The Fate Of Equestria Book 1: Sombra's Reign

Jet sat quietly on the edge of his cot, alone with his thoughts again. The pills Redheart had given him were finally starting to take effect as he did feel a bit better, physically at least. Mentally, he was far from alright. His hands and mind were stained with the blood of ponies he had once cared for, and all the while he could still hear Sombra’s laughter mocking him in his own head. He was brought back to reality by the sound of metal crunching. To his shock, he had accidentally crushed the framing under the cot under his grasp. He had apparently been clenching his fists in anger while he was thinking of the tyrant who had brought all of this about. He took a shaky breath and loosened his grip on the frame, leaving two hand shaped crush marks on it. Before he could get lost in his thoughts again, he looked up to see Sunblast walking into the room with the files under his arm. He quickly spotted Jet and made his way over, taking a seat on the edge of the cot beside Jet.

“Glad to see you made it back alright. When Luna said you ran off on your own again… I feared the worst…” Sunblast said, breaking the silence of the room.

“Hey, you know me. I’d rather put my own life on the line when others are in danger…” Jet said with a forced smile.

“Yeah… I know…” Sunblast replied with a frown.

“So, uh, the files?” Jet asked, looking at the folders still tucked under Sunblast’s arm.

“Oh, right. Here you go.” Sunblast said, handing them over to Jet.

Jet took them and rifled through them until he found the ones for Death Storm, Heat Stroke, and Earth Shaker. He opened each one and laid them out on the bed behind him. He got up and went over to Redheart’s desk, pulling a pen from one of the jars she had there before making his way back over to the cot. He removed the cap of the pen with his teeth and proceeded to jot down some things in the files.

“Uh… What are you doing?” Sunblast asked curiously.

“Just updating the intel on these three…” Jet replied, finishing up quickly and handing two of them back to Sunblast.

He looked them over to see what changes Jet had made. He had filled in the missing info of their names as well as changed their statuses to ‘deceased’. Sunblast looked over at the third file, which Jet had closed up and set on the little table beside the cot before looking through the others.

“What about that one?” Sunblast asked, pointing to the folder he had set on the table.

“I… Have need of that one…” Jet replied vaguely as he studied the intel on the remaining assassins.

“Fair enough… Um, listen, Jet… I know it can’t be easy… All of this… But, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, we all see you as a hero right now. Myself included…” Sunblast said slowly, hoping to ease the mental burden that was evident on Jet’s face.

“Thanks, Sunblast… It does help a little… I just don’t understand why that bastard had to turn my friends against me like this…” Jet replied with a heavy sigh, fighting back his sorrow once again.

“You know why. To make you suffer. He thrives on that kind of thing. If you let it get to you, he already wins before the fight even begins. Just remember, it’s always going to come down to you or them. And we both know that if any of them were in control of themselves, they’d want you to come out on top for the simple fact that for some reason, Sombra fears you. I don’t understand why, but he does. Why else would he keep sending these assassins instead of just confronting you himself?” Sunblast continued, placing a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right… But it doesn’t lessen the pain of seeing these ponies that I have such fond memories of, die by my own hand…” Jet replied softly, setting the other files down on Sunblast’s lap.

“I can’t possibly imagine that feeling, but I can offer this piece of advice, just remember what and, more importantly, who you’re fighting for. When all is said and done, you have an entire nation of ponies depending on you here in the bunker.” Sunblast said with a soft smile.

“You’re right. Thank you, Sunblast. You always seem to know what to say.” Jet said with a smile back.

“Did you need anything else? If not, I have some things I need to work on in the lab.” Sunblast replied, starting to get to his feet and tucking the folders back under his arm.

“No, that was it. Just wanted to update those files for you.” Jet said, giving his arms a long stretch.

“Alright then. Try to get some sleep. No offense, but you look like total shit.” Sunblast said with a light laugh as he headed for the door.

Jet waved bye to Sunblast with a playful eye roll as he left. He sat back against the cot and picked up the folder from the table, opening it once again and looking it over. Just like with the other two, he had filled in the missing info. He had the slightest idea how he was going to break the news to AJ and Bloom, but they deserved to know. He heaved another sigh and closed the folder back up, his mind wandering to the remaining assassins. There were five more according to the intel they had. Burst Fire, Speed Freak, Soundwave, and Crystal Shredder. Soundwave making up two of the five as it was a pair of assassins that shared the title. He wondered how many more of them were going to be ponies he knew. The thought made his heart ache, not at all ready to take the lives of more of his friends. He sat up, closing his eyes and rubbing his head, trying to clear his mind before he delved too far into his own thoughts again. He heard a knock on the wall beside his cot and opened his eyes to see that Luna had wandered in, quiet as ever. She had changed out of her tattered dress and into a set of the green fatigues, her hair was slightly damp, indicating she had washed off from her time spent out in the wasteland.

“Jet, may we speak?” She asked softly.

“Of course. Here, have a seat.” Jet replied, pulling his legs under him to sit cross legged and give her room to sit down.

“Thank you, Jet. Oh, and here.” Luna said as she sat down near the foot of the bed, handing him his mask back.

“What did you want to talk about?” Jet asked, noticing the look of worry on her face as he took the mask and it was absorbed back into the nanobot housing unit on his chest.

“It is about your actions earlier tonight…” Luna said softly, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Luna, look… I already know what you’re going to say, and with all due respect, you can save it. I took an oath to protect this land and the thrones with my life. I have already failed once by letting Celestia fall to the hand of that tyrant. I won’t let you die too.” Jet said, his tone deathly serious.

“I am aware of your oath, Jet Stream, but that is no reason to go rushing off into battle like a fool. You could have been killed tonight. You simply do not understand how big of a role you have to play in all of this, how much your own destiny affects the outcome of this war we find ourselves in.” Luna replied, just as serious.

“You know, you’re the third one to tell me about this so-called ‘destiny’ of mine. But I still have yet to hear any sort of explanation about it. Please, fill me in.” Jet said, his tone becoming slightly irritated.

“Even if it was within my power to do so, I could not reveal the future to you. It would only alter the way events play out and ultimately lead to a different outcome from the one that Tia told me of ages ago.” Luna responded, her voice becoming louder with her own irritation.

“I don’t care! I’m so sick of hearing how I’m destined to be some kind of key player in all this shit! How and why am I so fucking important?! I’m nothing more than a royal guard! Literally anybody else with my skill set could take my place and it wouldn’t be any different!” Jet began to yell and tears started to streak his face as his anger and sorrow finally boiled over.

“You do not know just how wrong and flat out stupid that statement is, Jet Stream! You are far more than just some lowly guard! There is a reason that Sombra fears you as he does! You are the only living trace of…” Luna yelled, stopping herself mid sentence, her eyes darting to the floor quickly.

“Only living trace of what?! I want answers and I want them now!” Jet screamed, his heart racing from the adrenaline of the situation.

“I cannot… I have already said too much…” Luna replied quietly, lowering her head.

“If you’re not going to say anything useful, then you can just leave…” Jet said, crossing his arms in a huff.

“Jet Stream… You are far too much like her sometimes…” Luna said quietly as she left, just out of earshot of Jet.

He sat in his cot fuming for several moments, his gaze falling onto the folder on the table beside again. With a sharp exhale, he grabbed the folder and got up. The bunker was quiet this time of night, most of the inhabitants having already turned in for the night. He made his way out of the med ward hallway and into the cafeteria, where he saw AJ behind the counter. She was hard at work heating up some of the leftovers from dinner. Redheart stood in front of the counter with a tray in her hand. The two were talking and laughing lightly as she waited for the food Jet had asked for. With a deep breath, he made his way over and took up the spot next to Redheart. She stopped and turned to him.

“And just what do you think you’re doing? I thought I told you to get some rest.” She said, a glare forming on her face.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. But I can’t just lay on the cot all night, I have some things to take care of.” He replied, waving her away with his hand.

“Alright then, mister stubborn ass. You can stand here and wait for your food. But, don’t come crying to me if you hurt yourself worse than you already are.” Redheart said, handing him the tray she was holding.

“Fine, and don’t worry, I’ll be ok.” Jet replied, taking the tray.

“Well, good. Now, if anybody needs me, I’ll be taking a nap at my desk. It was nice talking to you, Applejack.” Redheart said, giving AJ a wave as she turned to leave.

“You too, Redheart.” AJ replied, returning the wave and looking up at Jet.

“Before you say it, I already know how bad I look.” Jet said, reading AJ’s expression.

“Well, ya do. Ya need a shower and some sleep.” AJ replied with a slightly concerned look.

“I’ve been asleep for eight years, that’s the last thing I need right now.” Jet said, rolling his eyes.

“Ah’d hardly consider a coma as sleeping. Ya need sleep if you’re gonna function properly.” AJ replied, hoisting a pot off the stove and onto the counter.

“Geez, you sound like my mom.” Jet retorted with a laugh as he set the try on the counter.

“Somebody’s gotta tell ya these things.” AJ said in a serious tone, tossing a bowl and spoon onto the tray before ladling some kind of soup into it.

“If it’ll get you off my back, I’ll try to sleep a little later. For now though… We need to talk…” Jet replied, the folder tucked under his arm weighing heavy with the new burden it carried.

“About what?” AJ asked as she moved around the kitchen, putting the remaining soup away.

“It might be best if you join me for a seat before we get into it.” Jet replied, taking the tray.

AJ nodded in response as Jet left the counter and took a seat at one of the many tables around the cafeteria and tossed the folder onto the table beside his tray. After plopping down on the small round chair, he picked up the spoon from the tray. He dragged it across the surface of the soup, idly creating tiny ripples through it. His mind was miles away as he tried to think of just how he was going to break this news to AJ. With another heavy sigh, he plunged the spoon down into the soup and brought it to his mouth. While he was busy chewing the various veggies, he didn’t even notice that AJ had already finished in the kitchen and had taken the seat across from him. She sat there in silence for a few minutes as he slowly ate away at the soup, before he realized she had joined him. He finally looked up and quickly swallowed his mouthful of soup.

“Oh, AJ. Sorry, didn’t realize you’d gotten out here already.” Jet apologized, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve.

“It’s alright, ya looked like ya had somethin’ runnin’ through your head. Figured ya needed a few.” AJ replied in a soft tone.

“Yeah, you could say that… Thanks…” Jet said, staring down at the folder on the table.

“No problem. So, what did ya need to talk to me about?” She asked, following his gaze to the folder.

“Well… It’s um… It’s about this…” Jet said quietly, opening the folder and sliding it across the table to her,

“Uh… Ya do know ah’m not the one in charge of intel, right?” She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Just… Just read it, please…” Jet replied, looking down at his soup to avoid her gaze.

“Fine. But, ah don’t see what’s so important about this fi…” AJ started to say, but stopped once she saw the newly scribbled info.

Jet sat there quietly, his attention focused on the half empty bowl of soup sitting on his tray. The air in the room seemed to grow heavy as he waited for her reaction. The room was far too quiet for far too long, only adding to Jet’s growing anxiety over the situation.

“Is… Is this info accurate…?” AJ asked, finally breaking the silence that had permeated the room.

“Y-Yeah…” Jet replied, still not looking up.

“Does that mean that ya…” AJ started, unable to finish the sentence as she dreaded the answer.

“I’m sorry, AJ…” Jet replied, already knowing how she wanted to finish that question.

She closed the folder and pushed it back across the table to Jet before folding her hands together, propping her elbows up on the table and resting her head on her hands. The nerve racking silence returned as she said nothing. The two of them sat in the silence, Jet staring down into the murky brown soup and AJ sitting with her chin propped on her folded hands. Jet’s anxiety was as on edge as physically possible, his hand shaking as he continued to drag the spoon through the soup, clinking lightly against the bottom of the bowl as he did so. After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, AJ finally lowered her hands and wiped her eyes with them. She sniffled lightly and took a shaky breath before speaking again.

“Jet… Ah don’t blame you for this. To be perfectly honest… Ah’m a little relieved that he’s at peace now…” AJ said slowly, her voice faltering ever so slightly.

“R-Really…?” Jet asked, finally looking up from the soup to see that AJ had been silently crying the whole time.

“Yeah… And ah know you’ll be makin’ that piece of bull dung pay for this…” She said with a soft smile to reassure him.

“I… Thank you, AJ. I was worried you’d hate me for this…” He replied with a light shudder going up his spine.

“Oh, come on. Ah could never hate ya, especially with the way that Bloom and Sweetie look up to ya.” AJ said with a light laugh.

“What? They do?” Jet asked curiously.

“Course they do. You’re like a superhero to those little fillies.” AJ replied with another smile.

“I had no idea…” Jet said, his face a bit red in embarrassment from having fans.

“Well, now ya do. And ah know you’ll do ‘em proud.” She said, reaching over to give him a light punch in the arm.

“Thanks, AJ. I actually kinda needed to hear that right now…” He said, his anxiousness fading a bit.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. We all need a pick me up from time to time. Now, go on and get cleaned up. Ah don’t think Rainbow is gonna let ya in the bed looking like that.” She said with a small chuckle, motioning to all the dirt and dried blood on his clothes and face.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks again, AJ.” Jet replied, getting up and looking himself over.

“Oh, uh… It might be best to not mention this to Bloom… She’s a bit more sensitive to this kinda thing, y’know?” AJ said as she grabbed the tray to empty it’s remainder.

“You sure it’s a good idea to keep something like this from her?” Jet asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, ah am. It’ll just kill her little spirit.” AJ replied, rubbing her neck lightly.

“Alright, I won’t say a word about it then. Uh, you care to drop that folder off to Sunblast for me please?” Jet asked as he turned towards the hall leading to the showers.

“Sure thing.” AJ replied, grabbing the folder and heading back towards the kitchen to clean up the little bit of mess that was made.

Jet made his way out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. Once inside the shower room, he quickly removed the nanobot housing unit and vambraces before stripping off the torn and dirty clothes. He tossed them in the trash, deciding it better to just count them as a loss instead of trying to have Rarity repair them. Stepping under the shower head, he turned the handle to start the water. It was freezing cold at first, which chilled Jet to his core, but the feeling was welcome as it kept his mind focused on reality as opposed to lingering on the past few hours. The water didn’t take long to heat up though. Grabbing a clean rag, he lathered it up with soap and slowly started to wash himself off. The dried blood and caked on dirt slowly but surely began to fall away, trailing down off his body with the water and swirling down the drain at his feet. Once he had washed off completely, he turned towards the shower head and let the water cascade over his head and down his mane. He let the water fall over him as he shut his eyes, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened recently. The warmth of the water felt nice against his aching muscles and recent injuries.

“Well, hey there hot stuff” Rainbow’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned to see her standing at the door, leaning against the doorway casually as she eyed him up and down. She was dressed in just the white sports bra and underwear that everybody else wore under their fatigues.

“Hello there. See something you like, perv?” He said teasingly with a chuckle.

“Matter of fact, I do.” She replied, coming over and running a hand down his chest, not caring if she got wet from the shower head.

“Hey now, I’m spoken for, y’know.” He continued with his teasing tone.

“Oh yeah? Must be a pretty lucky mare then.” She replied, keeping up the cute roleplay she had inadvertently started.

“You could say that, yeah. I guarantee she’s about twenty percent cooler than you are.” He said with a laugh, getting one from her as well.

“You’re such a dork, you know that?” She said with a playful push against his chest.

“Yeah, I know.” He replied, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Gods… You look like you’ve been through Hell itself…” She commented as she traced his various scars with her fingers.

“I mean, we’re really not far off at this point…” He said, gently grabbing her hand and holding it in his own.

“That’s the sad truth of our situation…” She replied with a soft sigh.

“Hopefully it’ll be over soon, though.” He said, trying to keep her spirits up.

“Yeah, hopefully… Now, get dried off. You got something important to take care of before you get some sleep.” She said, stepping away and grabbing him a towel.

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” He asked, shutting off the water and taking the towel.

“This right here, of course.” She replied, turning around and giving her own ass a hard slap.

“R-Right…” He said, his face glowing bright red as he stared.

She gave a light laugh at his embarrassment, feeling a sense of honor that after all their time together, he still managed to get so flustered by her. He tore his eyes away from the sight before him and quickly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist and grabbing both the nanobot unit and vambraces before the pair headed out into the hallway. As the pair headed down the hall towards their room, they were suddenly surprised by a large puff of pink smoke. With his nerves already on edge, Jet didn’t give any thought to it as he swung into the smoke. His fist collided hard with Discord’s jaw, sending him to the ground as Jet’s towel slipped off his waist and fell to the floor.

“Ow! Son of a b…” Discord began, cutting himself off as he looked up at the now nude Jet above him.

“Discord?! What the fuck are you thinking?! You know you can’t sneak up on me like that!” Jet yelled in frustration.

“Good Gods… How are you still alive after taking that thing?” Discord asked, looking between Jet’s exposed bits and Rainbow’s reddening face.

“I like a challenge, ok?” Rainbow said, turning her head away to avoid his piercing eyes.

“What the hell do you want, Discord?” Jet asked, picking his towel back up, his face just as red as Rainbow’s.

Discord cleared his throat as he got up off the floor, rubbing his jaw. He cracked his neck and shook off the pain before speaking.

“Well, I had some info to give you, but if you’d rather wait…” He said, noting Rainbow’s attire, or rather lack thereof.

“Just spill it, before I hit you again for seeing my mare in her panties.” Jet replied, shaking his fist at the draconequus.

“Right, right. I did a little reconnaissance of my own. I know what’s causing the constant layer of black clouds that’s covering the land.” Discord said, focusing his gaze on Jet to avoid being hit again.

“What is it?” Jet asked, lowering his clenched fist.

“There’s a pair of airships hovering high up in the sky. They’re somehow producing the black clouds and toxin into the air. I don’t know how, but they are.” He replied, using his magic to form a small diorama of an airship pumping out black mist.

“Airships? Who in the hell could give Sombra access to an airship?” Jet asked, racking his brain for answers.

“I don’t know, but if we’re going to return this land to its former glory, those ships will need to be dealt with at some point.” Discord replied, stroking his goatee.

“Right. Go share this intel with Sunblast. He and I will discuss it further in the morning.” Jet said, scratching his head.

“Got it, and do try not to kill her with that thing there. I rather like having her around.” Discord said with a laugh, pointing at Jet’s crotch.

“Just get out of here already!” Jet yelled, clearly not amused with Discord’s teasing.

Discord shrugged and snapped his finger, disappearing in another puff of pink smoke. Jet groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. Rainbow softly put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him back down, he turned and gave her a smile.

“Sorry, dealing with that asshole always stresses me out.” Jet said with a deep breath.

“I know, if he wasn’t Fluttershy’s friend, I’d kick his teeth in.” Rainbow replied with a laugh.

“Gods, I love that snarky attitude of yours.” He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She blushed again briefly as they headed to their room. After discarding his armor bits onto the footlocker and then a very intimate session, panting and sweaty and the sheets having seen better days, the pair laid together simply enjoying each other’s presence. The session of making the beast two backs had successfully taken Jet’s mind off of things. For the first time in hours, his thoughts were silent and his body relaxed. As he lay in bed, one arm around Rainbow, he slowly began to drift off to sleep.

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Jet sat at the table at the cafe with Rainbow across from him, they were talking and laughing as they sipped from steaming cups of cappuccino. The snow fell around them in a small flurry, and weighed down the umbrella that covered their table, the street beside them coated in a layer of the white powder. Various footprints leading every which way, even though the streets were eerily empty. The shops spread out around the plaza displayed a variety of Hearth’s Warming decorations, the colorful lights blinked to the muffled sound of holiday music that played from within the shops. A dull light shone from the winter sun high in the sky, only visible every so often when the snow lined clouds parted. Despite the calm and cheery setting, Jet felt an underlying sense of dread for some reason. As he sat there with her, he just couldn’t shake the feeling. He kept looking around and over his shoulder to spot anything that could be causing him to feel like this, but nothing was amiss. Turning back to Rainbow, he listened as she went on about how Spitfire had told Rainbow what her nickname was when she was a rookie. As he smiled and laughed, Rainbow’s voice seemed to fade away slightly, sounding as if it was coming from inside one of the shops. Suddenly, the dull light of the winter sun faded away, leaving the area in a veil of darkness. He looked around frantically to see what could cause this to happen. As he watched, the shops around them were slowly being swallowed up by the veil of darkness, until they were gone completely. In a panic, he turned back to Rainbow to ask if she was seeing this, but she too was gone along with the table they had been sitting at. He jumped up from his seat, only to see it too vanish into the blackness that had enveloped the land. The only thing that seemed to be immune to the encroaching darkness was the blinding white snow road. His heart was racing as a nervous sweat broke out across his body. Not having any other plan, he began to run down the road as fast as he could in an effort to outrun the darkness. No matter how fast he moved, he felt as if he were standing still in the freezing darkness of this land. His legs began to ache and his lungs burned as his stamina faded, as if being swallowed into the darkness as well. He fell to his hands and knees, his fingers digging into the snow under him as he panted. Moving a hand up to wipe away some of the freezing sweat on his brow, he gasped in horror as he realized that under the snow was a thin layer of viscous red liquid. As he knelt in the snow, the liquid began to permeate the snow, turning the entire road into a red strip along the ground. Getting to his feet and looking closer at his red coated hand, he realized what the viscous substance was. The entirety of the ground was soaked in a thin river of blood, lying just under the powdery layer of snow. As he stood there, unable to move from the shock of this revelation, he felt an arctic-like chill pass over him. His instinct told him to turn around, but he was hesitant to see what awaited him if he did. Taking a deep and shaky breath, he forced his body to cooperate and turned around, coming face to face with Spitfire. Only, her form seemed to fade in and out of existence. She stood and stared him down silently, her eyes cold and lifeless. Where her wings once were, there was now only two torn nubs that were spurting blood.

“Why…?” She asked, her voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“W-What…?” Jet responded, his voice wavering quite a bit.

“Why did you kill me… You should have helped me…” She replied, her ghostly voice sending chills up and down Jet’s spine with each word.

“I… I tried… B-But…” Jet said, trying in vain to keep it together.

She wailed like a banshee and took a swing at him. He dodged out of the way of the swing, unsure if she could hurt him, but not willing to find out. As he dodged though, he ran into something behind him. He turned to see the ghostly visage of Emerald Daze. His limbs floated limply in the air, separate from his body and the severed connecting joints spurted blood as well.

“You should have tried harder to save us, Jet!” Emerald screamed at him, his voice much deeper than Spitfire’s but still sent chills along Jet’s spine.

“I did everything I could… I swear…” Jet replied, his will starting to break.

Emerald made a move to grab him, his disconnected limbs snapping and crunching sickeningly as they flew through the air towards Jet. Jet hopped backwards to avoid the grab. Just as he landed from the jump, a figure rose up from beneath the blood soaked snow. It turned to look at Jet, it’s face pale and lifeless like the others. It was Big Macintosh, his arms flopping loosely at his sides and a gaping wound seeped blood from his midsection.

“You could have done more!” Big Mac bellowed out at him, his thunderous voice shaking Jet to his very core.

“N-No… S-Stop… Please…” Jet pleaded, baking away but having nowhere to go.

The three spirits closed in on him slowly, each one’s injuries adding to the river of blood at Jet’s feet, which had now grown to cover the tops of his boots.

“You did this to us, Jet… You murdered us in cold blood…!” The three yelled out in unison, their voices coalescing into a chilling symphony of ghostly wails.

“No… I… I’m sorry… Please…” Jet continued to plead to no avail.

“Murderer! You called us friend and then murdered us because we stood in your way! You could have helped us, saved us from that brainwashing!” They screamed again, now hovering directly over Jet.

Jet could do nothing but slide to the ground in horror. He looked down to see that both of his hands were now soaked in blood, dripping and further adding to the increasing river under him. He covered his face with his hands in an attempt to shut out the cries of the spirits of his dead friends, but it was no use. Their wails penetrated him down to his very soul, making him shake with anxiety and fear. Their words cut deeper than any blade could hope to achieve. Having become emotionally broken by this encounter, he began to weep into his bloody hands. His tears streaking his face and falling down into the rising crimson tide that was slowly starting to swallow him up. The wailing continued to the point that Jet hoped he would go deaf, just so he wouldn’t have to hear it anymore. There was no end in sight for this horror show, their cries of pain and judgement ripping his heart and soul to shreds as Jet was forced to continue listening. He wept harder, feeling as if his heart would shatter from the force of their combined sorrow. Gritting his teeth, his sadness began to dissolve and give way to rage. Having had enough, he uncovered his face and struggled through his fear and got to his feet.

“ENOUGH!!!” Jet screamed at the spirits, causing them to back off as the air grew still.

“Was it enough when you blew off my wings?!” Spitfire retorted with a glare.

“Or when you left me to be torn asunder by the spirit of the Everfree?!” Emerald stated coldly.

“Or how about when you tore my arms from their sockets and then sliced me open like a Hearth’s Warming turkey?!” Big Mac replied, his thunderous voice ice cold.

“All of you, shut the fuck up! You’re not really the spirits of my friends!” Jet cried out loudly, pointing at each of them.

“How can you be so sure?!” They asked in unison, closing in again.

“Because my true friends would never want me to suffer like this! They would not break me down with these soul crushing words!” Jet screamed at them, stopping them in their tracks.

The spirits said nothing this time, they simply floated in place silently. Jet grit his teeth hard and lashed out at the spirits, his fist passing through their ethereal forms seemingly harmlessly. As Jet readied another swing, they faded away into nothingness along with the crimson river that had made it up to his calves. He collapsed to the ground and started weeping again, his sobs echoing in the void he was left alone in. As he sobbed quietly in the empty void, a small light started to materialize in the distance. He looked up, wiping some tears from his face and moving towards it. As he got closer, he could see a faint silhouette emerging from the light source. It was Luna, she once again wore her starry embroidered dress and had a shiny metal spike on her head where her horn once was.

“L-Luna… What are you…” Jet started to ask before she suddenly embraced him in a hug.

“I sensed you were in distress by way of my dream magic. Before I could intervene, you broke yourself free of your own torment…” She replied softly, her tone sounding amazed.

“Dream magic… So this is…” Jet started again, being cut off by a small giggle from Luna.

“Yes, Jet. This was a nightmare, but somehow you had the willpower to disperse it on your own. Something that not even I could do with my own personal nightmares… You truly are an incredible pegasus, Jet Stream.” She said with a smile.

She waved her hand as her metal horn glowed briefly, the empty black void changed into a bright and beautiful replica of the Canterlot Gardens where the two of them used to sit and share coffee as they talked late into the night. Everything was as Jet remembered, from the immaculately trimmed hedge maze in the distance to the vast variety of colorful flowers and fruit bearing trees. Even the small wicker table and chairs where they had spent most evenings was right where it always was, centered between a pair of pink rose bushes and covered by a small terrace that was laced with slightly overgrown ivy and off-white marble tiled flooring. Luna walked over and sat in one of the chairs, motiong for Jet to take the other one across from her. He obliged and sat, though his gaze was focused on the marble tiles under him.

“Luna… About earlier…” He said, referring to when he had screamed at her.

“It is fine, Jet. You were upset. I, of all ponies, understand that feeling better than anybody else.” Luna replied softly.

“It’s not just that I was upset… Everybody keeps telling me I’m destined to end this war and do big things, but…” Jet said, stopping mid sentence.

“But?” Luna asked, sitting forward on her elbows on the table.

He looked up from the floor, his eyes full of pain and still red from his tears. With an uneasy breath, he set his own arms on the table, pressing his thumbs together until his nails turned white in an effort to focus his mind.

“I don’t know that I’m strong enough to finish this… There’s already so much blood on my hands… Blood of ponies I cared about before all this started…” Jet said, his voice faint and barely audible as he tried to keep his composure for her sake.

“Jet… I know how you are feeling… It is not much different than what I felt after I was brought back from my time as Nightmare Moon. The ponies I killed and the destruction I caused… It ate away at me for years, so much so that I created an entire entity with the sole purpose of tormenting me in my own dreams, just so that I would never forget how much of a monster I became. But, do you know what eventually got me through that and gave me peace of mind?” Luna said calmly, placing a hand over Jet’s.

“What?” Jet asked, still fighting back his own pain.

“I forgave myself. I came to terms with what I had done and realized that those I had killed would have forgiven me after seeing the torment and pain I put myself through to honor their memory.” Luna replied with a smile.

“How am I supposed to forgive myself for this…?” Jet asked again, shaking a little from the strain of keeping his emotions in check.

“That is something you must discover for yourself, Jet. But, giving up now will not be the answer to that problem. You must persevere, if for no other reason than to avenge those who have fallen under Sombra’s reign.” Luna replied, giving his hands a light squeeze to help steady his composure.

“I guess you’re right, Luna… But how much more blood is going to be spilled because of that monster…?” Jet asked, biting his lip nervously.

“I wish I had that answer for you, Jet. I truly do. Unfortunately, we will not know how many more familiar faces are hiding under the guise of his assassins until this is all over…” Luna said with a heavy sigh.

“Right…” Jet replied, his composure breaking as he thought of all the friends who were still missing and presumed dead that were likely being forced into servitude by Sombra.

“In any case, I know you are strong enough for this. You have to be, for the sake of what’s left of Equestria.” Luna said, sitting back in her chair.

“I guess all I can do is try.” Jet replied, a few tears escaping his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

“It is all anybody can ask of you.” Luna said with a reassuring smile.

“By the way, where’d you get the fancy upgrade?” Jet asked, pointing to her horn to change the subject.

“Oh, your little friend Sunblast crafted this for me. He made one for Cadence as well, but between you and me, he put more effort into mine than he did hers.” Luna said with a giggle.

“Yeah, that sounds like Sunblast alright.” Jet said with a small laugh.

“I have been curious, why do you keep going around without your mask?” Luna asked curiously.

“What do you mean?” Jet asked in return.

“The toxin in the air, Jet. The whole reason for the masks.” Luna replied, sitting forward again.

“I don’t know. It hasn’t seemed to really affect me.” Jet said with a shrug.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Do you not feel any sense of weakness or fatigue while you are breathing the air outside?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, not really. Should I be?’ Jet responded.

“Well… Yes. The toxin that Sombra has pumped into the air is designed to sap someone’s magic essence. For natural magic users, it’s not a big issue as we have magic to spare for the most part, and what we lose our bodies recover with ease. However, for the ones who do not have natural magic use, they recover at a much slower rate and their essence is drained much faster.” Luna explained.

“Huh… I don’t then. Maybe I’m immune? I have become essentially a magic sponge.” Jet replied with another shrug.

“Hm, yes. Sunblast had mentioned that when you came up in conversation. I still do not understand it myself. Perhaps your magic ‘sponge’ ability counteracts the toxin somehow. Be that as it may, I suggest you be careful with it.” Luna replied, scratching her chin in thought.
“May I ask you something, Luna?” Jet asked slowly.

“Of course.” Luna said with another soft smile.

“How do you know so much about this toxin in the air…?” Jet asked, his tone a bit worried for the answer.

“Oh… It is the same thing he attempted when Tia and I fought him a millenia ago, only this time, it is on a much larger scale. I do not really know how he has managed to disperse it so far from the Crystal Empire though.” Luna explained slowly.

“Actually, Discord solved that mystery for us.” Jet replied with a chuckle.

“Oh? That draconequus is actually being useful again?” Luna asked, giggling lightly.

“Surising, isn’t it?” Jet replied, laughing more.

“What did he find out?” Luna asked, still lightly giggling about their light bullying of Discord.

“He said he saw some airships patrolling the sky and pumping the toxin into the air.” Jet said, sitting forward on his elbows.

“Hm, interesting… If you go to investigate, please be careful. There is no telling what or who is controlling those ships.” Luna replied with a concerned look.

“Of course, whoever it is, I’ll do what needs to be done… “ Jet said solemnly.

“That is good to know, at least. As much as I am enjoying this revelry of old times, it is probably about time you woke up, Jet.” Luna replied, tapping her wrist where a watch would sit.

“What, already?” Jet asked with a sigh.

“Just hang in there, Jet. We are getting closer to ending this war.” Luna replied as she stood.

She moved over to Jet and pushed back his hair to plant a light kiss on his forehead, just as Celestia used to do to calm him if he was depressed over a failed task or mission. Before he could say anything else, the scene of the garden vanished and Luna along with it. He was once again left alone in the empty black void.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He sat up in bed, panting and his eyes lightly burning from the tears that had welled up and ran over while he slept. He looked over to see Rainbow sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly and the blanket kicked off of her still naked body. With a smile to himself, he slowly got up and found a fresh set of fatigues. He slipped on the vambraces and put the nanobot unit back on his chest. Before leaving though, he stepped around the bed and gently kissed Rainbow’s cheek as he slipped the blanket back over her. She briefly stopped snoring and smiled in her sleep as she rolled over. With another smile to himself, he headed out of the room and down the hallway to get his next target from Sunblast’s intel.