You're Going To Fit Right In

“Good day, Moon.”

Daybreaker stepped away from her sister’s bed and turned on the light, slowly closing the door as she did so. Though she never understood why Nightmare Moon slept during the glorious day, she never really questioned it, either.

Heading to her personal bathroom, she prepared to head to work. Unlike her sister, who was formal and in her opinion, extremely stiff, Daybreaker would rather die than wear clothing. And dying for her was not an option. So she stood there, a free spirit, brushing her fangs, just looking in the mirror at herself; at what she had become.

Razor sharp fangs graced her jawline, a carnivore’s maw. Far from the Unicorn’s molars she had once possessed. They were stained with rust from the oxidized remnants of prey long devoured.

Her eyes, once a glistening magenta, now blazed with the fury of the sun, itself. The bright yellow orbs, the snake-eyed pupils of obsidian that stared back at her, made her chuckle. The remnants of the pact, made long ago; the pact that saved her people. The same pact that caused their betrayal. She laughed at the thought.

Daybreaker regretted none of it, not one moment. She did what she did to save the world. And they turned on her. Que sera sera, she decided. About to turn away from the mirror, she also saw that small speck of gentleness hidden amongst the wickedness that had appeared that day centuries ago; the fabled day she first met Twilight in Tartarus, back when the statues started coming down.

Ugrh where- where am I?

“Sister!”

Nightmare Celestia, hearing her sister’s shout, was instantly on alert, whipping her head to the side to look around her. Or at least, she tried to. Overcome by sudden weakness, her legs gave out and Nightmare Celestia crashed to the ground.

Mentally panicking, she was unable to move. Had she been attacked? Some kind of spell? She didn’t know. She just knew, try as she might, the Queen of Daymares was immobilized by something. That’s when she saw the hoof enter her line of sight.

A purple hoof attached to a purple-furred foreleg. Nightmare Celestia weakly tried to see what the leg was attached to, but her body refused to answer her commands. Weak and helpless, she lay there waiting, at this being’s mercy or condemnation.

Suddenly a face appeared in her line of sight as the being leaned down, those burning crimson eyes alight with infernal rage, but oddly softened as they met Daybreaker’s gaze. Moments later, the being’s horn glowed brightly with a golden light and energy flooded into Nightmare Celestia’s body. She felt her strength return to her, no, not just her strength but tens times her own power coursed through her very core.

Slamming her hoof down, she used it to lever herself off the ground and stared at her savior? Captor? Only time would tell. And what she saw filled her with awe. Power in its purest form stood before her, a being from which magic flowed. Nightmare Celestia could see magic from thousands, hundreds of thousands, too many to count, within the Alicorn before her.

Staring at her for a moment, Nightmare Celestia lowered her head in a bow, before fluttering her wings and lowering herself back down onto the ground. She had committed atrocities by the thousands, ruled as a wicked tyrant alongside her sister. And all that was nothing in the presence of this monster. She lowered her head and prepared for the worst.

“You are a lot more amiable than your counterpart.”

“…”

What did she just say? Counterpart? Like a partner? Glancing in the direction of the being’s hoof to see that the mare was pointing at Nightmare Luna, Nightmare Celestia blinked in surprise. Her sister? Not just that, but given the differences between the two, what in her sun was this mare on about? The very thought of such nonsense made her chuckle as she blurted out.

“That’s not my partner, that’s my sister!”

The mare before her broke into a smile.

“Well the difference really is night and day.”

Nightmare Celestia blinked. Had this mare been aware all along about the two of them? Was this all just a way for her to break the ice? The Alicorn mare, though fearsome in appearance, seemed to not be afraid of either or both of them. Was this a chance to break the ice, to have a less formal interaction? Alright then, you win.

“Heh, that was pretty good, I’m Nightmare Celestia, this is my sister Nightmare Luna.”

The Alicorn smiled in approval and gave a flourishing elaborate bow, an ancient Alicorn greeting.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Daybreaker’s golden eyes flew open as the portal shimmered into view, revealing a floor of enchanted glass. The glass hovered over what appeared to be a sea of molten fire; the surface of the Sun. Stepping through the portal, it closed behind her and a cheerful voice called out.

“Oh, Princess! Over here.”

Turning towards the speaker, Daybreaker stared momentarily at a couple of Unicorn mares, each in a reflective orange thermonuclear hazmat suit. Both wore see through helmets of tempered enchanted glass, and both seemed extremely cheerful. Again, the one that called out to her, waved a hoof at her.

“Princess! Princess!”

Daybreaker walked over to the two, smiling gently.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite young mares. Good morning Sunset, and to you as well, Stella.”

The smaller one, a young mare with a mane of red and yellow seemingly glowing within the helmet, nudged the larger one playfully. The mature one, Stella Flare, rolled her eyes.

“C’mon Cassanova, let’s get that flirtatious flank of yours enchanted.”

Chuckling, Daybreaker leaned down and grinned.

“I thought you found my flank enchanting already.”

Stella blinked, her orange furred muzzle turning bright red with embarrassment. She muttered sullenly.

“I’m free at 5. Until then, the ritual is ready to go.”

Daybreaker smirked in victory, walking over to a ritual circle decorated with black candles. The two Unicorns cast their spells, activating the circle and the flames of Daybreaker were immediately suppressed. The Alicorn hated this part of her job, but Twilight’s word was law. And it would be followed. Daybreaker winced, she always felt so weakened when her flames went out, but it was necessary; the enchantment having been made specifically for her.

She watched as the lovely flames of her mane and tail were removed from her and stored in the sun, making her look for all intents and purposes like a giant white Unicorn. The sun being the only thing hot enough to contain her fire.

Though she hated it, she thought about how necessary it was, since she worked at a library. But not just any library, the library. A portal appeared before her and Daybreaker stepped through it.

She found herself in front of a giant limestone building, a building so massive it took up the entirety of the 17th floor. It looked somewhat ancient and burned, though no creature aside from Twilight knew where it came from. Within its walls it housed every word, song, thought and media ever made or would be made with new things appearing on mysteriously constructed shelves daily. And not just from their universe but from every known universe. A large carving above the massive double door boldly proclaimed in a long-forgotten language:

Alexandria

On either side of her, two portals appeared, through which Sunset and Stella stepped. Both immediately began to shed their hazmat suits, while students ran to and fro from the library. Once out of their suits, both mares shone beautifully in the sunlight that streamed in from who knew where.

Sunset Shimmer was a young mare with orange fur and a mane and tail of red and yellow. On the Unicorn’s flank was the image of an exploding fireball, which she insisted was a tattoo, not a cutie mark, though nobody really understood what a tattoo even was. They all just assumed this meant she was a more powerful Unicorn than most. Sunset was believed to have hailed from the same dimension as the Library of Alexandria, but even she wasn’t sure, claiming it to have burned to the ground.

Stella Flare was a mature Unicorn with unique white markings on her orange fur. Most notable however, were the scars that ran across her midriff almost as if she had been ripped open by claws at one time. She had a fierce thousand yard glare, and her stance was reminiscent of past Equestrian military regiments. Daybreaker always had a sneaking suspicion that given a reason, Stella could break her in half with little to no effort, though she couldn’t really explain why.

Sunset wondered out loud.

“I wonder where-”

“She’s already waiting for us and she arrived exactly four point six minutes ago, during the enchantment ritual.”

Stella’s rigid voice cut through Sunset’s musings, as the doors to the library opened wide to reveal a gray Unicorn with a periwinkle mane and tail with white stripes. On her flank, three purple stars were clustered. Twilight Velvet’s sky blue eyes were warm and buttery as she cheerfully waved to them.

“C’mon, you slow pokes!”

The words and demeanor were playful enough, but Daybreaker could sense how tense Velvet’s muscles were, like a snake coiled and ready to strike at any given moment. Her military training showed, with how polished her every motion was. And Daybreaker knew exactly why. Velvet was Queen Twilight’s mom and the world they grew up in was one of unforgiving brutality.

“...This may take a while to explain. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Twilight waved her hoof in front of her, causing a swirling vortex of magic to appear in which a young purple Unicorn filly sat on a couch watching an odd box with moving pictures. Around her, various black objects, some plastic, some metal, and some rubber, lay scattered on the floor.

Twilight watched the television as a well-toned mature gray Unicorn mare with white striped purple mane and tail shouted orders to a group of mares; all of them fighting for their lives as firearms discharged. Meanwhile an announcer was exclaiming excitedly.

“...And there it is! The Shadowbolts’s legendary Velvet Whistle Formation! Wendy Whistles is coming from behind with her shotgun, lightning raining hell upon the enemy, while Twilight Velvet cuts them down with a dancer’s finesse! This is for all the marbles! What can the Diamond Dog Commandos possibly do against this onslaught?”

The little filly shouted excitedly as Velvet’s twin sabers liberated a foe’s head from their neck in a sudden flash of steel.

“Go momma!”

“Twilight!”

In an instant, the little filly whirled around in surprise; the many pieces scattered about her suddenly coming together in the shape of a fully-loaded handgun which was then aimed at the speaker.

The mare standing there chuckled and threw her hooves up.

“Very good honey, but-”

Before her daughter could even comprehend the words, the mare was beside her in a flash, her hooves easily disarming the little filly and picking her up, rocking her gently in a levitation spell. She tickled Twilight, who giggled happily.

“Mommy! Hee-Hee”

“-You’ve got to be faster than that to stop the likes of me, sweetie.”

Walking over to the couch, Velvet set down her daughter who exclaimed happily.

“Momma’s home early!”

Velvet gave Twilight a loving nuzzle.

“I took leave to see your admittance into the Equestrian Elementary Bootcamp. Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh!”

“And have you thought about what branch you’ll be enrolling in?”

“Yes! I’m gonna be Infantry, like mommy!”

Velvet gave a bittersweet smile. The Equestrian Military had two branches, Infantry and War Medics. Infantry was generally for Colts and Stallions. Though Fillies were permitted to try out for the front-line, the majority of them simply found it impossible to keep up with the strenuous conditions the Colts lived in. And so they were moved to the War Medics, where Colts had the hardest time on average.

Velvet was famous not only for her brutality and calm head in combat but also for being the only mare to ever be promoted to the rank of Commander. Her squad of pure mares was the first and only team to ever be formed in such a way in nearly 1000 years of Equestrian History.

Twilight would have her work cut out for her, and Velvet knew her daughter had a hard time learning and adjusting to new regulations. Even with how fast she had used her magic to assemble her firearm, a standard issue for all foals, it was still slower than nearly every other her age.

Velvet knew it wasn’t her fault, Twilight always tried her best, but how could she tell her, her proudest accomplishment, that Twilight had no chance to achieve her dream? She couldn’t. Of all the battles she won, of all the foes she toppled, this fight with herself was the one she couldn’t win.

“You are going to do just fine, honey.”

“Name?”

“Twilight S. Sparkle.”

The clock on the wall ticked ever so slowly as Velvet watched her daughter being interviewed by the recruiter for admittance. Sitting in a chair by the wall, Velvet was on the edge of her seat, silently pleading for her daughter’s performance.

“Age?”

“Um…”

Twilight nervously looked at her hooves before remembering.

“Seven.”

“Alright. And where do you want to enroll, Miss Sparkle?”

“Infantry. Front lines! Like Momma.”

The Recruiter didn’t look up from her paperwork, stating in a monotone, bored voice.

“Like your mother? And who would that be?”

“459 Bravo Infantry Commander Twilight Velvet.”

The recruiter didn’t so much as blink as she replied, in a dismissive tone.

“Sure, sure. You're Velvet’s daughter. Like I haven’t heard that several times this week.”

“But I am.”

“Of course you are, tell you what-”

The recruiter tossed a military grade handgun onto the desk with disdain.

“-Disassemble and reassemble this, and I’ll enroll you.”

Twilight stared helplessly at the foreign firearm, unsure of what to do. She had never seen this make or model before nor had she heard the strange words the recruiter had used. The recruiter stared at her.

“Well?”

Twilight stared blankly at the weapon, when suddenly Velvet’s voice rang out from her chair.

“Twilight! De hut!”

The recruiter shouted out in alarm.

“No outside assistance, Miss-”

The recruiter’s eyes went wide with awe seeing Velvet for the first time.

“Velvet?”

“It’s alright, I’m her mother.”

Suddenly and much to the surprise of the recruiter, Twilight’s horn glowed for several seconds before the gun rose off the desk and fell to pieces. But Velvet wasn’t done yet, shouting out sternly.

“Ar Hut!”

Suddenly, with her horn still aglow, Twilight snapped the weapon back together within two seconds, with the safety cocked and placed within her holster. The recruiter rubbed her chin thoughtfully before glancing at Velvet, smiling softly.

“She’s a bit slow on the uptake, Miss Velvet, but there’s potential. Not many at that age can disassemble that gun, fewer still can reassemble it. Hm, what to do?”

Glancing into Twilight’s big hopeful eyes, the recruiter sighed.

“Alright, a deal’s a deal. Welcome to the Infantry, Miss Sparkle.”

Velvet chuckled, seemingly carefree, standing there on the steps as she called out.

“Hurry up, we’ve got worlds to save! Stella, who's next on the list?”

Stella Flare’s horn glowed with a golden light, causing the enigma machine to appear. She began pushing levers and buttons before frowning and muttering.

“That can’t be right, we aren’t supposed to interfere with those. Is this thing broken?”

“Stella?”

Looking up from her machine, Stella shook her head in confusion, before snapping back.

“Commander, get the girls. We’ve got a mission.”

Velvet looked concerned as she addressed Stella.

“Mission? What kind of mission?”

Stella and Velvet’s bracelets suddenly went off as Stella raised her eyes to give Velvet a startled look. Velvet looked down at her bracelet to see a red light flashing on and off, while a figure was being projected from the holographic display.

It was a black chitinous equine, with gossamer wings and gentle, envious green eyes. Daybreaker froze seeing the being. It was her adopted daughter.

Stella spoke quietly.

“A rescue mission-”

Daybreaker’s heart raced in panic as Velvet suddenly cut off Stella.

“We have to rescue Chrysalis.”

Stella pondered out loud.

“Chrysalis? Who is this Chrysalis?”

Daybreaker’s pupils dilated as her blood boiled. My daughter. They had just met last night. There was no reason to care so deeply. That’s what Daybreaker told herself. But all she could think of was sitting on the couch, the two of them bonding. “I’ll protect you. You are one of us now.” I’ll protect you. Daybreaker’s eyes burned with the intensity of the sun itself; burning in rage. She felt her body growing hotter and hotter as her pulse quickened.

Velvet shook her head.

“I don’t know. But whoever she is, she must be important for the Queen to request us.”

My daughter. Daybreaker heard the words echoing in her mind. My daughter. My daughter. Daybreaker’s muzzle opened and two words slipped out in a whisper.

“My Daughter.”

The other two looked at her in confusion.

“Huh?”

Daybreaker’s wings flared as her entire body erupted in a raging hellfire of fury, screaming in absolute rage.

“My daughter needs me!”

Before any creature could react, Daybreaker’s horn glowed with a celestial light and a portal opened, through which she leapt. Watching as the portal vanished, Velvet looked at Stella.

“I thought you and Sunset drained her magic.”

Stella nodded, Sunset’s jaw still hanging open from the display.

“We did. We left her the bare minimum for her to function.”

Velvet gave a low whistle staring at the scorch marks on the indestructible stone floor, now cracked from the extreme heat.

“That’s her bare minimum?”

“Yeah.”

Velvet sighed and held up her bracelet, staring pensively at the spot Daybreaker vanished from.

“Contact Queen Twilight…Hey Honey, We...We have a problem.”