Waves of emotions overwhelmed Twilight who remained motionless under the embrace of Daybreaker. Regaining her bearings, Twilight looked over the deity, taking in both the differences and similarities between the form in front of her and the one she knew ‘She must have lost her cake appetite’ Twilight thought, noticing how much slender Daybreaker’s form was.
“That was a pathetic attempt at a barrier” Daybreaker scolded, trailing an armoured hoof across the side of her protégée’s face “It seems, my faithful student, I still have much to teach you.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the comment made about her barrier “Pathetic!? I always thought my barriers were quite effective. After all, you were the one who taught them to me” she pouted, the pair of wings wrapping tighter around her.
“I’ll give you credit that charging into your barrier did hurt and is better than what any of my elite unicorn guard can pull off. Though I would expect somepony with your status and magical ability to at least stagger or disorientate me when breaking through, if not stop me entirely” Daybreaker disputed as she rested her head on top of Twilights “And I will teach you how to do just that and so much more.”
Twilight’s face turned a slight shade of red at how warm Daybreaker’s body was and how close they were, ‘After everything she has been through I’m not surprised she is acting like this, I just hope Celestia isn’t too worried herself’ she thought.
“When that farmer stallion proclaimed you were still alive I was absolutely livid. I searched for years on end to find a way to bring you back from the dead, digging into every little myth and legend that had even the slightest mention off resurrection but nothing worked. I was so close to turning him into a pile of ash there and then, but when he mentioned the elements of harmony I knew there was some truth to his story.” Daybreaker chuckled to herself “Though I would have never of thought to search for you through other realities, it seems as If fate has given me a second chance.”
Twilight didn’t know how to react to that. Daybreaker went through excessive means in order to bring her back and that made her feel incredibly special, but there was one thing that worried her “Despite all the similarities, I am a completely different Twilight from the one you remember. From what I can tell the changing point between our realities is the Nightmare Moon encounter, so everything up till the point I died is the same but as you can see” she started trying to extend her wings which refused to budge under the tight embrace of Daybreaker “Err feel in this case, I am different, both physically and mentally.”
Daybreaker ran her hoof through Twilight’s mane repeatedly, stroking it “If everything up to the point of your demise is indeed the same then you just have to go into detail about every little moment of your life from the encounter with my sister onwards” Daybreaker countered.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the absurd request “Every moment?” she questioned enjoying her mane being stroked.
“We have all day” Daybreaker jested with a fanged grin.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she teleported out of Daybreaker’s grasp and back on her hooves in the doorway of the cottage “Obviously I can’t explain every little detail though I will explain all the impactful moments in my life” she replied, picking up the bag she left at the doorway and walked inside.
Daybreaker grumbled to herself when she felt Twilight escape from her embrace though she was still too ecstatic to be reunited with her long lost student to let that sour her mood.
Getting up she followed Twilight inside to see her place the sleeping bag in the corner of the room “There’s no way I am going to allow you to spend another night in this dump. When you finish your business here we shall return to Canterlot and I will order the staff to prepare a room for you in the castle” Daybreaker stated not going to take no for an answer.
Twilight looked back at Daybreaker, contemplating her request before looking back down at the sleeping bag “I do admit sleeping on the ground was uncomfortable. It would be nice to sleep in a bed where the entire room isn’t covered in dust and critters couldn’t be heard scurrying about all the time. Thank you very much.”
Deciding to leave the sleeping bag there in case she ended up having to stay in Ponyville again at some point Twilight grabbed her now lighter bag and left the cottage with Daybreaker following closely behind.
Once outside Twilight flared her wings preparing for flight “You visited at the perfect time. I have just finished up in Ponyville and was about to head to Canterlot to find that stallion that visited you earlier. His sister is worried sick about him so I offered to go and have a look” Twilight said.
As soon as Twilight flared her wings Daybreaker immediately grabbed one of them and examined it closely “Oh him? I have him locked away in one of my dungeons” Daybreaker responded as she pressed her hoof against the bone structure of the wing while she gradually applied pressure to it.
Twilight stared at Daybreaker wide eyed “Why in Equestria did you do that?!” she demanded, eventually letting out a small wince as she attempted to retract her wing back to her side though Daybreaker kept a firm hoof on it and switched to inspect her feathers instead.
Daybreaker remained quiet for a few moments. Once she finished inspecting Twilight’s wing she let go of it allowing Twilight to retract it back to her side and stood back up, towering over the smaller lavender alicorn “Because if he lied about you being alive, the one thing I cared most about in over the 1000 years I have lived, then I will make sure he would regret ever being born” she responded firmly with a scowl.
Twilight got out of her pre-flight stance and opened her mouth to interject but quickly closed it as her expression softened slightly. Her instinct was to defend McIntosh since he did nothing wrong but the way Daybreaker worded it made her second guess herself “Since he was telling the truth and I am standing here in front of you, what are you going to do with him now?” she asked instead.
Daybreaker scowl turned to a smile “Indeed you are, I shall release him upon our arrival and allow him to return back to his sister” she replied as she raised her hoof and pointed at Twilight’s wing “Your wings are weak and are showing signs of exertion, how often do you use them?”
Twilight shuffled her wings now understanding why Daybreaker was messing around with them earlier “I don’t really have a reason to use them until now to be honest. I’m already used to walking everywhere and I do enjoy the occasional run in with a friend which doesn’t really happen when you fly everywhere.”
Daybreaker ruffled the top of Twilight’s head messing up her mane slightly “So my attempt to prevent you becoming an old hermit proved successful?” she asked rhetorically which caused Twilight to grumble in response as she fixed her mane.
Levitating the quill, scroll and ribbon from her bag Twilight began to write a message to Apple Bloom “After I finish writing this letter to the stallion’s sister we can return to Canterlot and release him” Twilight said.
Dear Apple Bloom
When I returned home to drop off the sleeping bag you gave me Daybreaker was already in the house waiting for me. Apparently she locked your brother, McIntosh, away in one of the dungeons while she went to investigate if what he proclaimed about my arrival was true. Don’t worry, I had a talk with her and we are on our way back to Canterlot to free him so expect him back shortly.
Daybreaker is quite adamant about me returning to the castle, not that I mind, so I will probably be staying there for a little while. I’ll do what I can about your sisters banishment while I’m there, I’ll try to visit after it has been sorted.
Thanks again for everything you have done.
Your Friend.
Twilight Sparkle.
Rolling the scroll up and attaching the ribbon to it, the scroll was suddenly engulfed in a green flame before vanishing. Both Daybreaker and Twilight flared their wings and took off towards Canterlot.
Landing in front of the castle gates, Daybreaker noticed how exhausted Twilight was and how stiff her wings were “it seems that I have more to teach you than just magic” Daybreaker snickered.
Twilight let out an exhausted laugh while she caught her breath “You seem quite eager to take me under your wing again.” She rebutted in-between breaths.
Daybreaker approached Twilight and draped her large white wing over her back, taking her statement in a literal sense “Oh you have no idea, I’m not going to repeat the same mistake I made last time. I’m going to make sure you know how to defend yourself and you are not leaving this castle until you do” she said before leaning down to nuzzle Twilight.
Twilight looked away shyly as she scraped the ground with the tip of her hoof “W-well, you of all ponies know how much I love to learn….and I wouldn’t be against the opportunity to study under you again, I did miss that.” She said mumbling the last part out.
Daybreaker took in the adorable sight of her students embarrassment “Why don’t we head inside first and we can start our lessons after a good days rest” Daybreaker recommended as they approached the same pair of stallion earth pony guards stationed outside the gate.
Having finally caught her breath and still under Daybreaker’s wing, Twilight walked along side Daybreaker as the guards opened the gate for them before bowing “Welcome back my queen” they both said in unison.
Daybreaker didn’t pay the guards any mind as they walked into the castle’s grounds “My queen? Now that I think about it why did you refer yourself as princess for so long?” Twilight asked.
Daybreaker contemplated Twilight’s question for a few moments “Maybe in the near future I will explain why I never picked up the title. Though with my sisters return and having a valid claim on the throne. I needed to make sure the ponies of Equestria knew I’m still in charge. So when I stopped the sun at its peak and the ponies started calling me Daybreaker, I decided then and there that the benevolent Princess Celestia had to die and I, Queen Daybreaker took her place.”
When the two alicorns entered the castle, the guards got back up on their hooves and closed the gate “Was that another princess? I mean she had both a horn and a pair of wings” One of the guards asked.
“I don’t know, I was too busy paying attention to how close they were. They were pressed up right against each other with her majesty’s wing wrapped over the smaller lavender one” the other replied.
“I never heard anything about our queen courting somepony, I wonder if it had something to do with what that stallion we let in the other day?”
The guard in question just shrugged “I doubt that, I haven’t seen him leave since he went in. As you said, she is probably a princess from another country” he responded as they both resumed their original positions outside the gate.
Back inside the castle it didn’t take long for word to travel around about Daybreaker’s return with another alicorn from an unknown origin “Your Majesty!” Raven called out as she sprinted towards the pair.
Daybreaker silently cursed to herself as she turned around to face the white coated mare rushing towards them “I have done as you asked and pushed all petitions and meetings you have further back to the next court session. Here is your schedule, it is slightly busier than usual” Raven continued as she handed Daybreaker the updated schedule.
Taking it in her magic, Daybreaker quickly scanned the timetable. Twilight noticed that the magical aura was a familiar shade of red instead of the usual yellowy golden colour though she didn’t ask or say anything about it. Daybreaker crunched the paper up into a ball and tossed it to Raven who fumbled trying to catch it “Cancel everything, I have much more important things planned” Daybreaker said with a wave of her hoof as she continued walking down the hallway “Oh and prepare a room for young Twilight here, the room opposite or adjacent mine shall be suitable.”
Twilight watched as Raven tried to flatten the crumpled up schedule to get rid of all the crease marks “Let me have a quick word with her first” she reassured before rushing back to Daybreaker’s side.
“As soon as we release that stallion friend of yours I shall order the chefs to prepare dinner for us. Afterwards we’ll retire to my chambers and you can explain every moment of your life since the encounter with my sister” Daybreaker said enthusiastically before Twilight had a chance to speak up.
Twilight rolled her eyes at the absurd request “Once again, I will only explain the impactful moments of my life and in return I would like a few questions to be answered as well as a helping hoof to get up to date with current events here” Twilight started waiting for Daybreaker to say something in return.
Not hearing any complaints or arguments Twilight moved on to what she was going to say originally “Though are you sure cancelling court all together is a good idea?” she asked.
Daybreaker let out a frustrated sigh at the thought of attending court.
“I mean, you have been ruling well before I was even born. You know all this better than I could possibly imagine so I’m not questioning your ability to rule. It’s just, unless scheduled beforehoof, I have never seen you skip a day of court” Twilight continued.
Daybreaker brushed the tips of her feathers against Twilight’s side causing her to shiver slightly “I know you weren’t questioning my rule. I just have more important matters to attend to than their petty squabbles. As well as court I have to regularly attend military affairs which does take up a bit of time” Daybreaker clarified as they traversed down a spiral staircase towards the dungeons “Though in this case I just want to spend time with my long lost Twilight.”
“If that is the case then why don’t I join you in court like I used to do when I was a filly?” Twilight suggested hoping that would change Daybreaker’s mind “Sure there is quite a bit of research I need to do while I’m here though I can always do that another day…another time? In the future? Whatever description you all use for later in the future now that night doesn’t exist.”
Daybreaker chuckled at her student’s confusion “We use the term ‘another time’, though our clocks have changed slightly to accommodate this. They still display the time however they also display the day, month and year so nopony gets confused” Daybreaker informed as she considered Twilight’s proposal “I think I will take you up on that offer, things may be slightly more interesting with you there.”
Daybreaker was about to ask what Twilight was going to research however they already reached the minor charges floor before she had a chance to. Upon seeing Daybreaker the unicorn warden quickly bowed before unlocking the door, allowing both the alicorns to enter.
The warden followed the pair inside as they walked past the numerous jail cells. Most of them were empty except for a few that had a pony either sleeping in one of the corners or stare at them as they walked past “I honestly thought there would be a lot more here” Twilight spoke up as she scanned the cells for McIntosh.
“This is the minor charges floor for petty thefts or other small crimes. Most are able to pay their fine though there are some, as you can see here, that are unable to pay and are to serve out their sentence” Daybreaker explained as they came across McIntosh sleeping in his cell.
“McIntosh! Thank Celestia you’re alright” Twilight exclaimed rushing to the bars. Daybreaker raised an eyebrow as to why her old name was used as an expression while McIntosh got up and approached the bars.
“Twilight?” McIntosh asked surprised to see her.
Also walking up to the bars the deity stared down at the farmer stallion “Your story was indeed valid and you are free to return home” Daybreaker stated as the warden unlocked the jail cell and opened the door for him.
McIntosh stepped outside the jail cell and bowed “Thank you yer Majesty. Have ya made yer decision about liftin’ ma sister’s banishment?” He asked expectantly.
Daybreaker didn’t hesitate in her response “Your request has been denied” she replied flatly having put no thought into his request and walked past him. McIntosh didn’t object though he was obviously disheartened. Raising his head he silently followed Daybreaker along with the warden.
“Why not?” Twilight objected as McIntosh stared back at her in shock that she would defend his sister and go against Daybreaker like that.
Daybreaker turned back to look at the unhappy looking Twilight “They have failed you once and I will not risk that happening again by allowing you to come into contact with them again. It is for the best that you stay as far away from them as possible.” Daybreaker refuted as she continued walking.
Twilight teleported in front of them and flared her wings to block their path “It isn’t their fault that I was incompetent enough to jump into the teleport spell by myself. There’s numerous things I could have done differently and for that I paid the price” Twilight argued not backing down from the argument.
Bearing her fangs Daybreaker shook her head and pushed past Twilight’s wing having enough of this conversation, McIntosh and the warden following closely behind. Just as they were about to reach the door Twilight slammed it shut with her magic.
This caused Daybreaker to growl as she snapped back to face Twilight “Enough of this! My decision is final and they WILL remained banished. I don’t want to hear another word of this!” she yelled as she turned back to grab the door with her own magic.
Twilight gritted her teeth as Daybreaker’s magic overpowered hers causing her to lose control of the door. Staggered slightly she watched as the three were about to leave the dungeon “If anypony is to blame for my death then it is you Daybreaker!” Twilight screamed.
Daybreaker’s stopped in her tracks as her mane and tail flowed more violently, the room progressively getting warmer. Turning back around she glared at Twilight, fire in her amber draconic shaped eye “What did you say?” she asked darkly.
Twilight felt as if her knees were about to give out underneath her. She had never seen Celestia this angry before though with her friends on the line she wasn’t going to give up now.
Standing her ground Twilight glared back at Daybreaker “I sent you a letter two days before the summer sun celebration warning you about the mare in the moon’s return. And how did you reply?” Twilight asked as she tapped her chin pretending to think her question over “Oh that’s right ‘my dearest and most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. You know that I value your diligence and I trust you completely. BUT YOU SIMPLY MUST STOP READING THOSE DUSTY OLD BOOKS!’” Twilight cried, stomping her hoof down at the last part.
Twilight didn’t give Daybreaker a chance to reply “If you trusted me completely as you said you did then why didn’t you do something about it! MY FRIENDS, the ones you banished were the reason I was able to reach the elements in the first place, even with me protesting that I’ll do it by myself practically the entire time” Twilight continued to argue as she stomped towards Daybreaker till their muzzles were practically touching “They had no obligation to come with me that night but they did. So if you blame them for my death then you played a much bigger role in it because where in Equestria were you!”
The fire from Daybreaker’s mane burned profusely to a point where it started to leave scorch marks on the ceiling and walls in a small radius around her. Twilight’s heart raced as she backed away from Daybreaker, her body shrinking to the ground. If a stare could kill she would be long dead by now. She had forgotten that every pony was afraid of her and for a good reason.
Tucking her tail in-between her legs, Twilight expected Daybreaker to lash out at her in one way or another. Terrified, Twilight casted the same magenta barrier that Daybreaker effortlessly shattered through earlier. Looking up in fear as the flames engulfed Daybreaker’s form she let out a ground breaking stomp that echoed throughout the room as the flames suddenly vanished along with the fiery alicorn.
Everypony in the room stared at the scorched marked concrete where Daybreaker stood before looking back at the visibly upset Twilight “I-I didn’t m-mean to go t-that far” Twilight sniffled as tears streamed down her face, her barrier fading away.
McIntosh approached Twilight and put his hoof under her chin forcing her to look up from the ground “I know Twilight, thank you fer stickin’ up fer ma sister like that” he said wiping the near endless stream of tears from her face before pulling her in for a tight hug.
Unsure of what to do, the warden waited for their little moment to end before leading the two ponies out of the dungeon floor. Locking the door behind them he resumed his original position in front of the door while McIntosh and Twilight walked back up the spiral staircase.
Deciding to break the uncomfortable silence McIntosh was the first to speak up “As much as it may have hurt both of y’all, I think she needed to hear that. If it was anypony else she would have turned ye to ash or locked ye up in one of those cells the moment the teleported in front of her” he comforted.
Twilight nodded in agreement though remained silent. Dried up tear marks staining her cheeks while water continued to build up in her eyes.
The journey to the top of the staircase was a quiet one “I want ye to know yer always welcome back at the farm” McIntosh offered as he rested his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder for a few moments before going his separate way.
“I’m sorry about all of this” Twilight finally spoke up as she wiped the final few drops of tears from her eyes causing McIntosh to stop in his tracks “I’ll wait a little bit for both of us to calm down before apologizing to Daybreaker. In the meantime I told Apple Bloom what happened with you being locked up and she will be expecting you home shortly. Thank you for your offer, have a safe trip” she continued before going her own separate to way find anything that could take her mind off things.
Roughly an hour had passed and Twilight spent all of it in the castle library reading. Books had always been the best way for her to relax and take her mind off things. Finishing the chapter she was on she made a mental note of the book name and chapter number before putting it back in its correct place.
Exiting the library she asked one of the patrolling guards where Daybreaker’s chambers was. Realizing she was using the same room she used back in her reality she headed in that direction.
After a few run in with the guards about her not being allowed in that section of the castle she managed to talk her way towards Daybreaker's chambers which was a lot easier than she had expected. Noticing two heavily armoured pegasi mares stationed outside the room Twilight approached both of them “Hello, by chance is this Daybreaker’s chamber room?” she asked wondering if these were Daybreaker’s personal detail.
The white coated mare was the first to speak “I heard rumours that there was another alicorn in the castle. Though I wonder why we have never heard about you before?” she asked while the cyan one glared menacingly at Twilight.
Ignoring the stares Twilight cleared her throat “it is a long story that I will explain another time when we meet under different circumstances. Again, is this Daybreaker’s chambers?” Twilight repeated her question.
“Yes it is” The white coated mare replied.
Twilight waited a moment to see if the mare would add anything to her response “May I be able to see her?” Twilight further questioned.
“No you may not.”
“Is there a reason why I can’t?” Twilight sighed loudly.
“When in her chambers our queen does not like being disturbed” the armoured mare replied simply.
Twilight rolled her eyes, she hated using her status to get what she wanted though she really wanted to patch things up with Daybreaker “I think with me being an alicorn would be a valid exception to this rule, don’t you agree?” Twilight asked spreading her wings for emphasis.
Contemplating the request the white coated mare banged her hoof against the door “My queen, you have a visitor!” she called out.
“Shress you better have a good bucking reason to dis-“ Daybreaker cut herself off when she opened the door to reveal Twilight standing in-between her personal detail. Rushing out of her room Daybreaker wrapped her hooves around Twilight and hugged her tightly “I didn’t expect to see you so soon, please come in” she added her voice very soft as she let her go before walking back into her room.
Twilight returned the hug before she followed Daybreaker back into the room, she gave the pony named Shress a quick nod as thanks while she ignored the glare the cyan one continued to give her. When the door closed behind them Twilight turned to face Daybreaker.
“As much-“ “Daybreaker I’m” they both said in unison.
Pausing to see who would talk first Twilight gestured to Daybreaker for her to go first.
“As frustrating as you were I thought long and hard about what you said. And for that I want to apologize for how I treated you and…your friends” Daybreaker admitted unable to look Twilight in the eyes “You never know what you have until it is gone, I took you being by my side for granted and when I lost you that night I realized how empty my life really was. I knew it was my fault that you died however I couldn’t accept it, you warned me that my sister would return and what did I do? I disregarded your warning and sent you away. I always planned to send you away but when you started warning me about that old pony’s tale I felt like that was the best time to do so. I know it wasn’t your friend’s fault however I needed somepony to blame otherwise I would start blaming myself, in the end after saying it to myself for so long I started to believe it was actually their fault.”
Twilight noticed how distressed Daybreaker was. Walking up to her Twilight wrapped her hooves around the taller alicorns neck “I may have been angry at you Twilight but I will never hurt you, not in a million years. Seeing you hide behind your barrier with that fearful look in your eyes, that hurt a lot” she continued raising a hoof to where her heart was “I care about you too much Twilight, I just got you back and I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
A familiar pair of large wings wrapped around Twilight’s form as they both slumped down to the ground. A small smile crept on Twilight’s face “I don’t blame you Daybreaker, I never have and I never will. I will admit how you replied to my warning all those years ago did infuriate me though as you said it was an old pony’s tale, you had every right not to believe me so I want to apologize as well for raising my voice at you. As ruler of Equestria it is entirely your call to make if you wish for them to remain banished or not, though as I said they had no obligation to come with me that night to gather the elements and it was my own fault for jumping into the teleport spell without a plan” Twilight said as she nuzzled Daybreaker who returned the sign of affection with one of her own.
Using her magic Daybreaker levitated five semi-filled out forms from her desk and dangled them in front of Twilight “Just so you know I’m doing this for you and only you, I couldn’t care less about what happens to them” Daybreaker stated.
Taking the forms in her own magic Twilight quickly scanned them “Are these to lift their banishment?” Twilight gasped in which Daybreaker nodded.
“Yes and I have nearly finished filling them out. The only problem is that I don’t know where any of them are so I can’t deliver it to them” Daybreaker admitted.
Twilight tightened her hug, a large smile plastered on her face “Don’t worry about that. I already know where two of them live and would hopefully learn were the others are after talking to them” Twilight said happily as she levitated the forms back on Daybreaker’s desk.
Daybreaker chuckled, glad that things have been patched up between them “Should I be offended that you looked for your friends before looking for me?” she teased causing Twilight to giggle.
“Maybe if you have given me more than a day and lived closer I would have visited you first” Twilight retorted in the same joking manner as she poked Daybreaker’s chest with her hoof “Though I’m starting to get hungry, when is dinner?”
Daybreaker reluctantly pulled away from their embrace and got up “I’ll tell them to start preparing something for us” she said before opening the door to talk to the guards outside “One of you go inform the chefs to prepare two meals for my guest and I” Daybreaker ordered and with a salute the cyan mare left her station.
Closing the door behind her, Daybreaker walked to her bed and laid down “Now then, while we wait why don’t you catch me up with your life events. I also want to know why my old name was used as an expression” Daybreaker said, petting the spot next to her with a hoof.
Hopping onto the bed Twilight laid at the opposite side and cleared her throat “Very well. When me and my friends entered the old castle upon Nightmare Moon’s return…”
Half an hour had passed before a few knocks at the door interrupted Twilight’s explanation. She didn’t get as far as she would have liked due to Daybreaker’s constant interruptions to ask questions.
Daybreaker opened the door with her magic allowing the servant to push a service trolley inside the room that carried two metal cloches, two heart shaped crystal encrusted glasses and a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice “Enjoy your meal my queen and honoured guest” he said before leaving the pair alone.
Picking up one of the glasses, Twilight inspected the heart shaped crystals embedded into the glass “Well…when you suggested dinner this wasn’t what I had in mind at all” Twilight admitted putting the glass back down.
“Morons.”
With an ear twitch Twilight turned to face Daybreaker who had the lid of the cloche suspended in the air revealing strawberry’s drizzled in a brown sauce as well as scrambled eggs, lettuce and two heart shaped hay encrusted toast with a choice of spreads on the side.
“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked picking up on the comment Daybreaker made earlier.
Daybreaker sighed, putting the lid back down “It seems word must have travelled around about us and they seem to think that we are courting. It was either from the way we acted when walking into the castle with you under my wing or the fact that you are an alicorn they have never heard off and think you are a ruler from another region wanting an alliance through marriage.”
Twilight’s face burned a bright shade of red “Morons indeed” she mumbled quietly “well, despite the presentation food is still food. Let’s just enjoy our meal before retiring for the day, would be nice to sleep in an actual bed this time” she insisted as she picked up the bottle in her magic. Pulling the cork out she filled up both of their glasses and put it back in the ice bucket.
Picking up their respective glasses Daybreaker smiled as she levitated her glass to Twilight’s “A toast to your return.” Daybreaker said though Twilight said nothing as she stared at the glass levitated in front of her.
Wondering what was taking Twilight so long to respond Daybreaker was about to speak up until Twilight clinked her glass with her own “To my return” Twilight eventually repeated with a smile, something was off about her smile though she couldn’t place her hoof on it.
Taking a drink from their respective glasses Daybreaker licked her lips from the rich flavour while Twilight gagged “Uugh this is why I don’t drink alcohol” she grumbled after coughing a few times.
Daybreaker took another drink from hers “Usually an acquired taste, though it gets better the more you drink” Daybreaker stated while Twilight lifted the lid of her cloche. Picking up the strawberry, Twilight licked the sauce to discover that it was in fact chocolate before taking the whole thing in her mouth “Mmm sho good” she said blissfully with her mouth full.
Opening her mouth to eat another, Daybreaker quickly slipped one of her own strawberries onto her student’s tongue. Surprised, Twilight’s eyes widened as she instinctively closed her mouth and chewed on it.
Hearing Daybreaker laugh at her reaction, Twilight narrowed her eyes and picked up her last strawberry before shoving it into Daybreaker’s mouth. Daybreaker suddenly stopped laughing and pulled the same expression Twilight did “Oh how the tides have turned” Twilight giggled.
Having called for a temporary truce, the two alicorns ate their meals peacefully. Twilight still wasn’t a big fan of the wine however she was able to tolerate it more after every drink. Finishing their meals they put everything back on the service trolley and Daybreaker rolled it outside for one of her guards to take back to the kitchens.
When Daybreaker returned to the bed she was met with a Tipsy Twilight who was barely able to keep her eyes open. Chuckling, she lifted the full grown mare onto her back “Drunk before tomorrow’s class, how rebellious.”
Twilight groaned as she was carried to the room opposite of Daybreakers “I can waaaaalk” Twilight mumbled as she attempted to push herself off Daybreaker’s back.
Daybreaker ignored the tipsy mare’s complaints as she gently placed Twilight on the bed who fell asleep instantly. Smiling she rested Twilight's head on the pillow and tucked her under the covers “Goodnight, my little Twily, sweet dreams” she said sweetly as she kissed her forehead before retiring to her chambers to finish off the banishment forms and read over the court schedule Raven rewrote.
Twilight was sound asleep, dreaming about the good old times where she and her friends met up for lunch at Sugar Cube Corner. Twilight had her tea cup suspended in front of her, laughing at one of Rainbow Dash’s jokes while Rarity went on about a new dress she was working on.
The discussion was short lived when an extra chair was pulled up to the table “Mind if I join thy ladies?” a familiar voice chipped in. Twilight dropped her cup causing it to smash on the ground as Nightmare Moon placed a cup of coffee as well as a brownie on the table before sitting down opposite of her.
Looking around, Twilight noticed that her friends had vanished leaving her and Nightmare Moon alone at the table “Nightmare Moon, and what do I owe the pleasure?” Twilight narrowed her eyes as a new cup of tea appeared next to her.
“When news spread that there was an unknown alicorn roaming Ponyville I grew curious and had my subjects investigate. When the news spread around Canterlot itself I just had to see it for myself, so here we are” Nightmare Moon replied as she took a bite out of her brownie “Though why do I have this feeling that we have met before? I’m confident I would remember meeting another alicorn.”
Twilight remained quiet not wanting to divulge any information. Noticing the silence Nightmare Moon decided to change the topic “Another alicorn isn’t the only rumour that has been spreading” she said as she leaned across the table with a smirk “So when do I start calling thou sister-in-law? And would thy be able to send me the wedding invitation? Knowing my sister she would probably forget.”
Twilight’s face turned a dark shade of red “WE AREN’T LIKE THAT!” she exclaimed causing Nightmare Moon to laugh harder “My, thou art certainly fun to tease. Though how my sister became smitten with thou so quickly is beyond me. Last time she remotely cared about something, or somepony rather, was her protégée I murdered years ago” Nightmare Moon stated as she finished her brownie before another one suddenly appeared on her plate.
Nightmare Moon noticed that Twilight’s expression turned to a one of sadness, making a note of this she took a sip from her coffee “Tell me, what art thou name?”
Twilight bit her lower lip and looked away, unsure as to how to reply to the question. She didn’t want to answer with her real name in fear that Nightmare Moon would discover who she really was. With a sigh Nightmare Moon rested her hoof against her azure coloured helmet “If thou aren’t going to answer my questions or answer them truthfully then I’m wasting my time. I can only dream walk a few times every month” she sighed as her form started to flicker and fade away.
“I’ll answer some your questions if you answer some of mine. However I have the right to not answer any questions that I don’t feel comfortable with answering” Twilight proposed as Nightmare Moon’s form began to stabilize.
“I can work with that. Well thou have my first question, what is thy name?” Nightmare Moon repeated.
“Twilight” the lavender alicorn sighed out “Twilight Sparkle” she added hoping she wouldn’t regret this decision “You said you can only dream walk a few times a month. Why is that? I thought you could control the dream realm anytime you liked” Twilight asked.
Nightmare Moon tapped her hoof against the table repeatedly “Twilight…Twilight…Twilight” she muttered to herself, the name clawing at the back of her mind.
“A deal is a deal, my answer” Twilight demanded wanting an answer before she figured it out.
“I know” Nightmare Moon retorted with an exasperated sigh “Usually I would be able to do so, though with the limited amount of contact I have with the moon it makes it quite difficult to recharge my celestial powers. So while the sun is out Daybreaker will be stronger and I will be weaker, however, if the moon is out I will be stronger and Daybreaker will be weaker.” Nightmare Moon explained.
“Next Question, what is the name and location of thou kingdom?” Nightmare Moon asked having believed the rumours that were going around.
This question caused Twilight to grin “Hah! I don’t rule over a kingdom. I am however known as the Princess of friendship if that is any consolation” Twilight responded smugly that she was able to get a free question off.
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes at the useless answer as she waited for Twilight to ask her next question “Why did you cast eternal night in the first place? What did you hope to achieve from it?”
Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow at the simple question “Same reason as my sister, I wanted power. Though in the end it mostly came down to jealousy, I wanted ponies to appreciate my night sky instead of fear it” she replied with a shrug.
Twilight cocked her head to the side “Daybreaker doesn’t want power, she broke the day and night cycle to stop you from amassing an army of bat ponies, since they are nocturnal it was a logical and strategic decision” Twilight refuted.
Nightmare Moon laughed at the response “Is that what she told everypony? My beloved sister has always been much better at the political game than I ever was. Bat ponies are nocturnal, of course they would flock to the princess of the night upon her return.” She explained as Twilight began to rethink what she knew about Daybreaker.
“What art thou intentions with my sister?” Nightmare Moon asked.
Twilight slumped down in her chair, still deep in thought about the answer to her previous question “Daybreaker was the one who approached me. Though if I have to guess it would be to become her student again” Twilight answered as she inwardly cursed herself for letting her guard down.
Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened as she jumped out of her chair “It all makes sense now! How did thou survive our encounter at the old castle in Everfree Forest?” Nightmare Moon demanded “I was too focused on the fact that thou art an alicorn to even consider other options.”
Twilight muttered insults to herself as she facehoofed “I was hoping you wouldn’t pick up on that. Though I’m pretty sure it is my turn to ask the questions.”
Baring her fangs Nightmare Moon sat back down on her seat. Twilight thought long and hard about her next and possibly last question “If I recall, you managed to escape with three of the elements of harmony. What are your intentions with them?” she eventually asked.
Nightmare Moon clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath “Originally I took them to prevent them being used against me. However a few years ago we managed to...acquire...Starswirl the Bearded unfinished masterpiece. After countless failed attempts to complete the spell we recently discovered a link between the spell and the elements of harmony. We believe that once in the possession of all the elements we can use them to complete the spell” Nightmare Moon explained reopening her eyes clearly not happy about giving away such valuable information “Now answer my question? How did thou cheat death? How did thou survive? No word games, I want a clear and solid answer.”
Noticing that she used the word ‘we’ meaning she was working with somepony else on this Twilight had a feeling she knew what spell they were trying to complete “As promised I hold the right to not answer any questions I don’t feel comfortable with answering.”
Nightmare Moon was not happy with that answer. Flipping the table she approached Twilight and placed a hoof on her chest however the hoof went through her body and rested on the backpiece of the chair she was resting on “Thou will answer my question Twilight Sparkle” she demanded.
Twilight stared up and Nightmare Moon “Without your full power there is only so much you can do to me in the dream world, If you are going to be unreasonable and break our agreement then I think we are done here for tonight.”
Nightmare Moon form began to flicker once again “I have much to think about and it would do well to reserve what little power I still have stored” she responded as she pulled her hoof away from Twilight and stepped back “This will not be the last you see of me, Until we meet again young Twilight, whether it be here or in the waking world” she growled before vanishing from the dream.
Once Nightmare Moon Vanished from the dream Twilight immediately woke up covered in sweat. Staring at the ceiling she thought about the events of her dream and the remarks Nightmare Moon made about Daybreaker, who lied to her subjects about the reason why she created eternal day, however that was something she felt she would have to confront Daybreaker about herself.
Feeling the covers pull away from her, Twilight snapped from her thoughts and looked over to see Daybreaker fast asleep next to her, their faces practically touching. Her face immediately turned a bright shade of red as she was reminded about the rumours that had been spreading about them courting.
“Oh sweet Celestia” she mumbled as she hid under the covers.