//------------------------------// // Side Ch.: Heaven's Frost vs. Hellfire // Story: Nothing Probably Goes on Forever Too // by TundraStanza //------------------------------// I wish I had an angel For one moment of love I wish I had your angel tonight --- Side-chapter: Heaven’s Frost vs. Hellfire --- I’m not really sure what happened. As soon as I opened my eyes, my ears were full of various cries and cheers. There were tall walls all around that stretched to the sky. At the edge of some of the walls, I could see ponies, people, and a bunch of other creatures having a hoot and acting like wild football fans. To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement. Where am I? I thought, Who are these people? And why do I suddenly not care if I kill the next guy that crosses my path? As if to answer my question with a question, a peculiar bipedal creature walked in from the other side of the arena. I wasn’t sure what how to describe what I was seeing. The way his black skin looked like it had been melted, how his four insectoid wings buzzed behind him occasionally, and his clawed hands(?)… altogether, it almost made me want to vomit. Yet, the only emotion I could express at that moment was cold indifference. It was as if my ability to feel anything beyond an urge to kill had been stripped from my being. In contrast, my soon to be opponent couldn’t seem to wear any expression except a silly smile on his face. “So, Tundra Stanza, huh?” he addressed me. Who is this kook? I thought, though my indifferent stare voided any emotion behind that thought. “I don’t know,” he drawled as he seemed to look at me from horn to hoof, “You look too hot to be called a tundra.” Is he… coming onto me? I wondered while taking a step back despite the fact that there wasn’t anything to go back to, I’d better do something to end any awkward intimacy right now. “I’m Knightmare,” the creature pointed a claw at himself, “But I think I might be your best dream in-” “You do realize I used to be a man?” I tried halting his thought train at the station. “Oh, re-he-heally?” he practically sang his syllables. Wait, if he’d be willing to hit on guys or girls, I put two and two together and my eyes opened wide in horror, Oh, dear gosh! I just doubled my trouble by saying that! “FIGHT!” ordered an overhead announcer that sounded suspiciously like Shao Kahn. My earlier urge to kill quickly obliged. Feeling a bit more confident with my magic than day one as a pony, I willed five icicles into existence and surrounded the abomination called Knightmare. I galloped forward and summoned my Zanpaktou. I did not want to get my hooves dirty. Well, I would just… not like that. My distracting thought nearly cost me my eyes. Shards of the icicles flew past me and I had to swing my blade around wildly to avoid getting some free impalements. As soon as I thought it was safe to open my eyes, however, a rather heavily weighted object smacked me in the face. Dots of light swam in my vision before I could shake them out. “I can’t believe I just hit on a drag queen!” groaned Knightmare. He’s lost in thought, I realized, Now’s my chance! I galloped forward taking steady aim with my blade. All I had to do was extend it a bit extra and he’d soon be ready for the “decapitated statue art” section. “San-no-Mai, Shirafu-Woah!” I yelped as I slid off target onto my rump. Is this some kind of cruel joke? I whimpered in thought as I watched a piece of one of my own icicles fly into the opposite wall. My chance to finish this fight literally slipped out under me. Not wanting my enemy to copy my ‘hit them while they’re distracted’ strategy, I quickly stood back up. My ear perked up at a screechy chord resembling the noise of an electric guitar. After that, a familiar weight hit me in the chest area. Luckily, my blue chest plate took most of the force. I tried swinging my Zanpaktou at Knightmare, but the blade missed by an inch as he safely backed away. I hated to admit it, but I needed help. “Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!” --- While I was able to take control of the body, I briefly wondered why my sword had refused to change to its shikai white color. But, there was no more time. Rapidly, I advanced on the enemy’s position, swinging with power every time I struck that ax-like weapon of his. Eventually, his defensive stance broke and he resorted to buzzing his wings. This somehow made him move faster, but it also kept him from fighting back. Yes, I’ve got him on the ropes! I cheered mentally, All he can do is dodge! Though, my excitement soon switched to annoyance. I took notice that even though he was dodging every which way he could, he wasn’t really showing any signs of tiring. In contrast, my own muscles felt like they were starting to ache. “Oh, come on now!” Knightmare shouted over my onslaught, “You make a lovely mare, Miss Stanza! But you see, it’d make things easier for both of us if you did not have that sword. You know what I mean?” What does he mean by tha-? my thought was interrupted as he successfully flew out of my grounded range of attacks. He then proceeded to shake his cheeks and tongue around in a fashion that I recalled Rainbow Dash taunting that one time. Needless to say, I was kind of infuriated by Knightmare's mocking of me. “So-me-no-Mai,” I whispered, “Tsukishiro.” With my magic focused, a circle of white ice appeared underneath Knightmare’s feet. But, something wasn’t right. Tsukishiro is supposed to transform into a pillar of ice, trapping all within regardless if they are on earth or in the sky, I stared angrily at the event that was not taking place, Why isn’t it working? “What? Do you think I need to chill out?” Knightmare joked as he smacked his own behind for good measure. You know what? Screw this! I fumed as I charged up an orb of my own ice magic. I forced it forward and I was briefly satisfied when it resulted in a yelp from the opposition. I couldn’t fool around with this fight anymore. If I wanted to defeat him, I’d have to use all of the power I had left. Pointing my sword over four specific points, I called upon all of the spiritual energy I had into the tip of my blade. Snowflakes poured into one point, practically begging me to kill something with them. That’s what I intended to do. “Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!” I called. The wave of snow shot forward in a dense, cold beam. Briefly, I let a small smile cross my otherwise angry face. There was no way that Knightmare could… …float casually to the side to avoid my attack and let the arena wall suffer his planned fate. …what, I thought in disbelief. The wall certainly looked prettier in its new coat of bluish-white. But, I couldn't enjoy it as I was already falling to my knees. I could barely stand, let alone fight. “Girl, I just gotta say,” my enemy whistled, “You’re as cold as ice.” I have to use my kido, I thought while panting, It’s my only chance. “H…hado… thirty-…three,” I tried saying between breaths. The accursed scream from that ax destroyed any concentration I had left. My eyes were forced shut to minimize the headache. When the wail ended, I looked back up hoping for peaceful tranquility. Unfortunately, that action alone left my neck wide open for the sharp projectile that collided with it. With the last amount of blood pumping through my brain, I managed to see what the problem was with my Zanpaktou. It had the violet hilt of Ruri’iro Kujaku. I was fighting with Apple Bloom’s sword this whole time?! I thought exasperatedly. Then, I saw no more. ---(Tundra’s POV) I watched from the safety of the VIF (Very Important Fighter) seats. Idly, I rubbed my neck. “Yeesh,” I muttered, “I’m glad that’s just a simulation.” --- Some time later… “Hey!” I looked over toward who was speaking. I recognized him from his depicted image in the arena. It was Knightmare Demonbane. Although, he wasn’t nearly as gross-looking in person as his hologram was. I think the staff of this “Equestrian Death Battle Tournament” had taken some creative liberties when creating the fighters’ representative avatars. Shirayuki was supposed to have a white coat after all, not just take control of my body mentally. “Mind if I take a seat, Miss Stanza?” Knightmare asked politely. “I don’t mind at all,” I smiled lightly. It was better to make friends in real life than enemies. “So…” he seemed to struggle with what he was trying to say, “Uh… sorry.” I wondered why he was so red in the face. Oh, he must be talking about what happened in the arena, I concluded. I held up a hoof before he could say something that would embarrass us both. “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I told him straight, “You fought me. You beat me. That’s how a tournament battle is supposed to go.” “Y-uh, I wasn't… actually… talking about,” he kept pausing frequently before letting out a sigh. Then, what is he talking about? I wondered with an eyebrow raised. “I think they got some faulty information,” he hurriedly explained, “because there’s no way I’d be that insulting to anyone, unless they’d done something to make me really angry. I just… yeah. Sorry.” Well… I wasn't expecting that. “So, uh,” he paused before offering one hand forward, “Friends?” “Sure,” I nodded as I completed his handshake with my hoof, “Besides, they weren't exactly spot on with my information either. I mean, Ruri’iro Kujaku?” I chuckled at their error in the pre-battle analysis, “That's Apple Bloom's sword.” “Definitely different universes. The Apple Bloom I know has a razor whip,” Knightmare chuckled in reply, “Well then, maybe we can meet again after the tournament is over. I’d love to do a duet on stage.” It had been a while since my last, large production musical number. “Yeah,” I agreed, “I’d like that.” “Then it’s a deal!” he perked up, “Drop by New Canterlot sometime and we’ll make some beautiful music together! … and no, that wasn’t innuendo.” “I… didn’t say it was,” I blinked at his sudden drop in mood. That didn’t sound remotely suggestive, I thought. “Everyone likes to think I’m a shameless pervert,” he grumbled, “I personally don’t like it when everyone I meet assumes that, since it’s not true. And I swear I’m going to strangle Griffin for telling Arrel that.” He immediately stopped. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say to that. What do you say to a guy that’s been unfairly judged for a large portion of his life without sounding judgmental yourself? ---(Shirayuki’s POV) I had to say something. I wasn’t going to leave this poor man in the dumps. So, with barely a nudge, I took dominance and spoke my mind. “If everyone else chooses to make assumptions before they've properly met you, then that's their problem. I can tell that you're better than that.” Knightmare looked up briefly. Tears rolled down his honest smile line. “Thank you,” he exhaled before resting his head in his hands. --- Stay tuned to From Nobody to Knightmare for the special crossover chapter: Musical Mayhem: The Angel of Music vs. The Demon of Metal! ---