From the personal journal of Princess Luna, the year 2037, four years after Saaroklir’s defeat.

Dear Diary,

Sister has done on and on about how much she misses mother. Surprisingly, I miss her too, even when she never really was a family mare. The castle just doesn't seem as pretty now that she’s gone. I’m surprised she lived as long as she said. 400 years. I never would have believed it... If I wasn’t an immortal. My role as a Marcher still eludes me. Tia and I are, by father’s standards, “arn’t stong ‘nuff ta fight death.” He always says that in his loud and booming voice. “ya ain’t goo’ ‘nuff.” I’m surprised to feel that I’ll probably miss him too when he’s gone.

Candice. That was her name. If only Mother was as immortal as I was. Then we could be together. Forever.

Tia keeps bossing me around. It’s quite annoying when she keeps instructing me to do her chores. Says the pony who’s mane is still static and not rippling with magic like mine.

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Candice had submitted to the rite of passage.

First, she severed her Life Thread, taking her own life thirty years ahead of schedule.

Secondly, she attracted the attention of Lyralex, the Angel of Destiny. The purple-cloaked angel had not been happy, but with the offering Candice made of a body to inhabit and a way to see the world, Lyralex accepted.

Third, in her ghostly form, she convinced the angel to give her Destiny’s life thread, and bond with her body. She carefully wove her own thread, connecting the endlessly long string of Destiny to her own. Lyralex gave her Bladecaster, both a spear and a staff, capable of cutting anything and fixing everything. Using her new tool, she glued together the Thread, at the cost of her sanity, for the magic needed to do so was strong, and Candice wasn’t yet strong enough to wield it.

Finally, she rose with the dawn again, as a Marcher and as Queen Chrysalis, having accepted the changling taint in her insanity.

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The Reaper enjoyed the taste of death.

He swung his scythe back and forth, the massive black blade cleaving a pony in two. Flames burned all around him, and blood soaked his ripped robes. A red aura covered his vision, and pure, unfiltered rage flowed through his body. He swung again, decapitating a guard and slashing open another’s stomach.

Rain poured down as the Reaper stuck his blade in another pony, screaming and begging for her life. The Reaper would have none of it.

A pony darted out of his vision. He turned his black head, baring his massive skeletal wings. With a blast of magic, he threw a huge black fireball at the house the pony ran into, laughing as the dark tendrils reduced the structure to ash.

As the pony cringed, the Reaper raised his scythe, plunging it into the black earth. The pony removed his hooves from around his eyes, surprised at the act of mercy. The Reaper held out his hoof, as if to offer a truce. But when the pony grasped it, black fire lept out of the black alicorn, engulfing the pony and reducing him to a pile of dust. The last thing the pony felt was pain. Pure pain from black dragon’s fire.

The Reaper said nothing as he placed his scythe back on his back, watching as the rain washed away the blood.

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From the diary of one Bee Keeper, the year 2045, twelve years after Saaroklir’s defeat.

He came for us. He took them. He took her. Why does he have to be so cruel? He already completed his mission. The Republic is no more. Poema has been ousted. And murdered. WHy does he have to turn his blade on us? WHY?

[The rest of the journal is unintelligible. It seems to have been burned with fire, specifically dragon’s fire. The exact type is uncertain, although simply from the damage it appears to be the Black Dragonfire of Annihilation.]

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From the orders of the Royal Equestrian Army, the year 2045, twelve years after Saaroklir’s defeat.

To Colonel Swift Strike of the 107th Support Battalion,

Please redirect your battalion to Cloudsdale immediately. We need support if our army is to take on the Reaper. The ten thousand warriors we have simply won’t cut it, no pun intended. We need your archers and your cannons here immediately.

Double time it, soldier. The Reaper is one sick bastard. We don’t know when or where he will strike next. Encamp your battalion at the Garrison by 0600 tomorrow morning. That’s an order, colonel.

Signed,

Major General Sharp Eye

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The Reaper stood defiant in the the wake of bodies.

Thousands upon thousands of ponies lay in front of him. Each and every one lacked any movement. The scent of blood filled the air, and vultures circled overhead with the black clouds. A whole legion, once ten thousand strong, now all stood in front of him, dead and gone. His scythe was covered with the liquid of life, and the screams of his victims still rang in his ears.

No matter. They would not stop his mission, no matter what they threw at him. No cannonballs, bullets, swords or knives could stop his bloodlust. Nothing would.

The Reaper turned tail and walked away, leaving the pile of death to be picked apart by the carrion birds.

Several tents lay nearby, tattered flags still hanging from their poles.

The 107th Support Battalion was no more. The Cloudsdale Defence Battalion was no more. The Royal Equestrian 7th Legion, containing more than ten thousand brave ponies...had been completely annihilated.

A bolt of lightning cracked overhead, and a heavy rain began to fall, soaking the mountain of decay.

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From the orders of the Royal Equestrian Army, the year 2045, twelve years after Saaroklir’s defeat.

Dear Colonel Thunder Wave,

The Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Legions are already assembled at Canterlot. The princesses are ready. We need the First Legion of Equestria, now.

The Reaper is to make an appearance. Apparently he wants to make peace. Nopony wants to trust him. Everypony wishes for his early demise.

Your elite troops are needed at the Sea of Plains now. That’s an order. Double time it.

Major General Sharp Eye

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Another sacrifice. This time, it was a bit more interesting.

Four legions had fell upon him today. That peace talk he was supposed to have was rudely interrupted. He had seen his siblings for about five seconds before armed ponies burst through the tent door and demanded his surrender. Celestia and Luna were just about to open their mouths, the next thing he knew a spear was pointed at his flank.

Now, the guards who had tried to apprehend him writhed on the ground as Shadow Wounds crept up their skin and burnt their very souls.

The Reaper watched as the rain began to pour again, this time to rinse the ground clean and make way for new plants. The farmers who worked this land would have a bountiful harvest next year, for the blood that soaked the soil contained many useful nutrients for vegetative life...like the guards.

When their comrades-in-arms had all gone down, the Reaper had forced them to fight each other until the strongest five remained. Those five were thrown onto the ground, shadow bursting from fresh cuts.

Another slaughterfest. The Reaper was getting tired of this.

There were no survivors. No survivors...expect the five that still screamed.

The Reaper walked away.

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Celestia and Luna had finally caught sight of the dark alicorn, calmly trotting a major road. They watched from the air as he turned his blade on anypony that dared to stare in his eyes, and the havoc that resulted. But as the two ponies flew with their wings spread wide, neither found fear in their hearts.

Each carried a saddlebag, with their cutie mark as the latch. Inside the bags were six artefacts of great power: the ultimate achievement of their parents, Aries and Candice.

The Elements of Harmony lay snug in the canvas, waiting to be unleashed.

As the Reaper approached a small lake, the alicorns decided to strike. They both touched a metal bracer on their horns, a tiny jewel glowing for a fraction of a second before coating their horns and part of their head in steel-hard, reflective crystal. Celestia’s glowing bright pink, while Luna’s was an azure blue. Silently they flew down to the Reaper, and without a sound they landed behind him as he gazed out onto the lake.

“How nice of you to visit your older brother.” said the black alicorn as hooves hit dirt.

Celestia and Luna turned to look at each other as the Reaper turned around.

“What? Surprised I knew you were coming? Hahaha....fools.” He drew his scythe from his back, holding it aloft with his magic. “There are other things that I know of...such as the fact that you want me gone. I don’t want to go. Especially by the orders of my younger sisters.”

“You had your chance.” said Celestia.

“And your soldiers ruined it.” replied the Reaper.

“No. Not then. A long time ago, when your destiny was complete.” said Luna.

“My destiny is not complete. It is far from it. And if you want to stop me,” he said, spinning his scythe. “You’re going to have to end me. Walk away. Live another day. Heed the advice of your brother.”

“No. You are a threat to all ponykind. You must be stopped.” said both alicorn princesses simultaneously.

“Then I have no choice but to sentence you to an early grave. Prepare to die.”

The Reaper raised his scythe, a dark purple glow forming around the blade. Like a horn, the black metal focused the alicorn’s power, creating a massive sphere of energy at its tip. Roaring with anger, the Reaper pointed the scythe at his siblings, sending a black energy beam directly at the princesses.

Celestia and Luna nodded at each other, before firing two energy bolts, one yellow, one blue that met each other in midair and converged into a bigger, stronger, red sphere. Pumping more and more magic into the ball, the alicorn princesses unleashed their own energy beam, that hit the Reaper’s in midair.

Sensing a defeat, the Reaper pushed harder for a split second, then released his beam, jumping to avoid the red one. He landed on all fours, still spinning his scythe. The princesses dropped their channeling, and raised their horns to the sky. They charged the Reaper with haste, focusing all their magic into increasing their speed.

The Reaper met Celestia’s charge with his blade, but was powerless to stop Luna from plunging her horn into the side of his chest. He had reacted too slow, and failed to evade her quick strike. Dark black liquid poured from the wound, and with a shock the Reaper realized it was his own blood.

Celestia unleashed a blast of pure light at the black alicorn, tearing the scythe from his grip and throwing him into the lake. Luna followed with a bolt of lightning, electrifying the water and electrocuting the Reaper. A blast of electricity flowed through his body as the liquid drowned out his screams.

Fighting to stay aloft, the Reaper summoned the shadows to his aid. Tendrils of darkness plucked him out for the waves, holding him above the water. He raised his hoof, and sent a blast of dark mist at Celestia. The coil of darkness hit her horn, shattering the crystal overlayer and cracking her bracer. As Celestia stared dumbfounded at her broken weapon, Luna tried her electrical blast again, arcing another bolt at the Reaper.

Smiling, he held up his hoof, catching the lightning and forming it into a ball. Carefully, he allowed the shadows to leak into it, turning the bright blue sphere into a dark black one. This he tossed after Luna, and it shattered her Crystal Horn as well.

With the royal sisters disarmed and damaged, there was nothing to stop the Reaper from ending their very lives. He raised both hooves to the sky as black clouds gathered above him, the water that surrounded him turning thick, like mud. He sent a wave of darkness over the ground, petrifying trees and burning the grass. The ground and water blended together as everything around him became a black vortex of absolute darkness.

“You’re both going to enjoy Hell very, very much.” said the Reaper.

“No.”

The Reaper was taken aback by the princesses’ defiance.

“What? What did you say?”

“We said, NO!” shouted both alicorn princesses. They spread their wings, taking to the skies. The Reaper yelled after them, pointing his hoof towards the two flyers. Huge tendrils of darkness rose out of the black abyss that was the ground, and reached after the alicorns, trying to grab them.

Celestia and Luna nodded at each other, and magically opened their saddlebags.

The Reaper saw the flash of light as six unremarkable jewels floated out of the bags. Under the princess’ control, the gems began to spin around them, forming two concentric rings that surrounded the alicorns. A blast of light burst from them as the jewels spun so fast they became invisible, and the dark tendrils retreated to the ground. The Reaper cursed his siblings loudly, but the princesses were unaffected by his shout. Instead, they turned so they faced the ground where their brother stood, and closed their eyes.

The Elements stopped their movement, forming a pentagon with five gems on the outside and a single purple gem shaped like a six-pointer star in the center. Beams of colored light shot from the outer jewels into the central one, and they glowed with pure light as a rainbow-colored beam shot out of the star. The Reaper saw the blast coming and fired a jet out pure darkness against it, meeting the rainbow mid-flight.

Energy burst from the collision as the princesses met the Reaper in a massive energy clash. The epicenter of the two beams glowed bright yellow, constantly shifting as the duelists focused more and more power into their respective attack. At first, the dark jet of the Reaper managed to hold a successful defence, but after several minutes of deadlocked battle, the black alicorn’s magical reserves were almost completely gone. With the endless power of the Elements at their disposal, the princesses were able to push the epicenter closer to the Reaper, and as his power failed him, covered the black alicorn with the rainbow beam.

The bright light of the Elemental Convergence shattered the Reaper. As he took the full force of the blast, he felt his skin begin to peel off. He felt his coat turning into ash. The massive attack that cascaded down upon him was finally too much for him to bear, and with a final scream of pain the Reaper dissolved into nothingness, his flesh and bones turning into a fine, gray powder.

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From the personal Journal of Princess Luna, the year 2046, thirteen years after the defeat of Saaroklir.

We’ve done it.

I never thought I’d say this, but we did it. We were strong enough to break death. The Elements aided us greatly. After a terrifying energy clash, we finally succeeded in destroying his corporeal form. Tia and I sealed his ashes into a metal urn and bound it with magic chains. I personally placed the urn in a stone cave, then we both brought the mountainside down on top of it. We won’t be seeing our older brother anytime soon, that’s for sure. May he rest forever in a tomb of his own creation.

Libra is freaking out again over her new boyfriend. Mother and father’s only biological daughter is freaking out over a love hat will last maybe a few months at best. Then again, that Shining Sword is cute. Maybe I’ll check him out when they break up.

Anyway, I just glad the Reaper is gone. I never would have expected such a brutish figure to be my older brother. Tia says she didn’t know either until Mother just straight up told us. Funny how being a fellow Marcher like us entitles you to kill and aid whomever you wish and never, ever be punished by it. Its almost like...being a god.

I feel so empty when Mother is gone. Tia has all the responsibility, and I’m stuck with nothing. but a pitiful moon and nopony to play with when they’re all asleep. At least Mother makes me feel worth something. Tia just overshadows me.

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Celestia was woken from her sleep by a loud shout. Fearing for the worse, she galloped to her sister’s chamber, only to find her bed empty and the window ajar. Running to the open shutters, she saw her sister fly away into the night.

“LUNA!!!!” she shouted after her. “LUNA!!!!!! COME BACK!!!”

The alicorn that flew with the winds did little to heed her screams.

“LUNA!!!!!”

Celestia’s tears mixed with her sister’s on the carpeted floor.

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From the orders of the Royal Equestrian Army, the year 2050, and the beginning of the Lunar Rebellion.

To Colonel Thunder of the 24th Pegasi Flight division,

Double your search, Colonel. The Princess wants her sister found before anything bad happens. Make all your stallions run double shifts. I don’t care what it takes. We need the Princess of the Night, and we need her now.

We have a lead that says to search in the Dark Forests to the east of Las Pegasus. Put more flyers there, Colonel. The nation is depending on you.

Signed,

Major General Storm Strike

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From a charcoal rubbing of a runestone found outside the Dark Forest,

Abandon all hope, all who enter,

For your love and your hate feed us,

and we will become you, and take your place.

And the Nightmares fester here, because here is where it began,

And dreams and time will stop, and the darkness will reign again.

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From the personal journal of Princess Luna, the year 2050, and the beginning of the Lunar Rebellion.

I hate Tia so much. I hate her sun and I hate her light. I wish it was gone forever.

I’m going to find mother. She knows what to do.

Even a crazy mare is better than her.