Touch Thy Burning Heart

Daybreaker woke up to the empty feeling of Nick's form beneath hers, a discerning wake-up call that shocked her out of the yawn that came. As she adjusted her eyes to the dim morning light and extremely chilly room, she realized her mane and tail were a little dull of their inferno and wondered with concern if her hotness was too much for the man. Her ears drooped with unneeded anticipation of him coming back down and saying that she cannot touch him. It made her heart sink until. . .

"I NEED IT!"

Her ears shot up and honed to the familiar voice of her new friend howling in conflict with what sounded like a screaming banshee.

"YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHT TAKING HIS ALLOWANCE!"

Daybreaker watched the doorway as footsteps boomed her way before the door shot open. She was very surprised to see that it was not Nick but Louis storming downstairs and making a mad dash to the darkest corner of the room with a thickly woven blanket around him for warmth.

She became concerned for the whimpering child, as it was clear to the alicorn that the screaming was getting worse by the minute. It did her no good to remain on the bed watching as the poor boy began to cry in his arms, but she was lost in Celestia's memories with a near impossible conclusion on how to handle a situation like this.

"I NEED IT MORE THAN HIM!" That was definitely the mother, and just hearing her voice made Daybreaker grit her teeth with a powerful urge to rip her tongue out and melt it, but Louis' silent crying brought her out of those feelings and drew out a different need that she was not sure about.

"FOR WHAT!? YOUR FUCKING METH OR ALCOHOL!?" Oh dear, Nick was getting really fired up and it made her curious as to the possibility of him being in danger.

Perhaps I should just dump her corpse in a nearby river, wherever one may be.

"I MAKE THE MONEY. I PAY THE BILLS. I DECIDE ON WHAT ALLOWANCE HE GETS, SO TOUCH IT AGAIN AND YOU WILL BE OUT OF THIS HOUSE IN A HEARTBEAT!"

"DO IT AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR BROTHER AGAIN!"

"I WILL END YOU BEFORE YOU TAKE HIM AWAY, YOU WORTHLESS DRUG WHORE!"

Daybreaker cringed as the arguing continued on with more threats being thrown back and forth, but she was more-so focused on the young boy crying his eyes out as he made the brave move of looking up to her. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose was dripping fiercely while she stood up and stretched her legs and wings, barely having enough room to do so.

"You're the white monster. . . You. . . You are. . ." Louis could not stop rambling at the goddess.

Daybreaker felt a little insulted when he called her a monster, but she pushed those negative feelings away and decided to attempt befriending the quivering boy. She focused on what little memory she could collect about Celestia being kind and benevolent to other creatures and hoped for the best before using it to calm Louis.

"I am not a monster, Louis. I am a pony." She replied in a friendly tone, albeit a little creepy with her smile. "You do not have to fear me, for I will not bring harm to you."

Louis actually felt a little calmer after hearing those words, but he still did not trust the pony and remained firmly planted in the corner as she lowered herself to his level by lying on her stomach.

"Then. . . Then why were on top of big brother?" He stuttered with a hint of fear, which made the alicorn chuckle lightly and surprisingly beam understanding and sincerity at him.

"Your brother was very cold, so I radiated my warmth to help him sleep." She told him, soothing the child's fears a little more. "He said he gave you his heater."

"Yeah, he did." Louis confirmed in a hush voice, making the goddess' smile grow. "Mom took mine, and it was so cold that I couldn't sleep."

Daybreaker began to understand that Nick was much more than a brute fighting on the streets, and so resorted to the easy way of convincing Louis that she was friendly by complimenting about her friend.

"Your brother cares about you deeply. He carries a strong and gentle heart."

She could watch the child open up to her while staring at him with the same wonder she shared with him. As she began to wake up however, she realized how close she was to Louis and thought about remaining still to not scare him more than he was. She tried her best to smile like a kind mare and hoped for the best.

"Are you cold, little one?" She asked, almost sounding genuine.

Louis focused on the warmth radiating off the alicorn and wanted with every fiber of his being to stand up and step into the heat that licks his cold skin. He was scared though, and looked down at the floor as she followed her instincts and lowered herself to the chilly floor.

"I promise you that I bear no ill will." She opened her wings, welcoming the boy and hoping that she could touch him. "Embrace me, child. Let my warmth ease your mind and body."

Louis actually felt like the biggest dummy in the world when her smile faltered a little, but a smile with a bunch of sharp teeth would make any kid afraid. However, the sadness that was starting to show on the pony made him stand up and slowly approach her until he was pulled in by those large wings and nuzzled on his cheek, which made him giggle in her soft chest.

"A wise choice, child." Daybreaker cooed, rewarding the boy with a lick to his head.

It confused her nonetheless to have shared such affection to a creature she doesn't know, but it felt right to smother the boy with nuzzling and licking him while the arguing upstairs started to die out. She felt calmer and more relaxed while watching Louis slowly drift to sleep, realizing she just made another friend.

It astounded her how so many feelings could be in heart, and she almost wanted to give her new friends until the child in her wings began to snore in her chest and hold her wings tightly.

He is a fragile one.

It was at that point Nick came back downstairs and walked in on Daybreaker setting his little brother in his bed and putting a blanket over him. As he cleared his mind of the fight with his mother, he realized that the alicorn was now smiling at him and approaching. He looked down at his hand and saw that the burn was still there.

"Holy shit, you are real. I thought you were just an awesome dream."

Daybreaker felt a little hot on her cheeks when he complimented her, but his disbelief pushed the embarrassment to the back of her and made her focus on convincing her new friend.

Nick practically jumped out of his skin backed into a wall when Daybreaker stood up and approached him. He'd thought she was going to burn him again to get her point across, but he pushed through that feeling and listening to the mare's depressing words and seeing into the sadness of her eyes.

"Nick, last night was not a dream. The burn on your hand is as real as I am. . . Do you not believe me, my friend?"

Nick felt like her words kicked him in his stomach, as it a sinking feeling that went deeper and deeper with each passing second of her waiting for an answer.

"Look, being your friend is something I meant. But a creature such as yourself is a myth, and it's a little hard to take in. . .so. . ."

Daybreaker saw that he was not going to be convinced of her existence with just words alone, and resorted to her own disbelief for him to accept that she was real.

Nick was busy rubbing his head to soothe the migraine he got from screaming at his mother before suddenly having his burnt hand taken in a yellow, sparkling aura that was warm to the touch. He tried to yank away from the aura but found himself overpowered as she concentrated her magic and pulled the gauze off.

"Are you. . ."

"Perhaps this will help." She told him before dragging her tongue across the wound, the searing heat of her power channeled into a gentle lick that left a trickle of glowing saliva.

Nick blushed as hotly as her flames, as it was flattering for her to be the first female that actually cared so much about him. The slimy touch however, warmed-up and glowed on his hand while the burn shrunk with each lap of her tongue. He looked up to Louis and saw that he was as shocked him at the alicorn and her incredible ability to heal others.

The healing process last a couple minutes before Daybreaker lifted his palm to show that his entire palm was healed.

"Now do you believe me?" She asked, smiling warmly at the stunned man as he stared at his hand.

Nick's face took on a rather goofy expression as he sputtered at the pony who was now levitating him. He stopped trying to talk and looked down to see that he was a foot off the ground before flying around the room like an airplane.

"Perhaps you still need more convincing that I am real? Maybe your kind would be entertained to see you flying?"

Nick looked down to the malicious alicorn grinning at him and took in a deep breath. He felt like he was about to lose the coffee he drank during his argument with the old bat upstairs.

"Are you nuts? It's freezing outside, my balls will fall off." He snapped fearfully, making the goddess laugh with his little brother. "Okay. Okay, you're real. I believe you. Now put me down, PLEASE!"

Daybreaker was having too much making him fly around the room as he pleaded for her to put him down, but the pale look on his face made her think otherwise. She grinned at his admittance of her being a real pony and felt a little merciful before putting him back down on the bed, next his laughing brother. She saw the dizziness in his eyes and couldn't help laugh at him.

"That was most amusing. Maybe now you will accept my existence."

Nick glared at the smirking alicorn before turning to Louis with a growing smile on his face. He bumped fists with his partner in crime and nodded while Daybreaker observed them carefully."

"Double-Team?" He implied, making Louis grin like a cheshire cat.

"Double-Team!" Louis declared, hopping off the bed.

Daybreaker wasn't too sure of their intentions until she noticed how careful they were approaching her. She scurried around them and hopped onto the bed with the blanket now covering her as protection. It was not much though, as neither boy ceased walking towards her with wiggling fingers.

"I find this highly unfair and demand that you both stay back!" She ordered, but her words passed through them like air. She shrunk under the blankets as they loomed over her, giggling evilly.

"Oh no," Nick mocked. "You made me fly like an airplane. Now it's time for a little payback."

"But it is two against one, an unfair advantage." Daybreaker pointed out angrily. "Cease your intentions and I will not have to punish either of you."

Nick just grinned at her and went with his gut instinct of a pony being tickling like a human.

"Get her Louis!"

Both boys quickly leaped onto the screeching mare and reached beneath the blanket to tickle anything they could. Nick was enjoying himself immensely when he found her stomach and noticed Daybreaker's eyes widen before flailed all over the bed and proceeded to laugh her lungs out.

"Tickle-tickle!" Louis giggled, wiggling his fingers across her neck.

"N-Nooo! This is not fair! Stop it now! P-Please have mercy!"

Neither Nick nor Louis listened to the mare's pleas and continued to torture her sides, her laughs echoing throughout the house while they carefully pinned her to the bed and made her cry from laughter.

"I beg of you! Release me! I-I can't breathe!"

In the middle of crying her eyes out, Daybreaker made a desperate attempt to restrain both boys before they could target her wings next. Startling her friends, she opened her wings and encased them with her powerful strength, succeeding in stopping the tickles whilst trapping both of them to her chest and neck.

"Aha! I have bested you both! You are trapped in my grasp!"

Her triumph was quickly swept with them attempting to break free and continue tickling, choosing to refuse defeat by squirming in her wings as hard as they could until they were out of breath. It was failure for the boys, as the strength in Daybreaker's wings had them firmly pressed to her chest.

"Accept your defeat. You cannot best a goddess." She said, albeit a little too proudly.

Nick and Louis sighed in defeat and stopped fighting her, choosing instead to embrace the warmth this pony radiated. Daybreaker's breathing finally slowed down before she realized that they were. . . hugging her?

She smiled at this and happily tightened her hold on them, nuzzling their heads tenderly. She looked down to Nick and allowed herself to keep her head pressed to his as Louis proceeded to close his eyes and almost fall asleep against her chest.

Suddenly the light bulb above her head came on, and she realized that she had just played a game with them and was having fun. In less than twenty-four hours of being real she had done something fun with her new friends. Not only that, she had been tickled to tears. Celestia would never have dreamed or dared let her get close enough to somepony for such fun to happen, but here she was with these two humans having not a care about what may happen.

I want this to continue forever. . .

"Big brother, I like her." Louis admitted. "Can we keep her?"

Daybreaker felt at a loss for words as those words boomed in her head. She could not believe that the youngest one liked her so much that he wanted her to stay. She blinked at the child for a minute but remained silent as Louis looked up to her with a big smile before snuggling into her neck like Nick was at the moment.

She was about to shed a tear whilst looking to Nick for his answer.

Please say yes. . .

"If she wants to stay, then yes." Nick told his little brother, and then looked at the alicorn gasping at his answer. "But that is entirely up to her."

It did not take the goddess very long to tell the man what she wanted.

"There is not enough magic in the world to express my gratitude." She said gladly, nuzzling the man's cheek very lovingly. "It will be a delight to remain here with my friends."

"Yay!" Louis cheered, making her and Nick chuckle.

After a good twenty minutes of lying on the bed together to calm down and enjoy the peace that came afterward, Nick rolled out of her wing and proceeded to stand up. Daybreaker's grip on his arm prevented that, and he fell back into her chest.

"Nick, why do you wish to leave?" Daybreaker asked, sounding very hurt. "Why not remain here for the day and bask in my warmth?"

Nick was a little flattered by her words, but soon realized that underneath those beautiful eyes there was an arrogant side to her.

"I need to go change into more comfortable clothes." He said, pointing at his shorts and t-shirt which were raggedy and torn from fighting with his mother.

"Why?" She asked curiously, tilting her head.

It confused her as to why humans must wear so much fabric. Plus she was quite content to just lie on his bed and snuggle him and Louis for the entire day. Having never the chance to socially interact with someone or a friend to begin with, it was very difficult loosening her grip on the man.

"Because I need to be in my comfy clothes before I start breakfast." Nick replied.

What is this breakfast he is talking about?

"You know, I'm hungry now." Louis said, hopping off the alicorn and leaving her to stare at them in confusion. Thankfully he grabbed her wing and pulled her off the bed, letting not a second for her to sulk.

"Come on, let's go watch cartoons now." He demanded, pulling the mare out of the room as let go of his big brother with reluctance.

Patience was not a virtue for the mare, as it annoyed her to stand at the doorway and wait for Nick to enter his bathroom with an assortment of clothes and come out in drab attire. She was disgusted that Nick had nothing better to wear and was almost tempted to alter it, but yesterday's fiasco made her worry that her magic was still useless.

Daybreaker looked up to the man and noticed that the garment around his waste had a colorful piece sticking out of the top, overlapping what appeared to be very thin.

"What is that beneath the first layer of your clothes?" She asked, walking a little faster to examine it.

Nick realized what she was talking about and quickly put a hand back there to cover the open area before she got too close. He blushed and chuckled quietly while Louis pointed at him and laughed.

"Boxers are something we wear to cover our privates." Louis said, making the mare turn a shade of red.

Nick could only sigh at his brother's honesty.

Finally, they made it upstairs and Daybreaker was left to watch the boys pillage through the kitchen for ingredients. It did not occur to her how small the rooms were, but after having a good look at his room and now the kitchen, it dawned to her that Nick and Louis were very poor and barely having enough to survive. She pitied the two for having so little, but smiled at how easy it was for them to see past their poor living and just smile.

"Pancakes!" Louis declared, holding up the box that had the mix.

Nick adored the cheeriness and took the box from Louis before patting him on the head. As he began putting the ingredients together in a mixing bowl however, he realized that Daybreaker was standing behind him with her head on his shoulder and her eyes focused on the doughy mixture he was ready to pour on a skillet. Unfortunately for him, his friend had something else in mind with it and rudely took the bowl out of his hand.

"What is this substance you concocted?" She asked curiously, holding some in her hoof as it slowly fell out and flopped into the bowl.

Nick just laughed at the mare as she said to him: "If this is the method of making a potion, then your species is doomed to fail."

"It's not a potion," he chuckled taking the bowl away from her to finish his work. "It's breakfast. You have to make the pancake mix before cooking it."

"Besides, potions do not exist here." He added whilst turning on the oven, confusing the alicorn. "We have modern medicine and technology for that sort of stuff."

Nick practically turned three shades of red after having been forced by a wing to turn around and see Daybreaker sitting in front him with her head tilted to the left, her eyes wide with wonder and desire while she continued to hold his free hand.

"What about poisons for assassinating your enemies?" She asked innocently, surprising the man.

Nick was a little shocked as he processed that question. Could she have been serious about that? And if so, what kind of world did she live in?

Was she always in danger?

"Uh. . .no," he answered hesitantly, slipping his hand free and returning to his chore. "The only poison we have in this world is our abuse with drugs."

"Drugs?" Daybreaker repeated confusedly, hanging over the man.

"Yeah, illegal substances that we make at our own leisure to use or distribute to other people for profit." He told her, watching the skillet heat up. "But there are other drugs, like medicine we use to cure or help people can be abused by using too much."

Daybreaker gave of silent "oh" to the man and went back to the pancake mix he was pouring onto the skillet. She did not want to admit that these things fascinated her, but they truly did and she wanted to hear more about his kind and what they are capable.

Perhaps I could conquer this primitive world. . .

Suddenly, Daybreaker's thoughts were broken, as it seen in Louis' determination that he was not going to let her remain with Nick the entire day. She spun to the boy poking her leg and lowered her head to meet his eyes, wondering what if he needed something.

"Yes, little one?"

"Are we going to watch cartoons?" Louis asked.

Daybreaker's mind felt overloaded with the boy's repetitive desire to share these cartoons with her, and faced Nick for help before she lost her temper and told the child to go sit and keep his tongue still. Thankfully, she had the willpower to keep her lips shut whilst waiting for the man that now took on a more serious expression that she had yet seen.

"Louis, go sit at the table and wait." He told the boy firmly, making him pout before spitting raspberries. "Hey, don't take that tone with me, young man. Do you want me to find some chores for you to do?"

Daybreaker remained quiet and watched as the threat made Louis freeze for a moment before running to his seat. She wasn't what chores were, but they clearly were something that made the child afraid. It almost tickled her to think the possibilities of using chores to make the human's bow to her.

"I hate chores." Louis pouted, receiving the man's glare.

"Keep that attitude up and you'll be doing them all day."

"All day?" The goddess questioned worriedly, staring at Nick with concern. She gave some thought to there being a darker side to him and pondered if his kindness was just a facade. Even she was not as cruel as torturing somepony an entire day.

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" She asked, confusing him slightly.

"What?" Nick raised an eyebrow at the alicorn, after flipping the pancakes in the skillet.

"An entire day of chores," she said, almost scolding her friend. "I understand punishment, but that might be a bit too much. Might I suggest hanging him upside down?"

Nick stopped to the suggestion. As he blinked his eyes uncertainly at the pony, he realized that she was very serious and looked to his brother who was scratching his head.

"Being upside down makes my head hurt." Louis said to them.

Nick finally stepped away from the oven and faced the alicorn, looking at her without a word to say due to the lump in his throat.

"You. . .can't be serious," he hesitated. "You're joking. . . right?"

At that point, Daybreaker became a little defensive and decided to take a step back from Nick when she saw how insulted he was. She pushed her instinct to scream and yell at the man to the side and worked on talking to him calmly like the memories show of Celestia speaking to the snobby nobles.

"I may possess no knowledge of these chores you use to threaten him, but a day would cause serious damage." She rambled quickly.

Nick's mind clicked on what she was trying to tell him. His face slowly contorted from shock to a grin as he watched her stare at him with the same confused look she had last night. He rolled his lips and fought the urge to laugh as his eyes watered uncontrollably before leaning onto the wall to his right. He lost all of his willpower and proceeded to furiously smack the wall while letting his laughter startle the mare.

Daybreaker was afraid that she might have angered him, but the unending laughter from Nick possessed her to laugh while Louis got out of his seat and slowly backed out of the kitchen to go hide in his room.

"Oh—oh my god, you thought—" Nick finally lost it and leaned on her now. "AHA HA HA HA HA!"

"Why are we laughing!?" Daybreaker snapped, holding the human with her wing so he would not fall.

Nick felt as though he was going to bust a gut or lose his voice if he continued to bellow his joy for the mare's ignorance. He was almost tempted to ask if she really was a goddess, but he remembered that she had burned last night and lost that temptation immediately, along with his ability to laugh.

"Okay. . . okay. . ." He panted against the mare, regaining his composure and balance. "Chores are something you do to maintain a house, basically cleaning all sorts of stuff so it doesn't become dirty."

"Oh. . ." Daybreaker wanted to mental kick herself, but then she took a gander around the kitchen and hallway.

She returned to Nick with a bemused look. "As poor as your home is, are chores really necessary?"

"Look—" he said seriously. "It may be a dump, but it's all I can afford right now. Once I get my promotion, the first I'm doing is getting Louis and I the hell out of here."

Daybreaker cocked an eyebrow at the man for his admittance and pushed the matter a little further. She saw that her words insulted him, but decided to push that aside to understand her friend a little more.

"What is this promotion you speak of?"

Nick sighed whilst putting what he cooked onto a tray. He kept working on finishing breakfast before Louis came in to bug him about, and answered the alicorn as honest as he could. It was a bitter thought however, as the life of a hard worker was not something he had at first.

"I'll go from being a shop worker to a leadman, meaning I won't have to bust my ass all the time. I can have people working under me do the work for me. Plus I will get paid more if I get it." He answered half-heartedly.

"Is it that important to you?"

The memories resurfaced at that question, and all he could compare them too was a leech sucking the life out of him as he poured more pancake batter onto the skillet.

"Louis and I were not this poor, we had a nice house when our dad was still alive." He admitted solemnly, ignoring the gasp of his feathery friend. "Mom was still a self-centered bitch, but when the insurance money came around she wasted it on drugs and alcohol, things went really downhill and I had to give up college to find a job so we weren't living on the streets."

He turned around and saw Daybreaker pitying him, her eyes full of sorrow. It was heartwarming that she cared, but it did not help him cope with the fact that he had so little to accomodate her stay.

"Now here we are," he added with a fake smile, one all too easy for the mare to see past. "Stuck in the crappiest apartment in New York City with very little to ourselves."

Daybreaker felt an empty feeling in her chest, but the words about his mother filled it with hatred as she watched her friend rub a hand across his eyes. Her flames started to burn brightly with the passion to make the woman suffer for failing as a mother, but she pushed that feeling to one side and embraced the human.

She nuzzled his cheek affectionately, sadly holding him close whilst watching him shake with anger.

"I . . . don't know what to say," she confessed, having no actual thought to help her find some way of comforting the man. "I know not how to help you endure this pain, but I can tell you that I understand what it means to be alone. I hope that will help you."

NIck just grinned and decided to go with the hug by returning the favor. He allowed her to rest on his shoulder and reached back with his hand to gently rub her cheek, which was accepted with her nuzzling it as well.

"You're already helping me Sunshine." He said in a low tone. "I haven't seen Louis smile or laugh like that since dad passed away. I'm glad that you are here."

Daybreaker blinked at his declaration, but smiled into his palm and squeezed his cold form to warm him up. She wanted this moment to last forever and hoped it would until she heard a rumbling sound coming from under her. It startled her to jump away from the man as he chuckled at her.

"What was that?" She snapped, looking down at the floor as it happened again. "THERE IT IS AGAIN!"

"Sounds like someone is very hungry," Nick giggled, watching the mare spin in circles to try and find the noise.

"This isn't funny Nick," she scolded worriedly.

He disagreed with her.

"You're right, it's hilarious."

"No, it is not!" Daybreaker snapped, trying to make him understand. "I have never heard that before and it concerns me. What if I have been cursed or jinxed before coming to your world? I could be in danger or—"

"Calm down, Sunshine." He told her calmly, patting her side. "It mean's you're hungry. All stomachs make that sound, even mine does when I don't eat."

"Are you sure?" She asked in serious tone, pushing the man against the counter and leaning too close for comfort.

"I promise, now here—" he slid a finished plate to her. "Eat this. You'll feel better as soon as you do."

Daybreaker stared at the pancakes with the slimy substances oozing off the top with reluctance. She did not know what it was made of or how Nick finished without her noticing, but the rumbling sound in her stomach returned as soon as she carefully sniffed the food that was steaming with melting goodness. Her first action was to question the man, but taking that first bite made her taste buds explode and send her on a trip.

My first meal. . . DELICIOUS!

"Do you like—" Nick was cut short by the alicorn scarfing all four pancakes in less than a minute. His widen in shock as he watched her devour the food and relentlessly clean the plate with her tongue for a solid minute.

Finally she came back up for air, but pushed the plate to him.

"MORE!"

Nick was still shaken by the pony's ability to eat until he looked at her and proceeded to laugh again, this holding his stomach while she tilted her head at him.

"What is so amusing now?"

"Your face!" He guffawed. "God. . . you look like a mess."

Daybreaker stepped out of the room for that room and approached the mirror in the hallway. She looked in it and saw that her entire mouth was a mess with syrup dripping off her chin and butter staining a few spots. Nothing was more humiliating than seeing herself like this, and she ran back into the kitchen to confront the laughing man who was soaking a rag in warm water.

"Get it out!" She whined, nudging him desperately.

"I don't know," Nick mused. "That's a good look for you."

"Please!"

"Okay, just hold still." He said, carefully cleaning her mouth.

Daybreaker was as still as a statue after the first wipe across her face was made, but the laughter from this man made her turn red. She felt her wings twitch uncontrollably until it was finally over and she was freed from his grasp.

"Next time, use a fork."

She tilted her head to right at those words.

"What is a fork?"