Falling into Sunlight
Sunset Shimmer fell through the night. It lasted only moments before she landed on something soft. Of all the things she expected to see upon opening her eyes, hooves were not among them.
“What in Equestria…” She wiggled one of the appendages, but it was definitely hers. After a moment's thought, a tap on her forehead revealed her horn. And that was enough for her to try a surge of magic.
With but the merest of efforts, a mirror appeared before her. Sunset smiled at the amber unicorn in the reflection. The unicorn wasn’t wearing clothes… which was both liberating and odd at the same time. In fact, the only thing she wore was a small ruby pendant with her cutie mark around her neck, her ‘memento’ from Camp Everfree. Her smile widened. She’d forgotten to take it off after her control practice. It was still something she had to work on every night since the incident with the gem and Princess Celestia. The incident that had blasted her halfway across the Princess’s study.
But... I’ve only had this on once as a pony. That was when I visited Equestria after graduation. And that was months ago. So why would I have it on now?
Still, it was nice to see this amber mare again. It had been just over six months since Sunset had last seen her own muzzle. Even after all her time among humans, there was a piece of her that would always remain irrevocably a pony.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
There was a catch though. Namely, she didn’t recall going through the portal. Last thing she remembered, she was cuddling with Twilight, watching some random movie on the couch…
She banished the mirror and looked around.
“Huh. It’s been a while since I’ve realized I was in a dream. Longer since I dreamt I was a pony for that matter.”
She had to be dreaming. Either that, or somepony was throwing around some serious magic. In every direction, waves of energy coursed through the aether in bands of purple, cobalt, indigo and gold. Brilliant bronze stars floated aimlessly in the odd space, while nigh-invisible stardust coated the ground. She could feel the magic in the air. It was a heady sensation, bringing back fond memories of her younger days when things were so much simpler. Back when she was the personal student of Princess Celestia.
Those were good days… but now that I have Twilight, not to mention my other friends, I wonder if they really were better…
Those days had been on her mind a lot lately. Ever since finally seeing Celestia again. A lot of memories. A lot of smiles. Far too many ‘if onlys.’
As usual, hindsight remained twenty-twenty.
Sunset sighed, and shook herself from her thoughts. If she was in a dream… it wasn’t like any dream she’d remembered having. She wondered if she could—
You should not be here, an oddly familiar voice whispered from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. You should not bear witness to these events. She could not bear the shame of it. Not then. Not now.
“Who’s there?” Sunset demanded, whipping her head around to find the source of the ethereal voice. There was a strange sound to it, like desperation tinged with anger.
No, not anger. Rage? Shame?
“Who are you?” she called out, frowning.
A demented cackle washed over her, and every hair on Sunset’s coat stood on end. She flared her magic, looking for a target. All she could find were eerie waves of light.
It was a mistake to bring you—
A blast of fire in the far distance interrupted the voice. Sunset peered through the odd landscape. That magic looked familiar. It felt familiar. She knew it. But from where?
Another insane laugh swept over her. This time, a scream of pain echoed it a second later.
“No,” Sunset whispered. “It can’t be…”
No! You must turn away, Sunset Shimmer. Avert your gaze. She would be devastated if you saw this. It would destroy her, inside and out!
Sunset ignored the voice and charged forward at a full gallop in the direction of the flames. Another burst illuminated the threads of magic around her. A second cry of pain. From a voice that was all too familiar. A voice… an impossible voice.
She forgot about galloping, and just teleported as far as she could.
It wasn’t far enough. She could see the fire in the distance, but nothing else. She teleported again, gasping with the effort, but she could now smell burning fabric and melting metal in the air. Smoke plumes filled the sky. Everything ahead of her was ablaze. A world of fire, heat and ash.
You should not do this, Sunset Shimmer! You must turn back! Please!
She ignored both the pain in her horn and the voice in her head, and teleported a third time.
She nearly blacked out for a split second and then landed hard, sprawling on the smoldering remains of a red carpet. Groaning, she tried to collect herself. Everything was still in place. However, the air tasted wrong. Like scorched copper and ozone. Lifting her head, her blood ran cold despite the sweltering heat from the fire all around her.
Flames licked ornate marble pillars, each of them cracked. Broken masonry littered the floor. Smoke rolled through the air in great billowing waves. The heat was oppressive, sucking the moisture from the air and leaving her barely able to breathe. She had to fight to remain conscious.
All the while, there was a nagging sense that she knew this place.
“Well, well, well…” said a voice that couldn’t be who it sounded like. “Look what the brat dragged in. The little sun has come to play with the big girls. This must be one of your little tricks, my dear sister.”
There was a pulse of violent magic above her, and another cry of pain. Sunset barely had time to register how different the scream was before an indigo streak slammed into the ground. She froze as she stared into the bloodshot eyes of Princess Luna.
“Flee… she mustn’t find you…” Luna whispered.
A bolt of red magic lanced down through the smoke. The Princess of the Moon screamed once again, a sound that tore through Sunset like a jagged nail. With a final desperate look, she vanished in a flash of moon dust.
“Luna!” cried Celestia from somewhere near, Sunset wasn’t sure where. Sound wasn’t carrying right.
Sunset tried to call out to her, but she could only hack and cough as the smoke filled her lungs.
“Oh come on,” the other voice said, sounding positively bored. “I’ve battered her, beaten her down, and banished her from your dreams for months. And every time you cry out her name. What a pathetic excuse for a Princess you are, Celestia. Where’s your fire?” She giggled, a sound like razors shaking in a tin. “Oh, right. That’s me.”
“Leave her alone!” spat the ragged voice of Sunset’s former teacher. “Your conflict is with me!”
“Is that so?” The other voice sounded so familiar, but Sunset refused to believe it could possibly be who it sounded like. “Luna’s gone again, just like every other night. But this time, she brought somepony new for us to play with. A new toy! And when she gets here, we’re going to have so much fun together!” She sounded like she was speaking to a tiny filly about a cuddly bear. “I’m going to break her in front of you. Won’t that be fun, fillies? In fact, why don’t I show you our mystery guest right now!”
Sunset squawked as blood red magic yanked her up through the smoke. As she rose, there was an explosion of light and sound. The smoke thinned. The magic tightened around Sunset’s neck and she feebly kicked her hindlegs, trying to find purchase on anything.
That’s when Sunset realized where she was.
The air was still tainted with smoke and ash, but she finally got a glimpse at the entire room. Stained glass windows were shattered. Tapestries were aflame. Entire sections of the walls and roof of the throne room had been torn open to reveal a burning Canterlot outside.
“The throne room? But…”
Sunset let out another strangled scream as the red magic pulled her up again until she was muzzle-to-muzzle with something straight out of a nightmare.
“And here she is! Little sun, take a bow!”
“No…” Sunset shrieked as she shied away from the monster. “Get away from me!”
“Aw.” The monster sounded genuinely hurt. “But little sunny Sunset, don’t you know who I am?”
A wicked grin curled the thing’s muzzle, emphasizing the bone-white fangs in her mouth. A helm of fiery orange and red with a gem like a star of blood sat upon her head. Her mane was a mass of living fire. She even wore matching armor. But all of that paled in comparison to one very specific thing.
Her eyes.
They were fiery yellow upon dark red… and she had flames for irises. They seemed to bore into Sunset with a malicious glee. And they sent bolts of terror into Sunset’s very soul.
She had seen eyes like this before in her own nightmares… but they had always been set into her own twisted face.
But worse than that, despite everything she knew about her former teacher, Sunset knew the thing holding her couldn’t be anypony else but Celestia herself.
“Good,” the thing hissed, watching the recognition in her eyes. With every breath, a rush of heat washed over Sunset, making the ruins of the Canterlot throne room almost glow with heat. “Look at it twinkling in your eyes, little sun. You’ve already accepted that I am her. The better her. Isn’t the truth so freeing?”
“You… you aren’t Celestia…” Sunset lied. “You can’t be—”
“No…” cried a weak voice from below. Both the monster and Sunset looked down at the burnt and battered white alicorn curled in a smoking heap at the foot of the half-melted golden throne of Canterlot. The Princess was weeping openly, tears streaming down her soot-covered muzzle. Her left wing looked broken, as was at least one of her legs. Her mane and tail were limp and lifeless, their colors half-faded. She let out a whimper… a sound that Sunset had never believed the alicorn could make.
“You… Sunset, no, please… don’t be real…”
The thing that held Sunset looked from Celestia back up to Sunset. Her smile grew until it was positively demonic. Sunset felt a chilling sense of déjà vu creep up her body.
“Oh, of course!” She bopped herself under her horn with a scorching hot brass hoofshoe. “Why didn’t I think of that earlier? I should have made this connection eons ago. It’s so obvious why you banished her, Celestia! And it’s so sweet!”
Those words froze Sunset’s blood. Her mouth hung open at the alicorn of fire floating above the devastation. The alicorn’s smile could have swallowed entire worlds.
“You thought she would turn into me.” The thing sighed maternally. “Just picture it, a little me running around, making you redundant in every way that matters.”
“No! You know nothing of my students, Daybreaker!” Celestia tried to stand, but screamed when her broken leg gave out from under her. Sunset’s heart clenched at the sight of her former teacher in agony. “And she’s not… she’s not really… she’s not here.”
“Be sensible. You already know it’s her, Celestia,” the thing called Daybreaker crooned. “You can feel it, just as I felt it when she arrived. After all, we’re the same pony, you and I! What you feel, I feel! Which means I know all about your pwecious widdle students, and how badly they’ve failed Mommy.”
“Sunset…” Celestia’s giant lavender eyes peered up at her. “Please… tell me that’s not you.”
“Oh, no. Somepony so wise and benevolent couldn’t hide from the truth. What sort of example would you be setting?” Her blazing mane flipped under Sunset’s muzzle and flicked her nose, leaving a blistered mark. “Tell her the truth, little sun,” Daybreaker said, giving Sunset a little shake in her magic.
Sunset licked her lips and tried to say something, but nothing came out.
“Tell her the truth!” Daybreaker thundered. Sunset screamed as the red magic turned blisteringly hot for just a second, enough to burn the tips of her ears, mane and tail. “Tell her, before I burn you to charcoal!”
“It’s—” Sunset choked back a sob. “It’s… it’s me, Princess.”
Celestia closed her eyes as a fresh wave of tears fell from her face. They evaporated before they hit the shattered tiles beneath her scorched hooves.
“Yes…” Daybreaker hissed. “Now the prodigal student sees the truth of who you really are, Celestia. A fake. A manipulating sham who can’t even save herself, who couldn’t see a cry for help when it slapped her in the face, not once but twice!”
Celestia flinched with every word as if they were physical blows.
“Hey! Leave her alone!” Sunset shouted, struggling against Daybreaker’s strangling red magic.
“Aw! Listen, she wants to defend you! The one who you ran off! The one you threw away because she didn’t dance to your tune! The one who was originally supposed to save your precious sister! The one that you drove into exile with only hatred and bitterness in her heart… and tried to return as a demon leading an army!”
Sunset still wasn’t entirely sure this was really happening. But at this point, it didn’t matter. Something inside her snapped at those words. She felt a warmth coming from the gem hanging around her neck. The fear burned away in a flash of righteous anger.
“Hey!” Sunset snapped back. “I’m right here, you know!”
Eyes of fire locked onto Sunset. “It’d be awfully boring if you weren’t, little sun.”
“Shut up! I’m not letting you throw my mistakes at somepony I care about just to hurt them!”
Daybreaker’s eyes flared and Sunset forced herself not to back down.
“Yeah, you have fire, but we already knew that, didn’t we? But we’re not here for you, much as that might bruise your little ego. You’re not worth my time,” Daybreaker growled. “You are in the presence of a queen. A Goddess!”
“You’re no goddess!” Celestia spat from below. “And… as I told you time and again… you will never exist!”
Sunset glanced down and smiled when she saw the golden magic wrap around Celestia’s horn.
“You keep saying that… But wasn’t Luna supposed to keep me out of your dreams by mastering dreamwalking? And Twilight, wasn’t she supposed to silence me forever by unlocking the mysteries of friendship? And let’s not forget this little sun here.”
She tittered again. “Oopsie.”
Celestia unleashed a bolt of sunfire right at Daybreaker. The flame-wreathed alicorn laughed and casually tossed Sunset into the path of the blast before the unicorn could react.
“No!”
The pain was blinding. Unlike anything she’d ever felt.
Except once.
“What is happening…?”
Rainbow light was everywhere. Somehow, that wretched Twilight and her friends had unleashed the full might of Harmony upon her in a blast of freakin’ rainbows! It was impossible! She was the one with the Element! She was the one with the destiny! She was the one with—
Sunset Shimmer fell. She barely registered the laughing alicorn growing more distant every second.
She felt things within her break when she landed against the shattered marble of what had once been the greatest place of power in Canterlot. Somewhere, she heard Celestia’s weeping become the sound of scrabbling hooves and grunting. Sunset’s vision swam. Then, something white and gray moved over her. Sunset looked up into a face that was still regal and kind even when it was stained by soot.
“I’m so sorry, Sunset. You shouldn’t be here…” Celestia murmured down at her. “You shouldn’t have to see this.”
“Is this… real?” Sunset asked, staring past Celestia’s face at the demonic grin of the alicorn of fire.
Celestia’s gaze never left Sunset. “Yes, my dear pony.”
By Harmony… I can see it in her eyes. But this is a dream. A nightmare! But… it’s real?
Sunset’s heart nearly seized. If Luna was here… it could be both a dream and real. But the Celestia I know was never frightened by anything…
“What… what is she?”
“What could be...” Celestia whispered, “if I lost control.”
“What could be if you took control!” Daybreaker roared down at them. “You, of all ponies, should understand what I am, Sunset Shimmer! Celestia knows every moment of what happened when you claimed the Element of Magic. She knows what you became. And what she knows, I know! You embraced your power, all of it, and became a goddess in that other world. One mistake cost you everything, but that’s alright, sweetie. You can have it again. I can give you more power than you ever dreamed. Forget that cheap trinket Twilight buried in that stupid tree, wait until you claim the sun.”
Sunset struggled to get to her hooves. Celestia tried to stop her, but it was a halfhearted effort at most. Sunset looked into Celestia’s eyes and saw little more than resignation.
She’s given up? Resigned herself? To what? This thing? No. That’s impossible. Nothing can defeat Celestia.
Somewhere in the back of her head, several pages of recent events in Equestria from Twilight told her that wasn’t strictly true. She ignored them.
Finally, Sunset glared up at the abomination. “I don’t want it. You leave her alone.”
“Sunset, you can’t stop her,” Celestia said through ragged breaths. “Even Luna can’t destroy her… and she has more experience with nightmares… and memories… and guilt… than anypony in all the world.”
“Don’t care,” Sunset growled, still staring at Daybreaker. She shifted her weight and winced. “She’s not hurting you anymore. Even if this is just a dream, nopony screws with my family.”
“Sunset…” Celestia began, a little catch in her voice.
“Is that a challenge, little sun?” Daybreaker seemed to glow with eager glee at the idea. “I offer you power, and purpose, and justice, and you are moronic enough to threaten me?”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed and she steadied herself on her hooves. “Well, now I know you’re not Celestia. Celestia’s not that dense. What do you think it is, you overgrown matchstick?”
“Oh, I knew what you meant, little sun,” Daybreaker purred. “I just wanted to make sure you knew. After all, the last test you failed cost you everything. I know you’ve always been curious just what Celestia could do. Well, pop quiz! Let’s see if you’ve studied!”
Daybreaker rose higher against the burning sky and grinned. Her eyes blazed with magic. Her hooves lifted into the air. Her fangs glinted in the firelight.
The very sun swelled into existence around her. Sunset gaped as the ball of flame engulfed more of the throne room every second, swallowing ancient masonry and shards of stained glass.
Instinctually, Sunset threw up her most powerful shield spell. Celestia’s muzzle was twisted into a grimace, but she channeled her magic into another shield encompassing Sunset’s. Her golden magic was already flickering.
“I don’t think this will hold, Sunset....”
She was right. The moment Daybreaker’s sun struck their shields, Celestia cried out from the feedback and collapsed in a smoking heap. Her shield vanished like a soap bubble. An instant later, the roiling ball of plasma hit Sunset’s.
Sunset groaned as the level of magic required to maintain hers increased exponentially. She ignored the cackle of the insane alicorn, and put every ounce of her will into the spell protecting them from… well, she didn’t know what would happen if Daybreaker’s sun broke through, but she wasn’t going to find out.
“You… you can’t… you can’t stop her, Sunset…” Celestia moaned from the ground. Sunset’s hooves slipped as she dug into the broken marble floor. “You need to save yourself…”
“I’m not leaving you!” Sunset shouted over the roar of the flame and Daybreaker’s laughter. “I finally work up the nerve to patch things up with you, I’m not going to lose you now! Especially not to some… fire-happy lunatic!”
Celestia chuckled. “You never did know when to quit.”
Sunset almost lost her concentration. “Thanks?”
She had been so focused on keeping the surface of her shield up consistently, she didn’t see the lance of fire until it was too late. Her shield hadn’t been designed to protect against such a precise attack. The beam tore through Sunset’s shield… and then tore into her. She shrieked as she was thrown backward by the spell’s sheer force. A wall stopped her flight through the air. Crashing to the ground, she managed to beat out the flames on her coat before collapsing again.
“Leave her alone!” Celestia cried as the sun vanished.
“Ugh, not this again,” Daybreaker sighed. “You’d think after all this time, you’d learn that there’s nothing you can do to stop me! Your precious darling sister can’t even get me out of your head, and you can’t hope to resist me. I am everything you should be. While our little sun here has a lovely color scheme, what in Equestria could she do to me? You know the score, Princess. I break her, you let me out, everything’s just hunky-dory. You don’t, and I’ll have to get downright unfriendly!”
Another rush of flame plummeted towards Celestia’s prone form.
Instinct overrode exhaustion, and Sunset teleported in front of Celestia, shield already up. She was hurting in ways she hadn’t thought possible, and part of her coat was burned away, but she was still Sunset Shimmer. Sunset grunted as her shield took the brunt of the blast of fire, but it held.
“Gold star! I’m impressed, little sun. I’m sure your replacement would have given up by now.”
“Twilight’s made of stronger stuff than you!” Sunset snarled as she pushed herself to her hooves again. “And so am I!”
“You just don’t seem to get it!” Daybreaker laughed, clapping her hooves together with demented glee. “You’re just a filly playing make-believe. You think your pretty precious pony princess is still perfect. Look around you. I’ve taken everything from her. Her throne, her sister, her dignity… Even better? You know I’m Celestia. And since you know I am Celestia… you don’t have a prayer. Well, you could pray to me. That’d be delicious. Might earn my lesser half a reprieve.”
“Save it. I’ve stopped things worse than you before.”
“Oh, please!” Daybreaker cackled as if Sunset had just told the funniest joke in the universe. “You defeated three singing fish, a teenage magic addict and a hippy! And not once did you win alone! Don’t you get it, little sun? There is no last-minute save by your friends! There’s nothing for you here. I know everything she knows. Which means I know just how much your ruin will hurt her.” She cackled, like water on hot iron. “I wish you could be here to see it. I keep thinking about just how pretty she’ll be when she gives in to me!”
Sunset glanced back at Celestia. Celestia didn’t respond with any words. She just looked at Daybreaker with pain clouding her eyes.
Impossible… this is Princess Celestia. I know nothing can defeat her…
…But could she defeat herself?
That moment of doubt was apparently what Daybreaker was waiting for. In a corona of fire, she rushed at Sunset, slamming her to the ground with a single buck of her hooves. Sunset’s shield evaporated again.
“I know it goes against the Princess Code, or whatever, but there is something to be said for getting one’s hooves dirty once in a while. It’s so exhilarating! You should try it.” Daybreaker looked down at the prone unicorn and the broken alicorn. “In fact, I think that’s what I’ll do. First, I’ll destroy Sunset here. Then, my dear… me, we’ll see what happens when I conjure up your precious Twilight… then Cadance… then Luna again… then maybe Twilight’s friends. Maybe even that firebird of yours. Watching me crush them one by one. Ooh! And then we’ll do them all over again! A never-ending parade of your failures until—”
“Don’t you ever shut up?” Sunset shouted and fired a magic missile at Daybreaker’s gloating face.
Daybreaker stepped aside casually and watched the missile fly by. “Wow. And here you’re supposed to be good at this sort of thing,” she sneered.
She walked forward and backhoofed Sunset, sending her sprawling once more.
“The star pupil can’t even aim.” She tsked. “How sad. You’re just like her now. All you believe in is ‘friendship’ and ‘harmony.’ ‘Let’s all just smile, hold hooves, and sing a dumb song about forgiveness! That’ll make the big scary monster see the error of her ways!’” Daybreaker spat. It sizzled on the tiles. “You might have once actually posed a threat to me, little sun, but now? Now you’ve got friends and you fell in love with that pathetic imitation of Twilight Sparkle! All that ambition… all that desire… all that scheming and drive and power ended up circling the drain.”
“She’s become who she was meant to be,” Celestia hissed. “Somepony I’m proud of. She put aside all of that to—”
“Boring!” A bolt of fire knocked Celestia back a few yards. She landed with a dull thud against the ruins of the throne. Daybreaker perched atop the crumbled backrest, and leered down at her prey. “Stop being so boring, Tia!”
Sunset just stared at her former teacher.
She said she was proud of me. Yeah… she said that months ago. But… she said it despite everything I’ve done. Everything I’d been. Everything I became…
Sunset’s eyes slid to Daybreaker.
“You don’t know me, monster.” Sunset tried to get up, but her legs wouldn’t support her. So much for a dramatic defiant last stand. “Celestia knows me… but she wasn’t there. She knows what Twilight told her. What I told her. But I never told her everything. I never told her what I wanted.”
“Oh yeah, that’s hard to guess,” Daybreaker dismissed with a wave of a hoof. “You wanted Equestria, like every other two-bit villain around. Twilight was very dramatic when she told that part of the story.”
“You’re right. I wanted the throne. But there was a time when I didn’t want just the throne. I wanted revenge. I wanted more. I wanted her!” Sunset stabbed a hoof at Celestia, who had dragged herself into a sitting position. “Now? Now, I know that nothing can defeat Celestia in the real world.”
Daybreaker snorted. “Uh, hello? Chrysalis nailed her with the help of Twilight’s big, stupid brother. And let’s not even start on Tirek… A lot of things defeat Celestia. Just no one with quite my level of style.”
Sunset tried to struggle to her hooves again and finally succeeded. “Yeah, maybe. In the real world, where she can decide to hold back. Where the balefire options are off the table. But you know something? This isn’t the real world.”
“Sunset…” Sunset could feel Celestia’s worried eyes on her. “What are you doing?”
Sunset hated to do it, but she ignored her mentor. “And there’s one thing you obviously don’t know. And that is you don’t ever threaten my friends. You think you can hurt Celestia? You think you can hurt Twilight? I know what hurt them the most.”
“Me.”
“Don’t, Sunset… don’t do this… it’s not worth the price…”
Nopony screws with the ones I love.
Nopony.
Sunset closed her eyes, and reached into the deepest part of herself. It took a moment, but she found what she was looking for. A small cage, covered in shadow… with a pair of glowing black eyes with teal irises peering from the depths.
Sunset’s horn flared again, but this time her magic wasn’t teal. It was black as midnight in the crystal caverns below Canterlot. Sunset screamed in agony as she shattered the prison of shadows. From within, something emerged.
Sunset slumped to the ground as something with horrid red skin, wicked claws, a grin of fangs, a twisted face and tattered bat-like wings rose before Daybreaker.
If she looked hard enough, Sunset could see through her demon’s eyes. She didn’t. She shrank away from it. More than anything, she shied away from the creature she had once been. She didn’t want to think like that. She didn’t want to be stained by that.
“Ahhhh…” Daybreaker made a little appreciative noise. “I hoped you still had her in you, buried under all that ‘friendship and love’ nonsense. I was right. You could have it all, Sunset Shimmer. Help me destroy Celestia… and I’ll give you everything you ever wanted.”
“Who do you think I am? I’m not some scared little student you can sweet-talk, you idiot!” the demonic Sunset roared. “Celestia doesn’t share power until you’ve jumped through all her hoops. All you want is another pet. Another toy!”
“Is that so?” Daybreaker sounded amused.
“So what, you think you’re better than Celestia? Well, I was always better than her. And now that you were dumb enough to get Sunny there to release me, I’m going to prove I should have been the one with the power. I’m gonna make her hurt, I’m gonna make her bleed, and I’m doing it for me!”
The demon turned its gaze toward the fallen princess.
“Oh, this should be simply delightful…” Daybreaker squeed.
Oh, no you—I don’t, Sunset thought groggily. She forced herself to pull on what magic she could. She knew that there should be more since this was a dream, but she was so exhausted.
Still, she found enough for one final teleport in front of Celestia’s fallen form.
She didn’t bother with a shield this time. She knew it wouldn’t protect against a summer breeze.
“No,” Sunset snarled as she yanked on the few mental chains she still held on her demon. “You want to show just how powerful you are? Show Celestia what you can do against that one!”
Black eyes with teal irises glared at Sunset from above. “Now why would I do something stupid like that?”
“Look at her! You’re not proving anything by beating her now!”
Her demon snarled.
“No! If you want to show Celestia up, destroy the thing that did this to her! The thing she couldn’t beat!”
Her demon flexed her claws. “You can’t bind me forever, Sunset.”
“So what?” Sunset shot back. “Do it!”
She felt the thing buck and writhe at the command, but she didn’t let up. She was exhausted, but she wasn’t going to let anypony hurt Celestia. Not even herself. Not anymore.
“She’s next, you know,” the demon growled.
“You can try,” Sunset muttered.
The demon turned back to Daybreaker.
“Aww… I bet that leash chafes something awful. You poor thing.” Daybreaker laughed.
“Sunset still thinks that Celestia can’t be defeated,” the demon said. “I know better. However, she’s right about one thing. Right now, Celestia is hardly a challenge. She’s not even worthy of my attention. You… on the other hoof…”
“You want to fight fire with fire, hm?” Daybreaker replied. “You want a chance to prove yourself against Celestia’s better half? Won’t this be fun?” She spread an armored ivory wing, and preened a little. “Well, I promise to take you as seriously as I can. I’ve always wondered about the big, bad Sunset Shimmer, even if I am going to turn your pretty crimson skin into an even prettier charcoal.”
“You’d better have more for me than just hot air, you arrogant firebug,” the demon snarled.
“Aw, she thinks she's got a sharp tongue. How cute!”
“Cute? I’ll show you cute!” the demon snarled.
They both struck at the same time. Sunset shielded her eyes from the blast of fire. A column exploded, sending jagged chunks of marble raining down on their heads… only to be deflected by a golden shield.
Celestia shuffled up to Sunset, and they watched her demon go at it with Daybreaker. Fireballs. Bolts of lightning. Shields of sunfire. Concussion shockwaves. Telekinetic knives. Every dirty trick the demon could come up with, Daybreaker matched.
“Why?” Celestia murmured beside Sunset.
Sunset didn’t look at Celestia. She couldn’t bear to see her teacher’s face.
“Because… back then, when I… when I became that…” Sunset licked her dry and cracked lips. “I really thought I could defeat you. The teachers and students… they were to be cannon fodder. Distracting everypony else while I took you out.”
“Not your best plan, Sunset.”
Sunset chuckled. “Don’t I know it. Still… even after everything… that was the only point in my life where I knew I could beat you. And since Daybreaker is you…”
She felt more than saw Celestia’s nod. “A sound strategy. If she’s strong enough.”
“She believes she is,” Sunset replied as Celestia’s shield protected them from a nova of blood-colored flame. “Here? I think that’s all that matters. What do you think?”
Celestia wrapped a singed wing around Sunset. “There is nothing that makes a teacher prouder than when the student surpasses them. I’ve always believed you could do great things, Sunset.”
“Even after Twilight?” The words just slipped out. She didn’t mean to say them. She wished she could take them back.
Still, Celestia didn’t seem to be bothered.
“You went from being that,” Celestia nodded toward the demon, currently grappling with Daybreaker in mid-air hoof-to-claw combat, “to being accepted by Harmony… to becoming—from everything I have heard—an angel.”
Sunset flushed a deeper scarlet than the next bolt of Daybreaker’s magic.
“Not only that… but you reached out and saved the other world’s Twilight Sparkle from your very own fate. Twice, if I recall correctly. One to herself and once to something far more insidious: her own fear of losing control. Something that, as you can see, I understand all too well.”
Celestia’s eyes fell on Daybreaker again. Sunset sniffled. Celestia’s shield went up yet again to save them from a blast of pure magical force.
“I told you the last time we met, Sunset.” Celestia’s wing, even burned, wrapped around her in something Sunset had missed for so many years. “I’m so very proud of who you’ve become. You didn’t walk the same path as I had hoped. That one… Twilight ended up walking. You walked your own, and though it was a rocky one at first, you did it so very well.”
Sunset finally glanced at Celestia out of the corner of her eye. They were both silent as tears fell from their faces. The fiery fury of the battle above reflected in Celestia’s enormous eyes.
“But to answer your question… yes,” Celestia replied. “I’ve always believed you—and Twilight—had the potential to be greater than I am.”
Daybreaker crashed to the ground, scattering ash and soot everywhere. The demon landed in a crouch before her prey, smiling like a hungry jungle cat.
“You don’t have to do this!” Daybreaker cried as she tried to crawl away. “We’re the same! I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted!”
“You? You don’t even matter. All I’ve ever wanted is to show Celestia that I deserve this!” the demon snarled. “To prove to her that she made the wrong choice! She should have granted me Ascension before that moronic Cadance!”
Sunset winced.
“Still have some unresolved feelings toward Cadance?” Celestia asked.
“Maybe a little?” Sunset replied sheepishly. “I’ve… I’ve been meaning to talk to her?”
“Of course you have, my dear Sunset.”
Sunset chuckled just a little as the demon stalked toward the fallen alicorn.
“But I can fix that!” Daybreaker shouted. “We’re both the better halves! We can destroy them together!”
“Sure. And then one of us will stab the other in the back,” the demon snarled. “Thank you, but I think I’ll take out the most dangerous enemy first.”
The demon lifted a claw. Flames tainted with eldritch magic boiled into existence.
Daybreaker unleashed a blast of blood-red magic at the demon. The demon matched it with a blast of her own. Cackling filled the world. Sunset and Celestia just watched as their battle of wills went back and forth for a short time… until Daybreaker started to lose ground.
Quickly.
“No! I can help you! I know things! I am—”
The demon’s magic engulfed Daybreaker. With a final cry of protest, the alicorn vanished in a puff of ash.
“Now… I believe it’s your turn, Celestia,” the demon growled, her horrible eyes focusing on the princess.
Sunset shrugged off Celestia’s wing and forced herself to her hooves. She never realized just how tall the two-legged demon was compared to Sunset’s pony form.
“No.”
“You know I could defeat her. And you. Easily.”
“No,” Sunset shook her head. “I don’t believe that. I can take you. And you know it.”
Strength returned to her body. Her wounds healed. Her coat became whole once more. Her magic returned to her in full. Sunset took a deep breath and felt no pain.
“You will not hurt a single hair on her coat,” Sunset said. “Because you aren’t who I am anymore.”
“I am everything—”
“Like we haven’t been hearing that kind of horseapples for hours!” Sunset snapped as she stalked toward her past self. “We just heard Daybreaker go on and on about how she was the true Celestia, and she was more powerful, and she could blah blah blah! I don’t care. I don’t want to hear it.”
“But she’s weak!” the demon pointed a claw at Celestia. “You’ve seen her! She’s a hypocrite! She’s just like us! Just like you! She has monsters in her just like you do!”
Sunset glanced back at Celestia. She couldn’t remember when the princess had last looked so proud of her.
“And that’s what helps us not make those kinds of mistakes,” Sunset said with a smile at the demon. “Because we know the cost. And we’ve found a better way.”
“I won’t let you throw—”
“Oh just shut up!” Sunset shouted. Her magic flared and a prison of teal power crashed into place around the demon. “I have had enough of Daybreaker and I have definitely had enough of you!”
Sunset reared back and slammed her hooves to the ground. It wasn’t strictly necessary to rebind the demon into its prison, but it felt good.
When the magic had faded, the demon, the destruction, and the fire were gone. Instead, they stood in a pristine version of Canterlot’s throne room. The carpets and tapestries were perfect. Once more, the pillars and stained glass windows were intact, though Sunset noticed a new one she hadn’t seen before.
Celestia chuckled as Sunset approached it. The rising sun shone through the glass, casting out a prismatic spray of colored light across the enormous throne room. In the picture, stylized versions of Daybreaker and Sunset’s demon fought overhead while a white alicorn wrapped an amber unicorn in a winghug.
“Nice touch,” Sunset commented.
“Thank you,” Celestia replied behind her. “I probably won’t have it installed here. Somewhere a little more secluded, perhaps my private study?”
When Sunset turned, she found Celestia once more whole and uninjured, though she didn’t wear any of her regalia. It was strange to see the princess without the trappings of her station. It also spoke volumes of the kind of pony Celestia wanted to portray right now.
“You are probably curious what happened,” Celestia commented idly as she flexed a wing over Sunset yet again.
“I wasn’t going to pry.”
Celestia sighed and glanced up at the stained glass window.
“I assume Princess Twilight told you about Starlight Glimmer’s ‘mission’ several months ago?”
Sunset gritted her teeth a little. “You mean the whole ‘it’s a good idea to mess with the innate powers of the two most powerful alicorns in Equestria’ thing?”
“Yes. That.” Celestia chuckled in a sad sort of way.
“Yeah, she told me.” Sunset stared at her hooves. “But wasn’t that before I finally came to see you?”
“I was far too delighted to see you again to mention it at the time.” Celestia’s smile was like a second sun. “And, I admit, it wasn’t all bad. My sister and I may have needed a little bit of a push to understand one another.”
“Sounds like it was more than a little.”
“Perhaps,” Celestia admitted with a wry grin. “But while that aspect may have turned out beneficial, what Starlight’s own fears released was another thing entirely. After Starlight’s vision of Daybreaker, I started having nightmares of her. I still don’t know how Starlight pulled her image from my mind.” She hesitated. “Or maybe I conjured her myself based on Starlight’s own fears.”
Sunset blinked at her mentor, unable to think of what to say.
Celestia sighed. “I admit, when you returned and we finally reconnected, Daybreaker’s attacks became more and more frequent. I have had them every night for the last month and a half. Sadly, Luna could do nothing for me.”
“Why?” Sunset stared up at Celestia. “I thought Luna held total domain over the dream realm.”
“I suspect for the same reason Daybreaker could only be defeated by your own shadow. As I had defeated her when she became Nightmare Moon, she feared herself incapable of overcoming Daybreaker. While I managed to defeat her in Starlight’s dream… that was because it was Starlight’s version of her, not mine.”
“So, Luna did pull me into your dream? I didn’t know she could do that across worlds. But… if that’s the case, why would she tell me to turn back? She was pretty insistent on it. ”
“I think… Sunset, I don’t think she did,” Celestia admitted. “In fact, I think it had more to do with the gem around your neck rather than true dreamwalking, Sunset.”
Sunset glanced down at the crystal she had recovered from Camp Everfree and tapped it with a hoof. She scrunched her muzzle at their memory their first attempt at controlling her newfound empathic magic. She wasn’t eager to relive that disaster. It had left her out cold for the better part of a day.
Yeah, imagine that. Trying to use empathic magic on an alicorn with over a millennium’s worth of experience, wisdom and knowledge? Not a good call.
“You went from an expert at driving ponies—and people—apart to wielding some of the most powerful magic I have ever witnessed. You saved your Twilight from herself when she needed you. You encouraged her when she was at her weakest. You’ve touched those around you, and helped them understand themselves. Perhaps it was a result of our experiment, but when I needed somepony’s help, you came. You heard me, even across the divide of worlds.”
“What?” Sunset shook her head. “You told me to leave, too! You begged me not to be here.”
“At first, my little pony, I was praying you were one of her illusions. Beyond that, I don’t think I called you consciously. It was more instinct. And I suspect… you answered much the same.”
“If some part of you knew I came specifically to help, why would you want me to leave?”
Celestia hesitated before sighing. “I never wanted you to see that piece of me, Sunset. That’s a part of myself I locked away a long time ago. Because… Daybreaker was right. When we… parted ways?” Celestia’s wings ruffled slightly, her face twisting in pain. “I was harsher than I should have been with you, because I heard her voice coming from you. I was afraid. Afraid that I had, in my eagerness—or perhaps desperation—to prepare you for what I believed to be your destiny…”
Celestia trailed off, unable to meet Sunset’s eyes.
“Princess, please… tell me.”
“I was afraid that I had pushed you onto the path of becoming another Daybreaker. And from what your subconscious unleashed, I wasn’t far off.”
Sunset stared at her teacher, trying to process what she had seen. Knowing that that piece of Celestia was locked somewhere as deep as her own inner demon, it changed everything. Every interaction she had with the princess before her idiotic tantrum… it took on a whole new meaning.
“I…” Sunset licked her lips. “I don’t know, Princess. I don’t know if you did that or not. I can tell you, though, it wasn’t all you. I’ve learned to own up to who I was. I didn’t like that pony. I still don’t. But having her there… it reminds me of how much I lost when I pursued power for power’s sake. And how much I gained when I looked beyond that. So… either way… I think it turned out okay. So, thanks. And, for what it’s worth, she’s not your fault. I’m not letting her out, not again.”
Celestia smiled sadly. “Even demons have their purpose, Sunset. As long as you never let them control you. Daybreaker, your demon will always be a part of us. It’s what we do with that knowledge that defines us.”
“That’s something I think everypony around me has learned… a few times.”
Celestia chuckled and hugged Sunset tighter with her wing.
“Have I told you today how proud I am of you, Sunset?”
“Yes, Princess. You did.”
“Well, then I hope you’ll indulge me by allowing me to say it again.” Celestia squeezed Sunset like she was a little filly again. “I am so very proud of who you’ve become. I am as proud of you as I am of Twilight. I confess… maybe a little more, because you had a harder road, and came out better because of it.”
Sunset flushed, and ducked her head while surreptitiously trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“I… I think you know how much that means to me, Princess.” Sunset murmured.
“Perhaps,” Celestia’s hoof came around to Sunset’s chest. “But I know you still question yourself from time to time. Maybe if I showed you, that would help.”
“I don’t understand.”
Celestia tapped the gem around Sunset’s neck. Sunset gaped at the princess.
“Princess, the last time we tried this, it blew me halfway across the room.”
“As we’ve seen… what we believe in our dreams is reality. If I say I believe you can handle it, what do you think?”
Sunset paused for a few seconds, then took a deep breath.
“Then I believe you.”
Celestia gently reached out and pressed her hoof against the gem. Finally, Sunset let down the barriers that kept her empathic magic at bay. She gasped as warmth flooded every one of her senses. The dream throne room of Canterlot Castle washed away in wave of glorious white, like the rising of the dawn upon a brand new day.
And just like that… even in that strange space between the world of dreams and the world of wakefulness, even across the distance of whole dimensions, even for somepony who spent much of their time walking around on two legs, even for somepony who had fallen in love with a doppelgänger of the pony Sunset might have been in another life…
Sunset really knew she was forgiven.
She'd felt it before, but never seen the true depth of it. She's experienced the magic of friendship and the magic of love. And forgiveness was intricately linked with all of those and more.
Sunset Shimmer fell. She fell into the love, comfort and—most of all—acceptance of her mentor, Princess Celestia. She fell, knowing that Celestia fell just like her in that same moment.
Time passed. An hour. A day. A month. A year. A lifetime. It didn’t matter. She didn’t mind.
When the falling stopped, the only thing remaining was the stained glass window, now shining proudly in the wall of Celestia’s private study. Sunset’s heart thumped in her chest as she looked at the place where they’d spent so many hours when she had been just a filly. When Celestia had filled her whole world. During those simpler times.
And just like those times, Celestia was settled on a large cushion. Sunset hesitated. When she’d grown older, she’d been forced to move to a cushion of her own. But she missed those days when she could snuggle up under Celestia’s wing.
As if in response, the cushion grew just big enough to accommodate them both. Celestia beamed at her. Sunset didn’t need any further invitation. She leapt atop the soft fabric and settled down beside her old teacher.
A book appeared before them. They shared a look. Sunset smiled at her mentor. A cage rattled in the depths of her mind. She ignored it. A glint in Celestia’s eye told Sunset she wasn’t alone. That was all she needed to know.
Celestia opened the book and they started reading.
Though her physical body was still with Twilight in their apartment… in this place and this time...
It was as if Sunset had never left.
Theme for Dreaming in Dawn's Light
I do hope you enjoyed Dreaming in Dawn's Light, a glimpse into the true nature of two of my favorite ponies to write.
When "A Royal Problem," first aired on the Treehouse Network in Canada, I couldn't wait to watch it. We finally got the Royal Sisters episode we've been begging for so very long. It was everything we could have hoped for and more (putting aside that Starlight is still crazy OP #nerfstarlight2017).
But upon the revelation of Daybreaker, everything changed. Within thirty seconds of the end of the episode, I had four new story ideas just involving Celestia and Sunset Shimmer. This is one of them and the one that drove it's way to the top when I first considered writing something for the episode's US airing.
However, I didn't want to write a reunion story. First of all, dozens (if not more) have been written already. I'm fairly sure every aspect of that interaction has been covered and all I would be doing is adding a slightly different spin on a well-established tale. Anyway, I think, considering Celestia's character, we all know how Celestia's reunion with Sunset would/will go. There will be a lot of tears on both sides and a lot of apologies on both sides. These two ponies did hurt one another. Mistakes were made. And there is no doubt in my mind that they would reconcile with little trouble.
We're just waiting for that special moment.
Celestia and Sunset share a very special bond. Remember the first question Celestia asked after Twilight came back through the mirror in the first Equestria Girls? "Sunset Shimmer, is she alright?" Celestia truly cares about Sunset, but I think she wants Sunset to come back on her own terms. Celestia respects Sunset enough to not force the issue.
So, the first thing I decided upon telling Dreaming was simple: Sunset had already reconnected with Celestia. In fact, it was because of that reconnection that this story happened. First, the part of Celestia who was Daybreaker was jostled by Sunset's appearance, for the reasons Celestia describes to Sunset at the end. Second, because of the gemstone around Sunset's neck from Camp Everfree, which (for lack of a better term), I'm calling the Element of Empathy. Yes, I know, other names have been given and we're curious why there's not one in Equestria. I have my own theories on that, but that's not for this story. I'm going with Empathy because it's what the EqG Director said it was on Twitter some time ago. But if Celestia was trying to teach Sunset how to control that magic... well, can you imagine what it would like to get a telepathic link to someone as powerful and ancient as Celestia?
There's a reason she was blasted halfway across the room and knocked out for the better part of a day. 
When I saw Daybreaker, it redefined Sunset Shimmer in an instant. And I realized why Celestia's reaction to Sunset's power play (and childish temper tantrum) was so strong. Because she was hearing her own inner demon's words coming out of her beloved student's muzzle. That's why Sunset was dismissed. That's why Celestia immediately reflects upon Nightmare Moon in the next scene of "The Fall of Sunset Shimmer."
I'm fairly sure that Celestia would have brought Sunset back. Probably within a day. But Sunset made a mistake... and that mistake trapped her in another world for thirty moons.
Then, years pass... and Starlight, in her own fear, brings out Daybreaker. It shakes things up and loosens the bonds of Daybreaker in Celestia's mind. And when Celestia finally reconnects with Sunset, the Princess of the Sun is both too delighted--and too ashamed--to bring up her demon again. But at this point... the demon is loose.
And in the end, Luna can't do anything. There's only one creature who truly believes she could defeat Princess Celestia... the monster that Sunset became upon wearing the Element of Magic. Now, Sunset's called to battle, to save one she loves.
It's amazing what sort of bonding one can do over one's demons, isn't it?
Now, that being said, anyone surprised I snuck SunLight into here? No? I didn't think so. In fact, I had an adorable scene of Sunset knocking SciTwi off the couch when she woke up... but it broke the flow of the story and I had to cut it. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I can work that scene into another story at some point.
So, I think that about covers things. I didn't really feel up to a full blog, so hopefully this does the trick.
As usual, special thanks go out to the Wavelengths Editing Team!
Ebon Quill - You have him to thank for "catty" Daybreaker. Seriously. This guy is scary good at villians. And also him to thank for last-second redlining of the story and working way past the time he should have been asleep to make this story as awesome as possible.
Little Tinker - For tinkering with things. 
Beltorn & Cursori: Finding time for Dreaming even in the middle of Enchanted Library finishing its first volume.
Painted Heart: She's my wife. I'm legally required to thank her. Under pain of pain.
Finally, if you enjoyed seeing Sunset Shimmer reconnect with Princess Celestia again, make sure to check out the Wavelengths Timeline, my ongoing series of stories that explore an Equestria where Sunset remained Celestia's student. Also, you might want to read And a Sky Full of Stars if you want to just see Sunset kick some serious flank in a radically different alternate universe!
Until next time, this has been Novel Idea! Have fun out there!
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Novel doesn't agree, but I'll always hear this as the end credits. Woo artistic differences!
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For the love of Celestia, Ebon...
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I just can't stop grinning at the scene when both Suns watch their dark counter-parts fight. As Novel said, bonding over similar demons is unusually effective.
Awesomely done, Novel! (And Ebon too, especially your 3 night long crusade of editing).
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It's probably one of my favorite scenes too. Not for what's shown, but for what's not shown.
*sniff*
This isn't the Daybreaker/Sunset Satan story I've been hoping for—imagine their teacher-student relationship—but it was magnificent. I admit, I'm still not convinced by the rationale for worfing Luna, but the interactions between Celestia and Sunset—both of each—more than made up for the somewhat dubious setup. Thank you for this.
Ah, Treasure Planet. Not one of the great Disney movies, but I'm still fond of it (that and Atlantis, which is fortunately on Netflix again, from before Disney gave up on hand-drawn animation), particularly some of the songs (this and Jim's theme).
Interesting different take on the Celestia and Sunset relationship. As you said, their potential reunion has been plotted out in many different ways in many different fanfics already so that's not really necessary here. I wish Luna wasn't thrown out so quickly, Sunset's mind-reading power and Luna's dream-walking power seem like they could be compatible (maybe a combined Tantabus and/or Nightmare Moon and demon Sunset vs. Daybreaker fight), but I can understand that this was meant as a Celestia and Sunset character story. And talk about fighting fire with fire. I wonder how often Sunset had to put up with her demon self (compared to Sci-Twi's demon self), whereas Celestia's "dark side" was under control until Starlight had to muck things up (again).
Its only fanon, but stories like these are why I love the idea of Sunset as Celestia's daughter in all but name. For better or worse Sunset inherited everything from Celestia, just without Celestia's centuries of experience to balance out her natural brilliance, and having two similar personalities led to many clashes. Maybe that led Celestia to hold back more with Twilight, maybe Twilight's own personality led to more distance (she's always been neurotic and prone to panic, compared to Sunset's earlier arrogance).
Thank you for another great story. It was really nice to finally get a Celestia-focused episode, just too bad canon doesn't seem interested in Sunset meeting up with Celestia ever again.
Okay so don't think I've done one of these for you yet. prepare for wall o' commentary. Assuming you got stuff in here worth talking about which, how can you not?
Hmmm, going by the title, and other bits of hints already, guessing this is her dreaming?
Given she wasn't expecting this, yeah dream. Though a dream crossing over with Equestria some how? This.. I am not sure what or why yet, still an interesting idea that gets used often enough. So, now to see what's up.
"Silly self-conscious humans getting me all used to wearing clothes. Wish someone had told me that even applies while sleeping before my first sleep over with the girls though."
And hers is one of the only ones that would have a point while a pony, as most of the rest are just giving the humans a small fraction of the abilities their pony selves have. The one other exception being Pinkie Pie, because, in any universe, Pinkie will be Pinkie.
Okay i'm confused. She forgot to take off the necklace after, some event with and orb and training with Celestia? But then points out she wasn't wearing that as a pony, except for that one trip back? The fact she was surprised to be a pony means she was in the EQG world most likely. So can't be after some practice with the Princess... or is that an older memory and this is just it being a dream making things kind of blur together? But then why would she be.... okay yeah confused here.
D'awwwwww, and that's sweet, just hope the EQG writers continue to remember this.
Okay so is a dream, was in the human world, but then what does her wearing the necklace have to do with some sort of practice she had with Celestia years ago? Also, because of course can't go without some Sunlight shipping. Of which I thoroughly approve.
And figures out it's a dream quickly, Sunset is a smart one.
Granted, also always something you have to watch for, being you and all. Or more likely this is both. Still eager to see how this happened and why.
Also...
Very nice description there.
Better no..... Simpler... yes, and your outlook on things was certainly simpler back then.
Well, given we know from the description what she's likely to be seeing, the fact the voice is saying 'she' and cares about what 'she' might want. I'm guessing this is Luna taking to her?
Though that seems less like Luna... Daybreaker speaking while she gains power and rises to the surface? Celestia's Id?
No, Daybreaker wouldn't care that much, this is sounding more like Luna, but why wouldn't Luna just speak plainly and directly?
Yes because vague, mysterious warning EVER actually work rather then straight forward, direct explanation. Luna seems smarter then this. So... Luna overseeing a nightmare of Celestia giving into Daybreaker, and somehow Sunset got pulled in? Again, why not just show up and explain things to Sunset then?
Okay so it is Luna doing that... but why if she's also trying to prevent Sunset from seeing this? And why not just directly intervene if it's a nightmare?
Oh... so ummm, Celestia's nightmare is kicking Luna's ass then? Ummmm, okay then. Makes me question how she's doing that given Luna's power over dreams, but sure we'll get and explanation.
Wait, this has been going on for months? And Luna hasn't found a way to deal with a simple nightmare? Or Celestia able to take control knowing it's a dream? Kind of hard to buy given what we've seen. unless it's a case of Daybreaker being part of Celestia's subconscious harnessing Celestia's own power to block Luna out but, that would mean Celestia is WAY more screwed up about this then just some nightmares if it's been going on for months like this.
Even knowing this is a dream... just...
Ow.. simply.. just... all of the 
And this goes on every night for months? Though again, at this point, if they know it's a dream.....
Ehhh, sounded more like Sunset simply ran off then was actually banished.
Yup, really knows how to dig that knife into Celestia's gut.
Scary yes, but given she should know it's a dram by now, not TO huge a threat.. still hurt like hell and be unpleasant. Though then again, that could make it all the worse. Yet on the third hoof, how long could it go before she wakes up?
There we go, yeah, no need to let the blowhard go prattling on. They are quite effective jabs, and can see the inner issues Celestia has making them be said, the worry, but it's all twisting events all out of context and proportion and just making it nothing even close to reality. But damn does she know how to do that. Granted it only works if you do take her at all seriously, so the best way to counter something like this, is with lots and lots of snark. Sunset, this is what you were born for. (Okay, maybe not the best option for it, but I doubt harry Dresden is going to pop in to deliver his god-tier snark in the face of impending annihilation.
Technically she said 'never exist again' and seems to not be stopping her from showing up in nightmares.
Wait, this is saying it's been going on for longer then that, but Daybreaker said 'months' so, how does Luna doing something she's seemed to have mastered for years, if not centuries, supposed to prevented and stopped something that happened only the last few months?
Okay guessing this bit is more about Celestia getting over her own issues and not fearing Daybreaker even without the whole showing up in nightmares thing? But still, while it would be something Celestia would be afraid of, hardly seemed to be THAT huge a fear for her that, even with Daybreaker twisting things, it would be this large an issue.
Well in a metaphorical sense. In a literal sense, it's still a dream, unless breaking out some odd twist to things going on here.
I'm confused too.
I'm with you, this feels... way to defeatist and, after months? At that point I'd more expect to just be so used to this Tia could just lounge back "Yeah yeah, 'best of me,' 'i am you' 'seize your true power' 'yadda yadda' have anything new this time?"
Well there are varying levels of 'defeat'.......
Which is something I'm having a very hard time understanding given just how good Luna would be at dealing with this and her power over dreams. It's not like Celestia actually has anything she's done to feel this guilty about or give Daybreaker life.
Yet when Daybreaker pulled this same thing in Starlight's dream, her shield held fine and left her clear enough to pop over and grab Luna while still being there. Granted, inside Celestia's own head so maybe more powerful.
Very sweet sentiment, but, well the whole 'it's a dream' thing kind of blunts the reality of it.
Yeah, right about now Twilight would be going into full badass, DBZ level, take you down HARD mode.
Ehhh still harsh but,gotta give this point to Daybreaker.
"Can an omnipotent being create a rock so heavy, that being itself could not lift it?"
Until she wakes up.
"I cast magic missile!"
Also, way to go Sunset!
Clearly not a real Magic Missile then.
It's had a good track record so far.
HEY! To far! Yeah the other 5.. I'll give you they are just pathetic imitations of the ponies, but Sci-Twi is her own awesome version of Twilight!
At this point, you're the one being kind of boring, it's all the same repetitive megalomaniacal BS over and over, and a bunch of trying to hurt them, which is painful yes but, well, dream. Not really dangerous.
DING DING DING! And yeah, Chryssi, holding back to prevent colateral damage. The Plunder vines.. well that's Discord's magic, Tirak, didn't really defeat her, she outplayed him. Chryssi 2.0, I'm still going with some lings infiltrated the kitchen staff and laced her evening cake with sleeping potion.
You and using that word with ponies, you know the only thing it makes me think of is FoE.
What price? Again, dream. I mean yeah, could be some psychological issues but, so long as you know this is a dream and know what you are doing....
Well going evil v evil, but given MLP and how much story is left, guessing Sunset choose poorly here, and will end up either needing Tia to snap out of it and save things, or try out Daydream Shimmer. (Still prefer Sunset Phoenix) But, now having Demon Shimmer as an external force too..... Sunset, Maxim 29.
MAXIM 29: The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy, no more, no less.
Well, good reasoning, so now epic evil v evil fight?
That is an understatement. 1. Doubt you were really that powerful. 2. You had the other Mane 6, and all three Princesses, plus Shining Armor, AND would be at ground zero for Cadance simply activating the Crystal Heart.
And this is a dream where belief matters more then fact.
And I can buy that, if nothing else, because Celestia is that self effacing and humble and that much more likely to look down on herself for her flaws and see others as better.
Well, kind of hard when she didn't 'grant' anything to Cadance in the first place, but Cadance earned it in her own right. Still, yeah can see Sunset back then not getting that.
And this I really like, just, pausing for a bit of banter and dismissing the whole, demon war thing. Just, chatting like this like it's not some uber-serious issue. Keeping things a bit less moody and tense.
Okay, i get the whole, it's how sunset felt but still, making her inner issue be powerful enough to do that so seemingly easily, when Luna, the actual dreamwalker with power over the very realms of dreams itself, can't deal with her? Hard to really buy.
I know right?
Finally.
Okay, that is good, but still a window? Those things have been for major, saving Equestria itself moments, just.. helping Celestia deal with a bad dream?
Just a bit.
Likely that whole 'believe you can do it' thing, which, fair enough but, Luna would KNOW this is a dream, and hence, 'power levels' do not matter. Further, what would fighting them like that even require, when the key is dealing with the underlying issues causing Celestia to HAVE the nightmares themselves.
So Sunset pulled herself in, across the worlds?
Yeah.... not very. But her first? What about, you know all the times she was using it at camp?
Ehhhh, nothing Twilight hasn't done more impressively.
Fair enough, add some meaning back to things. Though might be cranking the 'she is always afraid of Daybreaker' a bit to hard. Seeing the potential yeah, but even then, Daybreaker would only really be a threat because of how powerful Celestia is, and Demon Sunset is nowhere near that powerful, it was just because of the weird dream logic she was using.
Can't fault the logic there. But yeah, use the dream to attenuate the information flow, makes sense.
D'awwwwww... so sweet.
Oh had to bring that one up huh?
No, no Starlight is not 'OP'. For one, her ability to mess with Cutie marks has been long established, so this isn't anything to far from what we've seen. Yeah she's skilled, powerful, but hardly 'op'. This is probably the first time her magic actually helped solve things rather then made them worse, and even then all it did was serve as a catalyst for something more.
The bigger OPness issue for me, is kind of Sunset in this. How everything was made so that Sunset and Sunset alone would be able to solve the problem. Not Luna, yeah you gave a hand-wave that makes sense, but still feels like nerfing her for the sake of Sunset. And, kind of worse, not Celestia in anyway. She did nothing to help beyond some words of support, didn't rise up to take down her own demon, while Sunset pretty much effortlessly took control of hers after it casually wiped out Daybreaker.
Plus, this doesn't really solve anything. So she defeated a nightmare, in a single dream, that has been showing up for months. What's stopping it from happening all over again the next night? Three was not revelation for Celestia, no Sunset helping her move past whatever was causing this to defeat it at the source. Just, beat it through brute force, and then everything better. It feels.. kind of way to easy.
That character stuff between Sunset and Tia was amazing, but, the framework around it feels a bit to forced and made to make Sunset seem as powerful as possible, without letting anypony else really have a moment. Would have been far more impactful if Sunset managed to connect to Celestia, share the struggles she's had contain Demon Sunset, find the core issue that was causing Celestia to have this dream over and over, and to fail to be able to control it, something that then let Celestia get over that mental block and defeat Daybreaker herself, which would feel more like actually fixing the issue, rather then just fixing this one nightmare. There wasn't even a lot of good rebuttals for Daybreaker, she had some great lines, but, there wasn't a lot of really good back and forth, her lines either being ignored, or allowed to pass a lot of the time, and was the same stuff quite often.
Luna blowing up the Headless Horse didn't end the fear Scootaloo was feeling that caused her to have that dream. It merely stopped the immediate threat and allowed her time to talk to Luna and to realize what was going on.
That might be the bigger issue that's keeping me from REALLY loving this, It treated Daybreaker to much as a physical threat, as a real, direct foe that had to be defeated. When she wasn't, this was all a dream, none of it real. Sunset wasn't in any danger, nopony was. When what she was was a sign of some kind of issue with Celestia herself. But rather then deal with the root cause, what was really creating this, it treated defeating her as somehow.. doing anything. When it shouldn't. Add on the whole, this has been going on for months and neither Celestia or luna could do a thing to stop it, and apparently did nothing but try brute force rather then what Luna KNOWS is the real answer of tackling the underlying mental issues causes Celestia to dream this up.. none of which were dealt with directly, just somehow made all better by Sunset brute force beating Daybreaker..
Yeah the character stuff was great, but the focus on the whole Daybreaker threat just, didn't feel right and the story felt to much like it was trying to show off how awesome Sunset is at the expense of Tia and Luna.
8227922
Yay! That's what I was going for!
8228003
While I think I know what you mean by "worfing," could you explain it a bit more? While I could have put Luna in there in the end with a nod, congratulations or thank you, it just didn't feel right. Now granted, a couple editors said I should have something... but it would have pulled the focus away from the main targets: Sunset discovering that Celestia has demons of her own and in so doing, each of them finding strength from that acknowledgment. If I didn't pull that off (especially without this explanation), I'd definitely like to know that.
8228065
I have a nagging suspicion that Sunset's seen her plenty of times since the events of Equestria Girls.
This has always been my take on Sunset and Celestia's relationship. They were intensely close and when that fell apart, it drastically changed how things happened with Twilight. Celestia kept herself strictly in a teacher/student relationship with Twilight, which was only enhanced by Twilight's tendency to be oblivious to the world around her. All of it because she tried the close near-mother relationship... and it blew up in their faces.
8228209 Can't speak for him, but for me, well for one I agree with the not liking how Luna just got brushed aside. But this bit
Is where I don't think it works because... we don't really see them 'drawing strength' from this. There is some really well done bonding afterwards, but it's only after everything is solved. It had nothing to do with overcoming Daybreaker. Sunset just summons Demon Sunset, Demon Sunset PWNS Daybreaker with raw power then offhandedly and easily destroys her. Sunset exerts full control over her own demon and sends it away. Then the two have a little heart to heart.
The focus is entirely on the external conflict of beating Daybreaker, then switches to the two simply talking things out and explaining stuff. Rather then having them learning this about each other have them overcome and internal conflict that then allows them to rally and face their external ones. The Demons are beaten simply through shear force of Sunset's will alone. With everything else being a afterward of sorts where it's all explained and they reach that now understanding.
Lots of words to try and explain, feels like the story focused to much on the external conflict of Daybreaker to really get into the intended internal conflict of Sunset and Celestia dealing with the underlying issues they share.
8228209
I mean it in the TV Tropes sense, beating up someone the audience knows is strong to establish the danger of the new opponent. Luna losing to a nightmare just feels wrong to me, and the "power of belief" justification doesn't quite make it ring true. Yes, she's fighting Celestia, but she's also fighting a figment. She can manipulate the dream itself, and knows for a fact that no version of Celestia can. Indeed, a direct confrontation on Daybreaker's terms is probably the worst way to deal with her, and after that many defeats, you'd think Luna would try changing her approach.
Mind you, at least some of this is a matter of clashing headcanons.
8228251
8228167
I don't usually weigh in on these things, but these are spoken like someone who has never felt like they needed to prove something to someone they respected. Like someone who's never bashed their head against mental blocks. Like someone who never kept trying what wasn't working long after it was a good idea to stop.
Knowing the path is not walking the path. One can know what one needs to do, and be utterly incapable of actually doing it. Add to that what professional athletes call 'slumping', and it turns into a cavalcade of failure. So long as Luna insists on being the only one to handle Daybreaker, she's automatically and axiomatically going to fail.
Before you say she wouldn't insist she be the one to bear the burden, she's already tried to do that twice. Both times, she failed. Both times, she refused to reach out for help until the situation had gotten way out of hand. So this is entirely in keeping with what we know of her character.
Justified Trope.
8228317 That still doesn't make any sense to me, why would she just bash her head over and over and over trying to brute force destroy Daybreaker? Why would that even be her first option when she's proven that she gets the issues in dreams is about confronting the underlying issue causing the nightmare, like with Scootaloo or the other CMC. How would beating Daybreaker do anything to fix the underlying issue? And as Fan said, she can control the very fabric of dreams themselves. Why would a brute force, treat as an IRL foe to fight be what she is doing, doubly so given.... there is no reason to do that in the first place versus help Celestia figure out and deal with the underlying cause of the nightmares. And the 'she doesn't believe she can beat me' well for one, we saw the fight, NMM was beating Celestia pretty easily, Celestia only won by pulling out the Elements and that was rather clearly a last ditch effort. But then, as Fan also pointed out, it's not Celestia, Luna knows this is just a dream, just a construct, so why would she have those hang ups?
8228203
Hmmph. I'm happy my tears bring you such joy. You monster. (He said with tongue planted firmly in cheek.)
8228317
I'm not in the habit of divulging personal details online, so I'm just going to say that in this regard, you have no blessed idea what you're talking about. I will acknowledge that my interpretation tends towards the "Why didn't they just do X?" end of things, but in the future, please phrase your arguments in a way that doesn't make them seem like ad hominem attacks.
8228346
You're assuming that's all she's done. For all we know, she's tried the other avenues. However, if Daybreaker knows everything Celestia does, that means she's got all the ways Celestia knows to push her little sister's buttons, all the insight Celestia has in regards to her sister's methods, and absolutely none of her conscience.
Frankly, Luna doesn't stand a chance.
Welcome to the wonderful world of plot holes. As vavacung pointed out here, either Celestia did this in her sister's stead for a thousand years, (in which case Daybreaker knows all of the necessary tricks and becomes kind of like Star Trek's Professor Moriarity; an illusory creation with control over their own medium,) or she didn't, and there's a slew of Fridge Logic a-comin'.
Truth be told, I don't read a lot of Sunset Shimmer fics, which is a crime in itself, I know, I know, but this was a lot of... well, to say fun would be the wrong word. This was meaningful and especially moreso when I know very well what inner demons can do to hurt you.
I loved the descriptions, first and foremost. So often I look at flourished descriptions as the end-all of writing, and to see your descriptions and how they work perfectly was oddly validating. Short and to the point, and always just what it needs to be.
As for story, all the character were strong, I felt. Sunset and Celestia obviously, and I LOVE that Celestia like literally mentally showered Sunset with love, like you have no idea, there is nothing I love more than another character showering the other with validation i love,,,,,,,soooo,,,,much,,,,,validation,,,,
Daybreaker was also very good! I really loved her lines lmao she did not hesitate in going for the throat
All in all, very A+
8228352
There is nothing attacking anyone. To be frank, I wish I was such a person. I regret that we both seem to be people for whom these are issues.
I also didn't intend any harm, especially over a theoretical debate about which cartoon horses have what mental issues. Please accept my apology for any pain I may have caused.
8228409
Apology accepted. You have mine for the oversensitive reaction.
8228423
Thank you, and I accept yours as well. I have a great deal of respect for you and your works here.
8228346
While it's true that Celestia won by using the Elements, so we don't really know how well she would hold up in terms of offense, Nightmare moon was hardly beating her with any kind of ease. NMM was only even beating her in the sense that she was the only one going on the offense, given that Celestia wasn't attacking back in the first place and instead spent the entire fight basically trying to talk Luna down and avoid fighting. Even then, despite landing a direct blow on someone who was actively avoiding striking back, NMM still only managed to temporarily knock her out.
It's not exactly an impressive feat to beat someone when they're actively trying to talk you down and avoiding retaliation unless absolutely necessary. Especially when "beating" them consists of knocking them out for a minute or so, only for them to stand right back up with no signs of even being so much as winded. Honestly, that fight does more to contradict the idea of Nightmare being stronger than anything, and makes it far more plausible that she would be hesitant to fight a Celestia who was actually returning fire instead of trying to convince her sister to stop being all murder-happy.
EDIT: That said, I agree that it seems odd that Luna would have any hangups in that regard within the context of facing Celestia or Daybreaker in a dream.
You've certainly given me something to think about when it comes time for myself to write Sunset and Celestia's reconciliation (and the aftermath thereof), so thank you yet again for the great story.
I really like this Daybreaker.
Using fire to defeat fire? I guess love doesn't conquer all, after all. Sometimes you reach the godzilla threshold and you just have to sic your ego-maniacal demonic past self on the other pony's Nightmare and hope everything works out.
I hate dream-power logic.
I also very much like this demon!Sunset.
Hmm. Like a Rock<Paper<Scissors<Rock, thing, but it's Sunset<Daybreaker<Demon!Sunset<Sunset.
Seriously. I don't usually subscribe to the whole 'don't tamper with powers you don't understand' thing, but I definitely believe you shouldn't be reckless about messing with it.
I'd do it.
Oh wait, is this what 'recklessly tampering with powers you don't understand' looks like in practice?... Hmmmm...
Hmmmmmmmmmm....
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....
I'd still do it.
Do your conscious and subconscious minds always agree? Look at Celestia and tell yourself she doesn't have a fine flank.
Yeah, Sunny. That's what I thought.
I'd still do it.
Thoughts were provoked. I was intending this to be very short, but I had too many comments. It was a good story. Keep writing stuff like this, and maybe one day I'll finally latch on to the emotional part of a story, rather than wallowing in the powers, setting, and snark aspects.
Also, you got Treasure Planet songs stuck in my head again. Thanks.
Very nice story!
8228214 sequel?
very good story deeply enjoyed it
I found myself immensely entertained by your Daybreaker, and I loved the heartwarming moments between Sunset and Celestia. It probably wasn't your intent, but the fact they had a few while demon Sunny and Daybreaker were fighting came off as more comical. The ones at the end were sweet and moving though. I also agree with Sunny, Daybreaker, while awesome, talked way too much. A lot of it was recycled material from eight paragraphs ago, too. It kinda dragged on for a bit. Other than that, good story, friend!
I feel like I might have missed a few small details in this from not having read your other stories, but it was still amazing to me. This is a whole other kind of reunion story, and I love it to death.
Also, I am immensely glad I'm not the only one who rambles in the AN. For me, it was a habit I picked up from my favorite mangaka, who would always have three-paragraph or so story talks before every chapter. I like seeing that insight in writers, and I'm always bummed to see people annoyed by that kind of thing.
Incredible story! Instantly going into my favorites!
I haven't read this story yet, but I have a question: do you need to have watched the new EG specials to understand this?
8228351
The greatest compliment an author can receive is the knowledge that they moved a reader, though tears of joy or tears of sadness. So, I shall celebrate it, in both me just being an evil author and in me doing my job right.
8228405
Yeah. I think you're well-qualified to understand that need for validation. Means a lot that you dropped this comment, Mono. Thanks a billion!
8228810
Yeah, it's almost a sequel to a story that was never written. I hope I did enough work to make that story unnecessary... specifically within this story.
And come on. This is me. You really think I'm going to miss a chance to put in SunLight? .
8229130
S-shut up!
I'd still do it.
Why am I not surprised?
I'm all for finally getting through to you emotionally, but your snark helps fuel my passion for writing.
I regret nothing! That movie had an awesome score and two awesome songs!
8229163, 8229486
Thank you! I'm delighted you enjoyed it!
8230428
Now that's some strong praise. Thank you kindly!
8229260
I don't think I'll be doing a sequel to this story. I think it's pretty well self-contained. Anyway, I have far too many other stories clamoring for my attention.
8230393
Not really! This story was designed to be completely independent of everything else. It's one of my few canon-timeline stories, in fact (as much as any fanfic is canon-timeline).
If I have a ton to say on it, I'll do a full-blown retrospective blog and link it in the author's notes, but it seems a little silly to do one for a short story. That being said, Sunset and Celestia's relationship has always been something I've thought way too much about, so I needed to pontificate a bit!
8230808
Nope! I do recommend watching the most recent MLP Episode "A Royal Problem" though! (I haven't even seen them yet)
8230848 Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
.
In all seriousness though, this is an amazing and really underrated story. I hope you get more credit where it's due, because you sir are fantastic.
8230286
Thank you ever so much for this. Means the world to me! Daybreaker was way too much fun to write. And she was even more fun to read out loud for my audible edit. I kinda want someone to do an audio production of this story just so I can hear her.
That fight was set in the background for a few reasons. First of all, because Sunset's focus wouldn't be on them. It would be on Celestia. I liked the visual of them talking quietly as this demonic battle royale raged around them. And in truth, while it is important, the real focus is on them. So putting them in the background is a bit of a twist I could see as comedy.
Daybreaker seems to be the type to do the classic villain monologue. Like... nonstop. I may have played it on a bit too much... but for me, it was worth it just to get Sunset to yell at her. Granted, she got backhoofed immediately afterward, but it was still a great moment.
Thanks Albi. A ton.
8230854
Comments like this are the best kind of credit there is.
But seriously, if I had sequels to every story people asked me to do... I'd never finish Wavelengths! Or anything else. Ever.
8230836
I suppose I really should have expected Sunlight from a story where Sunlight wasn't written out by the premise. Though I recall you even managing to work it in to Diamonds Amidst the Stars...
Yeah, I think you did do the work you needed.
8230862
Classic villain monologues can't be beat.
8230890
Go back and look at the name of the chapter.
(Okay, confession: maybe 1% of the name is from the ship. The rest is to match the story vibe.)
8227920
How it went down, Gold.
How I pictured it would go near the beginning in my head, however?
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/895/845/2f9.jpg
This touched my heart in places I thought I had destroyed it. Thank you for helping me find them. The problem has been rectified.
8232150
I hope there was a little bit of popcorn enjoyment from time to time.
I actually did a fistpump when I read this. These kinds of comments make all the stuff I go through behind the scenes worth it.
I wanted to like this, I really did. I loved the interactions between Celestia and Sunset and the interesting connections between Sunsets fall and the darkness that dwells inside Celestia. Daybreaker was well portrayed (I loved the little sun jibe) as was demon Sunset.
But, I can't help but feel this demeans Celestia. In the episode it was she who defeated Daybreaker (with gentle reassurance from Luna). It showed she had the inner strength to never succumb to her dark side. Having her need Sunset to defeat Daybreaker just defeats the entire point of that moment. That after Luna is apparently effortlessly defeated on her own turf as well.
It's got some great stuff in it, but I feel this all came at Celestias expense.
I do like the idea of every characters darker egos fighting a deathmatch though
8233825
That sounds truly disappointing.
Daybreaker ought to be this terrifying:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/299981/why-no-one-messes-with-celestia
[edit]
Three downvotes? Seriously? What, exactly, is wrong with saying this?
oh noes, we can't possibly have a depiction of terrifyingly powerful characters in MLP. [gasp]