Aeternitas Book I: Lunar Shadow

by Shadowlight Wanderer

The eclipse of shadow and sun

Chapter 15

~Power does not corrupt, fear does... perhaps the fear of losing power~

-King Sombra

King Sombra smiled as his ethereal body floated in the air. He spotted the terrified looks at fillies faces and tried to made

himself look as genuine as he could

"Oh, why the long faces ? I am just teasing about you and dying... well, actually I am not, cause I will kill you in the end. But for nooooooooowwwww...." his smile widened and the room got even darker " it's a playtime. Maybe I will spare you so you will become my slaves. Yes, sllllllaaaaaavesssss!!!!!!!!! I like the sound of that. I didn't have anyone around for over a thousand years. So what do you say ? Do you fear the old umbrum ?"

Applebloom was first to come to senses

"Ya-Ya are alive ? Ya talk and everythin'..."

Sombra rolled his eyes

"Are you as dumb as you look ? Of course I can talk. Maybe you thought that I can only repeat "cryssssssstallllllsssss" and "crysssssssstallllsssss" over and over again ? I am not a parrot, you know. But about my current state, this is more reasonable and interesting question. You see, I am not dead and not alive at the same time. Right now, I am reconstructing myself by help of this kind ponies" he pointed at the arms of hexagram " The Elements of Harmony to the rescue. They are the perfect power source. You know how pleasure I get with torturing them...mmmm, their pain is so delicious. It is only the matter of minutes when I recover completely. All my plan for getting you here worked"

He suddenly frowned. He floated closer to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, acidic saliva dropping from his sharp teeth.

"I don't know how you broke my illusion but there is nothing you can do to stop me. If you try to broke the connection, you will kill your dear friends." Sombra yelled, frustrated " You three are a mistake ! I needed only The Elements, why she had to bring..."

Sweetie Belle twisted her head

"She ?"

Sombra hissed

"No, no Sweetie Belle, do not pull me by the tongue. I don't have it yet. Since I rather foolishly revealed it, yes, I do have a... gah, that word is so awful... companion".

Sweetie Belle stepped forward , almost to the glowing line of hexagram.

"Stop messing with us ! We may be just a little fillies, but we are related to the living reflections of Friendship after all. Some of their power can live inside of us. Tell us what have you done with the princesses and our dragon...friend".

Sombra laughed

" Your precious princesses and that little dragon ? Well, I am a sadist, tyrant, sex beast and The Lord of Shadows. I think I know the best what it is like to want revenge very badly. Do you know how furious the pony can get when he is finally released after a thousand years of waiting under the glacier and then... dragon picks his crystal heart, some bloke throws his wife at him and later he is blown up to million pieces ?" Sombra pressed a hoof to his forehead " I was still alive, even if it hurt so much. My horn was a part of my when my essence was held and I survived mostly by that. And I was just lying on the ground... but after a year, something happened. Somepony touched the horn (what an idiot) and I was able to used the remaining of my powers to switch places with him. I had a new body. I destroyed my old horn, along with that miserable idiot. I never known why he touched it anyway. Whatever. I started to use my powers to collect ponies energies by using dark magic, simply sucking their essence into me. But over time, their absence was noticed and I had to run away. But first I wanted to give a warning and scare this.... princess of love. I tried to manipulate pony from the distance. It didn't go quite as I planned. But it wasn't a total waste of time. When I made that pony explode in flames, I made a contact with princess Mi Amore Cadenza's mind. She was in shock, trying to protect herself. I came unnoticed, through the flames. And I waited. Over time, Princess Cadence went ill and no physician could help her. But there was no illness... only me. I finally got access to her memories and learned what happened to the world during my absence, I learned about your heroic sisters...and I learned about you. With all that knowledge I was finally ready to come back. I made a "suggestion" to Cadence to invite Luna for princess relax in Crystal Mountains. She gladly accepted the offer. But when she arrived then, I took over Cadence's body completely. Luna is living incarnate of The Moon Spirit, her age rivals my own. She is an alicorn many times more powerful than Cadence. But it was no longer Cadence. I encased Luna in Dark Crystal. Later, after I locked her in my place, I gave the control back to Cadence, erasing her memory of the event. It was good have a flesh once again, but I couldn't be a mare for that long. I couldn't stand that rosy shampoo, all that grooming..."

"Amateur...." whispered Sweetie Belle

"And later I met my companion. She decided to help my go back to power. We should split Equestria in half and rule together. It was her idea to summon the Elements here. And when you were here, I started to influence on you. You are strong, I got to admit, but you ARE TOO LATE!!!!!!!!! LOOOOOOOOOKKKKKK!!!!!!!!! "

All of the lines of the hexagram started to glow even brighter. Suddenly Sombra-cloud was consumed in a multicolour tornado. Crusaders heard a scream such full of pain that all of their fur stood straight. Multicolour tornado exploded, emitting a shockwave that pushed Crusaders away and smashed throne room windows. And suddenly, everything was over. There was only a cloud of purple smoke in the middle of the hexagram. And then a dark figure slowly arised. It stretched and burst into a maniacal laughter:

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! I aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam baaaaaaaaaackkkkk!!!!!!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG LIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEE THEEEEEEE KIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

***********************

King Sombra examined his body, suited with armour and royal red, ermine cape.

He slowly walked through hexagram lines and inhaled deeply

"Haah, now it is your time to die. But firstly" his horn glowed and dark crystals surrounded three fillies " I will allow you to watch the end of your friends and family. I can firstly damage them even more, some cutting and stuff...or maybe first shag them ? I am afraid we don't have decent bed in here, but it doesn't matter. Maybe I will start with the orange one... Applejack ? Yes that's it ! The most delicious treats are always at the end " she looked at Rarity, licking his lips.

"Let them go, you bastard !!!" shouted Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle concentrated. She felt the hatred, flowing through her veins. She hated Sombra for all the pain he caused her and her friends. Concentration, concentration... Sweetie wished to be with her parents and Rarity. To say how much she loved them. To find Spike.... Spike...Spike...

"NO!!!" white unicorn shouted. She shot a beam of energy from her horn. Dark mixture of purple, black and green light. The dark magic energy.

Dark crystals ignited and turned to ash.

Scootaloo caught Sweetie Belle, preventing her from falling.

"Sweetie...what ? did you..." Scootaloo said with fear in her voice.

" I ...don't know " Sweetie coughed " Sombra... what have you done ?"

But Lord of Shadows looked as shocked as them. He roared :

"I haven't done anything. That is my magic, I am certain of it.But... this magic is on alicorn level. Wait...no, this is imposssssiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sombra was so focused on Sweetie Belle that he didn't noticed Applebloom sneaking behind him. And then Applejack's sister bucked. But that buck was SOME BUCK. Sombra was thrown through whole throne room and he crushed on the wallwith thunderous "CRACK".

Applebloom looked at her back legs in amazement. Scootaloo already opened her mouth, but Sweetie Belle's hoof was pressed against it before she could speak

"Scoot, we glowed moments ago and I can somehow use dark magic. So just...sush!" said Sweetie Belle

Scootaloo rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Sombra arised, with fury in his eyes. He screamed and all the shadows in throne room swirled around and attack the Crusaders. But before the tendrils of darkness reached the fillies, they were blocked by the forcefield made ofgolden energy. Sombralooked at the entrance, so did they Crusaders. Their jaws momentarily dropped. In the doors of the throne room stood no other than Princess Celestia.

White alicorn charged at Sombra, but former ruler of Crystal Empire simply turned himself to shadow, materialising in the other corner of the room.

"Sombra !!! Stop this at once or I banish you to the sewers of Canterlot. Believe me, you don't want to go there."Princess Celestia floated over Sombra, shining like sun.

"Where is she ?" said slowly Sombra

"Your friend is out. I managed to relive the world of her" yelled Princess Celestia.

"Is that so ? Well, let me show you some trick I was mastering on the exile" Sombra started to speak slowly in thundering language. Celestia dove, trying to reach him but he dogged quickly. However, when he turned to Crusaders, they saw a scar crossing his cheek.

Sombra continued his spell. Finally he exclaimed "As everything has a shadow, I summonthe darkness in you to reveal itself. I name you Celestia, the Living Sun, daughter of Dusk and Aurora, born before the Dawn of Time, The Eternal, The Regretful, The Fire of Heart".

Celestia screamed and fell to the ground. She made ineffective attempt to rise up. She looked at Crusaders, running to the rescue.

“Run...In the name of me, just run. I cannot contain her with him in control.” She turned her head in Sombra’s direction, her cerise eyes full of pain “Sombra, I beg you. I will do anything. Just don’t let her hurt them. I will do anything. Just...stop...please”

Sombra laughed loudly

“No Celestia, I’ve been waiting too long for this. And now...I have three in one package. Or should I say.... four in one”

His horn glowed once again and under the throne burst violet flames. Then the dark blue silhouette materialised. It was Princess Luna. She was tied and unable to speak. Only dark blue eyes were looking at gathered ponies, begging for help.

Celestia jumped back

"Luna!!!" she cried " I am so, so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. Oh dear sister ...and you little fillies...May you forgive me one day..."

Sombra winked at Celestia

"If I recall correctly, my companion doesn't like your sister very much..."

Celestia tried to rise up once again and once again failed.

"Sombra... please..." she begged quietly

Sombra froze at the moment. All the ponies remained silent. Sombra seemed hesitant.

But only for a moment.

Then Sombra's face turned into some hellish mask as he yelled in horrific voice

"ARISE!!!"

Celestia screamed. Her back cracked when her head were thrown back in a very not-natural angle. She looked at Crusaders and Luna one more time

"Please, forgive me.." she whispered

And then Princess Celestia exploded in a white light, a blaze of energy. It started to spin around until it congested in a ball of pure light and heat.

Crusaders had to look away. All three were scared that if the weird globe will continue heating up the room, they all willbe burnt. But then the light faded and heat slightly decreased. Crusaders slowly opened their eyes. What they saw, made their jaws drop once again this faithful day (or night, it was really hard to tell). In the place of Princess Celestia, in a circle of pure magma, were standing white alicorn with a burning, lava-coloured eyes. Her mane was one big, vivid flame

Sweetie Belle gasped. Her predictions were right. She listened carefully to Starlight's stories and she knew who was the flame-mane pony.

Standing in front of them was Daybraker, Princess Celestia dark alter-ego, The Reflection of The Sun.

Daybraker giggled and stretched

"Oh my, good old Tia is finally asleep. What a boring little crybaby." she looked at the Crusaders " Oh, splendid. Look Sombra, we have guests. Did you greeted them ?"

"They definitely greeted me, when we are on it " mutteredSombra.

"Oh sush, you emo. Well then, you are very unlucky, young fillies. I am afraid I have to kill you" Daybraker made a puppy eyes " It is nothing personal, I am just planning on taking the entire world. I sense the magic within you. So..." she suddenly breathed fire at the fillies. But once again, the strange white light emanated from the Crusaders, shielding them.

Daybraker snarled

"It seems that we have reached an impas. But don't worry, because of me we have all of time in the world and there is no one in this world that can save you know.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hugged each other tighter. They didn't see the way out.

And then strange voice echoed all around them

"Lucky for them, I am not from this world"

Ponies heard a weird but beautiful sound, that couldn't really be described or compared to anything they have ever heard.

They watched in amazement when blue box slowly materialised out of thin air on the left hoof from them.

The box's doors open and chestnut coloured stallion with a brown, messy mane picked out.

"Good evening there !!!" he yelled with enthusiasm " Pardon me, but is there any chance of finding extrapolated temporal crisis nearby ?"