//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixteen - Voluntary Exile // Story: A Dance Between the Sun and the Voice in Her Head // by MistOverMoon //------------------------------// So, this was what it was like to have nothing left to lose. Where had it gone wrong? Maybe it was all those centuries ago when she locked Gaiya away. Maybe it was when she started banishing her problems instead of dealing with them. Maybe it was when she tapped into that darker side of herself. Or maybe, just maybe, it was when she banished Luna to the moon. A thousand years on the moon. She couldn't control what the elements of harmony did, but it was still her fault. A thousand years in the moon, watching down as the world passed by. How alone would she have been? She only had her shadow for company, and she had made friends with it. That was the friend that Daybreaker had spurned. The friend that was actually there for her sister the whole time. Daybreaker supposed that she knew how her sister felt now in a way. All her failures and desires had erupted into something that should have stayed buried. Why did she feel so free then? No longer would she hide behind her gentle facade. It was time to let loose a little, she had been holding back for far too long. The power flowing through her was incomparable to what she had before. "Did you forget about me, Celestia?" Void's voice- no. Gaiya's voice echoed in her mind. "My name is Daybreaker, whelp." The sound of his voice filled her with memories of what she had done to him. Guilt welled up inside her. "And you, I will just forget about you again. I don't need to live with you any memories of you any longer." "You think you can forget about me? Well, you can't my sun, I broke your spell matrix. Nopony can forget me anymore. You will never forget me again." Gaiya growled. "You are in this amulet." Daybreaker glanced at the Alicorn Amulet she held. "All I have to do is repair the spell matrix and you will be locked away again." "I would like to see you try darling. We made the power matrix I am in together. You can never beat me while it is running." "Hah! You think I can't beat you? Your right, all I can do in incinerate you to ash." Daybreaker watched the world pass by beneath her. She was flying high, so high that the homes of her ungrateful ponies were mere dots on the landscape below her. "Come in here and face me then, princess. I'm ready for you." Gaiya said. "Look at my prison, it already cracks, soon I will be free and then I will have everything I have ever wanted again." "I won't face you, not yet." Daybreaker glanced at the amulet. Hairline cracks were forming on its central gem. The two alicorns supporting the central gem had disappeared leaving only the one made of metal. It took three to hold the darkness. One could not bear it alone. "What could possibly be more important than dealing with me?" Gaiya asked. "Can't you just not wait to forget what you did to me?" "What could be more important than you?" Daybreaker let fury burn away the rising guilt and tears. "Letting lose for once." "Letting lose?!" Gaiya snarled. "Im breaking free and Luna will be coming to destroy you with the elements of harmony, and you want to let lose?!" "Yes. The amulet will hold you for a few days yet. Might as well enjoy myself." Daybreaker said. "Take some time to brush up on my power so I can seal you once and for all. This time, there will be no cracks in my spell matrix." "You will never be able to create a spell matrix stronger than what you made before. Nopony can do that alone." Gaiya said. "What happened to all your bravado? Your alone, your sister will never forgive you, Twilight wouldn't even recognize you. Give it up, face me, and let's end this." "Get out of my head!" Daybreaker shouted. "I can handle you alone, so be silent and wait your turn!" "Time is ticking my sun. Soon our eternity will begin together. I will have what I am owed, I will not be forgotten. So, spend your time wisely, Celestia. I'm coming back, and when I do, I will make my happy ending myself." Gaiya growled. "No more running. Happiness has to be fought for, isn't that what you told me when we sealed this darkness inside ourselves?" Daybreaker shut him out of her mind. She remembered those words. She remembered speaking those words to him all those countless years ago. Happiness has to be fought for. What a joke. Naive, foolish, the dream of a foal. Happiness was something that ponies could have, not monsters. Monsters like her and Gaiya. Happiness could never belong to tyrants and monsters. Ahead of her was the badlands. A barren place of red sand with nothing else around for miles. How fast had she been flying that she was already here? It was better that she was here, Luna would have a long way to fly to reach her now. Daybreaker dove towards the red rock and sand. Maybe it would be better to hit it, to let body break upon the earth. At the last moment she changed her path and flew low over the ground. She looked for a target, for something to burn. To let lose all the anger she felt. She saw a large pillar of red rock ahead of her. It was an ancient thing, formed by eons of wind, rain and erosion. The layers of rock stowed a hidden history of the ancient past. Each layer was a different color, a different time, a different life. Daybreaker channeled her magic into her horn. It began to glow with a sinister red hue. She nearly gasped as the power flowed through her. Every vein in her body was a line in the spell matrix that was her. Every hair in her coat was a conduit, every bit of living flame in her mane and tail were beacons. The spell matrix in her armor, sealed to flesh by melting, resonated with everything. Above her horn a ball of flame grew. At first it was orange, but as it began to grow it turned red. As if she was raising a red sun, Daybreaker held the ball above her as she rose. Its heat was bone-blackening. The sand beneath her turned to glass from the heat. A red sun rose and then threatened to collapse on itself. It yearned to be released. Daybreaker hurled the red sun. It moved slowly through the air towards the rock. She pushed it forward with laser of red flame. Screaming with every raw fiber of her being she pushed out all the hate she could muster. The red sun floated towards the rock formation. As it approached stone glowed red hot from the shearing heat. Then it exploded with all the power of a dying star. An ear-shattering explosion of flame and molten rock erupted from the pillar. The force of the shockwave buffeted Daybreakers wings, stalling her in the air. Chunks of rapidly cooling rock fountained from the explosion and fell down to hit the earth and reveal their molten insides. As the smoke cleared, only a crater remained of the ancient stone pillar, blasted deep into the earth. Smoke and vaporized material billowed from it. Daybreaker laughed as the sight. So, this is what she could have done the entire time? The power to defend Equestria had always been hers, she had just been too weak to take it. What could possibly stand in the way of her power? Nothing in this world could stand in her way. Why could she not find herself to care then? She flew away from the crater. The amulet was clutched tightly against her body. It was time to end this, so why was she hesitating? Nothing made much sense anymore. Daybreaker didn't know where she was going, what she was supposed to do. So, she flew. She felt hollow as her wings took her away. A memory came to mind. It was her and Luna. It was a normal day before the banishment. A simple time where they shared a dinner together. They laughed over old stories, shared cake, and talked about how to nourish their kingdom. Those times had passed. The landscape was barren. It was dry and desolate here. The sun had turned whatever chance there was for life here to sand and dust. The pillars of rock sprouting all over the badlands stood as solemn guardians to this wasteland. She felt as if they were judging her as she flew by them. For a time, she flew in silence. The landscape never seemed to change. For all its hostility and bareness, the place had an odd beauty to it. Like Luna's night, it was beautiful in a serene kind of way. It made one feel alone, secluded from their troubles. The tension slowly left her body as she flew. In this lonely place, her mind drifted from her worries. She focused on the wild, lonely, fierce, yet beautiful atmosphere. Now that she was looking closely, she saw small signs of life. Little shrubs crawled their way out of the cracked earth with a resilience. They grew in clusters, grouping together for shade from the heat. Within these clusters she could see jackrabbits huddling together, together they forged a life beneath the shade. Daybreaker sighed in a way that sounded more like a snarl. Luna was probably collecting the elements of harmony right now. They were sitting in the vault, Daybreaker didn't know why she didn't take them with her. The elements would destroy her. They had never liked her after all, they stopped responding to her ages ago. It was funny how everything worked in cycles. She had banished Luna, and now she would probably be banished as well. She had locked Gaiya away, and now she was going to be locked away as well. Even if she beat Gaiya the elements would be used upon her after. Maybe she deserved it. The sun wasn't that bad from what she had seen. Maybe it was time to take a walk in her sister's silver shoes. That couldn't be allowed to happen though. She needed to bear the burdens of Equestria, or else who would? For Luna and her ponies, she would bear any burden no matter how big. If Luna came with the elements to seal her away, she would fight. She would defeat Gaiya, and she would do it alone. Daybreaker saw something different in the landscape. A river flowing through the desolate landscape. Foliage grew along its sides and to her surprise she saw a small collection of tents alongside its banks. There were about ten tents situated in a circle. In the center of the tents was a burnt-out bonfire. She could see ponies wrapped in worn cloth walking between the tents and talking to each other. She wasn't even aware that ponies lived out here. As a princess of ponies, it was a surprising sight to say the least. Well, she wouldn't bother them. No point in scaring the ponies to death no matter how fun it sounded. She would just stop for a drink at the river's edge, they seemed like they had hard enough lives. Daybreaker flew down to the river's edge. With a thud she landed. The water at the edge started to steam and the foliage around her withered. Where she stepped the sand turned to glass. her flaming mane whipped in its wind, scattering embers in every direction. The sight of the dying plants made her wince. Even her arrival was an ill omen. She willed the heat coming off her body to reduce. Smoke rose from her body with a hiss. When her blazing heat had reduced enough to not burn, she was surrounded by a circle of plant ashes. Daybreaker approached the water and put her hooves in. The water hissed as they entered. She leaned down to drink. In the water she saw herself, an incarnate of the wrath of the sun. She stared at the image, unsure of what to think. Then, she heard a voice. "Hello?" It was a voice that was old and weathered. "Are you a vengeful sun goddess or have I gone blind?" Daybreaker looked over at the speaker. Standing no more than a trot away was an old earth pony stallion. Immediately she straightened her posture and allowed her fiery mane to blow. His coat was the color of dust, and his tired brown eyes were full of awe. Around his body a white cloth was wrapped tightly which obscured most of his face and body. As they stared at each other a dry wind blew sending streams of sand between them. "I'm not a goddess." Daybreaker looked back into the water, her reflection met her eyes. "Then what are you?" The stallion's words chipped at her core. "I don't know." Daybreaker said. The two were silent for a moment. They listened to the wind blow and the ripple of water washing against the shore. "Do you want to come back to my camp? We could use your flames for lighting the fire tonight." The stallion said. Daybreaker didn't say anything and continued staring into the water. "Come with me. I'll show you the camp." The stallion started walking away leaving no hoofprints in the sand. Daybreaker watched him leave. She had a spell matrix to perfect. There was no reason to follow him at a time like this. Gaiya was growing closer each minute. Yet, when she thought of working on the spell matrix, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just felt empty. At least checking out the camp was better than sitting around with these hollow feelings inside. If nothing else, she could use the camp as a place to sleep as she worked on how to repair the old spell matrix. Hesitantly, Daybreaker followed after the old stallion.