//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Make Love, and Maybe War Afterwards... // Story: The Black Sun // by Super Ponyman //------------------------------// (Act 1: A Mad World) (Canterlot Castle, The Twilight Guard Quarters) The Royal Guard has been the general mascot for Equestria's armed forces, despite how... lackluster they were in combat before their new division was approved. This new division, called the Twilight Guard (named after the mare who commissioned them), were the strongest fighters of the Royal Guard, hoof-picked by the head of security, the Black Knight Shadow Armor. Despite Shadow Armor's rank being similar to that of a lord, he preferred to sleep in a simple chamber over the Twilight Guard Quarters. Shadow Armor was many things, Strong, loyal, ambitious, passionate... but he wasn't showy. While he wanted a quiet wedding as to not draw attention, he knew his fiancé Fluer wanted a wedding worthy of a hero such as him... and he caved. So now, the black knight stood in front of a mirror, being fitted with his ceremonial armor, with was colored chrome black with bright red highlights. What he didn't expect when he agreed to the ceremony was who his His groomstallions would be. Almost instantly, the entirety of the Masters of Nature half volunteered, half demanded to be them, so of course Shadow Armor had to pick them, lest he die on his wedding day from the combined might of their powers. So here he was, his best man being Shining Armor, and his other best man being Quickfire... it was unusual... but Quickfire was actually there as a bodyguard for him. Shining Armor lifted one of the Black Knight's legs and began to slip on a hoof guard, "Come on Shadow..." he said, a little annoyance in his voice, "give me a hoof here. I can't fit these things on without you actually putting in effort. So slide your hooves in, please." Shadow Armor sighed and dropped his hoof like a rock, it slid in seamlessly, wrenching the metal boot out of Shining's magical grasp and stomping on the floor with a loud clang. Shadow Armor replied with ire in his tone, "Shining, the reason I'm being the slightest bit uncooperative is because I believe that this wedding is overly grandiose. I still wanted to get married, but having this many ponies here is the perfect setup for another invasion. Look what happened with you're wedding!" Thunder Fury cut in, "Yeah, but Queen Chrysalis is freaking dead. You saw her body, the Guardians killed her and most, if not all of her hive." Iron Steed added in his own reassuring voice, "Also, if anypony actually does attack, the sheer amount of security here would stop them cold." Wind Walker trotted over and said to the black knight, his wraith like voice only audible to him, "If anypony with ill intent is approaching, I would know ahead of time, Lord Shadow Armor. As you know, My powers allow me to sense anything exposed to open air." Shadow Armor responded to the group, "Thanks for helping with the cold hooves I'm getting... I just can't believe that i am actually getting married. Me, the Black Knight. I honestly thought that I would die in battle before this day could ever come. It's almost too good to be true, isn't it?" Sea Breeze nodded his head, "Aye, but the day has come, hasn't it lad? It's a rarity that ponies like us don't get often... attending a wedding, such a joyous occasion." Hiller burst into the room and said, "Everypony, Burning Star's ahem... "special guest" is here." Shadow Armor raised an eyebrow as his helm was put on, "What is with the tone, Mr. Hiller? Is something the matter with this special guest pony?" Hiller responded with a shrug, "That is the problem, I don't even know if he is a pony at all." (Canterlot Castle, Back Courtyard) Burning Star stood stoically in the back courtyard of the castle, his sword on his back and his horn ready to ignite at a moments notice, should his "special guest" become hostile. Celestia and Luna stood at his sides, with Eclipsio in front of them, he had activated a portal to another world. Both of them were naturally nervous by the idea that ANOTHER Off-world pony they know little about was coming to visit for the wedding. Celestia asked the Alicorn of Fire, "So who is this guest you have invited over, Burning Star? Last time an incident where dimensions crossed over we had a dark goddess of magic run amok and various other issues." Burning Star rolled his deep blue eyes, "Yeah I remember, I solved that issue with the help of a few friends, who unfortunately couldn't be here due to some sort of incident involving them. That, and I think they have had their fill of multidimensional mayhem for a while." Luna nodded, "I agree with Burning Star that his new allies didn't need to be invited due to their duties, but why invite this surprise guest you have been keeping in the dark?" The Alicorn of Fire smirked, "If I told you who he was, both of you would have made a big fuss over it." He turned directly towards Celestia, his eyes unusually intense, "Especially you, sun-butt." Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes in frustration, she was already annoyed with Burning Star for assigning her as apart of security, now she was taking back talk from him?! She was a Princess of Equestria! She deserved respect! Celestia gathered what was left of her patience and said as calmly as possible, "You will treat me with respect, Burning Star." Prince Eclipsio cleared his throat to get everypony's attention. "Hey! We got incoming. Traveller from other dimension is here! Duck!" Eclipsio ducked as did the rest of the alicorns and guard detail as a silver and black blur shot out of the portal propelled by his great metallic wings. Celestia looked up to see the metal-winged being stop mid-flight and crashed down in front of Burning Star in a superhero landing, cracking the very rock below him. The figure in front of Burning Star stood about as tall as him, maybe a few inches shorter. His wings were made of some sort of metal and thrusters were attached to the base of the wings. Burning Star stuck out his hoof for a shake, "Welcome to my dimension, Pony of Vengeance. Please excuse the crowd, but I wanted to make sure this wedding goes along without issue." The figure spoke to Burning Star, his voice scary enough to make the two sisters shiver and the majority of the guard detail to lower their spears. "Well this isn't the first time I've been surrounded by law enforcement, Alicorn of Fire... and it certainly will not be the last." The figure unveiled his cloak and Celestia and Luna's jaw dropped. The figure lacked any flesh or bone of any kind, rather he had some silvery metal shell protecting his inner workings from damage. He stood on his hind legs, his face similar to that of a pony, but much shorter and lacking a long snout. His front legs were tipped with long metal fingers and knife like claws lay upon the fingers for its nails. He spoke again, this time addressing the massive guard detail, "Lower your spears before I chop them faster than you can throw them at me, not like they would do anything to me..." Burning Star signaled for the guards to lower their weapons, which they did with great unease at the sight of this metal monster. Burning Star turned to the guards and the sisters and said, "Mares and Stallions, Princesses and Princes, meet your boss for the next day and a half. Why don't you introduce yourself?" The metal being gave a small wave, "I am Ironheart, the Pony of Vengeance. Burning Star has invited me to this wedding as a special guest, and due to me being who I am, it was strictly on a need to know basis, and you two didn't need to know." Celestia let out an annoyed huff, now she was taking orders?! From a ROBOT?! She finally lost her patience with Burning Star and snapped at him, "ENOUGH! I've had it up to here with this... this... madness! I am Princess Celestia Alicornus, the Princess of the Sun and and one of the ruling monarchs of Equestria! I've humoresque your little... scheme to stay in power for far too long, you wanted to see my warrior side?! Well you are about to get it!" Princess Celestia summoned her halberd and stomped over to Burning Star, who began to reach for his sword. Suddenly, Celestia's halberd was slashed by a flash of an electrical blade, sending the weapon clattering to the floor in two pieces. It was Ironheart! He had drawn his Thunderblade and cut the Princess's weapon without anypony noticing, sheathing the weapon and saying with quite a bit of venom in his voice, "If you two are planning on killing each other, wait until this wedding is over, but we have work to do with our security!" He was pulled aside by Prince Eclipsio who said to the bionic pony, "Ironheart, there are issues that you can't deal with without context, this is one of them." Ironheart pulled himself out of the Eclipse Prince's magical grasp, obviously annoyed by being pulled around by the Alicorn, "Fine. Explain what will happen today in detail on the way to the security room, got it?" Prince Eclipsio nodded, "As you wish, Pony of Vengeance." (Canterlot Castle, Main Hallway, 15 minutes later...) Prince Eclipsio had teleported back to his room, much to Ironheart's impatience, he had come here on the equivalent of a dare by Burning Star. he honestly didn't expect that there would actually be a wedding! Ironheart didn't know much about Shadow Armor's personal life, outside of his letters back and forth between the two, and the Holo-Archives he had developed only repeated info he already knew. So why was he here? What could possibly be so important that he, Ironheart, the freaking Pony of Vengeance, had to be called to another dimension from his own... to assist in the security of a wedding? Ironheart sensed something... off, and he didn't like it. The metallic pony had enough of the secrecy and asked the Prince of Eclipses, "So why am I really here, Eclipsio? Because I don't think that I would be the best wedding guest, since I already said that in my letter to Burning Star 2 months ago..." Eclipsio nodded, "Yes, but 2 months ago a massive God-like being of destruction called Doom Star appeared and Burning Star struck him down, he wanted to make sure he had another being just as powerful as him, just in case something and devastating as that popped up during the wedding." Ironheart raised a nonexistent eyebrow, "Why doesn't he manage security, then? He has dealt with this Doom Star and slaughtered him, I still don't see your point. So, why I was called in to manage security by the hot headed Alicorn?" Prince Eclipsio nervously smiled, "Yeah... that chat you had with him, that was me. I needed you to come on an investigation, since you have just disposed of Count Privilege (by the way well done.) I figured your intellect and ferocity would prove useful for a problem I have encountered." Ironheart's right hand reached for his electric sword slowly as he said, quite frustrated, which was hard to do to the Pony of Vengeance, "You mean I came I came all the way out here for a made-up reason you created in order to employ me to fix some problem you know nothing about? You realize how frustrating this is for me?" He finally drew his electric blade, Eclipsio responded by creating a plasma blade in his left hoof and blocking the swipe from Ironheart seamlessly, leaving a scorch mark on the wall. Ironheart yelled, venom seeping into his voice, "I had my grand design ready for deployment and to you called me away for a CSI case?! You must be joking, right?!" The Prince pushed Ironheart back about 50 feet and stared at Ironheart, his piercing golden gaze matching Ironheart's burning orange and yellow one, "It is not just that, Ironheart. This involves a murder, and a murder in cold blood nonetheless. That is why I called you, you're an expert at disposing of killers and other unsavory criminals that stained your world, I figured this would be right up your alley." Ironheart only heard the words "murderer", "criminal", and "dispose". he said, his interest now piqued, "Alright... what happened?" Eclipsio responded to the metal pony's question with a sigh, "It would be better to show you, but I must get you to the briefing room so you can look over the plans, make adjustments, etc." (Canterlot Castle, Wedding Security Briefing) Ironheart pushed open the door, seeing the various species of ponies. The standard Royal Guard was sitting uncomfortably in their seats, they were represented by the golden armor. What surprised Ironheart was the collection of guards flanking Burning Star and the two sisters. They bore determined expressions and held their weapons relaxed at their sides, great marks of a warrior. They were Earth Ponies, Pegasus, and Unicorns, all were dressed in gold and black armor. The Gold color for Fluer, the Black color for Shadow Armor. The Pony of Vengeance turned his fiery gaze to the guards and said, "So, who are the guards that are ready enough to give their lives for Equestria?" Most of the standard Royal Guard shot their hooves Up, while the black and gold clad soldiers at the front remained motionless. Ironheart looked around at the guards, noticing the change. He activated out one of his machine guns and pointed it at the group, live ammo in the chamber. He altered the question slightly, "Ok then, who is actually willing to do it?" Almost the entirety of the standard Royal Guard shuffled out, leaving the guard detail at the front. Ironheart then flipped the gun's stock around to the guards and tossed the firearm in the air while he pulled out his electric sword and took a swing at Eclipsio. One of the guards grabbed the gun and fired off three rounds into Ironheart. One knocking the weapon out of his hand, one sending the weapon skittering away, and the final to where his lung would be. He did all of this without visibly moving an inch! Ironheart felt no pain from the bullets, he was made of metal, but his systems registered a slight puncture to his chest, the guard that had grabbed the gun had ignited his horn into a plasma blade and sent it right where Ironheart's heart would be... but since he was pretty much indestructible... all it did was pierce his armor. It left all of his vital systems untouched! Ironheart clapped his clawed hands together saying, "Well done, sir. You've managed to disarm and wound me, even though the objective was to kill the attacker. Why didn't you?" The unicorn pulled off his helmet, revealing his face. he said in a , "Because true courage comes from knowing when to take a life, and knowing when to spare one." The Pony of Vengeance picked up his sword and picked up the machine gun, reattaching it to his frame before saying to Prince Eclipsio, "Eclipsio, He is my second in command, soldier... what is your name?" The soldier responded with his name, which rang with dominance, "My comrades call me Frosty because of what I am, but my full name is Frostclaw Melody-Scratch." As he spoke his name, his mane seemed to glow with bright blue light, which took the form of shards of ice that grew from his hair. Ironheart took in the sight, Frostclaw was... odd to say the least. He had the general body shape of a pony, but he was a bit skinner and longer. From his hooves sharp talons were sprouting, and his fur had patches of what looked to be dragon scales near his joints and muscles. His cutie mark was an iceberg with a claw mark in it. Prince Eclipsio stopped the soldier and asked, "What are you, Frosty?" "Frosty" answered with a smirk, "Why Eclipsio, I am in fact not a pony, I am what is referred to as a Kirin. A fusion of pony and dragon blood... I'm originally from overseas, but two mares adopted me." Eclipsio raised one of his eyebrows, "A Kirin? What is a powerful creature like a Kirin doing so far from Neighpon?" Frostclaw shrugged and sighed, "I don't know, us Kirin don't usually go outside Neighpon, I arrived because I sensed a great tragedy about to happen, but it seems I was six weeks too late. Oops..." Ironheart shook his head, "Nothing happens without reason, Frostclaw. Something or somepony drew you to Equestria, what you're really here for is yet to be seen. But for now, you are in charge of these ponies." Frostclaw nodded, "It would be an honor." The Pony of Vengeance looked over the plans of Canterlot Castle, and began to formulate a plan in his internal computer. He finished his thinking and said to the group his plan, "Alright listen carefully. This is how we guard this wedding as effectively as possible." He pointed to the left and right courtyards, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be taking the Royal Guard to the right and left courtyards, Right one for Celestia, Left one for Luna. We will have Unicorn Snipers in the four towers in each tower, connected to the walls that surround the castle." He pointed to Frostclaw and said, "Lieutenant Frostclaw, you will your elite guard and split it into four groups, one for each entrance of the castle. Two groups will take the front entrance, frisk the guests and set up metal detectors. We need absolute confidence that everypony here for this wedding is here for the wedding only." He pointed to the back entrance, "Frostclaw will take the back entrance to the throne room, don't let anypony other than Prince Eclipsio, myself, or the bride and groom." He finished off by saying with venom in his voice, "If anything or anypony approaches that looks Off, you radio in to me. and if the attacker approaches, kill him." The guards nodded and saluted, "Yes sir." Ironheart waved the guards off, "Good, now go! We have a job to do." The Prince and Pony of Vengeance both walked out of the room and towards Eclipsio's vision pool room, the Prince had to show Ironheart the event... Maybe he could figure out what happened... (Vision Pool) Ironheart stepped into a chamber that looked to be carved out of the rock of the mountain Canterlot was built on. He looked around, seeing a glowing pool filled with some sort of Light blue liquid. The same liquid dripped from the ceiling, which had stone spikes hanging from it like it was the mouth of some great beast. Ironheart asked Eclipsio the obvious question, "What is this place, Prince Eclipsio?" The Prince turned and faced Ironheart, a grin across his face, "Welcome to my vision pool, Pony of Vengeance." Ironheart began to speak again, and walked towards the pool in the center, "Im guessing you stand here and observe all that happens in your universe and others?" Eclipsio's jaw dropped, "How did you figure that out? I was about to explain it and stuff..." The Pony of Vengeance looked at the pool's surface, which swirled and writhed with strange symbols and letters. He lowered one of his metal hands to the pool to try and sample the liquid... Eclipsio cried out, "No Ironheart!" Ironheart didn't hear and his hand went into the liquid, and a particular feeling washed over him. Pain... He felt agonizing pain! Ironheart tried to pull his hand out but it was stuck and the liquid was slowly pulling him in! He fired his thrusters and tried to pry his hand away but he only sank deeper. Another feeling washed over him, Fear... Prince Eclipsio activated his magic and pulled as hard as he could, yanking Ironheart out. He crashed into the wall with a bang. Ironheart looked at his hand, and saw something that shocked him. His hand was partially melted... a hand coated in Infisteel and stronger than anything ever made, had nearly melted off... Prince Eclipsio spoke to Ironheart in a annoyed, but worried tone, "What were you thinking? That is a pool of concentrated cosmic energy, Ironheart. Only I can safely handle it, as it is what I do." Eclipsio looked at Ironheart's near-melted hand, he ignited his horn and began to turn back time... Within seconds, Ironheart's hand was repaired! Ironheart stood up slowly, slightly weirded out by what just happened, "So you sit around all day using that to help with your abilities? If it is that powerful, how did you use it all this time?" Eclipsio ignited his horn again, "Well first off... I never enter the pool without magic. You can't survive it without magic on your side..." He placed his Horn into the pool, changing it into the image from last night. He then grasped Ironheart's hand, and the Pony of Vengeance's vision flooded with golden light. Eclipsio finished and Ironheart stood still, before he tipped backwards and fell on his butt. He had just seen the events of the past, and his systems were overloaded from the sheer amount of magic Eclipsio had used. He finally regained his focus and said, "So I was brought here to possibly stop whatever the hell that was?" Eclipsio nodded, "Yes, due to the seriousness of Prince Blueblood's death..." The Pony of Vengeance clenched his fist, "The twit had it coming, Prince Eclipsio." The Prince gave him a deadpan look, "he did, but murder is still murder. You know that more than anypony, Ironheart. I hope you aren't in over your head..." Ironheart clenched his hand around Eclipsio's hoof, saying to him, "I am not, Eclipsio. By the time I'm finished, ponies will bow in my shadow. I need to go to this wedding now to make sure this freak doesn't show up, goodbye." Prince Eclipsio watched as Ironheart ran off, and the Prince said to himself. "Either the world will bow in your shadow, or you will fall in your own..." (Burning Star's Room) Meanwhile across the castle, a mighty roar of frustration came from the room of the Alicorn of Fire. Burning Star stood completely still, extremely uncomfortable as Rarity made the finishing touches on her specialized suit. Because of Burning Star's pyrotechnic abilities, Rarity had to find some sort of fabric or material that was fire-proof, but still looked absolutely amazing with Burning Star's black fur. Eventually she stumbled upon she'd Dragon skin, which she knew was Fireproof, since Spike could dive into molten lava and be completely fine. Granted, Spike was now nearly 20 feet tall and his scales could stop piercing rounds cold... so when he shed his skin, Rarity asked for it and the Dragon happily gave it to her. She took one of Spike's massive shed skins and labored for an entire night sewing and cutting it into an Alicorn-sized suit. "Are you done yet, Rarity? If you aren't I can just wear my armor out." The white unicorn snorted, "Oh pish posh, Burning Star. You're armor may be strong and reliable, but the orange and red just doesn't match your fur, it makes your red Mane stand out too much, too much red. You need a lighter color to contrast your dark coat." She set the last stitch in and put the finishing touches on the shirt, before saying. "I'm finished! Come take a look, darling." Burning Star waddled over to Rarity, his metal hoofguards making clinking sounds on the hard marble floor. The Alicorn looked over Rarity's head and saw the suit, and despite the delay, he liked it. His suit was colored a creamy white with purple lining that still had the same dragon scale pattern to it. Down its back and underneath the suit were green flaps that were the openings for his wings and legs, which stretched out as he slipped into the suit. Burning Star took a trot around the room, testing whether or not the suit was comfortable. He said to Rarity, "Alright, Rarity. Extraordinary comfort and style, but can it survive this?" The unicorn bit her lip. "Here we go, the final test." she thought to herself. Even though Spike had told her that his skin was fireproof, can it survive the heat of a star? Burning Star flared his mane and ignited his fur, turning it a blazing orange until he was completely engulfed in flames. His fire made the suit glow slightly, but it was holding up! When the Alicorn extinguished himself, the suit was still in one piece, with not a scorch or burn mark on it! Burning Star whistled in surprise, "Awesome! I finally have a dress suit that is fire-proof, what is this made of, Rarity?" Rarity relaxed and said, "Oh, it's made with dragonskin that Spike gave me. It seems to have worked wonders, you didn't incinerate another set of clothes, and you're finally dress appropriately for this wedding." The unicorn was suddenly swept up in a hug from Burning Star, "Thanks so much, Rarity. This means a lot to me. Any way I can repay you?" Rarity waved her hoof, "Oh don't bother, dear. I'm always willing to help my friends, even if it took me a day and a half to get this done, it was worth it just to see you smile... and with clothes on." Feeling excited, Burning Star rushed out the door, a wave of heat flying through the hall as he sped towards the throne room. He thought to himself, "Rarity may had said it was for nothing, but I am a stallion who keeps his promises. I wonder if she wants an interview with the Royal Tailor?" He put those thoughts to the side as he entered the throne room, seeing the vast family of Fluer De Lis, who had decided to invite them all... All 150 members... which meant more guests, and that meant more security, and it eventually just lead to more stress on his mind. Burning Star walked over to Princess Celestia, who stood in the corner, checking her radio for any news on intruders. The Alicorn of Fire asked Celestia, "Any news from your squad, Celly?" She shook her radio, "Nothing so far, it's all just affirmations that they are in position." He nodded, "Brilliant, I have to go check the guard center, see who is where and such one more time..." Celestia grabbed Burning Star's hoof and pulled him to face her before saying, "Burning Star? Is something the matter? I'm sorry if I... exploded back when I met your friend, but I was frustrated that you were not telling us of another breach of our fabric of reality." The Alicorn of Fire nodded and looked to the door, "Yeah thanks for apologizing but I really have to go..." The Princess raised an eyebrow, "You seem tense, Is something wrong that I can help with?" Burning Star looked at Celestia, seeing the caring expression on her face, before sighing "Ugh... yes. I'm worried that something bad is going to happen again. We already know that our dimension can be accessed by outsiders, who is to say that another trans-dimensional monster will pop in and ruin this wedding that Twilight and I worked so hard to arrange?" Celestia cupped the black pony's face, "Calm down, Burning Star. You have done everything you can, Canterlot Castle is sealed tighter than a drum and Canterlot is currently protected by one of Shining Armor's shields, if anything even gets in here they would have to fight through dozens of the most elite military we have at our disposal. Not to mention, they would have to defeat me and Luna. As well as you, the Masters of Nature and the Elements of Harmony before they'd make it to the altar. I believe that we are safe, so calm yourself." Burning Star took a breath, then said, "Alright... Maybe I've got the wedding jitters Shadow Armor doesn't appear to have." Princess Celestia pointed to Shadow Armor, who was standing at the side of the Altar, Prince Eclipsio standing in front of it. "That is because he has confidence in your abilities, and the abilities of the guards that serve under him." The music started playing, and Burning Star flew into his seat, followed by Celestia and Luna, who had just entered from the central door. The central door opened, and Fluer was led out by her father, the Duke of De Lis, Prance. He was a unicorn with gray fur and a dark purple Mane that showed gray lines due to his age. Shadow Armor looked at his bride to be, seeing her draped in a stunning white dress decorated in flowery swirls. He said to himself, awestruck, "Holy Faust, she looks amazing. Rarity and Coco really outdone themselves again." Fluer finally made it to the altar and smiled as she stared at Shadow Armor, who was dressed in his ceremonial armor, due to not having a suit. Eclipsio was about to speak when suddenly the center door burst open and in flew Ironheart, who landed in front of the crowd, earning a few worried mutters and some gasps. He looked around at the crowd and said, a small smirk on his face, "Oh don't mind me, I don't mean to interrupt this ceremony, I'm just late. Go back to your adoration of the soon to be married couple, I'll be over here with the Groom's family." A few worried mumbles echoed throughout the crowd as Ironheart's imposing form sat down in his seat in the front row near the right door. He was sitting next to Quickfire, Crimson Mane, and Hiller. Despite his own Issues, He found the three of them stupidly tolerable of his unpleasant attitude. Prince Eclipsio signaled for everypony to be silent, and began to speak. "Hello, and welcome to this joyous day. A day where we celebrate the wonderful love between Shadow Armor and Fluer De Lis, and the beginning of their journey in marriage. Now, the concept of marriage implies joining two ponies who are deeply in love with each other, and wish to promise that their love will last forever. Through joy and sorrow, through anger and calm, through any occasion until the end of time." He continued, flaring his wings out. "Before we start, I would like to tell you all the reason you were all inspected so throughly as you arrived. The family of the groom has felt that this wedding should go on without interruption by forces beyond our control, so if you see guards walking around, know that they are there to protect you all." The crowd shot A few worried glances towards the metal organism that sat at the front row, Eclipsio noticed this and said, "If you all are concerned about my friend here, he is simply here for assistance in our security measures." He cleared his throat, "Now then, shall we begin?" (Canterlot Air Space) The Royal Guard's Pegasus division was busy patrolling the skies above Canterlot, looking for any rouge fliers. They found none, and a majority decided to relax on clouds that they had pulled up with them. The Wonderbolts were also called in as well for a show after the wedding, they had brought an pair of their assault airships with them, just to be sure. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the sky... slowly getting brighter. Spitfire, the head of the Wonderbolts, heard the crack of a sonic boom as something pierced through a cloud Off in the distance. "What in Celestia's name?" She said, before turning and speaking to Soarin, "I thought Rainbow Dash was at the wedding?" Soarin took a look at the object approaching the city, and it was approaching FAST. Soarin responded to Spitfire, "Well that may be her... I'd have to check with the Princess." Spitfire raised an eyebrow, "You're right Rainbow Dash doesn't go... that fast..." Spitfire pulled out the binoculars and saw that the object was on a collision course with them! She rushed over to the radio and practically screamed, "ALL WONDERBOLTS! ABANDON SHIP, I REPEAT ABANDON SHIP! We have a UFP approaching, on a collision course..." It was too late, Spitfire watched in horror as the figure pierced the first shield around the city and crashed into the other airship, which exploded in an inferno of smoke and flames. The figure stopped dead and charged their ship, they had no time to react as he smashed the ship to bits, sending the Wonderbolts flailing wildly into the open sky. Thankfully, a group of the Royal Guard broke their fatal fall and landed roughly in the front courtyard. The figure that just blew them out of the sky just floated down to the ground, hovering in midair and not moving. Spitfire reached for her radio and called in, "This is the Wonderbolts, we have an intruder." Frostclaw just so happened to be on the other line, "Copy Wonderbolts, this is Frostclaw, is intruder hostile?" Spitfire snorted into the radio, "it just blew our airships out of the sky, of course he is hostile!" Frostclaw repsonded, "Copy Wonderbolts, reporting to the Princesses, reinforcements shall be at your location shortly." The figure thought to himself, "Call your allies, it matters not how many you bring... because I will exterminate you, no matter how many you throw at me..." Frostclaw called Princess Luna, "Luna, this is Lieutenant Frostclaw, get your sister and get to the front courtyard, we have an uninvited guest. He is hostile and dangerous, bring your guard detail." Frostclaw radioed the general security network, "All available units, arm yourselves and get to the front courtyard, we have a confimed hostile intruder." Princess Celestia and Luna got the call and slowly stepped out of the room. Ironheart noticed this, ignoring the long winded speech Eclipsio was making. "Well it appears we have company..." He thought to himself as he excused himself and left the room. Once he was out of sight, he patched into the radio network, hearing the call for help and the mention of an intruder. He responded to the call, "This is Ironheart, what the hell is going on out there?" Frostclaw replied, "Intruder in the front courtyard, sir. He just blew up the Wonderbolts airships, we have Celestia and Luna on their way here now. I will call you in if we need help." Ironheart snapped back, he was not one to let words stop him, "Negative, Frosty. I will be there in five." The Pony of Vengeance clenched his firearms, ignited his wings, and blasted off down the hall leading to the courtyard. He activated his internal computer and began to charge his weapons from his internal power core. It was time to show this jerk why he was called the Pony of Vengeance... (Canterlot Castle, Front Courtyard) Princess Celestia and Luna stood at the edge of the stairs leading down to the courtyard, the mysterious figure floating motionless in the air in front of them. The figure was a Stallion based on the body shape, although everything else about him was concealed underneath the black armor he was wearing. Only his bright blue eyes were seen, they were glowing like eerie lights. Princess Luna spoke to the figure, her magical grasp on her broadsword, "Identity yourself, intruder." The figure spoke, his voice warm, but with an icy coldness to it, "I am a warrior who has come to witness this marriage, as well as other things I mean to take care of." Celestia pointed her halberd at the figure, "And what are those other things?" The figure descended onto the ground and stood on his hind legs, saying in a frighteningly calm voice, "You're death..." The guards charged the stallion down, who flicked his hooves outward. The gauntlets he wore suddenly changed into magic casters that mowed down the soldiers that approached him, reducing their bodies to powder. Another guard managed to approach under the hail of magic fire and swung a Axe at the figure. The figure suddenly extended a Blade from his other hoof and cut the guard's horn off, before jabbing it into his neck and slicing it across, decapitating him. His head rolled underneath the figure, who then crushed it into a bloody mess. Celestia shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice and ran forward, "Charge!" The entirety of the Royal Guard and Twilight Guard ran at the figure, who smirked under his helmet. "Now, Shall we begin?" The figure smashed into the onslaught of guards and the two Alicorns, and the battle began. It was nothing but a slaughter for the sisters... (Canterlot Castle, Throne Room) Meanwhile, the ceremony went on. "Today is a day to celebrate the union of Shadow Armor and Fluer De Lis in the bonds of marriage. The bride and groom have asked me to recite vows for them." Eclipsio to Shadow Armor, "Shadow Armor, Black Knight of Equestria. Do you take Fluer De Lis to be your lawfully wed wife? To have and to hold, For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Shadow Armor responded, his voice filled with pride. "I do." Burning Star sat in his seat, shedding a rare tear in happiness for his friend. (Courtyard) The battle was going so wrong for the Princesses, It wasn't even a battle, it was a slaughter. The figure finally emptied his canisters of ammo. by the time he dropped his arms, nearly entire guard detail lay dead or dying, Celestia and Luna themselves had been sliced and stabbed numerous times. They had hit this... thing with weapons and spells that could crack even the mightiest of armor, but to no avail. He picked up the two of them by their necks and said, "If you two are wondering why I didn't kill you, it is because i still need you." Celestia managed a weak response, "Y-You monster, you slaughter dozens of soldiers... just to get at us?" The figure replied, "They are casualties of war, simple numbers. They can be replaced, you two can't... it's the only reason why you two are still alive." Luna struggled against the figure's iron grasp, somehow this thing possessed the strength to overpower an Alicorn! "What do you want from u-us, demon?" The lunar princess said, trying desperately to escape his grasp. Her response was a crushing headbutt that knocked her out, "You call me a demon? You were Nightmare Moon... the Mare in the Moon, the being that cast eternal night upon this world. You are just as bad as me..." He delivered the same blow to Celestia, before saying, "Let's go home..." Ironheart swiftly burst through the door leading to the courtyard and saw the figure gripping the two Princesses's neck. While he was normally against the sisters, this was wrong. Ironheart aimed his rifle barrel at the figure as he tried to take off with the two princesses and fired. The metal slug hit the head of the figure, causing him to turn his head, revealing a set of icy blue eyes as frightening as his own Burning orange ones. He shouted at the creature, "Put the princesses down, or you will regret it..." Ironheart saw the figure slowly float down and drop the Princesses in a nearby bush, before saying to Ironheart. "Ah, So the Pony of Vengeance decided to show his metal mug. I expected this wedding to be locked down, but if you're here, then my enemy has quite a heavy case of paranoia." Ironheart pointed his rifle arm and the figure and growled, his metallic voice speaking like some sort of demon from Tartarus, "He isn't paranoid, he is quite smart. Something you're not, apparently." The figure tilted his head slightly, tipping Ironheart off to his next attack, as the figure threw a large knife at him. The Pony of Vengeance shot one of his razor sharp feathers at the knife, they collided midair and he lunged at the figure. The two ironclad warriors drew their melee weapons, Ironheart's electric blade, and this figures flaming blade. The two clashed, neither giving an inch, even as Ironheart sent his elbow into the armored stallion, who responded with a powerful flipping bicycle kick that struck the Pony of Vengeance in the jaw. The figure leapt in the air and sneered, "I don't have time for you, weakling. All you have done has hidden behind a metal shell, take that off, and you're still the weak and helpless pony you really are..." Ironheart lost it and sent a rocket powered punch to the figure, who caught his blow flawlessly. The figure said to him, "And you will get no sympathy from me..." (Throne Room) The Prince of Eclipses spoke to Fluer next, "I ask the same to you. do you, Fluer De Lis, take Shadow Armor to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Fluer answered with a joyous, "I do." Eclipsio closed the book in front of him, "Then by the power invested in me by Faust and any other God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Shadow Armor grabbed Fluer and kissed her deeply, sending everypony into a frenzy of cheers and claps. Burning Star smiled warmly, then his hearing picked up something off... A crashing sound... He looked out one of the windows to see the shield around the castle break as a object hurtled towards the window. "Everypony get down!" He shouted as he put up a barrier around the crowd and the now married couple. Ironheart flew through the window and crashed into the altar, before the figure flew in and mockingly clapped his hooves. "Bravo, congratulations Shadow Armor and Fluer De Lis... too bad your death comes today." He pulled a large magic Cannon from his gauntlet and said, "Now die for me." Burning Star fired a shot of flames at the figure, it didn't do much, but it covered the room in smoke. He shouted to everypony, "Everypony, go with the Masters of Nature and Elements of Harmony, they will was you to safety!" Twilight turned to Burning Star, grasping his shoulder and said, "And where do you think you are going?" Burning Star removed her hoof and replied with a determined face, "I am going to help Ironheart, get everypony out of here. Stay safe, don't worry about me. I'm not gonna die today..." Burning Star took off towards Ironheart, who had gotten to his feet and he spit out some blood caught in his face plates. He said to Burning Star, "Get behind me, Burning Star. I've got this." Burning Star shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere." The Pony of Vengeance sneered, and said with venom in his voice, "Fine. Then stay out of my line of fire." The smoke finally cleared and the sound of spinning gun barrels was heard. The figure looked down to see Ironheart and his miniguns locked on him. The figure smirked, and said to them. "Bring it on, you two." Ironheart made some sort of unholy roar as he loosed round after round of hot steel bullets into the figure, they impacted his armor and left dents and scratches, but there was no flinch from the figure. Burning Star unleashed a beam of red hot flames that engulfed the figure... no damage! Burning Star took to the air, so did Ironheart, and the two of them stared down the figure. The Alicorn of Fire shouted to the figure, "Who the hell are you?" The figure made a mock bow and spoke in the most casual of tone, "I am your next and final opponent. I am the ultimate life form... I AM BLACK SUN." Black Sun picked up the two unconscious bodies of the Princesses and smirked under his mask as he spoke, "As you can see, I've aquired my targets... now I just have to take care of any witnesses." Ironheart's instincts were telling him that something was off about this... Black Sun. Something... unnatural to him. The Pony of Vengeance tackled Black Sun mid Flight and jabbed his electric blade into his chest. He increased the power until it pierced his armor and went through Black Sun, the Blade embedded in him up to the hilt. Black Sun made no cry of pain or frustration, he simply pushed Ironheart off of him and stood up. With a smooth motion, he pulled the deadly sword out of his chest and threw it back to Ironheart, who caught it. Black Sun looked at him, then let out a small laugh. "As I said, weak and pathetic... even in your new body. Now, I will show you just how outclassed you are..." Suddenly, a large sword went across Black Sun's masked face, causing blood to drip down it. It was Burning Star! He had sent his own sword into Black Sun's face, and the armored stallion was bleeding! Black Sun took a look at Burning Star, then at Ironheart. He then snarled, "Well played, Alicorn of Fire and Pony of Vengeance... you have won this round. But we will meet again, when the time and place is right, so crawl away and reflect on how you failed so badly to stop me..." Black Sun took off and flew outside, picking up the bodies of the Princesses and flying north. Before he flew off, he fired a explosive ball of magic into the roof of the castle, causing the entirety of it to fall down. Before they were crushed, Burning Star put up a red magic shield and half the castle crumbled on them, burying them in rubble. When the dust settled, a loud bang was heard as the Pony of Vengeance fired his rocket launcher into the rocks above. The two jumped out, caked with dust and blood. Burning Star snapped at the metal pony, "Eclipsio told me everything before the wedding, I didn't know Eclipsio called you here for this... monster. I thought you were here to help with security, which you did." Burning Star tossed Ironheart a distortion orb and said, "Ironheart, go home. This isn't your fight, and it's not your world. Let me deal with this on my own..." Ironheart responded with a slightly annoyed tone, "What? You're telling me to leave? Why?" The Alicorn scowled, "I don't want you to kill somepony that isn't meant for you. This... Black Sun is my enemy now." Ironheart was about to protest, but he understood, "You don't want to put any more blood on my hands that I don't deserve?" The Alicorn of Fire nodded, "Yeah. This was a horrible decision, the wedding. I knew something would go wrong... I'm such an idiot." He felt a cold metal hand upon his shoulder, it was Ironheart's! The Pony of Vengeance said to Burning Star in his abnormally emotional tone, "Go tear him apart, I'm... sorry this didn't go well for you. Tell your friends I said hello..." Ironheart smashed the Distortion orb and flew off, thinking to himself as he entered the portal. "How in the name of Faust did he know who I was?" (Castle Barracks, 10 minutes later...) The Elements of Harmony, Masters of Nature, and the other VIPs sat quietly, a wall of soldiers in front of them ready to defend. Prince Eclipsio arrived in a flash of light and said, audible worry in his voice. "We have a problem..." Burning Star flashed in and interrupted Eclipsio, "A damn big one. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been kidnapped." A wave of panic washed over the ponies, followed by screams and many ponies fainting. Many questions were shouted out. "Who did it?" "What happened?" "Why did this happen?!" The Alicorn of Fire slammed his hooves down and his Mane flared, "SILENCE!" The crowd went silent, and the Alicorn continued, "Thank you. Now as I was saying, as of right now, Princess Celestia and Luna have been kidnapped by a pony known as Black Sun. Me and my associate attempted to stop and peruse him, but he has dropped out of visual sight." A hoof went up, "Will we ever see them again? Are you planning to rescue them?" Prince Eclipsio nodded, "Yes, but due to Black Sun dropping off my field of vision, I can only assume he has gone to a world I cannot see at the moment." Burning Star added in, "He said that we should reflect on how we failed so... badly..." The answer stuck Burning Star, and he whispered to Eclipsio. "The mirror world! Go!" The two Alicorns disappeared, leaving the majority of the party in shock. (Crystal Empire, Mirror chamber) Burning Star and Prince Eclipsio appeared in a flash of light, just to see Black Sun toss Celestia and Luna into the mirror. Black Sun noticed them and said in his frightening voice, "Oh good, you're here. Just in time to see me leave with your princesses." Prince Eclipsio attempted to grab Black Sun with his magic, but a knife to the chest sent Eclipsio sprawling in pain. Burning Star tackled the armored figure and delivered a hammering strike with his front hooves... no reaction... Black Sun wrapped his back legs around Burning Star's neck and flung him away, saying, "Nice try, but it isn't your time to die yet. You're lucky I'm busy, Burning Star... or I would have killed you and everypony at that stupid wedding." "Life... Liberty, Happiness it's nothing but mistakes upon your kind and my kind, I intend to fix that. Permanently. And the best part? You can't stop me." Black Sun jumped into the portal and dropped a grendade, which exploded and blew the mirror to bits. Prince Eclipsio got up to see the mirror shatter, and his heart sank. He said to the Black Alicorn, "Its destroyed... we can't catch him." The Alicorn of Fire smirked, "Can we? You said that my time to return to my home was arriving soon, I believe this is the time. Let's go back to Canterlot and tell our allies the plan." (Canterlot Castle, Front Courtyard) Somehow, the Masters of Nature and Elements of Harmony got the guests back to their hotels and homes, assuring them that Burning Star with return with the princesses. At least, that is what they hoped... Prince Eclipsio teleported to the courtyard, only to immediately to be punched by Shadow Armor. "Really? REALLY?! My wedding day and you two and that Ironheart turn it into a war zone?! Also, what are we going to do about that thing?!" Prince Eclipsio got to his feet and began to speak to the group, "Stallions and Mares, stay calm. Our best bet now is to stay strong and form a plan should this thing return. We know where he went... the mirror world." Twilight raised an eyebrow, "The mirror world? And you didn't follow him?" Burning Star hung his head, "He destroyed the mirror before I could catch him... but we have another, albeit risky option." Wind Walker stepped forward and added In, "Which is what?" Eclipsio held up a fragment of he mirror in his magic, "I can open a portal to the mirror world. The only problem is that, unless my magic works there, it's only one way." The group started to panic, before Burning Star stomped his hooves and shouted, "Quiet! Twilight has told me about the mirror world and I'm sure she has told you all of some of the events there as well... if Eclipsio's estimations are correct the mirror world is about 10 years behind our world, and since it is behind us in time it means that we have an advantage over this thing!" He continued, taking to the air, "I am prepared to travel to this world and take the fight to this figure, kill him, and return with the Princesses. However, does anypony want to accompany me? you are more than welcome to." Eclipsio finished by saying, "this task no small about of bravery and fighting prowess. This is possibly the most dangerous mission we have ever gone on, I'm going with Burning Star, who else?" A pony stepped forward, it was Shadow Armor! The Black Knight scowled, "I'm going. No one ruins my freaking wedding, attacks my friends, and kidnaps the two important figures of our race. Who else?" A clawed hoof reached up, it was Frostclaw! Frostclaw stepped forward, speaking as his mane sparked with icy energy. "I'm going as well. I see now that This is the reason why i came here." He turned to his parents, Octavia and Vinyl, and said. "I love you, moms. But I have to go save the day... it's my job to protect you two." Octavia tried to protest, but her adoptive sons face silenced her. A hoof shot up, it belonged to Twilight. "I'm coming with you, you need me." She said, her eyes narrowed. Burning Star pushed her hoof down, "No, Twilight. You need to manage the kingdom in Celestia and Luna's absence. I'll be fine, trust me." Burning Star looked around, seeing no other hooves held up. Then, Burning Star said to the crowd, "For now, go about your daily lives. We will get Celestia back, I promise." Twilight ran up to Burning Star and hugged him, "Please come back to me, Star. Be careful out there." The Alicorn of fire smirked, "You know I'm not gonna die while you're still around, Twilight. You need me and I need you, don't worry, ok? I got this." With that, Eclipsio, Shadow Armor, Frostclaw, and Burning Star warped off to Burning Stars Room. (Burning Star's room) Burning Star teleported back to his room and ran straight for his closet, tearing out a large trunk and placing it in the center of the room. He huddled together with the three stallions and said, "Ok, we go through with this, we may not come back. You all sure about this?" Frostclaw chimed in, "We sorta rushed through the goodbyes? Why?" Shadow Armor answered him, "With every minute Black Sun gets farther and farther away. We needed to hurry, Frostclaw." The three ponies nodded, and Eclipsio opened a portal from the mirror shard. He signaled to them, "Then let's go..." Eclipsio stepped into the portal first, followed by Frostclaw and Shadow Armor. Burning Star stood staring at the portal, thinking to himself. "Im coming for you Black Sun, no one messes with my home." With that, Burning Star jumped into the portal and it shut in a flash of light.