Imperial Forclousure

by The Sound of Loneliness

A Loose Book

Daybreaker learned something about herself: she hated sloppy writing. As triggering as re-reading the same scroll several times after her little sister was made to rewrite it. Daybreaker also found out that she had little patience for teaching in general.
It wasn't Tiny's fault that she knew nothing about geometry to draw proper circles... or could not write a neat letter. Daybreaker kept telling herself that punishing her for her poor performance was unjust, yet forcing her to rewrite it must feel like a punishment in and of itself. At least she managed to source some textbooks.

"Here," Tiny muttered, pushing her latest draft to her side of the table and turning away. Daybreaker wearily sighed and looked down at the metaphorical hoofwork. Daybreaker must have been getting better at reading unintelligible scripts, she swore it was no different from the previous take.

"Good," Daybreaker acknowledged. "Now rewrite the names and your work as a scribe will be done for now."

"This is unfair! I wrote it seven times already! When are you going to teach me spells?"

"Watch your tone!" Daybreaker seethed. "I will teach you, as I promised. But first, you have a duty to attend to. As a scribe, you must ensure that any documents you create are intelligible to others. The list you have written will serve Nightmare to account for her soldiers. She will know if one of them goes missing or perishes. Write the list one more time: neatly and properly. It will also need your signature, but that is for later, when you are almost finished."

"It's still not fair," Tiny muttered.

"Life is unfair," Daybreaker stated and put a clean sheet of paper before her tiny scribe. "I will be back in a moment."

Daybreaker stood up and headed for the door. Closing it silently behind her, she headed down the corridor. The day had run out and she had to raise the moon, she also had a pending invitation from the Queen, as inconsequential as she was.

Finding herself a terrasse, Daybreaker sat down and prepared for her duty. Little by little the sun rolled behind the horizon, showering Daybreaker in crimson light. It was quickly exchanged for the sonorous silvery light of the moon, as it rose from the horizon and set on its path through the sky. With her most important task done, Daybreaker decided to return to her pupil.

Tiny made much progress in little time. Her horn shined brightly, holding a modernistic ink pen and rapidly scribing down the text. Daybreaker looker over the filly's shoulders in satisfaction. The truth was that there was nothing wrong with her writing - Nightmare could always have Tiny read it. Daybreaker merely needed an excuse to have her write more. Though she suspected that her actual reason would frustrate Tiny even more.

After another minute, Tiny was done and once again presented her work to Daybreaker with a rather grumpy expression. Daybreaker looked at the text impassively. If it was any clearer than the previous one, it was a minute improvement.

"I believe you will not get much better at the moment," Daybreker stated, deciding to seize the monotonous training for the moment. Daybreaker opened a drawer and took out the spellbook she borrowed from her sister, Tiny instantly shook off her boredom.
"Now, I promised to teach you, but beware that I also promised Nightmare that I will only teach you safe spells. Which are in the minority as far as this book is concerned," Daybreaker warned.

"Okay," Tiny nodded. "But how do I attack the enemy?"

"You will not be attacking anyone," Daybreaker immediately corrected the dangerous train of thought. "Everycreature has a purpose in the world, a peasant toils, a builder builds, a noble rules, a soldier fights. You are not a soldier, therefore you will not be doing such a thing."

"But you do!"

Daybreaker pursed her lips and summoned her patience,
"I am a noblemare. My duty is to be a leader, a leader must share in the burdens of her soldiers to earn their respect and obedience."

"But what do I do?!" Tiny cried in frustration. "If everyone has a place what do I?"

Daybreaker bit her lip,
"Your role is not yet determined. You are still very young and that is why you must study. It will benefit you and every other creature aswell." Having made her point, Daybreaker opened the spellbook and flipped its many pages until she reached the spell she intended to show. "Twinkle Sprite's Projection will serve you your entire life."

"...An incorporeal copy?" Tiny looked both confused and disappointed.

"Only limited by your imagination. See," Daybreaker ignited her horn and a spectral copy of the alicorn appeared on the other side of the room. Daybreaker took a step forward and so did her copy; she turned and the copy followed her. Finally, Daybreaker cast light... and so did her copy.
"Being incorporeal, it can also step through solid walls," Daybreaker added, glancing at Tiny's reaction. She looked curious now. "Any spell you cast will also be carried to your projection. Now, let's-" A polite knock on the door interrupted Daybreaker's train of thought. She frowned deeply, knowing full well what this was about, "Yes?"

"Queen Skystar requests your presence, Lady Daybreaker," an impassive voice belonging to the Queen's butler came from the other side. Daybreaker knew that this was going to be a waste of her time and she had genuinely hoped that the Queen would get the hint, but now that she was sent for, she could not refuse without it being seen as an insult.

"I will be there in a moment," Daybreaker informed, straining to prevent her dissatisfaction from sounding obvious. She looked down at Tiny and the book, "Study the Projection, if I know that you so much as looked at anything else, I will have you assisting the maids for tomorrow instead of studying. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sister," Tiny readily answered, as Daybreaker instructed her.

With her sister sorted, she left the room and followed the butler. The walk was long enough for Daybreaker to go through all the different ways she could slip away but not long enough so that she would come up with the one that wouldn't be disgraceful. The Queen was standing awkwardly and alone in her garden, waiting for her. Daybreaker thought she would have to say something,
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, for being so late. I have promised Nightmare that I will teach our sister while we are away."

Skystar smiled at her and very artificially at that,
"I understand. I never had the pleasure of foalsitting myself, but my peers used to tell me how distracting it is."

"It certainly is, but I have already made you wait long enough. You have spoken about this... activity you wished to partake in."

"Yes. I wish you to accompany me to the royal archive. I believe there is something to find there that both of us will find beneficial to see."

"Your Majesty, surely you see that neither of us is equipped for archive work. You already have hippogriffs with both the knowledge and the will to assist you."

"Indeed I do. I had the document retrieved, copied and transcribed for us. We are only to read it." Daybreaker internally cursed. She wouldn't dare to speak up, but Skystar was making her teeth grind with how clueless she was. Nightmare sent her here to do a task, not to stroll through the city and definitely not to dive into dusty archives. Although she suspected that Twilight Sparkle would be shocked to hear that anyone wasn't excited about that last part and this might have been where the Queen got the idea to invite her along. The two of them trully made a dreadful duo.

"If you believe it is best," Daybreaker lightly bowed.

Skystar gestured for her to come and so they headed out into the city,
"How is your recruitment going?" Skystar suddenly asked.

"It is... adequate. Nightmare will be very grateful to learn of all the aid you have provided."

"Perhaps her having her subjects back is best for all. Since I was crowned, neither pony nor hippogriff seemed to be happy with each other. My advisors often bring news of a pony making a public scene. Among other complaints: they are loud, argumentative and sometimes rude. I have been asked to consider resettling them away from the mountain."

"This is news to me," Daybreaker was genuinely surprised. "Ponies of Equestria are known for their mild manners."

"I have heard as much, imagine my surprise when I heard of them attempting to conceal their weapons and retain their organization."

"I suppose my sister's soldiers are not akin to her other subjects. The atmosphere at the Palace was always that of paranoia. Imperial Guards insisted on being armed at all times both outside and inside the gates. Nightmare spoke of an underhooved assault on the Palace by a group of misguided rebels aiming to assassinate her. They have failed, of course, but the Guards were never at ease afterwards."

"But that does not excuse their behavior here, even if they meant no harm to us specifically."

"Certainly not. It seems without proper leadership soldierly simply lose everything that makes them different from brigands."

They continued on in silence, only drawing curious stares from the citizenry on the way. The archive building stood a lumbering display of masonry at the corner, passed by cars and pedestrians alike, which seemed rather counterproductive for an institution existing for scholars. But the lack of windows and walls as thick as some fortifications from Daybreaker's youth proved her assumption incorrect. It also was the first thing in hippogriff lands that as much as resembled a structure fit for royalty, with masoned marble floors and granite walls. Past a heavy, air-tight door leading to the vault, they were presented with a single sheet of paper, with letters transcribed. It must have been a copy and even then Daybreaeker was profoundly unimpressed.

"We will take it from here, your help won't be needed," Skystar said to the archivist who came along to evidently aid their reading. "Lady Daybreaker, I present to you Royal Secret Service, report number four thousand three hundred eighty-nine, filed in one thousand and fourteen years since Princess Luna's banishment, uncensored version."

"Do not take me as ungrateful, but what use would I have for an intelligence report from twenty years ago?"

"Simply read it."

Daybreaker stepped closer and did just that.

Eyes only.

From: Kingfish

To: Leviathan

Leviathan, Mussel reports that Cabal began attempting to contact Starfish. I need not remind you that if successful, it will have disastrous consequences. You have failed to send your last report on time. Therefore Aris assumes your capture or death. Behemoth will be sent with a team to ensure mission completion disregarding secrecy. Ivory Crescent seems to currently be unaware of Cabal's actions and therefore will not act quickly enough. Contact them and report at once upon receiving this note.

Aside from the typical intelligence rumble, Daybreaker was failing to recognize the significance of the note and said so to the Queen with an expectant stare.

"This note was uncovered two days ago by my spymaster. His appointment predates the note, but he was unaware of operations involving Ivory Crescent. I was hoping that you could speak to them on my behalf when you are called back to your sister. My spymaster has made inquiries and has uncovered some of the codenames listed. While the agent personalities are still mysterious, Cabal and Starfish have been identified. Cabal seems to be the codename for a cell of Ivory Cresent while Starfish is an entity. They are mentioned in other similar notes."

Daybreaker openly rolled her eyes, before remembering herself,
"I will relay your request to Nightmare, but for now I have my duties if this is all."

"Do take this copy with you as well."

---

The foray left a sour taste in Daybreaker's mouth. Daybreaker was trying her hardest to banish such unbecoming thoughts, but her mind kept offering her the exact word to describe the Queen: idiot.
Daybreaker already couldn't wait to leave this place behind.

For now, she still had her sister, a more agreeable company. She elected not to walk and teleported back to the estate. Now standing now outside the room: she took a deep breath to bite back her irritation, she pulled on the door and entered. Tiny was just as she was left, turning around to see who had come in.

"What is your progress?" Daybreaker asked, eager to forget the previous experience.

Tiny shrugged,
"Feels easy."

"Is it, now? Would you care to cast it then?"

Tiny ignited her horn and her incorporeal copy appeared across the table.

"Hmm... Indeed. Perhaps you are as talented as Mister Rich described you," Daybreaker allowed her pupil praise. "I wonder if you could also project spells through it." Tiny, then, demonstrated by casting Light. Her projection's horn obediently started to glow, "Good," Daybreaker said with a satisfied purr. Maybe this trip would be not quite as unpleasant. "I must say, you impress me: I don't remember even Twilight Sparkle learning this quickly, it would take her a much more thorough study."

Tiny shrugged again,
"There are Nightmare's notes at the back of the book, they help."

Daybreaker pulled the book from under Tiny's hooves and over to her side of the table. Flipping the book to the back, sure enough, she found the ready-made equations for casting spells for different purposes and conditions. Now she just felt silly.

"I believe I told you to not read what you are not meant to read," Daybreaker stated.

"I didn't read anything from other spells."

"Fine, but no more cheating like that. You won't always have Nightmare's help and you must learn to calculate this yourself."

"But I am bad at counting! It's not as easy as you make it look!"

"Now, now. I have been weaving spells my entire life. I don't need to calculate because I have the common equations memorized after thousands of casts. Every unicorn foal has to learn to do this, even Twilight Sparkle, even though now she can cast much more complex spells without thinking or even looking. You are awfully unwise to disregard her teachings."

"But Twilight only wants to teach boring things like-"

"Like mathematics? You will learn, in time, that magic is quite a bit more complex than a simple reflex."

"Are you going to make me learn geography or math now?" Tiny asked with so much despair that Daybreaker actually staggered.

"No... I think you need a break. Have you eaten your dinner?"

Tiny nodded,
"I am not hungry much."

"Very well. In that case, perhaps it is time we inspected the troops. After all, that is why we are here. Come now, they must be doing firing drills tonight."

"I think that we are here because Nightmare doesn't want us getting in the way," Tiny remarked, hopping off her chair and going for the door.

"In your case, perhaps. You must understand: Nightmare is not your mother. She cannot dedicate all of her time to you, she has duties that you actively impede."

Tiny looked up incredulously,
"But I am not doing anything!"

"Precisely, little sister. Your presence is of little help to her or her soldiers and that means that you are only getting in the way by being there. In war, everycreature has a purpose; those who don't, have no place there. It is not your fault that you aren't old enough to be useful, but you must understand that you cannot keep distracting her. Her attention is valuable and it should not be spent making sure you are not in trouble."

"But can't I help? I can cast magic and I can kill enemies too."

The nonchalant tone of Tiny's question made Daybreaker miss a step,
"Those borderguards were hardly your first victims, were they?"

"No," Tiny simply answered.

"Sister, war is not simply killing enemies. It often harms more than it helps. In war, we do not win because we have destroyed the enemy but because we have achieved our goals. Do you understand?"

"But if we don't have to kill anyone why do we ask for weapons?"

"Because other creatures are determined to oppose us and we must remove them out of our way. Magic is our way, but all others must make do with weapons instead. You will understand more when you are older."

"But can't you tell me now? I will understand, I just know it."

"No, it is not as simple as simply telling. I could tell you about strategy and history, but it will tell you little because you did not experience anything to relate it to. I know it is unsatisfying, but this is simply how the world is."

Tiny seemed to sulk but asked no further questions, Daybreaker led her in silence.

With the training field in view, they spotted a company of less-than-fresh recruits running through an obstacle course with a firing exercise at the end. Daybreaker noted that they were slow. Most of them served the Empire before, but their age still made them weak. Daybreaker would have trained them for longer, but Nightmare bid them to return as soon as able.

"Look at how much more they must do compared to us," Daybreaker spoke. "They have no magic, only some can fly, yet they still must perform as well as unicorns in every aspect; if not individually - then collectively. Do not let yourself see that as a weakness. Many a great mage was brought low by simple warriors."

One soldier noticed them coming, and before long they were all dropping what they were doing and lining up in front of their barracks.

"Lady!" an officer hailed her. "I am prepared to give-"

"Silence," Daybreaker grunted at him. The old stallion instantly fell silent and stood at attention. "I have watched you all run through this rather pathetic course and I am thoroughly unimpressed. I remember the day when a warrior could walk through the walls you struggle to climb over."

"Lady, you must understand-"

"Silence! If you are incapable of matching the meager speed requirements of this age, perhaps you will impress with your aim. An archer from the Royal Guard could hit the center of a target three times in two seconds from across the courtyard. You should be able to match that with your experience and superior weapons quite easily." The line-up was deathly silent, "Well? Do you wait until the continent drifts closer to you?" With that, the officer called a couple of stallions to carry forth a target and set it up by the fence by the entrance. Daybreaker was too tired to wait, so she decided to help them. She levitated a table herself and set it across the target. Spotting the officer carrying a rifle and an ammunition box, she snatched those too. She stripped the rifle to its frame and set the parts on the table.
"Put it together, fire three times and strip it again." The first soldier, a blond, visibly nervous stallion, stepped to the table.

"Begin!" the officer cried and pressed the button on his watch. The soldier scrambled to put the weapon together, fire three shots and strip it again. "Twenty-eight! You are atrocious, cor-"

"Silence! Patience, officer. We shall know their exact performance soon enough. Any unicorns among you?"

"I, ma'am!" one unicorn stepped out of the line.

"A unicorn among the common soldierly, do you not know magic?"

"My horn is too small to cast complex spells, ma'am! I can, however, shoot."

"Show us then." The unicorn stepped towards the table and upon the signal followed the drill, finishing in exactly twenty-five seconds. A disgruntled grumble ran through the line.

"Hmm... Not bad," Daybreaker clicked with her tongue. "Tiny, would you fancy a try?" Tiny gave Daybreaker a wide-eyed stare.

"Lady, I must protest! This is against safety guidelines," the officer was quick to bail her out.

"Just stripping then. Go ahead." Tiny obediently went to the table. The officer pressed the button. With a spike of pride, Daybreaker only counted until ten. The rest of the soldiers stared in amazement, it was so quick that their eyes could barely see the movement before it ended.
"Ten seconds," Daybreaker stated. "Without firing, of course, but I don't imagine that would slow Tiny down by much. You all should be ashamed. You are soldiers, this is your lives' purpose. Even a unicorn among you: yet after thousands of drills, cannot outmatch a foal! Get back to your training, or I swear by my noble sister's name, you will never get to cast your worthless sight on her visage ever again!"

With that, Daybreaker turned away and stomped out of the camp, Tiny quickly trotted after her, utterly confused.

"You did excellently," Daybreaker smiled, once she caught up.

"Is this how I am supposed to be useful?" Tiny asked, not grasping the purpose of the scene.

"That was merely one way. Soldiers are proud creatures, failing to outdo a foal by this much would keep buzzing in their heads until they improve. I am glad that you also improved. Weapon drills train discipline and responsibility, it is good to learn a weapon even as a unicorn."

All things considered, Daybreaker found that she was in a good mood. Perhaps she could humor the Queen and her antics a few more times.

"Can't we just teleport?" Tiny asked. "Walking uphill is tiring."

"I suppose," Daybreaker agreed, unwilling for her pupil to get tired just yet. With a brilliant flash, they were back in Tiny's room again. "Now, I believe we can learn something else... where is the book?"

Tiny shrugged,
"I didn't take it, I was with you the whole time."

A creaking tree started falling in Daybreaker's head.