3 - Takeover
A ghostly howl resonated in the city of Canterville. It was nothing like what the denizens had heard prior. If one were one were to describe it, they would say it sounded as if the wind itself cried for mercy. The Unicorns inhabiting the capital city turned their attention to the skies, where the cries came from. But eventually, all noticed a mist rolling through the streets, encompassing the entire city and darkening the heavens above. Hundreds rushed from their homes to witness this shroud of mist.
Traces of a magic never before seen laced it. As it consumed the city, ponies could feel the bitterness of winter grace their pelt. Their greatest fears were brought to life in the mist, emerging from it as an onslaught of terror. Shadowed silhouettes prowled the streets of Canterville, haunting and hunting for prey. Panic and confusion ensued as bolts of magic pierced through the layers of mist, though ineffective against the creatures that haunted the shroud.
Upon the Canterville Castle’s tallest tower, Starswirl’s tower, there stood the Dark Unicorn, eyes peering down towards the blackened streets below. He felt weak. Beyond pathetic. He felt terrible, at the same time, he felt great. It was conflicting. He wasn’t the perfect weapon, as his training intended to create, as his mentor demanded. He watched as they screamed in horror, as their emotions made themselves known to the world, it was taken by the mist along with their magic to be converted into Dark magic. Regret filled his mind, perhaps there was an alternative. Perhaps he didn’t have to strip Unicornia of it’s magic.
His mind banished that thought. Such was an impossibility, there was no alternative. This was the most effective method. His expression contorted into that of a smirk as the shadowy substance of Dark magic entered into his horn, flowing from the mist that now encircled the tower.
The pressure in the back of his mind was lifted, and he chuckled. Fine, if there is no alternative, then so be it. He would proceed as scheduled. He leaped forward, falling down towards the stone paved floor below and joined the mist. Materialising once more, his eyes scanned the streets. There were so many ponies here. For him, the mist was completely transparent, he could see everything. A majority of the ponies were cowering, only the guards were attempting to fight their fears, and it appeared to work. He needed to add a dosage of pain to the mist.
Suddenly, the screaming, once of terror, of fear, was now of great pain. They all writhed, shrieked, cried and begged for mercy. That mattered little now. He turned to the Castle once more, heading past its gilded gates and fallen guards. Entering the dimly lit throne room, he whistled to himself as he approached the throne.
The rattling of chain linked mail once more entered his ears. Guards, that managed to escape the mist’s torture? He was rather impressed, until the doors slammed open, revealing the soldiers of Unicornia. He recognised them. Those from the cave. Instead of growling, hissing, or even lunging out, he stayed silent, merely looking down onto the Guards once more.
As the Unicornians approached, the door behind them slammed shut with the mist billowing and creating a wall. A look of contempt was passed by the charcoal Unicorn as he stood up from the throne, the mist rising as he etched ever closer to the sons and daughters of Unicornia. He couldn’t be bothered to flinch as they rose their spears once more, their feigned thrusts were left ignored as he continued his approach.
“Prey…” He hissed out, “You come back, to find your homes taken by the very mist that you defeated. You have failed your primary task. To protect Unicornia. But perhaps, even if you have failed such a simple objective, you may still be of some use to me…” A dark smile decorated the charcoal pelted Unicorn.
Sturdy Shield stood in place, whilst his soldiers hid behind. That simple act wouldn’t terrify him. What terrified him was what the Dark Unicorn had done to the inhabitants of Canterville. That moment, the chamber became dark as all candle flames were extinguished and the Dark Unicorn turned to mist. Then, silence. Not even the howling of wind could be heard. It was pure, blissful silence. Pure dreadful silence. The Guards stood together, their rattling armour being the only sound heard in the throne room.
Each Unicorn lit their horn, yet the light that emanated was dim, they were only able to see one another.
Time ticked. And yet, nothing happened. There in the darkness, the white eyes illuminated the chamber around them, surrounding them almost, merely staring from the blackness. The Captain gripped his spear tighter, exhaling as his eyes darted around, attempting to find the true Dark Unicorn in all of the illusions. Then, he felt a bitter chill crawl down his body. He heard a hiss by his left ear. Slowly turning his head, he saw them. Those white eyes, right next to him.
A hiss. They all recoiled in shock. Each turning their bodies to face the Dark Unicorn, or at least what they believed to be the master of the mist. They unanimously thrust their spears towards the darkness in the centre, yet only the clashing of the spear tips resonated, and as they collided, a bright flash consumed their vision. A moment later, they looked towards each other, checking if any damage had been done. No. Nothing, not a scratch. Then, they stared into each other’s eyes. A dim glow. Pupils a pearl-white. Pelt, a darker tone.
They wished to panic, but they couldn’t. They wished to scream, but their mouth refused to obey that order. Instead, a new command was implanted within their minds. Guard the palace. Simple. And they obeyed without question, without as much of a hint of disloyalty. It was painful, truly painful in their minds. Visions flashed; nightmares haunted. And throughout all of their mental torture, they still obeyed.
Only one was spared from this. Though it shouldn’t be called ‘mercy’. Call it punishment. The Captain was forced to watch his soldiers march to their posts, eyes completely devoid of life, movement almost mechanical. The Dark Unicorn approached him at a snail’s pace, and as those lifeless eyes gazed down onto him, he felt fear.
There is no escape.
He heard an echo within his mind. Then, he noticed that his hooves were restrained by the mist, his horn too restrained by his fellow Guard’s magic. All he could do, was wait. His chin was lifted, and as much as he wanted to look away, the magical grasp on him refused to let go.
An exhale, or rather hiss escaped the apparition as he licked his lip and fangs. Leaning closer, and closer to the restrained Sturdy Shield. Then, another chuckle. “Tell me. How much magic do you think is stored within every inhabitant of Canterville?” He coldly asked, to which the Captain snapped his head in one direction and growled, overpowering the grasp. “Imagine that. A Unicorn Kingdom, without magic. I would do it some other way, if I had another alternative in mind. But I must thank you! Without you, I would’ve never found such a plentiful source of magic this quickly, nor would I’ve have gotten a proper test of my magical prowess other than some brigands...”
Now submit to my will, and obey my commands.
The Captain continued his struggle, yet to no avail. Then, a sharp pain. He hissed, but almost immediately stopped as his vision turned brighter, and brighter, until all he could see was a whiteness like no other. He felt the mist and magic let go of his body, and a leg give away, but he quickly caught himself and stood back up.
Go and rally the denizens of Canterville in the city centre.
He bowed his head in acknowledgement, turning to face the now opened door into a foggy city. Those mist-born terrors now faded into the mist, never to be seen again. All that remained were hundreds of ponies, their eyes all luminescent. He rose a hoof, and they obeyed.
Elsewhere, the Dark Unicorn himself pondered as he wandered the labyrinthian Canterville Castle halls, the one question on his mind being; where was Starswirl? Where was that blue-cloaked mad-scientist in the making hiding? He heard the Guards’ stomping and rattling armour throughout the Castle from the full-sweep he ordered. Yet not one had reported any finding of the light-grey Unicorn. One however, found the brown maned Unicorn’s personal office within the palace. As expected, it was a mess. There’s no time for tidying when there is work to be done.
There was paperwork strewn across the tables and even floor, some containing sketches. Others, notes. Some cryptic and vague, or inexplicable even by Starswirl. Others, graphic. But only one sketch interest Chaos. One peculiar sketch of a winged and horned pony. Next to it, two sketches of regular Unicorns, one coloured darker than the other. Both seemingly drawn to compare scale. There were plenty of things written about it, yet most was scribbled out, or plain incomprehensible.
The writing itself clearly wasn’t English, though the Dark Unicorn already knew that, in fact he could read most words written in Archaic. Scanning through the papers, he noticed a set of particularly big letters, seemingly a name, and below it, the species. Of course, the species wasn’t cross out.
“A-l-i-c-o-r-n.”
He muttered, then shifted his gaze to the incomprehensible scribble which must’ve been its name. He ignored that, more interesting on a different paper, containing two more of the Alicorns. Now those, he recognised from his Host’s memories. He needn’t glance at the names to know what they were. One’s mane was a vibrant and flowing pink, seemingly defying the laws of physics, and the other a sky blue.
Starswirl’s notes described his experience with the two Alicorns to be beneficial to Unicornia, though he later wrote that he could care less about Unicornia’s well-being, and Chaos huffed at that. Then, he shifted to another note, this time on the tree. There was an incredible amount of detail on the crystalline tree, ranging from its properties, anomalies and surroundings, its compositions, et cetera. And then he noticed another sketch of a Unicorn, every detail matching himself, even the crown was drawn. Next to that Unicorn, was depiction of the host. The lighter pelt and name suggested so. He felt rather insulted, when under his figure, Starswirl labelled ‘Apparition / Parasite’. According to his notes, he found the Dark Unicorn’s relationship to the tree to be extraordinary.
He pushed the paper aside and looked back to the tree. There were dates on the paper for specific paragraphs, and some were clearly before his arrival. Starswirl had encountered the tree many times before. Each encounter seemed to differ vastly. He seemed to document the abilities of the Dark Unicorn better than Clover could ever dream.
There laid yet another note nearby, describing what seemed to be the day the Dark Unicorn had emerged. Much of the writing was of the Host and his brief adventure with Starswirl through the woodlands of the Everfree. He noted a perfect location for a Castle to be built, where there was clearing nearby ravines. Then, he saw ‘unknown magic’ labelled in red, described as a bolt that emanated an aura of darkness. He read further, the notes spoke of a bandit presence in the Everfree, and how the Host was taken away by those bandits. Starswirl expressed regret in these next few lines, of how he had abandoned the unknown Unicorn to his fate. Not only because of that, but also the Unicorn was dangerous, clearly from his demonstration of a simple bolt of magic. There was some small writing inscribed at the bottom of the page, and the Dark Unicorn looked closer.
“I am sorry…? Hmph.”
Chaos huffed and pushed aside the papers, sparing a brief glance at another which noted his absence from the Castle, apparently to research more of the crystalline tree. That mattered little, Starswirl could have his little escapade, and when he returned, he would have a great shock. Walking towards the balcony, he looked down at the Everfree and beyond, even looking towards the cloud city of the Pegasi in the distance, noting something flying towards Canterville. But, only one question lingered in his mind, where was Starswirl at this moment?
Time Skip
A gasp and pant. Inhale and exhale. Starswirl turned his head to briefly view the mist covered Canterville. He had only narrowly escaped the Dark Unicorn’s wrath; the mist didn’t seem to notice him either. The leaders of al three pony tribes were to return to Canterville after their supposed meeting, and he couldn’t allow them to return to the now occupied capital of Unicornia. He needed to inform a friend within the ranks of the Pegasi and the Earth ponies. After a minute of rest and recovery, he galloped towards the nearby Earth pony settlement, of which was quite diverse in ponies, ranging from Pegasi, to Unicorns and even some other species of animals.
What mattered now, was to inform the other tribes of Unicornia’s fall. Of course, he knew the risks, if they decided to invade the weakened nation. However, with their leaders’ safety compromised, they would have to help. Galloping as fast as he could, Starswirl eventually saw the wooden houses that lined by a barely paved muddy road. Soldiers came to greet him, their mistrusting attitude towards outsiders didn’t help him whatsoever, until he explained the situation of the kingdoms.
He informed them of the threat posed to their leader, the Chancellor and leaders of other nations too, and they should spread the information amongst their ranks and to the Pegasi in the clouds. Many believed him, despite him being a Unicorn and the distrust and divide was still much prevalent.
“Starswirl!” Cried a pony from above.
The light grey Unicorn heard the flapping of wings. As Starswirl turned his head, he was suddenly tackled by a Pegasus in gilded armour made from multiple sheets of metal, clearly a Captain. His response was an ‘oomph’ as he nearly collapsed onto the floor before being supported back up by the Pegasus who just crashed into him. “Sudden Strike, please don’t do that ever again.” The Unicorn begged.
The Pegasus then chuckled as he released Starswirl from his grip and the two bumped their hooves against each other. “Long time no see; you were busy with research again?” His query was answered with a nod. But not so soon after did the Pegasus Captain’s expression turn into one of concern, and with a sigh he began. “I saw it happen, Starswirl, you needn’t tell me anything. Our scout noticed the city covered in mist, and we saw you escape.”
“Good, Have you informed your superiors?” Starswirl asked, to which he was given a nod in response. “This is a very opportune time in our age, with the possibility of the unification of the tribes drawing ever closer, we must show the others that all ponies can work together in perfect harmony, without infighting and distrust. Gather your soldiers here, and attempt to convince as many as possible to come, there are some ponies I must meet.”
The Unicorn was given a salute, to which he smiled and turned to head further into the town. Briefly glancing around, he noted the areas with the highest concentration of ponies, eventually finding what he believed to be where ‘they’ were. Travellers from lands distant, they were visiting the Everfree woodlands and its surrounding region, from the cloud city of the Pegasi, to the Earth pony towns below, and soon they would head to Canterville. Alicorns, exactly as described in his notes, tall, angelic ponies that combined all three tribes’ powers into one. Their durability and magic were immeasurable compared to a regular Earth pony or Unicorn, and their wings could propel them farther and faster than even the fastest Pegasi. They were considered deities amongst many, and many others envied them. Surely, they could put an end to the threat in Canterville, and possibly unite the tribes at the same time.
There, in the centre of the crowd, two of the Alicorns stood, surrounded by ponies watching in awe. Some, hypnotised by their beauty, others shocked by their possession of both horn and wings. They were viewed like angels, just as when they were in Pegasopolis. In truth, they were just two nervous young mares, Celestia and Luna. And to their rescue, their Knight-In-Shining-Armour, Starswirl came to disperse the crowd.
Starswirl was stuck in the back, helplessly waving his hooves until the two Alicorns noticed him, and teleported themselves out of the area. All three retreated to safer grounds before collectively sighing in relief. Celestia was the first to speak. “Thank you, Starswirl.”
“If I thanked you, you wouldn’t live to hear the end of it.” Luna sarcastically added, to which the others chuckled. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked, her expression turned into one of concern as Starswirl’s turned to dread. The Unicorn stayed silent for a whole minute.
Starswirl opened his mouth, and only exhaled cold air until eventually, he spoke. “Canterville has been conquered.”. And to this, both Alicorns gasp, the information wasn’t taken lightly by the younger Alicorn, who valiantly rose her hoof in defiance and prepared a speech to liberate the Unicorn city, before a shake of the head from her sister caused her to take the situation more seriously. Starswirl then proceeded to explain the situation to the two sisters, of how the city itself was swept by a great rolling blanket of mist, and nightmarish creatures emerged from it. Then, he sighed and explained how they led the Dark Unicorn to Canterville, threatening the city due to their little concern over its power. He explained how he had tried to convince Clover to be more careful, after failing to convince him to leave the Unicorn to his custody.
Celestia narrowed her eyes in suspicion, “There something more you’re not telling us.” She demanded, to which Starswirl capitulated to her. As he sighed, a small smirk appeared on the alabaster Alicorn.
“Months ago, I started my research on the crystalline tree in the Everfree forest. Of all sights and oddities there, I found that the most intriguing. The magic that emanated from it was… completely unnatural. The sheer power I felt, it was even beyond Alicorn magic. I believe once it even… spoke to me. No, no it must’ve been my mind. What I found most intriguing was that Pere-.” A pause, and a clearing of the throat. “The Dark Unicorn had it’s magic, though a much weaker variant. Almost as if he was doused in a cauldron full of it. I had taken interest in that Unicorn. He apparently had no clue of how to control his magic whatsoever, so I tutored him. That, that was when I discovered his magical bolt. It was truly something to behold, yet it was so… malign.”
Starswirl looked up to his Alicorn friends and noticed how immersed they were into this story. Both staring with intent, he’d never seen them so intrigued. Was it the tree? Perhaps the fact of it’s magic being stronger than even an Alicorn’s? He finished explaining to them what had abruptly happened after the two Unicorn’s brief journey in the Everfree, and his regret about it, to which the two gave a nod of understanding.
“For as long as we can remember,” Starswirl began, catching the attentions of the two once more. “the tribes of the Unicorns, Earth ponies and Pegasi have been divided. Never once has all three been united. We need each other to survive, in our desperation, our pioneers explored new lands, and eventually found this one. But still, hostilities between nations are still too great. That is where you two will come in. Many here already admire and respect both of you. Our current situation couldn’t be better. If you two could help in liberating Canterville, you may be able to unite all Kingdoms into a sole nation and as it’s rulers.”
Celestia rose her hoof. “But Starswirl, we’ve barely learned anything about rulership thus far, we have barely been immersed in politics, and we haven’t even met her majesty Princess Platinum yet.”
Starswirl tilted his head and pondered, and eventually a lightbulb ignited above him. “Platinum and the other leaders will rule this new nation, however unstable it may be. Eventually, I can fully introduce you two into becoming proper monarchs, beforehand your duties would be to stabilise the nation, along with your current duties as Alicorns of the Sun and Moon.”
“That is a very big responsibility, Starswirl. Usurping the thrones from all those rulers, have you consulted with at least Princess Platinum about this?”
He sighed, looking towards the sky. “Platinum has long before her reign ends, and everyday she looks down at the nobility, she sees only incompetence. She won’t live forever, and you two are immortal, you have millennia to hone your skills, you could control them. And if everything goes according to plan, you would become the greatest rulers who had ever lived. I hope you too share in the optimism I have.”
Black clouds rolled over the mountain range of Canterville, and rain began to pour down onto the rich and fertile lands. Thunder and lightning forced the Pegasi down, and most ponies went indoors. The three looked at the each other, and unanimously agreed to head back towards the town centre. By the time they had arrived, they were staring at a battle-ready legion of Pegasi. Of course, they were being pestered by the Earth pony guards that were stationed here until they explained the situation, and pointed in the direction of Canterville.
At the front, inspecting the soldiers was Starswirl’s trustworthy Pegasi comrade. The two had known each other since leaving their respective homelands. Tales of their adventures and escapades were considered legendary to some. Though the two swore they were just ‘having some fun with their friends’. This attitude was nothing like the Starswirl Clover was used to, their relationship was more professional, sometimes even plain maniacal.
As the three approached, Strike couldn’t help but almost bow to them, which surprised his soldiers, and the Alicorns nervously motioned for him to be at ease. “They’re not royalty yet…” Muttered Starswirl, which was overheard by the Lunar Alicorn, whom chuckled a little and repeated the ‘yet’. Then, they began to gather soldiers, Earth ponies, Pegasi, even Unicorns who had survived the onslaught in Canterville and prepared for the oncoming reclamation of Canterville. The scheme would be a great gamble, but with risk comes reward.
Time Skip
Like a missile, the distant object soared towards Starswirl’s tower in Canterville as the Dark Unicorn stood on its balcony. He whistled as it drew ever closer, eyes examining every detail, recognising it to be a semi-equine shape, and on its head, a translucent jagged crown. “Windigoes.” He softly spoke as the ghostly howl of the wind became audible. He ‘tsked’ as the weather around him changed from ‘sunny and cloudless’ to winter. There must’ve been a lot of hate in Canterville.
As the Windigo approached the tower, the mist lurched upwards to grab at him. He unleashed shards of ice down at the pillars of mist, cutting it from the rest, however they merely wrapped around him. A white aura of magic then took hold of his body, forcing him closer to the tower as the mist returned to formation. His attention was turned to the Dark Unicorn, and he hissed and squirmed to no avail.
Chaos examined the Windigo with great curiosity, even down to the very basic detail. How the magic flowed through their translucent body, seemingly keeping them alive without any obvious internal organs. It had no heart whatsoever, instead an accumulation of magical energy in it’s centre, where there was a massive gash, signalling a battle wound. An aura of coldness was emitted from its body, and the Dark Unicorn thanked his own pelt for its warmth. Then, he began siphoning the magic from it, and his eyes widened immediately and he hissed. Bringing the Windigo closer, he tilted his head, and a grin replaced his grimace.
“Yours is a magic so vile I dare not to taste it again.” To this, the Windigo emulated a spit, to which the apparition chuckled. “Tell me, phantom, where are the rest of your kind?” He asked, which to his surprise saddened the crowned Windigo as he lowered his head in shame and whimpered. Eventually, it opened its maw and spoke.
“Gone. Banished for our greed. I was their King, and I am the last free from exile. They will not return for centuries, perhaps three hundred.” It morosely answered.
The Dark Unicorn couldn’t help but feel pity for this creature, and loosened his grip on it. He pondered for a moment, and found something possibly beneficial for both parties. “You came here, to feed on hate, yes?” He asked, a slow nod being the response. “Go ahead, I won’t be stopping you… If you agree to support me in the time of your brethren’s release, if I am in need of aid.”
The Windigo King placed a hoof on his chin and reviewed the proposition. Nodding, and muttering under his breath. “You will regret your decision…”
The apparition turned his attention to the cityscape beneath and with a simple motion of his hoof, the mist parted to reveal everything. The ghostly Windigo smirked and dove down. At that moment, the Dark Unicorn looked beyond the city, towards the gates, noticing a peculiar group of ponies and guards. He recognised them immediately, and so did the King of the Winter whom attempted to take his revenge, before being leashed by the shroud around them and submerged in it. The King was pulled back and restrained. “Not yet, not until they’ve delved deeper into the shroud.” And he begrudgingly obeyed.
Retreating from the balcony, the Dark Unicorn descended the tower whilst manipulating the mist to hold the royalty at bay. Arriving at the throne room, he found the comfortable throne once more, flanked by it’s former, and current guards. The Captain too, whom only just re-entered the Castle to inform of the intruder presence. He motioned for the Captain to move aside, to one of the backrooms.
Sitting down, he gazed forward, commanding the mist to blow away the previously relit candles. He knew they were approaching fast, and the determination of the guards were great enough to repel the creatures of the mist. He tasted no fear from them, only those whom they protected. Of course, he could’ve added a dose of pain, however he wanted to see those adorable little reactions on those puny little ponies. Afterwards, he could siphon all of the magic from a majority of the city. Flooding the room with mist, he reclined on the throne and sighed. It’s good to be the King.
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Interesting, this fills up a lot of the gaps on what happened before, it might remove some of the mystery of what happened to the unicorns, but it does help to give a lot of context about how the alicorn sisters just suddenly appeared and helped to free the unicorn from his power and define their expected to rule Equestria, and help gather and unite the three tribes, at least before the alliance already was establish just before it became official. Makes me wonder if Starswirl had originally planned to force unity between the tribes at first and this even just allowed to create their image of saviors as beneficent rulers that they are now. I wonder If Stegient had anything to do with all of this somehow, seeing that he exhibit similar powers?
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Stygian will get his own time to shine too.