• Published 12th Oct 2014
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DayBreak - MyHobby



After an attempt is made on Celestia's life, Twilight Sparkle must assemble a team to track down the assassin and bring her to justice. Danger awaits as they delve into the origins of both the attacker and alicorns.

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Daybreak

Care Carrot ducked a swipe of Blankety Blank’s cloven hooves. She pressed forward with a series of lightning-fast kicks that were knocked aside one by one. As she leapt for a headbutt, Blank spread his wings and fluttered out of her reach.

Blankety Blank tapped his nub of a horn. “Is it break-time yet?”

“What?” Care said, sweat pouring from her brow. “You tired?”

“In a w-word,” Blank said, “yeah.”

Care walked to the edge of the exercise mat and squirted water into her mouth. She untied the straps holding her padded helmet steady. “I’m not. I’m too nervous to be tired. We’re close, Blank. Either we’re gonna find Hurricane or we’re gonna get close enough that she comes after us again. We need to be ready.”

“No arguments there.” Blankety Blank slumped against a nearby folding chair. “B-but I can only move so fast. I can only r-run so long.”

Care poured the last drops of her water bottle over her head. “That’s why we’re gonna work together, I guess. None of us are good enough alone.”

Blank raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was a g-good idea to split up.”

“I didn’t agree right away.” Care shook her mane out. “But what Time said made sense. I don’t want Skyhook’s crew being caught with their horseshoes loose.”

“That’s fair.” Blank’s multifaceted eyes glistened in the low light from the castle walls. His horn sparked with a faint hint of magic fire. “I can almost taste emotion again.”

Care sat down and closed her eyes, controlling her breathing to bring her heart rate back down. “Good. Just hints of it right now?”

“Yeah. Just g-glimpses.” Blankety held his breath. Green fire trailed slowly across his body, replacing black carapace with white hair. Pink eyes blinked once the spell reached the tip of his tail. “How do I look?”

“Like that same pony who tried to sell me a mirror.” Care popped one eye open. She examined his pale coat and white mane. “You got me curious. You could be anyone or anything you wanted, so why a short albino? You aren’t gonna blend in that way.”

Blank tapped his teeth. “I get enough experience blending in. You m-might say it’s a little bit of r-rebellion against my hive. Everything’s dark and grimy and crumbling. Even when I got to Equestria, I wanted to stand out against the c-color.”

He waved to his rump, where his color wheel cutie mark sat. “Changelings don’t get cutie m-marks, but when I met Celestia… I chose this one as a p-promise to myself. I said I would be able to chose whatever life I w-wanted, instead of what the hive said I was. Whenever I wanted it.”

Care rubbed her foreleg to relive tension in her muscles. “And you chose the life of a knight.”

“Yep. I haven’t regretted it t-too hard yet.” Blank scratched behind his ear. He suppressed a yawn. “What about you? What’s y-your cutie mark story?”

Care lowered her ears. She flicked her tail from side to side. “It’s… it’s not quite as triumphant.”

“They’re not, usually.” Blanety shrugged one shoulder. “They’re usually stuff you’re w-working up towards, right?”

Care examined herself closely. Her cutie mark, three carrots sitting beside each other, their greens intertwined, stared back. “I promised myself I’d never forget my roots. I’d never forget what my home really was.” She pulled her upper lip back ever so slightly. “That lasted until I was about sixteen. I didn’t fit in anymore. There’s no place for a unicorn is an earth pony family that… huge and traditional. I’m no farmer.”

She gave him a sidelong grin. “So the Royal Guard is my home, now. I’ve done pretty good with myself, too.”

Blankety Blank walked across the mat to sit beside her. “But the cutie mark’s still there.”

“An eternal smudge on my butt reminding me what a dumb kid I was!” Care laughed, and ended it with a sigh. “But what can you do? Nowadays I tell people that the carrots stand for my past, my present, and my future, and how the cobbled together greens represent me. They mostly give me a weird look and change the subject.”

Blank rested a hoof on her shoulder, giving her an uneasy smirk. “Dumb kids are sometimes smarter than they let on.”

Care narrowed her eyes, the corners of her mouth turned up. “Yeah. And then they grow up to be captain of the princess’ personal guards.”

“Right.” Blanket stretched out his legs. “Back to work?”

“If you’re ready.” Care Carrot’s horn flickered with pink magic. “I was thinking about testing a few magic grapples while we sparred. You don’t have a problem with that, do yo—?”

“Save it for another time, Cap. Blank.” Daring Do popped her head into the castle’s gym. “Just got word from Velvet: Train for Canterlot leaves in three hours. Get yourselves cleaned up and ready to go by noon.”

“Gotcha. Thanks.” Care sent a smug smile Blank’s way. “Bought yourself some time with that one.”

“If you were a changeling, my relief would be…” Blank pulled a cloak over his pale coat and slid sunglasses over his eyes. “Palpable.”

Care Carrot snorted and started choking. She held a hoof up to ward off Blank’s help. She sputtered through a few coughs. “You got your sense of humor from Time, didn’t you?”

Blankeyt snickered. “You got your sense of humor from sandpaper.”

“Oh, ho, ho. You are asking for it the next time we spar.”

***

Hurricane looked over the small assembly of ponies in the cloudstuff warehouse. Pegasi all, in various armored and armed states. She glanced at Lanner, who watched her with keen interest. “Is this all of them? All one hundred pegasi?”

Lanner relined against a wall emblazoned with the Dulcimer Construction logo. “All that had not already left. We’re about eighty strong, besides you and I. Perhaps just enough to accomplish our goal to eradicate the traitor Dulcimer and annihilate the manor.”

“We’re not destroying the manor immediately.” Hurricane flexed the muscles where her wings connected with her torso. “No. We need something in there. Dulcimer has arms. Armor. Far superior to anything this motley crew has.”

Lanner frowned. “It’s a raid?”

“Dulcimer won’t be at home,” she said. “He’s shown his hand too fully to remain. He’ll be in hiding.” She scowled. “I intend to flush him out, and kill two dastards with one wingblade.”

Lanner opened his mouth. He held up a talon, then set it back on the floor. “I don’t—”

Hurricane brushed past him and flared her wings. “My soldiers!”

The eighty-odd ponies in the room looked her way, some standing to loose attention, some barely cocking an ear. Hurricane held back a snarl.

“Sons and Daughters of the Sky, we have a mission of vital importance.”

“That’s what the Mother said,” one mare in the front row said. “Then she canceled on us. What gives? I thought the battle was postponed on account of Her Royal Majesty being alive.”

“The battle to take Canterlot will not take place.” Hurricane raised her chin. “We have a different mission now. One that will swing the country in a new direction. Our direction.”

“So spit it out!” someone in the back row said.

“As someone who has spoken directly with the Master—” Hurricane bared her teeth. “—I believe I deserve your respect.”

When the room quieted to a deathly chill, she continued. “We no longer have the luxury of removing the government from the hooves of those who would stifle us. She is too strong, too engrained into the minds of the populous. We must do something drastic, something unexpected, in order to change a status quo a millennia old.”

Hurricane glanced between their faces. Her soldiers held their breath, almost to a pony, and awaited her words. She grinned. “We shall wipe Canterlot from the face of the mountainside.”

An argument sprang up almost instantly about whether it was wise or even possible. It rose steadily in volume over the course of a minute, before Hurricane barked a halt.

“It is possible, my warriors!” she shouted. “Ancient battle techniques will give us the power. Modern weapons from Dulcimer’s storehouse shall cement our advantage. We shall ride in on the whirlwind and leave our enemies ashes and dust!”

“There’s only eighty of us!” a soldier shouted. “We were going to attack with three-hundred! We’ll be slaughtered!”

“We were going to take Canterlot with three-hundred.” Hurricane stomped a hoof. “We shall destroy it with less than a third of that.”

Lanner shifted from his place on the sidelines. He flicked an ear. “I must agree with their sentiment, my commander. Eighty is hardly an imposing force. We need another advantage.”

“Yes.” Hurricane waved to the crowd. “All those with experience as crewmembers of an airship, move to the left. All with experience with weather management, to the right. Those with experience in both, take flight.”

Fifteen ponies sidled left, twenty sidled right, three flew, and forty-two remained in the center.

“Grenadier Lanner…” Hurricane folded her wings against her back. “How many guards has King Ursagryph posted at the hospital?”

“Dozens. Nearly the entire force of Blitzwings.”

She nodded. “Leaving a mere skeleton crew on board the Thunderhead, correct?”

Lanner’s eyes popped. “You cannot be considering hijacking Felaccia’s flagship!”

“I am not considering it, grenadier.” Hurricane placed a hoof beside her mouth. “My brothers! My sisters! I give to you the mission given to me by the Master himself! We shall assail Blueblood Manor and retrieve our supplies! We shall steal aboard the Thunderhead and take it as our own! We shall seed the clouds of Cloudsdale and destroy Canterlot utterly with fire and water!”

The warriors looked to each other, worry heavy on their brows. The mare in the front row shook her head. “But how?”

Hurricane kicked open the door to the warehouse. Wintery air rushed in. She turned, her mane dancing manically, her scar red and raging.

“Follow me.”

***

Flakes of snow danced through the air as the train pulled into the station. Care disembarked, a plaid red coat shielding her from the cold. She regretted not wearing a hat, but her long mane was just warm enough. She rubbed the goose bumps on her foreleg.

Blankety Blank followed close behind, pulling his cloak tight. Daring Do and Time Turner moved hoof-in-hoof. Velvet took the rear, a small knit cap astride her head.

“If you’re chilly now, wait until you reach altitude.” Daring Do shuffled her hooves. “I guess we’ll see you later.”

Twilight Velvet pulled her into a rough hug. “Don’t be so glum, Yearling! You act like we won’t see each other again!”

“Well, you know…” Daring embraced her tight. “You never know with Hurricane.”

Care Carrot looked to Blank, then to Time. She smiled. “Yeah, but she isn’t as strong as we are. She doesn’t have friends like us.”

“Darn right.” Velvet pulled herself away from Daring and patted her back. “Just keep fighting the good fight. We’ll pull ahead sooner or later.”

“I intend,” Time Turner said, “to make it much sooner.” He adjusted a dial on the gauntlet over his good hoof. He teased a screw tighter on his prosthetic. “I have one piece of advice, Captain: Give better than you get.”

“Absolutely.” Care gave him a mock salute. “I expect to see you leading by example.”

Blank grinned. One of his fangs was visible for the briefest of seconds. “You won’t be disappointed. I’ve s-seen him in action. Just plain c-cool.”

“And you are absolutely terrifying.” Time winked. “And I mean that in the best possible way.”

Daring Do wiped her eyes. “Go on and get out of here before you make me all mushy. I fully expect you three to come out of Cloudsdale alive. In fact, I order it.”

“We outrank you.” Velvet pursed her lips. “We all do.”

“Details unimportant to the resident civilians.” Daring brushed her off and took Time by the foreleg. “If you’ll excuse us, we have a princess to greet.”

Twilight Velvet giggled. “When you see her, tell her ‘Best Mom’ says hi, and I’ll see her soon.”

“Will do, Chief.” Snow collected on the back of Time Turner’s duster. “And good hunting, everypony.”

Daring and Time walked to the airship harbor, while Velvet, Care, and Blank went to the castle. A special hot-air balloon waited for them, alongside Centurion Stonewall. She pointed a wing at a unicorn mage beside her. “Dr. Merlot will cast the cloudwalking spell and fly you to the city. You can go to the barracks if you need any equipment. We have armor that can adapt to a unicorn’s body.”

Her face scrunched up before she could control it. “I don’t think we have anything suited for a changeling.”

“Th-that won’t be a problem.” Blank ducked his head and climbed aboard the balloon’s basket. “I’m good for c-cloudwalking, too.”

Twilight Velvet frowned at Stonewall. “One less problem, then, Centurion.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Stonewall lowered her ears and her head. “I will also be in Cloudsdale if you require my assistance. My team will be scouring a few of Dulcimer’s warehouses.”

“Thank you.” Twilight Velvet climbed aboard the basket, with Care hopping on behind her. She nodded to Merlot. “Whenever you’re ready, Doctor.”

Merlot shut his eyes and concentrated. His horn shone with light, which crackled and sparked. A miniature thundercloud roiled from his forehead and floated down to Velvet’s and Care’s hooves. A tingling sensation climbed up their legs.

“Geeze.” Care’s hooves danced. “I feel like they fell asleep.”

“It’s more or less a wakeup call, actually,” Merlot said. “Please keep your limbs inside the basket at all times until we reach Cloudsdale. I don’t want to have to catch you if you fall.”

“I-I’m glad you’re so concerned for our safety,” Blank mumbled.

The burner hissed, and the balloon rose. Care blew a breath from her lips. “I’ve never been to Cloudsdale. I hear it’s beautiful.”

“That it is.” Velvet patted Care’s shoulder. “I think you’ll like it. I had to go up there before the cloudwalking spell came back into popular use. They carted me everywhere in a sky chariot. I felt like a queen.”

Care smiled. “Yeah? Looks like we get to do all the footwork this time.”

“For the best.” Velvet shivered and buttoned overcoat to the middle of her chest. “Is there any sort of keep-my-plot-warm spell in your repertoire, Doctor?”

“I believe you’re looking for the ‘Magic of Winter Clothing,’ madam.”

Velvet chuckled. “Ask a stupid question.”

Care squinted into the fog. Moisture collected on her coat as they passed through clouds. “About how long is this trip?”

“Minutes,” Dr. Merlot said. “We’ll be breaking through the cloud cover momentarily.”

Blankety leaned against the side of the basket beside Care. He squinted. “S-see anything?”

“Not just—Oh. Oho.” Sunlight broke through the mist and shone on Care’s face. “Okay. That is exquisite.”

Cloudsdale sprawled before them. Clouds rolled and churned at the edge of the city-state, raining rainbow falls every few meters. Spiraling architecture generated buildings larger than Canterlot Castle. Children played in pools of water collected on the surface. Light shone through crystalline windows. Ponies flew between the different levels of the clouds as they lived and worked in a three-dimensional city.

“White ground below, and blue skies overhead.” Velvet winked. “Just another day in Equestria’s largest city-state.”

Merlot held the rudder steady. “This is our stop. The Eye of Cloudsdale is about two miles north. I suggest you get a sky taxi.”

“S-sounds good.” Blankety dug through a pouch at his side. “Here. I’ll get the doctor’s tip—”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Merlot drew himself up. “I do this in service to the kingdom and to the crown, specifically Her Royal Majesty.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ll besmirch my pride as a professor at the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“Apologies.” Twilight Velvet grabbed Blank’s shoulders and led him out of the basket. Her hooves made soft sounds on the clouds. “Thank you very much for your help, Doctor. Stay safe.”

“You as well.” Merlot bowed, then adjusted the instruments in his balloon. He descended through the same clouds that they stood on, leaving behind a plain, white, unbroken surface.

Care bounced. The cloud gave slightly, then shifted back into place.

“Y-you’re making me nervous,” Blank said.

“It’ll hold.” Care grinned, hopping along the edge of the cloud. “You gotta let me have a little fun.”

“A set of handrails would do this place a world of good.” Twilight Velvet checked a compass pinned to her lapel. “We’d better get jogging if we want to get to the Eye. Be on your guard. Like Blank said, it’s a rough neighborhood these days.”

“Can do, Chief.” Care Carrot set off at a mild run. “I’ll be right behind you.”

***

Hurricane marched down the walkway leading up to Blueblood Manor’s front doors. A growl arose from the rosebushes, along with a magical crackle. She scratched her itching, hellish scar. “Burn them.”

Fiery arrows arced through the sky, striking the timberwolves as they formed. She walked through the flames, kicking any wolves that avoided the arrows, and breaking any jaws that snapped at her. One by one, the manor’s security system was brought down. She broke down the front doors with a mighty shove, splintering wood.

She heard Lanner’s lion-esque roars mingling with the yelps of the arboreal monstrosities. Her soldiers fought tooth and hoof with the timberwolves. A police officer ran up to her, shaking a flashlight. “Hay! You can’t be in here! This is a crime sc—”

She grabbed the pony’s head and slammed it into a nearby table. She took a wingblade in her hooves and slid it across his throat. Another stallion appeared around the corner. She threw the hefty flashlight with lethal accuracy; he collapsed with a crushed skull.

Glass shattered as her warriors broke through the windows. They made their way to the armory, killing any officers in their way. Armor clanked and magic shields hummed. Spears clattered. Wing blades slid along feathers.

Hurricane glanced into the pool room to see the water drained. Yellow caution tape had been placed around the rim. She crept up to the edge to look inside. A cop lay at the bottom, unconscious or dead. Beside him, a seam was visible in the marble floor.

“Commander.”

Hurricane cocked an ear to listen to Lanner. “What is it?”

“We have eradicated the officers. The manor is ours to burn.” The grenadier brushed down his singed fur. “We are more than ready to fly to Canterlot.”

Hurricane hopped to the bottom of the pool. She lifted her forelegs high and brought them down on the outlined rectangle. The marble shattered. A slab the size of a pony crumbled in on itself, tumbling down into darkness. Stairs appeared, just visible in the overhead light.

She sat beside the opening and scowled. “The coward fled through the heart of the mountain. He could be anywhere within the old mines.”

She thought about jumping down. Scouring the crystal caves until she’d found the stallion. Splitting the eighty soldiers under her command to comb the caverns.

“No,” she said, mostly to herself. “No, he is secondary to our true purpose. The attack on Canterlot will leave him homeless.”

“Commander…” Lanner slid his talons against each other. “Is this wise? Attacking Canterlot with eighty soldiers is a difficult thing to wrap my mind around.”

“It would be foolhardy if the goal was to take and hold it.” Hurricane sneered into the tunnel and hopped out of the pool. “No one will want it after we finish with it.”

Lanner swallowed hard. “As the Master decrees, of course. We are… I am curious how we are to accomplish this fantastical feat.”

“Cloudsdale is naught but clouds, Lanner.” Hurricane turned down the hallways and pathways to the armory, the griffon close behind. “To make rain, one adds water to a cloud. To make snow, one brings cold. To unleash the storm…”

She rested her hoof on the door frame. “One seeds the cloud with lightning.”

In the center of the room lay a suit of armor. It was dark—blue and gray. A horn as sharp as a sword protruded from the center of the helmet. The greaves held claws that curved like hooks. The armor’s wings separated into leg-length blades.

“This is why we need the Thunderhead.” Hurricane approached the armor. She slid a circular device off a workbench. “Its electromagnetic weapon will be our key to unlocking the potential of Cloudsdale.”

The device clicked into place on the armor’s back. It hummed to life. Hurricane stepped into the armor and started locking it into place. Her sky-blue coat vanished into shadows. “We shall craft such a storm that Equestria will not see the likes of it again for centuries. The sort which I once used to lay siege to the Crystal Empire.”

“The… the Crystal Empire?” Lanner shook his head. “It’s been at peace for—”

“Over a thousand years.” Plates slid down to cover her legs, locking with her boots. The armor on her back shifted to follow her contours. She tested the sharpness of her hooks. “There are things you have yet to understand, Grenadier. I have centuries of experience. I have done this sort of thing before. We shall destroy Canterlot and see all our enemies crumble.”

She lowered the helmet over her head. Her face disappeared in the armor’s shadowy shield. The only thing visible through the mask was two glowing red eyes. Her voice reverberated through the helmet’s filter. “Are you ready to take the Thunderhead?”

“I shall distract the guards…” Lanner rested his talon on the hilt of a curved sword. “While you take them out. Can you do it alone?”

She opened her wings. The blades shrieked as they spread apart. The device on her back spun of its own accord. “I shall manage.”

***

Care Carrot shielded her face from the setting sun. “Dang it, we’re running out of time.”

Blank leaned over Velvet’s shoulder. “A-are you sure you’re reading the compass correctly?”

Twilight Velvet glared at him. She marched across a bridge spanning between two cumulonimbus clouds. The ground shifted hue hundreds of meters below. “Yes, darn it all. It’s just that this city’s so topsy-turvy and twisty-turny that I can’t make heads or tails of this—”

“Hold up,” Care said. She pointed to a mountainous cloud as it sailed into view. “Can you read those signs? Did we find it?”

“Hurricane Lane, Lower Cloudsdale, Business District…” Blankety licked his teeth. “The Eye. Bingo. It’s inside that cloud. See where the fluff gets darker? That’s solid cloudcrete.”

“Hustle up, kids.” Velvet took off at a run. “Time’s wasting!”

Their path took them over arcing bridges and under spiraling archways. Pegasi gave them odd glances, but moved on with their lives. A tunnel through solid cloud led through darkness, lit at intervals by crystalline lamps.

They came into the eye at the bottom. Clouds spiraled upwards as stairs climbed from floor to floor. Doorways sat in alcoves. Windows lay boarded over by cloud bricks. Ponies milled around in the shadows, sending glares their way.

“Keep your wits about you.” Twilight Velvet slowed to a purposeful stride. “What’s that address, Care?”

“Three. Storm Court.” Care craned her neck. “About two miles up.”

“Welp.” Blankety pulled his lips to the side. “Shoulda got that taxi.”

“Uh huh.” Velvet slapped her face. “It’s shaping up to be a long night.”

They climbed up, up, up towards the open sky. Care lit her horn every time potential rough customers gave them a stink eye. Every time she looked up or down, something between claustrophobia and vertigo hit her in the chest.

Blankety Blank pinched his eyes tight. “All I’m getting is faint anger. Nothing p-powerful. Nothing like Hurricane.”

“Keep searching as far as you can,” Velvet said. “She might be masking it. Or she might be feeling some sort of sick triumph—”

“N-no.” Blank shivered. “There’s no covering up the h-hate she feels.”

Care climbed up yet another flight of steps. She stood with her profile facing the doorway to a small apartment on the edge of the Eye. “We’re there.”

Twilight Velvet gritted her teeth. She came to the doorway, stood beside it, and knocked. “Police.”

A shuffling sound came from behind the door. A small, purple-coated, elderly pegasus mare opened it. “Yes? May I help you, ma’am?”

Velvet pulled out her badge. “We’re investigating a mare who we believe may have taken shelter here. She’s a blue-coated, white-maned pegasus mare with a hurricane cutie mark. She would be strongly built, about forty years old, with a prominent scar on her left cheek. Scars all over her body as well. Have you seen her?”

“Oh.” The mare covered her mouth. “Oh, you must mean Hurricane. But… she’s always been such a nice mare. Always paid her rent on time, you know. Never hurt a soul.”

“Please, ma’am.” Velvet kept her face impassive, but her heart raced. “Where is she now? Do you know? It’s very important that we find her as soon as possible.”

“She—she left about six hours ago with a griffon gentlepon—A griffon male that I had never seen before.” The elderly landlady lowered her ears. “She isn’t in danger, is she?”

“She may very well be,” Care muttered to herself. She cleared her throat. “Where does she stay? Did you see which way she went?”

“I didn’t see where they went…” The mare sucked her lips in. “She stays in apartment twenty-two. A floor up.”

“May I have keys, Miss…?” Velvet said.

“Downy. Do—do you have a warrant?”

Velvet produced the paper in a magic bubble. She let the landlady look it over for a good long time.

Downy’s eyes watered. “Please don’t hurt her. She’s never done anything wrong.”

Care Carrot bit her tongue.

“Thank you for your cooperation, ma’am.” Twilight Velvet accepted the key Downy handed to her. “We’ll be on our way.”

The mare slammed the door shut.

The three of them scampered up to the floor. A cold wind blew through the eye, starting from the top and traveling to the bottom. It was a simple door built into the wall, the wood enchanted to be held aloft by the clouds around it. Velvet inserted the key, turned it, and then hesitated.

“Ready?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” Care said.

“Kinda,” Blank murmured.

“Let’s go.” Velvet pushed the door open. She entered a combat stance, hooves ready to defend herself. She moved closer into the apartment, listening carefully.

Blankety’s horn sparked. “She isn’t here. She was here. She and… and something else. Something horrible. It tastes like decay and corruption and all sorts of wicked things.”

Care charged her horn from pink magic to white-hot. “Sounds like Hurricane, alright.”

“N-no. Different.” Blank looked to her with wide eyes. “Care, I c-can taste it as clear as day even w-without the full use of my horn. It’s wrong. It’s very, very wrong.”

Velvet searched through drawers, inside the mattresses, through the medicine cabinet. She found an empty ambrosia canister and some painkillers, but little else. “I gotta say, this doesn’t quite account for the ambrosia shortage. I was hoping to peg one more thing on her.”

“Like we need more against her?” Care tore open a pillowcase. It was full of feathers. Of course it was, she thought. “She’s a fan of clean living, I see. Sparse and plain.”

Blankety sat down by the doorway. He breathed in and out, focusing his magic. “True. Th-the only personal possession is… is her radio.” He pointed. “There, on her nightstand.”

Twilight Velvet and Care looked at each other. Velvet trotted up to the small table and picked up the homemade crystal radio. She flicked it on and let loose a burst of static. She flipped through channels until she found one that sounded halfway decent. “Poorly made. Amateur work. Looks like a school foal science project.”

“They didn’t have radios in her time.” Care lowered her horn’s intensity back to pink and grasped the radio. She flipped it end over end. “She made this out of scraps…”

“Open it,” Blank said.

Twilight Velvet raised an eyebrow.

“Do it.” Blankety tapped a hoof against the floor. “You have to. There’s more to it than a radio. It tastes dark. Like week-old black coffee.”

Care twisted the screws holding the homemade radio together. They dropped to the table, followed by the bottom casing. Inside, there was a twisted arrangement of metal, crystal, and wires. Tucked between the wires, somepony had hidden a bundle of paper.

Care looked it over. It was written in flowing mouthwriting. Archaic, but recognizable. “It’s a scroll. It’s Hurricane’s.”

“From the look of that paper, it’s centuries old.” Twilight Velvet touched the edge of the yellowed scroll. “What’s it say?”

Care tilted the paper towards her. “Operation: Daybreak.”

Blankety flicked his ears up. “Huh?”

“It’s… it’s Hurricane’s plans to destroy Canterlot. She wrote this before she came to the future.” Care ran a hoof through her bangs and grabbed the tip of her braid. “She’s going to use a hurricane to tear the city away from the mountain. She’s had this plan for centuries!

Blank sat up. “C-can a hurricane do that?”

“Gale-force winds,” Velvet said. “Lightning and fire. Head-sized hail. A violent mare controlling it all. Yeah, I think it could work.”

“And with her friends to help her…” Care pressed the scroll against Velvet’s chest. “We need to get back. Now.

“No argument.” Velvet opened the door with a flash of her horn. “We’ll head to the barracks and radio the message straight to Luna. The guards ’ll be able to prepare, and we’ll be able to head up any sort of craziness Hurricane has planned.”

Blankety Blank hopped up. “Sh-she’s had this plan for years. What makes you think she’ll put it into action now?

“Three things,” Care said. “One, she’s crazy enough that she’d actually do it. Two, I’d rather everybody be ready just in case. Three…” She lowered her ears against her scalp. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Fair.” Blankety Blank walked out of the apartment and stood on the edge of the porch. A whirl of fire on his back revealed two feathery wings. “I’ll hail an air taxi. We’ll b-be there in a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Blank.” Twilight Velvet scrunched the scroll up and stuffed it into her bag. “How are you holding up, Care?”

The first stars appeared in the darkening sky. Care Carrot sat down and narrowed in on them. Her breath left her mouth in a cloud of fog. “Just about ready to explode.”

“Hold on tight,” Velvet said. “Just hold on tight."

***

The Sky’s Limit floated gently into its dock. Princess Luna beamed as the loading ramp was lowered, while Time and Daring stood close by. Commander Skyhook flew out first, followed by a select few guardsponies. A few crewmembers set about securing the ship to its mooring posts. Skyhook lifted a hoof to indicate it was safe.

Twilight Sparkle walked down the gangplank. She looked up at the cloudy sky, her mouth working silently. She brought her head down and looked out over the harbor. Her eyes lit up when she saw Luna. She ran and threw her forelegs and wings around the elder princess.

Luna held her tight and kissed her forehead. “I missed you, Twilight.”

Twilight buried her head in Luna’s shoulder and nodded.

Rainbow Dash glided down from the airship. She landed lightly and bounced on the tips of her hooves as she waited for the hug to end. She kept glancing around, her eyes darting from one end of the platform to the other. “We should get Twi inside.”

“You are right.” Luna loosened her grip. “We have much to talk about, but I must attend to reports coming in from the police station. Time Turner and Dr. Yearling will take you to the castle. You will be safe there.”

Twilight bit her lower lip. She ruffled her feathers before laying them against her sides.

Daring Do looped her wing around Twilight’s barrel. “Come on, Sparkle. Let’s get moving before it gets dark.”

Rainbow Dash came alongside them. She tipped her head to Daring and spoke quietly. “Is it okay if I invite Rarity to hang out with us?”

“Sure,” Daring said. “The more friends, the better. If Sparkle’s okay with it.”

Twilight nuzzled Rainbow’s shoulder and smiled.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Cool. I’ll meet you guys at the palace. See you in a few.”

She flew off one direction, Luna flew in the other, and the small procession of guards around Twilight walked to the castle. It was a quiet trip, filled with taunt nerves and furtive glances, but ultimately uneventful.

When they reached Twilight’s room, they let her in. Two guards stayed beside her door while the others spread themselves throughout the east wing. Time Turner wrinkled his muzzle and stretched his artificial leg. “Now the waiting game.”

Daring took his left foreleg. “I hope it’s waiting.”

Time Turner flicked an ear. “Not keen on meeting the commander again so soon?”

“Not while you’re here. Not until you’re healed.” Daring Do pressed her lips together. “Call me selfish, but I like having you close.”

“Well, it wasn’t completely unexpected.” Time gave her a small smirk. His face drooped, his age lines revealing the weight behind smile. “Even so, I knew what I was signing up for.”

“I didn’t.” Daring’s teeth snapped together. She pressed her hooves against his shoulders and shut her eyes tight. “I-I mean…”

She pulled away from him and tossed her mane. “Dang it! Just… when you got blown up, it just hurt, okay? More than my wings. More than Ahuizotl’s torture devices. More than Hurricane’s freaking wingblades! I thought I lost you and—”

“Daring.” Time grasped her hoof. “Daring, look at me.”

She rubbed an eye. She brushed her grayscale mane from her face.

“I’m here. And I’m alive.” He touched her cheek. “And I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“Yeah…” Daring rested her forehead against his chest. “I’m so stupid. I know you got hurt more than I could imagine. Several times. Heck, we’ve all had our moments.”

“But we keep getting back up.” Time touched her chin and lifted her face. “We keep fighting. You taught me that.”

Daring tried for a grin. Her mouth went slack. “I’ve always been a pretty good teacher, I guess.”

Time brought his lips to hers in a gentle caress. His legs shook as he held her. He looked into her eyes. “I-I think that may have b-been a bit impulsive, but I do feel that you sh-should know that—”

Daring Do wrinkled her nose. “Shut up and kiss me.”

“Well…” Time said, his eyebrows rising. “If you insist.”

***

Twilight Sparkle rested a book in the seat beside her. The couch was nice and comfy, much better than anything they had on the airship. Red satin, fluffy pillows, stable legs. Everything one could ask for in a couch, really.

She let her chin flop to the cushion. She grumbled and tested her horn. A single purple spark danced to the book. She rolled her eyes and turned the page with her hoof.

She forced herself to smile. Rainbow Dash would be back soon. She’d bring Rarity, too. They’d all have a good time catching up, eating snacks, talking…

Forgetting.

Twilight Sparkle was having a hard time forgetting. She still saw those blades rushing for her throat. She still felt the metal bite into her legs. She still remembered the mare’s cold, gray eyes looking at her like she was trash.

Twilight planted her nose in the couch and covered her head with her forelegs. She let out a groan of frustration.

A thought sparkled in her mind. Why hadn’t Spike been there to greet her? Was he busy? Was he coming? Did Luna not tell him? She figured he’d have been on the first train to Canterlot, and if not, he’d have hitchhiked.

She cocked an ear. She wanted to call out to a guard and ask them if they knew anything, but she knew it was useless. She blew a raspberry and sat up.

A knock sounded loud in the thick silence of the room. “Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

She looked up to see the door already cracked open. A unicorn stallion poked his head into the room. “I heard you’d gotten back. Is it alright if I come in?”

Twilight smiled. Her eyes trailed along the smartly-trimmed goatee and carefully-groomed pink coat. She nodded and waved Dulcimer inside.

Hammer Dulcimer bowed his head to the guards standing beside the door. They stared straight ahead, never moving a muscle, just as they always did. “Thank you, gentleponies. We’ll let you know if we need you.”

He crossed the room at a sedate pace, his strong legs moving gently yet firmly. He levitated a bag from his back. “I… uh… I didn’t know what sort of treats you liked, so I sort of… bought them all. Silly, I guess.”

Twilight shook her head, her smile growing wider. She closed her book and patted the cushion beside hers. She picked Rainbow’s notepad and pen off the ground and held the writing utensils at the ready.

Dulcimer settled against the backrest. He furrowed his brow. “Is it that bad? I knew you got hurt, but—”

Twilight turned away, bobbing her head. She pulled the scarf away from her scarred throat to show him, then tied it tight. She scribbled down a quick mouth-written note. I might not be able to talk again. I haven’t given up, but it’s hard.

“I’m so sorry.” Dulcimer brought his hooves together. “You didn’t deserve this. You deserve so much more.”

He clapped a hoof against the cushion. “I have—Well, with your permission… We never got that dance I promised you.”

Twilight blushed. She curled her mane behind her ear. It kinda a weird time for it. There’s no music.

“I thought of that.” Dulcimer dug through the bag. He pulled a small, wooden box from the bottom. “It’s not a quartet, but it was my grandmother’s. She made instruments for a living. Guitars, flutes, horns…”

Twilight hissed with laughter. Dulcimers?

Hammer Dulcimer chuckled. “Yes. Both kinds. Her favorite thing to make was music boxes. This was the last one she made. It’s special.” He opened it. Gears turned, and tiny hammers dinged against a bell.

He took her by the hoof and pulled her from the couch. She rested her left foreleg on his shoulder. They swayed in time with the music, looking into each other's eyes.

“Thank you,” he said. “This means a lot to me.”

Twilight Sparkle resisted the urge to either squeal aloud or chew her mane. She focused on breathing exercises and keeping her hooves in time. His eyes were so deep. Deep and dark.

She frowned. Dark? Where had that come from? A shiver ran down her spine. She tried to shake it off.

He lowered his eyebrows. “Is there something wrong?”

She mouthed “No,” tossing her mane with a shake of her head. She gave him a reassuring wink and continued to sway until the box ended its tune. They bowed to each other, both smiling from ear to ear.

He led her back to the seat. She hopped onto the couch with a bounce. He sat down on the floor, directly in front of her.

“Twilight,” he said. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. It’s about a discovery I made.”

She leaned forward, her ears perked.

“What if I told you—” Dulcimer smirked. “—that I could make anypony an alicorn? Anypony at all. No more aging, no more weakness, no more frailty. Just eternal youth and fantastic magic for anyone.”

Twilight Sparkle’s smile disappeared. She lowered one eyebrow and raised the other. She wrote with frenzied energy. How? What? When did you do this? Where did you? How?

“If you want, I can show you.” Dulcimer held a hoof to her. “Would you like to see how?”

Yes. Yes, of course. Twilight’s mind raced with the possibilities. The impossibilities. Anybody could be an alicorn? Anypony at all? But not now. I need to stay here to keep away from the assassin. Is your study here in the castle?

“It’s one better.” Dulcimer stood up and brushed his suit jacket off. “My equipment, my laboratory, is directly beneath us. Within the old gem mines. There’s no way Hurricane would find you down there. Do you trust me?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped to his. She opened her mouth. The chill shot down her back once more, but she ignored it. Yes. Yes I do.

Dulcimer took her hoof. He led her to the door, which he opened with a spell. “You won’t regret this, Twilight. It’s truly unbelievable.”

He smiled at the stoic guards as they walked past. “Please let Dr. Yearling and Dr. Turner know where we’ve gone. Just tell them it’s Dulcimer’s laboratory. Thank you.”

Twilight Sparkle leaned against Dulcimer as they walked through the hallways. He pushed open a servant’s door and felt around for a button. A section of the floor slid away. “Down these stairs and a ways through the tunnels.”

Something churned in Twilight’s stomach. He touched her shoulder. “Are you alright, Twilight?”

Last time I was in the mines, it didn’t end well.

“Ah.” Dulcimer rubbed the small of her back. “What if I promise that there aren’t any maniacal changeling queens down there this time?”

Twilight squinted at him. She shook her head and smirked. Promises, promises.

“Just follow me.” Dulcimer held her hoof as she stepped down. “And you will not be disappointed.”

***

Daring Do pulled Time Turner closer, leaning into the kiss for all she was worth. Her wings ached as she wrapped them around their bodies, but it was worth it, darn it all. She ran her hooves up and down Time’s back, every ounce of her self control fighting to keep her thoughts chaste.

For the most part. It was maybe just a little sexy. Just a little.

A piercing beep snapped her out of her daze. She blinked at Time, who pulled away with a gasp.

“Oh, Creator,” he said.

“I…” Daring Do cringed. “Sorry. Maybe I went overb—”

“No, no, no, not you.” The beeping continued. Time Turner lifted his left foreleg. A light flickered on the gauntlet in time with the alarm. “Daring… Oh, Creator.”

Daring Do grabbed the gauntlet and jerked it closer to her eyes. “What is it? What’s the matter? What’s this dumb alarm thingy?”

“It’s the gauntlet’s sensor.” Time flicked a switch and the light blinked out. A mechanical arrow whirled like a compass. It settled in the direction of Twilight’s room. “There’s been a temporal disturbance.”

“A what-now?” Daring Do flicked her ears back. “In Equish, please.”

Time Turner buttoned up his duster coat. He checked the straps on his prosthetic and started a fast jog to the room. “Temporal disturbance. Somepony changed the flow of time. Slowed it down or something. Something’s gone wrong with chronology.”

He raced past the guards, who glanced at him with wide eyes. “Sir, are you alright?”

“No.” Time swung the door aside. “Has anypony gone this—?”

The room was vacant.

“Horseapples,” Daring hissed. “Where is she?”

“She’s gone.” Time Turner wobbled on his hooves. “She’s gone and he’s taken her.”

“Dulcimer?” Daring Do cracked her neck. “What does he want with Sparkle?”

“I don’t know.” Time adjusted his gauntlet. The arrow switched directions, following the trail left behind by the time-altering magic. “But I intend to pay him a visit.”