What makes a Hero?

by Quillion9000

Nightmare:Part II

Ponyville
“Princess Celestia.” Shining greeted. “My men have mobilized around Ponyville and report that preparations are complete.”

“Very good, Shining Armor.” Celestia nodded. “Whatever may come to Ponyville, we will be ready…” She ended up mumbling the last part to herself. “… I hope.”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders reporting for duty!” Apple Bloom declared as she, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell walked up to her.

“How can I help rescue my sister?” Sweetie asked sincerely.

“A ‘saves Ponyville from certain doom’ cutie mark would be so cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“Not now Scoots.” Apple Bloom admonished. “Though it would be pretty cool.”

“Even the smallest ponies can make the biggest difference.” Celestia stated. “We must hurry before…”

Suddenly, the moon was out in full force revealing a shadowy visage of Nightmare Rarity.

“Nightmare Moon is back!”

“No, that doesn’t look like Luna.” Celestia informed.

Inside the Moon
“While your powers may have beaten me before, what will you do now that I’ve taken one of you?” Nightmare Rarity questioned. “What about you, monkey? You were able to fight Luna because she wasn’t your friend at the time, but this body is. Can you bring yourself to hurt me?”

Goten clenched his fist but powered down to base since she was right. He didn’t want to hurt Rarity like that.

“Face it, all of you are powerless in the face of me.” Nightmare Rarity declared.

“Rarity?” Twilight tried. “Can you hear us? You must fight her!”

“You are quite dense.” Nightmare Rarity replied. “Rarity is gone, so…”

“You lie.” Goten interrupted firmly. “If Rarity really were gone, then Luna would have been gone back when you possessed her. Here she stands, so Rarity is still in there to.” He clenched his fist. “No matter what, we will find a way to bring her back.”

“Goten’s right.” AJ nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

“Rarity, it’s Spike.” Spike tried. “You know, your little Spikey-Wikey. We… I… you’re the best, so please come back.”

Rarity’s voice broke through. “Spike…”

Nightmare Rarity flexed her magic. “ENOUGH!” She then recollected herself before looking to the princess of the night. “Luna, Luna, Luna. You had it all, yet now you would turn down all this power for these weaklings.”

“You’re wrong.” Luna replied.

“If you had taken my offer once more, and become Nightmare Moon again, your precious ponies would be spared.” Nightmare Rarity admonished. “You’ve done this Luna, and they will never forgive you.”

“Speak for yourself.” Rainbow defended.

“Yeah, leave her alone missy.” AJ added.

“I’ve already forgiven Luna for everything she’s done, so your words hold no weight.” Goten declared firmly.

“I was referring to the current situation, monkey, because she’s just destroyed your lives.” Nightmare Rarity retorted. “Regardless of what you say, I will take Ponyville, and you will be powerless against me.”

“Just because I don’t want to fight Rarity’s body, doesn’t mean I’m powerless.” Goten stated. “I can keep all these guys back and restrain you effortlessly because your power isn’t that great. How…”

Suddenly, the Half-Saiyan stopped as he felt a far larger power than Nightmare Rarity or Nightmare Moon approaching. A humanoid figure appeared before hammer fisting him clear off into the distance. They’d already taken off after him before anyone else could react.

“Goten!” Fluttershy exclaimed worriedly.

The others were just as worried about their friend.

Nightmare Rarity walked back through her forces. “Take them.”

Now, the remaining members of the group had to deal with the Nightmare Forces meaning none of them could go after their Half-Saiyan.

Rainbow Dash was flying away from one of them. “Come get me, fly boy.” She flew up at the last second causing him to crash into a rock. “That’s what we call skillz.”

Pinkie Pie was engaging in a slap fight, Twilight was blasting them with magic, Luna was flying around and blasting them with magic, Fluttershy was doing her best while sticking close to AJ who quickly bucked away many, and Spike even grabbed onto one of the Nightmare Forces’.

“You took one of my friends and sent another flying.” Spike declared firmly. “I won’t let you hurt or take anymore.”

“Let go.”

The creature tried to move about, but Spike managed to hold on. “Not until you give up!” The creature began spinning around more erratically. “Surrender now, and I’ll take it easy on youuuuu!”

The baby dragon was flung off into the distance as the metal suit he wore fell off him.

“Spike!” Twilight shouted worried before becoming angry as they began to lose to the Nightmare Forces. “That’s it!” She blasted the creature holding Luna. “Luna, you must go back to Ponyville and help them! Go!”

“I can’t leave you!” Luna exclaimed. “None of you!”

“Run now or Ponyville won’t stand a chance.” Rainbow implored.

“Yer their only hope.” AJ added. “Besides, we can take care of these varmints.”

She and Rainbow were the only ones left putting up a fight, and even they were quickly being overwhelmed.

Luna didn’t want to do it, but she flew up working her magic. “I’ll save your friends! I swear it to you!”

She managed to cast herself back to Earth while the remaining members of the group were officially captured.

“Take them to the dungeon.” Nightmare Rarity declared. “They’re boring me.”

“Ah-ha, what you didn’t expect is that I shall elude you with my masterful escape skills!” Pinkie declared.

“Pinkie, I don’t think it works if you tell them you’re going to escape.” Twilight informed.

“But some beings don’t like surprises.” Pinkie defended. “These look like beings that don’t like surprises if you know what I mean.”

They began the trek towards the castle.

Rocky Wasteland
Goten stood up and looked around before spotting the being that hit him. It was a female that looked eerily how he would if he were girl. Her hair was simply longer and in a ponytail. She wore her Gi in a crop top style and a skirt. Other than that, they could pass as twins.

“I know you’re a first-rate fighter.” The female stated. “That’s why I requested Lady Nightmare let me take you on alone.”

“What’s your game?” Goten expected someone working for Nightmare to be less happy.

“This isn’t a game.” The female stated. “This will be a fair battle to the death.”

“Gr.” Goten didn’t know what to make of this, but his friends were currently alone meaning he couldn’t stand around asking twenty questions. “Fine, I’ll take you on then.”

“You have great loyalty towards your friends.” The female nodded. “I can respect that.” She reached into her pocket. “I mean, I was saving this for later, but maybe we can share it now before we begin.”

The girl pulled out a bar of chocolate.

“W-What?” Despite the situation, Goten was confused. “This girl is acting like how I would in a less serious situation.” He firmed up. “I don’t have time to share sweets with you when my friends are in trouble. My name is Goten, and if you stand in my way, I’ll take you down.”

“Huh, that’s actually rather funny.” The female stated. “My name is Goten to.”

“What!?” Goten really wanted to get this over with already, but this girl kept confusing him.

“Well, my full name is Sun Goten.” Sun replied. “What’s your full name?”

“Mine’s Son Goten.” Goten replied. “Who named you?”

“My mom gave me that name to honor…” Sun began.

“…your father!” Goten exclaimed in shock.

“Hm, how do you know that?” Sun asked puzzled.

“My mom named me in honor of my dad Son Goku.” Goten retorted.

“Same with me except my mom decided to make the O in his name a U.” Sun explained.

“Does that mean you’re the native version of me to this universe?” Goten asked.

“Nope.” Sun replied. “To my knowledge, Lady Nightmare brought me to this world to help her.” She shook her head. “Anyways, I’m actually glad to have met you Son Goten, but I have to do this.”

She then kicked him in the chest sending Goten flying into a nearby mountain and creating a huge indent with the impact of his body.

“Okay, really need to focus on the battle now.” Goten thought.

“Is that all you got?” Sun tilted her head. “If so, I’m rather disappointed.”

Goten got away from the mountain before flying in, grabbing Sun’s still extended leg, and throwing her into the air. He then flew after her delivering a powerful punch that knocked the female fighter back.

She recovered and stuck out her hand before firing a blast of Ki. Goten ascended above it before charging in and clashing his elbow with hers. The two began to clash fist, knees, and elbows before flying back from one another.

“You’re actually able to keep up with me.” Goten commented.

“Of course.” Sun replied. “My dad’s trained me well, and since you seem to have been train just as well, we should really kick it up a notch.”

She powered up into a Super Saiyan. Even though Goten kind of expected this since she seemed to somehow be a female version of him, the male Half-Saiyan was still socked. Sun took advantage of this by flying in and elbowing Goten in the face.

He flipped through the air before Sun kicked him higher and followed up by cupping her hands. “Kamekameha!” Upon hitting Goten, the move generated a lot of debris making her smile; however, not for the reason most would think. “Someone’s finally getting serious.”

The debris cleared to reveal that Goten had gone Super Saiyan before the blast hit him. “Why are we fighting?”

“I thought that would be obvious.” Sun retorted. “I must kill you to get what I want from Nightmare.”

“Surely serving Nightmare isn’t the only way to get whatever it is that you want?” Goten questioned. “I mean, you seem like such a nice being.”

“Nightmare is the closest I’ve come to what I want, so I won’t back down now.” Sun shrugged. “I could care less about who she is so long as she holds true to her word. Considering I far exceed her power, she’d be wise not to cross me.”

Sun flew in and threw a kick only to hit an afterimage. Goten came down from above planting both his feet into her sending the female Half-Saiyan plummeting to the ground. Goten then threw down a barrage of Ki blast only for Sun to fly well out of its range.

KA ME!

Goten felt the power and looked around only to see Sun was now above him cupping her hands. “No, you’ll destroy the moon with that!”

HA!

“She’s insane!” Goten thought frantically.

Me!

“I won’t let you destroy this planet especially with my friend here!” Goten yelled before firing off a Ki blast only to hit an afterimage as Sun was now behind him. “She’s behind!”

HAAAAA!

The blast moved away from the core of the moon and bore a hole outside of it; however, no air seemed to escape through it. That beam continued off into space; however, Goten managed to avoid it and was now behind her.

“Okay, that was bad.” Goten commented.

“Whoa, looks like he is strong.” Sun grinned. “Well, this is really starting to get interesting.” She turned around. “I think this is enough of a warm up.” She removed her ribbon and powered up. “Don’t underestimate me now.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Goten declared firmly as he powered up.

At the same time, they burst into Super Saiyan 2 before flying up and colliding at several points sending out powerful shockwaves. Goten managed to pull away and get higher before stopping. He then turned to his oncoming opponent and flew full speed at the oncoming enemy.

A light blue aura surrounded his body before condensing around his fist. “Rebellion Spear!”

He slammed the enhanced punched into Sun’s gut causing her to lose the air in lungs as she fell. She was quick to recover and flew at Goten with a powerful kick which he managed to block with his arms.

He then took the opportunity to break through her guard and deliver his own kick to the same spot winding her even worse than before and sending her plummeting towards the ground. Goten knew this was his chance, so he cupped his hands.

KA ME!

HA! Me!

The attack fired heading straight for the female Half-Saiyan.

HAAAAA!

It made contact pushing her faster towards the ground and kicking up a massive cloud of debris. She managed to recover and fly up. The outermost layer of the Gi had been removed by the blast leaving her in the under-tank top and skirt. Her body was clearly battle damaged as well.

She still flew at Goten who got ready to take her head on. While he was expecting a punch, it turned out to be a feint, and she got in a powerful kick to his torso. Goten managed to keep himself from being knocked away even as he gripped his stomach.

“This is not over yet!” Sun yelled.

She threw a punch which Goten deflected before slamming his left fist into her gut. With his right he began charging a flame like Ki before following up his prior punch with an uppercut still using his left hand.

“Brave Heat!” Goten declared as he thrust his right arm forward.

One of Bardock’s moves, Sun was blasted by the powerful energy. She was quick to come around, even more battle damaged, and slam a fist into Goten’s face before following up with a knee to the stomach. She ended the combo with a powerful punch to the head.

His body impacted with the ground below creating a massive crater. While Goten was still fine, Sun now stood above him with her hand extended. She let loose a powerful blast of Ki before rapidly ascending. She was now panting in the air before Goten flew up.

“I won’t let you recover!” Sun flew right for him. “It’s time to end this!”

The top half of Goten’s Gi was gone leaving him in pants alone and covered in battle damage. Sun came at him, so he prepared to block again.

She managed to break through by going for a grab and getting his neck. “You’re blocking way too much.”

Sun then opened her mouth and unleashed a full-on energy wave that Goten took head on resulting in him falling once more.

“I’m really going to lose.” Goten thought. “The only way to win is to go all out. Considering she wants to kill me; it looks like I don’t have much of a choice. I may have just reached it, but I still reached it all the same.”

He recovered midair prompting Sun to fly in. “This is the end!”

“HAAAAA!” Goten proclaimed.

His Ki exploaded in a golden light which caused Sun to stop and avert her eyes. When she was able to look at him again, she could see that her opponent had entered Super Saiyan 3. Given one could literally see the Ki coming off him, it was clear this wasn’t a stable transformation.
is
“At this point, you should just surrender.” Sun informed. “The euphoria of this transformation prevents its user from having a clear mind.”

“Maybe you’re right about that, but I’ve done more than enough training on managing my emotions.” Goten declared as he clenched and unclenched his fist. “I’m fine.”

“That’s an interesting tidbit for when I learn the form someday.” Sun shrugged confidently, “In the meantime, this form should be all I need to end you.”

Goten immediately blitzed forward and threw a punch into her stomach. Unlike every hit there before, this one cracked her bones.

Sun’s eyes watered and had widened in utter shock. “W-What!?”

Goten backed off as Sun remained hunched over and threw up before proceeding to cough. The male Half-Saiyan then grabbed her by the head and flew her into the ground.

Sun was laid out on the and in a position that allowed her to look in the direction of the castle Nightmare inhabited as the being’s words rang through her mind. “Kill Son Goten, and I shall return them to you. I will return that which you lost.”

“Maybe, I don’t need to kill her.” Goten thought as he looked at his seemingly prone enemy. “No matter what she is, Sun seems like a good person who was just misguided into this. In this situation, Dad and Gohan wouldn’t do it either.”

“This, isn’t over.” Sun managed to get to her hands and knees before coughing. “I won’t…” She clenched her fist firmly. “I can’t let them all down.” She punched the ground before forcing herself to her feet. “I’ll put my life on the line to get what I want!”

She didn’t ascend any further, but her power spiked majorly at this influx of pure determination. “I will take you down!” She lunged forward slamming a powerful elbow into Goten’s face and sending off a Ki explosion before pulling back. “Fight me!”

“Damn it!” Goten thought.

They began going at it with Goten having an advantage, but it wasn’t as clear as it should have been. For one, emotions, like Sun was displaying, tended to power up Half-Saiyans. Secondly, Goten was still leaking Ki. His Super Saiyan 3 was nowhere near his dad’s or Gotenks.

Neither of them were giving up. No matter who held the advantage, Sun wanted what Nightmare promised while Goten wanted to keep his life. The pair of them sped around the area landing punches, kicks, elbows, and knees on each other.

Goten got some distance and charged a blue sphere into his right hand just as Sun charged. “Riot Javelin!”

The blue sphere of Ki smashed into Sun’s torso area sending her hurtling towards the ground. At this point, Goten was panting as his hair fluctuated between long & golden and short and black.

“Just got to hold on a little longer!” Goten thought before forcing more power out and stabilizing as much as possible. “I must end this now. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk holding back now.”

“How is this even possible?” Sun thought as she managed to get to her knees and hands. “Damn it, I only have one chance, and I must throw everything at him to achieve my goal.” She forced herself to her feet one, last time. “Like I said, I’ll put my life on the line!”

Both Saiyan’s, Goten in the air and Sun on the ground, cupped their hands.

KA ME!

KA ME!

HA ME!

HA ME!

HAAAAA!

HAAAAA!

Their two beams traveled to one another and met in the middle clashing. This was not a dead even struggle as Goten’s beam slowly overcame Sun’s. Then, one of them gave out, and it was Sun as she had nothing more to give. Goten’s beam overcame her.

“Looks like I failed you all.” Sun thought as she was enveloped by the beam. “Sorry everyone, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

Sun’s body disintegrated, and the blast bore another hole through the moon. Like the previous one, the air wasn’t escaping. Goten collapsed to the ground, but he kept himself from passing out since this wasn’t the end.

“Sorry, but you left me choice.” Goten panted. “Now, I just need to recover a bit before going back to my friends.”

As Goten recovered energy physically, the magic in the air moved to repair his clothing.

Nightmare Castle Dungeon
The remaining members of mane five were being shoved into individual cells.

“You can’t lock us up!” Rainbow declared. “Not with my training!”

“Please, Nightmare is perfectly aware of your strength, and you aren’t strong enough to bust out of these cells.”

She was shoved, and the group was officially locked down.

“What do we do now?” AJ asked. “Rainbow and I aren’t strong enough to break out, Goten isn’t here to help us, and our magic isn’t strong enough without Rarity.”

“Applejack’s right.” Twilight stated. “Without Rarity, we can’t use the elements to save Ponyville, Goten’s caught up with some being that seems like it can match him, and there must be some spell as I can’t use my magic.”

“Oh, I hope Goten is actually alright.” Fluttershy voiced.

“Goten’s strong enough that I’m certain he’ll be fine.” AJ stated. “I’m more concerned over Spike at this point. The little guy wouldn’t be used to taking something was well as Goten can.”

“Maybe I’ve been wrong about the magic of friendship this whole time.” Twilight voiced. “It sure didn’t save Goten or Spike.”

Equus: Ponyville
“How could you leave the ponies and the first, new friend you’ve made Luna?” The princess of the night admonished herself. “Your weakness made you Nightmare Moon once, and now you’re weak again. Guess being strong like Bardock or Goten really was nothing more than a dream.”

Luna landed near her sister and some of the crusaders.

“Where are the ponies and Goten?” Celestia questioned.

“Goten was attacked by some bipedal being while the others were captured.” Luna informed.

“What about Rarity?” Sweetie Bell asked. “Was she okay?”

Celestia looked to the crusaders. “We know you mean well, but please stay out of harm’s way.”

“I’m sorry princess, but I’m afraid we can’t do that.” Apple Bloom declared firmly. “This time, our sisters and honorary crusader need our help.

“I will not allow any others to risk their lives for my mistakes.” Luna declared.

“Lives?” Scootaloo asked worried. “What happened?”

Luna didn’t answer and instead walked with her sister. “Nightmare and her forces will arrive and attack Ponyville.”

“Don’t worry Sister.” Celestia assured. “We’ll be ready for them.”

“Princesses Celestia and Luna, you must see this!” Shining Armor exclaimed as he ran up to the sisters. “I’m sorry for intruding, but it’s the Everfree Forest.”

“Is it Nightmare and her forces?” Celestia asked.

“Not exactly.” Shining shook his head. “Just come see for yourselves.”

The sisters shared a look before following the captain of the guard to where the Everfree Forest was; however, the forest was no longer how it had been. It was completely normal like any other forest in Equestria. There weren’t even any traces of the many creatures that inhabited it.

“What happened?” Luna questioned. “Could this be the work of Nightmare?”

“I am unsure.” Celestia shook her head. “Regardless, we cannot concern ourselves with the shift to this forest. Our priority is the protection of Ponyville.” She looked to Shining. “The furthest will go is doubling the guard stationed here.”

“Understood.” Shining stated.

Top of the Castle
“There will be no mistakes.” Nightmare Rarity declared. “I want everyone ready to move at once.”

“My queen, aren’t the ponies and that Half-Saiyan still a threat?”

“I picked this body for the very reason of making those ponies useless.” Nightmare Rarity stared off in the direction of the battle which had grown quiet. “It seems as though the Half-Saiyan and my creation ended up destroying each other. Now, get ready for we depart immediately.”

Wasteland: Later…
Spike ended up coming to while coughing. “Where am I?”

“Spike!” Goten exclaimed.

“Goten?” Spike stood up and turned to see the Half-Saiyan walking towards him. “Goten, you’re okay!” He ran over only to stop upon seeing the state he was in. “Maybe alright isn’t the right word. What happened to you?”

“The short version is, I’m fairly certain I took down what Nightmare had cooked up to take me out.” Goten voiced. “After resting for a bit, I’ve been walking towards the castle to conserve my power.”

Despite feeling strong, Goten was confident he wouldn’t be able to transform at this time.

“She really must have been ready for you since I don’t remember you ever being in this bad a shape.” Spike stated. “Not even how the others described you after Nightmare Moon compares to this.”

“Well, I’d saw I came out worse with Bulla, but that’s besides…” He looked off in the distance as he felt Nightmare Rarity and a sizable chunk of her force getting further away. “Nightmare Rarity is heading for Equus.”

“That’s not good.” Spike stated.

“I’ll agree it’s not ideal, but Princess Celestia is there.” Goten stated. “Not to mention, I can feel Luna on Equus meaning the others must have managed to send her back somehow. At the very least, they can hold the line while we take this opportunity to get our friends.”

“Right.” Spike nodded. “We get the others and figure out how to fix this with them.” He looked at the Half-Saiyan. “By the way, do you know where they are?”

“Their being suppressed now; however, I’d imagine they’re where Nightmare Moon was before she moved to the warp.” Goten started walking. “Regardless of the truth, it is our best bet.”

Spike followed him.

Dungeon
“Ah, let us out you, dingus! Dingus! Dingus! Dingus!” Rainbow had been trying to get anyone to come by being annoying, but it seems they had truly been left alone.

“Rainbow Dash, enough!” AJ exclaimed being one of the group annoyed with her.

“Then, what are we going to do?” Rainbow asked.

“Apparently, overreact in a completely unhelpful way.” AJ retorted. “Exactly like you always do.”

“What!?” Rainbow exclaimed. “That’s insane! Completely insane! You’re the one whose always ‘howdy pardner’ about everything!”

“What does that even mean?” AJ questioned.

“Seriously guys, that’s enough!” Twilight shouted frustrated.

Everyone broke into an argument, including Pinkie who just wanted to feel included, save for Fluttershy.

“Just stop…” Twilight sighed. “… being your crazy, wonderful selves.”

At that moment, Twilight glowed purple.

“Whoa, what the hay is that?” Rainbow questioned.

“I-I don’t know.” Twilight voiced shocked. “I was just thinking how glad I am to at least be in this situation with all of you, and this happened.”

“I remember when you first came to Ponyville.” Pinkie’s hoof began to glow pink. “I knew we were going to be besties forever. When this is all over, we should have a big party.”

“First, we have to bring Goten, Rarity, and Spike home.” Fluttershy stated as she began to glow. “Currently, I feel that is very possible.”

“Even just a nice morning like after that whole Gala ticket fiasco would be nice.” AJ voiced as she glowed.

“A little relaxation after this would be great.” Rainbow added as she glowed.

Now, all of them were glowing brilliantly.

“I think our happiness and friendship is lighting us up from the inside.” Twilight commented. “It’s amazing!”

“I knew it!” Spike exclaimed. “The only ponies who could make beautiful lights like that would be our friends.”

“Whoa, you all feel like you just went Super Saiyan.” Goten commented.

Granted, their base forms, to varying degrees, couldn’t measure up to his; however, the Half-Saiyan would most certainly say his friend had achieved something comparable to Super Saiyan.

“Spike, you are okay!” Twilight exclaimed happily.

“Goten, what happened to you?” Fluttershy asked concerned.

“Relax Fluttershy, Goten seems to be standing perfectly fine, so I think he’s okay.” Rainbow assured.

“Clearly, Spike’s one tough little guy just like our Goten.” AJ stated.

“Aw, it was nothing guys.” Spike stated.

Goten nodded. “Yeah, just a couple of friends doing their thing.” He walked over and began pulling the doors off. “Come on, let’s get you all out.”

Once everyone was out and reunited, Twilight spoke up. “Now that we’re back together, we need to hurry back to Ponyville.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Goten shook his head. “Besides the few members of her forces still here, Nightmare Rarity took off for earth with the rest, and they’re there right now.”

“Then, let’s go everyone.” Twilight voiced. “The sooner we get back, the sooner we can rescue Rarity and stop Nightmare.”

Ponyville
Everyone was gathered around Celestia and Luna as Nightmare Rarity had arrived with her forces.

“Sister, what is wrong?” Celestia asked. “We need to focus and lead them.”

“Nothing is wrong.” Luna was charging magic to her horn. “I will protect these ponies. Night Canon!”

“Must we go through this again?” Nightmare Rarity batted the attack away. “Bor-ring!” The attack nailed the ground near Mayor Mare terrifying her. “Still trying to fight back your fear and anger Luna? Tsk-Tsk. Give into the darkness and join the party.”

“I will defeat you alone!” Luna declared fiercely.

“Have fun.” Nightmare Rarity declared causing her forces to surge through the town.

The Cakes were flinging pies into the oncoming forces, Dr. Hooves had an invention, and Gilda was flying through various members of the opposing force while putting her training to use. Shinning Armor fought off several Nightmare Forces while directing his men to aid the civilians.

Big Mac had run through several and moved them into the cart attached to him before Granny Smith got in on the action leaping atop them. The Wonderbolts flew in assisting a group of civilians in fighting off a rather large horde.

Zecora used her potions to ensnare some in vines. All the school ponies and pets managed to scare off a particularly large Nightmare Force by banding together. Luna and Nightmare Rarity were given a clear berth.

“I can feel your bitterness, Luna.” Nightmare Rarity informed. “You can’t deny it. It’s part of you, so give in.” Even mustering all the determination, she could amounted to little in the face of this, and she was caught by a blast taking the princess down. “You’re too easy.”

“Luna, no!” Celestia declared before running in and standing protectively in front of her sister.

“Anyone want to raise the white flag before someone really gets hurt?” Nightmare Rarity then laughed. “Oh wait, Luna already did. I honestly can’t believe you’d be willing to protect her after all she’s done.”

“Luna made her mistakes.” Celestia stated. “In the end, I put all that behind me and choose to look towards a future with her back in my life. She is my sister, and I will always protect her.”

“My anger and bitterness transformed me into Nightmare Moon.” Luna stated sadly. “I fear it could happen again. That is my burden.”

“It isn’t your burden to bear alone, sister.” Celestia helped her up. “I know in the face of that which terrifies, it can be hard to remember; however, I will always be there for you. Even though Goten is not here now, he will still be there for you now.”

“You defended our town now, so that makes you one of us.” Scootaloo added.

“One of you?” Luna questioned.

“Anyone who’s fought here tonight is one of us.” Apple Bloom stated. “Princess Luna, you wanted to protect us, so of course we’d count you among us.”

“With all of you beside me, maybe I don’t need to fear my past.” Luna began to rise. “… or future.”

“Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.” Granny Smith voiced.

“My dear friends, if we are to fight together, then I must be honest.” Luna now stood. “Since this all began, I’ve hidden my fear. Since I was helped by ponies you all know well, I’ve hidden my past. Now, there is no hiding for it lies before you.

If you forgive me, I swear I will never abandon you as I once did my subjects of the past. I will never let my fear of becoming Nightmare Moon stop me from defending you from whatever may come to harm you.”

“Sometimes, we all make mistakes.” Gilda spoke up. “At the time, we may not even think of it like that; however, everyone deserves a second chance. Yeah, I wasn’t around when you were that, but knowing about it doesn’t change the fact that you’re Princess Luna now.”

Luna’s horn glowed as she grew, gained a darker shade of blue for her coat, and wavy, night sky like hair. She could also feel all her prior power returning, but now she no longer cared about it like she once did. All she cared about is that it could better protect her people.

“Together, we shall defeat Nightmare, and it shall never hurt another pony again!” Luna exclaimed.

“You are all fools!” Nightmare Rarity shouted in anger. “Love! Trust! Friendship! Bleh! Try Power! Fear! Darkness!”

“You’ve twisted and contorted my big sister!” Sweetie Bell yelled. “She’d never say such things!”

“Sweetie Bell…” Rarity stated from within.

“Silly, scary lady.” Pinkie exclaimed drawing everyone attention as the five ponies, with Spike on Twilight’s back, and Goten walked into the village. “Friendship is stronger than fear will ever be.”

Luna came over to them clearly relieved. “You’re all okay!”

“Luna.” Goten smiled genuinely. “You finally look like a princess.”

“Thank you, Goten.” Luna smiled back. “You look like a true warrior.”

She was referring to how banged up he looked, but Goten would wear the compliment with pride.

“I’m happy for your two, but we still have something to deal with here.” AJ commented.

“Right, Applejack.” Luna collected some of their power and used it to dispel the forces leaving Nightmare Rarity. “Nightmare, you can no longer win now that we are all together,” She used her magic to hold Nightmare down. “Loosen your grip on fair Rarity’s heart and let her speak.”

“My friends, you came for me!” Rarity declared happily. “You didn’t forget me!”

“Whoa, those things really sucked on your brain.” Rainbow commented.

“You mean you didn’t replace me?” Rarity questioned.

“Why would we do that?” Fluttershy questioned.

“I thought that you’d forget me if I stopped being fabulous.” Rarity replied. “I want to help… always.”

“Rarity, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this, it’s that our friends won’t abandon us.” Goten declared. “The friendships we’ve forged are as irreplaceable to them as they are us. We aren’t burdens or merely replaceable.”

“I want to believe that Goten, but she’s dragging me back.” Rarity stated scared. “Please help because I don’t want to hurt anyone!”

Even if she was still held down, Nightmare Rarity returned with a laugh. “There is no power that can stop me. Your body is mine. You will be remembered as the darkest and cruelest ruler Equestria has ever seen.”

“Her kindness and generosity will never be forgotten.” Twilight declared firmly before looking to her friends. “Listen up everyone, Rarity is scared she’ll be forgotten. We must remember her now, or she’ll give into Nightmare forever. Remember something, anything, you love about her.”

They all connected hooves, or hands in Goten’s case, as Twilight began casting magic. Pinkie thought of a time Rarity made bubbles in the hot tub. AJ thought of when Rarity made bird nest for the apple trees. Rainbow remembered her making that Shadowbolts costume.

Fluttershy remembered when she made that cute outfit for angel. Goten remembered that huge feast she bought him as thanks for defending her from those Diamond Dogs. Twilight remembered when she was sick, and Rarity took care of her.

“You’ll always be special to us Rarity.” Fluttershy stated.

“There’s no way we could replace you because you’re the most generous friend any of us could ask for.” Goten added.

“You’re awesome.” Rainbow continued.

“You mean everything to me big sister.” Sweetie Bell voiced. “Please come home.”

Nightmare faded absolutely this time with no chance of returning like she had leaving Rarity behind. “How could I have been so foolish?” She was crying. “I believed their lies and let insecurity get the better of me. Me, of all ponies.”

“As long as we’re here, we’ll pull you back every time.” Goten declared firmly.

“Thank you all for reminding us that everyone is irreplaceable to their true friends.” Rarity voiced.

Outside Golden Oak’s Library, Later…
The reunited Elements, Goten, Luna, Spike, and Gilda all met just outside the library.

“What happened to the residents of the moon?” Fluttershy asked concerned. “I didn’t see them after Nightmare was vanquished.”

“They were able to pass on, dear Fluttershy.” Luna noticed how sad the pegasus seemed to hear that, so she put a gentle hoof on her. “Their lives were extended well beyond what they should have been. Now, they can finally find peace where they are.”

That did make Fluttershy smile a little.

“There are still some things left to deal with from this, but I honestly feel like getting to bed because it’s been a long day.” Goten voiced.

“Hopefully you, all of you, will sleep well.” Luna stated. “As for me, I must return to the castle.”

“Know that I will sleep well princess because of all of you.” Rarity voiced gratefully. “You saved me from my Nightmare.”

“Nightmares are merely fears which live in all of us.” Luna voiced as she started to fly up. “You’ve shown me that anyone can defeat them provide they are willing to shine a little light of love on them.” She flew off. “Farewell, my friends. I shall see you soon.”

Once she was gone, the group were left looking at the moon together before one by one, turning in. While there were, in fact, still things left over from all of this, everyone was content to address them after rest & relaxation.

Author's Note:

With this, my version of season 1 comes to a close. I can't guarantee future seasons will be this long, but this was a season spent building. Still, every season, no matter how long, will cover 1 full year. As for Sun Goten, if you haven't seen it, look up Dragon Ball Shippuden.

I took heavily from that manga's Sun Goku. Before you ask, she wasn't really an alternative version of Goten. Gaea Everfree's body, Nightmare's magic, and Goten's aura/memories shaped her. She believed truly in what her mind told her, but none of it was true.

As for the Mane 5 going all glowy on friendship, I did decide that's a transformation on par with Super Saiyan and it will be something they can access as well as train. Keep in mind, I did not say this put anyone near Goten in terms of strength

Speaking of strength, I think a fun think I can do when a year end is to talk about how strong I think the characters that appeared were. Keep in mind this will address this character in terms of how strong they are now in this point and time:

Goten: He's currently between End of Buu Saga Vegeta and Goku

Bardock: Undefined

Celestia: Initial Future Trunks (The very first time he came back and killed King Cold & Frieza)

Luna: Just below Celestia

Cadence: Mecha Frieza

Blueblood: 1st form Frieza; Frieza Saga

Shining Armor: Jeice for all but his defensive capabilities which I'd place around 2nd form Frieza; Frieza Saga

Daring Doo: Nail

Flur Di Lis: Nail

Braeburn: Recoome

Rainbow: Tien 22nd Budokai; Sonic Rainboom (x 2): Goku 23rd Budokai; Loyalty Boost (x 50): Piccolo Saiyan Saga; Sonic Rainboom + Loyalty Boost (x 100): Recome

Gilda: Tien 22nd Budokai

Applejack: Goku 22nd Budokai; Honesty Boost (x 50): Tien Saiyan Saga.

Twilight: Yamcha 22nd Budokai; Magic Boost (x 50): Nappa Saiyan Saga; Potential: Untapped.

Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy: Not currently important.

If you disagree with this, that's your right. Hopefully, you enjoyed.

Comments

[Haver]

More good

[Quillion9000]

11405947
Eventually.

[Quillion9000]

11818910
Yeah, I figured I might as well give some form of overarching danger.