//------------------------------// // Facing Nine-Tails // Story: Star Knight and the Nine-Tailed Fox // by Rakoon1 //------------------------------// After what happened at the coast with Hawthorn and Blackthorn finally repairing their friendship, they returned to the inside of the Island. While they were walking, Hawthorn was at the front with Star and he told him: “Hey, kid, thanks for trying to rescue Blackthorn back there.” “You don’t have to thank me” Star said. “I did what I had to do.” At the back, Blackthorn said to Golden Paladin: “Prince Star Knight sure does have a mysterious something that draws others to him. Lord Hawthorn is one of them.” “I totally agree with you” Golden Paladin replied. “He sure is special.” “You know, kid, I was wrong about you” Hawthorn said to Star. “You’re not what I expected.” “Yeah, I can say the same” Star replied. Golden was happy to see that Star and Hawthorn were getting along. That only would be beneficial for Star in the way of how to control Nine-Tails. “Hey, kid, why don’t you bump my hoof?” Hawthorn asked, extending his hoof. That request at first confused him, but then he remembered when Blackthorn asked him about the hoof bump he and Hawthorn had done earlier and then saw how that was how reconnect their friendship just now. So, Star did what Hawthorn asked bumped his hoof with his own. “Well, it seems we have some progress” Hawthorn commented, dropping his hoof. “Return to the Waterfall of Truth and I can guarantee that this time around you’ll pass with flying colors.” They all returned to the waterfall and Star went to sit in the stone platform, while Golden Paladin, Hawthorn and Blackthorn watched him. The alicorn prince closed his eyes and focused, just like the last time. It didn’t long until he found himself again inside his mind with his other self appearing from the waterfall and looking at him with his wicked smile. “You haven’t learned your lesson, ah?” the other Star said. “Try everything you want, but it will still be the same. You can’t defeat me.” Star opened his eyes and looked to his other self, this time smiling slightly, and said: “Yeah, I know I can’t defeat you with force. I get that now. Because the two of us have the same moves.” “And you can’t chase me out neither” the other Star continued. “I know you, better than anyone else could ever know you.” And Star got up, while saying: “Then you must already know.” “I already know what?” the other Star asked, without his smile. “What I just decided earlier” Star replied. That answer really didn’t cause any understanding to the other Star who asked: “What are you talking about now?” “Don’t act as you don’t know” Star replied. “Alright, fine. This place is suppose to reveal the truth in your heart, right? Just let me concentrate and I’m going to show you right now.” Star close his eyes to concentrate and then, to the other Star’s surprise and shock, letters appeared in the air above Star, saying: From your young prince, Star Knight. “What you see here is my autograph” Star said. That really irritated the other Star who said with great disdain: “You bastard…” That answer wasn’t exactly what the other Star wanted to hear, but Star knew that was what he needed to show him, as it was because of his previous statement about the reason why Star didn’t give any autograph to the light ponies that caused him to have doubts about their real intensions towards him. “I couldn’t give it to the ponies back home, but I have one now” Star said to his true self. That answer only made the other Star more furious and then exclaim: “So what you came up with some autograph! What a joke! Everypony back home is just sweet-talking you. They have been lying to us since we were kids, making stupid rules and turning us into outcasts! Don’t you remember that! It was always so hard and so painful to you seeing them looking up to your parents and looking down to you. I’m the only one that will ever understand you. You can’t trust any of those light ponies.” “Maybe” Star said. “The light ponies are important, but there is somepony that I need to trust more first.” And to the other Star’s astonish, Star looked at him with a warm smile and said: “What I need to do right now is to believe in myself. I have to trust in me than all the other light ponies believe in.” Those words really let the other Star speechless. There was a silence and then the other Star fell over his knees, starting to cry and the asking: “Why? Why? After all they put us through…” “I realized that by watching Lord Hawthorn. He doesn’t let himself get pulled down by doubt. And he has pride on himself.” “Do you think that I’m something in your way?” the other Star asked, looking to Star with tears on his eyes. “What exactly am I to you?!” “I became strong because you existed” Star said. “It’s thanks to you that I got to where I am today.” “And?” the other Star asked while getting up. “What now? What am suppose to do from now on?!” And he flight against Star, ready to give him a punch. “That easy to answer” Star answered, while starting to open up his forelegs. Seeing that, the other Star hesitated and that allowed Star to hug him when he arrived to his edge. “You just need to become me” Star said to his other self. “You are me after all. Thank you for everything you have done, but it’s all right now.” And, moving by his words, the other Star let his hoof go down, giving up the idea of punching Star and accepting his hug. That act made his eyes become normal and then he started to disappear, with his energy ascending to the sky. Star returned to the real world and started to get up. Seeing that, Golden Paladin and Blackthorn looked expectant, but Hawthorn remained quiet. The alicorn prince turned and smiled, victorious. Hawthorn smiled, knowing that he would be succeeded. “It looks like…” Blackthorn started. “It went well, I assume” Golden Paladin said to Star. “It’s too early to celebrate” Hawthorn replied. He then gave a jump to the platform and asked to Star: “What do you say? Should we try to control the Nine-Tails’ power? From this moment, I am your instructor.” “Yes” Star said. “Well then follow me” Hawthorn said, advancing towards the waterfall. “May I come along with you too?” Golden Paladin asked. “Sure” Hawthorn replied. “How about you, Blackthorn?” Golden Paladin asked to the captain of the Thicket guard. “I have to make periodic reports to my king” he replied. “So I must leave.” “Well, then, thanks for all your help” Golden Paladin said, starting to advance towards the waterfall. Blackthorn looked to Star, thinking that from that point things wouldn’t get easier for him. Passing through the waterfall, Star found himself in an enormous chamber where there was a kind of temple with three towers. The walls of the chamber had engravings of Two-Tails and Eight-Tails and, along the way to the temple, there were statues of deer and griffons, with the peculiarity of not having heads. “Wow!” Star exclaimed, while looking around. “You’ll fight Nine-Tails here” Hawthorn declaired. “Wait, I’m going to fight Nine-Tails?” Star asked. “That’s right” Hawthorn replied. “Do you understand?” “Yeah…” Golden didn’t late to appear from the waterfall and became impressed with what he saw: “Wow, this is incredible. I’ve already heard about the place where the jinchuriki of Two-Tails and Eight-Tails train to control their tailed beasts, but this is more impressive than I thought.” “I don’t know” a voice said. “The place really needs a little bit of color.” They all turned and saw Discord. “Discord?!” Golden and Star asked. “A friend of yours?” Hawthorn asked. “Yeah, well, not that much” Star replied. Discord made a fake offended look and then said: “Oh my, Starry, I didn’t know you could be so blunt. Well, actually, I did. After all, you’re mother’s son. But don’t you remember all the times we played together happily? Like the time we try to make a soup.” “If I remember correctly, you put me in a cauldron with boiling water and tried to make Star soup” Star said. “Yeah, not really one of my best hits” Discord replied. “It really needed a little bit more of salt.” “What are you doing here, Discord?” Golden Paladin asked. “Aren’t you afraid that Heartbeat appears and…” “What, she’s here?!” Discord asked with pure panic in his voice, while looking around, and saying after realizing Golden was only messing with him. “Ah, ah, ah, very funny, golden head. If you have to know, I saw you and mini-Twilight heading aboard of a deer boat and… Well, call me a curious kitty.” And cat ears and whiskers appear on Discord’s face who then disappear as he said: “But I have to say I do am intrigued with this whole plot” Discord said. “Will this be finally the time Star will conquer the beast inside him, or will we see him lost control and gain extra tails like next time.” And he made five more tails appear on Star that were dissipated by Golden Paladin’s magic. “Can you stop with that?” Golden Paladin asked. “Look, if you want to stay around, behave yourself. Believe, I will not hesitate in calling, not Princess Twilight and her friends, but Heartbeat.” “Okie dokie lokie” Discord replied. “I can’t believe I just sounded like Pinkie Pie right now. I just hope I don’t turn pinkie. It really is not my color.” “Are you sure of this?” Star asked to Golden Paladin. “You know how Discord is.” “He would find a way to make himself a guest, anyway” Golden Paladin answered. “At least, this way, we can keep an eye on him.” And so they continue walking. “Well, it seems to me this place is really ancient, so why don’t you restore it?” Golden Paladin asked to Lord Hawthorn regarding the headless statues. “No, this statues were carved without heads to begin with” Hawthorn replied. “There is a reason for it.” “Well, I for one love the statues” Discord said. “I for one think that you should do the same with that craving at the entrance of that castle of yours.” That made both Star and Golden Paladin to stare to Discord who hasted to say: “I’m just saying.” “Lord Hawthorn, how am I supposed to fight with Nine-Tails here?” Star asked. “I mean, how can I face him at the first place.” “I just hope it is not anything excessive” Golden Paladin said to Hawthorn. “You think you can control a Tailed Beast without being excessive?” Hawthorn asked. “This is a sacred place where those selected as jinchuriki in Thicket and Aeropolis have long come to undergo at purification ceremonies.” They arrive to some kind of locked rock door with a head that looked like Two-Tails by side with an open mouth. “It’s a special way to talk with the Tailed Beast that’s inside of this structure” Hawthorn continued. “Inside there?” Star asked. “Only the chosen ones can get in this place” Hawthorn said, pointing then to the head that was there. “Put your head in this space and, if you’re good and without darkness in your heart, the door will open.” Hearing him explain that made Star understand the reason of the first step at the waterfall. “However, if there is darkness in your heart, then the door will not open and the statue will bite on your head and tear you apart. Those headless statues you saw in your way here are the jinchuriki whose hearts weren’t sincere.” That made Star swallow dry at the thought of that happening. “Uh, now things are getting interesting” Discord said, creating an armchair where he sit and summoned popcorn that he started to eat. “Young prince, if you’re so nervous, why don’t you use a clone?” Golden Paladin asked. “No way, this is a sacred place!” Hawthorn said. “There are many generations of previous jinchuriki watching over. Tricks like those won’t work.” “If that’s the case, I don’t have any choice” Star said. “I came here to control the Nine-Tails and that’s what I’m going to do.” And he advanced towards the head, with Discord cheering with a cap and a flag with Star’s Cutie Mark and a foam finger: “Hey! Go, Star! And I’m not saying this because I want to see if your body becomes headless.” Arriving to the head, he breathed deeply and then put his head inside. After a moment, he got up and said: “But inside there is only a switch. Discord appeared beside him and said, while examining the head: “What?! Are you sure? Because it really looks mean enough to bite on the heads.” “Yeah, those statues are only there to scare, nothing more” Hawthorn said. “At least, you could have used an invisibility spell on that head of yours to appear your head had been bitten of” Discord said. “It would have been a good memory to have.” “Well, I really did that when it was me” Hawthorn said. “I used a light-nature spell and I almost give to my brother a heart attack.” “And I was thinking this place was sacred” Golden Paladin cynically. “For much funnier that can be, you know I’m not a prankster” Star said. Discord snorted and said: “You really have your mother’s sense of humor.” After Star had pressed the switch the door started to open. At the first glance, it appeared all light, without difference between the floor or the ceiling. “So, is this…” Star started. “You need to go in there and sit down, close your eyes and focus” Hawthorn said. “Just like at the waterfall. Then you’ll meet up with your Tailed Beast.” “You know, I have already meet with my Tailed Beast inside my mind” Star said. “Yes, all jinchuriki can do that, but this situation is a little different” Hawthorn replied. And, having said this, he started to get in. Star and Golden Paladin followed him, but Discord said: “Well, if I won’t see a little fight between Star and Nine-Tails, then there’s no point of being here. And I was hoping I could get some excitement with you, guys.” And, having said this, he disappeared. After they entered, Hawthorn said to Star:´ “Listen closely and I’ll explain everything to you. Star, what kind of sealing spell was used on your Nine-Tails?” “I used my own sealing spell” Golden Paladin said. “It’s a variant of the spell I used on Tartarus.” “Well, I have to say that’s impressive” Hawthorn said. “It’s even more solid than the one we, deer, use. Do you have the key.” “Yes, Golden gave it to him some time ago” Star said. “I knew that the only way for Prince Star Knight to control the Nine-Tails was having full control over the seal, that’s the reason why I did it” Golden Paladin said. “The only downside is if he loses control.” “You don’t have to worry about that” Hawthorn said. “We can seal the Nine-Tails right here, if that happens. That is what this place is for: to seal a Tailed Beast until we find a new host.” “Yes, but that won’t happen” Star said. “I’m going to do this and I’ll succeed.” That determination caused Hawthorn to smile and then he said: “Okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll shut the door and then tell you how to deal with the Nine-Tails.” And the door closed and, after it did that, both Star and Hawthorn sat in front each other and bumped their hooves, letting them be that way. Star then closed his eyes and focused. It didn’t last until he found himself at the place where Nine-Tails’ cage was, while listening Hawthorn telling him: “Very well, Star, now listen carefully. The rules are simple. Once you reach the Nine-Tails inside your mind, undo the seal” Hawthorn said. And Star appeared before Nine-Tails’ cage, where the Tailed Beast was lying on the floor. “Hey, Nine-Tails” Star greeted. “Always with evil glares, I see.” “Star Knight…” Nine-Tails said, while Star took flight, but always crossing looks. “What are you up to? Where did your real you go? I don’t sense him anymore.” “The real me?” Star asked. “I’m right here. Right in front of you.” Star arrived to where the lock was and, before opening it, he heard Hawthorn saying: “You may have conquered your hatred, but don’t get your guard down. The Nine-Tails is a mass of loathing and don’t forget that he is very cunning. ” Star extended his hooves and, with a touch, the chains around the lock disappeared. “What are you plotting?” Nine-Tails asked. “Don’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” Star asked back. “I can’t talk right now.” And he made the chains around his body appear and then extended his right hoof that started to glow. “Here goes” Star said, while making a gesture with his hoof over the chains They then began to disappear, while the locked of the cage started to be open. When the last part of the chains disappear and the seal was completely open, Nine-Tails openned the cage with a sudden move that forced Star to retreat. The fox roared to Star who struggled to not let himself be affected by it. He heard Hawthorn’s next words: “When the Nine-Tails emerges, grab his energy with your own and pull hard. Energy can only be captured by energy. Take the Nine-Tails’ energy from him and then you will win. Basically, it will be like a tug of war.” Star was surrounded by his own aura and a reflection of him appear. Feeling that Star was ready, Hawthorn made his part. Feeling someone invading that space that were only meant for him and his jinchuriki, Nine-Tails saw tentacles emerging from the walls and starting to hold him hard. One of the tentacles approached its tip on Nine-Tails’ head and a reflection got out to touch it, starting to extract the fox’s reflection. However, Nine-Tails was able to break free. “Sorry kid, but it seems you’re on your own.” Hawthorn told to Star. “Nine-Tails is really strong” Star said. “Just one warning, there is a chance that your energy may be extracted, and you know what happens when all of it is taken.” Nine-Tails reabsorbed the energy Hawthorn and Eight-Tails tried to take out, along with the piece of energy of the tentacle that he took when he broke free. “Oh, I see, you hope to gain control over my power, don’t you?” Nine-Tails said to Star. “And you team with the Eight-Tails?! You, the jinchuriki of Nine-Tails?! How pitiful!” And, with that, he rose up his head, while erecting his tails, and started to accumulate the red and blue bubbles to create the black sphere. That was even more powerful than the ones Star had used while under Nine-Tails’ influence and its mere formation was so intense that he could feel it. “It’s certain that the risks are high, but if you take his energy, then it will be yours” Hawthorn said to Star. “Just grab any energy you can from Nine-Tails’ will and then pull it. Just don’t let yourself be caught by his hatred. Use your own will.” The black sphere then downsized and Nine-Tails took it with his mouth and his cheeks swallowed, while smoke got out from his mouth. The Tailed Beast then launched the explosion. Star tried to dodge, but he wouldn’t make it in time. “Don’t mock me!” Hawthorn exclaimed to Nine-Tails. And one of Eight-Tails hands emerged from the ground and was able to stop the blast, absorbing it, what made the hand take the form of Eight-Tails’ head, while the explosion occurred. “Thank, Lord Hawthorn” Star said. “I was able to contain the explosion, but I can’t help you anymore” Hawthorn replied. “You’re on your own.” “Got it” Star said. “As I am sitting still and without interruptions outside, I can get in Sage Mode.” And, outside, the orange pigmentation appeared around Star’s eyes. After getting rid of Eight-Tails, Nine-Tails looked up and saw Star preparing to use a giant Spiraling Sphere. When Star tried to hit Nine-Tails with it, he used three of his tails to defend. Star couldn’t believe how he was being able to defend that. The fox then moved his tails and undid the sphere, while throwing Star away. He attacked him with his tails, but Star took that opportunity to make his reflection get out and try to grab a piece of Nine-Tails’ energy, while dodging his tails. But the fox’s speed was too much to him and one of his front paws was able to get Star and pin him against the floor. Seeing that, three Stars who were hiding behind one of Eight-Tails’ tentacles that previously tried to restrain Nine-Tails moved. “Do you really think you can beat me?” Nine-Tails asked to Star. “Yeah, of course I do” Star answered. “That’s why I undid the seal. And besides…” The original grabbed one Nine-Tails, saying: “Got you.” Nine-Tails looked and saw the real Star, while the clone that he was pinning disappeared. Using the force of his Sage Mode, Star was able to take Nine-Tails, to his shock, and then throwing him hard against the ground. Looking up, he saw the other original with the other clone using the… “Spiraling Star!” And he throw it, hitting Nine-Tails, making him be involved by the strong and cutting wind of the spell. “Now I have to hurry!” Star exclaimed, while his reflection started to pull some of Nine-Tails’ energy. The young prince started to retreat, while his reflection pulled more and more energy. But it was then that he found some resistance as the wind stopped. “No!” he exclaimed. Nine-Tails rose up his body, while looking furious to his jinchuriki. However, Star could see how he was weakening. That was his chance. But a smile appeared on Nine-Tails’ face, as he started to taint the energy the young prince was taking with his hate, turning it red. It quickly got Star’s reflection, covering it completely and all the feelings of hate started to invade Star. He could hear a crowd of voices yelling in his head. “This voices…” Star said. “What is this?” And it was time for his own energy starting to be taken by Nine-Tails. Hawthorn was able to feel that. He really hoped that Star didn’t give in. That was the only thing he couldn’t really do. While struggling, Star was able to feel the Sage Mode starting to dissipate. His eyes returned to normal, while he felt on his knees. “Just give up” Nine-Tails told Star. “You’ll never be able to control my power. Your just a tiny little piece of my hatred.” The feeling Star was feeling was overwhelming. He could barely breaking. His left eye started to become just like the ones of his dark self, while he started to remember all the dark feelings he had for the light ponies who despised him when he was young. Outside, the fox cloak started to involve Star quickly, much to Golden and Hawthorn’s shock. “The Nine-Tails’ hatred is even greater than I imagined” Hawthorn said, standing up. “I can try to stop him” Golden Paladin said, preparing to use his magic. Star tried to resist, but that was a very hard task and he closed his eyes. He just wanted for all that pain to go away. “Then you can stay here” a voice said. Star opened his eyes and saw that he was now in a different space, full of a red and calming light. Then, before him, he saw Hearbeat, smiling at him. “Hearbeat?” Star asked. “But what are you doing here?” “Well, when I got to know that you would try to control, Nine-Tails, I expanded my empathy to your mind using my role as former jinchuriki so I could help if you needed.” She then noticed the red eye and said: “But I prefer not having to look to those ugly eyes full of hatred.” And, having said that, she used the magic of her horn to release a warm red light that filled Star with good feelings that made his left eye return to normal. Outside, half of Star’s body was involved by the cloak, while the other half by the blood layer, with three tails, one made of energy and the other two with the blood layer. “The Nine-Tails transformation stopped” Golden Paladin said. “But how?” Hawthorn asked. “What did you, Golden?” “I didn’t do nothing” Golden Paladin said. “But I think I know who.” He could feel Heartbeat magic inside Star. It would appear his little sister was really preventive. But that didn’t surprise him, as she knew Nine-Tails better than almost anypony else. Inside Star’s mind, he asked to Heartbeat: “I don’t understand, why did you do this?” “Well, first things first” Heartbeat said. “We need to tame the Nine-Tails.” At the place where the battle was happening, Star rose up his trunk and bright red binds came out of him and started to bind Nine-Tails to the floor. “What is this energy?!” he asked. “Heartbeat?!” After taking care of Nine-Tails, Heartbeat said to Star, answering to his question: “When I got to know that you would try to master Nine-Tails’ power, I knew you would need somepony to help you in case you started to lose the battle against him. After all, I know Nine-Tails just like you know him. I spend some time having to hear him trying to get to me so he could escape. ” “Yes, you told me that already” Star said. “I once tried to do the same thing you’re trying to do now” Heartbeat continued. “Goldy opened the seal and I tried to win the battle and I almost got it, but Nine-Tails has a special capability of finding the slightest remain of darkness in our hearts. In my case, due to my position as General of Affection, the darkness I have is not entirely mine, so he always had troubles to know how to get to me, but sometimes was able to do it and the battle I had with him for the control of his energy was one them. And, because of that, the Light Kingdom would be at risk, if it wasn’t for Goldy and Leaf Mane. That’s why I can’t let you lose to that fox and I will help you.” “How?” Star asked. Heartbeat smiled, with her smile full of joy transmiting the same feeling to him. She then said: “The only way to defeat hate is with love. You can tolerate hate or ignore it, but to truly defeat it, you need to focus on the ones you love.” “It’s not that simple” Star said. “The hate the Nine-Tails have is immense and it’s only growing. I don’t know if I…” “You know, this reminds me of the time how we defeated Perfected Scale” Heartbeat said. “You mean the one that was the General of Balance before my dad?” Star asked. “Yes, the one that almost succeeded in taking all the special lights to control all Pony-World Heartbeat. But your defeated him… Well, thanks to me, of course… and you.” “Me?” “It was you who saved her from herself” Heartbeat said. “It was your power… your light… your love. If you were able to save your mother from being overwhelmed by the darkness of the General of Affection’s power, then you can only imagine what you can do about Nine-Tails.” After hearing those words, Star’s confidence was restored and the love that he felt for his family, along with the one that he felt for his friends and Moonlight were able to make him stronger. Knowing that he was ready, Heartbeat told him: “Go get him.” At the place where the battle was happening, Star started to feel a warm feeling inside, the one that he recognized as the ones he loved. That was strong enough to make him open his eyes and be ready to fight. Nine-Tails, knowing that was Heartbeat’s doing, cursed her in his mind. The red energy that was linking Star and Nine-Tails turned blue and, at the outside, both the cloak and the layer disappeared. “Good!” Hawthorn exclaimed. “It seems he did it!” “Good job, Heartbeat” Golden Paladin said, more relieved. “I can’t hold Nine-Tails for much longer” Heartbeat said to Star. “Then you can’t miss this chance.” “Don’t worry” Star said to her. “I won’t.” At the place where the battle was happening, Star summoned a lot of clones. “You brat!” Nine-Tails exclaimed, trying to take Heartbeat’s binds. The clones started to move, while Nine-Tails broke free from the binds. In pairs, the clones started to create Spiraling Spheres and then they took flight, ready to hit the nine-tailed fox who roared to them. “You haven’t won yet!” Nine-Tails exclaimed while swiping his paw to defeat some clones. But the binds that where still holding him tightly, making start to drop on his backs. Outside, Star got into Sage Mode that affected all the clones who all increased their respective Spiraling Spheres and then they hit him hard. The force was such that it push Nine-Tails hard, but then he was able to hold on his paws, but, from the dust created, the original Star appeared holding a Spiraling Star and exclaimed, while preparing to use it: “Once more!” And he hit him with it. The Nine-Tails tried to resist, but he soon found out he wouldn’t be able to do it. “What kind of power is this?!” he asked. While the original was holding against him, the clones where pulling the energy from the fox. Then the Spiraling Star pushed him away, while leaving only the energy they extracted from him, that was absorbed by the original, while the clones disappeared. After doing that, his body adopted a flaming orange glow that also reflected in his eyes. Looking to himself, he said, surprised: “Now way… This really belongs to the Nine-Tails” The fox started to get up, all thinner due to the fact most of his energy was drained by Star and, looking him victorious with his energy, his rage started to boil and he said: “Star Knight… How dare you? YOU HAVE INFURIATED ME, STAR KNIGHT!” And the enraged fox started to accumulate more energy for that black sphere, creating one really big. “You still have this much power?” Star asked, really impressive. The fox tried to diminish it, but it seemed that he couldn’t because of lack of energy. “You really are amazing” Star said. And with a gesture, the chains returned to his torso and golden chains emerged, starting to hold Nine-Tails by the tails and then his body. The great sphere, without Nine-Tails to hold it, simply broke. “No, it can’t be…” Nine-Tails said. And the cage reappeared, closing the door and sealing the lock. Starting to feel too weak due to the loss of his energy, Nine-Tails told to Star: “You better watch out, Star Knight…” And he went to sleep after that. “Sorry, Nine-Tails” Star Knight said. “I promise that I’ll compensate you somehow. So just hang in there for a little while.” Back to where he was talking to Heartbeat she said: “I’m really proud of you, Star. You’re were able to do something that not even I was able to accomplish.” “I wouldn’t be able to do it without you, Heartbeat” Star said. “Nonsense, it was you did all the work” Heartbeat said. “But remember this is not over. If you really want to do control Nine-Tails’ energy completely, then you have to be able to defeat once a for all the greatest hatred you ever faced.” And, having said that, there was a burst of light that blinded everything.