The moonlight shown through the window as it illuminated the room in a dim glow. The room was furnished somewhat lavishly, as if a Princess of royalty lived in the room.
This was true for the young Princess Celestia of the Equestrian Empire.
She lay asleep in her gigantic bed, having ample space to have at least six of her cover the whole thing and probably still have room to spare. She was a beautiful Alicorn, her body of a pure white and her hair a gorgeous rainbow, just like her father, King SoulStorm. Her back leg showed the image of a beautiful sun and though sometimes she wondered about it, she knew that it was what made everyone like her besides her sister, Luna.
Celestia lay on her bed as she dreamed her blissful dreams when her room’s door opened. Hoofs padded the floor quietly as the figure moved to where Celestia was closest to the edge, facing towards the window. The figure blended almost perfectly with the shadows had it not been for her eyes.
Princess Luna grunted as she struggled up Celestia's bed before she managed to get a hoof and leg up on the bed. She slowly hoisted herself up as she crawled her way to where Celestia lay asleep, trying not to wake her up just yet.
When she reached her, Luna whispered to Celestia, “Psst! Wake up!"
Celestia mumbled in her sleep but didn't wake up.
"Come on, Celestia! Wake up!" Luna hissed as she shook Celestia roughly.
Celestia moaned as she opened her eyes half way and glanced at Luna with obvious disdain.
"Luna... What is it..?" She mumbled as she began to roll over.
"Please! We must hurry! I don't know what's going on but that something is going to be bad! Can't you feel it?" Luna said as she tried to get Celestia up.
Celestia groaned but she, too, felt the evil that was around. It was a whisper that was being emitted from somewhere nearby and she knew all too well that they needed to find out what it was. So, she and Luna both slid from the bed as Celestia went over to a mannequin that held her Warrior armor. Luna wore her silver Warrior armor already, her crown slotted in position on her helmet while her hoof gauntlets held her silver spear. Her mark of a crescent moon was imprinted on her flank and as Celestia put on her golden armor, she wondered what could be making the evil. She took up her golden halberd, its blade glimmering in the moonlight, before the duo walked from the room. They stealthily went down the halls, their armor not making a sound, as they sought after the source of evil. Celestia followed the whispers as she led the group but she never listened to the whispers. They rounded a corner and they came to a balcony. They quietly slipped through and Celestia breathed in the cold, night air as a slight breeze was felt. The whispers were coming from below them and they both peered down into the castles courtyard.
Figures were moving down there, the familiar forms of the Shadow warriors being seen running about. They were holding all sorts of weapons: spears, axes, swords, pole arms, crossbows, and more and the sisters watched as they began to form an honor guard to a platform.
Then, they saw the familiar shape of a single pony and they watched as he moved towards the platform.
"What's daddy doing here?" Asked Luna quietly.
King SoulStorm, ruler of the Equestria Kingdom, was a sight to see, even when not on the battlefield. His dark, black steel armor was made by the very finest craftsmen in all the lands, his war scythe a creation that tore souls from his foes as he twirled its almost pure darkness blade. His eyes were of a cold storm cloud, the ones that were before the hail and the twisters.
But Celestia and Luna knew it was only to produce respect from his soldiers and fear from his enemies. He was a very kind father and he wouldn't let anything happen to his daughters, no matter what. And of course, he loved his wife with all of his heart and soul and it would seem to be a perfect family.
But as the two watched their father, Celestia got this uneasy feeling that SoulStorm wasn't doing something good.
And it scared her.
And then, from below, the voice of their father was heard:
"Tal' Sholpee Tifath Mose'a. Mishalka Sofatah Misshale Tomash Axet'e Nosfat Tellka."
The words were both unknown to Celestia and also full of a dark power, a power she could feel that was trying to break from its prison in another realm.
"Celestia, what’s he doing?" Hissed Luna urgently.
"I-I- I don't know." Stammered Celestia.
Suddenly, an explosion shook the area and a small, dark dot could be seen growing above the platform. It's wasn't something tidy either as Celestia watched it splash out a small wave of pure darkness. It splashed onto a Shadow warrior pony and Celestia recoiled in horror as it began to change him into-
"Changeling!" Hissed Celestia as the figure stood still, not caring that it was an enemy of this world.
Changelings were some of the most evil creatures that Equestria had faced. Born from another realm, they were the twisted forms of ponies: black bodies, green-blue insect wings and eyes, and they had some parts cut out of their limbs to make viscous barbs. And as she watched this one, still wearing the former Shadow warriors armor and holding the formers weapon, a broadsword, she knew whatever was coming from the portal was going to be the father of all Changelings.
And her father was going to make it come into this dimension.
And then, the dark portal began to wail as it began to expand and the two sisters covered their ears at the horrendous sound. The warriors stood stock still as waves of the dark power surged over them, the dark energy waves changing them all into Changelings.
And then, from the dark portal, a figure came through and SoulStorm merely stood there as the dark power splashed off him. The figure stepped onto the platform-
And an explosion of darkness happened.
The two were blasted off their feet as the dark portal disappeared into nothingness and the two slowly got up as they peered down into the courtyard.
SoulStorm stood before a figure that they had only heard of and seen in the old scrolls in their castles library.
Discord, the being of pure deceit and pure corruption. He was the King of Chaos and he was The Lord of all Changelings.
And now, no longer stuck in his Chaos realm, he was before their father and as he looked around, Celestia knew he had to be banished back to his realm or else nothing will be the same again.
"King SoulStorm... Finally, I am free of my prison... Now, I give you what you asked for."
Discord hands began to glow black and the power latched itself to SoulStorm.
SoulStorm didn't say a word as he was lifted off the ground and into the air. The energy was absorbed by his body and he howled as the two sisters began to watch in horror as their father began to change.
His body began to become darkness, his once pure white body now corrupted by the evil powers of Discord and causing him to become as black as night.
And then, it all stopped and SoulStorm stood still before Discord, his transformation completed.
"D- d- daddy?" Celestia said quietly as she felt tears at her eyes.
SoulStorm bowed to Discord. “What would you have me do, my master?"
"Assemble your armies. For tonight, my reign begins and I must meet my subjects." Discord answered as the two began to leave the courtyard.
Celestia was so grief stricken that she didn't feel Luna nudging her until she nearly pushed her off the balcony.
"What?" Asked Celestia.
"We need to leave! Like right now!" Luna said.
Celestia looked at her before she nodded and then she said, “I know a way we can go. Follow me."
SoulStorm proudly walked to his eldest daughter’s room, Celestia, feeling proud of what he did. He had made a deal with Discord only recently and it had taken much too actually being him from his prison realm. As he walked along, he knew that in order to satisfy Discord for his Chaos thirst, he was going to have to make something of the same Chaos. But he banished the thought as he approached the door and he rapped his hoof on the door.
"Celestia? Are you awake? I want you to meet someone..." SoulStorm listened carefully as he tried to discern any sound of movement on the other side.
But when he didn't hear anything, he slowly and quietly opened the door and peered into the room.
And his eyes narrowed as he saw the room was empty, even more so when saw her armor and halberd was gone.
"Guards!" He shouted as he began to run down the hall.
Luna followed closely next to Celestia as she led the pair through what seemed to be an old servant entrance. The walls were dusty and the empty torch holders lined the walls as the two quickly went down the stairs. Her armor made slight scrapes as the plates came into contact with each other and she tried to focus on keeping up with Celestia, who seemed to think that this was a dire situation.
Which, of course, it was.
Luna abruptly stopped as Celestia peeked through a doorway. Light from the moon outside shown into the staircase and Celestia looked around outside for a moment before she ducked back in. "I think it's clear."
She slowly opened the door as it moaned open on its old, rusty hinges as the two slipped into the slightly cold night. Luna looked around and knew that they were currently in the palace gardens, close to the outer walls that surrounded the palace keep. The two slowly began to walk through the gardens, shadows lengthened by the moon light, when Celestia pulled Luna behind a nearby stone fountain.
She almost made a sound until the shadow of a figure came over them. Celestia put a hoof over Luna's mouth as the figure of Discord stalked through the beautiful garden. He looked around as the two sisters tried to hunker down and hide from him.
Then, there were shouts and Discord looked up to begin walking towards the castle itself, allowing the two Alicorns to relax a fraction. But the two soon were quickly on the move and Celestia had them both duck down behind a thick hedge of rose bushes as they crept closer to the wall. Celestia saw the stairs up and she went to them as she began to ascend them quickly but quietly. Just as she reached the top stair, Celestia saw a sentry standing nearby, looking out from the battlements. She quickly went back down a few steps as Luna bumped into her from behind.
The two exchanged a glance as Luna said quietly, “Maybe we can knock him out or something."
"I don't want to confront him at all, though." Celestia peeked over the steps and made sure the sentry was still where he was. But as she thought about Luna's suggestion, she knew she was probably right and unless they moved now, they would be eventually spotted and maybe even captured.
Or worse, suddenly thought Celestia, they could kill us.
But she waved the thought from her mind as she let out a breath before she ascended the steps again and slowly crept her way towards the Shadow Warrior pony, which still stood at the battlements.
She slimmed around as she tried to get behind the sentry and out of sight when he suddenly looked in her direction.
"Princess Celestia! What are-" began the guard when Celestia's halberd shaft hit him in the jaw before swiftly being jabbed into his stomach and finally being brought down onto his head, knocking him out.
Luna ascended the steps carefully as Celestia looked around with worried eyes, hoping she hadn't made any sort of racket of noise. Luna went over to the wall and she pointed to a nearby tree. “We can glide to that tree there, Celestia."
Celestia looked at the tree and then she nodded slowly as Luna got onto the battlements and then, spreading her wings, she flings herself towards the tree. Luna crashed into the tree as she clung to its surface and she hissed to Celestia, “Come on!"
Celestia followed and she also landed in the tree. The two carefully made their way down carefully as shouts came from the castle.
"I think they know we're making a getaway." Said Luna bluntly as they jumped to the ground.
The two ran through the small woods on this side of the castle as the shouts from the castle continued. They ran a winding and twisting path through the tree's and Celestia managed to catch a glimpse of torches and figures coming from the castle.
"We might have company!" She told Luna as they emerged from the small woods and out into the streets of the town surrounding the castle. It was quiet in the streets for now as the two ran through them, keeping close to the buildings and in the shadows they provided. They reached the end of the street and came upon the center of the town when suddenly several Shadow warriors appeared from the street across from them. The two of them bolted across the road and Luna heard shouts as the clatter of armored hoofs on cobble road reached her ears. They kept running onward as the torches from the pursuing Shadow warriors cast a glow behind them and Celestia breathlessly said to Luna, “We might be able to lose them if we make it to the forest!"
Luna didn't reply as a crossbow bolt flashed by her face and she took a glance back and saw several Shadow warriors with the weapons.
"They have crossbows!" She said as they kept charging towards the forest that was close now.
More crossbow bolts flashed by them and they tried to ignore them as they finally reached the forest. There, they began to duck and weave amongst the foliage of trees and bushes, staying relatively close to each other as crossbow bolts began to hit the trees around them. They ran further on into the forest and didn't look back, not wanting to face the Shadow warriors. But finally, after a few minutes of running through the forest, the two sisters came to a stop and as they stood in the quiet forest, panting heavily, they both looked at the castle.
And they wept at what was happening.