The Elements of Heroism sat in the town square. "Okay Ice." Burst Stream began. "We've taken down all of Night Terror's warriors, right? So that just leaved the big bad himself. So can you tell us how to get to his home turf?"
"That's just the problem." Dark Ice said with a sigh. "Before I awakened as an Element of Heroism, I still had my nightmare abilities. I could open up portals to the Nightmare Forces' lair. But now? I can't. Otherwise, we're gonna have to wait for Night Terror to come to us."
Burst sighed. "I see...well, no point in dwelling on it. When he comes, and I'm pretty sure he will, we'll just take him down then and there! Shouldn't be a problem! Especially with the new move I whipped up."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Dark Ice cautioned. "I've seen the guy up close. And let me tell you this. He's no Avatar in terms of power. But he is crazy strong. Plus, he's got a serious case of hate for the Elements of Harmony and especially you Burst."
Inferno blinked in confusion. "Hold up. Last time I checked, Twilight and the others were the ones who revived the Elements of Harmony and purified Princess Luna. So shouldn't they be the sole objects of Night Terror's attacks?"
"Why else do you think the Nightmare Forces centered their attacks on Unityville?" Ace asked. "Twilight and the girls live here. So if they were ever going to stage an attack against the Elements of Harmony, this would be the place to start. But still, Burst didn't do that much. All he did was fight against Nightmare Moon a little. And even then, he barely held his own. I should know. I saw his first fight with her back at town hall."
Dark Ice nodded. "As true as that is, Night Terror hates Burst specifically for intervening when Nightmare Moon was about to mount a final attack against the Elements of Harmony. He hates all of us now because I'm a traitor and the rest of you have been wrecking his plans. But he hates Burst Stream the most because of how involved he was in Nightmare Moon's defeat."
"Well, now I know I'm a real hero." Burst Stream said with a sigh. "Because now I've got a nemesis." Burst Stream then smiled. "And now I get to fight him!"
Tyrannus blinked in confusion. "You're...happy that you're going to fight against a crazy powerful being of pure evil that wanted to court a mad Avatar that tried to bring eternal night?"
"Hey. We're heroes. Fighting crazy villains is kinda in our job description." Burst said with a shrug. "Besides, if we let him do as he pleases, everyone's just gonna get hurt. And I don't think any of us want to see that happen." Burst then put a hand on Tyrannus's shoulder. "So. Still think I'm crazy?"
Tyrannus chuckled. "Just making sure I'm not the only one hyped to put an end to this. The sooner we take down Night Terror, the sooner I can get back to repaying Fluttershy's kindness." And maybe even more than that.
"Sounds like you've got a big crush on that little cutie." Burst said with a chuckle. "So Ice. What can we expect from Night Terror's home base if we somehow manage to take the fight to his turf?"
Dark Ice scratched his chin in thought. "Well, last I checked he still had plenty of disposable grunts to throw at us." Ice then summoned his claymore. "But with what we're packing? I think we'll be more than prepared to handle them. I don't know if there were any defenses in place. Namely because I didn't actively explore the place because it just screamed creepy. Sorry if that wasn't much help."
"Hey. You weren't in your right mind Ice." Arctic Ace said with a comforting smile. "Sure. You did some bad things and made a wrong call or two. But what counts is that you want to make things right."
Dark Ice breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Ace. I really needed to hear that. Though I'd appreciate it if Rainbow Dash didn't hover over our conversation."
"How did you notice me?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she landed.
Steel Edge chuckled. "Oh, we knew you were here the whole time Dash. It's pretty easy to smell the confidence on you. So, you here to offer us any tips for a kickin' soundtrack for our final fight?"
"Actually, I was hoping to come with." Rainbow Dash said with a boastful grin. "With me and the other girls, we should be able to take down Night Terror no problem! Especially since we're the bearers of the Elements of Harmony!"
Steel scratched his head. "Uh, Dash? This is more of a...'Heroism' thing as opposed to harmony."
"Oh? And just what does that mean?!" Rainbow Dash snapped! "Do you think you can do a better job than us, is that it?!"
Steel reeled back in shock. "What? No! That's not it at all! It's just...well..."
"Rainbow Dash. I've got no doubt you can hold your own in a fight." Burst interjected. "You and the other Elements of Harmony are all heroes in your own right. Especially since you're the ones who reunited Princess Celestia with her sister Princess Luna. But the fact is, what we're dealing with is a full-on fight. You, Twilight, and the other girls...none of you are prepared for this. And while I'm certainly any of you could wield the Duelist Arms we have, the fact remains that you don't have much experience in actual fights. But if you really think you can handle Night Terror just by whipping out the Elements of Harmony, go ahead. I'd welcome the assistance."
Rainbow Dash smirked. "Sit tight boys! Me and the girls got this one!" And with that, Rainbow Dash flew off to find the rest of the Main 6.
"Burst? Are you sure you're making the right call?" Steel asked nervously.
Burst Stream sighed. "No. I'm not. But I don't want us to seem like assholes who think we're the only ones capable of taking down threats to Unity. They did defeat Nightmare Moon, and Night Terror doesn't have the strength or power of an Avatar according to Ice. Still, some part of me can't help but worry for them."
Meanwhile, the Main 6 had gathered and had equipped the Elements of Harmony to themselves. "Alright girls. Let's take this fight out of town. We can't afford to get anyone caught in the blast." Twilight cautioned as she and the girls stepped out to the field near Unityville. "Night Terror! We know you've been watching us! We want to settle this once and for all!"
As if he was listening, Night Terror stepped through a portal he had opened. "I must admit. Such a bold move from you was unexpected. Sending my warriors to eliminate you six was a waste of time. If I wanted the job done right, I should have done it myself. Which I will now rectify." Night Terror flared his magic.
"Alright girls! Let's do this!" Twilight cried out as she and the rest of the Main 6 began to charge up the Elements of Harmony! However, their concentration was broken by a blast of magic fired by Night Terror! "Ngh...."
Night Terror chuckled at the Main 6 sprawled over the field. "Your revival of the Elements of Harmony may have surprised Nightmare Moon. But it holds no shock over me. While it's true that the Elements of Harmony are an unstoppable force, their greatest weakness is their unity. Remove one, and the rest are useless. I tried that when I offered you power Rarity. But since more strategic methods failed, I decided to implement the most effective solution. Brute force."
"That on its own won't get you too far." Twilight countered as she and the Main 6 rose to try and power up the elements. However, they had to break off their charging up when Night Terror fired a volley of magic blasts right at them.
Night Terror smirked as the Main 6 tried to avoid his attack. "You made two greivous errors. One was that you assumed I would be paralyzed before the might of the Elements of Harmony. And the other was assuming that I would allow you even the slightest chance of using them on me. Unlike your battle against Nightmare Moon, there is no Burst Stream to hold me down while you power up." Night Terror then detonated his magic blasts! The force knocking the Main 6 unconscious! "And now I'll be confiscating you from this world." Night Terror summoned a sphere of dark magic, and placed the Main 6 inside it with the Elements of Harmony alongside them. The Main 6 soon recovered and tried to use the elements to break free! Only to receive a shocking result from their prison. "Like I said. I will not make the same mistake as my intended queen. Each time you try to activate the Elements of Harmony, you will be shocked. But my vengeance is not yet complete." Night Terror teleported into the town square! Right in front of the Elements of Heroism. "Greetings 'heroes'."
"Night Terror." Burst noticed Twilight and the girls trapped in a sphere prison. "So. It looks like you've finally decide to get your revenge yourself."
Night Terror sneered at Burst! "Indeed I have. But my vengeance is far from complete. No, it's missing something. Your lifeless corpse hung from a post. As a reminder of the fate awaiting all who oppose me! I knew that if I attacked your friends you would have plenty of reason to engage me in combat. But you have no way of entering my domain." Night Terror snapped his fingers, and a portal to the Nightmare Forces' lair opened up. "So I extend you this invitation. Come and rescue your friends. If you dare! You're more than welcome to come to their aid! And free, of course, to march to your doom! Before you perish I shall show you all true terror!" And with that Night Terror stepped through the portal to his lair!
Burst Stream clenched his fists before taking a deep breath and facing his team. "Well guys. Here we are. This is our last fight agaisnt Night Terror. Our friends, our home, our entire world is on the line. Today we're definitely going to be facing a high chance that some of us might not be coming back. But if we don't take a stand now, no one ever will. I'm not going to ask any of you who don't want to fight to join me. None of us are going to hold that against you. This is your last chance. If any of you want to back out now, do it."
"No way I'm letting that creep get his claws on Rarity." Inferno replied. "We started this crazy ride together Burst. I'm sticking it out until our grand finale! Who knows? This might just be it."
Steel smirked. "Someone's gotta save the day. Plus, Dash'll owe me one."
"They took Fluttershy." Tyrannus said as he cracked his knuckles. "Celestia have mercy on them if they made her cry."
"It'd be stupid if we just ignored the fact that our friends need us." Ace said with a smile. "In your own words, 'That's just what heroes do.'"
Ice readied his claymore. "Just tell me where I need to go and what I need to smash."
Burst Stream slowly smiled as he saw his friends ready their Duelist Arms. "Then let's end the reign of terror." The Elements of Heroism stepped through the portal into the Nightmare Forces' lair. "Well. Isn't this place just screaming creepy?" Burst remarked as he and the other Elements of Heroism stood before the dark castle that served as Night Terror's lair. "Time to ring the doorbell." Burst Stream charged up both of his blasters, and fired a dual charge shot that brought the gate down! On the other side, the remaining minions of the Nightmare Forces awaited them. Burst holstered one of his blasters, and drew his sword. "LET'S ROCK!"
The Elements of Heroism charged at the horde of minions in front of them! Tyrannus cleared them a path with his cannon, and Ice cleaved his way through their ranks with his clamore! Burst and Inferno slashed and shot their way through the grunts in their path! Steel and Ace dive-bombed the swarm of minions from the air! Breaking up their lines with slashes from above! Despite the strength in numbers that the minions possessed, it was nothing in comparison to the Elements of Heroism fighting as a team! Before long, all the minions were dispatched. "This is it." Burst said as he and the Elements of Heroism noticed a door slowly open. Leading to the inside of the castle. "Let's not keep our host waiting." And with that, the Elements of Heroism entered the castle. The door slamming shut behind them. "No turning back now."
The Elements of Heroism journeyed down the corridor to the throne room. Night Terror sat upon the throne with the Main 6 spectating from their magical prison. "How valiant of you to fight your way here. But it is all for naught. Today marks the day I rise, and the day where you fall."
Burst and the guys got into fighting stances! "Okay guys. We decimated his grunts when we worked together, so if we-"
"Screw waiting! I'm taking him now!" Dark Ice screamed as he charged at Night Terror! "RAAAAAUUUGGGHHH!"
Night Terror smirked. "So. The first to meet his fate is the traitor. How appropriate." Night Terror fired a stream of dark lightning from his hand! Striking Ice right in the chest! Right as Ice dropped his claymore, Night Terror gripped Dark Ice with his magic. "And now traitor." Night Terror walked over to Ice's claymore, and began to reach for it. "You shall-ARRGHHH!" Night Terror's hand was smoking the minute he laid a finger on Ice's claymore! "What trickery is this?!" Night Terror was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that his concentration on his hold over Dark Ice was broken!
Dark Ice scrambled over to his claymore, and recovered it! Getting in a slash against Night Terror's left arm! "That was for disarming me with a cheap trick!" But as Dark Ice leaped into the air to try and land another critical hit, a stream of nightmare essence from where Night Terror's arm had been sliced off sent him flying!
"Oh, I'm far from disarmed fool." Night Terror said with a sneer as the nightmare essence began to condense and form a monstrous claw arm! "Your weapons have indeed proven lethal to my minions. But I am on a level above them!" A pitch black aura exploded around Night Terror! "I shall show you all true terror before ending your pitiful lives!"
"Don't hold anything back!" Burst cried out as he led the charge against Night Terror! Burst struck at Night Terror's new arm, but his sword made little more than a shallow cut! However, Burst made use of the opportunity for a point blank shot! "Dodge this!" Burst fired a charged shot right at Night Terror's gut! However, all that it managed to do was wind Night Terror momentarily!
Night Terror sneered as he knocked Burst away! "Useless!" He then took a hit from Tyrannus's cannon! And while the blast had knocked him back, Night Terror was still standing! He then charged at Tyrannus! In a defensive maneuver, Tyrannus deployed his raptor gauntlets' blades in a guarding position! "Useless useless useless!" Night Terror screamed as he swung at Tyrannus! Knocking him out of his guard position and sending him flying!
"Heads up ugly!" Steel screamed as he flew right at Night Terror! Only for Night Terror to wave his cape and send him right out the other side! "Huh?!" Steel barely had any time to process what happened before he crashed right into Inferno! "Agh!" Steel groaned as he and Inferno sorted themselves out of their collision. "Okay. He's definitely earned his spot as the final boss. Also, OW!'
Inferno groaned as he got to his feet. "Alright. Time to burn this creep!" Inferno fired a charge shot at Night Terror, but it was sent back by Night Terror smacking it back with his cape! "Agh!" Inferno screamed as he took the force of his own attack! The force of it knocking him back! "Great...can this guy be anymore broken?!"
"How's this for an answer?" Night Terror said with a smirk as he suddenly vanished. The Elements of Heroism gathered together in the center of the throne room. But as they did so, Night Terror suddenly materialized in the air above them! "Dark Volley!" Night Terror fired a volley of magical blasts from his hand! Raining them down on the Elements of Heroism beneath him! Ace and Steel raised their shields to block the blasts, while Burst and Inferno deflected the blasts back at Night Terror with their swords! The deflected blasts tore apart Night Terror's cape! Eliminating his warping ability! However, he was far from done. "DREEAD IMPACT!" Night Terror slammed claw arm onto the ground as he landed! Sending out a shockwave that sent the Elements of Heroism flying! All of them landing in a pile a few feet away. "I should have done this from the start..."
"This guy's so strong..." Ace groaned as he tried to get to his feet. "Even if we manage to hack off one of his limbs, he might just regenerate it and make it more lethal.."
"And his magic is no joke either..." Inferno added. "Just deflecting one of them took a lot of effort with all the force he put into them."
Steel used his sword to prop himself up. "Not to mention that claw arm of his also makes a pretty good defense. Even if I could pull off an omnislash, it wouldn't be a guaranteed finisher."
"My cannon didn't do much except knock him back a bit." Tyrannus noted. "Any other ideas?"
Dark Ice shook his head. "Considering his claw arm could easily stop the blade of my claymore? No."
"Actually...I have an idea." Burst said as he slowly rose to his feet. "I've got a new move that I recently completed. If I can pull it off, it should be able to destroy Night Terror with one hit. And it doesn't take too long to charge. But we need to wear him down more. Because this move takes a lot out of me. Think you guys are up for it?" The other guys nodded, and they all mounted one last charge against Night Terror.
Night Terror simply scoffed at the effort. "Pathetic. HRRAAUUGHH!" A wave of dark power exploded out from Night Terror knocking the Elements of Heroism to the ground! As soon as the wave came to a stop, Night Terror noticed Burst Stream was still standing. "You were one of the first to oppose me. Fitting that you should be the last one to fall." Night Terror sent out a small blast that struck Burst's right leg!
"AGGHH!" Burst screamed as he fell to one knee. However, his eyes still burned with defiance. "So. This is it, huh? Before you kill me off, I have a question." At that moment, Burst began to secretly gather his magic and energy into his right fist. "Did you really love Nightmare Moon?"
Night Terror frowned. "Why would I need to waste time on such a foolish sentiment? I wished for her to be my queen because she was powerful. With our strength combined we would make all who would stand against us. A few sweet words and praise, and she would be putty in my hands due to her pride. Then you had to come along and ruin it. So I guess I'll have to settle for hanging your corpse as a warning to those who dare oppose me!"
Hearing this made Burst angry. So he didn't even have real feelings for her?! That's it. I don't care how beat up I am or how much pain I'm in! I'm going to push past everything to defeat this guy! I'll shift everything... At that moment, the energy and magic peaked! Burst's fist once again enveloped in a brilliant blue glow! INTO OVERDRIVE! "Then what're you waiting for?! COME AND GET ME!"
"AS YOU WISH!" Night Terror roared as he charge at Burst Stream! His claw arm raised to strike! "KNOW TRUE TERROR ON YOUR WAY TOWARDS DEATH!"
Burst Stream managed to stand once again, and mounted his own charge! "WHITE LIGHTNING...." Just as Night Terror began to bring down his claw arm, Burst struck Night Terror with all his might right in the chest! "OVERDRIVE!" The glow immediately faded from Burst's fist, and he stepped back while Night Terror was winded!
"Heh...Heh heh! Was that your last pitiful hope?!" Night Terror said with a sneer. "How fitting that you pin your final hopes on a failed-GAUUGH!" Night Terror clutched his chest in pain! "What's....happening?!" A beam of light shot out from Night Terror's core! Lightning dancing around his body before more beams of light shot out! Not a second later, a massive burst of white lightning exploded from where Night Terror was standing! Night Terror screamed as he was completely obliterated from the White Lightning Overdrive! "AAUUUUUGGHHH!" As soon as the light faded, there was nothing left of Night Terror.
An exhausted smile crept across Burst Stream's face as he raised his fist in triumph! The Main 6 were freed from their prison upon Night Terror's destruction, and ran over to the Elements of Heroism to congratulate them.. "I...did it...Unnghh..." Burst soon fell unconscious, but Inferno managed to catch him before he hit the ground.
"He still breathing." Inferno said as he looked to Burst's unconscious form. "Way to go buddy." However, their celebration was cut short as the entire castle began to rumble! "I think we've worn out our welcome! C'mon! Let's go home!" Both sets of elements made a break for the portal back to Unityville, and barely made it out as the Nightmare Forces' lair crumbled to ruins! As they arrived, they were greeted by a most welcome sight.
"Welcome back." Princess Celestia said with a warm smile. "The nightmare is over. Elements of Heroism. For rescuing the Elements of Harmony, and for vanquishing the Nightmare Forces, you have my eternal thanks. I owe you something that can't be repaid."
Inferno chuckled. "Hey, who said we ever did any of this for a reward? Besides..." Inferno laid Burst down. "If anything, you should be thanking him. He's the one that finished off Night Terror once and for all. If he were awake, I'm pretty sure he'd try and kiss you. But first? I think we'd all better get patched up."
"Indeed." Celestia said with a sage nod before turning her gaze to Burst Stream's unconscious form. "I hope you don't mind, but I would like to accompany you to the hospital. I'd very much like to hear of your struggle." And with that, the group set off to the hospital.
A few hours later
Burst groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness. "Ngggh..." He then noticed his current location. "Must've gotten more messed up than I thought." Burst was about to try and get out of his bed when he noticed Celestia out of the corner of his eye. "Oh...Celestia. How long have you been here?"
"Ever since you got checked in." Celestia answered with a small smile. "You know? I really can't thank you enough for what you've done. First my sister. Then you save my student and her friends. All regardless of the danger in front of you. And yet when things seem at their worst, you triumph over it all. Element of Power indeed. But even so, all I can ask is why?"
Burst blushed at the compliment. "Well, it's pretty simple. I wanted to see your smile. That..and you're someone worth fighting for. Ever since I frist saw you, you've been on my mind a lot." Burst then looked Celestia right in the eye. "You said there was nothing you could do to thank me. Well, you're not exactly wrong. There is something you can do. In specific, at the upcoming Grand Gala."
"Oh?" Celestia asked. "And what would that be?"
Burst gulped. "Well...it's completely optional. You don't have to say yes to it, but I'd appreciate it all the same if you'd hear my request when the time comes."
"I'll be sure to hang on every word." Celestia said with a giggle. "But until then..." She then leaned over Burst's bed, and kissed him on the forehead. "I think that should be thanks enough for now." As soon as Celestia left Burst's room, she placed her hands over her heart. It's been quite a while since anyone made me feel this way. Sure enough, Celestia flew back to Castalot. She then toured her hall of stained glass windows. But as she walked down the hall, a new window caught her eye. In it was Burst Stream destroying Night Terror. "I guess I've found my hero." Celestia said with a smile as she gazed at the window.