Corruption of Dawn

by LordLycaon

Omen

Sombra had never felt this kind of power before. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced, or even imagined. The light that emanated from Twilight's eyes and horn was unearthly, impossible to conceive through ordinary means. This was the kind of power he sought to have for himself. This was the might of a god.

He backed away just one step as Twilight approached him, murder in her eyes. She was ready to kill him now. He snarled in an attempt to intimidate her. "You little wretch!" he shouted as loud as he could, slamming his hoof down in indignation. "I shall destroy you, even with this new power of yours! I am the ultimate user of magic! No one can surpass me!" He charged his horn with dark magic then, quickly releasing it in the form of a beam of black energy.

Twilight summoned a barrier to deflect the attack, then charged her own horn with gleaming energy. She let loose a volley of magical missiles, which moved too fast for Sombra to be able to evade all of them. Several of the bolts landed on him, knocking him nearly breathless and blasting him away several feet. He landed sprawled out on the ground, groaning in pain from the attack. He picked himself back up off the ground just in time to be hit in the face by a beam of white magic that blasted him back even further.

The others watched in awe as Twilight fought the evil king. Her magic had become far more powerful somehow. Its glow was almost unnatural. Even Pinkie and Applejack could feel its mystical aura, and they had absolutely no aptitude for magic at all! Celestia especially could feel this power. It was beyond any magic even she could hope to perform. It was godlike.

"Twilight…" she said, her eyes wide with both fascination and fright. She didn't know which of those feelings was stronger at the moment.

The young unicorn walked deliberately toward Sombra as he tried to stand again. The dark stallion managed to get back on his hooves again, and stared at Twilight with wide, unbelieving eyes. This couldn't be happening! Where did she get this power? How did she break free of his nightmare sphere? He ground his teeth in agitation at his lack of knowledge on this. "What are you!?" he shouted almost desperately.

Twilight stopped her approach when she was merely four feet away from the king. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am Twilight Sparkle," she answered, "a unicorn of Equestria."

"I didn't ask for your name!" Sombra cried out angrily. "You are no unicorn! You aren't even a pony anymore! Not with that kind of power! What are you!?"

"I just told you," the purple mare responded. "I'm a unicorn. Nothing more, nothing less." She began to charge her horn, as did an enraged Sombra. They both unleashed powerful beams of light and dark magic that rammed into each other, forcing a deadlock of the two forces.

To his own horror, Sombra found himself struggling against the much younger unicorn's own attack. But that was impossible! He was trained by the most powerful master of dark magic in the world! He knew spells that could shake the foundation of an entire city with ease! He could cause landslides with a mere thought! He was unstoppable! He couldn't be beaten!

"This isn't happening!" he cried out in total outrage. "This is impossible! You are a mere foal! How can you have power greater than mine!?"

"You really want to know, Sombra?" Twilight inquired in a tone that bordered on mocking the king. "It's because I have something meaningful to fight for! I won't let you hurt my friends and loved ones anymore! All you want is to conquer and enslave others! A goal like that can make you strong indeed. But I get my strength from my friends! And that is a magic more powerful than you can ever hope to master!" Sombra's beam of dark magic was now being forced back further and further, closer to the king than he would've liked. "It's over, Sombra!"

"No!" The blast swallowed Sombra's body entirely. "NO!" He felt impossible agony as his body was torn apart by the beam of light. He was utterly disintegrated by the blast.

As the beam faded away, there was nothing left of Sombra. He had been completely annihilated by the beam. Twilight closed her eyes and gave a deep breath. Then promptly fell over to her side. She could hear the voices of others around her. She wasn't able to respond. She gradually faded into unconsciousness, a small smile on her face.

-o-

It was dark. She felt warm. Was she dead for real this time? She couldn't really tell. Wait. Her eyes felt like they were closed. That's why it was so dark. She could hear faint voices. Curious, she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, and she was nearly blinded by a bright light above. Her eyes soon adjusted to the light. She could now see her friends all gathered around her. They were all covered in bandages, and Rainbow Dash's left wing was wrapped in a cast. Fluttershy had the least physical damage, having not truly entered the fight.

"Twilight!" they all shouted as they closed in on her.

"Oh, you had all so terribly worried, dear!" Rarity exclaimed overdramatically. "I was positively distraught!"

Twilight looked at all of her friends with a confused stare. "Wait, what happened?" Her eyes suddenly went wide. "What's going on in Canterlot!? Where's the princess!? Is anypony hurt!?"

"Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle," said the voice of the sun princess, who had just entered the room. The others moved so that Twilight could get a clear look at her. The princess was covered in bandages. She was practically a mummy. "Everypony in Canterlot was able to evade capture or worse. It's strange, though. When Sombra was defeated, his entire army suddenly transformed into regular ponies. Do you know what may have caused that?"

Twilight hung her head in shame. "Sombra's army was… it was all of the Crystal Ponies from the Crystal Empire. He used his magic to turn all of them into mindlessly obedient soldiers. And I didn't do anything to stop him."

"I see." Celestia approached the brooding young mare and smiled down at her. "You need not blame yourself, my little pony. You were not yourself. You were under Sombra's dark influence."

"But that's no excuse!" Twilight shouted in response. "Innocent ponies were hurt because of me. Because of the choice that I…" Her eyes went wide again. "Wait… choice… Princess, do you know of somepony called 'the Accursed One'?"

Celestia's eyes widened for just a split-second. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I heard it from… somepony. I don't remember much of it, but while I was in that black bubble, I had… visions. And I heard something… like a warning. I think…" She struggled to remember. "'Ashen snow will burn the skies, rivers will run red, and sun and moon will fade.' I don't know what it means, but it doesn't sound good."

Celestia seemed genuinely worried now. She looked away for a few moments, as if gathering her thoughts. "Then it really is happening," she muttered to herself, earning a confused look from everypony else. She sighed and looked back to Twilight. "That is a part of a prophecy that I heard when I was very young, before my sister even earned her own cutie mark. The Accursed One… no one knows his true name. Only that he is the ultimate incarnation of evil, and that all masters of dark magic and all monsters are his servants. If he is truly going to rise again soon…" She trailed off, leaving everyone wondering what she was going to say.

Suddenly, a guard charged into the room, a look of panic on his face. "Princess! I have dire news! Discord is gone!"

"What!?" everyone shouted in unison. Celestia cursed something under her breath. "He must have been freed by the chaos of the battle in Canterlot. If he is allowed to roam freely, chaos will spread throughout Equestria like a plague! We need to-!"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me just yet, Tia!" called out the painfully familiar voice of Discord himself. "I don't plan on wreaking havoc on your precious little kingdom just yet. Just thought I'd let you know! Ta-ta!" His voice faded as quickly as it had arrived.

"Discord!" Celestia called out. When she received no answer, she muttered yet another curse. "Guard, spread the word that all able-bodied soldiers are to prepare themselves for anything. It may not be immediate, but Equestria is in grave danger as long as Discord is free. Go!" The guard saluted and hurried off to do as he was told. Celestia faced Twilight again. "Do you remember anything else?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Princess, but that's all I can remember. I can barely remember my fight with Sombra."

"I see," the princess said with a sigh. She turned to leave. "I must go and make sure that the proper measures are taken to combat Discord, should he attempt to attack us directly. Rest well, Twilight Sparkle. I have a feeling that you will need all of your strength for what's to come." That said, she left the room, leaving Twilight with her friends.

All six of them looked at each other worriedly, most of those worried glances being passed over to Twilight. The purple unicorn held a face of concern, fear, curiosity, and hope. She looked over at her friends. She had a feeling it would take something greater than their friendship to best this new evil, whatever it may be.

Comments

[SpiritofPonies]

MORE

[Coco101q]

More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blaze the draconic mage]

Aww I was hoping she would stay dark butt I can't wait to see who the new villain is he sounds cool