North blinked as he looked up at the endless starry sky, an ethereal in-between of night and day. The world seemed completely unreal, right down to whatever he was lying on. It was such an odd feeling, like water and ground mixed into one. Nothing hurts… He thought as he lifted a hoof to his face. And my hooves… I can move them…

He slowly sat up to see what it was that he was lying on. Countless small balls of light floated in this space, not making a single sound as he shifted upwards onto his hooves. He looked forward and back, left and right. Nothing. Nothing but an endless void of stars, from which he was entirely alone. North began to chuckle.

“No… No way… I can’t really…”

“I’m afraid so.”

North’s head snapped back at the sound of a voice, and the sight froze him solid. The mane, the face, if he didn’t remember her from all those years ago, he remembered her from Lotus Dance’s face. Standing in a white dress was Lotus Pond, a sad, yet serene expression on her face. His eyes welled up with tears at the sight, recalling the body that night with perfect clarity.

“Y-You…”

“Worry not, North Star,” She spoke, approaching the stallion. “I am here for you.”

“Please forgive me!”

“Eh?” Suddenly, Lotus Pond found the stallion bowing low, gritting his teeth in fear. She was utterly baffled before waving a hoof. “W-Wait a minute! There is no need to bow! I’m not a goddess of the dead, but-!!”

“Lotus Pond, I’m sorry!”

“F-For what??”

“For not stopping my uncle! For helping take away your life with your daughter! F-For…” Tears began to form through his shut eyes. “F-For failing to protect her… I…”

“Oh, I see,” She hummed and looked up. “Well, you know… I’ve already forgiven them both.”

North’s eyes snapped open as he looked up.

“Diamond and father… Yes, I’ve already long since forgiven them. And by proxy, I’ve forgiven you.”

“B-But-!”

“No buts, young colt!” She pointed her hoof and huffed at him. “Your Auntie Pond is going to help you win!”

North looked utterly baffled, taking in so much at once. “A-Auntie…? W-Wait, how?? How can you possibly help me? I’m dead!”

“Well, not entirely. I would say you are…” She shifted her head about. “Mostly dead.”

“... How does a pony end up mostly dead???”

“Aaaa, stop yelling at your auntie!!” She flailed a hoof at him as she leaned in.

“You’re not my auntie!! You never married my uncle.”

“Hmph, such a meanie…” Pond murmured as she sunk low in sadness. “I-It’s true I didn’t, but… I-I wanted to…”

“... What?”

She sighed and looked at him. “Listen, I want to explain it to you, but you do not have a lot of time. If you remain in this world, it truly will be the end of you.”

“But aren’t I-?”

“As I said, you are not truly dead. This is the space between the land of the living and the dead, a road that all ponies will walk one day. Of course, if your heart is never truly at peace, you can never cross over.” She stepped closer to him. “North Star. Make a deal with me, and I will lend you my power to cross back and win your match.”

“B-But I-”

“North.”

He went quiet as Lotus Pond cupped his chin and smiled at her. “My beloved Diamond would not refuse the chance for a second round, and neither should you? Did you not say that you were fighting for my daughter?”

He stared into her eyes, and all those worries and fears, the feeling of shame, it was gone like a footprint in the sand after a roaring tide. His breath slowed, and he nodded.

“Alright, what is it that you wanted to do after?”

Lotus Pond smiled and opened her mouth.

“…”

North slowly smiled as the world around them filled with a warm light. He could hear the sounds of distant chanting as the light spread through his entire being.

“Yeah… Let’s do it… Round 2…”

~~~

“I said enough!!!”

Members of both gangs were now trying to get into the ring to try and hold Tiger back, who was stomping on the limp body of North Star relentlessly. Even at the ordering of The Master, he didn’t listen. When one of his own members grabbed onto him, that member was flung into the crowd. Tiger turned and shouted out. [What is wrong with you?? Hares, every single one of you!! You are not worthy of the ranks you have obtained!! I proved myself the greatest among you, the most ruthless of them all, and this weakness is what you show me??]

The Black Dragon Society went quiet, none daring to make a move on the strongest member of their gang. Seeing the fear, Tiger smirked as he looked up at the two leaders. [You have always been weak, Master. You handled them softly when we could have ruled the city’s underground. When you collapse, I will ensure many moons of prosperity!]

[No, you won’t!!!]

Everypony’s eyes looked up at the source of the noise, and standing up on an improvised stage made to overlook the ring was Lotus Dance, wearing a black-and-red dress with a mix of cute and punk. Her mane was styled in wild pigtails, the colors matching her dress, and her expression was one not of rage, but of determination.

[You won’t lay a hoof on any position, because my big bro is going to beat you!]

Tiger, seeing the utterly baffling display at hoof, simply laughed as he walked towards the flying platform. [My sweet hare, don’t try and offer cold comfort to them. Accept the truth. He is dead by my hooves.]

[No!] She snapped back, maintaining her poise despite her bubbling anger. [He wouldn’t give up so easily! I know that his heart still beats and that he can still hear me, and when he awakes, he’ll be ready to have a second round!!]

[Is that so?] He grinned and rolled his neck. [I sincerely doubt that, considering he’s not getting up. And what’s with that outfit? Think you’re some idol princess now?]

There was a moment of silence from the mare, breathing slightly before striking an adorable pose. [That’s right! I am the idol Princess Petal Punk, and I’m going to sing a song to bring my knight back to life!]

This earned Lotus a booming laugh from Tiger along with much weaker laughs from his more loyal companions. That didn’t stop Petal, who looked up at the lights and waited for the sounds of the harsh, poppy music to play before she belted out into a song. Of course, to call the beginning of it a song was a bit of a stretch. It almost seemed like a bit of a Neighponese rap as she performed a dance to the music.

But as she bellowed out her melody, something happened. Tiger could see movement shifting as the once dead body of North Star, bloody and broken, shifted onto his hooves. His bloodied mouth shifted to a smirk as his eyes gazed up at his opponent.

“Sorry, Tiger. Guess you didn’t put me down like you thought.”

The massive stallion’s eyes sharpened in rage, slamming his front hooves down onto the arena and leaving cracks. “Then let’s see if we can’t remedy this…”

Everypony watched in shock as the two took stances, the sounds of Lotus’s singing filling the room as Tiger rushed in with a punch. A collective gasp could be heard as North slipped past the punch and returned with a kick to his jaw before sliding back to create distance. The look on Tiger’s face sold his shock. Just a moment ago, this stallion couldn’t land a solid enough hit. This one kick was enough to make his head reel back a bit.

Immediately, rage built in his eyes as he charged North once more, throwing out punch after punch to crush his opponent like an ant. Each punch barely missed its mark and was met with a flurry of punches and kicks. It wasn’t much, but the sheer speed was something that shocked both gangs.

“North, be careful!!” Shield called out, a look of concern on his face as he saw his friend get scraped by a sweeping kick only to dive between Tiger’s hooves and kick at his gut before rolling out of the way of a stomp. He wanted to look away, but his eyes just marveled at the sheer ruthlessness of the fight. “He’s… He’s going to be alright, right…?”

Knives usually had an answer for how bad a state a pony was in, given her knowledge was in the butchering game. Here though, she hesitated. North should’ve been dead. In her eyes, it was like watching a slaughtered lamb get up and start swinging at the butcher. “I… I think he can do it…”

Suri clutched at her scarf as she began grinding her teeth. Her heart was racing as she saw the brutality both ponies inflicted. Even when Tiger managed to land a shot, North would crumple to the ground, only to rise back up like the living dead. But those attacks were becoming rarer as North slammed attacks more and more, and Tiger’s body began to show signs of pain. She couldn’t close her eyes, even as tears began welling up. Celestia, Luna… Wherever you are, please… Let him be okay…

North continued to prove his undying nature as he was grabbed once again and thrown against the chain link fence that rose above the ring. However, he used the momentum to springboard back and return with what looked like a punch but quickly proved to be a feint as North flipped over Tiger’s punch and delivered an axe kick to the top of his head.

Up in the higher seats, Moonshine returned to her seat and watched her special somepony fight for his life in the ring. Unlike the others, however, there was something she could see that the others couldn’t. North’s body had… Something coming off of it. A white energy, different from normal magic. Whenever it moved, North’s body moved alongside it, as if he were following its instructions. And with every second he fought, the delay between the energy moving was getting smaller and smaller…

“You’re seein’ it too, right…?”

Moonshine quickly looked behind her, seeing Diamond and The Master who looked down at the fight with stoic expressions. Conveniently, their gaze happened to be on Moonshine as well, as The Master gave a quiet nod.

[It seems she’s chosen what Lotus’s future should be…]

“Seems only right… Who were we to say what she does…?”

[Yes… Who were we…]

Diamond’s gaze shifted to meet Moonshine’s eyes and nodded slightly and Moonshine quickly turned back to the fight right as North leaped to avoid a downward punch only to hop on the hoof, flip from it, and perform an air buck to the back of Tiger’s head. The larger stallion was suddenly sent stumbling forward as he looked back at North, who slid back into his stance. How… He was dead!! How is he alive??? How is he BEATING ME???

Just then, the moon shone down on him, and for the briefest of moments, he saw somepony in North’s place. A mare with a calm expression who almost looked like…

“Rrrgh… Go on! Use whatever pathetic magic you want! It won’t change fate!!”

“Tiger…” North mumbled, the climax of Lotus’s song filling his ears as he moved his hooves in preparation for an attack. “You’re right. Nopony can change fate. That’s why…”

“Enough with your talking, you HARE!!!” Tiger slammed on the ground, charging at North with the aim of stopping his heart one more time, to finally put an end to his opponent. North charged in as well, their distances closing more and more before they clashed in a flurry of blows so rapid that the audience couldn’t perceive it. By the end, they faced away from each other, huffing loudly in the silence. North slowly looked back at his adversary and muttered.

“Your fate… Was already decided,” he said, raising his badly damaged wing. “Dance of the Moonlit Blades…”

Suddenly, Tiger’s body reacted violently, as if he’d been hit by several punches at once before collapsing on the ground a twitching mess. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open, a trail of blood spilling out of his nose as bruises formed across his body.

A stunned silence filled the air before suddenly erupting in cheers. Haylem Haymakers and even a few members of the Black Dragon Society clapped, stomped, and cheered the victory of North Star, who looked up at his adopted cousin still on the stage and smiled before looking up at the moon from the hole in the ceiling. His body was throbbing. He felt like he could collapse at any moment. There was so much he wanted to do and not enough time to do it before he succumbed to his injuries. All he could think of was to take a deep breath and unleash a primal war cry before collapsing, the world quickly going dark once again…

~~~

He would wake up again in that field of stars, his spiritual body feeling more worn out than before. He uttered a groan of pain as he tried to look up, but something gently hoisted his head off and let him down on something softer.

“You did wonderfully, North… I’m so proud of you…”

“... Hey, just to confirm, you didn’t place me on your flanks, did you?” This earned him an offended gasp as the soft object he rested on was taken away, sending his head back to the ground. “Ow… I think.”

“Naughty nephew!” Pond bapped North’s snout very lightly, blushing and pouting. “I simply wished to give you a place to rest your head and you say something like that?? Just what did you think you were resting on??”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m too tired to think about that kind of thing…” He mumbled, not moving an inch as he stared up at eternity.

Pond sighed but smiled as she returned to using her side as a rest for North’s head. “You know, I remember being like this with your uncle many times… After something big, he would be tired and we would find somewhere secret to rest…”

“I bet The Master didn’t like that…”

Pond giggled softly. “He didn’t. However, all of that is the past. Now, I believe that truly, he understands his mistakes…”

North went quiet for a bit, taking a few breaths as he recovered. “Aunty Pond… Do you really forgive them? I know that’s dumb to ask now, but… I’m curious why.”

“Why… Hmmm…” Lotus Pond looked out at the endless horizon, considering the question. “I’ve been dead for quite a while, and in that time, I have considered everything. My father had so much fear and pressure, and my lovely Diamond had felt so betrayed, that inevitably, they would make mistakes. At the same time, if I had been more aggressive and intelligent with my escape, I would probably be alive and happy with him…”

“You’d really abandon your family for Uncle Diamond…?”

“If my father had to make me choose, then…” Pond looked down sadly. “Y-Yes… I suppose I would have.”

Silence filled the space as he looked at his hoof in thought. “How much… Have you been watching everything…?”

Pond’s quiet smile suddenly widened as she moved her head back. “Oh, I’ve been watching VERY intently… Future Prince~”

North’s eyes widened as he looked away with a blush developing on his face. While he said nothing, Pond giddily continued. “Ohhh I cannot believe it~ MY nephew, seeing the Princess of the Night herself~!”

“We’re still not technically related…” North groaned out only to get poked in the cheek.

“I think I hear sass in there~”

“Ugh…” North couldn’t help but smile as he was poked by his aunt. He felt… Calm. Like things were going to be fine. He took a deep breath and smiled as his eyes closed. “Well… At least I was good for something… I can die happy knowing Lotus Dance is free…”

“Die? Sweetie, you’re not dead.”

North’s eyes shot back open. “Wait, what?? But… But I’m back here. My body got totally obliterated!”

“Obliterated… You young ponies and your exaggerations…” She giggled as she nuzzled her nephew’s head. “You’re in a coma right now, nearly dead if you weren’t tended to immediately. Luckily, you and Tiger were.”

North blinked slowly as he did his best to process this new information. “Then… Wait… How long have I been like this?”

“Mmmm, hard to say… Perhaps a week?”

“A week???” He groaned and lied back. “I’m going to have to go back to work like this…”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that…” Pond smiled as she spoke. “Just breathe a moment. You’ll be awake in no time.”

North sighed as he shook his head. “I really wish I could’ve gotten more done on this trip… At least I did something important here.”

“Very important… And I’m so proud of you…” Pond spoke with the utmost sincerity before feeling the pressure on her side lightening. When she turned to North again, she could see him slowly beginning to fade. “Oh, dear. It appears it’s your time to get back. Do give father and Diamond my well wishes.”

“Right…” North nodded as he watched himself slowly fade away. Suddenly, a question popped into his mind. “Um… Aunty Pond. Before I go, I have a question.”

“Hm?”

“If you did escape and run away, what would you have done? I mean, what could you do if your life wasn’t just being The Master’s daughter?”

“What would I do…” Pond considered the question as she looked up at the sky. “I think… I would work as a lounge singer. I loved to sing when nopony was around.”

“... Heh… That makes sense…”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Why those two were so attached to Lotus Dance…” North mumbled as his vision slowly faded to white. “She’s so much like you…”

Author's Note

Thanks for waiting. Originally, I was going to link this with an actual song, but it might've ended up too cringe/incredibly difficult to sync. Then again, I should just do what I want at this point. Plus, I apologize. I've been having way too much burnout and winter break ended up being way more stressful due to traveling and fighting. Hope you enjoy, hope your New Years was good, and stay classy. Love you guys.