Despite the invisibility spell Luna still crouched low and crept along the roof of the castle. Her wings stung from the close encounter. Her feathers were well singed but they still worked. Still, it would be a while before she could fly at full strength again.
Nearing the edge, she could already hear her sister’s voice, light and chatty as if nothing had happened. In the garden she lounged in a stone chariot not far from the ashes that she thought were her sister’s.
“Now if only I can find some way to control you,” She said looking up at the statue of Discord. “You could help me create a second sun for the other side of the world. Then I could rule the entire planet. As powerful and as magnificent as I am why should I be confined to only one side. I no longer only own half the day so why should I only on half the planet? It just wouldn’t be fair.” She flew up to Discord and tapped him on the chin. “I would have to find a way to control you too. The spell is too strong now but in years it will weaken and this chaos will let you out. If I can’t, I will fly you way up there in the sky,” She pointed straight up at the sky that was quivering heated air. “And drop you so that you shatter into tiny little pieces. You won’t come back then and take my kingdom from me will you.” Daybreaker suddenly stopped and rolled her eyes around scanning the garden and looking up at the roof.
Luna shuttered as the eyes passed over her. She knew that she was invisible but still, you never knew with Daybreaker. She slowly backed away from the edge and crept towards the gaping hole in the throne room ceiling. As silently as possible she glided down to the floor. Breathing deeply, she headed for the center. She knew that the next moments would count most of all. She had what she needed, Daybreaker distracted away from the throne room. She only needed for her to stay away long enough and then just the right moment to surprise her.
Luna reached out with her magic and finding the Elements of Harmony beneath the floor she quickly began weaving spells. Then after a swift glance behind her, she opened the secret compartment. She flinched at the rumble of moving stone that echoed around the hall. As she reached out a plucked the elements from the stones on by one and shadow suddenly swooped over her.
“I knew it!” Daybreaker roared slamming her hooves down on the floor. She lashed out with her magic and ripped the stones from Luna’s grasp. “Trying invisibility, are you? Didn’t work, and now I will make sure that you will never use these against me!” She glared at the empty space beside the pedestal that once held the Elements. “I know that you’re there. Stop hiding! Little trickster.”
Daybreaker grinned as Luna faded into view. That grin faded when she realized that Luna was staring levelly back at her and there still was the aura of levitation magic around her. Exactly six little bubbles in fact. Before she could react, Luna’s horn flashed and a black ball of magic appeared in it’s tip. In the blink of an eye it swelled and filled the entire room.
Surrounded in pitch blackness Daybreaker yelled in range and lashed out into the room with her magic. Feeling it connect with nothing she spread her wings and flew up for the room. She snarled in rage as she missed the gap and smashed into the roof. With a powerful blast she made another hole and flew out into the sunlight. Blinking against the sudden brightness she saw the spell fade away revealing an empty throne room below. Baring her teeth Daybreaker looked around. To her astonishment she spotted her sister flying some distance away with the Elements of Harmony flickering into view as they began swirling around her. Glancing back at the “elements” that she had, Daybreaker saw that they were already crumbling into sand and starting to blow away in the wind. With an angry snarl she dropped the mess and turned on her sister.
Luna’s heart skipped a beat as her sister's entire body erupted into flame. She just managed to keep focus and aimed at her sister. The Elements rose into position and released a beam of magic at the same moment Daybreaker fired a stream of flame at her sibling. The two streams of magic clashed sending shockwaves through both ponies. Luna flinched and shut her eyes a moment. When she opened them, she found herself no longer flying above the castle. She was standing inside it yet she hardly recognized it. The walls were crumbling and stained with weather exposure and age. Her sister, who was still possessed by Daybreaker was standing at the far end yet she neither saw nor heard Luna. Her attention was directed at the door behind Luna. Through it came six ponies whom Luna never seen before. She watched in astonishment as shattered fragments became whole and formed the Elements of Harmony. Only the elements now matched the cutie marks of each pony. Magic swirled and hurtled at Daybreaker who roared in terror and anger. Luna flinched as the brightly colored magic swirled around Daybreaker and the magic possessing her shattered leaving a weakened but free Celestia laying on the floor.
Then just as suddenly the vision was over and Luna was once again looking down the beam of magic as it overcame that of her sister’s. With a final shriek of rage Daybreaker was engulfed in golden light. The mass of magic hurtled onward colliding with the sun. It flashed bright while for a second and when it faded back to yellow the image of an alicorn shimmered against it’s surface.
Luna stared up at the sun for a moment feeling stunned and numb from both using the Elements of Harmony and taking in all that had happened. A bead of sweat trickled down her brow and she suddenly realized what she had to do. Reaching out to the sun she gently pushed it down towards the horizon. She felt the powerful, unnatural heat fade and almost the feeling of gratitude coming from the gleaming orb. Luna then turned and raised the moon upwards until it stood at the center of the sky.
Suddenly all the adrenaline seemed to fade from her veins. The strain of her wings to keep her aloft was too much and she clumsily descended to the castle floor. Her legs shook so badly that when she tried to stand that she only collapsed to the floor. She lay there numbly staring up at the moon but could only see the image of the sun with her sister’s likeness imprinted on it. Oddly, she felt nothing but numbness and exhaustion. The Elements had banished Celestia to the sun and they had shown Luna how years later other ponies would finally free her from the prison of her own body. Ironically she had defeated her sister with a childhood game of illusion and switch that they had played as children.
The emotional dam finally burst. Luna cried out her sister’s name to the sun on the other side of the earth. Like a flood, tears welled up in her eyes and Luna cried as she had never cried before. She curled up like a foal in the floor, covered her face with her wings and just sobbed. She sobbed for her sister and she sobbed for their people. She sobbed for time to turn back but she knew that it could not be. What was done was now done. Their fates and been set on a path and not even a wish dragon could change that. The pain in her heart was now worse that when she had first been granted that awful wish. The princess of the night now felt a darkness closing on her that was not the soft, peaceful shadows of the evening. She wanted nothing more than for all to fade away and experience this no more.
Luna cried till she had no more tears left and lay still on the cold stone floor wishing that she could be as unfeeling as it was. How long she laid there she never knew. She was lost to everything around her until a voice called out to her.
“Your majesty?” Luna’s ear flicked as the timid voice echoed through the throne room. It suddenly became a terrified cry. “Princess Luna! Are you injured!”
Hooves pounded the floor as a guard ran up to her. “Go find a doctor, a nurse, anypony that might could help!” He called out and hoovesteps from a lighter pony shot down the hall. “Hold on your majesty, we’ll help you. Where are you hurt.”
Luna slowly raised her head. “I’m not badly hurt.” Not on the outside. It was true too. She was battered and bruised, she had a few minor burns and singed feathers but nothing serious. “Don’t worry about me,” She said standing up. “There will be many out there who need help. Anypony who is able body, come with me.”
Struggling not to flinch because of her aching body Luna headed towards the hall. Her crown now felt heavier than it ever had for it had the weight of an entire kingdom resting upon it. There would be no time to stop and nurse her inner wounds. She would not even have anypony to confide in with the sweet release that came from confessing. For they were already badly shaken by her sister turning on them. They now only had her to trust and look up to and she had the ressponblity of rebuilding and maintaining a kingdom on her own. If they knew the truth then fear and doubt would destroy Equsetria. They must be able to believe in her, even if she didn't believe in herself. Luna sighed deeply. There was a long arduous journey ahead of her but at the end of that long dark tunnel there was hope.