//------------------------------//
// Ch. 27: He knew what he was doing. Starting a new life. 
// Story: Headline and the Power of Friendship (Book 1) 
// by Headline 
//------------------------------//

	All ponies that were watching the battle other than the mane 6 were nervous to watch these two fight in such a public place but did not want to see Headline lose.
“Ha...” Headline replied. “Looks like....ugh..” Suddenly, he collapsed and hit the ground.
“I win.” Zephyr replied to Headline's last words.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Fluttershy yelled as she flew out of Pinkie's place and flew very quickly towards Headline.
“NO, DON'T!” Rainbow Dash replied as she blocks Fluttershy. “He will kill you too.”
Zephyr walked over to Headline, who is not moving nor breathing, put his ear to his chest and listened to the final heart beats.
“Looks like, little filly, you will have to find another colt friend.” Zephyr said with a victorious smirk. “Now I will kill his father and then, slowly, his mother and everything will be mine...and the princesses will d...what?”
A blade appeared around his neck.
“What did you say about the princesses?” A voice said behind Zephyr.
“Who's there?” Zephyr said without plunging forward.
“If you wanted to kill me...”
Suddenly in joy Fluttershy noticed...
“...you should have stabbed my heart instead of listening to it.”
“HEADLINE!!” The mane 6 yelled as I came in and felt relief just when I thought I saw my son dead.
“Impossible.” Zephyr said in anger.
“Expect the unexpected. Isn't that what you told me? Zephyr!?”
All ponies, gave a sigh of relief as I quickly looked at all the ponies looking at him, thankful that he was alive.
“See Zephyr?” Headline says as he forces him to look around. “See all these ponies? As long as I have my friends here with me, I will never...EVER...give up.”
“Friends...mean nothing.” Zephyr said immediately.
“Careful...time for you to humiliate yourself. Confess your plan to Equestria and then, you may rest in peace.”
“I...don't plan to die.” Suddenly grabbing his sword, he quickly tried to stab him but Headline grabbed his arm and twisted it. “AGHHH!”
“NOW!”
Realizing that he can no longer win this fight, he decides to make his final confession.
“LISTEN UP!!!” Zephyr yelled at the top of his lungs. “My plan was to give ponies more emotions then just love and peace. I wanted everypony to feel pain and anger, but then came Headline and his family to stop it all from happening. Think about it, peace and love without any negative emotions can cause more harm than good. For fury helps to make you feel better about yourself and give you the power to move forward, anger that you failed and promise to do better. That sort of thing. Then Headline and his father came along, and destroyed that plan. I come before you as I failed to help you all and help take control of Equestria with equal emotions and more. Long live the Assassins!!!
Just as Headline was about to slice his neck, he looked at Fluttershy and his friends.
“What are you waiting for? KILL ME!!!” Zephyr shouted.
“NOOOOOOOOO!” Headline said as he punched his face. “I'm not like you. I will not kill you.” Headline bent down to silently chat with him. “Why are you doing what your great-grandfather did? Princess Celestia and Luna can help you. They look at the individual, not the history of one family. Think about this. This is not what you truly want. You just want the help you deserve, but you didn't want that because you were focused on completing what your great-grandfather, grandfather, and your father couldn't do. I believe you should open up and ask for help. Trust me. It will help you and I want you to think about it.” Headline looked up at Celestia and Luna. “He's yours.” Headline looked at Zephyr before he was taken away. “I hope we can be friends.”
Just like that, Princess Celestia and Luna grabbed Zephyr and dragged him away.
“Yes, it's...” Suddenly Headline collapsed again, dead.
“HEADLINE!!!” Fluttershy responded as she trotted over to him and lay down next to him. “No...NOOO...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
“My son....it can't be. I have now lost my last son.”
With Fluttershy crying over Headline, his friends and I were also sobbing and crying for the death of Headline and the good things he had done for us.
As Zephyr was being taken away, he saw Headline dead with his friends surrounding him and then pictured himself with the group and what Headline had told him.
“Wait!” Zephyr said. “I can save him.”
"Are you sure?" Princess Celestia responded in shock.
"Please!" Zephyr said as if he's pleading. "Give me this chance to undo my misjudged and terrible deeds."
“Very well. I will give you this chance.” Princess Celestia said sharply.
“Trust me. You have my word.”
With that, Princess Luna and Celestia escorted him back to Headline.
“What is he doing?” Fluttershy said angrily.
“Move.” Zephyr said.”
“What? I won't...”
“Don't worry Fluttershy.” Princess Luna said. “He knows what he is doing.”
Immediately, Zephyr used something secret that he never showed anyone. As Zephyr put his hooves to Headline's heart, he began to use healing magic. 
“What in tar-nation?” Applejack responded.
“Quiet, I think he might be concentrating.” Rarity said with hope in her voice.
“It's not working.” Zephyr said. “I'm sorry.”
Everyone frowned but Fluttershy was not determined to quit.
“May I help?” Fluttershy asked.
Zephyr nodded and had her hooves on top of his heart and Zephyr's hooves over Fluttershy's. Suddenly, a giant spark ignited inside Headline and both Fluttershy and Zephyr both pushed together and then a giant shock boom around Headline. Zephyr was flown back and the others except Fluttershy who stood her ground with Headline. She fell on top of him. Then suddenly...
“Fluttershy, I can't breathe......*slap*” Fluttershy in shock got up and quickly slapped him. This was something he was not surprised to have happened.
“Oh...I was just...HEADLINE!!!” She jumped back on Headline and sobbed with tears of joy instead of sorrow.
“Ow...ow ow ow ow.” Headline said in pain. “Thank you for caring about me but...ow...would you please let me up and...I did deserve that.” Headline got back up. “I kept things in riddles and yet kept you in the dark; I should have told you my plan from the beginning. I guess this really is not going well between us.”
“No...I like you because you are kind and good...a pony I have always liked.” Fluttershy responded with a smile.
“I'm just glad to hear you are safe...son.” I responded back.
“Dad!” Headline said happily.
Both Headline and I hugged each other for a few seconds. Headline turned to all the ponies that were watching and noticed they all applauded with joy that he saved Equestria from harm. As for the other 5 friends, well they are happy too.
“There was no way I could have come back that time. What happened?” Headline asked Fluttershy.
“Why don't you ask him?” She said as she pointed towards Zephyr.
“You saved me? Thank you.” Headline said happily.
“Happy to help.” Zephyr said. “Fluttershy helped me as well. I couldn't have done it without your filly friend.”
Headline and Fluttershy both embarrassed.
“I do want to know how you came back.” Applejack responded in shock.
“Yeah, how can somepony who got stabbed in the back survive such an attack like that? You died, came back, and died again, and came back. Ahhhhhhhh...so it is possible to explode twice!” Pinkie responded happily.
“I wouldn't try that with this.” Headline said excitedly as he took out a vial.
“What is that?” Twilight asked.
“Nothing I have ever seen before...wait a minute.” I said as I examined the vial. “How did you complete this? I was finishing this but could not find the solution. What was it?”
“When I saw your notes in our house...yes, I noticed the key to your chest...anyway, I looked and saw this ingredient list for something called “The Living Dead.” The missing ingredient you were missing, Dad, was simply...ice.”
“Ice?” I wondered.
“Yeah, with ice, you can be frozen, yet dead. Yet, it still does not show that you are freezing to death. You are being frozen on the inside and not the outside. Therefore, what Zephyr did not realize was that as he got close, he was not curious as to why my heat was disappearing so quickly. I was freezing inside which froze my heart, but only for a little bit.”
“That explains how you got behind me.” Zephyr said in shock.
“When did you drink it?” Rarity asked.
“Simple, after I said that Zephyr dropped his guard I quickly took out the vial and drank a quarter of it.”
“How did you know how much to take?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“See, the vial contains a lot of power to it. If I drank the entire vial, I would most surely die after a chance to come back to life once to fulfill whatever I was doing. That's why I only took a quarter of the vial, yet that still was strong.”
“That is way beyond anything I ever seen.” Twilight said.
“That is why I'm going to get rid of it.” Headline said as he squeezed and smashed the vial to pieces on the ground. “This must not go into the wrong hands...o.k. That sounded cliché but it is true. If this got to somepony, they may try to improve on it. I say, we all should live one life.”
“I second that.” Rarity said.
“I believe Zephyr wants to discuss something with both Headline and Bold.” Princess Luna said.
“I know I do not deserve forgiveness from the both of you but I thought about what you said Headline and I agree. I think I need to think about my future and put away the past. Revenge would not solve anything. I'm sorry I killed your brother and I'm sorry about holding you hostage Bold, it was wrong of me. So, can you be my first friends?
Headline gave an angry look toward Zephyr. Came up directly to his face.
"I will never EVER forgive you for killing my brother!" Headline said furiously. 
Zephyr just frowned in sadness.
"However..." Headline said happily, "...everypony deserves a second chance. Yes, I will forgive you on the fact you need another chance."
"Same here." I said. We all deserve a second chance." 
Zephyr was happy to hear that and quickly apologized to everypony including Headline's friends. 
Hugging all of Headline's friends, we all trotted back to our home for a celebration. Zephyr went to File's tomb to say sorry to him. Headline went over with him.
“So Headline and Zephyr, what did you both learn?”
Headline immediately stepped up to everypony and said, “I learned that violence does not solve all the problems in this world and that I should look for peace through agreement and not violence.”
Zephyr stepped up and said, “I learned that I should not follow someone else's dreams and fulfill my own destiny in life. It is time to put the past behind me and move towards a more prosperous future.”
“I think you will both do just fine.” Princess Luna responded Happily.
With that, everyone walked back towards the center of Ponyville.
“So, Headline, what do you plan to...whoa!” Twilight responded in shock as Headline kissed Fluttershy on the way home.
My wife, Constantia, was overjoyed to see me home again. She kissed Headline so many times, it embarrassed him, but made Fluttershy giggle.
“Finally, I can give that party I promised earlier for you, Headline!” Pinkie responded excitedly. “Let's get this party started!”
With that, all of Headline's friends were playing games, eating, dancing, and just having a swell time except...
“Oh c'mon Headline! The party just started!” Pinkie yelled in excitement.
Headline did not even respond as he fell asleep, yet the party still went on for the rest of the day.
“Let him rest, I think he has had a hard 3 months.” Twilight responded.
“Too bad, I was about to pull a prank on him.” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, at least everything is back to normal and Equestria is safe.” Applejack said.
“I must say, those assassin outfits did look fashionable.” Rarity exclaimed in awe.
“Gummy! Stop drinking all the punch!” Pinkie pie yelled as Gummy went into the bowl of punch.
“Opal is having too much fun with Tank I think.” Rarity giggled as Opal tries to claw Tank.
“Well, at least Angel is...oh...ummm...Angel...don't sleep on Headline's head.” Angel just ignores the comment and fell asleep. “Well, at least it is not disturbing Headline.”
All the girls and guys just laughed and watched as Headline just dreams for a better future.