Still shaken up from the incident, the police brought Heat Blitz into the station, even took him in for questioning. He was okay with telling detectives that the driver was gonna run him over, but he had to improvise his story about what happened after the crash. He couldn't tell the police that some random demon almost killed the driver.
Still, he felt like he knew the beast. It almost had a striking resemblance to his long lost older brother. But this beast felt evil. What was it and where did it come from? He needed answers and he needed them now.
However, Heat Blitz had to wait until his mom could pick him up from the station. He can only hope that mama bear doesn't try to kill the driver after he almost got Heat. Heat was scared of a lot of things, but his mom takes the top spot, even though he loves her with all his heart.
Moments later, mama bear arrives and runs over to Heat, hugging him in her arms. "Heat Blitz, are you okay, did you get hurt?" Celestia asked, worried.
"No, I'm fine. Just almost got run over." Uh-oh, he shouldn't have said that.
"...Who did it? Who almost ran you over?" Celestia asked in a deep tone, making most of the men at the station back away in fear.
"Mom, they already have him. There's no need to rip his head off and force it down his throat, he's already scared out of his pants from what happened earlier," Heat replied.
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked again.
"I'm not sure how to put it… but I think some demon might've beaten you to the punch," Heat whispered quietly. Celestia would've thought that her son was just shaken up, but because of her previous encounters with "demons," she knows who to contact.
"I think I get it. And… I believe you," she said.
Heat was dumbfounded. "You do? How?"
"Call it a hunch. But right now, let's take you home so you can rest up from today," Celestia said, holding him close as they walked out.
At “Ammo-Lot” Gun Store
While Principle Celestia takes her son home and the police department looking into the “Demon of Canterlot City” case, Inferno Blaze is spending his time in the forging room of Ammo-Lot gun store. Crafting his ammunition for his wide variety of new weapons.
He preferred to work alone, so Starlight left the store to catch up with Sunset and the girls; knowing that the mercenary wasn’t planning on leaving the store anytime soon.
To keep him occupied, the owner was kind enough to bring a radio. He even tuned it to the Canterlot news station. During his time inside the forging room of the store, working on his supply of ammunitions, the assassin came across a few picture frames along the walls of the store. And they all had the owner of the store in them, along with a young teenage boy that stood beside him and an older woman in every one of them.
When the owner came into the room where Inferno was working, the merc decided to ask him about the pictures he had.
“Who’s that?” He asked him.
“Pardon?” The owner replied in confusion. Inferno realized that he didn’t get the question, so he repeated his question.
“Who’s that boy standing beside you? In the picture.” Inferno asked again, pointing to one of the picture frames on the wall.
"Oh… that boy… he's my son. We lost him almost 3 years ago and we haven't been able to find him at all. Even with my military connections, we found no trace of him." The owner said, depressed.
Even with his emotionless heart, Inferno was also depressed by what the man told him. For it reminded him of a painful past he wishes to forget. One where, he too, lost a family member of his own.
“I’m sorry.” He said, “I know what it’s like to lose a part of your family.”
"And it's one of the reasons why we act so cold towards everyone. We look like we don't care anymore, but deep down… we can't stop mourning no matter how hard we try." The owner said,
Inferno nodded in agreement. “You're true to that. Hey, I didn’t catch your name. What is it?”
“Flash… Flash Magnus.” The owner – now known as Flash Magnus – replied. “And what might yours be?” he asked towards Inferno.
Inferno knew he couldn’t say his real name, for it was also the name of his counterpart of this world and didn't want to raise any suspicions or confusion. So he went with his vigilante name. “Shadow Knight.” He responded.
"Interesting. Sounds like a codename, but I'm not one to pry in someone else's business. Well, anyways, if you need me for anything else, I'll be in my office," he said, walking away. With Flash magnus getting back to work, Inferno was able to get back to work on his guns and developing his ammunition.
But then, suddenly, the radio broadcasted something… unexpected. "We've just received shocking news. Earlier in the downtown district of Canterlot, a sudden car crash was reported. 2 people were involved, but luckily, there were no casualties. However, camera footage from one of the traffic lights showed that the vehicle matched the same one from an earlier hit and run incident and also captured a strange creature stopping the driver and almost killing him. The lucky survivor who witnessed it, locally known as Heat Blitz said it was some kind of "demon." said the news reporter.
After hearing the word ‘demon’, Inferno halted all of his work and began paying close attention to the radio.
"Traffic light cameras also caught footage of this strange beast not laying a hand on the boy. We're not sure what its intentions were, but after the monster stopped the hit and run driver, it fled back in the direction of the apartment complex district," another news reporter said.
“What the hell?” the assassin said in confusion. There was no possible way that a demon still remained in this world; he chased them off not too long ago. So what was this creature? In his mind, Inferno believed it could be a Rogue; dealt with a few of them in the past. But this one was way different. Rogues usually kill anything in their sight, no matter if it was an innocent being or one of its kind, but the one on the radio was said to have spared a young boy’s life.
Why does this world keep giving him many surprises? But before he could think about answering that question, another thought came to his mind. The creature on the radio stated to have fled in the direction of the apartment complex district in the city.
“Wait a minute? Does the Prince and his little friend live in that area… Oh shit!” He spoke within his mind. And without a moment of hesitation, Inferno got up from his work desk and immediately rushed out of the gunsmithing room. He dashed right passed Flash Magnus–who was restocking the ammunition boxes behind the counter desk–and left the store without noticing the man calling out to him.
After leaving the gun store, Inferno kept on running along the sidewalk of town, while he ran, his left hand began to glow with a mix of black and purple magic aura. It soon begins to form into a sphere, which he shot out from his hand and when it impacted the ground, a portal opened from where it landed. Leading to the area where the apartment district is. And without even preparing for what awaits him, the assassin jumps right into the portal and exits out, right near the apartment complex where Eternal was staying. The portal immediately closed after his exit and soon the merc rushed right into the building.
Inside, he spots the young prince collapsed on the couch, not moving. It seemed he was also watching TV earlier. Inferno grew more worried, even though he wishes not to, but his whole mind was in overdrive and completely erased any emotions feelings out of him. He then rushed over to Eternal's unconscious body and violently shook him.
"Hey, wake up! Answer me! Don't you dare die on me!" Inferno shouted. "WAKE UP!!!"
Within seconds, he feels movement and sees Eternal lifting himself up and looking directly at Inferno with confusion. "Wha… how did you get in here? I had the door locked," he asked.
“Kid, I broke into many places that had high-level security; a little lock is not gonna stop me.” Inferno/Shadow replied.
"Of course, how silly of me," Eternal said, unamused. But when he tried to sit straight up, a sharp jolt of pain ran right through him and grunted in agony, collapsing to the ground. "AGH!!! What the hell?!" he asked, grabbing his side. "That's a new pain!"
Inferno/Shadow lifted Eternal's shirt and checked the side he was grasping. The horror seemed to get worse when he saw a puncture wound on his hip. The wound also seemed to be glowing a dark purple color, which could only mean one thing: 'It did attack him,' he thought.
As the young Equestrian Prince continues to squirm in pain, Inferno reaches into his pocket–which he is still getting used to since he never had wore pants back in Equestria–and pulled out a small vial that contained silver-colored liquid inside, opens the top of the capsule, and pours the liquid onto Eternal’s wound.
"Gah!!! Mother Celestia, that stings! What is that stuff?" Eternal asks.
“Lunar-Essence Potion, should heal up your wound. Though it does sting like hell.” Inferno/Shadow explained as he closes up the vial and puts it back in his pocket.
"So I see.... And you could have told me before doing that!!!” Eternal shouted.
“Hey! It was either that, or hearing you protest like a bitch all night long.” Inferno/Shadow stated.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Eternal snarled.
Meanwhile, Starlight had quickly arrived at the Sugar Cafe to see if her friends were there. As luck would have it, all girls were present and accounted for, but something didn't seem right. She noticed that Twilight was shaking like a leaf in Sunset's arms.
"Did I miss something?" Starlight asked, confused, getting the others attention.
"Oh, hi Starlight. Come on over, we'll fill you in. By the way, where's your Shadow friend?" Sunset asked.
"He's at the gun store, crafting some ammo and customizing his own weapons. What's the matter with Twilight?" Starlight asked back.
“Should we be worried about him?” Rainbow asked with caution.
“Na, he won’t harm anyone… maybe?” Starlight replied. “He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him… I hope. Anyway, back to my last question; what’s the matter with Twilight?” She asked again.
"Oh… she… had a run-in with an old childhood friend on her way here. Unfortunately for him, Timber showed up and Twilight told him about their relationship. He didn't take it too well and just ran off," Sunset explains. Twilight hid her face from everyone, burying it into Sunset's clothes, weeping silently even more. "Twilight's pretty devastated."
"I see. So, why doesn't she just talk to him, work something out?" Starlight asked.
"It's not as easy as it sounds," Rarity chimed in.
"Why not? I patched things up with my best friend, Sunburst and we're closer than ever. But we're not dating, though," Starlight said.
"That's just it. Twilight is dating someone tha--" Rainbow said before Twilight cut her off by slamming her fist on the table.
"STOP IT!!!" the lavender bookworm shouted. “I don’t want to hear anymore of this conversation, alright!”
"Alright, Twilight. We'll change the subject. Maybe there's something to take your mind off of it on the TV," Rainbow said, pointing at the flat screen hanging on the wall.
"From what we can tell, this massive beast could still be hiding in Canterlot as well know it. Authorities are ordered by the chief of police to keep everyone out of the vicinity of the apartment complex district as this beast was last seen fleeing in that direction," said the news reporter, showing the picture of the monster.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rainbow asked in a serious tone.
"No, but Ah know what yer thinkin' an' it's way too dangerous. Ya saw how massive that thing was, it ain't worth the risk," AJ said.
"That thing is still on the loose and we've got the power to bring it to its knees! Why should we stay out of the way?" Rainbow asked.
“Cause we don't know what that thing is, Rainbow. And we can’t face something that we have never/;; seen before.” Sunset explains.
"And another thing, that foul monster isn't human," Rarity said.
"Wait a second, look!" Pinkie said, pointing at the TV. The girls all looked back and gasped at what they saw next. The news played some footage of the monster stopping an S.U.V, punching through the windshield and pulling out the driver before clawing him. But the guy behind the beast was left unharmed and the beast paid him no mind, even when he fainted.
"Thankfully, the claw marks on the hit and run suspect weren't deep and is expected to make a full recovery but will be facing charges soon. As for the unharmed witness, Heat Blitz, he claimed he thought it was a dream because he claimed no one would believe he saw a massive demon save him. He's currently recovering back at home with his mother, Celestia and has been given police protection should the monster ever come back." the news reporter said.
Twilight gasped. "Oh no!" she said.
"I don't get it, that thing didn't go after the other guy? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's okay," Rainbow said.
Starlight somehow knew all too well who this monster was, but she didn't say a word.
"And didn't he say he's with Celestia?" Pinkie asked.
"Maybe we should pay her a visit, check up on him," Fluttershy suggested.
"What do you say, Twilight? You wanna come along?" Sunset asks.
"S...Sure, I'll go," Twilight hesitated.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to. If you don't, I can take you back home," Sunset said.
"No, I gotta do this. But I… I'd rather not face him," Twilight said.
"It's fine. You can stick with me when we arrive. Come on, girls. We're gonna pay our favorite principal a little visit," Sunset said. The girls all got up and left the restaurant, following Sunset down the path on their way to Celestia's.
In the principal's humble abode, Celestia was in the kitchen, cooking up some food while her son stayed cooped up in his room, working on his little project. However, even with his mind focused on his work, his heart wasn't in it. He got out his cell phone and called his friend, Inferno, but didn't put it on video chat.
He waited for the dialing tone to stop, then heard the sound of his buddy's voice. "Hello?"
"Hi, Inferno," Heat replied, bummed out.
"Hiya, Heat. Why do you sound so down in the dumps?" Inferno asked.
"Do you remember the time I invited you over for one of our school projects and you saw that picture of me and Twilight?" Heat asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"I… I met her, but… her boyfriend showed up. I… I just lost my chance with her," Heat said, holding back the tears while he worked. "I guess I should've known better than to rely on an old childhood crush to bring us together."
“Whoa. Whoa! Man, don’t give your hopes up. It’s never too late when it comes to love, buddy.” Inferno stated. “I mean you and Twilight know each other longer than this so called boyfriend of hers; who knows maybe she doesn’t like the guy. Look the point is, that you should not give up on her. Throughout your whole life you wanted to be by her side; perhaps this time, you just need to let her come to you.”
"Inferno, her boyfriend has confidence. He's taller than me, older than me and he could probably beat me if he wanted to. Twilight said his name is Timber Spruce. How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?" Heat asked.
“Try not to focus on competing with him, just focus on spending time with Twilight. After all, she hasn’t seen you in what… 7 years?” Inferno said.
"Yeah… we switched middle schools because she has an incredibly high I.Q. In fact, her high I.Q is the reason why she’s able to skip a grade or two," Heat said, semi-proud.
“Hey you had the same choice back then, I mean you are one smart motherfucker for someone who's the youngest son in the family.” Inferno stated.
“Uhh, thanks.” Heat replied, a bit uneasy about Inferno’s bad mouth.
“And yet, you chose not to, and look where that got ya.” Inferno stated again.
"I only chose not to skip a grade because I didn't want others taking advantage of me or having my dad force me into his real estate business… like he did with Eternal. I wish he was still here with me. I miss him," Heat said.
“So did I, man. Heck, I remember the time Fluttershy was picked on by a bunch of bullies, and he went up to them and taught them a lesson. Ha! I laughed for days after that and those dirtbags left Fluttershy alone for eternity.” Inferno said.
"He always was the type of guy to protect others. Anyways, you wouldn't believe what happened to me earlier," Heat said.
“What? What?” Inferno responded out of curiosity.
"I almost got killed today. Some guy in an S.U.V almost turned me into roadkill. But then… I don't know what it was, but this beast came out of nowhere and attacked him before he could reach me and for some reason… it didn't attack me. It was all over the news." Heat explains. "I've never been so scared in my life. I even passed out. Have you ever heard of something as crazy as this?"
"Well… no, not really.” Inferno lied. He knows full well crazy things that've happened in Canterlot City, including the powers that the girls possesses. But this creature that Heat has told him, is beyond anything he’s seen or heard of.
"I see. Well, you're lucky you're on a yacht. That thing is still on the loose in the apartment complex district," Heat said. "I thought it was just a nightmare, but it's real. Thankfully, I got cops watching my back."
"Yeah, that I can agree on, but back on the subject at hand, Twilight's gonna come around. Just give it some time. Anyways, how's your project coming along?" Inferno asked.
"I'm making a little progress. I ran into a snag when one of my tools broke, but I bought myself a spare one. Did uh… you stop whoever was hitting on your mom?" Heat asked randomly.
“Told ya the Draconium was tough. I think you need to get better tools.” Inferno chuckled after his statement. “And also, yeah. Dad and I, taught that guy a very clear lesson he’ll never forget.”
"That's good. Anyways, thanks for the advice on my… situation with Twilight. I'll call you some other time," Heat says.
"Alright. Take care. And don't lose hope, see ya later.” After that, Inferno hanged up, leaving Heat with his thoughts. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring outside of his room.
"That's odd, is mom expecting anyone?" Heat asks, getting up from his desk. He walks over to his bedroom door and walks out, heading into the living room. His mom was answering the door and sees a group of girls at the door.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you girls?" Celestia asked. "I thought you girls would be enjoying your summer vacation. Is something wrong?"
"We heard about the accident your son got into. We want to know if he's alright," Fluttershy said.
"Oh, that. Well, he's okay, but he's a bit shaken up," Celestia said.
"Is it alright if we talk to him? Maybe we can help," Sunset asked.
"I suppose, but try to keep it to a minimal, he's still a bit nervous," Celestia said before she turned around to call out for her son. But then she stops when she sees him already with her in the living room. "Heat Blitz, I didn't realize you were here. You sure get around fast."
"I suppose," Heat replies.
"You have some visitors who want to see you. Is that alright?" his mom asks.
"S-Sure… I don't mind," Heat nods, but looks away. He still didn't have the guts to look at one particular girl in the group. He and the girls sit over by the couch, but even now, none of the girls knew what to say. There was just… awkward silence.
"Heat Blitz, is it?" Sunset asked. Heat nods. "Hey, I know this is gonna sound hard, but earlier when you ran into the monster… did you happen to get a good look at it?"
"S-Sort of. I couldn't see much of its face, because it had this long red hair that covered most of his face and his entire back. All I saw were its blood rose red eyes. Its pupils were slit, like it was some kind of demon." Heat explained.
"Is there any reason why it didn't come after you?" Sunset asked.
"Not that I know of. As crazy as it might sound, maybe I didn't look so appetizing to it," Heat said as he referred to his skinny stature. "But you know… there's something else about that monster that strikes me as odd."
"Care to tell us, darling?" Rarity asked.
"...His eyes… They looked so… sad. Like there was a little boy trapped inside that monster's soul, wanting to be set free. Like a hint of loneliness that was radiating from him," Heat said.
"By the way, was it true you knew Twilight for a long time now?" Pinkie asked so suddenly. Heat's eyes widened in surprise when she mentioned that name. Heat's hands gripped his sleeves tightly, looking down.
"Pinkie! Now's not the time to bring that up at a time like this!" Starlight whispered loudly.
"Yeah… I knew her. We met… back in preschool. But we separated during middle school. Now that I got the chance to meet her again, I…" he sighs in defeat. "Forget it, it's not important." Twilight's guilt was only mounting up a lot quicker.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to bring that up. Right, Pinkie?" Starlight said, glaring at Pinkie.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Pinkie said, twiddling her fingers.
"It's fine… really," Heat lied. "Is there anything else you girls need from me?"
"Yes. If the monster ever shows up again, what do you say to having one of us guard you, give you some protection?" Sunset asked.
“Are you sure? Cause I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me,” Heat replied.
"That's alright. We're used to dealing with things like this. It's the least we can do so you can feel a bit safer," Sunset said.
"I… uh… w-well, I guess so. But only one of you. The less people getting hurt, the better," Heat said, sighing in defeat.
“I guess we can agree to that, as long as you agree to let us help you.” Starlight responded. "Now the only question is: who should be your personal bodyguard?"
"Why don't you leave him in my hands?" Rainbow asked. "I can get him away from the monster quick enough."
"No, it's better if I do it," Twilight said. "I owe it to Heat Blitz for not telling him about what I've been doing these past years."
“Are you sure, Twilight?” Sunset asked her.
"I have to, otherwise the guilt will eat me up even more. Are you okay with having me as your bodyguard, Heat?" Twilight asked.
"Y-Yeah, sure," Heat said, but didn't look in her direction. Twilight can tell he was still hurt from earlier, yet he still agreed to let her volunteer. She wasn't gonna let him down again.
Early evening arrived after everything was settled. The girls all agreed they'd start their search some time tomorrow and Twilight was now watching over Heat. However, she could only stay over for one night, but was allowed to keep a close eye on him outside the house when they're out walking.
As for Sunset, she was walking home with Starlight by her side. Sunset allowed Starlight to let her stay over at her house. As they approached her apartment, Sunset took out her house key and unlocked the door.
The girls enter the house and soon, Sunset gasped. "How did you get in here?!" she asked.
"Sunset, what's wrong?" Starlight asked. When she looked towards the direction that Sunset was looking at, her eyes widened with surprise when she spotted Inferno/Shadow sitting on a chair, next to the couch.
When he noticed the two girls by the doorway, he waves at them while he was still bearing his emotionless expression. “Well, how was your day?” he asked.
Inf- I mean, Shadow?!” Starlight gasped, “What are you doing here? More importantly; how did you get in here?” She asked him.
“I’ve broken into many secured places back in Equestria. Do you really think a little door lock is gonna stop me?” He stated.
"You know, if you were any other person, I'd have gotten the police to haul you out of here for breaking and entering," Sunset said, deadpanned.
“Well, I’m not like other people. And you should watch your tone towards me; while you all were away, I found your “friend of royalty” on the floor injured, so I had to disinfect his wound and lay him in the bedroom.” Shadow explained as he pointed towards the bedroom where he placed Eternal in, which is–surprisingly–Sunset’s bedroom.
"Eternal? What happened to him?!" Sunset asked, panicked.
“I don’t know? He didn’t tell me.” Shadow replied. “Also, I couldn’t describe what the injury was, but it might be related to the rogue demon I heard on the radio back at the gun store; cause his puncture wound looked almost similar to injuries I’ve seen that are usually inflicted by demons or any other creature from Tartarus.”
"Eternal was attacked by a demon?!" Sunset asked, panicked. The noise made Eternal stir as he woke up, but then shouted in agony, arching his back. He gripped his entire body, stumbling out of bed and rolled off too far and wound up falling down on the first floor. He still shouted from the pain on the inside before coughing up lots of small drops of blood.
“Damn! That’s the third time its happened!” Shadow shouted.
“Third time?” Starlight asked.
“Yeah, everytime he kept waking up, his wound kept getting worse and worse; and the pain, more and more brutal.” Shadow explained. "I don't get how or why this is happening."
"Then it's a good thing you got here earlier. You'd better stick around in case he has anymore problems from now on. Is that alright with you, Shadow," Starlight said.
“Well I'm hired to protect him, so I pretty much don’t have a choice.” He replied.
"I don't have much, but if you want, the couch is big enough for you to sleep in," Sunset offered.
“I can sleep on the floor; I’m used to it when I slept on a cell floor for 4 years.” Shadow replied.
"Would it be alright if I slept next to you, Sunset?" Starlight asked.
"Sure. And if you're sure you want to sleep on the floor, then I'll let you use my sleeping bag," Sunset said.
"Do whatever you want," Shadow said. Sunset nodded and walked over to her closet and took out a purple sleeping bag. She then brings it out and sets it up on the floor.
After setting up Shadow's spot, she went over to Eternal and tried to carry him over to the couch, but the boy was way too heavy. "How much… does one prince… eat?" Sunset grunted.
"Hey… I ain't fat. I don't pig out either. It messes up my metabolism," Eternal said, finally getting some of his strength back. He slowly stood up and limped all the way over to the couch and slumped down with a sigh. "Sorry for freaking you out like that, everyone." Eternal was sweating up a storm after the pain he endured.
"Freaking us out? I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. Do you always cough up blood every time you wake up from your naps?" Sunset asks, worried.
"No, it only recently happened since I arrived in this world," Eternal said, stroking his chin.
“Wait a minute. This happened the day you arrived here, and you weren’t even a little suspicious about it?” Starlight asked.
"I did find it suspicious," Eternal said. 'And I know what it means. I'm afraid I'm running low on time, but I can't reveal to them my secret. They must never know.' he thought to himself. "It's probably an after-effect when I jumped through the portal."
Sunset could somehow feel like he wasn't telling the whole story. Though she wasn't sure how she felt he was lying, but now wasn't the time to be snooping in on Eternal's pain. "Alright, listen. How about we rest up for today and then tomorrow we can try to sort this mess out."
"Sounds like a plan. How about you, Shadow?" Starlight asked.
“As long as he breathes and I don’t deal with his mother’s wrath; I say we get some shut-eye.” He replied as he tucks himself in the sleeping bag that he was given and immediately went to sleep.
"Does he hold the world record for falling asleep quickly?" Sunset asked
“He did say he spent 4 years sleepingf on the floor of a prison cell.” Starlight stated.
"Wow. It makes me feel sorry for the guy
“Well, you should have seen how devastated his mother was when she visited him after he was released; she was in tears and rushed over to hug him in mere seconds. Makes me wonder what caused Shadow to reach the peak he’s at and lose everything he cared deeply about.” Starlight stated.
"I can't even begin to imagine myself," Sunset said, feeling sympathy for the mercenary. She and Starlight then went up to her bedroom and got covered themselves up in the blanket. Neither girl could sleep though, as they felt the horrors would soon begin to arise.
3 days went by and so far, neither the girls nor the police could find the monster. Eternal still experienced the pain and agony every time he awoke from his slumber. Sunset tried as hard as she could to find out why Eternal's behavior. As for Starlight, she generally spent most of her time with Inferno–who appreciated her company while not showing it–and during their time together, the assassin’s behavior was very much impacted by the girl and not even himself could not describe how she was doing it.
Twilight's situation with Heat was still a work in progress, though. He still wasn't over the fact that his childhood crush was taken from him and Twilight still found it hard to try to help in patching things up. Especially since he's always locked up in his room, doing who-knows-what in there.
Right now, while Sunset was alone and Eternal was stuck at her house, she took this chance to go and pay a visit to a good friend of hers. She arrived at this humble home and knocked on the door before waiting for an answer.
The door opened up and out steps her friend and classmate, Flash Sentry. "Sunset? What brings you here? Wait, you didn't bring what's-his-name with you, did you?" he asked, backing up a step.
"Who, Eternal?" Sunset asked.
"No, not him. That crazy cowboy guy that pulled a knife at me back at the Cafe.” Flash replied.
"Oh, you mean Shadow. No, he's with Starlight at the gun store. Anyways, what I need from you is a favor… regarding Eternal," Sunset said.
"What about him?" Flash asked.
"He's been keeping some sort of secret from me for some reason ever since he arrived. He's been waking up in agony and coughing up blood. I tried to find out myself, but Eternal just keeps insisting that everything's fine. I'm at my wits end and I'm wondering if you can find out what he's hiding," Sunset said.
"Uh… gee, I dunno. I'm so sure if that's a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I'll help, but I don't think it's right to pry into other people's business. He might have a good reason," Flash said.
"He's been secretive since he got here. I just want to know what he's hiding that's so important," Sunset said.
"Well… alright. I'll see if I can also get some help from one of my friends as well," Flash said before getting his phone out. Just then, Sunset hugged him.
"Thanks, Flash. I'll repay you back somehow," Sunset said before running off.
"I… don't really need anything," he said, but she was already far gone. "Well, might as well get my buddy on the line," Flash dialed a number, then waited for him to pick up.
"Hello?" a male voice said over the phone.
"Halo Knight, it's Flash. I need to talk to you about something. Do you think you can meet me over at Sunset's place?"
"I… guess so, what's the occasion?" Halo asked.
"Hard to explain over the phone. Just meet me over at her house as soon as you can. I'll see you later," Flash said before hanging up. "I hope this doesn't end badly."
Moments later, Flash arrives at near Sunset's house, but stood across the street from her house so Eternal wouldn't see him. Minutes later, he also sees a man walking up to him. He had black hair and green skin with blue eyes, wearing glasses and wore a blue shirt and black pants.
"Halo, you made it!" Flash said.
"Yeah. What's going on here? You spying on Sunset or something or trying to ask her out?" Halo asked.
"Actually… she asked me to talk to her childhood friend. His name's Eternal Flames. They've shared some history back in Equestria before she met me," Flash said.
"Eternal Flames? I thought he went missing over a week ago," Halo pointed out.
"No, not the one from our world. I mean the one who's originally from Equestria like Sunset is. She wants me to talk to him because he's keeping some kind of secret from her. She's getting frustrated from whatever Eternal has hidden in his mind. I don't really approve of this, but maybe we can try and reason with him," Flash said.
"Oh. Well, quite frankly, I'd agree that prying in other people's business is disrespectful, but if you're willing to reason with him, then it might be our best bet. But before we do, why do you need me for this?" Halo asked.
"Because if I can't get anywhere with him, you're my last hope. You've proven to be an even bigger help than anyone else I know," Flash explained. "So… you with me?"
"Yeah, okay sure," Halo said. The boys fist bump each other before heading over to Sunset's house and knocking on the door. The door opens up and Eternal reveals himself, not wearing a shirt, plus having bags under his eyes. Flash and Halo quickly took notice of his sleepy eyes and his bandaged area.
"Uh… did you not sleep right? You look tired," Flash pointed out.
"And how'd you get that bruise on your side?" Halo asked.
Eternal wasn't too thrilled to see one of these familiar faces as it only strengthened his doubts about Sunset. "I just… got into an accident, that's all. What are you two doing here?" Eternal asked, trying to fix his bed head.
"We’re not here to cause trouble, we’re just here to talk things out.” Flash answered. "If it's alright with you."
Eternal stroked his chin, thinking for a minute or two. "Alright, fine. I guess I can hear you out, but no funny business." he said. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"
"It's about Sunset," Flash said.
"Big surprise," Eternal retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Wait, before you jump to conclusions, she asked me to talk to you. She's worried about you. She told me about your agonizing pain you've been experiencing every time you wake up from your long naps," Flash said.
"I've told her before, it's nothing to worry about. It'll calm down in due time," Eternal insists. 'Damn, she's persistent. Why can't she just back off about this curse?' he thought.
"Trust me, if it's anything as bad as what you're going through, it's not gonna get any better if you just let it be. You've got to take action," Halo said.
"And if I act, there's a high chance it'll just get worse," Eternal said. "The last thing I'd want is to put anyone in danger."
"What's so dangerous that you gotta keep it a secret from your friends?" Flash asked.
"I can't say," Eternal argued.
"Can't or won't?" Flash asked, getting annoyed.
"Now Flash, hold on a second. Eternal, why don't you just tell us and we promise we won't tell Sunset about this. Would that be alright with you?" Halo asked.
Eternal was getting annoyed with their persistence, but sighed in defeat. "Alright fine, if it'll get you to shut up, I'll tell you. But I'm not gonna tell you everything."
"That's fine with me," Flash said.
Eternal sighed in annoyance. "The truth is… I'm running out of time. If I don't hurry up and patch things up with Sunset, my life'll be placed in jeopardy. I… have an illness."
"What?! How come you don't just tell Sunset about this?" Flash asked.
"You think I'd want to tell her about this illness? The last thing I want is to make her bare the burden of something like this. I care for her too much to do that," Eternal said, getting a little emotional, clenching his fists with guilt. "In fact, I… I love her too much to do that."
"If I had known about this sooner, I wouldn't have snapped at you like that when we first met. I'm sorry, Eternal. I was a real jerk," Flash said.
"It's fine… and perhaps it's time I hear you out," Eternal said. "You share some history with Sunset, is that right?"
"Yeah, that right. I'm her… ex-boyfriend," Flash said.
"Then, maybe you can tell me more about your relationship with her," Eternal said.
"What for?" Flash asked.
"So I can understand you and her a little more," Eternal said.
“You see… When she and I started dating, it was fine… at first. But she only used me to make herself more popular. It's been like that until junior year when she dumped me for some reason. I didn't mind it because I was getting fed up with her bad attitude. But then, during the Fall Formal, when Princess Twilight came and saved us, I… guess I kinda fell for her," Flash said.
"Well, if you're still in love with the princess, you're out of luck. She's already dating my little brother back home. And my mother's planning on retiring soon and is gonna pass her leadership onto Twilight," Eternal said.
"Whoa, she's gonna lead a whole country? And ouch, guess some things aren't meant to be," Flash said, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, back on the subject of Sunset, I was still unsure about whether or not I wanted to give our relationship another shot after the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games," Flash said.
"In the end…?" Eternal asked.
"I asked her if we could try again as friends back when we visited Camp Everfree. Since then, we've been close friends. And then when you came around… I guess I got a little jealous when I saw you with her," Flash said.
"I see," Eternal said.
"So now that you know, what do you wanna do now?" Halo asked.
"Well, first off… Why don't we go talk to Sunset. She and I need to talk," Eternal said. "And it's best that you guys come with me."
"Well, if that's what you want, we're right behind you," Halo said. With their little chat finished, Eternal locked up the house and followed the two guys to where Sunset might be.
Outside the entrance of Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer was sitting against the old statue, still frustrated with her old friend refusing to tell his secret. She got out her book she uses to talk to Princess Twilight, but she wasn't sure how to break it to her. If she told her of Eternal's behavior and not telling him about the cause of his pain and agony, she'd just say the same thing that Flash did: "It's wrong to pry into other people's business."
And in a way, she might be right. But even so, Sunset was desperate for answers. Opening up her book, she got out a pen and wrote to her friend.
"Dear Princess Twilight,
It's been a while, hasn't it? Listen, I need to ask you something."
She waited a while for her to answer back. Then,
"What'd you need, Sunset?" Twilight wrote back.
"It's hard to explain and I dunno if you know about him, but my childhood friend, Eternal Flames came by a few days ago to come and look for me. But ever since he got here, he's been acting strange lately. He would always wake up in pain and cough up blood. I tried to ask him about it, but he won't talk to me about it. He keeps insisting it'll go away," Sunset wrote.
"Oh… well, let's just say he's going through some stuff. If he hasn't told you about what's bothering him, then I can't tell you either. I hope you understand," Twilight writes.
Now even more frustrated, Sunset slammed the book shut. "Another dead-end," she said, groaning in annoyance.
"Sunset!" Flash's voice called out. Sunset looked down the sidewalk and saw her friend walking up to her, along with Halo and to her shock, Eternal. "Sunset, Eternal wants to talk to you."
"What? Flash, you weren't supposed to confront him!" Sunset said, getting up.
"You never told me to do that. You just told me to find out what's bothering him," Flash said, putting his hands up defensively.
"Anyways, they told you me you wanted to find out what's going on with me, so I'll only tell you the small details of my problem: I'm sick," Eternal said.
"Sick? Are you serious?" Sunset asked in disbelief. But then, she clenches her fist and grabs Eternal's shirt collar. "WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA COME CLEAN?!" she shouted.
"Sunset, wait! It's not what you--" Flash said.
"SHUT UP, FLASH!!! I'M BUSY!!!" Sunset snapped, making Flash jump back in fear. "Eternal Flames, why can't you trust me with your little secret? You've been going through this torture for the past few days since you came here! You keep telling me it's alright and that it'll go away, well I say that's bullshit!"
"Sunset, if I told you the real reason, I'd put you in danger. Not to mention this burden is to big for you to bear," Eternal argued.
"So what, are you saying I can't handle this?" Sunset asked, offended. "Am I not strong enough to handle the truth, or is it some sort of guy thing?"
"Now, just a minute here, that's going too far!" Eternal argued back, growing a bit frustrated. "If you had any idea about the struggles I'm facing at the moment, you'd respect my wishes and let me handle this situation!"
"I thought you and I were best friends! Friends never keep secrets from each other!" Sunset said, gripping his shirt even tighter.
"There are some secrets best left unsaid! Especially the personal ones! Or is it you don't respect others' privacy?" Eternal questioned with a sharp glare.
"Sunset, if you just listen to him," Halo tried to intervene.
"Keep your damn noses out of my business!" Sunset said in a calm, raging tone. Halo hid himself behind Flash from how scary she had gotten. "Eternal Flames, tell me right now… what are you hiding from me?"
"For the last time, I can't tell you that!" Eternal said. "All I can tell you is that I'm sick!"
Sunset's anger then gets the better of her as she slaps him across the face. She panted heavily with tears running down her cheeks. "You have changed… but not in the way I expected. If you don't trust me with your little "illness," then… STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!!!"
From that moment, Eternal's heart shattered and turned to dust. His glare intensifies as he reaches into his shirt and took out the locket necklace Sunset made for him years ago.
"If that's the way you feel about our friendship… then keep your stupid present," Eternal said in a low tone, yanking his locket necklace off and throwing it against the statue, causing it to break before hitting the ground. "I was a fool to fall in love with you,"
Sunset is then taken aback by this confession. "L-Love? You mean?"
"Not anymore, I don't. You've made that violently clear. Farewell… Sunset Shimmer," Eternal said before turning around and walking away.
Flash and Halo wanted to talk him out of this, but seeing the cold look in his eyes proves he's in no mood to talk things out. Flash looked back at Sunset, who was still wracked with shock and disbelief over what she's done.
"Sunset… you didn't have to say all that to him!" Flash said.
"We tried to tell you, Sunset. Eternal wasn't keeping his secret to hurt you, but because he loves you too much to get you involved! For your sake, I can only hope you can patch things up with him after what you just said," Halo said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"I… I didn't…" Sunset stuttered.
"Sunset. Maybe it's best if we don't talk for now. At least until we've sorted this mess out. I gotta go for now," Flash said, disappointed before leaving.
"Good luck, Sunset. I hope things turn out okay in the end," Halo said before he headed on home, feeling pity for his good friend. The only one who was left was Sunset Shimmer. Now that she was alone, the first thing she does is go over to the locket her old friend broke. She dropped to her knees and picked up the broken necklace. The more she stared at it, the sadder she became and soon she held it close to her and sobbed quietly to herself.
"What have I done?" Sunset asked her, choked up.