Twilight Daylight: Dawn of Equus

by thedarktome

Chapter 03 - Hot Stop

This was so rudimentary. But Mimi had to secure all of her bases. Scaring the sitting crown would be enough to keep Dawn inside while she worked on the world outside. She could see them through the binoculars from the mountain ringing Cop. All the lights flashing outside the Castle of the Gods, the ponies lingering at the fence protesting her presence. They would be doing her job for her.

A smirk played at the corner of Mimi's mouth. She lowered the binoculars and set them in the grass. Her ice blue eyes sparkled with mischief. She had a plan and it involved something that Dawn was in the way of.

"You missed."

Mimi's smile dropped from her face. She turned around and faced Shaoloh, back to who she once was. A green coat glowing with the sun. A mane of fire that danced with the blowing breeze, and gray eyes filled with stars that reflected the edges of the universe. She could see the planets behind them, see the darkness of space, see the stars twinkle with time. A comet passed between her left and right.

"If I wanted to hit her..." Mimi turned back around and glared at the castle. "I would've hit her."

Shaoloh teleported to her side and lied on her stomach. "So why didn't you?"

"Because I still need her. But I need her out of my way for now. No doubt her mother knows of my return and warned her offspring. I'll be using Psera to keep her on a tight leash and to rid of my threat at the same time while I search for my sanctum. To get in touch with my ponies."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you'll be in there watching her." Mimi turned to Shaoloh and smiled. "I need someone on the inside so I can search with no worries. Once I find my sanctum and take control, we'll begin the cleaning process."

Shaoloh raised one eyebrow. "Which is what?"

"Occupying Psera of course. From here, I'll control the rest of Equus." She turned back to the Castle. "But I need Fresh Veola Dawn out of the way. She's the only one I did not account for."

Shaoloh stood up and assured, "I doubt it'll be a problem. She won't even be able to leave the castle at this rate. You should have enough space."

"Good." Mimi stepped on the pair of binoculars she had with her. With a flash, they burst into stars that floated lazily up to the sky. Shaoloh tracked it before Mimi floated up into the air, away from the edge of the mountain. She rotated around and smiled at her. "Make sure it stays that way." Then Mimi was gone. At the blink of an eye, she disappeared.

"Oh don't worry." Shaoloh stepped forward to the edge of the cliff. Her coat gradually changed from neon green to a deep orange. Her mane was cut to a red buzzcut, and her eyes changed to green. On her face sat a pair of black frames, and in one hoof was a black planner. Around her neck was a lanyard holding a castle staff badge.

"I've already started."

---

There she was. His sister. The one before all of this. The Alicorn of Friendships past. Twilight Sparkle. No more Twilight "Arcadia Nova" Sparkle. Weakened, she lied in the middle of Containment with every last single weapon trained on her. She was no longer a threat. Even Shining could see that.

Now she was as who she once was. The Alicorn who had to stare up to Celestia even as an adult. Her massive wings were no longer, her power nearly gone. The readings showed that even teleporting would wind her. Arcadia Nova was gone.

The doors for her cell were opened. She did not stir. Shining, Cadance, Celestia and Luna walked in and up to the mare sleeping away her time until they were a foot away from the plastic that kept her back. Shining tapped lightly on the surface to stir her. "Twilight? Can you hear me?"

Twilight's eyes slowly cracked open until she was staring up to them. A gaze filled with a void of emotion. She did not speak, too weak to move.

Celestia spoke first. "Twilight...The words disappointed, ashamed, disheartened . . . They can't even come close to express my feelings towards you right now. Your actions have been monstrous, cold-blooded, and heartless. You willingly attacked your own ponies, and tried to kill your own family. Had it not been for your daughter's sudden appearance, I fear we all would not be standing here today."

"And where exactly did it get you?" Cadance added. She jabbed her hoof onto her plastic cone. "Here. Away from your daughter, away from your country, away from your magic, and away from the friends you did have. Instead, it gave you nothing but a sentence that will be carried out for the rest of your life."

"The trial begins tomorrow," Luna announced. "One day, one sentence forever. I am sorry, Twilight. But you have brought this upon yourself. Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Twilight said nothing. There was nothing she could say that would sway their minds. They all knew that.

Since her silence was her answer, they turned around and began to leave. They knew not of what they've done. Twilight raised her head and weakly rose to her hooves. The jangling of her chains slowly ceased their progression to a stop. That pulled the glares of the one hundred guards aiming at her from the sidelines

"The final reckoning..." Twilight hoarsely said. "It's upon us all."

Great. Another Twilight prophecy. That would be nice. Luna asked, "What could you possibly have to tell us, Twilight? After everything that you have done."

"Way before my departure to Psera . . . I have done my research as a passionate lover of magic. A mistress to all that was disbelieving to the eye. I studied its roots. I have tracked all where magic truly came from, the beginning of creatures and life."

"Yes, we know that you—"

"You'd be wise to only listen," Twilight interrupted. She lifted her wing, lighter than it was before to the left of her, then to the right. "All of you. From the Pserateps aiming their weapons to the ponies organizing my sentencing."

Celestia glanced to the rest of the line then back to Twilight, heeding to her words. "Magic . . . was never meant to be for us. It is a power of unimaginable limits that I have proven are nonexistent. With a single raise of my hoof, I was able to give life to land. Godlike abilities that you all grew greedy of, bringing to fruition a line of text from Narmeelah's diary. 'I see the fall of species. Limitless gluttony for the impossible. Extinguished . . . it must be done.' Section Fourteen-B. Paragraph C.

"Another line of text that was scratched into the dragon lands with fire and brimstone, found in Narmeelah's Diary translated from Old Pseratopian. 'The raiser of the Sun, a servant to humble beginnings. A mother to all, but a killer to her own. A target of Arcadia.'"

What? Luna, Cadance, and Celestia all looked to each other before turning back to Twilight. "What are you talking about?" Shining asked. "How is that in the diary?"

"It is in the Diary because Narmeelah is the one who wrote it in. As well as other lines of texts you should heed to. Such as the one where she spoke of this very second. 'Entry date, two thousand twenty-one. Sadness that squeezes the soul and emotion of Arcadia's brother. He watches his sister fall before his very eyes. She speaks of a truth; he hears only lies.'"

"Stop," Shining warned through his teeth. "Stop right now, Twilight."

"'With a firm hoof, he tells her to cease her words. But she continues, pressing his limits until rage fills him."

Shining Armor broke the line and trotted up to the plastic with Cadance behind him. "Stop talking!" He shouted to her.

"'She doesn't, continuing to speak my words.'" Cadance grabs his shoulder and pulls Shining back from the plastic before he could make a mistake. "'Disbelief, anger fills her own family. They hear nothing but tales; she knows the truth. It no longer matters. Her fate is sealed. But here, in this prison of plastic, metal, and pain, a light cuts from above thanks to faulty wiring.'"

One of the hot lights suddenly burst from above. Glass and sparks fell from the ceiling, shrouding the entirety of Twilight's left side in a shadow. Her eye was no longer glowing. Her magic was gone. She didn't do that. "'I watch, I stare, I cry. Ponies, you have failed me. Thirty-one cycles. Then we can try again. Narmeelah.'"

Narmeelah. That name again. It was clear that the Pserateps viewed her as a god, a deity among their race. But Twilight saw her as something more.

"Thirty-One cycles, thirty-one days," Twilight repeated. "Before our creator finally lays waste to what we have worked so hard to achieve." Twilight raised her hoof and pointed it at Celestia. "Go ahead. I know you want to ask it. I can see it in your eyes."

"How do you know these things?" Celestia walked up to the cone. "Your magic has been taken away, you have no more power."

"My ability to understand and comprehend did not come from magic, Celestia. It comes from experience. It comes from time and comes from curiosity. Narmeelah is part of my family line. But that doesn't matter. What does, is this."

Twilight stood before Celestia. "'Psera, my home. My creation. I watch the power of Arcadia drain from you upon her banishment, leaving you once more in the dark ages. She shall rise again. But I am already here among you. You have disappointed me, your creator. Narmeelah.'"

Celestia turned around and suddenly bolted for the door with the rest following behind her.

"One chance!!" Twilight shouted. "You only have one shot to save the lives of many!! Do not waste it, Celestia!! Do not waste it!!"

---

Here they stood. A home with no ponies. The hall leading up to the Royal Suite was silent. The ringing of phones were gone, the smell of dad was absent. Mom peeking in on her every five seconds of every day. Showing her pictures of the things she loved.

Curse Narmeelah and her Zebras. Speaking of...

Dawn was afraid to ask. She swallowed her fear. "What happened to the Zebras?" She whispered.

Ah, Psera's strongest attack. Molten ran her hoof through Dawn's mane. "Your mother launched Marrials upon Zebrica. The Zebras she took prisoner were executed. Equestria managed to extract survivors, but not many survived. Only a low double digit remains of their numbers."

In a way, Dawn was relieved. Why did that make her feel bad? Because if it wasn't for the Zebras, mom wouldn't be locked away. If it weren't for the Zebras, Dad would still be alive. If it weren't for the Zebras, her own ponies wouldn't be shooting at and trying to kill her.

If it weren't for the Zebras, Dawn would be walking up to the door, gripping the handle and come into a well-lit home where mom would be sitting on the couch working with Gardeen and Dad would be in the back writing away his time. She would see mom's beautiful smile that the rest of Psera found as legendary.

But instead, all Dawn found when she grabbed the handle, twisted, and pushed the door open was . . . nothing. The couches were gone, the bookcases were gone, the kitchen table and chairs were gone. The pictures hanging on the walls were missing. All that remained of the lights were loose wires after the bulbs were disconnected and removed. Instead of walking onto hardwood floors, Dawn stepped onto dusty gray concrete. There was nothing here.

Molten and Merry followed her inside and tracked her steps with her eyes. Dawn's ears flopped down to the side of her head. She stood in the middle of what would have been the living room. The dining table would be right here. A display screen would've been on the wall. Mom would've been screaming at the team playing to "Go faster."

But like a ghost, it was a mere memory that faded and left behind reality. Dawn traveled to her room to see the door gone, along with everything else that would be behind it. Her bed, her pictures, her clothes, her toys. Her jewelry.

"...why?" Dawn asked.

Merry walked into Dawn's room. "After your father died and you were declared deceased, your mother was moved to Safe Haven. The plan was to have the suite renovated for her return so she wouldn't be stricken with grief. Your mother was having a hard time with your passings. It was supposed to make her feel better. Then, she decided to take action against magic. The operation was paused and we cancelled it. We still thought you were dead. If we managed to get our hooves on your mother, she wasn't going to be using this suite anymore, so there was no point in finishing the remodeling."

Molten spoke up from the hallway. "We still have all of you and your father's things, in the basement of the castle."

Dawn turned around and faced them. "And mom's?"

"The only things we were allowed to keep of hers were anything but magical texts and items. All of that was sent back to Equestria to be properly cleaned of their corruption."

"They're giving it back, right?"

Molten walked back to the living area. "You can take it up with Equestria tomorrow when you see them."

"What? Why, what's going on?" Dawn walked out of what used to be her room back to the living area. Molten gave her a look of remorse.

"I just got word earlier. Equestria has successfully drained the magic of Twilight Sparkle. She is going to be tried tomorrow and held accountable for her actions before IHT and Psera."

What?! It was too soon! They just left Equestria almost three days ago! They got all of her magic extracted that fast?!

Dawn said, "Isn't there a way to push this back?"

"I'm sorry, Dawn, but no." Merry walked forward and stood in front of them. "The quicker Twilight gets tried, the better it is for Psera."

No, it wasn't. It was worse. If mom is sent to Tartarus or anywhere else, that leaves a large window open for Narmeelah! There would be no one left to stop her.

But they weren't going to move. They wanted all of this done tomorrow. The Senate Board certainly, IHT Definitely. She was outnumbered.

Dawn wouldn't cry. She's done crying. She's cried too many times. Dawn turned around and faced the suite. "Can I be alone for a little while? Please?"

Molten and Merry glanced at each other before turning back and walking for the door. "We'll be down the hall if you need us."

Dawn heard their hoofsteps fade until leaving her completely. Now she was alone. Dawn sighed and closed her eyes. What could she do? She would be alone after tomorrow. Alone and on the very precipice of death if those ponies had a say-so in her life. And Narmeelah was still out there. How exactly was she going to stop her? Or at least warn ponies without letting them think she was mad?!

"Ugh, this is so stupid!" Dawn dropped down in a spot and slammed her hooves down in front of her. Immediately, two violet rings circled around them. Two lines connected to these circles speared away and conjoined at a single point that flashed before her eyes.

She seethed and protected her vision before it died away, leaving her in the darkness of a home once more. She slowly lowered her hoof and met the eyes of . . .

"Mom," she whispered. There she was, as Queen of Psera smiling down upon her daughter.

"Hello, Dawn," she greeted. Whoa, a little loud. Dawn gently closed the door, just enough so mom's voice wouldn't cause an uproar. "If you're seeing this, then it means that I..." Twilight closed her eyes and looked away. "It means that the time of Narmeelah's return has come and all of the steps she predicted has come to light. I am being removed from office, and more than likely from Psera. Your father was killed in an attack, and you are all that is left of the both of us.

"I know you are confused, and I know you're scared." Twilight reached out and gently touched her daughter's face. "But we need you to be strong. Psera, the entire world needs you, no matter how bad they make it seem like they don't. You must find the Wells. They look like this."

Twilight reached down out of the hologram and pulled up a drawn image of something familiar that made both Dawn and First Light gasp.

"Is that..."

"It is." It was the same map that they managed to see on Founder's island! Of the circle with the interloping lines, the one Shaoloh burned!

Dawn placed her hoof out to touch the map. It faded right through. "I have no idea what these are or what purpose they serve, but they've been shown throughout history in many different forms. Many nations hold this same map, as if it comes from some older age of creature. This is Narmeelah's plan. She is going to use these wells to reset Equus. You need to find these wells, figure out what they're for, and warn both Equestria and Psera."

What?! How the buck was she going to do that?!!

Twilight quickly rolled up the map. "I know it seems like a lot, and you're right. It is. But I will help you. If I'm correct, then the hardwood floors were just pulled up. There's concrete beneath us. Or is there?"

Twilight had that smile. Where she knew something they didn't. She pointed down to where they stood. To the concrete beneath their hooves. Was it concrete? Dawn cautiously treaded forward and touched at where mom stood. it sure felt like concrete. Dawn glanced up to Twilight's prerecorded message. As if she knew she would look up, she nodded. Was Dawn that predictable?

Dawn focused back on the floor and hit it harder. Just like that, it cracked. "Syntherin," Twilight explained. "Just like it's brother, this element shares the same color, makeup, and luster. But unlike it's brother. It's a lot softer."

Dawn brushed it aside and dug into the ground. dirt flew through the air until Dawn found her mother's secret treasure. What the Pserateps couldn't get their hooves on. A small chest big enough to hold in her hooves, locked by magical signature, and the map of the Wells.

"Inside of this chest is the schematics to a weapon that even SERL doesn't have. We are the only ponies who have access to it. Now it belongs to you. Never let anypony else operate it. The Map of the Wells. You will need it to guide you along your journey. I certainly did. I'll tell you about it later once we meet again, because I know you won't fail. I love you, my sweet Viola. Please, be safe, and be careful."

Dawn looked up to the hologram before it disappeared, dropping Dawn back into the darkness that was their home. Fate was a cruel mistress. It dropped her into a land where she couldn't defend herself. But this time, she had a little help. Narmeelah was on her way, and it was up to Dawn to stop her.

After tucking away the map and stashing the chest in between her wings, Dawn exited what used to be the royal suite and walked down the hallway with purpose to where Her Majesty Molten Ice and Merry were speaking with two ponies. One, Dawn recognized immediately, another Dawn had no clue of.

Instantly, Gardeen locked her green wide eyes on her. She shot from in front of her majesty, leaving a white blur in her place. "DAWN!!"

Dawn was quickly and swiftly engulfed into the tightest of hugs she's ever received. Her wings tightened, hiding the chest and map, preventing a literal slip up. As of this moment, all Pserateps were her enemies. But maybe there might be a few she could trust.

"Hey, Gardeen," Dawn greeted. Gardeen placed kiss after kiss upon her head. "Ack! Gardeen, I get enough of that from grandma!"

Gardeen stopped. "Which one?"

"Both!"

Gardeen laughed before they both shared a hug. She held her tight. "I'm so happy you're alive. It's getting crazy out there. I was just able to get into the castle with the rest of the staff." She pulled back and turned her excitement into sadness. "I'm very sorry about everything, Dawn. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. Come to my office, I have some of that soda you like."

She turned around and jumped a few feet in the air. Did she forget they were there? Oh Gardeen, the same ol' pony. "I am so sorry. Dawn, let me introduce you to someone."

She held her hoof out to the only pony here that wasn't among Dawn's memories. A mare with a deep orange coat, a red buzzcut, and bright green eyes. Around her neck was a badge, allowing her entry into the castle. "Dawn, meet Hot Stop, my Senior Assistant. She's going to be helping me help you around the castle."

"Hello, Dawn!" Oh no, she's too cheerful. Hot Stop grabbed Dawn's hoof and shook it wildly. "Oh wow, look at you! You look just like your mother! Speaking of which, I am sooo sorry about this. Psera may be trying to get rid of her, but we'll never truly forget."

Dawn pulled her hoof back and politely rubbed it. "Yeah. Thanks." She referred to Gardeen. "Helping me around the castle? I already know this place like I know my own hooves."

"Well someone has to watch over you. Did you see that crowd out there? How ghastly."

Her Majesty explained it better. "As of this moment, getting you back into Psera is going to take some string-pulling. Gardeen is going to pull those strings. Such as getting you back into school, driving lessons, getting you ready for normal life so you can grow up."

"If we even make it that long."

Dawn hushed First Light in her mind. She smiled up to Gardeen and replied, "Thanks. I can't wait. Look, can I go to my room? I need to rest for a few hours. Everything's been happening so fast and I haven't even really sat down yet to process it all."

Molten placed a wing on Dawn's back and guided her back down the hall to the front of the castle. "Of course. I already have your room setup."

Gardeen sat back and watched her leave with Hot Stop. She winked and told her, "See? I knew you'd make a good first impression. If you ever need help and I'm not around, trust me when I say Dawn's got you. She's a very smart filly. Go ahead and drop off that paperwork. My office is right here. I'll meet you in the foyer in a little while."

Gardeen trotted off behind them, leaving Hot Stop alone. She slyly smirked and watched them depart. "Yes. A bright filly she is indeed."

Author's Note:

How did you like that chapter? Is everything interesting yet? What is Narmeelah planning? What is she going to do? Stay tuned and find out!

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why haven't you addressed the reader's complaints in the comments? Do you not know how to respond to comments on here?

[thedarktome]

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What complaints?