Orion stares bravely up at Solar Flare, unafraid. "We will never bow to you! Your reign of terror will end before it can ever begin, this I can promise! We will find a way to purify you, and the darkness in your heart will be purged!" He looks back to Carrie and Luna 2, "Let's go… we need to find a hiding place!"
"Quickly! Come to me!" Luna 2 commanded, mtrioning Orion and Carrie closer to her. With a blinding flash, the three were teleported into the middle of a forest. Standing in a clearing, the trio blinked as the light flooded their eyes.
"What do we do now, Princess?" Carrie asked, clearly frightened. "I was hoping there was a chance for reconciliation, but it seems Princess Cel-err, Solar Flare has other designs."
"We have to find the Elements of Unity," Orion says decisively. "Which means we have to split up if we want to find them all at once… in my world, the Elements of Harmony took the form of stone spheres. Theoretically, the Elements of Unity should look similar.
"The Elements of Unity are kept in a tower back in the castle. They have not been used since that cursed day, when I was forced to banish my sister. We will need to make our way through the castle and up to the tower, all the while avoiding whatever traps Solar Flare has laid for us."
Carrie had calmed down considerably, and now appeared resolute. "I still believe it's possible to free her from the evil that has overtaken her. Whatever you ask of me, Princess, I shall do."
"As shall I," Orion agrees, bowing his head. Luna 2 nods, "Very well… I shall take the southernmost entrance to the castle. My student, you shall take the western entrance. Sir Orion, you will have the eastern." Orion nods, "As you wish!" And he goes off toward that part of the castle, with Carrie moving off to her section.
Luna 2 approached the southern entrance to the castle. Nopony really knew about this entry, with the general public being directed to the northern entrance. The southern entrance, however, was a direct route to the inner workings of the castle itself, used by palace staff, guardsponies, and the royals themselves. Luna 2 used her magic to open the door, its hinges creaking slightly. Cautiously, she stepped inside.
A sinister laugh echoed through the stone hallway. Luna 2 was unfazed. Solar Flare appeared before her in a brilliant flash of light. "Oh, my dear sister ... why can't you accept that you cannot win this fight and bow before your new ruler?" Solar Flare pratically purred.
"Because I know that -my- Celestia, the one I love more than anything, would -not- dare to try and dethrone me," Luna 2 exclaims, stomping a hoof on the ground. "We are not meant to rule alone… for it is far better to rule together. You taught me that, Tia."
"And yet, you sent me away. Banished me for a thousand years on my beloved sun. And worse yet - you allowed our subjects to forget about me!" Solar Flare punctuated this with a blast from her horn, aimed at Luna 2's hooves. "You had the power, Lulu ... you could have ended me once and for all. Instead, you banished me, gave me a window to return. Why would you do that, knowing full well I would have killed you had our roles been reversed?"
"Because I love you, you insufferable clotheshorse!" Luna 2 shouts. "I couldn't stand seeing you banished… it was the biggest mistake I ever made." Two of the Elements, Justice and Openness, roll toward her as she speaks. "I would much prefer to be your sister than your killer. You would have felt the same way about me, I am sure."
Solar Flare reaches out and strokes under Luna 2's chin with a wingtip. "You were always a soft touch, Lulu ... We'll see if it does you any good this time." Her voice took a sinister tone. "Now, if you'll pardon me, I have to visit your other little friends." She vanishes as quickly as she appeared, her laughter echoing through the halls.
Orion enters the eastern section of the castle, his hooves trotting loudly against the ruined cobblestone as he goes. If Solar Flare was as bad as Nightmare Moon, and it certainly seemed that way, he was in a lot of trouble.
"And what have we here?" a silky voice said, before the form of Solar Flare appeared before him. "Were they so desperate for help they had to call an otherworlder to vanquish me?" She strode over to Orion and stared at him, trying to read him and divine his true nature. "This battle is of no concern to you, whoever you are. So, I ask you, why are you willingly throwing yourself into the middle of it?"
"Because it's what I do," Orion says simply. "It is what's fair. I have done this in my Equestria, and I shall do it here as well." The fairness sphere rolls toward him. "This world is unbalanced. By restoring you to your true self, and allowing you to retake the throne along side your sister, that balance is restored."
Truth rolls toward him. "I am not afraid of you, Solar Flare! I've seen things you wouldn't believe! I have lost things you will never understand! And I know things, secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken! So how can I be afraid of you, when compared to everything else I've seen and done, you are tiny?"
Solar Flare gives Orion a poke in the chest with her horn. "Perhaps we should see just how tiny a hole I can make in your heart, hmm?" She grins, her sharp teeth flashing brightly, her eyes narrowing. "Do not underestimate me, otherworlder. Perhaps in your world it's all pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows, but that's a long way from here. You'd do well to remember that. You still have a chance to depart. I'd suggest you take it before you really get hurt." She strides away, fading from view before disappearing entirely.
Carrie winds her way through the eastern half of the castle, deciding to fly rather than walk. Her pupils are mere slits, compensating for the brightness. Elsewhere, Luna 2 and Orion are heading for the tower as quickly as they can, their new elements at their sides.
Carrie's path is blocked quite suddenly by Solar. "Going somewhere, little one?" she asks, her teeth glinting in the light. She strode toward Carrie. "I do believe you are the one that warned of my return. And now, you seek to reunite me with my beloved sister." She practically spat the last two words. "Quite the little busybody, aren't you?"
"As the student of Princess Luna, I felt it necessary to inform her of any threats to the safety of the realm," Carrie replies, her wings flicking slightly. "That includes you. The day cannot last forever, and neither can the night… there must be equilibrium!"
Solar laughed. "And you think you can stop me from taking over? How quaint. Let's just see how good a fighter you are, then!" Her horn flared and a brilliant beam shot toward Carrie.
Carrie's horn begins to glow and she conjures up a similar beam! It meets Celestia's in mid-air, pushing against it.
Solar is stunned at first, but quickly compensates. "I'm impressed ... seems little Lulu picked her student well. But what would you do if I were to do ... THIS?" With a flick of her head, she directed her magic beam at the approaching Orion and Luna 2, knocking them both to the cobblestone floor.
"No!" Carrie shouts, distracted. She runs over to the two ponies and tries to wake them up, as the Love and Magic spheres find their way toward her.
"How touching. I shall remember this scene," Solar says wtih a laugh, as Carrie works to rouse Orion and Luna 2. Both of them slowly come around, shaking their heads, before standing shakily with Carrie before her. "The time for fun is over, however. Now, it is time to end this!" She advances toward the trio, her horn starting to glow.
"Everypony, link hooves! Now!" Orion shouts, as he recovers. Carrie and Luna 2 both join hooves, with the winged unicorn in the center. Their respective Element spheres float into the air, orbiting around them. Carrie speaks, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "We are friends, brought together by the powers of Fairness and Truth! Of Openness and Justice! Of Love and Magic! These six things are important even on their own, but brought together, are the cornerstones upon which all pony kind has been built! They will endure, even after we, the Bearers, have passed on!" Their eyes glow white as they lift into the air. The spheres change, becoming a pocket watch necklace for Orion, an ornate chest plate for Luna 2, and a tiara for Carrie. Then they say in unison, "By the power of the Elements of Unity, we restore you to your proper self, and banish the dark forces for the rest of eternity!" Then a jet of pure rainbow light flows from the transformed Elements and toward Solar Flare.
"Wha-NO!" Solar tries to back away, but is quickly enveloped by the rainbow light. She kicks her hooves fruitlessly as the multicolored bands wrap themselves around her, swirling faster and glowing brighter. A final scream echoes through the stone halls, and the room fills with light, pure and blinding.