//------------------------------// // The Sun's Final Dusk: Vengeance of the Fallen // Story: Blazing Darkness // by shadeofthenight //------------------------------// 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.