//------------------------------// // Death of a King, Rise of a Tyrant! // Story: Night Fall Equestria // by FLUTTERxxDASH //------------------------------// Dead Again, Ouroboro's, the life cycle A vast darkness, white specks of light lettered the sky with art, a blue sphere adorned the sky. Astral has found herself in the company of the dark navy Alicorn once again, her dark counterpart on her other side. It seemed forever that they sat there in companionable company, everything was serene, Astral finally felt at piece. "You aren't going to just give up with that are you?" Nightmare said, turning to Astral. Astral shifting around and opened her eyes again, "What do you mean? Give up what?" confusion struck over her face. "Its time Astral, It has been a few hours since you were killed, you have to chose to either stay dead or fully integrate with the darkness," Nightmare stated, Astral turned to see Eclipse staring at their planet. Without turning Eclipse talked, "You know, I may be your shadow but Sombra did just kill our family, that doesn't sit right Astral. Join me, accept me, I don't want control. I want to be accepted, I am still you at the end of the day, what other choice do we have?" she stated turning to face Astral. Astral walked forward and stared up, "What will happen to me though, I have felt the darkness over the past few days, it gets stronger and feeds on my malicious intent," She asked as she turned around. "How can you say I will still be me?" Nightmare walked forward and placed a hoof on Astral's shoulder, "You will be you, the true you. Ponies create a mask to cover their inner darkness, I once did the same but I finally realized that it was the same as lying. I accepted who I truly was and when my friends and family thought it was ugly they encased me here on the moon, from that point on I have been searching Astral, searching for somepony like you. You have so much darkness you cover, on the inside you hate most around you and you don't even realize it, you just cover it up and bottle your feelings. I have been with you for many years, watching and waiting to see how you develop but Sombra had put my plans to a stop by killing you." She said, Astral gawked at what she said. Astrals blood boiled with anger, "WHO? who exactly do I hate, I love my friends and family," she shouted, stomping a hoof and making the moon dust scatter to the cosmic wind. Eclipse let out a laugh, walking over and standing right in front of Astral, "You can't lie, not here, it shows on your face. You don't even believe your own words, let me ask what do you think when Pinkie would bug you by her randomness?" "Its just Pinkie being Pinkie, she was always random, even if it was annoying I can't fault her for being her," Astral answered. "Then when Applejack used to come over and ask for you to help her with her stall when you obviously had things to do for others," Eclipse raised her eyebrow. "Any friends would hel-" "Rarity when she would get you to model or help with her designs for hours on end?" Astral tried to answer but was interupted, "Rainbow when she would smash your windows to break her fall, or just land on you, calling you names throughout her visits," Again she had no chance to answer, "Fluttershy wasn't so bad but she would wake you very early on many occasions or keep you up at night, when she would freak out and be mean to you? None of your friends Treated you as a friend, You were just the work pony. Everypony came to you for help because you wouldn't say no, you just push your own stress under a rug and bottle neck all the problems," Eclipse stated, Staring directly into Astrals eyes. "But I, my friends-" "And finally we have Celestia, for years we wanted her affection but all we got were simple parlor tricks and when she grew bored of us she sent us to a hick town out of her sight," Eclipse huffed as a small tear dropped from her eye. "No she didn't," Astral screamed back as she began to cry. "See I am right aren't I? you realize everyone has been using us for their convenience right?" Astral shook her head violently, almost as if to shake her ideas away, "NO! I can't believe that, I won't believe that," she kept screaming. Nightmare came over, "BELIEVE IT!! Celestia, My own sister trapped me here, just like she did to you with ponyville. She wouldn't send you far away because she knew I had my eyes on you" "Your sister? Celestia was your sister?" Astral said in shock. Nightmare nodded, turning to look at the blue orb, " I can remember how long I have been here, I spent years hating her for what she did, all I did was accept my unworthy side. For what I did she thought it uncouth of a Princess of Equestria and banished me to the moon, the very celestial body I control, she seized control over my powers and made a slave of me," A snarl came over her face, "That bitch would get rid of anything she disliked, Discord, the crystal ponies when they wouldn't bow to her, even her own family. Then my dear you think she could have qualms about getting rid of a student?" Astral looked horrified, her two red orbs quivered in sadness, realization of the truth hit her like a fraight train, "No........... That can't be....... Celestia loved me" Eclipse let out a scream, "Astral, stop being a stupid filly, the world isn't just black and white, everypony has a dark side. She may be a god and a Princess but she is capable of doing things you wouldn't believe, It takes a cold heart to rule a country, one hardened so that nothing could disturb their rule. And the only way to defeat a tyrant is to become one yourself, ACCEPT ME!!" Astral sat there for a second, her eyes were blank, losing their color, "If I get to release my friends fine" Eclipse winced at her words, sadness in her eyes at the look of herself, "It will but just know I will always be here on the inside for you Astral, we are one." Eclipse turned to Nightmare, she nodded and her horn began to glow a dark blue hue, Astral moved closer to the Darkness of her other self. The height difference between them was clear, "Will this hurt?" Nightmare looked at her, "I won't lie, this is going to tear your soul apart and rearrange your very being but it will be over soon," Astral nodded. Eclipse looked at Astral and smiled, "We will walk the same path, finally as one, you have no idea how long I have felt in this lonely place without you Twilight, so cold and lonely," She said as she moved forward and hugged Astral, that is when they both screamed. They screamed as their flesh joined together, both mares had tears streaming from their eyes but one had a smile. Astral could feel her hoof begin to burn, looking down she saw the black sludge that she was now very familiar with but now a claw seem to pull itself out of the darkness. With the claw came a body and then a head. Its teeth tore into her leg, blood drained from her into the darkness, Eclipse was in the same position as they ate her stomach flesh. The smell of burning flesh and the sound of blood splatting the liquids below spread through the air. Slowly their skin began to melt into the black sludge, Astral watched on as Eclipse's face melted, one eye flailing out of its socket, finally all that was left was a pool of black ooze. Nightmare studied the pool as it slowly moved, small tentacles of black rippled its surface, then small bits of red mist began to evaporate through the sludge. Looking closely pure white began to grow from four corners of the sludge, it shaped a skeleton, in the eye sockets were two floating red mist balls. The sludge made its way up the bone, caressing every joint with a sizzle, forming the legs. It got to the barrel and pooled in the rib cage making the organs and made its way to her neck. It covered her face all the while her hoofs and horn grew back and emanated red mist, next her eyes grew back, the sclera were a muddy grey as her irises were a deep red. Her back snapped into position as more white bones began to grow, two wing bones grew out as the mist covered them, when the mist dissipated it left one black feathered wing and one burnt dragon wing. As her horn still grew longer it snapped and twisted into position, her black body began to protrude points that solidified into silver armor and lastly her thin tail grew out as a bone. Her hair was now replaced with a dark mist, "This feels amazing," Her voice reverberated as numerous voices came out, "We feel that this power is amazing." (Drawn by ElkaArt, I modified it for the story) Nightmare took a step back and looked over Astral, "It seems the process has succeed, welcome back to life my dear. Do you now see why it is so much better to accept yourself for who you really are?" She asked. "Yeees~" The moons surface trembled as she spoke, "It is so much better, I feel like I am truly myself, I think it is high time I pay Sombra one last visit. Nightmare, once this is over what will happen though?" "That my dear friend is up to you, chose your destiny, remember you have already died twice, destiny is never set in stone." With that knowledge Astral nodded and turned to look at the blue orb, her wings spread wide as the red mist spread out into huge wings, she kicked off and swung once with her wings. Her speed plummeted her back to Equine, straight at Canterlot and the main tower where she hung. The King and I Sombra sat on his throne in front of his many mist guards, slowly sipping the wine in his magic, mulling through the thoughts of what had occurred in the day. How could she be back from the dead, There is no way she could revive herself after death. There is no spell or ritual for bringing back the dead, only us immortals can bring our self back from death and she is no immortal., He sat there for a few more minutes thinking through every small event and then he felt power, power was emanating from above him. Dark power, very strong and sickly, it pounded his body to the floor as he rushed to see what it was. A few seconds later he was through the doors of the castle, he looked up at the sky, cracking thunder and lightning as the swirling black mass of cloud span around and around. It was up there, no it can't be, he thought as he turned to look at Astral, she was gone, Impossible, she couldn't. The thunder stuck again as a shadow on the clouds illuminated, a massive winged beast behind the clouds roared, red mist leaked down from the black and grey clouds as Sombra shook. He grabbed his hoof to stop the shaking, Something that could make me feel fear, preposterous, She couldn't be the one up there. As he stared up thunder struck to the left of him as he simply ignored it, watching with trepidation to what was coming. Ponies below the gates of the castle were running riot, scared of what was happening and seeing that it wasn't Sombra, one little filly was in the middle of the street looking up as she clutched her teddy tight. Her small blue orbs caught sight of the sparking demon that parted the clouds, so beautiful like an angel but looks that could kill, she stood there as she cried silent tears until her family grabbed her and ran. Astral flapped her wings to keep aloft and looked down, her red mist wings taking most of the sky with every swing, "Sombra, your end is nigh!" A spiral of black mist span around Sombra as his body turned into an obsidian dragon, his head broke the mist as he rose into the sky. His voice became very deep as he talked, "You don't die easily do you little girl, Do I really have to crush the coffin as well as planting the nails," his voice was slightly shaky but still full of confidence. The mares eyes pierced his, for a second he stopped flapping from shock but resumed, "YOU HAVE SLAIN ME TWICE, THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT, I WILL HAVE YOUR HEART ON A PLATTER THIS DAY SOMBRA. TODAY DARKNESS PREVAILS, ECLIPSE WILL RULE!!" she shouted as she dove at the dragon, red mist claws surrounded her hooves as she clamped into the hardened flesh of Sombra, both tumbled through the air as they slashed at each other. Blood rained down on to the floor as fur and scales dropped from the two beasts, as they released each other and drifted back to the sky they both cracked with magic flaring, healing their wounds and getting ready for a second bout. Sombra's mouth and nose began to glow as he faced Astral, he reared his head up and then let an inferno of fire out into the air, Astral beat her wings as the flare of the fire burst away from her in every direction. The walls and ground of the castle began to burn at the heat, any mist guards watching on dropped to the ground in steaming flesh. "You are far greater in magic than you were all those years ago, you use black magic now to transform but I have to ask, who gave you these abilities?" Sombra asked as he stopped breathing fire. Astral looked back up to Sombra, his scales slightly less shiny from the ash, "It matters not who gave me power, Soon you will be dead!" "You know that won't work, Immortals bodies can be destroyed and then be reborn as you know first hand, I will gladly die again. The one thing that troubles me most this time was the sudden regrowth you had and how you attained new powe-" He had to move suddenly as a bolt of magic struck his left wing, blue fire lit up his wing as the skin singed, "That was rude my dear, thy manner hath suffered most from your ascension," He said as her lifted a claw, black glowing runes floated in the air as sparks of purple came from his palm. From within the rune a hilt protruded which he grabbed with his right claw, slowly and struggling he pulled on the summoned blade, the blade was huge and looked like it was made of molted lava. The skin of the blade hardened as he swung it, blobs of the liquid flew over the castle walls hitting commoners as they died on contact, "Since you know an immortals body can't really die I suppose I will have to seal you in the 7th realm of darkness, Azeroth, this blade will send you there once you die again," He beat his wings as the castle walls crumbled, dust propelled in all direction as he made a straight line for Astral. Astral stood strong as the black sludge drained slightly, Two blades were made, the ones from before. She brought the swords up and slammed them together, they morphed and twisted into a scythe, with her tail she gripped the hilt as it split into many parts. The blade hung over her head looking most like a scorpion would its needle, As Sombra struck his blade she blocked. Drips of the lava dropped to her as the skin of the sword cracked, letting the life blood of the sword leak, Sombra swung his arm back again and struck back with double re-doubled vigor. The sky cracked open with white light as the two blades met, Ponies screamed out as the sight blinded them, some burned from the heat it created. Some of the mist guards that were left began to drop as Sombra pulled his mist back for more power, He pushed the blade down as hard as he could with every swing, getting closer to his goal. Astral watched on as Sombra struggled, a smile came over her face as the last swing hit. "Why do you laugh, you are losing! My blade comes ever closer to you, soon you will be joining the demons of Azeroth, your death is immanent!" He screamed in frustration, Is this mare crazy, she is laughing in the face of death, Sombra raised the blade and saw she was still smiling, "JUST DIE ALREADY" A loud thud emanated from the castle, the last part of the entrance fell opening up to the throne room, Sombra looked down as the dust passed over his arms. Astral stood there with a smug look on her face, behind her laid his blade and attached to the item was the last parts of his arms. Sombra screamed out in pain as large amounts of blood dropped to the floor and pooled together, "MY ARMS!! YOU BITCH, DEVIL INCARNATE," He screamed, Astral began to cackle as her teeth protruded her lips, Sombra fell backward into the throne room as his belly faced the sky. Trying to get up but failing he decided to revert to being a pony, when he did a blade pierced his chest and rose him in the air, he looked down at the mare who did this to him, a complete reversal of the earlier events during the day, "You bitch!" Astral let a small giggle pass her lips, "Oh Sombra you flatter me, your much too kind," Astral began twisting the blade rapidly as Sombra screamed, "Is that really the worst word that you could say, I am slightly disappointed, not once but twice you failed to keep me dead," Sombra spat blood at Astral, she just opened her mouth and swallowed it as he cringed. "You aren't that kind mare anymore, your not even the one from hours ago, your a true demon!" He said before coughing blood, Looking down he cringed again as he could see his blood slowly draining, "You can't kill me you silly child, how would you do that? there is o other way to kill an immortal, why do you think I trapped Celestia instead of killing her, child?" Astral snorted, "Really? you think I would be stupid enough to just kill you so you can revive, you underestimate me Sombra," The air around them began to tremble as the last pieces of the castle fell, sparks of purple and red surrounded them as red mist left Astrals mouth, "I will devour your soul Sombra, you will die if your soul is broken, even a god cannot survive that," Sombra could only watch as Astra thrusted her teeth in his chest, a loud crack was heard as she tore some of his ribs away. A bright red crystal was centered in the middle of his chest. His eyes went wide as she gripped the crystal in her magical grasp, a horrific grin on her features, she pulled slowly as his magic struggled to keep it in his chest but slowly the tether of his magic could hold no more as his last breathe escaped his body. The red crystal was floating in front of Astral now, in her head she could hear Nightmare, "Eat it, crush the crystal and he will be no more, you will have your friends back," She stared at the crystal as it sparkled. She placed it on the floor and raised her hoof, "Goodbye Sombra," She pressed down but stopped for a second and looked over to the ponies in crystal resin that she did not care to even see, different sizes and colors, "But why kill you when I can trap you?" Astral looked back down at the crystal as she sparked her horn back with magic and levitated it over next to the other Crystals containing her friends, "This will do nicely, who needs friends when you can wear a crown," An evil grin crossed her face as she began to capture the red crystal in a surrounding magic resonance, that itself creating more crystals to trap it. Nightmare looked down from where she was at what she had done and screamed, "NOO! YOU FOAL, YOU MUST DESTROY SOMBRA OR I WILL BE TRAPPED HERE, YOU DAMN BITCH" "Nightmare, I only see one throne, that throne there is now mine," She cantered over to the throne and sat down, "Quite nice, I think I could get use to this," She said. "You don't know what you are doing, Sombra will rise again, he wil-" "You don't get, Celestia has been trapped the same way for many years, how could he escape?" Astral sat as she looked around, rubble and dead bodies littered her new home. With one cast of her magic she blew the rubble and bodies off the white marble of the floor, the night sky could be seen now as the moon and stars shone bright, "This is my throne now, My rule, MY KINGDOM!!" Epilogue A week had past and news of what happened to Sombra had spread to ponyville where spike was, with the new he made his way quickly on the train with Sweetiebelle, arriving in Canterlot it looked better than it did. The sun in the sky had a slight more red tint than when Sombra ruled, looking up to the castle they could see pillars of dark blue, huge open roof and one tower where the old castle was, "Well thats different, what do you think Sweetie?" Sweetie was looking around at the city folk, many trudging along, some were crying out of sight. Spike had noticed this and could see that many had lost family during the battle they had, the city fared no better, walls and houses had been leveled from the magic shockwaves and were being rebuilt. "I don't think this will be a happy place for a while, if Twilight really did defeat Sombra why hasn't the Princess announced her revival? Don't you think something is wrong, something isn't sitting right with me here," Sweetie said as she looked at her friend. Spike thought over Sweeties questions but shrugged them off, "I am sure that being in a crystal resin for sixteen years would put you out of commission for a day or two, plus what could they do to help right now. The Princess would only be able to placate the public for so long and I don't think it would of helped anyway, lets see Twilight and see what she has to say," Sweetie hesitated but nodded after a while. They both made there way to the castle entrance, along the way they noticed the ponies became more skid-dish and less were seen the closer they got, "See Spike, this isn't right," Sweetie said looking at the crumbled wall. "Maybe so but we still have to find out what is happening," Spike said moving over the rubble and making his way up to the path above, the closer they got the more larger the blue pillars looked, big enough for a full grown dragon to nest in, Woah, when did this happen? Did Twilight do this?. They made there way through the castle, and up to an obelisk that protruded the floor, one huge room and this obelisk, the tower had no doors. They wandered for a few minutes but came back to the obsidian shard in the center of the room and approached it, As they did red runes in an archaic language appeared inside of it, it began glowing until it sparked. Once they put their arms back down they set their eyes upon a mare who was now stood before the obelisk, smiling at them with glee. Twilight had reverted a lot to her old self now, all but the wings and hair, her hair was now a luminous red, "I am so happy you could make it, I have been waiting for you to arrive, Please come this way," Twilight said as she walked around the obelisk. They followed noticed the almost too happy nature of Twilight, she didn't even wait for them to greet her. A few minutes later they were at the base of the tower next to the mountain, Twilight placed a hoof on a rock of the mountain as its stone snapped and shifted opening a door, it was the same red runes. Sweetie spoke in a hushed voice, "This is giving me the chills, we shouldn't follow her there, there was never an opening in the mountain before right?" "I don't know, c'mon she is walking away," he said back in a hushed voice. A few minutes later they had arrived in a massive cave, at the center of the room were five crystals that had red runes surrounding them, protective spells to keep others away. Twilight stopped when she got in the cave and turned to them, "I have been waiting for you Spike, I need your help, I need your life," She stated nodding whilst still smiling happily. "My-m- What?" Spike was confused as to what Twilight was meaning, "Twilight, I don't understand-" He was suddenly pinned to the floor, Sweetie belle was dragged over to the crystals with a tendril of darkness, It curled around her and squeezed, "Spike, listen closely, I need you, if you help me I will let her go," Spike gasped as Twilight opened her eyes, where the white of her eyes should be they were black and her irises were dark red, he struggled under the grip as he watched Sweetie struggle to breathe. He looked between Twilights eyes and Sweetie Belle, his head sunk low as he spoke, "How could you Twilight? How can you do this, this isn't y-" A tendril span around his neck making him look up. "Not Me! but it is my little spikey, I have finally accepted what I am. Friends, not needed. Mentor, outdated and old news. Little brother, needs to grow up and smell the coffee. I will say this one more time, Join me or she dies," Small tears were dropping from his eyes as he quickly nodded, hoping she would release Sweetie. Twilights grin became maniacal as she laughed, "Goood~," Her horn lit up as she levitated the dragon into the air, pure white chains shot up from the ground and dug into his scales, he screamed in pain as it did. "Today spike, you will get what you wanted, today you will grow up, mommy is so proud," She spat, the dragon squirmed in the air as Sweetie cried below. "STOP!! YOUR KILLING HIM!" Sweetie screamed, the tendrils tightened their grasp, snaps were heard as her bones broke. Twilight lowered Spike back down and walked over to him, several chains dangled with blood steaming down their links, Twilight lowered her head and touched her horn on Spikes head. Spikes eyes bolted open as he gasped, all his muscles rippled and his bones snapped, his claws grew long into talons as he grew larger and larger until his back hit the roof of the cave. His purple scales turned red, Twilight why?, were his last thoughts as his eyes glazed over and turned a different color. Twilight stroked the top of Spikes huge head as the white chains dissipated into thin air, now a mindless beast who is controlled Spike let out a roar that shook the cave. Sweetie looked on in horror as Twilight turned around and walked to her, the same grin from when she turned Spike on her face. Twilight knelt down and pushed her horn on Sweetie, who in turn screamed out into the air, the cave echoed with her wails. Then it ended and Twilight moved away from her, completely black eyes and protruding teeth were all that was changed on Sweetiebelle, "Now I have a guard for the prisoners, now to make a list for a list of how to take over the country as a ruler," She said as Spike curled around her. She left the cave as Spike followed through the huge gap and retreated to her blue pillars and lay down to rest and think her plans as to what her next stage of take over would be, Now she was the Queen, Queen Astral Eclipse. With that thought she used her magic and created a crown to befit her image, Finally where she belonged she sat to rest before the coming days of being a ruler. (I modded the image, I did not draw this and own no rights to it) Twilight was now the Queen but without her knowing she would soon be meeting some old faces and maybe some new ones, only time will tell. In the cave below the mountain, Sweetie stood guard as she looked at the white Crystal, a tear fell from her emotionless face, as it hit the ground she did not see the small cracks that were spreading across the crystals in the room, all apart from one.