Chapters The Castle of the Two Sisters
"How long has it been since my second defeat?" Nightmare Moon thought out loud. There was no one here to know of her surviving the blast from the Elements of Harmony. "I suppose that really doesn't matter. It's not like there's anyone who's thinking of me. Or rather, there's not anyone who wants to think about me."
A sad smile crept its way across the fallen princess's lips. "But I can't really blame them for that, can I?" Gazing at the ruined throne room, Nightmare Moon began to recall memories of her existence. The day she fully manifested through Luna's negative emotions. Her and Luna's banishment to the moon for a thousand years. But the memory of most significance was that of her return and subsequent defeat. "A thousand years of nothing to do but plot vengeance and stew in anger. And all it accomplished was nothing."
Nightmare Moon let out a sigh as she looked to the night sky once more. She made to touch the old throne, but her hand just went right through it. "All because I wanted to grant Luna's wishes." Memories of her imprisonment, as well as Luna's torment played in her mind. "How can I even say that I tried when all I did was cause her more pain than I thought possible? Perhaps this fate of being a spirit is for the best."
"All my existence has ever wrought is pain and sorrow." Nightmare Moon clenched one of her fists. "There are so many things I've done wrong. And despite that, one person tried to help me." Memories of her return surfaced. In specific, memories pertaining to Burst Stream. "He tried to convince me. He knew what I had done, and how I had hurt Luna. And still he tried to help us. Even throwing his own life away for our sake. If he could see that, then maybe I can try."
"I want to make things right." Nightmare Moon said as she looked to the moon. "I WANT TO MAKE IT ALL RIGHT!" As if her declaration was heard by Faust herself, an aura of rainbow magic surrounded Nightmare Moon! This magic. . . it can't be! Why is the magic of harmony surrounding me?! A blinding white flash illuminated the whole castle! And just as soon as it mad materialized it faded. Leaving a very confused Nightmare Moon standing in the throne room.
"This has been a strange night." Nightmare Moon muttered to herself. "I feel like my heart's beating like-wait." Nightmare Moon put a hand on her armored chest. Despite the armor barring her hand from her skin, she could feel it. She had a heartbeat. "This can't be possible. But still," The former Lady in the Moon closed her eyes, and summoned her broadsword. She was successful, but there was something different about the blade. It looked like it was made of the night sky itself! "It appears that I've been given another chance."
Nightmare Moon walked over to the old throne, and sat down. A contemplative expression across her face. "The night is still young. And I have so much to plan. . . "
Episode 1: Crystal Clear Wisdom Part 1
It was just like any other day in Unityville. Meaning that like usual, it was dealing with a monster attack. Said monsters being the mutant changelings who had still remained with Chrysalis. "You thought we'd back off just because of the invasion? Guess again!" Blade snapped as he, Stinger, and Needle were faced with the Elements of Heroism.
"Then we'll just have to swat you harder!" Dark Ice snapped as he charged at the enemies in front of him!
"Ice! Wait!" Arctic Ace called out to his brother. But his plea fell on deaf ears as Dark Ice had thrown himself into a full speed charge with no intention of stopping. leaving him vulnerable to a blast from Stinger's new tail. "And here I was thinking he'd become a smarter fighter by now."
Stinger just smirked. "You thought my stinging days were over? All I needed was an upgrade! One session in my mutation pod, and I'm better than ever! How'd you like a demonstration!?!" Stinger made to strike at Dark Ice, but his new tail was parried by Akage's blade! "What?! How can that little butter knife hold back the force of my tail?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Akage quipped as he got in a series of rapid strikes! "Then again, even if I told you, you'd forget. Just like you forgot how I kicked your abdomen last time."
Meanwhile, Burst was taking on Blade and Needle. The former aiming for Burst's head with his scythe while the latter tried to dive-bomb him! "You really should pick a better weapon." Burst stated as he blocked Blade's scythe and downed Needle with a charged shot from his blaster. "A weapon can look intimidating, but it means squat if it isn't functional!" Burst fired another charge shot right at Blade's face! He then switched to using both of his blasters and slotted in his spell magazines! "Allow me to demonstrate." Burst unleashed a massive blast of solar magic from one blaster, and a flurry of homing shots from the other! The resulting damage activating Blade and Stinger's emergency teleport spells! "Just another day at the office."
"Yeah." Ace said as he looked at Dark Ice. Nothing's changed at all with Ice. I thought he would've moved past this after Night Terror was destroyed. Clearly it looks like he still hasn't fully left his past behind. Shadows of his memory as Dark Mist still linger in his head.
However, Arctic Ace was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Twilight and Burst heading towards the train station. "I take it the princess has an urgent call for you two?"
"Yup! But it's mainly for me!" Twilight said with a nod. "Can't waste time talking! Gotta go!" Twilight then attempted to drag along Burst Stream. And with that, the leaders of the two sets of elements boarded the next train to Castalot. Their respective teams following suit and waiting around while Twilight and Burst met with Celestia. "I came as soon as I got your letter princess! So what's the emergency?"
Celestia took a deep breath. "Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." Both Twilight and Burst took a seat at the table before them. Celestia focused her magic, and the image of a grand crystal city was displayed on the map. "After one thousand years the Crystal Empire has returned."
"Let me guess. Some evil force caused it to vanish for said one thousand years, right?" Burst asked. "I'm not complaining, but I'm guessing that's part of why it's back?" Celestia's response to this was a nod.
Twilight took the chance to get her own questions about the empire's return answered. "So. . . what made it disappear in the first place?"
"King Sombra." Celestia said in a grim tone. "A Magi king whose heart was as black as night. He was a cruel king who ruled over the empire with an iron fist. Luna and I defeated him, but he placed a curse on the empire. If he should be defeated, then the empire would vanish with him."
Burst Stream nodded. "So what made him turn bad?" This earned a puzzled look from Twilight. "Luna became Nightmare Moon because of her jealousy. Discord is the Lord of Chaos, so he's just doing his thing. And Chrysalis? Well, we really know nothing about her. She's just a despicable person. So what's Sombra's story?"
"I suppose it would be wrong for me to withhold his origins." Celestia said with a sigh. "Luna and I did not stop Sombra because he attempted to take over Unity. We were informed of his actions by Radiant Hope. She and Sombra grew up together in an orphanage. But even before then, Sombra was an outcast. He is half Umbrum. A race of shadow beings who ruled the Frozen North until they were imprisoned. Hope was Sombra's only friend, and she pleaded for me and Luna to save him from what he had become. But he was already being swallowed by his own fear and hate. All because he saw a vision of what could have been and decided it was what had to be."
Burst clenched his fist. "I can understand why Radiant Hope ran away to tell you and Luna about this. But I can't help being mad at her for not trying to talk Sombra down on her own. It doesn't condone Sombra's actions either, but I can understand where he's coming from too."
"So how do our teams of elements factor into this?" Twilight asked.
Celestia stood up, and made the projection of the Crystal Empire light up with her magic! "If joy and love are reflected in the Crystal Empire, they will spread throughout all of Unity. But if darkness is present," Celestia briefly channeled dark magic, and fired it at the projection. A completely opposite image was the result. "Then fear and sadness will spread. It is vital that you make sure that joy and love are reflected during the empire's return Twilight. And you must do so alone."
Twilight's world completely froze at the mention of that last word. However, she chose not to question her mentor. "I understand princess. I won't fail!"
"I'm guessing the reason you want me and my team of friends to tag along is in case Sombra decides to put up a fight?" Burst asked. Earning a nod from Celestia. "Well, wouldn't be the first time we've held off a bad guy so Twilight could save the day." Burst sprang out of his chair, and headed to meet his team. All the while, Twilight was still troubled by Celestia's instructions.
The train ride to the Frozen North was anything but quiet. Both groups of elements were chatting about their current task. However, Arctic Ace noticed the one most troubled by this was Dark Ice. "Hey, Ice?" Ace asked his brother. "You feeling alright? Ever since you heard about this mission, you've been glaring at the ceiling."
"Yeah bro." Shadow Thunder chimed in. "Ever since you heard about how King Sombra ruled the empire and enslaved its people, you've been in brood-mode for the whole train ride."
Dark Ice shook his head. "Sorry guys. It's just, bad memories." Memories of his time with the Nightmare Forces and his run as Dark Mist played over and over in Ice's head. "Using fear to enslave all those people?" Dark Ice clenched his fist. "It keeps reminding me of that helpless feeling I had while I was Dark Mist. A whole empire has lived in that fear for a thousand years. . . "
"Ice. . . " Arctic Ace said with a sigh. "I know you're the element of courage. But you can't just throw yourself into the 'rage' portion of the word. I've seen it when you fight. You get a bit angry and reckless." Both Arctic Ace and Shadow Thunder put a hand on Dark Ice's shoulders. "We know why you get like that. But isn't that the exact same thinking that made you join the Nightmare Forces?"
This revelation brought out a shocked expression on Dark Ice's face. The element of courage was about to apologize, but Arctic Ace raised his hand to stop them. "Shadow and I already lost our brother once Ice. We just don't want to lose you because of yourself again."
"You guys. . . " Dark Ice said quietly before group hugging his younger brothers. "Heh! I can always count on you two to try and knock some sense into me!"
Shadow Thunder smiled brightly. "That's what family's supposed to do for each other bro. Now get psyched! We've got an empire to save!" Both teams of elements couldn't help but smile a little at hearing this.
"Don't you mean it's just another Monday for us?" Akage asked with a chuckle. Prompting both teams to laugh. "I figured we could use a bit of humor to lighten the pressure." Sure enough, the train arrived at the Frozen North. But the second both teams of elements stepped outside, they were met with a blizzard howling around them! "So where's the welcoming committee?"
"Glad all of you could make it!" Shining Armor greeted. Twilight rushed to hug her brother. "Sorry to cut the sibling moment short, but we can't afford to stand around. Follow me." Shining Armor led the teams of elements towards the Crystal Empire. And as they marched forward, the blizzards seemed to worsen! "The blizzards around here tend to get worse as time goes on! We think it might be the work of the magi king who made the empire disappear!"
As if on queue, an unearthly howl ripped through the air! Black clouds gathered together, and a pair of red eyes with glowing green irises formed! Purple smoke flowing from the corners of the eyes! "WE NEED TO RUN! NOW!" Shining Armor commanded!
The Elements of Heroism whipped out their Duelist Arms! "WE'LL COVER YOU! GO!" Burst Stream cried out as he and the Elements of Heroism unleashed their Duelist Arms on King Sombra! The tyrant of the Crystal Empire roared in pain as the Duelist Arms struck him! The Elements of Heroism were able to keep a good distance between King Sombra and the Main 6 and Shining Armor! "Keep pushing him back! We're almost in the clear!" They were almost at the gates of the Crystal Empire!
"Alright everyone! Make a break for the gates!" Steel Edge cried out! And on that suggestion, the entire team of heroes made a mad dash for the gates! However, King Sombra was not one to give up so easily! His cloud-like form shot forth! Slowly materializing into a face with a curved, red horn protruding from his head and a fanged mouth!
"I don't think so!" Dark Ice spat as he swung his claymore! Slicing off Sombra's horn! "Entrance denied!" Dark Ice flew through the gate! Landing safely on the other side! Sombra, enraged that someone had dared to strike back against him, shot forward once more! Only to be repelled by the barrier around the city! Hissing in pain! "Looks like you got the door slammed in your face!" Sombra glared down at Dark Ice. "And even if you do get in, you have to deal with me." Dark Ice boldly declared as he returned the glare. Sombra then broke off their glare match, and retreated for the time being.
Both sets of elements breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least we're off to an exciting start." Magnet North joked as he dusted the snow off of himself. We really owe whoever put up this barrier!"
"You can thank Cadence when you see her at the castle. Which is where we're headed." Shining Armor led the two teams of elements to the crystal castle. Cadence was on the throne, and she looked tired.
"Cadence!" Twilight cried out in joy as she rushed over to her sister-in-law. Despite how tired the princess of love was, she still smiled and hugged Twilight. "It's so good to see you again! But you look so drained. "
Shining Armor put a hand on Cadence's shoulder. "It's because she's been channeling love through the empire ever since we've arrived here. That's why there's a barrier keeping King Sombra out. But if she does run out, I've still got the shield spell up my sleeve." He then looked towards the Elements of Heroism. "This is twice you guys have really saved my hide."
"No offense, but you're not the brightest Shining Armor." Burst Stream stated. "But then again, Twilight's the smart one of the Sparkle Siblings." The response to this was a small laugh from the group. "We're all here now, but we don't know much about this place."
Arctic Ace stepped forward. "Then I recommend that we explore the city while we can. It might help in gathering some information that could help us beat King Sombra. Twilight and I will head to the library. See if we can't dig up any information on the empire's past."
"Sounds like a plan to me Ace." Burst Stream said with a nod. "You heard him. Find out all that you can. We'll meet back up at the center of the empire in a couple hours." And with that, both teams of elements spread out. Asking for any information that could help them.
Rarity and Inferno had paired up, and the element of generosity was finding it hard to not be in awe of all the crystal architecture around her. However, one thing of note bothered her. "You know? I thought the Crystal-Sapiens would have more of a shining appearance to them. But they all look so drained and lifeless."
"Probably because they had a tyrant reigning with fear on the throne." Inferno said. "They've probably blocked away most of the memories. Probably even the happy ones too because it reminds them of what they lost so long ago." They weren't the only pair asking around. Pinkie Pie and Akage turned up nothing, and Steel Edge and Rainbow Dash's exploration hadn't produced any luck either.
Shadow Thunder and Dark Ice had decided to call an early end to their exploration. "Well that wasn't much help." Ice said with a sigh as he slumped on the ground. "No one remembers much after Sombra took over." Ice clenched his fist. "They don't even have their past. And even if they did, it's not like I can blame them for not remembering."
"Hey." Shadow Thunder said as he placed a hand on Ice's shoulder. Dropping out of the slight hover he was maintaining. "You were tricked Ice. Manipulated into joining the Nightmare Forces. They promised you the power to forget the worst day of our lives. But forgetting the event doesn't make you brave. Neither does pushing others away to deal with it alone. Ice, you snapped out of that fear when Ace's life was in danger. You pushed forward then because you were afraid. Afraid to live in a world without Ace, me, or the rest of our family. You facing that fear and making sure it never came to pass? That's what true courage is. And it's also why you have your element."
A joking smile then spread across Shadow's face. "Besides, I thought you already went through the typical angst arc when you defected. Not to mention your Dark Mist form practically screamed edgy!"
"Hah hah!" Dark Ice wrapped one of his wings around Shadow Thunder. "And here we thought Ace was the smart one of us!" A sigh of relief escaped Ice's lungs. "To be honest, I still carry the fear of losing you two or our parents in my heart. Facing it in battle's what makes me so ferocious. Just like Sombra found out earlier when I amputated his horn."
"You really did that?" A new voice said. Both Ice and Shadow looked to their right, and saw a girl hiding behind one of the supports of the center tower. The wings on her back indicating she was a Skyborn. "You really managed to hurt King Sombra?" The girl nervously inched forward, and Ice and Shadow got a better look at her. She had light peach skin and her two-tone blue hair.
"Well, yeah. I cut off his horn." Dark Ice said plainly. "But I don't see what such a big deal about that. It's not like me or my friends have beaten him yet. So who wants to know?"
The girl stepped forward. "My name is Indigo Zap. Me and my friends saw our entire people being enslaved. Our families. We thought we were saved when the princesses defeated him, but we all disappeared along with our home!" Indigo Zap started to shake at the unpleasant memories.
"Hey. . . take it easy Indigo." Dark Ice said as he stood up. He slowly walked over to Indigo Zap so he wouldn't startle her, and extended his hand. "We're here to make sure that doesn't happen to all of you again."
Indigo Zap immediately grabbed onto Dark Ice's hand. "Please. . . " She said as she began to stop shaking. "Please promise me! Promise that we won't disappear again! Promise me we'll never have to live in fear!"
Dark Ice could see the fear in the girl's eyes. "Indigo Zap, right?" He put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I promise that you won't have to live in fear as long as I'm breathing. And even if I'm not breathing, I'll still keep on fighting." Ice then gave Indigo a kind smile. "I'm sure your friends are waiting for you." And with that, Indigo Zap flew off. Dark Ice watching with a satisfied smile on his face.
Shadow Thunder was smiling too. Albeit for a completely different reason. "Making a promise to a girl, huh?" Shadow chuckled. "Trying to land yourself a romance bro?"
"Oh come on Shadow!" Dark Ice said with a groan. "I JUST met the girl! Don't tell me you think we're couple material right off the bat!" Ice's reaction prompted a fit of laughter from Shadow. "Look. She reminds me of how I was after that storm when we were kids, alright? She's scared. All of them are." Dark Ice looked over all the people out and about. All of them looking so drained, defeated, and skittish. "More than anything else, they need to feel like everything's going to be okay."
Meanwhile, Arctic Ace and Twilight had arrived at the library. "Hi there!" Twilight said with a smile. "Do you know if there are any books here about the history and traditions of the Crystal Empire?" The librarian nodded, and brought out an old book. "Thank you."
"Good thinking Twilight." Arctic Ace said with a smile. "Want some help reading through this? I know you love books, but this thing is pretty thick."
Twilight stiffened at Ace's offer to help. "Oh, uh, I don't think that'll be necessary! It's allllll good!" Twilight said with an exaggerated smile. "I can handle this all on my own. Don't worry! When have I blown things out of proportion?"
O-kay. All the red flags have been raised. Ace thought to himself with a neutral expression on his face. There's DEFINITELY something up with Twilight. First she was quiet on the train, and she kept glancing at her friends during the whole trip. Then she starts to distance herself from Spike. That's something we ALL know she'd never do to her surrogate little brother. And now she's refusing help from friends?
Ace sighed. I'll let you have this instance Twilight. But I'm not done with you yet. I'll be keeping an eye on you. "Alright. I'll head outside. See if the guys have turned up anything in their searches." Ace headed back to the center of the empire, and saw the group of both elements lounging around. "I take it you guys didn't find anything useful?"
"It all came up empty." Night Fang said with a sigh. "Although, the kids of the empire were pretty fascinated with my ears and tail. They seemed to literally brighten up a bit after playing with me for a bit. That was pretty odd."
Venus Bloomer scratched his chin in thought. "Actually, I think that might have something to do with their emotions." Venus looked to his friends. "Haven't you all noticed how gloomy everyone here looks? I can feel that their spirits have been suppressed by King Sombra's rule. They haven't known joy or love for a long time."
"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie chirped! "Maybe what we need to do is throw them a huuuge party!" The Element of Laughter sprang to his feet! "Take it from the element of laughter. These people haven't had any real fun in a thousand years! If we remind them what fun is, what made them happy, then they can be happy again!"
"Pinkie Pie's right." Twilight declared as she approached the group. "And I know just the kind of party we need to throw!" Twilight opened up the book she had been reading earlier, and proudly displayed the image of a fair going on. "The Crystal Faire! It's a traditional celebration of the Crystal Empire. One that's happened every year since the empire's establishment. It's the perfect thing to get the Crystal-Sapiens happy!"
"Then what're we waiting for?" Burst Stream said with a grin. "You heard Twilight! Operation: Party Time is a go! Just tell us what we need to do Twi. We'll get it done no problem!' And with that, Twilight instructed her friends on each of the events that were to be held at the Crystal Faire. With both teams of elements working on the events, the task was done in almost no time at all. "Okay. Only one thing left!"
Twilight flipped a few pages forward. Stopping on a page depicting the Crystal-Sapiens. "The key event of the fair is the Crystal-Sapiens lighting of the Crystal Heart. All we need to do is carve a heart out of crystal. This ceremony lets light and joy shine through the hearts of the people of the Crystal Empire! I'll be right back!" True to her word, Twilight returned with a crystal carving in the shape of a heart not a few minutes later. "Perfect!"
Satisfied that all was well, Twilight stood proudly next to her handiwork. All of her friends were all busy at the events they had set up. Things seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until a group of Crystal-Sapiens wanted to see the Crystal Heart. "Sure thing!" Twilight unveiled her creation, but the expressions on the group's faces were not what she expected to see.
"That's not the Crystal Heart." One of the group stated as he pointed at Twilight's crystal carving. "It must still be lost somewhere. Without it, the Crystal Faire isn't complete!"
Twilight began to panic when she noticed the nervous look on the group's faces. "Um. . . don't worry! I have the real Crystal Heart safely tucked away somewhere! Please don't worry! I just need to go and get it!" Twilight ran off in the direction of the crystal castle. However, her departure hadn't gone unnoticed. Arctic Ace had chosen to stand guard near the replica Twilight made. And he overheard the whole exchange.
"No sense in delaying this any longer." Ace spread his wings, and flew after Twilight! Hoping to catch up with her and help her deal with what was gong through her head. And further adding to the weight of the situation, Cadence's magic was starting to give out. Making the appearance of the sky flicker between the regular blue and the dingy orange that prevailed when Sombra ruled.
"I'll take it from here Cadence." Shining Armor said as he powered up his magic! Casting the same shield spell he'd learned from Princess Celestia! "You're not getting inside."
Sombra's shadow form said nothing in response. Instead, he chose to act. A large black crystal shot up from where his horn had fallen, and a concentrated beam of dark magic shot at Shining Armor's shield spell! The dark magic dissolving the shield spell upon contact! And the tyrant of the Crystal Empire slithered his way through the gates. The people who he had enslaved bowing and trembling in fear of his very presence. "Crystal Slaavess. . . " King Sombra sneered down at the cowering mass of people beneath him. "You have-GAAAUUUGH!" Sombra howled in pain as he felt something cut him! A slash clearly present in his side! A lone figure landed right in front of Sombra!
"Who. . . DARES?! Sombra growled as the figure stood up to meet his glare! Dark Ice now stood tall, and was returning Sombra's glare with full force.
"I dare." Dark Ice declared boldly. The people of the Crystal Empire were in complete shock! None had dared to stand against King Sombra since the Royal Sisters! And yet here was a lone warrior standing his ground against the tyrant! "So you're King Sombra. I've gotta say, I'm not impressed. I was expecting to fight a king. Not a massive cloud of smoke with a face."
Sombra narrowed his eyes. "I am not a could of smoke boy. The tyrant growled. "I am a shadow! The dark that creeps behind every light. The silent fear that-"
"Shut it edge lord!" Dark Ice spat! "That trick might work on the ones you enslaved, but it's got no hold on me! How can I be scared of a coward?!" This remark seemed to visibly stagger Sombra! "You use fear to rule over your people, and you won't even take on a physical form to face me?! Are you just scared that you'll lose?! That someone can prove they don't have to be scared of you?!"
Sombra growled as he condensed his shadow form into a physical body. Intimidating armor and all. "You are a fool to challenge me boy. I am Sombra! I am-?!" Sombra barely finished his monologue before Dark Ice flew at him! Slashing him across the chest with his claymore! Mist leaking from the wound! "You. . . HURT me! WHO. . . ARE YOU. . . ?!
Dark Ice turned around to face Sombra! Defiance in his gaze as he spread out his wings! "I AM DARK ICE! THE ELEMENT OF COURAGE!" Ice once again took flight, and flew right at Sombra! "AND YOU DON'T SCARE ME!"
TO BE CONTINUED!
Episode 2: Crystal Clear Wisdom Part 2
Dark Ice flew at Sombra, but the tyrant of the Crystal Empire countered by summoning a wall of dark, jagged crystal. But if Sombra thought that would stop Dark Ice, he was proven wrong in an instant! Dark Ice smashed the crystal wall in front of him with his claymore, and used it as a post to kick Sombra in the face with both of his feet!
"You're choosing to hide behind walls instead of meeting my attack with your own?" Dark Ice said with a scoff. "All you're doing is proving what I suspected. At your core, despite all the fear you invoke on these people, you're a coward." Ice then slashed at Sombra's left arm! Crippling the tyrant! "And I know what you're scared of!" Dark Ice kept at his assault! Furiously slashing at Sombra and not giving him an inch to recover! "You're scared that someone won't just cower before you!" The righteous anger in Ice's heart only added to the ferocity of his claymore's swings! "Someone who refuses to let their fear chain them to your will!" Slash marks were visible across Sombra's body! A shadowy, mist-like substance leaking from the wounds! "And that someone, IS ME!"
Dark Ice slugged Sombra right in the face! Making the tyrant reel in pain! Sombra growled as he regained his footing. Dark magic beginning to gather around his right hand. "You think that is what I fear? Insolent boy! I shall show you what fear is!" Dark Ice barely had anytime to react when Sombra grabbed him by the face! A wicked smile on his face! "Now then, Dark Ice, let's see what scares YOU.
"AAAGGHH!" Dark Ice screamed as Sombra's dark magic blasted him right in the face! The element of courage was sent tumbling to the ground! Ice managed to regain his footing, but saw a horrifying sight before him. He saw the bodies of his brothers lying lifeless at Sombra's feet. The tyrant laughing maniacally over their bodies! "No. . . "
Seeing the element of courage rendered paralyzed made the hearts of the Crystal-Sapiens sink! They were all too familiar with Sombra's dark magic. His fear spell could render the most defiant of them as helpless! Sombra sneered down at Dark Ice's fearful state. "A brave effort. But a foolish one all the same. You shall know the same terror all those who defy me- ARRGH!"
Dark Ice had slashed at Sombra's side once again! The element of courage glaring at the tyrant as he rose! "You think that little mind trick can make me crumble that easily?" Ice thumped his chest with his left fist! "I deal with that fear everyday! Every battle I fight, I know there's a chance that fear might come to pass! THAT ONLY MAKES ME FIGHT HARDER SO I CAN MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN!"
As Dark Ice once again prepared to launch himself into another assault on Sombra, his thoughts then turned to his brothers. Not to mention it helps that I know Shadow's still in the crowd. His trick didn't work because I knew what I saw couldn't have happened. Not that easily! Ice noticed some of his friends readying their weapons, but he motioned for them to stay back! "This is MY fight! I have to be the one to take a stand! This is what my element was made for!"
Ice's glare at Sombra only intensified! "Staring fear in the face, and showing that it has no power over me!" At hearing this, the other Elements of Heroism only nodded and kept themselves on standby. As Ice fought his thoughts once again turned to the vision he'd seen of his brothers. I know that Shadow's right here. But where are you Ace?! Ice snapped his attention back to the fight as Sombra fired a blast of dark magic at him! Dark Ice blocking it with his claymore! Wherever you are, I know you've got some kind of plan in the works! I just hope I can hold Sombra off long enough for it to work!
As Dark Ice was fighting Sombra, Twilight had made it to the crystal castle. She had wanted to move on alone, but Spike had tagged along. "Alright Spike." Twilight said with a small smile. "You've been by my side longer than any of my other friends. I don't see why I shouldn't be without you now."
"So you'll accept Spike's help, but still refuse assistance from the rest of us?" Arctic Ace asked as he landed a few steps away from Twilight and Spike. "I knew something was up with you ever since the train ride Twilight." Ace took a few steps forward. "Normally you have no problem getting help from your friends. But ever since you met with Princess Celestia this morning, you've been turning down any offers of help we have. This isn't like you Twilight. So PLEASE, tell me what's going on. I can't understand you if you're not even willing to talk about it."
Twilight was hesitant to reveal the information, but the concern in Arctic Ace's eyes made her cave. "Before we left for the Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia told me that I had restore the light of the empire. And that I had to do it all on my own. No one could help me, and no one could know about my mission because that would only make everyone want to help me out even more. And if I fail this? I-" Twilight began to shiver. "I don't know what I'd do. Being the student of Princess Celestia is the greatest thing to ever happen to me!"
Twilight then stared at the floor. A sad look in her eyes. "It's almost as wonderful as all the friends I've made. But my teacher told me that this is something I have to do myself. In a way, she's kind of right. All of my previous feats I've only triumphed because I had my friends by my side."
"Twilight." Arctic Ace said with a sigh. "I can understand why you're thinking this way." He then clamped a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "But have you ever thought, what if you can't do this on your own?" This earned a puzzled look from Twilight. "Look Twilight. I'm not doubting your ability at all. Every threat you've faced so far, you've triumphed. But think about it. Have you ever triumphed solely because of yourself?"
Ace removed his hand from Twilight's shoulder. "Was it you alone who defeated Nightmare Moon? Was it just you who defeated Discord when he escaped his stone prison? Were you the only one to expose Queen Chrysalis and fight to protect your home?"
"No. I wasn't." Twilight said as she slowly raised her head. "The girls, you and the guys, Spike, all of you have stood by me. And all those times, we triumphed because we stood together."
Arctic Ace snapped his fingers. "EXACTLY Twilight. You've done your best work when you trust in your friends, and accept their help. Because you cared about your home more than anything else. So I have to ask you this. What's more important to you? Staying Celestia's student by just following her directions, or trusting in the friends you can depend on in case you can't do it all by yourself?"
"Ace." Twilight said as she looked Arctic Ace in the eyes. A determined smile on her face. "Let's go! We've got a crystal heart to find!" With that, Twilight took off running towards the throne room. Ace and Spike smiled, and followed after her! "Let's see. The Crystal Heart was an important relic. Sombra wouldn't have hidden it away just anywhere. He would've kept it close. Somewhere nobody would ever think to look. Meaning it's got to be somewhere. . . "
Twilight stopped thinking out loud, and stared at the crystal throne. It all clicked. "I think I know where to go." Twilight stepped towards the throne, and focused. Dark magic sparked around her hands, and she shot a small beam at the throne. A secret passage was revealed as the top crystal of the throne reacted to the dark magic! "Now we can move on. But," Twilight looked down, and saw that the passage went down a long way. She then dropped an orb made of her magic, and watched it fall down the long passage. "It's a long way down."
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Arctic Ace said. "Twilight? Spike? Grab onto me, and hold on tight." Spike jumped onto Ace's back while Twilight hung onto his side. "Here we go." Ace spread his wings, and glided down the center of the passage. Bypassing the seemingly endless stairwell and soon landing on the ground. Once the three had reached the bottom, they saw a lone door.
"Well, this is pretty basic." Twilight said as she cautiously approached the door. She reached out to grab the handle, but the door slid along the wall out of her reach! "I retract that statement." Twilight ran after the door! But each time she got close to it, the door slid away! "Wait a minute. Oh, it's so obvious!" Twilight let another blast of dark magic loose, and the door stayed put.
But when the she opened the door, it showed Twilight her worst fear. Twilight was back in the Castalot. Princess Celestia coldly saying that she had failed the test. "This can't be real! It can't!" And that's when it all clicked. "As a matter of fact, it doesn't make any sense! How can I be here when I was only in the Crystal Empire a second ago?!" And a familiar voice calling her name snapped her out of the fear spell's hold!
"Twilight are you okay?" Spike asked as he held onto Twilight's hand. "You were just frozen there with your eyes looking weird." Spike let go of Twilight's hand, and walked toward the door. The second he looked in the doorway, the fear spell took hold! Showing Spike a vision of Twilight no longer wanting him! Twilight shook Spike out of the vision. The young drake holding on to Twilight tightly.
"Easy there Spike." Twilight said as she soothed the baby dragon. "King Sombra hid a passageway beneath the throne. A door that shows your worst fear only makes sense as a security measure." Twilight raised her arm, and shot out a beam of magic at the crystal on the door! The true path was now opened. "One last leg of our mission."
Arctic Ace was about to join, but stopped when he felt something in his heart. "You two go on without me. I'm sure you can take it from here."
"Ace? Why are you leaving?" Twilight asked. "Didn't you just tell me that I shouldn't go through this alone? What's the deal?"
Ace sighed. "Look Twilight. You've still got Spike with you. He should be more than enough help because he's your number 1 assistant. I'm leaving because there's something important I need to do myself." Arctic Ace spread his wings. "I sensed it just now. Ice is going to be in trouble!"
As Ace took flight, he had no idea how right he was. Dark Ice's fight against Sombra had escalated. Sombra had decided to fully take advantage of his magic, and summoned four jagged crystal spires! The towers formed a sort of arena around the two combatants! Firing beams of dark magic should anyone try to escape! A painful reminder Ice himself found out as he tried to fly and gain an aerial advantage, but was shot down! His left wing twitching in pain.
"So. You're trying to clip my wings?" Dark Ice said with a pained smirk. "Nice try, but I'm used to being grounded. If you think that'll give you an edge, you're dead wrong!"
Sombra sneered as he summoned a mass of jagged crystals to cover the arm Dark Ice has slashed it! A claw-like gauntlet forming around the arm! To further add to his intimidation factor, Sombra crafted a sword made of jagged crystal! The twisted blade dripping with dark magic! "By the end of this, one of us WILL be dead." Sombra charged at Dark Ice!
Dark Ice blocked the swing of Sombra's crystal claw with the blade of his claymore! But while he had successfully defended himself, the force of Sombra's swipe had staggered the element of courage! "If you think that's gonna make me fall. . . " Dark Ice growled. "GUESS AGAIN!"
Once more, Dark Ice charged at Sombra! But despite this, Sombra just teleported out of the way or he slithered along the floor like a shadow! However, Ice managed to work around the latter of the two! Plunging his sword into where Sombra was coming out of his shadow form! Making the tyrant scream in pain as he fluctuated between his physical and shadow form! "You're not the only one who's tried that trick! I know it too!"
Ice removed his blade, and let Sombra stagger back! However, the tyrant king of the Crystal Empire was far from finished! Sombra let loose a volley of dark magic blasts, but Dark Ice deflected them by swinging his claymore! Since that wasn't effective, Sombra levitated the sword he'd constructed over to him and charged at Dark Ice! However, Sombra was outclassed! Dark Ice had training and experience on his side, and sent Sombra flying once more with a powerful slash to the chest! "IT'S OVER SOMBRA!"
The tyrant of the Crystal Empire had a wicked smile on his face as Ice flew at him! "Indeed it is, boy." Before Ice could even see it, a spear of jagged crystal pierced him through his side! Dark Ice fell to the ground and stumbled in pain! "You thought you would be triumphant? Fool! As long as I stand, fear shall reign! And you shall fall!" Sombra did away with the crystal spires. "Let your end mark the beginning of my renewed ru-GAH!"
Arctic Ace's face had an angry look on it as he slashed Sombra across the back! "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!" Ace stood his ground as Sombra turned to face him. "You hurt one of my family, you mess with ALL of us!" Shadow Thunder broke out of the crowd and joined his older brother in the fight! "Ice wasn't scared of you, and we won't be either!"
Sombra just growled in response as he launched himself at Dark Ice's brothers! Sending out a storm of dark, jagged crystal shards at the two! Ace raised his shield to block the barrage while Shadow twirled his spear in front of him! While the brothers had succeeded in surviving the shard storm, they were unprepared when Sombra grabbed them by their throats!
"You. . . I saw the two of you in Dark Ice's fears." Sombra then began to squeeze their throats! "Your brother's greatest fear was a world without the two of you. Let's make it come true, shall we?"
Indigo Zap watched in horror as she saw Dark Ice struggle to get to his feet! "GET UP ICE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs!
Hearing Indigo's cry sparked something not just within Dark Ice, but something inside his weapon ignited as well! Ice's wings were wrapped in what looked like the flames, and the same was true for the blade of his claymore! A pillar of flames shot up behind Dark Ice, and started to condense into a form as Ice launched himself forward! Pulling out the spear he'd been impaled with! "SOOOOMMBRAAAAAA!"
Sombra turned to face Dark Ice, and was blindsided by getting whacked across the face with the same crystal spear he'd used to wound Dark Ice! Ice hit him so hard that the spear shattered upon impact! The sudden attack making Sombra drop Ace and Shadow in the process! "WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" Dark Ice stood before the shocked tyrant! Not only had his wound healed, but there was a huge flame projection of a dragon behind him! A dragon that looked like it had come up from Tartarus itself! "You REALLY shouldn't have done that Sombra." Ice said as he advanced toward the dumbstruck tyrant. "Because now, I have a reason to not hold back anymore!"
Ice unleashed a devastating attack on Sombra! And with each swing of his claymore, the dragon projection struck as well! Be it slashing with its claws or fists! Sombra was getting completely hammered away! Ice leaving him no room to recover! "MET YOUR END LIKE A MAN! LET'S SEE YOU GRIT THOSE TEETH!" Ice once again slugged Sombra in the face!
As Sombra was sent flying, Twilight and Spike had made it to the Crystal Heart! "There it is!" Twilight said as she rushed forward to grab it. But in doing so, she had tripped the security spell placed by Sombra! Walls of dark, jagged crystal began to jut out wherever she tried to run! Seeing how she was being cut off, Twilight tossed the Crystal Heart to Spike! "Spike! Take the Crystal Heart and go! NOW!"
Spike hastily nodded, and caught the Crystal Heart in his hands! He ran as fast as his legs could carry him! His smaller size letting him move through tighter spaces that tried to obstruct his path! The young drake scrambled up the stairwell, and dashed towards the center of the city! But he stopped when he saw Dark Ice fighting Sombra!
Soon after he'd slugged Sombra, Dark Ice closed the gap by flying toward the tyrant! The second Ice landed, he kept punching away at Sombra's face! Even gripping the tyrant by his cape to prevent him from completely falling to the ground! "I'M ENDING YOUR REIGN OF TERROR! ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Ice knocked Sombra onto his back with one last punch, and leaped into the air with his claymore aimed downward! As he fell, Ice plunged the blade of his claymore right into Sombra's chest! An inhuman scream ripped forth from Sombra's lungs!
However, something odd happened. Both Ice and Sombra were wrapped in the flames covering the blade of Ice's claymore! And in these flames, Ice saw it. Sombra's memories. All the sorrow. All the pain. But most of all, the fear. The fear of loneliness and isolation ever since Radiant Hope had left Sombra's life. And in that moment, Ice understood. The whole crowd as surprised when Ice removed his blade from Sombra's chest! "You've been called tyrant, freak, and monster."
Ice stepped back, and looked down at Sombra's shivering form. "But how can you be called any of those things when you weren't even a man to begin with? All I see is a frightened child who wanted to belong." At this point, the whole crowd was glaring at Sombra's fallen form. But Ice looked to them and Sombra in disappointment. "They had no right to treat you like they did. But you treating them worse doesn't make you any better! And the worst part? That vision you saw is what you CHOSE to become. You could've risen above that. Shown them that you were more than what they thought you were. But you didn't. That doesn't mean it can't change now."
Dark Ice extended his hand. "The only thing worse than living alone is dying alone. That's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone." Ice was surprised as Sombra seemingly regressed in age. Now appearing as the way he felt. Sombra now looked like he was roughly the Junior Heroes' age, and had a shadowy aura around him. His red eyes darting about as he was still shaking. All his armor strewn about on the ground. "Take my hand. You don't have to be scared anymore."
Sombra was about to reach out, but a shadowy mass knocked Dark Ice away! The massive darkness came to a halt in front of Sombra, and condensed into a new form. The woman who had formed from the mass of shadow had black, smoke-like hair. Her blood red eyes gazed down at Sombra in disgust! Everything about this woman radiated evil! "You disappoint me, son." Rabia spat as she glared down at Sombra! "But I suppose you shall still serve your purpose."
Rabia sent out a wave of dark magic that knocked everyone back! A sphere of pure darkness soon engulfed Sombra! The tyrant, now the true frightened child he was on the inside, began to writhe in pain! "It hurts!" Sombra cried out in agony! "M-Mother. . . why? Why does it hurt so much?! Why are you doing this to me?!"
"Hush now my dear son." Rabia said almost emotionlessly. "You should be happy. You're doing what I always wanted you to. You're helping me release our people! The fear in your heart, and the fear you've instilled in these disgusting humans, shall be more than enough to help break our prison! Once more we shall rule a land devoid of warmth, love, or joy! Once again we shall cloak the Frozen North in shadow!" She then gave the most cold smile she could to Sombra. "Sadly, you shall have no place in our domain."
Sombra was utterly heartbroken. "How. . . how can you do this to me?! I'm your son! Your child!" Tears were streaming down Sombra's face as his body contorted in pain! "Don't you love me?"
"It appears you've let the humans make you soft." Rabia said with disgust. "I made you, yes. But apparently, you were defective. A tool that will not complete its purpose has no use. You failed to be a man, and failed to be a monster. Though you shall still serve your use. And when I'm done with you, I'll get rid of you. Such was my intention from the start. Our reunion? The disclosure of your origins? None of it was ever about you. It was about our return. All it took was you being so stupid to take the vision as your destiny!"
Rabia hastened her spell's progress! Making Sombra writhe! "Without the Crystal Heart in place, I RELEASE YOU ALL! LET US REMIND THESE FOOLS WHO IMPRISONED US THE POWER OF FEAR!" As Rabia spoke, a flood of shadows burst forth from the under the city! The Umbrum were released! "Yes. . . YES!" Rabia stopped focusing on the spell, and reveled in the panic the released Umbrum caused! However, it didn't last long! Both teams of elements sprang into action and started destroying any Umbrum in their way! Rabia frowned at this. "Terrorizing can wait! First, destroy these fools that dare stand against us!" The Umbrum Queen decided to hang back at the center of the empire as she watched the battle unfold.
"These things specialize in hit-and-run attacks!" Akage called out to his friends! "Keep your guard up!" As Akage said this, an Umbrum tried to get the jump on him! But it was stopped by Pinkie Pie! "Glad to know you've got my back Pinkie."
Pinkie Pie beamed at the compliment. "No problem!" She then readied her yo-yo. "Time to sock it to the shadows!" Pinkie let loose her yo-yo in a flurry of rapid strikes! Each blow punching through an Umbrum that tried to advance on her! Akage himself was cutting down any Umbrum that tried to get the drop on him or Pinkie! The young ninja's years of training countering the Umbrum's strategy!
Applejack and Magnet North were busy covering a small group of people caught in the crossfire! North was sticking to the destructive red spread shots of his shot-blaster while Applejack shot down any Umbrum slithering along the ground! "These pests aren't durable, but they've got the edge in numbers!" North noted as he destroyed another squad of Umbrum that lunged at him!
"Heh! This remind you of the Royal Wedding sugar cube?" Applejack asked with a smirk as she and Magnet North were soon back-to-back. "If Ah didn't know any better, I'd say you like partnering up with me."
Magnet North blushed, but returned to the task at hand! "What can I say? You're dependable. Speaking of dependable, where's Twilight and Spike?!"
Spike had managed to make his way through the chaos and get to Arctic Ace, Shadow Thunder, and Dark Ice! "Guys!" Spike called out as he arrived. "I've got the Crystal Heart with me! Twilight said it would help enlighten the Crystal Empire! And I'd say things are looking pretty dark now!"
"Good idea Spike." Shadow said with a nod. "But the timing couldn't be worse. The center of the empire's being occupied by the Umbrum queen. And I think that orb of shadow is keeping the breach the Umbrum are coming through open. So how do we shut it down?!"
Dark Ice looked grimly towards the writhing Sombra at the center of the orb of shadow. "We take out. . . the fuel source." Ice flew over to the orb of shadow, and could see Sombra looking back at him.
"It hurts. . . it hurts so much. . . !" Sombra screamed in pain! He then looked sadly into Dark Ice's eyes. "I. . . see it now. I was hurting. . . and I wanted everyone to hurt like me! But all it did. . . was make things worse. No. . . more. End it. End. . . this pain!"
Dark Ice steeled himself. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon." Dark Ice slashed through the orb and Sombra! The orb faded away, and Sombra fell to the ground. His body starting to dissolve. A peaceful expression on the former tyrant's face as he returned to his true age. "You lived as a monster. But you died a man." Ice raised his claymore in a gesture of respect. "One could never meet a braver end."
The breach below the city sealed up! Noticing this, Rabia looked in the direction of Dark Ice and saw Sombra's dissolving body! "NO!" She hissed as she flew at Dark Ice! The Element of Courage raising his claymore to block her vicious claw swipes!
Seeing his destination clear, Spike ran forward to place the Crystal Heart back on its pedestal! The heart gripped firmly in his claws! Weaving his way through the battlefield, Spike made it to the pedestal and immediately placed the Crystal Heart on it! A brilliant wave of light shot forth! Illuminating the entire city! The Umbrum all hissed in disgust and trembled in fear as they were set ablaze!
All the Crystal-Sapiens saw the heart, and immediately bowed before it! Cadence saw the heart placed on its pedestal, and flew down to be in front of it! "CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! LET THE LIGHT OF LOVE SHINE IN YOUR HEARTS!" At Cadence's command, the people of the Crystal Empire channeled all their love, joy, and hope into the Crystal Heart! A brilliant light pulled all the Umbrum towards it! Returning them to their prison of shadow!
But Rabia was far from defeated! "You ruined everything!" Rabia hissed at Dark Ice! She then let one of her arms shoot forward! "If we go, I'm taking you with us!" However, Dark Ice would not know the cold grip of the Umbrum queen. Arctic Ace had pushed his brother out of the way!
"ACE!" Dark Ice and Shadow Thunder cried out as they watched their brother, a third of their sibling trio, get sucked into the same prison of the Umbrum!
Once inside the prison, Arctic Ace found himself completely surrounded. The Umbrum all looked like a single, slithering mass of shadow! Rabia was the only distinguishable one as she glared at him! "You were a fool to throw yourself into this place. All you had to do was let me have one life in exchange for my defeat."
"You're wrong." Arctic Ace said coolly. "I've made probably the wisest decision I'll ever make. I risked my own life to save my brother's. My family. One of the people I love, and can't picture a world without! I'd never expect something like you to understand because you have no love in your heart! And even if I had let you, you'd never stop at one!"
Ace readied his Duelist Arms! "I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!" Arctic Ace threw himself at the massive horde of enemies before him! His sword cleaving through them like they were butter! But the Umbrum still had the advantage in numbers, and utterly swarmed him! Scratching at Ace when they had windows to strike! None of the attacks on their own were too powerful, but the damage accumulated over time and Ace fell to one knee! Using his sword to prop himself up!
"You said. . . I was a fool to let you drag me here." Arctic Ace said with a tired, but defiant smirk as he stared down Rabia! "You're wrong. A hero isn't someone who throws himself into a fight, or gives up when things seem bad." Slowly, Ace rose to his feet. "They recognize the need to stand up. Because if no one ever does, no one ever will! They fight because the needs of the many. . . outweigh the needs of the few! And if they have to, they sacrifice themselves to that the world and people they love can know a happy ending!" Ace wrapped his wings around himself! "THAT'S THE WISDOM OF A TRUE HERO!"
Ace spread his wings in a flash! "SNOW ANGEL!" A storm of ice and snow blew around Arctic Ace! The unleashed flurry covered the whole shadow prison! All of the Umbrum began to freeze up as they were encased in ice! Rabia herself had a look in dread when she saw her body being frozen before her very eyes! Try as she might, she couldn't move! "This place is a place devoid of any warmth or love. Just like you and your people." Ace narrowed his eyes. "Fitting that all of you remain frozen for all time."
Arctic Ace let out a sigh as he took a seat. "But at least, I'm not cold in here." Ace put a hand over his heart. "Everyone I care about is safe. That's all I need to know." Ace closed his eyes, and was suddenly enveloped in a white light! Back in the real world, the Crystal Heart was glowing the same white color! A white ball of magic shot out! And when the magic dispelled, Ace stood tall!
However, his appearance had changed! His ice wings now had a more angelic appearance to them, and the mark of a snowflake was now on the back of his hands! A sky blue aura of magic pulsing around him! "I guess the path to my ascension was crystal clear." Ace said with a joking smile as he let himself be tackled by his brothers.
"Indeed Ace. Your time has come." Aether Stream said as he teleported over in a pillar of white light. Burst Stream's father had a grin on his face "Hope you don't mind Burst. But I'll need to borrow your friend. I know a style of magic that's as cool as Ace is."
Burst smiled. "You worked wonders on Steel. Let's see if you can make Arctic Ace any cooler." The group shared a laugh. "But that can wait. It's party time!"
The heroes celebrated their triumph, and soon returned to Castalot. Twilight apologized to Celestia that she disobeyed her instructions, but Celestia was happy! The solar princess was proud that Twilight had counted on others to save the day instead of relying only on herself and thinking of her own success.
Celestia shared a hug with Twilight. She then snuck a glance at Arctic Ace chatting with Aether. Your time will come soon as well Twilight. But something tells me you won't be the only one. Celestia looked over both sets of elements. You truly will have friends that will stay with you forever.
Akage took a deep breath as he sat down at the breakfast table. A knowing smile on his face as he got a bowl of cereal ready. It wasn't for him. "Three. Two. One." A pink blur came at Akage from his side, and pinned him to the ground.
"Morning Akage!" Pinkie Pie chirped as she nuzzled against the young ninja. "Can you guess why I'm so happy this morning? Can ya? Can ya?" Pinkie had gotten up off of Akage, and was bouncing in place.
Akage blinked. "Well it's pretty hard to tell. You're usually pretty happy. But today you're almost LITERALLY radiating an aura of pure joy from your body. I'd say it's because you have a lot of fun things planned with your friends?" This prompted a happy nod from Pinkie Pie. "Eat first. Fun isn't fun when it's on an empty stomach." Akage's smile shrank a little. "My mom always told me that before I'd run off and go insect hunting."
Heeding Akage's words, Pinkie Pie scarfed down the bowl of cereal and zipped off to whatever she had planned for the day. However, things didn't quite go as planned. Whenever Pinkie Pie finished hanging out with one of her friends, another would just be finishing up with their own fun.
Pinkie Pie sighed as she lamented over the fun times she'd missed. "I wish there was a way to make more than one of me. I'd ask Akage, but shadow clones aren't a real ninja move. All they are is just afterimages." It was then that Pinkie remembered a very old piece of information. "Wait! There IS a way!" Pinkie dashed over to a hidden pool, and stared at her reflection. Pinkie Pie uttered an odd phrase, and a duplicate Pinkie emerged from her reflection!
"This is perfect!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she hugged her duplicate! "I'll never have to miss out on anything fun with my friends ever again!" It seemed like things would work out, but the plan didn't last long. Namely because Pinkie Pie had a lot of friends. So many friends required many duplicates. Needless to say, it got out of control really fast.
Akage was humming to himself as he cleaned a root beer mug, but stopped when he heard a faint rumbling sound. "That. . . doesn't sound good." Akage Strider was a ninja. His training had taught him to be adaptable. But the sight before him was something the young ninja could not believe. Akage bore witness to a stampede of Pinkie Pies running through Unityville! "What in Celestia and Luna's names happened?!"
The element of levity managed to catch Twilight Sparkle panicking at the current situation. She had caught what appeared to be another Pinkie Pie. "They're everywhere!" Twilight exclaimed! "There's no way all of them can be the real one! We can't just let them run wild! We need to find the real one! Think you could help?"
Akage nodded. "Sure thing." The young ninja set to work striking at any Pinkie Pie clones he could find. All of them quite surprised when he scooped them up and teleported them to the town hall in the puff of a smoke bomb! However, he was only one guy. Meaning catching them all himself wasn't the most attainable of goals to accomplish in a quick manner. So Twilight poste a poster advertising a test to see which Pinkie Pie was, well, the pinkiest. The town hall was packed full of Pinkie Pies not a few minutes later.
"Alright. Here's the test." Twilight said as she unveiled a wall with paint on it! "The one who can watch this paint until it dries completely is the true Pinkie Pie!" And with that, the test began. Many of the Pinkie clones couldn't keep still, and got bored. Twilight zapped the clones with her magic! Returning to the Mirror Pool!
Akage watched as the mob of Pinkie Pies before him began to thin out. Though it only faintly showed on his face, he worried for the real Pinkie Pie. She had grown on him a lot. And with how excitable she was liable not to stay still for too long. The thought of never hearing her laugh or smile was something that chilled Akage to his bones. And so, he relied on another aspect of his training. The spiritual side. Closing his eyes, Akage focused on what he could see with his heart.
Akage saw that almost every Pinkie clone had joy in their heart. However, there was one exception. Almost as if she was the center of it all, a lone Pinkie was radiating sadness. Akage opened his eyes, and a small smile crept onto his face. "Twilight. Dial back the banishing for a moment." Akage walked through the remainder of the Pinkie Pie herd, and stopped when he reached the center.
"Hey there. Why so sad?" Akage asked in a kind tone. Taking a knee so that he was at a more even level with the Pinkie Pie in front of him. "Everyone knows that Pinkie Pie always has a bright smile on her face."
"Y-Yeah." Pinkie Pie said shakily. "But everyone also knows that the real Pinkie Pie always wants to make her friends happy. But I haven't done that!" Pinkie Pie began to tear up. "I couldn't be everywhere at once to make them smile, or share the fun they were having! And now, I don't know if I'm the real one or not! All of us have the same face, same laugh, and same smile!"
Akage put his hands on Pinkie Pie's shoulders. "That's not true. Everyone has their own smile." Akage said. "One that only their heart can make, and one that only you can see." Hearing this made Pinkie perk up a bit. "And you've got a smile that I never see in any of these duplicates. No matter how many you make, there really is only one Pinkie Pie. Would you please show me that smile?" A full smile was on Akage's face. The brightest anyone had ever seen. "You look much prettier with it on your face." Pinkie Pie was crying, but she had a genuine smile on her face. "There's the Pinkie Pie I love."
Pinkie Pie, in all her years of surprise parties, was now utterly shocked when Akage kissed her on the lips. Twilight 'awwed' at the sweet moment before dispatching the remaining duplicates to the Mirror Pool. The newly formed couple walking out with Akage giving Pinkie Pie a ride on his shoulders. "So. Ice cream?"
"Aww~! So sweet of you! You know me so well!" Pinkie Pie said with a giggle! "PINKAGE FOR LIFE!"
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Episode 4: Recurring Dream, Returning Nightmare
Luna sat contemplatively upon her throne. Her sister Celestia was considering a personal knight in Burst Stream. Namely because the elder sister wanted to have her boyfriend closer to her. No doubt Celestia wishes to be closer to her lover. Then again, who am I to oppose her giving him a night to remember. Luna thought with an amused smirk.
Celestia's idea had gotten Luna to do some thinking herself. The guards were dedicated to their duties, but a little extra protection couldn't hurt. Especially after the Royal Wedding Incident. Luna mentally scolding herself for missing out on a chance to cut loose. Luna had posters made to advertise a tournament to be her personal knight. Many hopeful challengers had gathered outside the doors of the throne room. "I look forward to seeing who shall be my lunar knight."
Meanwhile, all the contenders were chatting excitedly amongst themselves. However, one figure remained silent. He pulled down the grey hood he wore over his head. His slicked-back white hair looking almost spiky in appearance. The young man's eyes glanced over the crowd before him. A smirk spread across his face as he raised his katana still in its sheath.
Luna was about to order that the doors be opened, but motioned for her guards to stand by as she heard grunts of pain and the sounds of fighting! Luna threw the doors open! Her magic flaring to life! "WHO DARES DISRUPT OUR CONTEST BY ATTACKING THE COMPETITORS?!" Luna then saw a young man wearing a grey cloak over his clothes holding a sheathed katana.
The young man looked to Luna, and smiled. "The only worthy candidate since I'm the last one standing." He looked over what would have been his competition groaning in pain on the ground. "The champion of a princess should not be defeated so easily, wouldn't you agree Princess Luna?"
"You. . . make a valid point." Luna said as she powered down her magic. "But your actions were reckless. It was most fortunate that you kept your blade in its scabbard. Someone could have been seriously wounded."
The young man scoffed as he surveyed his now demolished competition. "Don't waste your concern. None of these lot are worthy to feel the sting of my blade. There are only two that have reserved that right. Now then, I believe you have a winner to announce."
"Your demeanor is. . . intriguing." Luna said a slight nod. "Yet I cannot deny your talent. Might I have the name for the victor of my contest?"
The young man bowed, and gave Luna a suave smile. "Blitz Surge. And the victory is yours for gaining the only hero needed in this world."
Luna blushed lightly at Blitz Surge's compliment. "You'd better hope that the Elements of Heroism didn't hear that. I shall inform my sister of this news." Luna teleported off to Celestia's bedroom. The solar princess surprised at her lunar sister's sudden appearance. "Tia! I have a knight now!"
"That's wonderful Luna." Celestia said with a smile before letting out a yawn. "I'm about to get one of my own in Burst Stream. That is, IF he wants the position." A dreamy smile crept across Celestia's face. "It's almost like something out of a fairytale."
As Celestia went to sleep, Burst was already lying in bed dreaming of her. As he did most nights, he dreamed of their time together. However, his dreaming had not gone unnoticed. "So it appears your promise held true." Nightmare Moon said as she observed Burst's dreams. She had been observing the Main 6, Spike, and the Elements of Heroism. "Much has happened." She looked at Steel Edge and Arctic Ace's dreams of their ascension and training. "All of you have grown stronger than my return." She then saw Narico's dreams and that of the changelings who had integrated into the kingdom. "So much change in such a short period."
Nightmare Moon shook her head, and returned to the focus of her visit to the dreamscape. She floated over to the bubble containing Burst's dreams. "You were the only one to speak to me as a person." Nightmare Moon's hands glowed as she touched the bubble! "And there's so much I want to tell you. Let's hope you get this message loud and clear." And with that, Nightmare Moon left the dreamscape. Returning to the real world with a ghost of a smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Burst was walking through the Castalot castle with Celestia. But in an instant, the setting changed! Celestia was gone, and Burst found himself at the Castle of the Two Sisters! "What?!" Burst Stream tensed up. "Okay. This is weird. I only met Celestia here once. And that was when. . . " Burst saw a few black feathers falling from the sky. He could feel a presence behind him, and turned to face it! Burst was in complete shock! "You?!"
Nightmare Moon stood before Burst Stream. Her appearance hadn't changed at all since he'd first fought her at the Summer Sun Celebration. Burst got into a defensive stance, and summoned his Duelist Arms! But to his surprise, Nightmare Moon didn't even respond. "O-kay. This is weird. Are you here to wreak vengeance on me or-?!"
Burst Stream nearly stumbled backwards when Nightmare Moon slid right up to his face. She leaned in, and uttered a single sentence. "Come find me when you wake up hero." And with that, she vanished in a cloud of mist!
Burst woke up with a start! "That. . . was not how I expected things to go down." Burst Stream shook his head. "The only time I ever dreamed about her was my first fight. So why now of all times is she popping up in my dreams again?" The element of power headed to the sink, and splashed some water on his face. "Maybe I just had one too many cookies before bed. . ." Burst threw himself on his bed. However, the same dream played on in his head. Making him toss and turn.
The next morning, Burst nearly smashed his alarm clock to pieces! "Uuugghhh. . . " Begrudgingly, Burst got out of bed. He had slept, but the slumber was far from peaceful as he had the same dream the entire night. "Aren't you supposed to forget dreams after you wake up?" Burst grumbled to himself as he got his breakfast ready. His grumpy state didn't last long when he received a text from Celestia. "So she's ready to ask me her big question. Well, a bad night's no excuse to keep her waiting."
Burst Stream scarfed down his breakfast, and got dressed before taking the next train to Castalot. Making a break for the castle as soon as he arrived. Oddly enough, Celestia was actually waiting for him as soon as he entered through the gates. "Glad to see I'm not the only one up early."
"You get used to it when you're job is to wake everyone up." Celestia said with a smile. "Now I suppose you're wondering what my question for you is, right?" Burst nodded. Celestia took a deep breath. "You know how I call you my dragon knight? Well, I was wondering if you'd actually like to become just that." Celestia's violet eyes gazing right into Burst's sapphire blue eyes. "Burst Stream. Would you become my personal knight?"
Burst gulped. "Well, Inferno's always primed to take charge if I can't. I don't have any doubts in his ability." Burst sighed. "But as much as I want to, I can't accept Celestia. I love you. And I'll never stop loving you. But I don't know if I'm ready to go this far with you yet. We've had only a few dates, and it's barely been a year. What I'm trying to say is, maybe we should give this some time?"
Celestia wrapped a wing around Burst. "I waited a thousand years for Luna's return. A little more waiting for you to move in with me isn't going to kill me." Celestia smiled jokingly. "Nothing can."
"That's great." Burst said with a sigh of relief as he hugged his girlfriend. "Because I'd die on the inside if I ever did anything to hurt you. Even if I didn't mean to." The two shared their embrace for a moment more before separating. "I'd better not keep you. You must be pretty busy." Burst waved goodbye, and Celestia gave him a goodbye kiss. "See ya around sunshine."
As Burst walked away, Luna and Blitz Surge approached. "I take it that Burst Stream turned down your offer?" Luna asked her big sister. "That's too bad. I was hoping to show off my knight against yours in a duel!"
"Really Luna?" Celestia asked with a knowing eye roll. She then looked at Blitz Surge, and noticed a slight similarity to Burst save for their skin color. "So you are Blitz Surge. I hope you know that the position you now occupy is incredibly rare. You stand as the Luna's personal knight. It seems she wishes to have a fairytale ending."
Blitz smiled. "Oh I don't think any less of her. In fact," Blitz looked in Burst's direction. "I plan on writing the ending for my own story very soon. There's just two obstacles in my way."
Meanwhile, Burst Stream had just returned to Unityville. "Looks like I've got the rest of the day free." Burst said with a content sigh. "I didn't get much sleep, so maybe a nap can fix that." Burst headed to his bedroom, grabbed a pillow, and threw himself onto his couch. Sure enough, Burst Stream fell into slumber. However, the dream that had cost him last night's sleep once again surfaced. "UGH!"
Burst Stream got up, threw his pillow back onto his bed, and whipped out his phone to text his friends and Celestia. "Hey everyone." Burst said as his fingers tapped away at his phone's keyboard. "I've been having weird dreams lately, and they keep taking place in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Something might be up, so I'll check out the old castle later on in the afternoon. I should be back before morning. Don't panic if I'm not here in the morning. I'll probably stay the night in the ruins."
"That ought to do." Burst said with a satisfied nod. "Five o'clock. That'll be when I head out." Burst looked at the time on his phone. "Well, no sense going out on an empty stomach. Better fuel up before I go." A quick lunch later, and Burst reflected on his past encounter with Nightmare Moon. That was the first fight of my life. My first loss too. Not to mention it was also technically my first kiss.
Burst Stream took a deep breath. How is this even possible? Luna was hit with the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon should be gone! Well, physically at least. Memories of her still live on. Twilight, the girls and I all vividly remember when we defeated her. But the dreams I've been having. . . there's no way they're based on memories of our fights. Why would she want to find one of the people responsible for defeating her? Maybe she thinks the third time will be the charm?
The alarm on Burst's phone sounded off. Snapping the element of power out of his reflection on the past. "Well, it looks like I'll get my answers soon enough." Burst Stream got up, equipped his Duelist Arms, and locked the door after he left. Staring towards the path leading out of Unityville. "So much for an evening alone at home."
However, Burst Stream was not as alone on his journey as he thought. Back in the Castalot Castle, a lone figure stood in a dark room with his blade drawn. The figure's hand was soon covered in the aura of his magic. The mark on his hand showing a wild ball of lightning that looked like it would smash through anything in its way! The figure held the blade in front of him, and focused his thoughts on Burst Stream. The figure smirked as he cast a spell on the blade of his sword! "Found you."
The figure then slashed the air in front of him, and a portal appeared! "Now to correct the mistake." The figure pulled a grey hood over his head. "But in the end, I will be the only one left standing. The only one to lay claim to my destiny."
Burst Stream had made it a good ways towards the old castle. In fact, he had just gotten to the bridge. He couldn't help but smile as he recalled the good friends he'd made thanks to Nightmare Moon's return. I guess that I have her to thank for how far I've come. If you think about it, she's part of the reason I made my promise. However, Burst was snapped out of his musings when a portal appeared before him! The sun starting to set as a figure emerged from the portal! "Um, can I help you?"
The figure was silent for a moment before reaching under his cloak. "There is only one way you can aid me. YOUR DESTRUCTION!" The figure pulled out a katana from a scabbard beneath his cloak, and slashed the air! Burst instinctively jumped backwards! A sphere of light soon appearing where the figure had slashed! "How fitting that you should meet your end where your journey began."
"Sorry pal! I've got better thing to do tonight than die!" Burst Stream shot back! Both figuratively and literally as he drew his twin blasters and opened fire! But the figure spun his katana in front of him, and deflected the barrage! "What?!" Burst barely had any time to react when the figure dashing up to him, and executed a draw-slash from his katana! Burst was knocked back! "Agh!"
The figure smirked under his hood. "Fear not. I have every intention of putting you out of your misery." The figure then unleashed a series of rapid slashes from his katana! Orbs of light forming from each cut and blasting Burst Stream around! "There were only supposed to be two of us. But then you showed up in this world."
Burst had managed to get himself out of the chain of slashes! "What are you talking about?!" Burst Stream drew his sword, and crossed blades with his mysterious attacker! "Why are you attacking me?! What have I ever done to you?! And who is 'we'?!" Burst and the figure forced each other back!
"What have you done?" The figure asked. Irritation present in his voice. "You are in the way of my destiny! I am the true hero! I am the only hero needed by this word! You and your band of friends are pretenders are not worthy! You don't have what it takes to bring about justice! And now you shall face mine!" The figure placed a hand near the handle of his katana, and quickly drew it out! The draw was so quick Burst could barely catch the faint aura of magic around the blade! "Judgement Cut."
There was no visible slash mark, but Burst Stream felt like he'd just been cut! While Burst was staggered, the attacker dashed up and stabbed Burst in the gut! "What makes you so special?" The figure said coldly as he removed his blade from Burst's chest as the sun crawled down the horizon. "Farewell error ." And with another slash, Burst's assailant left Burst Stream to die from blood loss.
Burst stumbled forward! Clutching the area where he'd been impaled! Damn it. . . he got me good! Burst thought as he limped towards the castle. Who the tartarus was that guy?! And what did he mean by 'there's only supposed to be two of us'?
"Ngh!" Burst grunted as he slumped against one of the ruined walls. He took a look at his hand, and saw how bloody it was from attempting to stop the bleeding. Crap! I'm losing more blood than I thought! Burst Stream pooled all of his will together, and limped forward. Is this. . . is this how it ends? No. NO! It can't end like this! Me dying here alone. . . I won't let that happen! But despite the effort of his mind and will, Burst's body said otherwise as he fell to one knee. His vision starting to blur from the blood loss! I've gotta make it. . . I have to! Burst Stream tried to focus his magic, but the pain broke off any attempts he made. Is this really. . . the end of my story. . . ?
Burst Stream teetered on the edge of collapse when thought he could have sworn he heard the sound of a teleport going off. He then thought he was seeing things as black feathers fell from above him. What? A blurred figure seemed to descend towards him. Who are you? Burst Stream would have fallen on the ground had the figure not caught him with their magic!
"So you answered my call." Nightmare Moon said as she levitated Burst's body closer to her. She then saw where Burst had been impaled, and concern briefly registered in her eyes. "Let's fix that, shall we?" Nightmare Moon focused her magic on Burst's wound, and it instantly healed! "Rest for now hero." Nightmare Moon teleported Burst into a nearby bedroom, and set him down on the bed. She then removed the dream message she'd planted in Burst's mind. "I owe you the sleep you've lost." With that, Nightmare Moon returned to the ruined throne room where Burst had nearly collapsed. "I have all night long to wait for you."
A few hours passed since Burst had fallen unconscious after he was attacked. ". . . Nnngghh. . . " Burst groaned as he stirred. As soon as his eyes opened, he was shocked to find his wound had been healed! "What the--this doesn't make any sense! I was bleeding out from my gut! Did. . . someone heal me?" He then saw his coat and weapons had been set aside on a desk. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about getting my coat patched up. Rarity would've flipped if she saw a tear in it."
Burst Stream looked to the shirt we was wearing on the nightstand. "Well, no sense putting it on until I can get it patched up." Burst equipped his weapons, and headed out the door. "Whoever healed me, they were considerate enough to bring me indoors. I'm inside the castle now." Burst drew out one of his blasters. "I'm alone. For now. . . "
Caustiously, Burst Stream treaded the empty halls of the ruined castle. He had no clue where to go until he caught a figure out of the corner of his eye. He could clearly see black angel-like wings from the figure's back. "Scratch that. Looks like there is an occupant in this castle." Burst followed the figure. Just barely catching a glimpse of it as he turned matched its turns! "I've got a good feeling who that occupant is, but I just can't believe it!" Burst kept following the figure until he found himself at the entrance to the ruined throne room. "So you were expecting me."
Burst Stream slowly inched forward. He froze when he looked at the large hole in the ceiling. Nightmare Moon was sitting atop it. Burst darted back into the entranceway! His heart beating uncontrollably in his chest! I'm crazy. I have to be! I was caught in the line of fire right alongside her when the Elements of Harmony were unleashed! The only thing left of her was her armor! How?! How is she alive?!
I know I can't win against her. Burst thought to himself. Even though I've come out of my last few battles in one piece, I'm nowhere near her level or experience! Maybe I can sneak by without her knowing. Burst peeked out from his hiding place, and was surprised to see that Nightmare Moon had vanished. "All right then. Maybe I was just seeing things." Burst walked out from his hiding place.
"So you received my message." A smooth, female voice called out from seemingly everywhere at once. Burst Stream whipped his head about! Trying to find the source. He knew who was speaking. "I'm quite pleased that you had the courtesy to answer. You've no idea how happy that makes me. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me. I couldn't blame you."
Burst Stream smirked to hide his panic. "Yeah. Well, it's pretty hard to forget your first kiss. Much less a first kiss given to me by a goddess who kicked my butt." Burst slowly reached for his sword, and one of his twin blasters. "So. You invite me for another dance? I'd be happy to show you some new moves I've been working on."
A slight chuckle could be heard from Nightmare Moon's voice. "As much as I'd love to see you in action, I'd rather not. After all, I did fix up that nasty cut you got earlier. Whoever gave it to you had no intent of a merciful end. How cruel."
"That's. . . not what I expected to hear from you." Burst said as he kept still. "Honestly? I was expecting you to mock me and boast about how you wouldn't be stopped this time as you revealed yourself to me."
"Believe me. I won't be stopped this time. Namely because I don't plan on doing anything." Nightmare Moon responded. "As for showing myself," Slowly Nightmare Moon materialized from her mist form right behind Burst! "All you had to do was ask Burst Stream."
Burst Stream spun about, and readied his sword and blaster! Getting into a defensive stance with both! "Looks like you remember me too."
"Like you said. You never forget your first kiss." Nightmare Moon said with a giggle as she turned away and sat down on the ruined throne. "In fact, you could say that I owe my rebirth to you."
Burst was confused. "What do you mean you owe it to me?! The Elements of Harmony hit you full force! All that was left was your armor, and that's been destroyed! So how are you here again because of me?"
"I suppose I should start at the beginning. Or should I say, the end?" Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "Yes, I was blasted with the Elements of Harmony. But think about it. Have they ever actually destroyed what they were unleashed upon? Luna and I were banished to the moon, and Discord was imprisoned in stone. I was defeated. Not destroyed. I was little more than a sentient pile of essence after my second defeat. I had been torn free from Luna, and had become a spirit. For a time, I wandered around these ruins and the forest. But what really caught my eye was a certain celebration. 'Nightmare Night', correct?"
Burst Stream slowly nodded. "Yeah. That's right. I'm guessing you weren't happy about a whole festival being made about you and disgracing your legend?"
"Quite the contrary. I found it quite enjoyable." Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "It's refreshing knowing that at least a few good things came from my existence. And that in some way, I was able to fulfill Luna's wish when she made me."
A small smile crept onto Burst's face. "Well, that's good to hea-wait. What do you mean 'made you'?" Burst's smile was quickly replaced with a puzzled expression. "I thought Luna turned into you because of her jealousy! At least, that's what the legend says about you."
"Oh the legend was right. In a way." Nightmare Moon said with an amused smirk. "Luna and I did become one. But that's a story for me to tell when your friends and Celestia and Luna themselves arrive." She then rose from the throne. "I have some things to say to them as well. But that can wait until they arrive tomorrow."
"Wait. You're saying you want BOTH teams of elements AND the princesses to come here?!" Burst Stream asked. "How are you going to let them know you're back? And what did you mean when you said you didn't plan on doing anything?"
Nightmare Moon gave a barely noticeable smile. "Well I plan on inviting them of course." She snapped her fingers, and a black envelope with her talent crest appeared! "And I also plan on making sure they know I'm back." Nightmare Moon's magic aura flared around her for a brief moment before fading away. She then snapped her fingers, and sent the letter to Celestia and Luna via magic! "I was sure to entail that you are currently my guest and that you're unharmed. Though I couldn't exactly say that when I found you. As for what I meant, I mean that I don't plan on pursuing any form of vengeance. I've had time to reflect during my isolation here. Twice now vengeance has been my motive. A thousand years I did nothing put plot and rage on the moon. And in the end, it all amounted to nothing."
"Revenge." Nightmare Moon scoffed. "Such a worthless, futile cause that leads nowhere." She then stared straight ahead. "Instead, I wish to make amends for what I've done. I don't expect any forgiveness, so I won't ask for it. In fact, I don't want it. This is something I'm doing for myself." Nightmare Moon then beckoned for Burst Stream to follow her. "Though it would be hard to do any of that on an empty stomach. Come. I've prepared a little something for us."
Burst would have declined, but a growl from his stomach said otherwise. While the two were dining, Burst looked out of what once was a window. He then attempted to attempt small talk. "Soooo, you never mentioned what I did that made you come back. Would you mind telling me?"
"Well, I suppose it's because you've done what no one else has when speaking to me." Nightmare Moon said as she looked down at her drink. "You. . . talked to me like I was a person. You found out the truth of my story, and you tried to help me. Even when I hurt you." Sadness became more evident in Nightmare Moon's eyes. "You were willing to put your life on the line just to help me and Luna. In short, it's because you believed in me." She then looked right into Burst Stream's eyes. Her teal, draconic eyes staring right into Burst's sapphire orbs. "And if you could believe in me, then it stood to reason that I could too. That catalyzed the magic of the Elements of Harmony that I'd absorbed. Giving me a body of my own."
Gee. Now I kind of feel like I haven't fully kept my promise. Burst thought to himself as he polished off the last of his meal. "Well, nothing else to do. So I guess I'll turn in for the night."
"Wait." Nightmare Moon said. "This castle can get quite cold at night. I know from experience. Two bodies are warmer than one, so why not share a bed tonight? I can promise your slumber and mine will be more pleasant."
Burst sighed. "Sure. Just don't try anything funny! I've already got a girlfriend." And so, Burst followed Nightmare Moon to her bed. Burst removed his weapons, and slipped off his coat. "I'll just sleep topless." Burst crawled under the covers, and closed his eyes. He then felt the covers move a couple minutes later. Indicating Nightmare Moon had joined him. "Well that was fast. I didn't expect you to get changed that quickly."
Nightmare Moon blinked, and a playful smirk soon crept across her face. "Well, that's certainly an advantage of sleeping in the nude." Her response made Burst Stream jolt up! She couldn't help but giggle at his reaction! "What? You didn't expect me to sleep in all that armor did you?"
"NO!" Burst screamed. "But I didn't expect that I'd be lying against your bare naked body all night long!" He was blushing furiously! "Celestia and I haven't even made it that far yet!"
Nightmare Moon laughed at Burst's flustered state! "Well her body and mine are quite similar." She then leaned closer to Burst. "You could take the opportunity to get more. . . familiar ." She then decided to have a bit more fun. "By the way? The pillows aren't the softest. But there is a more comfortable alternative."
"I know where you're going with this." Burst Stream grumbled. "But you're not wrong about the pillows. So. . . fine." Burst rested his head against Nightmare Moon's chest. "Huh. Didn't expect this kind of warmth from you. It's. . . kinda nice. . . " Burst soon drifted off to sleep.
"Sweet dreams Burst Stream." Nightmare Moon said with a visible genuine smile. She then rested her head atop Burst's. You're warmth is quite nice as well. . .
Celestia was not happy. Something that all the inhabitants of the castle had never seen before. This was the first time any of them had seen the solar princess scowling. Twilight should get here soon with her friends and Burst's team. The sooner they're here, the sooner we can get moving to the old castle. Celestia returned to her room, and grabbed the scabbard containing her flaming sword. She slung it on her back, and changed into what looked like a mix of a dress and light combat armor.
"Sister!" Luna cried as she nearly knocked down the doors to Celestia's room! "Are you going to face Nightmare Moon alone? You can't possibly think of going against her without me! This is a problem I made!"
Celestia was still for a moment. "You're coming too Luna. She's a source of trauma and regret for you." She then met the gaze of her sister. Fire present in the sun goddess's eyes. "What better form of therapy than to destroy the personification of all that negativity?" Not long after, the Main 6 and the remaining Elements of Heroism had gathered at the royal castle. Both teams of elements armed and ready with their Harmony Keepers and Duelist Arms.
"We came the instant we got your message!" Twilight said as she gripped her magician's staff. "But how is Nightmare Moon even alive?! She was hit with the Elements of Harmony! Is it even possible to come back from that kind of magic?!"
Celestia raised her hand for silence. "There's no mistaking it Twilight. Nightmare Moon has indeed returned again. Luna sensed the her magic flaring just last night. And that's not all." Celestia brought out an black envelop with a seal modeled after Nightmare Moon's talent crest. "It seems she wishes to speak with me and Luna. Not only that, but it appears she has Burst Stream."
This made both teams of elements tense up. "But it does not seem like there is any need to worry about him. He is unharmed. And there will be no need for the Elements of Harmony this time." Celestia gripped the handle of her sword tightly. "This time, Luna and I are going to put an end to this nightmare from our past." Celestia's magic flared to life. "All of you stay close together." Celestia initiated a group teleport spell, and the party soon arrived in front of the ruined castle.
However, Celestia's heart fluttered when she saw who was waiting for them at the entrance. Burst Stream had noticed the group, and waved at them. Celestia flew right at Burst, and nearly tackled him when she hugged him! Burst smiled as he returned the embrace. "I missed you too Celestia."
"I was worried sick about you." Celestia said as she let out a sigh of relief. Gradually loosening her hold on Burst Stream. Her grip then tightened. "If she threatened you in any way-"
Burst slightly distanced himself from Celestia. "She didn't. In fact, I was in pretty bad shape before Nightmare Moon healed me. Some weirdo with a katana attacked me the second I got to the castle. He kept calling me a mistake, and stabbed me in the gut. Leaving me to die from blood loss. I was stumbling my way through the old castle before Nightmare Moon found me and fixed me up."
"Perposterous." Luna said with a scoff. "She healed you did she? Nightmare Moon is capable of no such action! I should know! I was her! All that is at her core is anger and jealousy! Everything that made me want to take what my sister had! Everything that tore me from my home and family!"
"And ultimately, your unity with your sister is stronger than ever as a result." Nightmare Moon's voice called out from the entry hall. The sound of her armor clanking could be heard. And soon enough, she came into view. "So you've come." She then noticed the Main 6 and the Elements of Heroism. "And it appears you've brought a few friends along. Perfect." Everyone tensed up when they saw Nightmare Moon's arms move forward, but were surprised when she was just holding her arms out. "Well? Don't you recognize a gesture of surrender?"
Needless to say, the entire group save for Burst was stunned! "I'm sorry. . . what?" Twilight asked in disbelief. "Don't you want to boast about how you won't be stopped this time? How we won't stand in your way? Or proclaim that the night will last forever?"
"Oh please." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "I already went through this with Burst Stream last night. I won't be stopped and none of you will stand against me because I don't plan on doing another stupid revenge plot. Think about it. I've been bested two times. And I had a thousand years to plot up on the moon with Luna. What did it get me? Tanking a blast of friendship and rainbows to the everything. Also, I've heard of your recent triumphs from Burst. How could I possibly think I stand a chance when you bested Discord?"
Celestia and Luna then stepped forward. "If you don't wish for revenge, why are you here? And more importantly, how have you returned?" Her gaze towards Nightmare Moon was fiery while Luna glared coldly.
"I suppose you can thank the Elements of Harmony." Nightmare Moon said with a shrug. "In all their past uses, have any of you actually SEEN the elements destroy the target of their power? I was banished. Discord was imprisoned. No one knows what would have happened to Queen Chrysalis, but I'm certain it would've done one of those two."
Nightmare Moon noticed the contemplative expressions on both sets of elements' faces. "Back to the topic at hand. I was separated from Luna when the elements hit me. After that, I was essentially just a sentient pile of essence. A little while later, I soon became a spirit. Wandering the halls of these ruins. Reflecting on my past failures and the consequences of my existence. Then I looked back at my losses. In particular, what had led to them."
"My first defeat was brought on because I essentially had the logic of a child. I wanted to make everyone love Luna's night, so I'd make sure that morning never happened." A bitter chuckle escaped Nightmare Moon's threat. "I guess you could say that lead to the ultimate time out. Then we have my second defeat. I was an ignorant fool who paid no mind to the sorrow and pain I'd inflicted upon Luna. Something that only became clear upon the elements hitting me."
Everyone, even Celestia and Luna, felt a slight tug in their hearts when they saw a glimpse of actual sadness in Nightmare Moon's eyes. "To think. All I wanted was to make Luna happy. To fulfill the purpose she had intended to create me for. And all I ended up doing was causing more pain than I thought possible."
"Lies. Lies! LIES!" Luna screamed! "I never made you! You are nothing more than a part of me!" Luna drew her katana! "The darkest, worst parts of me given form!" She then flew at Nightmare Moon! Her blade aimed at Nightmare's heart! "Your existence has wrought nothing but pain and sorrow! SO YOU SHALL EXIST NO MORE!" Luna plunged her blade right into Nightmare Moon's heart! "And so, the nightmare ends." Luna pulled her blade free from Nightmare Moon, and watched as her body fell to the ground. "At long last, closure. . . "
As soon as Nightmare Moon's body hit the ground, it shattered! Everyone was shocked, but they were soon surprised even further. The shards seemed to converge and form a pool of pure energy! The pool then began to morph and condense into a familiar form. Nightmare Moon stood before them completely unscathed! "I wouldn't say I've been ended." Nightmare Moon said with an annoyed look on her face.
She then looked at the jaw-dropped crowd before her. "I suppose you'd all like to know how I reformed?" Nightmare Moon then pointed at Steel Edge. "You're new to being an Avatar, right?" Steel nodded, and Nightmare smirked. "Well then, you should know exactly how our immortality works. At our core, we gods and goddesses are pure energy coupled with an indestructible soul. When our physical form is destroyed, we revert to our primal essence. Regeneration is usually instantaneous. So while we can't be killed, 'dying' still hurts a lot."
"Then it appears we can't vanquish you." Celestia said as she calmly stepped forward. "But we can't very well banish you given the fact that you have no ill intentions." Her gaze then steeled as she saw Luna trembling. "However, I can't let you just go free. Especially after all that you've done."
Nightmare Moon's face took on a knowing expression. "That's something I've already intended to do. But make no mistake. I don't plan on earning you or Luna's forgiveness. This is something I want to do for myself." She then spared a glance at Luna. "And Luna is wrong. She did make me. Long ago, she wished for a friend. One who loved the night as much as she did. Someone who would spend time with her while you were busy. But all that anger and jealousy with her poured into me while she was creating me. It twisted the way I thought about my purpose. And one fateful day, Luna and I merged when I wanted to grant her wishes."
Celestia was about to offer some form of apology, but Nightmare Moon raised her hand. "Don't waste an apology. The fact is neither you, Luna, or me is completely free of blame. All three of us share responsibility for what happened. You were so busy running a nation you barely had time to give Luna attention. Luna got so jealous of attention you barely wanted, and couldn't understand that her night was already enjoyed. Just not in the way she thought they should. And me? I wanted to make Luna happy without thinking of the consequences."
"You truly have thought about this." Celestia said calmly. "You said you wished to make up for what you've done?" Nightmare Moon nodded. "In that case, I suppose I can have you undergo rehabilitation in Unityville. That is, if the element bearers are willing to put a roof over your head."
"No." Nightmare Moon said. "I will spend time with the element bearers for my reformation. But I have no intention of staying with any of them." She then pointed at Burst Stream. "I'll be staying with him. Because he's one of the few who prioritized saving Luna over defeating me. Not only that, but he attempted to reason with me. Unlike your student who simply stated my motivation to the whole town."
Celestia tensed up a little, but sighed. "Very well. I shall make an announcement later today. But mark my words. You hurt him in any way, I won't hold anything back."
"Honestly?" Nightmare Moon said with a sad smile. "I hope that's something I won't do."
Burst Stream sighed. Well, this wouldn't be the first time I've broken new ground with her. He thought to himself as he stared at Nightmare Moon sitting directly across from him. She was my first fight. My first kiss. And now? She's going to be moving in with me at my house. So I guess that makes her my first roommate. Getting tired of the silence, he decided to attempt a conversation. "I hope you don't expect us to share a bed again."
"Too bad." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "I really enjoyed using you like a pillow." The rest of the two sets of elements were watching the two speak to each other. They were wary, but their unease was slightly lifted due to how easily Burst Stream was talking with Nightmare Moon. "Of course, I think we both know you'd love nothing more than to spend a night with Celestia."
Burst blushed slightly. "She already offered me a place at the castle. But I've got more important things on my plate as leader of the Elements of Heroism."
"Interesting. So it seems my return led to the birth of a new team of elements." Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "So which element that makes up a hero are you?"
Burst smiled. "Power. And I guess it's pretty fitting. I'm half-Avatar since my dad's an Avatar like the princesses. He trained Steel and he's currently training Arctic Ace to control his magic. And he trained me when your return was seven years away. But what I said earlier? That's not why I think being the Element of Power fits me. It's really got to do with my core belief."
"And what belief would that be?" Nightmare Moon asked. Tilting her head in curiosity.
"Might for right." Burst replied with a smile. "Those that have power should use it to do good. And the best good I can do? Well, I can't think of anything better than being a hero. Someone who fights for the good of others just because it's what they want to do."
Nightmare Moon let out a small chuckle. "You certainly seem to be living up to that belief. And it seems to echo in your friends over there." She motioned her head in the direction of the rest of the Elements of Heroism staring at them. "Time and again you've led them into battle where there's a high chance of some or all of you not coming back. And yet every time, you've all triumphed and returned together. From the looks of things, you all come out stronger. Especially considering that two of your little band have ascended."
"Yeah. Both of them stayed committed to the element they represented to the very end. Giving it their all, and putting it all on the line." Burst said with a small smile. He then came to a realization. "Hey, do you always wear that helmet?"
Nightmare Moon smirked. "My hair is ethereal like Celestia and Luna's. I don't have to worry about helmet hair." She then removed the helmet. Letting her ethereal hair flow freely. "But I suppose the night sky look does work better without it." She then looked herself over. "I suppose I should consider getting less intimidating garments."
The train soon came to a stop as it arrived in Unityville. Burst stepped off before Nightmare Moon. The people who were out and about were a bit nervous, but they saw that she was surrounded by both teams of elements and soon went about their usual business. "Good thing that Celestia got that announcement out fast." Burst Stream said with a sigh of relief. "Come on. I'll get us to my house."
Burst Stream led Nightmare Moon to his house, and opened the door. "Well, here it is. Home sweet home." He then moved on to showing her the house. "It's a pretty simple setup." He pointed to the various items and areas. "Couch. TV. Videogame consoles and game library. Bookcase. Kitchen. Bathroom and shower. That's my bedroom and closet." Burst then motioned to a vacant room with a bed and closet space. "And here's the guestroom. This is where you'll be staying. Also, I suggest you get some more clothes soon. Walking around in that armor can't be comfortable, and I sure don't want you roaming the house naked!"
"You didn't seem to mind me being in the nude last night." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. She just couldn't get enough of Burst's reaction. "But you've a good point. Plus, my armor is a real chore to put on. If I recall, one of Twilight Sparkle's friends runs a boutique. I'll see if she can give me some suitable clothing."
Burst stopped her from leaving. "Wait!" He then handed her a small key. "It's a spare house key. You're going to need it if you ever go out and need to get in and I'm not home. I'll also get you a phone tomorrow and try getting you some stuff for your hygiene."
". . . Thank you." Nightmare Moon said. "But, why are you entrusting me with something as important as this so quickly? Your friends are not wrong to be wary of me. I can't blame them. The same can be said for this entire town. So why?"
Burst took a deep breath, and smiled. "Well, you said that you wanted to make things right. It's like you told me last night. I believe in you. And when everyone else doubts you, that can make all the difference." Burst Stream was looking right into Nightmare Moon's eyes. And in that gaze, something stirred within the dark goddess.
"I. . . better go." Nightmare Moon said as she tried to calm her heart. She would have no such luck as a pink blur zipped right up to her. Nightmare's wings flared out in shock, but she calmed herself upon recognizing the person before her. "You were the one who kept giving me silly names back at the Summer Sun Celebration. The Element of Laughter. Pinkie Pie, right?"
Pinkie nodded excitedly. "Yep! I know everyone else is a bit scared of you, but I made sure to listen pretty closely to when you were talking with the princesses earlier today. You're not as much of a meanie as everyone thinks you are. Ooh! And I can think of one good thing to come from a never-ending night!"
"You. . . can?" Nightmare Moon asked. She was utterly confused. Reflecting upon her actions made her realize that the world would slowly freeze over. Not to mention it would wreak havoc it would wreak on keeping time. "And what would that be?"
Pinkie Pie was grinning ear to ear. "A PARTY THAT LASTS FOREVER!" The girl bouncing in place! "All the sweet clubs would have to stay open because they wouldn't know how much time's passed! Meaning the party never ends! Cool, right?"
"I suppose it's a bit relieving to see you can make light of my past actions." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "But, I really wouldn't know. I've. . . never had a party before." She then saw Pinkie Pie standing completely still. Gasping. "Um, are you. . . all right?"
Pinkie Pie's hair twitched along with one of her eyes. "Excuse me. I have something important to do." And with that, Pinkie Pie zipped away! Nightmare Moon knew in that instant there was no hope in trying to comprehend the sugar rush made flesh. She then looked in the direction of a nearby tree.
"You can come out of hiding now. Your girlfriend is safe. I didn't even touch her." Nightmare Moon called out. Akage Strider was soon hanging from his hiding place. "Trust me. You're good at remaining hidden. But I wanted to bring eternal night. Figuring out where someone is hiding is kind of my specialty since the dark is my domain."
Akage dropped to the ground, and bowed. "You have my respect for detecting me so quickly. But know this. I'll be keeping an eye on you alongside the rest of my friends."
"Good." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "It's nice to know you all care about me so much. By the way? That girlfriend of yours is very sweet." This earned a nod from Akage as he took off to find Pinkie Pie. "Those two make a good couple. He's quiet and she's loud. But they enjoy making others happy."
Nightmare Moon continued her walk to Rarity's boutique. Sure enough, she arrived and knocked on the door. Needless to say, Rarity was quite surprised. "N-Nightmare Moon! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit your highness?"
"Don't waste your time with greeting me like royalty. That's not a right I've earned." Nightmare Moon said with a dismissive wave. She then spotted Inferno walking towards Rarity. Placing a wing protectively around the Element of Generosity. "You seem especially wary of me."
Inferno narrowed his eyes. "You held my best friend custody for a whole night. Not to mention your little fan club was terrorizing us not too long ago! A creep named Night Terror said you were his promised queen and tried to take all of us out for defeating you! He even turned Rarity into what looked like a version of you! That name ring any bells? How about the Nightmare Forces?!"
"I don't know this Night Terror. And I don't know who the Nightmare Forces are either." Nightmare Moon replied. "But from the looks of things, they wanted the opposite of what I desired. While it's true that I desired eternal night, it was because I wanted people to love and appreciate it as I do. But given the actions of the Nightmare Forces, I'd say they wanted to establish a reign of terror. As for this Night Terror's actions, he sounds like someone I wouldn't be caught dead with."
Inferno raised an eyebrow. "And why's that? Because Burst Stream wasted him with one punch?"
"No. Although that is quite impressive." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "I find his actions disgusting. Using one of the Elements of Harmony against the others? Such a gutless tactic. A move from a coward who would not dare dirty his own hands. I may not be royalty, but I have a tremendous sense of honor and pride. I despise deceptive tactics and those that lie to their own benefit." Nightmare Moon relaxed a bit when she saw Inferno drop his guard slowly. "Now then. On to business. I would like my measurements taken so that you could provide me with some garments."
Rarity nodded slowly as her hands were covered in the aura of her magic. "I'd be happy to take your request darling. But might I ask, what would you need more clothing for? I thought you would have a whole wardrobe prepared for when you declared victory."
Nightmare Moon blinked. A puzzled expression upon her face. "This armor. . . is the only clothing I have." Rarity was silent for a moment. She then instructed Nightmare Moon to lift her arms and spread her wings out. And with that, Rarity began to furiously take Nightmare Moon's measurements! "You certainly throw yourself into your craft."
"Darling. I simply cannot let you go about with only one outfit for the rest of your life." Rarity said with a huff. "To do so would be a crime. You needn't worry about any form of payment. Just consider this a little welcoming present. I should have a few outfits ready for you tomorrow. I'll be working all night long."
Nightmare Moon smirked. "Element of Generosity indeed." She then looked to Inferno. "You know? The two of you have the potential to be a fantastic husband and wife." This made both Inferno and Rarity blush intensely. A slight giggle escaped Nightmare Moon's lips as she exited the boutique. "I guess I'll head home now." Nightmare Moon returned to Burst's house.
Upon opening the door, Nightmare Moon was surprised to see Burst Stream manning the stove. She walked up to him. "So what's on the menu?"
"AH!" Burst screamed as he spun around to face her! "And here I thought Akage specialized in being silent. Do you, make any kind of noise when you move?"
Nightmare Moon smirked. "Never really put that much thought into that. But then again, the night is supposed to be a quiet time. I guess that's something everyone appreciates about it when they got to sleep."
"Tell that to the people living in Manehattan." Burst said with a chuckle. "Anyway, it's just a simple dinner. Nothing as grand as what you remember eating in Luna's memories."
Nightmare Moon let out a chuckle as she grabbed a seat at the table as Burst served her a plate. "Looks perfect to me." She then took a bite of the chicken. "Tastes even better."
"Thank my mom for that." Burst said with a smile. "She gave me a cookbook full of her recipes. Just so that I could learn to feed myself. I could never get enough of her cooking, so she made the book and put in a lot of my favorites." The two soon finished off their dinner. "So, uh, you can use the shower first if you want. I've got spare towels for myself in one of the drawers."
Nightmare Moon nodded. "I think I'll take you up on that." Nightmare Moon removed her armor, and levitated it into her room. Her shower took a while because it was difficult to wash her wings. She contemplated asking Burst to help, but figured it would be too easy for her to get him flustered. "It's all yours." Nightmare Moon exited the shower with a towel wrapped around herself.
"Got it." Burst called back as he grabbed his p.j. bottoms and left his sleep shirt on the bed. He exited about five minutes later with only his pajama pants on. "I've got a day off tomorrow. So I think I'll show you around town a bit more. But for now? I'm turning in for the night."
Nightmare Moon nodded. "I'll be off to bed myself." Nightmare Moon lay down on her bed, and nuzzled against the pillow. A few hours later, a knocking on the door roused her from her slumber. "And here I was thinking I was the only one who liked staying up all night long."
"I'll get it." Burst Stream called as he walked to the door. He was less than happy to see who was knocking. "Mrs. Rich. How can I help you?"
Spoiled Rich was scowling at Burst Stream. "You can start by sending that monster back to the Everfree Forest where it belongs! Her very presence strikes fear in my dear daughter! Nightmare Moon's appearance has the whole town on edge! I demand you eliminate this disturbance of the peace!"
". . . Okay then." Burst said with a shrug. His magic powered up, and he levitated one of his blasters to him. He pointed it right at Spoiled Rich. "Ma'am you have one minute to vacate my doorstep and return to your home. You're being very loud and disturbing everyone's sleep. I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to head home. And I should warn you, I have no problem firing a warning shot." Several lights were switched on. Revealing a few people staring crossly at Spoiled Rich. Prompting her to huff and return to her home. "Good riddance. No wonder the TCC complain that Diamond Tiara's so rotten."
Burst Stream breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door. He then tensed up a bit when he saw Nightmare Moon standing before him. Nude and her eyes tearing up. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?"
"I knew something like this would happen." Nightmare Moon said as she stepped towards Burst. "Not everyone would be so willing to accept my arrival. But despite what just happened, what that woman said, you stood up for me." Burst was about to reply when Nightmare Moon pulled him into a hug. "Thank you. It means a lot. Knowing that you care about me."
Burst slowly returned the hug, and smiled kindly as he pulled away from Nightmare Moon. "You're under my roof now. That means I need to look out for you." He then returned to his bed. "Good night Nightmare Moon."
". . . Good night." Nightmare Moon slid under the covers. A small, warm smile on her face. There's that feeling again. She thought as she closed her eyes.
Arctic Ace took a deep breath as he felt the icy winds of the Frozen North blowing through the air. His hands were covered in an icy blue aura of magic that matched the color of his eyes. "Here we go." Arctic Ace shot his arms out! A beam of ice magic shot out! Constructing a tower which Ace flew up to! His angel-like ice wings catching a trail of snowflakes! As soon as Ace landed, he spread out his arms.
The entire ice tower was deconstructed, and tiny satellites of ice crystals orbited around Arctic Ace! "Now for the finale." Ace focused on the snowy ground beneath him, and used his magic to command the snow to swirl around him in a sphere-like formation. "I've already made a snow angel move. Think I'll call this one Snow Globe."
"I just knew ice magic would be perfect for a coolheaded guy like yourself." Aether Stream called out as he joined Arctic Ace in the sky. The original male Avatar grinning at his pupil. "It's no wonder you've mastered your magic so fast. Have you been hanging around Celestia's star student?"
Arctic Ace smiled. "Yes I have. Twilight and I have chatted a bit during our down time. I serve as my team's strategist, but Twilight has to occupy that position and being a leader. Plus, she's a great help to me and the guys since she lives in and runs the library. Meaning we have easy access to information. By the way, how did Burst and Steel take to their magic training?"
"Burst was born a Magi." Aether said with a nod. "And when he started his training, it was clear he specialized in offensive spells. So that made training him in that field was relatively easy. Steel Edge was captain of the Elite Guard. He was new to having access to magic, but his former occupation gave him a clear and focused mind. So he had little trouble as well."
Arctic Ace nodded. "Speaking of Burst Stream, are you worried about him?" Ace noticed that Aether had stiffened a little at his question. "He told me that he's going to be watching over Nightmare Moon during her reformation. And from what he told me about their first encounter, she easily took him down even while restraining herself. We've completed my training early, so shouldn't you go check up on Burst?"
"Arctic Ace." Aether said in a fatherly tone. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't worrying every waking minute Burst is near Nightmare Moon. Burst has contacted me about his situation. And from him informing me, I can say that I know he's going to be just fine. My son is a good judge of character. He can get a pretty good read from people after meeting them. It's how he's gotten to become fast friends with all of you. So if he's comfortable having an ex-villain under the same roof as him, and is certain she wants to become a better person, I'm more than inclined to believe him."
Aether then smiled fondly. "Speaking of family, I'd best be going home! Lumina's waiting for me, and it's rude to keep a lady waiting! ESPECIALLY your wife!"
Arctic Ace smiled. "I'm due for a visit from my family soon. They'll be coming today, and I want to meet them at the station. And again, thanks for your training." Ace flew off towards the station while Aether teleported home. It's been a while since I've seen Ice and Shadow. And even longer since all three of us were with our parents.
Ace landed at the train station. He noticed the crowd murmuring amongst themselves at his arrival. I guess they're still talking about me putting all the Umbrum in cold storage. I'm surprised they haven't erected statues of Ice yet. He's the one that actually put an end to Sombra. Then you've got Spike. He's the one who put the Crystal Heart back where it belongs.
The arrival of the Crystal Express snapped Ace out of his thoughts. As soon as the doors were opened, an orange blur flew at Ace! Swooping him into a hug! "HAH! There's my boy!" Blazewing, the dad of Ace, Ice, and Shadow cheered. The trio's father had fiery red hair and flame-orange skin. His fiery attitude was something Dark Ice had inherited despite the eldest brother's name. Blazewing's outfit consisted of a black jacket and dark blue jeans. "First you become a hero, then you stand among the gods!"
"Now, now Blazewing." A soothing, female voice called out. A woman exited out the train with a serene smile on her face. Her outfit consisting of jeans and a light blue dress. Like her husband, she was a Skyborn. "We all knew that my little snow angel was special. After all, he did get his wings and looks from me."
Blazewing smiled at his wife. "True enough Crystal! He also got his looks from you."
Crystal Breeze smiled as she walked over to Arctic Ace. Ace really did resemble his mother due to both of them having white skin, light purple hair, and icy blue eyes. She gave him a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again Ace. You've grown so much since I saw you last." She then held onto Ace's hand. Smiling down at the snowflake crest mark on his hand that indicated his newfound access to magic. "Despite your Talent Crest, you're anything but fragile."
"Well, I did come up with a shield move I called Glacier Wall." Ace said with a smile. He was puzzled when his mom let go of him, but he quickly understood why. Two figures flew at him, and jumped onto him. The Avatar of Wisdom letting out a knowing sigh as one of the figures messed with his hair. "Ice. Shadow. I was wondering when you two would try and jump me."
Dark Ice chuckled as he released his hold on Arctic Ace. "We never could try to pull a fast one on you Ace! I guess that's one of the things that'll never change between us!"
"Yep!" Shadow Thunder said with a happy nod. "That, and I'm pretty sure Ace's ability to totally own us in snowball fights just got a serious boost!"
Arctic Ace smiled. "Well then. Since you brought it up, would the two of you like to revisit those good times?" Arctic Ace powered up his magic as he took to the sky above the city! With a flap of his wings, a blanket of snow gradually fell upon the city! "However, there's more fun to be had with the whole city in on it! SNOWBALL WAR!" And in less than a minute, the Crystal Empire was engulfed in a snowy mass of playful chaos.
Everyone was hurling snowballs at each other! Some people even began sniping at those on lower ground from the rooftops! Dark Ice was dodging like the whole thing was nothing to him. That is, until a lucky stranger landed a hit! "What the?!" Dark Ice heard giggling, and whipped his head upwards. He saw Indigo Zap stifling a giggle and holding a few more snowballs in her arms. Ice smirked. "How about I even the playing field?" Dark Ice prepared as many snowballs as he could, and flew at Indigo Zap! Hurling his projectiles like a madman! Naturally, Indigo Zap returned fire!
The two were evenly matched, but soon found themselves headed for a crash landing as Arctic Ace had used his magic to amass a gigantic snowball that wiped out all the other participants on their little snowy battlefield! "I guess that's the end of the war." Indigo Zap said with a fond sigh.
"Yeah. Looks like." Dark Ice said with a nod. "Soooo, what do we do now? Kiss and make up for earlier?"
Indigo Zap smiled. "Okay." She then kissed Dark Ice on the cheek! "Don't be afraid to visit anytime soon, 'kay? I've still gotta repay you for keeping your promise."
Dark Ice's entire face was flushed red at this moment. Both of his parents watching on with fond smiles. The time of Ice's departure felt like it had all been washed away. And all it took was a chaotic snowball fight that encompassed an entire empire.
Nightmare Moon stirred in her bed. Slowly, she rose to meet the source of what had disturbed her slumber. To no surprise, it was a ray of sunlight. "Morning already." She mumbled to herself. The former Woman in the Moon stopped and sniffed the air. "Of course, that would be the more obvious hint."
With a small smile, Nightmare Moon wrapped herself in the covers of her bed and opened her door. Like any morning, Burst Stream was cooking breakfast. "You're late with my breakfast in bed."
"Funny. I thought you would have slept in all day. And I didn't want to risk you biting at me with your fangs." Burst Stream quipped as he turned to face Nightmare Moon. "Can't you just, well, wear certain portions of your armor? You don't need to use your bed covers as clothes!"
Nightmare Moon smirked. "And miss out on this fun? Please. I might be reforming, but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with my gracious host." Nightmare Moon went back into her room, and put on certain portions of her armor. Namely the portions for her chest, lower arms, and her legs. "Well this saves me some equip time." She then slid her helmet onto her head. Slightly compressing her ethereal hair.
"Here's your breakfast." Burst Stream said as he set a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of Nightmare Moon. "I already got mind ready so-" Burst felt his phone buzz in his pocket and sighed. "Looks like digging in is gonna have to wait." Burst took out his phone, and frowned slightly. He then began texting away, and sent a message. "That's the third text I've gotten from her."
Nightmare Moon tilted her head in interest. "So who's the lady giving you trouble? I could always give her a nightmare since I can enter the dreamscape."
"I don't think you frightening my girlfriend is really going to help me." Burst Stream responded crossly. "It's just. . . (sigh) she's worried about me, you know? And I honestly can't blame her." He then looked at Nightmare Moon. "My fight against you was almost a curb stomp. And that's keeping in mind that you were holding back because you didn't want to kill anyone. So now that you're staying in my house? Yeah. I can definitely see plenty of reason for Celestia to worry about me."
Burst let out a long sigh. "I just wish she wouldn't check in on me almost every couple of hours. Still, me being silent with her would make things worse." The only thing stopping Burst from continuing was the sound of his stomach grumbling. Prompting the Element of Power to devour his breakfast. "Anyway, I'll get you a phone after breakfast. I'll be sure to teach you all the workings."
"Trying to give me your number?" Nightmare Moon asked with a flirty smirk. "I didn't know you thought we were that close already Burst Stream."
Burst slightly blushed and shook his head. "Just. . . give me your plate when you're done Nightmare Moon." Well, it could be worse. She could be super prideful and refuse any help I might try to give her. A minute or two later, Burst had cleaned up both his and Nightmare Moon's plate. "Well, no sense putting it off."
The two headed off to the phone store. It surprised neither of them that they were getting stares from people who were out and about, but they paid no mind to it. Namely because the people felt safe because Burst was keeping himself close to Nightmare Moon and had equipped his Duelist Arms, and the fact they all thought Nightmare would haunt their dreams if she caught them staring.
Once inside the shop, things didn't go exactly as planned. Nightmare Moon had picked out a phone and a case that was designed after Luna's talent crest. "Easy fix." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. One zap of magic later, and it resembled her talent crest. She then placed it on the register counter. "So. How much will this cost?"
"I-It's on the house!" The cashier answered nervously. "J-Just please don't give me nightmares!"
Nightmare Moon sighed internally. "Burst! Could I get some help over here?"
"I'm on it." Burst said with a shrug. I figured it would take some time for people to get used to her. It's only been a couple days. Burst had just gotten to the counter when he heard the sounds of panic outside. He also could've sworn he heard Rainbow Dash shouting at whatever was the source of the commotion. "What the?!" He was about to tell Nightmare Moon to stay put, but noticed she had gone out the door. "She can handle herself. But just in case. . . " Burst then went outside himself.
Nightmare Moon peeked out from the corner of a building. She watched as Twilight was facing off against the attacker. Said attacker called herself The Great and Powerful Trixie. A stage magician's name if ever there was one. Nightmare Moon thought with a smirk as she watched the vengeful magician rant at Twilight. The former Lady in the Moon just shook her head in disappointment as she heard Trixie's motivation for revenge. A petty cause. And an even pettier motivation. She could have spent time refining her act, and she decides to get payback just because she was upstaged. Such unbecoming behavior from a professional.
Nightmare Moon was about to power up her magic, but then a thought occurred to her. Her prior defeats had grantedher an invaluable skill. The ability to think things through. Nightmare Moon focused intently on what she'd heard from Trixie's rant, and the amulet around her neck. I can sense it. That trinket around her neck is greatly amplifying her magic. But it's also amplifying her negative desires. While she is stronger than Twilight Sparkle is now, and I could easily defeat this magician, that wouldn't exactly paint the best picture of me. However, Nightmare Moon smirked. Let's see how she handles her return being upstaged as well? Nightmare Moon snapped her fingers, and a veil of mist surrounded Twilight and Trixie! Nightmare Moon then turned into mist herself, and floated around in the air.
"And now, Trixie shall-wait." Trixie paused as she looked around herself and Twilight! "Where is all this mist coming from?! Is this one of your tricks too Twilight Sparkle?!"
Twilight was about to protest, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice coming from all around them. "Yes. It appears you have become much stronger Trixie." Nightmare Moon's voice called out from all over the veil of mist. "I can sense it. Your magic has grown to a level that exceeds hers."
"Hmph." Trixie said with a smirk and a hair toss. "I don't know who you are, but it's very clear that you have a refined sense of strength. Indeed! Trixie is now the most powerful Magi in all of Unity!"
"Indeed you are. So why waste your power on one who you know that you can defeat so easily?" Nightmare Moon questioned. Gradually taking form as she spoke. "Why not duel against a more worthy foe? One in which the duel shall be a true spectacle!"
Trixie's ego grew bigger with every word thanks to the amulet's influence. "Of course! I can't believe I was going to waste my new strength on such a plain opponent!"
Nightmare Moon fully formed, and materialized right behind Trixie! "Then how about me?" Trixie turned around, and her entire body paled. As Trixie began to step back, Nightmare Moon advanced. Emphasizing her steps with the clinking of her armor. "You know that you can best Twilight. Surely you could claim victory over one of her previous foes. Or was all that bravado earlier just puffing your chest to draw attention to yourself like the low-quality performance you put on last time?"
Trixie would have been enraged at Nightmare Moon's remark, but the mere fear that had been induced from Nightmare Moon's appearance completely overshadowed it! Much like how Nightmare Moon towered over the fearful performer! "O-Of course not! She had to defeat you with her friends! A-And Trixie shall best you on her own!"
"Then prove it!" Nightmare Moon slapped Trixie across her face! "Muster thy magic, magician!" The two got into dueling stances. Their arms hanging on their sides. Fingers twitching in an attempt to psyche the other into firing off the first spell. The whole town was watching in anticipation! Beads of sweat began to fall off of Trixie's face while Nightmare Moon maintained a calm, stoic expression. Suddenly, Nightmare Moon made a gesture as to strike at Trixie!
"I FORFEIT!" Trixie screamed as she ripped off the Avatar Amulet and groveled on her knees! "I WAS CHEATING! I DIDN'T EVEN WORK TO BOOST MY MAGIC! THE AMULET WAS WHAT POWERED ME UP! I'M SORRY!" Trixie began shaking as Nightmare Moon calmly strode towards her. "P-Please! D-Don't devour me!"
Nightmare Moon smirked and let out a small sigh. She dismissed the mist veil with a wave of her hand. "How long has that stupid rumor been floating around to get children to obey their parents? Let's get one thing clear. I don't have any taste for sapient life." She then heard a sigh of relief from the crowd, and noticed that Trixie had stopped shaking. "Lastly, I'm not going to do anything to you. Your return reminded me of myself in some ways. Vengeance. How utterly pointless. However, I have a punishment in mind." Nightmare Moon then knelt down to Trixie's level.
"Work on your performing skills." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "Live up to your title. Show your audience a performance that truly merits you calling yourself The Great and Powerful Trixie! You have forgotten the magic already in your craft. You'd do well to remember it."
Trixie nodded frantically, and Nightmare Moon nodded in response. "Good. Now then, I have a purchase to finish." As Nightmare Moon began to leave, she levitated the Avatar Amulet and tossed it to Twilight. "A trinket like that shouldn't be left in just anyone's hands."
"The Avatar Amulet!" Twilight exclaimed as she caught the infamous amulet in her hands! "It can greatly boost a Magi's magic, but it also slowly corrupts them!" She then looked at Nightmare Moon. "Even if Trixie was wearing this, you could've easily beaten her! But how did you beat her without even casting a single spell?!"
Nightmare Moon turned to Twilight, and did something Twilight didn't expect. Give her a genuine smile. "Not all magic is as obvious as spells Twilight Sparkle. I merely defeated Trixie by using her own magic against her. The art of a performance and stage magic. I was observing her own rant, and used her own background against her. All it boils down to is smoke and mirrors, a bit of atmosphere, and just a dash of misdirection." Nightmare Moon then turned and began to leave. "You should probably talk to her. You and whoever convinced you to one-up Trixie in the first place."
"That's on my head." Arctic Ace said as he teleported in. "Come on Twilight. We'd better do some damage control on Trixie." Both Ace and Twilight saw Trixie sitting with her legs curled towards her chest. "Um. . . hi?"
Trixie perked her head up and looked at Ace and Twilight. "You can go ahead and gloat. I kind of deserve it." Trixie sighed. "I think I let my own hype get the better of me." She then looked to Arctic Ace. "Who are you?"
"Arctic Ace." Ace answered with a comforting smile. "Element and Avatar of Wisdom. And let me drop some wisdom on you. You boasted. That's all part of being a performer. But a little tip? Give off a believable feat. One that you can actually pull off. Because if you get your audience by claiming you can do something and NOT back it up? It's the epitome of a lousy performer."
Trixe managed a small smile, and nuzzled against one of Ace's wings. "For a guy with ice wings, you're certainly warm-hearted."
"Uh. . . uh. . . no problem!" Ace said as he sprung to his feet. "Gottagobye!" And in a flash, Arctic Ace had teleported away. Leaving Twilight and Trixie to chat.
"Soooo, is there ANY way I can make up for pretty much wrecking your day?" Trixie asked Twilight nervously. "I kind of owe you one for giving you so much trouble over something that insignificant."
Twilight shrugged. "Sure. You were pretty good at fireworks if I remember your first visit. Princess Celestia's coming over with some VIP guests. I think they'd appreciate a great and powerful performance."
Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon had run into Burst Stream on her way back. She then noticed the smile on his face. "I didn't think you'd ever be happy to see me."
"Well, I've got a good reason to be." Burst said with a shrug. "I paid for your phone case. But, we're not done yet. There's one more thing I need to get for you today."
Nightmare Moon raised one of her eyebrows. "Oh? And what would that be?"
"Ice cream." Burst answered. "I thought you might like something to enjoy with your sweet victory."
Nightmare Moon smirked. "Couldn't I just kiss you again?"
"NO!" Burst shouted as he blushed!
Episode 9: Rejection and Acceptance
Queen Chrysalis was not happy. Her hive was practically deserted due to most of the changelings defecting. And it was all because her entire plan had fallen apart because of two people. Twilight Sparkle and Burst Stream. "That day was supposed to be PERFECT!" Chrysalis screamed! Her angry cry practically echoing through the hive! "First Twilight Sparkle exposed me. Then Burst Stream humiliated me by pushing me to the edge of defeat! And to top it all of, I was not nearly powerful enough to handle that blasted Celestia!"
"Yet even if I did face them again, I would make little progress." Chrysalis growled. "The Elements of Harmony are still in play. Even if I had managed to continue my attack, they would have been unleashed! And that pest Twilight Sparkle is one of their bearers!" Chrysalis then paused for a moment and noted a tidbit of information that seemed insignificant at what was supposed to be the changeling queen's crowning victory. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had been quite attached to three certain little girls. A wicked smile spread across Chrysalis's face. "Unless of course, I persuade them to forfeit the elements."
A drone then buzzed up to Chrysalis, and informed her of Nightmare Moon's return. "It couldn't hurt to have some extra help." Chrysalis thought with a smirk. "What better way to win over a fallen princess than with an offer to rise once more?" Chrysalis sent out her drones to abduct the Talent Crest Crusaders.
Spike was with the three young girls when a small squad of changelings appeared! Spike tried to fight, but he was easily overpowered. The squad of changelings left a ransom note on the ground before initiating a group teleport! "Sweetie Belle. . . " Spike gripped the note tightly, and ran back to the Golden Oaks library! Frantically waving the ransom note in Twilight's face!
Twilight's eyes narrowed, and she called for the Main 6 to assemble. "To the Elements of Harmony." Twilight read. "I have the three girls who hold large places in your hearts. Unless you want there to be absences where they once stood, surrender the elements of harmony! I await to hear your decision at the Castle of the Two Sisters."
"That no-good, hole-filled, witch!" Rainbow Dash screamed! "If she thinks for a second that we're just going to rollover and fork over the Elements of Harmony, she's wrong! DEAD wrong! It was low when she nearly wrecked Princess Cadence's wedding, but she just made this personal by taking Scoots!"
Applejack clenched her fists. "I swear if that sorry excuse for a queen's laid a hand on Apple Bloom. . . "
"It's disgusting she even CONSIDERS herself royalty!" Rarity fumed! "Abducting Applejack's and my litte sister, and Rainbow Dash's surrogate sister! THE VILLAIN DESERVES DEATH!" Everyone was a little shocked at Rarity's outburst. But considering her sister had just been abducted, it was well within reason.
"There's more." Twilight said as everyone had calmed down a bit. "I also extend an invitation to Nightmare Moon. There are certain matters I'd like to discuss with her. Royally yours, Queen Chrysalis." Twilight sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Twilight, you're not seriously going to tell her about this, are you?!" Rainbow Dash protested! "She's still reforming! There's a good chance she'll turn on us because of whatever Chrysalis wants to talk to her about!"
Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash. You KNOW Nightmare Moon doesn't have any vengeful intent. She even told us that when she made herself known! And Applejack! Did you pick up on any hint of lies when she told us that?"
"Nope." Applejack said with a shake of her head. "I couldn't find even the tiniest trace. Seemed like she really wanted to change."
"Then we'd better see how much she holds herself to making that change." Twilight said with a nod. She rushed over to Burst's house, and knocked on the door. "Burst! I need to speak to Nightmare Moon! It's urgent!"
A few seconds later, Nightmare Moon and Burst had opened up. Nightmare Moon stepped outside clad in all her armor. Holding her helmet at her hip. "You called for me, yes? I even fully equipped my armor."
"Yes. It's an emergency!" Twilight said. "Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the remaining changelings, has kidnapped some young girls who are closely tied with some of my friends. They're being held in the Castle of the Two Sisters. The price of their return is the Elements of Harmony, and an audience with you." Twilight sighed. "I know nobody's exactly given you a chance, but they're starting to come around after you dealing with Trixie! Please! Help us! If you help us rescue Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, everyone will think better of you!"
Nightmare Moon's face held a stoic expression as she listened to Twilight's plea. "I will go. But I have one condition." Twilight's eyes brightened up and immediately went dim again. "I will rescue those girls. And I will face Chrysalis. But I will do it alone. Don't even think of turning over your best defense so quickly."
"But. . . why are you going alone?!" Twilight protested! "My friends and I have faced her before! We know her tricks! We've taken on her minions and we've won! Do you really think that we won't be able to give you any help?!"
Nightmare Moon sighed. "You bested me upon my return Twilight Sparkle. I know full well that you and your friends are quite capable. Together, you are unstoppable. I would say this is a meeting between royals, but I haven't earned the right to call myself as such. No. This is something I need to do for myself. Will I triumph over my past? Or will I fall once more?"
Nightmare Moon just looked ahead as she slid on her helmet. "Upon my return, we'll both have the answer to those questions." Nightmare Moon spread her wings, and flew towards the old castle! I'll give the changeling queen this. She certainly has a sense for staging.
Meanwhile, inside the castle, Chrysalis sat on the ruined throne with a smirk. She then turned her attention to the Talent Crest Crusaders struggling in their gooey bindings. "You're not gonna get away with this!" Scootaloo cried out! "The Elements of Harmony, or the Elements of Heroism, either one of them are going to come and kick your buggy butt!"
"How adorable." Chrysalis said in a sickly sweet tone. "You think that your heroes will come storming into the castle. That they'll swoop in at the last minute to save you and never yield to my demands. Let me make your situation very clear." Chrysalis walked over to the TCC, and slightly knelt down to their level. Sneering at them. "They will agree to my ransom terms. Or they will hold onto their precious elements because they think you're not worth giving them up for. Either way, NO ONE will come to save you."
"What a load a hooey!" Apple Bloom spat! "Even if they didn't come for us, we'd understand! It's better than letting you get your filthy hands on our home!"
Chrysalis was about to slap Apple Bloom across the face when she heard a voice! "Well, you're half right. Neither of the teams of elements will be coming here." The sounds of armor clinking and the cries of changeling drones being thrown about or blasted could be heard from the nearby corridor! "Because they don't need to come. . . " Nightmare Moon fully emerged from the corridor. "Not when I am here."
"Ah. Nightmare Moon." Chrysalis said with a smirk. "Perhaps the absence of both teams of elements is for the best. Now you're free to make you own choice about my proposition. I think you'll find it will grant both of us what we want."
Nightmare Moon's face remained stoic as she stared at Chrysalis. "And just what does this proposition entail that can get me what I want?"
"It's quite simple. Join me." Chrysalis said with a devious smile. "I too have known utter defeat at the hands of Celestia. I was humiliated. Most of my people deserted me. Victory wrested from me at the very end! You were beaten twice by the Elements of Harmony. The two of us on our own have failed. But together? Imagine what we could accomplish!"
Chrysalis got up from the ruined throne, and took a few steps towards Nightmare Moon. "I disguised myself as the Princess of Love during the Castalot Wedding. None were the wiser to my scheme. That is, until Twilight Sparkle and Burst Stream unmasked me. And you were able to bring seal Celestia in her own sun! One royal to another, I think we could do something great."
"So what do you say?" Chrysalis said with a smirk as she extended her hand. "Shall we unite our powers and claim what should rightfully be ours?"
Nightmare Moon was silent for a moment. She then slowly smirked. "You have a good offer. But there's just one problem. I'm not Nightmare Moon."
"Excuse me?!" Chrysalis asked. "I find that hard to believe. Your description matched the one told in your legend. How can you not be her?!"
"Oh, I am her." Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "Just not the one you were expecting to snag with your offer. You should realize that you're doomed to fail with such a worthless motive like vengeance. Twice I've tried that and all it got me was tanking a rainbow to the face. Let me give you some advice: Just drop your revenge plot. It's only going to dig you into a deeper hole." Nightmare Moon removed her helmet, and tossed it away!
Chrysalis scoffed. "Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'third time's the charm'? Don't you want to get back at those who have beaten you?! Did your defeats have no effect on you?!"
"My defeats have affected me Chrysalis." Nightmare Moon said with a sad smile. "Because I learned to do the one thing you might never learn to do. Admit that I was wrong. For a queen whose race contains the word change in it, you refuse to change yourself."
Nightmare Moon noticed the growing scowl on Chrysalis's face. "But even if I were still vengeful, I would never side with the likes of you. I don't like how you operate." As she spoke, Nightmare Moon's gaze slowly turned into a glare. "You've abducted children. Hide behind hostages to get the outcome you desire. Relied upon deception and toying with hearts to work situations to your favor. The tactics of liars and cowards. Methods that I despise. But that aside, I would never join you because you are not a leader."
"You DARE to insult me like that?!" Chrysalis hissed. "The crown I wear is my own! It signifies my right! And I shall take Celestia's! Then the world shall be rightfully mine!"
Nightmare Moon maintained her glare, and smirked at Chrysalis. "You can try, but you will fail. Because NO ONE will follow you. Celestia's subjects follow her because they want to. They love her. And they will fight for her. She's more of a queen than you could ever hope to be. But you seem to forget something. Before the likes of Celestia, Luna, or me? You. Are. Nothing. Ultimately, what is a queen to a goddess?"
"You. . . " Chrysalis hissed! "I WILL NO LONGER STAND FOR THIS!" Chrysalis flew at Nightmare Moon! "YOU DARE TO INSULT ME?! DIE BI-"
Nightmare Moon slapped Chrysalis to the right side of the room! "Mind your language. There are children present." She then summoned her broadsword! "I won't kill you Chrysalis. But I WILL humble you. Just as Celestia did." Nightmare Moon slid out of the way as Chrysalis charged at her with a scimitar construct made of magic! "How careless." Nightmare Moon slashed Chrysalis across the back! The changeling queen hissing in pain as she staggered away! "Not so tough when you're on your own, are you?"
Chrysalis just hissed and fired a beam of magic at Nightmare Moon! Nightmare just smirked, and plunged her blade into the ground! Making a shield of stardust appear around her to block Chrysalis's beam! She then countered with a lightning bolt she summoned with her magic! The strike paralyzing Chrysalis! Nightmare Moon flew up to Chrysalis, and threw her into the air!
Nightmare Moon then readied her blade. "Nightmare Rush." In a flash of black feathers, Nightmare Moon disappeared and reappeared! Slashing at Chrysalis each time she popped in and out! her attacks were simultaneously violent and graceful! It was almost like she was dancing in the air with her broadsword! Nightmare Moon ended her attack by smacking Chrysalis to the ground! Nightmare Moon finished her assault by firing a massive beam of magic at the grounded Chrysalis! When the blast was done, Chrysalis's body was smoking in a crater! All the beaten changeling drones filed into the room, and gasped when they saw the state of their queen. "Leave. And never return."
The drones were so scared at the thought of what would happen should they stay, so they picked up Chrysalis and warped back to their hive with an emergency teleport! "Hopefully we'll be rid of that parasite soon." Nightmare Moon then turned her attention to the CTT. A small smile crept across Nightmare Moon's face as she noted their awed faces. "If you get into anymore trouble, I just might have to babysit you."
After freeing the girls, Nightmare Moon flew back to Unityville with them in tow. Upon landing, the TCC rushed to their respective sister/sister figure. Twilight stepped forward. "It looks like you passed your test Nightmare Moon. You know, I don't think we can thank you enough for what you've done."
"You don't owe me anything." Nightmare Moon said. "Not your friendship, and not your acceptance. Like I said, this was something I had to do for myself. And now I can accept myself." And with that, Nightmare Moon left and returned to Burst Stream's house. Telling him about her recent adventure.
"That's awesome!" Burst Stream exclaimed. "You know? I bet this will get people changing their minds about you. I bet it was pretty hard to say no to Chrysalis."
Nightmare Moon chuckled. "Actually, it was pretty easy. I don't like the way she operates. But. . . there was something else." The warm feeling Nightmare Moon had felt before had returned. "You believed in me when no one else did. That went a long way. Especially today."
"Gee. . . I didn't know I'd have that much of an effect on you." Burst said with a bashful smile. He then saw a text message icon on his phone, and decided to read the new message. "Hey, Nightmare Moon? We gotta get to Sugar Cube Corner. It's pretty important."
Nightmare Moon was puzzled as she walked alongside Burst. They had arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, but all the lights were out! Burst motioned for her to open the door. When she did, the lights were switched on and she was met with a volley of confetti! "SURPRISE!" The Main 6 and the other Elements of Heroism cheered! The banner hanging read: WELCOME TO UNITYVILLE/THANKS FOR SAVING TOWN & THE TALENT CREST CRUSADERS!
"I. . . I don't understand." Nightmare Moon said as she tried to take everything in. "Why are you doing all this? And why for me?"
Pinkie just waved off Nightmare Moon's questions. "C'mon! You said it yourself! You've never had a party before! Sooo, I decided to throw you a 3-in-1 party for all the cool things you've done!"
"You said that we don't owe you anything." Twilight said with a small smile. "But that doesn't mean you don't deserve our acceptance and friendship. Especially since you've worked so hard to be better than who you are. Could we all see your phone please?" Nightmare Moon handed Twilight her phone. Twilight added her number to Nightmare Moon's contacts, and then handed it to the other party guests. Each of them adding their number to Nightmare's contacts list as well. "We're proud to call ourselves your friends. And you ours. We're only one call away if you need us."
Nightmare Moon could feel that warm feeling in her heart streaming through her entire being! Never before had she felt this warmth before! She was snapped out of her new state of being when Rarity handed her a couple boxes and some bags. "It's the new outfits I was making for you darling. I do hope you'll like them. The first one I put together with you in mind. I've also prepared a few undergarments for your wardrobe."
"Thank you." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "Would you excuse me? I think I'd like to try that outfit on." Nightmare Moon headed to the restroom, and stripped herself of her armor. She quickly opened the first box, and put on some of the undergarments. Once fully dressed, she exited the restroom and set the other bags aside. All the party guests were in awe of her new look.
Nightmare Moon's new outfit consisted of black high-heel boots, blue jeans, an azure top, and a black leather jacket with her talent crest emblazoned on the back. "Well, how do I look?"
"Like a hot badass!" Rainbow Dash remarked! "Rarity really got the dangerous part of your appearance down! Not to mention how sweet that jacket looks on you! Kinda like Burst's coat!"
Nightmare Moon then did something no one expected. She actually smiled. Not a cold, or malicious smile that she had given in the past. But a warm, genuine smile that seemed to radiate the happiness she was feeling. "Well Burst? What do you think?"
"It looks perfect on you." Burst said with a smile. "And it fits the situation. You've changed. You're not the same person you were before Nightmare Moon."
Nightmare Moon smiled warmly at hearing this. ". . . Moon." This made many of her new friends raise an eyebrow at this. "Please. Call me Moon."
Everyone smiled and raised a soda to Nightmare Moon! Burst did too, but stopped when he felt his phone buzz. He looked to see another message from Celestia. She had been checking up on him more and more frequently. It was starting to get a little crazy, so Burst decided to turn his phone off. He was fine the last couple of times. And he was feeling fine now.
That night, Burst decided to cook some steaks to celebrate Nightmare Moon's reformation. "Here's to your new life Moon. Dig in!" The two happily ate away at their meal.
"You know? I just realized something." Nightmare Moon said with a giggle. "Each time things looked dark, you were always there. And because of you, light was shed on my past as I reflected what I'd done. Even when that annoying woman intruded during my first night, you stayed by my side." She then smiled at Burst Stream. "It's pretty hard not to grow fond of you since you brighten up my life."
Burst blushed at hearing this as he polished off the rest of his food. "I, uh, think that I'll get ready for bed now." Burst got up to clean his and Nightmare Moon's plates, but was surprised when Moon wrapped her arms around him.
"I'll be off to bed as well." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. She then leaned into Burst's ear, and whispered to him. "Sweet dreams My Precious Light."
Burst gulped a little. ". . . Goodnight Moon."
Zecora was hesitant as she handed over the Avatar Amulet to the young woman before her. The young woman had white skin, light pink hair, and fiery pink eyes. Her outfit consisting of almost entirely white clothing. Her shoes, pants, tunic, and cloak. "There is one question I must ask. Do you know the danger between the trinket you will soon grasp?"
"I assure you good shaman. I myself do not wish to possess this accursed, dark item." The young woman stated. "My master is well aware of its dangerous properties. He wishes to make it so that none my obtain it. The Avatar Amulet shall be in safe hands. I, Nova Flare, swear it." Zecora hesitantly handed the infamous amulet over, and Nova Flare returned to her master. "Lord Shining Dawn. I have brought you the Avatar Amulet as you requested."
Shining Dawn smiled as he levitated the amulet over to himself and soon put it in a display case. "As always, you have served me well Nova Flare. You may leave me." Shining Dawn kept his eye on the Avatar Amulet when he heard the sound of a portal open behind him. "Come to admire my latest acquisition?"
"No. We have trouble." Blitz Surge growled as he threw a newspaper on Shining Dawn's desk! "Read the cover story." Shining Dawn picked up the paper and saw the picture of Burst Stream standing next to Nightmare Moon. "He just doesn't know when to die."
Shining Dawn froze, and snapped his head in Blitz's direction! "WHAT. DID. YOU. DO."
"Oh please." Blitz Surge scoffed. "I was doing us a favor. You said it yourself. There were only supposed to be two of us. And then he shows up. So, I decided to rectify the mistake. With him gone, our destiny can go forth unopposed."
Shining Dawn was furious! "You mean to tell me you attacked him in the Everfree Forest and left him to die?! FOOL! I may have encountered him once before, but he knew nothing about me! He never knew about the common blood in all three of our veins! And he may very well have gone about the rest of his life not knowing! But because of you, he might start to investigate!"
"There's no further point in hiding myself." Shining Dawn grumbled. "It's time that I pay father a visit. I wonder, how will he react to seeing me all grown up?" Shining Dawn heard Blitz exit through a new portal. "Looks like it's time for a family reunion. . . "
Meanwhile, in Unityville, Burst was happily munching away at his breakfast. He smiled when he saw Nightmare Moon get out of bed. "Morning Moon!" Burst greeted. "So how are you liking the sleepwear Rarity got you?"
"Her generosity knows no bounds." Nightmare Moon said as she stretched. She then noticed Burst scrolling through his phone. "I take it you're keeping in close contact with Celestia?"
Burst sighed. "Not the way I hoped I would." He then perked up a bit when he noticed a new text come in. It was from his dad Aether Stream. "Huh. I got a text from my dad. It's been a while since I heard from my parents." Burst Stream opened up the text. "Moon? Could you watch the house for a bit? I need to make a trip to Castalot. Something's come up with my parents."
"I'll hold down the fort." Nightmare Moon said with a shrug. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to get some experience with your consoles." She then smiled at Burst. "I wonder if us crossing controllers will be as eventful as us crossing swords."
Burst chuckled. "You really want to go a few rounds? Try dropping by me and the guys' training sessions once in a while. I'm pretty sure Steel and Ace are eager to see how they stack up against you." Burst grabbed his coat, and was soon on the next train to Castalot. "I wonder what's so important that Dad texted me to come immediately."
"I guess I'll find out soon." Burst Stream told himself as he opened the door to his old home. "I'm here Dad!" Burst called out as he entered his old house. "I came as soon as you-" Burst froze in his tracks as he saw Shining Dawn sitting across from his parents! Aether was sitting with his arms crossed, and didn't look too happy to see Shining Dawn sitting across from him. "Uh. . . what're you doing here?"
Shining Dawn smiled. "I knew I sensed something familiar within you when we first met Burst Stream. Or should I say. . . little brother?"
"Wait. What?" Burst Stream asked. "Did you just call me 'little brother'? Check your facts dude! My mom is the only person that my dad married. I'm the only child they ever had together. You can't possibly be my brother!"
Aether sighed. "No. He IS your brother Burst." Aether then returned his cross stare to Shining Dawn. "But make no mistake. I might have brought him into this world, but he ISN'T my son."
"Now, now Father." Shining Dawn said with a calm smile. "While I understand that your union with my mother was not the happiest, I-"
Aether sprang to his feet! "Union? Union?! There was no union!" Aether's wings flared out! Reflecting his angered state! Magic began to leak from his hands. "Your mother coerced me into sleeping with her! And the second she confirmed that she was pregnant with you, she cut all ties with me! I never even got to see you be born, or hold you in my arms to welcome you into the world! I had no part at all in raising you, and yet your mother Radiant Dawn still had the audacity to tell you that I was your father! She openly told me that she only stayed with me so she could produce an heir worthy of her bloodline!"
"Aether." Lumina said with a concerned look in her eyes as she grabbed onto her husband's arm. "I know how much you were hurt. What happened to you was wrong, and there's no excuse for it. But from that pain came something wonderful." Lumina smiled as she led Aether back to the couch. "You and I. And our son."
Shining Dawn smirked. "A valid point Miss Lumina. And judging by his feats, he is a son that you can be proud of. I should mention that I myself have a grand scheme in the works. One that will bring forth a new dawn in our history."
"You think that's why we're proud of Burst Stream?" Aether asked with a scoff. "How insulting. We're proud of him because of who he's come to be from how we raised him. What he's done is impressive. But it means nothing if who he is can't even stack up to his deeds."
Burst smiled at Aether. "Well, I owe how far I've come to you Dad. Without your training, I don't know if I'd even be standing here. I think you've really earned the World's Greatest Dad mug."
"Why do you keep disrespecting our father like this?" Shining Dawn asked. "Why do you keep calling him 'dad'? It's such a base, common term unworthy of a literal god among us!"
Burst raised an eyebrow. "I'm dating Princess Celestia. And couple that with the fact I was actually raised by Dad, I've learned one important truth. Avatars aren't perfect. They laugh, they cry, they hurt, they love just like anyone else. They're not perfect. But they do their best just like all of us. And in the end, that makes us all the same."
"Fine then." Shining Dawn said with a scoff. "Honestly? You're far more disappointing than mother said you would be." He then looked to Lumina. "Personally, I can't see why you settled for a such a common girl. Someone not worth your-?!"
Burst grabbed Shining Dawn, and pinned him against the wall! "NEVER talk about my family that way EVER AGAIN." He then pointed towards the door. "If you've got nothing else to do here, I suggest you leave." Burst Stream then released Shining Dawn. "But before you go, I've got a piece of advice for you. You can talk bad about me and call me a ruffian or brute. I don't care. But if I so much as hear you badmouth my friends, family, or hear you think less of Celestia just because she's dating me? I won't hesitate to make you regret it."
Shining Dawn stood in the doorway for a few seconds. "You're one of the few people with the guts to actually stand against me Burst Stream. I respect that. And the fact that you have such a relationship with our ruler. " He then left. It's almost a shame I'll have to ruin it since you are with her when I should be.
Burst let out a sigh. "You two have no idea how hard it was to resist the urge to punch that jerk. I think I'll just head back home now." Burst waved goodbye to his parents, and returned to his house back in Unityville. "I'm back."
"So what was the big emergency?" Nightmare Moon asked as she paused the game she was playing. "Did your dad reveal some sort of important destiny that said the fate of the world rested on your shoulders?"
Burst chuckled. "Worse. I found out I've got a brother I didn't know about whose illegitimate. I wouldn't have minded that fact if he wasn't a total prick who said my mom wasn't deserving of my dad. He's the same noble I learned my new shield spell from to booth. Name's Shining Dawn." Burst let out a sigh as he sat down on the couch next to Nightmare Moon. "Honestly Moon? I'm not even going to bother calling him a part of my family. Is that wrong of me?"
"If you feel no connection or closeness to Shining Dawn, then don't bother trying to acknowledge him as family." Nightmare Moon said. "You may share blood. But from what you've said, you're not brothers."
Burst smiled as he pulled Nightmare Moon into a hug. "Thanks Moon. I guess it takes someone who's fallen to know how to lift up other people."
". . . Anytime Burst Stream." Nightmare Moon said as she returned the hug. A slight blush on her face as she felt that warm sensation in her heart. It seemed especially stronger since Burst was so close. She wanted to pull him closer, but held off on it. Could he really love someone like me? Would I even deserve it? As soon as Burst pulled away, Nightmare Moon had an almost disappointed look on her face. How could I be in his heart when I'm not the girl in is dreams?
Episode 11: A Somber Revival
The icy winds of the Frozen North howled as snow blew through the air. However, it all seemed to be centered around a single, broken-off horn. The howling wind seemed to die down as a lone figure approached the horn. "After so many years, I've found you once more." The figure's voice was a woman's. She then picked up Sombra's horn, and carried it with her into a small hut. The woman then removed the hood she was wearing.
She had purple skin, light blue hair and eyes, and the mark of a caduceus staff on her hand. This Magi was Radiant Hope. The only friend Sombra ever had. "Don't worry Sombra." Hope's hands glowed with the light blue aura of her magic as she channeled a healing spell into Sombra's horn. "You won't be alone much longer."
The remains of Sombra's horn were wrapped in the healing spell! The horn itself seemed to dematerialized and rematerialize! A moment later, and Sombra lay on the ground. However there were two major differences about his regenerated form. He had no horn, and no armor. The former tyrant gasped as he felt his heart beat once more. "What. . . what is this?! Why do I live again?!"
"Sombra!" Hope cheered as she embraced her old friend. "It's been so long! But now we're together again! And we don't have to be alone anymore!"
Sombra distanced himself slightly. "Hope? Is that you? How are you even alive?! A thousand years have passed! But you haven't aged!"
"It was thanks to your people Sombra." Hope said with a smile. "I was put into stasis because they knew you and I were close. I heard that you'd been killed. That some 'hero' had cut you down!" Radiant Hope clenched her fists. "You didn't deserve that. Or to be isolated." She then reached out her hand towards Sombra. "You have every right to be mad at me for telling the princesses about y-"
Sombra slapped away Radiant Hope's hand. "That's the reason you have for me thinking that you betrayed me?" Sombra looked at the ground, and his whole body trembled. "You really think that's the betrayal that made me feel so alone in this world? No. What you did was FAR worse." Tears fell from Sombra's face as his body continued to tremble in both sorrow and rage. "You said you were my best friend. That you would save me and always be there for me."
Radiant Hope was about to reach out toward Sombra when he snapped his head upward to meet her gaze! Tears and dark magic were leaking from his eyes. "SO WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME YOURSELF?! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN PRINCESS AMORE TRIED TO TALK ME DOWN?!" Radiant Hope was about to answer, but Sombra already knew what she was going to say. "The answer's simple. You were afraid. Afraid that you couldn't handle me because of what you saw me do."
"Sombra. . . please calm down." Radiant Hope pleaded. "You're right. I was afraid. Afraid that I'd lost you forever and that I couldn't save you myself. Please, understand! I. . . I love you."
Sombra snapped his head in Radiant Hope's direction. "You 'love' me? YOU STILL DON'T GET IT!" Sombra took one step towards Radiant Hope. "When I came to steal the Crystal Heart, something inside me kept hoping I would see you when I was about to do the deed. Part of me hoped you would get in my way! That you would be able to save me, and heal me like you had done before! BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Sombra's tears were of both rage and sadness. "YOU RAN AWAY FROM ME AFTER I TURNED PRINCESS AMORE TO CRYSTAL AND SHATTERED HER! LEAVING ME WITH THE MOST GUILT AND SORROW I'D EVER FELT IN MY LIFE! ALL BECAUSE YOU REALLY THOUGHT I HAD FULLY BECOME THE MONSTER I SAW IN THAT DAMN VISION!" He then pointed right at Radiant Hope! "THAT IS YOUR BETRAYAL OF ME!"
Sombra's dark magic cut off. Leaving only his tears. "I did deserve what happened to me Hope. Because I willingly did all those horrible things to the people of the Crystal Empire. And that made me no better than the children who mocked me and treated me as an outcast. Because I became the monster that I saw I could become. It was only when the Umbrum betrayed me that I saw the truth of all I'd done. The hurt never went away. It just kept growing. And now? I need to leave."
"NO!" Radiant Hope screamed as she latched onto Sombra's arm! "You've already paid for what you've done with your life! Both of us have been through enough isolation and loneliness! I would have done anything to get you back Sombra! I would have unleashed the Umbrum or made an alliance with the foes of the Elements of Harmony! Just because I couldn't bear a world without you!"
Sombra was horrified. "You're not Radiant Hope." He said quietly. "The Hope I knew would never go that far. Because she hated seeing others hurt and would never wish harm on anyone. As far as I'm concerned, King Sombra and Radiant Hope are dead." He opened the door and was greeted with a blast of chilling wind. "Farewell."
Sombra journeyed his way over to the entrance of the Crystal Empire. He was chilled to the bone by the time he stepped through. To his surprise, he didn't feel the Crystal Heart sapping his life away. "I guess my death as a man let me be reborn as one." Many of the people were wary of his sudden revival, and the guards instantly rushed onto the scene! Shining Armor at the front.
"King Sombra! What are you doing here?!" Shining Armor demanded! "The Crystal Empire is under my protection now! And I refuse to let you take it!"
Sombra blinked in surprise. ". . . Do you have any vacancy in the dungeon?" A few minutes later, Sombra found himself in chains and in a cell. "Well, I guess I'm back in old house technically." Only question is what to do now?
Episode 12: Overprotective
Burst Stream let out a yawn as he woke up. Instinctively, he turned on his phone the second his eyes were open. Namely because he was used to getting messages from Celestia. He powered up his phone, and saw the messages. All ten of them. "Whoa. This is going a bit extra."
As he scrolled through the messages, Burst Stream noticed a common theme among them all. Celestia was frequently asking if Nightmare Moon had done anything to him. And these messages were coming in even after Twilight had declared that Nightmare Moon had been fully reformed! "Okay. This is getting out of hand." Burst got dressed, and dialed up Celestia's number.
"Celestia? We need to talk." Burst said as he slipped his shirt on. "I got a lot of texts from you. All of them are from last night. What's your deal?"
"Oh Burst! Perfect!" Celestia said on the other side of the call. "You don't have to worry about answering my messages. I've found a solution to filling up your message box. It should be arriving at your door soon."
"What?!" Burst was completely confused at what Celestia meant until he heard a knocking at the door. He was surprised to see a squad of Royal Guards at his door. "Celestia. Why are there a bunch of royal guards on my doorstep?"
"Like I said. You won't have to report to me. Instead, they will." Celestia replied from her end of the call. "They're also in charge of your security for as long as Nightmare Moon remains your guest."
Burst Stream was starting to get the tiniest bit annoyed. "Celestia. I've stood my ground against Moon before. With one punch, I killed Night Terror. I slugged the Spirit of Chaos in the face, and nearly squashed Queen Chrysalis. I've proven I can handle myself. So I'd appreciate it if you would call of your guards and send them back to Castalot."
"Fine." Celestia said with a slight huff. "But why are you calling Nightmare Moon by only half her name? Since when did the two of you get so close?"
Burst frowned. "Since she proved that she really has changed! When Trixie showed up, Moon made it a point to take her down without using any force! And when Chrysalis kidnapped the TCC, it was Moon who rescued them! Twilight already told you this! Moon's gotten comfortable around us since we accepted her, and we're all starting to see her as a friend! So I'll call her by the name she prefers!"
". . . I'll send the guards back." Celestia said with a sigh as she hung up the phone. Sure enough, the guards received their orders, and marched back to Castalot Castle.
"Thank you, Celestia." Burst said with a sigh of relief as he threw himself onto the couch. From his new position he saw Nightmare Moon come out dressed in her usual outfit. "Didn't expect to see you dressed at this time. You headed out somewhere?"
Nightmare Moon smiled. "Indeed I am. I could use a book to read, and Twilight's in charge of the library. That's my first stop for the day. Rarity asked me about my eye shadow, so I'll be more than happy to disclose my dark beauty secrets."
"You know, you look better without the eye shadow." Burst said with a chuckle. "But I'm guessing it was Celestia and I's conversation that really disturbed your slumber." He then heard his stomach growl. "I think you'd better revise your first stop to Sugar Cube Corner. Breakfast might be delayed a-"
Just then, Burst heard knocking on his door. "Scratch that. I won't be making breakfast this morning." He went to the door, and was shocked to find Celestia right in front of him! And she didn't look too happy. "Moon? Don't wait up for me okay?" And with that, Burst left with Celestia. The two of them walked for a little bit before sitting down at one of the benches at the town square. ". . . Is this about me getting annoyed at the guards you sent?"
"Burst Stream. . . " Celestia sighed. "I find it admirable that you decided to put up with Nightmare Moon being in your house. I can respect the fact that you're willing to help with her reform. But I can't accept her as easily as you do. Let alone the fact she's under the same roof as you. Especially since she utterly crushed you during your first encounter. After what she's done, I rightfully bear animosity towards her."
Burst Stream looked at Celestia sadly. "But she's not doing any of this for you or Luna! She's doing it because she wants to accept herself! What's so wrong with me and my friends wanting to help her?! What's so wrong about me wanting to give her a place where she feels accepted?!"
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT HER TO TAKE SOMEONE PRECIOUS TO ME AGAIN!" Celestia cried out. "I lost Luna for a thousand years because of Nightmare Moon! Did you really just expect me to forgive her the instant she expressed regret for what she's done?! Would you forgive Discord if I decided to release him from his prison to rehabilitate him?!"
Burst Stream tensed up a bit after hearing this! He took a deep breath, and stared Celestia right in the eye. "Honestly? I'd punch him in the face. But I'd forgive him in time, IF he genuinely regretted how miserable he made everyone before you and Luna first defeated him. That's why I welcomed Moon into my home. She felt actual remorse for the pain she caused you and Luna. And it's like she said, none of the three of you are blame-free."
"Burst. . . " Celestia said with a sigh. "I know that. But seeing her roaming around can't help but make unpleasant memories surface." Slowly, Celestia wrapped one of her wings around Burst. "I had no right to say what I did earlier. I just. . . I don't want to lose someone I love."
Burst grabbed onto Celestia's hand. "Celestia. I can understand why you're checking on me frequently. But you can't just keep holding onto this! Holding prejudice against Moon while she desperately wants to fix her mistake isn't going to help you, Luna, or even Moon from moving on!"
". . . I know." Celestia said sadly. "I know I've apologized, but I don't think I can do that enough." The sun goddess wrapped both her arms and wings around Burst Stream. "Just know that I could never hate you for what you're doing for Nightmare Moon. Somehow, I knew you were keeping your promise that you made all those years ago."
Burst slowly smiled as he returned the hug. "Well, I guess we just made it through our first fight. If we can survive this, I'm sure we can make it together." He then looked at Celestia. The princess of the sun smiling at him too. "Besides, I could never leave you. I'm your dragon knight, remember?"
"How could I ever forget?" Celestia said as she and Burst kissed. "From what you and Twilight have told me, it seems you two are right about Nightmare Moon. Maybe, one day, I can forgive her." Celestia stood up, and spread her wings. "I'm sorry if you ruined your morning."
Burst smiled. "Hey, I'm the Element of Power for a reason. It takes a lot to bring me down!" Burst thumped his chest for emphasis. "But if you want me to stay the night, all you had to do was call." The two smile at each other, and went their separate ways. Burst had returned home, and saw that Nightmare Moon had grabbed a donut for him. "Looks like I won't starve after all."
"Pinkie Pie noted your usual order when I asked what I should grab you." Nightmare Moon said with a small smile as she turned the page of the book she'd checked out from Twilight's library.
Burst hugged Nightmare Moon quickly before scarfing down his donut. "Thanks Moon. By the way, what kind of book did you get from Twilight anyway?"
"Oh, this?" Nightmare Moon hid her embarrassment. "Just a silly old fairytale that reminds me of you and I. A hero facing off against a dark queen who had captured a princess of light. He ends up befriending the dark queen and helps her leave the past behind."
Burst smiled. "Wow. That's almost exactly like our situation." He then chuckled at a thought. "Maybe the story ends on the hero falling in love with both the princess and the queen. That'd be something cool! Right Moon?"
"Yeah. . . " Nightmare Moon said as she concealed the slight blush on her face with her book. It's definitely not a bad idea. But honestly, how open are Celestia and me to sharing? "So. . . what was going on between you and Celestia earlier?"
Burst sighed. "We kinda had our first fight in our relationship. She was just getting a bit too protective of me since you started living in the same house as me. But in the end, it all worked out. So it really doesn't make much sense to dwell on it. And don't worry about apologizing. Things just got heated because of me and Celestia being stubborn." The two smiled at each other.
Back at the Castalot Castle, Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. She then saw Shining Dawn waiting for her. "Oh. Lord Shining Dawn. It appears I have the pleasure of another visit from you. Anymore appearances of us together, and people might think we're an item."
"Ah. But I would like for that to be true." Shining Dawn said with a charming smile. "Given the chance, I would like to challenge Burst Stream for your hand. After all, my little brother seems a bit immature, does he not?"
Celestia was surprised. "I wasn't aware the two of you were related. But as for Burst's childish qualities, I don't see anything wrong. In fact, they're a part of why I love him. At his core, he's still the same boy who made a promise to me so long ago."
Shining Dawn frowned. ". . . I see. But on the topic of our relation, I'm afraid I am not a legitimate son of our father Aether. Though I suppose being a bastard heir is better than none in my mother's eyes. I suppose I'll abandon a duel for your hand for now. But I will challenge Burst Stream later. However, should my brother ever leave you, I'd be more than happy to fulfill his role." Celestia simply waved off Shining Dawn's words, and left. However, Shining Dawn smiled as he departed. Let's see if you live up to your feats brother. Your mixed blood against that of a child born of both a god and noble blood!
Episode 14: Duels and Dates
Venus Bloomer sighed to himself as he woke up. As of late, working at the flower shop had become a bit of an ordeal. Namely because his co-workers, all of which were female, kept making passes at him. "Some days I really wish I wasn't so pretty." Venus said as he frowned at his reflection. "Still, your personal appearance reflects how you feel about yourself. And I refuse to feel bad!" And a few minutes later, Venus Bloomer was, as usual, looking his best.
"I wonder if there's any solution to my co-worker problem." Venus thought out loud before taking a bite from his toast. As he ate his breakfast, his thoughts turned to his friends in the Elements of Heroism. A few of them were still single, but some of the most senior members already had girlfriends. Venus smiled as the idea fully formed! "Of course! Why didn't I think of asking them before?!"
Venus immediately texted Burst Stream, Inferno Flare, Steel Edge, and Tyrannus Rex. "Glad all of you could meet me so soon!" Venus said with an excited nod. "I asked for you all here because of one reason: I have an enormous girl problem. Though not in the typical sense."
"We know." Tyrannus said with a nod. "I remember Fluttershy nearly fainting when she saw a picture of you holding Fang like a puppy. And you guys literally had all of Unityville's girls chasing after you! So why'd you call the four of us over?"
Venus took a deep breath. "Well, as my Talent Crest indicates, I have quite the way with floral arrangements and care. So naturally, I took up a job at the flower shop. Unfortunately, my working there is a bit of a predicament because all of my co-workers have started making passes at me. Don't get me wrong, they're quite attractive. But I still think it's just my looks everyone goes crazy over!"
"Weird. Normally that's something most guys wish girls would swoon over." Steel Edge said with a shrug. "But still, I've gotta respect your quest for real love Venus. And I'm guessing you called us out here to give you some suggestions?"
Burst nodded. "I figured it was along those lines. I guess the best suggestion I can give is try asking them out on a date one at a time. Going out with all three at once might get real nasty really fast. Be sure to-" Burst was prevented from giving the rest of his advice by the sound of a trumpet! "What the heck?"
Shining Dawn had strolled into town. A cocky smirk on his face as he eyes Burst Stream and his friends. "Burst Stream!" Shining Dawn declared! "I have come to challenge you to a duel! The winner shall take the hand of Princess Celestia! The loser shall never speak with her again!"
". . . I think you've got a good event for a first date." Burst muttered to Venus. "Alright then." Burst then whipped out his deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards! "IT'S TIME TO DUEL!" He couldn't help but laugh at the dumbfounded look on Shining Dawn's face! "Dude. Don't you have a sense of humor? I'm messing with you!" Shining Dawn just frowned at Burst Stream. "Fine, fine. Geez! I'll get equipped right now."
Burst summoned his Duelist Arms, and Shining Dawn drew his saber. A crowd began to gather as the two combatants readied themselves. Venus had asked Daisy to watch the duel with him. "Ready your blade!" Shining Dawn cried out as he raised his saber to strike at Burst! Only for Burst to leap into the air! "WHAT THE?! YOU CAN FLY?!"
"No. I jump good." Burst replied as he brought the blade of his own sword down! Breaking Shining Dawn's blade as the noble raised his own sword to block it! "You can't fight if your blade's busted. Now could you please leave? I have more important things to focus on. Like friendship!" And with that, Burst Stream walked away. But not before giving Shining Dawn a bit of advice. "Little tip? I trained under Dad. THAT'S why I wiped the floor with you."
As soon as the duel was done, Venus looked to Daisy. "Hey. What would you think if I jumped in there and fought that noble for your hand and honor?"
"Are you crazy?!" Daisy gasped. "I would never let you do that! You could get your face ruined by accident! In fact, your other job puts you in constant danger of being permanently damaged.
". . . Yeah, this isn't going to work out." Venus said with a sigh. Being a hero makes my spirit bloom. And personally, I think I'd look a bit dashing with a scar over one of my eyes. It'd give me a certain charm. The Element of Spirit met back up with his friends. "Well, that was a bust. Looks like you won't have to worry about losing Celestia. Right Burst?"
Burst nodded. "Yeah. But I didn't think my asshole of a half-brother would show up and try to challenge me. I don't know what his fixation on my girlfriend is, but he needs to know that she's spoken for and in good hands. I beat him pretty easy. So if he thought I couldn't protect her, he had no idea just how strong our past struggles made me. For a guy with 'more powerful blood' he sure is weak." The Element of Power then explained Shining Dawn's origins to his gathered friends. "I'll admit it. Curb stomping him was very satisfying. Especially when he insulted my mom."
"I guess one of us walked away a winner." Venus said with a sigh. "I'm going to try asking our Lily Valley tomorrow. Hopefully she'll be more approving of my choice of work." The next day soon arrived, and Venus was out with Lily Valley. The two were out enjoying some ice cream when they noticed Shining Dawn marching into town once again. "Well. Looks like we get to see another curb stomp."
Lily looked to Venus. "Don't you think Burst Stream should give this guy a chance? I mean, it's like something out of a fairytale with this noble trying to win Princess Celestia's hand!"
"The guy's aiming for a taken girl!" Venus exclaimed in shock. "If you and I were together happily, would YOU want me to give the guy who wanted to steal you away a chance? Real love's something worth fighting for! Burst knows that! It's the only reason he's accepting this new duel!"
Venus was incredibly upset. "Forget this. I'm not standing by a girl who'd allow a chance for her to be taken so easily. I'll see you at work tomorrow." And with that, Venus Bloomer left before the duel could even begin.
Speaking of the duel, spells were being flung instead of swords clashing. Shining Dawn fired off all sorts of flashy spells! But while they looked impressive with the dawn-colored aura of his magic, they had little power behind them. Something Burst Stream exploited as he engaged in a magic beam clash! His beam overpowered Shining Dawn's, and Burst Stream finished off the would-be-suitor of his girlfriend with an almost point-blank blast of white lightning!
"I don't know how strong your mother said your blood made you, but it doesn't matter at all." Burst Stream said as he towered over the fallen Shining Dawn. He then patted where his heart was. "Because if what's in here determines how much power you really have. You might have Dad's blood in you, but you don't have any of his heart!"
Shining Dawn scowled at Burst Stream, and stormed off! "The third time will be the charm Burst Stream! Mark my words! You are not worthy to stand by Princess Celestia! Just what is it that she sees in you?!"
"Someone that makes her happy." Burst replied sternly. "And as you've also seen, someone who's willing to fight for her. But more importantly, I don't want you doing to her what your mother did to my dad!" Burst Stream groaned. "I really hope he challenges me to a fist fight next."
The next day came, and Venus found himself going out with Roseluck. This date was a significant improvement over the other two. And once again, they witnessed Shining Dawn squaring up against Burst Stream. "Ooooh! Wonder how they're gonna duke it out this time!" Roseluck said excitedly.
As Burst had hoped, it was a fist-fight. And he didn't pull any punches. The second Shining Dawn swung at him, Burst grabbed onto Shining Dawn's arm and threw him to the ground! Burst Stream then launched himself into a flying side kick that struck Shining Dawn in the chest as soon as he recovered!
Shining Dawn staggered! Once again, Burst Stream was overpowering him effortlessly! This realization outraged the noble to no end! Both of them were sons of Aether, and yet Burst Stream was so much stronger! "You're done." Burst Stream said as he just stared at Shining Dawn. A look of pity in the Element of Power's eyes. "Any more hits, and you won't be standing."
Burst Stream sighed when he saw Shining Dawn charge at him. He crouched down, and executed a devastating uppercut! "SHORYUKEN!" The force of the dragon punch knocked Shining Dawn into the air! The noble soon falling onto his back! Groaning as his attendants carted him away. "I'm missing something." Burst then slipped on a red headband he carried around since he started training. "There we go!" Burst stood with his back to Shining Dawn, and copied Ryu's victory pose.
Venus had ended his date with Roseluck. Namely because she had been giving him bedroom eyes ever since they had started. "What I wouldn't give to find a girl who I can form a relationship that requires effort. . . "
Episode 15: Eternal Tolerance
Celestia eyed the letter she'd received from Cadence warily. Apparantly, Radiant Hope was still alive. And she had revived Sombra. Who then promptly asked if there was any vacancy in the Crystal Castle's dungeon. "Well, I certainly didn't expect that to happen."
"Indeed sister." Luna said with a nod. "Although I cannot understand his reasoning for refusing the asylum of his best and only friend. Although. . . " Luna smirked at a probable romance. "His return might just give me a new romance option besides my current knight."
Celestia sighed, and smile knowingly. "Then it appears like you, Sombra will be receiving a second chance soon." Both sisters then looked to Discord's statue. "And despite the chaos Discord caused, he is still a part of this world. Chaos has a very broad definition. Perhaps we can help him work to a more. . . benevolent connotation."
In the time of two days, both princesses arrived in Unityville to meet with both teams of elements. With both Discord's statue and a magic-inhibited Sombra in tow. "I believe you would all like to know why we've brought both Discord and Sombra here. Luna and I believe that Discord can be reformed. The reformation of Nightmare Moon has been successful from what we've heard."
Celestia pretended not to notice Luna's frown at the mention of Nightmare Moon. "And so, we believe that his chaotic talents can be used for good." She then gestured to the panicky Sombra who saw that both teams of elements had their weapons trained on him. "As for Sombra, he is genuinely remorseful about his past. While he believes life-long imprisonment would atone for his deeds, Luna and I believe that helping him let go of the pain and rage in his heart."
"Fluttershy." Celestia said with an encouraging smile. "We entrust you with Discord's reformation. The innate kindness you show can touch many hearts. If there is any of the element bearers we can count on, it's you."
Nervously, Fluttershy accepted the task. "But. . . I have a question. Who's in charge of reforming Sombra? I can't really say any of us had too much to do with Nightmare Moon's reformation. She pretty much did that herself with just a bit of support from Burst Stream."
"I will handle the former king." Tyrannus said as he strode forward to stand at Fluttershy's side. "You said that he has a lot of pain and rage, correct? I think I'll be able to help him with his anger issues." This earned a small nuzzle from Fluttershy. "Well, might as well pop Discord out of his prison." Tyrannus and the other Elements of Heroism stepped back as the Main 6 used the Elements of Harmony to release Discord!
Discord let out a yawn as he stretched! "Ohhh, it's so good to be back!" He then looked over at Sombra. "So who's the walking shadow puppet? Is he going to be my roommate?" Discord then spared a glance at Burst Stream. "Did you punch him as hard as you slugged me?" A quick cough from Celestia told Discord he was getting off topic. "Anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter. I am ready to use my chaos powers for. . . good."
And sure enough, both Discord and Sombra were moved into Fluttershy's cottage. Tyrannus sternly gazing at Discord. And the Lord of Chaos noticed. "Say, why are you giving me the stink eye? Is it still about me almost killing that friend of yours? That was all the Chaos Kin and I have a strict no-kill policy!"
"Don't get me wrong. I haven't forgotten about that incident." Tyrannus said sternly. "No, I'm upset because you twisted my girlfriend's mind. You made Fluttershy act so cruel."
Discord's jaw dropped. "Oh Faust. . . " He then banged his head against a wall! "First I got careless with the orders of my minions, and THEN I mess up someone's relationship?! AGH! Why didn't I just do the smart thing and surrender the second I got out?!"
"Oh please!" Sombra groaned. "You caused misery for everyone in Unity for years, and you get all remorseful because you tore a couple apart?!" Dark magic began to leak from Sombra's eyes! "I caused untold terror for years and went mad! And I STILL retained my mind! I made a whole empire miserable because I was hurt and treated like an outcast! But YOU?! You actually enjoyed tormenting people! What makes you think-OW!"
Tyrannus raised his fist from Sombra's head. A large bump appearing on the former tyrant's head. "That's enough out of both of you." Tyrannus said firmly. "I'm willing to move past this Discord. But I'll warn you only once. If you do ANYTHING that would threaten the people I care about? I WILL make sure that not even Faust herself will save you from me."
"As for you. . . " Tyrannus turned his head in Sombra's direction, and sighed. "I'm disappointed in how you handled yourself. You could have reflected upon your actions as well, and yet you choose to dwell on negativity." Tyrannus took a deep breath as he poured himself a glass of water. This will not be easy. . .
Tyrannus Rex had no idea how right he was. Discord literally turned Fluttershy's cottage upside down! As well as randomly zapping some of her animal friends with his chaos magic! And each of these antics only served to infuriate Sombra! He yelled at the animals! Trying to command them as his temper exploded!
"AGH! Stupid creatures!" Sombra growled as dark magic leaked from his eyes! He then glared at Discord! "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! This couple is kind enough to help oversee your reform, and you go and turn their lives upside down! Here you are, given a second chance, and you're just waving it off like it's nothing! Do you even SLIGHTLY regret how much misery you've wrought?!"
Tyrannus sighed in disappointment as he clocked Sombra over the head! "Come with me." Ty led Sombra outside, and sat on the grass. "Take a seat Sombra." He noticed Sombra's hesitance. Despite his appearance, the former tyrant was still very much a child at his core. "Don't worry. I'm not mad at you. Just. . . disappointed."
Somehow, hearing that made Sombra feel worse. His physical state soon reflecting the age of his core self. "I'm sorry." The now child Sombra said meekly. "I don't mean to get angry. But. . . I just do! I'm angry at everything!" Kid Sombra began to tear up. "I've just been angry for so long, I don't know any other response." He then looked to Tyrannus. "But you always keep so calm. I thought you had a bad temper, but nothing seems to get you mad."
"You're wrong Sombra." Tyrannus said as he looked toward the ground in remembrance. "You want to know why I chose to help reform you? It's because your anger issues reminded me of myself when I was a kid. I bet you wouldn't guess it by my size, but I was bullied a lot as a kid. Everyone called me 'T. Rex.' and made fun of how big I was. I told them to stop teasing me and making me mad. But all they would say is 'What're you gonna do? Trample us or beat us up? Then we'll tell on you!' And it all made me so mad one day when I got home from school. I was so angry I wound up trying to trash my room!"
Tyrannus took a deep breath. "But then, I looked in a mirror. And I was horrified at what I saw. I saw what I would become if I gave in to my anger. If I let it take hold, I would become the brute everyone really thought I was. It wasn't easy, but I just decided to pay no mind to their insults. I decided I would tolerate any amount of pain if only to prove to them I was a better person than they thought I was."
"And that's why I'm tolerating your outbursts Sombra." Tyrannus said with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Because I know that under all your anger, there's a gigantic pile of hurt underneath it. And you mask it with that anger and rage. Because you're afraid of hurting anymore. And I'll take on as many outbursts as I need if it means that you can start healing."
Tyrannus turned so that he was facing Kid Sombra. "But make no mistake. This is something that you must also do for yourself. And I know just where you need to go. Sit like me, and close your eyes." Kid Sombra did as Ty instructed. "Now. Focus on your heart."
Within the space of his heart, Sombra opened his eyes. In front of him he saw a dark, raging mass! He could feel the anger emanating from it as it seemed to crawl towards him! "What. . . what is this thing?!"
"You don't recognize me?" The dark mass taunted as it took a familiar form. The shadow form Sombra was confined to following his defeat! "I'm you. All your power. Your strength! Your rage! Your reason to live! I am all you ever were, and all you ever will be!"
Sombra felt his whole body freeze when he heard the voice of Ty! "Don't try to reject what he's saying. He's not wrong. Your anger IS a part of you. But that's not all there is to you. It only has as much power as you give it.
"You're right. . . and wrong at the same time." Sombra said as he closed his eyes. "For so long you've been my constant companion. You may have given me a reason to live. But because of you? I and many others have lost so much. All because I wanted everyone to hurt like me. . . "
"AND WHY SHOULDN'T THEY?!" Sombra's dark past roared! "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH?! OUR SUFFERING?! ALL THE TIMES WE WERE TREATED AS OUTCASTS?! HOW THEY SAW US AS A MONSTER WHEN WE DECIDED TO RECLAIM WHAT WAS OURS?! HOW HOPE BETRAYED AND ABANDONED US?!"
"Because of you, we lost the one person who saw us as more than that. The world didn't take her from us. WE did." Sombra said sadly. "For so long I've let you drive me. Consume me. I let my hate rule me. But now? I can see it clearly. I don't need you to maintain my power." Sombra opened his eyes. Both of which were now green. "You need me to sustain yours. I have suffered. And I won't let you hurt or blind me anymore!"
A black light poured out from Sombra! It engulfed the embodiment of all his past rage and suffering! Completely wiping it out! When Sombra returned to the real world, he found that his eyes had become green and he was a young man once more!
Tyrannus watched Sombra's ecstatic response with a smile. He then noticed a white glow wrap around himself. "So it looks like my time has come. . . " Ty was enveloped in a white light! And when it died down, Ty now stood with a mark on his hands! A T-Rex! And he now had the wings of an Archaeopteryx on his back! Like his skin, they too were green. An amused smile on his face as he inspected his new wings. Fluttershy had rushed out when she saw the bright light, and gasped! "I guess now we'll be able to try snuggling on clouds."
"I did that once with my wife." Aether announced as he teleported in front of the couple and the astounded Sombra and Discord. "However, date night will have to wait Ty. You need to learn how to handle your magic and wings." Aether then looked in the direction of Discord. "But I think a little break from the chaos would be welcome."
Discord pouted. "Hey! I'm reforming! It's not exactly a completely neat process!"
"Well if you do cause trouble, maybe I'll have my son Burst Stream deck you in the face again." Aether said with a smirk. "Unless you'd rather I show you how I got the title 'God of Destruction' first hand?" Aether noticed Discord tremble slightly. Apparently, the spirit of chaos had heard of Aether's past and knew not to provoke him. "Well, let's be off Tyrannus. I've know just the magic to teach you since you like thunder lizards so much."
Episode 16: Royally Jealous
Burst Stream was sleeping soundly in his bed. That is, until a familiar scent wafted in through the cracks of his bedroom door. Breakfast. "Hmmm?" Burst mumbled as he got out of bed. He was surprised to see Nightmare Moon taking care of breakfast. "Shouldn't I be taking care of that?"
"Well, you've shown me so much kindness and support ever since I moved into your house." Nightmare Moon said with a nervous smile. "So. . . I thought you might like it if I did a little something for you to return the favor."
Burst Stream smiled. "It looks great Moon." He then took a seat on the couch, and turned on the TV. "You know? I was half expecting you to flirt and pull a joke about you cooking for the special guy in your life. Was it just too easy for you to go for that?"
Nightmare Moon pouted. "You can thank yourself for ruining that!" She pretended to be cross, and folded her arms. "I was going to sneak into your room and give you an alluring smile as I presented you with breakfast in bed!" A giggle then escaped her mouth. "But then again, it would probably spoil Celestia's chance to do that should you ever move into the castle."
"All the same, thanks!" Burst said with a cheerful smile. Well, at least she's dialed down her flirting. The last thing I need is people thinking I'm going out with her! Celestia and I don't go out that much, but that makes every date we go on all the more worth it.
Burst then spared a glance at Nightmare Moon. Still, we really haven't spent all that much time together. I'd happily call her my friend, but we've barely done anything together. I can't really count those times I took her shopping because I was helping her settle in. "Hey Moon? You wanna go around town today? I've got nothing better to do, so how about we just have some mindless fun?"
"Better than staying inside all day." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as she turned to take care of the pan she'd been using to cook. Doing her best to hide the blush on her face. Keep calm. This isn't a date! Burst Stream wouldn't become interested in me that quickly. Especially since he's perfectly happy with Celestia! Besides, we could stand to get a little closer as friends. It might help me get to know him a little better. And. . . maybe get a little closer too.
A few minutes later, the two were out and about. Nightmare Moon couldn't help but smile as she saw people wave at her on occasion. Earning the acceptance of the Main 6 and Elements of Heroism had done wonders for Unityville's perception of her. Actions truly did speak louder than words. The pair's first stop was the arcade. Both Burst and Moon killed some time on a fighting game and some shooters.
"We're lucky Akage didn't show up." Burst said with a chuckle as he and Moon left the arcade. "He would've completely destroyed us! Seriously. His gaming skills are a force to be reckoned with. He trashed pretty much all of us whenever we play videogames at one of my sleepovers!"
Nightmare Moon couldn't help but laugh! "You think he's a player to be feared? Please! Luna's a far more terrifying opponent! Ever since she discovered videogames, she's become an unstoppable force on any console and platform!" Moon shuddered as she recalled a particular dream of Luna's in which the princess of the moon had owned every gamer in Unity. "Her win record is godly. No pun intended."
"Speaking of goddesses. . . "Burst pulled out his phone, and answered Celestia's call. "Hey there Celestia. Oh, not much. Just hanging out with Moon. Really? Well, that's okay. I've got a full day planned out too. Okay. I love you too. Bye." Burst Stream sighed as he hung up. "The price of dating royalty. They've usually got something occupying themselves."
Nightmare Moon smiled. "No sense on dwelling on it. You said you had a full day for us planned, right?" She then took Burst by the hand. "I'm eager to see what else you have in mind." The pair stopped by Twilight's library. Burst beating the librarian easily in a Yu-Gi-Oh! match. The next stop on their day was Sweet Apple Acres. Nightmare Moon got into an arm wrestling match with Applejack. Moon being the obvious winner because of her immense strength.
The two had caught Inferno and Rarity at lunch and decided to join them. Both pairs chatted about how things were going, and both were happy that there hadn't been any monster or villain attacks lately. They were all enjoying the period of peace that had settled over Unity.
"I don't know about you, but that was a pretty fun day." Burst Stream said as he opened the door to his house. Nightmare Moon following close behind. "What about you Moon?"
Nightmare Moon smiled warmly. "It's nice to have people that want to spend time with you. I guess that's why they say friendship is magic. Rainbow Dash wanted to race against me tomorrow, and Fluttershy wants to see how nocturnal creatures react to me."
"Looks like you've got a full day tomorrow." Burst said with a smile. "Well, hope you have fun then too Moon. Maybe we can meet up at the movies after you're done." The next day soon arrived, and Burst received yet another call from Celestia. Once again, the solar princess was busy as usual. But Burst didn't pay much mind to it as he was more a quality over quantity person. Though since he and Nightmare Moon had been hanging out more, their time together seemed to have both.
"I see." Celestia said as she hid the sadness in her voice. "I'll be free sometime soon Burst. I promise." Celestia sighed as she hung up. Envy was not a feeling she was familiar with. But what could the co-ruler of Unity possibly be envious of? The time Nightmare Moon got to spend with Burst Stream. Her responsibilities made it hard to enjoy a date with Burst Stream. While the two of them had gone out on a few dates, and danced at the grand gala, the sun goddess still longed for more time with her mortal boyfriend. Time that Nightmare Moon had easy access to.
"She isn't trying to steal him away. But all the same, I can't help but feel the slightest bit jealous of how often they're together." Celestia teleported the Optimus Prime plushie Burst had given her so long ago when he was a kid. "I know he'll always wait for me. But it's so easy to picture him getting tired of waiting. . . "
However, despite her thinking she was alone, Shining Dawn was hiding in the doorway and decided to make his move. "Princess Celestia, I can deny it no longer!" He declared boldly. "To see my brother neglect you like this! It's nothing short of disgraceful!"
"Burst Stream understands why I can't spend time with him at the moment." Celestia answered. "And he's informed me of your past duels with him. I'm quite upset at your notion that I'm a prize to be won. Furthermore, he knows that I have important duties."
Shining Dawn scowled on the inside as he maintained a neutral expression. "And how long before he feels that he isn't as important as your duties?" This instantly got Celestia's attention. "All I ask is that you give me a chance. I know the heavy pressure of high status. Besides, you could stand to be with someone who conducts themselves a bit more maturely."
"All I ask is one. Little. Date." Shining Dawn said with a charming smile. "It couldn't hurt, could it? You could do with a little escape." Reluctantly, Celestia agreed. Much to Shining Dawn's pleasure. Perfect. Now all I need to do is pop the question. . .
Boredom. It was something Celestia was quite familiar with. Namely because of the mountains of paperwork and trivial meetings she had to attend due to her job as Unity's ruler alongside her sister. If Luna really knew how exhausting it was to simply smile with what I have to do, she probably wouldn't have gotten jealous of me.
But none of that was why Celestia was bored to tears at the moment. No, the reason for this instance being that the date Shining Dawn had taken her on was so cliché. Like the typical noble, Shining Dawn had thought Celestia above all others when at her core she just wanted someone to love her like anyone else. And here he is treating me like the goddess I literally am. Celestia sighed silently to herself. She honestly got sick of dining on high-class food so much.
He might be related, but he's got none of Burst Stream's qualities. Celestia thought to herself as she toyed around with the food on her plate. Shining Dawn's ranting against Burst was meant to make Celestia see some of Burst's qualities as turn-offs. However, said qualities were why she loved the Element of Power. If I wasn't readying for Twilight's ascension, I'd make Burst an Avatar in a heartbeat. Then he'd get to see me in a wedding dress sooner.
However, now was not the time to be thinking about this. "Shining Dawn." Celestia said as she set her fork down. "I can appreciate you informing me of how Burst has treated you. But he seems well within reason for acting as he did. All the same, why are you so fixated on pointing out his flaws? I'm his girlfriend. I already know most of this."
"Because it's so degrading that you would chose him as a romantic partner!" Shining Dawn exclaimed! "What makes him so special? He disgraces you by addressing you so commonly! A literal goddess like yourself deserves much better! Why do I bring this up? Because I love you! And I deserve you more than he does!"
Celestia frowned. "And tell me Shining Dawn. Just what about me do you love?" The answers Shining Dawn were all so common and shallow. And it only deepened the growing dislike Celestia had for the arrogant noble. "If that's all you see, then I see no point in continuing this."
Internally, Shining Dawn was screaming and raging! However, he decided to go with his backup plan. "Before we end this, there's a proposition that I'd like to show you at my estate. You'll at least humor me won't you?" Celestia hesitantly nodded. "Excellent." Before long, the two were at Shining Dawn's estate. The noble had led the princess to a secret basement where he unveiled an entire army of golem soldiers clad in bright orange armor! "Behold the Dawn Treaders! An army of my own creation, and I needn't worry about casualties since none of them are living beings."
"You've amassed a significant force." Celestia noted. "But why build an army? Are you trying to do away with the Royal Guard? I'm aware of their short comings, but they more than make up for it with their loyalty and resolve. You can keep your toy soldiers on display."
Shining Dawn's smirk then turned wicked. "Oh, I have every intent to deploy my Dawn Treaders. In fact, I've decided on the perfect site to test their strength. Unityville." The horrified look on Celestia's face was exactly what Shining Dawn wanted to see. "I know full well what's there. The Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Heroism. Your star student." Shining Dawn paused, and gave the most smug smirk possible. "And Burst Stream. True, he's accomplished many feats. But can he honestly stand against an entire army? Can your student and her friends?"
"But this all can be avoided." Shining Dawn said with a chuckle. "And all thanks to this little proposition I have in mind." Shining Dawn reached into his pocket, and pulled out a ring. "I always thought that you needed a prince. And I certainly make a better one than Burst Stream."
Celestia was furious! The sun goddess and ruler of Unity clenched her fists as she glared at Shining Dawn. ". . . Why? Why are you doing all of this? Just what do you gain by forcing me into marriage?!"
"What do I gain?" Shining Dawn asked with an annoyed scoff. "My destiny! A destiny that only a son of Aether is worthy of! My mother failed to produce a member of her bloodline that would ascend into godhood! So where she failed, I shall succeed! And not only that, but I shall take my rightful place as Unity's new leader at your side! I shall bring forth a new dawn where we are a supreme power!"
Shining Dawn's tone then grew cold. "But I can't very well marry you while Burst Stream is keeping you occupied. So I'll give you a choice. Either you break his heart, or see him burn at the hands of my army. I WILL be at your side Celestia. And I will see everything you hold dear fall to ensure my rise happens unopposed. You could very easily end me. But that wouldn't sit well now would it?"
". . . When's. . . the ceremony?" Celestia begrudgingly asked as she looked towards the ground in both rage, disgust, and regret. "And who should I invite?"
Shining Dawn smirked. "Two weeks from now. And invite everyone but my brother. He deserves some proper time to grieve the end of your relationship." As soon as Celestia teleported away, Shining Dawn threw up his arms in triumph! "At long last, the Dawn bloodline will take godhood!"
When Celestia arrived back at her castle, she teleported to her bedroom and immediately whipped her phone out. She then dialed Burst Stream. "Burst? Could we talk? In-person? Thank you." The next words out of her mouth pained her. "I love you too. . . "And with that, she hung up. There was complete silence as she looked towards the Optimus Prime plushie that Burst had given her.
A few minutes later, Burst Stream arrived with his usual smile that was on his face whenever he got to see Celestia. "Hi Celestia!" Burst greeted the princess of the sun as he entered the throne room. "Sorry if I took a little bit longer to get here! What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Burst. . . " Celestia said as she got up from her throne and walked towards Burst Stream. "You and I have been a couple for a little over a year now. And I've been very happy with you. But. . . " The words she had to say tore her apart inside. "I've found someone. He understands my position more, and he's decided on a proposition that will bring us together. Burst Stream. . . I'm breaking up with you." She then showed Shining Dawn's ring. "I'm getting engaged in two weeks from now."
Burst Stream was completely still and silent, and it seemed like forever until he finally spoke. "Why. . . ?" Burst Stream asked. His entire body began to shake. "Did I do something wrong? Is this my fault?" He then fell to his knees. "Please tell me! Tell me what mistake I've made! Tell me if I've hurt you!"
"Burst. . . none of this is your fault." Celestia said as she held herself together. Trying desperately not to break down herself. If he really knew why I'm doing this, he'd get himself killed trying to stop Shining Dawn. It's not fair. Why should I have to hurt him when he's done nothing but make me happy?! "My suitor's proposition was incredibly hard to turn down."
Burst had stopped trembling and looked Celestia right in her eyes. His brilliant blue eyes were tearing up as he locked eyes with her. "Tell me something. Are you going to be happy with him?" Burst's heart was furiously beating! "Please! Tell me! Does he make you happy like I do?!"
Celestia didn't want to do it. She'd hurt one person she loved already. And here was Burst Stream on the verge of tears before her. Looking like his entire world had been shattered. But what was worse? Leaving him heartbroken, or seeing his lifeless body? Celestia only said a single word. One that caused her so much more pain than she ever thought possible. ". . . Yes."
". . . Alright then." Burst Stream said as he slowly stood up. "I better get going." Though he hid it with a neutral expression, Celestia could clearly hear the pain in his heart through Burst's voice. But before Burst could leave, Shining Dawn came through the doors!
"I didn't want you to find out this way brother." Shining Dawn said as he strode past Burst Stream, and put one of his arms around Celestia. "But I did tell you that the two of you wouldn't last. Don't say that I didn't warn you."
Burst Stream's heart shattered at the sight of Shining Dawn at Celestia's side. ". . . No. . . " Burst began to back away. "This can't be real! IT CAN'T BE!" He clutched his head in pain! Refusing to believe what was right in front of him! "AAAAAGGGHHH!" Burst teleported away back to his house in Unityville! The long distance draining him more than the sight he witnessed not a few seconds ago.
In his irrational state, Burst grabbed a framed photo of him and Celestia. He wanted to smash it, but found he couldn't. Burst Stream just looked at the photo, and went to his bed. Holding the photo close as he cried.
Back at the castle, Celestia slapped Shining Dawn! "You didn't have to do that!" She scolded! "He was already hurt enough by me telling him what you wanted to hear! You had no right to hurt him even more!"
"You'll thank me later." Shining Dawn hissed. "Now that I've crushed him, he's sure to not even consider crashing our wedding. Besides, this is how a fairytale is supposed to end." The devious smirk on Shining Dawn's face clearly displayed how much he enjoyed breaking the couple apart. "Prince and princess together. He may have been your dragon knight, but a dragon nonetheless." And should my brother be foolish enough, I'll see he gets an ending befitting of a dragon. . .
Episode 18: Dragon Knight's Sorrow
The Elements of Heroism were worried. Burst Stream, their friend and leader, had barely come out of his house since yesterday. And they had a pretty good idea of why. News of Celestia's engagement to Shining Dawn had traveled fast, and the noble wanted all of Unity to know of his coming ascent to the throne.
"That. Literal. Bastard!" Inferno Flare screamed as he tore apart the newspaper that bore the unfortunate headline! "I don't believe this! He gets his ass handed to him by Burst, and somehow he lands a ring on our ruler's finger?! There's gotta be something rotten going on! In all the times I've asked Burst about his relationship with Celestia, he's always said that they were as happy as they could be!"
"I'm with you on this Inferno." Steel Edge said with a nod. "Why break it off if things are going so well? It doesn't add up." He then looked in the direction of Burst's house. "But instead of listing off how we'd like to beat Shining Dawn within an inch of his life for hurting our friend and leader like this, how about we actually try tending to his broken heart?"
Akage nodded. "Indeed. Burst's current state doesn't suit him well. It's a perfectly natural response considering his asshole half-brother just stole his girl. However, we can't just leave him the way he is. We need to help him move on."
"Agreed." All the Elements of Heroism said in unison. They headed to Burst's house. Each of them were hesitant. Finally, after some minor deliberation, Inferno stepped forward.
"I should be the one to try first." Inferno said with a determined air about him. "He's my best friend. I owe it to him." Inferno knocked on the door, and Burst answered. "Hey Burst! We all heard about, well, what happened. We're not going to tell you to just get over it, but you can't just sulk inside like this! It's not going to solve any problems, or make the hurt go away. We all just wanna talk. Okay?"
Burst slowly nodded. "Yeah. Fine. Let's talk at Sugar Cube Corner. Getting a kick of sugar might get me in a more sociable mood." The group made their way over to Sugar Cube Corner, and Pinkie Pie quickly got a round of sodas out for them. Burst being the exception since he opted for a root beer float.
"Listen Burst." Inferno said as he grabbed a seat next to his best friend. "I know how much it hurts to see the one you love taken from you. Remember when Rarity got manipulated by Night Terror?" Inferno looked at his soda in reflection upon those particular events. "It hurt me so much to see her being used and so easily discarded. But if Celestia matters to you even HALF of much as Rarity means to me, fight for her! Get her back!"
Burst immediately set his root beer float down, and stared coldly at Inferno! "Inferno. Tell me. Were you and Rarity together when Night Terror tricked her?" Inferno shook his head, and was about to answer before Burst cut him off. "Steel. Were you and Rainbow Dash actively dating when Discord showed her the vision that made her abandon us?" Steel shook his head.
"THEN HOW CAN ANY OF YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH NOW?!" Burst screamed at his team! "I KNOW I CAN'T STAY LIKE THIS!" Burst clenched his fist. "Rarity and Rainbow Dash were tricked by forces that could easily manipulate their minds. You two were getting close to them, but you WEREN'T together. No, those incidents are what cemented your relationships. But Celestia? We fell in love fast. Since the Nightmare Forces were destroyed, we'd been getting closer together. We shared so many milestones, and she was my first love to boot. And now? She's broken up with me. All because my asshole brother just decided to waltz into my life!"
Burst slammed his fist on the counter for emphasis! "But the worst part is? I KNOW she's not happy with him. I could see it in her eyes when she lied to my face about it." Burst's eyes began to tear up. "And she's lying to me for a good reason. But I don't care! Why?! Just for once, why couldn't she be selfish and just tell me what was wrong?!"
"All of you. . . please. Just leave me." Burst said with a tired sigh as he felt his whole body get heavy. Especially his heart. "I don't like being seen like this. I want to get past this. I really do. But I've already gone through denial and bargaining. You guys have already seen my anger. I just. . . want to process the rest. If I can."
Burst gulped down the rest of his root beer float, and got up to leave. "I appreciate what you're all trying to do. But the fact remains, none of you have experienced a real break-up before." Burst stopped when Shadow Thunder hugged him tightly and Fang made an offer to scratch his ears.
"Again. Thanks guys. It's great to know that you're here for me." Burst said with a sad smile. "But I think I need to be alone. I hope you can understand that." Burst's team and friends nodded. "Thank you." As soon as Burst left, rain clouds began to gather. But there was no storm scheduled to come in. Tears falling from Burst's eyes as rain began to burst from the clouds. "I guess the weather matched my emotional state."
And Burst Stream just stood there in the rain. His head tilted up towards the heavens. He lost complete track of time as the rain kept pouring down, and it wasn't long before he started to get soaked. That was when Nightmare Moon noticed Burst Stream standing in the rain. The Element of Power had a significant place on the fallen princess's heart, and she immediately scooped him into her arms as she flew him back to his house!
"Burst, what's wrong with you?!" Nightmare Moon asked as she grabbed a towel. "Any longer out there, and you'd have gotten sick! Just what were you thinking when you were standing out there?" As Burst turned to face her, Nightmare Moon could see marks where trails of tears had been falling.
"Moon? Have you ever had your heart broken before?" Burst asked. "It's something that happens when you get hurt by someone close to you. Someone you love. Or when you're the doing the hurting. . . and you don't mean any of it. The point is, Celestia broke up with me. And I know that she didn't mean to. But I just don't understand why! I know Shining Dawn's got something to do with it, and Celestia's scared I'll get hurt or worse! But me just sitting it out gets me so mad!"
Burst Stream let out an exhausted sigh. "I think I'll take a hot shower now. I just don't want to deal with anything else today." Soon enough, Burst had showered and was changed into his sleeping clothes. "If you need me, I'll be in my room." Burst headed off to his bedroom, and didn't even bother to close the door.
All the while Nightmare Moon was shaking certain thoughts out of her head. Specifically, thoughts that told her to take advantage of Burst's current situation. "No." She said to herself. "Not like this. I'd never forgive myself if I did something that disgusting." And I should know better than anyone not to do that. Not when I know exactly how he feels.
It had been two days since Burst Stream had fallen into a depression following his break-up with Celestia. He barely went outside, and just stayed inside his house. His friends knew that he was hurting, but none of them really felt they all that knowledgeable when it came to dealing with the aftermath of a break-up.
But where his other friends thought they couldn't help, Nightmare Moon thought otherwise. Burst thinks he's all alone. That nobody knows his pain. He's wrong. "Burst?" Nightmare Moon asked. "Get your Duelist Arms, and meet me in the field outside of town."
"Aren't you a little underdressed?" Burst asked as he lazily equipped his Duelist Arms. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." Soon enough the two were out in the fields outside of Unityville. "So why'd you want us to come out here? I get that maybe some fresh air is needed, but why bother bringing my weapons?"
Nightmare Moon sighed. "You're just going to call it pointless so quickly." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Burst Stream. "Maybe you really don't care about Celestia as much as you claimed if you're willing to just let her get married to that excuse of a sibling who just showed up."
This provoked the exact response that Nightmare Moon had expected out of Burst Stream. "You. . . " Burst growled as he gripped his sword! "Don't you DARE SAY THAT!" Burst launched himself at Nightmare Moon as the fallen princess summoned her weapon! Sparks flying as their blades clash! "I love Celestia more than my own life! Countless times I've fought against villains who would push me near the brink! And it was my thoughts of her that allowed me to push past my limits and get stronger! She's my everything!"
"I promised her that I would make sure she could really smile! It's something that I've strived to keep no matter what!" Burst screamed as he continually swung like crazy! Nightmare Moon either blocking or evading his strikes! "And now? She's sad! And I can't shake the feeling that I'M responsible! She lied when she said that she and Shining Dawn were happy! He's done something to push her into marrying him! AND I CAN'T STAND THE FACT THAT SHE PUSHED ME AWAY WHEN I COULD HELP HER! WHY?! WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG?!"
Burst's sword was knocked away by a magic blast from Nightmare Moon! Prompting Burst to charge at Nightmare Moon with only his fists! A quick bubble shield made of Moon's magic quickly intercepted any and all of Burst's punches! "I WANT TO HELP HER! I PROMISED THAT I WOULD ALWAYS BE AT HER SIDE! HOW CAN I DO THAT IF SHE THINKS SHE'S KEEPING ME SAFE BY PUSHING ME AWAY?!"
The frequency of Burst's punches died out as he grew more and more exhausted. "I feel so powerless. Like I can't keep my promise." Burst fell to his knees. "How can anyone understand. . . me dealing with this? How could anyone. . . know how I feel?"
"You feel alone and like you've failed" Nightmare Moon answered as she dropped her shield spell and knelt down to Burst's level after he'd fallen to his knees with his arms slumping at his sides. "That you've let down the one person that matters to you most in the world when you swore that you'd never do anything to hurt them. That you would do nothing but make them happy."
Nightmare Moon noticed the confused look in Burst's eyes. "I know what you're going through Burst Stream. I know the pain you're feeling. Because in a way, it's my pain as well. When Luna and I were banished to the moon, I felt like I had failed to grant her desires. It was a pain I thought I would have to live with forever. But I was wrong. You offered to help me."
"Even if it nearly cost you the happiness you'd found with Celestia, you stood up for me. You treated me like a regular person even when I attacked during the Summer Sun Celebration." Nightmare Moon cupped Burst Stream's face, and smiled at him. "You believed in me when everyone else thought I couldn't change. Have you ever wondered why I stopped wearing my armor? It's because I was ready to be more open and vulnerable. If I kept my armor up, I'd never let anyone in and be forever closed off to other people. And because I was more vulnerable, you came into my heart. Always being a light that stuck with me when things seemed dark. Since then, I've made so many wonderful friends. You the closest among them."
Nightmare Moon helped Burst Stream stand, and locked eyes with him. Her teal peering deep into his sapphire. "It's okay to be hurt Burst. So long as you let in others to help you heal. Let me into your heart. Just like I let you into mine." She then opened her arms, and gave Burst a pleading gaze. "Please."
Burst Stream broke into tears as he threw himself into Nightmare Moon's embrace. Moon wrapped her arms around Burst, and held him tight. It would be so easy to tell him just how I feel too. But that's not what he needs right now. If I did, I'd be nothing more than a consolation prize. If I want him to love me, I want him to choose me when he's at his best. Because right now, he doesn't need a new romantic interest. Right now? Moon tightened her embrace slightly. Right now Burst needs a friend who shares his pain and can help him heal. "Feel any better?"
"Y-Yeah." Burst Stream sniffled as he wiped away any stray tears. "You know? You hugging me like that feels so familiar. Like the first night when you moved in with me." He then tightened his own hold. "Can you promise me something? I wasn't going to let you go back then. So. . . don't let go of me. Okay Moon?"
Nightmare Moon smiled as she wrapped her wings around Burst Stream. "I will hold on to you always my Precious Light." She whispered to herself. That night, Burst had invited Nightmare Moon into his bed. "I didn't imagine us sharing a bed once more."
"Well, you holding onto me felt real nice." Burst said with a slight blush. "And. . . I really wouldn't mind knowing that you're there for me." Nightmare Moon didn't need to hear any more reasoning as she slid under the covers and held Burst close to her chest.
The next morning, Burst awoke to find Nightmare Moon wouldn't let go of him. He also found his head resting on her. . . assets . And it seemed like she was holding him there. "You really aren't letting go of me, are you?"
"Nope." Nightmare Moon said as one of her eyes opened up. "Still, you don't seem to be complaining about our position judging by how soundly you slept. You made quite the excellent pillow yourself."
Burst rolled his eyes. Moon was back to her flirting again. But. . . it kinda feels nice. "Thanks for helping me get past my depression. Still, I wish I could find out just what Shining Dawn did to rope my girlfriend into marriage."
Looks like I know whose dreams I'll be paying a visit to tonight. . . Nightmare Moon thought to herself as she released Burst from her embrace. Still, I can sense Burst isn't fully past his grief. There's something stirring inside him. I could sense it when he went wild back in the field yesterday. Sooner or later, Burst is going to have to confront it.
Episode 20: Balanced Power
Burst Stream was starting to feel better. He fully accepted the help of his friends, and he had moved onto the last stage of grief. Acceptance. However, while he accepted that Celestia breaking up with him happened, he refused to just let Shining Dawn take her.
It's like Inferno said. Celestia means the world and more to me. And just letting her go? That doesn't sound like me at all! Burst thought with a smirk. Celestia called me her dragon knight because of how fiercely I fought for her. And I think it's time Shining Dawn experience that first hand.
Satisfied with his training for the day, Burst wiped his face free of sweat and headed home. "Later guys!" He called out to his fellow Elements of Heroism. "I'm headed back home for lunch." And as he opened the door to his house, Burst smiled. "I didn't expect to actually have a meal waiting for me when I got home Moon."
"Just thought you might like me saving you some extra work." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. She and Burst had grown closer during her reformation and moving into Burst's home. One would almost mistake them for lovers. A prospect that had been in Nightmare Moon's thoughts and dreams lately. As easy as it would be to simply assert herself as Burst's new love during his period of weakness, she refused to do so. If she did that, then it meant she didn't respect herself or Burst enough to try winning his heart and his and her best respectively. "It's no surprise you've recovered quickly. No wonder you're the Element of Power. You possess great inner and outer strength."
Burst Stream smiled at Nightmare Moon. The former Woman in the Moon had toned down her flirting with him significantly. However, her genuine compliments brought about a warm feeling in Burst's heart. And in turn, this brought up a cold voice in Burst's head whenever he would start thinking fondly of Nightmare Moon.
"How DARE you. The voice said. How can you just betray Celestia like this?! Why are you accepting her?! If she hadn't come back into your life, none of this would have happened! All the bad that's happened so far is because SHE'S here! All of this is her fault!
Burst flinched at the cruel words coming from this voice. But upon listening carefully, he found that it was his own voice saying these things. A voice that belonged to a side of him that he hadn't heard in a very long time and had only heard once before. The day he had met Celestia and hadn't even realized he was looking at her.
"Burst?" Nightmare Moon asked as she got closer to Burst Stream. A look of concern in her eyes as she reached out her hand to try and soothe him. Putting a comforting grip on his shoulder. "Have you been pushing yourself too hard? You did spend half a day sulking around the house. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to throw yourself into training."
Burst shook his head. "No. That's not it. The problem isn't with my body. It's with my heart." Burst put a hand over where his heart was. "Celestia breaking up with me was a pretty upsetting event. Hearing that Shining Dawn was marrying her only amplified the shock. It really shook me at my core. I promised Celestia that I'd make her happy no matter what. Hearing her say that she'd be marrying someone else and her lying that she was happy with him is what really broke my heart."
"And now? My heart's imbalanced." Burst Stream said with a sigh. "I may have moved past my depression, but I'm not at peace. Some part of me is screaming, demanding that someone be responsible." He then looked sadly into Nightmare Moon's eyes. "That part wants to blame you so badly. But ultimately, how did you play any part in what happened? Your return and moving into my house? All that did was provoke the first fight between Celestia and me in our relationship. But her anger came from concern, and we ultimately came out stronger because of it."
A small chuckle escaped Burst's mouth. "Heh. If anything, I should be thanking you for unintentionally strengthening my relationship with Celestia. So it's safe to say that I don't think Celestia would end things between us so quickly after we'd just been through something that ultimately made our relationship stronger? Now I KNOW there's something wrong here."
"Maybe that part of you that blames me will be silent after a good night's sleep." Nightmare Moon said with a comforting smile. "I'll make sure to hold you tight again." She then touched her forehead to Burst Stream's.
Burst closed his eyes, and let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Moon." The moment soon came to a screeching halt because of Burst's growling stomach. "I guess my stomach's feeling a bit neglected too." And with that, Burst devoured his lunch.
Night fell soon enough, and Burst Stream was in his bed. Nightmare Moon holding him close to her chest. In specific, her heart. However, Burst's slumber was far from peaceful. In his dreams, Burst was running towards Celestia. But the second he got close to her, the ground gave way and he fell into a pit! Burst Stream reached out towards her, and tried to jump out! But it seemed like the darkness grabbed him as he tried to escape! And the voice he heard in his head earlier spoke.
"She left you. You deserve to be alone for neglecting her! For not trying to help her!" The voice spat as Burst Stream was dragged down further! "Because you don't want to blame her!" An image of Nightmare Moon appeared before Burst Stream. "Hate her. HATE HER. HATE HER!"
"NOOOO!" Burst Stream screamed as he woke up in a sweat! Panting as his mind returned to consciousness! Once he had calmed down, he sighed. ". . . So much for sleeping on my problems. They won't let me sleep." Burst then felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw Nightmare Moon with a concerned expression on her face. "Sorry to wake you Moon."
Nightmare Moon sighed. "It's happened hasn't it?" She asked. Puzzling Burst Stream. "I've noticed it ever since yesterday. Especially during out little sparring session in the fields. You might have moved past your anger, but it's still lurking inside you. Deep down, you want someone to be responsible. First, you placed it on yourself. And judging by your dreams, it's trying to place the blame on me."
"You. . . saw into my dreams?" Burst Stream asked. "That explains so much behind that weird dream I had were you kept telling me to find you when I woke up."
Nightmare Moon nodded. "Yes. But I can do much more than just peer into your dreams. Like Luna, I can craft dreams and vanquish or give nightmares. I would have stepped in, but I could sense you would wake soon." Nightmare Moon then held onto one of Burst Stream's hands. "Burst. I know what it's like to be filled with negative emotions. They played a part in forming me. And I know the danger they pose if you don't face them." Nightmare Moon tightened her hold on Burst's hand. "I know it all too well."
"Then. . . how do I face them?" Burst Stream asked. "The part of me that wants to blame you is in me, and it's in my head because of the nightmare I had just a few minutes ago. How can I meet it? I can't get rid of it. It's a part of me."
Nightmare Moon let go of Burst's hand. "I can cast a spell that will make you dive into your heart. I researched it after your friend Ty helped reform Sombra. Your body will be unconscious, but your inner self will be very much awake. Whatever you find in there is only what you have." Nightmare Moon's magic flared to life as her hands were covered in its glowing aura! "Are you ready."
". . . Yes." Burst Stream said with a nod. Nightmare Moon put her hands on Burst's head, and his body fell back onto the bed! When Burst opened his eyes, he was in the space of his heart. In front of him was a door. "Here goes nothing." Burst Stream opened the door, and stepped through.
On the other side of the door, it was complete darkness. As Burst Stream ventured forward, a familiar form began to materialize in front of him. "Figures." Burst said as he looked over the figure in front of him. It was himself. "The toughest battles are within and against yourself."
"You know, we really don't have to fight." Burst's dark half answered. "You and I? We're a lot alike. There's so many things we love. One person above others in particular." Burst's dark half smirked. "Think about it. Celestia made us happy more than we ever thought possible. We would do anything for her. And for a while, it looked like we would be together forever."
Burst's dark half narrowed his eyes. "But then SHE showed up. Because of her, we had our first fight with Celestia! Then Shining Dawn showed up! Ever since Nightmare Moon came into our life, nothing's gone right!"
"You're wrong." Burst Stream said as he stared down his dark side. "You want to blame her so much for something she isn't responsible. Celestia broke up with me. But it had nothing to do with Moon. And Moon had nothing to do with Shining Dawn showing up in our lives either. If anyone's to blame, it's him! He's the one that convinced Celestia to leave me! All Moon has done since then is try to help me heal and move on!"
Burst's dark side scowled. "Fine. Don't hate her. Celestia's the one that hurt us anyway! You made her so happy, and she broke your heart! Why shouldn't you be mad at her?! Doesn't she deserve some blame?!"
"No. She doesn't." Burst said as he shook his head. "Because you and I both know that we could never hate her. We love her more than anyone could hope to know. And we both know she would never hurt us intentionally. We could feel it from her, and you know it."
Burst took a few steps closer to his dark side. "And how could you possibly place any blame on Moon? She's the whole reason we got together with Celestia in the first place. Because of what she did, we made our promise to Celestia. The promise to give that sad story a happy ending. Something so simple that holds a great deal of who we are at our core. All because of Moon."
"You know who I think you're really mad at?" Burst asked his dark side. "Us. You want to blame so many others because you don't want to think we failed ourselves." Burst noticed his dark side hanging his head in shame. "You think that we didn't do enough. That you didn't push me to fight Shining Dawn when he had his arm around Celestia, and that I gave up too easily. And you're not wrong to think that. But whatever Shining Dawn said or did to Celestia, it wasn't in our control."
Burst noticed his dark side beginning to cry, and he pulled it into a hug. "It's not our fault. So don't go hating me or yourself when we can't control what happens." Burst noticed his dark side starting to merge into him fully. "We're better together. So come home." Burst's dark side fully merged with him, and the darkness around him faded away. Leaving only his complete heart.
"That's much better." Burst said with a sigh of relief. A few seconds later, Burst Stream opened his eyes to the real world. He smiled when he saw Nightmare Moon. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting Moon."
Nightmare Moon smiled in kind. "Something tells me you won't have any trouble sleeping the rest of the night." With that, Nightmare Moon once again held Burst Stream close to her and the two drifted off to sleep. However, new thoughts stirred in Burst Stream's head. Thoughts about his promise, and the fallen princess who made it all possible. And how he was starting to feel around her.
I haven't felt like this since. . . Celestia.
Episode 21: Ascended Magic
Twilight Sparkle could barely contain herself. Before her was one of Starswirl the Bearded's spells. Furthermore, it was an incomplete spell. One the famed wizard had never finished before he disappeared. "Spike! Do you know what this means?!" Before the young drake could even give a possible answer, Twilight jumped back into the conversation. "I get to work on something with my idol!"
"That's great Twilight." Spike said with a smile. "Sooo, are you going to need me to get things for you?"
Twilight shook her head. "No Spike. This is something I want to face on my own. Besides, I bet Burst seeing you again would make him pretty happy." Twilight smiled as she watched her adoptive little brother scurry off to find Burst Stream. As soon as Spike was out of her sight, Twilight set to work completing Starswirl's spell. It took her most of the day, but she finally got the spell done. "Good thing I took some breaks working on this spell. Otherwise, I'd be dead tired by now!"
"I'm back Twilight!" Spike called out as he knocked on the door before opening. "Oh nice! You finished the spell!" Spike dashed over to Twilight's side. "You must've been working on this all day long!"
Twilight beamed with pride. "I was. But I'd say it was all time well spent." Twilight held the spell in her hands. "To think. I helped complete an unfinished work of the greatest wizard of all."
"So. . . what's it do?" Spike asked. The drake's simple question instantly shattered Twilight's moment of accomplishment. "Uh, Twilight?"
Twilight face-palmed. "UGH! I can't believe I didn't check out what it does! Oh well. Easy fix." Twilight sat down to read the spell. Her eyes went wide when she discovered the spell's purpose. Slowly, she stood up and ripped the spell parchment to pieces!
"Twilight. . . why did you do that?!" Spike asked in shock. "You said it was your dream to work on a spell with Starswirl! So why did you just destroy the spell you worked so hard to finish?"
Twilight took a deep breath, and smiled at Spike. "Because it did something that I would never want to do to my friends. Spike, that spell would have swapped the lives of my friends around. And that's something I would never do to them. Our friendship isn't perfect. All of us have our flaws, but that's what helps make us special."
"Starswirl may be one of the people I look up to." Twilight said with a fond smile. "But finishing his work doesn't even come close to how much I value my friends. They're what make my life. . . magical." And in that instant, Twilight was enveloped in a brilliant white light! When she opened her eyes, she saw her mentor smiling warmly at her.
"Princess Celestia?! Where am I?" Twilight asked as she surveyed her surroundings.
Celestia smiled at Twilight, and led her down a path. "Congratulations Twilight! I'm happy to announce that you have graduated as my student! You did something not even Starswirl himself fully grasped about friendship. The value of true friends, and the place they hold in your heart."
As the two strolled along the path, memories of Twilight's life appeared in windows along the sides of the path. "I've been watching you for a long time, and seen you come so far." Celestia turned to face Twilight. "And now, the time has come for you to take hold of your destiny!"
Twilight felt a surge of magic rushing through her! In a flash, she was back in the real world! But there was a notable difference. A pair of lavender wings now graced her back! Her friends had all rushed to the scene, and were in awe! Twilight Sparkle had been ascended into an Avatar! Her friends and mentor cheered! Happy for Twilight's graduation and ascension! However, their happy moment was cut short as the sound of marching could be heard just outside of Unityville.
Celestia took to the skies, and her eyes widened in horror. Shining Dawn's Dawn Treaders had marched up to Unityville, and were now standing just outside the town!
Twilight and her friends had gathered, and were gaping in shock at the army outside their town! But the bad news wasn't done yet! From his estate, Shining Dawn smiled as he saw the other half of his Dawn Treaders march through the streets of Castalot and root themselves outside the city!
I can't have our special day interrupted. Shining Dawn thought with a smile. So I decided to spring for a little security to keep out any "wedding crashers" who decide to show.
"Shining Dawn. . . "Celestia said as she scowled at the Dawn Treaders standing just outside of Unityville. "You promised me you wouldn't send out troops if I agreed to your proposal!"
Burst Stream, being close to Celestia and Twilight, heard this. And then, it all came together. He knew why Celestia broke up with him, and the role Shining Dawn played in all of his. As he saw Celestia depart, Burst looked at Twilight. "Twilight? Did you get a wedding invite?"
"Yeah. Princess Celestia handed me one." Twilight asked warily. She then started to grasp what was going through Burst's head. "But Shining Dawn isn't the one we all want to see waiting for Princess Celestia on the altar. So what's the plan?" She said with a small smile.
Burst Stream smirked as he took the invitation, and stared at the venue. "I've got another wedding to crash." He then turned his attention to the force of Dawn Treaders on the edge of Unityville. "And you all have your own party that'll be going down tomorrow."
Back at Shining Dawn's estate, the noble was standing with a smirk on his face as he heard Celestia enter. "I assume you witnessed my army being stationed outside of Unityville and Castalot?" He then turned to face Celestia. "I guess you could say I don't want anyone crashing our wedding. We don't want a repeat of the last royal wedding, do we?"
"You might not. . . " Celestia snapped. "But I'm starting to think otherwise. How dare you go back on your word!"
Shining Dawn shook his head. "Oh, I had every intention of keeping my word. But I see no point since the preparations for our special day have been finished incredibly early. I can't wait to see you walking down the aisle at my estate's chapel."
Celestia slapped Shining Dawn, and teleported back to her castle. She looked to the Optimus Prime plushie, and held it close as she cried. "You're always there for me when I need you Burst. And I pushed you away when I needed you most. . . "
Episode 22: Evil's Worst Nightmare
Burst Stream received a call from his dad Aether about the force of Dawn Treaders that had marched through Castalot and were now camped outside of the city! Just standing there as if waiting for the order to strike! "Talk about hitting close to home. . . " Burst Stream grumbled. "My friends are handling the Dawn Treaders outside of town, but I've still gotta deal with half an army just to get even a little bit closer!"
"I believe I can help you have an easier time entering Castalot." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. "I may not wear my armor too often. But. . . " She looked towards her closet. "That doesn't mean I've gotten rid of it. I'll entertain myself with the force stationed outside of Castalot. And don't bother with a train ticket. I'll fly you there and drop you off."
Burst Stream let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Moon." He then pulled her into a tight hug. "I know I've probably said that a lot, but I can't say it enough. Especially with dealing with what happened just a couple days ago."
"I should be the one worry about how I can repay you." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. "But you can't very well fight against evil if you're not rested." The two changed into their sleeping clothes, and laid down on Burst's bed. The two of them falling fast asleep.
The next morning, Burst Stream and Nightmare Moon's slumber was interrupted by the ringing of Burst's alarm clock. Nightmare Moon went off to the guest room, and began equipping her armor while Burst Stream slipped on his usual outfit. His eyes were filled with resolve as he put on his coat and equipped his Duelist Arms. Soon enough, he was at the door. Nightmare Moon had also fully armed herself. Her broadsword in a scabbard at her hip. "Let's fly."
The second the two were outside, Nightmare Moon held onto Burst Stream tightly and flew at top speed towards Castalot! Dropping Burst off on the other side of the gate. "Have fun rescuing your princess." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as she turned to face the gate. "Make sure to hit your horrible brother extra hard for me. He deserves it after what he did to you."
"Oh I won't just hit for you." Burst Stream said with a smirk as he ran towards Shining Dawn's estate! "I'll be sure to hit extra hard for Celestia." As soon as Burst Stream disappeared from view, Nightmare Moon turned to face the city gates and looked at one of the guards.
"Open the gates." Nightmare Moon commanded in a calm, cool tone. "They want to try and take the city? I'll show them what a nightmare it will be for them." Hesitantly, the guards opened the gates. Nightmare Moon walked forth calmly, and drew her broadsword. The army of Dawn Treaders reacted to her advance, and readied their weapons. "I'll only say this once. Leave in peace, and surrender."
Nova Flare stepped forward, and glared at Nightmare Moon. "I knew a dark force would step forward to oppose Lord Shining Dawn's coming age of light. I know of your deeds, but I have no fear of you! You may have changed, but the only princess of the night is Luna! The light of the moon! You, her loathsome dark side, has no place in this world!"
"How cute." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. "You really have no idea how dark Shining Dawn's heart is, do you? It would seem light can be just as blinding. And there's only one way to make you see." Nightmare Moon got into a fighting stance.
"ATTACK!" Nova Flare screamed! A number of Dawn Treaders charged at Nightmare Moon! Their spears ready to strike at the former Woman in the Moon!
Nightmare Moon just scoffed, and cut the Dawn Treaders down with a wide slash! The Dawn Treaders all fell on the ground! Split in two from where they'd been slashed! The main bodies disintegrating and leaving only the armor! "Looks like I won't actually be sending any enemies to their graves."
"As if I'd allow any to become rust on your blade!" Nova Flare snapped! "Lord Shining Dawn refuses to risk more powerful fighters so easily! You'll not get the satisfaction of vanquishing an enemy!"
Nightmare Moon smirked. "Oh this is good. Very good. Since your army is composed of things instead of people," She then looked Nova Flare dead in the eye, and the warrior of Shining Dawn felt sheer terror. "I don't have to worry about holding back!" Nightmare Moon powered up her magic, and unleashed a powerful blast that wiped out a good portion of the Dawn Treaders! "I wonder how the others back in Unityville are doing trashing the other half of your toys?"
To answer Nightmare's question, the battle outside of Unityville was essentially a curb stomp. Arctic Ace's access to magic allowed him to freeze the Dawn Treaders in place while he dispatched them in a series of rapid slashes, or imprison them in ice and blow them away with a blast of magic! Steel Edge used the blade charge spell on his Duelist Arms, and cut through the Dawn Treaders! Leaving a swath of destruction in his wake!
"These guys aren't nearly as durable as the changelings." Steel muttered to himself as he bashed a Dawn Treader in the head! "They're all style, and no substance!"
Arctic Ace nodded as he took note of the scattered armor all over the battlefield. "Not to mention they're slow! Their heavier armor weighs them down! Even if the Royal Guards did get involved, they'd be able to out-maneuver them no problem!"
"Mind if I join the party?" Twilight asked as she readied her magician's staff! "I discovered a new feature of my Harmony Keeper! I found out about it shortly after I ascended!" Twilight held her staff in front of her, and the tips of the starburst ornament at the top seemed to extend! The ornament glowed with power! "GET CLEAR!" Both Arctic Ace and Steel Edge flew out of the way as Twilight unleashed a gigantic beam of magic! The blast tearing through a majority of the remaining Dawn Treaders! "My standard shot would've taken out a lot less, but this new feature really amplifies the power AND it works for any spell! I affectionately dub it Spell Charge."
Both Steel and Ace were impressed at the display of the newfound ability of Twilight's weapon. However, they were snapped out of their awe by the remainder of the Dawn Treaders they were fighting. "Should I get the others to help us with mopping up the stragglers?" Twilight asked. "I bet they'd like to get in on the action."
"Actually, I got a text from Ice." Arctic Ace said as he whipped out his phone. "He says everyone else is on standby in case more enemies show up. Besides, we started this battle. It'd be rude if we didn't finish it."
"How about I clean up the stragglers instead?" A familiar voice called out. A massive thunderbolt wiped out the remaining stragglers! As the smoke cleared, a figure could be seen landing and walking towards the three avatars. Tyrannus Rex broke through the smoke. "Long time, no see guys! Hope my entrance left you thunderstruck."
At that instant, a yellow blur raced towards Tyrannus! "TY!" Fluttershy screamed as she latched onto her boyfriend's arm. "I missed you so much while you were away!"
"You too my shy little angel." Tyrannus said with a smile as he hugged her. "You know, I'm surprised Burst wasn't out here with you all tearing it up. Where is he?"
Twilight's eyes widened. "We can go to him now! He's in Castalot right now! We need to gather the others! I'll try a group teleport spell to get us there faster! We need to get back to Unityville and get both of our teams! NOW!" Twilight, Ace, Steel, and Tyrannus rushed back to Unityville and scrambled to assemble their friends!
Meanwhile, back at Castalot, Nightmare Moon was mopping the floor with Dawn Treaders she was facing. "You picked the wrong city to threaten. And the outcome should come as no shock to you." Nightmare Moon unleashed a blast of lightning! Frying the last of the Dawn Treaders and leaving only Nova Flare! "And then there was one. Are you scared now?"
"I. . . I. . . "Nova trembled before glaring at Nightmare Moon! "I don't fear you! BEHOLD HOW BRIGHT MY LIGHT BURNS!" Nova Flare fired a huge blast of light magic at Nightmare Moon! "LET THE LIGHT SMITE Y-?!"
Nightmare Moon had walked right through the blast, and snuffed it out by grabbing Nova Flare's hand! "That isn't true light. How could it ever be if you're too scared to admit you have a bit of dark in you? But since you're so blinded by light, allow some darkness to illuminate you." Nightmare Moon focused a powerful spell in her free hand, and then grabbed onto Nova's face! A few seconds later, Nova Flare fell to the ground unconscious. "And that takes care of our rude visitors."
"And now, I've got a wedding to attend." Nightmare Moon said as she turned to face the city. She saw the guards and civilians cheering for her, and smiled. However, she knew that now was no time to celebrate. "That can wait until after the wedding's crashed."
As Nightmare Moon landed on the other side of the gate, she saw the Elements of Harmony and the remaining Elements of Heroism teleport in. "Good to see all of you. I just finished taking care of the Dawn Treaders sent here. If you're looking for Burst Stream, then we'd better get moving to Shining Dawn's estate. I've got a feeling that the wedding's going to be complete trashed knowing Burst."
Speaking of Burst Stream, he'd made it to Shining Dawn's estate. A lone Dawn Treader standing guard at the entrance to the chapel. Upon seeing Burst, the golem charged at him! But Burst slashed it at its torso, and fired a charge shot! The force of the shot sent the already falling apart golem bursting through the chapel doors!
I could've waited until the minister asked for any objections. Burst Stream thought with a smirk as he walked through the doors. But where's the fun in that? "Hope I didn't keep you waiting Celestia."
"Um. . . do you have any objections sir?" The minister asked nervously. "I was just about to get to that part."
Burst nodded. "Damn right I've got an objection to this wedding!" He then pointed at Shining Dawn! "This whole marriage isn't out of love, and it sure as tartarus isn't being done willingly on the bride's part! You thought you could twist Celestia's arm into marrying you by surrounding Unityville and Castalot with your little golem army! Too bad that my friends already trashed your toy soldiers just so I could burst in here! You made the mistake of taking away my princess Shining Dawn."
"Well, well." Shining Dawn said as he condescendingly clapped his hands. "I must applaud you brother. Bursting into the chapel. Declaring your objection." He noticed Celestia's joyful smile. "The Dragon Knight coming to the aid of his princess. But clearly, you don't understand how the story is supposed to end. The dragon, knight or not, is slain by the prince."
Shining Dawn summoned what looked like a sword handle. "And that prince. . . IS ME." The wedding guests immediately fled to the exit as Shining Dawn channeled his magic into the empty sword handle! Producing a massive blade of bronze-orange magic! "This time, I will be the winner of our duel!"
"So this is what they call a heartwarming family reunion." Burst Stream scoffed as he drew his sword and one of his blasters. "Come at me 'bro'!" Parrying Shining Dawn's swing as the noble flew at him! Burst Stream shot at Shining Dawn with his blaster! Hitting the noble in the arm! As Shining Dawn staggered, Burst kicked the noble's other arm! Sending Shining Dawn's sword flying and the blade fizzling out as it no longer was being fueled by Shining Dawn's magic! "Let's settle this magic-to-magic!"
Shining Dawn smirked as he placed a hand against his chest. "I wouldn't want it any other way. . . " Shining Dawn wasted no time in powering up his magic! However, there was a noticeable change to the color of his magical aura. A blood-red tinge was present. "Care to recreate our little beam clash from our second duel?!"
Burst barely had time to react as he fired out a beam of magic to counter the one Shining Dawn was shooting at him! Both beams clashed! At first, it seemed like the two beams were of equal strength! However, with just a slight push from Shining Dawn, his beam soon overpowered Burst Stream's! What/! How is this possible! There's no way he could've increased his power that much in such a short time!
Sure enough, Burst's beam was complete engulfed by Shining Dawn's! The force of the blast knocking the Element of Power to the ground!
"I suppose you're wondering what has led to this turn of the tables." Shining Dawn asked with a smirk. "Let's just say I learned to accessorize for the occasion!" Shining Dawn ripped off his shirt and tuxedo, and exposed the Avatar Amulet hanging around his neck! "I thought that as a son of Aether, I would have naturally inherited his power. Sadly, as my duels with you suggest, that was not the case. But how far could training have taken me? Not to mention, how long? I have spent a long time planning my rise. And I refuse to let you make it fall apart!"
Burst Stream glared at Shining Dawn as he stood back up. "The only reason you're going to fall is because of yourself!" Burst whipped out his twin blasters, and unleashed a barrage of shots at Shining Dawn! The Noble simply deflecting them thanks to his boosted magic courtesy of the Avatar Amulet! "Relying on a crutch like the amulet just proves that you have no power of your own!"
"How amusing." Shining Dawn said with a sneer. "You think to appeal to my pride. That would have worked. Except for the fact that I prioritize success over pride!" Shining Dawn let loose another large blast of magic! Knocking back Burst Stream and making him drop his weapons! "Is this all that the Element of Power is capable of?"
Burst Stream began to charge his White Lightning Overdrive! "No. THIS IS!" Burst charged at Shining Dawn, and hit him with the White Lightning Overdrive! But when the smoke cleared, only an duplicate image exploded! "What the?! AGH!" Burst fell to his knees as he was hit with a black bolt of lightning!
"That spell is supposed to make you writhe in agony." Shining Dawn stated with a cruel smirk. "Fitting. Especially considering the dragon always faces an agonizing demise. Despite how much it fights, it never wins!" Shining Dawn kept hitting Burst with the agony spell! Each successive blast amplifying the pain caused by the last!
"STOP!" Celestia screamed! She couldn't stand seeing Burst suffer like this any longer! "Don't hurt him! Please! I'll do anything you want! Just. . . please. Stop torturing him like this. I can't stand seeing something so cruel be done to him. I hate seeing him suffer even more after what I did to him!"
Shining Dawn paused his relentless advance, and looked at Celestia. "Worry not my dear wife." As Shining Dawn spoke to Celestia, Burst Stream had managed to get to his feet and draw his sword! The agony spell made it hard to keep himself steady, and the pain he'd received didn't make the task of keeping himself in a fighting stance any easier! "I will cease the torture." Shining Dawn quickly levitated the empty sword handle, and powered up the blade again! Burst saw Shining Dawn thrusting the blade of magic at him, but his painful state refused to allow him movement! And in an instant, Shining Dawn plunged the magic blade of his sword into Burst's chest! "I'll simply put your poor, pitiful dragon knight out of his misery!"
"BURST STREAM!" Celestia cried out as she watched Burst fall to his knees as Shining Dawn drew his blade out of Burst's chest! "No. . . no! Please!" Celestia was about to reach out for Burst Stream's hand! The Element of Power desperately reaching out towards her! But a wall of magic, complements of Shining Dawn, separated the two! Celestia's heart sank as she saw Burst place his hand against the wall to where her hand was.
"You. . . " Celestia growled as she turned her furious gaze to Shining Dawn! "FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE I'LL-?!" Celestia tried to power up her magic, but found that it was nullified by the engagement ring on her finger!
Shining Dawn shook his head as he advanced toward Celesita. "Oh, my dear future wife. Your attitude is starting to become quite the problem. But don't worry. I'll make certain that you know your place when I'm sitting across from you on my own throne."
Two major feelings were coursing through Burst's heart and mind at that moment. Anger and sorrow. But the anger inside him wasn't a mindless rage, or malevolent will. No, this was righteous anger brought by how Shining Dawn had manipulated Celestia, and seeing how horribly he was being to Celestia. How horrible? Shining Dawn slapped Celestia right in front of Burst Stream. And the sorrow of being able to just watch ate at Burst's heart.
And then, Burst felt it. The anger and sorrow allowed him to get in touch with his dark side. And he unleashed it. "NOOOOOOO!" Burst Stream screamed as a surge of magic and power pulsed throughout his body! Instantly healing his injuries and engulfing him in a sphere of brilliant blue magic! The resulting force shattered the magic wall construct made by Shining Dawn, and staggered both Shining Dawn and Celestia!
As dust clouded Celestia and Shining Dawn's vision, the sphere of magic around Burst dispersed and the sound of feet hitting the ground could be faintly heard. "You just signed your death wish Shining Dawn." Burst's voice said as the sound of footsteps coming toward them. But there was something different. Burst's voice sounded deeper. "You want to know why Celestia calls me her dragon knight? It's because she's the one I love the most, and treasure above all else! And if someone tries to hurt or take her from me? I'll fight to the end to protect her or get her back!"
The dust began to settle. Revealing more changes to Burst's form! "I fight. . . "Burst Stream broke through the cloud of dust! And in that instant, his altered form was revealed. Burst Stream's skin was now jet black, and his eyes now had slit pupils! "With the power and rage of a dragon for the sake of my princess!"
Shining Dawn, who had earlier thought his victory was assured, was now trembling. "You. . . you!" He pointed at Burst Stream's new form! "What in tartarus are you?!"
"What am I?" Burst Stream asked as he looked at his reflection in the blade of his sword. Taking note of the similarities his new form had with Nightmare Moon. Nightmare. . . A smirk crept across his face as he rested his sword against his shoulder and pointed towards himself with his free hand. "I'm evil's worst nightmare."
Shining Dawn had no idea how strong Burst Stream was in this new form. But then again, it couldn't really compare with the power granted to him by the Avatar Amulet, could it? "You. . . you think a little palette swap and a pair of contacts is enough to make me fear you?! I AM SHINING DAWN! You, a pitiful mongrel, are no threat!"
"Well then. . . " Burst then beckoned Shining Dawn. "Come and get me." The smirk on Burst's face provoked Shining Dawn into charging at him! But the second Shining Dawn struck at him, Burst disappeared in a pillar of light! He then reappeared in front of Celestia. "Just like I thought." He said as he took a few steps closer to Celestia. "You look great in a wedding dress. Too bad I'm not the one who proposed."
Seeing how casually Burst Stream had disregarded him enraged Shining Dawn! "DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE YOUR BETTER YOU WORM!"
"Talk about screaming for attention." Burst said with a roll of his eyes. A brilliant white light shot out from Burst's back, and wrapped around him and Celestia as Shining Dawn struck! Shining Dawn's magic-powered blade deflected off the light wrapped around Burst Stream and Celestia! The light then seemed to unfold! Revealing a pair of angelic wings made of white light had formed on Burst's back! "I thought a noble would have more dignity than to try and attack me with my back turned."
Shining Dawn was in complete disbelief! "You. . . what you've done is impossible! Light and darkness being used simultaneously?! You can't call on both powers!"
"Oh trust me. I can." Burst said with a smirk as he stepped away from Celestia and drew his sword! "Because I don't just rely on only half of myself! Everything I do, I do with all of me! Time for you to see why that makes me the Element of Power!" Burst thrust his free hand out, and channeled his magic! A stream of lightning shot out and struck Shining Dawn! "Not as fun when you're the one getting zapped, is it?"
As Shining Dawn staggered to his feet, Burst Stream teleported in a flash of white feathers! Shining Dawn was confused at where Burst had disappeared to, but soon found out when he turned around and saw Burst Stream standing behind him. Burst Stream backhanded Shining Dawn!
"How. . . HOW?!" Shining Dawn screamed as he staggered to his feet! The blood red tinge now fully consuming the aura of Shining Dawn's magic! "The Avatar Amulet grants me power that elevates me above you! HOW CAN YOU POSSBLY BEAT ME?!"
Burst Stream looked at Shining Dawn with pity in his eyes. "Simple. The power you have controls you. You don't control it, and you never worked for it or made it your own. But you lost before you even put that amulet around your neck." Burst readied his sword! "Now you're going to pay the price for that power!" Burst channeled magic into his fist! "TIME TO PAY UP!"
A magic-infused fist crashed into Shining Dawn's face! As the noble clutched his face and screamed in pain, Burst Stream fired two charge shots almost point blank! Leaving Shining Dawn's chest scorched! But Burst Stream wasn't done yet! He channeled the white lightning spell into the blade of his sword, and struck Shining Dawn! "WHITE LIGHTNING SLASH!"
The strike sent a surge of white lightning through Shining Dawn's body! The noble and would-be ruler falling to the ground as he writhed in pain! A few seconds later, Shining Dawn lay motionless save for a few minor twitches from either his fingers or legs.
"You know, even after all the horrible crap you've done, I still pity you. Because you were never dad's kid. How could you be when he was never given the chance to be part of your life?" Burst's pupils momentarily returning to their regular state before returning to slit form. "But that doesn't mean you didn't deserve what I did to you."
Celestia froze when Burst Stream looked to her. The jet black skin and slit-pupil eyes reminded her of the past Nightmare Moon. It brought forth so many unpleasant memories, but Burst Stream was completely oblivious to Celestia's thoughts as he stepped closer.
"Hope you don't mind being carried bridal style." Burst said with a smile. Unintentionally revealing the minor fangs some of his teeth had become after his transformation into his nightmare form. As he carried Celestia, he noted the shocked expression. "Hey, I beat the bad-guy. No need to look frightened." He then remembered his appearance, and recalled that some of the traits this form had many unpleasant memories tied to them. "It's my eyes and skin, isn't it?"
Burst Stream saw Celestia slowly nod, and sighed at the action. "Take a good look at the wings on my back." Burst Stream wrapped one of his wings of light around Celestia. "Is my hair any less white? Are my wings tarnished at all?" Celestia shook her head.
Soon enough, Burst exited the chapel with Celestia in his arms. He saw all his friends gathered, and all of them stood in cautious stances. "Hey guys! You missed the party. I crashed the ceremony HARD."
"Burst?" Inferno asked in disbelief. "Is that you? Dude, what happened to you?!"
Burst took a deep breath. "Long story short, I made peace with my dark side and now I own its power. And all it took was getting impaled for a second time. Of course, the bursting desire to smash Shining Dawn's face after he slapped my girlfrie-" Burst paused, looked at Celestia, and sighed as he set Celestia down. "Ex-girlfriend."
"Even if we're not together any more. . . I won't let anyone get away with treating you badly." Burst Stream said. His gaze into Celestia's eyes was cut short when something shot through the roof of the chapel! "You've gotta be kidding me!"
Shining Dawn was cloaked in a blood red magical aura! "BUUUURRRSSST STREAAAMM!" The would-be ruler's eyes were blood red! The same could be said for the blade made of magic that was being emitted from the empty sword handle he was holding! The Avatar Amulet's gem glowing brightly! "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE SON OF AETHER!"
"There already is." Burst Stream said in a cool tone as he took to the sky! Despite never flying before, the wings on Burst's nightmare form were a construct of his magic. And he quickly flew up to Shining Dawn! Locking blades with the noble! "You mad bro?"
"MAD? MAD?! I'M INFURIATED!" Shining Dawn screamed! "HOW DARE YOU PITY ME! YOU! A LESSER BEING WHO'S UNWORTHY OF BEING CALLED AETHER'S SON!" Each of Shining Dawn's swings seemed to echo his rage! While Burst's parries seemed to reflect his calm heart despite the dark form he had assumed. "YOU! ARE! BENEATH ME!"
Burst broke off his blade clash with Shining Dawn, and the two fired beams of magic at each other! The beams exploding upon contact! "Give up Shining Dawn!" Burst had taken note of how bad a shape Shining Dawn's body was in! "You can't fight like this!"
"SILENCE!" Shining Dawn roared as he fired a barrage of magic blasts at Burst who shielded himself with the Aegis spell! "FALL! FALL DAMN YOU!" When the smoke cleared, Shining Dawn finally saw the magical shield around Burst! "You DARE to humiliate me by using my own technique against me?!"
Song used for this moment
"Such action from my lesser is unforgiveable!" Shining Dawn began to gather all his magic together in one massive blast! "RISING DAWN. . . "
"THIS HEART OF MINE IS BURSTING WITH FURY!" Burst Stream screamed as he readied his own massive attack! Gathering both his magic and energy and focusing the blast to come out of his hands! "IT'S VIOLENT BEAT TELLS ME TO DEFEAT YOU! TAKE THIS! MY LOVE! MY ANGER! AND ALL THE SORROW YOU'VE CAUSED ME AND CELESTIA! WHITE LIGHTNING. . . "
Shining Dawn scowled! "CANNON. . ."
"BURSTING. . . " Burst Stream cried out!
"FIIIIRE!" Shining Dawn roared as a massive blood-red blast of magic shot from his hands!
"OVERDRIVE!" screamed Burst Stream as a beam of magic and energy combined shot out suddenly and violently from his hands! The second it made contact with Shining Dawn's beam, it burst right through it! Tearing through the opposing beam like it was nothing!
Shining Dawn extended his arms out to try and hold back the blast, but the sheer power coming from it threw his arms back! Not even a scream was heard as Shining Dawn was completely engulfed in the blast! The Avatar Amulet began to crack, and soon it disintegrated! Shining Dawn letting out a silent scream as his entire body crumbled away!
"It's over. . . " Burst Stream said with an exhausted smile as he hovered back down to the ground. "I'm not Aether's son because I have his blood. I'm his son because our souls have a bond. Blood's meaningless by comparison."
In a flash, Burst Stream returned to his normal self. He walked past Celestia, and looked at her sadly. Deep down, he knew she wouldn't just jump into his arms and hold him tight like he expected. But he was at least happy knowing he had saved her. "See you around princess."
Celestia wanted to reach her hand out, but seeing Burst's nightmare form made her so unsure. "I. . . hope to see you as well." Celestia teleported back to her own castle. Leaving both teams of elements to congratulate Burst Stream.
"Thanks everyone." Burst said with a tired smile. "But I couldn't have made it here without you guys taking on an entire army. You're all. . . why I was able to win. . . " Burst began to topple forward as his body began to tire.
Fortunately, Nightmare Moon caught him! "I hope you all don't mind, but I think we should celebrate a little bit later on." She then looked down at Burst, and a loving smile spread across her face. "We wouldn't want to celebrate without our hero, would we?"
Not long after both teams of elements departed, a portal opened. Blitz Surge stepped through. He looked to the destroyed chapel, and sighed. "It seems Burst Stream wasn't as much of an anomaly as I thought he was. Perhaps it was you who were the mistake Shining Dawn. Though you and Burst only share half of father. But me?"
Blitz Surge smirked. "I have far more of him in me than you two ever will. Soon, Burst Stream, Power shall fall before Justice." And with that, Blitz Surge disappeared back through the very portal he came through.
Back in Unityville, Nightmare Moon had set Burst down on his bed, and changed back into her usual outfit. "Sleep well Burst Stream." She then lay down next to him, and covered him with one of her wings. "It's my turn to hold you my precious light." And she kissed Burst Stream on the forehead before falling asleep herself.
Burst Stream was peacefully sleeping. It had been a couple hours since he'd permanently taken care of Shining Dawn's threat, and it went without saying a fight on that level tends to leave a guy pretty tired.
Unlocking a Nightmare Form takes a lot out of you. Burst thought as he slumbered. Nuzzling against whatever warm, soft object was in front of him. But I don't think I'll need to rest much longer. I'm starting to feel pretty recharged from my duel to the death with Shining Dawn. Still, whatever's next to me is so warm and soft I don't know if I want to wake up. Maybe I'll open my eyes. Just to get a look.
Burst's eyes opened, and he blushed when he saw Nightmare Moon holding him close and resting his head near her bosom. I remember seeing her rush towards me before I passed out. She must've been carrying me all the way home after I won my fight. Burst Stream's heart then began beating nervously when he heard Nightmare Moon stirring from her slumber.
Nightmare Moon opened one of her eyes, and smiled at Burst Stream. "I'm glad to see I made a good pillow for you. Did you enjoy that little nap? I know I did." Any hints of flirting were completely absent in her voice. Nightmare Moon lifted one of her wings from Burst's body, and stretched as she let out a yawn. "Dealing with an entire army of golems is pretty tiring. Even for a goddess."
"Yeah." Burst said with a small smile as he removed his coat and saw that there was still a tear where Shining Dawn had impaled him through the chest. "I guess I could say the same for nearly dying and unlocking my equivalent of Super Saiyan." He then scratched his head nervously. "Um, thanks for carrying me home and getting me to bed."
Nightmare Moon smiled as she crawled over to Burst and wrapped her arms around him. "Any time Burst." She said as she held him close. "Now come on! The others are waiting for us! What's the fun of defeating a villain if we can't celebrate our victory!"
Burst Stream couldn't help but smile at the excited smile on Nightmare Moon's face as she took him by the hand to the party Pinkie Pie was throwing to celebrate Shining Dawn's defeat. He smiled as he saw all of his friends who were currently couples spending time together. However, any time he might have spent being sad about the break up passed a few days ago. That didn't mean he no longer missed her. He really wanted to get back together with her. But after gaining his nightmare form? It seemed the odds of that would be slim. Or at least, the odds of it happening so soon.
"You looked quite dashing in your nightmare form." Nightmare Moon said as she stood next to Burst Stream. Burst hadn't even noticed her approaching while he was considering the odds of Celestia taking him back. "Especially those wings of light you had on your back."
Burst smiled. "Well, I left Celestia speechless when I transformed. Now I know why you held everyone's attention when you made your big return at the Summer Sun Celebration."
"You flatter me." Nightmare Moon said with a giggle. "Personally, I prefer your default form. Yet even when you drew out your dark side," She then wrapped one of her wings around him. "Your light still shined just as bright as before."
Burst downed his drink in an effort to calm himself down. Fortunately, the party soon came to a close. "I knew it was a good idea to throw a party after defeating a major villain. Work hard, play even harder."
"Indeed. And I'd say we all partied hard." Nightmare Moon said with a giggle. "Well, I'm off to my bed."
Burst Stream blushed. "Actually Moon, would you mind spending another night in my room?" He made no point to hide his reasoning. "You've become a lot warmer as a person, and. . . it feels nice. I can feel it whenever you're holding me. Especially when I was going through my break up. So, please"
Nightmare Moon's heart fluttered in her chest! Words couldn't describe the happiness she'd felt! It was on levels she had never thought imaginable! Maybe. . . I won't be alone in the end. It looks like I'll be able to hold onto my precious light. "I would love to." Nightmare Moon said with a warm smile as she headed into her room to change. I don't know if he feels the same way I do about him, but I've been hiding it for long enough. He isn't hurting anymore, so I don't have to worry about him choosing me just because he's in a moment of weakness.
Tomorrow. Nightmare Moon thought to herself as she and Burst slipped under the covers of his bed. She then rested his head atop her heart. Tomorrow, I tell you just how much you really mean to me Burst Stream. Tomorrow. . . Moon looked down at Burst's sleeping form, and smiled affectionately. I say how much I love you.
The next few days were peaceful now that Shining Dawn was no more. Both teams of elements still made it a point to train and hone their fighting abilities. Nightmare Moon even decided to join in on the sparring!
"Good to see you've got more might than just your magic!" Burst Stream quipped as he raised his arm to block a kick from Moon! "But you're supposed to start small when it comes to any fight Moon. Even if it's just practice."
"I AM starting small." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk as she swung at Burst Stream! "But given how rooted you remain, your last two battles have boosted your power significantly."
Burst smiled as he rolled his head back, and grabbed onto Moon's arm! "The benefits of being Half-Avatar!" Burst managed to throw moon over his shoulder, but it came as no surprise that she flapped her wings to recover! "Still, I owe it all training like this!" Burst charged at Moon, and pulled off a flying side-kick!
"RIDER KICK!" Burst cried out as he launched himself at Moon! Playing along, Moon tanked the kick to her stomach and fell to the ground with her tongue sticking out. Burst then struck a Kamen Rider pose as he could've sworn he heard Akage squealing with joy at the reference. "Might for right wins out every time!"
Nightmare Moon smirked as she swept Burst off his feet! Making him fall to the ground. "You're a mighty mortal indeed. But mortal nonetheless." She put a hand on her hips, and leaned forward to look Burst Stream in the eye. "Any last requests?"
". . . " Burst was silent as he tried to come up with a way to turn the situation around. And with his current position, memories of his first encounter with Moon replayed in his head. A small smile crept across his lips as a plan had formed. "Wanna kiss again?" The effect was instantaneous.
Nightmare Moon's face was flushed red as thoughts of her lips against Burst's. "I. . . I-!"
"Hadouken!" Burst cried as he fired a blast of energy from his hands! Knocking Moon to the ground! "And that's the end of our training for the day." He waved goodbye to his friends. "See you all next time!" But just as Burst was about to leave, he felt Nightmare Moon clamp her hand down on his shoulder! "Moon?"
Nightmare Moon pulled Burst Stream closer to her. "You're not going anywhere just yet Burst." She then leaned into his ear, and whispered. "We have something important to discuss." Nightmare Moon let go of Burst, and beckoned him to follow her.
"So. . . what did you want to talk about?" Burst Stream asked. "If it's for what I pulled earlier, I'm sorry! It's just. . . that position reminded me of when we first met."
Nightmare Moon took a deep breath, and turned to face Burst Stream. "Burst. That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you. Our first encounter is probably the memory that holds the greatest significance to me." She then held herself. "I could see everyone was scared by Luna and I's return. You were too, but you stood against me all the same. But that's not what etched you into my thoughts. Rather, it was what you did."
"Yeah." Burst Stream said as he scratched his head. "That was a pretty unforgettable night for me too."
"You have no idea how much that affected me." Nightmare Moon said with a small smile. "Everyone else only saw a monster upon my return. But not you. You talked to me like I was a person. You wanted to make me feel appreciated. And I saw just how far you were willing to go."
Nightmare Moon let out a fond sigh. "And following my second defeat, you were always on my mind. Even while I was little more than a mass of essence, most of my thoughts were directed towards you. During Nightmare Night, I saw you talking to the statue of me in the woods. Saying that at least one good thing came out of my existence. And it made me feel happy."
"I wanted to see you again so badly. But I figured, why would you ever want to see someone who caused so much pain for the woman you loved?" Nightmare Moon had a sad look in her eyes as she stared at the ground in reflection. "I had done so much wrong to the one person I wanted to make happy more than anyone else. I wanted to fix my mistakes. Not for their sake, but for my own. To become a better me than anyone else thought I could be. A me, that you believed in. And that light of hope you had for me never dimmed for a second. You even risked losing your own happiness because you saw I wanted to change."
The sadness in Nightmare Moon's eyes vanished, and was replaced with joy. As well as a much stronger feeling as she slowly stepped towards Burst Stream. "And now? I'm no longer the nightmare everyone thought I was. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong. That I'm accepted. That I'm wanted. All thanks to one tiny little promise you made."
"Moon. . . " Burst Stream said as his face started to get red with how close Nightmare Moon was getting.
"You shined like a light for me to hold on to." Nightmare Moon said as a loving smile spread across her face. "After all you've done for me, there could be no other feeling towards you." She then pulled Burst Stream close to her, and wrapped her wings around him as she gazed lovingly into his sapphire blue eyes. "I love you Burst Stream."
Burst Stream's heart was beating furiously. The tension with how close Nightmare Moon was and how she was holding him made Burst try to crane his neck up to kiss her. However, he was stopped by Nightmare Moon!
"Don't." She said as her smile faded. Her eyes now had a longing look in them as she leaned into his ear and whispered to him. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want that. I want it very badly. But not if you're doing it just to make me happy. No, I want you to mean it. I want to feel your lips against mine because you want to love me. What you were about to do would hurt me far worse than you never feeling the same about me. How could I ever be happy with you knowing that you were with me just to give me what I wanted?"
"Oh Moon. . . " Burst Stream said with a sigh. "I could tell how you were feeling." This earned a surprised gasp from Nightmare Moon as she pulled away from Burst's ear, and locked eyes with him. "I could see it in your smile. And I can't imagine how hard it was to keep it held inside your heart for as long as you did. But why'd you wait this long anyway?"
Nightmare Moon smiled. "Because my love for you built up over time. Also, now was the best time as well. If I had told you while you and Celestia were still together, she might have never let you out of her sight. Meaning your first fight could've been a lot worse for the both of you." She then loosened her hold a little.
"If I had told you during your moment of weakness after Shining Dawn forcibly separated you and Celestia, you would've latched onto me as a sort of consolation prize and I'd have taken advantage of you while you were hurting. That would've cheapened our potential relationship together. Now's the best time because it's an even playing field. The love you and Celestia had before your break-up is balanced with the time you two are spending apart form each other. And the care I showed for you while you were hurting, and my confession, balance out all my prior flirting. Whichever you choose me or Celestia, the odds are incredibly even."
Burst smiled warmly. "Thanks for being so considerate Moon."
"I know it seems a bit selfish. . ." Nightmare Moon said with a small smile as she touched her forehead against Burst Stream's. "But I still hope that you'll choose me. Being with you makes my heart burst with joy my precious light."
Burst Stream closed his eyes. "Don't worry. You won't have to wait another one thousand years for my answer." I know I have to choose between them, but I don't want to. Both of them are the reason why I'm the way I am. But after all that's gone down, is getting back with Celestia really the best thing for the both of us?
Back at Castalot Castle, Celestia let out a heavy sigh as she opened a door. Inside was a mirror she hadn't passed through in some time. "It's been so long since I've seen you last." Celestia stepped through the mirror, and smiled at her first love waiting for her on the other side. "It's been too long Sombra. . . "
Episode 25: Reflections Part 1
Beyond the mirror Celestia had passed through earlier, there was another world. One so much like hers, and yet not the same. Namely because she and her sister weren't the rulers of Unity. No, their counterparts were far less noble and benevolent than they were. And they wanted nothing less than total dominion over Unity. And now, they had a force to help realize their ambitions.
"So. You want us to topple King Sombra and put you two on the throne, right?" A figure asked. His clothes were tattered and ripped in some places. The scrap of clothing on his upper body could barely be considered a shirt. He then had a wicked smile on his face. "Sounds like fun. Maybe I'll actually get some joy out of crushing him. Me and my crew have been looking for a good excuse to wreak some havoc. Of course, having two hot employers does give me more of an incentive to actually try."
Mirror Celestia sighed in annoyance. "If you think defeating Sombra is going to score you any affection from me, forget it. Besides, I could do much better than a simple brute like you. Still, you and your companions stand to gain a sizable reward for your services. Do we have a deal Burst Stream?"
"Yeah. We've got a deal." Mirror Burst said with an evil smile. "Let's see how an army stacks up against me." Wicked purple lightning danced around Mirror Burst's body as he left and met with his gang. "Well guys. Let's go have some fun. . . "
The next morning, Mirror Sombra could safely say he was having a bad time. He'd heard received a distress message from Unityville, and rushed out with a small troop of guards! And upon arrival, both he and his guards were brutally beat down by the group attacking the town! "Who. . . are you?!" Mirror Sombra growled as he struggled to his feet. "Why are you doing this?!"
Mirror Burst tilted his head in interest as he saw Sombra trying to rise. "Me? My name's Burst Stream. Personally? I'm doing this because I enjoy trashing those beneath me." He sneered at Mirror Sombra! "Never thought I'd see a king on the ground before me." Mirror Burst's fist was soon enveloped by magic, and he stopped it an instant from the side of Mirror Sombra's head! Wicked purple lightning dancing around the gathered energy and magic!
"I don't know how you've given Celestia and Luna a hard time. Maybe one of them is soft on you because of a crush? It'd explain why they gave me explicit instructions to keep you alive and leave a message. You've got a week to raise a white flag. Otherwise," A few bolts of purple lightning shot out from Mirror Burst's hand and nearly struck Unityville! "I can't promise me and my crew will leave anything left standing when we're done here. Or. . . anyone."
Mirror Sombra just stared in horror at how casually Mirror Burst and his gang strolled away from the destruction they'd caused! He was the king of Unity. His people relied on him for leadership and protection. But against this crew of villains, he was completely outclassed!
They completely thrashed me and my guards. It looks like my world's Celestia has decided to spring for some extra power. And there's only one way to even the odds. As repairs were made to Unityville, and the wounded were tended to, Mirror Sombra found himself staring at a mirror in his castle. "I don't know if there's any power in my world that can match those monsters. But maybe there is one in hers. . . " And with that, Mirror Sombra stepped through the mirror into the Unity we all know and love.
Celestia was certainly shocked to see her original lover so badly wounded. "Sombra!" Celestia ran to his side, and helped him lean on her. "What happened to you?"
"It looks like my world's version of you has decided to launch her first strike against me." Mirror Sombra said as he clutched his side. "She's recently hired a gang of villains to terrorize my people and defeat me. And they almost very well did. Most disturbing is that they are lead by the counterpart of your last lover. The one who you told me about during your last visit. Burst Stream."
Celestia was frozen in shock. "I'll. . . summon both teams of elements immediately."
"You still haven't talked to him, have you?" Mirror Sombra asked. His question making Celestia halt. "I know his transformation during that forced wedding must have reawakened bad memories. But outside of acting a bit more charming and flirty, did he ever act outside of how he normally behaves?"
". . . No." Celestia said with a sigh. "The look in his eyes was still the same when he carried me out of the chapel. Though he used his dark side, his heart never changed at all. But the fact is I hurt him. Even if I didn't mean to, I broke his heart to try and protect him because I didn't want to lose him. It would be so easy to just start again. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. But I've given this a lot of thought."
Celestia took hold of Mirror Sombra's hand. "At least for now, we can resume what we had. We were worlds apart, and yet we found each other. How could I just leave you to face your greatest threat alone when you so desperately need help?" The pair of rulers smiled at each other. Celestia sending out her summons to both teams of elements a minute later.
Both teams of elements had assembled at Castalot Castle. Nightmare Moon tagging along because she wanted to see how Celestia was doing. "Thank you all for coming." Celestia said with a nod. She then gestured to Mirror Sombra. "This is King Sombra from Mirror Unity. He's. . . my first boyfriend." Both sets of elements had expressions of shock and amazement.
But the reaction Celestia was paying attention to the most was Burst Stream's. His face didn't show any signs of dejection or sadness, but she did notice a look of understanding in his eyes. Shaking herself away from her thoughts, Celestia returned to the matter at hand.
"Sombra has come here because his own world is under attack by Luna and me's counterparts." Celestia stated. "And they've recruited powerful warriors to ensure Sombra's Unity falls to their power. Even more troubling, is that these warriors are the counterparts of the Elements of Heroism. We can't let this evil triumph! Especially when it's faces are ones we're very familiar with."
Burst Stream was silent as he stepped forward after discussing the situation with his team. "Like I'm gonna let some jerk with my face run around and hurt innocent people. And I think all my friends aren't gonna let that stand either. We're in."
"Count us in too." Twilight Sparkle said with an enthusiastic nod. "It'd be interesting to see all the twists this mirror version of our world has. And we'll do our best to help too!"
Celestia smiled gratefully. "In that case, let's confront this dark reflection." And with that, the assembled group of heroes proceeded through the mirror to Mirror Sombra's kingdom. "If you'd excuse Sombra and I for a moment. We have much to go over."
As Celestia and Mirror Sombra began to talk, Burst Stream watched them conversing with a contemplative look in his eyes. "Feeling a bit jealous, are we?" Nightmare Moon asked as she stood next to Burst Stream. "She did mention that he was her first love."
"Honestly Moon? I'm not sure how to feel." Burst Stream said with a sigh. "There is one thing I do know. I'll always love her." He then looked at Nightmare Moon. "But. . . don't go thinking that there isn't any room for you in my heart. Like you said, it's an even playing field for you and Celestia right now." But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't looking in your favor. Those two? They looked pretty happy together.
Meanwhile, Celestia's conversation with Mirror Sombra was nearing its end. "You haven't changed at all since I saw you last." Celestia said with a fond smile as she and Sombra looked out over a balcony. "Just like how I left you, in fact."
"And I'd say you're still as radiant as ever." Mirror Sombra said as he inched closer to Celestia. "It really was a shame what that Shining Dawn character did to you and Burst Stream's relationship. I know you didn't mean to break Burst Stream's heart. You did it because you thought he would be safer in the end. But he and his friends triumphed over Shining Dawn's army and Burst Stream destroyed Shining Dawn. Surely that's enough ground for you two to reunite as a couple?"
Celestia sighed. "I really want to, but I'm not so sure that I should. Burst did triumph over Shining Dawn, but he nearly died before gaining the power of his nightmare form. Sometimes, I have nightmares where Burst is standing before me. Saying that the pain he feels is all my fault and screaming that he hates me just before transforming into his nightmare form and shattering!"
"I do love him Sombra. Just as much, or maybe even more than you." Celestia said as she held herself. "And I need to ask you. . . do you feel like you've been replaced? Or that you've become a place holder ever since I came to see you again?"
Mirror Sombra took a deep breath. "The way I see it, I've been shown up. Burst Stream underwent years of training and was willing to give his own life to save your sister and make you truly smile once more. Even when he was so outclassed, he pushed forth with all the power he had! If that doesn't make him someone worthy of your love, I don't know what does. As for me feeling like a place holder, I don't see it that way."
"All I see. . . " Mirror Sombra held Celestia's hand, and smiled at her. "Is a chance for us to rekindle the love we once had."
Celestia smiled, but her smile soon faded when she heard sounds of panic coming from the streets! The purple lightning shooting into the sky tipping her off as to who had arrived to make trouble! "It looks like Mirror Burst's gotten more bold since his last attack."
"I'll go out with the Elements of Heroism." Mirror Sombra said with a determined gaze! "It's time to show why you don't attack my city while I'm home!"
Burst Stream saw Mirror Sombra running towards them. "I'm guessing our evil twins are making trouble. C'mon guys! Let's show these bad reflections what heroes are made of!" And with that, the Elements of Heroism and Mirror Sombra dashed to the city center where the counterparts of the Elements of Heroism, The Scourge, were attacking!
"Well, well." Mirror Burst said as he stepped forward. "Isn't this a lame joke." He carefully noted their counterparts' appearances and how they contrasted with them. In the light, Mirror Burst's skin and hair looked like a tarnished white. Even his eyes were a dull blue compared to Burst Stream's!
Burst narrowed his eyes at his counterpart! "Only four of you? I thought there'd be more members of your little gang." Burst gestured to his team of elements. "Because I've brought over plenty of friends to this little brawl."
"Hmph. The ninja I wanted to join up said his blade serves no one." Mirror Burst scoffed. "The delinquent trio of Skyborn brothers are an idiot, a coward, and a jerk respectively. Then there was that overgrown mutt who lives with Timber-wolves in the forest and the weird plant guy who just sits in a weird grove. And the thief I considered adding to my crew just screamed that he'd ditch us in a heartbeat. None of them wanted to join in on the fun, so I guess that means I've got much more fun to myself."
Mirror Tyrannus snorted. "I don't see why YOU call the shots. Last I checked, I was the big one of us!" He then loomed over Mirror Burst! "Come to think of it, I don't see why I should follow you!" Mirror Ty swung at Mirror Burst, but Mirror Burst caught it!
"Ty, Ty, Ty." Mirror Burst said with a sigh as he broke Mirror Tyrannus's arm! "Big doesn't always mean strong!" He then grabbed Mirror Ty by the throat, and begin to squeeze! Strangling the brute! "I could easily just end you right now. But honestly? Where's the fun in killing you? No. . . no I want to hear you beg for mercy. Ironic that the life of a big bully like you is in the hands of someone smaller than yourself."
Mirror Tyrannus struggled to get his apology out. He decided his life wasn't worth the point he foolishly tried to prove. "I. . . I'm sorry! I *ack*! I give!"
"Good~." Mirror Burst sand as he loosened his grip and slammed Mirror Ty's head onto the ground! Leaving a small crater. "Just like a T-Rex. Big and stupid. Still, I don't know why I even bothered bringing him along if he's so weak compared to me. Yo Inferno! Steel! Looks like it's just the three of us."
Mirror Inferno just shrugged as he walked over to his counterpart. Mirror Inferno's appearance looked like that of a complete slob. He never tried at anything, so he put no effort into anything. Even his best punch at Inferno didn't leave a mark! "Whatever dude. I tried. I'm out."
"Wow. How disappointing." Inferno Flare said with a shake of his head. "This guy's not even worth half of my best!" And with that, Inferno knocked out his counterpart with a single punch.
Meanwhile Steel Edge had just dodged a swipe from a concealed weapon courtesy of his counterpart! "Packing hidden weapons? Not my style! But then again, you're my counterpart. You've got no honor!'
"Heh! What good's honor compared to victory?!" Mirror Steel said with a sneer. A gigantic mistake as Steel Edge bashed him in the face with his shield before Mirror Steel could react! With Mirror Steel and Mirror Inferno out could, that just left Burst Stream against Mirror Burst!
"So you're me, huh?" Mirror Burst said with a smirk. "Let's see how alike we are!" He powered up his magic, and let loose a destructive blast of purple lightning! "I WONDER, CAN YOU HANDLE THIS?!"
Burst Stream kept a relaxed stance, and knocked the lightning away with his hand alone! "My turn." Burst Stream powered up his magic and unleashed a blast of white lightning that hit his counterpart straight in the chest! Leaving a massive scorch mark against Mirror Burst's chest!
"You. . . hurt me." Mirror Burst noted. "Well then, CAN YOU TANK THIS! DARK LIGHTNING OVERDRIVE!" Wicked purple lightning and energy gathered in Mirror Burst's fist! But before he could make contact, Burst Stream teleported out of his way. "Huh?! GAH!"
Burst Stream had teleported behind his counterpart and kicked him in the head! "Looks like you don't have as much experience with an actual fight. At least, not any where you've been pushed to your limit. From the looks of things, you haven't trained a day in your life."
"All I know's that I got Avatar blood in me!" Mirror Burst spat! "What's the use in training when I've got the power already in my blood without any of the work!" Mirror Burst swung wildly at Burst Stream! However, his frenzy of punches were completely random! Leaving him wide open!
Burst Stream punched his counterpart in the stomach! As Mirror Burst struggled to get air back into his lungs, Burst Stream charged up his White Lightning Overdrive! "You. . . YOU CHEATED!" Mirror Burst screamed as he pounced at Burst Stream! "YOU CAN'T BE STRONGER THAN ME!"
"Wrong." Burst Stream said before unleashing his ultimate attack! "WHITE LIGHTNING OVERDRIVE!" And with a single punch, it was over. Not long after Burst's punch connected, Mirror Burst exploded in a blast of white lightning! A silent scream as he was disintegrated! "Now all we need's a plan to deal with Mirror Celestia and Luna."
Mirror Sombra breathed a sigh of relief. "I should have figured you would make short work out of them. Especially given the fact three members of your team are avatars. But speaking of my world's Celestia and Luna, we'd best discuss them at the castle."
Back at the castle, Mirror Sombra had gathered his council. Needless to say, both sets of elements were shocked to see who the council was comprised of! Chrysalis, Flim and Flam, Derpy, and Trixie were all sitting at the meeting table! "I take it you're quite familiar with all my friends here in a way. But it couldn't hurt you all to get more familiar."
Both teams of elements began retelling their encounters with their versions of the mirror counterparts in front of them. It went without saying that the mirror counterparts were equal parts shocked about how their versions from the other side of the mirror acted. Chrysalis, in particular, felt sick to her stomach.
"How. . . how could someone be that awful?!" Mirror Chrysalis said in complete horror upon hearing Night Fang retell what the standard Chrysalis had done to Narico. "Trying to kill that nymph. . . simply because he could have become a new king!"
Night Fang nodded. "Don't go apologizing. You're not the one who did the unthinkable. You've got the same face," Fang then sniffed Mirror Chrysalis. "But you've got a completely different scent to you. But I think we're all getting off topic talking about how bad your counterparts are."
"Indeed." Mirror Sombra said with a nod. "We must find a way to defeat my world's Celestia and Luna. They're avatars, so they're immortal. Banishing them would only work for so long, and we don't have our own Elements of Harmony to use on them."
Mirror Sombra turned his attention to the Main 6. "I'd have asked you to bring yours, but I have no idea how being in my world would affect them. However, I do have a plan to render the dark sisters harmless."
"And just what does your plan entail?" Burst Stream asked with a raised eyebrow.
Mirror Sombra cleared his throat. "Just a simple containment spell to use on them."
"You're lying." Applejack said as she slowly stood up. "We can tell how much you care about yer home yer highness. But your friends here all care about you. So buck up, an' tell 'em what yer planning on doing. Be honest with us."
Mirror Sombra sighed. "I plan to extract the evil from my world's Celestia and Luna and hold it within myself. After that, I'll isolate myself from the world. No one will ever have to suffer their cruelty any longer!"
"Sombra. . . " Burst Stream said as he approached Mirror Sombra and put his hand on Mirror Sombra's shoulder. "LET'S SEE YOU GRIT THOsE TEETH!" And Burst Stream punched Mirror Sombra in the face, and caught him by his cape before he hit the floor!
Celestia was shocked! "Burst! What are you doing!?!?!"
"Listen up!" Burst Stream snapped as he pulled Mirror Sombra up to face him at eye level! "How can you be so gutless?! Do you honestly expect yourself to contain all that evil within you if you haven't even faced your own dark side yet?!" Burst Stream transformed into his nightmare form! "If you're not willing to face that side of yourself, then you'll have nothing left! Do you WANT to put Celestia through something that painful?!"
Burst Stream let go of Mirror Sombra. "You know something? I was jealous of you because of how easily Celestia got back into things with you. But now? How could I ever be jealous of a glass king like you?" Now that he had the entire room's attention, Burst Stream decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Here's what's going to go down." Burst Stream began. "Me and Sombra are going to fight the dark sisters. Alone. But not before I teach him to deal with his dark side." And with that, Burst Stream breathed a sigh of relief. "Good talk."
Burst Stream locked onto Mirror Sombra. "Here's what you've gotta do. Close your eyes, and focus on your core. You should see a door with nothing but darkness in it. Go inside, and whatever happens next depends solely on you."
"Well. . . here goes nothing." Mirror Sombra said nervously as he did as Burst Stream instructed. Sure enough, he came face-to-face with his dark side. "Uh. . . hi?"
"Hello there." Mirror Sombra's dark side greeted plainly. "I didn't expect to see you."
Mirror Sombra was completely shocked at how tame his dark side was. "Well, I suppose I came here to make peace with you. But it seems like you're already at that stage. It looks like I won't have to worry about having to abandon Celestia because of my plan after all. Although, I would still need to be a world apart from her. . . "
"About that?" Mirror Sombra's dark side said with a small smile. "I think there's a way we can fix that. Here's what we need to do. . . "
Mirror Sombra nodded, and returned to the real world when he opened his eyes again. "I'm ready." He smiled at Celestia. "And I'll be coming back for you."
"Well then," Burst Stream said with a smirk. "Time for a royal rumble!"
TO BE CONTINUED!
Episode 26: Reflections Part 2
Mirror Celestia and Luna had watched the gang they'd hired get easily trashed. It went without saying that neither of the two were happy with the outcome.
"Well, at least we didn't waste any bits on them by paying before we hired them." Mirror Luna scoffed. "I guess if we wanted the job done right, we should have done it ourselves sister."
Mirror Celestia scowled as she dismissed the vision from her viewing globe. "For once, you might actually have a point." The dark sun princess stood up and dusted herself off. An arrogant smirk on her face. "I suppose, as a fellow royal, I owe dear Sombra that courtesy at the very least. Or if not him, then maybe that precious counterpart of mine that he adores so mu-"
The sound of an explosion interrupted Mirror Celestia! The dark sisters once again switched on the view globe, and the image it showed caught them completely off-guard. Burst Stream and Mirror Sombra were walking through the now destroyed gate of their castle!
"Well, well. Looks like little Sombra finally grew a backbone." Mirror Celestia noted. "And it looks like he brought a friend along for the ride. I guess this is the Burst Stream from the world beyond the mirror. Luna. Let's go greet our guests." And with that, the dark sisters set out to confront the intruders.
Burst Stream didn't like how quiet it was. "This isn't what I expected when we decided to storm this place." The castle of the dark sisters was empty and silent. Devoid of any guards or other random foot soldiers or grunts that he'd expected Mirror Celestia and Luna to keep on-hand. "Shouldn't there be a whole army against us?"
"My world's Celestia and Luna are an arrogant pair." Mirror Sombra answered. "They're goddesses, so they don't believe in needing help from those beneath them. And that. . . " Royal purple smoke began to leak from the sides of Mirror Sombra's eyes. His acceptance of his dark side allowing him access to dark magic as well as complete control over it. "Is their greatest weakness."
Burst Stream nodded.. "Wouldn't be my first time fighting a goddess. You take Mirror Celestia. I'll handle Luna." The pair had reached an open courtyard when they spotted the dark sisters. "Well. It looks like being evil means you two ditched a good fashion sense."
"You certainly dress better than your twin." Mirror Celestia replied with a smirk. "But I think I'll let my baby sister have her fun with you. You're mine Sombra."
Mirror Sombra steeled his gaze. "Not likely considering I've come for you!" Mirror Sombra charged at Mirror Celestia! The two hurling blasts of magic at each other! Meanwhile, Burst Stream powered up his aegis shield spell to block Mirror Luna's magic blasts!
"Coward!" Mirror Luna spat as she kept hurling blasts of magic at Burst's shield! "You hide behind a wall? Or perhaps you know you're not strong enough to be even slightly equal with the likes of me and my sister?!"
Burst Stream closed his eyes, and dropped his shield spell. He could sense Mirror Luna flying towards him. "Neither. I'm baiting you." Burst transformed into his nightmare form! Wings of light and all. "Still think you can take me?" Before Mirror Luna could even reply, Burst zipped over to her and fired a huge blast of magic point blank!
"Now that I've got you up against a literal wall," Burst Stream asked. "I want to ask you something." Burst leaned down to meet Mirror Luna's eyes. "Do you really want to do any of this?" Mirror Luna glared for only a brief moment before shaking her head. "Then tell me why?"
As Burst Stream was questioning Mirror Luna, Mirror Sombra was holding his own against Mirror Celestia! "I'm impressed Sombra!" Mirror Celestia mocked as she countered each opposing blast! "I would've thought you'd be cowering at my feet by now. But here you are."
"You tried to terrorize my subjects, and rule with fear." Mirror Sombra said with a scowl as he focused a large portion of dark magic onto his hand! "Let's see what you're afraid of!" Mirror Celestia thought whatever spell Mirror Sombra was channeling was insignificant, so she paid no mind to it. Unfortunately for her, it brought about all the insecurities buried under her arrogant demeanor. And before long, she was on the floor curled up into a ball crying her eyes out.
"So alone. . . " Mirror Celestia muttered. "Don't. . . want to be alone. . . "
Mirror Sombra saw Burst leading Mirror Luna into the room bound by magic chain constructs. "Looks like you were successful." Burst said as he reverted to his normal form. "So what now?"
"Now we have them answer for what they've done." Mirror Sombra said as he glanced at the dark sisters. "I have a reform program in mind that should help them become better than they were." Soon, the dark sisters were brought to the royal castle. Mirror Sombra met with Celestia in private, and the two seemed to be talking for a long while.
About fifteen minutes later the dark sisters, Celestia, and Mirror Sombra exited their discussion chamber. "My world's Celestia and Luna will be staying here in my castle and learning how to be true rulers under me. Your Celestia thought it would be best if they had a good example to learn from."
"Well, that wraps things up nicely." Burst Stream said with a relieved smile. "I guess now we can all pack up and head back home!"
"I'm afraid you're getting ahead of yourself Burst Stream." Mirror Sombra cautioned. "You and I have a small matter to settle between the two of us."
Burst was confused. "I don't understand. We beat the villains. Story over. Just what do you think there is that we need to settle?!"
"Our ties to Celestia." Mirror Sombra answered. "Both you and I love her. And from the feats she has told me that you've accomplished, you seem worthy of her love. However, I still have feelings for her. She made my life brighter. But long ago, I accepted the fact that she and I would inevitably never see each other again. Our world aren't supposed to connect. My original plan around this was to replace your world's Celestia with mine after her defeat, but I would never be able to live with myself if I ever did something like that to her. Or you, for that matter. Your hearts been through enough of an ordeal already."
Burst Stream slowly nodded. "Okay. So why do you feel that dueling me is necessary?"
"I have no other reason than I want to be sure she's in good hands." Mirror Sombra said with a sigh. "But either way, I'll still send her back through with you and your friends. And I'll destroy the mirror from my end."
Burst Stream sighed. "Alright then. We'll settle this in about half an hour. Wouldn't be much of a fight for either of us if we weren't in top condition. Until then."
The next half hour ticked away slowly, but it came all the same. Burst Stream and Mirror Sombra made a charge at each other! Mirror Sombra raised a wall of crystals, but Burst shot through it with a charge shot from his blasters! Mirror Sombra put a shield spell around himself, but Burst followed up his assault by sending out a few blade beams! The blade beams made cracks in the shield spell with each hit! Neither was letting up against the other!
For every bolt of magic Burst sent out, Mirror Sombra sent out a flurry of crystal shards! "You fight well." Mirror Sombra noted. "But I should warn you that my next attack is my ultimate move!" Mirror Sombra raised his sword, and hundreds of crystals gravitated toward the blade! Forming a gigantic blade construct around the regular sword! "The next attack will end this."
". . . You said Celestia made your life brighter, right?" Burst Stream asked. Mirror Sombra nodded, and Burst took a deep breath. "For me. . . " lightning danced along the blade of Burst Stream's sword as he leaped into the air! "SHE'S THE REASON FOR ME EVER COMING THIS FAR! DRAGON STRIKE!" Burst Stream swung his sword down at Mirror Sombra, and a dragon projection shot out! It was white with a blue aura and eyes! Mirror Sombra raised his blade to block it, but the dragon projection burst through the crystal blade construct and his Sombra square in the chest!
As the dust settled, Mirror Sombra slowly rose to his feet. "I guess Celestia will be in good hands then." Both sets of elements and Princess Celestia regrouped, and left through the mirror. "For the last time, farewell." Mirror Sombra blasted the mirror with his magic! Destroying it for good. He then looked to Mirror Celestia and smiled. "I saw in your mind you wanted me to look at you the same way I did the other Celestia. I can't do that. But. . . maybe I could look at you for who you could be." Hearing this made Mirror Celestia smile just the least bit.
Back in the original Unity, both teams of elements had decided to go home. Save for Burst Stream. "Celestia? Could we talk?" Celestia nodded. "Do you miss me?"
"Yes. Very much." Celestia said with a sigh. "I do want to be with you again. But after how I hurt you? I'm not so sure. Even if I had good intentions, that doesn't excuse the pain I caused you."
Burst Stream sighed. "Celestia. It wasn't your fault. Or even mine for that matter. But, you do have a point. I'll never blame you for what happened. The one responsible already paid for what he did. All the same, it's going to be a bit of a while before I would consider us couple-ready again. But I also don't want us to be distant or avoiding each other. So, I came to a little arrangement."
"Oh?" Celestia asked. "And what would that be?"
Burst scratched his head nervously. "I think it would be best for both of us if we part ways. At least, on a relationship level. But I'll still drop by and see you when you're free so we can patch things up. I. . . hope that we can be together again. Eventually. Because I really do want to be with you. But, after everything recently? Maybe we could both use a bit of separation."
". . . I accept." Celestia said with a small smile. "It might take some time, but something tells me we'll wind up back together soon. Or maybe more than just us. But before we part, one last kiss?"
Burst nodded. "This goodbye's not forever. It's just for now." The two shared one last, brief kiss before Burst left Celestia's arms.
"It looks like you split on good terms." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. "I bet there's plenty of girls that'll be excited that you're back on the market."
Burst Stream gave her a small smile. "Actually, there's only one girl that I'm considering already." Especially after reflecting on a certain promise I made. "One who I've been getting pretty close with recently. You know her pretty well, but the next gala is when I'll officially tell her what I think of her and how I've been feeling towards her recently."
"Looks like I'll need to get a dress." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. "You'll save a dance for me before meeting with her, won't you?"
She doesn't suspect a thing yet. That's good. Burst Stream thought with a smile. "I promise. I'll make it a point to dance with you again. We've had a lot of fun the last couple of times."
Nightmare Moon smiled lovingly. "If you're promising, then it's sure to be a guarantee." That night, it was pretty obvious what Moon was dreaming of. Maybe I'll know what a happy ending feels like. . .
Burst Stream took a deep breath as he slipped on his outfit for the Grand Gala. Moon said she'd be making an entrance and to not wait up for her. She even made it a point to keep what her dress looks like a secret. Well, I guess that question will be answered tonight when I dance with her.
A few minutes later, Burst met his friends at the station. They all decided to take a train to Castalot so they could go as a group. All of them were chatting excitedly among themselves. Pinkie Pie was especially happy because she'd get to dance with Akage. The young ninja's face was masked in a blush, and not even his crimson scarf could conceal the smile on his face. Magnet North was listening intently at Applejack's retelling of the events of last year's gala.
"Shame no one asked me to dance." Applejack said as she tipped her hat. "The snobs up there probably got all kinds of stereotypes in their heads about common folk."
Magnet North smiled. "Their loss then. I bet they were missing out on a lovely sight." He then looked over Applejack's figure. "That buff physique of yours must be quite a lovely sight when it's in motion." Applejack blushed furiously, and lowered her hat so that in an attempt to cover said blush. ". . . Was that not a compliment?"
"No sugar cube." Applejack said with a frantic shake of her head. "You just said something I never thought I'd hear in my entire life."
Magnet North shrugged. "Why wouldn't anyone say that to you? You're quite attractive, so it's the truth."
". . . Thanks North." Applejack said with a love-struck smile.
North smiled. "No problem at all Appleja-?!" He was completely surprised when Applejack grabbed him, and kissed him on the lips! ". . . Where did that come from?!"
"Never thought a guy'd find an amazon like me attractive." Applejack said as she fussed around with her hat. "You're pretty good yourself. To tell the truth, I might've sneaked a peek of you topless. Looks aside, you've got a good heart North. You ran those con men off my family's farm, and you've been risking your life to protect our nation. And in the last fights we were in? Well. . . "
Applejack smiled and put her arms around Magnet North. "It was always nice having you watching my back. I wouldn't mind you holding my hand either."
"Lass. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do that." North said with a smile. The muscular farm-girl tightened her embrace of the noble drifter who'd wandered into her life. "I think Twilight's the only one of you girls that's still single."
Everyone couldn't help but chuckle at how flustered Twilight's reaction was. "Well with dance moves like hers it's no wonder!" Burst Stream chimed in. Even Twilight had to laugh at how foolish she looked when dancing. "Well, another gala. Another night to last forever in our memories."
The group of friends headed inside. Each of the couples among them went about their own business. Inferno and Rarity were enjoying some punch together. Magnet North and Applejack were on the dance floor, and lost in each other's eyes as the moved. Steel Edge and Rainbow Dash were being crowded by the Wonderbolts who were asking them questions about their past battles. Dark Ice was absent from the gala as he was hanging around Indigo Zap during another visit to the Crystal Empire. Fang was helping Venus fend off a mob of girls who were nearly pouncing at him just to share a glass of punch with him! Spike was at Donut Joe's on a date with Sweetie Belle. The two splitting a plate of donuts as they discussed how soon Rarity and Inferno might get married.
"I hope Moon doesn't arrive too late." Burst Stream said mumbled to himself as he surveyed the crowd. "What's her entrance going to be like? If she's going to repeat the one she made during her return, it'd definitely capture everyone's attention."
Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom were opened, and a lone figure flew through! The figure soon landed, and everyone's eyes were on her. "Am I late to the party?" Nightmare Moon asked with a smile. She had the entire room's attention, and so did her outfit. It was a dark blue dress that looked like the night sky full of shining stars. Couple that with the silvery bracelets she was wearing on her arms, the silver high heels, and her ethereal hair and black wings, she truly looked like the goddess of the night she was.
And Burst Stream was completely blown away. "You. . . just, wow. I know it's a fact, but you're a goddess Moon."
"You flatter me by saying I look so divine." Nightmare Moon said with a playful smile. "I'd say everyone else thinks so as well. Much to my delight." She then surveyed the dance floor. "So, did you already have dance with this girl you've been thinking of?"
Burst shook his head. "No. But I'll be on the dance floor with her soon enough."
"Interesting." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "So. Why not tell me about her?"
Burst gulped. "Well, she used to be a really lonely person. Not a lot of people liked her. She really loved the night, but she learned to love the daytime too. She's proud, but never conceited or arrogant. And-"
"How long is it going to take you to say that it's me?" Nightmare Moon said with a smirk as she whispered into Burst Stream's ear. The blush on his face said it all, and Moon couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. I'm the only woman you've gotten close with after your love life was wrecked by Shining Dawn. The two of us have gotten pretty comfortable around each other. But all the same, how'd I win your heart?"
Burst Stream smiled warmly. "I guess you could say it's because of your confession. Like you said, it would've been so easy to just take me for yourself when I was going through my break-up with Celestia. But you didn't. You saw me as a person going through pain similar to what you felt for so long. You wanted to help me move past it, and try to get me to love you at my best because you valued me and a potential relationship with me as more than just some prize. Hearing you say that proudly, I could tell that what you felt for me was real."
"But that's not all there was to it, is it?" Nightmare Moon asked with a small smile of her own.
Burst Stream chuckled. "You're right. I also got to thinking about that promise I made as a kid that I declared when you and I tanked a blast from the Elements of Harmony. I promised to give your sad story a happy ending. And since you're here now, I think we can safely say your story isn't over. And when you were reforming, I saw your real smile. It's beautiful."
"You look your best when you're smiling too Burst." Nightmare Moon said with a loving smile. "So what now?"
Burst Stream smiled. "I'll be right back. There's a little request I've gotta make." Burst headed over to the DJ, and requested that a song be played. "You wanna stand all night? Or do you wanna dance?"
"I'd love to dance." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as Burst Stream led her to the dance floor.
Song that plays:
The two danced away. Some of the the elements who were couples decided to join in on the fun, and the whole ballroom was cheering for the couples as they danced away!
"I guess you could say your dream's come true." Burst said with a smile as he slow-danced with Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon giggled. "Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. There's one thing missing that I enjoyed the most from my fantasies of us together."
Burst tilted his head in interest. "And what's that?"
"This." Nightmare Moon wrapped her arms around Burst Stream and pulled him into a kiss. One that he happily returned as he put his arms around Moon. Their lips parting for a moment. Revealing a blissful smile on both of their faces. "Scratch that. This is even better. My precious light returning my kiss."
Burst Stream nuzzled against Nightmare Moon. "Anything for my beautiful nightmare."
"We are SO making out before we go to bed tonight." Nightmare Moon said with a giggle. "But for now? Let's just keep dancing the night away."
Burst chuckled. "Any plans to make it last forever?"
"No need to." Nightmare Moon said as she touched her forehead against Burst's. "It's already unforgettable."
Dark Ice hummed to himself as he got dressed. As soon as he was done putting on his usual outfit, he grabbed a train ticket for the Crystal Express that he'd purchased online. "Time I take up Indigo Zap on her offer." Ice grabbed his wallet and phone, and was quickly subjected to teasing from his youngest brother Shadow Thunder.
"Hey Ice!" Shadow Thunder called out as his eldest brother began to walk out the door. "Have fun on your date today!"
Dark Ice rolled his eyes at Shadow's teasing, and flew over to Unityville's station. Sure enough, the Crystal Express arrived and Ice was on his way to the Crystal Empire. "It's my third visit here, and I still don't get tired of how cool this place looks." The second Dark Ice exited the train, he was mobbed by grateful Crystal-Sapiens! "WHAT THE-?!" Ice was wondering what everyone was making a big deal of when he saw it. A crystal statue of him standing victorious alongside Arctic Ace. There was even a statue of Spike holding the Crystal Heart! An engraved writing read: Heroes of the Crystal Empire.
"O-kay." Dark Ice said as soon as the crowd set him down. "I was not expecting this. Could you all, leave me to process all this?" The crowd nodded, and soon dispersed to carry out their daily lives. Dark Ice let out a sigh of relief. "Ohhh boy. They're really giving me and my brother the hero treatment."
"Well who could blame us?" Indigo Zap called out as she landed next to Dark Ice. "You burned bright during what was our darkest hour. In the face of fear, you showed none! The Element of Courage! He who has ever-burning bravery! Or at least, that's what some of the kids call you."
Dark Ice smirked. "Never thought I'd see the day when there would be people looking up to me. I didn't exactly start out being hero material. Honestly, I was in a pretty dark place before my family snapped me out of it." He then looked at Indigo Zap. "Seeing you all living in fear kind of reminded me of that feeling. Blocking out all memories of the past, even the happy ones. Because that only reminds you of what was taken away."
"I guess that explains why you fought so hard." Indigo Zap said with a smile as she grabbed onto Ice's hand. "Because you didn't want anyone else to know that kind of fear. You'd already known it for far too long." She then rested her head against Ice's shoulder. "My Hero."
Dark Ice blushed. "That's me. Always courageous and flying forth to save the day."