With a gentle, almost caring flick of her horn, Twilight turned the page of Energy Balance in Advanced Spellcasting. There was nothing she enjoyed more on such a peaceful afternoon than flexing her intellectual muscles. In fact, having a good book to read was just about her favorite thing to do regardless of the weather. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she was about to call Spike to prepare her some daffodil sandwiches. Oh, they went so well with her favorite chamomile tea that the thought alone made her mouth water.
A deafening crack violently echoed through the library tree, shaking it to the ground. Twilight, startled nearly to the point of a heart attack, sped inside and down the stairs. A cloud of dust filled the main room, books were lying about in disorder as most of the bookshelves were toppled, some even broken by the shock wave. After a few seconds during which Twilight's mind seemed to have frozen in horror, the dust fell enough for the unicorn to recognize a familiar figure kneeling in the middle of the room.
“Princess Luna?” asked the librarian, approaching the unexpected guest. “Sweet Celestia, what happened to you?” she gasped when she noticed the state the alicorn was in. The princess's mane, usually well-groomed and flowing around her head, was now a mess of pale blue hairs. Her body was covered in burns and bruises, and her left wing was visibly broken, with bones sticking out, blood dripping on the floor. Her horn was covered in tiny cracks, which indicated an extensive usage of magical energy.
“Let me get Spike to fix that wing.” Twilight gritted her teeth. “We must get you to the hospital, quick!”
“No... time,” replied Luna with a groggy voice.
“What do you mean, no time?” shouted Twilight, before Luna could continue. “Have you winked out all the way from Canterlot?” she asked looking at the crack-covered horn. “We have to get you to the doctor this instant! You could bleed to death from that wing. Not to mention all those burns and bruises...” Twilight would probably continue her ranting, were it not for Luna's good wing smacking her across the cheek.
“Listen to us, Twilight Sparkle! In about eight minutes Equestria may meet its certain doom if you do nothing to stop it. You have to get the other Element Bearers here. THIS INSTANT!” Luna finished her short explanation with her Royal Canterlot Voice, nearly devastating Twilight's eardrums. The unicorn looked with terror into the princess's teal eyes, but obeyed. Her horn glowed with purple light and Twilight winked out with a faint pop.
“Little dragon...” Luna turned to Spike who watched everything from the top of the basement stairs, afraid to move. “Will you help me with this wing?” she winced, turning her broken flight appendage towards him. He turned around and dashed into the kitchen to get the first-aid kit.
***
Twilight materialized inside the Carousel Boutique causing Rarity to drop her sewing machine.
“What in Equestria...” Rarity sputtered. “Oh, Twilight, it's you. Darling, whatever is the matter?” she asked, noticing the terror on her friend's face.
“Emergency Element meeting in the library,” said Twilight. “Princess Luna just appeared there. She's badly injured.” She added, while her horn started to glow. “Locating spell, locating spell...”
“Twilight, dear, shouldn't we get the princess to the...” Rarity started.
“Get to the library! NOW!” Twilight shouted, teleporting away. Rarity couldn't really do anything else, but gallop quickly out of the boutique.
Applejack was about to deliver a powerful, calculated buck to an apple tree when a pop in the air broke her concentration. Twilight's muzzle appeared inches away from her own, causing her to back away and trip over.
“What the buck?” she asked, irritated.
“Emergency Element meeting.” Twilight explained. “Princess Luna appeared in the library a couple of minutes ago. Rarity's on her way there right now.”
Applejack almost wanted to protest, but bit her lip when she looked into Twilight's fear-stricken eyes.
“Alright, Twi. Ah'm on my way,” she said. She was about to run off, but turned around once more. “Do ya need help gatherin' the rest'a us?”
“No need, I will be faster on my own,” the unicorn replied, her horn fully aglow now. “Fluttershy, Fluttershy...” she muttered, her eyes half-closed. “AHA!” she exclaimed and disappeared into thin air.
The yellow pegasus was preparing a meal for her bunny, Angel, when a crack nearby caused her to jump in fear and spill all of the food on the floor. Angel, being much more hungry than picky this particular afternoon, started to dig into the pile.
“Oh... Oh my, Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered, trying to subdue the fear. “What's... what's wrong?”
“Emergency Element meeting in the library. Now!” replied Twilight. “Princess Luna is there and Applejack and Rarity are on their way as we speak.”
“O-oh. Do you think it's something serious?” Fluttershy asked, obviously wishing not to go.
“Yes! Princess Luna is badly injured. Now hurry up there, while I gather the rest!” Twilight snapped, using her locating spell once again. Hearing about the princess's made Fluttershy conquer her fears and fly off. After a few seconds, Twilight found her next target.
Rainbow Dash was taking a nap on a cloud above the town hall.
“Rainbow Dash!” yelled Twilight right after materializing in the town square. No response. “Great, she's asleep,” the unicorn muttered. “No time to be delicate.” Twilight set her horn aglow with yet another spell.
“RAINBOW DASH!!!” a voice roared through the town, shaking every window in close proximity, and causing the said pegasus to fall off her nap-cloud.
“Geez, what's up, Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash, rubbing her eyes and ears. “You almost got me deaf.”
“Emergency Element meeting. In the library. Now!” Briefed the unicorn. “Princess Luna just appeared there. She's injured. Others are on their way too.”
Rainbow Dash only glanced at Twilight with a serious expression on her face.
“On it!” she mimicked the salute and took off with a trail of rainbow following her.
“Pinkie Pie... Pinkie Pie...” muttered Twilight concentrating the magic in her horn.
“Yes, Twilight?” asked a voice from directly behind her.
“Huh?” The unicorn turned around, her eyes wide as saucers. “If you're this close, how come the location spell couldn't pick you up?” she asked, forgetting about the princess for a moment.
“Oh, I can always feel when somepony tries to find me with magic, silly,” the pink mare explained. “Pinkie Sense!” She added proudly, her tail wiggling as if on cue.
“No time for that.” Twilight collected herself. “There's an emergency Element meeting at the library. We have to get... there... now.” She stammered, her horn glowing faintly. The strain from the extensive use of magic was starting to exhaust her. “Grab me. It will be quicker if we wink out back together,” she stated, forcing her horn to glow stronger.
“Okie, dokie, lokie.” Pinkie bounced to Twilight and put her hoof around the unicorn's neck. “To the library!” she exclaimed, punching the air with her other hoof. Twilight was able to roll her eyes before they both disappeared with a loud pop.
***
When they appeared inside the library, others were already waiting. Princess Luna lay in the main room, her broken wing wrapped hastily in bandages by Spike.
“Princess, what happened?” asked Twilight. “Who did this to you? What are we supposed to do? Is princess Celestia all right?”
“Who hurt you like that, princess? I'll show them!” shouted Rainbow, punching the imaginary foe before her with her forelegs.
“Simmer down, Sally. An' watch with those hooves there. Ya don't want to injure the princess some more, do ya?” scolded Applejack, grabbing the pegasus's prismatic tail with her teeth.
“We should get you to the hospital. Um, if you don't mind,” whispered Fluttershy.
“You definitely should have that wing checked, darl...your highness,” added Rarity.
“Oh, my. It looks like it hurts. A lot!” winced Pinkie.
Of course, as all voices burst out at the same time, the princess could only hear one loud gibberish, to which she could only respond:
“SILENCE!” The Royal Canterlot Voice once again boomed in the library. Its force made each pony sit on the ground, voices dying in their throats.
“I'm sorry. We don't have time for all this. You have to listen to us,” begged the princess and began explaining. “We have around,” she glanced at the clock before continuing, “four minutes till she gets the rest of her devastating powers. It was a valiant effort, Twilight, but I'm afraid that, despite your speed in gathering the other Element Bearers, we will not be able to face her before she acquires what she seeks.”
“Princess,” Twilight interjected, “who are you talking about? Is it the pony who hurt you? What is this power you speak of?” Luna raised her hoof before any more questions could be asked.
“I'm talking about my sister.” As the words left the princess's mouth, a tear formed in the corner of her eye. She quickly blinked it away. This was no time to be soft. “You must remember the night you fought me when I was consumed by Nightmare Moon. It was bound to happen sooner or later and now it finally did. My sister has also succumbed to the dark side of the Elements' power.”
“The Elements?” Twilight couldn't believe her ears. “What do they...” Once again she was silenced by the impatient wave of Luna's wing.
“Elements of Harmony are no mere weapon or tool. They have a peculiar effect on their bearers, especially if they are not used for a prolonged period of time. I learned this lesson the hard way.” The princess sighed, reminiscing the time she was imprisoned on the moon as the Nightmare Moon.
“What do they do?” asked Rainbow Dash, thoroughly checking her body for any flaws.
“They strengthen their appropriate traits. Almost to the point of it being a burden. For example the Bearer of Generosity gives away everything they own, the Bearer of Honesty can speak only the absolute truth, and the Bearer of Laughter cannot keep a straight face, even at a funeral. Some elements are of course more bothersome than the others. But beside that, if their power isn't used, it fills the bearers up to the point when they can no longer control their actions. The Elements give them extraordinary strength and make them do everything they can to utilize it. My sister and I initially used the Elements to beat Discord, but then there was no need for their limitless magic for a couple of hundreds of years. Thus their strength swelled inside of us until it finally exploded. It happened to me first, and on that fateful night Nightmare Moon was born. When we clashed both the strengths of mine and Celestia's Elements were diminished. However, after another millennium of their dormancy, they have once again taken control. This time over my sister.” Princess Luna finished her explanation, looking with sorrow and regret at her hooves.
“Was princess Celestia the one who injured you so much?” asked Twilight.
“Yes. I mean no. I mean...” Luna struggled to make sense. “Just as Nightmare Moon was not me, even though it resided within my body, that thing isn't Celestia.”
“How can we stop her?” Rarity wanted to know.
“You have to use the Elements. Just like you did with me... with Nightmare Moon. But be warned. Celestia was always stronger than me. I'm sure she will be much more of a challenge.” The princess looked at the clock again. “Plus, she will obtain even greater power in about one minute.”
“Wait,” interjected Twilight. “From where? And if we know it, why aren't we doing anything to stop her?”
“There's nothing we can do, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna sighed, looking at the floor. “When I tried to stop her back in Canterlot, I only managed to anger her. And you've all seen what she did to me.” Luna turned her broken wing towards them, producing a collective wince.
“And this power you speak of?” Twilight asked when she got her voice back. “How do you know she will get it after a minute?”
“Do you know where Celestia gets her power from?” Luna responded with her own question.
“From the sun, of course.”
“Correct. And do you know how long does the light travel from the sun to Equestria?”
“About eight minutes.”
“Precisely. And I appeared here...”
“Six, maybe seven minutes ago.” Suddenly Twilight grasped what princess Luna was trying to say.
“Right before we clashed I tried to stop Celly from unleashing her magic upon the sun,” confessed Luna. “But I was too late and she was already too powerful for me. She managed to complete her spell, and my only achievement was winking out all the way here with that broken wing. Magic may touch the sun in an instant, but even sun's magnified rays have to obey the law of physics. Before they reach Equestria, and give Celestia even more power, eight minutes must pass. However, that time is almost over. Are you ready to fight her, everypony?” Luna asked with a stern expression. “She will look like your beloved ruler. Like your mentor – the pony you loved and respected for nearly two thirds of your life, Twilight Sparkle.”
The unicorn winced at those words. The fight certainly wasn't going to be easy and princess Celestia was going to have the psychological advantage Luna mentioned. Twilight bit her lip. Will I be able to oppose her? she thought.
Twilight got up and lifted the familiar book containing the Element Insignia. They floated out, each necklace resting on the appropriate neck. The crown hovered above Twilight's head for a moment as she realized the magnitude of princess Luna's words. Would the curse of the Elements affect her and her friends too? On the other hoof, they have used the Elements often enough for now and they certainly weren't going to live for hundreds of years like the princesses. The crown rested on Twilight's forehead, but the feeling of doubt lingered at the back of her head. She didn't have time to dwell on the thought, however, as a sudden bright flash filled the library. And whole Ponyville for that matter.
“COME OUT, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” roared the familiar, yet strangely changed voice from somewhere high in the sky.
“She's here,” winced Luna. “She's come for you. She knows very well you are the only ponies that can stop her.” Princess of the night put her fore hooves on Twilight's shoulders, her eyes widened with sudden fear. “You can't fight her here. Even if you do manage to beat her, the fight will damage the town and put all its inhabitants in danger.”
“She's right,” gasped Rainbow Dash. “We have to get her out of here.”
“Everypony, run to that bare hill near the Everfree Forest,” commanded Twilight. “We have to make sure she notices us.”
Twilight's plan worked partially, as the moment they left the library the voice bellowed, “DO YOU TRY TO RUN FROM ME, YOU UNGRATEFUL FOAL?”
Twilight bit her lip as she collected magic in her horn, forming the spell while they were running. The whole town was filled with blinding light, and it was hotter than on any other summer day Twilight could remember, making the run very exhausting and concentrating very hard. Just as Twilight heard flaps of powerful wings behind her, the right amount of magic had gathered in her horn. With a loud pop every pony but the pursuer disappeared in a flash of purple light. The alicorn figure didn't even slow her flight, her horn aglow. She quickly turned around towards the hill near the edge of the Everfree Forest.
“She used the locating spell,” warned Pinkie Pie in a shaky voice as her left hind hoof twitched uncontrollably.
“She'll be here any moment,” confirmed Twilight. “I can feel her magic. It's ridiculously powerful.” Twilight felt her body shake involuntarily and uncontrollably. The source of tremendous power was nearing, and fast. It was nothing like fighting princess Luna. Nightmare Moon had indeed felt powerful and even sinister back then. But behind it Twilight remembered feeling a hint of playful rebellion, and maybe a tiny shadow of remorse. But this... Celestia felt like a force of nature, the inevitable power of destruction that couldn't be pleaded or reasoned with. Everypony seemed to have felt it as Applejack gulped, Rainbow Dash unconsciously braced herself, Rarity frowned, and Fluttershy just yelped and buried her head in her hooves. Pinkie Pie was shivering violently, but Twilight wasn't sure if it was because of fear or her Pinkie Sense combos.
Finally, with a flash of bright light and a gust of dry scorching-hot wind accompanying her, a figure resembling princess Celestia appeared before them. She was an alicorn, there was no doubt about it. The long, slender and sharp horn was erected at the center of her head. The powerful, wide wings graced both of her flanks. She looked even bigger than the princess Twilight remembered. Her coat was white to the point of glowing with its own light, just like the sun. Her mane, once multicolor and flowing freely, now looked like a bonfire started atop her head. Strands of orange, yellow, gold and red hair danced around the horn like greedy flames ready to consume whatever was standing in their way. Even despite the coat that seemed to radiate with its own bright glow, the alicorn's Cutie Mark, resembling a tiny sun, was clearly visible. However, looking at it literally caused eyes to hurt.
Twilight glanced up to look into her teacher's eyes, a deed she immediately regretted. It was definitely not Celestia behind those two fiery orbs. The being that looked through them was absolutely not the kind, caring, and loving princess Twilight knew. Twilight felt like she just glanced straight into the eye of a hurricane. She could see the violent, raw strength of an element that was about to take their life not even noticing it. There was no evil or malice inside the eyes, though. They conveyed no feelings whatsoever, save for the sign of the inevitable fate of anypony foalish enough to oppose such intimidating force.
“Princess... Celestia?” Twilight muttered. “Is that you?”
“No, my faithful student,” announced the alicorn in a calm yet powerful voice. “I'm no longer Celestia just as Nightmare Moon was not Luna. Call me... Scorching Sun.”
"Princess..." Twilight said with a sad voice. "Must it come to this?"
"You should know the answer already, my faithful student," the alicorn snickered.
"Why would you do that?"
"I don't need a reason! I do it because I want to. Just as Nightmare Moon wanted the eternal night, I want the eternal day, with scorching hot sun burning up this worthless world."
Twilight looked deep into the blazing eyes of her opponent, but found no compassion or other feelings there. Yes, it was just as looking into the eye of the hurricane or at the sun itself.
"Quit stalling and start fighting," the alicorn snapped, seemingly growing impatient. "You six are the only obstacle left!"
A tear formed on the corner of Twilight's eye, but swiftly evaporated in the heat radiating from the alicorn's body before it could even flow down the unicorn's cheek. Twilight slowly stepped forward, her friends forming a circle behind her – a maneuver they had practiced several times before. This was exactly what Scorching Sun was waiting for. With a sudden eruption of blinding light around her horn followed by a loud pop, the alicorn appeared in the middle of the circle. She was already standing on her hind legs. As in slow motion, the Element Bearers could see her fore hooves nearing the ground, feeling the unbearable heat that was radiating from her when she was this close, and could do nothing about it. Scorching Sun slammed the ground with all her might. The deafening bang and the following magic-amplified shock wave hit each of the ponies, sending them flying and tumbling around.
"Too slow!" cried the alicorn.
Applejack and Rarity were the first to recover. Their bodies ached, they were covered in bruises caused by the violent meeting with the ground, and burns inflicted by the blast of magic. Scorching Sun paid them no heed, however, as she walked lazily towards Twilight who struggled to open her eyes.
Applejack and Rarity quickly exchanged glances and nodded in agreement on deciding their attack. Ignoring the pain in their limbs, both ponies darted towards the imposing alicorn figure. Scorching Sun showed no interest in their actions, concentrating on Twilight alone. She was halfway towards the unicorn when Applejack attacked while Rarity tried to provide telekinetic support. With an almost lazy jerk of her horn, the alicorn sent a wave of magic towards the unicorn, slamming her hard and sending her flying once again, while at the same time dodging Applejack's hoof with ease. She countered with a well aimed punch that connected with the earth pony's snout with a loud smash. Applejack was thrown backwards and hit a tree with a clearly audible thud.
The noises of the battle made Pinkie Pie regain her consciousness. She opened her eyes with an effort, her eyelids feeling as heavy as if they were plastered to her cheeks. She looked up, disregarding the pain in her body. Rarity was lying unconscious at the far end of the hill.
No. The thought appeared in the back of her struggling mind.
Applejack tried to stand up, but her legs gave out underneath her and she slumped on the ground.
No! With the thought came the feeling of anger caused by her own helplessness.
Scorching Sun was almost beside Twilight when a familiar yellow pegasus blocked her way.
“I won't let you hurt her!” whisper-shouted Fluttershy. She unleashed the power of her furious Stare at the alicorn. Scorching Sun stopped dead in her tracks. She felt the amazing pressure coming from those teal innocent eyes. She couldn't move or break the eye contact which made her surprisingly angry. With a strain that caused little drops of sweat form on her forehead (which quickly evaporated with a loud hiss) she managed to squint her eyes and then close them. She drew from her willpower and gathered magic in her horn, opening her eyes furiously. For a fleeting moment Fluttershy felt as though her mind was being burnt to cinders by the powerful glare. Then she gave in and collapsed.
“Worthless trash.” Scorching Sun frowned with disgust, kicking the unconscious pegasus aside.
NO! Her friends had all been hurt badly and she could only lie there, unable to help them. Pinkie Pie's mind screamed at her as she tried to struggle up. She had never felt such anger before in her entire life. For the briefest moment she even was surprised that she was capable of producing such a feeling. And yet there it was, now not at the back of her head anymore, but at the front and both sides too. It overwhelmed her as she stood up, her hooves swaying with the effort.
Then she saw a familiar cyan blur streak by, leaving a rainbow trail high in the air. Rainbow Dash was trying the aerial assault. She dropped from the sky like a speeding bullet, only to be bounced off of Scorching Sun's protective magical field. She was about to hit the ground when her body was engulfed in a bright magical glow. She was being pulled towards the alicorn while she struggled to break free. Finally, when she was only inches away from Scorching Sun's intimidating silhouette, the force dissipated in an instant, making her drop towards the ground.
“Know your place, insolent BUG!” the alicorn yelled, piercing Rainbow Dash's wing with her horn in one quick thrust. The pegasus cried in pain as Scorching Sun threw her aside with almost disgusted flick of her horn.
“NOOOOOOOO!!!” Pinkie Pie heard her own scream roar through the hot air around her as the sight of her wounded friend was the last straw to break the dam that was holding her anger in check. Scorching Sun instinctively covered her eyes with her wing as a cloud of dust and dirt erupted from where the pink earth pony stood, a powerful shock wave rolling down the hill. When the dust fell, Scorching Sun turned her head towards the pink earth pony who managed to pique her curiosity slightly. Only the pony wasn't pink anymore. And it wasn't an earth pony.
In the center of what looked like a small crater stood a white pegasus mare. Her mane and tail were the same shape as those of that peculiar pink pony, but now they were gold just as the alicorn's beloved sun in the late afternoon. The cutie mark was the same too, although it looked like the balloons changed their colors. The most significant change was the eyes, though. They weren't baby blue, innocent and frightened anymore. Instead they were red, filled with rage and fury directed straight at Scorching Sun herself. The whole pegasus was engulfed in the gold aura that danced around her body like a frivolous flame.
Still curiously observing the earth pony-turned-pegasus, Scorching Sun directed her magic at her former student. Bright light engulfed the alicorn's horn once again as Twilight's motionless body rose from the ground.
“The Element of Magic...” Scorching Sun almost spat those words. “The most mysterious and alluring of them all. The cement with which the other Elements can bond and show their true strength.” Twilight slowly opened her eyes recognizing the familiar voice.
“Princess?” she mumbled, her eyes still half closed.
“Yes, Twilight?” cooed the alicorn, gently caressing the unicorn's cheek with her gilded hoof. Twilight was just about to smile when Scorching Sun jerked her horn, causing cascades of pain to shoot through the unicorn's purple body.
“LET HER GO!” Pinkie Pie tried to let out all of her anger in that yell, but its source was inexhaustible. She caused another burst of energy to kick up dust around her.
“No.” The alicorn simply stated the fact. She pointed her sharp ivory horn right at Twilight's chest, in which the unicorn's heart was beating fast. “She is going to die. But do not worry. You will join her soon. All of you will.”
“I... said...” Pinkie forced through her teeth while shifting her hind legs and straining her newly acquired wings. “Let... her... GO!”
Scorching Sun heard the last word yelled right at her face as the white pegasus appeared before her, closing the distance between them in one powerful dash. She could feel the terrible pressure on her cheek as the white hoof connected with it in a tremendous blow. She staggered, but the force applied was too great and she felt herself tumbling back. Landing on the ground, she tried to conceive what had just happened.
Her face was feeling strangely numb. She winced at the new, unusual feeling that shot through her cheek after she touched it with her hoof. Was this... pain? She felt a strange metallic-tasting, warm liquid filling her mouth. She spat with disgust, observing with disbelief the small red puddle that appeared on the ground. Was this... blood? She rubbed her cheek with her hoof and felt a tooth swaying loose in her mount. A wave of rage swept through her mind with a force of a tsunami. How dared she... How dared this pegasus trash pierce through her impenetrable defense and wound her?! She stood up, glancing over the battlefield, looking for the white foe. She forgot about Twilight and the other Element Bearers, the gold-maned pegasus was all that mattered right now. She quickly located her opponent as she saw the white pegasus carrying Twilight Sparkle to one of her other friends.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" she bellowed, causing her raging outburst to kick up dirt around her as her fury transcended the boundaries of her mind and physically manifested itself. The pegasus only glanced back, the anger still being the only emotion distinguishable in her red eyes. Pinkie Pie slowly, almost nonchalantly, walked back to the peak of the hill, the very center of their fighting arena. She raised to her hind legs, mockingly inviting Scorching Sun to attack with her hoof. Such a frontal assault on the alicorn's pride was definitely not going to be ignored.
Scorching Sun squinted her eyes, flexed her hooves, and lifted her wings. With one powerful swing of her flight appendage, she covered the distance between her and the pegasus. She punched the air with all her might, but her foe was already flying a few meters back. She was ready for this, however, as with a glow around her horn, a thin line of light reached towards her dodging opponent. The light enveloped Pinkie Pie and jerked her back as Scorching Sun turned around readying her hind legs. Pinkie tried to break free, a futile effort against the powerful magic holding her in place. She tensed all of her muscles and managed to turn around, putting up a guard with both her fore and hind legs. She did it just in time, too, as the alicorn's both hooves shot out in a powerful, lighting-fast thrust. They met Pinkie's guard with a force that caused a loud bang to be heard a few dozens of meters around the hill.
Pinkie Pie was sent flying backwards, all of her hooves feeling numb with pain. The force was strong enough to propel her towards the forest where she smashed a couple of trees before finally hitting the ground, creating a small crater around her. Pinkie groggily raised herself on her numb hooves. Scorching Sun was still standing on the hill, doing nothing more than observing her and waiting for the next attack.
The pink-now-white pegasus admired her newly acquired body for a brief moment. Her endurance was incredible (smashing through trees and dirt only made her feel a little dizzy) but so was Scorching Sun's raw strength. Suddenly Pinkie felt her head filling with fighting knowledge she never realized she had. Scorching Sun was obviously bigger and stronger than her; probably a lot tougher too. A kick like the last one, taken directly with any part of her body without a guard, would probably render Pinkie unable to fight anymore, if not unconscious or even dead on the spot. But with bigger body came the loss in speed and agility. The nimble pegasus was sure she was faster than Scorching Sun, and could maneuver better. Her punches, though caring superpony strength that could kill any ordinary pony with one blow, were only able to graze at Scorching Sun's formidable defense, but they still made a difference. Pinkie was sure she could wear her opponent down with enough of her blows, but at the same time she had to be careful not to get hit herself. It was going to be a battle of speed and agility versus strength and endurance. The only thing she had to be extra careful about was not to get caught in the alicorn's magic.
A quick glance at her friends gave Pinkie all the courage she needed. The ponies gathered in a tight group at the bottom of the hill, certain they would only be a nuisance in a fight of this magnitude. Some were tending to their wounds and bruises, which caused a second wave of anger to sweep through Pinkie's mind. It was all she really needed.
With an acceleration that would cause even Rainbow Dash to lose consciousness, Pinkie leaped in the air rapidly increasing her speed, heading towards the tall alicorn figure. Scorching Sun was standing firm on the ground, eager to compare their strengths in a hoof-to-hoof combat. The pegasus dropped from the sky with such a speed that anypony, except Rainbow Dash with her trained eyes, was having trouble tracking. Being just a few meters away from her foe, Pinkie noticed the alicorn throw out a punch to meet her. The pegasus quickly shifted her wings, causing a small trajectory change. She grabbed Scorching Sun's extended hoof and used it as a leverage to turn around. Pinkie's rear hooves hit the alicorn smack in the snout with a loud crack. Using her momentum, the white pegasus jumped in the air and approached her opponent a second time. Before Scorching Sun regained her balance, she was hit with another blow to her side. Then another, and another, and another. Pinkie continued to bombard the alicorn with lightning fast punches and kicks, each rising anger in the former princess of the day's mind. Finally, when the white pegasus slowed down to catch her breath just a little, Scorching Sun gathered enough magic in her horn.
"ENOUGH!!!" she bellowed, the magic erupting around her, causing the shock wave that propelled Pinkie backwards. Scorching Sun had indeed felt all those attacks as her body was covered with bruises all over. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being attacked by a nasty bug that flew around her and didn't allow to swat itself down. Using the break in Pinkie's attacks, Scorching Sun soared up in the air, looking for her prey. Pinkie Pie managed to level her flight and landed next to the border of the Everfree Forest. She was breathing faster, clearly the intense fight was getting to her faster than to her foe.
Pinkie looked up, locating Scorching Sun's imposing figure in front of the late afternoon sun. Her red eyes could see much better than those of a normal pony, but even with them she had no chance of discerning the faint glow around the alicorn's horn. However, a tingle in her flank and a flop of her left ear told her everything she needed to know. Former princess was about to attack with magic which was the exact thing Pinkie tried to prevent her from doing. She knew she wouldn't manage to fly up fast enough to stop the spell. But almost immediately her inner fighting encyclopedia gave her the right idea. She raised to her hind legs, looking up at the alicorn. She bent her hoof above her flank and trusted it forward with as much speed as she could. A ball of flame formed around it and quickly soared through the air, directly hitting Scorching Sun's horn. The alicorn looked surprised as her magic dissipated and glanced down at the earth pony. Right then, her snout was hit with another wave of fire.
Morning Peacock, recited Pinkie Pie's mind as she furiously threw punch after punch, each sending a wave of fire towards the alicorn. The hoof-to-hoof combat ranged technique (a paradox in itself) developed by the martial artist called Maito Gai. The name didn't sound much pony, and Pinkie wondered from where she could have known anything about this strange technique. The sheer speed of punching causes friction to heat the air around one's hooves. If the applied speed is high enough, the air will set ablaze. Rapidly withdrawing the hoof will cause a wave of heat to be sent in the direction it was thrust in. Pinkie Pie had felt like her personality had split, back when her anger exploded. A part of her mind, the white one as Pinkie labeled it, controlled her body, rapidly punching the air in front of her, creating waves of fire to assault the opponent. It knew everything about fighting so the other part of Pinkie's mind (labeled pink) didn't struggle to take control of her body back. Basically, Pinkie felt like she was watching the whole scene from a distance. Like it wasn't her body that was doing all the fighting. As a matter of fact, it wasn't hard to believe. Pinkie didn't know where the wings had appeared from, why her coat and mane had changed color, or where she was drawing her incredible strength from. But it was the truth, just like the fact that she had saved her friends from certain death. For now, at least.
A cloud of dark smoke was all that was visible in the general direction the alicorn should be. Pinkie stopped her attack, waiting for the black veil to dissipate. She let her stressed hooves fall limply against her body, and then touch the ground as she returned to the normal four-legged standing position. She was panting, her furious attack had taken most of her strength.
The black smoke slowly thinned out until she was finally able to discern a pony figure behind it. Scorching Sun was still hovering there, her wings flapping in the air in slow, powerful beats. Her left fore hoof was pressed against her horn while the right one was extended before her. The small force field covering her body slowly dispersed as she withdrew her magic, lowering her hooves. She was breathing heavily too. It had taken a lot of magic power to shield from Pinkie's ferocious attack.
Both mares stared at each other, panting heavily, deciding how to proceed further.
***
“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!” shouted Princess Luna with her Royal Canterlot Voice. It really came in handy in crowd-control situations. “THE ELEMENT BEARERS ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO FIGHT A MIGHTY FOE! WE MUST NOT INTERVENE!”
Almost every pony in Ponyville gathered at the town square. It was hard not to notice something going on, with constant explosions, crashes and bangs coming from the direction of the Everfree Forest. Even now, the cloud of black smoke was hanged high in the sky. Some ponies had tried to go and inspect the cause of those noises for themselves, but then Princess Luna herself had arrived at the road leading to the forest. She was wounded and looked disheveled, and issued a royal decree that forbade everypony to venture near the hill.
“The Element Bearers would only be distracted by our presence if we were foalish enough to approach the battlefield,” she explained for the umpteenth time with a calmer voice as group of curious pegasi tried to fly around her. She was getting tired of it and had just about enough of her subject insubordination. “I appreciate your concern for your fellow townsfolk and friends, but your presence there could really tip the balance in Celestia's favor.”
“Wait, your highness,” interjected a teal-coated mare with the same color mane adorned with white stripes and a lyre for her Cutie Mark. “You mean to say that they are fighting the princess?” Her eyes were wide as saucers, filled with shock and disbelief. The expression quickly appeared on the faces of other ponies as they, too, grasped the meaning behind Luna's words.
“Yes,” Luna sighed, causing a massive outburst of collective gasps. “I mean no!” She quickly corrected herself. “The state Celestia is in right now is similar to ours when we were under the control of Nightmare Moon.”
“So...” began another mare, cream-coated with blue and pink puffy mane and some candies for her Cutie Mark, “is there any way we can help them? This fight looks mighty fierce.” She looked with frightened eyes at the cloud of black smoke that slowly began dispersing.
“We can only hope... and pray.” The princess lowered her head. After a short pause she added, “but if you do the latter, be sure that you don't pray to Celestia. It may indirectly give her an advantage.” Luna looked towards the hill and at the slowly thinning cloud of smoke. She bit her lip, feeling awful about being unable to help.
***
Both mares calmed their breaths, not breaking their glares at each other, even for a second. There was a slight commotion at the bottom of the hill, where the other Element Bearers waited, but neither of the fighters paid them any heed. Scorching Sun was gathering her strength, wondering how and where to strike next. She was getting tired and more annoyed with each passing minute of this ridiculous fight. Pinkie Pie was also conserving her strength, awaiting the alicorn's attack.
Suddenly, Scorching Sun felt a tingle of power and heat at the back of her wings. She reluctantly broke her staring contest with the white pegasus, and glanced around towards her beloved star. Waves after waves of what looked like liquid flames were rushing towards her. She chuckled, then laughed, then burst out in an uncontrollable guffaw, until finally it died down to a smirk. She spread her wings and hooves, waiting. From where Pinkie stood, it looked like the sun was growing behind the alicorn's back.
After what seemed like eternity of anxious waiting, Pinkie noticed a huge aureola of liquid flames gathering around Scorching Sun.
"The playtime is over!" bellowed the alicorn from above. "It was fun while it lasted, but finally my spell from earlier took effect. Behold the power of my glorious Solar Flare. In a moment you will be wiped off the face of Equestria. Along with other Element Bearers. And most of Ponyville for that matter."
The alicorn spread her legs and wings as far as she could, like she was trying to grab hold of the ring of fire around her. Her horn blazed furiously, being clearly distinguishable even amongst all the blinding light. With a sudden move she curled up, bringing her hooves and wings together. The movement pointed directly at the hill Pinkie Pie stood atop of, and that was precisely towards where the fire started creeping. It looked like the ring of flames shifted and extended around the princess, growing in size considerably with each passing second. Pinkie didn't know what exactly was this Solar Flare, but she was sure of one thing. She couldn't let it touch the ground. Just like before, with the Morning Peacock, the idea of a perfect defense technique sprung in her mind. She had no choice but to try it. She raised on her back legs again.
"KA..." Pinkie extended her hooves, cupping them together in front of her snout, pointing them directly at the princess. A very powerful energy technique developed by the martial artist called Turtle Hermit, recited the white part of her mind. At least that name sounded pony.
"ME..." the pegasus lowered her connected hooves next to her flank. It can be used with good results both for attacking and for defending. When used correctly, it provides an ideal counter against other energy or magic attacks that would otherwise be unhealthy to try to block with one's body. It was definitely that kind of situation.
"HA..." Pinkie closed her eyes and directed her latent energy towards her front hooves. It uses the life force of the one performing it, therefore being useful only if the user is strong enough. Shouldn't be a problem with that, chimed in the pink part of her psyche with a boastful smile.
"ME..." The small ball of energy appeared between her cupped hooves. It was glowing pink and made an odd sizzling noise. The pegasus shot her eyes open, looking at the princess engulfed in a wave of fire. The powerful Kamehameha.
"HAAA!!!" With a mighty yell, Pinkie thrust her forelegs before her, directing them at the alicorn. The pink ball of energy expanded tenfold with a loud boom. The recoil dug her hind legs in the ground knee deep as the wave of energy erupted from the ball towards the falling river of flame. The sizzling noise increased in strength as the whole hill was swept with a wave of air rushing down, caused by the massive energy outburst. In an instant, the pillar of pink force collided with the flames falling down from the sky, causing a loud boom to rumble through the whole town.
The advancement of both attacks stopped midway as each tried to overcome and push back the other.
“Impossible!” yelled Scorching Sun, more to herself than to anypony else, as the deafening noise drown out any other sounds. “The power of my beloved sun is unlimited!” With that she forced more magic through her horn, causing little cracks to appear on its surface. She neither felt it, nor cared about it, the fight having all her attention. As on queue, the wave of liquid fire composed itself and gradually began to push the pink wave of energy down. Pinkie Pie squinted her eyes, channeling more energy through her hooves, but for the first time since the fight had begun she felt a tingle of fear. She was pretty sure she was already at her limit, and the Solar Flare seemed to have increased in strength. Pinkie gave it all she got, but the advancement of the fiery waves only slowed down a little. Come on, white Pinkie, cheered the pink part of her mind. You have to save them! The white part of her psyche knew it. She was certain that if those flames reached the ground, they would burn the whole town to a crisp in an instant. The only problem was what she could do about it. She forced her fears and worries out and closed her mind, channeling even more of her energy through her hooves. Heavy beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and rolled down her face.
***
“Guys, we've got to help her!” shouted Rainbow Dash, trying to force her voice through the overwhelming noise around them. She had had her pierced wing bandaged by Fluttershy earlier, and Twilight had managed to stop the bleeding with her magic, but still the flight appendage was in no condition to even be moved. The Element of Kindness was helping Applejack and Rarity with their burns and bruises.
“But what can we do?!” shouted Twilight, reaching Rainbow Dash's side. “You can't fly, the girls are wounded, and my magic is useless in a clash of this... magnitude.”
Rainbow looked up and Twilight noticed tears forming in her eyes. She didn't even try to hide them. “There's got to be a way! There must be something we can do!” If there was anything that drove the Element of Loyalty past the edge, it was helplessness and inability to aid her friends.
Fluttershy looked at both mares. It reminded her of the time they had all made a tornado to transport water to Cloudsdale. She had been scared back then and positive that her little wing power would make no difference. However, she had managed to help. Through their combined effort they had managed to succeed. She glanced up the hill and beyond, at the point where both attacks collided in the sky.
“Twilight!” she shouted, which in Fluttershy's case made her voice barely audible through the noise. “Remember what you told me during the hurricane incident? You reminded me that no matter how weak and helpless we may seem, there is strength within us that can make the difference.”
Rarity and Applejack both came closer, the five friends now standing together.
“Ah don't really know wha's going on,” Applejack said, looking at the sky, “but Ah'm afraid she's losing it. We have t'help 'er Twi'.”
“We simply cannot just leave her fighting alone now, can we?” Rarity looked at Twilight.
“Even if it's only a little, maybe our presence will at least offer Pinkie some moral support,” added Fluttershy.
“Yeah, what they said. Even if we go down, we're going down fighting!” shouted Rainbow Dash, stomping her hoof hard on the ground for additional effect.
Twilight looked at her friends, a blush of shame reddening her cheeks. How could she be so easily discouraged from fighting for her friendships? After all, it was her that had brought them together when they had battled Discord. And now they all needed to remind her just how powerful the magic of friendship was. She felt ashamed, like she hadn't learned anything at all.
“You're right.” she closed her eyes, blinking away the tears of self-pity that suddenly forced their way out. “Besides, if we let Pinkie lose that Solar Flare will wipe us along with the whole Ponyville off the face of Equestria.” Everypony gulped hard at that unnecessary comment.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rainbow Dash turned around and started climbing up the hill. Other Element Bearers followed.
***
There was no way the two giant pillars of light could be missed by anypony in Ponyville, or for that matter by anypony all the way to Canterlot. Everyone quickly realized that if the fire pouring from the sky reached the ground, all of them, along with the whole town, would perish in an instant. There was some panic as few of the ponies began to run towards Whitetail Woods, in an attempt to save their lives. Many of the Element Bearers' friends, however, stayed in the town square with Luna.
“Is there anythin' we can do t'help them?” asked the small yellow filly with a bow on her head. She had to raise her voice to be heard through the noise that submerged the town when two pillars of energy collided.
“Like aid them with magic or something like that?” added a little unicorn beside, the rushing wind jerking her puffy purple mane about violently.
“Yeah, there must be something... anything we can do!” An orange pegasus filly stomped the ground with her hooves.
“Eeyup,” confirmed a handsome red stallion. There was a loud murmur of agreement from everypony who didn't flee the town.
Luna looked at the ponies, amazed at the bond that connected them and their dear friends. Truly, if the Element Bearers lost their battle, running away would only prolong the life in fear and hiding from Scorching Sun for a little while. But nopony except for her and the Bearers knew that. So while many attempted to flee, in a false belief that they could start anew somewhere else if Ponyville was destroyed, those ponies voluntarily stayed, risking their lives for their friends. Luna closed her eyes, making the decision.
“If there is anything at all that we could do, we have to have faith and believe they will succeed,” she said, turning towards the group of ponies. “I know it doesn't sound much, but this too is the magic of friendship, love and compassion. So please, everypony, close your eyes,” she said, turning around, aiming her horn towards the hill, “and wish them all good luck. I will channel all your feelings to them. You may not think much of it, but wishful thinking is a force to in fact be reckoned with.”
All of the ponies closed their eyes and began wishing their best to Element Bearers. Some thoughts were strong and vivid, directed at the specific Element, probably from the family members and closest friends, while others were calm but sure and honest, directed towards the six Bearers in general. The amount of friendship, love, compassion, understanding, good luck wishes and many other positive emotions flowed through Luna with the magnitude she wasn't expecting at all. She quickly concentrated, however, and channeled all of the thoughts through her horn towards the hill. There was obviously more to this ancient magic than even she had ever expected.
***
The higher up the hill, the harder it was for the Element Bearers to press on. The energy outburst, along with powerful gusts of wind it caused, literally pushed them back. Rainbow Dash lead the way, the others following closely behind her. It was getting hotter and the air was drier with each step towards Pinkie Pie. The wave of liquid inferno forcing its way down from the sky was closer with each passing minute. Rainbow Dash didn't know a thing about Pinkie's own energy beam, but subconsciously suspected that it was a great strain on her friend. With only a few steps separating her from the pink-earth-pony-now-turned-white-pegasus she almost felt like she was pressing against a hot bricked wall. Each step was taking a great deal of strength to make, and her pierced wing didn't help any.
Suddenly, when she was about to collapse from the effort, she felt a warm feeling in her heart giving her strength. She closed her eyes in surprise and saw a vision of Scootaloo, cheering her on. Hearing multiple gasps from behind her, she realized the others were feeling it too. She embraced the feeling and made another step. Then another, and another, forcing through the invisible wall of energy and heat.
***
Pinkie Pie felt like she was drawing energy from her willpower alone. Her eyes stung, her fore legs hurt because of the strain, her hind legs were buried knee deep in the dirt. Additionally, the unnatural standing position, coupled with a lot of force pushing her into the ground, made her back feel like a thousand needles pierced through her every muscle. She knew she couldn't keep her attack up any longer, while Scorching Sun's Solar Flare gradually advanced closer and closer. She closed her eyes, about to collapse, when she, too, felt the magic of friendship rushing through her. With her inner eye she saw the faint outline of princess Luna and all the other townsponies cheering her and her friends on, projecting their good will towards them.
A sudden touch of a hoof on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. She turned around, meeting the magenta eyes of Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus smiled with confidence as she closed her eyes. The lightning-bolt-shaped necklace lit with a red glow. Realizing what Rainbow was doing, Twilight nodded to her friends as she, too, closed her eyes. One after another, the necklaces lit with power as the Element Bearers formed a semicircle behind Pinkie Pie. The aura of colorful faint light embraced the white pegasus, giving her much needed strength. The red orb of light formed in front of her chest. Pinkie closed her eyes as she felt the Element associated with it. The Loyalty filled her heart, giving her strength to push on for her friends. Soon after the orange light joined, filling her with Honesty. Green light appeared almost instantly, with Kindness filling her heart. It was followed by a blue one as Generosity manifested itself inside her. Finally a violet orb appeared and Pinkie felt raw Magic welling up inside of her. One of the Elements was missing, but the pink part of Pinkie's mind already knew what to do. She embraced her other white powerful personality as if giving it a hug. In an instant, she felt whole again as the white and the pink joined, not being separate entities anymore. She felt the last Element, Laughter, surfacing from deep within her, manifesting as a pink orb of light next to the others.
The moment all Elements gathered together, Pinkie felt such a tremendous rush of power through her that the only thing she could do was to direct it outside. The spherical base of her attack collapsed for a moment, exploding almost instantly even bigger than it was before. The six orbs of colorful light danced around it and spiraled upwards, leaving a tail of colors behind them. There was a moment of uncertainty when the rainbow-colored corkscrew reached the Solar Flare, but soon after they connected the river of flames was drilled right through, scattering around the sky and dissipating with a hiss. The magical energy shot further upwards, engulfing Scorching Sun, eliciting a painful scream from her. The powerful magic swept right through her, purging her soul and mind of any thoughts or emotions.
***
She was bathing in a white light, hovering in a pool of whiteness, the concept of a body seeming as abstract as the idea of using magic for an earth pony. However, she realized, the idea of 'her' appeared out of nowhere, giving her personality some conscious form. She slowly started feeling the borders of her existence separating her from the outside world. She tried to 'open' her 'eyes', but the whiteness was all there was. Except for a pink dot right before her. The pink spot was slowly but surely growing as if it was getting closer. As soon as she thought that, she saw the horizon appearing, separating two shades of white before her eyes. The pink circle was like a sun rising over it. She observed it, wishing to be able to get closer to it. As soon as the thought manifested in her mind, she felt the rush of 'air' against her 'limbs'. Each recovered feeling caused another and finally a cascade of memories filled her mind with a force of a warm but kind and delicate waterfall. She was very close to the pink spot, noticing it looked like a pony. An explosion of memories caused her consciousness to reappear with a tremendous force. As soon as she realized who she was, she noticed the face of a familiar pink pony beaming at her with an almost impossibly-wide smile. The pony stretched her hooves towards her as she, too, reached forward, feeling a sudden jerk. The pink pony grabbed her tightly and embraced her in the strongest hug she had ever felt before. The pink filled her vision as she felt a wave of warmth rushing through her.
***
Pinkie Pie stopped channeling energy through her hooves. The spherical base of her technique slowly compacted until it died out completely. The prismatic orbs of light faded out from the front of her chest. Pinkie dropped on her hooves, panting heavily, but they gave out on impact. She collapsed on the ground, her mane and coat regaining different shades of pink. Her eyes turned blue once again and her Cutie Mark got the usual set of colors. She remained lying, panting heavily with her eyes closed. She was sure she had felt Celestia's usual presence right before the Kamehameha had faded away. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hooves gripping around her in a strong hug. She opened her eyes and saw a glimpse of a rainbow.
“Rainbow Dash?” she panted. “It hurts.”
The overjoyed cyan pegasus withdrew her forelegs in an instant. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.
Pinkie's closest friends joined her together and she felt an assault of hugs and nuzzles from every side.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” she squealed.
“Pinkie, are you OK?” asked Twilight with a worried look.
“I think. But I hurt all over,” admitted the pink earth pony. “I feel like I've lifted the moon on my back. Only I really couldn't because it's so high, and so big, and anyways it flies on its own, and doesn't fall on the ground, and-” Twilight pushed her hoof into Pinkie's mouth. She might have hurt all over but her tongue was definitely in a good shape.
“I get the picture,” the unicorn said gently.
“Twilight, how's princess Celestia?” asked Pinkie, causing a worried look to appear on the unicorn's face.
“Why, I...”
“I'm feeling pretty good, thank you,” they all heard a familiar voice behind them. They turned around and gasped in shock as an unfamiliar figure approached them. She was clearly an alicorn, but a lot smaller than usual Celestia. Her hair was light pink, much shorter, and definitely immobile, unlike the usual flowing royal hairstyle. Only her Cutie Mark remained the same. Twilight knelt down as the memory of how Princess Luna had looked, after she had been defeated with the magic of harmony, appeared in her mind. Celestia standing in front of them looked similar, save for the obvious changes in coloring.
The other ponies, except for Pinkie, who was still lying on the ground, knelt in unison, as they too recognized the princess.
The princess disregarded them, however, and instead looked at the aftermath of the battle. The hill was covered with craters of various sizes, some trees in the Everfree Forest were toppled, and the air all around was so hot and dry it made breathing unpleasant. Celestia looked at the star that was the source of her magic. It looked strangely dim for an afternoon and drawing magic from it felt like drinking from a half-empty glass.
The princess's face displayed a large set of negative emotions as she put two and two together and realized what she had done.
"Rise, noble heroes," she said, blinking rapidly to stop the tears of self-disgust. "It is I who should bow before you, not the other way around." The princess turned away, pressing her hooves against her eyes.
"Princess..." Twilight began, but Celestia interrupted her.
"I'm not worthy of being called that. Truth be told, if I were to be judged fairly, I should just..."
"You should be banished to the sun for a whole thousand of years, dear sister." Everypony turned around upon hearing those words. Princess Luna was walking slowly up the hill, Spike jogging beside her to keep up.
"By sun and moon, have I hurt you too, Luna?" gasped Celestia looking at her sister's bandaged wind.
"You have," the dark alicorn stated truthfully. Princess Celestia was on the verge of crying, but swiftly collected herself and faced Luna with a serious expression.
"I'm ready to accept the punishment, sister. You know the spell, don't you?" She looked up at Luna, who was now taller than her and closed her eyes.
In the overwhelming silence that followed, a sudden slap was almost as loud as the blast of Pinkie Pie's party cannon. Celestia pressed a hoof to her cheek and looked with disbelief at Luna who extended her wing once again, this time only to lower it gently around her sister's back.
"You're still acting like a true monarch, sister," sighed Luna, nuzzling Celestia's cheek. "You decide your punishment on your own and expect me to just execute it. Let it be known that I will do no such thing."
"But..." Celestia began, still gripping her cheek.
"Sister, I know better than anypony else what it feels like to be under the devastating effect of the Elements," Luna explained, gently caressing her sister's back with her wing. "You cannot be held responsible for Scorching Sun's actions. She wasn't you."
"And yet I banished you to the moon over a thousand years ago. With my own magic! How can I ever look at myself in the mirror if I committed the same crime and wasn't punished for it?" Celestia cried, tears rolling down her cheeks freely.
"Celly, you didn't banish me but Nightmare Moon. And you only did it because you couldn't defeat her on your own. Just like I couldn't defeat Scorching Sun." A warm smile graced Luna's face. "I guess we should both be grateful for the strength of friendship that binds the current Element Bearers." Both alicorns turned towards the group of friends who observed the family reunion without interruptions.
"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said bowing before the unicorn, "words are not enough to express my gratitude towards you and your friends. If it weren't for you..." she sighed, the overwhelming feeling of shame making her unable to finish.
"We wouldn't even be speaking here now." Finished Rainbow Dash. "Whole Equestria would have been burnt to cinders with that solar flare thing."
"Rainbow!" Twilight jabbed the pegasus in the ribs, her face frozen in shock.
"No, no, Twilight. It's quite alright," said the princess. "That bad, huh?"
Celestia drew a long breath to collect her thoughts. "My little ponies..." she began, immediately biting her tongue. "Or rather, noble heroes, will you accept my apologies and an everlasting gratitude for defeating me?"
"Scorching Sun," corrected Luna.
"Of course, princess." Twilight smiled gently. "But if you want to express gratitude, you should do so to Pinkie Pie. It was only thanks to her that we're able to stand here and talk."
Everypony looked around, searching for the mentioned pink pony, only to find her lying on the ground, breathing heavily. They all rushed towards her frantically as the spell of confusion and shock was finally broken.
“How do you feel, my little pony?” Celestia asked, nuzzling Pinkie's cheek.
“Tired. And my body feels all numb,” said Pinkie truthfully.
“I wish I could help you, but I'm afraid you will just have to have a long rest,” said the princess, lying next to pinkie. “And maybe you will ask your zebra friend to prepare some soothing herbs for you,” she smiled at Pinkie who grinned back despite her aching muscles.
Celestia smiled back. “Pinkie Pie, I would like to express my apologies for hurting you and your friends. And you have my everlasting gratitude for defeating me... Scorching Sun.” She embraced the lying pink pony gently with her wing, feeling her eyes moisten once again. “Surprisingly, it was you who stood your ground where the others failed. I must ask you though: from where did you draw your amazing strength?”
“Yeah,” interjected Rainbow Dash. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“An' just what was tha' mighty pillar of light that stopped the princess's fire magic?” added Applejack.
“And why did your coat and mane change color?” Rarity wanted to know. “I don't mean to say they looked bad on you, darling, but I must say pink suits you so much more.”
“And how did you manage to grow wings all of a sudden?” demanded Twilight. “I never heard of such a spontaneous species shift before.”
Fluttershy looked at the sun princess then at each of her friends. “I can't believe all of you,” she said with a stern voice, much louder than her usual. “Look at her, she can barely stand. We must get her to the hospital, and quick. You can ask her all about her super powers later, when she rests a little.” The trainings with Iron Will have surely paid off, allowing Fluttershy to assert herself this much in front of none other than the princess herself. Celestia scolded herself mentally when she saw the obvious wisdom in the Element of Kindness's words.
“You're right, my dear,” she admitted. “We can continue our conversation later, after we have delivered Pinkie Pie to the hospital. My little pony, will you...” her voice abruptly died in her throat as she saw Pinkie lying on the ground with her eyes closed. She gasped in fear, but the regular rising and falling of Pinkie's chest made it clear that she was just sleeping, exhausted after the battle. With a gentle smile on her face Celestia lit her horn. Twigs and blades of grass danced around, according to her magic guiding them, forming a makeshift stretcher. She gently lifted the pink pony and placed her exhausted and aching body on it. Not wanting to waste any more time that it was necessary, she wrapped everypony and Spike with her magic and winked out, heading to the hospital.
