Chapter 2: The Awakening
Canterlot
Palace
"Sister?" Luna called down the hall. "Sister where are you?"
"Over here." She responded weakly.
"Sister, have you been up all night?" As the Lunar Princess rounded the corner she saw her Solar counterpart.
"Do you remember the story Starswirl told us when we were foals?" She suddenly asked.
"The story of the beast and the light?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Celestia responded.
"Of course, Sister. He only told us everyday before he disappeared. Why do you ask?" Luna's face wrinkled in confusion but as she looked to the large window it became clear. The window had a picture of a large shadowy beast on the flaming planet and in the backround was Canterlot but it was absolutely destroyed. "I shall call for Twilight and the other bearers of harmony."
/line\
Ponyville
"Good job Scoots, ah think ya killed it." A small southern voice said.
"I didn't mean to, it just appeared out of no where!" Another small voice shot back.
"Is it even breathing? Maybe we should go get Twilight?" A third voice suggested.
"No! We can't get a anypony involved! I'll be slapped in irons and carted off by the shiny fuzz!" The voice was near hysteria.
"Y'all alright over there? Ah hear lots of shouting!" A fourth voice called over.
"Mah sister! Hide it!" The younger voice shouted.
"Hide wha- Applebloom! What is that?" The older voice was right over him now. "Is it dead?"
"I don't know! I was riding here, and then he just appeared in a large t shape thing that landed here. I couldn't stop by then so I hit it-." The small voice was cut off by a groan from the downed creature.
"Ya ok there parter?" The southern voice asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. Feels like I got hit by a train." Legion responded weakly.
"Where ah can imagine. You did get hit by Scoots here." The voice finished with a chuckle.
"It's all co-." His voice died in his voice as he opened his eyes. Colors assaulted him as his eyes adjusted. In front of him were four equines. They were weird coloring as well the two that had the hat and bow. He got up but promptly stumbled into a nearby tree before sliding back onto the ground.
"Ya ok partner?" The taller equine asked. He froze. "Partner?"
"Maybe he needs medical attention?" The equine with the bow asked. All three shared a look before jumping up and clapping their hooves together.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, NURS-." They were cut off.
"Applebloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo! Yer scarin' the poor fella." The taller equine scolded. "Mah name is Applejack. What's yer name?" Legion stared down the talking equine. Applejack leaned in closer as he paled. "Yer looking awfully pale partner." Her scent of apples calmed him enough not to freak out.
"I'm...Legion." He finally managed to say. His vision hazed as bright pink assault his eyes.
"Pinkie no! He's-." She got cut off when Legion took off running into the apples trees. She threw her now hovering friend a glare. "Pinkie! Ya scared him. Let's go get 'im. Come on, girls y'all too." The three small foals threw their hooves together.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, RESCUE TEAM GO!" They shouted before disappearing as well.
"Come on Pinkie, let's go." The pink equine hopped down before bouncing to catch up.
/line\
Legion kept running as fast as humanly possible. He got to a fence and cleared it no issue but...
"Hey! I saw you run out of Applejack's farm, what did you steal!"
...there was now a cyan equine with wings tailing him and was slowly about to overtake him. He dove to the side and into another body. He opened his eyes so see a minty green color everywhere.
"I'm sorry, I didn't-." The voice cut itself off with a gasp and suddenly mint green turned into amber yellow eyes. "Your a human? Do you have hands? And feet? And are you reall-." He didn't stick around to hear the rest. He pushed it off him, got up and continued running.
'Shit! They're everywhere!' He dove down an alley and hid behind a medium sized dumpster. He took deep breaths to calm himself before taking a peek into the town. The mint green looking around frantically for him had a horn. 'So a unicorn? And that thing that was chasing me had wings so pegasus? Oh please tell me I'm just on some good drugs and this isn't real.' He thought as his eyes felt heavy. 'Well the only to find out is to sleep now and hopefully they'll were off by then.' He leaned up against the dumpster and immediately fell asleep.
He woke up what must of been hours later. He stretched out only to find a kink in his neck. "Aw hell. My poor body." He said while getting up and walking out of the alley. The town looked about the same except it was now the dead of night.
"My, my. Aren't you a big one." A voice appeared beside him. The voice surprised him enough for him to trip over his on feet. He fell backwards and his head bounced off the ground. His vision swam and a blur of white with blue got closer. "Are you alright?" He blinked for a few minutes before his vision cleared and he glanced at the voice's owner. He met a pair of blood red eyes. He backed up and looked over the entire equine. It was a white unicorn with a two tone blue hair and tail, a large music note dotted both of it's rear and it had a large pair of purple reflective sunglasses. "Hey, you alright there?" Her voice was a voice of a tomboy.
"Yeah. I've had worse." He said while rubbing his head.
"Come on big guy." She said while using her front two hooves to pull him up. He was immediately standing up.
"You pretty strong for a litt-." He trailed off as the equine was a bit taller than him standing on only two hooves before going back on all four and being just below his head.
"Little?" She asked while laughing. She wiped a imaginary tear from her eye. "Anyway. I'm Vinyl Scratch or otherwise known as DJ-PON3..
"Legion." He said while holding out his hand. She immediately took and shook it. The hoof felt soft yet unyielding. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Scratch."
"Mrs. Scratch? Please, I'm not that old yet. You need a place to stay?" She asked.
"Uh yeah, kinda dropped in unexpectedly." He said weakly but Vinyl started laughing.
"Yeah I bet. Come on I'll show you to my apartment." She started walking away with him following. He walked down the street chatting with the DJ pony until they came onto a two story place. "It's here." She said while unlocking the door. It swung open to show a moderately large living room.
"Guess tavi's in bed. Hey you hungry?" Her answer came from his rumbling stomach.
"I guess I could eat." He said before his stomach intergeted with another loud rumble. Vinyl giggled as she walked into the kitchen and finally turned on a light, not that it was too dark to see. His vision angled at a photo of Vinyl and another equine. The other one had a more of a high class look. Pink bowtie, straight black hair with an annoyed look in her eyes at Vinyl's antics. A shadow was slowly creeping up in the corners reflection, reacting an pure instinct he spun around and raise his right hand. A wooden baseball bat splintered away as it hit solid air. The grey furred pony looked speechless before three shadowy triangles appeared pointing at it but the triangles rotated until the pointed ends were pointing away from eachother, then the pony flew backwards into the wall. Vinyl bolted out the kitchen to see a very confused Octavia and whatever the fuck that thing was. Shadows wisped away from the Legion looking figure but it was smaller and had fox ears. Apart from that the only other thing see could see is white slits for eyes. Three transparent triangles slowly disintegrated in midair before a long spear formed floating above his hand. He mimiced throwing it and the Spear followed his hands movements down to the tee. Vinyl moved the couch in front of them with her magic just in time as the spear pierced through the couch but stopped inches from her face. She launched the couch at him but it the Spear expanded outward slicing the it in half. Lights started flickering on the houses nearby with the noise escalating. Vinyl was about to throw something else when the shadowy being vanished and Legion collapsed onto the ground but she started to freak when his right hand and arm were cut up and chunks of skin were missing. She started throwing towels on it while screaming to get some assistance. Octavia finally coming back to reality started running towards the door.
"I'll go get help!" She shouted as she ran out the door.
'Dear Celestia! It won't stop bleeding!' Vinyl thought while doing everything she was taught by Octavia. 'Good thing she forced me to learn first aid.' "Hey! Look Legion, um I'm going to need to you to talk to me-." She trailed off when the air itself started getting heavy. Like there was thousands of pounds of weight on her back.
'What the buck is going on here?!' She sadly was soon going to find out as pitch black energy exploded from him. Vinyl tried to ride out the increasing pressure but after a beam of energy shot skyward through her roof and up into the heavens it was time to leave. She ran off as fast as she could as her house slowly vanished into the beam. Black lighting danced around the unnatural dark clouds swirling into a large sphere shape.
"Vinyl! What's happening?" A new voice call out. She turned to see Twilight and the Elements of Harmony running towards the commotion.
"I don't know!" She shouted back.
"Twilight can't you do something?" One of her friends asked. Twilight thought for a moment, before firing a small purple orb at the gathering sphere. The orb expanded outward but it started to gather into the sphere and in a flash of black lighting, a pitch black moon hung motionless in the sky blocking Luna's moon. "Twilight? What the heck do we do now?"
"I don't know! This is new to me, um Elements of Harmony powers?" Is was obvious that she was grasping at straws. Her friend dropped the subject and continued on. The pillar of energy stopped and the night turned eerily quite. "Twilight! There's a critter over there underneath it." A southern voice said from beside her.
"Your right Applejack. Fluttershy, go check it out, Rainbow, to the Library and take Spike. Spike, grab the Legends of Old book and Applejack keep close to Fluttershy." Twilight ordered.
"What about me?" A white unicorn asked.
"Calm Vinyl down Rarity, and take Pinkie with you." Twilight said shortly before running off with Fluttershy and Applejack. Rainbow Dash picked up the small dragon and took off towards the library. "Fluttershy how is- dear Celestia!" She gasped out as she saw the cut up and beaten body on the ground. A deep slash appeared acrossed his chest and more blood began seeping out the new cut.
"Twilight!" She heard Rarity call in warning. She turned her head skyward to see three ethereal blades falling right at her, Fluttershy and Applejack. Three more blades appeared and two flew at Pinkie pie and Rarity while the last one took off where Rainbow Dash was. Time slowed as the blades fell Twilight closed her eyes and waited for her death. Searing pain instead came when the blade pierced her. She collapsed as the pain became to much for her and slipped into the relm of unconsciousness.
She awoke alone standing on something with a heavy layer of shadows wisping from what she assumed the ground. She walked for a bit before she felt like stopping. The shadows peeled away revealing to be what looked like stained solid glass pilar. A few seconds later an ethereal set of stairs appeared leading downward in a spiral along the pillar. The stairs broke away from the pillar halfway down to another pillar. This pillar had her friends and herself fighting Nightmare moon showing on it. An ethereal flower shot out as her hooves made contact with it. The petals closed around her and the flower shot straight up. The flower shot passed the pillar she started on and continued on onto the tallest pillar she saw. The petals opened and she fell onto the new pillar. She looked down and immediately shot to her hooves. This stained showed Celestia and Luna dead in coffins and herself as an Alicorn with Equestrians, and other creatures gathered around behind her. In the top right corner was a different scene of the exact same looking creature Fluttershy was tending to before the blades fell fleeing with...
"Chrysalis." Twilight finished the thought with a growl. Was this creature going to kill both Princesses with the help of the Changeling Queen? Then why were Changelings at the funerals without disguises and why are they fleeing? She shook her head. Too many questions and not enough time as shadows appeared in the middle of the pillar. It morphed and change intil it look like an exact copy of her. She took a step back but her hoof hit the end. The shadowy version of herself chuckled.
"Is the Element of Magic so scared of a little darkness?" Twilight screamed as shadows enclosed around her but five beams of light pierce through them causing the shadow version of herself to let out a inpony squeal as purple aura gathered around her and the rainbow beam shot right through the her shadowy self and the darkness cleared away to show her friends.
"Twilight! Thank Celestia your alright!" Rainbow Dash was already giving her a quick hug.
"Were are we though?" Fluttershy asked looking around to see darkness and lots of the Pillars everywhere.
"I don't know Fluttershy, this place is weird though." Twilight said before looking at the picture on the ground. "Especially with these stained scenes." A pillar shot up from below them with explosions echoing from it. "Nevermind girls, lets get to that pillar!" Twilight said while running to the edge. Another set of ethereal stairs appear spiraling up just as she reached the edge. Most of her friends followed but Rainbow Dash shot past them a rainbow blur.
"I'll see you there!" She shouted as she flew by. Twilight picked up the pace as did her friends but the stairs were a powerful foe as they only appeared a few steps in front of them and there seemed to be no end in sight.
/line\
Legion flew back a few feet from that punch. He quickly got back to his feet to narrowly dodged a tendril lashing at him. He started charging while gripping the single edged jagged blade that appeared in his hands at the start of this fight. 'Christ I haven't even hit it once! There's gotta be something I'm missing but what?' He thought frantically as he dodged another tendril lashed out but missed the second coming at him as it pierced through his left shoulder. 'Damn! I can't lose now!' He shouted in his mind and felt a deep stirring inside of him. 'I won't!' That did it. A snap inside his mind happened and power exploded from him, forcing the shadow creature away and the tendrils vanished due to the raw power her was expelling. The creature's white eyes opened wide as it recognize the power in front of him.
"It's been too long, My friend." It said in a deep rumbling voice. Legion felt himself laughing as he suddenly lost control of his body.
"Oh so you do remember me. I mean it IS kinda hard not to since I sealed you away the first time." An older voice was coming from his mouth. "Now why don't you scurry along before something bad happens to you." The creature started laughing now.
"All these years and you still think you can beat me." It said before a sickle formed into its hand and charged but a golden light beam nailed him, sending him back.
"Late as usual Princess Celestia." 'Legion' said.
"Fashionably late you mean and I see your STILL around. I'm starting to wonder if I will ever be rid of you." The large Equine said beside him. It had pure whit fur, a flowing multicolored hair and a sun on her ass. It flapped its large wings before pointing its horn at the creature.
'Hey kid.' A voice echoed in his head. 'I'm giving you back control so I can give you all my power for this attack. Just follow what your mind sees.' Legion was about to counter when he saw a oranged hair teen with a coat that was torn and ripped bottom. The teen held the blade in about to swing pose before a wall of black energy appeared behind the sword. The teen swung the blade and all the energy was released foward. Legion held started to hold the sword the was the teen did and a eruption of engery was released. Legion swung the blade and the energy shot forward faster than the teens did and before the creature could react the attack hit it and a large detonation folllowed. When the smoke cleared the shadow creature was slowly fading away.
"You haven't won yet, we'll meet again O' Champion and I will enjoy ripping your intestines out of you, one by one." A smile formed on its face and the last thing it did was slowy chuckled as the last of it faded.
"So it is true then. The worlds are connecting again and the Black Moon has chosen it Champion to fight the darkness." The Solar ruler bowed before him. "Welcome, I am Princess Celestia." Her voice was elegant and soft.
"Please there's no reason to bow to me. I should be bowing to yourself." Legion said a bit uncomfortable with anyone or thing bowing to him. "Please stand up." Celestia giggled as she stood up on all fours. She was a couple inches taller than him but it was just enough he had to tilt his head up.
"Come on we need to leave." A golden light surrounded them and the darkness and pillars disappeared. Six other Equines appeared beside them. He recognized the orange and pink equine and shuffled closer to Celestia out of fear the pink one would attack again.
"Hey y'all it's that thing ah was telling ya girls about." Applejack said while pointing a hoof to Legion. Legion however was dealing with his own problems. His vision started to sway and he became unbalanced, forcing himself to lean against Celestia who didn't seem to mind or notice. Black spots started appearing and he slid off of the Princess and into the darkness below.