• Published 12th Oct 2014
  • 3,852 Views, 518 Comments

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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Ashes

Princess Luna strode into the cemetery with a coffin held tight in her magical grip. The pegasus pyre dominated the landscape, with ready torches lighting the surrounding brown grass. She set the coffin atop the pyre and lifted the lid.

The sides fell away, revealing the stiff, still form of Commander Hurricane. Luna plucked a torch from its stand and held it high.

“We come not to honor the life of a celebrated hero,” Luna said, “but to bring closure to ourselves.”

A chill wind blew through her mane and ruffled her torch. “Daughter of the sky, return to the wind you were born into.”

Luna scrunched her muzzle, unsure of what else to say. She dropped the torch onto Hurricane’s body and watched the flames spread. The kindling caught first, followed by the burial cloth, and finally the commander herself. Within seconds she was unrecognizable as the assassin who had attacked her sister, let alone the mare that had helped raise them. Let alone the pony who had given birth to them. She was eaten away piece after piece, moment by moment.

Twilight Sparkle fluttered to a stop behind Luna. She clutched the Grimoire Alicorn between her forelegs. She stared at the flames before handing a note to Luna. I want to know why you asked me to bring the book.

Luna swallowed and cleared her throat. “I want to burn it.”

Twilight lowered her ears.

“It has caused nothing but pain and suffering since the day Sombra put pen to paper.” Luna extended her wing towards the pyre. “So I shall destroy it and end the destructive cycle.”

Twilight Sparkle chewed the tip of her mane. She passed another pre-written note to the older princess. I’ve read some of it. I have a lot of questions.

Luna felt her hackles tingle. She stepped forward and spread her wings. “Twilight—”

Twilight halted her with a hoof to the chest. A scrap of paper crinkled against Luna. She took the page and read it over, her eyes stinging. Hurricane was your mother?

“Yes,” Luna said. “A long time ago. Or at least she told me as much.”

With a nod, Twilight looked over the altar. She pulled a page out of her bag. Did you know about any of this?

“No. Not until after Celestia was injured.” Luna pressed her lips tight. She shifted her weight from one hoof to another. “I… I don’t understand why my sister never told me.”

Twilight shivered. She dug through her available questions and selected one that was written in a hasty, shaking scrawl. Luna, what am I?

Luna stared into the fire for a long time. Her thoughts jumbled, dancing like the flames, tearing at her and sparking inside her. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and let one strong conviction rise to the surface. “Sombra’s device had nothing to do with your ascension, Twilight. Yours or Cadence’s. From what I can see, you were ascended naturally, not by artificial, arcane methods.”

Twilight let out a shuddering breath. Luna reached out to support her as her legs grew weak.

Her horn glowed and grasped the Grimoire Alicorn. “Now,” Luna said, “to put an end to this—”

Twilight Sparkle grabbed the book. She shook her head.

Luna didn’t let her magic drop. “Twilight. This must be done.”

Princess Twilight shuffled through her saddlebags. She jerked her hoof wrong, knocking them from her back. A sea of papers spilled out, fluttering on the wind, some dancing towards the flames, some flying across the cemetery.

Luna’s mouth popped open. “How long have you been writing these? Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle watched as her work sailed away. She didn’t bother to chase after any of them. It was futile. All her questions, lost on the wind, unable to be spoken.

She stood between Luna and the pyre, tears in her eyes. She shook her head violently, batting at the book with a hoof.

Luna lowered the tome to the ground. She sighed. “Why are you so against what I mean to do?”

Twilight scratched her message into the dirt. Knowledge—

“Knowledge that has destroyed lives.”

Knowledge is not evil—

“It was used for an evil purpose!”

Knowledge is not evil by itself.

“Twilight!” Luna snapped. “Let this mystery be!”

They were still, making no sound that rose above the roar of the flames.

Luna turned away from Twilight’s strong stare. “Let this be a mystery. Let the knowledge fade and die, harming no one. Let it fade to ashes and dust.”

Twilight wiped her eyes. She cleared away her sentence and started anew. Destroying the book won’t change anything.

Luna looked at the words. She turned to the pony that wrote them. “I know.”

But keeping the book will change things.

“It will.”

Would it be a bad change?

A ruffle of feathers later, Luna sat upon the ground. “I don’t know. Would it be a good change?”

Twilight shrugged. She sat beside Luna and wrapped a wing over her shoulder. She took the book and flipped through the pages. She stopped at an image that depicted Hurricane’s fairy strings. She scratched in the dirt. Medical breakthroughs.

The next page she stopped at held a sketch of Fort Everfree. Historical treasures.

She flipped it to the last page, where Clover the Clever denounced the idea that Celestia and Luna were the prophesied alicorns. Powerful commentary.

Luna touched the cowhide cover. She clicked her tongue and stood up. “Then the book is yours, Twilight. I can see that it means much to you.”

She lifted the Grimoire Alicorn and nestled it within Twilight’s saddlebags. “I entrust it to you. Protect the book, protect the knowledge inside. It is not a light burden I give you. The knowledge within is dangerous and deadly in the wrong hooves, as you experienced first-hoof. For this to escape into the general public could be a disaster.”

Twilight lowered her ears. Censorship?

“Is is censorship to hide troop movements? Or to keep Celestia out of public eyes until she is healed?” Luna pointed. “Knowledge is power, Twilight, and that book is a dangerous weapon. If you must keep it, I cannot stop you. But I want you to keep it secret and safe.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. She cleared a large area and wrote swiftly. I want to show this to Cadence. I want all four of us to discuss it.

Luna felt her chest tighten. “I suppose that’s fair. I admit I have questions of my own.”

Twilight strapped her saddlebags tight to her sides. She stood before Luna, looking at her hooves. She glanced at Hurricane, then shook her head.

Luna reached around Twilight and pulled her close. “I am sorry. I just… I find myself upset. It’s not your fault. You should not have to bear the brunt.”

She whispered. “I would not trust anypony else with this book. I know you shall do great things. You shall do what Hurricane could not. What Sombra could never.”

Twilight rested her cheek on Luna’s shoulder and stared at the city. Canterlot lay in ruins. Cloudsdale was a scattered collection of clouds. Fires yet raged. Ponies still needed to be rescued.

She pulled away and spread her lavender wings. See you later.

Luna watched her take off, saying nothing. She was left alone with the pyre. She let her eyes drift down to the immolating pegasus. “Too many to bury, too many to mourn. This is the legacy you created for yourself, Hurricane. Two cities worth of refugees with nowhere to go.”

Luna spread her wings, casting long shadows across the cemetery. “I am not prepared to give in. Canterlot is my home, and I shall see it beautiful once more. I want to take back what was stolen. Make new what was tossed aside.”

She let her head dip down. “Somehow.”

She stepped forward. Her hoof crushed a page of Twilight’s notes. She picked the scrap up and read it in the firelight. I love you, Luna. No matter what.

Luna folded the page and set it on the pyre. It vanished instantly. “I love you, too, Twilight Sparkle. So very much.”

She flew towards the city. The fire burned bright on the side of Canter Mountain. It shone like a beacon to the dark valley below. The light could be seen for miles as Hurricane turned to ash on the wind.

***

Rarity looked upon her demolished shop with a mild grumble. She had just finished the payments, too. It was obnoxious.

But there were far greater problems than obnoxious assassins.

It seemed Rarity herself wasn’t the one hit the hardest by the attack. All around, she could see ponies limping away from the shambles that had become of their homes. People lending each other aid, mending their wounds, comforting each other.

She shook out her mane and turned to the mare beside her. Rainbow Dash lay on a stretcher, a brace wrapped around her neck. Her back had been injured, sure enough, right down to the spine. Surgery and ambrosia would aid in giving back her mobility. She would fly within the month, and be back in the Wonderbolts in twice that time.

But that wouldn’t help the emotional scars.

Rainbow Dash stared at the clouds overhead. Her eyes had long dried out, the dampness on her face freezing over. Her efforts to hold back just made her cry harder.

Cloudsdale was gone. Shattered into a million pieces. Its vast towers and beautiful skyways turned to rubbish, its glistening rainbows long since blown away. Rainbow’s childhood home. Her favorite city in Equestria. Nothing but a shadow of its former self.

“Rarity,” she croaked. “promise me you’ll find my dad. Make sure he’s okay.”

“I will.” Rarity rubbed Rainbow Dash’s foreleg. “You can count on me. Nothing will be able to stop me.”

Rainbow Dash looked down. She pressed her lips together. “Sorry about your house.”

“Your sympathy is appreciated.” Rarity rested her head against Rainbow Dash, careful not to move her. “I am just glad I didn’t lose anything irreplaceable.”

She flickered her eyelashes, certain that her mascara was about to run horrendously. “I’m not the one who needs comforting, though.”

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her muzzle. She scratched at her brace. “Everyone around me has such a sucky life.”

Rarity lifted her head. “What?”

“Applejack has such an awful time as mayor.” Rainbow Dash blinked, watching ponies walk past. “I can try to make fun of it, but I can tell she hurts, even while she’s laughing. Scootaloo, when she found out she couldn’t fly, she came to me for help. I didn’t do anything but make it worse. When Twilight Sparkle got her freaking throat cut, there wasn’t anything I could do but open by big, fat, stupid mouth!”

She sniffled. “I never know what to do, and I can never say the right thing. I suck as a friend.”

Rainbow hit her hoof against the stretcher. “And now the whole cussing city is gone, and I wasn’t there to protect it!”

“Because you were busy!” Rarity said. “Saving my life and the lives of my assistants. You nearly died protecting us. Forgive me for being selfish, but I am rather grateful you were there!”

Rainbow Dash pressed her nose against the cloth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.” Rarity patted her. “But you need to put certain things into perspective. Without you, I would have died. Me and all my patrons. We needed you. Would you rather have joined the battle only to get cut down by the assassin’s army? I think not, nor would any of us have preferred that. You were there for us.”

Rarity bobbed her head. “And I believe that, Rainbow Dash, is your greatest triumph. Even when things are difficult, even when there is no proper solution, you are there for us. All of us. With your drive and your passion and your strength.”

Rarity cupped Rainbow Dash’s cheeks. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for saving me. The very instant you are well, I shall have to give you a proper hug.”

“Make it a double.” Rainbow Dash bared her teeth in a tired smile. It faded from her face, replaced with a peaceful sigh. She sniffed hard. “So what now?”

“Now…” Rarity looked over the desolation. “Now I feel the need to help.”

She chewed her lip. “I have had this idea for years now. A home, in the midst of Canterlot’s streets, where the needy are welcome. Where I can take an active part in helping them, feeding them, getting them back on their feet. With warm beds and good food and smiling faces.”

Rainbow Dash lifted her eyes to the sky. A flight of guards soared through the night. “Some sort of charity?”

“Essentially. It would be a sort of… homely house.” Rarity tilted her head. “Never has it been more needed, and never have I been in a better position to make it happen.”

Rainbow closed her eyes. “It’s a beautiful idea, Rarity.”

Rarity tittered. “It takes one to know one, my friend.”

***

Care Carrot opened her eyes. She felt the crusty things that got stuck on her eyelashes. She felt bruised and battered. Scabbed and scarred. She lifted her head, decided it was a bad idea, and settled back against a downy pillow. She shut her eyes until her head stopped swimming. “Ouch.”

It hurt to speak. Her throat was so dry. “Water?”

“Y-you’re awake.” A voice to her side shook as it spoke. “She’s awake!”

The shout hurt her ears. “Shaddap.”

“S-sorry.” Blankety Blank hovered into view. He edged a straw towards her lips. “Just a s-sip, now. Easy d-does it.”

The water was the absolute best thing ever. She looked around the room as it came into focus. She was hooked up to more wires than she’d seen in her life. “What happened? Is the battle over?”

“Y-yes. We won.” Blankety tapped his hooves. “Mostly. Hurricane’s gone, but so is most of Cloudsdale and Canterlot.”

Care groaned and turned her head to the side so that she could see the door. Her ear folded up beneath her, and she lifted her head to set it free. She tried to rub her chest, but the wires got in the way of her hooves. “How bad?”

“C-Cloudsdale’s unlivable. The refugees are heading to Manehattan, Baltimare, and Ponyville, looking for work and homes. Canterlot’s rubble. Even the castle’s d-damaged.”

Care blew a breath through her lips. “So what do we do?”

The door swung open, admitting Twilight Velvet and Daring Do. “You,” Velvet said, “have to rest and recuperate. You’ve earned that much. We can talk about taking action after you’re off bed rest.”

Care smiled. She pulled her forelegs from beneath the covers and laid them beside her torso. “It’s déjà vu all over again, that old familiar feeling. I get to wait in a hospital while everybody else has a piece of the action.”

She let a frown crawl across her face. She did a quick headcount and came up short. “Where’s Time?”

Daring Do hunched her shoulders. She looked at Care with tired eyes. “We went down into the crystal mines to stop Dulcimer. He didn’t make it out.”

Care laid her ears back. “I’m sorry. That’s just…” She shook her head slowly. “And Dulcimer?”

“We killed the son of a gun super-dead.” Daring Do grinned and punched Care in the shoulder. Lightly. “It was the stuff of legends. Pretty much like Blank said you were.”

Care felt a smile tug at her mouth. She let out a hiccup of a laugh. “Yeah. It was kinda great.” She looked Velvet square in the eyes. “I beat Hurricane in a straight fight. She blindsided me, and Blank was the guy that defeated her once and for all, but I had her.”

Twilight Velvet gave the captain a slow nod. She leaned her head back slightly. “So? How do you feel now that it’s over?”

Care waved her hoof over the diodes and IVs. “Honestly? Crummy. And hurt. And tired. And…” She scrunched her muzzle. “Sad.”

Daring snorted. “Join the club, Cap.”

Velvet lowered her brows. “Daring—”

“I mean that sincerely.” Daring Do rubbed the back of her neck, before laying her hoof on Care’s shoulder. “I meant that I get how you feel. It feel less like we won and more like we just, I dunno, survived.”

“Th-there’s no victory celebration after this,” Blankety said. “No parades or parties. Just rebuilding.”

Daring grimaced. “And remembering. And regretting.”

Care put her hoof on Daring’s. “And rallying.”

Velvet gave them a small smile. “Care’s right. We gotta stick together. More now than ever.”

Daring squeezed Care’s shoulder. She stepped towards Velvet. “Yeah? How so?”

“I’m retiring from the police force.” Twilight Velvet rolled her shoulders. “I’m joining the Knights of Harmony full-time as the head of the table. The Knight of Counsel, I think I’m gonna be called. I’ll be directing the knights on their missions. Making sure everybody’s coordinated and working together.”

Care Carrot tapped her hooves together. “So that if we ever find ourselves in a situation like this again, we’ll have a team ready in no time.”

“Exactly.”

Daring Do scowled lightly. “This means you’re my boss again, doesn’t it?”

“Think of it as more like I’m your supervisor.” Velvet lifted her head high. “Your very close, highly-suspicious supervisor.”

Blank leaned close to Care and spoke out of the side of his mouth. “Is-is it too late to transfer to a different team?”

Care snickered. “I think that ship sailed long ago.”

Daring Do laughed. She picked her pith helmet up off the table and set it deliberately on her head. “It’s good to see you doing good, Cap. Sorry I gotta leave, guys, but there’s something in Ponyville that needs taking care of.”

“See you, Daring.” Care waved a hoof. “Thanks.”

Daring walked out the door with a wink. “Thank you.”

Twilight Velvet tapped Blankety’s shoulder and motioned for the doorway. “We need to get a move on, too. There’s somepony else who wants to see you, and we’d like to give you a moment alone.”

“Ooh.” Care moved her foreleg behind her head and rested against it. “Do I have some sort of secret admirer? I hear heroes have those.”

Blankety burst into sputtering laughs. He walked towards the door, shaking all the way.

Care wrinkled her nose. “Did I say something funny?”

“Oh, you’ve got an admirer.” He chuckled and rested his hoof on the doorframe. “He couldn’t keep it secret to save his life!”

Care raised an eyebrow. She met Velvet’s matching expression. “Explanation?”

“We all deal with stress differently,” Velvet said. “I have long suspected that Blankety is a well-obsessed gossip.”

Care crossed her forelegs. “So spill it. Is he a hottie?”

Blank grinned wide. “Spoilers.” He vanished through the door.

“Okay, then.” Care Carrot pulled her covers up to her chin. “I guess I’ll see you around, Lady Velvet.”

“More than you know.” Velvet rubbed Care’s leg. “It was an honor fighting by your side.”

“For me, too.” Care nibbled her lower lip. “It’s… nice to know that some heroes really do live up to the stories.”

“Like I said—” Velvet trotted over and placed her hoof on the door handle. “—keep writing stories of your own.”

After she left, Care heard her voice behind the door. “She’s ready to see you, Princess.”

“Princess huh?” Care snuggled deeper into her blankets. “Luna or Twilight?”

With a click of her hooves, Princess Celestia walked into the room.

Care Carrot nearly fell out of the bed. She brushed frantically at her coat. “P-Princess! Wow. You’re looking—a lot better than the last time I saw you.”

“I could say the same for you.” Celestia chuckled. She sat down in a beside chair. “If you hadn’t been dressed in your finest clothes and makeup when we were at the opera.”

“Oof. You should have seen me after Hurricane threw me from the balcony. I was one messed-up pony.” Care grinned, but her heart ached. “How are you really? Your Majesty.”

“Celestia is fine, Care.” Celestia reached out and patted the bed. “I don’t believe I have the right to demand titles after what happened these last few weeks. Not from you.”

Care shook her head. “It’s how I show respect. It’s how I try to, at least.”

“Yes, well, I think you’ve earned a break from showing respect.” Celestia hefted her shoulders upward. “Or some sort of reprieve. I don’t know. Just call me Celestia. It’ll make me feel better.”

“Okay… Celestia.” Care snorted and waved a limp hoof. “No, no, no, it sounds wrong. Celestia, She Who Raises the Morning Sun, sounds better. And oh-so informal, too.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Now you’re teasing me.”

“I’m jesting.” Care’s smiled faded like a puff of smoke. “So how are you really?”

Celestia leaned forward and let her wings droop to the floor. “I wasn’t escaping that one, was I?”

“Nope.”

Celestia looked across the room. With most of the hospital in various states of damage, Care had been moved into a repurposed waiting room. The offensively boring wallpaper glared a pale green. “The surgery was a success. I now have the heart of a unicorn. The power of a unicorn.”

“So…” Care looked over the deep scar in Celestia’s chest. The hair was just beginning to grow over it. “The sun…”

“I shall never again be able to raise it alone.” Celestia coughed. She gave Care a sad smile. “It’s not as terrible a fate as the one you averted.”

Care played with a strand of her long mane. “I couldn’t stop her from hurting you.”

“But you still saved my life.” Celestia’s prismatic mane flowed around her shoulders as she leaned closer. “Without you, Hurricane would have finished me. Without you, she would have escaped to attempt it again. I owe you a great debt.”

Care bobbed her head. Her chest still felt tight. “How long will that heart last? It isn’t immortal, so…”

Celestia’s mouth became a thin, terse line. “In fifty-odd years, I shall require the procedure again or I shall die.”

Care closed her eyes. “You’ll never be whole again.”

“I…” Celestia’s throat bobbed and strained her words. “I have been whole a very limited amount of times in my life. When I was crowned princess. When my sister was saved. When Twilight Sparkle ascended. All other times, I have been shambling along with what few pieces I was able to pick up and carry.”

Celestia relaxed her shoulders and let her wings spread out against the floor. “But… that is not to say that my life is not good. It is a mixed bag of happy, sad, light, and dark, just as anyone’s. It is not easy, but I will not give it up as long as I can help it.”

Care gasped as Celestia gathered her up in a close, soft hug. “Thank you,” the princess said, “for making that possible.”

The captain wrapped her forelegs around Celestia’s long neck. She patted her back. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”

Celestia released her and sat up. She smiled down at the unicorn mare. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Uh oh. Sounds like work.” Care stretched her hind legs out, then regretted it when pain washed over her torso. “Ow. Shoot.”

“I don’t want you to return to my guard.”

Care sat up in bed, her eyes wide. “What?

“Whoa, easy!” Celestia pressed her hooves against Care’s shoulders and laid her back on the bed. “It isn’t like that. I mean that I want to promote you, essentially.”

Pain dotted Care’s chest wherever a wired diode contacted her skin. “I shouldn’t have done that. Ow.”

“Sorry.” Celestia gritted her teeth. “Over a thousand years and I’m still bad at that.”

She waved a hoof. “I’ve shifted Windblown from my guard to Twilight’s. She needs a dedicated assemblage of bodyguards. Skyhook has volunteered to transfer from Luna’s guard as well. But you, I don’t believe you’re a guard anymore. I think you’ve shown your mettle to be something slightly different. Tell me, did you enjoy working with Velvet, Blankety, and Daring?”

Care’s cheeks flushed bright red. “I—Honestly, not at first. But they grew on me. I would fight with those guys anytime.”

“Then would you accept a commission to join the Knights of Harmony?” Celestia’s face was serene and powerful, the image of a princess. “Would you be the first and last line of defense? Would you give your life to protect this country and its people? Would you use your unique skills and abilities to prove yourself the best of the best?”

Celestia sighed through her nose. “This country needs strong defenders like you, Care. Now more than ever.”

Captain Care Carrot looked into Celestia’s sparkling eyes. Years of experience lay behind them, with thousands of ponies and dozens of choices. Yet here she was, choosing Care to be a knight.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Care said. “I accept this honor and duty.”

“Thank you. So much.” Celestia smiled. “We will make it official at a later date. For now, you need to gain strength. Equestria is a precious thing, and it needs its guardians to be strong.”

Care shut her eyes and settled into the bed. “As you command, Celestia.”

Celestia closed the door gently, cutting off quiet snores. She looked down the hallway of the dilapidated hospital. She hung her head. “Now to business.”

***

Daring Do wore black. It was really just a windbreaker and sunglasses, but it was as dark as her wardrobe ever got. It felt appropriate.

Dinky and Derpy stood a few meters away from her, dressed in their finest clothes. Makeup ran down their faces from when they’d been crying. They watched quietly as the casket was lowered into the hard earth.

Ponyville’s diamond dog chaplain stood nearby with a book in his hand. He spoke with faint whimpers. “This coffin hold earth pony soldier; brave soul who fell defending princess and country. He be honored by family, and live on in story told by those that love him. May they one day reunite.”

He motioned to Daring. “Widow first.”

Daring Do choked on her own spit. He hadn’t referred to her by anything else since the ceremony began; something to do with diamond dog naming conventions. She didn’t see herself as a widow, seeing as how they’d been married a grand total of thirty seconds before he—

Daring Do blinked the tears from her eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”

She took the shovel in her hoof and scooped a plot of dirt onto the casket. Time Turner lay below her, dressed in his finest suit, wearing a special, silver pocket watch Dinky had made just for him. The cover of the coffin was plain wood, polished to a sheen.

She held the shovel out to the other two mares. “Here.”

Derpy marched forward, refusing to look Daring in the eye. She pulled the shovel away, tossed dirt into the hole, and stabbed the blade into the earth. She sobbed as she moved back to Dinky.

Dinky Do hugged her mother with a tight squeeze. She sidled past her, took the shovel gently, and scooped a large lump of soil into the grave. She blew a kiss to Time, and returned to comfort her mother.

The chaplain raised his paw over his head. “Open now to anypony else who knew Time Turner.”

A few people from the town had showed up to pay homage to Time’s memory. They walked up one by one, shoveled dirt into the grave, and gave their condolences to Daring, Dinky, and Derpy. Daring Do had never been spoken to by so many strangers in all her life, let alone ones wishing her well.

The diamond dog chaplain patted down the final scoop of soil. “Sons of earth, return to clay from whence you come. Bring life to land you worked, that others may follow in your stead.”

After the others had left, Derpy hugged Dinky close. “I’m gonna go home,” she whispered. “I need to work through this.”

“Okay, Mom.” Dinky squeezed her mother tight. “I’ll take care of the will. You rest.”

Derpy flew away, leaving Dinky and Daring standing alone on the plot of land. Dinky looked Daring up and down. “So. I guess he made a decision about you.”

“Kinda.” Daring pulled off her sunglasses and stuffed them in a chest pocket. “He… he said he was happy. For even a little bit, he was happy.”

Dinky scrunched her muzzle as she held back tears. “Good,” she squeaked. She shook her head. “Follow me. There’s something we have to take care of back at the shop.”

Words caught in Daring’s throat on their way out. She trotted to catch up to the young mare. “D-Dinky!”

“We can talk about it there,” Dinky said.

“We have to talk about it now.” Daring Do sniffled. “Look, I’m sure there’s some sort of legalese mumbo-jumbo about how the widow gets it all—”

“Everything.” Dinky’s voice warbled. “You own everything Mr. Turner had.”

“I have no right to—”

“No.” Dinky gazed at Daring. “You have every right. Literally.”

“I have legal rights,” Daring shouted, “which don’t mean jack!

Daring Do paced across the sidewalk while Dinky looked on. “He was your family forever,” Daring said. “He was only mine for like, what, a month? If that? No, I don’t get any rights here. I can’t replace him, I can’t give him back to you, but I can at least ensure that you guys live comfortably. At least—”

Daring stomped a hoof. She rubbed her face and sighed. “At least give me that much. Everything in the will, it’s yours. The shop. The tools. The clocks. The clothes. Sell ’em, keep ’em, use ’em, whatever. Just…” She tugged at her collar. “Let me do something to honor his memory. To honor the life he had with you.”

Dinky frowned. She nodded. “Thank you.”

Daring faked a dashing smile. “Cool. Glad that’s settled. I’ll see you—”

“I’m not done.” Dinky grabbed Daring’s hoof. “I told you, there’s something we need to take care of at the shop.”

Daring Do’s eyes went wide. “Oh. What?”

Dinky led her to Time Turner’s clock shop. She had Daring wait beside the front counter while she went into the back room. After a few moments of fidgeting, Daring heard her coming out.

Dinky laid a box on the counter and slid it across. “I… I made this when I heard about… about him and you. It helps me cope. Doing things with my hooves.”

Daring Do leaned over the box. She clicked the latch, lifted the lid, and peered inside. A sparkling silver pocket watch lay inside, etched with gold lines. She eased it out and clicked it open. A photo lay behind the arms: She and Time embracing.

“I took the picture after we had our talk.” Dinky’s horn flashed as she took the empty box back. “I figured if you and him were gonna be a thing, we needed to start storing memories. Giant photo albums are kinda a thing with us.”

Daring Do felt numb and cold. The watch hung limply on her hoof. She turned to Dinky, unable to speak.

“You don’t…” Dinky rubbed her cheek. “You don’t have to run away from this relationship. We’ll be here for you. You were Mr. Turner’s, so that makes you family. If you ever need anything, just drop by. Visit us.”

She flicked a hoof. “I know Mom’s upset, but she’ll warm up to you. Just don’t run. Stay and be a family. I love Time, and he loves you, so… so there.”

Dinky rubbed her hooves together. “That’s how I wanna honor him.”

Daring Do stared at the pocket watch. She stared at Time. He smiled at her, both in and out of the picture. She shut the watch and hung it around her neck. Her lips trembled. “Wh—where do we start?”

“You wanna come over for dinner tonight?” Dinky leaned against the counter. “We’re having spinach lasagna. You can meet my boyfriend. You’ll like him. He’s from Trottingham, just like Mr. Turner.”

“Sexy accent and all, huh?” Daring let out a shaky, tearful laugh. “Y-you sure know how to pick ’em.”

Dinky walked around the counter and held her forelegs out. After a moment’s thought, Daring reached back.

Daring Do and Dinky Doo shared a hug in Dinky’s Clock Shop.

***

Merry Mare walked through the cemetery on the way back from Time’s funeral. She carried a dozen flowers, but they weren’t for Turner. They were for somepony else. Somepony special.

She moved past the massive family monuments, around several hefty tombstones with flowery script and poetic epitaphs. She came to a bare patch in the grave yard, with simple plaques laid into the sleeping, brown grass.

She stopped beside one in particular. She placed the flowers into the vase sunk into the ground beside it. She touched the name carved into the marble. “Happy.”

Tears poured from Merry Mare’s eyes. “I’m sorry… I was so close.”

Something touched her shoulder. She yelped and whirled on the pony.

Fluttershy jerked back and hid beneath her mane. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I just saw you and thought…”

Merry pulled her glasses off and rubbed her eyes with a harsh hoof. “I’m sorry, too. You just startled me. Were you at Time’s funeral, too?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy pulled a blue flower from her mane. She placed it in the vase. “I was planning on coming here later, but I saw you and… and wanted to say hi.”

They sat together beside Happy’s grave, Fluttershy’s wing embracing Merry Mare. She wiped her tears with the other wing, humming a soft tune.

“I go about life,” Merry said. “I spend every day doing… things… I think I’m past it. I think I’m finally better. I think I can finally move on. And then today comes.”

She sealed a sob in her throat, preventing it from coming out. “I really miss him today.”

“I do, too.” Fluttershy pressed her cheek against Merry’s. “It was years before I stopped blaming myself. I hope you know it wasn’t your fault, either.”

Merry bit down on her tongue until it bled. “If I hadn’t hired Amber Waves to babysit, you two wouldn’t have gotten lost.”

“It’s over.” Fluttershy placed a firm hoof on Merry’s shoulder. “It’s done. Mourn Happy, and don’t focus on your anger. It’ll just hurt you.”

Merry rested her forehead on Fluttershy’s shoulder. She grabbed the pegasus’ foreleg with a surprisingly strong grip. With a sigh, she let go. “I know. You’re right as always, Fluttershy.”

She stood, and Fluttershy stood beside her. Fluttershy fluffed her wings. “Do you wanna come over and have some tea? It always calms my nerves.”

“Yes,” Merry said. “Thank you very much, Fluttershy.”

Merry walked ahead, and Fluttershy took a moment to straighten out the flowers. They hung over Happy’s gravestone, slowly decaying in the wintery air. “Goodbye, my friend.”

Fluttershy lifted her head. A few rows back, she could see another familiar grave. She glanced to make sure that Merry was far enough ahead, then hopped over to it. She pulled another flower from her mane and laid it before the headstone, which read: Amber Waves, beloved Mother, Wife, and Friend.

“It wasn’t you fault either, Missus Waves,” Fluttershy whispered. “It was mine. I wanted to see the Everfree creatures, not Happy. It was my fault we snuck out. It was my fault he… he…”

Fluttershy clenched her jaw. “Why did you kill yourself, Missus Waves? Why did you leave your family like that? It wasn’t your fault.

“Fluttershy!” Merry Mare called from across the yard. “Is something the matter?”

“No, Merry!” Fluttershy wiped her eyes with her scarf. “I’m fine. I’m fine! I’m coming. I just saw something that made me think.”

When she reached Merry’s side, they started off towards Fluttershy’s cottage. They avoided small talk and eye contact. They almost avoided talking altogether, until Merry spoke up.

“Thinking is fine,” she said. “It’s feeling that hurts.”

“Feelings remind us that we’re alive.” Fluttershy looked around her property. Most of the animals had gone into hibernation in preparation for the winter cold. A few winter birds warbled from the trees, while a squirrel scrambled through the dirt to find his store of nuts. “They keep us equine.”

Merry turned bloodshot eyes on Fluttershy. “If that’s so, then I am the single most equine pony in the whole horseapple-encrusted world.”

Fluttershy’s own reddened eyes turned hard. “We all feel loss, Merry. We all feel pain and hurt. Don’t get confused and think that good things are impossible.”

Her face softened. She touched Merry’s cheek with a feather. “No, not impossible. Just hard won.”

Merry’s ears drooped. She looked up at Fluttershy with fresh tears. “I know. Hard won.”

Fluttershy led her by the hoof. “Come on. I’ll put the tea on. You have a seat and unwind.”

Merry plopped down on Fluttershy’s couch. Angel Bunny raced past her, hopped back to sniff her feet, then careened into the kitchen to demand carrots.

Merry Mare, former Mayor of Ponyville, hung her head. She fiddled with the doily on the coffee table. She reached beneath her glasses to wipe her eyes occasionally.

The teapot whistled. Merry’s neck muscles clenched. “Hard won.”

Angel Bunny leaned through the doorway. He squinted at her.

She scowled at him, causing him to fall back. He scrambled for a suitable hiding hole in his little playhouse. She switched her expression to one of calm serenity, preparing herself for a lovely tea with Fluttershy. The muscles in her chest refused to unknot.

“I want my son back.”