> The Bearer of the Apocalypse
>  by StormKingNexus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Dragon King's return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dragon Lands of Equestria was, given its name, inhabited by dragons. The wasteland and lava pools are what they called their home, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Although, for as powerful as they were, they too had someone they responded to, and that was Dragon Lord Ember.

Currently, she was away from her land for a small meeting with one of the princesses of Equestria, that being the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle, to establish a relationship between dragons and ponies. Even choosing, more like forcing, to bring Smolder with her. She was a small orange dragon and was brought along so  that Ember could try and introduce friendship to her and eventually the rest of the subjects. However, dragons were prideful and greedy, although it was mainly pride, and as such not many were interested in having a friendship with ponies.

Garble was one of those dragons. He didn’t hate ponies, he just had a superiority complex over them. He knew that dragons were superior to them, and he had even heard stories that some of the elder dragons had once fought with Celestia and Luna. Although even he knew of the power the two alicorns possessed, and while Garble would never admit it, he was slightly intimidated by them.

Not scared, but intimidated. He knew there was a difference between the two.

Currently, as Garble had been flying around the land for the past hour in search of his friends, he knew that something was wrong. The land being quiet wasn’t uncommon, but the silence that surrounded the kingdom like a dense fog sent a brief chill down his scales. Despite how far out he was from the rest of his kin, Garble knew he should’ve at least seen one other dragon by this point. He continued to fly around, in search of any dragon at this point when he heard the sound of fighting.

Smiling to himself, and allowing a sigh of relief, he quickly flew towards the dragon fight. He didn’t know why he felt a sense of dread, but he didn’t care, knowing that a good dragon fight would make him forget about it. As he drew closer, the fighting grew more intense, seeing breathes of fire and—-

“…What the hell?” Garble quietly spoke to himself, frozen mid-flight as he could see the countless corpses of dragons across the land. He unconsciously tuned out the fighting, seeing the mangled and mutilated corpses of his kin, smashed dragon eggs, and even his dead friends; who were missing limbs and splattered against the rocks. He was completely speechless, not believing what was clearly in front of his eyes.

BOOOM!!!

The explosion snapped him out of his stupor, and Garble turned his head to see former dragon lord Torch fighting against a black dragon. The black dragon was about the same size, if not bigger than the former dragon lord. The black scales were decorated by spiraling, blue markings. Its entire lower body, from its chin to its inner tail, was gray; and the dragon possessed white beady eyes as well. His wings were as big as a mountain, casting a large shadow over the land. And what completed the dragon’s menacing appearance was its spiked tail.

The fight was not in Torch’s favor. The dragon was being outstrengthened, and the numerous wounds he had gained were not helping him. He started to think that it would take an army of the strongest of elder dragons to just hold this beast back. Although, with countless corpses of dragons that littered his homeland he knew it would’ve been more of a death sentence.

“For what reason do you have to slaughter your own kind you atrocious monster!?” Torch roared, as he demanded to know the black dragon’s reasonings. Instead, he received an angry snarl, as if it had taken offense to something Torch had said. Seeing that he would not be getting an answer, Torch headbutted his opponent before releasing a large and powerful fire blast to the dragon’s chest.

Torch flew back, wanting distance between him and the unknown dragon. Through the smoke, the black dragon remained unharmed, and with a sinister smirk, it released its own breath attack. Unlike Torch’s breath attack, there was no fire, and seemed more like magic than anything else. Either way, it traveled for a few seconds before slamming into Torch’s chest. The former lord’s armor was shattered as he was sent hurling back, blasting through a multitude of large rock formations and even a few hills before he came crashing to a stop.

“T-Torch!!” Garble yelled in fear as he raced over to him. Through the smoke, he could see that Torch was still breathing, but the gashes that were all over his body made breathing far more difficult. Blood was going down Torch’s body like a flowing river, and Garble couldn’t do anything to stop it or help him with the other dragon still here.

“R-Red one…you must flee.” Torch started before coughing blood. “Warn Ember, warn the Alicorns…I shall hold him off until you’ve escaped.” The large dragon ushered out before getting to his feet. Torch knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer, and he needed to warn his daughter and the rest of Equestria of this major threat.

He gave one last look to Garble before he gave a gesture with his head, telling him to leave. While it took a few seconds to register in his mind, Garble gave a weak salute before he flew off. However, he never made it very far when a spiked tail slammed into his body, breaking most of his bones as he went flying through the sky before barreling into a forest.

RAAAAAAWWWWWRRRR!!!!!

The black dragon’s roar sounded like raging thunder, tearing apart the rock formations and flattening the land; echoing through valleys and mountains as it took pleasure in swatting down Garble like the vermin he was. Torch’s rage skyrocketed, and with newfound strength, he burst forward into the sky. He roared at his opponent as it roared back, accepting the challenge as they both flew at each other at high speeds. Torch couldn’t allow this monster to remain unknown as it went around slaughtering dragons, and he refused to allow Ember to be added to the list.

As they drew near, Torch opened his mouth and gathered his final breath of fire. He needed to either try and take the dragon down with him, or try and maim him; to give the world a chance to end this monster. Seeing how close they were, Torch released his breath attack, blinding the black dragon before he outstretched his arm.

BAM!

The two collided, and Torch knew he had lost. He couldn’t feel his arm or part of his midsection, for it had been obliterated. He could feel his teeth cracking and falling out of his mouth, and as he fell out of the sky, he gave a side glance to the black dragon.

He couldn’t even take its arm.

Torch crashed into the ground, creating a crater and sending other corpses flying elsewhere. He managed to hear a thud and looked up with his eyes, seeing the dragon blocking out the sun with its body. It stared at him with a glare and condescending eyes, as if daring him to get up.

The dragon continued to stare, never speaking before roaring in victory. Then it blasted off into the sky and flew off, vanishing into the clouds. Torch watched him fly off, his vision gaining black spots with his breathing starting to slow.

“Ember…I’m sorry. I failed to stop him, but if the red one managed to survive, then Equestria may have a chance. Ember, you are to be a far greater Dragon Lord than myself…and know that no matter what happens, I Torch, will always be proud of you.” Those were Torch’s last thoughts before dying. The Dragon Lands, once filled with powerful and prideful creatures, was now a massive graveyard with one survivor.

Deep in the forest, where the ground was torn up and trees decimated, Garble groaned in pain as he was laying against a large rock. He started waking up, having gone unconscious from the tail smack he received and crashing through the forest. He struggled to get to his feet, feeling that his right leg was broken, his wings popped out of place, and a large gash on his back that had a great deal of blood flow.

Seeing that he couldn’t fly, Garble used the rock as support to steady himself before he looked around and grabbed a sturdy branch off the ground. With his walking stick in his hand, Garble started to limp away from his home, heading towards a place that he despised, but the place that would help him the most.

Ponyville





Smolder, much like her brother, didn’t want anything to do with friendship. Unlike him, she didn’t hold herself above the ponies, she just didn’t see the point of being friends with them. There was also the fact that Ember had forced her to come along, which annoyed her even further.

Her attitude, however, had changed since she had been there. Outside of meeting another dragon, which was Spike, she learned that some of the ponies in the small town had some things in common with her. The fast flier known as Rainbow Dash was very competitive and boasted a lot about herself, much like a dragon. The farmer known as Applejack took great pride in her farm, similar to dragons with their hoard or their strength.

Then again, she also learned that there was much more to being friends than similar personalities between ponies and dragons. Still, Smolder did enjoy her time in Ponyville, and she wasn’t going to admit that to Ember. Knowing how smug the Dragon Lord would get, she kept quiet as she and Ember were walking out of Princess Twilight’s home, ready to head home themselves.

“Thank you Twilight for agreeing to meet with me. While I know that most dragons might not be very keen on this at first, especially the elders, I think it will benefit us in the long run.” Ember proudly spoke as Twilight told her to think nothing of it. The trio continued their walk, idly chatting until a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane crashed to the ground in front of them, scaring the daylights out of them.

“Fluttershy!? You scared us, you need—“

“I’m sorry but It’s an emergency! Princess Ember! Twilight! You need to come to the hospital immediately! ” Fluttershy raised her voice as she beckoned them to follow her. Ember and Twilight nodded before quickly flying after the Pegasus as Smolder, not wanting to be left out, flew alongside them. For whatever reason, she got a sick feeling in her stomach, but Smolder figured that she should tag along to get rid of it.

Twilight knew that Fluttershy was not someone who spoke at a regular volume. Speaking so quietly that she made a mouse sound louder than her, Twilight knew that this was something serious. Especially if it involved Ember and the hospital.

“Can you explain to us the situation? And why does it involve Ember?”

“It-It-It was horrible! I was taking care of my animals when one of them told me about a severely injured dragon. So I grabbed my medkit to go help it, but when I got there, the wounds looked too severe for me to do anything, so I took him to the hospital.” Fluttershy grew quiet, not being able to describe the dragon’s wounds, which she knew were far worse than what was on the surface. Twilight knew that Fluttershy would care for any creature she came across, and despite her fears, that included dragons. Although she doubted that Fluttershy was an expert in dragon biology, or even knew the basics about them; Fluttershy’s medical expertise was the best in Ponyville, aside from the licensed doctors and nurses of course.

“Do you know who the dragon was?” Ember asked as the group sped across the sky. Fluttershy responded that she didn’t, but she gave her a description. The eyes of the three next to her widened, knowing that it was Garble who was in the hospital. Smolder, however, sped ahead of them, using her nose to find her brother's scent before taking off.

“Smolder! Wait up!”

“Let her go Twilight. Garble is her older brother, so she’s far more worried than we might be.” Ember quickly replied as Twilight and Fluttershy were shocked but understood Smolder’s worries. If it had been their brothers, they’d have reacted in the same manner.

Smolder flew across the streets of Ponyville at blinding speeds. Following the scent of her brother’s blood, which fueled her resolve to find him, she maneuvered her way around ponies and stalls. Although she had knocked some ponies senseless as she knocked them out of her way or barreled through their wagons of good.

“My cabbages!!!”

This pony was one of them.

“Dammit Garble! What kind of trouble did you get into?” Smolder worriedly thought to herself as she burst through the doors to the hospital. The staff was startled by the dragon’s entrance before the others entered as well. Twilight stepped forward and asked for the dragon that Fluttershy had brought in, and Doctor Horse told them to follow him.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they arrived at Garble’s room. The doctor said nothing as he opened the door and walked inside with the four following him who were speechless upon seeing the dragon’s condition. His torso was covered in bandages, as were his wings which were in a cast as was his right leg which was being held in the air.

Smolder kept her eyes on her brother before asking the doctor one question.

“Tell me Doc, how’s my brother doing?”

“Quite frankly, he’s lucky to be alive. His right leg was broken, his wings dislocated, and a large gash across his back. Numerous bruises and broken bones, three infections which were thankfully nothing serious, and a good deal of blood loss.” Dr. Horse replied as he picked up the clipboard hanging at the edge of the bed. “He’s also had a few broken ribs, but the main concern was the gash on his back. We were worried that it tore through the muscles that allow him to fly and that we would need to amputate them to prevent any problems that could occur, but as you can see that wasn’t necessary.” He finished before setting the clipboard down.

“It was also a good thing that we’ve had Spike’s blood on hoof as well, should he have ever needed it. But enough of that, I’ll give you all some time with him.” That was all he said before he left the room, leaving the four in silence. They only stared at Garble’s form, with the only sound coming from the heart monitor next to him. Smolder sat down next to him, unable to speak any words because she didn’t know what to say.

“…Ember, I-I don’t know what creature could have done this. Even though he’s a teenager, dragons are very durable. Spike is still a baby and he can endure some things; but this…I don’t think I’ve ever heard of injuries like this done to a dragon.” Twilight calmly explained, unable to recall any event where a dragon had such injuries. Of course, she was only starting to get into dragon culture and wouldn’t know everything that had happened in their history.

“A-Actually, Twilight, th-there are a few creatures…that could fight a dragon.” Fluttershy spoke up and was heard due to the quietness of the room. The three looked at the timid Pegasus, who hid behind her mane at the sudden attention but continued with her explanation. “One of them would be a Hydra, although Garble might not be here if it was. An-Another could be an Ursa Minor or Major, but they mostly sleep unless disturbed. But the one that I think was most likely was…a—“

“Another dragon.” Smolder finished for her, her fierce and sharp tone caused the pony to hide behind the alicorn. Smolder gave her brother one last look before she got up and walked towards the door, but she was stopped by Ember before she could leave.

“Where do you think you're going?”

“To find and beat the dragon senseless for what they did to Garble.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Excuse me?! Don’t you see what’s happened to Garble? The dragon that did this—“

“The dragon that did this is far stronger than you!” Ember roared, silencing the young dragon. “While I doubt an elder dragon did this, it's clearly a fully matured dragon. Garble isn’t smart, and pretty arrogant as well, but he’s not a dumbass; he knows better than to accept or challenge a dragon that would be out of his league.” Ember explained as Smolder let out an angry sigh. She knew that Ember was right, but she was still pissed that she couldn’t do anything.

“Smolder, if I may?” Twilight calmly spoke up, gaining the young dragon’s attention. “I know you feel like you can’t do much to help your brother but trust me when I say that being by his side is the best thing you can do. He loves you a lot, right?” Twilight asked before Smilder nodded. “Good. Then I doubt he would want you to go and fight the dragon that did this to him; because he wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” Twilight finished with a smile that caused the rest of them to smile as well. The heartfelt moment was interrupted by Garble’s groaning.

“Ahh…where am I?” Garble groaned to himself before feeling a heavy weight on his chest. “Ow! You’re dead if you—Smolder?” Garble paused, realizing that it was just his sister. She gave him, from what she understood after being with ponies for a few hours, a tight hug. Garble didn’t know what she was doing, and while it felt awkward to him he was somewhat enjoying it.

“If-If you're here, then where’s Ember?”

“I’m right here. And so is Princess Twilight along with Fluttershy, the one that brought you here.” Ember explained and made way for the two ponies. The two greeted him with a warm smile as Twilight grabbed his sister with her magic and placed her on the ground next to her.

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

“It’s not a problem. Although, we’re all curious as to what happened to you. If you don’t mind telling us, that is.” Fluttershy asked, hiding behind her mane as Garble gained a grim look on his face. They all noticed this and grew concerned, realizing that what had happened to him was much worse than they thought.

“Garble…What happened to you? We deduced that it was most likely another dragon, but we need you to tell us.” Twilight asked as gently as she could but knew that she couldn’t force Garble to tell her. Well, she probably could, but it would’ve been morally wrong to do so. Not only that but forcing him to speak of what he saw would've been even worse on his mental state.

“It was a dragon…but it was far more powerful than any dragon I’ve ever heard of. And I didn’t fight it…It swatted me away like a yak’s tail does to flies. It saw me as a pest.” Garble started to explain, although there was a brief crack in his voice. “Th-The Dragon Lands were completely silent as if no dragon was there. Then I heard fighting, so I flew over to check it out…but when I got there, Torch was fighting this black dragon. And he was losing.” Garble continued, and he would’ve kept going before Ember interrupted him.

“My dad was losing!? What happened to him!? Actually no, I’m going back myself. If my dad was losing then who knows what happened to him and the other dragons.” Ember quickly set off for the door, intending to check in on her subjects and her father.

“There’s no point…”

Garble’s voice caused Ember to stop. The emotionless tone he used froze her in place and sent a chill down her scales as she and the others all suddenly grew nervous. A sense of dread filled the room and Ember looked back at him, her expression growing with concern.

“What do you mean, ‘There’s no point’, Garble?”

“It-It’s like I said…there’s no point…because every dragon in the dragon lands is dead,” Garble replied, and he gave out a low chuckle. “Every dragon from all age groups, slaughtered like cattle, every egg was smashed, and the worst part…some of them were alive.” The reality had settled in on Garble, and his chuckle turned to laughter. He held his face with his claws and hysterically laughed, scaring those around him, especially his sister.

“Calm down Garble! It’ll be fine! We just need to warn princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence so we can stop this guy.“ Smolder tried to reason with him and did her best to calm him down. While Garble ceased his laughter, his chuckle didn’t, and the pupils in his eyes had shrunk. Smolder had taken a step back from him, seeing how mentally unstable her brother was becoming.

“It won’t be fine! That dragon…that monster killed every dragon in our home and Torch is most likely dead! And-And we’re next! Me, you, Spike, and Ember along with every other dragon in Equestria!” Garble roared at his sister, nearly breathing fire before he was forcibly put to sleep by Twilight’s magic. Smolder, refusing to be in the same room as him, flew out the door and down the hall. Tears stained the floor where she flew off, and Twilight quickly told Fluttershy to go after her and make sure that she remained in Ponyville while she stayed with Ember and the now-sleeping Garble.

The pegasus did as she was told, mostly because she no longer wished to remain in the room either, and followed after the dragon. Twilight and Ember were silent, not knowing how to start the conversation after Garble’s mental breakdown. Still, this was an issue that needed to be addressed, and breaking the silence that had plagued the room numerous times was the start.

“Ember, I think the best course of action is for me to contact Princess Celestia, and for you to remain in Ponyville. I know you don’t have to listen to me, but we don’t know if that dragon is still there, and if it is and you encounter it, then I don’t think that you’ll survive. Like I said though, getting to Princess Celestia first to see if she has any information on it is the best option we have.” Twilight quietly explained but was loud enough for her to hear. Celestia had ruled Equestria for over a millennia, and it was very much possible that she had either heard of or encountered this dragon before; assuming that it didn’t appear out of nowhere and simply chose to slaughter its kin.

Twilight couldn’t help but shiver. She still couldn’t get over Garble’s claim that the dragon lands were now a graveyard full of unburied corpses. She wasn’t calling him a liar, seeing his mental breakdown happen right before her eyes, but she couldn’t help but doubt it. The logical side of her saw it clear as day; it would be impossible for a single dragon to kill all the others of its homeland without being taken down with them or killed during battle. Let alone going head to head with former Dragon Lord Torch and surviving, who was a powerful dragon in his own right, especially if this black dragon had indeed killed and survived the onslaught of the other dragons.

Twilight couldn’t make any sense of it nor could she remember anything in any history book she’d ever read regarding a black dragon. And on the off chance that Celestia didn’t know, then who could? Discord was an option, but knowing the lord of chaos he would either answer cryptically, not know, or not answer it all. Going through Starswirl’s old books and scrolls could help, but she knew that a good portion was based on spells and not so much on creatures lest they intrigued him.

Snap!

Snap!

“Equestria to Twilight! Hello!?” Ember slightly shouted, snapping her fingers in front of the alicorn’s face who blinked and shook her head. She blushed slightly and chuckled before apologizing for spacing out. “It’s fine, I was just saying how you’re right. The risk of that dragon still being there is a major problem, and quite frankly, I don’t wanna go home alone. So, I was wondering during your letter to Celestia, if she would be willing to accompany me to the Dragon Lands or someone else that’s suitable.”

“That’s not a problem. I think I’ll send Starlight with you. I trust her to watch your back in case of any danger and to get herself and you back here if that dragon is there.” Twilight confidently replied as she prepared a spell. “Once I get word back from Celestia we can take another step forward. And I’ll inform Starlight of her new assignment with you.” With that she teleported to her castle, leaving the dragon lord with her wounded, now mentally unstable subject.

“Don’t worry Garble, we’ll make sure that this dragon pays for what it’s done to you. But until then…” Ember placed her palm on Garble’s snout before she started to leave the room. Ember gave him one last look as she left the room, the closing door making a small echo.

“...You need to stay strong.”





Princess Celestia, one of the co-rulers of Equestria with control over the sun had lived through many things; and had seen and heard many outlandish things in her long life. Some of them were that her magic was something that one could learn through hard practice, another being that her sister, Princess Luna, was actually a dragon due to her ferocity during a war. But the letter that she had received from her student was by far the most preposterous thing she had ever heard.

Well, if she were to be honest nothing could ever take her number one, which was when ponies thought that she had once dated the spirit of chaos Discord. And that the chaos he causes is to get back at her for whatever happened between them.

Those were a few ‘good’ years.

But this took second or third, for the dragons in the Dragon Lands had been killed. There was only one survivor, and he was currently in Ponyville Hospital and was forcibly put to sleep through her student’s magic after having a mental breakdown. What had killed them was a large black dragon, but for the life of her, she couldn’t recall ever hearing about a black dragon, let alone any dragon strong enough to kill a former Dragon Lord.

For a brief moment, she thought it was a cruel joke played by the draconequus, but she quickly disregarded it. Not even he would do such a thing for a mere joke, aside from the chaos it would certainly create. Still, for the Dragon Lands to now be vacant of any living dragon due to a mass slaughter was severely unnerving. But she couldn’t think of any creature that could simply wipe out the dragons without taking any life-threatening injury, even another dragon.

“Sister, you have been in deep thought for a while. Surely thou don't believe that there was only one survivor from the Dragon Lands?” Luna, younger sister to Celestia and ruler of the night and dreams, asked with doubt in her voice. Torch was powerful, and on a good day he could give Celestial or herself a good fight, but for him to be slain by a single dragon was ludicrous.

“Alicorns are the only immortal creatures in Equestria, aside from Discord and Tirek. While it would be difficult, Torch being killed is a possibility, albeit a low one. And if the other dragons are dead, then this is a villain with the same morals as Sombra.”

“Which is none.”

“Precisely.”

“Then what shall we do Tia? Aside from the rest of the dragons that inhabit the world; Spike, Dragon Lord Ember, her escort, and the one named Garble are the only ones that we know are alive. If this dragon has indeed killed the ones in the Dragon Lands, then they will be next.” Luna argued as Celestia looked out a window. A genocide of this scale hadn’t been heard of since the days of Grogar, tales that two of them hardly knew due to his reign being ended before the two became the rulers of Equestria. Although they had been alive since the tyrannical rule of King Sombra, and they had seen first hoof of the atrocities he had done.

They had never heard of a black dragon before, and Celestia’s choice for belief was that it either awakened from a very long sleep, or it had existed before they were born. The latter seemed to be the most likely option, but then it meant that there were only two beings with a good knowledge of history that existed before the two Alicorns.

Although, one of them was in Chaosville. Which left the only choice.

“I have a plan.”





In Twilight’s castle, Spike was silently making lunch. After being told by Ember, and assured by Twilight, that a good portion of his kin was dead he had kept to himself. What was once as simple as breathing, sending that letter to Celestia was far more of a task than he would’ve thought. Sure, he knew the weight of what he had been briefly told, but to hear his elder sister, practically his mother, speak it and have him write it down were two separate things. So much so that halfway through the letter she decided to write the rest on her own, visibly seeing him start to shake with each word he attempted to write. 

That was only fifteen minutes ago. Still, Spike remained in the kitchen, mindlessly making everyone some food when he suddenly belched green fire. The sudden belch caused him to fall over and hit the ground with a thud, and then a scroll hit his face. Before he could even stand, Twilight had appeared and grasped him in her magic and was spinning him around to see if he had any injuries.

“Twilight! Put me down before I throw up!” Spike yelled, his face turning green as he was slowly and gently placed onto the ground. He wobbled a bit before regaining his balance, and as soon as he did, he glared at the lavender pony. “What the hay Twilight!? I’ve fallen off bigger heights and taken hits from Rainbow Dash and Derpy and been completely fine. Why are you so worried about this when I can swim in lava!?” Spike snapped at her, frustrated that he became dragon spin-top. Twilight’s wings ruffled in slight anger, but she managed to calm herself down as she solemnly stared at the young dragon.

“Because I was worried for you, that’s all. I heard you fall, and with recent news, I assumed the worst.” Twilight explained, which caused Spike to lose his glare and was replaced with a sorrowful look. Seeing this, Twilight gave him a bright smile. “But it’s fine, Spike. Knowing that you’re safe is all that matters to me.” Twilight finished as she nuzzled his head and he returned the gesture. As they finished Twilight looked over at the counter to see a scroll with a sun insignia sealing it shut.

“It’s from the princess. She must’ve made a plan.” Twilight murmured to herself, although it was also aimed towards Spike. Levitating it over, she opened it and began to read its contents.

Dear Twilight,

I must say that it brings me great sorrow to learn of the genocide that had taken place in the Dragon Lands. I hope that Dragon Lord Ember has, somehow, taken the news well, along with Spike and her escort Smolder. And I send my best wishes to Garble, hoping that he gets better physically and mentally.

However, in regards to this black dragon, neither I nor Luna have any idea as to where it came from. Although we do believe it must have existed since before we were born, our memories of history before those times are nearly nonexistent. As such, I have decided that the only beings with that sort of knowledge would be Discord or Tirek. Although with Discord in his home, Tirek is the quicker option as opposed to trying to summon Discord and waiting for him to respond, assuming that he does respond. With Tirek being imprisoned in Tartarus, it will make questioning him far easier and quicker.

I wish for you and Lord Ember to accompany me to Tartarus, leaving Luna in charge of Equestria. As for what you have suggested in your letter, I agree that it would be best to investigate the Dragon Lands rather than keep away from it entirely. 

However, while I do not doubt Starlight’s prowess, I would have more peace of mind if she were accompanied by Discord, who is in Chaosville and will return within the day. As such, when he does return, have Fluttershy inform him of the events that have transpired. After that, Discord, Starlight, and Shining Armor, who is currently on his way to Ponyville, are to go and inspect the dragon lands.

While I wish I knew more about this dragon, about this new terror that plagues the world, I do not. However, once we’ve gathered enough information, we will go out and banish it to the depths of Tartarus.

I shall be in Ponyville within twenty minutes by the time I’ve sent the letter to retrieve both you and Lord Ember.

See you soon, Celestia

Twilight finished and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Alright Spike, you know what the princess has planned, so me and Ember will be gone for the rest of the day. I want you to go find Fluttershy and Smolder and tell them what Celestia wrote. Shining will be here soon, and I can guess that he knows as well since he’s tagging along with Discord and Starlight. I’ll go tell Ember what’s happening, while you head off to find Fluttershy. Got it?” Twilight asked after summarizing the letter to her assistant. The young dragon nodded and gave a salute before running out of the kitchen…until he came back in, grabbed his sandwiches, and then left the castle.

Twilight giggled before running off to find Ember. If Princess Celestia believed that Tirek had the answers about the dragon, then she would fully trust her decision. However, that still meant that the dragon was out there, hunting down its kin. But she knew that she and her friends would overcome it, just like they always did; together as friends with their friendship.

After all, what was stronger than the magic friendship?

…

…

…

If only she knew…



In the Badlands of Equestria, the black dragon descended from the sky, its abyssal black wings darkened the land as it perched itself on a small hill. It surveyed its surroundings, knowing that a dragon was hiding somewhere. It sniffed the air once and snapped its head towards a cave that went underground. Now that it knew where it was, the dragon’s fate was sealed. 

Suddenly, a bright light encased it, and it soon died down revealing a new creature. The dragon became a dark-skinned, muscular bideal figure. His sharp gaze and the black circles around his eyes made him look even more menacing. His dark blue hair matched his high-collared black cloak and baggy pants; the rising winds revealed familiar blue markings on his skin. Around his neck was a necklace made up of dragon claws, a sash around his waist, and two gold rings on each arm that were tightened around his upper arms.

He moved forward towards his destination, intending to continue what he had done in the dragon lands. He suddenly stopped in his stride, smelling and quickly seeing that more dragons were heading directly to him. They must’ve heard of the deaths he had caused, and seeing him transform into this form put two and two together. He realized that they were all coming to him, and he couldn’t have felt more pleased.

A sinister grin made its way onto his face. The hunted were coming to the hunter. The lambs led themselves to the slaughterhouse, making it all the more easier.

“Let the Dragon King’s festival begin.”
> Lost History
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The frail centaur known as Lord Tirek paced around his cell in thought. Scheming his next plan at not only escaping the accursed place known as Tartarus, but also getting revenge against Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Until he could even escape, Tirek would comply with getting his revenge in his dreams; assuming that Luna would choose to bother someone else's dream instead of his own.

After all, villains do have dreams and goals. Just because world domination didn’t fit into the agendas of Equestria didn’t mean he’d have to change his.

“Tirek!” The centaur turned to the entrance of his cell to see Princesses Twilight, Celestia, and Ember. He was very surprised, knowing that they were quite angry when he had stolen their magic and turned Discord against them. Well, he never got to the dragons due to being defeated, so he honestly didn’t know why the new Dragon Lord was here.

“Well, to what do I owe the pleasure? It’s not every day that one meets royalty, well aside from when I had taken your magic, but I’m sure that’s in the past.” Tirek taunted, feeling some amusement in seeing the brief flash of anger go across Celestia’s face. However, instead of a retort from her or her friends, the white alicorn summoned her magic and moved him to the back of his cell while creating a table with tea and a few cookies.

“I would recommend sitting down, Tirek. You may have answers to a threat that runs amok in Equestria, and considering what has recently happened, I’m not in the mood for games.” Celestia’s stern tone, one that was reserved mainly for Discord when he got out of control, told him that he didn’t have a choice. He walked towards his chair and reluctantly sat down as the three walked in and sat across from him. Tirek could see that Ember was getting impatient, about what he didn’t know, but considering that they had come to him for answers he knew that he held some of the cards.

“What is it that you wish to know? By coming to me it means that it involves something that neither you nor Luna know of. Something that can’t be found in a book somewhere or isn’t inscribed in stone.” Tirek took joy at the shots he had taken at Twilight and Ember. The two gave him a hard glare, but Celestia calmly sipped her tea before speaking.

“First things first, I thought that I should let you know that all of the dragons in the Dragon Lands, save three, have been killed.” Celestia broke the ice by getting straight to the point. Tirek gave her his full attention with a bewildered look on his face. Surely she didn’t believe that he had killed them? He had been imprisoned here for quite a while, nor did he have the power to do so. So who could have—

An eerie, cold shiver went down his spine. Tirek managed to hide his sudden discomfort  by eating some of the food that Celestia had graciously brought. He couldn’t still be around, could he? Tirek had heard the rumors from all those years ago, he assumed them to be true because there had been no sightings of him. Shaking his head, he swallowed his food before speaking.

“I’ll have you know that it wasn’t me who—“

“We are well aware that it wasn’t you. Beings such as you, and even King Sombra and Chrysalis, realize the folly of ruling a kingdom with no subjects to rule over. We have a basic idea of our culprit, but we don’t know where or who he truly is.” Celestia interrupted with the knowledge of how most villains of Equestria had been. While she knew that they weren’t above killing to get what they wanted, with Discord being somewhat of the exception, killing everyone would leave a kingdom full of corpses. Nothing to rule over except animals and their soldiers.

Tirek quietly drank his tea and ate his snack. While he savored the flavor, with this being the best meal he’s had since being here, he couldn’t truly enjoy it as the coldness worsened. Memories from years ago started to surface, but he forcibly pushed them back down and locked them away. Tirek was doing his very best to ignore it, and most importantly, to forget.

To forget that day entirely.

“And for what reason do you believe that I possess that answer?” 

“Because you’ve been alive longer than Celestia. You’ve met Starswirl the bearded when he was a young unicorn, and you might know about the black dragon that killed its—“

“WHAT!?!?” Tirek roared, shattering his cup as he stood to his hooves, bucking his chair across the cell as it shattered against the wall. The three stared at him with widened eyes, completely surprised at the reaction. Twilight went to speak again, but Tirek was quicker.

“The black dragon…Acnologia still exists!?” Tirek asked again, still shouting in pure terror. Out of the three, Ember was the most curious, seeing as the dragon may have been a historical figure for her people. To the princesses surprise, they heard the other creatures in Tartarus whimper and howl at the dragon’s name. They too were afraid of him, and they were all silenced when Celestia slammed her hoof on the floor; sending echoes throughout the prison as Ember spoke.

“Who is he? And why is slaughtering his fellow dragons!?” Ember demanded before slamming her talons into the table. Tirek managed to calm himself down as he momentarily stared at her, and then his face grew serious. He stared directly into her eyes before doing the same to the Alicorns.

“Acnologia…was the world’s first Dragon King.” This revelation caused them to gasp. “No one knows where he came from, but he was by far one of the most, if not the most, strongest beings on the planet. Very few could challenge his might, and those that couldn’t did, were erased.” Ember and Twilight shuddered at his tone. Celestia’s gaze hardened, which told the centaur to explain more. 

“Long ago, when I was a child, my father once told me a story; a story of how powerful dragons were. He told me how dragons could level mountains, create valleys, and were very adept in elemental magic.” Tirek’s story left Ember’s jaw hanging. Dragons couldn’t use magic, with the exception being Spike, and to hear that they once could was mind-breaking. “But the Dragon King topped all of that. He could destroy islands, destroy forests with just a roar, and flatten towns just by descending to the ground. But the most destructive thing he’s done during my time was obliterating a country.”

The princesses couldn’t help but be silent. The black dragon was powerful, absurdly so. Destroying a country by himself was horrifying enough, not only pushing his power further but proving why he was the first King of Dragons. They could only ponder Acnologia’s destruction and his reasoning behind it, but couldn’t fathom any reason for killing his subjects.

“I must admit that while the history of the dragons is very interesting, it does not explain why the first dragon king is killing his subjects. It also raises other questions; such as why is he not mentioned in history? Why has he been gone so long? Why has he appeared now?” Celestia stacked question onto question, wanting to know more about the first Dragon King. Ember was more curious than her, hearing the tales of how powerful dragons once were.

“There are a few things that I cannot answer. One of them being why he kills dragons. No one, not even the dragons themselves, knew why he killed his kin. Acnologia vanished after some time for unknown reasons, and Discord may have the answer to that question. He knows more about the world than myself, along with its many secrets as well. But what I do know is this…” Tirek replied before he focused solely on Ember. “…He will stop at nothing until all dragons have been eliminated. And that includes you.”

“You’re wrong!” Twilight shouted, drawing attention to herself. “Sure, he’s killed dragons recently and in the past, maybe doing so as we speak, but me and my friends will stop him. Just like with you, Sombra, Chrysalis, and every other villain we’ve faced, he’ll be stopped.” Twilight boldly stated as Celestia and Ember smiled at her proclamation. Celestia could tell that she had matured greatly since she had been first sent to Ponyville, and her status as a princess boosted that. 

“Hehehe…Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!” Tirek’s sudden laughter gave him attention. He slammed his hands on the table and used it for support as he held his stomach. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought Twilight to be the Princess of Comedy.

“Something Funny?” Ember growled out, her anger starting to grow with Tirek’s antics.

“Most certainly! Acnologia isn’t like every other villain, because he doesn’t care to rule Equestria or Earth Land. He craves death and destruction, and there isn’t a single creature currently alive that can oppose him. Even then, when I was young, once again, hardly anyone could match his power. Why, I myself believe it would take the likes of Grogar, Discord, the four Alicorns, and King Sombra to even be some kind’ve challenge to him.” Tirek explained his amusement while telling them his honest opinion on what it would take to fight the Dragon King. 

“You mean to tell us that even with all of the people that you’ve listed, that we’d only be able to become a challenge? Not only that, but that his one goal is to bring destruction to the world?” Celestia asked as Tirek nodded. Any theories that Celestia could have come up with were suddenly dismissed by Tirek’s claim.

What dismissed her theories was Acnologia’s reasoning. And the reason didn’t exist, because he had no desire to rule. No desire to bend the alicorns to his will, to take the magic of the land, or even enslave any creature as far as the eye could see. Still, hope existed to stop him, and there was still another group currently going to learn more about Acnologia.

Starlight’s group should already be on their way to the Dragon Lands, and Celestia hoped and prayed to Faust herself that Acnologia had chosen to leave. Tirek would have no reason to lie about his strength if he feared him too, and she was now more worried than ever about Equestria…no, Earth Land itself. As for Tirek, well, he was perfectly content with remaining in Tartarus. With the Dragon King running amok he wasn’t concerned about revenge or escaping, as far as he was concerned, he was in a very safe place. After all…

He wasn’t about to fight the Arcane Dragon and think that he would escape as the victor. Not again. He once thought that before and paid for it, and he wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. Tirek spaced out at those thoughts before regaining his focus and seeing the three staring at him with confused and even worried looks on their faces.

“If that is all, then you can leave. I have no business in dealing with Acnologia, and staying out of his way is the best chance of survival, unless you're a dragon. Even so, if he sees you as something that he wants to destroy, or even worse, a threat, then he’ll leave nothing left of you.” Tirek finished as he vanished into the darkness of his cell with his plate of food and drink. Celestia watched his figure before she sighed and removed the furniture that was within his cell. Then she teleported herself, Twilight, and Ember out of Tartarus and into the throne room where Luna was seated and waiting.

“Can I assume that things have gone well sister? Or at the very least gotten some useful information out of him?”

“I cannot say that it was well, considering the information, but we’ve certainly gained very useful information. While I will give you a brief summary, we should wait for Starlight’s group to return so that we may all have the same information. And with Discord there…”





“…He may find more than meets the eye.”

“Ah! I just love the dark side of the moon!”

“What are you talking about?” Starlight turned her head to the chaos god, wondering what nonsense he was talking about this time. “It’s the middle of the day.”

“True, but the dark side of the moon is filled with many fun mysteries, but Luna won’t let me near ours. Besides, the Fallen is someone that Celestia wouldn’t like. Destroying suns and ending the lives of civilizations, you know how it is.” Discord replied before he created metal spines on the side of his face as his eyes suddenly glowed a bright red. Starlight sighed and shook her head, deciding that she was going to save herself the headache. Despite being reformed, he still had his mischievous tendencies, and those tendencies would work Starlight’s nerves.

“We’re almost at the Dragon Lands. Although, I’m still nervous about actually being there. When Twilight told me what happened, well, I was a little hesitant about going. But seeing as she’s trusting me on this I couldn’t refuse her.” Starlight admitted as her ears folded back. She felt very unnerved about leading this expedition, even more so when she was interested in what had happened. But she also felt very honored that she had been chosen to be the leader instead of the spirit of chaos or the pony with actual military experience in leading others.

“Trust me, being nervous for something like this isn’t uncommon. Quite frankly, I’d be more concerned if you weren’t feeling nervous. Twilight wanted you here because she believes you are capable of handling yourself, and with me and Discord here, we have nothing to worry about.” Shining calmly said as he trotted alongside her with a small smile. Starlight gave a confident one back, now knowing where Twilight got her confidence from.

“Come along now! While I’m sure that the speech was inspiring, I can assure you that the land of the dead that we are at will crush it.”

Way to ruin the moment Discord.

“I try my best.”

Anyway, the group arrived at the dead land and could already smell the putrid stench of rotting corpses. The sun that had been beating down on them made it even worse, so much so that Discord snapped his fingers and created three nose plugs for them all. But while the nose plugs blocked out the scent, they couldn’t block out the horrifying sight that was before them.

“I know the princess said that it was bad according to the survivor, but it was worse than I imagined.” Shining stoicly said as he made his way towards the land. He entered into military mode, knowing that he needed his nerves calmed so that he could calm down the others if need be, mainly Starlight. Starlight was frozen in place, for as far as the eye could see, she saw countless mutilated corpses. Many were littered on the ground, others were pasted on the side of rocks, and others were completely unrecognizable. Starlight audibly gulped before following Shining.

“C-C’mon Discord. We won’t know anything until we get more information.” Silence was what she received. “D-Discord? Let’s go already, what’s the matter?” Starlight turned and asked, but what she saw caused her to pause mid-stride. Discord’s face was one of terror, although she could see how uncertain he looked as he viewed the landscape.

“I need to confirm something. Let’s go!” Discord quickly said before snapping his talons and teleporting himself, Starlight, and even Shining in an area where there were no corpses. The prince was briefly disoriented before she shook his head and glared at the draconequus, but he couldn’t get a word out before he snapped his talons again and vanished.

“What is wrong with him? Chaos he may be, even Discord needs to have some reasoning to him.” 

“He has reasoning every now and then, but that’s like trying to place some form of logic onto Pinkie Pie. But actually, I think the reason is that something spooked him.” Starlight countered as she examined a nearby corpse. “Whatever has Discord worried, makes me wonder if it has to do with this black dragon. No, it has to do with it, but what that is I’m not entirely sure.” Starlight explained as steeled her nerves before walking around. 

Shining did the same as they each took a separate direction. The prince of the Crystal Empire was trying to see if there were more survivors, despite how low those chances were. As for Starlight, she was trying to figure out what had shaken Discord. She had done numerous magical scans on different dragons, and each scan remained the same but something was missing. 

Starlight continued her scans, desperately trying to figure out what was missing, or what may have been taken. She had gotten so focused on scanning the dragons that she tripped over a rock and fell into a crater. She rolled down for a bit before landing with a small splash, which greatly confused her as water was quite scarce in the dragon lands due to its climate. However, she suddenly had a metallic taste in her mouth before realizing what she was in.

A small pool of blood.

She went to get up and get out of the blood when her eyes fell upon the dragon that created the blood. Torch lay on his side, his empty eyes staring into her own. Starlight immediately screamed and teleported out of the red liquid. Starlight furiously shook herself, wanting to remove every drop of blood on her fur. Even as Shining and Discord appeared, she didn’t stop as shook off her saddle bag and used her hooves to try and remove the blood. However, she only accomplished smearing the blood on her hooves and her body, and upon remembering that she had also tasted the blood made her gag.

Before Shining could try and calm her down, Discord snapped his talons. Instantly, Starlight’s body glowed as her frantic breathing and movements slowed down. Now she was far calmer, and with another snap of his talons, her fur was clean and shiny. Even sparkling as the sun beamed down on her.

“I thought it’d be quicker to use a clean and calm spell on you.” Discord answered the question within their minds, knowing what they were probably thinking. “I've managed to confirm my suspicions, and I was hoping to be wrong.”

“What did you find? I’ve been scanning the dragons and they’re missing something, but I can’t figure it out.” Starlight explained as Shining agreed. He found that, outside of being dead, the dragons looked pale. Their scales were faded in color, and some of their eyes had a white hue over them.

“Yes, I confirmed that—Actually, I think it’s time we head back.” Discord interrupted himself as the two ponies looked at him in confusion before protesting. Even though their hopes of finding any more survivors were shattered seeing the state of the dragons, they felt that they could find more useful information.

“We just got here. I think we can explore the caves and dens of a few dragons before leaving. More so the elders to see if they have anything regarding this black dragon.” Shining argued as he could see that Discord wasn’t pleased. He was assigned to search the Dragon Lands to find anything of importance, and he wasn’t about to leave with so little information.

“Shining’s right Discord. We’ve hardly done a deep search, and I think looking into the caves of the Elder Dragons is a great idea. And once we’ve gathered more information, we can leave and share it all with Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.” Starlight explained as both she and Shining stood their ground. They knew that the chaos god could forcibly take them back if he wanted, but they could see that he was thinking over their argument.

“Fine then, we can stay longer.” Discord relented as his companions smiled. “But no more than an hour. I do have places to be, chaos to create, and so much more. Believe it or not, I do have quite the busy schedule.” Discord met in the middle as a scroll appeared that rolled itself out into a long list. The ponies didn’t care, knowing that the draconequus complied with their wants as he started to walk alongside them.

“So he’s left, despite the fact he wasn’t here very long. Either he’s only come to see the damage, or wondered what we’re doing here. Mmm, well so long as he’s gone then it doesn’t matter how long we stay unless he comes back. Not that they need to know that.” Discord thought to himself as he hummed a tune. Deciding to withhold the information that he possessed for the time being, the spirit of chaos followed leader Starlight into the first of many caves.





The group’s trespassing into the homes of elder dragons proved unfruitful. Many of them possessed gold, trinkets, and what Starlight assumed to be magical artifacts. Although, said artifacts were either broken, useless, or oozed dark magic. For whatever reason the elders possessed objects containing dark magic, were better left to the unknown, and Shining swore that one of the objects was calling out to him.

But none of them possessed any knowledge of Acnologia, not that the ponies knew the black dragon’s name. Discord told them that it was time to leave as Starlight reluctantly nodded, disappointed that she didn’t find anything of importance. As she was leaving, Starlight spotted another book out of the corner of her eye. 

What separated this book from the others was that it was black with dark blue swirls and bold dark purple initials on the spine, although the initials were faded. She couldn’t make out what the letters were and the author’s name had faded as well, meaning that she couldn’t tell who wrote it either. Still, something about the book made her very curious, and she stared at the book for a few moments before hearing Shining’s voice.

“Starlight! Come on we’re leaving!”

“S-Sorry! I’m coming!” Starlight replied as she stored the book in her saddle bag. She had a feeling that it would be, somehow, useful. Unbeknownst to her, something had dashed through the cave and collected the books and other magical artifacts that had been cursed with dark magic. It hid itself as it watched Starlight leave, its eyes focused on her saddle bag before it sunk into the shadows.





The small group’s sudden appearance in the throne room startled those present, consisting of the Elements of Harmony, the co-rulers of Equestria, the current Dragon Lord with Smolder, and Spike. Discord found it quite amusing as he chuckled a bit before he appeared next to Celestia.

“So Lightbringer, what did you learn from your trip to prison? I assume that Tirek and the others were very hospitable when you graced them with your presence.”

“For the last time Discord, stop calling me that. I get a strange feeling from that nickname, and the prisoners hospitality made themselves known when Tirek screamed the black dragon’s name in terror.” Celestia replied as she forcibly teleported Discord next to Fluttershy. He shrugged his shoulders before snapping his talons, creating tea and cookies for himself and the pegasus next to him.

“No disrespect o’ nothing princess, but how in tarnation does this dragon’s name scare Tirek of all creatures?” Applejack asked as Rainbow Dash agreed. She couldn’t see any reason why someone should fear a name, almost as if forgetting the names of powerful villains they had all once faced with one of them being in the same room as her.

“Names hold meaning, but certain names hold power. In certain places, these names go a long way. Whether the name strikes fear or calmness into the hearts of those who hear it depends on the creature behind the name. As for the prisoners of Tartarus, Tirek especially, the name Acnologia holds a great deal of meaning and power.” Celestia calmly explained as she noticed the looks on their faces. Confusion at first before turning to concern with Tirek’s name in the same sentence. She understood the reason for concern, with Tirek nearly taking all of the magic in Equestria and almost becoming its new dictator.

“According to Tirek, Acnologia was the very first Dragon King, albeit it was self-proclaimed. Even so, he was the King of Dragons with the power to back up his claim. However, he was no benevolent ruler, nor a ruler at all for he slaughtered dragons. The reason is unknown, but he killed any and all dragons until one day he vanished. Tirek claims that no one had seen him, and no one knew where he had gone or why he vanished. But now he’s returned, and he must be stopped before he kills all dragons.” Celestia summarized the history of Acnologia and she allowed them all to soak in the information. 

Twilight’s friends were a mixture of emotions. Fluttershy was unsurprisingly shaking in place, being completely terrified of Acnologia while softly crying about the deceased dragons. Rarity was worried for Spike and her sister due to the attacks that Ponyville faced from its villains. And if she needs to, she won’t hesitate to send Sweetie Belle to her parents here in Canterlot for her own protection. And while she didn't want to admit it, Rarity knew that there was very little she could do to protect Spike, knowing that she had no power against a fully matured dragon along with not having a clue as to where to send him.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash felt similar to their siblings. The difference is that Applejack would force her family to move out to Appaloosa to live with Braeburn and extended family whether they wanted to or not, and Rainbow Dash would send Scootaloo with her parents to Cloudsdale. Neither of them were going to take any chances, especially after hearing the carnage that Acnologia had left behind in the ancient past and present times.

The resident dragons of the group didn’t know what to think. Ember had been present during Tirek’s explanation of the first Dragon King. She knew that the rulers of nations were vastly different throughout history, but she doubted any of them were as cruel as Acnolgia. She wondered how insane he must’ve been to declare himself the ruler of dragons when he had also be killing them.

Smolder and Spike, while sharing the same emotions, possessed very different thoughts on the matter. Spike was far more distressed than before, knowing that he was now on a targeted list and would soon join an ever-growing list of dead dragons. He had faith that Twilight and the others would stop him, ending his horrible goal before he could claim the lives of any more of his kin, but his fear of being brutally killed rivaled that faith. It rivaled the faith and bonds of his mother’s friendships, and he felt angry with himself that he was doubting it.

As for Smolder, she was now feeling very dejected. She was ready, regardless of Ember’s order, to challenge Acnologia. But then she heard his atrocities, his vast power, and suddenly gained overwhelming fear. None of them in the room had ever encountered him in person, but she could only imagine how intimidating his presence would be. How absurdly powerful he was with having no one to rival him. 

“Tirek even gave a list of people that he believes is what it would take to defeat him.” Twilight gained everyone’s attention as she repeated the listed names. “The problem is that he included Sombra, and Grogar. One of them is dead, and no one knows what’s even happened to the last, not like he could be trusted either. He’s probably been banished to some unknown place where he couldn’t be found, and while I hate to say it, Cadence isn’t much of a fighter. We also don’t know all that much about Acnologia, so we’d be fighting blind while not knowing his magical prowess.” Twilight deduced as she held her hoof to her chin. Compared to the former villains, Acnologia’s existence was shrouded in mystery. No one knew where he came from and the only thing he wanted to was kill every dragon on Earth Land.

“What about you Starlight? You guys must’ve found something in the Dragon Lands. Right?” Rainbow Dash asked as all eyes were on her. Starlight, as much as she wanted to give them some form of hope, couldn’t as she gave a weak sigh and shook her head.

“Aside from books containing dark magic, crumbling magical artifacts, and cursed objects, no we didn’t. Also, out of respect for Ember, we chose not to look into Torch’s den, so there might be some stuff in there that’ll help us. Aside from that, me and Shining discovered that something was wrong with the dragons, like something was missing from them. I scanned every one I came across and got the same results but I couldn’t figure it out. Shining said that their scales had gotten paler, as if they lost some of their colors, and their eyes had a white hue over them. But Discord managed to learn something, and now’s the best time to tell us.” Starlight grimly replied before staring at the chaos god for an answer. She had decided to refrain from telling them of the book she had taken, wanting to examine it herself due to being more versed in dark magic than her friends.

Excluding the princesses and Discord of course.

Everyone looked at him to see him changing Fluttershy’s mane color and style, from having a spiky silver mane that curved off to the left side, to then having black spiked hair that stuck out in all directions that also defied gravity, to finally possessing long silver hair that flowed down to the end of her flank as he also changed her coat to be completely white with her one of her wings turned black.

“Oh, I think I like this one. What do you think my dear?”

“Oh! Uh, I-I think it looks nice, although I feel uh, I-I feel like I shouldn’t look like this. Can you change me back, if you don’t mind, that is?”

“True, the original look is better and we wouldn’t want you to try creating the power of supernovas now, would we?” Discord snapped his talons and Fluttershy returned to normal. “Now then, you wanted to know something?”

“Y-Yes. What had you looking concerned?” Starlight reminded as Discord stroked his goatee. Trying to remember what she was talking about before snapping his talons, appearing coiled around Starlight’s neck with a grin.

“Ah yes. I’d nearly forgotten.” Discord replied with a grin on his face, and then it disappeared. He uncoiled himself and appeared floating in the air with a serious expression on his face. “You and Shining were correct about something being wrong with the dragon's corpses. They were indeed missing something, and that something was their soul.” The draconequus could see them all get visibly pale. He was ready to snap his talons to calm them down, but he decided against it this time.

“Thou can’t be serious? Surly the dragon king doesn’t possess the ability to reap the very souls of living creatures? More specifically towards dragons?” Luna asked, not wanting to believe what she had heard. Discord’s face, however, never changed. He remained serious as he stared into her eyes before speaking again.

“I can assure you all that it’s the truth. He’s taken a portion of their soul, leaving any one of them alive in a half-dead state. Not that it matters since they die anyway, but that is my discovery.”

No one had a response after that. How could they? Hearing that he possessed the power to reap souls was horrifying, and the only ones who could have any defense against it would be the elements of harmony, the Alicorns, and possibly Discord.

“You mean to tell me that this guy can destroy a portion of our soul!? If he can do this to a dragon then he could rule over Earth Land!” Rainbow Dash yelled as her concerns just skyrocketed. Some of the others agreed with her, mainly Smolder and Spike.

“Maybe if we throw him a really super duper awesome big party he’ll stop his destruction!” Pinkie happily yelled with confetti exploding behind her. No one questioned where it came from, having grown used to her antics. Pinkie noticed everyone’s expression and knew that a party wasn’t going to solve the problem as much as she wanted that to be the solution.

“I think a party would have a better effect on Tirek than Acnologia.” Ember dryly said before she sighed. “The issue is that there’s no dragon or creature on Earth Land that knows he’s going around committing mass genocide or even who he is. He has an unknown form of magic that allows him to kill an entire land full of dragons, reaps their souls, and has been alive since Tirek was a kid.”

“So what are yer saying exactly? That the feller has like…Dragon Slayer magic?” Applejack questioned the Dragon Lord, raising a brow at her demeanor. “Even if he does, I find it mighty hard to believe that no one would know about it, or that it wasn’t written down somewhere.” Everyone shivered at the name Applejack had given the magic. The ability to possess the magical power to slay dragons, and possibly other creatures as well, was terrifying.

“Sounds more like Soul Reaper magic to me.” Rainbow Dash commented as she was given a side look from Applejack. “Oh come on! You can have your ideas on this guy’s magic, and besides if he can take, destroy, or consume souls wouldn’t my name for his magic sound much better?”

“I don’t think it matters which name sounds better since either way it’s being used to cause mass genocide. It also concerns me just how in depth you made this form of magic out to be.” Starlight dryly said as Rainbow Dash huffed and looked away. As amusing this would have normally been, everyone sighed at her attitude towards something so insignificant.

“Maybe there’s something in the Royal Library that mentions his magic? Or something that Starswirl has written down or maybe Tirek knows more than what he’s said.” Spike offered as Celestia considered everything that had been said. There were many books and tomes that even she had not gone through, and the possibility of finding something was certainly there. Tirek was a lesser case, seeing as he feared Acnologia, and with that in mind, she believed that he wouldn't try escaping unless Acnologia was defeated or had finished his conquest and vanished once again.

“There are many possibilities and considerations for the Dragon King’s magic. Whether he does possess, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash have said, Dragon Slayer or Soul Reaper magic or not remains unknown. And Tirek withholding information is a possibility as well. For now, I will have a team scour the library for anything that mentions a black dragon, no matter how minuscule. I will also have another team that will be used to track Acnologia and report his location. During this, I want you all to continue about your lives until called upon. I can understand if you’re frustrated or angry with my decision, but hunting down Acnologia with so many uncertainties is a death sentence that I will not be giving. My decision is final.” Celestia sternly explained as she saw them all nod. Off to the side, Ember explained the same thing to Spike and Smolder, even though Spike was more under Celestia’s rule than Ember’s.

“Well, if thou friends have nothing else to add, then you are free to leave. We hope that the next time we meet will be with more information on the Dragon King.” Luna dismissed them as they all started to leave. Starlight was quite surprised that she wasn’t called out for the book of dark magic in her saddle bag, but she was very glad that she wasn’t. She had doubts that her friends had fully forgiven her and was wary that if she was found with this book they would forsake her.

“…free me…”

Starlight shivered and looked around her. No one else heard the cold voice except her, and she knew that no one had spoken. And yet, in the silence of the throne room, a voice spoke to her. She slowly realized where it came from and gave a small glance to her saddle bag, knowing that it was the book. She waited for the voice to say anything else, but the book remained silent as she internally sighed.

“Great, not only does the book contain dark magic but something is sealed inside it. I better prepare some spells and wards, just in case opening the book unleashes whatever’s sealed in it.” Starlight thought to herself as she brought her gaze back up to her friends. None were speaking as they walked out of the throne room, all in their thoughts to fully digest what they had been told. But Starlight was good at reading others, and she could tell they all had similar feelings.

Anger

Frustration

Stress

Anxiety

“...And Fear.”
> What Lurks In The Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a few days since the group was essentially told to wait for anything new concerning Acnologia. Small things happened, but nothing could take their minds off of the black dragon. They hadn’t even seen him and they knew just how terrifying he was. They had all gone about their business as usual, either working or somehow managing to relax during all this.

Rainbow Dash was the master at relaxation. 

As for Starlight? She blocked off a small section of Twilight’s castle and she riddled that section with numerous wards and spells to prevent anyone other than herself from entering. Naturally, Twilight was curious as to what she was doing that required a section of her home to be closed off along with so much magical protection.

Starlight responded that she needed the large space for some spell practices that she wanted to keep secret. Knowing how intrusive Twilight could be when it came to magic, Starlight kept what she was doing as vague as possible. She wasn’t trying to be mean, she just didn’t want to answer the inevitable question as to why she had a book containing dark magic.

She herself didn’t have an actual reason other than it intrigued her. 

But Starlight was going to examine the book anyway to see if it contained any useful spells that she could use against the Dragon King, within great reason of course. Going off of current knowledge, along with her own assumptions, Acnologia’s scales should be as durable as one of Shining Armor’s strongest shields. As such, Starlight figured that the spell book could contain something that would pierce his scales, or at the very least deal some damage to him.

The downside is that it was dark magic. Starlight had no intention of being corrupted and becoming the next King Sombra, even though she had dabbled in dark magic before. Shaking her head the unicorn made sure that the spells and wards were secured and the section of the library she was using was locked off so that Spike or Twilight didn’t accidentally wander in.

And so something else couldn’t escape.

Starlight sighed as she levitated the book over and prepared herself. Once she opened the book, there would be no going back, but Starlight had the foresight to know that it would take everything to stop Acnologia’s carnage. Tightening her resolve, Starlight opened the book, and the moment she did, the room considerably darkened. The book glowed an eerie dark blue before settling down, revealing the blood-red text to Starlight.

Well, it revealed the text to her, but she couldn’t understand it. Starlight squinted her eyes, as if doing so would make the text readable. Deciding that it was a waste of effort, she flipped through the pages to see if there was anything that she could actually read.

“Having trouble, my little pony?”

Starlight’s eyes turned to pinpricks at the sudden voice in her ears. She swerved around with her magic ready to attack whatever had come out of the book. No one was there. Starlight had her eyes narrowed as she took a few steps away from the book to find out where the being was, and she knew that it was in the room with her. 

“Where are you? Show yourself!” Starlight demanded as the entity chuckled.

“As you wish.” The being replied as dark blue mist appeared around Starlight’s hooves. It went past her and started to take form, building itself into a large pony, resembling Celestia in height. However, Starlight narrowed her eyes and could see that the large pony was an alicorn. Despite the misty appearance, Starlight thought that the alicorn looked familiar.

“Princess Luna…?” Starlight questioned herself, but the alicorn heard her and snarled. Starlight immediately felt a power press down on her, trying to force her to her knees. Summoning her magic, Starlight wrapped herself in it as she slowly resisted the Alicorn’s power, and she suddenly knew who she was dealing with.

“Nightmare Moon!”

The power receded. Starlight gained her breath back as she glared at the demonized version of the princess of the night. Nightmare Moon glared back, but it was more reserved than Starlight’s. Her condescending look was replaced with one of indifference, not caring for Starlight’s gaze as she hummed.

“If I didn’t need you, I would squash you like an insect. However, at my current power, I can’t escape my book. And that’s where you come in.” Nightmare Moon snarled at her explanation, hating to admit that she needed Starlight’s help. As for the unicorn in question, she narrowed her eyes at the dark alicorn. Starlight had no idea what Nightmare Moon had planned, nor did she know why she was needed for her escape but she wanted no part in it.

“What makes you think that I’ll help you in any way? And what’s preventing me from telling Princesses Celestia and Luna about this book you're in?” Starlight countered, but the nightmare laughed. Her cackle echoed throughout the room, making Starlight glad that she had soundproofed the room so that no one could hear what was happening inside.

“True, that would pose a problem for me. But how would you explain yourself when you took a book containing dark magic? Moreover, containing me sealed inside it?” Nightmare Moon countered as Starlight’s breath hitched, realizing that she was right. “I see you’ve realized the double-edged sword that you wield. Like I’ve said, I can’t escape this book on my own, but you can’t read its text. It’s far too ancient for you to understand. However, I can help you understand the book, and in exchange, you shall allow me to place some of my essence in you.” Nightmare Moon offered as Starlight stared at her like she was crazy. Oh wait, she was crazy! Making a deal with Nightmare Moon was definitely not on any of Starlight’s lists for the day, much less encountering Nightmare Moon in the first place.

“What are you talking about? Your essence? Like are you going to implant your magic, a piece of your mind or soul, or something similar? What’s the purpose of that and what makes you think I would even consider it?”

“Because you wish to assist your friends in the defeat of Dragon King Acnologia. Correct?” Nightmare Moon asked, even though she knew the answer. Starlight’s eyes widened, wondering how the nightmare could’ve known that. “Don’t look so surprised. Just because I was sealed in my book does not make me ignorant of the world. I heard your conversation with the princesses, and I must say that you were lucky that they didn’t sense me, Luna more so.” Nightmare Moon revealed as Starlight remained silent and did her best to properly form thoughts and analyze everything that she just heard.

The nightmare had overheard everything, meaning that she knew of Acnologia and everything else that was learned from Tirek. Although Starlight did question her age. If she existed before Equestria was even a thought, then it would explain her knowledge of the ancient texts of the book that she was sealed in. Which was a question in itself as to what she actually was.

That aside, Starlight knew that making a deal with Nightmare Moon was the equivalent of making one with Queen Chrysalis. There was a scheme that the alicorn was planning, and she needed Starlight for it. The unicorn didn’t know what she was needed for, but she would learn where she stood if she accepted.

“Seeing as you are taking your time, you must be doubting me.” Nightmare Moon suddenly spoke, breaking Starlight from her thoughts as she nodded. “I thought so. Here, just to show you that I want to be free…” Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed a soft blue as did Starlight’s body before dying down. “There, now flip to a page and it will be translated into modern Equish.”

Starlight did as she was told as she turned her attention back towards the book. Even though she eyed Nightmare Moon carefully, she couldn’t deny that the contents of the book outweighed her suspicions and more into her interest. As such, she walked back to the book and read from the page she was already on.

“Nightmare Sphere. The user casts a sphere, its size depends on the user’s magical power, and whoever is caught within this sphere except the caster will experience horrific nightmares whether they are awake or asleep. The spell can last as long as the user puts magical energy into the sphere, although it will last no more than twenty minutes on its own. This is because the spell will have already done its job the moment it’s activated; causing untold fear which can be amplified via two different spells that are listed in the subsection.

Those under its effects can escape by a third party, magic that counters this, through strong willpower, or negating the spell itself. Depending on how severe the nightmare is, the person under its effects can develop severe mental trauma, memory loss, insanity, and in the worst case, death.” Starlight read off as she regained her breath. She wasn’t expecting to read such a spell, much less learn it. Starlight suddenly realized that this was one dark spell within an entire book, and was almost glad that she and the rest of Equestria couldn’t read its contents.

Starlight wondered if Luna knew the spell, or if she knew of this book at all. There was still more to the page, but the text returned to its original scripture, meaning that Nightmare Moon canceled her spell. At the same time, something told Starlight that there were far deadlier spells in the book; and various forms of unknown magic that would make the gifted Starswirl himself jealous.

“As you can see, I can hold true to my word. Should you decide to accept my deal, you know where to find me. And if you do accept, then you will have a book of spells at your disposal that not even Twilight Sparkle or Celestia themselves would know of.” Nightmare Moon finished as she transformed into blue mist and returned to her book. Starlight watched the book for a few moments before she closed it and sealed it shut. Wrapped in her thoughts, Starlight made her way towards the door, deciding to think over the nightmare’s offer as she weighed the pros and cons.

Quite frankly, she shouldn’t have been considering it all. Starlight knew what Nightmare Moon was capable of, but she knew that no one could read the scriptures in the book except Nightmare Moon. The only other option was Discord, seeing as the draconequus could easily translate the book with a snap of his talons. Starlight knew that he would have questions and possibly report her to the princesses for being in contact with Nightmare Moon unless he chose to keep it a secret for whatever reason he might have.

“This is a bad idea, but I’ll have to sleep on this. Once I have my mind clear to think straight, I’ll make my decision.” Starlight muttered to herself as she replaced the wards and spells on her new study place before heading to her room. This new, powerful information had given her a bit of a headache, and Nightmare Moon’s presence had worsened it. Still, once she had gained enough rest, she would make her decision.





Twilight Sparkle was up late into the night reading through countless books on dragons. She knew that she had nothing on Acnologia, but she decided that reading about dragons in general would help her understand Acnologia’s motives or find a weakness to exploit.

As it currently stood, she found no weakness. Aside from enchanting the ballistas that Equestria possessed for times of war, Twilight had the same assumptions as Starlight, dragons were nearly invincible. Dragons could somewhat resist magic with their scales, although powerful magical attacks could easily bypass them. Twilight continued her self-induced studies, tuning out the world around her as she simultaneously took notes while reading.

“TWILIGHT!!” The alicorn jumped into the air with an “eep!” before crashing onto her desk, sending her notes and books all over the floor. Twilight’s eyes rolled around her skull before she shook her head and glared at her assistant.

“Spike! How many times have I told you not to scare me while I’m studying!?” 

“You’ve told me over a thousand times, literally! I was trying to get your attention for the past twenty minutes. Starlight came out of her new study area looking like she saw a ghost, completely exhausted before going to her room.” Spike explained as Twilight’s face softened and grew concerned for her student. Starlight had been very vague as to why she wanted a section of her castle for herself, but Twilight decided to give it to her since she felt like Starlight wanted whatever she was trying to accomplish to be a surprise.

“Well, if she’s in her room then she most likely went to sleep. And I don’t want to invade an area that I gave her for privacy…”Twilight replied before trailing off. She hummed in thought before smiling. “...I’ll just ask her in the morning. I won’t ask what she’s doing, but I’ll make sure that she’s not pushing herself too hard.”

“You should follow what you preach. It’s almost midnight and you’ve piled notes on dragons make a summary, and not to be rude, but it’s still not that much.” Spike rebutted as Twilight found her floor to be quite interesting. The two shared a chuckle before Twilight organized everything and neatly placed it all back onto her desk.

“Fair point. I guess it is pretty late, but there are a few things about the dragons that don’t make sense.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Tirek’s father told him that dragons used to be capable of wielding elemental magic. Assuming that it’s true, the question is what happened? If there was a dragon that could wield and breathe lightning for example, how come its hypothetical offspring didn’t inherit or learn how to do it? Why and when did all of them start breathing and only breathe fire? There’s a mystery involving magic and dragons, and possibly magic itself.” Twilight explained as Spike slowly nodded. Now he understood her thoughts, and the questions were certainly interesting. Spike suddenly grinned and chuckled, wondering if he could—

“No Spike. You can’t start breathing lightning because you can already breathe fire.” Twilight interrupted his thoughts as Spike blushed and nervously chuckled. The young dragon soon went to his room, now wondering just how powerful his ancestors were to be able, presumably, to breathe lightning or other forms of elemental magic.

Twilight had similar thoughts, although she was more fascinated by the aspect of undiscovered magic. Sure, she might not be able to breathe elemental attacks for numerous reasons, but the discovery would change history. As she slowly fell into the realm of sleep, a sudden thought occurred to her.

“Did Discord ever…give us any information on Acnologia?”





The Sun had risen and Twilight was slowly waking up. Her dreamless sleep was well welcomed as she didn’t want to overstress herself, again, with Acnologia’s existence. Being well rested Twilight stretched before opening her curtains and smiled at the beautiful bright day that awaited her. Everything was fine with not a problem in sig—

“AHHHHHH!!”

Well, it was going fine until Murphy’s Law made itself known.

Twilight immediately left her room and sped off to Starlight’s room. She didn't know what was happening or why she was screaming, but Twilight was going to protect her student. Along the way, she grabbed Spike and placed him on her back, who had already been running for Starlight’s room.

“What’s going on? Why is Starlight screaming?”

“I don’t know Spike, but we’ll find out soon enough.” Twilight replied before halting in front of her pupil’s bedroom. She didn’t hesitate to slam the doors open with her magic, but what was happening left her and Spike greatly confused, and amused at the same time.

Starlight was being chased around by, what Twilight knew to be, a black phoenix. The phoenix had white eyes with the upper part of its face being white as well. The tip of its tail feathers and wings are dark gold in color with circles of the same color on the side going down in a v-shape to the black tips. 

Starlight turned around and attempted to catch the bird with her magic, but it flew over her head and landed on her back. Even though it didn’t dig its talons into her, she didn’t want it on her and tried to shake it off. This failed and tired her out as she succumbed to fatigue and fell to the floor, allowing the phoenix to fly onto her head and caw in amusement.

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?” Starlight begrudgingly asked as it cawed again. This time she heard giggling and laughter, looking at her door to see Twilight and Spike respectively finding her situation quite funny.

“So glad to know that my struggling to get this bird under control was amusing to you.” 

“Oh, it’s not like that. Besides, we were concerned when we heard you scream, but seeing the phoenix made us a little confused. Speaking of which, was this what you were doing? Trying to summon a phoenix or a familiar?” Twilight asked as she knew the only other pony to own a phoenix was Celestia. Summoning familiars was a forgotten practice, with very few magically talented creatures being able to actually summon something without having it backfire on them. It was, in all honesty, more troubling to summon a familiar. If you wanted something specific, then you needed specific items for what you wanted and the right amount of magic to be poured into the spell as well.

“Uh, yup! That’s exactly what I was trying to do! But there’s still a few more things that I want to do, so I’m still going to need the space.” Starlight decided to lie, although it was really a half-truth as she gave a wide grin. While she didn’t summon the phoenix, she still needed the space.

“Oh, well, it’s amazing either way! So what’s its name?” 

“His name!? Uh right! His name is…” Starlight trailed off as she quickly flickered her eyes around her room, trying to find something that would make sense without being too weird. Despite looking around, an unknown word came to her and she decided to go with it. “…His name is Kuro. Kuro the phoenix!” 

Twilight and Spike gave her a questioning look. They didn’t know where she got the name from, but a look at the phoenix told them that he didn’t mind. As Spike was admiring the phoenix he suddenly noticed that Kuro’s eyes seemed cold, even though he turned his head to view his surroundings he never kept his gaze on something for more than a few seconds. Despite how amused he was when he was chasing Starlight, Spike could’ve mistaken him to be emotionless if he hadn’t seen the small grin on its face.

Suddenly being caught in Kuro’s gaze, Spike felt himself becoming quite small. Not physically, but Kuro became more intimidating. He felt as though Kuro had become a Manticore while he became a little filly, piercing through him and staring directly into his soul. Before he could say something, Twilight blocked his view of the phoenix with a worried look on her face.

“Spike, are you alright? You got into a staring contest with Kuro before spacing out. We didn’t notice that you were spacing out until Kuro made some noise.” Twilight explained as Spike blinked in confusion. When did Kuro make noise? As a matter of fact, how could he have broken eye contact with him to alert the girls while Spike knew they had both kept their gazes on each other?

“Uh yeah, I’m fine. I guess I was so good that I didn’t even notice I had won.” Spike chose to be ignorant and praise himself as he nervously chuckled. He wasn’t about to admit that Kuro started intimidating him, and Spike internally decided that Kuro had taken the staring contest a little too seriously.

“I was gonna continue my studies, but I think I’ll head over to Fluttershy’s house to see if she can give me some tips on taking care of a phoenix. After that, then I’ll continue my studies.”

“Actually Starlight, I was wondering if you use today as a rest day.” Twilight interjected as her student looked upset. “Don’t be like that. Spike told me how he saw you last night, and while I won’t ask what you’re doing, I will ask you to take a break. Get some fresh air and walk around town before locking yourself away. Trust me, it will do you some good.” Twilight persuaded as Starlight sighed and nodded. Starlight figured that she could use the time anyway to think over her decision of indulging in Nightmare Moon’s offer and essentially powerful dark magic.

“Fine. But what about you? You aren’t going to tell me to take a break while you lock yourself in your room to do exactly what you were doing last night, are you?” Starlight gave an accusing look as Twilight gave a light chuckle in response.

“No no, that’s not what I had planned at all. I have another plan in mind.” Twilight admitted as she used her magic to place Spike next to Starlight. “What I have planned, more like Ember’s plan, is to head back to the Dragon Lands and go through her father’s den. She appreciates that you guys didn’t go through it, but she wants to see if Torch left anything behind that she wants to keep as a memento.” Twilight explained as her friends understood what she was doing. At that moment, Ember peered into the room before walking in.

“Hope I’m not intruding on something here. You ready to go?” Ember asked as Twilight nodded. The alicorn told them that they wouldn’t be gone for very long, and for Spike to either hang out with Starlight or Smolder as she wasn’t comfortable with leaving him alone. 

They were wished a farewell before Twilight teleported herself and Ember to the Dragon Lands. Kuro stared for a few seconds before making some noise, making Starlight and Spike aware of him as the unicorn decided to head over to the animal expert of Ponyville. Spike gave a glance to Kuro, but the Phoenix paid him no mind as he was constantly checking his surroundings. He never kept his gaze on one thing for more than a few seconds before switching to another thing to watch, almost as though he was looking for predators that may have been lurking around the library.

“Calm down Kuro. There’s nothing in the library that can harm you that I can’t deal with.” Starlight assured her new pet, seeing as he wasn’t her familiar and had no obligation to listen to her, as she trotted out the castle and into the streets of Ponyville. As she did so, neither she nor Spike noticed how Kuro’s demeanor changed. Going from constant watched to a more calmed, laser-focused look as he eyed the mare that was walking by them.

“AH!” The mare suddenly tripped and fell on top of Spike. Starlight immediately turned around to help them, getting Spike and Bon Bon to their feet. Shaking her face of her distortion and rubbing her muzzle, Bon Bon gave an appreciated look to Starlight while an apologetic one to Spike.

“Sorry, Spike. I should’ve been more careful.” She apologized, gave him a piece of candy, and quickly went to the train station. Kuro watched Bon Bon leave before huffing and started resting on top of Starlight’s and going to sleep. Starlight gave a quiet sigh, pleased that Kuro had calmed down and had chosen to sleep.

“C’mon Spike, we need to get to Flutteryshy’s place while there’s still daylight and then get whatever supplies we need for Kuro.” Starlight explained as she used her magic to place Spike on her back and picked up the pace. She wanted to get this over with so that she could go back to Nightmare Moon. Hearing what Twilight and Ember had planned made her remember what had transpired a few days ago, and she wasn’t going to allow another mass slaughter to happen if she could gain the power to prevent it.

No matter the price





Princesses Celestia and Luna were currently sitting on their thrones waiting for the guest they had called. One had been retired for quite some time, while the other had finished their undercover mission for the assistance of another kingdom. While they wanted the two to relax for the work they’ve done, this was a matter of National Security that would’ve affected the world if they didn’t start coming up with solutions.

The doors to the throne room opened with two mares entering, both having a serious look on their face. One of them was Bon Bon, otherwise known as Agent Sweetie Drops. She had been urgently called by the Princess for an important mission, and she would be joined by Tempest Shadow, a broken-horned Unicorn who had been sent to infiltrate the Storm King’s army and take him down from the inside, which she had successfully done.

“Agent Sweetie Drops, Agent Tempest Shadow, it is good to see you both. Forgive me for the sudden summons, but this is an important mission that needs to be executed at once.” Celestia seriously spoke as the two didn’t need to reply. While they weren’t told what they’d be doing, it was important nonetheless, especially when they were present before both rulers of Equestria.

“It’s perfectly fine your majesty. However, does this mission have to do with why the Dragon Lord is staying in Ponyville? Along with her escort and the injured dragon at the hospital?” Bon Bon asked as Celestia nodded. Tempest Shadow, for her part, had been surprised to hear that the Dragon Lord and three of his subjects had taken residence in the pony town.

Luna saw Tempest Shadow’s confusion and explained. “Torch is no longer Dragon Lord, that title belongs to his daughter Princess Ember. However, the matter at hoof remains the same, and the matter is that Lord Ember along with three of her subjects are the only survivors from the mass genocide of the Dragon Lands.”

The ponies' jaws slightly dropped at the information. How the world, much less them, hadn’t heard of this was troubling. Still, they were being assigned a mission, and whether that was to track down the creature that did this and permanently put it down, or somehow cover all this up was what they would do.

“Your mission is to track down the dragon that did this and keep an eye on him. Watch where he goes and what he does, and nothing more.” Celestia explained as she allowed a small grin on her face. Seeing the bewildered look on two of her best agents was amusing, and she knew the reasoning behind it.

“So this is just a reconnaissance mission? And it was a dragon that did this?”

“Yes to both questions. This dragon has vanished, and you both will find and follow him. It may sound tedious, but this is of great importance. I can assure you that this dragon would kill you both without batting an eye if you attempted to take him down.” Luna coldly spoke up as her tone sent shivers down of the agents spine. “Now then, our only description is that it could be bigger than Torch and possess black scales. And this is how you shall remain in contact.” Luna continued her explanation before summoning a teal-colored orb. She gave it to Tempest before Celestia took over.

“That is a communications lacrima for long distances. Use this to inform us of his whereabouts and his actions. You must send a small magic signal once every three hours when Acnologia is found. Failure to do so…and we will have no choice but to assume that he has found and killed you both.” Celestia regretfully said as she could feel their fears. It wasn’t unwarranted, to be told to track and follow a dragon that killed its kin while also being told that there wouldn’t be a recovery team to collect their bodies.

The two agents looked at each other before nodding. “We understand your highness. We’ll find and follow him, no matter what.” Tempest Shadow proudly said as Bon Bon nodded. The rulers of day and night smiled as they gathered their magic.

“We believe that he has entered the Bad Lands, seeing as it would be the nearest place for dragons to live and that is where we will be sending you. Any more questions?”

“No ma’am!”

With their final words spoken, the Alicorns teleported them to their mission site. Celestia knew it was wrong, but she needed to be blunt with them so that they fully understood what their assignment truly meant. Because at the end of the day, Acnologia wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if he was given a reason to do so.

…Not that he would need one 
> The Closet of Cursed Skeletal Knowledge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Ember appeared just outside the Dragon Lands. It was the place that everyone was visiting, the place they kept returning to. It was, after all, the epicenter for everything that was happening. From Garble’s mental breakdown to two agents being called to track down the culprit, and finally Starlight’s choice of choosing to take Nightmare Moon’s offer. Not that she knew of the last two, but she was growing more nervous as the days went on.

Twilight audibly gulped as she surveyed her surroundings. She managed to swallow the bile that had been gathering in her throat, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready to throw up her breakfast if she saw something that broke her. Ember kept a stoic look on her face, managing to herself together as she pressed forward.

“Come on Twilight. My Dad’s den isn’t too far from here, and we’ll get there faster if we fly.” Ember didn’t wait as she took off to the skies, forcing the alicorn to catch up with her. Twilight didn’t need to ask the dragon lord to know that she was just keeping up a mask. A mask that was hiding what she was truly feeling, a mask that she didn’t want to break, a mask that Twilight knew all too well. There had been a few times when Twilight had hidden her emotions or what she was truly feeling from others, not because she wanted to hinder them with her problems, but because she didn’t want to seem weak in front of her friends.

Still, Twilight knew that there was a time and place for everything, but not now. The duo silently flew across the dead kingdom, doing their best not to be distracted by the corpses. However, they still had some good looks of them, looks that would haunt them for a few days as they continued their flight. Ember said nothing, choosing not to address the situation as she signaled for Twilight to descend.

Following her, Twilight saw a large den that led underground. She figured that for Torch’s size, he would have chosen a place on top of a mountain to oversee the other dragons. Ember saw her confusion and explained that her father preferred being underground because it was closer to the lava, making his den warmer than most others.

“Here we are. Don’t take anything without asking, put whatever you find back where you found it, and don’t touch his treasure.” Ember immediately laid out the ground rules as Twilight slowly nodded. She didn’t know why Ember thought that she would take things belonging to her deceased father, especially with Ember present, but she kept quiet and chalked it up to Ember dealing with the loss of her father.

The two went in separate directions, entering different parts of the den as Torch apparently kept things separated. Twilight respected that as she entered his bedroom, while Ember inspected his treasure room. Exactly like Ember said, Torch’s room was warm, almost hot enough that Twilight could’ve fallen asleep if she really wanted to.

But she didn’t, Twilight knew that she had a job to do and that was to find anything of importance or something that would seem out of place in a dragon’s den. Twilight lifted various objects and moved them around to find anything, even lifting Torch’s sleeping rocks but she came up empty hoofed.

After putting everything away, Twilight sighed as she gave the room another look. Everything looked as though it belonged, nothing was out of place, and nothing screamed ‘I definitely don’t believe here’. Twilight was about to leave when the realization came to her, she was looking for whatever didn’t seem right instead of looking at what already existed. Smirking to herself, Twilight magically scanned the room, something she should’ve done in the first place, to search for any magical objects. 

And, just like she thought, she found something. What she thought to be a unique dark stone ball, was actually a lacrima that had a transformation placed on it. While she was happy that she found something, it suddenly struck her as odd how it could’ve been transformed for a few reasons. One of the reasons was that Dragons couldn’t use magic, and even if they could, transformation magic was very advanced, even for her. While she couldn’t have known how long Torch had this lacrima transformed, she was impressed that he knew magic in general.

“Hey, Ember! Come in here I found a lacrima.” Twilight shouted as the dragon quickly flew in. She didn’t find anything in his treasure room, but she was confused after hearing and now seeing the lacrima.

“That’s weird. Dragons have no use for lacrimas because we can’t use them for anything.” Ember explained as Twilight replied how she had found it. Now with both of them confused, Twilight grasped the orb in her magic and quickly figured out that this was a recording lacrima with footage. She turned and placed the orb onto the rock bed before giving a glance to Ember, who nodded as the alicorn turned her attention back to the lacrima and started to play its contents with her magic.

Torch’s image appeared, staring down at whoever was using the lacrima before speaking. “To whoever finds this, although it should be my daughter Ember, I am going to tell you an ancient piece of history veiled in darkness, one that is no longer whispered, one that no longer exists in present times. When I first became Dragon Lord so long ago, I was told the tale of Acnologia, the first Dragon King, a being whose very existence epitomizes horror and atrocity, and embodies death and destruction beyond mortal comprehension. 

Long before the era of Equestria, perhaps even before the unification, in a world far removed from our own, Acnologia existed. But he was no ordinary creature; he was a dragon of unparalleled might and insatiable thirst for destruction. Acnologia's scales were as black as the void itself, and his presence instilled fear into anyone who encountered him. On Earthland, where magic flows like a river, Acnologia wrought havoc upon all creatures. His lust for destruction drove him to slaughter indiscriminately, leaving behind a trail of devastation wherever he went. With each village razed and each life snuffed out, Acnologia's name grew, becoming a nightmare whispered in fear-filled tones.

But there was something that truly set Acnologia apart from other dragons, and it was his insidious nature. Unlike other dragons who revered their kin and, admittedly, somewhat respected the balance of the world, Acnologia harbored a twisted desire to eradicate all dragons, viewing them as nothing more than lowly vermin. With unparalleled ruthlessness, he hunted down dragon after dragon, reveling in their demise as he bathed in their blood and grew stronger with each dragon that he killed and consumed.” Twilight paused the recording as she turned to Ember, who had been trying to force down her anger. Twilight knew that the room had gotten warmer, and it wasn’t from the lava underneath them.

“Ember, are you–”

“Keep going! I want to hear what else he has to say.” Ember interrupted, causing Twilight to flinch before deciding to comply with her wishes.

“Even those well-versed in magic couldn’t harm him, and everyone trembled at the mere mention of Acnologia's name. His strength knew no bounds, and his cruelty knew no mercy. Entire civilizations fell before him, their people scattered like leaves before a storm. For Acnologia, there was only joy in destruction and satisfaction in mass genocide.

 But then…he vanished, and there was no trace of him. No one knew what happened to him, not that they cared. Many optimistically thought that he was killed, that someone ended his reign of chaos and destruction, others thought that he grew bored and left Earthland itself, but it was never proven. But from what I could gather of this piece of dark history, of his overwhelming strength, it was that his power knew no equal, and his wrath knew no limits.

Eventually, he seemingly faded from the world. By the time my daughter Ember was a little drake, Acnologia no longer existed. His name, power, and very being were gone from the mouth of every creature. How this came to be…I do not know. But for better or worse, no one would live in fear of Dragon King Acnologia again.” Torch finished his thought with a sigh of relief. While he may have been pleased with the outcome, Ember and Twilight weren’t. They were furious that Torch hadn’t informed anyone of Acnologia’s destruction or informed anyone that he once existed.

“The moment the tale was done, once everything had been processed through me, I abolished the Dragon King’s festival for it had a different meaning, and changed my title from King to Lord. No one, not even the elders themselves, could force a reason out of me. And with the very little magic that I possessed, I wiped the memories of the younger generation while forcing the rest under an oath to never speak of it. None were too happy with my decision, but I knew that deep down inside them all, they were grateful. Grateful that no youngling would ever have to fear or learn the name Acnologia, to cower beneath his shadow as he flew across the skies, or most importantly, live in fear for when he would come and kill them.

However, at the time this is being recorded, I have felt a disturbance in the balance of magic, a stirring of ancient powers. And with it comes the haunting specter of Acnologia's looming presence. He will soon find us, the remaining living elders know this, and they know that there isn’t much we can do to stop him. I have chosen to keep this a secret, for the sole purpose of ignorance. I’m well aware of the stupidity that this is, but sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss, and this is one of those times.” Torch paused with a solemn look on his face. The watchers could tell that even he wasn’t happy with the decision, looking regretful, but Twilight knew that leaders made the tough decisions because no one else could. Even if others don’t agree with it, it was a decision that Torch and Torch alone made.

“Ember, my daughter, if you are watching this, I’m sorry for the secret. Knowing how you were as a little salamander, then as old as you probably are right now watching this, you’re probably containing your anger before burning down my den, and I’m alright with that. Just know that I’ve always loved you, and I always will.” Torch proudly spoke as Ember was slightly shaking, but she made no sound as Torch continued, this time sounding more serious with a look to match. “However, there is one more creature aside from Acnologia that you must be wary of, a creature whose darkness extends into every crack and crevice across the land and could swallow the world whole if given the chance to do so. He is one of the few creators of countless dark magic spells, a being who wished to conquer all of what would be Equestria and beyond. And that creature is—” The lacrima ceased its recording. Twilight went to figure out what was wrong with it and discovered that it had simply finished.

“I guess it stopped recording when Torch ran out of magic to supply it.” Twilight spoke aloud, mainly to herself as she knew that Ember was going through a multitude of emotions. Ember couldn’t hide her sniffles as she requested Twilight to take the lacrima and leave the den, wanting to be alone. Twilight did as she was asked and left, deciding to get her own thoughts and emotions together.

Twilight focused on her thoughts and ignored the sudden shouting, breaths of fire, and objects being destroyed. “Torch knew about Acnologia when he first became Dragon Lord but wasn’t alive during his reign. So it must’ve been a century or a little more after Acnologia vanished when Torch was at least born and at most a young teen, and only after another century or two did he become Dragon Lord.” Twilight hypothesized the beginning of Torch’s life as she heard the falling of a few rocks. She turned her head towards the sound and saw Ember coming out of the den. Despite her eyes being somewhat red she had calmed down considerably after her outburst.

“Hey, Twilight. I-I wanted to say I’m sorry for giving you the colder shoulder and seeming rude earlier.” Ember started apologizing, as Twilight focused her attention on her. “I couldn’t handle seeing everyone here dead, and I didn’t know how to express that without breathing fire or challenging you to a strength contest. So instead, I reverted back to my old self, being closed off and not wanting to deal with anyone and focus on the task at hand.” Ember finished as she held her head down, upset about everything since they first arrived.

“There’s no need to apologize. I understand that you’re frustrated and upset about everything, and I guess after seeing the recording that Torch left only amplified that. But bottling up your emotions doesn’t help you deal with them, it just keeps festering until you snap and it can affect you in so many different ways.” Twilight explained as Ember gave a slight smirk. However, it slowly faded as she placed her eyes on the lacrima.

“So…what do you make of this? While my dad kept Acnologia a secret so dragons didn’t live in fear of him, he should’ve told Celestia at the very least. And I’ve never heard of the Dragon King’s festival, and if I had to guess, my dad changed his title so that he wasn’t associated with Acnologia. He’s proud like that.”

“But that means that this festival was something that Acnologia created or was a part of. Although to hear that he’s ended entire civilizations wasn’t terrifying enough, Torch confirmed my suspicions that Acnologia is durable against magic. I don’t know how someone who has committed such atrocities could simply vanish off the face of the earth without a peep and then be completely forgotten to history with only Torch and few elder dragons being in the known.” Twilight replied as the two sat down in thought. They had gained a massive amount of useful information about the forgotten past, and just how much Acnologia had truly destroyed.

“...There’s still one more big thing. My dad said that there was one more creature to be careful for. Some creature of darkness, one that has created countless dark spells. Know anyone that fits that description?” Ember asked as Twilight pondered on her question. While the candidates for known powerful users of dark magic were big, the creators of those spells weren’t. There was only one known creator of countless dark spells and he no longer exists on Earth Land. The others were completely unheard of, although Twilight knew that there was one pony who had truly gone into the deep end of dark magic.

“The only pony that comes to mind is King Sombra. But not only is he currently dead, he couldn’t have been around from such a long time ago, and he would’ve needed to deal with Acnologia to be the ruler of anything…”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming along.”

Twilight smiled at Ember’s banter. “...But that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t have an idea as to who Torch is talking about. While it’s safe to assume that he’s self-taught, he must’ve had someone teach him a few things, and with how powerful Sombra is, his hypothetical teacher must be one of these creators. The two issues we have, however, is that we have no clue who this creature could be or if they’re even alive. And the second is that Sombra is dead, so we couldn’t ask him anyways, unless…” Twilight went quiet at her idea, and Ember picked up on it. She easily recognized that tone, one that suggested doing something pretty bad and idiotic. She had heard the same tone from her father from the lacrima, and Ember couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at Twilight’s suggestion.

“Twilight, you aren’t actually thinking that we should…revive King Sombra, right?”

“Honestly, I don’t think we have a choice. Discord and Tirek may have been alive longer than Celestia and Luna, but neither actually uses dark magic outright. I can’t think of any other pony or creature that could help us while being so divulged in dark magic, but even if everyone else somehow agrees with me, I don’t have the power to bring him back to life, much less know-how.” Twilight explained as she sighed. This had been more stressful than she would’ve imagined, more so than she would’ve liked, but her life had been thrown for a loop since she came to Ponyvile. Reviving Sombra had more cons than pros, and this was based on the factor that not only IF Sombra had a master in the first place but if he would even tell them.

“Ughhh!!! Why can’t any of this just make some sense!?!?!” 

“Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?” Discord’s voice echoed around the two as they jumped at suddenly hearing the Chaos God’s voice. Discord chuckled as a wooden coffin sprung up from the ground, with the casket falling to the floor revealing the draconequus. He stepped out and took a deep breath of fresh air before snapping his talons, making the coffin vanish before floating over next to Twilight

“Reviving King Sombra? Now there’s an idea that would bring a good amount of chaos. If I hadn’t been reformed, then I might have gone and done just that.” Discord joked as he found even more amusement seeing Ember’s bewildered face. Even though Twilight had grown used to him popping in and out at any given time, he took great pride in getting the drop on her like he just did.

“H-How long have you been here!?” Twilight asked as Discord replied since she found Torch’s lacrima. Apparently, he had grown bored hanging around Fluttershy’s house after Starlight, Spike, and Kuro showed up, and when learning where Twilight had gone to he decided to third wheel the adventure. “Wait a minute, you said that would revive Sombra for the chaos. So then…could you bring back King Sombra?” Twilight asked, still skeptical if this is what she really wanted, and Discord picked up on that.

“While it wouldn’t take me long to revive him it wouldn’t be with a snap of my talons or paw. Even so, I think asking Celestia and Luna about this would be a smart decision. We don’t want to revive him and then he escapes, thus adding another major problem on top of Acnologia.” Discord explained as Twilight was dumbstruck at how well thought out Discord’s reasoning was. She had expected him to revive him and have her and her friends deal with him and the consequences that would obviously follow.

“Y-You’re right. I shouldn’t just have you revive Sombra without some form of plan to contain him. And Princesses Celestia and Luna would be really angry with me if I did it without consulting them first.”

“They still might be angry with you for even thinking about it. But Discord, if you could bring Sombra back to life then could you…” Ember asked before gesturing to the corpses around her. Her eyes were filled with hope, nearly getting on her knees and begging, pleading to the chaos god to do what was impossible…

Bringing the dead back to life with no drawbacks, with no consequences.

But Discord shook his head, his words shattering Ember’s hope. “I’m sorry but I can’t. It’s not a matter of me not having the power to do so, but it’s more complicated than you think. The first thing is that a portion of their soul is gone, if they were brought back they would be a shadow of their former selves. Others are their bodies, some are destroyed beyond recognition that I wouldn’t know how they used to look. And another reason is another matter entirely, but you get my point.” Discord explained, but Ember had tuned him out when he said he couldn’t. If a being like Discord couldn’t bring her subjects back, she knew they were gone forever. But she had accepted this, knowing that even if they could be brought back, Acnologia would just kill them again.

For some reason or another, Twilight felt that something was wrong about Discord’s final unnamed reason. He loved being cryptic and keeping things to himself, which was quite normal for when he was scheming something, but this time it felt different. Like he was purposely trying to keep this reason hidden despite bringing it up. But she ignored it, for now at least, and focused on the matter at hoof.

“C’mon then. Let’s go tell the princesses our idea and what we’ve learned.”

“Ah! I’m so glad you used that noggin of yours and saw it my way…oh, and by the way, they’ve already been informed.” Twilight did a double-take at Discord’s words before her anxiety started settling in. She was frozen in shock as Discord chuckled, making the alicorn shake her head and glare at him as she snapped.

“How!? This conversation just happened! King Sombra’s revival wasn’t even a thought until we saw Torch’s lacrima! So how the fuck could they know about it when this was just decided!?” Twilight roared, cursing at the draconequus as her magic flared, demanding to know the answer. Discord’s grin widened at her rage before outstretched his left hand, and with his right, he brought it down in a down like a curtain and revealed a live-fed lacrima. Twilight froze again, realizing that they had been watching the entire time. That had also meant that she had been heard cursing, which wasn’t wrong as she had done so a few times before, but she had never cursed in front of her mentor.

“This, Twilight Sparkle, is how the ‘fuck’ we knew.” Luna seriously spoke with a cold glare as Twilight’s ears folded back and she gave a nervous chuckle. “We will be expecting you, Ember, and Discord in the throne room immediately. Where we will discuss Sombra, Torch’s secret, and the uncouth mouth of a young princess whose anger is unjustified!” Luna roared at the end, making Twilight flinch downward as she didn’t meet her gaze. What made it worse was Celestia’s silence, not speaking a word before she sighed.

“Do not be late. And do not hold them up Discord, this secret that Torch has kept must be discussed at once.” Celestia finished before the fed ended. Ember gave a nervous chuckle, realizing that she was right about the two rulers being angry. She felt somewhat embarrassed since they had heard her throwing a tantrum and destroying her father’s den.

“Well, at least they’ll hear you out, right?” Ember tried lighting the mood with a joke, but it fell flat as Twilight ignored her. She took great pride in making Celestia proud of her, but today wasn’t one of those times. Instead, she gave a defeated look to Discord who snapped his talons, teleporting them all to the throne room of the palace where Celestia and Luna had been waiting.

“Pr-Princesses…nice weather we're having?” Twilight tried to start the conversation, seeing their stern looks but suddenly jumped at the sound of booming thunder. Taking a glance out the window, she saw heavy rainfall, with lightning dancing across the skies and thunder accompanying it.

“No Twilight, the weather is not good. Twilight, for what reason did you yell and curse at Discord? I’m not disappointed about the cursing, just disappointed that you would do such a thing over a matter that we would’ve known about sooner.” Celestia asked as Twilight didn’t respond right away. She knew that she was stressed about everything, with Spike’s safety being one of her priorities along with dealing with Acnologia.

“I’m sorry, and I’m sorry to you too Discord. It's just hearing Torch’s confession made me come to conclusions and ideas that I was ready to enact if Discord didn’t talk me out of it. And when he revealed that you had been watching alongside us, I guess I had a brief meltdown.” Twilight explained herself as Celestia and Luna were silent. Their gazes turned to Discord, who was sitting on a floating throne ignoring the situation as they looked at each other and nodded.

“Well, seeing as how Discord doesn’t seem offended in any way I assume that he doesn’t care. While I don’t want to brush past your current stress Twilight, or your use of profanity during your outbursts, we need a plan of action. First things, first, is the supposed resurrection of King Sombra. Naturally, not only is this a bad idea, but Cadence and Shining Armor will be greatly opposed to this. Not unless we find a way that ensures his cooperation while still maintaining our morals.” Celestia opened the floor to suggestions as they all were in deep thought, except for Discord. As he lazily hovered in the air he noticed how Luna seemed conflicted, almost as though she had an answer but was unsure of it.

“What’s got you troubled Luna dear?” Discord asked, appearing wrapped around her neck as he stared at her with puppy dog eyes. Luna glared and shook him off, but it was nothing but a ruse as she now had everyone’s attention.

“Nothing troubles thyself, but thou ought to keep off of we less you prefer another Stone Age.” Luna snarled as Celestia narrowed her eyes. Luna had a habit of speaking in old dialect when she was nervous, angry, or upset. Even when she would correct herself midway through her speech, Celestia knew that she would need to be tactful in addressing her.

“Well, Luna, do you have any thoughts on dealing with Sombra?”

“…I do, but it requires Sombra to be present, and knowing what this entails and how Sombra is he won’t hesitate to agree with my plan.” Luna replied, knowing that this was Discord’s intention all along. She wouldn’t reveal what she had planned, she made that clear to everyone present before asking about where Sombra would be brought back.

“Well he’s left a piece of his essence near the Crystal Empire’s cave systems. I could easily bring him back from there, but he will need to be contained, which is where Cadence and Armor come in. Just long enough for Luna to do what she intends to.” Discord explained as he drank the glass cup that contained chocolate milk before snapping away the solid-liquid. Twilight stared at him as she once again found something wrong with Discord’s ending response.

She knew that he wasn’t omniscient, but Discord had always kept track of and knew about the events that took place in Ponyville. He also had a knack for knowing things that took place in the far future, but he rarely brought them up and when he did he never elaborated on it. This was the second time he brought something up and didn’t fully explain himself, but she couldn’t force an answer out of him until whatever he was talking about came to fruition. Despite his chaotic nature, Discord was far smarter than he made himself out to be, and sometimes Twilight wondered if he was more serious if he could take over Earth Land itself.

“Since we have a plan, I guess we’ll need the others as well. We also need to convince the rulers of the Crystal Empire.” Ember spoke up as Celestia reluctantly nodded. That wasn’t going to be a smooth conversation, and she really hoped that Cadence and Shining would at least hear them out. The only problem they would have if they refused their current plan was making a new one, but it was more time that they were wasting while Acnologia wandered the land unwatched.

“Let us be off then. We’ll get Twilight’s friends and then set out for the Crystal Empire. If we properly explain the gravity of the situation, they may be willing to take the chance. Court shall be suspended till our return, and Blueblood will need to be left in charge for the time being, seeing as he’s the only other royalty around and someone that’s capable of running the country.”

“Is he really our only choice?” Twilight asked as she was now concerned for Equestria. Celestia assured that, despite his personality, Blueblood was certainly capable of running Equestria for a day or two while they were away. He did have the political skills to do so, although she would leave him quite restricted in what he could actually do and how much power his words could carry.

“I guess there's no choice. I’m delaying us enough as it is with my anxiety over everything.” Twilight thought to herself as she nodded before Celestia summoned a piece of parchment and ink. She quickly wrote a letter and sent it away to Spike, briefly describing the details before she did the same thing but sent it to Cadence instead.

“Alright, I’ve told Spike to gather everyone and be ready at the train station while informing Cadence that we’re heading over there. I’ll have Raven inform Blueblood of his temporary ruling of Equestria while we are away.” Celestia elaborated as she sat up from her throne and headed for the doors with everyone else following. Celestia had taken many chances in her life, some of them paid off while others hadn’t, with Discord’s reformation being one of the best gambles she had ever taken. But counting on King Sombra of all ponies to help them with anything would be the biggest gamble of her life, knowing full well that many things could go wrong with the Dark King’s revival.

“Luna…I hope that you know what you’re doing with this plan of yours, because if it fails then Sombra will be another problem on the board. A board that cannot handle any more large pieces for there is a King that dominates half the board by himself with no army or allies by his side. Adding Sombra will not only break it…but it creates a power clash between two kings who have no problem with destroying the world.”
> The Dark King’s Revival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train ride to the Crystal Empire was a silent one. Celestia told everyone else that she would explain the plan when Cadence and Shining were present, not wanting to repeat herself and for everyone to be on the same page. She had even offered to Twilight to take the blame for the idea of Sombra’s revival, but she was denied for Twilight wanted to take responsibility. If someone was going to get yelled at for wanting the revival of a tyrannical king, then it was going be directed at Twilight Sparkle.

The train soon arrived at the Crystal Empire as the large group departed and were greeted by the Empire’s guard. The head guard explained that Cadence and Shining had been busy with preparations for their arrival and had sent the guard to escort them to the palace. Celestia thanked them as they walked through the streets, passing by and greeting the crystal ponies who bowed in respect and smiled in awe at their presence. 

However, those fears were pushed aside when they noticed that Spike wasn’t with Twilight. While they wouldn’t know the reason, Spike had stayed behind so that he could help Starlight with something because she would be teleporting to the kingdom after finishing a small but quick project. Once again, she didn’t tell anyone what she was doing, but with so much on her mind, Twilight didn’t question her and simply told her to be at the empire with Spike the moment she was done with what she was doing.

The group soon arrived at the palace where Cadance and Shining greeted them. The guards left as the rulers of the empire led them to a dining hall where Sunburst, who was joining them, had been waiting. They all sat down and had a few minutes of idle chatter before Celestia cleared her throat and slightly raised her voice.

“While this has been a nice chat, I’m afraid we’ve all come here for a far more serious matter. And this time, while it doesn’t directly involve Acnologia, it does come around to him. However, this is all coming from Twilight, so you can start anytime you would like my dear.” Celestia became quiet and let Twilight become the center of attention as the young Alicorn gulped. This wasn’t going to go well, no matter how many times she replayed the current situation in her head Twilight knew that there was no win situation in this, but she was still going to try.

“Thank you, Princess. As she said, this is something that requires serious thought. And I want you all to hear me out before interrupting me with objections because I know they’ll exist. “Twilight started as they all raised a brow, suddenly confused and worried about Twilight’s demeanor. “About maybe an hour ago, me and Ember returned to the Dragon Lands to her father’s den, it’s where we discovered a hidden lacrima where he gave a brief history lesson on Acnologia. And suffice to say, it was certainly something.” Twilight gave a summary of what she and Ember learned as everyone gained sick feelings in their stomachs. None were too happy with Torch’s decision, which was to be expected, but Sunburst pointed out the other threat that was mentioned aside from Acnologia.

“I was just getting to that. You see, more creatures use dark magic than the known creators. Although, not even Discord is that well-versed in that form of magic, and there’s only one pony in known history who can be called a master of Dark magic. And that…is King Sombra.” The moment Twilight spoke his name, she could feel the room get colder. The guards that had been situated in the room had grown stiff and slowly started shaking, as did Fluttershy and Rarity. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were quite shocked, staring at Twilight as they started to wonder where she was going with this. As for Cadence and Shining, their shocked faces were slowly replaced with a harsh look.

“And what does King Sombra have to do with this, Twilight?” Shining coldly asked as Twilight shivered. He rarely used her actual name unless he was being serious or was angry at her, and the latter was quite rare. And the tone that he spoke in was something that Twilight found a little intimidating.

“W-Well, we know that Sombra couldn’t have been alive during Acnologia’s reign, so he couldn’t be one that Torch was talking about. And a-assuming that Sombra has a master who taught him his magic, a possible creator, well I was thinking that we could…have Discord revive Sombra.” Twilight’s spoke in the same manner that Fluttershy normally does, nearly being unheard. But she was heard, everyone who hadn’t already known heard her, and they all were deathly quiet. Despite their ears devouring Twilight’s words, their minds didn’t fully process it until Cadence slammed her hooves on the table.

“YOU WHAT!? You want to revive one of the most dangerous beings in existence on a mere ASSUMPTION!?” Cadence roared with the royal voice as she glared hard at her sister-in-law, who currently had her ears folded back. Before she could properly explain herself, Cadence continued. “This isn’t just some experiment! This is a pony who has killed this nation’s first ruler, enslaved the crystal ponies, and sealed them away for a millennium! A pony whose dark powers rival both Celestia and Luna, a pony who’s so cunning and schemes so brilliantly that not even Chrysalis could outsmart him! And what’s even worse is that you believe that King Sombra would help us! He’d sooner bring back the first ruler of the Crystal Empire than help us!” Cadence finished as she was breathing quite heavily. The table itself had gained a few cracks from her shouting, and a few other objects had shattered due to the brief release of her magical power.

Even though she wasn’t all that much of a fighter, Cadence still possessed an absurd amount of magical power because she was an alicorn. Cadane’s rage wasn’t unwarranted, as Twilight’s friends gave her a disappointed look. This was, in their eyes, the stupidest thing that she’d ever thought of. Twilight would always think things through, it was one of her best qualities, although they wondered if she had even heard herself

“...L-Look I-I know how it sounds. But there’s no other creature who’s adept in dark magic like Sombra is. And there’s no book I can read that’ll tell me who Torch was talking about. He’s our only choice, and Princess Luna has a plan to keep him in line. Isn’t that right?” Twilight explained as she looked over to Luna, hoping for some assistance. Luna knew that she would be brought up, but now she was needed to calm things down and help take the raging flames off of Twilight’s flank.

“Indeed. However, not only would we like your approval for his revival, but Sombra himself would need to go along with what I have in mind. We would also have you and Shining Armor to keep him confined to an area to prevent his escape. And, as you have said with his intellectual prowess, he wouldn’t have much of a choice but to go along with what I have planned.” Luna explained as Cadance released a breath. She was not in the mood for this, and her anger only slightly went down with Luna’s plan. Still, she needed Twilight to know just how seriously angry she was with her. “You wish to bring back someone who has caused nothing but pain and suffering to my subjects. Someone who will not hesitate to do and use whatever means necessary to win. I thought you were smarter than this, Twilight.” 

Twilight looked towards the cracked table as she wiped the forming tears in her eyes. She knew it wouldn’t go well, but this was far worse than she imagined. Being berated by her former foalsitter was new, but Twilight couldn’t let this get to her, not now anyway.

“Please, I need you both to trust me. Sombra isn’t going to be able to break free of a shield spell from both of you, especially if me, Celestia, and Sunburst help you strengthen it. I don’t like it as much as you do, but Sombra is our only choice to figure out who Torch was referring to. And once we figure out who it is, we can prevent them from ever appearing and then properly deal with Sombra. I’m not asking you as a family member, but as another Princess of Equestria and on behalf of every creature who Acnologia has killed. Please, don’t let him add any more creatures to this massive death list that he’s created.” Twilight tried her hardest to convince them to trust her with this. Their expression remained the same, angry and cold. While she wasn’t giving up, she felt dejected as she excused herself from the table and left.

Twilight walked the halls by herself as she let her body go on autopilot. She was heading to her room to be alone and escape everyone. She knew that her friends and family wanted some time to discuss and think about what she had proposed, and it would’ve been better without her there, she knew it. Twilight hadn’t felt like this since Celestia had threatened to return her to Canterlot for the Want-It-Need-It spell incident; losing her friends, the best thing that had ever happened to her, was one of her worst fears. Another fear was disappointing and failing others, and right now, she felt like both of those fears were slowly coming true.

Soon enough the young alicorn arrived at her room and threw herself onto her bed. She didn’t cry, but Twilight felt exhausted. Deciding to get some rest, Twilight went to sleep and hopefully, by the time she woke up, Cadence and Shining would have agreed to follow her plan.





Agents Tempest Shadow and Sweetie Drops traversed the Badlands in search of Acnologia. They were quite surprised when they couldn’t find the black dragon given that he was supposedly larger than Torch. But they knew that they were on his trail, it wasn’t that hard when his trail of bread crumbs was a trail of dragon corpses.

“By the way, did you get any useful information out of that dragon in Ponyvile Hospital? I think his name was…Gabe or something.”

“His name is Garble, and no I didn’t, more like I couldn’t.” Bon Bon replied as the two kept walking at a brisk pace. Feeling her partner’s eyes, Bon Bon continued. “I couldn’t get any information because he was transferred to the psych ward. He scarred a nurse with his talons when her tail brushed him. Probably PTSD from the dragon’s tail smacking him. He also scorched parts of his room when he saw a large shadow, thinking it to be Acnologia when there’s nothing there or places that he’s already burned. Finally, he nearly gouged out his eyes after experiencing hallucinations of seeing, according to him, a shadowy figure with red eyes looming over him with an outstretched limb reaching towards him. While not connected to Acnologia, it was enough for them to bind and muzzle him before throwing him into a padded room.” Bon Bon explained as she jumped over a dragon's tail. Tempest whistled and grimly chuckled, wondering how bad it was for Garble to experience first hoof.

“Bad case of trauma for sure, but not the worst one I’ve heard. Either way, he’s gonna be there awhile until he’s mentally sane enough to recognize where he is.” Tempest replied as she pointed out a nearby cliffside. She suggested that they gain the high ground and use that to get a better view of the area. Her partner agreed and made their way over there, silently paying their respects to the murdered dragons they passed.

The two climbed their way until they reached the top, choosing to take a break while surveying the vast area. No sighting of the Dragon King as Bon Bon sighed, wondering how they couldn’t find this dragon. He had no point in trying to hide himself, seeing as he had made his presence greatly known already. At the very least, she was going to appreciate the small break they were taking.

“How are we supposed to track him? Now that I think about it, who’s to say that he hasn’t already flown away? If we assume that he has killed every dragon in this land already, then he could have already left for another part of Earthland and we wouldn’t know.” Bon Bon spoke as she pulled out some food and started eating. She shared some with Tempest who thanked her as the two ate in silence, wondering what they would do if Acnologia had left these cursed lands. Tempest turned her head to the outskirts, intending to start a new conversation when something strange caught her eye.

“...What is that?” Bon Bon turned her head to where Tempest was looking and raised a brow at the cloaked bideal creature. They assumed it to be a young minotaur, but the lack of fur, horns, tail, and hooves had thrown that assumption out the window. Even the height difference was notable, as the creature they were staring at was just a few inches shorter than even a teenage minotaur much less a grown adult. But no matter how long they stared at it, the answer never came to them, although they did wish to see how it properly looked underneath its cloak.

“Never seen anything like that before. Have any idea as to what it could be?” Tempest asked as Bon Bon narrowed her eyes before pulling out binoculars, trying to get a better view. As she watched it, she was grateful for the strong wind that passed by them, and the creature in turn, which revealed dark skin with blue tattoos and a muscular upper body.

Even with the new image, she couldn’t think of any creature in Equestria that she could definitely say that this is what he was. The longer she pondered on him, the more she examined his features, and she slowly started realizing what was before them. 

“...Human.”

“What was that?”

“It’s a human. L-Lyra, my marefriend, is always talking about them, and then there was that incident with Princess Celestia’s former student Sunset Shimmer when she took Twilight’s crown and left for the human world. It matches Lyra’s descriptions of them and Twilight’s report on her brief trip there. But humans don’t exist in Earthland unless they were just never discovered.” Bon Bon explained as the two simply watched him walk in the wasteland. They wondered who the hell he was, where he came from, and if there were other humans in the world. Still, it was quite strange that he was on a leisurely stroll in these lands, regardless of what creature he was.

At that moment, the human stopped and suddenly around, forcing the two agents to hide themselves. Tempest had, despite her broken horn, quickly casted a camouflage spell to blend in with their surroundings. Even so, the human continued to stare at their hiding spot, almost as though he knew where they were hiding rather than seeing the activated spell. The agents slowed their breathing and returned the stare, and they immediately felt something wrong.

“This doesn’t feel right. It’s like he knows exactly where we are, but he’s deciding if engaging us is worth his time.” Tempest whispered as Bon Bon agreed. They hoped that the human decided that they weren’t worth his time, not wanting to stray away from their mission to deal with an unknown creature with unknown abilities.

However, to their surprise, a dragon had flown over them. The dragon created powerful rushing winds as it blasted past them, nearly sending them over the edge downward and into the wasteland below. The dragon had closed in on the human, releasing a powerful breath of fire on it. The two ponies had revealed themselves as they watched an undiscovered species being burnt to ashes. They were ready to do something when they were surprised to see the flames dispersing, seeing the human blocking it with one hand as he coldly glared at the dragon.

Before they could blink, the human had torn the dragon in half. The ponies stared with their jaws open, not comprehending what had happened before them. Bon Bon snapped out of her shocked state first and slapped Tempest with her hoof, getting her back to her senses as she cast the camouflage spell once again. This time, however, they knew that the human couldn’t have known they existed as the dragon completely blocked them from the human’s sight.

“What the hell was that?! I’ve never seen such brutality or monstrous strength from any creature in the world! He wasn’t even affected by the fire that was thrown at him; he shrugged it off like it was nothing!” Tempest yelled, having cast a soundproof spell, and Bon started recalling all the nonsense Lyra had constantly talked about. While she had never fully tuned her out, Bon Bon could admit that she wasn’t always fully giving her marefriend the attention she wanted when talking about humans. Yes, it was always a little much when she got on that train ride, but she loved her all the same.

Turning her attention to the land below, Bon Bon needed to–

Her heart skipped a beat.

“...Te-Tempest, where’d he go?” Bon Bon whispered, stuttering for the first time in her life as an agent of S.M.I.L.E. The unicorn snapped her head to see what she was talking about, and low and behold, the human was gone. Sweat slowly poured down their faces as they felt a murderous presence behind them, being caught in what they knew to be the human’s shadow.

He had found them. They didn’t know how, but he did, and now they started wondering what to do. The easiest solution was to kill him, uncaring for the newly discovered species for their lives were far more important. However, they didn’t know if that was feasible, at least for them, due to his durability against dragon fire and superior strength. Fear started creeping in for the first time in their lives, and they could feel his dark glare.

“To think that there are creatures who still harbor dragons, and even live alongside them. How repulsive.” The human disgustingly spoke as Tempest decided to cease her spell, knowing that there was no point in keeping it up when he was addressing them. The ponies turned to face him, ready for a conversation, but it was a mistake as they found themselves unable to move. It took a moment, but the two realized that they were frozen with fear. There was no magic involved, this was nothing more than his overwhelming evil aura, and matters were made worse when he raised one of his arms and pointed a finger at them.

Nothing else was said as he gathered his magic at the tip of his finger, making them aware of his intentions and the need to flee. But before they could, he released his charged spell, and their world turned black as they were blasted off the cliffside.





Starlight had burst into the Castle of Friendship as she set her newly acquired phoenix care package off to the side and headed to her private study. It had taken her quite a bit of time to get everything on the list Fluttershy gave her, but she managed to get everything written down for her. She had set her sleeping Phoenix on top of his new perch while she thought over the day's events.

Along the way, Starlight and Spike ran into Smolder, who hadn’t been herself since Garble’s admission into the psych ward. Her fiery personality had diminished to Fluttershy levels of timidity and quietness, as she had confined herself to the Crusaders clubhouse. She hardly ate, barely doing so even when food was brought to her, she also had never left the clubhouse either; gaining her brother’s fear of the Dragon King but not losing her sanity.

Despite their vastly different fear levels, there was still enough for Smolder to hide than at least walk around the community of friendly ponies. Starlight had brought her along and placed her in Spike’s care while she finished up her plan. Nightmare Moon was the only known way, as of this moment, to give her the power needed to stand against Acnologia. Yes, Starlight knew the downsides to this, but she was powerful in her own right, and if Nightmare Moon’s powers amplified her own to be able to contend with Acnologia then she would get the nightmare under control as well.

Starlight walked into her study and sealed the door shut. Nothing was getting in or out without her knowing or something forcefully breaking down the runes she put up; which were quite powerful. Starlight walked over to the book containing Nightmare Moon and opened it, letting the demon out of its home. The alicorn manifested itself in front of Starlight through dark blue mist, having a knowing smirk on her face.

“Well well, I suppose you’ve come here for your decision, correct?” Nightmare Moon asked as Starlight narrowed her eyes. She was spot-on, but her smirk and the tone of her voice told Starlight that she already knew. Deciding to temporarily ignore that for now, she stared at her new power source and nodded.

“Yes. When Twilight and Ember said that they were heading back to the Dragon Lands, it made me remember and truly realize what was happening. Acnologia is far stronger than we realize, and maybe even with the power you give me, it wouldn’t be enough to match him. But, if I can at least deal damage to him, it would be more than enough for everyone else to defeat him or seal him away.” Starlight confidently responded as Nightmare Moon raised a brow. She was impressed by how willing she was to delve into darkness if it meant helping others. It was also quite revolting as well, but she could look past that if it meant helping herself.

“So be it then.” Nightmare Moon explained as she gathered a good portion of her magic. She promptly told her new host to gather her own magic and channel it to the tip of her horn. Starlight did as she was told as the room glowed a bright cyan blue and dark blue with Nightmare Moon casting a spell onto herself and Starlight. The dark blue glow slowly vanished as Starlight’s magic faded away, causing her to collapse to the ground.

Starlight’s breath was slightly labored, but she was otherwise fine, at least that’s what she told herself. She got to her hooves and looked around, no longer seeing Nightmare Moon within the room nor did she sense her magic. Starlight became far more alert and went into a panic attack, knowing that Nightmare Moon was gone and it was completely her fault for trusting her.

“What am I going to tell Twilight and the others!?  That I thought trusting Nightmare Moon was a good idea!? And the reasoning was literally for more power, they’ll think I’ve turned on them and become evil again!! …WHAT WILL PRINCESS LUNA DO TO ME!?!?”

“QUIET YOU BLUBBERING BAFFON!!” Starlight screamed as she stumbled over her hooves and fell back onto the floor. Shaking her head, Starlight looked around, expecting to see the alicorn somewhere in the room when she heard a snort.

From her mind.

“Ar-Are you–?”

“Yes, I’m inside your mind. I’ve cast an ancient spell, in reverse with some modifications, and made you the host of myself.” Nightmare Moon explained as Starlight created a mirror. She was expecting to see some difference in her appearance, but she saw nothing until her eyes became cyan blue with slits, causing her to gasp. “Let it be known that I can manifest myself if I so choose, and even take control, although not only does the latter require me to have significant magic, but for you to have a weakened mind. Well, unless you give me control willingly.”

“Which won’t be happening.”

“I’m fully aware of that. But still, regardless, you will be able to use my magic while your magical power increases. For now, I will rest while you do whatever you please. Whether that be casting Eternal Night over the world or…helping Twilight Sparkle, is your decision.” Nightmare Moon finished as the slits from Starlight’s eyes vanished. The unicorn waited for her new tenant to say something else, but silence was what she was greeted with. As much as she wanted to experiment with her newfound magic, Starlight was needed at the Crystal Empire along with Spike. 

Starlight quickly turned to the doors and galloped out to find Spike and set out to the Crystal Empire for whatever Twilight had planned. From the mirror that was created, Starlight didn’t notice how her appearance flashed to a darker version of herself. And in time, she will know whether the choice she made was a beneficial or detrimental one.





“TWILIGHT!!”

“AHHH!!” Twilight screamed and fell out of her bed. She groaned in pain before glaring at Rainbow Dash, who had a sheepish grin on her face as she apologized. The pegasus didn’t let her get a word out as she grabbed her front hooves and started dragging her out of the room.

“C’mon, you lazy bum! You’ve slept all morning and Cadence and Shining have decided, and you need to be present to hear it!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she lifted her friend off her hooves and flew off back to the dining room. Twilight stopped her struggles, although she managed to convince her friend to let her go as she flew alongside her. This was the moment she was waiting for, to see if they were going to be reviving one of the greatest dangers to help them deal with, arguably, a bigger threat.

They entered the dining room, where everyone was waiting for them along with Starlight and Spike, who had teleported in a few moments before Rainbow had gone to retrieve Twilight. They had only been given a brief explanation of what was happening, and Sombra’s name made them pay attention to what was about to occur. Twilight, while nervous, confidently stood in front of her relatives and fellow rulers, ready to hear their decision.

“Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, and my sister-in-law. You’ve come here today with the notion that King Sombra’s revival, a tyrant who has enslaved the citizens of this kingdom, might be able to assist us with the possible knowledge of a being whose dark powers label him as a creator of dark magic and is on par with Acnologia’s destructiveness.” Cadence professionally re-explained and summarized as Twilight firmly nodded, taking into account how she wasn’t labeling anything as facts. “By Princess Luna’s account, she has a way of getting him to cooperate, although it is not a definitive victory for us. Still, I will give this the benefit of the doubt and say that Luna knows what she is doing. However, there is one thing that I want to hear from you, Twilight.”

“Anything.”

“Then I want you to solemnly swear, that you will take responsibility for keeping Sombra in line, with help of course, and watch what he does. You will also take responsibility in the actions he may cause, whether they somehow benefit us or most likely harm us, will befall on to you. Do you swear this, on your title as a princess and of royal status?” 

“I solemnly swear that I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I alone, will take whatever punishment you choose for whatever crimes King Sombra commits.” Twilight swore as Celestia and Luna were silently impressed. While they had expected Twilight to promise this, they hadn’t expected such a royal swear to receive punishment from her own relatives. Cadence gave a quiet sigh, giving a small glance to her husband who smiled and nodded.

“Then as Princess of the Crystal Empire, I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, with her husband Prince Shining Amor, hereby allow the revival of King Sombra.” Cadence finished as she felt a tight hug from Twilight. She gave a soft smile and draped one of her wings over her, reconciling the hug as felt a few tears on her neck. She knew that she was a little harsh with her, and while justified, it had taken an unconventional emotional toll on her.

“I’m sorry for earlier, Twilight. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, but hearing Sombra’s name and your plan made me see red and took it out on you. Again, I’m really sorry.” Cadence whispered as she wiped Twilight’s tears. She had forgotten how emotional Twilight could get when it came to authority figures, ones that she greatly respected, berating her for something she had done wrong.

Twilight accepted as she got herself together, managing a smile as she looked at Discord. The draconequus gleefully smiled before snapping his talons, bringing everyone to a large cave system. He snapped his talons again, placing the ponies and two dragons in certain positions; such as Celestia, Sunburst, Cadence, Shining, Starlight, and Twilight near a wall. He then placed Luna right next to him, while placing everyone else behind a barrier.

“Well, let’s get started!” Discord excitedly said as he held a stick in his hands, with no one knowing where he obtained it from, and drew a circle. The circle glowed a bright blue with runes that none of the ponies had ever seen before being on the inside edge he drew a straight line across before drawing an ‘M’, all of which glowed a brilliant blue. Immediately after, a dark crystal sprouted from the ground as a swirl of shadows followed it floating upward with a red horn emerging along with bright green eyes and purple wisps on the side.

Discord suddenly waved his hand, warped the cave around them, significantly making it ten times larger, and placed those behind the barrier on their own little floating island. Then, for ponies that were going to contain Sombra, he separated them into different sections. With Celestia, Starlight, and Twilight on one side, with Cadence, Shining, and Sunburst on the other side. Despite their initial confusion, they all got on guard when Sombra appeared, maniacally laughing before setting his eyes on Luna.

“Well well, now what do we have here? I wasn’t brought back to life for idle chatter unless you wish to have a rematch from 1,000 years ago?” Sombra taunted, not paying anyone else any mind before casting a glance at the two current rulers. “Hn, and to think that the current rulers would grace me with their love sickening presence. Along with so many new potential slaves, I am quite touched by the gifts you have given me upon my revival.”

“My friends and family are not and never will be your slaves. And if I remember correctly, I won that battle between us before you sealed away the Crystal Empire.” Luna countered, but Sombra laughed. He wasn’t afraid of her, although, with the sudden barrier placed around them, he became very cautious. Despite his taunting, Sombra knew that there was a reason as to why he was brought back to life, and he was going to know why.

“So then, why have you brought me back to life?”

“You’ve been brought back for the sole purpose of helping Earth Land. According to a source, there is a being that can be considered to be a creator of dark magic, one who will engulf this world in darkness should he be released.” Luna started as she and Sombra started circling each other. The dark unicorn snorted, asking why he would help a possible ally for himself. “Because he could be your master. And even if he isn’t, you may know who he is due to your extensive knowledge of dark magic.” Luna finished as she ceased her movement, standing directly in front of her sister whereas Sombra stood in front of Cadence.

Sombra had been conjuring a plan when he sensed a sudden shift in magic. Luna’s eyes gained a purple wisp to their edge much like his own, and he knew that she was using dark magic. However, it wasn’t that she was using dark magic that surprised him, it was the spell that she was conjuring. This, in turn, made him narrow his eyes as he gained a serious look on his face.

“Princess Luna, ruler of the night, defender of dreams, and vanquisher of nightmares. Surely you aren’t challenging me to that, are you? I would hope you know the consequences should you lose.” Sombra questioned as Luna nodded. Everyone else, sans Discord, suddenly wondered what she was doing. Celestia didn’t know what dark spell Luna intended on using, and her concerns grew even further when Sombra addressed her by titles and even knew the spell she was using.

“Indeed I am. I would not be doing this if I didn’t need to, but the stakes are too high. And this is the only surefire way to make sure you cooperate without stabbing us in the back.” Luna replied as her horn glowed dark blue, and the wisps on her eyes grew larger, turning dark purple. Sombra himself gathered his magic before he spoke, no longer talking down to her.

“State your terms.”

“Should you lose, you will assist us until Earthland is completely safe from harm. Your soul will be bound to me, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadence, and Celestia until otherwise. You will not harm us or anyone we consider family or friends, and I don’t need to tell you what would happen should you do so.”

“Hn. I should’ve expected something as much. But I will agree nonetheless. However, should you lose, your very existence will be tied to me until otherwise. You will follow my orders without question or complaint, no matter what it is. And finally, you will lead me to the power source for the Elements of Harmony and give me the Crystal Heart.” Sombra declared his terms and was met with objections from everyone. Naturally, he ignored them and focused solely on Luna, waiting for her response.

“So be it then.” Luna agreed as she was met with an audible gasp, but they were ignored. If Luna was being honest, this was far more tame than she expected, aside from leading the mad king to the Tree of Harmony. Still, Sombra had something planned, he always did and this was no different. At the same time, their glowing horns reached their peak, ready to begin playing the moment they both were ready. At that moment, Celestia realized her sister’s plan, but she was far too late to stop her as the competitors released their magic, and Sombra gave a dark smile before speaking.

“Prepare yourself, Luna, for the likes of a Shadow Game of which you’ve never played!” Sombra roared as both he and Luna fired a beam of magic, with Sombra’s being crimson red and Luna’s a midnight blue. The beams clashed in the middle, causing a distorsion in reality as there was a swirling vortex in front of them. “Due to our terms, it is only fitting that we do battle with the power of our very souls!” 

“Princess, what’s a Shadow Game?” Twilight asked, whispering her question as if speaking at a normal tone of volume would interrupt the game. Celestia, however, didn’t respond, as she was afraid for her sister. A nudge at her side snapped her out of her trance, looking down to see her former student giving her a worried look. With a sigh, she decided to answer the question.

“A shadow game is by far the most vile, twisted, and strongest form of dark magic to exist. There are only survivors, never any winners who choose to partake in such an act. And in most cases, the losers, are banished to the Shadow Realm, where they are erased from existence.” Celestia quietly explained as Twilight and Starlight gulped. That was not a fate they wished on their worst enemies, not even Sombra, and Luna was now risking everything to win.

Despite how the battle wasn’t causing mass destruction with the powerful form of magic being used, it was quite taxing on Sombra and Luna. Neither had expected the battle to be this long, Luna more so due to knowing that Sombra hadn’t had as much to lose other than his life…again.

Even so, Luna wasn’t losing, the option for that was non-existent as doing so would bring ruin to Equestria. At that moment, Luna started pushing Sombra back, using all her willpower to win as her beam shot forward to Sombra’s horn and sent him flying back into the barrier.

“Ha! I’ve won the game! As the loser, you will head to my terms until I’ve stated otherwise. Less of course you wish to invoke a Penalty Game?” Luna declared as Sombra snorted he slowly got to his hooves and he gave a dark glare at Luna. Technically speaking, he was already in a penalty game, one that was very lieniet in the punishment. But he knew full well what Luna was implying, and it left him quite annoyed.

“Hn. I feel insulted that you believe that I would invoke such a thing. A shadow game is strict with its rules, and its power is never to be underestimated. So, until deemed otherwise, I shall…help you.” Sombra shivered at his last statement, hating the fact that he had lost. This, however, only meant that he could plan for the future for his takeover of the Crystal Empire despite the surveillance he would be receiving.

There were a few other things that he noted as well. One of them was the new threat to Equestria if these were the lengths they were willing to go to protect their kingdom. Another thing was the mare on the left of Celestia, Starlight. He could sense that she had a dark force within her, although something had been suppressing its presence from the others.

“It’s certainly not the mare suppressing this power, but she must be aware of the power she has. Even so, what in Tartarus’s name is the true reason that possessed them to bring me back to life and use one of the most dangerous forms of magic to exist?” Sombra thought to himself as Discord snapped his talons and brought them all back together. The reason wasn’t as simple and only about this dark creator and saving Earthland, as the elements of harmony could be used to subdue this creature of darkness. Another being was at hoof here, and Sombra knew that he would get the full story while he helped his enemies. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed everyone’s eyes on him, causing him to put on a neutral look.

“If you’re expecting me to give you an immediate answer for this problem then I’m happy to reveal that I don’t have one. So by all means, please enjoy your disappointment.” Sombra dryly said as he was glared at. He didn’t care as he enjoyed seeing the unamused looks on their faces. He also hardly had any evidence anyway, so he couldn’t tell them anything even if he was forced to. Seeing the awkward silence, Sunburst took this time to address something he discovered.

“Well, now that this is all done and over with, I have something that could help us even more.” Sunburst pulled a book from his saddle bag and levitated it over to Celestia, whose eyes widened when reading the book owner’s name.

“This is a journal from Starswirl!”