Rain without Rainbows

by Leoshi

Thirteen: Seed of Darkness

Rain without Rainbows

!Disclaimer!: The ponies of Skyrim in the World of Warcraft can never take my claims to Isengard, because one does not simply Brian D. all over the Mohave Wasteland. And before everyone sues me for using so many references, lemme be clear: Faust, Theisson, Hasbro. Thank them.

Welcome to the final act of the story. For those who have forgotten, we last left the tale on the third interlude, where Rainbow Dash apologized to Spitfire in the latter’s home. We learned the source of the showmare’s pain, and despite not getting a perfect ending, Rainbow Dash left happier.

Which now brings us back to the plot. The Royal Sisters, back home, are using every resource to track down Alucard before he makes a move. Little do they know how active he already is. We begin!

ACT III - The Prestige
Chapter thirteen: Seed of Darkness

Autumn had begun.

It had been seven days since a certain dark orb of magic first assaulted Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. Five days since Rainbow Dash was found huddled in a cave on the far edge of Everfree. Two days since Luna’s encounter with a powerful stallion left her with a crippled wing. One day since Rainbow Dash sought out Spitfire for the final time.

Canterlot moved with a buzzing activity. It was a sense that hummed through everypony, including the refugees from Ponyville. Those who could were busying themselves with the odd task or hobby, while those with nothing else to do simply waited for the call to return home. But all of them easily noticed how quickly the Royal Guard moved about the palace, most of them either carrying out an order or standing like a statue with eyes of a hawk. When one of them went to report or had just left with an assignment, they wasted little time - ponies in their way were quickly pushed aside.

It was late in the morning.

Princess Luna rested her head against her night-blue bed. She sat aside from it, her left pressing on the comforter, while her right side remained exposed to two sets of careful eyes. This had been the third time since returning that Celestia had brought the best doctor in the city to her sister’s personal chambers, where she could carefully watch as the splint and bandages on the injured wing were replaced.

This was simply tiresome. Luna knew, of course, how important it was to exchange her wrappings. What drew Luna’s ire wasn’t the doctor visiting her room at Celestia’s behest. Rather, it was how Celestia insisted on doing everything herself, including raising and lowering the moon, while Luna recovered. So worried was she over her little sister, she was denying Luna her royal duty, her right, her greatest pride.

Out of respect to her sister, however, Luna had remained silent on the matter. But the cost of her silence - her mounting perturbation - was growing a little too heavy. She was still a Princess of Canterlot, and manipulating the moon was something she enjoyed. It wouldn’t hurt to ask Celestia about it, surely.

The white bandages suddenly tightened to a snug fit. “All set,” the doctor eventually said. His unicorn horn faded as his magic was dispelled, but not before he recovered the various tools he had brought along. “I’m sure I don’t need to keep saying this, but remember to leave your wing as alone as possible, Your Highness. Such a compound fracture takes time to heal.”

Luna nodded. “I’m aware, thank you.”

Celestia leaned forward. “Sister, are you in any pain?”

“A little. Like a knife pricking my spine.” She rolled her back experimentally, and was rewarded with a hot burst of pain lancing through her. She was lying about how little there was - there was no prick, only a stab.

“I’ll leave some medicine for you,” the doctor stated. “Something a little stronger than recommended, but I feel it’s necessary for you, Princess.”

Luna nodded, but said nothing, opting instead to close her eyes. Sensing that he was staying past his welcome, the unicorn doctor stood up, his bag held aloft magically, and made his way to the door leading out. Using his magic, he pulled out a bottle with a clear liquid inside - the not-quite-recommended medicine he had mentioned - and set it on a nearby table. Celestia walked next to him.

“Thank you for all you’ve done,” she offered, opening the door for him with an outstretched wing.

The doctor nodded modestly. “It’s my pleasure, Highness, I assure you. Will you need anything before I return to my clinic?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

He bowed, his bag tilting to match his movement. “Send for me with anything you need.” With a polite smile, he departed, and Celestia allowed the door to swing close after him. Before long, she gently walked back to Luna, sitting next to her quietly.

“How much pain are you really in?”

Luna smirked. Celestia had always seen through her lies. “It waxes and wanes.”

A golden corona enveloped the bottle that the doctor left behind. With a precision that came from centuries of mastery, Celestia uncorked the container and magically coaxed a small amount of the liquid into the air. She floated the medicine to Luna, who managed to catch a whiff of it. Her snout recoiled.

“You’re not going to make me drink that, are you?”

Celestia merely laughed, and her sister opened her mouth, allowing the vile liquid to enter. As soon as the medicine touched her tongue, she swallowed. A moment passed before she coughed. Luna’s face was contorted in disgust.

“I can see why it’s not recommended,” she jested. “I might as well be drinking mud.”

“It can’t be that bad, surely?”

“It’s sticking to the roof of my mouth,” Luna deadpanned.

Celestia laughed again, gently re-corking the bottle and returning it to the table. The two sat in silence for a while, the elder sister gently stroking the magical mane of the younger. The soft sound of their breathing only brought into sharper focus the cost of Luna’s silence. She sighed, about to speak, but was interrupted by Celestia talking first.

“I have teams scouring the Everfree Forest in search of the stallion who did this to you,” she said. “The first team should be reporting back within the hour.”

“That’s good to hear,” Luna replied. “Do you suppose they will find him?”

“You let me worry about Alucard, dear sister. I want you to focus on recovering.”

With a grunt, the moon regent brought her head to bear. “You can’t just keep me protected, Tia. There must be something that I can do, as well.”

“You’ve done enough,” Celestia crooned, offering a gentle smile that only Luna would see. “You helped in Ponyville far more than you should have, and you personally saw to curing Rainbow Dash of her condition. What’s more, you saved a pony’s life. You saved Twilight.”

“I did exactly what was expected of me,” came the reply, rife with shame. “He planned out my every move. Alucard sent his magic against Ponyville just to lure me out. Just to get me alone.”

“Sister-”

“I should have guessed, I should have seen that something was amiss,” she continued. “His entire plan with assaulting the town was just made to be investigated. He pulled me along, insulted me, and left me with...with this!”

Luna angrily swept her foreleg in the direction of her injured wing, immediately getting a stab of pain for her troubles. She grimaced, both to the burning and her anger.

“I was such a foal.”

“You were not,” Celestia calmly began, leaning in to nuzzle her sister. “You were merely tricked. We all were.”

Luna huffed. “And that’s what infuriates me the most. He was so easily able to fool us all. We were all so easily baited. Why did we not consider him in the first place?”

“You know why. It’s because we didn’t even know he was involved. All we had was what we knew of the magic and what had happened to Rainbow Dash. It’s not your fault.”

“Couldn’t we have prepared better?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” There was a hint of steel in Celestia’s tone. She, too, was insulted by the dark stallion. “The damage is done, and it’s only a matter of time before we find Alucard and bring him to justice.”

“Good. I want to be there when we pass judgment.” Luna was angry, but she was forced to stifle a yawn. The medicine was working faster than she cared. “I want to make sure a...fitting end is met.”

Celestia gave a warm smile at her sister’s actions. “You let me worry about him, dear sister.”

“There has to be...more I can do.”

“You’ve done more than enough, Luna. Let me be the princess for now. You just focus on being my little sister, and let me take care of you.” The Sun Regent stood up, helping her little sister on her bed. Luna rested on the comforter, not even bothering to get beneath the blankets, taking great care to keep her right wing held aloft.

“Will you let...let me raise the moon tonight, Tia?”

Celestia’s smile faltered. Despite how much she loved her sister, she sorely wished that Luna would focus on recovering. The whole reason Celestia had assumed responsibility for the moon again was so Luna wouldn’t need to concern herself with it.

“We’ll see, sister. We’ll see.”

The moon princess opened her mouth again as though to speak, but emitted only a gentle sigh. She was finally eased into sleep, her head going limp on her night-blue pillows.

Celestia gently ran a hoof along her beloved sister’s foreleg, wishing her only the best of recoveries. When the moment passed, the once-again sole ruler of Equestria turned and walked briskly toward the door. She stepped out into the hallway, nodded to two guards who were stationed there, and made her way down the stairs to the palace proper.

---

The activity that was before Celestia was akin to a vortex - any number of Royal Guards galloped to and fro, carrying out orders and seeing to crucial tasks. Normally, mornings in Canterlot were not so hectic, though the palace was often the exception. Despite the massive increase in activity, the way for the Sun Princess was instantly made clear, the vortex splitting down the middle and accepting her into its maw.

Her eyes darted from one guard to the next, taking stock of their urgency. She recognized them all, but none were the ones she sought. She had been telling the truth when she said her first search party should be reporting back, and the sooner she had news, the sooner she could act. And while each guard pony she saw moved with haste, none of them moved toward her, which meant none of them had updates.

She continued moving through the palace, eventually turning the corner to enter the hallways just outside her throne room. This was one place that seemed at-odds with the rest of the city - there was a score of battle-ready Royal Guards stationed outside the regal doors, but none of them moved, save for their eyes and ears. As before, Celestia instantly recognized them. These brave soldiers were members of her personal guard, those who would stand before a torrential storm without question if only to shield her from the rain. It had been she who had assigned them here, and it served two purposes: one was to give a sense that Celestia was in the room, but unable to speak to the citizens. A sense of security and normalcy. The other was much the same as the first - to give a sense that Celestia was in the room, and thus bait a possible assault by Alucard on the room.

It was a long shot of a strategy, but Celestia had faith in her personal guard. And besides, since Alucard had baited her sister so easily, what better way to humiliate him than with the same ploy? Diversion, distraction, deceit.

Celestia did not stop, but did take a moment to pass her eyes over the face of each guard. They gazed back, a glint behind their eyes marking their only greeting. Not a single one of them chose to bow or nod. They all knew, as she did, that this was a time of crisis, and it would do well to abandon the status quo.

She turned her gaze forward again, and saw a pleasing sight. Finally, after several minutes of walking the halls, she came upon a pair of earth pony guards who were walking toward her. They were two from the scouting party she had sent into the Everfree Forest, finally come to report their findings - or lack thereof, as it turned out.

She reached them a few yards beyond the throne room doors, where they stopped for a moment to bow. “Report,” she commanded.

One of the guards couldn’t hold back a wince. If there was one thing he missed, it was how kind and gentle his Majesty had been before her sister was attacked. Celestia had been sharp and concise for over a day now, and it made the guard miss the more peaceful ruler to whom he had sworn fealty.

Regardless, the pair of guards rose as one, and the elder snapped off the bad news. “Our initial search did not turn up any signs of the alicorn, Your Highness. All we found were tracks left by the wildlife and the hut of Zecora the zebra.”

Celestia nodded grimly. She had expected as much. “What of the fliers? The pegasi?”

“Our pegasi did not find any traces of him having hidden in the trees, nor were there any remnants of a cloud shelter built over the forest. I apologize, Princess, it seems as though Alucard has effectively hidden his trail.”

The sun regent frowned. ‘Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple.’ “So be it. Is the second search underway?”

“Fully, Your Highness,” the younger guard replied.

“Then delegate to the third and fourth search groups to convene into a larger team, and begin sweeping the forest from the back to the front. Tell them they are to begin with the hills. After which, you and your squad are to return to normal duty.”

Without waiting a beat, the pair of guards turned and trotted down the way that had come. However, they did not get far.

For a pony with Celestia’s power, the innate ability to sense magic was far stronger than the average unicorn. Even one with raw ability - Twilight Sparkle, for example - could only feel a fraction of what Celestia would feel. As it was, the regal alicorn was able to place the use of magic within an instant of it being conjured. Effectively, she could feel magic just after it was tapped yet just before it was put to a dedicated spell.

However, that’s assuming the one casting the magic had the powers of a unicorn, and not the unmatched ability that was inborn of an alicorn. So when a streak of electric black magic shot down from the ceiling and hit the ground mere inches in front of the two departing guards, Celestia wasn’t able to sense it until the sound reached her ears. Whoever had fired the attack had spent some time to contain the aura of the magic, effectively dampening Celestia’s ability to sense it.

The attack itself lasted only a heartbeat, and the resulting sound of cracking air drew the eyes of everypony in the room, including the contingent of Celestia’s personal guard behind her. Resembling a black bolt of lightning, the magic contacted the marble floors and spewed residual power randomly, much like how a splash in a puddle would send water flying. The sudden appearance of the attack caused the two guards to jump back, their nerves going taut.

As the sound of the crack rent the air, Celestia was able to pick up on the spell. It came as a surprise, and she wasted a moment wondering what had happened, before she followed the trail of ethereal magic to the origin. Before she saw the caster, she identified the magic. It was the same type as what she had seen in Ponyville.

Her gaze turned upward as she used her magical senses to trace the attack back. Not that she needed to, as the perpetrator was not taking any measures to conceal himself. He stared down from the rafters of the hallway, red eyes dancing with amusement. He was lying casually, resting on his haunches, his horn fading with the recent attack.

It was no longer necessary for Alucard to be found, because he had found her. Below him, Celestia glowered. ‘Of course, it would be that simple,’ she had thought. A thought that Alucard, with his telepathy magic, so easily read.

The alicorns of white and black stared at each other, one with disdain and one with a smirk. “I think,” he spoke, flicking his gaze to the younger of the departing guards, “you may have hurt that one’s feelings.”

The world seemed to wake up at the sentence, and the entire score of battle-ready guards rushed to Celestia’s side. The guards either spread wings, called on magic, or rapped the ground with their hooves. They were prepared to fight. They were ready to die.

Celestia, however, wasn’t prepared to have deaths on her conscience, and so extended both wings to block their view of the dark stallion.

Above, Alucard gave a light laugh. “Are you protecting everypony? How considerate of y-”

His sentence was cut off by the sudden need to move away, because a sun-bright lance of magic was arcing toward him at literally a blinding speed. He rolled and fell, hearing the crack of splintering wood where he had lay not two seconds ago. With a spread of his own wings, he slowed his descent and gently landed in front of Celestia, her personal guard, and the two he had terrified.

With a mild huff, he turned and faced Celestia, now at eye-level, and noticed the fading shine of her own magic. She had responded to his attack with one of her own. While Alucard wasn’t surprised, he hadn’t been expecting the attack so soon, and so was annoyed.

“What’s this, then?” he called. “Aren’t you going to ask me the questions that plague your mind? Find out what I have planned for you and yours?”

Celestia only spread her wings further, making herself appear as enraged as she felt. “You’ve come to my land inciting death. You’ve assaulted innocents. You’ve attacked my own sister and left her humiliated.” She stepped forward, walking between the two guards until she blocked them from Alucard’s gaze as well. Her guard now stood watching from her flank, and it was there she intended to keep them.

“You and I will have time to talk when you’re locked in the dungeons. But for now,” she growled, her exposed anger flickering behind her eyes, “we’re beyond words.”

Alucard lifted an eyebrow, both surprised and pleased at the turn of events. Sure, he had wanted to gloat like he had done with Luna, but if the elder sister wanted to expedite her own defeat, then he was only too happy to oblige. He squared his shoulders, spread his wings to match hers, and called on his magic once more. Celestia silently mirrored the action, and both their horns were awash in fields of magic, one golden and one electric-black.

“My storm has come, as promised,” he prompted. His trademark smile creeped on his lips. “Your move.”

---

The fortunate few who bore witness to what happened next were divided among those who retained their faith and those who had lost it. Regardless of how wild and fantastic their descriptions of the ensuing action were, there remained many solid facts found in each telling. The following is what was gathered from over a hundred accounts, ranging from the traumatic and cryptic to the exaggerated and proven.

Celestia attacked first, sending forth a bright volley of magical arrows that arced directly at Alucard. She had empowered them, imagining each arrow to the finest detail, including the odd scratch in the head or notch in the shaft. And when she imagined them, they were so.

Naturally, Alucard wasn’t about to let her have a victory so easily. He cried out, overpowering the magic in his horn, while at the same time flapping his wings forward. The result was a crackling wave of shield magic, the exact kind used by Twilight Sparkle against his dark orb seven days prior. But instead of stopping the arrows, the wave of magic passed over them, and they faded from existence before they touched his coat. He had altered the shield spell with his siphon magic, a talent of which he was proud.

But he let his pride get the better of him. Celestia had been expecting such a move, and had fired off a second attack, much more powerful and direct than the arrows before. A solid streak of sun-white magic, thick as a barrel’s width, which speared through the center of his magic and disabled it entirely. The speed of the attack made the arrows look like leaves caught in a wind, and Alucard was admittedly taken by surprise.

Diversion.

Thinking fast, he curled one wing in front of him, adding a layer of Luna’s shield spell. It was effective against Celestia’s attack, but the sheer force of the spell sent him careening down the hall and into a far wall. He grunted, the wind blowing out of him, as the residual magics of both spells dissipated around him. When the presence of the white-gold streak finally faded, he shook his head and recovered, now staring at his enemy with a little more caution and a lot less haughtiness.

Celestia stared back, her features cut from stone. Centuries of rule had given her the best poker face in the kingdom, even when it came to facing down those who wished her harm. She held.

The guards at her flank moved forward, hoping to take this opportunity to arrest the dark stallion. But their princess halted their advance with a gentle shake of her head. She knew that this wasn’t over, and the worst was yet to come. She and Alucard had merely tested each other, tried each other’s commitment and strength, and now there were a few less surprises to be had.

She eyed her personal guard, a hidden plan flashing behind her eyes. They nodded wordlessly.

Choosing not to speak – a break in habit, as it turned out – Alucard regained his focus and fired off a new spell. It flew through the air like a rippling rope, striking one of Celestia’s wings while her attention was diverted. The spell immediately changed, taking the form of a heavy chain, which wrapped around her wing and then latched onto the ground.

The sudden tug of being held came as a small shock, and Celestia flicked her gaze from Alucard to the grey-black chain of magic. He smirked, certain that he would have an easier time of this as long as he kept things from going aerial. Not that he didn’t enjoy fighting in flight; it was merely a hassle to keep eyes on everything, including what was below him.

“Gotcha,” he called. “Why don’t you just stay put and let me make this quick?”

Celestia gazed on him hard for a moment, then moved quickly. She called on her magic, funneling it down to her forelegs. When enough had built up, she slammed both hooves on the ground, spreading her spell. The displaced magic hit the ground, rotated, and began to grow, sending waves of golden power swirling around her.

Every inch of her body was graced with the spell, including her captured wing. Her magic worked against the dark chain, disintegrating it link by link. The field of her spell expanded further, destroying the remaining links that were holding fast to the floor, then faded from view.

The spell was a shockwave, and it had lasted only a few precious seconds, but Alucard was nonetheless impressed by it. So impressed, in fact, that he did not have a condescending remark. Rather, he spoke with respect in his tone, though he would never admit it.

“That’s a new one,” he said, starting to walk toward Celestia again. “Very useful in a tight situation. I wonder why dear Luna chose to ignore it?”

The sun regent didn’t speak, but the comment made a thought bubble into her mind. Once it rose, Alucard tapped his telepathy magic, opened her mind, and read the thoughts as easily as words on a scroll. “I see. You never taught her how to do it.”

“Luna was busy with other matters,” she responded, deciding it would be fruitless to try and hide her thoughts, which moved faster than she.

“Indeed.” Alucard shifted, breathing deeply. His eyes flashed, as well as his horn, bring into existence three small spheres, held together by a length of white power. Celestia recognized them as the three orbs Luna had described, the three that had so easily left her powerless.

It was an unknowable divine; Alucard’s magic-stealing siphon spell. He glared hungrily at the sun princess. “I wonder how that spell is done?” he called.

Celestia lowered her head, pouring more power into her horn. It glowed to a brilliant white, blending in perfectly with her coat. “Trade secret.”

The dark stallion spat. “Nothing is secret from me.” He broke into a full gallop, flapping his wings for speed. Before long, he was mere feet away from the princess, eager to latch on one of his spheres and learn what he wanted.

Celestia made her move, leaping into the air with intentional flourish. Alucard’s gaze followed her ascent, but he did not stop his run - and, in doing so, didn’t see that he was now in the direct path of Celestia’s personal guard.

Distraction.

An assortment of different stun and capture spells were fired upon Alucard, many of which merely fizzled and failed against his dark coat. Some of the earth ponies met the alicorn’s charge with their own, throwing themselves against his limbs, wings, neck, and wherever else they could grasp. The pegasi took off and swooped low, barely passing over his head, but making sure to buck their hind legs against him as hard as they could manage.

The sudden assault - and indeed the ponies underhoof - caused Alucard to trip, and he fell to the ground for the second time in as many minutes. His momentum caused him to slide an extra yard, but he had a vengeful spell ready when he had finally coasted to a halt. He eyed one royal guard, who was trying to wrap Alucard’s hind leg in a pincer hold (later decided to be a useless move given the size difference), and decided that it was time for blood to be spilled.

Alucard never got that chance. Celestia had seen the coming attack, and had swooped down and gathered the lone guard a mere heartbeat before the dark stallion’s attack fired. A thick black bolt of magic spewed from his horn, rent the air, and burned away rafters above and nothing else. By the time Alucard saw that his target wasn’t there, a small shower of the smoldering ceiling fell on his body. Now scowling, he leapt to his hooves, throwing his gaze around.

Celestia was in the air, gently hovering above her contingent of guards. Her personal guard, the two who had arrived, and the Sun Princess herself - twenty-three sets of eyes all glaring at him with unwavering contempt. And yet, around them, the sounds of galloping echoed. Nearby guards had heard the magical blasts and were coming to investigate. Alucard was supremely confident in his ability, but he wasn’t stupid. Even he couldn’t stand under the might of the Equestrian Royal Military. Not as he was.

So he took to the air as well, leaping toward his target with a cry of anger. He commanded one of his three spheres forward, and it sped toward Celestia. She dipped, twisted, and flew further along the hallways, leading Alucard and his magic in a chase.

The two alicorns flew faster than most ponies thought possible, navigating the corners with expert accuracy. They were blurs in the palace, streaks of white and black. Yet the sun regent did not navigate too far - she kept her course within the area of the throne room.

Alucard was starting to feel better. The mere fact that Celestia was fleeing meant that she was scared of his spell, and of what it would no doubt do to her. His magic was inching closer, and he felt a surge of victory overcome him. Nopony could best his spell.

Celestia rounded the corner to the throne room entrance one more time, and that’s when she made her move. With a twist of her wings, she dipped to one side, where she then flared her wings in order to stop her movement. The magic sped past her, mere inches from her cheek. Finally, baring her teeth, she spun mid-air, bringing one of her hind legs around in a tight arc. When her hoof came around, Alucard was directly in its path.

She kicked him with the force of a cannon, earning a satisfying smack from his forehead. Using her momentum, she brought her second leg around to follow up, and hit him again even harder than before. The strength was enough to push him violently into the doors, which rocked in their hinges but did not open. He opened his eyes in time to see a growing radiance speeding toward him, and then he felt an incredible burning all around him as Celestia finally struck him with her magic.

The force of her attack pinned him against the doors. She fed a powerful surge into her beam, which slammed against Alucard with the force of a train. The force moved through him to the doors, where they burst open into the throne room beyond. They crashed against the walls with a resounding boom, and the echoes alerted everyone in the palace that something was wrong.

Alucard’s siphon spell was indeed powerful, but it was useless against a pony who fought physically.

Deceit.

Alucard knew he was shouting in pain, but he was so stunned by the turn of events that he barely had time to process what was happening. It wasn’t until he slammed on the hard tile of the throne room that he realized he was being outmatched. His target, his prey, Celestia - she was proving to be a capable defender and a brilliant mind, and he harbored no illusions that she was a ruler who had earned Equestria.

He hit the ground very hard, forcing his siphon magic to break - his two remaining spheres dissolved into the air. He rolled along the floor, finally coming to a stop lying on his side. There was a deep burning in his head from Celestia’s kick, and he had no doubt that he would be sore in the morning.

With a shake of his head, Alucard managed to open his eyes. Before him, Celestia was slowly walking up, her wings outstretched and her horn alight. He saw her eyes flash and her magic flare, and a corner of his mind registered a sense of familiarity. And a moment later, he saw why.

Rippling lines of white magic flew to him and struck him along his wings, legs, and neck. Upon contact, each set of lines transformed into magical ropes, which wrapped around him and tied themselves off on the floor. It was the same spell he had used to trap Celestia a few short minutes ago, albeit with a gentler appearance. Assuming, of course, a rope tied about his neck was a gentle image.

He uttered a strangled gasp of surprise. He didn’t struggle, already seeing that the ropes were pulled taut. In that instant, he knew why he had felt the sense of familiarity. Alucard moved his gaze from the ropes that held him down to the one who had cast them.

“I created that spell myself.”

Celestia said nothing, merely staring down on him like he were plagued.

The dark alicorn’s horn flashed once, and he probed her mind in a heartbeat. His eyes widened with what he saw, but after a moment, a smile grew on his lips. “Ahh,” he began, understanding settling over him. “How long have you known?”

Celestia’s response was pulling four of the ropes tighter, bringing his four legs closer together. The rope around his neck remained tense, but did not tighten.

“Even you want to tell me, don’t deny it. How long have you known how to st-”

The rope about his neck tightened, just enough to cut off his words. He glared at her, more angry than scared.

Alucard knew that Celestia did not intend to kill him. Such acts were below her and her kingdom. The real reason she had pulled on the rope was to keep the others in the throne room from hearing. To keep her personal guard, the two who had come from earlier, all the new arrivals from the hallway patrols, and the several dozen who occupied the throne room itself - from hearing.

The dark stallion grinned sadistically through his predicament. “So the mighty Celestia keeps skeletons in her closet.”

“Hardly,” she whispered, closing the distance between them. “I just needed to look where Luna would not.”

“But you could not have just learned this recently! Especially not with how busy you’ve been, dealing with everything I’ve brought.” He jerked forward, his neck bulging against the hold of the rope. The red eyes were wild, giving him a demented look. “You’ve known for years. Centuries. You’ve kept this secret from everyone you trust.”

“They didn’t need to know. They still don’t.”

“You don’t deserve their trust, then!” He shouted, earning a tightening of the ropes. His words cut off with a strangled noise, but he continued. “What will they do when they find out? What will you do? When your world topples at the foundations of your secrets, what will you do?”

“Silence,” she commanded, yanking each of the ropes to completely bind Alucard to the floor. His head was pulled flat, his wings outward, and his legs extended - to all the world, his defeat was displayed. “You would dare question me and my actions? You don’t even know what my reasons were. All I’ve done, I’ve done for my country.”

Alucard kept one eye open, the red piercing and defiant. “Is that what you told yourself when you banished your sister and denied her a thousand years of her life?”

Celestia glared down on him, unhindered memories flashing behind her eyes. “Yes.”

For a tense moment, neither alicorn spoke. Celestia’s guards slowly surrounded them, all eyeing the captured criminal warily. Some unicorns powered up their arresting spells, coordinating their magic to make a powerful cast. But they hesitated - having seen the battle between the two, they all knew what Alucard was capable of, and each of them wanted to keep their princess nearby as protection.

Everypony had their focus fixed on Alucard. And Alucard knew it. He couldn’t possibly move without inciting a reaction from the dozens of trained guards around him, not to mention the alicorn he had named enemy. All eyes were on him, and he knew it.

‘Perfect.’

“Alucard, you have committed crimes against the crown of Equestria, most notably the assault of both Royal Sisters,” Celestia called, loud enough for everypony in the throne room to hear. “For the protection of my people, you will have your magic blocked and your wings held down, and you will be imprisoned until such time as we can arrange a proper trial for other crimes you may have committed.”

Alucard rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed. He grinned. “Trial? Hmph. You already think I’m guilty, so why bother?”

“Because I’m not like you,” the white alicorn replied. “I don’t enact judgement without knowing the motive. I intend on learning why you’ve done all this, as well as what else you may have done.”

“You want to...know my reasons?” He gave a dry chuckle, an unpleasant sound by all accounts. With a struggle, he pulled his head off the cold floor - every guard in the room visibly tensed. “Let me ask you something, then.”

“You’re in no position to be making requests.”

“Oh, it’s not a request - although I suppose I could ask you all to disappear. But I doubt you’ll be too keen on that.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. Something didn’t feel right - she had Alucard beaten, trapped and surrounded, and he spoke as though victory were his. There was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes shone with hidden thoughts. Why would he be so jubilant with his own capture?

‘Unless...did he plan this?’

Alucard’s smile widened. He knew. “Princess, tell me...where does a pony’s honor lay?”

And in an instant, Celestia realized what she had overlooked. She had captured Alucard, and her guard surrounded him. Everypony’s focus was revolving around the stallion. His earlier spell had broken, forcing the two spheres he had conjured to fade into the nether. But what about the first sphere, the one had had launched during their flight?

As Alucard’s question left his lips, Celestia felt two things, one after the other. The first was a heavy sense of dread, and the second was a physical blow to the back of her head, strong enough to make her take a step forward. She cried out, more in shock than pain, and then a third feeling skewered her. A feeling of intense heat at the top of her spine, crawling around her neck and up her head, like a line of spiders made of fire. The heat continued until it reached the base of her horn, and there the heat intensified to incredible levels. She might as well have set her forehead on fire.

Pain started, but she had one last fleeting thought before it arrived in earnest. She realized that Alucard had, in fact, planned this. Even planned his own defeat during their battle. He wanted her to think that she held the victory, and had wanted as many ponies as possible to focus on him. Him alone, and not what he had left behind.

Diversion. Distraction. Deceit.

Celestia had been played for a fool.

The pain began, and it shot through every thought Celestia had. The final sphere, which she had dodged earlier, had struck her from behind and was now completely covering her horn. Vibrating lines shot out from the spell and dug into her forehead, each one like a million needles being twisted in her skin. The dark magic had severed her connection to the ropes, which all faded away from her prisoner.

Alucard spent one moment to smirk and enjoy the sight of Celestia struggling, then he rolled to his hooves. As he rose, he poured his magic into the air, releasing an explosion of power. The nearby guards, who were staring transfixed at their princess’ plight, were blown back by the force of his magic. Many flew backward into others, effectively dismantling their ring around the dark alicorn. He released a second magic blast for good measure.

He turned and drank in the sight. Celestia was fighting the spell, but it was clearly a struggle - one eye was clenched shut and her mouth was twisted into some malformed opening. She grunted as the pain hit her again and again, but to her merit she did not scream as her sister had.

The sun regent was furious. She decided to forego any attempts to dislodge the magic, instead focusing on Alucard. She swiped her hooves and stabbed with her horn, trying to bring him to his knees, but only succeeded in making a spectacle of herself. Alucard dodged each of her attacks, back-stepping and weaving side to side as each swing was swung.

After a few seconds which may as well have been hours, Alucard leapt into the air and called back his spell. The darkness surrounding Celestia’s horn withdrew, formed a sphere again, and floated lazily back to its master. When it reached his horn, it rippled and dissolved, the power contained within becoming absorbed by the alicorn of darkness.

Each piece of knowledge and every hidden secret found a place within him, and as soon as he registered something, he knew it as though he had experienced it himself. Spells, lies, memories, plans - he knew everything the sphere could hold, which was doubtless only a fraction of what Celestia’s mind could offer. Every bit of information found a place in his mind, and his eyes flashed with sadistic euphoria. But there was one specific knowledge he sought, the purpose he had given to his spell.

For a moment which went unseen, Alucard’s smile faltered, only to be replaced with one more knowing. He had found what he was looking for. ‘So that’s it...that’s how it’s done.’

Celestia, now free from the incredible burning, shook her head to regain her thoughts. Her eyes shot toward the alicorn she was now growing to despise. Without waiting for him to prepare, she gathered every bit of magic she could muster, which thankfully was a plentiful reserve despite Alucard’s spell. Her horn glowed brighter than ever, spreading a hot radiance around the entire throne room. Everypony nearby could feel their coats tingle and their manes stand on-end as the ambient energy in the air spiked to new levels. A very distinct escape response was felt by the guards who still stood, but their duty held their hooves firmly to the ground.

Then, in an instant, every thread of energy was drawn into Celestia’s horn. A magnificent beam of sunlight launched from the forefront of her mind, aimed directly at Alucard’s heart. As the magic was given purpose, Celestia was forced to brace herself, spreading her wings and widening her stance to keep herself from falling. The flash of the attack temporarily blinded any foolish enough to look at it. The beam, wide as a chariot and hot as the sun, crossed the distance to Alucard in under a heartbeat.

Through some grace of instinct, Alucard called on his ill-gotten shield magic once more, pouring more power into it than he had previously dared. He curled his wing in front of him, wrapping his spell around it as before. No sooner had his spell completed did the attack against him connect. Sun-white power collided against night-blue magic, and jolts of both colors flew as though an electrical cord had been severed. Sparks and fragments of both spells broke off and struck nearby walls and the floor, scorching the decorations on either.

Giving in to her mounting fury, Celestia pumped an additional surge of magic into her attack, and the resulting power doubled the size of her beam. The force of her attack pushed Alucard back, pinned him against the ceiling, and then out the other side as her spell burned a hole in the throne room roof. He was carried into the air nearly a mile before he was able to break off.

He pushed with his shield-enhanced wing, rolling to the side of Celestia’s magical beam. When he was out of the way, the attack sped forth unhindered. The air resounded with the roar of the magic, and temporal winds swept his mane as he fell parallel to it. Her magic flew an unmeasured distance before finally fading into the sunlit sky. Alucard let himself fall for a few meters before recovering, flapping his wings for control. The force of the attack had not broken through his shield, and the worse he had suffered were burned retinas, which were quickly recovering.

Alucard blinked the field of white from his eyes, speeding up the recovery of his vision. He gazed down on Canterlot, taking in all its splendor and fame, and how everything had stopped to gaze toward the palace. Clearly, the cacophony of Celestia’s spell had gained the full attention of Canterlot’s ponies, and now their gazes were trained on him. He looked around, spotting the various shops, houses, cafés, and every resident who looked skyward.

Back in the throne room, Celestia stared at him with eyes filled with contempt. Earlier, she had been able to overcome his shield spell with a fraction of the power she had just used. Alucard had been stringing her along back in the hallways, but this resolve she had just seen was his true power. He was still playing with her, insulting her with his every move.

Celestia decided, then and there, that she truly didn’t care what Alucard’s reasons were. She would see him banished before she heard his motive. With her new thought in mind, she took to the air, speeding out the hole in her roof with ease.

The flash of the sun off her mane brought Alucard’s attention to her. He stared down, almost amused, as she raced toward him.

‘Finally,’ he thought. ‘Finally time. Great Princess of the Sun, it’s finally time to relinquish your throne.’

His horn flashed, then began to glow.

Celestia bore down on him with the speed of a train, firing volleys of magical arrows along the way. Her target ducked and weaved, simply moving aside from the arrows’ trajectory, then finally dived when Celestia came too close. She chased him through the airspace, sending volley after volley, each time missing by meters. And every meter off-target was another insult to her.

With a screech, she fired off another beam of magic, which Alucard calmly dodged. He flew beneath her now, his back to the city, his red eyes gazing up at her like sharpened steel. She halted her attacks, returning his gaze with her own glare, wanting to take in every detail of his face before she showed him what happened to those who threatened her home. She studied his eyes, his mouth, his horn, his rippling magic-infused mane, the shadows moving across his body...

Celestia blinked. She considered him again, noticing that there were indeed shadows moving across his body - the shadows cast by his horn and wings. Down in the city, she noticed how the shadows cast by the buildings and ponies were moving, as well.

‘But that doesn’t make sense,’ she wondered. ‘My sun doesn’t move fast enough to make the shadows spread that quickly...’

Alucard had his mind in her thoughts, and he slowly began to chuckle. Quietly, at first, so that he was barely audible. He wanted it that way, because when the screams of abject horror came from the city, he wanted Celestia to hear every scream. And come they did - cries and shrieks rose from the capital, each one as unique as the criers and shriekers, each one borne of a different pony who was staring, stunned, at the sky. At the sun.

Celestia turned, bringing her eyes to the sky, just like everypony else. And there she saw. She saw.

The sun was moving across the sky.

The color in Celestia’s face vanished, reduced to a sickly pallor. ‘This cannot be!’ She focused her magic, reaching out toward the magnificent orb. But as she made to grasp it, she was denied - her magic was pushed away, and she could not manage a solid connection. She reached again, and was met with the same result. Some foreign power was forcing her grip away, denying her inborn gift.

Behind her, the sound of laughter rose to equal that of the cries. Alucard called up to her, his voice absolutely filled with victory.

“Just what did you think I had taken from you, princess?!?”

He pumped his wings and rose to her level, flying around her because she had not torn her gaze away from her sun. He chuckled more, obviously enjoying this.

“Arrogant, selfish sun princess. What prize do you hold dearest? What power do you claim your own? What gifts have you held so close to heart, that you did not see them taken from under your eyes?” he hissed.

Alucard continued to orbit her, taunting her with his very presence, much like he had done to her sister so recently. “And what of dear Luna? What talent does she hold in highest pride, held so high that she cannot see the ground? What is the one act she truly enjoys, that you have denied her for two nights?”

He stopped his moving, this time putting his back to the horizon. Celestia’s eyes turned in his direction, and she immediately saw what was wrong. Behind him, a solid grey mass steadily rose, moving with a purpose given by a thief.

The moon, Luna’s moon, was racing toward the sun. Both celestial bodies were moving toward each other.

“What talents and prides have the two of you shared? What gifts have made you two rulers over this shining land? And what will you do, dear princess, when you can no longer claim such gifts?”

Something broke inside Celestia, and her eyes - narrow in her sheer disbelief - trained on him. She said nothing, but unlike before, it wasn’t because she chose so. This time, she truly was speechless.

But she was not without action. Moving purely on instinct, abandoning all thought, she poured every fragment of magic she still held, weaving them into a narrow point at the tip of her horn. She looked at Alucard, fixing her gaze on his heart for the second time.

His grin didn’t falter. He didn’t feel fear. In fact, he only smiled wider and spoke clear so she could easily hear him. “You wouldn’t kill an innocent, would you?”

The question gave Celestia pause. Which gave Alucard an opportunity.

He kicked Celestia squarely in her jaw, breaking off her magic and causing her to falter in the air. By the time she recovered, Alucard was high above her and rising, and his horn was giving off a flash of power. Immediately between them, arcing toward her at impossible speed, was a bolt of black lightning. It struck her at the base of her horn, sending white-hot flashes of pure agony coursing through her.

Her scream of absolute pain was unique that day, and the sound remained with those who heard it for the rest of their lives. But she didn’t die; Alucard had no intention of killing her. The lightning was meant only to cause her pain. As the feeling of fire pulsed in her nerves, Celestia fell through the sky, striking the roof of the throne room and toppling head-over-tail through the hole she had made. Only when she struck the unforgiving floor did her scream end, and even then only due to her breath giving out.

In the air, Alucard was experiencing a high unlike any other - his plan of four aggravating years had gone off perfectly, and now he was about to do something that nopony in Equestria had ever done, because nopony in Equestria was capable of it. He arced his head back, closing his eyes as he savored the euphoria of his victory.

The edges of the sun and moon met, and the latter began to overshadow the former. Alucard was creating an eclipse directly above Equestria. The cries of shock and terror rose up once more, now tinged with an undertone of despair. It was horrifying. It was musical.

A number of Celestia’s guards rushed to her side, intent on helping her to stand, but she couldn’t rise farther than her haunches. She fought to stay conscious, and fought another battle to keep from vomiting. The attack against her had completely overwhelmed her system, and she was reduced to her sight and nothing more.

Rushes of wind blew past her face, and her eyes flew open to the glimmer of golden armor, the waving of tails, and a few dislodged feathers as four of her pegasi guards too flight. She screamed at them, ordering them to return, but her words were harsh and dry. Unable to fight, fly, or even move, Celestia was forced to remain still and watch as her brave guards attempted to do what she could not.

Flashes of black lightning rent the air. Cries rose up and faded. Four fearless pegasi dropped like stones.

The members of her personal guard were ready to die for her, Celestia knew that. But she wasn’t ready for them to die. Her heart wrenched as the white bodies plummeted to Canterlot, to the city they served, to the white and the gold and the stone and the steel. Celestia couldn’t hear their bodies strike the ground, but she imagined that the falling of her tears matched with their impacts.

Far above, the moon overtook over half of the sun’s radiance, and from the darkness that resulted emerged thick, manifested clouds. They rotated, spreading their bleak coverage over the city. The airspace above the capital became blanketed in the clouds, save for the center of the mass. A large circle remained open, a window to the sky. One that gave a direct view to the sun and moon, and the eclipse they were forming.

Alucard’s dark coat began vibrating as his magic continued to expand. As the moon moved farther in front of the sun, strands of the dark clouds spun earthward and wrapped around him. The clouds, originally thin and wispy, quickly took the texture of a wall. Any whites faded to blues and blacks, marred by thin tendrils of white lines, darting back up through the cloud strands and moving through the connected coverage. As the lines overtook the manifested clouds, they too changed color, darkening to bear the impress of Tartarus.

Finally, the last vestige of the sun’s golden rays were covered. In the sky, great and terrifying, stood a total eclipse, empowered by magic and enslaved by one alicorn. The light of the sun became a golden halo, which surrounded the perfect blackness of the moon.

The world went dark. More screams of horror rose up in the mounting panic. Celestia looked up at the sky, unable to believe what she was seeing.

With a sudden cry and a wide burst of magic, Alucard burst out from the clouds surrounding him. He sped toward the palace, barely seen against the dark clouds and stolen day. He resembled a black-and-blue streak, fired from some unseen cannon, moving dead-on toward the hole in the throne room roof.

Celestia flinched as he struck the ground with all four hooves, and shivered as ripples of magical essences caressed her coat. When nothing happened, she slowly brought her eyes up, looking upon the alicorn who now earned her fear. The sight was stunning.

Alucard’s body had changed again, due to the empowering magic of his eclipse. His wings had shifted from feathers to membranes, like a bat’s wings, though his were far stronger and a good deal more terrifying. He stood just above Celestia’s height, and his coat seemed to be electrified with the white lines of his telepathy. Both his mane and tail had remained the same.

But the worst, the absolute worst, were his eyes. Alucard’s eyes were gone, buried beneath the magic. Instead of the sharp red that had burned into Luna’s memory, his eyes were now blank and white, like Rainbow’s had been when she was found. But there was no sadness in these eyes, no regret or despair. In these eyes, only evil existed.

He looked down on Celestia with those eyes, clearly not impressed. The princess before him was lying still, staring back with solid defiance. She wasn’t trembling, crying, or begging for mercy - somehow, she wasn’t yet broken.

“Why?” she rasped. Her voice was barely loud enough to be heard. “Why are you doing this?”

He grinned, and spoke loud enough for only her to hear. “Now you ask the question that plagues your mind. Celestia, did you forget that we’re beyond words?”

Alucard walked past her. As he moved, the remaining guards backed away. None of them tried to stop him, fearful of what consequences awaited those who would hinder or halt. He crossed the throne room to the raised platform, finally reaching the high-backed throne itself. He considered it for a moment, forming a hidden plan.

“Hear me, ponies of Canterlot,” he whispered. His horn alighted with stolen telekinesis, and an electric black aura enveloped the throne. It rose an inch off the platform, held in Alucard’s mindful grasp. He took to the air, carrying the heavy throne behind him as though it were a delicate flower.

“Hear me, ponies of Canterlot!” he repeated, loud enough for the entire throne room to echo the words. He rose and exited through the hole that led to the sky, to his darkened sky. As soon as he cleared the opening, he twisted and flew to the top of the throne room roof, the center point of the palace and directly above the capital city’s main square. The main square which now, thanks to the disasters occurring, was completely packed with onlookers, both of Canterlot status and Ponyville pride.

“Hear me!” he bellowed. He walked to the edge of the roof, carrying the golden throne at his side. He looked down on the city with his blank eyes, barely containing his victorious smile. Thunder rolled overhead, and his voice was just as loud.

Ponies in the city gathered, ponies of all rank and status. From the laborers to the politicians, the thinkers to the soldiers, the lowliest refugee to the highest noble...all eyes were on the alicorn. They crowded and jammed the town square, craning their necks and straining their ears.

All the world had stopped for Alucard.

“All of you...look upon your city,” he commanded. His voice left rolling undertones, like thunder that was better felt than heard. “Look upon your glory and your pride. Paint a perfect image and cherish it. Create a perfect memory and protect it. Think back to this day...and regret it. For today, all of you ponies, beggars and nobles alike, will be given a new kind of day.

“You will be given my day! The day I create will be yours to fear, yours to hate, yours to regret! Your lives are what I decide of them...and frankly, I am not impressed. Both by you, and those you call your masters.”

He lifted the throne high above his head, where every pair of eyes could easily see it. “Your precious Princesses Celestia and Luna, who swore to protect you, have failed their vows. They both fell to my superior might, and now they are like you...no, lower than you!”

From his perch on the roof, he was able to see the sloping system of rooftops that formed the palace. If something were to fall at just the right area, it would land in the square, and from a considerable height. It was perfect. He brought the throne back, preparing for a throw.

“Your princesses have failed!”

The throne was launched, the dark aura of his magic disappearing without a trace. It sailed through the air and struck the sloping roofs hard, knocking off shingles and rafters and centuries of weathering. The regal chair rolled and leapt, striking the slopes at angles that would be impossible for any pony.

Finally, amid the loud crashes and flying debris, the damaged throne bumped off the final roof and was airborne once more, arcing for the town square. Panicked ponies jumped out of the way, moving uncomfortably close to strangers and friends, desperate to make room for the heavy throne.

To their fortune (if fortune were present), the throne struck the unforgiving ground with nary a pony in the way. And when the throne met the ground, the ground won. With a resounding crash that was as unique as Celestia’s scream, the throne shattered, sending pieces flying wherever they chose. Several ponies suffered cuts, but they went unnoticed beneath the abject shock of what was happening.

The thunder of Alucard’s voice rolled once more, this time accompanied by flashing in the clouds. Lightning was hidden in the masses, and it was becoming restless. “My storm has arrived, and you can not be protected from it. Equestria is mine, and your lives with it. So I put it to you, mares and fillies, guards and peasants, rulers and beggars...”

He kicked off, flapping his demonic wings and staring with his empty eyes. All he saw in the eyes of the ponies was fear. All the ponies saw in his was evil.

“All of you, make your wishes...and they shall be mine to command.”

He flew skyward, leaving the city to react to his chaos. The higher he flew, the more frequent the flashing in the clouds became. Thunder seemed unending, and the first bolt of black lightning fired as he reached the single eye in his storm. His body was completely hidden against the darkness of the eclipse.

The world shook. A storm raged.

---

Celestia was unable to see the development on the roof and in the square, but the words were clear enough that she might as well have been standing next to the speaker. She wanted to rest. She wanted so badly to rest and think and wonder what she had done wrong. Wonder what she had done to bring such evil to her land, to her subjects. She wanted so much to have peace and quiet and her sun.

She wanted so much. But the ponies she cared for needed so much more. So she was forced to act.

Before Alucard had finished his shouting, she was acting. In the throne room, a majority of the royal guard were called in, many of whom were unnerved by the sight of their princess. However, their duty called, and in such an emergency, they were ready to do whatever was asked of them. The four pegasi who had died today were friends to these mares and stallions, after all.

Celestia had yet to stand, but she fired off orders left and right.

“I need two groups of fliers to stand by and await orders. The entire unicorn guard is to put up a barrier around the palace. Do not let a single bolt of that magic get through. We’ve seen what it can do to ponies, and I don’t doubt that the destruction to property will be just as bad.

“We cannot spare enough magic to cover the city. Earth ponies, run into the city and bring everyone in. Yes, everyone - I want the city empty. Everypony needs to take shelter in the palace, and we need to keep them protected. Don’t think for a moment that we won’t be able to hold them all. No place in the castle is off-limits, understood? Use my own quarters if you have to; just get everypony inside.

“Pegasi, you’re my fastest. I need ten of you to get to the Ponyville refugees and tell them the truth. Ask for volunteers, anyone who has magic, to help with the barrier. Anypony who refuses needs to be kept safe. Any volunteers will need to be brought to a unicorn and paired up with them. The rest of you, help the earth ponies herd in the Canterlot ponies.”

The guards didn’t bother with saluting, instead choosing to run off to their assigned tasks. Guard captains worked alongside new recruits, knowing that rank-and-file was suspended for the time. The throne room, which had been nearly full, was now nearly empty after a tense thirty seconds.

Celestia looked up, relieved to see a magical barrier forming around the palace. Blasts of thunder sounded, and she saw the barrier glow white-hot as Alucard’s lethal lightning struck it. The barrier would hold, but not against an onslaught. She needed more. Much more.

She turned her gaze to the two groups of pegasi she had divided earlier. “I have two very vital tasks for you. Each of you will form teams and take empty chariots to Ponyville. Most of the unicorn guard is still stationed there, and we need them back here. Go to the chariots and fly, except you four,” she commanded, pointing to a team near the end.

The unicorn guard would give her the magic she needed to keep her little ponies safe. What she didn’t know was for how long. It would not be enough to stay on the defense. She was at war with this monster named Alucard, and the only wars she had won were those won with attacks.

“There were two vital tasks to be done, and you four will do the second. Take my personal chariot and fly to Ponyville. Bring me Twilight Sparkle and her friends. We need the Elements.”

The pegasi, understanding that failure meant the loss of their city, ran faster than they previously dared. Soon Celestia was alone in the throne room, but that didn’t last as the doctor she had tasked to Luna’s recovery came in and tended to her own wounds. As he worked, she gazed into the sky, looking up at the great and terrifying eclipse above her.

It was like an eye, staring at her. An eye that saw everything.

End chapter thirteen

Author’s comments: The start of something much bigger than anypony has foreseen. This is a chapter that I both enjoy and hate, because it is only the start. The detail and misdirection were both very fun to write, as well as the despair that Celestia felt as she was struck with reality - not to mention Alucard’s lightning. Nothing quite like falling to earth when you’re on top of the world.

Co-author’s comments: Even the mighty Celestia fell to Alucard’s cunning personality. Everything is now hopeless. He is in control of the day AND night, and at once for that matter. The eclipse idea was originally mine, but it had nothing to do with this story. I created an Alicorn character named Eclipsys. Aaron had the idea to have Alucard make an eclipse to block Celestia and Luna’s power based on my character’s ability. I happily agreed, and this is that chappy.

Next chapter: A storm above the greatest city, bringing with it promises of tyranny and destruction. The sole remaining hope of Celestia now lies in the friendship of six little ponies. Yet still, Celestia has turned an ignorant eye to the real solution, and Rainbow Dash is not ready to face the real problem. How can her friends forgive her when she doesn’t forgive herself?

Comments

[shardfff]

And thus begins a raghin of wrath

[creepyhoboinabox]

it's about time

[Leoshi]

1586624 Yes. Yes it is.

[yolky206]

This was INTENSE! I LOVED this chapter and the fact it FINALLY uploaded!

[Leoshi]

1589159 Ohohoho, you and me both. Here is the first of three chapters uploaded across three days. Chapter fourteen goes up tonight!

[Leoshi]

1591138 Thank you for your support! I only wish I had more dedicated readers back when the story began. Ahh, it's nice to dream, but I'm happy with just the few loyal folks I can manage to entice.

I have heard if the Immortal Game, but it's one of many fics I have not read. It's on my radar, though!

[ABitterPill]

Overpowered, boring, cliche villain...