A Glimmer of Hope: The Beginning

by Mewrilah

Death Wish

As Nick stepped out into the night air, he felt a gentle breeze flow around him. It was definitely late, around midnight, meaning that the Ponyville Express would not be running. If Twilight could lead Cerberus back in a day, he could make it under the cover of night. Just in case it took him longer to navigate the labyrinth, he needed to leave a decoy so that Twilight and Luna wouldn’t immediately go out searching for him.

Summoning a clone, he thoroughly inspected it, just to make sure that the princesses wouldn’t suspect a thing. He asked him personal questions, to which he responded correctly and without hesitation.

“You know, if you ever wanted to check up on things we can switch places,” the clone spoke up.

“Switch places? Like my body switches locations with yours?”

“No something easier. Just change points of view. If something comes up here, I’ll let you know, you focus on being back here and we swap. I can take over what you’re doing and you can handle things with the girls.”

Nick cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion. Again, here was some useful knowledge the “tutorial” clone had neglected to mention. The clone sighed and told him they could practice now, heading inside the castle. Mentally telling him to try it, Nick closed his eyes and focused on being where the clone was, which now seemed stupid as he only knew the clone was in the castle. Also wasn’t this simply just teleporting?

“This is just a waste of - ” he opened his eyes and found he was in the castle. He had teleported.

Wait, no. He didn’t have his satchel on his body.

“See I told ya,” his clone gloated, walking in through the front doors in Nick’s original body. Honestly, it was a bit too much for Nick to process.

“Alright it worked! Now give me back my body!”

“Jeesh, there’s no need to get worked up,” the clone tutted. “Just think back to your original body. Honestly the only difference between the two is how much magic is stored in one.”

A quick switcheroo back, and Nick felt better.

“You shouldn’t worry so much boss,” the clone tried to comfort Nick. “As long as you have magic, I’ll be sustained. You can save Equestria and the girls won’t know it until you sacrifice yourself. Oh wait, that probably didn’t help.”

Nick shook his head. “At least I know that Twilight and Luna will get to spend my final days with ‘me’ instead of us being separated.”

Waving the clone goodbye and wishing each the best of luck, Nick finally headed out. There was still the issue of navigating the labyrinth, but he’d worry about that later. Celestia had told him some of the walls possessed riddles only she, her sister and the Elements could read, meaning he could as well. The riddles would open up sections of the maze to give him a more direct path to the heart of Tartarus.

Taking another quick pause to look back at his home, he shook his head and started heading southeast. He had enough supplies for a few weeks, compacted thanks to a spell Starlight showed him. It was odd to think that months before he arrived, she was considered a “villain”, going as far to almost destroying Equus all together. Yet she was given a second chance, and she made full use of it. The last human that came close to doing something of that magnitude was still hated to this day.

Perhaps that was another reason a human had to do this. The ponies were willing to give those that wronged them a second chance, i.e instead of just killing Tirek they decided to imprison him, to where he got out, caused even more destruction and then they imprisoned him again. These villains didn’t deserve a second chance. Discord enjoyed chaos, which truthfully in small amounts is not a bad thing, and was able to be reformed. He also was there before the Elements were discovered, so he was technically involved in the creation of Equus. Starlight had been hurt by the loss of a friend, and had made a bad choice in judgement about how to deal with it. Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra were different. They intentionally planned to enslave Equestria, bringing everything under their control. Nick had a feeling there was no “second chance” with these villains, at least with Sombra and Tirek, they already had their chances. If Chrysalis tried to trick him? Well a liar can often read another’s lies.

With the moon and stars as his only source of light, Nick travelled on, taking in the silence. If he closed his eyes, it would be just like the warm summer nights back home. If work had been too stressful, or we was hung up on ideas, he’d visit the park at night and let nature inspire him. Afterall, nature was the only thing that was close to resembling perfection and balance.

As he walked, Nick realized that there would be a lot of “lasts”. He already had his last sign of affection with Twilight and Luna. His clone would still continue to show them affection but it wouldn’t be him. It would be his last time to sleep in his own bed. The last time he’d see Ponyville or the Everfree Forest, which oddly enough he’d miss the latter too. In a sense it reminded him of Earth, before and after the creatures he killed. Yes they were magical and mythical, but the whole survival of the fittest was present. None of the ponies could control it, just like nature.

After a few hours of walking, he reached the treeline. What lay ahead of him were grasslands and rocks. He looked back to the forest, as if to see if it had anything else to say.

Silly Nick, trees can’t talk.

Nick jumped at the sudden break of silence and whirled around towards the “voice”, but saw no one. Reminded of a certain spirit, he rolled his eyes.

“What are you doing up so early Discord?”

The draconequus materialized in front of the wolf, sipping a cup of tea, literally. “I could ask you the same question, my canine friend,” he replied, dipping his saucer in the tea cup and munching on it like a cookie. “Would you like some breakfast before you continue on to Tartarus?”

“I suppose it’d be good to eat before trying to navigate the labyrinth,” Nick sat down and opened up his bag.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Discord tsked, floating Nick’s bag back onto him and summoning a continental breakfast buffet in front of them. “It’ll be on me,” he chuckled, turning into the table that held all the delicious items.

Nick was about to remark but his eyes fell on something that was simply captivating, a guilty pleasure, something forbidden in Equestria.

Bacon.

Nick grabbed several plates of the heart attack inducing, cholesterol increasing yumminess along with waffles, pancakes, eggs and sausage. There was only so much vegetarian meals he could handle, and being able to eat meat had never brought him so much joy.

He attacked his food, but at the same time savoring each bite.

“Thank you so much Discord,” Nick said with genuine appreciation. “Why the sudden niceness to me?” He paused, looking at the crispy piece of pig belly he floated towards his mouth. “Is this poisoned?”

Discord drew a claw to his chest. “Why would I try to kill the hero of Equestria?”

“You know what I mean. Is this gonna change my fur pink? Give me a funny voice? Give me hallucinations?”

“Can’t I just want to do something nice for a friend?”

“I thought you didn’t want to be friends with someone who is going to die,” Nick looked critically at the spirit, resuming his feasting.

“Well since I’m friends only with immortal ponies, why not have a mortal friend? Afterall, your marefriend is always excited to learn new things about friendship. Why not experience what it’s like to lose a friend.”

Nick suddenly lost his appetite. “That is something no one: pony, human or draconequus should experience. So thanks for bringing up such joyful memories. Thank you for breakfast, Discord, but I need to get going. Make sure Twilight and Luna are taken care of when I’m gone.”

“Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that fast Nick,” Discord teleported in front of him. “If you think I’m going to just let you have all the fun in saving Equestria, then you don’t know me at all.”

“Fun?” Nick attacked. “Fun?! You think facing powerful villains and some unknown entity, in which the only way to defeat it is to sacrifice yourself is fun?!”

“Sounds smashing.”

“Look Discord,” Nick sighed. “I don’t have time for your games right now. Do whatever you want, but just don’t get in my way. I just want all of this to be over with, like jumping into the pool.”

“You’re comparing your death to fun!” Discord accused.

“Goodbye Discord,” the wolf shrugged him off, continuing on his journey.

There was a click and then a tug at Nick’s hind leg. Annoyed, the wolf glanced back to see Discord had chained himself to his leg.

“Trust me Nick, you’ll need my help,” Discord spoke in a more serious tone.

For whatever reason, the Spirit of Chaos was intent on helping Nick, and as such he didn’t see any other way of changing Discord’s mind.

“Alright you can come, but the chains won’t be necessary,” he sighed. Once they were magicked away, the draconequus popped up at his side, full exploring gear on his back.

“Why do you want to help so much Discord?” Nick finally decided ask once they were on their way again. “Wouldn’t you rather, I dunno, cause some chaos elsewhere or do something less… good?”

“Normally yes,” Discord replied. “But you’ve inspired me.” After getting a dirty look from the wolf, he continued. “Pinkie Pie promise! Yesterday when you were fighting the hydra, I realized you were the real deal. Normally the hero always knows that there’s a happy end waiting for them, with the fair maiden, fame and fortune. You on the other hand know the exact opposite. In saving this world, you sacrifice your life and lose everything. Yet you went at that hydra with all your might, never hesitating.”

“But I did hesitate,” Nick admitted. “Had you not warned me, my quest would’ve already been over.”

“Everypony has their doubts, it’s whether you let them control your actions that’s important.”

The draconequus didn’t appear to be specious, every word rang sincere and heartfelt. Satisfied that he was going to help and not hinder, Nick accepted Discord’s help. Maybe they would find a way to completely resist Sombra’s possession.

I know Harmony told me not to interfere, but I’ve truly come to like Nick. Afterall, he gave that wonderful explanation as to why I deserved a second chance and understands a little chaos is actually healthy. Plus he’s not like those other “heroes” she summoned. If only he knew what he was up against.

---

The Crystal Empire, for the first time, was treated to the sister’s raising and lowering of the sun and moon. It was a welcomed addition after what was a brutal but well celebrated Crystalling.

“I’m glad you all were here for both the good and the bad of Flurry’s Crystalling,” a worn out, disheveled Shining Armor thanked the princesses and the Elements. “I’m not sure what would’ve happened if you all weren’t here.”

“I’m just happy we were able to get everything back in order,” an equally weary Celestia smiled. “There was something strange about those winter storms. Something familiar about them.”

“Well as long as the love of the Crystal Ponies is strong, the Crystal Empire will be protected from the Frozen North,” Cadance cheerfully reassured. She turned to her other aunt and sister-in-law. “But enough with our goodbyes. I can tell you both want to get back to Ponyville and see Nick.” The blush on both their faces confirmed her assumption, causing everypony to laugh.

“Yes, and also make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic,” Luna replied. “He’s defeated the hydra, and now wants to take on Tirek alone.”

Now this was news to the ponies gathered, but Luna expected their reactions. “We do have his word, however. Once we get back to Ponyville, all of us will accompany him to Tartarus.”

“We should come as well,” Shining and Cadance insisted.

Twilight shook her head. “You two have a foal to protect. And we still don’t know the whereabouts of Sombra and Chrysalis. That was part of the reason Nick decided to stay in Ponyville, in case one of them decided to attack while we were gone. We can’t leave the Crystal Empire vulnerable, not with what happened yesterday.”

The parents both nodded their heads in understanding. “Alright. Now that everything is somewhat back to normal, we’ll increase our guard patrols of the areas around the Empire. We’ll hope you all stay safe.”

Promising they would, the group bade them a final goodbye and boarded the train. Once everypony was settled and the train departed, Twilight and Luna relaxed slightly. They needed to since once they arrived in Ponyville they’d be thrust back in the action. Nick’s enthusiasm was understandable, he was finally facing off against villains that were a major threat to Equestria. Despite his accomplishments so far, he still needed help in defeating each one. None of them were able to be defeated on their own, a lesson learned by Twilight when she faced off against Sombra. Had Spike not been there to interrupt the mirror’s spell, she’d be trapped down there for who knows how long.

“What are you thinking about?” Luna asked her marefriend, the memories strong enough to show on Twilight’s face.

“Just how much Nick needs us as we need him,” Twilight sighed. “I don’t know if it’s a human thing or just Nick’s personality, but none of the villains were defeated alone. I always had my friends at my side, and I believe that support is what truly represents the magic of friendship.”

Luna nodded her head. “When Tia and I fought both Tirek and Sombra, that was the only way we defeated them. We fought together. Our powers alone are strong, the Elements had to be used to keep Nightmare Moon banished, if not we may have continued fighting until all of Equestria was destroyed.”

“Luna,” Twilight said in a comforting voice.

“It’s alright Twilight,” Luna smiled. “I speak of my former self as a lesson to us all, not a self lamentation. While it sometimes hurts to reflect on the past, ignoring it entirely is just as bad. But going back to the matter at hand. You are completely correct, Nick needs to understand that he’s no longer alone, that he has us, your friends, my sister, Cadance, Shining Armor, all ready to fight alongside him.”

The rest of the train ride was filled with small talk, both between the two mares along with everypony else on the train, recounting the events of yesterday, asking for more details about Nick’s battle with the hydra, or just how the herd was doing.

“Aw, how come Nick gets to have all the fun,” Rainbow sighed after Twilight finished retelling what happened last night. “He gets to fight baddies awake and asleep.”

“Isn’t that what you do as well?” Luna puzzled, remembering Rainbow’s “dream” when the Tantabus got loose.

“Well yeah, but his actually count,” the pegasus responded. “Plus he gains their powers. How awesome is that?!”

“He is pretty awesome,” Twilight smiled. “When we first met he barely understood the basic concepts of magic. In a few short months, he’s taking down dangerous creatures and now preparing to face the villains that have threatened Equestria.”

That lead to another whole topic. What would their roles be when they faced the villains alongside the wolf? Apparently their magic was only a temporary fix to these problems, while Nick’s was permanent. Would there still be friendship problems once this “darkness” was gone? Or would they now just be normal ponies, no more need for the Elements of Harmony?

These questions would have to be answered later as the train just arrived at the depot. The wolf in question was also there, happily waving at them. Everypony departed the train, save Celestia who needed to get back to Canterlot. She trusted that Luna and Twilight along with the Elements would be enough to accompany Nick to Tartarus. She bade them all farewell from an open window and the train rolled out of the station.

“Glad to see you all back safe and sound,” Nick formally greeted the arrivals. “From what Twilight and Luna were telling me, you had your hands -er- hooves full in the Crystal Empire.”

The group was too tired to notice the clone’s slip up.

“And then sum,” Applejack chuckled. “From what Twilight and Princess Luna told us, ya were pretty busy yourself. That’s a fight ah’d love to have seen.”

Nick shook his head, “Nah. At times it got pretty messy. Both for me and the hydra. Thankfully nothing too bad that my regeneration couldn’t heal. I bet you’re all tired. Why not depart for Tartarus tonight, after we’ve all had a nap?”

This caught Twilight’s and Luna’s attentions.

“Last night, you were adamant about heading to Tartarus ASAP,” Twilight reminded him. “Why the sudden change in pace?”

“Well I was adamant about going by myself,” the wolf explained. “But since we’re all going together, why make you tired mares make such a journey when you just got here. Besides we can all take a nap in the castle. I missed waking up between you this morning.”

“Ugh that’s it, I’m listening to the wolf,” Rainbow gagged. “See you all tonight!”

The group laughed and accepted Nick’s proposition. At sunset they would meet at Twilight’s castle, where Luna’s chariot would take them to Tartarus . They’d deal with Tirek and be back in Ponyville before 10ish.

They all separated, Nick escorting his mares back to the castle.

“So, the new baby foal is an alicorn?” Nick started the small talk, just as intrigued as when everypony learned about that.

Luna nodded. “Yes, the first foal born alicorn to date. She’s also quite a hoofful, the main reason we had such an eventful trip on what would’ve been a relaxing visit.”

Nick laughed. “I guess I’d better be careful with both of you then,” he commented. “I don’t think Ponyville could handle a baby alicorn.”

Both mares smirked at him, causing the wolf to realize what he just said, and blush.

“Sorry,” he meekly spoke. “I didn’t mean to that get off topic.”

Luna leaning into him said otherwise. “I’d say you got on the right topic. The train ride to the Crystal Empire gave Twilight and I some time to talk about our future.”

Nick looked to Twilight who smiled and nodded, but not without a slight blush as well. She joined Luna and leaned on Nick’s other side.

“What about our future?” Nick repeated, curiosity building.

“Well, let’s just say about matters that might be best not discussed in public,” Luna replied cryptically.

With a nod to Twilight, both alicorn’s horns lit up and all three popped out of sight.

---

Meanwhile, the real Nick and Discord had reached the final riddle. Nick had to hand it to Celestia for thinking of creative riddles. Some opened sections of wall, leading them to the next riddle. Others were placed at splits in the corridor, the correct answer leading them down the right one. This one, however, would unlock the doors that led to Tirek’s holding cell.

“What belongs to you, yet others use it more than you do?”

“My money,” the wolf muttered. “Funny how they never had any when I asked.”

“Oh don’t be so pessimistic Nick,” Discord scolded him. “No need to see the glass as half empty,” he snapped his claws and Nick was stuck in a large wine glass half full.

“I don’t see this glass as half full,” Nick replied. “I see it as I’m all wet. Enough playing around, let's just solve this last one.”

Releasing Nick from his intoxicating prison, Discord went to work on solving the word puzzle. Nick was glad that Discord had tagged along. Being the Spirit of Chaos, the draconequus loved a good riddle. Without him, it would’ve taken longer to get through the maze.

What belongs to me? Well there’s always material things, but I’m more likely to use them than others would. Time? No, that technically doesn’t belong to anyone. What abstract thing could someone own?

“Ooh I got it!” the draconequus jumped with glee. “Tia always did have a way with words.”

“Alright, then what is it?” Nick asked after a few minutes of silence.

“At least try Nick, that’s the fun of it, being able to guess the answer!”

“This isn’t fun.”

“Not if you don’t make it fun. I’ll give you a hint: your marefriends use it a lot.”

Nick’s mind went to a dirty place for a second, but realized the herd hadn’t actually done anything yet. It was weird, he could also imagine them stroking his fur, their lips on his. He shook the feeling off. Now wasn’t the time to fantasize.

“Well we do use pet names - is that it? Name?”

With the vocal command, the doors grudgingly opened. They both entered a massive cavern, at least it felt like it was after being crammed into narrow corridors. A set of stone stairs led to a primitive looking cage surrounded by a cool looking rock face. The most noticeable thing about the room was the instant rise in temperature. While not unbearable, it was a sharp contrast from the otherwise cool, cavelike atmosphere. Looking down it was easy to see the cause of the change in warmth, lakes and rivers of hot magma flowed through the crevasses.

A low growl interrupted further appraisal of the prison. Standing guard at the foot of the stairs was Cerberus, the legendary three headed dog.

Damn. I forgot he was still guarding this place. I can’t just kill him, he’s actually on our side.

“Easy boy,” Nick calmly spoke, taking care not to appear threatening. “We’re just here to pay a visit to Tirek.”

Despite being the same species, Cerberus didn’t understand a single word spoken. After failing to guard Tirek once, he was determined not to let the villain escape again. Unless it was Princess Celestia, Luna or the Elements themselves, nopony would be allowed near the prisoner.

Seeing as the dog wasn’t budging, Nick racked his brains for a way to convince Cerberus to let them pass. Twilight led him with a squeaky ball, but he didn’t have any form of distraction, at least that’s what he thought. Rummaging through his satchel, Nick found something he’d completely forgotten about : a bone from the manticore. He thought it was odd that the creature was the only one to leave something behind, but now it made sense the purpose of it.

He pulled it out slowly, not wanting Cerberus to mistake it for a weapon and waved it in the air.

“Oh Cerberus! Who wants a delicious bone? After being such a good, loyal dog, you deserve it.”

All three heads started drooling at the snack. Nick smiled that it actually worked.

“Alright now. Let us pass and I’ll give each of you the bone,” he bargained.

The heads looked at each other and came to an agreement. Cerberus stepped to the side, allowing access to the stairs. In exchange, Nick divided up the bone, which had grown significantly during the exchange and floated a piece to each head. Both parties satisfied, Nick and Discord proceeded up the steps while Cerberus enthusiastically gnawed on the bone.

As they ascended the steps, Nick felt something touch his cheek, something soft but he wasn’t sure what. He shrugged it off, probably just his imagination.

Discord and Nick continued to climb towards the top, where their prey was waiting. Ways of how to “defeat” Tirek flashed through his mind. Would he give the villain a chance to fight? Or just strike him down on the spot? Would he even have the chance to choose? From what he remembered in his dream, Tirek was able to absorb his magic and grow stronger. He’d need to be careful in his proximity to him, not knowing if that cage fully disabled his abilities.

What Nick saw at the top actually disappointed him. In his dream, Tirek was weak, but didn’t appear this battered. It was like they caged an old man, enervated and pathetic. With his back turned towards him, Nick got a good look at the battle scars on Tirek’s armor and arms. There were scorch marks, deep cuts, things that reminded Nick that this was still a powerful villain.

“Ah, the Element of Hope finally arrives,” the withered centaur mused, propping himself up and turning to meet his guests. “Oh and the traitor accompanies him as well.”

“Hmph. Bold words coming from the villain that betrayed me.”

“I could already feel the -ugh- goodness in your soul. When you allowed those ponies to reform you, that’s when you chose their side. No matter what you believed, what you told yourself, you would always be good. You are the traitor for allowing me to grow stronger, trying to convince yourself that you could still be evil.”

“Now our hero here is a different story,” Tirek turned towards Nick. “Although he may have been summoned here to do ‘good’, there’s just as much darkness in him as well.”

“Yeah, so I can absorb your powers and purge Equestria from the darkness,” Nick added.

“Ah yes, according to the Tree of Harmony,” Tirek nodded, a grin on his face. “Tell me, Nick. Did the Tree mention another way of ‘cleansing’ the darkness?” Nick’s surprised expression answered him. “Of course she wouldn’t. She never fully explains her decisions. Of course the method won’t be as efficient as the one she told you, but on the flip side you get to live.”

“Why would you tell me this? Shouldn’t you be trying to convince me to give into my darker urges, join your side?”

The centaur let out another chuckle. “No, that’s more Sombra’s or Chrysalis’ tactics. I was known for my power, not my cunning. Also, after being beat a second time, I know that those blasted Elements will be strong enough to defeat the darkness every time, no matter how confident Sombra feels. But I digress. You can beat the darkness, but instead of banishing it, just keep it contained.”

“Contained?” Nick quirked his brow.

“Imprisoned, just like I am. Locked away and the key thrown away. While it is miserable being down here, it’s better than being banished. Imagine being in the state of existing and not existing at the same time, drifting away into madness. Actually, that’s exactly what happened to Sombra, although the sister’s powers were not enough to fully banish him.”
“So, you know you can’t stop me which is why you’re offering an alternative way to ‘save’ Equestria?”

“Precisely,” the wrinkled villain wheezed. “Also, I’ll eventually die here, can’t really say the same for being banished.”

Nick contemplated everything Tirek said. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he was lying, some ulterior motive for him to not completely destroy the darkness. Then again it seemed plausible. He’d been beat twice by the same Elements, even after possessing the magic of all four alicorn princesses. But even despite all that power, the magic of friendship was too “innocent” to take a life. It would be a constant tug-of-war, trying to balance good and evil.

“Well, it looks like you get your wish today Tirek,” Nick finally spoke, his eyes closed.

“What wish is that?” Tirek calmly asked.

“Death,” Nick’s eyes flew open, and Tirek could see they had changed to express his “darker” side. Despite his outer exterior, saying that one word still sent a shiver down Nick’s spine. He wouldn’t have changed into this form had he not decided how he’d carry it out. Like he said earlier to Luna and Twilight, he was a soldier. This was one of those times that he couldn’t let his emotions control him.

Seizing the cage in his magic, Nick levitated it up in the air. He hovered it over the edge, pausing.

“Any last words, Tirek?”

He laughed. “I knew you had it in you hero! Maybe the darkness has a chance afterall!”

Shaking his head, Nick hurled the cage straight down towards the magma. He and Discord watched as the cage slowly sank into the bubbling fluid, Tirek’s yowls of pain echoing through the cavern. As the top of the cage melted away, it was clear the villain had been killed. A puff of smoke shot up from where the cage landed and hit Nick in the chest, knocking him down. He felt a surge of power rush through him and was able to get back up once it stopped. Seeing as the villain had not resurrected, the wolf breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well at least that’s over with,” Nick smiled, but staggered again when he heard his name being called.

Nick! Can you hear me?! We got trouble back here at the castle!

What type of trouble?

Whatever you just did freaked Twilight and Luna out. There’s no time to explain, just get over here!

Alright, I’ll be there shortly. Follow Discord when you get here.

“Discord, something happened with my clone so I’m going back to Ponyville. He’s going to take over my body, and I’ll need you to get us out of here and as close as you can to the Badlands. Chrysalis is our next target.”

“Oh alright, I suppose I can let you have all the fun, even though I should be there in all that chaos,” the draconequus winked.

“When it’s not an emergency, I’ll let you take care of it,” Nick reassured him.

With their “plan” in place, Nick closed his eyes and thought of his clone, inside Twilight’s castle.

---

When Nick reopened his eyes, he could only see smoke. Black and thick. It didn’t have a smell nor did he feel any heat nearby, so there wasn’t a fire. He blinked his eyes rapidly, wondering if they were playing a trick on him.

“It looks like he may be possessed again,” Luna’s voice cut through the smoke.

“What do we do though?” Twilight worried.

He could hear them hold their breath as he looked in the direction of each one.

“Nick, please. Fight it. We know you’re strong enough,” Twilight pleaded.

Nick noticed that it actually wasn’t Sombra controlling him. This was an entirely different feeling. Not knowing what was possessing him made it hard to figure out how to get rid of it.

“Careful Twilight,” Luna warned. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“But he’s just standing there, he must be trying to fight Sombra off. Isn’t there something we can do?”

“The best we can do is place a barrier around him to prevent him from hurting us or himself.”

The smoke thinned slightly, giving Nick some better clarity. He could make out the silhouettes of both mares. A flash of light cut through some of the smoke and he heard a low hum.

Maybe if I bash against the shield, it’ll release its hold on me.

Rushing forward, he rammed into the barrier. The girls let out a gasp, but he also felt some of the darkness fade away.

Sorry girls, but this seems to be the only way.

He continued thrashing about, slowly breaking free.

“He’s definitely gotten stronger,” Luna grimaced as she focused on maintaining the shield.

“I’ll help,” Twilight said, casting her own magic to mix with Luna’s. “How long do we need to keep this up?”

“Until either Nick subdues the darkness or exhausts himself.”

Almost there. Nick gritted his teeth, preparing for one final lunge. As he hit the barrier, he felt it give way, both Twilight and Luna grunting at being knocked back. He opened his eyes, the smoke finally gone, but the sight of both mares down, caused his heart to sink.

“Luna! Twilight!” he cried, rushing over to their sides. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok Nick,” Luna moaned as she got up. “I didn’t know you had that in you,” she joked.

“We’re not fragile,” Twilight replied. “I’ve taken hits that strong from Tirek.”

When she said that, it made sense. By absorbing Tirek’s magic, he must’ve also absorbed his soul. That’s why it felt different. He could only shiver at the thought of what would’ve happened if he couldn’t win back control.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Really Nick, we’re ok,” Luna reassured him. “Sombra possessed you. You’re not to blame.”

“That wasn’t Sombra,” Nick faintly replied.

“That wasn’t Sombra?” Twilight repeated, concern clear in her voice. “Then who was it?”

“Tirek,” Nick looked down. “I’m sorry girls. I thought this way you’d still be safe and we could spend time together, but now I see this will only put you in harm’s way.”

“What in Equestria are you talking about Nick?” Luna asked, annoyed at the lack of information he was giving them.

He looked at both mares, trying to find the right words. If he simply repeated what he said last night, he’d get the same response.

“I-I took care of Tirek without you,” Nick admitted.

“What do you mean by ‘took care of’?” Twilight asked, then realization hit her. “You mean-”

“Yes, he should no longer be a threat to Equestria, but apparently what just happened proved me wrong.”

“But how?” Twilight was more confused. “How could you have done that, when you were here with us the whole time? Even if you left early in the morning you wouldn’t have time to get back to meet us.”

“The magic behind it is complicated, but this is my clone’s body. I left him behind while I travelled to Tartarus. He was supposed to keep you both busy so you wouldn’t go rushing off after me. My real body is still in Tartarus, but I’m able to change my perspective to the clone’s.”

Luna stayed quiet for a while, although there were tears forming in her eyes.“Even though you promised you’d wait for us you still took off without us? Not only that, but you decided to trick us as well?” Luna choked softly, trying to hold back her emotions. Even after all they had faced, all the time they spent together, he didn’t trust them or feel that they could help.

“Luna-”

“WHY!?!” she yelled, closing her eyes shut. “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO GO OFF ON YOUR OWN?! DO YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU’RE THE ‘CHOSEN ONE’ THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO DEPEND ON US ANYMORE!? THAT YOU STILL NEED TO PROVE YOU’RE WORTHY OF US?! CAUSE YOU DON’T!! YOU ALREADY HAVE, AND NOT JUST BY BEING THE ‘HERO’!”

Nick and Twilight were stunned by the change in Luna’s facade. Being the calm one whenever there was a stressful situation had taken its toll. Now she needed to vent and nopony was gonna stop her.

She took a deep breath, trying to control herself. Yelling would just lead to a sore throat.

“Do you remember our first meeting?” she almost whispered.

How could he forget? After a dream like that, she came to his aid. Nick just nodded, figuring Luna didn’t wanna hear a peep from him.

“Do you remember what you said?”

That part was a little fuzzy, and he shamefully shook his head.

“Then maybe you didn’t mean it,” Luna snarked. Of course she didn’t mean it, but she was hurt. “You told me that you appreciated me. Nopony besides my sister had ever said that to me. They’d thank me, but never went so far as to say that they appreciated what I do. That’s why I developed a feelings for you. Then when I was tending to your wounds and you said you loved me, that was the first time my heart fluttered. Then when we formed our herd, that was the second happiest day of my life. I was in constant fear that it would all be ripped away from me at any moment, that it was all just a dream. I understand you’ve been hurt by losing those close to you, but even then I can’t say I know exactly how you feel. I was able to to get my loved ones back. But I can promise you this, you won’t lose anything anymore. Twilight and I will find a way to make you live longer, just like us. There has been research done on different spells to increase longevity.”

All of it broke Nick’s heart. He never wanted to hurt either one of them, part of the reason he tried to keep his distance in the first place. To him it was like losing Sabrina all over again. Nick walked over to the still sniffling princess, holding a paw to her cheek, wiping away the tears.

“I’m sorry Luna. I never meant to hurt either one of you,” he looked at both her and Twilight, beckoning her over. “You’re right. I was - am afraid of losing both of you, but more importantly, hurting you more by you losing me. It’s something that will not go away, no matter how hard you bury it. That’s why I tried to leave the clone behind, so that way I’d still be with you no matter what happened. But now I see that doing that was wrong.”

He hugged both of them tightly, Luna’s shudders fading away.

“I love both of you as much as life itself, you know that right?”

They nodded. He stepped away, getting a good look at both of them. The last one.

“Then understand that I’m doing this for both of you. It’s better to hurt now when I have control than when I don’t. Goodbye, my loves.”

Before either could react, Nick teleported himself and his clone back to Tartarus.

“NICK!”

Author's Note:

Luna finally snapped. But it's good to vent once in a while right? In case any of you were wondering, the reason Tirek's death was quick was mainly due to the lack of reasonable options. Doesn't really make sense for Nick to give him some power to make it more of a "fair" fight and potentially lose. It also ties in to what Tirek said right before he was dropped, that Nick embraced his darker side by killing a defenseless opponent. If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment. Up next, bug queen is going down and probably more mushy stuff.

Comments

[ADFX-NightRaven414]

Ooer!

[Mewrilah]

82518
Ooer?

[LivingBlueFlame]

Luna is going to be so pissed, nick might not need to worry about the darkness.pre01.deviantart.net/d8cc/th/pre/i/2014/003/d/9/very_angry_luna_by_brunursus-d70pu56.png

[Mewrilah]

8252192
I'm entertaining the idea, that when he dies, she's gonna be so emotionally unstable, that she'll resurrect him somehow. "OH NO THOU DON'T WOLFIE! THEE IS NOT FINISHED WITH THOU YET!"

[Mewrilah]

Now that I think about it, maybe I should've had her talk in Ole Equestrian when she lost it. Probably would be more accurate.