• Published 3rd Jan 2016
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Mare of the Void - Eclipse Guardian



During the events of the Royal Wedding, Twilight is cast into the absolute darkness. In her despair a creature from beyond promises power in exchange for a price Twilight will find beyond her own morality.

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Chapter 2: The Return

Mare of the Void

Chapter 2: The Return


The wedding was going off without a hitch, Princess Celestia though was sweating profusely. She had not seen hide or hair of her student Twilight for hours, even after the scene during the wedding rehearsal. She knew Twilight was hurt, and she went searching for her all around Canterlot; her room was empty, the observatory tower was devoid of life besides a maid cleaning it, even the Royal Canterlot library was short a purple, book loving mare.

The Princess figured Twilight needed time to herself after their argument, but she wanted nothing more, than to make her student feel better and maybe visit Pony Joe's after the wedding. Roughly an hour ago, the entire base of Canterlot shook, Celestia couldn't put her hoof on it. 'Earthquakes are a rare occurrence in Equestria, the last one gave rise to Mount Kolga, seven centuries back.' She looked at Shining Armor, he seemed...odd. He stood like a statue and hadn't moved for the past hour, even as Cadence cantered toward them.

'I'll talk to him after this, he's most likely worried about Twilight just the same as I am.' Celestia smiled warmly as Cadence came to stop before her. She began with the usual opening for a wedding ceremony.

'Cadence' snickered internally, as Celestia spoke. 'So close now. Just a little more and my plan can begin, these ponies won't know how to react fast enough to know what's coming.' The pink Alicorn had already dealt with her biggest obstacle; Twilight Sparkle, who was now trapped deep beneath Canterlot and wouldn't escape anytime soon. 'With her out of the way this will be like taking candy from a-' Her thoughts were interrupted by another loud boom that caused dust to fall from the ceiling. She briefly looked outside, and felt her jaw drop slightly.

Celestia saw this and the majority of guests go wide eyed when the thunderous sound echoed across the city. “One moment, fillies and gentle colts.” The princess nodded to her closest guards than trotted to the balcony overlooking Canterlot. What she saw made her light her horn on reflex, the sky was shrouded by dark billowing clouds. Even her beloved Sun wasn't visible through the thick mass of cloud cover. Arcs of red lightning struck the ground, launching up debris over the streets, ponies ran to and fro trying not to be crushed.

“Captain Swift!” Celestia called out to the golden plated Pegasus beside her.

“Your Majesty!” He saluted, standing upright.

“Take your fastest and most able bodied Pegasi and contain those thunder clouds!” The princess ordered, the captain nodded and flew into air.

A piercing screech filled the air and Celestia cranked her head over. Countless flying creatures were pouring out from within the clouds. 'Wyverns!?' They certainly looked like the winged cousins of the dragons, but there was something creepingly off about them. Celestia took to the skies and blasted one across its face, the black scaled wyvern screeched and fell to a nearby roof. Celestia landed than began scanning the creature with her magic.

She paused when she felt a familiar signature, a very evil one at that. She stumbled back a few steps in a panic. “Somepony released it!?” A tremor shook the ground as more of the black Wyverns flooded the sky, the dark clouds began to swirl together forming a huge cone. The solar mare gazed up and broke out into a cold sweat. Three blood red eyes, pupils shaped like a four-pointed star stared back from within the tornado. “Void...” She breathed.

The middle eye narrowed. “Celestia, We have missed you.” The wyverns stopped in their tracks and under the command of Void circled Celestia. “These Void Wyverns of Ours remember you.” It hissed.

Taking action, Celestia blasted through the sky and into the castle, where Spike and Twilight's friends were waiting with various degrees of worry on their faces. “Gather the Elements now! You MUST find Twilight. Go. Now!” She yelled before heading to her sister's tower.


Void waited patiently for the alicorn to return with her sibling, hoping for a fight. Canterlot's civilians ran in fear of the being before them in a terror induced panic. It had realized earlier, a swarm of small insect-like creatures buzzing around the shield that surrounded the city. They seemed excited about something, and especially hungry due to the massive hunger radiating off of them. Void had dealt with them personally. “More Voidlings for Our cause.” It smirked cruelly, as a white speck dashed across the castle. “What happened to her over the eons? Her connection to Harmony is much too weak.”

Its crystalline arms spread out, a small violet sphere of energy was clutched in Void's right claw. “It's almost time, Our dear Seed. They will pay for their transgressions against Us both.” Looking down, Void gently caressed the sphere with its free claw. “Such a powerful aura, you will be more than a match for these Alicorns.” It closed its middle eye as the violet orb glowed floating between its claws.

“Twilight Sparkle, feel Our power, feel Our pain, feel Our...Emptiness.” Power cascaded throughout Void, and over to the prone form of Twilight as the Wyverns screeched and flew around them in packs. Void was about to open its eye when suddenly dozens of pegasi dove in from the castle, Celestia at the front, but Princess Luna was strangely absent. “She must not wish to face Us again.” It smirked as Celestia hovered and her guards (Unicorns included) took up stances.

Celestia was still sweating a river as she glared warily at Void, but kept her voice firm. “Leave these lands and my subjects out of this Void. This is between you and me.”

“Ussss and you?” It crossed its arms and nuzzled Twilight's sphere. “There's more to this than just some quarrel We had eons ago. A pony came to Us in her despair, We offered Our power and she freed Us.” Celestia's horn shone brightly, she destroyed wyvern after wyvern as Voidras spoke. “It'ssss about time Our new Seed ended your race for good.”

The wind picked as the violet sphere rose, Celestia finished off another void wyvern and made her way toward it. “That poor soul you have fooled, I will not allow them to be played with any further!” Void swiped at her with its tendrils, Celestia raised herself up, narrowly avoiding the dark appendages. She threw her legs around the glowing sphere and soared back into the castle. “Retreat now!” The guards broke off their fights with the amassing wyverns, and followed their princess. Celestia looked around the castle lobby which was filled to the brim with ponies. 'Good, Luna must have sent them here, Canterlot is lost with Void free.' She though grimly.

“Princess!” A voice called from behind her.

Turning around, Celestia caught sight of Twilight's friends, minus Spike. “Did you find Twilight?” She asked worriedly.

The Elements all sighed. “Not quite, Your Highness.” Rarity huffed.

“We can't find the egghead anywhere!” Rainbow spun around before groaning.

Pinkie seemed to deflate a little. “We have our Elements but, Twilight just isn't anywhere we looked.”

The princess panicked as her worry rose for her student. 'Twilight where have you gone? Did my words hurt you that much?' She shifted in place nervously, despite her face looking calm and composed. The sphere beneath her hooves pulsated, startled out of her thoughts she looked down. The violet sphere was the size of a pony, and it seemed to be filled with pure mana. 'What has Voidras done to this pony?' It would hard to tell what the sphere was by a normal pony, but Princess Celestia was no ordinary pony. She could sense the life force of a mare coming from the sphere.

It pulsated again, than grew larger. “Wha-” She cut off as the wall was blown in by a huge crystalline fist, and Void drew its head inside looking at the crowd of terrified ponies.

“We believe you have something of Ours.”

“You're not gonna take any of my little ponies, creature.” The princess growled. 'This is not good, without Twilight the Elements of Harmony will be powerless against Void.'

“We're not asking, hand over Our Seed pitiful equine.” Wyverns flew into the chamber.

The violet sphere's glow almost blinded everyone around it as it grew more and more. Void's smile grew past its eyes. “Too late.” It shot its tendrils toward them attempting to reclaim the growing sphere.

“No, too late for you!” Luna zoomed in and blasted the tendrils away with a huge beam of concentrated moonlight. “Sister! We may lack our connection Harmony, but we are NOT helpless!” She landed beside Celestia with courageous grin. “Sorry I took so long, those pesky Wyverns barred my windows and doors shut than attacked me in my chambers.”

Celestia felt her heart grow stronger as she lit her horn in tandem. “Then let's not waste anymore time sister mine!” The alicorns fired a combined beam of magic directly into Void's open mouth, causing it to smash its head into the ceiling. “Where are Shining Armor and Cadence?!” Celestia yelled, pumping more power into her horn.

“I'm afraid 'Cadence' wasn't Cadence at all, sister! Before I arrived, I found her trying to escape the city with the Captain!” The sisters took a step forward as they hammered Void with even more heavy doses of pure mana. “Turns out, she was actually a Changeling in disguise! She had us all fooled!”

Celestia almost tripped over herself as she digested the news. 'Than, Twilight was right all along...oh I am such a foal!' Harnessing her anger toward herself, Celestia unleashed all of her pent up emotions upon Voidras. “Have you seen Twilight!?”

“I haven't seen her, no!” Luna felt her strength begin to leave her, as she panted.

Celestia felt a similar feeling of exhaustion over her as she pummeled Void.

Their magic ran out slowly, and they both collapsed into a heap. “I'm...too...tired...Celly...” Luna breathed as she fought to keep her eyes open.

“Me...me too...Lulu...did...we...do it?” They gazed up and noticed a sizable hole in the lobby's ceiling and wall, but the wyverns were gone along with Void seemingly...

“I...I don't...know...it won't...go down that...easily.” Luna stood up shakily as did her sister.

“Well played, Alicorns. But now We are finished playing your little gamessss.” Void rose from the rubble covering it, and growled impatiently. “Sssseed, reveal yourself! And be born anew!” The violet sphere from before hovered above everypony, than began to fracture in several spots. Void let loose a silent laugh.

Black light shone from the cracks like light from the sun. A hoof burst free of the sphere, followed by three more. The legs soon wiggled their way past the walls of the sphere, purple fur grew a rapid rate along the limbs. A bladed black horn cut through the thick crystal-like membrane, a purple stripe ran up the back of the horn, the four limbs flailed around, attempting to break free.

Celestia, still tired from unleashing her fury upon Void, stood up beside Luna as the Element Bearers took point behind them. Her eyes couldn't focus, her legs felt like jelly. 'Must...save..'

The sphere cracked even further before shattering, its pieces vanishing into nothing. A large form landed with a thud, its limbs finding purchase on the floor as it stood up tall. The mare before the frightened crowd was tall, very tall, at least the height of Celestia. A gaseous black mane and tail billowed past her obscured head and cutie mark, flashes of purple lit up within occasionally. Lavender fur covered the mare's curvy body, her strong build gave her a sense a foreboding as the mane moved down to reveal a purple eye. The mare's pupil was star shaped like Voidras's. Celestia's stomach dropped.

“Twilight!?! No! Not you! Never you...” The alabaster mare fell to her side in defeat. Twilight's friends backed away in fear not believing what was before them. Luna's jaw dropped, mortal terror gripping her heart.

Void smiled softly at Twilight. “Gorgeous, isn't she? We're quite proud of this one.” It sneered at them. “You hurt ssssuch a beautiful creature, and now she's with Ussss.”

Twilight eyes roamed across the assembled crowd, testing their courage with her sight alone. It didn't last long as she dropped her head with a whimper. 'I feel nothing toward them, my mind is clear.'

“That issss a very natural side effect, Our Seed.” Void purred as it came up behind Twilight. “You'll find that Our power will change you in wayssss that no other could begin to understand.”

“Do not listen to it Twilight Sparkle! It's only using you for its own goals!” Luna warned firmly.

Twilight raised her head and peered into Luna's eyes. “I can see that you, yourself haven't been truthful either Luna. Why do you hide behind that curtain?” She smiled softly. “Trust me, Luna. No need to hide any longer.” She swatted Void away from her and stepped toward the moon princess.

Luna tripped over herself trying to escape, but she was much too weak to continue standing. “T-Twilight, p-please what are you talking about?” She asked with a stutter.

“You can't conceal that beautiful form from me, Luna.” She laid a lavender hoof on Luna's shoulder and spoke in a whisper. “Please trust me, I trust Void only as far as I can throw it. Besides, you are the only one I can really trust right now.” Twilight sniffled.

Luna opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Twilight's appearance was heart wrenching, but the unicorn was Luna's first real friend ever since her return from the moon. Besides Celestia, nopony else was very open with her and they all avoided her like the plague whenever they could. Of course there was also Twilight's friends, but even they weren't as close as Twilight Sparkle was to her. Behind them, Luna could hear Voidras growling angrily. She sighed. “Alright.” She felt Twilight help her to her hooves.

Void stopped its glowering as a grin creeped up its face. “There wassss another thing.” Twilight supported Luna as the lunar mare leaned heavily on her. Rarity and the others turned to glance at Twilight. “Luna, don't you have a rendezvous with a certain...” Its grin turned predatory. “Filly of yourssss?”

Luna's eyed widened. “Don't you dare...” She mumbled, as Void grabbed Twilight and Luna. “Release me!”

“No.” It smiled before they disappeared with a flash of darkness.

The various guards around the chamber charged Void, it raised itself up as it knocked the stallions senseless with its tendrils. “It may seem petty, but there will be plenty of suffering before We end you this time.”

Panting, Celestia gathered the last of her strength into her horn. “You may be too much for us to handle right now, Void. But this won't be our demise.” Void opened its maw, darkness spewed out and began engulfing the ponies in its wake. “Everypony get close to me! Now!” Celestia yelled. As the remaining Element bearers gathered around her, along with several dozen other ponies, Void continued its assault.

The eldritch horror smiled wide as Celestia's horn shone brilliantly just a before the ponies closest to her vanished with a golden flash. “Hide and seek, is it? Interesting. Okay then, We'll play along.”