Daybreak

by Leafdoggy

Chapter 27

Daybreak hummed in thought as she peeked through the curtains of a second-floor window, watching the party below. It was a lively event and was already crowded enough that there were too many ponies to all be in a single group. Cinnabar had squeezed herself in between her parents, Marble and Spitfire, and was talking up a storm, no doubt having interrupted whatever conversation they were having with Chrysalis. The adults didn’t seem to mind, though, and were listening with a mixture of interest and amusement.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Daybreak asked. “Should we give her that muffin and see that happens?”

She turned and looked at Angel, who was lying on a large bed that looked tiny in the huge, largely-empty room they were in. The entire attic had been turned into a bedroom, and with her sisters out of the house, Limestone had plenty of room to do with it as she pleased. She didn’t have much of an eye for interior design, though, and while Coco had decorated it somewhat, it wasn’t a high priority, so it was, for the most part, a huge, spacious room with a bed in the corner and a few of Coco’s favorite designs hanging on the walls or hung up on mannequins.

“No way,” Angel said. “The muffin’s mine.”

“You ain’t worried about what it might do to ya?” Royal Gala asked from her spot on the floor at the end of the bed.

“No, I tried to make it so it wouldn’t be dangerous,” Angel said. “I can’t really control this stuff very much, but I figured I could at least give it some kind of intentions.”

“So what ‘intentions’ did you give it?” Royal Gala asked.

Angel shrugged. “Just to be fun.”

“Well,” Royal Gala said, “I wouldn’t eat it.”

“Guys, forget the muffin,” Daybreak told them. “What about Cinnabar?”

“I’m working on it,” Angel replied.

“Well, give us an update.” Daybreak backed away from the window and hopped up onto the bed. “What’ve you got?”

“Well, I don’t want to hurt her or anything,” Angel said. “Just, you know, get her back for bugging me so much.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Daybreak said, “but how?”

“Mm…” Angel shook her head. “It’s hard to think of something when you can do anything.”

“Narrow it down, then,” Royal Gala said. “I bet Pinkie’s told you about lots of pranks she did. We could one-up one of those.”

“Maybe,” Angel said. “She turned everypony in Ponyville into zombies once.”

“Uhh… That might be a tad bit too far,” Royal Gala said.

“You think?” Angel thought some more. “I don’t know, maybe we should just get her to drink some. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Do you want me to actually answer that question?” Royal Gala asked.

“Quiet,” Angel said, “I’m trying to think. Hmm… Oh! I’ve got it!” Without explaining further, Angel faded away into the shadows, leaving the other two confused and alone.

“So, uh…” Daybreak cleared her throat awkwardly. “How’s things?”

“Eh.” Royal Gala shrugged. “Luna’s making me do some nightmare work, so that stinks. Ponies have a lot of nightmares!”

“Ouch. Sorry. Is it tough?”

“Not really, it just takes forever. They usually just need to vent, so I’m sitting there for hours as they go on and on about—”

A rush of frigid cold entered the room as the shadows stirred once more, and Angel reappeared with a dastardly smirk. “There we go,” she whispered. “We’ll see how much she likes meteors after this.”

“What’d you do?” Daybreak asked.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Angel told her. She skipped over to the staircase and waved them along. “C’mon, let’s go to the party.”

Outside, everyone was having a great time talking and laughing and enjoying the festivities. Pinkie’s pre-parties didn’t have the games and attractions that the main events did, but they were still lively, with cards and music keeping them flowing smoothly. This one was a bit tamer than most, especially since some of the more energetic guests were still absent, but it was still a huge shift from the calm quiet inside the house.

Angel walked over to a picnic table where her parents were talking to Limestone and Coco and hopped up to sit beside Fluttershy. The other two squeezed in beside her, which made it a tight fit.

“Well, hey, sweetie.” Fluttershy smiled brightly and hugged Angel. “Having fun?”

“Mm-hm,” Angel hummed.

“I’m glad,” Fluttershy said. She kissed the top of Angel’s head and squeezed her again. “Did you get some good presents?”

“Yeah,” Angel said. “They’re a secret, though.”

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy said. “Well, as long as you’re safe, that’s fine.”

“See, I don’t get that,” Limestone spoke up. “Like, no offense, Angel, but if I had a kid your age, hearing that would probably totally freak me out! I mean, maybe I’m just not cut out for kids, but it’s just weird to me.”

Coco frowned. “You’d be fine with kids.”

“I certainly understand the sentiment,” Fluttershy said. “It isn’t like we never worry. We just think we need to trust her if we want her to trust us.”

“It’s worked so far!” Pinkie added. She leaned on the table so she could peek around Fluttershy at Angel. “Right?”

Angel shrugged. “I guess.”

“But you don’t trust them enough to tell them about your presents,” Limestone argued.

“They’re just surprises,” Angel said. “I want to show them off at the party.”

“Oh.” Limestone sat back with a thoughtful look on her face. “I… Guess that makes sense.”

Pinkie laughed. “See? We’re the best parents.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Fluttershy said.

“You do seem like good parents, though,” Coco said, “which is good, considering—” She cut herself off. At the end of the table, Pinkie was wincing and slicing her hoof across her throat in a frantic ‘stop talking’ gesture.

“What?” Angel looked at her, then at her parents. “Considering what?”

“Um, um, um,” Pinkie stuttered.

Fluttershy sighed. “I’m sorry, Angel. We weren’t trying to hide anything from you, we just… Well, we didn’t want to overshadow your birthday.”

Angel narrowed her eyes. “Overshadow it with what?”

“We’re, um…” Fluttershy blushed and tapped her hooves together. “We’re having another baby.”

Angel’s eyes went wide with shock. “What? Like… You mean… You’re…”

Pinkie nodded and patted her belly, then grinned and hugged Fluttershy. “Yup. You’re gonna have a little brother.”

“But—” A mixture of confusion and fear washed over Angel’s face. She glanced at her friends, but they just shrugged, unsure of what to say, so she looked back and stared up at her parents. “What?”

“Oh, don’t be scared, sweetie,” Fluttershy said. “You’ll love him, and we won’t love you any less.”

“But…” Angel shook her head. “Is he gonna be…” She looked down at her hooves for a moment.

“Oh!” Fluttershy shook her head as she realized the issue. “No, no, he isn’t going to be like you. It’s not that we’re unhappy that you have your… Abilities, we just didn’t think we could handle having two children who were both… Hmm…”

“You’re kinda hard to keep track of,” Pinkie said bluntly.

“So he’s just going to be a pony?” Angel asked.

“That’s the idea,” Pinkie said.

“We got some help from Twilight to figure it out,” Fluttershy explained. “He could inherit something else, but we’re pretty confident he won’t be a vampire, so we decided to go through with it.”

“Hmm…” Angel looked down and thought for a moment. As she did, a shadow rolled in and covered the party. “I… I guess that’s okay, then. I can probably get used to a little brother.”

Fluttershy grinned. “I’m glad to hear that! You two not getting along would be just—”

“Wait!” Angel noticed the shadow on the ground and jumped up out of her seat. “Y-You said you’re already pregnant?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie tilted her head quizzically. “Why?”

“Um, go… Go inside!” She jumped up onto the table and started pushing Pinkie, trying to get her into the house.

“What? Why?”

“Angel, what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked her. “Is something wrong?”

“I messed up! I know, I’m sorry, whatever. Just… Look!” Angel raised a hoof and pointed frantically towards the sky.

Fluttershy looked up, then jumped and nearly fell out of her seat. “Aah! A-Angel, what did you do?”

After Fluttershy, everyone else at the party glanced up into the sky, and one by one they shared her shock. Coco shrieked, Marble clung to Spitfire and Cinnabar, and Twilight and Chrysalis both leapt from their spots, wings outstretched and ready to fly.

“Angel!” Daybreak shouted at her. “I thought you wanted something small!”

Angel was still pushing Pinkie along as she shouted back. “It wasn’t supposed to affect the whole thing!” She glanced back up at the sky and winced.

Above them, a massive section of the sky was blocked out by the rapidly approaching moon.

When she finally reached the house, Angel shoved Pinkie through the door. “Stay in there.”

“How’s this supposed to help?” Pinkie asked. “The house isn’t moon-proof, I’m just gonna get—” Angel threw the door shut and ran back towards the others.

“Angel, is that thing real?” Daybreak asked as Angel stopped nearby.

“I-I think so?” Angel said.

“Seems real to me,” Royal Gala said.

“Angel,” Fluttershy said, suddenly incredibly stern, “what did you do?”

“It was only supposed to be a little piece!” Angel said. “I thought it’d come down and like, I don’t know, explode into pudding when Cinnabar tried to break it.”

“What?” Fluttershy looked between the three girls, trying to understand. “What?”

“It was a prank,” Angel said. “It was just supposed to be a prank!”

There was a boom as Twilight and Chrysalis took to the sky, intent on doing something to stop it, although they didn’t know what. Soon after, Daybreak shoved Royal Gala. “Dude, do something,” she whispered sharply.

“What am I supposed to do?” Royal Gala asked.

“Your mom controls the thing!” Daybreak said. “Try to do what she does!”

“Just cuz I can see dreams doesn’t mean I can move the moon,” Royal Gala said.

“Well, try,” Daybreak hissed.

With a groan, Royal Gala lit up her horn and focused on the moon. At first, nothing happened, but as she pushed harder and harder, it started, ever so slightly, to slow down.

Fluttershy, still confused, pointed up at the moon. “Angel, you can’t do that. We can’t do that.”

“I-I used—” Angel fumbled a bit, then pulled out the vial and handed it to Fluttershy. “Here.”

Fluttershy took it and examined the shimmering liquid. “What is it?”

“It’s, um… Chaos magic.”

Fluttershy stared at her. “What.”

“Chaos magic,” Angel repeated. “Daybreak said she got it from—”

Fluttershy’s face flushed red, and her eyes narrowed. She turned away from Angel, looked into the sky, and shouted “Discord!”

There was a swirl of colors in front of Fluttershy as the long, slithering form of Discord materialized, a smirk already on his face. “Oh, Fluttershy,” he said calmly, “how nice to see you. I was wondering if you—”

Fluttershy didn’t let him finish. She pinned his tail to the ground, prodded him in the chest, and shoved her leg into the air, staring daggers at him the whole time. “Fix it.”

“Why, whatever could you—” He looked up and stopped talking as his jaw fell open. “Oh. Oh, my. Dearie, don’t you think that’s a touch ambitious for your first day?”

“Discord,” Fluttershy growled.

“Okay, okay,” Discord said defensively. With a quick snap, the world flashed, and the sun swept over them again as the moon reappeared high in the sky. “There. Fixed.”

“Good,” Fluttershy said.

“Now, since I’m already here,” Discord said, “do you think maybe I should stay for—”

“No.” Fluttershy stepped forward and prodded him again. “This was too far. You know how dangerous chaos magic is. You know it doesn’t listen. How could you hand it over to a child? You are lucky if I forgive you, but trust me, if you ever put my family in danger again, I will drain you. Understand? I’ll destroy every last bit of magic you have.”

“I—Oh. Oh…” Discord frowned and took a few steps back. “I see. I suppose I’ll just, um… Give you some space, then.” Solemnly, he raised his arm and snapped again, and then he was gone.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and took several deep, slow breaths. As she did, the anger slowly drained from her face, leaving exhaustion in its wake.

Angel plodded around Fluttershy and looked up at her. “Um… Mom?

“I’m not upset with you,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I’m sorry you saw that.”

“I’m uh… I’m sorry I messed up.”

Fluttershy took one last deep breath, then opened her eyes and crouched to in front of Angel. “It isn’t your fault. Thank you for telling the truth when it went wrong.”

Angel frowned and looked down at the ground. “Um… Are you okay?”

“Of course I am, sweetie,” Fluttershy said. She pulled Angel in and hugged her tight. “Of course.”

Inside the house, Pinkie was oblivious to the chaos outside. She was too busy in an investigation of her own. After being shut inside, she’d sensed something, a scent that shouldn’t have been there, and it caught her attention. She searched all through the house, upstairs, downstairs, under beds, behind a wall of tables, and finally, her search had delivered her to the source.

The kitchen.

She followed her nose where it took her, and it dragged her towards the oven, which was curious. It wasn’t on, but it still seemed warm. Pinkie didn’t remember using it, though, and she’d been with everypony else all day. Her curiosity at its peak, she threw the oven door open and peered at the treasure inside.

“Ooh, a muffin!”

Comments

[rebelwulf00]

“Ooh, a muffin!”

OH CELESTIA NO I can see it already there kid is going to end up with both choas magic & Pinkie's powers and i'm looking forward to all the hijinx's that will insue

[Lore Horse]

“Ooh, a muffin!”

Oh, shit!
INCOMING!!!!!
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/605/212/7ac.gif

[PrincessTwilightSparkle1]

“Ooh, a muffin!”

No, Pinkie, NOOO!!

[RandomGuy101]

“Ooh, a muffin!”

Oh, crap.

[RandomGuy101]

10199052
10199172
10201097
But chocolate rain!

[coto616]

"Ooh, a muffin!"

[katarjin]

Oh...oooooh, I see where that is going on. Discord is going to love this.