“We should attack now, before he can begin to understand his new power,” said Celestia. “He may still be disoriented.”
“Wait,” said Luna. “You weren't there before, when I almost cornered him earlier. He's incredibly slippery, and he knows he's at the disadvantage. If we attack now, he'll run, and I doubt we'll be able to catch him. If he disappears, we'll never find him before he gains full control of the mechanisms. He might even flee this world entirely. He has that power now, if you'll remember.”
“What would you recommend, then?” asked Celestia. “We can't give him free reign.”
“He fell for our ploy this time,” said Luna. “He may do so again. We need to make him think we're frightened of him, and that he has the advantage. If he thinks he can win, I can guarantee he'll fight.”
“Wait. Hold on,” interrupted Twilight. “I don't understand. How could Dawnbringer have become an alicorn?”
Celestia looked at her sister. “If we aren't going to attack immediately, we might as well give her the details,” said Luna. “We'll need to make a plan, anyway.”
“Very well,” said Celestia, nodding grudgingly. “We'll need Shining Armor, and I'll have to see if I can enlist the remaining dragons. I'll meet you back at the camp.”
“Wait,” said Luna, holding up a hoof, but the sun princess had already leaped into the air. Luna watched her go, then gave a small shrug and turned back to Twilight. “We still don't completely understand how a mortal pony becomes an alicorn. After all, we were the only two successful cases we had to study until now,” she said, beginning to walk down the hill.
“What about Cadence?” asked Twilight, following. “I know there have been other alicorns in history, too.”
“They are not true alicorns,” said Luna. “They are not immortal, and they only have the aspects of two of the three races of ponies. Cadence has the abilities of both a unicorn and a pegasus, but not the strength and endurance of an earth pony. They come about by a... different method. True alicorns only arise when a pony learns to control the heavenly mechanisms.”
“How did Dawnbringer do it, though? You said you'd never been able to teach anypony else in two thousand years,” said Twilight.
“We believe it takes two factors, and this seems to confirm our theory,” said Luna. “First, a pony needs a deep understanding of the world. Knowledge of the heavenly mechanisms is one part of that, but it's not enough. You need a deep connection to some aspect of the world. It brings you closer to the underlying mechanisms. You and your friends would probably qualify. The Elements of Harmony always choose ponies who are highly attuned to their element.”
“Really?” asked Twilight, surprised. “How come nopony has ever done it, then? We can't be the first ponies to be really good at something.”
“Indeed. Celestia and I believe the trigger that lets a capable pony break through and connect with the heavenly mechanisms is a moment of pure despair. When you dedicate yourself wholly to a single thing, and see that thing being taken from you, it is possible to deny it so strongly that the world is forced to respond to you. Dawnbringer truly is completely self-absorbed. His moment must have come when he saw the ruination of his plans, or maybe his own death.”
“What was it for you and Celestia?” asked Twilight curiously. “I mean, ah, if you don't mind my asking,” she hastily amended as she realized she has asked something horribly personal.
Luna was silent for a long moment, and Twilight thought she wasn't going to answer. But then she said, “When Celestia and I were very young, our parents were killed by Discord.”
“That's terrible,” gasped Twilight. “I had no idea.”
“You don't understand,” said Luna. Her voice took on an uncharacteristically harsh tone. “He didn't murder either of them himself. He's far too sadistic for something so simple. You've experienced his power in small doses, but it was unimaginably worse when he was unchecked, and he had as long as he wanted to work on ponies.”
“Our family was one of many scattered across the world, hiding from Discord,” continued Luna hollowly. “He found us, although it's not clear exactly when. Over the course of a few months, our parents... they changed. Completely. They began fighting more and more, sometimes violently. They started ignoring Celestia and I, except to scream at us occasionally. Eventually...” She paused for a moment. “Eventually, our father killed our mother during one of their fights. At that moment, Discord removed his influence from our father. When he realized what he had done, he took his own life.”
Luna had stopped walking, and stood gazing off into the sky. Twilight stared at her, unable to speak or even move. “Discord revealed himself to us after that,” said Luna. “He could have easily killed us, of course, but he thought it would be funnier to let us fend for ourselves, and live with the memory for as long as we could. After that day, we dedicated our lives to defeating Discord. We discovered everything we could about the Elements of Harmony, which were just a myth at the time. After more than ten years, we confronted him. And he brushed us aside, effortlessly. He mocked us, and started speculating at length about what he was going to do to us. At that moment, when we faced not only the loss of our life's goal, but the loss of each other, we... connected. It was suddenly the easiest thing in the world to see the elements, and to direct their power against Discord. When we could see again, I had a horn, and Celestia had wings.”
Twilight felt compelled to say something, but couldn't for the life of her imagine what. Luna seemed to sense her distress. “It's alright,” she said. “You don't need to feel sorry for me. It all happened so long ago. There aren't even written records of that time.”
“How could you ever move passed something like that, though? Even living for thousands of years?” asked Twilight.
“It's harder for Celestia than it is for me,” said Luna. “I was too young then to really understand. And... I have other regrets.” Luna was silent for a moment, and Twilight cast around for something further to say. But then the alicorn continued, “I would ask you not to mention this to my sister. She does not like to speak of it. Maybe someday, but not now.”
“Alright,” agreed Twilight shakely.
“Now, we should make haste to the camp.” Luna turned and began walking again, and Twilight followed, shaking her head to try and settle her thoughts.
Some distance from the refugee camp, a fairly substantial bonfire had been lit. Around this bonfire sat Princess Celestia, a massive, ancient dragon, and a rather nervous looking Shining Armor. Luna inserted herself opposite her sister, and Twilight completed the circle.
“I’ve just finished informing the others of our situation,” said Celestia as they joined her. “I don’t believe you’ve met Cinder yet,” she said, gesturing to the dragon.
“I once knew a dragon by that name,” said Luna, giving him a nod.
“Indeed,” rumbled Cinder. “He was my father. He always spoke of you with great respect. It pleases me to meet you at last.”
A hint of a smile crossed Luna’s face. “You seem to have lived up to your father’s name. I am glad to see you here, for more than one reason.”
Cinder gave a draconic grin. “I studied my father’s history well. Many enemies I have fought, but never ponies. That is a lesson our people would be wise to remember.”
“Now,” Celestia broke in. “Since we held off our attack on your advice, would you like to begin?” she asked Luna.
“Certainly,” responded Luna. “Right now, I would imagine Dawnbringer is busy making himself scarce. That might last for another hour or so. After that, he will begin to wonder why we haven’t searched for him. It is essential we give him the right impression, namely, that we fear him. To that end, I suggest summoning the other Elements of Harmony, and in an obvious manner.”
“You don’t plan on actually using them, then?” asked Celestia.
“No,” said Luna. “For one thing, I’m concerned that the rifts may have already caused significant damage to the Elements. If we use them against Dawnbringer, there’s a slight chance it could divert enough of their power that Discord would be able to break free. Unlikely, but we shouldn’t risk it. For another, the bearers of the Elements make rather obvious targets, and even though the Elements afford some protection, a pony as... creative as Dawnbringer might find a way around that.”
“Agreed,” said Celestia. “I assume, then, that the actual strategy will be a simple frontal attack?”
“Precisely,” said Luna. “Make Dawnbringer think we are merely providing cover for the Elements and fear to confront him directly, and it will draw him out. He may have the power of an alicorn now, but he lacks centuries of skill to draw on, and we outnumber him two to one. We should have little trouble defeating him if we can trick him into a confrontation.”
Cinder gave a deep, rumbling chuckle, which Twilight briefly mistook for a distant landslide. “A clever stratagem, and amusing. How humiliating for the one called Dawnbringer, to be fooled twice in the same way. What role would you ask us to play, Night Princess?”
“I can think of no more obvious way to summon the other Elements than by dragon,” responded Luna.
Cinder raised a scaly eyebrow. “You wish one of my people to carry ponies?” he asked.
“No,” replied Luna. “The carriage will be an illusion, with an enchantment that will subtly draw attention to it. We will need one of your dragons to fly with it to Ponyville, land outside, and then fly back. However, the Elements will not accompany him. We will send orders by quieter means for them to go into hiding until Dawnbringer has been dealt with. Be warned, though. Dawnbringer may attempt an ambush. It would be wise to send one of your swiftest fliers.”
The dragon gave another rumbling laugh. “I see. In that case, I shall have to go myself, of course. I trust that is not all you wish from us, though?”
“Indeed not,” said Luna. “More of Dawnbringer’s creatures will have passed through the rift by morning, possibly many more. We can count on your support once again?”
“Of course,” growled the dragon. “These abominations leave a foul taste in my mouth. Destroying them would be a pleasure, even without the thought of the pony sisters owing us a debt.”
“Sister, will you lead the attack once again?” asked Luna. “Dawnbringer may be able to block my power, but he has yet to see yours.”
Celestia nodded. “I will. I think a direct attack may not the best course of action, though,” she said. “According to Discord’s book, Dawnbringer has some amount of control over the creatures. Not enough for any intricate strategy, but enough to tell them to scatter. We need to get them to concentrate, so we can destroy all of them in a single blow.
“You have an idea?” asked Luna.
“If all goes as planned, Dawnbringer will think we mean to use the Elements of Harmony against him. I suggest forming a tight group of guards, as though we were escorting them to the palace. I suspect he will attempt to surround us with his forces and attack en masse, rather than risk facing the Elements himself. I will destroy the greater part of his army, but leave enough to engage the dragons. He will likely try to neutralize my power, just as he did with you, which I will allow. If we then become separated in battle, I believe he will feel confident enough to reveal himself.”
“Excuse me for saying so, Princess, but I hear an awful lot of ifs in that plan,” said Shining Armor, breaking in.
“You are correct,” said Celestia. “The plan is not certain. However, if there is one thing I am certain of, it is that Dawnbringer has an enormous amount of pride. Following on his earlier victories, I do not believe he will be able to resist this opportunity. If he had an overabundance of caution, he would never have begun this scheme in the first place.”
“As you say. I’ll be leading the force on the ground?” asked Shining Armor.
“Yes,” said Celestia. “Take thirty of your strongest unicorn guards. You’ll want to skirt the rift by at least a mile or two. Hopefully nothing will make it past us, but we can’t guarantee that.”
“I’m going with you,” said Twilight, speaking up for the first time. She felt almost surprised at herself for offering, but once she’d said it, it felt right.
Objections were immediately raised from three sides. Twilight raised her hoof, quieting the two Princesses and her brother. “You know I’m as capable as any four guards. This is too important for you to leave me behind.”
Celestia gave the other two ponies a look to keep them quiet, then said, “Twilight, I know you want to help. But consider: you are the Element of Magic. Risking yourself like this would be foolish. If anything were to happen to you, the Elements would be unusable.”
Twilight started to retort that she was hardly more more important than the Princesses themselves. But then, she had a better idea. “Speaking of the Elements,” she said, “How good do you think Dawnbringer’s vision is?”
“His... vision?” asked Celestia. “Quite good, I should think. Our own vision is at least as good as a pegasus’. Why do you ask?”
“How close do you think he would have to be to see that the Elements of Harmony aren’t actually with the guards?” asked Twilight.
“Not particularly close, but I’m sure we can come up with some deception that will-”
Celestia cut off as Twilight’s horn started to glow. There were five bursts of purple light, and suddenly illusory copies of the five missing Elements stood around the campfire. “Can any of your guards do that?” she asked her brother smugly.
There was silence around the fire for a moment. Then, it was broken by the cavernous voice of Cinder. “This one has great courage for one so small, and power as well. You are the one called Twilight Sparkle, are you not?”
“Yes,” said Twilight, with some trepidation.
“I think you would do well to accept her offer,” he said to the two princesses.
They shared a look. Luna glanced at Twilight for a moment, and their eyes met. Then, the dark alicorn sighed and nodded. “So be it. It would be wrong of me to try and protect you just because I... Well, because of your importance to - to all of us.”
There was silence for a moment. “If there is nothing left to discuss, then we should retire. We must all be at full strength for tomorrow,” said Celestia. “Sister, will you see to the distraction?”
“Of course,” said Luna. She turned to Cinder. “If you would accompany me?”
The massive dragon nodded, rising to his feet. “Lead on, Night Princess.”
Luna led them a short distance away from the campfire. She closed her eyes, and a blue glow began to coalesce in the air in front of her. It swirled and expanded, slowly taking on a firmer shape, until suddenly, a carriage stood before her. It was made of an unidentifiable wood, so polished it gleamed like metal even in the dim light, and it was inlaid with gold and gems. Twilight felt transfixed by it; clearly, this was a carriage only the most important of ponies could ever hope to ride in.
“Most impressive,” rumbled Cinder. Twilight looked at him, and as she looked away from the carriage, the spell was abruptly broken. Now that she could think about it, she realized it was similar to her own want-it-need-it spell, but considerably more refined.
“I have heard many stories of your prowess,” said Cinder. “I look forward to fighting by your side come morning.” With that, he spread his massive wings and sprung into the air, the illusion trailing behind him.
Once again, Twilight found herself alone with Luna, and an awkward silence descended. Twilight cast her mind around for something to say, but before she could come up with anything, Luna said, “I suppose my sister is correct; we should retire. We’ll need all our strength for tomorrow.”
Twilight thought she caught just a hint of reluctance in Luna’s voice. “You know, I don’t feel quite like going to bed yet,” she said. “I don’t think I’d be able to sleep anyway.”
In the dim firelight, she could see Luna nod slightly. “I know the anxiety that comes before a battle well,” she said. The alicorn glanced back at the campfire. “It seems your brother is still awake, as well. Shall we join him?”
Twilight follow Luna back to the campfire. She glanced at Shining Armor; he seemed to be holding something, which he quickly stuffed in his coat as he noticed the approaching ponies. “What was that?” asked Twilight curiously as she walked up.
“Hmmm? What was what?” asked Shining Armor innocently.
“That thing you just hid in your uniform,” said Twilight.
“Nothing,” said Shining Armor, sparing a quick glance for the princess. “It was just, um, my canteen. For water. Because, that’s what you put in a canteen.”
Luna chuckled as she settled herself by the fire. “It seems there are some traditions that never change,” she said. “Well? Aren’t you going to offer your commanding officer a drink?” she asked.
“What? Oh, um, of course, Princess,” said Shining Armor. “I just didn’t think you would, you know...”
“Approve? I’ve sat around more campfires like this than you would care to count, Captain,” said Luna. “I know the order of things.”
Shining Armor produce the small bottle and floated it over to Luna, who accepted it and took a generous sip. Then, the alicorn proffered the bottle to Twilight, who took it after a moment of hesitation. She wasn’t quite sure why Luna and her brother were making such an issue out of a water canteen, but she decided it must be some old military tradition she’d never heard of. Shrugging, she upended the bottle and took a gulp.
It took her perhaps half a second to realize that what she’d just swallowed was most definitely not water. Twilight erupted in a fit of coughing and hacking, spraying the burning liquid over the fire. When she recovered, she found Luna looking at her and struggling not to laugh. Her brother was directing a glare at the alicorn, seemingly torn between his loyalty to the Princess and his brotherly instinct.
“Perhaps it would be better if I warned you before offering you whiskey in the future,” said Luna, still suppressing a giggle.
“Perhaps it would,” muttered Shining Armor.
“It’s alright,” said Twilight, in between a few final coughs. “I’m fine. I’ve just never had anything stronger than apple cider before.”
“If you wish to try something new, the night before a battle is a fine time to do it,” said Luna. “You can never assume you’ll have another chance.”
That statement effectively killed the brief lightening of the mood around the campfire. Shining Armor took the bottle of whiskey back from Twilight, and took another swig from it. “I can still hardly believe we’re here,” he said after a moment. “I never would have imagined Equestria was so fragile.”
“Less fragile than you think,” said Luna, accepting the bottle from him in turn. “We survived Discord himself. If he could not defeat us, I do not think his minion will fare any better, no matter how clever he may think himself.”
With slight trepidation, Twilight took the bottle from Luna and took a cautious sip. Being prepared this time, she managed not to immediately cough it all up. The potent alcohol burned her throat, but it also seemed to spread a bit of warmth through the rest of her at the same time. She couldn’t decide if it was pleasant or not.
“It’s different this time, though,” she said as she passed the bottle to Shining Armor. “Even when the changelings attacked, nopony actually died. Equestria hasn’t been involved in a real war for more than four centuries, and we haven’t been in a war we might actually lose for a lot longer than that. Not since... Well, you know... You.”
“It’s true,” said Luna. “Consider, though: Dawnbringer has no more experience with war than any of you, even though he makes it so eagerly. My sister and I have fought wars lasting longer than the lives of the oldest mortal ponies. He may believe he is prepared, but he is not.”
Luna went to take another drink out of the bottle, which had come around to her again, but discovered it was empty. “Forgive us,” she said. “I did not intend to drink all of your whiskey.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Shining Armor. “I’ll probably thank you in the morning. Besides, drinking with company is always better than drinking alone. I should get to bed, anyway. I haven’t been spending nearly enough time with Cadence since this whole thing started. She’s probably waiting up for me.”
“Good night, big bro,” said Twilight. “I guess we’ll see each other tomorrow.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” said Shining Armor. “Sleep well.” He gave Luna a brief nod, and walked off towards the camp.
Twilight and Luna sat beside each other in companionable silence for a few minutes longer, and Twilight began to notice that the world seemed to be getting friendlier, and also slightly blurrier. After a little while, a question popped into her head, and promptly exited her mouth, bypassing any kind of mental filter. “So, where are we sleeping?” she asked.
The question clearly caught Luna off guard, and Twilight had to stifle the absurd urge to giggle as the alicorn stammered slightly. “Well, ah, I believe that the, ah, guards set up a tent for me over there,” she said, gesturing vaguely. “I think they also might have set one up for you?” She trailed off towards the end of the sentence, as though she couldn’t decide whether she should finish it or not.
“Well, if you don’t know where my tent is, wouldn’t it be easier if I just slept in yours?” asked Twilight, mentally congratulating herself on her flawless argument.
“I am sure that if you asked a guard, he would be able to direct you to your tent,” said Luna, sounding slightly surer of herself.
Twilight switched tactics, deciding she was being too subtle. “Wouldn’t you rather have company tonight, though?” she asked. “Because of, you know, the battle and... stuff.”
Luna muttered something under her breath that seemed to be a condemnation of alcohol. "Listen to me, Twilight,” she said, sighing. “We... We cannot keep doing this. I know what you want, because I... No. It doesn’t matter what I want. It is impossible.”
“What do you mean, impossible?” asked Twilight.
“I can never allow myself to become too close to anypony,” said Luna. “It’s... It’s for the best. For everypony. I... I should go.” With that, the alicorn fled into the night.
Maybe it was what Celestia had told her. Maybe it was the false courage provided by the whiskey, or the real courage provided by facing down an abomination three times her own size. Whatever the cause, Twilight was not going to give up that easily. Tonight, she was going to say what she thought, no matter what happened.
Twilight dashed off after Luna. The alicorn was faster than her, but Twilight saw her heading for a large tent with a pennant flying on top. With a burst of magic, Twilight teleported to intercept her. She appeared less than a foot in front of the charging alicorn, and had an instant to reflect that teleporting under the influence was probably a bad idea. Then, Luna bowled her over, and they went down in a tangle of limbs.
Luna gave a defeated sounding sigh above Twilight. She stood, but she didn’t run again. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I suppose you deserve to know the truth. I just... it’s hard. I’ve never really told anyone before.”
Twilight got to her feet as well, but kept her silence. “It’s a simple story, really,” Luna continued. “There was once a pony named Nightflower. She was like you, in some ways. She always loved the stars...”
Luna shook her head. “I fell in love with her,” she said. “I felt like, after hundreds of years, I’d finally found happiness. We spent decades together. But of course, she was mortal, and I was not. She died, and it felt like my heart died with her.”
“That’s what this is about?” asked Twilight. “Luna, I may not know all that much about love, but I do know quite a bit about friendship. I know that if you hold back because you’re afraid of getting hurt, you always regret it in the long run. Always.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Luna.
“Why not?” demanded Twilight.
“Because most ponies don’t try to plunge the world into eternal darkness when they’re heartbroken,” said the Princess of the Night.
Twilight opened her mouth, and then closed it again. “...Oh,” she said after a moment.
“Indeed,” said Luna. “You understand, now. We can still be... friends,” she said, her voice breaking momentarily. “But I can never allow myself to become so attached to a mortal again.”
“What about the stories?” Twilight asked. “About how you became jealous of Celestia?”
“They’re still true,” said Luna, “But it’s not the whole story. Madness isn’t something that happens overnight. After Nightflower died, I became more and more withdrawn from the world. I would go weeks without exchanging a word with my sister. Over the course of years, I became convinced that no one cared about me, or my night. It wasn’t true, of course, but there are certain delusions the immortal mind is prone to.”
“Hold on a minute,” said Twilight. “You’re saying that because being isolated from other ponies caused you to become Nightmare Moon, you want to isolate yourself from other ponies?”
“I’m not isolating myself,” said Luna. “I just can’t let myself become so attached to any one pony. I managed fine for hundreds of years before then.”
“Don’t you see, though? You are isolating yourself,” said Twilight. “You’ve been living alone on the moon for months. You still would be, if I hadn’t come to Canterlot.” Luna said nothing, and Twilight advanced, poking her in the chest with her hoof. “It wasn’t love that caused you to become Nightmare Moon, it was the lack of it. Of course it hurts to lose someone, but it’s worse by far to never love in the first place. You don’t have to let the pain rule your life.”
Luna retreated all the way to the entrance to her tent, her eyes slightly wide at Twilight’s outburst. Twilight herself felt almost like she was writing a friendship report; once she’d started, she couldn’t stop until she’d reached the end. “And another thing,” she said. “In case you’ve forgotten, I could die tomorrow. We could all die tomorrow. And I am not going to risk dying without saying I love you.” Twilight stopped, astonished by her own audacity, but then gave a slight shrug and pressed forward. “It’s like you said earlier. There’s no time for trying something new like the night before a battle.”
Twilight finally ran out of words. Silence hung between the two ponies, and they stared at each other. The silence stretched, and Twilight found herself desperately hoping she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
Then, without saying anything, Luna wrapped her legs around Twilight and kissed her. Twilight’s mind went absolutely blank. After some indeterminate amount of time, the kiss broke, and she found herself gazing into Luna’s eyes. “I love you too, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna.
And Twilight found herself not caring all that much that it might be her last night alive. With a huge smile, she shoved Luna backwards into the tent, and then followed her in.
* * *
Twilight stared out at the blasted plain that had once been the city of Canterlot, illuminated in the rising sun. The mountain still stood, as did the palace seated on it, but both were considerably worse for the wear. The palace, once white and gold, had been blackened with ash, and several of the taller towers had crumbled. Situated over the rift, the entire thing looked quite sinister.
Here and there, Dawnbringer’s creatures flew or skittered or lumbered over the bleak landscape. “We were right,” said Luna, standing close to Twilight. “There aren’t nearly enough out there. Dawnbringer is hiding them away somewhere.”
“Where?” asked Twilight quietly.
“Probably the caves under Canterlot,” said Luna. “We had scouts out last night to make sure none got around to flank us, or attack the refugees. There aren’t really many other places to hide an army, after last night.”
Twilight nodded. “He’ll probably wait until we get close to the castle, then.”
Celestia approached, flanked by Shining Armor. “Is everything in readiness?” she asked.
“It is,” said Twilight. “The refugees started moving out an hour ago. They should be well clear by the time the fighting starts. Everyone who’s staying is here.”
“It’s time, then,” said Celestia. “It’s been so long since I’ve led ponies into battle,” she said, sighing. “I have not missed it. Shall we, Luna?”
“Go on ahead,” said Luna. “I’ll join you in a moment.”
Celestia glanced at Luna, and then at Twilight. “Of course,” she said with a slight smile. She gestured to Shining Armor, and they trotted off towards the gathering formation of guards together.
Twilight pressed herself against Luna, and the alicorn leaned down and nuzzled her gently. “I said something last night that I want to take back,” said Twilight after a silent moment.
“What is it?” asked Luna.
“I said we might both die today,” said Twilight, looking out at the rift and the ruins of the palace. “I take it back. Neither of us are allowed to die anymore.”
Luna laughed softly. “Are you attempting to give an order to your Princess?” she asked. “I ought to have you thrown in the dungeon for insubordination.”
“You don’t have a dungeon to throw me into until we’ve taken back the palace, though,” pointed out Twilight.
“A fair point,” said Luna. “Very well; I shall make an exception, just this once. Order accepted.”
They stood in silence for a moment longer. Eventually, Luna sighed, and Twilight knew it was time. They broke apart, exchanging one last gaze, containing everything that needed to be said. “Go,” said Twilight, forcing herself to look away. There was a flurry of wings, and Luna sprang into the air, rising until she was just a dark blue dot circling with the dragons far overhead.
Twilight blinked away a few stubborn tears and went to join her brother. He stood at the head of thirty unicorns guards. Many had armor that was still dented or scarred from the battle two days previous, but each stood proudly, showing no fear. Shining Armor nodded to her as she approached. “You’re ready?” he asked.
“I’m ready,” said Twilight.
“Remember the plan,” he instructed. “You stay in the middle and don’t fight unless things turn really ugly. We’re all counting on your illusions.”
“Don’t worry,” said Twilight. “It’s going to work. We can do this.”
Celestia descended to hover at the front of the column. The broken palace framed her, and she nearly glowed in the light of the rising sun. Silence descended, and every eye turned to watch her.
“Ponies! Many times have I made speeches such as this. I had hoped never to have to make another. For centuries, Equestria has known peace. And yet, when war came upon you, sudden and unexpected, you rose to the challenge! Our enemy thinks you weak. He thinks that since peace is all you have known, fighting is beyond you. But he does not understand. He does not understand that peace is a far greater reward than power ever could be, and that is why today, he will fall. Against us, he will fall! To Canterlot, and victory!”
The hillside erupted with the cheers of the guards. Celestia soared up to join her sister, and the column on the ground rumbled forward. Twilight took her position in the middle, where a space had been left, and called on her magic. Five illusory ponies appeared around her, keeping pace, and the procession moved down into the plains.
In the sky, the dragons scattered, hunting down the few creatures that ventured too close, and keeping a watch for the rest of Dawnbringer’s army. After a few small skirmishes, though, there was little for them to see. Minutes passed. The sun moved farther up into the sky, and Dawnbringer’s force did not appear. Twilight began to worry that he had somehow evaded them, with his army in tow, but she reminded herself that if he was hiding in the mountain under the palace, they would need to get closer before he would emerge.
The tension reached its peak perhaps an hour after they set forth, and then began to decline. It was simply impossible to keep expecting an attack at any instant for too long. The guards didn’t precisely relax, but did seem to stop staring suspiciously at the bleak landscape around them quite as much.
The attack finally came just as they were rounding the rift and turning towards the palace, almost exactly when Luna had predicted. With an ear-rending shriek, hundreds of winged monstrosities burst forth from the mountain, emerging from cracks and fissures. They collected themselves into a great, writhing mass and sped towards the tiny contingent of ponies on the ground below. The procession stopped moving, and several of the guards backed away nervously. Twilight did not. She knew what was coming.
First, the shadows began to shift, shrinking as the world brightened. Twilight felt heat against her back, and she glanced back towards the sun, but was immediately forced to look away by the brilliant glare, far brighter than it should have been. The light and heat grew to a peak, and Twilight heard a great rushing sound. She looked up in spite of herself, and saw a pair of massive, incandescent streamers flash overhead. The sunfire formed a spiraling helix as it darted for the horde of creatures. In the instant before they hit, the streamers blossomed outwards, and for the blink of an eye, the shape of an enormous phoenix was visible bearing down on the enemy force. Then, with a roar that shook the mountain, it exploded into a raging fireball.
The shockwave nearly knocked Twilight off her feet as it struck. The massive fireball rolled slowly upwards, revealing a sky entirely empty of Dawnbringer’s creatures. Before Twilight’s ears had even stopped ringing, the sky once again started to brighten as Celestia summoned more sunfire, directing it at the palace itself.
This time, however, a dark cloud exploded from the mountain to meet the oncoming sunfire. After a moment, Twilight realised it was ash. The sunfire impacted the ash cloud and dispersed it across the sky, but rather than fading away, the cloud continued to grow at a supernatural rate. In less than a minute, it had blocked out the sun.
The ponies around Twilight shifted anxiously. “Don’t worry,” she said. “This is part of the plan. We need to draw him out into the open.” Despite her show of confidence, though, she couldn’t help but feel a deep unease. Even if she knew intellectually that Celestia had allowed Dawnbringer to block her power, she couldn’t help but feel that they were fighting on his terms now. “Come on. We need to keep moving.”
The force began moving forward once more. Before they had taken more than a few dozen steps, though, Twilight felt a tremor run through the earth. It was followed by another one, stronger. The third tremor was nearly strong enough to knock her over, and it didn’t stop. The formation broke as the guards staggered around, trying to keep their feet.
All across the plain, the ground rumbled as it was split open by deep fissures. Out poured Dawnbringer’s army, wreathed in a vale of noxious fumes, many times larger than the force Celestia had destroyed. The flying creatures soared into the air to engage the dragons, while the earth bound monstrosities began to converge on the tiny force of ponies, suddenly outnumbered a dozen to one.
The shaking did not abate, and a small distance away, the ground began to crumble. “Run!” shouted Twilight, doing her best to follow her own advice with the earth heaving beneath her feet. The ground continued to fall into the sinkhole, expanding in a ring towards the rapidly retreating ponies. Twilight felt the ground beneath her crumbling, and she gathered all her strength into a single leap, just catching the edge of the newly formed pit. Grunting with effort, she pulled herself up onto solid ground as the shaking slowly subsided. Miraculously, most of the guards seemed to have avoided the collapse. They turned towards the pit, preparing to confront any creatures that emerged from it. But no creatures emerged. Instead, Dawnbringer did.
His coat was golden, and it seemed to shine with a dark radiance. His mane had been replaced with brilliant orange flames, burning fiercely. His army formed a wide circle around the sinkhole, creating an impassible barrier. Dawnbringer spread his wings, hovering above the awed ponies, and smiled.
“Did you really think you could fool me with such simple illusions?” he asked, staring down at Twilight. “You can’t even imagine the power I now possess. Your deceptions and your stratagems have failed. Your princesses have failed. Know now, as you die, that you have failed, utterly and completely.”
A sphere of golden light appeared at the tip of his horn, swirling and pulsing as it gathered energy. “Shields!” came Shining Armor’s shout. Twilight looked over at him, and they nodded. Their horns glowed, and a barrier of violet light sprung up over the loose cluster of guards. An instant later, Dawnbringer released his attack. A torrent of golden fire poured from his horn and impacted the shield below. The shield bowed inward, and Twilight forced all her power into pushing back. For a second, it held. Then, it shattered into pieces. The backlash knocked Twilight to her knees, but it also dispersed Dawnbringer’s bolt.
Dawnbringer laughed. “You think to set yourself against me? I have the power of a god now!” His horn began to glow again as he prepared another bolt of mystical fire.
Twilight looked over at her brother, lying a few feet away. He was still on laying side, shaking his head groggily. Twilight scrambled up, interposing herself between him and Dawnbringer. She gathered every scrap of magic she could find in herself, gathering it into a bolt much like Dawnbringer’s. As he released his burst of flames, she unleashed a spear of violet light. The two bolts met in the middle and exploded with a violent concussion. Twilight and Shining Armor were both flung backwards.
When she looked up, Dawnbringer was lowering a shield he had been forced to conjure around himself. “A worthy effort, but futile,” he said. “A pity such power was wasted on a unicorn with so little ambition. You could have been truly great. Perhaps you could even have taken my place, if you had tried. But now, you are nothing.”
He gathered his power for another attack. Twilight tried to conjure another bolt to counter it, or even a shield to block it, but her magic was sluggish after her massive expenditure, and it refused to come. She struggled to her feet, even though she knew there was nowhere to run. It was already too late, though; Dawnbringer unleashed a third blast of golden flames, and Twilight could only stare, helpless.
But then, a shield of dark blue appeared in front of her, and the golden flames splashed harmlessly off. A moment later, the alicorn who had cast it slammed into the ground between Twilight and Dawnbringer. Luna banished the cloud of dust her landing had raised with a sweep of her wings as her sister made a more graceful landing beside her.
“You were fools to come here,” said Dawnbringer, glaring down at them. “You still could have escaped. But without your powers, you can’t hope to defeat me. Now, you are trapped along with the rest.”
“No,” said Luna in a voice like midnight. “It is you who have trapped yourself. You think yourself powerful? You have seen nothing.” As she spoke, she moved with her sister to surround the third alicorn. “Your life is the blink of an eye. I have slain more creatures than you could even imagine. I saved this world, and then brought it to its knees. Your power means nothing to me!”
With that, she conjured a swirling orb of darkness and moonlight, and sent it hurling at Dawnbringer. He gave her a contemptuous look and folded his wings, diving. The energy bolt flew harmlessly over his head, and straight into the orb of sunfire Celestia had thrown at him from the opposite side. The two bolts met with an enormous explosion directly above Dawnbringer.
At the last instant, Dawnbringer conjured a shield around himself. He was blasted back down into the pit, and the royal sisters sprang into the air. Without waiting for him to recover, each fired a rapid barrage of magical spears into the crater. The ground shook, and the walls of the pit began to collapse inward. Celestia flicked a beam of energy around the rim of the pit, accelerating the collapse and sending rocks avalanching downwards.
With a roar, Dawnbringer emerged from the pit, blasting tons of rock away from himself with a huge surge of telekinesis. He attempted to conjure another burst of flames, but Celestia sent a swarm of tiny magical darts spiraling at him from all directions, forcing him to conjure another shield. Luna promptly hurled a spear of moonlight at his back. It struck his shield with a flash of light, sending cracks spidering along its surface. Dawnbringer whirled to confront the Night Princess, quickly repairing his shield, but as he did so, Celestia sent a spear of sunfire into his shield from the other side.
Snarling, Dawnbringer focused his magic into a massive, spherical pulse of flames, forcing the princesses to conjure their own shields. He used the opening to surge upwards, perhaps hoping to lose them in the ash cloud he had created. Before he could begin to escape, though, his shield was ensnared by two glowing chains, one of moonlight and the other of sunfire. With twin movements, the princesses sent him hurtling back into the ground, cracking it where he struck.
With a desperate pulse of magic, Dawnbringer called to his army, and the surrounding ring of creatures suddenly surged forward. Celestia landed, conjuring a large shield to keep them at bay, while Luna continued to harry Dawnbringer and keep him from escaping. Celestia’s shield bowed inward under the combined assault of hundreds of creatures. A few seconds later, they were joined by their brethren in the air, who had also responded to Dawnbringer’s desperate call. For a moment, it seemed that Celestia’s shield would be overwhelmed.
Too late, Dawnbringer realized his error. As the airborne half of his army swooped downwards, so did the dragons they had been engaging. In the air, the creatures had kept themselves spread out to avoid being obliterated by dragonfire, but now they concentrated themselves into a writhing mass over Celestia’s shield. The combined flames of more than a dozen dragons rained down on them, and within moments, the entirety of Dawnbringer’s army had been reduced to ash. The flames washed over Celestia’s shield, doing no harm to the barrier specifically designed to resist dragonfire.
Surrounded and alone, Dawnbringer froze, seemingly unsure of what to do. The moment of hesitation cost him. A bolt of sunfire struck his shield from below, fracturing it. An instant later, a spear of moonlight struck him from above. His shield shattered, and Dawnbringer plummeted. He impacted the ground with a dull thud, and did not rise.
Celestia and Luna landed, one on either side of the fallen alicorn. “And so it ends,” said Celestia. “The last time we spoke, I exiled you from Equestria. I tried to be merciful, despite the crimes you had committed, and the dangerous knowledge you possessed. I shall not make the same mistake again.”
“NO!” screamed Dawnbringer, scrambling to his feet wildly. “YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! I AM A GOD! I AM A GOD!”
Celestia shook her head, and a spear of sunfire appeared in the air above her. But then, the ground began to shake. Celestia looked down in alarm, and threw herself sideways into the air. A moment later, a jet of superheated gas erupted from the ground where she had been standing. Another appeared on the opposite side of Dawnbringer, narrowly missing Luna. Both princesses immediately unleashed magic on Dawnbringer, but the ground beneath him collapsed, and he was swallowed by the earth, laughing insanely.
“Run! All of you, run, now!” shouted Celestia. Twilight scrambled to her feet along with the guards and began to dash away. The ground shook harder and harder, making it difficult to run. Then, there was a massive, earth shattering roar, and Twilight was thrown forward. She looked behind her and saw a huge fountain of molten rock erupting into the air. Dawnbringer hung above the newly formed volcano, and the lava split itself to avoid him.
The princesses renewed their assault, but the lava interposed itself between their attacks, hanging in an unnatural shell around Dawnbringer. Steamers of magma erupted outwards, lashing at the royal sisters, forcing them to divert their energies into protecting themselves. They retreated to a safer distance, but the fissure under Dawnbringer opened wider, ejecting fountains of lava underneath the princesses.
The dragons swooped downwards, unafraid of the heat, but Dawnbringer gathered the molten rock into a swarm of tentacles around himself, and began lashing out wildly. A massive arm of lave slammed into a dragon, knocking him out of the sky, and the rest beat a hasty retreat. The princesses weaved and dodged, trying to fire bolts of magic through the gaps, but the tentacles kept increasing in speed and number.
The sisters were struck within seconds of each other. First, Celestia was caught full on by an arm of lava as thick as a tree trunk. She was sent flying away, her shield shattering. With one of his opponents down, Dawnbringer gathered all of his lava and focused it into a single massive plume. Luna was blasted backwards, her shield vanishing.
She landed several feet in front of Twilight, and did not rise. As though in a dream, Twilight scrambled forward. Before she could reach the fallen alicorn, though, a magical bolt struck the ground in front of her, tossing her backwards. Dawnbringer laughed, descending to hover between the volcano and Luna, framed by the fountain of lava.
“You see?” he asked. “Nothing can compare to my power. Even the princesses are impotent against me! What greater proof of my divinity could there be?”
No, thought Twilight. No, this isn’t right. It can’t end like this! She gathered as much of her remaining magic as she could muster, and focused it all into a single bolt.
Dawnbringer laughed contemptuously. “When will you learn? You cannot defeat me. Nothing can defeat me!” Casually, he conjured a shield as Twilight unleashed her bolt. But caught up in his victory, he’d forgotten that his own magical reserves were still severely depleted. Twilight’s bolt shattered his shield and sent him spinning backwards.
Furiously, Dawnbringer sprang back into the air, largely unharmed. “You! You will pay for your transgression! You will beg to worship me before I am through with you!” he snarled. “You will be the last to die. I shall make you watch as everyone and everything you have ever loved is destroyed, starting now, with your princess!”
Dawnbringer rose into the air, and the lava followed at his command, settling into a spinning ring around him. Twilight stared up at him, desperately trying to call some scrap of magic to herself, just enough for one more strike, but there was nothing. She looked around, but the guards had been struck down or exhausted by their efforts to protect themselves during the battle, and the dragons were scattered and in retreat. There was no one.
No! There must be something! Anything! It can’t end like this. I won’t let it end like this! She reached out, desperately grasping for anything that might help her. And then, suddenly, the world heard her. And for the first time, she saw.
Time slowed, and all of Twilight’s fear seemed to fall away. Calmly, she curiously regarded the new world around her. She could see into the bowels of the earth, where deep veins of magma glowed with an angry intensity in a color that might have loosely been described as red, ripped and twisted where Dawnbringer had forced them to the surface. Beyond that, she could see the moon, floating serenely on its course under the earth, hidden from the world. She looked up, and saw the sun, steadily burning beyond the insubstantial mist of Dawnbringer’s ash cloud. She saw the stars, too, shining cheerfully beyond a thin veil.
She saw all of those things, and recognized them, but they did not call to her. Throughout everything she could see ran a web made of ethereal light. The more she looked at it, the easier it was to follow, until she could see the entire structure of reality outlined in streams of shining colors. It felt comforting, almost familiar. After a moment, she realized it felt the same as her own power. No, it was her own power. They were the veins of magic that ran through the world, that every pony drew their own power from, whether they knew it or not.
Something was wrong, though. In some places, the web was marred by ugly gashes, blocking the power from flowing like it should. Twilight frowned slightly. She could see in her mind the pattern the streams were supposed to follow. Reaching out, she made a few small adjustments, healing the pattern, or shifting it slightly to avoid the damage. Immediately, fresh magic surged through the veins, and waves of power spread from them. The entire world seemed to gain in color, regaining an intensity that Twilight hadn’t even been aware it was lacking before. She absently noted the rift behind her folding out of existence.
There was still one final problem. The world hadn’t been damaged by accident. A pony had tried to kill it, and that pony now hovered in front of her, attempting to gather his power for a finishing blow, unaware of how utterly insignificant he had just become.
Twilight studied the web of magic. All the power she could possibly need was there, but it was behind a veil, and it was blocked by the sun. Reaching out, Twilight shifted the sun to the other side of the veil, and the streams of magic to this side. Then, she tapped just a drop of that power, and directed it at the pony in front of her.
Time resumed. From every corner of the sky, curtains of vibrant colors swept forward, banishing Dawnbringer’s ash cloud. They shimmered and twisted, filling the empty sky with light, and met directly above Twilight. Dawnbringer had just enough time to look up in shock. Then, a shaft of brilliant, pure white light shot down from the heavens. It consumed him in an instant, then faded, leaving only a burning afterimage.
The world came crashing back for Twilight. Desperately, she scrambled forward to Luna’s still form. Twilight pressed her head against Luna’s chest, and sagged in relief when she felt breath being drawn in. She lay down beside Luna and wrapped her wings around the alicorn protectively.
Wait.
My WHAT?
Twilight scrambled to her feet and looked at herself. Two lavender wings emerged from just below her neck, extended fully in shock. That wasn’t the only thing that had changed, though. Her familiar purple mane and tail and been replaced by shifting curtains of violet and lavender light, just like the ones in the sky above her. Something else was different, too; after a moment, she realized that the ground was considerably farther away than it had been before. She had to be at least as tall as Luna, now.
She stood in shock for several seconds. Eventually, she was brought back to reality by a cough below her. Luna was shaking her head groggily, trying to stand. Then she looked up and saw Twilight. For a moment, the two alicorns just stared at each other.
“What... I take it we won, then?” asked Luna hesitantly. Twilight just nodded mutely. Luna looked around, taking in the shifting curtains of light above them. After several seconds, she said, “I like your new look.”
“Thank you,” said Twilight. “Do you mind if I faint on top of you now?”
Twilight was fairly sure Luna replied in the positive, and then the world faded to black.