Twilight groaned and opened her eyes when the blast of cold air washed over her. Snow swirled over her and her bones felt like they were made of ice. As the snow passed, she beheld an unsettling image. Princess Luna, just to her right, was slowly picking herself up out of the snow, shivering and trembling from the cold. It looked as though they were at the very peak of Mount Eclipse, the red ring of the sun looming over them threateningly.
“Princess Luna? How did we get here?” Twilight asked, bringing herself to her hooves as well. “I… I remember entering the mountain’s caves and then… this.”
“I don’t know, but I fear Horizon is behind it.” Luna replied simply, flaring her wings out and shaking the snow from her body. “Be on guard.”
“How very perceptive of you.” the stallion in question spoke from all around them. His voice was disembodied, going directly into their minds. “When you entered my abode I knew it would only be a waste of time to delay this. You would make it here regardless, so why wait?”
Luna grit her teeth and scraped her hoof along the ground. “Show yourself…”
“Fine.” In a swirl of putridly tainted blue magic, Horizon appeared before them, seated atop a throne made of loose stone. His tentacles were sprouted from his back and writhed in anticipation in the air. He leaned forward with a sneer on his face. “Here I am.”
“Luminous Horizon, I swear you will die today for everything you have done!” Luna seethed, her horn lighting up with a threatening display of magic. Horizon grimaced and leaned back in his throne.
“I highly doubt that.” he stated bluntly before gradually rising to his own hooves. His eyes shifted to Twilight and a small, cocky smile spread on his face. “In fact, I doubt any of us will be dying today.”
“Stop speaking nonsense!” Luna snapped, her eyes lighting up. “You would see us all dead! Why should we seek anything more from you?”
“Maybe because you have standards.” Horizon remarked dryly, stepping down from his throne and towards the two alicorns almost casually. “But, more probably, It’s because I have no intentions of killing either of you.”
“LIES!” Luna’s eyes lit up entirely white and a beam of blue magic shot from her horn. Horizon teleported before it could reach him, vanishing with a twisted and distorted pop.
“Let me finish, Luna. Common courtesy, isn’t it?” His voice came again, this time from above them. Luna and Twilight looked up to him. He was now lounging atop a spire of stone that almost resembled a fang jutting into the sky. “I won’t kill you two because I’m not done with you yet. I have no personal vendetta against Princess Twilight, who showed a great deal of bravery in making it this far.” he smiled at Twilight, visibly impressed. Twilight simply huffed and lifted her sabre. Horizon dropped his smile and looked to Luna. “You, on the other hoof, shall live only so I can see you scream.”
“You won’t touch her.” Twilight said coldly, coming forward to stand tall next to Luna and aiming the tip of her blade at Horizon. “I won’t let you.”
Horizon frowned. “Hmph… I suppose there is no longer any point in continuing this discussion, is there?”
“No.”
Horizon closed his eyes and stood to his full height. His tentacles along his back flared out threateningly, sharpened blades extending from the tips. His claws pushed out of his hooves, digging into the stone effortlessly. He opened his eyes and glared down at the two princesses. “Very well, then. Come, Princesses of Equestria. It is time we drew this era to it’s conclusion.”
For several seconds, the two sides faced each other. Finally, it was Horizon to make the first move. With an agile swiftness, he leaped into the air over their heads, his horn igniting with magic. Recognizing his plan, Luna formed a barrier around herself and Twilight, stopping the downpour of acidic magic before it could reach them. Once the beam subsided, Luna converted the shield’s form into that of a long javelin and launched it at Horizon as if it were a missile.
He spun to the side, avoiding the projectile. His hooves met with the ground, the stone beneath him cracking on impact and throwing up clouds of snow all around him. His blue eyes shimmered from behind the misty veil before he lunged forth, tentacles at the ready. Twilight yelped and quickly dodged to the side, barely avoiding a fatal decapitation. A new, paper-cut shallow slice appeared along her neck and left shoulder, stinging horribly.
Luna herself grunted with effort, choosing to instead catch Horizon’s assault with another barrier and attempting to hold him in place. When he saw the dark pool forming beneath him, Horizon was fast to teleport. The dark spike lurched out of the snow, but having missed their target, could only pull themselves back into the hellish void, unsatisfied. Luna cursed and turned around as Horizon re-appeared not far away.
Twilight quickly scanned the environment for something she could use to her advantage. A loud crash informed her of Luna and Horizon tackling each other, spiraling into the air above from the force of Luna’s wingbeats. Not finding anything in her surroundings, Twilight hauled herself back to her hooves and gave chase, her sabre assuming a guard stance in her magic as she took flight.
Luna abruptly let out a pained shout. Twilight gasped as the lunar princess lost her balance in the air, blood flowing down her side from a newly formed gash under her wing. Horizon took advantage of her state and drove his hind hoofs, claws and all, into Luna’s chest. More blood escaped in small sprays as several new puncture marks were put into Luna’s front. She spiraled to the snow below, barely able to slow her descent with magic and her un-wounded wing.
“Princess Luna!” Twilight cried out before returning her gaze to Horizon. She froze when their eyes met. He was directly in front of her, holding her perfectly still in his magic.
“Tell me, what do you see in her?” Horizon growled venomously. Twilight gulped uneasily, her eyes wide with fear.
“I… I see a Princess of Equestria-”
“As a pony, not a monarch!” Horizon interrupted her, jostling her in the air violently. “She is prone to vanity and jealousy. She became Nightmare Moon and yet here you are, fighting so hard to help her! Why?”
“B-because! That vanity and jealousy isn't all there is too her…” Twilight said, shrinking slightly from the fiend’s rage. “I saw her cry with guilt over how Equestria suffered because of Nightmare Moon and I see how hard she works every day to ensure that never happens again! She may be darker than Celestia ever was, but…” Twilight softened her gaze just slightly. “But darkness doesn’t have to be bad.”
Horizon merely narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on her with his magic slightly.
“Ack! And... I think that, maybe, that was what Princess Celestia was trying to tell you…” Twilight finished carefully. “She said she saw your true colors… she knew there was a good pony in there.”
Horizon’s eye twitched and his lips peeled back to reveal his fangs. “Celestia was foolish to think that part of me was still around. He died a thousand years ago.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes dangerously. “No. That part of you began to die when you killed the pony you loved in cold blood!”
“ENOUGH!” Horizon bellowed, hurling Twilight to the ground below at a mind-numbing velocity. Her impact with the ground sent an avalanche of pure agony through Twilight’s right wing, as it was what connected with the ground first. She cried out and looked up to Horizon fearfully.
Luna pulled herself over to stand protectively between Twilight and Horizon. She glared up at him, but her furious scowl twisted into a face of bewilderment. Horizon’s eyes had gone blank and distant, his claws reaching up to the sides of his head and clutching at them in growing pain.
“Enough… you’re dead, Celestia! A corpse! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” His horn lit up and a shockwave tore itself violently out from him. Luna acted fast, forming a barrier around herself and Twilight. The shockwave tore away all of the snow, turning it to steam and turning much of the surrounding stone of the mountaintop red with the heat.
Luna watched Horizon come to a landing on the snow, his tentacles writhing in the air in agitation as his forehooves returned to keeping him standing. She scowled and tensed slightly, raising her guard once more. Horizon looked up at her furiously. However, when his expression of rage shifted into one of calm contentment, Luna felt a wave of unease wash over her. Then, he began laughing. Luna grit her teeth in agitation. “What is so funny?!”
“Oh, nothing… I just find it amusing how easy it has become to banish those hallucinations.” Horizon replied before lifting himself to stand straight. “But as it is, I think I have entertained your delusion of victory for long enough.”
Luna growled and charged him, forming a sword of magic next to her in the air. Horizon’s horn lit up and he vanished in a flash of blue light.
“Over here, your highness.” Came Horizon’s taunting voice from his throne. Luna spun around, ready to reduce this entire mountaintop to dust when her eyes fell on Twilight. Luna froze, her eyes going wide and her blood running cold. All magic she had channeling into her horn dispersed as she lost her concentration. Laying in the snow, now half buried, Twilight Sparkle was almost entirely petrified. Her left eye was all that remained, yet it wasn’t that way for long.
Luna looked up to Horizon in shock. A smirk spread across his face when he pulled a piece of partially chewed meat from behind his throne. It was covered in tufts of blood-stained lavender fur. Luna felt her blood boil with unfathomable hatred. “Release her!” she shouted, forming her sword once more.
“In due time.” Horizon responded coldly. Luna froze and gasped sharply as something solid and chilling filled her veins. Her eyes began to shake and tremble in their sockets, looking around helplessly. She couldn’t move! “She’ll be released at the same time you are.” Horizon said softly as he approached Luna, pulling the scrapings of her flesh out from behind the throne as well.
Luna wheezed out breath after breath, trying to speak but incapable of doing so. She could no longer feel the tips of her hooves and her mind was filling with the sounds of stone grinding on stone.
“Ah, magic of blood and flesh… Looking back, I am glad I kept your flesh handy after I smothered the sun. I didn’t need it until I realised what I could use it for…” Horizon looked to Luna with a malevolent smirk.
She could do nothing but watch and tremble uncontrollably as Horizon trotted up to her, circling her and examining her like a master craftsman would his student’s latest work of art.
“I bet you’re wondering why I’m not just killing you…” Horizon mused as he strode around her confidently. He stopped in front of her and looked her in the eyes. “It’s simple, really. Killing you like this will bring me no satisfaction, Princess Luna. You haven’t suffered nearly enough…” his face split with a sadistic grin. “But when you wake up, I’ll make sure that you return to nothing but ash and ruin. I will see your country burn and it’s populace slaughtered.” He stepped back and looked at Luna firmly. “And when I decide to release you, you will find that the land you swore to defend was reduced to dust without you.”
Luna gasped out, trying to shout at him, but she couldn’t feel her chest anymore. The numbness traveled up her neck and began to wrap around her head. From the bottom left, darkness began to form in front of her vision. Her mind began to grow fuzzy and unfocused.
“Goodnight, Princess Luna. Please, take your time coming back. There is no rush.” Horizon said mockingly into Luna’s ear before her body was completely encased in stone… and she knew no more.
Horizon gazed upon his two newest pieces of art, their faces twisted in confusion and horror, their bodies battered and beaten from the battle below and their struggle with him. He gazed upon them…
...and smiled.