Guardian

CHAPTER 16 – SIEGE

“This way, your majesty.” The guard captain lead a dark blue Alicorn through a hallway that dug deep beneath Canterlot. The dark blue Alicorn, her hair no longer the flowing form it had taken during the night, yawned deeply, fighting to stay awake.

“For what reason must we travel with such haste to the gem caverns?”

“A safety measure, my lady. The threat to Equestria has announced that he has set his sights on you next.”

“Preposterous. He thinks himself capable of overpowering us now? What gives him such gall to think he can attack us next?”

“Word has arrived that he has already defeated Discord, my lady.”

“What?” Luna stopped in her tracks, “This must be a mistake...”

“Afraid not, your highness. It was a letter directly from Discord that announced his defeat. This was followed by a letter from the attacker himself which declared that he would be coming for you next.” The guard turned and the two began walking again, “You must rest before you can hope to defend yourself against him, so we will be keeping you in hiding until then.”

“And what of our sister?”

“Princess Celestia rules during the day. The Sun maintains her power so long as it is up, so she can hold the villain back for now. However, if you can get some rest before then and recharge just a little, your powers would help immeasurably. Until then, we shall do all we can to defend you. Just stay in the shadows of the caverns here until then, my princess.” The guard turned to Luna as they reached the entrance to the caverns that connected to the hallway. “I swear upon my life that nothing shall harm you, Princess Luna.” The guard bowed to the dark blue Alicorn.

“No, never swear thine life for us.”

“Princess?”

“No life is worth more than another. It is our duty to protect each other. Sacrifice solves nothing. Defend us, but do not cast away thine life for us, my captain.”

“As you wish, your majesty.” The guard turned and walked at a brisk pace back down the hallway. Luna watched him disappear around a corner before turning and heading into the shimmering cave system.

She had not been in the caverns for over a thousand years. She had forgotten how beautiful the reflective surfaces were, even in the darkness. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the shadows as she walked deeper into the cavern. Finally, after walking about for some time, she came to a small enclave that had a series of small light crystals jutting from the walls. Their gentle glow illuminated the area enough for Luna to see easier, and so she decided that this would be the place to rest. She lay down upon the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

“How long do you think it will take for him to reach Canterlot?” Celestia sat on her throne patiently and with a calm demeanor as her guards stood in file before her. A lieutenant stood before her explaining the situation.

“He will most certainly be here within the hour,” the armored pegasus stated, “But we won't be certain of his arrival until we feel a breach in the barrier around the city.”

“I trust your judgment, my lieutenant. Make sure that the forces are ready along the borders. See to it that all of the civilians are inside before Terror's arrival.”

“Understood.” The pegasus turned and the mass of troops filed out of the throne room, leaving Celestia by herself.

“Twilight, I hope you get here soon. I cannot guard the Elements forever.”

Minutes went by like hours as Celestia waited on the throne. After what felt like an eternity in the silent city, a letter appeared in a puff of green flame before the white Alicorn. Unraveling the tattered, torn sheet of paper, Celestia began reading.

“Dear Princess Celestia – Our arrival in Canterlot is faced with delay. We were attacked by a sinister being on our train trip to the city, who cast our train off of the rails and into the gorge outside of Canterlot. We are currently tasked with leading ourselves and the passengers out of the gorge before we can make it to your aid.”

“Oh no... This isn't good...” Celestia continued reading.

“I also bear news of great importance. We have come into contact with a stallion calling himself 'Brimstone.' He is an incredibly powerful wielder of magic, however his methods of using it have raised suspicion among us. It was our initial plan to bring him to you so that you could determine what to do about him. He has been quite a bother thus far. However, we are thankful for his presence, for if he had not been with us, the train would have fallen to the bottom of the chasm and killed all of us. He is currently in a comatose state. When we next see you, we will need your help reviving him. - Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle”

“This is most certainly not good news...” Celestia re-rolled the scroll and set it on the table beside her throne, then quickly exited the room and made her way to the battlements. The captain of the guard was just then making his way onto the battlements as the Princess stepped out. “My captain, is Luna safe?”

“Indeed, your majesty. The Princess is under Canterlot resting as we speak.”

“Good. I need you to do something, it is a matter of great importance.”

“What is it, your majesty?”

“Twilight Sparkle and her friends have fallen into the gorge outside of Canterlot. I need you to send a rescue squad down there to get them and the other passengers of the Ponyville Express out safely. Time is of the essence.”

“Understood.” The captain turned and shouted a few orders to the guards on the battlements as Celestia turned and took a few steps back into the castle.

Where is Terror... I know he has to be around already... It wouldn't make sense for him to slowly make his way to the barrier if he had already taken Discord's powers... Wait... Celestia suddenly froze, her body going cold. She looked back at the captain.

“Captain!”

“Princess?”

“What does the barrier around Canterlot encompass?”

“Everything around the city, your majesty.”

“Does it block the entrance to the caves in the mountain?” The guard stood in shock at this. “Captain?” A sudden explosion deep beneath the surface of Canterlot rocked the city. Celestia braced herself as the floor slowly stopped shaking. “Get to the mines, now! Luna is-”

An explosion on the ground in the middle of Canterlot released two clouds, a black shadow and dark violet mass that erupted into the air and slowly fell to the ground, both taking forms as they crushed the stone road beneath them. The black shroud took the form of Terror, standing with his menacing grin as the violet aura before him spun about, the skies above darkening as Nightmare Moon erupted from the epicenter.

“Plebeian fool! You dare disturb my rest? You know not who you deal with!”

“I had not expected you to awaken so... Explosively, Luna.”

“You!” Celestia shouted from the castle, amplifying her voice with magic, “You've made a grave mistake coming here, Terror!”

“On the contrary, Celestia, I've made the perfect choice. Smooth move leaving every orifice of the cave open for me, by the way. You made it much easier than I'd hoped.”

“You will not get away with what you have done!” Nightmare Moon surged forward, encompassed by magic, and crashed into Terror. The two clouds dozed through multiple buildings in the city, rubble flying about randomly, before they separated again. Terror once again landed on his feet, reforming a short distance from Nightmare Moon.

“So violent, Luna. You're certainly not a morning person, or rather, an afternoon one.”

“Shut your mouth! You have no right to talk here after all that you have done to my subjects!” The dark cerulean Alicorn's horn glowed a bright cobalt before a wave of magic surged forward at Terror. The specter smiled and snapped his fingers, the cobalt magic being stopped by a silver brick wall.

“At this point, I don't even have to rely on my own powers to overcome yours. Discord's magic is strong enough to outdo it with ease.”

A violet cloud erupted from around the wall and took the form of three shadowbolts, all striking Terror directly at once and sending him flying back before he dispersed into a cloud and enveloped the three ethereal pegasi. His head peaked up from the top of the black cloud as the ponies within struggled to escape.

“Calm yourself, Luna. It's less painful for both of us if you do.”

“Fool!” The violet cloud erupted from Terror's shroud, causing him to reel backwards before catching his balance. The violet cloud retook the form of Nightmare Moon in front of the specter. “If you think I would allow you to take my kingdom and harm my subjects without punishment, you have another thing coming!” The dark Alicorn shot forth at Terror, the two continuing their clash.

Inside of the castle, Celestia scurried to quickly send the party out to gather up Twilight and her friends before she would begin to aid her sister.

“Get going, quickly! Disperse the barrier around Canterlot so that you may move about quicker. We won't be needing it at this point anyway since Terror is already within the city limits. Make haste!” A group of ten pegasi saluted the Princess and linked themselves to a large chariot, pulling it into the air with them as a group of unicorns dispersed the magic shield around the city. Outside, Terror, locked in a clash with Nightmare Moon, looked up at the sky as the barrier cleared. He smiled.

“Perfect.” Terror gripped Nightmare Moon's hooves in his claws, spun around, and hurled her into a nearby building. He then lifted a claw into the air and released a pulse of energy that echoed and bounded off of the mountains for a great distance. After a few moments, Nightmare Moon erupted from the rubble and a massive amount of soldiers began to surround Terror, Celestia lowering to the ground beside her transformed sister.

“It's over. You're completely surrounded and outnumbered.”

“True, but you are outmatched.”

“And what makes you think that?”

Terror smirked as a roar was heard in the distance. A massive dragon coated in thick stone appeared over the Unicorn Mountain Range, flying towards the capital city.

“What is this?” Nightmare shouted, looking back at the massive dragon.

“Make your choice, regal sisters. Choose to fight me and have your guards lose their lives at the hands of that ancient dragon, or slay the beast and have your guards fall to me instead.”

Celestia growled in frustration as the dragon neared in the distance.

“You have no chance to survive. Make your time.”

“All units, focus on the dragon! Luna and I will handle Terror!” Celestia's voice rang out over the city, all soldiers quickly moving towards the border of Canterlot as the two sisters stood before Terror.

“Excellent. I can have fun with the two of you before I steal your powers away.”

The white Alicorn fired a golden beam of magic at Terror, who snapped his fingers. A blue-tinted hole and orange-tinted hole opened up in the air in front of him, the golden magic entering the blue and firing back at Celestia through the orange. She gasped before her own magic nailed her, sending her reeling backwards into a nearby building.

“I must admit, as much as Discord irritated me, his magic is quite amusing.”

Terror dodged a cobalt beam before snapping his fingers again, causing the gravity around Nightmare Moon to disperse entirely. Confused, she found herself floating upwards. She dispersed into a cloud of violet and began moving towards Terror, who snapped his fingers again, amplifying the gravity to four-times the normal amount around the cloud, which slammed into the ground. Reverting to her equine form, Nightmare Moon struggled to pull herself up under the hefty force.

“You wretched fiend!” She shouted with strained breaths, “You dare make a mockery of me with this?”

“Come now, Luna, it could be much worse.” Terror snapped his fingers again and watched as the buildings around Nightmare Moon suddenly uplifted, enveloped by silver magic, and slammed into the violet Alicorn from all angles. “Be glad I'm not an imbecile like Discord. I could have had you in a tutu before I crushed you just now.”

A sudden beam of golden magic hit Terror directly from the side. Sliding across the ground on his feet, Terror steadied himself and looked over at Celestia.

“Feeling left out?”

“You will not bring harm to anyone else within my kingdom!”

“Princess of the Sun. So very bold. But at heart you are still just a scared little pony.”

“Quiet!” Celestia fired a beam of golden magic at Terror, who caught the ray in his claw and crushed it. Celestia's eyes widened, for no one had ever overpowered her magic in such a way. She watched as an orb exited Terror's shroud, one filled with a familiar face.

“You failed to save your niece. You didn't even try to warn her. You knew I was there. You knew from the nightmare you had last night that I was near her. But you refused to believe that I existed. A being from the primordial world upon which you founded Equestria.”

“No... Silence!” Another beam shot forth from Celestia and was this time swatted away by Terror.

“You never told the world of the race that lived here before you. The race that created Discord and was driven into the ground by him. The race that created you in an attempt to stop him.”

Celestia let out a roar as she fired another beam of golden magic, this time it hit Terror directly, but had no affect. Not even enough of one to make him flinch.

“You never told the world about the humans. You never told them about the Emata. You never told them that magic is powerless against Psi. And even now, you refuse to believe the truth that stands before your eyes.”

Demoralized and shocked by Terror's complete invulnerability towards her magic, Celestia stood paralyzed by fear as the specter slowly moved toward her.

“No... No...” tears welled up in her eyes.

“You told no one of the dangers this world of yours was built upon, and now their combined ignorance will be the reason this world falls under my truth. The truth that a world of innocence deserves no existence. If only you had told the world of the dangers that it could face. If only you hadn't been such a fool... Maybe your world would have been prepared for me. It's all your fault that the world will fall, Celestia-” Terror slowly lifted a claw and began reaching out for Celestia, who stood locked in place, shaking gently, “And for your ignorance, you shall pay the ultimate price.”

A beam of cobalt magic hit Terror with enough force to uproot him and send him flying into a nearby building. Celestia looked over at her sister, broken and bloody from the impact of the buildings that had slammed into her, and snapped out of her fear as she rushed to her sister's aid.

“Celestia...”

“Hush, Luna. Don't talk now. Just breathe...” Celestia watched the darkness of the Nightmare form evaporate off of her younger sister's body, leaving behind a smaller, much more gentle-appearing Princess Luna.

“It hurts...”

“Shh...” Celestia looked over to her sister's leg - a broken mess. Every bone in it must have been shattered, she thought. She was surprised that Luna hadn't reacted faster.

“I'm sorry, sister... I don't think I can help you anymore...”

“Don't talk, Luna. You're going to be okay...” At this, the sapphire Alicorn collapsed onto the ground. Celestia, tears in her eyes, quickly knelt beside her, enveloping Luna in a golden glow. “Just stay calm, I'll heal you.”

“Sister... Do you remember that song you wrote a long time ago?”

“What? Which one? It's been such a long time since I've written any poetry that I...”

“That lullaby... 'Hush Now, Quiet Now.' I liked that one.”

“Oh yes... I remember it.” Celestia continued to heal Luna's wounds. The breaks in the bones were now nothing more than minor fractures, but Luna would indeed need rest, and it seemed that now Celestia's goal in battle would be to defend her.

“Could you... Sing that one for me? I always liked it when you sang... You never sing anymore...”

The white Alicorn looked down on her sister, who had closed her eyes in exhaustion. Raising the moon and taking that much damage in battle without gaining any sleep would be expected to have that affect on her.

“Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed...

Drifting off to sleep, the exciting day behind you,

Drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dream land find you...

Hush now quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed.”

By the end of the lullaby, Luna had fallen fast asleep beside Celestia. All of her wounds were healed, but she would be completely out of commission without resting for some time. Celestia stood up and erected a barrier around Luna to keep random objects from landing on her as she slept, then turned as a building nearby erupted.

“Insolent night-owl wench!” Terror's voice boomed over the city as his form send masses of rubble flying about the city, “I will be certain to feed your powerless husk to the dragons once I've stolen your powers!”

“Do not come near my sister...” Celestia growled, turning her furious gaze towards Terror, “Or I will kill you.”

“YOU DARE THREATEN ME?” Terror's shroud became coated in a yellow blaze that cracked the ground and split nearby buildings. His eyes glowed a livid red as his teeth became sharper and more malicious in appearance, “YOU ARE POWERLESS, CELESTIA.”

“YOU WILL NOT TAINT MY LAND ANY FURTHER!” The two charged forth at each other, magic and Psi ablaze around them, cracking the roads and splitting the city in two as they neared one another.

A massive crash upon the ground heralded the slaying of the massive dragon. Letting out a death rattle that shook the earth below, the dragon fell upon its stomach, its massive head nearly hitting the castle and crushing it. All around the body, soldiers cried out in victory.

“The dragon is down! Excellent work! I'm seeing a pay-raise in your future, boys!” The captain cheerfully exclaimed to his soldiers before remembering the battle paralleling theirs. He turned and looked to the town center as a wave of energy passed by him. “Come on, our work's not finished! We need to aid the princesses!”

The soldiers turned and quickly filed in behind the captain as they made their way to the town center. Upon reaching it, the captain turned the corner to bare witness to the end result of the fray...

Laid against the rubble in the distance, Celestia struggled to stand back upright and retaliate as Terror hit her with beam after beam of green magic.

“You remember this power all too well, do you not? Your first miserable failure against an enemy.”

“Princess Celestia!” The captain's voice caught Terror's attention. The specter turned and stopped firing magic upon the white Alicorn as a wave of soldiers overtook him.

Celestia, so sore that she could barely move, looked over to the soldiers as they continued to flail upon the shadow. Her vision blurred, she found herself too weak to call out to them and warn them of what he had done to defeat her-

A rose shockwave from the center of the group sent soldiers flying through the air. The captain caught himself on his feet and rushed back towards the specter.

“You'll pay for harming our Princess!”

“BEGONE.” Terror held his talon out and released a pulse of yellow energy that vaporized the captain as he came near. The soldiers, shocked and horrified at the power Terror held, all hesitated for a moment before the lieutenant ordered the next charge.

“No...” Celestia weakly attempted to cry out, stumbling and falling over as she tried to move towards them. She was met by the sight of a group of ponies being vaporized by another pulse of yellow energy. Tears filled her eyes as she dragged herself in the direction of the crowd, trying to get to them so that she could stop them.

“Why won't you all GIVE UP?” Terror released another pulse as a group of soldiers neared him, disintegrating the group before it could reach him. A battered soldier who had lost his front right leg from one of the shockwaves stood up, shaking and breathing heavily in an attempt to fight the pain.

“We won't let you harm our princess... We won't let you!” The soldier charged at Terror, stumbling on his three legs. His face was met by the cold grip of three talons.

“Then die a fool's death.” The crunch of bones signaled that the soldier in Terror's grip had been void of his life. The body was cast aside by the shadow as he turned his attention towards the remaining few soldiers before him. “Would anyone else like to make a fool of themselves in a vain attempt to save their precious princess?” The remaining soldiers proved to be completely demoralized by the specter before them, they replied only with fearful eyes and shaking. “Good.” Terror turned and looked at Celestia, who was still attempting to drag herself towards Terror with agonizing movements and tearful eyes.

“You fool... Two thousand years, Celestia. Two thousand years and yet you have not matured at all.” Terror approached Celestia and delivered a kick to her that sent her flying into the rubble that she once laid upon. Writhing in agony delivered by the stone making harsh contact with her sore body, Celestia calmed herself enough to look over to Terror and watch him. “Perhaps this will teach you the humility that our creator could not.”

The shadow turned and began making his way slowly towards Luna, who still lay resting peacefully under the barrier created by Celestia. The white Alicorn, too weak to move or scream, cried out weakly at the shadow as he reached Luna. Terror turned and looked at Celestia, gaining a malevolent smile upon his face.

“Do you think Luna slept well?” Celestia squirmed and fell off of the pile of rubble, gritting her teeth in pain as she looked up to see Terror's red eyes in the distance through her blurred vision. “You don't know? Well then... LET'S ASK HER.”

Terror's claw reached down and shattered the barrier, embracing Luna's head in a death-cold grip and lifting her into the air. Celestia squirmed across the ground as she wept aloud for her sister, trying as best she could to save her with the non-existent powers that remained within her. Luna flinched under Terror's grip as her weak form was held in the air.

“Do you know the best thing about her being like this, Celestia?” The white Alicorn responded with a grunt, sob, and a pull towards Terror, “I don't even have to mess with her head to get her into a weakened state at this point. But you know what? I'M GOING TO ANYWAY.”

The shadow shook Luna violently, the sapphire Alicorn opening her eyes weakly and meeting the petrifying gaze of the ethereal figure before her. Her eyes widened in shock, her weak physical state becoming even more fragile as the seconds went by. Celestia cried out in the distance as her sister shook violently in Terror's grip, unable to defend herself as the specter corrupted her mind. Finally, Luna's movements stopped entirely, her eyes fell closed. Celestia let out another agonized cry as Terror dropped her motionless sister on the ground.

“A minute was certainly too much for her. That's why I went for two. Hm... I think I might have killed her...” Terror extended a claw and allowed the tendrils to envelop and steal Luna's color, powers, and cutie mark. “Ah. She is still alive. For now, at least.” Terror looked back at Celestia, who had stopped trying to get near him. She lay in a curled ball, crying deeply. “Oh, shame, Princess Celestia. To have failed at defending your little sister. But you know what the best thing about this is? For me, anyway.” Terror reached Celestia, extending his claw and shooting forth the tendrils once again. “I don't have to make you see your worst nightmare now. It just came true.” The flowing mane of the princess stopped entirely, all color drained from her elegant form and sucked into Terror's shroud.

Two gray orbs appeared, one around Luna, the other around Celestia. Lifting them gently into the air, Terror brought them under his shroud. He stood in silence for a moment, then began laughing evilly as he realized that he had attained complete control over Equestria. No one could stop him at this point. He raised his claws to the air, one glowing golden and the other violet, and watched as the sun and moon came together in the sky, forming an eclipse in the air. He admired his work briefly, freezing the celestial bodies in place permanently.

“Now then...” He turned to the soldiers behind him, “The first order of business is to round up the citizens of Canterlot. I want them mining in that cavern under the mountain. Those gems will make a nice statue of me, don't you agree?” The shadow turned towards the castle and began walking towards the tallest spire. “Sleep well, my little sisters.”