It was only an hour after Blitz Surge had been sent packing out of Unityville courtesy of an incredibly pissed off Burst Stream. Though cheers no longer rang through the air, the atmosphere around town was most certainly elevated from its initial state. And none were quite as happy as the Elements of Heroism. Namely Night Fang after he'd seen Narico running full tilt at him with Abyss trailing behind.
"FANG!" Narico cried out to his adoptive brother in relief and joy as he nearly tackled the Element of Determination! "You came back! I knew you'd come!"
"Of course I would." Fang grinned as he patted the young changeling king's head. "A big bro's gotta keep his kid brother safe, doesn't he?"
"Maybe I should schedule a playdate for him and Sonata." Aria smirked as she walked up to Fang's side and wrapped an arm around him. "Nice to see you again, your highness."
"You too!" Narico beamed as he released his hold on Fang and returned to Abyss's side. "Looks like Blitz Surge has been sent packing!"
"Yes, my son has been driven back." Abyss nodded before casting a sad glance at the platinum-petrified Aether at the center of town. "Though it has come at a great price." Guilt pierced Abyss's heart as she looked to the ground in shame. Tears beginning to sting her eyes as she tried to hold them back. "It's all my fault, isn't it? Aether didn't love me like he did the mother of Burst Stream, and I was so desperate to have the child that he couldn't give me! And because I spoke so fondly of Aether, about how great a hero he was, I influenced him to walk down this path! Giving him the notion that if he became a hero and stood before Aether, we could become a family again!" And like that, the dam burst. Abyss falling to her knees as the tears flowed freely. "And I helped him along his foolish quest! ALL OF THIS IS BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE WHAT BLITZ WAS BECOMING!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Aria snapped as she yanked Abyss to her feet and shook her a bit! A stern look in her eyes as she glared into Abyss's! "You're right. You DID help enable Blitz Surge. But you know what?! Not all the blame is on your shoulders! Yeah, you could've been a bit more observant or convinced him that making Aether a part of your family didn't matter. But crying over what should've been done ain't gonna fix what's already happened! And more importantly," Aria's gaze and tone softened. "What you did was natural. Good mothers just want to see their kids be happy. It's good you feel responsible for how Blitz Surge turned out. But everything he's done was of his own decision. He's the one that decided to try and kill Burst Stream and take over the kingdom. You didn't plant any of that in his head, that was all him."
". . . Thank you." Abyss said weakly as Aria released her. Looking at Narico as she dusted herself off. "And I suppose it lead to another good thing as well."
"Can't argue with you there." Narico said with a loving smile.
"Still, the events of today have also yielded a silver lining." Abyss stated with a serious look on her face.
"And what's that?" Fang asked.
"I feel that information would best be delivered later on." Abyss replied as she gestured at Burst Stream who was still sitting before his imprisoned father. "Especially after Burst Stream has fully recovered from his loss."
"Yeah." Fang nodded as he cast a worried glance towards his leader. "I can't even imagine what's going through his head right now."
Burst Stream just sat quietly in front of the statue form his father had been imprisoned in. Despite Blitz Surge being largely responsible for his father's current state, Burst Stream couldn't help but know that he himself was also at fault. The longer Burst gazed upon the platinum prison of his father, the more his thoughts drowned out the outside world.
'I'm so sorry, Dad.' Burst thought as he tried to make himself as small as possible. Using his dragon wings to hide himself. 'I should've known better than to trust any form of peace terms Blitz Surge could think of. The worst part is, he knew how bad this would hurt me. And he enjoyed doing it, thinking it would make me fall apart before him!' Burst Stream's sorrow soon gave way to anger as he slowly stood up and glared in the direction of Castalot.
'Blitz Surge. You took my home. You hurt the women I love. You forced my friend and I to become rebels! And now you took my dad from me!' Burst Stream raged within his mind as he clenched his fists! Unbeknownst to him, his pupils had narrowed into slits! 'I swear. . . I sweat you're gonna pay for this! Somehow, I'll bring that barrier you put up crashing down! And when I do, you better pray for any of my friends for some mercy! Because I won't show you any!'
"Burst!" Inferno Flare called out! Snapping his friend out of his anger-riddled thoughts. If only for a moment. "Are you. . . alright?"
"I'm mostly healed from sending Blitz Surge packing. I'll be fine with a little more rest." Burst replied. Though there was a slight edge in his voice upon answering. "How are the others?"
"Everyone else is in top form." Inferno answered with a smile.
"Good." Burst Stream nodded. "Because within the next hour, we're laying siege to Castalot."
"Wait, what?!" Inferno was shocked at Burst's declaration! "I didn't mishear you did I? You want to siege Castalot. Today. And you're being completely serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking to you, Inferno?" Burst snapped as he narrowed his eyes.
"No. You don't. And that's the problem." Inferno sighed. "Burst Stream, this is a bad idea. I mean, think about it! You're still recovering from your fight against Blitz Surge! And that's not counting the loss you've just gotten! Because of that-"
"That's exactly why we need to siege Castalot as soon as possible!" Burst shouted in anger! "I have to put a stop to Blitz Surge NOW! The longer we wait, the more chances we give him to launch a counterattack on us! And Faust knows he won't have any qualms about putting civilians in the crossfire! For all the horrible things he's done. . . for all the people he's hurt, he has to pay!"
"Burst, I'm only saying this as your friend." Inferno said calmly. "You need to process things. I'm speaking from an experience similar to yours. When Blitz Surge challenged me for leadership, I let my emotions get the better of me because we were all still hurting a bit from your presumed death. Blitz exploited my anger at his disrespect towards your memory, and goaded me into being curbstomped by him. And given how angry you are, you're more than capable of making the same mistake I did!"
"I thought you were supposed to have my back." Burst growled.
"I do! That's exactly why I'm trying to talk you out of this!" Inferno argued. "I can't even imagine the pain you feel right n-"
"No! You can't!" Burst roared! Fluxing in and out of his Nightmare Form as his anger spiked at the memory of his father's imprisonment in platinum! "You didn't just see one of your parents get turned into a statue! When I see Blitz Surge next, I'm taking him down! Permanently!"
Inferno narrowed his eyes. "So you're willing to be just as merciless as he is? You're fine with killing him in cold blood?"
"This isn't the first time I've destroyed my enemy, Inferno." Burst scowled. "You saw what I did to Night Terror and Shining Dawn."
"Those are different cases!" Inferno snapped! "Night Terror had us all on our last legs and was about to finish us off for good! Shining Dawn went mad because of the Avatar Amulet and was willing to wipe his entire estate off the map just to get rid of you! Both of those times, you acted to defend yourself and others! That's what a hero does!"
"So am I not allowed to make Blitz Surge answer for what he's done?!" Burst shouted!
"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Inferno argued! "All I'm trying to say is that you should take the time to process your grief so you don't do something that'll haunt you for the rest of your life! That way you can deliver REAL justice for the wrongs Blitz committed! You said earlier that Blitz had to pay for all the people he's hurt. But if you face him right now, you'd only be getting payback for yourself! And you'd more than likely lose! I'd be lying if I said anyone other than you would be more fitting to take down Blitz Surge, but that's something that isn't possible in your current condition!"
But before either of them could get another word in their argument, the other Elements of Heroism had gathered with Nightfall Silver leading them.
"Guys. I know what you're arguing about is important, but we've got some unwanted guests dropping by!" Nightfall informed them. "My scans picked up on a force of Lancer units coming our way! I guess Blitz didn't appreciate getting kicked out!"
"We should be able to deal with those clankers easily." Inferno nodded as he turned to face Burst. "Burst, this is gonna have to-what?!" Inferno was surprised to see Burst Stream had taken to the air and was flying out to meet the Lancer force! "Oh no. . . c'mon! We've gotta get him back here now!"
"Why?" Dark Ice asked. "Couldn't Burst scrap the incoming force on his own?"
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of." Inferno sighed. "With the grief he's going through, he'd more than likely try to take on Blitz Surge after destroying those bots! And he'd more than likely loose given how his emotions are ruling his actions!"
Despite the other Elements of Heroism giving chase, Burst Stream had already landed in front of the Lancer force sent to Unityville. As the robotic soldiers drew readied their weapons, Burst Stream bolted forward with his 2-in-one weapon in lightsaber mode! Furiously slashing apart the Blade units' weapons before cutting them to pieces!
The Valkyrie units tried to pick him off from the air, but Burst Stream quickly taking to the air rendered their tactics useless as he whipped out his spare blaster, and shot their wings! Sending them tumbling toward the ground! They didn't have a chance to recover as Burst sheathed his weapons and shot a blast of white lightning at them! Frying the downed Valkyrie units! With the aerial units eliminated, Burst Stream turned his attention to the ground units. Drawing his two-in-one, he used its blaster mode to incapacitate the Blade units before landing in front of them and switching to his weapon's lightsaber mode! Hacking the infantry units to pieces!
Thinking he was occupied, the Guardian units charged towards Burst Stream! But just as the lead Guardian swung its hammer down at Burst Stream, Burst caught the hammer with his hand! And as Burst Stream slowly pushed the hammer up, it was revealed that he'd transformed into his Nightmare Form. Burst narrowed his eyes at the Guardian, lifted it by its hammer, and slammed it down on the downed remains of the Blade units, crushing them!
Nightmare Burst turned his attention to the remaining Lancer forces. If the robotic soldiers could feel anything, they would be a quivering mess at the way Nightmare Burst was glaring at them. His expression unchanging, Nightmare Burst switched his 2-in-1 Duelist Arm to its lightsaber mode and pointed it at his enemies.
"Next?" Nightmare Burst asked as he gestured for the Lancer forces to come at him. The instant one stepped forward, he shot forward and pierced its core with his lightsaber! The mech spasming before exploding! Using the smoke as cover, Nightmare Burst quickly dispatched the remaining units! Either by using the blaster form's charged shot or running them through with his weapon's lightsaber form! When all of the enemy force was scrapped, Nightmare Burst looked towards the direction of Castalot. Storm clouds gathering over both Castalot and Unityville.
"HRRRRAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!" Nightmare Burst roared to the heavens! "BLITZ SURGE! QUIT HIDING BEHIND YOUR TOY SOLDIERS AND FIGHT ME! YOU WANT TO KILL ME SO BADLY?! I'M RIGHT HERE! FIGHT ME!" Thunder boomed across the sky as rain began to pour on down. And Nightmare Burst still screamed his challenge with all the fury he had! "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME YOU BASTARD! COME ON AND OUT AND RECEIVE THE JUSTICE YOU KEEP PREACHING ABOUT! THE ONLY WAY THIS ENDS IS BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, SO FIGHT ME! YOU HEAR ME?! FIGHT MEEEEE!"
Burst Stream let out his fury for as long as his lungs could bear. He knew that he wouldn't get a response, and decided to return back to Unityville. Everyone was a bit put-off since he hadn't shifted out of his nightmare form, and made sure to give him a wide berth upon noticing the intense look in his eyes. It wasn't long before he stood before the both teams of elements.
"Get to bed early tonight." Burst ordered. "Tomorrow, we're storming Castalot."
"No." Twilight firmly refused. "Burst Stream, all of us need to be in top shape. Physically AND emotionally. And currently, you don't look to be the latter. I know you're hurting right now, but we were talking with Inferno. We all think we should push back the siege of Castalot until after you've emotionally recovered. Please understand! We're doing this because we care about you! We all thought we'd lost you once! And we don't want to see it actually happen at Blitz Surge's hands!"
". . . So that's how it is, huh?" Burst scowled. "Fine. I'll do it myself tomorrow."
"Why should we fight alongside you as you are right now?" Nightmare Moon asked with a sad look in her eyes. "Because right now, I really can't see a difference between you and Blitz Surge."
"Don't you dare compare me to him!" Burst Stream snapped! However, he soon noticed the frightened and hurt looks on his friends faces. Nightmare Moon and Celestia looking the most hurt out of all of them. Burst took a breath to compose himself if only a little bit. "Fine. None of you have to go into battle with me. But at least try and find out how to take down that barrier over Castalot. I can't take out Blitz while that thing's up. Until then, I'm hittin' the sack. Wake me up when you can help me." It went without saying that Burst Stream slept alone that night.
When morning came, the storm was still going on. The weather seemed to perfectly reflect Burst's mood as he was still in his nightmare form as he woke up. He decided to drop by Twilight's castle and see if there was any progress towards a solution to the barrier around Castalot.
"Any progress?" Burst Stream asked with a frown.
"Well, we haven't found any spells that can break down barriers of that size." Twilight answered nervously. "Nightfall's weary of trying to hack the barrier's tech component because Hax could've put in a lot of nasty safeguards."
"You're overlooking the most obvious solution, Twilight." Burst Stream stated. "I go to Castalot and he lets me in."
"What?!" Inferno snapped as he heard Burst's proposition! "Are you serious, Burst?!"
"It doesn't seem like a sound idea." Steel Edge advised. "If I were Blitz, I'd just hole myself up behind the barrier and wait things out. Then again, it's not like he uses his head much. His sword tends to act as his brain."
"The answer's simple. It's what we both want." Burst Stream scowled. "He's eager for a chance to put me down, and I'm more than itching for a chance to end him. He lets me in, and we're free to go at it. And I for one can't wait."
"So you're letting revenge drive you?" Tyrannus Rex asked with a frown. "That doesn't sound like you, Burst."
"You'd be pretty damn angry if you just lost a parent too!" Burst Stream snapped! "And don't any of you dare tell me none of this fight is personal! It was always personal from the moment Blitz took over Castalot! This is a fight for our home, and I'm gonna end it once and for all!"
"Burst, cool it and drop out of your nightmare form!" Inferno ordered! "None of us are following you until you get past your loss and get back to your usual self! Because I refuse to stand beside you when you're acting like Blitz Surge!"
"Fine!" Burst Stream hissed! "I'll go it alone!"
Burst Stream stormed out the door, and spread his wings! Taking flight toward Castlot! But as he flew towards the city, a lone figure hovered in his way. In front of him was none other than Princess Celestia. And she didn't show any signs of moving out of his way.
". . . Let me through, Celestia." Burst Stream requested. "Please."
"That's something I can't do, Burst Stream." Celestia sighed. "I can't let you go and get yourself get killed."
"The only one who's going to die is Blitz Surge!" Burst Stream growled!
"Not if you face him as you are." Celestia declared. "You think that nobody cares about your pain, correct?"
"None of my friends could ever understand!" Burst Stream snapped as he drew his two-in-one Duelist Arm and pointed at Celestia. The shaking in his hands barely visible as he aimed it at her. "Please, Celestia. Let me through. I don't want to hurt anyone but Blitz."
"But you ARE hurting everyone else!" Celestia shouted! "None of us can stand to see you throwing yourself into a fight against Blitz Surge like this! It's agonizing to see you act as unstable and violent as Blitz Surge! I know you've acted on your emotions when you fight, but you never lashed out with them!"
"You don't think I've tried to control myself?!" Burst Stream shouted back! The shaking in his arm now visibly intense!"I feel like I'm barely keeping it together! The one thing that's keeping me grounded is putting a stop to Blitz Surge!"
"And that single-minded goal is what will cost you the most!" Celestia argued! "Because by going down that mindset, you'd be no better than Blitz! You'd be disregarding everything to achieve his goal just like he did!"
"What gives you the right to lecture me?!" Burst Stream roared! "Why do you think you can talk to me like this when you couldn't possibly know what I'm feeling?!"
"You feel like you failed." Celestia said calmly. And at hearing these words, Burst Stream's eyes widened. This caught Celestia's notice, but she continued. "That your entire world's been shattered, and that a massive wound has been inflicted upon your heart because you lost someone dear to you. At your core, you feel great anger towards what took them from you. But more than anything, you feel powerless and you hate yourself because you know it could have been avoided. That you could have done something to avoid that loss."
". . . How?" Burst Stream croaked out. "How do-"
"I know what you're going through Burst Stream." Celestia said with a sympathetic look on her face as she hovered closer to Burst Stream. Her eyes tearing up just as his were. "Because it's a pain I lived with for a thousand years every time I looked at the moon. And it's a pain that you helped to mend through the promise you made to me that fateful day we met."
Burst Stream was silent as he descended to the ground and holstered his weapon. As soon as he landed, Burst fell to his knees and slammed his fist against the ground! A scream of anguish, sorrow, and realization ripping out from his throat!
"AAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!"
Seconds felt like minutes as Burst's scream died down. The rain gradually letting up as Celestia descended towards Burst and knelt down to his level. Slowly, Burst raised his head. Though he was still within his nightmare form, the rage and hate in his eyes had faded. Now, only sadness and hurt were present as tears fell from them.
"You're right." Burst Stream whimpered. "All of you were right. I really was acting like him. The person who embodies everything a hero shouldn't be. And I was acting just like him." Burst continued to look at the ground in shame. "Maybe I shouldn't even take part in the final stand against him."
"Burst Stream." Celestia said as she gently lifted Burst Stream's head to face her. "Listen to me. You are NOT like Blitz Surge. Your friends and I all know this. Yes, your anger and desire to make him pay for what he did to your father was selfish. But it came out of love for your family. None of us can blame your for how you acted. Grief can introduce certain thoughts to a person, and can drive them to perform acts they never would have done otherwise."
"How do you know I won't go too far?" Burst Stream croaked out as he looked away. "I was raving about how I'd gladly kill Blitz Surge! Just the sight of him could set me off and I'd go berserk!"
"Because you're not alone." Celestia answered. "Every time you've fought, it was always to protect others. To stand for those who couldn't fight for themselves. Even if it was only you against whatever evil menaced your home, you never fought alone. Your fellow Elements of Heroism, Twilight and her friends, and Nightmare Moon and me, we were always with you. And we will still be with you when you face and defeat Blitz Surge."
"What makes you so certain I can beat him?" Burst Stream sniffled as he managed to lock eyes with Celestia.
"You have the most powerful weapon a hero can have." Celestia answered with a warm smile. "Hope. When you were on your last legs against Night Terror, you pushed forward with the final blow and destroyed him. During your escape from the catacombs when Chrysalis invaded, you helped the changelings realize they could have a future without her rule. Crashing the wedding Shining Dawn forced me into raised the people's spirits, and your last stand against Tirek helped push Inferno to his ascension. And what you've done right now is given hope to the world. Your resistance against Blitz Surge showed everyone that there were true heroes who were willing to fight evil no matter the odds. And you driving Blitz Surge away showed that he isn't invincible! The he can be beaten! But the greatest hope you've given is to us?"
"Celestia's right." Nightmare Moon said as she approached the pair. A loving smile on her face as she knelt down to Burst's level. "You gave her the hope that she could have someone love her as a person. Not as a princess or a goddess, but because of who she is. And you gave me hope that people would accept me, and that I wasn't the monster everyone believed me to be."
"Now it's time we give you hope, Burst." Celestia said with a smile that matched Nightmare Moon's as she wrapped her wings around Burst. "Hope for a future with us together." Hearing this surprised Burst greatly at hearing this, and the rain had halted at the same time.
"Looking back, it kinda makes sense you couldn't choose between the two of us." Nightmare Moon said as she wrapped her wings around Burst. "Because the three of us wouldn't be the same without either of the other two."
"Hey, don't leave us out of this!" Inferno shouted as he and the rest of Burst Stream's friends joined the scene. "You gave us the hope that we could all be heroes! So stand up, Burst!"
Slowly, Burst Stream stood. His nightmare form melting away as the sun broke through the clouds! When Burst Stream opened his eyes, a heroic smile was proudly displayed on his face!
"Thank you. All of you." Burst grinned. "You just saved me from becoming what I hated."
"Thank Celestia we did." Inferno sighed in relief.
"You're welcome." Celestia giggled.
"Still, we should take a bit of time to rest." Burst Stream suggested. "I don't know about you guys, but today was exhausting."
"That's a wise move on your part." Abyss said as she approached the group with Narico at her side. "Because I have some information that could prove invaluable in the final battle."
"Your Blitz's mom, right?" Burst Stream asked. "And just what kind of info do you have?"
"Would you be interested in knowing how to strip Blitz of the power of Harmony?"