The Prince of Darkness

by Morningstar 2143

Chapter nine: When Light and Dark Cross Blades

He turned to look at his foe, her blade suspended in a bright yellow aura with the tip pointed at his neck. Her eyes fixated on him, analyzing his body. She stood there, her senses primed for his first strike. Her jaw dropped and her head shot back in appall as he ripped the flesh off his forearm with his fangs. The blood was black, lifeless and resembled thick sludge. It oozed from the wound, hitting the ground with loud and heavy thuds. He spat the giant chunk of flesh out of his mouth and dawned a large vicious smile that displayed the sludge dripping down the savage flesh ripping teeth in his mouth. It was then that she realized that it wasn’t hatred she felt for the monsters but fear, fear of their potential for great power. She realized that the monster that stood before her was millennia in the making.

The black sludge stopped flowing from the wound as the last drop hit the ground. A large puddle had formed at his hooves. It sat there, still and lifeless, with little to no emotion being shown by Star except the same smile. “What is the meaning of this? Why would you wound yourself before our confrontation?” Celestia asked cautiously, unable to anticipate the outcome of his seemingly suicidal action. He just kept staring at her, smiling. Then, in the blink of an eye, the vile pool of sludge wrapped itself around Stars entire arm squeezing it tightly. It then released its grip and started to climb up the length of his arm and began to solidify.

“Watch closely Celestia!” he proclaimed just before the hardening sludge enveloped his face completely. “You have lived for more than a two thousand years. I think it’s about time you gazed upon the face of death!! And I am your Grim Reaper!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!” he howled in laughter as the sludge completely engulfed the rest of his body. For a moment, everything fell silent, and the suspense was nerve racking. Celestia kept her sword raised, unable to move from her readied position. After several minutes, the silence became deafening with Star encased in some kind of stone, Luna still passed out in the corner, and Celestia waiting in anticipation.

The sounds of cracking stone had broken the silence. As more and more of the stone broke away, the more and more of his body was released. Heinous laughter could be heard echoing of the walls. As the last of the stone plummeted to the ground, it was revealed that the sludge had become vicious black armor that covered everything but his face and neck. His mane and tail grew longer as well and swayed behind him in a way that mimicked Celestia. The whites of his eyes had gone from red to a dead white with only a single vertical line as a pupil which made it resemble a cat's eye. His horn had become a dagger like blade with serrated edges along with his wings, which had also become more dagger like with each feather presenting a new blade. His face had appeared as though his lips had melted off leaving nothing but a razor sharp smile.

“Oh Celestia……” his voice sounded more ominous and foreboding, like something you would hear in a nightmare. He stretched out his neck until it was straight and opened his mouth ever so slightly. Slowly, a strange metal object began sliding out of his throat. It was black and possessed a long blade running along the shaft until it came to a halt halfway to the end. He levitated it the rest of the way, sludge dripping from the weapon in a way that seemed as though the weapon itself were bleeding. He loudly slammed the bottom pommel on the ground revealing it to be a scythe when the blade sprang up. He stared at her, his gaze so sharp that it could cut through steel. Intimidation ran down her spine as a cold chill. The longer she stared into his eyes, the more frightened she felt herself becoming.

Celestia shook her head “YOU WILL NOT WIN!!” she shouted as she lunged forward with intent of a quick decapitation. Suddenly, there was a loud clang and a bright flash of sparks that scattered across the floor. He stopped the attack using the scythe blade as a shield and managed to trap Celestia in black chains. Sending her sword flying into a distant wall, he threw her against the wall in between the two thrones. The chains then anchored themselves to the wall in order to keep her pinned.

He inched closer to Celestia, bringing his face just an inch away from her’s. She could see his fangs in terrifying detail. He lowered his head to meet her gaze and stared at her with heinous intentions that were not yet quite clear.

“I can hear it you know.” his words gave off a steam as he spoke.

“Hear what?!”

“Your blood coursing through your veins, like a freshwater stream in the summer time. The fast but soothing pound of your heart beating to its own unique rhythm. And sound your lungs make when you inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale……..” he spoke softly and in slow repetition as if he was in a trans. “The sounds your body make are so hypnotic. Like a symphony of the most wonderful instruments.” he ogled at her skin with eyes full of yearning. He opened his mouth again, but instead of a weapon, a lacerated and slimy pink tongue with two spines on the end slid out. It thoroughly inspected her entire face leaving everything covered in slime. The spines located on the end of his tongue lightly stabbed her in the neck, drawing blood. He drew the gross appendage back into his mouth and proceeded to lik his non existent lips. “Just as I thought. The years have been good to you…… and your blood.” his pupils dilated and focused intently on her exposed neck. “Blood is much like a fine wine, you see. With age, it increases in flavor. And your blood has been fermenting for millennia.” his massive teeth slowly inched closer to her neck.

“Wait!!” Celestia shouted in panic. “Answer this one question.” he pulled his head and nodded slightly in conformation. “Why are you doing this? You’re a monster now but you used to be one the nicest ponies I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. So please tell me Morningstar, what in Equestria would compel you to betray your friends like this?” his eyes widened at the question. For the first time since everything had started, Celestia could see remorse in his eyes. She could see that Star was still there.

“F-For them.” he stumbled. “I’m doing this for them, my friends. It’s the only way I can protect them from the others. So you want to know why i’m doing this? I’m doing this to save them.” he paused for a moment as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “From me. I gave into the darkness to ensure that they will always be kept separated from the vampires.” he turned away and peered at his reflection in a piece of broken window glass on the ground. “Now that i’m like this, i can always ensure their safety and protect them from the evils that lurk in the dark…. Including me.” he turned back to Celestia and brought his back to her neck in preparation. “They won’t obey me if they think that my loyalty to the coven is shaken or false. Draining your blood is the only way I can do this, while at the same time, ensuring that the vampire race will last until the end of time.” he whispered into her ear with a murderous undertone.

“I’m sorry Star!” he heard a familiar call from behind him. He spun his head around and, much to his surprise, saw Luna in the air above him holding Celestia’s sword. She swung it above her head and brought it down as hard as she could at his side. The blade smashed through the armor like a sledge hammer and cut through the soft, meaty, and now lifeless body that it was protecting. The two halves hit the ground stirring a little dust in its wake. The chains that once bound Celestia had vanished. She got back on her hooves and made her way to the quiet Luna.

“Luna, are you okay?” she sat there silently, blood trickling from her forehead wound, gazing at the body of what once was her student and her loyal friend. A few moments of silence had passed when a slight pitter patter could be heard. Below Luna’s head were small droplets of blood and tears. “Luna?” she turned Luna's head so that she was looking at her. Celestia saw that Luna’s heart was broken beyond imagination, her face was covered in tears pouring from her eyes and the blood that started mixing with them on her cheeks. Her eyes were red and swollen, her heart was beating rapidly, and she couldn’t stop crying. “It’s okay Luna.” she embraced her sister, burying her head in her chest “it’s over now.” she said as tears began pouring from eyes as well.

They sat in silence for a short time while mourning the loss of their friend. Celestia’s grief was interrupted when she felt Luna begin to tremble. She started breathing heavily as if the air was being pulled straight out of her lungs. She pulled her away to ask what was wrong but what Celestia saw was not an expression of misery but one of complete terror. The air turned cold as a threatening shadow loomed over them. She looked into her sister's eyes and saw the reflection of the silhouette of a monster unlike anything she had ever seen. She turned her head slowly and fearfully gazed into the soulless eyes of the pony shaped monstrosity that stood there in place of their dead friend.

Its skin was completely black and resembled the sludge from before. It dripped from its body and caught fire on contact with the ground and had grown to be almost twice its original size. It leaned in with its massive head and sniffed the air. Celestia and Luna were petrified by fear and did not move a muscle. It stuck out its tongue and slid it across Luna’s face, clearing it of her blood.

With a gust of wind and a splash of blood across Celestia's face, the monster had torn an incredibly large chunk of flesh from Luna’s neck. Celestia looked over at her, and she slowly looked back. Celestia screamed in horror at the site of her little sister's lifeless body fall to the ground.

Comments

[Error Sans]

well increase the rating to mature

[Morningstar 2143]

any thing else?