Everypony looked to the top of the altar as a thin trail of crimson blood made its way off down the stone steps. The hat of the commander of the Dark Libra Division gently floated in the breeze as it came to a stop in front of Twilight, who had just walked in with Shadowheart and the others. She saw the looks on the muzzles of ponies from both sides, a unicorn that looked like a priest went limp and fell over next to somepony else. Luna looked on in complete shock with tears in her eyes.
The princess of the night looked around and her face distorted with rage as she gave the order, "ATTACK!"
Twilight watched as ponies in armor charged from every shadowy spot possible and began to kill the ones that controlled the altar. The showed no mercy as they went to clear a path to their fallen commander. Fluttershy raced over with the medical team as Rainbow Dash caught up to them and headed to the top while Rarity helped to clear the path for the ponies that didn't have wings.
"What happened just now Luna?" Twilight asked her in concern.
They all looked so angry in Twilight’s eyes, it wasn't until Luna turned to her and yelled over the sounds of the fighting, "Twilight, now is not the time. Get up there and help get Applejack!"
Just as she was about to gallop to the top, an explosion of fire and shadows erupted from across the courtyard and a figure raced to the pillar at break neck speeds. Twilight was pushed as Shadowheart darted for the altar to meet it at the top with Dragonslayer at the ready.
As everypony was about to make it to the top, a black orb formed and blocked all of them. Twilight teleported just above to see Applejack's body laying next to the dead priest, Ghetsis. The barrier was being created by Cassius as he sat next to the fallen orange mare in the commander's uniform. Her hair was free of the hair tie she always had on and the wind was allowed to pass blow it around. From here, Twilight could see the blood running from her mouth and the hole in her chest. Cassius was crying over her and eventually looked up to her and he whimpered. Twilight noticed that the ring in his eye that represented Applejack was faded and glazed over.
He looked back to Applejack and said softly, "She's with mother mare Twilight. She tried to save me."
Another voice called out, "No, she ruined your reawakening. She ruined my plans!"
Flamearch walked to the barrier, covered in burning shadows as the hole he had in his stomach closed.
"You're alive!?" Cassius asked in astonishment from inside his protective wall.
Flamearch scowled, "I was never going to die. I was absorbing all of the magic you were feeding me to get stronger. I just endured the pain to get as much as possible."
Cassius slowly stood up, "You lied to me?" His tears of sorrow turned to pure anger. "YOU LIED TO ME!?"
Flamearch smiled, "I used you."
The small gray unicorn looked around to find something to attack Flamearch with when his gaze found the still very charged spike. He looked to Twilight, then to Applejack before his gaze found Flamearch.
"Do you fear me?" he said softly.
Flamearch began to chuckle, "Not anymore little one. You are no match for me. None of you are a match for me!"
Cassius slammed a hoof to the ground and a rune appeared. Flamearch stopped his boasting and looked at the rune, he knew exactly what it was.
Cassius smiled when he saw the fear in the red unicorns eyes, "I read the rest of my journal on the way here. I know what I was and know how to become it again. I will make you pay for everything that has happened" - Flamearch gulped- "What's wrong Flamearch, I can see in your soul that you are scared." Cassius gave a psychotic grin from ear to ear as he stamped his hoof to the floor, triggering the rune.
The magical trigger detonated the barrier of shadows and receded to Cassius. He was engulfed in a ball of shadows as the spike above struck him with its magic. The orb of darkness began to grow and fluctuate as it gave of a feeling that sent shivers through everypony. A shock wave hit when the spike fired and pushed everypony except Flamearch and Shadowheart and the bodies of Applejack and Ghetsis. Cassius had placed a shield of magic around them to keep them in place as he absorbed the rest of the magical build up in the spike. The sound of whispers filled everypony’s ears as the orb began to distort and spasm. The sky itself gave way to darkness and the wind grew restless as the power of the hundred or so dead unicorns was being fed into the ball.
Shadowheart was unable to move and attack Flamearch, but from where he was standing he could see the paralyzing fear on his muzzle. This made him even more uneasy, If Flamearch was this scared of something, This was either a good thing for Shadowheart or a bad thing for all of Equestria.
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Rainbow Dash hit the ground near Fluttershy when the first shock wave hit. She struggled to lift herself half way up and looked to the sky. She had never seen clouds move on there own before, they gathered around the area and cast down rain no less. She was in pure astonishment until the wind blew something in the corner of her eye, she shot up when she recognized what was blowing on the ground. She galloped over to catch Applejack's hat before it landed in a mud puddle. When Rainbow had it in her teeth she realized that had happened only moments ago. She looked to the top of the altar and saw the ball of black darkness. Applejack was still up there and she was going to make sure she came out of this alive.
Rainbow Dash jumped up to take off, but only a sharp pain greeted her as she hit hit ground. She looked back and found her left wing was broken. If she was going to save her friend, it would be on the ground. She began to make her way to the top as ponies from both sides clashed and killed one another. Rainbow Dash caught a glance of Princess Luna flying to the top of the altar and stopping just above and watching whatever was happening in horror. Rainbow quickened her pace, but was stopped by Applejack.
The orange rancher spoke in a happy tone with tears in her eyes and a thin trail of blood running down her snout, "Rainbow...I...did what I thought was right. Stay out of this, sit down and rest while they finish this."
Rainbow didn't like what her best friend was going on about, "AJ what are you saying. What's going on up there. Why do I have you hat?"
Applejack looked away, "Rainbow, you are my best friend. So I want you to keep it, I don't need it anymore. Before I go and rest for awhile, I need to tell you something that the others wanted to know when we were done here. Will you tell them for me?"
Rainbow began to tear up when Applejack gave her request, "No AJ, you can tell them yourself when we leave."
Applejack found Rainbow Dash's cerise eyes with new tears forming on her own as she whispered, "Dash, I can't. Please promise me you will tell them and make sure Big Macintosh keeps the farm going strong."
The cyan pegasus was shaking in fear, that what was happening right now was real, she clenched her teeth and lunged at Applejack giving her a tight hug as tears rolled down her muzzle and fell with the rain, "I promise AJ, I promise."
The orange mare smirked, "Thank you Rainbow, you always were loyal."
Applejack leaned in and whispered into her ear. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and she took a step back letting go of her friend, she had a look of surprise on her and she looked to the cold, dark, wet earth she stood on. The news made Rainbow Dash even sadder and angrier at Flamearch and the rest of his Faithless. She then looked to Applejack and wondered why she would have entered battle knowing she might have died knowing such a thing.
"Applejack, why did you come here then? You could get hurt and die here." Rainbow asked hugging her again.
The orange rancher stopped hugging her friend and let her head rest on her shoulder, "I made promises, I had orders, and you are the only other pony I have told besides him. Dash you know me better than anypony, I'm stubborn at times and hate asking for help. I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you sooner."- They stood there like that for a moment as Rainbow Dash tightened the hug.- "Its time to go Dashie. I love you will all my heart and soul, be safe for me, get home and live your life for both of us.... you need to wake up now. and you need to get out"
Rainbow looked confused for a moment as everything around the two faded into darkness and she felt a cold sensation followed by another of pain. Her eyes opened to find a bloody conflict around the cyan pegasus. She tried to get up and fly but much like her dream, found her left wing to be broken. The only thing that was missing was Applejack and her hat. Rainbow Dash looked to the top of the altar and saw the orb starting to fade as it spun with shadows.
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The spike gave the last of its magical build up to its target and the hum of the magic died.
The ball began to fade as the glowing eyes of a very angry Alicorn glared at Flamearch. All of the rings in his eyes glowed furiously except one, the chaos element of Lie held a very faint glow that was of Cassius' own power without the bearer's presence in the world.
From the ground Fire Heart noticed Xilas slowly backing away from the altar, "Xilas what's wrong?"
The orange pegasus shuttered, "He... Fire Heart, the future has changed." she began to shake. "If we don't stop Cassius and Flamearch here and now Equestria is doomed."
"How is it doomed?" the dragon pony asked.
Xilas looked up to the altar where her father sat and muttered, "My dad knows a binding spell that he will use on Cassius to control him, if that happens then... not even Luna is safe.”
Fire Heart followed her gaze and asked as the rain began to pour down on them, "How do we stop it?"
The orange pegasus thought for a moment, "I say we have somepony else take his place when my father uses the spell. Whoever he takes won't be able to do much compared to Luna, Twilight and Cassius."
Fire Heart nodded, "Okay, you go look for somepony to do that, I will..." -He took a look around the area- "Xilas... where is Pinkie Pie?"
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Pinkamena was her way to the outside the the altar slashing anypony in her way. She had a target and was going to get her, one way or another before Cassius called for her help. Given her stature the escort couldn't be very far away, especially not after what just happened inside the altar. Sure enough she saw a team of ponies leading Sereen away. Pinkamena drew her sword and ran at them. Just before the lead pony could turn and stop her, the pink killer jumped in the center of them and landed only a hoof step from Sereen. Pinkamena slashed the throat of the teams leader, stabbed the rear guard and kicked the Pointman in the neck, killing him on impact. The last two caught her in the side with a spear and slammed into her knocking Pinkamena to the ground with a bleeding side. The small white unicorn watched with an unchanged look on her muzzle as Pinkamena burst into shadows and had them lash out at the last two guards.
One was smashed like a bug by a shadow spike while the one that stabbed her was held above the ground by dark tendrils. The pink mare slowly got up as she examined her wound to find she would not die from it, but it did need medical attention later if she was still a normal pony.
The shadows that had served her for such a long time, gladly healed its master as she approached her next victim.
Pinkamena smiled darkly as she spoke, "Sereen, please be a dear and look away."
The white unicorn did as she was asked when the shock of what was happening loosened its hold on her. The pink earth pony leaned onto the guard as her shadows covered his muzzle.
She ran a hoof through his coat and let her blade’s tip rest on his chest. She licked her lips and slowly sank the blade into him, cracking some of his bones. If the shadows didn't bind his jaw closed and covered his muzzle, his screams would have stopped the battle that was going on at the altar. Pinkamena stopped when she felt the blade hit what could only be his spine. She gave the sword a swift yank downwards and watched in joy as his entrails fell to the cold wet earth below. With another slash, she severed him in two from his left shoulder the his right hip. The tendrils flung the pieces across the landscape when her sword hit the ground.
Pinkamena licked the tip of her sword to get the sweet taste of his blood before sheathing it and looking to Sereen, "Well now that I have... sent them off. I need you to help me with a plan to save every other pony from Flamearch."
Sereen sat there for a moment before realizing what the pink killer was trying to do, "I read Cassius journal and..."
Pinkamena raised an eyebrow, "And what?"
The young unicorn looked her in the eyes, "I was given a glimpse into the future. That red unicorn called Flamearch will bind my brother using a forbidden spell if we don't get to him soon."
Pinkamena smiled, "Then lets get going."
With that the two of them galloped back to the altar, ready with a plan to try and save everypony else they could from Flamearch.
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Shadowheart tried to move, but the overwhelming force of fear held him down. Through the dying shadows, he could see those eyes looking into his soul. Cassius Nightshade was back to his full power with no binding to anypony. The magic that he absorbed had turned the small unicorn back into a full sized Alicorn. His gaze fixed on Flamearch with deadly intent as he slowly stepped closer to him.
Cassius leaned in and whispered to the terrified fire red unicorn, "I will make you suffer."
He pulled back his hoof and a shadow blade burst to life. He went for a killing blow when Shadowheart called to him, "Cassius, stop!"
The angry gray Alicorn looked back to him, stopping the blade only a few centimeters above Flamearch, cutting his mane slightly.
Shadowheart continued, "I need to be the one to kill him. He is the reason our family’s demise, he slaughtered them all for Dragonslayer. Please let me have my fight with him so I may avenge them all."
Cassius began to ponder the thought as shadows launched to Flamearch and held his hooves to the ground. He struggled under the might of the darkness that obeyed its master. Cassius stepped aside as he took deep breaths to calm himself.
"I want you to make him bleed for Applejack." Cassius hissed.
Shadowheart gave him a bow as he felt his fear subside, "Thank you Nocturnal Guardian."
Flamearch looked to Cassius in the eyes as his brother approached. The Nocturnal Guardian held his gaze with a scowl as he sat over Applejack holding her head. Shadowheart raised Dragonslayer with a hoof ready to go in for the kill. Flamearch kept his eyes on Cassius as he cracked a smile.
"Why are you so happy Flamearch.", the white unicorn asked in confusion.
"Oh dear brother, you don't see it do you?" Flamearch said in a cocky voice.
Shadowheart raised an eyebrow, "See what?"
Shadows of fire burst from Flamearch knocking Shadowheart back,"I have all the power I need to kill you and take what I want." -Cassius was grabbed by the darkness that Flamearch controlled, binding him and engulfing anything the gray Alicorn could use to break free.- "I will have your power as my own. Even if you are not willing to join me. Now Cassius, show me those pretty eyes of yours."
The shadows easily overpowered the stunned Alicorn as they pulled his closed eyes open. Cassius was unable to his magic for some reason, all he could do was thrash around in a desperate attempt to break free. The shadows at his command were too weak to fight off Flamearch’s own.
"What's wrong Cassius, can't you break free." Flamearch laughed maniacally. "I suppose you can't with the enchantment I had placed on you when you fell asleep on the train. That and the amount of magic you used without help may have drained you. Face it, you can't use any of your magic that I don't want you to use. Now lets see how strong the will of a God can be."
Just as Flamearch was about to cast the final spell to take over Cassius, Pinkamena jumped on top of him with Sereen on her back. The spell fired and and struck the small white unicorn as Pinkamena slashed Flamearch leaving a massive gash on his chest. He staggered back and glared to see the results of his plans and even more to his distress, Cassius was free again and was breaking the enchantment on his left side. This was going to be a battle for the ages, and despite the setbacks, Flamearch was far from beaten.