//------------------------------//
// Here Comes the Sun 
// Story: Help Me 
// by RoyalBardofCanterlot 
//------------------------------//

Night Light reclined back in the boat and cast his net into the lake. The net disturbed the lake, ripples appearing in the surface. The sunlight rippled and sparkled upon the lake's crystal blue surface reflecting the clear blue sky. Night Light looked up to the sky and then around at the granite peaks which ringed the lake. The lake was off of a sandy beach which led into a pine forest. Wind whistled through the green needles of the trees.

He had caught a bass yesterday. Today, he was in the mood for salmon. Deep in the forest he had found rich, sweet clover. It was growing wild in a patch just west of the cabin he had rented. He closed his eyes and relished the feeling of the cool wind upon his fur and the sun warming his back. He had done a lot in his life. He had led armies and fought for Clan, Princess and Kingdom. He had fought well and defended Equestria's borders, won her glory and made her enemies tremble. Neither his enemies nor the soldiers he'd fought beside would recognize the placid, middle aged stallion that reclined in this boat. That time in his life was long behind him, a season that had passed away leaving only memories and a few scars that rarely bothered him anymore. 

A family of ducks swam upon the lake's surface, a green-crested mallard honking. A female raised her brown and blue wing, sheltering her young chicks. Night Light smiled at the sight and thought of his own children. He had raised a fine young stallion and a brilliant young mare. When your son was both captain of the Royal Guard and Emperor of the Crystal Ponies and your daughter was the student of the Sun Princess you knew you were doing something right.

An egret spread its dazzling, alabaster wings and soared over the water, the lake's surface rippling in its wake. Night Light watched as it soared past, admiring its beauty. The lake seemed to spread out in an endless sapphire expanse. Green rushes rose up in the center of the lake, cat tails interspersed among them. Night Light suspected that a family of egrets lived among the rushes. Some said that a lost tribe of sea ponies lived here, but Night Light had never seen one.

But, still, he lived in a world of wonders and would not deny the possibility. He would like to meet a seapony. He had met pegasii, earth ponies, horses, griffons, kirin, minotaurs, donkeys, dragons, phoenixes,  manticores and at one point was hosted by a clan of friendly sea serpents, but he had never met a sea pony. They were a secretive race, but to win their friendship was to gain friends for life.

He whistled to himself, the beauty of the day inspiring him. Something pushed against his net. He pulled up the net quickly, an arc of water splashing outwards as Night Light drew the net up. A silver salmon thrashed around in his net. Night Light lit up his horn, humanely stopping the salmon's heart. Its thrashing ceased and it grew still. Night Light laid it out beside him and then tossed the net back out.

As he gazed out at the lake he found his thoughts drifting. The waves of the lake were hypnotic, lulling him into a nearly trance like state. It calmed him. That was why he occasionally liked coming down here and getting away for a while. Grazing and fishing and getting back to nature. He levitated over a beer and flipped the top open, raising it to his lips and tossing his head back.

In a few days he would go back to his wife, Twilight Velvet. He smiled to himself. They had been together for so long it was hard to go too long without thinking of her. They had gone through college, a war and the unique trials and joys of raising two children together. Even if there were times he needed to get away and commune with nature he would always return to her.

She understood his need to occasionally go back to the wild just like he understood her need to shut herself away and write. That was the key to a marriage, he reflected. Knowing when to give your spouse space and when to be with them.

He really ought to write a book about it one day.

Just as he had closed his eyes and was beginning to be lulled into a nap he felt a surge of energy. His eyes widened. A dark cloud had materialized before the boat. His horn lit up and he prepared a defensive spell, just in case. The cloud materialized into a dark, blue alicorn. She hovered over the water. It took him a moment to recognize her. In his day there'd only been one alicorn. He recognized her as Princess Luna, Princess Celestia's sister, and knelt his head.

"Ho, Battle Mage, General Night Light."

He held up a hoof. "Ex-general. You wouldn't happen to be looking for my son would you? I'm retired."

"Nay, Sir Night Light. It is you we require."

Night Light shook his head. "Nah. You want some young stud not old me. I've done my time."

"Tis not I that requires you. It is thy daughter."

That got his attention. He stood up. "What about Twilight?"

"She was grievously wounded in her encounter with Discord. Her soul was damaged even unto madness and she attempted to take her own life-"

His jaw dropped. "She did what?"

"-After casting a want it-need it spell on Ponyville. The other Element Bearers have possibly also experienced such spiritual damage-"

"Take me to her." He paused. "Your Highness."

He wondered why Velvet didn't contact him. Of course, this was Velvet's way. Hide the bad news until she felt he was ready to hear it, as if he were a child. This was Shining's wisdom teeth all over again. He sighed. They would be having words about this. 

"Of course." She extended her hoof and he took it. They vanished in a flash.
...
Twilight stood in the center of her home. Her friends, including Spike, were surrounding her. After she had left the hospital she had gathered them. Of course there had been many hugs and tears, but now was the time for business. The Elements had been retrieved and each of her friends was wearing their respective Element. Twilight was dressed in her blue mage robes which were covered in sigils and runes, clasped by a silver pentagram. It would help her to focus her mind for the task ahead.

Dash stretched out her wings before returning them to her sides. "So, what's all this about? Why do we need the Elements?"

Twilight looked around at her friends. "Okay. Everypony, I want you all to be honest with me. Total honesty. We're all friends here. No posturing or trying to be stronger than you are."

They exchanged looks with each other. Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder. "What's all this about, Sugarcube?"

"Since Discord, has anypony been feeling different? Sad, angry, depressed? Any odd dreams?"

More looks were exchanged. Fluttershy's pink mane fell like a curtain across her face. "Umm..."

Everypony in the room looked around at her. Dash spread a wing across her back. Fluttershy continued. "I...I have. I went to a seminar about assertiveness and I got really mean to everypony. Really mean."

"You? Mean?" Dash questioned.

"I just...I just wasn't myself. I said really awful things to Pinkie and Rarity. I still haven't forgiven myself."

Pinkie and Rarity wrapped her up in an embrace. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around both of them. "Thank you."

Twilight nodded and looked around. "Anypony else?"

Applejack shuffled a hoof. "Nightmares. I just see Discord's eyes every night."

Dash looked at the floor. "Yeah. I do too." 

Pinkie avoided everypony's gaze as she looked at the floor as Dash had. "I've woken up a few nights crying. I don't know why."

Twilight took in an intake of breath. "Alright. So I haven't been the only one. Can we agree on something real quick? Next time any of you struggle with something let's remember we have each other."

They nodded. Twilight Sparkle turned. With a flash of her horn she levitated over a leather bound grimoire, the latest in a long series of spell books which she had owned. She flipped through it. Rarity peaked over her shoulder and her eyes widened. "Oh my. Darling, I had no idea you had such an interest in grey magic."

"To balance light and dark magic is to balance the polarities within oneself." Twilight answered without looking up from the book. "And what I'm looking for is a way to break a dark curse. A God-tier curse to be specific."

Dash soared over. The others followed her. Twilight almost told them to give her some space, but she actually enjoyed their nearness. "So, we've been cursed?" There was a dangerous tone to Dash's voice. "That freak did it when he got in our heads, huh?"

Twilight nodded, still searching through the grimoire. She had copied down the spell somewhere in this book. It required two powerful unicorns in order to charge the spell. Three or four was preferable due to the raw energy of the spell. She flipped ahead through the chapter on breaking curses and found it. 

All she had to do was combine the original spell with the harmonic ray of the Elements of Harmony, six enchanted objects which tapped into the very energy of creation itself. Of course, she had never actually combined the Elements of Harmony with another spell. Nor had she ever heard of anyone doing so. 

She looked up from the grimoire. "Anytime a trauma occurs you run the risk of mental or spiritual damage, breaks within the soul. Discord broke our minds and then let his dark energy seep into the cracks. Fluttershy, with you he twisted your kind nature. Pinkie, he brought up your hidden insecurities-"

Pinkie stiffened.

Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Pinkie. We're all friends here, remember?"

Pinkie looked to the floor then looked back up at Twilight. "So, that explains...that explains those nightmares. Everyone leaving me."

Twilight looked to the only other unicorn in the room. "Rarity?"

"I've been having nightmares too." 

"Okay. Lot of nightmares, lot of negative emotions. With me, he...well, he took advantage of my love for magic. All magic, including the dangerous stuff. I try to control my worse instincts, but he lowered the barriers. When I realized what I'd done the guilt nearly destroyed me. The guilt was all mine."

"Darling, you make it sound as if Discord is still around."

"In a way, he is. Or rather, there are lingering effects still imprinted on our souls."

Dash flared her wings in a display of anger. "So, what do we do about it?"

"I invited a powerful mage to help us with the spell I have in mind. Could everypony please go into the kitchen? I need to prepare the ritual space."

Rarity took Twilight's grimoire gently into her magic. "I believe I can help you with this. I may only be a beta leval, but even I can set up a ritual space."

Twilight's eyes widened as she realized how offensive her words could have sounded to Rarity. Her ears folded back. "Oh! Oh no! I didn't mean to imply you were ignorant in magic, I'm sorry, please forgive me-"

Rarity placed a hoof to her lips and gave her a kind smile. "It's alright, Darling. I know you didn't." She gave Twilight a quick hug which Twilight returned. "You're probably like most mages, used to working alone."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it! Well, me and Spike, who's my familiar."

"Anyway, let's get started, shall we?"

"Right."

They both levitated a prepared bowl of salt set upon a book shelf. Rarity took half of the salt, Twilight took the other half and together they spread the salt in a circle around the room.

Twilight levitated up six candles. Rarity took three of them in her magic. Twilight couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at her lips. Once, this would have been a solitary task. Now that she had a friend at her side it went by much faster. She could feel the energies already being stirred up. They felt richer, deeper than they used to. 

They laid out the six candles in the shape of a six pointed star. Red in the north for fire. Blue in the south for water. Grey for metal went to the northwest. White for air went to the northeast. To the southwest went a grey candle for stone. Green for the earth went to the southeast.

Without being asked to, Spike went about his task. He lit each candle. Rarity and Twilight lit their horns and chanted a prayer for calling the Lords of the Elements as they trotted around the circle three times. The circle glowed blue and a multicolored hexagram appeared, the colors of the hexagram corresponding to the colors of the candles. 

"What will we do for correspondences?" Rarity asked.

Twilight lit up her horn and brought over her grimoire. Rarity peaked over her shoulder. "As you can see, each element of harmony is corresponded to a particular natural element."

Rarity touched her element. "I'm water?"

"Of course. Water flows generously, giving freely to all. Water is the sign of Great Mother Danu who nourishes all." She called in the rest of the element bearers. 

Rarity took her place near the candle in the south. "And now?"

Twilight closed her eyes. "He's close."

She could feel his energy, had been sensing his energy as he and Luna came closer. It took a while to teleport from a lake outside Baltimare to Ponyville. Only Luna could manage it.

Suddenly, Night Light and Luna appeared in a dark flash. Night Light nearly ran to Twilight, but stopped when he saw the ritual space. "Set up already, Twilight?" He walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her. "I hear you've been having some trouble."

She wrapped an arm around him. "I'm better than I was." She showed him the grimoire. "Luna told you what was going on?"

"Yep. So, Discord cast a curse on you girls? You're on the right track to breaking it...of course. You need me to act as a channel for all the energy you'll be raising."

"Do you think you can do it?"

He gave a weary eye to her element. "I've never tried this kind of spell with enchanted objects like yours as an amplifier. I am curious though. Let's give it a whirl."

He stood in the center. Twilight laid the grimoire back on the shelf and stood by the candle in the north. She directed Dash to the quarter of air (loyalty is the air, breathing life into the virtues), Fluttershy to the quarter of earth (kindness is as the life-giving earth) , Applejack to the quarter of metal (what is honesty, but steel devotion to Truth?), Pinkie to the quarter of stone (it takes a heart as unbreakable as stone to laugh in the face of danger). With Rarity at the quarter of water and herself at the quarter of fire she was ready to begin.

She focused on her magic and her element. Her element and her horn lit. Responding to the resonance, the other elements lit up in turn, filling the room with light. Night Light lit up his own horn. The light of the elements grew stronger and more intense as Twilight began to chant. "Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Magic, Spirits of the Elements, I invoke thee!"

Getting the hint, the other Element Bearers took up the chant. The air grew heavy, thick, with the powers of Harmony becoming manifest. Each Element grew intensely, unbearably bright. Twilight closed her eyes as the power of the Elements reached their crescendo. The power of the Cosmos flowed through her and the six that surrounded her.

A rainbow of light blazed from each element, meeting in the circle and towards Night Light. Night Light accepted the energy into his horn and nearly toppled as the sheer amount of power surged through his body. He stood. Though he had never felt this much power and it was overwhelming the power did not wish to harm him. He felt that. These energies were benevolent. He breathed in, accepting all of the energy into himself.

He knew what to do. While he had never used this much energy to break a curse, his daughter was right. Only the energy of the Elements of Harmony could break Discord's curse.  He was amazed by the amount of energy she could raise. His daughter's faith in him aside, he wasn't sure he could manage it.

Focusing on the surge of unfamiliar magic he began to channel it into the circle, casting his familiar curse-breaking spell, using the energy of the Elements to power it. The circle and the hexagram lit again as a dome of energy surrounded them. 

Twilight and the others felt as the curse-breaking spell was cast upon them. It was like water flowing through their souls. Twilight felt as a tidal wave of darkness-guilt, rage, despair- washed over her and then was washed away just as quickly by the waves of the spell. 

The magic washed over them for a long time, perhaps minutes, perhaps hours as time had no meaning within the sacred circle. At last, the spell subsided. The elements dimmed and returned to their resting state. The circle dimmed and the hexagram vanished. Night Light stumbled and collapsed.

Twilight rushed to him. "Dad!" She caught him, helped him to stand. 

He leaned against her. "Don't worry about me, Twily. Worry about yourself."

"I'm almost sure that worked. I feel better. But it'll take me a while to know for sure."

He tousled her mane and looked over at the Element Bearers. "You girls take good care of her, ye hear?" 

Twilight giggled. "Dad what are you going to do if they don't?"

"Ah, I'll think of something. They won't like it, whatever it is."

Pinkie jumped over to the pair. "Don't worry Mr. Twilight's Dad, Sir! We'll take good care of Twilight!"

Twilight felt something in her stomach. It bubbled up to her throat and came out as a belly laugh. Everypony stared at her as she laughed, a deep, rich belly laugh, the most she had laughed in days. She wasn't sure what it was. Her dad's protectiveness? Pinkie just being Pinkie? Her friends surrounding her? The depth of everypony's love for her which she was just beginning to realize? Some after-effect of the spell?

She wiped away the happy tears in her eyes. "I love you all. So much and I'm sorry that I didn't realize how much you all love me."

They all hugged her. Night Light joined in the group hug. Twilight felt warm and safe and loved. Maybe more dark days would come. No, they assuredly would. But never again would she forget how much she was loved by her family and friends.