Livin' The Dream.

by The Joeker

...And that isn't much to begin with.

I watched myself still going down on Celestia...

Suddenly I had form again and I found there was no barrier.

I pounced on the other me and got him off her.

"Get... off... of... her!!!" I yelled as I slammed my fist into his uncovered face over and over, wrecking both my fist and his face with tears streaming down my face.

"You can't avoid what you'll become me." he said.

"Don't call me that!!!" I yelled as I wrapped my hand around his throat.

"I can't help what I am, me." he said.

"Stop calling me that!" I yelled as I throttled him... no, it. I throttled it.

Eventually it croaked and died, but I kept my hands there for a little longer before remembering I don't actually need air, so I punched my fist through his face.

"Don't you ever fucking touch her again you monster." I growled.

I knelt over him with my knees either side of him and retracted my visor before rubbing my face and walking over to Luna, who struggled with her bonds upon seeing me approach, I took her mouth covering off.

"Don't you dare hurt my sister you monster! don't you touch her again!" she yelled.

"Luna! it's me! the real me!" I said, she calmed down.

"Baz?" she asked tearfully and I nodded.

"Yeah... I'm so sorry... what happened?" I asked.

"You... Sombra did something to you, when you tried to face him down, you walked from the shadow, and started... killing... then you came here and... killed Twilight and the girls, before starting your advances on Tia, I tried to stop you, but you knocked me out, and when I woke up..." she trailed off.

I untied her.

"Come on, let's get you both out of here." I said and went over to Celestia.

"No... please just kill me..." sobbed Celestia.

"It's ok, it's the original me!" I said to her.

"B- B- Baz? not Ezekiel?" she asked.

"One of my less preferred names." I said and she wrapped her hooves around me upon seeing my dead counterpart.

"Thank you! thank you so much." she said.

"It's ok, but we need to leave." I said and picked her up bridal style.

"Ok... Twilight?" she asked hopefully, I shook my head.

"Any of the girls?" asked Luna.

I shook again.

"Cadence or Shining Armor?" asked Celestia.

"Dunno, I didn't see them." I said as we exited the room, I put Celestia down for a second to help Twilight rest in peace, I headed over to her and she... she coughed blood!

"Sweet moon, she's alive!" exclaimed Luna.

I carefully removed the sword with one hand while keeping another over Twilight's mouth to muffle her pained screams.

I caught her and lowered her to the ground.

"Why... Ezekiel?" she asked quietly.

"It wasn't me kid." I said tearfully.

"Baz?" she asked as well and I nodded, she slowly hugged me and I lifted her up, to which she let out a yelp.

"Luna, put the sword in my back holster." I said, as she did I wondered, why was my sword missing anyway?

I saw Luna go to Rainbow and shake her head.

"She's unmovable, she'll perish if we try." said Luna sadly, Twilight looked and cried into my shoulder at the sight of her friends.

"No... my friends..." she sobbed as we ran to the exit.

We came across... Shining and Cadence... their horns cut off, Shining was slammed into the wall multiple times, and Cadence's heart was cut out...

"Don't look kid." I said to Twilight as she saw her brother and her sister-in-law and cried even more.

"How did you get here anyway?" asked Luna.

"I looked into a mirror..." I said.

"So, you're experiencing a vision of the future..." said Celestia.

"What?" I asked.

"That mirror in Sombra's castle, rarely, grants visions into the future, but to physically experience it is even rarer." said Luna as we approached the exit.

As we got there I heard manic laughter from Sombra.

"Where are you going Prince Ezekiel?" asked Sombra.

"Away from you." I said as we got to the exit, suddenly the others were dragged away, even Twilight by an unseen force, I threw open the doors to reveal a white light and ran back to help.

"NO! GO! DO NOT LET THIS FUTURE COME TO PASS!" shouted Luna in a very loud voice.

"I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU!" shouted Celestia in an equally loud voice, as I saw magic being thrown around and getting further away as a crowd of shadows swarmed them.

I ran out the door and woke up back in Sombra's castle...

"BAZ!!" yelled Twilight down my ear.

I was crying.

"Come on! lets do this." I said as I noticed she cast a spell on the door.

We walked through and-

Ah shit! stairs! not that they tire me out, but they're annoying.

"What's there?" asked Spike.

"Stairs." replied Twilight with a sigh.

"A whole 6 story spire full..." I said as Twilight invited Spike.

"Who the hell, puts an artifact... up 50 flights of goddamn stairs." I panted, turns out stairs even tire a cyborg out.

"Come on Baz, maybe the Heart... maybe it's made of chocolate heh ha ha." she breathed as we climbed.

"What if this, is just more of his magic, he makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare, who not a staircase that goes on forever?" he asked.

"Don't say that Spike, you'll jinx our asses." I said as I saw Twilight deep in thought, she cocked her head and smiled brightly.

"Don't keep us in suspense..." I said.

"Hold on to me." said Twilight and placed Spike on her back and I put my hand on her back.

Suddenly we were flipped upside down and sliding down the stairs, I was riding them like a surfer! but slightly bent over because of my size.

"Woohooo" I yelled.

"I actually studied gravity spells thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Wooo-hooo!" she yelled.

"Awesomesauce!" I yelled.

She turned us the right way up and they went crashing to the floor while I managed to use my reflexes to land like a cat.

We saw the crystal heart and Twilight was about to approach.

"Computer, run a diagnostic scan of the room." I said.

"Two anomalies detected in center of the room, one in the floor." it said.

"2? but there... Twilight wait!" as I yelled a trap was activated and she was encased in black crystal and the heart crashed to the floor, I rolled out of the way of spiked crystal aimed for my head.

I heard that same manic laugh rom the dream as the sky was turning evil and crystals were spreading over the tower.

"The heart? where' the Crystal Heart?" asked Twilight.

"Over by Spike!" I yelled.

"It landed near me when you dropped it!" he said.

"don't move!" said Twilight and Spike stood stone still as crystals surrounded him with his arms folded.

"You can move, just not toward me!" she shouted and tried to teleport out before being teleported in again.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit." I said as I danced around the sharp crystals on the floor.

"How could I have been so foolish? I was just so eager to get it! Then when I saw what was going on outside, I..."

"You have to get out of there, Twilight! You have to be the one who brings the Heart to Princess Cadance! If you don't, you'll fail Celestia's test!" said Spike.

"Twilight! remember what I told you-" I said, flashback moment!

"Remember Twilight, our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt..." fade out.

"You're right... King Sombra is already attacking the Empire. He could reach the Crystal Ponies at any moment... reach Princess Cadance, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape." she said.

"Fuck!" I yelled as a crystal pierced my shoulder, and went through my armor.

"You have to be the ones to bring the Crystal Heart to the Fair."

"Me? us? But Twilight–" started Spike.

"Go!"

"But–"

"Goooo!" she yelled.

"Grab that heart son, and be Yoda to my Luke Skywalker." I said.

"Huh?" he asked a he grabbed the Heart.

"Hop on." I smiled and pointed at my back, he grabbed the heart and jumped on.

"Hold tight kid." I said and jumped from the spire.

"Woaahhhh!" he yelled as we fell and I saw Cadence's spell fail as we did.

"Ah! fuck!" I yelled as we landed, creating a sizable dent in the landscape.

"Take this to the center kid, go." I said.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I have to do this... maybe the only good I've ever done... he'll have to kill me before he gets to you..." I growled, suddenly Shining Armor was there.

"You've got it? good! come on!" he said, I opened my visor.

"No, he'll get to some of the ponies before we get there, I have to face him, Armor, if I come out of there, and the shadow is still there you have to take me down, you hear?" I asked and he nodded solemnly.

"There you are!" exclaimed Sombra.

"We're just about out of time, if I don't make it, tell Cadence to stop fainting and tell the girls... tell them whatever you think is best, and tell Luna to so being a stubborn whorse, and tell Celestia... I love her... I'll stop him advancing." I said, my visor shut with a metallic 'clamp!'.

"I will." he said and ran with Spike.

(Theme song to next scene watch to 1:20:

)

"BAZ!!!!!!!!!" yelled Spike as I jumped in front of Sombra and backflipped as crystals were thrown at me.

I landed as if I was about to do a handspring but pushed myself so I sailed through the air forwards and landed on Sombra, who I punched repeatedly.

"Why do you defend them? they think you're a freak!" he said.

"I AM a freak!" I replied and continued punching him, until he landed a big fuck off spell in my face and I went flying through a building.

I got up but he hit me again and just as Spike placed the crystal heart I landed there instead, the crystal heart was thrown again and the energy coursed through me, I was propelled toward Sombra with blue lines coursing through me and I gripped him in a bear hug as he cast spell after spell at me, as I went tighter and tighter.

"Get off of me!" he yelled.

"Make me, prick." I grunted.

Eventually he landed a good spell while piercing me with his horn and I went flying again, next to the Hearts pedestal.

I saw Cadence go for the flying Crystal Heart propelled by Shining.

"I have not... come this far... to die now." I growled.

I leaped backwards, done a backflip mid-air and pulled my sword, he fired shards of crystal at me and I deflected them and I landed.

I Jumped up again, diagonally left and tossed my sword in a mid air spin, cutting off his horn but not taking his control of crystals away, as I landed I was prone and I rolled on the ground as crystals were fired at me and I activated my cannon, as I jumped in my prone position and fired at him and hitting the shadow.

He backed off but fired small crystals like bullets at me and I dodged them, I flipped off the crystal wall and one bullet skimmed my shoulder.

He hit me with a spell from his regenerated horn and I was crouched, grunting and breathing heavily.

"Ahhhhh-" I yelled but was cut off as I saw a blunt crystal coming at me and it pinned me to the wall.

"In the tunra we don't hunt Manticores, we hunt Yeti's and instead of Pegasi, we use Ice timberwolves! just how strong is that body of yours?" he asked before I activated my cannon and brought it to bear slowly as ponies looked on in horror my visor was open because of the force being applied.

"A cornered Baz is more dangerous than a Yeti!" I yelled as I fired off my rounds into his closing crystals to give Cadence a chance to get there, my sword flew out of Sombra and landed in front of the heart.

He let me go before making one of the palace's crystals his own and made it hover above me, again it was blunt.

"DIEEEE!" he yelled as it smashed into me and I never made a sound.

"Baz!" yelled Rainbow and tried for me before a bunch of crystals were shot just in front of her as a warning that even she couldn't dodge if she tried.

He kept applying pressure more and more.

Suddenly a light was seen and Cadence placed the Heart, as it activated and he fucked off with his crystals to take it up the arse with them again.

I sat against the wall I was smashed into as the ponies turned crystalline and my blood was stained on the wall and pooling beneath me.

(play YouTube vid from 1:20)

I retracted my visor to see the sun through my own eyes, one of which was bleeding profusely from a crystal landing in it.

I saw them bow to Cadence and I laughed before coughing blood.

Suddenly the Princesses, Cadence included all flew down, and the girls ran to me.

"Baz!" yelled Twilight as they crowded me.

"Oh sun no..." said Celestia and ran over to me as well.

"Are you ok?" asked Cadence as she pushed to the front of the crowd.

I just wheezed because I was almost crushed.

"Say somethin'!" said AJ, suddenly the Crystal Ponies were sad and the Heart slowed down.

I spoke in a more gravelly voice than usual.

"My *wheeze* death *wheeze* should not *wheeze* lessen *wheeze* your victory." I said.

"No! we haven't lost a single life to violence in this land for 1000 years! I won't let the first be you!" cried Celestia.

"Do not cry for me... Celestia." I smiled at her.

"Thank you for saving my Crystal Ponies." said Cadence who was also crying.

"No problem Cadence." I smiled.

Suddenly on some kind of instinct the ponies parted so I could bask in the sun again.

"Rainbow, stay awesome, and take that." I pointed to my sword.

"I... I can't..." she said.

"Nopony else will use it." I smiled and she picked it up in her teeth.

"Twilight, keep on with your studies, become the amazing magic prodigy you are destined to be kid."

"I will."

"AJ, keep your family going, your sister will be an amazing pony one day." I said

"Ah course." she said.

"Rarity, keep aspiring to do better, I have a feeling you will become worldwide famous someday." I laughed a little as she blushed.

"Thank you darling."

"Fluttershy, keep on helping animals, they need somepony to look after them." I said.

"Ok, I will do my best." she smiled.

"And Pinkie, keep on partying, never stop being the party pony." I said.

"Sir yes sir!" she said and saluted.

"Cadence, Shining Armor, you have a strong relationship, keep on with it, raise a family and live a happy life." I said.

"Of course, in time we will." she said as they held each other close.

"Luna, keep being the stubborn brat the kingdom needs to keep it safe." I said.

"Of course, haven't I always been stubborn? can you ever forgive me for acting the way I did?" she asked.

"I can't forgive you for protecting your kingdom." I smiled and she laughed a little and Celestia approached me.

"Celestia... I've had feelings for you for a while now and... I guess I love you..." I said.

"And, I you." she said truthfully.

"It's time." I said and used the wall to stand up, I retracted my whole suit and I limped to the sunset, turned to the Heart and spread my arms to the it as the blue lines from before appeared.

"Bring it on bitch." I growled and coughed more blood as the lines spread and became volatile, and I collapsed to my knees, before exploding me like Sombra was and I saw complete darkness...

Author's Note:

There you go! a plentiful chapter! hopefully you are shedding tears.

Damn homie... it's too much...

There there Marl, it's ok, this is not the end, I have some plot devices in order for you, so stick around guys, the usual thanks to suppermug.

Eclipsed Blade: indeed.

Thanks to those who favorited!

Now to cry myself to sleep again... nighty night!

Comments

[hiddenisbeastmo]

"Who the hell, puts an artifact... up 50 flights of goddamn stairs." I panted, turns out stairs even tire a cyborg out.
"Come on Baz, maybe the Heart... maybe it's made of chocolate heh ha ha." she breathed as we climbed.
_______________________________________________________________
"I have not... come this far... to die now." I growled.

Ahh. I love the smell of references at 2:36 in the morning.

[WhalenJP]

"Come on Baz, maybe the Heart... maybe it's made of chocolate heh ha ha." she breathed as we climbed.

You beautiful bastard, you!

[The Joeker]

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Had to get a reference in there xD Although back when I wrote this my writing relied far too much on references and other media instead of my own ideas xP