Flare
Flare
When the end comes, you cannot prepare for it
You cannot fight it, nor stop it.
It may be quick and painless, it may be agony…
But when it does come, leave the world with no regrets, no shame and make sure the ones you love were by your side.
The sound of sirens echoed. The rising alarm rose high throughout Ponyville, with flashes of red lights on top of them spun and the screams of fear rose through the streets. Ponies of all kinds ran up and down the streets as the siren died down before it ran through another cycle as its high alarm continued.
Twilight Sparkle, former student of princess Celestia and now Princess herself, felt her heart break as the alarms continued its cycle. Her eyes were red with tears and her chest rose and fell heavily.
She stood at the base of her castle, where ponies of every kind were running into her castle to seek shelter. Many of them carrying belonging and other important things. Pictures, memorabilia, loved ones, foals and food. Food would be the biggest problem after the… event.
Why… why did it have to be now?
2 months earlier…
The room was silent as the news had been spoken through several leaders, dignitaries and other VIPs.
“What?” was the simple question. It was so simple but yet so full of fear and desperation that it felt more like a statement and something that many if not all wish to be true.
Celestia sighed.
“I don’t know when. Any moment from now or until the end of the year, it could happen. I didn’t believe it at first as well but I… felt it. I… tried to… prayed to that… it wouldn’t happen but it will.”
She sounded so unsure of herself and it didn’t help that she looked so weak for saying it. The room was filled with leaders from across Equss. Ponies, horses, minotaurs, dragons, Griffons, donkeys, zebras, elk and even the changeling Queen herself, Chrysalis, were in the room. Twilight, her friends, Shinning Armor, Cadence, Luna and Discord were there two.
“And you cannot stop it?” asked a Griffon Leader.
Celestia shook her head.
“Despite my magic and my ability to control the sun, it itself has its own will. It can grow, it can change… it can breathe, it can die… it can release vast amounts of heat. And its going through a cycle that happens every few thousand millennium.”
She then focused her eyes to them all.
“A massive Solar Flare is coming.
The alarms died down again before going back up. Twilight sighed, her eyes focusing on the distance palace that was Canterlot. The castle too, had its own alarms; they were probably going on right now.
Shinning and Cadence had already taken her parents and other family and friends away from Canterlot some weeks ago to the Crystal Empire. She hoped it would be enough.
More ponies came pouring through, some even carrying carts full of food that would hopefully last them. Many carried seeds, water and more, to survive the flare… if they survived.
“And why has this come up now, Celestia?” spoke Chrysalis. Despite her demeanor, she remained calm and collective. Aren’t you all powerful and mighty?” she mocked.
It was too difficult of a situation for her to grow weary of her but she still spoke.
“I am no goddess, Chrysalis. I can bleed, I can die and I can lose everything… just like you.”
Chrysalis gave a snort.
“Changelings have survived for eons underground under the ridicule of you ponies. I believe we can survive this.”
“Oh please.” Counter-mocked Discord. “You really think your little anthills can survive a thing like this?”
Chrysalis gave a growl and snapped at Discord.
“And what of you? You claim yourself to be a god of chaos! This is a chaos, could you not stop it?”
Discord had always been one of jokes and pranks, going to even throw Equestria into total disarray. Yet, he was as calm and collective as… well he was one of the few calm ones. But even he had some fear of the approaching flare.
“And you cannot stop chaos! This is natural chaos and something as natural as a hurricane, a tornado, a volcano or in this case, a Solar Flare, cannot be stopped. Besides, my magic could only prolong the inevitable, just like anything else. A pause here or vanish there, it means nothing if it will happen now or later. It’s not a question if… it’s a question of when!”
When in deed and now, Twilight and all the leaders created alarms across the world to warn of the impending doom. A doom that had little warning. Twilight looked up towards the sun and despite its bright glare, she still saw it.
A massive arc of flame, almost the size the sun despite its size and distance had formed in the bright blue sky and it grew bigger as it approached Equss. It was coming soon and fast. Already, the heat was making it unbearable and the worst part was, their chances for survival was beginning to fall.
The leaders began yelling at one another, throwing fits and blaming one another for it. Some even began to get physical and started lashing out. It was understandable, they were frightened and unsure what to do.
Twilight already felt sick to her stomach, her eyes were strained with tears and she wished it was not coming true. She wishes she could do something to prevent it, anything. She would give up her princess hood, her magic, her horn, her wings, anything… just so that it could be stopped and her friends and family could live a full happy life.
Almost all of Ponyville had now retreated into Twilight’s castle. What hope would they have there? She honestly didn’t know. She thought that maybe if all unicorns and magical reserves had been pulled and channeled to Twilight, she would create a shield strong enough to survive the blast… at least, that was the hope.
The sun was magical in nature but it was raw magic as well as a natural force. It was hard to tell what would kill them first, the magical force or the natural heat that would cook them. She looked towards the last remaining ponies as they came through.
Cloudsdale had to be moved behind some heavy and tall mountains to avoid the blast. If they survived it, then there might be a chance for them to have water to regrow plants.
Canterlot was being emptied out completely except a few brave guards who wished to have served Celestia one last time. Most have already left to other cities that many thought might be safe. Other species either looked to underground or created magical barriers around their homes, hoping that it would survive the impact of the Solar Flare.
The only ones that had few to worry about were the Phoenix and dragons. Though they are naturally heat resistance, their food supply was what mattered as well as the intensity of the heat might actually harm them.
Other creatures that required their environment… not so much.
The leaders continued their loud bickering until Luna released a might yell.
“ENOUGH!!!!!!” She boomed, nearly sending a few leaders flying and many ears ringing.
As they all settled down and managed to gain some hearing back, it grew quiet.
“I know we are all scarred.” Spoke out Celestia.
“Scarred!” cried out one of the delicate. “We are beyond scarred! It is because of you that you have sent us onto a mass extinction!”
“I have no control of the ‘Natural Life Force’ of the sun!” she pleaded. “Just like we don’t have all control of magic, of mature or anything. Some things are beyond us.”
“Well some of us.” Spoke out Discord.
All eyes went to him in both anger and disgust.
Ignoring his comment, Celestia continued on.
“I didn’t bring you all here to talk about the doom of your race or extinction level events. I am here to discuss how you may all survive it. I know that it maybe bleak but the truth is, everything can and will die if we do not cooperate together so we can survive this. I may not be able to stop the Solar Flare but I can absorb the energy and mayhap lessen the damage. If all goes well, then maybe the world can survive and so can we.”
“And if you cannot lessen the damage?”
“… May the gods forgive me.”
Ponyville was completely disserted now. All houses were left uninhabited and were completely avoided of anything essential.
Twilight looked upon in wonder and sadness at the sight. Was it really the end?
“Twilight!” she turned her head to see Applejack and her friends coming.
“Are we all here?” she asked, making sure that anypony who lived around here and a bit further was accounted for.
“No! Spike went to get Zecora. She was helping to treat Derpy who got hurt and get some last minute potions from her home!”
“What! How long have they been gone!?”
“Almost an hour!” Spoke Fluttershy. “They were close by but now we don’t what’s taking so long!”
“Well we have to find them! The Solar Flare could go off any…”
A large flash of light came from behind her. She turned to see a large golden orb rising from Canterlot. It was Celestia. She was preparing to slow the flare.
“…minute.”
Celestia rose high above Canterlot and despite the distance, it was still big. This was it… this was going to happen… now.
“I have set up sirens all over so that when the flare approaches, you know you must be prepared to evacuate or go to a safe house.” Spoke Twilight. She was a nervous wreck right now, but she never spoke with more certainty than before. “I, Discord, and several other scientist and Archmages have pulled out resources for several months now, to create an energy crystal that should protect a large area or group of individuals from harm.” She then swallowed. “There is no guarantee that the magic will survive the blast.” This sent a chill down everyone’s spine. “Even if Celestia managed to slow down the Flare, we are unsure if any of the heat or blast would withstand it, this is just… best case scenario.”
“I also recommend that any and all leaders that have access to underground areas, cave, ravine and the like it to be at least well protected, as well as accommodations to houses, your race plus others… You will need to ration any extra food, water, magic, anything essential so that if and when we survive this, we can have each other to rebuild upon. Nothing goes to waste, nothing important should be left unchecked and no one should be left out when it happens.”
She then paused and looked at all the worried faces, unsure whether she was joking or not. In all the time she was Princess, she has never felt unsure of herself than now, knowing that once again, the fate of other’s hanged on her shoulders. This time, the world was at stake and it was unavoidable.
The flare was fast approaching; the sky began to glow with bright auroras of red, yellow and orange. Celestia’s form stopped at a certain point at the sky, hovering a few miles high above Canterlot.
Twilight could almost feel the sadness coming from Celestia, as she was there; ready to give up her live and her energy to stop something that she once controlled. Discord had given most of his chaotic magic to help her in slowing it down, but the chaotic nature of a flare would work little with it. He was now back in his realm trying to recover. Celestia has so much power in her that it almost seemed she would succeed in stopping it… almost. As she hovered there up in the sky, another blue light soared up in the sky to meet Celestia. It was Luna.
She flew up, next to her sister, and from this distance, Twilight knew that Luna was saying good bye to her. The flare grew bigger. Luna then soared across the sky east nearly faster than the Rainboom and disappeared over the horizon.
A flash of white was scene from Celestia’s form. A magical golden aura began to form around the air as Celestia began to counter the flare. Just as it happened, Spike and Zecora came sharp from the corner of the street with a wagon in tow and the foal of Derpy running alongside with them.
“What! You can’t!” Twilight cried, openly sobbing as she braced Celestia with all her might.
Celestia held Twilight close, letting her cry in her chest. There was a way to survive the flare but it required Celestia to give up all her magic and possibly her life to even remotely slow it down. It would still hit but the chances of survival would be medium to high. The uncovered lands would take a hit, but the dark side of Equss would be protected by night and since it was Luna’s domain, half the planet would be save. Along with that, any important artifacts and treasure could be taken to the dark side of Equss to be protected.
All that… if Celestia gave up her power and life.
“Please don’t do this! There has to be another way!”
Celestia shed her own tears as she held her student… no, her daughter. She held her daughter close to her. As much as she wanted to say it would be okay, it would be a lie and she didn’t want the last words for Twilight to be a lie.
The whole day was spent creating the spells, alarms announcements and all that across Equss. Species where beginning to pull their resources to create shelters, caves, underground cities and more. Discord and a few former enemies where even contributing. Old enemies became helpful allies as the struggle for survival began now or within a year.
Celestia pulled the crying Twilight away from her.
“I am sorry Twilight but his is the way it has to be. Trust me, if I could find a way, any other way, I would tell you first.”
“But it was my job to protect all of us!” she wailed.
Celestia gave her a warm smile.
“And you have… so many times. I can’t count how many times you have saved so many lives and Equestria. The many accomplishments that neither I nor any others in long past, have come close to. You, my little pony, exceeded, surpassed and even bettered me in every way. More than I have in my lifetime of experiences.”
She used her feathers to brush off the tears from her eyes.
“You have made me so proud of you Twilight. You have brought back and saved my sister, despite out short time together, I am so happy to see her, of every moment. You redeemed my former student, whom just like you, is a daughter to me. She now openly calls me her mother and now lives happily in another world with her friends. I never felt so happy, so complete and so full of joy… because of you Twilight Sparkle.” She then leaned down and kissed her above her eyebrows before bringing her in for another hug. She cried happily as she held her daughter close to her. Twilight continued to cry, holding onto her with all her might.
“No matter what happens to me, always know that I am proud of you Twilight. I will always be here for you and that I love you. I love you with all my heart.”
“Run Spike!” she cried out. The flare came and smashed against the golden aura. The flare seemed to struggle against the force for a bit, pushing down as more of it came pouring from the back and adding to the force.
Spike was running with the wagon carrying Derpy in it. His large form, almost as tall as Celestia and thicker body made it easy to pull the cart. Zecora and Dinky were running side by side, trying to run towards Twilight’s castle. As they neared, Celestia managed to give a final push, releasing all her energy before shooting straight through the flare and flying towards the sun.
The force of both her and the flare instantly incinerated Canterlot mountain. What was left of the aura blanketed a few areas around the sky but some of the flare still reached through. A wave of the flare came through and smashed down the mountains before speeding down towards the base and spreading out. The wave began making its way to Ponyville.
Spike pulled with all his might at the cart. Dinky feeling the intense heat of the flare and turning her head, she didn’t see where she was going, causing her to tumble as she missed a step.
Zecora and Spike didn’t see her fall and continued to run.
“Help!” she cried out. She tried to stand but she had injured her ankle to harshly. Spike and Zecora made it to the castle but only now managed to hear the cry of Dinky.
Twilight and the other’s watched the flare wave coming closer to Ponyville. Derpy was still in the cart and everypony else was in there. Spike had to save Dinky as she was some distance away.
“Twi! Raise the shield, I’ll get Dinky!” He then turned around and ran back towards Dinky, towards the coming wave.
“Hurry!” she cried, before quickly turning to everypony inside her castle. “Alright everypony!” She yelled. “Like we practiced! Pour all your magic to the gem in the middle! All of it!” Any unicorn or any magic user capable of casting a spell, began pouring their magic or any magic to the large purple gem that stood in the middle of the castle. The combined magic instantly formed a violet shield around the castle.
Spike managed to reach Dinky. He quickly scooped her up before turning around and running as quick as he could back to Twilight. The flare was already here and was sending the heat wave first, instantly catching everything on fire, burning it or already incinerating anything. Spike used his body to shield Dinky from any heat.
The shield held strong as the heat didn’t pass through. All the needed was Twilight to fully strengthen it. Twilight watched in horror as Spike ran with all his might, carrying the foal in his claws, the heat already affecting his scales, not to pain but some discomfort. Dinky was already turning red from the burning and some of her hair was being burnt off.
“Spike!” Twilight cried, tears streaming down her face. Spike looked back and regretted it as the flare touched down on Ponyville and was instantly incinerating everything.
The floor beneath him was beginning to melt or crumble beneath him. He cried out as his foot got stuck in the melted streets. He looked up to see he was 15 hooves away from the shield. He felt the wave fast approaching, Dinky was crying in pain from the heat. He then turned to Twilight, who was staring at him, tearing streaming down her face.
“CATCH HER!” He roared. He then quickly reached Dinky with his claws, exposing her a bit to the heat, before rearing back his one arm with Dinky, before throwing her as hard as he could towards Twilight.
Twilight gasped, instantly opening a hole of the portal to allow Dinky to fly through before it closed. Rainbow Dash quickly jumped and caught her in her arms.
“Got her!” she yelled.
Twilight’s focus was on Spike who was looking at her with a sad smile.
“Spike!” she cried. She was about to open the shield again to run out and get him.
Spike shook his head, his own tears showing as he waved to her. His form was turning bright orange in flame…
No…
The wave came and Spike disappeared in a wall of flame which quickly hit against the shield, sending Twilight flying back, nearly crashing her to the castle.
All the unicorns gave a cry as blast nearly tore through their magic. Twilight stood up, only to cry to see Spike was gone, not hearing the cries of the ponies.
“Twilight!” cried Rainbow Dash. “WE NEED YOU! THE SPELL IS BARELY HOLDING!” The shield was holding but it was starting to shimmer as it was being bombarded with the Flare wave. Twilight sobbed a bit, knowing she had just lost her baby brother.
“TWILIGHT!” She snapped out of her sob, turning to Rainbow Dash. She quickly got up and ran inside. The magic users were pouring their magic into the gem but some of them were already tiring out. Twilight quickly spoke loudly.
“ALRIGHT EVERYONE!! GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!” she rubbed her tears away before closing her eyes.
Focusing all of her energy, she opened her eyes, revealing all white before growing with power. As she rose, she focused her horn onto the gem and fired toward the crystal. The extra magic gave the shield a stronger boost, making it shimmer and actually push towards the flare.
They all held their magic together, pushing everything they got. It felt almost like hours but in less than 20 seconds, the flare began to die down and the energy of the shield helping to ease the flow of the flare. It began to break apart and slowly die off.
With the last of the flare disappearing, the shield required less energy which sustained itself and all the magic users either blacked out or fell tiredly. Twilight panted heavily as she had used her most of her magic. When she heard quietness, she turned to look at the door. She was filled with dread on what would the outside world look like.
Turning to everyone else, many were shaking, crying or even unconscious from the spell. She saw that her friends were all fine, their families were there as well as the town residence. Everyone was here…
“Spike…” she broke down to tears and collapsed on the floor as she quietly sobbed to herself.
The worst was over… now came the waiting.
Nightfall came many hours later and despite the shield still in place, the outside could still be lit by the glows of fires and heated areas. No one dared to look outside the windows and view the devastation of the flare. Twilight had managed to stop crying and triple checked the amount of ponies and supplies needed to survive this.
If anything, Ponyville might have gotten the worst of it but there were still inhabited places around Equestria. If the flare was really as bad as she previously thought, all life on Equss wouldn’t be possible.
Looking at the door, she slowly and cautiously walked towards it. Everyone watched as Princess Twilight walked towards the floor. The anticipation killing them on how far off they really were.
She hesitated, her horn latching onto the handle but not opening. She turned to everyone else, whom were staring back at her. Some with fear, others with some hope and fewer with uncertainty. Making sure that the shield was still active, she slowly opened the door and peaked outside.
She shouldn’t have been surprised by the devastation. It reminded her much of what she dealt with Tirek long ago. It was night time but the horizons still lit up with an ominous red glow. Just from the view here, she saw that there was nothing left of Ponyville. It was a barren wasteland as far as she could see. There were no tress, no homes, the streets looked unrecognizable and Canterlot Mountain, or what was left of it, was just a stump of its former glory.
Yet, something in her gut told her that this wasn’t all bad. Maybe if she could see higher, maybe she could see how far out the damage was.
She pulled her head back in and turned to everyone. She spoke with hesitation.
“It is over everyone. I honestly… don’t know how much was damaged beyond Ponyville… but I am going to check it out for myself. Stay here until I returned.”
“I am going with you Twi.” Spoke out Rainbow Dash.
“No.” she spoke firmly. “You need to stay here and keep everyone calm. Besides…” she looked at them all. “I am not even sure the air is breathable right now. I can create a shield over me and keep me sustained for a bit. Not to mention that it still maybe hot outside and your feathers can burn off.”
Rainbow cringed as well as every other pegasi and flyer. She gave a nod.
“Be careful.”
She gave nod. With another sigh, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her.
The shield stood roughly ten feet outside of the Castle’s parameter. The grass below her remained untouched and just looking what lied outside of the shield, it felt like she was walking on clouds. Casting a shield spell to protect her from the heat but not stop her from taking off, she opened her wings and propelled herself off the ground.
She quickly opened the shield and closed it as she past through. Indeed the devastation had made everything look like a dessert but that was just here. How far would the damage have reached, she didn’t know.
As she climbed higher, she saw that much to her surprise and joy, the flare didn’t reach to far out. A few mountains survived with green still visible, even at night. Much of the Everfree was gone but a large part had remained and a few patches of land remained either untouched or small fires still burned but were going out.
Celestia had done it… she had managed to slow down and absorb most of the heavy force of the flare. Any more than that would have burnt off what was left or cleared off the atmosphere.
Turning her head towards the horizon, the white glow of the moon began to rise and with it, the coolness of the night. Like an invisible wave of water, the breeze that came with the moon washed over the land and began to extinguish flames or causing the big ones to dwindle.
A blue form, Luna’s cascaded over the lands as she flew across the skies, high in the atmosphere. Twilight gave a small smile, knowing that Luna had succeeded in saving the half side of the world and now is quelling the fires across the lands.
The fires quelled, Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard a distinct sound. Looking down below her, she saw that some of the earth, what was once a road, began shifting about.
Quickly landing below, she carefully inspected the shifting rock, thinking that maybe a Diamond Dog or changeling had dug its way out.
A purple clawed arm shot out of the ground.
“Spike!” she quickly summoned her magic, to move any earth and loose stone out of the way. Having forgotten her shield, she felt massive amount of heat radiating off of Spike.
She stood back, both from the heat and Spike’s form appearing from the ground. His tall form, now surpassing Celestia, emerged from the ground with a roar to follow.
Twilight yelped as piece of hot rock flew at her, quickly summoning her shield again. The rock pounced harmlessly off her shield as Spike stood on top of the loosen earth before turning to her. His eyes were now all green and lacked any pupils. He stood on his hind legs, tail twitching and he was growling. He was glowing a greenish fire, his greenish fire, that surrounds his body almost like an aura.
“T-Twilight?” His voice was deep, deeper than before as he came out of the ground.
“Spike?” she wanted to hug him, but even through the shield, he was still radiating a lot of heat. “Are… are you okay?”
Spike looked at her before looking down at himself. The ground beneath him was red hot and he could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“I… don’t know… I feel weird.”
She gave a hearty laugh, tears streaming down her face, happy to see him alive.
“A good weird or a bad weird?”
He looked at her.
“Like… like I took a bath in lava, then ate one of Pinkie’s overloaded sugar energy bars and wanted to pull of my own Sonic Rainboom.” He paused. “… I don’t know how to explain it but… I think I absorbed some of the flare.”
Twilight gave a nod. Judging by his glowing green flames and his… physique seemed more assertive and menacing, not this morning he was just as tall as her.
Now, he was taller than Celestia by almost a few hooves. His snout was longer, he had a longer tail… his wings?! His body still radiated with a greenish glow and now, he was alive.
“Are… are you sure your fine?”
He looked at her. He gave a quick self-check over.
“Other than knowing I thought I would die and get killed by a solar flare… yeah, I think I am fine. I think.”
Twilight has never felt more relieved in her life. Spike was alive, not all of Equestria was completely gone and hope was starting to swell in her chest.
Slowly, Twilight allowed the ponies to exist her castle, though many dared to look at the damage and desert look of their homes. Many began to spread their wings to look around while others tried to carefully walk through the loosen earth and search for anything, despite knowing there was nothing left.
The Mane 6 all gathered around, though a bit ways from Spike who was still hot but slowly cooling down.
“How are we doing on resources, girls?” Twilight asked.
“Well,” began Applejack. “If we all ration for awhile and anything is still fertile,” she scratched the charred earth below her. “I’d say we all could last a few months. Though I reckon by what you told me, that a few places ain’t touched by the flare, we might get an early start on planting food.”
“Same with water.” Entered Dash. “We ration it; we might be good for a while, though I know we might have to start giving water to the plants to grow and what not. Not sure if Cloudsdales survived or not, but we should look for any springs or rivers that haven’t dried up.”
“We’ll get to work on that as soon as we can.” Spoke Twilight. She turned to Rarity.
“I have saved tons of fabric to help with blankets , clothes for any approaching winters… if we get one. We will be set there. Also, I did managed to find more crystals to store energy so in case we need to rely on them, we will be set.”
Twilight nodded.
“Fluttershy?”
“… I managed to secure a lot of animals.” She said in a sad in hurt tone. “The ones that we need and a few of every species I could get.” So many animals were left and Fluttershy knew she couldn’t save them all. She took it the hardest.
“It’s alright Fluttershy.” Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You did your best and who knows, since not all of Equestria was burned, we will help you look for other species.”
Fluttershy gave a miner nod. Twilight lastly turned to Pinkie. Despite the devastation, Pinkie didn’t have her poofy mane but did try to keep her upbeat attitude.
“We saved a tones of books, recipes, cooking materials, a few stoves, ovens and more so we could have food to make or eat.”
Twilight gave a small smile.
“I hope you kept recipes other than making nothing but sweets. You know we can’t survive off on just those?”
Pinkie gave a sheepish grin but shook her head.
“I kept the ones that will help us. Besides, I memorize every sweet treat in my heart.”
Twilight pulled her and the others for a hug.
“I know it is tough right now, I know that we suffered a lot, but I know we will get through this. We each have taken a loss, we might have even lost somepony we care for, but if we can look on the good of it, is that we survived this and we did it together.” She looked upon each of her friends. “We saved many lives and we did so in the name of Harmony. Now that we have done what we can, there is only one thing to do now.”
“We rebuild it all and start over?” asked Spike.
The others turned to Spike’s larger form. His body stopped radiating the green flame or any heat for that matter. His form had surprised everyone though they were all happy he survived it. Though it did beg the question how he survived it all.
Towards the early hours of the morning, the ponies had already began to search for undamaged parts of the land to start planting seeds or searching for water. Ponyville was roughly gone and a few miles out as well. The flare must have been half the length of Ponyville, yet because of the intense heat, anything outside of its radius was either burned or scorched.
Half the Everfree was gone, nearly up to the castle of the two sisters. The ground for a few miles was completely dead, so nothing could grow there for a while. Luckily enough, nothing was laced with Solar Radiation or harmful magic, it seemed as though they really got lucky.
Luna had come near dawn, along with several of her night guards to aid Ponyville. While they helped, Luna quickly approached Spike and Twilight.
“How fair we here?” she asked.
Twilight gave a small smile.
“We all lived through it. I am not sure for the mental intake of it all but… we are all here.”
Luna’s attention turned to Spike.
“And you?”
Spike gave a shrug.
“I think I absorbed the flare or something. Not sure. Though, it feels like I have part of the sun in me or something.”
Luna gave a nod.
“Celestia had known of the coming event, knowing that it was inevitable. The spell which allows you to send scrolls and messages across Equestria was also a spell that allowed you to retain some of Tia’s Solar magic.”
Twilight and Spike were astounded by that news, not to mention something that would have saved them both heartaches.
“So… I have some of Celestia’s flare in me?” Luna nodded. “Cool. So, with it what can I do?”
“That is something I don’t even know of. But as far as I can tell, your ability to absorbed and survived the universe’s most lethal form of energy, you have now completely fire proof and I believe that with that and Tia’s magic, you have your own magic. Something that is not common in dragons.”
“But not rare either.” Quipped Twilight.
Luna gave a nod. She then turned silent and focused her attention to everyone else.
Ponies, mules, changelings, gryphons and other species where around the castle. What hundreds there were there, were still the best numbers reported in.
“Millions have died due to the unexpected or unpreparedness of the flare, yet billions have survived it because of you.” Luna said softly.
Twilight followed her gaze. There were families hugging each other, out of fear, sadness or happiness of their survival. The Night Guard were taking care of the wounded or were already scouting ahead to find suitable land to begin plantation and water.
“What about world leaders? Endangered species? Valuable Resources?”
Luna gave a moment of silence before speaking.
“A lot of the world leaders were already living in bunkers and underground since the news. As for the endangered species… well let’s hope Chrysalis and the diamond dogs didn’t damage them all and our resources should hold us off till the next season.
Any town like Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire or Applelossa didn’t get hit so they could help many other towns on the way with food and water. They are already sending aids to across Equestria. Any land that was under my domain was protected during the flare, so other countries and leaders are also on their way.”
As they watched the species mingle and began to work to a better future, the sun rose from the east, it looked as beautiful as the mornings before the flare.
“Will we ever see her again?” asked Twilight. The sun was slowly rising the horizon and the warmth it gave off was nothing short of wonderful.
Luna turned her head to the survivors.
“Not in their lifetime or the next.” She paused. “Celestia… had given much for the flare to be not as devastating. How long till the next one will not be for several thousand millenniums. Hopefully by then, we already have stronger magic to prepare ourselves for it, or Equss is all but abandoned and life has moved on.” She turned to Twilight. "My sister will return, I know it. But for now, she is gone and Equestria and the rest of the world must rebuild itself. Just like the Phoenix, we rise from the ashes and be reborn again. This time, we do it all together."
And so with the aftermath of a devastating force of nature, did species from across the world, truly come together. Cities and countries rebuild, relationships forged, lives replenished, and Harmony rang throughout the lands.
Species merged and became united and free countries, lands were restored to their rightful texture to regrow food, and history of this event will be remembered the day the world nearly ended, if not with the combined forces of leaders and the Princess of magic. She would be remembered as the hero of Equss.
Author's Note
Love it or hate it,(editless 
) I had this one on my folders for years. Big inspiration to Discovery Channel, Knowing(film) and stupid Sci-fi movies that scare the crap out of me more than any serial killer or monster.
I know it isn't my usual stories but I just wanted to get rid of this one asap before anything else.
One shot, no sequels or aftermath, maybe an epilogue for Celestia's return. That is it.
