The New Moon Rises

by Kit Wolfkat

A Stunted Past

A Stunted Past

The crowd grew in silence as Daybreaker emerged from the light, her eyes blazing with a fiery intensity. She stood tall and imposing, her mane and coat blazing with the same fire that seemed to emanate from within her. She wore an intimidating grin on her lips, and her wings were spread wide, casting a shadow over the trembling audience.

Twilight’s eyes went wide as did everybody else, as they gazed upon the powerful being that had just appeared before them.

How… This is impossible. This is mathematically, logically, and scientifically impossible! But… Daybreaker’s here. She came back.

Suddenly screams erupted in the hall and beings ran out of the Town Hall in fear. Some flew out using the various open windows, while others like the earth ponies and unicorns ran out using the main hall doors, causing a few to get trampled in the ensuing stampede of panicked voices.

All except a select few who stood back. Most notably an on-live journalist who still-so happened to be covering this live.

“Stratis!” Flavia Sorentus called excitedly out to her changeling camera operator, “I want you to get as much footage as possible of Daybreaker. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to capture this on camera and report it to the entire world!”

Stratis nodded vigorously, and steadied his camera, its red light continuing to record the chaos around them while Flavia walked into view. She looked at the camera and started to wave her hoof frantically.

“We are now coming back from Ponyville, Colter! By Faust’s mane, we are receiving the most outrageous coverage here! The notorious Sun-Demon has been revived from the dead and the citizens of Ponyville are fleeing in terror, and we are getting it all on camera! I repeat this is not a joke nor a ruse, everybeing! These are real life events happening, RIGHT NOW!”

The other live journalists, camera and radio operators beside them quickly followed suit though with much apprehension; steadying their own equipment, starting up their broadcasts and reporting to their networks.

In the meantime, Princess Luna looked at Daybreaker with a mix of fear and sadness in her eyes. She landed on the ground, her wings outstretched behind Twilight Sparkle. Daybreaker landed on the ground, burning the silk carpet much to the cry of the fashionista behind the upturned table.

“How…” she said out loud, earning an evil cackle from the Sun-Demon.

“Hahahaha! Oh, Lulu. Don’t you know what day it is?” the white alicorn said in a taunting tone, “It’s the anniversary of the day you banished me to the sun!” she said, her voice turning deeper and into a sort of unbelievable madness, sending echoes throughout the almost-empty town hall.

Daybreaker now started to walk towards Princess Luna, her eyes locked on her with an intense stare. Luna stood her ground, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. “Reclamation day..” she said to herself “Why are you here… after all this time?”

Daybreaker’s eyes glew into an intense flame as she stepped closer to Princess Luna. “I am here to reclaim my rightful place as ruler of Solaria, where you have stolen my crown!” she yelled, her mane growing into a smouldering fire. “And I won’t take no for an ans-''

Before she could finish her words, Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in front of her, smiling broadly. “Hi there Miss Fierypants!” she said cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by Daybreaker’s presence nor her intimidation.

“What.”

Pinkie Pie laughed jubilantly, much to Twilight’s shock and Luna’s bewildered confusion. “I don’t think Solaria exists anymore, silly! “ She giggled at her.

Daybreaker glared down at Pinkie Pie, her expression growing even more furious. “You dare to mock me, little earth dweller?” she growled, taking a menacing step forward.

However, Pinkie shrugged and grinned, tilting her head to the side. “Nopie dopey! Things have changed a lot since you were last around, which I think was over a thousand years ago-hmmphm!” Applejack quickly threw lasso over Pinkie’s body, pulling her away from Daybreaker before she could finish her sentence.

“Insolent commoner..” she said to herself before turning to Luna again, who now drew the sword she had kept in the scabbard. She held it up in front of her, the blade glowing with a soft blue magical field. The alicorn merely laughed, approaching slowly towards the millennial princess. “I see that you received your gift back, sister.” she said with a sneer. “And to think, your mighty Alisdair was sitting there, rusting away from the years and years that you have left it.”

Luna turned to Twilight quickly, “Twilight Sparkle, I need you to stand back.” she said to her.

Twilight’s eyes raised itself, and her heart raced. “Princess! What are you going to do?” she asked worriedly, but Luna ignored her. Instead she quickly pushed her to the group of friends behind the table sheltering each other. Twilight peered over the table with the rest to take a closer look.

“I’m bettin’ that the Princess is gonna beat her ass.”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure about that Rainbow.”

“Pffft, the Princess has been leading armies and fighting for a millennia now, of course she’s gonna win!”

“But you also have to know that our princess has also been kinda tardy recently. Especially since she’s becoming a bit physically old.”

Twilight turned to her right, just in time to see Rarity and Rainbow Dash holding a few Tacks in their hooves and placing it in the middle between them, as if they were betting at a cart racing circuit. Winters was there as well, holding up a couple of Tacks in his hooves and placing them in the middle while Fluttershy stood back behind Rainbow Dash in fear.

“What in Tartarus are you three doing?” she said to them, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, then back at Twilight. “Just a friendly little bet,” Rarity said with a shrug, “We have faith in Princess Luna, of course.”

Twilight turned to Winters in a furious expression, “And you’re not only gonna stop them, but join them? Are you that much of an idiot?” she said to him.

Winters held his hooves up in a complying motion, “Look Twi, Princess Luna’s gonna win anyways! Good prevails over evil and all that right? Have a little hope!” he replied, trying to calm her down.

“Are you for real!” Twilight exclaimed, her anger not subsiding. “This isn’t some silly little game! We’re talking about a battle between two powerful alicorns! We don’t know what’s going to happen but instead of doing, y'know getting yourselves out of here, instead all of you are betting on her victory!”

“Uh, I wasn’t joining them?” Fluttershy tried to tell her but Twilight quickly cut her off with her magic closing down on her mouth.

“Now all of you shouldn't even be betting at this time, this close to the-” Twilight tried to say but Rainbow cut her off quickly with a slap of the wing, much to her surprise and shock.

“What in the tartarus’ you're a problem bitch!” Rainbow shouted to her, her wings flared in anger. “I told ya earlier, ya touch Fluttershy, you’re FUCKED!”

Twilight shook her head of the few feathers that got caught in her mane, her brows furrowing and her eyes narrowing in disgust. “Oh suck a brain feathered squab!” she insulted back.

Winters and Rarity looked at each other as Twilight and Rainbow Dash are each other’s throats, again.

“Winters, dear?” she asked him, with a question in mind.

“Yeah, Rarity?”

“How about we call this bet off for now?” she suggested.

“Yeah… probably for the best.”

---

As the camera’s zoomed in ever closer on alicorns circling each other and the reporters becoming ever more frantic in their commentary, Daybreaker sneered at her younger sister. “You know sister, I never took you for being this weak already.” she said to her, with a dark tone in her voice.

“I’m never weak,” Luna remarked to her sister. “Physically perhaps, but never my spirit. Rest assured Faust will always have my back, to balance harmony, to protect the world from your tyrannical reign!” she said, quickly charging towards Daybreaker with the tip of her sword.

But she missed completely and Daybreaker effortlessly dodged the attack by sidestepping, causing Luna to fall on her hooves.

“Ah!” Luna groaned as she fell with the sword, but quickly got back up on her hooves and turned to meet her sister, who quickly flew up in the air with an evil laugh. The curtains started to flutter as a strong wind blew through the room, caused by the alicorns' powerful magic.

“Now isn’t this unfair? I don’t have a sword but you do, so let’s make this even.” she said to her, using her horn to create a long metal sword from the air. The sword itself was a bright creation, its blade was covered by an intense flame and enchanted with a bright aura of dark magic.

Luna readied her sword, this time Daybreaker launched a series of fast attacks, forcing Luna to parry each one quickly. Each time she parries one, a dozen more will soon follow, causing her more than often to receive a cut or a burn from the slashings.

Suddenly, Daybreaker lit her horn and slashed one of the hall’s chandelier chains on Luna. Luna avoided it on the spot, but in that event she saw Flavia and Stratis in the chandelier’s direction.

Flavia raised her head and saw the chandelier swinging fast against them. “HOLY CRAP, STRATIS GET DO-WOAAA!” the journalist shouted out in fear before being suddenly carried by Luna along with her camera operator. The camera, however, wasn’t so lucky.

The group ducked behind the table, avoiding the glass shards that shattered from the chandelier as it crashed to the ground.

Rarity held her hoof over her head, trying to shield herself from the debris while Twilight and Winters kept each other down from the shards. Both the pegasi and the farmpony ducked behind the table while Pinkie Pie simply pulled out an umbrella from her mane and used it to shield herself from the shards.

Rarity looked over to Pinkie, who gave a smile back to her. “Umbrellas are the safety equipment in any occasion!”

As the chaos of a battle continued, Daybreaker launched a heavy swing against Luna’s parrying, causing the sword to fly into the wall and drop beside her.

Luna’s eyes widened and quickly used her horn to summon a shield to protect herself. The impact of the flaming sword against the shield sent sparks flying in all directions, illuminating the room with their bright light. She quickly used her remaining magic capacity to retrieve her sword from the ground.

“Hah! A shield! I expected no less of you to use this sister!” she said deviously, delivering powerful blows after blows to the shield. Each blow withered the shield’s magical power, and she needed to figure out a plan, and quickly.

If I were to disable this shield, I think I can parry her sword quickly and lure her away from this town. All the way to the old castle to get the elements!

She threw caution to the wind, and right before Daybreaker delivered another magical blow, Luna disabled the shield and raised her sword to block the impact. But the impact never came, instead she felt something in her chest. Something painful.

She looked down and saw another sword, a shorter but identical of the long one, piercing right through her chest. She felt the blood in her mouth starting to rise a bit, spitting a couple as it on the ground. The sword drew back, leaving blood splattering on the ground.

“PRINCESSSSS!”

Luna fell to the ground, clutching her chest as groaned in pain. Blood trickled down her mouth and onto the ground. Twilight ran towards her mentor in a fearing haste, and fear. She placed her hooves and quickly tried to put her hooves on the wound.

Daybreaker grinned evilly as she watched Luna's agony. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she taunted. “Your precious Faust won't be able to save you now. You're all alone.”

Luna groaned, and tried to raise up but failed, earning another cackle from her sister. Twilight started to sob, still trying to cover the bleeding, this time using her magic to find a quick healing enchantment but it wasn’t working.

“Oh dear sweet Lulu, your attempts to defeat me were never going to be real. Face it, you were destined to be the second batch!”

“Don’t. You. DARE. CALL. ME. THAT!” Luna struggled to speak through her pain, her voice weak and strained. “Only my… sister calls me….. Lulu.”

Daybreaker cackled, this time even more nefariously, causing even the most unaffected veteran to shiver in fear. She cackled even louder to the almost point of insanity, before stopping and looking straight mad into Luna’s eyes.

“SHE’S DEAD! DEAD! CELESTIA WON’T COME BACK! THAT WEAKLING IS GONE FOREVER, YOU HEAR ME!” she shouted in rage. “AND TO THINK JUST BECAUSE THAT YOU, A WEAK SISTER WHO GROVELS AT OTHERS, WHO SACRIFICES HER OWN KINGDOM TO OTHERS, THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE HER PLACE?”

Silence reigned in the hall as Daybreaker stopped yelling. Her expression slowly became from fury to an uneasy calmness and she lowered her swords, looking down at Luna with a mix of disdain and contemplation.

“Then you are right.” she said with a finality, flapping her wings in the air and began to ascend. Everybeing looked at Daybreaker as the swords she held disintegrated in her magic, creating a magical portal in the air surface.

“I was always weak~.” Daybreaker finally said before disappearing into the portal.