A Rather Large Adventure

by BradyBunch

Chapter Seventy: Breaking Point

By the time the four ponies touched down at the town square of Appleoosa, the town was in a commotion. Most of the inhabitants had gotten out of bed to see the tall mushroom cloud off in the distance. As a result, panicky thoughts had set in, and some of them had trunks and suitcases under their arms, trying to fit all of them into the train station.

The rest of the girls were active as well. Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Noble Blade were in a run-down wooden shed that might have once been called a hospital, but the rest of the girls were helping usher the ponies into the train station. Applejack was discussing with Braeburn about the stolen money from the town, but Braeburn already had her in a tight hug, ensuring her that it was all okay. Even so, Applejack vowed that they would get funds from Canterlot to rebuild once everything had died down. Pinkie Pie was bounding along encouraging a distraction from the imminent doom they all felt was upon them.

But it was only when Twilight had spoken up in a magical-augmented voice and let the entire town know that the threat was gone that the inhabitants finally began to quiet down. The suggestion from Starlight Glimmer, approved by Twilight, allowed them to evacuate the starved, deserted remains of Appleoosa and safely get on the train to Canterlot.

By the time everypony had gotten on the train with all their closest possessions, the girls had also, by a unanimous vote, chosen to go along as well to Ponyville to recover and resupply before figuring out the next stage of their journey.

Finally, when the sun had fully risen in the east, a train was steaming out from Appleoosa's skeletal remains packed with ponies, scared for what the future might bring.

---

“Twilight?” asked Starlight just as the former was about to enter her cabin.

The alicorn froze as she opened the door. “What?”

“I just… wanted to know what our plan was after we get to Ponyville. We don’t know where the final Element is.”

Twilight let out a small sigh. “We didn’t know where Noble’s Element would be either. But we still have it. Just… keep it out of mind, Starlight. You’ve earned a break.”

“I’d like to take one,” Starlight admitted. “But… it’s my Element. I don’t know what I’ll have to do. I’m the Last Hero. That doesn’t sound good.”

“And I’m the Child of Light,” Twilight added. “Look where I am now.”

With that said, she entered her cabin and shut the door.

She crossed the small room to the only furniture in the room and collapsed, tired all over all of a sudden.

Twilight was twitching. Now that nopony was around, she could finally, finally crack, and begin to shiver and gulp and gasp for breath as she was finally left alone with her thoughts and guilt.

Her room was empty and small. A futon was the only form of furniture, which she was sitting upright on, shaking as she let herself go. There was a steady, soothing click-clack as the train rumbled along over the rails. To Twilight, it reminded her only of her abduction from the train on the way to Saddle Arabia, all those months ago. It seemed so far away… But at the same time, it was still so vivid, how she met those accursed creatures for the first time. Fangs and claws and black and blood.

Why was she feeling so terrible, anyway? Tempest had been right. She shouldn't feel so bad about it. The Noxxa were devils.

But then again, so was she.

So was Tempest, now that she thought about it. Serving the Storm King would put notions of brute ruthlessness in you.

And so were the rest of the girls. How many Noxxa had they collectively killed on Mount Aris? Not to mention the Guardians of the Sun, taking life for five years now, wherever they served their country.

She blinked back tears. As she did, her vision blurred. Twilight wiped her eyes, and when she opened her eyes, before her was something entirely different.

She was standing on a mountain of ash and broken bodies beneath her hooves. The ground beneath her was so far away. Her hooves, caked with ebony dust, were standing on the fleshy, broken body of Sunset Shimmer.

Beneath Sunset Shimmer was the rest of the human girls, and beneath them, a mound of griffons and ponies, extending down until she couldn't see the end, and thick layers of black dust covered everything in sight.

Twilight gasped for breath and looked around, covering her mouth. Spirits and mists floated past her face. There were whispers as well, growing closer. They all seemed to say the same thing. Twilight grew fearful and shrunk down as the world tilted.

How many more? they seemed to whisper. Over and over and over. How many more have to die?

When will it end?

Twilight closed her eyes. "No, no, no, stop…" she gasped. Too weak, she was too weak! "Please!"

Tears came to her eyes once again, and once she blinked them away, everything was back to normal. She was once again in a train, clickety-clacking in her ears.

The vision was gone. The mountain peak was gone. The black plains beneath her were gone. Sunset Shimmer was gone.

Sunset Shimmer was gone.

An evil voice seemed to speak those words to her. Not at all like the ones Faust used. Why had Faust left her? Why did she let her suffer like this?

The spirit of fear was constricting her and making her short of breath. Solaris was laughing somewhere in triumph.

The door to her cabin opened. Twilight gulped and immediately put away her fear and guilt to put on a neutral face. "Yes?"

Freedom Fighter appeared. Twilight felt something rise in her small chest. Hope! Solaris seemed to hiss and become defiant at the Unforgiven's mere presence. Twilight felt that defiance rising within her.

Go away!

"Go away!" she yelled.

Freedom’s eyes widened at the sudden outburst. "... Was it something I did?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" she asked, feeling hollow.

"You know exactly why I’m here,” Freedom said. “I can see it in your eyes, Twilight. You may think you have everyone else fooled, but I know better. The last thing you should be right now is alone.”

He sounded so hopeful! Freedom Fighter wanted to be here!

He’s just going to tell you how badly you lost it today. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

He closed the door and made his way next to the lavender alicorn, plopping down on the futon next to her.

"I know what you're going to say,” she said, trying to beat Freedom to the punch. “I shouldn't feel sorry for what I did at Black Fang. Well, guess what? I still am! I feel..."

Freedom Fighter halted and simply nodded. He was actually listening.

Who is he to be explaining this to you?

"I mean, it's no big deal to you. Just another day, another dozen monsters sent back to oblivion. Well, I'm not like you! At least I feel bad about what I did!"

"You think I enjoyed that?"

"It's your destiny to destroy them all. I would say you have plenty of reason to.”

“Twilight." He shook his head. "If you feel anything apart from guilt when you kill, something is wrong with you."

Hypocrite much.

"But you didn't feel anything when you slew all those Noxxa back when I first met you in the tower!"

"Yeah. And something's wrong with me, Twilight. I'm unstable. You know how I had that voice in my head, and…. What you’re going through right now... was around the time I started getting mine.”

There was a hefty pause in the conversation. Both ponies were looking the opposite way on the ground.

---

Freedom Fighter was alone in his private room. Canterlot Castle was spacious and ornate, but the Unforgiven was always Spartan in nature and preferred limited arrangements. There was only a bed he was sitting on, a table beside it, and an iron chest containing his bodysuit. There wasn’t even a window to let in Celestia’s blessing. The only light came from a small candle on the bedside table.

He was naked, shivering. The flickering firelight caught in his wide, quivering eyes.

‘I’m a killer,’ he knew. ‘This is only our first mission as Guardians of the Sun, and I’m already the evil I swore to destroy.’

Then why did you seem so enthusiastic about killing the Noxxa?

Freedom Fighter drew himself up. He shrugged at the new voice. ‘The Noxxa are inferior. They’re sub-pony. They’re even worse than the changelings!’

You were sub-pony once.

The firelight subsided. Most of the dark warrior was in shadow, save for two pinpricks.

‘Who are you?’

I know who I am. The real question here is, Freedom, who are you?

‘I know I’m not you. I made you up on a whim. You’re nothing to me.’

I am everything to you. Don’t you know that?

‘You only cause me pain.’

Life is pain, Unforgiven. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you something.

‘What a corny philosophy you have.’

What an intoxicating innocence you cling to.

‘I am not innocent! More than anypony, I have been soiled beyond imagination!’

Ah, you do realize it. I was starting to worry.

‘Why am I even talking like this?’

Better than talking to Noble Blade or Firestorm. Blade would just give fortune cookie advice, and Firestorm would make a corny joke. Here, with me and you, you can be as honest as you like. And best of all, nothing has to be lost in translation, or from your thoughts to your words. This is pure. Here, the only pony to judge you is… you.

Freedom Fighter blinked. ‘What?’

This is true liberty. Doesn’t it feel so nice to feel awful, and then not-so-awful afterward? This alone can set your mind free. This alone will turn you into the Unforgiven.

---

“...You saw what keeping to myself turned into. If you don’t pull yourself out, you’ll end up like me, Twilight. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

Twilight finally found the urge to speak when her mind drifted to her mentor. Those despairing thoughts came back as Solaris began to laugh once more. Fear, loss of herself, a feeling to crawl away to the deepest corner of the earth. She felt all these things at once.

What’s Celestia going to think of you?

"What's Celestia going to think of me?" she whispered. Her legs were still bouncing erratically on the edge of the futon. Her voice was cracking even more. "How much… b-blood is on my hooves? I… I’ve lost track!”

Freedom simply scooted closer to Twilight, placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

You’re becoming a monster. Accept it.

"I've even been thinking as a monster too," Twilight continued, trying to ignore the rate her heartbeat skyrocketed at his touch. Solaris hissed again and retreated, and she felt soft and vulnerable. "I-I… Did you hear me at Black Fang? I… enjoyed it. Am I becoming a monster?"

She had to stop and just cry, planting her face into his warm shoulder. The fear came back down like a seesaw, and so did the awful constrictions in her chest that made her cry harder.

"If this keeps up, you will," Freedom Fighter said. "I gave in to the darkness, but you’re not like me. You’re destined to be more than I ever was.”

Then why are you even HERE? Delving into the darkness. Some Child of Light you are.

"Then why do I have to go on this stupid quest!? We could have easily stayed in Canterlot while you, Noble, Firestorm, and Starlight went to get your Elements! At least then, Sunset might still be alive. So many more might still be alive. You’re a fighter. I'm a princess of friendship.”

"You know why you came with us, Twilight," Freedom whispered. "Look, you’ve been teetering on the edge numerous times, but you’ve caught yourself every time. When I came to the edge the first time, I fell off like a boulder. I could never imagine anyone getting that close and not falling, but you did. You have tremendous control over yourself, Twilight. "

That doesn’t change anything!

"That doesn't change anything, Freedom! I've killed! I'm a killer, and feeling sorry for myself can’t change that!" Twilight gave a small laugh. “It’s funny, really. I once thought that the worst thing in the world was not turning in a report on time, but now look at me.”

"Well, now you've seen what the world has to offer," Freedom Fighter countered. He turned her so she faced him, and Twilight hesitantly looked the Unforgiven in his powerful gaze. She was trapped instantly. Why look anywhere else but into his vivid red loops?

What are those eyes going to change?!

"I sunk into the world's deepest pits," Twilight breathed, remembering all she had done.

"And you soared among its highest skies," he finished, pushing a lock of purple hair out of the way. "You swam in its deepest oceans and didn't drown. You fought off the largest armies and didn't fall. You may have lost a part of you, but I think you gained a lot more."

Lies...

Solaris withered away for good this time, and so did her fear. She felt herself growing warmer in her chest. A smile was working its way onto her. "Like what?"

"Perspective," he answered. "Guidance. Friendships. Maturity." He then tilted her chin up slightly. "And strength."

Twilight was trembling. "What? No. This broke me."

"Doesn’t mean you can’t put yourself back together," he whispered, an inch away from her lips. "And if you ever need help… well… I… know a thing or two about broken things.”

It was so simple. The die had been cast. She just leaned in, and suddenly their lips were together, soft and moving slowly.

A firework fuse was fizzling in Twilight's brain as she kissed him. When she pulled away from his mouth, that firework exploded in a bang of color and a flash of light that just made her grab the back of his head and pull him to her lips again.

She hadn't realized how much she had been starved of affection until it had been given to her, and once she was aware of that, she simply needed it more.

When they broke away for the second time, Freedom Fighter was panting. Twilight had come on rather hard.

"Wow," he whispered, surprised. Twilight's stomach leaped. "I never thought you could be so… fierce."

"Do you like fierce?" she asked, feeling nervous, but not fearful. Solaris was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm…" He adopted a pseudo-thoughtful look. Then he shrugged and grinned. "I don’t know." He gripped her hips from behind, and Twilight curved herself backward instinctually. His eyes smoldered like the red-hot coals of a dying fire. "Does this answer your question?"

The princess felt a lump rise in her throat. "H-how long?"

"Since the day I first laid eyes on you in the Noxxa tower. Even dirty, grimy, and frightened, you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen."

“Thank you, Freedom. For being here. I think I really needed this.”

"I'll always be there, Twilight. I'll be your protector.” He pecked her on the lips. “Your warrior.” He kissed her again, this time on her neck. “Your lover.” He quickly kissed her again, on the forehead this time. "All I ask is for you to be the same for me."

---

Just outside Twilight's bedroom, watching through a crack in the door, Tempest Shadow bit her lip, sighed, and turned away.

She had been hoping to talk with Twilight. About Black Fang, and the future, and what would happen to her. Obviously, she'd be locked up in a Canterlot cell for her crimes, but what would happen after?... If there even was an after.

She trudged down the train's crowded hallway, packed with frightened ponies from Appleoosa who moved out of the way with whispers. There she is, the pony with the broken horn. Be careful. You can get shocked.

Tempest ignored them. Just as she could ignore the pounding in her head, and the nagging thoughts, the what-ifs regarding her future. Would the Storm King appear to take her away? And if so… would she want to go?

She stopped. Why even ask that question in the first place? She trusted the Storm King! He was her boss! Her higher-up! Her commander and king. Her loyalty was to him alone. Not to the ponies. Right?

She had just moved into the next car down the train when all of a sudden, something pink popped in front of her face.

"Hiya!"

Tempest groaned and shoved her way past Pinkie Pie.

"Boy, somepony's in a bad mood. You wanna know what I would do if I'm in a bad mood? I sing!" She inhaled so sharply, her head inflated to massive proportions like a balloon.

"No," Tempest cut off. Her glare was so icy, even Pinkie stopped and let out her air.

"What's the big deal?" Pinkie wondered. Pinkie cupped Tempest's cheeks. "Why do you look even more grumpy-wumpy than usual?"

"Take a guess," came Tempest's muffled voice, and she slapped Pinkie's hooves off her.

"Hmm," Pinkie said. "You just came from Twilight's cabin, after you, she, and the boys all flattened the bad guy's camp, so Professor Pinkie's powerful hypothesis is you wanted to talk to Twilight about your morally grey actions, but it didn't end up well."

Tempest sighed and slumped against the wall. "You got it."

"What happened?"

"Somepony was already there, taking the words right off Twilight's lips." She held a cruel, icy tone in her admonishment.

"Really?" came Pinkie. "Who? Was it Starlight? No, no, um… how about Freedom Fighter? That's the only other pony she has a closer-than-normal connection with."

She nodded. "They were connected, alright."

Pinkie, after a moment, grew a sly grin. "You mean…"

Tempest gave a curt nod.

"Called it!" she exulted, giving a triumphant bump into the air. "The best ship out of us all, and it finally happened! Now we need to get you a boyfriend as well, and maybe then you can lose that grumpy, meanie-pants attitude!"

"Pinkie."

"Although it can't be Spike, 'cause he's already got Rarity, and it can't be Noble Blade, Firestorm, Freedom Fighter, Winter Gleam, or Shining Armor. Who else is there? Hmm. Maybe that's the reason there are so many OCs. Eh. Oh well. We can just make you a new one!"

"Pinkie."

But Pinkie had already taken out a sheet of paper and was scribbling intently on it, a ridiculously fancy mustache on her muzzle. "Now, what kind of pony would be your best fit? I think what we need for you is, 'Dark and brooding.' Good thing most OCs are like that anyway! Let me just jot that down… Huh. There isn't more to OCs than that. Except… would you like them well-endowed or not? Hee hee! Just kidding! You don't get a choice!"

"Pinkie." Tempest almost growled it. "Shut up."

Pinkie stopped abruptly. She looked down at her scribbled scrawled character creation sheet. Then she shrugged, balled it up, and tossed it aside. "In that case, we can talk about other things!"

"I don't have time for this," she snarled, pushing past Pinkie again.

"Hey!" called Pinkie. "What about your deep inner feelings?"

"Only Twilight knows what's going on deep inside of me," Tempest explained patiently. "Only she knows how it's like… to change."

"Now that's just nonsense!" exclaimed the pink annoyance. "We've all changed along this journey!"

"The only one I would expect to change is Rarity. But she surprisingly didn't bring any outfits to change into."

Tempest's dry, icy humor actually got a pretty warm laugh out of Pinkie. "Oh, you silly poo!" she giggled. "I didn't know you could be such a riot!"

"I didn't know you could be so oblivious," Tempest replied with a snarl.

"Preeeeesenting, folks, the queen of comebacks, Tempest Shadow! Will she ever change? Hopefully not, folks! Will she ever grow? Maybe. Let's just wait and see!"

"Are you always like this?"

Pinkie abruptly stopped and put away the announcer's megaphone she had procured from her mane. "No, Tempest. I wasn't."

That surprised Tempest--the change in her tone and the answer itself. She betrayed that feeling with a raised eyebrow.

"I came from a grey family who grew up on a grey, lifeless rock farm, Tempest. It was only a Sonic Rainboom that brought color into my life."

"You were grey and lifeless? You?"

"A part of me still is, actually. The key to living is suppressing it."

"Why suppress it? It's a natural part of you. It's who you are."

"Joy is also a part of me, and I don't suppress that! And when I do, that grey, lifeless feeling just fizzles away like a sparkler! There's just no room in my mind for it!"

"You make a… disconcerting amount of sense, Pinkie Pie."

"I know, right? That's the most surprising thing! The OG party pony Pinkie Pie, spitting hard facts straight atcha! Ah-huh! That's right!"

"Would you be alright if I left you?" she blurted out.

Pinkie froze. "You mean…"

"I don't belong with you ponies. I belong to the Storm King. My destiny lies elsewhere, and frankly, I don't see any of you clamoring to keep me with you. What with the fact that I tried to kill you all multiple times."

"Why aren't you killing me now?"

Tempest couldn't think of a way to respond without feeling like a softer version of herself. Finally, she said, "Because I don't feel like it. Don't make me change my mind."

"Will you be happy with the Storm King?"

That was another question that gave her pause. Would she be happy? Or would she be longing to join the ponies while in his custody?

"... No. I won't."

Pinkie gripped her around her armored waist in a tight hug. "So stay with us! We won't mind. You helped us break out Noble Blade, after all. You're a part of us now! For better or worse."

"I-I'll be the black sheep. I'll be the outcast. The marked one."

"That's up to you to decide, Tempest. You don't have to be alone if you don't want to. That's why you're staying, isn't it?"

Tempest Shadow, once impregnable, felt as though she was going to collapse from the inside out.

“I’ll stay.”

And, inexplicably, that collapsing feeling was replaced with a quiet kind of reassurance.

---

The small Rainbow was surrounded by the trio of idiot colts, guffawing stupidly. Their ball game was paused.

“Hey, lookit the filly who wants to hang out with the boys! What are ya, some kinda colt?”

“I’m more of a colt than you are!” was her furious response.

“You ain’t no colt! And I bet you’re never gonna kiss one, either! Go away and play with Fluttercry’s dolls or something!”

That set off another chorus of idiotic laughing.

“You’re the one that’ll never get a kiss!” came Rainbow’s quick reply. But it was unsure and flustered. “A-and I’d rather kiss another filly than a jerk like YOU!”

When it left her mouth, she clamped a hoof over it quickly.

“Ooooh,” came the snotty answer. “Rainbow Crash is a pervert!”

Rainbow’s demeanor immediately switched to furious as she zoomed closer to Score. “You gonna take that back?! Huh?!”

Score wilted like a flower. “Look-”

“Come on, Score,” came Hoops’s bored voice. “Let’s go practice or something. I’m bored. Leave the dumb filly behind. She’s such a screw-up that she’ll never get it anyway!”

Score nodded while scooting away. “Yeah! Good luck, Crash! Go and play with Fluttershy some more!”

They flew off, leaving Rainbow Dash alone amidst the white architecture of Cloudsdale.

Rainbow kicked at the ground and muttered something under her breath. “I AM awesome!” she reminded herself. “I am!”

And before she knew it, she was all grown up, and Gilda was suddenly across from her at a table at some cafe in Ponyville.

“Did you really have to scream at Fluttershy like that?” Rainbow was dryly asking her.

“Dash. Come on. We both know that being strong, independent mares is a talent very few in Equestria have. Those that don’t, well, have to live beneath the ones who do have strength. You know this!”

“Well, yeah, but I-I didn’t think you’d actually do that. I personally think if someone’s weak in some areas, you should help them reach it.”

“What, and have them be like you and be competition?! We are the coolest gals around, Dash. We don’t focus on small stuff like other ponies.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh, hello. Element of Loyalty, right here!”

“Loyal? You mean, you’re supposed to be loyal, but you don’t even have a boyfriend yet?”

Rainbow turned scarlet. “It just takes time, that’s all.”

“I’ve already been with about… three different guys.” She gave a content sigh and wriggled in her seat with her arms behind her head. “If you can, you should try it. It’ll be great!”

“What about… you know…” Rainbow found what to say in a flash. “Isn’t your feathery coochie itchy all the time now?”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with feathers. And I only itch as much as I do in other spots. What is wrong here, though, is you, Rainbow. Sex is the coolest thing in the world. In my opinion, if you haven’t gotten action by the time you’re, like, 22, you’ll likely never get it at all. And that’s an age you’re fast approaching. Better be quick about it, Dash.”

“I can be cool without sex!” she declared, slamming her hooves on the table.

“Yeah-huh. If that’s what you want. But you’re missing out on something special. You think missing out on something like that is cool?”

Rainbow didn’t have an answer.

---

Rainbow Dash slumped in her bed alone. Firestorm had been in the adjacent bathroom for an hour now, and she could faintly hear mutters and growls coming from behind the door when she had pressed her ear to it.

She knew he wasn't going to blow the train up. He was too… considerate for that. But that just meant the emotions were all inside, rather than out. Which meant a more dangerous pegasus. It was eating him alive from the inside out. Annihilating hundreds in an instant would disintegrate a part of you.

Rainbow tossed in her bed once more. It had been so long since she had been back in civilization, and the beds were too comfy for her taste.

But the bed also lacked a vital ingredient: a smokin' hot pegasus who could simply hug her and make her troubles melt away. He could simply kiss her, and she could float without her wings. What he needed was to take his mind off the events at Black Fang Redoubt. And what was better than being held by an awesome girlfriend?

So she was curious; how much further could she get with him? How much more could she love him in return? Twice she had attempted to seduce him into the next stage of their relationship, but twice he had refused. Why? Was there something about him that he was ashamed of?

Maybe he was compensating for something. She would be the judge of that, not him.

The goal here was to make him happy again. She needed that flamboyant, boisterous, burlesque pegasus back, not a broken, charred husk of the stallion he really was. It was up to her. It was up to her.

The door to the bathroom opened, and out trudged the pony of the hour. He was unclothed, allowing all of his glorious orange body to be put on display. His fiery X cutie mark stood out so well on his cute flank. Rainbow eyed it as he approached, and she then noticed his complexion: tired, angry, frustrated, red. Bags were under his eyes. A scowl was on his lips. His mane stood up as usual, but in the wrong directions, and in strands.

"Stormy?" she asked, sitting up on the bed. "What's eating you?"

Firestorm took a moment before he clambered on top of the bed and put his rear knees into his eyes, rocking back and forth on his butt.

Rainbow wrapped her arms around him and put her lips close to his ear. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You wanna… talk about it?"

He shook his head no.

"Aww, you poor thing," she cooed, squeezing him gently. "Does my ittie bittie cutie wittle boyfwiend need a few kisses?" She proceeded to plant a few on his cheek.

"I am not ittie bittie," came his irate, muffled reply.

"Yes, you are! Oh, yes you are!" she refuted him, speaking as if to a puppy. She pulled his head up by yanking on his hair. Firestorm's eyes were bloodshot and sagging. "Aww, wook at that! Who could say no to a face like that?"

He rolled his eyes, but a small grin came on him as well. "Any sane pony would say no."

"Good thing I'm not exactly sane, am I?"

"How are you insane?"

"I chose you for a boyfriend."

He winced. "I must be insane if it means being around you."

"One for your side," Rainbow whispered. She then pouted, sticking out her lips while giving him a sad stare.

Firestorm took the offer and swooped in to kiss her. Instantly, her sad eyes became happy ones, and Firestorm's deep-seated frustration in his own eyes sank beneath the surface.

After kissing for a while, Rainbow broke it and rubbed the top of his bushy mane. "How'd you get so good at kissing?"

"Years of practice kissing my pillow," he dryly replied.

"Wow," she whispered after a moment. "You must have been really lonely."

"More than you could ever imagine."

"Here, let's get some more practice in," she said cutely, sticking out her chest and affixing him with wide eyes. "Go wild, babe."

For the first time, Firestorm smiled. "Hm. Babe. I like it when you call me that."

"I know what it does to you."

Firestorm moved in and planted a steady kiss on her lips. The way it was so steady but soft created a hunger inside her. She kissed him back with more force than he was using, and it prompted him to up the ante as well.

Firestorm sat back, with Rainbow atop him. It was now. Right now.

Rainbow's hoof trailed down his chest to his firm abdomen.

Firestorm suddenly froze up.

"You wanna try this?" she whispered.

"No," he replied. He was scared.

"Hey, it's okay," she said, caressing him right above the crotch. "Just let me take care of it."

"No, Rainbow. I don't want you to-"

It was at this point that Rainbow had had enough. She planted her hooves on his chest, making him wince, and glared at him. "You are doing this, Storm! I know you want it! This is how you show you love me!"

Firestorm's hoof shot out and gripped her neck, squeezing a surprised gasp out of her, and his leg moved under her chest. His face was boiling with fury. "I said NO!"

He straightened his leg. Rainbow was thrown across the train car and hit the wall, sliding to the ground. Pain erupted from her head and back. She lifted her head to gaze with shock into his defiant eyes, and there was a dark, fearsome look in there that she didn't know he was capable of having.

It was enough to make her whimper involuntarily. And then it turned to outright tears, and she ashamedly covered her face with her rainbow mane and began to bawl.

"Oh, my gosh," came the whisper from Firestorm. It sounded shocked and pained. "Oh, my-oh… Oh, man…"

She heard him flap over to her side and felt him wrap his wings around her from behind. Rainbow, still enraged and upset, shoved him away, however, just to spite him.

"Hey," he said, his voice suddenly soft. "Hey, look at me. Talk to me."

"You hate me!" she accused him with a hoof, still buried face first in her long mane.

"No! I don't!"

"Y-you threw me!" she haltingly said, and she whimpered and broke down again. Why wasn't he doing this?

"I… ugh. I'm sorry, Rainbow. I shouldn't have done that. I don't hate you. I promise you!"

"Then why aren't you…?"

"Because I can love you without sticking something inside you!"

Rainbow almost laughed at the completely un-sexy terminology. But she still didn't see the sense behind him. "I-if you love me, you have to have trust in me!"

"I thought the same thing too, Rainbow!"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You didn't trust how I felt when I said no! I said it three times now! I. Don't. Want! This!"

"But why?!" she all but screamed. "Don't you want me?"

"I do!" he exclaimed. "More than anything! Don't you think I haven't been tempted? I wanted to do this right from the start!" He winced and cringed after that blunt statement.

Rainbow took her face out of her frazzled mane. "What?!" He was so contradicting! He said both things in the same minute! Were all colts like this?

"And it's precisely because I love you so much that I wanted to hold off on it!"

Rainbow affixed him with a sour look. "You'd better explain yourself very thoroughly."

Firestorm wilted beneath the frosty look, but he spoke anyway. "Listen. I just… didn't want to rush things. I know that we're the two fastest pegasi on the face of the planet, but it's also nice to slow down and savor what we already have! I love cuddling with you and kissing you! I thought that was good enough!"

"... But this is the next step, isn't it? The next step with both of us is…" She gave a limp gesture at both of them, sitting on the floor of the train car.

"That's a sign of mistrust. What, do we need to prove something by doing this? You actually think the only sign that we love each other is having me poke you in some sensitive spot? We don't need sex to prove we can last with each other. I have trust in you. I want to trust that you are truly mine, Rainbow. I wanted to prove my trust by not succumbing to you or anypony else until we were married."

"So let's get married!" Rainbow blurted out. "It doesn't have to be big or anything! I just want to be with you!"

"Why are you marrying me, Rainbow? For the sex?"

"I…" Rainbow stopped herself. Why did she feel like a nest of vipers had hatched in her stomach? "I… I love you! I want you to stay forever!"

"And forcing me to go down on you will make me want to stay?" he retorted.

Rainbow began to weep again, and this time she buried her face in his warm chest, getting his coat wet. She was almost expecting him to push her away, to make her find somewhere else to open the floodgates, to berate her for crying--

But he didn't. He held her gently and tenderly. His arms felt soft around her back, and his head was right above hers. Rainbow, although confused, was grateful for that.

She sniffed and pulled away when she was done. After trying to speak, she whispered, "Do… you still… love me?"

"Yes," was his reply. "I do love you, Rainbow. More than anything."

Rainbow sniffled. "Storm, am I a… a pervert for wanting that?"

"No more than I am."

"I'm a really big pervert, then."

"It doesn’t matter how much of a perv you are or not… I don't want to lose you, Rainbow," he continued, in a quiet voice. "You mean too much to me. I love you."

"I know you do. But I just thought…"

"I understand, more than you can ever know, about wanting to cross that line. You're so beautiful, Rainbow, I promise." He held her head in his hooves while wrapping his wings around her tight. He caressed a lock of hair out of her face. Rainbow felt her cheeks catch flame.

He kissed her again, and she felt herself go weightless, like when she would shoot up through the clouds without flapping her wings.

When he pulled away, there was joy on his face. "But for the moment… patience."

"Patience," Rainbow repeated. She clenched her hoof. "I can do this. I can hold out."

"Hunger is the best spice," Firestorm quoted. "And I can assure you, when the time comes for that… it will be the best night of your life."

She shivered at his tone and played with the jagged end of her mane. "Don't make a promise you can't keep."

"I'll only give as good as I get. That's my promise."

"Ooh! Is that a challenge I hear?"

"You bet it is!"

"All right, then, hothead. I'm gonna make you see heaven that night. Think you can do the same for me?"

"I'm gonna take you there."

The atmosphere had become lighter than ever before, and Rainbow loved it. Before she knew it, fifteen minutes later, Rainbow was being spooned by Firestorm in their bed, warmth surrounding her on every side.

She gave a contented smile, satisfied with the outcome. She managed to be in his arms, warm and happy, without that special something. Not today, of course. But someday. And that would make it better than any short-lived fling.

---

“One. Two. Three.”

Noble, on his back in a bed, gritted his teeth as Fluttershy tightened the bandages on his chest. They had the entire medical car to themselves, with all the materials required for Fluttershy to administer first aid to her wounded boyfriend.

An exceptionally tight pull forced Noble to seeth. "Gah! That hurts."

"I expect it to. That's part of getting better."

"It still hurts."

"It didn't hurt before, did it?"

"That was the adrenaline dulling the pain, Fluttershy." Noble gave another wince as he adjusted to the pressure over his wounds, the sterile white bandages already developing splotches of red as fresh blood was absorbed.

“How does it feel?” she whispered, scanning with her careful eye up and down his pale blue body. “Anywhere else hurt?”

“Nothing that can’t be fixed after a bath,” Noble laconically said. “And with my nurse keeping a close eye on me.”

That drew a giggle from her.

“Besides, Freedom’s had it worse. I’m not going to make… nngh… such a big deal about it.” He sat up. He had been lying on a bed in the medical car, near the rear of the train. They were the only two souls in the room.

“That doesn’t mean your injuries aren’t as important as anything Freedom’s had. You can’t control your own feelings, Noble. Only worry about what you can control, remember?” Fluttershy reminded him.

Noble’s mind wandered back to his last conversation with Fluttershy before his abduction, but as he did, a troubling thought entered his mind. His surroundings slowly faded away for him to focus, really focus, deeply inward.

Did he have control over killing Blueblood? He had ultimately done the deed, but… it was only because Faust told him to... right?

Noble had been in many situations where he’d had to kill. However, those were in situations of war… where it was kill or be killed. The heat of war had distorted his vision. But this…. This was cold-blooded. He was defenseless. Even Solaris was able to do that. He had so much power that he needed to go on a quest across the world to find enough power to beat him.

But that didn’t make Blueblood innocent… right?

The whole point of their journey was so they could kill Solaris once and for all, and he was evil incarnate. So did Blueblood, no matter what he’d done, deserve a similar fate? He had come to earth, which meant he had been on Faust's side in the War in Heaven. There was a very small bit of him that could have been full of light.

Noble couldn’t deny that he had a disdain for the Prince. He treated everyone around him like a pawn, even the Noxxa, as if they only existed so he can win the chess game of life. No doubt, this was behavior that warranted condemnation and accountability, but did it really have to cost him his life?

No, it didn’t. So, why did Faust want him to do it? Or… did she? In the past, Faust had only appeared to Noble in his sleep. That much he knew for sure... but was that really Faust telling him to kill Blueblood? Freedom Fighter heard voices in his head that encouraged his darker impulses, so what if he was doing the same?

If so, that meant that Noble was faced with one of two options: either he murdered Prince Blueblood in cold blood and was trying to justify it in Faust’s name, or Faust did tell him to murder Blueblood, which forced him to violate one of his foundational moral codes.

And now, here he was, lying about it. He almost forgot. He had the chance to tell Rarity and Spike right there that he’d ended Blueblood’s life. But he didn’t. As far as everyone else was concerned, he was the same old Noble Blade, the one that led and protected his friends in battle. The one that pushed everyone on when things were at their darkest.

But he knew better. After what Faust showed him, he knew better.

Only he knew about the Noble Blade that foolishly wanted to live up to unattainable standards, the Noble Blade that led his friends to the portal, which ended up leading in some of their demises, the Noble Blade that used Old Ponish to sound nobler and smarter than he really was. What was so honorable about any of that?

Noble held up the Element of Honor to his face, inspecting it. How was everything he went through supposed to be his trial to get the Element of Honor? What was so honorable about killing a defenseless pony?!

Noble chucked the jewel to the other side of the car with all the strength he had, which wasn’t exactly much.

“Noble!” Fluttershy gasped, not expecting her gentle reminder to be met with an object being flung, but when she turned back, she noticed the tears beginning to leak from Noble’s eyes.

Instinctually, Fluttershy went to comfort her boyfriend.

Against his better judgment, Noble clung to the yellow mare. It’s amazing what simply holding someone can do to you, Noble realized. Fluttershy especially. Even though his mind was screaming that he was the farthest thing from okay, burying himself into Fluttershy’s fur, weeping until his tear ducts were deserts, gave him the illusion everything would be okay, and he wished he could stay in that illusion forever.

They spent 10 minutes like that. However, Noble knew Fluttershy likely needed an explanation for why he was crying, but knowing the implications of doing so, he didn’t want to do it. But he had to. If he wasn’t honorable before, he was going to start right now.

“How are you so strong?” Noble began.

“Excuse me?”

The warmness of Fluttershy’s fur against his kept him going.

“What makes you keep going on this trip? You know we could die, right?”

“Because Equestria needs us, Noble. And I have faith in my friends. Especially you.”

“Oh, how misplaced that is,” Noble said, sniffing.

“Now, now, the fact you’re crying right now means you’re channeling your emotions in a healthy way. No one’s expecting you to come back from being held captive the same. It couldn’t have been easy. I am so proud of you, Noble.”

This was it.

“You shouldn’t be,” Noble said.

“Well I am,” Fluttershy asserted.

This just made Noble push deeper into Fluttershy’s chest, even though that shouldn’t have been possible.

“I’m a liar, Fluttershy. I’m not a strong leader, I’m a… coward in a suit of armor. I can’t be a rock because I can’t even rely on myself. I lead the ponies around me even if I have no idea what I’m doing. I put more and more burdens on myself until one day...they’ll crush me… and you’ll never have to deal with me any… more. You think of me as an example, when I’m not even an …example to myself. I’m... hollow... Nothing.”

“You’re not.”

Why wouldn’t she leave him?

“I killed Blueblood!”

“What?”

“I found him in the street... picked up his sword. And killed him. Didn’t even look him in the eyes. You’re not in love with a knight… You’re in love with a killer. Who am I to be an example for others when I can’t even… I can’t even be an example to myself?! I-it’s eating me from the inside out!”

And indeed, it felt that way. His throat felt constricted while his stomach lept and churned, and tears blurred his vision. Unloading all that guilt, and all those feelings to show what he knew he looked like, despaired him beyond any capacity.

“I’m… not perfect, Fluttershy. And you know it already, those feelings of me always striving to rise above, and to… to push myself to the cracking point to reach perfection. That’s not even my fault! That was my father who pushed this onto me, and I thought that I needed to keep it up! I-I feel… like I’ve been given such a high burden because of who I set myself up to be, and I can’t carry it anymore! You’re right, Fluttershy. I can’t be strong all the time! I was a self-appointed leader who had no idea what he was capable of, because I was blind to my faults, and that was my biggest fault of all!”

Fluttershy still was silent. Her eyes were wide, and her ears were perked up, still listening--thank Faust--but she avoided saying anything.

“F-Fluttershy?” Noble cautiously explored. “Are you… going to… say anything?”

Fluttershy looked very uncomfortable.

“I’ve just shown you my darkest flaws, Shy. Y-you’re not… upset? I know you are! The veil is gone, and… the old Noble Blade is peeled away, to expose the true… husk inside.”

“But I still love you!”

“How?!”

“I love you because you’re a broken soul!”

“...Because?”

“The broken are the ones that need love the most, Noble.” She pushed Noble away and burrowed into his chest now, squirming as she did. She was so soft, and warm, and furry… It was enough to make Noble melt on top of her and encompass Fluttershy with his own body. His heart felt warmer now. Fluttershy continued to speak whilst buried in his chest.

“I’ll be here to help you get through it. That’s what I promised when I said I’d stick by your side. You’re not the same colt I know that appeared in Twilight’s throne room… but that might be for the better. Now I understand you! Now I’m… reassured that you trust me enough to show me that dark part of you.”

Noble felt short of breath; his throat was closed off. This was a good thing? It was a concept he needed to adjust to, but Fluttershy said it so lovingly and reassuringly. The mix of guilt and love he felt was enough to make him shut down completely.

"Do you know what Faust promised us?" Fluttershy said. "That you would be saved. And Blueblood would be delivered into our hooves. I'm not exactly celebrating his death. But I'm just... so glad Faust kept her word!"

Did she now? Noble's head reeled. So Blueblood's death was indeed commanded by Faust, and not some devil? Unless it had deceived her too... but did it not happen as she had said? The feelings he had with Faust were consistent with her other appearances. Faust could indeed command him to remove his enemies. As well as do something hard. If it was not hard, Noble would not have done it as a test. The only reason Faust had not struck Blueblood down herself was probably to give Noble the opportunity to choose whether or not to follow Her. And besides, why would Solaris want to get rid of one of his servants and give him an Element?

Faust was a Goddess of justice as well as mercy. If he happened to be a tool in it... he would be honored. The only problem was with deciphering when to do it in Her name.

Comfort flooded him anew. Warmth calmed his anxious mind.

He stayed like this, holding something warm to tether him, until he, at last, felt ready to move. After reluctantly letting go of the most wonderful mare in Equestria, he brought up Fluttershy’s face with a hoof and read the look in her wonderful eyes. They were undeceiving and gentle.

“You… have no idea… how much you mean to me… Fluttershy.”

She smiled and pressed her cheek into his hoof. “I know how much you mean to me, though.”

“How much, then?”

“I can’t say,” Fluttershy admitted. “It’s too much for me to express.”

“You’re wonderful.”

“Oh yeah? You’re breathtaking!”

“No, you did that yourself.”

She ruffled the top of his long-haired head and traced it down to his collarbone. “Come on. Let’s get that necklace off the ground and back around this amazing stallion’s neck.”

Noble went pink, but, using his magic, he levitated the necklace off the floor of the car and back into his hoof. As it settled in his grip, however, he knew the necklace was going to be uncomfortable all over again. It was just a reminder of the pony who had worn it. The pony he had killed.

Its purpose needed to be elsewhere. Fully realized.

His gaze came to his sword, propped upright on the wall next to his shield.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Fluttershy said, taking the necklace and almost slipping it over his head.

Noble grabbed it, however, and slid off the bed onto the floor. He walked carefully on three legs, trying not to open his wounds further, until he came to the sword.

“N-Noble?” came her confused voice.

“Honor,” he muttered, looking down at the ornate silver necklace. “False honor and riches.”

It was enveloped in a dark blue aura as his magic took hold.

“You are no longer a symbol of pride,” he spoke to the jewel, floating in front of him. “You shall be a tool of liberation.”

With some effort, the jewel began to wiggle in its place. The silver began to crumble away.

“Noble, are you sure that’s safe?” Fluttershy asked, a hint of distress in her tone.

“I do not doubt it,” Noble responded. The jewel was really trying to be pried free now, and the silver was being peeled away. “This is what must be done!”

Finally, the glowing jewel was ripped away, and it burned a bright shade of blue, stripping away any dullness the Element had. It rippled in the waves emanating off of it as Noble did his best to keep ahold of its power.

Noble, groaning with the effort to contain it, shoved the jewel right into the cross of his chrome-colored sword.

Waves and arcs of blue energy exploded out and circled around the entire sword as it settled into its new home. Noble recoiled, blinking hard from the light show, and he was sure that Fluttershy was as well.

It settled down a few seconds later, though, and Noble saw the results.

The sword, still spitting off a few residual splotches of energy, seemed to glow a little, even though it hadn’t been properly ignited yet. In the dead center of the sword’s crosspiece was the blue jewel, but, miraculously, it had merged into a new, more beautiful shape. Instead of a plain oval or sphere, the jewel now looked painstakingly crafted into an exact replica of Noble’s cutie mark: a downward sword with two outstretched butterfly wings on either side of the blade.

---

An hour later, the train slowed down, hissing and screeching, and stopped at the nearest station on the way to Canterlot. Once it moved away, it revealed twelve ponies on the platform waving goodbye to Shining Armor, who was, in turn, waving goodbye to them all through a window. Winter Gleam was beside him, waving just as hard. So were the citizens of Appleoosa, pushing their windows down and waving furiously, shouting thank-yous and we-won’t-forgets. They continued doing so until the train disappeared from sight.

With everything now behind them, the ponies then, somberly, turned to face the town where everything began.

Ponyville.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

How many chapters long will this story be?

[BradyBunch]

9852975
I'm still trying to work that out. Plenty more are on the way. Good thing, though, right?

[Jade Dawn]

I see the shipping industry is doing especially well this time of year.

[BradyBunch]

9853006
Yes, well, I placed a Rather Large order.

[Jade Dawn]

9853011
And it delivered with a Vengeance.

[BradyBunch]

9853013
Speaking of which, how do you like it so far? Also, nice pun!

[A Man Undercover]

9858809
Amazingly epic.

I especially liked the moments where Freedom was able to land blows on Malice. Next to when Shining Armor gave him that scar on his face, it gave me great satisfaction, as I had grown to hate Malice for everything that he had done.

[Jade Dawn]

Me by the time the next chapter drops:

i.imgflip.com/1n2ol9.jpg

[BradyBunch]

9946799
Look, college is driving me crazy, my dude. I have barely any time to write. Not to mention I'm getting tired of it. I'll do the best I can, but I'm getting scared that my writing skills are mediocre at best.

[Jade Dawn]

9946805

college is driving me crazy, my dude. I have barely any time to write.

Same.

Not to mention I'm getting tired of it.

I know what that feels like. Between you and me, I've more or less put From Far Beyond on indefinite hold. Mostly because I'm wondering if I can come up with a HiE/PoE story that works better than what I was originally going for.

I'll do the best I can, but I'm getting scared that my writing skills are mediocre at best.

Well then allow me to alleviate those fears. You are not a mediocre writer. You're actually really good at it, I think. And if you do think that your skills might need improving, then don't hesitate to educate yourself. Try new things, pick up some tactics, get some tips. Whatever you think can help improve your skills.