Blazing Darkness

by shadeofthenight

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Cadance, Adventure, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 12705

Digging through the past can bring up long forgotten memories... or worse

For over a thousand years have we slept, enduring the dying screams of my brothers and sisters in arms. For over a thousand years have we dreamed of the day when we would break free of these bonds that bind us to our prison and come back into the world. For we were there when the nightmare had been banished... We were there when the Nightguard fell and was imprisoned. We were imprisoned because we followed her and yet we helped the sun. But we did not think that the sun would banish the nightmare or send us to endure more hardships. This is why we never forgot, and never forgave. Now, it seems that we will finally break free of this place, as Twilight Sparkle will be the key to releasing us both, entity and unicorn, to take our revenge on the sun!

Published 2013-04-24 21:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-05 12:53:01 UTC

Prologue: One Thousand and 10 Years Back

One thousand and 10 years back....

Celestia smiled in satisfaction as her soldiers advanced on the Nightguards' stronghold. The beginning of the war had been going well for her, as her sister lacked the power to take her on personally. Celestia watched as the Nightguards' line began to crumble and give way to the onslaught of her army. Celestia sighed, another one sided victory in less than a day, will Luna ever learn her place? As she was thinking about this, Celestia felt a strong cold chill race up her spine, which was accompanied by a burning sensation on her head. She winced and looked around for the source, but did not find any, turned back to the battle. That was when the screaming began.

Suddenly, the entire front line of her Sun army all screamed and turned to run away only to collide with the next line. It seemed a fire had popped up right in front of the line. Celestia was about to roll her eyes and order her troops back to their formation when another one sprung up, followed by another, and another! Celestia looked closer at the flames and realized that there were bright red eyes underneath the fires, which were attached to sleek black bodies. Celestia's eyes went wide as more and more of these creatures came and reinforced the now rallying Nightguards. Then all of them began to part ranks, forming a single line down the middle. A large allicorn strode down the gap, one that Celestia had never seen before. She was jet black, except for her armor and mane, which were a sort of light purple. She was a little bigger than Celestia and accompanied by one of the fire creatures, except this one was taller than the rest, and his eyes were a cold blue to match his flaming mane and tail. The black allicorn spoke,

"Hello sister, enjoying yourself?"

Celestia gasped....That voice...It was LUNA'S!

"L-Luna? How-?" Celestia stammered, shocked by her sister's dramatic change.

Luna smirked,"Luna? No sister. I am not Luna, I am Nightmare Moon!"

At the statement of her new name, the fire creatures all roared like manticores and charged the Sunguards, who panicked and began to flee, though some did fight back, only to be quickly cut down by shards made of fire and shadow. Celestia took to the skies, preparing to dive to attack the fire creatures, but was intercepted by Luna-no Nightmare Moon now. She bared her pointed teeth, taunting her,

"Going somewhere sister?"

Down below, the tide of the battle had turned in favor of the Nightguards. Celestia's army was being slaughtered under the vicious power of the fire creatures, who were immune to certain types of attacks, as many Sunguards had found out to their last regret. Part of their problem was the unicorn fire creature that had followed behind Nightmare Moon: His horn would flare for a brief instant, and many of Celestia's soldiers would begin to scream and fall down dead in very few seconds.

Celestia's duel with Nightmare Moon was not going very well, as she had expected her to be weaker like Luna. Instead it seemed that Nightmare Moon was stronger than herself, a lot stronger! She effortlessly blocked magic bolt after sunfire beam while keeping up with Celestia. Celestia gritted her teeth in desperation and rage as she could hear her own soldiers dying by the hundreds. She couldn't keep up this fight much longer, whether her soldiers are alive or not. Reluctantly she began to shout to her troops,

"Fall back! Flee!"

Nightmare Moon laughed,"Giving up so soon sister? Hardly the attitude of an allicorn!"

Celestia chose to ignore her as she too fled, but as she passed over the unicorn who had been following behind Nightmare Moon. Then she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Celestia shuddered as she felt her strength leave her and her wings falter as an image of a raging inferno made of pure darkness with red eyes, went through her mind. What was this monstrosity? She thought to herself as she quickly used a teleportation spell to get her away from Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon landed beside the bluefire maned stallion, looking at the distant figures of the retreating Sunguards and her new reinforcements that were starting to catch up to them.

She said to him,"Well, i think that ambush was quite effective, don't you think?" The unicorn nodded, his sleek black body rippling like it was made of shadows, matching his flaming blue mane.

Nightmare Moon chuckled," Still a stallion of few words Lucid?" She teased.

Lucid smiled and replied,"Well yes, but for different reasons that you shouldn't worry about. After all, we have a war to win right?"

Nightmare Moon replied,"That we do Lucid Dream, that we do. With the help of your fellow nightmares, the night will last forever!"" Then she turned back to her Nightguards to count the casualties and fatalities of the battle, but something was bugging her. Lucid Dream's eyes, had they changed to blood red a second ago?

Present...Deep under the Everfree Forest

Deep beneath the Everfree Forest was a prison of a past age. In it were nothing but empty cells and the occasional rat, save for one place. In the center was a large oval shaped door with the mark of the Sun on it. It had been sealed by a powerful spell, but even still pitch black shadows could be seen snaking out of it and escaping to above ground. Inside the room it was darker than night, so dark that not even the brightest light could penetrate it. Now though, something inside stirred, more so now than ever. It sensed a presence, one who's magic was strong enough to set it free..Something stirred towards the center of the room.....A pair of glowing eyes opened in the darkness, one a cold blue, the other blood red. It hissed in anticipation of its freedom from its dreadful prison. All it had to do now was just guide the new allicorn the right way to its prison undearneath the Everfree and wait for her to break the spell keeping it from breaking free.........

The Message

Canterlot, 12:00 pm

Achoo! Luna's sneeze echoed loudly off the walls of her room. She had been feeling ill for a few days, and it seemed that whatever it was was getting a lot worse. Because normal medicine would not work on allicorns like Luna or Celestia, she would be forced to wait it out. Luna turned to the door as she could hear her sister come in.

"Luna? Are you okay?" Celestia asked, concerned.

"I wish i was Tia, but this cold is getting worse." Luna sniffled. Celestia came over to her and looked her up and down, studying Luna's symptoms for the umpteenth time. Then she sighed and said

"You know you can always just use the hibernation spell for a few days and speed up getting rid of it."

Luna tilted her head,"Hibernation spell? I've never heard of that before."

Celestia smiled,"Well its a spell that causes you to fall asleep for a few days, but it speeds up the recovery process of the sleeping pony by tenfold."

While Luna was considering this, Celestia felt a burning pain in her head followed by a flashing image of a pitch black room and a pair of glowing different colored eyes in the center. Then the image faded, leaving her breathless and alarmed. How could he have penetrated my mind? Celestia thought to herself, but was brought out of her thoughts by Luna making a decision,

"Alright Tia, I'll try the spell. But only for three days. I don't want to stress you out with adding the Duties of the Night to your already huge list of them."

Celestia smiled and kissed her on the cheek,"Thank you Luna. I'll be back in a few to help you with the spell." Then she turned and headed out the door.

As soon as she was out of earshot of her sister, she broke into a fast run towards the barracks before she was stopped by the sound of an explosion right behind her and Luna crying out in fear. She turned and saw that Luna's chambers had been destroyed.

"Luna!" Celestia cried out, racing towards the destroyed chambers to get to her sister and see if she was okay.

WHAM! Celestia slammed into the closed door and impaled her horn into it.

"Tia!" Luna yelped as Celestia's horn was only a few inches from her body. Celestia shivered as she had been so afraid for her sister's safety, but she had seen the destroyed room and had heard Luna scream!

Or did you? said a voice in her head.

"Celestia? Are you alright?" Luna asked worriedly as her sister withdrew her horn from the door. Instead of answering, Celestia raced down the stairs outside and flew to the guards barracks. Within a minute she had landed on the top, scaring the patrol guard on duty.

"You! Get me the fastest flier in the barracks right now!" She ordered him. The guard saluted and raced inside, leaving Celestia to her thoughts. He can't be free, he can't! That monster's prison was sealed by me personally! How could he manage to break free? The guard returned with a pegasi named Blur. Celestia turned toward her,

"I need you to fly to the Crystal Empire as fast as you can and inform Shining Armor and Cadence about a Red Dusk."

Blur tilted her head, a little confused,"A Red Dusk milady?"

"Shining Armor and Cadence will understand, now go!" Celestia ordered.

Blur took off without anymore questions, gaining speed until she was gone from sight. The guard who had brought Blur saluted and went back on patrol, seeing as how his princess didn't seem to need anything else.

Celestia watched him leave, then heard that same voice again in her headSo, you have chosen to resist. Very well, bring as many of your sun lovers as you want, it will not make a difference. Another burning sensation passed through Celestia's body as a sliver of darkness tearing itself from her horn caught her eye, but it dissolved in the light,

Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's house, Main room

Twilight Sparkle sifted through her books, looking for the right one that had more details of the spell she was about to perform. Ever since she had become and allicorn, it had been hard to walk through Ponyville without everyone bowing and scraping at her hooves, so she had decided a few days back to develop an illusion spell that would change her appearance. That way she could go through town without drawing much attention to herself. As she looked through her books, she failed to notice the sliver of darkness inching out of the shadows towards her, as it headed straight for her horn and sank into it.

Twilight frowned, feeling something else besides her thoughts. She sorted through her thoughts and found the intruder, a pale image of a cave in the Everfree forest. Twilight Sparkle was puzzled,I don't remember this location, whats it doing in my mind? Then she began to hear a voice, only it simply repeated Help me, Help me! Pain, terrible agony! Then it faded, leaving Twilight Sparkle puzzled and worried at the same time. Spike came into the main room, holding a rather large tome.

"Twilight, i found the book you were looking for-. Twilight? Whats wrong?" He asked, seeing her startled face.

"Spike? Did you hear anything?" She asked.

Spike looked confused,"No...Was i supposed to?" He replied.

She shook her head,"I think somepony is calling to me for help."

"Somepony is in trouble? Who?"

"I don't know Spike, but i have a feeling that we might have to go to the Everfree Forest. Can you go and get our friends so we can go with the elements of Harmony?"

"Sure thing Twilight! But um, do you want to write to the princess about this?" Spike asked.

Twilight considered it, but something in her mind saidNot yet.

"Lets wait for that until after we find who is in trouble okay Spike?"

"Got it. Be back in a few minutes." Then Spike left, leaving Twilight alone. She projected her thoughts to the intruding image,Whoever you are, hold on, Me and my friends will be there soon.

The Preparations

Ponyville, 12:45 PM, Twilight's House

"So let me get this straight Twilight," Rarity said, sipping from a cup of tea that Spike had prepared for her,"You heard a voice in your head and saw an image in the Everfree forest?" Her friends all sat at the table, listening to Twilight.

Twilight nodded,"Yes Rarity, and the voice was somepony asking for my help."

Fluttershy looked down, then muttered something barely plausible,"But, um...Is it anypony that you've seen before?" She asked.

Twilight hesitated,"Well...No, it didn't feel like anypony that i know, but....I can't help but feel that they are really in trouble though, whoever they are."

Rainbow Dash snorted,"You know it could just be someone trying to take advantage of your good nature and kidnap you."

Applejack nodded,"Ah hate ta agree with that Twilight, but what if it is a trap?"

Twilight sighed,"Then we use the Elements of Harmony. I mean, what could possibly be down there that could stand up to them?"

They all looked at one another, none of them coming up with an argument.

"Alright Twilight, we're in." Rainbow Dash declared. The other ponies nodded assent.

"So it's decided then. We'll all meet at the edge of the Everfree in a couple of hours. That way we are all prepared in case it takes awhile to get there or if it is indeed a trap." Twilight said to them. Her friends nodded, and left to prepare for their journey.

Spike hesitated, then asked,"Um Twilight? Do you even know where this place is?"

Twilight shook her head,"No, i don't. But that's where the pony whose in trouble is going to help me with hopefully. If i can get whoever it is to talk to me again, maybe this time they'll help me with directions."

Spike nodded,"Okay, but it seems an awful lot of risk you're taking and a lot of trust you're putting into that pony."

Twilight smiled,"Don't worry Spike, I know what i'm doing." She said reassuringly, then went upstairs to pack her saddlebags.

Spike watched her leave,"I certainly hope so Twilight." He said worriedly.

Canterlot, Celestia's Private Sanctum

Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Princess Celestia all stood gathered around a table.

Shining Armor shuddered,"I can't believe that he could penetrate the magic barriers around Canterlot. Isn't that impossible?"

Celestia nodded,"It should have been, and yet he did it as easily as if he were walking through a field. Even more alarming is that he actually penetrated my mind and forced me into a nightmare where Luna had been hurt."

Cadence cleared her throat,"Um if you don't mind me asking, where is Luna?"

Celestia replied,"She hasn't been feeling well so i helped her to use the hibernation spell to speed up her recovery."

Cadence nodded, then Shining Armor spoke again,"Anyway, do you know if he actually broke free of his prison?"

Celestia shook her head,"No, but if he was able to penetrate the magical barriers around Canterlot and my mind, then he must be very close to it."

"So should we check to see if he is close to breaking free then?" Shining Armor asked.

Celestia shook her head,"Not me, as it would look suspicious if another princess left or didn't show. It would have to be you two."

Cadence looked a little confused,"Um, what would we be expecting when we go down there?" She asked.

Celestia hesitated, then said,"Place both your horns on mine." They both complied and an image went coursing through their minds.

The image was clearly of a battle, and from the figures they could make out, it was one unicorn versus about a hundred. However, the hundred were being slaughtered, and not just by the lone unicorn's means. The enemy unicorns all wore the Sunguard uniform, all were unicorns...and were all attacking each other while the lone unicorn watched. He stood on top of the massacre, ponies falling at his blue flaming hooves, which matched his eyes and his mane along his pitch black body. His horn was glowing and streaming in random patterns that did not seem to make sense to Shining Armor and Cadence, but they were still horrified at the slaughter.

After a few more minutes of this, only one unicorn was left standing. She looked around in horror,

"W-what have i done?" she gasped, shocked. The black and blue unicorn just smiled and impaled her on his horn, vanishing and reappearing next to her as if he had been running at full speed. The stallion smiled in satisfaction as his enemy slid lifeless to the ground. Suddenly a bright light shone in the sky, causing him to back off recoiling. The light faded, revealing a very angry, younger Princess Celestia in her battle gear. Behind her, was more than a hundred sorted Earth Ponies, bathed in light, their determined eyes fixed on the flaming black unicorn Celestia roared out her challenge at the stallion,

"Surrender Nightmare! You are outnumbered!" The Nightmare just chuckled, his eyes starting to turn a deeper shade of red. He spoke, his voice lightish but had a steady edge to it. "Am I? Do you really underestimate my abilities that much Celly?" Then his eyes glowed completely blood red, and his mane burst into flames of the same color and rose a few feet, then the Nightmare spoke again, this time his voice roaring out differently, darker and full of hate.

"You should know Celestia, those that stay in the light of the sun for too long...Will BURN!" On the last word, the Nightmare's body began to glow with outlines of fire. Suddenly, the Earth ponies that had been standing with Celestia began to scream as their flesh began burn as flames exploded from their ears. Young Celestia turned in horror as their screams died out when the flames came out of their throats and eyes. The Nightmare's booming laugh echoed throughout the field, then the memory faded, leaving both Cadence and Shining Armor speechless.

Celestia spoke to them with a solemn voice,"That...is what you face..."

The Spawn

Everfree forest, 8:32 PM

Twilight looked up from the book she was reading and counted how many of her friends where there. There was Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, but that was it.

"AJ, where's Fluttershy, and Rarity?" She asked.

Applejack shrugged,"Ah dunno Twilight, when Ah last talked ta Rarity, she was picking out her outfit. Ah dunno about Fluttershy." Twilight rolled her eyes, sometimes her friends took for ever. Still, sometimes she herself took forever. She sighed and was about to go back to reading her book when Rarity trotted over, wearing some sort of camo outfit,

Rarity smiled,"Hello darlings, i'm here!" She declared, flaunting her outfit. Twilight was about to answer when Pinkie Pie screamed,

"What is THAT?!" All heads swiveled to what she was pointing at with her hoof, 3 ponies gasped at what they saw.

Some sort of poniod creature was staring right at them, but its head had long curved horns. it had a well muscled body, and its forelegs were too big and ended with long sharp claws. It also had no eyes, which kinda freaked the girls out, and it was also pitch black, which made it harder to see. What was not harder to see was Fluttershy, who was perched atop its back talking to it.

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash stuttered.

Fluttershy smiled,"Hey guys, didja meet my new friend?"

"But what is that thing?" Twilight asked. Then something spoke in their minds, It is a shadow spawn, a rather gentle creature unless provoked, but it will serve as your guide. All six ponies glanced at each other.

"Okay, just to be sure, somepony did just talk to us and tell us what that thing is?" Rainbow Dash asked. The other five nodded.

Twilight smiled smugly,"I told you that there was somepony talking to me."

The shadow spawn, hissed, interrupting whatever Rainbow Dash was going to say. It rose up, towering up to a 5 feet tall height, It began to trot over and into the Everfree Forest, with Fluttershy still on it's back.

Applejack said to the others,"Ah think we best follow it. Ah still don't like this, but we best git movin'." The others nodded and followed the strange creature into the Everfree.

Canterlot, Celestia's Private Sanctum, 9:07 PM

Shining Armor was in the midst of yelling at Celestia,

"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SEND US THERE IF THAT MONSTER CAN KILL YOU JUST BY BLINKING?!" He roared.

Celestia just stared at him, waiting for him to finish. Cadence was furious too, but was curious to see how Celestia would explain it.

"YOU'RE ASKING ME TO RISK THE LIFE OF MY WIFE AS WELL AS MY OWN TO CHECK ON SOMETHING YOU'RE TOO SCARED TO DO?!" Shining Armor howled. While he was yelling, there was a loud banging on the door.

"Princess! Princess! There something that you need to see!" yelled somepony.

The three ponies turned and opened the door, revealing an Earth Pony Sunguard, who was bleeding from the shoulder from what looked like a large slashing wound.

"What is it soldier?" Celestia asked, Shining Armor putting his core face on to conceal his emotions while Cadence just turned her head.

"Milady, our guard patrol was attacked!" He replied, panting. Celestia tapped her horn on the guard's shoulder and his wound began to slowly close.

"Show me, and tell me what happened." She ordered. The guard nodded, trotting down the stairs with the three ponies following.

The guard explained what had happened," We were on patrol near the castle halls, as scheduled, when we heard you scream over by the gardens. When we went to investigate, we didn't find milady there, instead was this...this creature, as black as night, with large horns, foot long claws, massive forelegs, and eyes the color of the moon. When we got close, we felt as if our worst fears were being ignited and we didn't know what to do. It just sat there, staring at us with those horrible eyes. Then one of our unicorns, Radiance, tried to hit the monster with a burst of magic. Instead, she only made it angry. It made this screech, that sounded like our own death screams and lunged. I'm sad to say, we didn't put up much of a fight, and any attacks we made simply bounced off of it. That thing's claws...." The guard shuddered. Celestia smiled reassuringly,

"You did what you could. Were there any fatalities?" She asked. The guard took a deep breath before replying,

"Yes. Radiance lost both of her legs and her horn, Grass Planter is blinded, and Pins was ripped clean in half."

Celestia looked aghast at the creature's brutality, and was saddened by the fact that two of the patrol had been crippled and the third had lost his life.

"Do you know what that thing is Celestia?" Cadence asked. Celestia sighed before replying,

"Unfortunately i do. Its called a shadow spawn, a creature made of solid darkness. While they are relatively docile creatures, if provoked they are capable of taking on small armies at a time. One way to tell if they are provoked is to see if their eye sockets are glowing red. Also, that fear effect is something that is activated as well. I have also heard that each one's roar is said to sound like the death cries of those around you. I'm surprised it left the patrol completely alive. "

Shining Armor looked in awe and horror,"You mean that thing would have easily killed all those four ponies? Thats kind of hard to believe."

"Believe it or not, if the Shadow Spawns are starting to leave Everfree, then that means more lives are in danger, and he is even closer to breaking free. "

Cadence nodded,"Then we must make sure he will never break free Celestia." Shining Armor reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Celestia smiled,"Then lets plan for what you might face down there..."

Into the Shadows Part 1: The Prison

Everfree Forest, 10:54 PM

The six ponies trotted behind the shadow spawn, each one having their own personal thoughts. The five trusted Twilight, but did not like the spawn that shuffled in front of them.

"Not ta be impatient, but are ya sure ya know to follow this ah spawn?" Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded,"You heard it yourself, the pony told us that the shadow spawn would guide us." To put an emphasis on this, the spawn hissed, which let loose a smell of decay.

"Hmph, I really wish it wouldn't do that." Rarity complained. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. After a few more minutes of trekking through the Everfree, they came to a large cavern opening which led deep underground. The shadow spawn stopped in front and snorted, tilting its head at the entrance.

"We have to go down there? But its so filthy!" Rarity whined, which led to a lot of eye rolling. Fluttershy got back up on her perch on the shadow spawn's back while Twilight and Rarity lit their horns, Then they all entered the cave.

The cavern was pitch black, so Twilight and Rarity's lights only illuminated some of the darkness to reveal stonework walls and iron made bars. The scent of rot filled the air as Twilight shone her light into a room filled with bone fragments.

Fluttershy shrieked,"Eeep!"

Rainbow Dash gasped,"Are those...Pony bone fragments?"

Twilight was stunned, as she hadn't expected to find actual corpses of ponies. She turned towards the group, to find that the shadow spawn was a little ways ahead, waiting for them.

"Um I think we need to move on." Twilight said, still shaken by finding a corpse. Then the voice boomed again, There are many more cells like this, all with only fragments of ponies past. My brothers and sisters...My cell is deeper in this prison. Twilight stopped,

"Um why were you imprisoned?" She asked. Her friends nodded in agreement. There came a dry chuckling I suppose its only natural. Very well, since i am in no place to refuse, i will tell you. I was imprisoned here, because i am different from the rest of ponykind.

"Different? What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. Have you noticed that there are only the same bone fragments of each pony? That was how we were created, we didn't need as many bones as other ponykind. Also, there are somethings that i will have to show you face to face.

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing,"Is it like a scar or a horribly disfigured face?" No, its difficult to explain. But i promise all will be revealed when you get here.

Twilight continued following the shadow spawn,"Alright, I will hold you to that promise then." The shadow spawn made a left then stopped, looking down into a shaft that they couldn't see the bottom of. Rarity shined her light down to hole.

"I can't see the bottom, are we supposed to go down there?" She asked. The shadow spawn nodded and leaped down there, its claws sinking into the stone surface as it climbed downward.

"Don't worry everypony, I have a spell to help you nonfliers down." Twilight said reassuringly. She spread her wings, as did Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but she began to cast her spell, encircling the rest of her friends in a purple aura. Then they all flew down after the shadow spawn.

After a few minutes of flying, they reached the bottom, which was covered in runes.

"Whoa! These runes must be hundreds of years old!" Twilight exclaimed.

"What do they do Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing up and down, despite the confined space.

"Not much, they are just protection runes that activate whenever...Oh-." All six ponies realized that the runes were beginning to glow dangerously bright!

"Whats going on?!" Rainbow Dash screamed as the six ponies were separated by walls of pure white energy.

"My friends!" Twilight cried as she tried to use her magic to break the barrier. Purple light shot from her horn, but dissipated before it even touched the wall. Twilight waited to hear her friends calling to her, but she couldn't hear anything. She looked down the newly formed hallway, where the wall met stone glowing with similar runes.

"I guess i have no choice but to keep going." Twilight muttered to herself sadly. For the first time as an allicorn, Twilight felt truly helpless. Her head drooped down as she walked, until she came to stop before a large room. It was dark, so Twilight shone a light through it, but did not seem to be able to brighten anything. Tentatively she took a step forward, then the voice boomed out again in her head, You know you could always just asked for some help.

"Alright, then how come you didn't warn me and my friends about those protection runes?" She snapped. Think about it, i have been stuck in a single room with no windows for a while. I do not know who has been here and who hasn't. I only really know where i am.

Twilight sighed,"Okay, sorry then. But could you at least help to where my friends or something?" There was a pause then I'm afraid i can't directly lead you to your friends, but i can help you to where they will eventually meet up, which is right outside of where i am..

Twilight nodded,"Alright then, guide me."

Canterlot, Celestia's private sanctum, 12:57 AM

Celestia sighed, staring at an old battle map, one which dated back to a thousand and ten years ago. She studied it, and the little figurines on there, making note of the strange black and red ones. She was too absorbed in her work, she didn't notice the shadows gathering at the edge of the room until they sprouted flames and dark red eyes.

"Y-You!" She gasped, backing up and knocking over the table, figurines and map.

{Yes,...me.} It said it a raspy, yet firm voice. Celestia reacted quickly, blasting at it with the power of the sun- Then watched in horror as her magic blast was just simply absorbed and the creature grew even larger.

{Still using the same old spells Celly?} It taunted, then grew long fangs that made the temperature in the room rise to incredible temperatures.

{I've learned a couple of new tricks since the last time we saw each other. And you are going to be my guinea pig for them now. I have made sure that they would be...extremely painful for one such as you. But don't worry, i'm not going to kill you as that would spoil all-the-FUN!} it lunged and Celestia screamed as the darkness closed in around her and the stabbing pains of sharp teeth over her entire body....

End of Part 1 of Into Darkness

Into the Shadows Part 2: Nightmares

Blinding Light Dungeon, 1:03 AM

(Now head left, there should be a bridge that cuts across something.) The voice echoed in Twilight's mind.
Twilight turned left and found a bridge spanned across at least a 50 yard gap, and below it was a writhing sea of white. Twilight gasped as she saw faces emerge, only to vanish after a few seconds.

" What are they?" Twilight asked.(The souls of my brothers and sisters. Our kind does not go to rest, but stays restless until they reincarnate after a while into a new body. However, the spells here keep them from earning their reincarnation and torture them. I found this when a sliver of my power escaped and traced a path back to the surface. A path you're taking now.i])

" interesting. So how long have you been here?" twilight asked as she crossed the bridge. (Oh, about a thousand and ten years last i checked.) Twilight gasped and almost lost her balance, so she spread her wings to keep her steady.

" A thousand and ten years? Jeez how are you still alive?" Twilight replied, now suspicious. (I told you! I am different from the rest of ponykind therefore i do not have the needs nor the short lifespan of you ponies.)

"How long do you live?" (Depending on whether or not if we are fighting, usually around a few thousand years.)

"Huh." Twilight muttered as she came to another room. This room was covered in long scratches and Twilight could see shadows moving against science and slithering around. (Don't step on those.)

"Yea i got that." Twilight muttered as she spread her wings to fly over them. Then she realized something, she was missing her wings!

"What the?! Where are my wings?!" She gasped. (Oh yea, forgot to mention. This room is an antimagic/antiflight zone. If you are going to get across you have to do on the ground without any help.)

"Again?" Twilight sighed. "It was bad enough when Discord took away my horn..." (You fought with Discord? Impressive.

"Yea, well i wouldn't pay any bits for the experience." I'm well aware of what he does. I just didn't expect practically anyone to be able to face him.)

"Yea, its kinda hard to believe." Twilight responded, then stopped. staring at the room she had entered into. There was literally nothing there but a straight up shot to the surface or a long fall to the bottom. (That's not real.)

"What do you mean? Of course it is! I think i would be able to tell if it wasn't real." Twilight snorted. There was a chuckle, then (Even allicorns can be susceptible to it. I have seen one down here and she always stops here.)

"Really? What she looked like?" (Hmm, i believe she was pink, with some sort of purple hair. Anyway, just walk straight across and ignore whats below and above you.)

Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. What if this pony was wrong? It seemed pretty real to her. What would happen if she didn't make it across? What would happen to her friends? Twilight became so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that several minutes went by until:

JUST TAKE A DAMN STEP! Twilight was so startled that she stumbled a few steps forward. She screamed as she expected to fall, but the image flickered, changing to a large corridor that lead deeper into the prison. Then Twilight looked up at the ceiling and found that there were eyes watching her.

"Eeek!" She shrieked and bolted forward. There was a loud collective roar and the sounds of several things taking flight behind her, Thinking quickly, Twilight erected a barrier of purple energy. She heard several satisfying THUDS! and turned to find the creatures pursuing her. They were small, but they were still horrible. They resembled pegusi without their skins, red, wet, glistening, with no eyes. How they flew was beyond Twilight, but at least for now they couldn't get to her. She turned to continue down, but was confronted by a giant oval door with a faded emblem on the front. Twilight noticed that there was shadows leaking out around the edges. Then the voice said, (You found me.)

"So this is what is keeping you in?" Twilight asked, analyzing the faintly glowing runes on the door. (Yes, but i do not know how to open it, but i do know that it requires the powerful magic of an allicorn. How you open it is up to you.)

"Well these runes are powerful binding runes, at least they were. The magic here has faded a lot, but still contain most of their power, but its just scattered. So give me a minute to dissolve the runes okay?" Twilight replied. (Of course. I'm not going anywhere. Oh by the way, your friends are getting nearer to this location.)

"Thanks." Twilight responded, then began to concentrate. She tapped her horn against the runes. She could feel the power there. It was old, volatile, but still dangerous. She searched for the threads that tied the runes in place and upon finding them, dissolved them. It was more difficult then she could imagine and images of a raging inferno and a pitch black sphere went through her mind as the threads dissolved completely. There was a loud banging sound as the entire prison shuddered and more shadows began to burst through the door.

KRAAAAAAACK BOOOOOM!

Twilight was thrown back into the stone wall as the oval door shattered and solid darkness slammed against her, knocking her unconscious...

Above ground 2:13 Am

The ground shook in Everfree Forest to Ponyville as an enormous column of fire burst out of the ground where Twilight and her friends entered, only to be swallowed up by a dark wave coming in. At the edge of the entrance to the prison was a cloaked stallion, whose cloak seemed to be alive. He smiled and began to laugh, a raspy echoing laugh that boomed out through all the forest....

Author's Note

Sorry for the whole font issue, i've been trying to fix it. Anyway, the next chapter is Lucid Dream the Nightmare. In this chapter you find out just who this pohy is...And just how strong....

Lucid Dream the Nightmare Pt 1: It Begins

Canterlot Royal Infirmary,One day later at 9:15 AM

Celestia lay in the infirmary, her eyes roving around in a random pattern. She was muttering something unintelligable. Her condition hadn't changed in few hours she had been here and the doctors had in essence left her for the morning. Suddenly she snapped out of her stupor, rising out of the bed. Celestia sighed in relief as she found none of the bite marks on her that she had imagined. She was about to trot over to the infirmary door when she felt it... A dark presence had appeared. It was faint, like it was far away, but it was one Celestia had known well. He's free, Celestia thought to herself, then, Oh no, i sent Shining Armor and Cadence down there! I have to make sure they're okay! Celestia rushed out of the room and flew over Canterlot, just as Cadence was about to land near the infirmary.

"Princess Celestia!" She exclaimed. The two allicorns landed on a nearby rooftop.

"Hello Cadence, Were you the one who brought the sun up?" Celestia asked.

Cadence nodded,"Of course. You were delirious in the infirmary so i did your job...It was harder than i thought though."

Celestia smiled,"Yes, bringing the sun up can be a difficult task. But i don't think it was too much of a problem for you."

Cadence beamed and was about to respond when the screams began...

Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's home...

Twilight Sparkle stirred, slowly opening her eyes to the faces of her concerned friends.

"Twilight!" Her friends cried in relief. Twilight sat up and rubbed her eyes with a hoof.

"Whats going on?" She said, her voice a little rustic from not being used.

"We thought you would never wake up!" Rarity sniffled.

"What happened to me?" Twilight asked, getting out of bed and flapping her wings experimentally.to test to see if they were broken.

"You were knocked out by this big explosion. We had just met up in another room on the opposite side and the Shadow spawn took the brunt of the explosion so we didn't get hurt. That spawn though, it just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Lucid helped to carry you out!"

"At least you guys are okay too-wait a minute, who's Lucid?" Twilight asked. Her friends looked at each other.

"He's the um...Pony that was talking to you." Fluttershy replied, hesitating before the word pony like she was going to use something else besides the word pony.

"Where is he?" Twilight asked. Applejack pointed with her hoof downstairs, where Spike was talking to this Lucid pony.

"Jeez, are you going to read every book?" Spike asked, bewildered.

"Of course, I need to see what has happened in Equestria during the past millenia sir." replied a rather different voice. It sounded like Shining Armor's, but with Big Mac's tone.

"Is that..." Pinkie Pie nodded. Twilight began to walk down the stairs slowly, then her eyes widened as she saw who this Lucid was. He was a large unicorn stallion, a few feet bigger than Big Mac, so he had to duck, but for more reason's than one.His mane was on fire, not as in hair on fire, it WAS fire. Instead of the normal red fire, it was blue, and so was his tail and hooves. He was surrounded by a grayish aura which explained how he was hovering. His eyes were a bit light blue than his mane, and his body was pitch black and would occasionally fade in and out. His expression was amusement, as if this was exactly how he wanted the world to be. yet...There was something about him that Twilight could not put her hoof on. It was something ancient...and powerful... The stallion turned towards Twilight as she descended down the stairs and smiled, showing pointed teeth.

"Salutations Princess Twilight Sparkle. My name is Lucid Dream." He said to her in a respectful tone. He didn't bow for some reason, but it was fine with Twilight as she didn't want anypony bowing to her.

"Um, hello Lucid Dream....Its nice to meet you finally, and uh...thanks for not setting fire to my house...." Twilight replied staring at his body, not because Lucid Dream was handsome or anything, it was because his body seemed to be rippling.

Lucid Dream smiled, noticing where her eyes were,"If you are wondering, yes that's natural for me."

"But...what exactly are you?" Twilight asked, her friends who had followed her downstairs nodded in agreement.

He huffed," I suppose i should not be surprised you ponies do not know what I am, being stuck in that place for a long time, much has changed and much has been lost....Anyway, Princess Twilight and other ponies whom i do not know their names...I am a nightmare." There was a collective gasp and a flap of wings as Rainbow Dash took to the skies. Twilight's horn glowed with her magic,

"A nightmare?! So you're evil then!" Rarity accused. Lucid Dream just sighed and shook his head.

"No, I'm not. If i was evil, why would I help you get back here instead of killing you when you were unconscious. That tone in your voice suggests that you have encountered another one yes?" He asked.

Twilight nodded,"Yes we did. We faced Nightmare Moon. Do you know her?"

Lucid Dream shook his head,"...No i've never heard of this Nightmare Moon." The six ponies relaxed as the blank look on the nightmare's face made it clear to them that he was telling the truth. At least they thought so.

"It has been a pleasure talking to you all. If you wish to speak to me again, come to the old abandoned house near the edge of the Everfree." Lucid said to them, then flew out the door and ended his levitation spell.

Twilight figured he would at least get a few odd looks from the locals, but instead Lucid Dream received warm greetings from any pony that he met. The nightmare did seem like a nice stallion, but there was something off about him. It was an echo of magic, a dark powerful magic that reeked of death. But Twilight had to be sure first before she made any conclusion....

Edge of the Everfree

Lucid Dream walked to the abandoned house at the edge of the Everfree. He opened the door, and shut it, using his magic to begin sealing any light source. Then he sat and meditated. The area around him began to grow darker and the grass in a 50 ft area burned mysteriously. He waited until he heard a voice in his head, one burning with rage and fury, but also cold and calculating,

(Hello again my avatar. it has been a while since we have spoken.)

Lucid Dream smiled,"Of course it has, which is why we have much to talk about..."

Lucid Dream, The Nightmare Pt 2: Keep Out

Canterlot Castle Entrance....

Celestia and Cadence watched as the victims of the latest shadow spawn attack were hauled away.

"That makes 7 in past few hours. All of them loyal Sunguards." Cadence noted. Celestia nodded grimly, wondering if she should tell Cadence about the dark presence that she was feeling right now. It had grown in the short time that it had been there.

"I'm going to inform Twilight about this." Celestia said finally.

Cadence nodded,"Yea, she deserves to know that there is a killer beast on the loose."

Celestia turned to leave...Then caught sight of him.

The creature was standing on the top of the roof above her chambers, its red hot fires glowing as its hollow eye sockets seemed to be looking straight at her. Its black and red bones shone through the fires that burned around its body. Its bones seemed to made from molten blood and its wings where made from the screaming souls of ponies past. Its skull was that of a dragon, yet it had the body of a pony too. But before Celestia could make out further details about it, it vanished.

"Celestia, what is it?" Cadence asked when Celestia did not respond for some time.

"Where is Shining Armor?" Celestia demanded, suddenly whirling upon the other allicorn.

Cadence backed up,"He went to check out the prison this morning since i had to bring the sun up. Is something wrong?"

Celestia's eyes widened. If that monstrosity had escaped then that would mean...

"Fly to the Everfree and get Shining Armor out of there now!" Celestia ordered.

Cadence was a little shocked at her tone, but heeded it none the less. Soon she was nothing but a pink speck in the sky. Celestia just hoped that Cadence would make it there in time...

Old Abandoned House, 10:52 AM

(Interesting, so these six ponies that broke the seal are element bearers?

(Yes)
BAMBAMBAM!

Lucid Dream snapped out of his meditation when he heard the banging on the door.

"Heeeey Lucid! Come on outside, we got something for you." came Pinkie Pie's voice. Lucid Dream chuckled and trotted to the front door and opened it. He looked surprised as he saw a small crowd had gathered with tools and paint.

"W-what's this all about?" He stammered, wondering what was going on. The allicorn resident, Twilight Sparkle stepped forward.

"The other ponies told me about how you saved them from the hydra that had followed us out of the Everfree. So me, Pinkie Pie, and a few others decided to make you a better place to stay as our thanks." She said. The gathered ponies nodded in agreement.

Lucid Dream smiled,"Thank you. Its been a while since i have seen kindness like this. i would be honored to help you to as well." The ponies gathered cheered and rushed in to work.

(Well done avatar. Gain their trust by helping them and acting just. That way the intruder cannot place blame without turning the populace against him. Lucid Dream smiled as he helped a young foal by the name of Sweetie Belle lift several large boards to Twilight. As they worked, different ponies came by and introduced themselves. Lucid Dream warmly greeted them all, and was pleased to find out that they did not really seemed bothered by the fact that he was as real nightmare, despite their bad experiences with Nightmare Moon.... Or the burned grass around the house. Lucid Dream felt a pang of loss at his friend's name, but shook himself out of it. After about an hour of working, he began to have a mental conversation with the one who had talked to him before.

[You mentioned an intruder, what do you mean?] he asked.

(I mean, the princess has sent one of her top captains to investigate the shift in the balance of power. His wife is chasing after him to prevent him from going further, but she will arrive just in time to become caught by the lost souls.)

Lucid Dream grinned as he caught one of the earth ponies that had lost his balance. Things were going as planned...
\

Everfree Forest, Prison Entrance

Shining Armor stood at the entrance to the prison, bracing himself for whatever was down there and dressed in his normal enchanted armor. However, he was still reluctant to enter the prison.. The only reason that he had come here was that Cadence was busy. After what happened with Sombra, Shining Armor had become super protective of Cadence, much to her displeasure. He knew that Cadence was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but after King Sombra took his magic away for a bit, he felt so helpless. Shining Armor took a deep breath, there was no point in dwelling on the past, especially near this place. He took a deep breath and took a step forward into the dark entrance to the prison...

"SHINING ARMOR!" Came a scream from the inside.

""Cadence?!" Shining Armor called back, alarmed.

"SHINING ARMOR HELP ME!" She screamed in reply. A booming roar echoed through the prison, along with Cadence's scream of pain.

"CADENCE I'M COMING!" Shining Armor howled. He charged inside, his horn glowing with power-

And fell into the pit. His back legs broke from the impact and all he could see was red. After a few minutes, his vision cleared and he came face to face with King Sombra.

"You!" Shining Armor snarled weakly. King Sombra chuckled and stepped to the side revealing Cadence, but...

"No, CADENCE!" Shining Armor howled, tears streaming out of his eyes as he looked at the bodiless corpse of his wife. King Sombra began to laugh, a harsh echoing laugh- that spat out some pink and purple feathers...Then laughed again, mixing with Shining Armor's cries for Cadence...

Author's Note

Next Chapter: Angering a God. This chapter will be about what happens to Cadence and Shining Armor in the prison and what Celestia does when she finds them. For those of you who think that Cadence is dead, reread The Message.

Angering a God

Everfree Forest, Prison Entrance

Cadence landed gracefully on the burned grass. She had had a long mental conversation with Celestia about the appearance of the creature. Cadence was glad for the description, but also a little scared. She was happy that she knew what it looked like, not so much about what it could do.

Have you arrived? Celestia asked in her mind.

Yep, and i'm going in. Hopefully my Shining Armor is okay. Cadence thought hopefully. That was when she heard Shining Armor's broken cries.

"Cadence! CADENCE! Cadence!" came his repeating cries within the cave.

"Shining? Shining Armor? What happened?" She called. But his broken cries only continued. Then the laughter came. It was the deep rasping laughter that Cadence had known too well.

Oh gods, King Sombra is back! Cadence cried in her mind.

WHAT?! I thought he was killed!

I thought he was too, but he's torturing my Shining Armor, so i have to go after him!

Cadence wai- But it was too late, Cadence had launched herself into the darkness, oblivious to everything but her husband's cries and the laughs of King Sombra. The darkness around her seemed more solid than normal, so Cadence did have some difficulty, but she was still determined to reach Shining Armor. Eventually the dark shadows gave way to a large cavernous room that had a bright light in the center to Cadence's short relief. Then she saw what it actually was.

It was a creature whose partial being was fire, while the rest was pitch black, but still distinguishable. The fire traced down and would flare around the black bones of the creature. Its head was a dragon's skull with blood red smoke drifting in and out of its sockets and mouth. Its eyes were visible in its sockets: pure blue, but outlined with red. Its wings looked like they were fashioned from living souls, but each one was an unspeakable horror that shifted around with the others. It height was taller than Celestia, around three feet taller, and much more sturdily built. As Cadence got closer she could make out the faint outline of muscles glistening around its bones. It was just watching Shining Armor as he cringed and sobbed, rubbing something's half decayed skull and calling it Cadence.

"Hey!" She shouted angrily at the creature. It turned towards her and opened its mouth: A harsh scream erupted around them, one that sounded like ultimate pain. Cadence felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, the horror of this sound working into her very being. She felt helpless, hopeless, almost like the time when she had watched Celestia lose to Chrysalis. The creature put its muzzle close to Cadence's ears and whispered something as she fell unconscious,

More to come, but only with a sliver of my being i will terrorize your city. Imagine what i will do when i unite with my vessel. Then you will wish you had stayed in the caverns beneath your city.

Canterlot

Celestia paced around her courtyard, making her guards nervous. She had not heard back from Cadence or from Shining Armor yet. Knowing how that monster worked, they might have been caught in a crossfire. Then she remembered how it had cast the illusion on her to think that Luna had been grieveously injured, and then to Cadence mentioning King Sombra and Shining Armor. Oh my. It came to her what it was doing. She raced up the stairs and shut the door to her room, preparing the teleportation spell.

The Prison

Celestia arrived with a flash of light and a loud BANG! She had used Cadence's beacon of power as a magnet, so that way Celestia was able to warp right in. She looked around at the scene. Shining Armor was a pitiful bundle of sobbing stallion while Cadence was unconscious and cringing wildly.

"What did he do to you?" She whispered. The two ponies had been one of her strongest supporters, and yet here they had been cast aside like they were new recruits against a master. Celestia knelt by them both, pulling them close together. Then she rose, her face tight with rage. She conjured a shield around the three of them, then began to concentrate.

Edge of the Everfree, Abandoned House

Lucid Dream, Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the ponies were putting the finishing touches on Lucid's new home(while Lucid was chatting with the other ponies, being charismatic and well liked after a couple minutes of talking to Twilight's observation), when they heard a loud explosion coming from the Everfree. All fifty ponies looked up to see a column of light slam into somewhere in the Everfree.

"Wha- what's going on?" Rainbow Dash gasped as the ground began to shake. The ponies began to panic as fireballs landed near them.

"Everybody get back to the town and take shelter!" Lucid Dream shouted, but looked rather calm about it, his eyes shone with fierce determination. Twilight and her friends managed to get to him without getting trampled.

"What is it?!" Twilight demanded, her friends right behind her.

"I don't know, but i'm going to find out." Lucid Dream replied, beginning to head into the Everfree.

"Oh no, we're going too." Applejack said defiantly. Lucid Dream shook his head,

"No, you need to keep everypony safe here. They just met me, and even though they tell me I'm likable, i must chekc this out alone. Besides, if anything gets past me you can just use the elements of Harmony right? Great i knew i could count on you." Then he raced into the gloom towards the column.

Twilight sighed and turned back to the panicking ponies and began to corral them with the help of her friends. He's been here a day and yet he thinks of others before himself. She thought.

Lucid Dream smiled, a crazy maniacal smile, as he ran through the Forest heading towards the prison. The second stage of the fiery void's plan was about to begin.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, been sick and working on Choosing a Side as well. Anyway, next chapter is called: The Sun's Final Dusk.

The Sun's Final Dusk Pt 1: The Game

Everfree Prison

Celestia breathed hard as her two friends stirred around her in the smoking crater that once was the prison. Celestia had forgotten how deep she had made it, but she stood at least a few miles below the surface. Yet, even though she had destroyed the prison, the power around it was still very strong. It was also growing for some reason, like it was getting closer or... Excellent, Celestia thought, relishing the chance to crush the nightmare population once and for all. She turned towards the sleeping forms of Shining Armor(who had calmed down and slipped unconscious to Celestia's relief) and Cadence. She couldn't risk putting them in danger, so it was time for them to return to the castle. Her horn flared for an instant, then Cadence and Shining Armor vanished. Celestia sighed as she started flying upwards, they would most likely wake up in their room, and at least they would be safe.

Celestia landed on the ground above the crater. noticing the sky growing dark around her and the smell of burning flesh reached her nose. He was coming, coming straight for her. Celestia thought to herself, preparing herself for a fight that would test all of her ability.

Lucid Dream watched Celestia as she conjured her battle armor. He grinned, soon she would call her reinforcements, around thirteen in all. And she was expecting him, excellent. This was a perfect time to test a few new things he had learned. With any luck, he wouldn't have to call the Fiery Void's power at all. Ah hells, why not? It made things so much more fun.

Celestia concentrated again, sending a mental message to 13 of her top unicorn soldiers and telling them to warp into her location. With the added firepower, they should easily take down the nightmare. A few seconds later there were thirteen flashes and thirteen unicorns stood at attention.

"Flashbolts reporting for duty ma'am." Their leader, a tall unicorn mare named Flaremane stepped forward.

Celestia smiled,"Good, here is your assignment. As of yesterday a high security prisoner escaped. our job is to capture or eliminate said prisoner."

The thirteen unicorns nodded, They knew the risks. Flare was about to issue standard recon procedures when the scenery began to shift. They all heard a sinister voice in their heads,

Want to play a game?

"Lucid Dream!" Celestia snarled. Instantly everyone was on alert, but since the scenery was shifting rapidly around them, if was difficult to make out anything.

I'm surprised you remembered Celly. But we can get back to the tearful reunion if you win the game.

"Show yourself coward!" Flaremane roared looking around.

Lemme think about it, no. Besides, you haven't heard the rules of the game yet. The scenery stopped shifting until they were standing in what looked to be a building, but it was so dark, they had to cast a light spell to illuminate where they were. They were standing in the ruins of a building, and from Celestia's much brighter light, the remains of a city.

"Where aer we?" One of the unicorns asked, shifting nervously and causing dust to stir.

Home. Something that i have not seen in a very long time. Anyway, so the rules of the game: You fourteen must make it to the gate located somewhere in the city that leads out of here. However, if you lose, you won't be going anywhere. And you don't lose until i kill you.

"Kill us? Sure, you aren't strong enough to take us on in a group so you just prefer to take us out one by one. Sniveling coward..." One of the unicorns muttered, then gasped as something buried itself into his neck. He collapsed to the ground, dead from the large bone fragment in his throat.

Tut Tut Tut, and i thought the Sunguards were actually educated now. Not pulled right out of pony school. Anyway, the point is that none of you are leaving unless you make it to the gate, or i kill you all except Celestia. If that happens, I can guarantee that there will be fireworks. Am I right Celly?

Celestia bared her teeth,"Yes, and there might be some when i find you too."

Excellent! Now, i'll give you a five minute head start, after that i will come after you. Any other questions?

Flaremane shouted at the ceiling,"If you can kill us all now, why not do it?" She demanded.

Because i prefer giving other ponies a small chance of hope. That is, until they die horribly. HAHAHAHA! So time starts now and after that, you had best start praying to your goddess. But wait...THAT WON'T HELP EITHER!

Then there was silence, leaving the twelve unicorns and Celestia alone in the dark ruins of the city. Celestia turned to the group,

"We need to get moving...Now." The unicorns nodded, getting into formation around her as they proceeded down the slanted hallway.

"Milady, if i may ask...what is this place?" asked Flaremane.

Celestia sighed, using her sun ray to brighten the path downward,"This is an ancient city, one whose legacy has been long forgotten by normal ponykind. Its inhabitants have long since abandoned it." She replied, stepping on a small sigil and causing it to glow.

"GET BACK!" Flaremane ordered, pushing Celestia and some of the other unicorns out of the way. There was a loud CRASH! and a large boulder fell and smashed to pieces near Flaremane, who staggered backwards, pieces of stone embedded in her forelegs. There came a chuckle and then the voice again,

Oh yea, forgot to mention that the sigil traps have all been reactivated. Honestly, i think i have forgotten what some of them even do... There was a brief pause and a sense of pure hatred oozed from everywhere.

"Whats the matter cur, losing your nerve?" Celestia taunted, hoping to at least gain some information. The voice replied in a different tone, one which betrayed a hate that was several thousand years old,

Changelings.

Author's Note

I apologize for splitting this up into different parts, once all of them are done i will merge them into one chapter. The Sun's Final Dusk may be a three to four parter but it will end the story. At least this one, I'll be writing a sequel when i'm done with it and writing some more of my other story. Anyway, next part: The Sun's Final Dusk Pt 2: Through the Ruins

The Sun's Final Dusk Pt 2: The Fight

Abandoned City

The thirteen ponies moved stealthily across the old cracked roads of the city. They did not always activate their lights as for two different reasons: Reason 1 was to try and not give away their position to the nightmare. Reason 2 was to not give away their position from the changelings which they could hear in the distance. There clearly was a lot of them, but they hadn't noticed Celestia and her guards yet. Their commander, Flaremane, finally asked Celestia the question that her fellow guards had been thinking,

"Milady, what exactly was this city before?"

Celestia sighed, but kept her voice down,"This was once a city filled with a ponykind different than the kind today. They were...vile, powerful creatures. However they did serve a purpose. They absolutely hated changelings and the feeling was mutual. Thats why there were no changeling attacks until the wedding. They had sensed the lack of their archenemies."

Flaremane looked a little surprised. She hadn't known why there had been just one changeling attack at the wedding, but now that she knew, she couldn't help but feel a little scared of the creatures that could have easily sent them running. The rest of their time was spent in silence as they looked for gate through the ruins of what looked to be strange houses, abandoned stores, and completely destroyed shops. Still they found nothing, and some of them began to panic when they heard the following words:

Time's uuuuuuuuuup! Here I cooome. Well actually i have to take care of our uninvited guests, so you have some more time to live.

Seven ponies sighed in relief as Celestia ushered them forward, looking around for any hint of a magic exit. The others were looking for signs of life or a physical entrance. After about three minutes of searching, they began to hear the screams of the changelings. Something flew past Celestia and slammed into the wall. Flaremane shined a light on it and recoiled, gasping. It was a skeleton of a changeling, with a rotting head with flesh still attached. Judging from the red stained bones, the nightmare was having even more of his "fun." The screams went on for several more minutes before they all heard it:

There, now that that is done, we can get back to playing. Better start praying now.

Celestia turned towards the frightened faces of her guards. Each one could feel only a fraction of his power. They were scared now, and she would not let another death happen by this monster. Celestia turned and faced the darkness.

"Why don't you face me in a one on one magic duel instead? Or are you too afraid to end up like the rest of your race?" She taunted.

Mmm, already can't handle the death? Typical really.Very well i will accept. Give me a second while i change the scenery a bit.

"Change the what?" one of the Sunguards gasped. The ruins around them began to fade and shake, causing nausea. Then, darkness with bright shapes around them in the form of trees and such. Then a red light appeared in the distance, and something spoke, a voice that long ago Celestia had learned the hard way to fear.

The voice sounded like everyone of Celestia's nightmares, even though that Luna had tried to help her purge them, they were all ignited along with the most revolting images as well. Celestia couldn't see her Sunguards, and she dreaded what that it had done to them.

Celestia gritted her teeth and prepared herself,"We'll see about that. Because I plan to send you back to the abyss from which you came from!"

Lucid Dream's Refurbished house

Twilight and her friends stood at the entrance waiting for Lucid Dream to come back. it had been a while since he had rushed off and now the ponies were starting to get worried.

"Do you think he's okay?' rarity asked.

"You kidding? The way he handled that hydra? Of course he'll be fine!" Rainbow Dash huffed.

Twilight rolled her eyes,"Easy girls. If he's not back in a couple minutes, we'll go in to find him, okay?" Her friends nodded, then all Tartarus broke loose in the Everfree.

An enormous explosion rocked the ground, sending the ponies gathered sprawling. Twilight was the first to recover from it, managing to flap her wings and take to the air. She looked around and saw her friends were stunned but unharmed. Then she turned her attention to the Everfree and saw it all.

There was a battle taking place over the Everfree, where part of the forest was on fire. Two things circled around in the sky, both in an apparent fight to the death. Twilight flew forward for a bit, and gapsed as she realized that Princess Celestia was dueling with a dark cloud. Thought she couldn't see the creature, she knew that little parts of it were on fire and judging from the flashes of sun magic, its body was partially covered in what suspiciously looked like bones. All Twilight could do was watch as her friend and mentor fought with the creature. She heard movement below and saw Lucid Dream using his magic to drag twelve other unconscious unicorns towards the edge of the Everfree. He got another few feet before colliding with some barrier that enshrouded a part of the Everfree and kept the fight inside.

"Lucid Dream!" Twilight called landing on the ground near him.

"Twilight! Can you open up this barrier? I need to get these other unicorns to safety!"

Celestia looked down and saw Twilight speaking with ...with....Lucid Dream?! Celestia was so distracted that the creature hit her with a bolt of magic. She was sent spiraling downward until she regained her flight. If Lucid Dream was down there...then who was she fighting?

Author's Note

Final part of this story is coming up, after about a day i will condense all three chapters into one. Don't worry, the next book will be coming up. Anyway, last chapter is: The Sun's Final Dusk: Vengeance of the Fallen

The Sun's Final Dusk: Vengeance of the Fallen

Canterlot Guest Quarters

Cadence stirred to find a Shining Armor embracing her. She didn't mind, but the way he was holding indicated that he was scared or had just lost something.

"Shining what's wrong?" She asked, squirming around and facing her husband. His eyes were tear stained.

"I thought i lost you." He whispered quietly. Cadence kissed him gently on the cheek.

"But i'm right here honey." She replied, looking a little confused.

Shining Armor shook his head,"T-the nightmare, he made me believe that you were dead, and that I was absolutely helpless to do anything."

Cadence pressed her head against his,"Well i'm right here, and i promise that i won't let it do any-." She couldn't copmlete the phrase as the castle shook. They both looked at each other, Shining Armor let go of her and they both raced outside.

Over Everfree Forest

Celestia was tiring.
She had started this battle completely fresh, but after taking a few shots that sapped her strength alarmingly fast, she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. She was also confused at the fact that Lucid Dream was saving her unconscious Sunguards and yet she was fighting him up in the air. The question that plagued part of her mind was: Which was the Real Lucid Dream,? She dived bleow an enormous ball of souls that shot past her. At least she thought that they were souls, but she wasn't sure. She fired another sunbeam directly at the monstrousity, but it deflected it back at her with a fiery lance.

Celestia didn't waste any energy responding. She glanced over her shoulder to see where one of the creature's magic attacks had hit her. To her horror, she saw her skin was turning a molten black, and it was slowly spreading around her body. So thats how her strength was being sapped. That thing was slowly corrupting her!

Celestia rolled left, dodging another magic attack and narrowly avoiding the follow up. Corruption aspect? What was he talking about? She thought as she charged up another bolt. However, instead of it striking the aspect as it flew past, it fizzled.out and Celestia felt a searing pain in her body.

NOW YOU REALIZE THAT YOU CANNOT WIN! YOU WILL FALL TODAY AND THE POWER OF CORRUPTION WILL END ALL OF YOUR FOLLOWERS! THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY NOW FOR KILLING MY BROTHERS AND SISTER NIGHTMARES EVEN WHEN THEY SURRENDERED!

Celestia wanted to cry out in desperation, but no sound came out of her mouth. A new feeling began to spread itself throughout her body. It was a feeling of fear, so bad that it was paralyzing her. Then she heard it, the roar of something feral, something ancient...and angry.

Celestia tried to flap her wings, but was too frozen with fear to do much except to plummet a few feet. She began to hear voices, voices of all her past failures and regrets. They seemed to far away to make out what they were saying, but close enough to figure out who was saying it. Luna, Discord, all of her soldiers that had died in battle. She desperately tried to fly further away from the ever growing chorus of voices to torture her. She looked over at the Corruption Aspect, but it had disappeared. Then she began to notice the hole opening up beneath her...

Twilight kept concentrating, trying to break through the barrier. However, the barrier seemed to be getting stronger, but with Lucid Dream's own magic, they were making some progress. He had even put the twelve ponies in front of him, that way they could at least get free. That was when they heard the roar.

All across the land of Equestria came an earth shaking roar that sent every living creature, save for two, into a panic. Their worst fears ignited and they began to see them come into being in front of them. Riots ensued as the standing army or police force was helpless to stop it. Below Celestia, the whole opened wider, to the point where Canterlot could easily fit inside of it. Celestia could see the teeth of the maw of the beast, the swirling souls of her soldiers and other ponies. It was a deep pitch black on the outside, but on the inside a bright red fire burned with a vengeance.

Twilight lost concentration on her spell as she watched her mentor be engulfed by a column of shadows, Even though it was pitch black, the center of the column burned with with the colors of crimson red. Twilight heard Celestia scream as sun flares shot out from the column. However, it only changed the column. The column turned to a bright searing red, one that hurt to look at it. Twilight averted her eyes and then heard Celestia screamed again, but it faded into a strangled gurgle.

"NO!" Twilight screamed, ramming herself against the barrier again and again. Lucid Dream shouted at her,

"STOP! You'll only hurt yourself! If you can open the barrier, maybe you can have a chance to save-" His sentence was cut short as the column of burning light flew back into the ground, taking Celestia with it.

"CELESTIA!" Twilight screamed watching it. Her vision turned red and the barrier shattered as she flew up and over where Celestia had been, only to realize that the hole had shut and there was no sign of anything. Twilight screamed again and flew to the ground, sobbing brokenheartedly. Lucid Dream trotted over and put a hoof on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say.

Deepest realm of Tartarus

Celestia lay on the floor of fire, immobilized. On closer inspection, it would reveal that she had been turned to stone. Even closer inspection would show small cracks beginning to form on her face, and her eyes looked like they were terrified. Around her the fires roared, growing higher and higher, but the room was also getting darker. Something stirred in the shadows, watching the slowly breaking statue of its enemy. It smiled, things were going exactly as planned.