Rise of A Dark Lord

"Your resistance, sisters, is admirable. But you are not strong enough to ever hope in defeating me." He sneered. His voice seemed more coiled and more twisted in madness than Celestia could ever think possible. Every word enunciated with darkness and with promises of destruction, something that made Celestia recoil in utter disgust. She curled the corner of her mouth in distaste at his statement, where had he gone?

Every muscle in Celestia's immortal body shivered and shook, seizing with sapped strength and spasming with rapid succession. Her breaths short and exasperated with distress. Her wounded gaze moved down to her limp and bleeding form. Resting amidst broken rubble and fallen comrades. Her armor dented and smashed with the strength of immortals and bruises all around her that were not covered with scarlet tears. Her tabard of the Celestial Eternium* shredded and torn, billowing off of her with every dark gust that blew. The only pieces of her armour that remained was the spaulder on her left shoulder, her metal shoes, the crest of her chestplate, and the hoof brace around her left hoof. She summoned as much strength as she could to spit up the blood that collected in her mouth, all strength leaving the deep cuts all along her body. Her eyes half open, trying to force herself to stay conscious, inspecting the levels of destruction that were all around her.

Flames leaping into the sky and joining the smoke as it filled the air with its poisonous and noxious fumes. The walls of the Eternium Castle were caved in and the ceiling torn asunder. The large entrance hall filled with burning scaffolding and many tapestries having that point in history destroyed. Tales of heroes burning away, the air filled with the smell of burning flesh and the fear of an entire nation. Terrible Ghuls crawled all around entrance hall, with rapid advances and with jittery hooves waiting to sink their teeth into ponies that were not paying attention. Hellhounds feeding on the bodies of the dead Eternium Soldiers, blood splattering at the wild tearing of their flesh. Bones crunching in their sharp toothed maws. Their wild eyes occasionally setting on Celestia, growling but quickly dying knowing that she was the true prey of their master.

Celestia clutched her golden sword in her hoof and clenched in pain as another wave washed over her. Celestia growled in raspy tone, "The only thing that will defeat you will be your pride."

She stared long at the alicorn brother she once called brother. His long dark red fiery mane under a helm of fear and despair that imparted on Celestia, dressed from head to hoof in thick ebony armour. Spikes and skulls decorating the surface of the armour to inspire fear and power. A glowing savage red aura loomed off of the twisted and archaic sword that was in his hoof. Four and a half feet of pure dark steel with the guard adorned with a dual sided skull. A loose fitting scarlet cape waved off of him in the dark breeze. His bright yellows eyes glowing with hatred stared with a neutral look, assuring and promising her absolute destruction and no mercy.

She clenched her sword arm closer and with all the strength she had left lifted off of the ground to stand in defiance of her brother, she shouted, "Look at yourself. Are you proud of what you have become!? Have you gained father's love now!? The countryside you promised to protect with your sword is now burning and erupted in chaos because of YOU!!!"

Like a lion he rumbled, "I am proud of one thing and one thing only, Celestia. I am proud that I do not have defeated the two most powerful beings in all of the Eternium and absorbed their powers. I am the King of the Eternium! I choose what body shall rule the sky! And I am going to paint them both red with both of your blood as a reminder of my victory."

"Augustine...stop this madness...stop all of this-"

Celestia felt herself keel over to the side as a ripping and burning sensation tore itself over her chest, fresh blood spilling over the floor. Celestia caught herself with her hooves and groaned at the sudden pain, spitting and sputtering up blood. Already she could feel her lungs strain and clutch as it filled up like balloons full of blood. She suddenly was pulled up and suspended in air, clenching and clutching for air. Her airways straining tight, her life choking away. She struggled as she tried to break free. A red band  of magic wrapped tight around her throat, she looked as Augustine held up his open hoof and roared, "I am not Prince Augustine anymore! That weakling died when I embraced the true magic of Equestria! I will not allow you or anypony else impede my true goal...I will see the empire that you were to inherit burn and be reborn in anarchy and shadows. Starting with your death-"

"NNNNOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Celestia watched as a blur of black and dark blue crash against Augustine and push him down. Celestia landed on her hooves, hunching over to try and prevent herself from toppling over. She looked up and saw her sister, Princess Luna, fight their brother in combat. Her scythe flying and clashing with Augustine's blade, he named Acies Tenebris. Luna's scythe named, Lunam. Sparks flashing at Luna's swift and strong attacks, dressed in thin layered ebony dark plate over her chest and hooves. Thin pieces of cloth tucked under the armor to make it look like she was wearing a dress underneath, a battle skirt it was called. Split down the middle to offer more mobility in combat as was proven correct in this situation. In quick flurries of her scythe she tried to find a spot in his defenses to exploit.

Celestia clutched her shoulder and knelt down, groaning at the pain once more. Agonizing pain rising through her veins as blood continued to spill out of her cuts. Running down off of her neck, her hooves, and her chest. Her tabard completely torn away and now rising through the air like a leaf. Celestia closed her eyes and wiped it on some of the blood that spilled from her chest and whispered with words of great power, "In the name of the sun, the moon, and the stars, I ask of you to bear upon me your most righteous powers-"

Her eyes closed and her head bowed in the dead dust of Eternium Castle. Crackling flames drowned out and died as she drew holy symbols on her bare arm. Slowly she felt small wounds and bruises heal. The air crackling with holy and righteous power, continuing on with her powerful prayer, "-Let your voices be heard on this night! In the night's darkest of hours, let your requiem song of the forgotten be heard and let your voices rise once more in this most desperate hour! For I am your Holy Avenger! For your names shall be written in the stones of history for centuries to come! Grant me your blessing of power! In the name of the Lights, Amen!!!"

Another dark wind danced over Celestia's body as a shaft of light pierced through the darkened heavens as the Ghuls began to gather around her. Their eyes burning and their skin blistering in the pure light. Finishing her symbols on her arm, now covered in holy symbols. Briefly flared and glowed a dark orange. Permanently emblazoned on her skin, pumping power through her veins. The power she felt when she raised and lowered the sun now rising in her veins and healing her wounds. Opening her hoof out she willed her sword to fly into her grip. She caught her sword named, Luxultima, and the symbols on the golden blade of the longsword glowed and responded to the symbols on her arm. Her muscles healing and regaining her former loss of magical strength. She stood up tall and in her other hoof white light erupted, like a beacon in the night and smashed her hoof against the ground, her eyes glowing the same white light. A wave of light shot out from Celestia and evaporated the Ghuls into ashes. The cracks in the ground responding to the sudden light eruption.

Her voice filled with righteous anger as she shouted to Augustine, "The bell tolls for thee, brother!"

Luna smacks the opposite end of Lunam against the side of Augustine's head and lowers his defense. Luna tucked and rolled into the shadows. Shouting out as she remained knelt in the shadows, "Now sister!"

Celestia pumped pure sunlight into Luxultima and growled as she slowly advanced towards Augustine. Her sword glowing with bright rays of the sun. She growled, "Pray to the Fates that they have mercy on your soul..."

Celestia charged and with a single beat of her wings she flew straight towards Augustine, a battlecry ripping through her throat and guiding her to her once respected older brother. Celestia pulled Luxultima in and thrust it deep inside Augustine in the stomach. Blood wrenched out of the wound and splattered over Celestia, she twisted the blade and growled, "Aeternae Sacrementum. The Eternal Pact is complete."

Celestia pulled out the blade and caused another tide of blood to splash over her. She rested her sword to her side and watched as Augustine clutched his wound with his hooves. With disgust and shock stricken on his face he said, "You...you are not...you are not the Eternium?...You are not my destined end?"

Celestia crooked her eyebrow and asked, "Not your destined end?"

Augustine looked up and as he did, clouds parted as if making way for Augustine's death. The moon shone bright and the stars twinkled against the midnight background. He stared up long at the stars and said, "My fate lies with the brightest star..."

He fell to his knees and continued to stare at the skyline. Augustine muttered, "My death is through the Eternium."

Augustine moved a neutral gaze to Celestia and said, "I shall return, sisters. I will take my birthright, and you will be powerless to stop me."

Celestia stared in wonder and confusion at his statement. Concentrating on the wound that now started leaking shadows rather than blood. Augustine smiled as his material form faded into ashes, "Our pact is complete, sister. Do with your destiny as you see fit."

He transformed into ashes and flew out and away on the wind, carrying him to a far away land. His statements cryptic and mysterious. Celestia gave out a hard breath, the magic she once radiated now died and her symbols died down. She cleaned the blood from her sword and sheathed it, rolling her shoulder to try and snap it out of dislocation. Luna joined her sister at her side and said, "My fate lies with the brightest star? What in the name of Equestria does he mean?"

Celestia closed her eyes and replied, "I don't know. But I fear to know when the time comes...come sister, we have business to attend to."

Celestia knew that one day Augustine would return, and on that day. Augustine will know what it is like to feel the true wrath of the sun. Next Chapter: Chapter I Estimated time remaining: 26 Minutes