The portal between the human world and Equestria has been acting up. It's been fluctuating. Now it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong. As Burst and a few of his friends are about to find out.
Sunset's received a notice from Twilight that the portal to Equestria has been acting up. Burst and some of his friends decide to try and help stabilize it. However, things don't go as planned.
Burst Stream and Inferno Flare are owned by me. Arctic Ace, Veenus Bloomer, and Night Fang are all owned by MLPFan1 Goldenrise is owned by goldenrise365
Sunset had woken up in her home. "Man last night was fun." Sunset then looked at the chain of texts she and Gold had been sending to each other. "And something tells me today's going to be better." Sunset was about to text Gold when the journal Twilight had given her buzzed! "Hm?" Sunset opened her journal and was shocked to see the reply. "Looks like my date's gonna have to be put off." Sunset began texting her friends. "Hopefully this thing won't escalate." Sunset got ready for the day and headed for school. "Now to see if what Twilight warned me about was true...."
Burst looked at the text Sunset had sent him and the others, and prepared to leave. "Must be important if it's about the portal." Burst also grabbed his deck. "Never know when I'll need it." And with that, Burst summoned his dragon wings and took of for CHS. Upon arrival, he noticed all his friends gathered around the portal. "Came as soon as I got the text. So what's up?" Burst then got a good look at the portal. "Okayy...is that normally supposed to happen with the portal?" The portal was fluctuating and looked like it was trying to spew something out!
"No. No it shouldn't. The only other time something odd happened was when Twilight used her device on it and sealed the portal by mistake. Now..I don't have the slightest clue to fix it."
"Did Princess Twilight spell-message you any way to fix it?", Inferno asked. Sunset sighed.
"No. She just warned me about trying to use the portal. They're still trying to fix it back in Equestria. If they repair it on that end, it should go back to normal here." It was then that Burst got an idea.
"Well....why not use our magic to fix it?", Burst asked. The group let out a laugh.
"Sorry Burst. But I don't think this situation calls for us ponying-up.", Sunset said with a smile.
"And I wasn't referring to you and the girls Sunset. Me, Inferno, and Ace all got dragon powers like enhanced strength, flight, vision, speed, and durability. As well as some magic." Burst charged up a blast of white lightning as demonstration. "Maybe if we concentrate our magic on it, me, Inferno and Ace can stabilize it."
"Well...I guess it's worth a shot. Fire away guys!" Everyone else stepped back as Burst, Inferno, and Ace gathered energy and fired beams of magic that corresponded to the colors of their respective dragons!
"Hey...I think it's working!", Fang noted as he went to get a closer look. Veenus followed him.
"It looks like it's stopped ripplings.", Veenus said as he squinted at the portal. Burst, Inferno, and Ace cut off their magic. Gold then stepped up to inspect the portal.
"It looks normal.", Gold noted. The portal then started to rumble! "Or not!" The portal exploded open and sucked Burst, Inferno, Ace, Fang, Veenus, and Gold were sucked in! When the light died down, Sunset opened her eyes to find Burst and the guys had disappeared!
"Well, there's only one place they could be now. And on that note: Nobody try to fix the portal." Sunset pulled out her journal and started writing. "Dear Princess Twilight, You'll be receiving some company pretty soon."
"Nnnnnh!", Burst groaned as he opened his eyes. "Inferno? Ace? Veenus? Fang? Gold? Any of you guys here?"
"Burst?", Inferno groaned. "Oh man! What hit us?"
"I'd say a portal to my old home.", Gold said. "Which means..." Gold looked at his hooves. "Guys? You all might wanna look in a mirror." Burst and the others flocked to the portal and their eyes went wide! "Now guys. Don't...."
"AAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!", the guys screamed!
"....Panic." Gold then face-hoofed. "Should've seen that reaction coming." Twilight went to the portal when she heard the guys scream, and her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Burst and the others.
"Burst?! Is that you? The one I know from the human world?!", Twilight asked.
"Nice to see you again Princess.", Burst said with a relieved sigh. "So that's what you really look like." Burst then looked at the castle. "Pretty sweet castle you got. Hey, you've got a horn and wings too." Burst then looked himself over. "So what type of pony did I wind-up as?"
"Well, you're an alicorn. You just like the Burst of this world."
"Wait. There's another me?", Burst asked.
"Is there another me too?", Inferno asked. Twilight nodded.
"I met them a couple days ago. They even helped save us from an attack by Queen Chrysalis. Burst, your counterpart owns a Duel Monsters card shop. Inferno's counterpart also works there."
"Now that that's out of the way, is there anyway to fix the portal?", Burst asked. "Because we tried that on our end and it sucked us into here."
"So this is Sonata's world.", Ace said as he looked out the window. "Doesn't look that different except for the fact everyone here's a pony instead of a person. Maybe I can get her to visit."
"Ace? I'm sorry. But I don't think Sonata and her family are going to come back to Equestria.", Twilight said sadly.
"What? Why not?", Fang asked with his ears drooping.
"The Dazzlings were banished by Starswirl the Bearded long ago. But if there's anypony who might know a way to undo the banishment are Princesses Celestia and Luna. I should be able to get us to see them and bring up the subject.", Twilight said with a smile. "As for the portal, we figured what was causing the trouble. Turns out the portal needed an update."
"You can update that thing?", Gold asked. Twilight nodded.
"But first, I should introduce you to my friends. Starlight? Spike?" Starlight and Spike walked into the room.
"Uh, Twilight? Did Burst and his friends have to sneak in through the window again?", Spike asked. Twilight face-hoofed.
"No Spike. These are Burst and a few of his friends tried to fix the portal on their end. And...it backfired."
"Oh!" Spike then rushed up to Burst and Inferno. "Nice to see you again! By the way Inferno? The you in this world is really hitting it off with Princess Luna."
"Just means you got another chance to make a move on Rarity.", Inferno said with a smile.
"So Burst? Who're your other friends?", Twilight asked.
"The one with fiery wings is Gold, the one with ice wings is Ace, the one with wolf ears and a tail is Fang, and the one with a flower on his flank is Veenus Bloomer.", Burst answered. "So what next?"
"Spike? Take a letter to the princesses. Tell them it's concerning the sirens' banishment and reformation. We need to know of any possible ways to undo the spell that sent them here."
"Got it Twilight." Spike sent the letter with his breath. "Now all we gotta do is wait for a reply."
"I guess in the meantime, Inferno and I should pay our counterparts a visit.", Burst said as he was about to leave."But Twilight? You might wanna explain things to them. Better come with." Twilight nodded as she, Burst, and Inferno left.
"Sooo, care to give us a recap of current events?", Gold asked Spike.
"You guys are gonna want to sit down for this. We've got a LOT to cover...."
EQ* Burst and Inferno were having a fairly regular day at their card shop. That is, until Twilight came in with HW* Burst and Inferno. Both of them stared at their counterparts. "Twilight? Did you clone us?", EQ Burst asked.
"Close, but not quite. These two are some friends I made during my trip to another world.", Twilight said with a smile. "I'd introduce you to each other, but you already know your names."
"In that case, how about we try something else? You two got duel disks?", HW Burst asked.
"This oughta be good!", HW Inferno said with a grin. "I always wondered what it'd be like for Burst to face himself."
"Looks like you're gonna find out today.", EQ Inferno added. The twin Bursts got their duel disks and shuffled their decks!
"LET'S DUEL!"
EQ Burst: 8000 HW Burst: 8000
"I got the first move!", EQ Burst said as he looked at his cards. "I play Ancient Rules to special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand and end my turn!"
"My turn." HW Burst drew his next card. "I reveal Blue-Eyes in my hand to special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative! Then I'll use his effect to destroy Blue-Eyes Alternative!" A bolt of lightning struck down EQ Burst's Blue-Eyes! "Then I'll set a card, and activate Trade-In to discard Blue-Eyes and draw two new cards. I end my turn."
EQ Burst drew his next card. "I play Cards of Consonance! I'll discard a dragon-type tuner monster with 1000 or less attack to draw two new cards! And since White Stone of Legend was sent to the graveyard, I can add Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand! Then I'll summon a monster in defense mode and set a card! I end my turn!!"
"My turn then!" HW Burst drew his next card! "Alright! I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands to add a ritual monster from my deck to my hand! Now that I've added the card, my deck is shuffled! Now I'll activate the spell Advanced Ritual Art! I'll send a normal monster from my deck to the graveyard whose level is equal to the ritual monster I want to bring out! I'll send Blue-Eyes White Dragon to bring out Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon! Attack his defense mode monster! Chaos Neutron Blast!" Chaos MAX fired a blast of chaos energy from his mouth! Obliterating EQ Burst's monster! "Now that he's destroyed a defense mode monster, Chaos MAX inflicts double piercing damage!" EQ Burst cringed as he took a massive amount of damage! "I end my turn."
EQ Burst: 3200 HW Burst: 8000
"Oh man! That thing's powerful!" EQ Burst drew his next card and looked at his cards carefully. "I play The Melody of Awakening Dragon! I'll discard Blue-Eyes from my hand to add two dragons with 3000 or more attack and 2500 or less defense from my deck to my hand! Now I play the ritual spell Chaos Form! I'll tribute Blue-Eyes from my hand! I summon my own Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX!" The two Chaos MAX stared at each other! "I think we both know how this is gonna end!" Both dragons charged energy into their fists.
"CHAOS BURST KNUCKLE!", the twin Bursts cried out as both dragons destroyed each other in a single punch!
"I guess I'll end my turn.", EQ Burst said with a smile. "Our decks are like looking in a mirror. Same cards, same strategies.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that.", HW Burst said with a smile. "I play Return of the Dragon Lords to revive Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Rock the dragon Blue-Eyes! White Lightning!" Blue-Eyes fired his signature attack! Nearly wiping out EQ Burst's life points! "I'll set a card and end my turn."
EQ Burst: 200 HW Burst: 8000
"My turn then!" EQ Burst drew his next card! "Perfcet! I play Raigeki to wipe out your field! Then I'll activate my trap! Chain Material! I'll banish Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard and deck! I fusion summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" A three-headed Blue-Eyes descended in a column of light! "But he won't be sticking around for long! I tribute Ultimate to bring out Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate cracked apart, and Blue-Eyes Shining emerged! It had no hands, but instead two metallic wings. In fact, its whole body had a sleek machine-like look to it! "Now I play Burial from a Different Dimension! This returns up to three banished monsters to my graveyard! Now I'll play Dragon Shrine! I'll send a dragon from my deck to the graveyard! And since it was a normal dragon, I can send another dragon! Attack him directly! Shining Neutron Blast"
"I don't think so! I activate my trap! Mirror Force!" A barrier appeared around HW Burst! Reflecting Blue-Eyes Shining's attack back at it! Destroying it! "Shining can get a good power boost if you have enough dragons in your graveyard, but any card that doesn't target him can easily take care of him! Not to mention he can be pretty hard to summon. Now it's my turn!" HW Burst drew his next card. "Nice! I summon White Stone of Ancients and target him with Sage with Eyes of Blue! I'll send both to the graveyard to special summon a 'Blue-Eyes' monster from my deck! And there's no monster I'd rather call out than Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Blue-Eyes materialized in a flash of light! "Burst Impact!" Blue-Eyes wrapped himself in energy and crashed into the last of EQ Burst's life points. "We might share the same deck, but we've got different starategies."
"I'll say! Your deck could've OTK'd me!" EQ Burst said with a small smile. "So? Who's your love back in your world?"
"Celestia.", HW Burst replied. "How about you?"
"Princess Celestia. We've only started dating."
"Same here. I had my first date with my world's Celestia just a day or two ago." At that time, EQ Inferno and HW Inferno were striking up a conversation as well.
"So who's your lady?", HW Inferno asked.
"I've caught the eye of Princess Luna.", EQ Inferno answered. "She's LITERALLY the mare of my dreams."
"Cool! I'm dating my world's Rarity." Twilight then received a letter.
"We'd better get back to the castle. Human World Burst and Inferno? You two better come with me." HW Burst and Inferno nodded and followed Twilight as EQ Burst and Inferno waved goodbye.
"They seemed nice.", EQ Inferno stated.
"They're us Inferno. Of course you'd say that. C'mon. We'll be getting our first class of rookie duelists today We'd better be there to welcome them."
"It reads: Dear Twilight. Luna and I have thought it over, and have decided it would be best to bring the loved ones of the sirens to Canterlot so we can speak to them about their progress. Please come as soon as you can.", Spike read. "Looks like you four will get your chance to speak with the princesses after all." Ace, Veenus and Fang smiled at hearing this.
"Come on you three. We'd better get on the next train to Canterlot. Don't lag behind.", Twilight called. The three nodded as they boarded the train. The trip was a bit long, but they nonetheless enjoyed the ride by telling Twilight about the times they'd spent with the former sirens. "Wow. I didn't know they got their singing voices back thanks to you three."
"Well, I just couldn't see Sonata so unhappy when she was about to leave.", Ace answered. "I'd only known her for a couple days, but I grew to like her a lot. I guess that's why I couldn't see her go."
"Same deal with me and Aria.", Fang said as he wagged his tail. "When I first met Aria, she was in a pretty mood. She even told me I was the first thing to make her smile. Even let her rub my belly. I just hope she doesn't give me a collar as present...." Twilight giggled.
"And what about you Veenus?", Twilight asked.
"Well, Adagio saw me use my powers on a flower I was keeping in my locker. As you can tell by the flower on me, I've got a real talent with plants. She looked quite lovely herself. I like a girl with a lot of confidence. When she was about to leave, she asked me if I was going to try and stop her. I said no and she freaked out because she expected me to beg her to stay."
"Rarity would faint from all this romantic overload.", Twilight said with a smile. "Reminds me of when I met a guy at CHS." The three guys smiled.
"So who's the lucky dude?", they asked. Twilight blushed!
"O-oh! It wasn't anything major!"
"Riiiiight." Soon the train came to a stop.
"Ohlookslikewe'reherelet'sgo!", Twilight blurted. The guys shrugged and followed her. "Next stop: Canterlot Castle!" The group navigated their way to the castle and made their way once the guards let them through. They then moved on to the throne room. "Don't worry you two! Princesses Celestia and Luna aren't too formal."
"Says the one who panicked when we asked about her relationship life.", Fang said with a grin. Twilight frowned and opened the door.
"Good to see you Twilight.", Celestia greeted with a warm smile. "And these three must be the coltfriends of the sirens?"
"That's them alright.", Twilight replied. "In fact, they came here because they wanted to see if there was some way to undo the banishment spell that sent them to the human world."
"Not so fast.", Luna interrupted. "Before we give you what you seek, there is one thing we must make sure of." Luna then summoned a duel disk and Celestia did the same. "Prove how much they mean to you." Ace was about to get his deck out, but Veenus and Fang stopped him.
"You proved yourself to Sonata when you were trapped in that video game. Now its our turn.", Veenus said.
"Yeah! I wanna show-off what my deck can do!", Fang said with a grin. Seeing that their challenge was accepted, Celestia and Luna had duel disks brought in. "I'll face-off against Princess Luna."
"Then that means I'm up against Princess Celestia.", Veenus said as he activated his duel disk.
Celestia: 8000 Veenus: 8000
"I hope you don't mind, but I'll take the first move.", Celestia said. "I summon Daybreaker in attack mode and set a card. I end my turn."
"I draw! I summon Rose Lover! Then I'll tribute her to special summon Queen Angel of Roses! Now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down!" Celestia's trap was destroyed! "Now I'll attack with Queen Angel of Roses!" Celestia's Daybreaker was destroyed by Queen Angel of Roses' lance! "Then I'll set a card and end my turn."
Celestia: 7300 Veenus: 8000
"My turn. I draw! I play Valhalla Hall of the Fallen! Since I have no monsters on my field, I can special summon a fairy-type monster from my hand! I special summon Athena! Now I summon Shining Angel! And since a fairy-type monster was summoned, you take 600 points of damage! Then I'll attack Queen Angel of Roses with Athena!"
"I don't think so! I activate my trap! Wall of Thorns! When you target a plant-type monster I control, I can destroy all attack mode monsters my opponent controls!" A wall of thorns sprouted up and destroyed all of Celestia's monsters!
"I guess every rose has its thorn. I end my turn with two face-downs."
Celestia: 7300 Veenus: 7700
"My turn then! I draw! Nice! I play Double Summon to bring out Naturia Rosewhip and Revival Rose! I'll tune Revival Rose with Rosewhip! I synchro summon Black Rose Dragon!" A flurry of rose petals swirled on Veenus's field, and a dragon with rose petals on its wings materialized! "Now that she's been synchro summoned, I can destroy all cards on the field!" All of the cards except for Black Rose were obliterated by a storm of petals! "Now I'll attack you directly! Rose Flame!" Black Rose Dragon fired a swirling blast of purple flame from her mouth right at Celestia's life points! "I end my turn with a face-down."
Celestia: 4900 Veenus: 7700
"Quite the fierce monster you have.", Celestia said with a smile.
"Black Rose isn't so prickly as she seems. Right girl?", Veenus asked as he looked at Black Rose. Black Rose nodded as she nuzzled Veenus.
"Who else do you think helps him out with gardening?", Black Rose asked playfully.
"Well you've shown me your best. Now I get to show you mine! I draw! I play Card Advance! Now I'm allowed an extra tribute summon this turn in addition to my normal summon! I summon Kaiser Seahorse and tribute him to summon Splendid Venus! Now that she's on the field, all non-fairy monsters lose 500 attack points!" Splendid Venus beat her wings and a storm of feathers fell over Veenus's field! Dropping Black Rose's attack points! "Attack Black Rose Dragon!" Splendid Venus charged at Black Rose!
"I activate my trap! Mirror Force! This destroys all attack mode monsters you control!" A barrier reflected Splendid Venus's attack right back at her! Destroying her!
"I guess I'll end my turn.", Celestia said with a calm smile.
"My turn! I draw! I banish Rose Lover to special summon Fallen Angel of Roses from my hand! I'll attack you directly with both of my monsters! Rose Fury!" A storm of thorns cut into Celestia's life points! "I end my turn."
Celestia: 100 Veenus: 7700
Celestia smiled. "I've seen all I needed. Any devotion on your level proves you really love the siren you've known." Celestia deactivated her duel disk, and Veenus did the same. Luna and Fang then activated their duel disks.
"I hope you don't expect me to be as easy as my sister.", Luna said with a determined gaze.
"Wasn't counting on it!", Night said with a grin as he and Luna activated their duel disks.
Luna: 8000 Fang: 8000
"I got the first move!", Fang said as he looked over his cards. "I summon Destiny HERO-Drilldark! Now his effect activates! I can special summon a 'Destiny HERO' monster from my hand with attack less than or equal to Drilldark's attack! I'll special summon Destiny HERO-Decider! Then I'll set a card and end my turn."
"I draw! I special summon Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight since you control more monsters than I do! I'll attack Destiny HERO-Decider!"
"I don't think so! Decider's effect prevents level six or higher monsters from targeting him for attacks!"
"If that's the case, I'll attack Drilldark!"
"I discard Destiny HERO-Dynatag so that I take no damage! But because I used this effect, we both take 1000 points of damage!" Dynatag exploded, and both Fang and Luna winced as they took damage!
"Impressive. I end my turn with a face-down card."
Luna: 7000 Fang: 7000
"My move! I draw! Nice! I summon D Cubed! And since he's on the field, he counts as a Destiny HERO! Now I activate my trap! D-Fusion! I'll use the two Destiny Heroes on my field to fusion summon! I fusion summon Destiny HERO-Dystopia! Since Dystopia was special summoned, I can target a level four or lower Destiny HERO in my graveyard and inflict its attack points as damage!" Dystopia fired a blast of dark energy at Luna's life points! "Now I'll attack Arisen Gaia!"
"I activate my face-down card! Shrink! This halves your monster's attack!"
"You just set off Dystopia's other effect! If his attack is different during either of our turns, I can target and destroy one card on the field and his attack becomes equal to that card's attack until the end of this turn! I'll target your Arisen Gaia!" A bolt of dark energy destroyed Arisen Gaia! "Now attack her directly! Dystopia Strike!" Dystopia unleashed a powerful kick into Luna's life points! "I end my turn with two face-downs."
Luna: 3100 Fang: 7000
"Most impressive.", Luna said as she drew a card. "I play Raigeki to wipe out your field!" A massive bolt of lightning wiped out Fang's field! "Then I play Black Magic Ritual! I'll tribute monsters from my hand whose levels are equal to or greater than the level of the ritual monster I want to summon! I summon Magician of Black Chaos! Then I'll play the spell card Hidden Armory! This lets me add an equip spell from my deck to my hand! Now I'll activate it! Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, this lets Magician of Black Chaos's attack points double! Attack him directly!" Magician of Black Chaos unleashed a powerful blast of dark magic that collided into Fang's life points! "I end my turn."
Luna: 3100 Fang: 1400
"You weren't kidding when you said you were more challenging!", Fang said with a small smile. "But now that my life points are lower, Magician of Black Chaos's attack points go back to normal. Now I draw! I activate my face-down! Chain Material! I'll banish the materials from my deck! I fusion summon my ace HERO! Destiny End Dragoon! Now his effect activates! I can target one monster you control and inflict its attack points as damage to you!" Dragoon shot a blast of plasma that fried Luna's monster and wiped out the last of her life points! "That's game!" Luna smiled.
"Looks like you two really love the sirens. Sister? I believe our magic and Twilight's should be enough to undo it." Celestia and Twilight nodded as they focused their magic, and opened up a portal! Not a moment later, the Dazzlings were brought through it! Ace, Veenus, and Fang rushed up to their respective girlfriends! Hugging them tightly!
"Ace?", Sonata asked. "How am I back in Equestria?"
"We might've had a hand in that.", Twilight answered with a smile. "You three have changed and reformed, so Ace and the others thought it would be nice to see if your banishment could be undone." The Dazzling's jaws dropped at hearing this!
"Gee. That's pretty nice of you.", Sonata said with a smile. "But....I don't think I wanna come back." Sonata then nuzzled. "I found a new home where I belong. And I've got the perfect person to keep me company." Ace blushed!
"Same goes for me.", Aria said with a shrug. "Especially since I got Fang here." Aria then rubbed Fang's belly. "Isn't that right?"
"I must admit. It is nice to be back home. But...." Adagio then turned to Veenus with a flirty smile. "It doesn't have you. At least, not the you I know." Adagio and Veenus shared a kiss. Celestia and Luna smiled.
"It seems like you three really have changed for the better.", Celestia said with a smile.
"While you're here, you might as well wait until the portal back to the human world is fixed. My castle's got plenty of room. Let's go." The group left to return to Ponyville where Starlight was still working on the portal.
"....I ship them.", Celestia said with nod.
"You've been waiting to say that. Haven't yo Tia?", Luna asked with a smile.
"What? Those three and the sirens made cute couples."
Starlight was just about done fixing the portal. "There!" Starlight powered down her magic. "That should do it! All we need to do now it wait a couple of hours and it should be back to normal."
"Great! I can't wait to get back home!", Inferno said with a smile. "I bet the Rarity back home is worried sick about me."
"Well, it's barely been a day.", Burst noted. "I don't think we've been gone that long."
"I wouldn't worry about it.", Starlight said with a smile. "You bunch should be back home before your school week starts! In the meantime, I'm gonna go for a walk. I could really use some fresh air after trying to fix the portal."
"Have fun."
Starlight took a moment to take a deep breath and smiled. It was a pretty nice day out in Ponyville. And for once things seemed peaceful in Ponyville. That is, until something was sent flying her way.
"HIT THE DIRT!", a pegasus screamed as he was sent hurtling her way! Starlight ducked and fired an impact cushion spell to soften the pegasus's landing! Starlight rushed over to him!
"Oh man! Are you alright?", she asked. The pegasus rubbed his head. He had a black mane, a dark blue coat, and his cutie mark was a cloud with a thunder bolt on it. He was also wearing a black beanie cap.
"Yeah. Thanks to your spell. It really saved my flank! I'm Shadow Thunder!" Shadow then took a moment to take in Starlight's appearance. "Wh-what's your name?"
"Oh! I'm Starlight! Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you!" The two were interrupted by an earth pony with a dark grey card and a white mane and tail.
"Shadow! You alright bro?", Dark Ice asked. Shadow frowned at his brother.
"I was. Until YOU put that stupid idea into my head to try and fly at top speed! I nearly crashed Ice!"
Ice let out a sheepish chuckle. "I guess it was a pretty dumb idea." Ice then turned to Starlight. "So who's your marefriend?" Starlight and Shadow blushed. "Ha ha! Relax! I'm kidding. C'mon Shadow. We'd better get home soon." As he began to leave, Shadow turned to Starlight.
"Say, are you doing anything later?"
"Oh. Not really. You?"
"I got no plans. How about I properly thank you for saving my flank?"
"I'd like that.", Starlight said with a smile.
"Sweet! See ya then!" As Shadow flew off, Starlight smiled at him.
Gold stared out the window of the Castle of Friendship, and let out a sigh. 'I never thought I'd ever find myself back here again., he thought. 'Especially after my parents left me too soon. To be honest, there's nothing I'd rather do than get back home. I've got people waiting for me back in the human world. There's really nothing for me here but memories....' Burst and Inferno noticed Gold's nosedive in mood, and went to check up on him.
"You alright Gold?", Burst asked. "You look kinda down. And you're one of the most upbeat guys I know."
"It's nothing. Just didn't expect to come back here at all. To be honest, I want to get back to the human world. It wasn't my birth home, but I've got people waiting for me there. Here, I've got nothing but memories."
"What do you mean?", Inferno asked. Gold sighed.
"You know how Pegasus adopted me?", Gold asked. Burst and Inferno nodded. "Well, that was the day I just came from Equestria. While I was still living here, my parents disappeared. I had not clue as to where they went last. And because of my phoenix wings, not a whole lot of people were eager to take me in. So I wandered hoping to find a place to call home. One night, I went to sleep and found myself in your world. Pegasus sensed my aura and I told him about my past. I thought he's think I was crazy, but he believed me and adopted me."
"Wow. You had a pretty rough start.", Burst said. "But hey. We'll be home soon. Just gotta wait for a few hours. And I bet Sunset's going to be pretty happy to see you. So smile! Where's that 'rise to the occasion' attitude we know so well?"
Gold was silent for a moment before he smiled. "Guess you're right. Something tells me we better head to Sugar Cube Corner. I bet this world's Pinkie is dying to throw us a party."
"Then let's not keep her waiting.", Inferno said with a smile.
The old castle was as silent as ever. And while it was being restored, it was still heavily damaged from Princess Celestia's battle against Luna when she had transformed into Nightmare Moon. And since that day, the castle had been silent until Nightmare Moon's second defeat at the Elements of Harmony. However, the castle wasn't empty for long. A thin trail of blue mist snaked its way through the castle. It hovered around the demolished throne room. It seemed to take in every inch of the room. Almost as if it was looking at everything that had happened. But even stranger was that it seemed to be remembering the events of the past. The cloud of mist then made its way to the destroyed thrones. And then, the unexpected happened. The mist began to expand and shift, forming an outline of a pony. As the mist condensed, it became a figure. However, the figure was far from solid. The figure took the shape of a familiar obsidian alicorn of legend. A mare thought to have been defeated. Destroyed by the Elements of Harmony. The dark persona of Princess Luna that had tried to bring eternal night. Nightmare Moon stared at the ruins around her. Taking in the sight of the current reconstruction. "It seems as though the bearers of harmony have been busy since my last defeat." Nightmare walked over to the repaired tapestry and reached out to touch it, but her hoof phased through it. "All this time, and I still don't have a complete body." Nightmare looked around her. "It seems my magic still isn't at full power. That, and the bearers have grown even stronger. And I dare not risk trying to harness their magic." Nightmare used what magic she had to sense powerful magic, and was shocked out of her concentration when she picked up on an incredibly powerful source! "Wh...What was THAT?!" Nightmare tried to hone in on the source, and found a vague image. "If magic from this world can't help....than maybe magic from another one can." Nightmare was looking at a vague image of Burst. "Whoever he is, he's left quite the bit of magic leaking out of him. And it has traces of the elements. It should be more than enough to make me whole again. But first, I'd better see where he came from." Nightmare turned into mist again and snaked her way over to the Castle of Friendship.
Twilight, Ace, Veenus, Fang, and the Dazzlings had just returned on the train from Canterlot to Ponyville. "Ah. It's good to be home again." As they stepped out, they were soon swarmed by a mob of mares! "I didn't think I'd be missed this much!", Twilight said in shock. But the mare weren't crowding around her. They were crowding around Fang!
"Um.....hi?", Fang said nervously. One mare scooped Fang up and nuzzled him!
"Awww! He's so cute! Look at his ears!"
"You can put me down now Please!", Fang begged. Once he was dropped the mares began to crowd him again. Night then did the only rational thing to do. He ran screaming as fast as his legs could carry him! "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The crowd of mares pursued him almost relentlessly! "What is it with these girls?! They just won't give up!" Fang kept running and evading as much as he could. He hid in a trash can. Until a mare opened it and dragged him out. He tried the old hide behind a newspaper trick, but the mares recognized his tail! Eventually, Fang got cornered at the castle as he banged on the door! "LET ME IN GUYS! LET ME IN! THERE'S A CROWD OF CRAZY PONIES WHO'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HUG ME TO DEATH!" Fang then turned to face the crowd of squeeing mares and gulped as he prepared for the end. "Ariahelp!" As if on cue, Aria had dashed up to Night and held him close to her. And in a tone colder than ice, she uttered a single word.
"MINE." Aria's scowl matched her tone as the mares dispersed one by one. Once the crowd left, Fang let out a sigh of relief as Aria looked at him. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks! I don't know what would've happened if you got here a second later!"
"I'd have clobbered them senseless because they scared you." Aria then pulled Fang into a hug. "My sweetfang." Fang blushed as he wagged his tail and kissed Aria.
"Man do I love you."
"C'mon. Let's see if the others had an eventful day as we did." And with that, they headed inside the castle. Twilight noticed the slight blush on Starlight's face.
"I'm guessing somepony had a good day?", Twilight asked with a smile.
"You wouldn't believe how it started...", Starlight began.
"...And he would've crashed if I hadn't used that impact cushion spell to give him a softer landing.", Starlight said with a smile. "I didn't see that happening today, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy meeting him. He told me he'd properly thank me tonight."
"That's great Starlight!", Twilight beamed. "I'm sure you two will have a great time. So what's the lucky stallion look like?"
"He's got a black mane and a dark blue coat with a thunder cloud and a thunder bolt as his cutie mark. He's also got a black beanie cap on his head."
"Huh. Sounds like you're describing my brother.", Ace said with a smile. He then got an idea. "I now know just what NOT to tell him when we get back home."
"Why's that?", Starlight asked.
"Because spoilers. At least, that's what I heard Pinkie say. Speaking of home, how much longer until the portal's fixed?"
"About another hour until the portal's up and running again. So until then, I guess you can all just chill at the castle. And I'M going to be preparing for my date." Ace let out a chuckle. "What?"
"I know Shadow like the back of my hand Starlight. I'll tell you EVERYTHING you need to know to have a good date. Shadow's a pretty laid-back guy, so don't try to plan anything too crazy. Just do something simple. Like ice cream after whatever he's got planned. Knowing him, he's probably planning on taking you to dinner. Probably pizza. Anyway, just be you and you should have a good date!"
"Thanks Ace! Got any other things I should know?"
"Just make sure you're his first kiss. If he's anything like my brother back home, he'll more than likely be single."
"Okay. Got it! Tonight's going to be awesome!"
"Hope she doesn't go overboard.", Spike said with a small smile. "Like when she tried to get the castle all set up...."
"Moving on...", Twilight began. "I wish you the best Starlight. Just focus on having a good time. You'll do great!" Starlight smiled, and then a roar was heard! "What in the world?" Twilight looked out the door to see a familiar group of dragons. "Oh no..."
"What? What is it?", Ace asked.
"Garble. A big dragon bully who's tried to squish Spike on more than one occasion. And it looks like he's pretty sore that Spike stopped him from becoming Dragon Lord."
"Then let's teach him a lesson he won't forget.", Burst said as he cracked his hooves. "Time to rock the dragon. And Ace?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure to show off that new technique you learned. Let's go!"
"Looks like those goons are headed for the school!", Inferno cried out as he, Burst, and Ace were chasing down Garble and his gang! "Let's not give them the chance to do anything drastic!"
Burst nodded. "We're almost there!" Garble and his gang landed and managed to corner some of the students.
"Alright you spineless ponies! I'm only gonna say this once! There's a certain dragon called Spike who me and my boys have unfinished business with! If any of you decide to make things difficult? Well..." Garble cracked his knuckles. "Then things are gonna get ugly."
"And you slackers dare to call yourself dragons?", Ace called out. Garble turned to face Ace. "You'd threaten children just to get at someone who beat you? That's pathetic."
"Hah! What does a pony like you know about dragons? Clump! Teach this punk a lesson." A big brown dragon stepped up to Ace and cracked his knuckles.
"Alright. I'll make this quick.", Clump said with a sneer. Ace just smiled as he was covered in a bright green aura! When the aura faded, Ace had green dragon wings and his eyes turned dragonic! "Wh...Whatever freak you are, you're going down!" Clump was about to bring down his fist on Ace! But Ace was ready for it.
"Time for my ace! DRAGON FIST!" An energy projection of Timaeus was sent flying out of Ace's hoof as he punched Clump halfway across the school yard! The other dragons' jaws dropped! Ace then turned to face them.
"Threatening these children, was a bad move.", Burst said sternly as he stared at Garble. "You."
"M...Me?", Garble said nervously. Burst nodded.
"We're fighting. Right here now. Or are you scared you'll lose to a 'wimpy little pony'?" Garble snarled at hearing this.
"You're toast!" Garble charged at Burst, but Burst just dodged him! "Grrrr! Stay still!"
"Hmmm. Alright. I'll let you get in a free hit.", Burst said with a small smile. "I won't even try to dodge." Garble sneered as he walked up to Burst, and hit him as hard as he could. A BIG mistake.
"AAAUUUUUGGGGHH!" Garble screamed as he cradled his broken hand! "Wh...what're you made of?!" Burst charged up his horn, and fired a blast of white lightning that left Garble scorched!
"As fun as it is to knock you around, I think this should be settled dragon-to-dragon." Burst pulled out Blue-Eyes and summoned him.
"So. These are the dragons of this world.", Blue-Eyes said as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm disappointed. Now wonder their strength is so lousy."
"That's it! Pile on this punk!", Garble ordered as he and his goons dragon-piled on top of Blue-Eyes! "Not so tough now are...." Garble and his goons were sent flying all over as Blue-Eyes forced them off of him!
"You lot are as stupid as you're greedy.", Blue-Eyes said with a smirk. Garble unleashed a blast of flame at Blue-Eyes! But when the smoke cleared, Blue-Eyes was unscathed!
"O-okay! I give! I give!" Garble waited until Blue-Eyes got close and kept his claws concealed. 'Just a little bit closer....' Blue-Eyes got within range, and punched Garble in the face! Garble was reeling in pain!
"You've not got an ounce of honor.", Blue-Eyes snorted. "Did you think I didn't see you conceal your claws?" Blue-Eyes then leaned in so his face was an inch away from Garble's. "I'll say this only once. Gather your friends and leave this town, and I won't hurt you anymore than I have. And if you don't? Well, take a guess." Blue-Eyes charged his white lightning. Garble and his gang left with their tails literally between their legs. Blue-Eyes nodded. "Wise choice." The CMC then came up to Burst and the others.
"THAT WAS SO AWESOME!", Scootaloo cheered.
"Are you three some kinda dragon-pony mix?", Applebloom asked.
"Are you princes?", Sweeite Belle asked. Burst and the others let out a chuckle.
"To answer your questions: We look like this because of the bonds we share with dragons. And two: we're not royalty.", Burst said with a smile. "You three get home safely. Bye!" Burst and his friends flew back to the castle to tell Twilight that the situation was handled.
Burst and the others had just made it back to the castle. But when they opened the door, it was completely dark. Until the lights were switched on. "SURPRISE!", Pinkie yelled! The guys were shocked to say the least. "HAPPY WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA FROM THE HUMAN WORLD PARTY!" Burst and the others would have questioned how Pinkie knew they were from the human world, but they remembered who they were dealing with and decided to just enjoy the portal. As the party went on, Spike approached Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes.
"Excuse me? You're the dragon who beat-up Garble and his gang right?", Spike asked. Blue-Eyes nodded.
"That's me little dude. I'm a legendary dragon for a reason.", Blue-Eyes said with a smile.
"Wow! You two must have had huge hoards to get that strong!"
"Actually, we grew naturally.", Red-Eyes answered. "Dragons in our world do have hoards, but it's very rare. Plus, our natural growth makes their greed-growth pale in comparison."
"Wow. How come I haven't gotten strong like you?", Spike asked sadly. Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes knelt down to Spike's level.
"Trust me Spike. Red-Eyes and I didn't grow instantly. Growing naturally takes time. I can sense great power in you Spike. And I know that one day you'll become a great dragon."
"You've got tons of potential kid!", Red-Eyes said with a grin. "You might be small now, but dragon growth spurts are less frequent than ponies'. But when they happen, there's a great amount of change. One day, your head might hit the ceiling!" Spike laughed a bit at hearing this.
"The point is, things take time to happen. You just gotta be patient.", Blue-Eyes said with a smile. "One day, you could have strength to be called this world's legendary dragon."
"Take it from the dragons who represent power and potential Spike. You've got what it takes." Spike smiled at hearing this. "But most importantly, you've got good friends to help you grow too."
"Thanks you two. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a cupcake with my name on it!" Spike ran off to get his treat. Meanwhile, Twilight was chatting up a storm with Burst, Inferno, and Ice.
"This is so incredible! What other powers did you get from your bonds with your dragons?", she asked.
"Well besides enhanced strength and speed, our skin is like dragon scales. So that gives us an edge in durability.", Burst answered. "Also, our senses got quite the boost too. We can see, smell, and hear better too. But our favorite ability is that we can shoot blasts of energy and channel energy into certain parts of our bodies to increase the power of attacks. Also, we can sense magic and energy now." Twilight's eyes couldn't be any wider at that moment. "Uh...you alright Twilight?"
"I think she's just processing how awesome you guys are.", Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "Seriously. You guys ROCK! I don't know anypony who can take on a dragon!"
"Well, now you do.", Inferno said with a smile. At the same time, Ace was talking to Starlight about the portal.
"The portal should be all fixed-up now.", Starlight said with a smile.
"Thanks for letting us know. But it'd be rude to leave before the party's over." Ace then turned to Sonata. "Isn't that right?"
"Uh huh!", Sonata beamed with a nod. "I wanna try Pinkie's cupcakes!"
"No arguing with that logic.", Ace said with a smile. And the party went on.
Sunset had gotten a message from Princess Twilight in her journal. "Okay! It looks like the guys will be back within the hour. They should be coming out pretty soon."
"That's a relief.", Rarity said with a glad sigh. "I was getting just the tiniest bit worried about Inferno."
"Yeah. A little bit worried.", Rainbow Dash joked.
"How do you know you wouldn't act the same if I got sucked into the portal?", Steel asked with a smirk. Rainbow Dash blushed.
"I hate you.", she grumbled.
"Love you too Dash." The two playfully punched each other. Things were relatively quiet. That is, until Midnight showed up and began feeling around the portal for an opening.
"ACE! ICE! You in there?!", Midnight called out to the statue. The girls were in shock to see what they thought was nothing more than a dark persona of their world's Twilight! Midnight stopped shouting into the statue, and turned to face the girls. "Oh. Hi everyone!", Midnight said with a smile.
"HOW?! HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!", Sunset shouted. Midnight shrugged.
"I dunno. Ice found me after The Friendship Games. I literally lived in his shadow for a little while. Then I got found out after I raided his family's fridge one night. And then I got adopted. Does that answer your question?" Rarity fainted. "I know it's a lot to take in, but is it THAT unbelievable? Oh. And I got younger as a result. So I'm kinda Ace, Ice, and Shadow's little sister now."
"Well, that explains why you're smaller now.", Sunset said. "I never imagined you would get a body of your own after I returned Twilight to normal. So...do you have a name?"
"Midnight!", Midnight answered happily. "Oh! And I also have another form if this one brings back too many bad memories." A flash of light illuminated Midnight, and she looked like a darker-colored Twilight. "Better?"
"Well, now I've seen everything."
"Could you all please not tell Twilight about me?", Midnight asked. "I don't think she wants to see my face after...y'know."
"Well, Ah ain't comfortable with keepin' secrets.", Applejack began. "But Midnight seems like a totally different person than what we saw at The Friendship Games."
"She does seem pretty cool so far.", Rainbow Dash said with a shrug.
"She seems a lot less scary now...", Fluttershy noted.
"Now I can throw her a party!", Pinkie chirped.
"I guess it's unanimous.", Sunset said. "If Ice and his family can accept you, I guess we can too." Midnight smiled and gathered them in for a hug with her magic!
"THANK YOU!", Midnight squealed before she let them go. "Sooo, when are Ice and Ace coming back?"
"It was nice visiting here...", Burst began. "But, we gotta get home. I'll be sure to tell Sunset you all said hi."
"Coming back here was nice, but I'm glad we'll be going home.", Gold said.
"Same with us!", Sonata said with a smile. "But our real home is where the people we love are." Ace smiled.
"Don't be strangers!", Twilight called out as Burst and his friends got ready to leave. Burst and the others headed through the portal, and soon arrived back in their world.
"Hope we didn't keep you all waiting.", Burst said with a smile as the girls rushed up to greet him and the others.
"You sure got a lot done over there.", Sunset said as she noticed Adagio, Sonata, and Aria walk out of the portal.
"You have no idea.", Inferno said with a sigh of relief. "We even met our own counterparts. Turns out they're dating Princess Luna and Celestia."
"So anything interesting happen on this end?", Gold asked. He then noticed Midnight rush up to Ace in her true form. "...I'll take that as a yes."
"ACE! It's good to see you again!", Midnight cheered as she hugged Ace tightly.
"You too Midnight. But....aren't the others the least bit freaked out that you're still around?"
"She showed up looking for you.", Sunset said. "She told us all about how your family adopted her. And it looks like its left a good impression on her."
"Hey Midnight? I found out who Shadow's counterpart is dating.", Ace began as he whispered the details into Midnight's ear. "But we gotta make sure not to tell him." Midnight giggled.
"This'll drive him nuts!"
Ace, Ice, and Shadow's house....
"Sorry if I was out too long everyone!", Ace announced. "I got sucked into the portal to another world that was at my school."
"So you wee turned into a pony in the other world? Did you get to see what I looked like? Who....I was dating?", Shadow asked. Ace let out a small laugh.
"Sorry Shadow. That would be a spoiler."
"Aw man!", Shadow groaned. "Why am I the only one that's still single?"
`Back in Equestria, night had fallen and Starlight had gotten ready for her date with Shadow. "Well, here goes nothing!" Starlight walked outside to find Shadow waiting for her. "Hope you weren't waiting too long."
"Trust me. It was worth it.", Shadow said with a smile as he offered her his hoof. "Ready for a good time?"
"Yep! Let's go!" Shadow and Starlight walked over to Ponyville's pizza joint, and enjoyed a slice together. "So you and your brothers are thinking of working in the town's card shop?" Shadow nodded.
"We heard about the card shop that opened up here, and we were thinking of getting jobs there. From what we've heard, the two guys running it are pretty cool. They've put out an add for extra duel instructors for all the foals who wanna learn how to duel and how to build a deck. But you're pretty amazing yourself. I didn't know the personal student of Princess Twilight had caught my eye." Starlight giggled.
"And I didn't expect to meet my first date by seeing him almost crash."
"Yeah. I guess we could say I left quite the impression."
"I'll say.", Starlight said with a smile. "I bet this wasn't how you were expecting to get your first date."
"No. But I can't argue with the fact that I've got a beautiful mare across from me." Starlight blushed. "You're not used to getting compliments like that are you?"
"Well...no one's ever called me beautiful before."
"Maybe people should do that more.", Shadow said with a smile. The two shared a quiet moment together just enjoying their company. Shadow then decided to make his move as he leaned forward a little. "So...you wanna break the tension, or me?" Starlight leaned in and kissed Shadow. Twilight and the other Mane 6 were watching the date with proud smiles.
"Come on girls. Let's leave them to it.", Twilight said with a smile as she and the others went home for the night. Starlight and Shadow had just broken the kiss, and Shadow walked Starlight back to the castle.
"Good night Shadow. Maybe we should do this again sometime."
"Night, Star."
"Star?"
"My nickname for you.", Shadow said with a smile. "Maybe you can pop-in at the card shop if you ever want to say hi." And with that Shadow headed home, and Starlight went to bed. Both fondly remembering their first encounter and first date.
A cloud of blue mist slipped through the cracks in the door of the Castle of Friendship. Once it was inside, the mist shifted back into Nightmare Moon. Using her magic, she felt around for the source of the powerful magic she had sensed earlier. "It's close. Very close." Moon soon picked up on a trail. "There you are...." Moon turned into mist again, and snaked her way along the trail of magic. And soon, she arrived at a pool of it. "Perfect. Just what I needed. Now for the next part..." Moon began to absorb the magic into her being and added it to her own. Slowly but surely, she felt herself begin to grow more solid. Once she had drained the pool dry. Soon, Nightmare stood in full form. But the only difference now was that she had no armor on her. Nightmare then used her magic to sense anymore of the same magic that had helped restore her, and found a small trail leading to a mirror. "What have we here?" Nightmare stepped up to the mirror and examined it. "So. This must be where that male alicorn came through. I wonder..." Nightmare stuck her hoof through the mirror. "It appears it's still open." Nightmare smiled. "Time to see where he came from." Nightmare walked through the mirror and found herself in the human world when she opened her eyes again. "So. This is the world that male alicorn came from." Nightmare then looked at her new reflection. Her hair looked like stars were swirling in it. Her outfit consisted of jeans, black high-heel boots, a black jacket, and an azure shirt. "This must be what the denizens of this world look like." Nightmare took a moment to admire her reflection. "Enough fun. On to business." Nightmare closed her eyes and entered the dreamscape.
"Good. It looks like I can enter the dreamscape here as well." Nightmare drifted through the dreams of humans before she felt a familiar presence. "Strange. Feels like...." Nightmare came upon the dreams of the Mane 7. "So it appears this world has its own version of the Elements of Harmony." Nightmare then focused on Sunset. "And it appears I'm not the only one who came here from Equestria. But on to my main business." Nightmare scanned the dreamscape for a power similar to the one she had sensed in Equestria, and soon found one. "There you are..." Nightmare hovered over to the source. "Now to see his true form." Nightmare entered Burst's dreams. "Time to get a better look at you." Nightmare saw Burst hanging around the girls. "So he has a strong tie to this world's element bearers." Nightmare then observed Burst's dreams about Blue-Eyes. "He also shares a strong friendship with his cards." Nightmare froze when she saw Burst's most current dream. In it, Burst was resting under a tree with his head resting against Celestia. "So. He's close to the Celestia of this world." Nightmare entered the dream, and took Celestia's place. She took a moment to take in Burst's appearance. "So this is your true form.", Nightmare said with a smile. "That alicorn form didn't do you justice." Nightmare then ran her hand across Burst's cheek as he slumbered. "One would never guess so much power lies within you. You're like a sleeping dragon." Nightmare brought her face closer to Burst's. "Because of you, I have a new life. This should prove to be a token of my thanks." Nightmare then kissed Burst on the forehead. "That snowy white hair reflects your heart so well. Sleep well Burst Stream. For when you awake, we will meet again. And I will make you mine..." Nightmare returned the dream to normal and returned to her own dreams. Eagerly anticipating her next encounter with Burst.