It Is Always Best Forgotten

The massive beast eyed his foe carefully. There was no need to be tactical in a fight like this. He was clearly outclassed. A small pony vs. an enormous demonic bear that had the potential to destroy cities within one slash of a mighty swing.

Illuminous stood in fear, whatever it was doing, it was intimidating alright. Its eyes bore malevolence, that of pure evil. An unholy and crimson aura stood in them, looking at him closely as if it was determining the best cause and effect scenario. It appeared as the Ursa Major was confused; it just stood there... thinking. He could feel the thoughts. They we're powerful... extremely powerful. It would overwhelm him soon if he didn't act now, but he couldn't risk getting Luna hurt. All he could do was stand his ground and resist.

A black fog rose from the cracks of the cave ground, twisting and turning in a vicious cycle and formed a shape of an Ali-corn, a red glow were the eyes should be.

Illuminous shrank into total despair. He knew well who this was... he felt more fear than hatred towards the being. Not because he has seen it once but twice. It's like he had spent an entire lifetime with it. Then it spoke...

"So very kind of you to turn yourself in to me, you really do have a death wish, boy." a hundred voices spoke at once, all in a different tone or pitch of sound. It sounded like a cluttered and synced mess, something beyond pony comprehension, yet he could understand every word of it. Dark with evil and what seemed like despair, the voice frightened Illuminous; it was something like out of his nightmares. (No pun intended)

"W-w-what do you mean?!" he tried controlling his fear and anger.

The hundred voices laughed simultaneously, sheer fear running down him. This was unnatural on all levels of the word.

"Oh please, are you that naive? Or you so foolish you haven't seen through my darn obvious intentions ALREADY. And here I thought you knew exactly what you were doing when you defeated not one but four of my most powerful creations, but here you are clueless as a tree stump. Worse than dirt. Your father was a fool to cast his protection onto you."

A thousand voices of anger and hatred grew inside him that it burst his mind. He kept calm, trying to calm the overwhelming fire within his mind. He was struggling, so much that he had to lower his head as if his neck was weighed down.

He hadn't noticed Luna until now, who looked at both of the figures, pure terror in them, that of sadness, grief, and anger. This only affected him a bit worse.

"Whatever it's telling you, don't listen to it!" Luna cried out to him. She couldn't hear what she was telling him... good, the less Luna knew, the less of a reason she'd would want him to stay if he truly lost his temper.

"A pathetic excuse for Sol himself. The curse has kept you alive this long boy... but I haven't spent thousands of years hunting what you are now just to wind up unsuccessful."

"What are you talking about? What curse?!" Illuminous now confused down to the core, he didn't know whether to believe everything or disregard it for a lie. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!" he screamed out.

"You really are one pathetic clueless pony. I guess your father was too weak to show you the truth. And still is. Listen up; this might as well be your last chance to know it."

It looked straight at him, thousands of visions rushed through his mind, of ancient times and years past. He screamed out in pain, and then he was overtaken by the visions until it was the only thing he could see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A white stallion with sky-blue mane appeared upon a throne room its wall decorated in pure gold and dark marble, pure white flames lighting up the torches that hang perfectly measured torches alongside the design of the walls. Behind the throne, a giant tainted glass pane stood, the figure of a pony facing forward, its mane down sideways in all sorts of bright blues and greens. Spikes of white representing the light they emit.

All of it felt so familiar to him, like if he could call this place home. Ferocious guards in bright gold armor stood at the doorways and the side of the throne. The white stallion sitting on it himself, blinding amounts of light shining from him.

The doors threw upon to reveal a small colt being carried by identical guards. He was looking away, the light seemed to be too much for the poor beaten up colt that shivered in fear and looked starved to death.

"Lord, the peasant was found harvesting private crops for himself." the rough and firm voice of the guard spoke.

He was shocked; the voice of the stallion.... was his....

"Execution."

"Please my lord! I was only trying to feed my family!"

"Silence him and throw him out of my presence immediately."

Without flinching, the two guards knocked the colt unconscious and dragged him out of the throne room.

This couldn't be him... he could never do such a thing... he wasn't this cruel... no it wasn't true!

Suddenly, a guard with different variation of armor but other than that similar to all the rest appeared.

"My Lord, revolutionists have gathered in large numbers east from the palace. Your troops will be awaiting your signal to strike." he began, trying to be as careful as he could with his words. "A new spell that has been under conduction has been tested. It is a mixture between wind and fire elements. It causes a massive flame tornado to scorch anything in its path. Although it is high risk, it could destroy the royal city if it catches the wrong swift."

"Carry it out, have no mercy."

"But my lord!"

"Silence, dare you speak against me and I will personally behead you." anger full in the white stallion's voice.

The messenger pony walked out the door with his tail between his legs, following orders at best as his command.

"Family is so annoying sometimes; I hate each and everyone of them. I'm glad I got rid of father. He was nothing but an inconvenience." the stallion said shortly after the messenger pony walked away, void of any heart or emotion.

Illuminous loved his family; it was his life, the only thing he had ever cared about for his entire life! This wasn't him! It couldn't be! He loved his father... his sister... even his mother... all of them, this couldn't be him....

Then a single voice spoke calmly into his head, as if it sensed his anguish. He focused the voice to be one of the many in the hundreds of voices from The Nightmare. This was its true voice.

"You are right, this isn't you. But he lives within you. You are a descendant. Just like myself, we do not have bodies we own, instead we roam. And now that you know the truth, you must understand why I must destroy you. You carry the curse, and I must eradicate it from this world once and for all."

~~~~~~~~~

He fell to the ground, utterly in exhaustion, despair, and pain. It was over before it even began. Everything he knew... if that Ursa Major didn't finish him off now, things would only become increasingly more dangerous. Not just for himself, for everypony... this was a fact he had held off in his heart, but the truth is too great to deny.

The fog seeped back into the ground, disappearing as it gave way to the huge bear before him. This was the end for him. He cried, not because he was sad, but because he was confused. He loved his family, more than anything in the world. His father wasn't with him. Neither was his sister... why couldn't things just have stayed the way they were... why was all this happening in the first place?

Because of him....

It was his fault alone. He carried the curse, whatever The Nightmare wanted, it surely was his demise. And thinking about it now, he could only agree. He stood still as the Ursa Major raised its massive paw above its head, waiting to strike with its full blow. But it hesitated.

Illuminous was confused, why would it hold off? Isn't this what The Nightmare waited thousands of years for? What was keeping her from destroying him?

And before he could ask another question in his head, they were all answered as Luna lay hugging him tightly, holding onto dear life. If the bear would strike, she'd share the same fate.

"Luna... please let go..."

"N-n-no! I-I don't want to l-lose you!" she cried onto him, not giving a sign of release.

Illuminous smiled sadly. Here he was, with the one pony that could begin to understand what he felt, who would die with him if it she needed to. The pony he spent his life wondering and thinking about. The one pony that helped him realize just what he wanted to do.

He wanted to protect everypony he cared about.

He gazed into the beauty of Luna's eyes. If this was his time, he didn't mind dying... not for the one he loved.

"Why did you come for me?" she said in between tears.

Illuminous brushed off her tears, smiling warmly to comfort her. It didn't help; she could sense the sadness in his voice and eyes.

"You told me once, that you didn't believe in anything anymore. The reason why I came to save you... it's because I wanted you to believe in me."

Luna placed her forehead onto his (the horn is upwards of the forehead, don't worry it wasn't uncomfortable.) and a sudden rush of thoughts and emotions ran into him.

"I do... I do believe in you... I never wanted you to get hurt... not for me... but I'm glad you're here now... but I'm also afraid I'll lose you..." her sweet gentle voice loomed over his head.

"Your different... you could never be him... like you once told me, how can something so wonderful ever be so evil?"

Illuminous smiled greatly. He didn't want to die... not yet... even with his death he knew this would never be resolved. If there was even the slightest possibility he could protect even the one person he loves. It was good enough.

Illuminous stood up slowly facing the Ursa Major. He helped Luna to her hoofs and didn't let go of hers.

The bear raised his other paw and let it force down into the ground causing a quake from the crushing rocks. A thunderous roar was directed to the two ponies that stood their ground. Together.

Slowly, a glow began to form around him. It was different though... it felt untamed... wild... free. This power that surged through him... it was his... it really was his. It didn't feel dangerous anymore. It just felt... empowering. His mane took ablaze shortly after into a pure white flame. He felt, faster, smarter, quicker..... Stronger!

Suddenly, the Ursa Major swung its paw at the two ponies. Illuminous took the brutal hit which knocked him into the cave wall, leaving a giant dent of rock and debris. Luna quickly ran up to him, relieved to see him okay. Illuminous placed his forehead onto hers again.

"Cast a spell." he told her.

Luna's crescent moon cutie mark began to glow. Luna as well began to glow. She began to word out unrecognizable words of what seemed like gibberish. All Illuminous had to do now is leave Luna to concentrate on her spell and buy her enough time.

The Ursa Major swung again; he caught it and stood his ground, trying effortlessly to stay put while the giant claws began sinking into his coat. He only had to give Luna enough time. But as time itself passed by, it seemed harder and harder. This new found strength could not possibility be contained forever. And then, seconds before he finally began to grow weary, a giant explosion went off inside the cave. A powerful purple wave passed through everything, forcefully making Illuminous close his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Luna was on the ground unconscious and sleeping, the Ursa Major had lost its black coat and crimson eyes, back to its regular self (which is still pretty intimidating). The Ursa Major licked Illuminous in a sort of a thank you, then it perked up its ears as both Illuminous and the Ursa heard the growl of something far away, the Ursa Minor who was calling out to his missing mother. The Ursa Major disappeared out of the cave mouth and into the forest.

Illuminous placed Luna over his back. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. It didn't count since she was asleep but at least it made her smile while she was asleep.

The crumbling sound of rocks within the cave began to form. It seemed the cave was collapsing from the battle from before. He galloped quickly out of the cave, making sure Luna wouldn't get disturbed by his running. A rock nearly fell on him on his way out but he could now freely control his power and sliced the boulder in two.

He took away his glow and made the long arduous trip to Canterlot castle back to the big stairs. Since he didn't have a lightweight spell and he had Luna on his back, those two factors only contributed to slowing him down and leaving him exhausted. When he passed the front guards, they didn't even ask a thing when they saw the sleeping Princess on his back. It was really good mostly because he wouldn't know what to explain it to them. Then Illuminous proceeded to tuck Luna in to her own bed once they reached it. Too tired of the day's events, he drifted to sleep on the ground beside Luna's bed. He found it surprising it was just as comfortable.

He sighed, finally relieved to get out of all that mess, but coming day break he must make sure to make his mind. Only the obvious pointed out survival, which could be the only one he would have to choose.

He would have to leave everypony for good.

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Author's Note: I tried my hardest to finish this chapter. Its 3 A:M and i'm half asleep. Sorry if half of my story sounds like a complete meadow muffin (manure). It was difficult to get both my brain and eyes together to type and think correctly. I liked the Illuminous x Fluttershy thing but, :3 I didn't emphasize certain things in the first chapter for nuthin, gosh I love Luna so much. Firefox Luna Theme, Desktop background theme. FIMFiction.avatar and facebook as well!.

Also I'm gonna go visit a heart specialist to go get checked up. Hmm oh and something I'd really like to point out if you guys do read this author's note.

Go visit my other story called "The Tail of Seven Bronies: Blazing Glory" that only has one chapter right now, but I'd like to go a bit further into it. Nay or yay to it ^^,

I hoped you enjoyed this next installment and thank you very much again to my dedicated readers ^^.

I'm gonna be extremely evil with all of you }:3 I'm gonna have this love triangle situation going on and later make you choose between the two. :D spoilers.