SRTzXyLm

1Part 1
2
3>Be Cadance
4>Princess of love
5>A new batch of men has come through the portal this week, waiting to be paired with the mare of their lives
6>Poor guys, having to live their lives in a world where females don't feel real love for their men
7>You have already sorted through most of the men with the help of the Crystal Heart, showing what mare is best suited to what human
8>And you're starting to work on the last human of the group
9>Someone named Anonymous
10>Or just Anon, as you prefer to call him
11>Yesterday he had his soul read by the Cristal Heart
12>He sounded pretty skeptical when you told him to touch the crystal and have his soul read
13>He thought he was going to fill some form or answer some questions
14>Nah
15>… well
16>You actually used to do that at first
17>Seemed more logical to pair up men and mare with shared interests
18>But it didn't work out
19>So you decided to go with your gut, and a little bit of cheating via Crystal Heart
20>You're the princess of love after all, not the princess of logic
21>Anyway, getting off track here
22>It usually takes a day for it find a mare compatible with a man
23>Which means today you're getting the results
24>You can't wait to know the lucky mare who’s getting a husbando in the next few days
25"Alright, Cristal Heart, show me Anonymous' soul mate"
26>The gem's center started to shine, before the name of the mare popped up with regal lettering
27"Daybreaker?"
28>You read out loud for yourself
29"Never heard of her"
30>Kind of a weird name too
31>What is she, a super villain or something?
32>You can't help but let out a very unladylike snort at the thought
33>Yeah right, like the Cristal Heart would pair an innocent man with an evil pony
34"But only a name, though? Are you getting lazy on me? Show me where Daybreaker lives"
35>The name on the center of the crystal fades, only for an image of Canterlot to pop into existence in its place
36"Okay, now show me Daybraker"
37>Once again the image on the crystal fades out and the image that fades in is-
38>Celestia?
39>You take a moment to reel back
40>Yeah, it IS her, sitting on her throne, looking bored out of her mind
41>Why is the crystal heart showing you Celestia?
42"I said, show me Daybreaker"
43>Celestia's image starts to fade out
44>Oh thank Celestia
45>That was probably just a-
46>And Celestia's image shows up again
47>You bite your upper lip in frustration
48>This never happened before
49>Just who is this Daybre-
50>That name…
51>And it keeps showing Celestia…
52>Masaka!
53>Looks like you’ll have to be princess of logic one more time
54>Gulping down a lump in your throat, you look left and right to see if there isn’t anpony around to hear you
55>Not a soul
56>Good
57>Okay, there’s nothing to worry about
58>You’re only overreacting
59>You’re sure of it
60“Crystal Heart, show me… Nightmare Moon”
61>You whisper the last part
62>The broadcast of Celestia’s throne adventures fade out
63>Please don’t be who you think it is
64>Please don’t be who you think it is
65>Please don’t be who yo-
66>It’s Luna…
67>She’s on the crystal heart right now
68>Sleeping in her bedchambers with her husbando
69>…
70>Lips pursed, your eyes wander around, as if the answer to your newfound problem would just show up
71“Shit”
72
73
74Part 2
75
76>”Absolutely not!”
77>That was a lot of self-control auntie, you could almost hear the Royal Canterlot Voice
78>Thank your auntie you put a silencing spell on her bedchambers after you both got in
79>After having a good idea of who Daybreaker might be, you came straight to Canterlot to speak privately with your aunt
80>You left Anon back in the Crystal Empire, instead of bringing him along
81>Poor guy thought you were going to tell him about his mare when you showed up
82>You had to make an excuse
83>You couldn’t just tell him who she was
84>Especially when you don’t even know if it’s possible to bring Daybreaker without the apocalypse coming along as a bonus
85>The look of disappointment when you said the Crystal Heart had yet to reveal his future partner almost broke your non-crystal heart
86>But you can’t tell him anything unless you’re one hundred percent sure this is possible or not.
87“But why not?”
88>”Why not? Pfft, she’s asking why not”
89>Okay, that was a bit rude
90>But before you can even say anything you reel back when she’s suddenly pushing you back with her face
91>”Cadance, are you listening to yourself?”
92>You don’t know what to say, so you just nod
93>That seems to be enough for her to pull back
94>”Then you must know how insane your request is”
95>You mean, yeah
96>Potentially unleashing evil in the world on purpose for the sake of love and making Anon and this Daybreaker happy is pretty dumb and illogical in hindsight
97>But as you said
98>You’re not the princess of logic, you’re the princess of love!
99>You don’t deal with numbers, common sense, or facts
100>You deal with emotions and feelings
101>And as long as you live your eternal life, nothing will stand in the way of love god dammit
102>You mean Celestia dammit
103>Those human mannerisms are rubbing off on you
104“But auntie, even if it’s dangerous, don’t you think it’s unfair to deny Daybraker a chance to be happy?”
105>That look on her face isn’t good
106>But this is your job, and you can’t back down
107“I mean, sure she can end up destroying the world as we know…”
108>Oh boy, she looks even angrier now 
109“Buuut… this could be a good chance to reform her…”
110>Make sure to give her your best smile Cadance
111>Stop twitching, you damn lips, else she’s not gonna take you seriously
112>Auntie then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath
113>”Cadance”
114“Yes!”
115>Are you through with her, this easily? 
116>”In the off chance that I’d accept your mad request
117>”How, in my name, do you expect this to work out?”
118>You open your mouth to answer only to realize you can’t
119>And you don’t know how, in her name, this would work out
120>”From your face I’m sure you have realized that Daybreaker and I are one, and we share the same body”
121>”And I am NOT willing to let her control MY body just so she can have a date and be happy while I have watch everything, locked away in her PSYCHE!”
122>You reel back and rub your ears at her outburst
123>Auntie sure looks pissed
124>She’s even tapping into her Royal Canterlot Voice at random intervals
125>Which is actually really off, now that you think about it
126>She never acts like this
127>In any other circumstance she would just be a little peeved, but not outright angry
128>There’s got to be something more
129“Auntie, why are you so against this?”
130“Aren’t you the one telling us to teach the value of friendship and such?”
131“Letting Daybreaker discover the joys of love could mean one less problem for us to deal with in the future”
132>”Because, my dear Mi Amore Cadenza”
133>She said your full name
134>She never says your full name
135>And she’s speaking through her teeth
136>This is not good
137>”I just don’t want to, how do these humans say it? Feel like the third wheel”
138>That’s a pretty strained smile you got there auntie
139“Auntie, why do you mind? You’re always so joyful whenever somepony gets a chance to be happy”
140“Why are you so frustrated now, all of a sudden?” 
141 >“Frustrated?”
142>She looks you in the eye
143>Uh-oh, I think I pushed the wrong button
144>Auntie doesn’t just look angry anymore
145>She looks downright offended
146“Frustrated? Hah, I’m not frustrated, why would I be frustrated?”
147>Auntie circles you like a predator waiting for the perfect chance to pounce
148>”I mean, it’s not like you, the Princess of Love, just asked for a private conversation, giving me false hope, only talk about how Daybreaker, of all ponies, is somehuman’s soulmate, while I still don’t have a lover!”
149>Oh
150>Ohhh
151>You suck air through your teeth
152>So that’s what that was
153>She’s jealous
154>Luna also having her own human probably doesn’t help things
155>This must suck for her
156>This would suck for anypony actually
157>What would the humans say again?
158>Oh yeah
159>That’s bullshit
160“But still, that’s not fair, aun-“
161>”Not fair?!”
162>With a golden glow creeping the corners of your sight, your whole body lurches forward and you butt heads with your Auntie
163>”I’ll tell you what’s not fair, Cadenza”
164>Not Cadenza…
165>“Having to sit on my ass all day, every day, for the past thousands of years, talking to a bunch of butt licking nobles and arguing with inept politicians, only for the day to end, and realize that unlike my sister, I don’t have a man to hold me tight and tell me how much he loves me, and make all this bullshit I go through every day, worth the wait at the end!!”
166>”And then you dare come into my castle, to talk about letting my evil half take over my body, just so she can get what I don’t have!?”
167>….!
168>Holy mother of-
169>Owie!
170>Auntie launches you back with her magic
171>Thankfully, her target was her bed, where you bounce a couple of times before coming to a full stop
172>You… you never knew she felt like that
173>And you were so inconsiderate
174>The way she spoke before her outburst kind of gave away she didn’t like the idea of her evil half somehow having a husbando before her
175>But you didn’t notice
176>You kind of wished you were the princess of logic for a moment
177>At least if you were, the signs would’ve been obvious
178>And now trash doesn’t begin describe how you feel at the moment
179>You look at your aunt to see her breathing heavily
180>Her usually gently flowing mane now moving at a more erratic pace
181>And on the corner of her eyes you could see tears forming
182>Taking notice of this, she rubs her eyes with her hoof, and closes her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself
183>It doesn’t take long for Auntie to compose herself before starting to walk toward the door
184>”I think we’re done here, Cadenza”
185>Wai-NO!
186>This isn’t over
187>You can’t go back emptyhoofed
188>Anon will be devastated
189>You scramble out of the bed and rush to the door before she could reach it, effectively blocking her way out
190>Unless she decides to teleport
191“Auntie, you have to unders-“
192>“Drop it”
193>You wince
194>She never uses a tone this sharp
195>Oh yeah, she’s very mad at you
196“But-
197>“I said drop it”
198>You wanna drop it
199>A mad auntie is a scary auntie
200>But you can’t let Anon down
201>So you shake your head like a stubborn child
202“Cadenza, I sa-“
203“No, I’m not gonna drop it!”
204“Please, just listen to me”
205>If she’s going to listen, you have no clue
206>You’re too scared to make eye contact at the moment
207>But it’s now or never
208“I know the idea of Daybreaker having a man waiting for her infuriates you, especially when she probably doesn’t even deserve one”
209>Mustering all the courage you have, you force your head up to meet your aunt’s fierce glare
210“But are you really going to deny somehuman’s happiness just because you don’t have it yet? This person dropped everything he had back in his world for this, and you’re just gonna refuse to give him a chance to be happy?”
211>Her gaze softens a bit, you’re starting to get through her
212“This isn’t like you, auntie, you’re not this selfish, please”
213>The way her gaze lingers on you send shivers down your spine
214>If Auntie had hands, you bet they would be clenched tight right now
215>But you see her blowing air from her nostrils after a deep breath
216>That’s a sign of her trying to be reasonable
217>At least one sign you had to notice 
218>“Alright, what do you have in mind?”
219>You gulp a lump your throat and try to think how you can convince her to let Daybreaker out
220>And fast too, otherwise Auntie will just dump you here and go back to her royal duties
221“What if… we separated you and Daybreaker into two entities?”
222>Rather than a very angry scowl, you get a, angry scowl and a lifted eyebrow
223>An improvement, at last!
224>”And how do you plan on doing that?”
225>You didn’t think this far
226>The plan was made on the fly, after all
227“Well… there must be a spell that can do the trick, right?”
228>She doesn’t look convinced
229“The archives have so many book and scrolls, there must be something there related to multiple entities living in one body, right?”
230>Yeah, that sounds about right, with so many of them, there’s bound to be some-
231>”No there isn’t, I’ve read every book, and every scroll in the archives, front to back, at least three times”
232>Archives are out of question then, what next?
233>Think, Cadance, think
234“Uhh… what about the old castle ruins in the Everfree Forest?”
235>Yeah, there’s definitely someth-
236>Oh c’mon, don’t shake your head like that
237>Not even in the old castle?
238>This isn’t good
239>This isn’t good at all
240>And auntie is starting to make her way past you and toward the door again
241>“It seems you’re out of options Cadenza, our get together has been… less enjoyable than expected”
242>Stop talking like that, Auntie, your choice of words hurt
243>This is not even your fault
244>It was the Crystal Heart who picked Daybreaker for Anon
245>But it feels like it is your fault
246>Because you’re and one relaying the news
247>And you’re feeling even worse now
248>“But I believe we must part ways for now”
249>Fuck, fuck, fuck
250>Think harder, Cadance!
251“WHAT ABOUT TWILIGHT!?”
252>Ow
253>Your ears
254>You’re still not used to Royal Canterlot Voice
255>But you got your reaction
256>Auntie stopped and turned her head to look at you
257>And she looks completely uninterested in what you have to say
258>”What about her?”
259“Twilight is so smart, she could think of a spell that could separate you and Daybreaker, and, uhhh, Starlight! Yeah, Starlight Glimmer, she also very smart, the two of them together can definitely cook up a spell to solve our problem”
260>Don’t stare like that, please
261>Why did Anon had to draw Daybreaker out of the millions of ponies in Equestria?
262>You guess it was only a matter of time till it happened, but still
263>”Who knows? Maybe you should talk to her, and we’ll see what happens”
264>Wait, just like that?
265>No back and forth this time?
266“Y-yeah, I’ll see to that…”
267>The two of you stand there in awkward silence for a full minute
268>During this time you see a multitude of emotions flare through auntie’s eyes before she closed them and finally gives you a curt nod
269>”Well, if you excuse me, I have a nation to run, have a good day Cadance”
270>With a heavy sigh, she turns back to the exit 
271>For a fraction of a second you can see something glistening on the corner of her eyes before she turns completely to the door and making her way out
272>You really fucked this up, didn’t you?
273>You’ve never seen Auntie so… defeated before
274>Not even actual defeats got to her like this
275>She probably doesn’t even want to see your face anymore, either
276>So much for being the princess of love
277>You feel like you failed her
278>You wonder if she blames you for this
279>No, that’s stupid
280>Of course she wouldn’t
281>Auntie is not this unreasonable
282>She knows you have no control over who the Crystal Heart chooses
283>She’s just upset, that’s all
284>Years of being alone are getting to her, and seeing everyone happy with their human partners doesn’t help
285>Sigh
286“This is going to be a long quest, Daybreaker”
287>You make your way out of the room, and toward the castle’s front gates
288>You have a train to catch
289>Destination? Ponyville
290“And I hope you make Anon the happiest man on Equestria”
291
292
293Part 3
294
295>”Absolutely not!”
296>You and Spike wince back
297>Like teacher, like student, you guess
298>”Geez Twilight, you don’t need to yell”
299>You got that right Spike
300>What’s with Alicorns overreacting to you asking to release a potential murderous psychopath?
301>”Here’s your tea, Cadance”
302>He hands you and Twilight tea before making his way out
303“Thanks Spike”
304>Before taking the train to Ponyville you sent a letter to Shining with a few tasks
305>First
306>Tell Anon that his match might take longer than anticipated, and that you’re sorry it couldn’t happen any faster
307>Second
308>Keep Anon distracted for the time being
309>Play games like Ogres and Oubliettes
310>Or those vidya games some men bring over
311>Be a bro, like they would say
312>Honestly, the reaction of some human men to just the possibility of not being matched were… not ideal
313>Yeah
314>Some of them are real desperate for companionship
315>Anon doesn’t strike you as the desperate type, though
316>He looked sad when you talked to him, yes
317>But not to the extent some other had
318>So hopefully he won’t do anything drastic to himself
319 >And third
320>While you’re busy trying to find a way to get to Daybreaker
321>He is to match every man, or group of men, that comes through the portal, with a mare
322>You taught him how to use the Crystal Heart, so it’s nothing new to him
323>Now were you again?
324>Oh yeah, Twilight Sparkle
325>After doing the usual greeting upon meeting her
326>The both of you headed to her library, where she promptly told you no
327>Obviously
328“Gee, why not?”
329>You take a lazy sip out of your tea
330>Spike keeps outdoing himself, this is some good tea
331>”Why not? Pfft, she’s asking why not”
332>She really is auntie’s student 
333>”Cadance are you listening to yourself?”
334>Okay, that’s it
335“Yes, I am, and yes, my request is insane!”
336>Oops
337>That came out a bit more aggressive than you intended
338>But seeing Twilight’s confused face is pretty funny
339>Took the word right out of your mouth, huh?
340>“W-well, if you know that, then why come here to ask it all the same?”
341>Really Twilight?
342>It’s not like your cutie mark is a dead give away
343>You point a hoof to your butt anyway
344>No need to waste air with something so obvious
345>”Oh, right, I forgot, heh”
346>You get a pass because your nervous laughs are just too adorable, Twilight
347>”But still, separating Celestia from her evil half, for a human? That’s crazy!”
348>”Don’t you realize how dangerous that could be?”
349“And that’s exactly why I came for you, Twilight”
350>Another dainty sip, there ya go
351“You’re the only pony I know who is smart enough to think of a solution”
352>”And while I’m flattered that you think so highly of me, why not ask Starswirl instead? He’s more knowledgeable in magic than almost any pony I know”
353>You take another sip
354>Uh huh, Starsw- what?
355>You hold the warm tea in your mouth, and slosh it around
356>Thinking about what you just heard before gulping down
357> Starswirl…
358>As in, Starswirl the Bearded?
359>Should you be worried about Twilight’s mental health?
360“Twilight, Starswirl is dead”
361>”No he’s not”
362>You’re about to correct her when you see her smile innocently
363>She’s… she’s not lying
364>”It’s quite the story, heh”
365>”I’m surprised Princess Celestia didn’t tell you”
366>You stare at the mare sitting on the sofa across your own
367>Rubbing her head nervously
368>Auntie didn’t tell you anything about this
369>Why didn’t she tell you anything about this?
370>Are you being left out?
371>Questions for later
372“Anyway, Twilight, aren’t you the princess of friendship? Give Daybreaker a chance, you gave Discord a chance”
373>”For starters, Discord isn’t a violent psychopath!”
374>Damn, she’s right
375>He’s chaotic
376>But only for fun, he never hurts anypony
377>Even when he was evil
378>At least physically anyways
379“Ehh… point taken, but think about it, this way”
380>She arches an eyebrow
381“This could mean another Alicorn princess, imagine having two Celestias?”
382>This piques her interest somewhat
383>Gotta play this right
384>Twilight has always licked the floor auntie walks on
385>No way she would deny having two Princess Celestias around
386>Even if one of them ain’t actually like the Celestia you all know and love
387 “Wouldn’t it be great? Two different facets of Celestia for you to talk to”
388>She taps her hoof on her chin
389>”Hmmm, it does sound fascinating”
390>Yes!
391>“And having insight from both of them could lead to great discussions”
392>Oh yeah
393>You got this on the ba-
394>“But it’s still stupid, and I’m not gonna do it”
395>flips_table.jpeg
396>You don’t know what .jpeg means
397>But you heard some humans say that term when something doesn’t go their way
398“You won’t do it because you don’t wanna do it, or because you can’t?”
399>”Both actually, I have no idea how I’d be able to separate Daybreaker from Princess Celestia”
400>You open your mouth
401>”EVEN, if I had Starlight helping me!”
402>Aaand you close it back
403>”And even if I did know how, I wouldn’t do it, it’s simply too dangerous to make Daybreaker her own living being”
404>You were about to tell that with so many books on her library, there’s no way she couldn’t have one with a spell that deals with the subject of your current quest
405>But this is Twilight you’re talking, remember?
406>She must’ve read all of these books, at the very least, ten times over
407>You have to try a different approach
408>But what…
409>Think Cadance, think
410>Damn it, you can’t think of anything!
411>”Well, if this is all, I think you should get going Cadance”
412>No!
413>You don’t have to get going
414>You have to get Twilight to help you
415>”You have to tell the bad news to this human, that you can’t match him with a mare”
416>Damn Sombra’s soul to Tartarus, you’re not breaking Anon’s hea-
417>!
418>You got it…
419“Oh, that’s a pity then”
420>Play this right, Cadance, don’t screw it up
421>The right voice tone and you’ll have Twilight in no time
422>”It is, I can’t imagine how hard it will be for this human to-“
423“Oh, not that Twilight, that’s a pity too, but there’s another thing…”
424>Close your eyes
425>Turn your head to the side
426>Make a sad face
427>You know Twilight won’t resist and will ask w-
428>”Is something the matter? What is it, Cadance?”
429>Gotcha
430“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just that…”
431>Pause for dramatic effect
432>”We now have to destroy it all to make more room for the men coming through the portal…”
433>You hear the sofa shuffling under Twilight’s weight
434>You bet she’s leaning forward in curiosity and dread
435>Yes, gotcha indeed, she’s all over your words
436>”D-destroy what?”
437>She asks, gulping nervously, wondering what has to be destroyed thanks to her choice
438“Oh you know, Sombra’s study, full of all sorts of notes, information and books collected through the years”
439>You hear a deep breath intake and turn your now open eyes to Twilight
440>Dear auntie, you’ve never seen Twilight’s eyes bug out that much
441”And since you’re not interested in helping me, I guess I’ll go through with burning everything do-“
442>“LIKE HAY YOU WILL!”
443>You wince close your eyes, rubbing your ears of the ringing
444>That as a royal Canterlot voice alright, first time you’ve heard Twilight use it
445>She’s a natural, that’s for sure
446>Now that you got her hooked, you just need to pu-
447>And she’s not on her sofa
448>Why is hot air hitting your neck?
449>Turning your head you’re face to face with-
450“Oh shi- Twilight!”
451>You lose your magical grip on your tea
452>But Twilight saves it the nick of time and places it on the tea table
453>She doesn’t stop breathing down your neck though
454>And with a glare to boot
455>You can’t help but reel back to get some space
456“Stop that”
457>You push her face back with your hoof
458>And that seems to be enough to pull Twilight out of her funk with a head shake
459>She even puts a hoof over her mouth, muttering an apology after realizing what she has done
460>Apology accepted Twilight
461>It’s not like you’re staying here
462>Now where were you? Oh yes
463“Like hay I will?”
464>She gulps
465>Time to go for kill
466“But Twilight, didn’t you say you weren’t helping me even if you had the means to?”
467>”Uhh…”
468>Contain that smirk Cadance, or she’ll catch onto you
469“And if you’re not helping me, why should I keep all those books and scrolls lying around when I could just get rid of them”
470>”Uhhhmm…”
471>Ohh, you’re so mean, making Twilight fidget like that
472>But you can’t stop now
473“Especially when those books and notes of Sombra’s could contain so much information on dangerous magic, never seen by anypony in hundreds, maybe thousands of years”
474>”Hmmmmmm…”
475>Oh my auntie, she’s actually shaking
476>You’re starting to feel bad right now
477“An-“
478>”Alright, stop, I’ll help you!”
479>You resist the urge to hoof pump
480>It wouldn’t be educated to commemorate right in front of poor Twilight
481>Can’t stop that smirk though
482>That one’s staying, and you’re sure it’s pissing her off
483>”On two conditions!”
484>She raises her hoof to your face
485>Almost poking your snout
486>”First, you’re NOT touching anything inside that study with the intent to harm, EVER!
487>“And once we’re finished, you’re giving all that material to ME!”
488>Sounds reasonable, you were already gonna give it to Twilight one of these days anyways
489>You thank auntie you didn’t, otherwise you wouldn’t have material to bribe her with
490>You nod, which in turn makes her a little less frustrated
491>”And second, you have to promise me things will be under control, and nothing will go wrong, this is still too dangerous”
492“Twilight, we will have four Alicorns, me, you, Auntie Celestia and Luna, I think we can subdue Daybreaker with all our magic combined”
493>She’s still glaring at you
494>“Promise”
495>Okay, alright
496“I promise nothing wrong will happen and no one will get hurt”
497>”Pinkie promise”
498>You sigh and roll your eyes
499>Still, better do this right now and prevent Twilight from suddenly growing common sense and back out
500>How was it again?
501“Cross my heart”
502>You cross your hoof over your chest
503“Hope to fly”
504>And flap your wings
505“Stick a cupcake in my e-OW!”
506>Ow, damn, that hurt
507>Not to self: Take off the gold horseshoes before doing a pinkie promise
508>Twlight glares at you more before smiling to herself and nodding
509>You watch as she jumps off the sofa and make her way out of the library
510>”Starlight, Spike, pack your stuff, we’re going to the Crystal Empire!”
511>Her yell reverberates from the all over castle’s hallways
512>And you can’t help the smirk from creeping up your face again as you finish your tea
513>You could care less that it’s cold by now
514>Mission accomplished
515>New ponies want to join party 
516>Twilight Sparkle
517>Starlight Glimmer
518>Spike
519>Accept new party members?
520>Absolutely
521
522
523
524Part 4
525
526
527>”Remind me, why are we doing this again?”
528>You look away the book you’re currently reading to respond, but Twilight beats you to the punch
529>”Because, Starlight, somepony here couldn’t catch a hint and just let it go”
530>Giving you the dirty look, huh?
531>Is that how’s gonna be Twilight?
532>Okay then, alright
533>File that for later, Cadance
534>Be Cadance, by the way
535>You have successfully bri-
536>Convinced
537>Twilgiht and her two housemates to come to the crystal empire to search for a way to separate Daybreaker from Celestia
538>Despite being genuinely ecstatic to research old books on magic left by Sombra
539>You could feel a certain animosity from Twilight
540>Directed toward you, of course
541>Maybe bri-
542>Convincing
543>Convincing her the way you did wasn’t exactly the best way to get things done
544>But it’s not like you had a plethora of different options considering what you have to work with
545>You did what you had to do
546[spoiler]>Bully Twilight into submission[/spoiler]
547>Find a way to get Twilight and Starlight to help you
548>Mostly Twilight
549>Any animosity she had for you almost vanished as soon as you three made it to Sombra’s study though, and she witnessed how big and packed the place was
550>Easily as big as your castle’s very own library
551>Even Starlight was getting excited at the prospect of learning more
552>You’ve never been so thankful for a bonus that comes with the package
553>Spike is another bonus, but he can’t help you at all
554>He’s coming because Twilight didn’t want to leave him alone
555>He really likes hanging out with humans though, so it’s all good
556>Something about how humans get him
557>I think it’s because the men can be just as snarky and sarcastic as he is
558>Or maybe it’s how relatable they are with how back in their world their love was unrequited
559>Just like Spike’s love for Rarity
560>Poor Spike
561>His day will come
562>Not today though
563>Today is the day of finding out how to give anon his match
564>So you just huff and raise your nose
565>No need to get your feathers ruffled by Twilight’s comment
566>You’re all here for a reason
567>So back to the book you go
568>”And the pony we’re trying to get to, is Daybreaker?”
569>”Yup”
570>You hear Glimmer taking a deep breath
571>”Why did I agree to this again?”
572>You take your eyes of the book again an-
573>“You didn’t, I brought you with me because other than the Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, you’re the only one who dealt with Daybreaker before”
574>You can’t help but turn an ear to their little chat, some useful info might come out of it
575>“I didn’t even know she was real, I thought she was just a figment of my imagination”
576>”Well, from what you told me, she did show up only after Princess Celestia appeared in your nightmare, so maybe it was the Princess’ magic manifesting itself as Daybreaker in response to your fears?”
577>”Princess Celestia isn’t exactly proficient at managing dreams like Princess Luna, so I wouldn’t put it behind as being inexperience”
578>Yeah nope, none of this will help you in the long run
579>This is just some trivia
580>”Well, that does sound like a plausible explanation”
581“Girls, we’re not here to chit chat, we’re here to study”
582>This got the both of them to shut up real quick
583>Twilight has an automatic reaction to the word study and immediately dives her head back to the book she was doing her research on
584>Starlight didn’t look to amused with you cutting her conversation short though
585>Despite being stupidly smart, she’s not as eggheady as Twilight
586>But a sigh came right after when she realized she had no choice in the matter
587>You were not letting her get out of the Crystal Empire until you’ve either find what you’re looking for, or read through every book and find nothing
588>”This will be the stupidest thing I’ll ever do if it goes through”
589>Think you didn’t catch that, Starlight? 
590“Not as stupid as creating time paradoxes and plunging the world into chaos”
591>You mutter to yourself
592>But with just enough volume for Starlight to hear you
593>And hear you she does, sinking her head further into the book, and splaying her ears back as soon as the words left your mouth
594>Twilight gives you a disapproving look, and you realize you screwed up
595“Umm, sorry, I didn’t mean to”
596>You don’t know if she heard you, but if she did she’s clearly ignoring you now 
597>She just keeps her head down on her book
598>You look back at Twilight and see her shaking her head before going back to her own book
599>Way to go, Cadance
600>First you got Auntie depressed
601>Now you got Twilight mad at you, and Starlight feeling guilty
602>What’s wrong with you?
603>You’ve been acting out of character
604>Is the stress of working everyday with matching men with mares catching up to you?
605>No, that can’t be, pairing them up always fills your heart with joy
606>Maybe…
607>Is the possibility of not being able to get Daybreaker and Anon together messing with your head?
608>You try to shake the thoughts off your head and refocus on the book
609>You have no time for this, Cadance
610>There’s a man waiting for his mare and you’re not failing him
611>And with the vast collection of information surrounding you, and two of the biggest minds in Equestria working together
612>You feel this is will be over in a jiffy
613>…
614>…
615>Okay, maybe a jiffy was bit of big exaggeration
616>You three have been camping on this damn study for about five days now
617>And have made a whopping zero progress
618>Progress in finding what you want, that is
619>Because the atmosphere around you three have been getting progressively worse
620>Starlight refuses to talk you after your little tongue slip
621>No matter how much you try to apologize, she keeps playing the silence game
622>Twilight’s getting more and more annoyed as the days go by, and nothing came up in the literal dozens of books she had read
623>And Twilight is still pissed over what you said to Starlight, and has kept conversations to a minimum
624>To top it all off, the both of them are exhausted
625>And you haven’t even began with how you feel
626>Angry
627>Depressed
628>Frustrated
629>You name it
630>You swear you’ve read over twenty of those Auntie forsaken books front to back and you still didn’t find shit
631>You have found some screwed up stuff, but nothing about splitting two beings living in the same body
632>You’re on your wits ends here
633>It’s kinda shocking that Sombra’s study of all things doesn’t have anything on it
634>Wasn’t he some sort of psychopath?
635>This would be right up his alley
636>But nope, only your regular morally ambiguous magic that isn’t that big of a deal aside from a few spells
637>Like the book you just read, there’s nothing useful in it
638>Only runes and seals
639>Why are runes and seals morally ambiguous?
640>Because their effects are permanent as long as the runes or seals aren’t damaged
641>With a flick of your magic, you casually toss the book to a pile that’s being growing increasingly larger
642>You’re so tired though, that you didn’t realize you overshoot the book and it-
643>”Ow!”
644>Went straight for Twilight’s head 
645>”Okay, that’s enough!”
646>She closes a scroll the was going through and stands up, popping her stiff joints
647>”Starlight, c’mon, we’re going back to Ponyville”
648>Wait, no!
649“W-wait, you can’t do-“
650>”Can’t do what? Go back to my home?”
651“You can’t just give up like that!”
652>”Yes I can, and I’m doing it right now, I’m done with this, let’s go Starlight”
653>She does a 180º and trots straight for the door, with Starlight in tow
654“Wait, no!
655>You teleport in front of Twilight, blocking her way out
656>And she doesn’t look happy, she’s openly glaring at you now
657“Please, I need your help!”
658>You have to move to the left and right to keep her from going around you
659>When Twilight’s and Starlight’s horns start glowing, you don’t think twice before releasing a spell on the room
660>The glow on their horns fizzle out after you put up a magic nullifying spell
661>And now Twilight looks even angrier
662>”Cadance, what are you doing?”
663“You can’t go, you promised, remember?”
664>”No, YOU promised that nothing bad would happen”
665“And nothing bad has happened”
666>You know you got Twilight, because you’re technically not wrong
667“Don’t you want all of this?”
668>You wave your hoof to the waves and waves of books and scrolls scattered around the floor, and still sitting neatly on the shelves
669>“This isn’t worth the effort, Cadance, we’ve been here for almost a week and haven’t found anything, it’s useless”
670>Useless?
671>This isn’t useless, is it?
672“This isn’t useless, Twilight, this is for a good cause!”
673>”Good cause? Cadance, if this doesn’t work out as planned we could put Equestria in grave danger!”
674>You try to argue, but your friend’s having none of that
675>”I get it that this is your job, and you’re supposed to match any pony with any man no matter what, but this is insanity”
676“So that’s it, you don’t you care about these men, do you?
677>Looks like you offended Twilight here
678>“Of course I do, that’s why I think this is insane”
679>Before I can inquire she’s already onto me
680>“When there’s a point in time where I have to choose between the safety of all the ponies and humans in Equestria, or matching a man with a demon that can destroy everything, I’ll pick the first option!”
681>“Besides, we’re just wasting time here in trying to find the answer for the impossible, there is no soul splitting spell, or whatever!”
682>”We’ve already gone over all the book scrolls that deal with multiple personalities, or souls inside one body, and not a single one of them had any information about how to split them apart”
683>You can’t argue back
684>There’s no way to prove that what you’re looking for does, in fact, exists, when there’s no historical evidence of anything similar to it ever happening
685>You believe it does, but Twilight doesn’t share the same belief 
686 “Please, do it for me”
687>”Do it for you!?”
688>Oh jeez, she sounds more pissed than ever
689>Twilight gets face to face with you
690>”Cadance, I know you offered this study for me as a deal to get me to help you, but also tried to help you because you’re our friend”
691>She taps your golden collar repeatedly
692“But you’ve been extremely rude and condescending, bossing us around, not letting us rest, and just overall being unpleasant to be with”
693>You what?
694>No, that’s not right.
695“N-no I haven-“
696>”Yes you have”
697>Starlight chimes in
698>”Ever since we’ve started researching for… whatever you’re trying to achieve, you have been forcing us to work nonstop, I’m sorry Princess, I know is important to you, but… we had enough”
699>Oh Celestia…
700>”C’mon Starlight, let’s get Spike and go home”
701>No…
702>Nononono
703>This can’t be happening
704>You need their help, you’re a catastrophe with high level magic
705>They’re not going away
706“No!”
707>Your magic surges and you seal the room from the inside
708>Twilight tries to open the study’s door with her own magic, but once again, all she manages are some sparks out of her horn
709“I’m not letting you out!”
710>You yell, your magic once again surges out, pulling everything to the center of the study, chairs, tables, lamps, and of course, the many books and scrolls littering the floor and shelves
711>Even Twilight and Starilight get pulled
712>Oh wait, shit, you shouldn’t react so casually to that
713>Your friends yelp out loud as they’re suddenly pulled to the center and are buried underneath a pile of furniture and books
714“Oh no”
715>You‘ve done it Cadance, you hurt your friends
716>Good job, you imbecile 
717>You quickly use your magic to levitate everything from them
718>”Ow, ow, ow”
719>Twilight and Starlight have some bruises on them
720>Nothing too serious
721>But nothing that prevents you from feeling like shit
722>You practically assaulted your friends like a stubborn child because they didn’t want to help you
723“I’m so sorry”
724>Twilight sends a glare yoyr way and looked ready to chew you out when her ears flicked toward the fireplace
725>And then yours flick to the same direction, and you hear it
726>A set of clicking echoes from behind the walls of the now deadly silent room
727>It sounds like some sort of machine, or a mechanism
728>Finally, with a final click, the walls around the fireplace slowly retract into the floor and the chimney raises a few hoofs up, revealing...
729>Ohhh shi-
730>”What the…“
731>”A secret passage?”
732>Twilight is the first of us to regain her bearings
733>Sombra, you sneaky bastard
734>You wonder if there are more of these secrets in your castle
735>”But how?”
736>”Over there Twilight”
737>Starlight points to a bookshelf with a single book still hanging in there thanks to a metal shaft holding it from falling
738>You make your way to said book and push it back, causing the fireplace to reassemble itself
739>So there was a lever in here all this time?
740>How come no one ever noticed this?
741>You’ve sent some maids here to clean this place
742>Just because it was once Sombra’s, doesn’t mean you’ll let it get dirty
743>Huh? What’s this written on the spine?
744“How to detect…”
745>!!!
746>Geldings!
747>”Princess, what was it?”
748>Oh snap, is your face that shocked?
749“Nothing, it was nothing!
750>You pull the book and open the passageway again
751>”Are you su-“
752“Absolutely, why don’t we see what’s up with the secret path, eh?”
753>You push the two purple ponies into the dark pathway
754>Their groans of protest do nothing to stop you from shoving them into the newly revealed doorway
755>Now you know why no one ever found out
756>Who’d even touch, let alone read, a book with a title like that?
757>Sombra was smarter than you gave him credit
758>”A staircase?”
759>You hear Twilight comment
760>Just like she said, there’s staircase spiraling upwards
761>No one is going up though
762>Not Twilight, not Starlight, not you
763>And for good reason
764>This IS a hidden passage in a room used by Sombra of all ponies
765>Who knows what kind of malevolent and downright sick stuff he had that needed to be hidden even from his own staff
766>But you can’t go back
767>If you do, the wonder duo over there will probably lose interest and want to go home again
768>So like the big mare you are
769>And obviously not feeling the least creeped out by the near pitch black, and old, evil looking spiraling staircase 
770>Nope
771>Not at all
772>You take the lead and head up the stairs, careful to not tri-
773“Wah!”
774>And collide face first onto the floor, of course
775>Ow
776>Your ear swivels back when you hear chuckles
777>Glad to hear you two are enjoying yourselves
778>Maybe this will ease the atmosphere somewhat
779>You don’t to keep dealing with a pissed Twilight
780>Quickly pulling your face from the floor, you make haste
781>Don’t want to them seeing your embarrassed face
782>With the two purple-lights in tow
783>And no trips and falls this time
784>You lead the way up
785>The path is farily lengthy, but soon enough you tree reach the end
786>Where a tall wooden door, with weird swirling designs engraved on the wood
787>And purple smoke seeping from underneath it
788>Not ominous at all
789>You gulp down a lump in your throat before pushing the door with your hoof
790>It’s stuck
791>Of course it would be stuck
792“Twilight, Starlight, a little help please?”
793>Be sure to be nice to them Cadance, you don’t want them to turn tail and leave
794>With all three pushing the door, it takes no time it to open
795>Not in the way you expected though
796“WAH!!”
797>The wood breaks under the pressure and you’re sent flying into the room’s floor
798>Ow, you didn’t expect the door to be that old
799>This day isn’t good for your health, that’s for sure
800>Huh, weird, you could swear you had opened your eyes
801>Wait, no… your eyes are open!
802>Oh sweet Auntie you’ve gone blind!
803>“Wow, is sure is dark in here”
804>…
805>You knew that
806>And in no time a small light source makes itself known
807>And it’s Starlight’s horn
808>Partially illuminating the now not so pitch black, but still very dark, room with weird purple fog on the floor
809>Ohhh, your spell doesn’t reach this place
810>You hope they don’t realize thi-
811>“Alright, looks like we can use magic again”
812>Damn you Twilight, you perceptive pony you
813>You hoped they’d not realize it since they basically use magic on instinct
814>”Now we can teleport out of here, Starlight”
815>Uh-oh
816>Think, Cadance thi-
817“What is this?”
818>No, really, what is this?
819>Now that your eyes are fully used to the lighting in this place
820>You can see the room looks like some sort of lab
821>There are bookshelves, tables containing multiple notes and chemistry equipment on them, glass vials and artifacts
822>The vials littering the shelves were either full with some weird, unknown contents, or empty
823>All having different sizes to accommodate for the different types of contents
824>You swear one of the things inside of these glass vials looked like a fetus and it sent chills down your spine
825>And not just vials, a multitude of different artifacts, all giving off an ominous vibe, like you were supposed to stay the hay away from them
826>Even the purple duo over there stopped trying to get away yhe moment their curiosity kicked in
827>One of the books is then encased in a purple glow and floats to Twilight, who immediately began to leaf through it
828>Of course it would be Twilight to be the first try them out, when it comes to knowledge she’ll eat up anything that can offer it to her
829>You watch as her face going from amazement, to terror, and then amazement again
830>Only for terror to set on her face once again
831>S-should you get worried?
832>She the picks more books and the notes on the table near the chemistry equipment, and quickly leaf through all of them
833>And her face only grows more and more terrified
834>“These books…”
835>The glow on the books dissipate, making them fall onto the floor unceremoniously
836>Oookay… there’s must be something going on, Twilight doesn’t treat books this carelessly
837>“They’re about…”
838>Her face has a strange mix of amazement and horror that you find hard to explain
839>Like whatever she read was both incredible and sickening at the same time
840>“… they’re about…”
841>In one go, her horn shines brightly and illuminates the entire room
842>Not so bright Twilight, are you trying blin-
843>And your words die right in your mind
844>Because in the end of the room is a transparent crystal with a Pony sealed inside of it, a small colt
845>That looks just like Sombra
846
847
848
849Part 5
850
851“What the fuck…”
852>At this point you don’t care about your tongue slips
853>The sentence of human origin is just too perfect not to use right now
854>Even your two purple friends agree by slightly nodding their heads, still in trance by the absurdity displayed in front of you all
855>It’s a small colt
856>That looks just like Sombra
857>Sealed inside a crystal
858>Locked away in a fucking secret lab
859“What the fuck is that!”
860>Shit, shit, shit!
861>What the hell is this, Sombra’s offspring!? 
862>Supposed to be Sombra 2.0 after adulthood and rule the kingdom with an even bigger iron hoof!?
863>Or is it a clone meant to take Sombra’s place after he died so he could continue ruling just like Sombra did!?
864>Seems like your yell pulled the two geniuses out of their funk because their faces now went from bewilderment to horrified faster than the speed of light 
865>Twilight is shaking her head in disbelief like a spaz while Starlight is freaking out
866>“Is that Sombra? He’s still alive? I.. how-what!?”
867“Twilight, explain!?”
868>C’mon Twilight, pick that jaw from the floor and answer the question
869>You don’t wanna have to deal with this fu- damn prick again
870>”I-I don’t know…”
871>Oh geez
872>Oh man
873>This can’t be happening 
874“Didn’t you just read a bunch of books and notes!?”
875>”I-I did, but I don’t know if this is the actual Sombra or… “
876>Or what?
877>Don’t you dare stop now Twilight, spit it out
878“WHAT IS IT?!”
879>You like to think you have every right to raise your voice
880>After all, it was you and your husband who had to deal with Sombra’s ass before Twilight showed up
881>So you don’t give a damn that she flinched back over being yelled at, you want answers
882“Well?!”
883>”I… t-those books and notes were dark arts, and were about the ins and outs of creating…”
884>Why’d you stop Twilight?
885>“Creating…”
886>That’s a pretty big gulp you took Twilight
887>”C-creating artificial bodies”
888>….
889>Oh fuck, you don’t say
890>“A-according to these notes, Sombra knew he was no immortal like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and that his time would eventually come, so he researched ways to keep himself alive for centuries, maybe even millenniums, and this is what he found..”
891>This what?
892>Say it Twilight, what was it?
893>“These books, they’re books on Dark Arts and Magic, more specifically about how to create an artificial blank slate body, and methods on transferring his soul into another vessel”
894>Hot damn
895>You knew Sombra had a few loose screws in his head 
896>But now Twilight just confirmed he was one sick fu-
897>!!!
898>Wait a moment
899>Did she just say…
900“So there IS a way to get Daybreaker out of Aun-“
901>”Shut up, Cadance”
902>Shut up now
903>”As I was saying, he was creating an artificial body so that he could transfer his soul to it once he got too old, and repeat the process infinitely throughout the centuries, and, in a way, achieving eternal life”
904>That’s… that’s a pretty scary thought actually
905>Just imagining what would happen if any random pony with not so noble intentions got their hoofs on this knowledge makes your skin crawl
906>Basically anyone can live forever using this method
907“Is there more to it, Twilight?”
908>”Well, the rest are the specifics on how the artificial body works, and how it has to be maintained”
909“Well, don’t leave us hanging, go on”
910>Twilight gives you a dirty look
911>She knows you’re only asking because this might be the answer you three were looking for downstairs
912>But she concedes and starts talking anyway
913>You wonder why she’d do it instead of outright refusing this time
914>She was ready to jump ship with Starlight not even ten minutes ago
915>“Anyway, the artificial body can have a soul transferred to it anytime. If the body is still blank when the transfer happens, it will start to mutate into the appearance of the soul’s original body appearance, and will fully transform in a month.
916>”Which means, if Sombra transferred his soul to the blank body, it eventually would look like his normal self?”
917>”Exactly, Starlight”	
918>Hmmm
919>So it would take a month for the body to turn into Daybreaker after the soul transfer
920>Wait a minute
921>Does Daybreaker even have a soul?
922>You know she’s an entity that lives inside Auntie Celestia, but does she have a soul also?
923>Shit
924>You might need to dig deeper into this
925>But for the time being, you keep on listening to Twilight
926>”So would that mean he wouldn’t have all of his powers as soon as he transferred bodies?”
927>Nice catch Starlight
928>This could come in handy, if Daybreaker can’t have full access to all her abilities, then that means you and Anon would have at least a month to get through her before she achieved her true form
929>”I assume that would be the case, Starlight, the notes do hint at it, but they don’t say if the user is completely incapable of using their abilities after the transfer” 
930>Drat
931>“Either way, there’s one problem with this method, from notes I read, it looks like you can’t make a teenager, or adult body from the start, you have to make a foal, which means if one wants to have their soul transferred to the body of an adult pony, they’ll have to wait all the years it would take for the body to mature. And in order for the body to mature from a foal to an adult, it has to be constantly maintained and looked after, or else the body will die from lack of nourishment”
932>What?
933>Oh, don’t you make that smirk Twilight
934>So that’s why she explained it either way
935>You know what she’s thinking, and she’s mocking you
936>She knows how pointless it would be for you to make one of these artificial bodies for Daybreaker, only to have Anon wait fifteen to twenty years to get his match
937>Shit
938>“There’s another thing though, and I think this is important to share with you girls. In the notes Sombra wrote, it says that one can streamline the transferring process by injecting the young artificial body with their DNA, and with time the body will mutate into a body similar to the donor’s as it matures, so that by the time the transfer happens, the body will be fully functional from the start”
939>That sounds the kind of stuff Sombra would do
940>By the time he’s too old, the new body, already having his physical traits and possibly magical trace, will be ready as soon as the transfer ends, instead of having to wait for the mutations to occur
941>”However”
942>Twilight gulps a heavy lump in her throat
943>You don’t like the sounds of that
944>”If not looked after continuously  after the DNA injection, the artificial body might gain a soul and consciousness of its own, if a specific spell isn’t applied to the body at least… once a week”
945>You don’t like the sound of this
946>You don’t like the sound of this at all
947>Is Twilight actually, seriously telling you, that the foal sealed inside that crystal might be alive?
948>Like, actually alive, and not just ready for transfer alive?
949>A foal that’s the splitting image of Sombra?
950>You… you don’t even know how to react to this
951>What should you do?
952>You can’t just… do away with it, can you?
953>You mean, it’s just a foal, it probably doesn’t even know what, or what it is
954>It only so happens to look like Sombra, but you doubt it knows anything about his upbringing or who Sombra even was
955>Especially since it’s frozen in crystal
956>You bet that if you took him out of that crystal, all you’d get was a small colt that doesn’t know who he is, where he is, and even how to speak
957>But…
958>But it could also be a new Sombra in the making
959>What’s there to prevent it from growing into cold and ruthless like Sombra?
960>What is there to prevent it from becoming bitter at the world around like him?
961>And what is there to prevent him from gathering a small band of loyal cultist and stage a coup to try and overthrow you and the other princess? 
962>You lightly bang your head on a nearby shelf, making some books fall to the floor
963>Oh Auntie, why is all of this so complicated?
964>…
965>!!!
966>That’s it
967>Auntie!
968>You should definitely tell Auntie about this
969>She’ll know what to do
970>She always knows what to do
971>Even if she leaves everything for Twilight to handle
972>You just hope she still isn’t pissed at you, or anything
973>“…ou think Cadancce?”
974“I-wha-“
975>You shake your head
976>Were they talking to you?”
977>Were you so focused on your thoughts?
978>”I said, what do you think Cadance?”
979“About what?”
980>”About the colt in the Crystal, what do you think we should do?”
981“Well, what are your own thoughts on this? I want to know what you think before making my own thoughts known”
982>The two purple friends look at each other before shrugging and nodding 
983>Starlight takes a step forward to meet your eyes
984>“I think we should get rid of it”
985>Wow, Starlight!
986>Sure, yeah it’s possibly a little Sombra in there
987>But it’s still just a colt, how can you think like that?
988>Oh yeah, former villain…
989>”And I think we should consult Princess Celestia about this”
990>Agree 100% percent with you, Twilight
991“I agree with Twilight on this, I think we should tell Auntie, she’ll probably know what to do with him”
992>Starlight doesn’t look too thrilled about the idea 
993>But its two princesses opinions against her pleb opinions, what can she do about it?
994>”I think you two missed the part where you realize we could have a potential Sombra trying to ruin everything again?”
995>Apparently she can try to argue
996>Not the she’s wrong, but-
997>”Still, Starlight, we can’t condemn a foal for the sins of the father”
998>Took the words out of your mouth
999“Besides, that can’t be Sombra. We actually faced and defeated him, there was no time for him to transfer his soul … I think”
1000>You tap your chin in wonder
1001>Sure, it wasn’t THE Sombra in the flesh back then, but you’re pretty sure that if he had made the transfer there wouldn’t be any dangerous Sombra to worry about after the Cystal Empire reemerged, only a tiny little colt Sombra
1002>”I guess…”
1003>Oh, Starlight, don’t be like that, not everyone gets what they want
1004>Just look at yours truly right here
1005>Trying to find a way to match what could be described by some as just an idea with a real person
1006>And success has yet to show its pretty face
1007“Alright, now that we decided what we’re going to do with the colt in the Crystal, is there any more information this whole soul transfer shebang?”
1008>You expect Twilight to go full lecture mode like she always does
1009>Instead she shakes her head
1010>Twilight, why are you doing that?
1011>”I can’t, the books and notes I read were only about the artificial body and how Sombra was making preparations to transfer his soul into one”
1012>Damn
1013>If you had fingers you’d snap them
1014>Humans and their superior forelimbs, how you envy them
1015>The things you could do if you had hands
1016“Well, I guess we should get to reading then”
1017>Encasing some books from the shelf in your magic, you pull a free table and chair, and dump them all on it
1018>You don’t hear hoofsteps of smart purple mares coming to assist you though
1019>What’s up with that?
1020“What are you staring at, aren’t you helping me?”
1021>Oh no, don’t you two look uncomfortable now
1022>”Well, we’re still not too keen on helping you after you… you know… threw the whole study on us”
1023>Oh
1024>You hiss through your teeth
1025>Yeah, you forgot about that
1026>”And we still wanna go home, we’re tired and hungry, and we don’t want to deal with any of this anymore”
1027>Starlight says with finality and does a 180º toward the door you three busted, not even waiting for Twilight
1028>C’mon girls, don’t do this!
1029“B-but why not?”
1030>You scramble out of your seat
1031>”Cadance, are you not seeing this?”
1032>Twilight waves her hoof toward the lab, and Starlight stops at the door to wait for her
1033>“Do you seriously want to read further into… this!”
1034>Yeah
1035>… kinda
1036>If it means finding a way to finally get Daybreaker and Anon together, then sure
1037>As long as it doesn’t involve having to create a foal and having to take care of its body for twenty years
1038>You already have Flurry Heart
1039>You don’t need another baby
1040>Even if this another baby is just a soulless husk ready to be possessed
1041>…
1042>That’s kinda fucked up
1043>You get why Twilight doesn’t want in on this, now
1044>But still
1045“Well, don’t you?”
1046>By now you know how Twilight ticks, and you know when to press her buttons
1047>And just like you expected, Twilight doesn’t know how to respond
1048>She now looks pretty conflicted, and for good reason
1049>This shit was made for her
1050>Dozens, if not hundreds of books and notes about old, forgotten dark magic, just ready to be accessed at any time?
1051>Yes it comes from a mad pony, but Twilight would be lying if the desire to dig deeper wasn’t there
1052>And it’s not like she lacks any self-control, or common sense, she knows when not to push her boundaries
1053>… sometimes
1054>Then again, it IS a lab made by Sombra to conduct experiments less than morally ideal
1055>You’re pretty sure creating a living body, yet keeping it soulless on purpose via magic spells is something that would get you to that hell place humans talk about real fast
1056>If Auntie Luna caught on to this she would blast this place to oblivion along with the entire castle section
1057“Please Twilgiht, I beg you, you’re the only one smart enough to help me with this”
1058>You bow your head all the way to the floor
1059>Ew
1060>Ew
1061>Ew
1062>The floor is all dusty and grimy
1063>And you’re pretty sure you don’t want any of the the ominous purple smoke getting into your system
1064>So make sure to keep that mouth and nostrils shut Cadance
1065>Being grossed out apart, you manage to keep your head down, wouldn’t look too convincing for Twilight if you pranced around in disgust
1066>“Hey, what about me?”
1067>Oh yeah, there’s Starlight
1068>She’s pretty smart too
1069“Uhh… you too, Starlight”
1070>You can hear a huff, but you can’t see any Starlight
1071>Not that it matters, the only one who matters is Twilight
1072>“But… why me?”
1073>You take your head off the floor to look at the one you foalsat when she was little
1074>“Why do you need my help so much? Can’t you do any of this research on your own?”
1075>Why she asks?
1076*sigh*
1077>Well, it’s obvious, at least for you
1078>You’re not exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to book smarts or magical prowess
1079>You’re an Alicorn, but that doesn’t mean you were automatically turned a prodigy when you became one
1080>It just downs on you that out of all the Princesses, you’re the most inept one
1081>Even Starlight, who’s just a unicorn, would completely overwhelm you in a magic duel
1082>Tartarus, even your little Flurry Heart already showed more potential than you ever did
1083>And she’s a foal for crying out loud
1084>It kinda makes you feel like some underachiever
1085>Like you had horseshoes to fill, and was given all the tools to not just fill it, but overflow it
1086>And you still managed to come out with fucking nothing
1087>Is this how humans feel?
1088>Gosh, no wonder they’re so desperate to start their lives over
1089“Twilight, I’m not a magical genius like you, I’m just a mare who’s special talent is spreading love and matching couples, I can’t do any of this stuff without messing up”
1090>Being honest is your best bet right now
1091>No way Twilight will take any of your lame excuses anymore
1092“Anything about science, or any level of magic higher than intermediary spells are too much for me to handle without something going horribly wrong thanks to my lack of skills”
1093“This is why I go through such lengths just to match a couple, because it’s the one thing I’m really good at, and if I fail, I feel like…”
1094>’I’m worthless’
1095>But you can’t bring yourself to say that out loud
1096>You don’t like the look Twilight has on her face either
1097>Kind of a mixture of pity and disbelief
1098>”Cadance… I didn’t know you felt like that”
1099>Probably can’t believe that the Alicorn in front of her isn’t a capable spell caster
1100>And at the same time is self-conscious about her high place in hierarchy despite the lack impressive feats
1101>But it’s the truth. You suck at high level magic unless your aunties are involved to assist you
1102>Twilight looks like she has something to say but you cut her right away
1103“And aren’t you the one who made me promise nothing bad would happen? Well, you’re my guarantee, because I know that with you helping me out, nothing, and I mean nothing, bad is going to happen” 
1104>Twilight looks indecisive
1105>Even Starlight over the door looks pensive
1106>She’s thinking over your words, the both of them are
1107>C’mon Twilight, make the right choice
1108>Biting her lower lip, she looks back at Starlight, as if asking for advice, only to get a shrug instead
1109>Twilight then turns back and looks at you directly in the eyes, and you steel yours 
1110>No point in telling her all that if you have doubt in your eyes
1111>And here it goes, she’s taking a deep breath
1112>“Alright”
1113>Yes!
1114>She gets to your face and taps your golden collar
1115>“But only one more chance, got it? Don’t blow this up!”
1116>Yes, absolutely!
1117>”Starlight”
1118>You can hear an audible sigh coming from near the door, and the sound of hoofsteps coming in your direction
1119>”If you want to go back to Ponyville, go ahead, I’ll stay with Cadance”
1120>”Oh! Uhh..”
1121>That stops Starlight right on her tracks
1122>And now she is the one who looks indecisive
1123>Don’t worry, you’re not the only one surprised at Twilight’s move
1124>Didn’t expect her to dismiss your other purple friend either
1125>“I… w-wow, really?”
1126>Only getting a nod in response, purple pony Nº2 looks over to the exit, and then at you two, before raising her hoof and rubbing the back of her head
1127>“W-well, I… uhh, I think I should stay too, with all the effort I put into this, I think I should at least see it to the end…”
1128>I can see that scrunched face Starlight
1129>You can’t fool anyone
1130>Either way, that doesn’t matter
1131>What matters is that they’ll still willing help you after how you mistreated the two
1132>And you just can’t contain yourself
1133>”Eeep!!”
1134>You pull the purple duo with your magic and give them a hug
1135“Oh, thank you, thank you so much!”
1136>Starlight squirms in embarrassment, but you don’t care
1137>You’re too busy pulverizing their spines
1138“Yes we know, we love you too Cadence. [spoiler]A little bit less than a week ago, but still do[/spoiler] 
1139>Don’ you worry, Anonymous
1140>Your wait is coming to an end, because you, Cadance, is one step closer to getting Daybreaker
1141>The thought makes you all giddy and you hold your two friends even tighter
1142>You muse about how great it is to have friends over your own friends pained grunts