//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 
// Story: Nightshade: Into the Fire 
// by JustPonyboy 
//------------------------------//

Nightshade gasped, and he saw Struck, Sioux, and Strike walking away from him. What the hell? The last thing he recalled was seeing Strike die... But that was impossible because he was watching her joke with Sioux as they walked. Something wasn't right. This all felt familiar to him.

"Guess it really is up to us. Strike is gonna be following Struck's tail all night... Déjà vu."

He felt sick as Ace began, "Why- "

"I'll tell you when... you're older..."

He felt bile rising in his throat, he needed a drink. He felt dizzy.









Ginger and Hazel sat at their table laughing and drinking. Hazel was in the middle of telling a joke when Ginger felt the strong urge to look around, he did so and saw Magnolia approaching. He stood and gave her a warm hug, he felt a sharp pain in his midsection and instinctively clutched his stomach.

"Hey, Gin, you alright?" Magnolia looked worried and he slowly sat back down.

"Y-yeah... Must've been something I ate. Mag, this is Hazel. He's been staying with me for the last few days."

"Is that right?" Ginger felt sick again as she said that. "Well, if you trust him in your home, he must be alright. Hazel, was it? Nice to meet you, good to know I'm not Ginger's only friend."

She giggled and Hazel burst out laughing.

"H-hey! I have other friends!"

"The teddy bear you sleep with doesn't count," Magnolia added, making Hazel cackle with laughter and Ginger looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"The what he sleeps with," Hazel asked with a wide grin.

"You didn't have to tell him that!"









Nightshade grabbed a glass and drank quickly, he felt his sick feeling go away. But he couldn't understand why the feeling would arise anyway. Had something happened? Why did this feel so familiar?

"You ever get that feeling of Déjà vu? I hear it can make a pony sick to their stomach," Nightshade turned to see Totoro sitting at a table alone.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in confinement." He growled.

"Celestia let me come on account of my good behavior."

"Bullshit. You told her something was gonna happen, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? I also told her that it would happen no matter what, the universe doesn't care about her feelings. She's powerless to it, and so are you."

"We'll see about- "

Toro stomped a foot, "What is it with you ponies? Don't you get it? Did you not hear me? That kid is doomed to die tonight. Isn't it strange how you seemed to think that you experienced this before?"

"How- "

"How do I know? I have to commend you on one thing, Nightshade Valentine. You don't give up. This isn't the first time you came to talk to me, you dolt, do you know how many times I watched you bungle the universe's plan just because you didn't like it?"

"What?" He felt all the sounds of the Gala dampen as he focused on Toro.

"Now you're starting to get it. I'm tired of reliving this night. All because of you. Because of you, I watched two innocent ponies die because you couldn't deal with it. Who are you to bend reality to what you want? That isn't how it works, and I'm going to enjoy watching you get what you've been fighting to prevent! This is the true reality because you won't interfere this time..."

He grabbed Toro in anger, and she shrieked, causing two guards to pin Nightshade down.

"Th-this stallion wouldn't leave me alone after I told him I wouldn't go home with him, I think he's had too much to drink."

Nightshade struggled as he was hauled outside, "No! You can't do this! The prince is in danger! You have to let me go!"

The two stallions roughly threw Nightshade on the ground outside.

"Why don't you sober up a bit, General?" The unicorn guard chuckled and drew his rifle when Nights tried to approach the doors, "Go home."

Nights panted heavily in defeat. There was nothing he could do, If he made his way back inside he would be arrested on the spot. Hit a button on his communicator and he was transported to Pandora. He didn't care if there was a way to save him, he was going to do it. He sped over to the controls and attempted to land Pandora inside the castle, his ship took off but no matter where he tried to go Pandora refused to go anywhere near the castle.

Computer rushed out of the depths of Pandora, "Sir! She can't land! This is a fixed point. If Ace doesn't die tonight, you could tear space and time. Nightshade, please. None of us wants this, but if you don't stop... You're going to destroy us all."

Nightshade threw his fist into the console angrily, "I don't care! This isn't fair! Why him? He never did anything wrong!"

There was a silence that settled over the ship as Pandora aimlessly flew over Canterlot. He couldn't even hear the hum of Pandora's engines. He didn't want to see Ace die. Not again. Ace could live on in his heart and mind. He reached under the console and opened a hatch, flipping a switch as Pandora passed the moon...