"My life seems so meaningless without my Sunshine. It was my weakness that got her killed; my mistakes are why I mourn alone. Not even the Elements could comfort me as I buried the only pony I ever loved."
The background of the flashback was fuzzy, not perfectly remembered. However, she was clear as day.
A smile cracked across her face, beaming as much as her name suggested.
"Danny, ...We are going to be the best of friends!" Hooves circled around him in a tightening grip.
A trickle of surprise dashed over Dan's face before he smiled warmly as well, returning the hug.
"You're right.. The best of friends," His voice trailed off as the flashback reached its end.
A time lapse of eight years passed. Dan's eyes glowered with hatred, eyes fixated on darkened figure.
"Leave her alone! It's me you want," He placed a hoof forward as if to challenge, but no sooner, a searing pain blasted into his chest.
The impact lifted his hooves from the ground, his body toppling backwards. With a sickening crunch, he felt himself smack against the wall.
Warm liquid trickled out of the new wound, weaving its way down his coat. Instinctively, he held his hooves to the area, cringing from the pain washing over his frame.
His eyes cracked open, focusing on the figure of his friend. "Sunshine!" his voice broke off into a pained whimper. The figure rose, manacle eyes glared at them both.
The crooked smile stretched across his terrible face, jagged teeth glinted in what little light still remained.
His ear-splitting laughter boomed from his throat, as he lifted a pristine sword towards the lightly colored pony.
Sunshine began to stand to her feet, faltering slightly. However, a surge of determination caused her to push past her weakness.
She angled her head back, an empathetic expression on her face as her eyes met Dan's. A smile suddenly formed on her lips and her head whipped back ground to face the dark one.
She crouched down towards the ground, building up every last ounce of power that she could muster in her legs.
With a mighty launch, she kicked from the ground, powerful wings extending to catch the air. She gritted her teeth as she flew toward's the dark pony's figure, one last tear of joy escaping from the corner of her eye.
The tip of the sword met her body, missing her wings, but still pushed through her form. She made no noise, and did not falter in her speed as she smashed her hooves into the dark figure, lifting it up from the ground.
The dull sensation of pain began to creep over her adrenaline rush, but she could not give up yet. Cringing all the way, she raised herself and the dark pony to a frightening height.
Dan's eyes widened as he watched the decent, gathering speed at a nearly unrealistic rate. With a loud crash, the two figures met the ground, the dark pony's body pinned under hers.
His last breath wheezed out, and his figure disappeared into the air. Silence fell over the realm for a bit as the dust settled back onto the ground.
Dan's energy built back up as desperation took over. "NO!", his roar bellowed out as he gained his feet. Shaking, he ran over to the scene, finding his friend laying on the ground.
Crimson splattered all over her body as wounds continued to bleed. Her chest still rose and fell slightly with the sign of remaining life.
Dan fell to his haunches, using his front legs to scoop her up. Tears built up in his eyes, still not wanting to comprehend what just happened.
Sunshine's eyelids cracked, looking back up at Dan's wide ones. The same glint of confidence glimmered in her expression, pushing aside the pain that seared over her body.
"Goodbye, my friend. It was fun knowing you," She finished her last sentence strong, drawing her inner hast breath. She then exhaled in a content sigh, her head dropping against Dan's chest.
Dan sputtered for words to say to her, but it was too late. "Wait..wait.." He didn't want to let go yet.
He gently touched her cheek, realization that she would not wake back up. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He bellowed once again.
Despair, hatred, sorrow, and his love for her all build up at once. The high emotions broke through into the physical world, causing a magical burst that shattered the ground.
His eyes began to change in color and brightness, his glowing mane lifting in the surge of power. The surge caused him to yell once again, the power building up in his body.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", the power seemed to react to his sound waves once more, and the destruction spread out even further, flattening the area.
His calls of sorrow continued on, slowly the rage surrounding him began to calm for a bit. He cursed at his own weakness, blaming himself for the inability to save her.
"I'll show everyone that I'm not weak anymore..I put that on my mother...,." His cried softened into whimpers, his tears still forming.
The purple whips like fire still wavered out from the corners of his eyes. For one last time, he looked at the lifeless body that had once been his closest friend.
He gently leaned down, pressing a kiss against her nose, now cold from the lack of life. Slowly, he rose from the ground , sliding the body onto his back.
He braced her against his shoulders before summoning the magic to teleport. With a fritz and a crack, his flashed from the area of destruction. Not even a full second later, the same noises accompanied the flash as he appeared in a extensive field, full of tall, green grass and flowers of many colors.
It was a stark difference from what he had just been in. However, even the brightest flower seemed dull to him. Sorrow seemed to have cast a haze over his sight.
Nothing seemed as bright without Sunshine around. He glanced around the area for the perfect spot, the grass and flowers around him were flattened from the shock of the teleport. He headed closer up to the top of a small hill, setting her body down in the midst of the soft grass.
Barely a few feet away, he began to dig at the ground, creating a grave. He became more violent with his motions, jerking the mounds of dirt, and chucking them. His teeth grit as anger swelled in his mind.
Suddenly, he realized he had dug a large enough hole, and came to a halt, panting from both physical and emotional stress. He picked up Sunshine's body once again, fighting back the tears that stung in the corners of his eyes.
He set her down, the harsh tears breaking through his guard, once again gushing down the sides of his face. Once he laid her down, he covered the body, each pile of dirt he put over her felt like punch to the heart.
Whenever he finished, he cleared up his tears, the familiar glower in his eyes returning. His horn gave off the glow, and within a split second, he departed from the grave site. His destination laid in the center of canterlot.
His sudden appearance surprised many ponies surrounding the area. He could feel the curious gazes, growing by the minute, all fixated on him. His anger had now risen even further, emitting itself in the fiery purple substance decorating the corner of his eyes.
His magic rose in his horn, the glow growing bright and brighter. He could sense the fear in some, and the wonder in others. He loved the attention, and an evil grin began to creep across his face. A low chortle sounded from his throat, growing in volume until his magic reached a peak.
"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO PAY" The outburst caused a good amount of the audience to turn tail and begin running, haughty and proud voices screeched, and scolded in protest to his display of power. At last he directed the energy straight into the center of the city.
With a flash of light, a shock wave pulsed from the area, causing every pony within the area to be pushed off of their feet and flung away. Suddenly, he noticed a small group of ponies unaffected by his magical burst.
Not only were they fine from that distance, but they appeared to be drawing closer and closer, showing no reaction to his power. His eyes widened as he recognized six figures , one of the center ponies had a purple glow around her horn. He lifted his magic, and everything came to rest.
He turned to meet the Elements of Harmony as they neared him, expecting to be scolded for such behavior. His eyes shifted to the right, focusing on a moment on the pink one. Bouncy mane, and blue eyes as bright as the summer sky. Even with the lack of a clear smile, she appeared to love everything about life and everyone in it.
A small flashback pulled his conscientiousness to the same glint that Sunshine had. It surprised him, so he took a step back. "Prince Dan," Twilight's voice interrupted his train of thought as she stepped towards him. His head snapped over to look at her, just in time to see her magic dissipate as she lifted the protective spell.
"Please calm down. We don't want to hurt you." Twilight's eyes met Dan's. They appeared to be cool and collected. Content with how the world was right now. Content with the fact that Sunshine was no longer in it. Content with the fact that she had been murdered, and he had been unable to do anything about it!
His rage rose once again, and his evil grin slowly reappeared. In his outburst of emotion, he struck Twilight with his hoof, sending her form sailing into the side of a near by building. "WEAK.", he yelled once again. He turned around to look at the five remaining ponies.
A blue Pegasus launched herself into the air, glaring at him with rose colored eyes. Her mane of many hues fell across one side of her face. "Hey buster!", she snapped, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!". The yellow pony, covering her blonde mane with a cowboy hat grunted in agreement. "Yeah, no one hurts Twilight and gets away with it."
In near unison, both charged towards him, one from the air, and the other on the ground. Dan released a pulse of magic, sending another shock wave towards his two attackers. Without Twilight's spell, they were both easily dislodged and sent flying in the opposite direction.
Then he realized that three ponies still remained. A white unicorn with overly styled hair had barely been able to protect her two friends standing beside her. He directed a beam of magic towards her. His aim was off, however, and it hit the ground near her feet.
It was still enough to disrupt her magic, and she was sent flying in the same direction as the others. He then at the yellow one with an abnormally long, pink mane. She shook in her fur, fearful eyes staring up at him. Whimpers sounded between her teeth as she attempted to hold her ground. "Boo," he thundered, and she released an annoying, high pitched squeal, and flew behind the bushes decorating the front of a restaurant.
Only the pink one remained now, He glared in her direction, however, her stubborn, gleaming eyes stared back at him. She shouldn't be easy to scare, he thought. He growled at her, the rumbling nearly shaking the ground. "Ooh, a STARING contest", she chirped, and returned his stare.
She added a growl of her own, which was pitiful in comparison. Still, it surprised him that she remained so optimistic in the face of danger. Her little grin plastered on her face, she squinted and leaned forward, staring directly into his eyes. Amused at her reaction, it still angered him slightly, and he began to charge another blast up in his horn.
However, she held fast, her bouncy mane wavering slightly in the wind. At last, the blast was ready, and he aimed it straight between her gleaming eyes, full of confidence. Suddenly, her eyes were replaced with Sunshine's once again, and he hesitated on discharging. He stumbled back, squeezing his eyes shut to disrupt the illusion.
He popped them back open, staring back at the pony. The blue eyes were there once again instead of Sunshine's, but by now the magic in his horn had died down again. "HA!", the pink figure jumped up and down repetitively. "I won, I won." She bounced in her apparent victory. "Why you... " he grumbled, and prepared his spell, aiming it towards her once again. All of the sudden, two voices in unison echoed through the area
. "Prince Dan, what is the meaning of this!". They were both, equally powerful, and rung loudly through the entire city. The figures of two Alicorns descended from the sky, nearing his location. "Well... If it isn't my mother Celestia, and dear auntie, Luna." He chuckled, angling his body to where he could face them directly.
Glowering eyes resembling King Sombra's now more than ever before. His father's likeness seemed to suit him well, in his mind.
He continued to smile, though he began to calm down ever so slightly. He still held his threatening glare, however. The sisters' glare penetrated into his very being, causing him to slowly release his confidence. Suddenly, his attention was brought back to the pink figure, who had ceased her victorious celebration. Her eyes still beamed, but she now appeared more focused, and slightly serious.
"What's your name.. Pink one?" He stuttered across the temporary title he had applied to her. Across the beaten path, a weary Twilight rose up to her feet. Her fear and frustration showing through her eyes, "Get away from her! You will not hurt her, Dan!" Twilight's knees wobbled, and she was forced to sit, still regaining her strength.
He laughs a short bit, but then refocuses all attention on the other one. Her coat was a light shade of pink, her mane coordinating it with a deeper, raspberry hue. It curled around itself in a big mess, seemingly defying gravity. But it still made sense somehow. "I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie!", she chirped. Long name, Dan thought to himself. Almost as if she had read his mind,she spoke again, "but you can just call me Pinkie Pie, or Pinkie. Like all of my friends do! See, you weren't too far off when you guessed." She grinned from ear to ear, She seemed to be so happy just to meet someone new Her cutimark was composed of three balloons, the top one a bright yellow, the two on other side of it were a sky blue, rivaling with the color of her gleaming eyes.
That expression. For the third time, SunShine's face replaced the pink one in his vision again, but quickly flashed away. So much similarities. "You're so much like her..." he mumbled, turning around. "Wait, you haven't told me your name.", she complained as he walked away. However, Dan ignored her plea, too caught up in the rush of memories clouding his mind. HIs hooves carried him in the direction of his alicorn relatives. Celestia's sorrowful expression hinted that she could sense how much pain her child was in. "What's wrong, my son.." She spoke softly, taking a few steps forward to meet him. Her multi-color mane was not quite as flowy as usual, and drooped partly to cover a good portion of her light pink body.
She gave a small nuzzle to her son's cheek. Her dark cerulean sister said nothing, but rather nuzzled him as well. All seemed to calm down, and tensions slowly began to fall. However, as the mix of emotions swelled in his brain once again, their clash caused a physical reaction, and the shock wave pulsed from his location. Not as strong as before, but it was enough to push everyone near by back by a few steps. The tears once again welled, and spilled down the sides of his face. "I lost the only thing that loved me. Sunshine.. She's gone, mother! She was killed, and I couldn't save her. I was too weak." The tears continued to cascade as he released the flow of sadness.
The glow in Dan's eyes glowed bright as ever as he cried. However, his body began to collapse, slowly descending to the ground. Right before his body hit the ground, the shine in his eyes dulled, returning to normal. A dull thud sounded, and he laid sprawled over the paved path of Canterlot. Celestia let out a small whimper of surprise and worry, rushing towards him.
She lowered her head down towards the body of her son, pressing her nose against the side of his face. When she realized that he was not waking up, she looked up and her sister. Luna's sparkling mane flowed as usual, however it almost appeared darker than usual to fit the mood. Celestia's regal voice sounded as she addressed her sister, "It's happening again.
When he was younger, he lost control of his power, and nearly destroyed the Crystali Empire." Luna's eyes widened in surprise. During the time of Dan's upbringing, she had still been trapped on the moon as Nightmare Moon. Therefore, she had missed seeing him as a young child. She had only known the adult that Celestia still cared for. If he had been able to nearly wipe out an entire empire as a child, what could he do now?
The Crystal Empire wasn't the most extensive land out there, but it was several times the size of Canterlot. Luna then noticed that her sister's gaze had directed towards Pinkie Pie. Celestia's expression no longer held the gaze of a strong ruler, but now it let loose the desperate mother underneath. "Ms. Pie" Pinkie's expression glinted as she heard her name.. or part of it at least. "Yes? she responded, nearly forgetting to bow to her Princess. "He seems to like you more than an other pony right now.
Could you please accompany him and see if you can calm him down when he wakes?" Pinkie's grin widened again, preparing herself to respond. Before her voice could even sound, Twilight objected. "What if he wakes up, and tries to hurt her, or even ponyville?!"
She stood up, staring at her mentor At this time, seeing that the threat Dan held seemed to be gone for the time being, the other four ponies began to come back from their places of hiding. Fluttershy's head popped out from the bush, looking both ways to make sure there was no danger around.
Rainbow Dash had landed near Twilight, and emerged from behind a stone wall that shielded her from the second shock wave. Rarity and Applejack both came out from behind a near by water fountain that they had both sheltered behind. The five ponies came to surround Pinkie as if they were protecting her.
Celestia shot a glare over at Twilight, an instant defensive nature surrounding all thoughts of her son. She refused to hold anything against Dan, despite some of the times he had posed a danger. "My son may have hurt many ponies here, but that doesn't mean he is going to hurt Pinkie Pie. If he sees SunShine in her, that is a positive thing. It will keep him from entering into that kind of range that even I am powerless against."
Twilight's ears folded back, almost as if she had been slapped. She took a heavy breath, as if she was going to retort. However, a more humbled expression took over, and she lowered her head instead. Once again, she remembered that despite being a sorrowful mother, Celestia was still the wisest princess anypony knew. Applejack gently put a hoof over Twilight's shoulders, "Ah, it's alright, sugarcube.
If anyone knows how Dan'll react, it's his own mother, for apple's sake." The remaning Elements of Harmony nodded in agreement. The tall alicorn then looked back over to Pinkie and gave a slight nod. Pinkie puffed her chest out, a bold expression on her face. "No problem, Princess. -" Her voice was cut short as Dan's murmurs became audible. Everyone in the group tensed up, all directing their attention to the one appearing to be regaining consciousnes. Celestia was the first to react, flagging her sister's attneion,
"Oh no. Luna, get ready. We have no idea what's going to happen." She trotted over to her sister, and stood by her side. Dan continued to murmur and his body began to shift, struggling to break through his slumber. Finally, his head lifts from the ground, and he raises a hoof to his head, rubbing behind his ear.
His eyes blinked fully open after taking in the bright light of his mother's sun. As he took in his surroundings, he suddenly appeared shocked, looking at everyone around him. What happened heree?" His gaze first darted to his mother, trying to read her expression. It appeared to be worried and a little bit sorrowful. He then glanced over to Twilight who was posed to defend her friends if necessary.
He then looked over to Pinkie who appeared concerned for him, but was not afraid, unlike all the others. Finally, it clicked. He realized exactly what had happened, and knew that he had been the cause of it. The destruction around him was not major, but it still took quite some force to cause. "I became..'it" again, didn't, mother? The ponywho almost killed the Crystal Empire." His voice trailed off as he could no longer bear to look around him.
Rather, he dropped his head, staring at the ground he laid on. He felt bad for what he had done, but shock held back his tears with an iron fist. He sat for a few moments in completely silence, letting the scenery settle in. No one dared break the silence, rather they let him progress on his own. At last with a burst, he cried, "I'm sorry, everypony!." Before anyone could respond, he darted off, trying to escape from the guilt weighing his heart down.
A few tears stung as they escaped from his eyes. Celestia appeared to also be fighting back tears, but wished to appear strong for her subjects. With a voice that quivered ever so slightly, she addressed Rainbow Dash, "You're quick with your wings, Ms. Dash. Could you please catch up to him and stop him?" A few tears could not be held down, and the leaked out onto her cheeks.
As he ran, the tears continued to flow down his face. He could hear the fluttering of fast moving wings behind him. He turned his head to see a blur of blue shooting towards him. "Leave. Me. ALONE!" He yelled in Rainbow Dash's direction. WHen she didn't alter her path, he began to build up mmagic within his horn.
Once it reached the top, he teleported. The flash and pop startled RD, and she came to a toppling stop in the middle of the road, rubbing her eyes that had been blinded by the burst of light. She looked around her to make sure, even though she knew that he wouldn't be so stupid as to teleport a mere few feet away.
Shrugging her turned around and zipped back over in the direction of her friends. Further away from Canterlot, a fritz sounded, and with a loud bang, Dan's figure appeared once again in the field filled with flowers. He looked over to his left where the grave was located. He scrambled up to it, nearly loosing his balance from time to time. Upon finally reaching it, he collapsed next to the patch that now lacked grass.
He continued to sob as he laid next to where his friend was buried. He wished so much that he could see her face again. Living, not cold and lifeless with no love left in it. He wished that he could have protected her, and she would still be at his side. Not underneath a layer of heavy soil. "I'm so sorry, SunShine..." His horn began to flicker in an unusual pattern. Glitching in and out, he did not seem to be aware of the fact that his horn was behaving on its own.
Perhaps it was a subconcsious trigger. He could only hope that he would not shift back into the "other" pony. His longing transferred to the magic darting around his horn. In a flash, the magic jolted over next to him and manifested itself into a teleportation spell. The grass on the left side of him was flattened even more as he appeared to summon another to his side. Pinkie's cross-eyed expression clearly hinted that she was not used to such method of transportation. A tiny bit of smoke rose from the tip of her mane.
Her muscles all felt locked as she attempted to regain her balance. After she slowly began to regain her senses, she realized where she was. Further yet, she saw who she was standing next to. Dan's head slowly turned around, eyes still watery with tears. For a moment, he didn't see Pinkie, but rather he saw SunShine standing next to him. Her confident, gleaming eyes smiling back at him. With an outburst of sorrow, his heart nearly felt like it was tearing in two. The sight of her hammered into his mind that he had been unable to save her, therefore it had been his fault.
He threw himself towards the figure, wrapping his front legs around her neck. He clung tight, squeezing his eyes shut and forcing all of his tears out. Slight relief flooded over him as he felt the familiarity of hugging his friend. It was enough to calm his sorrow for a slight bit. "SunShine", he whimpered softly. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to... I didn't want to do that. I really wish you didn't have to see melike this.."
He continued to sob into her coat. Pinkie merely stood still, managing to hold back her enormous energy level back. She contemplated saying something, but decided that the needs of this mourning pony were more important than correcting him right now. Rather instead, she lifted a hoof and placed it on his shoulder, gently giving him a quick nuzzle. Dan continued to cling to her, nuzzling and hugging her.
For the moment, he truly believed his friend was back. From some magical force, he did not know. But he wanted this moment to last forever. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that somehow this wasn't real. However, he refused to believe it and basked in the emotional light that was held over him. Finally after he had no more tears to shed, he sniffled, blinking his eyes open.
At first, the brightness of Celestia's sun threw off the focus of his eyes. His head slowly peered upwards, catching the silhouette of a female pony standing before him. For a moment, he thought that it was SunShine that had returned to life. A smile began to form on his lips, however as his vision finally began to adjust to the bright sunlight, the true identity of the pony was revealed. Her raspberry mane brushed against his cheek as he stared blankly.
He looked at her and then lets go of her neck and then looked down sadly as he whimpers some "Sorry I thought you was SunShine....i didn't mean to hug you" He said as he backed up and sat on the ground and looked at her. She looked at him and then shakes her head as her Mane move in the wind and she kissed his cheek and nuzzles him "Its ok, I don't mind hugs" She smiled and sat next to him "So this is where you buried her, its nice and beautiful" She looked at the flowers.
He looked at her and then stands up and moves away "Your...just like her....i'm sorry i can't be around you right now pinkie" He said as he walked away and then stops and looks at the flowers and whimpers and begins to cry again and then picks it and chews it "Sorry....i was weak......i didn't want to lose you....i wish i could go back and save you" He whimpers and cries.
