of the Spirit of Mischief, Discord?” Chaos awaited his answer expectantly.

“Oh-er… Ah yes, of course. He has almost been destroyed.”

“Destroyed as in…”

“Sent to Tartarus…?”

Chaos flinched, blinking, his mask of calm shattering into a million pieces.

“With what?”

“Their raw Alicorn magic? What bewilders you so?”

“What.”

It wasn’t his answer that perplexed, or even astonished the Dark Unicorn. No, it was something else entirely.

“More accurately, he has been banished to Tartarus, but he was almost completely vanquished by the Royal Sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Unfortunately, Chaos, you missed their final bout, which happened a whole minute after you inexplicably collapsed to the floor muttering… Something…" The lavender Unicorn trailed off completely, his superior was blank.

Chaos couldn’t compute. An overload of information into his mind. “Stand back! All of you, stay away!” He cried desperately before collapsing to the floor and writhing. Fortunately, his all but one of his subjects heeded his word.

‘Purpose… Destiny… Purpose… Destiny… Purpose!’

The mantra reverberated in his mind. It was agonising, but he dared not to move. “No… Not at this time…”

‘But you shall fulfil your purpose.’

“Shut up… Shut up, shut up- Shut up!” He cried, form transitioning to that of his unrestrained Dark Magic silhouette. Rasping came from the Shade, with it, the crackling of bones. Thrashing accompanied by cries of agony. Magic seeped through the walls of the spire, impaling his form.

“Purpose… Destiny… Magic…” The now translucent Chaos hissed at the members of the Onyx Pact, lunging at the nearest Unicorn; Arcane Scroll. Rippling through the chamber, he struck the fast-thinking Unicorn’s shield, relentlessly clawing away at the incorporeal shield. The others stared in shock, any attempt of restraining the feral creature failed.

Arcane was by far the most shook of all the Unicorns, not only was he terrified beyond measure, but he knew this form of Chaos only desired his magic. The thing showed no restraint, no moral, no meaning beyond its goal. It would kill them all if not halted. The Unicorn realised he would be the only one able to stop this… Thing.

Suddenly, the room was flooded with a luminescent glow. The silhouette recoiled in agony, hissing and screeching. “More light!” Arcane barked, and his order was heeded by all. The entire chamber was enveloped in a blanket of radiance. Then, a ‘thump’ could be heard. Once more, rasping, panting.

Then, the Shade stormed out of the chamber, a trail of mist indicating its escape route. The ensemble of shook Unicorns merely blinked in astonishment. One attempted to follow their leader, but was held back by Arcane. Eidolon had finally snapped from his trance, gleefully prancing around the chamber.

“Where is his eminence?”

“Chaos is gone.”

Time Skip

‘Your people are being persecuted, your eminence.’ The King of Shades unleashed a great sigh, contemplating his next action. He felt truly vile, abandoning those he had corrupted to their fate. They supported him, they saved him. They needed their sovereign. Yet, Chaos felt discontent with his life of destruction. He desired solace, a two-century due long night of solace. Without worry, without pain, without fear.

If I am to die, the hope of tens of thousands will be crushed. But if I do not act, they will perish none the less. What am I to do? In truth, his mind became a pit. Information was needlessly emptied into this void, yet nothing was ever truly processed. The cries of terror constantly reverberated during his contemplation, those which haunted his mind, such made even a being such as him feel harrow and dread.

Such put him to unease. Such made him fear. As vulnerable as a newborn foal, swarmed by starved vultures. These few moments away from that accursed fortress should’ve cleared him from worry, yet he only felt more weight placed onto him. More pain. More… No… I shall help them; they are my heirs. They are the sons and daughters of shades, heralds of a golden age. Perhaps I could truly right my wrongs. No… No, no. Harmony is more important. Ending this infernal pain is more important. End-

He never finished that line of thought. There, in the distance, beams of solar magic. He wanted to growl, to hiss and howl. He decided against that. Where I trot, conflict trots. So be it.

Then, dark magic billowed into the skies, accompanying it, a rosy coloured magic flared. Chaos felt gravitated towards it. His heirs were once more being hunted down. The King of Shades had enough. Enough with the Solar Crusaders and their superstitious dogma. Turning to mist, he soared through the forest in pursuit of those who had wronged his inheritors. The thought of war penetrated his mind, once more, the ceaseless bloodshed and meaningless conflict. Once more, he would involve himself. Once more.

Once more, they shall know fear. Fear of me, of my sons, of my daughters. They shall taste it.

Perspective Switch

Platinum Star’s eyes dilated. Had he known that the Princess of Love was such a threat, he would’ve prepared an ambush primed directly for her instead of the dark worshippers and spell-casters of Chaos. His Crusaders were facing a force beyond their capabilities. Despite her relatively passive nature prior, the Princess of Love’s heart had become black with vengeance. She had failed. Failed to protect those she had sworn to save from the grasp of the Sun. Failure only fuelled her bitterness towards them. Fuelled her tenacity. She combined Love and Dark magic into an amalgamation of pure terror, magnitudes beyond the simpler Dark Magic utilised by the Shade’s descendants.

Where was Seasonal Wind? Where were the reinforcements? Where- “Oh no…” The Earth pony muttered in great distress. There, in the distance; the rolling mist. A sight dreaded by many veterans of the Solar-Lunar Eclipse; whose descendants shared their sentiment. Mist indicated the arrival of only one Pony. Chaos. “Regroup-hrrk!” Suddenly caught off-guard, he was swiftly knocked to the floor by the Princess of Love, whom pointed a spear directly at his neck.

“You deserve no pity for your actions.” She spat at the golden plate, stomping her hoof into the Crusader’s armour. A sickening crack of his ribs failed to satisfy the vengeful Princess. She callously pressed harder onto the plate armour. “Lest you forget what the children of dark magic suffered.” Hissed the Princess, magic gathering at the tip of her horn.

Then, the mist washed over all combatants on the road, enveloping them in the thick unforgiving miasma. Only the Crusaders suffered. Only they cried for mercy. Only them. Yet none cared for their voices, none cared for their screams. They lived their worst nightmares in mere seconds. Yet, it felt like a millennium had passed.

There was no bellowing or rasping laughter from Chaos. No laughter from his followers. They were merely pleased to have survived. They were exhausted. Having eluded the Crusaders for long enough. Many were dying, many more suffered severe injuries. They had won a Pyrrhic victory. The Princess of Love could only do so much against an overwhelming onslaught of trained fanatics armed and armoured for war.

Atop the unconscious form of the commander, stood the Princess, Or rather, former Princess of Equestria. Tears formed in her viridescent eyes, and she wept for the fallen. Her followers joined her in mourning as a cascade of rain collapsed onto the corpse field. Their wail echoed through the forest, a ceaseless cry for loved ones, for family and friends. Echoing the loss of so many before them. From Canterlot, to the fields before it where so many lost their lives to Chaos, to the Crusaders. from the Solar to Lunar Empires, to the extinction of the Shades.

Chaos manifested himself before the weeping Princess, adopting a stoic expression. He made no effort to mourn, to weep. Merely observing the field, reminiscent of those countless times he had committed such atrocity. His horn ignited, gently removing his cape and placing it onto the cerulean-maned Princess, whom gave him a surprised glance through her tears. He conjured a handkerchief, giving it to the Princess gave a respectful bow.

“Pray tell Princess, what is your name?” He looked on expectantly.

“Chrysalis.”

Author's Note

An entire week without a chapter uploaded. Whew. I have broken the schedule.

11 - Inheritors

11 - Creator

Time Skip - Past

Atop the cliffs before the Canterville fields stood a Unicorn, pelt stark-white. Lament. His observation became intervention for the battle taking place. The semi-deranged Unicorn took to admiring the shimmering armour and gleaming weaponry of the combatants,

Lament was gleeful. He had fulfilled his task. His personal assignment, to end Chaos and his reign. There, in the distance laid the Dark Unicorn’s body, expression one of astonishment and fear. Fear. The King of Shades felt fear. Before him stood the alabaster Empress Celestia, smeared in searing crimson blood and donning Daybreaker’s personal armour, her prior form having been shed from a powerful dark magic blast. Next to the Empress was Queen Luna, whose form had too been shed during their mutual charge against the King of Shades. Now, the Shade was impaled. In addition to both Alicorn’s personal weapons, a spear protruded from his chest, one imbued with dark magic which hadn’t been utilised by either former-Princesses.

The ethereal howls and screeches of Shades resonated as they dissipated into dust and drifted into the wind. The clatter of armour plating impacted against the cold hard and muddy forest floor. Blades clashing against plate too fell and struck the floor. Not a cheer, not a triumphant cry. The Solar, Lunar and Crystal Legions collectively breathed a sigh of relief. This was not a conflict of belief, of glory and honour. This was a conflict of survival, and they had survived.

Blissful silence held sovereignty over the fields before Canterville. Serenity once more crept into the empyrean, casting away the shroud that once reigned over its expanse. The Solar-Lunar Eclipse ended, with it, the moon was lowered whilst the sun ascended beyond its prior limits set by Daybreaker, to its position before the Eclipse.

Chaos, fanged mouth agape could see his very own heart. No, the peregrine Unicorn’s heart before him, held in magic by the Celestial Princess. He shakily eyed his chest, at the spear protruding from it. He could feel his communication with the host severed completely. Every desperate mental call was left unanswered. His mind was emptied with the flood of fear and disbelief. The host was deceased. All but one sensation halted. The flow of dark magic.

A new emotion shrouded the King of Shades’ mind. Hatred. An emotion he had seldom felt. A truer emotion than its predecessors. Then was the boastful, arrogant and callous nature of prior. Now replaced with the truth. He had lost the only thing that mattered. His horn ignited in pearl-white flame, much to the surprise of the Equestrian rulers. Raising his head, Chaos gave a glare like none before. Yet, the Dark Unicorn was silent. Not a word uttered, not a growl, hiss or cry.

Instead. He chuckled. The chuckle grew into quiet, rasping laughter. His Alicorn opponents simultaneously flared their respective horns, prepared for a summary execution. Then, his eyes focused on Empress Celestia. With great effort, he warned. “There are no happy endings, Celestia.”

The Dark Unicorn casted a shield accompanied by a blinding light. His next manoeuvre a teleport. Yet it was already too late, the Alicorn Sisters had unleashed their Solar and Lunar magic onto him. His cold, white eyes dilated in surprise. Death gently caressed his pelt, pushing the Unicorn into his coffin. He thrashed, writhed and squirmed, unable to escape.

Suddenly, the pain had arrived. The magic of which that held it back had faded, now, he could feel everything. Everything. The weight and consequence had collapsed onto him, shattering whatever was left of his composure. He wailed, cried in pain, in great sorrow, terror and pain, solitary within the security of his personal fortress in Equestria. No company, no reconciliation, no redemption. Merely the monotony, the relapse of his mentality. Then came the painful visions, clawing into his mind, prowling through the abyssal depth. Hissing and growling followed suite.

Back in the Canterville fields, Lament had already escaped, disappearing from Ponykind, once more into the vast Everfree forest. He would remember this day fondly, this hour fondly. Cherishing every second his sibling suffered that spear of which he had thrown. The debt of Chaos was paid, and Lament had collected it.

He desired nothing more, no more was to be accomplished, surely. Ascension was impossible, surely. He desired a simple life. One beyond the boundaries which had been set prior. Ones he set himself. To face his deceased sibling. Now, to live a life without conflict.

Time Skip - Present

Grand Gallery was chained, a manacle for each hoof. Nascent Magical inhibitors were carefully placed onto his horn. There is no escape. He was in the Solar Fortress dungeon, a wretched and bitter cave with bars of iron separating him and his captors. Around him, dozens of Unicorns whom had endorsed Dark Magic, even Earth ponies and Pegasi, whom supported these Unicorns. Squirming, the once pristine Unicorn cried out in desperation. Yet no answer was given. This was the blissful silence he desired, a life of quiet and simplicity. Monotone and mundane. He detested it. He despised it.

All he could do was reminisce. And oh, did he reminisce. Memories fond and detestable found their way through the mind, once abandoned and kept hidden from the Unicorn.

Those damned Solar Crusaders jeered and pummelled him, despite his lack of resistance. He demanded their heads, yet he controlled himself, composed those emotions and organised them. Perhaps it was better this way. Sighing, the painter lowered his head in acceptance. He wouldn’t be able to escape these chains.

He had not a clue about how long he stayed in the confines of the fortress. He couldn’t see the sun or the moon. Both hidden beyond the cavern walls. Yet a mere glimpse of either would bring him solace, he had decided. He should’ve felt content in the darkness, for it was the only place that accepted him. He should’ve felt content, having been surrounded by chained supporters. He despised it so much. This was the blissful silence he despised, a life within captivity, within solitude, surrounded by living corpses.

The chains once more rattled, rustling in the cold Canterlot cavern, its resonant echo reverberated off the walls. Still, silence. It drove him mad. For his musing did nothing. He wanted to scream, yet his body refused to obey such a simple command. He wanted to wail, yet his subconscious disobeyed even that. Still, so quiet, so cold. So cold.

Only one Crusader was stationed here, the rest sent off to hunt, the imprisoned were too weak to retaliate anyhow. Then, the clip-clop of armoured hooves filled the stygian chamber, a luminescent glow presented itself. Gentle and cerulean, it billowed and struck the Solar Crusader, lifting him and slamming his body against the jagged walls. Not a moment later did the unconscious form of the Crusader slump onto the floor, a hiss escaping their lip.

Only Gallery reared his head, the rest of the cell occupants laid motionless. He stood onto his hooves as a cerulean glow created the rough silhouette of a Unicorn, and a rather tall one at that. His eyes narrowed as the enigmatic figure adopted a regal stance and approached, unlocking the barred entrance of the cell. No… That wasn’t a Unicorn. Shaded wings flared, noticeable spikes at the tip of each feather.

Stepping into the view of Gallery, a towering Alicorn. Alabaster in pelt, mane, tail and eye. He was taller than both Princess Celestia and Luna, at least head taller than the older of the two. The Alicorn lacked regalia, not a crown, coronet or circlet. Instead, in its place was a helmet resembling a crown, however, it was less decorative and more practical. His silvery and ethereal mane flown wildly in phantom wind; excess magic flowed from it. An unnatural aura emanated from the Alicorn stallion, overwhelming in power. Gallery could feel it pass through his pelt and penetrate into his flesh, it was foreign, yet he recognised it from… Somewhere. Strangely enough, the Alicorn lacked a mark on his flank.

The Alicorn stallion bore an expression of neutrality, not a smile, not venomous. Merely a regal façade, unbreakable by conventional means.

“Shed your pelt, and reveal your true, dishevelled self.” The Alicorn commanded, his voice resonated authority and power, drilling into the stark-white Unicorn’s skull. Hoof extended, he tapped Gallery. His command was heeded, as the painter of Canterlot subconsciously removed his ‘disguise’. Behind that mask was Lament, the sable eyes overtaking his prior golden.

“W-who… Who are you?” He managed to utter, weakly examining the mountain of a pony, his chains dragging his body back.

“Do you not recognise your own creator, my dear little Contingency?” The radiant Alicorn rhetorically asked, patting the chained Unicorn on his head. “It is no surprise, favoured creation. But I digress. Now, I am in need of your assistance.”

Lament narrowed his eye. “You’re… You are the one who create me? The one from my dreams? You- You are the one who tortured me, aren’t you?” He rasped with venom, glaring at the Alicorn.

“Indeed, my favoured creation. So quick to accept the truth. Now be quiet. You have no say in this matter, it is irrelevant.” Reprimanded the illuminated Alicorn, turning his back on the Unicorn, whom once more subconsciously obeyed his command.

“As we speak, your sibling, the first apparition, or rather I’d rather call ‘Revenant’ has failed to accomplish his primary task.” A projection of the Dark Unicorn appeared before him, dissipating soon after. “Contingency, you too have failed. You escape prematurely, and in addition, you had failed your secondary objective.” He paused, sighed and hoof-palmed “You disappoint me, favoured creation. But my words mean little to you, don’t they?”

A slow nod came from Lament.

“Favoured creation, I am still incorporeal. What you see is a magical projection, I am ethereal. Equestria REQUIRES me to survive. Without me, they will perish in future conflict.” He spoke with urgency.

“I have been unable to reach out to Revenant. My efforts to parley with him have resulted in… less than desirable outcomes and circumstances.”

“Instead, Contingency, I shall grant you a second chance. Still, I value Revenant for his prowess in combat, and among other things. Lure the Princesses to the centre of the Everfree, where it is imperative that they discover a cave containing a crystalline tree. They must find it, by any means necessary. Favoured creation, is that understood?”

Lament felt obligated to comply. “Y-yes… Creator… N-no… No… What am I saying?!” His eyes dilated. He still felt the need to rebel, to go against this Alicorn. Yet his subconscious commanded him to do so.

“This isn’t a choice. It is a command. Do as I order, Contingency.” The Alicorn unleashed a low growl.

“As you command, Creator.” Lament finally conceded. Still, a discrepancy presented itself. “How am I to escape this blasted cell?!”

“Slip back into consciousness, Contingency. The Cerulean Princess awaits. Harmony awaits. But be wary of who you trust.” With those departing words, the Alicorn disappeared from view, and Lament saw true light once more.

There, beyond the bars of iron, was the exact same silhouette of a Unicorn with cerulean magic. This time however, the figure beckoned him closer with a gesture of his hoof. Lament found his chains broken, his façade of Gallery on once more. He forced himself forward, dragging the battered limbs forward and slumping onto the bars, where he could see the enigmatic Unicorn.

“Her majesty sends her regards, Grand Gallery.” The hooded Unicorn whispered, horn ignited as he gathered medical supplies and started to mend the weakened Gallery. “She desires your release from this prison, yet now it is unsafe. Very soon, you will be interrogated, afterwards, we shall break you from the fortress.”

“Let… Me… Out…” Gallery demanded with a growl.

“Patience, the risk of discovery is simply too great at this moment; they send guards here as we speak.” The enigmatic Unicorn explained. Then, he snapped his head to face the entrance. Without another word, he had turned into mist, a technique Gallery had attempted many times during his brief captivity. Though, it required great concentration and power. Unfortunately, Solar magical inhibitors were far superior than their predecessors, eliminating the possibility of a Dark magician escaping its grasp.

The Unicorn disappeared from view into the abyssal shadows, much to the dismay of the captive.

Then came the Solar Crusaders. Their armoured hooves crashing against the floor announcing their entrance. There were three of them, heavily armed and armoured, their eyes cold and merciless. Each, stoic expression plastered onto their visage. They hadn’t even bothered to keep quiet, waking every other prisoner in the dungeon. Though, they were too weak to incite a revolt.

In the corner, laid the lonesome guard of these cells. He was prodded by the Crusaders, checking if he was deceased or merely sleeping on duty. Gallery’s view was impaired when a Crusader unlocked the barred gate, unceremoniously pushing the door and swiftly wrapped a hoof around Gallery, dragging him out of the cell.

To his credit, Gallery didn’t bother to resist, not even a slight act of aggression. It would only make his sentence worse. Well, his sentence was death. Of course, it was, only that it would be even more depraved and brutal in his possible mutilation. Equestrians didn’t really care for their own kinsmen if said kinsmen had even slightly tapped into dark magic.

Soon, Gallery felt time fade into obscurity. It was as if the entire trip to the interrogation chamber took merely a second. The guards were stoic, extremely stoic. Not a glance exchanged. Not a word escaped their maw.

Now, he found himself chained once more, this time in a… Roomier environment, once could say. Standing face-to-face before him was the crimson Unicorn. A snarl decorated the glaive-loving Lieutenant.

“Oh, what grave irony Grand Gallery. I admit, for the longest time, I had admired your work. I thought of you as a beacon of light, merely witnessing the paint on canvas.” Crimson Glaive complimented causing the painter to raise an eyebrow. “To learn that one as renown and as enigmatic as you were corrupted by forbidden magic, it had torn me.” He admitted, releasing a sigh.

Gallery merely listened contently; his accomplice would help him escape later.

Then, Crimson’s tone became serious. “You’re noble, I have to admit, I was the one whom tried his luck killing the Princess.” He paused, sighing once more. “You saved her, you stood in front of an attack that would’ve obliterated her. Very… Very brave of you.”

Gallery chuckled at that. “I took the liberty of creating a shield powerful enough to stop that. To your credit, you are an incredibly powerful Unicorn.”

“Now. Tell me,” Glaive’s expression turned cold, his tone inquisitive. “Where hides the prey of bird? Where prowls the magicians of forbidden arts?” He narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps they have hidden with Chaos. Perhaps they have eluded us to join with the Dark Unicorn himself.”

At that, Gallery’s eyes widened. He didn’t believe the Creator when he mentioned a Revenant being the first apparition. There needed to be evidence. Yet he wasn’t granted any.

“His agents prowl this castle. They roam as if it was their own. I know they are here, yet the rest of the stubborn imbeciles of the Sun refuse to believe me. Allegiant knows there are traitors within our ranks.” Glaive chuckled, shaking his head. “Hah, that’s why he released me in fact, apparently, I am ‘suitable’ for this position. But I digress.”

“Is this an interrogation?” Came the voice of Allegiant Light. Crimson snapped his head and saw the stern Earth pony and weakly chuckled, slightly shrinking. “Or your mad ramblings about Shades, Crimson Glaive?” He rhetorically questioned causing the Unicorn to shrink even more. Then, he continued with an expression of neutrality. “No, continue. Please, continue. You’re slowly getting to the point.”

“As-Ahem. As you wish, sir. Now, Grand Gallery. Tell me...”

Time Skip

Arcane Scroll composed himself, taking deep breath after deep breath to prepare himself. He was about to enter Chaos’ personal chambers. Being his most faithful servant, Arcane had found the Dark Unicorn rather volatile to be around. The King was unstable, possibly due to his two-century imprisonment, possibly due to being defeated, perhaps the dark magic really had taken over his mind completely. But Arcane felt unsure whether he should enter, to confront him. To speak of the Pact’s greater plans. After all, he was technically the de-facto leader of the Pact, Eidolon felt more like a figurehead rather than an actual leader.

Placing a hoof onto the charcoal door to the Dark Unicorn’s personal chambers, he sighed once more. Arcane, you’d better not mess this up… You know what he is like when he loses his control. Oh, by the Goddesses you know what… As he trailed off, the door creaked open. Sweet music filled his ears. The piano in all of its glory, each note as harmonious as the last. Every crevice of his mind was massaged with it. He calmed, hooves practically moving on their own as he arrived into the chamber of Chaos.

There, an unexpected sight. Chaos, the Dark Unicorn, Lord of Fear, King of Shades, he was playing the piano. Of course, with some guidance from the only Earth pony within the tower, First Symphony. A genuine smile found itself on the Dark Unicorn, one which surprised Arcane, who noticed yet another pony in the room.

Princess Chrysalis sat content on a cushioned seat. Levitating in her magic was a cup of tea, which she took sips of occasionally. Her ears were perked, each note of the piano entered without hinderance. The room was tranquil. It was almost another realm entirely. Sealed from the terrors beyond its confines.

Chaos finished his mediocre playing of the piano, clapping of hooves followed suit. He turned to face Arcane, a hoof beckoning the younger Unicorn forward.

“Chaos-Ur welcomes you Arcane Scroll, but to this place where destiny is to be made, what have you to tell me?” The Dark Unicorn did his greatest Dagoth Ur impression possible, internally chuckling.

“Oh-er. Your emi- Chaos…Ur…?”

“Come now, Arcane.” Chaos’ tone had turned into a calm, composed variant of its prior authoritarian. “Would tea be of interest to you? Perhaps, some other beverage?” He offered, tilting his head and continuing his smile. “After all, comradery is the pact’s finest weapon, is it not?”

“What has gotten you so… Calm?” Arcane queried, narrowing his eyes, suspicious at the change of character. “And, yes, I would enjoy some tea.”

The Dark Unicorn sighed, shaking his and chuckling, “Good. Perhaps I had been so… unstable before due to an, hm, external force… At least, that is a theory. Though, I have leap over the boundaries set in place by my previously weaker thoughts and feelings.” He spoke, tone and expression becoming serious. “But,” Then, it twisted into one of concern, “I do suspect one of attempting to breach my mind, perhaps Moon and Star have finally found the keys to my inner sanctum. Perhaps, perhaps not.”

Arcane approached the triumvirate, respectfully bowing before the Princess. “Your highness.”

“Please, call me Chrysalis, I am Princess of no land here.” She humbly replied, a surprised look came from the Unicorn. Chuckling at the cloak wearing Onyx sorcerer, Chrysalis levitated a cup of tea over to him. “You must be the Unicorn whom released the King. As you are his saviour, I thank you. By doing so, you have indirectly saved me from a most likely fatal experience on the battlefield.” She granted a warm smile and another chuckle to the now flushed Arcane.

The King of Shades nodded to his Earth pony pianist and joined the duo in their one-sided conversation. “Arcane Scroll, you’ve something to tell me?” His now soft and gentle voice queried.

“Indeed. It is time you learn of the pact’s intentions, your eminence.” Scroll cleared his throat, the others looked on expectantly. “The Pact’s intentions extend from merely saving our people and overthrowing Princess Celestia, as you may have heard. Our true goals are to disband the Crusaders of the Sun, we truly want peace. Yet,” A sigh “they grant us no quarter.”

Scroll turned his head to face Chrysalis. “Princess Chrysalis, as Governess, or rather former Governess of Canterlot, you have safeguarded our people for a decade. Why? Why do you do these things for us?”

“Temporarily unavailable Governess of Canterlot.” Chrysalis muttered and chuckled, a slight chuckle came from the others too.

She cleared her throat, “I saw a people butchered. I saw Ponies killing Ponies, brothers and sisters putting each other to the blade, how was I to spread love and joy to all, if all despised each other? This problem has reverberated itself in the Bat pony race, whom too are kept in the dark. Tortured and mutilated for their difference. They speak of Vampires, yet Bat ponies commit to the exact rituals any Pegasus would. They are merely nocturnal, their appearance merely adapted to their preferred environment. Au-Ahem… Princess Luna has so far been successful in protecting them from harm, and she is casted down because of it. The Night Mare, they call her, a Witch, they call her.”

Chaos placed a hoof onto his forehead and shook his head in disappointment, sighing afterwards. “I knew this would happen.”

“Excuse me?” Both Arcane and Chrysalis asked.

“We wouldn’t be able to conceive an alliance in a millennium even if we tried. Luna is too stubborn to swallow her pride, to concede to me would be harder than taking her betraying her own sister. I know she can despise Celestia, most likely due to the adoration the Sun can get. Though, it isn’t really a surprise, seeing as that celestial object is quite essential to our-“ He stopped mid-sentence. “I am going off on a tangent. Anyhow, if she tried to usurp the throne, she will be taught a lesson. Not by us, not by Celestia even. But by… No. That thought is irrelevant. Continue, Arcane Scroll.”

Denial, Revenant? Clever, but worthless in the end.

“Uh… Oh-er. As you wish, your emin- Chaos.” Arcane stumbled over his words, processing the information he was just granted.

“He’s not wrong,” Chrysalis quickly added. “Luna can be an annoyance, though she is quite busy organising her nocturnal subjects and stars to interact with me. Celestia is too busy all of the time for even a simple conversation. The two can become quite the rivals at times, though as you said, Moon and Star. In fact, she has seemed a little bitter. Not any help to the poor Bat ponies even from Celestia.”

“Irrelevant. So, Arcane. You want to grant Equestria a new ruler. The logistics of that could cave my skull. Have you considered being an accountant?” The King of Shades sarcastically added.

“N-no… What… I don’t… Whaa…?”

“Ignore that. Besides, dethroning the Celestial Princess, wouldn’t that mean nobody is there to raise the precious sun?” Chaos queried, Arcane was still in a bewildered state. “Oh, you want me to raise the sun? Do you even understand how consuming that process would be? Foolish and adorable little Pony.”

“No, of course not.” Arcane firmly stated, getting back onto track. “Dethroning Celestia was Eidolon’s idea, the fool. I merely desired a benevolent ruler that cared for their people. You,” He narrowed his eye on the King of Shades. “you don’t deserve to rule, but Chrysalis, she had poured her heart and soul into that role.”

Chrysalis smiled at the compliment, for that fact was true. She had poured everything into helping all. A great Samaritan. “Thank you.” She tilted her head forward and responded.

“Now, i too have questions, if you do not mind.” He informed, a nod as his answer. “Chaos, your people, have you seen their condition? Dark magic seep from their flesh and pelt, constantly attempting to escape. Do you know why we wear cloaks? Why you have seldom seen our pelt? We are weak. A weak people with a weak spirit. Do you… Do you feel any pity for them? Answer me in honest. Do you feel empathy?”

A smirk appeared on Chaos, “You know the answer to that question.” He coldly stated, standing back up and preparing to leave the room, leaving even the pianist in shock as she continued to tap at the keyboard.

“But…”

“No.” A simple word, yet it conveyed so much. “I may care so little about these mock-shades. But I am bothered about the Crusader’s mere existence. A threat so miniscule I shouldn’t even bother, but if my allies, are threatened, then they shall know no mercy.” He chuckled, and the others could tell, an idea had popped up. “Instead, let the Crusaders have a taste of irony. Burn their encampments. Burn the villages, bring the strongest ponies here. Then, my creations can rise anew. If they desire to harm my people, then they shall be granted the same mercy they show us.” Chaos commanded, his tone becoming colder with each word uttered.

“Where is your heart, Chaos? Why so callous, why so cruel?”

“I haven’t had a heart since it was ripped from my flesh and destroyed before my eye.” The Dark Unicorn hissed and patted his peytral. “Tis’ magic that feeds my flesh, and fear is its source. I am going poaching… Hm, hunting. Now where is the sheep~…” He licked his fangs.

“Chaos…”

Dark magic billowed from the Dark Unicorn’s horn, turning into mist and shrouding his hooves. Then, it turned into tendrils of magic and lunged at Arcane, allowing the Unicorn little to no reaction time. It pressed into his skull. The Princess and pianist looked in shock. Chaos still had his back towards the others, still calmly strutting towards the doorway.

As the magic continued to seep and the King of Shades headed towards the door, Arcane’s vision became clouded. Darkness consumed and impaired it, he tried to resist, yet his body refused to obey. To everybody else, his expression was one of bewilderment. To him, visions and pictures flashed in his mind. Those of Castle Everfree burning, of armoured hooves beating against the forest floor, of siege engines unleashing flame upon a castle, of cloaked figures donning circlets marching through a crimson sea towards the same castle, of droplets cascading onto the bloodied floor, contacting their cloaks of ashen grey and stygian black. Tens of thousands screamed within his mind, the clashing of armour plate and in-equine howling reverberated.

Chrysalis sprang to her hooves, dashing over to the petrified Arcane. She glared at the heartless (quite literally) King of Shades, whose shade-tendrils receded and dissipated into the aether. “What have you done?!” She cried.

“I have shown him my plan. Such intrigue in these times, I think I truly enjoy life. Now, bother me not, we shall spar later, Arcane and I.” The King of Shades answered, “Au revoir mon ami.” and with those parting words he turned to mist. Returning to his favoured sport from three centuries ago.

Arcane Scroll groaned in pain; his vision no longer impaired by darkness. “By the Goddesses, what is he thinking?” He shook his head and Chrysalis merely shrugged.

Time Skip

The Dark Unicorn had lied. He was having another episode. Those visions again, Harmony too. He had found control. Harmony’s wrath was insubstantial now. He explored the halls of his fortress, much of it unkempt and collapsed. Halls once lined with artefacts collected and created throughout an entire century now laid still.

He could still hear the torrent beyond the walls, it still soothed him as despite the centuries he had spent without it. Peace. To him, rain was a connotation of peace.

Here, he found his peace once more. Though, not for long. Another streak of pain rippled through his scalp. Possibly another memory, possibly another vision. He didn’t care. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Lying down on the wall, he breathed out a sigh. Once more, he isolated somebody who could’ve been close to him. Once more, he followed his personal doctrine blindly. Damn you, Harmony.

“By Celestia’s titanic flaming rump you are annoying.” He muttered to no one in particular. I hope nobody heard that. His thoughts drifted to that of the Shades once more. Soon, they would become obsolete. Perhaps Eidolon could be put to good use? Yes, that sounds adequate. An enhanced Shade, one with the capability to independently make decisions. Yes. Field Commanders. Yes. Yes. Then, he decided to rest. Finding a comfortable position on the cold tiled floor, he closed his eyes, once more the darkness impaired his vision.

Time Skip

Seasonal Wind felt the cool breeze and rainwater brush against his flared wings as he drifted in the gaze of the moon. His soldiers lost contact with the main group of Crusaders. Not a word came from his associate, Platinum Star, not a single one of his soldiers were sighted. Something was wrong. The forest felt empty with spectral life, constantly watching his soldiers of steel and flesh. On another occasion, he would’ve brushed it off as paranoia. But, today was different, this week was different. The King of Shades had returned, of course it was different. So much happened in the mere span of one month.

Reports from the Crystal Empire had said that Princess Amore was deceased, and a new mad Unicorn King had taken control. Of it and its surroundings. Discord was banished from Equestria, yet the damage had already been done. Communities isolated permanently, once more a division between Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth pony, Bat ponies, even those whom followed Dark magic.

“These are troubled times, sir.” One of his bodyguards spoke as they flew above the Everfree. His comrades nodded, even Seasonal himself concurred.

Not a minute later did the Crusader witness a clearing within the forest, dotted with objects. He flew down with his Pegasi, suspicion filling the mind of their group. As they drew closer, armour could be seen. Crusader armour. Crusader weaponry. Insignia on amulets, shields. Strings of hair on the muddy floor. Corpses littered the field. Followers of Dark magic and Crusaders of the Sun. Seasonal felt anger build up within him.

“Search for Lieutenant Platinum Star! Any evidence, any trace!” He ordered, frantically searching the field for any trace of survivors. He heard nothing of Platinum Star, only irrelevant lower-ranking soldiers of the Order. No corpse of the Lieutenant. “Where is he?!” Seasonal roared.

“No sign of him here sir.”

“Not here either, sir.”

“This is a lot less than Lieutenant Star’s retinue, sir.”

No… already? Damn it… Damn it… “Damn it all!” Wind bellowed, much to the surprise of his soldiers. His outburst forced them turned to him. “Everfree hasn’t been inhabited by beasts for centuries… The King of Shades’ return must mean… Shades… Secure the perimeter, immediately!” He cried out once more.

It was already too late. Mist came first, rolling into the clearing. The dragging of steel against wood came next and told him and his retinue, they were in trouble. The clashing of armour plates was heard almost immediately. White eyes spotted in the forest. One Shade came out, followed by many more. All donning plate armours. The first, still wearing his Solar pendant. They collectively hissed.

Seasonal Wind could vaguely recognise the leading Shade. That thing. That was Platinum Star. Was. Platinum Star.

Author's Note

Summary - First Time Skip - Flashback containing the 'Death' of Chaos.
Second - Gallery in chains and the revelation.
Third - Gallery being interrogated.
Fourth - Chaos plays the piano and has 'a very simple conversation'
Fifth - Musing
Sixth - What Seasonal Wind doing whilst his fellow Officer was being slaughtered.

Enjoy yet another chapter of the story that requires some major rewriting for the first three chapters. Possibly first four.

Am i trying too hard with describing a landscape and surrounding?

I plan to include two bonus chapters, one about Daybreaker, the other about the Nightmare, but that's for later.

God i never thought this chapter would be completed.

12 - Creator

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

5 - Emergence - Scheduled For Rewrite

5 - Weaknesses

There was only the sound of hooves beating against the muddy floor of the Everfree. Unusually silent, this wasn’t a good sign, there were definitely predators around. It is almost baffling why the Princesses would inhabit such hostile territory. However, they most likely had their own justifiable reason for their own balderdash.

Of course, the matter was trivial. The Unicorn had only one goal in mind; head south. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the apparition was silent. Not a sound came from the dastardly spirit. Every query was dashed. Not even the usual painfully brutal tactics of the spirit were utilised. Not a thought appeared, not one intercepted.

This was making him uneasy, paranoid, constantly pondering what the apparition could be planning. Thankfully, his thoughts and his counterpart’s connection to them were severed on most occasions. Having regained control of most parts of his body, there was little that his foe could do other than attempt to feebly claw away at the renewed internal security of his mind, it had practically become a fortress.

The trotting was not of confidence, it was cautious. Equestrian Guards were known to be ruthless, their new doctrine of seek and destroy was not by any means merciful, Celestia has trained them well. Their stronghold was located near to the centre of the dreadful forest, Pegasi were scattered all over, constantly monitoring the perimeter.

Alas, it was not the Equestrians that were the apex predators of the forest. No, far from it. They were terrified of the true beasts that resided here. Chimeras, Manticores, Hydras, Serpents, the Cockatrice. There was no escape from these horrid abominations.

The roars were easily able to bring harrow to all Ponies, to the point of submission. But what was truly terrifying was the silence. They watched in the dark, surveying the road. Eerie screeches bellowing out of the trees.

By now, there were almost no number of creatures that could terrify the Unicorn. He often remarked that these creatures were trivial in the grand scheme of things, in fact, he enjoyed hunting them. A great source of digestible meat for the omnivorous Unicorn. Of course, Chimeras were the most appetizing, offering a variety of different exotic meals, Griffons would love to dine on these beasts. This gave him a mischievous grin. Chimera Diner, come to the Everfree for your taste of exotic Tiger-Goat-Snake thing.

Fish. Fish was still the greatest source of food. Rice isn’t an Equestrian specialty unfortunately, which destroys the prospect of noodles. This pondering was completely distracting. The Unicorn wasn’t paying his surroundings even the slightest attention. Now was the time to strike.

Acting on instinct, the Unicorn felt his body once again being taken over, the apparition jumps backwards, avoiding a death sentence from none other than a Hydra. Towering and menacing, the beast looks down at its prey, all heads lurching forwards to tear him apart.

Wuh-? Yo- Before he could even finish his thoughts, they were all cut away by a brief mental sting from the incorporeal Chaos. “I am trying to save us both.” He answers in honest, not many reasons to lie here.

Releasing a torrent of dark magic, each aiming at a head, the apparition-controlled Unicorn follows up with a dash towards the gargantuan Hydra. Unfortunately, one of the heads quickly swipes down and slams into the Pony, making him skid across the muddy floor and ending with an oomph.

The other heads of the Hydra were not so lucky, having felt a sensation magnitude beyond what they have experienced. It staggered, all heads except one writhing in agony. The body itself was rearing backwards. Roars were being blasted like foghorns.

“Urrghh… Worry not… Swift justice awaits.” Punctuating his sentence with a hiss, once more firing off dark magic. Precision is key. Those bolts made contact with the necks this time. Manacles appeared on them, chains connecting to each individual head. They wouldn’t be shackled for eternity; the Unicorn was reassured. This was only temporary.

Unfortunately, the Hydra then began a wild charge forward. Its body was…Say…10 times as large, slamming the Unicorn, who was one of the tallest of the entire species. The next moments were filled with gasps, panting and pained groans.

With a mighty thud, once more, the Unicorn’s form was slammed onto the cold muddy floor. Bones were audibly shattered, some even protruded out. Skin was ripped and bellowing blood. The body hasn’t been this badly damaged in almost an entire century. In fact, the pain could be felt from both sides of the body, one just felt the blunt of it.

Instead of screeching, what followed was a grunt. Coughing. Dark magic began mending the broken body. This process had to be quickened, the Hydra was fast approaching. Then, an idea. Most ideas from the apparition were not usually involving desperate methods of fighting… At this instant, magic swirled around the surroundings, finding the biggest tree there was and snatching it.

The many heads of the Hydra, which were still bound all looked in shock as the massive unrooted tree flew directly at them. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for the oversized lizard. Dazed and still in unprecedented amount of agonising pain, the Hydra was distracted.

This was the opportunity to escape, no more wasting magic. By now, the magic that had been used to mend had worn off, the skin was still severely ripped, but it no longer secreted blood and the bones had been fully repaired, albeit pain was still present.

With a quick dash, the apparition-controlled Unicorn began his escape. This will not be the end. A thought that frequented his mind, everlasting in situations such as this. Be it facing dozens of well-trained Equestrian Unicorns, great wild beasts, close encounters with the Princesses themselves. Of course, he never spoke it aloud.

Once at a safe distance, the apparition released control of the Unicorn, completely magically, mentally and physically exhausted. These feats of magic may have been simple, but keeping in control of the body was still draining.

He once more regained control of his body, this time, not through force. The control was given by the apparition. *We hath to recover once more. * These were the only thoughts relayed to the Unicorn.

Time Skip

Droplets of water, constantly hailing from the heavens. They brought with them a symphony that the Unicorn cherished. No constant combat, struggle for life or death, no escape from armour-clad Guards. Not even the difficulties of dealing with an evil counterpart. All, for a long time was well. There he trots, nearby the very same river that a century ago, he had learned telekinesis magic. It was quiet, not even the constant infuriating noise of the apparition. Though, the two sides of one body had their relationship smoothen after constant infighting, sometimes quite literally.

Fortunately, the Unicorn’s plans were safe, not having been jeopardised by his sometimes horrifyingly similar counterpart, thought the close encounter with certain death was unnerving. He realised he shouldn’t have been so surprised, they are almost the exact same individual, just with more extremes in belief and principle, ideology and doctrine. They bickered like siblings, one only wished for a simple existence whilst being immortal and almighty in the process, the other only wished to feed on magic and torment that which he saw fit, having inherited the darkest desires and immoral wishes.

“Doth-“ Cough “Nay, no. Is your memory intact enough to remember that novella, The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde?” His memories of the novella were…Not exactly the fondest, but he found it intriguing. A story of which the good Doctor acted out his greatest and foulest desires through the terrible Hyde. This, along with the very real Jack the Ripper fascinated him. Though, the novella and event were not the most interesting things he had ever known. There were other books, no doubt none of them exist here in Equestria.

“Calais?” The Unicorn spoke with a chuckle.

This stirred the apparition instantly, a nickname for the name it had chosen. “What?! Oh-uh-we-Apologies.” Not popular with the spirits. “Tis’ Chaos, not Calais, that shalt be removed from thine vocabulary.” It removed itself from the Unicorn once more, levitating next to him. “We hast heard of this novella, yes. Thou intend to compare us to it? Vast amounts of rain water began bombarding the Everfree.

“You read my…Thou already read my mind…Occasionally…This old English speech is getting to me. Stop converting me.” Punctuating his words with an annoyed groan, dragging it out for as long as possible, the opposite effect occurred, his counterpart only found it amusing, and clapped his miasma-like hooves together. “Also, why are you so much more talkative?” Curiosity.

“Heh. We find the simplest things funny. Thou will be converted, indoctrinated into the olden English! Fear my might!” Evil-No, laughter followed, though, both of their laughter almost always sounded malevolent, it seemed to be a natural trait.

“For thy latter query, we speak more because we hath recovered enough. No longer art we in a terrible mood.” The reception to this was hooves wrapping around the cloud, hugging. Surprised by this action, the dust cloud of damnation materialised itself into a shade-pony temporarily, this was extremely draining on the magic department, but he did not care.

“I forgive you,” The Unicorn looked to his counterpart who was unsurprisingly stunned. “I deeply apologise for all the wrong-doings I have committed against you during your creation. I had never realised my very own emotions could revolt against me.” This was followed by tightening the hug. “Put the past behind, purge it, it matters little.”

“Uh-I…We-I uh.” Forgiving? All that torment, that century… “But…We…” No. He’s right, the bitter hatred has only brought them ruin. In this brief moment of respite, he could feel the phantom pain receding. “But…Why do you forgive us? After all we hath done, very few debts have been paid.” He felt there was slightly more to this.

“You. Thou are the reason why we still persist, are you not? I realised that I would have never attained such powers without you. In addition, you have saved my existence from being cut short by an oversized lizard. Immortality. Power. I- I realise that this is something I have always desired. One who shares in my ideals, in my image. Well…I am starting to sound like you, me, both of us.” He released the poor ghostly stunned dark shade-like Unicorn.

“You were born of my blood, my flesh, my very thoughts, technically, you could be classified as my son. But…I’d rather keep us as…Siblings. Don’t think about it too much.” The Unicorn could think of a myriad of great scenarios where that could be turned into a movie reference.

“We…No, I agree with you.” Dropping the archaic, the apparition and Unicorn continued their stroll next to the river. “It has been a whole century, even I couldn’t keep that bitter. I have found that…Speaking to you has been enjoyable. You mostly aren’t at fault for my suffering in the mind.” The creation has full sentience, what Humanity fears the most. It is not machine, it is man-uh-pony.

Clouds began to part, revealing the radiant sun at its peak. The two Unicorns revelled in its shine, though, it was awfully scorching day. Still, it beat the cold, completely dark nights, where merely looking around was a chore. Not even Dark Magic users are resistant to the elements of nature. Dark magic users have dwindled since the founding of Equestria, the Royal Guard had become efficient in hunting down these foes.

Necromancers and their minions have been felled. Vamponies even. Mostly brigands, though these worthless bandits had crumbled in power since the destruction of their first by the hands of the apparition. Ironic, this makes hiding from the Guards ponies more difficult. Its almost impressive how peaceful Equestria is depicted in the show, perhaps all of these pitiful annoyances had been destroyed long ago. Its honestly quite worrying, Celestia could be a ruthless slaughtering machine at times. Well, the Unicorn(s) couldn’t really speak much, their crimes were already on par with some of the most brutal. Though, all of the time, they remained as non-lethal as they could on innocents.

Thought such as this frequented the century old Unicorn, paranoia wasn’t a big factor, he knew eventually that the Guards will catch onto his antics. Then, he realised that both he and his comrade/archnemesis were silent, the only sounds came from breathing and the contact of hooves on the forest floor.

It was rare quiet moments like this, where the vivid scenery with the added aroma that calmed the two. Not even the ever-present mental pain was bothering the apparition. Ironically, they were in harmony, no fighting here. Though, the tranquillity would be shattered into millions of unidentifiable pieces in mere moments.

Suddenly, dozens of Equestrian Unicorn and Pegasi Guards appeared to encircle the pair, having caught them off-guard during their brief moment of observing scenery. This time, unlike the prior attempts to capture the dark Unicorn, they were armed to the hoof, having tracked them down for many days.

This time, it wasn’t a patrol or small gathering of Guards, this time it was almost a platoon’s worth of Guards. Their armour shone in sunlight, glorious golden and most likely useless armour. Fortunately, that was only the decorative part, under all of that gold was proper mail and padding. Gold seemed to be a resource in abundance, they had the metal everywhere. Equestria really was a paradise.

The Guards closed in, Unicorns casting an anti-teleportation bubble around the entire area, in addition, casting shields before themselves. As a taste of irony, the blinding spell was also casted in the direction of the dark Unicorns.

The blinding wasn’t effective against an opponent whose eyes were luminescent. Acting quickly, the apparition took control of his Unicorn companion, charging a huge amount of dark magic into his left hoof, slamming it into the cold, damp muddy floor. A ripple followed suit, a collective gasp, some Unicorn Guards collapsed onto the ground, others only dazed and unsteady.

The Pegasi saw no more reason to wait, charging in all at once, spears in hoof pointing directly at their target. A shield was swiftly raised and stopped them dead in their tracks. The Dark Unicorn wasn’t escaping without at least a scratch, the Guard Unicorns recomposed themselves and fired off beam after beam of magic, scorching the area surrounding the retreating Unicorn.

Almost at an instant, the Dark Unicorn halted and turned at speed, mist billowed from seemingly nowhere, striking at the pursuers. The shroud had overtaken the entire area as soon as the Pegasi had catched up. Laughter, pure arrogant laughter exploded from the miasma. Despite all the preparation, mental training against mist-terrors and shade ponies, the Guards could not withstand the sharp pain that came with the mist. Many broke down crying as the pain wouldn’t cease.

Let them go, do not break my trust, Chaos. The Unicorn had genuine worry in its mentally conjured voice as he scanned the area, looking at those poor souls on the ground. As the conjurer of the mist, or rather the host of the body, he could see perfectly through it, like transparent glass. I said let them go.

*I am sorry, I am obligated to take their magic, I… I believe I have become addicted to this damned power; I can’t go without it…I need more…It soothes the pain I feel…* The magic siphoning had begun, those who had felt the sharp pain before yelped and writhed. The two sides of one body had approached what seemed to be the leading Guard, one in the most well decorated armour.

“F-Fiend…” He screeched; fiend seemed to be a favourite amongst Equestrians. In addition, this Guard could see past the shades. He had been trained well, the pain was too much to bear, though. “Thou s-shalt not succeed…Gurrghh…” This was highly amusing to the apparition, despite his brief speech about siphoning magic, he still very much enjoyed the Ponies’ suffering, it gratified him.

The Unicorn placed a hoof on his downed opponent, personally ensuring the magic was taken away. Without the crown, converting regular Unicorn magic into dark magic was difficult and exhausting. Then, the most predictable action occurred; the Pony threw a punch at his assailer. The punch was surprisingly hard, enhanced by magic and the studded metal horse shoe. The blow landed directly onto the dark pony’s muzzle, upon contact, there was a small combustion.

For that moment, the Unicorn was distracted and slightly pained, then, a flurry of blows from the hooves of the Guard leader. Brute force was unsurprisingly effective, this, combined with the exhaustion faced from using such vast amount of dark magic caused the dark pony to stagger backwards, the mist almost immediately dispersed.

“Beaten by a guard…Ugh…” The fatigue forced him to collapse, now surrounded by aggravated Guards. The Pegasi swooped down and grabbed all four of his hooves. The group leader was now in front of him, taking out an experimental anti-magic ring and firmly placing it onto the horn. This was embarrassing. The crown meant everything, and without the precious artefact, it was so easy to become magically exhausted with the sheer calibre of dark magic utilised.

Perhaps it is well deserved, but as soon as he was incapacitated, the Unicorns punched him into oblivion, kicking the Unicorn’s form and battering the battle armour worn. This pain meant nothing, he was used to it, but his body wasn’t, the primary host wasn’t. At that point, the body shut down, all went black.

Time Skip

The vast expanse. This disorderly realm in the mind scape. It was truly baffling how fast one’s own world could crumble so fast. The sky was falling down, quite literally. As the world cascaded around, Chaos could only wonder where its architect was located. Perhaps, at the spire? The apparition, and by extension the Unicorn’s mind always loved towering structures, they bring menace and authority. A particular taste of grace and grandeur. Through all of the pondering, the world still collapsed around him, it was becoming a blank canvas, only the spire remained.

Breaking into gallop, the apparition only had one thing on his mind, find the one willing to forgive. Scaling the tower would be the most challenging and tedious task. But it seemed to stretch on for eternity, every floor was an exact replica of the previous, only higher. This was going to take a while.

Time Skip

The armour screeched along the cobbled paths of the Everfree Castle. The Dark Unicorn was dragged on the floor, escorted by a cohort of Guards ponies. This was their greatest catch yet, having evaded them for an entire century. Unfathomable for those who only live to their fifth decade maximum. Medication hasn’t advanced very far since the days of Unicornia.

At the gates, Princess Celestia herself stood at watched the captured pony with anger, the Lord of fear, what a ridiculous title. He deserved severe punishment, beyond hanging, drawing and quartering. Since he was immortal, he will suffer a century of agonising torture to repent for his century of tormenting.

‘He shall break’ Celestia was sure of it, the world had to be rid of this foul magic and all of its bearers. "Send him to the dungeon, the deepest cell.” A mischievous grin appeared on her face, in addition, chuckling with a great hint of malevolence. “When we art done, we shalt hath peace.”

Moments later, the unconscious Unicorn had shackles restraining all four of his hooves, chains attached to his armour pieces holding him in place. Speaking of armour, the equipment seemed to be bound magically by the user, and it was tough. This was a century of metallurgy practice at work. One wonders how many variants of armour Chaos had to go through until he created the latest variant.

The Unicorn himself appeared to still be unconscious, immediately they attempted methods to wake him. First came a bucket of freezing water, it wasn’t particularly effective. Then, noise, prodding, shaking, anything. He just didn’t wake up. They knew that the pony hadn’t been killed, his breathing was still regular.

At this moment, life seemed to stir, the Unicorn grunted, immediately alerting the Guards to his awakening.

Perspective Switch

It was at this instant, that the world, the spire, everything collapsed. Then, sounds of the outside, of familiarity, the clashing of armour plates. He had failed to reach the host; the tower had never ceased to grow. Now, a blurry haze clouded his vision, barely even being able to see forward. There were guards clad in gold, they were the easiest to distinguish. Magic failed to work, no matter how hard he tried.

Then, a Unicorn in the centre, no, Alicorn. Damn it. This was it; this is where he will be deleted from existence, he thought. Moving his hooves around, he noticed they were bound by cold hard steel. He had nothing to say to them. Merely smirking. Even as they brought out devices clearly meant for torture; he did nothing other than smile. No, he wasn’t a masochist, he despised feeling the extreme version of migraine every single second of his existence. But his mentor had told him never to falter, at least he could honour the now captive spirit.

Most of the torture devices match the description of torture. Well, mostly just cause you extreme agony. This is already making him miss the moments of tranquillity, though, this was destined to happen due to his escapade a century ago, so no arguments can be made.

Everything was clear, an enclosed damp cell, chains all around, guards clad in gold, the Sun Alicorn before him. After he had gained full awareness of his surroundings, the Alicorn discharged multiple spells, aiming for the hooves. They made contact, causing the Unicorn to kneel. He could feel the magic coursing through the appendages, but he chuckled.

The Solar Princess was displeased, raising a hoof and battering the Unicorn’s muzzle. He merely looked back, not a hint of bother in his eyes. “All of these mundane methods of torture, thou insult me, Princess.” In truth, he was in fact worried, not for himself but for the host. But he taunted the Princess anyway.

“Silence! Thou dare to speak?! Thou shalt serve thine punishment for thy actions against mine Ponies!” Celestia exploded, she was beyond infuriated. Mercilessly ripping a blade from her guard and piercing it deep into the taunting Unicorn. She had expected a loud yelp, screech, shriek, anything.

Instead, what the Princess received was a chuckle. As she withdrew the blade, there lacked a red stain, no blood gushed out of the supposed wound. She saw that it had become mist. Hissing, she raised a hoof, attempting to strike the Pony of damnation. He avoided it, despite almost being completely chained.

“Thou may believe thyself to be so powerful. But we know thou art weak, we can sense it, the loss of black magic.” Celestia held the Pony in place with telekinesis, following it was a chain of lightning, scorching the pony. She knew he was resistant enough to survive mere lightning. After all, she had been lucky with this Pony, having been in combat minutes before her guard decided to strike.

“We hath waited long for this.” Chuckling in malign, Celestia continued the electric shock, but soon noticed it was not giving the intended effects. The Unicorn before her merely gritted his teeth and took in all of the lightning, despite all of the pain coursing through his innards.

“What?” This is all Celestia could muster at that moment, the damned Pony was actually smirking! A hiss escaped him, left eye twitching, hooves incapable of movement. “Thou art a Unicorn, we art correct in that assessment, yes?” Usually, by now the tortured would’ve broken down, the intense pain would be unbearable.

“Alicorn, Cruelestia, I-I may not -hurk- have thine durability, but my will carries on. You can’t break me.” He laughed, followed by madly coughing, which was promptly followed by chuckling. The Alicorn stopped her lethal method of torture, watching as her victim completely fall. The body was in too much agony to function. “Mend me, and w-we can-“ He coughed “continue tomorrow…” Then, once more darkness, why couldn’t it be something different?

“Cruelestia? What th-“ It took the Sun Alicorn a whole second to process. That was the last thing he heard before drifting off to unconsciousness.

Time Skip

He sat there, staring into the infinite alabaster mindscape. He could not even hear the apparition, sighing. He had put so much trust in the one he called a sibling. Once more, he sat waiting for control to be returned, he called out, waiting for a response. No response came back. A great wall of what seemed to be magic appeared separating his mindscape in two. Any interaction with the barrier result in the skin being scorched. Fortunately, the mindscape was able to repair him in an instant.

It was silent, his mind was supposed to be disorderly, chaotic, a world which he could manipulate at whim. It was dull. A mundane world, lacking even the most basic detail. Then, the sky turned crimson, a new sensation had been brought with it; pain. It stung, not to the extent of the combat from earlier, but still it was unpleasant.

Dark clouds were covering the sky, this would usually signal rain, but here; it signalled arrival. The apparition fell from the heavens on the other side of the barrier. This time, he was not ascended back into control. His body was unconscious once more.

The two Unicorns were now staring at each other, a magical barrier separating them. The host glared at his creation, not yet understanding why he did not respond to the pleas.

“Tell me, why did you not respond?” The apparition looked confused, he tapped at his ears. “Why did you block me from the view?” His face was still one of perplexity. “What is this magical barrier? Answer!” The Unicorn host was now irritated.

On the other side, the apparition watched as his companion yelled out nothing. Not a sound came from the other side. This barrier, it must’ve been created by whatever magical inhibiting device the Equestrians were utilising.

Cursing under his breath, he knew that waiting to wake up would be the only option available to him. He tried manipulating the mindscape, but nothing occurred, not even matter. Celestia wouldn’t just incinerate him on the spot, would she? Oh no, isn’t Celestia a ruthless Dictator now? No, she’s just ruthless in hunting down evil-doers.

The two now just stared at each other, unmoving, their eyes never moving away from each other. All around, the mindscape reshaped itself, twisting and moulding. The end result was the Everfree, the dimly lit forest showered by torrential rain. O’ joy. O’ bliss. Unfortunately, the forest was only semi-completed, as it attempted to move pass the barrier, all that was created was dead and dying foliage, flora and fauna.

“Ist this what thou think of me? Wasteland, desolate, evicted of life. What about forgiveness?” He sighed; eyes fixated on the artificial cold muddy floor. With the sighing concluded, Chaos sat himself down and rested. None of this was real, it didn’t bother him. Why should it? What compelled him to be bothered at this moment? He could feel all thoughts colliding at once.

On the other side, the Unicorn inhaled all of the fresh, false air around, the sensation of wild life and nature, the aroma, it calmed him. No longer was there any anger directed towards his companion, despite their hijacking of his body. This would be temporary, correct? No, they couldn’t even communicate.

Mere moments later, a great beam of light shone down onto the Unicorn, enveloping him in light, it was his turn to wake, not the damnable apparition’s. Forgiven apparition, do not betray your promises. Then, a chuckle. “Bon voyage.” Finally, control once more.

Time Skip

Those white eyes flared open, glancing around at the cell. There are two guards on duty, steadfast and standing to attention. Both noticing the now awakening Unicorn. Then, the dim glow recedes, the pure white pupils are replaced by brown. This time, the Unicorn seemed to be surprised to see chains and shackles.

“W-where are we?” Slightly distraught, the Unicorn opted to taking a wild guess, he was most likely in the Everfree Castle, but he required confirmation. Though, his question went un-answered. The blank emotionless expressions exclusive to guards were kept, the duo most likely suspected that this was part of some grand deception laid out by his counterpart, thus keeping quiet. Laying his head low, he sighed, there must be a way to convince these soldiers.

Composing himself, inhaling and exhaling, he scanned around once more. He checked all body parts for damage and noticed plenty of scorch marks all over the armour and coat. If he had ever bothered to learn whistling, then the guards’ ears would cease to function by now.

Despite all of the observation and planning, the Unicorn failed to formulate a strategy. The prospect of brute force was appealing at first, however he lacked the strength required to destroy his chains. This dungeon must’ve been underground, so breaking the walls would lead nowhere.

Usually, this is where there would be a sigh. But the Unicorn kept to the blissful silence, occasionally ruined by the chains which bound him. After uncountable minutes have passed, the guards and Unicorn just stared at each other, motionless. This must’ve been quite a regular occurrence. The guards seemed to be content just standing there. Were they even real? Hold on, were they magical constructs?

Clever girl. Guards had to be stoic, so why not replace them with replicas? He had to test this theory. Struggling in his binds, using all the strength he could possibly muster. It failed. He failed. But the theory was proven, the guards didn’t even move an inch. These chains must’ve been incredibly reinforced for them to not bother with security. Most likely they were hunting once more, wolves hunting wolves.

I do have an idea…It may sound absolutely idiotic and counter-productive, but what else am I to do? These binds are getting on my nerves. Immediately following up with his inner monologue, he began mustering all of the dark magic, Unicorn magic and semi-converted magics together to destroy the magical-inhibitor. Oh, I do hope this succeeds.

Rolling his eyes up, he watched as the ring began to crack. Of course, the Unicorn did not understand the intricacies or mechanics of the device. However, it seemed to be discharging magic rather slowly. Perhaps it was overflowing and the volatile nature of dark magic meant that it was destroying itself. That’s a theory, though the facts are presenting themselves.

Then, it exploded into shrapnel, the Unicorn shut his eyes and braced. Then, dark magic flowed through his horn. He laughed. Energy flowed back into the body, and with that, he destroyed all of the chains at once. Black magic shot out disintegrating them all at once. Levitating the remaining pieces of the chains, he began moulding. Creating a new crown for him to don.

Stretching, he continued the laughter. Until finally, the crown was created. This time, he would find himself a crystal.

Now, let us go explain ourselves.