Daybreak

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36

Prologue

“I’ll not be shown up by Applejack, of all ponies.”

The evening air was still and quiet. The room was dark, only lit by a little book light that hung above Twilight’s head. Stars were beginning to crop up in the sky outside as the sun slid below the horizon.

It was late in the year, Sweet Apple Acres had just finished their big harvest, and Applejack and Luna had chosen that time to make a very big, and very surprising, announcement.

Now, hours later, Twilight and Chrysalis were lying in bed together and discussing the days. Twilight had a book—she always had a book—but she marked her place and gently placed it down on her chest to give her full attention to the conversation.

“Chrysalis, having children is not a contest.”

“Many, many things are not contests,” Chrysalis replied. “That doesn’t mean they cannot be won.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m not having a kid just so you can beat Applejack.”

“We want one anyway,” Chrysalis argued. “What’s the harm in taking this incentive to stop putting it off?”

“We’re not ‘putting it off,’” Twilight said defensively. “We’re just… Making sure we’re ready.”

“Have you ever been ‘ready’ for anything in your life?”

“Wow, okay, rude.” Twilight huffed. “Is it really such a bad thing to want to be prepared? I mean, we’re already running a nation, a child is a lot of responsibility to take on!”

“We’re running a city,” Chrysalis said. “Between Fluttershy in Trotsylvania, Applejack and Luna in Ponyville, and Rarity’s constant butting in, we barely have to lift a hoof to keep things going.”

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it seriously.”

“Twilight, do you really believe that I am not taking my position as Queen seriously?”

Twilight groaned. “I never should’ve given you that title.”

“You know you couldn’t say no forever,” Chrysalis replied with a laugh. She rolled onto her side, reached out and put a hoof on Twilight’s cheek. “I really do want to have a child with you. I think it’s time.”

Twilight blushed and put her own hoof over the one on her cheek. “I… It’s just a hard decision to make. I mean, how can I know if I’ll even be a good mother?”

“You raised Spike.”

“That’s different, though. Spike’s like a little brother.” Twilight sighed, moved her book to an end table and rolled over to look into Chrysalis’ eyes. “How sure are you that this is the right time?”

“That’s not something you can really be sure of,” Chrysalis said, “but I can pretend to be sure of it if that’ll help.”

Twilight chuckled. “It might.” She leaned forward and gave Chrysalis a soft kiss, then wrapped her in a hug and squeezed her close. “Let’s sleep on it, ‘kay?”

Chrysalis ran a hoof gently through Twilight’s mane and nodded silently. She turned off the light above Twilight, pulled up the covers, and the two of them gently drifted off to sleep.

Chrysalis watched as Twilight paced nervously around the castle library, flipping through several books at once. They’d redirected all their meetings for the day to Rarity and sent the guard away, and it was so early that they had the entire library to themselves. Chrysalis was sitting patiently at a reading table, waiting in case Twilight needed her for something.

“Okay, so… And then…” Twilight was mumbling under her breath, then suddenly stopped walking and looked up. “Chalkboard! I need a chalkboard. Chrysalis, where’s a chalkboard?”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t you just conjure one up with your magic?”

Twilight gasped. “Chrysalis, you’re a genius.” With a quick burst of magic, Twilight pulled her own personal chalkboard out of her room and into the library with them. She was scribbling notes onto it the second it was there, the cavalcade of books floating around her as she needed them. “Okay, so if I do this, then this…”

Chrysalis watched as almost entirely illegible text quickly filled up the board. Twilight’s writing was tiny, but even then, she wrote so much that it could barely fit. It was only a few minutes before she had to flip the board over and use the other side, and a few minutes after that she was almost out of room on that side, too.

Just when it seemed like she’d need a second chalkboard, she slapped down the chalk and grinned. “Got it!”

“Oh?” Chrysalis looked past her at the board, but the mess of scribbles and diagrams meant nothing to her. “Mind sharing with the class?”

Twilight practically bounced along as she flipped the board back and started to explain it all. “Okay, so, obviously a pony and a changeling have never had a child before.”

“Correct.”

“So, of course, there were the standard solutions. Adoption, a surrogate, that sort of thing, but… Well, it’s tough.” She turned away from the board and looked into Chrysalis’ eyes. “I know you. You want a changeling.”

“Well, yes, if I had a choice,” Chrysalis said, “but I was operating under the assumption that that wasn’t on the table.”

“I want it to be, though!” Twilight trotted over and leaned on the table. “It’s a big part of who you are.”

“No changeling would ever entrust a child to me,” Chrysalis replied. “I raised many of them myself. They may forgive me, but they will never forget.”

“I know. But I want you to have the option.”

“I appreciate the thought,” Chrysalis said, “but I’m not sure I want to raise a clone of myself.”

“Exactly.” Twilight hopped back over to the chalkboard. “If I just made a changeling, they’d just be you again. Plus…” Twilight blushed. “I mean, I can’t really deny that a part of me wants that… Connection. I’d love our child the same no matter what, but… I want to know what it’s like, you know?”

“So, what? Two children?”

Twilight shook her head. “Come on, do you really think I’d need all this to come up with just having two kids? That… You know what, that actually would have worked just fine. I guess I didn’t need to do this.”

Chrysalis laughed. “I can’t imagine you’re disappointed that you got to do all this.”

“Oh, not at all.” Twilight chuckled. “It’s not like we can’t still use it. So, the basic idea—” She flipped the board over and pointed to an oval shape drawn on the other side. “—is that you use your cocoon… Web… Stuff, and spin up an egg, and then I can use my magic to, um… Well, you get it.”

Chrysalis nodded. “So, how big should this egg be?”

Twilight shrugged. “Baby sized?”

And they got to work. First, they returned to the privacy of their bedroom, and Chrysalis quickly spun up a little sphere of webbing. Then Twilight spend some time measuring it, doing calculations, and making sure everything was prepared perfectly. Finally, they both stood back and held each others’ hooves as Twilight focused, took aim, and fired a tiny sliver of magic at the egg.

They stared at it in silence for a long moment, neither of them daring to so much as breathe. Their hearts were pounding, and adrenaline raced through their veins.

After a few minutes, Chrysalis broke the silence. “Um… How long is this going to take?”

“I… Don’t know, actually,” Twilight said.

“A normal changeling birth would’ve been over by now.”

“They’re not a normal changeling.”

Chrysalis looked down at Twilight. “Wait, are they going to be…”

Twilight looked up and grinned. “Half pony? Of course, silly. I am a pony.”

“How will that even work?”

Twilight shrugged. “We’ll see.”

There was sudden movement before them. A tiny hairline fracture ran down the egg, followed by another, and more and more. The cracks slowly covered the entire surface, and then a piece broke off. Light poured out of the shell, not blinding, but an undeniable glow. Every piece that fell let out more and more of the light until they had no more than a glowing ball on the low table the egg had been sitting on.

When the final piece of eggshell toppled, the light started to die down. Twilight squeezed Chrysalis’ leg tightly in anticipation. The couple stepped forward in unison, desperate to get a better look at the child, at their daughter.

At first, she just looked like a pony. Her fur was a muddy green, and her mane was a darker shade of a similar color, save for the singular stripes of purple and black that ran down one lock of hair. A stubby, rounded horn sat nestled in her mane.

Then they noticed the thin, bug-like wings on her back, and realized that her tail wasn’t made of hair, but rather the same flimsy material that made up her wings. Both her wings and tail looked tattered, not full of holes like her mother’s but torn into shreds at the ends, and her ears looked similarly torn.

Then she opened her eyes, and they saw something neither one of them had expected. She didn’t have the sharp, glistening eyes of a changeling, but neither did she have the wide, round eyes of a pony. They weren’t sure what kind of eyes she had. They had no pupils, no irises, no whites. Her eyes, in their entirety, were a single mass of shimmering purple that stared wondrously up at them.

Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes, and a massive smile grew on her face. Chrysalis held her close, and couldn’t keep from grinning as well. Neither of them could find words, they couldn’t move, they couldn’t do anything other than look at their beautiful new daughter.

Eventually, Twilight managed a tiny, squeaking whisper. “We… We have a baby.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Chrysalis, we have a baby,” Twilight repeated, a bit louder.

“That we do.”

Suddenly, the dam broke. Tears poured down Twilight’s face, and she hopped in place excitedly. “Chrysalis, we have a baby!” With an excited squee, she scooped up the foal and nuzzled her gently. She flapped her wings and took to the air so she could hold her without worrying about her balance.

Chrysalis smiled, leaned in and kissed their daughter on the forehead, then kissed Twilight on the cheek. “I’m glad to see you so excited.”

“Well, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Chrysalis said, “but one of us has to stay composed.”

“Says who?” Twilight replied, without taking her eyes off of the newborn. “Do you want to hold her?”

Chrysalis nodded and sat on the floor as Twilight handed the baby over. Chrysalis held her close, and as she looked down she felt tears welling up in her eyes as well, which she did her best to push back down.

A thought hit Twilight. “What are we gonna name her?”

“Hmm…” Chrysalis played with the foal’s hooves as she thought. “I’m quite partial to ‘Nymph,’ myself.”

Twilight sat beside Chrysalis and leaned up against her. “I like it, but it’s not very pony-like. I feel like her name should have bits of both our worlds.”

“Your family has kind of a theme, right? Twilight, Shining, Night Light… Do you have anything like that?”

Twilight thought hard, going through every variation she could think of in her head until finally, she landed on one she liked. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Do tell.”

“Daybreak,” Twilight said. “Daybreak Nymph.”

Chrysalis looked up with a grin. “It’s perfect.” Twilight let out another excited squeal and gave Chrysalis a loving kiss, thrilled at the prospect of moving on to this next part of their lives.

Chapter 1

Daybreak was quiet the first night, but still, neither Twilight nor Chrysalis slept. They were too excited, too filled with energy. They sat up in bed together, basking in the existence of their daughter as they talked through anything and everything that came to mind. They talked about what needed to change, and what could stay the same. They talked about their duties. They talked about the future.

They were both shocked when the sun came up hours later. It had seemed like barely minutes since it all happened, but there was the sun, and along with it the heavy reminder that they had important jobs to do.

Daybreak was sleeping soundly at that point, but they still didn’t have an actual bed for her yet, so they decided to take her out into the throne room. They could trust any guests to be quiet, they figured. So, Twilight scooped up the infant and gently flew out the door that Chrysalis held open for her.

The morning guards were already in the throne room, a stout stallion in the golden royal guard armor, and a tall mare sporting the dark blues of Luna’s personal guard. Chrysalis had wanted to change the armor the guards wore when she and Twilight moved into the castle, but Twilight was adamantly against it; She thought they should keep that tie to the sisters intact.

The two guards looked their way to greet them, but fell silent when they saw Daybreak.

“Good morning!” Twilight shot them a toothy grin and floated over to her throne, followed shortly after by Chrysalis. “Have we missed anything in the night?”

“Um…” The stallion, a pale blue earth pony, mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

The other guard, a tall, yellow pegasus, looked at him, then back to Twilight. “Uh, I think what Seabeam is trying to say is, well… It doesn’t look like you’re the ones who missed something.”

Twilight gave her a confused look. Then her eyes went wide, and she let out a small gasp. “Wait, did—” She turned to Chrysalis. “We told them what we were doing, right?”

“Oh, no, not in the slightest,” Chrysalis told her.

Twilight winced. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought it would be funny if we surprised everypony. And I was right.”

“I—” Twilight groaned. “Ugh, okay, whatever. So, Seabeam, Amber Dusk, it looks like you get to be the first ones to find out.” Twilight took a deep breath. “We decided to have a child.”

“W-When?” Seabeam stuttered. “Shouldn’t we have, um… Noticed?”

Twilight chuckled. “I used magic, silly.”

The conversation was cut off by the massive doors to the throne room suddenly being thrust open. Rarity trotted in with a flourish, ready to begin her day, and the doors slowly slid shut behind her.

“Good morning!” Rarity said in a sing-song voice. “How are my wonderful friends to—”

She stopped in her tracks and gasped hard enough that it seemed she might faint.

“Twilight! Don’t tell me…” Rarity could hardly get words out.

Twilight grinned and nodded.

Rarity squealed and hopped in place excitedly. She raced up to the throne faster than they’d ever seen her move before, and stood with wonder in her eyes as she gazed down at the sleeping baby.

“Oh my goodness gracious, Twilight, she is precious! Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been preparing, I could’ve set up a nursery and made clothes and-and—” Rarity put a hoof over her chest and took several quick, deep breaths.

“Have we killed her?” Chrysalis asked.

Twilight laughed. “Sorry, Rarity. We would’ve told you, really, but, well… We only really made the decision yesterday.”

Rarity swallowed hard and nodded, not taking her eyes off the baby. “I-I understand, darling. So, she’s a... changeling?”

“Half,” Twilight said.

That got Rarity’s attention. She looked up into Twilight’s face, then over to Chrysalis. “What?”

“I’m really good at magic,” Twilight told her.

“I feel like that should be impossible,” Rarity said, “but I’m not sure I care.” She turned back to the baby and grinned. “Have you thought of a name?”

“Daybreak Nymph,” Chrysalis replied.

“Oh, how lovely,” Rarity said. She reached out a hoof and, as gently as possible, stroked Daybreak’s cheek.

It wasn’t gentle enough. Daybreak’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the stunning purple expanses for the world to see.

Rarity was starstruck, too in awe to speak.

There wasn’t silence, though, because a second later Daybreak opened her mouth and let out a piercing wail. It was a piercing, painful sound, halfway between a screech and a hiss, and louder than any of them could have imagined.

“Aah!” Twilight would have jumped out of her seat if she wasn’t holding Daybreak. As it was, she leaned back in shock and knocked her head against the back of the throne. Wincing, she looked over to Chrysalis. “W-What’s happening?”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Maybe she’s hungry? She should have plenty of love, though.”

“She might not be able to keep going off of just love,” Twilight said. “Here, hold her, I’ll go find some food.” She gently floated Daybreak through the air and over to Chrysalis, who scooped her up and quietly cooed to her in an attempt to calm her down. Then, Twilight vanished in a pop of magic light.

“I’m t-terribly sorry, Chrysalis,” Rarity muttered. She was barely audible past the deafening cries. “I didn’t mean to wake her up.”

“It’s not your fault she’s crying,” Chrysalis said. “She’s a baby. Babies cry.”

There was another pop, and Twilight appeared with a can of baby food and a spoon. Chrysalis got a grossed-out look on her face as Twilight started to feed her, but Daybreak didn’t seem to have the same reservations. She scarfed the food down greedily, quickly getting her fill, and afterwards stayed quiet.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, which was mirrored around the room. “Thank goodness. So, now we know she doesn’t just feed off of love.”

“A shame, really,” Chrysalis said. “It would’ve been much easier.”

After that initial hiccup, the day continued on relatively smoothly. Rarity quickly set herself to converting what used to be Luna’s bedroom into a nursery, and was in and out all day carrying supplies and decorations. With Rarity distracted, Twilight and Chrysalis had to do a lot more work, but it didn’t seem to be a problem. Daybreak watched their dealings curiously, and would play idly with whatever she could reach if she got bored. The guests were all so enraptured with her, in fact, that the day’s duties went far more smoothly than they normally would have.

Those guests also didn’t keep quiet after they left, and it didn’t take long for the news to start spreading. By the time the papers got sent out at midday, they all had the same news on the front page. A royal baby, and perhaps even more shocking, a half-changeling one. Canterlot was abuzz within just a few hours.

It was early afternoon, shortly after the papers went out, that a guard came into the throne room with an urgent look on his face.

“Princess Twilight, Queen Chrysalis, there’s a bit of a… Situation.”

Twilight had been in the middle of feeding Daybreak, and only glanced up for a second before turning her attention back down. Chrysalis picked up her slack and leaned forward to show the guard she was listening.

“Yes?” Chrysalis asked.

“The ponies of Canterlot are, well… They’re surrounding the castle. They want to see the baby, and the guards can’t even get out the front gate to do their jobs.”

Chrysalis grimaced. “Daybreak isn’t here for their amusement. Tell them to leave.”

“We’ve tried,” the guard said. “They refused to leave.”

Chrysalis stood up from her throne. “Then I’ll deal with them myself.”

“Wait,” Twilight spoke up, “we don’t need to scare them away.”

“I’m not having a parade of onlookers traipse through here like some sort of zoo,” Chrysalis replied.

“Of course not,” Twilight said, “but we can still show them the baby. I’ll just give a quick speech.” Patiently, she set aside the baby food and took to the air, Daybreak clutched to her chest.

“You don’t need to bow to their every whim,” Chrysalis said.

“I’m not,” Twilight told her. “I’m just being friendly.”

“If you insist,” Chrysalis said, “but I’d rather this not become a common occurence.”

Twilight nodded, and a few minutes later they were out on the balcony overlooking a sea of ponies, and a surprising number of changelings as well. They hadn’t set up anything special, they weren’t dressed up at all, Twilight had even almost forgotten her crown. There was no pomp and circumstance. The couple just went out and looked down at the crowd. Twilight stood tall in the center, and beside her Chrysalis sat back so she could cradle Daybreak.

There was a slight uproar as they walked out. Daybreak clung to her mother’s chest, unsettled by the noise, and Chrysalis stroked her mane in an effort to comfort her. Twilight put a hoof up, calling for quiet, and before long the crowd settled down.

“Good evening, everypony,” Twilight started.

She spoke loudly enough for the entire crowd to hear, but Daybreak didn’t retreat further. She recognized the voice, and so instead became curious and shifted around to look at Twilight.

“I assume you’ve all heard the news,” Twilight continued. “Chrysalis and I have had a child, a beautiful daughter named Daybreak Nymph. I understand that you’re all curious, and you all want to see her, but please understand that we’d like her to have her privacy. We’ll do our best to provide the papers with information, but I’m afraid that personal visits are off the table.”

There was a disappointed murmur across the crowd, but it died down before long. Twilight waited for it to stop before continuing.

“I appreciate your understanding, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.” With nothing else to say, she gave a quick bow and walked back inside with Chrysalis at her heels.

Once the doors shut behind them, Twilight let out a long sigh. “I still hate giving speeches.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Thank you for being firm with them.”

“Of course,” Twilight said. She walked over to where Daybreak could see her, bent down and kissed her forehead. “We chose this life. She didn’t.”

“Oh, Twilight, thank goodness you’re back.” Rarity, seemingly out of nowhere, rushed over and started tugging on Twilight. “I need your assistance.”

“Okay, okay,” Twilight said. “You don’t need to drag me.”

“Yes, I know, but… Well, just come on.”

Rarity led them over to the room that was to become the nursery and took them inside. It was far closer to being finished than they’d expected after only a day. There was a dresser, a changing table, a crib that was already filled with stuffed animals. Above the crib was a swinging mobile of glittering gemstones, and at one end was a chest that was presumably filled with toys. All that was missing, at least from Twilight’s point of view, was a baby.

Rarity was clearly anxious, though, and rushed over to the dresser, which she’d set most of her supplies on. Hurriedly, she grabbed two pastel purple color swatches and held them up in front of Twilight. “Which one of these is better for the walls?”

Twilight looked hard at the little cards, then looked around them and gave Rarity a puzzled look. “They’re the same color.”

Rarity huffed. “They’re not even close. Here Chrysalis,” she said, floating them over, “what do you think?”

Chrysalis poked one of the cards. “This one.”

“Really?” Rarity brought the cards back to herself and stared at them. “But don’t you think it’s too… Drab? It’s so subdued, and don’t get me wrong, a subdued color can be perfect in the right situation, but here?”

“Use the other one, then,” Chrysalis said.

“B-But—” Rarity sputtered. “But it’s so bright! That’s why I wanted your input. Are you sure you prefer the softer one?”

“To be honest, Rarity, they looked the same to me,” Chrysalis told her.

“Wh—Bu—I—” Rarity threw the swatches on the floor and stomped a hoof. “This is serious! Daybreak is going to see this color every day, don’t you think it should be perfect? Surely you can—”

“Guh!” Rarity was cut off by a sudden exclamation from Daybreak. All eyes shot to her and watched as she shifted around and reached out towards Rarity.

“Oh?” Rarity walked over and stroked her mane. “I’m sorry, dearest, I didn’t mean to shout. I just got… A bit too frustrated. Forgive me?”

Rarity tickled one of Daybreak’s hooves with her own, and Daybreak reached out and grabbed Rarity’s hoof with both of her own front legs. Rarity grinned for a moment, but then Daybreak opened her mouth, pulled forward and bit down on Rarity.

“Ow!” Daybreak let go of Rarity at the exclamation, and Rarity hurriedly pulled her hoof back. “She… I… Why does she have fangs?”

Twilight frowned and moved over to Rarity to look at her hoof. “I’m so sorry, Rarity, I didn’t know she would do something like that!”

Chrysalis, meanwhile, clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Well, this isn’t ideal.”

Rarity took a deep breath and composed herself. “It’s already, darlings, it… Happens. She’ll learn in time that that’s not the way to play.”

“She wasn’t playing,” Chrysalis said.

“Pardon?” Rarity asked.

“She was trying to feed.”

Rarity and Twilight both jumped back in shock. “What?” Twilight exclaimed. “But I thought she wasn’t feeding off of love!”

“She wasn’t,” Chrysalis said. “I think… I think it was because Rarity got angry.”

Chapter 2

The next few days were hectic, but they were also largely uneventful. News outlets were given a picture of Daybreak Nymph, and soon all of Equestria and beyond knew of the new royal baby. Twilight’s parents visited them a lot, perhaps even more than Twilight would have liked. Daybreak grew, and with every passing day she seemed to become more confident, more sure of her place in the world.

For a moment, life seemed to be settling into some kind of rhythm. Daybreak was a lot calmer than they’d expected, and she seemed quite alright with the unending parade of new, unknown faces she saw while Twilight and Chrysalis went about their royal duties.

It was about a week after she was born when, as Chrysalis sat on her throne doing her morning check of their schedules, Twilight burst out of the nursery in a panic.

“Chrysalis!” Twilight shouted.

Chrysalis was up in an instant, dropping the clipboard she’d been holding to the floor and leaping over to where Twilight stood. “What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Daybreak, she—” Twilight bit her lip nervously. “She’s not in her crib!”

Chrysalis took a startled step back. “What?” Without hesitation, she dashed past Twilight and into the nursery.

Standing over the crib, Chrysalis saw that there was no sign of Daybreak. Her blanket was lying empty, and her stuffed animals were scattered all about.

Chrysalis stared at the scene for a moment. Then she started to laugh.

Twilight was astounded. She ran in after Chrysalis and glared at her. “Why are you laughing? Our baby is missing! She could’ve been kidnapped, or found a way out of the crib, or—”

“Shh.” Chrysalis put a hoof to Twilight’s lips to shush her. “Twilight. Look.”

She pointed into the crib, and Twilight looked that way. It took her a minute to see what Chrysalis had seen. All that was there were two stuffed bears sitting back to back. There was nothing special about them, aside from the fact that they looked the same.

Then it hit her. “Oh.” Twilight froze for a second, then started to giggle. “Well, now I feel dumb.”

Chrysalis reached into the crib and gently lifted up one of the bears. As she did, the bear was wrapped in a swirl of dark, cyan magic, and when the cyclone disappeared it left Daybreak in the bear’s place.

“It’s perfectly understandable,” Chrysalis said as she raised Daybreak up and kissed her proud, grinning face. They made their way back out into the throne room as they talked. “This is very early for a newborn to start changing.”

They sat in their thrones, Daybreak nuzzled up to Chrysalis’ chest. “When does it normally develop?” Twilight asked.

“A year or two, generally.”

“Wow.” Twilight couldn’t help but grin with a strange sort of pride. “It must be because of the pony part of her. Unicorn foals tend to have very unruly magic.”

“Well, hopefully, she won’t get too unruly,” Chrysalis said.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Twilight replied. “So, what’s on the schedule today?”

“Ah, yes.” Chrysalis lifted the clipboard back up with her magic and flipped a page over. “Your brother is arriving today.”

“Ooh! I’m so excited for them to see Daybreak. Should I dress up? Should I dress Daybreak up? I don’t want them to think I’m not taking this seriously or anything. But what if dressing up makes it look like I’m treating it like a game? What if—”

“Twilight.” Chrysalis interrupted her sternly.

Twilight blinked and looked over at Chrysalis sheepishly. “Heh, sorry. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“About that…” Chrysalis looked down at Daybreak and frowned. “Are you sure I should be there?”

“What? Of course you should! You’re as much her mom as I am.”

“I know that,” Chrysalis said, “but I’m still not entirely confident about how Cadance feels about me.”

“That’s in the past,” Twilight told her. “It’s no reason to stay away from family gatherings.”

“It just feels like a bad idea after what happened with Rarity.”

Twilight gave her a funny look. “What, do you think Daybreak’s gonna try to eat her?”

“We don’t know that she won’t,” Chrysalis said.

“And we don’t know that she will,” Twilight argued. “If something happens, we’ll deal with it. Besides, we don’t even really know that she wasn’t just trying to feed off Rarity’s love.”

“If you insist,” Chrysalis relented. “Let’s get ready, then. You’ve still got time to change your mind about dressing up five or six times before they get here.”

It was a few hours later, early in the afternoon, when they finally arrived. Twilight and Chrysalis had just finished taking Daybreak on a stroll around the castle gardens, letting her enjoy the beautiful weather, and they walked back into the throne room to find Shining Armor already there, waiting for them.

“Shiny!” Before Shining Armor had even noticed them enter, Twilight jumped into him and wrapped him in a hug. “It’s been way too long.”

He chuckled and hugged her back. “Hey, Twi. How are things?”

“Come on, you know the answer to that,” Twilight told him. “Things are amazing.”

As they talked, Chrysalis pushed the stroller that held Daybreak up to join them. She looked up at him with a curious gaze, and when he caught sight of her Shining Armor looked like he almost fell over where he was standing. He sat down and raised a hoof to his mouth to cover the wide smile that grew across his face.

“Ohh, Twi, she is so precious,” Shining Armor said. “Has she been much trouble?”

“Oh, not at all,” Twilight said. She lifted Daybreak up out of the stroller and held her gently. “Well, a little. Nothing like Flurry Heart was, though.”

Chrysalis walked off to stow away the stroller in the nursery as they chatted.

“Well, lucky you,” Shining Armor said. He turned his attention to Daybreak and put on a playful voice. “You keep being nice to your mommies, okay? Twilight gets frustrated super easily.”

Daybreak let out a high pitch, excited noise in response that left them both fawning over her. Chrysalis walked back over and joined them as they doted on her.

“So,” Chrysalis said, “where are the other two?”

“Beats me,” Shining Armor told her. “Flurry Heart saw a candy shop, so they could be there for hours, and who knows what else she might see after. Cadance told me to go on ahead so you didn’t worry.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, I guess we’ll see her in a week or so, then.”

Shining Armor laughed, too, and then reached out and scratched under Daybreak’s chin. “So, what exactly is she? I mean, I haven’t ever seen a baby changeling, is she more like them than foals?”

“Not really,” Chrysalis told him. “Changeling newborns are tiny, larval creatures. Their eyes are far duller, as well. Daybreak is something entirely different.”

“I’ve been trying to think of a name for her species,” Twilight added. “So far, I’m leaning towards ‘pixie.’”

“Does it need a name?” Shining Armor asked.

“No,” Twilight said, “but it’s fun to think about. It’s—”

“Baby!” Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open, and a tiny pink blur hopped inside. She jumped around, chanting “Baby, Baby, Baby!” as the rest of the room watched her with amusement.

Cadance walked in a moment later and pulled her to a stop with her magic. “Calm down, Flurry Heart. We don’t want to disturb her.”

Flurry Heart bounced in place. She was a tiny little thing, aside from her massive wingspan, and she always seemed to have an overflow of energy. Her short, curly made was almost neat and tidy, but a day of running around had left it frizzy and misshapen.

“I wanna see the baby,” she said impatiently.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Cadance told her. “Just try and be a little more… Controlled, okay dear? You could scare her.”

“Pfft, no cousin of mine is gonna scare that easy.” Flurry Heart blew a raspberry and jumped away as Cadance sighed.

Twilight grinned as she came up to them. “Hey, Flurry Heart. Where’s your candy?”

“Oh, I didn’t get any,” Flurry Heart explained. “I just wanted to look. Have you ever been in one of those places? They’re, like, full of candy. The owner pony said some of it had been there for ten years. That’s older than I am!”

“Well, I’m glad you had fun,” Twilight said. She tried not to giggle as Cadance walked up beside Shining Armor and discreetly gave him a little pouch of candy she’d gotten him. “So, do you wanna meet your cousin?”

“Yeah!” Flurry Heart stomped her hooves on the ground excitedly.

Carefully, Twilight leaned forward and laid on the ground so she could hold Daybreak at a proper height.

Flurry Heart moved in quickly and stared down at the baby, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open in wonder.

She gasped. “Wow! She looks so different! Did I look like this?”

Cadance came forward and laid down beside them. “No, honey, you pretty much looked like you do now, just smaller. Daybreak Nymph is half changeling.”

“Why?”

“Wh—” Cadance was thrown off for a second by the question. “Well, it’s because one of her parents is a pony, and the other is a changeling.”

“Aunt Chrissy is a changeling?” Flurry Heart looked up at Chrysalis and squinted her eyes. “She doesn’t look like one.”

“Before Thorax, they all looked like me,” Chrysalis said proudly. “When he changed, they all followed suit.”

“Why didn’t you change, then?”

“Because you can’t improve on perfection, sweetheart.”

“I dunno,” Flurry Heart said, “I like their colors. I bet you’d still look cool.”

“Well, thank you,” Chrysalis replied, “but I am quite content as I am.”

Flurry Heart looked back down at Daybreak and moved her head in to get a closer look. “Is she an alicorn like me?”

“That’s… A good question,” Twilight said. “She hasn’t really used any magic yet, so we’re not sure if she’ll have alicorn magic. She does have wings and a horn, though.”

“Why won’t she do magic?” Flurry Heart reached out and touched her horn, which got a shocked reaction out of Daybreak, and she reached up and grabbed Flurry Heart’s leg. “Is she scared or something?”

“We’re not sure,” Twilight said. “There’s never been a half-pony-half-changeling before. We have no idea what’s ‘normal’ for her.”

“How do you know something’s not wrong, then?”

“Well…” Twilight pursed her lips. “We don’t, really. We just have to be extra careful.”

“Aww.” Flurry Heart frowned. “Well, let me know if I can help. Like, maybe I can show her how. Here, Daybreak, look.” She got Daybreak’s attention, pointed up at her own horn, and shot out a little spark of magic.

Daybreak’s eyes went wide, and she let out a quiet, happy noise.

“Now you do it!” Flurry Heart told her. She reached out and tapped Daybreak’s horn again. “Just like I did.”

Daybreak looked at her for a moment, then tried to look up at her horn. Then she shut her eyes, concentrated, and shot a single tiny spark out of her horn.

Twilight gasped. “Wow! Oh, baby, you did so good!” She kissed excitedly all over Daybreak’s face. Around the room, the other adults smiled and let out various exclamations of wonderment.

“See?” Flurry Heart said. “I knew my cousin would be cool.”

Spurred on by all the cheeriness, Daybreak laughed and shut her eyes to try again.

Again, a single spark shot out, but this time it was far faster. It flew across the room and landed on a curtain, and a second later the cloth exploded into magical cyan flames.

The room panicked. Chrysalis and Shining Armor immediately leapt over and started trying to put out the fire, but the magical nature of it made it hard to extinguish. The magic they were using to keep it down almost seemed to just fan the flames, as though they were using the energy as fuel to burn more furiously.

After a few moments of less-than-successful attempts to put out the fire, Flurry Heart jumped up and ran over before Cadance could stop her. She shot out a bolt of magic that slammed into the curtain. There was a short, bright burst of light, and then the fire, the curtain, and a sizable chunk of the wall were nowhere to be seen.

Chrysalis and Shining Armor turned to her. “W-What did you do?” Shining Armor asked.

Flurry Heart looked between their serious faces and frowned. “I… I just wanted to help.”

Their expressions softened. Chrysalis leaned forward and put a hoof on her shoulder. “You did help,” she told her, “we just want to know how. Just to be safe.”

“I just kinda poofed it away,” Flurry Heart explained. “It was fire, so I sent it into the river.”

“Ah.” Chrysalis stood back up. “Well, that is going to need to be cleaned up, but I suppose it did put out the fire.”

There was a lull in the talking. For a moment, the only noise in the room was Daybreak, who was giggling gleefully at all the excitement she’d caused.

All the excitement and, just as noticeable to her, all the frustration.

Chapter 3

“So then Sunburst came running in, yelling something about aliens.”

Shining Armor was regaling the group with a story a few hours later as they sat around a table and dug into a hearty dinner. Chrysalis, not needing to eat, was fussing over Daybreak, who was still excitable and, as a result, was making it quite a hassle to feed her. On the other side of Daybreak was Flurry Heart, who had quickly finished eating and was watching Chrysalis intently.

“I thought changelings didn’t need to eat,” Flurry Heart said quietly, so as to not interrupt the conversation the others were having.

“We do not,” Chrysalis said, “but it seems she does. To be frank, it’s perhaps the one thing about her that even approaches disappointment.”

“Yeah. I wish I could just eat love,” Flurry Heart said. “I bet it tastes great.”

“In a sense.”

“How do you do it? Is it like a vampire thing? Do you have to bite ponies’ necks?”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Nothing so gruesome. It’s just magic. It’s like… Imagine using your magic to suck the water out of a cup. It’s like that.”

“That sounds easy.”

“It comes naturally,” Chrysalis said.

“Could I do it?”

“Doubtful,” Chrysalis told her. “You’re not a changeling, so—”

Flurry Heart wasn’t listening. She shut her eyes and tried to focus on Chrysalis, then lit up her horn and tried to do what she imagined the magic was.

Nothing much happened, and a moment later the magic fizzled out. Flurry Heart opened her eyes back up and frowned. “Aww.”

“Sorry,” Chrysalis said. “You may be an alicorn, but that doesn’t mean you can do anything.”

“It should,” Flurry Heart huffed. “Maybe you just don’t love me enough.”

“You’re free to try it on your mother,” Chrysalis told her. “Just don’t complain to me when you get in trouble for it.”

“Maybe I just need to try harder,” Flurry Heart said. She shut her eyes again and focused, this time putting all the effort she could into it, but again the magic just fizzled out. When she opened her eyes again, she was out of breath and even more distraught. “C’mon, tell me what I’m doing wrong!”

“You’re just not a changeling,” Chrysalis said. “You can suck the water from a cup because you can see the water. You don’t have the sense for love that changelings have that let us focus in on it.”

“I know what love is!” Flurry Heart crossed her legs in front of her chest defiantly. “My mom’s the Princess of love. I should be able to feel it.”

“Some things are just impossible, Flurry Heart. You’ve got to learn to accept that.”

“I don’t wanna. It’s not impossible, I just gotta figure out a way to sense love.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “And how, exactly, do you plan to accomplish that?”

“I—” Flurry Heart frowned further and slumped in her seat. “I dunno. I’ll ask Twilight.”

“And you think Twilight will help you learn to eat love?”

“Then I’ll ask Sunburst! He knows stuff, and he never says no to me.”

“I feel I should warn you that your mother won’t be happy if you actually pursue this,” Chrysalis said. “She and I have a strained relationship for a reason.”

“I don’t care! I’m always in trouble anyway, what’s the big deal if—”

“Ga!” Daybreak cut her off with a sudden, excited cry.

Flurry Heart looked at her, still grimacing. “What? I’m kinda busy, you know.”

Daybreak stuck her legs out towards Flurry Heart, then, unable to reach her, shut her eyes and lit up her horn.

Luckily, Chrysalis recognized the magic. She inhaled sharply, and in one swift movement, she dropped the food she was holding, scooped up Daybreak and vanished in a puff of firey magic.

All conversation at the table stopped as the spoon she’d been using clattered to the floor. They looked at each other in confusion, entirely unsure of what just happened.

“Flurry Heart?” Cadance asked. “Do you know what happened?”

Flurry Heart shrugged. “Daybreak was gonna do some magic and Aunt Chrissy freaked out.”

They started to hear shrill, hissing cries from far off in the castle, and Twilight stood up. “I should go check on them.” She didn’t wait for them to respond before teleporting away, too distracted by the sound of Daybreak crying.

Twilight found them in the nursery. Chrysalis was gently rocking Daybreak, trying, and failing, to calm her down.

Twilight winced as the noise engulfed her. “W-What happened?”

“Flurry Heart was getting upset,” Chrysalis said, “and Daybreak figured out how to feed. She’s upset because I didn’t let her.”

“Oh, no…” Twilight walked over and ran a hoof through Daybreak’s mane. “So what happened with Rarity wasn’t a fluke?”

“Apparently not.”

“What do we do?”

“I have no idea.”

They stayed there for a while, trying to calm her down. They tried everything they could think of, rocking, bouncing, toys, singing, but she cried through all of it. In the end, what got her to stop was just exhaustion, the screeching cries eventually falling into fitful sobs, and then further into a deep, restful sleep.

They wrapped her up in a blanket, both gave her a loving kiss on the forehead, and then grabbed a baby monitor as they left to return to their guests.

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh as she slumped back down into her seat. Chrysalis sat beside her and put a leg around her shoulders. “Sorry about that,” Twilight said. “She, um… She got cranky.”

“Oh, it’s perfectly alright,” Cadance said. “We know how it can be.”

“Um… I’m sorry I upset her,” Flurry Heart said meekly.

“It’s not your fault,” Chrysalis told her. “If anything, it’s mine. I’m the one who took her out of here.”

“What even happened?” Shining Armor asked.

Twilight hesitated and looked at Chrysalis, unsure of what to say. Chrysalis frowned and let out a breath. “She… Daybreak was trying to feed.”

Cadance gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves, and Shining Armor winced harshly. “A-Are you okay, Flurry Heart?” Cadance asked nervously.

Flurry Heart gave her a confused look. “What? I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“I got her out before she could do anything,” Chrysalis said. “I’m… Sorry that this happened during your visit.”

Cadance looked at Chrysalis for a moment, then her expression softened. “Well, thank you for acting so quickly. Flurry Heart should never have to endure that.”

“Of course,” Chrysalis said.

“Endure what?” Flurry Heart looked around the table and frowned. “I feel like you’re all hiding something from me.”

Chrysalis sighed. “She wanted to feed off of you. For some reason, she seems to want to feed on anger, rather than love.”

“So? What’s the big deal? It can’t be that bad.” Flurry Heart shrugged. “Especially if she’s not even taking love. Having my anger eaten sounds like a good thing.”

“It’s not a pleasant experience,” Shining Armor told her. “It hurts.”

“Lots of stuff hurts. I’m not a baby anymore, you don’t need to protect me from everything.”

“We’re your parents,” Cadance said, “we’ll always protect you.”

Flurry Heart pouted. “Well, I don’t need it.”

From there, the conversation petered out, and dinner ended soon after. They washed the dishes, and then Cadance’s family spend some time in Canterlot while Twilight and Chrysalis finished up their duties for the day. By the time they returned, the sun was setting, and so they called an end to the day.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright in your own room?” Cadance asked Flurry Heart as they stood in the hall outside one of the guest rooms.

“I’ll be fine,” Flurry Heart said. “I have my own room back home!”

“I know, but sleeping in a new place can be scary. Just… Know you can come to see us if you need to, okay? We’re right next door.” She leaned down and gave Flurry Heart a kiss on the cheek, and Shining Armor followed suit.

“Yeah, okay, I know. Can I go to bed now?”

“Okay,” Cadance said. “Good night, dear. Sleep well.”

“Mm-hm.”

With that, Flurry Heart slipped into the guest room and shut the door. It was a plain, simple room, with just a bed, a dresser, and a small vanity, but it was cozy enough. Her little suitcase had already been placed beside the dresser, and the blanket she’d insisted on bringing was draped neatly over the bed. It didn’t fit, having been made for her smaller bed at home and not this full-sized one, but it was close enough.

She jumped up onto the bed and huffed. “Dumb grown-ups. She’s just a baby, what’s she gonna do? I’m an alicorn.” She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Just cuz I haven’t saved the world doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself.”

She spent a few minutes humming and hawing, rolling around the bed and mulling over her thoughts, before she jumped back down to the floor dramatically. “I’ll show them,” she said under her breath. “I’m just as tough as they are.”

As quietly as she could, she made her way over to the door and cracked it open. She opened it slowly, keeping a diligent eye out for anypony who might see her. Luckily, the hallway was empty, and she was able to slip out unnoticed.

She shut her door, wincing at the loud noise of the latch, and then scampered off in the direction of the throne room. At every corner she would stop, lean up against the wall and peek around, checking for guards or, more importantly, her family.

She made it all the way there without being spotted, but her luck ran out then.

Unknown to her, the throne room always had a guard posted inside, even at night when the room was otherwise empty. She’d hardly cracked the door when a stern voice called out “Who goes there?”

Flurry Heart bit her lip nervously. She slid into the throne room, looked around for the guard, and then glanced sheepishly up at him. “Um, h-hello.”

The guard’s expression softened right away. “Flurry Heart? What are you doing up so late?”

“I, um…” She glanced around, trying desperately to find some excuse. “I… Wanted to apologize to the baby. I upset her earlier, and I feel really bad about it.”

“Well, that’s very sweet of you,” the guard said, “but I’m afraid Daybreak is asleep already.”

“Are you sure? I mean, babies wake up a lot. Can I just go check?” She gave the guard the best pleading expression she could muster. “Please?”

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, just… Be quick, okay? And please, don’t wake her up. I’m putting a lot of trust in you.”

Flurry Heart nodded. “Thank you, sir. I’ll be as quick as I can.” Before anything else could stop her, she dashed away across the room and scurried into the nursery.

Once the door was shut behind her, she let out a massive breath. “I did it…” With a grin, she turned and looked at the crib. “Alright, Daybreak, let’s see what you can do.”

Chapter 4

The nursery was dark, lit only by a night light plugged in by the light switch. The dim glow glittered off the gemstones that decorated the mobile above the crib, casting the room in a wavy, inconsistent sort of brightness.

With a quick flap of her wings, Flurry Heart jumped high into the air and floated gently down into the crib. It was far more spacious than Daybreak was likely to ever need, so it was no problem for Flurry Heart to settle down without disturbing her. Daybreak was sleeping soundly, swaddled neatly in a little blanket that was patterned with delicate moths.

Tentatively, Flurry Heart reached out and prodded Daybreak’s shoulder. “Psst,” she whispered. “Hey. Wake up.”

“Mmn…” Daybreak stirred a little, but never opened her eyes, and settled back down right away.

Flurry Heart frowned. “Hey! C’mon, it’s not that late.”

She gave Daybreak a few more delicate prods, and finally she opened her eyes. “Mm?” She looked up at Daybreak sleepily, unsure of what was going on.

“There you are,” Flurry Heart said, unable to hide the impatience in her voice. “Okay, Daybreak, I need a favor. You know that thing you tried to do at dinner? Well, your mom’s not here to stop you now.”

Daybreak tilted her head curiously. She had no clue what was being asked of her.

Flurry Heart huffed. Using her magic, she lifted Daybreak up and out of her blanket, then settled her back down on her stomach so they could be face to face. Then she sat down and tapped Daybreak’s horn. “The thing. Do the thing.”

Daybreak thought for a moment, then lit up her horn and shot out a tiny spark. She grinned wide, thrilled with her own talent, and flailed her legs in an awkward, excited gesture.

“No, not that one.” Flurry Heart muttered something unintelligible under her breath. “The love thing!”

Daybreak stared up at her for a moment. Then she shot out a few more sparks and started laughing at her success.

Flurry Heart growled. “Ugh, why aren’t you listening? That’s not what I want, I want—”

The growl finally piqued Daybreak’s interest. She focused in on Flurry Heart’s frustration and lit up her horn.

At first, nothing happened. She hadn’t quite figured it out yet, and her magic couldn’t quite latch on. So, she concentrated more and intensified her efforts.

Magical flames erupted around her horn, and she clamped onto the anger that so intrigued her.

Flurry Heart wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t what happened. She thought that, at the very least, it would be controlled. That a baby couldn’t have that much power. What she didn’t know was that Chrysalis had lived for a long time, and in that life she’d learned to restrain herself.

She didn’t know that what Shining Armor had experienced was just a fraction of what Chrysalis could do, and she hadn’t considered the fact that foals often had unstable, dangerous magic.

She felt Daybreak’s magic tighten like a vice on her heart and start to squeeze. Her will, her essence, her self was being at once crushed and drawn in by the magic.

Her thoughts went dry, washed away entirely by the draining sensation that took over her body. She tried to back away, but her legs crumpled underneath her, too weak and shaky to hold her weight.

She held up a feeble, shaking hoof. “Daybreak, s-stop! Please!” She winced as her head started to pound.

Desperately, she shut her eyes and raised her voice as loud as she could muster. “Stop!”

Daybreak stopped her magic, and Flurry Heart scrambled away from her until she ran up against the end of the crib. She clutched her legs to her chest and started to shiver.

Daybreak was looking at her in confusion. She didn’t understand what was going on, or why Flurry Heart had reacted so negatively.

She did recognize the fear in Flurry Heart’s eyes, though, and she had a vague understanding that it was her fault. All the joy and excitement she’d had just a few moments before fell away, and she whimpered as she reached out, only to have Flurry Heart shy away from her more.

The door shot open, and Twilight and Chrysalis ran in. They took the scene in quickly and silently agreed to split up, Chrysalis scooping up Daybreak while Twilight pulled Flurry Heart out of the crib and gave her a tight hug.

“What happened?” Twilight whispered. She stroked Flurry Heart’s mane in an effort to calm her down, though it had little effect.

“I-I…” She sniffed. “I just…” Unable to get the words out, Flurry Heart just shook her head and buried her face in Twilight’s chest.

Twilight held her close and hummed softly. “Do you want me to take you to your mom?” Flurry Heart nodded feebly and, with a quiet gesture to Chrysalis, Twilight picked her up and flew gently out of the room.

Now alone, Chrysalis looked down at the still-whimpering shape of Daybreak pressed against her chest and sighed. “I really don’t know what to make of you,” she whispered.

The door opened barely moments after Twilight knocked on it. “Hel—” Cadence started, but the second she saw Flurry Heart she cut herself off. Without hesitation, she took hold of Flurry Heart and carried her gently over to the bed to hold her.

Clutching Flurry Heart’s head against her chest, Cadance looked up at Twilight. Her eyes were full of fear and concern. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “We found her in Daybreak’s room.”

“In…” Cadance looked down and kissed Flurry Heart’s forehead. “Sweetie, can you tell me what happened?”

Flurry Heart sniffled hard and squeezed her mom tightly. “I didn’t know.”

Twilight shut the door as quietly as she could and snuck away.

Shining Armor, just waking up from the commotion, rolled over and looked up sleepily. “What’s going on?”

“She was in Daybreak’s room,” Cadance said. “Flurry Heart, did you… Did she hurt you?”

Flurry Heart nodded meekly.

Cadance squeezed her tight. “Oh, my poor baby. I’m so sorry.”

With another sniff, Flurry Heart pulled her head back and looked up. “P-Please don’t be mad at her, mom.”

“I’m not mad,” Cadance said.

“It’s not her fault,” Flurry Heart went on. “I made her do it.”

“It’s nopony’s fault,” Cadance told her.

Flurry Heart shook her head. “I-I know… I know you hate Aunt Chrysalis cuz of what she did to dad. It wasn’t Daybreak’s fault, though. I-I don’t…” She trailed off and leaned forward against her mother’s chest.

Cadance and Shining Armor shared a concerned look. Cadance frowned and stroked Flurry Heart’s mane. “I don’t hate Aunt Chrysalis,” she said, “and I’m not going to hate Daybreak.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Flurry Heart fell asleep there, pressed up against her mother, and slept late into the next day. Her parents stayed beside her, careful not to wake her, well into the morning. They may have stayed like that the entire day if not for the knock on their door a few hours after dawn.

Cadance went and answered it, and was shocked to see Chrysalis on the other side, pulling along a cart of food.

“I, uh… I brought you breakfast,” Chrysalis said.

Cadance smiled at her. “Thank you, Chrysalis. Would you like to come in?”

Chrysalis nodded and pushed the cart into the room, then went and stood near the bed. “Did she sleep all night?” She asked, looking down at Flurry Heart.

Shining Armor nodded. “She’s totally out.”

“That’s good,” Chrysalis said. “She should stay in bed for a few days.”

“Days?” Shining Armor exclaimed. “All I needed was a good night’s rest.”

“This isn’t like that,” Chrysalis said. “Not to be crude, but I fed with longevity in mind. I knew how much I could drain without any major consequences. This…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I should have been more diligent.”

“We know you did all you could,” Cadance said. “I don’t blame you for this. It was just… A bad accident.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Well, nevertheless, I am sorry. Also, you may want to consider heading back early. She should be in her own bed.”

Chrysalis sighed. “You’re probably right. It’s a shame to have to leave, but—”

“Mm…” Flurry Heart suddenly stirred and rolled over. “No…”

Cadance walked over and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Sweetie? What’s wrong?”

Flurry Heart forced her eyes open and looked up at her mother. “I don’t wanna ruin your trip.”

Cadance frowned and rubbed her cheek. “You’re not. We just want you to be comfortable.”

“I’m fine,” Flurry Heart said, although a sudden wave of echoing pain made her wince.

“You’re not fine,” Chrysalis told her. “You need to be in your own home. We can reschedule the visit.”

Cadance nodded. “We’ll come back soon, okay? After you feel better.”

“Mmn…” Flurry Heart rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in a pillow. “I’m sorry.”

“Shh.” Cadance rubbed her back gently. “Just rest.”

“I’ll let you get ready,” Chrysalis said, and she left the room.

They took their time packing up. They ate breakfast first, although they had to coax Flurry Heart into sitting up long enough to get food down. Then Cadance went and gathered Flurry Heart’s things, while Shining Armor packed up all of theirs. It was a slow process, especially with the frequent stops to check up on Flurry Heart, and it was nearly lunchtime when they were finally ready.

Both of her parents offered to carry her, but Flurry Heart insisted on walking as they made their way out. She was unsteady on her legs and stared at the ground as she trudged along. Shining Armor was carrying the bags, and Cadance had Flurry Heart’s blanket folded neatly on her back so they could use it on the train ride home.

Twilight and Chrysalis met them in the front hall to say goodbye. Daybreak was in a stroller, looking up at the world with her wide, curious eyes. While the adults hugged and said their goodbyes, Flurry Heart snuck over to Daybreak and looked down at her.

“I’m not mad at you,” she whispered. Daybreak watched her as she talked. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

Daybreak looked at her for a second, then lit up her horn. Flurry Heart flinched, but relaxed when a tiny spark shot out. Then Daybreak grinned and started laughing, and Flurry Heart couldn’t help but grin weakly back.

Chapter 5

“You’re sure you can handle this?”

Applebloom nodded excitedly. “I’ve got it, Twilight. She loves me, there won’t be any problems.”

The two of them were at the farm, standing in the doorway with Daybreak in a carrier between them, surrounded by a mountain of bags. Daybreak stared up at them idly as they talked.

Applebloom was practically dancing in place. This was the first time she’d ever been asked to babysit, and she knew how big of a deal that was. To think that Twilight, a Princess, trusted her enough to leave her daughter there left Applebloom’s heart all aflutter.

“She’s been flying a bit,” Twilight said. Her mane was frizzy and she had bags under her eyes. “Try not to let her get too worked up. You can’t catch her if she flies away from you.”

“Not a problem,” Applebloom told her. “I’m tougher than I look. I can handle whatever she throws at me.”

“And remember,” Twilight went on, speaking as though she had this all scripted, “you’re the babysitter. It’s fine if the other girls come help out, but this is your job, not theirs.”

“Uh-huh.” Applebloom shifted in place, starting to feel awkward standing in the doorway.

“Thank you again,” Twilight said, finally done with her spiel. “I’m sorry to put so much on your shoulders, but practically everypony has to go to this summit. The only one who isn’t is Pinkie, and she…” Twilight thought about the way sadness and negativity could cling to Pinkie and shuddered. “That’d be a bad idea.”

“Twilight, you’re gonna be late.”

“Am I?” Twilight looked up to see where the sun was and jumped with shock. “Oh no! I am!” Hurriedly, she grabbed all the bags with her magic and put them inside, then leaned down to give Daybreak a kiss. “I’ll be back soon, okay sweetie? Mommy loves you.” Daybreak let out a happy squeal, and Twilight stood back up and turned to leave.

She turned back a moment later. “Oh! And don’t let her feed on anypony’s emotions. If you let her, it’ll just encourage the behavior.”

“I know, I know,” Applebloom said. “Bye, Twilight. Have fun.”

“I’ll try.” Twilight gave her an appreciative grin, then vanished in a flash of light.

Daybreak stared at where she’d been for a moment, then looked up at Applebloom and made a questioning noise.”

“She’ll be back soon, buddy,” Applebloom said as she picked up the carrier and brought Daybreak inside. The door clicked shut quietly behind her. “You’re gonna hang out with me for a bit!”

She set the carrier down by the bags, scooped up Daybreak in one leg, and made her way into the living room. She sat down heavily on an old, deep, well-used sofa and sighed. “Been a while since I had the place to myself,” she said.

She spent a second getting comfortable, repositioning herself so she could lie down with Daybreak curled up against her chest, and grabbed a book from the coffee table.

“Just you and me ‘til either the girls show up or Scratch gets outta work,” she said as she flipped the book open.

Daybreak watched the pages flip slowly past for about a minute before she started fidgeting. Applebloom let her, assuming she was just getting comfortable, but after Daybreak managed to flip herself over she reached out and smacked Applebloom in the face.

“Ow!” Applebloom winced and dropped the book. “What’s the big idea?”

“Mm!” Daybreak frowned and smacked her again.

“Hey, quit it! Geez, I don’t speak baby, what’s the problem?”

Defiantly, Daybreak squirmed her way away from Applebloom and stood up uneasily on the couch. She stretched out her thin, featherless wings and flapped them once, sending her about a foot into the air, from which point she slowly glided to the floor.

“Okay,” Applebloom said, getting up,” show me, then.”

Daybreak looked up at her for a second, then turned around, stretched her wings out for balance, and dashed into the hallway and around the corner.

Applebloom gasped and ran after her. When she got to the hallway, Daybreak was already turning off into the kitchen.

“Daybreak, slow down!” She skidded around the corner to find Daybreak looking back at her from on top of the table. “What’s your deal?”

“Ba!”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Daybreak let out a giggle and flapped her wings again, this time bounding straight towards Applebloom. Applebloom flinched and, without thinking, ducked just enough for Daybreak to soar right over her head and back into the hallway.

Daybreak was determined to run like that for as long as she could. Applebloom chased her all over the house, from the attic to the basement, without ever managing to get close enough to nab her.

“Consarnit, girl!” Applebloom grumbled. She’d been chasing Daybreak for almost an hour, to no avail. “Why won’t you sit still and—”

She was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. “Hello?” Diamond Tiara’s dainty, practiced voice echoed through the house. “Applebloom? Are you—”

“Close the door!” Applebloom leapt down the stairs and into the front hall, but she wasn’t fast enough. By the time Diamond Tiara could process what was going on, a little green blur blasted over her head and out the door.

“What the—”

“No!” Applebloom growled in frustration. “Stop her, Scratch!”

“Huh?” She glanced behind herself and noticed the speck making a break for the road. “What am I supposed to do about that?”

“Ugh!” Applebloom leapt over Diamond Tiara, only managing to clear her and get out the door thanks to her thin stature, and landed on the porch. She ran as fast as she could, and on the way out grabbed a rope that always hung on one of the porch banisters.

Out in the open, Applebloom was much faster than Daybreak and started to catch up easily. The gap between them quickly closed, and Applebloom loomed over her far before they got close to the road leading to Ponyville.

At the last moment, just as Applebloom made a grab for her, Daybreak jumped into the air and started trying to fly away. She was unsteady and unpracticed, but she was at least able to escape Applebloom’s reach.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Applebloom muttered under her breath. She pulled up the rope and tossed it at Daybreak, lassoing it easily around one of her hind legs. She was careful not to pull too hard, but she held the rope firm, and Daybreak very quickly hit the end of her leash and wasn’t nearly strong enough to go any further.

She pouted as she was dragged slowly back down to the ground. Eventually, she stopped flying and greeted Applebloom with a nasty frown as the older pony walked up to her.

Panting, Applebloom wiped sweat from her forehead. “Geez Louise, girl, you ain’t even been here an hour. How can you be so ornery?”

“Ba!” Daybreak grumbled crankily. She sat on the ground and stuck her legs out like she wanted to be picked up. “Eat.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re hungry,” Applebloom said. She scooped Daybreak up and started to walk back to the house. “I could use a bite, myself. Maybe a sandwich? Or—”

Daybreak shook her head. “Eat!”

“Yeah, I heard ya,” Applebloom said. She met up with Diamond Tiara halfway back to the house and rolled her eyes. “We’re gonna eat.”

“No! Eat!” With an angry glare, Daybreak lit up her horn and started to focus on Applebloom.

It took her a second to realize what was happening. Once she did, she quickly shoved Daybreak into Diamond Tiara’s grasp and dashed away. “Gah!” Once she was far enough that Daybreak couldn’t reach her, she stopped and put a hoof to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. “Bad girl!”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“She’s tryin’ to eat me!” Applebloom paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She gave herself a minute to calm down, then walked back over to them and looked down at Daybreak sternly. “That’s not nice.”

Daybreak pouted and turned away from Applebloom, deciding instead to bury her face in Diamond Tiara’s chest.

Diamond Tiara frowned and squeezed her. “Care to explain what’s going on?”

“In a sec,” Applebloom sighed. “I gotta get some food in me.”

A few minutes later, Applebloom was greedily devouring a sandwich while Diamond Tiara fed Daybreak. She’d already finished one sandwich while she caught Diamond Tiara up on everything, and was well into her second.

“I just don’t get it,” Applebloom said, mumbling through a full mouth. “Twilight said she was calm.”

Diamond Tiara gave her a funny look. “Dear, can you please… Swallow your food before you talk?”

“Huh?” Applebloom swallowed the bite and grinned. “Oh, heh, my bad.”

“Mm.” Diamond Tiara turned her attention back to Daybreak. “She seems perfectly calm now. Maybe she was just hungry.”

“Yeah, hungry for Apples.”

“Are you insinuating that she was working you up on purpose?”

“We don’t know that she wasn’t.” Applebloom leaned forward to be face to face with Daybreak. “Well? Were you tryin to make me mad?”

“Mm?” Daybreak looked at her and tilted her head quizzically.

“Mm-hm.” Applebloom nodded and sat up again. “I’m onto you.”

“Applebloom, you’re being silly. She’s just a baby.”

“I’m always silly,” Applebloom said with a smile. “That’s why ya like me.”

“Well, I suppose that’s as likely a reason as any.”

Applebloom laughed. Having finished her meal, she got up and started to clean the dishes. “So, how was work?”

“Ugh, exhausting.” Diamond Tiara let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Those animals are so needy! I don’t know how Fluttershy did it, how can anypony put up with being asked for things day in and day out?”

“Couldn’t imagine.”

“Har har.” Diamond Tiara stuck her tongue out at Applebloom. “I’m not that bad. I could be way more of a—”

She was cut off by a loud knock on the door. All three of them looked that way, and Applebloom quickly dried her hooves off and scurried out into the hall.

“Who could that be? Scoots and Sweetie Belle wouldn’t knock.” A little apprehensively, she cracked the door open. “Hel— Oh!”

On the other side of the door, Twilight waved sheepishly. “Uh, hey! I’m back.”

“I thought the summit was all weekend, though.”

“It was,” Twilight said. “I may have, um, kind of, maybe, snuck out?”

Applebloom raised an eyebrow. “Twilight, you literally run Equestria. You can’t just bail on stuff.”

“I know!” Twilight sighed. “I know, I just… I missed her so much! I couldn’t stop worrying about her. Where is she, by the way? Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s… Why don’t you come in.” Applebloom opened the door the rest of the way, and Twilight graciously walked in with an embarrassed look on her face. “She’s in the kitchen.”

“Oh, okay!” Twilight hurried down the hall and into the other room. As soon as she saw Daybreak, she smiled wide and visibly relaxed. “Oh, there’s my baby! Come here, you.” She gently took Daybreak from Diamond Tiara’s hold and sat down at the table so she could dote on her, kissing her face and fussing with her mane. Daybreak smiled and giggled throughout it, thrilled to see her mom again.

“Hello, Princess,” Diamond Tiara said. “I was just feeding her.”

“Thank you, Diamond Tiara. I hope she hasn’t been too much trouble.”

“Oh, not at all. She’s an angel.”

Applebloom walked in and rolled her eyes. “Well, she did try to eat me.”

Twilight gasped. “Really? But she’s been doing so good!”

“Yeah, she gave me the run-around for a bit then tried to nip me when I got annoyed.” Applebloom shrugged and took a seat. “Not a huge deal since I caught it, but she tried.”

Twilight huffed and turned Daybreak so they were looking at each other. “That was very naughty,” Twilight said. “You know better.”

Daybreak frowned. “Eat!”

“No! That’s not how we treat others!” Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Applebloom. This must’ve been a horrible first babysitting experience.”

“Oh, naw, it was great,” Applebloom said. “Rough, sure, but that’s just how kids are. I’ve had worse.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Twilight said. “Still, hopefully we won’t need to drop this on you in the future.”

“Oh, I’d be happy to babysit again!” Applebloom grinned. “I mean, it’d be better for her to have a babysitter she knows well, right? You could count on me!”

“That’s so much to ask of you, though,” Twilight said. “I couldn’t possibly.”

“Twilight, she was here for, like, two hours. I doubt I’d need to do it all that much, and I wanna help!”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“I… Thank you, Applebloom.” Twilight smiled softly, then turned to Daybreak. “What about you? Would you wanna come back here?”

Daybreak looked at her for a second, then looked over to Applebloom, then looked back again. She grinned and shot her legs up in an excited gesture. “Eat!”

Diamond Tiara stifled a laugh. Applebloom put her head in her hooves. “I, uh, think that’s a yes.”

Chapter 6

A few days had passed since the incident with Applebloom, and things had been peaceful. Daybreak had been calm and reserved, and Twilight and Chrysalis were enjoying the brief reprieve from the chaos.

When Twilight went into the nursery to pick Daybreak up one morning, though, she was met with an empty crib.

Twilight was long past the point of panic at that sight. Daybreak just liked to play hide and seek. Twilight quickly scanned all the toys and such that were scattered about the crib, looking for what was out of place.

She didn’t see anything. “Daybreak?” She called out and glanced around. Just to double-check, she went through the entire crib, examining every stuffed animal and toy one by one, but Daybreak definitely wasn’t there.

Then she remembered that Daybreak had figured out how to fly.

With a chuckle, she turned and started to scan the room. “I know you haven’t figured out how to open doors,” she said. “You’re here somewhere.”

She started to stalk around the room, looking under bottles and behind pictures and making a show of the search. “Where could she be,” she wondered aloud. “On the dresser? No, not there. The changing table? That’s empty. Hmm…”

She put a hoof to her chin and glanced around. Then she lit up with an idea, wildly exaggerating her expressions, and skipped across the room.

There was a little bookshelf in one corner, filled with picture books and puzzles. Twilight hadn’t quite memorized what should be on the bookshelf, but she was reasonably confident there’d only be one of each book, and sure enough, there was one that she saw two copies of.

She couldn’t help but be impressed, and a little proud, that Daybreak had had the foresight not to hide right next to the book she was copying.

Daybreak popped out of her disguise with a giggle as soon as Twilight pulled her out. Twilight laughed with her and pulled her into a hug. “You silly thing,” she said. “It’s gonna be a nightmare when you figure out how to open doors.”

From there, she got Daybreak ready for the day and took her out into the throne room. Chrysalis was already there, sitting lazily in her throne as some wealthy stallion droned on about something she clearly had no interest in.

“Oh, Twilight!” Chrysalis relaxed visibly as Twilight took her own seat, Daybreak nestled in her lap. “Perhaps you have some insight for this pony’s dilemma?”

Twilight laughed. “I can try. What’s the issue?”

The stallion cleared his throat and turned to Twilight. “Good morning, Princess,” he said. “I am—”

“Gah!” Daybreak cut him off with a loud, squealing noise.

“Daybreak, please don’t interrupt others,” Twilight said quietly. “I’m sorry,” she told the stallion, “what was that?”

“I…” He nodded and cleared his throat again. “As I was saying, my name is Star Thistle. I own the Canterlot Botanical Gardens, and I was hoping that—”

“Bah!” Daybreak cut in again. She giggled and clapped her hooves together at the stallion’s startled reaction. “Gah!”

“Daybreak,” Twilight said sternly. “That’s very rude of you!” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Sorry, sorry, um… Star Thistle. The gardens?”

“Yes,” the stallion said slowly, having been thrown off of his rhythm. “Well, attendance has been down, and I wanted to host a—”

“Mmm… Bah!” That was the loudest one yet, and the stallion jumped in shock. Thrilled with herself, Daybreak stood up in Twilight’s lap and started to hop excitedly. “Bah! Bah! Bah!”

Twilight shook her head. “Chrysalis, could you please take her into the other room?”

“Of course,” Chrysalis said, happy for the excuse to leave. She stood up from her throne, but as soon as she did Daybreak jumped out of Twilight’s lap and dashed across the throne room to hide behind the stallion.

Twilight groaned. “I am so sorry about this. She’s never like this.”

“It’s… It’s quite alright,” the stallion said, eyeing Daybreak apprehensively. “She’s just a child, I understand that she—”

“Bah!”

The stallion huffed. “Does she not like it when I talk? I can’t fathom how I could’ve offended her enough to prompt such distaste.”

“Bah!” Daybreak laughed and hopped in place, even as Chrysalis approached her. “Bah! Bah!”

Then she lit up her horn.

Twilight scrambled to get up, but Chrysalis was already there, and by the time Twilight got to her hooves Chrysalis had scooped her up and teleported away. Twilight was left standing there, exasperation clear on her face as she tried to figure out what to do.

Twilight wrapped up the meeting as quickly as she could, which more or less meant giving the stallion everything he wanted, and hurried to the nursery to meet up with Chrysalis.

In the room, Chrysalis was sitting on the floor quietly reading a book. Daybreak was in her crib, glowering at anything that moved.

“Um…”

“She’s in time out,” Chrysalis explained.

“Ah.” With a sigh, Twilight went and sat beside Chrysalis. “She’s getting worse.”

“Mm-hm,” Chrysalis hummed. “I’m starting to question if she’ll grow out of it.”

“After Flurry Heart, I feel like she’d stop if we actually let her do it and she figured out that it always hurts, but… You’re right, without being able to go that far, she might need something more.”

Daybreak pounded on the floor of her crib. “Bah! Eat!”

“We should get some help,” Chrysalis said, ignoring Daybreak. “Call someone in.”

Twilight nodded. “Thorax?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “I don’t think metamorphosed changelings have the… hunger. Thorax probably wouldn’t have any idea what to do.”

“Hmm… Do you think it’s bad enough to justify pulling Fluttershy away from her work?”

“That is what I’ve been thinking,” Chrysalis said. “It’s not like there are any scholars on half-pony-half-changelings. The only ponies I know with the talent for the unknown are her and Meadowbrook.”

“We could call in Meadowbrook.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Twilight sighed. “No… Okay. We’ll call—”

There was a soft knock on the door. It was so quiet they could hardly tell it was actually on the door into the nursery.

Twilight got up to answer it. When she opened it, her eyes went wide. “Well, that was fast.”

On the other side of the door stood Fluttershy, wearing a meek, sheepish smile. “Um… Hi, Twilight. Did you need something?”

“Yeah, uh… Come on in.” She stepped aside, and Fluttershy walked in past her. “Do you just listen in on conversations sometimes?”

Fluttershy gasped. “No, of course not! I just… Well, I can’t really help but pay attention when I hear my name.”

Twilight laughed and shook her head. “I’ll never get used to you being so… Weird.”

Weird was, by all accounts, a massive understatement. Fluttershy had moved away some years ago to Trotsylvania, a secretive little town hidden away in a bog. It was a strange town, full of magic, mystery and monsters, and her time there had not been subtle in the ways it had changed her.

The physical changes were the most obvious. It was impossible to ignore how the color had drained from the tips of her mane and tail, leaving only an inky blackness, or how that same darkness now shone through cracks that scarred her milky-white eyes. She was a bizarre creature to behold, but she had embraced it, made it her own, and now it was as much a part of her as the pink of her mane or the yellow of her coat.

The more profound changes were invisible and abstract. She’d tapped into unknown depths, and those depths had taken the chance to seep into her. Now, she and they were one and the same, a connection that came with terrors and strengths that Fluttershy had never found the end to.

So, suffice it to say, she was weird.

Fluttershy was standing by the bars of the crib, looking into Daybreak’s grumpy face. “Hey, baby,” she said softly. “Have you been a bad girl?”

Daybreak frowned. “Eat!”

“You’re welcome to try,” Fluttershy said as she turned away. “Good morning, Chrysalis. I hope you’ve been well.”

“For the most part,” Chrysalis said. “I must admit, though, I’m not happy about this.”

“We all have to ask for help sometimes,” Fluttershy told her. “There’s no shame in that.”

“And we do need help,” Twilight added as she walked over. “We don’t know what to do, Fluttershy. We thought she’d stop after getting so upset over hurting Flurry Heart, but now she’s riling ponies up just to try and feed off of them. That’s just… Well, it’s not good, Fluttershy.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “I’d be happy to help. There is one thing, though.”

Twilight frowned. “What?”

“It’s not likely to be quick and easy,” Fluttershy said, “and I can’t be away from my town for that long.”

Twilight sighed in profound disappointment. “Of course. Right. I’m sorry, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to impose on you like that.”

“No, no, I want to help!” Fluttershy told her quickly. “I just can’t do it here. Could she visit me for a few days?”

“Oh.” Twilight looked up at Fluttershy. “Oh! Yeah, of course! Um, just let us say goodbye really quickly.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight scurried over to the crib and leaned down so she could be at eye level with Daybreak. Chrysalis got up slowly and walked over to join her, although she didn’t bother to lean down.

“Okay, sweetie, you’re gonna go stay with Fluttershy for a bit, okay?” Twilight said. “This isn’t because we’re mad at you, though. We both still love you, okay?”

Daybreak, still grumpy, just pouted at her.

“Daybreak, you’re going to be upset if you don’t properly say goodbye,” Chrysalis said.

“Humph,” Daybreak grumbled.

Chrysalis sighed and lifted Daybreak up out of the crib to give her a hug. “Fine, but we do love you. We’ll see you soon.”

Twilight took Daybreak, gave her a long hug and several kisses, and then passed her over to Fluttershy. “Thank you so much for this.”

“It’s nothing,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “We’ll love having her there.”

Twilight nodded, and then they all fell silent. For a moment, they just looked awkwardly at each other.

Fluttershy cleared her throat after a bit. “Could you, um… Turn the lights out?”

“Oh, right.” Twilight flicked the switch, and the room was cast into darkness.

A second later, when the lights flicked back on, Fluttershy was gone, along with Daybreak.

Also gone was the crib, the dresser, the bookshelf, and everything else that had been in the room just a moment before.

“Thorough,” Chrysalis said.

Twilight shook her head with a smile. “I still think it’s weird.”

Author's Note

Sorry about the infodump in the middle there. I know it's kinda a lot, and it's very "tell" and not "show," but I wanna be able to use Fluttershy as she is in this au, and doing so needs at least some context to make sense.

If you're interested in reading about wtf happened to Fluttershy, you can check out that story here. Just be mindful of the content tags.

Chapter 7

Fluttershy whistled a sweet little tune as she flitted around her cottage cleaning up. Her home wasn’t messy, per se, but it was undoubtedly a bit cluttered. Books left on tables had to be returned to shelves, mail left unread had to be sorted, and then there were the bits of confetti or half-deflated balloons she’d find from time to time.

Fluttershy did like to live in a clean home, and she even enjoyed cleaning, but she was a very distractable pony, and living with Pinkie had done nothing to help that. She had time scheduled every weekend dedicated to cleaning up, and for the most part that worked, but it didn’t stop the clutter of the week from piling up until then.

Daybreak sat in her crib and watched Fluttershy idly. She’d never been in Fluttershy’s cabin before, and only a few minutes before then she’d been in the comfort of her own room, so she was a bit shellshocked at everything going on. It was all she could do just to stare out and take in her new surroundings.

Fluttershy’s cabin was a cozy, picturesque little place. Most of it was taken up by a single room, one side of which had been turned into a kitchen separated from the rest by a low counter. Opposite the kitchen was a little reading area, with bookshelves in the corner and sofas arranged to make it feel more like it wasn’t just part of everything else. Near there was the front door, and on the opposite side of the door was the old, too-steep staircase that led up to the second floor, the entirety of which made up their bedroom.

The most prominent thing in the home, nestled in between the reading nook and the kitchen, was a large, round fire pit. It was recessed into the floor, with an intermediate ledge around the edge covered in cushions for ponies to relax on, and above it was a heavy stone chimney to collect the smoke. The fire pit itself hadn’t seen much use, as Trotsylvania didn’t get nearly cold enough for it, but the circle of cushions was their go-to whenever they had company over.

After she finished picking up everything obvious, Fluttershy briefly considered delving into a deeper cleaning, mopping the floors and dusting the shelves and so on, but decided against it. Daybreak seemed to have cooled down, and there was much to do.

She glided over to the crib, which she’d nestled down near the bottom of the stairs, and leaned down to talk to Daybreak. “Alright, sweetie, how are you feeling?”

Daybreak tilted her head, still out of sorts from the sudden shift in environment.

“Hmm… Well, I suppose that’s better than being fussy.” Gently, she reached into the crib and plucked out Daybreak, holding her close but giving her enough freedom to move around and look at everything. “So, welcome to my home. Do you remember my name?”

Daybreak looked up at her and thought. “Mmn…” Finally, she shook her head.

Fluttershy laughed softly. “That’s okay. I’m Fluttershy, okay? Flu-tter-shy,” she said, sounding out each syllable slowly. “Can you say that?”

“Fly!”

“Not quite,” Fluttershy said with a grin. “You’re close, though. You’ll get there.” She floated over to one of the sofas and sat down with a contented sigh. “So, what are we going to do with you?”

Daybreak looked up at Fluttershy with pleading eyes. “Eat?”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. She lifted Daybreak up so they were face to face and looked into her eyes. “Sweetie, when you do that you hurt other ponies. Don’t you remember what happened with Flurry Heart?”

Daybreak didn’t understand the connection, and her confused expression made that clear.

“No, I suppose you’re too young to figure that out from just one scary encounter,” Fluttershy said. “So, what? It’s not like we can just let you loose on somepony.” Fluttershy thought for a moment, then suddenly got up from the sofa and pulled Daybreak back against her chest. “No use dwelling on it. Would you like to see the town?”

Daybreak didn’t quite give her an actual answer, but she decided to take it as a yes. She nabbed a floppy sunhat from a hatrack on her way out, and slipped it on as she stepped out the door.

It was a foggy day, but not terribly so. They could see a good amount of the massive, labyrinthine castle that towered nearby, and the gate leading into town was perfectly visible. The fog made the air feel thick, though, and just stepping outside made them feel sweaty despite the slight chill in the air.

Fluttershy squeezed Daybreak and made her way into town.

Trotsylvania had a bit of a strange layout compared to most towns. It was, for the most part, a single street, only a few miles in length. It was lined with businesses and services, shops and blacksmiths and guilds, while the majority of the town’s actual homes were nestled behind them, away from the street. The tightly packed houses made a maze of alleyways that was sure to confound any newcomers. Surrounding it all was a tall cobblestone wall, and though they knew it would do little to deter any serious aggressors, it gave the townsfolk some peace of mind by letting the average explorer know that this place wanted to be left alone.

The gate by the cabin let out onto the only other street in town. It ran perpendicular to the main road, a short, straight shot from the castle grounds to the gate leading into the bog outside. The street itself was rarely used, but the intersection was often bustling, having been made into somewhat of a town square.

Most of the crowd was gathered around a stage set right in the middle, from which the town’s crier relayed the news of the day. Fluttershy settled down for a moment at the edge of the crowd, not wanting to delve too deep more for her own sake than the baby’s, and listened in.

The crier, a tall stallion with tan fur, was bouncing around the stage energetically as newspapers floated through the air around him. “Let’s move back to the top, shall we?” It was a sentence Fluttershy heard from him a lot when she showed up, and while she felt bad about his spiel being reset just for her sake, she couldn’t deny that it was nice to not have to wait for the main news of the day.

“You may have already heard,” he was saying, “I do know how gossip spreads in this town, but we had a celebrity here last week! That’s right, our humble little town was graced by Rarity herself, and curious ears have told me they heard talk of a new boutique. Could it be? Is she—”

Fluttershy chuckled and turned to leave, gently floating along with Daybreak held in her legs. “Don’t let him fool you,” she told Daybreak, “that’s the third Rarity headline this year. She talks about opening a boutique every time she visits.”

“Eat?”

“No, no,” Fluttershy said, “bou-tique. It’s like a clothes store. I can’t imagine you’d have to worry about one, Rarity must make you clothes all the time, but—”

As she talked, Daybreak started to get restless and squirmed in Fluttershy’s grip. “Down!”

“You wanna walk?” Fluttershy landed and set Daybreak gently down on the ground. “Alright, but don’t run off, okay?”

Daybreak nodded and started to walk down the street with Fluttershy at her heels. She moved slowly, gazing around in wonder at all the strange and new things she was passing by.

Trotsylvania was a refuge, a place of safety for all sorts of creatures, and as such it wasn’t like any other town in Equestria. Most notably, there were very few actual ponies in the town. There were more than any one other type of creature, sure, but that didn’t amount to much, and even the ponies that were there were largely divided. Most were vampires, but they also had the undead, the cursed, and a few ponies who were simply outcasts.

Even with such vast differences, though, Trotsylvania was as busy, and as friendly, as any other town its size. Every griffon, changeling or sphinx they passed by smiled and waved to the two of them, and several creatures even stopped to say hello to Daybreak, curious about the strange little thing.

The attention thrilled Daybreak. She got a pep in her step as she trotted along, scurrying around so excitedly that she almost tripped over herself several times. Fluttershy followed behind with a smile, content to let Daybreak explore however she pleased.

Eventually, she was so emboldened by it all that she decided to run up to the next creature she saw herself, rather than wait for them to come to her.

She hopped up in front of them and stopped them in their tracks. “B—” She stopped herself, looked down in thought for a moment, then sprang back up. “Hi!”

“Well, howdy!” It was a kirin, bright and bubble with dark teal fur and a leafy green mane. She crouched down and gave Daybreak a toothy grin. “Well, aren’t you the cutest little thing? What’s your name?”

“Mmm… Fly!”

Giggling, Fluttershy walked up beside Daybreak and nodded to the kirin. “Hi, Bon. This is Daybreak Nymph. I’m babysitting her for a few days.”

Daybreak nodded. “Fly!”

“Lucky! I’d love to be able to look after such an adorable little munchkin.” Bon bopped Daybreak on the nose and ruffled her mane. “What is she?”

“I think they’re calling her a pixie,” Fluttershy said. “She’s half pony and half changeling.”

“Woah, how does that work?” Bon raised her eyebrows in shock. “Where’d she come from?”

“She’s Princess Twilight’s daughter,” Fluttershy said. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her.”

Bon shrugged. “I guess the news hasn’t reached us.”

“Strange,” Fluttershy said. “Well, what are you up to? I don’t see you out much.”

“I’m gonna meet my sister for a day off,” Bon said. “We both really need one. I’m just exhausted, and she, well—” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s kinda lost her creative spark.”

“Oh, well that sounds lovely,” Fluttershy said. “I hope you have fun.”

Bon nodded. “Oh, we will! Ooh, hey, do you think the little tyke here would wanna meet Fire?”

“I—” Fluttershy froze. “That would be a bad idea.”

Fluttershy suddenly felt incredibly foolish. Somehow, she’d forgotten all about Bon and Fire. Bon wasn’t a problem, she was cheerier than even Pinkie a lot of the time, but Fire…

Bon and Fire weren’t actually sisters. They said they were for convenience’s sake, and because that was the kind of relationship they had, but the truth was that, a long time ago, there’d just been one kirin named Bonfire. Fluttershy didn’t know the whole story, but—

“Oh, hey Fire!” Bon suddenly perked up and waved to someone behind Fluttershy.

Anxiously, Fluttershy turned around. Standing there, grinning through green flames, was Fire.

The nirik looked down at Daybreak curiously. “What the heck is that?”

Daybreak looked up at her with wide eyes. “Eat?”

Chapter 8

“Eat?”

“No,” Fluttershy said sternly. “Daybreak, please do not do that.”

“Do what?” Fire was looking between the two with confusion.

“It’s, um, a little complicated,” Fluttershy said. She talked slowly, distracted by keeping a sharp eye on Daybreak and her hungry gaze. “She’s half changeling, and, um—No!”

While Fluttershy was talking, Daybreak had crouched down like she was going to pounce, then lit up her horn.

Fluttershy moved on instinct. She jumped to get in between Daybreak and Fire, and as she soared through the air she waved her hoof in an attempt to summon up the strength to stop the magic.

Long, thin strips of darkness stretched out from Daybreak’s shadow and started to swirl around her. They spun up into the air and wrapped themselves around her horn, stifling the magical glow and, with it, the magic itself.

When nothing happened, Daybreak looked confused for a moment. She glanced up at Fluttershy, then around her at Fire, and decided to try again. She shut her eyes and strained herself, pushed as hard as she could, but still nothing happened. She’d been completely cut off from her magic.

She looked up at Fluttershy with a grumpy pout. “Bah!”

“No,” Fluttershy said. “Daybreak, you were going to hurt her!”

Daybreak shook her head. “Eat!”

Stepping around Fluttershy, Fire looked between the two of them. “Mind filling me in here?”

Fluttershy sighed and nodded. “Right. So, um, she’s half changeling, but instead of feeding on love, she seems to feed on… Anger? We’re not entirely sure, but that’s what it looks like.”

“Ah.” Fire crouched down so she was face to face with Daybreak. “Well, I must smell like a feast, huh?”

“Hmph.” Daybreak huffed and sat heavily on the ground.

“Well, I’m game,” Fire said. She turned to Fluttershy. “Let her at me.”

“What?” Fluttershy jumped back in shock. “B-But she’d hurt you! I can’t do that.”

“I’ve got plenty to spare,” Fire said.

“Sis, don’t be rash,” Bon told her. “Do you really want to encourage that behavior?”

“Seems to me she encourages herself just fine. Better she figures out she’s hurting other creatures with me than some other shmuck who’s not built for it.”

“Fire, I can’t just willingly let her hurt you,” Fluttershy said. “It wouldn’t be right.”

Fire stood up and looked hard into Fluttershy’s eyes. “Nah, what wouldn’t be right is lettin her kill someone cuz you didn’t have the spine to let her figure this stuff out when it was safe.”

“C’mon,” Bon said, “isn’t that a bit harsh? She’s a baby, she’s not gonna kill someone.”

“We don’t know that!” Fire snapped her head towards Bon as the flames around her neck surged and rippled. Then she looked back at Fluttershy and narrowed her eyes. “Do you really wanna take the risk of just hoping you can get her to bottle up that hunger for the rest of her life?”

“I—” Fluttershy bit her lip as she thought. “I don’t know. That’s a big leap! I… Give me a day or two, okay? If I don’t figure out anything better, I’ll come talk to you. I promise.”

Fire took a deep breath, and her flames died down a bit. “Fine. You better keep a close eye on her, though.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I will.” With that, she scooped up Daybreak and waved to the sisters. “You two enjoy your day off, okay?”

“Will do, Miss N!” Bon said cheerfully. She giggled at Fluttershy’s embarrassed cringe upon hearing the name. Fire, for her part, just gave Fluttershy a grunt and a nod.

Then Fluttershy left, deciding it was about time to head home. As she floated away, Daybreak peeked up over her shoulder to look back at Fire, who was watching them leave.

Fire, in a moment of impulse, flicked a tiny wisp of flame in their direction, and once Daybreak could use her magic again, she lit her horn up a tiny bit and sucked it out of the air.

A short, uneventful walk later and they were back at the cottage. Fluttershy fumbled with the handle a bit before pushing the door open and strutting in.

“Hello?” She called out as she shut the door behind herself. “Pinkie, are you home?”

There was a crashing noise upstairs, followed by the sound of running hooves. Then the hoofsteps lost their rhythm, getting tangled together, and there was a high pitched squeal followed by several heavy thumps as Pinkie tumbled down the stairs.

Fluttershy gasped and rushed over to Pinkie, who’d landed sprawled out on her back with a dazed look in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Meant to do that,” Pinkie mumbled. “Totally… Super on purpose.”

Fluttershy sighed and chuckled. “Uh-huh. Well, was a broken leg part of your plan, or can you stand up?”

“Uhh, let’s see!” With a grunt, Pinkie rolled herself over and pushed herself up off the floor. She wobbled a bit, but found her balance soon enough and gave Fluttershy a toothy grin. “All good!”

“Well, good,” Fluttershy said. She leaned in and gave Pinkie a soft kiss, then held Daybreak up so she could get a better look. “Look who’s visiting!”

“Ohh, yeah, the crib makes a lot more sense now,” Pinkie said. “Angel really didn’t like it when I put him in there.”

“Oh, be nice to Angel,” Fluttershy said. “He’s getting old.”

“That’s why I thought the crib was for him! Old things are kinda like babies.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay.”

“So, why’s Daybreak here?” Pinkie leaned down and nuzzled Daybreak’s nose with her own. “Not that I mind.”

Daybreak giggled at the attention and held her legs out to Pinkie, who took her from Fluttershy’s grip and hugged her lovingly.

“Twilight and Chrysalis are having trouble with her hunger issues,” Fluttershy said. “I said we’d take her for a few days to try and help.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie thought for a moment. As she did, she continued to dote on Daybreak with kisses and nuzzles. “Well, I dunno how I’m gonna help. I only know how to bake with love, not hate.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it, but… I’ll catch you up over dinner.”

Fluttershy made her way into the kitchen to cook, and Pinkie took the chance to go lie on the couch and play with Daybreak. She held Daybreak up in the air, bouncing her and tossing her up before bringing her back down and kissing her face. She kept it up the entire time Fluttershy was cooking, never tiring of it, and was mildly disappointed when Fluttershy said the food was done.

As they ate, and as Pinkie fed Daybreak, Fluttershy caught her up on everything that had happened. Pinkie listened patiently, although not quietly, as she also spent the time playing with Daybreak.

“I dunno,” Pinkie said after she finished, “I can’t really think of anything we can actually do.”

Fluttershy sighed. “Yeah… I thought I could teach her about kindness, but I don’t think that’s even the problem here. It’s not that she’s being unkind, it’s more like she just doesn’t understand that ponies don’t like being mad, so she doesn’t see the problem with riling them up.”

“So…”

“I know,” Fluttershy said. “It’s just hard for me.”

“I can do it if you want.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I need to be there to stop it in case things go wrong.”

“Should I go get Fire?”

“I…” Fluttershy frowned. “I guess so, yeah.”

“Thanks for the help,” Pinkie was saying as she and Fire walked up to the cabin.

“No problem,” Fire said. “Like I told Fluttershy, I’ve got plenty to spare.”

“It’s probably gonna hurt.”

“Whatever.”

Pinkie pushed the door open and held it for Fire. Inside, Fluttershy was reading a book to Daybreak, but shut it and put it aside when they walked in.

She sat up and nodded to Fire with a soft smile. “Thank you for coming all this way. I’m sorry to bother you so soon.”

“Better to get it done with quick,” Fire said. She trotted over and bopped Daybreak on the nose. “How’s the little tot?”

“Fa!” Daybreak reached her legs out towards Fire. “Eat!”

“Uh-huh,” Fire said. She sat on the floor beside the couch Fluttershy was holding Daybreak on and held a hoof up in front of her face. With a quick flick, a flame popped up at the tip of her hoof, and she held it out towards Daybreak.

Daybreak grinned and grabbed Fire’s hoof before lighting up her horn and devouring the flame.

“Woah,” Pinkie said. She bounced over and sat next to Fluttershy. “What was that?”

“Well, you said she eats anger, right? Well, what exactly do you think these flames are?”

“I thought you were just on fire,” Pinkie said.

“You hug me every time you see me,” Fire replied.

Pinkie shrugged. “I figured I was immune to fire or something.”

“Pinkie, please do not assume you are immune to fire,” Fluttershy said. She turned to Fire. “So, you can just separate the flames from yourself? It doesn’t hurt?”

“Not at all,” Fire said. She lit up another spark to demonstrate, which Daybreak quickly sucked away. “I could do this all day.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s not hurting you,” Fluttershy said, “but I don’t really see how this fixes the problem. I mean, it’s not like she can just be around niriks all the time.”

“It’s just about practice,” Fire said, tossing Daybreak another morsel. “I mean, you know vampires. They can feed without hurting anyone, it just takes moderation.”

“How can she learn the limits without hurting anyone, though?” Fluttershy asked.

“She can’t,” Fire said. “You’re just gonna have to deal with that. She’s gonna go too far sometimes.”

“And you think we should just… Let her?” Fluttershy pursed her lips anxiously.

“I mean, don’t let her run wild,” Fire said. “Stop her when she slips up. You gotta give her the chance to slip up, though.”

“It just seems so… Dangerous,” Fluttershy said.

Fire shrugged, then turned her attention to Daybreak. “Alright, kid, have at it.” She tapped her own chest lightly. “Floodgates are open.”

Daybreak tilted her head. “Eat?”

“Yes, geez, eat!”

Daybreak squealed and squeezed her eyes shut as she concentrated. Her horn lit with a brilliant light, and a second later Fire sputtered and clutched her chest.

Fluttershy shut down Daybreak’s magic as Fire fell to the floor in a coughing fit. Pinkie jumped off the couch and crouched beside Fire, but wasn’t sure what she could do past just putting a sympathetic hoof on her side.

When the stream of magic shut off, Daybreak pouted and opened her eyes. She started to whine, but cut herself short when she saw Fire sprawled out on the floor. She stuck a hoof out towards the writhing nirik and frowned. “Fa?”

Fluttershy sighed and wrapped her legs around Daybreak. “You hurt her, sweetie,” she whispered. “See? That’s why I wouldn’t let you eat.”

“Mm…” Daybreak reached out for Fire, struggling a bit against Fluttershy’s grip. “Fa!”

With a shudder, Fire let out one final, harsh cough, then pushed herself back up off the floor. Her flames had died down quite a bit, and when she opened her eyes they seemed dimmer and less focused.

She took a deep breath as Pinkie rubbed her back. “Okay,” she said, “that hurt more than I thought it would.”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Fire shook her head. “No, I asked for it.” She leaned forward and looked hard into Daybreak’s eyes. “Do you understand what just happened?”

Daybreak frowned and shook her head.

“You went too far,” Fire said. “Ate too much. Here, look.” She flicked her wrist and sparked up another little flame, which she held out to Daybreak. “Here.”

Daybreak pushed Fire’s hoof away, refusing to take it.

Fire pushed back. “Take it. Come on. Eat.”

“Mm…” Daybreak hesitated for a moment, then lit her horn up a bit and sucked up the flame.

“See?” Fire smiled at her. “No pain.”

Daybreak tilted her head. “Eat?”

“Okay, here,” Fire said. She put a leg around Pinkie and pushed her forward. “Take a little from Pinkie. Just this much,” she said, lighting another flame. “Can you do that?”

Daybreak shook her head defiantly.

“Try,” Fire said. She put the flame out and pushed Pinkie forward a bit more. “C’mon, eat.”

Daybreak looked at Pinkie. “Eat?”

Pinkie nodded. “Go ahead, sweetie.”

Daybreak took a breath, then lit her horn up just a tiny bit. A second later the light dimmed, although nothing seemed to have happened.

Pinkie looked at Fire. “Did she… do it?”

Fire shrugged. “Iunno. Did you do it, kid?”

Daybreak nodded. “Yah.”

“Well, there ya have it,” Fire said. She stood up, shivering briefly as an aftershock of pain hit her, and nodded. “Guess I’m done here.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Fluttershy frowned. “B-But she only did it once!”

“Like I said, she’s just gotta practice,” Fire said. “Don’t need me for that.”

“But what if she hurts someone?”

“Then stop her,” Fire said. “C’mon, you practically run this town, surely you can handle a baby.”

“I…”

“We can do it,” Pinkie said. She grinned and nodded to Fluttershy. “Right?”

Fluttershy sighed, then nodded back. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, you’re right. We’ve got this.”

“Good,” Fire said as she opened the door and stepped out. “See ya.”

“Thanks for the help!” Pinkie said cheerily. “Say bye-bye, Daybreak.”

“Bah!”

Chapter 9

“Ohh, I don’t know if I can handle this much longer.”

“You have to stop dwelling on it.”

“I know, I know, but…”

“It’s hard, I know. You’re only making it worse, though.”

“Augh… I just miss her so much!” An early evening glow shrouded Twilight as she paced up and down the throne room anxiously. Every so often she’d stop and fuss with something, a misplaced strand of her mane or a spot on the floor or anything else that caught her eye, but the distractions never kept her attention for long.

Chrysalis was sitting in her throne watching her pace. “Twilight, it’s only been a day.”

“I know!” Twilight grumbled and scratched her head in frustration. “I just… I can’t stop worrying! I mean, she’s in Trotsylvania. What if something happens? What if she has a bad reaction to some creature? What if she feeds on a nirik? What if, if… I don’t know! I’m not there, anything could happen!”

“Anything could happen whether you were there or not,” Chrysalis told her.

“Yeah, but at least then I’d know. Maybe we should call her back. Should we call her back?” Twilight groaned and sat on the floor. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We can call her back if we need to,” Chrysalis said. “I’m not going to tell you we should, though. I think it should be up to Fluttershy to decide when she’s ready.”

“You’re right,” Twilight said. “I know you’re right. But I miss her! How can anypony stand leaving their kids with babysitters?”

“Most aren’t lucky enough to have such calm children,” Chrysalis said. “Nor do they have your unending supply of anxiety.”

“I feel like I’m justified in being anxious this time! I mean, she’s our baby. I’m allowed to be worried about her!”

“Of course you’re allowed.”

Twilight sighed and put her head in her hooves. “Should I call her back?”

“I don’t know. Do you think you’ll feel better anytime soon?”

“No.”

“Then I suppose you probably should.”

“I…”

Chrysalis got up from her throne and wandered over to Twilight. She sat down and wrapped a leg around Twilight in a warm hug. “If you need to call her, then call her.”

“Should I really, though? I mean…” Twilight leaned against Chrysalis and looked up at her. “Am I a bad mother if I do? Fluttershy could help her. Shouldn’t that take priority?”

“Your own well-being is important, too,” Chrysalis told her. “You wouldn’t want to be a complete wreck when she got back.”

“I’m already a complete wreck.”

“Oh, Twilight, you’re not even close to the worst I’ve seen you at.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Chrysalis squeezed her. “So are you going to call?”

“I…” Twilight sighed heavily. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll feel better after I see her, but I need at least that. Hopefully Fluttershy—”

“Hello?” She was cut off by the sound of the nursery’s door opening and Fluttershy wandering out. “Is anypony out here?”

“Over here, Fluttershy,” Chrysalis called.

Fluttershy looked over and smiled at them, then trotted over cheerily, Daybreak clutched in one leg. “Oh, goodie. I was worried you might’ve been elsewhere.”

“So,” Twilight said as Fluttershy approached them, “how much of that did you hear?”

Fluttershy sat near where they were and tilted her head. “How much of what?”

“I…” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Did you not come because you heard us talking about you?”

“Were you?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I guess I’ve been distracted.” She reached up and bopped Daybreak’s nose, eliciting a giggle. “She’s just so cute, you know?”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Could I…”

“Oh! Of course!” Fluttershy hurriedly handed Daybreak over to Twilight.

Twilight held Daybreak close to her chest and kissed all over her face. “Oh, mommy missed you so much. I’m so glad you’re home.”

Daybreak smiled and reached her legs up towards Twilight’s face. “Ma!”

“That’s right,” Twilight said, leaning down to nuzzle her. “Did you have fun with Fluttershy?”

As Twilight continued to dote on Daybreak, Chrysalis turned her attention to Fluttershy. “So, how did it go? You’re back awfully early.”

Fluttershy nodded. “It went… Well, I think. We couldn’t do anything incredibly major, but I think we’ve figured out a good way to move forward.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“Well… That’s the rough part. Twilight might not like it.”

“Not like what?” Twilight asked, her attention caught by the sound of her name.

“Well, I think she understands now that she can hurt others,” Fluttershy said, “but we can’t just… Stop the hunger. I don’t think she’s ever not going to want to feed.”

Twilight frowned. “Couldn’t she just… Not? I mean, she gets plenty of food.”

“That’s a lot to ask,” Fluttershy said. “It’d be like asking a pony to grow up without water. Sure, it would probably be possible with the right diet, but that wouldn’t stop them from being thirsty.”

Twilight looked down at Daybreak and squeezed her. “But… What, then? I mean, we can’t just let her feed on other ponies.”

Fluttershy pursed her lips. “That’s… Why I said you wouldn’t like it.”

“Wh—” Twilight shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. We cannot raise her to hurt other ponies!”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Fluttershy said. “Daybreak?” She leaned in towards her. “Want to show your mommies what you learned?”

Daybreak tilted her head. “Eat?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yup. Just like you’ve been practicing.”

Twilight and Chrysalis shared a concerned look as Daybreak’s horn lit with a dim glow. A second later, the glow disappeared, and Daybreak grinned and started clapping for herself.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight said.

“Chrysalis?” Fluttershy asked. “Could you tell?”

“I… Think?” Chrysalis looked puzzled. “I can’t really sense things other than love, but it definitely seemed like she was feeding.”

Fluttershy nodded. “She fed off of you a bit, Twilight.”

“What?” Twilight looked down at Daybreak, then back up at Fluttershy. “Are you sure?”

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s the best solution I think we have. She just has to learn how to feed without hurting others.”

“I mean, it seems like she’s already learned,” Twilight said.

“I don’t know if those tiny bits are going to work for very long,” Fluttershy said, “and if she ends up needing more, she’s liable to overdo it a couple times.”

“So, how do we stop that?” Twilight asked.

“You don’t,” Fluttershy told her. “She has to learn her limits.”

“So you’re saying we should just… Let her?”

Fluttershy nodded. “It was hard for me to come to terms with, too, but it seems like the best option. Chrysalis, what do you think?”

“Oh, I have no idea,” Chrysalis said. “I suppose it sounds like it would work.”

Twilight sighed. “And we really don’t have any other choice?”

“That was all we could think of,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’ve been a fantastic help,” Twilight replied. “It’s just… Difficult to think that my baby might accidentally hurt other ponies and I can’t do anything about it.” She lifted Daybreak up high and kissed her nose. “You’ve gotta be careful, okay? We don’t want anypony getting hurt.”

Daybreak nodded. “Ma!” She held her legs out towards Twilight and flailed them, wanting to be hugged again, and Twilight squeezed her to her chest.

“Thank you for everything, Fluttershy,” Twilight said.

“I only wish I could help more,” Fluttershy told her.

Twilight shook her head. “You did all you could, I know that, and… You’ve set my mind at ease a bit. I’m still worried, but… Less so.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Fluttershy leaned forward and gave Daybreak a kiss on the cheek. “Come visit me again soon, okay sweetie?”

Daybreak nodded. “Mm!”

Fluttershy smiled wide and rustled her mane. “Good. Who knows, you might even have a friend to play with soon.”

“Oh?” Twilight looked at her in shock. “Are you…”

“Thinking about it,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie really latched onto her, and I don’t think that’s gonna be out of her head for a good long time.”

Chrysalis made a broad gesture towards Fluttershy. “Weren’t you waiting because you were worried about your, um… Everything?”

“We were, but…” Fluttershy sighed dreamily. “You can only wait so long when you want something as badly as we do.”

“Well, I think it’d be wonderful,” Twilight told her. “Plus, if we all have kids around the same time, they can grow up together and be best friends just like we are!”

Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, I guess we have no choice, then. Pinkie will be glad to hear that.”

And so, with the help of their friends, Twilight and Chrysalis put their all into raising Daybreak. There were good days and bad days, long days and short days, but Daybreak was, by all means, a calm, reserved baby.

Twilight and Chrysalis thought they were the luckiest parents in the world.

At least, for a time. For those few, short years in the beginning, before she grew up, before she started to find out who she really was.

Before she got friends who were, as Twilight put it, just like their parents.

Chapter 10

“Daybreak!”

Twilight walked into her daughter’s bedroom and looked around with a frustrated glare. “C’mon, I know you’re in here. Quit hiding.”

She waited for a moment. The room was still.

Daybreak’s room, long since converted from the nursery, was a cozy, messy little place. There were a few loose articles of clothing scattered around the floor, and the pile of stuffed animals at the foot of her bed was in constant disarray. Still, it wasn’t too messy; for the most part, she tried to keep it just clean enough that she wouldn’t get in trouble.

Twilight made her way in and started to search the room. She checked all the stuffed animals for duplicates, then did the same for the little bookshelf that doubled as a bedside table. She checked under the soft gray covers that shrouded the bed, then checked under the bed itself, but found nothing. She even checked the shelf that held the little collection of bugs Daybreak had caught, even though looking so closely at them grossed her out.

When nothing turned up, Twilight sighed and moved back to the door. “If I find out later that you were in here, you are so grounded,” she said. “You can’t just skip school. It’s important! I mean, you… You… Augh.” Twilight turned around and walked out, grumbling under her breath about talking to an empty room.

After the door clicked shut, the room fell silent. Nothing moved, nothing changed. Nothing at all happened.

At least, not until Daybreak was absolutely sure her mom had left.

Then a tall, thin book on the bookshelf started to wobble a bit. It teetered back and forth, further with each swing, until it toppled over the edge and went careening to the floor.

Just before landing, Daybreak turned back into herself with a puff of smokey magic.

She was a tiny little thing, even compared to the other first-year students at her school. Her legs were stout, and while she wasn’t overly thin, she didn’t take up very much space. The only sizable things about her were her mane, which was long and unkempt, poofing out a bit as it fell across the side of her face, and her eyes, which had never lost their striking purple hue.

Her tiny fangs glistened as a toothy grin crossed her face. “Heh. Dummy.” Chuckling softly to herself, she trotted over to her bed and retrieved the book she’d been copying from her pillowcase, slotting it neatly into its place on the shelf. Then she made her way over to the window, pushed it open, and hopped outside.

Her light, thin wings buzzed as they propelled her into the air and away from the castle. She spared a single glance back, and when she saw that she hadn’t been noticed, she gave herself a quiet cheer and sped off into the city.

She skirted through alleyways and over the tops of buildings as she zipped around Canterlot, doing her best not to be noticed. The wind felt incredible as it rushed by her, her wings cutting through it effortlessly. She pushed herself faster and faster, testing her limits as she left the denser parts of town and approached the outskirts.

There, away from the bustle and the crowds, she got bolder. She left the safety of the alleyways and flew over the streets, and a few minutes later through the streets, weaving her way around ponies who were going about their days.

It was utterly thrilling, and she started to get cocky. She skirted closer to the ponies she swerved around, tilted sideways rather than going further out. It was simple for her, even at such a young age. She had no fear. She wouldn’t fail.

As she closed in on a stallion carrying a heavy load of groceries, she decided to show off. Instead of going around him, she was going to go over him, but not just by flying. No, she was going to do a flip.

Just before she got too close to him, she angled herself down and dug her front hooves into the dirt road. Her momentum started to push her hind legs over top of her, and she went with it, pushing off with her front legs and springing into the air.

She cleared the stallion easily enough. The flip, though, was a different story.

She realized quickly that she wasn’t going to make it back to being right-side up. In a last-ditch bid for control, she flapped her wings desperately, but that only made her spin more erratic and out of control. She tumbled through the air, getting horribly dizzy as the world whipped past her, and landed on her side with a dull thud.

She groaned and shook her head, trying to shake off the disorientation. Slowly, she pushed herself to her hooves, wobbled on them for a moment, and then found her balance and planted herself firmly on the ground.

A small crowd had started to gather around her, some whispering amongst themselves, others talking directly to her.

“Is that Daybreak?”

“What happened to her?”

“Shouldn’t she be in school?”

With an awkward cough, she tried to sidle her way past the gathering ponies. “U-Um, sorry, everypony,” she said. Even meek and embarrassed, her voice had a kind of edge to it. “My bad. I was, um… Late for school! Yeah, so, uh, gotta go!”

Not wanting to deal with any questions or gawking, she quickly flapped her wings and shot down the street, making a beeline now for her destination.

Near the edge of the city, the population got a lot sparser, but the buildings stayed nearly just as dense. The excess buildings were used for all sorts of things, from office space to small, niche shops that didn’t need to be in a more central area. Plus there were warehouses, lumber yards, and everything else generally considered too unsightly for the high society streets elsewhere.

Her destination was a warehouse, small by most standards but still larger than most other buildings in the area. She snuck around to the back and used her magic to unlock a door, then quickly glanced around before ducking into the building and re-locking the door behind her.

Inside, she lit up her horn to see in the darkness. Around her were stacks upon stacks of palettes filled with cloth, fabric, dye, and all sorts of other materials. There were huge amounts of everything, but that was only in this one aisle; generally, about half the warehouse stood empty at any given time.

The warehouse itself was used by Rarity as a storing place for out-of-season styles and materials, and most of the time it just sat there, empty of ponies. When Daybreak found out about it, she made a desperate plea to Rarity, and after many, many attempts, Rarity finally relented and decided to let her use it for a clubhouse.

Daybreak scampered through the aisles and over to a corner of the building filled with massive crates of finished clothes. It was one of the most over-stuffed parts of the warehouse, and as such, she’d decided it was a perfect spot for a secret base. With a few flaps of her wings, she soared up to the top shelf, which from the outside looked like a solid wall of heavy crates, and started to feel around on the wood.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. When she pressed down on one piece of wood, it gave way, and with a bit of effort, she pushed open the secret door that led into her clubhouse. The whole top shelf had been converted to suit her needs. The wall of crates on the outer edge was just a facade, behind which sat a veritable palace. The long, narrow room was filled with comic books, comfy pillows, toys, art supplies, and anything else she and her friends had ever thought to bring up there.

After shutting the door again, she flicked on a dim lamp in the corner of the room. It buzzed and flickered as it sparked to life, the tiny bulb struggling to put out light. It wasn’t much, but it was enough that she was able to extinguish the light on her horn as she plopped down on a cushion with a contented sigh.

After relaxing for a minute, Daybreak sat up and glanced around the room. “Angel?” She called out into the darkness. “You there?”

“Duh.”

Daybreak spun around towards the voice and grinned as her friend stepped out of the shadows.

Angel Trifle looked, at first glance, like a normal earth pony. She was a bit bigger than Daybreak, and despite her bright pink fur and long, well-styled and stunningly yellow mane, she wore an expression so perpetually sour it managed to make her look mean.

Closer inspection, though, started to reveal some oddities. Most notable were her eyes, which were a dark, piercing gray that almost seemed to suck the light from whatever was unlucky enough to meet her gaze. Then there was the tendency for her shadow to flicker and move even when the sun sat still, and her tendency to always appear just out of sight whenever anypony talked about her.

Angel Trifle unsettled most of the ponies her age, and they never got to know her much more closely than that. Daybreak had never been bothered, though. She’d spent enough time with Fluttershy to know that Angel just took after her mother in a lot of ways.

Angel jumped onto her own cushion and aimed her steely gaze towards Daybreak. “No school today?” Daybreak’s voice was slow and calm, more like her aunt Maud’s than either of her parents.

Daybreak shrugged. “Didn’t feel like it.”

“Your moms aren’t gonna like that.”

“My moms ain’t gonna find out,” Daybreak told her. “I mean, if I’m not in the castle, how can they prove I wasn’t at school? I can just say I was hiding from the teacher.”

“What if they try to quiz you on whatever you’re supposed to be learning?”

“I—” Daybreak huffed. “Don’t act all high and mighty. You’re not at school, either!”

“I can still hear the teacher.”

“Whatever.” Daybreak stuck her tongue out at Angel, and Angel shot the gesture straight back.

“So,” Angel said, deciding to move on, “what’re we doing today?”

“Iunno. Any sign of Ro-Gal?”

“She’s at the farm,” Angel said. “Wanna go drop in on her?”

“Yeah!” Daybreak hopped up excitedly. “Can you manage the trip?”

Angel didn’t respond, instead just rolling her eyes as the shadows in the corners of the room started to stretch and warp. They spun up around the two ponies, wrapping around them quicker and quicker until they were both cocooned in darkness, at which point they squeezed in and crushed the spots the two of them had just been.

The next thing Daybreak knew, she was in a tree.

She had to act fast to find her balance on the flimsy branches. Confused, having expected to show up on the ground, she turned around to look for Angel.

As soon as Daybreak turned around and they met eyes, Angel gave her a mischievous grin and pushed her out of the tree.

“Gah!” Daybreak stumbled backward and tripped over herself, toppling down through the leaves and branches and apples that were in her way. She just barely managed to right herself by the time she broke the canopy, and she flapped her wings frantically just in time to avoid falling on the pony who’d been leaning against the tree eating an apple.

“Wah!” The pony dropped her snack and sprang up as Daybreak fell out of the sky. “What in the burnin hills of hay is your deal, Daybreak?”

Royal Gala was a tall, thin filly who towered above Daybreak on her tangle of legs. Her fur was a rich, dark blue, and her short mane was filled with the oranges and yellows of a blazing sunset. Her height made her look older than she really was, which wasn’t helped by the long, sharp horn on top of her head or the lengthy, narrow wings that sat curled at her side.

“Wh—I—” Daybreak stuttered. “Angel pushed me!”

Angel hopped out of the tree and landed beside them. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Royal Gala huffed and sat back down. Slowly, she picked up her apple, dusted it off a bit, and returned to her snack. “Gonna hafta tell Granny Smith we got pests in the trees.”

“Hey!” Daybreak pouted. “This one isn’t my fault.”

Royal Gala scoffed. “Yeah, this one.” Idly, she plucked a couple of apples from the trees with her magic and tossed them to the others. “So we doin anything or what? I’m itchin for an adventure.”

Daybreak shrugged. “Any ideas?”

“I ain’t the ideas pony,” Royal Gala said.

They both looked towards Angel. “Well?” Daybreak asked.

“Yeah, I think I’ve got something,” Angel said. “You guys down for going into the Everfree?”

Chapter 11

The sounds of crunching leaves and cracking twigs filled the air as the three fillies made their way through the woods. They’d gone straight through the orchard, which was a long walk, but the apple trees were finally starting to give way to the wild tangled mess of the Everfree Forest. The canopy started to darken as the trees got denser and more and more of the sun’s light was blocked out, and the less light there was, the louder and bolder the creatures of the Everfree seemed to get.

Being the oldest of the group, Daybreak had been chosen to take the lead, with Royal Gala following her closely. Angel lagged behind, content to meander around at her own pace knowing she could catch up any time she chose to.

“So, uh,” Royal Gala spoke up, “you actually gonna tell us where we’re goin? Or are we just wandering through the most dangerous place in Equestria.”

“Please, there’s way scarier places than this,” Daybreak said.

“Like what?”

“Well, like your bedroom, for starters.” Daybreak snickered as Royal Gala gave her a light shove.

“C’mon, be serious,” Royal Gala said. “This ain’t the place to be actin a fool.”

“Dude, we’re like, the strongest ponies in the world,” Daybreak said. “We’re fine.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Royal Gala groaned. “Angel, where are we going?”

Angel stepped out of the shadows behind them and started to keep pace with the group. “Yeah, so, you know how my ma likes to tell stories?”

“Yeah,” Royal Gala replied.

“Don’t tell me you actually believe Pinkie Pie’s stories,” Daybreak said. “Half those bad guys aren’t even real, and the rest are, like… Well, one’s my mom.”

“Hey, my ma ain’t a liar!” Angel glared at Daybreak.

“Alright, alright, geez.” Daybreak flinched away from her. “C’mon, quit getting mad, it’s… Weird.”

Angel stuck her tongue out. “I’ll get as mad as I want to get,” she said defiantly. “Anyway, yeah, a couple of ma’s stories are about this weird pond, and she won’t tell me where it is, but I think it’s somewhere in the forest.”

“You sure it’s this forest?” Royal Gala asked.

“Oh, quit being a baby,” Angel said.

Royal Gala frowned. “I ain’t! I just know better than to mess around with stuff I don’t know about.”

“How are you gonna learn about stuff in the first place, then?” Daybreak asked. “C’mon, it’s just a pond. What’s it gonna do, eat us?”

“Maybe!”

“It isn’t going to eat us,” Angel said. “It makes copies of you.”

“What, you want more Daybreaks?”

“Of course she does,” Daybreak said. “I’m awesome.”

“Uh-huh,” Royal Gala groaned. “Fine, just… Be careful, yeah? Don’t come whining to me when you get ate.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Daybreak said, “I’ll be sure to haunt you for the rest of your life, you can be sure of—”

“Hush.” Angel jumped to the front of the group and stopped them. “Do you hear that?”

The other two perked their ears up and swiveled their heads around, searching for anything out of place. At first, they only noticed the sounds of the forest, the creaking of the trees as they swayed in the breeze, the chirping of the insects that filled the foliage, but underneath it all there was something else. If they listened just right, they could hear a kind of hum, a low rumble that seemed to resonate through the ground and into them.

“What is it?” Royal Gala asked.

“How the heck should we know?” Daybreak replied. “Maybe it’s this magic pond that totally, definitely exists.”

Angel shot her a look, then hopped into the trees and started walking. “Let’s go find out.”

They followed her for a bit, the hum constantly in the back of their minds, until eventually the trees broke and they found themselves standing at the edge of a cliff.

Below them was a deep, cavernous gorge, with sheer, jagged cliffs bordering it on all sides. A narrow, crooked staircase was carved into the rock nearby that wound its way down to the bottom, where it met a floor of solid rock. One side of the canyon played host to a sizable pond, nestled in the cracks between a floor of uneven stones, and just past it they could barely see an opening into a deeper cave.

“Ya think that’s the pond?” Royal Gala asked.

“How the heck’s that thing gonna clone us?” Daybreak asked as she hopped onto the staircase and started to make her way down.

Royal Gala followed slowly, watching where she stepped carefully. “How’s any pond gonna clone us? It’s magic.”

“I dunno, I don’t buy it.” Despite her skepticism, Daybreak started to get impatient and sped up, taking the staircase two steps at a time, then three. Royal Gala couldn’t keep up, and eventually she decided to just hop off the stairs and glide the rest of the way down, although she took even that route slowly and cautiously.

Angel was already waiting when Daybreak made it to the bottom. “I don’t think this is it,” she said, “but it’s something.”

“Everything is something,” Daybreak said.

“I’m not,” Angel said.

“Sure you are,” Daybreak replied. “You’re weird. That’s something.”

Royal Gala let out a held breath as her hooves finally touched down beside the others. “Alright, can you two quit your bickering? I do gotta get home at some point.”

“Please, your moms let you do whatever you want,” Daybreak said. As she spoke, she set off in the direction of the mysterious cave, and the others followed.

“Alright, well, I wanna get home at some point,” Royal Gala corrected. “Unlike y’all, I don’t want my parents to worry.”

“And that’s why you’re a baby,” Angel said, earning a chuckle from Daybreak.

“Oh, hush up,” Royal Gala said. “As if you’re not the biggest suck-up here. I bet you—” She lost her train of thought as the group rounded the corner into the cavern and looked inside. “No way.”

Daybreak gasped and rushed in. “This is real? I thought it was just a story to make me quit lying!”

Inside the cave, glowing with an ethereal light that reflected off the walls of the cave, was a massive crystal tree. It filled the breadth of the space, its branches nearly scraping the stone walls, and its roots weaved a tangled web across the ground that they had to be careful not to trip over. At the ends of the five largest branches sat bright, colorful stones that glistened even through the glow the tree put off, and recessed into the trunk was the sixth stone that completed the set.

“Of course the Tree of Harmony is real, doofus,” Angel said. “Where’d you think that castle came from?”

“I figured Starlight made it,” Daybreak said. She hopped up to the tree excitedly and put her hooves up on it. “Do you think it knows who we are?”

“It’s a tree,” Angel said. “It doesn’t ‘know’ anything.”

“It’s a magic tree,” Daybreak argued. “It can know stuff if it wants to.”

“Can a tree want things?” Royal Gala asked. She trotted up alongside Daybreak and looked up at the tree.

“It can want things if it wants to,” Daybreak said.

Angel had taken refuge from the glow in the shade of an outcropping of rock. “What do you figure it actually does?”

“Well, it holds the elements,” Daybreak said. “Assuming they’re real. Ooh, I know!” Suddenly, Daybreak hopped up onto the trunk and grabbed Twilight’s element as firmly as she could with her hooves. Then she started to pull, trying to wrench it from the tree.

“Woah!” Royal Gala shouted. “What do you think you’re doin?”

Stretching her wings out, Daybreak started to flap them in an attempt to gain more leverage. “I’m tryin to get it out!”

“I can see as much,” Royal Gala said, “but why? These things are important!”

Daybreak’s hold on the stone slipped, and she tumbled back down onto the ground. She sprawled out on her back and groaned in frustration. “I know they’re important,” she said, “and they’re just sitting here. Don’t you think they deserve more than that?”

“I don’t think they deserve you stickin your grubby little hooves all over em,” Royal Gala told her.

“Well, how else was I supposed to get it out?”

Royal Gala rolled her eyes. “Uh, with your magic?”

“Oh.” Daybreak’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. She flipped herself over, pushed herself back to her hooves and looked back up at the element. “Yeah, okay.”

It took her a moment to focus her magic in on the stone, but soon enough it was covered in a faint cyan glow. Once she thought she had a firm grip on it, she pulled back hard.

Nothing happened. The magic broke apart, and the glow fizzled away into nothing.

Royal Gala laughed. “What was that? You barely grabbed it!”

Daybreak huffed and blushed harder. “I-I don’t like using too much magic, okay?”

“It’s a rock,” Royal Gala said. “You’re not gonna hurt its feelings.”

“It’s more than—” Daybreak grumbled and shook her head. She focused on the stone again, this time putting more pressure on it, and a much brighter light flowed around it before she tried to yank it out.

Again, nothing happened.

Royal Gala started laughing even harder. Angel walked up and gave Daybreak a light, friendly shove. “Come on, Daybreak, it’s the Tree of Harmony. It’s not going to give it up without a fight.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s gonna give it up at all,” Daybreak mumbled.

“Don’t be like that,” Angel said. “You can’t give up before you’ve really tried. Really give it all you’ve got.”

“All I’ve got?”

Angel shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s a rock.”

Daybreak took a deep breath, then nodded decisively. She turned her attention back up to the element, focused on it, and shut her eyes.

The cyan light grew brighter and brighter, soon overshadowing the glow of the element itself. Angel had to shield her eyes as it grew, greater and greater, eventually eclipsing the whole width of the tree trunk.

When Daybreak finally felt like she’d put her all into it, she planted herself firmly on the ground and inhaled sharply. Then, in one fast, powerful motion, she tugged on the stone as hard as she could.

There was a loud snap as the element flew out of its spot on the tree. It flew out with such force that Daybreak quickly lost track of it, and it flew out of the cave and into the pond outside.

After a few deep breaths, Daybreak grinned and jumped into the air. “I did it!”

“Wow,” Royal Gala said, her eyes wide, “I didn’t think it was possible.”

“Yeah, well I showed you!” Daybreak clapped her hooves together and pranced around the cave. “I bet neither of you could do that!”

“Nah, that’s well past me,” Royal Gala admitted. “Good work.”

Angel shrugged. “Didn’t look that hard.”

Daybreak stopped in front of Angel and stuck her tongue out. “C’mon, Angel, you don’t have to hide it. You’re totally jealous of my magic.”

“Not really,” Angel said.

“Yeah you are,” Daybreak said. “You wish you could do that.”

Angel glowered at Daybreak for a second, then turned her attention up to the tree and found Pinkie’s element. With a quick flick of her hoof, she pulled at the shadows at the edges of the room and sent little strands of them up to the element. They wrapped tight around the stone, and with another swift gesture Angel tugged on the stone.

It gave a light popping sound as it slid easily out of its spot, and Angel carried it down to herself and held it in a hoof. “See?”

“I—” Daybreak’s face went red, and she glared at Angel. “Well, you don’t gotta show off!” With a huff, she stormed out of the cave. “Come on, let’s go find where mine went.”

The three of them went out and started to hop around the rocks poking out of the pond, looking into the water in search of the stone. Angel held her own in her teeth as she searched, carrying it as nonchalantly as she would any old rock.

It was a long search, but eventually, near the far end of the pond, Royal Gala found something. “Uhh… Daybreak?”

Daybreak perked up. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah…”

Daybreak sped over in leaps and bounds. “Awesome! Wow, I really sent it far, I must be even stronger than I—”

She stopped short when she reached Royal Gala and looked down into the water. There, sitting peacefully in the clear, shallow pool, was half of Twilight’s element.

Chapter 12

“No, no, no, no, no,” Daybreak mumbled under her breath as she paced back and forth across the canyon floor. Angel and Royal Gala watched her quietly, sitting at the edge of the pond with the two pieces of Twilight’s element laid out between them.

“Freaking out isn’t going to fix it,” Angel said.

“Well, what is?” Daybreak stopped in front of them and looked desperately at Angel. “C’mon, gimme an idea! How are we gonna put this thing back together?”

Angel shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Augh!” Completely at a loss, Daybreak snatched up the pieces with her magic and made her way back over to the tree.

Crudely, Daybreak tried to shove the pieces back into the recess in the trunk, but they didn’t seem to fit. “Come on! Stupid magic tree, fix it!”

Royal Gala meandered up behind Daybreak and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I don’t know if we can fix this.”

“Okay, then what?” Daybreak snapped at her. “My mom’s gonna find out eventually!”

“Well, you could just tell her,” Royal Gala suggested. “You’ll be in a heck of a lot less trouble if you fess up now.”

“I don’t wanna be in any trouble!”

“I thought you liked annoying your moms.”

“Not like this.” Daybreak huffed. “I can’t enjoy it if I actually messed up.”

“Sounds like you got a guilty conscience.”

“Yeah, and it sucks. That’s why I gotta fix it.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Ugh, you’re no help at all.” Daybreak stomped out of the cave and back over to Angel, who was lying on her back and looking up at the sky through the opaque crystal of Pinkie’s element. “Angel, can’t you do something?”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” Angel replied without turning her head towards Daybreak.

“I dunno, you do all sorts of weird stuff,” Daybreak said. “Can’t you, like, make a new one out of shadows or something?”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Are you sure? Have you tried?”

Angel rolled her eyes. “You have magic. Why don’t you try making one?”

“That’s different,” Daybreak said. “We know how pony magic works.”

“You’re not a pony, though.”

“Ugh!” Daybreak growled and sat on the ground in frustration. “Can’t you just try?”

“Fine.” Still not looking down, Angel waved her hoof through the air and pulled up a tiny wad of shadows. She tossed it through the air at Daybreak, and by the time it reached her it had shaped itself into a crystal that looked just like Twilight’s element. “Happy?”

Daybreak caught the stone and looked at it closely. “I mean… It looks right. Why’d you say you couldn’t do it?”

“It’s not magic,” Angel said. “It’s just a rock.”

“Oh.” Frowning, Daybreak set the stone down beside the fragments of the real element. Then she laid down on her stomach and put her head in her hooves. “Ugh, what am I gonna do?”

“Well,” Angel said, “if telling your mom isn’t an option, you’re just gonna have to figure out how to fix it.”

“And how do I do that?”

Angel shrugged. “I dunno. Do I look like I know magic?”

With a sigh, Daybreak looked hard at the stones in front of her.

Then she got an idea. With a sudden burst of energy, she hopped up and grabbed the fake element. She carried it over to the tree and, with a bit of effort, popped it into place where the element was supposed to be.

Royal Gala, who had propped herself up against a wall of the cave to relax, looked up at it with suspicion. “You really think that’ll fool anypony?”

“It’ll fool them for a bit,” Daybreak said. “Hopefully long enough for me to fix the real one.”

“Uh-huh. Well, good luck with that.”

“Oh, no,” Daybreak said, “you’re coming with us. I’m not letting you blab to Applejack about this, she’ll go straight to my mom!”

Royal Gala groaned. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously.” Daybreak picked Royal Gala up with her magic and carried her outside. “Angel, do you know where Starlight Glimmer is?”

“Changeling hive.”

Daybreak groaned. “Seriously? I don’t wanna go there. Who else knows about magic?”

“Who’s that guy Flurry Heart likes?” Royal Gala asked.

“Sunburst?” Daybreak thought for a moment, tapping her hoof on the ground. “I guess. Any idea where he is, Angel?”

“Changeling hive.”

“C’mon! Ugh, what about… I don’t know, Trixie? She might know something.”

Angel shook her head. “Same place.”

“Is every unicorn in Equestria in the changeling hive?” Daybreak huffed and kicked a rock. “What about… I don’t know, Starswirl. Is he even still alive?”

“Probably,” Angel said. “I can’t track him, though.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because he’s Starswirl,” Angel said.

Daybreak groaned. “Fine! Let’s go see my uncle, I guess. Can you take us all, Angel?”

“Mm-hm.”

Daybreak waited for a moment. Nothing happened.

“Would you, please?”

“Sure.” Angel rolled over, pushed herself up off the ground, and wandered over to the others. As she did, shadows started to rise up out of nowhere and wrap around the three of them.

In the changeling hive, Trixie was tapping a hoof on a round, velvet-covered table anxiously. She looked down at her cards, then up at her opponent, then down again. “Hmm… Trixie will…”

“I already know you’re bluffing,” Maud said coldly.

“I-I am doing no such thing!” Trixie huffed and slapped her cards down on the table. “I’m folding for completely unrelated reasons.”

The rest of the table laughed as Sunburst gathered up the cards and Maud took her winnings. She added the bits to the already sizable pile sitting in front of her.

Around the table sat Starlight, Trixie, Sunburst, Maud and Thorax, enjoying one of the rare evenings where they could all get together. Maud was dominating the game, but none of the others particularly minded that. They’d all gone in expecting to be giving her money.

Sunburst dropped the deck in front of Trixie and grinned at her. “Your deal.”

“Finally,” Trixie said. She started to shuffle the deck with a magical flourish. “Perhaps I’ll actually get good cards this time, unlike the rubbish you all have been—WAH!”

Trixie nearly jumped out of her seat as three fillies appeared out of nowhere and dropped down onto the table. In her shock, she lost control of the cards, and they exploded out and showered down around her. Several of the others flinched back, too, but none showed quite the same vigor as Trixie.

Putting a hoof to her chest, Trixie took a deep breath. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Hello, Angel Trifle,” Maud said across the table.

“Hi, Aunt Maud!” Angel hopped off the table and gave Maud a tight hug. The others hopped down beside her as she pulled out Pinkie’s element. “Look what I found!”

“Angel, that’s—” Maud started, but Starlight quickly cut her off.

“Is that an Element of Harmony?” Scrambling, she reached over the table and pulled the stone over to herself. “W-Why do you have this? Did the tree give it to you?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘give,’” Angel said.

Starlight looked up at her with wide eyes. “Did you steal it?”

“Ooh,” Trixie said, clapping her hooves together. “Very impressive.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Starlight chided.

“What? It’s not like she can un-steal it,” Trixie said. “We may as well give credit where credit is due. I know I’m not strong enough to take an element from that tree.”

“What do you mean, you—” Starlight groaned and put a hoof to her forehead. “Later. First, Angel; Why did you take this?”

Angel shrugged. “I felt like it.”

Thorax chose then to speak up. “Daybreak? Were you involved in this?”

“U-Um…” Daybreak flushed red and scuffed a hoof across the floor.

Thorax sighed. “Daybreak, come over here.”

“Huh?” Daybreak wandered around the table and looked up at him. As she did, Royal Gala took the chance to sit in an empty chair at the table, and Angel sat down on the floor beside her aunt. “Look,” Daybreak said, “I know it was wrong, but I—”

“I’m not mad,” Thorax said.

Daybreak blinked. “What?”

“That’s your mom’s job,” Thorax said. “And don’t worry, I will tell her about this. But first… Why are you here?”

“I-I, um…” Daybreak pursed her lips. “Uncle Thorax, can you promise to keep something secret from my mom? Not the stealing, but um… Something else.”

“No,” Thorax said, “but I can promise I’ll hear you out.”

Daybreak made a conflicted noise. “I… Ugh, fine. Look, I need Starlight’s help, okay? I tried to take my mom’s element from the tree, but I messed up, and, um…”

Nervously, Daybreak pulled out the pieces of stone, which she’d stowed away under a wing, and dropped them on the table.

There were gasps all around the table. Starlight jumped out of her seat, and for a second it looked like she might jump up onto the table. “What happened?” She asked.

“I-I pulled on it too hard,” Daybreak said.

“Hard enough to break it?” Starlight grabbed the two pieces and pulled them over to herself. “Daybreak, that… That’s not possible! These things are the most powerful magical artifacts in the world, they don’t just break.”

“Well… It did,” Daybreak told her, “and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Fix it? I don’t know if it can be fixed,” Starlight said. She looked over to Sunburst. “Can it?”

“Umm…” Sunburst pursed his lips and pushed up his glasses. “Well, fixing it would most likely require knowledge of how it works, and since it was grown from a tree planted by the most powerful unicorn to ever exist, well…” He frowned. “The odds aren’t great. Maybe with Twilight’s help, we could—”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Starlight said. “Twilight would freak. We do not need the ruler of Equestria to have the biggest panic attack of her life over this.”

“Well, there’s always Starswirl,” Sunburst said, “but that would mean finding him, which… Well, frankly, I’d have no idea where to even start.”

Starlight sighed. “Yeah, neither would I.” She tapped her hoof on the table a few times, then nodded. “Okay, well, it’s not like we’re likely to need the element anytime soon. We can just… Look for Starswirl! Surely, if we try hard enough, we can find him.”

“I don’t know,” Sunburst said, “if he doesn’t want to be found, do we really have any hope?”

“Well, we’ve gotta try something,” Starlight said. “Any better ideas?” She glanced around the table, but none of them spoke up. “‘Hunt for Starswirl’ it is, then.”

“Where do we start looking?” Daybreak asked.

“You don’t start looking anywhere,” Thorax told her. “There’s no need for you three to stay mixed up in this.”

“But we could help!” Daybreak protested.

“You’re still just fillies,” Thorax said, “you could get yourself into worse trouble if you start trying to look into things like this. Plus, you should be out enjoying yourselves, not stressing over the fate of the world.” Thorax reached out and ruffled Daybreak’s mane. “Just let us handle it, okay? I won’t tell your mom, not until it’s fixed at least.”

“But…” Daybreak pouted. “But I wanna help. Just cuz I messed up doesn’t mean I can’t make things better!”

“Of course not, sweetie,” Thorax said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…”

As he hesitated, Daybreak huffed and suddenly jumped up onto the table. “Whatever. I don’t need your permission!” Before any of the adults could react, she grabbed the two pieces of the element and jumped towards Angel. “Clubhouse!” She shouted. “Quick!”

“Wait!” Starlight shouted, but by the time she lit up her horn, the three fillies had already vanished into the shadows. “Well, great. Anypony know where their clubhouse is?”

Around the table, they all gave her defeated looks.

Back in the Canterlot warehouse, Daybreak propped the shards up on a rickety shelf. “There. They’ll be safe here.”

“Okay, great,” Royal Gala said half-sarcastically. “Can I go home now? I need a snack.”

Daybreak trotted over to Royal Gala and prodded her in the chest. “You can’t tell your parents about this.”

Royal Gala groaned. “Seriously? But I hate keeping secrets.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Daybreak said. “You know Applejack would tell my mom.”

“Fine.”

“Are you gonna help us look?”

“I guess,” Royal Gala said. “I don’t get why we can’t just let the grown-ups do it, though.”

“You heard how helpless they were,” Daybreak said. “Starlight didn’t even think it would be possible to break an element. You really think she’s good enough to find a mean old pony who wants to stay hidden?”

“And you are?” Royal Gala raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, I broke his magic rock. Clearly, he’s not that good. With all three of us, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I didn’t say I was in,” Angel said.

“Oh, come on,” Daybreak replied.

“I mean, I am,” Angel went on, “I just didn’t say it.”

“Ugh.” Daybreak flopped down onto a pillow. “You two are the worst.”

Chapter 13

In the dead of night, under the omnipresent gaze of the moon, Daybreak crept through the dirt and weeds of an unkempt alleyway. The streets around her were silent but for the whistle of the wind and the buzz of insects, but she could never be too careful. She had to be diligent, to check around every corner and stop at every noise, lest she be discovered.

Ponyville was empty. It was always less busy at night, but tonight it was completely devoid of ponies. The streets were bare, the shops were dark. Daybreak couldn’t even hear the quiet mumbling of ponies as she passed from house to house.

Something felt off, but she couldn’t quite place what.

She didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on that thought, though. She had a job to do. A castle to infiltrate, a unicorn to hunt down, and there was no other pony, no other creature, who was up to the task.

Finally, she reached her goal. The massive, crystal structure towered above her, sharp against the black night sky. It glittered with gentle greens and pastel purples, beacons in the dark beckoning her inside.

She glanced up and down the street again and again until she was certain she was alone. Then she crouched down and, keeping her body as low to the ground as she could, she scurried across and into the safety of the castle’s shade.

From there, she snuck around to the back of the castle. She knew the front door was too risky; Starlight wasn’t home often, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be now. Instead, she looked around until she spotted the window she thought would lead into the room she wanted, then took to the sky and darted up to it.

It squeaked loudly as she pushed it open, making her flinch and hide against the castle wall. Her heart pounded in her chest and her ears rang as she waited to be caught, but no noise came, no opening doors or angry voices. Somehow she’d gotten lucky. Somehow, she was safe.

Not wanting to push the window open any farther, she turned herself briefly into a tiny beetle and slipped through the crack she’d made. On the other side, she turned back and settled down quietly onto the floor.

Finally, she could relax. With a deep breath, she took a look around, and a devilish grin grew across her face.

There it was. The thing she’d come all this way for, the reason she’d risked so much.

There, in the center of the room, was the Cutie Map.

Eagerly, she dashed over and hopped straight up onto the table. It could handle her weight, she figured, and she needed the best vantage she could get. She searched around, first finding Canterlot, and the castle within, and figuring out the exact spot that her bedroom sat. Then she scanned nearby until she found Ponyville, the crystal castle, the map room. It was all there in stunning detail like she was looking down on the world itself, and her mind lit up with possibilities. All the things she could do with this, all the places she could—

“Hey.”

Daybreak shoved a hoof in her mouth to stifle a yelp at the sudden voice behind her. She tripped over herself as she spun around and tumbled over onto her back, landing with a painful thud against the hard crystal table.

Daybreak glared hard at Angel. “Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered sharply. “You almost blew our cover!”

“Your cover,” Angel said. She didn’t bother to whisper. “I can just leave if I’m about to get caught.”

Daybreak growled under her breath. “Take this seriously, Angel! It’s important!”

“I am taking it seriously,” Angel said.

“Can you two quit your bickerin?” Royal Gala’s voice suddenly came from one of the chairs situated around the map. She was sitting there nonchalantly, her hind legs propped up onto the map and her head tilted back. “We’ve got work to do.”

Grumbling under her breath, Daybreak pushed herself back to her hooves and wandered over to Canterlot on the map. “Okay,” she started, “how do we find Starswirl?”

Royal Gala shrugged. Angel propped her front hooves on the table and started to look around. “We could ask his friends,” Angel suggested.

“Well, where are they?” Daybreak asked.

“I don’t remember who they are,” Angel said.

Daybreak groaned. “Great. Royal Gala?”

“Why me? Don’t you know?”

“Obviously not! Why would I care about a bunch of old ponies?”

“Cuz they’re important?” Royal Gala rolled her eyes and leaned forward to look at the map. “Let’s see, uhh… Well, Somnambula’s probably in Somnambula. That one’s easy. Mage Meadowbrook doesn’t really leave her town. Um… Geez, they’re a hard bunch to nail down, huh? Reckon we should just start there?”

“Sure,” Daybreak said. “So, swamp or desert?”

“Eugh.” Angel shuddered. “Not the desert.”

“Swamp it is, then. Guess we’ll—”

Daybreak was cut off when a strange, shrill beeping noise filled the air.

Wincing, Daybreak covered her ears. “What the heck is that?”

“Sounds like your alarm clock,” Royal Gala said.

“What? But why would—” Daybreak huffed and kicked the table. “Seriously? Am I dreaming?”

“I thought you knew,” Royal Gala replied.

“How would I know that? Ugh, I… Is that even the real Angel?”

“I’m always the real Angel,” she said.

“Yeah, she’s real,” Royal Gala agreed. “I ain’t about to try and make a fake Angel when I can just go grab the real one.”

As they talked, the beeping started to get louder and louder.

“Ugh, I gotta get up,” Daybreak said. She hopped off the table with a grumpy look on her face. “Angel, gimme ten minutes to get ready, then take us to the swamp, kay?”

“Sure.”

With one final huff, Daybreak closed her eyes and shook her head, and the dream evaporated around them.

Daybreak slapped the alarm to shut off the quiet beeping. With a groan, she tumbled her way out of bed and over to her closet.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet, and she didn’t bother to turn on the lights, so the room was dark as she sorted through her things. She was trying to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake her parents, and it slowed her down a lot, so to save on time she wound up just slipping into the first boots she found and grabbing a grubby, hand-me-down saddlebag that she strapped over her back.

“You ready?” Angel’s voice came from the corner of the room.

“Gh—” Daybreak gritted her teeth and spun around. “Every time,” she hissed. “Why do you have to freak me out every single time?”

“Because it’s funny.”

Daybreak hissed at her under her breath. “You’re lucky you taste weird.”

“Mm-hm. So, you ready?”

“Yeah, I guess. We gonna go to the farm first?”

“Mm-hm.”

The darkness closed in around them, and a moment later the two of them were standing in front of Royal Gala, who was lounging on her bed staring up at the ceiling.

“Hey guys,” she said absentmindedly.

“Hey,” Daybreak said. “Are you ready?”

“Mmm… Just about,” Royal Gala said. She didn’t move.

“Well… Get ready,” Daybreak said.

“One sec,” she said. “I’m waiting.”

“Waiting on what?”

Before she could say anything more, the air around them shifted. It started to get colder, as though the heat was being sucked out from around them, and that heat started to swirl together nearby. As the room grew frigid, blue sparks started to light up and spin around, seemingly lighting a blaze in the air. Trails of whispy blue fire followed the sparks, melded together, and then started to take the form of a tall, ominous-looking pony.

A moment later, Princess Luna was standing over them, glaring down suspiciously.

“On that,” Royal Gala said.

“Dang it, you set us up! Angel, get us—” Daybreak turned to her side, but Angel was already gone. “Augh!”

Luna cleared her throat. “Daybreak Nymph. Might I ask what you’re doing here before dawn?”

“Um… Visiting?”

“I see.” Luna took a few steps, circling around Daybreak. “It’s just… A curious thing. You see, my daughter had somewhat of an unorthodox dream last night.”

“Oh?” Daybreak scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “How… Curious?”

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna watch my dreams anymore,” Royal Gala said.

“I try not to pry,” Luna told her, “but I can’t help but keep a bit of an eye on you. When I see you jumping into another pony’s dreams, I get curious.”

“Mm.”

Luna sighed. “We can talk about it later. For now…” She crouched down and looked into Daybreak’s eyes. “I just need to know if something is wrong. Why are you seeking the pillars?”

“It’s nothing dangerous,” Daybreak said. “We just need Starswirl’s help with something.”

Luna looked over to Royal Gala and raised an eyebrow.

Royal Gala shrugged. “I mean, she’s not wrong.”

Luna took a deep breath and stood up. “Royal Gala, is this matter something you’d like to keep private from us?”

“I guess,” Royal Gala said. “Til it’s over, at least.”

“Very well,” Luna said. “Just stay safe. We’re here to help if you need it. Daybreak, Angel… I’ll have to tell your parents about this.”

“Dang it.” Angel stepped out from a corned of the room and rejoined them. “I was hoping you’d forget I was here.”

“Do you have to tell them?” Daybreak put on her best pleading face for Luna. “My moms will never let me keep this to myself if they know we’re up to something.”

“Well, then you’d better act fast,” Luna said. “I’ll be busy until dusk, but when I get the opportunity, I will tell them.”

Daybreak sighed. “Fine… Alright, c’mon girls, let’s go to the swamp.”

Royal Gala hopped up off her bed and gave her mother a quick hug. “See you tonight, Luna. Love ya.”

“I love you too, dear,” Luna told her.

Royal Gala nodded to Angel, and the shadows started to pull in around them.

Chapter 14

As the shadows faded away, Daybreak fell out of the air and landed with a squelch on the damp, soft earth of Hayseed Swamp. Royal Gala stretched her wings out and glided gently down beside her, and Angel flanked her on the other side.

Before them stretched a winding maze of piers and houses. Hayseed Swamp was a town on stilts, with old wooden walkways built up in a sprawling, winding fashion that had no rhyme or reason to it. Below the walkways was shallow, murky water that no doubt held all manner of dangerous creatures, but the paths were wide enough, and the town quiet enough, that there was little, if any, fear of falling in.

Angel had set them down on one of the few patches of relatively dry land that were scattered about town. They were at the outskirts, or at least what could be called outskirts for such a tiny little village, and Daybreak wasted no time before hopping up onto one of the bridges and making her way deeper in.

“Ugh,” Daybreak spoke up as they walked, “why’s it so hot?”

“It’s a swamp,” Angel said. “It’s not as hot as it feels.”

“How does anypony handle living here?” Daybreak asked.

“It’s just what they’re used to,” Royal Gala told her. “Same as how the Crystal Kingdom ponies are used to the cold.”

“Yeah, and I don’t get them either,” Daybreak said. “Why not just live somewhere nicer? Canterlot’s got plenty of space.”

“I think it’s nice here,” Angel said. “Canterlot is too noisy.”

“I don’t get it.”

The town had grown a fair amount since Meadowbrook’s return, but it was still tiny by any standards. There were a couple of dozen buildings at most, and a fair number of those were used for services, a general store, a library, a boutique, and other such things. Some of those doubled as houses for the pony who ran them, but just as many didn’t, and so they made the town look a fair bit more populated than it actually was.

Despite the size, though, the streets were far from empty. There was always a pony in sight somewhere, if not nearby then on a distant walkway, and it would no doubt get busier as the morning wore on.

As the trio of fillies made their way through the town, passing ponies smiled and waved to them, and they smiled and waved back. The adults were all busy with their routines, though, and none stopped them to question why they were there or what they were doing.

When they turned a corner and caught sight of the front of the massive tree that served as Meadowbrook’s home, Daybreak let out an exaggerated, relieved sigh. “Finally,” she groaned. “I really hope it’s better inside.”

The door into the hollowed-out tree was propped open by a heavy rock, so they just walked right in. It was a humble little place, all one room with one side devoted to living space and the other to Meadowbrook’s pharmacy. She lived a surprisingly open life, apparently having no qualms about letting others walk in and see her bed, her bookshelves, and her years of personal mementos that decorated the walls.

Meadowbrook herself was crouched down in front of a low shelf filled with vials of strange liquids and powders, searching through it. She was humming a tune to herself and didn’t notice them come in.

“Hello?” Daybreak asked.

“Oh!” Meadowbrook stood up too fast and smacked her head against the shelf above her. She winced and rubbed her head as she stood up, but when she caught their eyes she still had a friendly smile on her face.

It took her a moment to recognize the trio, but then her smile grew even wider.

“Oh, Angel! I haven’t seen you in ages! You really must tell your mother to come to visit, it’s been so long since we caught up.” She skipped over to them and sat on the floor so she wasn’t towering over them. “And you two must be the little Princesses. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, it truly is.”

“Hello, Miss Meadowbrook,” Angel said. She suddenly sounded far more polite than she normally did. “I’m sorry for showing up without notice.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m delighted to have you! Ooh, would you three like some tea? I could make tea.”

“Uhh…” Daybreak glanced between Meadowbrook and Angel curiously. “No thanks. We’re kinda here for something important.”

“Oh? Already saving the world, are you?” Meadowbrook chuckled softly. “Well, please, how can I help?”

“We need to find Starswirl,” Daybreak said.

“Oh, you too? How curious,” Meadowbrook said. “Just last night I had a sweet little magician ask me the same thing. I told her that Starswirl didn’t hold much esteem for the art, but she was adamant about it! Ah, the confidence of today’s youth is truly inspiring. It reminds me of my own younger years, when I thought I could do anything at all. What a time that was, with—”

Meadowbrook noticed a droop in Daybreak’s expression and covered her mouth with a blush and a tiny gasp. “Oh, I was rambling, wasn’t I? I’m terribly sorry.”

“It’s fine, Miss Meadowbrook,” Angel told her. “Do you know where Starswirl is, though?”

“Alas, I’m afraid I cannot help you,” Meadowbrook said. “Starswirl has sworn me to secrecy! No clue as to his whereabouts shall part these lips, I’m afraid.”

Daybreak frowned. Angel nodded solemnly. “I understand,” she said. “Thank you anyway.”

“Of course, dearies. Is there any other way I can help? What exactly do you need Starswirl for?”

“Uhh,” Daybreak mumbled nervously, “that’s kind of—”

Angel cut her off. “We broke one of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Angel!” Daybreak hissed at her. Angel just shrugged back.

Meadowbrook gasped. “Oh, my, that is dire! If only I could help… I’m afraid I cannot break my vow, though, even for that. Perhaps try our other compatriots?”

“That’s the plan,” Royal Gala said. “Thanks for hearin us out.”

“Oh, not a problem,” Meadowbrook said, “and here, before you go…” She hopped up and walked over to her shelves of medicine. She started to search through them, pushing things around haphazardly. Eventually, she found a small jar full of powder and held it up triumphantly. “Here it is!” She carried it back over and gave it to Daybreak, since she was the only one who’d brought a saddlebag. “Hopefully this can help you.”

“What is it?” Daybreak asked. She tilted the jar back and forth to watch the little particles tumble and mix. The powder was a rainbow of tiny grains of sand, all mixed together so finely that it seemed to change its hue with every twist and turn.

“Oh, I’ve got no idea,” Meadowbrook said cheerily. “I picked this up at a curious little inlet off of Loch Neighss. Almost all rocks, but there was a tiny stretch of beach with the most stunningly luminescent sand I’ve ever laid eyes on. Now, so far all of my tests on it have come up with nothing, but my gut tells me that there’s something special about this sand, and my gut’s never wrong. Perhaps you can have better luck with it than I have, hm?”

“Well, thank you,” Daybreak said as she stowed the jar away. “Is there anything else? I kinda wanna get to the desert before it gets too hot.”

“Oh, are you going to see Somnambula? Tell her I said hi!” Meadowbrook grinned, gave Angel a kiss on the forehead and trotted back over to her shelves. “Have a lovely day!”

The three fillies nodded and said their goodbyes as shadows encircled them.

Once they were gone, Meadowbrook chuckled to herself. “Ah, youth.”

The town of Somnambula was a hot, dry, happy place. A bit bigger than Ponyville by size, but a fair amount smaller by population, it was filled with wide-open spaces like marketplaces and plazas. The town was laid out in a wide grid of these places, separated by thin rows of houses and connected only by alleyways without a single proper street to be seen.

Even with its scarce population, Somnambula was a bustling place. It thrived off of tourism, and the plazas were always filled to bursting with ponies of all shapes and sizes. This held true as the fillies wandered through the town’s main plaza, having to weave their way through a forest of legs as adults went about their days around them.

“Angel, any idea where she is in all this?” Daybreak asked as they broke out of a crowd and found themselves in an alleyway.

Angel shrugged. “I’ve never met her. I don’t know what she looks like.”

“She’s kinda pink-ish,” Royal Gala said, “and real small.”

“Yeah, no, that tells me nothing,” Angel told her.

“Well, I tried,” Royal Gala said.

In the next plaza, they decided to stick close to the buildings rather than brave the turmoil of the crowds. “Let’s ask somepony,” Daybreak said.

She stopped them at the first place she noticed, a little stall where a light blue stallion was selling colorful pottery. He perked up noticeably when they stopped walking. “Oh, good morning! How may I assist you?”

“Uh, hey,” Daybreak said. “We’re, uh, looking for Somnambula?”

“Well, you’ve found it!” The stallion grinned. “Lovely little town, isn’t it?”

“No, I mean the pony,” Daybreak said.

“Oh.” The stallion frowned for just a second before forcing his smile back up. “Yeah, she’s in the next square up north of here. Good luck, though, the line’s probably hours long at this point.”

“Line?” Daybreak raised an eyebrow. “There’s a line to see Somnambula?”

“Oh, for sure,” he said. “Everypony wants advice from her. I mean, she’s Somnambula.”

Daybreak sighed. “Alright, well… Thanks.” Before he could say anything back, she turned and trudged in the direction he’d pointed them.

Sure enough, when they got to the next plaza they saw that he’d been right. It was a smaller space, and the only thing that seemed to take it up was a tiny tent set up right in the middle, but it was still utterly packed. The line of ponies spiraled around the tent over and over so many times that the final row just about reached the edge of the plaza itself.

Daybreak groaned. “Great. There’s no way I’m waiting in this line.”

“Should we find a different pillar?” Angel asked.

“Ugh. We’re already here, though. I don’t wanna have to come back. Nah, we’re getting in there.”

“And how exactly are you figurin you’ll do that?” Royal Gala asked.

“Oh, I’ll find a way,” Daybreak said. A mischievous grin grew across her face. “I’ll definitely find a way.”

Chapter 15

“I ain’t havin no part in this,” Royal Gala grumbled. She took a seat in the sandy alleyway and crossed her legs in front of her chest with a sour look on her face. “Y’all are playin with fire.”

“Oh, quit being such a baby,” Daybreak replied. “It’s not like we’re gonna hurt anypony.”

Royal Gala groaned. “Angel? You’ve gotta see how bad this idea is, don’t you?”

“Sure,” Angel said.

“Then why the heck are you doin it?”

“Cuz it’s funny.”

“Ugh. Whatever.”

“Whatever yourself,” Daybreak said. “We don’t need you for this.”

“And you won’t get me for it.”

Daybreak rolled her eyes. “You ready, Angel?”

“Sure.”

“Alright,” Daybreak said with a grin, “start it up, then.”

There was a low, distant rumble as shadows started to creep across the plaza. At first, they went unnoticed, ignored like any clouds would be, but they didn’t stop. The ponies at the end of the line saw the shadows pass overhead, but instead of letting the sun back in as they moved over more and more of the ponies, the world only seemed to be getting darker.

The shadows got deeper and deeper, spreading across everything, and showed no sign of stopping.

Eventually, somepony noticed the strangeness of it and looked up at the sky. They let out a worried yelp, and the fun began.

As ponies had sat there, oblivious to what was happening overhead, massive swaths of inky blackness had been filling the sky above. The shadows nearly blocked out all of the sun’s light, and they were getting denser by the second.

By the time the first frightened pony caught the attention of others, the darkness had already spread across half of the plaza.

The first pony pointed more towards the sky, and they told others, passing their fear down the line in a roiling wave of panic. Terrified murmurs filled the air as ponies tried to figure out what to do about the encroaching darkness, and every few moments a scream would ring out as another pony looked up and saw the sun being smothered.

As the news reached the end of the plaza, so too did the darkness, and the world grew dim. No light trickled in from the alleyways, and the sun seemed hardly able to pierce the void.

The darkness wasn’t satisfied, though. There was still light, still vision, and so it grew. It grew in on itself, filling the space with yet more black, eating away at every last crack that the sun was still able to seep through.

As the last rays of sunlight blinked out of existence, unicorns around the plaza started to light up their horns in an attempt to beat back the all-encompassing shadows.

The shadows fought back. One by one, tendrils of darkness stretched through the empty air and wound their way around the unicorns’ horns, and every tiny beacon was snuffed out. The shadows would allow for no glimmer of light, no spark of flame, no hope of an end to the terror.

When there was nothing left, fear truly took hold over the crowd. None of them could see, and they dared not run, lest they hurt each other in the dark. There were screams, there were whimpers, there were quiet, fearful whispers. They were frozen, trapped, and quickly running out of hope. They’d already lost to this unknown terror.

Minutes passed with no change. The screams died down, the whimpers weakened, and the panic slowly burned away into a deep, lasting despair.

Then the sky lit up. Cold blue flames streaked through the darkness, so bright that ponies had to shield their eyes, and gathered together into an icy inferno. The fear and panic returned tenfold as the assailing darkness was replaced by a terror they knew all too well.

In the sky, glowing as bright as the moon itself, was Nightmare Moon. The light from the flames that still spun around her in wisps reflected off of her dark, sinister armor. Sparks glinted in her wide, crazed eyes.

She licked her lips as she looked down on them. Fear was no delicacy compared to the raw, pulsing energy of anger, but all she could see as she looked over the sea of terrified ponies were the makings of a feast.

She caught herself and gritted her teeth. She knew better. That wouldn’t be right.

Besides, it was hardly the time. She had things to do.

Putting on her wickedest grin, she flapped her wings and shot down towards the crowd of ponies. They screamed as she nearly collided with them, but at the last moment, she flapped her wings again and stopped herself short. Still, the gust of wind from her wings was strong enough to send some of the terrified ponies toppling over.

Spinning in place, she addressed the ponies. “Greetings, mortals,” she said. “Worry not; I’m not here to kill you. Not today. No, consider this a… Test, of sorts.” She let out a sinister laugh. “Yes, a simple test. One choice to make.” She spun in place for a moment, letting it all sink in before continuing. “So, Somnambula… Fight or flight?”

At first, there was no response. She glared down at them with hungry eyes, but they were too afraid, too shellshocked to act.

Finally, she decided she’d done enough waiting. In one swift motion, she put out all the lights around her and cast them back into pure darkness. Then, she flew high into the air and yelled down to them as loudly as she could.

“RUN!”

There was a sudden stampede of hooves as the crowd panicked. They ran through the darkness in whatever direction they thought would lead out, shoving each other aside and running into the sides of buildings as they scrambled for the alleyways. Terrified yells rang out as ponies tripped and fell in the crowds and were lost amongst the commotion.

The fervor lasted only a few moments. The square emptied fast. Once she was confident the coast was clear, she lit her horn up for light and floated down into the empty plaza.

“What cowards!” She cackled as she talked to herself. “That was so simple! Oh, I wish I could’ve seen the looks on their faces, they must’ve been—”

“Nightmare Moon!” Suddenly, a small, pink-ish pony stepped out of the tent in the middle of the plaza and glared in the Princess’ direction. “I choose fight.”

Nightmare Moon gasped and looked like she was about to say something, but Somnambula didn’t give her a chance. She pounced forward, knocking her off of her hooves and onto the ground.

Pinning Nightmare Moon down, Somnambula snarled at her. “Explain yourself.”

“W-Wait, I—” She gulped. Unsure of what she could say, Daybreaker gave herself up, changing back from Nightmare Moon into her normal self.

Somnambula raised an eyebrow as she looked down at the tiny green creature she was standing over. “What in the world?”

“I-I can explain!” Daybreaker frowned and struggled against Somnambula’s grasp. “Angel, cut the act! C’mon, it’s over!”

Much more quickly than they had rolled in, the shadows over the plaza fizzled away, and the sun poured down on them again. Somnambula looked up at the sky for a moment, then back down to Daybreaker. “Who are you?”

As Daybreaker struggled to find words, Angel walked up to the two of them casually. “I’m sorry, Miss Somnambula,” she said quietly. “We needed to speak to you.”

Somnambula looked hard at Angel for a moment, then her eyes went wide. “Angel Trifle?” With a grin, she hopped away from Daybreaker and pulled Angel into a tight hug. “Wow, I haven’t seen you since you were a baby!”

Daybreaker scrambled up off the ground and hid behind Angel. “Y-You know her?”

“Well, of course I know her!” Somnambula ruffled Angel’s mane and stopped hugging her. “I’m Pinkie’s favorite honorary great-great-great-great-grandma, how could she not show me Angel the day she was born?” She laughed to herself, then suddenly looked at Angel with an incredibly stern expression. “Now. What was this stunt? You could have seriously hurt somepony!”

“I was keeping them safe,” Angel said. “I was moving anypony who fell or anything to another plaza.”

Somnambula sighed. “Well… At least you thought of that.” Shaking her head, she waved them into her tent. “Come, let’s talk.”

Before they went in, Angel pulled Royal Gala out of her hiding place and over to them. “Come on. Prank’s over.”

Royal Gala scoffed and walked into the tent. “Prank. Yeah, right.”

The tent was small and well-decorated, despite clearly not being where Somnambula actually lived. The majority of it was taken up by the large square table that sat in the center of it, which Somnambula was already sitting at the far end of. Tucked away into the three sides of the tent that weren’t taken up by the entrance were little shelves, tightly packed with all sorts of things. She had antiques, magical artifacts, crystal balls, tarot cards, and several lifetimes’ worth of other knick-knacks and baubles.

The fillies sat around the table with Somnambula. Daybreak had a guilty look on her face, and Royal Gala was still pouting.

“Okay,” Somnambula said, “why did you need so badly to reach me?”

“We’re looking for Starswirl because Daybreak broke an Element of Harmony,” Royal Gala said curtly. She met Daybreak’s surprised glance with a spiteful glare.

“Oh. Oh my.” Somnambula nodded slowly and quietly. “Yes, that is quite the pickle. So, you were hoping I know where Starswirl is?”

The three of them all nodded.

“Do you?” Angel asked.

“Of course I do,” Somnambula said. “We’re friends, after all.”

“Um…” Daybreak looked around at the others for a moment, and they pressed her on. “Will you… Tell us?”

“Hm…” Somnambula put a hoof to her chin and made an exaggerated show of thinking hard. “I don’t know, that stunt you pulled was pretty bad.”

Daybreak groaned in disappointment.

“Told you,” Royal Gala told her.

“Please, Miss Somnambula,” Angel said. “I know we messed up, but we want to fix our own mistakes.”

“I suppose that’s admirable,” Somnambula told her. “Do you truly believe you can fix them, though?”

“I don’t know,” Angel said.

“We’ve gotta try, though,” Daybreak added. “We don’t know if we can, but that means we don’t know that we can’t, either.”

Somnambula laughed. “Now that’s my kind of attitude. Here, I have an idea. Why don’t I give you a riddle?”

“A… Riddle?” Daybreak looked at her with confusion.

“Yeah, I love riddles!” Somnambula clapped her hooves together and dug out a notebook. “Just, um, give me a minute to make one up.”

“Um… Okay, I guess,” Daybreak said. “If that’s our only option.”

“Yup,” Somnambula said. “I already started writing it, it’s too late to stop now.”

They waited in silence awkwardly for a few minutes as Somnambula scribbled away in her notepad. She’d write some lines, then scratch some out, flip to a different page, and write some more. It was an esoteric process, devised over years of trial and error, but it worked.

“Oh,” Angel spoke up after a bit, “Miss Meadowbrook wanted us to say hello for her.”

“Oh, how lovely! I really should catch up with her,” Somnambula said. She didn’t look up from her notes as she talked. “How was your visit with her? Did she make you take some rocks or something with you?”

“A jar of sand, actually,” Angel said.

Somnambula laughed. “Mm, the rainbow sand. That one’s been stuck in her craw for decades.” Suddenly, she slapped her pencil down and looked up with a wide smile. “Done!”

“Already?” Royal Gala asked. “That was quick.”

“Mm-hm!” Somnambula cleared her throat and held up her notebook to read from it, putting on an official-sounding voice as she did. “Okay, girls. ‘Despite the heat of sand and swamp, your trials brought you visions naught. To find the place you seek and triumph, you must look back upon your lot. If, through these tests, you do not falter, two halfs and a whole shall you alter. Starswirl the Bearded knows the path, so seek him out past all the palter.’”

After she was done, Somnambula cleared her throat again and smiled at the group. “So? What do you think?”

“I… Have no idea what that means,” Daybreak said.

“Goodie!” Somnambula clapped her hooves together proudly. “Sleep on it, you can figure it out!”

“Can we get a hint?” Royal Gala asked.

“Nope!” With a grin, Somnambula stood up and trotted over to the front of the tent. “Good luck!” Then, without another word, she walked out and left them.

Chapter 16

“Sleep on it? How the heck is that supposed to help.”

Daybreak grumbled under her breath as she laid in bed that night. She was holding the jar of sand over her head, rolling it around and watching as dim rays of light from her horn reflected across all the different glittering colors.

“Why aren’t they more worried? I mean, seriously, a riddle? Ugh.”

She flipped over onto her belly and placed the jar upright on her bed. “Might as well see what this is about.” She opened the lid and tossed it to the side unceremoniously.

Nothing seemed immediately off about the same. She sniffed it, but it didn’t have a scent. She Poured some out onto her hoof, and it flowed like sand. Tentatively, she tasted it, but it just tasted like sand. By all accounts, all it was was colorful sand.

She thought for a moment. “Maybe it needs something else,” she wondered. She screwed the cap back on quickly, then hopped off of her bed and snuck as quietly as she could to her door.

It opened silently, and she slipped out into the throne room without a problem. There were guards there, but she knew their routines well, so it was no trouble for a creature as small as her to hide from them in the shadows. She got to the end of the long hall and looked back, watching and waiting for a moment when both guards were occupied, and then scampered out into the hall as quickly as she could.

The halls were dark and quiet. Small, wall-mounted candles lit the way enough to see, but not much more than that. Off in the distance, the clanking hoofsteps of ponies in regal armor could be heard. As she often did when she snuck out, she found herself thanking her mother’s rigorous scheduling. Thanks to it, she always knew where every guard in the castle was.

She made her way to the kitchen and slipped in, letting out a deep breath when the door clicked quietly shut behind her. She turned on all the lights, not worried about being caught anymore, and set the jar down on a counter before scurrying around and looking in all the cupboards.

She grabbed anything that looked like it might have any chance of working. Flour, sugar, wheat, oats, anything that caught her eye. She also grabbed a stack of deep metal bowls and spread them out across the counter with the various ingredients.

Then she got to work.

The first test was simple. She poured a few grains of sand into a bowl, then filled the bowl with water and stirred it up.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. A fizzle, a bang, anything, but that’s not what she got. All she got for her trouble was a bowl full of water.

She tried adding more sand, and it dissolved into the water without a trace. She thought it should have at least been changing the color of the water, but it was still as clear as ever. A quick taste test was similarly disappointing, as it just tasted like water, too.

Disappointed, she moved down the list. She poured sugar into the bowl with the sand, and then some water when that did nothing. Some mixing, prodding and tasting later, she moved on again and repeated the process. On and on down the line she went, testing everything she had access to, and none of it bore any fruit.

After the last one did nothing, she let out a frustrated growl and tossed the bowl into the sink. “It’s just sand! Ugh, I bet it’s a prank. I bet she just dyed some regular sand.” Annoyed, she tossed the rest of the dishes haphazardly into the sink, not bothering to wash them, and left the jar of sand open on the counter.

“Angel!” Daybreak hissed quietly. “You awake?”

“Kinda.” Behind her, Angel yawned. “What do you want? It’s bedtime.”

“Forget that,” Daybreak said. “Forget sleeping on it, forget the riddle, forget the sand, all of it! I’m sick of it, I’m gonna fix the element myself.”

“Okay,” Angel said. “How?”

“I don’t know yet,” Daybreak said. “Let’s go back to the tree. Maybe we missed something there.”

“You can do whatever you want,” Angel said, “but I’m going back to bed. And don’t think I’m waking up Royal Gala for this.”

Daybreak groaned. “Well, can you at least send me there so I don’t have to fly all that way?”

“Sure.” Angel nodded, and shadows swirled up around Daybreak and whisked her away.

Alone in the kitchen, Angel looked around with sleepy eyes. “Hmm…” Curious about what Daybreak had been doing, she wandered over to the sink and looked in.

The water had spilled out of all the bowls and mixed together into a thick, murky brown slurry. Dishes were completely blocking the drain, so the water was just sitting there, unmoving as Angel stared at it.

She looked at the sand next to the sink. Daybreak had been careful with her portions, and in the end, she’d only used about a quarter of the jar.

On a whim, Angel took a big scoop of the sand and dumped it into the mixture. Immediately, it started to bubble and churn. Little whirlpools swirled across the surface, making tiny indents amongst the bubbles.

“Huh.”

With a shrug, Angel picked up the jar and dumped the rest of the sand into the sink. The water roiled, a maelstrom overtaking it as the strange solution reacted to the sand, and Angel grinned.

“Oops.”

Satisfied, she dropped the jar into the sink and turned on the faucet so that it would fill with water.

Laughing under her breath, she then stepped into the shadows and started to fade away.

As the shadows parted, gravity regained its hold and pulled Daybreak tumbling out of the air. She landed on the hard stone floor of the gulch with a dull thud and a pained “oof.” Then, before she had a chance to get her bearings, more shadows swirled above her and dropped two broken chunks of rock down on her head.

Grumbling and rubbing her head, Daybreak pushed herself up and picked up the broken element. Unsurprisingly, it still had no magical sheen to it, but she was still a little disappointed that the problem hadn’t just fixed itself.

The rocky outcroppings around her looked completely different under the light of the moon. Stars glittered off of the perfectly still surface of the pond, and tiny crystals embedded high up on the walls glowed in a rainbow of colors. The cave leading in towards the tree was almost completely pitch dark, only barely lit by the soft glow the tree gave off.

She made her way over to it, but as she rounded the corner into the cave Daybreak stopped short.

She wasn’t alone.

Standing in front of the tree, looking up at it with a hoof on his chin, was an ancient, bearded pony. He was wearing an old, tattered hat and robe, and gave off an aura like he’d been alive since the dawn of time.

“Uh… H-Hello?” Daybreak spoke up quietly.

“Hm?” The old stallion turned around slowly, then lit up when he saw Daybreak. “Oh, my! Well, aren’t you a quick one? Or perhaps Somnambula has just lost her edge.”

“What?”

“Well, you are Daybreak, aren’t you?” The pony walked a bit closer to her and smiled warmly. “My successor does paint quite a vivid portrait of you in her letters.”

“Your…” Daybreak shook her head and looked up at him, utterly baffled. “What?”

“I’m Starswirl, young lady,” he told her. “Are you not here to speak to me?”

“Starswirl? B-But why are you here?”

“Well, this is where I was asked to wait,” Starswirl said. “You did solve the riddle, did you not?”

“The ri—” Daybreak’s eyes went wide as the realization hit her. “O-Oh! Yeah, heh, of course I solved the riddle! It was a piece of cake.”

Starswirl raised an eyebrow. “You came here by complete happenstance, didn’t you?”

“I—” Daybreak pursed her lips. “Yeah…”

“Well, no matter.” Starswirl wandered back over to the tree and sat underneath it, motioning for Daybreak to follow. She did, and sat on a hefty root nearby. “You’ve found me, which was the point of the riddle. I suppose it doesn’t matter all that much that you failed to actually solve it.”

“I mean, I would’ve if I’d gotten the chance to.”

Starswirl chuckled. “Of course. So, dear Daybreak, how may I help you?”

“Uh… Somnambula didn’t tell me?”

“Well, she…” Starswirl cleared his throat. “She gave me a riddle about it.”

“Hah! See? Not so easy, is it?” Daybreak laughed for a moment, then nodded and pushed the laughter down. “Yeah, so, um… I kind of broke one of the elements.”

Starswirl’s eyes went wide. “What? But they look fine to me.”

Daybreak looked up at the tree. At some point, Angel must have replaced Pinkie’s element, and their fake element was still slotted snugly into the tree. “Yeah, uh… Well, we made a fake one to replace it.”

Starswirl looked impressed and glanced back up at the tree. “Which one?”

“My mom’s.”

“Ho-hoh, you must be quite the little sorceress! It wouldn’t give up that one easily. And the stone you made is exquisite! Really, a true eye for detail. Even the imperfections seem to have been copied!”

“Mm-hm.” Daybreak nodded. “So… Can you fix it?”

Starswirl stroked his beard. “Hmm… Well, I’m sorry to say I cannot help you.”

“What? B-But you were our only chance! What are we going to do, we need the elements, what if we get attacked, or-or—”

Starswirl cleared his throat, and Angel stopped rambling and looked up at him. “As I was saying,” he said agonizingly slowly, “I cannot help you, for, you see, there is no problem to fix.”

“What? But… The element! It’s broken!”

“Daybreak, what you broke was nothing more than a well-sculpted stone. It wasn’t magic.”

Frowning, Daybreak stared up at him. “I don’t understand.”

“The magic is from the tree,” Starswirl said. He pointed up to the slot in the trunk. “Look, see? It’s already begun charging the new stone with energy.”

Daybreak looked closely at the tree, and sure enough, their replacement stone had a tiny bit of the magical sheen the other elements all held.

“So… It’s fine? I was worried for nothing?”

“So it seems,” he said with a laugh.

Daybreak took the old stone and put it in front of her. “Then… What about this?”

“Hm?” Starswirl looked them over and shrugged. “Keep them. They most likely still hold some vestige of the element’s power. Perhaps you’ll find a use for that.”

“Oh.” Daybreak stared down at them, still having trouble processing everything that was going on. Eventually, she looked back up at him and asked, “Are you gonna tell my mom?”

Starswirl laughed. “Dear, something tells me I don’t need to. I’d be surprised if she didn’t already know.”

“Ugh.” Daybreak dropped her head onto her hooves. “I’m gonna be in so much trouble.

Back in Canterlot, a waterfall was flowing off of a counter and onto the kitchen floor. It was pooling together in a deep puddle of murky brown liquid that spun and spat in a magical torrent. A storm was raging in the sink, fighting against the confines of its metal prison.

In all the currents, all the turmoil, the dishes clogging the drain got pushed more and more, and eventually, they gave way. The water shoved the bowls out of the way and, with a loud, deep noise, slid down the drain and into the depths of the Canterlot Castle.

Chapter 17

“So annoying,” Daybreak grumbled as she snuck through the halls of the castle once again. “She knows where my room is.”

After her meeting with Starswirl, Daybreak had called on Angel for help getting back home.

Angel, annoyed at having been called on yet again so late at night, had decided to dump her on the front steps.

So, Daybreak again found herself dodging guards as she tried to make it back to her room with the old, shattered element stashed safely under a wing. She’d been doing well so far; Not a single guard had crossed her path, and she now stood before her final obstacle.

Slowly, cautiously, she pushed open the huge door leading into the throne room just enough to squeeze through it before quickly shutting it again. The room was dark, too dark to see, and there didn’t even seem to be guards around. It was still, it was silent, and it was calm.

By all accounts, she seemed to be home free, but something felt off to her. There was an ominous chill in the air, and the stillness of everything unsettled her. There should have been guards. Why weren’t there guards?

She’d hardly taken a single step when, without warning, every light in the room blazed to life at once. For a moment she was blinded, stunned by the sudden onslaught, but slowly her eyes started to adjust. The blurs around her started to come into focus, to turn from streaks of color into vague shapes, and from those into…

She swallowed hard. At the far end of the room, sitting in their thrones were her parents, and they did not look happy to see her.

Twilight looked dead tired, leaning hard on the arm of her chair, but her eyes were still sharp, and the frustration buried deep in her furrowed brow couldn’t be ignored. Chrysalis, meanwhile, was wide awake, sitting up straight and giving Daybreak the kind of regal, neutral look she often gave visiting nobles who she was less fond of.

A shaky, nervous smile crept onto Daybreak’s face. “U-Um…” She swallowed again. “Good mor—”

“Enough,” Chrysalis said sharply. Like her expression, her voice didn’t seem to carry any edge of anger or disappointment, just the pure, unyielding force of authority. “Daybreak Nymph, come here.”

Daybreak nodded and walked up to the bottom of the steps that led up to the thrones. From there, her mothers towered above her, and their glares seemed all the worse for it.

“Daybreak,” Twilight spoke up, “where have you been?” Her voice was quiet, caring, but filled with an undeniable disappointment.

“I-I, um…” Daybreak scratched the back of her neck as she thought hard, searching for a way out. “I was just…”

“Please, just be honest,” Twilight said. Daybreak’s heart fell as a guilty feeling started to well up in her chest.

She hated that Twilight was able to get to her so easily, but there was no helping it. As much as Daybreak could relish her parents’ frustration, their anger, she couldn’t stand to make them sad.

“I was…” Daybreak looked down at the floor, shuffled her hooves, and took a deep breath. “I was at the Tree of Harmony.”

Twilight’s expression shifted just a bit, losing a touch of its edge and replacing it with concern. “What? Why?”

“I…” Daybreak made an anxious, conflicted noise, unsure of what to do. She shrank in on herself, hunching her shoulders and hiding her face behind her mane.

“Are you in trouble?” Chrysalis asked.

“N-No!” Daybreak shook her head quickly. “No, I… I fixed it.”

“Fixed what?” Twilight asked.

“Uh…” At a loss for words, Daybreak decided to just drop the broken element on the floor where they could both see it.

Twilight gasped, pulled the stones to herself with her magic and started to inspect them. “What—how—who—”

“It doesn’t look very fixed to me,” Chrysalis said.

“We made a new one,” Daybreak said. “Starswirl said it should be fine!”

“We?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

“You know, me and Angel and Royal Gala.”

“Of course,” Chrysalis said. For the first time, a hint of annoyance growled in her voice.

“Did you just find it like this?” Twilight asked, still fixated on the element.

“Um…” Daybreak scuffed a hoof on the floor and looked away. “No, I’m the one who broke it.”

Twilight stopped her fiddling and looked up. “What?”

“I was trying to get it out of the tree, but it was stuck so I had to keep pulling harder, and I pulled too hard and, and—”

“It broke?” Twilight was staring at her now with wide eyes.

“Um… Yeah.”

“It’s an Element of Harmony! It can’t break. I-I—” Twilight took a deep breath and looked to her side. “Chrissy?”

Chrysalis nodded. “If they were simple to break, I’d have broken them. Trust me, I tried. A lot.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Daybreak said. “It just broke.”

“And you were just pulling on it?” Twilight asked. “With your magic, I assume?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Well, that is… Interesting,” Twilight said.

“Um…” Daybreak looked between the two of them and frowned. “I’m really sorry.”

“I would hope so,” Chrysalis said.

“Thank you for telling us,” Twilight said, “and for working so hard to fix your mistake.”

“So… I’m not in trouble?”

“Hah!” Chrysalis couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you’re in severe trouble. Just less than if we had discovered all of this on our own.”

Twilight gave Chrysalis a look, then turned her attention back to Daybreak. “Seeing as you did eventually tell the truth, and you took the effort to fix things, we won’t punish you for breaking the element or sneaking out tonight.”

“We won’t?” Chrysalis asked.

“No,” Twilight said, “we won’t. However, you still skipped school, and don’t think I didn’t notice that book in your pillowcase. That, you are in trouble for.”

Daybreak frowned. “So, what, am I grounded?”

“We’ll discuss the details in the morning,” Twilight said. “For now, you should get some sleep. It’s well past your bedtime, and you—”

Twilight was cut off by a loud, deep boom from somewhere far off in the castle. From the direction, it sounded like it was from the kitchen.

Without thinking, Daybreak inhaled sharply. “Oh no…”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

“Um… Nothing?”

“Uh-huh.” Chrysalis stood up, and Twilight followed suit. “Come. Let’s go investigate this ‘nothing.’”

Daybreak walked nervously alongside her parents, keenly aware of Twilight’s steely gaze locked to her. She had no idea what she was walking into, and that unknown was quickly building into fear as they made their way towards the kitchen.

Chrysalis went in first and flicked on the lights. Twilight followed shortly after, and then beckoned Daybreak inside.

The kitchen was an absolute mess. Food was scattered around, cupboards were torn open, some had even had their doors taken clean off of their hinges. The faucet was still running, pouring straight into an empty sink. Muddy water glistened around the edges of the sink, and some still stuck to the sides of the counter where it had cascaded off earlier, but strangely enough, there didn’t seem to be any water on the floor. All the signs seemed to point towards the sink having overflown and dripped onto the tile floor, but the puddle that should have been there was just… Gone.

The source of the loud noise that had alerted them was plain to see. At the far end of the kitchen, a fridge had been pushed and toppled over onto its side. The door had fallen open in the calamity, and standing on the door, digging around in the fridge, was… Something.

“Daybreak,” Twilight said slowly, not taking her eyes off of the thing in the fridge, “I need to know what you did.”

“I didn’t do this!” Daybreak gulped. “I-I mean, I was in here earlier messing around with some sand I got from Mage Meadowbrook, but nothing happened!”

“What sand?” Twilight asked.

“I left it by the sink.”

Twilight glanced at the counter, but nothing was there. Slowly, cautiously, she crept across the room, trying not to alert the thing in the fridge, and glanced down into the sink. There, she spotted the jar and dug it out with her magic. “Was it in this?”

“Wh—” Daybreak winced. “I only used a little of it! Where’d it go?”

“Looks to me like it’s in our fridge,” Chrysalis said.

“What?” Curious, Daybreak snuck a few steps closer to the creature.

“Careful, Daybreak,” Chrysalis said. “It could be dangerous.”

“I know,” Daybreak said. “Geez, I’m not a baby. I can handle—”

Daybreak yelped as she slipped on a wet spot on the floor and crashed to the floor.

The yelp and crash finally got the attention of the thing in the fridge. It stopped what it was doing and stuck its head in the air, seemingly sniffing around, before turning and looking towards Daybreak.

It was a bizarre creature. In many ways, it seemed shapeless. The muddy brown puddle had pulled together, coagulated into a small, four-legged shape that looked, vaguely, like a cat, although it had no definable features. It had indents that gave the impression of eyes, but there were no actual eyes there. It had a snout, but there were no nostrils. And, when it opened its mouth and bared its wet, dripping fangs, it clearly had no throat.

The creature crouched down and arched its back defensively as it let out a high-pitched, gurgling hiss. As it moved, the water that made up its body rippled and waved, and as the lights shone through the murky brown water they revealed the hints of a rainbow, tiny bits of color all throughout its body that were gone as soon as they appeared, making it shimmer like a mirage.

Daybreak scrambled to her hooves and took a few steps back. “N-Nice kitty… Please don’t—”

The creature sprang forward, lunging at Daybreak.

Her parents acted fast. Daybreak vanished in a puff of green magic as Chrysalis teleported her across the room, and as soon as the creature landed a dome of solid magic rose up in a cage around it, trapping it in place.

Or, at least, it should have been trapped. The creature spun around in place until it spied Twilight, her horn glowing brightly as she kept the cage up, and sprang at her. It passed straight through the field of magic, ignoring it like it wasn’t even there, and Twilight had to dive out of the way to avoid being bitten.

“Mom!” Daybreak panicked at seeing Twilight in danger. She dashed across the room, ignoring Chrysalis yelling for her to stop, and leapt up onto the counter. There, she grabbed the biggest bowl she saw out of the sink and yanked it out.

Then she jumped on the creature. There was a hollow clank as the bowl landed around it, Daybreak standing on top of the bowl to hold it down, and then a dull thunk as the creature slammed against the metal in an attempt to break free.

“Daybreak!” Breathing hard, Twilight grabbed the bowl with her magic to hold it down and picked Daybreak up in a tight, close hug. “You can’t do that,” she said quietly. “You could’ve been hurt.”

“B-But so could you,” Daybreak argued.

Twilight leaned back and stroked Daybreak’s mane as she looked into her eyes. “Honey, it’s not your job to protect us. We can handle things like this.”

“But I stopped it!”

“I know you did,” Twilight said, “and I’m very proud of you, but it was still dangerous. We’ve been alive a lot longer than you. We know what to look out for to stay safe.”

“I am safe, though, and you weren’t! You were gonna get hurt! I couldn’t—”

“Daybreak.” Twilight put a hoof on Daybreak’s cheek tenderly. “Please. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt.”

“I…” Daybreak paused for a moment, then nodded and hugged Twilight. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Twilight said, squeezing her tight. “Just be safe.”

As they talked, Chrysalis walked over to the bowl and took over holding it for Twilight. She looked around the kitchen for a moment, thinking hard, then made a decision. Carefully, she slid a cutting board under the bowl to hold the creature in, then vanished in a burst of light.

A minute later, she reappeared, although this time without the bowl. Instead, she was carrying with her a large, clear aquarium tank that she’d trapped the creature in. She set it on the counter and started cleaning up the kitchen as Twilight finished comforting Daybreak.

Eventually, Daybreak pushed out of Twilight’s grasp, although not without Twilight getting one last kiss on her forehead. Then Daybreak wiped her eyes, took a breath, and wandered over to where the creature was trapped.

It stared back at her as she looked into the tank. The creature had calmed down quite a bit, and now, instead of hissing, it regarded her curiously. As they studied each other, Daybreak thought about it, wondering what it was, and where it had come from. After all, nothing had been going on when she left the kitchen. She didn’t see how all the carnage could have started.

Eventually, Daybreak decided to speak up. “So, what’re you gonna do with it?”

Twilight took a break from cleaning and walked over to stand beside Daybreak. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I suppose it depends on if it stays calm.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “Mage Meadowbrook made you responsible for that sand, right? It’ll take a bit to be sure it’s not going to become hostile again, but if it’s not, then… You’re still responsible.”

“Wait, do you mean…”

Twilight grinned down at Daybreak. “Better start thinking of names.”

“She can think while she cleans,” Chrysalis said from across the room. “C’mon. I’m not doing all of this myself.”

And so they all got to work, determined to finish the job as quickly as possible so they could finally sleep.

As they toiled away, deep below them, in the bowels of the castle, a pipe ruptured.

Chapter 18

“Why do I have to go?”

That was the third time that morning Daybreak had asked the question, and every time it got the same response.

“Because,” Twilight said, “today’s very important to your uncle.”

The two of them were together in Daybreak’s room, Daybreak sitting on the floor with Twilight on the bed behind her. Twilight was patiently running a brush through Daybreak’s mane, carefully clearing up every knot and tangle in a process that always took quite a while.

“He’s not even really my uncle.”

“Sure he is,” Twilight said. “Just because he’s not Chrissy’s brother doesn’t mean he can’t be your uncle. Changelings have different rules.”

“Shouldn’t he be, like, my brother or something though? I thought you said mom raised all the changelings before him.”

“Like I said, they have different rules. Hives are more structured in a lot of ways, but when it comes to families they’re actually pretty easy-going. It’s more about who you grew up with than the actual circumstances of your birth, since changelings are all—”

“Gah!” Daybreak winced as Twilight, caught up in her explanation, accidentally pulled too hard on a knot of hair.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie.” Twilight rubbed Daybreak’s mane and gave her a kiss on the head. Then she floated the brush back over to the vanity and pulled Daybreak up onto her lap. “I think that’s good enough, anyway.”

Daybreak crossed her legs in front of her chest and pouted. “I don’t wanna go.”

“Well, you have to,” Twilight said.

“What if I don’t? What if I get Angel to hide me somewhere?”

“That sounds like a good way for her to actually get Fluttershy mad,” Twilight said, “and I doubt she wants to do that.”

Daybreak huffed. “Can I at least take Gooey with me?”

Gooey was the name Daybreak had decided to give the strange cat-like creature that her experiments had made. Now, as it often did, it was lounging in the tank at the end of the bed that served as its bed, but it perked up at the sound of its name.

“Will Gooey behave?”

“Probly.” Daybreak shrugged. “It’s been pretty good the past couple weeks.”

“Would it even want to go?”

“How should I know?”

“It’s your pet,” Twilight said. “Gooey can come if it wants, but don’t force it.”

Daybreak sighed. “Fine. I’ll go to the stupid thing.”

“Good!” Twilight squeezed Daybreak close. “Now, how about a dress?”

“I gotta dress up?” Daybreak groaned. “Why?”

“Because it’s a big day,” Twilight said, “and I want you to look nice.”

“I bet mom isn’t dressing up.”

“You’re right, she’s not,” Twilight said, “but you are.”

“You’re so mean,” Daybreak grumbled.

“And you’re so cute,” Twilight replied playfully. “Now c’mon, go pick something out. It doesn’t have to be a dress, but you have to wear something.”

Daybreak hopped off Twilight’s lap and stomped grumpily over to her wardrobe. “Are you gonna dress up?” She mumbled as she threw it open and started to rifle through the mountain of clothes Rarity had thrust onto her over the years.

“Of course,” Twilight said, “I just need to know what you pick out first so that we can match!”

“Ugh.” Without putting too much thought into it, Daybreak pulled out an airy gray scarf and a set of black boots. “Is this good enough?”

“Mm, a little more,” Twilight said. “A scarf’s an accessory, not an outfit.”

Daybreak rolled her eyes and picked out a light grey, nearly-white cloak and draped it over her back. It was a bit too big on her, and the ends of it dragged on the ground, making her look even smaller than she already was. It wasn’t helped when she put on the scarf, which, although it did fit her, was so light and fluffy that it puffed out around her neck.

“There,” Daybreak said. “Happy?”

“Very,” Twilight said. With a massive grin, she hopped up off the bed, gave Daybreak a kiss on the cheek, then trotted over to the door. “Alrighty, meet us in the throne room in a few minutes, okay sweetie? Love you.”

“I love you too,” Daybreak grumbled under her breath. Satisfied, Twilight practically pranced out of the room, shutting the door behind her with a quiet click.

Still mumbling incomprehensibly, Daybreak sat down by Gooey’s tank to put on her boots. “So,” she said to Gooey as she started lacing up the first one, “do you wanna come with me?”

Gooey looked up at her, yawned, then dropped its head back down onto its paws.

“C’mon, that’s not an answer,” Daybreak said. She started in on the second boot. “If you don’t come, I’m gonna be so bored.”

Gooey opened one eye and peered suspiciously at Daybreak.

“You’ve never even been to the hive,” Daybreak said. “I bet there’s stuff there you haven’t tasted.”

That got Gooey’s attention. It raised its head up and thought for a moment, then stood up and hopped out of the open tank with a damp-sounding meow.

“I knew that’d get you.” Daybreak reached over and stroked under Gooey’s chin. Its body felt strange to touch, liquid one moment and solid the next, but Daybreak was starting to get used to it.

When she was done getting ready, Daybreak hopped up and walked begrudgingly out the door, beckoning Gooey along with her.

Her parents were already there, standing by the thrones and chatting as they waited for Daybreak. Chrysalis, as expected, hadn’t dressed up, but she was wearing her ornate silver crown. Twilight, meanwhile, had thrown on a slim dark gray dress that hugged her body, along with some indistinct black shoes and long, opaque black stockings on all four legs. Unlike Chrysalis, she’d decided to forego her crown.

They stopped talking as she walked out, and Twilight waved excitedly. “You look fantastic, honey!”

“Mm-hm,” Daybreak mumbled.

“You do look nice, Daybreak,” Chrysalis agreed. “Are you excited to see your uncle?”

“Not really,” Daybreak said. “I don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Mm.” Chrysalis nodded. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have fun regardless. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“We’d best be off, then. Twilight?”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, here we go!” She lit up her horn and, with a massive flash, transported the group of them out of the castle, our of Canterlot, and across Equestria.

They reappeared at the front entrance to the changeling hive. It was a colorful, lively place, filled with all sorts of wreaths and wildflowers that brought life to the otherwise barren landscape. Changelings flitted around the foliage, caring for the plants and making sure none were withering away in the hot, dry sun.

The hive itself was a strange, towering structure that tapered off as it rose, giving it the impression of a bulb that was just waiting to erupt into a gargantuan flower. It was made of an odd, petrified wood that was as hard as stone, but you could still see the telltale signs of the hive’s steady growth. The outer reaches of the wood were light, fresh, clearly new despite the petrification and many knots and hollows that ran through it, but the deeper the wood was into the hive, the older and darker it got.

“Huh?” Daybreak looked around, confused. “Why’d you bring us out here? Why not inside?”

“I thought you might like to see the hive before we got to Thorax,” Twilight said. “You haven’t been here for a while, right?”

“Uhh… Yeah, I guess,” Daybreak said.

As they talked, a couple of changelings wandered up to them, one an adult and the other much younger. They were both a bright, pastel green, and the child was clearly nervous.

Chrysalis stood up straight as they approached. “Good morning,” she said calmly.

The adult gave the child a light, encouraging push, and the child started to talk. “U-Um, good morning. Are… Are you, um…”

“Queen Chrysalis?” The child nodded. “Yes,” Chrysalis said, “I am. And you are?”

“I’m, um, Spiracle, ma’am.” They looked down at the ground and dug a hoof into the dirt. “I-I, um, I wanted to ask…” Their voice trailed off anxiously.

A resigned look found its way onto Chrysalis’ face. “I mean you no harm, child. I am, and always will be, a friend. Please, you don’t—”

Spiracle shook their head. “N-No! Um, I mean, that’s not what I…”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What is it, then?”

“I, um…” Spiracle took a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

Chrysalis was knocked off guard by the question. “What?”

“It’s just… I mean, you always look so hurt,” they explained. “Your wings are all torn up, and your legs, and… You look like you need help or something.”

“I…” Chrysalis took a second to process it all, then laughed under her breath. “I’m fine, child. I just look like this.”

“But why?”

“Because…” Chrysalis pursed her lips. “Because I’ve lived a long life.”

“Will I look like you one day?” Spiracle asked.

Chrysalis laughed. “Maybe if you try hard enough. It’s tough to get this beautiful.”

Spiracle laughed and nodded. The adult mouthed “thank you” to Chrysalis, patted Spiracle on the back, and started to lead them away.

Behind Chrysalis, Twilight started to laugh quietly.

Chrysalis turned around and raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Twilight shook her head. “It’s weird seeing changelings not know about who you used to be. We’re getting old, Chrissy.”

“I was already old,” Chrysalis said.

Twilight scoffed. “You didn’t act like it.”

“I’d hardly say I’ve matured since we met,” Chrysalis told her.

“You never actually met the old you,” Twilight replied.

Through all of this, Daybreak had been staring up at her parents, watching them curiously. Finally, she decided to speak up. “What are you talking about?”

“Hm?” Twilight looked down at Daybreak. “What do you mean?”

“You said changelings don’t know about who mom used to be,” Daybreak said. She turned to Chrysalis. “Who did you used to be?”

Twilight and Chrysalis shared a sudden look of concern as Daybreak stared up at them, her eyes filled with a curiosity that demanded to be sated.

Author's Note

So, just a heads up, I'm probably gonna be switching to updating every other day instead of daily. It's a bit of a bummer, but I've got some irons in the fire that I need to start addressing.

Chapter 19

Twilight cleared her throat. “Um, maybe we should, uh… Go inside to talk?”

Daybreak tilted her head. “Why are you acting so weird? Just tell me!”

“Daybreak, I don’t think it’s a story we should tell out in the open,” Chrysalis told her. “Especially not here. We’ll tell you once we’re settled in.”

“But why? C’mon, I wanna know what you’re talking about!”

“And you will know,” Chrysalis said, “as soon as we’re someplace private.”

“Why can’t you tell me here?”

“Because it’s a sore subject for older changelings,” Chrysalis said curtly, a hint of impatience creeping into her voice. “Let’s go. The longer you keep us here squabbling, the longer it will be before you get your story.”

“I—” Daybreak thought for a moment, then huffed. “Fine.”

Chrysalis nodded and set off into the hive with Twilight at her side. Daybreak trailed behind a bit, and Gooey was staying close to her legs.

The hive was bursting with energy as they made their way along. Changelings were skittering all over, hanging up decorations and preparing for the big day. They were hanging wreaths and banners and streamers, making a web of colors that stretched through every hallway.

The structure of the hive, having been formed mostly at the whims of nature, was unlike that of any pony city. Hallways of all shapes and sizes, some hardly big enough for the group to walk together, some wider than most streets back in Canterlot, curved in and out, up and down through the massive structure. These hallways held some structures, little stalls for changelings to share their arts and crafts, but for the most part, they were simply hallways.

Most of the actual hustle and bustle of the hive took place in the intersections, where two or more hallways would meet and hollow out a massive plaza. The space there was used as it was needed, and the edges of these rooms were generally lined with all sorts of things, from food stalls to reading circles to fashion boutiques. The rest was used by socializing changelings, musicians putting on shows, and anyone else who just happened to choose that spot to stop.

The changelings, being highly social creatures, spent the majority of their lives in those plazas. They saw little need for personal space, and not much desire for total privacy. They didn’t even have houses, instead all sleeping together in a massive communal chamber hidden away deep below the hive. The entire hive was their home, free to decorate and change as the pleased, and it showed in the mish-mash of decorations that, through years and years of updates and alterations, had eventually come to fit together rather than clash.

As they walked through the maze of halls, Daybreak fell further and further behind. All the changelings were focused on Chrysalis, watching her and whispering to each other, and Daybreak wanted to avoid that attention.

It didn’t work. At some point, Daybreak fell back too far, far enough that the changelings focused on Chrysalis would turn their attention away just in time to see Daybreak walk by. She folded in on herself as more and more eyes landed on her, more and more changelings talked about her in hushed tones, and she quickly started to feel very out of place.

Up ahead, Twilight spoke to Chrysalis under her breath. “What are we going to tell her?”

“The truth,” Chrysalis whispered back.

“All of it?”

“We can’t very well keep hiding it. She’ll keep asking questions until she finds out, you know that.”

“Yeah, but…” Twilight bit her lip. “It just feels like a bad idea.”

“I’m not sure I understand your nervousness,” Chrysalis said. “I don’t imagine she’ll come to despise me because of my past.”

“No, but…” Twilight made a conflicted noise as she though. “I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling. She’s so young, the most she knows about evil is from the pictures in the castle. What if we scare her? What if she decides she can’t trust us anymore? What if we scar her for life and everyone says we’re horrible parents and—”

“Twilight.” Chrysalis put a hoof over Twilight’s mouth to shush her. “I’m not sure Daybreak is the type of child to be frightened by a story like that. Even if she is, though, we’ll be able to handle it. You, at least, I know to be a wonderful mother. You’ll make sure she knows she’s safe.”

“Yeah…” Twilight took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. We’ll be okay. She’ll be okay, she’ll—”

She was cut off when Daybreak, hunched over, scurried up and weaved her way in between the two of them. Staring at the floor, she mumbled under her breath. “Hey, um…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, sweetie?”

“Can we go home?” Daybreak still didn’t look up at them as she talked.

“No,” Chrysalis told her. “We’re here for something important, and we’d like for you to be there.”

“Well, can you at least, like, take us where we’re going? Do we have to walk the whole way?”

Twilight frowned. She put a hoof out to stop Chrysalis, then stepped in front of Daybreak and crouched down to be at her level. “Daybreak, is something wrong?”

“I…” Daybreak looked up at Twilight for a moment, then blushed and looked away. “I just don’t like it here.”

Twilight reached out and stroked Daybreak’s mane. “Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

“You’ve been here plenty of times before, though,” Twilight said. “What’s different now?”

Daybreak shrugged.

Twilight sighed and put a hoof on Daybreak’s cheek. “So, you want me to just take us to see your uncle?”

Daybreak nodded.

“Alright,” Twilight said, standing back up. She looked at Chrysalis, who nodded back, and then lit up her horn and zapped the family away.

An instant later, they were standing in one of the few closed rooms in the entire hive, a small meeting room located just to the side of the throne room. It held the same large table Thorax and his friends had been sitting around when Daybreak found them, although now all it held was a pitcher of ice water and a few glasses on a tray. Gooey jumped up onto the table and started investigating the pitcher as the others settled in.

Chrysalis looked over to Twilight first. “Could you go get Thorax? I’d like a moment to speak to Daybreak.”

“Of course,” Twilight said. She leaned down and gave Daybreak a quick kiss on the forehead, then slipped quietly out of the room.

Once she was gone, Chrysalis took a seat in one of the comfy chairs that ringed the table and gestured for Daybreak to do the same. “Could we speak?”

“I…” Daybreak hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sat down next to her mother.

Chrysalis leaned forward on the table and looked into Daybreak’s eyes. “You don’t like the hive?”

Daybreak shook her head, then looked down at the table and frowned.

Chrysalis reached over, put a hoof under Daybreak’s chin and raised her head back up. “You’re not in trouble,” Chrysalis said. “I’d just like to figure out why.”

Daybreak shrugged. “I dunno why.”

“Have you felt this way in the past?”

“Not really.”

“Hmm… Did something happen while we were walking?”

“I dunno, we were just walking. Wouldn’t you have seen if something happened?”

“We were in front of you. All I saw was…” Chrysalis thought for a moment. “Daybreak, were the changelings looking at you like they look at me?”

Daybreak shrugged. “I guess.”

Chrysalis frowned and nodded. “Alright, I…” She took a deep breath. “I think it’s about time I tell you that story. Tell you who I used to be.”

Daybreak tilted her head. “What’s that got to do with it?”

Gooey chose then to wander over to Daybreak and curl up in front of her on the table to sleep. Chrysalis took the opportunity to pause and collect her thoughts before moving on.

“I… I was not a good queen to the changelings, Daybreak. I’ve lived a long life, and for very little of it have I been as you know me.”

Daybreak started to look concerned, and she grew dreadfully quiet.

“You’ve no doubt noticed that I look different from the other changelings,” Chrysalis went on. “Well, it used to be that all the changelings looked like me. They were homogenous. Unified. A true hive. And they…”

The door to the meeting room opened, but Daybreak and Chrysalis kept eye contact as Twilight and Thorax came in and quietly took seats around the table.

“They were starving,” Chrysalis said. “Changelings don’t feed like you do, Daybreak. They survive off of love, not anger, and while that may sound nicer, well… It is not so easily procured. So, I scoured the lands, took love wherever I could find it. But still, we starved.”

Twilight decided to speak up for the next part. “When it got really bad was around when I first met Chrysalis. It was… Not friendly.”

Daybreak looked over to Twilight. “You didn’t try to help her?”

Twilight pursed her lips. “It…”

“Perhaps I should be more blunt,” Chrysalis said. “Daybreak, I was not a good creature. I was… Well, to put it simply, I was evil. Changelings look at me distrustfully because I subjugated them. I used them. I am the one who kept them from being who they are today for generations.”

“Well, I’m not sure if I would go that far,” Thorax said.

“I would,” Chrysalis replied. “You forget the past too easily.”

“Wait, wait,” Daybreak said, “I don’t get it. Evil? What, like you were some kind of supervillain?”

“More or less,” Chrysalis said.

“Supervillains aren’t real, though,” Daybreak said. “You’re not even all that scary!”

“I assure you, they very much were real,” Chrysalis told her. “We live in an age of peace now, but that was not always the case.”

“But… You?”

“Me,” Chrysalis said. “And I fear that now that legacy is hurting you, if changelings are indeed regarding you with the distrust they show me.”

“Wait, what?” Thorax looked at her wide-eyed. “They are? That’s not right, Daybreak’s wonderful! I’ll have to have a talk with the hive…”

Daybreak wasn’t paying attention. She was still piecing together what this new information meant. “So… How long were you evil?”

“Many, many years,” Chrysalis said. “Thousands, most likely.”

“And how long have you been good?” Daybreak asked.

Chrysalis thought for a moment. “That’s hard to pinpoint… Maybe fifteen years or so?”

“That sounds right,” Twilight said.

“You…” Daybreak stared at her for a moment, then looked questioningly at Twilight, then looked back at Chrysalis. “You’ve barely been good at all!”

“Honey, she turned her life around before you were even born,” Twilight said. “I promise you, she’s not a bad guy anymore. You don’t have to worry about—”

“I’m not worried,” Daybreak said. “I just… Why does she get to tell me what to do?”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“What does she know that I wouldn’t? I’ve never been evil! I probably know right and wrong better than she does!”

“I’ve still been alive a long time,” Chrysalis said. “I have a lot of experience. And I’m your mother.”

“So?” Daybreak suddenly got up out of her seat and took a few steps away from the table. “I wouldn’t listen to you if you were still evil, and then I’d be doing the right thing! Why should I listen to you now?”

“We’re your parents,” Twilight said. “Plus, I trust her. Isn’t that enough?”

“No! If anything, that just means you know even less than she does!”

“Wh—” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Daybreak, that’s silly. You know Chrysalis. She’s your mom! You love her!”

“So? Just cuz I love her doesn’t make her know better than me.”

“Daybreak,” Chrysalis said, putting a tone of authority in her voice, “please come back to the table so that we can talk about this.”

“I… No!” Daybreak stomped a hoof on the ground. “You’re not the boss of me anymore!”

“Oh, I very much am,” Chrysalis said, “and if you keep this up—”

“What, you’ll ground me?” Daybreak blew a raspberry at her. “Go ahead and try.” Then, in a sudden flash of magic, she disappeared, leaving the adults looking at each other, dumbfounded.

A second later, she reappeared next to the table. “I forgot Gooey,” she grumbled before disappearing again, this time taking her pet with her.

Chapter 20

“Well, that went poorly,” Chrysalis said.

“You think?” Twilight ran a hoof through her mane as she paced up and down the room. “Now what? Do we go after her? Do we give her space? I-I mean, we don’t even know where she went. She might not even know where she went! What if she’s in danger? What if—”

“I can’t imagine she can teleport that far,” Thorax said. “She’s probably still in the hive, and there’s nothing here that would put her in danger.”

“Nothing we know of,” Twilight said. “What if she’s in, like, a secret passage you don’t know about? That could have anything in it! It could be full of timberwolves for all we know!”

“She has Gooey,” Chrysalis said. “I imagine the two of them together aren’t at much danger from timberwolves.”

“Do you really just wanna assume like that, though?”

“It’s better than assuming the worst,” Chrysalis said. “We’re talking about a girl who broke an element in half. Our daughter can keep herself safe in a place like this.”

“I…” Twilight forced herself to stop and take a deep breath, then nodded. “You’re right. She’s safe. But still, what are we supposed to do? Oh, we messed up so badly…”

“I’d say we’re quite used to messing up,” Chrysalis said. “We might be the best at it.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes,” Twilight said. “Our daughter just ran off! We have to—”

She was cut off by a knock on the door. “Come in!” Thorax called out.

A young changeling walked in, visibly out of breath from running to them. “King Thorax, there’s, there’s…”

Thorax got up and walked over to the changeling. “Take your time. What’s wrong?”

The changeling nodded slowly. When he’d finally caught his breath, he looked up and frowned. “Th-There’s something happening in the nursery. I think I heard some kind of monster in there!”

Thorax stepped back in shock. “What? I have to go, then!” He turned back to Twilight and Chrysalis. “I’m sorry to run off, but this is important.”

“Do you need our help?” Twilight asked.

Thorax shook his head. “You two focus on Daybreak. I can handle my hive.” Then he left with the changeling, leaving them to their worries.

Twilight walked over to Chrysalis and rested her head on her shoulder. “Chrissy, what do we do?”

Chrysalis hugged her close. “We should try to find her, first. Any idea where she may have gone?”

Twilight shook her head. “I have no clue. My brain isn’t working, I can’t think, I don’t even know what we did wrong.”

“Should we call in some help?”

Twilight groaned. “I hate asking her to do so much. I feel like I’m using her.”

“She’s happy to help.”

“That’s not the point. It just feels… Wrong.”

“Well, do you have any better ideas?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then sighed. “No.”

“Well…”

“Yeah, fine,” Twilight said. She took a deep breath to compose herself and nodded. “Fluttershy, can you hear me?”

“Hm?” They looked up to see Fluttershy, sitting comfortably in one of the chairs across the table from them. “Oh, hello Twilight, hello Chrysalis! Did you need something?”

Fluttershy was sitting casually in the chair, but she had an air of confidence she’d never shown in her youth. Her mane was longer than ever, pulled back now into a messy ponytail that still had the distinctive shadows that had crept in and devoured huge swaths of the pink. She wore her appearance proudly, and truly looked like she felt she belonged.

Twilight relaxed a bit at the sight of her old friend. “Oh, Fluttershy, we… We really messed up. I don’t know what to do.”

Fluttershy gasped softly and frowned. “Oh, no! What happened?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “Daybreak found out about Chrysalis’ past, and she, um… Didn’t take it well. She ran off.”

“Oh, how awful! I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy said, “that just sounds dreadful for all of you. How can I help?”

“We don’t exactly know where she went,” Chrysalis said, “and we’d rather not waste time searching the entire hive.”

“Oh, of course!” Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, she’s, uh… Oh, my.”

“Oh, my?” Twilight repeated. “What’s that mean?”

“Well, um, she’s safe,” Fluttershy said, “but… Well, you may want to give her some space.”

Daybreak reappeared with a pop a few feet off the ground. She stumbled as she landed, nearly toppling over, but managed to find her balance before she did.

Once she’d righted herself, she took a look around. She wasn’t very good at teleporting yet, so she didn’t actually know where it was that she’d ended up.

The room around her was dark, frigid and crowded, but not with changelings. As far as she could see in any direction, she was surrounded by strange pods that dangled precariously from the ceiling. They seemed to glow as they refracted the faint light that found its way into the room, and the effect was only intensified when Daybreak lit up her horn so she could see better.

Her light lit the pod she was looking at enough that she could see inside, and she stumbled backward at the sight. She backed up until she ran into another pod before her, which made her jump into the air with a frightened yelp.

Inside the pods was… Well, she wasn’t entirely sure what they were. They held strange, worm-like creatures that she’d never seen before. Their faces looked familiar, and the few who had their eyes open had full, colorful eyes much like her own, but their bodies were like nothing she knew. They were strange, black, chitinous things that seemed to ooze malice.

Beside her, Gooey arched its back and hissed at the strange beings.

“Shh,” Daybreak shushed Gooey. “You’ll wake them up or something.”

Gooey stopped hissing, but it kept its defensive stance. It also started to slowly back up, one creeping step at a time, away from the pod it was staring at.

“Gooey, c’mon, chill out. I wanna get outta here, and you—”

Her words fell of deaf ears, and she was cut off entirely when Gooey’s backpedaling brought it straight to another pod. When the two touched, Gooey let out a wet howl, a sound like the crashing of waves against rocks, and darted off into the forest of pods.

“G-Gooey!” Daybreak sprinted after it, doing her best to keep her voice down as she called out. “Get back here! I’m supposed to watch you!”

She quickly lost track of Gooey in the endless maze. The pods seemed to go on forever, so long she started to feel like the room must have been bigger than the hive itself.

They ended abruptly, and suddenly she was up against a new obstacle. She’d found the entrance to the room, and the tiny clearing between it and the pods, barely big enough for two creatures. Which was a problem, because there was a second creature, a tall green changeling standing right in between her and freedom.

“Uncle Thorax?”

“Daybreak?” Thorax tilted his head. “What are you doing here?”

“I—” Daybreak glanced around, then bit her lip. “I really don’t have time to talk, Uncle Thorax.”

She tried to dart past him, but he caught her easily and held her up so they could be eye to eye. “Nice try, Daybreak, but you’re not getting away that easy. You really scared your mothers running off like that!”

Daybreak frowned. “Okay, sorry, I get it, can I please go? I have to find Gooey!”

“Your pet?”

“Yeah, it got freaked out and ran away.”

“Well, I didn’t see it go past me,” Thorax said, “so it must still be in this room. Which means we have time to talk.”

Daybreak groaned. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Thorax said. He set Daybreak down and made himself comfortable on the floor.

“I really don’t wanna talk about it,” Daybreak said.

“You’re gonna have to talk to someone about it,” Thorax replied. “You know your mothers aren’t just going to let you do whatever you want.”

“So? What are they gonna do about it? They’re just a couple of weak old ladies.”

Thorax chuckled. “Look, you can talk to me, or you can talk to someone else, but you’re not getting out of talking about this.”

Daybreak grumbled incoherently and laid down on the floor. “What’s there to even talk about?”

“Well, you seemed pretty upset.”

“I wasn’t upset.”

“So it didn’t bother you to hear about your mother’s past?”

“...No.”

Thorax sighed. “Daybreak, she’s changed. Really. I knew the old Chrysalis, I grew up in her hive, she’s nothing like she was then.”

“So? Why should that matter?” Daybreak glared angrily at Thorax. “She was still a bad guy! She’s been bossing me around my whole life like she was better than me and had never done anything wrong, and they were lying! Both of them!” Her voice had steadily risen, and now she was outright yelling. Her voice cracked as she vented her frustrations, and she had to stop to sniffle. “I get in trouble for lying all the time, but I’ve never lied like that! Why do they get to lie? They go on and on about honesty, about how important it is to tell the truth to ponies you care about, and they’ve been lying to me! Don’t they care about me? Or was that a lie, too? Do they—They…” She trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I—” Thorax frowned and let out a long breath. Then he got up, walked over to Daybreak, and picked her up in a tight, loving hug.

Daybreak sniffed hard and leaned into the hug. “Do they…” Her voice was a lot weaker now. “Do they even love me?”

“Of course they do,” Thorax told her. “They love you more than anything else in the world. That’s why they wanted to protect you. They didn’t want you to be hurt.”

“Mm…”

“Would you like to go see them?” Thorax asked. “You’ll probably feel better if you can explain to them why you’re upset.”

“Not really…”

Thorax squeezed her and stood up, holding her in one leg, then started carrying her back up into the main part of the hive. “Well,” he said, “let’s at least get out of here. I can show you my favorite places in the hive, if you’d like!”

A few minutes later, Gooey poked its head out of the sea of pods and peered down the hallway. Seeing nothing, it slinked out of the room and into the hive.

Chapter 21

“Have I ever actually shown you around the hive?” Thorax asked. Even with the stress of the situation, his voice was still full of its usual pep.

“Not really,” Daybreak said. She was back on the floor, walking beside him, but she was sticking as close as she could and hid away from the changelings they passed as much as she could.

“Oh, well heck, I messed up!” Thorax chuckled softly. “I was supposed to be teaching you about the changelings whenever you came to visit.”

“But not about my mom,” Daybreak grumbled.

“Sorry,” Thorax said. “But hey, now that the cat’s out of the bag I can tell you whatever you wanna know!”

They’d been walking through nondescript hallways ever since leaving the room full of pods, rarely seeing another changeling as they wove their way up through the maze. Thorax knew the paths well, but to Daybreak it felt like they were just taking turns randomly, and she’d quickly lost track of where in the hive they might be.

Finally, the hallways opened up into something more. They entered a long, narrow chamber that was buzzing with movement. The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were marked with strange, curving lines that Daybreak couldn’t make sense of, and in the center of the room, a group of changelings were crowded together in a blur of movement.

Something broke out of the crowd and whizzed through the air at them. Daybreak yelped and ducked, but Thorax didn’t bother to move. As it approached, the strange object started to curve upwards, and it slammed into the high ceiling with a rubbery thunk long before it ever reached them.

Thorax laughed and caught the little beige ball as it fell back down. He lifted Daybreak up off the ground and patted her on the head. “You okay?”

Daybreak took a moment to catch her breath, then nodded. “Y-Yeah… What was that?”

Across the room, the changelings had seen what happened and were scrambling to arrange themselves in some sort of orderly fashion. One of them was taking charge, telling them all where to stand, and then turned towards Thorax. “K-King Thorax!” He said nervously. “I’m so sorry, we didn’t see you come in, and it just—”

“It’s quite alright,” Thorax told him. He nodded to Daybreak, then started walking over to the changelings. “Daybreak, this is our sports team. Their captain is Instar.”

“That’s me,” the changeling in the lead said. He was a tall, lanky changeling, almost rivaling Thorax in height, with a rich blue coloration that stuck out against the tan of the room around them. He shot a goofy smile towards Daybreak.

Daybreak waved nervously, then looked up towards Thorax. “What kind of sports?”

“Hm?” Thorax gave her a puzzled look. “You know… Sports!” He gestured vaguely at the room they were in.

“Sports?” Daybreak repeated.

“Yeah!” Thorax nodded enthusiastically. “You’ve never seen it?”

“Uh… No,” Daybreak told him.

“Oh, you’ve gotta see it,” Thorax said. “I wish I could stay and watch now, but I don’t think I have time for a full game. Still lots of preparations to get done for the Birth Day celebration. You could stick around though, Daybreak! I bet Instar and his team would be happy to show you the game.”

“It’d be our pleasure!” Instar agreed.

“U-Um…” Daybreak pursed her lips and looked over the team. They’d been watching her curiously since the game stopped, but most of them did their best to smile when she glanced at them. “I don’t know…”

“We can show you how to kick the ball around,” Instar said.

“Mm…” Daybreak shuffled awkwardly where she stood.

Thorax kneeled down beside her. “Really, Daybreak, they’d love to show you the game. None of the changelings are unhappy to see you here.”

“How do you know that?” Daybreak asked.

“It’s my job to know those things,” Thorax said. “I’m their leader.”

Daybreak scuffed a hoof on the floor. “Do you really think I should stay?”

“I think you’d have fun,” Thorax told her, “and that’d make you feel better.”

“Mm… Fine,” Daybreak mumbled. “I’ll try it.”

“Awesome!” Thorax rustled her mane and stood back up. “I’ll see you in a bit then, Daybreak. Love ya!”

“Love you too,” Daybreak said under her breath.

As Thorax left, Instar took the ball and sat on the floor near Daybreak. “So, Daybreak, was it?”

“You know the answer to that,” Daybreak grumbled.

“Fair enough. Well, do you wanna try kicking the ball around?”

Daybreak shrugged. “I guess.”

“Well, c’mon, I’ll show you how it works.” He got up and walked to the center of the room, beckoning for her to follow. “So, you see these lines?” He asked as they walked. The other players all moved to the sides of the room to watch or whisper amongst themselves.

“Uh-huh,” Daybreak said.

“They’re how we score,” Instar explained. “Hit a line, get a point. The walls give double points, and the ceiling gives triple. Easy enough, right?”

“Why wouldn’t you just fly up to the ceiling with the ball?” Daybreak asked.

Instar pointed to a little circle in the center of the room. “Shots only count if you’re standing on the ground in that circle,” he explained. “Otherwise, you get nothing.”

“Okay,” Daybreak said. “Sounds easy.”

Instar laughed. “It’s tougher than you’d think. C’mon.” He put the ball down in the middle of the circle and pointed to it. “Give it a shot.”

Daybreak walked up to the ball and rolled it back and forth a couple of times. It was small, firm, and a lot heavier than it looked. After testing it out a bit, she pulled a front hoof back, then shot it forward into the ball.

It sailed into the air, whooshing as the air passed around it. It went high, higher, far over their heads.

Then it turned and fell back down. Daybreak frowned as the ball bounced to a stop only a few feet in front of her. There were quiet, quickly-stifled snickers from one or two of the changelings on the sidelines, which only made her scowl worse.

“Told ya,” Instar said. “It takes a lot of practice. Here, watch me.” He stepped over to the ball and bounced it high into the air. As it rose and fell before him, he spun around in place and lifted up his hind legs. Then, just as the ball passed by him, he bucked it with all his might.

The ball whistled through the air with incredible speed. It didn’t spin or curve at all, rocketing straight forward until, only moments later, it slammed into the far wall, landing square on a line that curved around the doorway. There was a loud, hollow boom as it bounced off the wall and came flying back, echoing itself with every bounce until it eventually settled right back at their hooves.

Instar grinned proudly and looked at Daybreak. “Impressive, huh?”

“I guess,” Daybreak said.

Instar chuckled. “Don’t be too tough on yourself,” he said. “Some creatures just aren’t built for it.”

Daybreak furrowed her brow. “I only tried once,” she said.

“Sure, sure,” he said. “I didn’t mean to say you couldn’t get the hang of it. Here,” he said, rolling the ball towards her, “wanna try again?”

Daybreak stopped the ball and glared at it for a moment. Then she picked it up and tossed it into the air. She spun around in place, just as she’d seen Instar do, and when she felt the time was right she bucked as hard as she could.

She missed completely.

Her hooves flew back, and she lost her balance. Her front hooves slipped out from under her and she fell onto the floor with a quiet “oof,” followed by a louder “oof” a second later when the ball fell right on top of her.

There were more hushed laughs from the sidelines. Instar walked over and held out a hoof to help her up. “Ouch,” he said sympathetically. “Maybe save the hard stuff ‘til you’re a bit better?”

Daybreak ignored his hoof and stood up with a huff. “Whatever. It’s a dumb game anyway.”

“Aw, don’t say that,” Instar said. “You just need a bit of practice.”

“What, so you can all laugh at me some more?”

Instar shot a look at his teammates, then turned back to her and frowned. “We all want you to have fun, Daybreak.”

“Yeah, right. You’re just doing this cuz Thorax told you to.”

“Nah, we love sharing this game!”

“That doesn’t mean you’d share it with me, though.”

Instar’s frown deepened. “Why don’t you try one more time? Just a regular kick, and try to hit the middle of the ball. I bet you’ll do a lot better.”

Daybreak stared at him for a second but eventually decided it was worth a shot and turned towards the ball. She rolled it around, carefully positioning it in front of herself, and took a step back to prepare herself.

Just before she kicked, she glanced over to the changelings on the sidelines. They were all watching her with bated breath, some already covering their mouths in case they got the urge to laugh again.

She narrowed her eyes at them. “What are you looking at? I’m not gonna mess it up again!”

“They don’t expect you to,” Instar said, “they’re just curious.”

“About what?”

Instar shrugged. “I dunno, maybe you have some hidden talents or something.”

“Or maybe they’re scared of me,” Daybreak mumbled too quietly for anyone to hear.

“What?” Instar tilted his head. “Daybreak, they just wanna see how good you are.”

“Sure,” Daybreak said. “Fine. You wanna see how good I am? You wanna see what I can do?” She turned back to the ball, lit up her horn and lifted it up. “Here’s what I can do.”

“Hang on,” Instar said, “you’re not supposed to—”

He was cut off by an explosion of magic, a boom louder than any hit they’d ever heard. They could hardly see through the brilliant flash of light, but they felt the wind that rushed past them, and they heard the second boom as the ball slammed into the wall hard enough to shake the room.

When everything settled, they all looked up to see the ball embedded in the wall high above the door.

“D-Daybreak…” Instar stuttered and stumbled back a few steps.

Daybreak whipped back around to him. “Happy now?” she shouted. “Now that you know you should be scared of me? Now that you don’t have to feel bad for hating me?”

“Daybreak, we don’t—”

“Yes, you do!” Daybreak’s voice cracked. “Don’t lie to me! I’m sick of everyone lying to me! Come on!” She looked around the room at all the dumbfounded changelings. “Won’t any of you admit that you think I’m just as evil as my mom was?”

A moment passed, then another. None of them said anything.

“Stop lying!” Daybreak yelled at them. “What do I have to do to make you tell the truth? Do I have to actually be evil? Huh?” She wiped tears from her eyes and looked around at them. “Well, maybe I should! Maybe I should just… Just…”

With a frustrated growl, Daybreak turned back to Instar and shut her eyes tight. Then she poured all her anger, all her distrust and confusion into her horn. Teal flames erupted around it, growing larger and more out of control with every passing moment.

Then she screamed and let all that energy out.

Chapter 22

With her eyes clenched shut, Daybreak couldn’t see what happened, but she could still hear the deafening explosion, could still feel the searing heat as flames swirled around her and engulfed the room. She felt the shift in the air as the flames blasted out, and she heard the woosh and sizzle as they slammed against the walls. She felt the shortness of her breath, the drain of using every ounce of power she had. She heard the crisp pops as everything in the room was burnt away.

After it was over, she stood there, eyes shut tight and panting hard. The hot, dry air burned her throat as she gasped for air. Her ears rang over the crackle of smoldering flames.

Finally, she forced her eyes open. She saw the devastation she’d caused. The walls and floor were black with soot. Ashes rained from the ceiling. Little flames of uncontrolled, raw magical power still burned away here and there across the floor. All signs of what the room had once been were gone.

And she was alone.

She wasn’t quite able to process it. Her mind refused to. Her eyes were shut, after all. She didn’t see what happened. Had they run away? Had she gone to a different room? She couldn’t have…

She felt weak. Her legs trembled, then gave out entirely, and she dropped to the floor. Her breathing got faster and faster. Her mind was blank, and the world around her seemed like just a blur.

Then a hoof touched her shoulder. She yelped and tried to turn around, but in her weak state just wound up toppling over onto her side and staring up as Fluttershy sat down and stroked her mane.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Wh…” Daybreak couldn’t seem to find any words.

“The changelings are safe,” Fluttershy told her. Her voice was soft and as quiet as she could be while still being heard. “I got them out. Are you hurt?”

“I-I… I don’t…” Daybreak’s lip trembled, and her ears drooped. She curled up, clutching her legs to her chest.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said. She picked up Daybreak and hugged her close. “You’re okay.”

There was a sharp pop and a flash of purple light from the corner of the room. Fluttershy looked up, then nodded silently, beckoning the newcomer over.

Twilight had to take a second to process the carnage she’d shown up to. The flames, the burns, the ash, it was all so much. Then her eyes fell on Daybreak, and her breath caught in her throat. She sprinted over to them, gently took Daybreak from Fluttershy and squeezed her lovingly.

“Oh, Daybreak, are you okay?” Twilight sounded scared, and she couldn’t keep still. She kept fussing with Daybreak’s mane, or kissing her face, or hugging her.

Daybreak, still curled in on herself, had started to shiver. “I didn’t—” Her voice caught, and she swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean…”

“I know, sweetie,” Twilight said. “I know.”

“Twilight, I have to get back to work,” Fluttershy whispered. “If you need me, though, just call.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy vanished, and Twilight turned her attention back to Daybreak. “Do you want to go home, sweetie? Uncle Thorax would understand, I’m sure.”

“Mm…” Daybreak hummed indecisively.

“Well, do you at least want to go see Chrysalis?”

Daybreak shook her head.

Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Daybreak. We should’ve told you sooner. We didn’t—”

“Mom?”

Twilight ran her hoof through Daybreak’s mane. “What is it, honey?”

“Am I…” Daybreak took a deep, shuddering breath. “Am I bad? Like she was?”

“Not even a little.”

“B-But they’re all so scared of me,” Daybreak mumbled, “and I… I almost…”

“Daybreak, you know what your mother never did back then?”

“Huh?”

“She never questioned herself,” Twilight said. “Chrysalis never would have asked if she was bad.”

“So?”

“We all make mistakes, Daybreak. We’ve all done bad things. What matters is what you do after. If you feel like you did something bad, then as long as you let yourself see that it was bad, you can do better in the future, and that’s what it means to be good.”

“Have you done bad things?”

“Oh, definitely,” Twilight said. “I’ve done things you wouldn’t believe.”

“And your friends?”

“Yup,” Twilight said. “We all mess up.”

“Even Fluttershy?”

Twilight laughed. “Once or twice.”

“Mm…” Daybreak frowned. “But I almost…”

“Try not to dwell on it, sweetie,” Twilight told her. “You need some rest.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

The talking petered out from there. Twilight held her close and gently rocked her back and forth, and eventually, worn out by the day, Daybreak drifted off to sleep.

Daybreak opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of a massive meadow. Short grass and colorful wildflowers stretched as far as she could see in every direction, going on and on until they met the green sky at the horizon.

In front of her was a tree. An apple tree, but not an ordinary one. It was massive, the size of a mountain, like it had been growing since the dawn of time. The trunk was miles wide, and it shot up endlessly into the sky. The canopy above was so far away that it didn’t even look like part of the tree. It was more like it was the sky itself, and it may as well have been, as there was no trace of blue sky anywhere to be seen, only a thousand shades of green dotted with blurs of red.

A pony was sitting at the base of the tree nearby, chewing away at an apple absentmindedly. Daybreak walked up to her curiously.

Royal Gala raised an eyebrow when she noticed Daybreak approaching. “The heck are you doin’ asleep? It’s, like, noon.”

“Asleep? I—Oh.” Daybreak sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“I got time.”

“Do you?” Daybreak walked over and sat next to Royal Gala against the tree. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Relaxing. I’m on a break.”

“So you took a nap?”

“I ain’t asleep,” Royal Gala said. “I just hang out here sometimes.”

“In my dreams?”

“Not yours.” Royal Gala pointed up at the canopy. “Everypony’s. Ain’t I ever brought you backstage before?”

“Not that I can remember,” Daybreak said.

“Huh. My bad.” Royal Gala tossed an apple to Daybreak and leaned back against the tree. “Anyway, spill it. What’s up?”

“I…” Daybreak looked away. She dug her hoof into the soft ground anxiously. “I messed up.”

Royal Gala chuckled. “Wow, shocking.”

“Hey!” Daybreak flushed red and pouted at her. “This is serious!”

“Alright, alright, sorry,” Royal Gala said. “What’d you do?”

“I almost really hurt some changelings,” Daybreak said. “Like… Really hurt.”

“Almost?”

“Angel’s mom saved them…”

“Sounds like you’re in the clear, then.”

“No, I’m not! What if this is just the start? I already get bad when I’m hungry, what if one day I actually do hurt someone? What if I end up just like my mom?”

“Aw, don’t sweat it,” Royal Gala said. “You can’t go bad.”

“But why not?”

“Cuz you’d never get the chance. We both know Angel probably wouldn’t have all that many qualms about killin’ ya.”

“I—” Daybreak stared blankly at Royal Gala for a second.

Then she snorted out a laugh.

“Yeah, okay,” Daybreak said. “You’re not wrong.”

“See? Nothin’ to worry about.” Royal Gala paused, then shrugged. “Well, except gettin’ killed. You can worry about that.”

“Nah, that’s too much trouble.” Daybreak laughed, then sighed. “Thanks.”

Daybreak woke to the sound of thundering applause.

“Mm…?” She pried her eyes open and shifted around. The first thing she saw was purple fur, and when she rolled over she saw that she was still being held by Twilight.

Twilight smiled down at her. “Hey,” she whispered. “How’re you feeling?”

“Mm… Better,” Daybreak groaned. She squirmed her way out of her mother’s grasp and yawned before taking in her surroundings.

She was on a balcony of some sort, in between Twilight and Chrysalis. Thorax was in front of her, facing out and addressing a crowd she couldn’t quite see.

“What’s going on?” Daybreak asked Twilight, not listening to what Thorax was saying.

“It’s the ceremony,” Twilight said.

“Ceremony?”

“For the hatching,” Chrysalis said. “Go have a look.”

Quietly, Daybreak walked up beside Thorax and peered over the balcony. Down below was a large, familiar room filled with pods, but now it was even more crowded than before. Every changeling in the hive seemed to be crammed into the room, some standing by pods, most clustered around the walls, and they were being loud and rambunctious as Thorax spoke to them.

Thorax saw Daybreak walk up and grinned. “Well, I suppose that’s enough stalling,” he said. “Let’s begin! Happy Birth Day, everyone!”

Down below, the changelings near the pods lit up their horns and started to channel energy into them. The room started to quake and rumble as magic flowed through the air. There was an excited gasp from the crowd as the first cracks started to show. As the pods broke more and more, the crowd got more and more excited, stomping their hooves in rhythm and making the balcony shake from the force.

Then a pod popped. There was a loud ripping noise, followed by a splash as strange goo sloshed out and onto the floor. The shreds of the pod bloomed out like a flower, and on top of the debris, writhing around in the slurry was a strange, larval creature. It had huge, dull eyes and a dark black carapace unlike anything Daybreak had seen before.

Daybreak looked confused. Before she could ask about it, though, there was another ripping noise as another pod burst open, followed by more and more. The tears rippled out through the room in a cascade, followed by a torrent of goo that covered both the floor and the changelings overseeing the process. The thundering of hooves turned softer, wetter as the liquid seeped under the onlookers.

It went quickly. From the first cracks, it took less than a minute for the entirety of the room to be cleared, every pod broken open to reveal another grub. The changelings cheered and yelled, some rushing to gather up the little creatures, others embracing the goopy changelings who had assisted. It was a wet, messy celebration, but that made it no less celebratory.

Daybreak looked up at Thorax. “What’s going on? What are those things?”

Thorax chuckled. “They’re baby changelings, silly.”

“What?” Daybreak looked down at the weird, bug-like creatures. “But they look nothing like changelings.”

“Changelings aren’t born to be like we are now,” Thorax said. “They’ve got to grow up a bit, first, before they can open themselves up and transform.”

“And then they’ll look like you?”

“Yup!” Thorax smiled wide. “Cool, isn’t it?”

“I guess…” Daybreak hummed in thought. “So, if they aren’t transformed… Are they evil?”

Thorax scoffed. “Daybreak, they’re babies. Babies can’t be—”

Suddenly, there was a sharp, wet hissing noise down below. It was loud, louder than all the celebration, and it sounded angry. Changelings turned towards the door, which was underneath the balcony, and gasped. Some backed away in fear, and others moved to protect the newborns from the strange creature that had just appeared.

Daybreak recognized the hiss and gasped. “Oh no… I forgot Gooey!”

“Gooey?” Thorax asked. “You mean your pet? What’s—”

Daybreak wasn’t listening. Without thinking, she jumped up onto the railing, flicked out her wings, and leapt off.

She looked back just in time to spot Gooey, back arched and tail raised, pounce forward, toward the cluster of pods.

Daybreak gritted her teeth and angled herself downwards, picking up speed. She flapped her wings, trying desperately to keep up as she slowly closed in on Gooey. The changelings were scrambling to gather up the newborns, but they could only move so fast, and Gooey was much faster.

When she felt like she was close enough, Daybreak gave one final push, flying as hard as she could straight towards Gooey with her legs outstretched. She closed in fast, and just as Gooey reached the puddle of liquid around the pods, Daybreak grabbed hold of it.

She clutched it tight to her chest and slammed hard into the ground. The impact was softened a bit by the goo, but she still started to roll and tumble across the floor. She bounced past broken pods and frightened changelings, her eyes clenched tight as she braced herself until, finally, she skidded to a stop in the center of the room.

There was a splash as Thorax landed beside her, followed by her parents. She was lying on her side, her eyes still shut tight, and breathing hard. Gooey squirmed in her grasp, but Daybreak refused to let go.

“Daybreak?” Thorax asked. “Are you alright?”

“Mm…” Daybreak groaned.

Chrysalis walked over and took hold of Gooey. “Are you injured?” she asked Daybreak.

Daybreak coughed and shook her head. With some effort, she caught her breath, opened her eyes and pried herself up off the floor. “I’m… I’m okay.”

“I’m glad,” Chrysalis said. “That was very dangerous.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Chrysalis told her. “It was also very brave.”

“Was it? I mean, I’m sure anyone else would have done it.”

“You think?” Thorax asked. He gestured around at the room full of frightened changelings. “There were plenty of creatures here. Only you jumped forward like that.”

“I…” Daybreak looked around, then looked down at her hooves. “I don’t know.”

“I do,” Thorax said. He turned and addressed the changelings around him. “Everyone, let’s all give a cheer to Daybreak!”

The room erupted with cheers and stomps and yells of encouragement, changelings shouting “Go Daybreak!” and “Thank you!”

Daybreak looked around at them in awe. “But…” Her eyes landed in a corner of the room, where Instar and his team were gathered, and saw that they were cheering just as loudly as all the rest. “But I…”

Behind her, Chrysalis chuckled. “I wish I could change their minds that easily.”

“Hush,” Twilight said. “Be proud.”

“I am proud,” Chrysalis said. “I’m just also jealous.”

“You’ll get there,” Twilight said. “So, should we…”

They looked over to Daybreak, who was completely dumbfounded. She was staring around at the changelings with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, but they could see that there was a tiny smile forming behind the shock.

“Eh,” Chrysalis said, “let’s give her a bit. She’s earned it.”

Chapter 23

Daybreak cracked her eyes open just as the first rays of sunlight streamed in through her window. It was a nice, cool morning, the start of what was sure to be a beautiful day. The curtains over her slightly-open window billowed in a gentle breeze that filled her room with the sweet, soothing scent of nature, while the chirping of insects and the singing of birds came together in elegant, flowing song.

Daybreak yawned. She stretched, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and sat up sleepily. A large part of her wanted to go back to sleep, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something. There was a reason she’d woken up so easily, she knew there was, she just wasn’t quite sure what it was.

Then it hit her. Her eyes went wide, and an excited grin slowly grew on her face.

“It’s today!”

She was up in a flash, hopping up and down on her bed excitedly. She could hardly contain herself, and in fact, she didn’t make much effort to. She started to leap around her room, from the bed to the dresser to the vanity and beyond, her wings outstretched so she could glide from place to place.

“It’s today, it’s today, it’s today!”

She burst out into the throne room and shouted it as loud as she could. “It’s today!” The guards stared at her in confusion as she dashed across to her parents’ room and ran in, not bothering to knock.

Twilight and Chrysalis’ bedroom was, for the most part, a simple place. The walls were a deep, rich purple, and it was filled with practical furniture made from dark cherry wood. On the far wall, in between a pair of overstuffed bookshelves, was a mural of Celestia and Luna.

The bed was the most flamboyant part of the room. It was huge, and made to look even larger by the tall canopy that extended up to the ceiling. Long black curtains fell down past the edges of the bed, and beneath them was a hint of the black and green bedding.

Daybreak jumped through the curtains and straight up onto the bed. “It’s today, it’s today,” she chanted as she danced around her sleeping parents. “It’s today, it’s today, it’s—”

An aura of green magic caught Daybreak mid-jump and held her there. Chrysalis pushed herself up and stared at Daybreak with tired, grumpy eyes. Beside her, Twilight yawned and rolled over, trying not to have to wake up.

“Daybreak.” Chrysalis looked deep into her eyes. “What is so important that you had to barge in here and cause this… Ruckus?”

“It’s today!”

“What’s today?”

“The party!”

“The—” Chrysalis shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Right. The party.” She sighed and set Daybreak down on the bed. “Well, the party isn’t until this afternoon.”

“Pfft. Maybe the party party, but what about the pre-party?”

“There’s no such thing,” Chrysalis told her. “You’ll just interrupt their preparations. Do you really want to—”

“Mm…” Twilight sat up, her mane a mess and her eyes half-closed, and shook her head. “No, there’s definitely a pre-party.”

Chrysalis groaned. “Come on, you couldn’t just pretend to not remember that until we actually woke up?”

Daybreak frowned. “You said you’d stop lying to me.”

“That wasn’t lying, that was—” Chrysalis stopped herself. “Okay. I apologize, Daybreak. We are tired, though. Can’t you wait until we’re rested?”

“Why do I need you two? I could just go there early and you can show up whenever. Angel could even come get me.”

“You’re not going anywhere until you’re cleaned up,” Twilight said.

“And done with your chores,” Chrysalis added.

“Aw, seriously? Can’t that wait ‘til tomorrow?”

“You’ve had all week,” Chrysalis said. “If they’re not done, that’s your fault.”

“But—”

“You’re not gonna win this one,” Twilight said. “The sooner you’re done, the sooner we can head out.”

Daybreak huffed. “Fine.” She jumped off the bed and started towards the door. “I’m gonna wake you back up when I’m done, though!”

“Uh-huh,” Twilight mumbled as Daybreak left the room.

“Stupid chores,” Daybreak mumbled as she went back into her bedroom. She shut the door a bit too hard behind her and winced when it slammed.

On the inside of Daybreak’s door was a chalkboard with a list of chores written in elegant cursive. She was only responsible for her own room, so she didn’t have many chores, but what she did have she found tedious and incredibly annoying. Things like dusting, sweeping, and changing her sheets. All simple tasks, but she still dreaded doing them.

She started by pulling her hamper into the middle of the room and then running around, picking up all of her dirty clothes and tossing them in. There were a couple of books and scraps of paper scattered around, too, so she had to take care of those, but thankfully that was the only clutter she had. Then, she pulled her sheets off of her bed and tossed them over the stuffed hamper.

She dug around in her dresser until she found a set of sheets covered in little red flowers, decided she liked them and went to work making her bed, a process that made her very thankful to have magic. She couldn’t imagine how she’d manage it without that. When the bed was made, she carefully arranged all of her stuffed toys at the end of it, putting them back in the proper places that they were bound to be out of by nightfall.

She grabbed a piece of chalk and struck out those chores. Then she had a thought, and took a hard look around the room. She checked all over the floor, on the dresser, on her vanity, and then nodded. “Looks clean to me,” she said quietly to herself as she struck out sweeping and dusting as well.

With that done, all that was left was to get washed up and she’d be ready. Eager to get on with the day, she dashed out, through the throne room, and down the hall towards one of the castle’s many showers.

She would’ve just hopped in for long enough to get damp, but she knew she’d probably get caught if she did that, so she did the next best thing and showered as quickly as she possibly could. She jumped in as soon as the water was turned on, yelped at how cold it was and jumped back out, and finally, jumped in once again once it was warm enough to stand in.

She was in and out in a matter of minutes, and she hardly dried off enough before she ran back out into the hall with a towel wrapped around her.

She went back into her parents’ room and jumped up onto the bed again. “I’m ready! I’m ready! I’m ready!” She started to chant, jumping around and leaving damp spots wherever she landed.

Again, Chrysalis caught her in midair as the two of them woke up. “You don’t look ready,” she mumbled.

“I’ll get dry on the way,” Daybreak said. “C’mon, let’s go, let’s—Hey!”

Twilight had used her magic to grab the towel wrapped around Daybreak, and she started to vigorously dry her off. “If you’re not going to do it, I am,” she said.

Daybreak’s face was beet red by the time Twilight finished. “I can dry myself off!”

“Well, then why didn’t you?” Twilight asked. She pushed herself more upright, pulled Daybreak into her lap and started to brush her mane.

“I did!”

“Hardly,” Chrysalis said.

“It’s not my fault you can’t handle a little water,” Daybreak huffed.

“Well, it’s not my fault you get embarrassed by your mommy taking care of you,” Twilight said. She punctuated it by kissing the top of Daybreak’s head. “Okay, now the two of us have to get ready.”

Daybreak groaned. “Seriously? I have to wait for you?”

“Are you sure you want to go right now?” Chrysalis asked.

“Yeah.”

“Really? Because you seem to be missing something.”

Daybreak tilted her head. “What?”

“Well, I know I’m not the most experienced with this kind of thing,” Chrysalis said, “but I believe birthdays tend to involve gifts.”

“I—” Daybreak’s eyes went wide. “I forgot to get a gift! Why’d you wait this long to say something?”

“I was curious to see if you’d realize it,” Chrysalis said. “It seemed like a good learning opportunity.”

Daybreak looked up at Twilight.

Twilight shrugged. “I forgot. Sorry.”

Daybreak frowned. “Well, now what? I can’t go without a present!”

“Well, like Twilight said, we have to get ready,” Chrysalis told her. “You’ve got some time. Surely you can come up with something.”

“What, in my room?”

“There are some bits on our dresser,” Twilight said. “Go look around the city.”

“R-Really?” Daybreak got up and hopped off the bed to check the dresser. Sure enough, there was a small bag of coins sitting there. “I can just… Take them?”

“Go ahead,” Twilight said. “Just, you know, be careful. Try to stick to the main streets.”

“I—” Daybreak grabbed the bag and ran out the door. “Thank you! I love you! Bye!”

“We love you, too,” Twilight said with a chuckle.

Chapter 24

Even in the early morning, Canterlot’s main street was a loud, crowded place. Ponies filled the stores, street performers gathered crowds of curious onlookers, and there was always somepony trying to pass out flyers or pamphlets for whatever it was they wanted to bring attention to. It was the kind of hustle and bustle that a tiny creature like Daybreak could easily get lost in, or worse.

Luckily, Daybreak didn’t have to worry about all of that. She floated over the crowds as she scanned the stores, looking for something that might bear fruit. She was weighed down by her ill-fitting saddlebags, so she couldn’t stay in the air forever, but she was confident she could manage to fly long enough to find a destination.

The only problem was that nothing actually looked good enough.

She passed food stalls, furniture stores, boutiques, but none of them seemed like they’d have good presents. Food and furniture didn’t make for good birthday presents, and Daybreak couldn’t remember ever seeing Angel dress up. Even the shops that did stock things Angel might like were quickly ruled out. A candy store wasn’t all that appealing when the recipient’s mother was Pinkie Pie.

Eventually, Daybreak started to feel the strain on her wings and decided she needed to land, at least for a little while. She ducked down into the first store she saw that wasn’t obscenely crowded, which happened to be a little antique shop wedged between a much larger general store and a photo studio owned by Photo Finish.

She was expecting there to still be some crowd, but to her surprise, she seemed to be the only patron in the tiny little shop, at least as far as she could tell.

It had a bizarre, maze-like layout with hardly any structure to it. The whole store was a single room, much deeper than it was wide, but it was filled to bursting with shelves shoved wherever they would fit, regardless of what strange angles they made and how much they constrained the walkways. The shelves themselves were just as full, and just as unarranged, and it was a wonder anypony could weave their way through the store without knocking things down and breaking them.

Near the entrance was a checkout counter made out of short glass cases that held the store’s more valuable items. Behind the counter, sitting on a stool with his legs propped up on the glass, was an ancient-looking pony with a ball cap pulled down over his eyes.

At first, Daybreak thought the pony was asleep, but when the door clicked shut behind her he stirred and lifted his cap just far enough to peer out from underneath it.

“Well, lookee there,” the pony said with a whistle. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes. I woulda thought you’d be taller by now.”

“Huh?” Daybreak tilted her head. “Have we met?”

“Oh, it was a grip ago,” the old man said. “Your ma used to bring you in here with her.”

“My… Which one?”

He laughed. “Princess Twilight, of course. I ain’t sure the ol’ Queen’s ever set hoof in this place.”

“Oh.” Daybreak stared at him for a moment. “Well, uh… Sorry I don’t remember you.”

“Can’t imagine you remember much of anything from back then,” he replied. “The name’s Roadshow.”

“I’m Daybreak. Um… Nice to meet you.”

Roadshow nodded. “So, Daybreak, what can I do ya for? Lookin’ for anything, or are you just browsing?”

“I was, uh…” Daybreak hesitated a moment. “I’m looking for a birthday present.”

“Oh? Anything in particular? I oughta know if we’ve got what you’re looking for.”

“I’m not sure,” Daybreak said. “I don’t really have any ideas.”

“Well, who’s it for?”

“My friend.”

“What’s she like?”

Daybreak shrugged. “She’s kinda weird. She doesn’t really like… Normal stuff. I guess ‘cuz of where she lives.”

“Hmm…” Roadshow leaned forward on the counter and thought. “Well, if you could get her anything, what’d it be?”

“Anything? Uh…” Daybreak thought for a long moment. “I guess something nopony’s ever seen before. Some kinda magic artifact. I bet she’d have fun with that.”

“What’s your budget?”

“Uhh…” Daybreak pulled out the sack of coins and showed it to him.

Daybreak whistled. “Anything like that’s gonna be out of your price range…”

“Wait, can you actually get magic stuff like that in Canterlot?”

“Oh, you can get anything in Canterlot.”

“Well, that sounds perfect, then! Are you sure I can’t afford it?” Daybreak asked.

“Magic like that don’t come cheap,” Roadshow told her.

Daybreak pouted. “Really? Not even, like, a weak one?”

Roadshow pursed his lips and tapped the counter. “Hmm… Well…”

“Well?”

He sighed. “Look, there’s a place nearby where you could make it work, but it’s not exactly safe. I ain’t keen on sending a kid into a place like that.”

“I can take care of myself!” Daybreak said. “C’mon, how bad could it be? It’s Canterlot. Nothing bad happens here.”

“See, that’s the thing, I don’t know,” Roadshow said. “His prices change. They’re different for everypony.”

“Well, maybe I’ll get lucky, then. I can’t know if I don’t try.”

Roadshow sighed. “I… Alright, fine. I mean, I can’t really imagine he’d mess with a kid all that much. Just… Promise me you’ll make him actually tell you the price before you agree.”

Daybreak grinned. “Yeah, yeah, I promise, sure. Where is he?”

“Go out the back door,” Roadshow said, “then come back in. That should do it, I think.”

“What?”

“Hey, it’s a weird shop.”

“Um… Okay, I guess,” Daybreak said. “Well, uh… Thank you?”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

Daybreak nodded, then started to weave her way towards the back of the store. As she did, it amazed her more and more that anypony could actually shop there. She could hardly fit between some of the shelves, and she was tiny. More than once, she bumped into a shelf and felt a wave of panic as it wobbled and threatened to topple over, although they somehow never did.

Finally, the shelves gave way to a wall. It, too, was almost completely covered in shelves, but there was one small spot where a neon exit sign hung over a heavy, metal door.

Slowly, she pushed it open.

Beyond the door was just an alleyway. Some birds took to the sky as she walked out and the door slammed shut behind her. Up and down the alleyway were more, nearly identical doors, and near the far end she saw a unicorn in a chef’s hat carrying a heavy sack of garbage. It was, as far as she could tell, a perfectly average alley.

She turned around. The door was the same as it had been a moment before, solid and imposing. She started to worry she was being pranked, but she pushed the thought aside, took a deep breath and walked back inside.

The building had definitely changed. It was a lot darker, and a lot larger. Row after row of packed shelves stretched on as far as she could see in every direction, displaying an endless supply of clearly powerful magical items, along with a fair assortment of other, seemingly worthless junk. The rows even extended backwards, past the door she’d just come in, which was now standing freely, not attached to any wall.

As she was looking back, a voice came from behind her. “Well, well, well. Now isn’t this a surprise. The shining sun of Canterlot, in my humble establishment? Whatever have I done to deserve the honor?”

Daybreak thought she recognized the voice, but she couldn’t quite place it. She turned back around to look at who was talking to her, and recoiled in surprise when she saw the strange, cobbled-together creature that grinned down at her.

“Discord?”

“In the flesh,” Discord said. “Or the stone, depending on who you ask.” He crouched down and coiled around himself so he could lay on the floor and be level with Daybreak. “How can I help my favorite little hybrid?”

“You can stop being weird, for one.”

“Sorry, no can do,” Discord told her. “It’s part of the job.”

Daybreak groaned. “I thought my mom told you she didn’t want you talking to me without a grown-up around.”

“Please, I’ve been around since that old bug was just an inkling of a thought in the universe. Who could be more grown-up than me?”

“Anyone, probably.”

Discord laughed. “Fair. But, hey, you walked into my shop. Not much I can do about that, now is there?”

“Was that antique shop even real?” Daybreak asked. There was an annoyed edge to her voice.

“What, Roadshow’s place? Yeah, we go way back,” Discord told her. “We were college roommates. Oh, he was such a party animal, I couldn’t get a lick of studying done.”

Daybreak glared at him for a moment, then huffed and turned away. “Whatever.”

Discord frowned and swiveled back in front of her. “Why the cold shoulder? It’s positively frigid in here.”

“I don’t wanna talk to you.” She turned and started towards the door.

When she got near it, the door wobbled and hopped a few feet away, and Discord slithered into its place. “Oh, I’m hurt,” he said. “I thought we were friends.”

Daybreak narrowed her eyes. “We were. That’s why I know if I talk to you you’re just gonna lie to me.”

“Lie?” Discord put a paw over his heart. “Why, I would never—” He saw a frown start to form on Daybreak’s face and caught himself. “Okay, maybe I have a tendency to fib.”

“Yeah, and I’m sick of being lied to.”

Discord shrank in on himself a bit. “I’m sensing some animosity. Did something happen?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Fair enough. Still, you came here for a reason, did you not?” He put his arms behind his back and tried to look compassionate. “Will you stay if I promise not to lie?”

“Why would I believe you?”

“Here, how’s this.” Discord clapped, and a huge gong fell from the air and landed beside them with a booming crash. “If I lie, this gong will sound.”

“You could just be lying about that,” Daybreak said.

“Well… I’m not,” Discord said. “Here: My favorite food is bland, flavorless tofu.” As he finished the sentence, the gong beside them rang out with a deafening noise. “See?” He shouted over the echoes.

After the noise died down, Daybreak sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you a chance.” Then, a moment later, she added “do you even have a favorite food?”

“Probably,” Discord said with a shrug. “Let’s see…” He pulled out a small desk calendar and started ripping pages off of it. “That was last week… That’s next week. Wow, I really haven’t been keeping up with this. Ah! Here we go,” he said as he stopped on the right date. “Today’s is… Huh. Calendars. I guess I’ll save this for later,” he said as he put the prop away.

Daybreak was watching him impatiently. “So… Do you have a gift I could give Angel?”

“Hmm…” Discord tapped his chin as he thought. “Oh, I know! How about this?” He pulled out a little vial of shimmering liquid and showed it to Daybreak.

“What is it?”

“This, my darling little friend, is pure, unrefined chaos magic. Quite a bit of it, in fact. Used right, a drop of this could level a forest. Or grow one, I suppose.” He shrugged. “Angel’s quite the little deviant, is she not? I imagine she could find a use for this.”

Daybreak’s eyes went wide. “Woah. And I can have the whole thing?”

“I don’t see why not,” Discord said. “I’m getting old. Stale. A fresh outlook on chaos could really liven things up, don’t you think?”

“Didn’t you use this stuff to be evil?”

“Yes, well, I didn’t have Fluttershy as a mother. I don’t believe we’ve much to fear on that front.”

“What if it gets stolen or something?”

Discord shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to get it back.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, I guess you could just let it go, but that seems inadvisable.”

Daybreak sighed and shook her head. “Whatever. How much does it cost?”

“Oh, please, you don’t owe me anything,” Discord said. He tossed the vial over to Daybreak, and she caught it with her magic and stored it in her saddlebag. “Like I said, it’s getting more chaos into responsible… Hooves. What more could I want?”

“Money?”

Discord laughed. “See, thinking like that is why this gift is for Angel.”

“Uh… Okay.” Daybreak walked around him and towards the door again. “Thanks, Discord.”

“Enjoy your party!” Discord grinned sinisterly. “I do hope it’s nice and chaotic.”

Chapter 25

Daybreak broke into a full-speed sprint as soon as she made it inside the castle. She ran up and down halls, zipping around surprised guards and various other ponies. Once she was at the throne room, she burst through the doors with a mighty crash, gaining her the attention of everyone in the room, including her parents, sitting up on their thrones.

“Well, someone’s excited,” Twilight chuckled. “I take it you found something?”

“Uh-huh!” Daybreak grinned and pranced up to the platform that held the thrones. “She’s gonna love it.”

“Well, what is it?” Chrysalis asked.

“That’s a secret,” Daybreak told her. “Ask Angel if you really wanna know.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll go with it, though.”

“So, are you ready? Can we go?” Daybreak jumped in place excitedly as she looked back and forth between her parents. “Please?”

“I suppose,” Twilight said teasingly. “Chrissy? What do you think, are we ready?”

“I don’t know,” Chrysalis said, “I may still need a nap.”

Daybreak groaned. “C’mon, I wanna get there before it’s super crowded!”

“Okay, okay,” Twilight said, getting up from her seat. “Let’s go, then.” She walked up beside Chrysalis and waved Daybreak over. Once they were all together, she nodded and lit up her horn, making the three of them vanish in a flash of light.

When they reappeared, Daybreak lit up and started to look around, but her expression quickly dimmed. “Why are we here?”

All around them were crowds of strangers heading off to start their days. Some were heading out of the large, spacious building, but most were making their way towards the back, and into the train that sat waiting for its passengers.

“I thought we could take the train,” Twilight said. “It seemed pleasant.”

“But we can teleport,” Daybreak said.

“Yes, but I think it’s important that you take things slowly sometimes. You’ve got to learn to be patient,” Twilight told her.

“That’s dumb,” Daybreak said. “I’m patient.”

“Well, then prove it,” Twilight replied. “Be patient and enjoy the train ride.”

“Ugh.” Daybreak gave up. She knew she wasn’t going to win, so she went with it as they led her into the train and through the cars until they found an open seat.

Shortly after they sat down, there was a lurch as the train started to move. Slowly, the station started sliding away past the window.

“How long’s this gonna take?” Daybreak asked.

“Not too long,” Twilight told her. “The Rockville stop is on the way to the main stop. Try to enjoy it.”

“Mm.” Daybreak grumbled and turned towards the window. She stared out as the walls of the station gave way to the scenic mountainside, steep rock faces leading down to fields of waving grass, which themselves were eventually overtaken by Equestria’s dense forests. The sky was bright and blue, nearly cloudless and dotted with pegasi enjoying the freedom of flight.

None of it moved Daybreak much. She was too focused on pouting to really pay attention to the world outside.

As the train slowly sped up and descended the mountain, Twilight and Chrysalis started to talk idly. “So,” Chrysalis spoke up, “how crowded is this party going to be, exactly?”

“Quite a bit, sorry,” Twilight said. “I think the entire family is planning on being there.”

“All of them?” Chrysalis winced. “Even the spouses?”

“Presumably.”

“At this rate, they’re going to outpace the Apples.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Twilight said. “A dozen or so ponies on that whole farm isn’t a big deal.”

Daybreak looked up away from the window, her interest piqued. “Farm?”

“Yes, sweetie, the rock farm,” Twilight said. “We must’ve taken you there once or twice, I’m sure.”

“Not that I can remember,” Daybreak replied. “What’s a rock farm?”

“It’s the Pies’ family business,” Chrysalis explained. “They provide stone to a fairly large amount of Equestria. You’d better behave yourself while we’re there, otherwise Limestone is liable to put you to work.”

“Yeah, right,” Daybreak said. “You’re just trying to scare me.”

“Feel free to believe that.”

“I’m gonna.”

“Do you remember Pinkie’s sisters?” Twilight asked.

“I didn’t even know she had sisters,” Daybreak said.

Twilight laughed. “Oh, does she ever. They’re quite the family.”

“Including Pinkie, there are five sisters in total,” Chrysalis said. “You’ll probably like Maud, she’s quite a bit like Angel. Then there’s Marble, who’s my favorite, and—”

Chrysalis was cut off by a loud screech that shot through the train. With it came another lurch as the train started the arduous process of slowing down.

Daybreak gasped and stood up in her seat excitedly. “We’re here! We’re here!” She hopped up and down as she chanted.

Twilight caught Daybreak and pulled her into her lap. “You’re gonna hurt yourself if you jump around like that.”

“No, I’m not!” Daybreak looked up at her mother and gave her an exaggerated frown.

“Well, I still worry, so too bad.” Twilight squeezed Daybreak and kissed her on the forehead.

Daybreak blushed and huffed. “Mom, we’re in public! You’re embarrassing me!”

“And?” Twilight nuzzled her lovingly. “It’s my job to embarrass you.”

As Twilight doted on Daybreak, the train slowly rolled to a stop at the edge of a rickety wooden platform. As soon as it stopped moving, Daybreak squirmed out of Twilight’s grasp and stepped into the aisle. “C’mon, let’s go before the train starts up again.”

Twilight laughed as she got up and followed Daybreak, with Chrysalis shortly behind. Daybreak didn’t bother to wait for them, though, instead choosing to dash through the train and out onto the platform.

What she stepped out into shocked her enough to stop her in her tracks. Rockville was like nothing she’d ever seen before. She’d been to Ponyville, and to Trotsylvania. She knew small towns, but she didn’t know this. She would’ve hesitated to even call the little cluster of ten or so buildings a town if not for the fact that it had a name.

She gave her parents a confused look as they stepped off the train. “Are you sure this is the right place? They live here?”

“Yup,” Twilight said. “Well, kinda. They don’t actually live in town. There’s a bit of a walk we’ve got to take first.”

Daybreak frowned. “Are you gonna make us actually walk there?”

Twilight chuckled and hopped off the platform. “What do you think?”

With a sigh, Daybreak resigned herself to her fate and started following Twilight. She tried to watch the scenery as they traveled, but she couldn’t actually find anything to watch. The landscape was barren, no grass, no trees, no foliage of any kind. Every so often she’d see a bird fly overhead, but aside from that, all there was to look at was… Rocks.

Thankfully, the walk was short, and a few minutes later they started to see the first signs of a party. As they rose up over the top of a hill, balloons and streamers rose to meet them, and with them came the sounds of music and laughter. There were banners, flashing lights, even a massive inflatable castle, although it stood empty. In the middle of it all was a tiny, well cared for home painted a soft shade of grayish pink that almost blended into the ground around it.

In front of the house, the yard was filled with all sorts of partying necessities, with empty picnic tables and a buffet of food, plus a long table that was already stuffed with presents despite the fact that it looked like almost none of the guests had arrived. Aside from Pinkie and Fluttershy, there were two ponies there that Daybreak didn’t recognize. It was a far cry from the crowds Twilight had been expecting.

A minute later, Pinkie noticed them approaching and gasped excitedly enough to guarantee that the other ponies all looked up to see what she’d seen. “Hey, guys!” She shouted over the music. “C’mon, get over here! Hurry up!”

The group picked up their pace a bit, and soon they were in the party. Twilight and Chrysalis walked up and joined the table of ponies while Daybreak glanced around, searching for Angel, but Angel seemed to be nowhere in sight. Eventually, she gave up and went to sit between her parents at the table.

“See, Limestone?” Pinkie was talking to one of the ponies Daybreak didn’t know. “I told you there was a pre-party.”

“And I told you I didn’t care,” Limestone replied. “I could be getting work done right now!”

As they bickered, Fluttershy looked past Twilight with a kind smile and got Daybreak’s attention. “Hey, Daybreak,” she whispered. “Glad you made it.”

“Hi, Fluttershy!” Daybreak replied. “Where’s Angel?”

“Oh, she’s around,” Fluttershy said. “She should be—Oh! There she is.” Fluttershy waved to someone behind Daybreak, and Daybreak wheeled around to see Angel standing there with an unenthusiastic look on her face.

“Hey,” Angel said.

Daybreak grinned wide. “Hey! Happy birthday!”

“Thanks. C’mon, let’s go hang out.”

“Yeah, sure!” Daybreak started to get up, but before she could Twilight wrapped a leg around her to stop her.

“Wait up a second,” Twilight said. “I wanna introduce you!”

“Can’t it wait?” Daybreak asked.

“It won’t take long,” Twilight said. She pointed across the table at the ponies Daybreak didn’t know. “So, that’s Limestone. She’s Pinkie’s big sister.”

“Yo,” Limestone said with a nod. “Watch yourself around the farm. Angel knows the rules.”

The pony beside Limestone smiled brightly and waved. “And I’m her wife! My name’s Coco Pommel, but you can just call me Coco if you want!”

“Um… It’s nice to meet you both,” Daybreak said awkwardly.

“Yeah, sure,” Limestone said. “C’mon, Twilight, let the kid run off. She doesn’t wanna listen to our bull—” She was cut off by a prod and an angry look from Coco.

“Yeah, okay, you can go, Daybreak,” Twilight said. “Have fun, you two! And come back around when the rest of the guests are here!”

“Uh-huh,” Daybreak said. “See you lat—” There was a rush of wind, and a wave of darkness poured over Daybreak, stealing her from the world around her. When the darkness cleared, she was somewhere else, somewhere dark and musty that would’ve been entirely uninviting if not for the party supplies set up haphazardly around the room, including a little table that was the perfect height for them to sit around. “—er. Geez, Angel, don’t you think you’re being kinda impatient?”

“Whatever,” Angel said. She went and sat at the table, and Daybreak sat across from her. “I wanna see what you got me.”

“Seriously? We’ve barely even said hi!”

“Yeah, okay, hi,” Angel said. “Look, sorry, it’s just been bugging me. I stopped being able to see you for a bit earlier, and I don’t like not knowing stuff.”

Daybreak raised an eyebrow. “You were watching me look for presents?”

“I watch everything,” Angel said. “Or, at least, I thought so. Quit stalling.” She tapped hard on the table. “Cough it up.”

“Chill, dude,” Daybreak told her as she took off her saddlebags and dropped them on the table. “I was gonna give it to you early anyway.” She opened up the clasp on the bag and started digging around until she found the vial and pulled it out. Then, grinning proudly, she pulled it out and presented it to Angel.

Angel grabbed it and peered at it curiously for a long moment. Finally, she looked at Daybreak and tilted her head. “What is it?”

“It’s magic!” Daybreak clapped her hooves together excitedly. “I got it from Discord. He said it’s chaos magic, like he uses.”

Angel’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? How’d you get him to give you that?”

“He just kinda did,” Daybreak told her. “He said he thought you’d be good at it or something.”

Angel laughed. “Idiot. You can’t just give this stuff away.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is he must think I’m stupid,” Angel said. “I’ve heard enough stories from my mom to know what this stuff can do. Here, look.”

Angel grabbed the cork keeping the vial shut in her teeth and yanked it out. Then, she upturned the liquid onto the table, spilling out almost all of it. As soon as it hit the table it started to react. Strange, plastic roots started to spread out from the legs of the table and into the ground. They snaked their way across the room in all directions, filling the floor with a spiderweb of roots. Then, a few feet away from them, some of the roots started to rise up. They grew together, wound around themselves, and grew into an exact copy of the table they were sitting at. Then a third table sprouted up, and a fourth, wherever there seemed to be room.

Eventually, the roots ran out of space to grow, but they weren’t done. All around the edges of the room, they broke out past the walls and into the outside world, off to spread wherever they could.

“Woah…” Daybreak’s jaw fell open. “What the…”

Angel stuck the cork back in and lowered the vial. “Well, that’s gonna be a problem later. Whatever, though, that wasn’t the point. Check it out.”

With the cork firmly in place, Angel grabbed the nearly-empty bottle firmly and started to shake it as hard as she could. The liquid inside started to churn and bubble, swirling around in a torrent of magic, and when she finally stopped shaking it, the vial was once again full.

“What?” Daybreak stared at the vial. “How the heck did you do that?”

“It’s chaos magic,” Angel said. “What’s more chaotic than endless chaos magic?”

Chapter 26

“C’mon.” Angel hopped over to the stairs and waved Daybreak along. “Let’s go do some experiments.”

“Uhh…” Daybreak hesitated, looking around the room at the outbreak of tables. “Shouldn’t we clean this up first?”

“Nah, I’m sure it’ll take care of itself,” Angel said, “and even if it doesn’t, it’s just tables. Who cares if there’s a forest of tables out there somewhere? It’ll be a tourist attraction.”

Daybreak pursed her lips, then got up and walked over to Angel. “Fine, but if this goes bad, you gotta tell our parents that I tried to stop you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Angel said as she turned and dashed up the steps. “Get a move on, Daybaby.”

“I’m not a baby!” Daybreak blushed and puffed out her cheeks. With a quick flit of her wings, she floated up the stairs behind Angel. “Geez, I’m the one who gave you the stuff.”

“And I’m really happy with the gift,” Angel said, “but I’m still gonna tease you. It’s funny.”

Daybreak landed at the top of the stairs and rolled her eyes. “Jerk.”

“Dork.”

Angel led Daybreak quickly through the old, dry house. Everything was clean and well maintained, but most of the furniture looked like it was generations old. Ancient dishes filled a glass cabinet in the dining room, and most of the wood was tarnished with age. Here and there, though, were signs of modernity. Their sofa was newly reupholstered, the paint on the walls was bright and fresh, the little technology they kept around was up to date. The house was a bizarre clash of new and old, and there didn’t seem to be any effort put towards lessening the divide.

Angel took them into the kitchen, which was by far the most modern room in the house. Aside from the tacky tiled floors and old, wooden wall decorations, everything in the kitchen was a few years old at most. New pots and pans, new plates and bowls, new knives, new fridge, new stove. Some of it even put what the castle had to shame.

“Geez, they must really like to cook,” Daybreak said.

“They’re pies,” Angel replied. “It’s in our blood.”

“Do you even have blood?”

“Not the point.” Angel started digging through drawers and cupboards, pulling out dishes and ingredients and dropping them on the counter. “We like to cook.”

“Even you?” Daybreak asked. She wandered up to the counter and watched as Angel started dumping tiny amounts of things into a mixing bowl, a process that, to Daybreak, seemed entirely random.

“Why else would we be in the kitchen?”

“I dunno, you said experiments,” Daybreak said. “I figured you’d just be dripping it on random stuff.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Angel said. “One experiment at a time. We’ve got to be patient.”

“So, what’s this experiment?”

Angel finished stirring together all the ingredients she’d gathered up, then uncorked the vial and upturned it over the bowl, spilling nearly every drop into the mixture. Strangely, though, nothing happened.

“I’m baking a muffin,” Angel said. She walked over to a tall, thin cupboard and dug around in it until she found a small baking tin designed for cooking singular muffins, then filled it with the batter. Finally, she shoved it into the oven and jumped up onto the stove to start the baking.

“It didn’t look like it’s gonna do anything,” Daybreak said.

Angel hopped back down and shook her head. “It wasn’t supposed to do anything yet. Just be patient.” She washed her hooves, recorked and refilled her vial of magic, and waved Daybreak towards a screen door in the corner that led out behind the house.

"Shouldn't we keep an eye on it?" Daybreak asked.

Angel shrugged. "It's got a timer, the oven will turn itself off."

"Oh. Okay." Daybreak scurried after Angel. “How’d you know it wouldn’t just, like, blow up the batter?”

“Just cuz it’s chaos magic doesn’t mean it’s completely unpredictable,” Angel explained as the two of them walked outside. A chilly breeze met them that made Daybreak shiver. “I mean, clearly Discord has at least some control over it. I figured I should at least be able to get it into a muffin without it going off.”

As they talked, the two of them started making their way towards the inflatable castle set up near the house.

“So, it worked?” Daybreak asked.

“We’ll see,” Angel said. “It’s gotta do something.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Daybreak said. She made it to the massive structure first and jumped up through the flap that covered the entrance. “What do you think it’s gonna—”

She froze. The castle wasn’t empty like she’d assumed. She’d thought that surely, if somepony was there, it would be bouncing around. She hadn’t considered the possibility that a pony might just be asleep in it.

In the corner, Royal Gala was lounging peacefully against the wall. She looked up when she felt movement and grinned when she saw Daybreak. “Howdy.”

“Wh—” Daybreak turned to Angel as she joined them in the castle. “How long has she been here?”

“A few hours,” Angel said. “We were hanging out before you got here.”

“And you just left her here?”

“I wanted to chill for a bit,” Royal Gala told her. “It’s cool.”

Daybreak bounced over and sat down near Royal Gala. Angel followed and flopped over onto her back, gazing at the sky through the castle’s open roof.

“So, what’d you get her?” Daybreak asked.

“A moonrock,” Royal Gala said.

“Seriously? A rock?”

“It’s pretty cool,” Angel said. “I’m gonna show it to Maud. I bet she’s never seen one, she’s gonna freak out.”

Daybreak stared at Angel for a moment. “I don’t get you,” she finally said.

“Thanks,” Angel replied. “I do my best.”

“Well, what about you?” Royal Gala prodded Daybreak’s chest. “What amazing gift did you get her that’s so much better than my rock?”

Daybreak smirked. “I got her some real, actual chaos magic.”

“What the heck’s she meant to do with that?” Royal Gala raised an eyebrow at Daybreak. “Sounds about as useful as a fan in a windstorm.”

“They’re both pretty good,” Angel said. “I’m making a muffin with hers.”

“You could make a muffin out of mine if you really wanted to,” Royal Gala argued.

“It’s a rock,” Daybreak said, “all it can do is be a rock.”

“It’s not a competition,” Angel said. “And even if it was, my ma would beat you both, so get over it.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Daybreak said. She got up and started bouncing around the castle. “Let’s go do something, I’m bored.”

“You are doing something,” Angel said.

“Something else.” Daybreak groaned. “At least use the magic to make the bounce house bouncier or something.”

“Hmm…” Angel thought for a moment, then flipped over and sat up. “Yeah, sure, we can try that,” she said as she pulled the vial out.

“That’s it?” Royal Gala asked. “That ain’t very much.”

“I can get more,” Angel said. “Don’t sweat it. We can—” Angel cut herself off and glanced up at the sky as something caught her attention. Quickly, she swiped a hoof over the vial of magic, making it fade away into the shadows. “Dang it,” she grumbled under her breath.

Daybreak stopped bouncing and looked over towards her. “What’s up?”

“My aunt’s here,” Angel said, “which means—”

A sharp whistle pierced the air. High above them, a shape started to form in the sky, getting bigger and bigger every second. They were just barely able to recognize the shape as a pegasus before they slammed down into the castle with a deafening boom and a wave that bounced the three of them meters into the air.

Daybreak stuck her wings out and caught herself in midair, but the other two tumbled back down and bounced several more times before finally settling back onto the unsteady floor. Royal Gala was stunned, and Angel had an annoyed grimace on her face as she stared at the new guest.

In the center of the castle was a tall, lithe pegasus with dark gray fur and a burning orange mane. Orange and yellow stripes wrapped up around her legs like licks of flame, and her cutie mark was a blazing meteor.

The mysterious pegasus was a fair bit older than Angel, but still a few years from adulthood. She carried herself with pride and confidence as she stalked towards Angel, and smirked once she was looming over the smaller pony. “Hey, squirt.”

“Hello, Cinnabar,” Angel grumbled.

“Aw, c’mon, that’s no way to treat your favorite cousin,” Cinnabar said. She wrapped a leg around Angel’s shoulders, then ruffled up her mane roughly. “I’ve missed ya.”

Angel pushed herself out of Cinnabar’s grip and backed away from her. “Whatever.”

Despite the cold shoulder, Cinnabar’s grin never faltered. “So, who’re the new squirts?”

“They’re my friends,” Angel said.

“I’m not that small,” Daybreak mumbled.

“Aw, I don’t mean nothin by it,” Cinnabar said. With a quick flap of her wings, she zipped around the castle and scooped up Royal Gala and Daybreak, then set them down beside Angel so she could talk to all of them. Then, she stood up straight and put a hoof to her chest. “The name’s Cinnabar Pie. Great to finally meet little miss darkness’ pals.”

“Uh, hi,” Daybreak said.

“Howdy,” Royal Gala added.

“Cinnabar, did you actually want something?” Angel asked.

“Well, I wanted to say happy birthday!”

“Thanks,” Angel said. “Is that it?”

“Sheesh, alright, I can take a hint.” Cinnabar flapped her wings and floated into the air. “I’ll be looking around the farm if you need me.”

“I won’t.”

Cinnabar chuckled. “Love you too, squirt.” She waved, flapped her wings, and shot off into the sky.

“Ugh.” Angel went and sat in the corner with a deep frown etched into her face. The others followed and sat nearby.

“You okay?” Daybreak asked.

“I’m fine,” Angel said curtly. She paused for a moment, then mumbled “hate her” under her breath.

“She didn’t seem all that bad,” Royal Gala said. “What’s got your gizzards in a twist?”

“You don’t know her,” Angel said. “You don’t know what it’s like to have her be the only other kid at family stuff like this.”

“I guess I don’t,” Royal Gala admitted.

“Do you want us to help?” Daybreak asked.

“I don’t see how you could.”

“C’mon, that’s silly,” Daybreak said. “You can’t tell me you’ve never thought about getting her back. Now you’ve got two friends and a magic bottle. There must be something we can do.”

“I…” Angel looked down at her hooves for a moment. Slowly, her frown started turning into a grin. “Yeah, okay. Let me think of something.”

Chapter 27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angel shrugged. “Just to be fun.”

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

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

“I’m working on it,” Angel replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ouch. Sorry. Is it tough?”

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

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

“What’d you do?” Daybreak asked.

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

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

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

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

“Mm-hm,” Angel hummed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angel shrugged. “I guess.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Um, um, um,” Pinkie stuttered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s the idea,” Pinkie said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What? Why?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I-I think so?” Angel said.

“Seems real to me,” Royal Gala said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Well, try,” Daybreak hissed.

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

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

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

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

“It’s, um… Chaos magic.”

Fluttershy stared at her. “What.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Discord,” Fluttershy growled.

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

“Good,” Fluttershy said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m uh… I’m sorry I messed up.”

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

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

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

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

The kitchen.

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

“Ooh, a muffin!”

Chapter 28

A heavy stillness had fallen over the party. Angel and Fluttershy were inside the house, still talking, and the guests were left to wait and worry. The adults were, for the most part, huddled together and talking in hushed tones. The only exception was Twilight, who had broken off so she could sit at another table with Daybreak and Royal Gala and make sure they were alright.

The two children, as could be expected, were not alright. Royal Gala was stretched out on the bench, her eyes shut tight as she clutched her aching head, while Daybreak sat beside her and stared into the tablecloth like it went on for miles.

Twilight sat across from them quietly and reached out to lightly tap Daybreak. “Sweetie? Are you okay?” She kept her voice as soft and calm as she could, hoping it would soothe them.

Daybreak shrugged without looking up.

Twilight frowned. “And Royal Gala? You don’t look very good.”

“Mmmnn,” Royal Gala grumbled.

“Do you need anything?” Twilight asked, only to be met with more grumbles. “Would you like somepony to go get Luna?” That got a nod, so Twilight waved to get Chrysalis’ attention and gestured vaguely towards Royal Gala, to which Chrysalis nodded and disappeared.

“Okay, she’ll be here soon,” Twilight said, earning what sounded like an appreciative groan from Royal Gala. She didn’t see much else she could do, so she shifted her attention again. “Daybreak, what’s wrong? What’s on your mind?”

Daybreak shrugged again.

“Something is bothering you,” Twilight said. “Are you worried about Angel? Or Royal Gala?”

“Not really,” Daybreak mumbled.

Twilight hummed in thought for a moment. “Do you feel responsible for what happened?”

Daybreak thought for a moment. “Kinda.”

Twilight leaned over and stroked Daybreak’s mane. “You couldn’t have known. You’ve never seen chaos magic used for something big. I promise you’re not in trouble or—”

“I don’t care.”

“Huh?”

Daybreak looked to her side and went quiet. Twilight waited, giving her time to think. A minute later, right as she seemed to be figuring out what to say, there was a burst of light nearby as Luna appeared.

Luna didn’t seem to notice the attention that suddenly focused on her when she arrived. Immediately, she started scanning the scene. “Where is—Oh!” As soon as she saw Royal Gala, she dashed over and knelt down beside her. She draped a wing over Royal Gala’s back and felt her forehead. “What happened? Are you hurt?” She sounded almost frantic, and even a little afraid.

“Mmnn,” was all Royal Gala replied with.

“There was a bit of an accident,” Twilight told Luna, “and I think she tried to move the moon.”

“What? But she’s so young!” Luna sat back so she could scoop up Royal Gala and hold her close. Then Luna kissed her cheek and whispered to her gently. “Oh, my star, you cannot be so reckless. I am proud of you, though. Come, let’s go find someplace quiet, hm? I can bring you back once you feel better.” Royal Gala gave a weak nod, so Luna spread her wings and rose up into the air. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said as an afterthought, “and you, Daybreak.” Then she slowly flapped her wings and soared into the sky.

After she was gone, Twilight moved and sat next to Daybreak. “Did you figure out what’s wrong?” She whispered.

“I just…” Daybreak took a deep breath, then shook her head and leaned against Twilight. “Why—” her voice cracked as tears started to well up in her eyes. “Why did you go?”

Twilight squeezed Daybreak close, but she had a puzzled look on her face. “I don’t understand.”

“Both of you,” Daybreak said. “You just… Left.”

“What?” Twilight thought for a moment. “You mean while it was happening? Daybreak, Chrysalis and I were trying to stop it.”

“So?” Daybreak sniffed hard. “You can’t stop the moon! Why do you have to be the one who always leaves?”

“It’s my responsibility,” Twilight said. “I’m supposed to take care of Equestria.”

“Why can’t you get someone else to do it? That’s what Fluttershy did, so why can’t you?”

“Because I… If I leave to get help, that leaves everypony defenseless. Anypony can go get help, but not very many can do what I can do. My time is better served—”

“You’re not a superhero!” Daybreak pushed Twilight away and got up from the bench. “You’re my mom! What if Discord didn’t show up? Who else is gonna—” She choked on her words. She could feel herself coming close to sobbing, and knew everypony at the party was probably looking at her, so she decided that was enough and ran into the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

After the shock passed, Chrysalis walked up to Twilight. “Should we… Go after her?”

“I…” Twilight was staring at the door, shellshocked. “I don’t know.”

In the house, Daybreak had clenched her eyes shut and was running blindly down a hall when a leg wrapped around her and pulled her up off the ground. “Woah there, speedy, you’re gonna hurt yourself!”

Daybreak took a deep breath, swallowed her tears, and opened her eyes to see the bright, grinning face of Pinkie Pie looking back at her. “I-I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“Nah, don’t be sorry,” Pinkie said. She set Daybreak down and smoothed out her mane. “I’ve just conked my noggin on these walls enough to know you don’t wanna do it.”

“Oh… Okay.”

Pinkie waved Daybreak along and started off down the hall. “C’mon,” she said, “let’s go see Angel.”

Daybreak followed Pinkie silently as they went through the house, eventually finding themselves in a large, inviting family room. It had quite a few sofas, and even a couple of armchairs. The walls were painted a soft, warm red, and the whole room, from the molding to the tables, was decorated with dark wood, including the room’s most prominent feature, a huge bookshelf in one corner that was stacked top to bottom with board games and puzzles.

Fluttershy was sitting in one of the armchairs, holding Angel against her chest and stroking her mane. Pinkie jumped onto a nearby sofa and waved Daybreak in. “Look who I found!”

Angel looked up curiously as Daybreak walked in and climbed onto a sofa. “Oh, hey,” Angel said quietly, her voice a little weak. She hopped down from Fluttershy’s lap and went to sit next to Daybreak. “You okay?”

Daybreak sniffed and rubbed her eyes, then nodded. “Mm-hm. You?”

“I’m fine,” Angel said. “Royal Gala?”

“She’ll be back later.”

“Alright.” Angel sighed and rested her head on her hooves. “Some birthday, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m uh… Sorry my present kinda sucked.”

Angel punched her playfully in the shoulder. “Hey, it was great ‘til the moon fell. I think I got plenty out of it. That stuff’s too much responsibility anyway.”

“Hey, don’t talk like the birthday’s already over!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “The party hasn’t even started. Plus, I’ve got a batch of cupcakes in the oven that’ll be done any minute now!”

Angel smiled slightly. “Thanks, Ma. That’ll be—” She stopped herself, and her smile vanished. “Wait. What happened to my muffin?”

“Ooh, did you make that?” Pinkie asked. “I’m impressed! That tasted almost as good as Nana Pie’s old cliff-rock muffin recipe. Almost. It’s hard to beat Nana’s Bluffins.”

“You…” Angel’s eyes widened. “You ate it?”

“Oh, yeah, I had Bluffins all the time back when—”

“I mean my muffin,” Angel said.

“Oh! Yeah, like I said, super yummy.” Pinkie licked her lips and patted her belly. “I couldn’t quite place all the flavors, though.”

“I…” Angel jumped up and ran over to Pinkie, jumping up onto her and looking closely at her. “Are you okay? Do you feel weird?”

Pinkie started laughing. “Angel st-stop it, that t-tickles!”

“Angel,” Fluttershy said slowly, sounding much less amused, “what was in the muffin?”

Angel stepped back and pursed her lips. “I, um, well, you see… I didn’t know! I put it in the oven before the moon thing, and then I forgot all about it! I wasn’t gonna trick anypony into eating it or anything!”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Angel, how much did you use?

“About a vial...”

“And how much did you use on the moon?”

“About, um… A vial?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and looked at Pinkie. “Dear, I need to know how you’re feeling.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “What? I don’t get it.”

“Pinkie… You probably just ate enough chaos magic to level Equestria.”

Pinkie’s eyes went wide. “I—” She put her hooves over her mouth as a smile crept onto her face. “Y-You mean—” She snorted. “R-Really?” Finally, she lost control and burst out into full-on laughter, clutching her gut as she fell over onto her side and cackled madly.

Fluttershy frowned. “Pinkie, this isn’t funny!”

“It… It totally is,” Pinkie choked out between fits of laughter.

“You could be in danger,” Fluttershy urged.

“I don’t feel in danger,” Pinkie argued.

“Pinkie, you’re pregnant.”

Pinkie froze. Her laughter stopped, and she slowly turned her head towards Fluttershy. “Wait… You mean…”

“We don’t know what it could do,” Fluttershy said. “What if it—”

Pinkie started to vibrate excitedly. “What if he’s a god of chaos?”

Fluttershy’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“Chaos magic wants more chaos, right?” Pinkie jumped up onto her hooves and started hopping in place. “So what’s more chaotic than another chaos god?”

“Pinkie, I don’t think—”

Pinkie wasn’t listening. She sprang off the couch and ran into the hallway. “I’m gonna go tell everypony!”

Chapter 29

“Daybreak?” Twilight’s voice rang throughout the house. “Are you in here?”

“Ugh.” Daybreak tensed up. “Angel, let’s get outta here.”

“Why?” Angel asked. They were alone now, Fluttershy having gone to check on Pinkie.

“I don’t wanna talk to her,” Daybreak said. “I kinda yelled at her.”

“Just talk to her,” Angel said. “I really don’t feel like running away from your mom all day.”

“Me neither, but it’s better than—”

“Oh, there you are.” Twilight walked into the room and tried to give Daybreak a compassionate smile. “I was getting worried. Are you alright?”

“Mm,” Daybreak grumbled. “I’m okay, I guess.”

“Yeah?” Twilight walked over and started to lightly pet Daybreak’s mane. “Is there anything you’d still like to talk about?”

“Not really.”

“Alright, well I’m here if you change your mind,” Twilight told her. “Angel, how are you doing?”

“Better,” Angel told her. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad,” Twilight said. “Well, your other aunts are here, so Pinkie said to tell you the party can start whenever you’re ready.”

“Oh, okay,” Angel said. “What about Royal Gala?”

Twilight frowned. “I think it’ll be a couple of hours before she feels well enough to come back. I’m sorry.”

Angel shrugged. “It’s fine. C’mon, Daybreak.” She hopped off the sofa and waved for Daybreak to follow. “You should meet Aunt Maud. You’ll like her, she’s funny.”

Angel didn’t move through the house in any sort of hurry. She took her time, breathing slowly and making sure she was calm, and when they made it to the door she paused for a moment. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder to reassure her, and Angel nodded and reached up to open the door.

“Oh,” she said at the last moment, “you two might wanna step to the side a bit.”

She gave the door a shove, and it swung quickly open. Then, instead of going outside, she ducked down as low as she could. An instant later, a pink blur flew past them, sailing right over Angel’s head.

“Angel!” A familiar voice yelled excitedly as she soared through the air. When she realized she missed, she shoved her hooves into the floor and spun around, sliding to a stop in a crouch with a wide, thin smile that said she was ready to pounce.

Daybreak was baffled by the new pony, both for her utter strangeness and her uncanny familiarity. “Is that…” She looked up towards her mother. “Is that Pinkie Pie?”

Twilight chuckled. “Not really. That’s Pinkamena. They’re, like… Twins.”

Daybreak looked back over to Pinkamena. She looked, at the most basic level, like Pinkie Pie, but everything beyond that was completely alien. Everything about her looked sharper. Thick black bands ran through her long, straight mane and tail, and her ears were studded with jewelry.

Most notable, though, was her fur. Daybreak had heard about ponies having their fur dyed, but she’d never actually seen it. There were too many reasons not to do it, be it the pain or the permanence or something else entirely, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to stop Pinkamena. The fur near her hooves was all black, and inky tendrils stretched and curled up her legs, wrapping around each other in a tangled web, before eventually fading away at her torso. It gave Daybreak the impression that she was sinking into the darkness, and that it was trying to pull her in.

“You’re not gettin away that easy,” Pinkamena sneered. She sprang forward, shooting through the air like a rocket aimed straight for Angel.

Before she made it, though, Angel vanished.

Pinkamena pouted and puffed out her cheeks. “Cheater! Can’t you beat me fair and square?”

A moment passed, then Angel reappeared beside them, rolling her eyes. “Ugh, fi—”

As soon as she was back, Pinkamena leapt forward and pulled Angel into a tight hug. “Gotcha,” she gloated as they skidded down the hall and Pinkamena squeezed and nuzzled Angel lovingly.

“H-Hey, Pinkamena,” Angel choked out. “I, uh, can’t really breathe.”

Pinkamena looked at her for a second, then smirked and hugged even tighter. “Nice try, but I know you don’t need to breathe.”

Angel huffed defiantly, then smiled slightly. “Fine. You win.”

“Yay!” Pinkamena kissed Angel’s forehead, then set her gently on the ground and sprang up onto her hooves. “So, Angel, how’s your birthday been?”

Angel shrugged. “Not the best.”

“Aww.” Pinkamena frowned deeply. “What happened?”

“Uhh…”

Twilight cleared her throat. “Um, we had an accident with some chaos magic,” she said.

“Oh, Pinkie was saying somethin about that. I couldn’t really—” Pinkamena cut herself off with a huge gasp. “Twilight! Is that your daughter?”

Twilight grinned. “Yup! Daybreak, this is Pinkamena. Say hi!”

“Um… Hi?” Daybreak waved awkwardly. “It’s nice to—”

Before she could finish, Pinkamena sprang forward and pulled Daybreak into a hug. “Oh, I’m so glad I get to finally meet you!”

“Do you greet everypony this way?” Daybreak groaned.

“Pretty much!”

“Great.”

Pinkamena laughed and set Daybreak down, then turned back to Angel. “Where’s your little Apple friend?”

“She got sick,” Angel said.

“Aww, bummer!”

“Wait,” Daybreak said, “how come you know Royal Gala but not me?”

“Oh, we’ve met a lot,” Pinkamena said. “She’s, um. It’s not important. Luna’s in my dreams pretty often. Don’t worry about it.” She tapped her hoof on the floor a few times, then seemed to remember something and hopped up. “Hey, let’s go check out the party!” Without waiting for an answer, she zipped out the door, leaving the others dazed and confused.

“That was… Weird,” Daybreak said.

“Aunt Pinkamena is just like that,” Angel told her. “When she feels good, at least.”

“Speaking of which,” Twilight said, “I’m going to go see how she’s been lately. You two come out whenever you’re ready, okay?”

“Okay, Mrs. Sparkle,” Angel said. “Thank you.”

“Mm-hm!” Twilight grinned and skipped out the door to rejoin the party.

Angel hesitated for a moment, but managed to push her reservations away, and the two children stepped outside.

The party was, surprisingly, all back in order. All the disarray from the chaos had been cleaned up, and the partygoers were all acting as though nothing had happened at all. They were all split off into little groups, talking and laughing and having a great time.

“So, how does the party actually start?” Daybreak asked.

Angel shrugged. “This is it, really. It’s not all that different, except I get to open presents later, and if I get bored I can say I wanna play a game or something and they have to listen.” She started wandering through the party, and Daybreak followed close behind.

“So, what was the point of not saying it had started until now?”

“The pre-party makes it so nopony feels like they can’t come early,” Angel said, “and that helps to make sure everypony gets here by the time the actual party starts. If the party started at dawn and Pinkie said ‘just come whenever,’ somepony might not show up until, like, sundown.”

“Huh.”

Suddenly, Angel veered off and jumped up to sit at a table with one of the groups. It was a small group, but it stood out, as both Chrysalis and—for some reason Daybreak couldn’t guess at—Celestia were sitting at the table, along with a third pony that Daybreak didn’t recognize.

Daybreak hopped up beside her mother, who patted her silently on the back. She leaned hard on the table, still tired from earlier, and turned to watch as Angel struck up a conversation.

“Hey, Aunt Maud,” she said to the strange pony. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Maud said. She gave Angel a quick hug. “You?”

“I’m, um… Okay,” Angel decided. “Oh, and hi, Celestia.”

Celestia grinned. “Hello, Angel Trifle. Happy Birthday.”

Daybreak decided to lean over and whisper to her mother. “Why is Celestia here?”

“She’s with Maud,” Chrysalis whispered back.

“Are they married? How come she never brings Maud to the castle?”

“It’s complicated,” Chrysalis said. “Ask them if you want to know more.”

“Hey, Aunt Maud,” Angel said, “guess what I got from Royal Gala.”

“I don’t know,” Maud said.

“Well, guess!”

“My guess is that you got a present.”

Across the table, Celestia chuckled. “Angel, dear, I think you’re just going to have to show her.”

“Well, yeah, that was the plan,” Angel said. She moved her hooves across the table, bending and shaping shadows until they came together into the shape of a large, jagged stone. “Check it out.”

“It’s a rock,” Maud said.

“Yeah, but what kind?”

“Hmm…” Maud leaned forward and took a closer look. “Basalt?”

“Well, have you ever seen anything like it?”

“No.”

“Mm-hm!” Angel grinned proudly. “That’s cuz it’s from the moon.”

Maud raised an eyebrow and looked the rock over some more, turning it and examining it from every angle. When she was done, she leaned back and nodded. “Cool.”

Angel clapped excitedly. “I knew you’d be impressed!”

“Is that impressed?” Daybreak asked.

Celestia laughed. “You have to get used to it,” she said, “but yes, I haven’t seen her this wowed since I took her up to see the sun! Oh, now that was a date. Have I told you about that one, Chrysalis? It was so funny, we tried to take some champagne with us, and as soon as we got there it just exploded all over us! What a mess, but luckily—”

“So,” Maud said, getting Angel and Daybreak’s attention as Celestia rambled on, “Pinkie told me you’re going to have a little brother.”

“Yeah, apparently,” Angel said. “Did she tell you about the magic? I’m kinda worried about it, honestly.”

Maud shrugged. “Pinkie was a pretty chaotic kid, and we’re all fine.”

“Yeah, but she wasn’t magic,” Angel said.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Maud replied.

“Were you like Angel as a kid?” Daybreak asked.

“A little,” Maud said. “I wasn’t as well behaved, though.”

Daybreak laughed. “You sure? Maybe you just don’t know what Angel gets up to.”

“I’m sure.”

“What about the others?” Daybreak asked. “What were they like?”

“I wasn’t around too much for Marble,” Maud said, “but she was pretty quiet. Limestone wasn’t, but she was actually probably the most well behaved of us all, she was just loud about it.”

“What about Pinkamena?”

“She wasn’t around yet.”

“They’re not really twins,” Angel explained. “Pinkamena’s, like, a clone or something.”

“Pinkie fell into a magic cloning pool,” Maud said.

“Why was she hanging out where she could do that?” Daybreak asked.

“Why were you hanging out by the Tree of Harmony?” Maud countered.

“Hey, the tree’s not gonna clone us,” Daybreak said. “You can’t fall into a magic tree.”

“Fair enough,” Maud said. “Anyway, Angel, don’t worry about your brother. He’ll be fine, especially with you there to look out for him.”

“You really think so?” Angel asked.

“Mm-hm,” Maud hummed.

Angel smiled and gave Maud a tight hug. “Thank you,” she said. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

Suddenly, the air was pierced by a loud shout. Near the house, Pinkie was yelling out. “Angel! Angel, c’mere!”

Angel looked around the table, but none of the others knew what was going on, so she got up and wandered back towards Pinkie. When she got there, she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing,” Pinkie said cheerily. “I just wanna open presents!”

The party went on from there, a day of fun, of joy, of family. A celebration to be remembered for years, not only for the bad but the good as well. It had more than its fair share of turbulence, but despite that, Angel would see it for years to come as the best birthday she’d ever had. After all, it was still the first birthday she’d had with real friends, and nothing could take that away.

The rock farm wasn’t the only lively place in Equestria that day, though.

Deep below Canterlot, a maze of caverns was home to a vast network of pipes and cables that connected the entire city. They ran for miles, crossing over each other and twisting around in an incomprehensible web that even the most experienced of ponies needed a map to navigate.

Despite this, only one pony was tasked with the system’s upkeep. Rugged Hollow was a short, muscular unicorn who, for the most part, quite liked his job. It was simple, it was quiet, and it kept him busy while still giving him time to think. Normally, he spent his days patrolling the caves, checking for any damaged pipes or cut cabling, and most days he went home having done nothing, but still feeling fulfilled.

Lately, however, things had been different. Pipes were bursting. Cables were being torn to shreds. Only a few weeks prior, one tunnel had collapsed entirely, leaving him cut off from an entire section of the system. It was getting out of control, and it was making his normally enjoyable job quite stressful.

He was hoping for some relief when the tunnel was repaired. He could finally stop worrying about the network beyond, and there hadn’t even been any incidents since the walls came down. For a moment, he even let himself believe that it might be over.

He immediately knew otherwise, however, when he turned a corner and heard a splash as he stepped into a puddle.

He quickly swiveled his flashlight up from the map he was using and pointed it down the tunnel. Or, at least, what had been a tunnel. A massive room had been dug out by something. The walls were filled with holes, most empty, but some were actively pouring water out into the room below. When he followed the waterfalls with his light, he saw that the entire room was flooded with water far too murky to tell how deep it was. It could be as shallow as the puddle he’d stepped in, but something in his gut told him it was much, much deeper.

The edge of his flashlight beam glinted off of something in the water. He scanned the surface, but at first, all he saw was ripples.

Then he saw the reflection of light again and snapped his focus towards it. On the other side of the room, something was in the water. Something dark, and wet, and looking straight back at him.

He took a shaky step back, and it moved forward, rising up out of the water. He could see its ears, its eyes, a snout, a mane. He narrowed his eyes. Was it a pony?

Then, there were more ripples. Two more heads poked out of the water and turned their attention to him.

He turned and ran.

Chapter 30

The sun was setting over Equestria. The dark of night was rolling in, and all across the land creatures were laying their heads down to sleep. Canterlot shone in the golden glow of dusk. Behind the grand city, the mountainside glittered with reflected light, illuminating forests, cliffsides, and, if you looked closely enough, a little train that rattled as it fought its way up the mountain.

Closer still, and you would see Twilight Sparkle, leaning against a window with a wistful look on her face. She watched the sun slowly vanish as she idly pet her daughter, who was asleep on her lap, and she let out a long-held sigh.

In the seat opposite her, Chrysalis looked up. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “I think so.”

“What’s on your mind?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Do you ever get jealous?”

“Of what?”

“Of other parents. How they…” Twilight paused, then shook her head. “I just feel sometimes like I’m the only one who doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“That’s not true,” Chrysalis said. “You’re not the only one. You’ll always have me.”

“That’s not exactly better.”

“Twilight, you can’t compare yourself to Fluttershy. She’s practically spent her entire life learning how to be a parent.”

“It’s not just Fluttershy. It’s… It’s just everything.”

“Has you been dwelling on this all day?”

“Kinda.” Twilight frowned. “What she said really got to me. Why did we put ourselves on the line like that?”

“You know why.”

“I do.” Twilight yawned and leaned back with her eyes shut. “Maybe our priorities are wrong, though.”

“Equestria needs protectors.”

“Equestria has protectors. You saw how easily Discord dealt with the moon. We’re all good at different things. I feel like, at this point, we ought to have enough that there will always be someone who can take care of things that easily.”

The train passed into a tunnel, and there was a lull in the conversation as their eyes adjusted to the dark. The sounds of the wheels pushing against the tracks and shaking violently echoed around them. Daybreak stirred for a moment but quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

“I just feel like I mess up so much,” Twilight said.

“Have you ever not felt that way?” Chrysalis asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

“No, really,” Chrysalis said. “You’re always worried about making mistakes, but how often are those worries actually justified?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s not very often,” Chrysalis said, “and I know that I believe in you, even if you don’t. I wouldn’t have agreed to have a child in the first place if I didn’t believe you’d be an excellent mother, and in my eyes, you’ve done a splendid job.”

“I… Thank you,” Twilight replied. “I love you, Chrysalis.”

“I love you too, Twilight.”

“I do think we should look into some sort of system to make situations like that safer,” Twilight said. “A tracking system would work best, but that feels invasive… Maybe we could—”

A piercing screech flooded the train, and time slowed to a crawl as Twilight was launched forward out of her seat.

She acted fast, pulling Daybreak close and wrapping her wings around her before spinning around so that Twilight landed first and took the brunt of the impact.

There was a loud thud when she hit the ground, and one of her wings went limp, losing its grip on Daybreak and sprawling out on the floor beside them.

As the train slowed, Chrysalis jumped from her seat and crouched down beside Twilight. “Are you okay?”

“Mm…” Twilight took a deep breath, then nodded. “Mm-hm.”

Daybreak stirred uncomfortably in Twilight’s grip, woozy and confused by her sudden awakening. “Mom?” She asked as her vision adjusted to the darkness of the tunnel enough to see Twilight. “What’s going on?”

Chrysalis took Daybreak so that Twilight could sit up, and then set Daybreak on the floor when she started to squirm.

“I’m not sure, sweetie,” Twilight said weakly. “The train stopped.”

“Is your wing alright?” Chrysalis asked.

“I think—” Twilight started, but she winced when she tried to fold it against her side. “Maybe not.”

“Okay, just wait here, then,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll go see what’s going on.” Twilight nodded, and Chrysalis teleported away.

Twilight reached over and awkwardly rubbed her injured wing. “Ow…” She groaned as she flexed and prodded to see just how hurt she was.

Daybreak walked up with a worried look and sat on the floor of the train near Twilight. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” Twilight said. “I don’t think I’m hurt too badly. Thank you for your concern, though.” Twilight gave Daybreak a weak smile and ran a hoof through her mane. “What about you? Are you hurt at all?”

Daybreak shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“I’m glad,” Twilight told her.

She would’ve said more, but Chrysalis chose that moment to reappear. “It looks like there’s been a cave-in,” she said.

Twilight gasped. “Oh, no! Is anypony hurt?”

“Not that I saw,” Chrysalis replied, “but… I’m worried. Something seems off.”

“Off?” Daybreak asked. “What, like someone caused the cave-in?”

“That’s my fear.” Chrysalis paused and thought. “I’m thinking I should go look into it.”

“Really?” A hint of frustration found its way into Daybreak’s voice. “Why you? Why can’t somepony else go do it?”

“We don’t know what we’re looking at here,” Chrysalis said. “I wouldn’t know who to get.”

“Anyone.” Daybreak stood up and glared at her mother. “Any of Equestria’s million heroes could deal with it.”

“I’m supposed to be one of those heroes,” Chrysalis said. “I have a responsibility to—”

“You’re supposed to be my mom,” Daybreak interrupted. Her voice cracked.

“I know, Daybreak,” Chrysalis said. “What if I promise that I’ll go get someone else if I run into any trouble? Would that make you feel better?”

“Mm…” Daybreak grumbled, then pouted and sat down. “Fine.”

“Alright,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll be back soon.” Then, once more, she vanished.

Twilight pushed herself to her hooves with a groan so she could go and sit next to Daybreak. She stretched out her good wing and wrapped it snugly around Daybreak. “She just wants Equestria to be a safe place for you to grow up in, you know.”

“I’d rather be in danger than lose my mom,” Daybreak mumbled.

“I know,” Twilight said, “but we just… We can’t let you be in danger like that. I know we have to work on how we go about protecting you, but we can’t just stop.”

“Whatever,” Daybreak grumbled. She turned away and laid her head down, and Twilight squeezed her close.

The next thing Daybreak knew, she was being jolted awake by the train starting to move. “Huh?” She snapped her head up and looked around. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight said uneasily. “I guess they must’ve cleared the tunnel.”

Daybreak pushed herself out from under Twilight’s wing and looked around. “But… But she’s not back yet!”

“She’s probably still looking into what caused it,” Twilight said. “I’m sure she’ll show back up by the time we reach Canterlot.”

“But what if she’s in trouble?”

“Your mother is very capable,” Twilight said. “Plus, she said she’d go get help.”

“What if she didn’t, though?”

“We just have to trust her. That’s all we can do.”

“No, it’s not,” Daybreak said. “I’m not hurt. I can go find her.”

“No,” Twilight said sternly. “It’s far too dangerous for you to go off on your own.”

“That never stops you,” Daybreak replied.

“I said we’d work on it,” Twilight said.

“Will you? Or are you just gonna keep ‘promising’ that you’ll get help when you go?” Daybreak huffed. “Maybe you’d quit if you knew how I felt.”

“Daybreak, please, just—”

Twilight was cut off by a flash of magic as Daybreak vanished.

“Daybreak!” Twilight instantly lit up her horn and chased after her.

When Daybreak reappeared in the tunnel, it was easy to see why Chrysalis was suspicious. The cave-in hadn’t come from the ceiling. The rubble was from a huge hole that had been blasted in the wall, revealing a much smaller, far more crudely dug tunnel. Now the stones were all piled up beside the opening, a pile that looked just big enough to have caused serious trouble if the train had hit it.

There was a flash, and Twilight appeared in the tunnel a few feet away. She started moving as quickly as she could towards Daybreak while clutching her injured wing, trying to keep it still, although she was still clearly in pain from the effort.

Unable to think of any other course of action, Daybreak flicked out her wings and flew into the makeshift tunnel. Outside, Twilight slowed to a stop and sat helplessly on the tunnel floor, knowing she couldn’t hope to keep up.

The tunnel really was tiny, enough so that even Daybreak, as small as she was, started to feel hemmed in. She couldn’t keep flying in the cramped space, and even running proved difficult with how jagged and uneven the floor was. Soon, her pace was reduced to little more than a quick trot.

The tunnel was long, massively so. She walked for what felt like miles down the straight, narrow path. There were no turns, no forks or branches, just a single, endless corridor.

After seemingly unending ages of walking, a noise echoed through the tunnel. It was quiet, distant, but still unsettling. It sounded like the brutal smashing of stone, and the clatter of rubble falling into the passageway.

Most disturbing, though, was that she was sure the noise had come from behind her.

At first, she thought it was a cave-in, but she wasn’t sure. It was too quick, too explosive, and the sight of the hole blasted out of the wall in the train tunnel was still fresh in her mind.

Whatever it was, it had her trapped.

She sped up, trying as hard as she could not to trip and fall on the rough terrain, hoping beyond hope that she’d find an exit before whatever was behind her caught up.

She could only run so fast, though. It wasn’t long before she could hear the telltale sound of a torrent of water speeding towards her.

She ran faster and faster, desperate to escape the flood, and for a moment it seemed to be working. The sound started to fall away behind her.

Then she tripped.

She tried to pick herself back up as quickly as she could, but it was too late. She just barely managed to take a deep breath before the wall of water slammed into her and sent her rocketing down the tunnel.

She tried opening her eyes, but the blur of sharp stones speeding past her made her regret it. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she hit a wall. All she could do was shut her eyes tight and hope, pray that she’d make it to the other end safely.

Then, the water disappeared. Suddenly, she felt open air rushing around her. She opened her eyes to see that the tunnel had ended and spat her out into a massive cavern filled with water. It was too huge to see across to the other side, but the wall she’d been shot from was littered with caves just like the one she’d just been in, some pouring jets of water into the pool below.

Before she could get her bearings, she splashed into the water. Luckily, she knew how to swim, and was able to quickly pop back above the surface and take a deep breath, but she still wasn’t in a good situation. She was surrounded by darkness on all sides and a bottomless trench below. She’d already lost track of which hole in the wall she popped out of, and there was no telling if any of the others would ever reach the surface. Even if she could figure that out, she couldn’t take to the air from the water.

She was completely lost.

“Mom?” Unsure of what else to do, she called out blindly into the cave. “Mom, are you here?”

“Daybreak?” Chrysalis’ voice came from the distance. A fluttering noise filled the air as she started to buzz around in search of her daughter. “Daybreak, what are you doing here? It’s dangerous!”

“What are you doing here?” Daybreak shot back. “You promised you’d get help!”

“I was going to,” Chrysalis said, “I just had to figure out what this thing is first.” Chrysalis emerged from the darkness, and her eyes locked onto Daybreak. “There you are! Come on, let’s—”

Just as Chrysalis started flying towards Daybreak, a massive tendril of water shot up from the pool and took a swipe at her. Chrysalis dodged out of the way and fired a bolt of magic at it, but the attack passed through the water harmlessly.

“Mom!” Daybreak started taking awkward, splashing strides through the water towards her mother, but a second later the water rose up in a wall before her. The wall stretched up and around her until it made a dome, through which she could still see wavy, distorted glimpses of her mother fighting off the water.

The water in front of Daybreak started to churn and bubble. She backed away as a pair of glistening, watery ears popped up from the waves, followed by a mane, eyes, an entire equine head.

Daybreak bumped into the wall of water behind her and was stopped completely by it. She started to shiver as the eerie, multicolored eyes of the creature watched her emotionlessly. “W-What do you want?”

The creature didn’t respond. Instead, it reached a hoof up, then another, and set them firmly on the surface of the water. Then, it climbed up and out of the pool.

Standing on the water’s surface, the creature was a bizarre sight. Other than the water that made it up, it looked like an average pony, just a bit taller than Daybreak was. Its mane was short and straight and dripped constantly, and its eyes were a bright, glassy blue with streaks of shimmering color running through them.

The creature slowly covered the few steps over to where Daybreak was cowering. It leaned down so that its face was uncomfortably close to Daybreak’s, and tilted its head as it examined her.

Then, the creature spoke. “You… Are Daybreak, correct?” Its voice was light and wavy and seemed to flow through the air like a song. At the same time, it sounded muffled and distant, like it was being heard from underwater.

“H-How do you know me?”

“You do not recognize me?”

“I, um… Should I?”

“Ah, wait, I think I understand.” The creature gestured to the side, and a lithe, catlike creature crawled out of the water.

“I… Gooey?”

The cat turned back into water and splashed into the pool, and the creature nodded. “Yes.”

“You’re… You’re a pony? You can talk?”

“Only recently,” Gooey said, “and only here.” They laid down on the surface of the pool, their face still only centimeters away from Daybreak’s. “I have not tried to go outside with more than the piece you captured.”

Daybreak looked around Gooey, at the battle still raging outside. “Why are you attacking my mom?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Gooey said, “and she would have taken you away.”

“Well, stop it!” Daybreak frowned. “You’re gonna hurt her!”

Gooey tilted their head. Outside, the tendril broke apart and splashed back down into the water. “Do you not want to talk to me?”

“What?” Daybreak gave them a confused look. “No, I do, but you were gonna hurt my mom!”

Once she realized the tendril wasn’t coming back, Chrysalis rushed over to the dome of water, but as she did it seemed to get more solid, and when she reached it Daybreak couldn’t even hear her voice through the wall.

“I think I do not understand something,” Gooey said. “Was she not hurting me, as well?”

“Her magic goes right through you! Do you even feel it?”

“I…” Gooey looked down and examined one of their hooves. “I think I do.”

“Well, do you feel pain?”

“Pain?”

“Yeah, like… It’s like getting hit, and still feeling it for a long time after, and it really sucks.”

“I do not think I feel that,” Gooey said.

“Well, it’s really, really bad,” Daybreak said, “and hurting someone means making them feel pain. Or even worse! Someone could die!”

“Die?”

“Augh.” Daybreak shook her head. “I’ll explain it later. Just… Don’t hurt anyone, okay?”

“I will try.”

“Thanks. Now, can you take down this bubble so my mom will stop freaking out?”

“Okay.” Gooey nodded, and the bubble popped.

A second later, Daybreak was in Chrysalis’ grasp and flying through the air. “Finally,” Chrysalis said. “Daybreak, I’m so sorry I didn’t save you sooner, I—”

“Put me down!” Daybreak huffed and tried to push Chrysalis away. “You didn’t save anything.”

Chrysalis stopped flying and looked at Daybreak. “What?”

“It’s just Gooey,” Daybreak said. “They weren’t gonna hurt me. Let me go so I can talk to them!”

“I…” Chrysalis paused for a moment, then loosened her grip and let Daybreak fly back to Gooey.

“Sorry about that,” Daybreak said as she made it back. “Um… Hey, do you think you could make it so I can sit on the water, too?”

“Okay,” Gooey said.

Daybreak grinned, and when she tested the water with a hoof, she found that it was completely solid. So, she laid down and looked up at Gooey. “Thanks.”

Chrysalis flew over and hovered above them. “So, you’re Gooey?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“What are you doing down here?”

“Getting water.”

“Okay, but… Why?”

“I wanted water.”

Daybreak chuckled. “Gooey, you can’t just build up a massive pool without asking!”

“Why not?” Gooey asked.

“Because it’s bad,” Chrysalis said.

Daybreak rolled her eyes. “It’s because other creatures might have a reason you shouldn’t,” she said. “I mean, one of your tunnels almost made our train crash!”

“And that would have hurt you?” Gooey asked.

“Yeah,” Daybreak said, “and a lot of other creatures, too.”

“Okay,” Gooey said. “Who do I ask?”

“It depends on what you’re doing,” Daybreak said. “For now, you should probably just, um… Try and clean up all this water.”

“Okay.” Gooey dipped a hoof down into the pool, and suddenly the water started to rapidly lower. As it did, their body got more vivid and colorful, eventually becoming an almost blinding liquid rainbow when they had absorbed the entire pool and they landed on solid rock. “It that good?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s great,” Daybreak said. I expected that to take longer, really. Uhh, I guess now we can start talking about who you need to talk to about stuff if you want.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Daybreak, we don’t have the time to sit here in a wet cave and teach your cat about ethics. Where is Twilight? She must be worried sick.”

“Well, you can go back to her,” Daybreak said. “It’s not like you’ve ever been against leaving me alone before.”

“Daybreak, please.” Chrysalis landed on the floor and rubbed her forehead. “We need to get home if we’re going to have a serious talk about all of that.”

“We were going home,” Daybreak said, “until you left again. The train started to leave without you!”

“I didn’t want to be gone so long,” Chrysalis said.

“Yeah, right!” Daybreak stood up and glared at Chrysalis. “If that was true, you would’ve gone to get someone else to check the tunnel!” She scoffed and took a step back. “Whatever. I’m sick of being lied to. Angel, get us out of here.”

“Angel, please do not—”

Chrysalis’ voice was cut off was shadows swirled up around Daybreak and Gooey and whisked them away.

Chapter 31

“Ugh!” Daybreak kicked the concrete wall of their clubhouse feebly. “I hate them!”

As she paced angrily up and down the room, Angel flopped down onto a cushion and watched her. Gooey stood by the entrance, staring expressionlessly at the others.

“What’s going on?” Angel asked.

“My stupid parents,” Daybreak grumbled. “I’m sick of them.”

“Alright,” Angel said. “So, what? You’ve gotta go back eventually.”

“No, I don’t,” Daybreak replied. “I don’t need them.”

“What about food?”

“Canterlot’s full of angry ponies.”

“You’ll get bored.”

“I’ll just go steal some comics or something. I mean, I’m half changeling, I’m not gonna get caught.”

“That seems like a bad idea.”

“I don’t care.” Daybreak spun towards Angel and swiped a hoof through the air dramatically. “The only reason I don’t do those things is cuz they made me feel bad about it. They say that only bad guys steal. Well, if they get to be heroes, maybe I should get to be a bad guy!”

Angel sighed and shook her head. “You would hate that.”

“Would I, though? My mom was a bad guy, and she wouldn’t have done it if she hated it.” Daybreak huffed and frowned. She sat back against the wall and grumbled under her breath. “Maybe if I was evil they’d actually care about me.”

“Well, look, I’m not gonna help you steal stuff,” Angel said bluntly. “I’ll keep my mom off your back, but that’s it.”

“Fine,” Daybreak said. “Just leave me alone, then. I’m used to it.” She broke eye contact and stared at the wall, trying hard to convince herself that she didn’t care.

When she looked back again, Angel was gone.

For a while, Daybreak sat in silence. She traced a hoof along the floor in intricate patterns. She tapped out a slow, disjointed rhythm. She grabbed her tail and examined it closely, unsure of what she was looking for. She did anything at all to keep her mind off of the crushing loneliness that was bearing down on her.

Finally, Gooey broke the silence. “Daybreak?”

“Gah!” Daybreak jumped and nearly fell over. “O-Oh, Gooey. I… Kinda forgot you were there.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Daybreak mumbled. She got up and wandered over to a cushion, and made a motion for Gooey to join her. Gooey either didn’t understand or just ignored it outright. “What’s up?” Daybreak asked.

“What are we doing?”

Daybreak shrugged. “Nothing, really.”

“Ah.”

There was another pause before Gooey spoke again.

“I’m bored.”

“Okay?” Daybreak raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“Let’s go do something.”

“You can go do whatever you want.”

“I want you to come.”

Daybreak groaned. “Why?”

“Because I like you.”

“I’m not really in the mood for games,” Daybreak told them.

“Let’s do something else, then,” Gooey suggested. “You said you wanted to be a bad guy. Why not do that?”

“You think that’s actually a good idea?”

“I think that it is something to do.”

The light of a full moon sparkled and glistened off the water of an ornate fountain in downtown Canterlot. The wide brick road was alive with the bustle of the city’s nightlife. Couples whispered to each other as they walked shoulder to shoulder. Young ponies in expensive suits flaunted their wealth in all the most expensive establishments. Ponies of all kinda vanished down dark alleyways, although none ever seemed to come back out. It was a place and time completely separate from the Canterlot of the day.

Daybreak had never felt more out of place. She’d come prepared, of course, transformed into the guise of an adult unicorn. Her fur was a soft, light blue, and her short mane was a brilliant glowing orange. Even disguised as she was, though, she couldn’t help but feel like everypony knew she didn’t belong.

The heavy saddlebag strapped to her back didn’t help. She shifted uncomfortably under the lopsided weight, and inside the bag, the catlike form of Gooey shifted in turn. They would’ve preferred to walk, but Daybreak stuck out enough without the help of a pony made of technicolor water.

“Are we nearly there?” Gooey whispered through the bag.

“Mm-hm,” Daybreak hummed back. “Just gotta find… There.” She grinned and ducked into an alleyway, her eyes trained on a nearby stallion. He was young, with a slicked-back mane and a wrinkled brown suit, and shaking his hoof furiously at the door of the building Daybreak had just hidden beside.

“Lousy crooks!” The stallion huffed and spit on the ground. “I’ve never cheated once in my life. Pah. Cheating. I’ll show you cheating, just wait til—”

Daybreak stopped listening to his rambling and unclasped her saddlebag so Gooey could hop out. “He looks like a jerk, right?” She asked uneasily.

“I have no way of knowing that,” Gooey replied.

“Right.” Daybreak took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay, I’m gonna do this. Um… How much should I take?”

“How much would a bad guy take?”

Daybreak bit her lip. “As much as they could, I guess, but…”

“But?”

“Nothing.” Daybreak shook her head. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

After a final moment of hesitation, Daybreak focused on the stallion and lit up her horn.

She didn’t hold back, and the impact was immediate. The stallion’s eyes went wide, and his breath caught in his throat. He clutched feebly at his chest as he fell to his knees, and nearby ponies started to take notice of him.

Daybreak hardly noticed his reaction. The rush of energy she got as she drained away the stallion’s wrath was unbelievable. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as the jagged essence of his emotions flowed into her. It felt like the anger was slicing through her, cutting away her exhaustion and sadness and filling the space with pure, raw power.

In the street, as concerned ponies gathered around the stallion, he fell to his side and started to tremble.

In Daybreak’s mind, the torrent shifted. The well of fury ran dry, but beneath it was something else, something darker that churned violently as it surged outwards.

His fear.

And Daybreak didn’t stop. She took that fear as quickly as it grew, and she feasted on it. It was like a tsunami of energy slammed into her, threatened to wash her away, but she stood strong. She fought back. She was stronger than that mountain of force, and she knew it. All she had to do was let it in, and she could make it her own.

The more she drained, the more afraid the stallion got, and as his fear grew and grew, so too did Daybreak’s hunger, and she devoured every ounce of energy he served up to her.

Then, suddenly, it ended. There was a pop, and all the fear vanished like someone had flipped off a switch. Daybreak staggered backward, her head swimming and her ears ringing.

As the noise in her head slowly disappeared, she started to hear a commotion from the streets. When she finally had her wits about her enough, she shook her head to clear away the fuzziness and looked out to see a crowd of ponies gathered around a ragged, unconscious stallion.

Before she could get a good look, though, one of the onlookers caught sight of her and gasped. They pointed up towards Daybreak, and more and more eyes shifted towards her.

“Uh-oh,” Daybreak mumbled. Instinctively, she lit up her horn and disappeared in a flash of magic.

A few blocks down, she reappeared in another alley and started breathing heavily. She grabbed her head and staggered back against a wall as she tried to process the rush of energy that was still flowing through her.

Gooey looked up at her. “Daybreak, are you alright?”

Daybreak nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m… I’m okay.” She took one final, deep breath and stood up straight. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good,” Gooey said. “Have we been caught?”

“Huh? Oh, nah, I’m good.” Daybreak grinned and transformed herself into a yellow pegasus with a flowing white mane. “See? No way a pegasus could’ve done that.”

“Oh, alright. So, how did it go?”

“That was…” Daybreak paused. She wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. “I don’t know. Let’s… Go back to the clubhouse.” After a quick peek to see if they were being watched, Daybreak turned back into herself and teleported the two of them away.

Once they were back, she let out a sigh of relief. “Clubhouse, sweet cl—” She froze.

They weren’t alone.

“Ah, finally. I knew I’d find you here eventually, darling, although I must say it is terribly impolite to keep a lady waiting so long into the night.”

A fearful look grew on Daybreak’s face. “M-Miss Rarity?”

Rarity was sitting patiently on a cushion at the far end of the room, her legs crossed in front of her. There was a steaming kettle beside her, along with two teacups, and she’d pulled another cushion up on the other side of the kettle. Smiling kindly, she patted the other cushion. “Can we speak?”

“Um… Okay.” Nervously, Daybreak crossed the room and sat beside Rarity. Gooey followed and curled up in a warm spot nearby.

Rarity poured them both tea as Daybreak walked over. “Please, don’t be anxious, dear,” she said softly. “I’m not here to scold you.”

“Uh…” Daybreak shifted around on the cushion, finding it difficult to get comfortable. “Do my parents know I’m here?”

“Oh, of course not, silly.” Rarity chuckled and lightly pressed a hoof to Daybreak’s nose. “I made you a promise to keep this place a secret, didn’t I? I’m not going to break that promise just because you ran away.”

“Really? But… But aren’t they looking for me?”

“Oh, they’re searching high and low, absolutely,” Rarity said. “I just didn’t see the need to point them here when I’m perfectly capable of checking in on you myself.”

“Oh.” Daybreak looked down and rubbed her hooves together. “Well, um, thank you.”

“Please, dearest, you mustn’t be so tense,” Rarity said.

“I’m not going back,” Daybreak said tersely.

“Well, I would imagine not. You’ve only just left.”

Daybreak looked up at her, wide-eyed. “You’re not here to bring me home?”

“I’m here to bring you tea,” Rarity said. She chuckled to herself. “Darling, I’m not your mother. It isn’t my job to tell you right from wrong. My job, at least as I see it, is to be on your side even if you are wrong. It can be a terribly lonely world out there for a child with no adults on their side.”

Daybreak smiled softly. “Thank you, Miss Rarity.”

“No need for thanks. I do it out of love.” Rarity leaned over and kissed Daybreak’s forehead. “Now. Tell me everything. All I’ve actually been told is that you ran away, and I want every little detail, otherwise I’ll never stop wondering. Come on, then. Spill it.”

Daybreak chuckled quietly. She took a deep breath, sipped her tea, and began to tell Rarity her story. “Okay, well, um, I guess it started a long time ago…”

Chapter 32

The dark night sky was blocked out by yet darker clouds that rumbled and roiled and threatened their wrath. They’d been drenching the city for hours, and showed no signs of stopping. Any unpaved streets had long since been reduced to shining streaks of mud, and much of the rest of the city was in danger of becoming a maze of raging rivers driven by the torrent.

When the first flash of lightning came, it brought with it an ominous shadow that loomed over the city.

Crouched low, wings outstretched, Daybreak crawled along the rooftops of Canterlot in search of her next target. There were so many to choose from, such a rich buffet of fear and anger. Should she go after the righteous fury of a pony left standing alone in the rain? Or, perhaps, the jealous rage of one not given what they felt they’d earned? Maybe the fear of the young pony lost in the labyrinth of alleyways hidden just behind the streets?

The night was young, she told herself. She didn’t have to choose just one.

She started with the easy target. Lost, alone, stranded in the darkness, she could smell such a rich mixture of terror flowing from the pony in the alleys. Surely, such an enticing aroma must bring with it a taste like no other.

And it did.

As she drained the pony, the different currents of fear swirled together in a raging whirlpool of emotion that funneled every last bit of energy straight into her, faster and faster, and she made it hers. In a matter of seconds, the pony lost nearly everything they had.

Daybreak stopped short of knocking them unconscious, though. If she was going to be a bad guy, if she was going to get her parents’ attention, she had to do it right. The pony served her better as a quivering mess than as an unconscious victim.

From there, she followed her nose until it brought her to the edge of a building overlooking the bustling world of downtown Canterlot. The streets were filled with emotion just ripe for the taking. She made short work of a stallion who’d just lost his job. She devoured the angry sobs of a crying mare. She drank down the scorn of an underseen busker, and when the small crowd gathered around tried to flee, she fed on their terror, too.

It never seemed to end. There was always another pony, always more emotion for her to steal, and steal it she did. She’d made up her mind. She was willing to bring her reign of terror down on anypony so unlucky as to stumble across her path. Whatever she had to do for—

As if on cue, there was a woosh of air and a light thump as someone landed on the rooftop behind Daybreak. She turned around to greet her new guest.

There she was. Princess Twilight, in all of her glory. Head held high. Crown shining in the rain. The hero of Canterlot, looking down on Daybreak as she so often did.

“Enough,” Twilight said sternly. “This ends now.”

“You wish,” Daybreak spat back. “As long as you keep coming for me, I’ll keep coming for them.”

“This isn’t a game,” Twilight said.

“I’m not playing around.”

“So be it.” Twilight reared back and lit up her horn. It grew brighter and brighter at an astounding pace, outmatching anything Daybreak had ever seen from her mother in a matter of seconds.

Then she whipped her head down, aimed her horn at Daybreak, and fired all that magic in a single, lightning-speed bolt.

Daybreak barely reacted in time. She lit up her horn just in time to raise up a shield that deflected the bolt into the air, but even with the shield, the force was nearly enough to knock her backward off the rooftop.

Her eyes went wide. “W-Wait,” Daybreak stuttered, “what are you doing?”

“I’m stopping you,” Twilight replied as she loosed another bolt of light. Daybreak jumped out of the way of the attack, and it exploded against the rooftop, reducing an entire corner of the building to rubble.

Panting, her heart racing with fear, Daybreak dashed across the rooftop to put as much distance between herself and Twilight as she could. “But I’m—”

“You’re a villain,” Twilight said. With a single flap of her wings, she rocketed towards Daybreak and soared just barely over her head. Then, she slammed back down, hardly a foot away. “You’re something evil that needs to be taken out.”

She took a shaky step back. “But it’s me! It’s Daybreak! D-Don’t you care?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “How dare you. My daughter is gone.” She lit up her horn again. “Tartarus is too good for you.”

“What? No!” Daybreak tried to backpedal faster, but her body didn’t seem to let her. “Don’t you recognize me? How could you—”

She froze. One of her hooves landed in a puddle, and when she looked down, it wasn’t Daybreak who looked back up out of her reflection. It was a strange, yellow pegasus with a white mane who she’d never seen before.

“No, wait, I’m just in disguise!” Daybreak shook her head and tried to turn back into herself, but when she looked down at her reflection, she just saw another stranger. A purple changeling, this time.

“You don’t even know what she looks like,” Twilight growled. “I’m ending this.”

“Wait, wait, no!” Panicking, Daybreak tried again and again, but she couldn’t seem to turn back into herself. She got ponies and changelings of all shapes and sizes, but her own face eluded her.

Twilight was done waiting. She crouched down and charged up her magic again, now easily twice the strength of the first, and with an angry shout, she fired it at Daybreak.

It was too late to run away. Daybreak shut her eyes and braced herself.

And she waited.

And waited.

Eventually, she got the courage to slowly pry her eyes open again. Then she stumbled back, terrified as she was met with a massive bolt of energy frozen inches from her face. She tripped and fell onto her side, straight into a puddle, but didn’t bother to get back up. She was too focused on the unmoving visage of her mother, scowling just a few steps away.

“Well, this is a strange one,” a voice said nearby. Daybreak turned to see Royal Gala, sitting on the edge of the building with her back turned to the frozen chaos.

“Wh—” Daybreak looked back and forth between her friend and her mother. “What? What’s going on?”

“Nightmare,” Royal Gala said bluntly. “Luna figured I could tackle this one on my own, considering it’s you and all.”

“I’m… I’m asleep?” Daybreak clutched her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, although it didn’t work much.

“Well, I sure hope so,” Royal Gala said. “Otherwise, we got bigger problems than you havin a nightmare.”

“But…” Daybreak pushed herself up out of the puddle and shook the water off. “I don’t understand. Why would I dream about my mom attacking me?”

“How the heck should I know? Last I saw, you were just freaked out about the moon thing. I think. Honestly, it’s a little fuzzy.”

“Oh, yeah…” Daybreak walked over and sat next to Royal Gala. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Royal Gala said. “Luna said my horn my be on the fritz for a couple of days, but I haven’t noticed anything so far.”

“That’s good.”

“So, you wanna tell me what the deal is here? I only really saw the end.”

“Um… Well, I kinda ran away from home,” Daybreak said. She rubbed her leg awkwardly as she spoke. “And, I guess… I guess maybe I’m worried cuz of that?”

“You ran away?” Royal Gala looked at Daybreak and Raised an eyebrow. “You need a place to stay or anything? I could fix up Applebloom’s old clubhouse for ya. She’s got a bunch of camping stuff stashed away up there.”

“No, I’m okay,” Daybreak said.

“Aight.” Royal Gala shrugged. “Well, what’s up? You must’ve run away for a reason.”

“I’m just… Mad,” Daybreak grumbled. “I’m sick of them caring more about ‘saving Equestria’ than they do about me. I hate that I might come home one day and find out they flew into the moon and died cuz they don’t care if I get left all alone!”

“So you ran away?”

“Well, if I’m gonna be alone, I might as well get it over with, right?” Daybreak huffed. “It’s not like they care.”

“That still doesn’t seem like enough for your mom to try to kill you.”

“Well, okay, I was kind of dreaming about being a bad guy.” Daybreak frowned. “I mean, at least then they’d pay attention to me.”

“Well, she definitely paid attention to you,” Royal Gala said.

“So, what’s it mean? Why’d I have a nightmare like this?”

Royal Gala shrugged. “You got me. Maybe your brain’s telling you not to go be a supervillain.”

“Well, my brain’s gonna be disappointed, then,” Daybreak mumbled.

Royal Gala looked at her incredulously. “Don’t tell me you’re actually gonna do this.”

“It’s the only way they’ll listen to me! If I say I’ll stop being a bad guy if they stop being good guys, they have to stop!”

“That’s ridiculous.” Royal Gala shook her head and stood up. “Sorry, Daybreak, but I can’t have no part of that.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Daybreak grumbled. “Everyone else already left me, anyway.”

“I’m gonna have to tell Luna about this.”

“Go ahead. I bet I’m stronger than her. Maybe she’d like some more time on the moon.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Daybreak stood up and turned towards Royal Gala with an angry look on her face. “It’s not like we’re friends. Why should I care what happens to your mom? I’m a bad guy, remember?”

An orange spark flashed through Royal Gala’s eyes. “You better watch your mouth.”

“What are you gonna do, throw an apple at me?” Daybreak scoffed. “We both know I’m stronger than you.”

“Did you forget where we are?” An unnatural ripple rolled through Royal Gala’s mane. Suddenly, she stepped forward and shoved Daybreak off of the roof.

Daybreak plummeted. The world spun around her. The rooftop quickly flew up away from her, but strangely, so did the street below. Both ends of her perilous drop seemed to be accelerating away from her at an alarming pace.

She tried to stretch out her wings and catch herself, but something was wrong. They wouldn’t budge.

There was a rush of wind as Royal Gala jumped from the rooftop above and blasted down towards Daybreak. With every second, her mane seemed to come more alive. It left a trail of sparks as she cut through the air that reflected the crackling electricity building up in her unceasing glare.

She didn’t slow down when she reached Daybreak. Instead, she slammed a hoof into Daybreak’s chest and started pushing her down ever faster.

Royal Gala leaned in close to Daybreak and stared into her eyes. “You’d best think hard before you make enemies out of your friends, Nymph,” she growled. Below them, the ground started rapidly approaching. “Remember, you can’t stay awake forever.”

Just before they crashed into the pavement below, Royal Gala waved her free hoof and cut a hole in the world around them, then she threw Daybreak out.

Chapter 33

“Gah!”

Daybreak snapped awake violently. Her head was spinning, and she felt like she’d been kicked in the gut.

“Uugh…”

She shivered from the chill in the air, made all the worse by the fact that she was covered in sweat. It looked like she’d kicked off her blanket at some point during the night, so she pulled it back up over herself and laid down, trying to get comfortable on the hard metal floor.

Before she could even think about going back to sleep, though, a pair of shimmering blue hooves stepped into her vision.

“Are you awake?” Gooey asked.

“Mm…” Daybreak groaned and pulled the blanket up over her head. “Don’t wanna be.”

“Are you, though?”

“What do you want, Gooey?” Daybreak asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

“The sun is up,” they told her, “and I’m bored.”

“Then go do something,” Daybreak said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not worried,” Gooey said. “I just want you to come with me. It’s more fun that way.”

“I’m not out here to have fun,” Daybreak hissed.

“Well, why are you here?”

“I’m here to make my parents care about me.”

“Let’s go do that, then.”

“Dude, it’s the middle of the day,” Daybreak said. “I can’t go be a bad guy in broad daylight.”

“Why not?”

Daybreak groaned and threw her blanket off so she could glare at Gooey. “Cuz I’ll get caught. Duh.”

“Isn’t that what you want?”

“I—” Daybreak paused. “Hm. I don’t know.”

Gooey tilted their head. “Do you even have a plan?”

Daybreak shrugged. “I was just kinda gonna go out at night and scare some ponies.”

“Will that be enough to get their attention? What if they just send some guards?”

Daybreak pursed her lips. “Well, what, do you have a better idea?”

“If you were too strong for the guards to handle, they’d have to come out.”

“I’d have to hurt a lot of ponies to look that strong.”

“Yes.”

“Do you…” Daybreak looked down at her hooves and hesitated. “Do you think I need to go that far?”

“I don’t know,” Gooey said. “I’m just bored.”

“Hm…”

“Alright, this is it,” Daybreak said as she stopped in front of an imposing metal door. She and Gooey were in a tight, barely-used back alley that looked like it hadn’t seen a pony in weeks. They kicked up dirt and dust with every step they took, and even the trash cans were empty and disused.

“Let’s go, then,” Gooey said, and they reached up for the handle.

“Wait!” Daybreak stuck a hoof out, and Gooey stopped. “Um… Are we sure we wanna do this?”

“I am,” Gooey said. “Are you not?”

“I just…” Daybreak took a deep breath, then shook her head. “No, I’m sure. It’s the only way I can be sure they’ll show up.”

Gooey nodded and opened the door, and the two of them walked in.

The inside of the building was dark and, aside from muffled talking coming through the wall opposite the door, eerily silent. Strips of dim light ran down the edges of the long, thin room, but they were hardly bright enough to light up the floor, much less anything else.

“This way,” Daybreak whispered as she started towards one end of the room.

The opposite wall ended before the room did, and past it, they finally saw light again. The talking was much clearer now, the loud and practiced sound of a speech being given, and in the light streaming out from the opposite side of the wall, they could see ponies standing and watching at the edges of the room.

Before they walked past the wall, Daybreak stopped Gooey and whispered into their ear. “Okay, you remember the plan, right?”

Gooey nodded. “It’s easy enough.”

Daybreak took a deep breath, then nodded. “Alright. Go whenever you’re ready.”

Gooey didn’t hesitate at all. They broke out into a sprint and skidded excitedly around the wall.

A second later, the sounds of terrified screams filled the air.

“Okay, you could have waited for a second,” Daybreak grumbled as she rushed to follow. The ponies against the wall were shellshocked and hardly seemed to notice her as she ran past them.

On the other side of the wall was a chaotic scene. What had moments before been an ordinary play had been reduced to a mass of terrified actors, trapped inside a massive bubble that they fruitlessly pounded at the walls of. Gooey was already gone, out in the crowd running to block off the exits before too many of the audience members escaped. Some had been quick and already made it out, but that was fine. After all, somepony had to go tell her parents what was happening.

Daybreak took a moment to compose herself, then walked calmly out onto the stage. Gasps rang out as the few audience members still watching the stage recognized her.

She walked nonchalantly through the bubble surrounding the actors and wandered over to the closest one. “Excuse me,” she said politely, “could I borrow your microphone?” With a shaky hoof, the scared and confused pony took off the headset they were wearing and gave it to Daybreak, who nodded and smiled as she slipped it onto her own head.

“Hello? Is this on?” She said as she walked back out of the bubble and took center stage. More of the crowd looked up at her now, and they got the attention of more and more until the entire room had given up on breaking through Gooey’s barriers and turned their attention to Daybreak.

“Good.” Daybreak smirked. “Good afternoon, everypony. I’m Princess Daybreak Nymph, and I wanna put on a play of my own. See, the other day I found out my mom used to be evil.” She chuckled. As she talked, she turned around and looked at the actors through the wall of water. “So I decided I wanted to see if it runs in the family.”

With that, Daybreak lit up her horn and focused on the actors. She put extra effort into the magic, making it as showy and extravagant as possible so that everypony in the crowd could see as she drained the fear from the helpless ponies.

One by one, the actors started to fall. First, they’d fall to their knees in pain as the long, swirling strands of magical energy were pulled out of them and into Daybreak, and then, once they were used up, the streams of magic would disappear and they would fall, unconscious, to the ground.

It took only a matter of seconds for Daybreak to completely devour every ounce of fear from the actors.

Grinning wide, she turned back to the audience and laughed. “Well, well, well. Looks like I do take after her! That’s a nice surp—”

She was cut off as a unicorn in the crowd shot of a bolt of magic at her.

She knocked it away with ease and licked her lips. “What’s that? Do we have a volunteer?”

She lit up her horn and grabbed the stallion, pulling him into the air and up onto the stage. When she dropped him, he crumpled to the ground and covered his head with his hooves.

“Oh, come on,” Daybreak said. “You’re gonna freak out now? You already attacked me!”

“I-I’m sorry,” the stallion stuttered. “Please, d-don’t hurt me.”

“Well, that’s not fair,” Daybreak said, faking a pout. “You got a shot at me. Shouldn’t I get one back? Just one? Please?”

“N-No, please!” The stallion cupped his hooves together in a pleading gesture. “Please, I’m sorry!”

Daybreak scoffed. “You grown-ups are so selfish.” She lit up her horn and, with a dramatic swipe of her hoof, ripped all the fear out of him. He didn’t even have time to scream before his body went limp and he fell to the floor.

The audience panicked. They all ran for the exits, pushing each other and slamming everything they had against Gooey’s walls as Daybreak watched them and laughed.

“Who’s next?” Daybreak shouted. “Come on! If none of you volunteer, this is gonna take all day! Which one of you is gonna take responsibility if I’m up past my bedtime, huh?”

Suddenly, there was a tremendous boom in the air outside. Daybreak looked to the far end of the room, trying to see what happened, but all she could make out past Gooey’s barriers was a strange mix of colors.

Then there was a crash. A blue blur sped into the room, accompanied by debris from the hole knocked through the ceiling, and pulled to a stop in the air in front of Daybreak.

Daybreak’s eyes went wide, and she took a step back. “R-Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Daybreak?”

Daybreak frowned. “Where are my moms?”

“They’re out looking for you, kid.”

“What? But… But there’s a supervillain! They’re supposed to come stop me!”

“That’s why I’m here,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, seriously, what the heck?” She gestured vaguely at the scene around. “What are you thinking?”

“What I’m thinking is that if I’m a supervillain, they might actually care about me!”

“Wh—” Rainbow Dash gave her a blank look. “Dude, that’s crazy. I can’t even begin to tell you how—Woah!” She cut herself off and had to quickly dodge out of the way to avoid a blast of magic shot by Daybreak.

“I don’t care! I’m not stopping unless they stop me!” She shot another bolt that narrowly missed.

“Daybreak, this isn’t a game,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re hurting ponies! If you won’t stop on your own, I’m gonna have to make you stop, and I don’t wanna do that!”

“Yeah, cuz you know you’d lose.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at Daybreak. “Oh, we’ll see about that, kid.”

Chapter 34

“What are you gonna do? You can’t hurt me,” Daybreak taunted. She stuck her tongue out at Rainbow Dash. “Are you gonna lecture me? Go ahead, it’s not gonna stop me from sucking every last drop of fear from—”

Rainbow Dash steeled her expression and blasted forward. In a single, swift movement, she grabbed Daybreak from behind, pinning her legs to her chest, and lifted her into the air.

“I don’t have to hurt you to catch you,” Rainbow Dash told her.

“Let me go!” Daybreak flailed her hind legs and struggled against the firm grip.

“Uh, no?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “C’mon, kid, get your… Friend, there to stand down, and we can go back to the castle and wait for your parents.”

“No! You don’t get to tell me what to do!” Daybreak growled and lit up her horn, hoping to drain something from Rainbow Dash, but she couldn’t find anything to latch onto. “Gooey!” She groaned and shouted across the room. “Do something! Get me down!”

Frightened ponies scurried away and cleared a path as Gooey slowly meandered back towards the stage. They tilted their head curiously as they drew closer. “How?”

“Hit her,” Daybreak hissed.

“Did you say Gooey?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that your cat’s name?”

“I grew up,” Gooey said. “Hi. I don’t think we met much.”

“Gooey, quit introducing yourself and help me!”

“You really shouldn’t,” Rainbow Dash said. “C’mon, just let these ponies go.”

“I can’t let them go,” Gooey said. “Daybreak needs them here. I don’t really want to hurt you, though. Can you please just let Daybreak go?”

Rainbow Dash stared at them in bewilderment. “I… No? I can’t just let you two keep hurting ponies.”

“I’m not hurting them,” Gooey said, “Daybreak is. I’m just stopping them.”

“Augh! Fine, whatever, I’ll do it myself!” Daybreak grumbled and lit up her horn before firing a blast of magic blindly backward.

Rainbow Dash barely moved her head out of the way in time to avoid getting hit. “Woah! Dude, watch where you point that thing!”

“If you don’t wanna get hit, let me go!” Daybreak fired off another shot, which Rainbow Dash also dodged.

“Not happening!” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and started towards the hole she left in the ceiling. “We’re going back to the castle. I guess I’ll just come back for Gooey later.”

“No!” Daybreak thrashed around fruitlessly. “Gooey, at least stop her!”

“Okay.” Gooey raised a hoof and aimed it at Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, her leg shot forward, turning into a long, spindly tendril that she wrapped around one of Rainbow Dash’s hind legs.

Rainbow Dash jerked to a stop in midair. “Hey!” She growled and tugged against Gooey’s grasp. “Seriously?”

“Hah!” Daybreak tilted her head back to try and laugh in Rainbow Dash’s face. “Serves you right.”

“Yeah, great, you stopped me,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Now what? Are we just gonna float here until one of us passes out?”

“Nah, I’m just gonna go back to what I was doing.” Daybreak chuckled and looked down at the mass of ponies still huddled against the walls below her. “Hey, you all! Did you pick a volunteer yet?”

The ponies below started to murmur amongst themselves. Rainbow Dash tugged harder against her restraints. “Don’t do it, Daybreak,” she said quietly. “Seriously. You don’t need to hurt these ponies.”

“Well, maybe I want to.” Daybreak blew a raspberry before glaring down at the crowd. “Well? No volunteer? I guess that means I get to pick!”

Daybreak lit up her horn and tugged her head back violently. Strands of light erupted around the audience, flowing up towards Daybreak as several ponies yelped and collapsed.

“Dang it, Daybreak, what do you want?” Rainbow Dash asked, sounding increasingly worked up.

“I want my parents to care!” Daybreak growled and ripped the fear out of a few more ponies. “And I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make that happen! Hear that, ponies? You better start picking volunteers, cuz if they don’t show up soon, I’m gonna have to do more than just make you pass out!”

“Seriously?” Rainbow Dash shouted over the increasingly panicked chatter from below. “Do you hear yourself?”

“Do you hear me? I said I’m gonna do whatever I have to! I don’t care who it hurts! I’ll hurt you, I’ll hurt Rarity, I’ll hurt Scootaloo—”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. “Kid, you are really testing my patience!”

Daybreak smirked. “Good.”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt something tight in her chest, like a vice around her heart. The wind got knocked out of her as Daybreak latched onto her frustration and tugged hard, and Rainbow Dash started to plummet towards the ground.

With the grip around her weakened, Daybreak finally broke herself free just before the two of them hit the ground. She shot out her wings and hovered nearby as Rainbow Dash landed with a hard thud. Somehow, she’d managed to land on her hooves, but her legs were shaky.

Daybreak looked at Rainbow Dash with a wicked grin. Her horn was still lit. She was taking her time. “Yeah, that’s right, get mad. I mean, really, you should be angry at yourself! Too weak to stop a little kid. Too weak to protect any of the ponies you care so much about.” As she egged Rainbow Dash on, her magic got stronger and stronger, squeezing the well of anger growing inside her as much as possible.

Rainbow Dash coughed and fell to her knees. “Daybreak, please,” she wheezed. “This is too much. You’re going too far.”

“Am I? Cuz I don’t see my parents here! Apparently, I’m not evil enough for the great saviors of Canterlot!” Daybreak sniffed and wiped her eyes, then bared her fangs and focused her growing frustration towards Rainbow Dash. At the same time, she stopped absorbing her anger at all. After all, she didn’t want it to run out. Instead, she just squeezed harder, putting more and more pressure on the already strained emotions.

Rainbow Dash grumbled incoherently under her breath, then took a deep breath and shook her head. “Ugh. F-Fluttershy, you there? I could really use some help, here.”

Daybreak scoffed. “I’m way past being scared of Fluttershy. Sure, though, let’s see what she does to stop me.” Daybreak fell silent, staring down at Rainbow Dash with a smirk and never letting up on her magic.

After a minute of waiting, Rainbow Dash gave in. “W-What happened to Fluttershy?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s fine,” Daybreak said, “but, you know, this is why Angel actually watches things. She’d actually notice if something was being hidden from her.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. The strain on her psyche was starting to take a toll, and she fell from her knees onto her stomach. “Daybreak,” she said weakly, “you’re not thinking straight. Your parents are out looking for you. That’s why they’re not here.”

“That’s a lie! You’re just like everyone else, telling me whatever lies you need to for me to do what you want. Well, I’m sick of it!” Daybreak stomped a hoof on the ground. “I’m sick of all of you!”

“If you’d just come home—”

“No! I’m not doing what you want me to!” Daybreak shut her eyes tight, and the light on her horn grew intensely. A second later, Rainbow Dash doubled over in pain. “I’m not stopping until they stop me!

“How will they even know I couldn’t stop you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nopony can leave to tell them.”

“I…” Daybreak growled. “You know what? I don’t need all these ponies, anyway. I’ve got a pony they actually care about now. Gooey, let everyone but Rainbow Dash go.”

“Alright.” Gooey nodded, and the walls blocking the exits splashed down onto the floor. The terrified crowd immediately stampeded towards them, pushing and shoving each other in their desperate flight.

Daybreak ignored them. “Alright, let’s go,” she said coldly. “We don’t wanna make it too easy for them. Gooey, can you carry her?”

Gooey nodded and gently scooped Rainbow Dash up onto a thin sheet of water that flowed around on the ground beside them.

“Thanks,” Daybreak said. She took a deep breath, then started towards the back door, never once letting up on her grip around Rainbow Dash’s anger. “Oh, and splash her in the face if it seems like she’s gonna pass out. If I’m gonna learn to be evil enough for them to care, I’m gonna need her to be awake to tell me how I’m doing.”

Chapter 35

“So, where are we going?” Gooey was starting to sound impatient. They’d been ducking through alleyways for a while, now, with nothing to show for it.

“I don’t know,” Daybreak grumbled. “The only place we have is the clubhouse, but if we go there I’m probably gonna have to fight Rarity, and—”

“Don’t you dare,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“I don’t wanna hurt her,” Daybreak said. “I don’t know where else to go, though! I mean, it’s gotta be somewhere they actually can find. We can’t just go sit in a cave.”

“I’m not sure I understand why we’re even hiding,” Gooey said.

“Cuz I want them to have to find me,” Daybreak told them. “I want them to stop me, but I can’t just give up. If I do, I did all this for nothing!”

Rainbow Dash coughed and adjusted herself so she could stare down Daybreak. “Sounds to me like you don’t actually know what you want, kid.”

Daybreak spun around and pointed a hoof in Rainbow Dash’s face. “I want them to care about me,” she snapped. “One day they’re gonna go out and die and all I’ll have to remember them is a bunch of lies and I hate it!”

“So your solution is to try and kill me?” Rainbow Dash shook her head weakly. “You’re not helping anything.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? Huh? Tell me!” Daybreak stomped her hoof hard on the ground, then shut her eyes and shook her head as she felt tears welling up. “They won’t listen to me.”

“Daybreak, I’m sure if they knew you were this scared—”

“No!” Daybreak cut Rainbow Dash off. “Stop trying to talk me out of this. You lost! And, hey, it worked, didn’t it? You have to listen to me now! If I beat them, they’ll listen, too!”

“They already listen to y—” Rainbow Dash started, but Daybreak suddenly focused her magic, and Rainbow Dash clutched her chest and shuddered as she was wracked with pain.

“I said stop,” Daybreak said coldly, and she turned her attention away from Rainbow Dash.

“None of that explains why we have to hide,” Gooey continued.

“Because, we…” Daybreak groaned. “Fine. No more hiding.” She took a moment to steel herself, wiped her tears from her eyes, and made her way towards the closest street, followed soon after by Gooey.

It was a quiet, narrow residential street that they found first. It was by no means empty, but was nowhere near as packed as other areas of Canterlot. Ponies were scattered about here and there, some in groups, most alone, as they made their way back home or were just setting out for the evening. None of them even noticed as Daybreak and Gooey walked out from the shadows.

At least, not at first, but Daybreak quickly saw to that. “Alright, Canterlot,” she announced loudly, “hope you’re ready.”

Up and down the street, ponies turned their gazes to her, and a light murmur came from the scattered groups.

With their attention grabbed, Daybreak picked up Rainbow Dash with her magic and floated her out of the alley for all to see. Gasps and confused, nervous whispers filled the tiny street.

“I’ll make this quick,” Daybreak said. “The first pony to bring me my parents doesn’t end up like your favorite Wonderbolt, here.” When all she got was confused looks, she scowled and stomped a hoof on the ground. “Go get them before I eat you!”

That got the message through. The street quickly emptied as ponies fled the scene.

“There.” Once all the ponies were gone, Daybreak set Rainbow Dash on the ground and sat down. “Now, we wait.”

“They’re just going to run away,” Gooey said, “not get your parents.”

“Word will spread,” Daybreak replied.

As they sat there in the quiet, the only noise the sound of Rainbow Dash’s labored breathing, Daybreak couldn’t help but focus on it. On the slow draw in, and the wheezing breath out, over and over. It was like she could hear every bit of the pain Rainbow Dash was in.

The pain that she’d caused.

She frowned and let up on her magic until only the tiniest sliver was coiled around Rainbow Dash’s anger. Just enough to keep the connection, if she needed it.

As the pressure let up, Rainbow Dash coughed and groaned. Soon, she was able to muster up the strength to push herself up to a sitting position. “About time,” she grumbled. “Geez. You didn’t need to torture me.”

“I—” Daybreak started to protest, but stopped herself and shook her head. “I’m… Sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“A bit late for apologies,” Rainbow Dash replied. “But… Thanks, I guess. Why the sudden change?”

Daybreak shrugged. “I’ll let you go when they get here. I just… Need to make sure they come.”

“You could’ve just asked for my help, you know.”

“You would’ve just tried to take me back home. Even if I hadn’t hurt anyone, you’d tell me I had to go home before you’d help me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.” Daybreak took a breath and idly scratched her leg. “Then you would’ve left. You’d never help me at all.”

“That’s definitely not true,” Rainbow Dash protested.

“Whatever.”

Suddenly, there was a rush of wind, and the sound of flapping wings filled the air. Daybreak let go of her hold over Rainbow Dash, narrowed her eyes and stood up as her parents landed on the street nearby with heavy thuds.

“Finally,” Daybreak growled. “I’ve been waiting for you all—”

She cut herself off. She’d been expecting them to show up in a fury, magic at the ready and prepared to take her down, but that wasn’t the case at all. Chrysalis looked stern and imposing, but that was a far cry from the wrath Daybreak was expecting, and Twilight…

Twilight just looked sad. Her ears drooped, she was frowning deeply, and her eyes radiated an intense sense of worry and fear. She also looked unsteady on her hooves, like she hadn’t slept, and she had bags under her eyes.

“Daybreak…” Twilight took a cautious step forward. “Are you okay?”

“I—” Daybreak hesitated, but finally clenched her jaw and shook her head vigorously. “No! I’m not okay! How could I be okay when my own parents don’t care about me?”

“What? Daybreak, we care about you more than anything in the world,” Twilight said.

“You’re lying! Where have you been all day if you care so much?”

“Looking for you,” Twilight said.

“Rainbow Dash knew where I was! You can’t expect me to believe none of those ponies who got away told you it was me in there!”

“Word can only travel so fast, sweetie.” Twilight put out a pleading hoof. “Please, let’s just go home and talk about whatever’s upsetting you.”

“You’re lying! You’re just trying to trick me! You… You… Argh!” Daybreak shut her eyes tight and fired a bolt of magic blindly towards her parents.

They both dodged out of the way, and the magic slammed into the road, leaving a crater in its wake.

“Daybreak!” Chrysalis hissed. “Control yourself! Violence is not the way to get what you want.”

“Well, nothing else has worked!” Daybreak scowled and shot another blast at Chrysalis, who shielded it with her own magic. “You left me at the party,” she said, punctuated with another shot, “you left me at the train.” She let out a third shot, stronger than the other two, and Chrysalis’ shield shattered when it was hit. “You’ll never listen to me! Not unless I make you!”

Daybreak focused her magic and fired the strongest bolt yet. It whizzed through the air at lightning speed, and Chrysalis just barely jumped out of the way in time to avoid the blow.

The magic exploded when it hit the ground where she’d been standing. Chrysalis was thrown across the street by the force, landing on her side near the houses on the other side.

“Chrysalis!” Twilight jumped in between Daybreak and Chrysalis and took a defensive stance. “Daybreak, please, stop this. You’re going to hurt her!”

“Well, maybe I want to!” Daybreak’s voice cracked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I mean, if you guys are gonna go out and leave me so you can die, maybe I should just do it myself!”

“Sweetie, you don’t mean that,” Twilight said. “You’re just hurting. Please, let’s just calm down and—” She cut herself off and hurriedly raised a bubble of magic to protect herself from a shot from Daybreak. It stopped the magic, but the shield broke from the force of it, and Twilight was pushed back several feet.

“Twilight.” In the commotion, Chrysalis had recovered and walked up behind Twilight. “Go.”

“What? But…” Twilight hesitated, a conflicted look on her face, before sighing and nodding. “Okay.”

Before Daybreak could react, Twilight stretched out her wings, then shot forward and over Daybreak’s head. In a single, fluid move, she swooped down, wrapped her legs around Rainbow Dash, and then lit up her horn and disappeared.

“Wh—” Daybreak looked at the empty space they’d been in, then back over to Chrysalis. “Seriously? You’re still gonna leave me?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Chrysalis told her. “So. Are we going to talk? Or do you just want to kill me now?”

Daybreak frowned. "Quit making fun of me! Do you even care about how I'm feeling at all?"

"Of course I care," Chrysalis said, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to just sit here and let my daughter make all the same mistakes I did."

"Then stop me!" Daybreak sniffed hard and shot another blast, but by now her eyes were too blurry with tears to aim and the magic veered off harmlessly to the side. "C'mon! Fight back before I hurt you!"

"No." Chrysalis shook her head and started walking towards Daybreak. "I won't do that. Just talk to me, Daybreak. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It's too late to talk!" Daybreak shut her eyes tight and started focusing her magic. With every word, the light surrounding her horn grew. "Why didn't you talk sooner? After the moon fell? I was so scared, and you just ignored me! Or we could've talked on the train, but you just lied to me! You said you cared, but then you just ran off again! And now it's too late. Now I went and hurt ponies and everyone's gonna hate me cuz I'm evil and I'll never be good and it's all your fault!

Finally, unable to hold it back any longer, Daybreak loosed all her pent up rage and frustration. There was a boom as a blinding flash of light shot out from her horn, followed by a bolt of energy fueled by every ounce of magic in her little body, headed straight for Chrysalis.

It was too fast. Chrysalis knew she couldn't dodge out of the way, and she'd never get a shield up in time. She set her teeth and steeled herself, staring down the rapidly approaching light.

Then the light dimmed. All the light dimmed, not just from the magic, but from the sun, the sky, the lit windows of nearby homes.

A swirling cascade of shadows quickly rose up around their hooves and swallowed the world around them. The darkness devoured the magic, and at the same time seemed to be eating away at the world itself, from the ground to the sun.

The whole process took only an instant, and then Daybreak and Chrysalis were left alone, staring at each other in a sea of darkness where nothing else existed.

"W-What?" Daybreak looked around frantically, unsure what happened.

Chrysalis moved fast. As soon as the magic was gone, she was moving, running towards Daybreak. She skidded to a stop in front of her, fell to the ground and wrapped her legs around Daybreak in a sudden, unexpected hug.

Chrysalis held Daybreak close and, her voice hardly a whisper, spoke as softly and kindly as she could muster.

"I'm sorry."

Chapter 36

“W-What…” Daybreak looked around frantically, completely stunned. All she could see in any direction was darkness, except for right in front of her, where her mother was holding her in a tight, loving embrace.

Chrysalis had her eyes shut. She squeezed Daybreak and ran a hoof through her mane. “It never should have gotten this far,” she whispered.

“S-Stop it!” Daybreak pushed against her mother, trying to break the hug. “Don’t pretend you care now!”

Chrysalis took a deep breath and set Daybreak down. She looked into her daughter’s teary eyes and frowned. “I do care. There’s nothing I care about more than you.”

“Then why do you want to leave me?” Daybreak swiped a hoof through the air dramatically, then stomped a few paces away and sat down with her back turned to Chrysalis.

“I don’t, I just…” Chrysalis sighed and shook her head, unsure of what to say.

There was a rush of air as the shadows swirled near Chrysalis, and then a thump when Twilight appeared and landed heavily on the ground.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Twilight said, “I was just—Gah!” She jumped in shock when she glanced down and saw the void of darkness under her hooves. She tapped the space below her with her hoof a few times, and it seemed to be sturdy enough, but she still eyed it suspiciously. “I, um… Geez, this place is freaky. How do they stand it here?”

Twilight and Chrysalis both waited a minute, hoping Daybreak would say something or otherwise react to Twilight’s appearance. When she didn’t, Twilight frowned and started talking again.

“Daybreak? Honey?”

Daybreak ignored her. Twilight sighed.

“I know you’re hurt, but we’re here to talk. Please, just come talk to us.”

“Mm,” Daybreak grumbled. “You’re not gonna listen to me.”

“We will,” Twilight assured her. “That’s why we’re in this place. I could’ve just asked Fluttershy to stop you, but I didn’t. I told her to send us here, and she promised not to let us out until you ask her to.”

Daybreak wiped her eyes and looked back over her shoulder at them. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“I…” Twilight sighed. “I don’t know how to convince you to trust us. I think you’re just going to have to give us a chance.”

Daybreak traced her hoof along the hollow blackness beneath them and thought. After a moment, she stood up and walked closer to her parents, although there was still a fair amount of distance between them when she sat back down. “Um… Can Angel come help me?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “Chrysalis, you don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“It sounds like a good idea,” Chrysalis said. “Angel Trifle is unlikely to take our side. Daybreak, do you think having her be the mediator instead of Fluttershy would help you trust us?”

“Maybe… I guess.” Daybreak looked down, avoiding her parents’ gazes. “Yeah.”

“Alright, then,” Twilight said. “Angel, I imagine you heard all of that?”

“Yeah.” Angel’s voice came from beside Daybreak, where the shadows twisted and turned as they took shape, and a moment later Angel was sitting beside them as though she’d always been there. “Hey.”

“Hello, Angel,” Twilight said. “So, are we ready to talk now?”

“I, uh…” Daybreak rubbed her legs together anxiously.

“Talk to them,” Angel said.

“I’m gonna, I just…” Daybreak trailed off again.

Angel sighed. “Is it alright if Daybreak and I speak in private for a moment, Mrs. Sparkle?”

“Whatever you need,” Twilight said.

“Thanks.” Angel waved a hoof, and shadows rolled in and removed Daybreak’s parents from sight.

Once they were alone, Angel reached over and smacked Daybreak in the back of the head.

“Ow!” Daybreak whined and rubbed her head. “What was that for?”

“Seriously? What was all that?” Angel glared at Daybreak and raised her voice. “You knocked out a dozen ponies! You tortured Rainbow Dash!”

Daybreak flinched and backed away a bit. She’d never seen Angel so worked up before. “I-I didn’t want to,” she argued.

“You could’ve fooled me.”

“I didn’t!” Daybreak frowned and looked away. “I had to do it.”

“Oh yeah?” Angel got up and stomped closer to Daybreak so she could prod her in the chest with a hoof. “Why? What reason did you have for all of that?”

“I had to make them stop,” Daybreak said. “It’s the only way they’d listen to me!”

“Is that it? So they’d listen? Cuz I thought you said it was so they’d care. Or that you’d be evil enough for them to notice. Or you just wanted to kill them yourself!” Angel huffed and took a step back. “Somepony could have died, Daybreak, and you don’t even know why.”

Daybreak stood up and glared back at Angel. “Why’d you even come here if you’re just gonna yell at me?”

“Cuz apparently I’m the only one willing to actually do it!” Angel stomped her hoof down. “I let you do all this cuz I thought you actually knew what you were doing, but even now that your plan worked and your parents are begging to talk to you, you just wanna go out and terrorize more ponies.”

“No, I don’t! I wanna talk, I just can’t trust them.”

“Open your eyes, Daybreak. What more are they supposed to do? I mean, if you just can’t trust a word they say, then what was the point of this? Huh?”

“I…” Daybreak shut her eyes and shook her head. “You just don’t get it.”

“No, you don’t get it.” Angel stepped forward and shoved Daybreak. “You said over and over that you wanted to talk to them, and now you won’t. You wanna go out and be bad some more cuz you had fun. You liked hurting ponies. You loved being evil. You were gonna kill your mom, and you would have—”

“Shut up!” Daybreak sprang forward and tackled Angel to the ground. As she stood there, staring down at her friend, tears started rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not evil! I can’t be evil!”

“Then prove it,” Angel said. “Do what you said all this was for, and talk to them. Prove that you actually want this to go well.”

“I… I do want that.” Daybreak sniffed and stepped away from Angel. She sat heavily on the ground and laid her head on her hooves. “I’m sorry, Angel.”

Angel pushed herself up and walked over to sit beside Daybreak. “There’s a lotta ponies you have to apologize to before me.”

“Did I go too far?”

“Yes.”

“No, I mean…” Daybreak took a deep breath. “Are ponies just gonna think I’m evil now?”

“Maybe. I can’t really say.” Angel shrugged. “If you quit doing evil stuff, they’ll forget eventually, though.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…”

“But, I’ll forgive you eventually.” Angel reached over and patted Daybreak on the shoulder.

The two of them went quiet for a bit. Angel stared out into the darkness, watching it intently, while Daybreak buried her head in her hooves and silently cried.

After a few minutes, Angel spoke up again. “Just… Let me know when you want to go back, and we’ll talk to them.” Daybreak nodded, and once again there was silence.

Eventually, Daybreak took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “Okay,” she said, “I think I’m ready.”

“Do you know what you actually want?”

“I already told them what I want, they—” Daybreak caught herself, realizing she was getting worked up again, and lowered her voice. “I… Yeah, I know what I want.”

“Okay.” Angel nodded and waved a hoof through the air, and the shadows rolled aside like a curtain to reveal her parents, huddled together and whispering to each other. When Twilight saw them, she shushed Chrysalis and smiled softly towards the girls. “Hey. You ready?”

Daybreak quietly walked closer to them and sat down a few feet away. She took a long breath in, then slowly let it out, and finally nodded. “Mhm.” Angel walked up and sat beside her.

Twilight nodded back. “Alright, well… The floor is yours.”

Daybreak looked down at her hooves and was quiet for a long moment. Eventually, Angel got impatient. She reached out and prodded her, which just got Daybreak to quietly hiss “I’m thinking.”

“Well, quit it,” Angel whispered back. “Just say something.”

“Ugh.”

Daybreak wrapped her hooves around the back of her head and huffed. She gritted her teeth, trying to work herself up to it. Finally, she slapped her hooves down and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I don’t wanna lose you!”

Her parents frowned. Twilight reached a hoof out in a sympathetic gesture. “You’re not going to lose us,” she said. “We’ll always be here for you.”

“You don’t know that! You keep leaving me to save the world and I never know if you’re gonna come back.”

“We’re the leaders of Equestria,” Chrysalis said, “we have a lot of responsibilities.”

“I don’t care about Equestria! I want my moms!”

“We can’t just ignore problems, we have to—” Chrysalis started, but Twilight interrupted her with a hoof on her shoulder.

“Daybreak, we want to be at home with you. Really, we do. It’s not something that can happen overnight, though. If we’re going to set up a system that can keep Equestria safe, it’s going to need development time, testing, changes in regulations—The point is, it’s going to take some time, and somepony needs to be keeping Equestria safe in the meantime.”

“But why does it have to be you?”

“It’s our job,” Chrysalis said.

“Isn’t it your job to be there for me, too, though? Why doesn’t that matter?” Daybreak’s voice cracked. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stay calm. “How many other jobs are more important than me?”

“They’re not more important than you,” Chrysalis said, “it’s just… It’s difficult to see the whole picture sometimes.” She sighed and looked down at her hooves. “Daybreak, I’m really not sure what to say, here. I’m not good at this. Any of it. I can apologize when I make mistakes, but past that, I just… I don’t know.”

“Just stop lying,” Daybreak said. “That’s it! Why can’t you just stop lying to me? We could have just gone home like a normal family, but you lied and ruined it!” Daybreak sniffed hard. A tear rolled down her cheek. “If you’d just gone to get help like you said you would, everything would be fine! But you lied, just like you always do, and you lied when you said you’d talk to me, and you lied when you said you’d stop lying, and you lied about being evil, and now I’m gonna be evil and it’s all your fault!”

“Daybreak, I…” Chrysalis paused, unsure of what to say. Eventually, she settled on “You’re not evil. I promise.”

Daybreak fell to the ground, her head in her hooves, and sobbed. “Liar.”

There were a few moments of quiet, the only sound Daybreak’s quiet crying. Then, without warning, she felt a wing wrap around her and pull her close. She jumped in shock and looked up to see Twilight, having moved over beside her, with a kind smile on her face.

“Daybreak, evil creatures don’t cry about being evil,” Twilight said.

“I-I…” Daybreak stuttered, trying to find words before eventually just leaning into Twilight’s embrace and continuing to sob.

“Shhh.” Twilight gently hummed and stroked Daybreak’s mane. “So, how about this. Tomorrow, bright and early, I’ll get to work on finding a way to keep us out of danger. In the meantime…” She sighed. “It’s not a particularly elegant solution, but I’ll speak to Fluttershy and see if she’d be willing to keep an eye on us. That way, she could pull us out of the way if anything bad happens.” Twilight leaned down and kissed Daybreak’s forehead. “How does that sound?”

Daybreak nodded weakly. “I… I guess it’s fine, but… What about the lying?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then frowned. “I’m not sure, sweetie. I don’t know how to prove to you we’re not lying, other than for us to just not lie for long enough that you’ll trust us again.”

“And until then?”

“I guess you just have to give us a chance.”

“Mm…” Daybreak tightened in on herself and put her chin on the ground.

“Hmm…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin and thought. “How about this. From now on, if you ever catch us in a lie, you get… A wish.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It can mean anything you want,” Twilight told her. “Well, anything we’re capable of, at least. We wouldn’t be able to give you control over the sun, but we could, like, build a new wing of the castle with, uh… A place to go bowling? Do kids your age like bowling? Everyone’s gotta like bowling, right?”

Daybreak let out a quiet chuckle, which she quickly stifled. “I guess that could work,” she mumbled.

“Yeah?” Twilight squeezed Daybreak lovingly. “Well, hey, if you decide you’re not happy with any of that after sleeping on it, we’ll hear you out, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Daybreak yawned and leaned against Twilight. “I, um… I think I’m ready to go home, now.”

“Yeah?” Twilight smiled and nuzzled Daybreak. Around them, the shadows started slowly melting away, revealing a bright, colorful, somewhat messy bedroom.

A moment later, Twilight and Daybreak found themselves sitting on Daybreak’s bed. Chrysalis was standing near the door, while Angel seemed to have vanished along with the void they were in.

Twilight got up and gently tucked Daybreak into bed, then punctuated it with a kiss on the nose. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Mm—Oh!” Daybreak gasped. “Where’s Gooey?”

“Gooey is at Fluttershy’s house for now,” Twilight said. “Now that they’re, um… Sentient? Well, they need a home. We’re going to see if somepony will adopt them.”

“You won’t?” Daybreak asked, frowning.

“Well… Frankly, dear, I think trying to take care of both of you would be too much for us,” Twilight told her. “Just between you and me, though, I wouldn’t worry too much. Rarity’s been hounding Rainbow Dash about adoption for a while now, so I think Gooey’s probably gonna end up in the castle with us either way.” Twilight rustled Daybreak’s mane and stood up. “Now, it’s bedtime. Goodnight, sweetie, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Daybreak said. “Night.”

Twilight turned and trotted out the door, but Chrysalis lagged behind. After Twilight was gone, she shut the door and walked closer to the bed.

“Daybreak…”

“Hm?” Daybreak hummed, looking up curiously.

Chrysalis looked down at the floor. “I’m… Sorry I’m not a better mother.”

“Mom, I—”

Chrysalis put a hoof to Daybreak’s mouth and shook her head. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad or guilty. I just felt I owed you an apology, and… I’m going to do better. I promise.”

Chrysalis got up and walked towards the door. She was nearly out when Daybreak spoke up again.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And, with that, she turned off the lights and stepped out the door.

Author's Note

The end?
I think.

I know this might seem sudden, but honestly, this felt like a good endpoint, and I can't write this story forever. I might put up an epilogue, I might not, we'll see.

Thank you all for reading, though! I hope you had fun.

I'm gonna be taking a break from the AU fanfiction for a bit after this, cuz I wanna write some self contained stuff (and still need to write a Real Book) but I do want to eventually return with a sequel. It'd be a similar format to this, but focused around a new kid. Maybe you can guess who. :raritywink:

Hit me up with a follow if you wanna see my future writing! The return of self-contained writing also means the return of actual, like, planning and outlines and stuff, so it's gonna be good!

If you wanna read more stuff in this universe, check that out here.

See ya next time! :heart: