A long-kept secret consumes Celestia and puts Equestria in jeopardy. Will Twilight be able to save the kingdom and her cherished mentor?
Reports of increased solar intensity come in from across Equestria and Celestia's power seems to be in a mysterious state of flux. Furthermore, there have been sightings of a new alicorn, covered in fire and bringing with it a wave of wanton destruction. How are these events connected and what is the secret of Equestria's past that now threatens to unravel the realm? --- Image credits: Twilight, Daybreaker, Background
A small bead of water fell to the dusty ground with a tiny splash. As it did, the brown-coated hoof of a stallion stepped onto the spot where it landed. As the earth pony trotted forwards, more droplets fell on the ground in front of his hooves. He paused and brushed his brow with his right forehoof, clearing the cascading sweat from his forehead. He heaved a deep sigh and then carried on, tugging behind him a wagon with a stack of barrels.
It was an unusually hot day in the village of Somnambula. The sun was radiating heavily on the tropical town and the usual bustling pace of the citizens was heavily curtailed by the abnormal climate. In spite of the circumstance, some ponies braved the conditions in order to carry out their responsibilities.
At the local bazaar, the stallion unhooked himself from his cart and sauntered under the tarp awning that shielded the bazaar from the sun.
"Oasis Fronds," he said, calling to the refreshment vendor inside the bazaar, "I really need a break." He took off his head wrap as he entered out of courtesy, revealing his short platinum mane beneath.
The orange-colored unicorn mare on the other side of the refreshment counter turned towards the sound of her name. "Sandy Storms, this isn't the best day to be out," she replied, chiding the stallion for his insistence on working on day such as this. She lowered the hood around her own head and revealed her straight blue mane.
"The water won't bring itself to the fountain, sadly," Sandy Storms said. "Someday we should have a plumbing system installed."
Oasis Fronds levitated a wooden cup beneath a pitcher of water and poured the liquid into the cup using her magic. She set down the pitcher and slid the cup towards Sandy Storms, who caught the cup with his forehoof.
"What do you think is causing this weather?" Oasis asked Sandy as he drank from the cup. She was only met with a confused shrug.
"I've seen hot days," Sandy Storms said, "but this is insane, even for this part of the world."
Meanwhile, at the edge of civilization, a mysterious figure was slowly walking towards the village. They were pony-like in frame, with four long legs, but unlike most ponies had both a horn and a set of wings. The creature's mane and tail seemed to be naturally flowing, despite the lack of a breeze, and took the appearance of a raging orange flame behind it. With every step, a small singe mark was left on the ground where the creature's hooves set down. The presence of the creature seemingly intensified the already strong sun.
"I swear it's getting hotter," Oasis Fronds said back at the bazaar, waving her hoof in front of her face to generate a breeze. Sandy Storms finished his beverage and returned the cup to the counter.
"Well, as refreshing as that was, I do have a job to perform," Sandy said, getting ready to set out once more. He returned his head wrap around the top of his head and slowly walked back towards his wagon and was preparing to hitch up. He turned back towards the sun and shielded his eyes from the bright circle in the sky. As he did, the silhouette of a four-legged creature seemed to be making its way towards him.
"Hello...?" he called out to the silhouette, hoping to get the unknown figure to identify itself.
Suddenly the creature leapt into the sky and spread its large wings, partially eclipsing the sun. Sandy Storms could now make out that the creature had a long horn out the top of its head, recognizing the creature as an alicorn. However he could not recognize the blazing orange mane of the alicorn as any of the known princesses. As he was trying to process what he was seeing, a large orange ball appeared in front of the alicorn and the mysterious pony hurled it towards Sandy Storms' cart. Sandy's eyes widened and he direly flung himself out of the way of the energy ball, which collided with his cart and caused a large explosion, setting all his barrels aflame.
"What?!" he shouted, still confused and fearful about what was happening. He covered his head with his hooves and trembled on the ground. The alicorn cackled with a vile laughter as it flew towards him at great speed, its bright orange mane leaving behind a flame-like streak through the sky. The alicorn flew directly above him and past before turning back towards Sandy and the bazaar.
"What's going on?!" Oasis Fronds said, running outside upon hearing the commotion just in time to see the alicorn charge up another energy ball with its mouth. "Who is that?!" she said, the unknown pony catching her attention. The alicorn took aim at the statue of the town's namesake heroine before launching her energy ball, which destroyed the statue when it collided. The shockwave of the destruction blew in Oasis Fronds' direction and she shielded her face from the backblast with her forehoof. Now no longer obscured by the sun behind it, Oasis and Sandy could see that the alicorn was wearing what looked like a dark orange armor plate on its chest and a helm covered in sharp points. The chest plate bore the insignia of a fiery sun. Numerous sharp teeth could be seen its mouth and its eyes looked like the orange flames of a candle.
"Day has come!" the alicorn proclaimed. Its voice sounded distinctly like a mare's. "Embrace it!" A hint of snide sarcasm could be heard in her voice.
"Stop this!" Oasis Fronds pleaded as she tried to help Sandy Storms to his feet.
"Oh but I'm having far too much fun!" the alicorn replied. As she spoke, her long horn began to glow a bright red. "But I won't trouble you much longer!" With those words, she fired a wide beam of magical energy towards the nearby Pyramid of the Sphinx from her horn. She was aiming for the top of the pyramid. The magical beam hit the historical landmark and blew off the tip of the pyramid in a eruption of stone and dust. Immediately after destroying the top of the pyramid, she charged up another magical beam and fired it towards the fountain that Sandy Storms was taking his barrels of water to, likewise turning it to rubble. The alicorn laughed with gleeful malice at her destructive swath before taking flight and leaving the village as quickly as she arrived.
At one of the nearby homes, a peach-colored pegasus mare emerged when the sound of explosions and laughter reached her ears. Her jade-green mane was covered by a white headdress while her tail was tied off with a pair of gold rings at the tip. She was wearing a transparent shawl and her eyes had distinctive black outlines. It was Somnambula, the legendary Pillar of Equestria for whom the village she currently inhabited was named for.
"What is going on?" she asked to anypony who might be listening. At that moment, the alicorn entered her field of vision and she saw it flying off into the sky. She looked back towards the village and could see the smoldering smoke of the chaos left behind by the alicorn's terrifying inavsion. "Who did all this...?" she asked herself when confronted by the wreckage. She flew over the village and saw Oasis Fronds and Sandy Storms trying to collect themselves after the attack.
"Somnambula!" Oasis called out when she saw the pegasus flying above. She waved her hoof in an effort to flag her down. Somnambula touched down in front of the besieged pair.
"What happened?" she asked, concerned for the well-being of the citizens. "Who was that pony?"
Both Sandy Storms and Oasis Fronds shook their heads. "We don't know," Sandy Storms said. "She was clearly an alicorn but none of the alicorns in the land look as she did."
Somnambula frowned and looked off in the distance in the direction of the alicorn's flight. "Something is very wrong..." she muttered.
Seated within her vast library, Twilight Sparkle, the Equestrian Princess of Friendship, was indulging in her cherished pastime of reading and sipping on a cup of iced tea when a loud knock came from the front door to her crystal castle.
I wasn't expecting anyone today, she thought as she closed her book and got off her chair. She made her way to the main hall of the castle and over to the large doors at the front. As she approached more knocks, this time louder and more pronounced, rattled through the main hall.
"What's going on?" another voice asked from the balcony above the main hall. Twilight looked up and saw her protege Starlight Glimmer and her loyal assistant, the young dragon Spike, looking down at her from above.
"I'm getting it, I'm getting it," Twilight reassured them. Twilight opened the door and peered outside.
Outside the large double doors three pegasi were waiting anxiously. One of them, a light blue pony with a rainbow colored mane, was bobbing up and down in a low hover while the other two stood on the stoop.
"Twilight!" the blue pegasus exclaimed. "We gotta talk, something weird's going on!"
"What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.
Rather than explain, the blue pegasus simply pushed the door open herself and quickly flew inside. The forcefulness of her entry threw Twilight away from the door and knocked her over. "Oof! What's the rush, Rainbow?!" she demanded, flustered at her friend's lack of courtesy. The two other pegasi trotted in behind Rainbow Dash as Twilight picked herself up off the ground and shut the door. Starlight Glimmer and Spike made their way down from the upper level to greet the guests.
The pegasi Rainbow Dash brought with her included Somnambula and a dark yellow pegasus wearing plate armor. He took off his helm after stepping inside to reveal his short red mane underneath.
"Somnambula? Flash Magnus?" Twilight asked, recognizing the pair. "What brings you to Ponyville?"
"We have observed a very strange event and are concerned that something terrible is sweeping across the land," Somnambula explained. "As you may have noticed, the sun has become hotter recently and now an unknown alicorn with destructive ambitions visited my village and caused a great deal of damage, including the Pyramid of the Sphinx."
"Alicorn?" Starlight Glimmer interjected. She looked at Twilight in confusion, who returned the perplexed expression. "None of the alicorns in Equestria would ever do such a thing."
"I was not the only one to see it," Somnambula responded. "Other citizens who were out at the time observed the same thing: an alicorn had come to Somnambula and destroyed serveral structures with a terrible and powerful magic."
"The same thing happened in Cloudsdale!" Rainbow Dash blurted out. Flash Magnus nodded in agreement.
"A white alicorn with a mane that looked to be made of flame caused significant damage to the weather factory," Flash told the others. "She was laughing and seemed to be enjoying causing all of the destruction. Rainbow Dash and I tried to defend the city but she overwhelmed us with her might and flew away before we could do anything more. Right before she arrived, the already-hot sun seemed to get even more intense, as though she brought the power of the sun with her. The weather pegasi are currently trying to get the factory running again."
"We had observed a similar event in Somnambula," Somnambula added. "The sun's heat seemed to increase right before the arrival of the alicorn."
Twilight Sparkle raised her hoof to her chin and looked towards the ground. "This is concerning, thank you for bringing this to my attention," she told her guests. She walked to the window of her castle and looked out at the bright sun. "I've been staying inside because of the heat but it seems like I need to speak with Celestia about this."
Twilight looked in the direction of Rainbow Dash. "Let's get the others, Rainbow. We're taking a trip to Canterlot," she instructed.
"Got it, Twi," Rainbow Dash assured her.
Twilight turned her attention to Flash Magnus and Somnambula. "Could you two locate Star Swirl?" she asked. "We may need his help on this if there's a crazy alicorn that we've never heard of destroying everything." The two legendary pegasi nodded at each other then at Twilight.
Twilight galloped out of the castle and towards the town with Rainbow Dash in flight behind her while Somnambula and Flash Magnus flew off in another direction to locate the great sorcerer and fellow Pillar of Equestria. Starlight Glimmer stepped out onto the stoop behind them.
"'A mane that looked to be made of flame'..." she said to herself, recalling Flash Magnus's words, watching as her friends raced towards the town center. "No...it couldn't be...could it?"
Canterlot Castle
Twilight Sparkle and her seven friends slowly gaited down the long red carpet running up the hall of the capital city's grand castle leading to the throne room of the two ruling princesses of Equestria. The hall was flanked on both sides by ornate stained glass windows that documented great moments in Equestria's history, several of which depicted the deeds of Twilight and her friends. Accompanying the seven ponies and Spike was a taller, dark blue alicorn with the cutie mark of a white moon on her flank. Her mane appeared to be made of a serene star field set against a transparent night sky and seemingly flowed naturally even indoors.
"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Princess Luna," Twilight told the blue alicorn. "This a highly unusual situation."
"I agree," Princess Luna replied. "The recent reports of the sun's intensity have been documented here in Canterlot as well. I was not going to approach Celestia about it at first but with stories of this new alicorn accompanying these events, it can no longer be ignored."
The party reached the end of the hall and the large double doors that led into the throne room. The two guard ponies stationed at the front of the doors pushed them open for the entourage of ponies. Inside, the red carpet the ponies were walking on continued into the throne room, running all the way up to the raised platform where the thrones of the two princesses were placed. On both sides of the room, tall stone columns ran up to the ceiling and more stained glass windows adorned the walls. Behind the thrones of the princesses, banners depicting the day and the night, the domains ruled over by the two princesses, were shown. However, at the base of the raised platform, there was an unusual addition not normally associated with the throne room.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried in panic as soon as she laid eyes on the throne room. Lying at the base of the thrones was a large alicorn, seemingly unconscious. Her coat was a brilliant shade of white and her cutie mark was that of a large, radiant sun. Her mane was a multicolored splash of lush colors such as green and lavender. All the ponies ran over to the collapsed princess.
"Sister! What happened?!" Luna exclaimed, concerned for her sister. Celestia's eyes slowly began to open upon hearing the sound of voices nearby. She fluttered her eyelids and tried to regain consciousness.
"Twi...light...?" she said faintly, trying to gather her thoughts as she awoke. "Lu...na?" She looked around. Despite her vision being blurred, she could make out the faint traces of familiar faces standing around her.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" one of the guard ponies who had entered asked of the fallen princess. "Did somepony do this to you?"
Celestia managed to roll herself into a seated position on the ground so she could face the others. She was still clearly groggy from waking up so suddenly but was able to communicate. "I'm...not sure. Where am I?" she asked the others.
"You're in the throne room of Canterlot Castle," one of Twilight's friends told the princess. She was a white-coated unicorn with the cutie mark of three diamonds on her flank. Her groomed purple mane curled around her head and her eyes were a deep shade of violet. "Do you remember what happened before we found you?"
Celestia looked around the room and began to recognize her surroundings. "Rarity?" she asked, identifying the pony who was speaking to her. "No, I don't. I was reading over some royal documents and the next thing I knew, I had blacked out. The only thing I recall from that moment to now is waking up in here."
"You can't remember anything?" a new voice broke in. It was cheery and bright. The pony speaking came around to Celestia's field of view. It was a pink earth pony with a puffy pink mane and the cutie mark of three balloons.
"I'm afraid not, Pinkie Pie," Celestia confirmed for the group. She finally found the strength to rise on her hind legs and stand fully. "I have been suffering under strange bouts of losing consciousness as of late and wake up much as I did now to find I can't remember anything that happened in between. At best I have a hazy recollection of a strong feeling of elation but I can't explain why it's happening."
"Sister, we had originally come to see you to inform you that the sun seems to have grown in strength recently," Luna explained to her sister. "Reports from across the kingdom say that the sunlight is unusually intense. Might this be related?"
Celestia walked to one of the castle windows and peered out across the city of Canterlot. She looked up at the glowing sun in the sky before closing her eyes and concentrating. As she did, her horn began to glow a soft yellow and the sun's intensity slowly began to diminish. Sweat began to appear from her forehead as she attempted to tame the sun's strength and by the time she had reduced the sun back to its normal levels, her front legs buckled and the princess let out a low groan.
"Nngh!" Celestia grunted, finding the task of reducing the sun's ferocity strangely difficult at the moment.
"Oh no, Princess, are you alright?" the yellow pegasus with the soft pink mane in Twilight's party asked out of concern. She took flight and came to the side of the princess.
"I will be fine, Fluttershy," she reassured her. Her expression conveyed a mix of stress and desire to downplay her condition. She flashed a weak smile to the pegasus. "But...my power to control the sun, I've been finding it harder to focus lately. It takes more energy out of me to manipulate the sun than I'm used to."
The other ponies all looked at one another. "Is there anythin' we can do?" the orange pony with the rancher's hat asked with a noticeable drawl to her words. "We hate to see ya feelin' this way."
Celestia shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Applejack. My magic is not easily understood by average ponies. Alicorn magic is not well-documented thanks to the fact there have been so few of us throughout history."
"That was something else, Princess Celestia," Twilight said, remembering the other reason they had come to Canterlot. "In addition to the sun being hotter than usual across the kingdom, there have been reports of a new alicorn sighted in Equestria. Unlike any of the other known alicorns, this one seems intent on causing destruction and calamity and the ponies who have seen her say that whenever she appears, the sun suddenly becomes even hotter."
Celestia pondered for a moment. "I hadn't heard any stories of another alicorn in the kingdom," she told Twilight. "Perhaps their presence is disrupting my own magic. If the sun becomes more intense in the vicinity of this other alicorn, it sounds as though her power counters my own."
"How do you want us to help?" Twilight asked.
"I am hoping that you and your friends will be able to find a solution, Twilight," Celestia said. "I trust your research skills to uncover the root of this matter."
Celestia looked over at her sister. "Luna, I want you to go with the others and aid their research."
Luna looked surprised that her sister did not want her by her side as she dealt with this problem. "Celestia...are you sure?" she asked.
"You will be of more use with Twilight's friends. They may need your help clarifying matters that only you and I know," Celestia assured her. "I will remain at the castle and attempt to stave off any further blackouts."
"We won't let you down, Princess!" Rainbow Dash said purposefully. "Come on, everypony!"
The party left the throne room as Celestia stayed behind, an expression of concern hanging over her face. "Good luck, everypony..." she said quietly.
Back at Twilight's castle, Twilight Sparkle was poring through several books and scrolls on the large table in the map room of the castle. Try as she might, finding information on Celestia's condition was proving relatively fruitless.
"Ughhhh..." she groaned, closing yet another book and throwing it on the pile of other books that did not produce an answer or clue. She rested her head on the table and looked dejected.
Spike walked into the map room holding a glass of juice. He set it next to Twilight's head. "Twilight...you're pushing yourself too hard," he told her.
"I know, Spike..." she admitted. "I've been working at this for the last two nights but I feel like I can't stop until I have something that can help Celestia."
"But if you don't rest you're likely to overlook something," Spike reminded her. He drew her attention to the glass of juice he had brought her. Twilight smiled at her assistant and took a sip of the juice.
As she was drinking, the doors to the map room opened and Princess Luna, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity entered, with Applejack pulling a small cart of books behind her.
"We're back from the Canterlot Castle library, Twilight," Applejack said upon entering. "We got as many books about alicorn magic as we could find."
Twilight looked over at the stack of books, which only numbered approximately ten. She frowned at the small stack.
"We...didn't find too much," Rarity sheepishly explained.
"It's fine, Rarity," Twilight told her. "Celestia said there isn't a lot of research on the history of alicorns. I just wish I knew how to proceed from here..."
The other six ponies all looked lost in thought until Starlight Glimmer entered the map room with two other unicorns in tow.
"Twilight, Star Swirl and Stygian are here," she informed Twilight as she entered. The first of the two ponies Starlight was leading into the map room was an elderly gray unicorn. He bore a bushy white beard and his white mane flowed down from beneath his dark blue wizard's cap. He was garbed in a matching dark blue magician's cloak with symbols of the stars and the moon embroidered on it. The other was a small gray unicorn with a greenish-blue mane styled in a bowl cut and wearing a simple brown cloak and carrying a pair of saddle bags.
"Star Swirl, Stygian, I'm so glad you made it," Twilight said. She walked over to the pair and hugged the older unicorn before shaking the smaller unicorn's hoof. "We really need some help with this."
"I'm glad Somnambula and Flash Magnus found us before things got too out of hand," Star Swirl agreed, returning Twilight's hug. Luna approached Star Swirl performed a small bow towards her mentor. Star Swirl gave a nod of respectful acknowledgement in response.
"Thank you for coming out, sir," Luna said. "Contemporary research into alicorns has not given us the insight we need to understand Celestia's predicament."
"Please, get us up to speed," Star Swirl requested on behalf of himself and his assistant.
The other ponies explained to the pair about the increased solar activity and Celestia's claim that she was losing consciousness and struggling with the magic that allowed her to manipulate the sun.
"...and there have been sightings of a new alicorn around the kingdom on top of that, one that seems to have some control over the sun as well," Twilight finished her explanation to Star Swirl.
"Oh dear..." Star Swirl reacted.
"What is it, Mr. Star Swirl?" his assistant Stygian asked. He ventured into his saddle bag and levitated a tablet of paper and a pencil, ready to take notes.
"This is grave," Star Swirl continued, his voice fraught with concern. He began to pace around the map room. "It is something that I had unfortunately forgotten about since returning from Limbo."
The other ponies exchanged worried expressions among themselves before collectively turning their attention towards the great sorcerer. "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked on behalf of the group.
"The symptoms you ponies have described suggest that Celestia is starting to lose control of her magic," Star Swirl explained. "This is a condition that dates back...to the beginning of Celestia and Luna's rule over Equestria." His words came to a dramatic crescendo.
"Oh my..." Rarity said. The other ponies were equally as interested in what Star Swirl had to say while Stygian diligently took notes on his paper tablet. "Does that mean the evil alicorn that's appeared around Equestria and Princess Celestia...are the same being?"
"I'm afraid so," Star Swirl confirmed. "However, to fully understand the situation, we have to go back further still; back to the age of the first alicorn of Equestria."
Princess Luna stepped forward at the mention of the "first alicorn." "Do you mean...?" she began to ask.
"Yes, Luna, I am referring to Queen Nebula...your mother and the source of alicorn magic," Star Swirl confirmed without having to wait for Luna to finish. "Perhaps you would like to start us off, Luna," he indicated to the princess to establish the basics.
Luna closed her eyes and lowered her head. "Certainly, sir." She looked to the other ponies present before beginning. "If you recall, when Flurry Heart was born to Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, Celestia and I had never known of an alicorn birth in the history of Equestria. The reason for this is because alicorns must have their powers transferred to them from another alicorn, much as Celestia did when Twilight Sparkle was crowned Princess of Friendship."
She let out a low sigh before continuing. "This does not exclude Celestia or myself. At birth neither of us had wings; we were born as ordinary unicorns. Before we became the princesses of Equestria, we went by the names 'Solar Flare' and 'Lunar Phase'. The names you know us by, 'Celestia' and 'Luna', were adopted as our mother, Queen Nebula, stepped down and granted us the power of alicorn magic."
"Not many know of Queen Nebula in the modern era," Star Swirl picked up her account. "Even in my age, her name was beginning to slip into obscurity and legend. However, she is the first ruler of the unified Equestrian kingdom. Do you ponies know the origins of Equestria?" he asked to Twilight and her friends.
"Sure!" Rainbow Dash proudly proclaimed. She zealously flew above the other ponies. "Three pony tribes, the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, came together to fight off the Windigoes and the land that they found became Equestria! We have a play about it every year at Hearth's Warming Eve!"
"Indeed, Rainbow Dash," Star Swirl told her. "However, that is only part of the story."
The six ponies took their respective seats around the map table in order to hear Star Swirl's story. Star Swirl conjured a spell that allowed him to visually project his thoughts above the map table for the other ponies to see.
"When Equestria was founded," Star Swirl began, "magic was not as well-developed as it is now. Its power was not fully understood and the effects it could have not documented. As a force magic could be seen and observed but how to harness and make it useful to ponykind was still shrouded in much mystery. As such, many ponies attempted to master it and bend it to their whim without any sort of guidance or baseline. The effects of attempting magic without establishing the basics can be dangerous and many incidents occurred as a result of this in the early years of Equestria."
The images projected by Star Swirl's horn showed a crude image of a unicorn mixing a pot of ingredients then attempting to energize it with their horn. The pot exploded out and knocked the unicorn away.
"The most noteworthy of these incidents happened when a naive unicorn attempted to control of the behavior of the sun and moon, allowing ponies to decide how long the day and night would last," Star Swirl explained. "I do not question his talent but the lack of concrete understanding of the forces he was playing with had dire consequences. The sun and moon became frozen, no longer cycling between day and night." Star Swirl's projections demonstrated this event as the other ponies watched with enthusiasm and Stygian continued taking notes. "Because of this mistake plants withered and animals were driven to confusion. This problem had to be fixed or Equestria would not survive. Try as they might, the ponies of the day simply lacked the means or comprehension to undo the crisis. The spell could not be undone and no amount of conventional magic could force the sun and moon to move naturally again. That's when it was decided that the only solution to protect the future of ponykind was to imbue the power of moving the sun and moon to a pony."
Star Swirl projected the image of a sacred site through his horn. Seven unicorns were gathered around an eighth unicorn, who was standing in the center. Starlight Glimmer recognized the images of a place they had been to once before. "Isn't that...the Temple of Ponehenge?" she asked, noticing the distinctive stone seats that surrounded the central fire pit, where the lone unicorn was standing.
"Indeed it is," Star Swirl confirmed. "The original purpose of the temple was a place where great amounts of magic could be focused and channeled. The unicorn with the most magical potential in the land was brought to the temple along with all the masters of magic in the age. There the greatest sorcerers in Equestria pooled their magical knowledge and charged the unicorn's own magic, giving her the power of all forms of pony magic known at the time. Her name was 'Nebula Borealis' and once the ceremony was complete, she had been transformed into the first alicorn, the only pony in the realm with the magic capable of manipulating the moon and sun. The citizens of Equestria were awed at this power and named her their first queen, declaring as law that the manipulation of the moon and sun confers royal authority."
"The queen reigned over Equestria for over two-thousand years," Star Swirl continued. "During that time, she decreed that ponies must learn how to manipulate and control magic so that another catastrophe would never befall the land again. The theories and rules of modern pony magic that I drafted came about during the reign of Queen Nebula and I was named the head scholar of the College of Magical Study and personal magical advisor to the queen."
Star Swirl looked over at Luna while reminiscing about his time under Queen Nebula. "Queen Nebula and I knew each other for over five-hundred years. During that time she had two daughters named 'Lunar Phase' and 'Solar Flare'. Over time it came to pass that Queen Nebula no longer wished to rule over Equestria and needed to name a successor. However, her love for both of you made it impossible for her to choose which of you should take her place. Eventually it was decided that she would split the power that originally crowned her queen, giving you the power to manipulate the moon and your sister the power of the sun, so that you would be able to rule together."
Star Swirl sighed, much as Luna had during her own explanation. "The first years of your reign had gone well. However, a darkness that we had not foreseen was impending..."
Star Swirl conjured a dark cloud over the map table to emphasize his point.
"What happened to Luna and Celestia?" Pinkie Pie asked, brimming with curiosity.
"Dividing the magic of Queen Nebula incurred a dangerous side effect that was not anticipated," Star Swirl said ominously. "It seems that controlling that great amount of magic was always meant to be maintained in balance. With the ability to control both day and night, Queen Nebula never succumbed to any ill effects but with Celestia and Luna each bearing half of that responsibility, the once-unseen nature of such power began to emerge."
Star Swirl demonstrated his point by projecting a simple image of Celestia's head into the dark cloud he had already projected over the table then transforming it into the visage of a ravenous beast. The other ponies winced in terror of Star Swirl's vision.
"What...does it mean?" Fluttershy asked meekly.
"The magic that controls the sun or moon is unstable on its own," Star Swirl explained. "Using it causes mental strain on the user, which over time evolves into a destructive subconscious entity. Celestia was the first to demonstrate these symptoms through outbursts of uncharacteristic aggression. She would snap at other ponies, become irritable or impatient, and even lash out when annoyed, at times with destructive consequences. It was as though some unknown, cruel consciousness was trying to take over her body."
"What did you do to stop it?" Applejack questioned.
"I researched for days and targeted the source of the problem. It took some time but I managed to create a spell that would magically suppress the dark psyche," Star Swirl said. "It was not a perfect solution but it was the best that could be managed until we were able to decrypt the nature of the alicorn magic that controls the sun and moon. Sadly we were still fighting the lack of proper understanding of functional magic from the era before Queen Nebula, as there was no real documentation of the process that Nebula Borealis underwent to become the first alicorn. Over the years, this treatment had to be applied to both Celestia and Luna periodically, as there was no clear path to a solution that presented itself through my attempts to unravel their complex magic."
"But then..." Luna stepped back into the discussion. "You...you and the other Pillars of Equestria...you sealed yourselves in Limbo while battling the Pony of Shadows."
Star Swirl nodded in response, which prompted Luna to cover her mouth with her hoof, shocked at what she had just learned. "After you vanished...I became increasingly jealous of my sister. I couldn't explain why, I didn't feel like myself...over time it ate away at me and eventually erupted as a dark entity known as...'Nightmare Moon'..." The other ponies gasped, finally coming to know the true reason Luna had become the monster of legend.
"Without my knowledge of how to control the dark nature of your alicorn magic...it was inevitable," Star Swirl remorsefully told her. "If I hadn't had to seal the Pony of Shadows in Limbo, I would never have let that happen to you...and now your sister is starting to succumb to the same affliction..."
"In order to protect the kingdom, my sister was forced to seal me in the moon with the Elements of Harmony," Luna explained. "During that time she had to maintain both the sun and moon, which must have kept her from falling victim to her dark side as our mother did. After a thousand years, I was able to escape and return to Equestria to seek revenge as Nightmare Moon. The only way I was able to truly separate myself from Nightmare Moon's evil was when Twilight and her friends uncovered the Elements of Harmony and cleansed me of the darkness. From then on Celestia and I resumed each controlling the day and night individually, as we had done before I was overcome."
"Is that so...?" Star Swirl said, intrigued by Luna's words.
"Do you have something in mind, sir?" Stygian asked.
"Yes, perhaps I do..." Star Swirl answered. "Stygian, prepare me two magical containment vessels, I'd like to do an experiment."
Stygian produced two empty jars from his saddle bags and laid them on the map table.
"Luna," Star Swirl instructed, "I want you to energize this jar with some of your magic." He pointed to the left jar with his hoof. Luna nodded then energized her horn and shot a beam of magical energy into the jar. The energy took the form of a dark, milky blue cloud that was swirling within the jar and Star Swirl capped the jar with a cork. Once the magical sample had been trapped inside, Star Swirl energized the jar with a spell of his own.
"What is this doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, always eager to learn something new at every opportunity.
"I am essentially reversing my suppression spell," Star Swirl explained. "I am accelerating the negative effects of alicorn magic."
As he spoke, the cloud inside the jar had turned to a sinister black color with small bolts of lighting erupting from within as well as turning the corona surrounding the cloud a sickly green color. The other ponies looked on in awe at what they were witnessing.
"That's amazing..." Rarity said, mesmerized by the advanced magic she was seeing before her eyes.
"Yes, but this is the dangerous side of alicorn magic I spoke of," Star Swirl cautioned. "What you are seeing here is the negativity that is embedded within the immense amount of magic that Luna possesses and that I was charged with suppressing. Now, Twilight, I need you to put some magic into this other jar here." Star Swirl indicated to the still-empty jar that remained. Twilight nodded as Luna had then shot a beam of magical energy into the jar reserved for her. Her own magic took the form of a soft purple cloud and Star Swirl corked it the same as he had done for Luna's sample.
"What happens next?" she asked, once he had samples of both magic collected.
"I am going to attempt to merge these magical samples," Star Swirl told her. "The fact you were able to save Luna from this 'Nightmare Moon' entity by using the Elements of Harmony, it may be possible to..." he trailed off as he was about to conduct his experiment. Star Swirl surrounded both jars with a magical stasis field so that it would not be able to penetrate the outside world then uncorked both jars so the magic could flow freely. Within the stasis field, the two clouds of magic mixed and began to swirl around one another. As they did, the blackness that surrounded Luna's magical sample started to evaporate thanks to the presence of Twilight's magic. Everypony's eyes widened at what they were witnessing and Stygian was furiously writing down his observations.
"What's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked, still uncertain of what the meaning was.
"Just a little longer..." Star Swirl said. After a brief pause, there was a small flash. The other ponies shielded their eyes and when they looked back at Star Swirl's experiment, they could see that Luna's magical sample had returned to its dark blue color as it was before Star Swirl cast his own spell on it.
"That's it!" he said enthusiastically. "It's just as I thought!"
"What, what is it?!" both Luna and Twilight asked, eager to know his findings.
"Twilight's magic, the magic of friendship, has the power to completely eliminate the darkness from alicorn magic," Star Swirl explained. "It renders the negativity completely powerless and restores the purity of the host's magic!"
Star Swirl looked towards Twilight. "Gather up the Elements of Harmony, I believe we may have found the solution we're looking for."
Canterlot Castle Throne Room, Canterlot
The six bearers of the Elements of Harmony, along with Princess Luna and Starlight Glimmer, returned to Canterlot Castle. Around the necks of Twilight's friends were the Elements of Harmony, enchanted talismans that channeled the pure essence of the magic of friendship, and upon Twilight's head a large crown containing her element, the Element of Magic. The ponies were led into the throne room, where Celestia was seen seated upon her throne.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight said upon entering, "with Star Swirl the Bearded's help we think we figured out what has been troubling you."
"That's...very good, Twilight," Celestia said with a faint smile. She seemed to be struggling and the ponies noticed her condition.
"Come on, girls," Twilight rallied, "we need to make this right." All her friends nodded in agreement.
The six Element bearers stood together and closed their eyes. As they did, the Elements began to glow with a radiant light and they slowly levitated above the floor.
"I-ngrk!" Celestia began to say before grunting. She clenched her teeth but could no longer resist the malevolent force that was washing over her. The six ponies opened their eyes upon hearing Celestia's grunt and they gradually descended. The magical light faded from the Elements and their hooves touched back to the ground softly.
"Princess Celestia...?" Applejack asked, concerned for the princess.
A ring of flame erupted around Celestia's feet. It grew more intense the more Celestia tried to fight off the overpowering entity that was taking control of her body. "What...is...this...?" she strained. The neck piece she wore began to transform into a plate of orange chest armor that extended to the edges of her wings and the insignia of a sun flashed onto the center. The gold crown that normally adorned her head faded into light and morphed into a helm that covered the sides and front as well.
"What's going on?!" Pinkie Pie said in a panicked tone. The six Element bearers began to slowly back away from the throne.
Celestia's flowing, serene mane transformed into the image of a raging flame and two sharp fangs descended from the upper line of her clenched teeth. Suddenly the ring of flame around her feet shot up and completely bathed the princess in a column of fire. The ponies in the throne room shielded themselves from the inferno. A distinctly sinister laughter echoed through the throne room.
"Celestia!" Twilight called out, hoping that she could still reach her mentor.
"Celestia's...not here right now..." a voice from behind the curtain of flame spoke. The voice speaking sounded like that of Celestia but malformed with a corrupt and evil sneer. "But I'd be happy to take a message for her."
The flames surrounding Celestia instantly dispelled, blown away by the gust created by the alicorn throwing out her large wings. With the column of fire gone, Twilight and her party could see that the alicorn standing before them was not the benign princess of Equestria but a vicious tyrant. Her mouth was curled into a smug grin and Celestia's gentle lavender eyes had given way to this entity's orange pupils, the center of which bore the image of a candle's flame.
"Though, it might be a while before I see Celestia," she continued sarcastically. "So I suppose I'll stand in for her. I should introduce myself. You can call me-..."
"DAYBREAKER!!" Starlight Glimmer and Princess Luna shouted in unison.
The white alicorn standing before Twilight’s party rolled her eyes and groaned. Her confident grin quickly changed to a miffed frown.
"Oh come on...I know you're not fond of me but try not to steal my thunder," she said with a tinge of frustration in her voice. The other six ponies looked back at Starlight Glimmer and Princess Luna, perplexed how they knew her name before she introduced herself.
Daybreaker slowly made her way down from the platform on which the two thrones were placed. As her hooves touched down, small flames were produced by her footsteps, leaving singed patches of ground where she walked. At the base of the platform she looked back at the trail of burn marks behind her. "Once I'm in charge I'm going to have to invest in some fire-resistant flooring..." she mumbled.
"Who are ya and what have you done with Princess Celestia?!" Applejack interjected aggressively, readying herself for a fight. The other five Element bearers also braced themselves.
"Oh you are just adorable," Daybreaker said patronizingly. She chortled before continuing. "I am 'Daybreaker'. I am the one making better use of the power your 'Princess Celestia' refuses to use. Celestia is a weak-willed foal who has ruled over Equestria for thousands of years with a limp hoof. In that time the kingdom has seen masters of chaos, tyrannical kings...the nightmares that walk among us..." Daybreaker shot Luna a smug glare, which Luna returned with a bitter scowl.
"But she always found ways to avoid doing what was necessary, what was right," Daybreaker continued, her tone becoming more aggressive and impassioned. "She held back, she relied on others, and for what? A kingdom that was constantly assaulted from every side in a never-ending cycle. None of these events ever inspired Celestia to take her role seriously and stop holding back...and that's where I come in." The vile smirk returned Daybreaker's face with the end of her declaration.
"But...but how can you be real?" Starlight Glimmer stammered. "You were just a dream!"
Daybreaker turned her attention to Starlight and laughed. "You'd really be so naive to think that I only existed in your dream?" she admonished the unicorn. "Think about when you saw me, what happened in that moment: Celestia had entered your dreams. The power of the dream-walking spell requires a connection between the user's subconscious and the subject's. I have always existed within the inner reaches of Celestia's mind. She simply exposed me to you because of her amateur attempt to use that one's magic." She aggressively pointed her hoof towards Luna.
"Well whoever you are, you aren't going to take over Celestia!" Twilight Sparkle said. "We won't let you!"
"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Daybreaker responded flippantly, her fanged mouth smiling with devilish pride.
Twilight and the other five ponies focused their energy and the Elements of Harmony began to glow. Beams of light connected the six ponies and they levitated off the ground as they had before. Daybreaker looked unimpressed and dismissively yawned at the ponies.
"These are the Elements of Harmony," Twilight told Daybreaker. "They have the power to defeat the darkness that dwells within Celestia's magic. You!"
Daybreaker scoffed. "'Darkness'? You might want to rethink your choice of words, little princess!"
Twilight said nothing in return. Instead the six ponies gathered the magic of the Elements of Harmony and collectively fired a powerful rainbow-colored beam at Daybreaker.
The villainous alicorn stood her ground. She grinned then raised her forehoof. As the beam approached, she swatted at it, deflecting the beam away entirely and up to the ceiling, where it punched a hole in the roof of the castle.
"No!" the six ponies gasped in unison. Daybreaker completely negating the magic of the Elements of Harmony was something none of them were prepared for.
"Oh that was an impressive little light show you put on there," Daybreaker chided, unfazed and unchallenged. "How about you give mine a try?!"
Daybreaker opened her mouth and charged up a ball of flame. She launched it at the six levitating ponies, who couldn't defend themselves. The fireball broke the magical bond between the six ponies and threw them out of the air, scattering them across the throne room.
Daybreaker laughed once again at her success. "Well I had fun with you lot but there is more...'remodeling' to do on this sorry kingdom! If I see you again, I’ll be sure to show you what I’m really capable of!"
With those words, Daybreaker spread her large wings and took to the air, flying through the hole left behind by the deflected magic. The other ponies just looked up as the evil alicorn fled the throne room, powerless to stop her.
Starlight Glimmer and Luna ran over to the fallen ponies. "Twilight, are you alright?" Starlight asked.
"I'll...be fine," Twilight assured her, getting back to her feet. Her facial expression was one of despair and disappointment.
Shortly after, all six ponies had stood up and were facing Luna and Starlight.
"How did you know her?" Rainbow Dash asked the pair, recalling them saying Daybreaker's name before she had a chance to say it herself.
Starlight and Luna looked at one another. "It...was a dream I had," Starlight explained. "On that mission from the map that sent me to Canterlot. I was so stressed out about the situation I put Celestia and Luna in that I had a nightmare where they turned into Nightmare Moon and...that."
"Celestia had entered Starlight's dream in order to help her, as she had control of my magic at the time," Luna continued for her. "It was as Daybreaker said: using the dream-walking spell requires the user to keep their own consciousness separate from that of the subject's. Without taking this into account, the spellcaster will unintentionally create a joint consciousness of their own and the subject's dream; in this case the piece of Celestia's mind that contains Daybreaker appearing to Starlight. Celestia had pulled me into Starlight's nightmare because she was overwhelmed and needed my assistance, which is also how I encountered her."
"How was she not affected by the Elements of Harmony?" Fluttershy asked. The other ponies looked dejected that their most potent ability did not affect Daybreaker. "Have the Elements gotten weaker?"
"I think we need to inform Star Swirl," Twilight said, her voice conveying the lack of options they had.
Map Room, Twilight's Castle
The doors to the map room opened and Twilight Sparkle's party returned from Canterlot, unsuccessful in their mission to free Celestia from the dark magic. Star Swirl the Bearded and his assistant Stygian were waiting for them along with Spike. Spike ran up to the group as they entered the map room.
"Did you save Celestia?" the young dragon asked hopefully. Twilight looked back at her friends, who shared her downtrodden expression, before she lowered her head and shook 'no'. Spike's expression quickly faded to an equally sullen visage.
"What happened?" Stygian asked.
"The Elements didn't work!" Pinkie Pie said on behalf of the group.
"We gave it everything we had but Cel-...'Daybreaker' wasn't affected by it," Rarity explained. "She simply brushed our magic away like it was a mere fly!"
"'Daybreaker'?" Star Swirl questioned.
"That's the name the monster that consumed Celestia is calling itself," Starlight Glimmer told him. "It's something I first saw when Celestia entered my dream..."
"Celestia went into your dreams?" Star Swirl asked, puzzled. He looked in Princess Luna's direction, whom he knew was the one with the power to visit dreams.
"Uh...it's a long story," Starlight said with a sheepish blush to her face. Star Swirl's only response was to frown at the unicorn.
"Well, in any event, I hadn't prepared for Celestia's magic becoming this strong," Star Swirl continued, troubled that the Elements had not freed Celestia. "If she can resist the power of the Elements of Harmony, that means this evil entity is amplifying her magic."
"She said something about Celestia 'holding herself back'," Rainbow Dash recalled. "I didn't think Celestia had that much magic..."
"What can we do...?" Applejack pleaded.
"I've never seen any creature capable of completely deflecting the Elements of Harmony," Twilight desperately claimed.
"Do not worry," Star Swirl assured them. "I have little doubt that the key to our problem is the Elements of Harmony. However we must find a way past Daybreaker's power."
"Would I be able to assist?" Luna asked Star Swirl.
"Unfortunately, we require the magic of friendship, which your magic lacks," Star Swirl declined. "In order to save Celestia, the magic that created Daybreaker must be repelled by the Elements of Harmony and the power they hold."
Star Swirl began to pace around the map room in thought. "I'm afraid to say it but the dark magic taking over Celestia's mind may have grown too out of control at this point," he told the others. "The situation may have gone past the point where the negative energy can be separated from Celestia's magic as you did with Nightmare Moon and Luna. The best we can hope is to use the Elements of Harmony to seal Daybreaker and keep her from reaching Celestia's conscious mind."
The other ponies looked disheartened upon learning Celestia may never truly be free of Daybreaker.
"Come on, girls," Twilight said. "Even if we can't completely eliminate the negativity in Celestia's magic, we can still do some good...at least...we could if Daybreaker wasn't so strong..."
"What we need is something to amplify the Elements of Harmony to overpower Daybreaker," Star Swirl surmised. "Something that can redirect the magic of the Elements with a greater magnitude..."
"The Tree of Harmony...?" Stygian proposed.
"Perhaps, that might work," Star Swirl said. "But...no, it draws its magical energy from the Elements themselves. To achieve the necessary amplification we would need to pass the magic of the Elements thro-..." he cut himself off. Star Swirl glanced around the map room quickly and erratically. The other ponies attempted to follow his darting eyes but he wasn't focusing on any one point in the room, which confused the others. "Yes...yes...yes!" Star Swirl said, excitement growing in his voice.
"What is it, sir?" Luna asked, eager to know what had sparked her mentor's inspiration.
Star Swirl pounded his hoof on the map table in the middle of the room, startling the other ponies into focusing on him. "Of course, that's it!" he proclaimed. "This castle!"
"The...castle...?" Twilight said, uncertain of where Star Swirl's logic was leading.
"Yes, Twilight, the castle itself!" Star Swirl reiterated. "The castle is the product of the Tree of Harmony. The magic that flows from the tree is being channeled by this castle!"
"Of course!" Twilight said, her eyes lighting up with enthusiastic understanding. "If we route the power of the Elements through the castle, we would be able to tap into the friendship magic that created the castle! We would have both the power of the Elements and the magic flowing from the Tree of Harmony!"
"Would that be enough?" Applejack asked, still shaken by their earlier encounter with Daybreaker's immense power.
A blue streak cut through the sky above Ponyville, leaving behind a trail of rainbows behind it.
"She's coming this way!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out over the skyline. The other five Element of Harmony bearers looked up in the direction of the voice. Rainbow Dash was flying at top speed towards the Castle of Friendship before slowing down to a gentle glide above the other ponies.
"Good, I knew she couldn't resist coming after us," Twilight Sparkle said, correctly guessing Daybreaker would want to seek out her castle to get at Luna and Twilight. "We'll need time to energize the full potential of the Elements," Twilight explained to her friends. "So when Daybreaker arrives, I'll try to stall her while the rest of you gather your magic."
"Got it, Twilight," Applejack said on behalf of the other four, who nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, in the town center, the townsfolk were toiling under the hot sun.
"I think I'm gonna melt!" one pony cried as she shuffled along.
"I'm going to drown in my own sweat," another moaned, wiping his brow once again.
"Uhhhgh!" a third pony groaned, slumping to the ground having given in to the extreme heat. As she lay on the grass, her pink mane sopping with sweat, a sudden shade rolled in above her head.
"Ahhh..." she said to the mysterious individual who provided the shade, feeling a brief moment of respite. "Thanks, I really needed that..."
A long white leg stood above the collapsed pony. Covering its hoof was an orange, metallic leg guard. The pony on the ground looked up to see who was standing above her. Beyond the silhouette of the tall pony that looked down on her, she could see the bright orange mane rippling behind the pony's head.
"Who...?" she muttered, uncertain of whom she was looking at.
The standing pony looked down with scorn and disdain at the mint-colored pony who lay at her feet. Her face was locked in a dismissive scowl as she observed the exhausted pony struggling before her.
"Disappointing..." she muttered in an unimpressed tone. She strode past the pony lying on the ground unsympathetically, who resumed withering under the intense sunlight.
"If this keeps up there won't be much left to rule over..." the white alicorn said to herself as she walked down the main avenue, watching the citizens struggling under the wave of heat she brought with her. She continued to trot through the center of town, making a beeline for the tall crystalline castle that could be seen beyond the edge of the town. "But I suppose that will have to wait..." she said, the corners of her mouth curling into a sinister grin.
Back at the lawn of the castle, the six Element bearers were joined by Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Star Swirl the Bearded, Stygian, and Princess Luna. They were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Daybreaker, whom they knew was near.
"If I wait any longer, I'm gonna become a 'Pinkie Puddle'!" Pinkie Pie panted, fatigued by the hot sun.
"Just a little longer, Pinkie Pie," Twilight reassured her friend. "We can tell she's here..."
"You said it..." Rainbow Dash agreed, wiping sweat off with her forehoof.
Out in the distance, the corona of what looked like a bright orange flame could be seen moving towards the ponies. The air rippled around it, as though it were the source of the heat itself. Attached to the flame was the white body of a tall alicorn wearing an armored helm and a gold chestplate.
"It seems we have a guest..." Star Swirl said ominously as he observed the figure moving in their direction.
Daybreaker continued walking towards the castle. The six Element bearers stood in a triangle pattern in front of the castle with Twilight standing out at front, ready for the impending confrontation. As Daybreaker neared, Twilight looked to her left and right, nodding to her friends with each turn of her head. The other five ponies nodded back in understanding before closing their eyes and beginning to glow with the power of the Elements of Harmony flowing through them from the neck pieces they wore. Their hooves slowly rose off the ground and they gradually levitated upwards towards the pinnacle of the blue crystal at the top of the Castle of Friendship. As they rose up, Twilight Sparkle began walking forward to meet Daybreaker.
The two alicorns came to a stop with some distance between them, their eyes locking across the gulf. Twilight looked into Daybreaker's eyes with a stern-but-saddened gaze while Daybreaker's eyes glistened with self-assurance, the arrogant calmness eerily belying her destructive personality.
"Seems you can't get enough of me," Daybreaker said to the Princess of Friendship, a coy smugness accenting her words.
"Why are you here?" Twilight demanded to know, her voice serious and determined.
"That castle..." Daybreaker said, pointing at the Castle of Friendship with her forehoof. "It blocks my view of the sun."
Twilight took one step forward, attempting to demonstrate to Daybreaker her refusal to be intimidated. "Princess Celestia..." she said, speaking as though Daybreaker wasn't present. "As your student...the one you trusted with the power your mother passed to you...I know you are better than this!" Twilight’s words came to a sharp ultimatum. Her eyes became tearful as she spoke but she quickly brushed it away in order to quell any external sign of faltering in the face of her foe. "I know you are in there and you need to fight this dark magic!" A strong breeze descended on the lawn of Twilight's castle, wafting through her soft purple mane.
Daybreaker narrowed her eyes with self-satisfaction that she had made Twilight so desperate. She laughed softly but derisively at Twilight's determination against such odds. "Princess Celestia might have been subject to such petty sentiment but you're not dealing with Celestia," she told her adversary. "Her kingdom is now mine and without having to deal with those pesky self-imposed limitations, there will be nopony with enough magic to stand in my way. Equestria has needed me...and I don't need you..."
"Why are you destroying Equestria?" Twilight asked the tyrannical alicorn. "How do you expect anypony to respect you when all you bring to them is destruction?"
"Because, my 'dear student'," Daybreaker said, mocking Twilight's relationship with her alter-ego, "the ponies of this land are carefree and fearless. Without fear, there is no meaning or purpose to power. Celestia foolishly fed that notion with no understanding while it is my mission to correct that mistake!"
With that, Daybreaker instantly charged up a bolt of magical energy in her horn and shot it towards Twilight, trying to catch her off-guard. Twilight gasped, too surprised by the sudden escalation to form a counter in time. She winced as the red bolt closed in but before it reached her position, another bolt of magic intercepted it and deflected it away from Twilight. The lavender alicorn opened one eye and gingerly glanced to the side to see Princess Luna standing next to her. Luna's glare was fixated on Daybreaker, her eyes displaying an uncharacteristic intensity.
"Princess Luna..." Twilight sighed, grateful for the assistance.
"Go, Twilight Sparkle," Luna ordered, not breaking eye contact with Daybreaker. "We will not be able to reason with this twisted fiend who is attempting to steal my sister's body."
Twilight said nothing and nodded, knowing what needed to be done. She closed her eyes as her friends had and the star-shaped centerpiece of the crown on her head started to glow, which covered the rest of her body with its energy. She began to levitate as the other five had before, gently rising up and away from Luna to join her friends floating at the top of the castle.
"Oh, we're going to try this again?" Daybreaker said, noticing the six ponies floating near the top of the castle, recalling the last time they tried to call upon the Elements of Harmony. "Well, unfortunately, I don't have as much patience to spare on you this time!"
Daybreaker took flight and charged up her magic in an attempt to blow the six levitating ponies out of the air. However, as she fired, another beam intercepted her beam much as had happened when she tried to attack Twilight. Daybreaker snarled and whipped around, looking back at the ground to find Princess Luna once again preventing her from interfering with Twilight and her friends.
"You will not be harming them until you have dealt with me!" Luna shouted up to Daybreaker.
Daybreaker flippantly snorted at Luna's insinuation that she could provide a serious challenge. "Oh please, 'Your Nightness', you don't have what it takes to compare to me! As I recall even Celestia managed to defeat you and by then you had already turned into Nightmare Moon!"
"That will not change my mind!" Luna retorted defiantly, taking flight in pursuit of Daybreaker.
"There really is no getting through to you, is there?" Daybreaker said in a faux-exasperated tone, unable to ignore Luna any longer. She turned around and flew back in the other direction to engage Luna.
Back on the ground, Starlight Glimmer watched the two alicorns trying to outmaneuver each other in the air. Her face was wracked with fear and panic.
"This...this is just like my dream!" she cried, the battle reminding Starlight of her first encounter with Daybreaker. "If Daybreaker is as strong as she was in my dream...Luna won't stand a chance!"
"Do not worry, Starlight Glimmer," Star Swirl reassured her. "For we have an asset on our side." He reminded her of Twilight and her friends, who were charging up the Elements of Harmony to focus through the castle.
Luna continued to dodge Daybreaker's magic as she returned fire from her own horn. Daybreaker chose to deflect the magic Luna was aiming at her instead of dodging. "You're wasting your time!" she chided Luna. "Your weak magic will never be able to match mine!"
"That magic is not yours!" Luna rebutted. She charged at Daybreaker and met her directly in the air, their hooves locking together in a fierce struggle. "I will not let you take my sister!"
Daybreaker laughed scornfully. "'This magic is not mine'?" she asked rhetorically, echoing Luna's words. "I was created from this magic and, as I'm sure you'll remember, you are not so different!"
"I will never succumb to the power of Nightmare Moon again and I will free my sister from you!" Luna countered, undeterred. She pushed harder against her foe with her forehooves.
"Let's see if you're right about that..." Daybreaker said, her expression changing to an evil grin. She leaned her head in so her horn intersected with Luna's.
"What...what are you doing?!" Luna said, not knowing what to expect next.
"Finding out if you're as free as you think..." she said vaguely. She energized her horn near Luna's and it glowed with a red aura. The aura of magic from Daybreaker's horn began to envelop Luna's horn and the magic traveled through her horn and into the rest of her body.
"I...I...rrgh!" Luna stammered. Around her eye, a dark black ring began to seep out, changing her eye's sclera from white to a light blue, and her pupils were narrowing into a thin slit. "N-no!" Luna shouted in panic, now knowing what was happening to her. The black ring was expanding over her face, turning her dark blue coat to an inky black.
"Yes!" Daybreaker said triumphantly. She focused more magic through her horn in order to accelerate the process.
Luna, now knowing she was in a losing position, desperately charged up her own horn and forced as much raw magic through it as she could. The unformed energy burst forth with a blue spark and created separation between Daybreaker and herself. "Gyaah!" Daybreaker exclaimed, pushing away from Luna so she could cover her eyes with her hooves. Luna, drained, fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground.
"Princess Luna!" Twilight and Starlight simultaneously cried upon seeing Luna hit the ground. Starlight galloped over to the fallen princess's side.
"Twilight, you have to stay!" Rainbow Dash reminded her friend. "We won't be able to help without you!" Twilight, although visibly distressed, remained levitating with her friends.
"Princess Luna," Starlight said once she was beside the alicorn. "Are you okay?!"
Luna struggled to open her eyes. The black ring that was taking over her face had dissolved and her coat had returned to its normal blue shade. "Star...light Glimmer?" she said, weakly. "I did everything I could...only Twilight and her friends can save Celestia now..." Starlight looked back up to the six levitating ponies around the castle's central spire with emphatic desperation in her eyes at the last line of their defense.
"Aw...poor wittle Woona had a great big fall!" Daybreaker said, mockingly holding her hooves to her face and feigning concern. She cackled victoriously then turned her attention back to Twilight's group. "Now with that out of the way..."
Daybreaker looked at the six ponies floating near the top of Twilight Sparkle's Castle of Friendship and licked the edges of her mouth with her tongue, her orange eyes squinted with a glint of sinister confidence in her gaze.
"So then," she said to the six ponies, "I think Luna provided a good demonstration of what you should expect. Care to withdraw?"
Twilight looked down at Starlight, who was still tending to the defeated princess, then back to Daybreaker. Her eyes also narrowed but they were filled with anger and an unyielding determination.
"We won't let ya get away with this!" Applejack shouted back at Daybreaker.
"I don't expect you to," Daybreaker responded sarcastically. "However, I hardly think that matters."
Daybreaker slowly rose up to eye level with the floating ponies. "You six have made an impression on me, I must admit," she told them. "Surrender now and once I'm recognized as the sole ruler of this kingdom, maybe I'll find some use for you..."
"No way!" Rainbow Dash rebuffed. "You'll never rule over us!"
"Equestria is ruled by a compassionate and wise princess," Rarity added. "You are nothing but an insane tyrant with no understanding of this kingdom and the ponies who inhabit it!"
"What difference does it make?" Daybreaker answered, seemingly unfazed by the rebellious ponies floating before her. "Whether or not the ponies of Equestria accept my rule will change nothing as those who do not acknowledge me will be dealt with. Your resistance will hardly be the first."
Daybreaker spread her wings and gracefully rose above the other ponies floating by the castle's pinnacle. The six ponies looked up at their adversary. "Now then..." Daybreaker said. "I think enough has been said." Her horn began to glow a crimson red. "This is the end..."
"Now, girls!" Twilight commanded to her friends. The six ponies focused the magical energy they had been gathering on the pinnacle of the castle. The castle began to shimmer with an awesome light as the power of the Elements of Harmony flowed through the crystalline structure. Starlight Glimmer, Spike, Star Swirl, and Stygian looked on in wonder as the magnificent castle beamed with a bright glow.
"What good will charging your castle with magical energy do?!" Daybreaker scoffed, seeing the act as a futile gesture. The magical energy being collected in Daybreaker's horn shot forth as a dark red ray and headed straight for the six ponies. But as it drew close, a magical protection sphere surrounding the six dispelled her attack and rendered it ineffective.
"What?!" Daybreaker reeled back, not prepared for her magic to be deflected. "But...I easily overpowered the Elements of Harmony before!"
"Not this time!" Pinkie Pie said back, her face in a mischievous grin.
"We've powered up the Elements with the help of Twilight's castle!" Rainbow Dash explained.
"Your magic has been beaten!" Rarity added.
"As if!" Daybreaker responded, undeterred by the setback. She flew backwards and opened her mouth. An orange fireball appeared between her jaws and she launched the flaming projectile at the magical sphere. However, just like the magic from her horn, the fireball did not penetrate the protective bubble surrounding the six floating mares. "This...this is ridiculous!" Daybreaker stammered, unable to comprehend her magic's inability to disrupt Twilight and her friends.
"What you don't realize," Twilight Sparkle said, "is this castle is created from the Tree of Harmony, the source of the Elements of Harmony! By channeling the power of the elements through the castle, we are able to tap directly into the magic that originally gave us the Elements, multiplying their effect several times over! The power of loyalty, laughter, generosity, honesty, kindness, and magic will see to it that you will never terrorize Equestria again!"
"I will not be so easily subdued!" Daybreaker said, still unwilling to give in. She grimaced and began to charge her horn again.
"Let the power of our friendship free Princess Celestia and seal you away!" all six ponies said in unison.
Daybreaker charged her most powerful beam of magic yet and fired at the six. The six floating ponies energized the Elements of Harmony with as much magical power as they could and focused it through the castle's pinnacle. A brilliant rainbow beam burst forth from the opening in the middle of the castle's blue crystal and clashed with Daybreaker's magic.
"This is...nothing!" Daybreaker said, forcing even more magical power through her horn. However, in spite of her best efforts, the power of the enhanced Elements began to push Daybreaker's own magic back towards her.
"It's working!" Fluttershy said, joyfully.
"That's it, everypony, don't give up!" Twilight rallied.
"How...can you do this?!" Daybreaker grunted, now clearly struggling to push back the magical beam that was overwhelming her own.
"Because our friendship is stronger than your twisted magic!" Applejack said. "Celestia understands the power it has, you're just a selfish bully!"
"I...have the strongest...magic in Equestria!" Daybreaker said between strained groans. Her eyes were closed and her teeth clenched as she continued to battle back against the more powerful Elements of Harmony. "You...six cannot..."
"Let Celestia go!" Twilight said with a stern finality. The six ponies concentrated harder and empowered the magical beam with a great surge of energy. Twilight spread her alicorn wings and magnified the energy with the full range of her own magic.
"This is NOT THE ENNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDD...!!!" Daybreaker screamed. The magic of the Elements completely enveloped her magic and the beam trapped Daybreaker within. As the magic washed over her, the fiery figure of Daybreaker vanished into the infinite glow of the beam. On the ground, Star Swirl, Starlight, and Stygian all shielded their eyes with their hooves before a large explosion of light burst forth from the magical beam.
"Did...did it work?" Rainbow Dash asked, still uncertain of what the outcome was. She looked forward and saw a transparent orb of magic in front of the six ponies, being held aloft by the beams of magical energy emanating from the Elements of Harmony. Inside the sphere was an unconscious Princess Celestia, cleansed of the evil magic of Daybreaker.
"Yes, Rainbow Dash, I think so..." Twilight said with cautious optimism. The six ponies slowly began to descend along with the sphere holding Princess Celestia. They gently touched their hooves to the ground and set the princess down as well. The magic orb evaporated upon touching the grass and Princess Celestia was released. On her neck, the small diamond jewel at the center of her neck piece changed color from a lush lavender to a bright orange. The six ponies ran over to the princess. Princess Luna picked herself up off the ground and slowly trotted to her sister's side with Starlight Glimmer at hers.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called to her mentor. "Princess Celestia, are you alright?"
Celestia slowly turned her head towards the sound of her name and gradually opened her eyes. "Uhhhh..." she groaned. "I feel as though I have awoken from a terrible nightmare..." Celestia said, groggily.
"Your nightmare almost became a reality for Equestria," Star Swirl said in response.
"Sir?" Celestia said, recognizing the voice of her own teacher. She stood to her hooves slowly. She tried to bow towards Star Swirl but she was still weak and her forelegs buckled slightly. She stumbled but quickly regained her balance.
"How are you feeling, sister?" Luna asked.
"I'm...weak but unharmed," Celestia assured her sister. "Tell me, what happened?"
"An evil entity that dwells within your magic that calls itself 'Daybreaker' managed to overwhelm your conscious mind and ravaged Equestria," Luna explained. "It is the same dark magic that originally gave birth to Nightmare Moon. Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to repel it and free your mind."
"Indeed," Star Swirl said. "However, the power of Daybreaker and Celestia's magic have become too tightly intertwined. Daybreaker's dark magic is only sealed at this point. It could still be reawakened at a later time..." He gestured towards Celestia's neck piece and the now-orange gem embedded in the center. Celestia looked down and saw the diamond's new color, touching it with her hoof. She gasped and then lowered her head in disappointment. Luna moved closer to her downtrodden sister.
"I now understand what you went through when I succumbed Nightmare Moon," Luna said empathetically. She looked off to the side as she spoke. "Watching my sister become enslaved to a deranged monster with no way to set her free...it was a horrible, helpless feeling, as though I was talking to you but you were not there." Celestia looked up and a smile slowly began to take form on her face.
"Do not concern yourself, Luna," Celestia reassured her, gently touching her sister's face with her hoof. Luna turned her head to meet her sister's gaze. "Though the corrupt magic and I are inseparable, I refuse to let it taint our relationship or my rule of Equestria." The two alicorns embraced each other in a hug as tears began to fall from their eyes.
"Hey, look!" Spike said. He was facing away from the other ponies and looking back at Twilight's castle. The six Element bearers turned to face the castle. The castle was still shimmering as it had while channeling the magic of the Elements through it.
"What's goin' on?" Applejack questioned.
The shimmering covering the castle grew more intense before the castle itself began to slowly turn transparent.
"The castle!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's...it's vanishing!"
The castle continued to fade out until it evaporated completely, at first leaving behind the glimmer of the magic powering it before that too dissipated, only leaving the empty field where it once occupied.
"What...what happened?" Twilight said, confused by the disappearance of her home. She walked forward to the place where the castle would have been standing and held out her hoof, as though she were in denial of what had just occurred before her eyes.
"It must have been the magic you channeled..." Star Swirl hypothesized. "When you routed the magic of the Tree of Harmony from the castle to the Elements, you drained the magical tap that the castle draws on. With the magic supplied by the Tree depleted by the Elements, the castle no longer contained enough magical energy to sustain itself and what was left returned to the Tree of Harmony."
"I believe we should reconvene in Canterlot," Celestia proposed.
Canterlot Castle, Main Hall
Princess Twilight was standing outside the grand doorway that lead into the throne room with her friends. She was slowly pacing back and forth on the velvety carpet, her eyes constantly swinging between looking at the shut doors or at the floor beneath her, nervously waiting for the doors to open so she could know what was being discussed between Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Star Swirl the Bearded.
"Y'all need to relax, Twi," Applejack tried to calm her friend. "I'm sure what they're discussin' ain't gonna end the world."
"I know, Applejack," Twilight said, acknowledging her friend, "but I just feel like I should be in there too."
"Don't worry about it, darling," Rarity said in agreement with Applejack. "If they wanted you to wait outside I'm sure there must have been a reason. When they have something to say you'll be informed."
"They're probably just talking about Celestia's current situation with Daybreaker and how to move forward," Starlight Glimmer suggested.
Despite the reassurance, the purple alicorn frowned at the other three mares and then resumed looking at the floor and pacing. The three ponies exchanged miffed glances and Applejack shrugged her shoulders at the others, unsure of what else to add that might allay Twilight's concerns.
After another minute, the large wooden door on the right creaked open and a guard pony emerged. "The princesses would like to see you now," he informed the other ponies. He pushed open the large door further as another guard opened the opposite door to let in Princess Twilight and her entourage. The party slowly walked through the doors and towards the thrones at the back of the room. Standing at the base of the platform were the two princesses and their mentor.
"You...were ready to see us?" Twilight asked Princess Celestia as she approached.
"Yes, Twilight," Celestia said. "Luna, Star Swirl, and I have been talking and we have a plan to handle...this." She looked down and touched the orange diamond on her neck piece as she had done back in Ponyville, her face once more showing the signs of regret and hurt. Luna walked over to her sister and gently nuzzled her neck with her head, trying to give her the confidence to continue her explanation. Luna's eyes were also showing signs of uneasiness. Celestia looked at her sister and nodded, silently thanking her for the emotional support.
"What is it...?" Fluttershy asked, empathetic to the princesses' plight.
"We are concerned about the possibility of Celestia's dark magic freeing itself from its seal," Star Swirl explained. "The seal that restrains Daybreaker is just that; a restraint. There is no foolproof way to say that, with a sufficient trigger, the magic could not escape and consume Celestia again."
"Couldn't you just make it go away like you did before?" Pinkie Pie asked Star Swirl. The bearded pony shook his head regretfully.
"Unfortunately I tried to reapply my suppression spell to Celestia now but I could not suppress the dark consciousness without risking the seal breaking," Star Swirl told her. "You six may have stopped Daybreaker but, in doing so, have created a fragile balance that must be maintained if Celestia is to remain in control."
The six ponies looked down in despair, worried that they only solved one problem to create another.
"Do not blame yourselves," Luna told them. "This is simply the reality of the situation we are in. What you six did was very necessary and Celestia and I are eternally grateful for rescuing her from such a terrible fate. The wicked magic that divides my sister's power has grown too strong to be quelled."
"Which is why..." Celestia stepped back into the discussion. "Luna and I have decided to give up our power."
The other ponies besides Star Swirl and Luna all gasped in unison. "Give up your power?!" Rainbow Dash blurted out on the behalf of the shocked group. "You mean..."
"Yes..." Celestia said, looking towards her sister. "We believe it necessary to surrender the power to manipulate the sun and moon for good in order to protect and serve Equestria."
"But then who will control the day and night?" Stygian asked.
"There is only one pony who should be trusted with this power..." Star Swirl replied. "Twilight Sparkle."
Another round of gasps emerged from the crowd as they all turned to look at Twilight. Twilight's eyes were widened with disbelief.
"You...want me to control the sun and moon?!" Twilight asked.
"Yes, Twilight," Celestia confirmed. "As we discovered earlier, it is the magic of friendship that has the power to truly hold back the evil energy within the magic of Luna and myself. As you have already been gifted with the power of alicorn magic yourself, you are capable of harnessing the power of day and night as well."
Twilight's eyes darted back and forth between her friends and her mentor's, unsure of what her response should be. "But...but...is it necessary that both of you surrender your magic?" Twilight asked, trying to find some objection to such a drastic revelation. "I thought Luna no longer was tainted by the power of Nightmare Moon when we originally freed her!"
"True," Luna responded, "my magic no longer contains the corruption of Nightmare Moon but...it was decreed that royal authority in Equestrian law be held by those with the power to control day and night. It was my mother's intent that Celestia and I rule together as one, which is why her power was divided between us. If surrendering the ability to control the sun means Celestia must step down then I will honor my mother's wish and do so as well. Ruling without my sister at my side is not something I desire."
"Furthermore," Star Swirl added, "even if Luna accepted sole responsibility for day and night, we can't be sure Celestia's tainted magic wouldn't overwhelm her neutralized magic once they shared the same host. The only way to be truly certain that the dark magic would be incapable of enslaving its host would be to ensure that any dark force that resides within must always coexist with the magic of friendship."
"I...I understand," Twilight said, realizing why she had been chosen. Princess Celestia approached Twilight.
"Twilight," Celestia began, "I feel it was more than a mere coincidence that the Castle of Friendship returned to the Tree of Harmony. You have been called to a greater purpose, one that will not only extend beyond the realm of friendship, but will give you a gift that will allow you to share that friendship further than you ever have before."
"As queen of Equestria, the world beyond our lands will come to know your name and mission to bring friendship as far and wide as you can," Luna added.
"We will help you grow into the role before stepping down," Celestia assured her, putting her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You will live with us here in Canterlot Castle as we prepare you for this undertaking. Luna and I will still maintain a presence within Canterlot after we are no longer princesses of Equestria but it is you who will guide our kingdom forward. The time for my sister and I to set out for new horizons has come and we know we could not have hoped for a more adequate successor."
"I will remain in Canterlot during the transition to ensure Celestia's dark power stays in check," Star Swirl added.
Twilight's eyes teared up and she began sniffing. "Than...thank you for trusting me with this," she said, her voice cracking under the emotion of the moment. She reached in and hugged the two princesses tightly with her forelegs, the three of them sharing a moment of tearful embrace. The other ponies present also began to feel the emotion spread through each of them and were wiping their eyes with their forelegs.
"There will certainly be time for this later," Celestia moved to conclude. "I think for now we should have some rest. It's been a very long day." All the other ponies nodded in firm agreement and the group walked out of the throne room together as friends, shutting the large doors behind them as they left.
THE END
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"Sleep well little ponies...for the night is about to fall!"
