Battleborne Heart

Chapter 3

   "Fuck....uh...hi guys....uh...what's...up?" His voice was not as confident as it should have been as he approached the trio of guards and Twilight to her rolling eyes "Jo...Star Saber...what did you do?" He shrugged "Uhm...." Before he could answer he was surrounded and being ushered out of the door "Come on. We heard about you assaulting those three stallions. Time to go punk." He sighed and went willingly though he flashed a smile at Twilight, nopony else had heard about what happened except Celestia and Rainbow Dash, so he had an idea of where he was going. As he was led out of the library and down the street towards a carriage led up by a pair of pegasi, something was off to Jon though as they walked ever closer to the carriage and he stopped "Uh...guys...as nice as this is, I can fly you know...no need to give me a lift...." He was pushed and it was then he noticed that the hoof that touched him was a bit slimy, and that there wasn't anyone to be seen around. Sighing he shook his head and began to play along "Alright...alright damn...no need to shove..." He let out a soft sigh as he was near forced onto the carriage and nodded "Alright...let's go. Fuck me...being kidnapped by whatever these things are..." The last sentence was muttered under his breath as the carriage lifted off into the sky.

   The castle was quiet as a pure white alicorn wandered the halls looking for her sister, normally there were only a few places she could be found so early, her quarters, the garden, or the royal library, yet it seemed none of these places had her sister in it "Luna...where did you go..." Suddenly as if by circumstance a pail of water dumped onto Celestia's head as a loud giggling was heard from behind "Sister! Thou art so easy this early in the morn!" Celestia turned as the bucket disappeared and stared her sister down before starting to laugh herself "Luna! When did you? Oh nevermind. You know this means war correct?" The giggling ceased as Luna nodded "Of course dear sister. Why were you looking for me?" The mood turned much more serious in the next moment as the two began walking together "I have found somepony very strange before I came home from checking for the summer sun celebration that is to be held in Ponyville this year." Luna blinked and then nodded keeping a straight face "Oh? Who is this strange somepony thou hast found?" Tia sighed "Really little sister? Not even you know who this stallion is? He managed to...forcibly stop a group of stallions from accosting a mare....and then nearly knocked one of my guards out with a single hoof." Luna blinked again as her face became confused "So he has more strength than I thought....hmmmm...." Tia smiled and chuckled at her sister's words "So you DO know him! Luna...who have you found? You haven't been dabbling with the mirror again have you?" Luna went rigid and started to stammer a little before being hushed by Tia "Explain yourself. You should know not to keep secrets from me." Luna sighed and looked away "I have seen something that threatens us....we need his help...he is an outsider that has been harmed in many ways yet keeps going....his heart is bigger than others, this stallion from another dimension...." Tia stopped in her tracks "Another...dimension? Luna...." A small squeak escaped the royal blue alicorn "Uh...yes...but...he is the only one from his home that I could see the dreams of...they are terrible and yet....he keeps going despite them...his help is needed, as is his...new....start..." A small sigh escaped Celestia as she shook her head "Then I had better agree to bring him here to...speak with you."

   Jon sighed as he was 'escorted' if you can call being voluntarily kidnapped by false guards that, he sat patiently, his right rear leg softly tapping the floor of the flying carriage as if impatient "Alright...so uh...where are we going? Canterlot is that way I thought?" He pointed in the opposite direction of where they were going as the ground below got more and more barren the further south they went "To ssssee our massster." He nodded "Alright then...hissing...yeah you aren't normal guards are you?" He kind of smiled as he looked down, measuring the distance it would be if he jumped "Of coursssse not pony. Sssshould have realisssed that before we left." He nodded and shrugged as the carriage began to get closer to the ground "Yeah I kind of did...when dumbass there pushed me...slimy hooves. Next time get that part right...if you're gonna disguise yourselves...do it right." There was slight confusion and that was when he acted, his rear hooves hit the nearest 'guard' as his wings flared and hit the other two "See ya! I have someplace else to be!" His voice echoed through the barren lands as his wings snapped closed letting him plummet towards the ground "Luna help me.....give my wings strength enough to escape." As he neared dangerously to the ground the carriage continuing on despite shouts to turn around his wings snapped open and he heard a sickening SNAP before he tumbled head over hoof on the ground and laid there screaming in pain as his left wing hung limp and at an angle most would never be able to keep their lunch upon seeing.

   An echoing scream through the badlands was heard by something, something close enough to track the sound to its source, massive and grey scaled, this being followed the echo, now silent, though the scent of pain kept its target's location fresh as it neared, it's vision caught the sight of a pony, a pegasus of crimson, black and silver, the thing neared the pony and lifted it, quite gently for something of its size and began to carry it towards another destination. What looked to be a boulder was the entrance to a cavern, old and worn; the pony thing had no idea where it was going as sometime earlier it had been rendered unconscious by the pain it had been in.

Days went by, the pony not waking up even though its wing had been reset and healed, still it did not awaken, as if it was in a sleep that only the dead had, it looked peaceful enough, still breathing and no longer in pain. "When will this odd pony wake up? Normally something so small would remain away from here..." The large grey scaled beast seemed to worry for it "It sleeps from something....pain is not it....it's as if the badlands have it in a spell....hmmm....perhaps I can find out more from its mark...." The grey beast sighed and walked away scratching its head in confusion and curiosity.

   Everything was in focus now for Jon, for some reason he could see everything he was dreaming crystal clear, the figures around him were no longer blobs of color, he recognized them as ponies, the buildings around were on fire, the flames black and reaching higher than any normal flame could, the sky was like pitch, starless as if it were day and yet black as if he was in a cave that light could not touch. The ponies around him were running away as he stood still, staring ahead at the scene, it had been this way for who knew how long he had been unconcious. "What...what the hell....this..." He looked around more "This is Ponyville...but...why is it...." He began trotting around, not hurriedly, but cautiously, trying to figure out what was going on. As he rounded a corner he saw a pony, royal blue, looking around with a saddened face "So terrible...why does he dream of this? And why for so long?" He heard the voice and it was so sad, yet concerned, as he approached her, he was certain it was a mare because of the voice and her body "Who? Why does who dream of this?" he figured the answer but he wanted to know. She turned to him with such sad eyes, tears were threatening to spill from them and it was all he could do not to wipe them away as she pointed "You...why do you dream of this Jon?" He sighed as he knew the answer and shook his head "I...I don't know why...it only just became clear...back in Ponyville...it was fuzzy...out of focus...." He approached her and looked at the scene around, too much destruction, so much gone to whatever this black fire was "Princess...don't cry...this is a dream after all..." He reached his hoof out to her as her eyes went wide "You...you know me? But...you are not from here...." He nodded as he unwittingly wiped a tear from her eyes "Yeah...just like you know me....I...I can't wake up...I've been here for I don't know how long....watching this over and over...the screams and pain...those flames...the running ponies....all of it, yet I don't know who caused this..." A cackle rose from the flames as another pony stepped from them, wreathed in the black flame before it dissipated, revealing a crimson pony with silver and black mane and tail "RUN YOU FOOLS! RUN, RUN AWAY LIKE THE COWARDS YOU ARE!" Both Luna and Jon looked and Jon recoiled at the sight of....himself "What?! N-no...." Luna too looked shocked at the sight of a second Jon and looked at them both "What is this?!" Her voice was raised and fearful as the second Jon looked at them both "Oh don't look so surprised.....you both should see your faces! Oh it's priceless!" He pointed to them both and laughed before Jon, the real one's face fell flat "This...this isn't me...there's no way..." The other one laughed louder and pointed "Oh come on...of course I'm you. Ugh...idiots...think about it! I'm you...I'm what you want to do...I'm why you can't wake up. I'm everything you WISH you could be!" With that the flames around reached higher and moved closer to both Jon's, engulfing them and leaving Luna to watch "Jon! Be cautious!" He barely heard her voice and shook his head "No! You aren't me! There's no way! I'm....I'm not like this...I don't want to be like this..." He closed his eyes and shook his head "I'M NOT LIKE YOU! YOU AREN'T ME!" The other laughed as his form began to shift into something grotesque, an amalgamation of shadows, pony parts, human parts, and…something else, something destructive. He shook his head and backed up to the edge of the circle of black flame and looked down "No...No…I'm...I'm not...." A third Jon exploded through the flames and slammed into the second making the flames around flicker and dance "RUN! RUN AWAY! PROTECT THAT WE LOVE!" He blinked at the words and appearance of the third him as the two fought "What?! No! I...I can't...I...I don't..." He stood there, stock still watching the battle between him...and him. The third looked and shook its head "GO! RUN!" He stood his ground and sighed "What am I doing...." He exhaled and then charged forward wishing to aid the third him "JON DON'T!" Luna's scream was apparent but he didn't stop his charge, instead her voice seemed to strengthen him as his speed increased in his charge, he didn't know what was going on, only this shadow him was threatening a place he enjoyed, a life he WANTED to live, in peace and happiness. An errant fireball, black as was all the flames here in this arena of sorts singed his left side as he moved out of its way giving a grimace of pain as he faltered before the good him flew past slamming and rolling along the ground with a scream of pain before it got up. Jon noticed something then; the good part of him seemed to be smaller than before as it charged back into the fray, human limbs from his shadow side growing longer along with a cackle "Yes! Give in to the anger and rage you feel! Turn into me! Become what I am!" The voice seemed deeper, darker, more demented and it made Jon stop and blink for a moment "Jon! Don't give in! Keep your light bright as it's the only thing that holds him back! It strengthens me and weakens him!" Again the good half of his mind made things clear, stubbornness winning out over rage as he backed away his mind reeling and his body hurting, it was as if this battle had been going on for years, it was then he remembered the names of his twin sides "Wulfrick! Keep going! Drive it back into its cage!" There was a smile and a flash of light as a wolven being replaced the small foal sized good side of his "About time you remembered my name! Go on Jon! Get out of here with the Princess; leave this joker to me..." A blade flashed arcing in a deadly trace and severing the human shaped limbs from the shadow as Jon nodded and turned, no longer afraid of the flames as he charged through them, tackling the Princess to the ground as a much larger fireball trailed after him "Luna! Take good care of him! Get out of here the both of you!" Luna blinked as the ball of black flame missed both her and Jon by inches leaving a smoldering crater in the ground behind them. Jon's eyes seemed to have changed color as he looked at the royal blue princess of the night and smiled, his eyes were now a bright gold and gunmetal grey, the eyes of a wolf, and yet gentle and patient as if he knew things would turn out alright. The whole sight of what just transpired left Luna in a confused state as Jon offered his hoof "Come on! We don't have time to waste, this dream is....I think it's about to start collapsing!" As Luna stood her eyes still confused she nodded and began to follow a bolting red Pegasus as he took corner after corner at blistering speeds, the likes of which were only known to be seen from a pony in this town. Jon smiled; he knew exactly where he was going, the one place others dare not tread, and the only place that he could foresee an exit to this nightmare, the Everfree Forest. Black flame trailed his hooves interlaced with white as he felt Luna catch up to him, both were silent, Jon had a mission, he had to listen to his better side, he had to protect the Princess.