Chapter 2 - Reunited
Twilight’s eyelids slowly fluttered open, awakening from her sleep. Grumbling she let out a large yawn before raising her head from her hooves. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep for since there was no clock in the room however due to how tired she was still it wasn’t for as long as she would have liked.
Getting up on her hooves she raised her rear in the air and flared her wings letting out a small groan as her cartilage joints clicked. She felt a little sore from sleeping on the wooden floor boards however she was thankful to have a roof over her head. Done stretching she walked towards the cracked window to see the sun still in the same place ‘I will need to ask about this later.’
Feeling her stomach rumble she realized the only thing she had eaten since she arrived here was the three blueberry muffins at Sugar Cube Corner. Not having any bits on her, she decided to return to Sweet Apple Acres again to talk to Apple Bloom and possibly get some apples.
Exiting the cottage, Twilight was relieved there were at least some clouds in the sky to serve as shade from the scorching heat. Spreading her wings, she once again took off to Sweet Apple Acres.
Landing a little bit further away this time, she snuck over to the farm, hiding behind various bushes, trees and farming equipment that had yet to be put away. Hearing clanking of jars coming from inside the barn, Twilight tiphoofed across not wanting to alert whoever was inside to her presence, the last thing she wanted was to have another confrontation with McIntosh.
Peeking around the corner she spotted Apple Bloom filling various jars with some kind of liquid from a wooden keg bearing the Apple Family’s logo. Scanning the rest of the barn she didn’t spot any sign of McIntosh so she snuck inside and hid behind a few hay stacks that were stacked neatly in the corner.
“Pssst, Apple Bloom” Twilight whispered however the mare in question didn’t hear her and continued to fill the jars up before stashing them in a crate “Apple Bloom” Twilight repeated a little louder this time.
Apple Bloom turned around and scanned the barn swearing she heard her name being called. Scratching the back of her head with her hoof she was about to go back to work until she spotted a lavender coloured mare poking her head around the hay stacks waving at her.
“Twilight. What are you doing?” Apple Bloom looked at her confused.
“Shhh! Keep your voice down, I’m hiding from McIntosh. You saw how he reacted when he saw me last time, I don’t even want to imagine what he will do this time after telling me to stay away” Twilight whispered loudly while keeping an eye on the door way.
Apple Bloom sighed, walking over and sitting on one of the haystacks “McIntosh isn’t here right now, he went to Canterlot a few hours after you left and hasn’t returned since. He’s probably talking to some of our regular customers about trade while he is down there so I won’t be expecting him back till at least lunch” She replied noticing Twilights confused expression “Two hours from now” she added answering Twilights question before she was able to ask it.
With a sigh of relief Twilight came out of hiding and stood in front of Apple Bloom “About yesterday. I didn’t mean to-“
“Let me stop you right there Twilight.” Apple Bloom Interjected “Big Mac blames you for everything that has happened. However I don’t and I made that perfectly clear to him yesterday after we left…besides I should be the one apologizing for how I acted when we first met” she added giving the alicorn a reassuring smile “I don’t fully understand your predicament however what I do know is that you have questions and I will do my very best to answer them.”
There was a slight spring in Twilight’s step as she made her way to the hay bale, happy to finally receive answers to her questions and have a friend in this world. Sitting down next to Apple Bloom, Twilight was about to ask her first question but was interrupted by a familiar rumble form her stomach. Twilight blushed lightly, completely forgetting about her hunger while Apple Bloom laughed “When was the last time you ate something?”
“Other than the three blueberry muffins that the Cake siblings gave me out of fear, I haven’t eaten anything since I arrived here…how long ago that was I’m not sure though that was a good couple of hours before we first met. I’m used to using the position of the sun and moon to tell the time however that isn’t possible anymore, not having a clock isn’t helping either” Twilight replied.
Once her laughter died down, Apple Bloom hopped off the haystack and gestured Twilight to follow her “Come on, you can ask me questions over a freshly baked apple pie” Apple Bloom offered with Twilight following closely behind.
Entering the house, Twilight sat herself down at the dining table while Apple Bloom retrieved one of the four apple pies from of the oven. Placing it in front of the hungry Twilight, Apple Bloom sat down next to her and watched Twilight dig into the meal.
Giggling at the mess on the alicorn’s muzzle she decided to ask her question first “What was I like in your reality?” Twilight looked up at Apple Bloom before swallowing what she had in her mouth.
Levitating a tissue she cleaned the mess on her face and cleared her throat “In my reality you were still a filly at the time, in fact you only recently got your cutie mark though it did take longer to get compared to all the other ponies. It also looks different compared to what it is now” she explained as they both looked at her cutie mark which was an apple tree with a glowing apple seed underneath its roots. “You, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were adventurous fillies calling themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You three did everything together in order to obtain your cutie marks. When you did end up getting them they were all the same with a subtle difference.”
“What was it like? Our cutie marks?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.
‘It seems this part of her hasn’t changed one bit’ Twilight thought “do you have anything to draw with? I think it would be better if I show you” Twilight retorted. Apple Bloom didn’t hesitate as she raced out of the room leaving Twilight to finish her still warm and delicious pie.
When Apple Bloom returned she handed Twilight a pack of crayons and paper. Using her magic Twilight levitated the crayons that she needed out of the packet and started to draw “So what questions did you want to ask me?” Apple Bloom asked, staring intently at the drawing Twilight was making.
Twilight didn’t look up from her drawing as she transitioned between different coloured crayons “You mentioned yesterday you still see Applejack from time to time, would you be able to tell me where she is? We were all best friends back in my reality and I would like to believe the same would apply in this one.”
Not hearing a reply Twilight looked up to see Apple Bloom shifting nervously in her seat “I-I don’t know about that one…For us Apples, family is everything. My sister is stubborn and if she jumps to the conclusion that she had been banished all this time while you were actually still alive...” she replied, not finishing her sentence as she looked to the ground.
Dropping the crayon Twilight stretched her wing and draped it across Apple Bloom’s back “I know and I promise you I will do everything in my power to reunite you all together…However they are my friends and we’ve stuck together through the toughest of times. Tougher than this and I don’t plan on that changing now.”
Retracting her wing back to her side Apple Bloom watched as Twilight picked up the crayon again and continued her drawing “---leloos-“ Apple Bloom mumbled out.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Appleloosa” Apple Bloom repeated with an exasperated sigh “She is staying in Appleloosa with some relatives” she added glaring at Twilight “You promised to do everything you can to bring her back. I will keep you to that.”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye” Twilight recited along with the appropriate gestures while Apple Bloom stared at Twilight as if she had gone mad “It’s called a Pinkie promise. Something we all came up with together and we never break a Pinkie promise” she explained.
Apple Bloom shook her head not bothering to understand what she was talking about “As long as you promise. Anyways it is a small town, I’m sure it wouldn’t take you too long to find her though the apple orchard is your best bet. What is your next question?”
Twilight put the crayons down and held up the piece of paper that bore three cutie marks “This here is your cutie mark” she said pointing to the tri-coloured vertical striped shield that bore a purple apple with a pink heart inside it “As you can see they are all practically identical with the exception of the shape in the middle. Scootaloo having a purple wing with a pink lightning bolt and Sweetie Belle with a purple star and a pink musical notation” she explained hovering the paper to Apple Bloom who took it in her hooves and examined it closer.
Watching Apple Bloom stare intently at the paper, Twilight decided to ask her next question “Why doesn’t the sun set?”
Breaking out of her trance like state Apple Bloom put the paper down and pushed it aside “Right sorry. Umm where do I start? With Nightmare Moon still out there, Daybreaker couldn’t ris-“
“Sorry for interrupting Apple Bloom but I think I should ask another question first for that one to make sense. Who is this Daybreaker I keep hearing about?” Twilight interrupted.
“Right, the story would be hard to follow if you didn’t know who she is.” Apple Bloom agreed “First things first, you know who Celestia is right?” she asked in which Twilight responded with a few nods of her head.
“Good, summed up Celestia is Daybreaker” These six words broke Twilight. Her mind unable to comprehend what she had heard.
Slamming her hooves on the table Apple Bloom jumped out of her seat. “WHAT!” Twilight exclaimed massaging her temples while muttering incoherently to herself “So what is the difference between Celestia and Daybreaker? I’m assuming it isn’t quite as simple as a name change” she eventually asked.
Sitting back in her seat Apple Bloom fixed the pink ribbon in her mane “You’re right it isn’t quite as simple. I don’t know what Celestia was like since I was just a filly at the time but I can explain to you what Daybreaker is like.” Apple Bloom suggested.
“That…would be helpful thanks, I can compare her to the Celestia in my reality. Besides from what I can tell so far, the real turning point between our realities is the Nightmare Moon encounter. So until proven otherwise I’m going to believe everything before then is the same” Twilight smiled weakly while fixing her posture to sit comfortably back in her seat.
“This is kind of complicated so I’ll just start from the very beginning. If you have any questions just interrupt me. Everything I am about to say is from what my sister told me or learnt in history class” Apple Bloom cleared her throat for her lengthy explanation.
“When you and your friends arrived at the old castle, Nightmare Moon was already there waiting for you. She knew there was a way for her to be defeated and needed you to reveal the ‘elements of harmony’ if I recall you calling them before attacking. Once revealed she teleported the elements away into another part of the castle but you jumped in after them” Twilight noticed how similar the description was to what transpired that day in her reality.
“We don’t know much about what happened afterwards since nopony was there to see it happen but when my sister and her friends found you they were too late. You laid on the ground with a large horn shaped stab wound in your chest, your horn fizzling with a faint amount of magic residue for a teleport spell.” Apple Bloom continued.
Apple Bloom stopped when she noticed Twilight shivering “S-So in this reality…My teleport spell failed” Twilight spoke mostly to herself. Noticing Apple Bloom stopped talking and was staring at her Twilight forced a smile “Oh! Let me fill that gap in for you. When I jumped in after Nightmare Moon teleported the elements, we stood face to face. After a small heated discussion we charged each other. I was channelling a teleport spell at the time and moments before impact I managed to teleport behind her to the elements…However from what you explained, in this reality I wasn’t able to cast it in time and…” Twilight explained, her mouth quivering unable to finish the sentence.
Unsure how to comfort Twilight, Apple Bloom decided to continue her explanation hoping that it would distract her “When my sister and her friends entered the room Nightmare Moon had the elements of harmony circling around her.” She continued deciding to leave out some of the more gruesome details “She was going to tie up loose ends and kill the rest however Celestia intervened. She soared down through a hole in the roof and fired a golden blast at Nightmare Moon. Not expecting the sudden attack Nightmare Moon barely had enough time to erect a barrier which cracked under Celestia’s assault. Recoiling back she dropped the orbs…Err elements…Which Celestia quickly swooped down and picked up though she was only able to get three before Nightmare Moon was able to recover from the blast and pick the rest back up in her magic.”
“Still weakened from the return from her banishment Nightmare Moon didn’t have enough strength for an all-out conflict with her sister. At least having half of the elements with her meant they couldn’t be used to defeat her like last time so she flew out of the broken window behind her” Apple Bloom sighed loudly “Celestia didn’t chase after her weakened sister. She was more concerned about her protégée who laid on the ground clinging to whatever life she had left. Rushing to your side she lifted you up and wrapped you in her wings, she used every spell she could think off in attempt to stabilize you and reduce the pain…However everything she tried failed, it wasn’t long until you died in her hooves.” Apple Bloom said her voice turning softer towards the end.
Twilight stared down at her hooves in silence. She never thought about how close she came to dying that day or how risky her actions were till now. Rubbing her eyes with a hoof she looked back up at Apple Bloom and cleared her throat “Sorry…please continue.”
Apple Bloom nodded “When you died Celestia was devastated. She cried and cried and cried. When your friends approached Celestia to comfort her, her grief rapidly turned to anger and she snapped at them ‘This is your fault! If you didn’t let Twilight fight alone she may have stood a chance if not stall long enough for me to arrive!’” Apple boom badly impersonated.
There was a small pause when Apple Bloom slumped down in her chair “This is when the transformation happened. Laying you gently on the ground Celestia got up and stomped towards the others. I don’t know what she said to them since my sister had to cover her ears to not be deafened by the royal Canterlot voice. All I know was that there was a lot of cussing involved. Suddenly her rainbowy coloured mane and tail was set ablaze, her tear filled magenta eyes morphing into a fiery amber glare with vertical shaped pupils and what appeared to be fangs growing ‘You are banished from Canterlot and any of its neighbouring towns INCLUDING Ponyville! And I swear if I ever see any of you EVER again, no matter where we are or what the reason is, I will PERSONALLY drag you back to Canterlot and make you wish that you took Twilights place. Do I make myself clear?’ and with that Applejack and the others all fled before Cel-Daybreaker changed her mind.” Apple Bloom finished with a large sigh.
Getting up she filled two glasses with water. Handing one of them to Twilight she levitated it in front of her with her magic and stared at it while Apple Bloom chugged hers down, quenching her dry throat.
Twilight took a sip from the glass and sighed loudly as she put it aside not really in the mood to drink anything at the moment “Thank you for explaining all this to me. I have a much better idea on what is going on around here, though I still have a few questions” Twilight admitted while Apple Bloom refilled her glass.
“Ask away.”
Twilight thought about which question to ask first, staying on the topic of Daybreaker she waited for Apple Bloom to sit down first “Back to my earlier question, why doesn’t the sun set?”
“With Nightmare Moon out there, the bat ponies started becoming more active and are believed to be working under her...which we were correct in assuming by the way. Daybreaker couldn’t risk Nightmare Moon amassing an army or bringing about eternal night again. So she broke the day and night cycle when the sun was at its peak. As you probably already know, bat ponies are nocturnal so they don’t function well during the daytime. Which ironically is also how she got her name ‘Daybreaker’ for breaking the day.”
Twilight took a small drink from her glass “And I’m guessing that Nightmare Moon is still currently out there somewhere?” Twilight asked in which Apple Bloom nodded.
“Yes though things have been oddly quiet in regards to that the past couple of months, not that I am complaining.”
“Last question, why is everypony afraid of me?” Twilight asked more for her curiosity’s sake than anything.
“It is mostly the villages that are scared of Daybreaker and alicorns by extension of that. Whenever we see Daybreaker she usually demands something from us saying it is ‘tribute for your protection’ or something along those lines. Since we are farmers it is usually some of our harvest however for the others as well as the major cities, they have to pay in bits or personal belongings if they are unable to do so” Apple Bloom responded.
Twilight found it hard to believe that her mentor would go as far as to extort bits from her subjects “This doesn’t sound anything like Celestia. In all my years of studying under her she had always been a well-loved and benevolent ruler” Twilight said looking up at Apple Bloom who just shrugged.
“As I said I don’t know what Celestia was like, I grew up under the rule of Daybreaker” Apple Bloom retorted “so do you have any more questions or is that it?”
Twilight eyes widened unable to believe she forgot about her family and Spike “That reminds me, where does Cadence stand in all of this?” she asked.
Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side unsure who she was talking about at first “Oh the ruler of the Crystal Empire? They are independent from us.”
“And by chance is Cadence married to a stallion named ‘Shining Armour’?” Twilight asked in a more desperate tone.
“My knowledge on the Crystal Empire is a little shaky, probably better to ask somepony else or read up on it” Apple Bloom responded looking up at the clock “Though we should probably finish up soon, Big Mac will be back in half an hour or so.”
Twilight quickly finished what was left in her glass and got out of her seat “That does it for my questions, at least what you can answer anyways. Thanks again for answering them. It is good to know that there is somepony I can rely on while I’m here.”
Apple Bloom gave the lavender mare a reassuring smile “Don’t mention it, though what do you plan on doing now if you don’t mind me asking?”
It took a few moments for Twilight to come up with a reply “To be honest I haven’t thought that far ahead. Though now I have a much better understanding on what’s happening around here I may go and visit Applejack in Appleloosa” noticing Apple Blooms expression change to a more regretful one Twilight raised a hoof and rested it on the mares shoulder “I promise I won’t do anything that would hurt or get your sister into trouble, if she wants me gone then I will go, simple as that.”
This earned a small sigh of relief from Apple Bloom “Thanks…I know it is a tall ask but please do try to find a way to bring her back home to us, it is rather lonely here just the two of us.”
Twilight nodded, removing her hoof from Apple Bloom’s shoulder “Even though Big Mac is against it, you are welcome back here anytime. Besides where are you even staying at the moment?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Thank you, I’ll take you up on that offer. I’m currently living in Fluttershy’s abandoned cottage next to Everfree Forest, it is run down, dusty and empty though it is better than nothing. Is it alright if I take a few apples with me? I don’t have any bits on me, I will probably have to search for a job at some point as well though I don’t think that would work out to well with me being an alicorn and all that” She sighed as she stretched her wing to show emphasis on her being an alicorn.
Apple Bloom smirked “Wait here I’ll be right back” she instructed as she walked out of the room before disappearing up a staircase.
Returning minutes later with a bag in her mouth, Apple Bloom placed it up on the table “What is this?” Twilight asked as she looked inside to see it filled with a few apples, a brown drawstring leather pouch and a sleeping bag.
Curious she used her magic to undo the string, the pouch opened up revealing a small stack of bits lumped inside “It may not be much but it is enough to help get you up on your hoo-“
Apple Bloom was cut off when Twilight wrapped her hooves around her in a tight, bone crushing hug “Thankyouthankyouthankyoooou so much!” Twilight squeed while Apple Bloom gasped for air.
Letting go off the earth mare Twilight levitated the bag in her magic “McIntosh will be here any minute now so I should take my leave, I don’t know what I would have done without you” Twilight said happily as Apple Bloom escorted her out of the house.
“Don’t mention it, good luck with my sister, let her know me and Big Mac miss her and will be trying to visit in the weekend.”
Twilight nodded giving the mare one last gentler hug before flaring her wings and taking off into the sky.
Levitating one of the apples from her bag mid-flight Twilight took a bite out of it. Contemplating on dropping the bag off at home first she didn’t want to leave the bag unguarded in fear that the animals would help themselves to the apples inside.
Taking the bag with her she landed at the Ponyville’s train station and waited in line to purchase a ticket. Everything was going normal until the mare in front of Twilight eventually turned around, noticing the horn and wings she let out a small gasp and stood aside before bowing.
Hearing the gasp the other ponies in the queue turned to investigate and immediately followed suit, leaving a line to the counter in between bowing ponies “N-next” the stallion at the counter called out meekly.
Twilight hesitantly walked in between the bowing ponies towards the stallion at counter while trying to ignore the sickly feeling in her stomach for taking advantage of the ponies fear “Two way ticket to Appleloosa please” Twilight said sweetly as she pulled out her leather pouch and levitated eight bits onto the counter.
The shaky stallion didn’t take the bits and stamped both tickets “E-Enjoy your trip” he stuttered, handing the tickets over to Twilight. Twilight noticed that the stallion didn’t accept her payment but didn’t say or do anything about it as she walked away, hoping he would accept it once she was out of sight.
Handing her ticket to the inspector who didn’t bother to check the credentials, Twilight entered one of the passenger cars and sat down. The ponies that were already inside the cart got up and moved to a different one leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.
Staring out the window as the train departed from the station, Twilight looked up at the sunny sky with a frown ‘I’m sick of being treated like this, what has Celestia become to make all of this happen. I know I played a big part in her life and that she cared deeply for me though I never would have expected my death to have this big of an impact on her or cause her to change this much. Surely after being over 1000 years old she would have learned to deal with the death of those close to her’ she thought before her mind wandered to the more pleasant memories between them.
Back before the Nightmare Moon incident ever since she was a filly, Celestia meant everything to her and still does. She always went out of her way to impress her teacher but as months turned to years she became more like a second mother to her. The amount of times she had been dragged out of the Castles library for studying up past her bed time and slept in Celestias chamber whenever she had a bad dream or pretended to have one brought a smile to her face.
The amount of mischief they got up to together whenever she wasn’t holding court. Playing games in the gardens, pranking the castle staff and stealing deserts from the chefs when they weren’t looking. All these memories brought a smile to her face. However that smile didn’t last long as she thought about how much pain and grief Celestia went through when she watched her die in her very hooves. She didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if the roles were reversed and Celestia was the one dying in her hooves.
Snapping back to reality she looked back down from the sky to see that had already entered the desert meaning they would be reaching Appleloosa in a few minutes. She knew McIntosh went to Canterlot to tell Daybreaker the news of her return however she was regretting that she didn’t go and tell her the news herself. Using the argument that she didn’t know Celestia and Daybreaker were the same at the time to make her feel better she let out a loud sigh as the train pulled up to Appleloosa.
Waiting till everypony exited the train, she levitated her bag to her side in attempt to hide her wing and quickly exited the carriage ‘please don’t spot me, please don’t spot me’ she thought to herself sticking close to the train to hide her other side. She knew this wouldn’t work forever though the less bowing, gossiping and awkward stares there were the better.
Appleloosa was a small town, significantly smaller than Ponyville ‘knowing Applejack she would probably be helping her cousins around the farm.’ Deciding that was the best course of action she headed there first.
“Hot…sooo hooot!” Twilight groaned already breaking into a sweat and she only just left the station. She thought Ponyville was bad however a town in the desert was a million times worse. Spotting Applejack’s cousin Braeburn filling up barrels with apples she trotted up towards the unaware stallion.
“Hello BraeBurn, I was wondering if Applejack is around here somewhere?” she asked leaning against the wooden building still trying to hide her wings while the bag hid her other side.
“Howdy partner, Applejack’s round back buckin’ apples, want me to go fetch her for ya?” he asked tipping his hat to her.
Twilight shook her head “I think I will go find her myself if that is all right, me and her have…history and I don’t want to cause a scene in the middle of town” she said sheepishly scratching her hoof across the sand.
The stallion chuckled at the cute display “I understand Miss, she is round back somewhere, just follow the sound of buckin’ and you’ll find er” he instructed as he went back to filling barrels with apples.
When Braeburn turned away from her, Twilight took the chance to escape around back ‘I really should have bought a hat to hide my horn instead’ she mentally scolded as she followed the sound of tree bucking and apples falling.
Walking past a couple of tree’s she stared at the sweat soaked Applejack hard at work. Twilight hid behind a tree and took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself before approaching this realities version of her friend.
Hearing the sound of footsteps Applejack turned to face the last pony she would have expected to see “Hello Applejack, I know it has been a while for you however it has only been a few days for me” Twilight introduced smiling at her friend.
Applejack blinked a few times unable to believe what she was seeing “The heat must be gettin’ to me” she mumbled picking up her water bottle and splashing her face with it. Feeling slightly rejuvenated she looked back to see the lavender pony still there “Twilight?” she asked confused now beginning to question if this is a hallucination or not.
Twilight took another step forward “It is me Applejack and I can’t explain how good it is to see you again, when I didn’t see any of you in Ponyville I was terrified that something bad had happened to you all” Twilight said happily.
With the step forward Applejack took a step back in return “So yer alive….after all this time ye have been alive and ye never bothered ta tell any of us or do anythin’ bout it!” Applejack exclaimed her voice getting louder and angrier with each passing word.
This caused Twilight to wince “Applejack please let me explain” she said lowering her head slightly and moved the bag aside so she could spread her wings “As you can see a lot of things have changed since we…well, you last saw me. Just give me a chance to explain everything, please, I promise you won’t regret it” Twilight begged.
Applejack rubbed her eyes with a hoof to make sure she wasn’t seeing things “Alright I’ll at least give ye that much princess, come inside and I’ll fix us somethin’ ta eat while we talk” And with that Applejack lead Twilight into the house. Twilight had a feeling Applejack was only going to listen because she was an alicorn however it gave her an opportunity to explain everything and she wasn’t going to let this chance slip.
Just over an hour had passed when Twilight finished explaining everything that had happened since her arrival to this reality over apple pie and cider as well as answering a few questions such as ‘how did you become an alicorn?’ and ‘what happened against Nightmare Moon in your reality?’ Applejack was sceptical however she was a lot calmer and more accepting than she was earlier “Sorry fer soundin’ rude but why did ye come lookin’ for us?” Applejack asked.
“In my reality all six of us are best friends and we were always there for each other. I know things are different here and that you have only known me for however long I stayed in Ponyville before I died however it just felt like the right thing to do” Twilight responded staring down at the empty pie crumbed plate in front of her.
Applejack smiled weakly at the alicorn “Listen here sugar cube I want to help ya I really do, though there isn’t much I can do while being banished and the same goes for the others as well.” She said as Twilight raised her head back up to look at her “Though I’ll have a talk with Big Mac when they visit on the weekend and if things get sorted out with Daybreaker then I’ll come with ya ta find the others. It has been a while since I last seen them however I know Pinkie is still livin’ with her family at the rock farm just west of here.”
This lifted Twilights mood “I promise you as I promised your sister, I will do everything that I can to reunite you with your family and bring everypony else back” she said adamantly.
Hearing this caused Applejack’s smile to grow wider “I’m countin’ on it!”
Once all of the serious stuff was out of the way the two mares engaged in small talk making Twilight forget she was in a different reality at least for a while “I have no idea how you all deal with this heat, another minute out there and I would have passed out” Twilight exaggerated earning a small laugh from the earth pony.
“It was horrible at first but ya get used to it, always make sure to carry water with ya, last thing ya need is heat stroke” Applejack warned.
Twilight nodded “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind” she said as she looked up at the clock on the wall “The train departs in 15 minutes, I should head back to make sure I don’t miss it” she said getting up off her seat “Thanks again for the food, I wonder how long it will take for Apple Bloom to surpass you in cooking.”
Applejack did the same and quickly put the dirty plates and glasses in the sink “I’ll come with ya” she said as she took off her hat and put it over Twilights head to cover her horn “I don’t want no pony lookin’ at us funny, though I want it back before ya board the train” this caused Twilight to giggle before nodding as she picked her bag up in her mouth and left the house. She wasn’t used to carrying stuff like this however it was better than her cover being blown.
“Despite being 10 years older than me you haven’t changed a single bit” Twilight stated “Other than your looks that is” she added with a smirk.
Bumping into Twilight Applejack just laughed “Hey! Haven’t ya heard the sayin ‘if ya don’t have anythin’ nice ta say, don’t say anythin’ at all?’” Applejack retorted.
Arriving at the train station Twilight smile started to fade not wanting to leave her friend behind “It was great seeing you again, I will be sure to visit after I hear what McIntosh has to say about his visit to Canterlot and after talking to this Daybreaker pony if need be. Hopefully this time he won’t try to attack me on sight” Twilight giggled levitating the bag back to her side before handing Applejack her hat back.
Putting it back on her head Applejack gave Twilight a quick hug “If he tries to do that again let me know and I’ll give him a bucking he won’t forget” she joked “I also want to hear more about what I was like next time ya visit, yer story sounds dodgy but I believe ya.” The train’s horn signalled indicating it was about to leave the station.
“Enjoy the rest of your day…or whatever you all call it now” Twilight yelled to Applejack as she handed her ticket to the inspector before boarding. Waving goodbye as the train departed Applejack returned to the farm to continue her tree bucking.
Everything went significantly better than Twilight had anticipated, she was in too good of a mood to even notice that the ponies fled the carriage and she was once again alone. Most of the questions she had were now answered and she had even reunited, at least to an extent with one of her best friends and knew the location of another. Looking out the window she smiled as she thought about heading back to Sweet Apple Acres again to see how McIntosh’s visit went.
Arriving back in Ponyville Twilight snapped out of her thoughts on what she would do for income during her stay. Exiting the Train station she quickly flared her wings and launched herself into the sky with her bag before anypony realised they were in the presence of an alicorn.
Flying to Sweet Apple Acres she didn’t bother hiding herself like she did last time and flew over the farm. Not seeing Apple Bloom or McIntosh in the orchard or barn she landed in front of the house and knocked on the front door. Moments later the door swung open “About darn ti-“ Apple Bloom started but stopped when she saw Twilight.
“Oh, sorry Twilight I thought Big Mac finally came home” she said with a sigh before walking back inside leaving the door open for Twilight to enter.
Entering the house Twilight closed the door behind her with her magic and cocked her head to the side “I thought you said he would be back hours ago?” she asked.
Apple Bloom sat down at the table and sighed as she stared at the cutie mark picture Twilight drew earlier “Yea he should have been and even then I was being generous by including the time it took to interact with our customers down there.” Apple Bloom replied looking up at the clock.
Twilight could tell Apple Bloom had been worried sick about her brother “I was going to wait for your brother to tell me about how his trip to Canterlot went before going there myself but I think it would be best if I go there now and check up on him while I’m down there” Twilight suggested.
Apple Bloom looked up in shock “You would do that for me?” she asked.
Twilight responded by rubbing the top of Apple Bloom’s head with a hoof, messing up her mane slightly “Of course I would, we are friends aren’t we? And you have done so much for me already so it is the least I can do. Though would you be able to write down the addresses for the customers he may have visited, I wouldn’t know where to start looking otherwise” she replied as Apple Bloom got out of her seat and raced upstairs to find the addresses for their customers “Oh! And bring a blank piece of paper, a quill and a ribbon!” Twilight called out hoping she heard her.
Moments later Apple Bloom returned with what she requested and placed them on the table “Here you go, but why do you need a ribbon of all things?” Apple Bloom asked.
Twilight levitated the ribbon up and casted an enchantment on it before putting it back down “I need it for a spell that I learnt from Celestia waaaaay back, it was so I could send letters directly to her anytime I liked and she would do the same to me” she said with a giggle remembering all their late night messaging, even during court sessions whenever things were slow or boring.
Twilight could see that Apple Bloom was still confused “When I find your brother in Canterlot I will write it down on this scroll along with what he has been doing down there and how much longer we would be. I will roll the scroll up and wrap this ribbon around it then it will teleport to you to read so we don’t have to come back and tell you ourselves” Twilight explained further.
Apple Bloom slowly nodded “so it’s like sending a letter to somepony though instantly?” she asked in which Twilight nodded.
“Yes, that is an excellent way putting it” she praised as she put the four objects into her bag and levitated it in her magic “I’ll just drop some of this off at home first before heading to Canterlot. The scroll will appear in a green flame beside you and fall to the ground, trust me you can’t miss it” she informed before taking her leave to drop her sleeping bag and what remained of the apples off at the cottage.
Landing outside of the cottage Twilight walked to the front door and opened it only to be blasted in the face by heat that put Appleloosa to shame. Taking a step back she scrunched her face up wondering why it was so hot inside. Preparing herself for the warmth this time around she stepped inside the house only to be met with a large white coated alicorn with a fiery mane and tail who was busy reading one of the notes that was pinned against the wall, not noticing the smaller lavender mare enter.
Recalling Apple Blooms description of Celestia’s transformation Twilight gently put her bag down careful not to make any noise ‘Her rainbow coloured mane and tail set ablaze. Her magenta eyes replaced with a fiery amber glare’ Twilight thought to herself “Daybreaker?” she hesitantly asked taking a step closer, she also noticed her cutie mark was slightly different which hadn’t been mentioned.
The alicorns gaze immediately snapped from the note she was reading to Twilight who stood in the doorway. Twilight shrank back as the alicorns gaze pierced her ‘she definitely has an intimidating look to her.’ Not saying a word Daybreaker charged towards Twilight. Not hesitating Twilight immediately lit her horn and casted a magenta barrier in front of her. Daybreaker wasn’t fazed by this as she rammed herself through the barrier, shattering it and tackling Twilight in the process.
Slamming against the ground just outside the cottage Twilight lit her horn again to cast a teleport spell but stopped when she heard what sounded like sniffling. Feeling a pair of wings wrap tightly around her back Twilight cancelled the spell when Daybreaker nuzzled into the crook in her neck “That was a pathetic attempt at a barrier” Daybreaker scolded as she raised her head to get a good look at Twilight. Bringing an armoured hoof up she trailed it down the side of her protégée’s face, a wide fanged smile on her face.
“It seems, my faithful student, I still have much to teach you.”
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Yay! The story continues! :)
...Daybreaker may be a cruel mistress, but that last scene was heartwarming to me.
Apple Bloom is being...exceptionally articulate and descriptive. Just something I noted. Keep it up! I'd love to know what happens next.
I am really looking forward to the next chapter. Daybreaker’s explanation of events is likely to be fascinating.
Oh now this is going to be fascinating to read! I was waiting for the Daybreaker/Twilight reunion and it was delicious! Looking forward to more!
Nice update.
Aww.
Can’t wait to see how Daybreaker deals with having Twilight back. Even more interesting to see how Twilight deals with, what would essentially be, a new teacher.
anyone else see that chapter name and instently start singing?
no just me okay I'll be over here
Will Twilight bring Celestia back? Good question.
i just thought of something
what if cadence and Shining have allied themselves with Nightmare moon?
what if they thought that since the victors write history, that celestia/daybreaker was evil.
Question here... What happened to Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek and Spike?
Why not just an illusion spell
9128016
Daybreaker most likely killed them.
Oh boy.... Daybreaker has reunited with Twilight.... But does she fully understand that this Twilight, she's about to reconnect, isn't hers?
to be fair dayreaker, twilight seems to halfass all her spells. by the book and nothing more.
sUuuopahh sayyen bean
The difference, little Twilight, is that she LOVED YOU, not as only as a "student", but her feelings for you evolved to the romantic (maybe lust too?) field...
Maybe in both realities? What if Celestia is brought back in that reality? Even if that happens, Can that Twilight be resurrected? If yes it would stay as a regular unicorn?
--*--*--*--*--
This was a very long/good chapter, thank you for the update!!!
9128102
Even Spike?
9128102
Discord could not be defeated by Luna and Celestia together and she managed to kill him? Chrysalis I could believe it, unless maybe she replaced Cadence and is disguising as her, then there is Sombra that also could not be defeated and Tirek that could absorb the magic.
9128159
Well when Celestia turned into Daybreaker she stopped holding back and started using full power. I don't really know. That's just my best guess.
As heartfelt as that moment is... I can’t help but notice the sinister connotations. It sounds like Daybreaker is looking for a student to teach fighting to.
9128104
i dont think she cares and she definitely not want to let twilight go
9128266
Oh boy, that's gonna cause some emotional problems later on...
Applebloom’s exposition is a bit too detailed and specifically descriptive for a second hand account. I would assume anyone who didn’t bear direct witness to an event would give the broad strokes without getting into the minutia. The way you wrote it sounds like we were watching it happen instead of hearing someone talk about what someone else said about it. The way she described things felt more like narration than exposition.
Yay second chapter looking forward to number 3.
9128152
💣
Especially Spike 💣
Just kidding
9128131
Exactly, sometimes you take what you have for granted and don't realize how much it means to you until it is gone ^-^
Though i guess we just have to wait and see what happens, wouldn't want to spoil too much now. Glad you are enjoying the story thus far
I don't know why, but I really really really want Twilight to stay in this reality.
9128678
I think Daybreaker would agree.
9128240
+1
9128252
Maybe the lesson are not about fighting but.. you know... Lustful lessons maybe?
9128252
Not so sinister when you think about the fact that her Twilight died in a fight.
I think AJ should've been the one to give that exposition... Pretty good otherwise.
9128868
. Happy reading!
Wait let me check... nope it’s just romance not porn. Gotta get your kicks else where but hey! Don’t worry, you’re not the first one to think of that
i look forward to the future chapters. this is very promising
9128159
Disocord may not have been released in this universe and the other Celestia can defeat.
9129309
The only one who could ask me politely, yet firmly to
is the author of this story.
Like if you get the reference xD
Happy reading!
I am so increadibly happy that this is a ship. Both chapters are well written. I can't wait for more! And Twilight this is your chance to maybe let go of the burden of being a goody two shoes all the time. Have some fun in this universe, and when it comes to her interest romantically in Daybreaker. Perhaps our Twilight has a thing for how efficient, final and iron hoofed her rule is. Maybe deep down she likes that
Seriously speaking though, i hope Daybreaker's character that is being portrayed is largely kept for this. Too few fics with Twilight being shipped with an actual villain. And this is your first story? Its really good, you have a new follower, and il track and keep a close eye on this. Great work author!
9131226
Same
Then the Chrysalis of this reality appears and she tries to take *if you know what I mean* this new Twilight to herself, making Daybreaker even MADDER
9132597
Funnily enough i was writing a story before this one about Twilight and Chrysalis which is kind of similar to what you suggested. Got about 8K words through and had a story lined out for it though my friend was pretty 'meh' and my other one didn't finish reading it so i dropped it entirely.
9132649
Daaaaaaaaamnnn
If you still have that work, I would love to read that
9128648
Up until now, he's probably been the only link Daybreaker had left to her Twilight. Makes me wonder if there's another reason she goes around collecting riches from the different cities...
9128923
She's probably not leaving Canterlot until Daybreaker's taught her every spell she knows.
Every.
Single.
Spell.
9128016
My guess would be: the first Discord and Crissy nopped the buck out of Equestria as soon as they saw new Celly, Tirek and Sombra got excessive amount of literal Sun to the face and the whole rest of them actually and Spike... probably went to the dragon lands. Daybreaker might have cared for him and let him stay for a while at the palace, but the only dragon she could rise him as is the one that belong to dragon lands.
I really like this story. I wonder what will happen later.
Interesting. Twilight totally obviated the Dragon fire spell...
9470897
But at what cost?
Typos are fun.
My rating so far: 8/10. Conversations past the beginning and end sound a bit too lore-dumpy. Emotions do have some sort of impact though