After arriving and entering the burger joint, Sunset and Eternal waited in line. Eternal's eyes wandered around the restaurant, admiring the decor. Sunset giggled quietly to herself how he's taking in his surroundings. But her moment left when he was about to remove his hood. She gasped and stopped Eternal just in time.
"No, don't!" Sunset said quietly.
"Sorry, Sunset. But this restaurant's getting a little warm and this hoodie ain't doing me any favors other than giving me a high risk of heat strokes," Eternal whispered back.
“Maybe we can order you some water; keep you hydrated. How’s that?” Sunset suggested.
"Sure, I could use a drink or two," Eternal said. Soon, after the line got shorter, it was now Sunset's and Eternal's turn.
"Okay, see anything you like?" Sunset asked.
"Anything's fine. I'm not picky," Eternal replied. Sunset nodded and started ordering two meals, but added an extra burger for her friend just in case he was extra hungry. She then pays the cashier and takes Eternal over to a table at the end of the restaurant on the left side. There, they took their seats and waited for their meals to arrive.
"Are you holding up alright under there, Eternal?" she asks.
“Well I feel like a living furnace; but so far, I’m peachy.” Eternal replied.
"Don't worry, you'll get your meal and water soon. Eternal, I still can't believe you came all this way just to find me. If you don't mind me asking, what've you been up to recently before you came to look for me?" Sunset asked
"I got mixed up in a battle with King Sombra. He somehow got resurrected and waged war against Canterlot and he even destroyed the Tree of Harmony, as well as the Elements of Harmony in the process. But Twilight and her friends, along with myself, stopped that buffoon before he could do anymore damage. I couldn't do much though, since my magic was being disabled by those dark crystals of his. And I could only do so much with physical combat." Eternal explained. "And don't even get me started on that obnoxious laugh of his."
"That bad?" Sunset asked.
"You don't know the half of it. My mother is planning on retiring soon. So is my dear aunt Luna," Eternal said. "And she's passing on one day passing her leadership of Equestria to Twilight."
"But what about you? You're her son, isn't it like a… sacred tradition for the heir to inherit the throne or something?" Sunset asked.
"As devoted as I was to my mother's studies, Twilight showed more ambition and talent than I could ever hope to accomplish. But, to be honest… I don't mind her becoming a leader. Plus, the ponies are better off with someone who doesn't use excessive force like I do. But enough about me, how long have you been living here in this world?" Eternal asked.
“Well, things in this world have been quite crazy and stressful for me and my friends. Last spring, we had to deal with the out-of control magic surges from the Storm King’s staff; and before that, we had to deal with a girl who had a magic smartphone; then during winter, me and Pinkie had to run across a snowball battle… while protecting her precious pastry delivery.” Sunset explained.
"Tch, in my world, I can't exactly join any team when it comes to snowball fights. Anytime I'm in one of those, I can't control my aim, especially since I always attack when I leap in the air. Snowballs launching in every direction is no cake walk in the park," Eternal replied.
"You know, there was this one guy who tried to help me during the snowball fight, but he instantly wiped out and got snow all over him," Sunset replied.
"And how did he wipe out so early?" Eternal asked.
"He was talking like some crazed fanboy about finally being able to join my "adventure" and even tried to show off, so in the end, he wound up slipping on the icy path and dropped his snowballs all over him," Sunset explains.
"Wow… in my honest opinion, that was just pathetic," Eternal said, deadpanned.
Sunset giggled in his response. “Yeah, you can say that. But at least it was a fun time, and not a situation where my friends have to save the world once again.”
"Your meals," the server said, walking over and placing their meal tray on the table. "If you need anything else, just let me know. Enjoy."
"Thank you," Sunset said. As soon as the server left, she and Eternal started eating. But something stopped her from taking a bite out of her burger. For a moment, Sunset thought her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw Eternal's mouth open and all of his teeth turned into fangs. She could also swear she heard him growl as he bit off half of the burger.
"Mmm," Eternal said, munching down. After he had his first bite of a burger, his eyes were drawn to Sunset and then is confused as to why Sunset is looking at him weird.
“Uhhh, Sunset, why are you staring at me like that?” he asked her.
"Oh, uh… n-nothing. I guess I was just spacing out," she lied, waving it off.
"Well, okay if you say so." Eternal continued eating his burger like normal. Sunset shrugged off the experience and just went back to eating her meal. But when she looked back at her old friend again, she got wide-eyed when she noticed his sapphire eyes changing to a dark red color and can ever so slightly see his pupils become slit. She dropped her burger on the tray with her jaw hanging open.
Eternal sees the shock expression and suddenly his eyes instantly turned back to normal as he faces towards his old childhood friend.
"Okay, what's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" Eternal asked again. But then, he remembered how thirsty he was and drank some of his water, leaving the cup half empty. "Now what's with the expression? Sunset didn't know if she could talk her way out of this one. He had already caught her looking at him weirdly twice in a row. But then…
"Sunset! I didn't know you'd be here, what a coincidence!" said another male voice. Hers and Eternal's attention were then brought towards this young man in a black jacket with blue hair and eyes and faded yellow skin.
'What the hell, who is this guy?' Eternal thought to himself.
"Oh, hi Flash. Uh… have you met my friend here?" she gestured to Eternal. Flash turned to the man, but he was keeping his head down, hiding his face in the hoodie and using his hair in order to shield his eyes away from the man.
"Yeah, but… I don't think he's too happy to see me. Do you know him?" Flash asked.
"Actually… he was my childhood friend back in Equestria. And… my, umm… my crush," she murmured that last part so only Flash could hear it, but not Eternal for some reason.
"WHAT?! Hold on, this guy?! You gotta be kidding me, why didn't you tell me?" Flash asked, feeling hurt.
"It slipped my mind over the years since I came here, okay? I didn't know he was gonna show up and find me here. I couldn't just turn my back on him." Sunset said.
Flash looked back and forth from Sunset to Eternal, but squinted his eyes at him, not buying that this guy was Sunset's first crush. Scooching over to her friend, he placed a hand on the table, or more specifically… slammed it on the table.
"You do realize if you break that, you gotta pay for it," Eternal said bluntly.
"Look, I don't know you and you don't know me, so I'll cut right to the point. Who are you and how did you get here?" Flash asked, rather rudely.
"Flash, be nice to him. He hasn't done anything wrong" Sunset objected.
"Sunset, I'm just trying to get some answers. Like for instance, if you're so sweaty, then take off that hood for pete's sake," Flash said, yanking his hoodie off, revealing his face.
"HEY!!!" Eternal shouted, leaping out of his seat, over Flash and landing behind him, putting his hoodie back on. "Don't ever do that again!"
"What's the big deal, it's just a hoodie. And now that I know what you look like under there, I'm gonna tell you this once…" but before he could warn him, Flash suddenly feels something like sharp metal pressed against the back of his neck; threatening to slice it open.
“I suggest you take a walk, boy.” A monotone voice spoke to him from behind. From Eternal and Sunset’s vision; the guy who is behind Flash, is wearing what seems to be a modern look of a cowboy. With a stetson hat on his head, the red mask over his mouth, and the revolver pistols in his gun holsters. The blade that he had on Flash, looked like a Kurki, the kind of version that the Gurkas used in WW2. And from the looks of the situation, he wasn’t happy about what was going on.
"Wait, stop! What do you think you're doing?!" shouted a female voice. Right on cue, Starlight barged into the restaurant while the other customers were either hiding under the tables or fleeing outside and out of harm's way.
"Starlight?!" Sunset asked in surprise.
"Starlight, what are you doing here?" Eternal asked in surprise also.
“Uhhh… visiting.” She replied meekly.
"Furthermore… Where did you come from? Don't you know civilians can't carry weapons out in the open?" he asked the… lone ranger, or whatever he looked like.
The stranger looks toward Eternal after he gave his statement; but, judging from the look of his eyes… He didn’t give a damn. “Well I ain’t no civilian! So stay out of my business, boy.” he responded with resentment. Then he turned towards Sunset who was silent through the situation.
“Ms. Glimmer here, told me you know more about the person I’m looking for… So Sunset Shimmer… where is Prince Eternal Flames?” the stranger asked in a deep voice.
"Uh… you just spoke to him?" Sunset gestures over to the hooded man.
"Wait… why is he looking for me?" Eternal asked.
“Heh heh heh…” Starlight chuckled nervously. “Well Eternal… your mother sent him.” She then raises her arms up in a way like a presenter on an award show. “Meet your new bodyguard… the Shadow Knight.” She said, even though she did say his true name, but wanted to prevent them from knowing who he really is.
"WHAT?!" Eternal shouted, pulling his entire hoodie off, not even caring about whoever sees him in public now. "Was she really that desperate to make sure I'm not hurt?"
“Yeah, she was a kid.” the Shadow Knight replied, removing his blade from Flash’s neck -- who sighed in relief.
"Phew, saved by the bell," Flash said. But then the merc grabs his jacket and then tosses him over next to the front door of the restaurant.
“Now, beat it punk!” The assassin scolded Flash and then he turned back towards the other three Equestrian-turned-people that were with him. Then places his Kurki in its sheath on his belt.
"Who the hell was that guy and why was he getting up in my face like that?" Eternal asked.
"Uh, remember the guy I told you about who wiped out during the snowball battle because he was trying to show?" Sunset asked back. Eternal nodded. "That was him. The guy's name is Flash Sentry. I'm really sorry you had to meet him like that. He's usually nice around other people. I guess seeing you came as a shock to him."
"So it seems. But anyways, what kind of danger was I in for my mother to send in Equestria's most feared assassin?” Eternal asked, turning towards Inferno.
“That is nothing for you to know,” The assassin replied. “Only I, your mother, and Starlight here, know the information. The only thing I’m hired to do is keep you out of harm’s way, not tell you anything… even if you are the son of the Solar Princess.” He explained in a way that sounded like it was out of anger; which got Starlight even more curious.
"And why does it bother you that I'm her son? Is it because I pass off as a snobbish brat?" Eternal asks, folding his arms.
“It was the Canterlot nobles and your mother that saw me a criminal for many years; so I ain’t going to let it slide for today. But, I’ll be forced to since your mommy has promised my freedom for your safety.”
"Wait, you didn't charge her any bits?" Eternal asks in surprise.
“To mercenaries and cold-blooded assassins – like me – the only thing that’s more precious to us… is freedom.” The Shadow Knight stated. Before walking up to Eternal, leading the two to have a silent moment face-to-face. “One that you’re family and the Canterlot nobility have very little knowledge of.” He sternly said.
Soon the merc turns away from Eternal and walks away before stopping next to Starlight. “I’ll be outside, checking the perimeter for any threats.” He whispered to her before he continued to walk towards the front door and finally left the building.
"I am so sorry if we caused any trouble here. Just let me know if you need anything," Starlight said before chuckling nervously and went outside with Inferno.
Meanwhile, Grogar's soldier had to stay back after spotting the assassin. "Damn it! This reconnaissance just got a whole lot more difficult," he said. "Master, it seems we've run into some big trouble. It seems The Shadow Knight has showed up and it looks like he's guarding the prince."
"Blast! Okay, watch your six and do not engage. If he spots you, come here to the castle," Grogar said through telepathy.
“You know I kinda figured one of you would actually be here!” A voice called out to the demon soldier from the end of the alleyway he was hiding in. “Makes me glad that I wasn’t sent here for no reason.”
"Speak of the devil. Shouldn't you be rotting in a prison cell? Or was it a prison "vault?" the soldier asked, backing away into a battle stance. From the end of the alleyway that led out into the streets of town, The Shadow Knight made himself known, eyeing down at the demon he has easily cornered.
“Oooh ouch! I’m hurt… Not really.” The assassin mocked. “But be honest, you guys do miss me. Haven’t had anypony to give you guys a real challenge in years. It must’ve been boring for you.” He said,
"You always were the mouthy one. But mark my words, when the hour of the boy's crowning day finally comes, this world and all its inhabitants will be ours!" the soldier snarled.
“Woooow, you bastards really haven’t changed.” Inferno said sarcastically. “Face it, that’s never gonna happen; not when I’m around. But since I'm in a good mood, today's your lucky day. I’ll let you live… only with a warning. Tell your boss to quit sending your guys here; or else, I’ll send you back to where you came from… without your heads.” He stated.
"Noted," the soldier replied with an intense glare. But then, the soldier opened up a portal in front of Inferno, then jumped in a second before the portal closed. Leaving the assassin alone in the alleyway.
“They’ll be back… they always come back.” He said before heading back to the restaurant to meet up with his client. Walking back in the restaurant, he goes over to Eternal and Sunset. His eyes locked on the bacon-headed beauty and noticed her looking troubled or perhaps frightened. This got the merc confused but simply shrugged it off and as he drew closer to the two, along with Starlight, who waited for him in a seat behind Eternal and Sunset’s table.
Meanwhile, Eternal's troubles were beginning to pile up. Seeing that Flash boy show up like that and approaching Sunset like that had filled his mind with doubts. 'Could it be that he and Sunset have something that I'm too late to achieve? This day might not go as well as I planned. Maybe I should just tell her about my-- No! I can't bring it upon myself to tell her of my curse. This is my burden to bear and mine alone.' he thinks to himself.
"Hey, Eternal listen. Since things have gotten a little… out of hand today, why won't I drop you off at my place now. You can bring your food along with you," Sunset suggested.
"Alright, but first," Eternal goes and grabs his hoodie, putting it back on. "I still have to remain incognito from the public eye, even though it's pointless by now."
"You always did have a sharp mind," Sunset chuckled.
“Well if he goes, I go.” The Shadow Knight stated loudly, enough to make the two friends notice he’s here. Starlight on the other hoof; or hand, remains quite nervous about the situation. Especially since she has to accompany a dangerous assassin into a new world.
"Uh… Sunset? I don't mean to be a pest, but… I promised Celestia that I'd show “Eternal’s bodyguard” around in the human world. So, if it isn't too much trouble, could I also possibly crash at your place?" Starlight asked, scratching the back of her head nervously.
"Well… as long as you don't mind sleeping in my sleeping bag. I still have it from my trip to Camp Everfree some time ago. But… Shadow is gonna have to sleep on the couch. Same with Eternal, nothing personal," Sunset explained.
"I might not like it, but I'll work with it," Eternal replied.
“Well if it means I can find a place to rest and watch over Prince Charming here; then I guess it’ll have to do.” Shadow replied, which irritated Eternal. “But first… would you mind telling me where I can find the nearest gun shop here?” He asked, which then had everyone surprised.
"It's five blocks north from here. Four doors away from Carousel Boutique.
“Alright then,” He responded and unexpectedly, he takes out his Kurki - which is still in its sheath and then tosses it to Sunset, which stumbled in her hands before finally having a tight grip on it. “Don’t… Lose… That! I’ll be at your home before dawn,” He stated before walking away from the group towards his destination.
“I better follow him; to make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble. See you guys later.” Starlight said as she took off after the merc, leaving Eternal and Sunset alone with each other.
"Sunset…" Eternal said, getting uneasy with the knife Sunset's holding. "When we get home, could you, uh… put that knife in a place I won't be able to find it? There's something about it that's making my body grow cold." He wasn't kidding around, his body seemed to be shaking violently the longer he's close to that knife.
"Sure, I can do that. Come on, get your food ready and we'll head out," Sunset replied. Eternal took his meal and then Sunset went to the cashier, asking for a bag. He does so and hands it to her before handing it to Eternal. He bags his food and follows her outside towards her bike. She gets on board and starts up the engine. Eternal hops on afterwards, holding onto Sunset once she drives off.
Back in the dimension where Harmony and Death reside, Death stared off into space, feeling concerned and uneasy. Harmony instantly noticed her lover's distress. "It's about Eternal Flames, isn't it, my love?" she asked.
"I'm having my doubts about this plan. You know as well as I do that Grogar's blood runs deep within Eternal's veins. That makes him the same as Grogar and his other followers. And there's only one weakness that can render his immortality useless. The weapons the Shadow Knight uses are made of the material that are poisonous to Eternal." Death explained.
“That was also on my mind, luckily he has Ms. Shimmer to look out for him, since she has the caring spirit that the assassin has lost years ago. But I truly believe that’s not the only thing I'm worried about.” Harmony sadly stated.
"Care to explain, dear?" Death asked, holding his beloved's hoof.
“The fact that worries me is that; what will happen if Inferno Blaze discovers what young Eternal would become… or if Eternal discovers about the assassin’s past.” Harmony explained.
"I see your point. By the way, who is this… other boy that you mentioned during our confrontation with Grogar last night?" Death asked.
"Do you know about Eternal's younger brother?" Harmony asked. Death nodded. "Well… I've chosen his human counterpart."
Death's concerns escalated even more than before. "Please tell me you know who he'll end up with by the end of this whole mess," he said.
"I do, but it's up to him to reignite the passionate flame with his old preschool friend," Harmony said, causing more stress to her beloved.
"Harmony, you're risking a lot on this bargain. If you hadn't noticed, she's still hanging around with this cocky coward! If our plan backfires when Eternal's birthday arrives, Grogar wins and he'll take two victims for the price of one!"
“I know my love… But what choice do we have? We can’t afford to see an innocent soul become lost in the twisted mind of Grogar. While Eternal would be corrupted by it, but the one that I’ve chosen has the will to resist; for his soul is too pure to bend at Grogar’s tyranny.”
"You had this planned, didn’t you.” Death said, now becoming aware of what his wife has planned.
“Yes, indeed. If we eventually lose the bargain, then my champion would have to be the only hope Eternal has. And Grogar will see that fate can never remain a straight line as it is.” Harmony stated. “But, if that too also fails; then we have no choice but to -” Harmony paused right before she said her final words.
"It's never easy, is it?" Death asked, understanding what she almost said.
“In all my years, living among the cosmic beings… I’ve always given life to many peaceful creatures among the land.” Harmony said, as tears soon formed from her eyes. “I never thought that one day, I’ll be forced to take a life away.”
Now Death could sense Harmony's distress and approached her, wrapping her in his hooves. "Whatever happens in the end, we'll try and make things right." he said. Looking back on their bargain, Death knows he's also to blame for this whole mess. A young prince who carries himself and bears the burden of his curse alone… and a pure-hearted young man being brought into the crossfires without even knowing the danger, it's gonna take a hell of a miracle to fix this mess and hopefully it won't end up worse than it's already started.
Meanwhile, back at Celestia's house, while the CHS Principal was watching TV, she could hear the sound of tools could be heard in a room down the hall. In that room, a young man with orange hair, light yellow skin and purple eyes was inside, working on some equipment he's been working on for a while now. His name is Heat Blitz.
"This has to work. It's just gotta work," Heat said to himself. At the moment, he was finishing up what looked like a neon glove that was giving off weird vibrations at the fingertips. The other glove was still under construction and was about to give his finished on a test drive. "Alright, let's see if this'll work."
Putting on the glove, he aimed his hand at the wall. He shot out shock waves, but ended up getting blown back himself and hit the wall behind him and landed on the floor. "OOF!!! Ouch… Still not right," he said, getting up and taking off his glove.
"Heat Blitz, is everything alright?" Celestia called out, knocking on her son's door.
"Y-Yeah, just another failed experiment. I'll be fine," Heat replied.
"Okay, but please be careful there. You don't wanna hurt yourself too much," Celestia replied before walking back into the living room.
"Point taken," Heat replied. "Well, back to the drawing board. This thing still needs some more work done on it before I can use it properly," he says to himself.
But before he could identify what the problem was in his last test, Heat then hears his phone ringing on his desk. He went over to it to see who was calling him and sees that Inferno – the human counterpart – is calling him. Heat then connects his phone to his computer and switches the screen for a video chat. Once he did, a video chat of Inferno appeared on the computer screen, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, red shorts, and dark red shades.
“What’s up, Heat. I didn’t get to see you before I left. How’s it hanging?” He said while sipping from a small cider bottle that had the familiar Apples Family logo on it.
"It's going alright, aside from getting the wind knocked out of me. But on the bright side, that Draconium metal you gave me is pretty sturdy," Heat replied.
“No problem, bro.” Inferno replied, “So has there been any progress?”
"It's produced the necessary for to repel, but I was the one who got repelled. I still need to work out the kinks in that so that I blast others back and not me. I also still haven't figured out how to install the healing pulsations inside this," Heat showed the glove he was working on. "Do you have any suggestions?"
“Hmmmm…” Inferno was doing some quick thinking, while taking another sip from his cider. And then after a few seconds, he replied back. “Well… there is one thing that might work. Another invention I made 2 days before I left for the trip. Check the drawers of your desk and you’ll find a small little capsule with an injection gun.
"Inferno, what's in the capsule?" Heat asks. "Is it some sort of enhancer?"
"No, those are nano-bots inside that capsule. If you inject them inside your body, you'll be able to heal your own wounds. It won't matter how fatal your injuries are or how fatal any infectious disease infects your body. Heck the last time I used them, they instantly cure a person’s cancer in a mili-second.” Inferno explained.
"Really? That's amazing! Wait… what's the drawback?" Heat asks.
Inferno then groans in irritation; like he expected that question. “The nano-bots can only be activated by a high frequency energy pulse – which I had to use in my last test – and that same energy pulse; powers up the suit.” Inferno stated. “So meaning… You have to wear the suit in order to activate the nano-bots. But there’s also one setback that the nano-bots have.”
This then raises concern for Heat. “What is the setback?”
“Well, the first – and last – person I tested on with the nano-bots… the results I got were completely unexpected.” Inferno explained. “But the person didn’t get hurt or died; in fact, the test was successful… a little too successful. After 5 hours after injection, I checked the person’s bloodstream to see if the nano-bots were working perfectly; I soon found out that the nano-bots completely merged with the person’s body … at a “cellular level”.”
"So, the nano-bots immediately become a part of a person's body as the person's new white blood cells or something?" Heat asked.
“Well it wasn’t what I planned. I design the nano-bots to be a temporary medical tool, and then inject it out of the human bloodstream; so it could reused again next time. But realizing that they can merge with the human cells completely, is… well, quite interesting.”
"How long did it take you to design those nano-bots and is it a good thing that they merge a person's body?" Heat asked.
“Well it took me 7 years and it is marvelous that they are able to do that… but it gets me curious quite a bit. Like what other secrets do they hide.” Inferno stated
"7 years?! Jeez, you must've been busy!" Heat said until he got another idea. "Wait a second, I got an idea!"
“What is it?” Inferno asked with curiosity.
"The nano-bots you gave me, what I could invent a suit that could transfer their healing powers directly into the suit and send out healing pulsations inside the human body, allowing the user to not only heal themself, but other people at the same time!" Heat replied.
“Yeah… Yeah! That might work! Fusing the nano-bots with the suit could enhance the suit’s healing unit and not only that; strengthening the suit’s plating and repair it if it takes any damage in the process.” Inferno exclaimed.
"Looks like we've hit another breakthrough. I'm gonna get started on this right away. You're a genius, Inferno. And tell your parents I said hi," Heat said.
“Will do. Take care, my frie-” Inferno paused for a bit and looked away from the screen. “HEY!” He shouted out in anger and soon turned back to Heat. “Gotta go, some asshole is hitting on my mom, see you later.” Then after that, Inferno hung up.
"Oy vey, the worst part about other nobles… is they can't take a hint when they're in the presence of a "married" woman. Especially when the husband and son are in the area. Lets hope Inferno and Magnus doesn't rough 'em up too badly. Now… back to work," Heat said before getting to work on his suit. But then, his eyes dart over to a small picture frame of him as a little kid and a little ponytailed lavender girl with glasses. "Maybe I'll run into you someday if I get lucky."
And so, setting his mind back on the right track, Heat Blitz continued his work. This time, he wasn't gonna stop for nothing… except for a bite later down the line.
