//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 - Progress? 
// Story: A Student Once Lost 
// by Chiefs999 
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“Can you dim the light a tad bit darling? I’m trying to get my beauty sleep” Rarity groaned while squinting at Twilight, wishing she had brought her sleeping mask with her right about now.

Twilight glanced up from the journal that rested comfortably between her forehooves and towards the grouchy looking Rarity who was attempting to sleep in one of the corners. Her mane roughed up with several strands sticking out in various directions. Twilight was thankful there was no mirror in here else Rarity would have a fit and demand the guards to bring her a brush “Of Course! Sorry for waking you” Twilight apologized as she dimmed her horn light spell “Is this better?” 

With an incoherent mumble Rarity laid back down with her back towards Twilight, attempting to go back to sleep.

Taking Rarity’s unladylike response as a yes, Twilight turned her attention back towards the journal that Daybreaker lent her. The light emanating from her horn being the only way she can read its contents. She recalled reading a study on how reading using horn light magic for an extended period of time was harmful for your eyesight. However with no alternative solution for a light source, she hoped doing this for a few days wouldn’t cause any permanent damage, and that being an alicorn would offer some kind resistance to it.

Flicking over to the next page, there were often times where she would get too absorbed in what she was reading, causing her to forget the reason why she wanted the journal in the first place. Her original reason for wanting it was to find information about the decoder that Daybreaker referred to back in the library which would allow her to break down and modify Starswirl’s spells. 

However the journal was completely littered with various interesting ideas and theories that Starswirl had recorded though never got around to doing before his unexplained disappearance. A few of them seemed utterly ridiculous and straight up impossible, however there were some, despite how ambitious they were, could be revolutionary if successful.

‘Maybe when all of this is over I can experiment with some of his theories, giving him the appropriate credit of course’ Twilight thought to herself as she shook her head ‘Focus Twilight! You have all the time in the world for that when you find a way back’ she mentally scolded herself as she forced herself to turn to the next page when it had no mention of the decoder.

Though the next page came as quite the surprise to the alicorn as she stared at the wordless page with narrowed eyes. Unlike the other pages which were filled with text and diagrams, this page only had a drawing on it and a very crude one at that. This had nothing to do with the decoder but there was something clawing and screaming at the back of Twilight’s mind, telling her that this was important somehow. 

The drawing was a rough sketch of what appeared to be an upside down cauldron with three different yet very similar sigils mounted across its body. Surrounding each sigil were numerous rectangles and squares separated by small various sized gaps encompassed by two large yet thin circles. This pattern seemed to be consistent with the other three sigils however the unique symbol within each of the circles was the only element that made them different from each other.

The first symbol was relatively straight forward being a star, all five points coming into contact with the circle surrounding it. The second being slightly more complicated with it being a pentagon instead, all five points also coming into contact with the circle, the inside of the pentagon had been cropped out to reveal another upside down pentagon. The third and last symbol she couldn’t identify it as over three quarters of it had been cut off from the cauldron’s rim.

Without any information to go off, the drawing made zero sense to Twilight whatsoever. Turning to the next page to see if there would be anything to help explain what she was looking at, her eyes widened at what she discovered ‘What kind of monster is capable of such deeds’ Twilight thought angrily as she trailed her hoof down the tear marks in the middle of the book where the pages have evidently been ripped out from. If she could have her way she would make it illegal for books to be treated this way.

The torn pages must have contained information about the drawing as the next readable page contained a completely different theory about flashbacks and how magic can be used to access different sections of the brain to trigger and replay memories, even supressed ones. This both intrigued and terrified Twilight at the same time.

With a disgruntled sigh, Twilight turned back to the drawing and stared at it for a bit longer, hoping the answer would just magically jump out at her by itself and ease her now pounding head.

‘I’ll just ask Daybreaker about it later, maybe she knows what this is, or better yet, what happened to the missing pages’ Twilight thought as she once again forced herself to turn over to the next readable page. She didn’t know how long Daybreaker would let her keep this journal for, however she planned to get through all of it at least twice before she had to return it.

While skimming through the rest of the theories, Twilight levitated the reference scroll she created that contained all the page numbers as well as the names of spells that had peaked her interest before doing the same with her quill. She quickly jolted down the page number of the drawing followed by a question mark since she had no idea what the spell was. To symbolize its importance compared to the other theories she put a tidy circle around it before putting the scroll down to focus on her reading.









After flicking through page after page after page, Twilight was struggling to keep her eyes open.  Unable to supress a large yawn, she glanced up from her journal momentarily to see Shress stationed outside their cell with her back towards them. She had no idea how long the white coated guard mare stood there for however if that was the case then there was a chance that Day Dasher would be as well at some point, she still wanted to talk to the cyan pegasus about earlier. 

Twilight turned her attention back towards the journal and continued her research, not in the mood for a pointless conversation at the moment. As tired as she was she refused to stop, especially with how close she was to finishing it. After a few more pages and a few extra scribbles on her scroll, she eventually came across the section she spent the past day, if not longer searching for. 

All traces of tiredness completely vanished from Twilight’s face as a large smile tugged on the corners of her lips. Adjusting her position, she shifted so she was now laying on her stomach with her forehooves supporting her head while the journal was magically suspended in front of her, once she was comfortable she once again started reading.



I can’t believe it! The spells that I, the great Starswirl the Bearded, created with the intention to help my fellow unicorns flourish and prosper has instead been twisted and manipulated to cause harm to the neighbouring tribes! Something as innocent as a spell to generate artificial sunlight with the purpose to help our crops grow in darker lit areas is now being used as a weapon! A WEAPON!

Apparently some of my unicorn brethren have figured out how to amplify the heat that the spell produces and have been using it to scorch the earth pony’s crops. Being the one who created the spell in the first place I decided to take responsibility and apologized to the earth ponies by helping them plant and regrow their crops. The amount of magic it took nearly crippled me but if it meant preventing a war then it was a price I was willing to pay and would do so again without a second thought.

This however was only a temporary solution and I doubt that the earth ponies would be as forgiving if this ended up happening again. So, over the course of two weeks I gathered all of my spells and erased all the modifications that have been made to them.

Though that was only the beginning, to prevent them from modifying my spells all over again I added a little alteration of my own. With this alteration it would prevent my spells from being misused meaning they can only be used for their intended purpose. If they modify the spell, even in the slightest possible way, then the spell would either end up failing or backfiring against the caster. (Note: damage to caster may vary, ONLY do so when under influence of a protective barrier) There were times where I was tempted to destroy the spells and let them fend for themselves, to show them they shouldn’t take me or my work for granted. However I would never stoop to such foal-like tactics.

Of course, there may come a time where I discover a way to improve one of my spells. With this ‘lock’ that I placed on my spells it would make it impossible for me to do so without having to completely recreate it from scratch. So in return I made a key, a decoder probably being a better term for it. Using this allows the caster to see how the spell is structured and highlights the necessary steps in order to break it down, allowing me to make my desired improvements.

Note: The decoder does not tell you how to put the spell back together again and every spell is structured differently. Be sure to remember what steps have been taken. For security reasons NEVER write it down.

Unfortunately it was impossible to bind this decoder for my use alone and I fear that removing the modifications my brethren made to my spells has upset them greatly. The glares I received as I walked through the streets have been getting worse as the days go by, some even resorting to breaking into my home. I cannot allow this decoder to fall into their hooves so I hid it in a place where nopony would think to look.  



The smile on Twilight’s face instantly shifted to a frown as she reached the end of the entry. She turned to the next page in hopes that he continued there but much to her dismay it was completely blank. Refusing to believe that those few paragraphs was the only information she had about the decoder, she rapidly flicked through the rest of the pages, only for them to turn up blank as well.

When she reached the end of the journal ,she cancelled her horn light spell and let out a loud exhausted sigh while rubbing her strained eyes with her forehoof. There was nothing in the journal that even remotely hinted to the location of the decoder, only the reason for its creation in the first place and why Starswirl hid it, all pointless information in her opinion. 

Looking over at the sleeping unicorn beside her, Twilight decided to follow her friend’s example and get some much needed rest. Closing the journal, she let out another big yawn before resting her head on her forehooves and closing her eyes.

‘I’ll have another read of that entry when I wake up. Perhaps I missed something.’ 







“We have been waiting for thou to slumber for some time now Twilight Sparkle.”

The dream didn’t even have a chance to take form before a familiar black coated alicorn wearing azure shaded armor appeared in front of her “Nightmare Moon” Twilight responded dryly, wondering what the deity wanted with her this time “And what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, remembering their last encounter didn’t end well. 

There was no reply at first as Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and raised her head, her horn glowing with her azure magic as the dream started to take shape around them. Numerous houses that looked identical in every way surrounded them with various signs and stalls set up in the streets. The only building that was different than the rest was the black castle in the centre which looked similar to the one back in Canterlot only significantly smaller.

“We heard what thou did to our student’s underling. It was foolish on his behalf to perform such an action by one’s self” Nightmare Moon eventually spoke up as she reopened her eyes, now staring down at Twilight “If it wasn’t for thou he might’ve possibly succeeded in harming mine sister. Though with how fast we alicorns heal it would have only been an inconvenience at most” Nightmare Moon continued with a shake of her head.

“No matter, this shall make an excellent lesson for young Starlight. The imbecile’s purpose was espionage, by acting against his orders he made things quite difficult for us in the long run. From this she will learn how to enforce her orders and to not tolerate disobedience.” Nightmare Moon explained with a steadily growing smile “Young Starlight has definitely come a long way since we first crossed paths.”

While Nightmare Moon rambled on, ponies bearing the black equal sign cutie mark as well as the occasional tired looking bat pony flooded into the street, appearing from almost nowhere “Is this Starlight’s village?” Twilight asked, wondering if what she was seeing was more than just a dream.

“Tis a bit large to be named a village but essentially yes, it is. Everything thou see excluding the castle, young Starlight has done herself through hard work and determination” Nightmare Moon replied proudly as one of the ponies phased through her body. 

Twilight stepped aside before the same pony also walked through her. Everything around her seemed so real and vivid that if it wasn’t for Nightmare Moon standing in front of her she would have forgotten this was a dream entirely “If that is the case then why are you showing me all this? I doubt you would waste your powers on a social visit” Twilight asked.

“Thou are correct Twilight Sparkle, we wish to show thou that we aren’t as evil as our dear sister leads thou to believe” Nightmare Moon started, gesturing for Twilight to follow her as she made her way further down the street. Twilight being too distracted by the surrounding ponies who went about their business as if they were invisible, all of them smiling brightly and talking amongst each other while browsing the various stalls “And to offer thou a proposal” she added after a long pause.

“A proposal?” Twilight asked, running to catch up with Nightmare Moon’s longer strides. She noticed that the ponies here preferred using stalls to sell their goods instead of stores, the streets being much wider to accommodate the extra traffic. 

“We spent much time researching thou young Twilight, there has been zero mention of thou existence since our first encounter at the old castle over 10 cycles ago, excluding the funeral of course. It is as if thou appeared out of nowhere…From another reality perhaps?” Nightmare Moon questioned with a wide fanged grin.

The tone Nightmare Moon used made it seem like she was only joking but Twilight knew for a fact that Nightmare Moon somehow found out about her predicament. It would’ve made a lot more sense for her to assume that she had been successfully resurrected as an alicorn. Saying that she came from another reality was a lot more farfetched and an oddly specific claim at that. Even though Twilight never responded to the deity’s question, the way her eyes widened and mouth hung agape indicated to Nightmare Moon that she was spot on.

“We shall keep our proposal short and concise Twilight Sparkle. There are two things we require from thou. The first is how thou were able to ascend into an alicorn, the second is an offer for thou to join us” Nightmare Moon summarized. 

Twilight stared at the darker alicorn in disbelief “What in Equestria makes you think I’m going to join you!?” Twilight yelled out, unable to believe Nightmare Moon would enter her dreams and disturb her sleep for such an absurd request.

Nightmare Moon stopped to look back at Twilight, not surprised by the sudden raise and aggravation in her voice “There must be something thou seek, something mine sister couldn’t possibly offer you” Nightmare Moon responded vaguely, letting Twilight set her price.

Thinking back to the missing pages from the journal and the lack of information of the decoder, Twilight’s expression softened ever so slightly. Nightmare Moon knew Starswirl just as much as Daybreaker did, meaning that she could possibly know something about the missing pages, but that was more for her curiosity’s sake than anything. Twilight doubted that Nightmare Moon would know anything about the location of the decoder else she would have already used it against her sister.

The moment of silence between the two caused Nightmare Moon to grin “So there is something!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed, now standing in front of Twilight, her head lowered to meet the smaller alicorn at eye level “Pray tell what is it thou heart desires young Twilight? Be it wealth? Power? Status? The love and affection of the younger, prettier sister?” Nightmare Moon asked fluttering her eyelashes “Name thou price!”

Twilight bared her teeth at Nightmare Moon “I will never EVER betray my mentor! You got that?! She has raised me ever since I was a filly and has played a big part in my life growing up by making me the mare I am today! Even when I met my demise by your horn she never once gave up on me and spent the last ten years and more researching various magic’s in attempt to bring me back. Now tell me, oh younger and prettier sister, what can you possibly offer me that can live up to that?” Twilight yelled, clearly taking offence to something Nightmare Moon said, as to what was a complete mystery to the deity.

Taken aback by the aggressiveness and ferociousness in Twilight’s voice, Nightmare Moon raised her head and took a few steps back, currently at a complete loss of words. Letting out a large sigh, the deity levitated her helmet off and rubbed her temples for a few moments before putting it back on “Everypony has a price young Twilight. And it would be most wise that thou figure out what said price is before our next meeting. We have said what we have come to say and have other ponies that require our attention” Nightmare Moon stated, her form flickering momentarily “Until next time, Twilight Sparkle.”

With those final words Nightmare Moon vanished from the dream. Since Twilight was never in control of the dream to begin with, the ground beneath her violently shook, one by one the surrounding ponies and buildings vanished into nothingness. It didn’t take long for everything to disappear and for the dream to collapse, forcing Twilight awake in the process.







Twilight immediately shot up from her sleep, her coat completely drenched in sweat as she quickly scanned her surroundings, completely forgetting where she was. Upon seeing the metal bars with Shress at the opposite side of them, she raised her hoof to her rapidly beating heart and closed her eyes, attempting to regain control of her heavy breathing.

“Twilight Darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked mid yawn, clearly just waking up herself as she covered her gaping mouth with her hoof.

Reopening her eyes, Twilight turned her attention towards the fashionista “Yeah I’m fine thanks, just had an awful sleep that’s all” Twilight replied, wiping away some of the sweat dripping from her forehead.

“Mhmm, me too dear, I shall never complain about my pillows being too hard or my blankets being too heavy ever again” Rarity stated with a grumble, clearly not much of a morning pony.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at this, just little moments like these with her friends was what she cherished most in life “It was more about what happened in my sleep than where I slept” Twilight corrected “just had another run in with Nightmare Moon was all.” 

“Ah…I can see that being rather exhausting. Pray tell what did she want with you this time?” Rarity questioned. 

Even though Twilight already explained that Nightmare Moon had visited her in her explanation to Rarity earlier, the fact that she seemed completely unfazed and unconcerned was rather unsettling “She offered me a proposal, though I instantly turned her down” Twilight scoffed, still unable to believe that Nightmare Moon thought her loyalty could be so easily swayed.

Turning her attention towards Shress who was completely oblivious to the conversation that the two imprisoned mares were having. Twilight felt it would be best to inform Daybreaker about the encounter “Shress” Twilight called out causing the guard mare to tilt her head ever so slightly in their direction “Would I be able to get an audience with Daybreaker? It’s urgent.”

Even though she never really had a chance to speak to this guard mare before other than that one time at the library, she could tell that something seemed…off about her. With a small nod of her head Shress immediately left her post and traversed up the staircase. 

An audible gulp could be heard from across the cell “W-why darling…I-is bringing her here r-really necessary” Rarity stumbled, hoping Twilight would reconsider and call the guard back.  

“Relax Rarity, she will be too worried about why I summoned her in the first place for her to even notice you” Twilight giggled, giving her friend a reassuring smile while dismissing her needless worrying with a wave of her hoof.

After a few moments, Daybreaker suddenly appeared next to Twilight from a bright red flash followed by a loud crack from a teleport spell “Is everything alright Twilight?” Daybreaker asked urgently, her voice filled with concern and a look of worry evident on her face as her eyes searched Twilight’s form for any injuries “Is it your wing?” she asked, not giving Twilight any time to speak as she grabbed her student’s wing and stretched it, her hoof brushing across the slightly blackened feathers ever so slightly. Her fiery mane acting as a torch, illuminating the dark cell for them.

Rarity let out an unladylike squeal of fright as she backed up against the wall, her hoof on her chest to help calm her racing heart.

“I appreciate your concern but there is no need to worry, I’m perfectly fine and my wings are healing, just tired from your sister entering my dreams again” Twilight replied, both of them ignoring the frantic unicorn as she retracted her wing back to her side.

Daybreaker’s mane flickered ever so slightly upon hearing her sister’s name “What did she want with you this time?” Daybreaker asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Before Twilight had a chance to speak up, Daybreaker placed her hoof against Twilight’s lips to silence her “On second thought, we can discuss this privately in my chambers. Shress should be here any minute now to unlock the gate.”

As if on cue, the galloping guard mare came to a halt in front of their cell. Using her mouth, she pulled the keychain out from a slot in her armour and slid the appropriate key into the gate’s lock. Turning it, the gate made a loud clank as Shress put the key back into the slot before opening the gate for them.

Twilight stared at the gate for a few moments before looking back at Daybreaker “Wait…are you releasing us? But why? I thought we were supposed to be in here for a week and it hasn’t even been a day” Twilight asked confused.

“Why? Because I can’t stand seeing you in here for a moment longer, I never realized how lonely it was without you. Besides, word got out about how you saved me from that stallion” Daybreaker replied. 

Twilight knew that saving was too strong of a word, especially with what Nightmare Moon said in her dream, preventing harm would have been a more suitable term for it “That means I can use this to my advantage and say pardoning you is one of the few ways of repaying my debt to you. At least in the pony’s eyes that is, if I had my way I would’ve released you moments after imprisoning you.” Daybreaker finished, her ears folding backwards, clearly still feeling guilty about the entire situation.

Twilight smiled as she nuzzled up against Daybreaker, hating seeing her so down “The fact that you found a way to get me out earlier is more than enough. And you don’t owe me anything. I know you would do the same for me if the roles were reversed” Twilight responded.

The deity’s ears immediately perked back up as she wrapped her forehoof around Twilight and rested it against the crest of her neck “Also you have been in here for just over two days, not one” Daybreaker stated, correcting Twilight’s earlier statement.

“I WAS AWAKE FOR TWO DAYS!” Twilight exclaimed, causing the white alicorn to laugh as Twilight buried her head into Daybreaker’s chest “No wonder why I’m so tired! It wasn’t Nightmare Moon’s fault, I just stayed awake reading for too long…though being forced awake probably didn’t help either” Twilight complained, her voice muffled from speaking into Daybreaker’s chest. 

Silence quickly filled the cell. Twilight was too busy beating herself up, wondering how two full days had managed to pass without her realizing it. Daybreaker was content on just holding Twilight, wishing this moment would never end. Rarity had eventually calmed down but didn’t dare make a sound else risking Twilight’s other wing getting caught in the crossfire, meanwhile Shress stood next to the cell gate, waiting patiently for everypony to leave so she could lock up.

Much to Daybreaker’s dismay, Twilight eventually pulled away from the embrace “I guess I have become too reliant on Spike, he always makes sure I go to bed at a semi-decent time. Though it reminds me of what I was like when I was a filly in a way, you having to send a guard to check up on me every half an hour to make sure I was actually asleep.”

“I still question how you managed to convince one of the guards to read you a bedtime story instead of putting you back to sleep” Daybreaker chuckled “come now, we have been in here long enough.”

Getting up onto her hooves, Twilight looked over at Rarity who finally discovered the horrid state her mane was in as she frantically attempted to fix it with her hooves “What about Rarity?” Twilight asked, refusing to leave the cell without her friend.

Daybreaker narrowed her eyes as she stared at the almost elegant white unicorn “As of right now I couldn’t care less about what happens to her. Do what you please with her after we had our discussion…” Daybreaker retorted with a loud sigh as she made her way out of the cell “Just…make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

Twilight smiled brightly as the two mares followed Daybreaker out of the cell, Rarity staring up at her mane with a disgusted look “We promise, wont we Rarity?” Twilight replied, glaring at Rarity as if daring her to say no.

“But of course dear, I think one near death experience is enough to last me a lifetime thank you very much” Rarity replied, too distracted by her mane to even notice the glare.

Twilight snapped towards Daybreaker “There you have it, no more trouble from us. Promise!” Twilight reassured before quickly turning back to Rarity “With that settled, do you mind staying here for another day at most? There is still something I wish to discuss with you.”

“But of course darling, I’ll stay as long as you need me to. I’ll be sure to pass on the details of where I’ll be staying to one of the guards, whenever I find a place to stay that is” Rarity replied.

Even though Daybreaker refused to acknowledge Twilight, she could still feel the intense stare of her purple hues dig into her coat “Uugh Fine! I’ll have Shress here escort her to a guest room in the castle if she wishes to stay here instead. Only for a day though, no longer than that” Daybreaker grumbled.

“Why thank you Darling, I will take you up on your most gracious offer” Rarity accepted with a polite bow “It seems that you two have much to discuss and I shall not hold you up any longer” She added before trotting off along with Shress up the spiral staircase “Do you provide brushes and little soap packets like some of the hotels do? Oooh what about shampoo? And Pumice stones? Though if you have an alternative to that I guess I will have to make do fo-” Rarity’s voice faded out until they were out of hearing range.

“When Shress mentioned you had something urgent to tell me I had my suspicions that it was about something you didn’t understand in the journal” Daybreaker admitted, draping her wing across Twilight’s back.

“But I said it was urgent!” Twilight protested, puffing her cheeks out.

“Hence why I teleported here before she even finished her sentence, I was worried about you. Though knowing you that would be considered urgent” Daybreaker teased further.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she levitated the journal to her side before ascending up the staircase alongside Daybreaker, their sides brushing against each other with every step “Maybe the old ‘before Ponyville’ Twilight would freak out about that but I have my priorities straight now.” Twilight defended.

“Oh? So the words have to be smudged then? Or maybe the page has to be damaged? Don’t worry there are restoration spells that could fix that” Daybreaker chuckled.

“I think torn pages would be the bare minimum, also that reminds me, the jou-“ Twilight paused, her eyes widening and jaw hanging agape slightly “THAT’S IT! I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT I DIDN’T THINK OF THAT! DAYBREAKER YOU’RE A GENIUS!” Twilight exclaimed, practically bouncing on her hooves. 

Daybreaker stared curiously at her student’s sudden outburst with a raised eyebrow “You tend to be rather knowledgeable in various fields if you live as long as I have lived…May I ask what I said that warrants that claim?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight’s cheeks turned a slight shade of red, realizing her sudden outburst was completely out of context “Hehe sorry. It was about the note left in Fluttershy’s cottage, I think you were reading it as well when we first met. A lot of the words were smudged making it difficult to read, some even impossible to make out altogether. Near the end it mentions where we can find Fluttershy but I couldn’t make it out, no matter how many times I read over it. If that restoration spell does work and it does tell us where Fluttershy is then all that leaves is Rainbow Dash to find. And if anypony knows where she will be then it will be Fluttershy, those two have been friends ever since they were fillies after all” Twilight explained.

Daybreaker couldn’t fathom why Twilight would go so far for her friends, or what purpose it would serve. However she guessed it had something to do with her title, there had to be a reason why she was called the princess of friendship in the first place.

With a shake of her head Daybreaker decided not to question her student’s motives and continued her ascent up the staircase, her wing still draped cosily over Twilight’s back ushering her to follow alongside. 







The moment the two alicorns entered the privacy of Daybreaker’s chambers, Daybreaker immediately began her line of questioning “Now, tell me everything that transpired between you and my sister” Daybreaker ordered the moment the door behind them shut.

Twilight made her way towards the fancy looking bed and laid down on it. A loud content groan escaping her lips as her head collapsed against the soft pillow “It was quite a short visit compared to the first one, apparently she had other ponies to visit other than me. She showed me what her vil-err city looked like and proposed an offer to me” Twilight summarized.

“I’m surprised she showed you her city since we don’t have much information on it ourselves, however that is a discussion for another time. I’m more interested in this proposal, what did she offer you and what did she want in return?” Daybreaker asked curiously as she laid down next to Twilight, giving her her full attention.

Twilight’s wings shuffled uncomfortably against her side as she contemplated how to best go around explaining this “Essentially she wanted to know how I ascended into an alicorn, which further confirms my theory on her wanting to use the elements to complete Starswirl’s unfinished masterpiece and ascend her own protégée, Starlight Glimmer.”

“Secondly, she wanted me to betray you and join her side, for what reason? I forgot to ask” Twilight continued in a slightly quieter tone. 

Being angry would be a massive understatement to describe how Daybreaker was feeling. The way she visibly grit her teeth together and the glare she gave caused Twilight to shrink back slightly, even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her.

Twilight watched as the flames in Daybreaker’s mane burned profusely to a point where it was nearly double its usual size and still growing. She knew Daybreaker had a much shorter temper compared to the Celestia she knew and wouldn’t take the news well, however she never expected her to take it this badly.

Afraid that her fiery mane would accidentally set fire to something, Twilight did the only thing she knew that would help calm Daybreaker down. Scooting over towards the deity, she pressed herself up against the larger alicorn’s body and buried her head into her chest. Droplets of sweat already forming across her forehead from the excessive amount of heat the pissed of alicorn was producing, but if it meant calming Daybreaker down then it would be worth a few minutes of excruciatingly uncomfortable warmth. 

Closing her eyes she nuzzled her way up to the underside of the larger alicorn’s jaw, resting her head underneath Daybreaker’s while being careful not to burn herself on the flickering flames on top of her head. She could already feel Daybreaker’s racing heart begin to slow down though still far from its normal pace. 

Despite the unbearable amount of heat Daybreaker’s body produced, Twilight showed no signs of wanting to pull away. Not because she felt like she needed to in order to keep Daybreaker composed, but because she enjoyed being so close to her mentor, who in which apparently felt the same way as she encased the lavender alicorn in her large feathery wings “I would never betray you and I expected you of all ponies to know that” Twilight said softly.

“That isn’t the reason why I was upset Twilight, I’m upset because I know what my sisters intentions are. She wants you to betray me because she knows how devastating it would be for me, my anger would cloud my judgement causing me to make some questionable decisions. And if she forced you to fight me…I don’t think I…” Daybreaker explained, not daring to finish her sentence “What did my sister offer you in return for your betrayal?” she asked instead.

Twilight couldn’t imagine turning against her mentor, especially after everything they have been through together. She could tell that Daybreaker didn’t want to continue that conversation so she allowed her to change the topic and didn’t press it any further “She let me set the price. Though she did offer some suggestions such as wealth, power, fame and her…” Twilight started though Rarity’s words invaded her mind causing her to stop briefly. 

‘She is completely infatuated with you darling, I wish I had somepony that would look at me like that.’

This caused Twilight’s cheeks to burn a bright shade of red, the intimate position they were in wasn’t helping either “And her what?” Daybreaker asked, wondering why Twilight stopped all of a sudden.

Twilight shifted against the larger alicorn, glad that her face was hidden against her chest so Daybreaker couldn’t see how embarrassed she was “S-she also offered me her heart” Twilight finished, wondering how Daybreaker would react to Nightmare Moon confessing to her even if it was in a joking manner, which she completely neglected to mention.

There was a long pause before Daybreaker responded to Twilight’s question, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she could feel Daybreaker’s throat vibrate from the low, almost protective like growl, she would have assumed the deity didn’t hear her “She better mean that in a literal sense, I have been looking for something to decorate the throne room with” Daybreaker eventually spat. 

Twilight wasn’t sure if Daybreaker’s reaction was purely out of hatred for her sister or because Nightmare Moon was trying to steal her away from her. As much as she wanted to know the answer to that question, she decided it wasn’t important right now and moved onto something that had been bugging her ever since she woke up.

“She also said something else in the dream which worries me the most. I think she knows I’m not from this reality. She said and I quote ‘It is as if thou appeared out of nowhere…From another reality perhaps’” Twilight admitted, badly impersonating Nightmare Moon “It would have made a lot more sense for her to assume that your resurrection attempts worked which also ascended me into an alicorn as a result. It was an oddly specific claim as well, I just wonder how she came to that conclusion” Twilight added as she subconsciously pressed herself further into the white alicorn’s embrace. Daybreaker’s body wasn’t burning anymore ever since she calmed down but it still radiated a considerable amount of heat which Twilight couldn’t help but admit was a very comforting and relaxing feeling, in more ways than one “I may have beat her once…but without reuniting with the rest of the girls and the rest of the elements…I don’t think I can do so again.” 

“That is a rather bold claim to make I must agree. How many ponies other than me have you spoke to about this?” Daybreaker asked, growing more worried as her wings wrapped tighter around Twilight’s barrel. 

“Other than you? The only ponies I have explained this to are McIntosh, Apple Bloom, Applejack and Rarity” Twilight answered.

Daybreaker made a thoughtful humming sound and Twilight knew instantly what Daybreaker was thinking about “Daybreaker! I know these ponies, they would never ever do anyth-Mmpf!” 

“These are not the same ponies Twilight. They may look the same, sound the same, act the same but they are not the same” Daybreaker interjected by pressing her hoof against Twilight’s lips to silence her.

Twilight did not look pleased with being forcefully interrupted like that, but she didn’t fight back and allowed Daybreaker to say what she wanted to say “However…you know them better than I do. And for that I shall trust your judgement on them. Besides I would rather not get into yet another argument immediately after releasing you” Daybreaker sighed, clearly not happy about this. 

Placing her hoof on top of Daybreaker’s, Twilight gently pushed it away from her mouth so she could speak again “Thank you for trusting me, it means a lot” Twilight said softly as she stretched her neck to give the deity an affectionate nuzzle.

Daybreaker smiled as she returned the nuzzle “Let me say this and please take what I say to heart and not immediately dismiss it.” Daybreaker said as she reluctantly pulled away from the display of affection and cleared her throat. As much as she wanted to continue nuzzling Twilight, her student’s safety was her number one priority.

“These ponies that you met in Ponyville, even though you may know everything about them they don’t know a single thing about you. I just want you to be careful of who you trust and to keep an open mind, especially regarding those 5 that you are so keen on reuniting with. They have been impacted the most by everything and who knows what they might resort to doing. Use your knowledge of them to your advantage and don’t hesitate in questioning their motives if they do something uncharacteristic of them” Daybreaker explained with a deep sigh, her heart beginning to beat faster again “I care about you a lot Twilight…more than a student and a friend, I lost you once because I didn’t listen to you. Don’t make the same mistake I did” Daybreaker added, her mouth quivering as if she wanted to say more though instead forced it shut.

Twilight felt her own heart beat faster, a blush tinting her cheeks as she wrapped her own wings around Daybreaker which were too short to fully wrap around her “I’ll be careful I promise and will keep an open mind if they do anything questionable” Twilight reassured as her eyes wandered to the journal on the bed next to them. 

With everything revolving around the dream and Nightmare Moon already discussed, Twilight felt now would be an appropriate time to start questioning Daybreaker on what she knew about the journal “On another note, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you about this” Twilight said as she levitated the journal in front of them.

Opening it up, she pulled out her reference scroll that she had tucked away in-between the contents page and quickly skimmed through it “Page 183…183…183” Twilight repeated to herself as she flicked through the pages with her magic.

“Page 183 is Starswirl’s entry about the decoder if my memory serves me right” Daybreaker stated.

“Correct. I found the part that you mentioned about the decoder back in the library but I couldn’t find any information about its whereabouts” Twilight admitted as she reached the page before frowning “I haven’t done an in-depth hidden message check on it yet but it only seems to explain why he created it in the first place” Twilight explained.

Daybreaker didn’t even need to look at the journal to know what Twilight was talking about “Hence the reason why I was never able to find it in the first place. I have done as you said and searched for any hidden messages and enchantments more times than I can count, so many times in fact that I’m able to recite the entire entry word from word without looking at it. If I knew the location of the decoder don’t you think I would have already found it?”

“I’m sure you already knew this but Starswirl wasn’t just known amongst our kind. Zebras, Griffons, Minotaurs, even the dragons knew about him. All of them having recorded his accomplishments in one way or another, be it in a book, sung as a song or as a series of drawings. I have travelled across Equestria attempting to dig up what these accomplishments were and what they knew about him. To see if any of them had any mention of the decoder. Needless to say it didn’t. I know this is rich coming from an immortal but…it is a waste of time searching for it.” 

Twilight’s ears perked backwards as she stared down at the writing on the journal, silently hoping that the answer would just leap out at her and solve all of her problems “There’s no harm looking again, who knows maybe I will find someth-“ Twilight stopped abruptly as she mulled over Daybreaker’s words a second time before looking back up at her expectantly.

“What about the Crystal Empire? With the relationship you and Cadence have at the moment I doubt she would allow you or any of your guards anywhere near its borders. Maybe there is something about the decoder there?” Twilight suggested hopefully, her ears perking back up.

Daybreaker’s eyes widened at the sudden revelation Twilight made “No! Absolutely not! We’ve already had this discussion and you are not going to the Crystal Empire” Daybreaker stated.

“And I said that our discussion was far from over, now seems like a better time than any to continue it” Twilight retorted back “Please Daybreaker! I know you are worried about me and that you are afraid that you will lose me again but I can take care of myself” Twilight practically pleaded.

“Take care of yourself? You died against my sister, what makes you think you can stand up against Cadence and her army if they decide to attack you? hhmmm?” Daybreaker argued.

“I’m not the same pony Daybreaker. I may look the same, sound the same, act the same, but I am not the same” Twilight replied, her tone slightly harsher than it was meant to be. Even though look the same was a bit of a stretch since she was effectively taller and had a pair of wings, using Daybreaker’s words against her would help get her message across all the more “I never got around to explaining everything that happened in my reality so let me summarize the eventful parts for you” Twilight added as she cleared her throat.

“In my reality when we defeated Nightmare Moon and purified her, Discord was able to escape from his stone imprisonment. We managed to defeat him and turn him back to stone again, and not just that, we even managed to reform him. Tirek? We managed to strip him of all his stolen magic and imprison him back in his cage in Tartarus where he belongs. Chrysalis? She disguised as Cadence during her and my brother’s wedding. Nopony believed me when I said it wasn’t her, not my friends, not my family, not even you. When I found the real Cadence left to starve in the crystal mines I managed to free her and reveal Chrysalis in front of everypony before she was strong enough to take over, she was even strong enough to defeat you in combat. Sombra? Well we managed to restore the Crystal heart before anything really happened….But that isn’t the point. The point is that I’m perfectly capable of defending myself” Twilight defended, a little out of breath from her lengthy disposition.

“I’m not sure if you noticed but you used the word ‘we’ a lot” Daybreaker observed with a frown “As much as I commend you for your actions and would like to hear more about it in further detail, especially the part where I’m apparently defeated, you never once explicitly stated that you did any of it by yourself” Daybreaker stated factually.

“I-If that is the case then I can find my friends again! You have their banishment forms! All I need to do is restore Fluttershy’s note, go to where it tells me to go and ask her where Rainbow Dash is and-“

“If you want to go that badly then prove to me you can take care of yourself” Daybreaker interjected, deciding to settle this dispute once and for all “If you can beat me in a one on one duel then I will allow you to go to the Crystal Empire. If you lose then this is the end of the discussion.”

Twilight’s mouth hung agape “That is completely unfair! You literally control the sun and not even Nightmare Moon can beat you! What makes you think I even remotely stand a chance!?” Twilight protested.

“Oh? I thought you said you defeated my sister? Having second thoughts are we?” Daybreaker smirked. Upon seeing Twilight’s unamused expression Daybreaker rolled her eyes “Fine, there is this test in the elite guard program that the guards have to pass in order to graduate. Unfortunately for you it isn’t theory based. One player is the defender which shall be me in this case, has to prevent the attacker which shall be you, from sounding a gong behind me. The test lasts fifteen minutes and when I prevent you from sounding the gong within that time frame then I win, though in the off chance you do sound the gong then you win. You can only sound the gong by touching it physically, using magic doesn’t count. Does that sound fair to you?” Daybreaker proposed.

Twilight bit her lower lip as she thought it over, her mind wandering to the wide gap in power and skill that separated them “I accept your proposal” Twilight replied as confidently as she could, not only did she want to go to the Crystal Empire for the decoder but for her family’s sake as well.

“Excellent, we shall settle this tomorrow afternoon, I believe your wings should be fully healed by then. Though I suggest you give them a proper preening beforehoof” Daybreaker suggested.

With that settled Twilight looked back down at the reference scroll and quickly looked through it again “I noticed there were some torn pages around the page 148 mark” Twilight said as she used her magic to flick to the stated page.

“Maybe Starswirl changed his mind about something and didn’t want anypony to know about it so he ripped them out?” Daybreaker deduced.

Twilight hummed thoughtfully as she trailed her hoof down the tear marks “It is possible…but if that is the case then it doesn’t make sense why he wouldn’t rip all the pages out” Twilight responded as she angled the journal to Daybreaker so she could also see the drawing “There has to be a different reason.”

Daybreaker instantly snatched the journal away from Twilight and stared intently at the drawing “Do you know what this is?” Daybreaker asked seriously.

“No. Though I feel like I should, every time I look at it there is something clawing and screaming at the back of my mind” Twilight replied as she glanced away from the journal and up at Daybreaker “Do you know what it is?” she asked curiously with a slight cock of her head.

Daybreaker stared at the drawing for a few moments longer before closing the journal, her hoof tapping against the cover repeatedly “Without the corresponding pages I wouldn’t have a faintest idea what this is” Daybreaker replied as she levitated it over to her desk “I think it would be wise for you to get some rest, I doubt my sister would have the energy to visit you again, especially without the moon being out” Daybreaker suggested.

“Now that is something we can agree on” Twilight giggled as she went to get up but a sudden force pushed her back down.

“I would feel a lot better knowing I was with you while you slept” Daybreaker admitted as she removed her hoof from her student’s chest “I still have a few things I need to take care off before I join you.”

Twilight smiled as Daybreaker levitated the blankets over her body “Thank you, at least this time you don’t have to come up with an excuse as to why you are in my bed” Twilight teased as she adjusted one of the pillows to accommodate her smaller head before falling asleep.

Daybreaker didn’t reply as she watched her student sleep. Once she was sure Twilight was fast asleep, she casted a sound proofing spell around her so she wouldn’t accidentally wake her up and made her way over to her desk. 

Narrowing her eyes she stared at the journal for a few moments before brushing her hoof against the cover ever so gently. Gritting her teeth she grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. A white glow surrounded the book as soon as it came into contact with the wall before doing the same when it fell to the ground.

Trotting up to the undamaged book, she glared down at it as the white barrier faded away. With a loud cry she set her hoof ablaze and slammed it against the journal. A few moments later, once the fire subsided, she kept her hoof firmly pressed against the glowing white barrier that prevented any harm from coming to the journal. The ground surrounding it scorched from the flames.

“You need to learn to keep your bucking mouth shut.” Daybreaker cursed to herself.