The Foundation of Memory's Past

Once I stopped shooting the guards with harmless fireworks, I went up to Celestia, who had been watching us with a blank expression.

"Hey, wanna join? Or are you too scared to try?" I asked, smirking at her.

She didn't respond, and only stared at me, a small smile on her face.

"No, I think I'll go ahead and leave to my quarters. You should rest for now as well." She said.

"I was gonna hang out with Ditzy, Dinky and Amethyst for a while. Wanna join?" I replied.

She shook her head.

"No, I need to speak with Luna on sisterly matters. We need to set up for tonight." She said softly.

"Set what up?" She said.

"She sent me a letter while you were here sparring. Something regarding you." She whispered.

"Ah, okay." I nodded.

"Well, I'll be somewhere here in the city. Hopefully with no incident." I said, giving a smile.

"Have fun." She said, turning around and walking off.

"Will do." I replied.

Turning to the room, they had gone back to their workouts. Some of them were still trying to shoot each other with the fireworks I gave, but those had run out of fuel to go off.

Sighing, I went back to my room. Hopefully I could ask the staff if they've seen Ditzy somewhere.

I looked around and spotted one of the maids. Going up to her, I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a grey Pegasus with blonde and tail? I seem to have lost them somewhere in the Castle."

"Y-yes, I believe that they left with some supplies earlier today." She said.

"Any direction in particular?" I asked.

"I think to the Canterlot Gardens." She whispered, shrinking slightly.

"Thank you." I said, giving a slight nod.

"I love you." She whispered under her breath.

'I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.'

I turned and went to where the gardens were at. Hopefully, I can help set up for a second date. Well, maybe not a date. That involves two people, not four. That's a double date, and this one has family members in it, so this is more of an outing than anything.

As I made my way over to the Gardens, I thought about bringing my corrupted self up with her. Maybe Amethyst as well.

Opening the door to the Gardens, I saw them away next to a statue of myself. Never really got around to reading up on myself, mostly because I didn't particularly care.

"Over here!" I called.

Looking around, I saw that there were a few guards around, not really paying attention to us. I guess they were just watching for trouble.

"Hi Franz!" Ditzy called back.

Jogging, or, trotting up to them, I gave Ditzy a hug before being tacked from the side by Dinky.

"Daddy!" She screamed, earning a head pat from me.

"Whasssaaaaaa!" I said, greeting her on the same level.

She giggled and I turned to Ditzy.

"So, how're you liking Canterlot so far?" I asked her.

"I like it. I've never imagined it'd be this large." She said, looking back at the Castle, it's glory providing some form of shade over us.

"Well... Nah." I stopped.

"What?" She asked.

I tried to stop myself from smiling, but I couldn't resist.

"That's what she said!" I coughed out, getting a look of confusion from her.

"What?" She asked.

Leaning into her ear, I whispered.

"It's a Human thing."

She made an O with her mouth, and gave a light nod.

"Well, how's that picnic coming along?" I asked.

"And where's Amethyst?" I asked.

I heard the pop and fizzle of magic go off nearby, and Ditzy pointed towards it.

"Magic?" I asked.

"Magic." Ditzy confirmed.

"No!" I heard, followed by a low boom.

"Should I be concerned?" I asked, looking over to the hedge where I assumed Amethyst was.

"I hope not." Dinky said.

Going over to the source, I saw that Amethyst was trying to raise a shield, only for it to pop again, creating another low boom.

"Hey, you good?" I asked, grabbing her attention. She groaned, and shook her head.

"I've been trying to raise a shield for the last hour, and so far, I can't seem to get it to stay up. Think you can help me Franz?" She asked, giving me a hopeful look.

"Sure. What do you know about shields?" I asked.

She lowered head slightly and seemed to be in thought.

"Well, magical shields tend to form a dome shape, which is a relatively simple shape that easy to create. It requires a continuous supply of magic, or a burst of concentrated magic to sustain its form and density, along with its thickness and durability. If it is broken, then there is a short period where the caster is unable to reform said shield and will need time to recover."

"So, it's like a Drop Shield. Or an Energy Shield with battery." I thought aloud.

"Can I see one of your shields?" She asked.

"Oh, I don't know how to make a Magical Shield yet, only energy shields." I replied.

"Can I see one of those for an example?" She asked, her nerve seeming to faulter.

"Sure, I guess." I said, raising my foreleg and slamming it down, instantly creating a blue domed shield with a hexagonal pattern. She seemed amazed, and raised a hoof to touch it, only for it to slip through the other side.

"Wait, I thought this was a shield? It acts more like an illusion than a shield." She said, waving her hoof through it several times. The energy shield popped, giving her a slight scare from its sudden power down.

"It is something like that. Though, when something hazardous is flung at it, say an energy beam, it won't pop per say, but tint a different color until its destroyed. And you'll have to wait until it recharges." I explained.

"Ooh, so kind of like a magic shield. That sounds technical." She said.

"Yep. There are even larger one's I could create, but I don't think sealing off a piece of the planet would be a good idea." I said, thinking on if I could. Knowing what I've been able to do, I don't believe I should cross that off the list of bullshit I can pull. She made a face but shook off what I said.

"Yeah. What about a pre-charged item? Like a gem?" She asked.

"Actually, I have something for that. It's called a 'Bubble Shield', and it indestructible to most attacks, save for direct, or nearby thermonuclear blasts, or plasma EMP's. But I'm pretty sure that there's none of that here for at least a good thousand or so years." I said, waving a hoof at the end.

"Uhh, what's a thermonuclear blast?" She asked.

I gave a short laugh.

"Something you shouldn't need to worry about, unless you're as strange as me." I said, giving her a head pat. She seemed awkward at the physical contact, and I elected to not do it again.

"So, how about we enjoy the picnic? I feel as though you need a break from doing so much spells within the last hour." I said, giving her a smile.

"Yeah. I could use a break right about now." She said, walking over to the picnic blanket.

And break we did! It was a blast, and I got to know them a bit more personally. Ditzy, for one, was an excellent baker. She could bake anything that was within reason, but preferred muffins as her go to. While she may not admit it, she's right next to Pinkie Pie on sugary pastries and such. That's what Dinky said, but I don't doubt her words.

Speaking of Dinky, she really likes to draw! I noticed that she loves doing art, if the drawing of me inside the Drop Shield was anything to go by. She enjoys tomatoes, for some odd reason, and she knows all of her letters and can count to 100!

Amethyst enjoys magic and magic theory, particularly the defensive part of it. She's managed to project light spells and small blasts of magic, and even though she struggles with shied magic, she continues regardless of where she's at magically. She tends to lean more to sour things, like Dinky, and is quite keen on how to make things sour, but enjoyable.

I was currently telling them a joke. And a stupid one at that.

"Okay, so there's this huge party. Imagine all of Canterlot going, and there are only two tables." I said, setting it up.

"Yeah?" Ditzy asked, captivated by my tale.

"One table has a bowl filled with Cider, while the other is filled with Punch. The line is long, and seems to go outside, yet the punch bowl is barren of ponies. Do you get it?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Uh, no. Not really." Ditzy said.

Amethyst features lit up, and she smiled.

"Can I guess!" She said happily.

"Go for it." I motioned.

"Everypony goes to the Cider, because it's texture is better than that of simple Punch!" She said, a knowing smirk on her face.

"No, not close!" I said, waving a hoof from side to side.

"There's no Punchline?" Dinky blurted.

"Correct! Whoo!" I said, hyping her up for her guess. She just smiled and beamed at getting the correct answer.

I felt a presence behind me, and I looked back to see Celestia here. She was being accompanied by a couple guards, but they weren't very detailed besides their similar armor. Looked alike too.

"Oh, hey! We're having a picnic. What's up?" I asked.

"I could tell. I need you for something of utmost importance. Hopefully, we can resolve an issue without any further delay to your picnic." She said, a conflicted look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Ditzy asked.

"We are having a minor issue with some of his machines and need technical support." One of the Guards said.

"Apologies, Ditzy, Amethyst, and young Dinky. I'll be borrowing him for a short time. Are you ready, Franz?"

"Ready for what?" I followed, only to be blinded by her teleportation spell.

Looking around, I saw that we were inside her private quarters. There was a simple bed, a bookshelf, a cabinet, and a jeweled box with what looked like it was made for a tiara and necklace.

"Whoa now, I thought I won." I said, turning back to Celestia, who had an innocent look on her face.

"Dear Franz." I heard from behind me. Turning my head quickly, I saw that Luna was here, seemingly coming from a closet.

"When did you get here?" I asked, noticing her smile.

"We have been here. However, that is not the question we are after." Luna said, going to the cabinet.

Something clicked into place, and I remembered last night.

"Oh, are we doing that now?" I asked.

"Yes, we shall find the source of thou's evil and banish it from your heart, forever!" Luna exclaimed loudly. Some of the nearby day guards flinched from that.

"While not able to dream walk like my sister, I am able to sooth somepony into a relaxed state. This artifact will transfer our minds into a realm where our inner selves reside. And it would appear that your 'rage' is far more prevalent that we initially thought." Celestia said, putting on what looked like a helmet with exposed wires. Her tiara sat on a table nearby.

"And, what? I think you know what happens, or did Luna not tell you?" I asked.

"I am unaware what is transpiring, but I'm more than willing to help with this ordeal. Now, I need you to reveal to me about this situation. I'll need to see what is happening." She asked in a calm, commanding tone. She stayed silent as we told her everything, and she had a frown on her muzzle.

"This is concerning, but I will try my best assist." Celestia said, giving me a helmet.

I attached it to my head, and I felt something massaging my scalp.

"Ooh, this feels nice. How long will this take?" I asked.

"Tis normal to feel as though time is altered within the dream realm, going faster or slower than the true passage of time. Where we are going is an area that I do believe time is altered to pass slower." Luna explained.

"Neat." I said, feeling myself become relaxed. I thought I was going to be able to have a picnic with Ditzy, but I suppose a living entity that wants to take over my body is more important than that.

"Can one of you let Ditzy know that I'll be gone for a bit longer than expected? I asked.

"Of course." Celestia said, using her magic to open a scroll and writing a quick note. It teleported away, hopefully to the right person. It would be weird if Twilight got the message instead of Ditzy. I felt a swaying motion from my eyes, and Luna sat next to me, her horn lighting up and gently touching my own.

"Fear not, Dear Franz, for we shall guide thee through this ailment, and free thou of this demon."

I tried to say thanks, or something, but I fell asleep and was quickly whisked away to a land of imagination.

Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in an empty room. An eerie sensation permeated the surroundings, and I wasn't sure why. Looking at my hands, I saw that I was back in my Human form.

I felt a presence near me, and I turned around to see who, or what, it was. Thankfully, it was Luna who was here with her human form from last time. She held a sword at her hip, and her hair was tied up to prevent it from obstructing her eyes.

"Luna?" I asked, hearing it echo throughout the entirety of the room.

"Dear Franz, we shall wait here until I can bring sister along." She said, her hands lighting up along with her eyes. All in all, she looked pretty scary at the moment, but a very beautiful kind of scary. Suddenly, Celestia appeared next to her.

She stood slightly taller than Luna, her tan skin along with a light golden blouse with a pair of light blue jeans making her a treat to look at. She had a halberd in her grasp, and a warm smile.

"It's been such a long time since I was able to use this form. I almost feel rusty here." She said, giving a light laugh. I would ask her what she meant by that, but I'll save it for later.

"You look nice." I said, out of automatic response.

"Thank you/thee" Said the both of them, earning a smile from me.

"Well, I guess we should look for my bad guy spirit, right?" I asked, earning looks from them.

"What? Is that not the right term?"

"Dear Franz, while we are able to help thou, we cannot defeat this demon that has ailed you. We can assist and give thou spells to suppress it and bolster you, but we cannot defeat something that is not a part of our essence." Luna said.

"The only way that would happen is if we had a soul bond. Something that is very broken at the moment." Celestia added.

"So... then what do we do?"

"We do what we must! This iteration of Nightmare Moon hath ailed thee for far too long!" Luna said, her face morphing into an angry grin.

"Alright. So, where do we find it?" I asked, slightly turned on now. Down boy, down!

"Normally, we can summon them here and contain them in a spell, but you need to summon it first." Celestia said, leaning on her Halberd as she stretched. Holy hell, what are those? C? D!?

"And... How do I do that?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

"Imagine creating something from your mind, similar to how you are able to create items, and on occasion, entities. This is how one can summon our inner sub-conscience." Celestia said.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot." I said, trying to bring my asshole variant back. It didn't work, however.

"Hold up." I said, trying to get a feel for my power. It was then I realized I was no longer able to create things.

"Huh, I can't do it." I said, crossing my arms.

"Perhaps due to a lack of magic?" Luna said, going over to me and grabbing my arm to inspect my hand.

"Maybe. But my base power is kind of disabled. And if I try again, I'll probably shit myself." I joked.

"This is concerning." Celestia said.

"Well, what else can we do? Beat it out of me?" I said jokingly, and received a punch to my face from Luna.

"Fuck!" I yelped, grabbing my nose in pain.

"Dear Franz! We art sorry!" Luna said, in a slight panic.

"Why don't you beat on him a little more. It's funny to see someone so repugnant get pummeled." He said, as I noticed him leaning on the side of the wall far off in a corner.

"Oh, there you are, and with a bigger vocabulary other than 'Fuck, bitch, and shit'." I said, staring him down. I saw a small trickle of blood oozing down from his nose. Does that mean...

"So, this is your version of Nightmare Moon." Celestia said, glaring at him. He scoffed in return.

"Hey, shitass, don't you know how to keep these two quiet?" He said, standing up from his spot.

"Firstly, they shouldn't, and secondly, I'm here to kill you. Oh, and lastly, fuck you." I said, giving my body a quick stretch for what was to come.

He laughed hard at that.

"By me, you don't know anything, do you?" He asked.

"You kill me, you kill yourself in the long run." He said, depolarizing his helmet to show a sick grin on his face.

"Nay! We shall defeat this darkness that hath taken our Dear Franz!"

"Be a good bitch and shut your mouth, I'm talking to him, not you." He growled.

"You dare call me a dog!?" Luna shouted back, not helping in the slightest.

"And here I thought you were all bite. Turns out you do have a good bark on ya as well." He said, cracking his neck.

"Say, how'd our balls taste like? Since you love it so much." He said, earning an angry blush from Luna.

"Weren't you talking to me? I thought I was more important, you fucking creep." I said, gaining his attention.

"Not anymore. Can't you see I'm distracting you?" He said.

"From wha-" Luna was cut off as she was knocked down by him, Past me having used something to teleport really quickly.

"I do believe that we have a beating to give to you, right boss?" He said, reaching towards Celestia.

She blasted him in the chest, and I doubled over in pain. My chest suddenly flaring in pain as I felt it sizzle from her attack.

"GAH!" I yelled, my body crumbling as I could smell cooked flesh.

"Franz!" Celestia cried before being slapped into the wall. Several metal poles began to constrict her and keep both Luna and Celestia pinned to either the wall or the floor.

"Franz, here!" Luna yelled, tossing me her sword by sliding it across the floor.

"I wonder what your human form looks like underneath all these clothes, oh dearest Luna." He said, caressing her backside and moving behind her.

I felt a boiling feeling inside me. Something different.

Rushing him, I threw a punch, only to feel something snap in my hand.

Bringing it back, I tried to stomp on him, but he didn't even flinch as my shoe hit his helmet, which knocked me back.

He swung his arm and tripped me, and I felt something in me break.

It was my leg, obviously as he just punched it.

"AAAAAAAAA-" My scream of agony was stopped as I was picked up and thrown into the far wall, cracking it, and many of my other bones in my body.

"Franz!" They yelled.

"Seems to me like I'm going to die. Again." He said, impassively poking my broken leg with his boot. I wasn't able to do or say anything. I couldn't even see them. Damn it!

I felt him lean in next to my ear.

"I wonder if Celestia is a screamer like Luna." He said, laughing from his own sick amusement.

"..Hr.....Grrrr..." I managed to croak.

"C'mon, just let me have them. I promise that you'll be able to see them every so often."

Grabbing my neck, he raised me up as my limp leg dangled..

"Especially Ditzy." He said, raising his fist to hit me.

That boiling feeling came back. It was, very intense right now.

"Oh, is little old you getting angry? What're you going to do about it, huh!?" He said, slamming me back into the wall and snapping my collar bone. I coughed up blood and spat what I could onto his helmet. Pretty sure my throat was just smashed in.

"Franz!" Luna cried out desperately.

I was so tired. I didn't want to fight at the moment. My energy was spent already, and I wasn't able to do this. My body was no doubt failing me.

"Franz! Fight back! He cannot harm you in any physical way! This is all in your mind!" Celestia cried, struggling against her restraints.

"Shut up!" He said in a tone where even I wanted to be quiet, despite not saying anything.

"Nay! We shall help Franz destroy thou once we have the chance!" Luna yelled, her magic fizzling at her hands.

He tossed me aside and went over to her, prowling towards her with a wicked smile.

"You know, I've always wanted to do this, but never got the chance until now." He said, leaning over her and grabbing her throat. I saw him wrap his hands around her neck and begin to strangle her, Luna choking as her air was cut off and she began to try and pry him off by veering off to the side.

"Stop." I whispered.

He slammed her into the ground, not stopping his attempt to choke the life out of her. She was crying, and clawing at the gauntlets that was suffocating her.

"No." I growled, feeling an anger inside of me burn brighter than I've felt in a long time. Luna tried her best to not give him the satisfaction of hearing her gasp for air, and she shut her eyes as more tears began to fall from both her and Celestia as she screamed for him to stop.

Something inside me began snapping my bones back into place, and a light golden aura began surrounding my vision as I regained my strength.

"Enough!" I called, getting up to my feet slowly. He simply looked over at me and raised an eye.

"Well, well, well. Finally got the balls to come and save the damsel in distress, eh?" He said, his dark smirk ever present.

"Yes! Franz, keep going! It's the only way to free yourself!" Celestia said, freeing one of her hands, only for it to be coiled around again and back into the ground. I didn't say anything and stared down at my former self.

"Am I going to have to start this like I always do?" He asked jokingly. I felt my body move on its own, almost fluid movements until I got into the base Wing Chun stance again, and I felt my eyes flare up with power. What was this?

"Hmm." He said, earning a hand under his chin. Luna was taking in deep inhales as she curled away from him.

"You know, I wear this armor to keep my real power under wraps, but this seems like a chance to crush you finally. By the way, you look like an Avatar-State rip off.

I said nothing again, only focused on him. He also sounded very stupid.

In an instant, the armor that was on him disappeared, and something about his demeanor changed. Something I wasn't prepared for. He grew a pair of dark red wings, dark violet veins across his body, claws for his hands, and a sleeker form. His eyes gave off a deep black aura, and I was concerned.

All I felt different about myself was me regaining some strength to last longer. Hopefully some abilities to make this more even.

"So, we going to do this or what?" He growled, sounding like several different people at once.

"..."

"Fuck you!!!" He screamed, charging at me full speed.

My eyes began to sting a bit, and I saw what looked like an afterimage, only it was ahead of my past self, not behind.

I dodged his initial swipe, and caught his leg he threw. Giving a quick stomp to his open leg, he fell to the ground and I went for a quick blow to his back.

His before-image looked like it was going to throw a kick, and I guided it into the air next to us, the air pressure changing and blowing a hole in the metaphysical wall.

He flipped around, and swiped a wing at me, an attempt to blind me as he went for another kick.

I saw something was off about his pattern. He was going for wide kicks and swipes at the moment. If he was really me, then he would go for the center line.

'This isn't me. It never was to begin with.'

Ducking under his second leg, I chain punched him from his exposed leg up to his groin, which hurt on him, not me. The realization came a moment later that I could pummel him as much as I could now.

Pulling back, I narrowly avoided being knocked out as a fist came flying near the side of my head. Giving a stomp to his chest, it connected, and he was knocked back. But he returned far too quickly.

'Star Platinum!'

The same spiritual being came back, and began releasing a barrage of fists his way, most of which were countered and blocked.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!!!"

I felt myself being hit, and called back my 'Stand'.

"RRAAAAHHH!!!" He screamed, throwing a center line punch to my chest.

Raising my elbow, I redirected it off to the side, and grabbed it.

Throwing out my hand in a chopping motion, I followed with a fist, and a Palm strike.

The chop hit his neck, making him lower his head. The fist connected with his face, and the last one nailed him on the side of the head.

Throwing a stomp on his legs, I felt something snap, and I saw his leg was broken. He was pushed back some, and stared at him. Better to bait him than to attack, stick to defense and counters.

"RAAAAAHHH!!!!" He shouted, balling his fists and standing regardless of his broken leg. I felt the pressure of the room increase, and this sudden shift was startling. Faster than I could react, he was in front of me and grabbed my leg.

Grabbing onto him made me drag him along as he threw me into a wall, where we broke through.

The exterior of the room was a plain white, but I tried to focus on him and leaned off to the side as I barely avoided being punched through.

Something was different. All of this was very, very wrong. He changed into something else.

Thrusting my fist into the sky, I hit him again, and he managed to get a nice long gash along my arm before being flung who knows how high.

'Byakugan!' I thought, gaining dull pale eyes and a new field of vision.

I was tackled down from above as he slammed into me. I had the wind knocked out, and I instinctively curled up, only to be decked right into the face. My head slammed into the floor, bouncing off of it and back into the other fist he had ready for me. Shutting my eyes, I pulled something that I remembered.

"SHINRA TENSEI!!!" I called, pushing him off of me and into the air some.

Slamming into him while in the air was a blast of golden magic, and I turned to the room we were in. Celestia, with her Halberd, had escaped and was helping me.

"You BITCH!" He yelled, floating in the air and charging after her.

"Universal Pull!" I shouted, pulling him back towards me.

He stopped a few feet from her, where she slashed him with her Halberd before being flung back. I didn't see any damage on him, so it means what she said was true. Crashing into the ground, I saw him create several clones of himself, each of them having a different colored eye.

One was purple eyed.

The other red.

Another dark orange.

And himself, a sickly black.

They all let loose a battle cry and charged me, and I got back into my stance. The purple one was the fastest and was immediately on me.

He gave a kick, and I caught it with my shoulder, then my arm. Knocking him down, I stomped on his leg, snapping it, and followed with a solid hit to the back, and an elbow to the shoulder joint.

The red eyed one shifted at an erratic pace, his body seemingly glitching in and out of focus. It seemed as though his pixels were off, and he looked like he was both dissolving and regenerating.

The dark orange smiled, the same effect with his other red partner, and the entire landscape changed into that of my hometown. There were people here, spare scraps of what I remembered from being here, but I knew that they weren't actually here.

Celestia was trying to keep the fully dark one at bay, and even Luna was throwing spells at him. She had handprints around her neck, but they seemed to keep him in check by throwing spell after spell to keep him away. He would get close at times, but either Luna, or Celestia would slash to keep him away.

The glitchy one charged at me, and threw a punch. I went to counter it but he apparently lagged and hit me in the stomach, pushing me back some. The people of my hometown didn't even notice as we continued our duel, the effects from our brawl damaging the building and very earth they carelessly walked on.

The purple one was back again, and threw a kick to my head. I went on the defense, and tried to counter, but he glitched as well and his kick went from a high one to a sweep. I barely managed to bring my leg up, and the glitchy one was behind me.

'Star Platinum!' I called.

The spirit came back, and began assaulting the glitch, who kept phasing in and out of each and every hit. The purple one raised its hand and created a thin black rod.

I did the same and made my energy staff.

He swung and I deflected it, the cackling of my weapon and the flash being enough to startle him. I swung and hit him in the shoulder, where he caught it and was given a hard shock and he retreated backwards. The area he had grabbed beginning to try and dissolve him.

Something hit my leg, and I nearly tumbled from the surprise. Turning my head, I saw that the glitchy one was right there, and I threw an elbow towards it. It glitched again, and it grabbed me, seemingly absorbing my power right from me.

Giving a stomp, I felt it connect and launch him back a good few meters away. A painful sensation tore through my chest, and I looked down to see a black rod sticking from my chest.

I felt it in my core, and everything was beginning blurring. I grabbed it and tried to break off a piece, but the purple one stabbed me again in the arm with another rod. My strength was leaving me at an alarming rate, and I struggled to move as they weakened me. The glitchy one came back and grabbed my other arm, quickly sapping me of the rest of my energy while he seemed to stablize.

"Guh!" I cried, my body feeling like it was being torn apart. The orange one came close and looked at me with a sad look.

'Ditzy. Amethyst....Dinky.'

"Your free trial of living is over." He said in his distorted voice, reaching a hand over to my forehead.

'Celestia...'

I simply stared at him with an intense look.

"I'm sorry." He said, placing his palm on my forehead.

'Luna...'

My head began cracking, splintering into bits and pieces. White hot rays beamed from what I could see, the light that touched him and the other variants seeming to burn away.

'I'm sorry...'

"Franz!" I heard them cry out.

Looking over to Luna one last time, I shifted myself to see her beautiful face.

"Luna... Forgive m-"

In that instant, my body shattered into thousands of pieces, and all went black from there.