Nix: Collision

The sun princess looks to the sky, where a loud boom is heard. She sees a white crack appear, then another, then another; several different holes. The breaches let out a roar, and she sees what appears to be creatures falling from them.

Desperately, she tries to flap her wings to catch them; but can’t. Shocked, she looks down at her sides, where she sees a metal robot holding her wings down. The robot has a smile on its face, but it has no warmth. Sinister intent lie in those teeth, eyes blank and focused on her. It lets out a laugh that chills her to the bone; it’s so evil, so malicious. She feels fear threaten to take over as she stares back in shock.

Suddenly, the robot is gone. She looks around, and sees the remnants of a battle. She sees bodies of various creatures lying on the ground. She senses no life in these bodies. Their eyes are dull and opened, looking at the sky with blank expressions.

She looks ahead, and sees what appears to be a bipedal creature fighting an egg-shaped creature in a pod. The biped is thrown to the side by an energy blast; he does not get up. She hears the egg creature laugh crazily, the sound enveloping her. She tries to move to save the bipedal, but finds she cannot.

Behind her, an army of robotic beings rise and grab hold onto her. They begin pulling her down, down, down, and soon her hooves are sinking into the very ground. She tries to cry out for help, but a metal claw covers her muzzle, silencing her. The egg creature readies another blast on the fallen bipedal creature. She can only watch as he fires it. There are no screams.

Her gaze snaps back to the sky, where a fleet of floating ships descends and begins firing onto the land. The egg creature’s laughter surrounds her, growing louder and louder with each second. Her vision begins to blacken, and soon, all she sees is darkness.

***

“Gah!” Celestia gasped, shooting up from her bed. Her light-green-and-pink mane billowed out behind her, and sweat drops rolled down her sides. “What was-what was—”

        “Sister!” Luna called, throwing open Celestia’s door. “I heard you shout! What is wrong?”

        Celestia took a moment to calm herself, looking at her sister. Luna’s blue mane floated absentmindedly behind her, her horn glowing so as to provide a bit of light in the dark room. Celestia remembered that it was night time, and it was Luna’s turn to raise the moon.

        “Sister?” Luna asked. “What has happened?”

        “I’m… not sure, Luna,” Celestia answered. “I… I had a dream.”

        “What was it about?”

        “I… I saw…” She looked away. “Creatures… falling from the sky… and a madman’s laughter… surrounded by an army of metal.” She clenched her eyes shut. “I saw fires, heard ponies screams. I think… I think I saw somepony die…”

        “Celestia…” Luna came over, placing a wing over her big sister comfortingly. “It was just a nightmare, I assure you.”

        Celestia struggled to breathe slowly. “I… I sincerely hope you’re right, Luna.” She glanced at the Princess of the Night. “I hope this is little more than a dream.” She hugged her little sister close, not wanting to let go, for fear of seeing that horrific vision again.

        Soon, however, Luna had to return to her duties. Celestia bade her a good night, and tried to get comfortable in her bed.

        Yet she couldn’t. The visions of a young “man” arriving… the hills on fire… the “man’s” last breath… they swirled around her head, making her unsure and hesitant. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to block away the images; it only served to heighten their clarity.

        She would not get a good night’s sleep.

***

J

My name is Jared Berberabe.

I am the Guardian of the Omniverse.

And this is my death.

I’m in a burning field. All around I see the trees ablaze, the bark and trunks screaming in agony. I can barely stand, blood trickling down my arms.

I look to the sky, and see a giant ship on a collision course for Smash Mansion, home of the Smashers—fighters from various universes. The Halberd, Meta Knight’s ship, had been taken over by the forces of Ridley and SA-X, and is now spiraling towards an explosive death.

“Please, get to it,” I pray quietly.

I turn my gaze back to the field. Through my tired, brown eyes, I see a lone figure at the other side of the field. She stares back at me through cold slits. She wears a Power Armor, similar in shape to Samus Aran's, though deadlier and wielded with much more malice. She smirks at me, her smile revealing sharpened teeth that could intimidate even the hardiest of men.

I show no fear, despite feeling it deep inside. Panic threatens to take hold as I watch.

My blue leather jacket is torn, the sleeves hanging by the streams. My black combat boots are muddied, and my faded blue jeans are dirtied and have grass stains on the knees. My raven hair is shuffled a bit by a coming breeze, my lips slightly open as I breathe slowly. Exhaustion seeks to overcome me; yet I fight it off, willing myself to stay put.

Neither of us say nothing, staring at each other with tension rising. As the seconds pass, I feel my will weaken. I glance at my hands. The Lantern Ring and Tetraforce have been exhausted, and I am nowhere near a recharging station for either. The energy sword in my right hand drops to the ground, clanging against the dead grass.

The figure begins to move closer, her smile widening with each step. She points her arm cannon at me, and for a moment, I think she’s about to fire; yet she holds from pressing the trigger. She seems content to giving me a slow end.

And a slow end seems imminent, as I know that I can’t fight. I am drained of all energy; and the Chaos energy is too little for me to use.

Desperately, I reach out to my friend, hoping for a plan.

Nix, I think to him, what do we do?

He says nothing for a while; then, with sudden clarity and a tone of resignation, he answers, I don’t know.

I let out a slow breath. So this is the end. The end of our journeys. The end of our story.

I hear him grunt a yes. I feel disappointed; there was so much I wanted to do. So much I should have done.

It’s been an honor,Nix suddenly says. You know… being with you. Through it all.

I manage a smile. I could not have asked for a better friend than you, Nix. I feel my eyes mist up. You are like a brother to me, you know that?

I feel the same for you…

The figure grows closer. Nix and I say no more, but I can tell he is fighting from breaking down.

Am I ready? I think. For the end?

I had long expected that my duty as the Guardian would lead me down a dark path. Yet here I am, staring Death in the face, and for all the time I have spent preparing for the end, I still feel scared.

Serena.I remember the one I love. She’ll be without me.

My friends. My family. All the allies I’ve made, the heroes I’ve fought with. I’ll be robbed from them. And them from me.

I still say nothing, staring at the figure. I manage to look a bit defiant, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of seeing my defeat.

She hisses, and her arm cannon transforms into a blade. I eye it with unease, but still say nothing.

There is a bright flash of light, and we look up to see a golden hedgehog pushing back against the Halberd. I manage a weak grin, knowing that her plan has failed.

She snarls, and dives forward, and I see no more. Only pain and an aching dullness fill my senses.

***

I awoke in a cold sweat in my tent. I was still reeling from my dream, so I was still disoriented. Instinctively I threw my hand to the side and grabbed my sword.

“Chaos Flash!” I shouted, bringing enough light to the tent. I sighed as I looked around.

A few stacks of books lay in the corner, while an open notebook lay next to my bed. On the pages were several diary entries I had inputted a few days prior.

A small smile came across my lips. I hadn’t really been much of a chronicler, but in recent years, I had found it quite comforting.

Today, the Freedom Fighters and I were launching a final attack on Doctor Robotnik’s base. The evil robot maker, bent on ruling Sonic’s world, had long been a menace—a menace that the Freedom Fighters wanted to remove.

His latest plot should not have concerned me, as they usually didn’t need my help.

But, as I had come to learn, Robotnik’s latest scheme was of grave importance.

He had managed to not only collect the seven Chaos Emeralds—artifacts in Sonic’s universe that were extremely powerful—, but he had also managed to construct a machine that would be able to tear apart space and time. He had long been aware the existence of multiple universes, and aimed to find a weaker universe to conquer with his robotic army.

Once I had heard the words “space-time” and “conquer,” I had immediately set off to join the Freedom Fighters.

I cannot let Robotnik get away with this. As the Guardian, I am supposed to prevent universes from clashing. To not do so would mean to be a fake protector of Creation.

“But I’m the only one,” I said aloud. “The only protector.”

“Well, technically, I’m still here.”

Nix the Hedgehog rose out next to me. His green quills stood out sharply, and though he was but a spirit, I remembered that they could cut through solid steel. He gave me a wry smile. “I hope you didn’t forget about me being the other half of the Guardian, Jared.”

I chuckled a bit. “Sorry; I’m so used to the Guardian being singular that I keep forgetting that it’s actually two people.”

“Anyway,” he said, “looks like morning’s about to break. We’d better get out and be ready.”

I nodded. I opened my jacket, checking the contents. I had several batarangs stored, as well as a custom Grapnel Gun for getting to higher places. I smiled, seeing that I was ready.

I let out a slow breath, and prepared to step out to the sunlight, but I hesitated. I remembered the dream, how vivid it was, and my breath caught in my throat.

Nix noticed my hesitation. “It’s about the dream, isn’t it?” I nodded. He sighed. “Don’t you think we should… you know… tell someone?”

I shook my head. “We’ve more pressing matters than a dream, Nix.” He didn’t seem satisfied with my answer, but nodded anyway. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the tent, preparing myself for whatever challenges lay ahead.