(Magical Flashback)

A young philly Twilight sat in a pile of books near the Princess’s study, she had her nose buried in her latest copy of Advanced Magical Spells for Beginners, and did not notice when the young colt, also sharing the study with her and the Princess, brought her a cup of tea. Twilight did not even look up from her book until she heard the Princess speak to him thanking him for her own cup.

“Thank you very much Daybreak, this looks delicious” Twilight looked up and saw the Princess take a sip, and realized, she too, was thirsty.

“umm Princess could I please…”

She paused as she noticed there was already a teacup next to her, she looked over and saw the young colt as he walked back to his own secluded corner of the room and began reading once again, just like Twilight had been moments ago.

Twilight turned to the Princess “umm Princess”

Celestia looked over to her from her pillow near the fire place “Yes Twilight, why do you look so troubled my dear”.

Twilight fumbled the words around in her mouth, not knowing how to express the feeling into words “umm Princess, I know you told me that…”

She lowered her voice so only the Princess could hear “Well, I know you told me that the colt whose always here isn’t a servant and is a student of yours too, but I still don’t get it, why does he keep bringing you things if he doesn’t serve you, and why does he keep bringing me things at all, I'm a student like him?! It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

The Princess smiled “well Twilight, he only brings me the things that he brings you. I guarantee, if you did not have a tea cup, I wouldn’t either. I think he just gives me things so that you don’t suspect anything.”

“What do you mean Princess”

Celestia just smiled again, happy to have the young mare interested in something other than studying for once

“Twilight darling, I think you should put down the books for awhile. If you want to know why he’s doing things for you, I think you should go ask him yourself.”

Twilight set down her book, confused, and stood up “ok I will”

She walked to the other side of the Princess’s study, where it looked like the young colt had made a pile of books to read. The stack was large enough so that he did not see her coming until she was right in front of him. When he looked up and saw her, he sprang to his hooves, but he didn’t get any farther than that, because then Twilight held out her hoof to him with an inquisitve smile

“Hi I’m Twilight Sparkle”.

The young unicorn cocked his head confused “I know that”

she was shocked, it was the first time she had ever heard him speak so easily before, she let her surprise go quickly and said, her hoof still extended “I’m not very good at introductions, I never make them, but I think now that I’ve said my name, you tell me yours, then you shake my hoof, and we go from there”.

The unicorn nodded, taking her hoof and said “my name is Daybreak”

Twilight chuckled, she had thought that was what she had heard the Princess say when she spoke to him, but she had never been sure. Twilight peeked around the stacks of books to see what he was reading. She saw many books, but he quickly shut the one he was currently reading and sat on it, none too subtly either. She raised her eyebrow at him

“What, don’t want me to see”

“I’m sorry, this one is kind of personal”

Twilight’s curiosity was only excelled by his comment, but she did not press the subject and instead got right to her most important matter. She walked through the stack of books and sat down next to him, careful not to knock any of them over. She didn’t know how to ask any other way than straight forward, so she did.

“so Daybreak…”

She could see how nervous she made him when she spoke, like he was hanging onto every word, but she didn’t understand why, maybe it was her stature as the Princess’s pupil, she was unsure. He was shaking from head to hoof, which did not make questioning him any easier as she tried to slide closer

“So Daybreak, how come you always bring me things? I mean you’ve brought me anything I could think of, food, toys, books, and now tea. Come on tell me why?” she gently poked him in the arm playfully.

His reaction more than anything, is what told her, without question he would have rather not answered. Daybreak stood up, quicker then Twilight had expected

“Ohh would you look at that, it’s time for me to go for the day”

Twilight was dumbstruck “Wait…what!?”

Daybreak leaped over Twilight’s head and took off towards the door “see ya tomorrow Princess”

The Princess waved goodbye with her hoof and watched Twilight pick herself up and take off after him out the door, screaming “HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, YOU DIDN’T ANSWER ME YET! GET BACK HERE DAYBREAK!”.

Celestia chuckled to herself as she heard Twilight yelling down the corridor. She would have to remind her to be quieter in the halls tomorrow, but for today, she would let her play, even if she didn’t know she was playing. Celestia watched Daybreak rush past her window outside, and down the street with Twilight rushing past seconds later after him. The Princess couldn’t help but smile “Daybreak and Twilight, hmmm, it almost sounds perfect. Maybe now that philly will finally make a friend”.

Daybreak darted in and out of restaurants and shops trying to avoid Twilight catching him. However her persistence became apparent when, after two restaurants and a flower shop, she was still after him! Daybreak knew he had to get creative if he was to escape her. He saw a bridge ahead of him and he dove under it clinging to the bottom. He watched Twilight stop, and walk over it, he let out a breath of relief when she continued onward.

However seconds later she stuck her under the bridge and yelled “DON’T YOU HIDE! YOU GET UP HERE AND ANSWER ME!”

Daybreak shrieked in terror and bolted out from the bridge, he turned down several winding streets until he found himself at a dead end. He turned to run out, but as he did Twilight came around the corner and advanced on him smiling

“Now that I have you cornered Daybreak, why don’t you tell me what I want to know”

Daybreak retreated back against the wall, he looked over it. He knew he couldn’t jump it from here, he had no choice, he had to get away. As Twilight closed in, Daybreak shut his eyes tight and strained to use his magic. As he did his horn glowed brownish and he teleported away. Twilight did a double take, then spotted him appearing on the other side of the wall, and watched him take off sprinting. Twilight knew she would never catch him, so instead she decided to follow him. She then attempted to copy his spell, and did so with relative success. Although instead of appearing on the other side of the wall, she appeared on the roof of the nearest building. However, she did not see this as a loss, for now she could see Daybreak bolting away easily and merely had to follow him.

It took some effort, but the young philly managed to jump the roof tops while still keeping Daybreak within her sight. Twilight didn’t know why, but she was smiling, in spite of the frustration this colt was causing her, she somehow was enjoying this, she would have to read up on this feeling when she got back. After ten minutes of following Daybreak, it finally became clear to Twilight where he was heading. It was an area just outside the main city, and it looked largely run down, like it needed a good beating with a wrecking ball in Twilight’s opinion. She wondered why Daybreak would come here, as she watched him squeeze through a large gathering of metal pipes, she started to wonder if he lived here. Twilight laughed, it was ridiculous of course, no pony would live here, regardless she had to follow him. She jumped down and crawled on her belly, easily squeezing through the large amount of pipes. She was careful not to make a sound, and was thankful that the pipes seemed to form a passage so she would not have to try hard to find Daybreak. Once she had completely cleared the metal pipe passage she found herself staring at, what looked like, a very poorly made, makeshift house. She could tell it was makeshift by the way the pipes, bricks and metal cylinders were clattered together. She knew Daybreak must have gone in, but she didn’t know how she felt about it, the 'house', if it could even be called that, looked very unstable. She knew if she wanted to talk to him she was going to have to go in, so she slowly entered the metal home, deciding that if anything happened she would just use her new spell and teleport away.

She did not have to walk very far inside, once she entered the second “room” in the house she saw Daybreak at the far end, moving a few spare books he had around. They were semi organized around a large pillow that was apparently his bed. This was proven to her as she watched him lay down on the pillow, and pull off the cloak covering his flank, flap it once outward, doubling it in size. Then he laid down and spread out fully then magically pulled the veil over him as a blanket.

Twilight felt teary eyed, the scene before her was so sad and pathetic, it made her feel like she had been spoiled her whole life. He really did live here, and the cloak he always wore was his blanket, a pillow for a bed, and metal cylinders and poles for a house, hidden under, what had looked like, a collapsed unfinished building from the outside. It was at this moment that she decided to put her hoof down, something had to be done about this, she couldn’t leave a pony in this mess. So she fully entered the room and walked the length of it fairly quickly. She came up next to Daybreak, who seemed sound asleep already. He was clutching something in his hooves close to his chest. Twilight peeked over him and saw it was a stuffed animal, it looked like a pony, she couldn’t really tell since one of its eyes was hanging on by a thread. It wore blue poke-dotted pants with white spots on them, its mane and skin was grayish and it looked pretty old to her. Twilight knew it would be rude to wake him while he was sleeping, but she didn’t think Daybreak should stay here. So Twilight gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs with her horn, he stirred and rolled over, looking her full in the face. The moment he realized he wasn’t dreaming, his eyes widened like an owl’s and he shot straight out of his “bed”. He fell into his mess of books

“H-how did you find me, no pony knows where I live”

“I followed you here, but that isn’t important, what’s important is getting you a new home. You can’t live in this place, it looks like it’s gonna fall apart any minute, besides won’t your parents be worried about where you are”

Daybreak cringed slightly and Twilight soon heard why “I don’t have any parents, I never knew them, I’ve always lived here, and I can’t live anywhere else because I have no money. No pony hires young colts to do work, no matter who they are, so I do have to stay here”

Twilight was more confused now than before “but then how do you attend the Princess’s school”

“I don’t, I’m a personal student, like you”.

Twilight was now more full of questions than when she had arrived here and it seemed the young colt caught on to that. Daybreak didn’t give her a chance to ask any more though

“Look I don’t wanna to seem rude, but I don’t like other ponies being here, they look down on me. So I’m going to have to ask you to leave, please Twilight”

Twilight, however, was not having that and pressed him for more questions

“But, but, I have so many questions for you now, why do you treat me so nice, how are you Celestia’s personal student if you don’t have any money, why don’t you just live at the castle like me and….”

“ENOUGH!” Daybreak yelled.

His eyes flashed and his horn glowed dangerously. It only lasted a moment though, Daybreak could see how much he had frightened her, and turned away from her, but she did not leave like he thought she would

“Look” he said, still not actually looking at her “I don’t want to talk about it now, I’m tired from you chasing me all over Cantterlot, I can tell you’re not gonna let this go, so tomorrow afternoon you can meet me on the hillside near the garden maze, then we’ll talk”

Twilight nodded “ok, but just one more”.
Twilight wanted this more than anything, now that she had a view of his Cutie Mark “why does your Cutie Mark look a bit like the Princess's”.

He suddenly realized his veil was off and looked down to see his mark in full view. He sighed and she stared, his mark looked similar but also different, his mark was only a half sun, clearly supposed to be rising due to the orangish color and angle of the rays, they seemed spread down the middle where a yellowish light seemed to sit on its own. In fact the only way she could describe what she was seeing was to say she was looking at, the dawn or….daybreak. Then it made sense to her, but she still had to ask him anyways

“What’s your special talent Daybreak" she saw him hesitate at her question

“You’ve already guessed it by now, haven’t you? Didn’t you notice we are the only ones who ever study with the Princess, and not from her?”

“Just please say it”

Daybreak sighed “my talent is Magic, to be more specific, rare and powerful magic. You are, by all means, better than me. You can do all magic easily…me the hard ones come easy, and the easy spells are difficult. I can lift a boulder easily, but if I try to lift a stone, it goes flying into the air out of my control, and it’s frustrating!”.

Twilight stared at the young colt in fascination, she had originally come here for answers, but now she wanted something different, she wanted…she really didn’t know what she wanted, she knew that school with the Princess just became a whole lot different, now she had somepony to practice with and to laugh with. She didn’t know it then, but she had just made her first friend. But admitting and understanding that would take time for her, right then, to her he still wasn’t a friend, but a curiosity. No it was like a burning longing, no pony had ever caused her this many emotions at one time and that coupled with the time of the year, it was almost inevitable what would happen next.

The young philly moved closer to Daybreak, she nudged her horn against his coat and looked up into his eyes. Daybreak, she could tell, was frightened. He didn’t know what she was doing, and neither did she, but she was in her estrus cycle as a young philly, and it was more her body moving than she was. Daybreak’s green and white mane dropped into his eyes as he backed away from her, clearly frightened. The young philly saw this, and shook her head, regaining her senses.

She turned away from him “I’m sorry Daybreak, I don’t know what I was doing, I’ll just go”

He nodded, brushing his mane out of his eyes, not looking directly at her. But as she passed through his door she made one last comment

“Don’t forget your promise Daybreak, tomorrow…”

“I know Twilight”

The way he said her name as she walked out of the room, left a tenderness about her, it made her want to hug herself. It was that tenderness alone that caused her curiosity of him to come to a boil, and the young philly lost all of her reason. As Daybreak turned back towards the door, Twilight teleported right in front of him, and before his shock would cause him to back away, the young philly crushed her lips onto his.

Daybreak stepped back, startled, trying to pull away, but Twilight pushed more as he did, and they both fell over, with Twilight landing on top of him. Daybreak knew he could have thrown her off him, but instead he surrendered to her kisses and let her do what she would. Despite what was happening at that moment, Twilight did not consider it intimacy, despite how much she liked it, she just didn’t understand that, as much as she denied it…they were friends! Twilight didn’t understand that her desire to stay there, kissing him, even though they were both still too young for intimacy, was not to do with the fact that she was in her estrus cycle, it was because she cared for him.

She had secretly enjoyed him being around, in the Princess’s study whenever she looked up. Him always bringing her things, even being a test dummy for a new spell of hers once. She had enjoyed all of it, because she cared for him, and it took that understanding, for her to realize, on her own, why he had done all of those things. When Twilight realized she was no longer forcing the kiss and that he too, was kissing her back, she broke away. She looked down at him, and he back at her, and he started to utter the words she already knew he would say

“Twilight Sparkle, I lo…”

She placed her hoof on his lips and silenced him. She nodded and he understood, and so the confession passed silently between them. Twilight thought she could have never been happier, but then this too, became false. As Daybreak stood up he walked over to his pillow and grabbed the stuffed doll he had slept with in his mouth, and brought it over to her, dropping it at her feet

“You take it, it’s the only thing I have. I’ve had this forever, she’s called the Smarty Pants doll, the tag got torn off, so you’ll just have to take my word for it, but I want you to have her.”

Twilight felt small raindrop tears in her eyes, she gave her new friend a hug, and took up the doll in a magical aura, levitating it behind her. She thanked him telling him how much she looked forward to seeing him tomorrow, and left.

Author's Notes:

Just in case you didn't catch it at the top, yes this is a flashback of Twilight's