Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Gainax and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro.
"Interesting..."- Nightmare talking.
"Why me..." -Ordinary speaking
'And so it begins.' -Nightmare thoughts
'Aw hay.' -Ordinary thoughts
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Grumbling as his alarm goes off, Shinji snarls for a moment as his sleep fogged mind tries to figure out why he set it. All of a sudden it comes to him causing his eyes to shoot open and his muzzle to be split by a massive grin as he sees the time. "Nearly forgot about that!"
Nightmare just sighs. ‘Now what is it that you want to do foal?’
Having gotten used to her moods, Shinji’s grin doesn’t falter as he looks around before pulling out a backpack. ‘I’ve been planning this for three days! Ooooh… I can’t wait!’
Raising a metaphorical eyebrow as her host licks his lips, Nightmare rolls her eyes. ‘I don’t know what you wish to accomplish with this foal as you’ll be caught.’
Shinji snorts some. ‘Nope! I got this timed perfectly!’ Feeling the question from his roommate, Shinji chuckles. ‘I managed to get the schedule for the cafeteria shifts with my clearance.’ He then frowns. ‘Got to find a better way to use a computer then using telekinesis on a pencil to do my typing…’
Sighing, Nightmare gives him a look. ‘And how, prey tell, does knowing the schedule help?’
Shinji’s small grin comes back. ‘There’s a two hour opening when the cafeteria is closed and no one is there inside it. Now, normally where the food is kept is locked to keep people out, but such things won’t bother me.’
Nightmare gives a slight grin as she appears in the nearby mirror. ‘Ooo! And the little colt takes his first step into a life of villainy.’
Shinji just scowls as he places the pack across one shoulder, shifting some at how uncomfortable it feels. ‘I’m just getting fed up with what I am eating is all. Eating things like grains and oats all the time gets tiresome.’ He then blinks before turning to the mirror with a thoughtful frown. ‘Are you sure that it’s okay for me to eat that?’
Nightmare rolls her eyes with a ever suffering sound making Shinji glare at her. ‘Of course I am foal!’ She then grumbles. ‘I miss so many foods that I used to eat…’
Shinji shrugs a bit before sighing. ‘Well… maybe later I’ll see what I can do.’ A moment later, he disappears. A few minutes pass before he reappears with his pack bulging with what’s inside. Placing it on the ground, he turns on the stove and sets ups cooking implements and supplies as his mouth waters. ‘Oh… I can’t wait…’
Five hours later finds Dr. Akagi looking over various notes as she looks up at the Section 2 agent before her. "So, anything of note happen during the night watch?"
The Section 2 agent just shrugs. "At around two hundred hours the Third Child did a teleportation into the cafeteria’s kitchen. Video shows him grabbing various supplies using his telekinesis before teleporting back to his current residence and cooking it up."
Ritsuko nods a bit before stopping. "Wait… what did he grab?"
The Section 2 agent raises an eyebrow before answering. "Various things such as eggs, bacon, ham, some sausages… Miso, ramen noodles and such. There was enough for at least three people and he ate it all."
Ritsuko’s eyes nearly pop from her head at hearing this. "WHAT!?" A half hour later finds her pacing in front of Shinji who’s looking on with a guilty look while Misato is trying to keep calm. "Third Child, do you have any idea as to what effect those foods can have on a normal horse!? Horses are not meat eaters and cannot digest those foods easily!"
Shinji just takes a breath before cocking his head to the side. "How do you know that whatever I am can’t eat meat?"
Misato just gives him a raised eyebrow before massaging her nose as she closes her eyes. "Shinji, you’re basically a horse."
Shinji just shakes his head. "I did do some research on it you know. I mean, look at my eyes." He gestures at them. "Both face forwards like they do on predators and omnivores not like they do on herbivores let alone on normal horses. I even have small canines, once more, like something that’s not a pure herbivore." He uses a hoof to pull up his lips showing the small, nearly unnoticeable canines. Dropping them, he then shrugs. "Besides, I haven’t had any issues from eating what I did." He then smiles as he stretches his wings some. "I also don’t feel as lethargic as I did."
Ritsuko blinks a bit a she starts to mumble. "Well maybe that might because you need food that has a higher amount of calories…" Seeing Shinji’s smirk, she glares. "That still doesn’t make what you did any less idiotic! We have next to no idea as how your body processes food or what you can eat!"
Shinji just blinks. "Well then, it’s a good thing that I started out small with only bits and pieces."
Now Misato is giving him an icluderous look. "Shinji, you ate enough to feed about three people. How is that starting small?" She blinks a little as Shinji blushes and mumbles. "What was that?"
Sighing, Shinji repeats himself. "I said that maybe you and the other should watch your meals. I’ve been grabbing small pieces without you noticing to see how it effects me."
Ritsuko just rubs the bridge of her nose. "Still Shinji, you should have discussed this with us before hand."
She jerks back a little at his glare. "Don’t you think that I’ve tried to discuss it?! But every time that I do, you guys wave me off with a ‘That’s not what horses eat Shinji.’ Or, ‘But Shinji, horses can’t eat that.’" He then shakes a little. "I AM NOT A HORSE!"
Misato nearly falls back a little from the yell as Shinji goes into a small rant. Ritsuko sharing a look with her before they both wince as he shouts that he was, and still is in his mind, a human. ‘We really haven’t been treating him as a human… have we?’
Walking over to his still ranting form, Misato sighs as she hugs him around his neck. "I’m sorry Shinji, I should have thought about how this was affecting you…"
Calming down some, Shinji lets out a breath as he wraps his neck around her’s. "I’m sorry for acting how I did but… it’s just that it’s been over a month now and its like no one is listening to me."
After a few minutes of thought, Ritsuko nods her head. "Very well Shinji. I’ll have some modifications done to your diet. And maybe we’ll have a look at what you can and can’t eat. However…" She trails off a bit as she gives him a glare that causing him to shrink back a bit. "No more stunts like this, you got it? If you want to try something that you would have normally eaten outside of what a horse can, come to me and we’ll try a small sample to see if you can digest it first before you have a meal of it, okay?" She then sighs a bit as she shakes her head as she sees his ears droop. "I don’t want to see you get hurt, okay?"
Shinji swallows a bit before hanging his head as he nods. "Yes Doctor Akagi…"
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Using his magic to quickly don his plugsuit, Shinji grimaces as Nightmare keeps bothering him. ‘So it seems that these “Angels” have finally returned to do battle with us. It shall be most interesting to see how they match up with some of the foes I remember.’
Shinji just scowls as he floats the two head pieces onto his head and into his hair. ‘You’ve seen my memories of fighting them, why not take them seriously?’
Nightmare just darkly chuckles. ‘Because the memories of mere mortals are just so malleable. A few minutes can change some parts of a memory.’
Shinji rolls his eyes as his horn lights up. ‘Oh, so I suppose that we won’t have that problem?’
He stumbles a bit at Nightmare’s answer. ‘Of course not foal, for have you not listened to what I have told you? We are not mortal.’
Shinji just blinks. ‘Wait… that wasn’t a joke…?’ Hearing her mocking laugh echoing though his mind, he growls. ‘Never mind, I’ll deal with that later.’ He then teleports to where Unit-01 is currently held, and gets into the cockpit in time to hear Asuka disobey orders and launch. ‘Dammit Asuka…’ Settling in, he sighs in the LCL, his horn softly glowing as he feels a familiar presence. ‘Hello Mother.’
He can feel her smiling as she answers. ‘Hello Shinji-kun.’ A moment later the smile becomes a scowl. ‘Hello Nightmare.’
Nightmare grins from her spot inside Shinji’s mind. ‘Aww, no nice greetings for me? That hurts, and here I was thinking that we might be friends.’
Some of the techs look over to hear Unit-01 seemingly grinding its teeth. ‘Bitch.’ Ignoring the laughter from the spirit, Yui sighs as she turns her attention to Shinji. ‘How do you stand her?’
Shinji's just shrugs a bit. ‘I’ve had practice dealing with Asuka.’
Yui once more grimaces. ‘Ah, yes… her. And how are things going there?’
Shinji grumbles a bit. ‘She’s calmed down quite a bit there. At least now her glares can’t pierce AT Fields…’ It’s at that point where Asuka starts screaming. “ASUKA!”
As they’re listening in, Yui mentally shakes her head with a scowl. ‘Foolish girl, she needs to get out of there now!’
Shinji slams a hoof down on an armrest hard enough to dent it as he glares towards the surface. ‘Damn you and your pride Asuka…’
Nightmare, however, just closes her metaphorical eyes. ‘It’s attacking her mentally… just like he would do.’
Those words cause the other two to “turn” towards her as Shinji blinks. ‘He? Who’s “He”?’
Nightmare just nods as her eyes open in a glare. ‘Yes. Discord.’
Now Yui starts to glare. ‘And who is that?’
Nightmare snorts. ‘A being so powerful that even that “ADAM” creature might not have been able to fight him. Only my previous host and her sister, wielding the Elements of Harmony, were able to seal him.’
Yui blinks at this. ‘Couldn’t they have killed him?’
Nightmare shakes her head as Shinji continues to stare at the coms in the cockpit, Asuka’s shouts and yells coming over it. ‘No. Discord was a being of pure chaos, to kill him might well have unleashed just as much destruction as this world’s Second Impact. And neither sister would risk that.’
Shinji suddenly glares at where he knows the com screen. “Let me go out in Unit-01!”
Both Yui and Nightmare are torn from their conversation as they watch as Fuyutski leans forwards. “Forget it! With the Angel’s ability to attack a pilot’s mind it’s too dangerous! And we have no idea as to what that might do you in your current state!”
Gendo just slightly nods. “Yes, we can in under no circumstances allow Unit-01 to be touched by an Angel.”
Yui just grits her teeth. ‘Damn you Gendo…’
Shinji just shakes his head. “BUT THAT WON’T HAPPEN IF I’M NOT DEFEATED!” Gendo just tells him that they have no guarantee causing Shinji to slam his hoof down again causing the armrest to be dent still farther. “BUT IF WE DON’T DO SOMETHING NOW THEN ASUKA WILL DIE!” He blinks as Gendo agrees before sending Rei to Dogma to retrieve a “Lance”. ‘A what now?’
Yui narrows her eyes. ‘The “Lance of Longinius”. A legendary relic that was used against ADAM.’
Nightmare raises an eyebrow. ‘So a weapon capable of harming a god. How… interesting.’ She then cocks her head to the side. ‘And it seems like he’s had to admit to another lie.’
Shinji’s mother just mentally sighs. ‘Yes. Only a being from ADAM with a active S2 core could trigger Third Impact if it was to touch Lilith.’
Maya’s watching the readings as Rei prepares to fire the Lance when her monitor lights up. “I’m getting a massive energy spike from the Angel!”
Misato whips around and stares at her. “WHAT!?”
Shinji can only watch in horror as a second beam from the Angel floods over Unit-00’s form as Rei begins screaming, the first lightening some as it concentrates on Rei making her drop the Lance. “REI!” He then turns to the communication monitor. “LET ME SAVE THEM!”
Gendo just shakes his head. “No, it’s too dangerous. Rei, do as you have been ordered.”
Shaking, Rei nods. “Ye-yes… sir YAAAGH!”
The beam suddenly intensifies drowning out all thought as the Angel sees her intentions. Shinji just growls as he hangs his head. ‘Dammit… There’s got to be something that I can do…’
Nightmare just leans back in his mindscape with a smirk, her eyes closed. ‘Ah, but there is.’
Shinji’s eyes widen. ‘There is!? What is it!?’
Yui gives her a suspicious glance in the shared mindscape as Nightmare asks if the EVA truly does have the same power source as the Angels. ‘Yes…’ Her glance becomes a glare as the dark spirit chuckles. ‘Why are you asking?’
Nightmare just grins. ‘Because if we activate it and channel the energy into Shinji then he might have the power to do what he just thought of doing.’ She hears Shinji gasp making her laugh. ‘Oh yes!’ Her eyes then darken some. ‘However, doing so comes at a price.’
Shinji grits his teeth as he sees Unit-00 stagger some. ‘What’s your price?’
Nightmare laughs. ‘Oh! It’s not a price for me, but rather for you Ikari Shinji. And it is a heavy one.’ Sensing the confusion, she continues. ‘You see… in order to gain the power you need, you must sacrifice any chance of ever becoming human once more.’
‘WHAT!?’
Nightmare laughs. ‘You see child, at the moment your form is currently in flux. There is a small chance that you might naturally become human again. But the amount of power needed will permanently freeze the flux in place, turning you into a Alicorn for good. There will be no turning back from this if you make this choice.’ She then closes her eyes. ‘So… what is worth to you more? Your humanity, or your mares?’
Shinji just trembles for a few moments as Yui argues with Nightmare. Their argument ends though a moment later. ‘Do it.’
Nightmare’s grin widens. ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’
Shinji just scowls. ‘I said, “Do it”.’
Yui just shakes her head. ‘Shinji, look there must be an-‘
He mentally yells at her. ‘THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!’ He then takes a breath. ‘I don’t care what I need to do if it saves them.’
All is silent before Yui sighs. ‘Okay Shinji-kun.’ Slowly, the S2 organ begins to glow as it comes online. “And Shinji-kun? I am proud of you.’
He just nods. ‘Thank you Mother.’
Just as Gendo is about to order Unit-01 into battle, one of the techs suddenly starts shouting. “UNIT-01’S POWER LEVELS RISING! WE’RE GETTING SIGNS THAT THE its S2 ORGAN IS ACTIVATING!”
Eyes wide, Gendo looks at Shinji to see him glowing and twisting in his seat. “Pilot! What are you doing!?”
Shinji just opens one eye and glares as he feels the almost painful feeling of power filling him. “I’m… doing… what’s needed!”
Gendo grits his teeth as he sees Shinji’s back arching as the window fills with light before cutting off. “Section Two, I am ordering you to subdue the Third Child with any means necessary.”
Down in the holding bay, several Section Two agents armed with tranq rifles enter just in time to see the Entry Plug disengage. One of them is about to say something when it explodes revealing Shinji with an aura around him. Shinji takes a breath of fresh air as he looks around in some shock. ‘This… this feels…’
Nightmare just purrs. ‘Indeed foal. What you are feeling is the power inherent to being an Alicorn.’ She then frowns. 'Sadly, this is temporary as this power will run out leaving you with slightly more then you had.'
A moment later, Shinji has to duck as a dart nearly hits him. He then turns to the Section Two agents. “Third Child, you are to stand down by order of the Commander. If you do not, we are authorized to use force.”
Shinji just narrows his eyes before looking to the side and seeing the tunnel to the launch Shute open and shakes his head. “You’re going to have to catch me first.” Leaping up onto the railing, he jumps and unfolds his wings, taking to the air as the memories that Nightmare is sending him tell him to. Flying down the tunnel at high speed, he makes a sharp turn at the end and heads upwards as the doors begin closing. He slowly gains more and more speed as he sees the last armored door to the outside nearly closed. ‘We’re not going to make it.’
Nightmare’s eyes widen with glee. ‘Do you truly think that such a thing shall stop us?’
This is shown as it closes and locks… only to explode outwards as Shinji bursts through it and into the storm outside. Down in Central Dogma, Ritsuko has her jaw dropping as she shakes her head. “Tha… that’s not possible! A biological of that size hitting it at that speed should have been splattered!”
Misato just blinks in surprise. “I... guess that he’s tougher then he looks?” Seeing the stares, she shrugs. “What?”
Outside, Shinji upon seeing the Lance swoops down, both it and his horn becoming enveloped within a purple glow as he shoots upwards, soon entering the clouds as he begins ascending. As he does so, he starts squinting both from the fury of the storm as it unleashes it’s might against and him as well as his still rapid acceleration, a cone of sorts beginning to surrounding him. Down below, Maya is gaping at what her monitors are telling her. “He’s… he’s about to break the-“ All of a sudden Tokyo-3 is lit up as a massive rainbow explosion occurs, shredding the storm around it and traveling outwards in a ring shape. “Sound… barrier…” She then shakes her head. “He’s still accelerating. Mach 1.8, Mach 2.3, Mach 2.9.”
Shigeru starts watching own monitors. “He’s also still ascending. 60,000 feet, 68,000 feet, 73,000 feet.”
Makoto turns. “I’m reading a White Waveform pattern from the Third Child.”
Fuyutski just blinks as he narrows his eyes as he mumbles to himself. “A White Waveform Pattern…”
As Shinji reaches 120,00 feet, the Angel finally turns it’s attentions to him, letting the other two go as it baths him in light making him squint against it as he feels a pressure build up within his head. Deep inside his mindscape, Arael, taking the form of as child version of Asuka, slowly turns. “You’re not a Lilium…”
It soon faces a smirking Nightmare moon. “Of course not Little Thing, for I am something far greater.” She then grins revealing a mouth full of not horse teeth, but many rows of fangs. “And you were a foal to try and face me where I am at my strongest.”
Her eyes flash just as she charges at the Angel. In Central Dogma Maya turns to look at a stunned Ritsuko. “Senpai! I’m getting fluctuations in the Angel’s AT Field. It’s as if…” Her shoulder slump. “It’s as if… he’s counter attacking it.”
Ritsuko just slams her hands down on the console. “This… this is impossible!”
Misato’s hand slowly comes up and clutches at the cross. “Shinji-kun…” She swallows. ‘What have you become?’
Up in space, Shinji snarls in the vacuum as he lines up. ‘DIE!’ And one final burst of magic, he flings the Lance at the distracted Angel with all his might, piercing it. A moment later it seems to explode into particles of light as the Lance continues onwards. For his part, Shinji is panting in the non-existent air as he slows and stops. Hanging there, he blinks. ‘I… did it?’ He then grins. ‘I DID IT!’
After a moment, he slowly twists in space as his expression turns from one of victory, to one of awe as he beholds all of the planet below him, the ring of rainbow light still tearing through the dying storm. Deep in his mind, Nightmare has a grin of satisfaction as she nods. ‘Look upon this sight young Prince and never forget it. For this is what you are defending…’