Ever since Twilight arrived in this reality she had struggled to get a good days rest. Be it because of her sleeping arrangements or because of Nightmare Moon invading her dreams from time to time. But due to how physically and mentally exhausted she was from her duel with Daybreaker, she was sleeping like a log in what was probably considered the most comfortable bed in all of Equestria. Resulting in one of the best sleeps she had since arriving here.
At least that was the case until she unwittingly stretched in her sleep, causing the muscles in her leg to cramp up painfully. Twilight’s eyes shot wide open as she quickly stretched her leg out while twisting her body into a more comfortable position to rub the tensed muscle.
Once most of the cramp subsided, Twilight looked around to see that the spot on the bed next to her was vacant. Instead there was a note on top of the adjacent pillow with her name written neatly on it. She was about to use magic to levitate it towards her before quickly remembering that she was to ease up on her magic usage. So instead she waited for the cramp to fully disappear before shifting over to grab the note and read it.
My Beloved Twilight.
As much as I would have loved for you to join me during breakfast as well as attend court, you looked so peaceful while sleeping and I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you. Since my secretary is on vacation, things may progress more slowly than I am accustomed to. Which means I may be late in returning to you, or early if I decide to end it. However if you find yourself missing your mentor’s loving embrace then you are free to join me at any time. Otherwise I have assigned my personal detail to safeguard you in the meantime.
Forever yours, Daybreaker.
Placing the note back down on the pillow, Twilight let out a loud sigh as she kicked the covers off her so she could get out of bed. Wincing lightly as she gently eased herself onto her hooves before making her way towards the door. Daybreaker’s offer not interesting her in the slightest. There were still numerous things she had to do, some of which couldn’t be done with Daybreaker constantly watching over her.
Opening the door, the first thing she noticed were the two usual pegasi guards stationed at either side of the doorway. “Has there been any word about the journal yet?” Twilight asked, a hint of hope in her voice.
“No, the guards guarding at the entrance way to this section of the castle claim that nopony has entered nor exited those doors between you leaving and returning…except for Raven but she has full access and wouldn’t have stolen it. We decided to check your room again, more thoroughly this time and we still came out empty hooved.” Shress replied before immediately speaking up again. “However, a certain pony still owes me an explanation on what happened at the training ground.”
Twilight grit her teeth together, trying her best to keep her frustration hidden. It wasn’t their fault that the journal went missing and she knew they were doing everything they could in order to retrieve it. But at the same time this was a discussion she really didn’t want to have, nor did she have the time to do so, especially if Daybreaker did decide to finish court early today.
“I’m sorry, even though Daybreaker never said anything about it, she heavily implied that she didn’t want news about what happened to spread about.” Twilight replied. Even though this was true, she was hoping that Shress’s respect and admiration for Daybreaker would be enough for her to instantly drop the topic.
The small hopeful smile across the white pegasus's face dipped to its usual hardened expression. It was clear that she was disappointed but she did a very good job at hiding it. “If that is what our queen wishes then I shall respect her privacy and will not pry any further.” Shress professionally replied.
With that out of the way, Twilight turned her attention towards Day Dasher to get the first agenda of her mental checklist crossed out. “There has been something I have been meaning to discuss with you for a while now.” Twilight said, causing Day Dasher to nod her head once, waiting for Twilight to continue. “In private.” Twilight quickly added.
Day Dasher’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly from behind her helmet, she looked over at her partner momentarily before shaking her head, raising her hoof to point towards Shress.
Twilight's gaze followed her hoof and looked at Shress. “We can discuss it here if you want but I know this is a conversation you will not want anypony overhearing.” Twilight replied, turning her attention back towards Day Dasher.
“I believe what she is trying to say, or imply anyways is that she will only talk to you if you tell me what happened down at the training ground. Which isn’t any of my business since our queen wishes for it to remain a secret.” Shress replied, her voice becoming sterner near the end.
Twilight cocked her head to the side, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at Day Dasher who simply nodded in confirmation. “How in Celestia’s name were you able to determine what the hay she was saying!?” Twilight exclaimed.
“Day Dasher and I go way back. I believe we met at the guard academy roughly...twelve years ago if I recall, maybe eleven. Anyways after being around a pony for that long you get to know them inside and out. Even if they can’t talk, and, as you implied, tend to be very secreti-“ Shress replied but the conversation quickly died when Day Dasher shoved Twilight into her.
Shress reacted fast enough to catch the stumbeling Twilight before turning to glare at her partner threateningly. “I appreciate what you are trying to do for me but we have talked about this before. Twilight here is a princess as well as the queen’s consort, if you keep acting like this then losing your job will be the least of your concerns. None of us want that Day Dasher, especially me.” Shress scolded, quickly looking Twilight over to make sure she was alright before letting her go.
Rolling her eyes, Day Dasher decided she had enough of this and walked off into Twilight’s room, gesturing for the alicorn to follow along. “Sorry about her princess, I promise you I will deal with this attitude of hers. She isn’t like this with other ponies, I swear.” Shress apologised with a bow.
Twilight gently pressed the tip of her hoof against the guard’s chin, lifting her head up slightly. “Please don’t bow to me and its fine. It is one of the few things I wanted to talk to her about anyways, though I promise you I won’t tell Daybreaker about it. But at the same time I won’t defend her if she somehow finds out about this for herself.” Twilight replied as she took a step back when the guard got back onto her hooves.
“I won’t be able to explain everything that happened during the duel but I will give you an abbreviated version. Daybreaker lost because she used our duel as a dual purpose of testing my combat abilities. She made the mistake of going easy on me, allowing me to make progress that I otherwise shouldn’t have made. I also discovered her weakness and used it against her when I felt that the time was right. Sending her flying into the surrounding wall...basically that is all you need to know.” Twilight quickly summarized before following Day Dasher into her room before she decided she got tired of waiting and left.
“Weakness? But Daybreaker doesn’t have any!” Shress shot back.
“Everypony has a weakness, some just aren’t physical.” Twilight replied in a faint whisper, only loud enough so that she could hear.
Closing the door behind her so Shress wouldn’t be able to overhear, Twilight approached Day Dasher who sat on the side of her bed. “There are a few things I wish to talk to you about. Firstly, why do you pretend that you can’t speak?” Twilight asked, fairly confident in her accusation.
As expected, Day Dasher didn’t respond to her the way she would have liked and instead simply cocked her helmet covered head to the side in confusion.
“If you didn’t want me knowing you could talk then why did you thank me back when Rarity and I were locked in the dungeons? You could have stayed silent the entire time and I would have been none the wiser. I’m also pretty sure I heard you grumble something rather rude about me when you walked past me channeling that levitation spell the day before.” Twilight continued.
Once again Day Dasher didn’t say anything in response which made Twilight sigh loudly in annoyance. She was hoping that Day Dasher would give in to her accusation, but without any evidence to back her claim up, there was no way she was going to get her to talk.
“Whatever, if you don’t want to talk then that’s fine, but doing so would make answering my next question a lot easier.” Twilight grumbled, giving up on getting Day Dasher to speak. She wasn’t actually planning on asking this, but with what Shress told her she decided to just get it out of the way. “What is it that you have against me? I noticed it when I first met you two in front of Daybreaker’s chambers, and even Stress said that you have been acting weird since then and only around me.” Twilight confronted.
Annoyingly for Twilight, Day Dasher didn’t slip up when she intentionally mispronounced her partner’s name incorrectly. Instead Day Dasher got off the bed and trotted towards her cluttered desk. Rummaging through the various items scattered across it before making room for the paper and inkpot she pulled out.
By the time Twilight had walked up behind Day Dasher to see what she was doing, she had already finished writing something out.
‘You destroyed the lives of those five mares in Ponyville that went with you. Your death, which resulted in their banishment made them either go into hiding or live under a false identity. And here you are, standing right beside me, alive while doing nothing to fix it.’
Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as Day Dasher continued to stare at her accusingly. “I thought it was for a different reason. It may not change how you feel about me, but that Twilight that those five went with wasn’t me.” Twilight summarized, not really wanting to explain this story again.
As soon as Twilight finished speaking, Day Dasher went back to writing something else. Watching over her shoulder the entire time.
‘Lies! I know what really happened, I was at the Summer Sun Celebration after all during Nightmare Moon’s return!’
Twilight tried to ignore the intense glare Day Dasher was giving her, but after a few moments she gave in and decided to give her the quick rundown. “Since Nightmare Moon knows about my origins there isn’t any point in hiding it anymore, not that I did a good job of hiding it in the first place. Though this is a direct order from Daybreaker, you aren’t to tell a soul, especially Shress out there.” Twilight stated while pointing to the door with her hoof for added emphasis. “Do I make myself clear?”
When Day Dasher nodded her head, Twilight took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m tired of explaining this so I will give you the abbreviated version. Effectively I’m a Twilight from another reality, I don’t know how you know me since I have never even seen you in Ponyville before. But in my reality, me and those five mares succeeded in our fight against Nightmare Moon and purified her. The Twilight you knew in this reality did die against Nightmare Moon, the only reason I am here now is because I foiled the plans of a powerful unicorn and she wanted me out of the way, so she used a spell that transported me to another reality where I don’t currently exist, and here I am, since in this reality I’m dead.” Twilight summarized, hoping she wouldn’t have to explain this again for another long while.
After the explanation, the only sound being made was the tapping of Day Dasher’s quill against the desk. Her expression neutral as she stared at the paper in thought. After what felt like minutes, Day Dasher started writing again.
‘Yeah right, if that was the case then why didn’t she just kill you? And what proof do you have to support this?’
“She didn’t kill me because she didn’t want to hurt me. At least I think that is the reason anyways. As for proof, just ask Daybreaker where my body is, though I highly doubt she would tell you that or let you see it. But in the end it really doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, if you are going to pretend you can’t talk and you don’t know where the journal is then I best be on my way. I got a lot I still need to do and I don’t have much time to do it in.” Twilight said as she made her way towards the door.
Placing her hoof on the handle, Twilight turned back to look at the zoned out cyan guard. “And just so you know, I am trying to rectify my-err alternate me’s mistake. I already convinced Daybreaker to lift their banishment, now all I have to do is give them some forms to fill out and they can go back to living their old lives, if they choose to do so that is. It may be ten or so years too late and they may still hate me for what happened even though it isn’t technically my fault. But despite that they are still my friends and I refuse to let them live like this, especially if Applejack and Rarity’s situation is anything to go by. I’m still worried about Sweetie Belle but Rarity lashed out at me the last time I brought her up.” Twilight finished before opening the door and walking out. Not giving time for Day Dasher to write her response. It was probably rude of her to leave like that, but that mare was really starting to annoy her.
Twilight gave Shress a quick glance when she stepped out into the hallway. “If you or anypony else finds that journal then please come straight to me. It is urgent that it gets returned as soon as possible. In the meantime I need to talk to Rarity and get her to fill out a few forms before she heads off.” Twilight instructed as she re-entered Daybreaker’s chambers to grab the banishment forms, balancing them carefully and neatly on her back before walking out.
As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the metallic sound of hoof steps behind her. Turning back around, she noticed Shress and a distracted Day Dasher following closely behind. “Daybreaker’s orders?” Twilight dully asked.
“Daybreaker’s orders.”
Upon arriving at Rarity’s chambers, Twilight raised her hoof to knock on the door a few times before turning to face her escorts. “You two can wait outside, nothing is going to happen and I’m not going to sneak off.” Twilight instructed. A few seconds later the door creaked opened slightly, Rarity’s eye peeking through the tiny gap.
“There you are darling! I was beginning to think you forgot about…What happened to your coat?!” Rarity exclaimed, opening the door more to allow Twilight inside. Not taking her eyes of Twilight’s blackened chest.
A smile quickly spread across Twilight’s features as she stepped inside. “I’m really sorry for taking so long, I pushed myself a little too much and this happened. I’m lucky I didn’t put myself in a magical coma, however I needed to rest up for a bit afterwards considering I couldn’t even walk properly after the duel. Also Daybreaker got some kind of ointment that is supposed to repair the nerve damage that her attack caused me, as well as bring my coat its natural colour back.” Twilight replied as she approached the desk, putting the forms that were on her back down on top of it.
After closing the door behind Twilight, Rarity followed her to the desk, curious as to what she had brought with her. “Completely understandable darling. I would’ve assumed that our queen would have at least gone easy on you, but apparently not. Though don’t let that discourage you dear, practice makes perfect as they say and she has thousands of years’ worth of experience behind her.” Rarity comforted, giving Twilight a gentle pat on the back when she was sure there were no cuts there.
Twilight’s smile shifted into a smirk, even though she knew Daybreaker didn’t want the news of her loss to spread about, she just couldn’t contain herself. “I appreciate the sentiments. But I think Daybreaker is the one you need to be saying this to, not me.” Twilight corrected smugly.
Oh how Twilight wished she had brought a camera with her, the way Rarity’s eyes practically bulged from their sockets with her jaw hanging wide open was priceless. “D-did y-y-ou..?” Rarity stuttered, struggling to formulate a response which sent Twilight straight into a fit of giggles.
“It wasn’t easy and I had to play dirty, VERY dirty. But yes, yes I won.” Twilight replied.
While Rarity attempted to process how the hay Twilight had won against a pony that could literally control the sun. Twilight began searching through the stack of forms she brought with her for the one containing Rarity’s name. “Here is your form, if you fill it out now then I can give it to Daybreaker whenever I see her today.” Twilight replied, pulling it out from the stack and giving it to her friend.
Snapping back into reality. Rarity took the series of paper in her magic and quickly skimmed through them to get an idea on what exactly she was signing. Nodding her head in approval, she moved to the opposite side of the desk to fill out the required fields. “I know you are making me do this now to get out of explaining what you did to win darling, but don’t think for a second I won’t find a way to make you talk.”
Even though Rarity was correct, Twilight wasn’t going to dignify that with a response and continued to look through the stack of forms, just to make sure that there wasn’t anything in there that shouldn’t be there. “Since I am going to be busy for the next week, or possibly longer, I won’t be able to give the rest of the girls their forms. I know this is a big ask of you and I don’t blame you if you say no, but would you be able to deliver theirs to them if I tell you where they live?” Twilight asked.
It took a while for Rarity to reply which worried Twilight slightly, but the nod from the fashionista’s head made her sigh out in relief, releasing a breath of air that she didn’t know she was holding in. “I can, but what will you be doing in the meantime? If you don’t mind me asking.” Rarity asked curiously.
“Well…for the next day or two I will be keeping Daybreaker to a few promises she made, as well as fulfilling the ones I made to her. After that, I plan to head to the Crystal Empire in hopes to find more information about Starswirl’s decoder. I have no idea how long I will be there for and it isn’t fair on the girls to keep them waiting any longer than they already have. I know Applejack is dying to get back to her family, probably the same with you and…” Twilight replied but quickly cut herself off, remembering how poorly Rarity reacted the last time she mentioned Sweetie Belle in conversation.
Thankfully however, Rarity seemed to gloss over that small slip up and instead remained focused on something else that Twilight had said. “THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! YOU SIMPLY MUST TAKE ME WITH YOU!” Rarity practically demanded, rearing up to place her hooves on Twilight’s cheeks, squishing them together so she couldn’t avert her gaze. “Just think, an entire city made of gems and crystals! It’s every designers dream!”
Twilight blinked a few times in surprise before pushing the overeager unicorn away. She wasn’t planning on taking anyone with her, but having some company during the ride there would be nice. “Daybreaker would never allow you to come with me…however if you were to say, conveniently meet me at the train station heading there.” Twilight insinuated with a wink.
Excitement washed over Rarity as she opened her mouth to frantically agree, but the sudden realization of a fatal flaw in Twilight’s plan made her hold her tongue. “I would love to darling but…there is no train leading to the Crystal Empire. Not even a road, it is considered its own individual kingdom after all.” Rarity explained.
Twilight wasn’t fazed by the news as she thought back to the Sombra incident in her reality. Her brother meting them at the closest Equestrian train station before traversing the snowstorm on hoof to get there. “Inconvenient but not a problem, we can just get as close as we can by train then walk the rest of the way.” Twilight shrugged.
“W-walk to the Crystal Empire! Are you crazy! If we somehow get lucky enough to not get eaten alive out there then we would surely freeze in that blizzard long before we figure out what direction we’re supposed to go!” Rarity exclaimed.
Twilight rolled her eyes at Rarity’s over exaggeration of the situation before reassuringly placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Relax, I’m not saying this is going to be easy, but this also isn’t my first time heading to the Crystal Empire, nor will it be my first time walking there. Come to think of it, the first time I went there in my reality we stumbled across king Sombra and he started chasing us the rest of the way there. And I don’t think things can get much worse than that.” Twilight chuckled.
With a few deep breaths, Rarity seemed to have calmed down considerably. “If this changes your mind about coming with me then I won’t hold it against you. Feel free to think it over because I do need you to give Applejack and Pinkie Pie their forms first. As well as the rest of the girls if any of them know where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash live. When you have done that and if you are still interested in coming to the Crystal Empire with me, then you are more than welcome to tag along.” Twilight offered.
The doubt across Rarity’s face was replaced with a look of determination. “Not to worry darling, I’ll have these delivered to them and be back before you know it!” Rarity replied with a mock salute before quickly losing her composure. “Though as for where I will be staying in the meantime until you are ready…I will need to get back to you on that.”
“Don’t stress over it too much, when the forms are signed just come back here and request an audience with me, or have the castle guards deliver me a message. I’m sure we can work something out, if not perhaps Applejack will allow you to stay with her, or Fluttershy’s abandoned cottage. Not the nicest place to stay but I did leave a sleeping bag in there.” Twilight thought out loud before shaking her head.
“Anyways we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I promise you that we will find a place for you to stay in the meantime.” Twilight continued with a bright reassuring smile.
Rarity returned the smile with one of her own. “I guess if I wish to accompany you then I should deliver these forms sooner rather than later. Is there anything else you require from me before I head out?” Rarity asked as she grabbed the small stack of forms with her magic, the exception being hers which she left on the desk.
“Actually…there is one thing.” Twilight replied with a slight pause. “Do you remember that journal I was reading back in my room while you were showering?” Twilight asked, watching as Rarity made some room in her already full saddlebag to put the forms in.
Rarity didn’t look up from what she was doing, the saddlebag practically overflowing and appearing as if it would burst open if anything else was forced inside of it. “Yes I do darling, and no I will not let you test that spell on me.” Rarity sternly replied.
If the reason why Twilight was asking that question wasn’t so serious then that response would’ve at least got a giggle out of her. “Well…the journal has been reported missing and potentially stolen. That journal is the only hint I have towards the decoder and now I am back to square one. Besides, that flashback spell would’ve been nice to use, just so I can get rid of that stupid annoying nagging sensation every time I think about that bucking missing page spell with the upside-down cauldron.” Twilight replied sourly.
Rarity stopped what she was doing for a few moments before resuming to force the forms in her bag. “I see…and you assume that I have taken it?” Rarity asked slowly as she buckled her bag up, causing Twilight to frantically shake her head and wave her hooves in front of her.
“Nonono of course not! I know you aren’t interested in magic unless it helps you with your profession. So the journal would be completely worthless to you, besides, you are the most generous pony I know and wouldn’t resort to stealing.” Twilight replied sincerely.
With Rarity finished packing, Twilight picked up the sole remaining form and flipped through the pages. Making sure that Rarity had filled everything out correctly. “I keep forgetting how much you know about me since you are from another reality. However that flashback spell was just a theory was it not? Sure it may be a major setback, and trust me darling, in my line of work I know all about those. But perhaps this is exactly what you need! Minus losing information about the other two things you mentioned of course.” Rarity encouraged.
Twilight’s eyes snapped up from the form to meet Rarity’s, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. “I don’t follow, how can me losing that journal, which literally contains all the information I need be a good thing? I have nothing now except for the Crystal Empire, which, with my luck so far, will have nothing to help me with my predicament?” Twilight questioned, her tone slightly harsher than it was meant to be.
Rarity’s ears folded back ever so slightly. “W-well…that was just a theory darling. And you said the spells in there are usually ones that Starswirl couldn’t figure out or finish himself right?” Rarity asked in which Twilight responded with a few nods of her head.
“Yes, but technically it also contains spells that he came up with while working on another different yet similar spell. So to prevent side-tracking from his current project, he would record it in the journal to work on another time.” Twilight replied, wondering where Rarity was going with this.
“Let’s just forget about that part for now. Let’s just assume Starswirl did work on this spell and failed to complete it, perhaps he was going about it the wrong way.” Rarity continued.
Twilight gave Rarity a confused look while cocking her head to the side. Rarity was by no means a magic expert and should only take her advice with a grain of salt, but she was only trying to help. And with nothing to lose, she might as well hear her out. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.” Twilight replied.
This earned a small annoyed sigh from Rarity as she scratched the back of her head in thought. “I may not know much about magic as you do darling. But the way you described that spell as well as the practicality of it…it just irked me a little. Mostly the applying magic directly to the brain part, it may be common practice back in the day, but by today’s standards it is a very outdated method and such an odd thing to do.” Rarity explained while tapping her hoof against her saddlebag repeatedly, her eyes wandering around room for anything she could use as an example.
Her eyes eventually landed on Twilight’s charred chest with the dried white substance covering it. “Alright how about this, why didn’t you just use magic to whip your chest back into shape?” Rarity asked.
Twilight stared at her dumbfounded. “Because magic simply cannot mend nerve damage and repairing flesh is simply impossible. Actually, technically it can mend nerve damage but there are numerous factors that make using magic complicated for it to work. Some factors can be the depth and width of the damage, its location, or in my case the excessive increase or decrease in temperature that your body can withstand. And don’t get me started on flesh mending, there are reasons why necromancers can’t regenerate the flesh of their subje- ”
“Yes yes very interesting. But that only enforces the point I’ve been trying to make darling. You used something other than magic to mend the damage done to your body, a form of cream from what it looks like.” Rarity interrupted, leaning forward to get a better look at the white substance. “Sure triggering a flashback is completely different compared to my example and magic may be a factor in achieving this, but an external catalyst such as this cream may be exactly what you need.”
Twilight didn’t reply right away as she processed everything that Rarity just said, which oddly enough made a lot of sense. “So you are saying instead of trying to use magic directly to trigger the effect, I should instead use some cream or a pill as a catalyst?” Twilight asked, her eyes widening at the sudden revelation she made. “Or a potion from a certain shaman!”
This caused Rarity to nod her head ever so slowly with a questioning look. “Yes…well maybe not the last part but-“ Rarity replied but was interrupted by Twilight lunging towards her, wrapping her hooves around her neck and pulling her into a tight hug.
“Rarity you’re a genius! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” Twilight squealed, making Rarity chuckle slightly as she returned the hug by wrapping her hooves around Twilight. Both of them leaning against each other for support.
“It was just an idea darling, I wouldn’t get your hopes up in case it doesn’t work.” Rarity admitted sheepishly.
Pulling away from the hug, Twilight shook her head. “No it will work, and I know just the zebra to talk to!” Twilight replied confidently.
Rarity was curious as to what Twilight meant by that, but a sudden knock at the door prevented her from obtaining the answers she wanted. “Is everything alright in their princess?” Shress’s muffled voice called out from behind the door.
Twilight let out an audible groan before rolling her eyes. “Everything is alright, we were just finishing up!” Twilight replied with a hint of annoyance before turning to face Rarity. “Sorry about that, they were probably making sure that I didn’t run away despite saying I wouldn’t.” Twilight apologized, saying the last part loud enough so her foal sitters could hear.
“It’s quite alright darling, but what did you mean by a certain shaman and a zebra? I didn’t know any of them even lived in Equestria.” Rarity asked.
Twilight shook her head. “Don’t worry too much about it, it’s a long story but thank you so much for reminding me of it, even if it was unintentional. Your idea is one hundred percent correct, though extremely complicated to make since it only works with alicorn magic…at least that was what I was told anyways.” Twilight replied, realizing she knew practically nothing about that potion nor how to actually make it.
Rarity obviously wanted to know more about what Twilight was talking about, but Twilight had other things she needed to do today so she decided to wrap things up. “Anyways, all I know is that Applejack is at her cousin’s farm in Appleloosa and Pinkie Pie Is living with her family at the rock farm just west of it. If you don’t know where the rock farm is then Applejack will escort you if you visit her first. Do you want me to write this down for you?” Twilight offered.
Rarity shook her head. “That won’t be necessary darling, I have been to the Pie residence many years ago and I’m almost positive I remember the way.” Rarity replied as she levitated her saddlebags onto her back, grimacing slightly as her legs buckled from the unexpected amount of weight before quickly recovering. “I guess I should be heading off then before our queen thinks I’m attempting to whisk you away from her.”
This caused Twilight’s cheeks to turn a slight shade of red. “L-let’s just go!” Twilight quickly said as she walked out with a giggling Rarity following closely behind.
Once outside they were met with Shress and Day Dasher, who as expected stood guard at either side of the doorway. “Would one of you please escort Miss Rarity here out of the castle grounds?” Twilight asked, looking between the two of them before Day Dasher raised her hoof.
“Remember, Appleloosa and rock farm. When that’s done then request an audience with me or get a castle guard to deliver a message.” Twilight repeated which made Rarity wave her hoof dismissively.
“Have more faith in me darling, should take me no longer than a day or two. Try not to get too many more burns by then.” Rarity replied with a wink as she followed her cyan escort out of the castle grounds. Twilight watching them until they disappeared around the corner.
After a few moments of silence, Shress cleared her throat. “So what’s next on the agenda princess?” Shress asked.
Twilight thought about it for a few moments, resuming her research on the time travel spell would be pointless since she needs the decoder to be able to do anything with it. With the journal missing she couldn’t search the passage for any hidden clues. She could head to Ponyville and try to visit Zecora in order to obtain the alicorn potion, but the odds of her foal sitters letting her do that were slim to none. All she could do was prepare for her inevitable trip to the Crystal Empire.
“How hard would it be for me to convince you to let me go shopping in Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
Shress looked at the direction her partner went off, making a thoughtful humming sound. “When Day Dasher comes back we will be happy to pick up a few extra guards and escort you to the shopping district.” Shress replied a little unsure. “I’m sorry for prying princess…But when we searched your room for the journal earlier we didn’t see any of your belongings. Do you have any bits in which to buy whatever it is you want?”
Twilight bit her lower lip as her eyes travelled to the tips of her hooves. “No…well yes…but…” Twilight stammered before sighing loudly. “Yes but not enough to get what I need.” Twilight replied, looking back up at the guard who had a thoughtful expression on her face.
“How much would you say you need?” Shress asked.
“I wouldn’t know but it would be a bit since I need to stock up on provisions as well as clothes and other random supplies that will help keep me warm.” Twilight replied which reminded her that she needed to create a checklist of what to get.
“And you really need this?” Shress asked again, causing Twilight to falter slightly.
“Well no…I made it there without bringing anything before. But I also wasn’t alone and had an experienced guard leading the way. Since it’s just me, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for the worst.” Twilight answered.
Surprisingly, Shress nodded her head. “Agreed, I recommend some medical supplies as well if the journey is a dangerous one. It can mean the difference between life and death after all, either limping out alive or…” Shress replied though cut herself off before the topic got too grim.
“Anyways, I think I know where you could possibly get some bits.” Shress added, gesturing with her head for Twilight to follow.
Twilight’s wings ruffled uncomfortably against her sides, trying her best to ignore the stares and whispers the other ponies who were also waiting in the foyer room were giving her. Whenever she turned to meet their gaze, they would quickly look away and pretend to be doing something else.
“I hate this.” Twilight groaned, not looking at Shress who remained by her side.
“I gathered that from the last five times you said that princess. I simply said this was a way for you to get the bits you wanted, if you don’t want them or know a better way to obtain them then by all means, I’m all ears.” Shress replied, causing Twilight to groan louder. “Besides, you’ve already filled out the petition slip, might as well see it through to the end, right?”
Twilight didn’t dignify that with a response and instead glanced over at the large double doors that led into the throne room. She had no idea what she was so anxious about since she had already been in the throne room numerous times already. Even going as far as to sharing the seat with Daybreaker and assisting her in the petitioning of her ponies.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when one of the doors swung open slightly, a brown stallion wearing the standard golden royal guard armor stepped out. It wasn’t as flashy or as covering as Shress’s and Day Dasher’s were, however it still indicated his status and rank within the guard.
The stallion’s eyes scanned the room until they eventually landed on Twilight’s. “Your petition has been selected to be further reviewed upon. Our queen is ready to see you now princess Sparkle.” The guard said as he stood aside, opening the door more for her before bowing.
Without a word, Twilight took in a deep breath and walked through the opened door which quickly closed shut behind her. She had attended court enough times to know the proper procedure, all she had to do was follow the tile engraved sunbeam to the circular light patch, from there she would explain how many bits she needed and why she would need it. Simple as that.
Unfortunately Twilight knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. She could see the flaming deity sitting lazily in her chair, probably bored out of her mind from the previous petitioners she had to deal with. But other than that she was too far away to determine her reaction from her unexpected visit.
‘Let’s just get this over with.’ Twilight thought to herself as she followed the designated path towards the circular light patch which was just in front of the throne. As she drew closer, she was able to make out more of Daybreaker’s features. Especially that amused looking grin she was giving her the entire time. It also appeared that her wing was fully healed considering it rested comfortably against her side without the help of any bandages, though there was still and odd cut here and there which was difficult to spot unless you were actually looking for them.
It didn’t take Twilight long for her to reach the designated light patch. Even though she knew that Daybreaker wouldn’t attack her if she walked off it like she did with some of the other petitioners, she still felt that she would stand a better chance of getting what she came for if she followed the rules of court.
Once Twilight stopped and looked up at her, Daybreaker shifted so she was now sitting on her haunches, her back straight as she stared down at Twilight, giving the smaller alicorn her undivided attention. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to take me up on my offer on joining me in court. I'm glad to see you have changed your mind, but this isn’t what I meant by that, though it is still a welcome surprise.” Daybreaker teased, her smirk growing wider.
Twilight muttered something under her breath but Daybreaker couldn’t hear what it was and didn’t deem it important enough to ask Twilight to repeat it. “Anyways judging by the slip you submitted, this visit isn’t a social one.” Daybreaker added as she levitated said slip in front of her, her eyes narrowing as she read its contents aloud. “It says here you require bits for the purchase of provisions and supplies…What kind of supplies will you be getting and what will they be used for?” Daybreaker asked, lowering the slip and looking back at Twilight.
This question took Twilight slightly off guard. She was expecting to receive a few more teasing remarks from Daybreaker until she got bored before accepting her petition and giving her the bits she requested.
Regaining her composure, Twilight scratched the front of her hoof with her other one before clearing her throat. “These bits will go towards provisions such as food and drink, as well as other necessary items required to travel through the harsh conditions that lead to the Crystal Empire. These supplies include, but are not limited to, Clothes, medical supplies, a small tent and heat enchanted candles. If there are enough bits left over and everything isn’t too heavy to carry then I will also buy some other situational items that would help me if any problems should ever arise.” Twilight answered, inwardly cursing herself for not making a checklist of what she needed before coming here.
Daybreaker nodded her head slowly. “I see…This means without these funds, you wouldn’t be able to obtain the provisions required to travel there, thus resulting in you being unable to go.” Daybreaker thought aloud before closing her eyes and shaking her head in mock sympathy. “What a shame that would be.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed on Daybreaker, she knew Daybreaker would keep true to her word on letting her go. But there wasn’t anything stopping her from placing obstacles in attempt to prevent her from going. “On the contrary, I will be heading to the Crystal Empire with or without the funds. Besides, the last time I went there I went with nothing but the fur on my coat. These items would simply make the journey easier and allow me to deal with any unexpected and problematic situations should they arise.” Twilight shot back, sure she had the help of her friends with her brother acting as a guide, but Daybreaker didn’t need to know this.
Reopening her eyes, Daybreaker’s lips curved downwards into a frown as she contemplated how to best deal with this. “This is a lot of unnecessary effort and risk being put into finding information about this decoder that may not even be there. I know how much you enjoy seeking out new knowledge Twilight, it is one of the hundreds of reasons as to why I fell in love with you after all. But please, just this once, could you drop this decoder business and instead focus on something else…Perhaps something that we can both work on together?” Daybreaker asked almost pleadingly.
Twilight’s gaze shifted away from Daybreaker at some point during her plea and instead stared at one of the banners on the wall behind her. Biting down hard on her lower lip as Daybreaker made her request. “I’m sorry Daybreaker but I can’t. Besides…” Twilight started as she forced herself to look into Daybreaker’s saddened amber eyes again. “I remember a certain pony promising to teach me an illusion spell quite a while ago. And some extra training in combat magic could always come in handy later.” Twilight implied with a forced smile.
Daybreaker contemplated what Twilight had said. The thought of teaching her combat magic was very appealing, but there were bigger things at stake here. She really didn’t want Twilight to go to the Crystal Empire in the first place, but she made a promise and she wasn’t going to go back on it. And Twilight made it abundantly clear that she would be going whether she had her help or not. So if she couldn’t convince Twilight to stay, then the next best thing was making sure that she would be protected on her journey.
Getting up off the throne, Daybreaker descended the miniature staircase until she stood directly in front of Twilight. “You need bits? Then I will give you bits. I will give you all the bits you could possibly need and more…just on two conditions.” Daybreaker said seriously. Making Twilight dread what these two ridiculous and absurd requests would be.
With a slight pause to make sure that Twilight heard her, Daybreaker’s frown slowly shifted into a weak smile. “My first request is that I wish to accompany you there myself.” Daybreaker requested.
Twilight was expecting Daybreaker to force some ponies on her. Perhaps a squad or two, even a platoon if she decided to be really annoying. But she never would’ve expected Daybreaker to abandon her kingdom just to make sure she was safe during her expedition. The thought of this caused Twilight’s cheeks to turn a dark shade of red as she shifted her weight between her hooves, unable to stand still for more than a second.
“I-I can’t ask you to do th-“
“You aren’t asking me to do anything Twilight Sparkle, I’m offering.” Daybreaker interrupted.
Swallowing the small amount of saliva that built up in her mouth, Twilight attempted to rephrase what she was going to say. “What I meant was, you can’t just leave your kingdom alone for that long. I could be gone for a week, maybe even longer if I find mention of what I am looking for. And with Nightmare Moon out there somewhere trying to take you down…” Twilight rephrased as another potential issue with her tagging along came to mind. “Besides, whenever Cadence or Shi-my brother come up in conversation, you seem to react rather poorly. I trust you Daybreaker…but I don’t trust you enough to behave yourself around them when I have my back turned.”
“And you expect me to simply sit in the castle and wait for you to return? Do you know how painful it will be for me if something bad did actually happen to you while you were there? Waiting for the one I love to return that might never will...I can’t go through that again.” Daybreaker shot back, stomping her hoof on the ground causing Twilight to flinch slightly. “I WILL NOT go through that again!”
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Daybreaker did another thing that Twilight would have never expected her to do. Taking a step back and extending her forehooves forward ever so slightly, Daybreaker lowered her head to the ground, her chin barely scraping against the cold surface of the tiles. “Then I will let you be in charge and make all the decisions in any non-aggression situations. I will follow any and all orders down to the very last letter.” Daybreaker said, only having seen Celestia bow to her once and that was immediately after her ascension.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she quickly scanned the room, double checking to make sure there weren’t any other ponies in the room with them. When the coast was clear, Twilight put her hoof under Daybreaker’s chin and forced her head up. “Alright alright just please stop bowing.” Twilight pleaded in a hushed voice.
Daybreaker did exactly as Twilight instructed and stood back up to her full height. Her faint smile growing into a much wider one. “So you will allow me to accompany you on your travels?” Daybreaker asked expectantly, making Twilight roll her eyes.
“You can come but I have a few conditions of my own. You must be in disguise the entire time, I’m afraid of how the Crystal ponies would react when they see you marching on their borders.” Twilight replied with a sigh, she had a feeling she was going to regret allowing Daybreaker to come immensely.
Daybreaker smile faltered slightly but she understood why Twilight would want her to be in disguise. “If that is the case then would I be able to make an additional third request?” Daybreaker asked despite having only made one so far.
With a nod of confirmation, Daybreaker proceeded to make her second request. “If I’m in disguise then using my celestial powers would draw too much suspicion. And since I’m planning on being a unicorn on this trip, a flying unicorn would also draw some unwanted attention.” Daybreaker explained causing Twilight to nod slowly, having a sneaking suspicion where Daybreaker was going with this. “Sure you may be able to fly, but what we need are experienced and well trained fliers. Fliers that can work in the toughest conditions such as the blizzard we will be heading into. So I would like to request some troops to accompany us.” Daybreaker requested.
Twilight hated to admit it but Daybreaker was right, a bunch of pegasi to act as scouts would prove invaluable. However she didn’t want too many ponies tagging along. The more she thought about it, the more saying no to the funds and going off by herself sounded appealing. But with what Daybreaker said earlier about her being left to wait for somepony that may never come back, she couldn’t find it in her heart to deny her this. “How many were you thinking?” Twilight muttered.
Raising her head in thought, Daybreaker closed her eyes as she thought aloud. “Bringing too many ponies would slow us down greatly. The attrition we would suffer as a result is the main reason we haven’t invaded them already, that and bringing too many will result in them removing the Crystal heart in attempt to bury and freeze our troops alive without a direct confrontation.” Daybreaker mulled which caused Twilight lips to curve upwards in a snarl, but she didn’t say anything as Daybreaker continued her thought process. Completely oblivious to Twilight’s reaction to her statement. “That means the team must be small and experienced. We currently have two unicorns, earth ponies may be able to handle the cold better but that isn’t what we currently need, meaning all we need are pegasi.”
Having gone silent halfway through her rant, Daybreaker opened her eyes and looked back down at Twilight who seemed to have calmed down but still looked very much annoyed. “I would like to bring only two pegasi. My personal detail to be precise.” Daybreaker replied, causing Twilight to forget her frustration and raise an eyebrow in confusion.
“Your personal detail? The two that stand outside your chambers all the time and are currently acting as my foal sitters?” Twilight asked in which Daybreaker replied with a single nod. “Including that mute pegasus that won’t be able to report back to us properly without having to write something down?”
Daybreaker chuckled lightly as she nodded her head again. “She may have some communication problems, but she is the fastest flier we got. Not only that, she is strong, determined and reliable. Very rarely has that pegasus let me down, and to me, that is a small price to pay for such desirable traits.” Daybreaker justified.
What Daybreaker said may be true, but to Twilight, communication was an essential factor when working together as a team. If Day Dasher spotted something and Shress wasn’t around to quickly break down what she was implying, then writing it down would take up too much time, especially if the situation was urgent. “Very well, we can bring both of them. But on one condition. All accompanying individuals must learn hoof language so we can communicate back and forth with her efficiently. Including you if you don’t know it already.” Twilight compromised.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Daybreaker nodded her head. “Consider it done princess.” Daybreaker replied with a mock salute which was quickly followed by a wink.
Twilight felt the warmth return to her cheeks as she averted her gaze once again. “What is your third and final condition?” Twilight mumbled out.
Suddenly she felt something brush against her cheek ever so gently before trailing down to her chin, forcing her head up to look at Daybreaker who stared at her with a half lidded gaze. “Nothing too fancy, just a small good luck kiss for our treacherous journey ahead.” Daybreaker sultry replied.
Twilight had plenty of warning this time around, she knew it was coming the moment Daybreaker raised her head. But it still catches her off guard every single time. Twilight let out a small ‘eep’ sound when Daybreaker pressed her lips firmly against Twilight’s.
The kiss didn’t last long enough for Twilight to kiss back, the more it happened however the more she found herself wanting to give in to it. Though despite not kissing back, Daybreaker still looked pleased with it nevertheless, if the way she licked her own lips was anything to go by. “So princess Sparkle, do we have a deal?” Daybreaker asked, batting her eyelashes.
Twilight blinked a few times when Daybreaker spoke up, taking her a few moments to break out of her daze and register what Daybreaker had said. “Wha? Oh right. Uhh yes…I mean…You can’t tell anypony that you are…well…you in disguise, not even Shress and Day Dasher. Also you have to come up with a fake identity as well as a cover story as to why you are coming with me and why they have never seen you before. It will also help if any of the Crystal ponies decide to ask any of us questions, in order to keep our stories consistent of course.” Twilight stuttered, unable to think straight after the kiss.
Daybreaker smirked victoriously as she jumped back and gave both her wings a powerful flap to launch herself into the air, further proving that her wing had fully healed overnight. She hovered in the air for a few moments before a bright white light engulfed her figure, forcing Twilight to raise her hoof up to block its blinding effect. Though she found herself squinting past it, forcing herself to stare at whatever spell Daybreaker was casting so she could analyse and question her about it later.
When the light died down, a white unicorn with a long pink mane fell out of the air and landed gracefully on her hooves. The golden armor all but scattered across the throne room’s floor after falling from the sky, except for her helmet which she had caught in her red magic and levitated it carefully onto the ground beside her. Twilight didn’t know what was so special about the helmet compared to the other pieces of armor, but her best guess was that the jewel attached to it was expensive in some way.
“Pleasure to meet you princess. My name is Solar Flare, forward battle mage of the Celestial Berserkers. I have been tasked with your protection by Queen Daybreaker herself and am to escort you safely to and from the Crystal Empire with my life.” Daybreaker, or what is currently known as Solar Flare said with another bow.
Twilight practically face hoofed at the name. “Solar Flare? Is that really the best name you can come up with? Solar Flare?” Twilight deadpanned.
Taking the question as a sign to stop bowing, Solar Flare got onto her hooves and nodded. “When I transformed and kept the sun raised, I was tossed up between naming myself Daybreaker or Solar Flare. They both have their appeal to me and it was a difficult decision to make, but in the end I chose Daybreaker because that’s what the ponies started calling me and what they were probably used to, however now I finally have a reason to use this name. Besides, most of the soldiers in the Celestial Berserkers have a name revolving around the sun in some way or another, so when ponies see me wearing the company’s signature armor, the name shouldn’t raise any suspicion.” Solar Flare explained.
Twilight decided a simple name wasn’t worth arguing over and if what Solar Flare said was true then it didn’t really matter what she was called herself, all Twilight had to do was not slip up and call her Daybreaker by accident. “Then yes, you have yourself a deal as long as you keep true and uphold everything we discussed and agreed upon.” Twilight said, unable to believe she was agreeing to this, however deep down she knew this was the best option.
There was another bright light as Solar Flare was replaced with Daybreaker, this time without the fancy acrobatics. “Excellent! Now that we have a deal, would you prefer a more qualified pony create the supply list?” Daybreaker asked as she levitated the armor back onto her body, as usual struggling to fit her wing into the wing piece.
Unable to prevent herself from smiling at Daybreaker’s lack of trust in her ability to gather their equipment. Twilight walked up to her and took control of Daybreaker’s wing piece with her own magic, using her hooves to physically guide Daybreaker’s wing carefully into the tight-fitting slot. “Very well, a more experienced pony may acquire the items. But you are still going to teach me that illusion spell before we depart, and I still have that promise involving Raven to uphold.” Twilight replied.
Daybreaker gave her wings a few test flaps to make sure that they were attached properly before nodding in response. “And I still want to show you that thing I was talking about back in our chambers.” Daybreaker added as she turned around to ascend the miniature staircase leading to her throne. “Since you’re here, would you care to join me?” Daybreaker asked, sitting down as she patted the small gap beside her.
With nothing else to do and not having enough time to head to Ponyville to visit Zecora, Twilight made her way up the staircase and sat next to Daybreaker in the space provided, their sides pressed up firmly against one another.
Wrapping her wing around Twilight to keep her close, Daybreaker looked up at the large double doors and used the Royal Canterlot voice.
“NEXT!”