//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: A Broken Kingdom // Story: A Lost Soul in a Dark World // by TasteTheSun //------------------------------// For the past few days, Black Iron has been experiencing a lot of nightmares. Some of them would be about Appleseed's death, but most of the time, she would see the purple alicorn. Unlike her visions of her, she would actually speak to Black Iron in her nightmares, but the only thing she would say is one question, one word. Why? Every night, Black Iron would wake up, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Usually, she would simply cry herself back to sleep. Some nights, she would just look out the window and stare at the starry night sky, thinking about the events that had occurred, and the actions that she has done, up until the sun would begin to rise. On one occasion, she even went to Appleseed's office and, in hopes of her spirit listening, she would say to her that she was sorry, and beg for her forgiveness. Sadly, the nightmares continued, and they were tearing her up inside. ••• Black Iron's Royal Guards were ready to fight. They spent the last few days either brainwashing Celestia's guards, or simply training in combat. They were large in numbers, but were still outnumbered, and Maxspell was a little concerned. Maxspell knew Celestia, and she knew she's had more than a millennium of life experience, and that included in defending during the war times long ago. But she figured their small army would be a simple diversion so she could use her secret weapon. That weapon is the one and only thing powerful enough to stand a chance against The Princesses. She may be a princess, but to Maxspell, she's nothing more than a simple pawn in her little game of chess, and her opponent was Celestia herself, and right now, she had the upper hand. All day, she spends her time making battle plans with Black Iron, Ironhoof, and several other royal officers. Just like before, Longspear would not want any part of it. Instead, he would simply stay behind the sidelines, only stepping in when Maxspell, or someone else needed assistance. ••• After a few days of nonstop thinking and planning, they had finally formed their plan of action. "Alright, after a long time of thinking, I believe I know just what to do!" Maxspell said excitedly. "Ok, as we know, Celestia always has her Captain of her Royal Guard set up a magical barrier around Canterlot. She probably has hundreds of guards patrolling the city, the palace, and the entrances. Now according to what our scouts and undercover operatives have informed us, a train filled with supplies, and weaponry will be entering the city, which is the only time they will provide an opening in the barrier for it. So the first thing we're going to do is have Black Iron sneak on the train until it arrives at the Grand Central Station. Once you're there, you'll use that cloaking spell I taught you to sneak past the guards. Hopefully your magic is powerful enough to fool their high-tech equipment! They're technology is powerful enough to spot a changeling in a crowd of ponies!" Black Iron gulped at what Maxspell had told her. She felt drops of sweat stream down her face. "Next, you're going to find the Captain of the Royal Guards and take him out, that way his defense shield will go down! That's when our forces will storm in in three groups just less than a mile away from Canterlot. They will serve as our diversion while you'll go and confront The Princesses." Once Maxspell had finished speaking, Black Iron took in a deep breath before simply nodding in reply to her commander. Ironhoof replied with a salute before returning with his fellow royal officers. Finally seeking his chance, Longspear went ahead and approached Maxspell. "Maxspell, are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked. "What do you mean?" Maxspell asked in reply. "Well for one, you're dealing with The Princesses of Equestria! One of them might not have been around for a thousand years, but I can assure you that the eldest of the two has more than two thousand years of life experience, maybe more! Don't you think she has experience on how to defend her kingdom in the threat of an attack? And plus, why are you only having Black Iron fight the two alone? They outnumber not only her, but all of us in strength, numbers, weapons, and magical abilities! It's a two to one ratio there, and that's not fair!" Maxspell simply chuckled at her assistance's worry. "Longspear, darling, you worry too much! Trust me, it's like a game of chess, and The Princesses are going to freak when I bust out my secret weapon! And plus, she's also an alicorn. With that armor on, she'll be as powerful as they are! Now, shouldn't you go and get fitted for armor plating yourself?" Maxspell asked, shoving Longspear out of the tent. She then went and approached Black Iron who was going over the plans on the table. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked, in a soothing, motherly tone. "I'm just a little nervous. I'm going to go up against The Princesses. Do you think I might stand a chance against them?" Black Iron asked in a worried, nervous tone. "Look, I think you're strong enough to take down those rotten monarchs. No matter what happens, I know you won't back down, Alright?" Said Maxspell. "Alright." Black Iron replied, comprehending with what her mentor was saying. "I think I'm ready to take my rightful place as ruler of Equestria! And to bring an end to the dreaded Royal Sisters!" Black Iron said with a hint of pride in her tone. It was the kind of attitude Maxspell liked to hear. "Excellent, now go and get some rest, for we attack at dawn!" replied Maxspell. ••• For the last few days, Celestia has been preparing for the potential attack on her kingdom. She has evacuated her city, set up defenses and traps everywhere, and even called in all of her remaining Royal Guards. All of this has driven her into having sleepless nights almost every night. She's even stopped eating in order to use every minute possible in either setting up the defenses, or helping with the guards. Luna has been just as worked up as her sister. Both Princesses were exhausted, and on the brink of passing out. The guards have noticed that and pleaded for them to rest, only to be rejected and sent back to work, but they were right, and they knew it. The problem was, if they went to sleep, there was the chance of their city being attacked, and them not being there to help. But as the days went on, and still no attack, and the train with the surplus due to arrive in three days, the two sisters decided to give each other shifts. One would watch the other while they slept. During their shifts, they would also take the time to eat while keeping an eye out for any attacks. After all the hard work they'd put in, they deserve the few hours of sleep. ••• Staring out into the distance, one of the scouts spotted a train coming in over the horizon through his binoculars. "Bingo!" the scout said to himself. "This is Eagle Eye to Black Iron, come in," "This is Black Iron, what's the situation? over," Black Iron replied through her headset. "The train is now in my sights, commence the next phase in the plan, over," "This was the moment Black Iron had been waiting for. Flying up out of her hiding place in a tree, she quickly activated her new cloaking spell Maxspell had taught her. In an instant, she disappeared. Fortunately for her, only she was able to see herself, unlike every other pony. "At first, when she managed to perform the spell, she thought she did something wrong until some pony had given her a mirror. When she looked at it, she didn't see her reflection, which meant that she did it right. Now, she wasn't sure if the spell worked since she doesn't have a mirror, and she can't check if she casted a shadow since the sun hadn't risen yet. Taking a big gulp and a deep breath, she then flew after the train, in hopes of no pony finding her. After several minutes of flying, she managed to catch up to the train, and sneak inside the caboose. There, she sat and waited while the train carried her towards her destination. ••• "Private Starstrong, status report," said The Captain from Manehatten. "Well, so far we haven't had any signs of an attack yet from the enemy, all of our defenses, including your magical barrier, and traps are up and running, and the train carrying all of our supplies has an ETA of half an hour Captain Strong Heart," replied Startrong. "Excellent lad, at this rate, it would be impossible for Black Iron ta take Canterlot. Now, go an get yerself fitted inta yer armor laddie, cause you are gunna fight thee. Despite yer wee size lad, you'll become a powerful juggernaut in no time!" Strong Heart said. Starstrong faintly grinned and saluted before heading off towards the armory deep within the barracks. Strong Heart continued standing watch at the barrack's watch tower. He then called upon his magic to further strengthen the barrier surrounding the large city. Staring out into the horizon, he could see the sun's rays peeking out. He could also see the train carrying all of their weapons, ammunition, armors, canons, and even battle carriages. Everything that he and his comrades needed in fighting against Black Iron's small army. "Let see ya try an escape from this lassie," Strong Heart said as he continued staring at the train. The very train carrying his adversary. ••• During the long, excruciating train ride towards the capital city, Black Iron took the time to sabotage the Royal Guard's weapons and artillery, that way her small army will have a fair chance when they go up against them. Looking out the window of one of the train cars, she was able to catch a perfect view of Canterlot. It was bigger than she had expected. She saw skyscrapers all along the bottom of a mountain. Some looked as if they were made of steel, others made from stone. It was a step up from Manehatten of how big and breathtaking it was. Everything looked new and modern, except for a certain area of the city. On the side of the mountain, she saw what looked to be like a city of its own. She figured it must have been part of the old district of Canterlot. She could consider that the buildings on the side of the mountain looked like they were made out of marble. Black Iron also noticed a castle deep within the old part of the city. That must have been where the princesses are stationed at. She then got a feeling of déjà vu as she continued looking at the old district. It was as if she's been there before. But she just set aside the feeling and focused on the matter at hoof. She quickly took note of the large magical barrier surrounding the city. She remembered how she had to find the captain controlling the barrier and take them out. ••• It didn't take long until the train reached its destination at the train station. Without hesitation, Black Iron snuck out through the caboose of the train and made her past the guards that were checking the shipment and into the station. She continued sneaking past guards as she tried to find her way out of the station. Even though no pony could see her thanks to her cloaking spell, she still raised the risk of bumping into something that could cause unwanted attention. As she snuck passed the empty ticket booth, she heard voices coming her way. Acting quickly, she managed to sneak inside the large booth. Ducking behind the counter, she sat there quietly, waiting for the guards to pass. Although luck was not on her side since what sounded like there were two guards engaged in a conversation, not far from where Black Iron had hidden. "I mean yea sure he's okay, but to tell you the truth, he can be a bit crazy! Ever since he's been promoted to captain, he's been working us to death. Why, if we ever go to war, I think he's gunna be the one to kill me!" One of the guards said. "Well we kinda are, so that might just happen. Speaking of which, where is Strong Heart?" The other guard asked. "He's at the barracks watch tower, keeping an eye out for Black Iron, while also keeping the barrier up. I spoke with him just a while ago, and he told me to put this hunk of scrap metal on. Says that I'll be 'A powerful juggernaut in no time!' Can you believe it?!" He said imitating Strong Heart's accent. The second guard chuckled at that. "Wow, I guess he is a bit crazy! Well, come on Starstrong, we better help bring that shipment back to the barracks before Captain Strong Heart serve our heads on a platter to The Princesses," the second guard said as they both headed off on their way. Black Iron slowly took a peek outside of the ticket booth to make sure the coast was clear. Thankfully it was. As she got out, she recalled what that guard said earlier. "Okay, so I need to find this Captain Strong Heart guy if I'm going to bring the barrier down," Black Iron thought aloud. After a while of wandering around, she managed to find the exit. Finally out of their, Black Iron took the time to catch her breath and took in her surroundings. Looking around, she saw many sky scrapers towering over her. Then she realized she was in the new district of Canterlot. Looking around, she found a map of the entire city of Canterlot on the wall of the station. Looking at it, she searched for where the barracks might be. After a minute of searching, she managed to find it on the map. Sadly it was in the older district, which meant that it was in the part of the city that was on the side of the mountain. Giving a long sigh, she extended her wings and took flight towards the upper level of the city. After a while of flying, she made it to the city main entrance. There were several patrols, but she decided to pace herself and let the cloak do the rest. As she continued on, she trotted passed a donut shop. Making a complete stop, she turned and looked at the shop. Suddenly, the pain in her head returned, and in her mind, she saw the exact same donut shop, and sitting at a table outside of the shop were six ponies and a small dragon. Amongst them was the purple alicorn, laughing and having a good time with what looked like her friends. A few seconds later, the vision vanished and the pain had gone away. Black Iron opened her eyes and saw several guards passing by her, unaware of her presence. It took a while for her to tear her gaze away from the shop and to continue on towards the barracks. But along the way, she continued seeing visions. Some looked like they're from different points in time. From the times when the alicorn was a filly to when she was a full grown mare. It was so excruciating that she had to pick up the pace. Finally she arrived at the barracks. Now the next thing she had to do was find this so called Captain Strong Heart. She took the time to come up with a plan on how to complete her objective. It didn't take long to form one. Her eyes fell upon a lone guard passing by on patrol. She quickly ducked behind a nearby building, and aimed her horn at the guard's head. She charged up her horn and fired a bolt of magic at the gaurd's head. Fortunately, it hit right on target. It took merely a few seconds for the magic to take control over the guards mind. Black Iron then used her magic to communicate with the guard through their minds. "You are now under my control. Do you understand?" Black Iron asked. The guard replied with a nod. "Good, now I want you to know that I can see and hear everything your eyes and ears pick up. Now, I want you to go and find Captain Strong Heart. Do you read me?" The Guard replied with a nod and trotted over towards the barracks. Black Iron closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she reopened them, she saw herself trotting up towards the barracks, except it wasn't really her, but instead it was the guard. She was seeing everything he was seeing. The guard continued on through the barracks. He went through many twists and turns within it. He also passed by rooms that were filled with weapons, others with armors, ammunition, or sleeping chambers. He even passed by a door that led to a large open area that had a bunch of guards training. That must have been the barrack training grounds. Judging by their numbers, they're going to be ready for any attack. It didn't take long for the guard to reach the top of the watchtower. However Black Iron didn't notice since her mind had drifted off someplace else. There she saw two other guard ponies standing watch. One was wearing the simple armor of the Royal Guard. The other one's armor did look different than the other. His was purple and his helmet had a long plume running down vertically. That had to be him. "Okay, now bring Captain Strongheart to me," Black Iron ordered. Her guard replied with a nod, and approached Strong Heart. "Captain, your presence is needed at once!" the guard said. Strong Heart gave a confused expression. "On who's behalf laddie?" Strong Heart replied. Black iron bit her lip, but managed to come up with something that seemed believable. "The Princess sir," the guard told him. Strong Heart seemed a bit surprised at that. "Well then, we better hurry along, we don't want ta keep da we princess waitin'. Go on, I'll follow." Leaving the other guard to stand watch, The two went back down into the barracks. It didn't take long before they exited the place. Black Iron's guard continue leading the captain, unaware of his fate. The two stopped at a nearby building not far from the barracks. "We're here," the guard said. Strong Heart looked very confused. "Laddie, this ain't Canterlot Castle, an I don't see a princess anywhere in sight." Right on cue, Black Iron disabled her cloak, causing her to look as if she appeared from nowhere. "There is one now," she said. Strong Heart was shocked when he realized he'd been tricked and led into a trap. "Well played lassie, I'm surprised you were able ta trick somepony like me, but you're forgettin an important detail," he said when pulled his gun out and fired at her. She fell back, but quickly got up seeing that the bullet didn't do anything. Strong Heart was surprised and was about to fire again before being tackled by the guard standing next to him. "What do ya think you're doin?!" He yelled from his spot on the ground, and the guard on top of him. Black Iron slowly approached him and used her magic to pick up the pistol Strong Heart dropped. She then aimed it in between his eyes. "Look, I just want you to know, that this is nothing personal. I just need your little barrier spell disabled," she said, aiming at his horn. Strong Heart tried fighting back, but somehow couldn't. Then he realized he couldn't move his legs. Looking down at them, they had been magically restrained. Black Iron only found it amusing watching him suffer. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to send your resignation notice to The Princesses, as well as the entire Royal Guard. Any last words?" Strong Heart laid there helpless. All he could do was to wait for the inevitable. "Do you're worst Black Iron, you can take ma life, but y'all neva take over Canterlot. The Princesses will surely send ya back to wherever hellish place ya came from! Long live Celestia! Long live THE PRINCESSES!!!" That sparked a flame of rage deep within Black Iron. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger, ending his life. In no time, the barrier began coming down. Throwing the gun away, she went off on her way to confront The Princesses. To put an end to this once and for all ••• Several miles away from Canterlot, Maxspell kept watch from within the top of a tree, waiting for the barrier spell to go down. She and the rest of the small army were in their positions, waiting for the signal to charge. Longspear was with Maxspell, being forced to sit there and wait. "Maxspell, how do you know this is going to work. She's been there for more than an hour and that shield is still up. How do you know she's not gunna back out?" Longspear asked. "Because I know her, and I know she wouldn't back out, unlike you," Maxspell replied coldly. Just then, she saw the barrier going down. "See, what did I tell you," she said mockingly. At this point, Longspear didn't care. What he did care about however, was Black Iron and the fate of Equestria. He knew by the end of this, they'll probably be executed for causing so much trouble. Both ponies jumped down from the tree to meet up with Ironhoof, and the rest of the guards. They arrived at the edge of a nearby forest. Ironhoof peeked out and saw the two had arrived. "Is it time?" he asked. Maxspell replied with a nod. An evil grin grew on his face as he pulled his radio out. "This is General Ironhoof, on my mark..... CHARGE!!!" A split second later, hundreds of ponies charged out of the forest. All of them heading towards their objective. Maxspell simply stood there with an evil grin on her face. "It won't be long now!" ••• "I won't be gone for too long. Are you sure you can handle things while I'm gone?" Celestia asked as she was putting on her own armor. Luna, already in hers, gave a reassuring nod. "Don't worry my sister. I'll be sure to take care of Canterlot while you go handle things with at The Crystal Empire." Replied Luna. Celestia gave a warm smile as she placed her helmet on her head. "You've always been there when I needed you." She then walked out onto her balcony, and extended her wings and took off. Using her magic, she opened a hole in the barrier to let herself out. As for Luna, she then made her way to the throne room. There she sat on the throne, while several guards flanked her left and right. All she could do is sit there and wait for her sister to return. She knew that the guards would risk their lives to protect this place, and plus, with that magical barrier, their is no way for any pony to get in. "Everything is going to be fine" she told herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something wrong. Looking out the windows, she saw that the barrier was going down. Her jaw fell as well. Something's wrong. "Private, go down to the barracks and go see if Captain Strong Heart is okay," Luna ordered the guard to her right. He replied with a salute and galloped out of the throne room. Taking deep breaths, Luna tried to keep herself under control. "Everything is going to be fine. It's probably just something wrong with his magic. He probably strained himself from using it so much of it for so long. There's nothing to worry about." Just then, several explosions went off in the new district of Canterlot. At this point, Luna was officially aggravated. "Oh you got to be kidding me!" She said annoyingly. She turned to the remaining guards to give them their new orders. "I want the majority of your forces to go deal with whatever is attacking us over at the new district, but be sure to leave a few guards here," Luna commanded. The guards saluted before galloping off out of the throne room, leaving Luna alone there, trying to keep herself under control. ••• The New District of Canterlot was like a mirror version of Manehattan, as well as Ponyville and many other cities in Equestria. The only difference was that it was more classy, and sophisticated, where many of Equestria's greatest ponies lived. Everything there was amazing and great. Now, it was a full blown war zone. Bullets were flying everywhere. Sounds of explosions, gunfire, and ponies dying were happening everywhere. Even though Celestia's Royal Guards were large in numbers, they still seemed to be losing. Some of their guns kept jamming, their battle carriages would malfunction, and their canons would blow up on their own. Black Iron's forces didn't seemed to be having any troubles. If they ran out of ammo, they can get some more from some pony who had already been killed. If some pony on their side died, a unicorn can spread their dark magic to someone on their side to fight for them. All in all, there was a large possibility of Celestia's Royal guards losing. Because of that, the older district of Canterlot laid barren. The streets and buildings lay empty, and not a single guard could be found. This was a good thing for Black Iron, since she didn't have to worry about any pony stopping her. She stood outside of The Royal Palace alone. Her guard had left to go join the others in battle. Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way into the castle. The main hall of the castle looked elegant and classy. Everything was fit for a princess. As she continued through the castle in an attempt to search for the throne room. Along the way, she kept getting visions every time she would look at a certain area. But the one area that gave her the most visions was the main hall that led towards the throne room. Every time her gaze would fall upon one of stained glass windows, she would see a real life event of what the windows would represent. Most of them would have the purple one. After a while of excruciating pain and sheer force, Black Iron managed to reach the doors to the throne room. Upon entry, her gaze fell upon a blue alicorn sitting on a throne in front of her. Black Iron knew this pony. She's seen her in a few of her visions, and was told who she was by Maxspell. It was Princess Luna, Celestia's little sister. Even though she didn't have as much will, hatred, and purpose with Luna as much as she did with Celestia, Black Iron wouldn't take the chance on underestimating her. "I didn't expect you to be here alone without you're beloved sister, Princess Luna, or should I even call you that?" Black Iron "Well, It seems you care more about my sister, rather than me. Am I not worthy enough for you?" Luna replied. "Oh, it's just that Celestia seems too 'outshine' more than you do. I mean, she's been praised for more than a millennium, especially when you were not around to be with her." "What do you speak of?!" Luna furiously questioned. "Come on, it was no surprise ponies liked her more than you way back when became Nightmare Moon. I am not even surprised that she banished you for a thousand years." Luna felt a fiery rage burn deep within her, just for being reminded of the mistake she made long ago. "Although I will be honest and say that say that I don't blame you becoming jealous of her. Celestia loved tending to their every whim, with her pathetic love and compassion. Always has, and thus, won the hearts of many. As for you Luna, you were simply left with the duty of raising and lowering the moon. No pony knew you, no pony even cared about you. Tell me, has that ever changed from before you were banished to today?" Every fiber of her body wanted to rip that wretched pony's tongue, as well as her heart out, however, Luna managed to herself hold back. "You are wrong about Celestia, and about me. Ponies today appreciate me as much as my sister now than a two thousand years ago! And there was never anything wrong with Celestia's way of ruling!" "That is something only you and your sister would say. Her love and compassion over these ponies is simply poisoning their minds, thus, seeing you nothing more than a joke. Only ruling with an iron hoof will get these ponies know who they are dealing with. That way they can give you the respect you deserve. I guess you found that out back then when you saw the truth like me." "The only thing I saw was darkness and hatred, and especially lies when I became that wretched mare. And thats a path I will NEVER go down again, unlike you Black Iron! Now I will kindly ask you to leave before I personally escort you out." Luna said firmly. Black Iron however, only smiled as she slammed the throne room doors shut. Her red irises in her eyes began to glow, as well as her horn. "I can't leave now, I still have much to discuss with you," she said as she slowly approached the throne. ••• Celestia was on her way back from The Crystal Empire. She was right about how it wouldn't take her too long. As she approached Canterlot from the sky, she saw smoke rise from the horizon. She knew something was wrong. As she got closer to the city, she also noticed that the magical barrier was down. She started feeling butterflies in her stomach. She called upon her magic and teleported over toward the city. Looking down, she saw that her royal guards were either dead or helping the enemy. She knew this could only mean one thing. She once again used her magic to teleport to the palace. She then appeared in one of the castle's grand halls. Fire and smoke arose from the city outside the windows. Celestia continued through the battered halls of the palace. Blood stained the walls all over the hall. Just the sight of that sent chills up to her neck. Somehow, she's seen something like this somewhere before, she just couldn't put h hoof on it at the moment. She then heard distant laughter coming down the halls. She quickly took off to where the laughter was coming from. After passing several twists and turns through the palace, she arrived at the source of the laughter, the throne room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and went inside. What she saw made her blood run cold. She saw Black Iron sitting down on her throne, with Luna lying on the floor in front of her. Her body was all battered and bruised. Blood ran down from several cuts and open wounds. Not even her armor could protect her. Parts of it were scattered all over the throne room. Celestia felt like her world was going numb. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the two. Black Iron also couldn't take her gaze away from Celestia. From the first moment she saw her, she instantly started seeing the visions. As she clenched her eyes shut, in her mind, she saw visions of Celestia with the purple alicorn as well as the other five ponies. She couldn't help but feel like this were not visions, but more like memories. She actually felt a little comfort within them, Suddenly, something changed about them. The dark magic within her were poisoning them, making Celestia look and feel like the enemy Black Iron hated. The pain in her head increased. Purple smoke emanated from her eyes. All the anger, jealousy, and hatred were now being enhanced, and taking hold of Black Iron. Her coat, then changed to a dark gray, and when she opened her eyes, the whites of her eyes were now green will the sides were emitting smoke. Her irises were still glowing red. Looking down, she furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Celestia, who had snapped out of her gaze, and quickly approached her fallen sister. She wrapped her legs around her and held Luna in her embrace. "Luna! Are you alright?" Celestia asked in a panicked state. The only response her sister gave were moaning sounds. Blood trickled from her nose as her eyes were rolled in the back of her head. Celestia thought for sure her sister was dead, but was thankful enough that she felt a pulse. Luna was still alive, hanging by a single thread. Celestia was about to perform a healing spell when something grasped her entire body. She was lifted up and was carried away from her sister until she was face to face with Black Iron. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw who it really was. "Twilight, is that you?" Celestia asked nervously. Black Iron felt furry wash over for what her enemy had called her. "For one, my name is Black Iron, and second, I came here to take what is rightfully mine!" She replied harshly. "And that would be?" "My throne!" Celestia was shocked to hear what Black Iron had just said. She felt as if she had heard that before. "I'm also here to rule this kingdom and help it rise up from the ashes you kept it in. I'll lead this place for better than you ever have in a thousand years! Black Iron added while stomping her metal platted hooves on the ground for emphasis. Celestia tried to mask her nervousness in order to speak reason to her. "Twilight, don't you remember me? This isn't like you. You're not an empress that's threatening to rule Equestria with an iron hoof. Don't you even remember who you are." Celestia asked calmly. "As a matter of fact, I do remember you, and if memory serves, I faintly do remember a little bit of my past. It may just be bits and pieces, but I'm going to tell you right now that am NOT the mare you once knew." Black Iron replied cold and flat. "I also remember how you were supposedly friends with me, and that you poisoned me with your pathetic love, compassion, and worst of all, your friendship. Well I can assure you that you will no longer poison me with your lies, and also that I am no longer your friend." Celestia felt as if she had been emotionally stabbed in the heart of what she had been told. Black Iron then turned Celestia's body, facing the windows. "Let your burning kingdom be the last thing you see, and don't worry, I'll take good care of it for you." Back Iron said before turning Celestia back around. She then took out a magical dagger from behind her and floated it up in front of Celestia's fore head. "Its time that I put and end to this once and for all. Soon you will end up just like your pathetic sister, except that she will still be alive for just a little while longer." Celestia now knew where she has seen this all before. She had seen this in her nightmares from a while back, only this time, it was happening in real life, thus, like in her dream, she panicked. "Twilight, please! You don't have to do this! If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it! Please don't let it end like this! I'm sorry!!!" "The name is Black Iron," she said with a cold and cruel voice as she slowly continued moving the dagger closer to her. Just then, Celestia remembered something very crucial to her situation. This was not a dream, which means that even though a normal dagger would mean no harm, a dagger of pure magic, would definitely kill her. But then, she remembered something else, she could probably fight back, and with her armor, that makes her slightly more powerful than Black Iron. She then used her magic, and fired a bolt of it, and managed the hit Black Iron's eyes, stunning her, thus weakening the magical grip around Celestia. Using all the strength that she had, she was able to break free, and used her wings to fly a few feet away from her. Black Iron recovered and saw what had happened. This enraged her. She unfolded her wings and shot up towards the ceiling until she was at eye level with Celestia. She transformed the small dagger into a long, black, magical sword. Celestia knew where this was going. She didn't have a choice. If there was any way to get to Twilight deep down, it was to fight and defeat Black Iron. In response, Celestia used her magic to form a long golden sword. In an instant, Black Iron launched herself at Celestia and swung her sword over to her. Celestia, however, managed to block her attack. Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of swords clashing. Black Iron then swung her sword too wide, leaving an opening for an attack. Celestia took advantage of this, and managed to strike Black Iron in the side, causing her to fall back towards the ground. She quickly got up and shot a bolt of magic at Celestia. She managed to block the shot with her sword, reflecting it off the blade, sending it across the room. Celestia floated back down to the floor, keeping a safe distance from Black Iron. "Twilight, I don't wish to fight you. Please end this now, and I will guarantee your safety," Celestia said in form tone. "Shouldn't it be me telling you to surrender? I'd never give in to a pony like you. You will be the one who falls!" Black Iron yelled as she charged at Celestia while swinging her sword at an arc. Celestia once again blocked it. The sound of metal clanging echoed throughout the throne room. Celestia thrust her sword at Black Iron but she was able to dodge it by using her wings to fall back. She threw her sword at her opponent, but this time, the clash of metal against metal was Black Iron's sword against Celestia's armor. It was able to cut deep into the armor from the shear strike. Even though her armor could withstand anything, it was still an older model from a thousand years ago. It could not withstand something of equal power. In other words, she was vulnerable to Black Iron's magic. Thus, in response, Celestia swung her blade against Black Iron and pressed her blade against hers in order to break through her defense, but Black Iron wouldn't give up that easy. "I will not let you have my kingdom to rule with darkness and have ponies cower in fear." said Celestia. "Typical, you care more about yourself, and your kingdom than others," Black Iron said through gritted teeth. "You liar! How much of Nightmare Moon you remind me of! Only left with nothing but hatred and jealousy. Very well then, if you want my kingdom, your going to have to pry it out of my cold, dead hooves!" "Don't worry, I will have that arranged," Replied Black Iron. With a turn of her blade, Celestia fell with her sword digging into the marble floor. She then proceeded by striking down on Celestia's helmet. The force of the blow sent it flying off while Celestia hit the ground hard. The blow left a nasty gash close to her left eye. Blood was trickling down the side of her head. Black Iron moved in closer to finish her assault when suddenly, Celestia got up, and using all the magic she could muster, fired a large blast of magic at Black Iron, sending her crashing through the window, and down several stories towards the streets She crashed down on the pavement, leaving a small crater below her. Normally, an attack like that would be enough to kill a pony, but thanks to her armor, she was able to resist more than half the damage. Looking up, Black Iron saw Celestia stumble towards the window high above. Despite her extreme headache and her blurry vision, she was able to heal up with the little bit of magic she had left and healed her lethal wound enough for her to survive. She extended her wings and flew down to where Black Iron lay. Black Iron saw Celestia approach her, and quickly formed an idea. She laid her head down and closed her eyes, making it seem like she had been knocked unconscious. Celestia arrived at Black Iron's position, but kept her distance away from her. She saw her lay there motionless, and felt a bit worried. "Are you alright?" She asked. "Question is," Black Iron said quietly. "WILL YOU BE?!" She said before she quickly jumped up and fired a strong bolt of magic at Celestia, sending her flying into a nearby office building. Now she was in serious pain. She couldn't afford to withstand another hit like that. A majority of her armor had already been damaged or destroyed from the recent attack. It was now useless to her. She took it off, revealing several cuts, wounds, bruises, and a lot of blood all over her body. She stumbled towards the large hole in the wall leading to the outside. She flew back down towards the ground, only to be met by a small building flying right towards her. Once again, she had to call upon her magic to form a small bubble around her. It was strong enough to resist most of the damage being inflicted on it, but it was still too much, resulting in her magic to give out. She was then buried from all the rubble. Black Iron felt victorious at her latest accomplishment. Sadly, it was short lived. She saw Celestia digging herself out. Enraged, she fired another shot of magic at her. Luckily for Celestia, the shot missed, giving herself time to escape. After pushing away all the rubble, she spread her wings and took off into the air. "And just where do you think you're going?" Black Iron asked mockingly as she shot up into the air in pursuit. She fired several shots, but Celestia kept dodging all of them. They flew around the buildings and through the streets of Canterlot, one pony after the other. Celestia then attempted to lose her pursuer down below in the new district, but when they got there, she saw that the majority of her royal guards had lost to the enemy and were now under Black Iron's control. As she flew past several sky scrappers. The guards below took notice of the chase above, and decided to help Black Iron by firing their weapons at Celestia. She might have been capable of dodging Black Iron's shots, but not so well with the enemy guards below. Several bullets dug deep into her body. The pain she was feeling almost made her crash into one of the buildings. Without hesitating, she turned and flew back towards the old district. Once there, she continued evading in hopes of making herself harder target. As for Black Iron, she felt as if she was about to strain her magic from constantly firing it. "Face me you coward!" she called out. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sword lying on the street. She levitated it up to where she was at. Looking out, she saw that Celestia had stopped to catch her breath more than a hundred feet away from her. Black Iron hoped that she wouldn't notice the oncoming threat considering the sword's thin size and lack of visibility from a distance. Aligning her shot, she used her magic, and launched the blade with great force and high speed. After taking a quick break to catch her breath, Celestia turned and noticed something was approaching her, however, considering how fast the object was going, she didn't have time to react. After realizing what it was, it was too late. The blade had punctured through her stomach, and the other end was sticking out from her back Suddenly, she lost all feeling in her wings and mid section. She fell limp fell down into the palace, crashing in through the ceiling and onto the throne room floor. She saw darkness circling her vision. She didn't even know if she was dead at this point. As she struggled to keep her eyes open, she saw Black Iron land in front of her and slowly approached her. "Look at every pony's beloved princess now," Black Iron said as she turned and bucked Celestia in the face. "Soon I will be relieving this country from this great burden that lies before me. Now you know how I feel deep inside. Don't you have anything to say about that?" Black Iron said after forming another small magical dagger and pressed it against Celestia's temple. "I... I just.. want you to know that.... you have always been... my closest friend. The best I had... in a long time. I'm sorry for not being there... to save you... when you were abducted. I'm sorry... for not being there... when you truly... needed me. I'm sorry," Celestia said through the pain she was enduring, both physical, and emotional. Black Iron only felt outraged for what she was hearing. "Lies! You're not sorry! You never were! You never cared much about me, or your sister. Why do you think she became Nightmare Moon? Your actions are what caused us to become jealous. It's how you won the hearts of many that made us hate you. And that hatred made us grow stronger. Your sister could have been the true ruler every pony needed, but what do you do? First, you send her away for a thousand years, then later, you turn her back to her weak and pathetic self. Tell me, did you do that for her sake, or for the sake of you and your beloved kingdom?" Black Iron said in a sinister tone. "It... it was something... I never wanted... to do. Its something... that I still think about... and.. regret to this day. She... was consumed... by the... darkness.... that consumed... you. I... just didn't have... a choice!" Celestia replied forcefully. Black Iron only smiled at that. "Oh Celestia, you pathetic oaf you. I'm afraid you're wrong about that. And this is the very reason why you are just unfit to be the ruler. You just don't seem to see the obvious.You also don't have the will to do what others cannot. All you do is worry. Worry about your sister, your so-called friends, yourself even! How do you think I came this far? Compassion is the true enemy that defeats us all. So remember this: no compassion and no mercy. Do that, and no one would dare to stand up against you. That's how one progresses in life!" Black Iron replied. Celestia remembered those exact words from her nightmare, and now, it looked like it was going to end the same way. Not with her waking up, but to actually dying at the hooves of her old friend. Black Iron continued pressing down on Celestia's head with the dagger. Blood began to trickle down her cheek. "Good bye Celestia. Its been a pleasure knowing you. Say hello to Pennysacks and Appleseed for me. Oh and Captain Strong Heart as well," Black Iron said. She was finally going to bring an end to her enemy's rule, when suddenly, the doors to the throne room opened, both mares looked and were shocked to see who it was. "Excellent! Well done Black Iron!" "Maxspell?!" both ponies said in unison. Surprised to see me, I see," Maxspell said in a perky mood. Longspear followed right behind her. "I am... surprised. How... are you... still alive... after.. a thousand years?" Celestia replied painfully. "Oh, you can thank your old friend Starswirl the Bearded for that," Maxspell replied. "Well then... what are you... doing... here?" "I just didn't want to miss my old rival be defeated by my own creation." "What... do you mean.. your own... creation?" Celestia asked, but then immediately realized what she meant when she looked at Black Iron. "You did this?" "Indeed!" "YOU!...... It was you... all along! The... ponynapping... the attacks... the murders... EVERYTHING!" Celestia said forcefully. "We'll, look who's FINALY catching on!" Maxspell replied sarcastically. "I should have known... you were behind... all this... but sadly... you were one... I least expected. Why?" "Well I would tell you, but it's stuff you already know. I would talk about how you fired me and nearly had me sent to a the dungeon because you disapproved my actions and methods in magic. I would also go into wanting revenge and watching you suffer, but you're already get the point. So I started thinking, who would be a better leader than Celestia? At first I thought of your sister Luna, but she already tried and failed. Then I thought of Princess Cadance from a thousand years ago, but nopony was getting anywhere with her, and it would be a repeat with what KIng Sombra did, and he too failed. Finally, I remembered Princess Twilight, and I knew she would be perfect for your downfall. What better way than to be double crossed by your old friend! " Maxspell said. "You... sick... twisted... mare! And Longspear... it upsets me... that you've returned... to you're old... criminal ways... but... I guess... it's not entirely... your fault. I made you... be with her. I can tell... she probably... manipulated... you as well... and... that's my... mistake," Celestia said in between gasps. She began coughing up blood. Longspear in response, looked away in shame. Maxspell then grew impatient. "Enough talk! It's time Equestria witnessed the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. Black Iron, you may proceed with the execution. Do it, and Equestria will be yours!" Maxspell said. Black Iron smiled and returned to what she was previously doing before Maxspell interrupted her. As she pushed down on the dagger into Celestia's skull, she noticed something. She saw a single tear drop run down Celestia's cheek. In that tear drop, Black Iron saw her own reflection in it, and her reflection stared right back at her. After staring at herself, she reflected back on the events she previously did, not just from today but from the past week or so. She remembered Appleseed's expression on her face before dying, as well as Strong Heart's. His words echoed in her mind. Then she stared at Celestia. Every fiber of her mind and body hated everything about her, and would have wanted nothing more than for her to lay their dead. But there was one part of her mind that was feeling something else. Not hatred, nor jealousy, but sympathy and guilt. She felt sorry for her, and guilty for what she's done to her, and those feelings were now starting to take over most of her mind. "What are you waiting for?! KILL HER!!!" Maxspell shouted. Her shout snapped Black Iron back to consciousness. "GO ON!!! KILL HER!!!" Maxspell pressed on. Black Iron looked down at Celestia. She couldn't bring herself to complete the dark deed. She was to sympathetic than hateful now. "I... I-I can't," she said as she made the dagger vanish. Everypony in the room was shocked when they saw what Black Iron had done. "WHAT?! Why not?!" Maxspell hollered with fury. "B-b-be-because, I-I work better with a larger audience! I mean, don't you think it would be better to have a public execution? That way ALL of Equestria witness the death of their beloved princesses, and the rise of their new one?" Black Iron said. Maxspell found the idea to be a good one. "You know, you're right, I mean, why bring sufferment to two ponies when we can bring it to hundreds! Well then, it's settled! Well have the execution at sundown! And their deaths will be at the end of a nice long noose at the castle entrance!" Maxspell said triumphantly! "NO! I-I mean, not now. Don't you think we should wait and have my guards bring in a crowd of ponies while also building the gallows. And plus, I'm the ruler here! Which means I make the decisions here, and I say we will have they're hanging in, um, two days! Maxspell was puzzled by the change in the date, but she had a point. They needed more time to prepare, and she didn't want to argue with her new leader. "Very well then. In the meantime, Celestia and Luna will spend the next two days in the dungeons. If they can last that long. I'll have the guards take them down there. I'll make sure they don't use their magic to try and escape," Maxspell said. In no time, several unicorn guards came in and levitated the princesses up off the ground and carried them out of the throne room. Maxspell and Longspear followed behind before she stopped and turned to look at Black Iron, who was still standing in the same spot. "Aren't you coming?" Maxspell asked. "You go on, I'll catch up," Black Iron replied before facing away from them. "We'll, don't take too long. You still need to make your proclamation as Equestria's new ruler," Maxspell said before she and Longspear exited the room. Once she was sure everyone was gone, Black Iron turned back around, and found herself staring face to face with the purple alicorn. She saw streams of tears run down the alicorn's cheeks. Without a single word, she turned and faded away. Black Iron fell to the ground, with tears running down her cheeks, feeling as if a part of her had been torn away. ••• Questions, Comments, Complements, Any errors are accepted, always room for improvement! Be sure to like, and follow me both here and Twitter(@Pony3T)