Intro

Princess Luna's eyes scanned across Equestria for any signs of danger. Normally, she would stand at the top of the palace tower in Canterlot and gaze out across the dark lands as her moon illuminated the villages and towns, but for the past few days she had been having trouble merely standing by, and she could no longer do so. If her fears were realized then Equestria would be placed in the utmost danger and she wasn’t sure it could survive this particular danger, no matter who stood against it.

Still, if she could prevent it, if she could stop it before it began, then nopony would have to worry and she could keep her secret to herself. She hated herself for allowing the situation to get this far out of hoof, but she wasn’t thinking right all those years ago, and up until very recently she hadn’t given thought to her dark creation. She had created it shortly before she became Nightmare Moon, and that monster was going to be the ace up her sleeve. It was the perfect weapon to fight alongside her and vanquish any foe that stood against her. She dreaded the thought of having to face what she specifically made to be unstoppable.

The signs were clear; she could not put it off any longer. If it was awakening, she had to be there. Her presence might just complete the awakening cycle and unleash her dark creation, but if she could arrive in time and stop the process altogether, then this hellish curse could be ended once and for all and disaster would be averted.

The mountains were cold and quiet as Luna descended upon them. She was almost out of Equestrian territory by now, but she had intended for her weapon to be kept hidden from Celestia’s gaze all along. To both her relief and dread, Celestia never did find out about her secret work here. Part of her wished that her older sister did figure it out, but the creature had been asleep for over 1,000 years and it was being awoken by something…she was sure of that now. Perhaps its power had just grown too immense to remain in a state of slumber.

She could feel the power flowing out of the cavern’s maw, enticing the monster to retreat from its sleep and return to Equestria to fulfill its mission. Her royal etiquette and posture left her as the mountain wind blew past her backside and through her mane, leaving her to quietly and quickly enter the darkness of the cave. Her very presence was disturbing to the natural order of the cavern and the chills she got when she wandered in were proof of that. She heard her words from long ago echo throughout the rock passages; dark magic was a truly awful force to get involved with, and a horrifying opposition to fight.

Let one rise that shall not fall; let one come from beyond who cannot fail,
Let him conquer in the name of night; let him make the sun’s light frail.
Let one come who will not be deterred and will not be defeated,
Let one come who knows death, and Tartarus, has cheated.
Let my champion arise from black fire and complete his lunar task:
Let him vanquish all the sun’s light; let nopony in such things bask.

The words of Luna’s ancient enchantment crept along the walls and whispered in the wind. She vaguely remembered her words echoing around her as she brought it to life, but they were hardly noticeable. Now, they overtook any possible majestic qualities of the mountain and corrupted it entirely, made it shadow, kept it in darkness and despair.

Luna looked behind her before going down another dark passageway that had been forged from the rock long ago. She followed it down as the enchantment rang out again, slightly louder and more intimidating this time. She had to compose herself every so often, for the darkness inherent in the cave was shed from her own spirit once upon a time, and she knew that while that side of her was completely subdued, it was not destroyed. It could never truly be destroyed, not in her, not in anypony. Yet as she drew near the creation of her dark magic and evil spirit, that side of her screamed and fought to come out again and rule her as it once did. She was the slightest bit tempted to unlock the prison for it and let it possess her in an unholy corruption, but such thoughts were immediately swept away by the light inside of her.

At last she came upon its chamber. The entrance was sealed away by a magical spell that was impossible for almost anypony to undo, but being the caster, she was easily able to release it, and did so with uneasy confidence.

A foul wind shot through the stone gates as they opened. A black, magical aura encased the lone, still figure of a pony in its power. When she last left it, the magic around the figure was barely sustaining it, but keeping it preserved until she needed it. Because she was never able to summon it to her before her banishment, it had been resting all that time, gathering in strength and raw power.

Let one rise that shall not fall; let one come from beyond who cannot fail,
Let him conquer in the name of night; let him make the sun’s light frail.
Let one come who will not be deterred and will not be defeated,
Let one come who knows death, and Tartarus, has cheated.
Let my champion arise from black fire and complete his lunar task:
Let him vanquish all the sun’s light; let nopony in such things bask.

Her old words were now encased in a shadowed voice that instilled doubt and fear into Luna’s soul. She shed a single tear and gathered her magic to her horn, preparing to forever end what she had desecrated and brought back so long ago for such a futile purpose.

Yet as her horn glowed brightly a new aura entered the room and blew past her. Her eyes widened with shock as the familiar energies of the Nightmare Force, that which stalked her as she descended into jealousy and frustration, and later even possessed her and turned her into Nightmare Moon, entered the dark aura of the still figure.

She fired her magic at it and encased within her blast as much power as she could muster, so much so that her horn was singed and smoked as she saw the figure’s eyes go white and absorb the power of her attack. It had been lying on a rock slab when she entered, but now it levitated and slowly turned its face towards her.

“No…” She whispered in disbelief and fled as it set its hooves on the stone floor, keeping its head down and white eyes looking into the mountain below it.

She was too late; doom was certain for Equestria now, for The Reaper of the Night, the Darkest Warrior of the Moon, the horrifying and dreaded Deadpony had awakened.

Chapter 1: Rise Up

Luna raced through the skies as thunderclouds began to form around the mountain range she left behind. She knew that the ponies in the villages and settlements near her old hideout were in grave danger, but she had to find Celestia first. When her sister knew of Luna’s mistake they could take action against it together, but to act alone was foolish. Luna wasn’t strong enough alone, and even with Celestia it would be almost impossible to defeat the Deadpony now that the Nightmare Force had empowered and possessed it. Thunder struck and lashed out from the skies near the mountains as they shrunk from Luna’s view. Time was of the essence now that it had been awakened. Time was another enemy they had to fight in this battle.

…
Celestia’s face seemed fixated on the floor while Luna revealed all that she had done before her betrayal and banishment. The Princess of the Sun took in the information and dwelt on it, dissected it for details and hints as to any possible weakness or strategy worthy of use against the Deadpony. Luna looked somewhat flustered and ashamed, but to her credit did not cry or break down, and was able to admit her foolish actions with bravery and a will to amend the situation. When Luna had finished explaining, her sister looked up with solemnity and what Luna could best describe as a pained look.

“Sister, I am…very sorry and very ashamed for doing this and I-“ Luna tried to explain her actions, but was stopped quickly with only a glance from her older sister.

“I understand your actions. We can discuss this more later if you’d like, but I do not hold this against you any more than I do myself. It was an action taken out of spite and fueled by anger...an anger directed at me. I think we both hold regrets from those days, but we now must deal with the Deadpony and ensure Equestria survives,” Celestia said with an urgency that combined well with her natural grace and understanding, making her the ultimate leader in Luna’s eyes.

The Princess of the Night nodded in agreement and watched her sister fly up to the balcony, following her a few seconds later. The moon was still shining proudly and the land still shrouded in many places as the sisters looked out earnestly towards the mountain range that kept the Deadpony hidden for so long.

“How did you create the Deadpony, Luna?” Celestia asked after a few seconds of gazing out upon the gathering storm from the direction of the mountains.

“I used a long dead pony warrior…before you and I ascended, before Starswirl…before most known history, he existed, I think,” Luna answered, a little bit of the shame from before coming back to her as she explained.

“What made him so special?”

“I was…drawn to him. I stumbled upon his makeshift grave by accident, actually, in a forgotten battleground not far from those mountains. I do not know for sure, but I believe the Nightmare Force possessed him once, before finding me. I think it drew me to him in my quest for a loyal, powerful ally.”

“I see…that is most troubling.”

“Somehow I knew that the long dead unicorn was powerful, and I knew I could make him even more powerful if I reanimated him, so I began exploring dark magic. Not long after that, I had created an undead warrior to do my bidding, and shortly thereafter, I became Nightmare Moon.”

“Perhaps if the Deadpony has a connection to the Nightmare Force we can exploit it,” Celestia wondered aloud to her sister, “You were defeated with the Elements of Harmony, so I’d naturally assume that would be our best bet against him.”

“I would think the same thing, but having reanimated him myself, I know that he is specifically resistant to most magical attacks, and even a potent blast of mine when he was just awakening had no effect. I know the Elements are powerful, but I’m not sure if their magic is more powerful than that which binds together the Deadpony,” Luna replied and got closer to her sister as the Princess of Day began to write on a scroll.

“In any case, we need all the help we can get. I’m summoning the Elements now.”

“Should we get Cadence and Shining Armor?” Luna asked and looked out to the storm again as its ominous clouds crept slowly away from the refuge of the mountains and towards the citizens in the outskirts of the land.

“Yes. The Deadpony is certainly a force to be reckoned with, and I doubt we could defeat him without all three Princesses.”

“Sister…?” Luna asked, sounding more unsure than ashamed for the first time.

“We will defeat him Luna. Equestria has faced grim odds before, but the Nightmare Force fared as well as Sombra, Discord, or Tirek from long ago. The Deadpony is not unbeatable,” Celestia assured and finished her letter, transporting it to Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville.

“I know we will…I was just going ask you if you knew the Spell of Reanimation Unsealing.”

“What?” Celestia asked, caught off guard, her eyes going wide for a moment, and then smiling softly for a brief second, replied, “I do not know it. I am aware of it and I know Starswirl knew it, but I do not. It is a rare magical talent.”

Luna looked down in disappointment, “To reanimate a pony, only one is needed, but to break a reanimation spell, two are required. Is there anypony else who would know it?”

“I doubt Cadence would know it…and Shining Armor is completely unfamiliar with dark magic. If anypony else would know it or would know how to learn it, it would be Twilight.”

“Let us hope she can; the dark magic reanimation techniques are some of the most difficult to learn, and if you are not well prepared to learn it and commit to it, you will fail.”

“I know Twilight well enough to confidently tell you that while I and Cadence may not be able to learn it in time, Twilight will be. She exceeds both you and I in her ability to quickly and efficiently learn magic, she will go farther than any of us ever have before.”

“Very good…our attacks will likely prove ineffective, and I wasn’t sure another reanimation user could be found, but if Twilight is as good as you say, then we have a sure way of defeating the Deadpony.”

“Yes…the problem will be allowing the two users time and opportunity to cast it…and knowing how tough of a foe the Deadpony is, that will not be an easy feat,” Celestia commented grimly, yet still retained glimpses of her natural grace and composure.

“Agreed. I detest the notion of sending in guards, being that they are powerless against such a foe, but the Royals and the Element users alone cannot bring about the end of the Deadpony,” Luna told her sister, speaking the hard truth that Celestia, though used to bearing by now, still dreaded to acknowledge.

“I know. As guards it is their mission to defend Equestria at any cost, but it would not be unlike making a filly wrestle with a Manticore."

“They are prepared to do their jobs,” Luna responded, unsure if her elder sister had actually been considering not making the guards go, but the look the Princess of the Night received taught her better. Celestia valued all life, but she knew that the guards were trained to defend the land, no matter the opponent. To keep them from this battle would not only make a mockery of their work and their lives, but make the burden that much heavier for the Royals and the Elements.

“Then we should muster up the entire Canterlot force and gather the militias from nearby towns,” Luna said with a slight look of peculiarity, almost feeling as if she were giving orders to her sister.

“If only we had something else to rely on…” Celestia spoke up and trailed off, going deep into thought and leaving Luna silent as she prepared the summons for Cadence and Shining Armor.

“Do you have anything in mind?” Luna asked once she had gotten about halfway through the summons and noticed that her sister was still silent.

“I am ashamed to have thought such a thing,” Celestia admitted with what Luna was shocked to perceive as bashful embarrassment.

“What is it?” Luna again inquired, now quite curious to find out what Celestia was thinking.

“It is an unthinkable act that I refuse to resort to unless all else fails,” Celestia replied with more noticeable shame, and turned her head from Luna’s view.

“But what? Why won’t you tell me?” Luna asked in concern and the slightest of aggravation, having realized the immense threat of the Deadpony was already beginning to strain its opposition.

“No. I will not speak of it. It is something we cannot do. Not unless Equestria itself is at the very brink of utter destruction and absolute peril will I even consider taking this course of action. Do not persist in this matter,” Celestia warned and caused Luna to turn away silently and go look out at the storm again.

The first town was just barely out of reach of the fogs of the Deadpony, and she knew that soon enough Equestria itself would be in such danger. It was only a matter of time before all felt the wrath of the Deadpony.

…
Applejack and Rarity rushed into the Golden Oaks library as Owlowiscious let out a hoot while the winds tattered across the sleeping town.

“Twilight, everypony’s here!” Rainbow called out to a pacing Twilight, who quickly stumbled down stairs and ran towards the now completely gathered group of friends.

“Oh thank Celestia you’re finally here,” Twilight exclaimed, “we have to leave for Canterlot right away! Princess Celestia has already sent several sky chariots down for us.”

The group rushed outside behind the large tree and found six pegasi guards with three chariots waiting for them.

“Twilight, what in Sam Hay is going on?” Applejack asked, looking towards the purple unicorn, then at some of the others to see if they knew anything about the situation, but as of yet Twilight had not shared any information.

“A great danger is approaching Equestria,” Was all Twilight told them as she and Fluttershy got into the first chariot.

“Think you could explain a bit more than that?” Rainbow asked as she and Applejack climbed into the second chariot; Rarity and Pinkie hopped into the third, and then they were off.

“Princess Celestia has summoned us to Canterlot immediately in order to take up the Elements. A new threat has risen against Equestria. She called it by name only once…The Deadpony.”

“Deadpony?” Fluttershy repeated quickly and dove straight into Twilight’s side, grasping at it for dear life and looking around the chariot nervously as if the Deadpony itself was about to spring upon them any second.

“As in...dead…dead?” Applejack asked, fearing the answer to come.

“Yes. She didn’t tell me much, but the Deadpony is an ancient, undead warrior who has now been possessed by the Nightmare Force. This will be the toughest battle Equestria has faced in a long time.”

“Is he like Discord bad? Discord was pretty bad!” Pinkie exclaimed with a swift chipper that didn’t fit the situation well but fit Pinkie herself like a glove.

“Princess Celestia only said that the Deadpony is a threat not to be taken lightly,” Twilight replied in all seriousness.

“But surely the Elements can deal with this Deadpony, just like Discord and Nightmare Moon, right?” Rarity questioned as Canterlot drew nearer.

“Princess Celestia isn’t sure, but we have to try it. We have to try anything that might stop it,” Twilight responded and let herself exhale nervously as the group climbed the clouds.

For the next few minutes, silence abounded and the group was dropped off and greeted by Princesses Celestia and Luna, and lead towards the Elements.

“Thank you all for coming in this time of great need. I will not lie to you, this will be a vicious conflict, but with you there to assist us, it can be ended sooner and cause less destruction and pain,” Celestia welcomed the group while Luna chose to remain silent as they walked on.

“But Princess, where is the Deadpony? And what does he want?” Twilight eagerly inquired of her teacher.

“I won’t reveal everything to you, but I will tell you that he is coming here to Canterlot,” Celestia told them and raised her hoof out towards an ominous storm far away in the distance, “and he seeks only to bring pain and horrors upon Equestria in his pursuit to bring eternal darkness and evil.”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy cowered behind Rainbow, sticking close by the fellow pegasus as they entered the hall and walked on towards the room where the Elements were kept.

“Beware my little ponies,” Luna spoke to them for the first time, “I know his power well. You must be cautious at all times. Stay well behind us and use the Elements as soon as you can. If that does not work, then you must flee, for you will have no useful weapon against him.”

“I won’t run away, I’ll fight for Equestria until the end!” Rainbow boldly declared, but was shot a look that spoke of needed discipline by Luna as Celestia unlocked the door and the mane six took possession of their Elements once more.

“I will explain the plan of attack to you while we wait for Cadence and Shining Armor to arrive. Once we are all assembled, we will go out and meet him at the limits of the city,” Celestia declared and led them off, leaving behind only Luna, and Twilight, who had been stopped from going away.

“Twilight, you must work with me to learn a special spell that will be able to stop the Deadpony. Nopony else can learn it in time and you must be able to perform the spell with me if all else fails so that the Deadpony can be stopped,” Luna informed her sister’s pupil with a serious and commanding tone that felt a little unnatural to her character, but at the same time was a side of The Lunar Princess that Twilight admired and wanted to see more.

“What spell is it?” Twilight questioned Luna as she led her away from the room where the Elements were normally locked in.

“It is the spell of Reanimation Unsealing. It is a dark magic technique that is extremely difficult to learn and use in a short span of time, but you are special Twilight Sparkle, and you will be able to learn it in short time we have been allotted. I will guide you.”

“I understand,” Twilight replied with a boldness and determination to not let everypony down that actually shocked Luna for a small moment.

“The Deadpony will meet minimal resistance as it makes it way here, so we will have a limited amount of time to prepare. When it arrives, we must be ready to use the Elements and if need be, also this spell, to stop him.”

“How do we know it will come here?” Twilight asked, her curiosity to know the full complexity of the situation taking hold of her.

“It seeks to bring upon the world everlasting darkness. It will come after Celestia and I, for it is we that control the sun and moon.”

“I see…”

Luna took Twilight out to the gardens and stopped her in front of a batch of shrubbery.

“Now, focus Twilight Sparkle, focus on that bush,” Luna instructed, pointing towards a neatly trimmed Canterlot bush near them, “focus on its natural energy and life force, and when you can fully feel and grasp it, you must extinguish it.”

“Extinguish it?” Twilight asked in concern, completely breaking her concentration and looking on at the Princess of the Night with a look of concern.

“The Deadpony was raised as an undead reanimation. He has a life force, albeit a tainted and foul one, like everything else, and in order to stop him, we must be able to extinguish his life force. Unlike that bush, however, the Deadpony will be able to fight back and break our concentration and our hold on his life force. The idea is that the others will distract him long enough so that we can defeat him with his own conquered life force. Yet, you must be as skilled as you can be with the spell by the time he arrives, for it will be no easy task, regardless of the assistance we will receive,” Luna told her before making her focus on the bush again.

“OK…focus on the life force…” Twilight repeated and stood still, working on the spell that Luna and the others required her to learn. Twilight only hoped that things would never get so desperate.

Her friends watched Princess Celestia lie out the plan and give them their roles. Each was scared, especially poor Fluttershy, and each dreaded to meet the foe that caused them such fear to be born in the minds of the Princesses, but Twilight say them each ready to do their part. Their commitment made her all the more eager to play her own part and help stop the Deadpony before it was too late.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight caught the attention of the Princess of the Night who was looking out to the storm far away.

“Yes Twilight Sparkle?” Luna responded with the slightest of annoyance.

“How did the Deadpony find its way to Equestria…I mean, how did it get its purpose?”

“As I would expect you are the first to seek the knowledge behind our enemy. You need not concern yourself with his history, only know that he is a strong opponent that will not falter in his blows and will not easily allow himself to be destroyed. Be wary, Twilight Sparkle, be wary of this battle, and make sure you can do what id required of you.”

“Yes, Princess,” Twilight quickly replied and turned her focus back on the spell.

Clearly the sisters did not want to divulge the entire story, and it was not Twilight’s place to demand it, but she hoped that more would be revealed later.

…
A squadron of royal guards hurried through the quiet streets as citizens huddled together in fear as they passed before continuing to evacuate. The storm was abnormally low to the ground and very, very close to the small village.

“Get into position! He’s coming!” One of the officers shouted to the rest with confidence and pride in his command. Meanwhile the storm seemed to head over the nearby hill and a figure made its way up.

The unicorns got behind the Earth ponies while the Pegasi took flight, hovering above their comrades but taking care to avoid the wrath of the storm.

The lone figure of the Deadpony, now fully within sight, was covered with a black aura and many shadows. The body itself was composed of reanimated, black flesh and its eyes seemed to be sinister, bright, white flashes within the eye sockets, very much akin to the flowing mane and tail. Its horn had been cracked at some time in his life, and the crack also shone with white light. He was quite tall, taller than every guard present, and his cutie mark, a sword sticking into a grave, lit up with the same white light as the eyes as the soldiers looked intently upon him.

The thunder and lightening ceased for a moment as it set its own eyes upon the large group of guards that opposed it. All were quiet and no living pony dared do much more than breath silently as their foe took in the scene. Even if their commander gave them an order, many were too awestruck to move.

In an instant the thunder and lightning roared out like nopony had ever heard or seen before, and almost every pegasi crashed into the ground swiftly and painfully.

No words came from the Deadpony’s mouth, nor did he make a sound, as the officer finally managed to order the troops to attack. It silently let the few foolish enough to face it do what they pleased. Three Earth ponies charged at it with shaky battle cries, holding their javelins out as best they could. The Deadpony lit up his horn and white energy flowed from it. The stallions were immediately seized with his magic aura and struggled to move and breath as the same white aura in the Deadpony’s eyes filled theirs. They all stopped the struggle and fell to the ground in catatonic states.

Several guards were still too shaken to move or react, but many had regained their willpower just enough to charge in after their fallen allies. The unicorns fired magical blasts at the still figure of the Deadpony, only to have him erect a shield that reflected the blasts back at the attackers. The magic of the blasts was now tainted with the power of the Deadpony and rendered anypony who was hit in the same condition as the first three.

The Pegasi swooped down and attacked from the air while the other earth ponies ran in with javelins and swords. The Deadpony summoned a wave of fire that burst forth from his figure, singing and roasting any pegasi that got too close as well as preventing the earth ponies from reaching their target. The unlucky pegasi fell to the ground and rolled around wildly and screaming as their fur was burned and their tissue seared with pain.

“Come on! For Celestia, for Equestria! Charge!” The same officer shouted, but his rally was to no avail. All the guards that were unable to attack before now fled after the civilians. Those who dared to stay and fight grouped together and prepared their strategy in low voices.

“Alright! Unicorns follow the Earth ponies; be prepared to teleport if things turn sour. Pegasi, keep moving and make a distraction, we’ll take him yet,” The officer explained the new plan, but he was immediately teleported away from the group and onto the floor in front of the Deadpony. The leader’s limbs were trapped at his side by the powerful magic of his undead foe and he could not escape the tight grip he was held in.

“Captain!” One of the other guards cried out and began to run over with the others, not making it a few steps before stopping completely.

All were paralyzed by fear upon seeing the captain levitated up to the eye level of the Deadpony, each staring with a different emotion into the other. The captain’s eyes filled with dread as the eyes of the Deadpony shown with power and supernatural mystique. The guards saw the leader’s very strength taken from him as his toned muscles shriveled up and hung limply from his bones. His scream went from masculine and strong to weak and sickly.

The leader dropped with a thud and attempted to crawl away as the Deadpony stepped over him, heading towards the group of soldiers who fell into disorder with their commander incapacitated. All had forgotten or forsaken the new plan, for all finally realized how very futile it was to stand against the Deadpony, and brave as they were for standing up to him this much, none could muster up enough prowess to fight him any longer.

The Deadpony spoke for the first time since his rebirth, his voice coated with the eerie potency of his power and a deep tone that spread terror among their ranks: “None shall leave this skirmish unharmed, for it is the unholy charge of the Deadpony to bring darkness to all. Now…enter darkness and live your miserable lives in utter despair and tragic unfulfillment.”

With that, their unimaginably powerful foe bound each guard with his magic and rendered them unable to move, talk, or think as their eyes filled up to match that of the Deadpony’s. They all dropped to the ground and lay motionless as the Deadpony walked through the town, destroying buildings and laying waste to that which he found with his dark talents.

The guards that could do nothing more than flee now looked back from a distance upon the town as fires blazed across it and earthquakes made it shake and crumble.

“We failed…we could not stop him,” One of the youngest guards told his compatriots.

“We couldn’t slow him down,” Another corrected as most of the group stopped to look back with them.

“We were no match for him. May Celestia fare better, for if not, then the world has as much a chance as that town,” A third added in shame and lowered his head in both respect for those who had undoubtedly fallen and in repentance for his own cowardice in the face of the gravest danger in many generations.

Chapter 2: Armament

Author's Notes:

SMALL SPOILERS FOR THIS CHAPTER BELOW, BUT NECESSARY TO KNOW WHEN THE STORY COMES TO LUNA:
...
...
...
For the telepathic scene:
...
...
...
Purple-Luna

Dark Gray/Normal text- Deadpony

Nightmare Force- Light Gray

Twilight had never experienced a more difficult spell. If she wasn't aggressive enough the spell would not work and Luna warned that the enemy would have the perfect opportunity to take hold of her own life force. If that happened, The Deadpony would be able to use a similar spell to render Twilight paralyzed and under his control, perhaps even force her to fight her friends and the Princesses. Luna warned that she might not be able to stop Twilight from being taken over if this was the case, but Twilight could not be too aggressive with the spell either. If she was, the life force of the Deadpony would be conquered and would be defeated, but at a terrible cost. Twilight's life force would suffer the reaction of a too aggressive spell and would also diminish, a fate which nopony, no matter how powerful, could save her from.

Sweat fell from her chin as her face contorted from the concentration and sheer raw energy it took to perform the spell. Bushes and trees were one thing, but a pond was quite another. Luna suggested that a particular pond in the gardens would be an excellent tool for practice because the pond was not a single thing; water, vegetation, and many rocks came together to form the pond that ponies could examine and delight in. If too much focus was placed on just one part then she would fail her set parameters. She had to learn efficiency, control, and endurance, and this was easily the best thing in Canterlot to practice with to attain such skills.

While Twilight silently but fiercely struggled with the spell Princess Celestia spoke with many guard captains and arranged the tactics of their defensive measures. The captains were dedicated to the cause, but Celestia could easily sense the unnerving effect The Deadpony on each of them since reports came in of the destruction of the small town near the mountains.

"Princess, we have established six defensive stations inside the city and have evacuated all civilians from the capitol," one of the guards reported as he pointed out the stations on a map of the city.

"In addition," another captain pointed out, "several parties have been sent out to towns along the projected path of the Deadpony and have begun relocation efforts to bring civilians to safer locations."

"And what of the towns on the other side of Canterlot?" Celestia questioned as a another captain joined the group.

"They have been left with the bare minimum number of guards to maintain order and relative stability during this crisis while the rest join the attack effort," one of them replied.

"How many guards are being sent off to attack before he arrives here?"

"At this point we have sent well over 300 Princess, but we can send as many more as needed, or even recall those who have yet to face him."

"Send in more. I will trust your judgement as to the exact number, but we need more time; Twilight has a ways to go in learning the spell, and Cadence and Shining Armor have not yet arrived."

"As you wish, Princess," the guard responded and ran off after bowing to her.

The meeting continued and more orders were given while the Element users waited with themselves out in the city. Everypony that remained was a guard and most of them were running around to find a peer or to join a group in a task assigned to them by the Princess of the sun. Despite her enormous amount of responsibilities and all the questions and problems presented to her in the crisis, Celestia still found the time to raise the sun, and its rays shone out over the land in a sort of grim embrace. It was a more somber day than normal.

"Fluttershy, calm down, The Deadpony is nowhere near Canterlot!" Rainbow attempted to comfort her timid friend, though in the usual loud and confident tone that was a vital part of her character. Fluttershy remained hidden behind Applejack, shaking and looking nervously around.

"Oh I hope so...I really, really hope so..." Fluttershy managed to respond.

"Rainbow's right, Sugarcube, he's nowhere close. Even if he was the Princesses would protect us while we used the Elements to stop him," Applejack told her and put her hoof on Fluttershy's back, prompting her to stand up fully and rest easy in the company of her friends.

"That's if the Elements work, I mean we have no idea what stops this Deadpony pony. Maybe he just needs to have a cupcake?" Pinkie shrugged and offered, trying to brighten up the mood in a way that only Pinkie Pie could manage.

"I'm not so sure that'll do it, Pinkie," Rarity replied with a small giggle.

"And anyways, Twilight's working on that super powerful spell with Princess Luna, right? So everything will be fine, no need to worry. That Deadpony has got another thing coming if he thinks he'll be bringing eternal night to Equestria!" Rainbow proudly told her friends.

"That plan hasn't really worked out before," Rarity commented with a smile akin to Rainbow's on her face.

"You know this Deadpony fella reminds me of a villain we faced once...I can't place a hoof on a name though!" Pinkie told her friends and rubbed her hoof across her chin in thought.

"Try Nightmare Moon," Rainbow told her with the slightest of annoyance.

"Are you sure? I don't think that's it..." Pinkie replied and plopped down on the ground to continue the hard thinking she had been doing.

Rainbow sighed as Applejack gave a snicker at Pinkie's antics, though neither was really sure if she was serious...or just egging them along in another attempt to get a few laughs in. Before anypony else could speak up, they were joined by a guest who approached them so subtly none of them realized she was there until she spoke.

"As you surmise, The Deadpony is indeed related to Nightmare Moon," Princess Celestia confirmed as they all looked behind them to see the Princess of Day standing tall.

"No way! What are they, brother and sister?" Pinkie asked as everypony else bowed.

"I suppose there is no need to hide the truth...at least not from you," Celestia told them, causing the Element users to look at one another with confusion and interest.

"When my sister was on the road to becoming Nightmare Moon, she used dark magic to reanimate a dead pony warrior," Celestia explained to them, Fluttershy already having jumped behind Pinkie and peering out to Celestia with eyes wide open, "She intended to use him against any foe that was too strong for her alone. If things had gone differently at the Summer Sun Celebration, you might have faced him then and there. However that was not the case, and he grew in power for 1,000 years, finally awakening just last night, as Luna feared."

"So Princess Luna created this Deadpony fella to help her bring eternal night?" Applejack asked and slowly scratched the back of her head.

"Yes, and that goal has been carried on now that the force that controlled my sister has inherited the reanimated body of the Deadpony. It is now a more powerful foe than ever before."

"But why were you so secretive with this information?" Rarity asked.

"In part because my sister is still partially dealing with her actions as Nightmare Moon, and we agreed it might be best to keep this from most ponies, at least until after the Deadpony is stopped and the public regains its trust in Luna more. Aside from that, I did not wish for the pure terror of the idea frighten anypony away. We must stand against him together, for only united do we have a chance to stop him."

"Well the way I see it, his past don't change nothing. He's trying to bring eternal night to Equestria and we've got to stop him," Applejack proclaimed, the first to speak since Celestia's explanation.

"Yeah, Princess Luna's on our side now. The Deadpony better be prepared for a tough fight!" Rainbow added and smiled proudly to her friends.

"With such a spirit I know the Deadpony cannot break your will. It will be a tough fight, but by no means impossible. Stand firmly in the magic of friendship and be prepared to help one another in times of need. We will achieve victory my little ponies, remember this well," Celestia told them before turning away and heading off to attend to another matter.

"She's right, ya know. As long as we're there for each other, nothing can stop us. We've got to trust each other and help each other fight this guy," Applejack affirmed.

"Agreed," Rarity concurred.

"Yeah! We've got friendship on our side, and everypony knows friendship is technically three and three-fifths points better than a brother-sister relationship! And his sister doesn't even like him right now!" Pinkie told them all and smiled in the thoughts of victory and success.

"I guess..." Fluttershy quietly added, a fake smile painted on her lips.

...

While Twilight continued to practice the spell with the pond, Luna found refuge in the shade of the nearby trees and quietly laid down, closing her eyes and focusing a communication spell. While her sister plotted out the defense of the city and their plans of attack and her sister's pupil taking what Luna had told her to work on the spell, her duties were mostly fulfilled. She decided to put her "free time" to good use. She wasn't sure if her spell would work, and even if it did manage to find the recipient, it could always shut her out and refuse her.

She gasped slightly as the telepathic link between her and the Deadpony was opened:

Why have you made contact with The Deadpony?

You are no longer welcomed in my presence, Princess of the Night! You are weak!

Deadpony...you do not have to follow my orders from long ago. I was not myself, and I do not wish this plan to continue. Come to us in peace and we can revert the spell, you can go back to rest and we can all forget this conflict.

Keep your words to yourself! You will never sway my Deadpony. Never. I will NEVER let you compromise me again in my quest to bring eternal night and darkness to these lands!

Deadpony the choice is yours. You can end this quietly and easily, or you can bring about for yourself a hard end. Do not let my words from 1,000 years long past hold you back, and do not let the Nightmare Force influence you as it has and did me when i brought you back.

Foolish Alicorn! The Deadpony is already mine! His actions are my will and his thoughts are my commands to him! You created him to be used by others, and I am taking advantage of that weakness. He will never escape me and you will not escape my wrath, brought to you through his power.

Deadpony, what do you think of all this? What does your own spirit tell you?

What have I told you? He is mine. He is my puppet, whatever nonsense you spout to him is lost. I will not be persuaded and he cannot react to you. You waste your time. Be gone and await your doom as it tears through the weakling guards you send to stop it and comes closer with each passing second.

No.

*gasp

What? How dare you speak? I am your master Deadpony!

No, you are a bigger fool than anypony. Did you think i could ever be controlled? I used your power the first time and I have used it now. However, my power has grown since last we were together, and I have no further need of you. Suffer in your own darkness.

AAAAARRRRRGGGHHH! YOU CANNOT DESTROY ME! I AM THE NIGHTMARE FORCE! I AM YOUR MASTER!

Luna heard the Nightmare Force actually shatter under the massive power and will of the Deadpony. Luna felt the chill race through her spine and down every corner of her body as the Nightmare Force's existence was erased from the land and from everywhere it had ever been, her own body included. It was actually gone forever.

You face the Deadpony and the Deadpony alone. I will bring eternal darkness to this land, and I will destroy you all. None can stand against my power and none will persuade me against my duties, not even you, the one who re-created me.

But why? What is it that draws you to this goal? What has made you seek eternal darkness?

I am the Deadpony, and it is my purpose to bring darkness to all, regardless of your commands and the similar goal of the Nightmare Force. Like him, Princess Luna, you will rest in piece.

No...I once thought that nothing would stop me. I once thought that my darkness would consume the life of Equestria and beyond, but I was wrong. Darkness can only be appreciated when compared to light, Deadpony.

No light can stop me. No sentiment can make me waver. No power of friendship or love will be my undoing. That is the difference between you and I, Luna. I am not a soul that has weakness. I am the Deadpony. I am darkness and evil incarnate. You were an imitation living under the control of the spirit of the Nightmare Force, the same weak spirit I just crushed. This will be your final end and the last day in history.

With that the Deadpony broke communication and the spell was undone. Luna breathed in deeply and exhaled with another shiver as she opened her eyes. Twilight had improved, slightly, since she opened up the spell. The Deadpony was certainly strong, but even he had limits, no matter how much he might think otherwise.

Luna got up and went over the practicing unicorn as she attempted to evenly coat the entire pond with her spell.

"Twilight Sparkle, for the moment your practice is sufficient," Luna told her.

"What? How can it be? I've only just started to get into the habit of properly distributing my power over the life force," Twilight responded, her face looking up in confusion and worry into Luna's.

"You need more practice, but you are plagued by fatigue now. You must let your body and your life force rest for a time, and I need to talk with you now."

"I suppose so...what's the matter?"

"Firstly, I just finished a telepathic communication spell with the Deadpony. I have learned that the Nightmare Force is no longer a problem," Luna explained as Twilight's eyes quickly lit up.

"Really? Why? What happened?"

"The Deadpony shattered it. Literally," Luna replied and made Twilight's glow quickly disappear.

"So he's getting stronger?" The unicorn asked, her face now looking down at the ground.

"He is, but we have not lost yet. He can still be defeated with this spell, we'll just have to fight harder than he does. It won't be easy, but it must be done, and your training will now go even faster and you will be able to learn more swiftly with a certain spell I have in mind. We will get to that after your rest. You might also want to get some food."

"Oh, yeah. Definitely going to get some food. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I need you to focus on me for a moment while I share something with you."

Luna's horn lit up with its magic glow as Twilight closed her eyes, her own horn lighting up. In her mind's eye Twilight felt a new presence enter into it. It was a strange feeling, but it didn't hurt. Twilight could best describe it as a kind of snapshot. A mere glimpse of another power that had been shown to her.

"What is it?" Twilight asked as she opened her eyes and both horns stopped glowing.

"It is the signature you must use when we face the Deadpony," Luna replied.

"What do you mean signature?" Twilight questioned.

"You have been using your life force to interact with those of living things, bushes, trees, and a pond. But in order to use it against the Deadpony, a reanimation, you must know his life force's "keeper", the spell used to bring him back long ago. In other words, you must be familiar with the spell that is keeping his once extinguished life force burning to interact with it. I shared the signature, the spell's essence with you in order for you to successfully try and conquer his life force."

"I didn't know i needed one...and this only applies to reanimted ponies, right?"

"Yes. A living pony can have their life force tapped into without a signature, but a reanimated pony cannot be accessed in such a way without going through the magic that keeps him in the physical world."

"So how did you come across it?" Twilight asked, seeing Luna's eyes drop towards the ground some and her head moving down a bit too.

"I made it."

"W-What? You mean...you made the spell that brought back the Deadpony...as in...you brought back the Deadpony?"

"It was 1,000 years ago. I wanted to make the perfect warrior to fight beside, and I did something terrible. I am ashamed and I feel the wrath of dark magic now...I'm just upset that all of Equestria must feel it with me."

"I'm sorry...I know you weren't exactly yourself then. I don't hold this against you, Princess. I will gladly help you fight against the Deadpony, because he threatens Equestria, my teacher, my friends, and you. I won't let him bring eternal darkness while I can help it," Twilight told Luna, who responded by opening her eyes up a little wider and letting her jaws separate a little before smiling and embracing Twilight.

"Thank you...thank you for once again believing in me and understanding me."

"Thank you for helping me help you."

"My sister has an excellent pupil and I have a wondrous friend," Luna happily acknowledge aloud.

...

"Cadence!" Princess Celestia happily exclaimed as her niece and her niece's husband finally arrived at Canterlot.

"Auntie Celestia, I'm so sorry we have to reunite under such horrible conditions," Cadence greeted with a hug as Shining Armor stood behind them and welcomed most of the Element users as they came forward.

"Hey, you're Twilight's friends!" Shining Armor greeted the majority of the mane six as they came over and bowed to the Princess of Love and the Prince of the Crystal Empire.

"It's wonderful to see you all again," Cadence said with a bright smile.

"And you, Princess," Rarity welcomed with a deep reverence for the pink alicorn.

"Say, where is Twilie anyways?" Shining Armor asked as the group began to walk along towards the throne room.

"Twilight is with my sister preparing a special spell to use against the Deadpony," Celestia explained.

"We got the message...has anything changed?" Cadence inquired, causing Celestia to look out towards the horizon as they continued along.

"As of now, there are reports coming in that two towns have been destroyed, but in both cases the citizens were evacuated...the guards did their duties," Celestia responded.

"I ordered a good portion of our troops here; they'll be along shortly to help defend the capitol," Shining Armor informed Celestia.

"Excellent news. This is truly the greatest threat to Equestria in a long time," Celestia said as she opened the doors of the palace and brought them through to the throne room. The palace itself was rather quiet, most guards being out and about in the city or in the immediate area. Along the way Celestia went over their specific plans and told Cadence and Shining Armor the roles they would be in when the Deadpony arrived to create eternal night.

"How long do you think we have until the Deadpony arrives?" Cadence asked her aunt after her husband had gone off to talk with some of the guard captains and help the strategy come together.

"With the forces that we have sent out to attack, I'd say we can expect him here tonight...maybe early tomorrow. I just hope that Twilight has had enough time to properly learn the spell."

"I believe she can do it," Cadence said with a smile.

"Of course she can, she'll be ready and we'll be there to support her," Rainbow Dash added, flying up above the rest of the group; the other Element users all nodded in agreement. Celestia smiled at the comment and breathed in deeply, and for the first time in what seemed like years, felt a true inner peace return to her. If but for the briefest of moments, she felt completely secure and totally empowered. Her closest friends and loved ones had gathered around her and the task of defeating the Deadpony was being attended to. If but for the briefest of moments, life was being very kind.

...
Far away from Canterlot another town burned. The guards there who opposed the Deadpony lay silently, the spell of control and torture that filled their eyes with the white magic aura of the Deadpony shone in almost all of their faces. The leader of this band of guards was the only one remaining and he was partially down already, barely managing to stay on his knees.

"The Princesses will stop you...the Princesses..." The guard was cut off when the Deadpony created a large tombstone with his magic. The tombstone was not solid, but the guard could not see through to the other side of the white object.

"This will be the fate of your beloved Princesses," The Deadpony told the guard ominously as he lifted up the captain with his magic and levitated him through the tombstone; the only sound that was made was that of the guard screaming in absolute terror, and by the time his whole body was inside the tombstone, even that sound disappeared, leaving only the sound of silence.

...
When the town was completely demolished and no structure was left standing, the Deadpony walked off towards the next one. After destroying that town he would move on again, and again, and again, until he reached Canterlot. It was only a matter of time now. As he walked along he saw the remains of the guard captain that had opposed him. He was nothing more than a pile of ashes now. Such was the fate of all who opposed the eternal darkness that the Deadpony was charged to bring to the world. The Tombstone was the ultimate judgement and it never left any who joined it whole or alive in any way. Such was the wrath of the Deadpony. Such was the ultimate fate for the Princesses and their allies.

"Let Equestria fear...Deadpony walking..." The Deadpony announced to the world quietly as he headed out towards Canterlot.