Praise the Sun

by GreyTheGriffon

Praise the Moon

Ten years ago, the horror known as Nightmare Moon defeated Princess Celestia and banished her to the moon, the light of the sun banished alongside her. For those ten years, creatures of every creed struggled together under the weight of starvation, militaristic leadership, and universal tyranny.

The end to the night could not have come soon enough.

Today, sitting in the personal observatory in my room, my jaw hung slack as a hole was bored through the lens of my telescope, the force of the sun which had all-too long been absent now present once again.

I should have revered it, as I’m sure every other pony in Equestria was at that moment, but my thoughts were clouded by fear and confusion as I stared at the sky.

I only barely heard the cheers from ponies celebrating the return of The Sun down in the city, my focus instead pinned directly at the star in the sky we all missed so dearly. I continued to stare, unable to form words or even move, awe-struck as I was.

I suspect I was the only one to notice, what with my vantage point in a tower in Canterlot Castle, but there was a silhouette facing the terrifyingly-familiar form of our Empress. The two forms were so similar, but in my disbelief, all I could do was shake my head and continue to stare.

Eventually, I gained enough presence to shakily avert my gaze over to Spike’s bed, where, thankfully, he was still sound asleep. I crept over to him and tapped his side. “Spike, I-I need you to look out the window,” I whispered.

“Mmm, wha? What’s wrong, Twilight—” He stopped mid-sentence, the two of us now staring at The Sun.

What looked like solar flares and other ejections of plasma from its surface decorated the edges of the Sun, though a discerning eye for magic knew that they were intentional blasts of concentrated sunfire, meant to harm.

At an interval between flares, I saw them once again— two ponies, I now was aware, one dressed in lunar-themed armor and with hideously beautiful bat-wings, and the other with orange armor and regalia accentuating her fiery mane.

Their cutie marks were both unmistakable, one due to the years this past decade I had spent as her student, and the other for the same reason, though from much longer ago.

For the rest of the lightshow, Spike and I just stared as we held each other, unable to say a word through our ragged breath. I prayed to myself during the entire onslaught, to whom, I have no idea.

Eventually, the lights ceased their horrible bursts, but from the lowering moon and rising sun, I had no doubt of who the winner was.

I turned to Spike, and he turned to me, our eyes clouded with faint, uncertain tears. I gently clasped his claws together with my magic, then did the same with my own hooves. We touched foreheads and whispered a simple prayer together:

“Praise to the Moon. Praise to our Princess Luna.”

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

... Yeah I don't get it. Nightmare Moon was a tyrant obviously. But Twilight sounds like she was never Celestia's student. Or should I say Daybreaker's. Since that's her visage.

[GreyTheGriffon]

11860387
What do you mean by Twilight sounding like she was never Celestia's student? I don't quite understand your confusion, and I'd like to learn something from your criticism if I'm able to.

[Starlight Nova]

Could you please tell me why Mystic Sunrise thinks that Daybreaker is in this story before I read it?

[GreyTheGriffon]

11860396
Because Daybreaker is in this story.

[Mystic Sunrise]

11860390

“Praise to the Moon. Praise to our Princess Luna.”

This doesn't sound like something Twilight would normally say if she had been Celestia's student. It doesn't sound like Nightmare Moon brainwashed her either. Could just be me though 😅.

11860396
Read the second chapter carefully. It's obvious when you get to it.

[GreyTheGriffon]

11860409
Ah, I see. At the end of the 2nd chapter, Daybreaker defeats Nightmare Moon, her exact fate unspecified. Twilight and Spike's prayer is because they hope that Princess Luna is alive, and that She may restore balance one day with her return.

[Mystic Sunrise]

11860421
Now it makes sense.

[Darwey47]

Not a really new concept but the execution was pretty clean

Just wished that the story itself was bigger