The Black Eyes of the Nightmare

Victor swats Moon Fox's arm off his shoulder. Moon Fox can already tell by the look in his eye that he is not happy. Victor looks away, breathing heavily. He tries to keep it slow and steady. This is the result of trying to bottle up anger. Victor feels like his chest is going to explode unless he lets it out. It could be anything. Cursing, punching something, or worst, shooting something with lightning. His hands shake, and his face grows hot.

"What did I say about your anger?" snaps the Moon Fox.

Victor turns to the Moon Fox and glares at her. He looks like he's about to kill her. He can pull it off with a decent amount of effort. Transformed, Moon Fox doesn't stand a chance against him. When training the boy, her intention to make him stronger than her, and especially the overlord that she wanted dead. Clearly, it's starting to backfire.

Twig gets between them. "How about we discuss this under a roof, where the monsters can't blow us sky high," he suggests in a demanding tone.

Victor calmly turns and heads for a nearby outlet store, called Abercolts and Fills. The rest of the group simply follow him inside, disregarding the swarm of monsters terrorizing Equestria. They have far larger worries at the moment. Somehow, Victor senses when everyone is safely inside. "He can't win..." he says.

"Well, too bad!" says Twig. "The only guy who could stop him is dead."

"Well, this Oliver must sound REALLY special." Whenever Victor is troubling in an argument, he makes a creepy, joy-like expression to draw out comic relief, or just to act ridiculous to make others seem ridiculous. It's a trick of either mind games or just for annoyance.

"He was."

"Who the hell is he, then?"

"Her creator." Twig glances at Moon Fox, pointing his eye at her. Victor's anger seems to fade, and is replaced by curiosity. "Oliver was chosen to be a hero. He was chosen to be a leader. The Moon Fox was her eternal assistant, in other words, helper."

"How did he create her?"

"Thought of her like some imaginary friend. That's how it worked." Everyone else looks at Twig like he's crazy, but Twig could care less about others' opinions. "The Forbidden One wanted to kill Oliver, because he was the only one in the way of his plans: to create a world of his own where he would be the supreme ruler, while everyone else is an eternal slave to him. It's a long story, Victor."

Celestia walks up to Twig. "It would be nice to know how this Oliver defeated him," she says.

Twig sighs. He really can't say no to those dazzling eyes. "I know more than you think. Moon Fox. Victor. What I'm about to tell is the worst time of my life. The Settlers, they were with Oliver, to support him. They helped him prepare for a fight against The Forbidden One, but all our efforts were in vain. Oliver had one last trick up his sleeve, so he gave his last hug to the Moon Fox, and he ran up to The Forbidden One, and they both..." Twig struggles to use the right word. "...vanished."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" asks Victor.

"I thought he was DEAD." Twig's tone is stern.

"How did he do it?" asks Harmony.

"Huh?"

"How did Oliver stop him?" she repeats.

"How should I know? The bastard killed me long before Oliver did."

"Then how are you alive?" oppresses Victor.

"Reincarnation eventually hits a cycle." Twig looks at the Moon Fox. He notices she looks a bit sympathetic. "I don't know what Oliver did, but someone else does."

Harmony, Celestia, and Victor turn to the Moon Fox. Fox starts to get nervous. "Fox, what did this kid do?" asks Victor. No answer. "I know I asked you a million times. About you. About the Settlers. I know you don't wanna think about your past." He gets closer to her.

The Moon Fox lowers her chin and closes her eyes. "I can't," she says depressingly. "I just can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's just too painful to remember..."

"Come on!"

"VICTOR!" roars the Moon Fox. It makes everyone jump, especially Victor. He aims his eyes to the window, noticing that the sun is setting. Then he turns back to the Moon Fox. Her eyes are black. Right on cue. But they're shedding tears. "I've never felt so weak before in my life. Losing Oliver, the first who ever showed me what it's like to not be alone, was a nightmare."

Celestia shields Victor from the Moon Fox. It's a feeling that she's about to attack him. "Fox, why don't we end the nightmare, then?" she says. "I won't tolerate the beast that my pupil found in the Everfree forest to be crying over something that happened a thousand years ago. I've lost many that I loved, too, but that's only because of my immortality." Victor moves out the area facing Celestia's flank. He wants to get a good view of his blue, furry friend. "What are you?"

Moon Fox sniffs her tears away. "The Moon Fox..." she mutters.

"The sun already set, Fox," continues Celestia. "I want the real you for the night. The same, mighty being that I fought in the desert. I demand that you tell us how Oliver defeated The Forbidden One or there won't be a sunrise!"

"Alright, fine!" yells Moon Fox. She points a claw at Celestia, glaring with her black eyes. "But only because a princess deserves better..." She clears some space from the others and clears her throat. "Oliver called it the Fallen Angel ritual. Only a person with a massive amount of energy can perform this."

"How is it performed?" asks Harmony.

"The choreography is simple." Moon Fox claws her hands and stretches them in front. "Remain calm, and point at your target like so. Slowly bend your arms until the target is close enough, then..." She swipes one hand higher, and another over her mouth. "Cover the mouth," she says, muffled. "But easy as it looks, it's insanely difficult to remain calm through the ritual."

"Looks simple to me," says Victor. Moon Fox glares at him. "I'm the strongest out of all of us, so I should do it."

"NO."

"What?"

"I said no."

"Why not?"

"Moon Fox, I don't why he shouldn't," says Celestia. "He is the strongest."

Moon Fox turns to Celestia. Glaring at her reminds the blue fox of when they first met. Victor starts to worry that they'll break out in a fight, but Moon Fox seems like she's going to break into one with any one of them. "Because the ritual kills both the victim AND the performer," answers the Moon Fox. "That's why I'll do it."

"NO!" Victor grabs Moon Fox by the shoulders. "I'M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN!"

"Stubborn boy! It's the only way to save our worlds!Don't you understand? I have to do it!" Moon Fox pushes Victor away from her. "The rest of you are too attached to something while I'm not." She turns to Celestia. "You got your kingdom to rule." She turns to Harmony. "You six are literally attached to each other." She turns to Twig. "You have to jog the Settlers' memories." Lastly, she turns to Victor. "And you got your own life to get back to, your family and everything."

"I went through so much trouble going after you!"

"Yes, I know," says the Moon Fox, watching Victor's eyes tear up. "Victor, you've been very loyal in the time we spent together as friends, but I have to do this. Also, your efforts were not in vain. We discovered Equestria, and now you have a way back home. The Forbidden One. He's going to turn all of that a living hell..."

Victor's arms tremble, then claw tightly over Moon Fox's torso, embracing her into a tight hug. "I'm not letting you go," sobs Victor.

Moon Fox looks at her student sympathetically. She raises a hand and strokes his hooded head. "I know," she says. To Victor's surprise, she claws the fabric of his hood and hurls him to the side. The boy flies into a fitting room. Crashing on a messy pile of clothing. The Moon Fox rushes past her friends and out of the store. The moment a roof is not under here, she takes off into the sea of monsters above them.

"No doubt she's going back to Earth," says Celestia.

"Well, she did see the ritual with her own eyes," agrees Harmony.

Black lightning and fire bursts out of the doorway of the fitting room. Celestia, Harmony, and Twig turns to the sound of an ear-piercing roar. Victor lunges right out, in his transformed state, furious. Twig gets in an instant 'oh shit' face.

"No!" he yells, getting in front of Victor. "I know what you're thinking, Vic! Let her be!"

"I'm not letting her die again!" says Victor as he tackles Twig and jumps off him. He heads for the exit, but Harmony quickly gets in his way, holding him with her magic. Victor struggles to escape the rainbow aura surrounding him.

"You have to let her go," says Harmony, sweetly. "We all like her, but the circumstances got desperate."

"There...has to be...another way!" Victor can barely move his mouth.

"We already tried fighting him!" yells Celestia. Victor turns to her. She's next to Harmony. "And how did that turn out? We never stood a chance. You've got to understand that we've got to make sacrifices sometimes."

A deep growl vibrates through Victor's teeth. His fangs shine out, aiming at Celestia, then to Harmony. They know they can't contain the beast. Not forever. "I don't want to hurt both of you!" says Victor, glaring. "LET. ME. GO."

"No," answers Harmony.

It's the most unyielding 'no' anyone's ever heard, one that shows that it cannot be shifted in any way whatsoever. Victor breaks out of the aura and rushes out the door at an amazing speed. Harmony is fast, too. Faster, actually. She goes after Victor and tackles him over the edge of Canterlot. They both tug each other, punching, clawing, blasting, until they hit the ground. Victor doesn't care. He doesn't care that he's technically hurting all of the six ponies at once. Celestia and Twig run up to the edge to watch.

"Victor, what the hell are you doing?" mutters Twig.

"Why would they hurt each other?" asks Celestia, gazing at the two fighting with disappointment.

"Princess, in the time I spent with the boy, I've realized that he's unyielding."

A large eagle drops by beside Celestia, bigger than the white horse, actually. It tucks its wings and looks at her curiously. This confuses Celestia. Then Adam pops out of the eagle's back. "What's up?" he asks. "Wait, shouldn't you be on Earth?"

"Change of plans," answer Twig.

"So what's the plan?" asks the eagle. Adam slides off its back.

"Wait?" Celestia trots closer to the eagle. "Nick?"

"Yup. It's me," answers Nick, holding his beak up pridefully. "Remember? I can turn into animals and stuff. Awesome, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Something wrong?"

An explosion of lightning seeps out of the bushy trees below them. Victor and Harmony pop right out. Victor is using his staff now, firing streams of lightning at Harmony. Harmony is doing the same, they dodge, block, rinse ad repeat. Harmony tackles Victor into the mountainside, but Victor grabs one of her hooves and tosses her aside. Surprisingly, Harmony is calm.

"Victor, stop!" she commands.

Victor's response is a punch right in the jaw. It sends Harmony spinning into the forest. When she banishes into the leaves, Victor roars at the sky, and darts off.

"Uh, why is Vic fighting that fusion pony?" asks Adam.

"No doubt he's going to the arc," mutters Celestia.

At this point, Nick transforms back into a human. Then Harmony bursts out of the leaves, with a rainbow of energy surrounding her. It builds up toward her horn, lighting the night brighter than day. Then the energy is released into a large stream. Direct hit on Victor. Harmony can tell because of cry from afar. Victor let his guard down, assuming that last attack would've kept Harmony on the ground.

Absolute silence among the spectators. Not only the group, but other citizens of Canterlot joined to watch the brawl shortly before. Victor fades into the leaves. Harmony's rainbow eyes follows her defeated foe, and she turns to her friends. Twig walks toward her.

"Your power is inconceivable," he says, impressed.

Harmony lands in front of him, brushing her mane out of the way. "Harmony will always reign. The boy had no control."

"Is he dead?" asks Nick, worried.

"I wouldn't kill your friend. We're too attached to him as it is."

"So what now?" says Adam. "Nearly all the monsters are dead now."

"You both contributed well," says Celestia, smiling. "But there is not much we can do now."

"Correct," agrees Twig. "Moon Fox had already left to deal with the leader."

A crack appears on one of Harmony's hoof. It spreads all over her body, giving off cracks of lights. Her body shatters, spitting out six dazed ponies. All their heads are spinning.

"Oh, what happened?" asks Rainbow Dash.

"I think...we fought monsters, then...the boy. Victor..." says Twilight, sad.

"How long do y'all reckon till he wakes up again?" asks Applejack.

"Didn't we just, shoot him?" adds Rarity.

"WHOOWEE!" squeals Pinkie Pie, jumping up to her hind legs. "Sweet Celestia, that was exciting! Are you excited, because I am, and it's just SO EXCITING!"

"Pinkie, we hurt him...real bad," says Fluttershy, feeling guilty.

Pinkie's cheering stop instantly. Celestia looks at the distant forest. She spreads her wings. Before she takes off, Nick gets in front of her. "What is it?" asks Celestia.

"Celestia, what are you gonna do to him?" asks Nick.

Celestia leans her head, staring closer at Nick's eyes. "First, I'm going to scold at him for hurting my ponies. I might as well hoof him across the face for being a stubborn bitch!"

"What did he do?"

"He wouldn't let Moon Fox leave and go after The Forbidden One. That's why he broke out into a fight with Harmony." Celestia swipes a hoof on the ground, preparing her takeoff.

"Before you give him a piece of your mind, I just wanna let you know that he breaks under this kind of stuff."

"What?"

"He's gonna feel devastated. Just try to let him down gently."

Celestia instantly takes off after that. Nick turns around and shakes his head in disappointment. Vic, why did you do that, man? he thinks.

"Uh, girls?" says Applejack, feeling stupid. "Shouldn't we have brought him back or something?"

"Doesn't matter now," replies Rainbow Dash.

Everyone loses sight of the sun goddess. Celestia angrily scouts the forest for any sign of Victor. She follow the trail of burn marks on the trees, from Harmony's attack. She reaches the end of the trail, and finds Victor on the ground. His back is gushing out blood, but Celestia can hear him breathe heavily. If the attack didn't kill him, then bleeding out would for sure.

Oh, my, thinks Celestia. She hovers down next to him. A sound other than breathing comes from Victor's mouth.

"Ce...les...tia..." Victor is rudely interrupted by coughing up blood on the dirt. Celestia takes note that Victor is still in his transformation.

"This, my boy," she begins. "Is the price you pay for being stubborn." She picks Victor up with her magic and heads back to Canterlot. She can only hear his heavy breathing, and crying. But is it from the searing pain in his back or the way he acted?

Celestia takes Victor back to her palace. Her other choice was the hospital, but many of them are packed. There's been numerous casualties for Equestria, but nonetheless, all the monsters have been slain. It's uncertain whether Victor is unconscious, or he just refuses to move or speak. Either way, Celestia gives him medicine, wraps the wound in his back with bandages, uses healing magic, and puts him to rest. He's still transformed, yet calm. Completely clam.

The Mane Six, along with Twig, Adam, and Nick finally catch up to her. They were worried. Celestia flew off with Victor without saying anything to them. They find her with Victor in her room. Victor is in Celestia's bed. His black eyes are open, but he does not close them to go to sleep. He just stares into the ceiling without saying a word. Celestia only glares at the stubborn beast. She knows Victor is too afraid to gaze at the fire in those eyes.

"What was up with that?" asks Adam, annoyed. "This place is huge. It took forever to find you."

Celestia turns to her friends. She sighs. "Sorry, but I just couldn't..." She chokes on the last word. "...just couldn't bear to see him suffer."

"Is he fine?" asks Nick.

"Just some serious back pain, but mentally, he's not fine." Celestia turns to Victor. Is that even Victor, or just an empty shell of what he used to be? "He's not talking to me, not looking at me. He's not even moving. The only thing moving is his tail."

"Oh, so that's what is," says Adam. "So where's the Fox? She was with us back in Pony-whatever."

"Ponyville," corrects Twilight.

"Whatever. So where is she?"

Celestia looks out the window. "She left to sacrifice herself..."

"WHAT?" Everyone but Victor, Celestia, and Twig burst with that one-word question.

"Why the hell is she doing that?" asks Nick as he runs in front of Celestia. It seems like he's going to grab her and start shaking the answers out of her.

Celestia chuckles. She smiles the blonde-haired boy. "Because she cares about you. All of us." She turns to Victor. "Times are hard, and sometimes we have to make sacrifices." Victor completely ignores her remark. "I'm gonna miss her."

"But no goodbyes or anything?"

"Better to get it done sooner. She may have told me that she's only attached to very few people."

"But it sounds like she doesn't care about us."

"Nick. If she didn't she wouldn't have ran off to do a ritual that takes her own life." Celestia points a hoof at Victor. "The reason why your friend was fighting the Elements was because he was too attached with the Moon Fox."

"So we're done?"

Celestia nods. In response, Nick puts on a wide smile. "I only knew Fox for a few minutes," he says, "she died minutes after I got to know her. But Vic's been with her for weeks. No wonder he couldn't let go. I guess we can relax, since Moon Fox's got it covered."

"Probably. But I wish she'd at least stay and give a proper farewell."

"What did you idiots think I was coming after her for?" Celestia didn't say that, nor had Nick. They both turn to the source of the cold, unforgivable voice. Victor finally speaks.

"Dude, you got your ass kicked by a bunch of ponies that are on your side," says Nick. "Now who's the real idiot here?"

No answer. Victor returns to being mute. The Mane Six walk past Celestia and huddle around the boy. His blue fur is tainted with blood, the blood they spilled. Victor quietly grits his teeth, dealing with the back pain.

"You brought this on yourself, you know that?" scolds Twilight.

"I know," answers Victor. He takes a deep breath.

"You being so strong, I thought you'd a bit more mature to go with it."

"I ask myself why I even have powers to begin with." Victor has trouble breathing. He nearly chokes on the last word, and starts to cry softly. He tries to speak back to the purple mare. "I already have blood draining out of my back. The last thing I want is for you girls to hate me." He turns to Celestia, glaring with his watery eyes. "Especially the goddess queen of this country..."

"Then don't do something like that again," says Celestia, glaring back. She turns around and heads for the door. "It's best if you got some privacy..."

Everyone takes the hint and leaves the room. Celestia leaves last, passing one last glare at Victor and closing the door with her magic. The moment the door's closed, Adam speaks up.

"So, why didn't any of you go after the Fox?" he asks.

"The way she ran off..." mutters Twig. "Obviously, she doesn't want us to get involved."

"Hold on!" interrupts Applejack. "I'm missing something here, y'all. What in tarnation is she up to?"

"Applejack," says Celestia, "everypony, back in Manhattan, we encountered the one responsible for the disaster. He's a heartless being who can't be killed. We fought him, but he was too strong. Victor and I had a little mishap with him, and after..." She pauses, trying to collect some thought. "...difficulties, we ended up back in Equestria. Oh no! Jin and Corvus are still with him! Oh I hope they're alright..."

"Oh shit..." mutters Nick.

Twig decides to continue where Celestia left off. "Anyway, Moon Fox knows about a ritual that can contain The Forbidden One, the man they fought. But doing so will taje the life of both the performer and the victim."

"Oh..." says Applejack, lowering her head. The rest of the Mane Six turn gloomy as well. Celestia can't but cry a little. Her tears sizzle when they hit the floor. "Makes me feel terrible for what happened back in the forest..."

"How do you think I feel?" says Rainbow Dash. "I threw the first hoof..."

No one else speaks. They only stand there in the hallway to spend some time to mourn their soon-to-be martyr. They find it mind-boggling how the Moon Fox never bothered to at least say a last farewell. It makes them question. Why didn't she? Is it because she was in a hurry to end the horrendous tyranny of The Forbidden One, or because she never really accepted anyone as her friend. Most of the time, she is emotionless around people.

Silence is broken when Victor swings Celestia's door open. His face is dripping with dried tears, and the bandages on his back are stained red. "I'm sorry," he says calmly. "Fox knows what to do, and I'll let her go." He notices all the pouting faces. "Yeah, I'll miss her, too..."

Nick wraps an arm over Victor's shoulder and smiles at him. "You're crazy, man," he jokes.

Victor chuckles back, weakly. "Yeah, I am..."

Celestia's eyes grow wide open. "Luna!" she shouts. "Oh crap, I completely forgot about her!"

"Wanna go check on her?" says Twig. "The arc's not too far from here, and we're pretty much done."

Celestia smiles at the old dinosaur. "Yes, please."

                                                            *                                     *                                    *

Back in Vremena, Peake City is shattered. Buildings are housing fires of many colors, and the smoke from many explosions fill the sky. Heavy casualties on both sides, but that battle's not over yet. Groves is on a rooftop with five other nightmarish creatures and slashes his swords through each and every one of them. Edward chases after others, breathing a stream of fire that cremates the monsters down until they plummet far below. Nightmare Moon is doing best. She keeps drilling through the sky, incinerating many with ease. Groves can hear her maniacal laughter, and he can't help but grin a little.

Groves looks down to the surface of the city. Many adventurers, even the ones who contribute some other way to the community are out on the battlefield, willing to protect their family and homes. Groves jumps down and transforms midway through the jump. His fall is slowed by his black wings, until he executes one of the monsters. It's beginning of a killing spree for him.

Okay, where the hell is Phil? thinks Edward as he shoots another monster down. Not even Castus, Mar, or Teddy? He wonders where his friends are, the remaining Settlers. Normally, they would spring into action during a time like this, but it all seems strange to the dragon. He stops fighting. "Luna!" he calls.

Nightmare Moon immediately flies up to him. Even though they're allies, her fiendish form can't help but glare at the dragon. "What is it, dragon?"

"I think we should go check up on your sister."

Nightmare Moon gasps, then transforms back into lovable Luna. She smiles at Edward. "Yeah, I've been worried," she says.  "So...Settler. Where's the rest?"

"What?"

"Where's the rest. I heard there were seven."

Edward shifts his eyes away from Luna. "Good question. Where the hell are they?" He chuckles. "Oh well. They're gonna miss out."

"Now where's Groves...?" Edward carefully watches over the streets for any sign of their killing machine. He finds him dragging a monster's face up a building. Ouch. Everyone still feels uncomfortable about the influence he comes under. Victor and Jin transform from two who are truly kindhearted, and their friends, but Groves has the legacy of one of the worsts things to happen in Vremena. "GROVES!"

Groves turns around, noticing Edward calling out for him. He slashes the head off another monster with his claws and flies over to him. "Yes?" he says.

"We're going back to Earth."

"Is there something going on there, too?"

"We're not sure. I just wanna check."

Groves turns to the city for moment. "We got our hands tied up, my friend. Are you sure?"

Sweat starts to seep out of Edward's scales. He nods to the beast in front of him. Groves heads for the tree arc, while the dragon and alicorn of the night follow.

                                                            *                                     *                                    *

Out of all three worlds, Earth is doing the worst. The army of The Forbidden One spreads horror beyond the city of New York. Humans don't have pony magic and weather control on their side, nor do they have powerful adventurers that are basically war machines. Jin does his best aiding the military, but with Celestia and Victor's dissapearance, along with Corvus duking it out with The Forbidden One, he's not doing so well. Manhattan will soon be the Corvus' cemetery unless someone takes action.

Corvus flies through yet another building. Through all the pain and moaning, she's been counting how many times she made a hole in a structure. She lost count. She gets on her wobbling feet and comes back for more. The Forbidden One has been enjoying beating the tar out of the raven girl through all this time, but keep doing something repeatedly and one loses interest.

Corvus flies with her tattered and bloodstained wings toward The Forbidden One, aiming her talons at him. The Forbidden One easily counters with the most comedic and ironic maneuvers an immortal would resort to: a bitch slap. The power of the slap sends Corvus yet again far away, with a red marking on her cheek. Her body skids over the concrete of the streets, and grinds back to her feet. She pays close attention to the cuts the claws on her feet made on the ground. She pants, kneeling with support of one hand. She looks at herself. Corvus' frowns at the sight of her torn outfit. She loves to dress classy, but absolutely hates when her clothes are ruined. And the blood. Amazing how they're still not infected. But that's just her anatomy. Very resistant.

The Forbidden One calls out to Corvus. "Getting tired, missy?" he mocks. "Am I hurting you? Spill more blood and you'll look  more like a robin."

Corvus scoffs at him. She struggles to get on her two feet. "You're not so tough," she lies confidently.

"Darling, I could've finished you off the moment we started. Your only use for me is amusement."

Corvus switches to a glare, then modd swings into a childish giggle. "I swear. sometimes you're just all bark. I amuse you?" She spreads her arms beside her and lengthens her stance. "Let's see if this amuses you!"

The sky grows darker. Corvus' muscles start to flex rapidly, especially the ones in her arms. The palm of her hands pull in a huge amount of energy. Hell, her whole body is sucking it up. It emits a purple aura, and continues to build up the energy. With surprisingly excessive effort, Corvus aims both her hands at The Forbidden One, who only stands still to ponder about what Corvus is planning. Corvus cups her hands, holding sparks of energy that only appear for less than a second.

Corvus grins at The Forbidden One and coldly says, "I fucking dare you to stay right where you are..." The Forbidden One raises an eyebrow. "If you're really that strong, then this shouldn't be a problem, now would it?"

The Forbidden One gives Corvus a sly expression and obeys her. He secures his balance and waits for what his opponent has to offer. Back in a building, the tree arc still shines brightly. It spits out in a storm of aura Celestia, Twig, Victor, Adam, Nick, and the Mane Six. Victor is on Celestia's back, still suffering from the wound on his back. He is basically leaning right on the princess' neck. Reason why he's still in his transformation is uncertain. Adam is the first to look past the edge.

"Guys, check this out," he says with excitement. They all take a look. They see a violet light blinding half the city. "Well, this place still has the monsters, but we can handle it. But look at that light over there."

Victor closely examines the light. His eyes widen. "Corvus!" he shouts. The problem is, he shouted right into Celestia's ear. it makes her jump off her front legs. Victor hangs on tightly to her neck. "Sorry..."

"Corvus?" mutters Twig. His eye widens. "Corvus!"

"So Corvus is causing that light?" asks Nick.

"She's about to obliterate," says Victor. "I can barely see her through that light. She's in that stance..."

"What stance?"

"The Twilight Force."

"Twilight what?" says a confused Twilight.

"Oh, yeah! I remember that," says Adam. "Man, that move's a doozy."

"How much of a doozy?" asks Pinkie Pie.

"My little pony, let me explain it in the simplest way I can." Adam pauses. "FUCK EVERYTHING UP IN THAT DIRECTION."

At that moment Corvus chants in the tone of power and might. Her voice echoes all over the city when she claims the name of one of her most destructive attacks Her voice is like an angel's, who came from the heavens to do all she can to defeat the bastardization of the immortal in front of her:

TWILIGHT FORCE!

A wide explosion of light bursts from Corvus palm, releasing a blinding energy wave that is the width of one of the widest streets of New York. It maims the side of the buildings, along with the street itself as it rushes toward The Forbidden One. Right before it hits him, he makes an 'oh shit' expresion and gets consumed by the violet light. Adam wasn't kidding. The Twilight Force rushes further, demolishing anything caught in its radius. The humongous energy wave then curves up and banishes into the emptiness of space. Everyone on the rooftop simultaneously drop their jaws, especially Celestia and the Mane Six. As the light dims, it leaves Corvus at the same stance, catching her breath, in front of a twenty-yard-wide ditch.

"Oh, sweet Celestia..." mutters Twilight.

"So awesome," mutters Rainbow Dash.

"Wait a second." Victor's eyes perk up. "What was she aiming at?"

"Probably The Forbidden One," answers Celestia.

Victor rolls off her back and pulls his body up to the ledge. "Oh. Think that killed him?"

"Remember what the Moon Fox said? He can't be killed."

"Then let's go down there and find out if it worked. How about that?" says Nick. He jumps off the ledge and morphs into a fully grown pegasus and flies away.

"Son of a bitch. He could've given us a ride!" rants Victor. "How the hell are we supposed to get over there if only three of us can fly and I'm crippled?"

Twig thinks for moment. He turns to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "How much can you two carry?"

"I can hardly carry one pony," answers Rainbow.

"Hmm, any chance you can turn into that Harmony pony again?"

Rainbow nudges her Element. A spark flies out, startling her. "Maybe they're on a cool-down period," suggests Twilight.

"Damn..."

"Yo, Celestia," says Victor. "Hook me up with more of that healing magic?"

"I've already done all I could," answers Celestia. "Time is the only remedy now."

"Dammnit. Okay, so I have an idea. I got one foxtail right now, but I can't get the other six out. I'll try to fly, carrying Pinkie and AJ." Victor struggles to his feet. "How long till we can get Harmony out?"

"I'm not sure," says Twilight, lowering heard head. "This never happened before."

"I'll cry Adam and the white one," says Twig. "But show you can fly." Victor grunts in pain as he slowly hovers over the ground. "Close enough." Twig grabs Rarity over one arm and Adam on the other and jumps over the ledge. Everyone else can hear Rarity screaming in terror. Twig lands on another building with ease, and runs over the ledge to jump to another one.

Victor looks at Applejack and points his tail at him. "Hold on tight, AJ," he says as his tail wraps around her. Applejack feels a little awkward, but gets a strong on the fur. Victor then turns to Pinkie Pie and picks up the pink pony like she was a baby. He slowly hovers over the ledge and flies over to where Twig is heading.

Celestia picks Twilight up with her magic, surrounding her yellow aura around her student. She takes off, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash follow her.

Surprisingly, Victor is the first to reach Corvus. He collapses right next to her, letting go of Pinkie Pie. He loses the grip from his tail, releasing Applejack. He lies on the street, moaning in pain. Corvus kneels down to him, excited to see him again.

"Victor! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" she says joyfully. "Hold on, where's Celestia?"

"On her way," answers Victor. "So, is he dead?"

Corvus turns to the damage she caused. "I don't see how he could be."

"Right now, I'm more surprised how the military didn't confuse you as the enemy."

Applejack, Pinkie, and Corvus look up. There's still a swarm of monsters scrambling through an air force. At this point, Celestia catches up to them and her magic loses grip of Twilight. The first thing Twilight does is trot over to the beginning of the ditch the attack caused and gapes her mouth.

"Unfrigginbelievable," she says.

"That really was a doozy," agrees Pinkie.

Victor can't help but laugh at the word 'doozy', only to be interrupted by searing pain. "Oh, hurts to laugh," he says comedically.

Celestia starts to work on healing magic on Corvus. Corvus can feel the magic spread all over her body, easing the pain The Forbidden One caused on her. "So all this time, you were fighting him?"

"Yeah. Where did you two go?"

Celestia sighs. "You don't wanna know." She loses concentration on her spell. "Have you seen the Moon Fox?"

"No. Maybe Jin did."

"Where is he?"

"Helping the military."

As if on cue, Jin lands next to Corvus, making his lush, violet wings banish into thin air. Like Victor, he's still in his transformation. He tips his hat to Celestia. "Glad you and Vic are okay," he says politely, then her turns to Corvus. "And Prettybird, you just destroyed around twelve buildings..."

Corvus stares at Jin blankly. "Shit."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrive, and Twig sprints up to the group at the same time. He lets go of Rarity and Adam. Then Nick arrives, quickly turning back into a human.

Jin turns to Twig. "So, how's it going in the other worlds?" he asks.

"All cleared," says Twig. "But we're not done yet."

Then Groves impacts the ground, startling everyone. He tucks his black wings and gives a friendly wave to them. Edward and Princess Luna land softly. The gang's all here, except for the Moon Fox. Luna rushes up to Celestia and gives her a hug.

"Tia! I'm glad you're okay!" she says.

Celestia completes the hug and says to her beloved sister. "Likewise."

Luna notices the wounds on her big sister. "Sister, you're hurt!"

Celestia leans her head back and widens her eyes, saying, "You don't say." Victor chuckles as he thinks of the meme, then feels pain. He's basically the only one who's not on his feet. "Well, we had a hard time...especially Victor and Corvus."

Twig clears his throat. "Ladies, I hate to break your reunion, but the fight is not over yet. We have to make sure The Forbidden One can't harm anyone else again."

"But I just killed him," says Corvus, pointing at the large ditch.

"He can't be killed. You can tear him apart, but not end his life. The only way to end this is to imprison him."

"Who's this Forbidden dude?" asks Edward.

"The douche who started all this." Twig looks around, glaring at the sky. "Oh my God, where is she? Where is the Moon Fox?"

"Oh, crap!" shouts Jin. He gets in front of everyone and blocks an explosive spell with an ice barrier. The attack temporarily paralyzes his forearms. The Mane Six step back. Jin turns to them. "What're you waiting for? Use the Elements!"

Twilight puts on a determined look, along with the rest of her friends. "Formation, girls!" she commands. They listen to her without hesitation, and the light of the Elements of Harmony merge them together. Once again, the light reveals Harmony, the defender of peace.

Jin whistles a sinking tone, impressed by the power of the Elements. The first thing Harmony does is point her white horn to Victor. It shines into a rainbow of light, and it consumes Victor's body, healing his wounds with ease. Victor nimbly gets up and stares at Harmony with his black eyes. "I'm sorry," she says.

"Don't be," replies Victor. "I can never hate Fluttershy, let alone the rest of you."

Harmony smiles, then turns to where the spell came from. The Forbidden hovers over the with an arm extended toward the group. "Oh, what a lovely reunion," he says in a surprisingly kind tone. It completely throws off Victor's glare. The Forbidden One turns to Twig, frowning. "My, can't you just stay dead?"

As the other stare at The Forbidden One, Harmony quickly heals Corvus, considering she's in terrible shape from fighting a battle she could not win. Harmony smirks at her, admiring how resistant. Corvus smirks back.

Victor steps in front of everyone and takes a deep breath. "Okay, let's get something straight here," he says calmly. "You just want to use your powers to enslave innocent people, right?"

"What?"

"You heard me, gramps. Why do you wanna do that?"

The Forbidden One lowers his arm and chuckles. Not as in evil or devious, but regular. "It's all you're useful for, I'm afraid. I believe that the human race is a waste of decaying material and oxygen. Hundred years, give or take, and you'll wipe yourselves out."

Victor lowers his head. "I see..."

"Victor, there's no point trying to reason with him," says Celestia from behind.

"I know." The boy sheds a small tear. "But if we're going to die, I might as well get something off my chest."

"Oh, don't cry, kid," mocks The Forbidden One. "Everyone has to die eventually."

Victor looks down at his hand. Blue, furry, and fingers tipped with black claws. He watches as his fingers bend into a trembling fist. He lowers it and continues his glare toward The Forbidden One. "Everyone, but you," he says, successfully hiding his anger. "I spit at people like you, those who can't accept that all life has something to offer. How I sometimes deny that fact precedes me, but it's a cycle, my friend." Victor raises an arm and presents his friends. "Look at my mates, Forbidden One. My longtime friends from Earth, The exotic creatures from Vremena, and the ponies of Equestria. We are an example of the potential life has, and what we do best is to defend our right to live as we should. With freedom."

The group all spread, passing on determined looks. Adam pulls a bow out and aims a stretches a flaming arrow on the string. Nick's hands point at The Forbidden One, glowing. Edward and Twig get on fighting stance, while Celestia, Luna, and Harmony rise into the air. Jin, Corvus, and Groves also rise with their wings.

The Forbidden One laughs at the heavens themselves. The insanity of his laughter echo all over the city. "You can try all you want, but I'll still win against all of you. The hell with humans. Why should I stop with one race. The rest are just the same."

"STOP IT!" shouts Victor, whose black eyes run a stream of tears. "I WILL NEVER LET YOU CALL THAT A LIE!" The boy always resented how he cried when he would be at the brink of his anger, but now, he does not. If he must cry, then he shall. "YOU'RE GOING TO HARM ANY OF MY FRIENDS! OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Harmony is the first to spring into action. She swoops down and knocks The Forbidden One over, sandwiching him to a building. The Forbidden One explodes into an expanding ball of fire, knocking Harmony back, falling. The rest fire various spells and streams of energy at the fireball, but it seems to be fueling the small Sun. Then it bursts, blinding the street. Harmony can feel burns in her fur, so she flies further from the blast radius. When the fire burns out, The Forbidden One emerges, grinning ten times. Oh, wait, that's ten Forbidden Ones each grinning. The corrupt god has split himself into eleven beings, one for each of the fighters. They all pick their targets and ten raging one on one battles commence.

Groves immediately slashes through the torso of his opponent, but the wound quickly regenerates. He slashes again, and the tissue and organs reattach themselves. The Forbidden One copy electrocutes him. Groves can feel searing pain everywhere, and drops to the ground like a rag doll. Paralyzed.

Edward rams his copy into a wall, but the copy pushes him away. They both breathe fire at each other, creating a swirling collision of what could be pictured as the gateway to Hell. The copy's fire overpowers Edward's, forming into a gigantic fireball. It hits Edward, ramming him into another building.

Celestia and Luna both try to shoot spells from their horns at their copies, but they're too fast. One of them grab their necks and slam their heads together, while the other lands a hard kick on their backs. The two sisters plummet downward, falling on rooftop. They can't find the strength to get back up.

The Forbidden One truly is invincible, even when split into eleven beings. Harmony gets caught in an explosion, Nick gets hurled out far enough into the ocean, Jin gets smashed by a ruined car, Corvus has a broken leg, Twig passes out from a knock in the head, and Adam is coughing blood. The heroes have fallen, and Victor joins them. As all the copies of the corrupt god gain some free time, they all gang up on Victor. He is tossed around, feeling a new source of pain every second. One moment, he can feel his back impacting concrete. Another, something is burning is legs. The Forbidden One then glares at the boy sadistically and punches him right in the face. It sends Victor falling down to the streets.

Victor is too afraid to move. The pain is everywhere. There's no way he can fight back. It's over. Hoping that The Forbidden One doesn't notices, his black eyes quietly shed tears, from both sadness and pain. He's waiting for him to finish him off, end his life. He wants the suffering to go away for good.

As The Forbidden One comes close to Victor, about to fulfill his last request, he mutters coldly, "Over my dead body? That can be arranged..." His right arm morphs into a large blade, capable of cutting wood with only one swipe. He lunges it at the torn body, only to be interrupted by a strong force from his left. It's someone's foot, right in his temple. It sends him crashing through a glass pane.

It hurts for Victor to even move his neck, but he hears a voice too familiar too him. "Why don't we finish what we started?" says the voice.

MOON FOX, thinks Victor. The Moon Fox is responded by The Forbidden One rushing to her and punching her in the jaw. Moon Fox coughs up blood as she hits a wall. Her tails swarm and swerve toward The Forbidden One, entangling him. She slowly walks up to him, tightening the grip of those blue snakes.

"How someone as bastardized as you came to be alive is beyond," she says. The Forbidden One keeps struggling, getting angrier and angrier. The Moon Fox comes within arm's reach and aims her claws at him. She's about to perform the ritual. "I'll make sure you're sealed away forever." She turns to Victor's struggling body and sheds one last tear for her pupil. "Farewell, Victor. I've taught you well."

The Moon Fox's words feel like they heal Victor. He feels much better now. He smiles, only to be interrupted by the wave of an explosion. It sends both him and the Moon Fox rolling. Victor can hear her painful moaning. This has The Forbidden One written all over it. Victor hears his footsteps, then sees his shadow on the streets. He doesn't dare to look at death right in the eyes.

"Now where were we?" says The Forbidden One.

His voice makes Victor's body shake. He can hear his arm morphing into a large blade again. He can't move, but he has to. By the sound of it, the Moon Fox is in very bad shape, so with the little energy he has left, he springs off the ground and drills a clawed hand through his chest. As The Forbidden One screams in pain, with black blood gushing out, Victor drills the other hand, giving The Forbidden One a sadistic glare.

Victor can feel searing pain in his joint, but irregardless, continues by electrocuting The Forbidden One. The current paralyzes him, then he says to the corrupt god, "What life can offer is the will to defend itself from scum like you..."

The Moon Fox looks at Victor, who's pulling his hands toward him. She mouths the word 'no', several times as a circle with strange encryptions appears around them. The outline shine brighter, and they spin.

"VICTOR!" shouts the Moon Fox, crying uncontrollably.

Too late. Victor palms The Forbidden One's mouth, along with his own, and the circle of light spins faster and shines brighter. The light explodes, and at the same time, the remaining of the swarm of monster all vanish. Victor and The Forbidden One are consumed by the light.

The Forbidden One's voice echoes. "OLIVER! DAMN YOU, OLIVER!!" The light fades, and he's gone, along with Victor. The Fallen Angel ritual has been completed, taking away yet another two souls. The Moon Fox gets on her feet and runs to where the circle was. She keeps running tears, feeling the ground her pupil used to stand at. Her black eyes keep running tears, as she repeatedly curses the heavens.

"NO! VICTOR! NO, NO, NO! VICTOR! VICTOR!!! Victor..."

The Moon Fox collapses to her side. The only movement she has is from her rapid breathing.

From the rooftop, Celestia and Luna have gotten up, and they saw the ritual. They both cry with wide eyes, in denial of what just happened. The boy with extraordinary powers that came to Equestria only to get his friend and teacher back, only a couple decades old, is now dead.

"Victor," sobs Celestia.

Then, the dark atmosphere of the ruined city fades, as the civilians emerge. They look around, noticing that the terror has left. They all clap and cheer. The Moon Fox still lies down crying, inaudible because of the loud cheering. The military leave, knowing that their work here is done. Jin and Groves turn back into their normal states and run toward the Moon Fox. One of the civilians, a man in his sixties wearing a blue polo, tugs Moon Fox's arm. Moon Fox feels his grip, noticing that he's trying to pick her up. She grabs the man's wrist and is pulled up, looking at him with tearing eyes.

"What's there to cry about, miss?" asks the man. "It's all over."

"My friend sacrificed himself, to save us all," sobs the Moon Fox.

"Believe me, I saw the whole thing. And shame on me for not knowing such a brave man."

Moon Fox breaks into tears again. "He was a boy," she sobs in between. She cries over the stranger's shoulders. The man lets her wet his shirt with her tears. He gives the Moon Fox a nice, friendly pat on the back.

"God bless him, then. I don't know where you people came from, but we needed you desperately. Thank you for standing up against whatever that monster was." The man grabs Moon Fox's chin, forcing direct eye contact with her black eyes. "I heard what he said. Don't forget those words, alright?"

The Moon Fox slowly nods at the man, then lets go of him. At this point, Jin and Groves catch up to her. "Pity," says Groves. Without any surprise, he's still emotionless. The only ones who aren't breaking into tears is him and Twig.

"Fox?" says Jin, coming through over tears. "I miss him, too."

Harmony, Celestia, and Luna trot over to them, then Edward and Corvus, landing. Adam, Nick, and Twig run to them. Alost everyone is crying.

"NO!" shrieks Corvus, barely making out words. "NO! WHY HIM!"

Twig looks at his allies sympathetically. He turns to the growing crowd of applauders. "People," he says. "I ask for a moment of silence for the loss of our beloved friend." The cheering fades. Victor's friends keep crying, but quietly. They all lower their heads and think of their fallen comrade, only barely of age. Edward, Corvus, The Moon Fox, Celestia, and Luna are all a thousand years old. They're all thinking, It should've been me. The crowd grows, and each and every one of them pay their respects to their savior, the boy from Earth who dealt with insane hardships in a foreign world, whose last act of selflessness saved three worlds. The Moon Fox smiles about her prodigious student. She chants his name in her head repeatedly. Victor. Victor. Victor...

                                                            *                                     *                                    *

Harmony is turned back into the Mane Six once more. Their first movement is from their stomachs, rumbling. Fighting against an all-powerful, evil god can work quite the appetite, so they all head to a Latino restaurant, in honor of Victor's heritage. Their eyes can't run any more tears. They're all drained out. The waiters give them the courtesy of putting many tables together to make a long one, fitting the whole group. The Mane Six all look at their food curiously, not exactly sure of what they ordered.

Harmony split into the Six before she had time to heal everyone, so the group is sitting there covered with blood. Celestia and Luna try their best with their healing magic, but it's just not as efficient as Harmony. They did manage to fix broken limbs. As for the dripping of blood, not so well. They should've gone to a hospital, but the Moon Fox insisted to come here first, to enjoy the food Victor enjoys. Her decision was unimaginably adamant. The only ones who aren't dealing with a lot of pain is the Mane Six. Harmony's wounds don't transfer to them, so they feel fine.

Batches of arepas, fried, doughy goodness with butter and cheese lay in front of them. "My, the smell of this cuisine is too much for me," says Rarity, grabbing one and taking a bite. "Delectable."

"Vic ate tons of that stuff," says Nick. "He would it with deviled ham, but I'm sure you guys don't eat meat."

"That's correct," answers Twilight.

"Do you mind if we ate meat?" asks Adam.

"Not at all." Twilight grabs an arepa a scarfs it down.

"Wow, this is some good stuff!" says Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Cake can make these ara-watchamacallit's!" agrees Pinkie Pie.

"They're nice, I guess..." mutters Fluttershy, slowly chewing a bite.

Jin stops eating. "So what now?" he asks.

Corvus wipes her face with her forearm, still wet from running tears. "We go home," she says.

"Makes sense," agrees Nick. "Hey Adam, weren't we trying to find a way back home?"

"Yeah, I remember," says Adam. "Wow, it's been so long. I wonder how everyone's going to react. Family, friends."

"You know we have to tell them about Vic..."

Adam sinks into his food. "I know..."

"That's right. You boys can go back to your homes," says Twig. "We all can."

"What about the arcs?" asks Edward. "Are they permanent?"

"Yes," answers Luna, swallowing dough. "When we built them, we aimed for a permanent link to other worlds."

"That's right," agrees Celestia. "Our worlds are connected." She smiles at her sister. "Imagine the possibilities, what we can accomplish."

"So we're free to visit you guys?" asks Nick. His spirits are rising.

"Pretty much," mutters Twig.

"Awesome," says Adam, smirking. "I really could use a vacation."

"Uh, I can't go back home," says Jin. Everyone looks at him. He's the only one that still seems depressed. "My family's dead."

"Mine is, too," adds Groves. "But then again, I've always worked better alone."

Corvus wraps her arm around Jin, since they're sitting next to each other. "You got a family right here, Jin," she says. "Why not stay in Vremena and live with us?"

Jin smiles at Corvus and takes his hat off. "Thanks, Prettybird."

"Victor let us have this moment..." says the Moon Fox, quietly. Everyone looks at her. She still looks depressed. "Because of him, we can be here, talking and laughing about how we're all gonna be close friends now."

Celestia smiles at the Moon Fox. "Now that is a truly selfless act."

Twig clears his throat. "Anyway, Celestia, what're you planning now that we have that link?"

Celestia turns to Twig, trying to collect some thoughts. "I was thinking coexistence in both worlds, maybe later on Earth. Sharing knowledge, enriching the cultures, and securing harmony beyond my nation."

Twig chuckles. "So you're expecting a bunch of talking ponies to colonize Earth? Good luck with that."

"Why do you think I said 'later'? I know humans are like, and it will take them time to get used to any newcomers."

The television in the restaurant plays at full volume. Everyone, even the other people eating, drop everything and take a look at the large screen. It's a news broadcast.

"We can all rest peacefully, and let the dead rest in peace," says the anchorman, "because a monster, repeatedly referred to as The Forbidden One has been vanquished by a group of beings that are capable of supernatural powers. This Forbidden character has been claimed to be the one responsible for the appearance of many monsters swarming in the air. The heroes consisted of the same ones who were watching over the city of New York, some who seem to come directly from a cartoon show." Luna giggles. "We now go to the streets of the battlefield, where all the citizens wish to speak about these heroes."

The camera switches to a variety of people voicing their opinions, narrating what happened, and crying over the loss.

"It was the most amazing thing I've seen in my entire life!"

"Like a movie, but I was actually IN the movie!"

"Who says ponies can't be manly? These guys were bamfs!"

"My son and I watched, as this blue beast came up to the bad guy and took him away, along with him. That was the bravest thing we ever saw."

"Dragons, birds, and ponies, duking it out with that wizard guy! Frickin' epic!"

"This place needed heroes, and we sure as hell got 'em."

The camera switches back to the anchorman. "As you can see, the city is thankful for these creatures,

Everyone in the restaurant looks at the heroes, who look at each other. They all cheer at them for a job well done. Pinkie joins in with the cheering, and the rest of her friends join her. Everyone but the Moon Fox. She smiles at her friends, shedding tears of joy. She gives Celestia a big hug without warning. Celestia lets her, because they're friends. They're all friends now, who can help build a lasting harmony beyond Equestria. The Earth is wounded, and Vremena is also wounded. The Princess' wish is to expand the peaceful influence of her world to the others. Everyone is now yelling and cheering at the top of their lungs. Instead of being depressed for the loss of Victor, they can be overwhelming joyous to know that he was willing protect the ultimate freedom: the right to live.