Amidst the Howling Dark

Neon God

Everywhere Celestia looked, ashes. Ashes, bones, debris. Countless plumes of smoke darkened the midday sky, and the raging fires all around cast the land in a Tartarus-like glow. Bodies, limbs, dropped and broken weapons. It was horrific. It was her world. At least, it used to be. Before De'mah stole it from her.

She wandered aimlessly, her hooves trudging through the ash like it was fresh-fallen snow. Every so often her hoof would hit a skull, or a leg, and she'd scurry away from it, a lump in her throat. What city she was in, she couldn't even tell. Once De'mah was done with them they all looked the same.

That she was even still alive was a miracle. No, not a miracle. She knew the truth. That she was still alive was because she was a coward, just like De'mah said. She was a coward, a weakling. She and her sister only played at power, played at conflict. Discord's defeat was now a distant memory, for it proved what she had come to realize as the truth. The chaos god was a trivial foe. All of Equestria's terrestrial foes were trivial. De'mah was proof of that. All of their world's conflicts were little more than two species playing around. Little whimsical fairytale battles, like a children's play. De'mah was the crushing reality. He had showed Celestia the truth.

Really, Celestia had to thank the alien invader. He'd shown her the frailty of the power she and Luna held. As fast and mighty as they were, they could hardly touch a creature like De'mah. Did he ever sleep? Did he ever eat? Did he ever rest at all? Celestia couldn't be sure. She knew absolutely nothing about his species beyond what traits De'mah displayed. Was he even killable at all? She'd never seen him sweat, she'd never seen him bleed, she'd never even seen him struggle or slow down.

Perhaps they should just surrender to De'mah. Celestia was sure that if she offered herself up to the twisted alien, then maybe he'd spare the rest of her kind. Was slavery preferable to extinction? Even in servitude, would they survive? De'mah talked of bringing his entire species to Equestria. Was this their future? A future of subjugation and repression? Would the world remember their kind at all, once De'mah was done, or were they doomed to be erased from both the world and history itself?

Celestia heard that horrible sound once more, and turned to find De'mah standing before her, lit sword in his hand. He merely stared at her, and Celestia struggled to find anything to say. He approached and began circling her, the tips of his sword not an inch from her flesh as he went.

"It had to be this way, you know. Your existence stands in defiance of the way the universe works. You are an affront to the natural order of life that the Forerunners dictated to the galaxy. Strength, might, power, honor. All alien concepts to you and your kind. There was no alternative; I had to cast you all down, in the name of the gods and my honor" the alien said.

"These Forerunners...tell me of them..." Celestia asked.

De'mah scoffed. "What's the point? You won't understand their wisdom, their magnificence. Their majesty would blind you, and their wisdom would render an ignorant like you insane. When your world has been reduced to ash, and you stand amidst the howling dark of the void, feeling naught but your own flesh, seeing naught but the abyss, the lone blade will light the way to your damnation."

He placed a hand on Celestia's back and forced her to the ground, the Princess's legs folding underneath her. She shakily turned to look up at De'mah as he stood beside her, and brought his sword closer and closer to her face. She stared into the light of his blade until her eyes began to water, the arcing and crackling tips close enough for her to feel their heat, and she waited for the blow that would kill her.

The blow that never came.

Instead, De'mah and the city and all of the world faded away into an empty void, the all-consuming darkness surrounding Celestia. Her breath quickened and she began to hyperventilate, but before the panic consumed her she became aware of a faint blue glow. Intrigued, she began to venture towards it, stumbling and staggering on unsure hooves.

As she neared the faint glow it was revealed to be her sister, standing elegant and regal amidst the darkness, her horn alight, her eyes closed. Celestia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She watched as Luna's eyes opened, and her wings slowly unfurled and raised into the blackness, and she stepped forward. Celestia tried to turn, but found she could not move at all. Her sister came up next to her, placed her mouth near Celestia's ear, and spoke.

"I am the darkness, and you are the blade."

Celestia awoke in a cold sweat, Luna's words echoing in her head as the last of the dream, the nightmare, faded away. It was quiet, she was safe, and still alive. After retreating to the Griffon lands the Griffon Emperor had been more than welcoming, and had shown Celestia and her sister to a safehouse high in the mountains that they could use. It was very early in the morning, and Celestia slowly climbed out of bed.

There was a gentle knock to the door of her room and Celestia trotted over to it, finding her sister on the other end. "The night approaches its end, Tia" she said.

"Thank you, Lulu. I was already awake, so I'll go make the transition." Celestia stepped past her sister and made her way through the halls and out to the front of the safehouse. The peak of the mountain was more bowl-shaped than pointed, and it was in this caldera that the safehouse was located. A winding path went down the mountain, opposite the safehouse's front door, to a village built along a cliff and, eventually, to the surface. With a flick of her horn Celestia guided their sun along as it neared the horizon, beginning the dawn and the day proper.

Will this be my last sunrise? Celestia thought. Contrary to popular legend the sun and moon can rise and set just fine on their own, we just help them along as a show of our power. Will this day be my last? Will it be Lulu's last? How long can one pony live on borrowed time?

Celestia remained out in the courtyard, eyes unfocused, lost in thought. They needed to come up with some plan to deal with De'mah, but what? They'd tried the Elements, they'd tried an open confrontation, hundreds of her guard had tried to fell the alien beast, but nothing worked. As she wracked her mind Celestia began to grow desperate, wishing she could find some answer to the question that was De'mah's existence.

Finding none she turned and headed back into the safehouse, her sister in the kitchen tending to their breakfast. "We live like fugitives, like outlaws, on the run, in hiding. We live on borrowed time. How do we face the demon that has crushed our entire world, and taken everything from us?" Celestia asked of her sister, who was expressionless and unreadable.

"We take it back" was Luna's answer, though it didn't exactly inspire confidence in Celestia. She sat at the kitchen's table and put a hoof to her chin, and waited patiently for Luna to finish.

"I...had a dream last night. A horrible nightmare. A city burned, like so many have already, and De'mah was there. He told me that it was always going to end this way, that nothing we could've done would've changed his actions. He was always going to exterminate us, from the moment he learned of our existence. He said to me that, in the darkness, the lone blade will light the way to your damnation. It was only a dream, but... How does one respond to that?" she asked, and Luna did not answer. She was about to turn around, to face her sister, when she felt Luna's hooves on her shoulders, and she froze.

"I am the darkness, and you are the blade."

Before Celestia could say anything there was a tremendous boom from outside that shook the entire safehouse, a few loose dishes clattering to the floor and shattering. She looked to Luna and the two of them rushed outside, and what Celestia saw froze her in her tracks. Perched along the rim of the caldera were six dragons, all looking at the two Princesses. Celestia's blood ran cold when she saw the familiar figure of De'mah coming up the trail and approaching them, lit sword in his hand.

Another nightmare, it has to be... How could he have found us?!

"This is a pleasant development. I wonder what were the odds of the first Griffon village I attacked being below the safehouse of this world's most despicable cowards. At last, we can settle this, permanently. This time, there will be no escape" the alien stated matter-of-factly.

"We will not go without a fight, of that you can be certain" Luna said, and the alien grinned.

"Good. I wouldn't want it any other way. All this might, all this magic, and you've accomplished nothing. Discord or not, yours and all the other races of this world should've accomplished so much more by now, even without the gifts of the Forerunners" De'mah said.

"You know of Discord... I just want to know why. WHY are you doing this?" Celestia demanded.

"I have already explained myself, Equestrian. The Sangheili learned long ago that only the strong survive. It is a fact of the cosmos, one imparted by the wisdom and magnificence of the Forerunners upon this universe. It is how the Sangheili have prevailed over all the other creatures and dangers of our planet."

"But doesn't the fact that we've survived as long as we have, even having established our own civilization and society, prove our strength?" Celestia asked.

"Hardly. Even cowards can survive. It is strength that allows a people to thrive. Strength, might, and honor. You could never understand" the Sangheili explained. "Now, enough of words! Let us END this!"

At once De'mah charged forward, and Celestia and Luna lit their shields. The day Princess watched with gritted teeth as De'mah's sword flashed across her shield, producing that horrible sound she so hated. Celestia dropped her shield to fire an attack spell and was grabbed by the throat by the alien, his grip nearly crushing her windpipe. He was about to stab her when Luna shot him, and he released Celestia, who put her shield back up. He rushed around to Celestia's side, putting her between him and Luna, and he struck again. Luna teleported behind De'mah, and he swung back at her, giving Celestia another opening. She hit him in the side with a powerful beam attack, and he was flung to the ground.

In less than a second De'mah was back on his feet and he rushed Celestia again. He can't be stopped. He truly can't be stopped she thought. He turned his sword and lashed out, the tips shrieking across the magical field. Luna was on the alien in seconds, and jumped onto his back.

"RELEASE yourself from me, you putrid coward!" De'mah roared, and swung his sword errantly. Celestia watched in horror as Luna's horn crackled with dark magic, a profaned spell powering up. She was about to release the spell when De'mah bent forward and flung her off him, sending the night's avatar to the dirt. De'mah was about to plunge his sword into her when Celestia fired again, using a light spell to pepper the alien with magic bolts. Luna rolled to her hooves and joined Celestia at her side once more, and the day Princess took a moment to recover her magic.

"You were about to use dark magic..." Celestia whispered to Luna, who looked grim. Her horn glowed darkly once more, inky tendrils of black trailing from it as she powered up another profaned spell. "Luna, don't! Don't do it, we don't need to use such spells!"

"Survival necessitates all one can muster. We'd do well to learn this lesson now."

"I won't reduce myself to such darkness! Survival means nothing if you can't retain who you are!"

"Pathetic that you are afraid of your own power! If you'll not fight me with all you can manage then I will enjoy striking you down" De'mah said, and rushed towards them again. Celestia lit her shield and galloped forth, and as De'mah swung the day Princess ducked and rammed him. De'mah dug his feet into the earth and slashed and hammered on Celestia's shield to no avail.

With De'mah distracted Luna rose into the air and unleashed a powerful black beam at the Sangheili, knocking him away from Celestia and sending him sprawling across the ground. Celestia looked to her sister who gently floated down to her side before turning her attention back to De'mah. She watched in horror as the alien warrior staggered back to his feet, head in hand. He growled and swung his sword at the air and began to stalk towards them. "Your kin is providing a fair challenge. Why won't you, coward? What being would be afraid of their own power?"

"Equestria was built and founded on the tenets of Harmony. Friendship, compassion, love and tolerance for all! I wanted to leave all of our darkness in the past. The wickedness, the cruelty. Profaned arts and barbarism" Celestia said, eyeing her sister even as De'mah approached them both. "Our unification marked a new era for ponies everywhere. A promise of unity and companionship."

"And look where it has gotten you" De'mah said, right next to Celestia. She turned to face him, the alien warrior mere feet from her. "At the end of my blade. Your cowardly ways simply opened the door for a stronger people to crush you into DUST." The Sangheili turned, took a few steps away, and spun back to face the Princesses.

The alien silenced his blade, tensed, and leapt forward into a roll, coming up in the middle of the Princesses. He ignited his blade and swung just as Celestia put her shield back up, and she squeezed her eyes shut as the sword slashed across her shield. She watched as Luna dropped her shield and fired, hitting De'mah in the shoulder. He spun to face her and Celestia dropped her shield. De'mah spun and swung, and Celestia dropped to the ground. The alien kicked her in the face, and she scrambled back as Luna distracted the demon.

With a beat of her wings Celestia rose into the air and opened fire on De'mah who rolled in her direction once more. She rose higher into the air just as De'mah swung, the tips of his blade passing only inches away from her belly. She saw one of the dragons unfurl his mammoth wings but he remained perched on the caldera's rim, his eyes locked onto Celestia's. She tore her gaze away from the wyrm and looked to Luna just in time to see De'mah reach her. He swung his sword and Luna ducked. She scurried to the alien's side and kept her body low to the ground, her horn crackling and sparking. She fired a beam and De'mah barely dodged it in time. He rushed at Luna, who teleported behind him and flew straight into the alien creature, knocking him to the ground.

As De'mah lied on the dirt Celestia charged up another spell and unleashed it on the Sangheili, who rolled aside and jumped back up to his feet. Luna took flight and the two of them began firing at De'mah, forcing him onto the defensive.

"ZEALOTS!! SCORCH THEIR SKIES, SO THAT THEY MIGHT FIGHT ME LIKE TRUE WARRIORS!!" De'mah roared, and the six dragons rose into the air at once. Celestia watched as they began to circle the caldera, one of them breaking away and barreling straight towards her and Luna.

"DOWN!!" Celestia screamed, and the two Princesses dropped to the ground, the dragon soaring overhead, black smoke trailing from his gaping maw. Once they were back on the ground De'mah rushed them again, his sword streaking through the shadows cast by the numerous wyrms above. Luna fired a spell that hit the Sangheili in his waist, and he stumbled forward on momentum, one hand catching himself on the ground as his blade sank into the dirt. He recovered almost instantly and continued to charge at them, and Celestia was struck by indecision. She was convinced he couldn't be killed, but what they could do? They could not run, they could not fly, they were trapped.

They were dead.

A great sense of panic and desperation welled up in Celestia and she scurried back from the rapidly approaching monster, who swung his ethereal sword at her. She groaned in terror as she tried so desperately to get away from the unstoppable demon, firing spell after spell at him. Beams, bolts, needles, nothing worked. They all bounced and glanced off his armor harmlessly, or at best only slowed him. He struck and swung and stabbed and slashed and ran about in a flurry of fury and malice as Celestia and Luna tried everything they could.

"MAY ALL THE FORERUNNERS WATCH AS I CLAIM MY VICTORY OVER THESE COWARDS!!" De'mah thundered as he stabbed at Celestia, whose shield deflected the blow. "MAY ALL OF 'TOKAM WATCH AS I PROVE THE STRENGTH OF OUR NAME AND OUR HONOR!!" he roared as his blade raked across Luna's shield, little globs and sparks of thaums flying off her shield as the mysterious sword clashed across it. "AND MAY ALL OF SANGHELIOS WATCH AS I PROVE THE STRENGTH AND MIGHT OF OUR ENTIRE SPECIES, FOR ALL OF THE GODS AND THE UNIVERSE TO WATCH WITH AWE AND WONDER AT THE GLORY OF THE SANGHEILI!!!"

He's insane. He's absolutely insane. Discord was NOTHING compared to this NIGHTMARE!! Celestia thought, horrified. She tensed hard as De'mah drove the tips of his sword straight into her barrier, the magical field warping and bending as his blade pushed into the thaums, a horrific screeching and rising hum filling the air as the ethereal weapon grinded into the shield, blinding flashes sparking off and leaving harsh spots in Celestia's vision. Her eyes watered deeply, her gritted teeth threatening to crack, all while De'mah showed not even a hint of strain.

"THE DAY HAS AT LAST COME, MY ZEALOTS!! IT WILL LIVE FOREVER AS THE MOST GLORIOUS DAY OF YOUR SPECIES' HISTORY! A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER I HAVE FALLEN, EVERY TONGUE OF THE DIV WILL STILL SPEAK MY NAME WITH HONOR AND REVERENCE, AND LOOK FOREVER TOWARDS MY IMAGE AND THE IMAGE OF THE SANGHEILI AS THE GREAT HAND THAT LIFTED YOUR SPECIES OUT OF COMPLACENCY, AND INTO THE HALLS OF LEGEND!!"

All of De'mahs assembled dragons thundered a roar that threatened to deafen Celestia, and shake her apart like a toy. The sky quickly became choked and blanketed in thick black smoke from the maws of the dragons, and amidst the smoke the orange glow of the dragons' fires fluttered about as they flew in circles over the caldera, their eyes on De'mah. On Celestia. Embers and globs of magma and napalm began to rain down upon the ground all around them, and as she looked into De'mah's eyes Celestia swore to her mother above that they too burned with an inferno of their own, crying out with glee and mirth for the death of her and her sister, and Celestia was terrified. Deeply terrified, to her core, of this otherworldly demon.

"LUNA!" Celestia shouted. "LUNA, we must go!!"

"YOU WILL GO NOWHERE, COWARD! YOU WILL FALL WHERE YOU STAND!!" De'mah roared, and Luna landed next to her sister. De'mah charged at them once more, roaring the entire way. His feet hardly touched the ground as he came, it seemed, and Celestia swore his entire armor glowed with malevolence and unearthly rage.

"Teleport, Luna! It doesn't matter where, let's just get AWAY FROM THAT THING!!"

Celestia charged her horn and galloped as fast as she could away from De'mah, her sister right at her side. "AFTER THEM!!" De'mah screamed. "SCORCH THEIR BONES INTO NOTHING!!!"

Celestia dared a look over her shoulder and saw a titan black dragon screaming straight down at them, his maw wide open and billowing black smoke. His tongue sparked and brilliant orange flames began to lick at the sky as he came down, and Celestia's world turned white as she flashed away from the caldera, the raging inferno of the dragon's fire and the fury of the nightmare De'mah never ceasing their pursuit, even as she and Luna winked out of existence and into safety.