The next few days were peaceful now that Shining Dawn was no more. Both teams of elements still made it a point to train and hone their fighting abilities. Nightmare Moon even decided to join in on the sparring!
"Good to see you've got more might than just your magic!" Burst Stream quipped as he raised his arm to block a kick from Moon! "But you're supposed to start small when it comes to any fight Moon. Even if it's just practice."
"I AM starting small." Nightmare Moon said with a smirk as she swung at Burst Stream! "But given how rooted you remain, your last two battles have boosted your power significantly."
Burst smiled as he rolled his head back, and grabbed onto Moon's arm! "The benefits of being Half-Avatar!" Burst managed to throw moon over his shoulder, but it came as no surprise that she flapped her wings to recover! "Still, I owe it all training like this!" Burst charged at Moon, and pulled off a flying side-kick!
"RIDER KICK!" Burst cried out as he launched himself at Moon! Playing along, Moon tanked the kick to her stomach and fell to the ground with her tongue sticking out. Burst then struck a Kamen Rider pose as he could've sworn he heard Akage squealing with joy at the reference. "Might for right wins out every time!"
Nightmare Moon smirked as she swept Burst off his feet! Making him fall to the ground. "You're a mighty mortal indeed. But mortal nonetheless." She put a hand on her hips, and leaned forward to look Burst Stream in the eye. "Any last requests?"
". . . " Burst was silent as he tried to come up with a way to turn the situation around. And with his current position, memories of his first encounter with Moon replayed in his head. A small smile crept across his lips as a plan had formed. "Wanna kiss again?" The effect was instantaneous.
Nightmare Moon's face was flushed red as thoughts of her lips against Burst's. "I. . . I-!"
"Hadouken!" Burst cried as he fired a blast of energy from his hands! Knocking Moon to the ground! "And that's the end of our training for the day." He waved goodbye to his friends. "See you all next time!" But just as Burst was about to leave, he felt Nightmare Moon clamp her hand down on his shoulder! "Moon?"
Nightmare Moon pulled Burst Stream closer to her. "You're not going anywhere just yet Burst." She then leaned into his ear, and whispered. "We have something important to discuss." Nightmare Moon let go of Burst, and beckoned him to follow her.
"So. . . what did you want to talk about?" Burst Stream asked. "If it's for what I pulled earlier, I'm sorry! It's just. . . that position reminded me of when we first met."
Nightmare Moon took a deep breath, and turned to face Burst Stream. "Burst. That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you. Our first encounter is probably the memory that holds the greatest significance to me." She then held herself. "I could see everyone was scared by Luna and I's return. You were too, but you stood against me all the same. But that's not what etched you into my thoughts. Rather, it was what you did."
"Yeah." Burst Stream said as he scratched his head. "That was a pretty unforgettable night for me too."
"You have no idea how much that affected me." Nightmare Moon said with a small smile. "Everyone else only saw a monster upon my return. But not you. You talked to me like I was a person. You wanted to make me feel appreciated. And I saw just how far you were willing to go."
Nightmare Moon let out a fond sigh. "And following my second defeat, you were always on my mind. Even while I was little more than a mass of essence, most of my thoughts were directed towards you. During Nightmare Night, I saw you talking to the statue of me in the woods. Saying that at least one good thing came out of my existence. And it made me feel happy."
"I wanted to see you again so badly. But I figured, why would you ever want to see someone who caused so much pain for the woman you loved?" Nightmare Moon had a sad look in her eyes as she stared at the ground in reflection. "I had done so much wrong to the one person I wanted to make happy more than anyone else. I wanted to fix my mistakes. Not for their sake, but for my own. To become a better me than anyone else thought I could be. A me, that you believed in. And that light of hope you had for me never dimmed for a second. You even risked losing your own happiness because you saw I wanted to change."
The sadness in Nightmare Moon's eyes vanished, and was replaced with joy. As well as a much stronger feeling as she slowly stepped towards Burst Stream. "And now? I'm no longer the nightmare everyone thought I was. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong. That I'm accepted. That I'm wanted. All thanks to one tiny little promise you made."
"Moon. . . " Burst Stream said as his face started to get red with how close Nightmare Moon was getting.
"You shined like a light for me to hold on to." Nightmare Moon said as a loving smile spread across her face. "After all you've done for me, there could be no other feeling towards you." She then pulled Burst Stream close to her, and wrapped her wings around him as she gazed lovingly into his sapphire blue eyes. "I love you Burst Stream."
Burst Stream's heart was beating furiously. The tension with how close Nightmare Moon was and how she was holding him made Burst try to crane his neck up to kiss her. However, he was stopped by Nightmare Moon!
"Don't." She said as her smile faded. Her eyes now had a longing look in them as she leaned into his ear and whispered to him. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want that. I want it very badly. But not if you're doing it just to make me happy. No, I want you to mean it. I want to feel your lips against mine because you want to love me. What you were about to do would hurt me far worse than you never feeling the same about me. How could I ever be happy with you knowing that you were with me just to give me what I wanted?"
"Oh Moon. . . " Burst Stream said with a sigh. "I could tell how you were feeling." This earned a surprised gasp from Nightmare Moon as she pulled away from Burst's ear, and locked eyes with him. "I could see it in your smile. And I can't imagine how hard it was to keep it held inside your heart for as long as you did. But why'd you wait this long anyway?"
Nightmare Moon smiled. "Because my love for you built up over time. Also, now was the best time as well. If I had told you while you and Celestia were still together, she might have never let you out of her sight. Meaning your first fight could've been a lot worse for the both of you." She then loosened her hold a little.
"If I had told you during your moment of weakness after Shining Dawn forcibly separated you and Celestia, you would've latched onto me as a sort of consolation prize and I'd have taken advantage of you while you were hurting. That would've cheapened our potential relationship together. Now's the best time because it's an even playing field. The love you and Celestia had before your break-up is balanced with the time you two are spending apart form each other. And the care I showed for you while you were hurting, and my confession, balance out all my prior flirting. Whichever you choose me or Celestia, the odds are incredibly even."
Burst smiled warmly. "Thanks for being so considerate Moon."
"I know it seems a bit selfish. . ." Nightmare Moon said with a small smile as she touched her forehead against Burst Stream's. "But I still hope that you'll choose me. Being with you makes my heart burst with joy my precious light."
Burst Stream closed his eyes. "Don't worry. You won't have to wait another one thousand years for my answer." I know I have to choose between them, but I don't want to. Both of them are the reason why I'm the way I am. But after all that's gone down, is getting back with Celestia really the best thing for the both of us?
Back at Castalot Castle, Celestia let out a heavy sigh as she opened a door. Inside was a mirror she hadn't passed through in some time. "It's been so long since I've seen you last." Celestia stepped through the mirror, and smiled at her first love waiting for her on the other side. "It's been too long Sombra. . . "