Daybreaker's Fiery Vengeance

Daybreaker's heart froze as she watched the other mares step forward. She didn't want to be banished ever again. She couldn't deny the determination in the unicorn's eyes. She had intended the trap to murder all of them, including the moon princess. Another chuckle bubbled from her throat as she smirked. Who were they kidding? The mere thought of them pitting themselves against the most powerful alicorn in all of Equestria amused her. She enjoyed the feeling of power, and she wasn't about to lose the throne to a measly group of non-alicorn ponies.

Daybreaker blew a column of flames at Sunset and watched the six ponies jump back. She snatched the Elements from their saddlebags. She toyed with the Elements, then tossed them against the floor. "This is all you got, huh? I am much more powerful than you believe me to be! The day shall never end!"

Sunset didn't flinch. Instead, she demonstrated pure courage. "The Elements have stopped you before. What makes you think this time will be any different? You don't scare us, so why are you afraid of the Elements? Is it because of the thousand-year banishment?"

"Guess what? You don't scare me, either. If you banish me again, I shall immediately destroy Equestria after another thousand years. Then I'll create my own civilization that will handle eternal sunlight. You won't stand in the way if I return a second time."

"So what are you going to do next time, banish Luna? You said you were getting tired of Celestia, but why did you prove otherwise?"

"Prove otherwise?! But if I lose, I won't completely leave. I will attempt to possess you in the near future. It feels good to be in absolute power, with no co-ruler to stand in the way. Consider what happened to the stallion. Because he helped you, I imprisoned him. Nopony can stand in my way and live. Not even my host."

"Is it your intention to rule over an empty desert with no life? How about your potential subjects running underground to hide from the hot sun? How about the loss of food and water? Is it worth the eternal sunlight?"

Daybreaker clenched her jaw. How dare Sunset ask such questions? Was it to strengthen Celestia's influence? Whatever the intent, she couldn't let the rebels have the upper hoof. She felt tempted to obliterate anypony who wouldn't obey her. The idea of being forced away from Celestia's body and losing the throne caused her to cringe. Before she met Celestia, she was only part of the dreamscape, just like her equally wicked sister. She wouldn't consider herself a part of the Nightmare Forces, but she was born with a thirst for power.

Although formed by Celestia's psyche, Daybreaker had a mind of her own. How many times in Celestia's youth had she spoken to her in dreams and the waking world? But when Celestia began ruling over Equestria, she was suppressed by the solar regent's magic. As a result, the only pony she could talk to was Nightmare Moon. They had formed a plan to possess the royal sisters, but Nightmare Moon gave up because of Luna's stubbornness.

Daybreaker shook her thoughts from her mind. She had to focus on defeating the group. When Sunset's magic began to activate the Elements, she charged at the unicorn, intent on ending her life. Sunset teleported, and she glanced around. She groaned. She was outsmarted again. How dare they?

Sunset materialized by the window. "I'll continue what I said about the Elements-"

Daybreaker charged at Sunset for the second time. She missed again. Sunset appeared in front of the grand doors. Don't evade me ever again, she thought. She had led the unicorn's group on a wild goose chase. Now she was the one doing the chasing. She charged again just as Sunset began speaking. The unicorn disappeared.

Sunset stood in front of the throne. "Fluttershy demonstrated kindness when she calmed a manticore. She receives the Element of Kindness."

Daybreaker snarled as she rushed toward the unicorn. "Stop this nonsense! Do not activate the Elements!"

Sunset evaded another attack. "Applejack was honest when she told me to let go of the bridge. She receives the Element of Honesty."

Something in Daybreaker's mind snapped. "That's it! You will regret the day you attempted to activate them!" She slammed her hooves against the marble floor. Flames erupted from the floor and dashed toward each mare. Ashes and smoke billowed from the embers. Nearby tapestries caught on fire.

The six mares evaded the flames before any of them were harmed. Even though the smoke filled the throne room, Daybreaker was still able to see Sunset and the others. Six of them formed a triangle, with Sunset being the leader. She summoned a huge fireball and chucked it at them. The unicorn formed a shield. She threw another fireball, only to miss. Why couldn't they lose? She stole a swift glance at Luna to make sure the younger alicorn didn't give them any special powers. The younger alicorn seemed worried, perhaps because the six little ponies were in danger.

Sunset didn't seem surprised by the smoke's presence. "Rainbow Dash remained loyal when the Firebolts asked her to join them. She would never leave our side. She receives the Element of Loyalty."

Daybreaker let out an intense battle cry and stormed toward the group. She summoned all her fiery magic. The light from her horn shone as bright as the sun. Once again, the group evaded her. She whirled around. The fire of wrath consumed her heart.

Daybreaker unfurled her wings. "Stay where you are. I'll gladly slay all of you. Your princess is next!"

"Daybreaker, that will never happen as long as we have the Elements. Pinkie Pie demonstrated laughter when she told us to laugh our fears away. What does that say about us? We don't fear the flames," Sunset continued.

"Don't boast about your weak Elements. If you want to banish me, fine. I'll go ahead and destroy Luna!"

"Never! Also, Rarity seems to have a generous heart. She gives to other ponies. She will represent the Element of Generosity." Sunset's eyes began to glow. The stones cracked. Six gems emerged from the stones. Five of them became necklaces. The Element of Magic became a crown. A rainbow emerged from the six ponies.

Daybreaker summoned a beam and pushed against the rainbow. She would hate to be banished. Or worse, she might end up losing control of Celestia's body. She couldn't let either result happen. Nevertheless, she had a feeling that she wouldn't hold on to Celestia for long. Perhaps it was because of Celestia's influence. No, the bond between two sisters could be responsible for her potential defeat. Stupid sisters, she thought as her beam reached Sunset's group. Luna's voice broke her focus for a second.

"Now what?" Daybreaker asked.

Luna maintained eye contact. "If you won't let the night return, Equestria will suffer. Let my sister go. Let Sunset win. The light you use is not the good type. It is cruel and harsh. If you had your way, and the world receives eternal daylight, nopony will survive. The consequences will be devastating."

"What makes you think I care about others? Why have you resisted the Nightmare Forces one time?" The rainbow beam inched closer to Daybreaker's horn. She continued pushing with all her might. Anger fueled her magic as she concentrated on destroying the group.

"Celestia cares about other ponies. You don't. You are selfish enough to demand that either anything goes your way or else. She would never do that. It's not part of her nature. And the reason I resisted the Nightmare Forces is that in a dream, I saw what eternal night could do to Equestria. As a result, I never transformed."

Daybreaker grunted as she forced her beam toward Sunset. "That's rich, coming from the mare who used to be jealous of her sister at one point during their reign. When will you ever understand a word I say?"

"It doesn't feel good to be jealous. If it's not good to be jealous, what makes you think you have a right to be angry? I see how powerful you feel. Power should never be used to harm others. It should be used to benefit those who weren't of the ruling class."

"Did you even hear my whole question?" Daybreaker glared at Luna, only for the rainbow beam to accelerate toward her. When she turned to face Sunset, she gasped. "No, this isn't meant to be!" She shot another fiery beam. This time, the beam was weaker than the first one.

"Sunset, don't give up!"

The rainbow pushed harder. Daybreaker had no idea what caused her magic to become useless against the Elements. It was just like the day of her banishment. Was this because Luna encouraged Sunset? Everything seemed to move in slow motion. How had she lost? If she hadn't allowed herself to be distracted by Luna, then she would have won instead. The rainbow enveloped Daybreaker's body. She could feel herself being yanked away from Celestia's body. She held on for dear life. She couldn't believe her own eyes. Instead of being banished, she was forced to release Celestia.

The bright light enveloped her now transparent body. A smaller, possibly depowered version of Celestia floated in front of her. How could this happen? She wished it was all just a dream, but there was no way she could escape this. She couldn't reverse this, either. A familiar silhouette floated toward Celestia. How did Luna manage to escape the sphere?

Celestia scanned the white void. She seemed unsure. When she saw Luna, she avoided eye contact. "Lulu? Please banish me instead. Strip my royal status away. What I've done is unforgivable. I don't deserve forgiveness. As much as I wanted to be released from Daybreaker, I'm not meant to be on the throne after what happened."

Luna adopted a pleasant smile. "Dear sister, please take my hoof. Do you accept my friendship? I've missed you. Even when I ruled alone, I still need you. We are meant to rule together."

"I've missed you too, little sister."

"The path to healing will seem rough at first, but I will help you get used to the current era. It's nothing like the era where we once used the Royal We."

"I'll reverse what Daybreaker did. Has everything burned to a crisp yet?"

"As far as I'm concerned, that hasn't happened."

Celestia took Luna's hoof. Daybreaker couldn't watch anymore. She figured the bond and the Elements would defeat her. She shook her head. "Celestia, no. This isn't what I had in mind. Just let me possess you again! I am the more beautiful and powerful version of you!"

Celestia faced Daybreaker. "Last time we went through this argument, we got banished. I won't let you corrupt me again. I have Luna by my side."

Daybreaker snorted. "What makes you believe you need her? If you hadn't awakened right after the banishment, none of this would happen. I would still be on the throne right now!" Celestia didn't seem to respond. She sensed that her former host was about to awaken. Everything turned black, and she flew to the dreamscape. Her own sister greeted her with a grimace. They would be in for a long discussion. Someday, she would return for revenge.

Luna cast a cooling spell on her surroundings. All the flames died away, and the sun dipped into the horizon. Daybreaker's armor was scattered around Celestia's body. The tapestries needed to be repaired. The windows and the rug were still intact. Her student and the others seemed ready to pass out. She might allow Sunset to spend one more night here. And the innocent stallion needed to be freed from the dungeon.

Celestia awakened, then struggled to her height. "Where am I?"

"You're in Canterlot Castle," Luna said. "Thanks to my student and her new friends, you have been released. Dear sister, I will let the citizens of Equestria see you. Your appearance will be new to them for a while, so don't become upset with them."

Tears filled Celestia's eyes. "I'll try not to become frustrated with them. You may have to help me a little. It's new to me, too. And the lullaby you sang? I loved listening to your voice."

Luna hugged Celestia. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "We haven't hugged in a thousand years. I missed this."

Collective gasps filled the room. Sunset was the only one not to gasp. She stepped forward. "Princess Luna, now you don't have to feel lonely. Your sister's home."

Applejack placed her hat onto her chest. "Sisters? This is so touching. I can see the unbreakable bond."

Celestia glanced at Sunset, then at the five other ponies. "I thought I would be banished a second time, but I'm free. Thank you. And forgive me for what I've done as Daybreaker."

Sunset and her friends hugged Celestia. "We forgive you."

It was strange that Celestia was the same size as Luna. Eventually, she would revert back to her normal size. Luna hugged Celestia again. She didn't want to let go. In a sense, if she did, she might lose her again. "Tia, the fact that you transformed into Daybreaker didn't change how I viewed you. You are my sister, no matter what happens."

Sunset smiled. "When will you announce Celestia's return?"

Luna considered making the announcement tonight, as it made more sense than waiting until the next sunrise. "Now. I hope the six of you don't mind accompanying us. First, I'll release the stallion from prison."

"We'll wait."

Luna walked to the dungeon. Celestia followed her to the stallion's cell. She opened the cell door. When the stallion looked up, he froze. "It's okay. Daybreaker is no more. My sister, Celestia, has returned. She won't hurt you."

Celestia inhaled, then exhaled. "Sir, I am sincerely sorry for what I've done."

The stallion seemed unsure as he walked out of the cell. Luna led Celestia back to the throne room. It would be quite a while before the citizens got used to Celestia's presence. She couldn't wait to announce this to the ponies. Hopefully they would welcome her and not turn her away. They knew what Daybreaker did. If they were hesitant, they wouldn't be as apprehensive if they got to know Celestia.