Shining Armor plummeted to the ground below. His life would soon be over. He closed his eyes tight and prepared for his imminent death. After ten seconds, he realized he should have hit the ground by now... what was going on?
"Thank goodness I was strolling by, what happened?" a voice asked. Shining Armor's eyes opened to find his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle, standing inches away from him. She must have caught him with a magic field and lowered him slowly down.
"Thank Celes-" But Shining Armor soon remembered what was happening and jumped to his hooves. "Follow me, we have to find her!" Shining ran from the courtyard and into the castle. Twilight followed swiftly.
"What's going on?!" she asked in the confusion. Ahead of them were three royal guards slamming on the throne room door.
"The intruder. He's got Celestia!" one of them yelled. Seeing Shining Armor and Twilight, the guards stepped aside to let them pass.
"Twilight, help me with this door!" Shining demanded. Twilight took a glimpse at the knob and saw something off about it- it was covered in a black aura. Twilight and Shining Armor's horns lit up and cast a bolt of magic at the doorknob. The two magic forces collided but it was no use. The black magic was just too powerful. "It's no use!" Shining yelled. Twilight tried to keep a cool head, and it paid off. Her horn began to light up. She closed her eyes and cast her teleportation spell. When she opened them she was greeted with a grim sight.
Celestia lay on the floor. Her body was nearly completely flushed of all color. But the most disturbing thing was her Cutie Mark... it had disappeared. The guards growled at the figure sitting atop the throne- a unicorn with a dark grey coat, his mane and tail darker than a moonless night. He looked at the guards but showed no emotion. Twilight didn't even care about the unicorn, though... she was fixated on her fallen teacher. The unicorn stepped down from his chair, and suddenly the entire room became a black void, absent of all life except for Twilight, Celestia, and the unicorn.
Twilight slowly walked over to her fallen teacher. She wasn't alive... but wasn't dead. The life had been drained from her. She was like a pony without a soul. Twilight knelt down beside her teacher.
"Princess..." she managed. She was trying to hold back the tears, though it was impossible. One tear broke through and fell onto Celestia's coat. The sun goddess didn't respond to her student. She was dead silent.
"I'm truly sorry for your loss," the unicorn said. "But, it had to be done. The end days are upon us." Twilight looked at the unicorn for the first time. He showed no emotion, no remorse. How could somepony do this?
"Why? Why did you do this?" Twilight asked. Her composure was slipping. She couldn't hold back her emotions for much longer.
"It was her fate. Princess Celestia's fate was to fall at my hooves. I was to take her power," he said, showing his new cutie mark. It resembled Celestia's just... dark... demented even. "Soon, Twilight, I will control Canterlot. Days after, as it is predicted, Equestria will fall. You can't stop it." Twilight stood up and looked the unicorn at eye level.
"Nothing can justify what you did here!" she yelled. Her composure was lost. She didn't care if her emotions showed.
"The prophecy has never tried to be justifed; it is as it is. I don't need your approval to do what I did or what I will do. You can't stop me. Twilight, I wish to do no harm to you unless it is deemed necessary. You may walk away, but if you stay, I will have to end your life. Your fate is in your hooves."
Twilight couldn't take this. She didn't care who or what this pony was. He had drained her teacher and... friend, of all her life. Justice was all she could think about. She lowered her head to Celestia's body.
"This one's for you, princess." And with that, Twilight's horn swung directly at the throat of the unicorn. The unicorn vanished into thin air. Twilight growled with anger. He would pay. Twilight would be sure of that. "Come out!" she screamed, but to no avail. The unicorn was well concealed in his fortress of shadows. Suddenly a movement caught her eye. But it wasn't the unicorn... it was Celestia. Twilight's eyes widened as Celestia slowly moved her hoof.
"Twi..... light" Celestia mustered with the last of her strength. Celestia's hoof touched her crown. What was she doing? Celestia removed the crown and presented it to Twilight.
"Princess... I don't..." But Twilight didn't argue. She took the crown and as soon as she did, Celestia's hoof fell back to the black floor. Twilight looked at the Princess's crown. It was beyond any other form of beauty. She could gaze into it for a lifetime but it was cut short. Behind Twilight stood the unicorn she had forgot she was fighting. He struck Twilight with a devastating blow to the back of the head. Twilight's eyes slowly began to close. With the last of her strength she pulled the crown close to her. She had to keep it safe.
The unicorn looked at Twilight, his face, of course, showing no emotion. His horn lit up. He would stay true to his word. His horn started to spark with power. Twilight had sealed her fate when she chose to fight him. Now she would have to face the consequences. He lowered his horn to her. All he had to do was touch her, and her life would end. He continued to lower his horn, but suddenly he stopped. His face showed emotion... even he was surprised. He lifted his head back up to its normal position and looked at Twilight again. His horn stopped sparking. He appeared to be deep in thought. Finally he closed his eyes and a small flicker of light appeared on the tip of his horn. Just before completing his new spell, he gave Twilight and the crown one last look... and then the room of darkness became a room of blinding light.