The Rise and Fall of Dark Fire and The Elements of Disharmony

by Shady pillow

For Twilight Sparkle, making friends was tough. So when a new unicorn comes into Ponyville, she naturally tries to show him kindness and friendship. However, when Twilight's new friend constantly distracts her from preventing a warning from the future and an assignment from the princesses, things can be said that weren't meant. Can Twilight and her friends stop this new threat?

41. Chapter 16 F Part 3

Chapter 16 F: The forgotten past (Part 3 of 4)

The vision ended, forcing Twilight to return to the dark void of Night Shadow's mind. The white barrier surrounding Night Shadow was suddenly shattered as the six, thorn bushes disintegrated before her. Now, only the chains and mental blockage remained until Night Shadow was freed.

"Twilight, are you ok, you just broke two of Night Shadow's bindings in one go." Light Shade said, looking at a frozen and silent Twilight. "Twilight…please answer me."

Twilight turned to look at Light Shade with a saddened expression.

"I never felt so much heart ache in my life…that poor thing…"

"Twilight, with all due respect, I can't have you sit here and mourn for his past. If you need rest do so, but don't waste time crying over things we can't fix. Yes, I understand that you need to understand his pain and suffering to free him, but the world is at stake of annihilation."

"I understand…" Twilight said, turning back to Night Shadow. "but I still have some questions."

"Ask away."

"So Enderpearl and Endershine are Luna's children."

"Correct."

"And Luna has the forgotten elements or at least hid them."

"Correct."

Twilight pondered these answers in her head before looking back to Light Shade.

"I'm ready…"

---

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Night Shadow screamed, raising from…a bed?

Night Shadow looked around confused, noticing that everything in the room seemed just off. The pictures were crooked, the windows were on the ground and that the bed itself was on the ceiling.

"How am I even…" Night Shadow whispered, trying to understand.

As soon as he stood up on the bed, gravity shifted, sending him crashing through the window below…above…he crashed through a window ok.

"Where the heck am I now?" He asked, looking around in a hallway.

Everything seemed normal…aside from the floating furniture and horrible taste in matching colors.

"So, you're finally awake." A voice said behind Night Shadow.

The red pony turned around to see a light, ash purple pegasus with a deep blue scrunched mane. It had a dark red stripe down its center and she had a falling star for her cutie mark.

"My master wanted me to keep an eye on you until you woke up from whatever knocked you out. So here I am, getting paid to watch a sleeping stallion. Quite enjoyable if you ask."

"Who are you exactly?" Night Shadow asked.

"Pfff, I'm Star Dancer, and I'm only like the best mercenary and assassin in the world." She said happily, hovering next to him with her wings.

"Never heard of you." He replied, bluntly.

Star Dancer froze in surprise before smiling again.

"That's because I'm that good."

"Oh really." Night Shadow said, becoming interested. "How good are you?"

"Like good."

"Like good good or just good."

"Like really good."

"Really good?"

"Really good."

"Good…now good doesn't even sound or look like a word."

"Well that pretty good."

"No that's bad."

"Bad…like bad bad or really bad?"

"Ok, just shut up." Night Shadow blurted. "You're making my head spin!"

"Get used to it; he tends to do that a lot."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked you!"

---

Ten minutes later

"You still haven't told me where I am or what's going on!" Night Shadow said, walking through a twisted door.

Star Dancer sighed in annoyance.

"He can explain when you talk to him."

"TALK TO WHO!" Night Shadow screamed, glaring back at Star Dancer with fire in his eyes.

The room suddenly changed into a throne room, quite normal to be exact compared to the rest of what Night Shadow had seen today. He then heard laughter behind him, forcing Night Shadow's ears to fall in slight fear and surprise.

"Him." Star Dancer said, pointing behind him.

Night Shadow spun around to see a strange but happy looking creature on a floating throne.

"So you're finally awake, I thought you would never wake up." The strange being said.

"How long was I out?" Night Shadow asked.

"Oh…not to long, ten years at most."

"TEN YEARS! BUT-BUT I-

The creature burst out laughing as Star Dancer did the same from Night Shadow's reaction. The red pony, however, didn't find it humorous.

"Oh relax; you've only been out for a day." The being said, wrapping its arm around the pony neck and practically strangling him.

"Who the…heck are…you?" Night Shadow asked, struggling to breath.

"You haven't heard of me? I'm Discord, the master of chaos and ruler of Equestria. How have you not heard of me you silly pony?"

"Wait…Discord…as in THE Discord."

"Well there aren't any others around as far as I know, but I wouldn't mind to get to know them if there were. We might have some things in common."

Night Shadow had a complete look of shock as he tried to process what he just heard.

"Bu-bu-but, you look so strange. It's not normal."

"Not normal? So what's normal to you then and why should be 'normal." Discord asked, smirking.

"Normal is…normal…I don't know."

"It's mainly perspective in your mind little pony, you should now this be now."

"But why is everything in this place so messed up, it doesn't make any sense."

"What fun is there in making sense? I always love to see the looks on pony's faces when they see all the chaos I made."

"But the stories, the legends…it said you were a hear-

"A heartless tyrant without control? Hmmm, what do they know? All I did was offer them ice cream and they ran off like I was trying to feed them chopped liver. Then they go and make a documentary on how they survived the 'evil' Discord. Hahaha, oh the joy."

'This is impossible, the Discord I was always told about was ruthless, why is he so childish.' Night Shadow thought.

"Because I never grew up! I'm immortal, I can do anything I want without any rules! No bedtimes, no curfews, no parents telling you what you can't have. This is chaotic paradise."

Night Shadow once again had a look of shock.

"You…you read my mind?" The pony asked.

"No, I broke the fourth wall, it's completely different."

"The fourth what?" Night Shadow asked, completely lost.

"You still don't know?! Isn't it obvious by now…we're in a fanfic made by a crazy person typing on a computer right now." Discord said with glee. "And you're one of the main characters."

Night Shadow started to drool as his eyes remained frozen on Discord in total astonishment. Star Dancer walked over to the pony and waved his hoof in front of his face.

"I think you broke him." Star Dancer said, tapping Night Shadow's nose.

"What, but I haven't even done anything yet." Discord said, picking up the confused pony in his arms.

"Well, you did only look for a super soldier, not a pony with insanity."

"You know me better then that Star Dancer, I prefer to give them that gift myself."

---

Night Shadow opened his eyes and looked around. He was on his back, gazing at a black void in the sky. As he stood up, he noticed that he was standing in a circle of light completely surrounded by this dark void.

"Where…where am I?" Night Shadow asked.

"Are you that naïve Night Shadow?" A voice asked, echoing throughout the void.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Night Shadow demanded, looking around frantically.

"Why should I show myself to you…if you were the one that created me…"

Out of the shadow came a sinister looking pony with razor sharp teeth and bright red eyes. Night Shadow gazed at this pony in shock, realizing that he looked just like him in every way, shape, and form. He even had his same voice.

"Wh…What are you, I didn't create you." Night Shadow said, stepping back.

"I am the rage and anger that was hidden deep within your heart, released from the loss of your friends and loved ones. I was born and given power from the miasma you absorbed from Herus himself. I am the embodiment of all the hatred and darkness that resides in you, Night Shadow, you created me."

"What do you want from me? I…I still don't understand."

"The place you stand in now is your mind…your dark and twisted mind. And it's not what I want from you, Night Shadow, it's what you want and truly desire most from me. You see, deep down in that heart and head of ours, we know what we want. We want world domination and for everypony to pay for what they did to us. We want to see everypony and being bow at our hooves and tremble at our name. You desire to be king over all and rule with absolute power!"

Night Shadow became horrified by this statement, slowly backing away.

"No…I'm not like that anymore…I…I don't want to be evil anymore, I've hurt to many ponies because of my inability to determine good from evil."

"And what determines good from evil, Night Shadow. This world has no laws, no rules, no written code or religion to contradict you. What if you became the absolute ruler of the world? Imagine the possibilities, the opportunity you could have to change the world to your whim. You could have all the food, money, and mares in the world just waiting to bed you…and there would be no one to stop you…"

"That…that does sound nice…" Night Shadow whispered.

"You've been the underling of too many people for too long. It's time that you made the calls and make the rules…it's time for you to become the ruler of the world."

Night Shadow looked up and gazed at the ponies eyes.

"What must I do…" Night Shadow asked.

"It would seem that the miasma has taken many memories away from your mind as it's programing. Memories of love and happiness have been replaced with those of hatred and sadness. We must use these memories to fuel out revenge against the world. Discord seems to have interest in you. Build his trust and learn his ways…it's time to put that horn on your head to good use."

"You want me to learn magic?" Night Shadow asked.

"Discord is the master of chaos, the things he is capable of doing is beyond anything you can imagine. Learn the ways of chaos, become the most powerful unicorn the world has ever seen. And once he drops his guard…we overthrow him…and ensure our rightful place as king."

"That seems easy enough."

"However, do not get too attached to Discord, or it will make killing him a whole lot harder."

"Wait, you want me to kill him!?" Night Shadow asked in shock.

"It is the only way to silence him forever and prevent him from coming back."

"I…I don't-

"To get to the top, you must be willing to step on others to get what you want. Now…I believe it's time for you to-

"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!"

Night Shadow leaped up out of the bed and crashed right into the ceiling…or floor…no I think it was a wall this time.

"What just happened?" Night Shadow asked, seeing stars above his head.

"You like to sleep a lot don't you?" Star Dancer asked, standing on the ceiling.

"How do you even navigate through this place with the gravity all screwed up!"

"I live here, I'm used to it. Plus, I have these things called wings, they're quite helpful." Star Dancer replied, being a smart alec.

"I'll keep that in mind." The red pony said, rolling his eyes.

"Discord wants you to meet him in the courtyard."

"And where is that, may I ask."

"Oh that's easy, just leave the room, go down the hall, jump through the George Washington painting, break the mirror, walk through it, eat the apple inside. Once that happens, you will appear in a bathroom. You want to dive head first into the sink and eat the red soap, not the blue soap. After this you want to burp out a large bubble and walk into it. The bubble should take you to the top of the ceiling where you will take a chocolate bar and shove it into your-

"Can you just give me a map or something!" Night Shadow said, cutting her off.

"Or that…I could just do that."

Star Dancer reached behind her and pulled out a map.

"Here you go."

"Where…where did the map…"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Star Dancer said, wagging her tail.

"OK…I'm just going to go now…"

Night Shadow awkwardly made it to the exit and left with the map, leaving Star Dancer alone in his room.

"And now, it's my turn." Star Dancer said, crashing onto Night Shadow's bed.

---

Night Shadow opened a small door and entered the courtyard. To his surprise, there were thousands of beautiful plants and herbs that took his breath away right from him. He continued to walk around in the courtyard until he found Discord standing near a ledge doing…something…

"You wanted to see me?" Night Shadow asked.

"Yes, I seemed to have displaced my arm, help me find it."

"Displace…you arm?"

"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Discord said, appearing in front of the pony. "My eagle talon is missing." He said, pointing at where his missing limb should be."

"What the heck were you doing to misplace it!?" Night Shadow asked.

"I was using it as a back scratcher, how else would I use it."

"Ok, before I go into another 1,000 yard stare, please explain how you can even do that."

"Magic." Discord said, snorting twice with his nose. "But you should know all about that, little unicorn."

"I don't know how to use magic, and I've never used it ever."

"Never used magic!" Discord practically panicked. "Then how in the world did you…there you are!" Discord shouted, shrinking and jumping into Night Shadow's hair.

"WHAT THE *# ARE YOU DOING!" Night Shadow screamed, trying to get Discord out of his hair like a spider had landed on his head.

"Trying to get my arm! So stop screaming like a little mare and stop moving."

"I can't, it feels like a huge nest of wasps are trying to burrow into my hair."

"Calm down, at least they're not tracker jackers."

"Tracker what!"

Night Shadow suddenly saw Discord missing arm jump out of his hair and slap him across the face before jumping back into his hair.

"WILL YOU GET THE ARM ALREADY!" Night Shadow yelled, rubbing the side of his cheek.

"I'm trying, but I'm literally in a forest of black hair right now! When was the last time you cut this forest?"

"I don't know, eight years ago, just get it out!"

"That's it, I'm making some renovations." Discord said, jumping onto Night Shadow's huge, bushy tail.

"Discord, what are you doing?" Night Shadow asked nervously.

"Don't worry, I have this covered." Discord said, sliding a welding mask on and turning on a chainsaw.

"DISCORD! IS THAT A RAZOR!" Night Shadow screamed.

"No, it's a chainsaw, big difference. I just need to cut-

"YOU ARE NOT CUTTING MY HAIR! NO,NO,NOOOOO!"

Night Shadow started to run around in circles, trying to buck Discord out of his hair.

"Hold still you big crybaby!"

"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"

Night Shadow hit the floor and started rolling on the ground as if he caught on fire. Discord, having enough of this, appeared next to Night Shadow fully grown and grabbed the pony with his magic.

"I'm getting that arm out one way or another, whether you like it or not." Discord said, angling the chainsaw above Night Shadow's head.

"NO, PLEASE DISCORD, I BEG OF YOU, DON'T CUT MY HAIR! I'LL DO ANYTHING, PLEASE DON'T DO IT!" Night Shadow screamed, starting to cry.

Discord didn't care about Night Shadow's begging as he slowly sliced off over ninety percent of Night Shadow's hair with just one cut. He tossed Night Shadow to the side and grabbed his arm, putting it in its place.

"Night Shadow, I got my arm back." Discord said, glaring back at the pony.

Night Shadow slowly crawled to the pile of his cut hair and stared at it with teary eyes. He grabbed some in his hooves and tried to reattach it to what was left of his hair on his head, but to no luck. Night Shadow then let out a scream of sadness as literal fountains of tears spewed out of his eyes.

"IT'S ALL GONE! EIGHT LONG YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL HAIR, ALL GONE! WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The poor pony dropped to the floor and started to roll around in agony as he cried, creating a puddle of his own tears.

"Night Shadow, cheer up…I got my arm back!" Discord said, waving it around frantically.

"BUT I WANT MY HAIR BACK! I….I….WANT MY HAIR BACK NOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!"

Night Shadow stood up and suddenly exploded in a huge burst of purple energy and power, causing the earth to shake violently. Instead of being shocked or fearful like many others would have, Discord put on some sunglasses and started to eat popcorn furiously. As the energy subsided, Night Shadow dropped to the floor to his hair, softly sniffling as he saw his reflection in his own pool of tears.

'So that's how he was able to fight against Herus. Funny, he looks like an innocent colt though, probably not even eighteen yet. I hate to admit it, but he's so fun to mess with that its makes me feel sorry for him, even if it was just an attempt to see what made him special.' Discord thought, impressed at the sight. 'I think he's the one I've been searching for all these year…a friend."

Discord snapped his fingers, causing the hair around Night Shadow to magically reattach itself back onto his head again like it was brand new. The red pony gasped at the sight, touching his hair and grabbing it tightly like a teddy bear. It was enough to make Night Shadow start crying again.

"Night Shadow, you said you've never used magic in your life, correct?"

Night Shadow didn't respond, he simply turned around a nodded joyfully.

"What if I were to change that…"

---

"In honor of all those that fell in battle to defend our home and freedoms, I hereby name this battle ground the hill of heroes. It was here that six brave ponies, wielded the elements of harmony, fought off unthinkable odds to defend alicorns who they once call their enemies."

Celestia stood before the open field with sadness and anguish as she slowly started to shed tears. She looked back down and continued to carve into a wooden plank.

"May we never forget the sacrifices that were made on this hill to defend justice from those that strived to destroy it. May we never forget the names of the heroes on the hill…we will never forget…"

After she finished listing out all the names of those that died, including Blue and his fallen members, she struck the sign into the ground. She then cast a spell on it so it could never be removed or be destroyed by age or elements. After this was done, she personally made sure that every alicorn was properly buried and given an elegy from the bottom of her heart. For some, she remembered when they were young and how happy they were when she played with them. For others, they were school and college students that helped her through school and tough times.

No matter who they were, Celestia had memories of them, remembered their names and their accomplishments from beginning to end. She continued to cry as she buried the last alicorn, she walked up to the top of the hill where the six ponies lay. Each one was give a flower that matched the color of their element. Celestia personally cleaned up the blood from their fur and gave them their last goodbyes before placing them into their graves. At last she came to Blue and placed him in his own special grave completely filled with white lilies.

"Blue…I think I finally understand why you did everything that you did…and I forgive you." She whispered, placing the dirt over his body until the grave was covered. "And I promise…I will get Herus for everything he's done…for you…for my father and mother…and everyone he's killed…even for you, Luna." She whispered, glaring at the setting sun in the sky.

"So do I, Tia…"

Celestia quickly looked to her left to see Luna gazing into the sunset with slightly teary eyes. Celestia, overcome with happiness, hugged her sister and began to cry into her shoulder.

"We are the last two alicorns in the world, Tia…but Herus made the mistake in leaving the most powerful ones alive. We will get him for this, Tia…and we will make him pay." Luna promised, as the sun disappeared under the horizon.

---

One week passes…

"Come on Night Shadow, all got to do is turn this mouse into a dragon and make it fire rainbows out of its eyes while it does a summersault." Discord said.

Night Shadow collapsed onto the ground, panting wildly.

"Can I do something simpler…like actually being able to channel magic to my horn?"

"You can't even do that? No wonder why you're failing."

Night Shadow sighed in anger.

"I thought I told you this already!" Night Shadow yelled.

"Must have slipped my mind." Discord said, stroking his beard.

The red pony groaned in frustration but remained patient. Result would come…hopefully.

"Well, now that you know, can you actually teach me something useful?"

"I'm trying to think, little pony, give me a moment."

"You've had one week to think about this! Just tell me how to channel my magic."

Discord pondered for several seconds before giving his answer.

"What if I told you…I don't know how…"

Night Shadow left eye began twitching.

"You…don't know…HOW!" Night Shadow screamed. "YOU USE MAGIC ALL THE BLOODY #^ * TIME, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW!"

"Hey, watch the language; this is a kid's show."

"I DON'T GIVE TWO FLYING-

Night Shadow's mouth suddenly popped off of his mouth and started to bounce around the room.

"Let me finish before you explode like a firework again. I don't know how because I always knew how."

Night Shadow eyes went into confusion as his mouth continued to bounce around him.

"Let's put it like this, for as long as I can remember, I always knew how to use magic. It's like when a pony learns to walk, but doesn't remember how he learned to walk because his brain hasn't developed enough yet."

Discord blinked several times in realization.

"Did I just…make sense…" Discord said, in complete shock.

Night Shadow grabbed his mouth and slapped it back onto his face.

"Good, now I can actually learn something." He remarked. "But it still doesn't help the situation."

Discord continued to float around, whispering the same words.

"I made sense…I made sense…I made sense…I ma-

"Discord! Wake up, I'm over here!" Night Shadow yelled.

"What…oh…I was just lost in a trance…"

He started to divert his gaze again until Night Shadow slammed his hoof onto the ground.

"So this whole magic thing…would you say it's supposed to come natural to the user."

"Possibly."

"And every unicorn possesses the ability to do magic, correct."

"Everypony does, it's just easier for unicorns."

'So it's just like my energy abilities.' The pony thought. 'But that came natural to me just like Discord's magic did. Unless…'

"Discord, is the ability of magic influenced by one's emotions."

Discord pondered the question as he summoned up a floating lawn chair.

"You have to be calm and focused to perform lots of spells. Although, now that you mention it, some spells could be influenced by emotions." He said, putting on sunglasses and laying on the chair with a cracked open coconut.

"Well what about your magical ability, is there a specific way behind how you do it?"

"Its chaos, Night Shadow, there's nothing specific about it. If chaos was organized, it would cease to be chaos, and that wouldn't be fun now would it."

'This is getting me nowhere; I need time to think for myself…' Night Shadow thought. "I'll come back in two weeks; it should give me enough time to think." He said, heading towards the main exit.

"Wait, where are you going?" Discord asked.

"I once heard of this forest known as Everfree. Magic is apparently abundant there. Don't worry, I can handle myself."

"Wait, just…" Discord tried to say before silencing himself.

"What?" Night Shadow asked, turning around.

"Just…just don't get killed."

"You act like you actually care."

Night Shadow opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving Discord alone in the large room.

"Well someone has to…"

---

Several days later…

Night Shadow sat on a small rock in the middle of a pond. Night had fallen on the forests but luckily, because the area was so open, the moon could be seen and act as a light source. Despite this though, Night Shadow set up a camp fire to his side to provide extra light and a source of heat. As the red pony kept his eyes closed to concentrate, a snowflake landed onto his nose, breaking his focus.

"Winter must be approaching…" He thought, extending his hoof out to catch some more snowflakes. "I'll need a bigger fire before the swamp freezes over…"

Night Shadow leaped off the rock and landed onto the cold grass. He looked around and sighed, seeing his breath.

"Everything around here is to wet to burn…I'll have to travel deeper into the woods."

Looking at the fire, Night Shadow summoned a small energy ball and shot it into the fire to keep to alive.

"Everything is so much easier now because of this…I just wish it didn't come with so many consequences…" He said, remembering faint and blurred images of his fallen friends. "I can't even remember their names anymore…may they rest in peace…"

As Night Shadow journeyed into the forest, the snow fell faster and the wind picked up speed. Night Shadow's hair and fur helped, until they literally froze in place from the cold. Despite the conditions, the pony managed to grab enough wood and return to his camp.

"It's no hotel…but it should be enough to last for the night."

Night Shadow sat down and warmed himself by the fire. After about thirty minutes, he slowly started to lose consciousness until his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Come on, stomach…I'll feed you later…" He whispered, lying down onto the ground.

The stallion continued to ignore his pleas from his gut as he tried to get some sleep, but I wouldn't let him. He groaned in both pain and weariness as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Please…just be quiet…" He whispered, holding a hoof to his stomach.

"You sound pretty hunger." A soft voice said, emerging from the forest.

Night Shadow looked up to see a green mare slowly walk over to him and sit by him next to the fire.

"What are you doing out here anyways?" The mare asked.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself before others?"

"Not if I have a strong stallion here to protect me." She said with a smile, scooting next to him.

Night Shadow grew suspicious.

"So you came this deep into the forest because…"

"I got lost from the group…I don't know where they went."

"The forest is a dangerous place, even with a group. It would be wise to turn back and go around at the dawn of day."

"But I'm so scared…can you please help me?" She asked, turning Night Shadow's face to look at hers. "And I might just return the favor…" She said seductively.

As the mare leaned in, Night Shadow noticed a cloaked figure holding a dagger in the reflection of her eyes, but he had no time to react. The stallion grabbed Night Shadow around the neck and attempted to slit his throat until Night Shadow slammed his "useless" horn into the stallion's eye. He then reached back and grabbed the stallions head before flipping him over him and into the fire. Hearing the scream of another stallion, Night Shadow turned around and knocked the weapon out of his hooves before side kicking him into an oak tree. Two more jumped down from the trees and darted at him, one with a spear and the other with a tomahawk.

He darted forward to the one with the spear and broke it effortlessly as he tried to jab Night Shadow. The red unicorn swayed around the pony and gave his back a strong blow with his knee, paralyzing the user just before the pony with the tomahawk slashed at him. Dodging three attacks, he blocked the fourth, breaking it on contact, and jabbed the pony with the spear head. As he kicked him forward, a pony with a bow and arrow appeared and shot three arrows. Night Shadow dodged the first, chopped the second, and grabbed the third in his mouth.

To Night Shadow's surprise, the pony he threw into the fire suddenly ran at him again and tried to stab his neck. At the same time, the archer fired another arrow at Night Shadow. The red fighter quickly reacted by grabbing the pony with the dagger, stabbing him in the eye with the arrow in his mouth, and using him as a shield to block the arrow. It was time to end this. Night Shadow spun around the dead pony he used, grabbed his knife, and threw it right between the eyes of the archer, forcing his head to stick to the tree behind him.

As everything went to silence, Night Shadow turned to look at the mare with anger.

"You tried to kill me!" He shouted, walking towards her slowly.

"No! No, they put me up to it, I swear, please I-I didn't want to do it." The mare said in fear waving her hooves. "They threatened to kill me and my family if I didn't help them! Please, just let me go." She pleaded.

"So you decided to become their tool of torment?!" The red pony screamed.

Night Shadow grabbed the mare and pinned her to a tree.

"I was a fool to trust you from the moment I saw you!" He said, bringing his hoof back. "I will not make that mistake again!"

"Please no, I have three children to look after; if you kill me no pony will be able to feed them!" The mare said, shedding tears. "They came and took my husband away…those monsters…the ones that served under the master of shadows…they came and took him…my children are all I have left…"

Night Shadow shivered slightly, hearing his former master's title.

"Herus did this to you…" Night Shadow asked.

The mare nodded, continuing to cry. Night Shadow ducked his head in remorse as he loosened his grip.

"Herus has done many things to me to…forgive me for what I've done…I'll let you go."

"Thank you…"

Just before Night Shadow put her down, the mare's eyes glowed dark purple. She then took out a switch blade and stabbed Night Shadow in the neck. The red pony screamed out in pain as he dropped the mare and fell to the floor. The snow below the stallion turned from white to red as he continued to scream out in pain.

"NO! NO! I-I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!" The mare screamed in terror, dropping the switchblade. "The miasma…no….I didn't mean to-

"You…lying…little...PIECE OF $* )!"

Night Shadow's eyes turned from purple to bright red as red energy exploded from his body. He ripped the switchblade from neck and grabbed the mare roughly by the neck, almost snapping it.

"Please…don't…" The mare whispered, starting to cry and lose conscious.

"I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO LIVE, A CHANCE TO LEAVE AND BE FREE! AND YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THE WHORE THAT YOU ARE!"

Night Shadow eye's continued to glow red as he brought the knife above his head.

"Now…become one with death…"

As the fire from the campfire went out, covering the area with darkness, a loud cry could be heard throughout the forest…and then…there was silence…

---

Night Shadow awoke with a scream as the nightmare ended. He looked around the forest and the sky.

"About a quarter till midday." He whispered. "What did that dream mean though…is the forest getting to me…"

He laid back into the ground…only to find that it was strangely cold. He got up and looked…red snow…

"No…please no…"

Night Shadow backed up until something cold touch his back. He turned around again to see a dead stallion covered in blood and his entrails ripped out in a disgusting manner. Night Shadow almost gagged at the site until he got up and looked around. Blood was all over the ground and the ponies that lay on the floor looked almost as if a feral beast had come and ripped them apart. The red pony couldn't believe his eyes as he backed up in complete terror until he tripped over something hard.

He slowly looked back up with a fearful expression as he saw a pile of bones completely cleaned off of meat and fur. He crawled over to the bones and picked up the skull from the pile, and to his complete horror, he noticed that it was in the shape of a mares head. He shakily took his hoof and reached down to his stomach to only confirm his fears…he was completely full…

Night Shadow quickly turned around and vomited everything out of disgust as tears ran down his face. He only came here to learn about magic and instead…he learned how to be a monster.

"Why…why did you do this to them…" He whispered.

'Why…because they attacked you…and you were hungry for revenge. That's why I let you consume them…' A dark voice whispered in his head.

"You're horrible *#) #$…you didn't have to kill her!"

'Why, so she could return with more soldiers to try to kill you?! No, you slipped up and it almost cost you your life. Now because of me, she will rest within you as nourishment for the ultimate warrior and weapon!'

"She had a family! Ponies to look after! And because of you, they're going to die!"

Night Shadow's eyes burst into a bright red color, preventing Night Shadow from moving or controlling his body.

"YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THEIR LIVES?!" The dark being shouted, controlling Night Shadow's body. "I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THEM AND YOU SHOULDN'T EITHER! WE ARE ONE BEING NOW, WHICH MEANS WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO GET WHAT WE WANT, NOT WHAT THEY WANT!"

Night Shadow's eyes returned to normal, giving the pony control once more.

'Don't question my actions again, Night Shadow. Just remember that's it's for your own good…'

The voice vanished, leaving Night Shadow shaking with fear…and sadness…

---

Two weeks came and went, and Night Shadow could still get no answers. He returned to Discord empty handed and plopped himself onto the bed. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, still no progress. Eventually, an entire year passed and he still couldn't even get his horn to glow.

"WHY AM I SO WORTHLESS?!" He screamed, throwing a coffee cup into a wall.

"You're not worthless…you're just a walk hunk of a pony and nothing more." Star Dancer said.

"Gee, thanks! Now am worthless and an idiot!"

"Oh be quiet, at least you have powers and got your cutie mark in alchemy just a couple of days ago."

"By sheer luck! Think about it, I'm a unicorn that can't use magic! That's like a pegasus that can't fly or an earth pony without strength. I'm seventeen years old now! I'm almost an adult… .CAN'T.I. LEARN. MAGIC!" He yelled, exploding with purple energy.

"Calm down there, Night Shadow, you might just pinch a nerve."

"Not helping here!" The stallion yelled, drinking his last calm potion.

"What do you want me to do then?! Pick you up, kiss your wounds and rock you to sleep?!"

Night Shadow sighed heavily as he attempted to calm down as the potion took its effect.

"Can you get me some warm milk…"

"What am I, your mom!"

"…I wish I had a mom…"

Star Dancer's smile went to a frown as her ears fell flat on her head.

"I'll be back…" She said, walking out the door.

Night Shadow sighed deeply as he walked over to the window. The snow was falling at a normal rate and everything was covered in a blanket of white. The sun had finally set, allowing night to fall once more. The red pony pushed open the window and looked out, suddenly overcome with depression.

(Night Shadow sings his line here...you know...because I felt it was appropriate because MLP and junk. I don't have much talent in lyrics but here it is anyways)

"In a world of hate…torment and deception, do I find myself…hoping and believing…when all I have…is gone. They took my fiends…tainted and forsaken…they made them threats…for the whole world to see…but yet, I still, believe. How, you ask…does one keep on thinking, that they might, one day…be the hope or a savior, if they can't…even…be free."

'Night Shadow…what the hell are you doing?' The dark voice asked.

"Well I'll tell you why…so you may understand me! There is hope, for us…even when we're weary! Because, one day…we will all stand up…and fight…against…the dark! So rise, my friends…our time is upon us! Rip off your chains…and let it be a reminder! So they will see…that we are free…and not their slaves, again!

"So we will take our stand…and rise once again! To end their threat…of tyranny and oppression! Rip down their walls…it will symbolize their fall! Throw away your fear …it will do you no good here! So that now, we'll be…forever free…to be ourselves….again!"

'Night Shadow, this is your last warning, stop befor-

"So hear my voice…so you may understand me! There is hope, in us…don't be told a second time! For the hope…we share…will be our freedom cry. Take the leap, of faith…dare to take it twice! Unite as one, like it was always meant to be! You have the key…so set yourselves free…don't fear…their words…again!"

"So I'll tell you why…so they may heed our warning! There is hope, for all…even when they stand up tall! Because, one day…we will all be free…to take our land…again! So rise, my friends…our time is upon us! Rip off your chains…and let it be a reminder! So they will see…that we are free…and not their slaves, again!

"So we will take our stand…and rise once again! To end their threat…of tyranny and oppression! Rip down their walls…it will symbolize their fall! Throw away your fear …it will do you no good here! Because now, they'll see…that we are free…to be ourselves….again! WE ARE FREE…WE ARE FREE…WE ARE FRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!"

Night Shadow finished and for some reason…he felt happier…almost calm…peaceful…

"Night Shadow! I've been standing here with your milk for about ten seconds now! Stop singing out of a window like a Disney princess!"

Scratch peaceful…

"Thank you so much, Star Dancer, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He shouted with joy, running up to her and hugging her.

"Ummm…Night Shadow…your horn…it's…"

Night Shadow blinked several times before looking into a mirror…his horn was glowing dark purple for the first time in his life.

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH! MY HORN IS GLOWING! I CAN ACTUALLY PERFORM-

Night Shadow suddenly teleported and flew right into a wall, leaving his imprint of his face.

"Stone…not something you want to crash into…" Night Shadow said, slipping into unconsciousness.

---

"So you're telling me that you learned to teleport, quite poorly I might add, before you could even levitate a glass cup?!" Discord asked.

"Yeah…I guess…it's still very sketchy though…" Night Shadow said, sitting in front of Discord.

"That's like learning to sprint before you can crawl…I LOVE IT!" Discord shouted, happily.

"It's still hard, it's not like bam, I can teleport everywhere now."

"Do you know how hard it is for ponies to teleport? Hard, really hard."

"Like really hard or really really hard."

"Really really-

"Ok, we did that joke already." Night Shadow blurted out. "But this huge leap is still nowhere near my goal."

"Then get to work, Night Shadow, I can't hold your hoof through everything now."

"So I'm just self-teaching myself now? Then what's the point of being your student?"

"Within due time, little pony. You learn the basic spells and demonstrate them to me, and I will show you…" Discord paused for dramatic effect. "Chaos!"

Discord vanished, leaving Night Shadow alone. For the next several months, Night Shadow attempted to master teleportation, but instead mastered invisibility. Every time he would focus on a spell, the complete opposite effect would happen, allowing him to master something completely different each time. He soon got it down, mastering each spell in the book after a year of training. Then, his real training began with Discord.

For the next couple of years, Night Shadow learned the ways of chaos and disharmony from the master himself. The pony's personality changed from his training and time with the draconequus. Night Shadow was more laid back now rather than angry and violent. He became more of a prankster then a soldier of war and strategy. All in all, Night Shadow was happier now…but also a bit more clumsy and forgetful despite his high intelligence. But throughout it all, he could help but think he forgot someone he cared about…

---

Six years later…

"Watch in awe…as the stupendous pony of shadows performs magic like never before! Watch as the red stallion with beautiful back hair take your breath away! Watch as I turn this small grape…into art!"

Night Shadow was wearing a black magicians outfit as he threw a grape into a blank protract. Without a second though, Night Shadow tackled the painting and smoothed his face all over the white paper. He then took his hooves and smeared the juices across the painting until he flopped onto it and rubbed it against his body. After ten more seconds, he got up and held the painting into the air victorious.

"LOOK…a picture of pony's that actually want to date you."

Discord burst out laughing as Star Dancer remained confused.

"It's just a blue painting with a white line down the middle." She pointed out.

"Ehhh…worthless anyways." He said, tossing it to the side.

The painting would later be sold to a vendor for millions of bits…

"Do something else, this is getting boring." Star Dancer said, yawning.

"Fine then." Night Shadow said, smirking.

He blasted the mare with a purple beam, turning her into a potato. Night Shadow casually levitated the potato to his mouth and ate it whole. Discord suddenly became fascinated, only for him to be blown back into his chair as Night Shadow pulled out Star Dancer from his hat like a rabbit.

"Fine…I sort of deserve that…but did you have to give me a #* #( bunny suit!" Star Dancer cursed.

"Trust me; bronies love mares in bunny outfits."

"Yeah, only the ones that like to stick their hand down their pants and-

"AND HERE'S MY NEXT TRICK!"

He threw the mare at a table just before it turned into thousands of gold bars. Star Dancer's eyes became solid dollar signs as she rolled in the gold.

"This…I'm ok with." The mare started, kissing the bars.

"Thank you, thank you…I'll be back…" Night Shadow looked at his watch. "Never goodbye!"

Night Shadow suddenly vanished into his hat without a trace. Discord, however, had other plans. With the snap of his fingers, Night Shadow appeared next to discord in a chocolate bubble.

"And where do you think you're going?" Discord asked.

"Going to…ummm…work the shaft?"

"Oh please, do you even know what that means?"

"A mine shaft…"

"We're going to have to talk…but first, go outside and check on the cities of Equestria, make sure they aren't doing anything rebellious."

"Awww come on! I hate police work, it's so boring!"

"You get free doughnuts."

"Where do I sigh?"

---

"It's been seven years, Tia, but there's still no sigh of Herus." Luna said, landing next to her.

The two sisters gazed over the land of Equestria from a cliff side at the end of the Everfree forest. Little did they know in 5,000 years it would be the same spot Night Shadow turned to Dark Fire.

"I know sister, ever since he destroyed our home, along with his army; he hasn't been seen or made a move." Celestia said. "There has been…some activity though."

"Like what."

"There's been a huge increase in chaos magic over the last few years. It grows stronger each days passing."

"So Discord is behind it then."

"I'm not so sure…the essence the magic leaves behind is different from Discords. There's something behind its magic that's cries out to me, a cry of pain and sadness that I haven't felt in seven years."

"What are you saying?"

"I believe Night Shadow is still alive."

"Night Shadow? Sister, tell me, if he's so important to you why haven't you told me about him. You kept his identity a secret from everyone, even from your own family and sister. But yet you tell Blue, Night Shadow's former teacher and a complete stranger. I don't understand."

"Which is why I can't afford to tell you."

"Tia! I'm your sister! Your own flesh and blood, why can't you trust me?!"

"I do trust you…but if Herus finds out who Night Shadow really is then he will stop at nothing to kill him and absorb his soul. He'll be lost forever in a void of darkness, never to see the light of day again for the rest of eternity."

Luna paused, glaring out into the land.

"Blaze mentioned a prophecy before he died. Do you believe it, Tia? That one day a pony that lives outside of time will give birth to a hero."

Celestia nodded her head.

"Indeed sister…and I believe he might be that hero."

"Then how do we prove it and who were his parents?"

"I do not know…as for his parents…it must remain a secret."

"Enough with the secrets, Tia! If we're going to stop Herus, we're going to need all the help we can get! And if Night Shadow is the hero of the prophecy, then-

"The prophecy also mentions a virtuous ruler, do you see any around that could fit that description!"

"Our mother could have."

"You and I were the only children she bearded. There are no other rulers besides Discord and Herus, both male in gender. As I said before, Night Shadow might be the hero, I'm not positive. However, we're not going to get anywhere is these two rulers are not removed from their place."

"And how are you going to do that?" Luna asked.

"With these." A voice said behind them.

The two sisters turned around to see a blacked robed pony toss a bag towards them. Celestia cautiously opened it and gasped at what was inside.

"The elements of harmony! But how did you…"

The robed pony was gone in a second without a trace. Celestia inspected the bag of elements further and found a note.

'Dear sisters of the sun and moon,

I come as a shadow to give you the tools to defeat Herus and Discord. Even though Discord is not a ruler of war and destruction, he still must be removed from the throne to make way for a change. I understand that you were once friends with that master of chaos, but it must be done. Which is why the elements are your best weapon to imprison him and later on reform him. The elements only respond to those that have the following traits: Loyalty, laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty, and magic. They only worked for Herus because he only used them to open a portal to your home and nothing more. Their true power, thankfully, remains to be seen.

Once its powers are released and Discord is imprisoned, Herus will hunt you two down to destroy you. He's been counting on this moment for some time now, so let's speed up the process a bit. Be warned, Herus will come when you least expect it, but he will come with weapons drawn, ready to spill your blood. Do not take him for granted, what you have seen is only a fraction of his abilities. Call upon the elements when he least expects in, and he will be banished forever into the void of darkness.

Have faith and courage. You two are the last hope this world has…I know you will succeed.

Sighed,

Mare of shadows.'

Celestia folded up the letter and placed it in the bag. She then looked at her sister.

"Luna...today marks a new day for Equestria…hope has returned to us once again…"

---

Night Shadow sat on a throne, observing a small town close to the everfree forest. It was more of an undeveloped village with only a population of a hundred ponies. The pony took the opportunity to make the town more interesting. He forced the buildings to levitate with magic, turned the river into liquid gold, made the clouds rain valuable gems and treats, and just for added excitement, gave everypony wings that flew backwards and a road covered in slippery soap. Overall, the citizens were fine with everything; I mean come on…raining gems and a gold river…

"I'm aware that the fish are…sort of drowning in the gold and that the water supply is out because of it…but everything is under my chaotic control. Don't you worry your little head about it." Night Shadow said, patting the stallions head.

"Lord Shadow, we appreciate the gifts you have given us, but the ponies need water to survive a-

"Shhhhhhhh…" Night Shadow whispered, putting his hoof on the stallions mouth and wrapping his free fore-leg around him. "I got it covered…"

Night Shadow shot a bolt of lightning into the sky, causing the clouds to turn dark red. After a few seconds, the clouds started to rain red wine.

"There…is that better little fella." Night Shadow whispered, tossing the stallion down a slide.

Night Shadow sat back in his chair, propped his hind-legs up, and conjured a pink cow to his side. After spawning a glass cup, he filled it up with strawberry milk, turned the cow into a pink brownie and ate it whole.

"Ahhhh…this is the life..." He said, drinking his milk and rubbing his stomach.

'Night Shadow, have you forgotten the entire point of learning magic.' The dark voice asked, ringing through his head.

"Nope, not really." The pony said, taking another sip.

'Then why haven't you acted or plotted against Discord.'

"I thought that was your job, and besides, I can have everything I want now at the drop of a hat."

'But you could have more! You're just Discords apprentice, nothing more.'

"Maybe that's all I desire, every think of that?"

'It's just as I thought…Discord's training made you soft and a fool. You've grown too attached to him. I will give you a month do decide for yourself before I intervene…but for now, you have guests…'

The entire town shook as a large, fifty foot gray dragon landed before Night Shadow. He flared his wings and roared into the village, dropping off ponies, gryphon's, wolves, and many other creatures armed with weapons and armor.

"Flee or fight worthless creature, you will all be consumed by my wrath and fire!" The dragon roared. "This land belongs to our master now!"

All the ponies fled and hid as fast as they could. The dragon laughed as he took a deep breath and shot out fire from his mouth as his helpers shot into the city with their guns and launchers. But, before anything could touch the town, a huge blast of magic swept away the fire and explosives to the side with ease. The dragon was then blasted onto his back, forcing him to crash into the dirt a hundred feet away from the town. Night Shadow then casually appeared before the troops with a teleportation spell.

"Can I help you?" Night Shadow asked, starting to casually float above the ground. "You seem to have almost destroyed this little village for some reason."

All the troops gave the red pony a look of fright and shock as they backed up.

"Is…is that Night Shadow?!" One of them asked.

"I thought Herus killed him! What's he doing here?!"

"I-I don't know!"

"Well whoever he is, he's going to die!" A wolf yelled, pointing his rocket launched at him and firing.

As the missile flew towards the pony, Night Shadow stopped it with magic. He then grabbed the missile with his hoof and ate the tip.

"Needs more sugar, it's all metal and gunpowder." Night Shadow said, turning the missile into a giant, chocolate bar. "There…much better…" He said, gulping down the missile and burping out fire and explosive bubbles.

All the troops dropped their weapons and got on their knees, shaking.

"He learned magic…from Discord…"

"Please Night Shadow, we didn't know…forgive us."

Night Shadow looked at them and smirked.

"Why should I, I could just turn you all into tasty snacks and gobble you up." Night Shadow said, pacing around them. "Yeah…I think I might just do that right now!"

"NIGHT SHADOW, PLEASE DON'T-

The entire squad was suddenly converted into random food items before Night Shadow.

"Serves you guys right for attacking the innocent…" He whispered. "Oh well, at least my stomach will find some good in you."

The dragon that was knocked back leaped up and landed onto the ground.

"YOU DARE ATTACK ME, WEAKLING!" The dragon screamed.

Night Shadow sat on the floor and munched on a bag of cookies as the dragon glared at him angrily.

"Yeah…pretty much." He responded with a full mouth, stuffing more food down his throat. "What are going to do about it, eat me?"

The dragon suddenly leaped forward and caught Night Shadow in his mouth. Without hesitation, he sucked the pony into his mouth and swallowed him down his throat.

"Ponies are nothing but food for me, and now you will learn that the hard way." The dragon said, feeling Night Shadow drop into his stomach.

The next thing the dragon knew, Night Shadow was out before him and holding his mouth closed with magic.

"I can teleport you know…or did you forget that?"

The dragon became enraged, attempting to break out of the ponies hold.

"And my gosh it smells in there…now I know how those poor strawberry cows feel…or the troops I ate for that matter."

The dragon grabbed Night Shadow with his claw and slammed him into the ground, breaking his magical grip.

"You got lucky, little pony, but I will wear you out and make you my food."

"Are you really that determined to get me in your stomach, I mean look at me, I'm a talking, red fur ball!"

"Silence!" The dragon yelled, blasting fire at the bound unicorn.

When the smoke cleared, Night Shadow could be seen smoking weed and wearing sunglasses.

"Hey, thanks by the way, I was feeling a bit chilly." He said, tossing away the blunt.

"You dare taunt me!"

The dragon reverted to crushing the pony with all of his weight, but he couldn't get the pony to turn into a pancake.

"I'm sorry, but could you get my back to, it's a bit sore." Night Shadow taunted.

The dragon roared in rage as he put all of his power into trying to crush Night Shadow, but he would not budge. To the dragons shock, Night Shadow casually decided to get up and throw the dragon off of him like he was just a crumb on a plate.

"Who are you?!" The dragon screamed.

"I'm Night Shadow, prince of tacos…or pizza…something like that."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"What, are you racist against tacos or something?"

The dragon flared his wings and charged forward, swinging at the pony with his claws and chomping at him with his jaw. Night Shadow would dodge each attack and shame the dragon each time he tried by just slapping his claw away like a fly.

"You're so close to, just keep trying, I'm sure you'll get me eventually."

"STOP MOCKING ME!" The dragon yelled.

As the dragon leaped forward, Night Shadow slid under the dragon and kicked up with his hind-hooves, bucking the dragon into the air. Night Shadow smirked as he lay on his back, watching the dragon fly through the clouds. He put on his sunglasses and sighed.

"It's been fun, really…but all good things must come to an end…goodbye." Night Shadow said, slamming his hooves together.

In a burst of light, Night Shadow fired a huge ball of energy where the dragon flew through the cloud layer. Once the ball disappeared behind the clouds, the sky shined with a purple light, sending out a huge wave of wind as the ball exploded behind the clouds. Night Shadow got up and gazed into the sky.

"With a bang," Night Shadow took off his glasses. "He went out he did."

As the pony turned around to return to the village, he was punched dead in the mussel by a dark blue hoof. As he fell to his back, his vision rapidly blurring and going dark, a black robed pony stood over him and placed its hoof on his face.

"I've finally found you…"

Night Shadow went unconscious.

---

The unicorn awoke and looked up with blurry vision. He looked around and found that he was in a dark cabin lit by a fire. He tried to get up, but only to have a large shotgun pointed right in front of his face, forcing him to sit back down.

"Do you know who I am?" The dark figure asked.

"No…I don't…why should I?" Night Shadow whispered.

"Seven years I waited for your return…and you turn you back on me."

"Who are you, and where did you get that gun!"

The gun was pressed harder into his head.

"Am I so meaningless that you forgot all about me? You're the one that gave me this gun and then left me!"

"I would never leave my friends no matter what they did!"

"You left me! How could you forget about the one pony that loved you for just being yourself?"

"No pony ever loved me…no pony has or ever will."

"Well this mare did!"

The dark figure removed her hood and let her white hair fall in front of her bright blue eyes.

"I was your little sapphire in a field of fall leaves…your comfort in a world of treachery…and yet you betrayed me like the rest of your kind…"

"I don't know who you are…but I feel like…like we we're meant to be together…"

"I used to think that to…but then you broke my heart!" The mare yelled, starting to cry. "NOW I'M GOING TO BREAK YOURS!"

Star Dancer burst through the cabin door at the last second and pinned the dark blue mare to the ground with a curved knife.

"Star Dancer? How did you-

"You owe me." She said, looking at him. "Hey, you're not even bound to the chair or being held hostage, why couldn't you break out yourself."

"She had a gun to my head!" Night Shadow said, defending himself.

"So is this your new mare friend, Night Shadow! I should have guessed you would have chose somepony else after you left me to die!" The mare yelled.

"You know this mare?" Star Dancer asked.

"I…I don't know…I just can remember…" Night Shadow said, rubbing his head.

"Good, then I'm killing her."

"…and then you kill me…you're little Sapphirine …" The mare whispered.

Night Shadow's eyes widened as he heard her name ring though his ears like music. He was then hit with a small flashback set thirteen years in the past.

"Thank you…" He whispered. "What's your name by the way?"

"Sapphirine." She whispered shyly.

"Sapphirine? Wow, that's a unique name."

"So…what's your name?"

"It's Night Shadow, nothing too special."

"That's…that's a nice name…" She said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Another flash went by.

"There's only one pony that could ever disarm me so easily…"

The grip on Night Shadow was released, allowing him to remove the hood from the ponies face.

"I missed you so much…" The dark blue colored mare proclaimed with teary eyes.

"Sapphirine?! Why did you-

He was cut off with a kiss.

The last flashback went before him, bringing him to tears.

"Leave this place and don't look back…I'll come find you when this is over…I promise…"

"But what about-

"GO!" Night Shadow shouted in anger.

Sapphirine hesitated to leave, but turned around and ran, disappearing into the forest from which they came. Night Shadow looked around one last time, seeing everything he had accomplished completely destroyed before him.

"Mico, Tremor, Legio…Filia, Callidus, Elegit…and even you Blaze…I will get him for this…I promise you…I will make him pay for everything he's done…

Night Shadow came back to really and grabbed Star Dancer's hoof just before she ended the mare's life. Star Dancer looked up in complete confusion until she saw Night Shadow practically jump onto Sapphirine and kiss her passionately on the lips.

"Ok…what's going on?" Star Dancer asked.

"Sapphirine, I'm so sorry…I promise I will never let you go ever again…please…will you be the love of my life again…" Night Shadow asked, tearing up.

"…Yes…and I forgive you…"

As the two literally made out on the floor, leaving a very awkward Star Dancer, Night Shadow summoned magic to his horn, letting it glow.

"Let's take you home…" He whispered.

---

Eleven months pass…four weeks before Night Shadow's 24th birthday…

5,000 Years before Dark Fire

4,000 years before Nightmare Moon

Several hours before Celestia took the throne…Day of Retribution and Redemption…

"Sapphirine, I need you to stay here; it's for your own good." Night Shadow whispered.

"You're leaving me again? But-

"Celestia and Luna have started a rebellion, the last two alicorns alive on this earth. You will be safe here while Discord and I deal with them permanently."

"Night Shadow, what you're doing is wrong. Please listen to me; those two alicorns have the power to bring harmony and peace to this world once and for all. So why are you trying to stop them."

"Because all will be made clear when I win…when I win it all…"

Sapphirine noticed a wicked grin on Night Shadow as he vanished from her sight.

"Night Shadow…what happened to you…"

---

Night Shadow appeared next to Discord as he sat on a throne. Star Dancer quickly flew in on the other side, standing next to her leader.

"Where are they, master…I'll be sure to annihilate their existence before they even take one step onto this land." Night Shadow spoke.

"Don't worry about it." Discord said, munching on what looked like black seeds. "These little things will soon do hatch and do their job. It's not like little Celestia can hurt her best friend anyways."

"Then why did you summon us?" Star Dancer asked. "Not that I could care anymore anyways."

"I want you to watch, get comfortable and watch from a distance."

"But Discord…I could take them all out with my power! Why waste your time?" Night Shadow asked with eagerness.

"Because-

Celestia and Luna appeared a distance away, carrying bags by their sides as they walked forward.

"Don't worry master; these two sisters could never surpass you in means of power or knowledge. Allow me to show you what I've learned by destroying them as my final test to prove my worth!"

"No…you already proven yourself to me the day I first meet you…I'm proud of you my friend." Discord said, with a hint of sadness. "Now go and take that pegasus with you." Discord said, pointing at Star Dancer.

Night Shadow silently nodded and walked over to Star Dancer, handing her a bag of bits.

"You work for me now…report back what happens here…I have planning to do." Night Shadow said, eyes flashing red for a bit.

Night Shadow teleported away as Star Dancer unfurled her wings and took off into the sky, leaving Discord alone with the two royal sisters.

"It's been a while, hasn't it…" Discord whispered, gazing at the two sisters. "Well…let's get this over with…"

---

One hour later…

Star Dancer flew through the window of Discords palace, taking notice that everything was actually normal but with a dark and evil twist about it. She then noticed that Night Shadow was sitting in Discord's throne, but his coat had become darker and more sinister.

"What do you have to report?" He asked.

"They imprisoned Discord in stone with some type of rainbow beam after they took out these colorful gems. They're coming here now to finish up the job…coming for you."

"Oh please, let them come…but you're going to fight them first."

"What! You want me to fight them! How am I-

"Do I sense fear in you, Star Dancer?" Night Shadow asked, darkly.

"No…but I want my cut."

"Trust me, Star Dancer, when I rule the world you can have all the gold you desire. Now wait for them to come."

Star Dancer nodded and slowly walked out of the door, closing it behind her. Night Shadow sat in the dark throne room alone until Sapphirine came out of the shadows.

"What happened to you, Night Shadow? When I fell in love with you, you wanted peace and freedom for the world, now you're the one that's taking the power away from others, taking ponies freedoms away, and become a monster." Sapphirine said, walking to him. "Why, why are you doing this to me?"

"Soon you will be my princess, Sapphirine. We will get married and you will be queen of the world to do what you want."

"I don't want to be queen if it means enslaving other to do our bidding! Please, step down and let the two sister be in charge. They can change the world."

"And so can we, what can they do that we can't! Sapphirine, I'm doing all of this for you."

"No…you're doing this for yourself…and if I'm truly the one making you enslave the world…then I don't want to marry you anymore….I bid you farewell, Night Shadow…I hope you're happy with your decision."

"Sapphirine, don't be foolish! You could have anything you ever wanted and you're turning it down! What did I have before that I don't have now?!"

Sapphirine turned around and started to walk away, looking back for one last time.

"A heart…"

Night Shadow's heart shattered as she continued to walk away. It was then that the doors to the throne room blew open, revealing Celestia and Luna as the smoke cleared.

"I take it Star Dancer either bailed or got turned into a stone decoration. Either way, this stops here." Night Shadow said with confidence.

"Night Shadow, stand down or we will be forced to use force!" Luna shouted.

"Forced to use force?" Night Shadow said, laughing. "You are truly hopeless against me. There's nothing you can do to me, princess moon shoes."

"Night Shadow, this is your last warning, step down now." Celestia said with courage, but also slight…hesitation.

"Oh, now princess sun butt is going to tell me to stop! HA, you're just two alicorns with a hopeless dream of salvation and nothing more." Night Shadow said evilly. "The last of a dying race."

"Then you leave us no choice!"

Celestia removed the elements of harmony from her bag and levitated them in front of her. She placing the sixth element of magic in the middle and with her magic, made the other elements orbit around them in a perfect circle.

"I'm sorry Night Shadow…I really am." Celestia whispered. "But I can't have Herus find you until you're ready to face him again…"

Night Shadow started to laugh loudly as he glared at the elements powering up before him.

"Yeah, how about no."

Night Shadow jumped out of his throne and landed on the ground with a thud. Before the elements charged up fully, Night Shadow swiped his hoof horizontally, sending out an energy blast that knocked Celestia and Luna to the walls behind them.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?! Why would I let you charge up the only thing that could ever defeat me?"

Sapphirine watched as Night Shadow picked up the elements with his magic and lock them into a magical box. He then threw the box behind him and approached the royal sisters.

"Night Shadow, stop this now!" She yelled, being filled with tears.

"I'M GOING TO RULE OVER ALL OF EQUESTRIA! AND NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP ME AS I PURGE THE WORLD IN FIRE!" Night Shadow yelled as his eyes flashed red for a split second.

Celestia and Luna quickly recovered and commenced plan B. Luna took out a small rod and extended it to about four feet. With a quick spin and slam to the ground, a scythe's blade flew out and glowed dark blue with magic as Luna levitated it. Celestia took out a golden looking pole and slammed the poles end onto the ground. At the top of the pole unfolded what looked like a golden double bladed axe…it was her father's Bardiche. It glowed bright gold as Celestia held it in her magical grip.

"You think those are going to do anything to me?" Night Shadow asked, smirking. "Prepare to join your friends in the afterlife."

Night Shadow hair suddenly became huge spikes as he burst with purple energy, sending out a huge burst of wind that broke all the windows in the room. Night Shadow's eyes glowed bright purple as magic flowed to his horn and overloaded. He then conjured two demonic looking, scissor spirit swords for each hoof and grasped them. With a quick spin, he positioned the swords so that he could hold them backwards.

"I'm the strongest unicorn in all of history, there are none like me…now you will pay for everything you have done!"

Sapphirine watched as Night Shadow dashed forward and engaged the two mares in the most intense combat she had ever seen. As if straight out of a movie, Night Shadow, Celestia, and Luna performed moves and tricks that many would have thought would have been impossible. They all fired forth magical blasts and earth shattering blows to one another, not one giving in to their opponent. Even though Night Shadow was an amazing magician, the royal sisters were just too powerful and would knock it off like nothing, but his energy attacks were devastating everything he got one off. It was all that he had going for him, even his sword skills were failing him.

"Give it up, Night Shadow! I don't want to hurt you!" Celestia yelled, locking one of his swords with her weapon.

"You can't win, not at this rate." Luna claimed, having his other sword locked with her scythe."

"You think I'm just going to give up! Fools, I'm just getting started!" Night Shadow screamed, exploding with more energy.

He disarmed both of the sisters at the same time and blasted them across the floor with his magic. The two sisters got up at the same time and blasted Night Shadow with two huge beams, one being yellow and the other being dark blue. Night Shadow sliced the beams in half, but his swords shattered as he did so, sending shards of his sword and magic everywhere. Night Shadow's hooves stung from the counter, but he shook it off.

"My turn, girls!" Night Shadow said, pointing his hooves at the sisters.

Night Shadow fired out huge waves of energy at the sisters, but they teleported out of the way just in time and blasted Night Shadow through the throne with a combined magic spell. The pony quickly burst out of it and shook off the rubble from his hair.

"I'm surprised you have lasted this long…but I'm done holding back…it's time that you meet your end."

"Night Shadow, please, all we're asking is for you to surrender so we can bring harmony to this war torn land." Celestia said, grabbing her father's weapon again.

"No, I'm going to win no matter what you do…I was always meant to rule over weaklings like the people of this planet! I WILL USE THE ELEMENTS TO MAKE MY WORDS LAW, I WILL DESTROY ALL THOSE THAT OPPOSE MY WORDS AND POWER! I WILL MAKE MYSELF IMMORTAL AND BECOME AN ALICORN! AND YOU ALL HAIL THE NAME OF NIGHT SHADOW!"

He slammed his hooves together and summoned up all the energy he had along with his magic. In his hooves formed a huge ball of purple energy and magic that had a dark aura to it.

"THIS IS THE END, LITTLE PONIES, THE END OFF ALL OF YOUR KIND! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Night Shadow yelled insanely as his eyes glowed red.

Celestia drew back slightly at Night Shadow's red eyes; it confirmed her fear once and for all.

"Luna…I was right…Night Shadow has been infected with miasma…we have to free him before it's too late!"

"There's no time, we have to take him down here and now…even if it means ending his life."

"No…no…he's the one in the prophecy! We can't…I can't…there has to be another way!"

"Tia, it's all or nothing…" Luna said, extending her hoof out to her sister. "Grab my hoof."

Celestia had teary eyes as she grabbed her sister's hoof. The two glowed brightly as they fused into one being like they had practiced.

"NIGHT SHADOW, FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE ROYAL EMPIRE, YOU WILL BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!" The two sisters said in unison, charging up their magic.

"You can try…" Night Shadow whispered, putting more power in the blast.

"NIGHT SHADOW, STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" Sapphirine shouted, as the building crashed down all around her. "PLEASE, FIGHT THE EVIL IN YOUR HEART BEFORE IT DESTROYS EVERYTHING WE CARE ABOUT!"

"I'm…trying…Sapphirine…" Night Shadow said, fighting the miasma in his heart.

'Kill them…take your place as ruler of the planet!'

"NO…not like this…not…like…THIS!" Night Shadow yelled, exploding with more power.

The purple energy suddenly turned blood red as well as the magic.

"SAY GOODBYE PRINCESS, THIS IS A ONE WAY TICKET DOWN TO HELL!" Night Shadow's evil side yelled, firing the ball.

"NOW!" The fused sisters yelled.

With a large burst of magic, the caught the ball and fused their own magic into it.

"No…not again…" Night Shadow whispered, remembering how Herus defeated him with his own attack.

The two sister pointed the ball forward and prepped the ball to launch back at him. The pony was completely out of energy and magic as he gazed into the ball, accepting his fate.

"NIGHT SHADOW…NOOO!" Sapphirine yelled, jumping down and running to Night Shadow.

As the sisters fired the ball, Night Shadow turned to see Sapphirine running right towards him and put his hoof out to stop her, but she had already tackled him out of the way. Night Shadow's eyes complete went wide as the blast hit her and forced her to crash into the throne room with a huge explosion.

"SAPPHIRINE!" Night Shadow screamed, completely overtaken with shock as he shook on the ground. "Sapphirine…no….."

Night Shadow saw an image of his loved one before him with teary eyes.

'You promised you would always protect me…that you will never let me go…but you were the one that killed me…'

Night Shadow collapsed forward and slammed his hooves into the ground, crying in pain.

"Sapphirine…no, I love you…I'm sorry…don't leave me…DON'T LEAVE ME!" Night Shadow cried, sobbing on the ground and shaking

The two sisters defused right after this happened. Celestia took two steps forward and fell to her knees.

"No…this is exactly what I was trying to prevent…NOOOOOO!" She screamed, shedding tears of her own and throwing off her crown.

Luna's ears dropped once she realized what she had done. The blast was weak enough to only knock Night Shadow unconscious…but to anypony else it would mean the end of their life. Instead of crying, he looked away from the scene and closed her eyes in shame.

"Sapphirine…please…I'm so sorry…I-I…couldn't save you…" Night Shadow cried, hoping that he would wake up from this nightmare. "Don't leave…please…"

"Night Shadow…I'm so sorry." Celestia said, looking at Night Shadow as he continued to cry.

"You…you killed her…you killed my little Sapphirine…you took her…YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME!"

Night Shadow's hair burst into a solid red color as he screamed and exploded with rage.

"YOU KILLED HHHHHHHHHHHHHEERRRRRRRRR!"

The entire roof and building was blasted apart from his rage as the sky turned red. The two sister were almost blasted off the building as Night Shadow continued to scream, shaking the earth and shattering the mountains and hills around him

"I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

Luna slammed her scythe into the ground, keeping her in place as the wind blew away almost everything off the mountain. This left Celestia the only one standing.

"Night Shadow…I'm so sorry…I hope one day you can forgive me…"

A rune of an hourglass appeared before Celestia as she fired a bright yellow spell at Night Shadow. The pony blasted off the spell and screamed louder as his hooves started to turn black as night. Celestia reaffirmed herself and fired everything she had into the spell as a bright flash of yellow light exploded from her horn. As the spell cleared and everything calmed, Night Shadow had vanished.

"I have sent you into the future, Night Shadow. Hopefully then, I will have the power to cure you and finally tell you the truth about your parents. I love you…"

"Tia…look…" Luna said, picking up a bundle of cloth that was apparently crying.

"It can't be…"

Celestia walked over to Luna and picked up the bundle with her magic. Inside was a newborn, unicorn mare with red fur and a white mane.

"This must be the child Night Shadow and Sapphirine shared…well then it's my responsibility now to take care of her like she was my own…"

"But Tia…what about your second son?" Luna asked, grabbing the child back with her magic and putting her behind the rubble where she would be safe.

"Zepher can take care of himself, she can't."

"Alright Tia, but we're going to have to-

A loud bang was heard and the next thing Celestia knew, Luna was on the ground and bleeding from her side, screaming in pain. Celestia's eyes widened in horror and anger, knowing exactly who is was.

"I'm so terribly sorry to ruin such a happy moment…but she was bound to die eventually." Herus said, blowing away the smoke from his gun..

"Herus, you monster!"

"So what's this about a second son, Celestia…what happened to the first one hmmm."

Celestia gave him an angry glare before looking down and removing the bullet from her flesh. She then did her best to seal up the wound with magic before looking back up at Herus.

"It's because of you that everyone suffers! I won't allow it to continue anymore!"

"Oh please…I'll make this easy on you for once…die."

Herus drawled his two black 500 magnums and fired at Celestia. The alicorn kicked up her father's weapon and caught it in her magical grip, spinning it and blocking every single bullet before pointing the weapon at Herus.

"You don't scare me, Herus, not anymore!"

"Hmmm, but you don't even know what I am now do you?" Herus asked, dropping his two revolvers to the floor. "I tell you what...you will be the first to ever witness what I am before you die by my hands…"

Herus removed his hood slowly and let his black hair drop to his shoulders. He looked up with his dark purple eyes and gave an evil smirk.

"What…what are you!"

"I am the race of the creators of this realm. A race chosen by God to glorify His name and his power. The very race that brought sin into the world of peace…I am a son of Adam…I am…a human."

Herus reached behind his back and pulled out two huge great swords, wielding one in each hand.

"I was given the command to have dominion over all the animals and land of this world to do as I see fit…and you Celestia, along with all of the alicorns that walk the earth, are not fit to live in this land anymore. You are not gods of these plains…and if they believe you are…then I will show them what a real god is."

"We were never gods to begin with…just ponies with their heads in the clouds with an imaginary birthright. "

Celestia and Herus walked forward until they were only a few inches away from each other's bodies. Celestia raised her father's weapon and Herus raised one of his swords, allowing them to touch.

"Well, doesn't this look familiar…ahahahah."

Celestia lunged forward and jabbed at Herus, but it was slapped away from his sword. When he tried to counter, still trying to be cocky, Celestia ducked under it and smashed the end of the pole into Herus' leg and shot upward, hitting Herus on the chin and then jabing him in the throat. Leaving him shocked, Celestia spun the Bardiche and sliced Herus' face, blasting him forward with a magical blast. The alicorn wasn't joking around, she was ready and prepared…until Herus got up and regenerated right before her eyes.

"I must say, that did surprise me…but you could have had an easy death." Herus said as black smoke filled the cut in his face, sealing it back up. "Now I'm going to rip out your horn and every feather on your wings one. by. one."

The two lunged forward and clashed their weapons into each other. Herus fought off her attacks easily until Celestia forced his hands up from her strength and impaled Herus clean through with her weapon.

"Give up Herus…yield!" She demanded, suddenly finding it impossible to remove the weapon out of his chest

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You…demanding surrender…FROM A HUMAN!"

Celestia suddenly knew what was about to happen, seeing her father fall to the same fate. She shoved the weapon forward and teleported just before Herus could impale her stomach with his swords. Appearing behind him, Celestia ripped out her father's weapon was a spin, forcing Herus to turn around, and sliced his throat. Herus fell to his back, but quickly got up and blasted Celestia into a destroyed pillar, forcing her to drop her weapon.

"For years I've strived to annihilate the alicorn race from the face of existence! One by one, each alicorn fell to my power and armies until only you stand before me now…the last one to face me…"

Herus was right over Celestia, about to strike her dead until Celestia teleported and grabbed her weapon with her magic. Just when she turned around, Herus had swung his huge blades at her, forcing her to parry and block several more time before locking his weapons with hers.

"I don't care how many alicorns remain, how many ponies you've enslaved or how much power you have obtained…YOU WILL BE SLAIN!"

"You think it's so easy, Celestia…your own father lacked the power and courage to defeat me. And who are you…nothing more than his daughter, an outcast, a princess without her people...in other words…WHAT POWER DO YOU HAVE OVER ME?!"

Herus kicked Celestia forward and fired a large blast of black and purple magic. Celestia vanished behind Herus just before it hit and impaled Herus in the back. Before the human could lock the blade in place again, Celestia fired a blast of light magic into Herus' body but it was only absorbed.

"Fool…did you forget I'm immune to all magic because of who I am!"

Herus exploded with a black explosive wave, forcing Celestia to fly back and almost fall off the edge. She grabbed hold of the edge just in time with her hoof, dangling over a 2,000 ft drop. Herus soon walked over to the princess and applied his black boot to her hoof painfully.

"You're just as weak as your mother and as foolish as your sister…and now it's time for me to end you once and for all. This is your final moments for you, Celestia…I hope you can make them count!"

Celestia leaped up and blasted Herus back with bright yellow magic as she retrieved her father's weapon. Herus crashed into what remained of a stone pillar before getting up and firing a huge blast of darkness at the princess. Celestia retaliated by launching light magic at Herus' attack. The two beams clashed before exploding violently, making the rubble disperse throughout the small, destroyed throne room.

"THAT'S IT, YOU'VE LIVED LONG ENOUGH! PREPARE TO DIE!" Herus screamed, launching at Celestia.

The alicorn narrowed her eyes as she charged forward, glowing with her magical aura. The two collided violently and battled it out. Herus refused to admit it, but Celestia was somehow equally matched with him and was getting the upper hand in the battle. The human supercharged his swords with miasma and with complete rage, sliced Celestia's weapon in half. The alicorn recoiled in shock, realizing her only defense was taken from her. Herus laughed in victory as he picked up Celestia with his dark magic and blasted her forward with a miasmic burst of darkness, infecting the princess with his curse. Herus had won…

"A new day has come for you princess…a day that will go down in history as my greatest triumph in this world of worthless ponies! I HAVE WON…AND NOW NO ONE CAN EVER STOP ME!" Herus shouted, laughing evilly as he threw his swords to the side and raised his hands into the air.

Celestia struggled with the miasma flowing into her heart as her eyes turned bright purple and fur turned pale. It forced her to relive the horrors and fears she hid away for centuries…but then it stopped…she remembered how her father and mother loved her, how the ponies she ruled over loved her and how she loved them in return. There was no hatred in her heart, no sorrow to feed on, no anger to relish in…just hope, love and the will to do what needed to be done for her fellow ponies. The spell was broken and love was its cure. As she slowly stood, she noticed the box Night Shadow had put the elements in…knowing what she had to do.

"Father…mother…brothers and sisters…lend me your power so I may defeat this monster and send him back from where he came…"

Celestia took out the elements of harmony, forming them into the circle. The alicorn also had a strange white glow about her as the sun rose behind her. Suddenly, a white beam of light shined down onto her from the heavens, forcing her magical aura to increase tenfold in a huge burst of light. Herus laughed at the alicorn as he turned his back on her.

"Even if you resisted my power, your magic could never defeat me…nothing can…" Herus said, charging two huge purple and black balls into his hands.

"This isn't magic, Herus…this is the combined power of all those you have killed…the power that will end your reign forever…the power…of harmony."

Herus felt a wave of fear for the first time in his life, remembering the prophecy and of a virtuous ruler. Was it her that stood before him...no…it couldn't be…that would mean that her son was…

Herus spun around in fear and shot his dark balls of magic, but it was too late. With a blinding blast of light, Celestia fired the elements of harmony and her power from the fallen, forcing it to collide into Herus' magic for only a split second before it shatter and hit Herus. The human screamed out loudly as he slowly levitated off of the ground from the magical force.

"HERUS, FOR CRIMES AGAINST EQUESTRIA AND THE WORLD, YOU ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO THE REALM OF SHADOWS FOREVER!"

Herus continued to scream as his skin and clothing started to burst out with beams of light. Then, in one final act, Herus exploded in a huge burst of light, dispersing the human's dark power and magic across the four corners of the globe. The sky's clouds dispersed from the area, showing the blue sky and sun which now appeared brighter than ever. Herus was defeated and Celestia was victorious. Peace finally returned to Equestria and the two sisters became princesses over the land.

But what Celestia didn't know was that deep in Luna's heart lay something that would eventually threaten the world…Nightmare Moon…