//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 Part 1: A "Friendly" Negotiation/Drums of War // Story: Sundered Universes // by Super Ponyman //------------------------------// (Canterlot Castle, The Guardians Quarters) It was the middle of the night, all of the castle was fast asleep, the Night Guard, composed of the eerie Bat-Ponies quietly patrolled the halls and guarded the various rooms of the castle. Two of Luna's personal guards were stationed outside of the door to the room which held the Guardians of the Sun and Star Hunters. They were not there to keep intruders out, rather they were there to keep one of the most dangerous ponies in existence in. The Shadow King Sombra from Burning Star's world, who recently had gained Alicorn status! The quarters of the Guardians of the Sun had recently been inhabited by King Sombra, whose new Alicorn powers and giant wings prevented him from sleeping on a cot, he claimed Freedom Fighter's bed meant that he had to sleep on the narrow cot. The enigmatic Earth Pony was fast asleep after given a blanket from Burning Star made of the fabric from his world. He was dreaming of his eventual confrontation between him and Midnight Sparkle... how he would smash her body into a mangled mess with this new set of weaponry that King Sombra had given them. When suddenly he was ripped from dreamland by a loud noise! Haaagh... pshhhh! Freedom Fighter bolted out of bed with his ears covered, looking for the source of that ear-wrenching noise, he eventually looked to his former bed and saw King Sombra snoring. With each snore, the entire room shook slightly, causing Freedom Fighter's cot to fall over. Firestorm thought to himself, "Well isn't this "perfect", not only is King Sombra a bed stealer, he snores like an Ursa Major with a bad cold! Will you shut up you loud-mouthed demon!" Freedom Fighter walked over to the balcony and stepped outside, staring out into the distance. He could barely make out the Castle of Darkness in the distance, since Midnight had lost her shield around it. When suddenly he heard words from behind him "Morning Freedom Fighter... I see you are an early riser like me." Freedom instinctively drew his weapons and pivoted to point them at his supposed opponent. Burning Star was standing behind him blocking both swings from striking him with a large sword made of molten rock. He said to the earth pony, "Relax yourself, Freedom. I mean you no harm." Freedom slowly lowered his weapons, and Burning made his disappear as well. The two stood silently staring at each other for what felt like hours... Burning then spoke, Freedom noticed his voice was slightly solemn. "I wanted to speak with you about something. I've already spoken with your partners, but you I've been waiting for." Freedom raised an eyebrow underneath his suit, why would Burning Star be saving his explanation to him for last? Burning Star continued, "I didn't talk to you much because I was honestly afraid you would smash in my skull with those sticks of yours, and since they have Alicorn Bane on them now, I would be dead for good. But, I figured I should make my peace with you since we may not survive the upcoming battle ahead, even with Sombra at our sides." Freedom felt Burning Star enter his mind, where he said telepathically, "I apologize for the mind link, but unlike your friends I cannot understand sign language. So, whatever you think I will hear, are you ok with this?" Freedom expressed his disdain for the intrusion, "While I do not like you invading my mind without permission, I get it. What did you wish to discuss?" Burning Star took a deep breath and said, "I want to talk about why I am like this, I am sure that Firestorm and Noble Blade have already told you of their conversations with me, yes?" Freedom responded, "They did, I do not see why you wish to discuss with me the same thing over again. Wouldn't it be more productive to actually solve your issues instead of hiding them away?" Burning Star closed the balcony door and screamed, his mane fully ablaze, "I KNOW! BUT THIS IS ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIDING THOSE ISSUES!" Freedom was taken aback by how easily it was to anger this Alicorn. all he did was mention that he had issues, and he just went from calm to pure outrage in seconds. Whatever happened to this pony must run deeper than even Noble or Firestorm could ever go... Freedom told him, "Calm down, Star. I meant no offense, I was just stating what I think is true, why are you so easily angered by that information?" Burning Star glared at the earth pony, before he extinguished with a puff of smoke and ash. He said quietly, "I... apologize for that. But I am extremely sensitive to that subject, mainly because it still hurts immensely..." He continued, "When I was younger, I was picked on by my fellow foals for being an Alicorn, since Celestia and Luna were not held in high regard in my home village. They beat me, cut me, even tried to slice off my wings... I was sad and felt as if I had no friends, and angry that my parents did nothing and expected me to fight back." Freedom sratched his head, "So what did you do about it? All three of us know nothing about how you dealt with these punks." Burning Star looked miserable, "I had no friends who would listen until the last few years I was in my village... so during my foalhood, I made an imaginary friend in my head that I could tell my problems to, and I became an extreme introvert. Every time something bad happened to me, I just funneled it into this... other me. He sometimes gave me advice too..." This set all sorts of alarms off in Freedom Fighter's head, "Wait what?! This voice in your head actually spoke back to you? Did you find that not the least bit suspicious?" The Alicorn of Fire shook his head, "At first, no. I listened to some of his advice, and sometimes it was pretty good. This "other me" helped me learn magic all on my own, even helping me awaken my fire powers. However, the advice he offered I did not think was the best." Freedom tilted his head to the side, "And why is that, Burning Star?" Burning Star looked close to tears when he said, "The advice he offered me was... violent. I remember his name too..." Freedom heard Burning Star spoke the name of this voice, and he immediately went cold stiff. Burning said, "He called himself... Dark Star. He was a shadow, the true self. He was what I viewed myself as... and only Up until recently did I realize that the Dark Star you dealt with in my mind and the Dark Star from my childhood are one in the same." Burning Star finally broke down into tears, "So I did it, I created Dark Star. He is a manifestation of everything I hated, all the anger, all the destruction, all the evil I pushed into my mind made him will himself into existence." King Sombra had awoken early as well, to see his former student and the silent earth pony speaking outside, and he began to walk towards the balcony himself. Freedom was honestly taken aback by that information, Burning Star, through his own introversive personality, had somehow managed to create a dark version of himself that had its own free will. And Freedom knew what Dark Star was capable of from him and the Guardians's time inside of Burning Star's mind... Dark Star wanted nothing more than the complete and utter annihilation of both Equestrias... and from the sheer power Burning Star had, Freedom assumed that Dark Star had the same, possibly more power than the original. Freedom shakily thought, "S-So, You really created that Monster, how can you deal with all that stress of keeping him locked away?" King Sombra interrupted them, "I aided him in secret. Sorry to interrupt, but I happened to overhear what you were speaking about. I wish to add something that may change how you look at me, Burning Star." Freedom thought to himself, not sharing it with Burning Star, "What are you up to Sombra?" King Sombra approached the black Alicorn, completely ignoring Freedom Fighter being in earshot of them, and smiled, saying "Burning Star, recently some information concerning your relationship with me has been revealed to me by your friend Noble Blade. And I wanted to tell you face to face, since... well... I'll just tell you." Freedom noticed Sombra's face, his eyes were redder and somewhat watery. Was he... crying? Sombra pulled out a scroll from underneath his cape and gave it to Burning Star, who began to read it. About halfway through, he dropped it and fell to his knees... completely in tears. He weakly said to Sombra, "Is it true what this scroll says? Are you... my real father?" Sombra picked up Burning Star and embraced him in his new wings, saying in a much softer voice, "Yes... this is from 1,000 years ago. Burning Star, I am your father, and I couldn't be happier to see what you have become. I know you are afraid that you would become a tyrant like I once was... but I once heard a phrase somewhere that says otherwise." King Sombra spoke out, "The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It's what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." Burning Star smiled a genuine smile, not knowing that Noble Blade and the rest of the group were listening quietly, hiding behind the doorframe, with Quickfire and Hiller suspended above it by Hiller's tendrils. All of their jaws hit the floor at the news that King Sombra was Burning Star's father, and many of them silently screamed in both terror, or in Noble's case, joy. Meanwhile, Freedom was standing there completely still, trying with his entire willpower not to draw his weapons and kill the two of them, his survival instincts were hard to control, especially now that this bombshell of information was revealed. Burning Star stopped hugging his dad and turned to the balcony, the sun began to rise, casting a dull orange glow over Canterlot. Some ponies were already out and about, going to their jobs and the guards were changing shifts, as the Day Guard came in to replace the Night Guard. Burning Star said to himself, "Its the dawn of a new day, and a new me as well..." He suddenly had an idea, one that could possibly avoid Midnight altogether... he turned around and said, "Everypony, meet me in Celestia's throne room. Sombra, go wake Celestia and tell them of your army, I have an idea." He quickly dashed inside and picked up all his things, then ran out the door, literally leaving a trail of smoke behind him. (Canterlot, Crystal Caverns) Celestia and Luna, both of them still a bit drowsy from waking up and not having breakfast yet, followed Sombra into the giant caverns underneath the capital. Both of them thought, "What was he doing?" Celestia finally asked the Shadow King, "Sombra, if I may ask, why did you drag us away from breakfast?" Sombra chuckled, "Well, I overheard from somepony that Midnight had a rather large army, and that we were outnumbered. So, I decided to contribute part of my own army to your cause, we are currently going to go see them now." Luna yawned, she was about to fall asleep when Sombra had shaken her awake. "Listen, while I am intrigued to find out what this army is, I require sleep! I have been up all night and I do not wish to deny my slumber any longer." The trio approached a big boulder and King Sombra ignited his horn, moving it aside, he stepped through, with the two sisters close behind. Sombra stopped at a ledge overlooking a massive cavern, he turned his head to the side and said, "Come. Gaze upon the army I've brought to your aid. Gra-hahah-hah-Ha!" Celestia and Luna peered over the ledge and both of their eyes went wide with both shock and awe. Along the cavern's floor stood tents and shacks, each bearing torches alight with balefire, flames created by mixing Dark Magic with Fire Spells. They saw legions of troops from various pony species in black and gray armor, each armed with swords, axes, spears, and many other melee weapons. Archers held great bows and large quivers filled with arrows that looked like they were made of solid crystal. Some carried an currently experimental weapon that Celestia had in development, a type of ranged weapon that was far superior to a crossbow or bow, it was a long hollow silver rod with a dark brown end to it. The end of the rod was an open hole with spiraled grooves on the inside. Celestia immediately recognized them, They were guns. Rifles to be specific, and there were thousands of troops holding these weapons. Sombra looked back to see the two sisters still in shock, he laughed and said. "Grah-hahaha, You like it? I thought since we are working against a common goal, I should send my best gift. They are yours to command, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Allow me to introduce them to you. Follow me on a little tour of the Black Crystal Army." King Sombra flew down to the floor of the cave, as did the two sisters. Luna asked the obvious question, "Sombra, this is a very generous gift, but how many soldiers are encamped here?" Sombra smirked as he said, "About 35,000 soldiers currently inhabit this cavern, 10,000 of them are at the ready for the assault against Midnight Sparkle. When I go up against my foe, I make sure I am well prepared." He shouted out, "ALL TROOPS, FALL IN!" Every soldier at once said, "YES KING SOMBRA." Celestia looked closer at the soldiers, she noticed a very bizarre fact. They weren't ponies at all! They didn't have fur, instead most of their body was covered in black shiny crystals, the only sign of life was their eyes, they pulsed with a freaky green and purple light. Celestia asked the Shadow King, "Sombra, these aren't ponies... what are they?" Sombra replied cooly, "These, my dear, are Crystal Constructs. They beat the image of ponies and have some of the same properties as well. I sculpted them from the rock and crystal of my castle and some Dark Magic to give them life. They can be recreated if they are broken, but it requires quite a bit of my focus to do that." Celestia raised an eyebrow, "So you built these things as your personal Cannon fodder? That is highly insulting to these things. I admit... these soldiers of yours look extremely intimidating, like something out of a nightmare. Are they as good as you say they are?" Sombra nodded, "They will succeed, Princess Celestia, I assure you." Sombra suddenly felt a signal from his son Burning Star, and quickly walked to the entrance of the cave, "I believe my former student is calling us to the throne room, let us not keep him waiting. Judging by the intensity and fast pace of the signal, he seems... excited." Celestia and Luna began to follow the dark Alicorn out, noticing a squadron of guards at their sides. The leader of the squad on Celestia's side spoke, "My king Sombra has ordered for us to accompany you as your guard detail for the time being. Since your Royal Guard is as formidable as field mice in the middle of a lions den. They are truly pathetic, pathetic beyond belief." Luna shouted at the guard, "Excuse me! Our guards are quite effective at dealing with threats, you know. Do not ridicule us on how our guards are effective when your master is a tyrant without mercy!" The guard on Luna's right quickly drew his sword and put it against the Princess's neck, saying, "Do not insult the great King Sombra, Princess of the Night. I will not hesitate to end you, neither will my guards. Watch your tone next time, Princess." Luna scowled at the guard, before he lowered his sword and sheathed it. The rest of the walk to the throne room was silent... (Canterlot Castle, Throne Room) Celestia, Luna, and Sombra all arrived in the throne room to see the Guardians of the Sun and Star Hunters conversing with each other, they seemed to be rather nervous. Firestorm noticed the Princesses and the Shadow King walked in and greeted them. "Morning Tia, Luna... Sombra." Celestia replied with a small smile, "Morning Firestorm, can one of you care to explain the abrupt move to summon us this early in the morning? I have not even raised the sun yet, and still you call me, why?" Burning Star stepped forward and said, "Because Celestia, I've got an idea that if it works, could possibly avoid conflict with Midnight Sparkle altogether." Luna practically squeed with joy, if there was a way out of this coming war, then she was all in for it! So, Luna asked the obvious question, "What did you have in mind when you say you have an idea?" Burning Star said with great trouble in his voice, "I'm going to try and... urgh... negotiate with her. Unfortunately I am not the best when it comes to negotiations... hence the reason why I let my partners do the talking, and I do the... setting everything on fire." Burning Star continued, he began to pace back and forth. "Also, Midnight Sparkle will most likely obliterate Burning Star if he steps one hoof inside of her little castle garrison. So, I won't go as Burning Star." Noble tilted his head in confusion, "What? Then who will you go as?" Burning Star winced when he said, "I will be going as Dark Star." Everypony's eyes widened and they went shock still, Luna studdered out, "W-w-wait. You are going to willingly release that monster from your mind?! Are you mad!?" Burning Star shook his head, "No, but you cannot deny that desperate times call for desperate measures, this is the desperate time right now. And using my darker half is going to be my desperate measure." Sombra spoke with an unusually panicked voice, "Burning Star! You do realize that if you lost control of Dark Star, you will turn into a being of pure destruction! There has to be some other way, how about sending me?" The black Alicorn shook his head, "No. Midnight knows about how deceptive you can be, however... she does not know Dark Star's cunning, and I'm willing to take that risk if it means saving all of you." Noble swallowed hard, and spoke to the group, "If Burning Star actually pulls this off, we can stop this war before it even begins. I'm willing to take that risk if it means that we will not have a war with Midnight. So, let's do it." Burning Star looked around and said, "Now if any of you have anything to say before I do this... speak now." Celestia and Luna both looked at each other nervously, but sighed. Burning Star heard no complaints, "Good, I will trigger the transformation then..." The Alicorn of Fire closed his eyes and said, "Now you all may want to back up a bit and maybe look away, this is going to be... unsettling." The group stepped back and readied their weapons and magic just in case Burning Star can't control his other form, and they watched as the Alicorn began to transform. Burning Star let out a scream of pain as his body bent like a tree branch in a storm, everypony watched on in terror as his mane ignited into fire, which turned blue-black instead of red. Burning Star's eyes went completely blood red and purple smoke began to emit from them. His wings ignited into blue fire as well, and became much more fearsome looking, losing their smooth texture in favor of a spiky feathered tone, and his body was covered in red tatoo-like lines that ran up his legs and down his body, ending underneath his eyes. His mouth filled with sharp teeth and a forked tongue began to flicker out of it. His body increased in size, and his hooves were no longer shaved down, and split into something resembling claws... When the transformation was finally done, Burning Star looked up and heard a voice in his head, it was Dark Star. "Well, Well... finally giving up on the world, Burning Star? You finally ready to let me destroy everything you love and care about? Hm? You know that this world is eventually doomed, so let's end it now! Bah-hahaha-Ha!" Burning Star spoke to him internally, a cunning idea forming. "No, I am simply using your form to stop this war against Midnight Sparkle. Besides, she claims to be stronger than us. What do you have to say about that Dark Star?" The Guardians began to slowly approach Dark Star, when he screamed out in a voice right out of Tartarus, "NO! NO PONY IS STRONGER THAN ME! I AM DARK STAR, THE ALICORN OF DESTRUCTION!" Noble pointed his sword at the deadly Alicorn and said, "Burning Star! Get ahold of that beast." Suddenly, Dark Star's tone changed to a tone Burning Star would use, "I am in control now. Dark Star was simply roaring out that he believes he is the strongest being in the world. Despite his power, he has a huge inferiority complex." Firestorm snickered a bit, "Wait... you are telling us that Dark Star, one of the most powerful beings we have ever faced... has a inferiority complex? Are you serious?" Dark Star nodded his head, and Firestorm along with most of the group burst into laughter, causing Dark Star's fiery mane to increase in intensity. He suddenly roared in anger, "DO NOT MOCK ME! UNLESS YOU WISH TO BE ROASTED ALIVE I IMPLORE YOU TO BE SILENT!" Noble stopped laughing and took a breath, before saying "You ok, Burning Star? No thoughts of destroying our world?" Dark Star shook his head, "I still have those thoughts, I am barely suppressing them now, we need to hurry. Wish me luck, everypony." With that, Dark Star approached the open window, and took off like a rocket, leaving a trail of blue fire across the sky... (Equestrian Skies) Burning Star, now in the guise of Dark Star, was flying at high speed over the vast Everfee Forest, seeing the great ocean of trees below him. All the while, Burning Star was running over his strategy of negotiating with Midnight... which wasn't much of a strategy and more of a shout fest that hopefully would scare her off... As he has stated dozens of times, "He wasn't good at negotiations." To make matters worse, Dark Star's voice was pestering him to no end. "Why are you even bothering to speak with this whorse? Just incinerate her and be done with it. Then... we can finally destroy all who oppose us! Hahaha-Ha!" Burning Star grumbled back, "Listen here, Dark Star. I'm in charge! Therefore, you don't get to boss me around, or else I'll put you back in your cage again. So shut your trap!" Dark Star huffed in frustration, and his voice went silent, leaving Burning Star alone as he flew towards the Castle of Darkness. The closer he got, the easier for him to see that Midnight wasn't alone. About five miles of trees around the castle were removed, and in their place was a great wall made of black logs. Behind those walls sat tents and huts as well as training grounds, the Castle Barracks. Dark Star circled above the castle's huge expanse of tents, he immediately identified it as a war camp. There were various types of war machines arranged in rows, Dark Star noticed a group of Ballistas, a few dozen catapults, large rolling seige towers, and a full artillery brigade of magic-launching cannons. Burning Star said to himself, "In the name of Luna, there has to be at least 4-5,000 soldiers down there. Midnight must be getting ready for her final siege of Canterlot. From the looks of it, she is more than ready. I better hurry up and stop this madness." Dark Star landed in the middle of the camp and began to approach the door to the castle, he was quickly charged down by a battalion of guards. The destructive Alicorn smirked, "But first, LETS HAVE SOME FUN!" Dark Star wasted no time and unleashed a dark blue ring of Fire that expanded and set the soldiers ablaze. A swarm of Arrows was let loose and was headed right for him, Dark Star ignited his horn and caught every single one with his telekinesis, before sending them back at the archers that loosed them. Various screams of pain could be heard as Dark Star simply ran wild, killing and seriously injuring everypony he could see. He set tents ablaze, blasted apart the siege towers with balls of explosive magic, he needed to get Midnight's attention. His efforts were successful, Midnight Sparkle burst through the door and charged at him, the two dark ponies locked horns and growled. Midnight Sparkle sneered at Dark Star, "You have quite the nerve walking into my camp and destroying everything in sight! Who do you think you are, anyways?!" Dark Star responded, "Well I did mean to get your undivided attention, and I was successful. I have come to speak with you Midnight, it is about your enemy Burning Star..." Midnight flung Dark Star back with a burst of magic and said, "What about him?! Who are you?" Dark Star smirked and said in a commanding tone, "I am what Burning Star fears most! I am the pony who laid waste to countless towns and villages, I... AM... DARK STAR! THE ALICORN OF DESTRUCTION! BA-HAH-HAHAHA-HA!" Dark Star calmed himself and said, "I have come to speak with you about your little war... so shall we go to the negotiating table?" Midnight Sparkle shuddered at the sound of Dark Star's truly eerie voice, it sounded like something right out of the blackest pit of Tartarus... She finally said, "Fine. I could use any information on Burning Star... follow me." (Castle of Darkness, Throne Room) Midnight Sparkle flew into her throne room and sat down on her purple and black throne. Dark Star simply ripped out a smooth piece of the floor to sit on. Stygian was also in the room, and to say he was terrified of Midnight's guest was the greatest understatement ever. Dark Star, from his blood red eyes to his mane of blue-black fire, to the sharp fangs that protruded from his mouth, was utterly and completely horrifying. He looked like he crawled out of ponies' worst nightmares... and he may have actually done that. Midnight began to speak to Dark Star, "So... Dark Star, what exactly are you? You called yourself "What Burning Star fears most..." what does that mean?" Burning Star, still in disguise, used Dark Star's true voice, which sent shivers down the spine of Stygian. "What I mean when I say that I am what Burning Star fears most... I am what he fears he will become. I am apart of him, his figurative and literal Dark Side." Midnight cocked an eyebrow, "So you are his evil alter ego basically? I highly doubt that Burning Star, even after what Stygian has told me about his darker half, would have somepony as destructive as you locked in his head. Maybe you are powerful, but you couldn't beat me." Dark Star let out a chilling laugh, "Hah! Me... unable to defeat you? I think you have that backwards, Midnight Sparkle. But for once, im not here to fight you, I am here to ask you about what your plan for this siege of yours is... mainly how you plan to execute it." Midnight grinned, "Do you wish to join with me in the destruction of Canterlot and eventually being the pony behind Celestia and Luna's death? I like your style! However, I will not be going after them myself... it is a waste of my abilities." Dark Star got up as his mane increased in intensity. He roared at Midnight causing Stygian to trigger the Pony of Shadows in self defense. "YOU ARE A COWARD! You are refusing to take the fight into your own hooves just because of your own ego, instead you send minions to do your dirty work while you sit in this castle, hiding like the scared little mare that you are." Stygian approached Dark Star, intending to protect Midnight Sparkle from the attack he presumed was coming, but he was effortlessly picked up and slammed into a wall, destroying the Pony of Shadow form and knocking Stygian unconscious. Dark Star continued, now flying in the air. "You wouldn't want to take revenge on your enemies, you wouldn't go and claim Canterlot for your own? All because you think that it would be a waste of your powers? Midnight, you are truly a coward in every sense of the way. I prefer to face my opponent head on, on the battlefield, and since I share some traits with Burning Star... he also desires a final showdown with you. I can sense it... he wishes to confront you in a duel and he will lay waste to your army until you find the guts to face him!" Midnight roared back, "I AM NO COWARD! IF BURNING STAR WISHES TO FIGHT ME, THEN SO BE IT! HELL, THROW IN THE GUARDIANS WHILE THEY ARE AT IT, I EFFORTLESSLY DEFEATED THEM. I WILL ATTACK IN 48 HOURS, AND CANTERLOT WILL BE REDUCED TO ASHES!" Burning Star, in the guise of Dark Star, silently screamed, instead of stopping the war, he provoked Midnight into striking earlier! He had to warn the Guardians, but he had a feeling that he needed to demonstrate Dark Star's power to Midnight Sparkle, his last resort to possibly discourage her. Dark Star smirked and said, "Do you feel that? The anger, the hate towards my other side and towards this world? Turn your rage into a weapon Midnight, and battle me on the day of war! I wish to see if you can cement yourself as the strongest pony alive! So long, Hahaha-Haha-Ha!" With that, Dark Star flew through the roof, sending fragments of the ceiling crashing down. Dark Star floated in the air over the camp, before creating a giant ball of blue fire the size of a house. He roared as he threw it, a roar that sent a massive shudder of fear throughout Midnight. "DARK STAR DRIVER!" The giant ball of fire impacted the castle, blowing most, if not all of it, away in a fiery explosion of hate and sheer power. Midnight had put up a shield, but it was shattered effortlessly and she took the full bront of the attack, badly burning her in various places. Once Dark Star flew off... Midnight ordered Stygian, wincing as she said, "STYGIAN! Prepare the army for the assault on Canterlot! We strike in 48 Hours! Hehe-Heh-Haaaha-Ha!" As Dark Star was flying, Burning Star was screaming in his ears, "WHAT IN TARTARUS WAS THAT!? WE WERE SUPPOSED TO STOP THIS WAR, NOT ACCELERATE IT!" Dark Star snapped back, "Don't you see what I've done? I have provoked Midnight into attacking early, and I also destroyed most of her army to get her attention when we arrived! We have this battle in the bag. Let's go tell... ugh... our friends the good news!" Burning Star thought for a moment, then sighed. "For the love of Faust... I knew we would screw this up... well, I knew YOU would screw this up! What are the Guardians going to say, What about Celestia?!" Dark Star rolled his eyes, "Relax. Just blame my personality for taking over, and we will be in the clear..." Burning Star morphed back into himself and said, "You know somehow I think I already knew this would happen. I am such a fool..." (Canterlot Castle, Vision Pool, Burning Star's World) Prince Eclipsio stood motionless, his eyes closed and his horn ignited. He was focusing on The Guardians World, silently watching over them. When suddenly two spikes in power flung him away and into the cave wall. He said to himself, "What in the name of my sister was that? Could the battle between Midnight and Burning Star be finally beginning? I better check the pool..." Eclipsio walked slowly over to the vision pool, creating a silver broadsword in case something would pop out of it. He peered into the pool... and immediately went white with fear. He saw a Dark Alicorn coated in blue flames, bearing incredible similarities to Burning Star... and the mark on his flank all but confirmed the terrifying truth. Upon the Alicorn's flank sat a star of blue-black flames surrounded by spikes... Prince Eclipsio screamed, getting the attention of the two guards outside of the chamber who rushed in to see the Prince on the floor, quivering in fear. The lead guard asked, "My Prince, are you alright!" Eclipsio got to his hooves and said, "No, we have a serious problem on the other world where Burning Star has been staying. Dark Star... has emerged." He took a breath before saying, "I must speak with my sisters." (Canterlot Castle, Dining Hall) Eclipsio rushed out of the room and through the halls of the castle, barging into the dining hall where Celestia and Luna were having dinner with some of the nobles. One of the nobles said, "What is the meaning of this rude interruption?!" He noticed Prince Eclipsio's panicked face, and continued. "Oh, Prince Eclipsio. I apologize. I did not know it was you." Celestia looked over to her youngest brother and said, "Eclipsio? What's the matter?" The prince frantically spoke, "Dark Star! Dark Star! Dark Star has emerged! We need to act, quickly!" Luna interjected, "Brother, is this true?" Eclipsio nodded, "Yes. I saw it in the vision pool, we need to call the army, call the navy, get somepony over there that knows what they are doing!" Celestia turned to Twilight, who was in shock at the news of her husbands dark side coming out, but she collected her thoughts and said, "I believe I know a few ponies that can deal with this problem on their own..." Celestia tilted her head in confusion, "Who?" Twilight Sparkle smirked, "Who are Burning Star's best friends outside of me and the girls?" Princess Luna thought for a moment, then answered. "The Masters of Nature. Brilliant, Twilight!" The purple Alicorn blushed, "It was nothing... but I suggest we get them here ASAP. Eclipsio, how fast can you open portals to their locations?" Eclipsio already had portals opened up, "This answer your question, Twilight Sparkle?" She nodded, "Good. Celestia, Luna.... get my brother Shining Armor and his copy Shadow Armor. Find Cadence as well... we need all the help we can get!" Twilight finished off, "I will gather Sunset Shimmer, Discord, and Spike. Spike should have grown quite a bit, and Sunset and Discord have been busy developing weapons against somepony of this much power." Celestia and Luna opened their own portals and dashed through, Twilight called a portal and ran into it, heading to her destination. (Sweet Apple Acres, The Barn) Prince Eclipsio stepped out of his portal and ended up in Sweet Apple Acres. The first Master of Nature was here, the powerful Iron Steed, Master of Metal. He heard a loud bang from inside the barn and various cries of anger. The prince teleported inside and saw Applejack and Iron Steed getting into a scuffle on the floor. "I told ya not to hit the tree so hard! Now it's nothin more than a pile of splinters." Applejack said as she delivered a buck to Iron Steed's jaw, creating a loud clang, and actually causing him to flinch in pain. Iron Steed responded with venom in his voice, "I said that there was a group of Fruit Bats in there, I wanted to flatten them. I didn't mean to break one of your "precious" trees, you have plenty more anyways!" He delivered a body check to AJ, sending her flying into a stack of hay bales. Her head popped out, steaming mad. Eclipsio caught the both of them in his magic grasp and said, "As much as you want to beat each other bloody, we have a bigger issue." Iron Steed spoke, "What sort of issue?" The Prince responded, "Dark Star has returned." Iron Steed went cold, "Dark Star... he is back? Well that is a big issue! I'm coming to my friends aid." He turned back to AJ and said, "This isn't over, you hillbilly." Iron Steed ran through the original portal, and Eclipsio opened another and stepped through... (Cloudsdale, Wonderbolts Training Grounds) Prince Eclipsio emerged from the portal which led into the sky, and immediately took flight. He arrived at the location of Thunder Fury, Master of Lightning. Speaking of which, Thunder Fury blew by him, a trail of electrical power behind him. Followed close by was a trail of rainbow light. Prince Eclipsio smiled, he thought to himself "Seems that Thunder Fury and Rainbow Dash are having a race... my bet is on Rainbow Dash." Thunder Fury and Rainbow Dash were neck and neck, they were racing around the entirety of Equestria, the end goal being the Cloudsdale Wonderbolt Academy. Thunder Fury sneered at Rainbow Dash, "Well, you are quite fast, Ms. Rainbow Dash! I haven't had such a close race in years. But I'm still going to win! Soon, I'll beat you, both in this race and literally!" Rainbow Dash snarked back, "In your dreams, sparky! Im still the faster flier in Equestria, and I do not intend to lose to you anytime soon! Besides, I'd kick your flank halfway to Manehattan before you could even catch me!" Thunder Fury charged up a pulse of his lightning powers, and took off with a shout! "Sonic... Lightning Dash!" Rainbow roared out as well... "Sonic Rainboom!" Eclipsio knew that he needed to catch up with them, so he sped off with his own special take off Move. "Cosmic Turbo Boost!" He ignited with purple black light, before flying at supersonic speed towards the group. He finally caught up and shot a portal in front of Thunder Fury, he couldn't stop in time and he flew into it. Eclipsio said to Rainbow Dash as he opened his own portal, "Nice Race! Maybe one day I'll race you!" (Canterlot Dam, City Limits) Eclipsio appeared in front of the dam that held back the fearsome Canterlot River that flowed around the city, the dam provided power to most of the city. The Prince spotted his target, a long snake-like body swimming around lazily. It was Sea Breeze, Master of Water. The Prince of Eclipses flew down to the water's edge and called out, "Hey there Sea Breeze. H-How you doing?" Sea Breeze swam over to the shore and got out of the water, shaking himself dry like a dog coming out of the rain. He responded, "I be doing well, Spookycube. But you look more nervous than a salmon in a river lined with famished bears, what be your problem?" The Prince replied, "Dark Star has emerged. We need your help, Master of Water." Sea Breeze laughed heartily, "Well why didn't ya say so? I'll gladly oblige, open up a portal if you may." Eclipsio opened up a portal and Sea Breeze stepped through, then he opened up another and transported to another location. (Everfree Forest, Heart of the Forest) Prince Eclipsio arrived in a peaceful grove in the middle of the woods, when he was suddenly greeted by a group of Timber Wolves, each of them glaring at him menacingly. One of them was larger than the rest and approached Eclipsio, who ignited his horn, creating a silver longsword. This beast was colored a chocolate brown instead of the wood brown Timber Wolves usually had. His eyes were glowing green instead of yellow, and a great layer of leaves sprouted on his back. Surprisingly, the large Timber Wolf spoke, "Why have you come here, Prince of Eclipses. Do you not realize the offense you carry for trespassing on such hallowed ground for our kind? Leave now, and do not return..." Eclipsio leveled his sword in front of him, "Your disguises cannot fool me, Master of Earth. Reveal yourself, and call off your pack..." The large Timber Wolf unusually smirked, before saying. "It seems as though you are smarter than I thought, Eclipsio... what is it you require of the Guardian of the Forest?" The Prince responded, genuine worry in his voice, "Dark Star, the Alicorn of Destruction, has emerged on the world that Midnight Sparkle has fled to. We require your aid, Master of Earth." The Alpha Timber Wolf vanished in a whirlwind of leaves, as did the pack surrounding him, and a green Unicorn stood in its place. "Open a portal, Eclipsio. We must depart with the greatest of haste..." Thorn Horn stepped into a portal which led to the Castle, as Eclipsio went after the last Master of Nature. (Appleloosa, Sandstorm Wastes) When the Prince emerged from the portal he immediately covered his eyes. A massive sandstorm was brewing around him, with no sign of stopping soon... He called into the howling winds, "WIND WALKER! CAN YOU HEAR ME! CAN YOU CEASE THIS WRECTHED SANDSTORM!" The sandstorm subsided, and a ghost white earth pony wearing a blindfold was revealed. He was standing on one of those odd mushroom-shaped rocks you find in the barrens. He seemed to be meditating, so the prince tried to approach him. Wind Walker suddenly said, "If you are trying to sneak up on me, Eclipsio, it is a useless effort. I knew you were coming the moment you stepped out of your portal... and you think you are the only one with farsight..." The Prince sighed, "You must teach me how you can see ponies without using your eyes. It's slightly creepy, but still incredible." Wind Walker spoke again, still having his back to the prince, "If this is about Dark Star, I already know. I could feel your breath quickening as soon as you spoke to me, I will join you and assist Burning Star..." Wind Walker finally turned around and smiled, "I will see you in a few minutes..." before turning into a gust of wind that was blown towards Canterlot. Eclipsio smiled, and teleported back to the castle. He said to himself "Nature will not be kind to Midnight Sparkle. For the Masters of Nature will make her beg for mercy..." (Canterlot Castle, Vision Pool Room) The Masters of Nature were waiting around in the cavern that held the vision pool, waiting for the Prince to show up and fill them in on this next mission. Whatever it was, it was dangerous enough to scare Eclipsio. And he has fought a Kaiju-sized Nightmare creature! While most of them were ok with the waiting, one member was bored out of his mind! Thunder Fury was tapping his hoof rapidly, clearly both annoyed and bored... annoybored. "Where is that emo Alicorn! He tore me away from my inevitable victory against that flankhole Rainbow Dash, and I would have won if he didn't ambush teleport me here!" He whined, causing Iron Steed to groan in aggravation. "He will get here when he gets here, Thunder Fury. Just be patient for once." The large earth pony replied, gritting his teeth. Thunder Fury had been doing this for the past 15 minutes, and it was starting to wear his paitence thin. Shining Armor, as well as his copy Shadow Armor, were also present in the room. Shadow Armor was busy speaking with Wind Walker about something personal, so Wind Walker made the area around them soundproof. "Wind Walker, you mind if I tell you something personal... but you cannot tell anypony, Alright!?" The black knight said, a little embarrassed. Wind Walker nodded, "I swear on my life that your secret is safe with me, Black Knight Shadow Armor... I've told you my secret, it would only be fair to tell me yours." Shadow Armor swallowed hard, before saying, "You see... I have been seeing the model Fluer De Lis for about 3 months now... and I want to know something about her." Wind Walker cut him off, "Yes... she does love you, Sir Shadow Armor. Are you afraid that she does not?" "No, I... we have been dating for a while, and... I was planning to propose to her. I haven't gone soft OK?! I just... I really like her." He said, absolutely red in the face. Wind Walker put his hoof on Shadow Armor's chest, "Listen to your heart, Knight of Shadows. If you really love her... then do what you think is right." Wind Walker suddenly lifted his hoof and put it into his curly mane, before pulling out a box meant to hold an engagement ring. He said, "Use this, and talk to Iron Steed about the gem, he can keep a secret as well as I can." Shadow Armor bowed, "Thank you Wind Walker, I am in your debt." Wind Walker dissipated the soundproof area around him, and Shining asked his copy. "So what were you talking about?" Shadow Armor growled out, "None of your business, Shining Armor. And if you know what is good for you, them you will stay out of my matters unless I ask." Eclipsio finally emerged from a portal, he was absolutely tense from the thought of having to deal with Dark Star... Eclipsio addressed the Masters of Nature, "As you all know from me telling you, the Alicorn of Destruction, Dark Star, has been willingly released by Burning Star." Thunder Fury was the first to roar out, "WHAT?! What do you mean willingly released?! How can that be possible? Is that even possible? Somepony explain what he means by Dark Star!" Shadow Armor nodded and elaborated, "For some unknown reason, Burning Star has triggered the Dark Star transformation. Allow me to explain to those that do not know..." He turned to them first and said, "What I am about to tell you now is extremely confidential and punishable by death... do not speak of this to anypony outside of this room." Shadow Armor summoned a hologram from his horn and began to narrate over it. It showed various papers and notes, each having the title "Dark Star Data" "During the aftermath "Windigo Wars", the forces of Diamanda's army were scattered to the farthest reaches of the world. Burning Star, alongside Hill Taker, Quickfire, and Queen Twilight Sparkle were charged with disposing of any remaining forces, while Twilight analyzed their bizarre physiology and powers over ice and snow." Shadow Armor continued, "These reports were supposedly found in the care of a former survivor of Burning Star's village." He stopped for a moment and looked around. He asked, "Does anypony know of the name Dr. Goldhoof?" Iron Steed stepped forward, "Yeah. He was one of our strongest enemies. He offered Burning Star a possible solution to his ever-growing powers, and he betrayed us, taking some of his power." The giant draft pony shuddered, "When Burning Star found out about it... Goldhoof was already long gone, he set fire to anything in his path, looking for him." Shadow Armor continued, "Dr. Goldhoof was found deceased, frozen to death by a Comet Dragon. During the ensuing conflict, Twilight was injured... and Burning Star, lost it. The following footage may be a bit disturbing..." The hologram blazed to life as the group looked on to see Burning Star slicing up the dragon, the bright red blood soaking into his skin, and he appeared to be laughing and screaming like a maniac. His fire was not red, it was a unholy blue-black. Shadow Armor finished, "Goldhoof's Notes were thankfully preserved, and the data was analyzed by me. This is the conclusion I came to on Dark Star" He stopped the hologram and spoke directly to the group. "From the Notes the doctor had, he estimated Dark Star's true power. In simple terms, Dark Star is Burning Star's full, unrestrained power, but in a completely uncontrollable state. He is dangerous, unpredictable, and destructive on a global scale. A single full-strength Horn Hyper Beam from him has the power to obliterate a mountain, and his Star Strike attack apparently has the estimated power to decimate all of The Crystal Empire, as well as twenty miles in each direction." The dark Unicorn visibly winced, "This power is apparently drawn from his anger and hate, meaning Dark Star's destructive potential is potentially Infinite... for all he wants to do is destroy, destroy, and destroy some more until everything and everypony around him is gone." Prince Eclipsio interrupted, "Yeah, that's why I'm so frightened by that... thing. So, lets go stop it before it decimates the other world, and eventually our world. Who is with me?" All of the Masters of Nature nodded, and Eclipsio opened a portal to the world of the Guardians. He hopped through, as did the rest of the group... The portal closed with a flash of light, unable to open until Dark Star was beaten for good... IF he could be beaten, that is...