The Black Eyes of the Nightmare

The mares and Spike desperately focus on the screen, looking for signs of either the Moon Fox or their beloved princess. Sadly, the crater is still shrouded with dust. Princess Luna is flying as she can to see the damage, leaving the rest of the ponies to only wonder.

"Maybe both of them got knocked out," suggests Spike.

"Maybe," agrees Twilight.

"Awesome..." mutters Rainbow Dash, still jaw-dropped from both witnessing and feeling the explosion.

"Oh, I hope they're okay," says Fluttershy, worried.

The boy steps back at the sight of the Princess Celestia. Somehow he knows about her. The boy seems nice, but it's what he wears that is odd. He slowly approaches Celestia as she sleeps. He curiously taps her stomach with his foot, as if assuming she's dead. He keeps tapping, hoping that she would wake up.

"This is weird," he says to himself. "Well, Frankenstein time."

The boy rubs his hands together, building up a strong amount of friction. Sparks fly out of his hand like it's magic, or it is magic. This boy is capable of performing magic. He opens his hands wide, covered with electricity.

"Probably gonna get sent to the moon for this," he jokes.

The boy puts both hands around Celestia's chest, sending the electric current throughout her body. Celestia's eyes open wide. Her sight is blurry, but makes a futile attempt in looking around. Yes, she's alive, thinks the boy, anticipating a warm welcome.

"Hello?" says the boy. Princess Celestia's eyesight improves, but she can only make out a blurry figure. She doesn't see any blue, so she assumes it's not the Moon Fox. The voice calling sounds nothing like her, either. Despite fatigued by the collision, she gets up and shakes her head. The boy is surprised to see the princess so torn and wounded.

"Um, Princess Celestia?" calls out the boy.

Princess Celestia's eyesight sharpens back to normal, and turns to the source of the voice. She breaths heavily, and also feels a little nauseous. She gazes at the human boy standing in front of her, then notices Moon Fox behind him, still unconscious.

"You don't look so good, Princess," says the boy. He wants Celestia to answer. Somehow. He is secretly amazed to run into such a figure that is so familiar to him. He smiles nervously, but Celestia just keeps staring, breathing heavily. "I know you can talk."

The boy's words turn into a trigger. Celestia picks up a rush of adrenaline and charges the boy. He is completely unprepared, and gets toppled down easily. Celestia pins him down with her bleeding hooves, and glares deep into the boy's eyes.

"What the hell?" says the boy, confused.

"How do you know about me?" yells Celestia, looking furious. The boy is too scared to ask. He only stares at those fiery eyes of the divine. He starts to forget about the pain the hooves are causing. "ANSWER ME!"

"What's your problem?"

Princess Celestia. Instead, she uses her magic to carry the boy. The boy struggles, but he's no match for the goddess. The yellow aura consumes him, ensuring his containment. "Let me go!" he commands. "You're making a huge mistake!"

"SHUT UP!" Celestia hurls the boy into the air, then she catches up to him to buck him back into the ground. The spectators spot their princess at last.

"There she is!" says Rarity.

"But where's Moon Fox?" wonders Applejack.

"She just kicked something, but it's not Moon Fox," says Rainbow Dash.

The boy coughs as the dust engulfs him. He struggles to get up, but only to get pinned down by Princess Celestia again. She uses her magic to electrify the boy. The boy screams in pain and starts to shed tears. Celestia only glares with the fire in her eyes. The boy whimpers, confused and agonized.

"What did I ever do to you?" he sobs.

"You're trespassing," answers Celestia, coldly. Her horn starts to build up a strong aura, and it's aimed at the boy.

"You're gonna regret it, Princess. Shoot me again, and you'll regret it!" yells the boy.

"Do you really think you're in a position to tell me what to do?"

"I'm confused, Celestia, and you're making me angry. You're insane! You'll pay if you try to kill me!"

"FINE!"

The boy's peaceful and mild face fades away. He lets out a monstrous roars, and his eyeballs turn black.  Black markings appear on his face. The roar startles Princess Celestia and she hovers back. The boy gets up, and black lightning consumes him. It surrounds him like an aura, and it's intensifying. The boy glares at Celestia with his black eyes, and roars again. The aura turns into a blinding, white light. Fury is rushing through the boy, and it's flowing fast.

When the light dims, Celestia is shocked at the sight of the boy. He looks completely different now. His armored robes are black and blue, and his face has a drastic change to it. He appears to have fur on it now, along with the rest of his body. He also has long, blue hair flowing over his back and shoulders. The boy transformed into a being that's similar to the Moon Fox, and his black eyes glare deeply at Celestia. Celestia starts to shake at the sight of him. She has no way of explaining how it's possible.

The boy, now a beast, does not speak a word, but slowly walks toward Princess Celestia. At this point, Celestia notices that he has a foxtail now, fluttering out of his cape and over the desert ground. It's like the Moon Fox infected the boy, turning him into a creature like her.

The beast banishes. Celestia looks around for him, and he reappears at breathing distance, glaring right in her eyes. Celestia is paralyzed by the stare. She feels like she's having a nightmare.

"Do you really wanna let the dog out, Celestia?" says the beast in a cold, murderous voice.

He snatches Celestia's horn, paralyzing Celestia. Then he swings his arm and throws Celestia away. The beast is strong, and fast. He flies up to Celestia's hurdling body and covers her face with one hand and buries her head into the moving ground. The beast grabs Celestia's rainbow and tail and spins her around, throwing her away once more. He then banishes and reappears in the sky. The beast charges from upward, pushing Celestia down with him to the ground. The impact sends a puff of dust into the air.

The impact also forms a small crater in the ground. When the dust dissipates, the beast stands where Celestia is lying. They're both motionless. The beast glares at Celestia' closed eyes, while Celestia struggles to collect enough strength to get back up. She hit the ground several times already. The beast sits closer to her, allowing her to have a good look at him.

"You're lucky I have restraint," says the beast. "If you're wondering, I'm still that boy who you attacked. Why did you attack?"

Princess Celestia opens her eyes, and the first thing she sees is the beast. She does not flinch at the sight of black eyes. She listened to his words, and is willing to answer. "I'm sorry," she says, weakly. "When I saw you, I just...lost my mind."

"Do you have something against humans?"

"Humans? They're supposed to be a myth."

"Well, according to my world, unicorns and pegasi are from fairy tales."

"Humans can't do magic, nor can they transform into beasts." Celestia slowly gets back up.

"I am special, Celestia." The beast roars and starts glow. The black lightning aura diminishes, and the beast turns back into the boy. His robes are a bit torn from Celestia's attacks. "Now I believe we got off on the wrong foot," he says in his returning normal voice. "My name is Victor."

"How did you know about me?" asks Celestia. She feels to beaten up to even offer a hoof-shake. Her rainbow mane attempts to regain its majestic flow.

"I'd rather not say."

"But I insist, child."

"Can't I just tell you later? I'm trying to find my friend."

"Moon Fox?"

Victor's eyes widen. "How did you know?" he asks.

"Because she's been keeping us company for a while."

"Where is she?"

"Over in that crater."

"Which one?"

"The big one."

Victor's arms and back begin to strain. He struggles on the ground. Celestia is concerned, but taking a step is excruciatingly painful for her at the moment.

"Dammit!" says Victor, sarcastically. "Looks like I'll have to lie here until the pain goes away..."

"Perhaps I will, too." Celestia lets herself fall to her side. She finally feels relaxed she even heard of the Moon Fox. "So, how do you know her?"

Victor realizes that a conversation is the only thing they can do right now. "She saved my life once. I became her student, and she trained me every day. She was hard on me, but it was for my own good. Never have I met someone like her. She's always doing her own thing, keeping secrets and following her own rules. But overall, she's an amazing friend. So, yeah."

Princess Celestia smiles as she sees her little sister approaching from a distance. She had enough action for the day. Princess Luna sighs in relief, knowing her sister's okay, but then she turns to Victor.

"Hey, Luna," says Victor, nervously.

"How do you know my name?" asks Luna, feeling suspicious.

"I'll tell you later. I just need to get to Fox, but I'm too beat up to run to her."

"Is she thy friend?"

"Yes, and I've dying to see her. Please help me."

"Sister, do you mind?" asks Luna.

"Not at all," answers Celestia.

Princess Luna uses her magic to carry the young mage. She flies toward the large crater Moon Fox is still at. Victor is released from the telekinetic grab and sees the Moon Fox, still unconscious. He drops to the ground and admires her, sleeping so peacefully. Victor starts to cry, but he is happy to see Moon Fox again. "I missed her, Luna," he sobs.

Victor rubs his hands together, causing friction. He places his charged hands on Moon Fox, jolting her back into consciousness. She gets up instantly, breathing heavily. She turns to Victor, never so surprised.

"Fox? It's me," says Victor, calmly.

"Victor? How did you-?"

"I missed you!" Victor leans toward Moon Fox, giving her a hug. He cries under her robes. "Don't ever do something like that again. Please!"

Princess Luna gazes at Victor, feeling concerned. Moon Fox only looks down to his friend, embracing him. She lets him cry. She knows she must. "How did you get here?" asks Moon Fox.

"Can we eat something first?" Victor tries his best not to say any indistinct babbling from the crying. "I just wanna spend time with you, Fox. Just like we used to."

Moon Fox gives him a peaceful smile, then nods.

"Uh, Victor?" interrupts Luna.

Victor sniffs a few tears away. "Yeah?"

"I'm afraid thou will have to come to the palace. We need to talk."

"But I'm really hungry."

"We'll serve you something if you please."

"Wow, thanks!"

Meanwhile, the mares and Spike keep looking at the screen. They see Luna, the Moon Fox, and Victor, but they wondering about the human.

"Okay, this is just weird," says Applejack.

"I know! Who IS that guy?" adds Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, wait! I see Princess Celesita! She's walking to them!" claims Rarity.

"Girls, let's just focus on the new guy!" commands Twilight Sparkle. "He showed up when both of them crashed, then Moon Fox appeared out of nowhere, then banished again. Now he's back."

"Maybe she has some changeling in her," suggests Spike.

"Spike, I see both of them now. They're two different people."

                                                              *                                  *                               *

The fight is over. Everyone, including the newcomer human, is back in the palace. They all relax in an elegant room full of soft chairs and couches, but Victor has a dish of salmon and a glass of water to fill himself up. They all watch him eat. Victor tries to eat fast while still retaining decent table manners. It's hard for him, but he copes. Moon Fox, Celestia, and Victor all have their wounds treated, especially Celestia's. She regains her majestic appearance, but loses something that was causing her trouble. She smiles at the Moon Fox.

"Oh my God, this is amazing!" yells Victor with his mouth full of salmon. "Just like my grandma used to make, before she...yeah." He finishes the last bit of and washes it down with the last bit of water. "Want me to wash this?"

"Nah, it's fine. Just push it aside for now," answers Celestia. Victor does as told. "You do know you have explaining to do."

"I know. So where do we start?"

"Name these ponies." Princess Celestia points a hoof to Twilight and her friends.

"Okay," replies Victor. "The purple one is Twilight Sparkle. She's your very smart and studious pupil. The blue one is Rainbow Dash, a pegasus with an insane skill of flight. The pink one is Pinkie Pie, constant screwer of physics, and prone to crazy partying."

"What are physics?" asks Pinkie Pie.

Victor continues, ignoring Pinkie's question. "The white one is Rarity, snobby yet polite. Also a fashion designer. The orange one is Applejack, country girl and works at an apple farm. The yellow one is Fluttershy, known to be sweet, shy, and very close to wild animals."

Jaws drop. No one can believe how the human could know so much about them. "How do you know all this?" asks Twilight. "Have you been spying on us?"

"There's no way I could've spied on any of you. I've been transported to this world just like the Fox."

"Then how come you know so much about us?"

All eyes are on Victor. He gets nervous, then starts to snicker. "What's so funny, smart guy?" asks Rainbow Dash, glaring at him.

"I hate to break to to you," says Victor, "but you guys are from a show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."

Silence dominates the atmosphere of the room. Moon Fox is also surprised. The ponies look at each other, speechless. Then they all burst with laughter. It makes Victor laugh, too. The princesses also also laugh, basically falling off their seats. Even Moon Fox laughs like a maniac. None of the ponies ever heard her laugh.

"Oh ho! That's a good one!" says Rainbow Dash, still giggling.

"Oh, but seriously, sugarcube. Tell us why y'really know about us," says Applejack.

"I'm serious," says Victor. "You're all from a cartoon show. Want me to prove it? I'll need some sort of memory projection spell, if those exist."

"It does," responds Celestia. She gets up and walks to Victor, standing tall compared to him. Victor is nearly six feet tall, but Celestia is a few inches taller with her neck upright. "But you'll have to open your mind to me."

"Celestia, I'm telling the truth."

"We're just making sure." Celestia's horn glows. She slowly lowers it, and the tip touches Victor's clear forehead. Victor's body is surrounded by the Princess' yellow aura. He closes his eyes and relaxes. Even though she tried to kill him, he feels safe to have Celestia around. She feels more protective to him rather than his beastly transformation. Victor wonders how long he has to stay like this, but he doesn't mind. The Princess can take all the time she needs. Celestia raises her head back.

"Did you find anything?" asks Victor.

"I had to dig around. Tried my best not to look into other things," answers Celestia.

"Like what?"

"Deepest secrets and desires."

"But did you find a memory of me watching the show?"

"I did." answers Celestia, feeling amazed. "There was this machine with a rectangular screen, and in it, I saw myself, fighting the Changeling Queen."

"That's a season finale."

"I don't even know how to react to this..." says Celestia.

Victor starts to feel guilty. "I should've just pretended to not recognize you, then I wouldn't have had to tell you. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. But I'm still curious, about your relationship with you and Moon Fox. Do you know how she made it to Equestria?"

"Kind of." Victor takes a deep breath. "Okay, so Moon Fox died back in Vremena, the world we live in, and I felt terrible because I'm the reason why she died. After a while of moping, I run into someone who knows how to bring someone back from the dead, but it's a risky procedure."

Victor rolls up a sleeve, showing everyone a glowing bracelet with leaf marks carved in it. "As long as I'm wearing this, I can come back from the dead, along with someone else. What I didn't know is that apparently, death sends you to another world as a reincarnation, but you're someone different. I can't explain why that didn't happen to Moon Fox, but I kept my initial self thanks to this enchanted bracelet."

"So if you're here, then you're dead in your world?" asks Fluttershy.

"Yeah. I drank some poison, but I'll be revived sooner or later. I never expected Moon Fox and I to come to a world that only exists behind a TV screen. It's amazing when you think of it. I'm just here to take Moon Fox back to Vremena."

"How's that thing gonna bring you back?" asks Twilight as she examines.

"Because my time here is temporary. It'll tell me when I go back," answers Victor. "But I'm not sure when."

"Then you're staying here in the meantime," says Moon Fox.

"Sweet! I can't wait to check out Ponyville!" Victor then looks at the Moon Fox, feeling curious. "How did she do around here?"

"Well, we kinda, tried to kill her," answers Twilight, nervously.

"Then she caused trouble..."

"Meh, just a little," answers Moon Fox, trying to act innocent.

"You could settle in with Twilight and her friends," says Celestia, feeling paranoid. "But try not to startle the others. In this world, you're only a mythical creature."

"Okay. I'll try," answers Victor. "But I'm no ordinary human. Princess, I was born on a world called Earth, where there's ordinary humans all-around, but then I came to Vremena, somehow. That's the world I learned how to control storms so I could be a strong fighter." He starts to laugh. "My middle name might as well be Mythical."

"I don't even wanna hear the word 'fight' anymore," groans Celestia. "But I'm sure you'll have a better image than Moon Fox."

Victor laughs a little. "Don't worry, Celestia. Moon Fox and I will be gone soon, and everything will go back to normal."

Victor is the only one who smiles. Celestia, Luna, Moon Fox, Spike, and the mares only look at each other, worried. The ties that they formed with the mysterious Moon Fox are temporary. If the idea of a multiverse does exist, then there could thousands of other worlds waiting to get sucked into. Equestria and Vremena are both linked to many other worlds, along with Earth. It's uncertain when the time to leave will come, but Victor, the boy who can control lightning, is here to take Moon Fox back home, and they will say their last good-byes to Equestria.