• Published 1st May 2012
  • 4,187 Views, 58 Comments

Dark Conflict - Six Quills



An ancient, forgotten evil returns, and Celestia and Luna find themselves forced into a deadly game.

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Eve of the Struggle

CHAPTER 2:
Eve of the Struggle

Grimveil's laugh echoed across the coliseum walls, sending a shiver down Princess Celestia and Luna's spines. Still, the two sisters stood strong together. Celestia stamped a hoof, and spoke with a firm, demanding tone.

"Explain yourself Grimveil! Where have you brought us?" Princess Celestia's demand brought an end to Grimveil's laughter, though he still looked down upon them with a devilish grin.

“The Grimveil Battle Royal is the pinnacle of all tournaments, where you will fight against Equestria’s most powerful heroes and villains! As for where you are, you’re in an ancient coliseum currently floating high in the skies above Equestria.”

“Now, everyone listen closely as I will explain how this tournament works.” Grimveil cleared his throat. “As I stated before, the Grimveil Battle Royal is my own special tournament in which you will all be forced to battle each other. Firstly, make no attempt to escape. The entire coliseum is surrounded by a magic barrier that I cast myself. Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out. Secondly, you are all free to roam about the coliseum, but stay away from my quarters and the quarters of my soldiers. As far as the tournament goes, there is really only one rule… no killing. As much as I would love to watch you all struggle to your final breath, that would make this little tournament of mine go by far too quickly. However, do not take this as a request to go easy on one another. I expect you all to beat each other within an inch of your lives, then stop. Lastly, to clear a question that I know you all want to ask…there is no prize for winning this tournament. In fact, there isn’t even a system. Whoever I want to see fight, will fight. If you refuse to fight, then you will suffer a fate far worse than death.”

A pulse of energy came from Grimveil as he spoke those final words, as if they alone were enough to snuff out the life of anypony that dared to defy him.

“What happens when the tournament ceases?” Luna asked in a demanding voice.

Grimveil looked up at the sky for a moment as he pondered her question. “To be completely honest my dear Luna, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll most likely imprison all of you and take over Equestria. Or, perhaps I’ll have you all sentenced to death. It really doesn’t matter, for now I just want to enjoy the carnage. Now you should all go get some rest. You'll find living quarters throughout the coliseum, and I suggest you make use of them. You're going to need your energy for the battles tomorrow.”

Grimveil turned and left the balcony, disappearing into the coliseum. Celestia and Luna were tempted to follow him, but feared the repercussions of such an action. Although Grimveil had yet to do anything overly aggressive, the power the princesses sensed within him made them weary. He was simply too strong to attack directly.

Besides, Grimveil was not the only one the princesses had to fear. Within moments of Grimveil's departure, Discord approached the royal sisters with a smug smile on his face.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the all glorious Princess Celestia and her baby sister Luna. Fancy meeting you here, especially with that little ‘turning me into stone’ incident. Pardon me if I’m a bit stiff,” he said, cracking his neck. “Hey, no hard feelings, right?” he added with a mischievous laugh.

"Gotta say, though, I'm liking this Grimveil fellow. The coliseum rising from the ground, the kidnapping of not one, but both of Equestria’s royal princess sisters, oh, it just reeks of chaos! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be finding a room before all the good ones are taken. Maybe I can find a good spot by the pool,” he said to himself. He turned his attention back the Celestia. “I’ll see you in the arena.” Discord laughed before teleporting away in a white flash.

With Discord's departure, that left Princess Celestia and Luna with the remaining contestants in Grimveil's twisted tournament. Apart from themselves and Discord, they saw six other alicorns. Among the other six was not just one but two Nightmare Moons, however Celestia and Luna took notice of subtle differences between the pair. While one was a carbon copy of the witch that Luna had become, the other wore no armor and bore a different cutie mark: a single blue shield.

That left four alicorns that Celestia and Luna did not recognize in the least. They were all of Luna's size, and each bore unique coloring and markings. One was an all-black colt with a gothic skull and crossbones for a cutie mark. The next was colored a blood red, with a dark-red, fiery mane, and was covered in what looked like war paint. A large sword lay across his flank. The third was a mare with a very pale coat and sickly green mane. She looked down at the ground as if ready to collapse, a rotten apple core as her cutie mark. The final alicorn was another mare, colored a pale green and covered in what looked like red sores. She had a gray mane, and for a cutie mark, she had a toxic green splatter.

Despite never meeting the four ponies before, Celestia and Luna kept a respectful distance. Although the two mares were busy looking at the ground, the two colts looked back at the princesses with a maleficent glare. Whoever the four alicorns were, they were not ponies that seemed interested in being allies.

Unable to shake the feeling that they were alone against an army of enemies, Princess Celestia and Luna turned to leave. They intended to explore the coliseum, hoping both to find a room for themselves and, by chance, a means of escape. Their exit from the arena floor, however, was cut off by Nightmare Moon, who carried a wrathful complexion.

“I’m not surprised to see you here, sister” she said to Celestia, “But seeing my original self here can only mean that you two are not from where I came from…In my Equestria, your student failed to defeat me with the Elements and you were eternally banished to the sun! I certainly can’t wait to defeat you in this ‘tournament’ and create an eternal night in this Equestria as well!” Nightmare Moon transformed into her small cloud form and disappeared through a nearby archway.

“What shall we do, sister?” Luna asked.

“I’m not sure. Let’s have a look around first, and then we’ll think of something.”

They stepped off the arena and entered into the infrastructure of the coliseum. Unlike the outside, which had a sense of elegance to the coloration and structure, the inside was dark and dreary, as if the place had seen many a gruesome battle. Certain parts of the walls and ceiling had begun to crumble, but most were still intact.

In some places, the two sisters found mostly intact murals carved into the stone walls. A large portion of these were depictions of battles between ponies, while others artistically represented weaponry or other battle-related objects. Celestia and Luna followed the carvings down the hall until they came across a very large carving.

It was a tall, royally clad alicorn sitting atop a throne whilst a large number of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns battled each other to the death below. It reminded the sisters too much of their own current situation, and the thought of what horrible events had transpired here sent a shiver down the sisters' spines.

Forcing themselves away from the mural, the two sisters explored the rest of the coliseum, hoping to find a way out. When that search proved fruitless, they set out to find a place to rest: one of the living quarters Grimveil mentioned. Much to their surprise, there were already beds laid out, and the room was surprisingly clean for just being unearthed.

The room itself was rather large, thirty by thirty feet, and was lined with marble furniture such as drawers and couches. This room was obviously used by someone of importance at some point in time. With nothing to do, Celestia began exploring things around the room. She found plenty of old broken artifacts in and amongst the furniture, but what actually got her attention the most was a small pile of paper, some quills, and a bottle of ink inside one of the drawers. The paper was a bit dry but still writable, and the ink was fresh, perhaps thanks to the bottle being so tightly sealed.

“Luna, use your magic to create a small fire. I’m going to send a letter to Twilight.” Celestia said as she hurriedly grabbed the paper and began to write, as if fearing her actions would be discovered at any moment.

“Did Grimveil not say that nothing could pass through his barrier?” Luna responded as she used her magic to create a small flame.

“Yes he did, however my method of sending letters uses a very unique type of magic. While we are unable to leave, perhaps this letter can.” After finishing the letter, Celestia rolled it up and threw it on the fire. Instead of burning, the letter dissolved into the air, signifying that the teleport was successful. A smile blossomed onto Celestia's face at the small victory, but soon after Grimveil's voice boomed through the coliseum.

“That was very clever of you Celestia, finding a way to get around my barrier, but it won’t work again. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise I’d be punishing you…”

“At least the one message got through… that should be enough to let Twilight know-” Before Celestia could finish, a figure appeared at the door. Standing there, looking in on them was the Nightmare Moon look-alike they saw earlier.

"I know you think I'm Nightmare Moon, but I'm not. My name is Nyx." The alicorn said with the same voice as Nightmare Moon, but with a much gentler inflection. Celestia had no intention of trusting her just yet. Celestia stood up, holding her head high, openly showing her distrust. Luna stood quietly beside her sister.

"Why should I believe you so easily? How can I be sure you are not Nightmare Moon attempting to fool me?" Celestia sternly asked.

Nyx was quick to take a low and hesitant step back. She did not want to alienate the princesses by being too bold at their first meeting. Nyx kept her head low.

"I have no true proof other than my word, Princesses. Please believe me that I have no intention of harming either of you and have no alliance with Nightmare Moon." By this point, Luna was tired of being quiet. She stepped ahead of her sister in a more casual manner.

"If you are not Nightmare Moon," Luna asked curiously. "Then why do you bear her resemblance?"

Nyx relaxed considerably, looking away from Celestia for a moment to answer Luna. "To make a long story short Princess, I was created from the remains of Nightmare Moon. An evil cult had attempted to resurrect her, but failed when the Princess Celestia of my Equestria intervened. Instead of getting Nightmare Moon, I was created instead as a young filly. I may look and sound like Nightmare Moon, and I may even have the same powers as her, but I am my own pony. I only wish to let the two of you know that you are not alone in this tournament." Nyx explained, still keeping her head low.

Celestia stepped back, taking a slightly more relaxed stance. She was still unsure of Nyx. Luna however, seemed to be very at ease with this newcomer, taking a few steps away from her sister.

"Nyx, are you happy you didn't follow in the path of Nightmare Moon?" asked Luna quietly, already feeling what Nyx had been trying to prove her entire life.

"I am, Princess. Nightmare Moon was a terrible creature, and though she may have been powerful, her heart and magic were dark, leaving her alone to deal with the thick darkness that eventually consumed her. Nightmare Moon was the farthest thing from good, and I was taught to always be good, to always help others, and to always value the magic of friendship."

As soon as Nyx mentioned 'the value of the magic of friendship', Celestia was able to relax. It told Celestia that Nyx was indeed telling the truth.

"Thank you for offering to be our ally during this tournament, Nyx. Perhaps if the three of us work together, we may find a way out of here. For now, though, it doesn't seem like there is much we can do."

"I'm afraid you are right Princess." Nyx replied, standing upright as Celestia accepted her. "I guess we just wait for now."

"Well since we have time, I wouldn't mind hearing your entire story Nyx. To think, there was any type of spell that could revive Nightmare Moon." Celestia said inquiringly.

"Well, alright." Nyx answered. The three alicorns seated themselves as Nyx explained her backstory and how she came to be who she was.


Down in the Canterlot Royal Garden, Twilight had gathered her friends together to try and make sense of the situation. Twilight was pacing back and forth as the rest were trying to comprehend the events that had transpired.

“Well I can’t make any sense of this, Twi.” Applejack finally said breaking the silence. “A whole buncha alicorns come out of nowhere and snatch up the princesses. It’s just crazy!”

“Oh I sure hope the Princesses are okay. The loud voice said they were fine, but wouldn’t be for long.” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Come on girls, think!” Twilight yelled out. “A random alicorn comes out of the blue, overpowers both princesses, and then snatches them away! It can’t just be some ‘new enemy’. There’s gotta be something behind all this!”

Twilight's confused rant was abruptly interrupted by Spike, who belched up a plume of green fire. The fire quickly formed into a scroll, which Twilight eagerly snatched out of the air. Twilight wasted no time in unfurling the scroll as her friends crowded in to read over her shoulder.

Twilight,

Luna and I are alright for the time being, but I’m not sure how long we’ll hold out. Grimveil is forcing us to compete in some sick tournament where we must battle for his entertainment. Somehow, he has revived Discord and brought Nightmare Moon over from some alternate dimension. It’s not just them either. There are a small number of other contestants that I don’t even recognize. Escape from this coliseum is impossible. He’s surrounded it with a very strong barrier that we can’t break or teleport through. I was lucky enough to slip this message through but I doubt it will work again. Twilight, do not attempt to break through the barrier. There is no doubt in my mind that my guards will attempt a strike at the coliseum. Try to convince them otherwise, for I fear that Grimveil won’t show mercy to anyone that approaches. Instead, I want you and your friends to go to the Canterlot Castle Library. See if you can find out anything about Grimveil, and if there is a way to stop him. Luna and I will do our best in here. We have no choice but to abide by his rules for now. Good luck my little ponies…

Celestia

"Well, at least we know they're alright," Applejack said with semi-relief. "Still, this Grimveil characters gotta be mighty strong if he's keeping Celestia and Luna locked up."

“Yes, but there’s still no time to lose!” Twilight exclaimed to her friends. As quick as a flash, the six friends were off and racing through the castle.

“Applejack! Rainbow Dash! You two head to the soldiers and try to stop them from attacking the coliseum. The rest of us will head to the library and begin searching.” Twilight ordered.

Rainbow Dash gave a quick salute before flying off, with Applejack following at a full gallop on the ground. They made their way to the parade grounds, where a massing of Equestrian soldiers was gathering in battalion formation. They quickly found the pony in command.

“Pardon me, sir!” Applejack said hastily. “We got a letter from Celestia from inside the coliseum! She says awful things will happen to ya’ll if you go near it.”

“Yea!” Rainbow dash supported. “Attacking that thing is a really bad idea!”

The commanding pony looked at the two ponies with an angry look.

“I appreciate your concern but it is our duty as Equestrian Soldiers to always go to the Princesses' aid. It doesn’t matter what fate befalls us. We must do our duty.” The commander said with honor.

“But-” Applejack started but was cut off.

“That’s enough!” The commander exclaimed. “I value your input as the Wielders of the Elements, but this is not a matter of the Elements. This is a matter of protecting the princesses. At sunrise we attack.”



Eventually morning arrived, and the six ponies were exhausted from reading. They had stayed up all night long, but had yet to find anything. They were all on the verge of dozing off, but the sound of marching on the castle grounds startled them fully awake. The soldiers had begun to mobilize. Pegasus soldiers began taking flight in formation, while Unicorn and Earth Pony soldiers were gathering into large floating platforms that looked like war balloons. Rainbow dash and Applejack came bursting into the library.

“We tried our best all night Twi, but they’re too gung-ho on their ‘Duty as Soldiers’ to listen to us.” Applejack reported.

“We’ll have to hope for the best then.” Twilight replied, half asleep. “Help us look through these books…”


Inside the coliseum, Grimveil had summoned all of the contestants to the arena floor, itching to see his tournament begin. Grimveil settled into his seat before clearing his throat.

“Welcome all of you to the first day of the Grimveil Battle Royal!” he proclaimed. “I think I know the perfect match to start things off… Celestia, you will battle with… Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she didn’t have to fight Luna. Nightmare Moon would be a much easier opponent to face.

The two alicorns stepped into the arena and circled each other for a few seconds before stopping. They stared at each other from across the battlefield. The battle between the Sun Princess and the Queen of Eternal Night was about to begin.