Chapter 1 - Old But New

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Twilight held onto one of her castle chairs for dear life as Starlight’s spell, located above the cutie map tried to suck her up. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!” Twilight yelled at the laughing Starlight who was perched comfortably in Twilight’s chair.

“Oh but dear Twilight I do, I can’t risk you or your little friends meddling in my affairs any longer.” Starlight replied smugly, a large smile plastered on her face. Noticing Twilight's grip begin to slip, Starlight decided to wrap things up.

“I don’t want to kill you Twilight, but I really need you out of the picture.” Starlight explained while proudly looking up at the spell she had created. “This spell is designed to put you in an alternate reality. One, where for some reason or another, you don’t currently exist…Also I will be putting you a couple of years in the future. For alternate me’s sake of course, just in case we have a similar mind-set. Wouldn’t want you foiling her plans like you did with mine now would we?”

Losing her grip, the tips of Twilight's hooves was all that was anchoring her to this reality. “Starlight please!” Twilight cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Enjoy your new life Twilight! I’m sure the princess of friendship would be able to make plenty of new friends.” Starlight spouted, giving the alicorn one final wave before she lost her grip.

Twilight’s screams echoed throughout the room as she was dragged into the portal which closed shortly behind her. Silence filling the cutie map room.

With her plan succeeding and now alone in the cutie map room. Starlight got up off her seat and put her spell away in her saddlebags before quickly walking out of the castle, before anypony realized what had happened.

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

The portal reopened in Ponyville, the same location where the spell originally transpired. Shortly afterwards, a lavender coloured alicorn shot out and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Not giving herself anytime to recover from the rough fall, Twilight immediately spread her wings and darted upwards to re-enter the portal. Before she was able to get off the ground, the portal closed as she flew through the air where it used to be.

Still in mid-flight, she hovered over to where the portal used to be. Recollecting her thoughts, she began to process everything that had just transpired, everything she had before is now gone. All her friends, family, books, Spike. They were all gone.

Lowering herself to the ground, she raised her hoof and wiped away her tears before they had a chance to fall. ’No! I will find a way back, if Starlight was able to create that spell then I can make it too!’ Twilight thought to herself. Taking in a deep breath, she first needed to know where and when she was.

It didn’t take Twilight long to realize where she was. She was in Ponyville, which was a lot bigger and more populated than she remembered it being. Even with the new additions to the town, everything was still where she remembered it being, or at least as far as she could tell.

Walking towards the town, she already felt herself breaking into a sweat. Raising her wing to block the sun from her eyes, she squinted up, noticing it was bigger and brighter than usual. Returning her wing to her side, she headed towards the Carousel Boutique in hopes to find Rarity.

Twilight's wings shuffled uncomfortably from all the stares and whispers she received. Including the occasional awkward bow whenever somepony got too close. What disturbed her the most wasn’t the bow itself, but the nature of it. It seemed they did it more out of fear than respect.

“An alicorn?”

“What is somepony like her doing in a place like this?”

“I thought there were only supposed to be three.”

“Do you think she is after somepony?”

“Playtimes' over, inside little one.”

“But muuum.”

“No buts, quickly now.”

“Think she is working under Dayb-Ouch!”

“Fool, keep your voice down, remember what happened last time.”

Having heard enough of this, Twilight took off in a sprint towards her friend’s boutique, question after question piling up as she raced through the streets of Ponyville. Reaching her destination, she came grinding to a halt, looking around in confusion as she tried to catch her breath.

She was at where the boutique used to be, despite all the additions to the town she knew, without a doubt, this was where it was supposed to be. However in its place was a shop called ‘Glits and Glam’ owned by Sassy Saddles.

Flabbergasted, Twilight looked around to see that everypony originally around her had dispersed, sounds of windows and doors could be heard being slammed shut until she was completely alone in the street. Having no idea where this Equestria’s Rarity would be, she decided to move on to her next friend, Pinkie Pie.

Walking through the now deserted streets of Ponyville. Twilight lowered her head as she tried to think of possible reasons why everypony was hiding from her and where she would go from here on out. ’Alright, basing of what Starlight said, she put me in another reality, a couple of years in the future to be exact. That means I need to find out what year it is here, it can’t be too far in the future since Ponyville is effectively the same, just with more buildings. Maybe Rarity moved away from Ponyville and started her shop up in Canterlot or Manehattan.’

Shaking her head, Twilight pushed the thoughts of what might have happened to her friend out of her head and focused on the task at hoof. ’Starlight also said she put me in an alternate reality, one where I don’t currently exist.’ The word currently hung on Twilight’s mind. ’Does that mean I was never born to begin with or that I died at some stage in my life?’

The thought sent shivers down her spine. Walking in autopilot, she shortly arrived at Sugar Cube Corner. Unlike the boutique, the bakery still existed and didn’t look any different than she remembered it being. With a spark of hope she walked inside, a small ding from the bell alerted the two young ponies at the counter. The male pegasus with an ivory coloured coat as well as a female unicorn with a yellowy coloured coat looked up in response.

“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, what caaaahhhhh!” The unicorn started but jump back and lowered her head to the ground when she noticed both the horn and wings.

The pegasus stared at the unicorn in confusion before glancing back up at Twilight. It took him a second for it to click before his eyes shot wide open and did exactly what his partner did. “Y-your greatness! W-what do we owe the pleasure!?” He asked in a shaky voice, not looking up at the alicorn in front of him.

Twilight opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it, feeling that it would do more harm than good. Thinking for a moment, she let out an exasperated sigh before opening her mouth again. “What are both of your names?” Twilight asked in the softest tone she could pull off as if she were talking to fillies.

The pegasus was the first to speak, his head still lowered. “I’m Pound, this is my sister Pumpkin. Along with our mum and dad, we the cake family run this bakery.” Pound explained.

Twilight noticed that Pinkie’s name had not been mentioned, however she was more surprised at how much the twins have grown since she had last seen them. Realizing they had been waiting for her to speak again, Twilight took notice at the assortment of baked goods that were on display around them. Levitating three blueberry muffins out of a basket on a shelf behind the twins, she placed them on the counter top between them. “I would like to purchase these muffins please!” Twilight requested, deciding this would be a better approach to make them stop bowing.

Looking up at the alicorn mare, Pumpkin was the first to get back up on her hooves. Using her magic, she pulled out a box with their shops name and logo plastered on it and carefully placed the muffins the princess had selected inside of it.

It didn’t take long for her brother to follow suit, also getting up on his hooves. Inwardly smiling Twilight pressed on with her questions. “How old are you two? Seem pretty young to be in a customer service role?”

This time it was Pumpkins turn to speak. “Me and my brother are twins, we are eleven turning twelve in two months…Our parents wanted to make sure we knew how to take care of ourselves in case of an emergency, so we help run the shop in the afternoon on weekends.” Closing the box she slid it over to Twilight's side of the counter.

’Pinkie threw a massive party for these two on their first birthday, that was about four months ago. That means I am roughly ten and a half years in the future.’ Getting the answer to one of her questions, she used her magic to search for her bag of bits. Eyes widening, she immediately facehoofed upon realizing she left it at her castle door when returning from her friendship presentation back in her reality.

Scratching the back of her head, Twilight smiled awkwardly at the twins followed by a small awkward squee. “I’m so sorry, I may have left my bits back at home.” Twilight shamefully admitted.

The twins shot back and bowed again. “We would never expect payment your greatness.” Pound said quickly.

“We hope they will be to your satisfaction.” Pumpkin finished.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Twilight used her magic to levitate the box of muffins onto her back. Seeing that they were back to square one, she decided to finish things up. “Thank you very much, I appreciate your kind offer and will be sure to return when I have my bits on me.” Not hearing a reply back, she let out a small sigh. “I have one last question, do you know where somepony called Pinkie Pie may be? She has a pink coat with a violet-red coloured mane, has three balloons as a cutie mark and is overly hyper?” Twilight asked, her voice a little desperate to find somepony that would recognize her.

The twins raised their heads, staring at each other while maintaining their bow like stance. Waiting for their response, the twins looked back at Twilight, obviously scared to speak up. “I’m sorry princess! I don’t know and never heard of this Pinkie Pie you speak of! I swear on my life!” Pumpkin squeaked, her body shaking in fear.

Not wanting to terrify the young ponies anymore, Twilight nodded. “Thank you very much for your time, I hope you both have a nice day.” Twilight said to them as she left the store with her muffins.

The streets of Ponyville were a lot less lively compared to when Twilight first arrived. With a blueberry muffin levitated in front of her, she took a large, frustrated bite of it. Small bits of crumbs sticking to the edges of her mouth. ’Why is everypony afraid of me? Did I-I mean did alternate me do something to these ponies?’ Twilight mentally asked herself before shoving the rest of the cupcake angrily into her mouth. More crumbs sticking to her mouth before falling to the concrete below.

Once finished, she stretched her wings and took off into the sky. Since Sweet Apple Acres was at the opposite side of town, she decided to drop off at both Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy’s home along the way.

Flying to the outskirts of Everfree Forest, Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Landing next to Fluttershy’s Cottage, the entire building was run down with smashed bird houses scattered across the grass next to the surrounding trees. The cottage windows had cracks in it with chunks missing from a few of the corners. The door boarded up to prevent entry.

With how dusty and damaged the place looked, it was evident that nopony had lived here in many years. Walking around the outside of the house, Twilight peeked through the windows, being careful not to stand on and cut herself on any of the shattered glass. Confirming her suspicions when she saw nothing but a dust covered floor and paper nailed to the walls, she returned to the front door.

With evidence supporting that nopony lived here anymore, she took one of the boards in her magic and ripped it off. Panting heavily, she placed the board to the side and did the same with the other one. “Too Hot.” she groaned.

Swinging the door open, she coughed as a wave of dust hit her face. Glad to be out of the scorching sun and into the cool shade, she walked towards one of the notes on the wall. Scuttering could be heard from the rodents who made themselves at home. Taking the first one in her magic, she blew the dust off the note and began to read it.

To my dearest friends.

As I told you all I’ve been ordered to leave Ponyville, but ------ my departure I leave these notes for you.

Even without me here, this place is still a sanctuary ------ big and small to live and grow up. I hope you ------ healthy life.

If you ever get sick or injured, remember Dr. Fauna, Ponyville’s Veterinarian ------ do everything she can to nurse you all back to health.

------ I planted a bunch of yummy food for you all to eat. I know it isn’t ------ won’t last forever but it is the best ------ right now.

Remember NEVER EVER venture into Everfree Forest, there ------ scary creatures that will want to gobble you up.

Under any circumstances NO fighting each other. No matter how ------ we are a family and family always stick together.

Be safe.

Love Fluttershy

P.S: If anypony finds this ------ critters as much as I do and need advice. You can find ------ the waterfall.

Unable to make out a few words here and there, Twilight stared down at the note. Droplets of tears landing on the paper, further smudging some of the words. Putting the note back before she ruined it further, she took a step back and looked at the other notes that were plastered around the building. As much as it broke her heart to read this, she was glad to know that Fluttershy was alive in this world somewhere. If she was alive then there was hope that both Rarity and Pinkie Pie would be somewhere as well.

‘Alright Twilight, let’s get this over and done with.’

Hours had passed, how many was unknown to Twilight as she put the last note back up on the wall. There wasn’t much information compared to the first note. Most of them containing instructions on where certain animals should live, appropriate feeding times and healthy diets for every species. Even how to build an effective nest in trees as well as dens that would be able to withstand the harshest conditions.

Even though she still didn’t understand what was going on around here. she at least knew that her friend was out there living near a waterfall somewhere. Walking back outside, a familiar surge of warmth hit her. Raising her wing to cover her eyes, she looked up at the sky to see the sun in the exact same position as it was when she first arrived.

Baffled by this, she pushed this thought aside for now and took off to Rainbow Dash’s house. During her flight, Twilight couldn’t help but think back to the first note she read from Fluttershy. What or who forced Fluttershy to move out of her home and away from Ponyville?

For the duration of her flight, this question and why the ponies were so scared of her was irking Twilight. She didn’t know the answer to her first question, however for the second she knew it was because she was an alicorn. As to why ponies were scared of alicorns was beyond her, though she had a feeling it wouldn’t take long for that answer to become clear.

Arriving outside of Ponyville, Twilight looked around for Rainbow Dash’s cloud house however it was nowhere to be seen. Flying around the area for a couple of minutes to make sure it definitely wasn’t here, she assumed what happened to Fluttershy also happened to Rainbow Dash and moved on to Sweet Apple Acres.

Landing at the entrance to the farm, Twilight spotted a mare carrying buckets full of apples to a wagon. Getting excited, she sprinted towards the pony, opening her mouth to scream her friends name but stopped when she noticed the coat colour was slightly off, and instead of Applejacks trademark hat there was instead a large bright pink ribbon attached to her mane.

Slowing down, she continued to approach the familiar looking pony who was carrying a bucket on top of her head along with a bucket in her mouth. “Apple Bloom?” Twilight hesitantly asked.

The mare in question made a small ‘hmmm’ sound as she turned around to face whoever was talking to her. Eyes widening at who stood in front of her, she instinctively lowered her head to the ground. The bucket balancing on top of her head tipping over, the apples inside scattering across the ground in front of them.

When one of the apples hit Twilight's hoof, Apple Bloom buried her muzzle further to the ground, her eyes clenched shut. “Please princess! Forgive this impudent mare, I didn’t mean to disrespect you!” Apple Bloom pleaded.

Twilight was beginning to get tired of this. Levitating the bucket the right way up, she picked up the apples with her magic and cleaned the dirt off them before putting them back in the bucket. “Apple Bloom please, don’t treat me like this.”

Biting her lower lip, Twilight thought of what to say, at this point the Apple family was her best shot at finding out what happened to everypony and what’s going on around here. “I don’t know what is going on. My friends are missing, everypony is scared of me. Hay even the sun isn’t moving.” Twilight said, gesturing to the sun with one of her wings for added emphasis before retracting it back to her side. She wanted nothing more than to continue her rant, to get rid of her pent up frustration. But everything she had to say would have made her sound crazy.

Apple Bloom reopened her eyes and looked up at the lavender coloured alicorn in front of her, though she kept her head low. “I just want to talk Apple Bloom, I want to know what is going on around here. If it makes it any easier just imagine I don’t have any wings or horn or whatever it is that makes you all so scared of me.”

Apple Bloom hesitantly stood back up, however she had no idea what to say.

Twilight smiled as she watched Apple Bloom get back on her hooves. ‘this is a start’ Twilight thought. “Thank you, now would you be able to tell me what happened to your sister, Applejack as well as the other bearers of the elements of harmony?”

Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side, deep in thought. “I don’t know about this ‘element of harmony’ you speak off.” Apple Bloom paused, contemplating on continuing or not. “However my sister was banished from Canterlot and any of its neighboring villages which just so happens to include Ponyville.” She continued. With each passing word she felt more confident talking.

Twilight maintained a neutral expression as she listened, not wanting to intimidate or scare the mare in front of her. “That is similar to what I read from Fluttershy’s notes. Do you know why they were banished?”

“I don’t know the full details. Though what I do know is that my sister and a few of her friends went to stop Nightmare Moon when she returned from her banishment to the moon. When they found and fought her at Everfree Castle there was…A casualty…A unicorn who studied under Day- Celestia at the time.” Apple Bloom answered.

Twilight picked up on this correction however she kept quiet, allowing Apple Bloom to continue with her story. “As I said I don’t know the full details since I was still a filly at the time. However from what I was told, the death of this unicorn broke Celestia’s heart. Overcome with grief and guilt, she vowed to avenge her protégée’s death. Blaming my sister and her friends for letting the unicorn fight Nightmare Moon by herself, she banished them, never wanting to see them again…I think the unicorns name was Twin Night, no TwiFry? Trifreight?”

“TWILIGHT!” An all too familiar stallion’s voice yelled out.

“Yeah! That’s the one!”

Hearing her name, Twilight quickly spun around to see a red stallion charging straight at her. Channeling a Teleport spell, she teleported behind him moments before impact. Missing his target, McIntosh slammed down on the edge of the bucket with his hooves, causing the apples inside to fly up into the air.

Putting his weight into his front legs, he bucked six apples in Twilight's direction when they came back down. Spreading her wings, Twilight flew to the side as the first two whizzed past her head, then up into the air as the other two narrowly missed her. Not having time to dodge the last two, she used her magic and caught the apples before letting them fall back to the ground.

“BIG MAC!" Apple Bloom scolded before turning her attention back towards Twilight. "I’m so sorry princess, please forgive this idiot of a brother of mine.” Apple Bloom apologized on her brothers behalf, who in return stared up at Twilight hovering in the air.

“I can’t believe ye have the nerve to show yer face round here.” McIntosh glared, ignoring his little sister. His usual calm and easy going demeanor gone entirely.

“What do you mean Big Mac?” Apple Bloom asked.

“She’s te reason why Applejack is banished!”

“WHAT! B-but I thought she was banished because Twilight died in a fight against Nightmare Moon?”

“Apparently Twilight lied to all of us about her death and has been quite busy over the years.” McIntosh replied, raising a hoof to point at her wings.

Apple Bloom was in shock. Everything that Big Mac and Twilight had just said made no sense to her. “Then why was she asking me what happened to them? She doesn’t even know why the sun doesn’t set!” Apple Bloom asked her brother who in return just shook his head.

“Don’t believe anythin’ she says. I don’t care if she is a princess now, I won’t let her take you away from me.” McIntosh defended as he stomped his hoof to the ground.

Twilight stayed in the air, not wanting another fight with McIntosh. She knew this was a stretch however she didn’t want to be portrayed as the villain. “If what you say is true Apple Bloom then this reality’s version of me did die against Nightmare Moon.” Twilight stated.

Twilight watched the two to see if they would say anything to object. Not hearing anything, she decided to continue. “I’m Twilight from another reality. A reality where me, your sister and our friends succeeded in our fight against Nightmare Moon by using the elements of harmony to purify her. From there, we were known as the bearers of harmony with your sister bearing the element of honesty. Two years have passed since that day and our friendship grew stronger with each passing week. I earned my ascension and became known as the princess of friendship. The reason I am in this reality is because we stopped a pony called Starlight Glimmer who stole other pony’s cutie marks. Taking revenge, she completed some kind of ancient portal spell that sucked me to this reality…as well as from what I have calculated, it sent me roughly 10 and a half years in the future, though I still don’t know what day or month it is.” Twilight explained.

“29^th July.” Apple Bloom quietly replied.

“Thank you.”

“So if this Starlight wanted ya gone so badly, why didn’t she kill ya instead?” McIntosh asked, not believing a single word Twilight had spoken.

“She said she wanted me gone though she didn’t want me dead. That she would send me to a reality where for some reason or another I didn’t currently exist. And I guess that is true, since in this reality I don’t currently exist as I met my demise against Nightmare Moon.” Twilight replied, her wings getting sore from the constant hovering.

Having heard enough, McIntosh put a hoof to her sister’s side and gently pushed her towards the barn. “I don’t know what made ya come back here or what ya plan is, though you stay away from me and my little sister!” McIntosh threatened.

Apple Bloom looked up at her elder brother before looking back at Twilight, resisting her brothers pushes. “It isn’t like Applejack is gone forever, we still see her from time to time. And if what she says is true then she might be able to bring her back to Ponyville.”

McIntosh kept pushing Apple Bloom until she started to walk to the barn by herself. She looked back at Twilight one final time before disappearing inside the barn. Leaving the two of them alone.

McIntosh looked back at Twilight. “Does Daybreaker know ya still alive?” he asked coldly.

Twilight cocked her head to the side, the name not sounding familiar to her. “I don’t know who this Daybreaker is so my guess would be no.” Twilight answered.

McIntosh considered what she said before sighing. “If it means gettin’ my sister back, I’ll go to Canterlot and talk to her myself. Besides, I don’t even want to know what would happen if she found out for herself and that we didn’t tell her. Ya staying in Ponyville?” he asked.

“I’m going to be staying at Fluttershy’s Cottage in the meantime, don’t really have any other place to stay at the moment. I still have a ton of questions that need answered so I will probably continue to look and ask around Ponyville.” Twilight nodded.

McIntosh didn’t say anything in return and instead just left. Disappearing into the same barn Apple Bloom walked into earlier.

Twilight landed on the ground, glad she was finally able to rest her sore wings.

Deciding to return when the tension has died down a little, Twilight walked back to Fluttershy’s Cottage. She thought over everything both Apple Bloom and McIntosh said to her.

A lot of pieces began to fall into place, however with every question that was answered, two more took its place. Opening the door to Fluttershy’s Cottage, Twilight stepped in and closed it behind her. She was glad to know her friends were still alive, and with what Apple Bloom said earlier, they knew where Applejack was.

Not realizing how tired she really was, Twilight let out a big yawn. Walking over to the darkest corner of the room since there was no curtains to block out the light, she laid down and rested her head on her hooves.

There were numerous questions Twilight kept asking herself which prevented her from falling asleep. ’Where are my friends? Why doesn’t the sun set? Why is every pony afraid of me?’ Twilight thought, glancing to the window as the light from the sun illuminated the room. ’But most importantly, what happened to Celestia and who is this Daybreaker?’ After pondering these questions for a few minutes, Twilight eventually fell asleep.

While Twilight was asleep and after a lengthy heated discussion with Apple Bloom, McIntosh kept true to his word and took a train to Canterlot. Unlike Ponyville that remained similar to the one in Twilight’s reality, Canterlot was a different story. The amount of guards stationed around and patrolling have been increased as well as changes to their armour. The armour still kept its golden colour, however it was trimmed with an orange and yellow tint, covering more of their body and legs. Daybreaker’s orange sun cutie mark engraved in the armour that covered where their cutie mark should be as well as replacing the star insignia that was on their chest piece. Some of them even had an extra layer of protection of golden chainmail underneath.

Approaching the castle gates, a pair of stallion earth pony guards crossed their spears together, blocking McIntosh's path. “What business do you have in the castle grounds?” One of the guards demanded.

“I have urgent news that I must inform her highness about.” McIntosh replied.

“Do you have a filled in petition slip with you?” the guard replied.

McIntosh shook his head. “Nope, however this information is about the queen’s former protégée’s. Twilight Sparkle.”

The pair of guards looked at each other for a moment before nodding. “We don’t normally do this, however due to the circumstances of the topic at hoof we will allow you to enter without a permit.” The other guard said as they removed their spears, allowing McIntosh to enter.

As he walked past the guards, he was stopped again by a hoof on his shoulder. “When speaking to her majesty, I would highly recommend you choose your words wisely stallion, else they may be your last.” The guard whispered into his ear before letting go of him, allowing McIntosh to enter the castle grounds.

McIntosh had seen the castle a few times when he did supply runs to some of the stores and bakeries around here. However this was the first time he stepped hoof into the castle grounds after his sister’s banishment.

Looking around, there were two statues of Daybreaker. One where she was rearing. Bright orange armour covering her wings, hooves and chest piece that bore the same orange sun that the guards had embedded in their armor. Her crown that also served as a helmet was positioned slightly beneath her horn with a red encrusted jewel in the centre middle. She appeared to be laughing with both of her fangs visible.

The second statue was similar to the first one as she still had the same armour and helmet equipped, however the pose was different. This time she had one hoof raised slightly off the ground with her wings flared wide open behind her, a large grin on her face.

Walking past the statues, McIntosh turned his attention to the castle. Not much had changed in on itself. The only noticeable difference were the golden banners that were hung up bearing Daybreaker’s cutie mark, with her crown over the top of it as well as numerous sun logos engraved on the doorways and windows.

Stepping into the castle and following the stationed guard’s instructions. McIntosh eventually found his way to the throne room’s foyer. Ponies, both noble and common waited to be accepted to be in their Queen’s presence.

Waiting alongside the ponies, a young white coated mare with a dark brown mane, lighter shade of brown eyes with an ink pen and quill cutie mark entered the foyer from the throne room. “Dane Tee Dove, Éclair Crème, Sealed Scroll, Serenity, Burning Heart and Minuette. Your petitions have been denied and are to leave the premises immediately. Twinkle Shine your petition has been approved and have the honour of standing in front of her majesty.” The mare exclaimed, not taking her eyes off the clipboard.

The ponies who names have been called out all left without a word, however Twinkle Shine followed the young mare into the throne room. Just under half of the ponies that were here were already gone.

This process was repeated a few times. The mare whose name he discovered to be Raven Inkwell returned to the foyer, listed a bunch of names that were to be dismissed, before allowing one single pony to enter. However most of the time whenever the accepted pony came back out they were visibly upset.

McIntosh was beginning to feel more and more nervous, he had only met Daybreaker once before during his sister’s banishment and even then she was considered merciful compared to now.

Forty minutes later after everypony had been dismissed, McIntosh was the last pony in the room excluding Raven Inkwell. Since he didn’t submit a petition like every pony else, his visit wasn’t considered formal so he approached the young mare who was writing a few things down on her clipboard.

“Name?” Raven asked before McIntosh had a chance to speak.

“McIntosh.”

“McIntosh, McIntosh, McIntosh” Raven whispered to herself as she scanned her checklist while flicking through numerous pages. “Your name doesn’t seem to be on the list, I don’t know who let you in however the Queen is done with petitions for the time being, I must ask you to leave and return once you have filed the appropriate paperwork.” Raven instructed.

McIntosh nodded. “I know however I have information about her majesty’s protégée. Twilight Sparkle.” he said.

SNAP

Raven stared wide eyed at McIntosh, her quill snapped in half, the end hanging limply from the shaft. “O-one moment please.” Raven instructed before disappearing back into the throne room.

“WHAT!”

A loud voice boomed from the throne room. Shortly after Raven came back into the foyer. “You better not keep her mistress waiting.” Raven instructed, leaving the door open for McIntosh to enter.

Stepping into the throne room itself, McIntosh noticed how different it was compared to his last visit. Instead of a red carpet leading from the door way all the way up to the throne, there was a long yellowy white coloured sunbeam engraved in the ground that began at the door way and ended at a circular patch of light in front of the throne, where the ponies that had the honour of being in the queens presence were supposed to stand.

Smaller and lighter coloured sunbeams also spread evenly from the circular light patch. Which after a closer inspection seemed to represent the sun. Following the sunbeam to the light patch in the middle, McIntosh took notice of the pictures on the wall. All of them being highly detailed paintings of Daybreaker, her fanged smile being the most used expression in the various paintings.

Reaching the light patch in front of the throne, McIntosh looked at the back wall. A circular window had been installed in the top middle using stained glass that bore Daybreaker’s cutie mark. He had to squint in order to see as the sun was angled perfectly for it to be seen completely from where he was standing. It was also what created the very light patch he was currently standing on. At either side of the window, the same golden banners baring Daybreaker's cutie mark along with her jewel encrusted crown were displayed.

The throne itself had been elevated slightly and the seat was a lot flashier than it used to be. However the most that had changed with it was the pony that was sitting on it.

Daybreaker, the white coated deity with a fiery mane and tail stared as the red coated stallion approached her throne. Her amber iris and black vertical shaped pupil unblinking. Tapping her hoof against her golden armrest impatiently, she rested her head on her other hoof.

When McIntosh stopped in the light patch in front of her, she didn’t wait for him to speak like she usually did with other petitioners. “What information do you possibly have about Twilight that I do not currently possess myself.” Daybreaker asked with a bemused expression.

McIntosh bowed which caused Daybreaker to roll her eyes. “I. Won’t. Ask. Again. What do you know about Twilight?” Daybreaker snarled, bearing her fangs at McIntosh.

Getting back up on his hooves, McIntosh looked up at Daybreaker. “T-Twilights alive!” Was all he could mutter out.

Daybreaker remained motionless, those two words strong enough to put her into shock. Not getting any reply back McIntosh inched closer, though not daring to step out of the light patch he was standing on. “My Queen?” he asked.

Daybreaker leapt off her throne and landed in front of the stallion, fire in what used to be her amber eyes. “Twilight is dead. I’m the one who carried her lifeless body back to Canterlot. I’m the one who gave her a proper burial fit for a queen. And you come here, into my castle, tell me none of that actually happened and she has actually been alive for the past 12 years!” Daybreaker roared, using the royal Canterlot voice causing McIntosh to shrink to the ground, covering his ears.

McIntosh immediately regretted what he had said. The guard was right in telling him to be careful with how he chose his words. “She is my queen! I saw her just a few hours ago in Ponyville! Though she appears to be an alicorn now and calls herself the princess of friendship!” He explained a little too loudly.

Daybreaker took a step back, pondering what the stallion had said. “Explain.” She retorted, no longer using the royal Canterlot voice though anger was still evident, her eyes narrowing on the stallion.

Getting back on his hooves, he looked up at the much taller deity. “She came to ma family’s farm. Sweet Apple Acres. She talked to ma youngest sister a bit before I turned up.” He explained, leaving out the part about him attacking her. “Apparently she knows nothin’ that transpired after the Nightmare Moon fight as she claims to be a Twilight from another reality. That some ponies name I forgot wanted her out of the way, so she sent her to a reality where she doesn’t currently exist. Which just so happened to be this one since this realities Twilight met her demise against Nightmare Moon.”

Daybreaker winced at the last part, however McIntosh didn’t stop his explanation in fear that she would hurt him if he did. “When I asked her if ya knew she was still alive, she said she didn’t know who a pony called ‘Daybreaker’ was so no. She doesn’t even know why the sun doesn’t set either and wanted to know what happened to her friends, the ones that accompanied her on her journey to stop Nightmare Moon.”

“Why would she care about those incompetent fools that failed to protect her, the ones that left her to fight my sister alone?”

McIntosh gritted his teeth at how she talked about his sister, however he didn’t let his frustration show. “As I explained she is from another reality. A reality where they succeeded in their fight against Nightmare Moon and purified her by using something called ‘the elements of harmony.” He explained.

All doubt that Daybreaker had about his story vanished when he mention the elements of harmony. A secret that was only known to herself and Twilight. “So my little Twily is really back?” Daybreaker asked in a soft tone. Tears welling up in her eyes however they were quickly evaporated from the heat her body produced.

“You said you saw her hours ago, where is she now?” Daybreaker demanded, her softer side gone almost instantly.

“She said she was going to stay in Ponyville in the meantime. She is currently living in Fluttershy’s abandoned cottage outside Everfree Forest since she doesn’t have any other place to live at the moment. She also said that she had a bunch of stuff she still needed to do, which I’m assuming is mostly to find out where her friends ran off to and what’s happening around here. So if ya wish to find her then waiting there would be your best bet.”

“Is there anything else she explained that you have not yet mentioned?” Daybreaker asked, raising an eyebrow.

McIntosh thought to himself out loud. “Ascension, another dimension, purified, Fluttershy’s Cottage, friend’s banishment…Oh yes! As well as being transported to another dimension, she’d also been sent into the future by roughly over ten years. So for her it has been somewhere between two to three years since the fight with Nightmare Moon while it has been twelve for us.” he explained.

“Interesting, is there anything else?” Daybreaker pressed further.

With a nod the stallion bowed again. “Ya banished Applejack and her friends due to their incompetence in protecting Twilight. However since she is alive now, would ye be able to lift this banishment so that she may return to us?” he asked.

Daybreaker smirked, knowing the stallion wouldn’t have come all the way out here just to inform her without getting anything in return. “I will consider it when I see Twilight for myself, in the meantime. GUARDS!” Daybreaker called out. The doors to the throne room opened and two armoured pegasi entered the room and bowed. “Escort this stallion to the dungeons, oh and make sure he is fed. I wouldn’t want him to have already starved to death if I find out he’s been lying to me.”

The guards bowed once more as they escorted McIntosh out of the throne room. “Raven!” Daybreaker called out.

The young white mare rushed into the room. “Yes my queen?” Raven asked panting lightly.

“Cancel or delay any plans that have been made over the next 24 hours, I’m heading out of Canterlot for a while.”

“Of course Mistress, shall I arrange an armed escort as well as a method of travel to your destination?” Raven asked with a new quill in hoof.

Daybreaker walked past the mare, Raven following closely behind. “No, I must do this myself.” Daybreaker replied, exiting the castle and stepping out into the gardens.

“Where will you be going and when shall I be expecting you back?” Raven asked again.

Daybreaker spread her legs and wings, preparing for take off. “Ponyville and whenever I feel like it.” Daybreaker responded before flapping her wings down, launching herself into the air before flying in the direction of Ponyville.

“I’m coming, my faithful student!”

Chapter 2 - Reunited

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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.”

Chapter 3 - New Princess

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Waves of emotions overwhelmed Twilight who remained motionless under the embrace of Daybreaker. Regaining her bearings, Twilight looked over the deity, taking in both the differences and similarities between the form in front of her and the one she knew ‘She must have lost her cake appetite’ Twilight thought, noticing how much slender Daybreaker’s form was.

“That was a pathetic attempt at a barrier” Daybreaker scolded, trailing an armoured hoof across the side of her protégée’s face “It seems, my faithful student, I still have much to teach you.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the comment made about her barrier “Pathetic!? I always thought my barriers were quite effective. After all, you were the one who taught them to me” she pouted, the pair of wings wrapping tighter around her.

“I’ll give you credit that charging into your barrier did hurt and is better than what any of my elite unicorn guard can pull off. Though I would expect somepony with your status and magical ability to at least stagger or disorientate me when breaking through, if not stop me entirely” Daybreaker disputed as she rested her head on top of Twilights “And I will teach you how to do just that and so much more.”

Twilight’s face turned a slight shade of red at how warm Daybreaker’s body was and how close they were, ‘After everything she has been through I’m not surprised she is acting like this, I just hope Celestia isn’t too worried herself’ she thought.

“When that farmer stallion proclaimed you were still alive I was absolutely livid. I searched for years on end to find a way to bring you back from the dead, digging into every little myth and legend that had even the slightest mention off resurrection but nothing worked. I was so close to turning him into a pile of ash there and then, but when he mentioned the elements of harmony I knew there was some truth to his story.” Daybreaker chuckled to herself “Though I would have never of thought to search for you through other realities, it seems as If fate has given me a second chance.”

Twilight didn’t know how to react to that. Daybreaker went through excessive means in order to bring her back and that made her feel incredibly special, but there was one thing that worried her “Despite all the similarities, I am a completely different Twilight from the one you remember. From what I can tell the changing point between our realities is the Nightmare Moon encounter, so everything up till the point I died is the same but as you can see” she started trying to extend her wings which refused to budge under the tight embrace of Daybreaker “Err feel in this case, I am different, both physically and mentally.”

Daybreaker ran her hoof through Twilight’s mane repeatedly, stroking it “If everything up to the point of your demise is indeed the same then you just have to go into detail about every little moment of your life from the encounter with my sister onwards” Daybreaker countered.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the absurd request “Every moment?” she questioned enjoying her mane being stroked.

“We have all day” Daybreaker jested with a fanged grin.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she teleported out of Daybreaker’s grasp and back on her hooves in the doorway of the cottage “Obviously I can’t explain every little detail though I will explain all the impactful moments in my life” she replied, picking up the bag she left at the doorway and walked inside.

Daybreaker grumbled to herself when she felt Twilight escape from her embrace though she was still too ecstatic to be reunited with her long lost student to let that sour her mood.

Getting up she followed Twilight inside to see her place the sleeping bag in the corner of the room “There’s no way I am going to allow you to spend another night in this dump. When you finish your business here we shall return to Canterlot and I will order the staff to prepare a room for you in the castle” Daybreaker stated not going to take no for an answer.

Twilight looked back at Daybreaker, contemplating her request before looking back down at the sleeping bag “I do admit sleeping on the ground was uncomfortable. It would be nice to sleep in a bed where the entire room isn’t covered in dust and critters couldn’t be heard scurrying about all the time. Thank you very much.”

Deciding to leave the sleeping bag there in case she ended up having to stay in Ponyville again at some point Twilight grabbed her now lighter bag and left the cottage with Daybreaker following closely behind.

Once outside Twilight flared her wings preparing for flight “You visited at the perfect time. I have just finished up in Ponyville and was about to head to Canterlot to find that stallion that visited you earlier. His sister is worried sick about him so I offered to go and have a look” Twilight said.

As soon as Twilight flared her wings Daybreaker immediately grabbed one of them and examined it closely “Oh him? I have him locked away in one of my dungeons” Daybreaker responded as she pressed her hoof against the bone structure of the wing while she gradually applied pressure to it.

Twilight stared at Daybreaker wide eyed “Why in Equestria did you do that?!” she demanded, eventually letting out a small wince as she attempted to retract her wing back to her side though Daybreaker kept a firm hoof on it and switched to inspect her feathers instead.

Daybreaker remained quiet for a few moments. Once she finished inspecting Twilight’s wing she let go of it allowing Twilight to retract it back to her side and stood back up, towering over the smaller lavender alicorn “Because if he lied about you being alive, the one thing I cared most about in over the 1000 years I have lived, then I will make sure he would regret ever being born” she responded firmly with a scowl.

Twilight got out of her pre-flight stance and opened her mouth to interject but quickly closed it as her expression softened slightly. Her instinct was to defend McIntosh since he did nothing wrong but the way Daybreaker worded it made her second guess herself “Since he was telling the truth and I am standing here in front of you, what are you going to do with him now?” she asked instead.

Daybreaker scowl turned to a smile “Indeed you are, I shall release him upon our arrival and allow him to return back to his sister” she replied as she raised her hoof and pointed at Twilight’s wing “Your wings are weak and are showing signs of exertion, how often do you use them?”

Twilight shuffled her wings now understanding why Daybreaker was messing around with them earlier “I don’t really have a reason to use them until now to be honest. I’m already used to walking everywhere and I do enjoy the occasional run in with a friend which doesn’t really happen when you fly everywhere.”

Daybreaker ruffled the top of Twilight’s head messing up her mane slightly “So my attempt to prevent you becoming an old hermit proved successful?” she asked rhetorically which caused Twilight to grumble in response as she fixed her mane.

Levitating the quill, scroll and ribbon from her bag Twilight began to write a message to Apple Bloom “After I finish writing this letter to the stallion’s sister we can return to Canterlot and release him” Twilight said.

Dear Apple Bloom

When I returned home to drop off the sleeping bag you gave me Daybreaker was already in the house waiting for me. Apparently she locked your brother, McIntosh, away in one of the dungeons while she went to investigate if what he proclaimed about my arrival was true. Don’t worry, I had a talk with her and we are on our way back to Canterlot to free him so expect him back shortly.

Daybreaker is quite adamant about me returning to the castle, not that I mind, so I will probably be staying there for a little while. I’ll do what I can about your sisters banishment while I’m there, I’ll try to visit after it has been sorted.

Thanks again for everything you have done.

Your Friend.

Twilight Sparkle.

Rolling the scroll up and attaching the ribbon to it, the scroll was suddenly engulfed in a green flame before vanishing. Both Daybreaker and Twilight flared their wings and took off towards Canterlot.

Landing in front of the castle gates, Daybreaker noticed how exhausted Twilight was and how stiff her wings were “it seems that I have more to teach you than just magic” Daybreaker snickered.

Twilight let out an exhausted laugh while she caught her breath “You seem quite eager to take me under your wing again.” She rebutted in-between breaths.

Daybreaker approached Twilight and draped her large white wing over her back, taking her statement in a literal sense “Oh you have no idea, I’m not going to repeat the same mistake I made last time. I’m going to make sure you know how to defend yourself and you are not leaving this castle until you do” she said before leaning down to nuzzle Twilight.

Twilight looked away shyly as she scraped the ground with the tip of her hoof “W-well, you of all ponies know how much I love to learn….and I wouldn’t be against the opportunity to study under you again, I did miss that.” She said mumbling the last part out.

Daybreaker took in the adorable sight of her students embarrassment “Why don’t we head inside first and we can start our lessons after a good days rest” Daybreaker recommended as they approached the same pair of stallion earth pony guards stationed outside the gate.

Having finally caught her breath and still under Daybreaker’s wing, Twilight walked along side Daybreaker as the guards opened the gate for them before bowing “Welcome back my queen” they both said in unison.

Daybreaker didn’t pay the guards any mind as they walked into the castle’s grounds “My queen? Now that I think about it why did you refer yourself as princess for so long?” Twilight asked.

Daybreaker contemplated Twilight’s question for a few moments “Maybe in the near future I will explain why I never picked up the title. Though with my sisters return and having a valid claim on the throne. I needed to make sure the ponies of Equestria knew I’m still in charge. So when I stopped the sun at its peak and the ponies started calling me Daybreaker, I decided then and there that the benevolent Princess Celestia had to die and I, Queen Daybreaker took her place.”

When the two alicorns entered the castle, the guards got back up on their hooves and closed the gate “Was that another princess? I mean she had both a horn and a pair of wings” One of the guards asked.

“I don’t know, I was too busy paying attention to how close they were. They were pressed up right against each other with her majesty’s wing wrapped over the smaller lavender one” the other replied.

“I never heard anything about our queen courting somepony, I wonder if it had something to do with what that stallion we let in the other day?”

The guard in question just shrugged “I doubt that, I haven’t seen him leave since he went in. As you said, she is probably a princess from another country” he responded as they both resumed their original positions outside the gate.

Back inside the castle it didn’t take long for word to travel around about Daybreaker’s return with another alicorn from an unknown origin “Your Majesty!” Raven called out as she sprinted towards the pair.

Daybreaker silently cursed to herself as she turned around to face the white coated mare rushing towards them “I have done as you asked and pushed all petitions and meetings you have further back to the next court session. Here is your schedule, it is slightly busier than usual” Raven continued as she handed Daybreaker the updated schedule.

Taking it in her magic, Daybreaker quickly scanned the timetable. Twilight noticed that the magical aura was a familiar shade of red instead of the usual yellowy golden colour though she didn’t ask or say anything about it. Daybreaker crunched the paper up into a ball and tossed it to Raven who fumbled trying to catch it “Cancel everything, I have much more important things planned” Daybreaker said with a wave of her hoof as she continued walking down the hallway “Oh and prepare a room for young Twilight here, the room opposite or adjacent mine shall be suitable.”

Twilight watched as Raven tried to flatten the crumpled up schedule to get rid of all the crease marks “Let me have a quick word with her first” she reassured before rushing back to Daybreaker’s side.

“As soon as we release that stallion friend of yours I shall order the chefs to prepare dinner for us. Afterwards we’ll retire to my chambers and you can explain every moment of your life since the encounter with my sister” Daybreaker said enthusiastically before Twilight had a chance to speak up.

Twilight rolled her eyes at the absurd request “Once again, I will only explain the impactful moments of my life and in return I would like a few questions to be answered as well as a helping hoof to get up to date with current events here” Twilight started waiting for Daybreaker to say something in return.

Not hearing any complaints or arguments Twilight moved on to what she was going to say originally “Though are you sure cancelling court all together is a good idea?” she asked.

Daybreaker let out a frustrated sigh at the thought of attending court.

“I mean, you have been ruling well before I was even born. You know all this better than I could possibly imagine so I’m not questioning your ability to rule. It’s just, unless scheduled beforehoof, I have never seen you skip a day of court” Twilight continued.

Daybreaker brushed the tips of her feathers against Twilight’s side causing her to shiver slightly “I know you weren’t questioning my rule. I just have more important matters to attend to than their petty squabbles. As well as court I have to regularly attend military affairs which does take up a bit of time” Daybreaker clarified as they traversed down a spiral staircase towards the dungeons “Though in this case I just want to spend time with my long lost Twilight.”

“If that is the case then why don’t I join you in court like I used to do when I was a filly?” Twilight suggested hoping that would change Daybreaker’s mind “Sure there is quite a bit of research I need to do while I’m here though I can always do that another day…another time? In the future? Whatever description you all use for later in the future now that night doesn’t exist.”

Daybreaker chuckled at her student’s confusion “We use the term ‘another time’, though our clocks have changed slightly to accommodate this. They still display the time however they also display the day, month and year so nopony gets confused” Daybreaker informed as she considered Twilight’s proposal “I think I will take you up on that offer, things may be slightly more interesting with you there.”

Daybreaker was about to ask what Twilight was going to research however they already reached the minor charges floor before she had a chance to. Upon seeing Daybreaker the unicorn warden quickly bowed before unlocking the door, allowing both the alicorns to enter.

The warden followed the pair inside as they walked past the numerous jail cells. Most of them were empty except for a few that had a pony either sleeping in one of the corners or stare at them as they walked past “I honestly thought there would be a lot more here” Twilight spoke up as she scanned the cells for McIntosh.

“This is the minor charges floor for petty thefts or other small crimes. Most are able to pay their fine though there are some, as you can see here, that are unable to pay and are to serve out their sentence” Daybreaker explained as they came across McIntosh sleeping in his cell.

“McIntosh! Thank Celestia you’re alright” Twilight exclaimed rushing to the bars. Daybreaker raised an eyebrow as to why her old name was used as an expression while McIntosh got up and approached the bars.

“Twilight?” McIntosh asked surprised to see her.

Also walking up to the bars the deity stared down at the farmer stallion “Your story was indeed valid and you are free to return home” Daybreaker stated as the warden unlocked the jail cell and opened the door for him.

McIntosh stepped outside the jail cell and bowed “Thank you yer Majesty. Have ya made yer decision about liftin’ ma sister’s banishment?” He asked expectantly.

Daybreaker didn’t hesitate in her response “Your request has been denied” she replied flatly having put no thought into his request and walked past him. McIntosh didn’t object though he was obviously disheartened. Raising his head he silently followed Daybreaker along with the warden.

“Why not?” Twilight objected as McIntosh stared back at her in shock that she would defend his sister and go against Daybreaker like that.

Daybreaker turned back to look at the unhappy looking Twilight “They have failed you once and I will not risk that happening again by allowing you to come into contact with them again. It is for the best that you stay as far away from them as possible.” Daybreaker refuted as she continued walking.

Twilight teleported in front of them and flared her wings to block their path “It isn’t their fault that I was incompetent enough to jump into the teleport spell by myself. There’s numerous things I could have done differently and for that I paid the price” Twilight argued not backing down from the argument.

Bearing her fangs Daybreaker shook her head and pushed past Twilight’s wing having enough of this conversation, McIntosh and the warden following closely behind. Just as they were about to reach the door Twilight slammed it shut with her magic.

This caused Daybreaker to growl as she snapped back to face Twilight “Enough of this! My decision is final and they WILL remained banished. I don’t want to hear another word of this!” she yelled as she turned back to grab the door with her own magic.

Twilight gritted her teeth as Daybreaker’s magic overpowered hers causing her to lose control of the door. Staggered slightly she watched as the three were about to leave the dungeon “If anypony is to blame for my death then it is you Daybreaker!” Twilight screamed.

Daybreaker’s stopped in her tracks as her mane and tail flowed more violently, the room progressively getting warmer. Turning back around she glared at Twilight, fire in her amber draconic shaped eye “What did you say?” she asked darkly.

Twilight felt as if her knees were about to give out underneath her. She had never seen Celestia this angry before though with her friends on the line she wasn’t going to give up now.

Standing her ground Twilight glared back at Daybreaker “I sent you a letter two days before the summer sun celebration warning you about the mare in the moon’s return. And how did you reply?” Twilight asked as she tapped her chin pretending to think her question over “Oh that’s right ‘my dearest and most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. You know that I value your diligence and I trust you completely. BUT YOU SIMPLY MUST STOP READING THOSE DUSTY OLD BOOKS!’” Twilight cried, stomping her hoof down at the last part.

Twilight didn’t give Daybreaker a chance to reply “If you trusted me completely as you said you did then why didn’t you do something about it! MY FRIENDS, the ones you banished were the reason I was able to reach the elements in the first place, even with me protesting that I’ll do it by myself practically the entire time” Twilight continued to argue as she stomped towards Daybreaker till their muzzles were practically touching “They had no obligation to come with me that night but they did. So if you blame them for my death then you played a much bigger role in it because where in Equestria were you!”

The fire from Daybreaker’s mane burned profusely to a point where it started to leave scorch marks on the ceiling and walls in a small radius around her. Twilight’s heart raced as she backed away from Daybreaker, her body shrinking to the ground. If a stare could kill she would be long dead by now. She had forgotten that every pony was afraid of her and for a good reason.

Tucking her tail in-between her legs, Twilight expected Daybreaker to lash out at her in one way or another. Terrified, Twilight casted the same magenta barrier that Daybreaker effortlessly shattered through earlier. Looking up in fear as the flames engulfed Daybreaker’s form she let out a ground breaking stomp that echoed throughout the room as the flames suddenly vanished along with the fiery alicorn.

Everypony in the room stared at the scorched marked concrete where Daybreaker stood before looking back at the visibly upset Twilight “I-I didn’t m-mean to go t-that far” Twilight sniffled as tears streamed down her face, her barrier fading away.

McIntosh approached Twilight and put his hoof under her chin forcing her to look up from the ground “I know Twilight, thank you fer stickin’ up fer ma sister like that” he said wiping the near endless stream of tears from her face before pulling her in for a tight hug.

Unsure of what to do, the warden waited for their little moment to end before leading the two ponies out of the dungeon floor. Locking the door behind them he resumed his original position in front of the door while McIntosh and Twilight walked back up the spiral staircase.

Deciding to break the uncomfortable silence McIntosh was the first to speak up “As much as it may have hurt both of y’all, I think she needed to hear that. If it was anypony else she would have turned ye to ash or locked ye up in one of those cells the moment the teleported in front of her” he comforted.

Twilight nodded in agreement though remained silent. Dried up tear marks staining her cheeks while water continued to build up in her eyes.

The journey to the top of the staircase was a quiet one “I want ye to know yer always welcome back at the farm” McIntosh offered as he rested his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder for a few moments before going his separate way.

“I’m sorry about all of this” Twilight finally spoke up as she wiped the final few drops of tears from her eyes causing McIntosh to stop in his tracks “I’ll wait a little bit for both of us to calm down before apologizing to Daybreaker. In the meantime I told Apple Bloom what happened with you being locked up and she will be expecting you home shortly. Thank you for your offer, have a safe trip” she continued before going her own separate to way find anything that could take her mind off things.

Roughly an hour had passed and Twilight spent all of it in the castle library reading. Books had always been the best way for her to relax and take her mind off things. Finishing the chapter she was on she made a mental note of the book name and chapter number before putting it back in its correct place.

Exiting the library she asked one of the patrolling guards where Daybreaker’s chambers was. Realizing she was using the same room she used back in her reality she headed in that direction.

After a few run in with the guards about her not being allowed in that section of the castle she managed to talk her way towards Daybreaker's chambers which was a lot easier than she had expected. Noticing two heavily armoured pegasi mares stationed outside the room Twilight approached both of them “Hello, by chance is this Daybreaker’s chamber room?” she asked wondering if these were Daybreaker’s personal detail.

The white coated mare was the first to speak “I heard rumours that there was another alicorn in the castle. Though I wonder why we have never heard about you before?” she asked while the cyan one glared menacingly at Twilight.

Ignoring the stares Twilight cleared her throat “it is a long story that I will explain another time when we meet under different circumstances. Again, is this Daybreaker’s chambers?” Twilight repeated her question.

“Yes it is” The white coated mare replied.

Twilight waited a moment to see if the mare would add anything to her response “May I be able to see her?” Twilight further questioned.

“No you may not.”

“Is there a reason why I can’t?” Twilight sighed loudly.

“When in her chambers our queen does not like being disturbed” the armoured mare replied simply.

Twilight rolled her eyes, she hated using her status to get what she wanted though she really wanted to patch things up with Daybreaker “I think with me being an alicorn would be a valid exception to this rule, don’t you agree?” Twilight asked spreading her wings for emphasis.

Contemplating the request the white coated mare banged her hoof against the door “My queen, you have a visitor!” she called out.

“Shress you better have a good bucking reason to dis-“ Daybreaker cut herself off when she opened the door to reveal Twilight standing in-between her personal detail. Rushing out of her room Daybreaker wrapped her hooves around Twilight and hugged her tightly “I didn’t expect to see you so soon, please come in” she added her voice very soft as she let her go before walking back into her room.

Twilight returned the hug before she followed Daybreaker back into the room, she gave the pony named Shress a quick nod as thanks while she ignored the glare the cyan one continued to give her. When the door closed behind them Twilight turned to face Daybreaker.

“As much-“ “Daybreaker I’m” they both said in unison.

Pausing to see who would talk first Twilight gestured to Daybreaker for her to go first.

“As frustrating as you were I thought long and hard about what you said. And for that I want to apologize for how I treated you and…your friends” Daybreaker admitted unable to look Twilight in the eyes “You never know what you have until it is gone, I took you being by my side for granted and when I lost you that night I realized how empty my life really was. I knew it was my fault that you died however I couldn’t accept it, you warned me that my sister would return and what did I do? I disregarded your warning and sent you away. I always planned to send you away but when you started warning me about that old pony’s tale I felt like that was the best time to do so. I know it wasn’t your friend’s fault however I needed somepony to blame otherwise I would start blaming myself, in the end after saying it to myself for so long I started to believe it was actually their fault.”

Twilight noticed how distressed Daybreaker was. Walking up to her Twilight wrapped her hooves around the taller alicorns neck “I may have been angry at you Twilight but I will never hurt you, not in a million years. Seeing you hide behind your barrier with that fearful look in your eyes, that hurt a lot” she continued raising a hoof to where her heart was “I care about you too much Twilight, I just got you back and I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

A familiar pair of large wings wrapped around Twilight’s form as they both slumped down to the ground. A small smile crept on Twilight’s face “I don’t blame you Daybreaker, I never have and I never will. I will admit how you replied to my warning all those years ago did infuriate me though as you said it was an old pony’s tale, you had every right not to believe me so I want to apologize as well for raising my voice at you. As ruler of Equestria it is entirely your call to make if you wish for them to remain banished or not, though as I said they had no obligation to come with me that night to gather the elements and it was my own fault for jumping into the teleport spell without a plan” Twilight said as she nuzzled Daybreaker who returned the sign of affection with one of her own.

Using her magic Daybreaker levitated five semi-filled out forms from her desk and dangled them in front of Twilight “Just so you know I’m doing this for you and only you, I couldn’t care less about what happens to them” Daybreaker stated.

Taking the forms in her own magic Twilight quickly scanned them “Are these to lift their banishment?” Twilight gasped in which Daybreaker nodded.

“Yes and I have nearly finished filling them out. The only problem is that I don’t know where any of them are so I can’t deliver it to them” Daybreaker admitted.

Twilight tightened her hug, a large smile plastered on her face “Don’t worry about that. I already know where two of them live and would hopefully learn were the others are after talking to them” Twilight said happily as she levitated the forms back on Daybreaker’s desk.

Daybreaker chuckled, glad that things have been patched up between them “Should I be offended that you looked for your friends before looking for me?” she teased causing Twilight to giggle.

“Maybe if you have given me more than a day and lived closer I would have visited you first” Twilight retorted in the same joking manner as she poked Daybreaker’s chest with her hoof “Though I’m starting to get hungry, when is dinner?”

Daybreaker reluctantly pulled away from their embrace and got up “I’ll tell them to start preparing something for us” she said before opening the door to talk to the guards outside “One of you go inform the chefs to prepare two meals for my guest and I” Daybreaker ordered and with a salute the cyan mare left her station.

Closing the door behind her, Daybreaker walked to her bed and laid down “Now then, while we wait why don’t you catch me up with your life events. I also want to know why my old name was used as an expression” Daybreaker said, petting the spot next to her with a hoof.

Hopping onto the bed Twilight laid at the opposite side and cleared her throat “Very well. When me and my friends entered the old castle upon Nightmare Moon’s return…”

Half an hour had passed before a few knocks at the door interrupted Twilight’s explanation. She didn’t get as far as she would have liked due to Daybreaker’s constant interruptions to ask questions.

Daybreaker opened the door with her magic allowing the servant to push a service trolley inside the room that carried two metal cloches, two heart shaped crystal encrusted glasses and a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice “Enjoy your meal my queen and honoured guest” he said before leaving the pair alone.

Picking up one of the glasses, Twilight inspected the heart shaped crystals embedded into the glass “Well…when you suggested dinner this wasn’t what I had in mind at all” Twilight admitted putting the glass back down.

“Morons.”

With an ear twitch Twilight turned to face Daybreaker who had the lid of the cloche suspended in the air revealing strawberry’s drizzled in a brown sauce as well as scrambled eggs, lettuce and two heart shaped hay encrusted toast with a choice of spreads on the side.

“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked picking up on the comment Daybreaker made earlier.

Daybreaker sighed, putting the lid back down “It seems word must have travelled around about us and they seem to think that we are courting. It was either from the way we acted when walking into the castle with you under my wing or the fact that you are an alicorn they have never heard off and think you are a ruler from another region wanting an alliance through marriage.”

Twilight’s face burned a bright shade of red “Morons indeed” she mumbled quietly “well, despite the presentation food is still food. Let’s just enjoy our meal before retiring for the day, would be nice to sleep in an actual bed this time” she insisted as she picked up the bottle in her magic. Pulling the cork out she filled up both of their glasses and put it back in the ice bucket.

Picking up their respective glasses Daybreaker smiled as she levitated her glass to Twilight’s “A toast to your return.” Daybreaker said though Twilight said nothing as she stared at the glass levitated in front of her.

Wondering what was taking Twilight so long to respond Daybreaker was about to speak up until Twilight clinked her glass with her own “To my return” Twilight eventually repeated with a smile, something was off about her smile though she couldn’t place her hoof on it.

Taking a drink from their respective glasses Daybreaker licked her lips from the rich flavour while Twilight gagged “Uugh this is why I don’t drink alcohol” she grumbled after coughing a few times.

Daybreaker took another drink from hers “Usually an acquired taste, though it gets better the more you drink” Daybreaker stated while Twilight lifted the lid of her cloche. Picking up the strawberry, Twilight licked the sauce to discover that it was in fact chocolate before taking the whole thing in her mouth “Mmm sho good” she said blissfully with her mouth full.

Opening her mouth to eat another, Daybreaker quickly slipped one of her own strawberries onto her student’s tongue. Surprised, Twilight’s eyes widened as she instinctively closed her mouth and chewed on it.

Hearing Daybreaker laugh at her reaction, Twilight narrowed her eyes and picked up her last strawberry before shoving it into Daybreaker’s mouth. Daybreaker suddenly stopped laughing and pulled the same expression Twilight did “Oh how the tides have turned” Twilight giggled.

Having called for a temporary truce, the two alicorns ate their meals peacefully. Twilight still wasn’t a big fan of the wine however she was able to tolerate it more after every drink. Finishing their meals they put everything back on the service trolley and Daybreaker rolled it outside for one of her guards to take back to the kitchens.

When Daybreaker returned to the bed she was met with a Tipsy Twilight who was barely able to keep her eyes open. Chuckling, she lifted the full grown mare onto her back “Drunk before tomorrow’s class, how rebellious.”

Twilight groaned as she was carried to the room opposite of Daybreakers “I can waaaaalk” Twilight mumbled as she attempted to push herself off Daybreaker’s back.

Daybreaker ignored the tipsy mare’s complaints as she gently placed Twilight on the bed who fell asleep instantly. Smiling she rested Twilight's head on the pillow and tucked her under the covers “Goodnight, my little Twily, sweet dreams” she said sweetly as she kissed her forehead before retiring to her chambers to finish off the banishment forms and read over the court schedule Raven rewrote.

Twilight was sound asleep, dreaming about the good old times where she and her friends met up for lunch at Sugar Cube Corner. Twilight had her tea cup suspended in front of her, laughing at one of Rainbow Dash’s jokes while Rarity went on about a new dress she was working on.

The discussion was short lived when an extra chair was pulled up to the table “Mind if I join thy ladies?” a familiar voice chipped in. Twilight dropped her cup causing it to smash on the ground as Nightmare Moon placed a cup of coffee as well as a brownie on the table before sitting down opposite of her.

Looking around, Twilight noticed that her friends had vanished leaving her and Nightmare Moon alone at the table “Nightmare Moon, and what do I owe the pleasure?” Twilight narrowed her eyes as a new cup of tea appeared next to her.

“When news spread that there was an unknown alicorn roaming Ponyville I grew curious and had my subjects investigate. When the news spread around Canterlot itself I just had to see it for myself, so here we are” Nightmare Moon replied as she took a bite out of her brownie “Though why do I have this feeling that we have met before? I’m confident I would remember meeting another alicorn.”

Twilight remained quiet not wanting to divulge any information. Noticing the silence Nightmare Moon decided to change the topic “Another alicorn isn’t the only rumour that has been spreading” she said as she leaned across the table with a smirk “So when do I start calling thou sister-in-law? And would thy be able to send me the wedding invitation? Knowing my sister she would probably forget.”

Twilight’s face turned a dark shade of red “WE AREN’T LIKE THAT!” she exclaimed causing Nightmare Moon to laugh harder “My, thou art certainly fun to tease. Though how my sister became smitten with thou so quickly is beyond me. Last time she remotely cared about something, or somepony rather, was her protégée I murdered years ago” Nightmare Moon stated as she finished her brownie before another one suddenly appeared on her plate.

Nightmare Moon noticed that Twilight’s expression turned to a one of sadness, making a note of this she took a sip from her coffee “Tell me, what art thou name?”

Twilight bit her lower lip and looked away, unsure as to how to reply to the question. She didn’t want to answer with her real name in fear that Nightmare Moon would discover who she really was. With a sigh Nightmare Moon rested her hoof against her azure coloured helmet “If thou aren’t going to answer my questions or answer them truthfully then I’m wasting my time. I can only dream walk a few times every month” she sighed as her form started to flicker and fade away.

“I’ll answer some your questions if you answer some of mine. However I have the right to not answer any questions that I don’t feel comfortable with answering” Twilight proposed as Nightmare Moon’s form began to stabilize.

“I can work with that. Well thou have my first question, what is thy name?” Nightmare Moon repeated.

“Twilight” the lavender alicorn sighed out “Twilight Sparkle” she added hoping she wouldn’t regret this decision “You said you can only dream walk a few times a month. Why is that? I thought you could control the dream realm anytime you liked” Twilight asked.

Nightmare Moon tapped her hoof against the table repeatedly “Twilight…Twilight…Twilight” she muttered to herself, the name clawing at the back of her mind.

“A deal is a deal, my answer” Twilight demanded wanting an answer before she figured it out.

“I know” Nightmare Moon retorted with an exasperated sigh “Usually I would be able to do so, though with the limited amount of contact I have with the moon it makes it quite difficult to recharge my celestial powers. So while the sun is out Daybreaker will be stronger and I will be weaker, however, if the moon is out I will be stronger and Daybreaker will be weaker.” Nightmare Moon explained.

“Next Question, what is the name and location of thou kingdom?” Nightmare Moon asked having believed the rumours that were going around.

This question caused Twilight to grin “Hah! I don’t rule over a kingdom. I am however known as the Princess of friendship if that is any consolation” Twilight responded smugly that she was able to get a free question off.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes at the useless answer as she waited for Twilight to ask her next question “Why did you cast eternal night in the first place? What did you hope to achieve from it?”

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow at the simple question “Same reason as my sister, I wanted power. Though in the end it mostly came down to jealousy, I wanted ponies to appreciate my night sky instead of fear it” she replied with a shrug.

Twilight cocked her head to the side “Daybreaker doesn’t want power, she broke the day and night cycle to stop you from amassing an army of bat ponies, since they are nocturnal it was a logical and strategic decision” Twilight refuted.

Nightmare Moon laughed at the response “Is that what she told everypony? My beloved sister has always been much better at the political game than I ever was. Bat ponies are nocturnal, of course they would flock to the princess of the night upon her return.” She explained as Twilight began to rethink what she knew about Daybreaker.

“What art thou intentions with my sister?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Twilight slumped down in her chair, still deep in thought about the answer to her previous question “Daybreaker was the one who approached me. Though if I have to guess it would be to become her student again” Twilight answered as she inwardly cursed herself for letting her guard down.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened as she jumped out of her chair “It all makes sense now! How did thou survive our encounter at the old castle in Everfree Forest?” Nightmare Moon demanded “I was too focused on the fact that thou art an alicorn to even consider other options.”

Twilight muttered insults to herself as she facehoofed “I was hoping you wouldn’t pick up on that. Though I’m pretty sure it is my turn to ask the questions.”

Baring her fangs Nightmare Moon sat back down on her seat. Twilight thought long and hard about her next and possibly last question “If I recall, you managed to escape with three of the elements of harmony. What are your intentions with them?” she eventually asked.

Nightmare Moon clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath “Originally I took them to prevent them being used against me. However a few years ago we managed to...acquire...Starswirl the Bearded unfinished masterpiece. After countless failed attempts to complete the spell we recently discovered a link between the spell and the elements of harmony. We believe that once in the possession of all the elements we can use them to complete the spell” Nightmare Moon explained reopening her eyes clearly not happy about giving away such valuable information “Now answer my question? How did thou cheat death? How did thou survive? No word games, I want a clear and solid answer.”

Noticing that she used the word ‘we’ meaning she was working with somepony else on this Twilight had a feeling she knew what spell they were trying to complete “As promised I hold the right to not answer any questions I don’t feel comfortable with answering.”

Nightmare Moon was not happy with that answer. Flipping the table she approached Twilight and placed a hoof on her chest however the hoof went through her body and rested on the backpiece of the chair she was resting on “Thou will answer my question Twilight Sparkle” she demanded.

Twilight stared up and Nightmare Moon “Without your full power there is only so much you can do to me in the dream world, If you are going to be unreasonable and break our agreement then I think we are done here for tonight.”

Nightmare Moon form began to flicker once again “I have much to think about and it would do well to reserve what little power I still have stored” she responded as she pulled her hoof away from Twilight and stepped back “This will not be the last you see of me, Until we meet again young Twilight, whether it be here or in the waking world” she growled before vanishing from the dream.

Once Nightmare Moon Vanished from the dream Twilight immediately woke up covered in sweat. Staring at the ceiling she thought about the events of her dream and the remarks Nightmare Moon made about Daybreaker, who lied to her subjects about the reason why she created eternal day, however that was something she felt she would have to confront Daybreaker about herself.

Feeling the covers pull away from her, Twilight snapped from her thoughts and looked over to see Daybreaker fast asleep next to her, their faces practically touching. Her face immediately turned a bright shade of red as she was reminded about the rumours that had been spreading about them courting.

“Oh sweet Celestia” she mumbled as she hid under the covers.

Chapter 4 - Bad Influence

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With a few deep breaths, Twilight re-emerged from underneath the blankets and once again looked over Daybreaker’s sleeping form. She couldn’t help but smile at how peaceful the deity looked though that begged the question as to why they were sharing the same bed in the first place.

Resting her head back on the pillow, Twilight thought back to when they used to sleep together when she was just a filly. How she would be pressed up against Celestia’s side with one of her large white feathery wings wrapped around her as a makeshift blanket. She could still remember the lullaby that used to be sung to her until she fell asleep. It was one of the many things she loved and missed when growing up, that and bubble baths.

After gazing at Daybreaker for Celestia knows how long, Twilight narrowed her eyes realizing that something seemed different about her. Sitting back up it didn’t take her long to realize that Daybreaker’s mane was no longer on fire and her body wasn’t producing an excessive amount of heat. Instead her mane appeared to be normal with a bright red hue.

Overcome with Curiosity, Twilight leaned forward and ran her hoof slowly yet gently through Daybreaker’s vibrant red mane. She was used to seeing her with an ethereal rainbow-y coloured mane, it being on fire was definitely a surprise and was something she wanted to know more about in detail another time, however seeing her with such a normal mane style was something else entirely.

Running her hoof along Daybreaker’s lower mane a small smile crept onto the sleeping deity’s face “Mmm that feels good” Daybreaker purred causing Twilight to yelp and jump back to her side of the bed. Daybreaker sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her hoof “Why did you stop?” she asked groggily with a hint off disappointment.

Recovering from the initial shock, Twilight watched as Daybreaker stretched her hooves in the air, her wings suddenly flaring out until a loud and painful sounding click could be heard earning a sigh of content from the deity “Why did I stop? What are you doing in my bed?!” Twilight countered with her own question.

Daybreaker glanced at Twilight still in mid-stretch “Would you really throw me out after everything that happened last night?” she asked, her voice filled with hurt as her wings drooped down against the bed “I thought you meant everything you said last night.” She continued shutting her eyes as she pulled the bed sheets up to her chest dramatically.

Twilight’s eyes widened up as her mind raced over the events of last night ‘Last Night! Ok Twilight you two made up, talked a bit about my life, had dinner, drunk a bit of wine’ she thought as her mind started getting a little bit fuzzy ‘I think I remember Daybreaker carrying me to my room and…and…and’ Twilight thought unable to remember anything that happened afterwards other than the encounter with Nightmare Moon in the dream realm.

Twilight started to panic as she wondered what she could have possibly said or even done to Daybreaker, though her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of laughter “I’m sorry…I-I just couldn’t” Daybreaker stuttered, unable to finish her sentence before laughing harder “Y-your face!”

Cocking her head to the side, Twilight stared at Daybreaker in confusion “Nothing happened between us” Daybreaker started getting rid of the last few chuckles that was still in her system “I was just messing with you” Daybreaker admitted as a pillow hit her in the snoot causing her head to ricochet backwards.

“Then I shall ask again” Twilight grumbled before sighing loudly “What are you doing in my room?”

Daybreaker removed the pillow from her face and rubbed her nose “Even though you were in the room just opposite of mine, I just felt like something bad would happen and I couldn’t sleep because of it. I felt that the moment I woke up and walked to your room I would see it empty and unslept in, that everything that transpired from the moment I tackled you at the cottage to the moment I carried your drunken flank to the bed would have all been just a dream” Daybreaker replied honestly with a weak chuckle as she put the pillow back where it should be and got up to get dressed “I know it sounds ridiculous…though this isn’t the first dream I had about you coming back somehow. Either way I wanted to savour every moment of it.”

Twilight’s expression softened as she watched Daybreaker levitate the chest piece that was scattered on the ground along with the other pieces of armor up to her chest “You…really did miss me didn’t you?” Twilight asked, now watching Daybreaker tighten the leather straps on her back until it fitted firmly against her body.

Daybreaker sat down on the bed and levitated the armored wing piece to her side “You’re a smart mare Twilight, I’m sure you would have no trouble figuring out the answer on your own” Daybreaker replied as she struggled to fit the bone structure of her wing into the slot.

Twilight giggled realizing how stupid her question must of sounded “Here let me help” Twilight offered as she crawled up behind Daybreaker and grabbed her wing with her hooves, steadying it as she took control of the armor with her own magic and slid it in effortlessly before doing the same with her other wing.

Giving her wings a few flaps to test if they were fitted correctly, Daybreaker moved on to equipping the next piece of armor “Your mane” Twilight said.

“What about my mane?” Daybreaker asked as her hoof slid perfectly into the leg piece.

“The reason I was playing with it earlier while you were sleeping” Twilight admitted sheepishly “I have never seen you with such a normal mane style before and I was very intrigued by it. If you could somehow get rid of either the horn or wings you would be able to pass off as a regular pony. Aside from the obvious cutie mark that is.”

“Well considering my mane is literally fire it would be difficult to sleep in anything that isn’t flameproof without risking the entire room or even the castle being burnt down to the ground” Daybreaker replied “As for blending in, I used to do that quite a lot when I was still known as Celestia whenever I wanted to go out, nothing a simple illusion spell can’t accomplish.”

Twilight’s eyes sparkled as she rushed off the bed and stood in front of Daybreaker expectantly “Teach me that spell” Twilight demanded.

Daybreaker smirked at her student’s enthusiasm “It isn’t a hard spell to cast though it does take up quite a bit of magic which is why it isn’t widely known. How about this, you do well in today’s lessons that I have planned for you and I will teach you that spell” Daybreaker proposed which earned a loud squee from Twilight.

Once the last leg piece was attached to her hoof, Daybreaker chuckled as she got back up on her hooves “I’ll take that as a yes” she assumed as she levitated her crown which also acted as a helmet on top of her head “Now then, let us grab something to eat before court starts.” She suggested as she set her red hued mane ablaze.

With a nod Twilight exited the room alongside Daybreaker while the same highly armored pegasi mares followed closely behind “I still don’t understand why you would ever want to have a fiery mane. If you can turn it on and off whenever you want then why don’t you just keep it off” Twilight asked as they walked down the hallway.

“It isn’t quite as simple as turning it on and off. My emotions play a big part in it as you probably could have guessed with our little scene in the dungeons” she explained noticing Twilight wince slightly “before your death I had always borrowed the suns power, using what I needed in small amounts whenever I needed it. Now I control it and it is a part of me, despite being the alicorn of the sun or whatever ponies call me now, I am still in fact a pony. There is a limit to how much power my body can handle, when I reach what I set as my limit I then channel all the excess magic I receive through my body which is why mane is always on fire and why my body is so warm. I use up a bit of magic before I sleep so I can turn it off…That and it is quite an effective intimidation tool.”

It didn’t take long for the pair of alicorns to reach the dining room. Sitting down at the table, the same servant that served them for dinner pushed a service trolley into the room. The servant placed a plate of stacked pancakes in front of them which were covered in maple syrup as well a small nearly melted stack of butter on the top. Seeing this Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle to herself as she thought about all the faces Celestia used to draw on them.

“Is something wrong with the meal my lady?” the servant asked bowing down to her.

Twilight immediately shook her head “I was merely reminiscing about the old days. I’m sure it will be delicious, thank you very much” Twilight responded as the servant got back up and walked away, leaving Twilight and Daybreaker alone while the armored mares remained stationed at the doorway outside hearing range.

Twilight levitated her cutlery and spread the butter over each pancake before cutting them into bite sized pieces. She looked over at Daybreaker, who instead lifted more than one pancake with her hooves and took a massive bite out of it, not caring that the maple syrup was dripping down her hooves or the fact she also ate the stack of butter.

Thinking back to Nightmare Moon’s response about why Daybreaker casted eternal night, Twilight stabbed one of the cut up pieces with her fork and shoved it into her mouth ‘Same reason as my sister, I wanted power’ the response replayed in her head. Taking another piece she waited until she finished chewing to speak up.

“Why did you create eternal day?” Twilight asked causing Daybreaker to lower the mutilated pancakes back onto her plate, her muzzle also covered in maple syrup.

“What sprung this question all of a sudden?” Daybreaker asked instead not caring about the mess that she had created.

Normally Twilight would laugh at her mentor’s messy appearance though she was too distracted at the moment to care “Two ponies had conflicting answers on the matter and I wanted to hear your side of the story before jumping to any conclusions” Twilight replied not wanting to bring Nightmare Moon into the discussion just yet.

“Upon my sisters return she began to amass an army of bat ponies, due to their nocturnal state and to slow the rate my sister can recharge her celestial powers, I created eternal day.” Daybreaker explained.

The magical aura around Twilight’s cutlery grew stronger at the thought of Daybreaker lying though she kept a neutral expression on her face “And that is the only reason?” Twilight asked as she played with the last few pieces of pancake with her fork.

Daybreaker’s finally levitated a napkin to clean the mess off her face “What have you heard that makes you doubt my answer?” Daybreaker asked with a raised eyebrow knowing there was more than what Twilight was leading on.

Twilight remained quiet for longer than Daybreaker had liked “As long as you are telling the truth then it doesn’t really matter” Twilight replied as she pushed the plate aside having lost her appetite “So when do we start training? I’m curious to know what kind of lessons you have planned.”

Daybreaker picked up on the quick change of conversation “I want to know what my subjects have been saying that warrants that question” Daybreaker countered in a serious tone.

Twilight’s ears perked backwards as she looked away “I heard that you only wanted power…that it was only natural for the bat ponies to flock to the princess of the night upon her return.”

Not hearing any response Twilight eventually looked back up at Daybreaker and immediately regretted it. Feeling her heart skip a beat she struggled to break away from Daybreaker’s piercing amber gaze “Tell me, who has been spreading such accusations” Daybreaker asked sternly.

Twilight shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, afraid of how Daybreaker would react upon hearing her sisters name “N-Mightshare Schloom” she mumbled out quietly.

“It usually helps when you open your mouth when you speak.”

Twilight sighed in defeat “Nightmare Moon” Twilight admitted finally able to break away from their little staring contest “She visited me in my dreams last night and we…talked for a while until things got a little out of hoof” she added lowering her head afraid of how Daybreaker would react.

“I had no control over what happened. I was dreaming about having lunch with my friends at Sugar Cube Corner when she suddenly pulled a chair up to the table. She sat down and she-“ Twilight was cut off when she felt something press underneath her chin forcing her head up.

Twilight saw that Daybreaker was now standing in front of her with a hoof under her chin. The expression in Daybreaker’s eyes were replaced with ones of concern “Did she do anything to you?” Daybreaker asked worriedly.

This was not the kind of question or response Twilight was expecting “N-No, despite trying, she was unable to interact with me physically in the dream” Twilight replied slightly off guard.

The doors to the dining room swung open causing Daybreaker to grumble in annoyance at the sudden and unwelcome intrusion. Raven hastily made her way towards them “My Queen, just a quick reminder that court begins in five minutes.”

Daybreaker continued to stare into Twilight’s eyes for a few moments before blinking and turning her gaze towards Raven “Then they will just have to wait, as of right now I have a more pressing matter to resolve, though we shall attend court after our discussion. Now leave us” Daybreaker ordered “You both leave as well” she yelled out to her personal detail at the door way.

Raven nodded before exiting the room to inform the petitioners of their majesty’s lateness. The armored mares followed Raven out of the door and headed to the barracks to get something to eat and rest up before their next shift.

Once the doors closed leaving the two alicorns alone in the room, Daybreaker looked back at Twilight and removed her hoof from her chin “I’m just relieved that you are alright, next time this happens you let me know straight away, even if it involves waking me up or barging into the war room” she instructed.

Twilight nodded in acknowledgement “Court is about to start, It is best that we don’t keep everypony waiting” Twilight stated as she went to stand up but was pushed back down with Daybreaker’s hoof on her chest.

Daybreaker shook her head as she kept her hoof pressed down against Twilight’s chest preventing her from getting up “I need to know everything that transpired between you and my sister. If she has indeed set you as her target then I need to know what it is that she wants so I can best protect you. The ponies and their petitions can wait, you’re more important.”

Twilight expected there was more than what Daybreaker was leading on, that this was an act to get information about her sister though the look of worry on her face didn’t betray her words. Feeling a bit of heat flood to her cheeks, Twilight smiled and spread a wing to gesture for Daybreaker to take a seat “Very well. It all started at Sugar Cube Corner where me and my friends…”

While Twilight explained everything that happened in her dream. Daybreaker was slouched in her seat with her hind hooves resting up on the table while deep in thought “Don’t tell me you actually plan on sending my sister the wedding invitation?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight’s eyes widened “Out of everything I just said! THAT is your question!” Twilight exclaimed both flustered and frustrated at the same time. Taking a moment to calm down, Twilight took a deep breath “Though she does have a point and I did think of this while I was on the train earlier. She mentioned that the last time you cared about anything or anypony rather was the day she killed me, she mentioned this before she figured out who I really was” Twilight said with a sigh as she thought about how she was going to approach her question.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow as she pulled her hooves off the table and leaned forward, interested in what Twilight was going to say next.

“I don’t know how to word this properly, everything is still confusing to me and I still have so many unanswered questions. Like what happened to Discord, Tirek, Sombra and Chrysalis? Why is the Crystal Empire independent from us? Where is my family and Spike? Why do you wear amour instead of your regalia?” Twilight started but shook her head “Sorry I’m rambling again” she apologized while she nervously scratched the back of her head “I guess what I’m trying to say…or ask in this case, is why my death caused you and everything else to change so much.”

Twilight watched as Daybreaker shuffled anxiously in her seat, her head drooping down as she bit her lower lip. Twilight couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable Daybreaker looked. Though that moment of weakness didn’t last long as Daybreaker gritted her teeth together and regained her composure “As I said yesterday at the cottage. You are the one thing I cared about most in over the 1000 years I have lived. I watched you die before my very eyes and I was too weak to do anything about it” Daybreaker growled mostly to herself as she slammed her hoof against the table, the flames in her mane flickering more aggressively “If only I listened to your warning, if only I was stronger, If only I taught you how to properly def-“

Daybreaker jumped slightly when she felt something warm and soft trail across her back. Looking back up she spotted Twilight who smiled reassuringly down at her with her lavender hued wing draped across most of her back, her own body too large for the wing too fully wrap around her “I don’t doubt you care for me. I can see that as clear as day from the time we have spent together” Twilight giggled at her own day pun.

Daybreaker let out a small chuckle as well, her mane dying down to its usual fiery sway as she found herself leaning against Twilight’s side, glad that Twilight was being the affectionate one for a change “Though surely you have suffered losses of those just as close to you before. I mean look at Luna, you two are sisters and have been in each other’s lives for generations and you didn’t transform when you banished her to the moon” Twilight continued.

Thinking Twilight’s words over, Daybreaker took a deep breath ‘Now’s your chance, just tell her how you feel, how you planned her ascension for an immortal life together and seal it with a kiss’ Daybreaker thought determinedly before exhaling “Tell me Twilight, how exactly did you become an alicorn?” Daybreaker asked nervously as she tapped her forehooves together underneath the table.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the sudden, almost random question “What in Equestria does this have to do with what we are discussing right now?” Twilight countered.

“We’ll loop back to your question shortly Twilight, for now this will help me explain why your death affected me so much” Daybreaker explained unable to keep her wings still. The feathers occasionally brushing against Twilight’s side, tickling her.

Suppressing her giggles and squirms, Twilight didn’t argue with Daybreaker and went about answering her question “I completed the spell that even the great Starswirl the Bearded couldn’t complete, the same spell I believe that Nightmare Moon is trying to complete, though without all six of the elements she won’t be able to do so.”

Daybreaker was getting restless, despite enjoying being under her student’s wing she needed to get up on her hooves. Standing up her heart started to race as she wrapped Twilight underneath her own wing instead “Do you recall how you managed to come across this spell?”

Twilight noticed how strangely Daybreaker was acting though she decided not to question it “When I came home a package arrived for me that was…sent by…you” Twilight responded slowly, just now realizing roughly where this was heading “Wait a minute, did you send me that becau-“ she began but shook her head “Never mind. This was nearly a year after the Nightmare Moon incident, you wouldn’t know the answer.”

“I have been planning your ascension Twilight for a veeery long time” Daybreaker cooed, her warm heavy breath tickling the fur on the tip of Twilight’s ear causing it to flicker.

Twilight stared up into Daybreaker’s draconic amber eyes which had an alluring warmth to them for a change instead of the usual piercing, spine tingling glare “My Celestia never told me that she intentionally made me an alicorn, I just assumed she wanted to give me a challenge” Twilight replied, bewildered at the thought of why Celestia would keep that a secret from her “Why would you go such great lengths for me.”

Daybreaker’s gaze trailed from Twilight’s beautiful purple eyes down to her luscious lavender lips. She tightened her wing around Twilight, pulling her closer as she leaned forward “Because Twilight I” she started in a near whisper as she tilted her head to the side so their horns wouldn’t bump against each other’s “Because I” she repeated, her voice quivering as their faces were only inches apart “Because I…raised you into the strong independent mare you are today” She finally replied before resting her forehead against Twilight’s and closed her eyes.

Daybreaker inwardly cursed herself for allowing the fear of rejection to overcome her confession. The thought of Twilight walking out on her had slipped into her mind at the last second causing her to panic and say something different entirely. Though the pair of lavender hooves that wrapped around her neck did help relieve at least some of the frustration “This is why everypony thought I was your secret love child” Twilight said happily.

Daybreaker faked a laugh at that comment “I remember those rumours, even had a few ponies come into day court to ask if that was true” she replied with a frown ‘After everything that has happened I am still weak. I rule over Equestria, ponies are afraid to speak my name, I can do anything I like and get away with it. Why can’t I do this one simple thing?’ Daybreaker scolded herself.

“I think I like this realities Celestia better” Twilight stated with a playful nudge, breaking Daybreaker out of her thoughts “You’re a lot more upfront and open instead of your usual regal demeanour, you are direct in your answers and explain things in detail instead of guiding me towards them making me figure it out for myself. Not that it was a bad thing, I just feel like you are more approachable. Especially with your playful yet embarrassing remarks.” She added leaning forward to nuzzle the deity’s chest, mostly to hide her embarrassment “And I like how you wrap me up in your wings or when you hold me with your hooves, even waking up next to you was nice.” Twilight added her voice muffled from speaking into Daybreaker’s fur.

Daybreaker let out a bright genuine smile, not only because of what Twilight had said but because of how good of a mood she appeared to be in ‘Just enjoy what you have and you can try again another time, there has to be a reason why her version of me never confessed in the first place, besides she isn’t going anywhere’ she reassured herself “We should probably head to court before the ponies think court is adjourned” Twilight said.

And with that Daybreaker’s smile immediately vanished “Is there no way I can convince you to skip court with me?” Daybreaker groaned obviously not wanting to go.

Twilight giggled as she let go of her mentor and made her way towards the door with a slight skip in her step “Hurry up or Princess Sparkle will take over today’s court session.”

Daybreaker rolled her eyes at the comment as she followed Twilight to the throne room.

Having arrived at the throne room, Twilight marvelled at how different everything looked while Daybreaker watched her intently with an amused expression, only half-listening to Raven who gave a quick overview on what to expect from today’s session.

Walking up the steps to the throne itself, Daybreaker sat down on the large golden seat, the velvet cushion making it comfortable to sit on for long periods of time “Care to join me Twilight?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight looked around noticing the lack of chairs present in the room “I would but there is nowhere to sit” Twilight pointed out.

With her iconic fanged grin, Daybreaker scooted across to create a gap on the throne and tapped the velvet cushion she was sitting on “Would be like old times don’t you agree?” Daybreaker asked slyly.

Twilight’s eyed the velvet embedded golden seat which became more and more inviting by the second “I may have said I liked your playful remarks but this is a little extreme, besides that was when I was a filly, before Cadence foalsat me” Twilight retorted blushing darkly as she hesitantly took a step forward, her words betraying her actions.

Grimacing slightly at the mention of her adopted niece’s name Daybreaker didn’t say anything and continued to tap the cushion, knowing Twilight would eventually give in.

Biting her lower lip, Twilight ascended the miniature staircase to the throne and sat in the gap Daybreaker had provided. Her face somehow turning redder as their sides pressed firmly against each other with the familiar and comforting warmth that came along with it. The throne obviously not designed to fit two ponies in it.

Pleased to have her student by her side, Daybreaker turned her attention towards Raven who stood quietly to the side and nodded.

As if on Cue Raven clear her throat and examined her clipboard “The first petitioner on the list is Teddie Safari, an explorer who has discovered some ancient pre-unification era markings on some slabs, with nopony able to understand this ancient language she comes here to ask if you can translat-“

“Pass” Daybreaker interrupted with a wave off her hoof.

Used to being interrupted like this, Raven crossed out the name and went on to the next petitioner on the list “Fiddly Twang, a musician who specializes with the fiddle who has recently became popular amongst the smaller villages. Due to discrimination from the city folk she has come to request an audience to-“

“Pass” Daybreaker repeated.

Raven once again crossed out the name before moving on to the next petitioner “Cheerilee, a teacher at the Ponyville Schoolhouse, specifically for young foals. Due to numerous decreases in the school budget and the increase of population over the years, the school is struggling to stay open. She states that most of the equipment is run down if not broken entirely and is asking for a larger budget to replace said items to help the stud-“

“Pass” Daybreaker said while yawning.

Raven raised her quill to cross the name off “Pass!?” Twilight exclaimed causing Raven to stop and look up at the cause of the sudden outburst “What do you mean pass? If the school closes what would happen to the foals?” Twilight asked with a frown, clearly not happy with this decision.

Daybreaker looked over at Twilight and shrugged “I’m not the one who determines the budget of the schools. If she wishes to appeal for a larger one then she should go to the town’s Mayor” Daybreaker retorted.

“She did. It says here that she has appealed to the town’s mayor though her request has been denied. The town is becoming overpopulated and it does not have enough bits to keep up with its continued expansion. As much as they would have liked to help they could only offer a small amount of bits which is enough to replace maybe two desks as well as a couple of books at most” Raven interjected earning a glare from the deity causing her to hide her face behind her clipboard “Sorry for speaking out of line my queen, it will not happen again.”

Daybreaker shook her head and looked back over towards the unhappy looking Twilight “I can’t go around giving bits to every business that needs it” Daybreaker defended.

Twilight nodded in agreement “Yes but these are foals we are talking about here, they are the future of Equestria. Besides, how would you feel if you had to watch your school for gifted unicorns get shut down?”

“Nothing considering I’m the one who shut it down years ago” Daybreaker replied unfazed.

This was not the kind of response Twilight was expecting “Why did you shut it down?” she asked in a curious yet disappointed tone.

Daybreaker really didn’t feel like having this discussion right now, however she remembered how much that school had meant to Twilight. Giving into the lavender mare’s curiosity, Daybreaker leaned against the arm rest and rested her head on her hoof “The day after I held your burial, when I announced your death to all of Equestria. Almost all of my students sent letters or even submitted petitions asking if I would be taking on another protégée. I said no but that didn’t stop them, this went on for weeks so to shut them up I took a random letter from the rubbish bin and wrote back to whoever sent it.” Daybreaker started with a frustrated sigh.

“Just because I took on another student Twilight doesn’t mean I replaced you, I was against it but they wouldn’t take no for an answer so I did this to shut them up. What we had was special and I would never ever do it again with any other pony” Daybreaker added leaning down to nuzzle Twilight which managed to bring a smile to both of their faces “You mean more to me than Canterlot itself.”

Twilight’s mouth was agape as she raised her hoof to her rapidly beating heart “do you re-“ Twilight started but was cut off as Daybreaker continued her story.

“When I took on this student a few days later I heard her talking to her friends about what it was like studying under me so naturally I listened in” Daybreaker continued, her voice shifting into a growl “She said that she was glad that you were stupid enough to fight my sister otherwise she wouldn’t have gotten the fame and recognition that she finally deserved, that she was effectively the new better and prettier Twilight sparkle. Hearing this pushed me over the edge, so what did I do?” Daybreaker asked rhetorically with a malevolent chuckle.

Twilight heard enough and put a hoof up to her mentor’s muzzle to silence her, not liking where this conversation was heading “I know you cared deeply for me though this isn’t what I would have wanted” Twilight said ‘You mean more to me than Canterlot itself’ the words replayed in her mind while she stared at Daybreaker’s muzzle that was currently covered by her own lavender hoof. Rapidly removing her hoof from Daybreaker’s lips Twilight’s wings suddenly flared out “Why don’t we skip ahead to why you closed the school.” Twilight replied far too quickly, wanting something to distract her from her thoughts while she brought the same hoof up to her own lips.

Daybreaker remained quiet for a few moments with a raised eyebrow wondering why Twilight was acting so strange “After ‘resolving’ the issue with my now ex-student I once again got flooded with letters and petitioners. At this point I had enough and told everypony during assembly that if they ever approached me about becoming my personal student again then they would be immediately expelled. This mostly did the trick though a few students thought I was testing their dedication to learning and submitted letters and petitions anyways, they quickly learned that I was in fact serious.”

“Due to the decrease in student count that day a lot of changes had to be made to the schedule. Classes had to be merged and a lot of the students had conflicting classes, it was just a mess and what used to be my favourite hobby suddenly turned into another daily chore. I was no longer interested in teaching and even put off grade marking in hopes that it would somehow grade itself. Alas that never happened and I closed down the school and refurbished it into an advanced training ground for my elite guard project.” Daybreaker finished with a sigh.

Twilight was obviously disappointed that the school she once attended was now turned into a training ground, however this was about the foals in Ponyville that would possibly grow up without a proper education “So why is it that you don’t want to help the school? Is it the loss of bits? The increase in potential petitioners? Bad memories of your school?” Twilight asked.

In the end Daybreaker didn’t really care, though she knew Twilight wouldn’t be happy with that answer “Petitioners and bits but mostly leaning towards the petitioner side of things. Demands would be made as to why that school gets special treatment and someone as feared as me would have trouble supressing this if there is enough of them” She replied as honestly as she could.

Leaning against her side of the armrest, Twilight rested her head on a hoof while staring at one of the many Daybreaker’s portraits hung up on the wall while deep in thought. In this one her body was reared up with her fore hooves resting on the cross guard of her sword which was planted firmly in the ground, flames running across the length of the blade with Canterlot Castle in the background.

Not hearing any objection Daybreaker turned her attention away from Twilight and back to Raven who was confused on what to do “Pas-“

“Wait!” Twilight once again interjected earning a groan of frustration from the monarch.

“What is it this time?” Daybreaker asked in a raised voice, getting tired of being interrupted.

Twilight’s ears drooped slightly at the aggression in Daybreaker’s voice “Why don’t you listen to her first, if I don’t come up with a solution before the discussion is finished then you can send her away without any further complaints from me.”

Daybreaker contemplated Twilight’s request. She had no obligation to accept it and could simply order Raven to send the teacher away however she was curious as to how well Twilight’s problem solving skills were “Very well you have until the end of our discussion” Daybreaker responded before turning back to Raven for what felt like the millionth time “Dismiss the previous petitioners and send the teacher in” Daybreaker ordered as Raven left the room to do just that.

“Thank you” Twilight said gratefully.

Daybreaker didn’t respond as the large double doors opened up. A nervous maroon-purple coated earth pony followed the engraved sunbeam from the entranceway to the circular light patch in front of the throne room before bowing “What would you do if your petition has been accepted?” Daybreaker asked bluntly.

Raising her head Cheerilee looked at Twilight then back at Daybreaker, she was obviously curious as to why there was another alicorn on the throne, however she didn’t question it and went about answering Daybreaker’s question.

“The bits will go towards fixing any of the hazards around the school that could hurt any of the foals my queen. Safety is my number one concern when it comes to the little ones and it is hard to keep an eye on them all at once, especially with Ponyville growing as big as it is” Cheerilee started.

Daybreaker was already bored listening to what the teacher was saying and would rather be anywhere else other than here. She glanced over at Twilight who was staring intently at her own hooves, her ears angled towards Cheerilee, listening to every word the teacher was saying while muttering incoherently to herself ‘Her multitasking has certainly improved.’ Daybreaker thought.

“Secondly it is a tough decision and would depend on the amount you are willing to offer the school” Cheerilee continued.

Daybreaker snapped her head towards Cheerilee with a confused look “Willing to offer? You haven’t submitted a set amount with your petition?” Daybreaker asked.

Cheerilee shook her head “I know this school is none of your concern and you probably have hundreds of other ponies wanting the same thing. I would be happy with anything you will be willing to offer.”

Daybreaker was surprised by the lack of greed this pony showed “Very well, if I were to give you…say ten thousand bits, what would you purchase.” Daybreaker asked beginning to take a slight interest.

Cheerilee’s eyes widened upon hearing the suggested bits, taking a deep breath she quickly reminded herself that Daybreaker was only speaking theoretically and that wouldn’t be the amount that she would actually receive “Well, with that kind of money I would be able to do a lot of things” Cheerilee stated as she shifted through her mental checklist and checking off the essentials as she said them.

“Firstly would be new equipment such as desks and chairs for students to use as well as a chalkboard for me to write on. Secondly would be their learning material, currently the students have to share the books we have which are all outdated using methodologies that are no longer used and irrelevant to today’s learning standard” Cheerilee paused making sure she didn’t miss anything “as well as being outdated the books are also run down and ripped with even a few pages missing from some of them, this would mean students won’t be fighting over who has the best conditioned book and the information included would be relevant to today’s standard.”

Having been a teacher herself Daybreaker cringed at the thought of using ripped and outdated books, even having the corner of a page folded set her off. She quickly glanced back over at Twilight to see her leaning back against the chair while staring up at the ceiling ‘She is really taking this seriously’ Daybreaker thought still unable to hear what she was mumbling.

“Lastly, depending on the cost of repairs and learning material, majority of what is left would be saved for a rainy day since the budget has only been getting smaller. Though if enough is left over I would like to touch up the playground a little bit. The foals deserve some time to play during their breaks and the sound of laughter is something I miss dearly” Cheerilee said happily as she thought back to when the students swung on the swing set and spun around on the merry-go-round “I touched up what I could with my own bits but I can only do so much. What use is a tetherball with no ball tethered to it” Cheerilee added with an exasperated laugh followed by a sigh.

“Ah Hah!” Twilight exclaimed causing Cheerilee to jump “Hehe sorry, please continue” Twilight apologized while tapping her forehooves together cutely.

Daybreaker shook her head at her student’s unexpected outburst “I understand your predicament but what makes your situation different and more important than the hundreds if not thousands of other businesses that desire the same thing?” Daybreaker asked wanting to wrap this up “If they hear that I gave your school bits then they would all flock to me asking what makes you so special.”

Cheerilee should have expected this question to pop up but it had entirely slipped her mind “W-well what makes this school so special…Without the proper equipment to…Foals are the future of Equestria?” Cheerilee responded with a wide forced smile.

Not satisfied with the answer Daybreaker turned towards Twilight “Judging from your previous yet sudden outburst I’m guessing you came up with something?” she asked.

Twilight nodded as she sat upright “indeed I have” Twilight exclaimed proudly while raising a hoof to her chest “Instead of giving the bits to Cheerilee directly why don’t you increase Ponyville’s budget in general. If you increase the budget with specific instructions to give X amount of bits to the school then you can turn around and say you were assisting with the growth of the town and not the business directly.”

Daybreaker had to admit the suggestion was a lot better than she had expected. Sure it would mean having to donate more bits than she would have liked, however it would also mean the business ponies wouldn’t have any ground to complain on. Though she wanted to press Twilight further to see if she could back up her claim “What about the other towns? What you are suggesting is a merely a change of target audience and nothing more” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight easily shrugged the question off “Well as I said Ponyville is getting bigger meaning it requires a bigger budget, otherwise it wouldn’t be able to function properly. What is the growth rate of the other towns like compared to Ponyville?” Twilight asked.

“With the way Ponyville is currently growing it will be considered a small city in a few years’ time” Daybreaker answered with a grin “Very well you made a valid point” Daybreaker praised petting the top of her students head which Twilight enjoyed thoroughly.

Turning back to face Cheerilee there was only one matter left to discuss “Tell me, how much do you think your school is worth?” Daybreaker asked.

Cheerilee had never expected to get an audience with the queen let alone get her petition nearly approved. The teacher lowered her head while she muttered incoherently to herself “I don’t have all day, how much do you value your student’s education?” Daybreaker repeated tapping the armrest impatiently.

Cheerilee snapped her head up in a panicked state “I would say roughly seven and a half thousand bits would keep the school open for another five years or so. However if you are going to do what…” Cheerilee stopped just now realizing she didn’t know the lavender alicorn’s name.

“Sparkle. Princess Sparkle” Twilight introduced.

With a bow Cheerilee continued where she left off “if you are going to do what Princess Sparkle has suggested and increase Ponyville’s budget then it would highly depend on how much you decide to increase it by.”

Silence overcame the throne room as both Twilight and Cheerilee awaited Daybreaker’s verdict on the matter. In the end Daybreaker didn’t really care however she knew she would have to address Ponyville’s budget at some point. Looking over at Twilight, Daybreaker let out a defeated sigh before turning back to Cheerilee “With minor alterations to the original proposal your petition is approved. The alterations are of what Miss Sparkle has mentioned. The overall budget of Ponyville will be increased with set instructions to send a set amount to your school to do with as you wish. Do you agree with these changes?” Daybreaker proposed.

Cheerilee nodded her head repeatedly “Of course your greatness! Thank you very much! You too Princess Sparkle!” the teacher replied ecstatically.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow at how she was referred to ‘your greatness, now that is a title I haven’t heard in a while and with such enthusiasm at that’ Daybreaker thought which brought a smile to her face “With that out of the way it will take some time to determine how much we will be increasing the budget by and how much we will be willing to send you, expect a response in a week or whenever I get around to it, you are dismissed” Daybreaker said with a wave of her hoof.

With a final bow Cheerilee briskly exited the throne room, a small skip in her step.

“So how does it feel knowing that you improved the lives of every pony in Ponyville, especially the young foals and their families?” Twilight asked playfully.

“It feels like a massive waste of bits” Daybreaker responded dryly as she kept her gaze on the door, waiting for Raven to return to them so they could continue on with court “However” Daybreaker continued with a long pause “It made me feel…happy.”

Twilight held back her excitement as she saw how much Daybreaker hated admitting it. Instead she rubbed the deity’s back with her hoof for a few moments before staring at Raven when she re-entered from the waiting room.

“Next petitioner on the list is Lady Gaval, or Lady Justice as she likes to be called. She is having trouble with the verdict of the Accused and has conflicting evidence that both proves the stallion guilty and not guilty at the same time. She asks that you look over the eviden-“

“Pass” Daybreaker interrupted.

“The future of this stallion depends on this judgement, if he is falsely accused then he-“ Twilight Objected.

“Maybe court was a mistake after all” Daybreaker grumbled mid-way through Twilights rant.

Court had lasted significantly longer than it was supposed to due to Twilight’s constant objections. Daybreaker had been lenient at first by listening to Twilight’s opinion on the matter and allowing her inputs. However it got to a point where she had enough and had to put her hoof down much to Twilight’s annoyance.

“The last petition has been submitted by a pair of reporters who go by the name of Snappy Scoop and Press Release. They are here to validate the claims of the rumours that have been spreading around Canterlot, they wish to know if there is indeed another fourth alicorn, if so are the two of you courting and for what purpose” Raven read out adjusting her glasses before looking up at the deity, surprised that she wasn’t interrupted like she usually was.

Daybreaker glanced at Twilight from the corner of her eye as an idea popped into her head “Very well, bring them in” Daybreaker ordered with a smirk.

Raven hesitated at first, wondering if she had heard correctly “Y-Yes my queen” Raven stumbled as she left to inform the reporters that they have been accepted while dismissing the remaining ponies.

“Out of all the petitions that have been submitted you accept probably the least important one out of the lot” Twilight chided.

As the double doors opened, Daybreaker’s smirk only grew as she turned her attention towards the reporters who made their way to the light patch and bowed, being careful not to scratch the cameras they had around their neck on the ground “I have heard that rumours have been spreading about us but I have yet to hear exactly what they contain” Daybreaker stated as she leaned forward in her seat “Tell me, what have my beloved subjects been saying behind my back?” she asked sweetly.

Both reporters remained quiet as if daring the other to speak first. Press Release extended his wing and hit the flank of Snappy Scoop who jumped up at the sudden contact causing Daybreaker’s gaze to snap towards her “Well?” Daybreaker asked.

Snappy Scoop shot her co-worker a glare before looking back at Daybreaker “W-Well you see there are a few rumours going around, most of them being deviations of the original. One of the rumours being is there actually another fourth alicorn in Canterlot” she replied glancing over at Twilight and nervously raised her camera ever so slightly “May I?” she asked softly.

Twilight shifted in her seat and sat up straight, mimicking Celestia’s regal demeanour “Of course” she replied.

SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP

The shuttering sound of the camera as well as the bright white flash that accompanied it went off repeatedly as Snappy Scoop stepped from side to side trying to find the perfect angle to take her picture from. Getting too caught up in the moment she stepped out of the light patch making Daybreaker growl and send a blast of fire down at the reporter’s hooves causing the mare to yelp and jump back into the light patch “You will do well to remember your place, next time I won’t miss” Daybreaker threatened causing the mare to whimper and shrink back.

“Y-yes mistress, sorry mistress” the reporter squeaked out.

Daybreaker pretended not to notice the disapproving look Twilight was giving her “Now about the other rumours?” Daybreaker continued.

With Snappy Scoop too afraid to even speak up, Press Release decided to take over the conversation “The second rumour is the origins of this new alicorn. How did she come about and why have we never heard about her? Is she your daughter or little sister? A queen or princess of another kingdom?” the reporter answered with questions of his own.

“Until certain matters have been discussed in private we will not disclose the origins of Twilight” Daybreaker simply stated. Press Release wasn’t satisfied with the answer though he showed no signs of objecting and moved on to the next rumour.

“This rumour expands mostly on the rumour of Twilight being the ruler of another kingdom” Press Release stated as he took a deep breath “Ponies are wondering what kind of relationship the two of you have? Is this for a military alliance between your kingdoms? Are you two courting out of love? Another reason altogether?” Press Release asked awaiting eagerly for her response.

This was the question Daybreaker had been waiting for and she was glad that her patience had finally paid off. Wrapping a wing around Twilight, Daybreaker pulled the mare closer and nipped the fur on the side of her neck “And what is your opinion on these rumours?” Daybreaker asked in a playful tone.

Twilight’s body immediately tensed up, a small moan escaping her lips as she instinctively revealed more of her neck to the deity “W-well there is also the rumour of you taking Twilight as your concubine. H-however I personally think you two are courting for a military alliance between your kingdoms” Press Release stumbled as he shakily raised his camera, trying his best to refrain from taking any pictures of the displays of affection the two were showing.

Daybreaker noticed how hesitant the reporter was on taking the picture so she decided to give him an extra push “I-I’m am n-not her concubi-eep!” Twilight squealed, blushing profusely as Daybreaker nibbled the tip of Twilight’s ear while wrapping her other wing around her.

As soon as Twilight looked up and made eye contact with Daybreaker a loud snap followed by a bright white flash came from the reporter’s camera “Oh my!” Daybreaker gasped feigning her surprise as she looked away pretending to be embarrassed “How embarrassing, we would be the headline of every newspaper throughout Equestria.”

Twilight wrapped herself in her wings and hid behind them to protect herself from any more embarrassing pictures “Order him to destroy the camera” Twilight’s muffled voice echoed from behind her wing.

Daybreaker giggled glad that her little plan had worked “Such a violent mare, if you want them gone why don’t you do it yourself” Daybreaker whispered playfully.

Shifting her wings Twilight created a gap just large enough to peak out from. She stared at the reporter momentarily before glazing down at the camera suspended in front of him. A magenta aura suddenly surrounded the camera as it was suddenly ripped away from the reporter and flew towards Twilight.

Coming out from hiding Twilight grabbed the camera with her hooves and stared down at it. This was not what Daybreaker had expected to happen however she wasn’t disappointed one bit.

Daybreaker rubbed her wing up and down Twilight’s back, everything was going better than she had originally anticipated “What is it that bothered you the most? The fact that he caught us in such a vulnerable and intimate moment? Or is it the fact he didn’t ask for permission?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight clenched her eyes shut as she lit her horn, her hooves unable to hold the camera steady “T-The latter” Twilight stuttered as a small ball of magenta light formed from the tip.

“Then destroy it” Daybreaker encouraged as she placed her hooves on top of Twilight’s to help prevent the shaking and hold the camera still “Are you going to let him do whatever he wants and allow him to get away with it?”

Gritting her teeth Twilight lowered her head and pointed her horn at the camera. With a loud frustrated yell Twilight threw the camera back towards the stallion, the camera bouncing along the tiles causing the lens to crack as shards of metal and glass lay scattered across the ground.

Daybreaker frowned upon seeing this as Twilight cancelled the spell she was channelling, her breathing heavy and ragged as she reopened her eyes “I-I can’t” Twilight said weakly as the stallion rushed to pick up the camera, relieved that it was still functional. Daybreaker being too distracted to notice that the stallion left the light patch to retrieve it “J-just make them leave…please” Twilight begged.

Daybreaker decided not to push Twilight any further than she already had “You have what you came for now leave” she ordered the pair of reporters.

Snappy Scoops who was still terrified about what happened earlier immediately bolted out of the Throne room “What should I do wit-“

“LEAVE NOW!” Daybreaker roared as she jumped out of her throne, the stallion immediately followed his co-worker out of the throne room with his damaged camera in tow.

Watching the reporters scamper out of the throne room Daybreaker sat back down next to Twilight. What she had originally planned would come to pass, the rumour of them courting with photographic evidence would soon be spread across every newspaper and magazine throughout Equestria. Though the thought of Twilight embracing a slightly darker path was more appealing to her, even if it was only a minor thing like destroying a camera, everypony had to start somewhere “What changed your mind?” Daybreaker asked curiously.

Regaining control of her breathing, Twilight stared down at the shards of metal and glass that laid scattered on the ground in front of them. The sudden question broke Twilight out of her thoughts “Oh umm” Twilight mumbled before looking up at Daybreaker “It just didn’t feel right, sure I was angry that they took such an embarrassing photo without my permission” Twilight responded in an agitated tone “Though I couldn’t bring myself to destroy it, it felt cruel and the consequences wouldn’t have been worth it, besides I don’t have the bits to pay for the damages or replace it altogether.”

Daybreaker raised her head “So if there were no consequences and you wouldn’t have to pay even a single bit for destroying the camera, would you have changed your mind?” Daybreaker asked again.

Twilight despised the fact that she actually had to think about her response “No” Twilight said though her confidence on her answer slowly slipped away causing her head to fall “But if I knew that in the heat of the moment...then I would have.”

Satisfied with the answer Daybreaker turned towards Raven who hastily made her way towards them “I thought we were done with petitions for the day” Daybreaker stated.

Raven nodded as she tried to catch her breath “Yes my queen…however your presence is required…in the war room…after months of inactivity your sister...has started making a move” Raven panted out.

Daybreaker immediately rose from her seat “I knew she would be making her move soon however I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly” Daybreaker said to mostly herself as she turned towards Twilight “This is an urgent matter I must attend to, your welcome to come with me since this is probably because of what happened between the two of you in the dream realm” Daybreaker offered.

Twilight shook her head as she also stood up, her hooves stiff from sitting so long “This sounds like an important matter and I will only get in the way. Is it alright if I take those banishment forms and give them to my friends?” Twilight asked.

Dissapointed that Twilight wouldn't be coming with her, Daybreaker shook her head “Until I know for a fact that you can properly defend yourself in a fight, you are forbidden to leave the castle grounds under any circumstance” Daybreaker instructed with a firm expression.

Twilight wasn’t surprised by this response “They have been banished for over 10 years, what is a day or two more. Can I at least go see my mum and dad? I know it probably isn’t a good idea however I have a few questions that they may be able to answer.”

Daybreaker immediately looked away unsure as to how to answer Twilight’s question “They…are still alive? Right?” Twilight asked fearfully.

Daybreaker immediately snapped back towards Twilight “Oh yes definitely, at least as far as I’m aware off” Daybreaker started.

“My queen it is best that we hurry” Raven interjected causing Daybreaker to growl.

“I know” Daybreaker barked “We will talk more about this later Twilight, let’s just say they don’t live in Canterlot anymore. I will assign my personal detail to you in the meantime, wait for them here and under no circumstances are you to leave the castle grounds” Daybreaker instructed as she left the room along with Raven.

What Daybreaker said about her family didn’t do anything to ease her worries ‘I guess this means I can finally get started on my research’ Twilight thought to herself as she left the throne room a few moments later not bothering to wait for Daybreaker’s guards.

‘If anypony knows how to travel between realities it will be Starswirl’ Twilight thought as she headed towards the Star Swirl the Bearded wing in the Castle’s library.

Chapter 5 - A Student Once More

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Twilight stared at the large metal gate that obstructed her entrance into the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the castle’s library. Walking up to it she placed her hoof on the iron bars and gave it a small push, though as she expected it refused to budge. Taking a few steps back she glanced down at the lock, she had only been in this section of the library once when she tried to locate a time travel spell to warn her past self about not having to worry about the disaster that would never happen.

Giggling at the memory a sudden thought hit her ‘That spell allowed me to travel back in time for a few moments, maybe I can alter it somehow to allow me to permanently stay there, that would fix the time issue of my problem’ she thought though another thought suddenly hit her ‘why didn’t Daybreaker use this spell to warn her past self that she should actually heed my warning instead of dismissing it.’

‘Perhaps she was too focused on resurrecting me to consider other possibilities?’ Twilight shook her head not wanting to dwell on what Daybreaker could have done differently. Instead she had a potential answer to one of her problems and she needed to get inside to see if it would actually be plausible.

Unable to unlock the gate herself, Twilight headed back to the reference desk near the entrance of the library and rang the small metal bell on the counter which made a loud ding. A few moments later an elderly mare who had a magnifying glass hovering over a bunch of scrolls for a cutie mark came out from the restricted section of the library “How may I help you?” the librarian asked as she placed the books that she was carrying on her back on top of the counter.

“I have some research I need to do in the Starswirl the Bearded wing, would you be able to unlock the gate for me please?” Twilight asked.

The librarian narrowed her eyes behind her reading glasses “Starswirl the Bearded wing? I’m sorry unless given permission from our queen directly I cannot allow you inside.”

Disturbing Daybreaker while she was in the war room just to get permission to do her research didn’t seem like an appealing option to Twilight “Not even for an alicorn?” Twilight asked cockily, flaring her wings for added emphasis. Despite saying how much she hated abusing her status, she had to admit it was quite effective in getting what she wanted, or so she thought.

“I’m sorry, ever since the break in a few years ago our queen made it quite clear that only ponies authorized by her are allowed in there, and you aren’t authorized. Daybreaker would have my head if I went against her orders. Alicorn or not” The librarian replied dryly.

Twilight sighed in defeat as she retracted her wings back to her side. She was about to give up and walk away until an idea suddenly popped into her head. Rearing up onto the counter, Twilight rested her head on her hoof while the other idly played with her mane “Surely you heard of the rumours going around?” Twilight asked.

“The rumour about you courting our queen? I don’t think there is a single pony in Canterlot that hasn’t heard about that” The librarian replied with a raised eyebrow wondering where the winged unicorn was going with this.

“Tell me, how would you think our beloved queen would react when the mare she is trying to woo has to come in and ask her if she is allowed to do things in her very own castle?” Twilight asked, her purple cheeks turning a bright crimson red, unable to believe she was using the rumour of them courting to get what she wanted.

The librarian shuddered as she contemplated Twilight’s question. Twilight tapped her hoof on the countertop impatiently while she waited for her answer. With a sigh she decided to give the librarian an ultimatum “I doubt Daybreaker would appreciate being interrupted while dealing with an important issue in the war room, she wasn’t in the greatest mood after we parted ways” Twilight said with a deep breath as she got off the countertop and put her forehooves back on the ground "Though I guess there isn’t much I can do about it if I need permission, you are only doing your job and I will try and make sure she understands that, hopefully she won’t be too harsh about it” Twilight added as she slowly walked away ‘Three…Two…One’

“Wait!” the librarian called out.

'Always works' Twilight thought to herself.

Grinning, Twilight stopped in her tracks, refusing to turn around and waited to see if the librarian would continue speaking “Since you are courting our queen, I don’t see a reason as to why you shouldn’t be allowed inside” she continued as she opened one of the draws and grabbed the metal key ring with her mouth “Follow me please” she added, the keys attached clanking against each other with every step.

Twilight followed closely behind the librarian, back towards the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the library. Taking the key ring out of her mouth, she searched for the appropriate key and slid it into the lock, a loud clank echoed throughout the hallway as the iron gate swung open “Is there anything else I can help you with while I’m here?” the librarian asked.

Twilight stepped inside the circular room and breathed in through her nose, taking in the sweet smell of the ancient knowledge that surrounded her which primarily consisted of dust “I should be fine by myself, though Daybreaker’s personal detail may come looking for me, if you see them just tell them I’m in here” Twilight replied.

The librarian nodded as she gave the gate key to Twilight “Nopony other than you and I guess the guards are allowed in here. Be sure to lock up the gate and return the key to me on your way out” the librarian said before leaving the room, leaving Twilight alone to conduct her research.

Twilight walked down one of the many aisles that led to the inner circle of the room where a massive hourglass perched on top of a podium stood in the centre. Despite there being sand in the top half of the hourglass, the sand didn’t fall to the bottom like it was supposed to. Stepping forward to take a closer look, Twilight pressed her face up against the glass ‘Well the hole isn’t blocked off, it must be enchanted to symbolize the current time of the day and night cycle, hence why the sand isn’t falling’ Twilight concluded as she took a step back and looked up at the unmoving sun through the dome shape glass ceiling above.

Looking down the various aisles, Twilight tried to recall where Pinkie Pie found the time travelling spell. Only able to remember it being recorded on a scroll, Twilight walked down a random aisle and examined every scroll she came across ‘This would be so much easier if they bothered to label or organize these things.’

Twilight worked her way through the various bookshelves in a clockwise motion, she was beginning to doubt that the scroll was still here and that it was stolen during the break in the Librarian mentioned earlier. Putting the scroll she was currently reading back down she levitated the one next to it up and examined it. Her eyes widening as she read over the familiar looking text and diagrams “IT’S STILL HERE! YES!” Twilight squealed as she sprinted towards one of the few large tables in the room next to the hourglass.

Sitting down, Twilight laid the scroll flat against the table’s surface and read over it thoroughly. Starswirl’s spells were always a work of art and has been a huge inspiration to her, especially as a filly when Celestia read her bed time stories about his accomplishments and how she explained how similar she was too him.

His spells were structured in a way that even an inexperienced unicorn with a basic understanding of magic would be able to understand the purpose of his spells and even potentially cast it if their magic was strong enough.

However that also meant it came with a downside for ponies with a more complex understanding of magic, like Twilight. The spell was so well detailed and structured that it simply couldn’t be altered without the entire spell failing or backfiring in some way or another.

Twilight let out a frustrated groan as she rubbed her face with her forehooves, she should have known better than to get her hopes up like this. Leaning forward in her seat, Twilight read over the spell a second time, then a third. The more she examined the spell the more she understood the complexity behind it and how intricate it really was.

Briefly exiting the room, Twilight returned with a small stack of paper with a brass inkpot that had a quill hanging out of it, placing them both on the table Twilight once again sat down.

Levitating the quill out of the inkpot, Twilight tapped it against the rim a couple of times before attempting to reverse engineer the spell by breaking it down into its various sections and subsections. From there she hoped she would be able to break it down further into its individual components so she can reconstruct it with the reality travel spell whenever she figured out how to do so.

What felt like a couple of minutes to Twilight was actually two hours and she hadn’t even managed to scratch the surface of the spell. Putting the quill down, she let out a frustrated sigh as she glanced over at the steadily building stack of papers that she had been working on ‘There has to be a more efficient way to do this, it would take forever and even then the time issue is only half the problem’ Twilight thought.

Leaning back in her seat, Twilight stared up at the cloudless sky through the dome glass ceiling above, the sun still burning just as bright as it did when she first arrived here ‘We stopped Starlight from stealing every pony’s cutie mark a little over a month ago. That means that this spell isn’t as complicated as I’m making it out to be if she figured out how to do so that quickly’ Twilight continued her train of thought.

‘Didn’t Daybreaker mention something about not considering searching for me through other realities? Does that mean she knows how to do this herself or at least something similar?’ Twilight asked herself though her train of thought came to an abrupt halt when she heard a familiar yet angry voice “There you are! Do you know how long we have been searching for you?”

Twilight looked down to see the same two pegasi mares that she met earlier approach her. The white and cyan armored mares sat down at the opposite side of the table “We were instructed to meet you in the throne room, why didn’t you wait for us there?” The white mare whose name she recalled being Shress demanded.

“We are in Canterlot Castle, possibly the safest place for me to be in in all of Equestria. The amount of guards stationed here is ridiculous, I couldn’t even walk a few steps to Daybreaker’s chambers without a guard demanding what I was doing in a restricted area before meeting you both. I don’t need to be foalsat” Twilight exaggerated as she rolled up the scroll and pushed her work aside. Since they were pegasi it was safe to assume that they wouldn’t be able to understand what she was doing however it was better to be safe than sorry.

Shress took her helmet off and put it on the table, her long orange mane falling over her shoulders and down some of her back “I agree, however orders are orders” Shress stated as she took a deep breath “Our Queen tasked us with your protection. Do you know what punishment awaits us if she discovers that you have been alone for the past two hours?”

Twilight didn’t answer the question as she lowered her head, her ears laying flat against her scalp “I’m sorry, I didn’t consider the consequences that the both of you could face” Twilight apologized.

“What our queen doesn’t know can’t hurt her, apology forgiven” Shress responded as she crossed her forehooves underneath her chest.

“I will even put in a good word for you both” Twilight added with a genuine smile, her ears perking back up.

Shress returned the smile, if only for a moment before her expression turned back to her usual neutral one “My name is Shress, this here is Day Dasher” Shress introduced as she raised her hoof and pointed towards the cyan pegasus beside her “She is a mute, don’t let that discourage you from talking to her though, she is as loyal as one can get.”

Day Dasher rolled her eyes at the comment as she took her helmet off as well and placed it next to Shress’s, revealing her unnaturally white tomboy mane style “And we are queen Daybreaker’s personal guard” Shress continued with a small bow followed by Day Dasher who seemed more hesitant in doing so.

Twilight took the opportunity to glance over at her research while their heads were lowered, quickly turning over a piece of paper that had the word ‘time travel’ written as the title “My name is Twilight Sparkle” Twilight introduced, not really knowing what else to say about herself since she was a nopony before the Nightmare Moon incident.

The guards raised the heads and stared at Twilight as if silently urging her to continue “W-well…I can’t really say much about my origins since Daybreaker wants to keep that a secret though what I can say is that I’m not from Equestria” Twilight replied nervously, it wasn’t a lie however it wasn’t the truth either. Shress seemed to understand though the glare she was receiving from Day Dasher was unsettling.

Thankful that the cyan pegasus couldn’t talk, Twilight tried to steer the conversation away from herself. Since she couldn’t continue her research she might as well try to get some answers to the few remaining questions she had “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Equestrian history especially over the last few years is a little hazy for me” Twilight asked.

Shress nodded her head, gesturing for Twilight to ask away. With the sign of approval Twilight cleared her throat “What happened to Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony?”

Shress looked over at Day Dasher who just shrugged, not really taking a particular interest in the conversation going on “Discord as in the Draconequus?” Shress clarified as she turned back towards Twilight who nodded in response “He is a stone statue in the castle’s sculpture garden and has been for the past 1000 years.”

Twilight had a feeling that would be the case since the elements of harmony were never used against Nightmare Moon meaning Discord would still be imprisoned and unreformed “I was led to believe he escaped at some point, I am glad to know that isn’t the case. What about Tirek?” Twilight asked.

Twilight watched Day Dasher in confusion who covered her ears with her hooves “You haven’t heard about the great battle!” Shress exclaimed as she reared up and slammed her forehooves on the table, her neutral expression and straight-to-the-point demeanour completely gone.

Twilight jumped at the sudden bang, now understanding why Day Dasher covered her ears. The cyan pegasus grabbed her partner by the wing and roughly pulled her back down on the seat “Don’t give me that look!” Shress pouted earning a shake of her head from Day Dasher before grabbing the quill and a blank sheet of paper.

“I didn’t know there was a single pony that hasn’t heard about this story” Shress said in disbelief. Twilight began to wonder if she was talking to the same mare as before, she was a lot more talkative and lively now “Oh well that just means I can expla-“ Shress continued but was interrupted by Day Dasher who held a sheet of paper up in front of her.

‘Answer the question only or we’ll be here for hours.’

Shress read the writing on the paper before turning to look at her partner “But then she will miss the good parts” Shress whined causing Day Dasher to raise an eyebrow. With a defeated sigh Shress pushed the paper aside “Fine” she grumbled.

Clearing her throat Shress turned her attention back towards Twilight “When Tirek escaped from Tartarus, he stole magic from every unicorn he came across with the intention to rule over Equestria. Queen Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon had a dream about his return.” Shress explained trying to keep it short and relevant to Twilight’s question.

“The two deity’s were forced to put their differences aside and worked together to defeat Tirek before he became too powerful. They lured him out to San Talomino desert just south of Los Pegasus where they battled it out.” Shress continued.

“I wish I was there to witness the fight however we would have only been in the way. Our queen didn’t care to explain what exactly happened but we could guess from the massive scorch mark crater left behind how the fight ended” Shress finished as she leaned forward onto the table expectantly “Though if you want to ask her what happened yourself and share the details with us later.” Shress hinted.

Day Dasher once again grabbed Shress and pulled her back down on the seat “What is with you? You have been acting weird ever since our sleeping shift started” Shress asked with a hint of annoyance.

Day Dasher’s eyes darted between Twilight and Shress repeatedly before dismissing the question with a wave of her hoof. The cyan pegasus leaned back in her chair and stared out of the glass ceiling, letting the two continue their discussion in peace.

Twilight had her suspicions that Day Dasher didn’t like her and so far it was being confirmed, though the reason as to why that would be the case was a mystery to her ‘Daybreaker must have been incredibly desperate if she resorted to working with Nightmare Moon to defeat Tirek. I guess they needed to, he would just drain their magic if they fought him by themselves. Though since they are aligned with their celestial powers it meant they could use their full power and actually stand a chance, unlike in my reality where they had to rely on me and the elements of harmony’ Twilight thought.

“That definitely wasn’t the kind of response I was expecting though I will be sure to ask for more details about the fight itself whenever I catch Daybreaker in a good mood. Anyways what happened with Chrysalis?” Twilight continued with her questioning.

Shress cocked her head to the side, obviously confused as to who Twilight was talking about “Chrysalis? I don’t believe I have ever heard of this being before” Shress responded.

“Chrysalis is the queen of the changeling swarm” Twilight explained.

Shress nodded slowly “We don’t know the reason why however the changeling threat has steadily decreased over the years. We have tried hunting them down however there is no trace of them anywhere, we haven’t had a single changeling incident in over five years so it is safe to assume they moved on, one less problem to worry about if I say so myself.”

The fact that the changelings possibly set up their hive elsewhere didn’t come as a surprise to Twilight since changelings fed on love which must be in short supply in this part of Equus “What happened to the Crystal Empire upon King Sombra’s return?” Twilight asked.

Shress stared at Twilight in disbelief “I understand Tirek since you are not from Equestria and it only lasted for a few days, but surely you must have heard about the Great Crystal War? How we fought against the mind controlled crystal ponies while Cadenza and ex-captain Shining Armor snuck into the Crystal Empire to search for the crystal heart before restoring it, resulting in Sombra’s defeat and the freedom of the crystal ponies? This war lasted months.” Shress explained, trying to keep things short and simple.

Twilight shook her head in response to all of those questions “No, all I know is that the Crystal Empire is currently independent, why is that anyways?” Twilight asked, relieved to hear her brother’s name though was concerned by the fact that he was referred as ex-captain.

Shress didn’t reply right away “I don’t mind answering questions about events that have already passed. However if you want the answer to that one I think you should talk to her majesty herself” Shress responded after a while.

Twilight understood where the guard was coming from “Can you at least tell me what happened to-“ Twilight started but cut herself off “Actually never mind, I’ll just ask Daybreaker herself whenever she is in a good mood. I have a bit of reading I would like to do in the meantime, would you mind giving me some privacy?” Twilight asked.

Shress shook her head “Her majesty has assigned us to watch over you until her return” Shress argued.

“Then can you both stand guard at the doorway or something? This room has only one entrance point and we are all alone in here” Twilight countered.

Day Dasher put her helmet back on and tapped Shress on the shoulder to get her attention, she flicked her head to the doorway, gesturing for her partner to follow her before standing up and exiting the room. Shress had second thoughts about this however it didn’t go against Daybreaker’s orders and wouldn’t be any different from what they usually did “As you wish” Shress replied with a small bow as she put her helmet on and followed the cyan pegasus out of the room.

Twilight watched the guards exit the room, she tried to peek around to get a glimpse of their cutie marks however they were covered by the golden plated armour with Daybreaker’s insignia inscribed on it. Once the pair of guards were gone, Twilight pulled her research back in front of her and quickly read over her notes ‘There has to be an easier way to return home’ Twilight thought to herself as she got up and continued searching through the various books and scrolls that surrounded her, putting anything that was even remotely relevant to what she was looking for on the table to have a more thorough look later.

The doors leading into the war room swung open as Daybreaker stormed out with her fangs bared. The meeting didn’t go as well as she would have liked with her sisters movements being too erratic. They didn’t have much to go off other than the assumption that Twilight was the target, and there was no way she was going to let anyone take her away from her again.

With everything finished until Raven sets up their next court session, Daybreaker was excited to spend the remainder of her time with her protégée. The thought of teaching Twilight and spending time with her again was enough to relieve some of her pent up frustration.

Knowing Twilight she would most likely be somewhere in the library with her muzzle buried in a book so Daybreaker decided to check there first.

Stepping into the library, Daybreaker scanned the room unable to see the lavender mare anywhere, with a small huff she decided to check the other wings. There weren’t many places she could imagine Twilight being since she gave her guards specific instructions to not let her leave the castle grounds.

Walking down the hallway, Daybreaker poked her head inside the various rooms, quickly scanning them for Twilight before ducking back out. Completely bewildered as to where her student could be. Walking around the corner she spotted her personal guard stationed at either side of the Starswirl the Bearded wing.

Not giving them a second glance, Daybreaker stepped inside to see a lavender horn poking over a stack of books on the table. Smirking, she snuck around the bookshelves and approached Twilight from behind who was distracted by the numerous books and scrolls opened in front of her “This is a restricted area, who gave you access to this wing?” Daybreaker asked as she looked over Twilight’s shoulder to see what she was working on.

Twilight immediately slammed all the books shut with her magic “Daybreaker!” Twilight yelped in surprise as she turned around to face the flaming deity “That meeting went faster than I expected.”

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Twilight would close all of her books like that upon her arrival “I was gone for over two hours” Daybreaker replied as she picked up one of the books Twilight had closed with her magic and opened it up to the ‘table of contents’ page “This area is off limits to any pony, I would have made an exception for you if you had asked but I must know who allowed you inside without my permission” Daybreaker demanded as she began reading it.

Twilight immediately felt guilty for getting the librarian in trouble “I pressured the librarian into letting me in, I said how pissed off you would be if I disturbed you while in such an important meeting for something so trivial, I knew you wouldn’t mind however I didn’t want to go through all that effort just to get inside” Twilight explained as she shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, her wings twitching ever so slightly “and I may have used the fact that ponies think we are courting to further persuade her…so if you are going to punish anypony then it should be me, I promise you she wouldn’t have let any pony in otherwise” Twilight defended, her face turning a dark shade of red while tapping her forehooves together.

Daybreaker’s ears twitched at the last part, her mind heading straight into the gutter “I-I see” Daybreaker stuttered before clearing her throat as she put the book back down, nothing really standing out to her that would warrant Twilight researching that particular book “However I don’t care about the reason why she let you in, she had specific orders to only let ponies I authorize inside and by doing so is considered a security breach” Daybreaker responded sternly “You may disagree though I have to punish her accordingly so she will never make this mistake again.”

As much as Twilight wanted to argue back she didn’t have a valid response to that argument, there was already a security breach in that wing before that warranted this extra level of security “I understand, she is old so just be careful…please” Twilight pleaded.

Daybreaker closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she hated it when Twilight spoke in that tone “Fine, I will tone down the physical aspect of her punishment” Daybreaker retorted with a small groan, it wasn’t much but it at least made Twilight smile “It looks like you have started a little project, anything I can do to help?” Daybreaker asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

The times where she and Twilight stayed up late to restore an incorrectly recorded spell or decipher an ancient document, where the only light emanated from the burning candles that surrounded them were the moments Daybreaker cherished the most. So seeing Twilight working and struggling on a project of her own got her hopes up.

Twilight’s eyes lit up, it looked like she was about to say yes however her expression slowly shifted to a more regretful and saddened one “As much as I would love that…this is something I must do myself” Twilight responded sadly.

There was no response from Daybreaker whose gaze slowly trailed down to her forehooves. Twilight wanted nothing more than to take her up on her offer, however there was no telling how Daybreaker would react if she discovered that she was trying to find a way to return home.

Wanting to make it up to the deity, Twilight leaned across to nuzzle the underside of her chin, lifting her head back up with her own “However I do seem to recall a certain pony promising to teach me magic” Twilight suggested playfully.

Daybreaker still appeared to be saddened but she returned the display of affection with a nuzzle of her own. Taking that as a sign of agreement Twilight pulled her head away and got out of her seat “let me just put these books away then I will be right with you” Twilight said as a magenta aura surrounded the books as they flew back to where she had originally found them.

Just before the books reached the bookshelves, Daybreaker overwrote Twilight’s control on the books and returned them back to the table “You are the only pony other than me that has access to this wing. I will give you a copy of the key so you can come back and continue with…what are you doing again?” Daybreaker asked curiously, getting sidetracked from what she was going to say originally.

Twilight couldn’t afford to hesitate in her answer so Daybreaker wouldn’t pry further “Oh you know…I never really had the time to be in this wing back in my reality and I wanted to see if I can break down Starswirl’s spells and recreate them for different purposes.” Twilight replied.

Daybreaker seemed convinced with the answer judging by the way she laughed “Trust me, it is impossible to break down Starswirl’s spells without using his decoder. After many failed resurrection attempts I looked for an alternative method, time travel being one of them. There is one by him that allows you travel back by a maximum of two weeks if I recall, unfortunately the existence of this spell had completely slipped my mind and a few years had already passed since your death. Anyways I worked on that spell during every waking moment for months and made no progress on it whatsoever, no matter how deep I dived into that spell you can’t break it down without his decoder. It isn’t limited to that spell as well, he encodes all of his spells…at least the ones that he has successfully completed anyways, he doesn’t encode incomplete or failed spells.”

“I know for a fact this decoder exists, there is a mention of it in his private journal that I have hidden away though I have no idea where it could possibly be. He didn’t want anypony reconstructing his spells and using them for its unintended purposes. It is probably the biggest reason why he is still widely known till this day, because nopony has come close to his level of depth and understanding of magic” Daybreaker explained.

Twilight now began to understand the reason why she was struggling so much and how it felt like she wasn’t making any progress “I see, so I need this decoder in order to be able to break down and restructure his spells. Would I be able to have a look at his journal at some point?” Twilight asked.

“If you believe it will help with your project then sure, however I will have to retrieve it after our next court session” Daybreaker replied with a grin.

Twilight rolled her eyes at Daybreaker’s condition “Fine, I will join you for court session again” Twilight replied as they both made their way out of the Starswirl the Bearded wing, locking the gate behind them as they went to begin her training.

Twilight knew that Daybreaker didn’t approve of her barriers, that much was obvious from the moment they first met and was something that she made clear was going to be improved on, however Twilight never expected her first lessons to be so hooves on and intense. “I thought you said you would never hurt me!” Twilight yelled out from behind her steadily cracking magenta barrier which was being assaulted by a stream of red magic launching out of Daybreaker’s horn.

“That was when you thought I was going to lash out at you for speaking up against me. I don’t take any pleasure in doing this and am only doing so with the intention of making you stronger” Daybreaker retorted as she kept up the pressure on Twilight’s shield “I’m not even using my celestial powers, with enough time and practice you will easily be able to fend off this type of attack.”

Twilight grit her teeth together as more cracks continued to form around her barrier. She tried her best to maintain it for as long as possible however the constant stream of magic was beginning to overwhelm her. It didn’t take long for the barrier to shatter causing Twilight to stumble back and lose her bearings.

Daybreaker sighed loudly as she looked around the advanced training ground while Twilight reoriented herself. There were numerous guards from all three tribes here, using the equipment that has been provided for them to further strengthen themselves. The earth ponies worked on their endurance and physical strength. The Pegasi using the cloud based obstacle course above to improve their speed and agility while the unicorns practiced their spell casting, each taking turns being either the aggressor or defender, similar to what she and Twilight were currently doing. All of them pretending like they weren’t paying attention to the two alicorns duelling.

Staring at the obstacle course above, Daybreaker pondered if that would be too big of a step for Twilight due to how weak her wings are. Though she was broken out of her thoughts when Twilight eventually spoke up “Why do I have to do this? I’m not a war mare and I have no intention of becoming one” Twilight argued as she raised her hoof to rub her horn, wincing slightly.

“My sister has set you as her target Twilight, she knows she can’t beat me in a fight so you are the only way she can get to me” Daybreaker retorted. She couldn’t afford to go easy on Twilight, she had died once before because she didn’t know how to properly defend herself and she wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

Twilight wasn’t happy about it however she understood the logic behind Daybreaker’s words and was willing to press on for now “The reason why your barriers are so weak is because you aren’t casting anything along with it, it is just a shield made out of pure unrefined magic which is incredibly inefficient in numerous ways” Daybreaker explained.

“Why didn’t you start off by telling me that instead of beating me down to begin with?" Twilight groaned.

Daybreaker ignored Twilight’s complaining and created her own barrier. It was similar compared to Twilight’s however the only difference other than it being red instead of magenta was that the entire surface was covered in numerous hex shaped tiles “It will be easier if I show you, attack me” Daybreaker ordered.

A grin formed on Twilight’s face at the opportunity to get some payback for her unnecessary beating earlier. Without a moment’s hesitation, Twilight fired a magenta beam also made of pure unrefined magic at Daybreaker’s shield, the tiles that were hit by the stream of magic flickered slightly “Really? Even your attacks are pure magic?” Daybreaker complained, not even slightly fazed by the attack.

“If my combat magic is so horrible then you can go and complain to my teacher” Twilight insinuated causing Daybreaker to snarl momentarily before regaining her composure and continuing on with her explanation.

“The hex shaped tiles that you see divide my barrier into different sections. This is quite effective against most attacks, however it is quite vulnerable to area of effect spells or weapons with a large surface area. Though I will teach you how to counter those another time.”

“Breaking the barrier down into sections means you have more control over where you allocate your magic, for example you may want the front to be stronger than the sides. This means an attack to any tile that you have fortified would be able to withstand the assault much easier compared to a well-balanced shield like yours would. Do note that you are weakening other parts of your shield to make another part stronger, if they break through the weakened part of the barrier then it will completely shatter. With this you have full control over the strength of your barriers” Daybreaker finished as she waited for Twilight to finish her assault so she could teach her how to do it herself.

Twilight let out a defeated sigh as she cancelled her attack and lowered her head “My brother excels at these types of spells, I should have asked him to teach me some of them in his free time” Twilight mumbled, a little disheartened that her spells were considered pathetic.

Daybreaker’s eye twitched when her ex-captains name was mentioned though she was more concerned about Twilight “I never taught you combat magic Twilight and I hoped I never would, I’m teaching you now so you can defend yourself until I or my guard arrives to assist. Combat magic is different from the other types of magic I taught you and I don’t expect you to pick it up in just a few hours, it takes months if not years of dedicated practice. Later we will be strengthening those wings of yours so you can fly away should you be outmatched or outnumbered” Daybreaker explained as she walked up to Twilight and put a hoof underneath her chin, forcing her head up while smiling reassuringly down at her.

This brought a weak smile to the smaller alicorn’s face. Daybreaker supressed the urge to lean down and kiss Twilight right then and there, to tell her that everything was going to be fine, that she wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to her for as long as she breathed. However she wanted her confession to be more special than just a tender moment. Returning the small smile Daybreaker reluctantly let go of Twilight’s chin “You have potential Twilight and not just in magical prowess. You are a quick learner, faster than any pony I have ever seen. Effective problem solver, able to break down and resolve complicated tasks, you certainly proved that in court earlier with the school house teacher” Daybreaker started.

Twilight’s smile only grew as she quickly regained confidence in her abilities “You are dedicated, to a point where I had to assign a night guard to patrol the library to stop you from studying. And that is only the beginning of your many wondrous talents. I’ve raised you since you were a filly and I do not regret for a second how you turned out” Daybreaker finished.

Twilight didn’t respond and instead just leaned against her mentor, enjoying the praise she was receiving. After a few moments Twilight eventually pulled away and took a fighting stance, spreading her hooves apart and keeping low to the ground “So, are you going to teach me how to create that barrier or am i going to have to figure it out by myself?” Twilight smirked with newfound determination.

The two alicorns lost track of time as they spent the next few hours practicing various defensive spells. Daybreaker was surprised that Twilight was able to last as long as she did. However she was more impressed by how far Twilight had come in such a short amount of time. She was now able to perfect the hex tile barrier, being able to effortlessly allocate her magic to any tile she liked as if it was second nature to her. However it was clear that Twilight lacked combat experience since she always fell for feint attacks though she knew that would be improved in time, she mostly did it to throw Twilight off guard and retain her concentration.

Twilight was doing well with her other more situational barriers however she was struggling to remember which barrier was effective against which type of spell and by the time she figured it out it would be too late.

Twilight winced as she pushed herself up off the ground after failing to block one of Daybreaker’s attacks, she was completely exhausted and sore all over however she was determined to press on. Once upright her hooves quivered beneath her as they struggled to support her weight, Twilight grit her teeth together as she stared at Daybreaker’s horn, ready for the next attack.

Daybreaker admired her students dedication however everypony had a limit and Twilight had clearly passed hers “We should stop for now” Daybreaker stated.

“But I’m so close, I know I can block it this time, I just need to concentrate on the magic build up on your horn to determine what ty-“ Twilight started but was cut off by Daybreaker who shook their head.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard, if you're that desperate to learn how to identify an attack spell while it is channelling then you will just have to study the theory side of combat magic” Daybreaker interrupted.

Twilight wanted to argue though she had to admit she was feeling incredibly sore and exhausted “Very well, did I at least do a good enough job for you to teach me that illusion spell?” Twilight asked.

Daybreaker chuckled having completely forgotten about the proposal she made “Yes, I will teach you how to do that at the beginning of our next training session” Daybreaker replied as she gestured for Twilight to follow her while making her way towards the exit.

Twilight went to follow Daybreaker however she was more exerted than she thought, after a few steps her forehoof gave out from underneath her causing her to tumble forward, Twilight closed her eyes and braced herself for the rough landing however something soft and warm broke her fall.

“This took more of a toll on you than I had thought, I should have eased you into your training” Daybreaker said as Twilight reopened her eyes to see her resting against Daybreaker’s warm soft chest with her large white wings wrapped around her barrel to support the rest of her body.

Twilight cheeks burned a slight shade of red as she pushed herself off Daybreaker and back onto her wobbly hooves “T-Thanks, yeah I guess we did get a little carried away, best thing I can do is just to relax until I feel better” Twilight agreed while Daybreaker kept her wing wrapped around her form to help her stand upright “Despite how more hooves on and intense your lessons are, I look forward to doing this again.”

Daybreaker smiled as she left the training ground with Twilight who was leaning against her side for support, her large white wing still draped across Twilight’s back. As they walked through the streets of Canterlot back towards the castle, Twilight noticed that most of the ponies they passed were staring intently at them, some talking and whispering amongst themselves while others looked between them and whatever it was they were reading.

Twilight wondered why they weren’t running away like they did when she first arrived in Ponyville however she recalled what Apple Bloom said about the towns being more afraid of alicorns than the cities. The amount of staring made Twilight feel uncomfortable causing her to subconsciously press further against Daybreaker’s side.

Daybreaker noticed this and wrapped her wing tighter around her students form “Is everything alright?” Daybreaker asked concerned, not acknowledging the stares they were receiving.

Twilight decided this wasn’t worth Daybreaker’s attention “I’m fine, the training just took a bigger toll on me than I thought is all” Twilight replied with a small laugh “Sorry for having to rely on you like this.”

“I did say I wanted to take you under my wing again, maybe I meant that in more ways than one” Daybreaker replied playfully.

Twilight’s cheeks turned a brighter shade of red “E-Earlier, during court you said that I meant more to you than Canterlot itself…” Twilight started, her cheeks turning redder as her voice became slightly higher pitched “D-Did you really mean that?”

Daybreaker stopped in her tracks causing Twilight to whine loudly as she put too much weight on her forehooves. Daybreaker thought back to when they were in court and replayed the events in her mind, unable to recall ever saying that. She looked over at Twilight who was blushing profusely at this point, with a smirk she leaned down and whispered in Twilights ear “Even more than the sun itself.”

Twilight’s ear twitched as Daybreaker’s warm breath tickled the fur on her ear. A feeling of warmth accompanied those words as Twilight tried to calm down her rapidly beating heart while also struggling to regain control of her breathing. Twilight noticed that more ponies started to crowd around the stationed alicorns to see what the commotion was about.

Getting overwhelmed with what Daybreaker had confessed and the attention they were receiving, Twilight’s mouth quivered as various responses flooded her mind “L-let’s just head back” she eventually said. Taking a step forward Twilight completely forgot about her injuries and her hoof gave out from underneath her again, accidentally pulling Daybreaker down with her.

“Oowww” Twilight whined as she stared up at the larger fiery deity who laid on top of her, their bodies pressed firmly against each other “Hehe sorry” Twilight apologized as Daybreaker’s amber gaze locked with her own purple hues.

Daybreaker didn’t like how Twilight put her in such a vulnerable position, especially in front of all of her subjects. Though the way their bodies were pressed together and how they stared into each others eyes made her quickly dismiss that thought.

Instead of getting up, Daybreaker leaned further down and nuzzled the side of Twilights neck, her lips brushing ever so slightly against her fur, her face scrunched up at the odor though she didn’t pull away “As soon as we get back you are taking a bath, queen’s orders, you absolutely reek” Daybreaker ordered.

Just as Twilight was about to reply, a hooded figure slipped through the crowd and charged towards them. The unknown entity took advantage of their ruler’s vulnerable state by throwing a dagger at the distracted deity.

Not having much time to react Twilight put everything she had into one small barrier. Assuming that she wasn’t the target, Twilight lit her horn as a disjointed hex tiled barrier that only covered Daybreaker’s vitals suddenly appeared. With how drained and exhausted she was from their training session she didn’t have enough strength to create a barrier that would completely cover Daybreaker’s form and also defend from the surprise attack at the same time.

The assumption of the hooded figure aiming for one of Daybreaker’s vitals was correct as the tip of the blade connected with one of the spread out tiles located at the back of her head. The dagger ricocheted off the barrier, landing on the ground while Twilight’s barrier immediately shattered upon contact. The hooded figure kept charging as he pulled out another dagger from under his cloak and thrusted it towards Daybreaker.

Once the first attack had been deflected it gave Daybreaker enough time to react to the second. Swinging her body around Daybreaker used the armor on her wing to bash the ponies hoof causing him to lose grip of his dagger as it slid across the concrete. With the figure completely disarmed Daybreaker switched to the offence, lighting her horn a large blast of fire engulfed the assaulter’s form.

A few seconds later the flames died down and a brown earth pony stallion covered in scorch marks laid unconscious on the ground, his cloak completely burnt off. All the ponies that had surrounded them earlier retreated as soon as the fight began though some brave enough hid behind various objects as they watched the fight unfold.

Twilight tried to push herself up but her hooves refused to co-operate “Breaking your barrier down to cover the areas where he would most likely strike. I have to say I am impressed with your quick thinking” Daybreaker praised as she helped Twilight get back on her hooves.

The two alicorns made their way towards the unconscious stallion and stared at him “Why would somepony try to attack us like that?” Twilight asked curiously.

Daybreaker narrowed her eyes “Because he is working under my sister” Daybreaker replied confidently.

Twilight raised an eyebrow “But he isn’t a bat pony, how can you know that for a fact?”

Daybreaker raised her forehoof and pointed at the stallion’s flank “His cutie mark” she replied. Twilight’s eyes travelled down towards the stallions flank, her eyes widening at what she saw. Even though some of it was covered by the black scorch mark there was no mistaking that cutie mark.

“Starlight Glimmer” Twilight growled as she stared down at the black equal sign cutie mark he possessed.

Daybreaker’s gaze immediately shifted towards Twilight “You know of my sisters Protégée?” she asked surprised.

Twilight snapped towards Daybreaker, her mouth slightly agape “Nightmare Moon’s protégée!? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner!?” Twilight demanded.

Daybreaker narrowed her eyes, not liking being yelled at but she let it slide since Twilight prevented her from coming to harm “I don’t see how informing you about Starlight would have affected anything. Did something happen between you two back in your reality?” Daybreaker countered.

Twilight realized that she never explained how she was brought to this reality in the first place “Sorry…Back in my reality my friends and I stopped Starlight from stealing other ponies’ cutie marks. She wanted a world where everypony was equal, with no special talent dividing them and I quote ‘We don’t separate ourselves by more than name’” Twilight explained with an exasperated sigh.

“Starlight is a powerful unicorn. Just like me she spent her entire life studying magic and is the one who sent me to this reality so I wouldn’t interfere with any of her future plans” Twilight finished as Daybreaker nodded her head, hanging onto every word Twilight spoke.

“I see” was all Daybreaker said as she turned her gaze back towards the stallion.

Moments later a squad of pegasi guards swooped down from the skies and landed in front of them “We came as soon as we saw the smoke my queen, what are your orders?” The squad leader asked as they all saluted.

Daybreaker gaze was fixated on the stallion, not paying the guards any mind “Lock him up in the dungeons and alert me the moment he wakes up. We are going to have a nice long chat, you are all dismissed” she ordered, a sinister looking smirk grew on her face as the guards saluted once more before flying away with the stallion in tow.

“We still need to finish our discussion about your life back in your reality, there is still a lot I don’t know about you and I want to change that” Daybreaker said as they continued their walk back to the castle.

Twilight smiled and nodded “That sounds fine to me, I have a few new questions that need answering as well” Twilight replied as she focused on Daybreaker’s hooves so they would be walking in sync and not have a repeat of before.

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Events

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Tensions remained high as the two alicorns made their way back to the castle in silence. Twilight continuing to lean against her mentor’s side to help support her aching hooves, too sore from their training session to walk properly on her own.

The pair scanned their surroundings for any suspicious activity or anything out of the ordinary in general. However the ponies were either busy doing their own thing or stared at them curiously as they walked past.

Seeing this, Twilight couldn’t help but conclude that the stallion that attacked them had indeed been working on his own. It would be unlikely that an orchestrated assassination attempt, especially on a being as powerful as Daybreaker would only consist of one pony with no backup plan.

Using that logic to ease her troubled mind, Twilight took a deep breath and looked up at Daybreaker whose amber gaze managed to lock onto ponies before they even came around a corner or exited from a building. Twilight had no idea how she was able to tell they were there however she guessed it all came with experience.

The remainder of their walk was uneventful as they entered the castle grounds, now able to drop their guard and finally relax “My queen!” an all too familiar voice called out while the sound of hoof steps clopping against the ground grew louder.

“What now?” Daybreaker growled causing Raven to stop in her tracks, her head lowering and ears perking backwards at the sudden aggression.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel sorry for Raven, she was only doing her job and always ended up bearing the brunt of Daybreaker’s frustration, even though she never did anything wrong. Her gaze shifted to the rolled up newspaper that Raven was holding in her hoof “Apologies my queen, I have come to inform you that the stallion who attempted to assassinate you earlier has regained consciousness and that the guards stationed there are awaiting further instructions” Raven Informed.

“Excellent news, inform the warden that he is to expect my presence shortly…oh and put a medical team on standby, just in case” Daybreaker ordered with her iconic fanged grin.

“As you wish your majesty” Raven replied with a quick bow “However I have another matter I wish to address first” Raven added as she handed the newspaper over to Daybreaker “It is on the very front page, the leading headline.”

Levitating the newspaper in front of her, Daybreaker did what Raven instructed and turned the newspaper over to the very front page. Her grin only grew as she angled the newspaper towards Twilight so she would be able to see as well “I see that the reporters didn’t waste any time” the deity chuckled.

“The Sparkle that ignites her heart” Twilight read aloud, cringing slightly at the pun intended headline, her gaze shifting towards the picture below it. The same picture that Twilight threatened to destroy the camera over. In the picture their bodies were pressed up against each other due to how small the throne was, both of Daybreaker’s wings wrapped completely around Twilight’s form as the deity stared down almost lovingly into Twilight’s eyes with Twilight doing the same however looking upwards due to their size difference.

Twilight didn’t get a chance to look at the rest of the article before Daybreaker angled it back towards herself “Queen Daybreaker and the mystery alicorn we have come to learn named ‘Twilight Sparkle’ have been spotted sharing the throne while dealing with numerous petitioners during their latest court session. When interviewing the pair, our queen would…oh my” Daybreaker read out with a giggle, clearly enjoying this “Our queen would, as viewed in the image provided, wrap her wings around her consort and nip affectionately at her neck before sharing a tender moment by staring into each other’s eyes” Daybreaker finished reading the first paragraph with a bright, genuine smile.

Daybreaker expected Twilight to interrupt her at some point during her reading, for her to try and steal the newspaper away from her or even to go as far as destroying it. Instead the lavender mare leaned across to read the rest of the article, wondering if they added the incident with her and the camera “I was expecting you to get all embarrassed like you usually do whenever this topic comes up, I was prepared for you to steal the newspaper from me or even destroy it” Daybreaker stated.

Twilight made a thoughtful humming sound while she continued to read the rest of the article “Normally I would however I’m too sore and exhausted to even attempt something like that right now. Also I don’t think it is best to use magic right now, letting your barrier shatter instead of dispelling it is bad for your horn and I would rather wait until I recover before using magic again” Twilight started.

“Though even if I did somehow manage to steal the newspaper off you it wouldn’t accomplish anything. There are probably hundreds of thousands of newspapers already delivered throughout Equestria. It is embarrassing, however it is to be expected with how we have been acting in public” Twilight continued “Well mostly how you have been acting anyways.”

Daybreaker was pleased that her plan for Twilight to get used to the idea of them courting and that the news of it to travel throughout Equestria had succeeded. However she did miss seeing how embarrassed Twilight would get from her advances “You’re no fun” Daybreaker pouted “Here I was hoping you would use your wings to hide your blushing cheeks while cutely demanding that I burn the newspaper” she teased.

Twilight’s cheeks turned a slight shade of red from that statement though she didn’t try to hide it so Daybreaker wouldn’t get her way “I think I’m going to skip dinner altogether and call it a day. Hopefully our intense training session won’t come and bite me in the flank when I wake up” Twilight said, still struggling with no longer being able to use the various terms to describe the time of day and night.

Daybreaker frowned, disappointed that their time together had already come to an end. However with the state Twilight was currently in she could understand why “Very well, I will have a small chat with our aggressor before doing the same. Enjoy your sleep my faithful student and don’t hesitate in waking me if my sister visits you in the dream realm again” Daybreaker replied.

With a quick nod, Twilight moved away from Daybreaker’s side and limped back towards the VIP guest bedroom that she slept in earlier, opposite from Daybreaker’s private chambers. Relieved that she wasn’t interrupted by the various patrolling and stationed guards like before, she made her way into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed before falling asleep underneath the warm and comfortable blankets.

Meanwhile Daybreaker made her way towards the dungeons to meet with the wardens to begin the interrogation of the stallion that had attempted to assassinate her.

Twilight’s eyes slowly fluttered open as she found herself staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Sitting up she stretched her hooves with a large yawn before flaring her wings “Ow!” Twilight whined loudly as she pulled a muscle in her forehoof causing her to retract it quickly and rub it ‘I guess training did end up biting me in the flank after all’ she thought.

“Want me to kiss it better?” A voice spoke up followed by the sound of covers rustling.

Twilight’s head snapped to the side to see Daybreaker lying next to her with a wide grin, most of her body hidden underneath the blankets while her head rested comfortably against the pillow “How long have you been watching me sleep for and what is your excuse for joining me in bed this time?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow noticing that Daybreaker’s mane wasn’t ablaze meaning she had snuck in and slept in the same bed at some point.

Her grin grew wider as Daybreaker sat up, the covers falling off her body and into a heap next to her “For about twenty minutes, give or take” She replied, raising her hoof up to her chest with her wings outstretched and drooped slightly while pulling off the best pouty face she could muster “As for joining you again, I was scared! What if another mean pony tried to hurt me again in my sleep? I would feel a lot safer and have a much better rest by sleeping with my savior” Daybreaker replied, trying to make herself seem as vulnerable as possible.

“Isn’t that why you have guards stationed outside your chambers? So events like that would be prevented?” Twilight countered with a smirk of her own.

Silence filled the room as Daybreaker failed at coming up with a valid comeback “You got me there” she said with a defeated sigh before changing the conversation topic “According to Raven there has been just over a seven hundred percent increase in petitions requesting bits for court today. I don’t care what you say about it or how good of a cause it may be for, I will not be giving a single bit to anypony that asks for it. I will be telling Raven to skip them and move on to the more important yet still trivial petitions” Daybreaker stated as she started to attach her armor in the same fashion as she did previously.

Twilight didn’t like that Daybreaker wasn’t even going to listen to the requests though she knew there was no way she was going to change the deity’s mind about it and wasn’t worth the trouble in attempting to do so “Very well, however I would appreciate it if you at least take what I say into consideration. There is no reason for me to sit there with you if you are going to end up ignoring my suggestions like last time” Twilight replied as she leaned over and grabbed Daybreaker’s wing with her hooves before using her magic to carefully attach the armor to it.

Giving her wings a few test flaps, Daybreaker gave a thankful nod to Twilight before retracting them back to her side “I will listen as long as you don’t interrupt me every third petition like last time” Daybreaker concluded.

Once she had finished attaching the rest of her armor to her body, Daybreaker slid off the bed and set her mane ablaze once more “Now then, let us get something to eat and get this chore over and done with, then we can spend the remainder of our time together” Daybreaker suggested happily “As for everything else I will just order some other pony to deal with it or cancel it altogether unless it is important.”

Following Daybreaker off the bed, Twilight winced slightly as she gradually applied pressure onto her hooves “Breakfast sounds great considering I traded dinner for sleep” Twilight replied as she followed Daybreaker into the dining room, she was able to walk a lot better compared to before however her body was still sore and rigid, making it difficult for her to keep up with her mentor’s long strides.

“So, did my sister visit you in your dream again?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight took a large bite out of the apple suspended in front of her in her magical aura “No she didn’t and I don’t expect her to for another few days since she struggles with charging her celestial powers, it was probably the best sleep I had since coming here” Twilight admitted as she glanced over at Daybreaker who was doing the same while working on her schedule, crossing out everything she didn’t want to do.

‘That is a lot of crosses’ Twilight thought to herself.

“That is good to hear, probably best we skip our lessons today and see how you feel after another day’s rest” Daybreaker replied, not taking her eyes off the schedule.

Taking another bite from her apple, Twilight decided now would be a better time than any to continue the discussion they dropped at the end of their previous court session “You mentioned that my family doesn’t live in Canterlot anymore, why is that?” Twilight asked.

The quill suspended in the deity’s red magical aura suddenly stopped moving, with a sigh she put it down and looked up at Twilight “They decided to move away” Daybreaker replied, resting her forehooves on the table as she waited for Twilight to begin her bombardment of questions.

Twilight waited for a moment to see if Daybreaker would continue speaking. When nothing was added to her original response Twilight’s expression slowly changed to a frown “Yes but why? My family has lived in that house for generations, they wouldn’t leave Canterlot for no reason” Twilight repeated.

“Your parents, they weren’t happy with how I handled things after you died” Daybreaker admitted.

Twilight noticed that Daybreaker was being incredibly vague with her answers, though she was determined to find out what exactly had happened “What did you do that made them unhappy and caused them to move away?” Twilight pressed on.

“So many questions” Daybreaker groaned.

“And there would be a lot less if you stop dodging the question and tell me what I want to know” Twilight retorted.

Daybreaker shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, unsure as to how Twilight would react to what she had to say “Your family wanted your body to be cremated and for your ashes to be preserved in an urn. However I had other plans and kept your body, placing several preservation charms around it to prevent it from decaying which I renew every two months. I have it stored away in a tightly secured sarcophagus located in the royal tomb and allowed your family access to it whenever they liked. However when they discovered what I was doing to your body with my resurrection attempts they were completely disgusted and left.”

Twilight’s mouth was slightly agape, she didn’t know whether to be pissed off at Daybreaker or be thankful that she tried so hard to bring her back. Pushing that thought aside to contemplate at a later date, something in Daybreaker’s response was irking Twilight.

She knew there would be a lot of bad memories revolving around Canterlot as well as the house for them, however this wouldn’t be the first time her parents would have dealt with a loss of a loved one. With the exception to her BBBFF her parents watched their parents and grandparents die and they continued to live in the same house despite that.

“Is that the only reason?” Twilight asked as she narrowed her eyes, scanning Daybreaker’s expression for any signs of lying.

However Daybreaker’s expression didn’t falter due to the one thousand plus years of experience she had in the political game “As far as I am aware off, yes” Daybreaker responded.

Twilight nodded, deciding to shift the conversation to her brother and the Crystal Empire to see if the two would be connected somehow. If her parents did indeed move away from home then that would most likely be where they would go “Enough about my parents, what about my brother, Shining Armor?” Twilight asked “From what I have discovered he assisted Cadence in restoring the Crystal heart resulting in the defeat of King Sombra and taking his place as the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire” Twilight asked, unsure if the last part of her statement was actually true but said it anyways to make it seem like she knew more than she actually did.

This didn’t get the intended effect Twilight had imagined as Daybreaker scowled, her fangs bared at the thought of her adopted niece “Your brother abandoned his duties as captain of the guard and fled with that traitorous wench, they even got married” Daybreaker spat.

Twilight didn’t appreciate how Daybreaker spoke ill of her sister-in-law however she tried to not let it bother her too much and focus on the conversation at hoof. She was just glad that Shining was alright and that him and Cadence’s love was strong enough to be preserved through this reality despite all the difficulties that they had faced together.

“I heard that they were independent from us, why is that? Back in my reality we had very close relations with each other” Twilight asked.

“Cadence considered me to be the next Sombra and that I would not ruin the lives of the crystal ponies while she still drew breath” Daybreaker snarled, the flames in her mane flickering more violently making it produce more heat “I had massive plans for the Crystal Empire as well. It was an ideal forward position to deal with any forces that my sister would send my way as well as being able to launch a counter attack if she over extended too much. She wouldn’t be able to deal with two kingdoms at the same time. She hits one then we use the other to hit her at the same time” Daybreaker explained.

Twilight couldn’t imagine Cadence ever saying that though a lot of things could have changed over the past 10 years “So if my family moved away and my brother is the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire alongside Cadence, does that mean my family might be living in the Crystal Empire with them?” Twilight deducted.

Daybreaker’s eyes widened at where Twilight was heading with this “Under no circumstances are you to visit the Crystal Empire! Do I make myself clear!?” Daybreaker said firmly.

Recoiling back from the sudden change of tone, Twilight narrowed her eyes “Why is that? The Crystal Empire is just as safe as Canterlot is, if not more since they aren’t at war” Twilight countered.

“They are our enemies! With news about our relationship out they will see you as a valuable asset and hold you ransom to me or the highest payer!” Daybreaker explained with her piercing amber gaze.

“Our enemies? Don’t you mean your enemy? This is my overprotective older brother we are talking about here, he would beat up anypony who even thinks about plucking a hair from my mane. And we don’t have a relationship which I will make abundantly clear to them, they are my family after all” Twilight argued.

“Bucking hell Twilight! I lost you once and I will not risk losing you again, you aren’t going to the Crystal Empire and that is that. If you wish to see them that badly then I can send a pony to submit a formal invitation and they can come here instead” Daybreaker yelled, slamming her hoof down against the table with a loud bang, her mane burning profusely at this point and her breathing heavy.

“They don’t have a reason to trust you just as much as you don’t have a reason to trust them, especially after the way you talk about them! They will never agree to that!” Twilight yelled back as she reared up onto the table refusing to back down, this was her family they were talking about after all.

The fire in Daybreaker’s eyes made it seem like she was about to lash out at any moment “Then it appears we are stuck at a crossroads then” Daybreaker finished while closing her eyes, the flames in her mane slowly flickering back to normal as she regained control of her emotions.

Twilight was not happy that the conversation was dropped so suddenly however it was probably for the best before either of them did or said anything they would regret.

After a moment of silence a third voice suddenly spoke up “C-Court has st-started t-twenty minutes a-ago my queen” Raven said meekly, hiding her muzzle as well as most of her face behind her clipboard.

The two alicorns stared at Raven, completely unaware that she was even in the room with them “How long have you been standing there?” Twilight asked as she got off the table and sat back down on her seat, the anger and frustration in her voice completely gone.

“About half an hour” Raven replied with more confidence this time, slowly lowering her clipboard down to her chest “your discussion sounded important and I didn’t want to interrupt it like last time” Raven added, her eyes darting between the pair.

Raven expected Daybreaker to not be as lenient since she was effectively eavesdropping on their conversation, however the deity instead took a deep breath and got out of her seat “Very well we shall be heading inside momentarily, inform the petitioners that they should expect their queen’s presence shortly” Daybreaker ordered.

Twilight watched Raven scampered away “This discussion is far from over” Twilight said once Raven had left the room.

“I’m sure it is” Daybreaker groaned in response as she headed out of the dining room and towards the throne room with Twilight following closely behind.

Twilight sighed loudly while she listened to Raven read through the seemingly never-ending list of petitioners, she had no idea how much time had passed however there was definitely more than yesterday, some even submitting petitions just to see the two for themselves. The only reason she agreed to come along this time was so she could obtain Starswirl’s journal in hopes of being able to uncover the decoder Daybreaker was referring to back at the library, so the sooner this was done the better.

“Pass” Daybreaker said for the hundredth time.

Raven crossed out the name and moved onto the next pony on the list “Hard Hat, an earth pony construction worker has created fifty storage crates for the purpose of overseas shipment for a client named Crafty Crate. Crafty Crate refuses to pay Hard Hat for his services as the dimensions of the crates are different to what has been agreed upon in the contract.”

“Pass” Daybreaker yawned.

“The client Crafty Crate does not need to pay the employer Hard Hat for his services, if Hard Hat wishes to get paid then he would have to reconstruct the storage crates with the dimensions specified and agreed upon in the contract. Just tell them that whenever you go back out there, there is no need for this dispute to be escalated any further" Twilight resolved with a wave of her hoof.

Twilight was beginning to see what Daybreaker meant about the ponies problems being so trivial, she couldn’t help but wonder if Celestia back in her reality dealt with the same kind of petitions.

Raven blinked a couple of times before looking up at Daybreaker for confirmation “Just do as she says, if they start making a scene then just toss them out or something. Who is next on the list?” Daybreaker asked.

Making a quick note next to the ponies name so she could repeat what Twilight had said to them, Raven moved on to the next petitioner “Next is a pegasus mare named Fleetfoot. She was one of the most promising rookies in guard school this year. However due to a collision with another team who didn’t follow proper flying protocol she ended up in hospital with a broken wing just weeks before the final test. Now fully recovered from her injury, she appeals with the intention to sit the test early so she can join the advanced training course that has just started instead of having to wait till the end of the year.”

“I like her dedication” Daybreaker stated with a grin “Instruct her to meet with captain Ironhoof, he should be able to set the test up and grade her appropriately.”

With a small nod, Raven once again made another quick note next to Fleetfoot’s name before moving onto the next petitioner “Next on the list is a unicorn named Fresh Coat. She is a rapidly growing artist who uses exotic and unique means to create her paintings. Her work has been quite popular with the upper classes and has come to offer you her services while she is down here to attend to another client’s request.”

Daybreaker glanced over at the various paintings of herself that hung up on either side of the throne room before looking back down at Raven “Does she have any of her work with her to prove her quality? Exotic doesn’t always mean good” Daybreaker asked.

Adjusting her glasses, Raven skimmed through the more detailed description of the petition “It says here that she will provide three small paintings for reference, if you want to see anything larger than that then an appointment would have to be made at a later date. Would you like me to bring her in so you can see for yourself?” Raven asked.

Daybreaker contemplated the request for a few moments “Very well, bring her in” Daybreaker replied.

“Excuse me mistress” Raven bowed before hurrying out of the throne room and into the waiting room just outside.

Once the throne room’s doors closed behind Raven, Twilight turned to face Daybreaker “Thinking about getting another portrait done?” Twilight asked.

Smiling faintly Daybreaker nodded “Yes, I have heard of this pony named Fresh Coat before from some of the gossip between nobles. Though I have never seen any of her work before, having something with a different and more unique style would fit better in the throne room I feel” Daybreaker replied with a slight pause “I don’t mind paying a few extra bits if you want to join me in it” Daybreaker offered with a smirk, bumping her wing against Twilight’s playfully.

Twilight made a thoughtful humming sound and she contemplated her mentors offer “I never had a painting of myself done before and I admit I am curious to see how it would tur-“ Twilight started but got cut off from the commotion that was going on outside.

“OUT OF MY WAY!”

“Ma’am you’re not allowed in here…GUARDS!”

The doors to the throne room swung wide open revealing Raven trying to halt a familiar pissed off white coated mare baring a blue triple diamond cutiemark with an elegant purple mane and a fashionable spiral tail of the same colour.

“Rarity!?” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, having no idea how she managed to get this far or even into the throne room itself.

“YOOOOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE PUT ME AND POOR SWEETIE BELLE THROUGH!?” Rarity yelled as the guards rapidly flooded into the room, flanking Rarity with their various weapons raised and spells channeled.

However the guards immediately disengaged and took a few steps back when Daybreaker rose from her throne with fire circling around her horn “How dare you speak to your queen like that!” Daybreaker yelled back and unleashed a blast of fire in the intruding unicorn’s direction.

Twilight’s body moved on its own. Flaring her wings she gave them a powerful flap, launching herself off the throne and tackled Rarity to the side. The blast grazing her left wing before they hit the ground.

“Ahhh! Hothothothothot” Twilight whined out as she tried to extinguish her burning feathers by flapping her wing repeatedly. Too distracted to notice the panicked look on Rarity’s face and feel how her heart would thud against her chest “Y-you saved me” Rarity said softly.

“TWILIGHT!” Daybreaker panicked as she leapt down the small set of stairs and rushed to her student’s side.

The mare in question looked at Daybreaker for a moment before turning her attention back towards Rarity “I’ll explain everything later, promise, just keep quiet and stay behind me” Twilight whispered quickly before Daybreaker roughly grabbed her wing, examining the damage that she caused.

“What were you thinking you stupid STUPID mare!” Daybreaker scolded while poking and pulling at Twilight’s feathers with her hoof before letting out a large sigh of relief as she let go of her student’s wing, allowing her to retract it back to her side “Fortunately only your secondary feathers were hit, they will regrow and heal over the course of a few days, some faster than others however I advise that you refrain from flying anytime soon and a proper preening would be in order afterwards.”

Twilight didn’t know how to respond to the question since her body acted on its own however she had a feeling Daybreaker was asking that in a more rhetorical sense anyways.

Taking a step back, Daybreaker glared at the white unicorn that was still pinned underneath Twilight “Surely you recall our little discussion at the old castle” Daybreaker threatened.

“How could I forget darling, after all you did threaten to kill me and my friends because we apparently failed to protect your precious student. Though she looks perfectly alive to me” Rarity retorted. The guards looking amongst each other, completely lost on the conversation.

A hearty malevolent laugh echoed throughout the throne room “threaten to kill? Oh no I threatened to do so much worse than that” Daybreaker smirked while marching towards the unicorn.

“You will do no such thing!” Twilight retorted as she got off Rarity and intercepted Daybreaker’s advances “We have already discussed this and how we agreed it wasn’t their fault.”

“Even though we agreed upon it, their banishment is still in place. I may have signed the forms however I still require their signature for it to be nullified” Daybreaker retorted, staring down at Twilight who was blocking her path “Now move aside.”

Twilight looked back at Rarity who continued to lay on the ground, still shaken up by the fact that she nearly died if it wasn’t for Twilight. Looking back at Daybreaker, Twilight narrowed her eyes and flared her wings, one of which was still burnt and blackened from the fire “I will not” Twilight replied as she stomped her hoof on the ground, she was not going to let anything happen to one of her closest friends.

Twilight caught a glimpse of Day Dasher hovering above the guards while staring down at the chaos below that would make even Discord proud. Some of the petitioners also poking their heads inside to see what all the commotion was about. However that was the least of Twilight’s concern.

“You insufferable…” Daybreaker started but shook her head and took a deep breath in attempt to calm herself down “Do you have to make everything difficult?” Daybreaker asked in annoyance as she rubbed her forehead with her hoof.

Twilight snarled, taking offence to what Daybreaker had said “Difficult! You are threatening to torture my best friend! What do you think I was going to do?” Twilight yelled.

“That impudent friend of yours stormed into MY throne room while yelling at us! Even if the banishment was lifted I have killed ponies for much less!” Daybreaker growled back “This is your last warning. Move.”

Twilight’s expression shifted to a one of disgust “Then whatever you do to her you are going to have to do to me as well” Twilight finished.

Gritting her teeth together, Daybreaker watched as Twilight turned her back towards her to help Rarity back onto her hooves “Why did you come here?” Twilight asked.

“I saw you two on the front page of the papers darling. I was absolutely outraged that we were banished despite you being alive for all these years” Rarity replied, her voice back to normal as she accepted Twilight’s hoof to help her back onto her own.

“I assumed as much” Twilight nodded as she turned her attention back towards the pissed of monarch “This would have all been avoided if you let me leave the castle when I asked so I could hand out the forms to lift their banishment. I know I didn’t argue however you can’t fault her for acting the way she did when she figured out for herself. In fact if I didn’t tell Applejack first then I would expected her to barge in a few hours earlier.”

“Just because things could have turned out differently doesn’t mean her actions are excused” Daybreaker explained “She. Will. Be. Punished” Daybreaker said sinisterly.

“Then it appears we are stuck at a crossroads then” Twilight retorted, using what Daybreaker had said during their earlier argument against her.

This did not bode well as the glare Twilight received from Daybreaker felt that she would stab her if it meant hitting Rarity “You want to play that way? Fine” Daybreaker spat before turning her attention towards the hovering Day Dasher “Get these two out of my sight and lock them in the dungeons.” Daybreaker ordered, her body visibly shaking, it was obvious she was trying to hold her temper back.

As if on cue, Day Dasher landed next to Daybreaker and saluted before shoving the two out of the throne room. Twilight resisted at first as she stared at Daybreaker in disbelief before following alongside Rarity towards the dungeons “Just so you know…I had no obligation to stay here in the first place” Twilight said sadly before leaving willingly. Day Dasher following closely behind while Twilight tried her best to ignore the stares and whispers of both the guards and petitioners alike.

Twilight offered no resistance as she entered the almost pitch black jail cell that Day Dasher had selected. The only light radiating from a dimly lit torch a few cell blocks down in the hallway. She knew why she was thrown in the dungeons however she couldn’t help but be annoyed that Daybreaker actually went through with it, especially after everything she had said to her.

‘I mean more to her than the sun itself…yeah right’ Twilight thought.

“Thank you.”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Rarity who looked disgusted as she examined the walls and floor of their cell “No need to thank me, I know that I have a lot of explaining to do and it would sound incredibly unlikely however I promise you it is the truth. I already explained everything to Applejack.”

The white unicorn raised an eyebrow “Yes you do darling however I never said anything.”

Twilight rushed to the bars to see the cyan pegasus traverse back up the staircase “Day Dasher wait!” Twilight called out. However the mare in question ignored Twilight and continued her ascent until she was out of sight.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Twilight walked to the back of the cell and laid down ‘Maybe I was just hearing things’ Twilight thought as she watched Rarity approach her, trying to find an appropriate place to lay down “I don’t know what you see in her darling, she is cruel, rude, ruthless and doesn’t care about anypony other than herself” Rarity scoffed.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile for what felt like the first time since getting out of bed “I’m not so sure about the last part though I agree with everything else” Twilight agreed as she watched Rarity hesitantly lay down next to her, her face scrunching up at how dirty the floors were.

“Uugh it’s going to take an extra-long spa visit to get this all cleaned off” Rarity complained causing Twilight to giggle.

‘Classic Rarity’ Twilight thought to herself as she decided to go back and clarify a misunderstanding for Rarity “I know you read it in the papers however we aren’t actually courting. I am her protégée and star student” Twilight informed.

Rarity just laughed while waving her hoof at Twilight’s statement, completely dismissing it “Nonsense darling, I have read and experienced my fair share of romances over the years, she is completely infatuated with you. The way she reacted when your wing caught fire, you may have not noticed but she was absolutely terrified, examining each and every feather individually to make sure there was no permanent damage. I wish I had somepony that would look at me like that.”

Those words reminded Twilight of what Nightmare Moon said back in the dream realm “I’m not quite sure what type of romance stories you’ve been reading however I’m pretty sure you don’t send the one you love to the dungeons” Twilight responded bitterly.

Rarity rolled her eyes “As thankful as I am for you saving and standing up for me dear you did have it coming. Especially when you said ‘whatever you do to her you are going to have to do to me as well’. I’m not standing up for her darling but I admit I did act on an impulse and challenged her in front of everypony. She would have never let me walk unscathed from that, she has an image to uphold after all as ruler of Equestria otherwise others may follow suit and challenge her rule.”

Twilight was hating how much sense Rarity was making and was now starting to feel bad about her actions, especially with what she said at the end about having no obligation to be here “Maybe she was right about me being difficult.”

Twilight jumped slightly when she felt a hoof rub along her back “Nonsense darling, I guarantee that within the next 5 hours your special somepony would come down here to check up on you” Rarity reassured. Twilight had no idea if Rarity actually believed they were courting or if she was just messing with her but it did make her feel slightly better “You should come with me for my next spa visit darling, you need some time to relax. I can practically feel the tension radiating off you…Whenever we get released that is” Rarity offered while mumbling the last part out.

“Things have been pretty stressful for me lately. I guess a few hours of relaxation would do me well, might even help put my mind back on track and look at problems from a new viewpoint” Twilight agreed “Though I guess since we are stuck in here for the time being I should start explaining everything that has happened since our encounter with Nightmare Moon.”

With a nod from Rarity, Twilight cleared her throat as Rarity prepared to listen to Twilight’s lengthy exposition “Let’s start off by saying the Twilight you knew back in Ponyville did indeed die against Nightmare Moon and that I'm a Twilight from another reality, one in which we succeeded in gathering the elements to defeat Nightmare Moon where a pony named Starlight Glimmer created…”

Roughly two hours had passed and Twilight finished explaining everything that has happened. Just like Applejack, Rarity was incredibly doubtful at first however after discussing the things she knew about the Rarity back in her reality, things that no other pony other than her little sister should know about she eventually came around.

“Sorry for dragging you into this mess darling, I really did think you were alive all this time and that we were banished for absolutely nothing. I was simply outraged and marched here without a second thought.” Rarity apologized, her ears perked backwards as she stared down at her forehooves.

Shaking her head, Twilight gave the fashionista a reassuring pat on the back “No need to apologize, we are best friends back in my reality and I would like to believe the same would apply in this one, I would do this all over again without a second thought. Besides as I said…well yelled at Daybreaker back in the throne room, I should have asked if somepony could have sent the forms to Applejack so that she and Pinkie Pie could search for the rest of you. This could have all been avoided if that was the case, I thought a few extra days wouldn’t hurt” Twilight replied as the sound of armored hooves clanking against the ground echoed throughout the hallway, growing louder with each and every step.

Eventually Daybreaker came into view and stopped in front of their cell, staring at Twilight through the gaps between the metal bars that separated them “How are you holding up?” Daybreaker asked softly, not paying the white unicorn any mind.

Twilight wasn’t expecting Rarity to be right about Daybreaker coming to check up on her so quickly “Could be worse I suppose” Twilight responded in a slightly bitter tone. Still not happy about the entire situation though acknowledges the fact that she was also in the wrong at least to a certain degree.

Closing her eyes, Daybreaker rested her head against the iron bars and let out a loud sigh “I hate it when we fight like this” Daybreaker said sadly “Despite what ponies say about me I do in fact have a heart. I hate yelling at you and it seems like that is all we have done since we got out of bed, just constantly arguing with each other and it hurts, a lot. I didn’t want to send you here and I admit I did it out of impulse however I couldn’t let your friend’s actions slide, especially in front of that many ponies.”

Twilight didn’t consider Daybreaker’s feelings at all during this entire ordeal. She had only been looking at things from her own view point instead of Daybreaker’s who would be taking this a lot worse than her since she effectively lost her Twilight once already. She felt her heart sink at the depressed and pitiful sight of the powerful monarch before her.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, but promise me this, promise me that you will never leave me alone again. I don’t think my heart would be able to hand-“ Daybreaker started but got interrupted when she felt something press against her head.

Reopening her eyes she was met with Twilight’s bright alluring violet eyes staring deeply into her own, their foreheads touching causing their horns to cross. Unable to do much else with the iron bars separating them “Being down here gave me some time to think and I did bring this upon myself. However I don’t regret it for a second. Rarity is my best friend and I will do anything to protect her as well as the others, just like with you and that stallion after training yesterday.” Twilight responded with a growing smile, she wanted nothing more than to accept that promise however she knew she had to get back to her reality as soon as possible.

A small smile grew on Daybreaker’s face as she rubbed her nose against Twilight’s who returned the gesture with a nuzzle of her own “Unfortunately I have to keep you both locked up for a week or so. I will however leave a guard outside who will cater to your every need. Don’t hesitate in letting them know if you need anything, even if it is me” Daybreaker started, her smile quickly fading “I need to do this so-“

“So other ponies wouldn’t think they could get away with doing the same thing, don’t worry I understand. Though there is something you can do for me right now which will make my imprisonment easier” Twilight interrupted.

“And what is that?” Daybreaker asked curiously.

“Upholding your end of the bargain and letting me read Starswirl’s personal journal…oh and some writing material as well for notes” Twilight smirked.

Daybreaker shook her head in disbelief “Even while imprisoned you still wish to study, very well I shall return momentarily” she replied with a laugh and walked away to get what Twilight had requested.

“Oh and one more thing” Twilight called out causing Daybreaker to stop in her tracks and look back at Twilight.

“I said I had no obligation to stay here in the first place” Twilight said sadly as she bit her lower lip, forcing her gaze to stay on Daybreaker and not shift to the floor “However I chose to and I plan on continuing to do so. If you still want to deal with this difficult mare of course” Twilight said hoping that little teasing remark would lighten the mood.

This seemed to perk the deity’s spirits “I would love nothing more” Daybreaker replied happily as she traversed back up the staircase with a slight spring in her step.

Once Daybreaker had ascended the staircase and was out of sight, Twilight turned back to face a smug looking Rarity “Not a word” Twilight warned.

Rarity’s smile grew to a point where it could challenge Pinkie Pie’s “Darling, how can you say that you two aren’t courting? You have to be blind not to see it. Oh and even if there is no clock down here, that was definitely under my five hour prediction” Rarity winked.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she laid back down next to Rarity, waiting for Daybreaker’s return “Because we aren’t courting, I’m her student that she lost over 10 years ago, that is only a natural reaction” Twilight responded.

“Maybe you two are courting is the wrong choice of words” Rarity said with a thoughtful hum “Maybe Daybreaker courting you is the correct term. I may have never seen Daybreaker since she was still known as Celestia however word travels around quickly and nopony has ever mentioned Daybreaker having a nice side or a soft spot. Everything I saw just then was a complete contradiction to what I've heard.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at Rarity and shook her head “Nonsense, that would never happen” was all Twilight said but with each passing second, her confidence in her answer was dropping as she thought about everything that had transpired between them since they met. All the playful remarks and displays of affection Daybreaker shared since she got here, it would also explain why she kept sneaking into her bed at night.

“Would it?” Twilight asked mostly to herself.

Chapter 7 - Progress?

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“Can you dim the light a tad bit darling? I’m trying to get my beauty sleep” Rarity groaned while squinting at Twilight, wishing she had brought her sleeping mask with her right about now.

Twilight glanced up from the journal that rested comfortably between her forehooves and towards the grouchy looking Rarity who was attempting to sleep in one of the corners. Her mane roughed up with several strands sticking out in various directions. Twilight was thankful there was no mirror in here else Rarity would have a fit and demand the guards to bring her a brush “Of Course! Sorry for waking you” Twilight apologized as she dimmed her horn light spell “Is this better?”

With an incoherent mumble Rarity laid back down with her back towards Twilight, attempting to go back to sleep.

Taking Rarity’s unladylike response as a yes, Twilight turned her attention back towards the journal that Daybreaker lent her. The light emanating from her horn being the only way she can read its contents. She recalled reading a study on how reading using horn light magic for an extended period of time was harmful for your eyesight. However with no alternative solution for a light source, she hoped doing this for a few days wouldn’t cause any permanent damage, and that being an alicorn would offer some kind resistance to it.

Flicking over to the next page, there were often times where she would get too absorbed in what she was reading, causing her to forget the reason why she wanted the journal in the first place. Her original reason for wanting it was to find information about the decoder that Daybreaker referred to back in the library which would allow her to break down and modify Starswirl’s spells.

However the journal was completely littered with various interesting ideas and theories that Starswirl had recorded though never got around to doing before his unexplained disappearance. A few of them seemed utterly ridiculous and straight up impossible, however there were some, despite how ambitious they were, could be revolutionary if successful.

‘Maybe when all of this is over I can experiment with some of his theories, giving him the appropriate credit of course’ Twilight thought to herself as she shook her head ‘Focus Twilight! You have all the time in the world for that when you find a way back’ she mentally scolded herself as she forced herself to turn to the next page when it had no mention of the decoder.

Though the next page came as quite the surprise to the alicorn as she stared at the wordless page with narrowed eyes. Unlike the other pages which were filled with text and diagrams, this page only had a drawing on it and a very crude one at that. This had nothing to do with the decoder but there was something clawing and screaming at the back of Twilight’s mind, telling her that this was important somehow.

The drawing was a rough sketch of what appeared to be an upside down cauldron with three different yet very similar sigils mounted across its body. Surrounding each sigil were numerous rectangles and squares separated by small various sized gaps encompassed by two large yet thin circles. This pattern seemed to be consistent with the other three sigils however the unique symbol within each of the circles was the only element that made them different from each other.

The first symbol was relatively straight forward being a star, all five points coming into contact with the circle surrounding it. The second being slightly more complicated with it being a pentagon instead, all five points also coming into contact with the circle, the inside of the pentagon had been cropped out to reveal another upside down pentagon. The third and last symbol she couldn’t identify it as over three quarters of it had been cut off from the cauldron’s rim.

Without any information to go off, the drawing made zero sense to Twilight whatsoever. Turning to the next page to see if there would be anything to help explain what she was looking at, her eyes widened at what she discovered ‘What kind of monster is capable of such deeds’ Twilight thought angrily as she trailed her hoof down the tear marks in the middle of the book where the pages have evidently been ripped out from. If she could have her way she would make it illegal for books to be treated this way.

The torn pages must have contained information about the drawing as the next readable page contained a completely different theory about flashbacks and how magic can be used to access different sections of the brain to trigger and replay memories, even supressed ones. This both intrigued and terrified Twilight at the same time.

With a disgruntled sigh, Twilight turned back to the drawing and stared at it for a bit longer, hoping the answer would just magically jump out at her by itself and ease her now pounding head.

‘I’ll just ask Daybreaker about it later, maybe she knows what this is, or better yet, what happened to the missing pages’ Twilight thought as she once again forced herself to turn over to the next readable page. She didn’t know how long Daybreaker would let her keep this journal for, however she planned to get through all of it at least twice before she had to return it.

While skimming through the rest of the theories, Twilight levitated the reference scroll she created that contained all the page numbers as well as the names of spells that had peaked her interest before doing the same with her quill. She quickly jolted down the page number of the drawing followed by a question mark since she had no idea what the spell was. To symbolize its importance compared to the other theories she put a tidy circle around it before putting the scroll down to focus on her reading.

After flicking through page after page after page, Twilight was struggling to keep her eyes open. Unable to supress a large yawn, she glanced up from her journal momentarily to see Shress stationed outside their cell with her back towards them. She had no idea how long the white coated guard mare stood there for however if that was the case then there was a chance that Day Dasher would be as well at some point, she still wanted to talk to the cyan pegasus about earlier.

Twilight turned her attention back towards the journal and continued her research, not in the mood for a pointless conversation at the moment. As tired as she was she refused to stop, especially with how close she was to finishing it. After a few more pages and a few extra scribbles on her scroll, she eventually came across the section she spent the past day, if not longer searching for.

All traces of tiredness completely vanished from Twilight’s face as a large smile tugged on the corners of her lips. Adjusting her position, she shifted so she was now laying on her stomach with her forehooves supporting her head while the journal was magically suspended in front of her, once she was comfortable she once again started reading.

I can’t believe it! The spells that I, the great Starswirl the Bearded, created with the intention to help my fellow unicorns flourish and prosper has instead been twisted and manipulated to cause harm to the neighbouring tribes! Something as innocent as a spell to generate artificial sunlight with the purpose to help our crops grow in darker lit areas is now being used as a weapon! A WEAPON!

Apparently some of my unicorn brethren have figured out how to amplify the heat that the spell produces and have been using it to scorch the earth pony’s crops. Being the one who created the spell in the first place I decided to take responsibility and apologized to the earth ponies by helping them plant and regrow their crops. The amount of magic it took nearly crippled me but if it meant preventing a war then it was a price I was willing to pay and would do so again without a second thought.

This however was only a temporary solution and I doubt that the earth ponies would be as forgiving if this ended up happening again. So, over the course of two weeks I gathered all of my spells and erased all the modifications that have been made to them.

Though that was only the beginning, to prevent them from modifying my spells all over again I added a little alteration of my own. With this alteration it would prevent my spells from being misused meaning they can only be used for their intended purpose. If they modify the spell, even in the slightest possible way, then the spell would either end up failing or backfiring against the caster. (Note: damage to caster may vary, ONLY do so when under influence of a protective barrier) There were times where I was tempted to destroy the spells and let them fend for themselves, to show them they shouldn’t take me or my work for granted. However I would never stoop to such foal-like tactics.

Of course, there may come a time where I discover a way to improve one of my spells. With this ‘lock’ that I placed on my spells it would make it impossible for me to do so without having to completely recreate it from scratch. So in return I made a key, a decoder probably being a better term for it. Using this allows the caster to see how the spell is structured and highlights the necessary steps in order to break it down, allowing me to make my desired improvements.

Note: The decoder does not tell you how to put the spell back together again and every spell is structured differently. Be sure to remember what steps have been taken. For security reasons NEVER write it down.

Unfortunately it was impossible to bind this decoder for my use alone and I fear that removing the modifications my brethren made to my spells has upset them greatly. The glares I received as I walked through the streets have been getting worse as the days go by, some even resorting to breaking into my home. I cannot allow this decoder to fall into their hooves so I hid it in a place where nopony would think to look.

The smile on Twilight’s face instantly shifted to a frown as she reached the end of the entry. She turned to the next page in hopes that he continued there but much to her dismay it was completely blank. Refusing to believe that those few paragraphs was the only information she had about the decoder, she rapidly flicked through the rest of the pages, only for them to turn up blank as well.

When she reached the end of the journal ,she cancelled her horn light spell and let out a loud exhausted sigh while rubbing her strained eyes with her forehoof. There was nothing in the journal that even remotely hinted to the location of the decoder, only the reason for its creation in the first place and why Starswirl hid it, all pointless information in her opinion.

Looking over at the sleeping unicorn beside her, Twilight decided to follow her friend’s example and get some much needed rest. Closing the journal, she let out another big yawn before resting her head on her forehooves and closing her eyes.

‘I’ll have another read of that entry when I wake up. Perhaps I missed something.’

“We have been waiting for thou to slumber for some time now Twilight Sparkle.”

The dream didn’t even have a chance to take form before a familiar black coated alicorn wearing azure shaded armor appeared in front of her “Nightmare Moon” Twilight responded dryly, wondering what the deity wanted with her this time “And what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, remembering their last encounter didn’t end well.

There was no reply at first as Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and raised her head, her horn glowing with her azure magic as the dream started to take shape around them. Numerous houses that looked identical in every way surrounded them with various signs and stalls set up in the streets. The only building that was different than the rest was the black castle in the centre which looked similar to the one back in Canterlot only significantly smaller.

“We heard what thou did to our student’s underling. It was foolish on his behalf to perform such an action by one’s self” Nightmare Moon eventually spoke up as she reopened her eyes, now staring down at Twilight “If it wasn’t for thou he might’ve possibly succeeded in harming mine sister. Though with how fast we alicorns heal it would have only been an inconvenience at most” Nightmare Moon continued with a shake of her head.

“No matter, this shall make an excellent lesson for young Starlight. The imbecile’s purpose was espionage, by acting against his orders he made things quite difficult for us in the long run. From this she will learn how to enforce her orders and to not tolerate disobedience.” Nightmare Moon explained with a steadily growing smile “Young Starlight has definitely come a long way since we first crossed paths.”

While Nightmare Moon rambled on, ponies bearing the black equal sign cutie mark as well as the occasional tired looking bat pony flooded into the street, appearing from almost nowhere “Is this Starlight’s village?” Twilight asked, wondering if what she was seeing was more than just a dream.

“Tis a bit large to be named a village but essentially yes, it is. Everything thou see excluding the castle, young Starlight has done herself through hard work and determination” Nightmare Moon replied proudly as one of the ponies phased through her body.

Twilight stepped aside before the same pony also walked through her. Everything around her seemed so real and vivid that if it wasn’t for Nightmare Moon standing in front of her she would have forgotten this was a dream entirely “If that is the case then why are you showing me all this? I doubt you would waste your powers on a social visit” Twilight asked.

“Thou are correct Twilight Sparkle, we wish to show thou that we aren’t as evil as our dear sister leads thou to believe” Nightmare Moon started, gesturing for Twilight to follow her as she made her way further down the street. Twilight being too distracted by the surrounding ponies who went about their business as if they were invisible, all of them smiling brightly and talking amongst each other while browsing the various stalls “And to offer thou a proposal” she added after a long pause.

“A proposal?” Twilight asked, running to catch up with Nightmare Moon’s longer strides. She noticed that the ponies here preferred using stalls to sell their goods instead of stores, the streets being much wider to accommodate the extra traffic.

“We spent much time researching thou young Twilight, there has been zero mention of thou existence since our first encounter at the old castle over 10 cycles ago, excluding the funeral of course. It is as if thou appeared out of nowhere…From another reality perhaps?” Nightmare Moon questioned with a wide fanged grin.

The tone Nightmare Moon used made it seem like she was only joking but Twilight knew for a fact that Nightmare Moon somehow found out about her predicament. It would’ve made a lot more sense for her to assume that she had been successfully resurrected as an alicorn. Saying that she came from another reality was a lot more farfetched and an oddly specific claim at that. Even though Twilight never responded to the deity’s question, the way her eyes widened and mouth hung agape indicated to Nightmare Moon that she was spot on.

“We shall keep our proposal short and concise Twilight Sparkle. There are two things we require from thou. The first is how thou were able to ascend into an alicorn, the second is an offer for thou to join us” Nightmare Moon summarized.

Twilight stared at the darker alicorn in disbelief “What in Equestria makes you think I’m going to join you!?” Twilight yelled out, unable to believe Nightmare Moon would enter her dreams and disturb her sleep for such an absurd request.

Nightmare Moon stopped to look back at Twilight, not surprised by the sudden raise and aggravation in her voice “There must be something thou seek, something mine sister couldn’t possibly offer you” Nightmare Moon responded vaguely, letting Twilight set her price.

Thinking back to the missing pages from the journal and the lack of information of the decoder, Twilight’s expression softened ever so slightly. Nightmare Moon knew Starswirl just as much as Daybreaker did, meaning that she could possibly know something about the missing pages, but that was more for her curiosity’s sake than anything. Twilight doubted that Nightmare Moon would know anything about the location of the decoder else she would have already used it against her sister.

The moment of silence between the two caused Nightmare Moon to grin “So there is something!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed, now standing in front of Twilight, her head lowered to meet the smaller alicorn at eye level “Pray tell what is it thou heart desires young Twilight? Be it wealth? Power? Status? The love and affection of the younger, prettier sister?” Nightmare Moon asked fluttering her eyelashes “Name thou price!”

Twilight bared her teeth at Nightmare Moon “I will never EVER betray my mentor! You got that?! She has raised me ever since I was a filly and has played a big part in my life growing up by making me the mare I am today! Even when I met my demise by your horn she never once gave up on me and spent the last ten years and more researching various magic’s in attempt to bring me back. Now tell me, oh younger and prettier sister, what can you possibly offer me that can live up to that?” Twilight yelled, clearly taking offence to something Nightmare Moon said, as to what was a complete mystery to the deity.

Taken aback by the aggressiveness and ferociousness in Twilight’s voice, Nightmare Moon raised her head and took a few steps back, currently at a complete loss of words. Letting out a large sigh, the deity levitated her helmet off and rubbed her temples for a few moments before putting it back on “Everypony has a price young Twilight. And it would be most wise that thou figure out what said price is before our next meeting. We have said what we have come to say and have other ponies that require our attention” Nightmare Moon stated, her form flickering momentarily “Until next time, Twilight Sparkle.”

With those final words Nightmare Moon vanished from the dream. Since Twilight was never in control of the dream to begin with, the ground beneath her violently shook, one by one the surrounding ponies and buildings vanished into nothingness. It didn’t take long for everything to disappear and for the dream to collapse, forcing Twilight awake in the process.

Twilight immediately shot up from her sleep, her coat completely drenched in sweat as she quickly scanned her surroundings, completely forgetting where she was. Upon seeing the metal bars with Shress at the opposite side of them, she raised her hoof to her rapidly beating heart and closed her eyes, attempting to regain control of her heavy breathing.

“Twilight Darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked mid yawn, clearly just waking up herself as she covered her gaping mouth with her hoof.

Reopening her eyes, Twilight turned her attention towards the fashionista “Yeah I’m fine thanks, just had an awful sleep that’s all” Twilight replied, wiping away some of the sweat dripping from her forehead.

“Mhmm, me too dear, I shall never complain about my pillows being too hard or my blankets being too heavy ever again” Rarity stated with a grumble, clearly not much of a morning pony.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at this, just little moments like these with her friends was what she cherished most in life “It was more about what happened in my sleep than where I slept” Twilight corrected “just had another run in with Nightmare Moon was all.”

“Ah…I can see that being rather exhausting. Pray tell what did she want with you this time?” Rarity questioned.

Even though Twilight already explained that Nightmare Moon had visited her in her explanation to Rarity earlier, the fact that she seemed completely unfazed and unconcerned was rather unsettling “She offered me a proposal, though I instantly turned her down” Twilight scoffed, still unable to believe that Nightmare Moon thought her loyalty could be so easily swayed.

Turning her attention towards Shress who was completely oblivious to the conversation that the two imprisoned mares were having. Twilight felt it would be best to inform Daybreaker about the encounter “Shress” Twilight called out causing the guard mare to tilt her head ever so slightly in their direction “Would I be able to get an audience with Daybreaker? It’s urgent.”

Even though she never really had a chance to speak to this guard mare before other than that one time at the library, she could tell that something seemed…off about her. With a small nod of her head Shress immediately left her post and traversed up the staircase.

An audible gulp could be heard from across the cell “W-why darling…I-is bringing her here r-really necessary” Rarity stumbled, hoping Twilight would reconsider and call the guard back.

“Relax Rarity, she will be too worried about why I summoned her in the first place for her to even notice you” Twilight giggled, giving her friend a reassuring smile while dismissing her needless worrying with a wave of her hoof.

After a few moments, Daybreaker suddenly appeared next to Twilight from a bright red flash followed by a loud crack from a teleport spell “Is everything alright Twilight?” Daybreaker asked urgently, her voice filled with concern and a look of worry evident on her face as her eyes searched Twilight’s form for any injuries “Is it your wing?” she asked, not giving Twilight any time to speak as she grabbed her student’s wing and stretched it, her hoof brushing across the slightly blackened feathers ever so slightly. Her fiery mane acting as a torch, illuminating the dark cell for them.

Rarity let out an unladylike squeal of fright as she backed up against the wall, her hoof on her chest to help calm her racing heart.

“I appreciate your concern but there is no need to worry, I’m perfectly fine and my wings are healing, just tired from your sister entering my dreams again” Twilight replied, both of them ignoring the frantic unicorn as she retracted her wing back to her side.

Daybreaker’s mane flickered ever so slightly upon hearing her sister’s name “What did she want with you this time?” Daybreaker asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Before Twilight had a chance to speak up, Daybreaker placed her hoof against Twilight’s lips to silence her “On second thought, we can discuss this privately in my chambers. Shress should be here any minute now to unlock the gate.”

As if on cue, the galloping guard mare came to a halt in front of their cell. Using her mouth, she pulled the keychain out from a slot in her armour and slid the appropriate key into the gate’s lock. Turning it, the gate made a loud clank as Shress put the key back into the slot before opening the gate for them.

Twilight stared at the gate for a few moments before looking back at Daybreaker “Wait…are you releasing us? But why? I thought we were supposed to be in here for a week and it hasn’t even been a day” Twilight asked confused.

“Why? Because I can’t stand seeing you in here for a moment longer, I never realized how lonely it was without you. Besides, word got out about how you saved me from that stallion” Daybreaker replied.

Twilight knew that saving was too strong of a word, especially with what Nightmare Moon said in her dream, preventing harm would have been a more suitable term for it “That means I can use this to my advantage and say pardoning you is one of the few ways of repaying my debt to you. At least in the pony’s eyes that is, if I had my way I would’ve released you moments after imprisoning you.” Daybreaker finished, her ears folding backwards, clearly still feeling guilty about the entire situation.

Twilight smiled as she nuzzled up against Daybreaker, hating seeing her so down “The fact that you found a way to get me out earlier is more than enough. And you don’t owe me anything. I know you would do the same for me if the roles were reversed” Twilight responded.

The deity’s ears immediately perked back up as she wrapped her forehoof around Twilight and rested it against the crest of her neck “Also you have been in here for just over two days, not one” Daybreaker stated, correcting Twilight’s earlier statement.

“I WAS AWAKE FOR TWO DAYS!” Twilight exclaimed, causing the white alicorn to laugh as Twilight buried her head into Daybreaker’s chest “No wonder why I’m so tired! It wasn’t Nightmare Moon’s fault, I just stayed awake reading for too long…though being forced awake probably didn’t help either” Twilight complained, her voice muffled from speaking into Daybreaker’s chest.

Silence quickly filled the cell. Twilight was too busy beating herself up, wondering how two full days had managed to pass without her realizing it. Daybreaker was content on just holding Twilight, wishing this moment would never end. Rarity had eventually calmed down but didn’t dare make a sound else risking Twilight’s other wing getting caught in the crossfire, meanwhile Shress stood next to the cell gate, waiting patiently for everypony to leave so she could lock up.

Much to Daybreaker’s dismay, Twilight eventually pulled away from the embrace “I guess I have become too reliant on Spike, he always makes sure I go to bed at a semi-decent time. Though it reminds me of what I was like when I was a filly in a way, you having to send a guard to check up on me every half an hour to make sure I was actually asleep.”

“I still question how you managed to convince one of the guards to read you a bedtime story instead of putting you back to sleep” Daybreaker chuckled “come now, we have been in here long enough.”

Getting up onto her hooves, Twilight looked over at Rarity who finally discovered the horrid state her mane was in as she frantically attempted to fix it with her hooves “What about Rarity?” Twilight asked, refusing to leave the cell without her friend.

Daybreaker narrowed her eyes as she stared at the almost elegant white unicorn “As of right now I couldn’t care less about what happens to her. Do what you please with her after we had our discussion…” Daybreaker retorted with a loud sigh as she made her way out of the cell “Just…make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

Twilight smiled brightly as the two mares followed Daybreaker out of the cell, Rarity staring up at her mane with a disgusted look “We promise, wont we Rarity?” Twilight replied, glaring at Rarity as if daring her to say no.

“But of course dear, I think one near death experience is enough to last me a lifetime thank you very much” Rarity replied, too distracted by her mane to even notice the glare.

Twilight snapped towards Daybreaker “There you have it, no more trouble from us. Promise!” Twilight reassured before quickly turning back to Rarity “With that settled, do you mind staying here for another day at most? There is still something I wish to discuss with you.”

“But of course darling, I’ll stay as long as you need me to. I’ll be sure to pass on the details of where I’ll be staying to one of the guards, whenever I find a place to stay that is” Rarity replied.

Even though Daybreaker refused to acknowledge Twilight, she could still feel the intense stare of her purple hues dig into her coat “Uugh Fine! I’ll have Shress here escort her to a guest room in the castle if she wishes to stay here instead. Only for a day though, no longer than that” Daybreaker grumbled.

“Why thank you Darling, I will take you up on your most gracious offer” Rarity accepted with a polite bow “It seems that you two have much to discuss and I shall not hold you up any longer” She added before trotting off along with Shress up the spiral staircase “Do you provide brushes and little soap packets like some of the hotels do? Oooh what about shampoo? And Pumice stones? Though if you have an alternative to that I guess I will have to make do fo-” Rarity’s voice faded out until they were out of hearing range.

“When Shress mentioned you had something urgent to tell me I had my suspicions that it was about something you didn’t understand in the journal” Daybreaker admitted, draping her wing across Twilight’s back.

“But I said it was urgent!” Twilight protested, puffing her cheeks out.

“Hence why I teleported here before she even finished her sentence, I was worried about you. Though knowing you that would be considered urgent” Daybreaker teased further.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she levitated the journal to her side before ascending up the staircase alongside Daybreaker, their sides brushing against each other with every step “Maybe the old ‘before Ponyville’ Twilight would freak out about that but I have my priorities straight now.” Twilight defended.

“Oh? So the words have to be smudged then? Or maybe the page has to be damaged? Don’t worry there are restoration spells that could fix that” Daybreaker chuckled.

“I think torn pages would be the bare minimum, also that reminds me, the jou-“ Twilight paused, her eyes widening and jaw hanging agape slightly “THAT’S IT! I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT I DIDN’T THINK OF THAT! DAYBREAKER YOU’RE A GENIUS!” Twilight exclaimed, practically bouncing on her hooves.

Daybreaker stared curiously at her student’s sudden outburst with a raised eyebrow “You tend to be rather knowledgeable in various fields if you live as long as I have lived…May I ask what I said that warrants that claim?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight’s cheeks turned a slight shade of red, realizing her sudden outburst was completely out of context “Hehe sorry. It was about the note left in Fluttershy’s cottage, I think you were reading it as well when we first met. A lot of the words were smudged making it difficult to read, some even impossible to make out altogether. Near the end it mentions where we can find Fluttershy but I couldn’t make it out, no matter how many times I read over it. If that restoration spell does work and it does tell us where Fluttershy is then all that leaves is Rainbow Dash to find. And if anypony knows where she will be then it will be Fluttershy, those two have been friends ever since they were fillies after all” Twilight explained.

Daybreaker couldn’t fathom why Twilight would go so far for her friends, or what purpose it would serve. However she guessed it had something to do with her title, there had to be a reason why she was called the princess of friendship in the first place.

With a shake of her head Daybreaker decided not to question her student’s motives and continued her ascent up the staircase, her wing still draped cosily over Twilight’s back ushering her to follow alongside.

The moment the two alicorns entered the privacy of Daybreaker’s chambers, Daybreaker immediately began her line of questioning “Now, tell me everything that transpired between you and my sister” Daybreaker ordered the moment the door behind them shut.

Twilight made her way towards the fancy looking bed and laid down on it. A loud content groan escaping her lips as her head collapsed against the soft pillow “It was quite a short visit compared to the first one, apparently she had other ponies to visit other than me. She showed me what her vil-err city looked like and proposed an offer to me” Twilight summarized.

“I’m surprised she showed you her city since we don’t have much information on it ourselves, however that is a discussion for another time. I’m more interested in this proposal, what did she offer you and what did she want in return?” Daybreaker asked curiously as she laid down next to Twilight, giving her her full attention.

Twilight’s wings shuffled uncomfortably against her side as she contemplated how to best go around explaining this “Essentially she wanted to know how I ascended into an alicorn, which further confirms my theory on her wanting to use the elements to complete Starswirl’s unfinished masterpiece and ascend her own protégée, Starlight Glimmer.”

“Secondly, she wanted me to betray you and join her side, for what reason? I forgot to ask” Twilight continued in a slightly quieter tone.

Being angry would be a massive understatement to describe how Daybreaker was feeling. The way she visibly grit her teeth together and the glare she gave caused Twilight to shrink back slightly, even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her.

Twilight watched as the flames in Daybreaker’s mane burned profusely to a point where it was nearly double its usual size and still growing. She knew Daybreaker had a much shorter temper compared to the Celestia she knew and wouldn’t take the news well, however she never expected her to take it this badly.

Afraid that her fiery mane would accidentally set fire to something, Twilight did the only thing she knew that would help calm Daybreaker down. Scooting over towards the deity, she pressed herself up against the larger alicorn’s body and buried her head into her chest. Droplets of sweat already forming across her forehead from the excessive amount of heat the pissed of alicorn was producing, but if it meant calming Daybreaker down then it would be worth a few minutes of excruciatingly uncomfortable warmth.

Closing her eyes she nuzzled her way up to the underside of the larger alicorn’s jaw, resting her head underneath Daybreaker’s while being careful not to burn herself on the flickering flames on top of her head. She could already feel Daybreaker’s racing heart begin to slow down though still far from its normal pace.

Despite the unbearable amount of heat Daybreaker’s body produced, Twilight showed no signs of wanting to pull away. Not because she felt like she needed to in order to keep Daybreaker composed, but because she enjoyed being so close to her mentor, who in which apparently felt the same way as she encased the lavender alicorn in her large feathery wings “I would never betray you and I expected you of all ponies to know that” Twilight said softly.

“That isn’t the reason why I was upset Twilight, I’m upset because I know what my sisters intentions are. She wants you to betray me because she knows how devastating it would be for me, my anger would cloud my judgement causing me to make some questionable decisions. And if she forced you to fight me…I don’t think I…” Daybreaker explained, not daring to finish her sentence “What did my sister offer you in return for your betrayal?” she asked instead.

Twilight couldn’t imagine turning against her mentor, especially after everything they have been through together. She could tell that Daybreaker didn’t want to continue that conversation so she allowed her to change the topic and didn’t press it any further “She let me set the price. Though she did offer some suggestions such as wealth, power, fame and her…” Twilight started though Rarity’s words invaded her mind causing her to stop briefly.

‘She is completely infatuated with you darling, I wish I had somepony that would look at me like that.’

This caused Twilight’s cheeks to burn a bright shade of red, the intimate position they were in wasn’t helping either “And her what?” Daybreaker asked, wondering why Twilight stopped all of a sudden.

Twilight shifted against the larger alicorn, glad that her face was hidden against her chest so Daybreaker couldn’t see how embarrassed she was “S-she also offered me her heart” Twilight finished, wondering how Daybreaker would react to Nightmare Moon confessing to her even if it was in a joking manner, which she completely neglected to mention.

There was a long pause before Daybreaker responded to Twilight’s question, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she could feel Daybreaker’s throat vibrate from the low, almost protective like growl, she would have assumed the deity didn’t hear her “She better mean that in a literal sense, I have been looking for something to decorate the throne room with” Daybreaker eventually spat.

Twilight wasn’t sure if Daybreaker’s reaction was purely out of hatred for her sister or because Nightmare Moon was trying to steal her away from her. As much as she wanted to know the answer to that question, she decided it wasn’t important right now and moved onto something that had been bugging her ever since she woke up.

“She also said something else in the dream which worries me the most. I think she knows I’m not from this reality. She said and I quote ‘It is as if thou appeared out of nowhere…From another reality perhaps’” Twilight admitted, badly impersonating Nightmare Moon “It would have made a lot more sense for her to assume that your resurrection attempts worked which also ascended me into an alicorn as a result. It was an oddly specific claim as well, I just wonder how she came to that conclusion” Twilight added as she subconsciously pressed herself further into the white alicorn’s embrace. Daybreaker’s body wasn’t burning anymore ever since she calmed down but it still radiated a considerable amount of heat which Twilight couldn’t help but admit was a very comforting and relaxing feeling, in more ways than one “I may have beat her once…but without reuniting with the rest of the girls and the rest of the elements…I don’t think I can do so again.”

“That is a rather bold claim to make I must agree. How many ponies other than me have you spoke to about this?” Daybreaker asked, growing more worried as her wings wrapped tighter around Twilight’s barrel.

“Other than you? The only ponies I have explained this to are McIntosh, Apple Bloom, Applejack and Rarity” Twilight answered.

Daybreaker made a thoughtful humming sound and Twilight knew instantly what Daybreaker was thinking about “Daybreaker! I know these ponies, they would never ever do anyth-Mmpf!”

“These are not the same ponies Twilight. They may look the same, sound the same, act the same but they are not the same” Daybreaker interjected by pressing her hoof against Twilight’s lips to silence her.

Twilight did not look pleased with being forcefully interrupted like that, but she didn’t fight back and allowed Daybreaker to say what she wanted to say “However…you know them better than I do. And for that I shall trust your judgement on them. Besides I would rather not get into yet another argument immediately after releasing you” Daybreaker sighed, clearly not happy about this.

Placing her hoof on top of Daybreaker’s, Twilight gently pushed it away from her mouth so she could speak again “Thank you for trusting me, it means a lot” Twilight said softly as she stretched her neck to give the deity an affectionate nuzzle.

Daybreaker smiled as she returned the nuzzle “Let me say this and please take what I say to heart and not immediately dismiss it.” Daybreaker said as she reluctantly pulled away from the display of affection and cleared her throat. As much as she wanted to continue nuzzling Twilight, her student’s safety was her number one priority.

“These ponies that you met in Ponyville, even though you may know everything about them they don’t know a single thing about you. I just want you to be careful of who you trust and to keep an open mind, especially regarding those 5 that you are so keen on reuniting with. They have been impacted the most by everything and who knows what they might resort to doing. Use your knowledge of them to your advantage and don’t hesitate in questioning their motives if they do something uncharacteristic of them” Daybreaker explained with a deep sigh, her heart beginning to beat faster again “I care about you a lot Twilight…more than a student and a friend, I lost you once because I didn’t listen to you. Don’t make the same mistake I did” Daybreaker added, her mouth quivering as if she wanted to say more though instead forced it shut.

Twilight felt her own heart beat faster, a blush tinting her cheeks as she wrapped her own wings around Daybreaker which were too short to fully wrap around her “I’ll be careful I promise and will keep an open mind if they do anything questionable” Twilight reassured as her eyes wandered to the journal on the bed next to them.

With everything revolving around the dream and Nightmare Moon already discussed, Twilight felt now would be an appropriate time to start questioning Daybreaker on what she knew about the journal “On another note, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you about this” Twilight said as she levitated the journal in front of them.

Opening it up, she pulled out her reference scroll that she had tucked away in-between the contents page and quickly skimmed through it “Page 183…183…183” Twilight repeated to herself as she flicked through the pages with her magic.

“Page 183 is Starswirl’s entry about the decoder if my memory serves me right” Daybreaker stated.

“Correct. I found the part that you mentioned about the decoder back in the library but I couldn’t find any information about its whereabouts” Twilight admitted as she reached the page before frowning “I haven’t done an in-depth hidden message check on it yet but it only seems to explain why he created it in the first place” Twilight explained.

Daybreaker didn’t even need to look at the journal to know what Twilight was talking about “Hence the reason why I was never able to find it in the first place. I have done as you said and searched for any hidden messages and enchantments more times than I can count, so many times in fact that I’m able to recite the entire entry word from word without looking at it. If I knew the location of the decoder don’t you think I would have already found it?”

“I’m sure you already knew this but Starswirl wasn’t just known amongst our kind. Zebras, Griffons, Minotaurs, even the dragons knew about him. All of them having recorded his accomplishments in one way or another, be it in a book, sung as a song or as a series of drawings. I have travelled across Equestria attempting to dig up what these accomplishments were and what they knew about him. To see if any of them had any mention of the decoder. Needless to say it didn’t. I know this is rich coming from an immortal but…it is a waste of time searching for it.”

Twilight’s ears perked backwards as she stared down at the writing on the journal, silently hoping that the answer would just leap out at her and solve all of her problems “There’s no harm looking again, who knows maybe I will find someth-“ Twilight stopped abruptly as she mulled over Daybreaker’s words a second time before looking back up at her expectantly.

“What about the Crystal Empire? With the relationship you and Cadence have at the moment I doubt she would allow you or any of your guards anywhere near its borders. Maybe there is something about the decoder there?” Twilight suggested hopefully, her ears perking back up.

Daybreaker’s eyes widened at the sudden revelation Twilight made “No! Absolutely not! We’ve already had this discussion and you are not going to the Crystal Empire” Daybreaker stated.

“And I said that our discussion was far from over, now seems like a better time than any to continue it” Twilight retorted back “Please Daybreaker! I know you are worried about me and that you are afraid that you will lose me again but I can take care of myself” Twilight practically pleaded.

“Take care of yourself? You died against my sister, what makes you think you can stand up against Cadence and her army if they decide to attack you? hhmmm?” Daybreaker argued.

“I’m not the same pony Daybreaker. I may look the same, sound the same, act the same, but I am not the same” Twilight replied, her tone slightly harsher than it was meant to be. Even though look the same was a bit of a stretch since she was effectively taller and had a pair of wings, using Daybreaker’s words against her would help get her message across all the more “I never got around to explaining everything that happened in my reality so let me summarize the eventful parts for you” Twilight added as she cleared her throat.

“In my reality when we defeated Nightmare Moon and purified her, Discord was able to escape from his stone imprisonment. We managed to defeat him and turn him back to stone again, and not just that, we even managed to reform him. Tirek? We managed to strip him of all his stolen magic and imprison him back in his cage in Tartarus where he belongs. Chrysalis? She disguised as Cadence during her and my brother’s wedding. Nopony believed me when I said it wasn’t her, not my friends, not my family, not even you. When I found the real Cadence left to starve in the crystal mines I managed to free her and reveal Chrysalis in front of everypony before she was strong enough to take over, she was even strong enough to defeat you in combat. Sombra? Well we managed to restore the Crystal heart before anything really happened….But that isn’t the point. The point is that I’m perfectly capable of defending myself” Twilight defended, a little out of breath from her lengthy disposition.

“I’m not sure if you noticed but you used the word ‘we’ a lot” Daybreaker observed with a frown “As much as I commend you for your actions and would like to hear more about it in further detail, especially the part where I’m apparently defeated, you never once explicitly stated that you did any of it by yourself” Daybreaker stated factually.

“I-If that is the case then I can find my friends again! You have their banishment forms! All I need to do is restore Fluttershy’s note, go to where it tells me to go and ask her where Rainbow Dash is and-“

“If you want to go that badly then prove to me you can take care of yourself” Daybreaker interjected, deciding to settle this dispute once and for all “If you can beat me in a one on one duel then I will allow you to go to the Crystal Empire. If you lose then this is the end of the discussion.”

Twilight’s mouth hung agape “That is completely unfair! You literally control the sun and not even Nightmare Moon can beat you! What makes you think I even remotely stand a chance!?” Twilight protested.

“Oh? I thought you said you defeated my sister? Having second thoughts are we?” Daybreaker smirked. Upon seeing Twilight’s unamused expression Daybreaker rolled her eyes “Fine, there is this test in the elite guard program that the guards have to pass in order to graduate. Unfortunately for you it isn’t theory based. One player is the defender which shall be me in this case, has to prevent the attacker which shall be you, from sounding a gong behind me. The test lasts fifteen minutes and when I prevent you from sounding the gong within that time frame then I win, though in the off chance you do sound the gong then you win. You can only sound the gong by touching it physically, using magic doesn’t count. Does that sound fair to you?” Daybreaker proposed.

Twilight bit her lower lip as she thought it over, her mind wandering to the wide gap in power and skill that separated them “I accept your proposal” Twilight replied as confidently as she could, not only did she want to go to the Crystal Empire for the decoder but for her family’s sake as well.

“Excellent, we shall settle this tomorrow afternoon, I believe your wings should be fully healed by then. Though I suggest you give them a proper preening beforehoof” Daybreaker suggested.

With that settled Twilight looked back down at the reference scroll and quickly looked through it again “I noticed there were some torn pages around the page 148 mark” Twilight said as she used her magic to flick to the stated page.

“Maybe Starswirl changed his mind about something and didn’t want anypony to know about it so he ripped them out?” Daybreaker deduced.

Twilight hummed thoughtfully as she trailed her hoof down the tear marks “It is possible…but if that is the case then it doesn’t make sense why he wouldn’t rip all the pages out” Twilight responded as she angled the journal to Daybreaker so she could also see the drawing “There has to be a different reason.”

Daybreaker instantly snatched the journal away from Twilight and stared intently at the drawing “Do you know what this is?” Daybreaker asked seriously.

“No. Though I feel like I should, every time I look at it there is something clawing and screaming at the back of my mind” Twilight replied as she glanced away from the journal and up at Daybreaker “Do you know what it is?” she asked curiously with a slight cock of her head.

Daybreaker stared at the drawing for a few moments longer before closing the journal, her hoof tapping against the cover repeatedly “Without the corresponding pages I wouldn’t have a faintest idea what this is” Daybreaker replied as she levitated it over to her desk “I think it would be wise for you to get some rest, I doubt my sister would have the energy to visit you again, especially without the moon being out” Daybreaker suggested.

“Now that is something we can agree on” Twilight giggled as she went to get up but a sudden force pushed her back down.

“I would feel a lot better knowing I was with you while you slept” Daybreaker admitted as she removed her hoof from her student’s chest “I still have a few things I need to take care off before I join you.”

Twilight smiled as Daybreaker levitated the blankets over her body “Thank you, at least this time you don’t have to come up with an excuse as to why you are in my bed” Twilight teased as she adjusted one of the pillows to accommodate her smaller head before falling asleep.

Daybreaker didn’t reply as she watched her student sleep. Once she was sure Twilight was fast asleep, she casted a sound proofing spell around her so she wouldn’t accidentally wake her up and made her way over to her desk.

Narrowing her eyes she stared at the journal for a few moments before brushing her hoof against the cover ever so gently. Gritting her teeth she grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. A white glow surrounded the book as soon as it came into contact with the wall before doing the same when it fell to the ground.

Trotting up to the undamaged book, she glared down at it as the white barrier faded away. With a loud cry she set her hoof ablaze and slammed it against the journal. A few moments later, once the fire subsided, she kept her hoof firmly pressed against the glowing white barrier that prevented any harm from coming to the journal. The ground surrounding it scorched from the flames.

“You need to learn to keep your bucking mouth shut.” Daybreaker cursed to herself.

Chapter 8 - Preparations

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Stirring in her sleep ever so slightly, Twilight groaned as she unwillingly woke up from her much needed rest. Without opening her eyes, she shifted against the pillow she was cuddling into, repositioning her head to a colder part of it which was still unusually warm.

With a content sigh, she used her magic to adjust her feathery blanket to accommodate her new sleeping position. After a few seconds, Twilight realized that only her upper body was covered, and that blankets weren’t usually made out of feathers. Which only meant one thing.

Opening only a single eye, the first thing she noticed was that she was not cuddling, nor was she resting her head against a pillow. But instead on a certain white coated alicorn who was deeply engrossed in a book that was magically suspended in a red aura above her.

Twilight’s gaze shifted downwards towards her own body, where she confirmed her suspicion that her blanket was not actually a blanket. But instead was Daybreaker’s large, white, feathery wing draped across her was indeed correct.

Upon realizing this, her other eye immediately shot wide open as she frantically pushed herself off Daybreaker and to her side of the bed. Her cheeks a bright shade of red. “I’m so sorry! I thought you were my pillow.” Twilight apologized.

‘Well at least I’m not tired anymore.’ Twilight thought.

Daybreaker glanced over at Twilight from the corner of her eye. “You say that as if it bothers me.” Daybreaker stated as she closed her book. Levitating it over to her nightstand and put it in one of the drawers before turning the rest of her head towards her student. Giving Twilight her undivided attention.

It was only for a split second, but Twilight caught a glimpse of the brown leather cover of Starswirl’s journal before it disappeared from sight. Which made her curious as to what Daybreaker was doing with it. “W-well...You tend to only do that sort of thing with your special somepony…I guess the same can be said about sharing a bed. Then again, our relationship is substantially different compared to most ponies.” Twilight replied. Unsure how to justify her actions without it turning into her usual rant.

While Twilight was deep in thought about it. Daybreaker saw an opening and seized it. “We used to share a bed quite often when you lived in Canterlot. Does that mean you’re my special somepony?” Daybreaker asked as innocently as possible.

Twilight’s ear flickered as she looked up at Daybreaker. Blinking a few times as she replayed what her mentor just said to make sure she wasn’t misinterpreting it. She knew Daybreaker was teasing her, or at least she thought she was, especially after everything that had transpired between them. In the end, she felt a little teasing back wouldn’t hurt. And that it would help her understand how Daybreaker really felt about her.

“Weeelll.” Twilight drew out, slowly circling the tip of her hoof against the bed sheet. “You are special…and you are a pony.” Twilight continued, fluttering her eyelashes before moving towards the tensed up alicorn. Raising a hoof and placing it gently against Daybreaker’s chest, leaning forward ever so slightly more so they were staring deeply into each other’s eyes. “I’m sure someone as smart and as powerful as you can fill out the rest.” Twilight finished with a gentle push before returning to her side of the bed.

Twilight covered her lips with her hoof in attempt to prevent herself from giggling, which failed miserably. Seeing the stunned state of her mentor was an amusing sight. Especially the way her feather’s ruffled against her side, as if they would flare out at any moment. It was a sign that she managed to finally get one over Daybreaker after all the teasing she had received.

Though it didn’t take long for Daybreaker to recover from the unexpected response. And what was meant to be harmless teasing to probe Daybreaker about her feelings apparently meant much more to her than Twilight realized.

Daybreaker leaned forward, resting her hoof on top of Twilight’s. Halting the smaller alicorn’s giggling who in return stared up at the deity with a confused expression as she shifted across the bed towards her. “I can…But I would much rather hear you say it yourself.” Daybreaker admitted, staring deeply into Twilight’s alluring purple hues with her own half lidded gaze.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak but was unable to formulate any kind of response, not even a squeak. She didn’t know what to say or even do as she watched Daybreaker position herself on top of her. Her large white forehooves resting at either side of her head.

Daybreaker waited for a few moments to see if Twilight would actually say it. She was a little disappointed that she didn’t, but she didn’t let it show. “No matter…You know what ponies say nowadays.” The deity started as she leaned down. Her eyes shifting to Twilight’s quivering lips. “Actions speak louder than words.” she finished in a near whisper.

Twilight’s eyes widened as Daybreaker puckered lips were getting frighteningly close to her own. Causing her to swallow the small amount of built up saliva in her mouth, her breathing growing faster and heavier.

Her mind kept telling her that she was in trouble. That she should speak up, push Daybreaker off her or even attempt to teleport away. But there was another, much smaller and quieter part of her that wanted her to stay. To repair and strengthen the bond that she used to have with her mentor that she sorely missed. Even if this wasn’t her Celestia.

They were close enough now where Twilight could feel Daybreaker’s warm breath against her lips. Her heart hammering against her chest. “Daybreaker I-“

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as the weight on top of her disappeared.

Daybreaker opened the door with her magic, the door slamming against the wall causing Raven on the other side to jump in surprize. “You have three seconds to give me a good reason why I shouldn’t lock you away, or worse, for interrupting me.” Daybreaker growled, baring her fangs. Obviously not happy with being interrupted. “Three.”

Raven was very confused and frightened, but she didn’t let that deter her. She was probably already used to Daybreaker behaving like this was Twilight’s guess. She didn’t waste any time with words and instead held up a sheet of paper, presumably Daybreaker’s schedule for the day.

The sheet of paper was immediately set ablaze, causing Raven to yelp in surprise and drop it before it burnt her hoof.

“Two.” Daybreaker counted down, her fiery mane flickering as the room progressively grew hotter.

Raven held up her clipboard this time. “The paperwork for the increased budget of Ponyville is complete. All it needs is your sign-“ Raven didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence before a bolt of red magic pierced through the clipboard. Narrowly missing her head and leaving a large hole in the middle of it.

“One.” Daybreaker snarled. She went to get off the bed but a sudden tug at her wing prevented her from doing so. She glared daggers at the accuser, but when she realized it was Twilight who was holding onto her wing, her expression softened.

“I know you aren’t happy with her…Interrupting.” Twilight started. Glancing over at the panicked looking Raven who looked pleadingly back towards Twilight. “But you would also be annoyed if she didn’t do her job. I’m sure if she knew you were busy then she wouldn’t have interrupted unless it was urgent.”

Silence filled the bedroom until Daybreaker let out a loud sigh and shook her head. “Fine…Remake and delay today’s schedule as tomorrow’s. Then proceed to refill the budget form out and have it completed by then as well. That is all, I don’t want to be interrupted until breakfast tomorrow.” Daybreaker ordered.

“Y-your wish is my command!” And with that, Raven picked up the remains of her burnt schedule and scampered out of the room. Closing the door behind her, leaving the two alicorns alone.

“Just how many secretaries have you gone through since I died?” Twilight asked as soon as the door closed.

“She has been the only one. But that isn’t important right now.” Daybreaker replied as she brushed her hoof against Twilight’s chest ever so gently. “Now…where were we?” she asked in a sultry tone.

Twilight bit her lower lip, shivering at Daybreaker’s touch who seemed to be waiting for her response this time around. Raven’s interruption allowed her to escape that situation, but now it was up to herself to prevent it from happening again. “We were just about to discuss the duel we talked about yesterday.” Twilight replied.

Daybreaker didn’t reply at first, but eventually she moved her hoof away and let out a loud disappointed sigh.

Twilight swore she could hear Daybreaker mutter some dark, disturbing things about Raven, but that wasn’t something she necessarily wanted to pry further into. She still couldn’t believe she was so close to receiving her first kiss, and it being with her mentor of all ponies. ‘I can’t believe Rarity was right, I’m never going to hear the end of it.’ Twilight thought.

“I was hoping we could settle our little dispute at some point. Since you just opened up your schedule for the day, we shouldn’t be hard pressed for finding a time.” Twilight suggested, hoping this would dissuade Daybreaker from continuing her advances on her.

“If that is what you wish to do, then so be it.” Daybreaker replied, not overly keen on the duel in general. Though if winning meant Twilight would stop bringing up the Crystal Empire, then it would be worth it. “What about your wings? Don’t you think they need more time to heal?”

Twilight flared her wings out and gave them a few test flaps. When she didn’t feel any pain or discomfort whatsoever, she retracted them back to her side. “They should be fine…though I was hoping we could increase the overall time a little? Fifteen minutes isn’t nearly enough time.” Twilight replied with a question of her own.

“Then you should have thought about that BEFORE agreeing to the terms.” Daybreaker scoffed.

‘She really isn’t happy about being interrupted’ Twilight thought. Though if that was the case then she would just have to offer a new proposal in hopes to convince Daybreaker to add more time. “Alright how about this. We add another thirty minutes and if I lose…” Twilight started but wasn’t able to come up with anything.

Daybreaker remained quiet as she stared at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, the mention of another proposal piquing her interest ever so slightly.

“If I lose…” Twilight repeated, trying her hardest to come up with a condition that would please Daybreaker. “Then I will do any one thing you ask of me.” Twilight finished. As soon as those words escaped her lips she immediately regretted her decision.

Daybreaker’s ears twitched. “Anything?” Daybreaker asked rhetorically as a large grin spread across her face. “Thirty is a bit much, an extra fifteen and you have yourself a deal.” Daybreaker countered.

This gave Twilight an opportunity to decline the deal. But the chances of Daybreaker accepting a completely different proposal would be incredibly unlikely. And she knew that she needed all the extra time she could get. “Add some weights on your hooves as well and you have a deal.” Twilight countered again.

Daybreaker shook her head. “An extra twenty minutes, no weights, you do any one thing I ask you to do as well as everything that has been mentioned in our previous deal. That is my final offer.” Daybreaker stated.

Twilight thought long and hard about Daybreaker’s final offer. The fact that she could make her do anything she wanted was rather unsettling. She would have trusted Celestia without a second thought, but Daybreaker was another story, even though they were effectively the same pony. She tried to think of a catch or a trick that would put her in a favourable position, but nothing came to mind.

As much as it scared Twilight to know that Daybreaker could make her do anything she liked. Especially knowing how she really felt about her, she needed those extra twenty minutes. “You have yourself a deal. A total of thirty-five minutes, if I win I get to go to the Crystal Empire. If I lose I will never bring up going there again and you can make me do any one thing.” Twilight summarized as she held out her hoof.

“You mean when I win.” Daybreaker replied cockily as she raised her hoof in return to shake Twilight’s, sealing the deal. “So, when shall we start?” Daybreaker asked. Being considerably more enthusiastic about their duel now that she receives something in return for winning. “So many things I can make you do…I have a lot to think about when this is over.”

“I still need to talk to Rarity about something before she decides to head home. That shouldn’t take too long though, so I will probably end up doing that first. So maybe afterwards if it suits you.” Twilight responded, ignoring her mentors overconfident remarks.

Daybreaker leapt off the bed, still wearing her armor. “It will take some time for my subjects to set the course up for us, so I might as well get that over and done with. I shall have some of my guards’ escort you to the training grounds in an hours’ time, do you think you will be finished with your…friend…by then?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight got off the bed in a more graceful manner. “Yes. It shouldn’t take that long, just wanted to ask a few questions and maybe have a bit of idle chatter is all. I expected to have more time to discuss what I needed to discuss with her down in the dungeons.” Twilight replied as both of them made their way out of the bedroom. However the black scorched floor next to the table caught Twilight’s eye before they reached the doorway, her eyes narrowing at the random unaffected rectangular shape in the centre. “What happened there? That wasn’t there when I came in.” Twilight asked.

Daybreaker looked over at the mark where Twilight was referring to. “That was just a minor magical accident when testing an old spell I haven’t used in a couple hundred years. I couldn’t be bothered cleaning it up.” Daybreaker replied as she pressed her wing against Twilight’s backside to usher her out of the room.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, not seeming convinced with the answer. “I have seen you cast spells that you haven’t used in over a thousand years effortlessly. And I can’t see you ever cleaning your room, maybe before you started calling yourself Daybreaker but not now.” Twilight pressed further. “Also what is with that unaffected patch in the middle? Did you cast it on something?”

The deity rolled her eyes. “Stop nit-picking every little thing I say, of course my servants are the ones that clean my room. Now let’s hurry up and get you to your friend so I can start making preparations for our duel.” Daybreaker responded, ignoring Twilight’s other questions.

Daybreaker led Twilight to where Rarity was staying in the meantime. Judging from how less fancy the decorations were in the hallways and how far they had to walk to get there. It was clear that she was not assigned a room in the VIP section like she had been.

Twilight looked back towards Shress and Day Dasher who followed closely behind. She still wanted to talk to Day Dasher about what happened earlier back in the throne room, but now wasn’t the best time to do so. That and she would prefer to do it more in a private setting, if she did in fact hear the cyan pegasus talk, then she doubted she would do so again around others who could potentially hear.

‘There is so much I have to do…though it isn’t like I’m pressed for time anyways. Maybe making a checklist will make me more organized and efficient’ Twilight mulled.

“I will send these two to come get you in an hour’s time, until then.” And with that Daybreaker left with her personal detail following closely behind. Leaving Twilight standing in front of a door which she assumed to be Rarity’s.

Walking up to the door, Twilight knocked on it three times. “Rarity?! It’s me Twilight!” Twilight called out. Hoping that she didn’t just wake the fashionista up, Rarity was never much a morning pony and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with her grouchiness.

Just as she was about to knock again, the door swung open, revealing a wide awake Rarity on the opposite side. “Oh Twilight! Perfect timing, please come in.” Rarity beckoned, stepping aside to allow her guest inside.

As soon as Twilight stepped inside, Rarity closed the door behind her. “It’s terrible Twilight! Horrible even! Surely you can do something about this travesty.” Rarity complained.

Twilight looked worryingly at her friend. “If you think it is within my ability then I will do whatever I can to help. Now, what is it that you need help with?” Twilight asked.

Rarity made her way towards the bathroom door, pushing it wide open and pointing inside with her hoof. “They have nothing! No towels, no toothpaste, none of those little bottles of shampoo or conditioner. They don’t even have soap Twilight! SOAP! What am I going to do? Especially after being locked up in that dirty, filthy, mucky, grimy dungeon!” Rarity complained. Some of those words mumbled from her burying her head into her hooves halfway through her rant.

Twilight immediately face hoofed. She knew Rarity tended to be quite the drama queen and over exaggerate from time to time, but she seemed to be much worse in this reality. “You had me worried there, but I’ll see what I can do about getting you cleaned up. I was given one of the VIP rooms, so there may be some cleaning products stocked in there that you can borrow.” Twilight offered, rubbing the side of her head.

Upon hearing the sound of giggling, Twilight stopped massaging her head and looked up at the amused looking Rarity. “Your own room? If I recall our queen mentioned something about you two sharing a bed back down in the dungeon. Why would you ever need your own room?” Rarity teased.

Twilight didn’t attempt to even try denying it. Especially after what happened earlier when Daybreaker tried to kiss her, which was something that Rarity did not need to know about. “I only have an hour before a guard comes here to get me. I would like to get down to business first and we can use the remaining time to gossip when we are done.” Twilight replied, trying to steer herself away from the embarrassing topic.

“Pray tell darling, what is it that you have to do in an hours’ time?” Rarity asked. Closing the bathroom door and walking back up to Twilight.

“Daybreaker thinks I'm incapable of defending myself, and is keeping me locked in the castle basically as a result. I’m going to prove her wrong with a duel.” Twilight replied with a wide grin.

“A duel against the sun goddess herself?” Rarity gasped in surprise. “Now this is something that I must see for myself. If you’d let me know earlier I would have prepared a cheerleader outfit for motivation.” Rarity quipped.

Twilight was expecting that Rarity would want to go home as soon as possible, so for her wanting to stay was definitely a welcome surprise. “If it were a normal duel then Daybreaker would wipe the floor with me in three seconds flat. No, we are doing one of the tests that the guards in the elite program have to pass in order to graduate. All I know is that there will be a gong that Daybreaker has to protect for thirty-five minutes. If I physically touch the gong with any part of my body during that time then I win, if time runs out before doing so then she wins.” Twilight corrected.

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight spoke again before she had a chance to. “Anyways enough about that. You can try to come along if you want, but I doubt Daybreaker would let you stay in the castle for another day if that was your plan. She was rather unhappy with you staying here in the first place, though I’m sure there are many other places you can stay in Canterlot…Ones that do have those little shampoo bottles.” Twilight suggested. “There are a few things I wish to discuss with you about. One of them being about your banishment.”

“Yes, that was something I was meant to ask you about. I recall Daybreaker mentioning something to you about requiring our signature for it to be nullified. Is this true?” Rarity asked hopefully.

This caused Twilight to smile as she nodded her head in confirmation. “Yes, I managed to convince Daybreaker to lift your, and the other girls banishment. I can give you yours once the duel is over, however it will take some time to give Applejack and Pinkie Pie theirs, since Daybreaker won’t let me leave the castle to give it to them. Hence the reason for this competition in the first place. I have an idea on how to find Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash on the other hoof…I have no idea how I am going to find her.” Twilight replied with an audible groan.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that one darling. Me and Sweetie Belle, we went our own separate way after the entire ordeal of us getting banished went down. Though if I had to guess, Fluttershy may know where Rainbow Dash will be. Those two have been friends ever since they were fillies, I very much doubt they would leave each other after being together for so long.” Rarity informed, trying her best to remain Ladylike and not pounce on Twilight to hug her. “You have my deepest thanks for convincing Daybreaker to lift our most unfair banishment.”

The thought of Fluttershy potentially knowing where Rainbow Dash would be had already crossed Twilight’s mind, but she appreciated that she was trying to help nonetheless. “It is certainly a possibility, but I wouldn’t put any bits on it. I just hope wherever she is that she is alright.” Twilight replied causing Rarity to only nod in response.

“The signing of the banishment forms was the main reason I wanted you to stay back. But since we have extra time, there are still a few things I want to talk to you about.” Twilight said as she thought over her next few sentences carefully, her eyes drooping down to Rarity’s hooves while she scratched the floor with the tip of her own. “When you barged into the throne room during court session, you were angry about one of us for what we put you and Sweetie Belle through. It seems that you are doing fine now…but I’m curious about how your sister is holding up?” Twilight asked quietly.

Twilight knew that it wasn’t her fault. That is was this realities’ version of herself that put them through the difficulties that they had faced. But since her actions were the exact same in her reality, with the only difference being the end result where she succeeded in casting the teleport spell and surviving the Nightmare Moon encounter. She couldn’t help but feel the guilt weigh heavily on her back.

Rarity’s expression turned glum, her ears lying flat against her scalp as she lowered her head. “Sweetie Belle she…It was difficult at first. But we managed to pull through and somewhat make a life for ourselves, it wasn’t ideal but we managed…However when you showed up.” Rarity started but took a few steps back while frantically shaking her head. “No…Let’s just say Sweetie Belle…She, no we…are in a tough spot at the moment. I’m sorry darling, this is something I can’t nor want to talk about.”

“I understand Rarity. I can tell that this is a sensitive topic for you and I will not push the matter any further. Though if there is anything I can do to make this up to you…Or should I say to make up for what the alternate me has done to you, then just let me now.” Twilight responded sadly.

Rarity couldn’t bring herself to even look at Twilight currently, a guilty expression plastered on her face.

Twilight had no idea what Rarity had to feel guilty about, but this was clearly a touchy subject for the fashionista, so she decided not to pry any further. She closed the distance between them with a large frown on her face before resting her hoof on Rarity’s back to comfort her. She hated seeing her friend like this and wanted to cheer her up somehow. “I hate abusing my titles…But maybe since I am a princess or since ponies think I am Daybreaker’s quote unquote consort, I can do something that wou-“ Twilight suggested but got cut off by Rarity shoving her hoof off her back.

“Can’t you see you have done enough as it is Twilight!? I said this wasn’t something I wanted to talk about! You may think that you are trying to help but in reality you coming back here has only caused even more problems!” Rarity exclaimed. Upon realizing what she just said, she took another few steps back. “I-I’m sorry Twilight…I don’t know what came over me.”

“I-it’s fine…I understand Rarity.” Twilight replied in a hurt tone, her eyes brimming with tears. “L-lets get y-you cleaned up.” Twilight stuttered as she wiped away some of the tears that were running down her cheek. She opened the door and left towards her own bedroom, the clopping of hooves behind her indicating that Rarity was following her.

The hour since Daybreaker left Twilight alone with Rarity was ticking by incredibly slowly. While letting Rarity use the bath in her bathroom to wash up. Twilight snuck into Daybreaker’s chambers, grabbed the journal that was stored away in her nightstand before returning back to her room.

Rarity was in the bathroom for much longer than Twilight had anticipated. However it would still be a while before a guard would be sent to Rarity’s room in order to fetch her. Which meant she wasn’t in any rush to get back, and was content on lazily lying on her bed while she reread Starswirl’s decoder entry, which frustratingly enough didn’t reveal anything new.

Twilight was still upset about what Rarity had said earlier, but she didn’t blame or hold it against her. She didn’t know how her coming to this reality would have made things worse for Rarity, but she passed that off as a splurge made in a fit of rage. Especially after getting nearly killed and locked in a dungeon, even if it was only for a short while.

She wanted to ask what Rarity was doing nowadays, she was curious to know if she was still a fashionista or if she took something else up. But she didn’t dare ask, at least until Rarity forgives her.

The door leading into the bathroom finally swung open, revealing a much more refreshed and rejuvenated looking Rarity. “Ahh thank you darling, you truly are a life saver.” Rarity thanked as she approached the dresser, playing with her spiral mane while admiring herself in the mirror.

Twilight glanced up at Rarity for a few moments before shaking her head and returning to her journal. “That wasn’t what you said before.” Twilight mumbled sourly.

“What was that darling?” Rarity called out nonchalantly. Not sparing Twilight a glance as she spun around in a circle, searching for any stray hairs.

“I said I’m glad I could help!” Twilight replied with a sigh. She managed to read over the entry another three times before Rarity decided to come out and join her. ‘Maybe Daybreaker was right, perhaps reading this is hopeless’ Twilight thought as she decided to do something else in the meantime.

Her eyes drifted over to her reference sheet, the spell with the missing pages being the first one to pique her interest. With Rarity busy admiring herself and there not being much to do until the hour is up, Twilight flicked over to the appropriate page and stared at the drawing once again.

The familiar clawing and screaming sensation returned instantaneously. She tried not to stare at the drawing as a whole, and instead focus on certain aspects of it, to see if anything in particular would stand out. She was certain she had seen this somewhere before, but couldn’t place her hoof on it.

She looked over at Rarity one more time, it was a desperate attempt but it was worth a shot. “By chance have you seen this drawing before? If not the image as a whole then at least the symbols?” Twilight asked.

Rarity finally stopped admiring herself in the mirror and trotted over towards Twilight. She peeked over at the book, making a thoughtful humming sound. “I can’t say that I have darling…Though those shapes and symbols would look absolutely fabulous on a dress. I know somepony who would pay top bit for that.” Rarity replied.

Twilight wasn’t surprised by the answer, but at least now she knew that Rarity still somewhat meddled in the fashion industry. “Thanks anyways Rarity.” Twilight replied as she turned the page and glared at the torn pages. From the looks of it there was a total of six missing pages, which meant that this unknown spell was 7 pages in total. Making it one of the larger and possibly more complicated spells in the journal.

“So what exactly is that book anyway? And why did you ask me about that strange drawing?” Rarity asked curiously, while Twilight’s eyes idly wandered to the next readable spell as she responded to Rarity’s question.

“This is Starswirl’s private journal. It contains some important events about his past, as well as theories and spell ideas that he hasn’t gotten around to doing before his sudden, yet unexplained disappearance. As for the drawing, I’m not too sure as of yet, but there is something about that spell that just doe-“ Twilight started, her eyes widening as a thought came to her mind about the spell she was absently reading. “Wait a minute!” Twilight exclaimed, turning her attention back towards her reference sheet, scanning it for a certain entry she knew she made.

“Uhhh is everything alright?” Rarity asked, wondering why Twilight stopped halfway through. Other than the spells to make daily life tasks easier and ones that would help her with her hobbies, Rarity had zero interest in magic whatsoever. But she was curious as to what Twilight was doing, or trying to figure out.

Twilight was too absorbed in her sudden revelation to answer Rarity’s question. “The answer was staring right at me the entire time! I did exactly what Daybreaker did and only focused on the problem at hoof instead of trying to find a way around it!” Twilight excitedly proclaimed, pointing at the entry she made about the spell she was referring to. “AH HAH!”

Rarity was going to ask what Twilight meant by ‘doing exactly what Daybreaker did’ but she had a feeling her question wouldn’t be met with an answer. Instead she peeked over to read the entry Twilight was pointing at.

“Page: 155.”

“Danger level: 4 - High.”

“Usefulness: Situational/Useless.”

“Short description: Theory on how magic can be used to trigger/replay past memories and events, including supressed ones.

“Long description: Different frequencies are capable of triggering the brain to feel a variety of emotions. A low frequency can make you feel tired while a high frequency is able to make you feel wide awake. According to Starswirl the same can be done with magic, though the process is a lot more dangerous and can risk potential brain damage, or the subject becoming amnesic if done incorrectly. Targeting particular sections or nodes of the brain with the combination of magic using the correct blah blah blah.”

After getting bored from reading Twilight’s lengthy disposition of the spell. Rarity immediately looked up from the paper and glared at Twilight. “If this does what I think it does. Under no circumstances are you ever allowed to stick your horn anywhere near me.” Rarity threatened.

Twilight’s grin only grew. “Every time I look at this drawing there is a clawing sensation at the back of my mind. As if I have seen this somewhere before, but I don’t know where and it has been frustrating me ever since. As you read in my description, I can use this spell to trigger and replay the memory of where I have seen it before.” Twilight explained. “And don’t you worry, I have no intention of using it on you.”

Upon hearing that, Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “So once you use this spell to remember what that one does, what do you plan on doing next?” Rarity questioned.

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but she hadn’t thought that far ahead. She closed it moments later, her grin fading into a small smile. “I don’t know since I’m unsure what the spell does in the first place…but at least I will feel some kind of accomplishment for figuring it out. As well as getting rid of that nagging feeling I get every time I look at it.” Twilight replied uncertainly.

A few quick knocks at the door interrupted what Rarity was about to say. “Miss Sparkle! Are you in there?!” Raven’s panicked voice hastily called out from the opposite side.

Both Rarity and Twilight stared at each other for a few moments before looking back at the door. “The door is unlocked! Come in!” Twilight yelled back.

A sigh of relief could be heard before the door swung wide open. “A pair of guards went to where our guest was staying to fetch you. When you weren’t there a search order was immediately issued.” Raven stated as soon as she stepped inside. “We are behind schedule and our queen does not like to be kept waiting. Follow me please.”

Twilight didn’t hesitate in getting off the bed. “Of course, sorry we lost track of time. Let me just put this back in Daybreaker’s chambers then we can go.”

Raven shook her head “No time. Please come with me.” Raven instructed as she walked off, not looking back to see if Twilight was following.

“But her chambers are right the-“

“Her highness hates being kept waiting…besides, I don’t want to fail her more than I have done already.” Raven interrupted, her tone turning shallow near the end.

Not wanting to carry the journal with her, and having nowhere to put it. Twilight left the journal on her pillow and followed Raven out of the room. Closing the door behind Rarity as both of them ran to catch up with the secretary.

Raven gave Rarity a suspicious glance, but didn’t say anything about it and continued walking down the series of hallways. “Hopefully we run into some guards along the way. If not, i will have to escort you to the training grounds myself.” Raven explained.

The three didn’t get far as the sound of armour clanking and the clopping of hooves echoed through the halls. Progressively getting louder and louder until two familiar heavily armoured pegasi guards came rushing around the corner.

Day Dasher hit Shress a few times with her wing before pointing to where the trio were standing. “Excellent work finding them Raven. Call off the search, we shall escort princess Twilight to her destination as ordered.” Shress ordered when they were close enough.

With a nod of her head, Raven went on her way to do whatever it was that she did whenever Daybreaker wasn’t around. “Oh and one last thing.” Raven started as she stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to look at Twilight “Thanks…for earlier.”

Twilight gave Raven a small smile, nodding her head ever so slightly before Raven continued on and disappeared around the corner. “Twilight is to come with me. The guest is to remain here, or she can leave the castle if she wishes.” Shress said again.

Twilight stared at Rarity thoughtfully for a few moments. As much as she wanted to be with Rarity, she had a feeling that Daybreaker wouldn’t be happy with having an observer. “Very well, we still have the banishment forms to fill out. So I suggest you stay here until we get that sorted.” Twilight recommended.

Rarity nodded in agreement. “Good thing I didn’t have the cheerleader outfit with me then. I shall await your return in my room then.” And with that Rarity trotted off back to her designated room. The two guard mares shared a look, as if having a mental conversation before Day Dasher nodded, following the fashionista back to her room.

After a few minutes of walking, they eventually made their way outside. “Are your wings healed enough to fly?” Shress asked.

“I am capable of flying, why’s that?” Twilight asked in return.

“Good. We need to make up for lost time.” Shress replied as she entered her pre-flight stance.

Just as Shress was about to take flight, Twilight shook her head. “Daybreaker and I are about to have a duel. I can’t risk tiring my wings, which will put me at a disadvantage. Unfortunately we will just have to make our way there on hoof.” Twilight replied.

Shress got out of her pre-flight stance, staring at Twilight for a few moments. It looked like she wanted to speak up about it, but in the end she didn’t. “As you wish princess, please follow me.” And with that Shress walked off.

Twilight followed closely behind the guard mare, to where she assumed was the same training ground where she practiced defensive spells with Daybreaker. Day Dasher managed to catch up with them at some point and landed next to her partner. She still wanted to talk to the cyan pegasus about what happened back in the dungeons, but she wanted to be alone with her to do that.

“We were instructed to wait at the entrance until the contest is finished. Our queen is expecting you on the training field, it is best not to keep her waiting any longer. Your time of thirty-five minutes starts as soon as you step onto the field.” Shress instructed.

Broken out of her thoughts on how to win this little duel of theirs. Twilight looked around to see that they had arrived at their destination. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she stared into the entrance of the familiar training ground. Giving the two pegasi a final glance, she took a deep breath and hesitantly stepped inside.

It didn’t take long for Twilight to traverse the building’s layout, and before she knew it she made her way out onto the wide open field. Which looked completely different with there being no other ponies around and no training equipment scattered about. Even the cloud based obstacle course in the sky had been removed. All that was on the field was the wall that surrounded them, which was similar in appearance to a stadium with seats lined up above all the way around, fresh grass that covered the ground that had a white line plastered on it to symbolize the half way mark, and a large bronze shaded gong at the opposite side of the field.

She was beginning to regret not spending the hour she was given to come up with a strategy. Even if she did find a potential solution to something that had been bothering her.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she did a double take on her surroundings, wondering where Daybreaker disappeared to. ‘Did she come looking for me because I was late?’ She asked herself, unable to find her anywhere.

Turning her attention back towards the gong. Her horn lit up as she channelled a teleport spell. She may not be allowed to use magic to sound the gong, but there was nothing in the rules that mentioned she couldn’t use it to assist her in doing so.

When the preparations for the spell were complete, she unleashed it. But nothing happened, the aura around her horn fizzling away and she remained in the exact same spot. “What?” She asked aloud, though before she was able to deduce what happened, something struck her from behind. Knocking her off her hooves and sending her sliding across the grass in a coughing fit.

“If I used a spell that was actually designed to cause damage, you would already be dead.” Daybreaker stated as she approached from wherever she attacked from. “You’re late, I would never expect Twilight Sparkle of all ponies to be so tardy. You’re lucky I’m so benevolent and not deducting any time away.”

Daybreaker walked past Twilight, who managed to regain her breath and slowly got back up onto her hooves. She stopped and stood guard a small distance away from Twilight, the gong she was to protect a distance behind her.

“Now then, my most faithful student. What should I make you do?”

Chapter 9 - Repercussions

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Regaining her breath from being knocked down by Daybreaker’s attack, Twilight climbed back onto her hooves. Even though Daybreaker’s unknown spell wasn’t designed to harm, the fact that it was capable of knocking her off her hooves and winding her in the process meant that is still hurt to a certain degree.

Daybreaker meanwhile didn’t follow up with another attack and continued to stand her ground. Watching as her student regained her footing before retaliating with an attack of her own. As soon as she saw the magic build up around Twilight’s horn, Daybreaker immediately erected her standard hex tiled barrier, the same one that she taught Twilight during their first training session.

Twilight unleashed her spell moments afterwards. A beam of pure, unrefined magenta hued magic colliding against Daybreaker’s reddened barrier. “We probably should have held this duel after a few sparring sessions, where I actually taught you how to cast offensive magic. Oh well, it’s not like I wanted you to win anyways.” Daybreaker shrugged, not even the slightest bit fazed from the attack.

Having learnt the hard way that a continued assault like this would never work out and would only end up exhausting her before the fight even begun. Twilight stopped her attack once it was clear that she wasn’t going to accomplish anything. Instead she outstretched her wings and took off into the sky, attempting to fly over Daybreaker and towards the gong.

Once she flew over Daybreaker who had just lowered her barrier in response, a small grin grew on her face. But the moment was short-lived as Daybreaker easily caught up to Twilight with her larger, more powerful wings. “Even in the air, you should never take your eyes off your opponent.” Daybreaker informed before ramming herself into Twilight. Sending them both tumbling to the ground, Daybreaker eventually ending up on top. With how far they flew and rolled, they were already pretty close to the halfway mark.

“I still can’t decide what I'm going to make you do. I thought an hour would’ve been more than enough time to finalize a decision, but there are just so many options!” Daybreaker mused eagerly while pinning Twilight to the ground. “Though I still have the next…Thirty-one minutes to decide.” Daybreaker added, looking up at the massive magically generated clock in the sky that was steadily ticking down. Probably created by a random unicorn guard from some random location.

While Daybreaker was distracted with the timer. Twilight channelled one of the few combat orientated spells she did know. The short range shockwave spell for a lack of a better name for it, which is a close range combat spell that does more damage the closer you are to your target and the longer that it is channelled for.

She remembered reading about this spell, as well as a few others in one of Shining’s books that Celestia gave him when he was captain of the guard for a few months. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to read it and that it was for the captain of the guards eyes only, if the massive disclaimer underneath the title on the cover was any indication. But a book containing advanced magic coming from princess Celestia herself, there was no way in Tartarus she was going to pass that up. Especially when thinking how proud Celestia would be when she masters them at such a young age.

Wishing she had more time to read it before her brother confiscated it off her. She just had to make do with what she learnt from the short amount of time she had it for. “I think my accommodations to the Crystal Empire should be a higher priority, don’t you agree!?” Twilight hastily replied.

Turning her attention back towards Twilight. Daybreaker’s eyes widened as she realized what type of spell Twilight was channelling. Without a moment’s hesitation, Daybreaker flapped her wings as hard as she could to get out of the spells effective range.

When Twilight felt the weight on her lessen, she unleashed her spell. Accidentally biting her tongue as the back of her head recoiled painfully against the ground, not expecting the spell to backfire as much as it did, or at all for that matter. Though Daybreaker didn’t fare much better as she was sent back a fair distance, barely able to recover her balance in the air using her wings before landing, her hooves digging into the ground to prevent her from sliding further back.

Twilight used the small amount of time she bought herself to get back onto her hooves and make as much progress as possible before Daybreaker recovered from the unexpected attack. While she ran, she removed the larger bits of dirt that got wedged in between her feathers with her teeth, quickly crossing the half way mark into Daybreaker’s side of the field.

Twilight couldn’t fathom why Daybreaker didn’t even attempt to block her attack. She had already proved numerous times that she was capable of withstanding anything that she threw her way. And she refused to brush it off as her forgetting, especially the way her amber eyes widened when she turned back around to face her.

‘Unless….for some reason she couldn’t block it?’ Twilight thought.

“You don’t even know the most basic of attack spells, yet you are capable of casting something like that. Just what have I been teaching you?” Daybreaker asked as she landed in front of Twilight, causing her to grind to a halt. “I admit I underestimated you, though that just makes me all the more curious to know what other little tricks you have stashed away in that big brain of yours...Keep it up and I may actually have to start trying.” Daybreaker admitted, waiting to see what her student would attempt next.

Twilight didn’t want to admit to Daybreaker that their relationship took a rather sharp decline ever since she was sent to Ponyville. However she had a feeling that the question was meant in a more rhetorical sense than anything, so she didn’t reply back.

Even though Twilight barely crossed the half way mark. She expected Daybreaker would become slightly more aggressive and throw in a few attacks of her own. However the deity just continued to stand there, acting as an obstacle to prevent Twilight from achieving her goal. Since Daybreaker showed no signs of playing offence, she decided to use this time to analyse the situation and come up with a makeshift plan.

“Alright Twilight you can do this! There is just under thirty minutes remaining and I have already made it past the halfway mark. Don’t get cocky though! The only reason you made it this far is because Daybreaker let you. The way she is always playing defence, it is as if she is doubling this duel as a test to determine where your skill level in an actual fight lies, starting with offence, meaning I have to be quick before she decides to test me on defence. However I can’t see how I can use that to my advantage as of right now, and she will be on much higher guard because of that little stunt including that shockwave spell I casted earlier.’

‘She may be bigger than me, but her larger wings will more than make up for that, allowing her to fly faster than me, much faster, at least initially anyways. If I remain in the air long enough, I may be able to accumulate enough speed to surpass-No no no that would never work. As she said when we first met at Fluttershy’s cottage, my wings are weak from not being used that often. I really should have taken Rainbow Dash up on her flying offers.’

‘I can’t teleport to the gong for some bizarre reason…It must be enchanted somehow. Though I have never seen enchantments like this before, I would need to get close enough to figure out how it is blocking my magic. But if I can get close enough to do that then I might as well just sound the gong and win the game instead.’

‘Daybreaker seems to be a lot more hooves on compared to her older self, I may be able to get at least one good smack in. But a straight up ‘hoof on hoof’ brawl is just begging for my flank to get kicked.’ Twilight thought.

“If you wish to just stand there for the next twenty minutes or so, then by all means, be my guest. Just remember there is no shame in admitting defeat and surrendering right now. Especially when you are as outmatched as you are. I will even let you choose which of the three options I can’t decide between.” Daybreaker suggested with a smirk.

Twilight knew that Daybreaker was only trying to get under her coat, so she tried not to dwell on it too much. Though there was one thing that she was right about, she was on a time limit and nothing was going to get accomplished if she continued to just stand there and do nothing. But no matter what idea or strategy she came up with, Daybreaker would easily outmatch her in it. For she was by far superior in every plausible way.

She knew something needed to be done, but every single plan she came up with would simply never work. And charging in without a plan was a terrifying concept to Twilight. She thought back to her previous encounters in her reality, how she managed to defeat those who wanted to bring ruin to Equestria, including Trixie when she wielded the alicorn amulet for the short amount of time. Every instance involved her protecting somepony that she cared about, but also it involved her tricking or outsmarting her opponent in a way.

Since this was a one on one duel, there was no pony for her to defend other than herself. Leaving her with the sole option of somehow tricking her opponent. So she decided to do just that. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she squinted off into a random part of the sky behind Daybreaker. “N-Nightmare Moon! H-How did she manage to get into Canterlot!” Twilight gasped, pointing her hoof into the sky.

Daybreaker didn’t even budge. She stared at Twilight intently for a few seconds before closing her eyes, taking in a very deep breath. “Five minutes.” Daybreaker started, shaking her head before reopening them. “After five minutes, that is honestly the best you can come up with?” Daybreaker asked disappointingly.

“Actually, I think I’ve decided what I’m going to make you do when I win this. I’m going to make you go back in that library and use that time travel spell that you have been researching. Just so you can go back in time, to this very moment when that idea crossed your mind and slap yourself on the back of your head as hard as you can for even remotely thinking that would work.” Daybreaker ridiculed, followed by a loud, exasperated sigh. “How is it that you managed to defeat Tirek again?”

Twilight’s head lowered in embarrassment, her ears lying flat against the back of her head with her tail curled up in between her legs. Even she couldn’t understand her own thought process behind that ridiculous claim, making her regret it immensely. It took her a few moments to register the fact that Daybreaker knew what she was researching back down in the library, now understanding why she was allowed to leave her notes out on the table. Meaning she would have to be careful about what she keeps in the open, hiding anything that detailed her trying to return home away from Daybreaker’s prying eyes.

“Well…you see.” Twilight started, going about answering Daybreaker’s earlier question. “When you, Luna and Cadence surrendered your magic to me, it made me strong enough to face Tirek. However we were evenly matched. To break the stalemate, he took my friends hostage and forced me to surrender my magic to him else he would kill them. I did so without a second thought, including Discord who betrayed us at the time…numerous times infact. But with the elements of harmony and through the magic of friendship we-Hey! You’re trying to stall me!” Twilight exclaimed, all semblance of embarrassment gone and replaced with frustration as she stomped her hoof on the ground.

“And that, my faithful student, is just one out of the many ways on how to trick your opponent.” Daybreaker instructed as she slowly began to approach Twilight. If she wasn’t going to make a move on her own, then she would just have to force her to make one.

With every step Daybreaker took, Twilight took a step back in return. And before she knew it, she was pushed back over the halfway point and back onto her side of the field. Twilight’s eyes darted across the field, attempting to find something, anything that she could use to assist her in getting past Daybreaker. But other than grass and a stone wall that surrounded them, there was nothing.

At this rate, Twilight knew that it was only a matter of time before she lost all the progress she had made. Feeling like attacking would be pointless, she flared her wings and took off into the sky, once again attempting to fly over Daybreaker in order to regain some of her progress, while ideally making more.

But this time was different. Not even a second later she felt something stick to her wing, weighing it down and preventing her from flapping it. “What the?” Twilight sounded as she glanced over at the red blob that stuck to the edge of her wing, also causing her feathers to stick together uncomfortably. She tried to shake it off, but it stuck to her like glue and showed no signs of coming off anytime soon. Making her lose balance mid-air and crash back down to the ground face first.

“Owww!” Twilight whined, sitting back up on her haunches as she examined her wing in further detail. She narrowed her eyes and tried to scrape it off with her hoof, but a sudden force against her chest pushed her back down, preventing her from doing so.

“Did you not hear me?! I said NEVER take your eyes off your opponent!” Daybreaker scolded with a massive frown. “Why aren’t you attacking me? You have had countless opportunities to do so. You could have even erected a barrier to prevent that goo from rendering your wings useless! It’s like you aren’t even trying at this point.” Daybreaker questioned, disappointment written all over her face.

Twilight whimpered softly as her ears laid flat against the back of her head once more. She knew answering Daybreaker’s question would be a waste of what precious time she had, but it was the least she could do since Daybreaker was going easy on her. “Why bother creating a barrier when you can destroy it with a tap of your hoof. I may have gotten one attack in, but as you said I don’t know combat magic, and the ones I do know are only viable in certain situations, even then I don’t know their full potential since I have never casted them before…No matter what way I look at things, you are by far superior than me in every possible way. Whether it be in magic, stamina, strength, speed, strategy, loo-“ Twilight responded with an audible sigh. “The only thing I may be able to rival you in would be intelligence. Even then you have lifetimes worth of experience over me, which means no matter what plan I come up with, it simply wouldn’t work since you don’t have any weak…nesses” Twilight added, her voice trailing off at the end when she suddenly realized something.

Even though everything Twilight just said was true. Daybreaker did in fact have one single weakness, one that she had completely neglected up until this point. It was the sole reason why Nightmare Moon had been appearing in her dreams to communicate with her.

‘I am her weakness! So far she hasn’t used a single combat spell because she doesn’t want to hurt me!” Twilight deduced.

Daybreaker didn’t pick up on Twilight’s stutter. As much as she hated not seeing her student try, she did understand where Twilight was coming from. That it would be pointless trying to beat an opponent that you had no chance of defeating, hence why she kept trying to go around instead of head on. But trying to win in this fashion defeated the entire purpose of this duel. For Twilight to show her that she was capable of defending herself.

Twilight noticed that Daybreaker was staring intently at her horn, seemingly deep in thought about something, presumably about what she had just said. Unable to cast a spell without her noticing, she instead did something rather uncharacteristic of her. Twilight quickly moved her right forehoof and struck Daybreaker across the cheek as hard as she could.

The physical attack took the deity by surprise, causing her to stumble off Twilight and rub where she was struck with the back of her hoof. “Your wings may be weak from all that walking, but it certainly did a number on your hooves, I will give you that.” Daybreaker complimented, moving her jaw around a few times.

This gave Twilight enough time to get back onto her hooves before Daybreaker had a chance to pin her back down again. A smirk plastered across her face as she looked up at the timer.

‘Seventeen minutes. Good thing I made that bet, otherwise I would have ran out of time before I had a chance to put my plan into action.’ Twilight thought as she bit into the annoying red blob that was still attached to her wing. Pulling at it as hard as she could, causing it to stretch before eventually coming off. Proceeding to toss it to the side before ruffling her feathers a little to unstick them.

Daybreaker returned Twilight’s grin with a wicked smile of her own, which did well to show off her sparkly white fangs. “It is good to see that you are finally putting some effort into this, but you will do well to remember what kind of position you are in. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer after all.” Daybreaker stated as she spread her hooves apart to get closer to the ground. “Now then, show me what you got!”

Which Twilight proceeded to do by charging directly towards her, and not because Daybreaker told her too. As soon as Daybreaker’s horn lit up with its familiar red hue, Twilight was able to identify it as a projectile based attack, though not experienced enough to know its full details. Not even a second later, a ball of red magic came hurling her way.

Identifying the spell gave Twilight enough time to erect a hex barrier, and knowing that it was a projectile based attack meant she felt confident enough in her abilities to fortify the appropriate tiles to most efficiently block it.

As soon as the spell collided with her shield, Twilight felt a powerful force attempt to knock her back, but it didn’t do any damage to her barrier. Judging from its effects, it was some kind of knockback spell, presumably the same spell that was used against her at the beginning of the match, which further proved her theory that Daybreaker didn’t want to hurt her.

Having served its purpose, Twilight immediately lowered her barrier and returned the attack with a blast of her own. Even though it consisted of pure, unrefined magic, and that the chances of it doing any form of damage was effectively nil, it still meant that Daybreaker had to do something about it. Whether it be dodging or blocking, it would otherwise be using up time that Daybreaker could instead be using to apply pressure to her.

With a flick of the deity’s wing, Twilight’s attack went off course and landed somewhere behind her, leaving behind a small pothole. “Where was this Twilight Twenty minutes ago?” Daybreaker asked a little too enthusiastically.

“If I was able to get those two strikes in so easily, maybe you aren’t as tough as I thought.” Twilight taunted smugly as she glanced at the clock from the corner of her eye.

‘Fourteen minutes, if I am going to do this then I am going to have to do it soon.’ Twilight thought as she turned her attention back towards Daybreaker.

Daybreaker watched as Twilight continued to charge towards her. “You may have gotten a few strikes in. But what good has it done? I’m still standing here right in front of you, preventing you from reaching your objective. Sure you made progress, but progress can just as easily be lost as it can be made. Perhaps I need to knock your confidence down a notch or three.” Daybreaker stated, her horn lighting up again.

Identifying the spell as more projectile based attacks, presumably more of those knockback spells. Twilight didn’t stop her charge, instead she flared her wings out in response. She knew that she needed to pose more of a threat to Daybreaker if she wanted her to use proper combat magic, as her plan heavily relied on it.

Daybreaker launched her knockback spell towards Twilight, following it up with another one just slightly above, predicting that to be Twilight’s next move.

Instead, Twilight leapt to the side, giving her wings a hard flap for an added speed boost. She felt the magic radiate against her face from the first projectile as it whizzed past her, narrowly missing her. While the second one accomplished absolutely nothing.

After everything that happened, dodging was one of the last things Daybreaker expected Twilight to do. And from the way her grin widened, she wasn’t disappointed one bit as she watched Twilight make up the progress that she had lost before once again crossing the halfway mark.

This time Daybreaker fired the knockback spells in quick succession. The first few blasts Twilight struggled to dodge. Having to stop in order to block a few here and there before continuing on, even nearly tripping over a few times whenever they landed in a close proximity to her. But the more she ran and the further she got away from Daybreaker, the more time she had to react, making the attacks become less effective.

As Twilight ran, she kept her eye on Daybreaker, following her mentor’s advice about always keeping her eye on her opponent. When it was clear that the attacks were no longer going to accomplish anything, Daybreaker suddenly disappeared in a bright red flash. Followed by a loud yet familiar crack in front of her, causing Twilight to stop dead in her tracks. “You have no idea how badly you disappointed me at first, it was painful to watch. But you at least made up for some of your actions by getting this far, so I congratulate you on that.” Daybreaker praised. “Unfortunately, this is as far as I will let you go. As much as I would like to continue testing you, it is too risky when you are already this close.”

While Daybreaker talked, Twilight was solely focused on her long, white horn. Waiting to see what attack she would cast next, surprisingly there was none. They stood in silence for a good few seconds before Twilight took the first step forward. As soon as her hoof touched the ground, she felt something slam against her square in the chest, knocking her off her hooves and sending her sliding backwards across the grass.

Coughing a few times, Twilight got back onto her hooves, much faster compared to the first time she was hit by that spell. “How did you do that?! I was watching your horn, there was no glow!” Twilight practically demanded, looking at the timer from the corner of her eye.

‘Eleven minutes…’

“The illusion spell I have yet to teach you…or a more advanced version of it at least. Don’t expect to learn this one anytime soon however. Imagine being able to remove the glow around your horn anytime you use magic. Nopony would be able to determine what spell you are channelling, or even know that you are channelling one at all! And when used in a combat scenario, they would only be able to tell when the spell is hurling their way, which by that point it already tends to be too late to react.” Daybreaker explained with a malicious laugh. “It still has room for improvements however. Removing your signature glow around an object you are manipulating would prove invaluable, as well as changing the colour of the aura. But this is a topic for another time.”

Twilight frustratingly grit her teeth together. She had been relying on that glow to indicate when Daybreaker was about to attack, and from the looks of it, Daybreaker knew that too. She still needed to force Daybreaker into casting actual offensive magic, but why would she when her current method would work just fine?

‘If I can’t tell when Daybreaker is going to attack then flying would probably be my best bet, but she is probably already expecting that to be my next move, meaning she most likely already has something planned to counter that. The next best option is to have a barrier raised at all times, since that knockback spell isn’t designed to deal any damage, it should be a piece of cake defending against it. Moving with it would prove difficult, especially with the effect the spell has, but at least it will force her to switch tactics.’ Twilight thought.

Deciding to put her idea into practice, Twilight lowered her head so her horn was pointing directly at Daybreaker. Proceeding to cast her hex barrier before slowly beginning her approach. ‘Take it easy Twilight, one hoof in front of the other, you can do this!’ Twilight encouraged herself. Casting the barrier was a simple task, moving with it was considerably more difficult but definitely doable, moving with it while absorbing blow after blow was a completely different story.

“Since you can’t tell when I will be attacking, you have a barrier raised at all times. Smart thinking, but surely you know the repercussions of moving with a barrier. Such as how it’s overall durability is reduced for starters.” Daybreaker praised, continuing her assault on Twilight’s shield with the same spell. Her horn still void of any magical energy surrounding it.

Twilight's teeth clenched together every time the spell collided with her barrier. As expected, it didn’t even manage to put a scratch on her shield. However the effects the spell had made it incredibly difficult to make any progress, even resulting in her stumbling over her hooves whenever all four of them weren’t plastered to the ground.

Daybreaker’s eyes narrowed as she continued firing her spell in rapid succession. She knew she wasn’t going to stop Twilight this way, but she didn’t want to stop and have to resort to using actual offensive magic. She could easily charge Twilight and attempt to physically break through her shield with minimal harm to her in the process, however she couldn’t risk Twilight slipping past somehow.

Twilight swore she heard Daybreaker mutter something under her breath before shaking her head, but was unable to make it out. “I didn’t want to resort to combat magic, but you leave me no choice. I highly recommend you surrender now before you get yourself hurt.” Daybreaker threatened.

“P-please…T-this is nothing!” Twilight struggled to say as she took another shaky step closer.

Letting out a loud, disappointed sigh. The illusion around Daybreaker’s horn vanished, revealing its familiar reddened glow. The way the magic swirled around her horn revealed it to be a beam type attack.

Twilight was unsure why Daybreaker removed the illusion around her horn since it was effectively her counter at this point. But she assumed it would be so she had a chance to defend herself with minimal risk of getting injured in the process. “Very well, have it your way” Daybreaker replied as she launched her first offensive spell. A thin red beam emanating from the tip of her horn and into Twilight’s shield.

As soon as the constant red beam connected with her shield, Twilight winced lightly as she was immediately forced to a standstill in order to strengthen her barrier. Despite this, the attack was significantly weaker than she had originally expected it to be. But as the seconds ticked by, it progressively grew stronger and there for larger in size.

‘She is testing me! Daybreaker is testing the durability of my barrier so she knows how strong her attacks have to be to keep me at bay without going overboard! So the longer I keep this up, the better the chances of my plan succeeding are.’ Twilight deduced.

As numb as her horn was and as much as her hooves ached. Twilight had to stand her ground and endure the assault for as long as possible. Even growing desperate enough to completely dispel the tiles that weren’t being attacked, just so she could pour every ounce of magic into those that were. Because the instant her barrier showed signs of cracking, Daybreaker would stop her attack and that would be the intensity of her attacks from then on. And Twilight needed them to be as strong as possible.

Daybreaker watched as Twilight fortified her barrier, she disapproved of the fact that she was effectively putting all of her eggs in one basket. However she was more impressed in Twilight’s ability to withstand the attack, expecting her to start faltering near the thirty second mark while she lasted for nearly one full minute.

“I knew you were powerful Twilight, even when you were still a unicorn. But this amount of strength is unnatural. Within a couple of decades your magic may even rival mine, excluding my celestial powers of course.” Daybreaker complimented.

Twilight struggled to pay attention to what Daybreaker was saying. Her legs wobbling, struggling to support her weight while her horn felt as if it was on fire. “I told…you of…my accomplishments” Twilight panted out, her chest inflating and deflating heavily in-between words. “And you still…underestimate me!”

As soon as Twilight finished that sentence, exertion was beginning to take over and she still needed to save what little energy she still had remaining in order to finish the fight. Determining that Daybreaker’s attacks should be strong enough, Twilight eased up on her magic output a little, causing her barrier to steadily crack across the outer edges. Daybreaker immediately cancelling her attack.

Twilight did the same by dispelling her damaged barrier. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground and catch her breath. But a quick glance up at the timer indicated that she didn’t have time for that.

‘Seven minutes.’

Not giving herself a chance to recuperate, Twilight attempted to side step around Daybreaker before she had a chance to change her mind about using offensive magic. As soon as Twilight moved, Daybreaker narrowed her eyes before channelling an attack.

Before Twilight had a chance to identify what type of attack it was going to be. A large red javelin materialized in the air beside Daybreaker’s head before hurling her way. Taking Twilight by surprise and forcing her to stop to block it, instinctively erecting her basic barrier instead of the more effective hex one.

As soon as the javelin smashed against her barrier, it immediately shattered and cracks instantly scattered all across the surface of her barrier, only barely holding against the powerful attack. Causing Twilight’s eyes to shoot wide open as a sharp pain flared through her horn. “Hmmm I was sure you would be able to hold against that. Perhaps I should tone it down a bit more.” Daybreaker stated.

Twilight was too exhausted to hide her frustration, her lips curving upwards into a light snarl. Even though she got what she wanted, she still needed to make it seem believable and if she proved she was incapable of defending against these type of attacks, then they would only get weaker or stop being used in general. “Alright, let’s give this one a shot.” Daybreaker said as she launched another javelin towards Twilight. This one a bit smaller than the first.

Since Twilight was expecting the attack this time round, and that the attack was weaker than the first. Twilight was capable of defending against it much easier, though there were still a few cracks along the outer edges. But with the amount of strain that she was putting on her horn, every strike her barrier absorbed was complete agony for her. Especially when the attacks, despite them being weakened, were still leagues above of what she was capable of defending consistently.

“Appears defendable…still a few cracks. Maybe I will tone it down a little more, to be o-“ Daybreaker started but was cut off by a magenta blast aimed at her head that she easily managed duck underneath off. Twilight not wanting Daybreaker to even finish that line of thought before continuing her charge.

Daybreaker smirked at this as she decided to complicate things a little. Rearing up onto her hind hooves, a small red ball formed at the tip of her long white horn. Causing Twilight to stop in her tracks and stare at Daybreaker in confusion. ‘I can’t identify this spell!’ Twilight thought, unsure on what she should do as she watched red electricity spark around Daybreaker’s horn before transferring to her forehooves.

Even though Twilight still couldn’t identify what the spell was, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Daybreaker was going to slam her hooves back down onto the ground and something annoying would happen. In hindsight, Twilight probably should do something other than stand there, but she was too absorbed in this strange new type of magic that she had never seen before.

As Daybreaker moved back down to slam her hooves onto the ground. Twilight snapped back to reality and quickly took off into the air, assuming whatever the attack was would affect the ground.

Once in the air, Twilight glanced back down to see that her assumption was indeed correct. Watching intently as the tiny bolts of red electricity danced back and forth between the individual blades of grass across the entire field. Daybreaker joining her in the air seconds later, launching a red blob at Twilight’s wings while she was distracted.

Twilight turned back around at the perfect time, barely having enough time to erect a barrier to block the incoming attack. The blob collided with her shield, sticking to it for a couple of seconds before slowly sliding off and falling to the ground. Leaving behind a slimy reddish trail across the centre of her barrier. “Gross! And I got hit by that too” Twilight groaned, her body shivering at the thought of it.

Though that thought was quickly pushed aside as her eyes widened at the fire swirling around Daybreaker’s horn. “W-wait! You’re using your celestial powers!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise. Causing Daybreaker to grin widely.

“Casting more than one spell at a time is quite annoying, easily doable with my level of experience, but annoying. And since my celestial powers are something completely different to the magic you and the other unicorns use, it would take much less effort for me to do things this way instead.” Daybreaker explained as she launched a fireball directly at Twilight.

Even though she had plenty of time to dodge it, Daybreaker using her celestial powers took Twilight by surprise and caused her to hesitate. Instead, she blocked it with her hex barrier, not having time to fortify any of the tiles as it collided with her shield. Causing her to wince in pain as her horn stung from the powerful impact. Her barrier able to hold but also sending her back a small distance.

Twilight quickly understood why Daybreaker wanted her up here instead of the ground. There was nothing she could do against the seemingly endless barrage of fireballs. She managed to find time to fortify the appropriate tiles in-between the attacks, making defending against them a lot easier and much less stressful on her horn. But every time one collided with her shield, it pushed her back a little bit and her wings weren’t strong enough to regain the lost progress before another one struck, creating a recurring cycle of her getting pushed back.

Twilight would have preferred to put her plan into action on the ground. But with the electricity still affecting the ground and steadily losing progress, she had a feeling that Daybreaker would switch back to her non-combat spells if pushed back far enough.

Not having a choice but to put her trust into Daybreaker. Twilight blocked the next two attacks before gasping loudly in pain. The wing that Daybreaker struck previously when Twilight saved Rarity in the throne room visibly tensed up, causing her wing to slow down and upset her balance mid-air.

As a result, Twilight dispelled her shield. A fireball striking her square in the chest causing her to let out a loud, legitimate cry of pain as she plummeted out of the sky. A tiny trail of black smoke emanating from her chest as she fell.

Twilight kept flapping her wings in attempt to recover from the fall. The uninjured one working as intended while the damaged one struggled to keep up. This allowed her rapid descent to slow down ever so slightly, but also made her spin in a circle, making her lose her bearings.

“Twilight!” Daybreaker’s worried voice cried out.

Just seconds before impact, Twilight felt Daybreaker crash against her side. The deity managing to slow down their descent a decent bit, but even she wasn’t able to stop it entirely. Feeling a hoof wrap across the back of her head, followed by what felt like Daybreaker’s wings around the rest of her body, they crashed against the ground that was no longer affected by the electricity. Daybreaker absorbing the brunt of the fall as they rolled across the ground. “I knew this duel was a bad idea! I knew it! You said your wings were fully healed!” Daybreaker scolded, seemingly unharmed despite the rough landing. Though her voice was filled with concern and fear instead of anger or disappointment.

Twilight felt Daybreaker’s grip loosen around her, presumably to examine her injuries. Her large armored covered hoof trailing against the edges of her blackened chest before trailing to her supposedly injured wing. “Your chest is in a pretty bad shape, however I can’t see anything wrong with your wing. Perhaps a diagnostic spell will reveal something. Try not to move too much, you will be fine but I’d rather not leave it to chance.” Daybreaker instructed.

Unable to see the clock with Daybreaker’s head blocking her vision. Twilight disregarded Daybreaker’s instructions and wrapped her hooves around the deity’s neck before burying her face into her warm white chest. “It hurts…It hurts so much!” Twilight whined out.

“I know Twilight, I know. Just try not to move and I will do my best to alleviate as much of the pain as I possibly can.” Daybreaker reassured while comfortingly stroking the back of Twilight’s head.

Closing her eyes, Daybreaker's horn lit up as she channelled a diagnostic spell. It would have been much more effective hovering her horn above the injured areas, but she didn’t really want to let Twilight go, for numerous reasons.

“Well I can happily say that your chest looks a lot worse than it actually is and should go back to its usual beautiful lavender colour within the month, with the appropriate treatment of course. I would heal it now if I could, but nerves are a lot trickier to heal compared to cuts and other similar injuries. So I will let the medical team who specialize in this field take care of it. It should only take a few days before they discharge you, but if it takes longer than that…well, I’m sure we can still find ways to entertain ourselves.” Daybreaker analysed before moving onto Twilight’s wing next.

Daybreaker’s face scrunched up in confusion as she did a double take on her wing. “That’s strange…As far as I can tell there isn’t anything wrong with your wing. Other than the obvious signs of exertion, even then that shouldn’t be enough for it to give out on you.” Daybreaker mulled as she cancelled her spell and reopened her eyes.

The first thing Daybreaker spotted was the bright magenta glow around her chest from where Twilight’s head was buried into. Daybreaker was about to ask Twilight what she was doing before it suddenly clicked. Scrambling to break free from the grip Twilight had around her neck, she couldn’t break free in time before Twilight unleashed her spell. The same close range shockwave spell that Twilight casted near the beginning of the match when Daybreaker had her pinned. Only this time it being significantly more powerful from it being charged up for so long and at point blank too. Sending Daybreaker flying across the field and slamming into the concrete wall.

For almost the entire duel, Twilight couldn’t figure out why Daybreaker never blocked this attack. Why she looked so surprised when she saw her channelling it. The only explanation she could come up with was that it couldn’t be blocked, she had no idea why that would be the case and was something she planned to talk to Daybreaker about when this was all done.

Twilight looked over at where Daybreaker landed, unable to see her through the thicket of dust and shards of broken stone that now surrounded the area. Twilight was not expecting that spell to be so powerful and wanted nothing more than to rush over there and see if she was alright. But this was a duel and as much as she hated putting her objective above the well-being of those she cared about. She needed to win this in order to get back home.

Doing her best to ignore the searing pain in her chest, Twilight got back up onto her aching hooves which refused to co-operate with her. Regaining her bearings, Twilight looked over at the gong in the distance, just now realizing that she had been pushed back further than she expected. Practically at the beginning on her side of the field. But this time there was nopony standing in the way of her objective.

The first few steps were the most difficult, her hooves struggling to support her weight after not being used for those few moments. But once they got used to it, she managed to turn her walk into a slight trot, before developing it into a steady gallop. Eventually recovering all the progress that she had lost and more.

When she was at the gong, she extended her hoof to sound it. But a sudden force that yanked at her tail stopped her dead in her tracks, causing her to yelp loudly in surprise. “That…was dirty”. A familiar ragged voice said in-between breaths.

Twilight was so close to victory that she could practically taste it, but with Daybreaker once again being an obstacle, she was simultaneously so far away. She flared her wings and flapped them a couple of times as fast as she could to break free, her supposedly injured wing now working perfectly. She didn’t even have to sound the gong, all she had to do was touch it and she was so close.

Though she felt another hoof grab her wing firmly and before she knew it she was slammed to the ground, Daybreaker once again standing in-between her and the gong.

Having gotten back onto her hooves for what felt like the millionth time. Twilight was now able to see just how devastating her attack really was, a surge of guilt washing over her entire body.

Blood covered the top of Daybreaker’s forehead as well as the left side of her head just below her ear. A small amount of already dried up blood having trickled its way down from her forehead to her cheek. Her right wing was dislocated and hung limply against her side, fully extended and dragging across the ground, a few feathers missing in random areas.

A large cut ran up her left forehoof, across her lower back just above where her cutie mark was and the side of her neck. With a bunch of much smaller cuts, all varying in size across the rest of her body, especially her back which took the brunt of the impact. “I can’t believe…I actually fell for that…I see you understand….why my sister….wants you.” Daybreaker breathed out, her voice rather hoarse before coughing violently.

Even though Daybreaker’s mane wasn’t flickering like it usually did whenever she was upset or angry, she certainly looked pissed. Though it seemed that her anger was more directed at herself than anything.

Twilight’s eyes darted between Daybreaker and the gong. With Daybreaker having a dislocated wing, it was only logical to abuse her aerial advantage. Flaring her wings, she was about to take off into the sky, but despite how injured Daybreaker appeared, she certainly moved as if she didn’t have a single scratch on her. And before she knew it she was tackled to the ground, her teeth gritting together as Daybreaker pressed herself against her scorched chest.

Daybreaker pressed her forehead firmly against Twilight’s, their horns crossing while Daybreaker rested all four hooves on top of Twilight’s so she couldn’t move anywhere.

Twilight attempted to cast another shockwave spell to force Daybreaker off her, but when the magic around her horn fizzled away, her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She tried to recast the spell, even casting a bunch of other random spells, including non-combat orientated ones. But every time her horn lit up, Daybreaker’s horn lit up in return and negated whatever Twilight was trying to channel.

“I am done…playing Twilight Sparkle…This ends now.” Daybreaker breathed out.

Twilight couldn’t see the timer with Daybreaker’s large, exhausted, bloodied yet strangely attractive face blocking most of her vision. And with Daybreaker putting all of her weight onto her limbs, she couldn’t break free.

‘No! I have come too far to lose now! There has to be something, anything I can do to break free, even if it is only for a second. It’s right there for Celestia’s sake!’ Twilight thought desperately.

Twilight tried to wriggle her head to look around, but with Daybreaker’s forehead pressed firmly against hers, it made it rather difficult to do that. Even in the off chance she did find something she could use, there was nothing she could do to even grab it, let alone use it. And convincing Daybreaker to loosen her grip or let her use magic would go just as well as her Nightmare Moon claim.

Twilight’s eyes shifted to the now dried up blood across Daybreaker’s forehead. Not being able to do anything, she decided that talking would be worth a shot. “Are you all right? I had my assumptions about that spell, but if I knew it would have done this to you, I wouldn’t have casted it in the first place. I’m so so sooo sorry.” Twilight apologized, even though this was to get Daybreaker’s guard down, she was legitimately concerned about her well-being.

“We will talk about this when I win…I had my reasons for holding back…And look what that brought me…You do whatever it takes to win…It is either kill or be killed…Don’t hold back!” Daybreaker replied, still out of breath though she was slowly beginning to recover.

Twilight hated the thought of harming any pony else, despised it in fact and was quick to let that part slide in one ear and out the other. But the words ‘You do whatever it takes to win’ and 'Don't hold back' echoed repeatedly in her mind.

Twilight’s eyes trailed down from Daybreaker’s injuries towards her lips, making her think back to what happened back in Daybreaker’s chambers and what possibly could have happened if Raven didn’t interrupt them by knocking on the door. Even though she couldn’t cast magic or move her body. She could still in fact move her head to a certain degree.

Forcing down all the thoughts that attempted to plague Twilight’s mind, she decided that the repercussions of her actions would be future Twilight’s concern. Not giving herself a chance to second guess herself, Twilight violently jerked her head upwards, moving her head just enough to catch Daybreaker’s lips with her own.

The slight metallic taste of blood was the first sensation that crossed Twilight's mind. But after a few seconds, a few new ones arose. Such as how soft Daybreaker’s lips felt against her own and how warm the inside her mouth was.

Twilight couldn’t see Daybreaker’s reaction to the sudden kiss, but she could feel the weight slowly shift off her hind hooves and transfer to her upper body as the deity returned the kiss. Twilight groaning in pain as Daybreaker’s chest rubbed harder against her injuries, which could easily be misinterpreted as a moan. However it still wasn’t enough to allow her to break free.

Twilight knew she had to win this, otherwise everything she had done would be for naught. And if that meant kissing her mentor who also doubled as a mother figure in a way, then she wasn’t going to hold back.

Twilight slid her tongue into the warm confines of Daybreaker’s mouth, trailing it across her bottom row of teeth before flicking it off against her right fang.

This was not how Twilight imagined her first kiss would go down, not at all. There were dozens of romantic scenarios where she imagined where her first kiss would be and how it would come about. Though she silently thanked her realities' Rarity for forcing all of those cheesy romance novels onto her, otherwise she wouldn’t have a single clue on how to kiss other than ‘Apply own lips firmly against recipient’s.’

The moment Twilight’s tongue flicked off Daybreaker’s fang. She felt Daybreaker lean further into the kiss, the weight on her hind hooves shifting almost entirely onto her upper body, giving her the opening she most desperately needed.

Just as Daybreaker was about to add her own spice to the kiss. She felt something collide with her hind leg, causing it to give out from underneath her, thus forcing their lips to break apart.

“Sorry!” Twilight quickly apologized as she broke her forehoof away from Daybreaker’s grasp, further upsetting the deity’s balance and struck her across the cheek once again. Forcing Daybreaker off her entirely, allowing her to get back onto her hooves for hopefully the final time.

For good measure she sent a small projectile of pure magic towards Daybreaker. She didn’t wait and see whether it hit or not. Instead she immediately sprinted towards the gong, flicking her tail upwards for good measure in case Daybreaker tried swiping at it again.

This time there was nothing to stop her. No knockback spell sending her sliding across the ground. No pony standing in-between her and the gong or pinning her to the ground. And thankfully none of that disgusting, slimy red goo sticking to her body.

With one final thrust of her wings, Twilight crashed shoulder first into the gong, resulting in a loud ‘dong’ sound before collapsing to the ground.

Twilight’s head immediately shot up to the clock in the sky, a wide smile on her face that could even rival pinkies'. “One minute twelve seconds! I WIN!” Twilight squeed loudly as she glanced down at Daybreaker, who hasn’t seem to have registered the fact that she had lost yet. Sitting comfortably on her haunches as the tip of her armored hoof brushed ever so slightly against her lower lip, which slowly curved into a large, smitten smile.

This caused Twilight’s cheeks to turn a bright crimson red, the thought process of what just happened catching up with her. She was still able to feel the warmth and tingling sensation of Daybreaker’s lips against her own.

Flaring her wings, Twilight wrapped them around her body before burying her head behind them, hiding her flushed face while mumbling incoherently.

“Oh sweet Celestia, What have I done.”

Chapter 10 - Recovery

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Remaining hidden behind the safety of her wings, Twilight muttered incoherently to herself. Unable to believe that she had just kissed her mentor who doubled as a mother figure in order to win their duel. And it wasn’t a quick peck or a light kiss at that, no it was a full on heated kiss with tongue and everything.

Twilight’s cheeks grew a brighter shade of red, the warmth emanating from them almost able to rival the heat that Daybreaker’s coat produced. “What was I thinking!? Was I thinking? In what reality would I ever consider that a good idea?” Twilight quietly muttered to herself.

“Twiiiliiiight.” Daybreaker’s sing song voice called out from the opposite side of Twilight’s wings.

“I mean sure in the end it worked out. But what’s going to happen now? The way Daybreaker smiled even though she lost, I won’t be surprised if she classifies that as a win somehow.” Twilight continued, unaware of a certain love struck deity trying to gain her attention.

Unable to hear what Twilight was mumbling about and failing to receive a response to her call. Daybreaker decided to take on a more hooves on approach, causing her to smirk as she leaned forward to nip at one of Twilight’s stray feathers.

Twilight’s wing jerked back ever so slightly from the unexpected sensation. Breaking her out of her rant as she spread her feathers ever so slightly so she could peek out from behind them. Revealing Daybreaker’s bloody yet smitten face staring right back at her through the small gap.

Twilight immediately closed the gap and let out a loud groan, causing Daybreaker to giggle. “You can’t hide behind your wings forever Twilight.” Daybreaker cooed, clearly in a good mood.

“Watch me.” Twilight’s muffled voice replied.

Daybreaker rolled her eyes as she got back onto her hooves, not even slightly fazed from her injuries. “I don’t doubt for a second that you would do that, especially when surrounded by books. But I am serious about getting you checked out, even if you did pretend your wing was injured. But that's beside the point, now we can either do this the easy way or the fun way.” Daybreaker proposed.

There was a small moment of silence between the two before Twilight spoke up again. “What about you? You are in a much worse state than I am and should get looked at as well.” Twilight replied, still feeling guilty about how much damage she caused her.

“You’d think that, but there are numerous reasons why I cannot. Ruling the way I do is efficient and effective, but when you show signs of weakness and vulnerability to those under you. Like what you and your friend did in the throne room, as well as you ‘saving me’ against that assassin a few days ago.” Daybreaker replied with a loud sigh before shaking her head, not bothering to finish her sentence. “Let’s just say I can’t afford to be seen as weak and losing this duel will do just that if the news spreads. I may be the ruler but what is a Queen without her ponies, I can deal with a few uprisings here and there but all at once is another story.”

“Then why do you rule this way?” Twilight asked curiously as she peeked her head over her wings to look at Daybreaker while they talked. The redness in her cheeks faded but still evident. “Everypony loved and idolized you as their sole benevolent ruler. I know you said it was to cement your rule against your sister, but surely it would take more than a random alicorn who just so happens to be your sister appearing after a thousand years to change that. Especially if she goes around proclaiming that the night shall be eternal. That tends to not win ponies favour…just like your eternal day.” Twilight finished, gesturing to the sun with her wing for emphasis before retracting them both to her side.

Daybreaker’s eyes lingered on the sun for much longer than was needed. Twilight didn’t know if Daybreaker was taking what she had just said to heart of if there was another reasoning behind what she did. “We should probably head back now. " Daybreaker replied, completely dismissing Twilight’s question as she turned back to face her. “Are you able to get up?”

Twilight knew she should have pressed further and that Daybreaker would attempt to dodge the topic. But it was clear that she wasn’t willing to talk about it and in the end it didn’t really matter anyways. Instead she tried doing what Daybreaker asked. She easily managed to get up onto her hind legs but her forehooves refused to co-operate with her. She eventually managed to get up onto them as well but the moment she tried to take a step forward with one hoof, the other would immediately give out underneath her, causing her to collapse to the ground. “Yeah I can...Just give me a moment.” Twilight replied as she tried again once more.

Daybreaker’s smile immediately vanished upon seeing this, which then turned into a frown when it happened again. “You pushed yourself much harder than I realized. I need to figure out what you do and don’t know when it comes to combat magic so I know exactly what areas to train you in. I guess offensive spells would be an ideal starting point since you seem competent enough in identifying the genre of spells your opponent is channelling and blocking them accordingly. Though you certainly can benefit from extra training in that regard.” Daybreaker stated, walking up to Twilight who tried once again to get back onto her hooves.

Once Twilight got back up, she was about to attempt walking again but she suddenly felt something press up against her belly, lifting her up off the ground. “Wha?” Twilight sounded in surprise as she slid down Daybreaker’s neck slightly so she was laying sideways across her back.

“If you are unable to walk back to the castle then I will just have to carry you there myself.” Daybreaker said a little too happily as she made her way across the field with Twilight in tow, her dislocated wing dragging across the grass.

“No no no I can walk perfectly fine on my own thank you very much, I just need to-“ Twilight started while squirming, trying to push herself off. But when she heard Daybreaker wince and buckle slightly she immediately stopped, her gaze traveling down to Daybreaker’s back which was covered in various cuts varying in size that she was probably aggravating with her movements. “Why aren’t you angry with me?” Twilight asked instead, admitting defeat and letting herself get carried.

“Why would I be angry?” Daybreaker asked in return, walking normally now that Twilight stopped being difficult.

“I took advantage of you! I abused your feelings towards me and used them to put myself in an advantageous position to win a stupid fake duel!” Twilight practically shouted, her ears drooping as her gaze travelled to the ground, more so at the tip of Daybreaker’s dislocated wing as her voice turned slightly more sombre. “Plus I hurt you…Not just physic-“

“You knew about my feelings?” Was all Daybreaker took from Twilight’s statement. Unintentionally interrupting her and stopping in her tracks to stare back at her in surprise. “Why didn’t you say something about it before? However I have to admit that confessing your feelings during a fight was certainly an unexpected yet very welcome surprise. There is nothing more romantic than a couple in love thrusting themselves at each other, tiring each other out both physically and mentally before finally giving into their bodily desires.” Daybreaker explained with a happy sigh as she thought back to that moment prior to the kiss. “You may have hurt me, but I would do so again without a second thought just to relive that wonderful moment. We have to do this again sometime.” She added with a giggle before continuing on.

Twilight bit down hard on her lower lip, forcing herself to hold her tongue. This was by far the happiest she had seen Daybreaker, and by extension Celestia in an incredibly long time. As much as it may hurt her in the long run, she didn’t want to ruin this moment for her.

As Daybreaker exited the training ground with Twilight in tow, they walked past Shress and Day Dasher who stood guard at either side of the entrance way to the training grounds where Twilight had left them earlier. Their eyes immediately shot wide open when they saw the state the two alicorns were in, Shress’s jaw even dropping causing Twilight to look away in embarrassment that she had to be carried back.

The two pegasi ran to catch up with them, trailing a small distance behind like they usually did whenever they went anywhere. Even though they didn’t say anything, it was obvious that they were both curious as to how the fight went to warrant their injuries. Their attention more focused on Daybreaker’s broken wing than anything else.

After what was probably the most embarrassing couple of minutes of Twilight’s life, they finally made it back to the castle. “Can you pleeease let me down now?” Twilight pleaded, doing her best to ignore the quick glances both the guards and castle staff gave them. A faint smile crept onto some of their faces but vanished whenever they got close enough.

“Nope, we are nearly there so just hang on for a little bit longer.” Daybreaker retorted causing Twilight to sigh loudly, resting her head on her hoof as she bounced along Daybreaker’s back.

Twilight was expecting Daybreaker to take her to the castle’s infirmary, so when their chambers came into view she became slightly confused. “I thought you said we were going to get somepony to look at this.” Twilight stated in a questioning tone as she brushed her hoof against her blackened chest, making her wince at the sharp pain that accompanied it.

“We are, but it will take some time for the medical team to prepare for your arrival and I would rather you lay on a comfortable bed than sit on a hard chair while we wait.” Daybreaker replied as she opened the door to her chambers and stepped inside.

Raven, who was standing next to Daybreaker’s desk at the time jumped when the door unexpectedly opened, causing her to accidentally drop the papers she was carrying. “S-sorry mistress, I know you said you wanted to reschedule and to not be interrupted. I just didn’t expect you two to be back until later and thought I would leave your schedule and any forms to fill out on your desk for tomorrow.” Raven apologized while frantically fumbling around to pick the papers back up.

“Oh Raven, perfect timing.” Daybreaker chipperly said, levitating the scattered papers into a neat pile before hovering them in front of a confused looking Raven, who hesitantly took them in her hooves before standing up. “Would you mind looking after Twilight for a few minutes while I take care of something?” Daybreaker asked.

“I’m not a filly! I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself!” Twilight interrupted while she was placed gently on the large bed.

Raven was beyond confused at this point. Usually if Daybreaker wanted something done then she would have ordered her to do it instead of asking. “C-consider it done my queen.” Raven replied with a bow, ignoring Twilight’s outburst.

“Then I shall return momentarily.” And with that Daybreaker teleported out in a loud, bright red flash.

Raven stared at where Daybreaker stood previously in shock, trying and failing to process what just happened. “What exactly did you two do down there?” Raven asked as she turned to face Twilight. “And I am not talking about her injuries. She’s…she’s like a completely different pony!”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply but quickly closed it again when Raven rephrased her question. Causing her to look away in embarrassment while sheepishly scratching the back of her head. “I…I don’t really want to talk about it.” Twilight muttered in response.

Twilight had a feeling that Raven wanted to press the matter further, but probably didn’t because of her status as both alicorn and Daybreaker’s consort, no thanks to the newspapers. With Daybreaker no longer present to hold her down, Twilight attempted to push herself off the bed and onto her hooves.

“What do you think you’re doing? Her highness said she will be back shortly and I can’t bear to imagine what she would do to me when she discovers that you aren’t where she left you.” Raven hastily asked, quickly moving to obstruct Twilight’s path.

“I left my journal in my room, if I’m to wait here or in the infirmary then I want something to do in the meantime.” Twilight replied, wincing as she tried to step around Raven who easily followed her exact movements, not allowing Twilight to take a single step away from the bed.

Having enough of this pointless charade, Twilight’s horn lit up as she channelled a teleport spell. Before Raven could do anything to prevent it from happening, she disappeared in a bright magenta flash and reappeared right outside Daybreaker’s chambers where Shress and Day Dasher stood.

The two pegasi looked at each other momentarily before turning their attention back towards Twilight. “I assumed you saving our queen against that assassin was merely a fluke, but seeing the state you two were in when you emerged from the training field…You HAVE to tell me everything that happened!” Shress eagerly said, taking a step forward.

Twilight immediately closed her eyes, her head lowering from the soaring pain that surged throughout the entire length of her horn. “I won, that is all that matters.” Twilight forced out through clenched teeth. Shortly after, the door leading into Daybreaker’s chambers slammed open, revealing a worried looking Raven.

“You WHAT!?” Shress shouted, causing both Day Dasher and Raven to wince lightly.

“You two can continue this conversation after we get princess Twilight back to her bed, otherwise it won’t only be my ashes that’ll be scattered through this hallway when Daybreaker comes back.” Raven interjected while approaching the pained looking Twilight with the two guards in tow.

Twilight’s eyes shot wide open as she turned to glare at the three, baring her teeth at them as she channelled yet another teleport spell. “It would be a lot faster and easier if you let me get my journal from my room than for you three to force me into bed, so what shall it be?” Twilight bluffed, her eyes growing watery as she struggled to maintain the teleport spell.

Raven and Shress immediately stopped in their tracks while Day Dasher spread her hooves apart, lowering herself to the ground with her wings flared out, preparing to charge. But Shress intervened by extending her wing in front of Day Dasher’s face, giving her a firm yet stern glare.

“Fine…Just be quick about it please, I’ll even help you search.” Raven sighed loudly in defeat, shaking her head as she walked past Twilight and into her chambers. “Do you remember where you left it?” she added as she began searching.

“I left it on top of a pillow!” Twilight yelled back, dismissing her teleport spell while a very unhappy Day Dasher stood back up. Twilight went to follow Raven into her room but every step she took caused her to limp badly, making her wince. At least until she felt something cold and metallic press up against her side.

“Now I see why the queen carried you back. I may not be strong enough to do the same but I can at least alleviate some of your weight.” Shress offered, allowing Twilight to lean against her as they followed Raven into her chambers.

“I still don’t see it.” Raven sighed just before they walked inside. Both pillows and bed sheets scattered across the ground while Raven searched underneath the bed for the journal.

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the state of her room with no book to be found. “Nonono I definitely left it on the pillow, I wasn’t even gone for an hour!” Twilight exclaimed as she moved forward too quickly, causing her to stumble over.

Thankfully Shress reacted fast enough and caught her mid-fall before helping her back onto her hooves. Being unable to physically search herself, Twilight leaned further against Shress to help support more of her weight as she channelled a levitation spell. Shortly after the pillows, bed sheets, mattress, even the bed itself levitated into the air in her magenta glow.

“Day Dasher! Can you come in and help look as well…I won’t be able to keep this up for much longer!” Twilight yelled out to Day Dasher who remained in the hallway. She knew that she shouldn’t be using this much magic, especially in such a short amount of time and continuing on like this would surely put her in a magical coma for a few days. But the disappearance of her journal was too important, it was the only lead she had so far to returning home.

Twilight swore she heard Day Dasher grumble something as she walked past them to help Raven search the floor and the floating objects for the missing journal, but she wasn’t sure if that was her mind playing tricks on her. Her eyes clenched shut as she poured everything she had into maintaining the spell, but after a minute or so she began to struggle and lose grip of one of the pillows, causing it to fall to the ground.

“Move…can’t hold…any longer.” Twilight panted out. When she heard them retreat back to her side she sharply exhaled and cancelled her spell. Dropping everything that was still in her magical hold simultaneously. Her entire body slouching to the ground with Shress being dragged down alongside.

“Did you…find it?” Twilight asked hopefully, reopening her eyes as she gently rubbed the base of her horn, whimpering lightly from the stinging sensation that followed it but continued rubbing nevertheless.

“No we didn-“

“What’s going on in here and where is…TWILIGHT!” Daybreaker’s voice came from the hallway before rushing towards Twilight’s side. Knocking Shress aside in the process while the deity knelt down beside Twilight, stroking the back of her head soothingly.

While comforting her student, Daybreaker’s head immediately snapped towards Raven. Glaring intensely at her. “Here. Now!” Daybreaker ordered.

Raven didn’t hesitate and quickly shuffled towards Daybreaker with her head held low. But before either of them could say anything, Twilight spoke up. “It’s gone…”

“What’s gone?” Daybreaker asked, her tone drastically changing for the better as she draped her uninjured wing across Twilight’s back.

“Starswirl’s journal.” Twilight replied, looking up at Daybreaker with watery eyes before slowly pulling her hoof away from her aching horn, the rubbing only seeming to aggravate it more. “I left it on a pillow before I left to meet you for our duel and now it’s gone.”

Daybreaker remained silent for a good few seconds as she scanned the mess that had been created in her absence before turning towards Shress who seemed to have recovered from being pushed aside. “Then it didn’t happen long ago. This is a restricted area so the guards will know who came in and out of here. If not then ask the other patrolling guards to see if they have spotted any unusual or suspicious activity.” Daybreaker ordered.

“Consider it done my queen!” Shress replied with a salute as all three of them hurried out of the room.

“Except you Raven. We aren’t finished yet.” Daybreaker added as soon as she reached the doorway. Causing Raven to stop in her tracks and slowly walk back towards Daybreaker.

“She tried to stop me but I teleported away. She confronted me again shortly after, even getting Shress and Day Dasher to team up on me but I threatened them that I wouldn’t go back without a fight. Even though they don’t know what happened in our duel, they saw you walk out heavily injured so my threats actually meant something.” Twilight interjected before Daybreaker could say anything.

“Don’t care, I trust you know your way to the dungeons by now?” Daybreaker implied.

“Y-yes…my queen.” Raven replied with a bow before sulking out of the room and to the dungeons.

“But she couldn’t stop me, if she tried then I would have been in a worse state than I am in now and you would have been even more annoyed. This was supposed to be a quick get in, get the journal and get out scenario. But we didn’t expect the journal to actually go missing.” Twilight defended.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s statement. “A quick get in get out situation? So Raven has been going behind my back now has she, it may be a minor case but treason is still in fact treason. Being a Queen’s secretary requires the upmost trust after all, I don’t want someone who would so willingly break that trust stand by my side.” Daybreaker threatened.

Realizing that she was only digging a deeper hole for the poor secretary who was only trying to do her job. Twilight knew she had to make it up to her since this was entirely her fault to begin with. “How about we make another deal?” Twilight proposed with a sigh.

This caused Daybreaker to groan loudly. “I swear if you propose another duel I’m putting you down the moment you step hoof onto the field.” Daybreaker deadpanned.

‘After how our last match turned out I wouldn’t even dream of it.’ Twilight thought before sighing again, louder this time. “No, if you forgive Raven entirely and not hold any of what she did against her as well as give her some much needed time off, with pay mind you. I will select one out of the three options that you boasted about during the duel that I would do if I lost and we can do that.” Twilight replied, hoping this wasn’t going to bite her in the flank.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Daybreaker yelled out. “RAVEN WAIT!”

After a few seconds the white coated mare with her ears flat against her head peeked out from around the corner. “Y-yes mistress?” Raven squeaked out.

“Finish whatever you were doing with those papers before I walked in and take the entire week off. I may have forgiven you for your actions but don’t you dare go behind my back again, when I tell you to do something, you do it. Am I understood?” Daybreaker ordered, not sparing her a glance.

“P-pardon my queen?” Raven asked, unsure if she heard correctly.

Daybreaker rolled her eyes. “You heard me, get to it.”

“T-thank you for your most gracious offer. I won’t let you down again.” Raven humbly said with a bow, her ears perking back up with what appeared to be a faint smile on her face.

“Twilight is the one you should be thanking, now leave us.” Daybreaker corrected.

Raven’s gaze shifted to Twilight before bowing once more. “Thank you princess.” Raven repeated. And with that she trotted out of the room.

“So is the medical team prepared for my visit? I think I used too much magic too quickly and it is really hurting my horn so I kind of want to get it looked at as well.” Twilight asked, growing cross-eyed as she glanced up at it.

Daybreaker shook her head. “No, instead they gave me some cream that I should apply to your chest that would ease the burning sensation, even repairing the burn and nerve damage that the fire caused. If you don’t notice any difference within two days then we are to go back in and see them. Though if your horn is acting up we can just go in anyways.” Daybreaker replied, using her magic to levitate Twilight up ever so slightly so she could place her on her back again.

“I’ll just wait and see how I feel after the two days, I’m sure the situation with my horn his temporary anyways and would get better by itself as long as I limit my magic usage.” Twilight replied, too sore and exhausted to be bothered putting up a fight about being carried. “Also whenever the guards find the journal again, would I be able to have another look at it?”

“I’m telling you that you are wasting your time trying to find anything related to the decoder in that entry Twilight. I mean no offence to your abilities as I’m sure you are more than capable than most out there. But if I can’t find anything in the time spent looking at it then I highly doubt you would either.” Daybreaker replied as she carried her back to her chambers.

“I know that now but I still want to experiment with a few things nonetheless. Though that isn’t the main reason I want it, I think I discovered a solution in figuring out what that spell is with the torn out pages.” Twilight stated excitedly.

Daybreaker froze momentarily before continuing on. “O-oh? And what is this solution?” Daybreaker shakily asked, her pace quickening ever so slightly.

“Remember when I said I had that clawing and screaming sensation at the back of my mind every time I looked at that drawing? I know deep down that I have seen it somewhere before but for the life of me I can’t remember where and it frustrates me to no end. Oddly enough on the very next page…well readable page should I say, there is a theory about a flashback spell. And since you said Starswirl doesn’t encode unfinished spells or theories, all I have to do is finish what he started, use it to jog my memory on the drawing and there we go!” Twilight exclaimed proudly, her head held high.

Daybreaker didn’t reply at first which made Twilight lose all her excitement and cause her to frown. “I thought you would be pleased about potentially uncovering the information in those missing pages, if not that then at least figuring out what the spell does.” Twilight added, slightly disheartened by the lack of praise.

“I am! If anypony could figure out what that mystery spell is then it would be you my faithful student! I’m just…tired…Alicorn healing, it takes a lot out of you. You will see what I mean when you fully mature as one.” Daybreaker hastily replied with an internal sigh. “I knew I saw potential in you when you were a filly, that you were destined for greatness. Yet you still manage to surpass my expectations every single time.” Daybreaker quietly added shortly after, barely loud enough for Twilight to hear.

After entering Daybreaker’s chambers and once again being placed on her bed. Twilight watched as Daybreaker sat down beside her and levitated a small grey tub with an inscription label plastered on the front. Assuming that was the cream Daybreaker was talking about earlier, she continued to watch as Daybreaker took the lid off and dipped the tip of her hoof inside. “Lean back a bit, I promise to be gentle.” Daybreaker instructed.

Doing as Daybreaker instructed, Twilight laid back so the back of her head was resting comfortably against the pillow, giving Daybreaker complete access to her black and purple chest.

Daybreaker shifted towards Twilight ever so slightly and placed her cream coated forehoof gently against the large burn mark on Twilight’s chest, making her wince lightly at first from the pressure. But when she started to move her hoof around in a circular motion, lathering it across the affected areas, the coolness of it caused Twilight to let out a content sigh as her body visibly relaxed.

While Daybreaker worked her magic, Twilight’s eyes slowly began to close over. The only times Daybreaker stopped rubbing was to apply even more cream to her hoof before repeating the process. After a long moment of silence with Twilight nearly falling asleep, Daybreaker finally spoke up. “This has been bothering me for a while, but why did you reject me in your reality?” Daybreaker suddenly asked.

Twilight reopened her eyes to see Daybreaker staring down at her chest, unblinking with a small frown on her face. Her chest completely white showing that too much had been applied. “I don’t think I understand the question.” Twilight responded, grabbing Daybreaker’s hoof with her own to stop her. As nice as it felt, she didn’t want them to run out of cream, especially if it needed to be reapplied again later.

There was another moment of silence while Daybreaker thought of how to rephrase her question. “I had plans on confessing my love to you, and from the looks of things it appeared to have worked out.” Daybreaker replied, brushing the same hoof against Twilight’s wings ever so gently while simultaneously trying not to get any cream on them. “After all, it was the entire reason I sent you to Ponyville in the first place. I gave you all of the resources that you would possibly need, all that was left was for you to figure out how to piece them together. If I helped you in any way then I’d run the risk of you dying in the process and that’s a risk I would never take.” Daybreaker explained.

This caused Twilight’s eyes to widen in surprise as she sat up. “Kill me! You would risk my life for a stupid confession that you could have literally done in any other way?!” Twilight exclaimed before realizing the underlying meaning of what Daybreaker had just admitted. “Wait…you said that was the sole reason you sent me to Ponyville…this was planned before I died to Nightmare Moon right?” Twilight asked even though she already knew the answer to that.

“Correct…” Daybreaker replied unsurely, wondering where Twilight was going with this.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Does that mean…” Twilight trailed off, seemingly deep in thought before gazing up into Daybreaker’s amber hues. “Does that mean you had feelings for me before all this? Before you started calling yourself Daybreaker, while we still had a student mentor relationship and living in the castle together?” Twilight asked.

“Again correct…” Daybreaker replied softly, placing her hoof against Twilight’s shoulder. The look of confliction on her face made it seem like she wanted to do more, but after a few seconds she shook her head slightly before retracting it. “You seem surprised by this, did I not confess?” Daybreaker asked curiously.

Twilight shook her head, trying not to dwell on what Daybreaker did too much and instead focus on the conversation. “No you didn’t. I didn’t even know you saw me that way until recently when Rarity pointed it out in the dungeons. There must have been another turning point between our realities then, something that I’ve done differently in this one to earn your affection.” Twilight deduced.

“I’m afraid this time you’re wrong, I don’t know how much of this you know so let me start from the very beginning. You see, the reason I sent you to Ponyville was to learn the magic of friendship. That town is known to be the friendliest place in all of Equestria, even to socially awkward unicorns. Also it was within flying distance of Canterlot so we could still easily keep in touch should the need arise. But as I said before I couldn’t help you directly.” Daybreaker started which caused Twilight to roll her eyes dramatically.

“I have done a lot of research on possible candidates for the elements of harmony. Your friends, the ones that you are trying to defend and unbanish are the ones I selected. Some already lived in Ponyville at the time which made things a lot easier, but some I may have laid an underlying hoof in getting them to live there years before your arrival. Hence why I gave them such big roles in the summer sun celebration, to force them to talk and work with you in making the event turn out a success.” Daybreaker continued.

Twilight was very confused at where Daybreaker was heading with this. However discovering that her entire life in Ponyville had all been set up, and that she was playing in Celestia’s hoof the entire time without any of them realizing upset her greatly. But at the same time it was very comforting to know that Celestia still cared deeply enough about her to warrant that.

“Nightmare Moon returning was an issue that I didn’t see arising…I really should have listened to you at the time.” Daybreaker sombrely said before shaking her head and getting back on track. “Anyways the original plan was for you six to become close friends. Hence why I wanted weekly friendship reports from you, so I could accurately keep track of how much progress you’ve been making. When that was done I would then send you and your friends on an important quest to fetch the elements of harmony and from there you would attempt to awaken them from their dormant state. However In your reality I believe that stage was completely bypassed since you mentioned purifying my sister with them upon her arrival.” Daybreaker continued.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but what does this have to do about your confession? I mean this does explain why you have been so distant from me ever since I went to Ponyville. Not wanting to impact the results since apparently whatever the test was about would kill me if you did.” Twilight asked. She was incredibly happy to know that Celestia still did in fact care about her. Making her all the more eager to pack some provisions to venture to the Crystal Empire in attempt to find more information about the decoder. As well as the spell that Starlight used against her so she could return home and reunite with her Celestia so she could give her a big hug and apologize.

This caused Daybreaker to frown upon hearing that. “Trust me when I say being distant wasn’t something I wanted either. I don’t know how I would have felt but if I had to guess I would be longing for your return, maybe spending some nights in your old room every week or read some of the old scrolls we sent each other. But in the whole scheme of things, what is a few months or even years apart compared to an eternity together?” Daybreaker replied rhetorically.

Twilight was beginning to piece together what Daybreaker was saying, but she didn’t want to make any claims or assumptions without being sure. “But what does this have to do wi-“

“Perhaps if you let me finish my explanation then you would know.” Daybreaker cut off. She waited a few moments to make sure Twilight didn’t interrupt again before continuing on with her explanation. “Where was I? Oh yes. When I felt that the connection between you six was strong enough as well as awakening the elements from their dormant state. I would have sent you Starswirl’s unfinished masterpiece, the same one that my sister and her protégée are currently looking into.” Daybreaker continued, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, shifting her frown into a faint smile.

“And that is how you became the wonderful, beautiful lavender alicorn you are today. That spell relies on true friendship, something you and your friends would have had to figure out on your own. If I helped you in any way, shape or form, the spell could’ve backfire and disintegrate you in the process. Believe me when I say I wouldn’t have sent it to you if there was the slightest hint that you weren’t ready.” Daybreaker finished.

Twilight’s jaw dropped upon hearing that. Unable to believe what she heard and just how impactful Celestia had been on her life for all those years. But she suddenly remembered something they talked about in the dining room. “Wait…that doesn’t make any sense. Back in the dining room, before our first court session together, you told me that it was because you practically raised me. And I replied by saying ‘that is why everypony assumed I was your secret love child.’” Twilight contradicted, unsure as to what to believe.

This caused Daybreaker to look away in embarrassment which Twilight couldn’t help but find adorable. Seeing the strong and ruthless Daybreaker acting like a teenage filly. “I was meant to tell you the true reason back then, the reason I just explained to you now. I wanted to say it was because I loved you before kissing you right then and there. But my nerves got the better of me, I was afraid that you would suddenly disappear again and I don’t know what I would do if you did.” Daybreaker replied, taking a deep breath before forcing herself to look back at Twilight again. “If what I told you back then was the case then why didn’t I ascend any of my previous students? Or any of the other foals that I had around me? I’m thousands of years old and would’ve definitely had the chance and time to do so.” Daybreaker justified.

This was a lot for Twilight to take in, her heart was practically beating out of her chest. She felt that she should be annoyed that her entire life and all of her friendships had been set up since the very beginning, that she had been living according to Celestia’s rules. But instead she felt overwhelmingly happy that she was still a key part of her life. But then she remember the original question she asked that warranted this entire conversation. “But that still doesn’t explain my question. Why do you think our realities don’t have another turning point?” Twilight asked hopefully, for once hoping that she was wrong and that Daybreaker was correct.

This caused Daybreaker to smirk as she placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder again, this time going through with what she was originally going to do. She pressed her lips against Twilight’s ever so gently for a light kiss before pushing her back down against the mattress, trailing her other hoof down the side of Twilight’s face, leaving behind a small trail of white cream.

Twilight’s eyes widened form the sudden kiss, now that it happened she realized she should have seen it coming a mile away. But her heavily conflicted mind made it difficult for her to do anything other than lie there and take it.

Despite not kissing back, Daybreaker still looked pleased with the outcome as she pulled away, their faces still inches apart as she licked her own tingling lips. “Because if I dated a pony then I would surely outlive them, I have tried and believe me when I say you never get used to the pain. So I searched high and low for the perfect pony, the perfect mate. And there you were standing there in that destroyed exam room, having hatched a baby dragon from an egg as well as maturing it moments after. I still remember standing in the courtyard at the time, seeing Spike’s fat head sticking through the roof.” Daybreaker chuckled before getting back on track. “Sure you may have not been in complete control at the time and was the result of a magical flare. But the fact remains you could and you did. And as the years went by with you being my personal student, I grew to crave your company more and more, to a point where I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And we all know how long that is.” Daybreaker winked.

For once Twilight was speechless. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the sudden, unexpected kiss or if it was because Celestia ascended her due to being romantically interested in her ever since she was a filly.

However Daybreaker’s smile was short lived as she pulled away to allow Twilight to sit back up if she so desired. “However none of this explains why I never confessed to you in your reality. Something must have changed or popped up, not with my feelings towards you since I still ended up ascending you in the end, but I had a decade long plan to go about it.” Daybreaker stated.

This managed to break Twilight from her conflicted state of mind though she decided to continue laying down. “How were you going to confess? If you don’t mind me asking that is, it won’t be the same with me already knowing how you feel after all.” Twilight asked curiously.

Daybreaker thought about it for a few moments before sighing in defeat. “I guess I can answer that since it doesn’t really matter anymore. It is also impossible for us to ever be in that situation again, at least as far as I am aware of. Whenever you completed and casted Starswirl’s unfinished masterpiece using the elements, you would have been transported to the planes of ascension as I like to call it. From there I will be waiting for you and I will sing you a song while we were surrounded by our most precious memories together. And at the end of it all, before you complete your ascension. I would tell you everything and admit my true feelings towards you. I would then meet you face to face when you have your wings in the real world and nervously await your response.” Daybreaker replied with a small sigh. “But I guess our little duel confession is the next best thing.” She added as she laid back down beside Twilight, cuddling up beside her.

Twilight’s body tensed up momentarily when Daybreaker cuddled up against her, but she quickly relaxed and hesitantly wrapped her smaller, lavender wing over Daybreaker’s larger frame. There was a long moment of silence while Twilight processed everything Daybreaker had just admitted.

She thought back to that very moment in the planes of ascension. She remembered the song Celestia sung to her even though some of the words slipped her mind, she also remembered being surrounded by her most precious memories. There were numerous reasons why Twilight assumed Celestia didn’t confess in the end, but all of them were quickly contradicted by what Daybreaker had explained.

All of them but one. “I think…I think I know why my Celestia didn’t confess in the end.” Twilight replied quietly after a few minutes. The way Daybreaker pressed up against her side more made her question where their relationship stood currently, but she was too hesitant to ask about that.

This piqued Daybreaker’s interest, but the only sign of her taking interest was her ear twitching. “Hmmm? And what would that reason be?” Daybreaker asked in return as she rested her head on top of Twilights. Being careful not to touch and further aggravate her horn.

“First I want to know one thing, those memories in the planes of ascension. How exactly are they chosen to appear?” Twilight cautiously asked.

“The more important or special those memories are to you, the more likely they are to appear. Most of them will be happy, but some will be how you overcame a difficult task or obstacle.” Daybreaker explained.

Twilight’s ears drooped as she let out a loud sigh, not looking forward to Daybreaker’s reaction to her theory. “I know the real reason now, that you were testing me and kept your distance to not interfere with the results as I could’ve potentially died if you did. But at the time I thought you didn’t want me around anymore and our relationship took a pretty sharp decline ever since I was sent to Ponyville because of that. The only form of contact we had with each other were those friendship reports, meeting face to face was very rare and when we did it was usually because of a crisis that you needed my help with.” Twilight answered. “The gala was the only exception but you were too busy to keep me company…”

Twilight knew she was getting side-tracked but she didn’t stop talking because she didn’t want to give Daybreaker a chance to speak until she was done. “Because of this, there were only a few memories in the planes of ascension that actually contained you. Almost every single one of them were about me and my friends in one way or another. Perhaps this discouraged you from confessing.” Twilight explained, taking a deep breath from her lengthy disposition.

She could feel Daybreaker’s hooves wrap tightly around her, attempting to pull her closer. “Never think that...” Daybreaker said quietly, her grip tightening to a point where it was becoming uncomfortable. “Never think that.” She repeated, louder this time.

Twilight couldn’t see Daybreaker’s face but she was definitely taking the news significantly better than she anticipated. Having expected Daybreaker’s fiery mane to begin flickering, resulting in her sweating from the amount of heat her body would produce. But thankfully it was still its warm, comfortable temperature. “I should have made it more apparent that I cared, there are many things I could have done differently. Given you more than a moment’s notice so you get used to the idea of living away from the castle, not being overly paranoid about impacting the results and visit you more often or vice versa. Communicate with scrolls that isn’t just friendship reports, though I don’t know if we did do that or not but knowing me I probably wouldn’t have.” Daybreaker replied softly.

“That probably would have helped, but in the end it wasn’t your fault.” Twilight replied, but before Daybreaker could reply to that, Twilight spoke up again. “And I know you will probably say something along the lines of ‘but that would’ve been me, if you didn’t die against my sister then I would have allowed us to drift apart and wouldn’t have known until the damage was already done.’ But it wasn’t you, this is a different reality with a different Celestia who goes by the name of Daybreaker now. As you said so yourself, they may look the same, sound the same, act the same, but they are not the same.”

Twilight waited for a response, but instead all she heard was a small quiet laugh. “What’s so funny?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“You know I hate it when you use my own words against me right? But you are right, I shouldn’t blame myself for something that never came to be...Tomorrow I want to show you something, something very important. You may not like what you see but it will further validate and prove to you just how much I care about you. Perhaps now will be a good time for us to get some rest, especially with your injuries and would give the cream enough time to do its job.” Daybreaker replied.

“Perhaps that is for the best, I’m not that tired but without the journal and with the current state i'm in, there isn’t much I can do right now.” Twilight replied as she went to sit up, curious as to what Daybreaker wanted to show her, especially if she said she wouldn’t like it. “Then I guess I shall bid you a goodnight, I know it wasn’t easy but thank you for telling me the truth. You gave me a lot to think about.”

Just as Twilight was about to get out of bed, Daybreaker stopped her by grabbing her wing. “I mean…we have been sharing a bed enough times now…and considering that we are officially a couple now.” Daybreaker implied with a hopeful expression.

Twilight bit her lower lip and hesitantly nodded in response. “Y-yeah…I guess you don’t have to keep coming up with excuses now.” Twilight stuttered as she laid back down with Daybreaker resuming her original position by resting her head on top of Twilight’s. “Goodnight…Daybreaker.”

“Pleasant dreams my wonderful Twilight.”

Chapter 11 - Funding

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Ever since Twilight arrived in this reality she had struggled to get a good days rest. Be it because of her sleeping arrangements or because of Nightmare Moon invading her dreams from time to time. But due to how physically and mentally exhausted she was from her duel with Daybreaker, she was sleeping like a log in what was probably considered the most comfortable bed in all of Equestria. Resulting in one of the best sleeps she had since arriving here.

At least that was the case until she unwittingly stretched in her sleep, causing the muscles in her leg to cramp up painfully. Twilight’s eyes shot wide open as she quickly stretched her leg out while twisting her body into a more comfortable position to rub the tensed muscle.

Once most of the cramp subsided, Twilight looked around to see that the spot on the bed next to her was vacant. Instead there was a note on top of the adjacent pillow with her name written neatly on it. She was about to use magic to levitate it towards her before quickly remembering that she was to ease up on her magic usage. So instead she waited for the cramp to fully disappear before shifting over to grab the note and read it.

My Beloved Twilight.

As much as I would have loved for you to join me during breakfast as well as attend court, you looked so peaceful while sleeping and I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you. Since my secretary is on vacation, things may progress more slowly than I am accustomed to. Which means I may be late in returning to you, or early if I decide to end it. However if you find yourself missing your mentor’s loving embrace then you are free to join me at any time. Otherwise I have assigned my personal detail to safeguard you in the meantime.

Forever yours, Daybreaker.

Placing the note back down on the pillow, Twilight let out a loud sigh as she kicked the covers off her so she could get out of bed. Wincing lightly as she gently eased herself onto her hooves before making her way towards the door. Daybreaker’s offer not interesting her in the slightest. There were still numerous things she had to do, some of which couldn’t be done with Daybreaker constantly watching over her.

Opening the door, the first thing she noticed were the two usual pegasi guards stationed at either side of the doorway. “Has there been any word about the journal yet?” Twilight asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

“No, the guards guarding at the entrance way to this section of the castle claim that nopony has entered nor exited those doors between you leaving and returning…except for Raven but she has full access and wouldn’t have stolen it. We decided to check your room again, more thoroughly this time and we still came out empty hooved.” Shress replied before immediately speaking up again. “However, a certain pony still owes me an explanation on what happened at the training ground.”

Twilight grit her teeth together, trying her best to keep her frustration hidden. It wasn’t their fault that the journal went missing and she knew they were doing everything they could in order to retrieve it. But at the same time this was a discussion she really didn’t want to have, nor did she have the time to do so, especially if Daybreaker did decide to finish court early today.

“I’m sorry, even though Daybreaker never said anything about it, she heavily implied that she didn’t want news about what happened to spread about.” Twilight replied. Even though this was true, she was hoping that Shress’s respect and admiration for Daybreaker would be enough for her to instantly drop the topic.

The small hopeful smile across the white pegasus's face dipped to its usual hardened expression. It was clear that she was disappointed but she did a very good job at hiding it. “If that is what our queen wishes then I shall respect her privacy and will not pry any further.” Shress professionally replied.

With that out of the way, Twilight turned her attention towards Day Dasher to get the first agenda of her mental checklist crossed out. “There has been something I have been meaning to discuss with you for a while now.” Twilight said, causing Day Dasher to nod her head once, waiting for Twilight to continue. “In private.” Twilight quickly added.

Day Dasher’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly from behind her helmet, she looked over at her partner momentarily before shaking her head, raising her hoof to point towards Shress.

Twilight's gaze followed her hoof and looked at Shress. “We can discuss it here if you want but I know this is a conversation you will not want anypony overhearing.” Twilight replied, turning her attention back towards Day Dasher.

“I believe what she is trying to say, or imply anyways is that she will only talk to you if you tell me what happened down at the training ground. Which isn’t any of my business since our queen wishes for it to remain a secret.” Shress replied, her voice becoming sterner near the end.

Twilight cocked her head to the side, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at Day Dasher who simply nodded in confirmation. “How in Celestia’s name were you able to determine what the hay she was saying!?” Twilight exclaimed.

“Day Dasher and I go way back. I believe we met at the guard academy roughly...twelve years ago if I recall, maybe eleven. Anyways after being around a pony for that long you get to know them inside and out. Even if they can’t talk, and, as you implied, tend to be very secreti-“ Shress replied but the conversation quickly died when Day Dasher shoved Twilight into her.

Shress reacted fast enough to catch the stumbeling Twilight before turning to glare at her partner threateningly. “I appreciate what you are trying to do for me but we have talked about this before. Twilight here is a princess as well as the queen’s consort, if you keep acting like this then losing your job will be the least of your concerns. None of us want that Day Dasher, especially me.” Shress scolded, quickly looking Twilight over to make sure she was alright before letting her go.

Rolling her eyes, Day Dasher decided she had enough of this and walked off into Twilight’s room, gesturing for the alicorn to follow along. “Sorry about her princess, I promise you I will deal with this attitude of hers. She isn’t like this with other ponies, I swear.” Shress apologised with a bow.

Twilight gently pressed the tip of her hoof against the guard’s chin, lifting her head up slightly. “Please don’t bow to me and its fine. It is one of the few things I wanted to talk to her about anyways, though I promise you I won’t tell Daybreaker about it. But at the same time I won’t defend her if she somehow finds out about this for herself.” Twilight replied as she took a step back when the guard got back onto her hooves.

“I won’t be able to explain everything that happened during the duel but I will give you an abbreviated version. Daybreaker lost because she used our duel as a dual purpose of testing my combat abilities. She made the mistake of going easy on me, allowing me to make progress that I otherwise shouldn’t have made. I also discovered her weakness and used it against her when I felt that the time was right. Sending her flying into the surrounding wall...basically that is all you need to know.” Twilight quickly summarized before following Day Dasher into her room before she decided she got tired of waiting and left.

“Weakness? But Daybreaker doesn’t have any!” Shress shot back.

“Everypony has a weakness, some just aren’t physical.” Twilight replied in a faint whisper, only loud enough so that she could hear.

Closing the door behind her so Shress wouldn’t be able to overhear, Twilight approached Day Dasher who sat on the side of her bed. “There are a few things I wish to talk to you about. Firstly, why do you pretend that you can’t speak?” Twilight asked, fairly confident in her accusation.

As expected, Day Dasher didn’t respond to her the way she would have liked and instead simply cocked her helmet covered head to the side in confusion.

“If you didn’t want me knowing you could talk then why did you thank me back when Rarity and I were locked in the dungeons? You could have stayed silent the entire time and I would have been none the wiser. I’m also pretty sure I heard you grumble something rather rude about me when you walked past me channeling that levitation spell the day before.” Twilight continued.

Once again Day Dasher didn’t say anything in response which made Twilight sigh loudly in annoyance. She was hoping that Day Dasher would give in to her accusation, but without any evidence to back her claim up, there was no way she was going to get her to talk.

“Whatever, if you don’t want to talk then that’s fine, but doing so would make answering my next question a lot easier.” Twilight grumbled, giving up on getting Day Dasher to speak. She wasn’t actually planning on asking this, but with what Shress told her she decided to just get it out of the way. “What is it that you have against me? I noticed it when I first met you two in front of Daybreaker’s chambers, and even Stress said that you have been acting weird since then and only around me.” Twilight confronted.

Annoyingly for Twilight, Day Dasher didn’t slip up when she intentionally mispronounced her partner’s name incorrectly. Instead Day Dasher got off the bed and trotted towards her cluttered desk. Rummaging through the various items scattered across it before making room for the paper and inkpot she pulled out.

By the time Twilight had walked up behind Day Dasher to see what she was doing, she had already finished writing something out.

‘You destroyed the lives of those five mares in Ponyville that went with you. Your death, which resulted in their banishment made them either go into hiding or live under a false identity. And here you are, standing right beside me, alive while doing nothing to fix it.’

Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as Day Dasher continued to stare at her accusingly. “I thought it was for a different reason. It may not change how you feel about me, but that Twilight that those five went with wasn’t me.” Twilight summarized, not really wanting to explain this story again.

As soon as Twilight finished speaking, Day Dasher went back to writing something else. Watching over her shoulder the entire time.

‘Lies! I know what really happened, I was at the Summer Sun Celebration after all during Nightmare Moon’s return!’

Twilight tried to ignore the intense glare Day Dasher was giving her, but after a few moments she gave in and decided to give her the quick rundown. “Since Nightmare Moon knows about my origins there isn’t any point in hiding it anymore, not that I did a good job of hiding it in the first place. Though this is a direct order from Daybreaker, you aren’t to tell a soul, especially Shress out there.” Twilight stated while pointing to the door with her hoof for added emphasis. “Do I make myself clear?”

When Day Dasher nodded her head, Twilight took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m tired of explaining this so I will give you the abbreviated version. Effectively I’m a Twilight from another reality, I don’t know how you know me since I have never even seen you in Ponyville before. But in my reality, me and those five mares succeeded in our fight against Nightmare Moon and purified her. The Twilight you knew in this reality did die against Nightmare Moon, the only reason I am here now is because I foiled the plans of a powerful unicorn and she wanted me out of the way, so she used a spell that transported me to another reality where I don’t currently exist, and here I am, since in this reality I’m dead.” Twilight summarized, hoping she wouldn’t have to explain this again for another long while.

After the explanation, the only sound being made was the tapping of Day Dasher’s quill against the desk. Her expression neutral as she stared at the paper in thought. After what felt like minutes, Day Dasher started writing again.

‘Yeah right, if that was the case then why didn’t she just kill you? And what proof do you have to support this?’

“She didn’t kill me because she didn’t want to hurt me. At least I think that is the reason anyways. As for proof, just ask Daybreaker where my body is, though I highly doubt she would tell you that or let you see it. But in the end it really doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, if you are going to pretend you can’t talk and you don’t know where the journal is then I best be on my way. I got a lot I still need to do and I don’t have much time to do it in.” Twilight said as she made her way towards the door.

Placing her hoof on the handle, Twilight turned back to look at the zoned out cyan guard. “And just so you know, I am trying to rectify my-err alternate me’s mistake. I already convinced Daybreaker to lift their banishment, now all I have to do is give them some forms to fill out and they can go back to living their old lives, if they choose to do so that is. It may be ten or so years too late and they may still hate me for what happened even though it isn’t technically my fault. But despite that they are still my friends and I refuse to let them live like this, especially if Applejack and Rarity’s situation is anything to go by. I’m still worried about Sweetie Belle but Rarity lashed out at me the last time I brought her up.” Twilight finished before opening the door and walking out. Not giving time for Day Dasher to write her response. It was probably rude of her to leave like that, but that mare was really starting to annoy her.

Twilight gave Shress a quick glance when she stepped out into the hallway. “If you or anypony else finds that journal then please come straight to me. It is urgent that it gets returned as soon as possible. In the meantime I need to talk to Rarity and get her to fill out a few forms before she heads off.” Twilight instructed as she re-entered Daybreaker’s chambers to grab the banishment forms, balancing them carefully and neatly on her back before walking out.

As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the metallic sound of hoof steps behind her. Turning back around, she noticed Shress and a distracted Day Dasher following closely behind. “Daybreaker’s orders?” Twilight dully asked.

“Daybreaker’s orders.”

Upon arriving at Rarity’s chambers, Twilight raised her hoof to knock on the door a few times before turning to face her escorts. “You two can wait outside, nothing is going to happen and I’m not going to sneak off.” Twilight instructed. A few seconds later the door creaked opened slightly, Rarity’s eye peeking through the tiny gap.

“There you are darling! I was beginning to think you forgot about…What happened to your coat?!” Rarity exclaimed, opening the door more to allow Twilight inside. Not taking her eyes of Twilight’s blackened chest.

A smile quickly spread across Twilight’s features as she stepped inside. “I’m really sorry for taking so long, I pushed myself a little too much and this happened. I’m lucky I didn’t put myself in a magical coma, however I needed to rest up for a bit afterwards considering I couldn’t even walk properly after the duel. Also Daybreaker got some kind of ointment that is supposed to repair the nerve damage that her attack caused me, as well as bring my coat its natural colour back.” Twilight replied as she approached the desk, putting the forms that were on her back down on top of it.

After closing the door behind Twilight, Rarity followed her to the desk, curious as to what she had brought with her. “Completely understandable darling. I would’ve assumed that our queen would have at least gone easy on you, but apparently not. Though don’t let that discourage you dear, practice makes perfect as they say and she has thousands of years’ worth of experience behind her.” Rarity comforted, giving Twilight a gentle pat on the back when she was sure there were no cuts there.

Twilight’s smile shifted into a smirk, even though she knew Daybreaker didn’t want the news of her loss to spread about, she just couldn’t contain herself. “I appreciate the sentiments. But I think Daybreaker is the one you need to be saying this to, not me.” Twilight corrected smugly.

Oh how Twilight wished she had brought a camera with her, the way Rarity’s eyes practically bulged from their sockets with her jaw hanging wide open was priceless. “D-did y-y-ou..?” Rarity stuttered, struggling to formulate a response which sent Twilight straight into a fit of giggles.

“It wasn’t easy and I had to play dirty, VERY dirty. But yes, yes I won.” Twilight replied.

While Rarity attempted to process how the hay Twilight had won against a pony that could literally control the sun. Twilight began searching through the stack of forms she brought with her for the one containing Rarity’s name. “Here is your form, if you fill it out now then I can give it to Daybreaker whenever I see her today.” Twilight replied, pulling it out from the stack and giving it to her friend.

Snapping back into reality. Rarity took the series of paper in her magic and quickly skimmed through them to get an idea on what exactly she was signing. Nodding her head in approval, she moved to the opposite side of the desk to fill out the required fields. “I know you are making me do this now to get out of explaining what you did to win darling, but don’t think for a second I won’t find a way to make you talk.”

Even though Rarity was correct, Twilight wasn’t going to dignify that with a response and continued to look through the stack of forms, just to make sure that there wasn’t anything in there that shouldn’t be there. “Since I am going to be busy for the next week, or possibly longer, I won’t be able to give the rest of the girls their forms. I know this is a big ask of you and I don’t blame you if you say no, but would you be able to deliver theirs to them if I tell you where they live?” Twilight asked.

It took a while for Rarity to reply which worried Twilight slightly, but the nod from the fashionista’s head made her sigh out in relief, releasing a breath of air that she didn’t know she was holding in. “I can, but what will you be doing in the meantime? If you don’t mind me asking.” Rarity asked curiously.

“Well…for the next day or two I will be keeping Daybreaker to a few promises she made, as well as fulfilling the ones I made to her. After that, I plan to head to the Crystal Empire in hopes to find more information about Starswirl’s decoder. I have no idea how long I will be there for and it isn’t fair on the girls to keep them waiting any longer than they already have. I know Applejack is dying to get back to her family, probably the same with you and…” Twilight replied but quickly cut herself off, remembering how poorly Rarity reacted the last time she mentioned Sweetie Belle in conversation.

Thankfully however, Rarity seemed to gloss over that small slip up and instead remained focused on something else that Twilight had said. “THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! YOU SIMPLY MUST TAKE ME WITH YOU!” Rarity practically demanded, rearing up to place her hooves on Twilight’s cheeks, squishing them together so she couldn’t avert her gaze. “Just think, an entire city made of gems and crystals! It’s every designers dream!”

Twilight blinked a few times in surprise before pushing the overeager unicorn away. She wasn’t planning on taking anyone with her, but having some company during the ride there would be nice. “Daybreaker would never allow you to come with me…however if you were to say, conveniently meet me at the train station heading there.” Twilight insinuated with a wink.

Excitement washed over Rarity as she opened her mouth to frantically agree, but the sudden realization of a fatal flaw in Twilight’s plan made her hold her tongue. “I would love to darling but…there is no train leading to the Crystal Empire. Not even a road, it is considered its own individual kingdom after all.” Rarity explained.

Twilight wasn’t fazed by the news as she thought back to the Sombra incident in her reality. Her brother meting them at the closest Equestrian train station before traversing the snowstorm on hoof to get there. “Inconvenient but not a problem, we can just get as close as we can by train then walk the rest of the way.” Twilight shrugged.

“W-walk to the Crystal Empire! Are you crazy! If we somehow get lucky enough to not get eaten alive out there then we would surely freeze in that blizzard long before we figure out what direction we’re supposed to go!” Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight rolled her eyes at Rarity’s over exaggeration of the situation before reassuringly placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Relax, I’m not saying this is going to be easy, but this also isn’t my first time heading to the Crystal Empire, nor will it be my first time walking there. Come to think of it, the first time I went there in my reality we stumbled across king Sombra and he started chasing us the rest of the way there. And I don’t think things can get much worse than that.” Twilight chuckled.

With a few deep breaths, Rarity seemed to have calmed down considerably. “If this changes your mind about coming with me then I won’t hold it against you. Feel free to think it over because I do need you to give Applejack and Pinkie Pie their forms first. As well as the rest of the girls if any of them know where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash live. When you have done that and if you are still interested in coming to the Crystal Empire with me, then you are more than welcome to tag along.” Twilight offered.

The doubt across Rarity’s face was replaced with a look of determination. “Not to worry darling, I’ll have these delivered to them and be back before you know it!” Rarity replied with a mock salute before quickly losing her composure. “Though as for where I will be staying in the meantime until you are ready…I will need to get back to you on that.”

“Don’t stress over it too much, when the forms are signed just come back here and request an audience with me, or have the castle guards deliver me a message. I’m sure we can work something out, if not perhaps Applejack will allow you to stay with her, or Fluttershy’s abandoned cottage. Not the nicest place to stay but I did leave a sleeping bag in there.” Twilight thought out loud before shaking her head.

“Anyways we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I promise you that we will find a place for you to stay in the meantime.” Twilight continued with a bright reassuring smile.

Rarity returned the smile with one of her own. “I guess if I wish to accompany you then I should deliver these forms sooner rather than later. Is there anything else you require from me before I head out?” Rarity asked as she grabbed the small stack of forms with her magic, the exception being hers which she left on the desk.

“Actually…there is one thing.” Twilight replied with a slight pause. “Do you remember that journal I was reading back in my room while you were showering?” Twilight asked, watching as Rarity made some room in her already full saddlebag to put the forms in.

Rarity didn’t look up from what she was doing, the saddlebag practically overflowing and appearing as if it would burst open if anything else was forced inside of it. “Yes I do darling, and no I will not let you test that spell on me.” Rarity sternly replied.

If the reason why Twilight was asking that question wasn’t so serious then that response would’ve at least got a giggle out of her. “Well…the journal has been reported missing and potentially stolen. That journal is the only hint I have towards the decoder and now I am back to square one. Besides, that flashback spell would’ve been nice to use, just so I can get rid of that stupid annoying nagging sensation every time I think about that bucking missing page spell with the upside-down cauldron.” Twilight replied sourly.

Rarity stopped what she was doing for a few moments before resuming to force the forms in her bag. “I see…and you assume that I have taken it?” Rarity asked slowly as she buckled her bag up, causing Twilight to frantically shake her head and wave her hooves in front of her.

“Nonono of course not! I know you aren’t interested in magic unless it helps you with your profession. So the journal would be completely worthless to you, besides, you are the most generous pony I know and wouldn’t resort to stealing.” Twilight replied sincerely.

With Rarity finished packing, Twilight picked up the sole remaining form and flipped through the pages. Making sure that Rarity had filled everything out correctly. “I keep forgetting how much you know about me since you are from another reality. However that flashback spell was just a theory was it not? Sure it may be a major setback, and trust me darling, in my line of work I know all about those. But perhaps this is exactly what you need! Minus losing information about the other two things you mentioned of course.” Rarity encouraged.

Twilight’s eyes snapped up from the form to meet Rarity’s, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. “I don’t follow, how can me losing that journal, which literally contains all the information I need be a good thing? I have nothing now except for the Crystal Empire, which, with my luck so far, will have nothing to help me with my predicament?” Twilight questioned, her tone slightly harsher than it was meant to be.

Rarity’s ears folded back ever so slightly. “W-well…that was just a theory darling. And you said the spells in there are usually ones that Starswirl couldn’t figure out or finish himself right?” Rarity asked in which Twilight responded with a few nods of her head.

“Yes, but technically it also contains spells that he came up with while working on another different yet similar spell. So to prevent side-tracking from his current project, he would record it in the journal to work on another time.” Twilight replied, wondering where Rarity was going with this.

“Let’s just forget about that part for now. Let’s just assume Starswirl did work on this spell and failed to complete it, perhaps he was going about it the wrong way.” Rarity continued.

Twilight gave Rarity a confused look while cocking her head to the side. Rarity was by no means a magic expert and should only take her advice with a grain of salt, but she was only trying to help. And with nothing to lose, she might as well hear her out. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.” Twilight replied.

This earned a small annoyed sigh from Rarity as she scratched the back of her head in thought. “I may not know much about magic as you do darling. But the way you described that spell as well as the practicality of it…it just irked me a little. Mostly the applying magic directly to the brain part, it may be common practice back in the day, but by today’s standards it is a very outdated method and such an odd thing to do.” Rarity explained while tapping her hoof against her saddlebag repeatedly, her eyes wandering around room for anything she could use as an example.

Her eyes eventually landed on Twilight’s charred chest with the dried white substance covering it. “Alright how about this, why didn’t you just use magic to whip your chest back into shape?” Rarity asked.

Twilight stared at her dumbfounded. “Because magic simply cannot mend nerve damage and repairing flesh is simply impossible. Actually, technically it can mend nerve damage but there are numerous factors that make using magic complicated for it to work. Some factors can be the depth and width of the damage, its location, or in my case the excessive increase or decrease in temperature that your body can withstand. And don’t get me started on flesh mending, there are reasons why necromancers can’t regenerate the flesh of their subje- ”

“Yes yes very interesting. But that only enforces the point I’ve been trying to make darling. You used something other than magic to mend the damage done to your body, a form of cream from what it looks like.” Rarity interrupted, leaning forward to get a better look at the white substance. “Sure triggering a flashback is completely different compared to my example and magic may be a factor in achieving this, but an external catalyst such as this cream may be exactly what you need.”

Twilight didn’t reply right away as she processed everything that Rarity just said, which oddly enough made a lot of sense. “So you are saying instead of trying to use magic directly to trigger the effect, I should instead use some cream or a pill as a catalyst?” Twilight asked, her eyes widening at the sudden revelation she made. “Or a potion from a certain shaman!”

This caused Rarity to nod her head ever so slowly with a questioning look. “Yes…well maybe not the last part but-“ Rarity replied but was interrupted by Twilight lunging towards her, wrapping her hooves around her neck and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Rarity you’re a genius! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” Twilight squealed, making Rarity chuckle slightly as she returned the hug by wrapping her hooves around Twilight. Both of them leaning against each other for support.

“It was just an idea darling, I wouldn’t get your hopes up in case it doesn’t work.” Rarity admitted sheepishly.

Pulling away from the hug, Twilight shook her head. “No it will work, and I know just the zebra to talk to!” Twilight replied confidently.

Rarity was curious as to what Twilight meant by that, but a sudden knock at the door prevented her from obtaining the answers she wanted. “Is everything alright in their princess?” Shress’s muffled voice called out from behind the door.

Twilight let out an audible groan before rolling her eyes. “Everything is alright, we were just finishing up!” Twilight replied with a hint of annoyance before turning to face Rarity. “Sorry about that, they were probably making sure that I didn’t run away despite saying I wouldn’t.” Twilight apologized, saying the last part loud enough so her foal sitters could hear.

“It’s quite alright darling, but what did you mean by a certain shaman and a zebra? I didn’t know any of them even lived in Equestria.” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. “Don’t worry too much about it, it’s a long story but thank you so much for reminding me of it, even if it was unintentional. Your idea is one hundred percent correct, though extremely complicated to make since it only works with alicorn magic…at least that was what I was told anyways.” Twilight replied, realizing she knew practically nothing about that potion nor how to actually make it.

Rarity obviously wanted to know more about what Twilight was talking about, but Twilight had other things she needed to do today so she decided to wrap things up. “Anyways, all I know is that Applejack is at her cousin’s farm in Appleloosa and Pinkie Pie Is living with her family at the rock farm just west of it. If you don’t know where the rock farm is then Applejack will escort you if you visit her first. Do you want me to write this down for you?” Twilight offered.

Rarity shook her head. “That won’t be necessary darling, I have been to the Pie residence many years ago and I’m almost positive I remember the way.” Rarity replied as she levitated her saddlebags onto her back, grimacing slightly as her legs buckled from the unexpected amount of weight before quickly recovering. “I guess I should be heading off then before our queen thinks I’m attempting to whisk you away from her.”

This caused Twilight’s cheeks to turn a slight shade of red. “L-let’s just go!” Twilight quickly said as she walked out with a giggling Rarity following closely behind.

Once outside they were met with Shress and Day Dasher, who as expected stood guard at either side of the doorway. “Would one of you please escort Miss Rarity here out of the castle grounds?” Twilight asked, looking between the two of them before Day Dasher raised her hoof.

“Remember, Appleloosa and rock farm. When that’s done then request an audience with me or get a castle guard to deliver a message.” Twilight repeated which made Rarity wave her hoof dismissively.

“Have more faith in me darling, should take me no longer than a day or two. Try not to get too many more burns by then.” Rarity replied with a wink as she followed her cyan escort out of the castle grounds. Twilight watching them until they disappeared around the corner.

After a few moments of silence, Shress cleared her throat. “So what’s next on the agenda princess?” Shress asked.

Twilight thought about it for a few moments, resuming her research on the time travel spell would be pointless since she needs the decoder to be able to do anything with it. With the journal missing she couldn’t search the passage for any hidden clues. She could head to Ponyville and try to visit Zecora in order to obtain the alicorn potion, but the odds of her foal sitters letting her do that were slim to none. All she could do was prepare for her inevitable trip to the Crystal Empire.

“How hard would it be for me to convince you to let me go shopping in Canterlot?” Twilight asked.

Shress looked at the direction her partner went off, making a thoughtful humming sound. “When Day Dasher comes back we will be happy to pick up a few extra guards and escort you to the shopping district.” Shress replied a little unsure. “I’m sorry for prying princess…But when we searched your room for the journal earlier we didn’t see any of your belongings. Do you have any bits in which to buy whatever it is you want?”

Twilight bit her lower lip as her eyes travelled to the tips of her hooves. “No…well yes…but…” Twilight stammered before sighing loudly. “Yes but not enough to get what I need.” Twilight replied, looking back up at the guard who had a thoughtful expression on her face.

“How much would you say you need?” Shress asked.

“I wouldn’t know but it would be a bit since I need to stock up on provisions as well as clothes and other random supplies that will help keep me warm.” Twilight replied which reminded her that she needed to create a checklist of what to get.

“And you really need this?” Shress asked again, causing Twilight to falter slightly.

“Well no…I made it there without bringing anything before. But I also wasn’t alone and had an experienced guard leading the way. Since it’s just me, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for the worst.” Twilight answered.

Surprisingly, Shress nodded her head. “Agreed, I recommend some medical supplies as well if the journey is a dangerous one. It can mean the difference between life and death after all, either limping out alive or…” Shress replied though cut herself off before the topic got too grim.

“Anyways, I think I know where you could possibly get some bits.” Shress added, gesturing with her head for Twilight to follow.

Twilight’s wings ruffled uncomfortably against her sides, trying her best to ignore the stares and whispers the other ponies who were also waiting in the foyer room were giving her. Whenever she turned to meet their gaze, they would quickly look away and pretend to be doing something else.

“I hate this.” Twilight groaned, not looking at Shress who remained by her side.

“I gathered that from the last five times you said that princess. I simply said this was a way for you to get the bits you wanted, if you don’t want them or know a better way to obtain them then by all means, I’m all ears.” Shress replied, causing Twilight to groan louder. “Besides, you’ve already filled out the petition slip, might as well see it through to the end, right?”

Twilight didn’t dignify that with a response and instead glanced over at the large double doors that led into the throne room. She had no idea what she was so anxious about since she had already been in the throne room numerous times already. Even going as far as to sharing the seat with Daybreaker and assisting her in the petitioning of her ponies.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when one of the doors swung open slightly, a brown stallion wearing the standard golden royal guard armor stepped out. It wasn’t as flashy or as covering as Shress’s and Day Dasher’s were, however it still indicated his status and rank within the guard.

The stallion’s eyes scanned the room until they eventually landed on Twilight’s. “Your petition has been selected to be further reviewed upon. Our queen is ready to see you now princess Sparkle.” The guard said as he stood aside, opening the door more for her before bowing.

Without a word, Twilight took in a deep breath and walked through the opened door which quickly closed shut behind her. She had attended court enough times to know the proper procedure, all she had to do was follow the tile engraved sunbeam to the circular light patch, from there she would explain how many bits she needed and why she would need it. Simple as that.

Unfortunately Twilight knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. She could see the flaming deity sitting lazily in her chair, probably bored out of her mind from the previous petitioners she had to deal with. But other than that she was too far away to determine her reaction from her unexpected visit.

‘Let’s just get this over with.’ Twilight thought to herself as she followed the designated path towards the circular light patch which was just in front of the throne. As she drew closer, she was able to make out more of Daybreaker’s features. Especially that amused looking grin she was giving her the entire time. It also appeared that her wing was fully healed considering it rested comfortably against her side without the help of any bandages, though there was still and odd cut here and there which was difficult to spot unless you were actually looking for them.

It didn’t take Twilight long for her to reach the designated light patch. Even though she knew that Daybreaker wouldn’t attack her if she walked off it like she did with some of the other petitioners, she still felt that she would stand a better chance of getting what she came for if she followed the rules of court.

Once Twilight stopped and looked up at her, Daybreaker shifted so she was now sitting on her haunches, her back straight as she stared down at Twilight, giving the smaller alicorn her undivided attention. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to take me up on my offer on joining me in court. I'm glad to see you have changed your mind, but this isn’t what I meant by that, though it is still a welcome surprise.” Daybreaker teased, her smirk growing wider.

Twilight muttered something under her breath but Daybreaker couldn’t hear what it was and didn’t deem it important enough to ask Twilight to repeat it. “Anyways judging by the slip you submitted, this visit isn’t a social one.” Daybreaker added as she levitated said slip in front of her, her eyes narrowing as she read its contents aloud. “It says here you require bits for the purchase of provisions and supplies…What kind of supplies will you be getting and what will they be used for?” Daybreaker asked, lowering the slip and looking back at Twilight.

This question took Twilight slightly off guard. She was expecting to receive a few more teasing remarks from Daybreaker until she got bored before accepting her petition and giving her the bits she requested.

Regaining her composure, Twilight scratched the front of her hoof with her other one before clearing her throat. “These bits will go towards provisions such as food and drink, as well as other necessary items required to travel through the harsh conditions that lead to the Crystal Empire. These supplies include, but are not limited to, Clothes, medical supplies, a small tent and heat enchanted candles. If there are enough bits left over and everything isn’t too heavy to carry then I will also buy some other situational items that would help me if any problems should ever arise.” Twilight answered, inwardly cursing herself for not making a checklist of what she needed before coming here.

Daybreaker nodded her head slowly. “I see…This means without these funds, you wouldn’t be able to obtain the provisions required to travel there, thus resulting in you being unable to go.” Daybreaker thought aloud before closing her eyes and shaking her head in mock sympathy. “What a shame that would be.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed on Daybreaker, she knew Daybreaker would keep true to her word on letting her go. But there wasn’t anything stopping her from placing obstacles in attempt to prevent her from going. “On the contrary, I will be heading to the Crystal Empire with or without the funds. Besides, the last time I went there I went with nothing but the fur on my coat. These items would simply make the journey easier and allow me to deal with any unexpected and problematic situations should they arise.” Twilight shot back, sure she had the help of her friends with her brother acting as a guide, but Daybreaker didn’t need to know this.

Reopening her eyes, Daybreaker’s lips curved downwards into a frown as she contemplated how to best deal with this. “This is a lot of unnecessary effort and risk being put into finding information about this decoder that may not even be there. I know how much you enjoy seeking out new knowledge Twilight, it is one of the hundreds of reasons as to why I fell in love with you after all. But please, just this once, could you drop this decoder business and instead focus on something else…Perhaps something that we can both work on together?” Daybreaker asked almost pleadingly.

Twilight’s gaze shifted away from Daybreaker at some point during her plea and instead stared at one of the banners on the wall behind her. Biting down hard on her lower lip as Daybreaker made her request. “I’m sorry Daybreaker but I can’t. Besides…” Twilight started as she forced herself to look into Daybreaker’s saddened amber eyes again. “I remember a certain pony promising to teach me an illusion spell quite a while ago. And some extra training in combat magic could always come in handy later.” Twilight implied with a forced smile.

Daybreaker contemplated what Twilight had said. The thought of teaching her combat magic was very appealing, but there were bigger things at stake here. She really didn’t want Twilight to go to the Crystal Empire in the first place, but she made a promise and she wasn’t going to go back on it. And Twilight made it abundantly clear that she would be going whether she had her help or not. So if she couldn’t convince Twilight to stay, then the next best thing was making sure that she would be protected on her journey.

Getting up off the throne, Daybreaker descended the miniature staircase until she stood directly in front of Twilight. “You need bits? Then I will give you bits. I will give you all the bits you could possibly need and more…just on two conditions.” Daybreaker said seriously. Making Twilight dread what these two ridiculous and absurd requests would be.

With a slight pause to make sure that Twilight heard her, Daybreaker’s frown slowly shifted into a weak smile. “My first request is that I wish to accompany you there myself.” Daybreaker requested.

Twilight was expecting Daybreaker to force some ponies on her. Perhaps a squad or two, even a platoon if she decided to be really annoying. But she never would’ve expected Daybreaker to abandon her kingdom just to make sure she was safe during her expedition. The thought of this caused Twilight’s cheeks to turn a dark shade of red as she shifted her weight between her hooves, unable to stand still for more than a second.

“I-I can’t ask you to do th-“

“You aren’t asking me to do anything Twilight Sparkle, I’m offering.” Daybreaker interrupted.

Swallowing the small amount of saliva that built up in her mouth, Twilight attempted to rephrase what she was going to say. “What I meant was, you can’t just leave your kingdom alone for that long. I could be gone for a week, maybe even longer if I find mention of what I am looking for. And with Nightmare Moon out there somewhere trying to take you down…” Twilight rephrased as another potential issue with her tagging along came to mind. “Besides, whenever Cadence or Shi-my brother come up in conversation, you seem to react rather poorly. I trust you Daybreaker…but I don’t trust you enough to behave yourself around them when I have my back turned.”

“And you expect me to simply sit in the castle and wait for you to return? Do you know how painful it will be for me if something bad did actually happen to you while you were there? Waiting for the one I love to return that might never will...I can’t go through that again.” Daybreaker shot back, stomping her hoof on the ground causing Twilight to flinch slightly. “I WILL NOT go through that again!”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Daybreaker did another thing that Twilight would have never expected her to do. Taking a step back and extending her forehooves forward ever so slightly, Daybreaker lowered her head to the ground, her chin barely scraping against the cold surface of the tiles. “Then I will let you be in charge and make all the decisions in any non-aggression situations. I will follow any and all orders down to the very last letter.” Daybreaker said, only having seen Celestia bow to her once and that was immediately after her ascension.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she quickly scanned the room, double checking to make sure there weren’t any other ponies in the room with them. When the coast was clear, Twilight put her hoof under Daybreaker’s chin and forced her head up. “Alright alright just please stop bowing.” Twilight pleaded in a hushed voice.

Daybreaker did exactly as Twilight instructed and stood back up to her full height. Her faint smile growing into a much wider one. “So you will allow me to accompany you on your travels?” Daybreaker asked expectantly, making Twilight roll her eyes.

“You can come but I have a few conditions of my own. You must be in disguise the entire time, I’m afraid of how the Crystal ponies would react when they see you marching on their borders.” Twilight replied with a sigh, she had a feeling she was going to regret allowing Daybreaker to come immensely.

Daybreaker smile faltered slightly but she understood why Twilight would want her to be in disguise. “If that is the case then would I be able to make an additional third request?” Daybreaker asked despite having only made one so far.

With a nod of confirmation, Daybreaker proceeded to make her second request. “If I’m in disguise then using my celestial powers would draw too much suspicion. And since I’m planning on being a unicorn on this trip, a flying unicorn would also draw some unwanted attention.” Daybreaker explained causing Twilight to nod slowly, having a sneaking suspicion where Daybreaker was going with this. “Sure you may be able to fly, but what we need are experienced and well trained fliers. Fliers that can work in the toughest conditions such as the blizzard we will be heading into. So I would like to request some troops to accompany us.” Daybreaker requested.

Twilight hated to admit it but Daybreaker was right, a bunch of pegasi to act as scouts would prove invaluable. However she didn’t want too many ponies tagging along. The more she thought about it, the more saying no to the funds and going off by herself sounded appealing. But with what Daybreaker said earlier about her being left to wait for somepony that may never come back, she couldn’t find it in her heart to deny her this. “How many were you thinking?” Twilight muttered.

Raising her head in thought, Daybreaker closed her eyes as she thought aloud. “Bringing too many ponies would slow us down greatly. The attrition we would suffer as a result is the main reason we haven’t invaded them already, that and bringing too many will result in them removing the Crystal heart in attempt to bury and freeze our troops alive without a direct confrontation.” Daybreaker mulled which caused Twilight lips to curve upwards in a snarl, but she didn’t say anything as Daybreaker continued her thought process. Completely oblivious to Twilight’s reaction to her statement. “That means the team must be small and experienced. We currently have two unicorns, earth ponies may be able to handle the cold better but that isn’t what we currently need, meaning all we need are pegasi.”

Having gone silent halfway through her rant, Daybreaker opened her eyes and looked back down at Twilight who seemed to have calmed down but still looked very much annoyed. “I would like to bring only two pegasi. My personal detail to be precise.” Daybreaker replied, causing Twilight to forget her frustration and raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Your personal detail? The two that stand outside your chambers all the time and are currently acting as my foal sitters?” Twilight asked in which Daybreaker replied with a single nod. “Including that mute pegasus that won’t be able to report back to us properly without having to write something down?”

Daybreaker chuckled lightly as she nodded her head again. “She may have some communication problems, but she is the fastest flier we got. Not only that, she is strong, determined and reliable. Very rarely has that pegasus let me down, and to me, that is a small price to pay for such desirable traits.” Daybreaker justified.

What Daybreaker said may be true, but to Twilight, communication was an essential factor when working together as a team. If Day Dasher spotted something and Shress wasn’t around to quickly break down what she was implying, then writing it down would take up too much time, especially if the situation was urgent. “Very well, we can bring both of them. But on one condition. All accompanying individuals must learn hoof language so we can communicate back and forth with her efficiently. Including you if you don’t know it already.” Twilight compromised.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Daybreaker nodded her head. “Consider it done princess.” Daybreaker replied with a mock salute which was quickly followed by a wink.

Twilight felt the warmth return to her cheeks as she averted her gaze once again. “What is your third and final condition?” Twilight mumbled out.

Suddenly she felt something brush against her cheek ever so gently before trailing down to her chin, forcing her head up to look at Daybreaker who stared at her with a half lidded gaze. “Nothing too fancy, just a small good luck kiss for our treacherous journey ahead.” Daybreaker sultry replied.

Twilight had plenty of warning this time around, she knew it was coming the moment Daybreaker raised her head. But it still catches her off guard every single time. Twilight let out a small ‘eep’ sound when Daybreaker pressed her lips firmly against Twilight’s.

The kiss didn’t last long enough for Twilight to kiss back, the more it happened however the more she found herself wanting to give in to it. Though despite not kissing back, Daybreaker still looked pleased with it nevertheless, if the way she licked her own lips was anything to go by. “So princess Sparkle, do we have a deal?” Daybreaker asked, batting her eyelashes.

Twilight blinked a few times when Daybreaker spoke up, taking her a few moments to break out of her daze and register what Daybreaker had said. “Wha? Oh right. Uhh yes…I mean…You can’t tell anypony that you are…well…you in disguise, not even Shress and Day Dasher. Also you have to come up with a fake identity as well as a cover story as to why you are coming with me and why they have never seen you before. It will also help if any of the Crystal ponies decide to ask any of us questions, in order to keep our stories consistent of course.” Twilight stuttered, unable to think straight after the kiss.

Daybreaker smirked victoriously as she jumped back and gave both her wings a powerful flap to launch herself into the air, further proving that her wing had fully healed overnight. She hovered in the air for a few moments before a bright white light engulfed her figure, forcing Twilight to raise her hoof up to block its blinding effect. Though she found herself squinting past it, forcing herself to stare at whatever spell Daybreaker was casting so she could analyse and question her about it later.

When the light died down, a white unicorn with a long pink mane fell out of the air and landed gracefully on her hooves. The golden armor all but scattered across the throne room’s floor after falling from the sky, except for her helmet which she had caught in her red magic and levitated it carefully onto the ground beside her. Twilight didn’t know what was so special about the helmet compared to the other pieces of armor, but her best guess was that the jewel attached to it was expensive in some way.

“Pleasure to meet you princess. My name is Solar Flare, forward battle mage of the Celestial Berserkers. I have been tasked with your protection by Queen Daybreaker herself and am to escort you safely to and from the Crystal Empire with my life.” Daybreaker, or what is currently known as Solar Flare said with another bow.

Twilight practically face hoofed at the name. “Solar Flare? Is that really the best name you can come up with? Solar Flare?” Twilight deadpanned.

Taking the question as a sign to stop bowing, Solar Flare got onto her hooves and nodded. “When I transformed and kept the sun raised, I was tossed up between naming myself Daybreaker or Solar Flare. They both have their appeal to me and it was a difficult decision to make, but in the end I chose Daybreaker because that’s what the ponies started calling me and what they were probably used to, however now I finally have a reason to use this name. Besides, most of the soldiers in the Celestial Berserkers have a name revolving around the sun in some way or another, so when ponies see me wearing the company’s signature armor, the name shouldn’t raise any suspicion.” Solar Flare explained.

Twilight decided a simple name wasn’t worth arguing over and if what Solar Flare said was true then it didn’t really matter what she was called herself, all Twilight had to do was not slip up and call her Daybreaker by accident. “Then yes, you have yourself a deal as long as you keep true and uphold everything we discussed and agreed upon.” Twilight said, unable to believe she was agreeing to this, however deep down she knew this was the best option.

There was another bright light as Solar Flare was replaced with Daybreaker, this time without the fancy acrobatics. “Excellent! Now that we have a deal, would you prefer a more qualified pony create the supply list?” Daybreaker asked as she levitated the armor back onto her body, as usual struggling to fit her wing into the wing piece.

Unable to prevent herself from smiling at Daybreaker’s lack of trust in her ability to gather their equipment. Twilight walked up to her and took control of Daybreaker’s wing piece with her own magic, using her hooves to physically guide Daybreaker’s wing carefully into the tight-fitting slot. “Very well, a more experienced pony may acquire the items. But you are still going to teach me that illusion spell before we depart, and I still have that promise involving Raven to uphold.” Twilight replied.

Daybreaker gave her wings a few test flaps to make sure that they were attached properly before nodding in response. “And I still want to show you that thing I was talking about back in our chambers.” Daybreaker added as she turned around to ascend the miniature staircase leading to her throne. “Since you’re here, would you care to join me?” Daybreaker asked, sitting down as she patted the small gap beside her.

With nothing else to do and not having enough time to head to Ponyville to visit Zecora, Twilight made her way up the staircase and sat next to Daybreaker in the space provided, their sides pressed up firmly against one another.

Wrapping her wing around Twilight to keep her close, Daybreaker looked up at the large double doors and used the Royal Canterlot voice.

“NEXT!”

Chapter 12 - Promises

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It had been a long day for Twilight as she navigated through the series of hallways that led towards her new official bedchambers. The pony she shared said bedchambers with and is now apparently courting was walking closely alongside her. Daybreaker’s larger frame brushing against Twilight’s every few seconds.

The two seemed content in walking in silence, simply enjoying one another’s company after a tediously long court session. Daybreaker, for some reason or another, seemed to take on more petitioners than usual, at least from what Twilight could tell. However it didn’t matter how many petitioners Daybreaker took on at the end of the day when only three, including her own, got accepted.

At first Twilight thought her presence was bringing out Daybreaker’s good side, reverting her back to the way her Celestia used to run things during court, at least to an extent that is. But when she accepted more petitioners today than the other two court sessions she had previously attended combined. Twilight was quick to assume that it was so Daybreaker could extend how long court lasted so they could spend as much time together as possible. Despite that though she still enjoyed herself, giving her a lot of time to think about the alicorn potion. She was contemplating on telling Daybreaker about it, but decided against doing so just in case Zecora didn’t have it anymore and had no way of recreating it. Which would be the case knowing her luck so far.

The comfortable silence was shattered when Daybreaker eventually spoke up. “You remember our agreement involving Raven? That you would choose one of the three options I boasted about during the duel?” Daybreaker asked suddenly, her gaze locked firmly on the pathway ahead.

Twilight however glanced up at Daybreaker curiously, nodding her head as if she could see her. “I do, did you want me to decide on one of the options now?” Twilight replied with a question of her own.

There was a slight pause as Daybreaker quickly mulled over her response. “In truth, I said those things in attempt to rile you up a bit. I already decided what I was going to make you do the moment you made that offer to me.” Daybreaker explained, ignoring the pair of guards that opened the large set of double doors for them. “I tried to think of two alternative options during court while the petitioners talked, but nothing came close to what I originally had in mind.”

Twilight smiled brightly at the guards, giving them a thankful nod of her head before returning her attention back towards Daybreaker, slightly worried about what the deity had in store for her. “What is it that you had in mind?” Twilight hesitantly asked.

Hearing what she thought was anxiousness in her voice, Daybreaker gazed off to the side and inhaled deeply through her nose before slowly exhaling from her mouth. “I would like….” Daybreaker mumbled quietly, the last part completely incomprehensible causing Twilight’s ears to twitch in attempt to capture the lost words.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite make out what you said. Could you repeat that?” Twilight asked again, leaning closer this time around while Daybreaker nibbled on her lower lip gently with one of her fangs. “I said I would like to go on a date with you.” Daybreaker repeated, inwardly cursing herself at her cowardice, even making her fiery mane flicker slightly.

Twilight frowned as she struggled to pick up on what the deity was saying, again. She considered using magic to amplify the sound of her surroundings before repeating the question. But she didn’t want to use magic for something so trivial while recovering from a burnout, especially when the problem could be avoided entirely by either Daybreaker speaking up or turning around to face her. “Could it be that the great and powerful Daybreaker wants a rematch but is afraid to get her flanked kicked again?” Twilight taunted, hoping a certain showpony wouldn’t mind her stealing her title this one time.

This time Daybreaker turned to face Twilight. Staring deeply into those large, beautiful purple hues of hers while her own burned with fiery determination to say what she desperately wanted to say. “I said that we should…that we…should…we…should hurry back to our chambers. We have a lot to prepare for and not a lot of time to do it in." Daybreaker hastily replied, her pace quickening ever so slightly.

Twilight watched sceptically as Daybreaker took off ahead. It was obvious that wasn’t what Daybreaker was planning on saying at all, but it was true that they were on a limited timeframe of sorts. The longer they waited, the more likely that Nightmare Moon would discover their little adventure and attempt to set up an ambush in order to capture them, or worse. Because of this, Twilight felt it would be best to bring this up again whenever they return from the Crystal Empire.

Breaking into a steady trot to keep up with Daybreaker’s longer strides, it didn’t take them long to reach their chambers where Shress and Day Dasher stood guard just outside. “I was hoping you two would still be here.” Daybreaker said as she stopped in front of them, her gaze shifting between the two. “I have an important task to assign you both, your biggest and most important one yet.”

The two guards immediately snapped to attention. “Consider it done my queen!” Shress replied determinedly with a sharp salute.

“You two as well as a hoof picked soldier, who will be ranked above the both of you mind you, will be escorting princess Sparkle, my consort, to the Crystal Empire and back safely. No harm is to come to her and are to protect her at all costs, even with your life if needed. I don’t want to see another scratch staining that beautiful coat of hers.” Daybreaker ordered.

Twilight opened her mouth to rebuke that but a mouthful of feathers from Daybreaker’s wing prevented her from doing so. “You will be departing within a few days and I will be providing the necessary provisions and supplies for this trip. You two are also to learn hoof language in order to efficiently communicate between one and another.” Daybreaker continued, ignoring the threatening glare Twilight was giving her. “All information about this trip is to be kept under wraps. Twilight is in charge overall and you are to do EXACTLY as she says, but if you find yourself in a hostile situation then my hoof picked guard will be in charge and are to follow her orders instead of Twilight’s. Understood?”

“Perfectly my queen!” Shress practically shouted while Day Dasher nodded her head a few times before saluting again.

“Until the necessary preparations are set, you two are relieved from your standard duties and are instead to prepare in any way you see fit for this trip. You are both dismissed.” Daybreaker finished.

As if on cue, the two pegasi immediately bowed before taking off towards the castle’s library, presumably to get a start on bridging the language barrier. “I don’t want anypony dying for me.” Twilight sourly said when Daybreaker retracted her wing back to her side.

“Then you better do as I say if we ever get into that kind of situation then. I may have agreed to let you be in charge of this trip and I will keep true to my word, but that only applies to non-aggressive situations. The second I detect any hostile intentions from anypony, even from your family. You are to do as I say without question, unless you want the blood of my guards to be on your hooves.” Daybreaker retorted as she opened the door to her chambers and stepped inside.

Twilight didn’t dignify that with a response as she followed Daybreaker inside. “Shall we get started on the list then?” Twilight suggested in attempt to change the topic.

Teleporting a fancy looking inkpot and quill from her desk to her nightstand, Daybreaker climbed up on top of her bed and laid down on her stomach with her hooves positioned flat in front of her. Once comfortable, she used her magic to open one of the desk’s draws that was filled to the brim with blank scrolls and levitated one of them out in front of her. “I shall record what we need from the highest priority to the lowest, if there is something you think is missing then do speak up.” Daybreaker said as she grabbed the quill with her magic and started creating the list.

As Daybreaker scribbled away, Twilight joined her on the bed, a small gap separating them as she craned her neck uncomfortably so she could get a better view on what Daybreaker was writing. “The cream must be doing its job if it doesn’t hurt to stretch your neck like that.” Daybreaker noted as she raised one of her wings. “Since we are going to be here for a while, why don’t you come closer and get more comfortable?”

Shuffling closer until she was pressed up against the familiar warmth that is known as Daybreaker’s coat. Daybreaker lowered her wing over Twilight and angled the scroll slightly so she could get a better view.

While Daybreaker was absorbed with writing down the obvious essentials. Twilight took the opportunity to reapply the cream to her chest, having completely forgotten about it until now. Thanks to the cream which was now empty from being overused last time, almost all the pain had vanished entirely and her blackened chest was beginning to mend itself, bringing back her natural lavender colour. Twilight silently hoped that it would be completely healed over by the time they depart.

Overall Twilight wasn’t able to contribute much to the list, even having to ask Daybreaker to explain what some of the items even were. Every time she tried to be helpful and suggest something along with an explanation as to why it would be needed, Daybreaker would say that there are better alternatives and that it would be extra unneeded weight.

When her twelfth suggestion once again got shot down, Twilight let out a disappointed sigh, her ears perking back slightly. “I’ll just stop talking, you clearly don’t need my help.” Twilight admitted, only wanting to be helpful.

Daybreaker looked away from the scroll for the first time since she started and glanced down at Twilight, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “That may be true, but this is also a good learning experience. It will help you prepare for the future if you ever have to travel somewhere far away and I’m not around to help.” Daybreaker comforted. After a few more minutes of writing, Daybreaker set her quill back down in the inkpot and brought the scroll closer to examine it, making sure she didn’t forget anything.

“Also you are an alicorn, thus making you a princess. In time ponies will have expectations and will rely on you to guide them. It may not be this generation, or even the next. But the day will come when you grow into your alicorn stature and they will see you as my equal.” Daybreaker continued, a wide smile tugging at her lips at the thought of it. She couldn’t wait to see what kind of alicorn Twilight would grow into.

Twilight however didn’t look as pleased about the news. It had occurred to her numerous times that she would outlive her family and friends, with the exception being Spike and the other four alicorns back in her reality. However it was always a thought she pushed out of her mind the moment it popped up, and right now wasn’t going to be an exception to that. “So…is the list done?” Twilight asked in attempt to change the topic.

Nodding her head, Daybreaker rolled up the scroll and levitated a ribbon from a different draw of her desk and attached it around the scroll. Shortly after the scroll vanished from sight in a familiar bright green flame. “I may have went a little overboard on a few of the provisions, but I would rather have some leftover than running out during the trip. I sent the list to the head servant who would divide the tasks amongst the other servants. We should have everything we need by tonight, tomorrow afternoon by the latest.”

With the supply list out of the way and her most faithful student who doubled as her consort still close by her side. Daybreaker leaned down to nuzzle Twilight. “Now with that out of the way, what shall we do for the rest of the day? Hmmm?” Daybreaker whispered into Twilight’s ear, following it up with a gentle nip at the tip which caused Twilight to let out a high pitch squeak and blush darkly. Her head instinctively tilting towards Daybreaker while her ear twitched repeatedly in her mouth.

“W-well…y-you promised t-to…mpfffh…teach m-me the ill-illusion spell.” Twilight stuttered, tugging her head in the opposite direction in attempt to free her ear.

Relinquishing her grip over Twilight’s ear, Daybreaker mulled the request over while Twilight rubbed at her ear to get rid of the tingling sensation that remained, her blush still evident. “I did and I promise you I will, but only when you have fully recovered. As I’m sure I explained before, the spell isn’t overly difficult to learn. However the amount of magic used when casting it is my only real concern.” Daybreaker replied.

This illusion spell had piqued Twilight’s interest ever since Daybreaker first mentioned it during one of her first days in this reality. Now seeing it being used with her very own eyes and still being told to wait caused her to pout. “Pleeease! I’m feeling better now! I haven’t even casted a single spell all day!” Twilight begged.

Daybreaker’s resolve faltered slightly but was quick to regain her composure. “I know how badly you want to learn this spell, but surely you can wait just one more d-“ Daybreaker started but was silenced by Twilight’s hoof against her lips.

“Just one try! If it doesn’t work then I’ll wait until tomorrow. Pinkie promise!” Twilight interrupted with a pleading look while doing the appropriate gestures with her other hoof.

Daybreaker should have known better than to look at Twilight in the eyes whenever she begs for something. As soon as she did she immediately looked away, however she couldn’t get the afterimage of those massive watery eyes out of her mind. “Uggh fine! Just one try and you are to do something basic. Like change your mane colour, give yourself thestral wings…even draconic eyes like mine if you so desire. Just don’t try to change your size, gender or cutie mark. Those are my conditions for teaching it to you now.” Daybreaker relented with a frustrated sigh.

Twilight squealed excitedly while clopping her hooves together. She looked over at Daybreaker’s desk and quickly levitated one of the blank scrolls in front of her before doing the same with her quill. Positioning the ink covered tip at the top left-hoof side of the scroll, Twilight stared up at Daybreaker with an overeager expression, awaiting the first set of instructions.

Even though Daybreaker was worried that this spell would strain Twilight’s horn after already recovering from a burnout, she couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to learn. “You can take notes if you want, but this spell is more practical based than theory. Illusion spells are a very different and incredibly tricky form of magic, relying more on your creativity than anything else.” Daybreaker explained while Twilight scribbled away nevertheless.

“A warning beforehoof. This. Is. An. Illusion. Spell.” Daybreaker stated, emphasizing each individual word with a tap of her hoof. “No matter how much or how little you change your appearance, you are still you. If you make your wings larger for example, then keep in mind that your wings are actually still the same size and the extra length would just vanish through solid objects. Also the more you add, alter or remove to the illusion, the more magic that will be consumed when initially casting it and the harder it will be to maintain over time.”

“Predator races are another factor you have to worry about, only if you’re pretending to be another species that is. Dragons, griffons, they will all be a lot harder to trick due to their heightened senses, especially their sense of smell. It isn’t impossible to trick them but it is something to keep in mind when around them. Ponies and other herbivore races you shouldn’t have this issue with.” Daybreaker continued with a serious tone.

Twilight didn’t look away from her scroll as she nodded her head repeatedly, her quill waving frantically in her magic. “…be wary…of predator…races.” Twilight muttered quietly to herself before looking up at Daybreaker when she was done writing. “So does that mean we ponies can’t tell when an illusion spell is active or not?” Twilight asked.

“We can, however I wouldn’t worry about that too much myself. The amount of magic required to cast it would be too much for most unicorns to handle, that and all information about illusions spells are locked securely within the archives. Getting back on track, I highly suggest coming up with one disguise in particular and to practice it until you can pull it off consistently. The more you practice it, the less likely you are to make mistakes and by extension the less likely somepony would visually notice something wrong. Though that also isn’t something you need to worry yourself about for now, the most it would be used for currently would be to walk around Canterlot in incognito.” Daybreaker answered. “For now we will start off with something small. Get up and stand somewhere where there is plenty of room.”

Doing just that, Twilight slid out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, in-between the footboard of the bed and the doorway exiting their chambers. “Usually you would imagine what it is you want to become, but since we are only making a minor adjustment, imagine what it is you wish to change about yourself. Let me know when you’ve done that.” Daybreaker instructed.

Closing her eyes so she could focus on the task at hoof, Twilight was unable to concentrate on one particular change for more than a few seconds. One moment she thought about giving herself draconic eyes like Daybreaker had suggested, then her mind would quickly wander to different mane styles, even though she had no intention of changing away from the one she had currently. As more thoughts came to mind, the more ambitious she became, even considering adding holes across her body to simulate a changeling.

After a few minutes, the excitement eventually died down allowing Twilight to think clearly on what it is she wanted to do for her first attempt. There was a lot she wanted to experiment with, but having promised Daybreaker she would only have one attempt and that she was to do something basic, it really limited her options.

“I have decided.” Twilight replied after taking a deep breath.

“For a moment there I thought you fell asleep.” Daybreaker teased before clearing her throat. “Firstly imagine how the change will affect your body and keep that image locked firmly in your mind, only focus on that and my voice, nothing else. You aren’t going to be altering yourself directly but instead a small space around you, changing how others would visually perceive you.” Daybreaker explained, earning a confused look from Twilight who was wishing she could write this all down for future reference.

“Sorry for interrupting but how does that work?” Twilight asked curiously as she reopened her eyes and cocked her head to the side. “Back in my reality, moments before Spike and I restored the Crystal heart. King Sombra had an illusion spell of his own in place using dark magic. I don’t fully understand how it works but it showed me my worst fear, I would have been stuck in it as well if it wasn’t for Spike snapping me out of it.” Twilight recapped as her mind immediately wandered to the baby dragon and how badly the illusion affected him.

She could still vividly remember how Spike started crying when he thought she was sending him away because she didn’t need him anymore. Seeing him like that practically broke her heart. She could only imagine how Spike both in this reality and her own would react upon losing her.

“Illusions using dark magic influence the individual’s mind. Making them see what you want them to see. That form of illusion magic does have its uses but not for this situation, if anything it would attract more attention if ponies start acting differently whenever they get in a close proximity to you.” Daybreaker explained, a small thoughtful expression steadily growing across her face. “What did that illusion show you?” Daybreaker asked.

Twilight averted her gaze, forcing back the redness that attempted to return to her cheeks. “I failed a test.” Twilight replied far too quickly. Even though it was the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow at this. “I knew you had a problem with over preparing for tests, but as your worst fear? There is clearly something more to it than that.” Daybreaker countered, a small smile spreading across her face as she remembered Twilight crying whenever she got anything below the top grade as a filly.

Twilight stared down at the tip of her hoof while she nervously scratched the floor with it. “I failed the test you sent me on…as a result you no longer wanted me as your student and sent me away, never wanting to see me again.” Twilight replied, unable to keep still as she shuffled her weight onto different hooves.

Before Daybreaker had a chance to rebuke that, Twilight continued talking. “I know what you are going to say and we have already discussed this. It was just how I was feeling at the time after being so distant from you ever since you sent me to Ponyville. I know now that it was because you didn’t want to interfere with the results of my ascension…I just…I don’t know…I was afraid of failing and losing you.” Twilight somberly replied.

Looking back up at Daybreaker, Twilight couldn’t tell how she was taking her little confession. The deity continued to lay on the bed, staring at her with an unblinking expression. “Although it saddens me how our relationship declined since then, it relieves me to know that your biggest fear was losing me. It shows I still played a massive part in your life.” Daybreaker replied, her smile faltering slightly. “Anyways we are getting off track. Close your eyes and bring that image I mentioned earlier to the front of your mind.”

Doing as Daybreaker instructed, Twilight took in another deep breath and closed her eyes again, listening intently to Daybreaker’s instructions. “Focus primarily on the differences, where it would affect your body and how it would do so, everything else is redundant.” Daybreaker instructed.

With the image Twilight had in mind, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how the change would affect her body and was able to do so with ease. “When you’re feeling confident enough, channel the magic through your horn but let it build up at the tip. With experience you will be faster at casting this, but for now let’s take it slow to prevent as many mistakes as possible. It is better to do this correctly than to do it fast after all.” Daybreaker continued.

Channelling magic through her horn stung a little at first, but the pain quickly subsided as a small white ball of light emanated from the tip of Twilight’s horn. “You’re doing well Twilight, keep it up. Remember, focus only on where the difference is located and how it would affect you. When you’ve done that then unleash it all at once.” Daybreaker encouraged as the white ball steadily grew larger and brighter after every passing second.

As Twilight mentally replayed the instructions step-by-step to make sure she did everything correctly. Twilight clenched her teeth together as she flicked her head upwards and unleashed the spell in a blinding light that even she could see through her closed eyelids.

Stumbling slightly from the amount of magic that was used, Twilight reopened her eyes only for her vision to be littered with small black dots. Rubbing her eyes with her hoof, her vision slowly began to clear up to reveal the shocked look of her mentors face. “Did it work?” Twilight asked groggily, hoping the pounding in her head wouldn’t last long.

Not getting a response from her mentor, Twilight turned around to look at her sides. A wide smile forming across her muzzle when she saw a lack of lavender wings that were usually attached to it. “I DID IT!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she rushed over to the mirror to see that she was once again a unicorn.

She could still feel her wings against her side but she didn’t risk moving them in case it broke the illusion. Twilight couldn’t help but spin around in circles in front of the mirror, wondering if this would be what she would’ve looked like if she never ascended or if there would be other, more subtle differences.

Twilight noticed Daybreaker get off the bed from the reflection in the mirror and make her way towards her. “You have grown up so much but at the same time you still look exactly the same.” Daybreaker said quietly as she circled around Twilight a few times, her eyes scanning every inch of her body before stopping in front of her.

“You did incredibly well for your first attempt. I was half expecting a few of your feathers to be unaffected or for the illusion to flicker.” Daybreaker complimented as she ran her hoof across Twilight’s side before resting it against her chest, just shy of where Daybreaker had struck her during their duel.

Twilight shuddered ever so slightly at Daybreaker’s touch but didn’t complain. “What about my wings? Will the illusion break if I move them?” Twilight asked curiously as she looked back at her sides again. Just now realizing that turning herself back into a unicorn might be a bad idea, especially with what Daybreaker had to go through when she died against Nightmare Moon.

Daybreaker didn’t seem to register the question as she stared intently at the spot her hoof was resting against. “Daybreaker?” Twilight repeated, snapping Daybreaker out from her trance.

“Huh? What did you-“ Daybreaker asked before shaking her head. “To answer your question, no. But It’s best to keep your wings in whatever position they were in when you first casted the spell, or at least as close as possible to it. Flaring your wings would rapidly drain your magic as the illusion spell will try to adapt to its new position and shape. If you have to fly for any reason then cancel the illusion first otherwise you will exert yourself VERY quickly. If you are undercover for any reason and you can’t keep your wings still then I suggest fastening them, though not too tight in case you somehow get caught and need to use them to-“ Daybreaker replied before sighing loudly, reluctantly lowering her hoof off Twilight’s chest and back onto the ground.

“I’m ranting…Now would probably be the best time for me to show you what it was I wanted to show you anyway.” Daybreaker admitted quietly to herself, not giving Twilight any warning as she teleported them away in a bright red flash.

They both reappeared somewhere outside, where exactly was unknown to Twilight as her mind raced to catch up with the unexpected teleport. “Couldn’t you have warned me first?!” Twilight complained as she took in her surroundings in attempt to figure out where they were. Grass covered the ground they stood on while massive unkempt hedges completely surrounded them in a small enclosed circle. “Where are we anyways?” Twilight asked, still having the illusion spell active around her.

“We are just outside the castle, in the Labyrinth to be exact.” Daybreaker replied as she approached a large stone statue that Twilight somehow missed during her initial observation. At first glance the statue appeared to be of a regular looking female unicorn who was laying on her stomach with an open book in-between her forehooves. The faintest smile adorning her muzzle.

Also approaching the statue, Twilight’s gaze drifted down to the plaque attached to the front of the pedestal.

--------------------------------------------------*^**--------------------------------------------------

In loving memory of

Twilight Sparkle

Passed 15.02.1007

Aged 19

Beloved daughter, sister and a most faithful student

Who may be gone in life, but will live forever on in our hearts

--------------------------------------------------*_**--------------------------------------------------

RESURRECTED

Twilight’s head immediately shot back up to the statue, just now realizing that the smiling stone unicorn that was reading a book was actually her. “So is this…where I was buried?” Twilight slowly asked as she looked back down at the plaque, more so at the few words that weren’t crossed out.

‘Who…will live forever.’ Twilight replayed. Her ears folding backwards as she looked at the engraved text underneath that clearly wasn’t supposed to be there. “Resurrected…” Twilight said aloud this time, noticing the lack of a date beside it.

“Buried? No. However this is where your body is kept. Others may have accepted your death as you can see from the plaque, but I didn’t.” Daybreaker replied, gently draping her wing over the alicorn-in-disguise before gazing up at the statue with a frown.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, Twilight not really knowing how she should feel about this. It meant the world to her that her mentor would go so far for her, but at the same time it was unsettling knowing she was standing where her deceased body laid. “So if you didn’t give up on me then why did you build…this?” Twilight asked, gesturing to the statue with her hoof. “And in a maze of all places?

“I would’ve kept you in the castle if I could. However I couldn’t risk anypony stumbling across what I was doing, or worse, somepony attempting to steal you away from me. The castle’s Labyrinth is rarely used anymore so I thought it would be an ideal hiding place, especially since this entire patch is enclosed with no way in unless you cut your way through or teleport here. The former being incredibly unlikely while the latter almost impossible since nopony knows this area even exists.” Daybreaker replied as she looked up at the sky, the sun bearing brightly down upon them.

“As for flying, this is where illusions using dark magic can come in handy. Despite being a restricted airspace, anypony bold enough to fly overhead wouldn’t see this statue or patch of land and instead see nothing but hedges. It isn’t as severe compared to what you encountered at the Crystal Empire but I still suggest not exposing yourself to it if at all possible. It only works one way as well, we can see out but they can’t see in.

Twilight nodded slowly, her eyes transfixed solely on the statue. “That only answers one of my questions. You said I wasn’t buried here, yet this is where my body lies. What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked again.

Instead of replying however, Daybreaker retracted her wing back to her side and took a few steps closer to the statue. Channelling a small amount of magic through her horn, the book the stone Twilight was reading was suddenly engulfed in her red aura. Shortly after the sound of rumbling could be heard coming from the statue’s pedestal before the side opened up, revealing a small staircase heading underground.

“Follow me.” Daybreaker instructed, still not answering Twilight’s question as she lowered her head so she could fit inside the narrow entranceway and descended the staircase. It took Twilight a moment to register what was happening before rushing to catch up with Daybreaker, the entranceway sealing shut behind her.

Due to the lack of torches on the wall, Twilight stuck close to Daybreaker’s side. Using her fiery mane to illuminate the stairs else risking a misstep and tumbling down the rest of the way. “As I said before, you may not like what you see. But I want to show you this so you know just how much I care about you…how much Celestia cared about you.” Daybreaker’s voice echoed as they neared the bottom.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel anxious at those words. When they reached the bottom the room was surprisingly large. Tables which were littered with various objects were pressed up against the wall, completely covered in dust. “Your right, I don’t like what I see.” Twilight cringed as she used her magic to levitate a few mistreated books that laid open on the ground back onto the table.

Torn out pages from books and notes were pinned up against the wall in a disorganized mess. It wasn’t until Twilight noticed the thin multi-coloured string coming out of them did she realize this was actually a large scale link chart, or something similar to it at least. Other than the few chalk boards with complicated formula’s and equations drawn on them, what stood out the most was the large sarcophagus dead smack in the centre of the room.

Twilight approached and stared down at the sarcophagus’s lid which was of another female unicorn, presumably her, with her eyes closed. Both her forehooves crossed diagonally against her chest with the tips resting at either side of her shoulders. Not noticing Daybreaker move towards it and lift the lid off to reveal its contents.

It was obvious what was going to be inside the sarcophagus if the statue as well as the plaque was anything to go by. Yet it still came as a shock to Twilight as she stared down at her own lifeless body. What she didn’t expect however was how good of a condition it was still in.

Twilight had been expecting her body to have decomposed to a point where she was completely unrecognisable, if not that then at least show obvious signs of decay. However her coat still kept its natural lavender colour, as if she hasn’t gone through the first stages of livor mortis yet. “I did everything I could to bring you back. The first thing I did was put you in a stasis that I renew every month, this is what has been preventing your body from decomposing after all these years…and is what I came here to do before we depart to the Crystal Empire. I was going to wait to show you, but when you used that illusion spell to pretend to be a unicorn again, I felt now would be the most appropriate time to do so.” Daybreaker explained as if knowing what Twilight was going to ask.

Daybreaker leaned over and put her head inside the sarcophagus, the tip of her horn crossing with Twilight’s as Daybreaker funnelled a small amount of magic through it and into Twilight’s. Suddenly Twilight’s body started shimmering lightly, illuminating the inside of the sarcophagus. “The stasis spell should last another month. More than enough time to do what it is we need to do at the Crystal Empire and be back in Canterlot.” Daybreaker said as she pulled her head away, allowing the shimmering effect to fade away.

When Daybreaker moved her head away, Twilight noticed a small deep scar trail diagonally across the deceased Twilight’s chest, her coat colour having completely faded in a small patch around it. Now understanding why Daybreaker was so focused on that spot in particular when she initially casted the illusion spell. “Is that where I was…you know?” Twilight asked vaguely.

“Impaled by my sisters horn? Yes, yes it is.” Daybreaker filled in, forcing herself to look away from her Twilight and towards the older and more alive version of her. “I may not have been able to resurrect you…but that doesn’t mean I haven’t made any progress.” Daybreaker explained.

Twilight slowly nodded in agreement as she reared up onto the sarcophagus’s edge to get a better look at herself. She still couldn’t believe how much younger she looked even though it had only been just under three years since her fight with Nightmare Moon. “Definitely, you did an amazing job at preserving my body, even managing to mend the fatal wound. I’m sure I will be freaked out by the scar at first when you do end up resurrecting me but in time I will see it as a reminder of the mistakes I made and those I have looking out for me.” Twilight complimented.

Daybreaker couldn’t help but raise her head proudly at the praise. “I’m glad you think so, but that wasn’t the progress I was referring to. Put your hoof here before the stasis spell has a chance to completely set in.” Daybreaker instructed, pointing to a particular spot on the other Twilight’s lower chest.

Doing as she was instructed, Twilight was surprised to find that her body temperature was warm instead of cold. “That’s odd, I thought the body was supposed to rapidly decrease in temperature upon death. Does that mean the stasis spell doubl-“ Twilight started but froze when she felt something thump against her hoof.

It was very faint but she definitely felt something. “It see-“

“Shhh!” Twilight hushed Daybreaker as she kept her hoof firmly placed on the alternate Twilight’s chest. After over a minute of nothing, Twilight thought it was just her imagination and was about to let Daybreaker continue whatever it was she was going to say until she felt another thud.

“A…A heartbeat?” Twilight asked in shock, earning a weak smile from Daybreaker.

“You have no idea how ecstatic I was when I felt your heart beat for the first time. I thought I succeeded after all those long and stressful years…then you can only imagine my disappointment at what happened afterwards.” Daybreaker replied with a deep sigh. “I abandoned court, I abandoned the castle, I abandoned everything just to stay by your side until you woke up. But days went by and nothing happened, I thought you were just in a coma of sorts or that your body was still trying to recover from what happened to it, both magically and physically. That any day now you would wake up and stare at me with those big curious eyes and bombard me with questions. But obviously that never happened and a few weeks later I discovered that you are just a husk, alive but dead.” Daybreaker replied, her tone turning more and more sombre after every sentence.

During Daybreaker’s explanation, Twilight didn’t move an inch. Her hoof still firmly pressed against her doppelganger’s chest, feeling her incredibly slow yet steady heartbeat while her eyes were transfixed solely on the scar. Seeing her body was one thing, she knew that Daybreaker had been trying to resurrect her since the beginning so it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to her. But to know that Daybreaker had actually made progress towards her goal and somehow managed to restart her heart was another thing entirely.

“All it took was one little slip up, one little mistake and the same thing would’ve happened back in my reality.” Twilight said quietly to nopony in particular as she felt the warmth of Daybreaker’s coat press up against her side in the otherwise cold room.

They remained like that for a while, but the silence was beginning to get to Daybreaker as she watched Twilight who didn’t once move or even blink. She felt like she should say something to help comfort her but nothing came to mind. Instead she grabbed Twilight’s hoof with her own before pulling it away from the body and out of the sarcophagus, once it was back on the ground she levitated the lid over the sarcophagus, sealing it and hiding the body from sight.

“In the end you are alive and that is all that matters.” Daybreaker eventually spoke up, she was contemplating on expanding on that some more. Mentioning how training would help prevent making those little mistakes in the future and that she could only get so far using raw magic. But she decided against it and instead gestured to the other contents within the room.

“Every book, every scroll, every note, drawing, stone tablet, equation…literally everything you see in this room has something to do with bringing you back from the dead in some way or another. Admittedly most of it is just complete nonsense, presumably to scare naughty foals. But I dug through them nonetheless. As every story has to be based on some kind of truth, though as the stories get passed down from generation to generation, the truth tends to get muddled and twisted, making it harder to accurately cross reference them with other sources.” Daybreaker comforted before sighing loudly and shaking her head.

“But that doesn’t matter anymore, you are here with me now and that is all that matters to me. I was given a second chance and I’ll be dammed if I’m going to squander it.” Daybreaker added, her voice perking up slightly. “And so should you. Starlight could’ve done so much worse to you back in your reality if she really wanted to, you should consider yourself lucky to still be alive.”

Twilight’s gaze slowly travelled across the room. She knew that Daybreaker would go above and beyond for her, but seeing just how far she went with her very own eyes…she didn’t know what to say.

She forced herself to look back up at Daybreaker who was smiling lovingly down at her, the tips of her feathers brushing ever so gently against her cheek. The thought of that alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes, how far Daybreaker would go for her while she had done nothing but lie and deceive.

“I’m sorry Twilight, I shouldn’t have said that last part. I knew this wasn’t something you wanted to see but after everything you said about us back in your reality. I needed to show you this, to show you just how much you meant to me.” Daybreaker comforted as she knelt down so she could wrap her hooves around Twilight’s neck, pulling her head down into the warmth of her chest while repeatedly stroking the back of it.

This only made Twilight cry more. Not only is she trying to return back home to her reality, but she was also abusing Daybreaker’s feelings towards her to help her do so without even realizing it. Telling Daybreaker the truth was out of the question but she also couldn’t just leave without saying anything, if losing her once did this to her then she couldn’t imagine how a second loss would affect her.

But it didn’t end there, the kiss at the duel was never a declaration of love as Daybreaker had interpreted it. But instead was her figuring out what Daybreaker’s weakness was and using it against her in order to win their duel, and by extension their bet. Without that kiss then there would be no trip to the Crystal Empire since she would’ve lost from Daybreaker pinning her down and blocking her magic.

However she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the benefits that came along with it. Their cuddles, the flirtatious remarks or rather the increase in them, the small yet embarrassing displays of affection, even Daybreaker asking for her to join her during her royal duties or postponing them entirely so they could spend some more time together. As much as she liked to have her alone time, it made her incredibly happy to know that the offer was always there.

‘You mean more to me than Canterlot…no…the sun itself.’ Twilight thought, Daybreaker’s words replaying through her mind, causing her heart to beat faster and a faint smile to adorn her lips.

Out of all the times Daybreaker had kissed her since the duel, Twilight had never once returned the gesture by kissing her back. But she slowly found herself accepting it more and more, even nearly returning the kiss the last time it happened.

With the last few sniffles, Twilight pulled her head away from Daybreaker’s chest and stared up at the flaming deity who continued to stroke the back of her head through her mane. “You feeling any better?” Daybreaker asked softly. “I promise not to bring you back here again. I didn’t mean to upset you or remind you of how close you came to…” Daybreaker started but quickly closed her mouth, afraid that she would upset Twilight again if she finished that sentence.

Twilight wiped away the last few tears that pooled in her eyes and weakly nodded her head. “Y-yeah…just need to sleep on it is all.” Twilight replied, burying her head back into Daybreaker’s warm chest, feeling a sense of safety and comfort against it. “I just want to go home.”

“I’ll teleport us back to the castle and have the servants deliver us dinner in bed before retiring for the day.” Daybreaker said as she teleported them back to their chambers in a bright red flash. Unaware of the real reason why Twilight was crying and which home she was actually referring to.

Author's Notes:

No matter how many times i rewrote this chapter, especially the last few sections, i was just never happy with it. Despite being one of my shorter chapters, this is by far one of my longest with having 4 completely different versions of it. I'm still not proud of it but it is the best i am able to do and the happiest i'm going to get with it. We all have those chapters we don't want to write but are necessary.

For the next chapter i'm contemplating doing a small time skip to when they depart to the Crystal Empire or to take a small break and do a short interlude chapter of sorts just to do something slightly different for a change. Though it will still be relevant to the story. I know there isn't much (or any) information about the interlude but if you have any preference between the two then please do let me know.

Other than that i certainly hope the chapter was worth the wait!

A Student Once Lost

by Chiefs999

Chapter 1 - Old But New

Chapter 2 - Reunited

Chapter 3 - New Princess

Chapter 4 - Bad Influence

Chapter 5 - A Student Once More

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Events

Chapter 7 - Progress?

Chapter 8 - Preparations

Chapter 9 - Repercussions

Chapter 10 - Recovery

Chapter 11 - Funding

Chapter 12 - Promises