Nero stood by his sedated friend, crying. "You'll be alright....I know you will..." Suddenly, Fire's eyes opened. "How sweet." Nero jumped back at the demons voice. "This body is useless in this state...I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to." Nero was both happy, yet afraid. "He will not be yours, and that's a promise." Nero said with a fierce, determined tone. The demon rolled his eyes as Nero left. "We heard voices, is he awake?" He turned to find Mateo and Luna. "If you feel like questioning the demon, go inside. He can't move or use magic otherwise he would have done something." Nero kept on trotting towards the exit.
He heard the sound of wooden wheels rolling on a dirt road and turned to his right. Skyward Flame had finally reached Ponyville after two hours. Nero flew over to the first caravan and began to speak with him. "You're son is in the hospital. Have you seen Twilight?" Flame looked up and shook his head. "What happened to Fire?" Nero explained the situation to him slowly. Flame darted to the hospital leaving his trail of black and red flames. 'Alright, now I need to find Twilight. She should be back by tonight or tomorrow morning...' Thought Nero leading everypony to their homes.
- - - - Flame - - - -
He trotted into the room. "So, looks like you have to answer my questions." The demon once more rolled his pure red eyes. "How did you manifest yourself inside him?" Flame took a seat across from the bed. "I have always been inside him. Ever since his mother was killed, I grew. I have you to thank, though. For if you didn't leave him alone I would not exist." Flame just sat there as the demon grew a smile. "Poor thing, you thought you were protecting him." He started laughing at him, causing his own anger to build up. Before Flame knew what he was doing, he hit the demon in his face. "You think that hurts? The only one who will be hurting is him." The demon smirked, unmoving. Flame was about to hit him again when Mateo walked in, accompanied by Twilight and the others with the elements. "Stand back, this should stop him." Twilight said as Flame backed away. The demon closed his eyes. 'Now I get it...You can't be destroyed by the elements...Don't think you will get away with this. Fire said to the demon inside his head. "Well, it took you long enough to figure out my plan." He said aloud as he was blasted by the elements of harmony.
- - - - Iron Fire - - - -
His eyes opened slowly, no longer pure red. His markings faded away, revealing his grey coat. "Ouch!" He yelled aloud as his face suddenly started feeling like he had been hit with a sword. He remembered seeing what the demon saw, which had been his father hitting him. Everyone looked so happy, except for Fire. "What's wrong son?" His father asked in a cheerful manner. "Look..." His tone was low, and scared. They all turned to see the demon standing right next to him. "I thank you, Twilight. Now, I will take my leave of you all." He said flying out of the window. They all looked to Fire, who sighed. "There is only one thing I do regret..." Nero, Flame, and Luna all closed in on him as he motioned them to come closer. "I regret causing the upcoming event on you..." He said to them, confused expressions.
"What do you mean?" Asked Nero, following Fire's gaze out the window. "He thought that I couldn't read his mind as he couldn't read mine. I could, and know what he is planning. Nero, he's going to take your sister. Luna, he's going after Celestia. Dad...He already took from you." Flame shared shocked expressions with everyone in the room. "He didn't take anything from me, though." Fire gave him a faint smile, before falling unconscious. A doctor pushed through the check his vitals. "He is weak, but stable. If Twilight hadn't come when she did, he would have died upon impact of the elements. He will regain his strength, but it will take time." Nero bolted out of the room along with Luna. "Think he's already ahead of us?" Nero shouted to her. "I don't know, let's pray not." She said as she took off.
- - - - Nero - - - -
He rammed his home's door and bolted upstairs. He pushed open his sister's bedroom door. "Too late." Said the demon as he grabbed the filly and teleported away. He growled in frustration as he ran back outside his house, taking off for Canterlot. 'I need to get to Celestia before he does! Reach her first, Luna. Please do...' Thought Nero beating his wings as hard as he could.
- - - - Luna - - - -
She ran through the main chamber, the many hallways, even the mess hall to finally come upon her sisters room. She opened the door, happy to see her sister staring out the balcony. "Sister, you need to get someplace safe. He is coming for you." Celestia turned to her, showing a saddened look. "It seems we arrived at the same time, Nightmare." The demon trotted inside. "That is no longer my name." Luna called out to him, stomping a hoof to the ground. "That's supposed to scare me? You're joking." He laughed at her, filling her with more anger. She calmed herself down as she saw Nero creeping up on the demon. "Give me my sister!" He shouted attempting to tackle the demon.
He turned around and bucked Nero in the head, sending him flying into the back wall. He slowly got up, ignoring his pain. "That...All you got...?" He said weakly. The demon smiled, lifting Nero into the air with his magic. "No, but this is only a fraction of it." Called the demon. Nero had been flung through the bedroom wall and into the hallway. He collided with a mirror and fell to his stomach. "You..." Was all Luna could say to the smiling demon. "I am stronger than you, Luna. Celestia has been...Overthrown." Said the demon, laughing once more. "Sister, run." Luna was about to protest when her sister screamed it again, sending fear through her body. The fear was what made her run, fear of her sister being hurt...Or worse...
- - - - - - - -
She had picked up Nero and ran for her life. She hadn't even realized where she was or where she was going until she stopped outside of the hospital. She stepped in and a nurse looked up at her. "Oh, Princess Luna. Back so soon? Oh my! What happened to him?!" The nurse galloped over and called for a stretcher. Two more nurses appeared with a stretcher and loaded Nero onto it. Luna followed the nurses to Fire's room, where the loaded him on to the extra bed. Flame had never left his son's side. "What happened? Are you alright?" Flame had been asleep waiting for his son to recover enough to speak. Luna was shaking, and so was her voice when she spoke. "He tried to stop him from taking Celestia, but ended up getting bucked in the face and thrown through a wall." Flame looked over at the two sleeping ponies. "You know what we have to do, don't you..." She nodded to him. "Then you know where he is heading?" She thought for a second. "No, but we know who does." They both turned their heads to Fire, still knocked out.
'So much has happened...And they think I am too weak to hear them...Sad.' Thought Fire. 'He will pay, but I can't go on like this....Must...Sleep... His mind stopped thinking and drifted to sleep. For the first time in a long time, his nightmares no longer existed.