"Nnnnnhhh. . . " Shadow Thunder groaned in discomfort as he rolled around in his bed. Though he had been able to lie down in his bed, his sleep was anything but peaceful. Ever since Starlight had come back for Round 2, one portion of that fight kept plaguing Shadow's thoughts. Said thought had now leaked over to his dreams. "No. . . No!"
Within his nightmare, Shadow was fighting Blitz Surge. The "Element of Justice" had just released the attack that dealt a massive amount of damage to Starlight Glimmer, and he was about to go for the finisher. And Shadow was fighting with a desperation to not let him land it.
"I won't let you hurt her anymore than she already is!" Shadow screamed defiantly as his spear clashed with Blitz Surge's katana! Sparks erupting from each time the blades of their weapons clanged against each other! "She's already down! We can take her in! There's no need to go any further!"
"As long as she breathes, she is a threat." Blitz Surge answered in a cold tone with an equally chilling glare that made Shadow falter slightly. "All I'm doing is making sure she won't be able to do any more harm."
"There's another way! A better way!" Shadow snapped as he used his spear to block Blitz's slashes! "Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra! All of them redeemed themselves! We offered them friendship and belief in them! We showed them compassion, and it touched their very cores! Redemption IS possible! There's proof of it!"
"Redemption?" Blitz Surge scoffed as his expression turned into a disgusted one. "Don't speak about such garbage! 'Redemption' is nothing more than a half hearted excuse for cowards who are too afraid to do what is necessary! The same goes for showing compassion to villains like this girl and the ones you've just mentioned! Out of my way, fool!"
"Over my dead body!" Shadow growled! "I won't let you do it!"
"I've only come for one life." Blitz said calmly as he kneed Shadow in the ribs and kicking his side! While Shadow crumpled to the floor, Blitz's sword began to glow with a rainbow-colored light. "Let me show you. . . "
"No. . . " Shadow groaned in pain as he struggled to get to his feet! "Starlight. . . !"
"How a real hero deals with villains!" Blitz Surge cried out as he plunged his blade right through Starlight! And with no care whatsoever, Blitz pushed Starlight off of his blade. Flicking it clean and not even bothering to look at her body. As if she meant nothing or wasn't worth his attention. "You are far too soft, Shadow." And he left without saying another word.
"Starlight!" Shadow screamed as he made a mad dash to Starlight's body! He ripped off the mask covering her face, and could see only flickers of life in her eyes. "Hold on, please! Just hold on! I can get help!"
"I. . . " Starlight croaked. "Why. . . can't I-"
"Don't talk dammit!" Shadow snapped as he gripped her by the shoulders! "Just don't speak! I swear, I can fix this! If I just leave for a minute-"
"Please. . ." Starlight pleaded to him with teary eyes. One of her hands reaching up to Shadow's face"Not. . . alone. Don't want to be alone. . ."
". . . I won't." Shadow said as he gripped her hand. "I promise, I won't." Silence was all that answered him. "Hey, Starlight? Starlight? STARLIIIIIIGGGHT!"
"AH!" Shadow cried out as he jolted out of his bed! His heart pounding in his chest as his eyes darted around his room! Looking to see if all he'd seen in his nightmare was just that, a nightmare. "Luna's moon, it was just a nightmare!" 'So why's my heart still trembling?'
Shadow brushed aside his thoughts for a moment, and headed out of his bedroom towards the kitchen so he could eat breakfast. His two brothers greeted him, Dark Ice having returned from his vacation in the Crystal Empire.
"Hey baby bro!" Dark Ice said with a grin. "I heard from Ace that you went on your first solo mission not too long ago! Came out without a scratch to boot! Way to go, Shadow!"
"Yeah. Thanks." Shadow said with a small smile. But the look in his eyes was anything but happy as he got himself a plate of pancakes. "Sure was a big win for us."
"Okay, talk to us." Arctic Ace said with a frown. The Avatar of Wisdom crossing his arms as he looked at his younger brother with a concerned expression. "Ever since that last fight with Starlight Glimmer, you've been acting like there's nothing left for you in life. Especially when Blitz Surge was so clearly intent on taking her out."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dark Ice interjected! "First off, who the hell is Blitz Surge?"
"Another brother of Burst Stream." Shadow answered. He took a moment to see Dark Ice's annoyed expression. "Yup. We've got another possible Shining Dawn on our hands. Though in comparison, Blitz Surge is probably the worse of the two. First he just up and slaughtered a monster right when we were about to get it to back-off. Then, when Starlight came to fight me, he was going to kill her while she was already down."
"Let's not forget about him trying to usurp Inferno's inherited position as our leader." Arctic Ace added with a sigh of irritation. "I don't know what was stopping me from just freezing the jerk right there."
"Probably the fact he's Luna's champion." Shadow added glumly. "It could lead to us having bad relations with the royalty. And that could give Blitz some leverage against us."
"Thanks for catching me up." Dark Ice said with a nod. "Now could you please fess up what's troubling you, Shadow?"
"Well, I've been having dreams, nightmares actually, about that second fight with Starlight Glimmer." Shadow said as he looked down at his glass of water. "It was right when I stopped Blitz Surge from landing a final blow on Starlight. He managed to wind me, and. . . he killed her. Without any remorse, or any mercy. And then he just casually pushed her dying body off his sword like she was trash! I flew to her side, and watched her die in my arms. All because I couldn't push past my pain and was too late!"
"Shadow, you know that didn't happen." Arctic Ace said in an attempt to reassure his younger brother. "You held off Blitz Surge long enough for Starlight to slip away. She's still out there, so that means you weren't too late."
"Yeah, bro!" Dark Ice chimed in. "Starlight's still kickin'! So as long as she's out there, you've got another chance to make her come around!"
"I've already tried to talk some sense into her twice now." Shadow sighed. "And with how she's acting like a petulant child who blames the world for her problems, I don't know if I can even make a dent in her."
"Hey. You managed to bring me around when I was rolling with the Nightmare Forces." Dark Ice said with a stern, but caring tone in his voice. His big brother mode was activated. "I was at my lowest point back then. Heck, I even thought you, Ace, or our parents wanted anything to do with me ever again. But right when I was hurting the most, you welcomed me back with open arms. Without any hesitation either because you just wanted to help me move on from my pain. Don't let anyone ever tell you that your compassion's a weakness Shadow. Ever."
"Thanks Ice." Shadow said with a slight smile. "I feel a bit better now."
The day came and went, and Shadow retired to his bed that night with the hopes he would be able to have pleasant dreams. Unfortunately for him, his inner doubts and regrets wormed their way into his dreams. And once again, the Element of Compassion was plagued with nightmares.
"So you were there for your brother, but you weren't there for me?" Starlight said bitterly as she glared hatefully at Shadow! "I guess saving me didn't matter that much to you, did it?"
"Starlight, no!" Shadow protested! "That's not it at all!"
"Then why weren't you there for me when I was hurting, huh?!" Starlight shot back!
"I didn't even know about you back then!" Shadow argued! "I wasn't even an Element of Heroism yet!"
"You needed to become an Element of Heroism to save me?" Starlight scoffed. "How pathetic. Can you really call yourself a hero if you couldn't save someone without being called a hero first?"
"That's not what I meant!" Shadow cried out! "Clinging to the past-"
"IS ALL THAT I HAVE!" Starlight screamed as her magical aura exploded to life! The entire scene changing to most of the Elements of Heroism lying defeated on the ground! "AND YOU TOOK THAT FROM ME! YOU SAY YOU WANT TO SAVE ME, AND YOU'RE JUST LEAVING ME ALONE RIGHT NOW?! WHY AREN'T YOU LOOKING FOR ME?!"
"Starlight, please!" Shadow pleaded desperately! "I don't know-!"
"LOOK AROUND YOU!" Starlight gestured to the defeated forms of the Elements of Heroism. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAU-" She didn't get to finish her scream when a familiar katana pierced through her. Blitz Surge literally having stabbed Starlight in the back.
"STARLIGHT!" Shadow screamed as he threw himself towards her!
"This is all. . . your fault." Starlight croaked out as he body hit the ground.
"No. . . NO!" Shadow fell to his knees! Clutching his head in horror! Shutting his eyes tight in an attempt to unsee what he'd just witnessed. "Please! Celestia and Luna above, please! Don't let this be real! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"
"Shadow." A familiar voiced called out from all around him. When Shadow opened his eyes, he saw a blank dreamscape before him. And the source of the voice hovering above him. It was Nightmare Moon in all her dark beauty. "It's over."
"Nightmare Moon. . . " Shadow said in relief. "Thank you. I should've know that this wasn't real and-"
"You don't need to apologize for anything, Shadow." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as she raised her hand for silence. "Dreams feel real to everyone once they begin. However, it looks like the root of your nightmares hasn't been addressed. I may have vanquished the nightmare you were experiencing, but we need to get to the root of your problems. Now, what's scaring you?"
"Are you sure you can afford to spend so much time on me?" Shadow asked. "I'm pretty sure there's plenty of people who could use your help right now to get a good night's sleep."
"Luna still drops in on the dreamscape from time to time." Nightmare Moon stated. "And I find it that the kids sleep better knowing I'll be there to help them face their fears. It's pretty sweet of them to hug me before I take my leave."
"Well, if it's good enough for them." Shadow said with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure you know about this Starlight Glimmer, right?"
"Twilight informed me and Celestia of her, yes." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "So just what about her strikes fear in you?"
"It's not so much her." Shadow sighed. "It's the fact that I wasn't able to save her in our first encounter. I was trying to get through to her, but she just refused to listen to me. I don't know what kind of pain or trauma she has, but I just wanted her to know I'd be there to help her move past it. But given how she's acted, I don't think she wants to move on. And, in the nightmares I've been having. . . "
"Go on, please." Nightmare Moon urged. "Take as long as you need to get it out."
". . . I'm afraid that it's going to kill her." Shadow said as his hands began to tremble. "In my nightmares, I fail to stop Blitz Surge from killing her. Nightmares about what would've happened if I couldn't have saved her from him. And the one I just had was probably the end result of the worst possible scenario. I'm scared, Moon!" Shadow was nearly in tears at this point. "I'm scared that if I can't save her from what she's turning herself into, she's going to wind up dead! All because I failed her!"
"Shadow." Nightmare Moon said as she put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Is Starlight Glimmer still alive in the waking word?"
"Yes." Shadow answered. "But-"
"I'm not done yet." Nightmare Moon interrupted. "Shadow. You haven't failed at all because you haven't given up on Starlight. That fact alone speaks about how much you care for her." 'And from the looks of things, it's more than just another random person. How loudly you cry out for her, and the way you stayed with her in your last nightmare? Yes, there's something much more. . .' "When I was undergoing reform, it was hard. Everyone steered clear of me our of fear for setting me off. Honestly, that hurt more than getting blasted with the Elements of Harmony. But one person, I'm certain you know who, never gave up on me. When everyone else was so eager to just label me a lost cause, he didn't. Because he cared about me, and wanted to help me move forward with my life. What I'm trying to say, Shadow, is maybe you can be that person for Starlight. It won't be easy, but that's what makes it worth doing."
"Thanks Moon." Shadow said with a relieved smile.
"No problem." Nightmare Moon giggled as she gave Shadow a quick hug. "Who knows? Your dream might come true sooner than you think." And with a snap of her fingers, she crafted a new dream for Shadow. In it, Starlight Glimmer was sitting on the ground and crying. She was all alone.
"Hey." Shadow said with a friendly smile as he sat next to her. "I'm alone too. Wanna be alone together?"
"Y-Yeah." Starlight sniffled. "That sounds nice."
"Congratulations, Starlight. You're not alone now." Shadow said with a grin. One that truly spoke to the amount of accomplishment he felt with this dream. 'I'm not giving up on you. . . '