//------------------------------// // The final confrontation // Story: Daring Do and the Sun-piece // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Back outside in the nightly desert could Nightmare be found. She was hovering in the air while being deep in her own thoughts. Though the flow was being disturbed when she heard something that dropped in the loose sand. She turned herself around in order to witness the account. In her eyes she caught the body of the explorer and the mighty alicorn dropped herself in the sands as well, tucking her wing back against her body while starting to walk up to her. “Where is it?” she spoke in anger.         Daring would have just risen her head and let her eyes fell into those of the Empress, panting lightly. She tried to formulate the words. “Down there, deeply hidden, from you!” she snarled to her.         That answer made the alicorn not just angry, but furious. She switched over into a mood that made her just wanting kill the explorer. In the sands she was already moving  closer to do just that. “I ordered you to get it for me. And now you fail me of all! I don’t like ponies that disappoint me. I dispatch of them by sending into realms beyond. Prepare to meet your end!” Nightmare snarled towards the pegasus as her horn allowed itself to be coated within the dark blue, purplish coloring.         Just when she wanted to charge up her horn to speak a spell of death there was a bright blue light that appeared behind Nightmare. The dark alicorn turned herself around to face the new thread. The creature placed its bleeding wing before her face when the light only got brighter.         Out of the light emerged another figure. A figure that was a lot smaller than Nightmare. Yet the same mane style was carried. It was flowing without the wind while it had a dark blue coat. Its blue eyes rested on Nightmare when the light dropped itself behind her. She spoke in a regal and calm voice yet its undertone was demanding and stern. “Be gone, filthy creature, you have nothing to seek here!” she spoke against the creature of hatred.         Nightmare lowered her wing and grinned darkly at the emerged figure. She knew exactly just who it was as the two had shared a rather close time towards one another. “Luna, it has been too long. Last time I saw you, you cried for forgiveness by your sister, you pathetic weakling!”         Luna would have just huffed in response before she spoke her words. “I am not a weakling anymore. I began to train, became more powerful in my arts of the night until I mastered all of them. And I'm going to give you a choice, leave now or suffer before me.” Nightmare gazed over to Luna and then back to Daring before she let out a dark hiss. The pegasus could only pray that the two wouldn't charge at one another. The powers that they carried could literally ravage the land. And with all of the information she had gathered over the course of time, all the myths and legends, she didn't want to get caught in the cross fire at all. Seconds ticked by while she feared for everything.         Luna managed to maintain her posture. Though she was determined to at least harm the monster if the charges would come. Yet she prayed to the fact that it didn't came that way. With the power surging through her horn like never before, her blue eyes were fixed upon those of Nightmare and the two exchanged glares of utter hatred for one another.         But then Nightmare's eyes tore themselves away from the staring contest and she lowered on her forelegs. Where Luna and Daring expected the fight to erupt, there were words spoken in a tone of pure mockery and defeat. “Fine then, I shall leave the scene for this one time. But I will return one day, Luna ex machina. Then the night will last forever as we promised! And when that day comes. All of you will bow down to me and me alone!”         With one powerful and high jump into the air she was off again. Her wings spread to their maximum width. Then the creature of darkness just rocketing through the skies back to her hidden caverns. The place where she would be plotting her revenge once more against the land of Equestria. ---   With the whole scene behind them, Daring rested her eyes on the princess while she crawled back up on her hooves with a gulp. Yet once she stood straight again, she lowered through them for a deep bow. “Princess,” she spoke in a tone of the highest respects.         Luna discharged the energy of her horn before she gently made her way over to the pegasus and replied in the most regal of tones. ”Do you know what you just did? You just entered the most forbidden place in the whole of our land,” she spoke to the pegasus with a stern set of eyes.         The mare gave a simply nod at the accusing. She had begun to wait what other words would come out of the mouth of the princess. But instead of words, she was greeted by deeds. For it was Luna who then allowed her horn to collect power and aimed it towards the skies.         Before she even know it there was another flash of bright blue light that did its turn and the ground below her began to swirl around before it slowly disappeared into nothing but black while the swirling began to turn the other way around. It took them a few seconds before the tiles that occupied the throne room would be seen in her eyes.         When the lights dropped once more, Daring met a rather nervous looking princess Celestia. One who was patiently waiting on the throne. The princess of the sun let her eyes fall upon her sister and the pegasus and released a sigh of pure relief. “Thank goodness that the both of you both are alright,” she spoke afterwards. Her eyes –or better said eye– lightened up from her mood.         Luna walked to her sister and they hugged each other tightly while she told her just what happened after which she took place on the throne as well. Taking the seat next to the white alicorn.         “Miss Do, explorer in heart and mind. You have been undertaken your greatest adventure but also your most dangerous one to date. It was better for everypony that this stayed hidden. Now, if you have taken anything from the temple, please give it to us,” spoke Celestia up in an honest sounding voice. The princess was asking something, a request that shouldn’t be denied by any.         Daring hesitated a bit and then reached in her vest. “I only took this out of it,” she said before she took out the scrolls and gave it to Celestia.         The mighty mare of the day nodded in a thankful manner while speaking. “Miss Do, you are free to leave, continue your explorations, but speak to nopony about these events. And if you encounter any problems with Nightmare Moon or any of her agents, don't fight them head on. Turn around and run as the wind carries your wings. I think you understand why,” the alicorn said to her.         “I will do my best to grant your wish, your highness's. And thank you both, for everything you did for me,” said Daring just before she bowed deeply. After that she just left the royalties alone. She was done with the two of them and didn't had the desire to become a pain in their sights.         The elder sister carefully opened one of the scrolls after the departure was made and she gently began to make her way through it with Luna willing to watch what it said. “What is it sister? What does it say?” she asked impatiently.         “Something only for my eyes and what will only be seen by mine, Luna,” she replied while rolling up the scrolls again and leaving the throne room for a little while.         Luna found herself a little bored looking as she awaited the return of Celestia who eventually did came back. “Sis, are you going to tell me what that document was?”         “No Luna, the less ponies know of this, the better,” spoke Celestia while she took her seat on the throne again. The princess of the night simply released a deep sigh. She gave a nod of understanding before she lost herself in thought of just what her alter-ego would be doing, how her revenge would be taking place. ---                      After having strolled through the metropolis of Canterlot a bit, Daring traveled back to Dust Bin by train. When she entered the town again after her disappearance, the same looks were given to her as when she first entered it. But the looks didn't do anything to her as she made her return to the hotel and back to her room.         She plopped herself on the bed and covered her face with her hat before wandering off into the events that happened to her but also into those that would be coming soon enough again. But being that deeply in thought, made her fall asleep for some well-earned rest.