//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Daybreak // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// The sounds of crunching leaves and cracking twigs filled the air as the three fillies made their way through the woods. They’d gone straight through the orchard, which was a long walk, but the apple trees were finally starting to give way to the wild tangled mess of the Everfree Forest. The canopy started to darken as the trees got denser and more and more of the sun’s light was blocked out, and the less light there was, the louder and bolder the creatures of the Everfree seemed to get. Being the oldest of the group, Daybreak had been chosen to take the lead, with Royal Gala following her closely. Angel lagged behind, content to meander around at her own pace knowing she could catch up any time she chose to. “So, uh,” Royal Gala spoke up, “you actually gonna tell us where we’re goin? Or are we just wandering through the most dangerous place in Equestria.” “Please, there’s way scarier places than this,” Daybreak said. “Like what?” “Well, like your bedroom, for starters.” Daybreak snickered as Royal Gala gave her a light shove. “C’mon, be serious,” Royal Gala said. “This ain’t the place to be actin a fool.” “Dude, we’re like, the strongest ponies in the world,” Daybreak said. “We’re fine.” “Ugh, whatever,” Royal Gala groaned. “Angel, where are we going?” Angel stepped out of the shadows behind them and started to keep pace with the group. “Yeah, so, you know how my ma likes to tell stories?” “Yeah,” Royal Gala replied. “Don’t tell me you actually believe Pinkie Pie’s stories,” Daybreak said. “Half those bad guys aren’t even real, and the rest are, like… Well, one’s my mom.” “Hey, my ma ain’t a liar!” Angel glared at Daybreak. “Alright, alright, geez.” Daybreak flinched away from her. “C’mon, quit getting mad, it’s… Weird.” Angel stuck her tongue out. “I’ll get as mad as I want to get,” she said defiantly. “Anyway, yeah, a couple of ma’s stories are about this weird pond, and she won’t tell me where it is, but I think it’s somewhere in the forest.” “You sure it’s this forest?” Royal Gala asked. “Oh, quit being a baby,” Angel said. Royal Gala frowned. “I ain’t! I just know better than to mess around with stuff I don’t know about.” “How are you gonna learn about stuff in the first place, then?” Daybreak asked. “C’mon, it’s just a pond. What’s it gonna do, eat us?” “Maybe!” “It isn’t going to eat us,” Angel said. “It makes copies of you.” “What, you want more Daybreaks?” “Of course she does,” Daybreak said. “I’m awesome.” “Uh-huh,” Royal Gala groaned. “Fine, just… Be careful, yeah? Don’t come whining to me when you get ate.” “Oh, don’t worry,” Daybreak said, “I’ll be sure to haunt you for the rest of your life, you can be sure of—” “Hush.” Angel jumped to the front of the group and stopped them. “Do you hear that?” The other two perked their ears up and swiveled their heads around, searching for anything out of place. At first, they only noticed the sounds of the forest, the creaking of the trees as they swayed in the breeze, the chirping of the insects that filled the foliage, but underneath it all there was something else. If they listened just right, they could hear a kind of hum, a low rumble that seemed to resonate through the ground and into them. “What is it?” Royal Gala asked. “How the heck should we know?” Daybreak replied. “Maybe it’s this magic pond that totally, definitely exists.” Angel shot her a look, then hopped into the trees and started walking. “Let’s go find out.” They followed her for a bit, the hum constantly in the back of their minds, until eventually the trees broke and they found themselves standing at the edge of a cliff. Below them was a deep, cavernous gorge, with sheer, jagged cliffs bordering it on all sides. A narrow, crooked staircase was carved into the rock nearby that wound its way down to the bottom, where it met a floor of solid rock. One side of the canyon played host to a sizable pond, nestled in the cracks between a floor of uneven stones, and just past it they could barely see an opening into a deeper cave. “Ya think that’s the pond?” Royal Gala asked. “How the heck’s that thing gonna clone us?” Daybreak asked as she hopped onto the staircase and started to make her way down. Royal Gala followed slowly, watching where she stepped carefully. “How’s any pond gonna clone us? It’s magic.” “I dunno, I don’t buy it.” Despite her skepticism, Daybreak started to get impatient and sped up, taking the staircase two steps at a time, then three. Royal Gala couldn’t keep up, and eventually she decided to just hop off the stairs and glide the rest of the way down, although she took even that route slowly and cautiously. Angel was already waiting when Daybreak made it to the bottom. “I don’t think this is it,” she said, “but it’s something.” “Everything is something,” Daybreak said. “I’m not,” Angel said. “Sure you are,” Daybreak replied. “You’re weird. That’s something.” Royal Gala let out a held breath as her hooves finally touched down beside the others. “Alright, can you two quit your bickering? I do gotta get home at some point.” “Please, your moms let you do whatever you want,” Daybreak said. As she spoke, she set off in the direction of the mysterious cave, and the others followed.  “Alright, well, I wanna get home at some point,” Royal Gala corrected. “Unlike y’all, I don’t want my parents to worry.” “And that’s why you’re a baby,” Angel said, earning a chuckle from Daybreak. “Oh, hush up,” Royal Gala said. “As if you’re not the biggest suck-up here. I bet you—” She lost her train of thought as the group rounded the corner into the cavern and looked inside. “No way.” Daybreak gasped and rushed in. “This is real? I thought it was just a story to make me quit lying!” Inside the cave, glowing with an ethereal light that reflected off the walls of the cave, was a massive crystal tree. It filled the breadth of the space, its branches nearly scraping the stone walls, and its roots weaved a tangled web across the ground that they had to be careful not to trip over. At the ends of the five largest branches sat bright, colorful stones that glistened even through the glow the tree put off, and recessed into the trunk was the sixth stone that completed the set. “Of course the Tree of Harmony is real, doofus,” Angel said. “Where’d you think that castle came from?” “I figured Starlight made it,” Daybreak said. She hopped up to the tree excitedly and put her hooves up on it. “Do you think it knows who we are?” “It’s a tree,” Angel said. “It doesn’t ‘know’ anything.” “It’s a magic tree,” Daybreak argued. “It can know stuff if it wants to.” “Can a tree want things?” Royal Gala asked. She trotted up alongside Daybreak and looked up at the tree. “It can want things if it wants to,” Daybreak said. Angel had taken refuge from the glow in the shade of an outcropping of rock. “What do you figure it actually does?” “Well, it holds the elements,” Daybreak said. “Assuming they’re real. Ooh, I know!” Suddenly, Daybreak hopped up onto the trunk and grabbed Twilight’s element as firmly as she could with her hooves. Then she started to pull, trying to wrench it from the tree. “Woah!” Royal Gala shouted. “What do you think you’re doin?” Stretching her wings out, Daybreak started to flap them in an attempt to gain more leverage. “I’m tryin to get it out!” “I can see as much,” Royal Gala said, “but why? These things are important!” Daybreak’s hold on the stone slipped, and she tumbled back down onto the ground. She sprawled out on her back and groaned in frustration. “I know they’re important,” she said, “and they’re just sitting here. Don’t you think they deserve more than that?” “I don’t think they deserve you stickin your grubby little hooves all over em,” Royal Gala told her.  “Well, how else was I supposed to get it out?” Royal Gala rolled her eyes. “Uh, with your magic?” “Oh.” Daybreak’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. She flipped herself over, pushed herself back to her hooves and looked back up at the element. “Yeah, okay.” It took her a moment to focus her magic in on the stone, but soon enough it was covered in a faint cyan glow. Once she thought she had a firm grip on it, she pulled back hard. Nothing happened. The magic broke apart, and the glow fizzled away into nothing. Royal Gala laughed. “What was that? You barely grabbed it!” Daybreak huffed and blushed harder. “I-I don’t like using too much magic, okay?” “It’s a rock,” Royal Gala said. “You’re not gonna hurt its feelings.” “It’s more than—” Daybreak grumbled and shook her head. She focused on the stone again, this time putting more pressure on it, and a much brighter light flowed around it before she tried to yank it out. Again, nothing happened. Royal Gala started laughing even harder. Angel walked up and gave Daybreak a light, friendly shove. “Come on, Daybreak, it’s the Tree of Harmony. It’s not going to give it up without a fight.” “It doesn’t seem like it’s gonna give it up at all,” Daybreak mumbled. “Don’t be like that,” Angel said. “You can’t give up before you’ve really tried. Really give it all you’ve got.” “All I’ve got?” Angel shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s a rock.” Daybreak took a deep breath, then nodded decisively. She turned her attention back up to the element, focused on it, and shut her eyes. The cyan light grew brighter and brighter, soon overshadowing the glow of the element itself. Angel had to shield her eyes as it grew, greater and greater, eventually eclipsing the whole width of the tree trunk. When Daybreak finally felt like she’d put her all into it, she planted herself firmly on the ground and inhaled sharply. Then, in one fast, powerful motion, she tugged on the stone as hard as she could. There was a loud snap as the element flew out of its spot on the tree. It flew out with such force that Daybreak quickly lost track of it, and it flew out of the cave and into the pond outside. After a few deep breaths, Daybreak grinned and jumped into the air. “I did it!” “Wow,” Royal Gala said, her eyes wide, “I didn’t think it was possible.” “Yeah, well I showed you!” Daybreak clapped her hooves together and pranced around the cave. “I bet neither of you could do that!” “Nah, that’s well past me,” Royal Gala admitted. “Good work.” Angel shrugged. “Didn’t look that hard.” Daybreak stopped in front of Angel and stuck her tongue out. “C’mon, Angel, you don’t have to hide it. You’re totally jealous of my magic.” “Not really,” Angel said. “Yeah you are,” Daybreak said. “You wish you could do that.” Angel glowered at Daybreak for a second, then turned her attention up to the tree and found Pinkie’s element. With a quick flick of her hoof, she pulled at the shadows at the edges of the room and sent little strands of them up to the element. They wrapped tight around the stone, and with another swift gesture Angel tugged on the stone. It gave a light popping sound as it slid easily out of its spot, and Angel carried it down to herself and held it in a hoof. “See?” “I—” Daybreak’s face went red, and she glared at Angel. “Well, you don’t gotta show off!” With a huff, she stormed out of the cave. “Come on, let’s go find where mine went.” The three of them went out and started to hop around the rocks poking out of the pond, looking into the water in search of the stone. Angel held her own in her teeth as she searched, carrying it as nonchalantly as she would any old rock. It was a long search, but eventually, near the far end of the pond, Royal Gala found something. “Uhh… Daybreak?” Daybreak perked up. “Did you find it?” “Yeah…” Daybreak sped over in leaps and bounds. “Awesome! Wow, I really sent it far, I must be even stronger than I—” She stopped short when she reached Royal Gala and looked down into the water. There, sitting peacefully in the clear, shallow pool, was half of Twilight’s element.