To Be Honest
Daybreaker cantered pleasantly across the stage with a delighted hum on her lips, stretching her wings for the first time in a thousand years.
Her barrier had completely cut off her younger sister’s castle from the rest of the world, making any chance for help from the outside impossible. The orange dome had an additional effect of magnifying the rays of her glorious sun, building an intense heatwave of everything inside. The wooden stalls hissed and smoked as they were steadily charred black, fruits and vegetables withered to nothing, and precious metals melted into reflective puddles. Daybreaker chuckled snidely as she hopped off the stage, and gazed ahead.
“I can honestly say, I’m a little impressive by how you’ve managed so far, little sister,” said Daybreaker
Princess Luna leered at her elder sister, but remained seated on her haunches, her horn glowing from the continuous flow of magic she was putting out. The nightly mare had erected her own barrier inside Daybreaker’s. Though only half the size of her sister’s, it was enough to cover herself and everypony captured. The freezing temperatures of Luna’s barrier counteracted with the sweltering heat of Daybreaker’s dome, making the atmosphere mildly comfortable for the imprisoned ponies. Many mares and stallions were still shaking, though, but it had nothing to do with Luna’s spell.
The Mare of the Sun approached the barrier, which separated the two sisters by mere inches. When Daybreaker put a hoof to the surface, she sharply pulled back when her hoof hissed and a thin plume of steam wafted from the point of contact.
“You’ve gotten stronger since we last battled,” said Daybreaker with a hint of eagerness. “If I wasn’t planning on destroying you, I would be proud.”
“I haven’t spent the last one thousand years simply waving at crowds and pushing papers,” said Luna evenly. “I’m not the little filly you once knew.”
“No, you’re not,” Daybreaker agreed. “But I doubt even you have the strength to battle me and protect those poor, innocent ponies from the worst sunburns of their lives.”
“Let them go, Daybreaker,” Luna demanded. “They have nothing to do with this – “
“They have everything to do with this!” Daybreaker snapped. “I am their princess! The one true ruler of Equestria! Do you not remember how it once took six unicorns to raise the sun each day? I was born with the power to raise it alone! Does that not by right make me fit to rule?! Do I not deserve worship for my everything I have done?! I blessed these ungrateful urchins with my warming light and they had the nerve to speak out against me! They deserve to be punished!”
“A princess does not put herself before her subjects!” Luna countered. “A princess exists to serve, protect, and guide the ponies of Equestria to a better – “
“Save your heartfelt speeches for someone who cares, sister,” Daybreaker scoffed. “The point remains that I have no intention of letting them, or any other pony, escape my divine judgement. Even as we speak, my glorious sun is bearing its wrath down upon the kingdom. Equestria will soon become nothing more than a desolate wasteland. Those who serve me will be allowed to live; the rest will burn.”
“You won’t get that far,” Luna declared firmly. “I’ve already sent my student to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. She will return and she will stop you.”
“Oh, yes, that adorable student of yours,” Daybreaker snickered. “Let’s take a look at how she’s doing, shall we?”
The flaming mare’s horn flared with magic and a rift tore open in the air between the alicorns. Daybreaker and Luna stared into the void as an image began to form –
Twilight Sparkle rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression, her muzzle inches from Daybreaker’s barrier. Huddled together in a small circle several feet behind were Spike and the mares that had been caught up in the runaway wagon incident, talking animatedly about something Twilight had no idea about. Trixie came out of her wagon levitating a tray of chilled beverages she kept in a cooler underneath her hammock. It was a scorcher out today; Spike wasted no time guzzling his drink down. The other ponies took their drinks with more controlled enthusiasm, except for Sunset Shimmer, who walked up beside the lavender unicorn.
“That barrier’s not budging,” Sunset stated bluntly. “It’s on a completely different level than any magic we can use. Just what you would expect from an alicorn.”
“I know, and that worries me,” said Twilight, tapping the barrier wall which vibrated under her touch. “I have no idea how we’re supposed to get through this and saved everypony inside. Oh, if only Princess Luna were here.”
“So, the great Twilight Sparkle doesn’t have the answers for a change,” said Trixie with a smug grin. “Not so high and mighty now, are you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Uh…I’m sorry, do I know you?” asked Twilight, scratching her head confused.
“Pshaw! As if you don’t remember the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie announced dramatically with a swish of her cape.
But rather than the reaction she was hoping for, Trixie only received a blank stare from Twilight.
“Trixie?” Another blank stare. "Trixie Lulamoon?" A tilt of the head. “We went to Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns together?” Twilight blinked dimwittedly. “WE SAT AT THE SAME TABLE FOR A YEAR!”
“Oh…did we?” Twilight asked, smiling sheepishly.
“Well, I remember you, Trixie,” Moon Dancer spoke up with a pointed look shot at Twilight. “I actually remember people I was friends with. Even if you did get kicked out after only a year.”
“Thank you, Moon Dancer,” said Trixie, raising her head proudly. “But for your information, the Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t get kicked out. Trixie just felt that the school didn’t have much to offer Trixie, so Trixie left to pursue her quest for magical knowledge elsewhere.”
“So you got kicked out,” said Sunset smugly; Trixie glared.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Twilight asked curiously, pointing a hoof at Trixie and Moon Dancer.
“We sat at the same table for a year,” Trixie and Moon Dancer replied simultaneously with matching blank stares; Twilight chuckled guiltily.
“Yeah, hello, hey there,” Starlight interrupted, nudging her way between the mares. “Starlight Glimmer here; nice to meet you all. So, not to interrupted this trip down memory lane, but – COULD SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HAY JUST HAPPENED HERE?! WHO WAS THAT PONY?! WHERE DID SHE COME FROM?! WHAT’S WITH THIS BARRIER?! AND WHY WAS HER MANE ON FIRE? I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, HER MANE WAS – ON – FIRE!”
“I’m kinda curious about that myself,” Tempest said calmly, taking a sip of her drink.
“That,” said Sunset, gesturing her horn to the barrier, “was the Mare of the Sun, Daybreaker. She used to be Princess Luna’s older sister until she got corrupted by power. She’s been trapped in the sun for over a thousand years, and now she’s back to scorch Equestria in a raging inferno.”
“Yeah, Trixie doesn’t do well with fire,” said Trixie. “Trixie tried fire swallowing once. The hospital bill was outrageous!”
“That’s why we have to do something,” said Twilight, stomping her hoof importantly. “I read all about the prediction of Daybreaker. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!”
“Then what’re we supposed to do?” Moon Dancer asked.
“Why do we need to do anything?” Starlight asked. “We’re just a bunch of random ponies who got mixed up together by accident. Why can’t we just leave this to real heroes like the Justice Ponies?”
“Ooh, I love the Justice Ponies!” Spike cheered. “White Diamond’s my favorite.”
“Trixie is more of a Bucking Bronco fan herself,” said Trixie.
“Yeah, but The Dash is, like, twenty percent cooler – “ Starlight started.
“FOCUS!” Twilight screeched. “Daybreaker is Princess Luna's older sister. Even a team of superheroes won't be able to beat her. We need to find out where the Elements of Harmony are and bring them to Princess Luna so she can defeat Daybreaker. But I don’t even know where to start looking. I’ve read every book in the Canterlot library from top to bottom and I’ve never heard any mention of them.”
“Then the answers are probably in the restricted section,” Sunset hummed, putting a hoof to her chin.
“THERE’S A RESTRICTED SECTION?!” Twilight shrieked in aghast. Making Sunset lean back in surprise.
"Yeah…Princess Luna showed it to me,” Sunset answered hesitantly. The lavender mare started hyperventilating, her mane becoming a frizzed mess with bloodshot eyes. Sunset felt a little frightened. “Is she okay…?”
“Yeah, that’s just standard Twilight behavior,” Moon Dancer answered nonchalantly.
“She’ll calm down in a few minutes,” Trixie shrugged.
“So…that’s it, then?” asked Starlight uncertainly. “We just find these…Elements of Harmony and bring them back here.”
“I doubt it will be that easy,” said Moon Dancer, frowning. “But right now, we're the only ponies that know about Daybreaker and the Elements. Everypony else in Canterlot is trapped inside Daybreaker’s barrier and by the time anypony else figures out something’s wrong, it’ll be too late.”
“Then let’s go find those Elements of Harmony!” Spike cheered, pumping his claw. “To the library! …Oh no, I’m starting to sound like Twilight.”
“Hey!” Twilight yelled indignantly.
“You mares have fun with that,” Tempest Shadow interjected. The other mares jumped; Tempest had been so quiet, they had forgotten she was there. The broken unicorn rose to her hooves and turned. “Me? I’m taking the first train out of Canterlot. I didn’t sign up to play hero.”
Tempest started walking up the path back to town, but she only made it a few paces before Sunset called out:
“You realize that if we fail, you’re going to turn into a pile of ash, right?” Tempest came to a sudden stop. Sunset smirked; she had the mare hooked – now to reel her in. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to come with us so we don’t screw anything up and plunge the world into a fiery demise?”
Tempest remained rooted to her spot for several seconds, seemingly staring off into space. Then, with a reluctant sigh, she turned on her hooves and walked back to Sunset; the sunny mare had the smuggest grin on her face.
“You are a manipulative little pony…,” Tempest hissed at Sunset.
“I accept that as a compliment,” said Sunset, proudly flipping her mane.
“All right, we’ve wasted enough time,” said Twilight urgently. She levitated Spike onto her back and reared herself on her hind legs. “To the library!”
The lavender mare dashed toward the town and the other mares followed shortly. Except for Trixie, who went back for her wagon –
Daybreaker was none too pleased as she closed the viewing portal and turned back around to her sister. Princess Luna held a smirk like she had just one-uped the flaming mare personally.
“Looks like my student and her new friends are on their way to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, sister,” said Luna confidently. “It’s only a matter of time now.”
“Your faith in them is admirable, but foolish, sister,” said Daybreaker, spreading her wings with a sinister chuckle. “If they intend to seek out the Elements of Harmony, they will find that the path ahead is not to be tread lightly.”
“Don’t you dare lay a hoof on them!” Luna growled.
“Dear sister, I am not so crude as to lower myself into fighting little fillies,” Daybreaker laughed, flames springing to life around her hollow eyes. “After all, why would I need to break their bodies, when I could just as easily break their spirits?”
Twilight and the other mares were practically drenched in sweat by the time they reached the Canterlot library, none more so than Trixie and Tempest (“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not that kind of filly!” Trixie screeched when Twilight suggested taking off her cape.) They all let out mutual sighs of relief as they entered the air-conditioned confines of the library.
“Holy Luna,” said Starlight with an impressed whistle, looking around. “There must be a million books in here.”
“I wish!” Twilight shouted enthusiastically. “Sadly, the Canterlot library only has enough room to fit 983,755 books at one time. But I’ve started a petition to expand the number of bookshelves.”
“You don’t have a job or a social life, do you?” asked Tempest with a raised brow.
“Nope,” Spike answered.
“Come on, we’re wasting time,” said Sunset urgently, trotting ahead of the others. “The restricted section is this way.”
Twilight was literally bouncing behind the sunny mare; everypony else followed at a casual pace while keeping a distance from Twilight. Sunset lead them through the maze of shelves to a secluded corner near the back of the library; the thick layer of dust indicated that it was rarely used. The princess’s pupil scanned the shelves on the back wall with a hoof to her chin. It only took a moment of searching before she found it: a pair of books next to each other with logos of the sun and moon on their spines; a fairly obvious clue in Sunset’s opinion. She pulled both books with her magic and stepped back.
The seven heard a pair of metallic clicks followed by a deep rumble. The books leaned backed into their original positions and the entire shelf slid sideways into the wall, revealing a cavernous stairway leading downward. Twilight’s jaw literally dropped, something Tempest found great amusement in as she pushed the mare’s muzzle up. Twilight shook her head and practically dashed down the stairs after Sunset and Starlight already went inside.
The seven paced down the passageway in silence, which slowly shifted from the brick and mortar of the Canterlot library to an underground cave system. Thankfully, there were torch brackets on either side of the wall that lit up with magic when they walked by so they weren’t stumbling in the dark. The tunnel eventually ended at a pair of bronze double doors marked with the sun-moon sigil of Canterlot royalty, which Sunset pushed open with her magic.
Everypony stared in awe as they trotted inside, even Tempest, who didn’t care much for books and magic. The chamber was a massive cave that had been renovated for the sole purpose of storing information. The holes in the walls had been converted into bookshelves which held thick, leather-bound tomes, ancient-looking trinkets, and pyramids of scrolls. A magical hearth ignited upon their entrance, casting a warm orangish-yellow glow on the table in the middle of the room that looked to have been recently moved. There were two tunnels on either side of the chamber that seemed to lead to other sections.
Twilight made a harsh gasping noise, her entire body shaking so much she unknowingly knocked Spike off her back.
“Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!!” Twilight squeaked in a single breath, head snapping back and forth wildly. “So many book – all unread! Ancient historical artifacts!” Now she was wheezing erratically. “I just... I thought...! I can't...!”
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Sunset asked her with growing concern. “Maybe you should – “
“Don't take this away from me!” Twilight screamed, shaking Sunset violently by the shoulders.
“So you think the book on the Elements of Harmony is somewhere in this place?” asked Moon Dancer, gesturing a hoof to the massive cave.
“If it’s not in the main library like Twilight says, then this is the next logical place,” answered Sunset, pushing the clingy lavender mare off.
“How’re we supposed to find it in all this?” Spike asked with a groan. “There must be a thousand books in here.”
“There used to be a mechanical catalog system,” said Sunset. She pointed a hoof in the corner at looked like a pile splintered wood and cracked gears. “But, as you can see, it hasn’t been…well-maintained.”
“Guess we’ll have to read everything!” Twilight sang. The lavender mare sprinted up to the second level of the cave, pulling down several books with her horn. “C'mon! No way! Can you believe they have Canterlot Cantabiles Volume Thirty-One? You heard me! Thirty-One! That's when it gets goooooooood!” She let out an overdramatic gasp and cantered off to another shelf. “Over here! An original Windigo Weather Warning from the pre-Equestrian era! Oh, my goodness! I can't! I just can't!”
“I feel less confident about our success every time she opens her mouth?” Tempest said bluntly.
“Well, guess there’s nothing to do but start looking,” said Moon Dancer, grimacing, using her horn to grab a random book off the shelves. “All right, everypony, let’s get to reading.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t trust books,” said Trixie, shooting the nearest tome with a challenging glare. “They’re as untrustworthy as wheels. And Trixie doesn’t trust wheels, either.”
“You do realize your wagon is on wheels, right?” Starlight pointed out.
“And Trixie is always watching them,” Trixie said seriously. “Waiting for them to strike when Trixie least expects it.”
Starlight facehoofed, shaking her head.
“C’mon, everypony, we can do this,” Spike said confidently. “I mean, how hard could it be to find one book?”
-=TWO HOURS LATER=-
Turns out it’s hard. Very, very hard.
The six mares and dragon had ripped off nearly every book on the shelves and hadn’t come close to finding any information on the Elements of Harmony. There’s had been several false alarms where somepony saw the word “harmony” and immediately jumped, only to realize it related to off-topic subjects like “the harmony of chakras” or “Perfect pitch, perfect harmony.”
Tempest’s broken horn crackled a little louder every time a book failed to produce results. Spike’s legs were sticking out from under a pile of books after they fell on him, but he made no effect of escaping. Even an avid book lover like Moon Dancer was repeatedly smacking herself in the face every few minutes.
Sunset Shimmer closed one of the thickest tomes with a tired yawn, leaning her head on her hoof.
“Did you know Chancellor Puddinghead tried to pass a law mandating Earth ponies drink carrot juice at every meal?” She moaned. “I do…. Know that…. Now.”
“Awww, sounds like you got to read all the fun books,” said Twilight, the only mare still with energy. Sunset smacked her face on the table with an exasperated sigh.
“I think I’d rather be melting in the sun than endure another moment of this torture,” Tempest grumbled.
“C’mon, girls, it’s not that bad,” Twilight said perkily. She looked around the table, suddenly realizing two mares were absent. “Hey, where’re Starlight and Trixie?”
Sunset, Tempest, and Moon Dancer pointed their hooves forward, bringing Twilight’s attention to the pair of miniature fortresses made entirely out of books on opposite sides of the chamber. How did she not notice that until now?
Trixie’s hat poked out before the showmare herself, looking over the top of her hoofmade book palace, leering at the opposition. She then shot up, levitating “Call to Hooves” with her magic, shouting, “Victory goes to the first strike!”
She threw the book at the opposite fort. The side wall immediately collapsed, revealing Starlight Glimmer, who appeared to be reading, “The Dr. Manehatten Project.” The Lilac unicorn immediately sprang to her hooves.
“Defensive perimeter has been breached!” Starlight cried dramatically. “Prepare for hoof-to-hoof combat! Take no prisoners!”
“Trixie never knew books could be so much fun!” Trixie cheered.
Twilight’s eyes popped and her mouth fell in abject horror as she witnessed then two mares fling ancient one-of-a-kind books across the room like baseballs. The lavender mare was too dumbstruck to form any words, and only sputtered random gibberish. It was with a groan that Sunset rose from her seat and dragged Twilight off through side tunnel into another part of the restricted.
“C’mon, let’s check over here,” Sunset suggested. “There’s got to be information on the Elements of Harmony somewhere.”
“But – but – but – “ Twilight stammered, pointing a hoof back at the other room.
“Just leave them,” said Sunset. “We’ll find the answers without them.”
Twilight looked like she had more to say on the matter, but chose to let it slide and walk the rest of the way in silence. After a short walk, they entered another enormous cavern like the main chamber, only this one was filled entirely with bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling.
Twilight and Sunset walked up to the first rows of shelves, pulling off several books and reading the simultaneously. But after a few minutes of painful silence, Twilight suddenly spoke up:
“Hey, Sunset?”
“What? You find something?” Sunset asked hopefully.
“No, no, it’s just…. Can I ask you something?” Twilight said cautiously.
“I…guess?” Sunset answered strangely.
“It’s just that…something’s been bothering me ever since the Summer Solstice Festival,” said Twilight, frowning.
“What?”
“It’s Princess Luna,” said Twilight. Sunset suddenly went stiff, though the lavender mare didn’t notice. “She looked so surprised to see Daybreaker when she showed up. And when she did, Princess Luna seemed almost…defenseless against her. But…that doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t she have known that Daybreaker was coming? I mean, you gave her my notes, right? I thought she would’ve been better prepared. What happened?”
Sunset felt a drip of sweat running down the side of her head, eyes moving frantically. She remembered Twilight's warning the previous evening and her notes had been thoroughly detailed right down to the moment Daybreaker would return. If Sunset had given those notes to Princess Luna, she could’ve been prepared; she could’ve dispelled Daybreaker with the Elements of Harmony herself. Instead, Sunset had burned the notes without a second thought. She even lied to her mentor about them.
But she couldn’t tell Twilight that! She’d blame Sunset for everything! She’d run back to the others, tell them what happened, and then they would all hate her! They’d leave! They couldn’t do that, Sunset told herself. She can’t find the Elements of Harmony by herself. She needed them around long enough to find the Elements and take them back to Princess Luna. None of them needed to know what really happened. For the good of Equestria!
“She, uh, didn’t read them,” Sunset finally responded, looking away guiltily.
“What? Why not?” Twilight gaped.
“Because…because she’s the princess, obviously,” Sunset said quickly. “She’s busy with paperwork all the time. I tried showing her your notes, but she didn’t think some details about an ancient myth made by some random pony were worth looking at. Especially the day before the festival.”
“Oh…yeah…I guess that makes sense,” Twilight said in a small voice, hanging her head sadly. “Princess Luna has more important duties than to listen to some nopony…. I guess I just got my hopes up for nothing….”
Sunset felt a twinge of guilt in her chest as Twilight pulled down another book apathetically, her previous zeal complete evaporated. It was better this way, Sunset told herself. She’ll get over it. The safety of Equestria came first. Princess Luna would agree with her. Though it was difficult to focus on the texts with Twilight Sparkle radiating a gloomy aura around her now.
“I’ll go look in the back,” Sunset suggested weakly. “You keep checking around here.”
“Okay…,” Twilight answered glumly. The guilt in Sunset’s heart intensified from how subdued she sounded.
The sunny pony trotted quickly to the back of the cavern where the shelves were nearly concealed in darkness. Sunset created a light with her horn to illuminated the row. She pulled down one of the books with her magic and started reading through the passages when –
“Naughty, naughty, Sunset Shimmer. Breaking that poor little mare’s heart like that.”
Sunset’s entire frame seized up in fear. She looked to her left – nothing. She looked to her right – nothing…. Suddenly, the back of the cavern brightened from a flickering light that seemed to come from behind Sunset Shimmer. The young mare gulped audibly, turning around slowly, and nearly fell over with a gasp.
A pair of enlarged eyes floated in the air in front of her. They were golden slits in hollow sclera, surrounded by rings of flames. Sunset recognized those eyes.
“Daybreaker!” Sunset cried.
“Sunset Shimmer, my sister’s dutiful apprentice,” Daybreaker spoke with maniac glee. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you personally. Well, not personally, but close enough.”
“G-Get away!” Sunset shouted, backing up against the shelves. “I’m not afraid of you!”
“You have a real talent for lying, don’t you, Sunset Shimmer?” said Daybreaker, chuckling. “I can practically smell your fear from here. But don’t fret, my little pony, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You…you don’t?” Sunset asked suspiciously.
“Why would I want to hurt somepony with such potential,” Daybreaker cooed. “My sweet little sister took you in as her apprentice because you are a gifted little unicorn, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s only so much Luna can teach you. Personally, I think you would do better as my apprentice, don’t you think?”
“I would never be your apprentice,” said Sunset strongly.
“Oh, but we have so much in common,” Daybreaker chirped delightfully. “We are both exceptionally powerful mares. We both know it’s our born right to stand above the common ponies. We both share similar tastes in sun motifs. And, more importantly, we are both willing to lie and cheat to get what we want.
“I’m nothing like you,” Sunset declared.
“But you are, my little Sunset Shimmer!” said Daybreaker in a powerful voice. “You had the opportunity to prevent my return, but you didn’t! You could have warned my sister, but you chose not to! And why? Because that would mean proving that little upstart – Twilight Sparkle, was it? – was right. She was the one who saw the signs of my return, not you? She possesses knowledge and understanding vastly superior to yours. If you had taken those notes to Luna, she would have stopped me, certainly, but then your own position would be in jeopardy.”
“No…,” Sunset murmured weakly.
“Yes!” Daybreaker hissed. “Though not as obvious, Twilight Sparkle possesses great magical potential to rival your own. Maybe even surpass it. Then what would you do? If Luna knew such an exceptional unicorn existed, what use would she have for keeping your around? You needed to do whatever it took to secure your place.”
“Shut up…,” Sunset whimpered, flattening herself to the ground, covering her ears trying to block out Daybreaker’s words.
“That’s why you burned her notes!” Daybreaker roared. “You chose to ignore Twilight Sparkle's warning and now everything will be consumed in glorious flames, including my foolish little sister who believe in you!”
“Stop it…,” Sunset sobbed, her eyes stinging with tears.
“And if you insist on refusing my generous offer to be my pupil, then at the very least, I will allow you to live. To walk across the barren wastes, forever knowing you could have prevented Equestria’s fate! Everypony will burn! And it is all – your – fault!”
Meanwhile, Twilight was browsing through “The Big Encyclopedia of Useless Knowledge” when she heard a loud, wailing cry coming from the back out the chamber. Twilight dropped the book and spun around. That sounded like –
“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight shouted in a panic.
Twilight raced through the shelves, following the sounds of sobbing. She came to a screeching halt and spotted a prone figure lying on the ground hidden in the darkness. Twilight illuminated her horn and found Sunset Shimmer huddled on the floor, her hooves covering her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight leaned over Sunset, helping the mare into a sitting position. Sunset sniffled, tears streaming down her muzzle, but she blinked and stared at the lavender unicorn with a look of remorse.
“Tw – Twilight…?” Sunset hiccupped.
“Sunset, what happened?” asked Twilight, worried. “I heard you scream. What – “
“Daybreaker,” Sunset mumbled softly. “It was Daybreaker. She was here.”
“What?! Daybreaker’s here?!” Twilight squeaked, looking around frantically.
“She left before you showed up,” Sunset mumbled. “Twilight, she…she said it was my fault. She told me I’m the reason why everypony is in danger…. Equestria is doomed because of me…..”
“Sunset, that’s not true, don’t listen to her,” said Twilight seriously. “She’s lying to – “
“BUT IT’S TRUE!” Sunset screamed, taking Twilight aback. Sunset stared at the ground shamefully. “It’s true…. Twilight…the truth is, Princess Luna never got your notes…because I didn’t give them to her. I burned them after you left….”
“But…why would you do that?” Twilight asked in disbelief.
“At first, it was because I didn’t believe you,” said Sunset honestly. “I thought you were just somepony looking for attention. I mean, the first thing you said to me was that you were a huge fan.”
“Yeah, I guess I can see how that might’ve come off,” said Twilight, scratching her chin sheepishly.
“But then I read your notes,” Sunset continued. “And I realized they were right. All the facts lined up perfectly with Daybreaker’s return. When I saw them, I realized you saw the signs when nopony else did, including me. You looked over all the facts and came to the right conclusion. And…and that scared me.”
“Scared you?” Twilight repeated, astonished by what she heard.
“If I showed those notes to Princess Luna, she’d realize how amazing you were,” Sunset replied. “The only pony in all of Equestria who foresaw the return of Daybreaker. I was scared that Princess Luna would see how better you are, that she would replace me…. So I burned the notes and pretended you were just making it all up.
“If I hadn’t been so selfish and lied, none of this would’ve happened!” Sunset cried with a fresh wave of tears. “Princess Luna is in danger and it’s all my fault! I put all of Equestria in danger because of my ego! I’m the worst student ever! I deserve to be replaced!”
Sunset bowed her head and continued to sob, her shoulder’s shaking…until she felt a gentle hoof tap them. The sunny mare looked up, surprised, at Twilight Sparkle, who smiled sympathetically.
“You’re not a bad pony, Sunset Shimmer,” said Twilight softly. “You made a mistake. It happens to the best of us. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times my mistakes nearly cost my brother his job. Especially after the chocolate fountain incident. Honestly, it’s a miracle we weren't banished for that.”
“Your mistakes didn’t put the life of everypony in danger,” Sunset mumbled.
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened – that’s exactly what Daybreaker wants,” said Twilight. “There’s no point in beating yourself up. We can’t change what happened, but there is something was can do.”
“What?” asked Sunset.
“We can fix it,” said Twilight confidently. “Once we find the Elements of Harmony, Daybreaker will be banished to the sun again and everything will be back to normal.”
“And Princess Luna will kick me out for lying,” Sunset mumbled.
“If she does, then maybe we could learn magic together,” Twilight gasped, clapping her hooves eagerly. “We could have a study group! You could teach me all about the enchanted items of Mage Meadowbrook and I could teach you about Homare and Ponycles!”
“I’ve already read Ponycles and I found his work to be pretentious at best,” said Sunset in a dignified tone. The two mares giggled and Sunset smiled at the lavender unicorn. “Thanks, Twilight. No matter what happens after this, I promise I’ll never be dishonest again…well, most of the time. Because, let’s face it, being too honest can get you in just as much trouble as lying.”
“Tell me about it,” Twilight laughed. “That being said, I wish we knew where to find the Elements of Harmony. At this rate, it’ll be days before we find the right book.”
Sunset illuminated her horn to add to Twilight's when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The golden lettering of a single book stood out between the musty tomes beside it. Sunset pulled the book out with her magic, read the cover, and let out a shocked gasp.
“Twilight, this is it!” said Sunset, passing the book over.
“’The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide’?” Twilight read aloud. “That is unrealistically convenient.”
“Worry about logic later!” Sunset yelled urgently. “We gotta show the others!”
The mares galloped back the way they came to the main chamber, where they discovered that Tempest and Moon Dancer had somehow been coerced into helping Trixie and Starlight build a scale model of the Manehatten skyline out of books.
“Stop building that amazing accurate model and get your flanks over here!” Sunset shouted. Trixie, who had apparently been imitating the skyscraper scene from King Pong, fell backwards with a surprised yelp, sending the entire model crashing down. “We found the Elements of Harmony!”
After digging Trixie out of her bookish tomb, the mares rushed over to the table. Twilight used her magic to pry Spike out of his own pile, suspecting he might want to be informed, but found the little guy fast asleep. Twilight smiled and crated a bed of books and tucked him in with a blanket of paper. He was a baby dragon after all; she’ll wake him up after they’ve sorted this mess out.
Twilight marched back to the table with the other mares and flipped the pages with her horn, scanning the pages critically as they flew by.
“Come on, come on, give me something – A-HA!” Twilight shouted, laying the book flat and reading aloud. “’ There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now…the Everfree Forest?”
“What’s the Everfree Forest?” Moon Dancer asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve never even heard of it. Has Princess Luna ever said anything to you about it, Sunset Shimmer?”
“Princess Luna never liked to talk about her past,” said Sunset, “which is really starting to bite us in the tail right about now.”
“Maybe we could look at some maps – “Starlight suggested.
“It’s on the outskirts of Ponyville,” Trixie answered simply. The other mares turned in unison, giving her strange looks. “What?”
“How do you know where the Everfree Forest is?” Moon Dancer asked suspiciously.
“I know this may be hard to believe,” said Trixie with a smug grin, “but the Great and Powerful Trixie wasn’t always so great and powerful – “
“No, we believe it,” Tempest interjected bluntly.
“…Anyway, I used to travel all over Equestria, learning from the greatest masters of the mystic arts to become the spectacular showpony you see today!” Trixie said with a dramatic wave of her cape.
“Does this story have a point?” asked Starlight, rolling her eyes.
“My potions teacher, Potion Nova,” Trixie explained, “used to sing praises of a zebra named Zecora, who lived in the Everfree Forest on the outskirts of Ponyville.”
Moon Dancer hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then used her horn to grab a map of a nearby shelf.
“Ponyville’s only a few miles south of Canterlot, at the base of the mountain,” Moon Dancer informed. “If we hoof it, we could get there in a few hours.”
“Sooner if we use Trixie’s wagon,” Starlight added.
“Hey, nopony touches the Great and Powerful Trixie’s wagon but Trixie!” Trixie yelled indignantly.
“Do you want to burn into a smoldering pile of ash?” Starlight retorted, smirking.
“…Fine, but Trixie’s driving,” Trixie grumbled.
“Then we have a heading,” said Twilight proudly, stuffing the reference guide into her saddlebag. “Come on, Everypony, let’s go get those Elements of Harmony!”
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Seems that Sunset is gonna be honesty, still thinking Tempest as loyalty.
Looks like Sunset won't be magic. Shame, as I always felt she was a better Twilight than Twilight from Rainbow Rocks onwards.
Well that answers my question from last chapter. Whew. Good thing.
and to quote captian jack sparrow "we finally have our heading"
10464021
What was the question?
10464181
).
Whether Luna was trapped inside the dome with Daybreaker or if she had been burned to a crisp outside it like the other ponies (who actually weren't, thank Cele— wait...
10464194
Ahhh...
You know... making Sunset honesty kinda just proves her own self-deprecating ideas. Cause it means Twilight is more important as Magic. Unless some weird voodoo shit happens and Honesty becomes the centerpiece... which yeah, I can see it.
10464242
One Element is not more important than the others. If anything, the Element of Magic completely relies on the other Elements to exist.
Unlike in canon, Twilight won't be the ultimate main protagonist that wins at everything. Everypony will have their own moments to shine.
Okay, so far we have: Sunset - Honesty.
I'm betting on Tempest being Loyalty, but the others I'm not so sure.
Best guesses:
Trixie: Kindness
Moondancer: Laughter
Starlight: Generosity
Twilight: 100
Now I have to know!
Welcome to showbiz, Twi!
Randomness? Pinkie P- oh wait, she's not in this story.
nice up date
10464336
I disagree with your opinion on Trixie. I think Trixie is laughter, because she's the pony all about entertainment and dramatic flair. She seems like the type who isn't caring about honesty, kindness, or generosity, (due to those mares who had ruined manes) and we don't know how her loyalty compares to everypony else's. I don't know about the others, there's too much we haven't seen yet. For all we know, Moondancer could be loyalty because of her devotion to Twilight. For the most part I think your speculations are pretty good though. I just don't agree with Trixie, and I'm just looking forward to seeing what's going to happen! I'm sorry if I came across as criticizing
10465336
To be honest, I'm in agreement with Boltstrike58. I'm basing this on their behaviors in the first chapter. It was mentioned that the six would originally act in the antithesis of the elements they would wield. in Twilight's, Starlight's, Sunset's and Tempest's cases, that came as obvious.
I do admit the cases of Moondancer and Trixie are a little more ambiguous but when compared to the original mane 6 when they were polarized by Discord's spell, I could see similarities to the behaviors.
I noticed that Moondancer's behavior was more on the angry and upset side. If she was supposed to be cruel, she would have done some really mean things to Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Lyra. This grumpy behavior can be compared to Pinkie when she was polarized.
Trixie's behavior was cruel even if the heckling ponies deserved it. In the second chapter, she gave some hair removal potion to some of her earlier victims on the implication that it was going to do a lot more than just remove some bad hair. Even if the victims deserved what Trixie did to them, it was still cruel. Compare the behavior to Fluttercruel.
These are my reasons why Moondancer will likely get Laughter and Trixie will likely get Kindness.
10466346
I see. Thanks for clarifying that for me!
Welcome to the secret library of a retired prankster,
You go mare. Yeah!!
love the reference to forgotten friendship
Nice, referencing the deleted scenes!
I like Daybreakers cocky personality.
Trixie isn't that bad a magician, in her first appearance: besides the hair trick (which was magic, not potions) she also turns Rainbow Dash's rainbow contrail into a mini-tornado, and conjures a little lightning-throwing cloud (which is more than we've ever seen Moon Dancer do.
)
Really, she only becomes a rank amateur that needs to be taught everything by Starlight after the show started to make her a regularly appearing character, and the showrunners decided "conceited comical screwup" was the role she was best fitted for.
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Not that originally Twilight was the ultimate main protagonist who wins at everything. That happened later in the series.
Found Loyalty
Finding that book was harder than canon due to lack of Pink Menace.
The Parasprites would be devastating
10628030
Sadly
10464265
Indeed
The elements require each other to run
Even in timelines where there's more than six
They cannot function at full power without each of them together
10787289
I think thats more to do with her turning into an Alicorn
My prediction was:
Sunset Shimmer - Honesty
Check.