Corruption of Dawn

by LordLycaon

Futility

The Princess of the Sun was not in a good mood. She was in a mood that was completely opposite that. The scary part was that she wasn't angry; it was more like she was depressed. The usual light of warmth and hope that normally sparked in her eyes had been dimmed tremendously, replaced by a dull speck of sorrow and self-loathing. Things had gone far worse than what she could've even imagined. Twilight had somehow been corrupted by Sombra's dark power, and was now likely his apprentice in the dark arts. And with Twilight, there also came vast knowledge of Canterlot's protection.

She looked out the nearby window to see numerous guards and soldiers rushing to prepare themselves for whatever may come their way. Knowing Sombra, she had decided that it would be best to mount up their defenses as much as possible rather than confront him directly. He was simply too powerful for such a foolish strategy.

"Sister," called the voice of Luna, who had just entered the room. Celestia faced her younger sibling to see her wearing silvery armor that was frighteningly similar to what she had when she was Nightmare Moon. It was… disturbing to say the least. "Are you ready?"

Celestia turned her head to a set of golden armor that lay upon a pedestal. She hadn't worn that armor since she and Luna first fought Sombra, and then again when she was forced to combat Nightmare Moon. She hated wearing it both times, and loathed the very idea even now. Regardless, she sighed and said, "I need just a few moments, Luna. I… I need time to… think on this." She turned away, returning her attention to the window. Just the window. She was simply staring at her own reflection, thinking back to… that day. The day when they had first faced Sombra. It was the most terrifying moment of her life.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned again to see Luna giving her a reassuring look, her smile very slight, but enough to make Celestia smile slightly as well. The Princess of the Night said nothing. After a few moments, she left her elder sibling by herself. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her horn began glowing with magic. Her armor levitated over to her, each piece of equipment fitting onto the proper part of her body. The last piece she put on was her helmet, which her horn slid through easily. She opened her eyes again and saw her reflection once more. Her armor was… intimidating to her. She hated it… but she had to don it, despite her feelings.

And the odds were that she would soon have to fight her own student. Fate was indeed a cruel, cruel mistress.

-o-

Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably in the armor that Shining Armor had given her. She didn't like it. It felt constricting, like it would hold her down rather than protect her. She looked over to Applejack, the only one of her friends who was also wearing armor. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were the only ones unequipped, due to their lack of actual fighting ability. None of this was sitting right with her. "Do you think we'll see Twilight?" she asked the blond Earth Pony, who sighed heavily.

"Ah don't know," AJ admitted. "And Ah'm not entirely sure if Ah want to. But we could at least ask why she joined up with Sombra."

Rainbow nodded with a look that was a mix of seriousness and apprehension. She was willing to admit that she wanted answers as desperately as the next pony, but she had a feeling that Twilight's reasoning may not be entirely explanatory. Not only that, but she knew Twilight well enough to know that the unicorn was ridiculously powerful. She was probably the most powerful unicorn she had ever met. She would never say it out loud, but she wasn't too thrilled by the idea of fighting Twilight.

An armored stallion entered the room then and said, "The captain is waiting for you two. I hope you're both ready." The pair of friends nodded rather reluctantly, making the soldier raise an eyebrow at them. He ignored it and instructed them to follow him. He led them through the castle's halls and through the courtyard, where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance – both wearing their own armor – were giving specific orders to the lower-ranking soldiers, who left with their commands just as quickly as they received them. When Shining and his wife took notice to the two young ponies, the nodded a brief greeting.

"We need to strengthen the defense as much as possible," Shining said, immediately getting to business. "There's no doubt that Sombra now knows of our measures, so we can't spare any expense in making sure that they don't breach Canterlot's walls."

"Would Twilight really just give Sombra info like that?" Applejack asked worriedly.

Cadance opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. She collected her thoughts quickly and said, "In all honesty, we don't know. We can only hope that she wouldn't, but we can't take that chance."

The younger ponies looked at each other with grim expressions. Cadance had implied what they hoped wasn't really true: Twilight Sparkle was the enemy now.

-o-

His army was complete. His new apprentice stood by his side. He grinned malevolently as he glared down at the majestic city of Canterlot. King Sombra chuckled darkly as he turned to face his hoard. "Soon, my army!" he called out to them. "Canterlot will be at our hooves! The glory of the Crystal Empire will spread throughout the world! Every stallion, mare, and foal shall kneel before the might of our magic and our steel!"

The massive hoard of dark-armored soldiers cheered for their king as Twilight looked back to Canterlot, the place she had once called home. She didn't know whether to feel thrilled or terrible. Doing this, she would be able to seat herself in a position that no one could betray. But she may also end up hurting other ponies. Ponies that she once called friend.

She shook her head, removing those clouding thoughts. King Sombra knew best. He was strong. He was wise. He was her teacher. She couldn't trust anyone else anymore. She turned to follow as her master trotted down the path that they were taking to sack the city. Soon, nopony would ever be able to hurt her like in those visions.

-o-

The entire army of Canterlot was ready and waiting at the city's walls. Every possible entrance was under heavy watch by armed guards. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were standing at the main entrance – the southern gate – alongside Celestia and Luna, who both looked more than ready for battle. Shining Armor and Cadance were both guarding the entrance on the other side of the city, keeping a constant vigil on the roads and skies.

Rainbow shifted uneasily in her spot at Luna's left side. She was never really the patient type, but this was practically murder on her entire being.

"This is the worst part," Luna suddenly spoke, getting confused looks from both Rainbow and Applejack. "The waiting. It is like the calm before a storm too powerful for any pegasus to control. It is unnerving to say the least."

Celestia nodded somberly. "I had hoped that no one would ever have to suffer through this ever again. It's like the Griffin-Pony War from before Sombra's original reign. Except that the consequences of this are potentially far more severe."

Luna said nothing, which only served to make Rainbow and Applejack more nervous as they looked out to the roads beyond the walls. All four of them had the feeling that the enemy would appear at any moment. They braced themselves, believing that they were ready for just about anything.

They were proven horribly wrong within moments by a resounding BOOM!

The four ponies all turned with expressions of shock and horror as a massive black cloud exploded out of the center of the city, leaving a gaping chasm in the ground. From that hole, hundreds and hundreds of Sombra's army swarmed out and began ransacking the entire city.

Celestia's mouth hung agape as Sombra's hoard pillaged and destroyed the fair city. "But… but how did they…" Her eyes, if at all possible, widened further than ever before. "The caves beneath the city! How could have forgotten about the caves!?"

"But how could they have known about those tunnels!?" Luna shouted, equally horrified by the revelation.

Rainbow and Applejack immediately knew the answer. "Twilight!" they shouted in unison. "That's where Chrysalis trapped her when the changelings attacked!" Rainbow continued. "She must've really given Sombra what he needed to know to get past the city's defense!"

Celestia muttered something under her breath angrily. "This is bad," she said. "Guards! Move out! Ensure the safety of all civilians and-" She was interrupted by the sound of a war horn coming from beyond the walls, down the roads. She turned with a mortified expression to see more of Sombra's army approaching from the outside. Just then, a pegasus landed from behind the sun princess.

"Your Majesty, Sombra's army approaches from the north, east, and the west!" he informed her. "And more are pouring out of the chasm as we speak! They have the entire city surrounded! What are we going to do?"

In all truth, Celestia had no idea what they could do. If they moved in to fend off the attackers from the hole, they would be leaving the gates unattended, meaning that the army outside could easily break in. And if they stayed to protect the walls, the enemies inside will be able to attack from behind. It was a lose-lose situation, no matter how she looked at it. She sighed almost as if defeated. "We do the best we can," she said finally, "and we hope for the best. That's all that we can do at this point."

The soldier nodded and flew off to rejoin his squad, leaving the princesses and the representatives of the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty with only the other soldiers who were stationed at the gate. Celestia hung her head as she returned her focus to the force making its way to the south gate. She felt a sense of hopelessness take over much of her spirit. She wondered if this is how it felt for the Crystal Ponies while they were living in fear under Sombra's oppressive shadow. It was simply terrifying.

"Sister," Luna said, getting the bare minimum of the sun princess's attention. "We have to protect the citizens. Their safety is our top priority."

Celestia nodded only barely. "Yes. You're right. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, come with us. We're going to face our enemy." With no other explanation, she trotted off, soon breaking into a full gallop. Luna and the others looked at each other, each of them feeling hollow inside, all feeling as though they were now fighting for a lost cause. They followed Celestia into the city, each of them galloping past homes and shops that had already been torn apart.

Canterlot was falling to pieces. And there didn't seem to be a single thing they could do about it.

Comments

[SpiritofPonies]

A few mistakes here and there and the fact that we don't get much detail in sombras army (who, training, armor/wepons)
But a good exiting chapter