Inferno Flare took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time that he'd come here, but that didn't make his frequent visits any less hard. He looked up to the statue of Burst Stream with a small smile.
"Hey Burst." Inferno said sadly. "Sorry if I'm dropping in on you frequently. But hey, you don't look like you're going anywhere for a while. I might as well chat with you while I can. Things are going pretty good so far. Queen Chrysalis showed up to try and make trouble, but I sent her packing with a scorching finish. You had your signature magic attack. Now I've got mine. I call it the Black Fire Bullet. Then again, you probably know that already considering the fact I screamed it right in front of you."
"But, that's not the point of me coming here." Inferno said with a sigh as he looked at the ground. "I'm as good a fighter as the rest of the guys, but I don't have much experience leading a team. I know that I've had my time as a lead singer, but that doesn't make me the leader of my band. We all make decisions together and as equals. Something that we also did as a team of heroes. But when it came down to the tough calls or on-the-fly decisions, it was always you who gave the word. The one we all rallied behind when our backs were to the wall. And now, everyone's going to look to me to give the final word. Burst, I don't know if I'm actually ready for this. I know that I've ascended into an Avatar, and that you named me as your second-in-command to take over if you weren't around, but I've never led an actual battle! It was never me who led the charge, or got everyone's spirits up!"
"I. . . I'm scared man." Inferno said as he clenched his fist. "Because some part of me is happy that you believe in me, but another can't help but feel you might have made a mistake in picking me. If you can hear me from wherever you are, give me something, anything, that proves you were right to choose me." Inferno hung his head in shame. "It's not the same without you bud." Inferno stood there for only a minute, but it felt like an hour due to the heaviness of his doubt.
"Hey boss." Steel Edge called out from the sky above as he descended to meet his comrade-turned-leader. "How ya doing?"
"You talking to me or him?" Inferno said with a sad smile as he gestured to the statue of Burst Stream. "Because I don't think you're going to get a word out of him."
"I came here because my friend could use a pep talk." Steel Edge said with a grin. "You wouldn't look very heroic if you kept walking around with a mopey look on your face."
"Funny. I thought Akage would cover something like that." Inferno said with a small chuckle. "If anything, I think you should've been named leader. You do have plenty of experience being captain of the Elite Guard."
"You bring up a solid point, but it's ultimately overridden by one single fact." Steel said with a serious look on his face. "That Burst Stream chose YOU to lead the Elements of Heroism. You're the Element of Potential, Inferno. That means you could be a great leader for us. That's not the most important reason why you should accept your new role."
"Then what's the reason?" Inferno asked.
"Because Burst believed in you." Steel answered with a reassuring grin. "You were always at his side, and you stuck with him no matter what. He was proud to have a friend like you fighting alongside him, and he couldn't have thought of anyone more fitting to lead if he couldn't. Because you stick by all of us, and have a fire in you that's contagious once it starts burning! And I know you're going to be a good leader because you have a great example to follow." Steel pointed at Burst's statue.
"Burst put our needs above his own, and would always fight. Even if he knew he couldn't win." Steel Edge continued. "And I've seen you take that example to heart but with your own style. I noticed that when you made those one-liners in your fight with that parasite Chrysalis. Burst believed in you. The girls believe in you. Me and the guys believe you can do this too. Now all that's missing is the most important belief: belief in yourself."
"Thanks Steel." Inferno said with a smile. "But I kinda got your point a minute or two ago. Still, thanks all the same for keeping me from going into a self-doubt cycle. That stuff gets dragged on for way too long and is too overused."
"If you actually went through that, I'd bash some sense into you with my shield." Steel chuckled. "By the way, that coat looks awesome on you. Red really is your color."
"Yup. Rarity made it for me." Inferno said with a nod. "I had made in the same style to honor Burst. But I made it have my colors because I'm going to have my own style of leading."
"Well then, I bet you've wondered how good Rarity would look in a wedding dress of her own design." Steel said with a smirk. "Celestia knows the two of you are already marriage material. A couple years of dating, and you still haven't popped the question. Heck, you've gotten to the next level of intimacy already! Even Rainbow Dash and I haven't gotten farther than making out."
"Well, winning a fight while coming back from the brink of death tends to get a hero in the mood." Inferno noted. "Heck, I'm surprised Burst didn't go all the way with Moon after he destroyed Shining Dawn. Still, I guess the technically slept together a lot." The pair burst into a fit of laughter at their friend's expense.
The Zero Realm
If there was one regret Burst Stream had while he was "dying", it was that he'd never gotten that intimate with either of his girlfriends. His relationship with Celestia had been cut short thanks to Shining Dawn being a colossal asshole, and he hadn't gotten with Nightmare Moon due to her wanting to wait for him to be ready for something like that.
"Well. I know one thing I'm doing when I get back." Burst said to himself before throwing himself back into his training with Bahamut.