Daybreaker’s city was guarded at every entrance by device, a scanner of some kind. Luna had no answer as to how it worked, but she knew it consistently responded to one thing. As long as the creature it scanned had committed an act of evil, it would recognize them and allow them to pass. The needle on its scale wavered between good and bad, but with the reputation that Daybreaker had cultivated, it seemed no one approached the gates of her city unless they were confident they could pass its test.
And that included them.
Luna had worried how Starlight would respond to the city. A monolithic tower cast a shadow over all else in the centre, wherefrom its zenith Daybreaker no doubt watched everything that happened. It was unlike any city in Equestria. Small casinos lined the streets, divided by loud and rowdy bars and pubs. The smell of drinks far stronger than hard cider washed through the street whenever they passed by a bar, and Luna had to hold her breath to restrain her nausea. Bodyguards and bouncers replaced police, and every club seemed as deadly as it was entertaining.
“Honestly, after how you described it,” Starlight said, “I expected worse.”
“Every living thing in this city is a villain. Worse how?”
“Daybreaker is just an alternate version of Celestia, right? With all the same powers?”
“Frankly, I think she’s stronger than my sister. At least when it comes to fighting and violence.”
“Exactly. I thought there’d be slaves everywhere, maybe a splash of torture chambers here and there to spice things up. The worst things I can see here are… exploitative business practices. Evil in its own right, but it’s not the worst.”
“Still, I would recommend we keep our defences up. I’m still not sure how I’m going to get an audience with Daybreaker.”
They did not have to wander the city much longer before the solution presented itself. Four unicorn guards, dressed in white and orange-painted armour, approached them from all sides. Luna saw them coming, but even so, she couldn’t keep track of them all at once. She motioned to Starlight, and they picked up their pace, cutting across the streets and dodging in and out of over-priced markets. But every time they thought they dodged the guards, Luna saw a flash of their bright uniforms. The guards used the bustle of the city to their advantage, moving through the crowd and street corners invisibly despite their colours. And eventually, they surrounded them both.
“Well this went bad really quick,” Starlight said, keeping her on two of the four. “What’s the plan?”
Before Luna could find an answer, one of the guards stepped forward, levitating a letter. “Her Majesty wishes to speak to you, Princess Luna. Nothing enters or leaves the Sun City without her knowing.”
“Is that what she’s calling this place now?” Luna took the invitation and smirked as she read it. “Looks like we get to live, Starlight. At least for now.”
“I don’t know if I should be worried or relieved,” Starlight replied. Invitation or not, she kept her defence up, her horn still bristling with energy.
“Good,” Luna nodded. “Stay alert. Talking to my sister doesn’t always end well, no matter what dimension I’m in.”
“The ponies you requested have been located and are on their way, Your Highness.”
Daybreaker dismissed her guard with a terse nod.
The massive tower, formerly belonging to the chaos goddess Eris, had been rebranded to fit her image. And not just in name. The city outside was much the same as ever, its characteristic wealth, opulence, gambling, scamming, and rowdy fighting.
But not her tower. Not the Dawn Spire. She had no desire to let the lesser villains stake their claim on what she had earned. Daybreaker rubbed her neck. Even after years, the phantom weight of the shock collar remained. Every corner of the tower continued to remind her of the Lady of Chaos and the millennium she had spent as nothing more than a living weapon.
The Dawn Spire was hers by right.
Eris had been too greedy for her own. She had pawned off her tower to tricksters and petty thieves, charlatans when compared to true power. Casinos and scam booths had been demolished to make way for laboratories and workshops. Test subjects replaced customers. Research replaced rip-offs. Results replaced money. Power was the only commodity at the end of the day.
It was a haven for the skilled and motivated individualist. Where the artist could work free from controversy, and the scientist could be freed from obstructive ethics. Such so-called villains were the only ones she could expect results from. Trust was for fools, but mutual self-interest was a stock she was willing to bet on.
Daybreaker imagined what Princess Luna would say the new look. Brutal? Savage? Her world had made her soft, but even Nightmare Moon’s alternate self could be surprising. Perhaps she would see sense and accept true results. Every unicorn in her Spire was perfected with medicines and potions, a concoction designed to purge weakness from the body. Individually, they could stand against any pony or beast. Collectively, they defended the Spire from potential usurpers.
Like Luna, perhaps? Daybreaker pushed that thought out of her head. If she was Nightmare Moon, perhaps. But this version of her sister could hardly hold a candle to the everyday rabble-rousing villains that flooded her city’s streets.
Finally, the clip-clopping of hooves echoed from the stairwell. Luna entered, along with her unicorn companion, accompanied by four of her guards. Even if, by some chance, they were here to overthrow her in the name of petty justice, her guards would eliminate them both and she wouldn’t have to move a muscle.
“I love what you’ve done with the place.”
Daybreaker blinked at Luna. “Excuse me?”
“The whole Las Pegasus rip-off theme wasn’t a good look for a villain’s tower,” Luna continued. “But you’ve really made it your own. I think we walked past a chemistry lab on the way? I’m not sure what they were doing but something was on fire. Hope that’s not a problem.”
The other unicorn looked back and forth between them. “Uh, Luna? I don’t think this is fixing anything.” She snapped her head back to Daybreaker. “Oh, I’m Starlight, by the way. Don’t worry about me, I’m just here to help Luna.”
Daybreaker raised a brow at her.
“N-not that I think you’re any less important, oh Great and Flaming One,” Starlight laughed nervously. “Huge fan, actually. Fighting for your freedom, sticking it to the man, so to speak. I love that.”
“What in Equestria is ‘the man?’” Daybreaker’s brows pressed and creased together in frustration. “What are the two of you even doing in my world?” Her sharp voice shot a biting tone at Luna. “I told you I would destroy you if you ever returned. Are you here to challenge me, or are you as forgetful as you are weak?”
To her surprise, Luna laughed.
“I see,” Daybreaker frowned, looking to Starlight. “So she has lost her mind, then?”
“No, no,” Luna said, catching her breath. “It’s just that, when we first met, I thought you were as different from Celestia as anyone could be. But now you sound just like her when you’re being condescending.”
“I have a city to rule and lands to conquer.” Daybreaker turned away from them and continued gazing from the tower’s high balcony. “The guard will dispose of you now.”
The room shuddered as the unicorns stomped, dropping their heads into a recognizable wide stance. The position was instinctive for unicorns, relying on their natural weapon rather than rearing and kicking like most ponies. Starlight responded with the same stance, but she couldn’t face all directions at once. The guards levelled their horns, charging the ends with brilliant white energy.
Luna rolled her eyes and gave a tired, knowing glance over to Starlight.
Daybreaker gently tapped her hoof to the ground, grabbing the attention of the guard. “Fire when ready.”
They obeyed. “Yes, my lord!”
The tip of the Dawn Spire must have seemed like a lighthouse to the ponies and creatures living beneath its light. Even Daybreaker’s shadow was quickly engulfed from the power of her guards.
“Now that they’re taken care of—” she froze as she looked back at her room. Dust and smoke from cracked tiles and scorched wood slowly settled around a perfectly untouched circle around Starlight and Luna.
One of the guards fired again, but with no time to recover, the shot was smaller. Starlight responded instantly, growing a small disk of magic in the middle of the air and reflecting the blast out through the balcony like a mirror would with light.
“That was dramatic,” Luna looked around them.
Starlight stood up, relaxing her stance and pulling back on her magic. “Honestly, I expected more.”
Daybreaker paced around the circle, inspecting where Starlight’s barrier had deflected her guards’ magic and scowled. “So, you brought your secret weapon. I don’t mind. It has been a while since I’ve had a good fight.”
“Or you can shut up and just listen to me for once,” Luna scoffed at her alternate sister. “I’m not here to challenge you. I figured you’re pretty lonely up here so I wanted to swing by, maybe have some ciders and play a few rounds of pool.”
“You came all this way… to talk?” Daybreaker glared at Luna. “I threatened to destroy you if you ever returned.”
Luna gestured to the ashes around them. “Well, obviously that’s not going to plan. So what’s next? Seriously, what would you be doing right now if I weren’t here.”
“Enjoying the quiet.”
Luna continued as if Daybreaker hadn’t said anything at all. “It looks like you never leave your tower, you’re surrounded by like-minded creatures but you never meet any of them. I mean, when was the last time you’ve ever gone on a date?”
Daybreaker’s eye bulged and she shot Luna an incredulous glare. “Well, I’m busy! When have you?”
“I’ve been approached before,” Luna shifted back defensively. “But I chose to turn him down. You don’t even give yourself a choice. And besides, what are you busy doing? Conquering the world doesn’t take all day. And what would be the point? You’ve got nothing to do if all you think about is where to expand.”
“Oh it’s that easy, is it?” Daybreaker huffed and stomped her hoof. The impact wasn’t hard, but her horn bristled with so much energy that the slightest jolt sent dust and ash flying up around her. Even her guards, firmly planted in their positions and ready to engage with Starlight again, flinched.
“Your pet unicorn doesn’t give you the right to lecture me. I would burn myself to ashes before I waste time dancing around nightmares singing songs about rainbows and friendship. Because I enjoy my work. I don’t need time off.”
“What about songs of midnight and madness?”
“What about them?”
Luna unclasped a buckle on her travel back and reached into one of its pouches. As she rummaged the guards crouched again in a ready stance, but Starlight easily stunted their attack, pulling down on their spines with magic until they collapsed to the ground. Daybreaker barely reacted, focusing solely on the papers Luna was giving her. It was a dark blue fold-open pamphlet, with images of Luna and other ponies dressed in black decorating the front and back. In white print, the inside read a short description of the Nightmare Knights and their concerts, with the upcoming dates and locations listed along the margin.
“What is this?” Daybreaker flipped around and around, searching for something that clearly was not there. Tucked inside the pamphlet, she barely noticed the small stub of paper before it began to slip out. It had a big date printed in its centre, and on the back, it read:
ADMIT ONE.
“A ticket?” Luna said. “You have those here, right?”
“What is it for?”
“For a concert.” Luna beamed a great big smile. “You’re lucky, you get backstage access to my next big concert. Pretty cool, huh? So, do you want to come?”
Daybreaker tossed the pamphlet back at her. “I’ll pass.”