Chapter 6- My Own Worst Enemy
Chapter 6- My Own Worst Enemy
Chris lay in bed, curled beneath the covers. He rested peacefully, all things around him silent and still.
“Get away from me, you cur!”
“No, come here!”
Chris’ face scrunched up in annoyance, and he shifted beneath the blankets. The commotion continued, sounding like someone running around in his room.
“I said,” there was a crash like two bodies had collided and fallen to the ground, “come here!”
“No, I won’t let you take me back! I refu-!”
Chris jerked awake, throwing away the covers and looking around his room. There was no one around. For a moment he only sat there, blinking in confusion before he rubbed his face to clear away his tiredness. “Oh, what happened? Last thing I remember was….” His eyes shot wide open, and he flipped the face open on his morpher. The display showed it was about three in the morning… Thursday morning. “Gottverdammt,” he muttered in realization. “Of all the times, he had to take control in front of Cruger.”
He let out a final sigh and got out of bed. He got ready in his usual way. When he was finished, he walked out of the bathroom to his computer. Might as well do my journal, he thought as he sat and turned on the computer's power. When it finally booted up, something appeared on the screen that he wasn’t expecting. Two files he had never seen before were present, one labeled “Seek Advice,” the other “What You Need To Know.” Confused, he opened “Seek Advice,” as it was the older of the two files. What he saw shocked him.
In it, Samson made his introductions, seemingly taunting him before letting Cruger take control of the video. Cruger explained how Samson had told him about Psycho, and that he should seek the help of Nightmare Moon and her dream walking ability. When it ended, he didn’t quite know what to make of it, especially the fact that Cruger told him he could trust Samson. That was certainly not something he was expecting. He shook his head, and closed the file turning to the next one. “What little surprise do you have for me?”
He opened the file and Samson’s face appeared on screen yet again, a cheerfully smug look on his face. “Howdy, Chris, how’d you sleep? Probably like a baby, but that’s besides the point. First of all, be happy I took that lecture from Sunset for you. I could have been a huge douche and given you control again for that part. Dodged a huge bullet on that one. Anyway, I’m not here to taunt and jeer.” Samson’s face suddenly got serious. “Chris there are some things that you need to understand. First off, I’ve never been out to get you. I know you don’t believe me, but it is the truth. Ever since we were kids, I’ve looked out for you. It wasn’t in your nature to fight back. You ran whenever you could, and took the beating when you couldn’t. I- you needed that to stop. We finally had enough. Whenever you got into a bad situation that you couldn’t escape from, I took over. That’s why whenever you had an episode you’d have bruises and scrapes. I never once raised a hand against you. I only wanted what’s best for you.”
Samson’s face grew solemn. “But I can’t do that anymore. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but since we’ve come into possession of the Psycho Morpher, we’ve had a new roommate. Psycho comes from the morpher, he is directly linked to it. As long as we use it, we can’t get rid of him. And to add to that problem, every time we morph, use Static, or even just talk on the communicator he gets a little bit stronger. He was trying to take over. When I figured out what was going on, I tried to stop him, and we’ve been struggling ever since. I can keep him at bay, but in order to do so, I have to dedicate all of my focus. That means I can’t take the hits for you anymore.” The image turned so that it looked like Samson was staring him in the eyes. “You have to get stronger. We got lucky today. If Cruger hadn’t been here, the story would be very different. We most likely would have been killed and the Resistance would be next. We can’t rely on the strength of others anymore.”
Samson leaned back in the chair, his look of stern worry relaxing a little. “So, let’s go over your to-do list. First, do like Cruger suggested and talk to Nightmare Moon about our uninvited guest. See what she can do to help. Second, double your efforts in your training. No, make it triple, there’s no telling what could be coming for us next. And lastly,” Samson paused, a grin appearing on his face, “ask Scootaloo about the hanger.” No more was said as Samson reached forward and terminated the recording.
Chris sat back, millions of questions swarming through his head. But above them all, there was one that was more prominent than the rest. “Since when do we have a hanger?”
Nightmare Moon sat in central command drinking a cup of coffee, the first of many to come. Despite her tight schedule, she enjoyed getting up early in the morning. It gave her some quiet time to simply relax and enjoy the silence before her busy day began. She took another sip of her warm beverage and let out a contented sigh. Yep, nothing was better than this.
There was a knock on the metallic door causing Nightmare to close her eyes in slight annoyance. “Who could possibly be awake at this time of day?” She mumbled to herself. “Come in.” The mechanical doors slid open and Chris entered the room, a look of apprehension on his face. “Oh, it’s you, Chris. What can I do for you?”
Chris flinched slightly at her words. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Obviously,” she chuckled, “or else you wouldn’t be here right now.” She took another sip of her coffee. “So, what is it you want to talk about?”
Chris fidgeted a little before speaking. “I have a… problem that I’m pretty sure only you can help me with.” Chris let a sigh to release his tension. “Since I was a kid, I’ve had a disorder. Back on my world we called it Multiple Personality Disorder. It causes people to develop a completely different set of traits than what they usually have, usually due to extremely stressful situations.” Chris breathed in slowly, getting back on track. “Point is, I’ve almost always had Samson tagging along in my head. He would take over at weird times leaving me with weird blank spots in my memory, but… I realize now, it was never that bad. Then I came here and got my morpher. It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me, except I got more than I bargained for. I picked up a hitchhiker. He calls himself Psycho, and… he tried to take me over. Luckily, the ‘not-as-evil-as-I-thought’ Samson caught on to him and has been keeping him at bay, but not without sacrifice. Samson can’t help out like he used to while Psycho is a problem.” He paused. “I need your help Nightmare. I don’t know what else to do.”
Nightmare stared at him for a while, processing everything Chris had just told her. She finally let out a sigh, muttering something under her breath. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” She asked.
“I’ve always been terrified of people finding out,” he explained leaning against one of the consoles. “I didn’t want people looking at me like some sort of freak.”
Nightmare gave him a look of sympathy. “Chris.” She stood up and walked over in front of him and leaned against the opposite console. They simply stood in each other’s company for a while, each drawing a little comfort from the other’s presence. Finally, Nightmare spoke.
“I will help you where I can, Chris, but you need to understand that what you ask is no easy feat. I’ll admit, I had an inkling of what was going on. That’s why I have Trixie teaching you control. Now, though, the problem is much more difficult than we believed, and it will only be through your efforts that you’ll be able to keep a lid on this ‘Psycho.’ And it will not be easy.”
Chris let out a small smile. “Thank you, Nightmare.”
Nightmare returned his smile. “You’re welcome, Chris.” She stood up and walked back over to her station overlooking the rest of the room. “Until tonight then, when you sleep.” She turned and gave him one last grin as he made his way out of the room.
As the doors closed behind Chris, his smile faded and his shoulders sagged. And that makes two, he thought to himself making his way to his workshop in search of a distraction.
Scheiße, scheiße, scheiße! Chris thought running down the halls to get to the locker room. He’d found his distraction in the form of the Delta Battlizer sitting on his desk. The implications of the Battlizer being there combined with the subtle hint to check the hanger had him filled with excitement. But, seeing as he didn’t know where the hanger was, he reserved himself to studying the code for the battlizer. It was amazing. So amazing that he didn’t realize he was going to be late for his combat training with Shining Armor.
I can NOT be late again! He screamed at himself internally as he rounded another corner and dodged between a pair of ponies as he sprinted all the faster. He slammed the doors to the lockers open, startling several fellow Resistance members as he slid to a stop in front of his locker. In a whirlwind of Static, he ripped open his locker, stored his jacket, and strapped on all of his leather gear before dashing out of the room leaving behind the bang of his locker slamming shut.
Shining stood at the center of the training ground, staring at a pocket watch and counting the minutes until Chris arrived, other groups working out around him. “That’s twenty-three,” he murmured quietly. Suddenly, a cloud of dust came rocketing out of the tunnel leading to the lockers. Chris ground to a halt in front of Shining, the dust cloud sweeping past them as Chris threw up a salute to his teacher.
“Chris Scott, reporting for training, sir!” He called out in a monotone voice.
“Private Scott,” Shining said dryly, closing his watch and sliding it into his pocket. “You’re late.”
“I’m so sorry, Shining,” Chris started, relaxing his salute, “I got to studying some new tech and I lost track of ti-”
“Twelve laps, Private Scott.”
Chris stopped and stared. “Are you trying to kill me, Shining?”
“You’re right, that’s kinda harsh,” Shining said with a chuckle, before becoming serious. “How about twenty-four laps, private.”
“But, Shining-”
“Do I hear thirty-six?”
Chris stopped and let out a defeated sigh. “Yes, sir,” he muttered, beginning his twenty-four lap jog around the two square mile training ground. He went at a steady pace, his years of running cross-country paying off. However, after his fifth lap, he was panting and sweating, thinking thoughts like, why me, and, I am GOING to die. After his sixteenth lap, he couldn’t feel his legs anymore, let alone think rational thoughts. When he walked over to the patiently waiting Captain after his final lap, he fell flat on his face, drenched in sweat and wishing someone would set a fire extinguisher to his burning muscles.
Shining walked over to the fallen human and bent his knees to get closer to the young man. “So, how do you feel?”
“Like scheiße,” came the muffled reply.
“Are you going to be late anymore?”
“No, sir.”
“And are you going to argue next time I tell you to run?”
“No, sir.”
“Good,” Shining finished, putting a bottle of water next to Chris’ head. “Come on, we’ve still got a training session to complete.”
Chris groaned and used his arms to roll over and grab the bottle. He removed the cap and made to take a drink before capsizing the bottle, pouring its contents over his face and head. The icy shock jerked Chris back to full consciousness, shooting to his feet. “BRRR, that’s cold! Okay, okay, I’m ready.”
Shining raised an eyebrow and tossed another bottle to Chris. “Uh-huh,” he said skeptically as Chris chugged down the refreshing liquid. “Today, we’ll be sparring.”
Chris raised an eyebrow, still trying to catch some of his breath. “Really? That’s new.”
“Yes, it is,” Shining replied crossing his arms. “I want to see you use everything I’ve taught you. See how well you implement your training in real combat. How well you do today will determine what happens during the rest of your training. Do you understand?”
“Sparring, do my best, determines my training, got it,” Chris said finally feeling somewhat better.
Shining nodded. “Alright, let’s get started.” Shining turned away and started to walk away. Chris started to turn as well only to have his gaze ripped back towards Shining at a blur of motion in his peripherals. He barely had time to spin around and activate Static around his arm as he brought it up to block the short sword swinging towards his head.
“What the hölle, Shining!?!”
Shining said nothing, a steely look in his eyes. He kicked out at Chris’ stomach, causing him to catch the blow with his other hand. The force of the kick sent Chris sliding backwards, putting his hand to the ground to come to a stop. Chris looked up at Shining as the white stallion settled into a fighting stance. “Alright then,” Chris muttered, straightening up, “if that’s how you want it.” Chris’ eyes hardened and he flexed his muscles out. “Static!” He called, the red energy flowing over his body as he drew out the Psycho Sword. “Let’s go, Captain!” He shouted as he charged the veteran fighter.
Shining Armor held his ground as Chris made his approach, only moving to guard against Chris’ attack at the last second. As the two blades ground against one another, Shining raised his eyes to stare into Chris’ own. “Is that it?” He taunted without humor.
“You wish!” Chris grunted, pushing harder on his blade. The two shoved as hard as they could, sliding slightly apart. This time, both fighters charged forwards. They moved around one another, their swords clashing and limbs colliding as each combatant did all they could to gain the advantage. Chris swung his blade in an underhand movement. Shining caught the blow with his own blade. They struggled for a moment before sitting there, locked in an even match of strength.
“Guess, we’re even then,” Chris said, panting slightly.
“You idiot.”
Chris was taken aback by the sudden comment. He looked at Shining with a questioning look. Shining’s gaze was one of deathly seriousness.
“Haven’t you noticed?” Shining questioned, pushing harder on his sword. “I’ve been holding back.” Suddenly, Chris’ Static gave out and he had to struggle not to let Shining overpower him. “This is over.” Shining forced the Psycho Sword away and swung once more at Chris’ head. Chris was forced to roll away from the attack. He came to a landing, rolling to his feet and dismissing his sword.
New plan, he thought, summoning the Psycho Bow. He started firing off shots at the unicorn. Shining knocked away each shot with deft strokes of his sword. Verdammt, he thought, firing off more arrows, how is he doing this?
Shining detected a lull in Chris’ attack. He took advantage of the extra time and thrust his arm forward, his hand and horn glowing in a magenta aura. Instinct told Chris to get out of the way and he jumped away, magenta blades erupting from the ground in front of him. His evasion was sluggish, allowing one of the blades to slice through the leg of his pants. He nocked three energy arrows to the Bow and let them fly. The two angled arrows sped away in either direction before beginning to swerve mid-flight back towards their target. When it seemed the glowing bolts would hit Shining, there was a magenta flash and the arrows were thrown away. Chris was forced to cover his eyes, and when he looked back, he was met by a terrifying sight.
Shining Armor stood where he started at the beginning of their fight except now he was covered head to toe in magical magenta armor. His short sword was in his left hand now, and in his right, he held a large great sword that matched his armor.
“Wow,” Chris said in awe of the spectacle.
Shining narrowed his eyes. “Keep your head in the fight!” He shouted, swinging his great sword in a horizontal slash, sending an arc of energy at Chris.
Oh, scheiße. Chris leaned backward, bending as far as he could. The magenta slash flew over his face, barely missing him. As it passed, he lost his balance and fell on his back.
“Tch,” Shining muttered. “You don’t get it do you?”
“What is that supposed to- WHOA!” Chris yelled, rolling out of the way of a vertical slash. Chris flipped onto his feet, turning to stare angrily at Shining. “What’s your problem!?!”
“My problem?” Shining asked with a snort. “I don’t have one… but you do.” Shining swiped his sword in three directions, forming a three-way cross of energy that he threw at Chris. Despite its larger size, the attack flew at Chris at a much faster pace. Chris tried to jump out of the way, but it was to quick. The magic attack slammed into his chest, exploding in a concussive wave that launched him backward. Chris landed hard on his back, knocking the wind from his lungs. He struggled into a kneeling position, gasping to fill his lungs.
Shining started walking forward, his scowl growing on his features. He came to a stop, still a good ways away from Chris. “You fell, Chris.”
Chris stared hotly up at his teacher, still recovering his breath. “Yeah, so what?”
Shining’s face grew darker. “If you fall on the battlefield, you die.”
“And?” Chris said, slowly getting to his feet. “I’m nothing more than a lost human fighting a war that isn’t his. Who cares if I fall?”
Shining growled at the statement. “‘Who cares?’ Is that what you just said?” Shining anger was flaring. “I don’t know what it was like where you came from, but here you can’t just throw yourself at your enemies.”
“It’s worked so far,” Chris argued, standing wobbly on his feet.
“No, it hasn’t!” Shining yelled. “Every time you’ve gone against King Mondo’s forces, you got lucky. You had the element of the unknown in your first fight, and you didn’t even fight Silo yourself. Cruger did!”
“And?” Chris said indignantly. “It doesn’t mean I can’t.”
Shining stared darkly at the young man. “You can’t.” The statement slammed into Chris’ chest, sending him back to his knee. “King Mondo knows about you, you aren’t a mystery anymore. And you can’t rely on stronger fighters to be there to back you up.” Shining closed his eyes. “If you keep going like this, you will die.”
Chris stared for a moment at the echoing of Samson’s words, before frowning again. “Which leads me back to my first question. Who verdammt cares?” Shining’s eyes snapped open, but Chris wasn’t done yet. “I’m nothing more than a stupid, lonely, hack with no family, with nowhere to go, and no future to look forward to.” Chris had been steadily dragging himself back to his feet. “So, I’ll ask one more time.” Chris looked up with fire in his eyes. “Who verdammt gives a Scheiß!”
“We do!!!”
Chris’ eyes widened at the shout. “W-what?” He stammered.
“Who brings you lunch when you forget to eat? Who walks with you to make sure nopony gets any bright ideas? Who helps you with your projects? Who patches you up when you get hurt? Who has watched over you since you got here?” Images flashed through Chris’ mind as each question was thrown at him. Cadence, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Nightmare Moon, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie. Their faces slid through his mind as the message finally started to sink in.
“Who’s been right beside you this whole time?”
Sweetie Belle leaped into his mind. Her soft smile, her quiet laugh.
“You have ponies that care about you, Chris.” Chris looked up at his teacher to find a single tear start sliding down his cheek. “And we can’t just sit back and watch as you throw your life away.” Shining’s face hardened and he wiped the tear away angrily, raising the greatsword over his head in an underhand grip. “So, don’t you dare fall!” He swung the blade down and impaled the ground, magenta blades shooting from the earth in a line.
Chris barely had time to react. He lifted the Psycho Bow and fired a single continuous stream of bright blue energy at the glowing stream of swords. The attacks collided and struggled against one another, the blades building up behind the blue beam. Chris struggled to hold the power as a million thoughts ran through his head. They cared. He had friends now that cared for his well-being. They watched over him. Took care of him. They cared. He felt something in his chest, something he’d never before. He felt needed. Wanted. He belonged here.
We belong here, a familiar voice said in his head.
Chris’ worried eyes hardened and he started to struggle to his feet. “You don’t want me to fall?” He called out to Shining. “I don’t care. I never have!” Pink Static started buzzing from his morpher. “But this time, for all of you,” his eyes flashed and Pink Static erupted across his body, “I’ll stand!” The beam from the Bow expanded and shattered Shining’s spell, forcing the armored stallion to throw up a force field. When he looked back, he was met with a surprise.
Chris stood across the field in his armor, Static sparking around him. The sight of Chris in his ranger form didn’t surprise Shining Armor. Except the armor was pink. Inside the helmet, Chris was getting his second wind. A heads-up-display appeared on his visor for the first time, surprising him. The display was colored in pink and text made it’s way across his screen. Psycho Ranger Pink, unlocked. Pink Static, unlocked, raises defense and shield stats by multiple of six. Red Static, unlocked, raises attack and speed stat by multiple of six. Combination Fifteen: Psycho Shot, unlocked. Nature Magic, unlocked. The new abilities scrolled past his eyes, leaving him with a clear look at Shining. With a mental command, the mouthpiece and visors of his helmet retracted, exposing Chris’ face.
“Well, Shining, you wanted me to stand,” he called out to his teacher raising his arms up. “Here I am.”
Shining stared for a moment then his face split into a grin. “Finally, you understand,” he muttered to himself. He dropped into a stance that betrayed his intention to get close. “Here I come!” He darted forward, raising his sword to the side for a horizontal swing.
Chris smirked. “Have it your way.” The visors and mouth guard swept back into place. He pulled his arms back, charging his hands with pink Static before thrusting forward and slamming his hands into the ground. Plant roots and vines shot from the ground towards the charging unicorn. Shining looked on in shock and started using both his swords to cut through the obtrusive trailers, but it wasn’t enough. One vine, thicker than the rest, wrapped itself around his right wrist, and more vines quickly followed suit, binding his limbs and holding him spread eagle. Gotcha this time, Chris thought summoning both the Psycho Sword and Bow. “Combination fifteen: Psycho Shot!” He called out, nocking the Sword like an arrow, a weapon displaying itself on his HUD. The weapons lit up in a bright light and shifted onto his right wrist. When the light faded, the Bow and Sword sat on his wrist like a crossbow, the Sword’s blade split down the middle, revealing a gun barrel. That’s new. He pointed the weapon at the constrained Shining Armor.
“Real sorry about this, Captain Armor,” Chris called, a smile in his voice.
Shining only chuckled. “Just give it your best shot, kid.”
Chris grinned wider. “You asked for it!” An orb of pink and red light began to build up around the end of the barrel as a meter grew on his visor. “Combo Special 15: Supreme Arrow!!!” He shouted, unleashing his attack. A blinding spiral of red, white, and pink shot from Chris’ wrist, big enough to cover most of the body. The beam rushed towards Shining and slammed into him, shattering his armor. The attack lasted another few seconds before it slowly died down. Before it got far, Chris felt something was wrong. When the light finally faded, there was nothing left in the grasp of the vines. Chris was taken aback. I know that attack wasn’t that powerful, he thought to himself.
The was a large explosion and Chris arched his back in pain and fell to one knee. He tried to stand only to have a magenta covered short sword stuck underneath his chin. He looked up to find Shining smiling down at him with pride. “Concede,” he said, his smile widening.
Chris smiled inside his helmet. “I concede.”
Shining sheathed his sword and held his hand out to Chris. Chris dispersed the Psycho Shot and grabbed Shining’s hand, letting him haul him to his feet. “Thanks,” Chris said, demorphing. “How did you dodge that?”
“Simple,” Shining replied cheekily. “I teleported.”
Chris let his head hang down. “I cannot believe I forgot about that.”
“We all make mistakes, Chris,” Shining counseled, putting his hand on Chris’ shoulder. “What I want to know is, do you understand what I was trying to tell you?”
Chris was silent for a moment, his face solemn. He finally gave a small smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. And I promise I won’t ever fall down again.”
Shining grinned at the human’s determination. “I believe you.” Shining dropped his hand, turned and motioned for Chris to follow as he headed towards the lockers. “Let’s get cleaned up. Then, lunch. You earned it.”
Chris grinned as his stomach growled at the thought of food. “Good,” Chris replied. “I forgot breakfast this morning.”
Shining stopped in his tracks allowing the youth to walk past and ahead of him. He stared after Chris in shock before shaking his head and letting an amused smile cover his face.
“Thanks for the company, Sweetie Belle,” Chris said, opening the door to his room. “See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Chris,” she responded from further down the hall. “Sleep well.”
“Will do,” Chris called closing his door. He turned to face the room and slightly deflated. “Will do,” he said again, under his breath. He sighed and walked over to the drawers in his closet and pulled out his pajamas. He hesitated and put the night clothes back and pulled out a simple pair of shorts. Yep, I should feel as comfortable as possible. He shook his head and walked to the bathroom to get ready for bed. After his sparring match with Shining, the day had gone pretty normal. They’d gotten lunch, he’d had his sessions with Starlight and Trixie, he’d gone and worked on the battlizer a little more, gotten a tour of the Hanger and the Delta Megaship from Scootaloo, and met up with Sweetie Belle and the others for dinner. The only “new” thing that happened was that he was invited to movie night with the Elements and their families. Afterwards, Sweetie had walked him back to his room.
He left the bathroom and flopped onto the bed, throwing the light switch as he did so. He turned over onto his back, leaving the covers off as he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. It didn’t take long for his tired body and mind to slip into sleep. It also didn’t take long for Nightmare to find his drifting consciousness.
Chris found himself standing in the middle of a bleak landscape. The ground beneath his feet was black, and the sky above was a constant swirl of blacks, blues, and purples. “Huh,” Chris said to himself. “Cliche much?” The wind picked up and blew against him, getting stronger until he was thrown off his feet and onto his back. “Ow.”
“That is what happens when you tempt fate,” a voice said above him.
Chris opened his eyes to find Nightmare Moon standing over him. “Haha, funny,” Chris deadpanned, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. It was then that he noticed his clothes. It looked like the rangers’ outfits from Mystic Force, minus the cape and short sleeves, and the vest was blue with white lines instead of black with red, the titan sign replaced by the symbol of his morpher. “Okay, definitely wasn’t wearing this when I went to sleep.”
Nightmare chuckled, drawing his attention. “This,” Nightmare explained, “is how you see yourself in your mind. And might I add, it looks nice on you.”
“Aw, stop it, you’ll make me blush,” Chris joked before getting to the point. “So, how are we supposed to do this? We gonna dance around and mutter strange things until all things are right and good again, or what?”
Nightmare looked at him for a moment. “How was your day, Chris?” She finally asked.
“It was kind of rough,” Chris admitted with a shrug. “Sorry. But seriously, how does this work?”
“First,” she began, a glow forming over her horn, “I need to get changed.” A teal glow surrounded the mare and shone bright, causing Chris to cover his eyes. When he looked back, Nightmare was gone. In her place stood an alicorn that looked like a combination of both Luna and Nightmare Moon. She was shorter, about 5’8”, and her fur was more like Luna’s although her cutie mark kept the coloring of Nightmare’s. Her hair was in a semi-tangible state, as if it couldn’t make up it’s mind, taking on the appearance of a black and purple night sky. Her clothes were different as well. She now wore a dark blue cropped skirt with a slit down the side, showing off her thigh, and a black strapped bodice with a black and white full/crescent moon symbol on the stomach. She opened her eyes to reveal their teal coloring and round pupils.
“Whoa,” Chris breathed, looking over Nightmare/Luna’s new appearance. “You look… wow.” Chris shook his head. “Wait, are you Luna or are you Nightmare Moon?”
A soft smile played on her features. “Both and neither,” she replied cryptically. When Chris only stared blankly, she continued. “When we came to Equestria, we were still full of hate and bitterness. We could feel Celestia in Canterlot, just waiting. We grew even more angry when the Elements of Harmony came against us, slowing our revenge. However, in the midst of our fight, Celestia vanished and another darker being took her place. We forgot the Elements and turned our rage to the one that stole vengeance from us only to find refugees flooding into Ponyville. Upon hearing of Mondo’s invasion, we ordered their evacuation to the Castle deep in the Everfree.” Nightmare/Luna closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “At first, we were only angry that King Mondo had taken Equestria before we could. However, we started to care for our subjects again as they came to trust us. We came to an agreement.We would share our body and our aspects, and we would defeat Mondo together. No more revenge, no more anger.”
Nightmare/Luna’s story came to a close and Chris could only stare in wonder. “But wait. If you’re the perfect unity of Luna and Nightmare Moon, why do you look and sound like Nightmare on the outside?”
“That is a simple question to answer,” Nightmare/Luna replied, a small twinkle in her eye. “The Resistance needs a strong leader, someone they can look up to, who can protect them. Now tell me, would you feel better having a reformed Nightmare Moon leading you, or a stunted Luna?”
“Okay, I can understand that,” Chris said rubbing his neck. “So what do I call you?”
Nightmare/Luna smiled again. “We have come to like the name Artemus.” Artemus’ eyes grew serious. “But we are here to help you, not give a history lesson.” She turned her eyes to the horizon. “Do you know where in your consciousness your other personalities may lie?”
“Uh, no,” Chris said sheepishly. “To be honest, until this morning, I thought the further I was from Samson the better.”
Artemus let out a tired sigh. “It is no big deal, however, it would have been easier. We must only follow the commotion.”
Chris looked around the field of his mindscape. “Uh, what commotion?” Immediately after finishing the question, yelling could be heard in the distance. Chris turned towards the sound in confusion. “How?”
Artemus chuckled. “Often times we are not aware of things that happen in our own head until someone else points it out.”
“That’s a scary thought,” Chris muttered beginning to sprint towards what now sounded like a fight. They didn’t run far before they came across the scene. A Psycho Ranger fought against another young man with short reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in an adapted version of the Operation Overdrive uniform, white accents covering more of the jacket, green lining around it and the Overdrive emblem replaced by that of the Psycho Morpher, and the pants were more baggy and stuffed inside black combat boots. When the human attempted to land a spinning heel kick to the ranger’s head, he turned, revealing that his jacket hung half open, revealing a green shirt.
Chris stopped in his tracks. He didn’t need anyone to tell him who the stranger was. “Samson….” Artemus came to a stop beside him as the two fighters raged on. Chris shook his head. “I can’t just sit here,” he told her, “I’ve got to help.” Chris made to jump to his other personality's rescue, but Artemus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t rush in,” she warned. “There is something we need you to understand before you step into the fray. First, once you enter this fight, you will not be able to back out until it is over, no matter who the winner is. Second, I cannot help you. This is you and your brother’s fight and your fight alone. And finally, when this fight is over, you must make a decision. Are you prepared to do such?”
Chris stared for a moment, looking at his leader. An increase in volume from the direction of the fight drew his attention. Psycho was throwing a rapid barrage of punches and Sam was doing a good job of blocking each jab, until Psycho threw a feint, landing a gut-wrenching blow to Sam’s chest. Chris winced but felt relieved when his other self recovered quickly and started throwing his own combination. But it was obvious that Sam was getting tired. Worry once again crossed over Chris’ face before hardening into determination and turned to Artemus. “I’ll do it.”
Artemus smiled. “Good, now there is only one last thing you must know.” She motioned with her finger to whisper in his ear. He leaned his ear to her and let her murmur to him. When she finished, he pulled back and threw a questioning look to which she nodded and grinned. Chris let out a final sigh and turned to make his way to the battle.
As he made his way over, he noticed something was off about Psycho. Different colors kept shifting across his armor, and his form kept fluctuating. One such fluctuation caused Sam to miss a punch giving Psycho the opening to kick him in the chest. Sam was sent backward, landing hard on his back as Chris finally made his way over. “Giving you the wet works?” Chris asked as he crouched down next his fallen personality.
At first, Sam was surprised to see his counterpart but then grinned as he accepted the hand Chris offered to him. “Nah, I had him right where I wanted him.”
“Oh, good, both of the broken pieces are here,” Psycho exclaimed drawing both their attentions. “Now I don’t have to come look for you when I finish off mister guard dog here.” He let out a chuckle and started stalking towards them.
Chris and Sam looked at one another and nodded. Chris stepped in front of Sam, giving the personality a chance to recover. “Let’s go, Psycho,” Chris called threateningly.
“Let’s.”
Both fighters charged each other, colliding in a swarm of punches and kicks. Psycho threw a jab that raced passed Chris’ chin as he moved out of the way. He grabbed Psycho’s wrist and started spinning in place. Psycho lost his balance but refused to be thrown. But he forgot one important detail. Samson slammed his fist into Psycho’s torso as he rushed forward, throwing the malicious presence away from the pair. Psycho stood up and stared at the pair with pure hatred.
“So, you both want to be friends now,” Psycho taunted. “After all those years of hating him, you suddenly want to work with him? How stupid can you be?”
Chris scowled. “I don’t know much about Samson.” He closed his eyes and let out a breath before opening them again. “But I know that while you’ve been trying to take over, he’s kept you away. And that’s more than enough reason to trust him.”
Dark laughter echoed from Psycho. “You’re nothing more than a fool. I’ll enjoy tearing your control away!” He raced forward ready to slam into Chris.
Chris and Sam looked and nodded to one another and ran forward together. The three combatants clashed. Chris threw a punch at Psycho’s face mask while Sam aimed a kick to his midsection. Psycho reacted quickly, sliding underneath both attacks and performed a leg sweep. Chris and Sam jumped out the way of the takedown and when Sam landed, Psycho rushed him. He threw a barrage of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, none of which found their mark. Psycho tried for another feint, but Sam knew his tricks. He dodged around the dastardly ploy, and dashed behind Psycho. Sam wrapped his arms around the shade’s midriff and lifted him off his feet, falling backwards as he did. It was only midway through the suplex that Psycho realized how much trouble he was in. Just as Psycho’s head met the ground, Chris dashed from across the field and started slamming punches into his torso. As Psycho’s body followed through with the rest of the suplex, Sam rolled out of the way, and Chris delivered a haymaker that sent the apparition skidding across the landscape.
Psycho finally came to a stop, and spun to his feet to face his opponents. “Enough of this idiocy,” he hissed. There was a shine on Psycho’s visor as a dark aura poured out around him. “Now,” he called across the field, “I’ll kill you both!” He sprinted forward, his aura like black flames. Chris and Sam simply stared straight ahead and nodded, both fighters flaring their own auras, Chris’ orange and Samson’s green. Chris threw one more look at Sam who nodded. They suddenly appeared on either side of Psycho each delivering a devastating downward kick before spinning and kicking him forward. Psycho skidded across the ground for a moment before throwing his hand forward and flipping himself right-side-up. He saw Chris and Sam standing across from him, deadly intent in their eyes. For once in his existence the evil ranger was terrified.
“It’s time to end this, Psycho,” Chris called.
“Surrender now, or,” Sam added as both he and Chris closed their eyes and shifted stances.
“We’ll end you!” They shouted together eyes flying open and glowing weapons appearing in their hands. Chris held an orange short sword in his right hand and a matching buckler in his left while Sam wielded a large green naginata.
Psycho stepped back in fear. “How could you two possibly be able to summon those? You’re not strong enough!” He demanded.
“You’re right,” Chris replied, taking a step forward, “I’m not.”
“And neither am I,” Sam admitted, following suit.
“But we are!!!” They shouted together, rushing at the shade.
“No, this isn’t possible!” Psycho yelled, bringing his hands up. “It’s not possi-!!!” The short sword and naginata slammed into the shadow’s torso, leaving behind smoking slashes of black mist. Chris and Sam straightened up and turned to face Psycho as he fell forward, defeated. The pair dismissed their weapons and walked over to their fallen opponent. As they did, Artemus appeared over a hill and made her way over to the pair of personalities.
“Well fought, you two,” she praised giving them each a smile before turning her eyes to Psycho. “Are you ready for the next step?”
Chris and Sam looked at each other, nodded, and turned back to the alicorn. “We are,” Chris answered for them.
“Then both of you, hold your hands over Psycho.” They obeyed, stretching out their arms and hands, palm outward. Artemus’ horn and hands started glowing blue, her eyes shining white as she performed her magic. She finally released her magic into Psycho, heavy bars shooting out of the ground around him to contain him. Both he and the cage glowed white and condensed into a ball of light that split into two. A different ball shot towards each human, absorbing into their bodies through their hands. When it was over, both of them withdrew their hands and looked them over, flexing their fingers.
“Well, that was different,” Sam stated, turning his eyes back to Artemus. “Now what?”
“Now,” Artemus replied as she stepped forward and placed a hand on each of their shoulders, “you two make amends.”
Chris and Sam were taken aback. They stared for a moment at the mare before turning to each other. Then, twin smiles appeared on their faces. “Brothers?” Sam asked, stretching out his hand.
Chris nodded as he took Sam’s hand. “Brothers,” he confirmed. There was a bright flash and both parties released. They looked at one another in confusion and turned to Artemus.
“What happened?” They asked together.
Artemus smiled. “You two are no longer just Chris and Sam,” She answered holding out a hand to each side. “Now you are Chris and Sam.” She clasped her hands together. “Not just two parts to a whole, but two wholes together.”
Chris and Sam tilted their heads in confusion. “But we’re still separate,” they said in sync.
“You appear to yourselves as two,” she explained, “but to anyone who can see inside your mind, you are one.” Chris and Sam only stared, earning a chuckle from the mare. “It will take some time to get used to, but for now you both need sleep.”
Chris and Sam looked at each other and shrugged. “You’re right,” they conceded. “Thanks for your help Artemus.”
“What happened here is your doing,” she replied, shaking her head with a small smile. “I only sealed away Psycho’s influence. The rest came from you.”
The young men shrugged. “Thanks anyway,” they said in answer. “Goodnight, Artemus.” With that said, they closed their eyes and fell backward, snoring.
Artemus let out a chuckle. “Goodnight, my little humans.” She turned and faded out of the dreamscape while Chris and Sam enjoyed the best sleep of their life.
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Ah man, we didn't actually get to see him gush over my present.
7583363
Oh, he'll gush. He hasn't actually piloted it yet
Silly? I like saying silly things!
...And here is where I'd put an actual comment. IF I HAD ONE!!
...My Flurry's gonna be all over Shining... "Daddy!" and such.
And the first link doesn't work, may wanna fix that.
7585743
I can see tears flying already.
Thanks for the tip off.
7585928
...
*is fantasizing of Gai, Cruger, and Chris/Sam fighting off an army of mooks*
Pink? GAYYYYY!!!!!!!
It couldn’t have been that bad.
So he wasn’t before?
Although, there nothing wrong with doing it once in a while, right?
What’s in the hanger?
Two of what?
A real sword?
He can do that?
Woah, that’s a lot.
Understand that he’s wanted?
Do not make that promise.
What’s with the air quotes?
Cliche how?
Ok, that’s cool.
Where did she get that name from?
Are there pictures for these outfits? Because, they look too good.
What decision?
What did she whisper?
What just happened?
Wait what?
Still don’t understand?