//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Light of Day // by PonyUpYourBits //------------------------------// A blue streak cut through the sky above Ponyville, leaving behind a trail of rainbows behind it. "She's coming this way!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out over the skyline. The other five Element of Harmony bearers looked up in the direction of the voice. Rainbow Dash was flying at top speed towards the Castle of Friendship before slowing down to a gentle glide above the other ponies. "Good, I knew she couldn't resist coming after us," Twilight Sparkle said, correctly guessing Daybreaker would want to seek out her castle to get at Luna and Twilight. "We'll need time to energize the full potential of the Elements," Twilight explained to her friends. "So when Daybreaker arrives, I'll try to stall her while the rest of you gather your magic." "Got it, Twilight," Applejack said on behalf of the other four, who nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, in the town center, the townsfolk were toiling under the hot sun. "I think I'm gonna melt!" one pony cried as she shuffled along. "I'm going to drown in my own sweat," another moaned, wiping his brow once again. "Uhhhgh!" a third pony groaned, slumping to the ground having given in to the extreme heat. As she lay on the grass, her pink mane sopping with sweat, a sudden shade rolled in above her head. "Ahhh..." she said to the mysterious individual who provided the shade, feeling a brief moment of respite. "Thanks, I really needed that..." A long white leg stood above the collapsed pony. Covering its hoof was an orange, metallic leg guard. The pony on the ground looked up to see who was standing above her. Beyond the silhouette of the tall pony that looked down on her, she could see the bright orange mane rippling behind the pony's head. "Who...?" she muttered, uncertain of whom she was looking at. The standing pony looked down with scorn and disdain at the mint-colored pony who lay at her feet. Her face was locked in a dismissive scowl as she observed the exhausted pony struggling before her. "Disappointing..." she muttered in an unimpressed tone. She strode past the pony lying on the ground unsympathetically, who resumed withering under the intense sunlight. "If this keeps up there won't be much left to rule over..." the white alicorn said to herself as she walked down the main avenue, watching the citizens struggling under the wave of heat she brought with her. She continued to trot through the center of town, making a beeline for the tall crystalline castle that could be seen beyond the edge of the town. "But I suppose that will have to wait..." she said, the corners of her mouth curling into a sinister grin. Back at the lawn of the castle, the six Element bearers were joined by Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Star Swirl the Bearded, Stygian, and Princess Luna. They were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Daybreaker, whom they knew was near. "If I wait any longer, I'm gonna become a 'Pinkie Puddle'!" Pinkie Pie panted, fatigued by the hot sun. "Just a little longer, Pinkie Pie," Twilight reassured her friend. "We can tell she's here..." "You said it..." Rainbow Dash agreed, wiping sweat off with her forehoof. Out in the distance, the corona of what looked like a bright orange flame could be seen moving towards the ponies. The air rippled around it, as though it were the source of the heat itself. Attached to the flame was the white body of a tall alicorn wearing an armored helm and a gold chestplate. "It seems we have a guest..." Star Swirl said ominously as he observed the figure moving in their direction. Daybreaker continued walking towards the castle. The six Element bearers stood in a triangle pattern in front of the castle with Twilight standing out at front, ready for the impending confrontation. As Daybreaker neared, Twilight looked to her left and right, nodding to her friends with each turn of her head. The other five ponies nodded back in understanding before closing their eyes and beginning to glow with the power of the Elements of Harmony flowing through them from the neck pieces they wore. Their hooves slowly rose off the ground and they gradually levitated upwards towards the pinnacle of the blue crystal at the top of the Castle of Friendship. As they rose up, Twilight Sparkle began walking forward to meet Daybreaker. The two alicorns came to a stop with some distance between them, their eyes locking across the gulf. Twilight looked into Daybreaker's eyes with a stern-but-saddened gaze while Daybreaker's eyes glistened with self-assurance, the arrogant calmness eerily belying her destructive personality. "Seems you can't get enough of me," Daybreaker said to the Princess of Friendship, a coy smugness accenting her words. "Why are you here?" Twilight demanded to know, her voice serious and determined. "That castle..." Daybreaker said, pointing at the Castle of Friendship with her forehoof. "It blocks my view of the sun." Twilight took one step forward, attempting to demonstrate to Daybreaker her refusal to be intimidated. "Princess Celestia..." she said, speaking as though Daybreaker wasn't present. "As your student...the one you trusted with the power your mother passed to you...I know you are better than this!" Twilight’s words came to a sharp ultimatum. Her eyes became tearful as she spoke but she quickly brushed it away in order to quell any external sign of faltering in the face of her foe. "I know you are in there and you need to fight this dark magic!" A strong breeze descended on the lawn of Twilight's castle, wafting through her soft purple mane. Daybreaker narrowed her eyes with self-satisfaction that she had made Twilight so desperate. She laughed softly but derisively at Twilight's determination against such odds. "Princess Celestia might have been subject to such petty sentiment but you're not dealing with Celestia," she told her adversary. "Her kingdom is now mine and without having to deal with those pesky self-imposed limitations, there will be nopony with enough magic to stand in my way. Equestria has needed me...and I don't need you..." "Why are you destroying Equestria?" Twilight asked the tyrannical alicorn. "How do you expect anypony to respect you when all you bring to them is destruction?" "Because, my 'dear student'," Daybreaker said, mocking Twilight's relationship with her alter-ego, "the ponies of this land are carefree and fearless. Without fear, there is no meaning or purpose to power. Celestia foolishly fed that notion with no understanding while it is my mission to correct that mistake!" With that, Daybreaker instantly charged up a bolt of magical energy in her horn and shot it towards Twilight, trying to catch her off-guard. Twilight gasped, too surprised by the sudden escalation to form a counter in time. She winced as the red bolt closed in but before it reached her position, another bolt of magic intercepted it and deflected it away from Twilight. The lavender alicorn opened one eye and gingerly glanced to the side to see Princess Luna standing next to her. Luna's glare was fixated on Daybreaker, her eyes displaying an uncharacteristic intensity. "Princess Luna..." Twilight sighed, grateful for the assistance. "Go, Twilight Sparkle," Luna ordered, not breaking eye contact with Daybreaker. "We will not be able to reason with this twisted fiend who is attempting to steal my sister's body." Twilight said nothing and nodded, knowing what needed to be done. She closed her eyes as her friends had and the star-shaped centerpiece of the crown on her head started to glow, which covered the rest of her body with its energy. She began to levitate as the other five had before, gently rising up and away from Luna to join her friends floating at the top of the castle. "Oh, we're going to try this again?" Daybreaker said, noticing the six ponies floating near the top of the castle, recalling the last time they tried to call upon the Elements of Harmony. "Well, unfortunately, I don't have as much patience to spare on you this time!" Daybreaker took flight and charged up her magic in an attempt to blow the six levitating ponies out of the air. However, as she fired, another beam intercepted her beam much as had happened when she tried to attack Twilight. Daybreaker snarled and whipped around, looking back at the ground to find Princess Luna once again preventing her from interfering with Twilight and her friends. "You will not be harming them until you have dealt with me!" Luna shouted up to Daybreaker. Daybreaker flippantly snorted at Luna's insinuation that she could provide a serious challenge. "Oh please, 'Your Nightness', you don't have what it takes to compare to me! As I recall even Celestia managed to defeat you and by then you had already turned into Nightmare Moon!" "That will not change my mind!" Luna retorted defiantly, taking flight in pursuit of Daybreaker. "There really is no getting through to you, is there?" Daybreaker said in a faux-exasperated tone, unable to ignore Luna any longer. She turned around and flew back in the other direction to engage Luna. Back on the ground, Starlight Glimmer watched the two alicorns trying to outmaneuver each other in the air. Her face was wracked with fear and panic. "This...this is just like my dream!" she cried, the battle reminding Starlight of her first encounter with Daybreaker. "If Daybreaker is as strong as she was in my dream...Luna won't stand a chance!" "Do not worry, Starlight Glimmer," Star Swirl reassured her. "For we have an asset on our side." He reminded her of Twilight and her friends, who were charging up the Elements of Harmony to focus through the castle. Luna continued to dodge Daybreaker's magic as she returned fire from her own horn. Daybreaker chose to deflect the magic Luna was aiming at her instead of dodging. "You're wasting your time!" she chided Luna. "Your weak magic will never be able to match mine!" "That magic is not yours!" Luna rebutted. She charged at Daybreaker and met her directly in the air, their hooves locking together in a fierce struggle. "I will not let you take my sister!" Daybreaker laughed scornfully. "'This magic is not mine'?" she asked rhetorically, echoing Luna's words. "I was created from this magic and, as I'm sure you'll remember, you are not so different!" "I will never succumb to the power of Nightmare Moon again and I will free my sister from you!" Luna countered, undeterred. She pushed harder against her foe with her forehooves. "Let's see if you're right about that..." Daybreaker said, her expression changing to an evil grin. She leaned her head in so her horn intersected with Luna's. "What...what are you doing?!" Luna said, not knowing what to expect next. "Finding out if you're as free as you think..." she said vaguely. She energized her horn near Luna's and it glowed with a red aura. The aura of magic from Daybreaker's horn began to envelop Luna's horn and the magic traveled through her horn and into the rest of her body. "I...I...rrgh!" Luna stammered. Around her eye, a dark black ring began to seep out, changing her eye's sclera from white to a light blue, and her pupils were narrowing into a thin slit. "N-no!" Luna shouted in panic, now knowing what was happening to her. The black ring was expanding over her face, turning her dark blue coat to an inky black. "Yes!" Daybreaker said triumphantly. She focused more magic through her horn in order to accelerate the process. Luna, now knowing she was in a losing position, desperately charged up her own horn and forced as much raw magic through it as she could. The unformed energy burst forth with a blue spark and created separation between Daybreaker and herself. "Gyaah!" Daybreaker exclaimed, pushing away from Luna so she could cover her eyes with her hooves. Luna, drained, fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground. "Princess Luna!" Twilight and Starlight simultaneously cried upon seeing Luna hit the ground. Starlight galloped over to the fallen princess's side. "Twilight, you have to stay!" Rainbow Dash reminded her friend. "We won't be able to help without you!" Twilight, although visibly distressed, remained levitating with her friends. "Princess Luna," Starlight said once she was beside the alicorn. "Are you okay?!" Luna struggled to open her eyes. The black ring that was taking over her face had dissolved and her coat had returned to its normal blue shade. "Star...light Glimmer?" she said, weakly. "I did everything I could...only Twilight and her friends can save Celestia now..." Starlight looked back up to the six levitating ponies around the castle's central spire with emphatic desperation in her eyes at the last line of their defense. "Aw...poor wittle Woona had a great big fall!" Daybreaker said, mockingly holding her hooves to her face and feigning concern. She cackled victoriously then turned her attention back to Twilight's group. "Now with that out of the way..."