Our Name Across The Multiverse: 10 years later

by DATONETWIxDASHFAN

Chapter 9: Brave and Cozying Up

"That's for today's session," Twilah said, putting down her notepad and turning to Braver, who was in the long chair. So, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm starting to feel better about opening up so much. Thank you, mama," Braver said, smiling as she stretched. It was her third therapy session, a long one today.

"That's good. If you need more, I'm available whenever. Remember, if you ever have those thoughts, don't do anything crazy. Just talk to someone, anyone you trust. It doesn't matter who, as long as you trust them. Don't keep your emotions bottled up, okay?" said Twilah, petting her.

Braver nodded and sat up, looking at the clock; it was still afternoon. "Thanks again, but I have a question for you."

"What is it?" asked Twilah, taking off her glasses.

Braver tapped her hooves together and shyly said, "Can you start teaching me about being a therapist? Like...how did you learn about becoming one?"

Twilah looked at her and was shocked by this. Braver asked her for a personal reason, not a medical one, and it made her happy.

"Sure, but why? Why do you want to become a therapist?" asked Twilah.

"Because...I want to help others as you do. I have always been good at talking to others when they needed it, and I'm a very patient and understanding pony...or slime creature. So I thought it would be nice to be a therapist for others." smiled Braver, looking up at her.

Twilah gave her a big smile. "I would love to teach you."

Braver eyes sparkle and hug her, and Twilah happily hugs her back. After letting each other go, Twilah put on her glasses and wanted to ask Braver something but couldn't find herself saying it, so the mare took notice and said, "What's wrong?"

"I have meant to ask you something, but I don't want to upset you. Upsetting you about your dead name," explained Twilah, rubbing the top part of her notepad all nervous-like.

Braver tipped her head to the side, not understanding what Twilah meant. "...dead name?"

"You know...the name your biological parents gave you before your birth...ah!" Twilah quickly shut up and watched as Braver became silent and looked away, thinking about her past. "Braver, I'm sorry. I forgot about..." Twilah couldn't finish her sentence as Braver stood up and headed for the door. "Braver! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to make you upset or think of them. I'm sorry. Forgive me, please."

Braver didn't listen as she opened the door and saw Twilight in the waiting room chair, reading a book. She said to her, "Mom! Can we take Twilah to my parents' grave today? Then head to New Ponyville?"

This shocked Twilight and asked her, "Sure, but why? Is everything okay?"

Braver nodded and turned back to Twilah, who was confused but got up as Braver waved her to join them. As Twilah joined them, Twilight used her magic and teleported them away from the castle, reappearing at the grave of Braver's parents, where everything started ten years ago.

Braver quickly ran up to the gravestone and hugged it. "MOMS!"

Twilah looked at Twilight with shock but also deep sadness and then looked down at the gravestone, which had two names on it—two names she knew too well, as she, along with Dashie, made the same gravestone for those two in their universe. Twilight walked up and said their names with sadness, "Nightfall and Rainbow Sky."

"I see you two did the same thing, huh? Even the gravestone is the same," Twilah replied, trying to fight back the tears.

Twilight nodded and placed her hoof on the gravestone, and she could sense her daughter's sadness and heartache as she looked at the grave. Soon, Braver turned to Twilah, "Twilah, can you explain the dead name thing again?"

"Dead name?" asked Twilight, having never heard this term before.

"It's a term in our world where people are born into a body they don't see themselves as. For example, if a woman is born into a man's body and changes sex later on in life, she's not going to like being called her birth name and wants to change it; it's because they don't feel comfortable with their birth name." explained Twilah, who then turned to Braver "It's not same thing but the way Blitz acted when Dashie said your old name, almost made it sound like a dead name, which is why I asked you."

Braver turned around, wiping the tears from her eyes, and smiled at her moms. "It's okay; I'm not mad at you for saying my old name. Breaker is just a code name given to me, but I never had a real name until I came here to this universe. My parents called me Breaker, but I know they would be happy if I picked a real name for myself."
Braver turned around and looked back at the gravestone, smiling at it. "I love you, moms. Thank you for loving me for who I am, for those few years we had in that little universe. I hope you're doing well, wherever you two are. Please watch over the other me, Blitz. My dear little sister. I promise to take care of her!" Braver shut her eyes, tapped her hooves together, and started to pray, which Twilight and Twilah joined her.

After their prayers, Twilight asked her daughter, "Do you want to tell her, or should I? It's why you wanted to head to New Ponyville, right?"

Braver nodded and replied, "Yes, I'll tell her!"

"Okay, let's head out," said Twilight, using her magic to teleport the three of them away.

---

Arriving in New Ponyville, it was pretty busy as everyone was out for lunch, and the girls landed in the town square. Braver's eyes sparkled as she saw the town mayor, who waved at her.

"Mayor Sunset Slimmer!" shouted Braver.

All three could see a mare wearing a black leather jacket talking to the town folks. They heard her name being called out and saw Braver. Her eyes lit up, and she headed over to her.

"Braver! Twilight Sparkle! It's good to see you all!" shouted Sunset, running up to them.

Twilight lowered her head to Sunset's eye level and spoke with a big smile on her face: "Hi, Sunset, it's been a long time. How you been? You haven't aged a day since I last saw you. You still look as young as you were when you first became the mayor of this town. You're not getting younger, are you?"

"Ah! Twilight, stop joking like that. You're going to make me blush! We're the same age, but you keep looking younger with that alicorn form you have! Dash is lucky to have a beautiful wife like you," said Sunset, giving Twilight a hug and then letting her go.

Twilight giggled as Twilah was in shock at meeting the unicorn. Sunset noticed the stare from the anthro Twilight and was amazed by her, so she walked up to her, checking her body out, and said, "I heard the talks of a two-legged walking pegasus pony that looked like Rainbow Dash in town, but never thought it was real and now a Twilight lookalike? Are you one of the alternate universe Twilight's? One of the alternate copies who helped our universe Twilight and Dash ten years ago? My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am the mayor of New Ponyville and a friend of Twilight."

Twilah was surprised that Sunset could figure out who she was without asking. She said, "I'm Guessing you are a close friend of Twilight, aren't you? I'm indeed one of the Twilights from a different universe from ten years ago, but please, call me Twilah. It's nice to meet you, Sunset...man, this is weird."

Sunset was confused by the last bit when Twilah said, "Weird? Why?"

"I'll explain, but can we go somewhere more private?" asked Twilah, who noticed a large crowd of creatures all around them; some were looking because Twilight was here but also because of Twilah herself. She didn't like the stares at all and felt self-conscious.

"Sure, come on, my office isn't too far," said Sunset, realizing more town folks were gathering. With her horn lighting up, in a flash, they were all in Sunset's office, in front of her desk. Sunset walked around her desk and sat down, while Twilah looked around the room, admiring the office, while Braver and Twilight looked out the window, down at the town below them.

"Sorry about that. It's not every day the ruler and her two-legged version visit the town. The town is buzzing about the whole event about the Dash version being in town, and a few days ago, the weird event near the" Sunset stopped talking as she noticed Braver looking a little sad and was going to ask if she was okay, but Twilah asked her a question first.

"How old are you?"

Sunset and the others were caught entirely off guard by this, and Twilight spoke up, "Twilah! That's a little rude!"

"What? I was asking," said Twilah, looking back at Twilight and then to Sunset, waiting for her answer.

Sunset was shocked and slightly embarrassed by the question but replied, "I'm the same age as Twilight. Why do you ask? Do I look younger than that?"

"You're the same age as me and Dashie, then? That doesn't make sense, but now I think about it, our universe truly isn't one-to-one..." said Twilah to herself, quickly walking back and forth. Soon, she started mumbling to herself.

Sunset sighed, turned to her friend, and smiled. "She's just like you, you know?"

Twilight groaned and was embarrassed by her lookalike. Braver walked over to Twilah and said calmly, "Mom, stop thinking out loud."

Hearing the word "mom," Sunset looked at Twilight, confused, as Sunset knew about Nightfall from Twilight, which Twilight quickly explained Braver was calling Twilah's mom. "Braver sees Twilah as me; in her eyes, we're the same person. Also, Twilah is raising Braver as a twin sister, so it makes sense to call her mom." Twilight quickly made a surprised face as she realized something. "...now I think about it, won't that make Blitz my daughter as well?" asked Twilight to herself, who also started walking back and forth.

Sunset sighed, looking at the two mares. "Yup, they're the same ponies." Sunset coughed loudly, making Twilight and Twilah jump as they were lost in thought. "Sorry to break up your thinking, but the question you asked me, why did you want to know my age?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry." blushed Twilah as she sat in a chair and started to explain her question. "You see, you aren't a mayor in my universe."

Sunset was interested and leaned forward on her desk. "Oh, so what am I in your universe?"

"A...student in my town high school and close friend to Blitz, Braver's twin sister, and my daughter."

Sunset and Braver were surprised by this, and Sunset couldn't help but ask, "What?! You mean...I'm not even an adult in your universe? But how? If we're the same age, how come I'm not an adult like Twilight... er, I mean you?" She looked at Twilight, but she nodded like it made sense to her.

Twilah smiled and explained why since she had visited other universes with Twilight all those years ago: "After visiting so many universes, we learned that other worlds aren't one-to-one with ours, but yet this universe and my universe are almost one-to-one, but there are tiny differences. For example, you and Twilight, both being adults, it looks like you grew up with each other too, right?"

Twilight smiled and replied, "Yeah, we grew up together as we were both students at Celestia. There was a time when Sunset almost abandoned her studies to pursue her own path."

"Unlike Twilight, who didn't need friendship when she was younger, I just didn't understand it and almost became cruel and dishonest in my pursuit to understand it. But thanks to a certain friend of mine..." Sunset looked over to Twilight, giving each other a happy look. "Who saved me? Thanks to her, I learned to understand and make new friends."

Twilah couldn't help but smile when she heard that; she looked at a photo on the wall

and seeing Sunset with younger Twilight, Dash, and the rest of their friends. She turned back to Sunset and spoke again. "Even though my universe Sunset is still a teenager, she went through the same thing, but Blitz helped her, and they became close friends. I guess that part hasn't changed, it seems."

Braver walked over to her mother and was curious, asking her, "Is there anyone else in your universe that is different from here?"

Twilah put her hand on her chin, thinking hard, but replied, "Not really...Oh, there is one. There isn't a Spike in my universe. I only know about him because of Twilight memories back then."

Twilight was surprised by this. "Really?! How can that be?"

"Like I said, our universes aren't the same," Twilah said, but she raised her arm, revealing her watch. Soon, a hologram appeared in front of her face, revealing the robot Spike. "So, I created one!"

Spike, the robot, spoke in the same voice as Spike in their world but with a robotic sound to it, saying, "Hey, Twilight! I heard about you from Twilah. Nice to meet you."

Twilight and the others were amazed by what they saw. Twilah turned off the watch and wanted to get the topic back on track: "Anyway, why are we here, Braver? Why did you want to come here?"

Braver smiled and turned to Sunset, saying, "Oh, right! This is where I got my new name!"

Sunset had a sad but proud smile as she remembered the event on that day: "That's right. You were once going by that name before what you did here on that day." Sunset got out of her chair, walked over to Braver, and took her hoof: "Thank you, thank you for saving everyone. Thanks to you, this town can rebuild and become what it is today. It's all because of you."

Braver gave a small chuckle, remembering the moment herself, and replied, "Thanks, but I did what everyone was doing that stormy night. I wasn't alone in saving lives."

"True, but what you did was the bravest thing!" Sunset replied while tears formed in her eyes. "I'm glad we didn't lose you; if we did, I couldn't face Twilight. Thank you so much."

Braver hugged Sunset and whispered in her ear, saying, "No problem, Auntie Sunset."

Twilah was very surprised to see Sunset crying and hugging Braver. Twilight explained what happened, but Twilah couldn't believe what she heard.

"Braver saved the town from a flooding dam? And saved everyone's lives by being brave in the stormy weather?"

"Yes, but let her explain it in full detail," said Twilight, turning to her daughter, who stopped hugging Sunset and told the story of that day.

---

Three years ago

The town was created after more ponies and creatures wanted to live in Ponyville. Auntie Sunset suggested making a larger town for the influx of more creatures, and Mom approved the building of one and asked Aunty to be the mayor. They found a perfect spot to build the town near a huge waterfall, ideal for water supply, and after three years, the city and the dam were created. The town was called "New Ponyville" as new ponies and creatures came to live there. Sunset had a welcome festival for everyone, and my family was invited, but Dash was running late as she was returning from a Wonderbolts show, and Mom still had princess stuff to do before coming, so I went with Dawn and Cozy. As everything was starting, the weather Pegasi somehow let loose a massive storm and couldn't contain it, and soon chaos happened as the dam was breaking from all the rainwater and wind. Auntie Sunset told me to save everyone while she tried to help the weather Pegasi with the other town officials, so I ran off and tried to save every creature in danger...

"Put this on!" Cozy shouted, tossing a weather coat at Breaker's face, which Braver grabbed and put on. The three were in the lobby of the mayor's building.

Cozy had a serious face and was thinking of a plan to save everyone. Braver knew she was a great planner and could save everyone, so she followed Cozy's orders. Dawn was right next to her, putting her own coat on and turning to Breaker with worry.

"We shouldn't be doing this! You know how dangerous this is!? We should leave the town right away!" Dawn shouted, trying to convince Breaker not to do this.

Braver couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She knew she was just worried for her safety and didn't want to lose her, which made her happy, and she tried to calm herself down. "We have to do this! The town is in chaos now; everyone is scared and needs help!"

"But...we could die!" cried Dawn, with tears falling from her face.

"We won't die! I promise you, Dawn. I won't let that happen to you. Besides, we have Cozy with us!" Breaker pulled in Cozy, who looked annoyed but also blushed. "Nothing can go wrong!"

"Fine! Then I'm staying with you!" Dawn declared, not letting her best friend be left alone, even more so with Cozy.

Cozy pushed Breaker off and pointed to Dawn, saying, "You! Listen to me, this isn't the time to be heading butts with me. You going to listen to everything I say, alright?"

Dawn glared at Cozy and was about to yell at her, but Breaker stepped in between and stopped her. "She's right, Dawn. Let her plan; it'll save us and the town."

Dawn didn't like the idea and wanted to argue with Cozy, but Breaker was suitable and sighed, calming down, "Alright, fine. I'll follow your lead, Cozy."

Cozy looked very smug, making Dawn mad. "Good, now we have a job to do. Let's move!" Cozy headed for the exit, leaving Breaker and Dawn alone, and the two nodded, following her.

They stepped out into the rain and stormy weather, and Breaker was taken back a little. She and the others could see how bad the storm was. The clouds were dark grey, and the wind was blowing everything as the weather team was still trying to break down the clouds. Even some of the houses were fallen over by the powerful winds, and the dam was leaking as cracks were forming.

Cozy stood firm and shouted to them, "We're running out of time! Follow me! I have a plan to save everyone!" She ran off.

Breaker and Dawn followed Cozy, and soon, the three were heading towards a small building with a huge red cross indicating a hospital. The three stopped as the hospital was close by. Cozy looked back and could see how scared Breaker and Dawn were, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"This is no time to be afraid. I have a plan, but I can't do it alone."

"Then, tell us!" Breaker asked her, believing in her friend.

Cozy didn't want to share her plan here but had no choice, as time wasn't on their side. "Fine. I have a plan, but it will require some work. We can't stop the dam from breaking, so we must move everyone out of town now! But we can't do that if the weather Pegasus keeps messing up the storm, and the dam will flood the town soon, making it harder for everyone to escape. So, we need to gather everyone in one place and get the weather team and anyone who can use magic to get everyone out of town by flying and teleporting everyone. No doubt many are headed here, but most are still in their homes and on the streets. We need to get the word out of everyone to head here for their safety."

Breaker and Dawn were stunned by the plan and couldn't help but clap, impressed, even Dawn.

"Nice, Cozy! That's a great plan; you could save everyone," said Breaker, as the trio started running towards the hospital.

"Maybe there's still a huge chance of a few ponies and creatures dying. We have to hope for the best." Cozy replied, knowing there was no way for everyone to escape.

"I don't like it, but I agree with you. Not everyone is going to live through this!" said Dawn, not liking the idea of a few dying but knowing there was nothing she or anyone could do other than try to save the ones they could.

The trio ran inside the hospital, which was packed with ponies and creatures and some staff, as they were helping the folks who took shelter there. Breaker, Dawn, and Cozy made their way through the lobby and the waiting room, looking for anyone who could help. They saw a unicorn doctor, looking like the head doctor, talking to some patients and nurses. They approached him, and he looked at them, stopping his talk with the patients and staff.

"Hey, you kids shouldn't be out in this storm." said the Doctor, sounding concerned as he noticed their wet coats

"Doctor, we have a plan to save the town. I need all the unicorns you have here! I need to cast a soundwave spell to get everyone to come here and the weather team to stop messing with the storm. It's a lost cause for them to try to disband the storm."

"I know the spell you're talking about. It's used in case of emergencies, and I have a few doctors and nurses who can use it. But it won't reach far, maybe a block with the few unicorns we have on hand. We need more unicorns or magical creatures," explained the Doctor, as he ordered the nurses who listened to get all the unicorn staff.

Cozy nodded and spoke, "I know. That's why I'm casting the spell with them and increasing the range." Cozy's forehead glowed, and her Alicorn horn appeared but was see-through like it was taking her everything she had to make it appear.

Breaker and Dawn were surprised by Cozy Alicorn's magic, and Breaker couldn't help but comment, "Wow, Cozy! I didn't know you still had Alicorn magic!" But Breaker became worried as her friend almost dropped to the floor as the horn vanished. "Cozy!?"

"I'm fine! I just used a little too much energy. I'm going to be weak once the spell is cast a few times." explained Cozy, not liking the idea of being weak in a time like this. "It's why I need all the magic users here. Breaker, I don't want to say this, but I need you to go back outside and find any unicorns or magic users and tell them about the plan." Cozy could see Dawn rejecting this plan, but she quickly explained, "It's dangerous, I know, but there's no one else, and you can do it! When coming here, I noticed how little the weather affected your body. It's almost like you were breaking it before reaching you; you can move faster than anyone here thanks to having been trained by that rainbow loser; you need to hurry! Get as many as you can!"

Breaker understood her point and looked to Dawn, who looked ready to argue with her. "Don't worry, Dawn. I won't do anything stupid, alright."

Dawn still looked ready to argue, but Breaker had a point and knew they had no time. Dawn hugged her friend, and Breaker could hear her cry, "Please be careful! If you don't come back, I won't forgive you."

Breaker laughed a little, enjoying her best friend's affection, and hugged her back, "Don't worry, I will be fine." Breaker pulled away from the hug, and the two blushed, causing Cozy to be a little sad.

Breaker turned and headed for the exit, bravely going through the storm, trying to get magic users to the hospital and hoping to save anyone along the way.

(It was a long search, but I found enough magic users and told them about the plan. Cozy and Dawn, alongside the doctors, staff, and town folks with magic, cast the spell and sent it off a few times. Soon, the spell hit everyone, telling them of the plan and where to go. Thanks to the earth ponies and dragons, everyone headed to the hospital, the only building in town that was not destroyed, as they quickly set up a sandbag barrier around it. The weather team got the message but didn't want to leave and believed they could control the storm. They didn't listen, but some did and headed toward the hospital. Once everyone was at the hospital, the unicorns and weather team moved the children, sick and elderly, out of town, as they were the most important. Teleportation was easy, but the weather team needed a unicorn to shield them as they moved folks out. It wasn't long before my mommy, Dash, came after hearing the news. She was once a Weather team leader, and with her speed, she could help control the weather, but that's when the dam finally broke...)

Breaker was outside the building, looking into the sky and seeing her mother blasting across the sky, taking out as many clouds as possible. Breaker was glad her mom was here now, but a deafening noise could be heard from the dam, and the earth shook, which made her stumble and almost fall. She could see a massive wave of water approaching the hospital and the townsfolk. She knew she had to stop it somehow but didn't know what to do unless she used her slime, but Breaker was second-guessing herself. She could see everyone screaming and crying and didn't know what to do. Her mother told her to keep her slim power hidden after she arrived in this universe and see what happened when meeting Tempest that day. She could hear the voices calling her a monster and a freak.

"Monster, huh?" she thought as she felt something wet running down her face. After touching her hoof, she looked at it and could see her rainbow tears.

She didn't have any time; the wave was almost here, and everyone was running past her. She could hear weak Dawn and Cozy telling her to get inside. She turned to them and gave the warmest smile she could. She could see them stop running and stare at her, but neither liked her expression.

"What are you doing, Blockhead? Get inside, NOW!" Cozy yelled at her, freaking out that she was standing there.
Breaker turned, could see the wave, and closed her eyes, knowing what she had to do, but quickly felt someone holding her. She opened her eyes and saw that Dawn teleported to her, leaving a weak Cozy behind.

"Come on, Breaker. Let's go inside, please. We might be safe in there!" pleaded Dawn as she was crying and pulling her friend into the hospital.

Breaker could see Dawn was scared and knew what she had to do and pushed her away, confusing her friend, but that confusion vanished, as she and Cozy and anyone else near could see black tentacles and slime coming out of Breaker's body.

Dawn could only whisper as she backed away from her. "...Breaker?"

Soon, Breaker could see the scared stares, not at the coming wave but towards her.

"Dawn, you need to stay away from me, and I'm sorry..." She could see her friend didn't understand her and just smiled. "I'm a slime creature, not an Alicorn. I'm a-"

"Monster?" said Dawn, causing Breaker's heart to break as she heard that.

"...yeah, a monster," replied Breaker, looking away from her friend.

Dawn was quiet for a second before realizing what she said and trying to say something, but Breaker used her tentacles to carry her, Cozy, and anyone else back to the hospital. She placed them inside and closed the doors by covering them with her slime. Dawn was pounding on the door, begging for her friend to come back in and telling her she was wrong.
Cozy was confused about the situation, as she didn't understand what was happening or what she was seeing. She was trying her best to stand up but was too drained to do so. "Damn it, we need to save her! Come on, move stupid body!" Cozy shouted at herself but couldn't move. She fell back on the floor and could only look outside. She couldn't believe what she saw: a pony using their body to make slime tentacles. Was this some dark magic? She knew Breaker had high magical energy, but not like this.

Breaker looked away from her friends and stared down the coming wave. "This is it; this is what I was created for. A weapon...but I'm going to protect everyone this time rather than taking lives."

She looked down and could see her black slime flowing from her body. She could see her body turning inkier as her skin started to peel off, and her proper form was showing. She looked into the sky, seeing the rainbow light stopping and watching the wave. Breaker smiled, happy her mom was here to see this; maybe it was enough. "All the lives I took and hurt, I finally get a chance to make that up, even if it's not enough...least you'll be watching me...I'm a weapon to destroy, but I'm..."

As the wave was almost here, she could feel her body changing more black, and her slime changed. As she became more powerful, her slime became bigger. She raised her tentacles, slamming the ground and sending her slime toward the wave, becoming a wall, blocking the water from reaching the town. Still, there was a problem: the water was washing away her ink slime, making the barrier smaller and her weaker. Breaker could feel her body changing to normal as the wave was returning but with more force now.

"This is a bad idea..." said Breaker to herself. But I got to save everyone; it's the least I can do!" Breaker shouted, as rainbow tears poured out of her eyes.

Breaker could see her life flashed before her eyes, her birth mother living alone in the forest, but that changed when she was captured by the Kingdom of Night and then dying in the Kingdom of Day, gave birth to her as a black stone pearl, before being found by Nightfall father. Fusion with Blitz and becomes Breaker, a monster.

"...I'm a weapon and a monster, but..."

Breaker looked back into the sky, seeing the rainbow light heading to the town. She knew her mom had realized who was stopping the wave.

"But like mom always said to us..."

Breaker closed her eyes, and her chest started to glow like a rainbow orb light. Her tail became rainbow slime, and she shot it toward the hospital and all the buildings and life she could sense in the area, creating a slime shield. She turned to her friends. As her body was breaking down, her eyes melted away, but she could still see them. Calling out to her, someone near them took a picture.

"I'm not my mother's past; I'm my future!"

"BREAKER, NO!!" cried Dawn and Cozy as they watched the wave crashing into her, destroying her slim body, and her cracked grey core was washed away.

Up in the sky, Dash watched as the water crashed into the town. However, seeing everything being protected by a rainbow slime barrier, she knew who had done this, and fear started to build up within her.

"Oh god, no..." said Dash as she flew to the town as fast as she could. As soon as she reached the town, she could see the rainbow barrier slowly melting, leaving only a somewhat destroyed town and slime-looking water. Dash screamed out for her daughter, "BREAKER!!"

Meanwhile, up in the dam, Twilight teleported in front of it as she finally heard the news and came right away. With her magic, she placed a purple magical barrier over the huge exposed hole, stopping the water. She quickly turned to the sky and blasted a beam into the storm clouds, clearing the sky and showing a rainbow light, making the whole town bright again. She turned back to the remaining dam.

"Twilight!"

"Huh?" She turned, seeing her wife, Rainbow Dash, coming towards her.

Dash stopped and floated next to her.

"Dash, I'm glad you're here. I-"

Dash grabbed her, stopping her from finishing. Dash quickly said, "Where is she, Twilight? Can you sense her?" and started to shake her, hoping for a positive answer.

Twilight looked into her wife's eyes, seeing how worried and scared she was and didn't understand what was wrong.
"Dash, what are you talking about? Who?"

"WHERE IS BREAKER, TWILIGHT!!" shouted Dash, causing Twilight to flinch.

"...What?"

Twilight turned to the town and froze. She could see the slime water, the protected building barrier melted into the water, and her brain couldn't process anything. She looked back at her wife and saw the horror on her face as she finally understood why Dash acted this way. "D-Dash, did she...?"

Dash slowly nodded; tears were running down her face. The two looked at each other before blasting off and heading to the town.

Dawn and Cozy could only watch as the wave finally calmed down, and the slime barrier melted away into the water, mixing with it and making it slimy. Dawn quickly blasted out of the building, trying to scoop up any slime that was left and talking to it.

"B-Breaker, come on, talk to me, please!" cried Dawn as she searched the water, looking for a single sign of her.

Cozy couldn't believe what she saw, and her body was shaking, as her mind couldn't believe what had happened.
"She can't be dead, she can't...she promised...we'll get stronger together...she can't die!" Cozy dropped to the ground, pounding it, mad at her friend for dying but also at herself. "Damn it, I didn't say it; why didn't I tell her?!"

Dawn was still scooping any slime she could find and started talking to herself. "She can't be gone, right?! No, she's just somewhere...right!?" She repeated that while the town folks looked on, not sure what to do.

"Breaker!!" shouted Dawn and Cozy, as their tears and voices echoed in the water-destroyed town.

"D-Did she die?!"

"Was she a slime creature?!"

"What the hell happened?!"

"What's going to happen to the town?!"

The townsfolk were freaking out, not sure what was going on.

"What do we do now?!"

"Is our town saved?!"

"Did the princess stop the water from reaching here?!"

Cozy limps her way out of the building and looks at the water, trying to see more slime. Her ears twitch as she starts to hear the folks that Breaker saved saying awful things about her.

"Why did a monster save us?"

"Maybe it was the reason the storm was created?"

"Shouldn't we go back inside? Who knows if it's safe now or not? That thing could still be alive! It created this mess!"

Cozy was angry. Her eyes turned red, and her hair and horn glowed red as she turned to them. Ready to blast them apart, she remembered what Breaker taught her; she wasn't that pony anymore, and her magic and horn vanished as she shouted at the crowd, "You ungrateful bastards!! That 'monster' was your fucking savior, and you dare to question her?!" The townsfolk just stayed quiet.

"We're sorry, but that thing-"

Cozy glared at him, making him shut up, but a nurse stepped forward and spoke, "I was there; that mons-no creature was the one who saved us. We didn't ask her to; she could have just left us, letting us die in the wave, but she didn't. Any of this didn't cause her. She saved us!"

Another nurse spoke, "And she didn't have to; she was scared and was just trying to help us, even if that meant losing her own life, and I would thank her for it!"

Soon, everyone could see Princess Twilight and her wife landing and calling out Breaker's name. A mother griffin, holding her child, walked out of the building and spoke, "She's the princess's daughter. How could she be evil or a monster? She was kind and sweet and helped my son and me safely. Helped others and protected us, yet do you guys want to throw her under the bus like this?" She and her son started to help search, along with others, while the remaining watched.

Sunset teleported to the roof of a nearby building and could see the whole town, seeing the water everywhere in the destroyed village. However, she saw the townsfolk, noticed Twilight Dash had arrived, and was looking for something in the shallow water. Sunset could feel something was off as she saw Dawn and Cozy standing and looking at the princess and Dash. The mares didn't seem like they were helping them in searching for whoever. Sunset looked around and noticed how the water had a mixture of slime, which was moving slowly as if the slime was alive. Sunset jumped from the roof and headed towards Dawn and Cozy and spoke, "Guys, who are you-"

Suddenly, the slime blasted out of the water and tried to form back into a pony, but it didn't have enough to rebuild itself. Sunset could see it trying to walk; she wasn't sure what it was, but Dawn and Cozy shouted, "It's her; she's alive!"

Everyone quickly turned and hurried over. Twilight and Dash grabbed the slime, crying and smiling. The slime started to cry rainbow tears and move its limbs around.

"You're okay! You're okay, Breaker! My little girl!" cried Dash as her tears landed on the slime.

The slime stopped crying, and soon, a crack orb flew out of the water, hovered above them, and shot into the slime, making Breaker's body become normal again. Everyone was shocked, while Dawn and Cozy quickly ran to her and joined in the hug. Breaker could hear everyone in the town asking her what happened, what they could do, and that she did a good job. The mother, Griffin, thanked her, with her child joining in.

"Y-Your welcome, I-I'm glad y-you're okay..." Breaker couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Everyone was happy, thanking her, and many called her a brave creature. A little filly called her Braver, as she misunderstood what her friends and family called her as she was still young.

"Thank you, Braver!" said the filly, jumping up and down.

Soon, everyone was calling her that.

"Braver!"

"You're so brave, Braver!"

Breaker blushed at the name, while Twilight and Dash just chuckled and hugged their daughter, not wanting to let go. Breaker hugged them and asked them something. "Moms, call me Braver from now on..."

---

"That's why I call myself Braver. It will always remind me of saving everyone's lives that day and accepting me for who I was. No matter what, I will never forget how everyone treated me after I saved them."

After hearing that story, Twilah could only smile, understanding Braver's new name. She walked over and lowered herself to her, and said, "I'm so proud of you, Braver. You did a wonderful job, and I know your moms are so proud of you and would want nothing more than to see you grow up, become strong and brave like your namesake, and always protect your loved ones."

Braver smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom."

Braver let her go, and everyone started to chat about the town and how the library was made chiefly for Braver when she moved here, which made her jump out of her chair.

"Oh, right! I need to get back to the library! I closed for my break to do my session and didn't say how long I'll be! I gotta go and-"

Twilight smiled as she saw herself within Braver, panicking. "Don't worry, Braver. I'm sure Dawn is covering your shift."

Braver freezes for a second before facing her mom. "She can't..." she starts to melt, making Twilight realize something is wrong.

"Why can't she?" asked Twilight, getting up from the chair and walking over to her daughter. "Is something wrong with Dawn?"
Braver was quiet, looking around, and her ears twitched a few times before she finally answered her mom, "Well, I'm not sure...I kind of made her upset..."

"Upset? What happened?"

Braver didn't want to say why, as it was embarrassing and personal, even more so as she learned about love.
"Well, we argued...somewhat..."

"Why? Was it over something small or?" Braver rubbed her neck and was quiet. Twilight could feel something was off, so she asked another question: "Did Dawn find out you like her?" Twilight frowned, fearing the worst for her daughter; she was able to teach her about the birds and the bees but was still afraid that her daughter would ever get her heartbroken or hurt.

"What!? No, nothing like that! Don't be silly, Mom! Why would I-"

Twilight placed her hoof on her daughter's mouth and spoke, "Honey, it's okay. I know how you feel about Dawn, and I know it hurts, not having her feel the same way, but-" But before she could finish, Braver pushed her hoof away and looked hurt, making not only Twilight but the others worried as well "Honey, not all first loves work out. Some of them become your forever love or someone you remember fondly. So, it's okay to be hurt by this. You'll always love Dawn, but move on and find someone else. So, it's okay-"

"Stop it, Mom!" shouted Braver, her voice filled with anger and pain, which made the whole room freeze.

Twilight was unsure how to handle this since she never snapped like this before. She started to sweat; she wasn't sure how to handle her daughter, so she spoke calmly, "Honey, it's not healthy to force her to feel the same way as you. You can't be mad she didn-"

Braver shook her head. "But that's not why we are arguing, Mom! I-" but Braver couldn't bring herself to say it, as it was her fault that Dawn was mad at her, as she didn't understand her love confession and rejected her by mistake.

Twilight turned to her friends, looking for help, but Sunset shrugged. Twilah was just as lost as her, so she turned back to her daughter and tapped her hooves together, saying, "Braver, you know, it's okay if you two argue. You're both teenagers, but Dawn only loves you as a friend-" She stops talking, seeing Braver crying when she hears the word "F-friend...Mom, that's not the problem. I-I'm not trying to make Dawn love me, i-it's not like that. It's something else..."

"Like what?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom..."

"Braver, please tell me. I want to help."

"You can't, mom. It's my problem, and I need to fix it. I messed up..."

Twilight wasn't sure what to say, as her daughter wasn't opening up to her, and she felt like a bad parent for not knowing how to help her. So, she said, "Then okay. You are a big girl now, Braver. You are growing up, and if you need anything, you can always come and talk to me." Twilight leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, cuz, sling her.

Braver couldn't smile at this. Her mind was filled with sadness and worry about losing Dawn and not loving her anymore.

"Braver?" asked Twilight, seeing her daughter didn't smile at her or return her nuzzle.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I just..." Braver couldn't finish. She didn't want to keep her mom waiting, so she took a deep breath, walked past her, and headed for the door. "I just need to head back to the library and open it back up. It was nice seeing you again, Aunty Sunset. And Twilah?"

Twilah wasn't sure what to say but was still concerned as she answered, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for reminding me why I changed my name; I needed that..." she wasn't smiling or acting happy. She just opened the door and left, closing it behind her.

Everyone was silent, unsure how to process this since they had never seen her like this. Twilight starts to freak out; Braver struggles with being in love and learning about it and doesn't know how to handle the rejection or the idea of losing her best friend.

"Twi, calm down," said Sunset, placing her hoof on her shoulder and turning around.

"But Sunset, I-"

"You are her mother, and it's okay not to know everything or how to handle a situation, but it's also okay to trust your daughter."

Twilight didn't like the idea; she was still worried. She turned to Twilah, who was thinking about all this. "Twilah, do you agree with her on that?"

Twilah closed her eyes and nodded to herself, and faced her friend. "Sunset is right."

Sunset smiled. "See? Even Tw-" but Twilah cut her off.

"But I also disagree. You need to know everything about her to handle the situation better. You should trust her, but with everything happening to her, I feel like you should step in and help her because she is young and needs her mother. She is hurting, and you should do something. As mothers, we should do whatever it takes to protect our children. If Blitz were hurting like this, I'd do anything to help her, and if that meant telling her how to feel and act, I'd do it. That's how much I love and care for her." explained Twilah, smiling at her friend.

Twilight wasn't sure what to think but knew she agreed. Twilight took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, maybe I should go after her and-"

"NO!" shouted Sunset, knowing exactly where this was going and not wanting that to happen. "Twilight, let her go. She's growing up, and you shouldn't be babying her."

"But she's my daughter; I should be there for her."

"You are, but sometimes, they need space and time to think. Trust me, it's what you do."

Twilah shook her head. "You are her mother; you should be there for her and not trust her right now. You saw how she acted."

Sunset shook her head in disagreement. "No, sometimes, we must learn to step back and let them make their own mistakes."

Twilight spoke up, agreeing with her other universe self, "It's my duty as a parent to protect my child and be there for her and to help her. I wasn't there for her when she bottled her pain up, her suffering from what she did in the past and not seeing her struggling with it, making her develop PTSD, not knowing until it was too late, and I failed her as a parent. Even more so when I hurt her by being scared of her...I can't keep failing her. I won't. Not anymore!"

"And that's a mistake every parent makes. We fail our kids; they will never be perfect, nor will we. They will have their faults and problems, so we have to accept and love them and help them the best we can!" quickly said Sunset, trying to stop Twilight from making a huge mistake. Twilah could tell Twilight would say something, but Sunset interrupted her. "Twi, Braver is suffering and hurting right now, but she's old enough and smart enough to handle this. Please trust her."

Twilight suddenly felt angry when she heard, "Trust her!? You don't know my daughter like I do. I've raised her, and I know what's best for her. You can't just tell me to trust her and let her handle it! I won't stand by and let her suffer because you think it's right."

Sunset backed away, but Twilah stood near her and said, "This is exactly why it's wrong to trust her. If you trust her, it could lead to something worse, or she could do something horrible because she feels like no one understands her, and I don't want to see Twilight lose her daughter! She's me, after all."

Sunset could see Twilight nodding in agreement, but Sunset wasn't ready to give up. "I get that, I do, but you can't always help her, as she'll grow and learn from her mistakes, and you can't help her al-."

Twilight wasn't taking that since her daughter was in pain and needed her. "I'm her mother; of course, I should! How dare you tell me I shouldn't be there for her when she most needs me! I can't keep doing that to her! I can't fail her like that again!"

Sunset could see Twilight was severe and wasn't going to back down. "Fine, but what will happen if Braver hates you for not trusting her."

"I'll deal with that if and when it happens, but she's hurting and needs me."

"Then go," said Sunset, turning her back to Twilight, feeling defeated.

Twilah smiled, happy Twilight was taking her side, and said, "Let's go!"

Twilight and Twilah started walking towards the door, but Sunset said, "Just one thing."

The two stopped, turned around, and asked, "What is it?"

Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled, then asked, "Do you trust her? Like really trust her?"

"With all my heart," answered Twilight, not hesitating at all.

"Then go and help your daughter, but remember this: Sometimes, we need to take a step back and trust our kids, as they need that too, not being smothered and babied, or they will resent us. You can't protect her forever; they have to grow up."

Twilight was surprised by Sunset and didn't say anything but just smiled and nodded to her. The two left, leaving Sunset alone.
Sunset smiled and then said to herself, "She's a tough cookie, so I'll trust her, but Twilight and Twilah, I hope you two can understand that. She's like you, Twilight. She's smart and kind and will figure things out on her own, and if she's anything like you, she will do the right thing. Trust her, just trust her."

---

Braver ran through the streets, hoping to get back to the library as soon as possible. She was thinking about Dawn and how stupid she was for not realizing she confessed to her. She was crying and mad at herself for making her friend cry.

"Stupid! I'm so stupid! I'm such an idiot! How did I not realize it? How!?" She was so focused on her thoughts that she never realized someone was following her and calling out to her.

"Hey! HEY! HEY!" Braver stopped and turned around. She saw someone chasing her. Once she got closer, she could see it was Cozy and was out of breath.

"What are you doing here, Cozy?" asked Braver.

Cozy caught her breath and said, "I'm Looking for you, Blockhead! What the heck? I've been waiting at the library, but it's closed!"

"Sorry about that, I have been-"

"I know Blockhead. Getting help with your problems. I am not mad at you but at Dawn. Why isn't she helping you cover your shift?"

Braver didn't want to say and tried to leave. "Not sure, maybe she's just-"

"Don't lie to me, Blockhead! I can tell when you're hiding something."

"It's none of your business, Cozy! Leave me alone and go away," said Braver, turning around and walking away.

Cozy wasn't ready to drop this and was annoyed that Braver was treating her this way. She grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby alleyway.

"HEY! COZY! LET ME GO!"

"Not until you tell me why she isn't helping you." She tossed her into the wall and pinched her down. "She basically does anything for you, but since you are acting like this, it tells me something is up."

Braver tried to push her off, but Cozy was fighting her down. "I told you, it's none of your business!"

"I can't let you do that until you tell me...why? huh?" Cozy could sense Braver's magical energy growing. She smirks at this.

Braver narrowed her eyes at her. "I told you, Cozy, I can't! This is between her and I."

"And I can't just leave it be, not when my best friend is clearly bother by something!" said Cozy, using her alicorn form and then smacking her hooves together. She was getting hyped up about seeing Braver get mad, as it had been a long time since she last saw her this way.

Braver raised her body up, hooves in the air, and was going to push her, but Cozy pushed back with her hooves, locking each other in place, and said, "Tell me, why isn't she helping you? Huh?"

"I don't have to answer you! Let me go!"

"Make me!" Cozy was pushing back against her.

Braver wasn't taking this; she was done with it and started to turn into her slime form.

Cozy was happy about this and wanted to fight her ever since, remembering how powerful she was in this form. "Come on! Come on! Come on! Could you show me the old you? Breaker! Breaker! Breaker! COME OUT! BREAKER! BREAKER!" She could tell Braver was getting angry as the ground started to shake, and her eyes glowed purple. "Come on, Breaker, show yourself! Breaker! Breaker!"

Braver had enough. She pushed her back and tackled her to the air as the two flew through the sky.

"Yeah! That's it, Breaker!" shouted Cozy, happy she finally got her attention.

Braver was fighting and hitting her nonstop, and Cozy was having the time of her life.
"COME ON! I DARE YOU! SHOW YOUR TRUE SELF, BREAKER! BREAK EVERYTHING IN YOUR WAY!" shouted Cozy, loving the chaos they were causing in the sky.
They were still flying in the air, Braver still hitting her, but Cozy wasn't fighting back but blocking the hits. Cozy could tell she wasn't letting it all out and knew what to do.

"COME ON! YOU THINK YOU'RE HARD. WHY DON'T YOU BREAK ME THEN!?" Braver froze when she heard that and stood still.
Cozy could tell that didn't work and then decided to play her final card.

"If you don't do it..." Cozy turned red, her eyes burning with magical energy, and she smiled evilly, like, "I'm going to hurt Dawn!"

Braver eyes went pure white, and her white halo appeared above her head. "NO!"

"THEN DO IT! HURT ME OR ELSE!" Braver couldn't hold back anymore and tackled her so hard that it created a sonic rainboom, but the rainbow wave was only light blue and purple colors. They flew back into the town, but Braver decreased her speed quickly and crashed into the library, taking half the roof down and making a big hole in the library floor, with Braver on top of a smiling Cozy.

"That's it, Breaker. Could you do it? Hurt me. Tell me why you are so mad!." Cozy wasn't going easy on her.

Braver couldn't hold it anymore; she screamed so loud that the tree building shook with such fury, "DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH HER! EVEN THOUGH I HURT HER! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!"

"You hurt her?"

"YES, OK! I DID! I HURT HER! I MADE HER CRY, AND I'M SO ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR NOT REALIZING HOW SHE FEELS ABOUT ME!" screamed Braver, with rainbow tears flowing down her slime cheeks. However, she was taken aback when she felt her eyes being wiped away by Cozy.

"That's it. Let it out," said Cozy, smirking. Then, in a painful tone, she asked, "So you didn't realize she loved you?"

"NO! I didn't, and I made her cry. I was so stupid. I should have realized it, and I hate myself for making her feel this way, and now she's gone..." cried Braver, slowly turning back to normal. She also realized how she acted against Cozy and started to nuzzle her, begging for her forgiveness.

Cozy blushed hard. "Hey, hey, stop it, it's fine."

"But I was mean to you and-"

Cozy pushed her off and sat up. "You have every right to be mean; I was trying to push your buttons."

"But I shouldn't have lost my temper, and—" cried Braver as she tried to hug her friend, but Cozy just stopped her with her hoof.

"Stop it, it's fine. Besides, it's been a long time since I've seen you so mad. The last time was when we first met. Plus..." Cozy placed her other hoof on Braver's chest and smirked, "Love seeing your fighting spirit! That's the Braver I know! That's my girl."

Braver blushed when she called her 'her girl' and said, "Ok, I get it."

"Good and..." Cozy blushed as well, moving away her hooves and crossing her arms. She looked away, not wanting her to see her face. "I'm sorry for calling you by your old name and saying those things. I shouldn't have."

"But-"

Cozy pointed her hoof and touched Braver's nose. "Don't but me! I said many bad things to you, and I shouldn't have! I won't go back on my word from all those years ago." she slowly looked at her and smiled. "I promise, remember?".
Braver could only smile back with tears and hugged her hard. "I FORGIVE YOU! I KNOW YOU AREN'T EVIL ANYMORE! I FORGIVE YOU!"

Cozy's eyes were wide. She had never seen her so happy, so she just let it be and smiled, "Yeah, yeah, just stop hugging me so hard. Don't break my back, okay?"

Braver let her go and started talking to her as Twilight and Twilah slowly rose from behind the window, looking inside.

"Who's that pony? Isn't she one of Braver's friends?"

"Yes, her name is Cozy Glow."

"Wait, I remember her from your memories. Wasn't she evil?"

Twilight just smiled and said, "She's good now. Thanks to Braver."

Twilah remembers seeing the fighting and seeing them destroying half the library. "You sure?"

"Yes..." said Twilight, with an awkward smile. Braver is very good at making friends with the oddest of characters."

Twilah and Twilight looked back inside, watching the two fixing the library up with magic. Twilah turned to her friend and asked how Braver befriended Cozy. Twilight lowered herself along with Twilah.

"Well, what I remembered what Braver told me..."

---

Nine years ago

It was a few months after Cozy and Chrysalis escaped from their stone prison. Chrysalis went underground, but there were sightings of Cozy in Canterlot, so I increased security in the castle and in the city itself. I wasn't sure why she was staying in the city, knowing she could get caught, and I didn't understand why she would put herself at risk—almost like she was looking for something.
It was a year after Braver came to live with us, and since we had no idea when she was born, we made her birthday that day. By what Sky and Nightfall showed us, Blitz was six when, so it means Braver was seven like her sister. We created a big surprise party for her. All our friends and family were setting everything up, but we had to keep her busy, so I asked her to clean and organize the school library, she wanted to be like Nightfall in being a librarian, so it was a perfect way to keep her busy until the party was ready...

The school was empty, except for a few students who were practicing their magic for the upcoming talent show, and the library was empty as Braver, known as Breaker at the time, was helping the old colt librarian as he was slowly using his horn magic to push the cart of books and talking to Breaker.

"So you have a sister?" asked the old colt.

"Yep. A twin."

"Is she just like you?"

Breaker chuckled, "Oh no, she is very different." She happily trotted around the old unicorn as she was helping him. "My sister is super fast and cute! But I'm just strong and break things..."

"Oh, don't say that, my dear." said the old librarian, fixing his glasses as he looked at her. Everyone is special and has their own qualities; it's just that some are a bit more unique and different, just like you. You aren't bad at all, young filly."

"Thanks, Mr. Librarian. You are so nice; I want to work here one day! My mommy was a library like you! So I wanna do that one day, too!"

The old unicorn chuckled. "Of course, of course." he smiled at her, happy to have someone so eager to help.
Breaker smiled, looking up and seeing the books in the air as the unicorn used his magic to stack the books on the cart. She saw her halo glowing and could feel her magic flowing.

"I wonder if I can do that?" She closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. She looked up, still concentrating, but nothing happened.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no, just trying something."

The librarian smiled at her, thinking she was performing a magic spell with that floating halo she was carrying. He just let her do her thing as he continued to stack the books.

Breaker opened her eyes, her halo still glowing. She was trying her hardest, but still, nothing was happening. Her ears went back, disappointed that she couldn't do a simple magic trick, as she wanted to prove her worth. She was so angry as she followed the old colt, but she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She bumped into the cart, which sent her flying onto a shelf, knocking it down and causing all the books to fall.

"Oh no," said Breaker, her halo disappearing.

The old colt lowered a book he was looking at and saw the mess. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Librarian! I'll fix it!" she said, going over to the self, using her strength to push it back up and put the books back in place.

"Oh, no need. No harm done." said the old colt, not caring what happened but shocked at Breaker's strength. "I say, kids, these days are stronger than I remember; how old are you?"

"Six, sir!"

"Really? You're bigger than any six-year-old filly I've seen and much stronger." he chuckled as he walked off to pick up a book he was holding. "When is your birthday? I hope you are having a big cake this year."

Breaker's ears went back in sadness. "...I don't have one..."

"No birthday?" he whispered, surprised by the news. "You must have one? What do your parents say about that?"

"I have no real parents. I was just created..." Breaker replied, dropping the books she held in her arms.

"But-"

"Can I be alone? Please, Mr. Librarian. I need some alone time. I'll fix this mess, okay?" asked Breaker, as she didn't want to break down in front of him.

The old librarian nodded and didn't know what to do, so he just went to a different section of the library so the little filly could have her alone time.

Breaker took a deep breath, trying her best to hold back her tears, and slowly walked away from the cart, heading into the back part of the library, not even seeing the little pink alicorn filly sneaking into the library and looking for something.

"Where is it? My research said it be here. Come on, it has to be here?" said the little Alicorn, using her magic to open up a book and start reading each one.

On the other hand, Breaker was in the back, sitting under a table, crying softly.

"I'm not a real pony like everyone else. You can't even use magic or even have a real birthday. Just a fake pony who's a monster that was created, and I shouldn't exist..."

The pink Alicorn kept searching for whatever she was looking for until she heard the crying and looked around the library, wondering where it was coming from. She slowly followed it, finding it was coming from under a desk.

"Hello?" she called out.

Braver froze, hearing her voice, and quickly wiped her tears away.

"Hello? Is someone under there?" asked the little Alicorn, slowly going under the table and finding a minor little Alicorn like her, which made her smile as she knew who it was. "Aren't you Twilight Sparkle, kid? I remember finding those newspaper reports of the announcement, where she adopted an alicorn filly. That's you, right? You're that kid?"

Breaker slowly turned around and was in shock, looking at the Alicorn. She only thought there was her mother, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and finally, former princesses Luna and Celestia, who were the only alicorns. Breaker smiled and answered her, "Yeah, that's me. And I didn't think there would be another alicorn here! What's your name!? I'm Breaker!"

"Breaker?" she chuckled, as the Breaker's face was close to her, and she was a little scared by how close she was getting. "Uh, my name is Cozy Glow," she pushed her away. And yeah, I'm an alicorn. So, you are her kid, huh?"

Breaker nodded with a smile. "Yep! I'm her kid!"

Cozy horn started to glow. "That's great to hear!" her smile became evil-looking as she grabbed Breaker with her magical aura. "I can have my revenge! This is going to be fun!"

Breaker tipped her head to the side, not understanding what she meant, but quickly realized she meant playing a game.
"Fun? Oh, like playing a game!?"

Cozy didn't answer her, was surprised at how dumb Alicorn was, and slowly put her down. "Oh yes, a game. A fun game, yes, yes."

Breaker's eyes and horn were glowing with excitement as she jumped in joy but hit her head under the table, sending it flying, which didn't hurt her, and Cozy just stared at her, sensing the powerful magical energy in her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah! This is so cool, a new friend, a game to play! What game are we playing!?"

Cozy chuckled, rubbing the bottom of her muzzle. "Hmm, that's a good one. You see, the rules are you can't tell anyone about me, and we are going to play a treasure hunt. First, we need a book, a book that tells us where the treasure is and how to get it."

"Oooooh, I love that kind of game!" said Breaker, looking around the library for a good book for the game.

"The book is called 'History of the Fallen Mage: Vile Darkness'."

Breaker nodded. "Okay! Where is it?"

"Well, it's here somewhere in this library. You'll look for it while I give you orders."

"Oh, that sounds like fun! I'll do it; I'm great at games!"

"Oh, I bet you are, Breaker." said Cozy with a devilish smile. Breaker was so naive that she did not notice the evil smirk Cozy was giving her.

"Why don't you start searching for it, and we'll go from there."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Breaker ran off, starting to look for the book, and Cozy started looking around the library, making sure no one saw her. She hid under a table, rubbing her hooves together, excited to get her revenge on Twilight Sparkle and the others for defeating her and putting her in that stone prison.

"After a few years, I'm finally free and can take my revenge, and this little dumb, naive Alicorn is going to help me get the power I need, and once I'm done with Twilight, I'll become queen of Equestria! I'll become the most powerful pony alive! With power, I'll have everything, and nobody will tell me what to do! They'll bow to me, and I'll rule everything!"
She saw Breaker looking through the shelves and smiled evilly.
"And that little Blockhead, I'll make her my slave when she is the key to all of my plans now. She doesn't even realize how much power she has, and the idiot isn't using her horn to its full potential. All it would take is a few tricks, and she'll eat out of my hoof. Why have friendship when you can just manipulate them and rule everything!"
She then realized she had said the last part out loud, looked around, hoping no one was around, and let out a sigh of relief—no one heard her.

"I wonder where that book is?" said Cozy, looking around.

"Right here!" said Breaker, smiling happily as she dropped the book in front of her new friend.

Cozy was shocked and stared at the book on the ground. It was indeed the book she was looking for. She couldn't believe how quickly she found it; she didn't even see her find the book.

"H-How did you find it?"

"You said the book is called History of the Fallen Mage: Vile Darkness, and since my mom was a librarian, I checked the index under History and Vile Darkness, so I searched for that, and there was only one book under that topic, and it was this book!"

Cozy just stared at her and was shocked. "Oh wow, you're good."

"Really!?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're a really smart girl; you must have picked that up from Twilight. I can tell you love reading."

Breaker rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "Really? I'm just like mom? Thank you, Cozy."

Cozy didn't respond but gave her a fake smile, not believing how gullible this filly was. She quickly took the book and opened it, reading about Vile, the fallen mage.

"Yes, the fallen mage was a powerful and evil unicorn who created an infinite source of magic called the Infinity Necklace. He tried to conquer the world, using its powers, and was the most powerful unicorn to have lived. With the necklace's power, he could rule the world."

"Wow, he was powerful! What happened to him and the necklace?"

Cozy flipped a few pages and found it: "It said he was defeated by Elements of Harmony by the first-ever princess of Equestria. She defeated and destroyed him. They tried to destroy the necklace, but the power of the necklace was too great, so they had to seal it away in the vault of the castle!" Cozy shut the book and laughed evilly.

Breaker needed clarification. "Um, what's funny?"

Cozy calmed down and put her hoof over her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just funny how stupid the mage was to think he could rule the world; he was so weak and couldn't beat a mere princess. It's just funny, the power the necklace he had, and he couldn't use it properly and got his butt kicked."

Breaker laughed, too. "Yeah, he was weak, like a little foal."

"Yeah, and it says the vault is deep underground, and only a few ponies can access it. If I can get my hooves on the necklace, then I can—" Cozy quickly realized she said that out loud and looked at Breaker, who just smiled at her, still naive. So Cozy just said, "I can have friends, yeah, friends." She felt sick saying that.

"You don't have friends? I'll be your friend!"

Cozy forced a smile. "Yes, I would love that, and you'll be my first friend."

"Yay! This is awesome!" cheered Breaker, pumping her hooves.

Cozy rolled her eyes and looked at the book again. "Now, to get the necklace, we need a way to get inside the castle vault. There is only one way in, and that is with the Royal family, but only the princess and a few members have access."

"I can get us in there!"

Cozy turned her head towards her and looked at her with shock and surprise. "You can!? How?"

Breaker looked at her smugly: "I'm not telling, but I really can get us in there!"

Cozy wanted to kill this foal and slowly walked closer to her. "I would like to know how because it would make things so much easier, and I wouldn't waste time figuring out a plan."

"Oh, yeah, a plan. Sorry, Cozy, but I'm not telling. I just can't. But I can get us in."

Cozy growled under her breath and smiled at her. "Well, if that's true, then you can help me. You can't tell anyone about our little secret, alright."

"Sure, but why?"

"It's just our little game, a fun game. You can't tell anyone; you have to keep this between us. Promise?" asked Cozy, giving Breaker a fake smile.

"Sure, I won't tell."

"Promise me," said Cozy, with an evil look.

Breaker put her hoof over her heart. "Okay, I promise, no matter what, I won't tell anyone about our new friendship!"

"Good, now-wait, what!? Friendship!?"

Breaker smiled. "Yes, that's what this is, right? We're friends, right? We're hanging out and having fun, so we are friends!"

"Friends..." whispered Cozy, feeling sick as she said that.

"Yep, best friends."

Cozy forced a smile. "R-right, best friends. Best of friends. Now, let's get going."

Breaker jumped in the air, excited to go, and Cozy slowly followed her, smiling as her plan was working. So far, it would be soon that she got the necklace and took her revenge. She had beautiful thoughts of defeating Twilight and the others while laughing evilly but suddenly felt someone grabbing her hoof; Breaker was walking next to her and smiling happily at her.
Cozy was surprised at first and was about to yell at her, but then she stopped and smiled, thinking about her plan. She held onto her hoof as the two girls walked through the school's back exit and towards the castle. It wasn't long until Breaker asked her something.

"Hey, Cozy?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why don't you have any friends?"

Cozy didn't say anything and just looked ahead, not wanting to answer. Breaker looked down, thinking it was a sour topic for her. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

"No, no, it's fine." Cozy sighed, getting really tired of all this friendship crap. "Honestly, I don't understand friendship or why ponies are so obsessed. It's not like it's anything special."

Breaker looked down in sadness, saying, "Maybe you just haven't met the right ponies or creatures yet."

Cozy looked at her, annoyed and angry, but hid it behind her fake smile. She hated to talk about this, not just because it made her mad but also because she felt her plan was falling apart if she kept asking these kinds of questions.

"What makes them so special that they deserve such power over me?"

"Power over you? What do you mean?"

Cozy stopped, letting go of Breaker's hoof, and looked down, shaking her head. "Forget it."

Breaker tilted her head and looked at her, concerned and confused. She had never seen a pony act like this, and she wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to push Cozy's buttons, but she had to know, "...did your friends have power over you? Used you? Hurt you?"

Cozy didn't respond and was getting mad.

Breaker walked closer and reached her hoof, placing it on her shoulder and making her flinch. Cozy was surprised, feeling her hoof on her shoulder. She looked up at her, and she didn't see a look of disgust, hatred, or fear but a look of kindness and understanding.
"Cozy, I don't know why ponies hurt and used you, but I'm not going to. I would never do that, and you don't need them. You have me now, and I'm going to show you you're special and have a heart. You don't need to be the strongest, bravest, or smartest to have a place here." Breaker placed her hoof on her own heart. "It's not about being the best or having the most; it's about being there for each other, even when you have nothing. That's what makes friends, a friend, and I'll be there for you, no matter what. It's like a cool and fastest pegasus alive once told, 'Live and learn! Open your heart! It doesn't matter now what happens if I follow my rainbow. So, don't give up on the chance for friendship and a second chance. That's what life is about giving and taking chances.' and I'll take that chance with you."

Cozy stared at her; her mouth was wide open in shock, and she was speechless. She wasn't sure what to say or how to respond and was so angry, but it soon faded, and she had a different emotion and didn't want to admit it.

Breaker just smiled as Cozy stood there and looked at her, and soon she smiled, too. She didn't believe in second chances, but seeing this filly made her think twice.
"Maybe you're right, maybe..." but Cozy shook her head. She remembered being used by others so many times and couldn't trust this girl, so she put on a fake smile again. "So, about the necklace, are you sure we can get into the vault?"
Breaker nodded, not wanting to push her more than she already had.
"Well, that's good. Let's go. We just need to be careful," said Cozy, seeing all the guards and ponies around.

"Don't worry, I got us covered," replied Breaker, retaking Cozy hoof.

Cozy wasn't sure how but didn't question it and followed her as they kept walking through the back alleyways of the streets, away from the guards. She wasn't sure why, but her heart was racing, not just from the excitement; the plan was coming together, and she would finally be powerful enough to avenge Twilight and the others. It felt so good, and she was getting excited, unable to contain herself. She couldn't wait to have all that power, and she would take down those fools.

(As my daughter was leading Cozy back to the castle, I, Dash and the others were almost done in setting up the party)

---

Twilight stood in the middle of the castle's great hall, checking off stuff as she looked around, seeing everyone setting up things. She could see Pinkie setting up the decorations with her party cannon. At the same time, Rarity and her sister helped her before getting covered in decorations by a misfire of the cannon, causing Pinkie to laugh and apologize for shooting them. Rainbow Dash and her parents were busy helping set up the tables and making sure everything was ready, and Applejack and her family were getting the food prepared in the kitchen. Her parents and family were busy getting the last details of the party ready, but she noticed Fluttershy finally arriving. she was alone, which made her wonder where Discord was.

Fluttershy saw Twilight, waved at her, walked up to her, smiled at her, and asked, "Hi, Twilight. How are the party preparations going?"

Twilight returned her smile. "Hey, Fluttershy, it's going well, but are you alone? I thought Discord would be with you."

"Oh, well..." Fluttershy looked nervous as if she didn't know how to explain the reason. "He's not coming. I can't say why, sorry, Twilight."

Twilight had a feeling it was something stupid, knowing Discord.

Fluttershy continued, not wanting to talk about him. "So, do you need some help?"

"Yes, could you make sure the balloons are set up?"

"Of course, I'll get right to it!" Fluttershy turned around, leaving Twilight alone, and went over to the box of balloons, helping Cheese Sandwich with the rest. Twilight looked at her list but quickly heard something being rolled into the hall. She looked up and saw DJ Pon-3 pushing her DJ equipment.

"DJ Pon-3, you're a little late, but welcome," said Twilight, looking over her list again and checking it off.

DJ Pon-3 gave her a nod and started setting up her equipment. Twilight smiled and put the list down on a nearby table. She walked over to the DJ table, seeing her set up, but soon saw DJ Pon-3's girlfriend walking into the hall with the rest of the DJ stuff and her own cello case. Twilight knew who it was and greeted her as she was helping her girlfriend set up.
"Octavia Melody, I'm glad you could make it. Dash only wanted a DJ, but I felt we needed some 'classic' music as well. I'm glad you two can come. It will be a great party, thanks to both of you."

Octavia nodded, smiling. "We're happy to be here; this is going to be a great party."

"Thanks, Octavia." Twilight looked over the great hall, seeing the DJ equipment, food, balloons, tables, and many other things set up and looked at the clock and smiled, knowing the party would start soon. "This will be a party, Breaker will always remember! oh!" Twilight noticed that Starlight, Sunburst, Sunset, and Dawn had arrived, as Sunset was talking to Starlight. Twilight could see Dawn was carrying a tremendous gift and quickly looking around for her best friend, Breaker.
"Starlight, I'm glad you can make it." Twilight hugged her friends, Sunburst and Sunset. She smiled at Dawn. "And I'm so happy you and your family could make it, Dawn. It's always a pleasure seeing you. I know Breaker is going to be happy to see you, like always! She's always talking about you."

Dawn blushed and couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Princess..."

Twilight petted her head. "Please, just call me Twilight. Any friend of my daughters is a friend of mine."

"Th...thanks, Twilight."

"Dawn, why don't you put the gift with the other gifts over there?" Starlight pointed over to the other gifts, but Dawn gave her a cold look, which made Starlight sad.

"Oh, um, sure..." Dawn carried the tremendous gift over to the other gifts.

Sunset followed her as she carried a gift, leaving the three alone to talk.

"So, have you two finished discussing Dawn being my chosen student? Like I said after the test, she has high magical energy, and I would love to have her as my student. She could learn a lot from me and could teach her a lot of stuff, like how Celestia taught me."

Starlight sighed, looking sad and nervous. "...well, we have, and I have many questions about the program. Even more so if she becomes...an alicorn."

Twilight's smile faded, and she saw that her best friend was very nervous and unsure about this. Twilight looked around and saw no one was near them, so she whispered, "You still don't think I should choose Dawn as my future successor? Because of her...secret?" Then she turned to Sunburst, who became sad, but his wife held his hoof, telling him everything would be okay.

As the three were talking, Dawn returned and asked where Breaker was. Twilight quickly looked around the great hall and saw everything was ready. She turned to Dawn and answered, "She's at the school library. Can you get her? The surprise party is ready for her now."

"I can get her. I'll be right back!" Dawn ran out of the hall, heading for the school, but quickly spotted Cozy and Breaker sneaking their way into the castle. She wondered who the pink alicorn filly was and followed them.

(Braver and Cozy got into the castle without any of the guards noticing and were about to head to the underground vault, but Braver made a stop to her room.)

"Why are we here?"

Breaker let go of her hand and opened the door, revealing her messy room, filled with books and junk that looked like a tornado had gone through it. She entered her room, looked around the mess, and sighed.
"I'm not much of a clean person. My mom always yells at me, saying I need to clean my room, but I'm too busy."

"Yeah, it's a pig sty. But why are we here when we should be heading to the vault?"

Braver turned around and looked down at her. "...You said we were friends, right?"

"Yes, so what?"

Breaker gleemed with happiness and quickly returned for something in her room, while Cozy sighed with annoyance, seeing her wasting time. Unknown to the two, Dawn was spying on them from behind the door with a cold stare.

"Here!" Breaker ran back to her, holding a huge box, setting it down, and opening it. Cozy looked inside and saw just junk, but Breaker took out a friendship bracelet made from yarn, beads, and feathers and looked at her. "...This is something I've learned from Dawn, my best friend! She calls it a friendship bracelet. See, I'm wearing mine." Breaker showed her the one on her arm, which Dawn made her.

Cozy wasn't interested, rolling her eyes. "That's great, but what does this have to do with m-huh!?" Cozy was taken aback as Breaker held her hoof and put it on her, causing her to blush.

"There!" Breaker took out the same one from the box and put it on. Now we have matching ones! We're the best of friends now! Right, Cozy?" asked Breaker, putting her hoof near hers and showing how they match.

Cozy touched it and whispered, "...R...right..." as she felt something strange in her. Breaker gave her a warm smile, causing the strange feeling to grow more.

Dawn, hiding behind the door, was filled with so much rage. She saw Breaker with another filly and giving away a friendship bracelet like that. She believed that Breaker didn't need anymore friends when she had her. It was making her mad, but the moment she was about to step in, Breaker pulled Cozy into a hug, seeing Cozy blushing red. This made Dawn break down the door, scaring the two and making them jump.

"Breaker?!" screamed Dawn, with rage in her eyes.

"Luster Dawn!" happily cheered Breaker, letting Cozy go and hugging Dawn with all her might, making the rage in Dawn disappear entirely.

"B...Breaker..." said Dawn, hugging her back and so filled with joy.

Cozy looked at the two and sighed, seeing her chance to enter the vault was over.

Dawn and Breaker let each other go, making Dawn glare at Cozy and asking who she was and why she was hugging her.
"Oh, she's my new friend, Cozy Glow. I'm helping her to get inside the underground vault! We're doing a treasure hunt! Want to join us!?" asked Breaker.

"No, because we have somewhere to be!"

"But Dawn..." whined Breaker, making Dawn blush. However, Cozy glared at her, making Dawn glare back.

"I said no, we have to be somewhere. It's related to you. So let's go."

Breaker became sad, causing Dawn to feel bad, but quickly shook her head, grabbed her hoof, and pulled her out of the room by force, which caused Cozy to be angry. Not because she lost her way into the vault but because she was seeing someone using their so-called friendship to make the other do what they wanted, the look on Breaker's face made Cozy realize that this was something Breaker didn't like. She quickly got between the two and glared at Dawn.

"See, Breaker, this is what I mean. So-called friends use their power of friendship to get what they want, not caring about what others want or think. This is the true colors of friendship and why I don't have any. I won't allow this, not even if it's against you." Cozy turned around, smiling at Breaker, taking her hoof and pulling her away. "Come on, let's go to the vault."

Dawn growled, grabbing the other side of Breaker's hoof, not allowing her to move.

"She's not going with you! She's coming with me, and if you think I'm going to lose her to you, think again!"

Breaker became nervous, seeing her two best friends fighting as they used her as a tug of war.

"She might be a blockhead, but I'm not letting someone like you be her friend!"

Dawn grew more mad as she heard Cozy call Breaker "Blockhead!? It's Breaker! I'll let you know I'm her first and only friend; she doesn't need someone like you. So go away and leave us alone!"

Cozy wasn't backing down, pulling harder. "She's MY friend now, and she's coming with ME, so let go!"

"Like hell, I will! I'm not letting you have her!"

"I'm not letting her go!"

Breaker felt the two were about to break her arms, causing her to cry and beg them to stop. But the two were so caught up in their anger that they didn't hear her. They kept tugging, not stopping until Breaker pulled them towards her and hugged them both, causing both fillies to blush bright red.

"Please stop! Please don't fight over me. Please, I can't see my best friends fight like this!" cried Breaker, shocking the two as they heard her scream. Cozy had a worried look on her face while Dawn noticed it.

"...You care about her, don't you?" asked Dawn, looking at Cozy.

Cozy looked away. "So, what of it? It doesn't mean anything."

"I care about her too...deeply."

When Cozy heard that, she felt something in her; it was fear, but she didn't know why. She slowly turned to the crying Breaker, and that fear disappeared. She started to realize what it was and didn't like it, so she decided to do what she planned and use her. She pushed Breaker off, dusted herself off, and said, "Good for you, but Breaker here, promise me to get inside the vault. Promises come first before friendship, right Breaker?"

Breaker looked up at Cozy and slowly nodded, as she was still sad.

Dawn growled at her, causing Cozy to smirk, and walked past her. "Then come on, let's go."

"I'm coming too! I'm not leaving her alone with you!"

Cozy sighed, looking over her shoulder at her, and smiled. "Fine by me."

The three-headed towards the underground basement, where the vault was located, and finally stood before the enormous doors. Cozy turned to Breaker, asking how to get inside, which Breaker told them to turn around, as they couldn't see her unlock it, not wanting to reveal her slime powers to anyone. Cozy didn't want to, but Dawn put her arm around her neck and forced, holding her tight.

"Hey! Let go!" shouted Cozy, trying to get out of her grip but couldn't.

"If you want to be friends with her, then you're going to need to start trusting her. If not, then you can't be friends with her!"

Cozy stopped fighting, causing Dawn to let her go. Both stood there, waiting, while Breaker turned into a puddle of slime, getting inside the crack of the doors, creeping into the lock system, and trying to unlock the doors.
Cozy could hear the lock being worked on, which made her smile. Her goal of getting her revenge was going to come true, and no one would stand in her way. Dawn noticed the smile and glared at her.

"I still don't trust you, not one bit."

Cozy glared back at her, "I don't need you to. I'm only going to be friends with Breaker, and you ca-" Cozy froze as she heard herself say that, and it came out of her mouth without her realizing it. She wasn't here to be friends with Breaker. She quickly remembers her plans, destroying Twilight and her friends and ruling over Equestria. That was the only thing on her mind, and yet, Breaker appeared in her thoughts, seeing that stupid blockhead smile, making her blush. She became angry and wanted to punch that blockhead face...yet, she tried to nuzzle that foolish face and- "Stop it! Stop thinking of that Blockhead!"

"That Blockhead is my friend, so stop calling her that! She only needs me!" shouted Dawn, glaring at her and grabbing Cozy collar.

Cozy pushed her off, glaring hard at her. "You keep saying you're her friend, but the way you talk about her, it sounds like you see her as some kind of possession and not a living, breathing person!"

Dawn growled, about to snap back, but the vault door was slowly opening. The two looked and noticed Breaker walking out of the vault, smiling and looking worn out.
"I did it! I open the vault!" cheered Breaker, not noticing the tension in the room.

The two stood there, saying nothing. Dawn approached her and told her she did a good job, which made her less worn out. Cozy didn't like this, so she walked past them, but she quickly gave Breaker a hug, shocking her and Dawn.

"Thank you, Breaker, you did great. Come on, let's check the vault together."
Dawn was annoyed by this as they entered the vault and saw the treasures it held, but Cozy was interested in a grey necklace with a red gem that looked like an infinite loop. She picked it up and put it on. As she did, a red light surrounded her, causing her to fall to her knees and hold her head in pain.

"What's happening!?" shouted Dawn, rushing to her side. Breaker was worried and was about to help her until the light was gone, so Cozy stood up, smiling.

"Joking! It was a prank. You really should've seen the look on your faces; priceless!" giggled Cozy, causing Dawn to growl.

"You little!" Dawn shouted, but Breaker, who was laughing at the joke, held her back. "Why are you even here? What's so important about this necklace?"

Cozy didn't reply, just smirking at her and leaving the room, which pissed her off more but Breaker kept her back, not wanting to see her friend fight again. She asked her question, hoping to change topics.
"Dawn, I forgot to ask, but where did I need to be?"

"What? Oh, that's right!" said Dawn, finally calmly calmed down and remembering the surprise party. "Just follow me!"

Dawn led her down the dark hall, passing Cozy, who quickly ran up to Dawn, thinking she was going to warn the others.
"Where are you going?" asked Cozy, with a faint red aura forming around her.

Dawn glared at her but sighed as she pulled her in and whispered, "To her surprise party."

"Oh...wait, will everyone be there? Like Twilight and her stupid friends?"

Dawn tipped her head in confusion: "Of course! Everyone was invited and will be there. Why, you ask? stupid friends?"

Cozy smirked and quickly grabbed Breaker's hoof and made her run faster. "Just checking, is all."

As they reached the great hall, the girls stopped and saw everything dark until the lights turned on, revealing Breaker's parents, family, and friends, yelling, ' Surprise!'

"Wow, a surprise party for me? But why?" asked Breaker, not understanding what's going on.

Before Twilight and Dash could answer, they quickly noticed Cozy behind her, glaring at Twilight and ready to fight.

"What's the meaning of this!?" shouted Twilight, pointing her hoof at Cozy while Dash and the rest of her friends stood ready to take on Cozy.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here after what you did!" shouted Dash, cracking her hooves.

She gave a cozy smirk as the necklace gem started to glow red, and a red aura filled the whole area. "Why else am I here? I'm here to settle the score with the almighty Twilight Sparkle and her stupid friends."

Breaker asked what she meant by that and why she was fighting. Cozy looked at her and trapped her in a magical cube.

"Blockhead, I was just using you. I needed to get inside the vault, and with you, it was easy. With this necklace made by Vile Darkness, I can't be stopped."

Twilight stepped forward, asking Cozy if that was really the necklace of Infinity. Cozy smirked and said yes, causing Twilight to gasp.

"Scared, are we? Well, you should be because I can't be stopped with this, and you're going down!"

Twilight shook her head and said, "No! You don't understand! That necklace is-" but before she could finish, Twilight was blasted by a red beam and crashed into the music stage.

"Twilight!" yelled Dash and the rest, rushing to her aid. Breaker was shocked by this and tried to stop Cozy, but she wasn't listening.

"Is powerful!? I know! I'm not an idiot!" yelled Cozy, sending a beam towards Twilight again as the necklace gem grew brighter.

"You are an idiot!" shouted Twilight, dodging the attack.

"Why are you saying that!?" asked Cozy, stopping her attack.

"That necklace isn't what you think it is!"

Cozy brushed off her warning and started blasting her again, and everyone in the room laughed. The necklace gem glowed more and more, as the attacks become faster and more powerful.
"Come on, come on, use it already! Use it!" thought Cozy, as she blasted the walls, floor and ceiling, as it all began to break and crumble "USE YOUR DUMB FRIENDSHIP MAGIC ALREADY!"

While this happened, Dawn hurried over to the cube and tried to get Breaker out.
"I knew she was up to no good! We have to stop her before it's too late!" shouted Dawn, using her magic on the cube, but nothing was happening. She quickly noticed Breaker crying.

"Is this my fault?" asked Breaker, feeling bad. "If I didn't open the vault, this wouldn't have happened. Am I bad?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" said Dawn, shaking her head. She was still trying to get her out, but nothing was working. "None of this is your fault! You're not a bad girl! You're sweet, kind, and loving. Please stop crying, Breaker! She just used you!"

Breaker could only watch but started to notice two glowing red eyes above Cozy. She could feel something was wrong and quickly punched the cube in one shot, causing Cozy to turn to her in shock.

"How did you get out!?" shouted Cozy, trying to shoot her with her magic, but nothing was happening.

"Dawn, please leave. This is between me and her."

"But..."

Breaker turned to her in anger with pure white eyes. "I SAID GO!"

Dawn backed away and left while Breaker turned back to Cozy, who was laughing. "Someone mad? Are you mad that I used you? Did I hurt your feelings? What are you going to do about it?"

Breaker didn't answer and simply called out to her mom, asking her about the necklace and the warning she was trying to give her.

Twilight, who had a barrier around herself and the others, answered, "The Necklace of Infinity is a cursed object made by a fallen mage, Vile Darkness. It's said the wearer will never run out of magic, and it'll give the wearer anything they want, but it will come at a cost!"

"Cost!?" shouted Breaker and Cozy.

Twilight nodded, "The necklace is alive! It will take over the wearer's body, slowly killing them! It's how Vile died before the first princess could stop him, but historians lied about how he was killed and hid the truth from the world. Please, Cozy, listen! If you keep this up, you'll die!"

"COZY!" shouted Breaker, hoping she would listen, but Cozy could only laugh. "Cozy?"

"She's lying! This necklace is mine, and you're next!" Cozy fired off her two huge magical hands, grabbed Breaker's head, and started brainwashing her. "You'll become my slave! YOU'LL BECOME MY EVERLASTING FRIEND!" She then looked over to Twilight and the others, while her fur became pure red. "THEN I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL! I'M COZY GLOW, AND I'M ABOVE ALL OF YOU!"
The necklace gem grew bright as the magical hands were about to control Breaker's mind, but she quickly scattered it with each punch.

"NO!" shouted Cozy, in disbelief as the hands reformed, but Breaker punched through it again.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT!" screamed Breaker as she soared towards Cozy, clashing with each other hooves, creating a powerful shock wave that pushed Twilight and the others back.

"I won't lose!" shouted Cozy, trying to blast her with magic. But the attacks were doing nothing, and the more she used it, the weaker her body felt. "What's going on? Why aren't you taking any damage?!"

Breaker pushed her forward, saying, "You can't beat me with that lame power! You are stronger than that!"

"SHUT UP! I'm above all of you, including you!" shouted Cozy as she grew in size until she was almost filling the hall, becoming a twisted version of herself with the two red eyes taking over. "I'M INFINITE!"

Breaker was unfazed by her new form while everyone but Twilight and her friends were running or hiding in fear. Cozy created more hands from her back and slammed them down on Breaker, but she was still unfazed by it.
"Cozy! It's controlling you! Take it off!"

"SILENCE!" screamed Cozy as the hands grabbed her and started to squeeze her tightly.

Breaker scatters her hands again, but she sees flashes of Cozy's life, where she is being used by fake friends who don't care for her and just want power over her. Soon, she sees Cozy doing the same thing to orders, even to her. Breaker can only frown when she sees those visions and feels Cozy's pain and suffering. She pushes her back, crying, "Cozy..."

"SILENCE!" Cozy screamed, creating another set of hands while her red eyes glowed and her voice grew distorted. "YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! I'M INFINITE! YOU CAN'T SAVE HER!"

Breaker's eyes went white again. She shouted at her mother to teleport everyone away and get them safely, to which she agreed but told her that she and Dash were coming back right away.

"I WILL DESTROY THE WORLD WITH THIS NECKLACE!" screamed Cozy, growing more and more insane and distorted.
Breaker watched as Twilight teleported everyone and herself away, leaving her and Cozy alone, glaring each other down.
"YOU SHOULD FEAR ME LITTLE ONE! I'M INFINITE OF MANA! I CAN'T EVER BE STOP!" shouted Cozy as she created millions of beams and blasted Breaker nonstop. She laughed but quickly stopped as she saw Breaker slowly walking towards her, unfazed by the attack. "HOW!?"

Breaker raised her head, smiling evilly like "Infinite? Your power is nothing but a drop in a bucket compared to me! Countless lives, countless stars, my universe, I break them all! You aren't infinite but finite. I'M BREAKER! BREAKER OF ALL THINGS! BREAKER OF WORLDS AND STARS!"

The creature controlling Cozy started to shake in fear as the red eyes glowed and tried to attack her, but Breaker wasn't afraid and kept walking forward.

"Cozy, I know you can hear me, and I don't care if the necklace is taking over you; I'll save you!"

"SHUT UP! YOU CAN'T!" screamed Cozy, trying to hit her with her twisted hoof, but it was broken into pieces.

"I will. I'll free you from that curse and become best friends! No matter what, I'll always be there for you! I'll be your friend no matter what and will protect you from anyone who dares to use you!" shouted Breaker, jumping into the air and punching the necklace, scattering it to pieces and breaking Cozy free from it, turning her back to normal but there was a red mist all around her, not letting her go. Soon, Twilight, Dash, and the rest of the gang returned and could see Breaker sitting in front of Cozy, who was crying as the mist wasn't leaving her body. Dawn entered the doorway, looking as if she had just returned after she heard the fighting ending.

"...I just wanted to be strong, so others can't use me..." cried Cozy as Breaker approached her, smiling and touching her nose, not caring if the red mist was burning her hoof. "I'm forever weak..."

"You aren't weak," she said, putting her hoof under Cozy's chin and making her look up at her. "You just need to find that drive, your fighting spirit."

"...I'm a coward."

"I know."

"I'm weak."

"I know."

"I'm a liar."

"I know."

Cozy's eyes went red with rage. "WHY ARE YOU AGREEING WITH ME!?" she said, but she noticed Breaker's burned hoof and moved away from her. "Why? Why do you want to help me? After everything I've done? You idiot!"

"Because I'm an idiot, a real dumb ass. I want to help those who can't help themselves. Because if I were in your shoes, I would need someone to help me. That's my fighting spirit! The spirit of someone who doesn't care about the odds; they fight because they want to, but also to help those in need. I want to help you, no matter the cost or the pain or sacrifice. If that makes me an idiot, then I'm a big freaking idiot. That's what Flash taught me!" Breaker said, doing a big stupid grin, just like Flash did for her that day.

Cozy could only stare at her in disbelief as the red mist started to leave her body and return to the fragments of the necklace.

"You have the strength, the fighting spirit to become strong. You only need your friends to help you find it in you," said Breaker, hugging her. "That's why I'm going to be your friend. No matter what, I will protect and love you. So, please, let me be your friend."

Cozy shook her head, crying now. "It's not that simple!"

"It is!" shouted Breaker, pushing her closer. "Let's start over! Let's be friends! No lies, no deception, no fake smiles, no acting!"

Cozy was crying hard now. "But can I trust you?"

"Don't give up on the chance for friendship and a second chance. That's what life is about giving and taking chances. It's like Bolt told me. Take that chance! Leap!"

"But..."

"Let me in! Let us help you and make your dreams come true."

Soon, the red mist was gone, and Cozy was normal again. However, the mist returned to the red crystal on the floor, which Breaker crushed under her hoof. Cozy hugged her and cried her eyes out.

---

It was a few days later, but Breaker had her birthday party outside of the castle and in a park. Everyone was there, even the old librarian and Cozy, who was shy as she sat far away, watched by Dash and the others while the rest were partying and celebrating. Breaker was opening up presents, but she came to the last present, which was a small bag from Cozy. Breaker opened it, and her eyes went wide. She cried and tackled and hugged Cozy.

"Really? It's just a silly friendship bracelet."

"No, it's not! This is the best gift ever! Thank you!" shouted Breaker, crying as she put the bracelet on. She now had three, while Cozy showed her own, which was two now.

Cozy smirk. "I promise. I'll get stronger in my way and be like you, miss Breaker of Worlds!" Breaker blushed. "I'll never be evil again! I'll get stronger and won't be weak anymore! I'll never be a monster, so you can count on me, miss Breaker of Stars!" laughed Cozy as Breaker couldn't believe Cozy heard her. "Trying to act cool, gosh, you cringe!"

"I am not!" she cried, hiding her embarrassment, but Dawn was looking on, not happy that her friend was cozying up to someone else.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Dash were watching all this, smiling, but Twilight suddenly saw them...

Bolt and Flash standing near her daughter, and when she blinked, they were gone. She turned to Dash, asking her if she saw that.

"Saw what? Our daughter being cringe?" laughed Dash, but Twilight knew what she saw.

"It was them, wasn't it?" she thought as she kept watching her daughter, who had made a promise with Cozy to get stronger together and never leave each other behind.

---

Twilight sighed and looked up to the sky. "They've been friends ever since. Braver was able to help Cozy, something we couldn't ever do. It's like fate wanted this to happen."

Twilah was listening but looking inside and turned to her friend. "...you sure they're just friends?"

"They are. Why you ask?" Twilight asked, but Twilah only pointed inside, which made Twilight look and go pale.

Breaker was on top of Cozy, both on the floor, looking into each other's eyes and blushing. Twilight saw Cozy going shy as if she were ready for her first time, so Braver gulped and got closer.

With one mighty blast, Twilight blew down the wall and, using her Canterlot voice, shouted: "MY DAUGHTER WILL NOT TAKE ANY PONY'S VIRGINITY IN FRONT OF ME!! EVEN MORE SO WITH COZY OF ALL PONIES! GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

Braver and Cozy freak out and turn to Twilight to see Twilah, who is waving at them.

"Mom!? This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" said Braver but Cozy grabbed her and smirked, enjoying seeing Twilight pissed off. "Cozy?"

"You know what? Your mother is right. It's our first time together, and it should be special. I want to be with you in the castle my first time while your mom watches."

"NO!!" screamed Twilight, using her magic to pull them apart, pulling Braver towards her and hugging her. "I knew I couldn't trust you, sweetie! But don't worry, mommy is here! Shouldn't seek that kind of comfort because Dawn didn't love you!"

"Mom, please!" cried Braver, who was super embarrassed as Cozy was laughing hard. Braver finally got free and looked upset. "We weren't going to do anything like that! Cozy wanted a book on Equestria history, and I was gonna give it to her, but I tripped and fell on her."

"B-But the kiss!? You were going to kiss her!?" stuttered Twilight, remembering her daughter gulping and leaning in.

Braver went red and stomped her hooves on the ground. "I WAS GONNA GET UP! I WASN'T GOING TO KISS HER! I ONLY LOVE DAWN!"

Twilight was going to say something, but she noticed Cozy looking hurt, and she quickly realized it. After the misunderstanding, Braver kicked everyone out and slammed the door, ignoring the big open hole in the tree.
Twilight turned to Cozy and tried to find the right words to say, as she knew she was heartbroken. "Cozy...you...I didn't think you..."

"Well, she has always been closer to Dawn. I guess she only sees me as a friend and nothing else," replied Cozy, putting the book in her saddle bag and walking away.

Twilight quickly ran up to her and said, "I'm sorry! If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. You are my daughter's friend, so you're my friend as well."

Cozy laughed and said, "Really? Weren't you upset moments ago that you thought we would do the deed?" Twilight didn't say anything, and Cozy laughed again. "It's ok. I have to be somewhere right now..."

Twilight said nothing and just watched her fly away.

Cozy finally let it out as she was flying, crying and letting her tears fall, "Why can't she love me like I love her? Is it because of Dawn, or was I just stupid enough to think it could be me?"

She kept flying and flying until she landed near Fluttershy's house and knocked. Soon, AJ opened it and let her in. Cozy could see Fluttershy, Spike, and someone else she had never seen before, but she had, as the creature was on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, crying. It was a human. Cozy turned to AJ and said, "You weren't joking when you sent that letter. She looks like Trixie. Did you get any info out of her?"

AJ turned to Fluttershy, who handed her a flat wood bark with a picture made by a woodpecker. "She said this human ate Dr. Wonder."

Cozy's eyes went wide when she heard that name. "Braver said that name before."

AJ nodded, "It's one of the people who saved her along with Twilight and the others...gosh, how are we gonna tell her?" AJ shook her head, needing to stay on topic. "Look at the picture, and tell me that doesn't look like someone we know?"

Cozy took the piece of bark and looked at the picture. It was of a human woman she had never seen before with a hole in her chest. Cozy didn't see it at first until she noticed that her hair and ears looked just like...

"Dawn?"

end of chapter 9

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

11771198
I use Grammarly myself, and it's never been a problem when it comes to grammar.

[DATONETWIxDASHFAN]

11780131
i'll check it out. thx