//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Shadow of the Sun! 
// Story: Dark Star of Shadows 
// by Super Ponyman 
//------------------------------//

(Canterlot Castle, Grand Balcony)

Luna was worried sick, it has been days since Celestia spoke to her about something other than Burning Star or Twilight Sparkle. And even then, she always brought the conversation back to the two ponies she obsessed over. 

Celestia wasn't well, she still raised the sun every morning and addressed her subjects routinely, but she seemed more cold, more unfeeling every day that passed. Dignitaries were uneasy around the formerly friendly and happy princess of the sun. 

Luna finally got the guts to ask Celestia, "Sister, are you feeling well? You have not touched your food in minutes." 

Celestia looked at her sister with the eyes of a pony that had seen true terror, before looking at her food and chowing down. 

Luna looked at Celestia, seeing the state she was in, her mane had lost most of its luster, it still flowed like it usually did, but it looked faded. Celestia's normally cheerful grin was replaced by a stone faced expression you would see on some punk ponies that hung out around the taverns. Her wings looked faded as well, as she hadn't paid much attention to grooming herself to look presentable. 

Luna walked over to her sister and said in a calming voice, "Sister? Is something wrong? 

Celestia nodded her head, putting her hooves to the side of her face and saying, "Oh lulu... I've just been thinking about Twilight. I've been seeing visions of a flaming pony torching all of Equestria. That has to be Burning Star, I'm sure of it!" 

Luna said to her sister, "I am sure they are just nightmares. You haven't been taking care of yourself, and you look exhausted. Why don't you go to bed early, I'll take care of the rest of your duties for tonight." 

Celestia yawned out a response, "Ok Luna... you know best when it comes to nightly duties. I'll see you in the morning."

Luna sat on her sisters throne, pondering whether or not to tell her where Burning Star was. What would Celestia do? 

Would she kill him? 

Would she banish him and reprimand Twilight? 

She didn't know. 

"I have to speak with Burning Star in the dream realm again, maybe he can come in and resolve this issue." Luna said as she closed her eyes and entered the dream realm.

(The Dream Realm, Burning Star's Dream)

Luna appeared once again in a black void, she shouted into the darkness. "Burning Star! Where are you?" 

She felt hot breath behind her and turned around, she saw nothing. Luna turned back to facing forward, and saw Burning Star up in her face.

"Boo." He said, smiling a wicked smile.

Luna fell on her flanks as Burning Star stood in front of her, laughing his head off. 

Luna said in her most calm voice possible, "Why must you do that constantly!"

Burning Star leaned in and said, "Because I can, Luna. Also, its funny to see you freak out like that, it really tickles my fancy."

Luna rolled her eyes, and said to him. "You know it's getting really hard lying to my sister that I don't know where you are, you're going to have to confront her eventually."

Burning Star smirked, "Maybe, I'll think about it Luna. So, did you want to see what I've been doing recently?" 

Luna smiled, "I saw your show at Pinkie Pie's place, that made me laugh so hard I nearly wet myself! How did you get that Changeling Dust anyways?" 

Burning Star shrugged, "I once had a friend who was a changeling, she gave it to me as a reward for doing her a favor, I stopped an angry mob from killing her, even though she did nothing wrong. Let's just say they didn't like the idea of being incinerated by a walking torch..."

Luna looked confused, "I thought you disliked Changelings immensely."

Burning Star nodded, "I do now... but she was... different. She made me happy, and I gave her love."

Burning Star's dream world sparked to life and showed a flashback to him giving Scootaloo the Magitek wings, "I did something good today Luna. I helped a Young Pegasus runt who would never fly due to her wings being too small, by giving her wings that were fitting for her."

Luna shed a tear as she watched Scootaloo take off for the first time, seeing how happy she was. "I must agree with you on that one, you did something that only a close friend would do. But I'm guessing you know why I'm here yes?" 

Burning Star nodded and pulled a letter out of his cloak pockets, "Yes. You were wondering about this huh?" 

He opened it, "This is letter from King Sombra's Advisor, an earth pony called Nocturne. She said that King Sombra has released a psychotic pony named Shadow Armor to hunt down Twilight Sparkle."

Luna looked both confused and shocked, "What is Shadow Armor?" 

Burning Star responded, "Apparently he is an evil clone of Shining Armor, how cliche to make an evil doppelgänger... But I should have figured that he would do this... He needed to create somepony to lead his army and he needed Twilight on his side, and who better to bring her to his side than somepony Twilight trusts?" 

Luna picked up the letter and read it for herself, before dropping it to the ground. "This is terrible! If my sister saw this she would..."

Burning Star cut in, "Let me guess... Her fragile state of mind that I unintentionally caused, would snap and she would become something that couldn't be stopped. You would have to put her down for good, Luna. And I know what that feels like, losing your friends to your rage and insanity. I've experienced it before, and I do not want to experience it again."

Luna grabbed Burning Star's cloak and tugged on it, "By the way, What's under this thing? You have gone through a lot of trouble to hide whatever is under here."

Burning Star pried the moon princess's hoof off of his cloak and said, "Don't touch that! I will unveil my secret in due time. For now, I recommend that you try your best to keep Celestia away from anything relating to King Sombra, Twilight, and me. Heaven help us if she snapped and burns the kingdom to the ground." 

Luna sensed a great evil approaching in the real world, she said to her Fire Unicorn Acquaintance "You feel that Burning Star?"

Burning Star shuddered, "Yep! That's the energy of Dark Magic alright! This Shadow Armor must be close, you should get back to reality and defeat him before Celestia sees him." 

Luna looked at Burning Star and said goodbye before leaving the dream realm, arming herself in the armor that her evil side Nightmare Moon wore. 

She said with determination in her voice, "You won't harm anypony you dark imitation!"

Shadow Armor had snuck into Celestia's bedroom, he figured that this would be where Twilight would be, as she was a princess and lived in a castle. 

He opened the balcony window and slipped in, generating a brutal spiked sword from dark magic. He cursed under his own breath when he saw the crest of a sun instead of Twilight's purple Star above the bed.

"Damn! Wrong Castle." 

Shadow Armor ripped the covers off of Celestia's sleeping form, "This must be Princess Celestia, as King Sombra told me of her... I guess I'll settle with killing the princess of the sun then... King Sombra should be able to defeat the princess of the moon easily." 

Celestia obviously heard him and woke up just as Shadow Armor was going to slit her throat. She blasted him off and knocked him through the door, landing in the hallway. She flew out, the fire of hatred in her eyes. 

"Assassin! You dare to attack me, the princess of the Sun!" Celestia roared in the Royal Canterlot voice. 

Shadow Armor's eyes began to glow green as chunks of the floor were ripped free, he roared back "Die Princess of the Sun! I am Shadow Armor, dark knight of the Shadow King!" as he sent the chunks of the floor flying towards the White Alicorn. 

Celestia blocked his onslaught of attacks with a red shield, before charging and slamming him through the wall into the rebuilt Throne room. Now it had to be rebuilt... again.

She screamed at the dark copy of Twilight's brother. "You die first imposter!" As she blasted him with a laser beam of pure plasma. 

Shadow Armor put a shield up, but it broke and his body skidded across the floor. He looked up, seeing Celestia's mane and tail on fire, eyes red with rage! 

Celestia roared sending the loose objects in the room flying, "I am not going to stand idly by as Equestria loses order! If they won't worship me, then they will FEAR ME!"

Luna rushed into her sisters bedroom, seeing the hole in the walls and floor. She ran back to the throne room and saw her worst nightmare.

Before her stood a White Alicorn mare coated in fire. Her eyes burned with hate and fury, she wore red spiked armor and had a crimson red crown atop her head. Her eyes had turned bright yellow as well...



Shadow Armor looked on with fear as the Fire-coated Alicorn stepped forward and lifted him into the air with her magic. 

The Alicorn roared, "If King Sombra wants a war, then he will get one, he will not face Celestia, no no, he will face me! DAYBREAKER!"

Shadow Armor looked terrified as Daybreaker snarled in his face, "Now get out of my sight you dark copy!" 

With that, Daybreaker threw the Dark Unicorn through the front door of the castle and clear over the horizon. 

Daybreaker turned around and said to Luna. "Oh, There you are Sister. Hello Luna! Do you like the new and improved me? I'm better prettier, and more powerful than ever before!"

Daybreaker smiled a wicked smile, "Why haven't I thought of this before? Equestria needs authority, and I am able to dish out my authority upon those ungrateful ponies. so if you step out of line Luna or try to get in my way... I'll banish you to the moon again, and let you rot there until the end of time!" 

Daybreaker laughed an insane and mad laugh before flying out the door, heading towards the Crystal Empire. 

Luna feared for the safety of the Kingdom, and summoned a scroll, and addressed it to Burning Star. 

"Dear Burning Star,"

"You were right! My sister has lost her mind! She has transformed into a demonic Alicorn known as Daybreaker! I'll explain it more if you allow me to come to Twilight's castle personally. Until then, be careful out there, who knows what Daybreaker would do to Ponyville if she found out you were there. She would probably torch the town and everything around it, until she knew you were dead."

"Signed,"
Princess Luna"

She wrapped the scroll up and sealed it before sending it to Burning Star. 

She sat down on her bed and cried into her pillow.

"Oh sister, I hope that i will not have to destroy you or banish you, please let you come to your senses."