Eternal flame of Daybreaker

"Damn... My head hurts... Fuck!" I cursed everything imaginable.

Why has my head been hurting so much lately? Last time, it was probably from getting hit by debris, but this pain felt completely different. Like I’d overslept. Honestly, it felt like I could’ve slipped into a coma after that.

"Don’t you dare speak about our past!" a voice rang in my head.

Who said that? Was it me... or wasn’t it?

"Where the hell am I?"

Do I need to list my five senses again? Nah, no need. I don’t feel nearly as awful as last time. Actually, much better. At least I’m not trapped under rubble, and that’s already something. With that thought, I opened my eyes. Luckily, they opened without any trouble. A bright light blinded me, and I squinted reflexively, giving my eyes time to adjust.

...

After a moment, I could see the room clearly. It was completely unfamiliar. I was wrapped in a blanket so tightly that only my head poked out. Wait, what’s that on top?

"Is that... a horn?"

"So, this wasn’t some kind of deathbed hallucination?"

"No way... I couldn’t have been reborn as a pony," I denied the inevitable.

Carefully, I pulled my hoof from under the blanket to feel the horn. Then I glanced down at my limb and realized it wasn’t a hand at all. Still, it was the same healthy hoof as before.

"NO WAY, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" I cursed in anger, damning everything and anything.

"Well... it could’ve been worse. At least I’m a mare, and an alicorn at that," I started bargaining with myself.

"Ugh... why me?" I thought miserably, looking at my new limb.

The hoof was similar to a horse’s but somehow different. It was far more flexible than the ones from my old world. It bent in strange places. I’d say it was like a hand, minus the fingers, which was... unfortunate. It would be tough to adapt.

I gingerly touched the horn with my hoof. The sensitivity of my new limb was remarkable; I could feel every inch of the horn. Surprisingly long, but not too much. It was very hard, almost like a bone.

"Interesting."

After the horn, I began to feel my face. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long, thank goodness. And, overall, it felt pretty nice. I’d even say it was... noble and regal.

"I’ve got fangs! I could totally scare the local wildlife. Heh," I gloated.

"Maybe I should check the rest of my body?" I suggested wisely to myself.

If I’m a pony now, then...

"Hahahaha!" I screamed in my head.

The thought alone was hilarious. I used to be a guy, a hard worker—well, not from a factory—but still. And now? A pony. Wow, fate’s got a wicked sense of humor.

"What do I even remember from my past life?" I wondered.

I recalled murky fragments of my old life, hazy images. As if it had been so long ago, I barely remembered how I’d lived before. Only the important memories remained—the ones that shaped who I was. And... wait, what’s this?

"The wind blew my cap away, I longed for love, but things didn’t go my way..." I began singing.

Wait, do I remember all my favorite songs? How? I can’t even recall my name, but punk songs? No problem.

"My mind’s full of holes," I chuckled.

"What are these memories?" I began to search my thoughts.

I remember the earliest memories that belonged to... Celestia, in her head. A big fight between two sisters. I remember Celestia retreating into her mind. And beyond that... it’s blurry, like there’s fog in my head.

"Are these memories even mine?"

They were, without a doubt. It felt like I’d lived through them all over again. I was definitely there, participating in every event.

"Ouch..." a sharp pain shot through my head.

Alright, time to check out the new body. I’ve been through quite a lot, it seems. Let’s see...

...

Carefully, I removed the blanket with my hoof and saw a bandaged mare’s body. Not all of it was wrapped—just the belly and wings. I remember my wings had been broken. Better not move them for a while. My ribs had been broken, too.

...

Breathing’s okay, just a slight twinge in my chest. It should heal soon. And what’s this below, near the flank? I reached down with my hoof to check.

...

"What the hell?" I was shocked.

Instead of the familiar male anatomy, I found two small mounds with surprisingly high sensitivity. Lower down, there was something I absolutely hadn’t expected. Yep, I’m definitely a mare now.

"Okay, better not focus on this right now. Not the best time to start examining all my parts!" I blushed furiously.

I decided to take a look around before getting up. The room smelled of old wood mixed with stone. The furniture was ancient, and the room itself was dusty. But the lighting was nice. There was a window and a balcony to the left.

"Am I in a tower?" I thought, looking around.

In the corner, there was a large mirror, next to a small, old vanity. Nothing too special. Just an ordinary room that had seen better days. I got the feeling I wasn’t exactly a welcome guest here. But hey, at least I wasn’t in a dungeon. That’s a win.

With that optimistic thought, I decided to get out of bed. Slowly, I turned my legs toward the edge and gently slid off, trying not to disturb my wounds.

...

Surprisingly, standing on four hooves was easier than standing on two legs. Weird, but not bad. What if I stand on my hind legs?

Whoa—like rearing up! I can do it, but not for long—it’s much more natural for this body to stand on all fours. Plus, it would probably look strange to others.

"Time to check myself out in the mirror."

Taking my first steps was difficult. I nearly tripped. With two legs, I could’ve managed, but with four? It was so much harder. Slowly, I walked over to the mirror to assess the damage. The reflection showed a tall mare, her eyes wide with surprise. Her coat was white, with a slight orange hue under the sun. Her gaze... predatory. Oh, those vertical pupils were amazing. Like a dance of flames in my irises. Beautiful! And those fangs? Wow. Even my orange curls were lovely, though a bit messy, but that could be fixed. The mare in the mirror smiled softly, admiring her own appearance.

"Wow, I look like a scary pony!" I giggled.

If I met this creature in the dark, I’d either run for my life or... well, let’s just say I’d be terrified. How about a menacing snarl? I bared my teeth. My expression became pretty terrifying. Creepy, even. Now I knew how to scare off enemies without even lifting a hoof.

The wings were bandaged, unfortunately. I really wanted to spread them out and take a look. I’d never had wings before; I had to learn to fly.

"Oh, I even have a cutie mark!" I exclaimed in surprise.

I turned my flank toward the mirror to get a better look. It was a sun, surrounded by flames. A fitting metaphor for my life. My mark seemed to represent both sunrise and sunset at once. Symbolic. And not as restrictive as some ponies’ marks. Quite a creative cutie mark, really.

"What about my voice?"

"Ahem," I croaked out.

Hard to tell right now. I’d need to wet my throat first to know for sure. With that thought, I hobbled over to the door. Opening it was easy. Outside, a guard stood watch in gleaming golden armor.

"Is he guarding me or guarding against me?" I wondered.

As soon as I stepped out, the guard looked at me as if something impossible had just happened. I met his gaze, and he shrank back, bowing almost to the floor.

"W-water..." I rasped.

"O-of course," he stammered, then bolted down the spiral staircase.

A little while later, a servant mare entered my room, carrying a tray with a jug of water and a glass. I drained the whole jug in an instant. Ah, sometimes water tastes so good, like you haven’t drunk in decades. The servant patiently waited for me to finish.

"Bring more!" I commanded, glaring at her like a boss.

"Right away," she replied, hurrying out of the room.

...

A few minutes later, she returned with another jug, which I drained just as quickly.

"Ah, finally quenched my thirst," I thought with a smile.

"Leave," I told the servant, sending her away.

Then I returned to the mirror to keep admiring myself. Maybe I should try singing something cheerful?

♫ Every day I wake up at five, Cursing the world alive. A miserable creation, There’s no greater frustration.

Wish I could snooze for just five hundred minutes more. But nope, alarm won’t let me snore.

Rise and shine, work awaits, Another part of you dies today. Would curse everything that moves, But hey, there’s one saving grace!

Day off! Day off! I’m rushing home in a mad dash! Home at last! Home at last... ♫

The voice was actually quite pleasant—soft and deep, with an authoritative tone. It reminded me of the company bosses from my old world. It suited me. The mare in the reflection smirked with satisfaction, her smile widening. And for some reason, I had started thinking and speaking in Equestrian. Could it really be because of those memories?

Suddenly, the door to my room creaked open, and a pony walked in. I recognized her immediately. It was Luna.

“Daybie, you're awake! I'm so glad!” Princess of the Night jumped at my neck, embracing me tightly.

The sudden affection nearly left me speechless. She clung to me like we were a real family.

“H-hi, Luna...” I stammered, blushing.

…

We stood there, hugging for a few minutes. I didn’t even think about pulling away. In fact, I enjoyed it. A warm feeling spread through my chest. She was holding me so close... It was true—we hadn’t seen each other in over a thousand years. Suddenly, I felt the softness of feathers on my sides.

“She’s even hugging me with her wings...” I thought, almost crying. My eyes started to blur.

“Okay, don’t cry! If I cry now, Luna will cry too. I don’t want to see Luna cry...” I fought back the tears.

“How did you survive that terrible exile?”

“Poor thing...” With that thought, I hugged Luna even tighter, inhaling the scent of her mane.

“Luna, what shampoo do you use?” I asked, gently pulling away from her hair.

She smelled delightful—like lilacs and gooseberries. A rare combination, but no less charming because of it.

“Oh, you don’t know? Tia showed me a new bathhouse in Canterlot. They have all kinds of shampoos, masks, creams, and all sorts of things. We should definitely go together, don’t you think?”

“Of course! Let’s go!” I agreed enthusiastically. “You smell so nice today, I want to smell the same.”

Luna blushed deeply at my words. Even with her dark coat, her reddened cheeks were perfectly visible. She lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment, shifting from hoof to hoof.

“D-don’t embarrass me like that…” Luna stammered, her blush deepening.

“Alright, alright, I won’t. So? What brings you here?” I asked, changing the subject. “Did you miss your old friend that much?”

“I did, Daybie! I missed you so much...” Luna said firmly, hugging me again.

“Come on, I can tell something’s bothering you. Tell me, share your worries,” I nudged her gently.

“You see right through me, Daybie… Tell me, why does Celestia hate you so much?” Luna asked cautiously.

My mood instantly soured. The gentle smile faded, replaced by a downcast look. I thought hard about why Celestia didn’t like me. I knew the answer, but the thought kept slipping away. I felt something else—a rising anger and resentment toward Celestia.

“She didn’t tell you?” I said quietly.

“I asked, but Tia always avoided the subject, never saying much about that time. S-she called you a m-monster, Daybie. What happened? D-Daybie, what’s wrong?” Luna finally noticed my growing frustration.

“A MONSTER?! THAT WRETCH CALLED ME A MONSTER?!” I roared, my voice echoing through the room.

Luna covered her ears with her hooves, clearly not expecting such an outburst. Why was I yelling at her? I needed to calm down; I didn’t want to argue with Luna.

“Celestia didn’t tell you? Luna, do you know that I was completely alone back then? Celestia couldn’t handle what she had done and shut herself off. She left me to clean up the mess you both created…” I finished coldly.

“What are you talking about?” Luna asked, genuinely confused.

“I’m talking about my past!” I shouted again.

A sharp pain shot through my head.

“Ow!…” I yelped.

It felt like I had said something I shouldn’t have.

My legs started to wobble, and I could barely stand. Any moment now, I would collapse onto the floor in the middle of the room.

“Daybie, what’s happening? Are you alright?” Luna cautiously approached me.

“I-I’m fine...” I said, tilting my head back.

Unable to stand any longer, I collapsed on my side, legs curled up. My eyelids started to betray me, slowly closing. It seemed like I was losing consciousness. Luna’s panicked cries sounded distant, fading quickly as darkness began to swallow me…

***

I woke up in a place unknown to me, surrounded by a deadly darkness. I saw a light in the distance and started walking toward it.

…

The source of the light was a lamp on a table. In the middle of the darkness, furniture was scattered about, resembling the room from my old world. There were a couple of chairs, a coffee table, and a bed. As I got closer, I noticed a pony lounging lazily in one of the chairs. I knew exactly who it was. It was Daybreaker. She had her legs crossed, resting her chin on one hoof, looking bored.

“Made yourself at home, I see,” I thought.

One more detail bothered me. She was wearing something odd. She had on a strange dark brown fur coat, and round sunglasses rested on her face. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t remember who.

“You broke your promise!” Daybreaker broke the silence, addressing me.

“Damn, Daybreaker,” I jumped, startled by her sudden words.

“Why did you blab?” she continued to press.

Daybreaker straightened up, removing her hoof from under her chin.

“Daybreaker, what’s going on?” I responded with a question.

“I asked you for one simple thing!” she shifted the topic.

“Why do they mistake me for you?” I snapped.

Daybreaker sighed wearily.

“ANSWER ME!” I yelled at her.

She took off her sunglasses and pointed at the bed.

“Sit,” she calmly commanded, not taking her eyes off me.

I sat on the bed, right in front of her.

“So why do they mistake me for you?” I asked again, watching her movements closely.

She tossed her sunglasses onto the table, then slowly pulled out a cigarette, bringing it to her mouth.

“You really don’t know?” she asked sarcastically, holding the cigarette between her lips.

“No, I don’t...” I thought hard.

“Yes, you do!” she cut me off.

“Why does everyone confuse us?” she prodded.

Daybreaker conjured a small flame, lighting her cigarette.

“Uh, no, I don’t know…”

I closed my eyes, concentrating. Memories of endless training with a glaive, living inside Celestia, and the sisters’ arguments flooded my mind. I opened my eyes wide, staring directly at Daybreaker. My gaze faltered, and I looked away, stunned.

“You get it,” Daybreaker saw the seeds of doubt in my eyes.

“No… No, I don’t,” I denied.

The terrifying thoughts from that fateful night resurfaced, “She must be punished harshly as a warning to others.”

“Say it,” Daybreaker demanded.

“Because…” I carefully sifted through my memories, coming to an inevitable conclusion.

“Say it!” she snapped.

I opened my eyes again, but this time, I wasn’t looking through the same eyes. I finally understood the gravity of the situation.

“We’re one being, aren’t we?” I ventured.

I glanced down and saw the same body as Daybreaker’s.

“Correct!” she nodded, agreeing.

She pulled the cigarette from her mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

“Ugh, disgusting. How could you smoke that?” Daybreaker changed the subject.

“I don’t understand…”

“What’s there to understand? We’re two parts of the same soul,” Daybreaker explained.

“But I died… Then I was in space… And then…”

“Yes, yes, you died, I know. But you’re alive now, isn’t that wonderful?” Daybreaker said sweetly.

“Why am I still alive?”

“You see, when you jumped in front of the train, you had a dying wish, right?”

“Yeah, I think I did.”

“And by the will of the sun, it was granted. The sun found your soul in time and sent you on the path of rebirth,” Daybreaker finished her explanation.

“Why did I reincarnate as you?”

“We have the same soul—well, fragments of a soul. You remember how you started losing yourself during that long journey through the stars?”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“Your soul was falling apart, and to prevent it from being completely destroyed, the Sun summoned you. Meanwhile, I was on the Sun, just like Luna with Nightmare Moon, serving my exile. But the loneliness took its toll, and my mind slowly but surely began to die. It was terrible…” Daybreaker grew somber, lowering her head.

“That’s when I died, too. Like you, there was almost nothing left of my soul,” Daybreaker said sadly.

“Then I saw you and rushed toward you, and that’s how we became one,” she said, her gaze softening.

“Why is it so dark here?” I asked, glancing around. “This is our subconscious, right? So why is it so dark?”

“Oh, good question! Meet Nightmare Moon,” she gestured to the surrounding darkness.

“H-hello, Nightmare Moon…” I stammered.

“Hello, how are you?” the darkness responded.

I started looking around, but I couldn't find the familiar pony.

"Well, it's... fine, I guess. Daybie, where is she?" I asked Daybreaker again.

"Oh, it's a very sad story. You see, when we were coming back from the Sun, we were thrown into Nightmare Moon's subconscious. We took up a waiting position, waiting for the right moment."

Daybreaker got up from her chair, pointed her hoof at the surrounding darkness, and continued her explanation.

"Unfortunately, the magical blast from the Elements of Harmony was so strong that there was nothing left of poor Nighty but fragments of her soul, which we absorbed. Praise the Sun, the Elements saw another soul in the subconscious—us. And so they gave us life... if you can call it that."

"I think I understand, but one thing still bothers me. Why did we fly to the Moon and end up in Nightmare Moon's subconscious?"

"Oh, that's for you to figure out from our memories. I've already seen yours, now it's your turn."

Daybreaker turned toward me and stepped closer.

"The time has come for us to unite!" Daybreaker boomed in the subconscious, extending her hoof to me.

"No, wait, don’t, I’m not ready..." I pleaded, but Daybie wasn't listening.

She touched me with her hoof, and it began to merge with my body. I started to drift off into sleep.