Sparks of magic scorched the night air as a white alicorn dove into the cover of the surrounding clouds, her heart racing. Celestia squinted, still trying to adjust her vision to the blackness around her as her hiding place provided a short moment of respite. This was a new foe, of that she was certain. Perhaps some upstart from her old alicorn tribe who wanted to take her sister’s place. Her rival’s magic did seem familiar, if a little more potent than to what she was accustomed. A blaze of dark blue shattered the cloud behind her, grazing the alicorn’s withers. She blinked in pain, astounded the magic hadn’t shot through a wing. Keep moving. Dive and weave. Think. Dive and weave.
Where was Luna? They should be fighting together, as they had against Discord, Sombra, and Tirek. Celestia dropped to dodge another beam of darkness and the sky lit up as she retaliated, landing a direct blow on her opponent’s chestpiece, but failing to do any damage. Could her sister be sleeping? That wouldn’t make any sense. Nighttime was her domain. She’d shown too much pride in her work to miss such an event.
“Come now, great Princess of the Dawn.” Her rival alighted on one of the palace spires, the smirk on her fanged mouth giving Celestia shivers. “Surely you can do better. The sun is the greater light, is it not?”
Dropping her gaze to a particular room in the palace, Celestia considered for a moment. The Elements of Harmony had to have all of the traits united in order to work properly. She couldn’t do that by herself, could she?
Her enemy followed her gaze, seeming to read her thoughts. “Looking to boost our power, are we? You only hold three of the six elements, Princess. Or have you forgotten your other half so soon?”
The attack fell on numb limbs. Celestia knew her wing no longer carried her, but only felt the blow of the other alicorn’s words. How did she know? Only a select few knew of the Elements in the first place and the only ponies who’d known she and Luna split them in half were she, Luna, and Starswirl. Dirt and rock cut into Celestia’s pelt as she rolled in a crumpled heap on the ground.
It all made sense now.
Her alicorn rival touched the ground with the same grace, the same regality. Celestia’s heart begged her mind not to accept it. That she couldn’t have failed so miserably… again.
Her mother’s face had been so gentle, so kind before the sickness had taken hold of her. Celestia had tried so hard to please her, to comfort her by showing her mother that she could raise both sun and moon. That her sister would never have to sit in the shadow of her special talent. It was only the bit that tipped the scale, however. Arrogant, her mother had said, power hungry. Celestia had promised her father Luna would never suffer the way their mother had, that she would always ensure Luna felt equal, but now...
Her legs shaking, Celestia forced herself upright, searching the other mare’s face for some semblance of recognition. “L-Luna?”
The alicorn threw back her head and laughed, another spell building power around her horn. “A bit of a meek name for a being so powerful, don’t you think, sister? Even you in all your radiant glory can’t defeat us. We suppose now we shall see whose is the lesser light, shall we?”
“Luna, don’t.”
Celestia heaved aside to dodge the blast of magic aimed at her heart. Her hoofs felt like boulders beneath her, her wing refused to listen to her commands. Only her horn remained as a defense, but Celestia remembered her father’s choice. She remembered him sobbing over her mother’s lifeless form. There hadn’t been much else he could do. All because Celestia had raised the moon as well as the sun. All because she’d forgotten to protect her baby sister from the same fate.
She glanced at the palace behind her. She had something her father didn’t. Three of the six elements would have to do. Perhaps it would be just enough to cure her little sister.
Celestia backed away. “We know you’re hurting, Luna.”
“You don’t know anything, sister!”
Another blast knocked Celestia backwards, though now they were on grass. Sucking the night air in long and deep, she grit her teeth and pulled herself up again, still making her way to that palace wall.
The Nightmare’s eyes flashed and she pounded the ground with her forehooves. “We will not be ignored!”
This time, her sister’s magic threw Celestia against the wall, slamming her again and again until the mortar gave way. Every muscle in her body screamed. Exhausted, her eyes wouldn’t open, she couldn’t so much as flick her tail.
The tapping of hoofs greeted her ears, but Celestia remained motionless. The Nightmare’s whisper made her ear flick and she winced.
“Now the moon shall remain in its rightful place, even if the tides shall fail and Equestria freezes over. All will bear witness to the glittering beauty of the night and there will be nothing else to compare.”
She didn’t know where it came from, how it got there, or why she couldn’t feel it until now, but a spark of strength lit in Celestia’s chest and she directed every ounce of it to her horn, glowing like a dying candle in the room as six gems wove around her, dancing in the air before the Nightmare’s uncertain face.
“You can’t. You wouldn’t.”
The tears burned, but it hurt only a fraction as much as the grinding cracks in her heart. “I… must.”
Light shot out into the darkness, piercing the shadows without so much as a protest. Celestia shut her eyes biting her lip and forcing herself to focus everything into the Elements of Harmony. A scalding liquid dripped onto her foreleg and she opened her eyes.
No.
The element of magic had started to melt. Had she pushed too hard in her desperation? The Nightmare’s expression fell in horror and in a split moment, Celestia saw no more than her baby sister awaking from a bad dream.
And then she was gone.
Hearing other ponies claim that they’d waited for something for what seemed like a lifetime had lost its edge somewhat in the passing years, but she’d heard it too many times today as she walked the streets of Canterlot and it had started to grate.
Curse the concept of cliches.
Being immortal, Celestia counted years like most ponies counted days, but time still moved at the same pace, regardless of sometimes feeling as if it rolled backward instead.
A flash of light at her School for Gifted Unicorns made her blink and she jumped when a dragon’s head crashed through one of the walls.
She picked up her pace, eager to ensure the safety of her students.
After a number of inquiries, Celestia was able to pinpoint the origin of such powerful magic and entered the room. With a quick glance at the stunned school board, a couple ponies, and the baby dragon in the room, she followed all eyes to the violet filly at the center of the floor, her eyes still glowing.
That cutie mark…
Celestia had to check herself to make sure she didn’t show her excitement. It was as if the pony in front of her was the lost Element in flesh form. Was it possible for the other Elements to have bearers as well?
For the first time in almost a thousand years, her sister felt within reach.
