//------------------------------//
// Prologue: The Devil's Fall 
// Story: Twilily Saga: Past, Present, Or Damnation 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
//------------------------------//

One thousand years before Discord’s imprisonment, there was the great city of Shangri La. It was a great beacon of peace, that is until it fell into the claws of the Demon King. On that day, everything changed forever.

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In a burning city, chaotic flames filled the sky. While Discord and Princess Celestia fought in the sky above, on the ground a wounded Princess Luna lay as Redsting, moved in for the kill. He unhinged his mighty mandibles as he was planning to feast. He was going to feast upon her as he did on all his enemies.

However, as Princess Luna looked to what would be her end, a charcoal stallion stood in the demon king’s way. He stood ready to defend the princess, no matter what. In his hands, he wielded nothing but a staff.

The demon laughed at the idea that he would fall to such a weak creature. He charged forward with his teeth out. The stallion stood strong as he took the attack, fighting the king off with his staff.

As they battled, Redsting grabbed the mysterious stallion with his tail and swung him around like a rag doll. He threw his enemy to the ground so hard that the cracking of bones could be heard. The stallion got back up. He wouldn’t give - ever. As he charged forward to continue the fight, the princess looked onward with tears filling her eyes.

Soon the demon saw an opening during the fight as he swung and cut the stallion’s legs wide open. His enemy fell to the ground and the king stood up high in his victory. He looked upon the princess to gloat.

“Princess Luna, you're beloved champion has failed you. It’s not surprising considering who you two are facing. I have been twisting this world to my command since before you equines ever existed. Since you creatures first made your appearance in this world, I have been watching, twisting... and breaking. Now my task is almost complete. You and your sister are the only living alicorns who do not serve me, and finally, I shall rectify that.” He pulled back and got ready to charge right for her with his four blade-like secondary mandibles.

Luna closed her eyes as she knew this was the end. The charcoal stallion looked on as he held his hand over something on his chest. He tried to stand up, but his legs would hold the weight. Blood rushed out of the wounds as he crumpled back to the ground with a hard thud. “DAMN IT! I don’t care what it will cost me, just somepony give me the strength to save her.”

“So be it,” a mysterious voice answered, as the sound of a bell could be heard ringing once. Meanwhile across the country in the Crystal Empire, ponies looked in shock as the Crystal Heart glowed as it sensed the stallion's pain and the deal he was about to make.

Seconds later back in Shangri-La, Luna felt blood hitting her face. She opened her eyes and looked in absolute terror as her beloved champion had somehow jumped in the way. He took all four blades through his body, yet he still stood but how? His eyes glowed purple and green as he charged the final amount of his magic outward. The Crystal Heart miles away shot outward a beam of magic toward the land of battle. It cut through the storm clouds and combined with magic that the stallion held outward. The two different types of magic combined into a new form of magic.

This new form magic moved forward in shock of the demon king wrapping him in a black and white rainbow. The rainbow wrapped around him tightly, slowly imprisoning him. Redsting roared greatly as he was encased in stone.

Once the spell was complete the stallion could no longer stand. As her beloved finally fell, Luna struggled to get up and moved in quickly to catch his shredded body in her arms. The stallion looked up at her as he raised his left hand to her tear-stained cheek. “Luna my love, is he gone?”

“Yes he is gone, but what about you?” she continued to cry.

“The powers of the amulet couldn’t protect me forever, I am finally dying.”

“You can’t die, I need you,” she pleaded with him.

“No, you never did,” he answered as his vision weakened.

“No, don’t go, don’t go!” Luna pleaded once more as her heart ached more.

The most painful sound echoed throughout the burning city as the stallion’s left hand fell from Luna’s face and landed in the pool of blood that surrounded them. Luna's love was now dead. A moment of utter painful silence filled the air before finally passing as she let out a loud scream.

As Luna screamed, her coat turned black, her eyes changed form and her mane flowed like a river, wrapping around them both. Soon the spirit of Nightmare that had been hidden inside her rose forth, surrounding them in a massive tornado of destruction. The tornado was covering everything and destroying all that was left standing,  including the statue of Redsting, which was torn to pieces in the tornado.

Princess Celestia could hear the scream from miles away as she turned away from Discord. Celestia tried her best to fly back and through the tornado, getting cut up along the way, as she made her way to the center. As she landed, she saw the sad sight - Luna was crying, holding the dead body of the stallion that had loved her. Celestia walked to her slowly. Noticing a piece of one of Redsting’s many legs, she used her magic to place it in her bag.

She walked over and wrapped her arms around Luna and said, “It’s okay to let him go. I know he is gone, but his love will always be with you, little sister,” Upon those words the tornado cleared and Luna return to her original form.

It soon seemed everything would be okay. However, the ground shook as the whole city fell off the mountainside. Celestia pulled her sister away from the stallion’s body as a nearby tower fell upon him, burying him in rubble.

Seeing that the city was crumbling, Celestia flew the crying Luna out of Shangri La as it fell down to the mountain floor. The two princesses looked to see the city they had lived in since they were young, a city that was meant to be peace for all, now nothing but a burning rubble.

Meanwhile, inside Celestia’s bag, the shard of Redsting glowed a demonic color………

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