//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two: Forgiveness 
// Story: Portals: Beyond The Pail (Book 5 In The Portals Series) 
// by The Derpy Doctor 
//------------------------------//

	Kevin stared at the leg of the beautiful mare in front of him. It was very apparent that it was broken and he had no idea how he was going to live with himself knowing that this had happened, especially if Bellus were to end civilization in Equestria here and now.
Kevin’s eyes fill with tears as the mare shook with fear. How could he forgive himself? How could this get worse?

“Bellus!” came the voice of Twilight, “I’m right here!”
Twilight showed herself to the beast, though clearly distracted by something else. There almost appeared to be a smile on her face as she showed herself to the monstrous being.
Bellus turned his head and squinted at Twilight. “Why...?”
“Why am I smiling? Oh, simple. It’s because I know something you don’t. Turn around.” The mare shouted very sternly at the beast, “You won’t be needing me.”
Bellus knew it would be unwise to turn around. It was unlikely that it would be something good for him. Most possibly as soon as he turned around, there would be some big cannonball being fired right into his face where he has just barely turned in time to catch it before taking taking his head clean off his shoulders.
However, fate would hit him if he were to turn around or not, so why bother not knowing?

Bellus’ head finally turned back towards the large lane of ponies he had created. There were ponies hurt and ponies sick all along the path. There were tears and there was blood and before it all stood the only one he cared about.
Tears streamed from the golden coat below her blue eyes. Her mane rattled against her precious head as it entered the breeze. Her head sunk down to her elbows.
Blast stood at her side, staring up at the creature of destruction.
“Bellus?” rang the voice of Sunset Shimmer.
Master had returned.

“Shimmer?”
Sunset nodded.
“I-I...I spent years in Tartarus. They had nowhere else to put me…”
Sunset nodded.
“I spent YEARS in there! Because of you! You went rogue!”
“I know... I’m sorry.” Sunset continued crying, “I’m so sorry. I never knew…”
Bellus couldn’t stand those eyes. They were her eyes. They were the eyes of the mare that loved him and would never let him go.
He had let those pearly eyes down. He had disappointed the one and only he had ever loved on any friendly level. He had let go of his 	everything.
“It’s revenge on me that you want. I betrayed you,” said Sunset, calmly, “don’t take it out on them.”
“I’m… Sorry,” cried Bellus, “I’m so sorry,”
“I don’t blame you,” said Blast, “You were cast away for some time, but I SWEAR TO TARTARUS, IF YOU TAKE A CLIPPING OFF TWILIGHT’S 	WINGS, I’LL…”
“Right here!” Twilight called, waving a hoof.
“I’m in the middle of a monologue!” called Blast over to Twilight. He then continued after clearing his throat, “I will bury you alive in the 		Tartarus cage you hate so much!” His gaze hardened and the Blizzard State flickered in his eyes. His words tore through the stale brittle air. “Mark 	my words, demon. While I stand, no harm - got that NOT ONE FEATHER ON TWILIGHT WILL SUFFER YOUR PITIFUL -”
Sunset cheered up at the light “chewing-out.”

“So, how do I look normal again?” Kevin heard the words come from the large beast.
“That’s simple, I can doctor you. We’ll just use magic energy to cancel each others to the point that we both run out.”
A doctor. Fluttershy needed a doctor.
“Hang on, I’ll get help,” Kevin waved at Fluttershy.
Kevin moved his way slowly through the large audience of ponies trying to find somepony trained in the medical field. None came to be. He sooner reached the center of the great mob where ponies were bunched up against each other, staring at the scene of the three magical creatures: Blast, Bellus and Sunset.
“Hello?” cried Kevin, “Is there…?”
The crowd answered by starting away from the scene. Everypony around Kevin started moving back, as if trying to get away from him.
“Hello? Is anypony here a doctor?”

“So this will use up all of each of our magic?” asked the giant.
“Yes,” responded Blast, “and I being a unicorn will gain it back over time.”
“And I…?”
“Won’t,” Blast answered, “You’d be a dragon, Completely incapable of using magic unless you were to practice as you had before for so long.

Kevin looked around him to find that the large scene of ponies had backed several meters back, leaving him right next to the exposed “standoff” below.

Bellus was the one that started the fight. He sent a large ray of magic at both of the unicorns below. Both Blast and Sunset fired back, each ray of magic canceling the other’s out. Neither side tried to use more magic, instead just balancing the threads against each other. Streams of excess magic flew from the site where the large beams met, falling sideways and downward to the ground.
Kevin watched from several feet away, trying to back up a safe distance. The dark magic extruding from Bellus’ self was making its way towards him and he didn’t want to know what would happen if it were to finally reach him.
He waved his hooves vigorously in the air, flailing wildly, trying to get away, but then he started to be lowered. Bellus was running out of magic and was no longer able to hold everypony in air as high as he was, and judging by the expression on Bellus’ face, he was going to come down a lot faster very, very soon.
Bellus’ face turned bright red and his clawed fingers clenched. His whole body began to shrink. The rays he produced got smaller. Blast and 	Sunset adjusted their magical stream so as to not overpower him.
Kevin was being lowered. If he kept coming down from the sky at this pace, he’d be dropped directly into the mess of terrible magic powers below.
Bellus was getting ever smaller. Soon, he would be no bigger than Twilight’s own little assistant, Spike, but as Blast continued to shrink Bellus down to size, he found that one thing kept approaching the rays to a specific point. Blast looked at it for longer, trying to take his mind off of the great force of magic he was expelling at the behemoth several meters away. He recognised it as his own friend, Kevin, falling to his possible death.
Black flames erupted from the Bellus’ evil magic, liking Kevin as he gradually approached the torrents of hurt and pain below him.
Desperate to get him away from the flames, Blast directed himself sideways to move the fields of power away, but even with that, Kevin was still doomed to fall into his possible death. It was just too close. Kevin was doomed to die.

It was fast. Kevin looked down for just a second before the evil magic that Bellus was expelling hit him square in the forehead. He felt it burn into his skull. The dark energy just about consumed him and finally, Kevin passed out, his mind overwhelmed.

“Hello? Hello in there?” Kevin heard a deep voice echo in his head. Hooves kicked his head, softly, moving it side-to-side, shaking him awake.
Blast, now tired from the ordeal of going head-to-head (with help) with something having done nothing the last few years but absorb all of hell itself.
Kevin brought his hoof up to his forehead and rubbed where it burned.
“Get up!” Blast yelled, trying to sound playful, but failing and letting his voice sound more towards hurtful.
Kevin slowly arched himself to the side, his wings hurting more than anything else. He must have been laying on them wrong after he was 	violently dropped to the ground.
“Get up, goof, you’ll miss it,” Blast proclaimed.
“Miss what?” Kevin asked, confused if not anything else.
Reaching the standing position, Kevin understood what Blast meant. He needed no explanation.
Sunset, after missing her assistant for so long, and having waited to see him, having longed to have him in her arms for so long was now in an embrace with her.
Sunset placed her right hoof behind his head and held it in position on her shoulder. Her most faithful friend, and #1 assistant was her own now, and no Tartarus, no portal could keep her away. She was home.