The Fiend that heralds Dark Skies

by Skijarama

Prologue - Does it Hurt?

All around her, Moonrise Drifter could see the mutilated corpses of ponies, young and old, big and small. Tendrils of inky blackness stretched across the endlessly stretching meadow of decay, picking away at the bodies as if to study their anatomy and biology. Drifter took a careful step, her grey hoof almost invisible to her in the horrific darkness that surrounded her. “Where am I…?”

Not far away, some of the corpses shifted. Turning to look, felt a wave of confusion overwhelm her. The sea of corpses was gone now. Instead, she stood in one of Canterlot’s many large plazas, drenched with rain and freshly running blood. Pillars of smoke were visible from deeper in the city and the sounds of a brutal battle could be heard all around her.

“...Lumen.” Celestia’s voice said between pained gasps, her voice tired and weak. Drifter turned and saw the solar princess, covered head to hoof in horrific injuries, gazing straight ahead into the deep blue eyes of Luminous Horizon, who himself sported numerous injuries if varying size and severity. The large hole in his torso was slowly knitting itself closed.

“Yes… Tia…?” He answered, trying to stand upright and failing, the still fresh hole in his body proving slow to close itself up. Drifter looked between the two, baring her sharp fangs and extending the claws on her left hoof, the ones on the right still regrowing. With a howl of rage, Drifter hurled herself at Horizon, trying to slice his chest, to bite his throat, to disembowel him. Every offensive effort was useless. She wasn’t here. This had already happened. She was merely reliving it.

Drifter’s immense hatred for the father of the fiends grew immeasurably, her blood boiling with uncontainable rage.

“I never got to say it, before… and for that, I am so sorry…” Celestia began with a cough before slowly limping towards Horizon. He tensed up defensively but let her approach undeterred.

“What would that be…?” He asked curiously, unmoving as Celestia came into his effective range of attack.

“...I can’t begin to imagine how you must feel, Lumen. So much anger, resentment… I wish I could have done more to save you from this.” Celestia lowered herself slightly to be more on his eye level. “You’ve done horrible things, Horizon, because of how much you were hurt… all of that pain needed an outlet… it only ever got worse as a result…”

Horizon’s own eyes lost some of their intensity as he locked gazes with the solar Princess. Drifter could see the genuine connection they had in their shared gaze. It was clear that they still cared deeply for one another, even if circumstances demanded they fight to the death this night.

“But I know you, Lumen… so much better than anypony else here… I know who you really are… what you truly believe…” Celestia sighed and reached a hoof out to Horizon’s shoulder. “...I can see your true colors, Horizon… please… don’t be afraid to let them show… after all…”

Nopony heard what Celestia said next, as it was whispered into Horizon’s ear. A collective gasp and outcry of shock and alarm ran through the entire crowd as suddenly, Celestia kissed Horizon on the lips. He seemed stunned at first, eyes widening.

Then he stabbed her.

Drifter gasped as she returned to the ocean of bodies, rain having started to fall upon the endless expanse. Squinting, she could just see a faint yellow light appearing on the distant horizon, gradually getting brighter. Sunrise?

The glow grew sickly, however. As the sun rose, Drifter felt her heart sink. It was turning red, distorting and mangling into a writhing vortex of crimson light with a great deal of energy radiating from it in disturbing patterns. It was as if the sun was bleeding across all of the sky, the light it emitted barely even noticeable

Fires began to flicker up from between the decaying limbs beneath her hooves. Drifter took a step back, startled. A yelp of surprise tore from her lungs as a wall of fire erupted in a circular shape around her for a relatively short distance. The heat was intense and the scent of swiftly burning, half-rotten flesh sent a shudder through her.

Just ahead, she saw a body gradually rising from the mass of lifeless bodies. Drifter felt her eyes widen as she realized it was the corpse of Princess Celestia herself being hoisted free, held aloft by invisible hooks that held her at odd angles.

“...Does it hurt?”

Drifter turned and scowled. Luminous Horizon sat just next to her, the tentacles he used as weapons currently hidden inside his back. He looked at her slowly, his face reflecting no discernable emotion. Drifter growled and bared her fangs, spreading her posture into a fighting stance.

“Don’t bother. This is a dream, after all. Outside of a temporary catharsis, attacking me here will do nothing for either of us.” he said bluntly before returning his gaze to Celestia’s corpse. “I ask again… does it hurt?”

“Does what hurt!?” Drifter snapped venomously, glaring daggers at the fiend.

“...Celestia’s death.”

“Is it not supposed to?” Drifter seethed, a tremble of rage building up in her body. “Even if I can’t bring myself to see her as my mother, Celestia was still my friend and companion! You killed her in cold blood!” she stamped her hoof down, splinters and shards of bone rising from the impact. “Am I supposed to feel anything but hurt by this? Well?! AM I?!”

Silence fell between the two for several moments. Horizon sighed heavily before standing up. “...No. You are right to feel hurt.”

“Don’t you even...!” Drifter began, unable to find the words that would get her thoughts across. She swallowed and tried again. “You have no right to give comment on such things. You’ve never cared before, so why would you now?”

Horizon simply glanced at her before the flames began to close in, consuming him swiftly. He said nothing, merely shaking his head before being burned away into ashes by the swirling fire.

Drifter opened her eyes with a subtle intake of breath. Looking around after a moment, she found she was still in the small two-bed hotel room she had rented. Wonderboom and Palmwood were still sound asleep in the bed they shared not far away, shifting and murmuring to themselves with content smiles on their faces. Drifter sighed and glanced outside. The sun wasn’t even up yet.

Drifter silently slipped from the bed and trotted to the bathroom, splashing cold water in her face from the faucet. Once that was done, she looked at her own face in the mirror. She blinked before grinning so she could see her fangs, then let her claws extend on her left hoof, bringing them up and looking them over.

“...Drifter?” Wonderboom asked from the doorway, rubbing her sleepy eyes with a forehoof. “It’s really early. Why are you up…?”

“I should be asking you that, kiddo.” Drifter said with a soft smile and gentle voice. “I just had a bad dream and needed to think for a bit. It’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Go back to bed now, okay? We still got a few hours before we gotta go and you need your rest,”

Wonder pawed at the floor absently while looking around awkwardly. “Um… can I ask you a question first?”

“Sure thing, sweetie.” Drifter said softly, trotting up to the filly and nestling down to better hear her inquiry.

“Do… you think we’ll find mommy?”

Drifter went cold upon hearing that. Wonderboom and her brother had been separated from their mother on board a train full to the brim with citizens evacuated from Canterlot once it was known that Horizon would be launching an attack with his fiends. That had been two months ago. Drifter had been trying to help the two find their mother ever since, checking towns in the vicinity and asking around. Nothing had come up. As much as she didn’t want to, Drifter had to tell them what she really thought; they were smart kids and lying would only make things harder on all of them.

“Wonder… I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re going to. We’ve been looking for two months and nothing’s come up… I hope I’m wrong, really, I do, but… It just doesn’t seem likely anymore.” Drifter said as softly and as carefully as possible.

“Are you gonna leave me and Palm?” Wonder asked quietly, her eyes tearing up and her body beginning to tremble.

“Whatever gave you the idea that I would even think of that?” Drifter asked, genuinely taken aback by the idea.

“You’re not mommy or daddy. It’s not your job to take care of us, so… you’re going to leave us, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely not,” Drifter reassured firmly, patting her on the head. “While I’m not your mother or father, I am still more than happy to look out for you two for as long as I think is necessary. You have nowhere else to go right now, so we’re stuck with each other for now.” She playfully booped Wonder on the tip of her nose with a smile. “Now go back to sleep, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”

Seemingly satisfied with Drifter’s answer, Wonder hugged her leg before cantering back to bed and sliding in next to her brother. Drifter couldn’t help but smile at how cute they looked like that. Her smile faded when a thought crossed her mind.

I’m not going to leave you two… At least, I hope not...

Comments

[tom117z]

“Don’t you even...!” Drifter began, unable to find the words that would get her thoughts across. She swallowed and tried again. “You have no right to give comment on such things. You’ve never cared before, so why would you now?”
Horizon simply glanced at her before the flames began to close in, consuming him swiftly. He said nothing, merely shaking his head before being burned away into ashes by the swirling fire.

It's a long shot, but maybe deep down in his blackened heart the death of Celestia shook his beliefs. Perhaps he is starting to care, even just the tiniest amount.