Chapter 12 - Dawn, part 2
“We can’t just stay here.”
“I know, my dear, I know. I promise that I won’t surrender again. And I promise that we’ll get out of here.”
In the just under seventy-two hours since the sun hadn’t set, Equestria had gone to Tartarus. The intense heat had caused almost all of the plant life to wilt, and the wildlife seemed to be fleeing from the unnatural sky. Thestrals were leaving their homes around Equestria, supposedly trying to hide around Hollow Shades, one of the only places in the land sheltered from the sun, and many other ponies were fleeing to Griffonia, the Crystal Empire, and even into the Undiscovered West. The ponies of Canterlot were clearly displeased, but keeping it quiet enough to avoid the ever-present Royal Guard, clad in fiery armour and carrying weapons in a way that they hadn’t for centuries. Supposedly, anypony who was too open regarding their dislike of the Queen was carted off by these Guards, presumably to be imprisoned somewhere in the caste. As such, while there were rumbles of revolution, they were all quiet and hidden away.
And Applejack was furious. Her little sister was likely scared and confused, her brother was breaking his back trying to harvest what apples were ready before the entire crop wilted away, and she was stuck on a wild goose chase in Canterlot searching for somepony who could utilise the Element of Magic and bring this to an end. The teachers at the School, Twilight’s parents, Prince Blueblood and several of his noble friends, that irritating showmare, and several random ponies off the street had tried and failed to conjure any life of it.
“This is pointless!” She shouted, knocking her drink aside in a fit of rather foalish pique. “We need Twi, or we’re going to be stuck like this forever!”
None of the Bearers looked to be in great condition - they were exhausted, unable to sleep well in the heat and light, covered in sweat and, perhaps most of all, demoralised. Spike (who’d insisted on joining them after hearing what had happened to Twilight, and his parents had agreed to let them take him, figuring he’d probably be safer with the heroes of Equestria than anywhere else) seemed to be sleeping the best of them, but he had many other reasons for his anxiety.
“I am inclined to agree, darling.” Rarity yawned.
“Um, I don’t think that we can just, you know, walk in and get her. I mean, safely.” Fluttershy seemed deeply affected by this, more than the others, probably because so many of her animal friends had left. Pinkie Pie was face-down on the table, having finally fallen asleep after a long while, as they sat outside one of the last functional cafes in the city.
“I’ll distract ‘em!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I’ll take on queen sun-face and all her Guards!”
“Easy there, sugarcube.” Applejack bit her tail to pull her back to her seat - she didn’t know if it was paranoia or what, but the fatigue seemed to be making the pegasus even more reckless than usual. “We can’t have you do that, we need all the Elements together for this to work. So we need all of us together.”
“Given that the Guard are becoming stretched rather thin, perhaps we can just sneak in through the gardens.”
Rarity raised a good point - the Royal Guard’s number certainly seemed to be reduced, many of them being shipped off to quiet whispers of rebellion in other towns and cities. Even within the castle gardens, they appeared to be few and far between.
“Well, it’s the only plan we’ve got, and I’ll go loopy if we just sit here much longer.”
“How did you become an alicorn, Princess?” The question had been on Sunset’s mind ever since Luna had admitted that she couldn’t create an alicorn. In the time (how much time? There was no way to tell, even the meals being delivered very inconsistently) since they’d been imprisoned together here, they had simply been talking, catching up on years of lost time. It felt like they should be doing something more, but her probing had revealed that they were quite thoroughly captured here. What else was there to do?
“I don’t know, Sunset. For all I know Celestia and I have simply always been alicorns.”
“But you must know something.” She was lying close to Luna, and leaned over to rest her head where she could hear the alicorn’s powerful heart.
“The earliest thing that either of us can remember, we lived like nomads in the Undiscovered West. We were both foals, though Celestia was older, on the cusp of adulthood as far back as I can remember. And we were both alicorns already.”
“Did you still control the sun and moon?”
“No. No, you have to remember, this was during the Spirit’s reign. The sun and moon didn’t behave themselves like they do now, each of them rising and setting at his whim. The days were things of unceasing, burning white, and the nights were times of terrifying blackness and monsters.
“Celestia was never told, but she knew right from the beginning that it was our duty to stop him. But I couldn’t do it as a mere filly, so we spent many years living in those untamed woodlands, with nopony but each other. It was honestly… pleasant. We had no worries, far beyond the Spirit’s attention span, and simply travelled, foraged, and survived.”
“It is a peaceful life.” Sunset noted. She would know, having spent much of her time in Zebrica living in a very similar way.
“I would do it all again, and live my life in service of Equestria again, but I do miss it sometimes.” She sighed heavily, trying to see the dark corridor beyond the illuminated cell, but it was impossible, after many attempts.
“I love you, Luna.”
“I love you too, Sunset. And I know that we’ll see the moon again soon.”
No matter how poorly-guarded the castle was, they still didn’t think it’d be wise to try the front door. No, instead the Bearers snuck through the gardens (briefly losing Pinkie in the hedge maze) around to the rear of the castle, to the servants’ entrance attached to the kitchen. It was part of the castle not meant for civilian eyes, bins and bags of rubbish stacked by it. Flies buzzed around them, and the smell was impressive - like a lot of services, rubbish collection had fallen off as many ponies fled the city that was the seat of Daybreaker’s power. The sun hadn’t set anywhere else in the world, but they still had to try to escape the endless day.
Gaining entrance to the staff entrance was easy; the door was open. Just forty-eight hours ago, the door would’ve certainly been guarded, but so many of the Royal Guard had been diverted to keep the peace in other cities, even the castle couldn’t be guarded. It being mid-morning (according to the clock, at least - times of day held very little meaning with an unmoving sun), the kitchens were almost entirely empty, one cleaning pony wiping down the surfaces being the only occupant. He looked at these famed ponies, their immensely powerful artifacts donned, and turned back to his work, apparently deciding that this was above his pay grade.
None of them had regularly been to the castle before, especially not in these behind the scenes areas, but they had been there often enough to know that it was far, far too quiet. No servants or Guards walked the various corridors, and there weren’t sounds of conversation from any side rooms - not even from the foyer where the Queen held her court.
“Now, does anypony remember which way it is to the dungeons?”
“I do!” Pinkie Pie leaped up vertically. “A Pie never forgets a castle!”
None of them quite had the energy to debate that, so they just followed Pinkie as she bounced through the corridors. Many of them had been beautifully decorated with murals of the sun and moon a short while ago, but they had all been defaced, removing any trace of the moon and the night sky. Some had been professionally painted over with an eternal sun, ponies happily frolicking in its light. Some others had simply been destroyed, whether through magic or brute force.
“Here we are!” They stood by the small staircase that led down into the dungeons, murmuring vague approval and relief, the relief vanishing as they descended.
Somehow, it looked to have grown even darker than last time, and the silence was even more absolute. Rarity conjured a light from her horn and the others flustered around her, but it produced barely a pocket of light, as if the sheer blackness was fighting back against the light. Despite how much they had grown to hate the sun, they dearly missed it down here.
Using the white light of the corridor to Luna’s cell as a guiding light, they sought the cell next to it, the one that Twilight had been tossed into.
“Alright, ladies,” Rarity cleared her throat. “Now remember, Twilight’s been down here for two days. Who knows how she’ll be feeling. We may need to simply take her away from here, and come back for the fight later. But whatever we do, we have to look after Twilight, yes?” They all nodded in agreement and, holding their breaths, braced for the possibility of a deeply unpleasant sight, they turned into the corridor.
“Try it again, Sunset.”
“But Princess-”
“I love you, and I trust you. Just give it a try.”
Reluctantly, Sunset reached up to Luna’s horn, Luna bowing her head to help. A few times Sunset had tried to remove the magical restraint on Luna’s horn, but it was near-impossible: the horn is the most sensitive part of the body, resistant while untouched, but anything breaking the surface would be intensely painful. Restraints like this were built with small spikes on the inside of the ring, which retract when the key is used. When it's stationary, they are uncomfortable without being overly painful. When it’s removed without the key, the spikes will dig deep into the horn, causing immense pain. They were only intended to be temporary restraints, preventing use of magic until the unicorn was put into a cell like this, but it appeared that they had chosen to leave it on Luna.
Hesitantly, Sunset took the ring in her hooves, knowing that they’d be stronger than her suppressed magic. Luna smiled up at her and indicated, with a subtle nod, for Sunset to begin. So she began to pull.
Despite what the other children she’d grown up with and some unkind rumours around the castle said, Sunset didn’t enjoy seeing ponies in pain. Discomfort in ponies who irritated her, yes, that was a bit of a guilty pleasure, but not pain. Luna didn’t scream or yell or cry as the ring scraped along her horn, contracting as the horn grew narrower, but she grimaced and shut her eyes tight, her face making it obvious that she was struggling to hide her pain. Sunset shut her eyes too, pulling blindly to avoid the pain on Luna’s face.
She stopped pulling when she heard a whimper, shouting out; “Princess, we can’t do it like this!”
“Oh I know, Sunset, I know, but we’re making progress.” The ring was closer to the end of her horn, which they both hoped would mean freedom, but it had left clear gashes in the appendage’s surface too. Her eyes were full of tears, but restrained, she couldn’t wipe them. Sunset delicately did it for her with her fetlocks. “Thank you, sweetheart. I know you dislike it.”
“I hate it.” Sunset said bitterly, leaning against Luna’s side. “But I hate being stuck in here more.” It was uncomfortably warm in this brightly-lit cell, and the constant illumination meant a near-constant headache, but a simple spell she could just about cast despite the restraints on the cell helped her to sleep.
“I don’t want to fight Daybreaker.” Luna whispered after a long moment.
“Princess?”
“She… I know that I should. She’s done wrong and she’s hurt so many ponies and it’s my job to stop her. But I know that under that monster is my beloved Celestia, and she truly believes that she’s doing the right thing, and I can’t bear the idea of losing her again. I can’t send her away again.”
Sunset hadn’t ever had family, so she didn’t know what love of that scale felt like. But how would she feel if Luna had gone away? “I’ll stop her.”
“What?”
“I’ll stop her for you, Princess. Me and Twilight and her friends and… and Cadance! You won’t have to fight.”
“Oh, Sunset.” Luna lay her head against Sunset’s, relieved that the headstrong filly didn’t think that she’d be able to do it alone. “Thank you.”
Daybreaker rubbed her temples with her forehooves, trying to dismiss the intense headache that had become near-constant for her. Despite the power of the Crown of Amantyok, her Guardsponies were stretched much too thin, and attempts at recruiting more didn't seem to be going too well.
How deep was the false Princess’ indoctrination that they still utterly refused to celebrate and thank her? How strong was her hold over them that fools still asked her to return them to the empty, dangerous, heartless darkness of the night? How corrupted were their minds that she heard rumours of rebellion, supposedly headed by agents of some dark ‘Night Guard’?
Her hold over them was too strong. Did they still fear the monster? Yes, that was it - they were afraid of her! They didn’t understand that the Queen was their true savior, that they would never have to fear her again. They believed that, by defying Daybreaker, they’d prove themselves to the monster, not knowing that she would never return.
Daybreaker had to remove the very memory of the false Princess. And, as she stood, she knew just the way to do it.
Twilight paced back and forth in her cell. Despite her friends’ fears, she looked well, probably better-rested than they did, though she still looked unwell and distressed. That emotion vanished though, replaced with hope and relief on seeing the others.
“Spike! Girls! I’m so glad to see you!” She rushed to the cell bars, and they all struggled to reach through and hug with their forehooves. “Do you have anything to eat?”
“Darling, they haven’t fed you?” Rarity said, aghast, and Twilight shook her head.
“Not for… a day, I think, it’s hard to tell. I haven’t seen anypony for a while.”
Then it seemed that the shortages of the Royal Guard in Canterlot were affecting more than just a state of unrest in the city. “I’ll fix you up some grub.” Applejack promised. “Once we’ve got you out of there.” She extended one forehoof through her bars, presenting the Element of Magic to Twilight. Before even touching it, Twilight could feel it call to her.
“Once more, Sunset.”
“Princess…”
“For me, my dear. We’re so, so close, and I can’t bear to watch you suffer in this prison for much longer.”
“OK.” Sunset gritted her teeth after a long moment, before taking the horn restraint in her forehooves again. It was close to the tip of the horn, now. If it weren’t for how long Luna’s horn was in comparison to any unicorn’s, it would already be off. Maybe all it’d need would be one good pull.
So, with all the strength she could muster, wanting to end it quickly, she pulled.
This time, as the thorns scraped at her, Luna screamed.
“My beloved ponies!” Daybreaker proclaimed over the castle gardens. The crowd of citizens that had gathered to listen to her was smaller than she would’ve liked, but many still came to hear her words. And some of her scribes were noting down what she said, to be sent to all of the other settlements. “I have spent much time meditating on why you seem so afraid, and I understand now. You still fear that she will return. You do not have to fear that.
“Already, my Royal Guard are removing symbols of her tyranny from around the nation, be they statues, paintings, or plaques upon places of learning. Within a year, you shall never have to think of that witch again.”
It was true - all around Equestria, statues were being demolished and the many schools that Luna had sponsored were being defaced. Only a short distance away in the castle’s gardens, portraits were being stacked in preparation for a great bonfire.
“But that is not all.”
Twilight had done a lot of research into the Elements of Harmony since she and her friends had bonded to them, but information on them was hard to come by. One thing that was clear, however, was that they were somehow alive, thinking things with an agency of their own. That was how they had so instinctively understood how to use them against Discord, and why the Elements had chosen to be taken by the Bearers.
Now, as Twilight donned it, she could almost hear the Element of Magic. It was alive, buzzing with nervous energy and desperation and relief. It wouldn’t take effort to use it right now, it was practically begging to be used to stop this tyrant.
The waiting while her friends bucked the cell door in was agony. It took less than a minute, them all fuelled by fear, desperation, and the heightened emotions of their own Elements. Spike had reached through the bars to hold her hoof while it happened, the colossal sounds of damaged and twisting metal echoing throughout the dungeons until, with one great kick, the locks shattered and the door swung in, thudding off the stone wall.
“Come on, everyone.” Twilight said, stepping out of the cell and feeling her magic rush back into her body. “Lets end this.”
Sunset fell backwards as, suddenly, the restraint was away from Luna. The Princess’ scream reached a pinnacle as it finally separated, but then the two ponies in the light-filled cell could sit, panting, regaining their strength. Sunset gazed in wonder at the restraint in her hooves, disbelieving that it was actually detached, then up at her mentor - her mother, as unreal as that still felt. Luna caught her eye and smiled, before standing up.
She raised a field of magic, winging slightly at the pain in her horn, and snapped the other restraints away from her limbs, stretching out and sighing with relief. Her magic was still dampened by the cell’s enchantments, but she was an alicorn - she had more than enough for this.
“Well, Sunset,” she said in a strangely light-hearted way. “Shall we get out of here?” As the unicorn nodded, Luna turned to the cell door, and raised another magical field. With a blast, the door flew off its hinges into the blackness, clattering to a halt after bouncing off the wall of the main corridor. “After you, my dear.”
Sunset stepped out, sighing with relief as her magic returned and her eyes adjusted to the blackness of the main corridor. She glanced left, to the entrance of the dungeons and a sound of commotion. One pony’s silhouette, of the group there, was familiar to her.
“Twilight?”
“You will never, ever have to think about that witch again. In six hours, at this very spot, she will be executed, alongside any of her wicked Night Guard.”
That got a reaction from the crowd, gasps and mutters and the occasional, barely-coherent shout. She let them get it out of their system, knowing that the false ruler’s brainwashing was still bearing down on them and prompting this reaction, before she continued.
“My promise to you, Equestria, is that any trace of her will be gone from this land. From the witch herself, to anything that has received her corrupted touch.”
“Sunset.” Twilight said, a clear anger in her eyes. “So your new teacher got fed up of you?”
“Twilight,” Luna emerged behind Sunset, and Twilight, with Spike on her back, gasped in shock. “Sunset made a mistake. We have all made mistakes, I think. I have forgiven her, and I know that she wishes to make this right.”
Twilight looked at her mentor, clearly hurt, and then to Sunset, who looked meek and ashamed. Distrust was clear on Twilight and the others’ faces, but she nodded. “Of course, Princess. What should we do, then?”
“Tell me what has occurred above.” Luna instructed the Bearers. “And then we can plan.”
She turned to the castle, its two towers rising into the sky above Canterlot like monoliths. One, facing where the sun rose, had become Daybreaker’s imperial quarters, already decorated in a style that she found strangely appealing. The other, facing the sunset, had been the chambers of the false ruler. What atrocities had been committed there? How many times had the sun been forced from the sky at those windows?
Anger in her eyes, Daybreaker conjured sunlight in her horn, a great power of fire and fury rising as the crowd below her gasped and gaped. The power emerged from her horn as a beam, one of immense power, and she swiped her head to the side to cut the tower at its base like a tree, and watched with a grin as the tower collapsed in a flurry of dust and debris. It crushed part of the west wing as it fell, yes, and part of the arbouretum, but it was worth it to know that she was rid of one more symbol of the tyrant.
“Today, ponies, the memory of the night dies!”
They’d just finished their hurried explanation and made it to the doors when the great rumbling came. Instinctively, they all ducked back into the castle until the shaking ground and clouds of dust receded. Even halfway around the castle from where it had fallen, there was dust and scattered debris, and they could all see the broken stump of the tower on the castle’s roof.
“That was my home.” Luna said softly, the sounds of Daybreaker’s maddened speech drifting to them from all this way away. “I must find something in the wreckage. Children, do not do anything foolish.” She spread her wings and was off towards the debris.
“Well, girls, lets…” Twilight trailed off when she saw the yellow-orange shape storming off in the direction of the crowd, Sunset clearly furious. “Oh no.”
“Daybreaker! You won’t get away with-” She was cut off as a rainbow streak knocked her to the ground, and Rainbow Dash pinned her down.
“What are you doing, you crazymare? You’ll get us killed!”
“We can’t let her get away with this! She’s never going to give up! It’ll be day forever, and Equestria will…”
“She’s right.” Applejack said, approaching them as the rest of Sunset’s words died in her throat. “You’ve heard the news - it’s so dang hot, there’s fires starting everywhere an’ all the plants are dying. We can’t let this go on much longer.”
“You’re right that we need to stop her, but we need a plan.” Twilight said, pulling Rainbow Dash off Sunset. “If we just charge in like madmares, what’s stopping her from doing what she did the last time we tried? It takes time for the Elements to work, and she won’t give us time.”
“We need to distract her.” Rarity suggested.
“I’m real good at distractions!” Pinkie offered with her usual enthusiasm. “Oh. But I also have an Element, so maybe not.”
With no more suggestions offered, they all turned to Sunset, who smiled a little smugly.
“OK. Fine. Sunset, go and make a scene. But don’t get yourself killed, understand?”
“I wasn’t planning on it, Twilight.” She turned, more calmly, and walked towards the sound of the crowds and the front of the castle.
“Wait! I’ll come with you.”
“Spike, no!” Twilight gasped, but the little dragon raised a claw to stop her.
“Twi, you don’t need me. You six have the Elements, and I don’t want to just sit back and not do anything!”
“She could kill you, Spike!”
“I’ll protect him.” Sunset said, extending a forehoof protectively. “I promise.” It was clear, from the look in her eyes, that Twilight didn’t like this idea, still hurt from Sunset’s betrayal of Luna. “Please. We don’t have time to argue. If Spike wants to do it, you should let him. He can help me make a fuss.”
“I don’t like this. But we don’t have time to argue.” She looked at Sunset with an unfamiliar coldness, one that reminded the others of the ancient, stern portraits of Luna. “If you let my baby brother get hurt, Sunset, I will hurt you.”
“I know. Come on, Spike. Let's go and make a scene. You girls stay out of her sight until you’re ready.”
“Come on, my sweet, come on.” Luna whispered as she sifted through the debris with her bare hooves, already covered in dust and cuts. “There you are!” She had to exclaim as she pulled the dust-covered squirming form of Tiberius from the rubble, hugging him against her cheek. “Oh my sweet Tibbles.” She whispered, feeling an immense relief. He wasn’t hurt, thank goodness, but he was covered in dust and utterly terrified, based on how he clung to Luna’s fur. “It’s OK, my darling, Mama’s got you.”
After taking a few seconds for his breathing to steady, and for him to climb to a familiar perch at her shoulder, she resumed her search through the ruins of her home, pushing aside rubble with hooves and magic. However much she wanted to, she couldn’t get distracted. The great shape of her bed was splintered and half-buried, and everywhere she could see ruined books and shelves. Foals’ drawings and burning embers thereof drifted down like flakes of snow, and countless mementoes had been shattered into tiny fragments of porcelain. A few objects had been enchanted with ancient spells of protection, and she knew they’d be OK once she found them - the talking diaries of all of her students, some ancient gifts from her sister, that sort of thing.
But they weren’t what she was looking for. She took a few strides through the rubble, understanding how the tower had fallen and seeking a room a couple of floors below her bedroom. There, shining from beneath the rubble, was her ancient armour, a silvery reflection of Daybreaker’s and somehow still intact, unused for many centuries. But what she sought lay beside it, half-buried in rubble and in a thick, enchanted case that hadn’t been opened since before she’d even worn that armour last.
Unhooking the case’s latches with a reverent hesitation, she produced her ancient weapon: a spear - or perhaps a halberd - with a shaft of black wood and a tip in the shape of a crescent moon, still sharp enough to split a hair even after so long. With a little whisper, she sent Tiberius running to safety in the gardens, then faced the shining blade.
“My Night Guard,” she whispered. “I need you. Protect your ponies. Subdue the Royal Guard, but do not harm them. Then, come to the castle. With your help, we will save Equestria.”
She thumped the base of the spear into the ground through the rubble, and it made the city tremble. Everywhere, from the Undiscovered West to deepest Griffonia, her loyal allies’ weapons would be calling to them, calling them to come back to her.
For the first time since its founding, the Night Guard was assembling.
“Do you understand now, beloved ponies? You are safe. You are free from ever having to worry about darkness! That witch’s hold on you will exist no longer. I, Daybreaker, have given you safety and-”
“Is that so?”
Immediately recognising the voice, Daybreaker turned away from the crowd (much reduced after she felled the western tower) to see Sunset Shimmer approaching, a small figure perched on her back.
“Ah, the prodigal student returns. I will not ask how you made your escape, but I will assume that you have returned to apologise to me for your insolence.”
“Not exactly.” Sunset said, smirking confidently. “I’m here to tell you that I know that you’ve been lying to me. I know that you’ve manipulated me. And I regret that I ever worked with you, but I’m doing everything in my power to stop you.”
Daybreaker’s face twisted into a snarl at the perceived betrayal. “I haven’t lied to you. But if you insist on being an enemy of your Queen, we are not safe having you in our world. You or your little friend there.” She began to conjure a blast of magic, but was interrupted by shouts from the crowd below her.
“Hey, that’s Spike!”
“We can’t let her hurt him!”
“He’s only a baby!”
“M-My ponies,” she stuttered, realising why they would protest this. “I have no plan of harming either of them, they are merely misguided. No, they will simply be put away for their own safety, and for that of all Equestria. After all, it is not as though they pose any great danger to me.”
“Tell me, Daybreaker,” Sunset’s confident expression hadn’t faltered. “Who was I in a cell with?”
The Queen’s slit-pupilled eyes narrowed as she realised. “You stupid foal, you have freed the monster?!” Before another shout of outage could escape her, the light dimmed. The crowd shouted with hope and amazement as they looked up at the sky, Slowly, the great, black disc of the moon moved to entirely eclipse the sun, leaving Canterlot lit only by a faint ring of fire. “No.”
“You’ve failed!” Spike shouted gleefully from Sunset’s back as the crowd began to cheer.
“You’ve lost, Daybreaker. Give up.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to do anything foolish, Sunset?”
Luna’s fur was coated in stone dust and clumps of debris, yet in that instant she was resplendent. She wore her ancient armour - a smooth, silvery set somewhat like Daybreaker’s - and strode towards the crowd. Her face was serene, with no anticipation, no sadness, no anger, and no fear.
“Hail Princess Luna!” The voice of Blueblood raised from the crowd, and it was followed by a number of others, until the entire throng was chanting, Spike and Sunset too. “Hail Princess Luna! Hail Princess Luna!”
“Shut up!” Daybreaker screamed at them, red in the face. “She is a monster! She’s tricked you all!”
“That’s enough.” Luna said, silencing them with a raised hoof. “Return to your homes, I cannot guarantee that you will be safe here. Sunset, take Spike to safety, now.” Without any hesitation, the ponies eagerly obeyed, leaving only the two alicorns facing each other on the castle lawn.
“So,” Daybreaker spat. “You have decided to fight.”
“No. I will only fight if you force me to, if I truly believe that you are endangering my little ponies. I do not wish to fight you.”
“Good. Guards,” there was a rumble as the crown activated. “Seize her!”
Silence for a long moment, and the Queen could really feel control of the situation slipping away from her. She shouted towards the castle, but the figures who emerged weren’t her fire-armoured Royal Guard, but a trio of purple-armoured ponies, bruised from a fight but walking confidently. More ponies in the same armour, many carrying spears, began to descend on the castle, surrounding the two duellists.
“Night Guard reporting for duty, your highness.” Ember Light said, saluting smartly.
“No.”
“Thank you, my dears.” Luna smiled at them, knowing that the crowd would only grow as they found their way to Canterlot from far-off parts of Equestria. “Form a perimeter and ensure that no civilians or coerced Royal Guards join us, I would hate for them to be harmed.”
“No!” Daybreaker bellowed. “Not only have you corrupted the citizens, you have corrupted the Guards who swore fealty to the sun?! Monster! Witch! Beast of Tartarus!” Spittle flew and she panted, veins bulging in her neck, staring with open hatred at Luna.
“I love you, Tia.” That stunned Daybreaker into silence, blinking in confusion at the other alicorn. “I’ve always loved you. However much we fought and argued, you were always my sister, the one pony who had always been at my side. I didn’t understand how much I loved you until you were gone, and I didn’t understand how much love you gave to me until it was gone. I almost fell, without you calming me, and tried to force the ponies to love the night. But I knew that you’d be so disappointed, and they’d be so afraid, and that held me back from it. I want you back, Celestia, because I love you so much.
“But you, Daybreaker, are incapable of love. You are a parasite in my sister’s skin, a creature of fire and brimstone manipulating her desire to protect and love into tyranny and hatred, and I will purge you so that I can have my sister back.”
The white alicorn roared, incoherent, and leaped at Luna with her horn aglow and forehooves outstretched, genuine hate and fury in her eyes. Luna waited until the last second to step aside, Daybreaker hitting the ground hard enough to carve a furrow into the grass, staining her fur green and brown. Roaring again, she got to her feet with one flap of her mighty wings, and fired a blast of magical energy that Luna blocked with an opalescent shield.
“I will not fight you, but that does not mean that I’ll allow you to harm me. Surrender. Please.”
Another furious, desperate scream, another flying tackle with magic charged. This time, Luna didn’t step aside. Instead, she reared up on her hind legs, spread her forelegs, and wrapped them around Daybreaker. She fell onto her back as she held the other alicorn in a bear hug, flinching at a blast of magic to her cheek but not releasing her hold, adjusting to pin Daybreaker’s wings.
“Release me! Take your filthy, corrupted hooves off me!”
“Twilight,” Luna said softly. From the crowd of Night Guard, the Bearers stepped forward, their Elements already aglow. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“It might hurt you, Princess.” Twilight said hesitantly.
“I know, my dear.”
There was a long moment of pregnant silence before rainbow light burst out of the bearers, and Daybreaker screamed as the corruption burned out of her body in an intense, white light. Despite the pain of the Elements’ power, Luna held her sister until the transformation was done, and finally the sun set.
“It seems that we live in hard times, my little ponies.” Luna said, speaking to the massive crowd that had gathered before the castle. “You all know what has happened this past week, you have all been hurt and scared by the false Queen of the sun. It has warmed my heart to see how you have all united to help each other during and after this time of crisis, but it will be many moons before Equestria can fully recover. But you know what must be done to help Equestria recover, and that’s not why I come to speak to you today. I come today to speak of forgiveness.
“Many ponies will likely be feeling betrayed, but I want them to open their hearts and offer forgiveness to those who have wronged them. The Royal Guard, for example, were used as tools to hurt you all, and many of you likely greatly distrust them, and I understand that. But know that they have been hurt, too. They were forced to harm you, controlled by a wicked, ancient artifact - an artifact that I have personally destroyed, rest assured - and they have been hurt physically and mentally. Indeed, forced to stand guard without break for so long, with no control of their own bodies, some of them will never recover. Please offer them mercy.
“Everypony who worked alongside Daybreaker was manipulated by her wicked machinations, and I hope that you will all be able to understand that. Sunset Shimmer, my beloved student, was responsible for my arrest. I’m told that I would’ve been executed, all thanks to her, had the Queen had her way. And I forgive her, because she was not herself. Forgiveness will let us heal, my ponies, no matter how hard it may seem.
“Most of all, I ask forgiveness for the Queen. The pony you know as Daybreaker who, in truth, is Celestia, my adored sister. I know it must seem strange to think, but it is her, my closest friend, returned after a thousand years. She was corrupted, my little ponies, controlled by a force that twisted her desire to help you all into possessive tyranny and dread. I know that many of you will hate and fear her, but I ask you to forgive her. She is your Princess, just as I am, free of this corruption, and I know that she adores you as deeply as I do.”
Luna cleared her throat, looking down at the apparently stunned crowd. “Thank you all.”
Some ponies shouted questions and entreaties after her, but she simply returned to the half-ruined castle, sighing heavily as she entered the familiar yet damaged corridors. That had been a hard speech to make, and she’d initially wanted to conceal Celestia’s identity from her ponies. But no, she’d lied regarding her enough times over the centuries. The truth was necessary.
The castle’s infirmary had been expanded to cover half of the ground floor, and many retired and learning doctors and nurses had been pressed into service. There were badly exhausted Guardsponies, ponies hurt by prolonged heat or fires, and ponies who had been left unattended in the dungeons for days. Indeed, most of the Royal Guard was off-duty, recovering from their prolonged period of control, and the Night Guard was covering most of their duties, helping with recovery efforts and keeping things calm in the streets, assisted by the Bearers and a number of brave volunteers. Luna had feared that her Guard would be distrusted, out in the open for the first time, but after the madness of the everlasting day, the ponies were grateful to have somepony looking out for them - especially somepony vouched for by their returning Princess.
“Hello, Raven.” Luna smiled at the unicorn walking down the corridor, in the opposite direction to her. “You’re well again?”
“Yes, your majesty, the doctors have just discharged me.” She had been locked away right after the Queen had seized power, and found herself malnourished and dehydrated in a cell after a few days. “Just had to get some fluids back in me. I’m ready to resume my duties.”
“No, you aren’t. You’re taking a week off.”
“Really, my Princess, I-”
“Raven, you haven’t taken a day off for years.” Luna said sternly. “You are taking a break, even if I have to banish you from Canterlot and have my Night Guard chase you out of the city.”
“Well, this is an argument I won’t be winning, I suppose.” She smiled. “Thank you, Princess. Are you sure that you’ll be alright without me?”
“I’ll survive.” Luna hugged her briefly with one foreleg, before resuming her walk.
She walked slowly down the corridor, offering smiles and encouragement to all of the hurt and the haggard-looking doctors. Though she wanted to run to reach her destination, she had to be seen, to offer what encouragement and kind words that she could.
Her destination could be seen from afar, because it was the only room flanked by a pair of Night Guard, some of the most junior, both in their ceremonial armour and with their spears at their side. She didn’t need them here, there was no danger, but caution was key: after everything that had happened, she couldn’t afford to be reckless.
“White Star. Underground. I trust that there has been nothing unusual?”
“Nothing to report, your majesty.”
“Thank you, my dears.” She took a deep breath and pushed into the room, a small one with a window overlooking the ruined gardens and a hospital bed, a chair beside it, identical to so many others. It was the two mares already within that made it different, a red-headed unicorn sat beside the white-furred alicorn who slept peacefully in the bed. A beautiful, fiery bird was perched on the sill, head tucked under one wing.
“You should rest, Sunset.” She jumped a little when Luna touched her shoulder, but smiled up at the alicorn. She held the paper form close to her chest, crumpled from constant handling but signed neatly, waiting for bureaucracy to resume so that it could be handed in and her joy could be formalised. “Come, thank you for doing this, but a filly needs her sleep.”
Bleary-eyed, Sunset nodded and stood from her chair, stretching out her legs with audible pops. “The doctors say she’s stable, but she hasn’t stirred.”
“Thank you, darling. There’s a bed set up for you in the chambers I’ve been using, just let yourself in.”
“Princess?”
“Yes, Sunset?”
“Can I call you mother?”
Luna had to smile at that. “Of course, Sunset.”
Sunset smiled back before leaving the makeshift hospital room. She'd been smiling more than Luna recalled lately. Ignoring the undersized chair, Luna sat directly on the cold stone floor, examining the peaceful sleep of the pink-maned alicorn before her. She wanted to wake her and tell her, well, everything, but Celestia needed her rest. For whatever reason, the Elements had hurt and exhausted her, perhaps due to burning such deep-set corruption from her soul. She had been unconscious the whole night since then, but was apparently healthy.
Luna was snapped from her thoughts by Philomena’s squawk, and she looked up to see a pair of bleary, mauve eyes blinking at her.
“Luna?”
“Tia.” Luna whispered, trembling in place for a moment, before diving forward to hug her sister, heart dancing in her chest. Philomena leaped onto the bed beside her, singing joyously. After a moment’s hesitation, disoriented, Celestia hugged her back.
“We… You’re so big, little sister.”
“You’ve been away for a long while.” Luna gave a ragged exhalation, a mix of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “I’ve missed you.”
In the half-ruined castle, in the light of a summer evening, Luna held her sister for the first time in far too long.
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With Me from Sonic and the Black Knight
This song always felt appropriate for when these two clash.
Sunset didn’t make a small little mistake
Sunset committed the worst crime, she committed high treason, she doesn’t deserve forgiveness, she deserves imprisonment or death. A traitor is worse than a enemy, a double traitor even more so.
“I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery.” Aeschylus
11027408
I agree with you, but Luna already lost too many ponies in her life.
She wants to preserve those she can keep close.
11034187
Yes, but she could've shown a bit more argument to get Sunset to realize just how badly she fucked up. A mother can forgive her child, but she needs to let her child know how big of a mistake they made, else the child won't grow up as an individual.
Twilight's distrust of Sunset is normal and won't go away because Luna forgives Sunset.