Castalot. 7 years before Nightmare Moon's return.
Burst sighed as he walked the halls of Celestia's School for Gifted Magi. He'd been attending the prestigious school for about seven years. And he couldn't stand it. Not because he was a horrible student, but rather because he didn't picture this being the life he'd dreamed of. And to top it all off, Twilight Sparkle, his first friend here, had become an almost total shut-in. But there was a silver lining in that Burst had gotten to be pretty good friends with Twilight's assistant. A baby dragon Twilight had named Spike. The two of them usually working up a good conversation about videogames. Burst kind of saw Spike as a little brother through it all. Thinking back on it all, maybe it was a mistake to even come here. Burst thought to himself. People still give me a hard time over that promise I made seven years ago. The final bell soon rang, and Burst headed home for the day. But upon reaching home, Burst noticed his parents waiting for him on the couch. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?"
"Burst...do you remember the promise you made when you were seven?" Lumina asked. "About giving The Legend of the Two Sisters a happy ending?"
Burst nodded. "Yeah, I remember. The whole class made fun of me when I announced it as part of our promises that we made on our first day. Heck, some of the students who were real jerks kept giving me a hard time over it for the last seven years. So what's that got to do with anything?"
"Everything." Aether said in a grave tone as he stood up. "Because Nightmare Moon will be released from her banishment in seven years from now." Burst froze in shock while Aether sighed. "Son. I know you were serious about that promise you made. But this meeting isn't to try and discourage you from that promise."
Burst tilted his head in confusion. "So just what is this all about?"
"Burst. Chances are that Nightmare Moon's not going to be very happy upon her return." Aether answered. "You more than likely won't be able to reason with her. A thousand years alone on the moon is more than enough time for anger to fester." Aether put a hand on Burst's shoulder. "That brings me to the point of all this. Burst. I'm going to train you so that you can at least hold your own in a fight against her. But I should warn you: You'll need to leave your current life at school behind. And these seven years of training will more than drain you. So I must ask you: Are you ready?"
Burst took a deep breath as he weighed his options. "If I say no to this, then I've broken my promise. And that's something I refuse to do. So when do we start?"
"Now." Aether said with a smirk. And with that, seven years of intense training began. The first area they worked on was developing Burst's physical strength and combat abilities. Aether was a Knight of Faust, and had accumulated more than his fare share of combat knowledge from his immortal life. Burst never thought his muscles could feel more sore. Magic was the next area of Burst's training. Mostly consisting of Burst being taught powerful offensive and defensive spells. The most powerful of each being white lightning and mirror force respectively. Lumina also saw fit to teach Burst some moderate-level healing and status ailment spells should Burst ever get into a tough scrape. Next came teaching Burst how to fight without seeing. Specifically by feeling the magic signatures of opponents and sensing their energy. About three and a half years in, Aether added a new area for Burst's training. "I've been keeping these weapons set aside for a long time. They were mine once. Now they're yours Burst." Aether opened the case, and revealed the weapons within. A sword, and a set of two blasters. All three being modelled after a white dragon. "They are called Duelist Arms."
Burst picked up one of the blasters and the sword. "They feel so light. Is it because we trained my body for so long?"
"Not really." Aether said with a shrug. "The Duelist Arms choose their wielder. And considering how easily you can pick them up, they must really like you. Now then." Aether summoned a sword made of his magic. "Let's see how well you can use them!" The last half of Burst's training consisted of added weapons training to his regiment. However, Aether threw in one last area of training. "Now son. It's time to teach you the most crucial part of your training."
"What's that?" Burst asked.
Aether grinned. "Learning how to make badass, memorable lines!" Burst was utterly dumbstruck. Finally, Burst's training came to an end a few months before the Summer Sun Celebration. Also known as the longest day of the year. "Well son, this is it. You're training's come to an end." Aether and Lumina had seen fit to help pack up Burst's belongings that he wanted to bring with him. "All I can do now is wish you luck."
"I made you a special coat." Lumina said with tears in her eyes. "Please. Come back to us safe Burst."
"Thanks Mom and Dad." Burst said as he hugged his parents before moving out to Unityville. That's where the Summer Sun Celebration's being held this year. And Princess Celestia's due to make an appearance. Chances are, that's where Nightmare Moon's going to make her return known. Burst let out a sigh as he soon arrived in Unityville and carried his boxes. However, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. After unpacking and settling into his new house, Burst took a walk around town. Exploring for any points of interest and good places to eat. This place is a nice change of pace. A lot less crowded than Castalot. And no stuffy snobs crowding the streets. Burst thought with a smile. Upon returning to his house, Burst Stream was greeted with a blast of confetti to the face!
"SURPRISE!" An Earthbound girl with light pink skin and poofy pink hair cried out before getting right in Burst's face and pouncing on him! Her outfit consisted of a pink shirt with three balloons on it, faded blue jeans, and a pair of pink sneakers. "HI! Wereyousurprised? Doyoulikesurprises? What'syourname?"
Burst blinked as he slowly processed each of the girl's questions. Sweet Celestia! It's like she's a sugar rush made flesh! "Yeah. I was pretty surprised. I like surprises. And my name's Burst Stream. So who are you? AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY HOUSE?"
"Easy! Because of the plot!" Pinkie said with a giggle as she got off of Burst. "I'm Pinkie Pie! And I'm here to welcome Unityville's newest resident!"
Burst couldn't help but crack a smile around Pinkie. "Well, you did a pretty good job. Do you do this for every new person that comes to live here?"
"Uh huh!" Pinkie said with an excited nod! "In fact, I know everybody here! Oh! Almost forgot!" Pinkie zipped off, and returned with a piece cake a second later! "Here!"
Burst smiled. "Thanks Pinkie. You sure know how to make people smile."
"Awww~! Thanks Burst!" Pinkie then brought Burst into the tightest hug he'd ever had. "I love making all my friends smile!"
Burst blinked. "We're friends?"
"Obviously!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "Stop by Sugar Cube Corner if you wanna talk!" And Pinkie zipped off again leaving Burst utterly dumbfounded at her levels of energy.
She might be a little hyper, but she's really sweet. Burst thought as he headed inside and ate the piece of cake Pinkie gave him. I'm gonna be here a few months. Meaning I've gotta keep food in the fridge. First thing tomorrow, I need to look for some jobs I can do. But for now? I'm just gonna relax. The next morning, Burst took a look in the paper for any jobs he could take. Preferably anything that was physical. Applebucking at Sweet Apple Acres. Perfect! Burst applied for the job, and was soon accepted. This can help me work on my kicks while I'm on the job. Burst took a liking to his current employment. Especially since he also got to carry home some apple pie as additional payment to bits. This is town keeps giving me reasons to like it.
The day before the Summer Sun Celebration.
It began like any other day for Burst. He woke up, got dressed, and ate breakfast. However, his gaze steeled a bit when he noted the day on the calendar. It's almost time. Burst then looked out one of the windows of his house, and smiled. Might as well enjoy the peace before the storm hits. Burst headed outside, and took a short walk. However, a certain someone caught his eye. A familiar girl with purple skin and a baby dragon who seemed constantly at her side. No way! Is that-? "Spike?"
The baby dragon turned to face Burst, and his face broke into a grin! "Burst! I haven't seen you in years! What're you doing here in Unityville? You look so different."
"I live here." Burst said with a chuckle. "And I spent some time working on myself." Burst then saw Twilight looking right at him. "Hey there Twi. Been a while."
Twilight smiled. "Good to see you again to. But, how come I don't remember us being close while we were at Celestia's school?"
"You were a total shut-in." Burst said bluntly. Earning a chuckle from Spike and a dumbfounded expression on Twilight's face. "So what brings you here? School's not out yet, is it?"
Twilight sighed. "No. I'm here by order of Princess Celestia as her personal student. I'm supposed to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And apparently I need to make some friends while I'm at it. But none of that matters! There's an urgent threat! Nightmare Moon's returning and I'm supposed to make some friends?!"
"Twilight. Making friends is more important than you think." Burst said with a frown. "I should know. You were my first friend back on my first day of school. But hey. We're here now. Maybe I can lend you a hand with your checklist?"
Twilight smiled. "That would be nice. Our first order of business is food for the celebration. A girl named Applejack's supposed to be in charge of that."
"Oh. You are in for a treat." Burst said with a chuckle. "It's just about lunch time at Sweet Apple Acres. You probably won't have any room for dinner even if you tried." Twilight had no idea how true Burst's words rang. Cradling her stomach after the massive lunch Applejack had prepared for their family. "Yeah. They don't skimp on anything when it comes to food. So what's next?" The trio ran through the rest of Twilight's checklist. However, Twilight was confused as she couldn't find the person who was in charge of the party preparations.
"This is frustrating!" Twilight fumed as she threw her checklist in the air! "Where is this 'Pinkie Pie' girl? I've looked all over, and haven't seen a trace of her!"
Burst chuckled. "Oh, you don't find Pinkie. If anything, since you're new here, she'll find you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked.
Burst smirked. "You'll see soon enough. Where are you staying at?"
"Golden Oak Library." Twilight said with a fond sigh. "At least there I can find some semblance of peace from this awful day."
Burst shot a concerned look to Spike. "She...doesn't get out into the real world all that much, does she?"
"Not as much as she needs to." Spike said with a sigh. "You've got no idea how on the mark you were when you said she was a total shut-in." Both Spike and Burst followed Twilight to the library. Only for Twilight to nearly have a heart attack as Pinkie and the whole town threw her a surprise welcome party! "Wow! Does this happen to every new person who moves-in to Unityville?"
Burst nodded. "Yup. I remember when I moved here. C'mon Spike! Let's party!" As the party went on, Spike went to find Twilight. Leaving the others to celebrate. The next day soon arrived, and everyone headed for the town hall. But where everyone else was chattering with excitement, Burst kept his gaze steeled in focus. A few minutes later, the mayor came out to announce Princess Celestia's arrival.
"Ladies and gentleman! It is my pleasure to announce the presence of our leader! PRINCESS CELESTIA!" The curtain pulled away, but there was nobody there! The crowd began to murmur nervously at the absence of their beloved princess. Burst closed his eyes, and tried to read for any powerful energies in the room. He only happened upon one, and it made his eyes shoot open!
Then, a faint laughter was heard from all around the building. A black swirl of magical energy spiraled into existence! Glowing with the light and power of the stars! The mass of energy gathered on the balcony, and took a form that only existed in fearful whispers and warnings parents gave their children in order to get them to behave. The woman that had formed from the swirl had pitch black skin and was clad in fearsome silvery armor. Her large, black angel wings made her appearance even more intimidating. The purple splotch on the back of her hands with a crescent moon in it signified her capability of using magic. It was clear that this woman was an Avatar. But what really made everyone uneasy were the cat-like slits that were the pupils of her teal eyes. This was her. Nightmare Moon. The dark Avatar smirked down at the crowd. Revealing that some of her teeth were fangs! "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, sun-loving faces!" Nightmare Moon poured as much venom into her words as she could.
"What have you done with our princess?" A rainbow-haired Skyborn girl asked! Looking for a fight with the recently returned Mistress of Darkness! Only for Applejack to bring her down with her rope!
Nightmare Moon feigned an offended look. "Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am? Does my crown longer count, now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Do none of you recall my legend? Did you not see the signs?"
"I know who you are." Twilight said stepping forth. "You're the Woman in the Moon. Nightmare Moon!" The whole crowd gasped at Twilight's declaration!
Nightmare Moon smirked at the fact that Twilight recognized her. "Very good young Magi. And do you know why I have returned to Unity after so long?"
"To bring eternal night." Burst said as he stepped forward. Shocking Twilight and the rest of the crowd. "Twilight's not the only one who knew about your return. I spent some time researching you too."
A dark giggle escaped from Nightmare Moon. "And tell me, boy. Just how did you come to know of my return? Just how much do you and your little friend know about me?"
"I know who you once were....Princess Luna." Burst said calmly. Twilight and the crowd murmured in confusion. However, Burst was locked solely on Nightmare Moon's reaction. Her eyes contained a mixture of shock, hope, sorrow, and anger all at once. "Maybe that name doesn't have any meaning to you now, but it did before. It can again. I can't claim that I know how your banishment hurt you. And it was wrong that you were shunned and ignored for so long. But that can all change!" Burst took a deep breath. "Please. Don't hurt anyone else."
Nightmare Moon stood still for a moment before the ghost of a smile formed on her lips. "Take heart young one. I have no intention of slaying anyone. Your princess is also safely sealed away. I'm not as heartless as you believe me to be. However, I have no intentions of forsaking my eternal night."
Burst sighed. "I figured you would say that." He then reached his arm out, and summoned his sword! Burst Stream then got into a fighting stance. "I'm thankful that you'd prefer not to hurt anyone, but I can't just let you do as you please and cast us into a dead world! I don't want to be one who adds to your pain, but I will protect my home." Burst steeled his gaze. "I'll fight for my friends."
"I must admit. This is unexpected." Nightmare Moon then smirked as she glided down from the balcony. "But not unwelcome. Never before has a mortal had the courage to challenge me. But first, to make our stage more intimate." Nightmare Moon snapped her fingers, and a barrier soon pushed away the crowd! Leaving only herself and Burst within it. She then summoned a broadsword that had a blade like the night sky! "Shall we dance, young warrior?"
Burst kept completely still. This is a horrible idea. "Ladies first." Nightmare Moon took Burst's invite, and flew at him with her sword! Burst jumped into the air, and brought his sword down on Nightmare Moon! However, Burst hadn't expected Nightmare Moon to be so quick to counter! She knocked Burst to the ground, and took another swing at Burst! Burst barely rolled out of the way and sprang to his feet! Can't bring my blasters into this fight! I can't holster them properly! Looks like I'm gonna need to main my sword and magic!
"You fight quite well." Nightmare noted as she and Burst clashed blades! "Even with the level of restraint I currently have, the average fighter would be on the ground right about now."
Burst put all his strength into forcing Nightmare Moon back as he readied one of his more powerful offensive spells! The marks on the back of his hands that resembled his talent crest glowed as his hands were surrounded by the bright blue aura of his magic! "WHITE LIGHTNING!" Burst launched the spell right at Nightmare Moon! Striking her square in the stomach! A blinding light went off after the blast struck Nightmare Moon! But as the light faded, Nightmare Moon was still standing! "I should've figured it wouldn't do that much to her." Burst muttered under his breath.
Nightmare Moon stared down at how much Burst's attack had scorched her armor. Her armor had protected her quite well, but the force of the attack had winded her momentarily. She then turned her gaze to Burst. "There's more than meets the eye to you, isn't there?"
"I'm just full of surprises." Burst said with a smirk.
Nightmare Moon chuckled at Burst's response. "In that case..." Nightmare Moon powered up her magic. "It looks like I can afford to get a bit more serious." Nightmare Moon called down a bolt of lightning! Burst hastily constructed a shield with his magic, but the force of the bolt shattered the shield! Leading to both combatants hurling blasts of magic at each other like crazy! However, Nightmare Moon had an edge in her favor. Burst was starting to tire. "I've enjoyed this. But all good things must come to an end!" Nightmare Moon fired a powerful beam of magic right at Burst!
Burst's eyes went wide as he saw the blast coming at him, so he responded by trying to push back with his own beam! Both beams battled for dominance! But as hard as Burst pushed with his magic, Nightmare Moon poured only the tiniest bit more power into her beam! Burst's beam was soon pushed back and he was sent flying right into the wall of the barrier Nightmare Moon had erected! "Unnghh..." Burst groaned as he summoned his sword to help prop himself up. I decided to fight against a literal goddess. What did I THINK was gonna happen?! Burst looked up, and saw the tip of Nightmare Moon's blade meeting his gaze.
"Tell me. Might I have the name of the one who was either brave or mad enough to stand against me?" Nightmare Moon asked with a victorious smirk.
"My name's Burst Stream." Burst answered plainly. "So...is this the part where you finish me off?"
Nightmare Moon knelt down to Burst's level. "As I said before. I have no intention of killing anyone. Preferably, I'd like to have a relatively bloodless takeover. I merely wish to give you a token of thanks for an entertaining duel. So I ask you. Do you have anything you want for? Are there any regrets that linger in your heart?"
"Hmmm. Well come to think of it, I've never kissed a woman befo-" Burst was silenced as Nightmare Moon pressed her lips against his! Burst Stream's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks in shock! Sure enough, Nightmare Moon pulled away from Burst.
"I trust that will suffice?" Nightmare Moon asked with a smirk before dispelling her barrier. She then addressed the crowd as she stood. Flaring her wings out in a show of dominance. "Remember this day my subjects. For it shall be your last! THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER!" And with that, Nightmare Moon turned into a blue mist and flew off!
Burst had recovered from his initial shock, and quickly regained his grasp of the situation. Alright. I just fought the goddess who wants to bring about eternal night. Got my ass kicked by her. And then she kissed me. So things are going great. Burst decided he'd need to take a trip to his house. Time for me to get properly equipped for my next encounter with her. Better whip out that coat Mom made for me. Burst looked at how torn up his current shirt was. Before he left, the rainbow-haired Skyborn flew up in front of him!
"Dude. THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Oh man! I don't I've ever seen anyone who can fight like that! Sure, she really thrashed you, but you didn't give in once!"
Burst blinked. "Uh..thanks, I guess. But could you please move out of the way? I need to get ready for round two." Not that having my blasters on me will give me that much an edge. But they should let me stay in the fight longer. Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea to kick things off with one of my stronger offensive spells.
"So you're going at Nightmare Moon again, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You got guts dude. I respect that. Name's Rainbow Dash! Fastest Skyborn in all of Unity! And you're Burst Stream. That's what you said your name was, right?"
Burst nodded. "Only name I've got Rainbow. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get dressed for the occasion." Burst headed back to his house, and discarded his tattered shirt. He made his way to his closet, and pulled out the coat his mother had made for him. "Let's see what's so special about it." Burst tried to cut one of the sleeves with his sword, but the blade didn't even make a dent. "Okay. Looks like this coat is pretty special after all." Burst examined the coat. It was white in color, and fell to his knees. Additionally, there was holster harness that Burst set up for his blasters. Burst also grabbed a new shirt from his closet. It was black, but had a white dragon on the front. It's eyes a brilliant blue. Burst set the harness onto his coat, and slipped the coat on. He equipped his weapons, and headed out the front door. Burst looked up at the sky. Where there had once been daylight, night was slowly starting to creep across the sky. And far earlier than it was supposed to fall. Burst narrowed his eyes, and gave one of his blasters a spin. "Looks like it's gonna be a long night."
TO BE CONTINUED!