Peace Will Fade

View Online

The warm sun hung high above the small open field. Deep in the distance was the large castle of Canterlot, the golden spires sparkling in the sunlight. While it seemed like it was to be a calm and beautiful day, that was about to change for the two combatants that faced each other.

One of them was a young purple alicorn with a deep purple and pink striped mane. The other was a pink alicorn with a bright multicolored mane, and was slightly taller than the first. They both were princesses of Equestria and both knew each other for a long time. In truth, they were very close with one another and in fact, they were in laws with each other.

There names were Twilight Sparkle and Mi Amore Cadenza.

This was the third time that Cadance had come from the Crystal Empire this month back to the southern region of Equestria. While most would think seeing their family would be smiling, this wasn't one of those times however. Cadance was returning once again not for any political reason, but for another fight with Twilight.

Their eyes glared at the other as the wind gently blew through their coats, emitting a small chill to the pair of them. Twilight glanced behind herself at the castle in the distance, assured that they were far enough away from it. Turning back forward, her eyes narrowed as she took several steps forward.

"You think you are going to beat me this time Cadance?" Twilight sternly asked.

Cadance chuckled and smugly grinned as she opened her wings. "I think we both know who is the stronger one between us, Twilight."

Frowning, Twilight scraped her hoof through the dirt as her horn began to glow. "Don't forget about how much stronger I’ve become. You may regret that when this is over."

"Hmm, why that’s some good advice to give your opponent. Letting her be more cautious, that’s so nice of you." Cadance grinned as she also charged her magic up. "But if you recall, who is the older and more talent-”

Music link

A bright blast of magic past Cadance's face cut her off as she quickly ducked under it. Glaring back to Twilight, her horn sparkled as she conjured a large mace from her aura. At the same time, the young alicorn summoned her curved sword she had developed recently. "Let's see who is better now!" Twilight snapped as she charged her sister in law.

Bringing her hammer above her head, Cadance brought it down as Twilight came in, but wasn't fast enough as the younger alicorn jumped to the side as it crashed down. Twilight sprinted forward and swung her sword towards her opponent, only for Cadance to block it with her hammers hilt. Shoving back, they both jumped away for only a moment before bursting forth and colliding again.

Both engaged in a mix of clashes, their magic sparking off every time they hit the other. Twilight grunted as she brought her sword down again, her faster swipes countered by Cadance's slower but stronger swings. When she did have an opening, twilight jumped back and attempted to shoot a magic blast past the hilt, only to have Cadance teleport out of the way.

Flipping her head back back and forth, Twilight tried to look for her foe to reappear, her horn sparkling in preparation. The sudden shadow over her head caught her attention, rolling to her left just as the large mace crashed into the dirt where she stood. Standing back up, twilight shot off a volley of blasts at Cadance, the pink alicorn spinning her weapon in her grasp and reflecting the incoming attacks. As the last blast came in, Cadance took her mace and hit it back at Twillight.

Bringing her sword forward, Twilight cut through the incoming blast and charged through at Cadance once again, only to have her hoof suddenly pulled into the ground beneath her. "What the!?" Twilight yelled as she pulled against the unseen force. Before she could however, she screamed as a large green vine ripped up from the ground and pulled her into the air.

Attempting to thrash her way out, Twilight grunted and slashed through the part holding her leg, only for another arm of the vine to shoot out and constrict her front hooves. "What is this!?"

"Magic infused roots." Cadance answered as she flapped her wings, laughing as she watched Twilight struggle her way through the plant. "And what I can see is that you look a little flustered in there."

Baring her teeth, Twilight shot a beam out and cut through the long vine binding her hooves together. As she broke free, she began hacking through the mass of giant roots rushing through the air at her. While she was holding them off for a few moments, eventually they were too much to handle and teleported out of the way. As she came into view into again, she was caught off guard as Cadance was waiting for her and swinging her large weapon forward.

Panicking, Twilight tried to raise her sword up to defend herself, but Cadance had already swung her weapon down low and swept her legs out from under her. Screaming out as she flipped over herself, Twilight slammed onto the dirt as her magic faulted. Before she could crawl back up, Cadance's hoof pinned her down on her back and put her mace to her throat.

Grinning at her accomplishment, Cadance made Twilight lay flat on her back so she had to look up at her in defeat. "So Twilight, it seems you aren't strong enough to stop me. You have just allowed Canterlot to fall in your rule. Do you have any last words?"

Twilight sat silent as she looked up to her opponent. She still couldn't believe she had just been defeated. Her powers were not enough to stop the threat that was now heading towards the capital. Not only that, she had been taken in down in such a short amount of time that she had left no time for the citizens to prepare themselves. She had failed.

Glaring up to Cadance, she sighed and laid her head back. "That was cheap to use that plant spell on me."

The arrogant grin fell off of Cadance's face and was replaced by a cheeky smile. "Why? The rule said we had to win our duel, and didn't say how we won it." Jumping off of Twilight, Cadance through her mace up into the air as it vaporized into dust. She began hopping up and down as she cheered on her victory.

"Woohoo! Got it again! Cadance three, Twilight zero!"

Rolling her eyes, Twilight crawled back up to her hooves and shook her coat to clean off the gathered dust. "You got lucky this duel with that spell. You could have-”

"Oh, lucky?" Cadance put her hoof to her chin and smirked. "Hmm, well what about those other two duels that we had?"
Twilight stuck her tongue at her sister in law, uptight about still not being able to win. "Why can't I get my power up more? How come you can still beat me?"

"Perhaps because she has had more time with her power, Twilight."

Both Twilight and Cadance turned to the strange yet familiar voice from above. They looked up to see a third alicorn drop down and land on the ground in front of them, yet this pony was unlike any other. Her body was taller than either of them and was a bleach white color. On her sides sat two sets of blue tipped wings that gently folded together. Her long colorful mane floated in the air as it danced with a mix of greens and deep blue hues. And her bright emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she smiled to the two ponies.

Cadance smiled at the newcomer. "Hello Aunt Eclipse."

Eclipse was perhaps one of the greatest stories in the history of Equestria. While She in fact was born from two ponies, she was never actually 'born' as one would say. She was the combination of two separate alicorns that fused together with powerful magic. And these two ponies were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The two original sister rulers of Equestria .

Back when they were separate, they did battle against the powerful spirit of chaos, Discord. After he had betrayed the trust of Twilight and her friends to return to his old ways in life, the two princesses had to do battle against him to stop him. As they tried however, they were no match for his power. They only had one option to succeed.

They had to fuse together with the power of the Earrings of Solaris.

The ancient and powerful artifacts were from before even their time, and allowed them to combine into one body that blended perfectly between the two. Even their voices blended into one. Magnifying their power into extraordinary lengths, a great battle took place between the two combatants until Eclipse barely gained victory over the now deceased Discord. The only drawbacks to the earrings is the risk of too much power for the body to handle, in which Eclipse experienced painfully. The other is that the fusion is irreversible, never allowing the two to be separate again.

But the sisters knew that risk, and accepted it along with recovering completely as well.

Now, it has been three months since that fateful day in which the new princess of Equestria was born. Within that time, Eclipse had realized the risk in not being ready to defend one’s self without outside items like the Elements of Harmony to help. And so, she requested that both Twilight and Cadance began training in combative magic training. While hesitant at first, the two accepted the proposition and began the next day.

And now, Eclipse could see the results. "We must say, you two have improved quite a bit since we have started. Your speed, power, and control have all vastly changed from the first day this began." She happily told them.

Twilight smiled and nodded for the compliment. "Thank you, princess. I've been trying to work on my conjuring lately since that is my hardest part right now."

"Yes, and we saw that, since that alone is a great feat. Conjuration is one style of magic that can take up to a year normally to learn those levels, and yet you both did it in a little over two months. And to you Cadance..." Eclipse turned to look at her niece. "... That was a very clever move you used with the roots back there. We honestly did not see that coming."

Hearing that made Twilight's smile flip upside down. Glancing up to her side, she grunted when she saw that huge giddy smile on Cadance's face. "Yeah... I didn't see it coming either. When did you have the time for that?"

Giggling, Cadance levitated a nearby rock up to demonstrate her spell. "Well, when I was above you and smashed my mace into the ground..." She then shot the rock down into the grass, a small wave of magic rushing down beneath it and into the ground. "... I sent out a magical pulse into the dirt and found any roots underneath me."

A moment later, a small root sprung up from the grass and grew a few inches up. Cadance lifted up the end with her hoof as she grinned. "Now, I have this to use. All I did earlier was infuse it with a growing spell as well."

Eclipse raised an eyebrow in amazement to the technique her niece used. "That was very smart of you Cadance, taking a simple item around her and using it to great advantages. Things like that work great for distractions or or restraints."

"Yeah, I guess they do work well." Twilight mumbled under her breath.

Chuckling, Eclipse took a deep breath in admiration to the peaceful day. She turned towards the castle in the distance, also noting the evening chill approaching soon. "Perhaps it is time to return now. Your training is done for the day. Cadance, would you care to join us for dinner?

Cadance smiled but waved her hoof in front. "Thank you, but I have to decline for tonight. I have to return and help Shining Armor finish the final preparations for the Crystal Gala tonight. I am actually lucky I was able to make time so could come today for this."

"Wait, you have to leave now?" Twilight gave a disappointed frown at hearing her sister in law had to leave. "But you just got here at noon."

"I know, it's just we've been planning this gala for a while now and we want it to be flawless. This is the first big ball that the Crystal Empire is having since its return."

"There is no need to explain yourself, Cadance." Eclipse calmly stated. "If you were pushing to make time for your training, you don't have to come if you want."

"I know. It's just..." A small blush grew across Cadance's face as she thought about it. "It's just I kind of do enjoy this. All this training and duels, it's unlike my old magic training. I thinks it's... Fun."

The smile fell off Eclipses face at hearing that. She sighed as she trotted up to the link alicorn and lifted her chin with her wing. "This training isn't being done for fun, Cadance. The point is so that you learn to defend yourself in the case something threatens your life. And we hope that the fighting itself isn't what you like. We hope that you never have to experience a true fight like what we did."

Cadance lowered her eyes down to the ground and flattened her ears. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that."

Giggling, Eclipse playfully tapped her with her wing and walked over to give her a warm hug. "Do not trouble yourself with it, Cadance. We know you really didn't mean it in a bad way. Now don't waste anymore time, you have a gala to prepare."
Smiling, Cadance flapped her wings and took off into the air. "If you two have the time, you should come to the Gala tonight."

"If we can, we will come." Eclipse responded from below.

"Bye Cadance! Say hi to Shiny for me!" Twilight shouted as well.

Waving goodbye, Cadance turned and flew north to her home. Seeing her vanish in clouds made Twilight chuckle. "It's funny how lately she likes to fly here instead of taking the train. It's like she wants to add endurance to her training as well."

"Yes, I've noticed that as well." Eclipse glanced up into the sky and noticed the time of day it was. "We should be heading back soon. It won't be long for us before he must raise the moon."

Nodding, Twilight trotted up next to the fused alicorn as they made their way back home. After a few moments, they both smiled at each other as Eclipse draped two of her wings over Twilight. "We are proud of you also, Twilight. You have come much further than we thought you would have already."

“Oh, thanks." Twilight blushed at the compliment. "I mean, I'm just practicing like you thought was the best to do."

“No, it's not just that. You have pushed yourself further and harder than we had actually anticipated. In truth, you are already as strong as we were before our new life."

Twilight froze in place as the words sunk into her mind. Her legs shook beneath her, almost giving out if it weren't for her locked knees. "Wh-what? Did you just..."

Eclipse turned around and sat down in front of the stunned mare. "We aren't making anything up, Twilight. You are already almost as strong as we were back when we were Celestia and Luna."

"Eclipse, I know you are trying to be nice, but don't insult your older selves by saying that I am as strong as that."

"The only way of insulting us is that after a thousand years that we hadn't become stronger than what we were. You have just started your training and yet we can see that you will surpass us within a year of continuing your practice alongside Cadance." Eclipse lifted Twilights chin up so that she looked up to her eyes. "And we can't be more proud of you for that."

The two of them stayed silent for several minutes, simply staring at the other in happiness. Eclipse had a pony that had grown from a student to a princess, and Twilight had a wonderful teacher that would always be there to help her. There was one thing that was always on Twilight's mind for a long time though. "Eclipse, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" Eclipse stood back up to her hooves. "What is it?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her head, unsure how would be the best way to ask her question. "Well.. Back when you fought Discord and used your full power, your body couldn't handle the stress and began shutting down on you."

Shutting her eyes, Eclipse took in a deep as those painful memories began coming back to her. She could almost feel the scorching sensation she experienced when her heart nearly burst inside of her chest. "Yes, we recall feeling that. What is it that you were trying to ask?"

“Well, I was concerned about the fact of magic exhaustion. I've gotten tired and some headaches from pushing too hard, but I never got past that. Won't training like this make it worse because we are growing stronger and our magic is increasing as well?"

"That is a good question Twilight. We know you are concerned for that, but do not worry. By honing your magic through this training, your body is already adjusting to the levels of magic you are using, allowing you longer and greater use."

"But what about you? You don't have the same amount of magic Cadance and I have. You have much more."

“Yes, and we have been working on that as well." Eclipse’s horn began to glow its light emerald tone as she conjured her long sword, the blade pulsing with golden aura. "Our magic reserve is magnified compared to what it was before. Through meditation and practice, the backlash of use on our has been lowered from what it was before. However..."

Sighing, Eclipse dissolved her weapon into the air as she turned back to Twilight. "To use our full power will still have consequences like before."

"But how do you stay so calm if that were to happen?"

"Twilight, if you worry about things like that all the time, you won't be able to focus on what is truly important when-

Before she could finish, Eclipse’s eyes shot open as a cold chill suddenly ran up her spine. She flipped her body around and looked off into the distance, searching for the odd sensation she suddenly sensed. 'What was that? That was a powerful magical surge that just happened.' She said to herself.

Tilting her head, Twilight walked over to Eclipse’s side and nudged her with her wing. "Is something wrong?

Eclipse ignored the feeling on her side, knowing Twilight was unable to sense the power she felt. Her skin was shaking from her nerves, fear coming into her heart. "There is something out there. We can feel it."

Turning the same direction her mentor was, Twilight tried to look for what she was talking about. To her though, all she could see was a beautiful sunset over the green hills in the distance. "What are you talking about? I don't-

"It's beyond the line of sight." Eclipse quickly answered. It was something she had never sensed before in her life. Whatever this odd magic was, it was far beyond the borders of their land.

And it was very powerful.

---

Hundreds of miles away from Canterlot, the grassy plains faded away as sand began to overtake the ground. The air became dry and hot, inhospitable for any plant life to grow. The large desert was plain and stripped of any other form and structure. All except for the massive red mountain rising above the sand.

The strange, glasslike rock wasn't created from any natural occurrence. Made from a combination of dark magic and sorcery in the ancient times before order existed in the world. With its making, order and peace fell upon the land after the Great War of freedom. For two thousand years this mountain sat here, keeping Equestria blind to what truly happened all that time ago. But that was about to change from the large split up the center of the structure.

From the moment Discord died, the entire strength of the mountain had begun weakening, it's strength fading everyday. Massive cracks laid across the entire surface, spreading out into a spider web like pattern. Several large pieces had already fallen off the side of it to reveal what seemed to be a dark, hollow interior. From deep within the mountain, a strange scraping sound began echoing out to the air.

Music link

The next instant, a massive beam of yellow magic burst out from the mountainside, obliterating the top half of rock into thousands of pieces of gravel. The large cloud of smoke enshrouded what was left of the strange mountain along with the strange, bipedal figure now standing on the top.

"Hoorah! Feels good to breathe out here again!" The mysterious creature ecstatically yelled out into the wasteland. "It's about time that spell has worn off on us!"

Leaning forward, the freed being reached through the dust cloud, revealing his clawed hand and dark blue fur covered arm. He lowered his claws and scraped along the rock surface beneath him, emitting a trail of sparks in its wake. "I have been waiting for two millennium just to feel the wind blow against my fur. And I tell you, it feels great."

From inside the cloud, a second form rose up, this one in the shape of a tall and slender dragon. "It appears the land hasn't really changed in the time since we were out last." His voice said in a calm yet excited tone. "I think we should check out what has changed back at the Equestrian capital."

"I was already planning that ahead of you." The first figure answered eagerly, "I want to see who it was that killed Discord."

The second figure turned to the first to what he heard. "Perhaps you forgot your orders that were given by-

"Do you really think he will care if I go and solve this problem for us?" The first angrily responded, "I don't need his permission to go into the world that was once ours."

"Don't be foolish and go try to prove you are stronger than this being. While it is mostly certain we are, to simply go and fight this new creature is stupid to say the least."

"Don't try and tell me what I can or can't kill, Volvack. If you ever want to give your opinion on something, write it down." With his last words, the first figure leapt through the smoke and out into the fading light of the sky. In a flash of light, he teleported and vanished out of sight.

Stepping through the smoke, the dragon Volvack popped his neck before looking back to the sun setting on the horizon. Standing seven feet tall, his golden scales shimmered against the sunlight, radiating out like an uncovered stone. His head had a short and narrow snout leading up to his bright blue eyes. Down his back sat a large pair of brown wings tucked in to his slim yet very muscular body.

"Looks like he doesn't like to listen as usual." Volvack sighed before leaping off the top of the mountain and crashing down on the ground below. Looking back up, he saw two more figures behind the cloud of smoke. "So, what is your first order then?"

From the dissipating cloud, a long white limb reached down and grasped onto the rock. The moment the claw tipped hand touched down, a wave of ice spread out from the palm, encasing the surface in the freezing sheet. A serpent like tail flicked its way out as well, curling around a small stone and lifting it up towards the owners hidden face.

"While you may not agree with him, I don't think the first thing that we do is to simply wait and figure out who this mysterious pony is." The cold, female voice said as her tail crushed the rock in her grasp, "I for one am going north to my old kingdom. I sure hope that they kept my throne clean for me."

The air began to swirl as the mysterious serpent laughed before she teleported out of the mountain and onto her destination, leaving the final figure standing in the nearly dissipated cloud. Volvack let out a sigh as he cracked his knuckles. "Seems like both of them are in quite a rush to get what they want."

The dark figure turned around and walked back towards the darkness of the mountain interior. "And why wouldn't they be? They want what was taken from us."

Volvack raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Are you not coming out? I thought you were the most ready for this day."

"There are things I must prepare still. While you can do what you wish now, I have to wait before I move on to the next step."

"And what is that step perhaps?"

The dark figure turned around in the shadows, his green eyes glowing through the darkness. "To show these creatures who are the real forces of power to live. To make them remember the gods that rule them."

Watching him disappear into the mountain interior, Volvack grunted before turning back towards the direction of Canterlot. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up into a grin as he fully realized his freedom he had now. "Perhaps it would be good to enjoy it as well."

Spreading his wings to their full ten foot width, Volvack burst off the ground and into the sky, shooting through the clouds for the first time in two millennia. He sat idle for several moments to enjoy the feeling of the wind blow past him before making his way towards Equestria.

"So Discord, you had the bright idea of tricking all of us and locking us away so you could have your life to yourself. Then you go and get yourself killed, allowing that spell to wear off." Volvack then began pondering what he was going to see when he finally met the one who did it, the one able to defeat the draconequus. "While I may have held resentment towards you, I knew your true strength and the power it possessed."

A toothy smile spread across his muzzle. "Time to see who sent you to the grave, little brother."

The Wolf's Hunt

View Online

As Eclipse and Twilight passed through the main gate of the city, Eclipse slowed to a stop before turning back around. She stared out through the now-dark night towards the great distance in the land. For some reason, she continued to feel a strange aura floating through the air as if foreboding a great warning to her heart. While she didn't want to believe it was a true threat, she couldn't ignore the possible danger she feared of.

Taking a deep breath, Eclipse turned to the pair of guards standing by the gate. "Please send word through to the rest of the battalions in the city. Double the patrols and watch posts for the night."

"Yes, your highness." Both answered with a nod.

Twilight watched in confusion as the pair of guards trotted past her into the city. Looking up to Eclipse, she trotted up to her and put a hoof to her shoulder. "Princess, what's the matter? Ever since we ended our training you have been acting like something is coming."

"We know Twilight. It's just..." Eclipse sighed while walking into the city. "While in the field, we suddenly felt an odd power appear out of nowhere."

"A power? What do you mean?" Twilight questioned.

"We aren't sure. It was something unlike we have felt before. And it was a dark magic."

Twilight looked up in worry to her former mentor as they walked towards the main castle. "I didn't ever sense any form of magic like that."

"Perhaps it's simply because your magical reserve isn't near as large as ours. We have more power than you, and that isn't anything you should worry about for yourself."

"Well, alright." Twilight said as she trotted along. "But shouldn't you be gathering all the guards then?"

"Now that word is being spread, all will be more cautious tonight."

"Cautious?" Twilight raised her eyebrow, "You didn't tell them any of that."

"We didn't want to Twilight. That would only insight panic from within the ranks. We want them to stay alert for the chance that something is coming." Eclipse gave a small shrug. "Perhaps we are just worrying over nothing. It was far beyond the borders of our land, and it may not even be what we felt."

“That's understandable, Princess." Twilight said with a smile. "Better safe than sorry like you always told me."

Eclipse chuckled at that. "Thank you for understanding. It's just makes us feel better to at least have some preparations in case this-

BOOSH!

A loud explosion behind the two of them cut off their conversation. Eclipse and Twilight spun around and saw one of the small stores engulfed in bright flames.

"What happened!?" Twilight exclaimed.

Not even responding, Eclipse encircled the fire in a barrier to keep it from spreading. She then summoned a large collection of water and dropped it into the shield, quickly putting out the rest of the fire. Sighing in relief, she made the water disappear and deactivated the shield. "At least that is done. Who caused this!?" She yelled out in anger.

Not even a second later several guards came sprinting around the corner of the street. "Princess Eclipse, we heard the blast. What's the matter?" The lead one asked.

"We aren't sure. The fire just suddenly started, yet there was no pony near us when it happened."

"Hmm? Whoever said it was a pony?"

music link

Both princesses and the guards fell silent to the mysterious male voice from behind. They looked up to the top of the tall building to their right and saw the owner of the voice standing there. "Who... Who's that?" One of the guards stuttered in fear.

Staring down at them was what appeared at first to be a large Diamond Dog, but it was unlike one at the same time. His height was around seven feet, making him around Eclipses size. Muscles lined his arms and body enough to even show through his fur. Instead of a normal dogs head, it was longer like that of a wolf. His body was covered in deep blue fur along with a strip of dark black down his back. His bright yellow eyes beamed down in eagerness as he stepped towards the ledge beneath him.

"I must say, you all have made a lot of changes to your homes since I was her last time. Looks good." The strange wolf said with a smirk. "Too bad though. Volvack isn't a fan of anything pretty. He may want to do some remodeling by the time he gets here."

Eclipse glared up at him to the threat made. "Who are you and why have you attacked our city?"

The wolf raised an eyebrow to her demand. "Huh? Who are you to ask me anything? And you're pretty strange looking. Never seen a unicorn with Pegasi wings before." He gave a questioning look at the extra set of wings on her back. "I should say four wings actually."

Leaping off the structure, the wolf came down and landed on the street between the alicorns and the group of guards. The moment he touched, a small gust of air rushed out past the ponies, sending a shiver down all their spines.

'What is this feeling?' Twilight whispered to herself, 'There is such a powerful aura coming from him, yet he only jumped down? What kind of power is this?'

While she felt the same thing, Eclipse kept her face stern as she stepped forward towards him. "We ask you once already, and we will say it again. Who are you?"

The wolf stood back up and glared at the alicorn. "What's it to you about who I am? My business is with the leader here."

"We are the leader here."

The wolf widened his eyes in surprise at the realization he heard. "Wait, you? You are the ruler here? The strongest one in the city?"

"Yes, and as the princess, your name and reason here has been ordered to be given."

Several seconds of silence sat over the street as everypony sat on edge to what could happen. Then, the wolf cast a massive grin before bursting out in laughter.

"Oh my gosh! This is it!? Hahaha! This is the pony that took you out, Discord? Wow, now I really must be going crazy!"

Eclipse furrowed her brow in confusion to his statement. "Discord? What is your connection to him?"

As he began to slow down his laughing, the wolf scratched the bottom of his chin and grinned. "Well, I came all the way here to see the one who killed my brother."

Eclipse eyes shot open in disbelief and horror to those words. It felt like her jaw fell down to the ground beneath her, her lungs unable to breathe in utter shock. Twilight was also wide eyed in fear and confusion. "B-brother!? But Discord... He didn't... He doesn't..."

"Yeah, he was a prick, wasn't he?" The wolf sighed as he rubbed his head. "Never took the time to even mention me to anypony. Meh, kind of expected that since he didn't think the spell would wear off."

"What are you talking about? How are you related to Discord? He never had family." Eclipse said

"Is that what he told you, or is that what you just assumed about him?" The wolf said with a smirk. "And since you asked me for my name, I might as well give it. I am Malgoth, the god of Destruction."

Eclipse felt her heart speed up steadily to the title he gave himself. "God of destruction? For what reason do you give yourself that name?"

"How many damn questions do you plan on asking me now?" Malgoth growled her direction, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards her. "How about you just shut up so we can get down to business."

Seeing the way his bright eyes stared at her, Eclipse felt a crawl run up her spine. It was a sensation to which she had felt before, but only when it was in front of the spirit Discord.

Fear.

As Malgoth came closer to the two alicorns, he suddenly stopped and looked back to the group of guards still staring at him. His mouth turned up to a sinister grin in excitement. "I think it would be better to get them out of our way then."

"Out of our way for what ex-

Before Eclipse could finish her sentence, Malgoth burst off the ground towards the guards with his claws extended. "Wait no!" She pleaded, but her words fell to deaf ears.

Malgoth laughed as his claws ripped through the first two guards like they weren't even there. Blood sprayed out over the other guards, making them scream out in fear before Malgoth’s claws reached out and gripped the remaining two by their heads and threw them through the building behind them. The entire wall collapsed as their bodies crashed into the brick side, leaving only a small chuckle from the wolf.

"Huh, blood's a little messier than I remember..." Malgoth said with a smirk, "I'll have to make sure in wash out my fur later."

Twilight felt her blood run cold at the sight before her; ponies right before her had trails blood running out of the deep gashes over their body. Even their eyes stayed open in death, showing the fear that ran in their hearts in the final moments they lived. "Why did you-... You just killed them." She stuttered out.

"Yeah, thought it would be better to get them out of the way. It would be annoying to let them interfere." Malgoth said.

Eclipse stared down to the dead guards on the street. Her heart felt weak at the act, but more out of guilt. She sat there while this cold creature killed them, and she didn't even attempt to stop it from happening. She let her subjects die while she did nothing.

Baring her teeth, Eclipse stomped towards the dark wolf as her horn glowed bright. "You will pay for what you did to them. We won't let you touch one more pony here.

"Well, why don't you walk over and stop me then?" Malgoth coaxed her by spreading his arms to his sides and exposing his chest. "I'll give you one free shot."

Eclipse narrowed her eyes in hatred as she prepared to shoot him straight through his heart. Before she could however, Twilight jumped in her way and charged her own horn. "Twilight no!"

Ignoring her mentor, Twilight released a large ball of magic directly at Malgoths body. The glowing sphere was near striking its target when Malgoth grinned and swatted the ball away with his claws.

Both eclipse and Twilight's eyes widened in shock. "What? He redirected the blast..." Twilight gasped, "that's only possible with..."

"Magic?" Malgoth finished for her, "yeah, I forgot to mention that. Oh and about me sitting for a free shot? I lied." He smiled as he clenched his right fist, becoming surrounded by a bright blue aura. "My turn now."

Slamming his fist into the street, Canterlot was rocked by a massive earthquake bursting out from beneath him. Eclipse panicked as a large fissure began splitting the ground in all directions, shattering walls of the nearby buildings before they collapsed down. Then even the ground beneath her and Twilight started to give out.

"Twilight, get up now!" Eclipse yelled out.

Unfurling their wings, both alicorns flew up into the air to escape the crumbling ground. Looking back down, they stared in horror as the fissures grew out and swallowed four buildings and damaged several others. "What kind of power is this?" Twilight said in disbelief to the sight beneath her.

"We don't know Twilight..." Eclipse muttered, "It feels like-" her eyes shot open at the sight she saw past her student. "Twilight look out!"

Flipping around, Twilight yelped in fright as Malgoth came flying through the air right towards her. Reacting on instinct she cast out a shield around herself. Malgoth simply laughed as he brought a fist forward and slammed into the shield, sending both it and Twilight inside careening through the sky.

"Twilight!" Eclipse screamed out. She turned back and glared in hatred at Malgoth, who now was actually standing in place in mid air. "How dare you lay a single claw on her!"

"I told you I wanted them out of the way. If I am going to fight you, I don't want any distractions now." Malgoth responded eagerly.

"What reason do you want to fight us so badly? Do you hold a grudge for Discord’s death?"

Malgoth tilted his head to the side in annoyance. "I hated that bastard Discord. He was always so lazy and laid back ever since the beginning. Yet despite that, he always had so much power to use. And now you killed him, I think it would be good to really see what you are made of!"

music link

Bursting through the air, Malgoth lashed right at her throat. Eclipse quickly pulled her head back out of reach and conjured her sword. Quickly rushing forward, she brought her blade down, only to have Malgoth weave to the side. She began slashing back and forth at him, growing frustrated as he continued to evade her attempts.

"Not bad, you're pretty quick there..." Malgoth commented while jumping back through the air. His claws became enshrouded in bright pulsing blue magic. "It's still pretty bad though."

Malgoth began slashing the air in front of him with both his paws, creating dozens of magical streams to rush out towards Eclipse. Grunting, she began blocking the incoming attacks with her blade, swinging up and down to deflect them away. After a few seconds the attacks stopped and gave her a moment to breathe. When she looked up however, she noticed Malgoth was gone. Her eyes shot back and forth trying to find him, but she was blindsided by a strong punch into her face sending her down into the roof of a tall store.

"Damn it!" Eclipse cursed as she crawled back up from the ground. Looking up, her eyes widened as Malgoth came barreling down towards her. She jumped off the roof just as he slashed into the top, completely cleaving the side of the building off. Eclipse took several breaths to calm her nerves. "He's much stronger than looks. What is he?"

Standing up, Malgoth shook his claws and frowned at her. "Hey, are you even trying? Don't make this disappointing for me."

Eclipse glared and charged her magic up in her horn. She gathered it up and released a pair of golden arrows through the sky down at him. Malgoth raised his brow at the sight. "Another try I see... This is ridiculous."

Putting his claws together, Malgoth gathered up a sphere of purple aura between them and grunted. "You are beginning to piss me off."

He reeled his arm back before throwing his attack right at hers, spinning through the air like a top. His ball then collided with the first attack, redirecting it to the right before ricocheting to the second and knocking that out of line as well. Eclipse gasped as the swirling ball raced up in the air right at her. "How did... What!?" She stuttered out in shock.

Eclipse raised her sword up in front of her face and slashed the magic down the center. The two halves raced past each side of her before exploding in the sky behind her. She stared down at the wolf standing casually on the roof beneath her, making her question the reality of this situation. "What kind of creature is he? How can he perform magic like this?"

As if answering her, Malgoth popped his neck and scratched his cheek. "You look surprised. Discord may have been strong, very strong in fact. One thing he lacked however... Control."

Kicking off, he rushed through the sky up towards the princess, who in turn shot a bolt of magic down at him. Malgoth claws sliced upwards and cut through her magic, allowing him an easy path to his target. Eclipse glared and brought her sword up above her head and swung down at him, but just before she struck him, he teleported out of sight.

Eclipse's mouth fell open in shock. "He... He has that form of magic as well? But how can he- gah!"

Malgoth’s hind leg slamming into her stomach cut off her words. Eclipse barely had time to look to her right and see her assailant when his fist landed directly onto her cheek and sent her careening through the air and into the side of another building. The blue wolf spit to the side in anger as the building collapsed on top of the pony beneath him. "This isn't real, is it? How could somepony as pathetic as you even be the one to kill one of my older brothers?"

He clenched his claws in fury at the mere thought of everything. "I may have hated you Discord, but I knew how strong you were. I bet you never even used your full power against her. You were probably even asleep when she came and killed you, right?"

"How dare you do that to her!"

Malgoth turned his head around to see Twilight racing right at him. He sighed in annoyance at another disappointing challenger coming his way. "You want to try this crap too?"

"You want to fight? Then fight me!" Twilight yelled as she summoned her sword to her side. She screamed out in anger, swinging her blade right at his head as he jumped back through the air. "You wanted something, so come at me now!"

Seeing the determination in her eyes only made Malgoth smirk. He effortlessly dipped back and forth around her swings, almost allowing her to actually hit him. He could tell she was filled with hate, clouding her mind and only making her hack without true aim. "I'll admit you have some heart in you, but you are pretty young, right?"

Twilight only responded by grunting and swinging faster, wanting him to pay for what he did. She brought her sword to her side and swung it at his head, but was stopped by his left paw catching it in his grip. Her eyes widened in surprise and tried to pull the blade away, only to have him pull the blade closer to his face.

"I mean look at this..." Malgoth glanced to the purple sword, noting the swirling, transparent aura, "you can't even create a strong weapon for use."

Before she could even see him move, Twilight was blinded by a strong punch right into her cheek. She felt her head rocked backwards like a snapping whip, feeling herself thrown backwards until his claws gripped the back of her neck holding her in place. Twilight tried to squirm out of his grasp, but was yanked forward and slammed into his knee. She screamed out in pain as he pulled back and kneed her again, forcing her to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Malgoth snickered before lifting her up to his face level, using one of his claws to wipe off a bit of blood from her mouth. "But I am feeling a bit generous, so I'll show you some lessons in magic."

Throwing her through the air, Malgoth watched in enjoyment as Twilight struggled to regain her balance before flying steady once again. She coughed hard several times, having trouble breathing with the sharp pain in her chest. 'Shoot, felt like he broke some ribs there.' She mumbled to herself.

Malgoth look down to the dissipating sword in his claws, a small smirk across his mouth in eagerness to end this pathetic excuse for a battle. He clenched his right claws tightly, then before long his entire arm became engulfed in pulsing red aura. The dark magic shifted down his limb until it focused down into his paw and formed into a long halberd.

Twilight mouth fell open slightly at the weapon he held. The handle and the made on top was so condensed she could not see through it at all, the same as Eclipse's. It was just like he said: Magic of perfect control. That was when she realized her predicament now.

There was no way she could even hope to beat him.

"Good enough demonstration? Because I'm done now." Malgoth spun his weapon in his paw before gripping it with both. "Now you will die as well!"

He rushed through the air straight towards Twilight, the mare too frightened to even move out of the way. She shivered in fear as the large wolf brought his halberd above his head and swung down. She closed her eyes and cried out knowing it was her end and-

CRACK!

Twilight's eyes shot open at the loud clash of magic in front of her, looking in awe at the golden sword stifling Malgoth's weapon. She turned her head to see Eclipse hovering to her side, only a few small scratches on her fur.

"P-princess..." Twilight stuttered out.

Eclipse didn't look down to the mare next to her, all her focus on the beast in front of her. "Twilight, get back now. We will handle this one."

Nodding, Twilight dropped down from the sky towards the ground. Already waiting below was a platoon of forty guards in the street watching her descend towards them. She landed down on the ground and they quickly ran up toward her.

"Princess Twilight, are you alright!?" One of them in front asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." She answered, only to stumble slightly and raise murmurs among the guards. Grunting to herself, Twilight sat down and shut her eyes as she began focusing her magic. Her horn cast out a small silver bubble encircling her body, swirling around herself like a whirlpool. Almost immediately, the stinging pain in her chest began to fade away as her bones started to realign.

Even with her eyes closed, Twilight cast a large smile to herself. While she had been training hard in combative magic over the last few months, healing magic was where her true talent was. 'Maybe I'm not meant to be a fighter like them.' She said to herself.

One of the guards trotted up to Twilight's side and coughed to get her attention. "Princess, we can have all soldiers in the city ready to engage the enemy by-

"No, none of you are to fight with him. He's too powerful for that." Twilight opened her eyes and looked up to Eclipse. "We have to let her handle this."

music link

Above the city, Malgoth eyed the glowing sphere around the young mare below. He could even tell how the bones he broke were healing already. "Hm, that's quite a good spell. Quite better than her fighting I'll say. I'll have to remember that." He then looked over towards the large white alicorn in front of him, bringing a smirk to his face. "So you got back up already without hardly a mark. A little tougher than I thought."

Eclipse didn't respond to him, but only raised her sword up to her side. Malgoth sneered at the stern look she gave him. "What's that look for? Just a moment ago you were acting all shocked. What's the change in heart!?"

Kicking off through the air, Malgoth yelled out and swung his halberd at her, only to have her sword swiftly rise and block it without effort. He was now the one to lose his smirk. "Huh?"

"It seems after these last few months we forgot just how much power it did take to fight Discord even at his regular level." Eclipse said as she pushed the opposing weapon back several more inches, "You seem to have reminded us of that!"

Shoving him back, Eclipse charged forward and began slashing her blade at her foe. Malgoth quickly swung his weapon head back at her again, clashing against hers midway. They both then exchanging a flurry of quick slashes and stabs, perfectly countering the other at the moment. Malgoth hit her weapon up through the air and exposed her chest, giving him a small window of opportunity.

He charged his right paw up and tried shooting her with a blast, but Eclipse’s left rear wing swooped down and hit his arm to the side. His magic shot off harmlessly into the sky away from the city, making him growl in anger. "So you think you can-

Eclipse’s forehead smashing into his mouth cut off any words coming out and made room for the leaking blood. Malgoth stumbled back a few feet before catching his balance, spitting out the foul liquid. "You bitch..." He growled in anger, "Fighting dirty, I see?"

"Dirty? Or are you simply upset you can't touch me now?" Eclipse taunted him.

Malgoths eye twitched in irritation at that. "We'll see that when you're at my feet dead!"

The two rushed at each other again, their magical clashing in bright flashes in the sky. Malgoth suddenly teleported out of sight leaving Eclipse alone. Glancing back and forth, she looked up in surprise as Malgoth came down through the sky right at her. Before he could strike her, she teleported in a blur as well.

"Damn it!" Malgoth yelled as he noticed Eclipse reappearing on the roof beneath him. "It's like she is not the same pony as before. Seems she is actually fighting now."

Eclipse deactivated her sword and charged up a ball of magic on her horn. Instead of shooting up into the air, the sphere began spinning rapidly on the tip, releasing dozens of bullet like blasts up at Malgoth. Grunting, Malgoth spun his halberd in front of him as shield, ricocheting all the small attacks throughout the sky. As soon as he had the opening, he burst towards the ground right at the alicorn.

Waiting for him to get closer, Eclipse pointed her horn up and cast out a bolt of lightning at Malgoth. The wolf chucked his weapon through the air and cut straight into the incoming lightning like nothing and shot down at Eclipse. The princess quickly jumped back out of the way as the halberd pierced the roof before the entire building collapsed into rubble. Only moments later, Malgoth jumped down onto the street and leaped at Eclipse with his claws extended.

"You think you can beat me!?" Malgoth yelled out as his paws charged up bright blue orbs of magic. "Discord was a fool to have ever have lost to you!"

Roaring out in fury, Malgoth slammed both fists into the ground shooting the magic downward. The city was suddenly rocked by a giant earthquake splitting the ground in all directions. Eclipse stumbled slightly and lifted her body off the street. Before she could fly back to engage him, she watched in horror as seven buildings immediately broke apart and fell down in pieces. "No! There are innocent ponies in some of these buildings! Leave them out of this battle!"

"There are no limits in a fight. Get used to it!" Malgoth roared at the alicorn while summoning his halberd again.

Eclipse's eyes narrowed in anger at the incoming wolf, her own magic forming two long swords. She burst off the ground straight at him. "You will pay for that!

The two combatants slashed out again, their strikes sending out small shockwaves with each clash. Malgoth rammed his shoulder forward knocking Eclipse back, quickly followed by his halberd swinging up and slashing across her cheek. Eclipse winced out in pain but didn't let that distract her as she spun her one blade like a buzz saw and throwing it at his neck.

Malgoth grimaced as he braced his weapon up and slammed into the incoming sword. The still spinning blade grinded against his handle, the blinding sparks shooting up into his face. Glaring through the bright light, he shoved forward and knocked the weapon through the air. When he looked back, he was shocked when Eclipse was already gone. "What the... Where'd she go?"

"Behind you."

Before he could even spin around, Malgoth screamed out in pain as her sword cut deep into his back. Stumbling forward, he deactivated his magic and fell to his right knee, breathing hard from the stinging pain running through him. He turned his head around and glared at Eclipse, the mare standing there calmly with her bloody sword in front of her.

"You... You think this is enough to stop me?" Malgoth growled through his pants, "I won't be defeated so easily like Discord was."

"You don't understand, do you?" Eclipse asked him while she slowly trotted his direction. " you can't defeat us. Even Discord put up a better fight than you did."

Malgoths body froze to the words that just came from her mouth. His breathing stopped completely, blood seeming to run cold in his veins. His pupils contracted into small slits, locked onto the pony in his sight. "A better fight? A better fight! You won't be saying that when I-

Eclipse suddenly blurred out from in front of him, confused by where she went. "Are you running away from me now and-

Malgoth fell silent by the bright blade slashing down his chest, spraying blood out like a fountain. His eyes shot open in utter shock, seeing Eclipse right in front of him. Her own emerald eyes stared into his, filled with an eerily cold gaze that would frighten most warriors of armor.

The god of destruction fell to his back, gasping out in agony to the deep wound from his left shoulder down to his stomach. His claws reached to cover the gash, trying to stifle any blood from falling out. He coughed several times as he looked up to the alicorn, staring down at him with no remorse.

"I gave Discord several attempts at peace when he tried to turn against us. Every time he refused and kept fighting, leaving us no choice but to fight." Eclipse sternly said. "You however showed me the bloodlust in your heart when you murdered our guards. We won't be making the same mistake we did with your brother.

Baring his teeth, Malgoth forced himself up to his hind legs, only to stumble and catch himself with his left arm. Blood leaked out of his mouth while he tried to breathe. "You bitch... You... You were holding back the whole time earlier weren't you?"

"At first we were shocked by the power you had, realizing we couldn't just use our standard magic. We will admit your skills were more focused than Discord’s.... But you were not as strong as him.

"Shut up!" Malgoth yelled out at her, digging his claws into the street beneath him. "I am sick of hearing that shit! Discord didn't deserve the power he had! He had no control of it and-

Music link

Malgoth’s mouth froze that moment, leaving an eerie calm in the air. Eclipse tilted her head in confusion to his change, but before she could do anything, he spoke again.

"You saw him release his true power, didn't you?"

Eclipse felt her body suddenly shiver at the memory in her mind. She could still see Discord when he turned into that grotesque monster. A mindless beast of no order or control that only wanted to kill. A creature that had no true purpose and no real goal but annihilation. A perfect representation of what he was.

Chaos.

Seeing her reaction gave Malgoth the answer he was looking for, bringing a large grin to his face, he forced himself to his feet once again and chuckled.

"You have really surprised me... Eclipse." Malgoth paused to spit out a mouthful of blood. "To have been able to hold your own against Discord when he released his power. But... Something tells me you truly didn't defeat him, did you?"

Eclipse began sweating in fear, realizing there was something she wasn't understanding. She tried to hide the answer she didn't want to give, but Malgoth could read every small gesture she was unknowingly giving off.

"I feel... You fought Discord with his full power unleashed. By the way you were exchanging blows with me, I can sense you have more also. You must have released all your power as well, but I can tell just by fighting you it wasn't enough. Discord was one of the strongest of us, and-

"US!?" Eclipse eyes doubled in size to that word, "There... There's more of you?"

Malgoth laughed at her reaction. "Yes there are. We are the great deities created before the scrolls of time even recorded history. Forged through darkness and sorcery, we were born through the combined forces that resided in conflicts. We each represent a figment of battle. We are... The gods of war."

The beating of Eclipses heart was so fast it seemed to flow into one pulse. While it was going so fast however, her blood felt like ice running through her veins. 'This can't be true.... Nothing in history said anything about this...'she said to herself, 'He's destruction, and Discord was chaos. What... What are the others!?'

Malgoth only found amusement to her terrified expressions a he clenched his left claws together. "As I said, Discord was strong, but even in his great power, he lacked control. While I however, do."

Leaning forward, his clenched paw reached down towards the ground. "Now, you will see the difference in what-

A golden arm suddenly came from the side and grabbed his paw before it touched the ground. Eclipse gasped out in shock from the sudden appearance of another out of nowhere. "What!? Who... Who's that!?" She stuttered out.

Malgoths jaw began shaking slightly from the sight of the familiar golden scales covering the clawed limb. His eyes shifted up and looked towards the dragon clutching his arm. "What are... What are you doing here?"

The dragon Volvack stared blankly down to the bleeding wolf in front of him, eyeing the wounds down his front. "You seem to have had some trouble here, Malgoth. She stronger than you thought?"

Malgoth snarled up at the insult. "I have this under control. How about you let go of me and-

"There's no need to release your power..." Volvack slowly turned his eyes towards the alicorn at his front. "I will take care of this now."

Gods of War

by chaos2012

Peace Will Fade

The Wolf's Hunt