• Published 3rd Sep 2018
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EoH Evolution: Season 4 - Bahamut0



Dating Nightmare Moon and repairing his relationship with Celestia. Not an easy task by any means. But one Burst Stream will pour all his power into. He'll need to with the Chaos Kin unleashed and an old foe of his father's slowly returning.

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Episode 20: Ticking Clock

Worry. A feeling that Nightmare Moon did not often experience. One of those rare instances being when she had confessed her feelings to Burst Stream. Though her reason for worrying wasn't out of fear of rejection. Rather it was for if Burst Stream using her as a placeholder as opposed to developing a genuine attraction to her. But ultimately, the Element of Power had developed feelings for the formerly fallen princess. And since then, the two had gotten closer. However, it was because of their recent closeness that Nightmare Moon was worried.

Something is definitely up. Nightmare Moon thought to herself as she observed Burst Stream just sitting on the couch playing on one of his consoles. Normally he'd have a smile on his face and a spark of life within his eyes. But recently, he just looked so downbeat and lifeless. A sharp contrast to his recent behavior. "So. . . I heard from Inferno that half of the Chaos Kin have been defeated. That's some good news, right?"

"Huh?" Burst Stream momentarily snapped out of his state of gloom, and managed a small smile. "Oh, yeah. That is some pretty great news. Four down, four to go."

Nightmare Moon frowned when she saw Burst Stream's smile was anything but genuine. "Then why don't you sound so happy about it?" She then scooted closer and gently put a hand on Burst Stream's shoulder. "Could it be that you feel left out? Maybe you deciding to go on vacation with me wasn't the best of ideas."

"What?! N-No!" Burst Stream protested! "I mean, the guys are doing fine without me, right? And with how strong Twilight and the girls have gotten, it's not like me and the guys are even necessary!" Maybe the Elements of Heroism were never needed to begin with. . . "But, I do kind of miss being by their side a little bit."

"But there's more to it than that, isn't there?" Nightmare Moon asked as she leaned in. "Lately you've been wearing long-sleeve shirts to bed and you're almost never without your coat or gloves around the house or around town. And I know for certain from the times you've went to bed topless that you're not the shy type. So what's going on with you?"

"I-" Burst Stream sighed. "It's not something I want to talk about. This isn't something that would just affect us! All of our friends, the people we care about? The last thing I want to do to them is make them worry. You most of all. That's why I can't say anything! Because I don't want to weigh them down with my own problems!"

"And did it ever occur to you that keeping it to yourself would have the exact opposite effect?!" Nightmare Moon countered. "Or that no one would notice your change in behavior?! Look at how you've been acting Burst! In all the time I've known you, you've always been full of excitement and life! And now? I can't even tell if you're alive anymore! Your eyes look like you're dead inside!"

The emotions that Nightmare Moon had towards Burst Stream's shift in behavior finally came to the surface as her eyes began to tear up. "Please Burst. Just tell me. I hate seeing you like this. That lifeless look in your eyes. The distant look on your face. It just hurts me so much to see you in this state and think not telling me anything will spare me the pain."

"Moon. . . I hurt you?" Burst Stream's entire body froze up at hearing this. "No. . . no I never wanted to do that to you! Not again! I swore I'd never let something like this happen again!"

"Burst. . . calm down! Please!" Nightmare Moon pleaded! "I know you didn't mean to hurt me! Just take a moment and-!"

"NO!" Burst Stream snapped as he powered up his magic, and teleported outside! The second his feet hit the ground, Burst Stream broke into a full-on run towards the Everfree Forest! Dammit! It's happening again! WHY?! Right when I get to love a girl, everything goes wrong! Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life?! Am I supposed to just die alone without sharing my last days without someone I love by my side?! Everything I've accomplished, all of that training? Maybe it was all meaningless. Did anyone ever actually need me? All of this started because I decided to keep a stupid promise I made when I was just a dumb kid! It wasn't me who saved Luna. Me and the guys weren't the ones who beat Discord, and I wasn't the one who beat Chrysalis when she attacked Castalot!

All of those battles. All of my victories. All of them were pointless because Twilight and her friends would have found a way to win. They always have. Burst Stream thought as he kept on running. Unbeknownst to him, Burst Stream had run all the way to the Castle of the Two Sisters. The very sight where his journey began, and had once nearly ended as well. When he reached the room where the Elements of Harmony were revived, he fell to his knees. In the end, they're the ones that have saved the day when it counted the most. The most me and the guys ever provided was little extra muscle. Maybe all I've ever been since making that damn promise was a stupid child playing hero!

"But that's not the worst thing you've done, is it?" A voice asked from seemingly nowhere. In a flash of light, Despair Uranus appeared before Burst Stream. But the Element of Power was too deep in his thoughts and doubts to notice the Chaos Kin's arrival. "Ah such powerful despair. Despair fitting the Element of Power. But worry not Burst Stream. Your pain will soon come to an end."

An ominous glow surrounded Despair Uranus' entire being! At the same time, a black haze began to gather around Burst Stream. The ground beneath him warping into a pool of darkness that seemed to swallow up more of him each passing second!

"What is the deed that you can never forgive yourself for doing?" Despair Uranus asked.

With a blank look in his eyes, Burst Stream looked up to the morning sky and the rays of sunlight shining down through the ruined castle's roof. And for a moment, the briefest glimmer of life returned to his eyes.

"I fell in love with the most wonderful woman I've ever meant. One who was so lonely, and I promised her that I'd stop at nothing to make her happy. That I'd never do anything to take away her true smile." Burst Stream said as his eyes began to mist from the tears building up. "But in the end, I hurt her. I might not have done it directly, or intentionally, but I hurt her all the same. It might not have been completely my fault, but in the end I'm still the cause of it."

"And how about your dear friends? Can you say that their lives have been any better since you decided to take a stand?" The glow around Despair Uranus began to pulsate and intensify!

"My friends. . . " Burst Stream said as the tears fell down his face. "All of them would have been better off without me. Some of them have almost died more times than I'd like to count. All because they chose to follow me. They're not to blame for following me. I'm the reason they get into these messes in the first place. Maybe everything that's happened so far is all my fault. Maybe the world's a better place without me in it. . . "

And as Burst Stream spoke, the pool of darkness seemed to rise as his despair grew. All the while, the glow around Despair Uranus seemed to grow brighter and brighter as if his magical power was feeding off of Burst's despair! A power that Nightmare Moon noticed when she was sensing for Burst Stream.

"I found him!" Nightmare Moon called out to the gathered teams of elements! "He's at the old castle in the Everfree! But we have to hurry! I felt another strong magical power incredibly close to Burst! It feels like one of the Chaos Kin!"

"Then we've got no time to lose!" Twilight stated! "Everyone stick close together! We're going to do a mass teleport!" Twilight powered up her magic, and the entire group of friends were teleported to the entrance of the old castle! "Moon! Where's Burst at?"

"This way!" Nightmare Moon flew towards the room where the Elements of Harmony were revived. And when she arrived, the princess of dreams froze in horror at the sight in front of her. "Dear Faust. . . "

"Moon? What is it?!" Twilight called out as she and the others arrived on the scene! "Wh-what in the world is that thing?!"

"Don't know, don't care!" Inferno spat as he pointed at the center of the haze and pool of despair! "Whatever it is, it's got Burst and I'm getting him out of it!" Inferno Flare spread his wings, and flew off at top speed towards Burst Stream! "Sit tight buddy! I've almost got y-?!" The haze of despair violently pulsated and knocked Inferno back! Sending the Element of Potential sprawling back to his friends!

"What is that thing made of?!" Inferno said as shivers ran throughout his body. "Just coming into contact with that thing made me feel like I didn't want to go on anymore!"

"I know what it's made of." Nightmare Moon answered as she took a step forward. "I'm all too familiar with the composition of this haze. Fear. Regret. Doubt. All of which combine together to create the despair that Burst is currently being swallowed by."

"Correct." Despair Uranus commented as he hovered above the pool of despair that was swallowing Burst Stream!

"You're the one who's doing this to Burst?!" Dark Ice shouted!

"Oh I did nothing to inflict the current status of your friend." Despair Uranus answered. "All of what you see was sitting within him recently. I just helped bring it to the surface. He must really care about all of you. I can tell because he tried so hard to keep it hidden. All so that you wouldn't waste your worries on him. It would be touching if it weren't so foolish, but who am I to complain? His despair is providing me with plenty of power. And once I'm done with him, his suffering will be over. The way I see it, it's a win-win."

"You gutless bastard. . . " Steel Edge growled.

"Everyone calm down!" Nightmare Moon ordered! "Losing our cool isn't going to get us any closer to saving Burst! Despite how this floating mass of pebbles is so sure of himself, there IS a way to snap Burst Stream out of this!"

"But how do we do it?!" Twilight asked.

"Have you forgotten that you all possess the most powerful magic of all?" Nightmare Moon answered. "We need to remind Burst Stream of why he fights and who he fights for! But most of all, we need to let him know how much he means to all of us and how much he matters."

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's send some good vibes Burst's way!" Akage snapped!

"We're waiting because we're not all here." Nightmare Moon countered. "One person is still missing. Probably the one most important to Burst's entire life." Nightmare Moon pulled Burst Stream's phone out of her pocket, and went to the contacts section. She immediately dialed Celestia's number. "I know that I'm not the one you were expecting to call. I'm probably someone you never wanted a call from period. But right now, Burst Stream is in a lot of trouble and needs all of us to help him. And we can't do this without you."

As soon as Nightmare Moon hung up, Celestia teleported to them! A worried and fearful expression on her face.

"Where is he?" Celestia asked. And the second she turned around, the princess of the sun almost fell to her knees. "Don't tell me. He's-"

"Within that aura of despair." Nightmare Moon said with a nod. "And he's currently being swallows by it. It's going to take all of us to do this. Close your eyes, and focus your hearts and thoughts on Burst Stream." She then turned her gaze to Celestia. "We'll handle broadcasting to Burst."

Everyone closed their eyes, as Nightmare Moon and Celestia powered up their magic as they put their hands over their hearts before closing their eyes too. No grand blast of magic shot forth. There was no brilliant light shining from their bodies. But what was happening contained a far greater power than could be visibly depicted.

Within the haze of despair, the remaining glimmer of light in Burst Stream's eyes flickered as his own despair continued to swallow him. This is where it all began. I guess it only makes sense that it would end here. Burst Stream thought as his eyes began to close. But there's a huge difference between then and now. Back then I was with people I barely knew, but still cared about. Now? I'm alone. And with that, Burst Stream shut his eyes. Maybe this is a better way to go out. . .

"Burst! C'mon man! Don't tell me you're just going to call it quits like this!" Inferno's voice called out from the dark! Burst Stream's eyes snapped open, and saw a fire-red light floating in front of him! "Are you really gonna just leave without saying goodbye to any of us?! The Burst Stream I know never goes down this easily!"

"Maybe I was wrong not to." Burst Stream said sadly. "All of you have been brought so close to an early end because you decided to follow me. And who knows how many new threats decided to pop up just because I decided to play hero? All I've done is make things worse. And in the end, maybe all I've done is meaningless."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" The fire-red light seemed to glow brighter in response as Inferno's voice could be heard from it! "Did I enjoy being a rockstar? Yeah. I won't lie. It was fun. But you saw the potential in me to be something more! To really do something good and make people smile knowing they had protectors they could count on!"

"In the face of every battle, you've always fought with your own personal code of honor." A silver light with Steel's voice coming from it chimed in. "No matter the odds, you always fight fair and with all that you have. But above all, you prioritize the well-being of others above your own. And I'm honored to be your friend."

"You showed me that all the insults and bullying I tolerated paid off in the end." A green light with Ty's voice coming from it stated. "And thanks to you, I've met some of the best friends I've ever had and the woman I love."

"You knew the risks of every fight we went into, but you knew that if no one took a stand no one ever would." An icy blue light said with Arctic Ace's voice. "You have the wisdom of a leader."

"Because of you, I realized that I couldn't run from my fears." A crimson red light said with Dark Ice's voice. "You taught me that courage isn't refusing to feel fear. It's being afraid, but going forward anyways!"

"Maybe we do face a greater risk in every battle we fight. But you never let that stop you from living as much as you could!" A yellow-green light said with the voice of Venus Bloomer! "You've always fought for those who couldn't stand for themselves, and always rush to help those in need! That's the spirit of a hero if I've ever seen one!"

"Even when things get tough, you never back down!" A red-violet light said with Night Fang's voice! "And even when you do feel down, it's damn near impossible to make you stay down! You've got unyielding determination to fight for what's right and to protect what you care about!"

"And despite how serious things can get, you always seem to smile and treat it like it's no big deal." A scarlet light with Akage's voice added. "Always treating the task ahead of you with levity to keep us in good spirits."

"All the times we've had a close call, you always take it super hard on yourself. Because you have a lot of compassion for others and care about us!" A yellow light with Shadow's voice chimed in!

"They're right lad." A blue and red light with Magnet North's voice stated. "I don't think I've met anyone quite as noble as yourself."

"I've followed your work with the Elements of Heroism for a long time." A dark blue light with Nightfall's voice said. "And when thinking of what a hero acted like, or what they stood for, all of you guys are what came to mind! I don't see someone who's failed to live up to that expectation. Just the same person whose heart is troubled. And from what I've seen of you, this won't be nearly enough to take you down!"

"You're the best big brother I never had." A purple light with Spike's voice added. "And in all the time I've known you, your dedication to doing the right thing never wavers!"

"Don't forget about us!" A violet light with Twilight's voice chimed in! "I was able to loosen up more and accept I can't be perfect! And I've grown a lot more because of that! And I know you're better than this Burst!"

"You've always stuck by us, so there's no way we're ditching you right now!" A cyan light with Rainbow Dash's voice declared boldly!

"Be honest with us." An orange light with Applejack's voice said. "Is this really how you wanna go out?"

"We're all here for you." A light pink light said with Fluttershy's voice.

"You're always willing to help all of us out." A purple light with Rarity's voice added. "It's high time that we all return the favor."

"Yup!" A bright pink light exclaimed with Pinkie Pie's voice! "No way we're letting you leave us without a smile!"

"Never say that what you've done is meaningless. It means more to me, more to us than you could ever know." A brilliant white light said with Celestia's voice. "You were someone who'd never even met me. Someone who didn't even know a thing about me. And yet you made a promise to make me happy because you couldn't imagine how alone I felt despite being surrounded. You treated me just like any other person, and never saw my crown or godhood when you looked at me."

"Despite all the wrongs I committed, you still tried to reason with me." A black light with a dark blue glow said with Nightmare Moon's voice. "Where everyone else saw a monster, you refused to paint me as such. And when I wanted to change for the better, you believed in me no matter what. You gave me a warmth and light that I'd never had before. And because of that, I was able to move past who I was and into who I am now! You saved me! You saved Celestia! Whenever things look bad, you always show up to try and make things right!"

And in one voice, all the lights let out the truth Burst needed to hear. "YOU'RE OUR HERO BURST STREAM!"

"Everyone. . . " Burst Stream was in awe. And slowly but surely, a smile crept onto his face. "Thanks for the wake up call!" And a wave of light shot out from Burst Stream!

"WHAT?!?" Despair Uranus was shocked to see the despair he'd brought out of Burst Stream fade away in an instant! "Impossible! You were supposed to drown in your own despair! Minutes ago you were a wreck who felt worthless and had amounted to nothing!"

"You targeted me at my lowest and you honestly thought I'd just throw my life away the instant you started making me feel like nothing?!" Burst Stream asked as he leaped forward with his fist drawn back! "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!" And he punched Despair Uranus in his face with full force! Causing cracks to spread all across the Chaos Kin's body!

"H-How. . . " Despair Uranus wheezed out as debris began to fall from his body. "How are you. . . this strong?! What. . . is this power?!"

"This is the power of a hero!" Burst Stream screamed as he charged up a white lightning overdrive through his left arm! "BRINGING HOPE IN THE DARKEST HOUR OF DESPAIR! WHITE LIGHTNING. . . " One last punch to Despair Uranus was all it took to end the fight! "OVERDRIVE!!!"

"GAAAUUUUUGHHHH!" Despair Uranus wailed as he burst apart! Nothing but rubble and debris serving as all that remained of the Chaos Kin!

Burst Stream winced in pain as he felt cracks form in his left arm, but powered through the pain as he turned around to face his friends. "Hey everyone. Sorry for making you all worry so much. It's just. . . Moon said that I'd hurt her, and it really made me question all that I've done so far. It made me doubt whether or not I can really call myself a hero. But you guys helped snap me out of it. Because I've got friends like all of you, I know what I've done matters. Maybe not to the whole world, but to the people that matter most to me."

"Glad to see you back to your old self." Inferno said with a grin. "So. Care to tell us what's been troubling you?"

". . . Am I really that bad at hiding things?" Burst asked with a defeated smile. "How long did it take you guys to figure out something was up?"

"Take it from a ninja. We know how to spot when something's up." Akage said with a nod. "Plus, we wouldn't be your friends if we didn't notice something odd going on that was outside of your usual behavior."

"All of you really are the best friends I've ever had." Burst Stream said with a sad smile. "It's been nice knowing you all."

"Hey, what's that talk for?" Twilight asked with a smile.

Burst Stream still had that sad smile on his face as he removed his coat and gloves, and revealed the cracks that had spread across his body and were slowly creeping towards his core. "Because I don't know how much time I've got left. And that White Lightning Overdrive I just did has shaved even more time off my countdown." All of Burst Stream's friends stood in complete shock and horror. "If any of you want to chew me out about hiding this, now's the time. I won't think any less of you."

". . . You didn't want us to worry about you." Inferno said as he walked up to Burst. He lightly punched Burst on the shoulder. "Don't get me wrong. We're all a bit upset about you keeping something this big about us. We could've helped you out with your bucket list!"

"I actually still need help with that." Burst said with a chuckle. "Care to help me iron it out at the library?" As the group of friends made their way to help Burst make his list, Nightmare Moon led Celestia away to speak in private.

"Celestia. You know how ascension works, right?" Nightmare Moon asked.

Celestia hesitantly nodded. "Yes. But why would you be interested in learning how to carry out an ascension?"

"Burst Stream saved me." Nightmare Moon stated with unyielding conviction. "And I want to return the favor. . ."

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