A Student Once Lost

by Chiefs999

Chapter 12 - Promises

It had been a long day for Twilight as she navigated through the series of hallways that led towards her new official bedchambers. The pony she shared said bedchambers with and is now apparently courting was walking closely alongside her. Daybreaker’s larger frame brushing against Twilight’s every few seconds.

The two seemed content in walking in silence, simply enjoying one another’s company after a tediously long court session. Daybreaker, for some reason or another, seemed to take on more petitioners than usual, at least from what Twilight could tell. However it didn’t matter how many petitioners Daybreaker took on at the end of the day when only three, including her own, got accepted.

At first Twilight thought her presence was bringing out Daybreaker’s good side, reverting her back to the way her Celestia used to run things during court, at least to an extent that is. But when she accepted more petitioners today than the other two court sessions she had previously attended combined. Twilight was quick to assume that it was so Daybreaker could extend how long court lasted so they could spend as much time together as possible. Despite that though she still enjoyed herself, giving her a lot of time to think about the alicorn potion. She was contemplating on telling Daybreaker about it, but decided against doing so just in case Zecora didn’t have it anymore and had no way of recreating it. Which would be the case knowing her luck so far.

The comfortable silence was shattered when Daybreaker eventually spoke up. “You remember our agreement involving Raven? That you would choose one of the three options I boasted about during the duel?” Daybreaker asked suddenly, her gaze locked firmly on the pathway ahead.

Twilight however glanced up at Daybreaker curiously, nodding her head as if she could see her. “I do, did you want me to decide on one of the options now?” Twilight replied with a question of her own.

There was a slight pause as Daybreaker quickly mulled over her response. “In truth, I said those things in attempt to rile you up a bit. I already decided what I was going to make you do the moment you made that offer to me.” Daybreaker explained, ignoring the pair of guards that opened the large set of double doors for them. “I tried to think of two alternative options during court while the petitioners talked, but nothing came close to what I originally had in mind.”

Twilight smiled brightly at the guards, giving them a thankful nod of her head before returning her attention back towards Daybreaker, slightly worried about what the deity had in store for her. “What is it that you had in mind?” Twilight hesitantly asked.

Hearing what she thought was anxiousness in her voice, Daybreaker gazed off to the side and inhaled deeply through her nose before slowly exhaling from her mouth. “I would like….” Daybreaker mumbled quietly, the last part completely incomprehensible causing Twilight’s ears to twitch in attempt to capture the lost words.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite make out what you said. Could you repeat that?” Twilight asked again, leaning closer this time around while Daybreaker nibbled on her lower lip gently with one of her fangs. “I said I would like to go on a date with you.” Daybreaker repeated, inwardly cursing herself at her cowardice, even making her fiery mane flicker slightly.

Twilight frowned as she struggled to pick up on what the deity was saying, again. She considered using magic to amplify the sound of her surroundings before repeating the question. But she didn’t want to use magic for something so trivial while recovering from a burnout, especially when the problem could be avoided entirely by either Daybreaker speaking up or turning around to face her. “Could it be that the great and powerful Daybreaker wants a rematch but is afraid to get her flanked kicked again?” Twilight taunted, hoping a certain showpony wouldn’t mind her stealing her title this one time.

This time Daybreaker turned to face Twilight. Staring deeply into those large, beautiful purple hues of hers while her own burned with fiery determination to say what she desperately wanted to say. “I said that we should…that we…should…we…should hurry back to our chambers. We have a lot to prepare for and not a lot of time to do it in." Daybreaker hastily replied, her pace quickening ever so slightly.

Twilight watched sceptically as Daybreaker took off ahead. It was obvious that wasn’t what Daybreaker was planning on saying at all, but it was true that they were on a limited timeframe of sorts. The longer they waited, the more likely that Nightmare Moon would discover their little adventure and attempt to set up an ambush in order to capture them, or worse. Because of this, Twilight felt it would be best to bring this up again whenever they return from the Crystal Empire.

Breaking into a steady trot to keep up with Daybreaker’s longer strides, it didn’t take them long to reach their chambers where Shress and Day Dasher stood guard just outside. “I was hoping you two would still be here.” Daybreaker said as she stopped in front of them, her gaze shifting between the two. “I have an important task to assign you both, your biggest and most important one yet.”

The two guards immediately snapped to attention. “Consider it done my queen!” Shress replied determinedly with a sharp salute.

“You two as well as a hoof picked soldier, who will be ranked above the both of you mind you, will be escorting princess Sparkle, my consort, to the Crystal Empire and back safely. No harm is to come to her and are to protect her at all costs, even with your life if needed. I don’t want to see another scratch staining that beautiful coat of hers.” Daybreaker ordered.

Twilight opened her mouth to rebuke that but a mouthful of feathers from Daybreaker’s wing prevented her from doing so. “You will be departing within a few days and I will be providing the necessary provisions and supplies for this trip. You two are also to learn hoof language in order to efficiently communicate between one and another.” Daybreaker continued, ignoring the threatening glare Twilight was giving her. “All information about this trip is to be kept under wraps. Twilight is in charge overall and you are to do EXACTLY as she says, but if you find yourself in a hostile situation then my hoof picked guard will be in charge and are to follow her orders instead of Twilight’s. Understood?”

“Perfectly my queen!” Shress practically shouted while Day Dasher nodded her head a few times before saluting again.

“Until the necessary preparations are set, you two are relieved from your standard duties and are instead to prepare in any way you see fit for this trip. You are both dismissed.” Daybreaker finished.

As if on cue, the two pegasi immediately bowed before taking off towards the castle’s library, presumably to get a start on bridging the language barrier. “I don’t want anypony dying for me.” Twilight sourly said when Daybreaker retracted her wing back to her side.

“Then you better do as I say if we ever get into that kind of situation then. I may have agreed to let you be in charge of this trip and I will keep true to my word, but that only applies to non-aggressive situations. The second I detect any hostile intentions from anypony, even from your family. You are to do as I say without question, unless you want the blood of my guards to be on your hooves.” Daybreaker retorted as she opened the door to her chambers and stepped inside.

Twilight didn’t dignify that with a response as she followed Daybreaker inside. “Shall we get started on the list then?” Twilight suggested in attempt to change the topic.

Teleporting a fancy looking inkpot and quill from her desk to her nightstand, Daybreaker climbed up on top of her bed and laid down on her stomach with her hooves positioned flat in front of her. Once comfortable, she used her magic to open one of the desk’s draws that was filled to the brim with blank scrolls and levitated one of them out in front of her. “I shall record what we need from the highest priority to the lowest, if there is something you think is missing then do speak up.” Daybreaker said as she grabbed the quill with her magic and started creating the list.

As Daybreaker scribbled away, Twilight joined her on the bed, a small gap separating them as she craned her neck uncomfortably so she could get a better view on what Daybreaker was writing. “The cream must be doing its job if it doesn’t hurt to stretch your neck like that.” Daybreaker noted as she raised one of her wings. “Since we are going to be here for a while, why don’t you come closer and get more comfortable?”

Shuffling closer until she was pressed up against the familiar warmth that is known as Daybreaker’s coat. Daybreaker lowered her wing over Twilight and angled the scroll slightly so she could get a better view.

While Daybreaker was absorbed with writing down the obvious essentials. Twilight took the opportunity to reapply the cream to her chest, having completely forgotten about it until now. Thanks to the cream which was now empty from being overused last time, almost all the pain had vanished entirely and her blackened chest was beginning to mend itself, bringing back her natural lavender colour. Twilight silently hoped that it would be completely healed over by the time they depart.

Overall Twilight wasn’t able to contribute much to the list, even having to ask Daybreaker to explain what some of the items even were. Every time she tried to be helpful and suggest something along with an explanation as to why it would be needed, Daybreaker would say that there are better alternatives and that it would be extra unneeded weight.

When her twelfth suggestion once again got shot down, Twilight let out a disappointed sigh, her ears perking back slightly. “I’ll just stop talking, you clearly don’t need my help.” Twilight admitted, only wanting to be helpful.

Daybreaker looked away from the scroll for the first time since she started and glanced down at Twilight, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “That may be true, but this is also a good learning experience. It will help you prepare for the future if you ever have to travel somewhere far away and I’m not around to help.” Daybreaker comforted. After a few more minutes of writing, Daybreaker set her quill back down in the inkpot and brought the scroll closer to examine it, making sure she didn’t forget anything.

“Also you are an alicorn, thus making you a princess. In time ponies will have expectations and will rely on you to guide them. It may not be this generation, or even the next. But the day will come when you grow into your alicorn stature and they will see you as my equal.” Daybreaker continued, a wide smile tugging at her lips at the thought of it. She couldn’t wait to see what kind of alicorn Twilight would grow into.

Twilight however didn’t look as pleased about the news. It had occurred to her numerous times that she would outlive her family and friends, with the exception being Spike and the other four alicorns back in her reality. However it was always a thought she pushed out of her mind the moment it popped up, and right now wasn’t going to be an exception to that. “So…is the list done?” Twilight asked in attempt to change the topic.

Nodding her head, Daybreaker rolled up the scroll and levitated a ribbon from a different draw of her desk and attached it around the scroll. Shortly after the scroll vanished from sight in a familiar bright green flame. “I may have went a little overboard on a few of the provisions, but I would rather have some leftover than running out during the trip. I sent the list to the head servant who would divide the tasks amongst the other servants. We should have everything we need by tonight, tomorrow afternoon by the latest.”

With the supply list out of the way and her most faithful student who doubled as her consort still close by her side. Daybreaker leaned down to nuzzle Twilight. “Now with that out of the way, what shall we do for the rest of the day? Hmmm?” Daybreaker whispered into Twilight’s ear, following it up with a gentle nip at the tip which caused Twilight to let out a high pitch squeak and blush darkly. Her head instinctively tilting towards Daybreaker while her ear twitched repeatedly in her mouth.

“W-well…y-you promised t-to…mpfffh…teach m-me the ill-illusion spell.” Twilight stuttered, tugging her head in the opposite direction in attempt to free her ear.

Relinquishing her grip over Twilight’s ear, Daybreaker mulled the request over while Twilight rubbed at her ear to get rid of the tingling sensation that remained, her blush still evident. “I did and I promise you I will, but only when you have fully recovered. As I’m sure I explained before, the spell isn’t overly difficult to learn. However the amount of magic used when casting it is my only real concern.” Daybreaker replied.

This illusion spell had piqued Twilight’s interest ever since Daybreaker first mentioned it during one of her first days in this reality. Now seeing it being used with her very own eyes and still being told to wait caused her to pout. “Pleeease! I’m feeling better now! I haven’t even casted a single spell all day!” Twilight begged.

Daybreaker’s resolve faltered slightly but was quick to regain her composure. “I know how badly you want to learn this spell, but surely you can wait just one more d-“ Daybreaker started but was silenced by Twilight’s hoof against her lips.

“Just one try! If it doesn’t work then I’ll wait until tomorrow. Pinkie promise!” Twilight interrupted with a pleading look while doing the appropriate gestures with her other hoof.

Daybreaker should have known better than to look at Twilight in the eyes whenever she begs for something. As soon as she did she immediately looked away, however she couldn’t get the afterimage of those massive watery eyes out of her mind. “Uggh fine! Just one try and you are to do something basic. Like change your mane colour, give yourself thestral wings…even draconic eyes like mine if you so desire. Just don’t try to change your size, gender or cutie mark. Those are my conditions for teaching it to you now.” Daybreaker relented with a frustrated sigh.

Twilight squealed excitedly while clopping her hooves together. She looked over at Daybreaker’s desk and quickly levitated one of the blank scrolls in front of her before doing the same with her quill. Positioning the ink covered tip at the top left-hoof side of the scroll, Twilight stared up at Daybreaker with an overeager expression, awaiting the first set of instructions.

Even though Daybreaker was worried that this spell would strain Twilight’s horn after already recovering from a burnout, she couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to learn. “You can take notes if you want, but this spell is more practical based than theory. Illusion spells are a very different and incredibly tricky form of magic, relying more on your creativity than anything else.” Daybreaker explained while Twilight scribbled away nevertheless.

“A warning beforehoof. This. Is. An. Illusion. Spell.” Daybreaker stated, emphasizing each individual word with a tap of her hoof. “No matter how much or how little you change your appearance, you are still you. If you make your wings larger for example, then keep in mind that your wings are actually still the same size and the extra length would just vanish through solid objects. Also the more you add, alter or remove to the illusion, the more magic that will be consumed when initially casting it and the harder it will be to maintain over time.”

“Predator races are another factor you have to worry about, only if you’re pretending to be another species that is. Dragons, griffons, they will all be a lot harder to trick due to their heightened senses, especially their sense of smell. It isn’t impossible to trick them but it is something to keep in mind when around them. Ponies and other herbivore races you shouldn’t have this issue with.” Daybreaker continued with a serious tone.

Twilight didn’t look away from her scroll as she nodded her head repeatedly, her quill waving frantically in her magic. “…be wary…of predator…races.” Twilight muttered quietly to herself before looking up at Daybreaker when she was done writing. “So does that mean we ponies can’t tell when an illusion spell is active or not?” Twilight asked.

“We can, however I wouldn’t worry about that too much myself. The amount of magic required to cast it would be too much for most unicorns to handle, that and all information about illusions spells are locked securely within the archives. Getting back on track, I highly suggest coming up with one disguise in particular and to practice it until you can pull it off consistently. The more you practice it, the less likely you are to make mistakes and by extension the less likely somepony would visually notice something wrong. Though that also isn’t something you need to worry yourself about for now, the most it would be used for currently would be to walk around Canterlot in incognito.” Daybreaker answered. “For now we will start off with something small. Get up and stand somewhere where there is plenty of room.”

Doing just that, Twilight slid out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, in-between the footboard of the bed and the doorway exiting their chambers. “Usually you would imagine what it is you want to become, but since we are only making a minor adjustment, imagine what it is you wish to change about yourself. Let me know when you’ve done that.” Daybreaker instructed.

Closing her eyes so she could focus on the task at hoof, Twilight was unable to concentrate on one particular change for more than a few seconds. One moment she thought about giving herself draconic eyes like Daybreaker had suggested, then her mind would quickly wander to different mane styles, even though she had no intention of changing away from the one she had currently. As more thoughts came to mind, the more ambitious she became, even considering adding holes across her body to simulate a changeling.

After a few minutes, the excitement eventually died down allowing Twilight to think clearly on what it is she wanted to do for her first attempt. There was a lot she wanted to experiment with, but having promised Daybreaker she would only have one attempt and that she was to do something basic, it really limited her options.

“I have decided.” Twilight replied after taking a deep breath.

“For a moment there I thought you fell asleep.” Daybreaker teased before clearing her throat. “Firstly imagine how the change will affect your body and keep that image locked firmly in your mind, only focus on that and my voice, nothing else. You aren’t going to be altering yourself directly but instead a small space around you, changing how others would visually perceive you.” Daybreaker explained, earning a confused look from Twilight who was wishing she could write this all down for future reference.

“Sorry for interrupting but how does that work?” Twilight asked curiously as she reopened her eyes and cocked her head to the side. “Back in my reality, moments before Spike and I restored the Crystal heart. King Sombra had an illusion spell of his own in place using dark magic. I don’t fully understand how it works but it showed me my worst fear, I would have been stuck in it as well if it wasn’t for Spike snapping me out of it.” Twilight recapped as her mind immediately wandered to the baby dragon and how badly the illusion affected him.

She could still vividly remember how Spike started crying when he thought she was sending him away because she didn’t need him anymore. Seeing him like that practically broke her heart. She could only imagine how Spike both in this reality and her own would react upon losing her.

“Illusions using dark magic influence the individual’s mind. Making them see what you want them to see. That form of illusion magic does have its uses but not for this situation, if anything it would attract more attention if ponies start acting differently whenever they get in a close proximity to you.” Daybreaker explained, a small thoughtful expression steadily growing across her face. “What did that illusion show you?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight averted her gaze, forcing back the redness that attempted to return to her cheeks. “I failed a test.” Twilight replied far too quickly. Even though it was the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow at this. “I knew you had a problem with over preparing for tests, but as your worst fear? There is clearly something more to it than that.” Daybreaker countered, a small smile spreading across her face as she remembered Twilight crying whenever she got anything below the top grade as a filly.

Twilight stared down at the tip of her hoof while she nervously scratched the floor with it. “I failed the test you sent me on…as a result you no longer wanted me as your student and sent me away, never wanting to see me again.” Twilight replied, unable to keep still as she shuffled her weight onto different hooves.

Before Daybreaker had a chance to rebuke that, Twilight continued talking. “I know what you are going to say and we have already discussed this. It was just how I was feeling at the time after being so distant from you ever since you sent me to Ponyville. I know now that it was because you didn’t want to interfere with the results of my ascension…I just…I don’t know…I was afraid of failing and losing you.” Twilight somberly replied.

Looking back up at Daybreaker, Twilight couldn’t tell how she was taking her little confession. The deity continued to lay on the bed, staring at her with an unblinking expression. “Although it saddens me how our relationship declined since then, it relieves me to know that your biggest fear was losing me. It shows I still played a massive part in your life.” Daybreaker replied, her smile faltering slightly. “Anyways we are getting off track. Close your eyes and bring that image I mentioned earlier to the front of your mind.”

Doing as Daybreaker instructed, Twilight took in another deep breath and closed her eyes again, listening intently to Daybreaker’s instructions. “Focus primarily on the differences, where it would affect your body and how it would do so, everything else is redundant.” Daybreaker instructed.

With the image Twilight had in mind, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how the change would affect her body and was able to do so with ease. “When you’re feeling confident enough, channel the magic through your horn but let it build up at the tip. With experience you will be faster at casting this, but for now let’s take it slow to prevent as many mistakes as possible. It is better to do this correctly than to do it fast after all.” Daybreaker continued.

Channelling magic through her horn stung a little at first, but the pain quickly subsided as a small white ball of light emanated from the tip of Twilight’s horn. “You’re doing well Twilight, keep it up. Remember, focus only on where the difference is located and how it would affect you. When you’ve done that then unleash it all at once.” Daybreaker encouraged as the white ball steadily grew larger and brighter after every passing second.

As Twilight mentally replayed the instructions step-by-step to make sure she did everything correctly. Twilight clenched her teeth together as she flicked her head upwards and unleashed the spell in a blinding light that even she could see through her closed eyelids.

Stumbling slightly from the amount of magic that was used, Twilight reopened her eyes only for her vision to be littered with small black dots. Rubbing her eyes with her hoof, her vision slowly began to clear up to reveal the shocked look of her mentors face. “Did it work?” Twilight asked groggily, hoping the pounding in her head wouldn’t last long.

Not getting a response from her mentor, Twilight turned around to look at her sides. A wide smile forming across her muzzle when she saw a lack of lavender wings that were usually attached to it. “I DID IT!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she rushed over to the mirror to see that she was once again a unicorn.

She could still feel her wings against her side but she didn’t risk moving them in case it broke the illusion. Twilight couldn’t help but spin around in circles in front of the mirror, wondering if this would be what she would’ve looked like if she never ascended or if there would be other, more subtle differences.

Twilight noticed Daybreaker get off the bed from the reflection in the mirror and make her way towards her. “You have grown up so much but at the same time you still look exactly the same.” Daybreaker said quietly as she circled around Twilight a few times, her eyes scanning every inch of her body before stopping in front of her.

“You did incredibly well for your first attempt. I was half expecting a few of your feathers to be unaffected or for the illusion to flicker.” Daybreaker complimented as she ran her hoof across Twilight’s side before resting it against her chest, just shy of where Daybreaker had struck her during their duel.

Twilight shuddered ever so slightly at Daybreaker’s touch but didn’t complain. “What about my wings? Will the illusion break if I move them?” Twilight asked curiously as she looked back at her sides again. Just now realizing that turning herself back into a unicorn might be a bad idea, especially with what Daybreaker had to go through when she died against Nightmare Moon.

Daybreaker didn’t seem to register the question as she stared intently at the spot her hoof was resting against. “Daybreaker?” Twilight repeated, snapping Daybreaker out from her trance.

“Huh? What did you-“ Daybreaker asked before shaking her head. “To answer your question, no. But It’s best to keep your wings in whatever position they were in when you first casted the spell, or at least as close as possible to it. Flaring your wings would rapidly drain your magic as the illusion spell will try to adapt to its new position and shape. If you have to fly for any reason then cancel the illusion first otherwise you will exert yourself VERY quickly. If you are undercover for any reason and you can’t keep your wings still then I suggest fastening them, though not too tight in case you somehow get caught and need to use them to-“ Daybreaker replied before sighing loudly, reluctantly lowering her hoof off Twilight’s chest and back onto the ground.

“I’m ranting…Now would probably be the best time for me to show you what it was I wanted to show you anyway.” Daybreaker admitted quietly to herself, not giving Twilight any warning as she teleported them away in a bright red flash.

They both reappeared somewhere outside, where exactly was unknown to Twilight as her mind raced to catch up with the unexpected teleport. “Couldn’t you have warned me first?!” Twilight complained as she took in her surroundings in attempt to figure out where they were. Grass covered the ground they stood on while massive unkempt hedges completely surrounded them in a small enclosed circle. “Where are we anyways?” Twilight asked, still having the illusion spell active around her.

“We are just outside the castle, in the Labyrinth to be exact.” Daybreaker replied as she approached a large stone statue that Twilight somehow missed during her initial observation. At first glance the statue appeared to be of a regular looking female unicorn who was laying on her stomach with an open book in-between her forehooves. The faintest smile adorning her muzzle.

Also approaching the statue, Twilight’s gaze drifted down to the plaque attached to the front of the pedestal.

Twilight’s head immediately shot back up to the statue, just now realizing that the smiling stone unicorn that was reading a book was actually her. “So is this…where I was buried?” Twilight slowly asked as she looked back down at the plaque, more so at the few words that weren’t crossed out.

‘Who…will live forever.’ Twilight replayed. Her ears folding backwards as she looked at the engraved text underneath that clearly wasn’t supposed to be there. “Resurrected…” Twilight said aloud this time, noticing the lack of a date beside it.

“Buried? No. However this is where your body is kept. Others may have accepted your death as you can see from the plaque, but I didn’t.” Daybreaker replied, gently draping her wing over the alicorn-in-disguise before gazing up at the statue with a frown.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, Twilight not really knowing how she should feel about this. It meant the world to her that her mentor would go so far for her, but at the same time it was unsettling knowing she was standing where her deceased body laid. “So if you didn’t give up on me then why did you build…this?” Twilight asked, gesturing to the statue with her hoof. “And in a maze of all places?

“I would’ve kept you in the castle if I could. However I couldn’t risk anypony stumbling across what I was doing, or worse, somepony attempting to steal you away from me. The castle’s Labyrinth is rarely used anymore so I thought it would be an ideal hiding place, especially since this entire patch is enclosed with no way in unless you cut your way through or teleport here. The former being incredibly unlikely while the latter almost impossible since nopony knows this area even exists.” Daybreaker replied as she looked up at the sky, the sun bearing brightly down upon them.

“As for flying, this is where illusions using dark magic can come in handy. Despite being a restricted airspace, anypony bold enough to fly overhead wouldn’t see this statue or patch of land and instead see nothing but hedges. It isn’t as severe compared to what you encountered at the Crystal Empire but I still suggest not exposing yourself to it if at all possible. It only works one way as well, we can see out but they can’t see in.

Twilight nodded slowly, her eyes transfixed solely on the statue. “That only answers one of my questions. You said I wasn’t buried here, yet this is where my body lies. What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked again.

Instead of replying however, Daybreaker retracted her wing back to her side and took a few steps closer to the statue. Channelling a small amount of magic through her horn, the book the stone Twilight was reading was suddenly engulfed in her red aura. Shortly after the sound of rumbling could be heard coming from the statue’s pedestal before the side opened up, revealing a small staircase heading underground.

“Follow me.” Daybreaker instructed, still not answering Twilight’s question as she lowered her head so she could fit inside the narrow entranceway and descended the staircase. It took Twilight a moment to register what was happening before rushing to catch up with Daybreaker, the entranceway sealing shut behind her.

Due to the lack of torches on the wall, Twilight stuck close to Daybreaker’s side. Using her fiery mane to illuminate the stairs else risking a misstep and tumbling down the rest of the way. “As I said before, you may not like what you see. But I want to show you this so you know just how much I care about you…how much Celestia cared about you.” Daybreaker’s voice echoed as they neared the bottom.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel anxious at those words. When they reached the bottom the room was surprisingly large. Tables which were littered with various objects were pressed up against the wall, completely covered in dust. “Your right, I don’t like what I see.” Twilight cringed as she used her magic to levitate a few mistreated books that laid open on the ground back onto the table.

Torn out pages from books and notes were pinned up against the wall in a disorganized mess. It wasn’t until Twilight noticed the thin multi-coloured string coming out of them did she realize this was actually a large scale link chart, or something similar to it at least. Other than the few chalk boards with complicated formula’s and equations drawn on them, what stood out the most was the large sarcophagus dead smack in the centre of the room.

Twilight approached and stared down at the sarcophagus’s lid which was of another female unicorn, presumably her, with her eyes closed. Both her forehooves crossed diagonally against her chest with the tips resting at either side of her shoulders. Not noticing Daybreaker move towards it and lift the lid off to reveal its contents.

It was obvious what was going to be inside the sarcophagus if the statue as well as the plaque was anything to go by. Yet it still came as a shock to Twilight as she stared down at her own lifeless body. What she didn’t expect however was how good of a condition it was still in.

Twilight had been expecting her body to have decomposed to a point where she was completely unrecognisable, if not that then at least show obvious signs of decay. However her coat still kept its natural lavender colour, as if she hasn’t gone through the first stages of livor mortis yet. “I did everything I could to bring you back. The first thing I did was put you in a stasis that I renew every month, this is what has been preventing your body from decomposing after all these years…and is what I came here to do before we depart to the Crystal Empire. I was going to wait to show you, but when you used that illusion spell to pretend to be a unicorn again, I felt now would be the most appropriate time to do so.” Daybreaker explained as if knowing what Twilight was going to ask.

Daybreaker leaned over and put her head inside the sarcophagus, the tip of her horn crossing with Twilight’s as Daybreaker funnelled a small amount of magic through it and into Twilight’s. Suddenly Twilight’s body started shimmering lightly, illuminating the inside of the sarcophagus. “The stasis spell should last another month. More than enough time to do what it is we need to do at the Crystal Empire and be back in Canterlot.” Daybreaker said as she pulled her head away, allowing the shimmering effect to fade away.

When Daybreaker moved her head away, Twilight noticed a small deep scar trail diagonally across the deceased Twilight’s chest, her coat colour having completely faded in a small patch around it. Now understanding why Daybreaker was so focused on that spot in particular when she initially casted the illusion spell. “Is that where I was…you know?” Twilight asked vaguely.

“Impaled by my sisters horn? Yes, yes it is.” Daybreaker filled in, forcing herself to look away from her Twilight and towards the older and more alive version of her. “I may not have been able to resurrect you…but that doesn’t mean I haven’t made any progress.” Daybreaker explained.

Twilight slowly nodded in agreement as she reared up onto the sarcophagus’s edge to get a better look at herself. She still couldn’t believe how much younger she looked even though it had only been just under three years since her fight with Nightmare Moon. “Definitely, you did an amazing job at preserving my body, even managing to mend the fatal wound. I’m sure I will be freaked out by the scar at first when you do end up resurrecting me but in time I will see it as a reminder of the mistakes I made and those I have looking out for me.” Twilight complimented.

Daybreaker couldn’t help but raise her head proudly at the praise. “I’m glad you think so, but that wasn’t the progress I was referring to. Put your hoof here before the stasis spell has a chance to completely set in.” Daybreaker instructed, pointing to a particular spot on the other Twilight’s lower chest.

Doing as she was instructed, Twilight was surprised to find that her body temperature was warm instead of cold. “That’s odd, I thought the body was supposed to rapidly decrease in temperature upon death. Does that mean the stasis spell doubl-“ Twilight started but froze when she felt something thump against her hoof.

It was very faint but she definitely felt something. “It see-“

“Shhh!” Twilight hushed Daybreaker as she kept her hoof firmly placed on the alternate Twilight’s chest. After over a minute of nothing, Twilight thought it was just her imagination and was about to let Daybreaker continue whatever it was she was going to say until she felt another thud.

“A…A heartbeat?” Twilight asked in shock, earning a weak smile from Daybreaker.

“You have no idea how ecstatic I was when I felt your heart beat for the first time. I thought I succeeded after all those long and stressful years…then you can only imagine my disappointment at what happened afterwards.” Daybreaker replied with a deep sigh. “I abandoned court, I abandoned the castle, I abandoned everything just to stay by your side until you woke up. But days went by and nothing happened, I thought you were just in a coma of sorts or that your body was still trying to recover from what happened to it, both magically and physically. That any day now you would wake up and stare at me with those big curious eyes and bombard me with questions. But obviously that never happened and a few weeks later I discovered that you are just a husk, alive but dead.” Daybreaker replied, her tone turning more and more sombre after every sentence.

During Daybreaker’s explanation, Twilight didn’t move an inch. Her hoof still firmly pressed against her doppelganger’s chest, feeling her incredibly slow yet steady heartbeat while her eyes were transfixed solely on the scar. Seeing her body was one thing, she knew that Daybreaker had been trying to resurrect her since the beginning so it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to her. But to know that Daybreaker had actually made progress towards her goal and somehow managed to restart her heart was another thing entirely.

“All it took was one little slip up, one little mistake and the same thing would’ve happened back in my reality.” Twilight said quietly to nopony in particular as she felt the warmth of Daybreaker’s coat press up against her side in the otherwise cold room.

They remained like that for a while, but the silence was beginning to get to Daybreaker as she watched Twilight who didn’t once move or even blink. She felt like she should say something to help comfort her but nothing came to mind. Instead she grabbed Twilight’s hoof with her own before pulling it away from the body and out of the sarcophagus, once it was back on the ground she levitated the lid over the sarcophagus, sealing it and hiding the body from sight.

“In the end you are alive and that is all that matters.” Daybreaker eventually spoke up, she was contemplating on expanding on that some more. Mentioning how training would help prevent making those little mistakes in the future and that she could only get so far using raw magic. But she decided against it and instead gestured to the other contents within the room.

“Every book, every scroll, every note, drawing, stone tablet, equation…literally everything you see in this room has something to do with bringing you back from the dead in some way or another. Admittedly most of it is just complete nonsense, presumably to scare naughty foals. But I dug through them nonetheless. As every story has to be based on some kind of truth, though as the stories get passed down from generation to generation, the truth tends to get muddled and twisted, making it harder to accurately cross reference them with other sources.” Daybreaker comforted before sighing loudly and shaking her head.

“But that doesn’t matter anymore, you are here with me now and that is all that matters to me. I was given a second chance and I’ll be dammed if I’m going to squander it.” Daybreaker added, her voice perking up slightly. “And so should you. Starlight could’ve done so much worse to you back in your reality if she really wanted to, you should consider yourself lucky to still be alive.”

Twilight’s gaze slowly travelled across the room. She knew that Daybreaker would go above and beyond for her, but seeing just how far she went with her very own eyes…she didn’t know what to say.

She forced herself to look back up at Daybreaker who was smiling lovingly down at her, the tips of her feathers brushing ever so gently against her cheek. The thought of that alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes, how far Daybreaker would go for her while she had done nothing but lie and deceive.

“I’m sorry Twilight, I shouldn’t have said that last part. I knew this wasn’t something you wanted to see but after everything you said about us back in your reality. I needed to show you this, to show you just how much you meant to me.” Daybreaker comforted as she knelt down so she could wrap her hooves around Twilight’s neck, pulling her head down into the warmth of her chest while repeatedly stroking the back of it.

This only made Twilight cry more. Not only is she trying to return back home to her reality, but she was also abusing Daybreaker’s feelings towards her to help her do so without even realizing it. Telling Daybreaker the truth was out of the question but she also couldn’t just leave without saying anything, if losing her once did this to her then she couldn’t imagine how a second loss would affect her.

But it didn’t end there, the kiss at the duel was never a declaration of love as Daybreaker had interpreted it. But instead was her figuring out what Daybreaker’s weakness was and using it against her in order to win their duel, and by extension their bet. Without that kiss then there would be no trip to the Crystal Empire since she would’ve lost from Daybreaker pinning her down and blocking her magic.

However she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the benefits that came along with it. Their cuddles, the flirtatious remarks or rather the increase in them, the small yet embarrassing displays of affection, even Daybreaker asking for her to join her during her royal duties or postponing them entirely so they could spend some more time together. As much as she liked to have her alone time, it made her incredibly happy to know that the offer was always there.

‘You mean more to me than Canterlot…no…the sun itself.’ Twilight thought, Daybreaker’s words replaying through her mind, causing her heart to beat faster and a faint smile to adorn her lips.

Out of all the times Daybreaker had kissed her since the duel, Twilight had never once returned the gesture by kissing her back. But she slowly found herself accepting it more and more, even nearly returning the kiss the last time it happened.

With the last few sniffles, Twilight pulled her head away from Daybreaker’s chest and stared up at the flaming deity who continued to stroke the back of her head through her mane. “You feeling any better?” Daybreaker asked softly. “I promise not to bring you back here again. I didn’t mean to upset you or remind you of how close you came to…” Daybreaker started but quickly closed her mouth, afraid that she would upset Twilight again if she finished that sentence.

Twilight wiped away the last few tears that pooled in her eyes and weakly nodded her head. “Y-yeah…just need to sleep on it is all.” Twilight replied, burying her head back into Daybreaker’s warm chest, feeling a sense of safety and comfort against it. “I just want to go home.”

“I’ll teleport us back to the castle and have the servants deliver us dinner in bed before retiring for the day.” Daybreaker said as she teleported them back to their chambers in a bright red flash. Unaware of the real reason why Twilight was crying and which home she was actually referring to.