The Gloves Are Off

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They say that a mother's love for her child is one of the most powerful forces anyone's ever seen and in most cases, it's always been true. This is one of those cases where a mother displayed her love for her newborn son when finding out he has died at birth. She cried and begged for her precious newborn to open his eyes and she held her son's lifeless body in her hooves, continuing to beg death to give him back.

Unbeknownst to her, a mysterious being answered her prayers. This being plucked her son's soul away from death's clutches and returned him to his proper place. Though she was grateful to hear the sounds of her crying infant, this being told her of her son's terrible fate once he reaches his adult years.

Love will make any mother do crazy things for the sake of their child. And in Princess Celestia's case, it's made her feel guilty knowing she had messed things up for her own child. Even so, she still got a chance to raise her son, Eternal Flames, a unicorn with pure white fur, red mane and sapphire eyes into a healthy, strong stallion, who behaved very differently from his spoiled rotten cousin.

Though he was highly respected and respective towards other ponies and other creatures, Eternal still felt an empty space inside him. The proof lies in this locket necklace he wears around his neck. A gift that was made for him by his dear friend. A friend he hasn't seen in almost a decade.

So one day, Eternal Flames decided it was time to venture out and find his old friend. But Celestia told him he won't find her anywhere in Equestria. And not wanting to keep him from his happiness, she took him to Twilight's castle down in Ponyville where the Princess of Friendship showed Eternal the mirror that led to the human world… where his dear friend resided.

Right now, Eternal's 18th birthday was in 3 more weeks. He's about to leap through the mirror, but he stopped to give his loving mother one last goodbye. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer and sniffed in sadness. He reached up with one of his hooves and stroked her cheek.

"No matter where I go… you'll always be my mother," he said softly. Celestia hugged her son, weeping quietly to herself, having to let her son leave her so soon.

"And you'll always be in my heart, my son," she whispered quietly.

Eternal didn't like to see his loving mother cry like this. Since he was almost 18, he was already aware of the curse that was placed on him at his rebirth. Even so, he wanted to make his remaining time last by at least finding his friend and confessing his deepest affections for her. And so, with a heavy heart, he took one last look at his mother and friends before leaping through the portal.

On the other side of the portal, Eternal makes a loud thud when he makes contact with the hard concrete of the sidewalk. Of course, upon arriving, he had passed out since he wasn't used to traveling through such a portal.

“Damn dude.” A voice called out to him, which sounded like a young male’s voice. “Eternal, this is where you been? Your parents had been worried sick, man.”

This voice was unfamiliar to Eternal and made him stir after regaining consciousness. "What… who said that?" Eternal asked, trying to get up, only to lose his grip and stumble to his side. "Ah! Okay what's up with my hooves?" he asked, opening his eyes and taking in his surroundings.

Soon he hears the sounds of snapping coming from in front of him. As his vision finally came back, his sight was then greeted by a strange bipedal creature. “Hey.” It replied with a smile.

Trying not to lose his cool, Eternal takes a deep breath. "Would you mind telling me where I am and what's happened to my body?" he asked. "And how did you know my name?"

Quirking an eyebrow, this bipedal creature looked down at Eternal, confused. “Uhhh are you ok? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head or anything.”

"I'm fine, but… have we met before?" Eternal asked again.

"Hmm, that's strange, could it be you have amnesia? If so, I think it'd be best if you come with me to my house," Inferno said.

Eternal wasn't sure why this creature was willing to take him in, nor did he understand how he knows his name, but with his time limited, he couldn't do much on his own, especially in this strange body he has. "I… I suppose I might as well tag along so I can catch my bearings." he agreed, taking another look around.

“Oookay then,” the creature said with confusion. “Let’s head over to my car…” Then all of a sudden he heard a thud on the ground behind him. When he turned around, he sees Eternal on the ground, groaning in pain and then struggles to get back up. “How did you end up on the ground again?!”

"I'm not used to standing on my hind hooves, or whatever these things are," Eternal says, feeling his legs wobbling again. "I still want to know what happened to my front hooves, what the hell are these things?"

"I'm not sure what hit your head, but those are your hands and feet. Everyone's got them," Inferno replied, helping his friend into his car. "I'm still surprised you don't know me, buddy. But I'll make sure to let your family know after we get to my house."

Eternal climbs inside this strange metal carriage. Inferno closes the door, then takes out his phone, dialing Principal Celestia's number, then brought it up to his ear.

“Hello Principal Celestia, this is Inferno here.” He said, The young man stood silent for 10 seconds before someone replied on the phone.

"Inferno? This is a surprise, is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

“Yeah, I… uhhh, I found Eternal by the school statue today.” He responded.

"You did?! Oh, thank god! Is he alright, did he get hurt?" Celestia asked, bombarding her student with so many questions.

“Whoa, whoa easy! He’s fine, well probably hit his head ‘cause he’s not making any sense, but he’s fine.” Inferno stated.

"Thank god. I was so worried about him. But what did you mean when you said he's not making any sense?" Celestia asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think he has amnesia, so he probably might not know who you are. If it's alright with you, I'm taking him with me to my house so he can recover," Inferno said.

"I suppose it's for the best. But if he's feeling better the next day, can you send him to Canterlot High as soon as possible?" Celestia asked. "And one more thing: please don't tell my husband about Eternal. I still haven't forgiven him for how he disrespected Eternal like that."

“For that I agree.” Inferno said. “Though he’s bound to find out eventually.”

"Thank you. Take care of him for me," Celestia said. "And tell him I love him very much."

"Will do. You have yourself a nice day, Celestia," he replied before hanging up. "Now let's just hope I can find out what's happened to my buddy and why he thinks he's a horse, or donkey… or whatever he thinks he is." he says before climbing into his car. His eyes dart at Eternal, dumbstruck when he sees him sitting in the chair on his knees and fists. "Dude, buckle up or you're gonna end up falling out of your seat and put your feet down."

"Uh… okay?" Eternal said. He adjusted his legs and set them down. Though, on the subject of buckling up, he seemed confused. Inferno sighed and reached over to grab the seat belt buckled up Eternal.

"This'll keep you from falling out of your chair or from flying out the window," Inferno said before buckling himself up. He started up the engine and drove back to his home.

Upon arriving at the house, Inferno glanced at his friend, still concerned for him. 'Whatever happened to you, I just hope it's nothing permanent,' he thought to himself.

'I have no idea what's going on here or why this creature knows me. But I can only hope he doesn't learn of my limited time. I've got to find her before it's too late,' Eternal thought to himself, clutching his chest a little.

"Are you okay? Are you having heart problems? I told you munching down on those chili peppers too much would be hazardous to your health."

'How does he know about my favorite snack?' Eternal asked in his mind. 'Wait… it's best I don't tell him my real reason. I'll just play along with this guy.' "I… suppose you're right about that. I could stand to go without a few peppers or something," he said aloud.

Inferno opened the door to his car and climbed out, along with Eternal. He follows Inferno to the front door of his house where he unlocks the door and lets Eternal inside.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," Inferno called out.

"Good timing, sport," a male voice called back. Soon a middle-aged man steps out from the kitchen of the house. He smiles at Inferno as he walks over to the young teen and hugs him for a second. “Glad to see your home soon.”

“Honey? Who’s at the door?" a female voice called out. Eternal somewhat finds the voice familiar, but couldn’t place it. Soon the source of the voice comes down the stairs of the house; as the woman sees the three men standing by the front door, a loving smile formed on her face. “Welcome home, Lil’ Furno!” she spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Moooom! Would it kill you to stop calling me that; I’m not a little baby anymore.” Inferno groaned in embarrassment.

"That voice… i-i-it… it can't be! Fleur de Lis?!" Eternal asked in shock.

"Eternal Flames? Is that you" Fleur gasped. She paces down the stairs a lot quicker and soon stood right next to the man next to Inferno. “Inferno, you didn’t tell us Eternal would come over.”

“Yeeeaaah, I… kinda have to tell you a little something about him. Could I talk to you and dad for a little while?" Inferno asked.

“Sure honey.” Fleur replies. "Eternal, why don't you sit down and watch TV while my husband and I talk with our son."

"He's… your son? And… what's a TV?" Eternal asked, confused.

The family of three looks at the young Equestrian-turned-human with confused expressions. "Ooh boy, this might be a lot more serious than we thought." Magnus said quietly. Then the three move into the kitchen, where they can have their conversation.

“Is he okay?” Inferno's father asked.

“He, uh… hit his head; might’ve got a minor concussion.” Inferno explained.

"Minor… concussion? Did something happen to the poor dear?" Fleur asked.

"I think so. I found him outside of Canterlot High in front of the statue, lying on the ground. The guy's been missing for a week now and he shows up out of nowhere. I think he might have amnesia since he doesn't know some of us, yet he knows you," Inferno said, gesturing to his mother.

"That's odd. Maybe it has something to do with all the recent activity going on throughout all of Canterlot City." His dad suggested.

"What do you mean, Magnus?” Fleur asked.

"Do you remember the incidents that took place at our son's school? It's been on all the news back then. Eternal might have suffered amnesia because of this… magic business." Magnus explained. "And let's not forget the incident at Camp Everfree he told us about."

"Oh, I see. But I don't know anyone who's fluent in the magic that's running loose around our city," Fleur said.

"I do. I have some friends at my school who know about Equestrian magic.... Aaaaaand… they kinda, maybe… can also use magic.” Inferno answers sheepishly.

"They what? I didn't know your friends could use magic, why didn't you tell us?" Magnus asked, surprised.

"Because I wasn't sure you would believe me if I told you beforehand. Would you have really believed me if I told you my friends could use magic powers?" Inferno asked.

His parents look at him with expressions that Inferno could not describe. They looked towards each other for a couple of seconds, and soon turned towards their son. “Alright.” they both said.

“Say wha’? That’s it, you’re just gonna be okay with that?" Inferno asked.

"Son, you said it yourself. Your friends might be much more helpful with Eternal's situation. We won't be of much help anyways," Fleur said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right… Maybe they might explain Eternal’s condition.” He suggested.

"Perhaps. But we should probably let him rest for a while, he might be exhausted. The poor dear, and all because of that terrible father of his, no less," Fleur assumed.

"That's true. And I've already gotten his mother's permission," Inferno said.

“Let’s just hope we can resolve this situation,” Magnus said. “And possibly end this day much more peaceful as it were.”

"I hope so too, dad. I'm gonna give the girls a quick call right away, schedule for them to come over here as soon as possible," Inferno said, taking his phone out of his pocket. He dialed the numbers of two of his friends. The dialing tone goes off three times before his friends answered.

"Hello?" Two voices asked in unison.

"Sunset, Twilight, can you come over to my house as soon as possible?" Inferno asked.

"I guess so, but why the sudden invitation?" Twilight asked.

"Remember how Eternal ran away some time ago because of the scuffle with his father?" Inferno asked. “Well, I found him by the statue near CHS; might’ve injured himself cause when I found him, he is not making any sense at all…. Probably something that might be more somewhat up your ally.”

"He's back?! Oh thank Celestia! But how is he not making sense?" Sunset asked.

“Well…” Inferno paused for a second until he had the sanity to give his answer. “I don’t want my parents or Celestia knowing this… But…. I believe the Eternal I found; is actually an Equestrian…. Like you, Sunset.” He stated. On Sunset's end, there was silence… followed by a loud thud. Inferno got concerned when he heard that. "Sunset? Sunset, you alright?" Inferno asked.

"Sunset, what's wrong, are you there?" Twilight asked. "Inferno, I'm gonna go and check up on her and make sure she's okay. We'll meet up with you later to check on Eternal's condition."

"Alright then, I'll talk to you later," Inferno said. Soon, he and Twilight hung up and carried on with their business.

Meanwhile, back at Sunset's house, she was still in shock from the news she heard about which Eternal Flames had showed up here in the human world. Her hand was still close to her ear as if the phone was still in her hand.

'It can't be… can it? Has he really come here to the human world? Why now of all times and what kind of business could he have here?' She asked herself inside her mind. Her eyes turn towards her nightstand and approaches it for some reason. She opened the drawer and revealed a locket necklace. She pulled it out and opened up the locket to reveal a picture of a white colt with a fiery red mane and scars under his eyes.

"And to think I almost forgot about you. But how did you find out about the portal? Did Celestia and Twilight wind up telling you about it or did you find out on your own?" She asked. "Well, I'm not gonna get answers by asking questions to no one. I'd better get ready."

Sunset then gathered all the stuff she needed and was about to head out, but then stopped as she was about to approach the front door. Her eyes gazed down at the locket necklace, still resting in the palm of her hand. She wasn't sure whether to bring it with her or leave it home. Her mind was scrambling more than it was before.

She groaned in frustration, making an ever harder decision. "Come on, Sunset, make up your mind, already!" she told herself. Before she could lose her mind, she took a deep breath and exhaled, clearing her mind. "Okay…" she said, looking at the locket necklace. "I'll go ahead and take this with me, just to see if I can get the right reaction."

Now that her mind was made up, she puts the necklace on and hides the locket under her shirt. Sighing in relief, she heads out and meets up with her friend.

Back at Inferno's house, Inferno put on a movie for Eternal so that he won't be bored. Eternal was only more curious of what kind of sorcery these bipedal creatures used to create these holographic images in these strange boxes.

"I don't understand how we don't have this kind of technology back home," Eternal said.

“Well, welcome to the 21st century, buddy.” Inferno replied as he took a sip from his Root Beer filled mug. Eternal still kept observing the movie playing on the television and Inferno watched in amusement as he tried to make sense of the television. His curiosity, although concerning, was kind of hilarious.

“And if you ask me another question about anything or to change the channel, I will drag you out of my house and throw you back to wherever you came from,” Inferno stated in a monotone voice as he takes another sip from his mug. “The one thing about us and TV; is that we hate people changing the channels while we least expect it.”

"If there's anything I hate, it's my spoiled cousin," Eternal said. "Ugh, that brat doesn't know how a true prince should act."

"Spoiled? How is he spoiled?" Inferno asked.

"He's constantly grooming himself from head to tail, wanting to eat the finest foods, sleeping on the most comfortable bed, getting pampered for his entire life. He's self-centered, narcissistic and an all-around egomaniac," Eternal said, clenching his fists, ready to explode, but then he stops and tries to keep his anger under control.

“Wooooow…. So he’s a real asshole.” Inferno asked.

"Yeah… and a disgrace to our family," Eternal said, more calm this time.

“Yeesh, glad I don’t have any cousins of my own.” Inferno said with relief, “Or otherwise I’d be driven crazy.” Eternal couldn’t help but laugh at Inferno’s reply. Just several hours in this world and he already made a friend. Guess it was a good day for him; but it would be even better if he finds his first friend.

As the minutes passed, Inferno heard another knock on the door. Inferno got up from the couch and ran over, answering the door. His eyes quickly lock on both the lovely baconhead and lavender bookworm friends from Canterlot High.

"Sunset, Twilight, you made it. Just in time too; the “Predator” marathon was about to start.” Inferno said in the most “welcoming” way as he possibly could. After the day he’s been through, he’s got a hard time being calm.

"That's… nice, Inferno. So, I take it, that's Eternal, over there?" Twilight asked, pointing at the distracted boy with long red hair, still focused on the television.

“Yeah that’s him… uh excuse me for a second. Hey! Pause the TV! I don’t wanna miss the marathon!” He called out to the Equestrian turned human boy in the living room. Being a fast learner, Eternal grabs the remote and pauses the movie. "Now come over here, I've invited some friends over and they wanna meet ya.” Inferno gestures Eternal to meet him and the girls by the front door. As he walks out of the living room, he is then parylzed from where he’s standing when he and Sunset met each others eyes.

"By Starswirl's almighty beard, is it really you, Sunset?" Eternal asked.

“Since when did my dad’s boss get involved in this?” Inferno asked in confusion, Twilight simply shrugged her shoulders in confusion also.

"Eternal… is it really you?" Sunset asked, showing her locket necklace. Eternal's eyes widen, recognizing the very same necklace he made for Sunset long ago. He took out his own locket necklace and showed it to Sunset. "H-How… How did you find out about the portal?"

"My mother told me about it and Twilight showed it to me," Eternal said. "Sunset, I thought you were gone and… when I heard you weren't in Equestria, I assumed the worst, but went looking for you nonetheless."

"I… I'm sorry for worrying you, Eternal. I guess I should probably explain to you what's been happening lately," Sunset said.

"We can talk more on the couch. I'll go fix up some more refreshments. You girls thirsty?" Inferno asked.

"Sure. How about a cup of water?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, same here," Twilight added. Eternal turned to Twilight and got more confused.

"Wait, Twilight, I thought you were busy running the School of Friendship back in Equestria," Eternal said.

"Again, I'll explain everything," Sunset insisted, moving Eternal with her onto the couch. Inferno went into the kitchen and came back with two cups of water, handing them both to the girls. Sunset quickly wasted no time in telling Eternal everything he needs to know.

Sunset explained about how she first came to the human world and learned to adapt to its environment and even tried to take over Canterlot High School with an iron fist. She even almost got away with it, but ended up getting defeated by Princess Twilight and her friends, but not the friends from the pony world, but from this world. Surprisingly, she didn't mention that she had an ex-boyfriend, worried that Eternal might take it the wrong way.

She also mentioned how she and her friends started teaming up to fight against more magic forces such as the Dazzlings, or more likely known as the Sirens and beat them in this Battle of the Bands contest. There was also the Friendship Games, where human Twilight was forced to compete or get denied a place at Everton, resulting in her becoming a raging she-demon just like Sunset. Then there was the Camp Everfree incident with Gloriosa becoming Gaea Everfree in order to save her precious camp.

“So uhhh,” Inferno spoke after the majority of the conversation, “If Twilight and everyone we know has counterparts in your world…. Does that mean I have a counterpart as well? I bet he’s kinda of a loser there, due to this “alternate reality” shit.”

"I'm not sure, I've never met your pony counterpart.” Eternal replied.

“Guess your world hates me.” Inferno responded in distraught.

"I certainly hope not," Eternal said.

“Don’t bet on it,” Inferno responded again, while still feeling distraught.

"But anyways, what's been going on with you in Equestria, Eternal? What made you decide to come here in the human world?" Sunset asked.

"Well… I came here looking for you," he replied. "I needed to find you before my ti--" Eternal stops himself by covering his mouth, almost spilling the beans. "Uh… j-just forget I said that last part at all. The point is I found you and that's all that matters. And I was hoping that we could… possibly… hang out like we used to when we were children."

Sunset was thinking it over and Twilight took this opportunity to use her latest invention. She had recreated an amulet similar to the one she made back during the Friendship Games, but worked out the bugs and made it only scope out magical energies. And for her first subject, she used it on Eternal Flames. The results were uncanny, her amulet reacted strongly the closer it was towards him.

But then, it began fidgeting and suddenly got shot back and hit the wall, breaking into pieces and scattering all over the ground. It startled her and everyone else.

"Is that supposed to happen, what was that thing and why were you putting it so close to me?" Eternal asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Twilight, please tell me that’s not going to explode like the last invention you brought over to my house a week ago.” Inferno asked, anxiously.

“No, it’s not gonna explode,” Twilight stated as she picked up the shattered pieces of her new amulet invention.

“Okay then… Would you mind telling me what the hell was that?!” Inferno asked again, only this time he sounded a bit furious.

"Calm down, it was meant to just pick up magical energies off a person, but not absorb the energy itself and I was trying to see if Eternal had Equestrian energy. I guess his magic was so powerful, it made my amulet break. I wasn't expecting it to do that," Twilight said.

“Jesus Christ, Eternal, what are you? Some type of demi-god?” Inferno asked with curiosity.

“Actually his mother is the ruler of Equestria and she's an alicorn. So technically he's considered royalty, though he's not a demi-god, he's still considered one of the few most powerful,” Sunset answered his question.

“No shit,” Inferno responded in shock.

"Power means nothing to me if it corrupts others. That's what mother taught me when she once fought against Discord and King Sombra over a thousand years ago," Eternal said.

"A prince with principles, I see," Twilight said.

“We can certainly use people like him in our world.” Inferno whispered silently to Twilight, who nodded in reply.

"Now back to Eternal's question, I don't see any harm in catching up with an old friend of mine. I'll even introduce you to some of my friends, how does that sound?" Sunset asks.

"It's a deal," Eternal nodded. He extends his hand out for a handshake, but Sunset hugs him instead, making his heart race a thousand miles.

“I ship it.” Inferno and Twilight thought in their heads.

Eternal then wrapped his arms around Sunset before they let go a few seconds later. "Well, I'd better get back, I still have to do some band practice."

"And I've got to hurry and finish packing," Inferno said.

"Packing?" Twilight asked, before realizing, "Oh, that's right, you and your family are leaving for a family vacation, I forgot! What time will you be back, Inferno?"

“Uhhh… About 7 months, won’t be gone for long. But in the meantime, where’s Prince Charming here going to stay?” Inferno stated while referring to Eternal.

"Prince Charming? There's nothing charming about me, if you hadn't noticed," Eternal said, gesturing to his scar-like birthmarks under his eyes.

“It’s just a metaphor, buddy.” Inferno replied.

"And you know, the human Eternal used to say the exact same thing… before he ran away after getting into an argument with his father," Twilight said.

"I'm not sure how to feel about that. I've never really met my father," Eternal said.

"Trust me, you don't want to meet the one here. But anyways, we'll see you tomorrow. You just take it easy for now, okay?" Sunset asked. Eternal nods in agreement. "See you, Eternal." After bidding each other goodbye, Twilight and Sunset leave Inferno's house to go and meet up with the other girls.

As for Inferno, he headed back into his room, getting his suitcases and boxes all packed up for his big trip. Eternal sat back down on the couch, watching the marathon and studying the whole purpose of the movies carefully on what they were about. Even moreso, he studied the battle scenes to give him an idea on how to fight. For such a non-magic species, humans proved to be a dominant species, capable of fighting impossible battles. Guess this world has more advantages than Equestria does.

That is until… "A word of advice to you, my curious friend. Movies are just people performing in front of the camera. Although there are documentaries, which can be based on real life. Of course sometimes, movie director dirtbags decided to mess with history; trying to give people some entertainment."

"So in other words, the Aliens vs. Predator movie… is all fake? Then how do they look so life-like and can do all that freaky alien stuff?" Eternal asked.

"The movie industry is well-known for its special effects," Inferno said. “Plus scientists have been theorizing, since Earth is the only planet that can support life in our solar system; that there would be a possibility that there could be other life somewhere in the universe. But as of now; you and Sunset are proof that we have been searching in the wrong direction.”

"Huh… that does sound like something my little brother would say as well. I always believed that Equestria was the only life on Earth… but now that I know of this world… I'm glad to know that I was dead wrong," Eternal said.

Inferno chuckled and patted his friend on the back before heading back down the hall, then returned with a pillow and some blankets. Eternal thanked him and made himself comfortable on the couch, wrapping the blankets around himself.

“Goodnight buddy, we all have a big day tomorrow.” Soon after, Inferno leaves upstairs into his bedroom where he slumped down on his bed. "So… an Equestrian just like Sunset. And who knew those two used to be friends once. Heh, well, let's just hope he doesn't get the wrong idea if he meets Sunset's other friend." he says to himself.

As for Eternal, he continues to watch TV, taking in as many lessons as he could from the movie that just finished and a few TV shows. But at the same time, his mind was also focused on his friend as he looked down at his locket necklace.

"Here's hoping," he said to himself. But unknowing to him, a sinister demon watches him from afar in a dark castle, hidden from the world's watchful eye. The malicious demon chuckled, feeling the time draw near for him to soon take him away.

"You may change worlds… but you'll never escape my grasp. I simply can't wait for what these next 3 weeks will hold in store for you… my chosen heir," the demon said.

“A future that’ll never come to be,” An angelic voice calls out to the demon. His expression turns to anger, as he had never heard the voice in a long time.

"What makes you so sure? I did the boy a favor by granting him life. And as long as my blood flows within his body, he'll remain out of your wretched, precious one's grasp. The boy will come to meet his fate, just you wait… Harmony," snarled the demon.

As expected, a beautiful mare walked into the room of the castle with the demon inside. The mare in question had beautiful silver-velvet light fur that matched her sparkling, velvet eyes perfectly and wore a golden crown atop her noble brow. She had taken the form of a humanoid pony, baring a gorgeous body fit for a goddess. She wore a violet and golden yellow, long-sleeved dress with diamond jewels. Like any pony goddess, she had beautiful wings and unicorn horn.

“You wish to expect what is to be in the future, than to expect the choices the boy would make. You believe you have control over his destiny; but you have no knowledge of his destiny, whether you like to admit it or not.” Harmony spoke with words of wisdom.

"His mother was in the right to wish her son back to life. Death should've kept his grubby--" the demon said before getting cut off.

“My grubby what?” A distorted, deep voice spoke out from deep in the shadows of the dark room. A voice that the demon found all too familiar.

"I knew you were somewhere nearby. To make it all clear… you should've kept your grubby little claws off of the boy's soul." the demon finished.

Soon out of the darkness, a humanoid stallion walked into the room. He wore dark silver armor, that looked like it was worn from countless battles; with a black cloak over his shoulders and a black hood covering his head. But it did; however, reveal his face. He had a skeleton skull for a face, with sharp teeth in his maw and small blue lights gleaming in his eyes; which shows how souless they are. And to add it off, he carried a large nightmarish scythe in his hands, holding it straight up on the ground like a staff.

“His time was to come. But my actions were not a crime, as yours were; when you have defiled an innocent soul when you have taken away his chances to rest in peace.” Death scowled at the demon with rage.

"That's your problem, you didn't consider the boy's mother's heartache when you branded him for death at birth. Not to mention the other boy from the human world. Just how heartless can you get?" the demon mocked.

“We did not come here for you to insult us, demon. We came to give you a warning.” Harmony responded to his mockery. “One that you shouldn't take lightly.”

"A warning, is it? I'll quote you on that," the demon replied, turning back to the boy, who's nodding off, trying to fight off the urge to sleep.

"Sire!" another voice called out. The demon's attention is then brought towards a man who's walking in in a black and dark purple armor with wings. "Forgive my intrusion, but is it true the future king is nearly ready?" he asked.

"Yes. Send out one of the mages our one of the elite soldiers to observe him," the demon said.

But before the man could exit, Death swiftly places the blade of his scythe against the demon’s throat, threatening to slit it. “You will tell them nothing, or I will have your soul sent to the hellish bowls of Purgatory!” He growled

"You! Take your scythe away from my master's neck!" the soldier said, running over towards the skeleton stallion.

But soon, 4 figures that bore a resemblance to Death, but had a more warrior look to them, appeared out of the shadows and formed a defensive line around their master. And they raised their twin blades at the guard. Then 2 more of the demon’s guards and 2 mages came in and soon the room turned into a stand off. Until Harmony spoke up in a way that’s more than similar to the Canterlot voice.

"ALL OF YOU WILL STAND DOWN RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!" Harmony bellowed. The warriors and demon soldiers and mages all backed away, sensing the goddess' immense power. Harmony finds her cool and then her peaceful aura finally comes back to her. “Lets all just settle this like mature adults and not children who fight over candy.” She stated.

Death nodded his head in agreement and then reals back his weapon. He turns to his reapers and gestured them to take their leave. They bowed in reply and flew out of the castle room; and then disappeared. The Demon turned to his followers and gestured them to leave as well, and so they did.

“Now that we have that out of the way, how about we settle this conflict in a more… resourceful option.” Harmony said.

"What do you suggest, dear?" Death asked.

“A wager.” Harmony stated, firmly. “If Eternal and a stallion of my choice; are to find someone to love and they give that love in return; then you, demon, will surrender your plans of conquest.”

"Fine. And to show my generosity, they shall keep their immortality and do with their new powers as they see fit. But… if they cannot find and earn love from their destined ones by the time their 18th year arrives… then they will belong to me whether they like it or not." the demon said with a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

“Alright, but you must never try to weasel your way or try anything to gain favor in this whole wager, or,” Harmony replied.

“Or what?” The demon responded.

“Or its war, and believe us demon. You do not have the numbers or the power to challenge us.” Death explained.

"Which is why if it does come to that, you can bet I won't allow my previous victims to slack off with their training. Do I make myself clear?" the demon said, turning his attention to his Elite 5, receiving nods from them before heading out of the chambers, closing the door and on their way into the training room.

“So, do we have a bargain?… Grogar.” Harmony asked.

The demon, or as Harmony mentioned, Grogar, chuckled deeply before extending his claw and shaking her hand. "A bargain it shall be. This should be most interesting," Grogar said.

And with the deal sealed, the two divine entities disappeared to their respectful dimensions. Grogar, now satisfied with this dispute, turned his attention towards his chosen successor. "It's only a matter of time… Eternal Flames." he said before laughing deeply.

Harmony and Death quickly arrived in their own personal dimension; which they created to have quality time together away from their own worlds. In this dimension, it has a large house, a beautiful massive garden, and a large private fancy pool. A place of relaxation to get away from the stress and hardships they had over the years; and today they really needed it.

As they walk together in the garden to find clarity in their minds, Harmony swiftly pounces on Death and the two fell onto a field of beautiful flowers. Then without expectation, she places her lips on his mouth for a kiss, and then reals back and lays next beside him.

“You were really handsome when you nearly tried to kill Grogar back there.” Harmony said to her lover.

“I wish I’d slice his head off right there.” Death stated. "But… I've been thinking. Was it really okay for me to take a newborn's soul away? I mean, his mother was heartbroken."

“You had no other choice; if you allowed him to live, it’ll break the chain of life and then his soul would be replaced by another, and then another.” Harmony replied.

"I still can't believe Grogar caught me off-guard and took the boy's soul away from me. I still remember it to this day," Death said, placing his claw over a cracked spot on his skull.

“Eternal never deserved the fate that Grogar planned for him. Peace would have been the only solution for his soul, so it would never be tainted and ruined by that foul monster.” Harmony said with disgust.

"I suppose not everything goes according to plan. Now all we have to do is hope his fate doesn't turn out as horrible as we fear it to be," Death said. "I especially hope he doesn't have his heart broken in the process."

"It's in his hands now," Harmony replied. With everything in place, it was now up to the young prince to see to it that his fate was to change for the better… or worst.

The Aid of an Assassin

View Online

Morning arrives and Eternal is still fast asleep on the couch. The TV turned itself off some time ago due to the settings and Inferno and his family had brought all of their luggage down and were just about to head out to the airport.

Inferno turns to the sleeping Equestrian-turned-human and walks over to the couch to wake him up, but without warning…

"RAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" Eternal shouted, waking up in a lot of pain before falling off the couch, gripping his chest. His pain grew worse and he continued to shout in agony. Eternal rose on all fours, panting heavily, his long hair was draped over his face.

"Inferno, what's going on?!" Fleur asked, "Is he alright, why is he screaming?"

"I-I don't know, I just was gonna wake him up and then the next minute he ended up screaming out in pain.” Inferno explained. “And I don’t know what’s causing it.”

Moments later, his pain left him, but the aftermath took its toll on him, causing him to cough up something liquid… something black.

"Wha… what's going on?" Eternal asked between breaths.

"I should be asking you that question, are you okay? You really freaked us out there," Inferno asked, going over to pat him on the back.

"Hard to say. It was pain I never felt before. It's like someone took a… a chainsaw and rammed it through my chest. Multiply that x1000," Etenral explained, struggling back on his two feet.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay? Do we need to take you down to the hospital? We can do that if you'd like," Magnus said.

"I'll be fine. No need to trouble yourselves," Eternal insisted.

“Ok deary, but if this ever happens again, even while we’re away; you need to see someone about this.” Fleur stated.

"I understand," Eternal replied. "Anyways, thanks for allowing me to stay the night here. I'll go ahead and be on my way."

“Oh no, you need a place to stay while we’re gone. I’m going to give my friends a call and ask them if they can give you a place to stay.” Inferno replied.

"Are you sure about this? The last thing I want is to be a burden," Eternal said.

“Whoa! Who says your a burden?!” Inferno responded in protest. “It’s at least the one thing we can do before we leave.”

"Very well. I'll be sure to repay you somehow when you get back," he replied

"There's no need to worry about that. This is what friends do, you should know that as well as anybody, man," Inferno insisted. He dialed the number of one of his friends, then waited for them to reply. “C’mon pick up, it’s not even a school day; you ain’t doin’ nothing.” He whispered into the phone

"Hello?" Sunset's voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Heeeeey Sunset, how are you.” Inferno replied. “Yeah, I just wanna tell you that today is my family’s flight is today and I’m hoping that if you or the others are okay with Eternal staying at your places.”

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. You want me to pick him up now?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, can you manage that?" he asked.

"Of course. Just give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll be over there. Have him wait outside for me," Sunset said.

"Alright. I'll make sure he does. Later, Sunset," Inferno soon hangs up afterwards. "Eternal, be sure to wait outside, Sunset's gonna be coming to pick you up soon."

"Uh, right, okay," Eternal said.

Meanwhile, down at Sunset's house, after finishing her phone call, decided to get dressed. Getting out of bed, she climbed down to the bottom floor and turned on her TV, putting on the news in case anything new has happened in Canterlot City.

"And there is still no sign of these 6 boys, who have been missing for almost 3 years. If they have not been found by the time the 3rd year has come, they'll officially be pronounced dead. Our recent missing boy, 17-year-old Eternal Flames, has still not yet returned, but police have stated that they're doing their best to find him." the new reporter said. "Police have got word from the boy's mother that it was because of the terrible fight he has with his father, 44-year-old Blaze Burn, the owner of two of the most popular hotels in Canterlot."

Sunset is shocked by this news. The pictures of the 6 lost boys even had their names displayed below them. From left to right, the boys were Copper Plume, Frostbite, Blazing Waters, Lightning Burn, Israel Yabuki and of course, Eternal Flames.

Copper had tan skin with amber eyes and brown hair with freckles on his cheeks. Frostbite had silver skin with black and white hair and blue eyes. Blazing Waters had bright yellow skin, red eyes and blue hair. Lightning Burn had tan skin, brown eyes and long blue hair with a white stripe running down. Lastly, Israel Yabuki has hazel green eyes, bright yellow skin just like Blazing, but had long, silver hair that seemed to cover his right eye.

"I feel so sorry for the parents of those boys. To wind up missing and at such a young age, they must be worried sick about them," Sunset said.

Minutes later after she got dressed, she rushed into the bathroom and did her usual hygiene routine before heading out of the house. As she exits out the door, she walks over to her motorcycle and then sat on in, while starting it up. She put on her biker's helmet before riding down the road.

In the giant castle, hidden in a world shrouded in darkness, the evil demon ram, Grogar, kept a watchful eye on Eternal through his crystal ball. Meanwhile one of his elite soldiers knocked on the door of his chambers. "Enter," said the demon ram.

The doors open slowly and in walks one of the demon soldiers, still dressed in their black and dark violet armor. "Forgive my intrusion, my liege, but I'd like to request your permission for one of us to do a recon mission. We've just sensed his inner powers beginning to awake this morning when he woke up," the soldier asked.

The demon stood quietly next to his crystal orb, and believed this to be an open opportunity; however, he then remembered the bet that he had with Death and Harmony, and knows the consequences if he were to get involved and his followers are not at their strongest yet. But he does need to know the progress of his potential heir.

“Alright. But do not engage the boy, Harmony and Death are breathing down my neck as it is. Observe him from afar. If his powers are growing stronger by the minute, then come straight back, but you'll need to blend in with the crowd or they'll have a… field day," Grogar said.

"Yes, sire. Understood," the soldier said. Grogar pointed the tip of his claw at the wall, opening up a portal to the human world. "I will not fail you, my lord."

“You better not. And remember; stay out of sight! I don’t want my enemies to know about your involvement in this. You are to stay incognito at all times” The demon said with seriousness in his voice.

The soldier nodded before using his powers to change out of his battle armor and into a black hoodie and blue jeans. The soldier walked through the portal before Grogar closed the portal up and resumed watching Eternal.

Meanwhile, back at Inferno's house, the family had just gotten all of their luggage packed up in the family van. Magnus and Fleur climbed into the car while Inferno was saying his last goodbye to Eternal.

"Alright dude, be good to my friends while I’m gone, or you’ll hear it from me.” Inferno said as he places his hand on Eternal’s shoulder.

"I hear you loud and clear. I'll try my hardest to be on my best behavior,"

“Good, now uuh… hope you don’t panic, but I called Sunset and she’s willing to let you stay at her place while my family is away.” Inferno stated.

"Uh… I see. That's very… nice of her to do that," Eternal said, scratching the back of his head. 'Don't lose your head, Eternal,' he thought to himself.

“Inferno! It’s time to go.” Fleur calls out to her son.

Inferno turns towards the family van and sees his parents in it, and the vehicle started - all set and ready to go. "Good luck man," Inferno told Eternal. The young man then rushed over to his parents' van and climbed into the backseat. Afterward getting inside, Magnus drove his family off, leaving Eternal behind to wait for his old friend.

"This world… it's all so strange to me. Yet, at the same time, it feels like home. But, why do I feel attached to this world, I've barely been here for one day?" he asked himself. "I still can't believe Sunset's been living here most of her life. I wonder if she had her reasons for staying here and not returning home to Equestria." But then, another thought hit his mind. "Of course, she has her friends here. But let's hope there's… no one else involved."

Without even thinking, Eternal stepped off the sidewalk, gathering his thoughts. Moments later, Sunset's just arriving, but despite her eyes being focused on the road, her mind was wandering off-track, thinking about Eternal.

Her mind is brought back to reality when she sees Eternal in the middle of the road. She gasps and hits the breaks last minute. She's way too close to turn and hoped he would jump out of the way in time. But the moment he saw her, he does something unexpected. Eternal grabs the hood of the motorbike, hand-stands on the thing, then springs over Sunset and lands behind her with a front flip.

Sunset stops the bike at the exact moment, with a very shocked expression on her face. She looked back at Eternal, still at a loss for words. "How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure, my body just… reacted on its own," Eternal said, looking back at her.

"Well, be careful next time. You can't just walk in the middle of the road, it's dangerous. What if you had gotten hit by a car or something? Getting hit by one of those at top speed is like getting hit by a 2-ton carriage back in Equestria," Sunset said.

"I understand, my apologies," Eternal said.

“It’s alright… just don’t do that again. I just got to meet you after several years and the last thing I need on my mind is you getting hurt.” Sunset replied.

"Right," Eternal said

"Anyways, hop on, I'll take you to my place, unless you haven't eaten," Sunset patted the seat behind her on her motorbike.

"Eaten? Well, I--" Eternal's then cut off by the sound of his stomach rumbling violently, causing him to blush. "Maybe just a small bite won't hurt," Eternal walked over to Sunset's bike and sat in the back. Eternal then wraps his arms around Sunset in order to hold on; but didn’t notice the blush on Sunset’s beautiful face when he did. She starts up the bike and then tilts her head towards Eternal. “Hold on tight.” she said.

“Wha… AHHHH!” Then Sunset drives out of the street at a speed which Eternal hadn’t felt before in his life. "Are you sure this thing is safe?" he asked loudly.

"If you know how to ride it, yes!" she replied. Sunset continued to ride down the road, entering the city and introducing Eternal to a whole new world. Eternal's eyes wandered in all directions, peeking at a city that was both foreign to him, yet so marvelous. It even rivaled that of his homeland in Equestria.

No carriages were in sight, just a bunch of cars, similar, but different from the ones Inferno and his family use. Of course, one particular thing that caught his eye was the big television attached to one of the buildings… with what looked like his picture in it.

'Odd… I don't recall ever coming here a week ago. Perhaps that's the other me that people are searching high and low for.' he thought to himself. Soon, Sunset stopped at a red light, then noticed how some of the people were recording her, or more specifically… Eternal Flames.

"Uh… Eternal, change of plans. Now you gotta go incognito," Sunset said. "Apparently, everyone in the city thinks you're back after you went missing last week. I know it sounds crazy, but in this world, there's another you. So hang on tight, we're going clothes shopping."

The moment the light turned green, "If you say so-OOOOAAAAAH!!!" Eternal said as she sped off like a rocket.

Meanwhile, in the private realm of Death's and Harmony's humble home, the two cosmic beings sat in the comfort of their lounge chairs next to the pool; resting from the exhausting years they have had. Death, even with his frightening appeal, made a few jokes and humorous words that got Harmony laughing hysterically.

As the two went on with their day; suddenly, one of Harmony’s guards approaches, breathing and wheezing heavily as if he had ran over to where they were. The two powerful entities grew curious and confused as to why he approached them.

“Guard, what’s the reason for your unexpected visit.” Harmony asked.

The guard took a few more deep breaths until he finally had the strength to speak. “Your Excellency, forgive my intrusion. I have some terrible news to report; one of our scouts spotted one of Grogar’s followers leaving his domain, and left to the human world where the mortal Eternal Flames resides in.” The guard explained.

Harmony and Death were shocked of his report. “What? Are you sure?” Harmony asked again.

“I’m afraid so, Your Excellency.” He replied.

Death growled in anger, gets up from his chair and paces around in circles in rage. “I knew that bloodthirsty, soulless, traitorous demon would never keep his word” He snarled with hate, and later took his anger on a nearby statue by slicing it in half with his scythe.

"Wait. What is his follower doing?" Harmony asked.

"He's just watching him from afar. He doesn't appear to be interacting with the mortal. What are your commands?" the guard asked.

"Then Grogar must know fully well of the consequences. However, this has brought awareness to the situation.” Harmony stated; but, then is left thinking in her mind with silence.

“What is on your mind, my love.” Death asked her.

“I’m afraid, if we are to ensure the wager is left unbalanced with the presence of Grogar’s servant; I must return back to the mortal realm and acquire Princess Celestia to send somepony to the human world to watch over Eternal.” Harmony explained.

Death is left baffled and anxious of what Harmony proposed. “You’re not saying that…”

“Yes…. I must go to Equestria.” Harmony responded to his reply before he could finish.

“But is that wise? I mean, we have never returned there since…” Death became silent after the last part before finally having the courage to say the final words. “Since the last eclipse of the “Day of Union”.” He stated.

"I'm well aware of that dreadful event. But we're left with no other options. If we send our own guards out there to stop his soldiers and find out they weren't doing anything else, we risk losing Eternal to Grogar nonetheless," Harmony said. "Our options are limited, so Celestia is our only reliable option."

"One question… who are we gonna have Celestia send out to the human world? It can't be Twilight, because she's too well-known even if she does know how the human world works." Death said.

“Your right, we can’t. But we also can’t send a random guard to the human world, especially when Grogar’s servant is on the prowl. And they won’t stand a chance against them.” Harmony stated.

"No, that won't work, either. What we need is somepony who has skills that even surpasses the greatest of warriors in our times, somepony who can blend in with the human realm without being noticed… somepony who has experience dealing with any servants of Grogar.” Death responded like he’s having an anxiety attack; which is weird since he’s… well, Death.

Harmony gasped in response to Death’s statement, as an idea… or someone that suddenly pops into her head. But it’ll be more difficult to allow Celestia to allow him to go; but desperate times calls for desperate measures.

“What is it, Harmony?” Death asked with anxiousness. Harmony turns towards him and gives him a light peck on his skull lips.

“You just gave me an idea, see you soon.” Before Death could ask of what idea he gave, Harmony teleported away without leaving a single word, leaving the Father of Reapers and a guard standing in place.

“What did I say?” He asked the guard; who simply shrugged his shoulders in reply.

In the magical land of Equestria, Celestia sat on her throne, going through her album. She looked at many photos of her son, growing up so happy and lively. One photo that caught her eye was the one where he was brought back to life in his newborn years. He was crying in Celestia's hooves, clinging onto his loving mother.

All those years, all those memories. Celestia knew this day had come and it's the one day that worried her so deeply, knowing fully well what will become of her son. She was obviously distraught from having to let her son go, which is why her friends and sister are trying their hardest to comfort her.

It's only been one day, so it was still a work in progress for everyone to help Celestia get through her tough times. She's very thankful for everyone who's there for her, even if she still feels heartbroken.

But then, during her grieving, she sensed a very strong presence around her. A presence that gave off a very soothing feeling. "Is somepony there?" she asked, stepping off her throne.

“Princess Celestia, who are you talking too?” Twilight Sparkle, her former student and closest friend, asked.

“Sister, are you feeling the same presence as I have,” Luna said with curiosity, but didn’t really show it in her voice.

"Yes, I am," she replied, walk towards the strong presence. This powerful magic force lead her straight to the front gate of the castle, where a beautiful silver-colored alicorn with a violet mane and tail stood, staring straight at her. "I thought you were merely a picture in a book, but I can see I was wrong. You're… Harmony, am I right?"

“Yes, I am.” The Alicorn replied with a caring tone; which hides an even darker feeling inside of her conscience.

"To… what do I owe the pleasure of having you grace my kingdom with your presence?" Celestia asked.

"Princess Celestia, what's going on with y--" Twilight said before stopping at the sight of the legendary goddess, Harmony. Sunburst also came in and had a similar reaction to the lavender bookwork, but had to clear up his glasses to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH! Is that Harmony?" she asked, geeking out.

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming…" Sunburst said with his jaw hanging out.

“You’re not dreaming.” Starlight replied to his question, who is quite shocked herself.

"Oh my gosh!!! Okay, this is crazy-fantastic! Ooh, I have so many questions I want to ask you, so many things I want to learn about you!" Twilight said, going into Adorkable Mode, getting out her notepad and quill.

"I thought you said you wouldn't return after what had happened in the stories! What brings you here, great goddess?" Sunburst asks.

"Slow down, everyone. All will be explained in due time. Right now, I'm sure she's come here for a very good reason. Please, step inside and we'll chat over tea," Luna invited.

“I’m not here to chat or have tea.” Harmony said bluntly; which caught the ponies off-guard and turns her sight on Celestia “I’m here to speak to you about your son… and the danger he’s in.” She explained

"Eternal?! What's happened?! Did he get hurt, is he drying?!" Celestia asked, freaking out.

“No. He’s safe… For now.” Harmony replied in reassurance.

"That's a relief," Celestia said. "So, what's happening to Eternal, what kind of danger is he in and how can I resolve this?"

“To know of his fate in the situation, is none of your concern. But to help him avoid the danger he faces, that is what I need from you.” Harmony stated.

“What is it that you want from us, Your Grace.” Cadence asked the goddess with curiosity.

"Eternal Flames is being watched. Grogar sent one of his followers to keep an eye on him for some reason and we need you, Celestia, to send in somepony over to the human realm. A pony who has the skills that no greater warrior in Equestria’s history has achieved. A pony who had once face one of Grogar’s creatures of Tartarus, and survived.” Harmony explained.

"Who in their right mind would ever face Grogar's creatures? They're practically invincible!" Sunburst said.

“The one that your nation called… The Shadow Knight.” Harmony said.

The everypony in the room, except Starlight, gasped in response to what Harmony had said.

“NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Shining Armor shouted in anger. “Allow Twilight, or one of her friends; heck I would gladly volunteer myself, but that pony must never be free.” he said.

“You cannot be serious! You have no knowledge of what he’s capable of.” Cadence replied as well.

"I've seen how he handled his job in the past. He's the only one who stands a remote chance against Grogar and his minions, and successfully killed one of them. Plus, you've never even been to the human world, nor how to fit into their society within a short amount of time.” Harmony stated firmly, seeing how even after a millennium, the ponies of the land still haven’t changed one bit. She turned her eyes to Celestia, who remained silent through the ordeal.

“Now hear me out Princess Celestia; if your son is to remain safe and away from Grogar’s grasp, then you must have the pony set free and let into the human world. Or otherwise you’ll lose him again; but instead, he’ll be forced into a fate far worse than death.” Harmony explained. “One, he’ll never come back from.”

"Are you sure you can trust him? What if he decides to hi-tail and run?" Luna asks.

“What is it that one pony desires most? Mmmm, and with that desire; comes dedication and great commitment.” Harmony said. “Cause if you began to look from his point-of-view; I say he’ll do anything to be set free.”

"His point-of-view… you mean like why he chose to be a vigilante? Why he chose to stop and turn himself in, is that what you're saying?" Twilight asked.

“Indeed, Twilight.” Harmony replied. “Grant him what he wants; and I assure you, he’ll obey whatever you said.”

“But what if he runs wild in the other world? Who’s gonna keep an eye on him!?” Shining asked with paranoia.

"Having a closed mind can have its disadvantages, especially in your case. But I think it's best we hear it straight from the prisoner in question. Celestia, let's go." Harmony then proceeds to walk towards the castle’s dungeon, with everypony following behind her without hesitation.

Upon arriving, the atmosphere became ominous… tense… and very nerve-wracking. At the very center of the dungeon, is a large, steel vault door.

'I still think this is a bad idea letting that psycho out of his prison cell,' Shining thought to himself.

“There are no psycho’s in there, Captain. Only a soul who seeks redemption and liberty.” Harmony said, which surprised the stallion.

'Okay, I forgot that goddesses have the power to read minds. Next time I'm keeping my inner thoughts to myself,' Shining thought.

“You can try.” She relied again. Now Shining thought she was doing this to troll him just like how Celestia used to troll him. Back on the subject at hand, the group headed straight for the closed vault door. Celestia approached the door even closer, using a special spell that quickly unlocked the large door.

The giant door slowly opened up, revealing the confined prisoner inside. His coat is in a golden orange color and his mane has a blood scarlet red color. His hooves and neck had shackles over them, tied to the wall with long chains that are enhanced to nullify magic. Even though he had his back turned to the ponies outside of his cell, he is revealed to be a unicorn with his horn showing form his mane.

As he hears the door of his cell now finally opened, letting light into the dark room. He remains facing away from the group and finally spoke to them. “Why did you come here?” he asked with monotone voice

"Your services are deeply requested," Celestia said.

“What for?” He asked again.

"I'm sure you're aware of how much of a threat Grogar and his creatures are and the knowledge you possess in how to combat them.”

“Yeah, I do and I remember the last one I killed,” the prisoner replied again, only this time he finally turned towards the group, revealing his face which bear a scar over his left eye; but not only that, but there were plenty of scars over his body, showing the hardships that he faced in the past. “And I nearly paid the price for my eye. So either you’re here to praise me for my past victories or mock me; I suggest you hurry it up so I can finally be left in peace.”

"I'm here to grant you your freedom. In return, I'm asking you to watch over my son and keep him out of harm's way. It would seem that Grogar is at it again and he's made Eternal Flames a primary target. If you can successfully keep him away from any of Grogar's followers, I will throw in some bits as an added bonus to your freedom," Celestia explained.

The prisoner sat in his cell for several minutes, thinking over the demands he’s given. But this thinking process began to cause the group, except Harmony, Twilight, and Starlight, impatience.

“Well are you gonna accept the offer or not!?” Shining said in irritation.

“I heard her loud and clear, Captain Shit Armor.” The prisoner replied after his moments of silence was interrupted.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU DISGUSTING BA--" Shining said before Harmony silenced him with a mute spell.

"Do you accept the offer or not, it’s your choice.” Luna asked the prisoner.

“I accept the offer,” the prisoner replied. “But… I have demands of my own.”

"Let's hear them," Celestia said.

“Wow… you really are desperate.” he replied. “Well first off… I want my weapons back; my rifle, my revolvers, and my knife. Also; second, keep your damn money, I don’t want it. And thirdly, I want a full pardon; I want out of this place... for good. And finally… I want to be able to see my mother again.” He stated. “To see her one last time before I leave this land; forever.”

"Very well. I agree with your demands. As of this moment, I hereby grant your freedom. I will arrange for your mother to come and see you as well as have all of your weapons ready," Celestia proclaimed. Lighting up her horn once again, she undid the shackles on the stallion. "Follow me to my throne room and I'll have my guards escort your mother there to meet you."

“What! Princess, you can’t be serious?” Shining tried to argue but to no avail.

"A deal is a deal and as princess, I cannot go back on my word," Celestia said.

Not wasting anymore time, Celestia and the others left the prison and are currently making their way back to the throne room.

Shining, who is still feeling queasy about the situation, kept his eye on the prisoner; making sure he doesn’t pull a fast one. Cadence sees his anxious behavior and tries her best to keep her husband calm.

“Shiny, try to relax. You know that Celestia is doing this on Eternal’s behalf.” Cadence reassures him softly.

“I know, but that piece of filth is nothing but trouble; setting him free is the worst idea ever.” Shining whispered to his wife.

“I have a name, you know.” The prisoner spoke to the royal couple. Which surprised them.

“What! You can read minds too?!” Shining responded.

“No. You just whisper too loud.” The stallion replied. "And with the way you pass me off as a piece of filth, I'm starting to wonder if you even have a heart, or why you're still in charge of the Crystal Empire with that lousy attitude."

"What was that?!" Shining asked, fuming.

"Honey, I said relax!" Cadence said, holding him back. "Though it was cold, you need to take into account why he killed so many lives."

The stallion ignore the couple’s conversation and continues to walk through the hallways; not paying attention to the stare and watchful eyes of royal guards and castle maids. What he didn’t expect next was Starlight walking close to him and try to start a conversation.

“Sooo… uh, you said you had a name. What is it exactly?” She asked.

"Blaze… Inferno Blaze. But everyone calls me The Shadow Knight," he said.

“Why do they call you that exactly? Were you a royal guard?” Starlight asked again.

"No. They call me that out of fear; so I used that to my advantage and made all my enemies tremble before me.” Inferno replied.

"Wow. That's… umm… interesting. Soooo, if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to become a mercenary in the first place? Revenge, money? Or was it something else? Because the way I see it, you must've been hurting deep inside," Starlight said, noticing how his eyes looked so sad. But then he suddenly shook his head to avoid any emotions.

“I lost the ability to feel anything years ago.” He answered before increasing his pace to avoid the conversation. But it did not fool Starlight one bit; there was something about his past that made him who he is today.

Soon, they all arrived at the throne room. Celestia then approaches one of the guards. "I need you to bring in Fleur De Lis. Tell her I sent her here on behalf of her son."

"Yes, princess," the guard said before heading out. Then in his place, two guards showed up, carrying a large case with them.

"As requested, we've brought back the prisoner's weapons. Every single one he owns," One of the other guards said.

"Perfect. Now we just have to wait until his mother comes back," Celestia said.

The wait lasted a good 5 minutes and soon, the guard soon returned with Canterlot's famous unicorn, Fleur De Lis. Her eyes locked right onto her son and right away, tears flowed out of her eyes and she ran up to him. Fleur quickly wrapped her hooves around Inferno, sobbing uncontrollably, feeling relieved that he was reunited with her.

While Inferno remained emotionless as he is; he turned to the ponies in the room and said a few words. “Princess and everypony, leave the room. I wish to speak to my mother… alone.” He asked with a monotone voice.

“Oh no! We’re not letting you out of ou-Ouuuuuuuch!” Shining yells in pain as his wife grabs him by the ear with her magic and dragging him out of the throne room.

“Take all the time you need.” Cadence said right before she and Shining were out of the room. "As for you, mister. We're going to have a serious talk about your closed-minded, harsh judgemental attitude. You'd best hope this won't result in you sleeping on the couch when we head home!"

"Da-da in twouble," little Flurry said sing-songy.

“Who invited the baby?” Inferno asked, but sounded like he was confused. This fact got Starlight thinking that maybe there are emotions that he’s hiding underneath his heartless shell.

Soon the situation turned crazy when they realized what was in Flurry’s hooves… a revolver. Then turn to Inferno’s case; only to find it wide open. This just got a whole lotta crazy.

“That’s a baby with a gun,” Sunburst said in fear. “BABY!... With a gun.”

Before anyone could take it from her, Flurry flew right out of the throne room; with her new favorite playtoy. Soon the ponies and the guards ran out the room to catch Flurry and take away the pistol from her. Leaving Inferno with his mother, alone at last.

‘They do realize that the pistol wasn’t loaded. Right?’ Inferno thought to himself. Anyways, while the others were on a wild goose chase, Inferno spent some time catching up with his mother, who was brokenhearted to see him in his current state, but relieved to see him still breathing.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to see you, deary. I was so worried," Fleur weeped, still hugging her son.

"I'm… sorry mom. I know it isn't enough to mend your broken heart, but…" Inferno stopped, unable to find the right words.

"I know. But please don't ever scare me like that again. I love you too much to wind up losing you once more. It's also my fault for not having the power to save you from a lifelong career as a feared mercenary. Please forgive your mother for being so weak." Fleur said all choked up.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It’s no one’s fault; life can be cruel, it always will be. But at least it gave me a moment to finally see you again.” Inferno said deeply as tears soon began to form in his eyes. “Every day on the run and locked in chains; you’ve always been in my dreams, every single night; giving me the strength to endure more in this life. You’ll always be my strength, mother… never forget that.” he stated.

Fleur teared up even more and hugged him even tighter. "I wish your father could've heard you say those words." she wept even more.

“I wish he were here,” Inferno said, barely containing his tears.

"Inferno, you know something? In a way, I'm so proud of you. Turning yourself in while you still had your life gave me hope. You've done more good than anyone else thought you have. I'm sure your father would be proud of you, too."

“I got tired of being away from you for too long. I wanted to be close enough to you so that maybe one day I can finally see you again. I guess that day came sooner than I expected it would.” Inferno said. “I missed you, mom… more than I could think of.”

"I've missed you, too. And I love you, Inferno," she said. Inferno couldn't hold back the tears any longer and let them loose on Fleur's shoulders. Fleur patted his back lightly. "It's okay, there's no need to fight it anymore. Just let it all out. I'm here for you."

After clearing away the tears in his eyes, Inferno had what little willpower he had to speak. “I love you, mom.”

"Me too, honey. Me too," Fleur replied, having calmed down a little. For the next few minutes, Fleur and Inferno onto held each other; never wishing to break apart. But they soon realize that they had so much to discuss over the years they’ve been apart.

“How is Canterlot treating you fairly, mom?” Inferno asked.

"Despite what's happened to you, Canterlot is treating me well. Though, the nobles can be quite dull, overbearing and rude, belittling any common ponies behind their backs," Fleur said.

“Eeeeyup; figures. This place hasn’t changed one bit since I left. And now I'm left to protect one of them.” Inferno said with irritation.

"One of them? What do you mean, my son?” Fleur asked as well.

“Well, the Princess is willing to grant me my freedom and to have a moment with you… If I agree to be her son’s bodyguard.” Inferno explained. “And seeing you again proves that she is really desperate.”

"Oh dear, so the young prince is in deep trouble. Well, I can certainly understand why she'd let you out now of all times I certainly hope it's nothing too serious. Well… if you have to do this, than I won't stop you. Just promise me you'll come back alive," Fleur said.

“Mom… Not even Harmony and Death themselves can keep me away from you.” Inferno stated.

"That's good to hear. Good luck, honey," Fleur said. Inferno nodded, then gave his mother one last hug before leaving to meet up with Celestia. Along the way, Inferno shook off any remaining emotions left and soon he was back in his emotionless shell.

Inferno quickly found Celestia and the others and approached the princess. "I'm ready. Where is the prince located?" he asked.

"Follow me. I'll show you where he is." After moments of walking through the castle, which provided time for Inferno to collect his gear; the ponies lead the assassin to a room that holds a mirror inside. Inferno walks into the room; now has his revolvers in their pouches on each of his side and his bolt-action rifle strapped to his back; eyeing the mirror with curiosity.

“Uhhh, Princess…” He became silent for a minute. “This is a mirror.”

"To anypony, it looks like an ordinary mirror, but it's actually a portal that leads to another world. A world ruled by bi-pedal beings known as humans. That's where Eternal is that right now and that's where you need to be," Celestia said.

“... It's a mirror.” Inferno said again.

"Maybe it's better if I showed him, if you don't mind, princess," Twilight said.

"Go right ahead," Celestia nodded. Twilight approached the mirror and placed a hoof on it, allowing it to phase right through it, just like magic. And on the other side of the mirror, Twilight's hoof turned into a hand and she wiggled her fingers.

"See? Now do you believe her?" Twilight asked.

“Well… that’s the last seconds I’m never gonna get back.” Inferno said with his usual tone.

"Hold on, princess. Allow me to tell him a few things before he goes," Harmony said. The goddess approached the young assassin. "Before you go, you must know that you have a human counterpart who's currently out on vacation with his family. So you’ll be able to fit in with the world. However, that also means you'll have to go there in disguise in case some of his friends get suspicious.”

“Well that takes care of one thing. Now I have to deal with not getting spotted… which I’m pretty much used to.” Inferno said.

"Easy, I have an outfit that'll help you keep you well-hidden," Harmony said.

“What outfit? I better not wear a goddamn tux.” Inferno said.

"Nope, too obvious. Let me show you," Harmony replied. Lighting up her horn, she enveloped Inferno in a magical veil. Then, in a flash of light, Inferno is now wearing a stetson hat, red mask over his mouth, a blue button-up shirt and matching blue jeans with gun holders as a belt. And for the cherry on top, he had a brown cape, making him look like a western bounty-hunter. He faces towards the mirror and expects his new look. Even though he didn’t show it; even with the mask on; he liked it a lot. Starlight like the look as well; if she wasn’t busy hiding her blushing cheeks.

“Hmm, I suppose it'll do," Inferno said.

“Whoa! Whoa! Hold on. We can’t just expect him to wander around in another world unnoticed and unsupervised?” Shining stated. ‘I mean who’s gonna keep him under control?” he asked.

"That's it. You're sleeping on the couch when we get home," Cadance said, annoyed.

"If it helps, I'll tag along with him," Starlight said. "I've went to the human world once before, but only one time. I'm sure Grogar doesn't know anything about me and is sure not to come after me as well."

"She does provide a sound logic to that," Harmony agreed.

“Guess I wouldn’t mind. I do need to know about the world I’m heading into.” Inferno agreed.

“Ohhhhh no! Starlight, you are not going. Harmony with all do respect, I have been to that world twice, and have full knowledge of what it’s like; I-” Before Twilight would finish, Harmony instantly interrupted her.

“NO YOU WILL NOT!!!” Harmony said with the Canterlot Voice; frightening everyone in the room; well except Inferno… cause he doesn’t show it. “Grogar will sense your presence and will send more of his followers to uncover why you arrived in the human world. And besides, with your counterpart now known, it’ll make him realize you’re Equestrian. It would be best that Mrs. Glimmer here is to join Inferno.” she explained.

"I'm going to have to agree with her, Twilight. Grogar also knows that your human counterpart has also dealt with magic forces before. And seeing two of you would not only put my son in more danger, but everyone else in the human world as well. As far as Starlight goes, her human counterpart hasn't been found yet," Celestia said.

“So my counterpart is away; hers is non-existent yet… sounds like the perfect scheme," Inferno said, smirking.

"A-Alright. Just be careful you two," Twilight said.

"I'll be fine, Twilight," Starlight said.

“Don’t worry princess, I’ll bring her back in one piece… probably only missing one part at that.” Inferno mumbled the last part of his sentence.

'I heard that, but I won't tell a soul if you promise to only spout it in your mind,' Harmony said to him telepathically.

'Noted,' Inferno replied in his mind.

"Now then, if we're all settled in agreement, I believe it's finally time to put our plan into motion, so it's all up to you now, Inferno," Celestia said. "Protect my son as best you can."

"You have my word. As long as I have yours.” And soon after that, Inferno walk towards the mirror and then slowly steps into the portal, and disappeared. Starlight stayed a bit longer and hugged her friend and mentor, Twilight, goodbye. After that, she left through the portal, soon joining up with her new partner.

Meanwhile, Sunset and Eternal had finished their clothes shopping, especially getting some clothes hand-sewn by her good friend, Rarity. Now, Eternal had on a black shirt with burgundy red sleeves and brown pants with black and grey shoes. On the front of Eternal's shirt was a picture of his cutie mark, which was a golden star inside a burning orange and red flame.

But she also got him a grey sweater that would hide his face from the public eye. And now, they were on their way to get Eternal something to eat after making his new clothes.

"So is there any particular restaurant you like to eat?" Sunset asked.

"Anywhere is fine. I'm not picky when it comes to meals," Eternal replied.

"Then I might know of a nice place where we can get some food. Just make sure not to take the hood off, or people will start getting the wrong idea," Sunset said. She quickly put the pedal to the metal, riding down the road, then made a left turn and stopped at a fast food restaurant called Brick's Big Burgers.

Sunset parked her bike near the entrance, then took off her helmet and got off her bike, guiding Eternal inside the establishment.

From afar, one of Grogar's followers, Frostbite, stayed hidden, watching the target, but had his fists clenched, not liking what he's seeing. "If that girl wins him over and falls for him at the same time, we're done for!" he mumbled to himself. "If only I could--" But before he could rant on, he notices another young man walking by the restaurant. A young man with blue hair, wearing a black hoodie, cream yellow skin and blue eyes. "Hmm… looks like I don't need to interfere."

Frostbite watches with a cocky smirk as the young blue-haired man entered the restaurant as the other two did. Frostbite chuckled menacingly, unknowingly drawing attention from other people around him.

"Okay, major creep alert," a woman said.

“Bet he’s high on something.” a man added.

Back at the statue outside of Canterlot High, the wall of the statue begins to ripple like it’s made of magical energy. Soon a young man; wearing a stetson hat and a mask, walks right out of the portal; though he stumbled a bit before finding his stance; and stop at 4 feet from the base of the statue and begins to observe his surroundings.

“So this is the human world… I expected less.” He said.

But while he didn’t notice, the portal begins to ripple again and then out of nowhere; a young girl shoot right out of the portal and right into the boy’s back sending the two tumbling to the ground. The two Equestrians now turned humans rolled on the ground in pain, while Starlight sat herself up from the ground, gripping her head where she hit it.

"Okay, note to self, never leap through the portal at full speed," Starlight said. "Inferno, did I break anything or are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine, but can you please get off my back?" Inferno replied. Starlight blushed and quickly moved off of Inferno before offering to help him up. Though hesitant, Inferno then accepted it and grabbed her hand, standing him back on his feet. "Okay, what do we do first?"

"First, we need to get you familiar with the customs here in the human world," she replied. Starlight really had her work cut out today. The journey down this dangerous road was going to put their skills to the test. They can only hope it doesn't end in disaster.

“So this world has more excitement than Equestria does… This is certainly my kind of place.” Inferno said.

“I wouldn’t call wars and violence… excitement?” Starlight replied her opinion.

“Well that’s your opinion, not mine.” Inferno responded. “So my dear…” He turns to face Starlight who was anxious and yet; in her mind, entranced by his eyes.

“Where do I find the prince?”

A Fine Mess This Turned Out To Be

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After arriving and entering the burger joint, Sunset and Eternal waited in line. Eternal's eyes wandered around the restaurant, admiring the decor. Sunset giggled quietly to herself how he's taking in his surroundings. But her moment left when he was about to remove his hood. She gasped and stopped Eternal just in time.

"No, don't!" Sunset said quietly.

"Sorry, Sunset. But this restaurant's getting a little warm and this hoodie ain't doing me any favors other than giving me a high risk of heat strokes," Eternal whispered back.

“Maybe we can order you some water; keep you hydrated. How’s that?” Sunset suggested.

"Sure, I could use a drink or two," Eternal said. Soon, after the line got shorter, it was now Sunset's and Eternal's turn.

"Okay, see anything you like?" Sunset asked.

"Anything's fine. I'm not picky," Eternal replied. Sunset nodded and started ordering two meals, but added an extra burger for her friend just in case he was extra hungry. She then pays the cashier and takes Eternal over to a table at the end of the restaurant on the left side. There, they took their seats and waited for their meals to arrive.

"Are you holding up alright under there, Eternal?" she asks.

“Well I feel like a living furnace; but so far, I’m peachy.” Eternal replied.

"Don't worry, you'll get your meal and water soon. Eternal, I still can't believe you came all this way just to find me. If you don't mind me asking, what've you been up to recently before you came to look for me?" Sunset asked

"I got mixed up in a battle with King Sombra. He somehow got resurrected and waged war against Canterlot and he even destroyed the Tree of Harmony, as well as the Elements of Harmony in the process. But Twilight and her friends, along with myself, stopped that buffoon before he could do anymore damage. I couldn't do much though, since my magic was being disabled by those dark crystals of his. And I could only do so much with physical combat." Eternal explained. "And don't even get me started on that obnoxious laugh of his."

"That bad?" Sunset asked.

"You don't know the half of it. My mother is planning on retiring soon. So is my dear aunt Luna," Eternal said. "And she's passing on one day passing her leadership of Equestria to Twilight."

"But what about you? You're her son, isn't it like a… sacred tradition for the heir to inherit the throne or something?" Sunset asked.

"As devoted as I was to my mother's studies, Twilight showed more ambition and talent than I could ever hope to accomplish. But, to be honest… I don't mind her becoming a leader. Plus, the ponies are better off with someone who doesn't use excessive force like I do. But enough about me, how long have you been living here in this world?" Eternal asked.

“Well, things in this world have been quite crazy and stressful for me and my friends. Last spring, we had to deal with the out-of control magic surges from the Storm King’s staff; and before that, we had to deal with a girl who had a magic smartphone; then during winter, me and Pinkie had to run across a snowball battle… while protecting her precious pastry delivery.” Sunset explained.

"Tch, in my world, I can't exactly join any team when it comes to snowball fights. Anytime I'm in one of those, I can't control my aim, especially since I always attack when I leap in the air. Snowballs launching in every direction is no cake walk in the park," Eternal replied.

"You know, there was this one guy who tried to help me during the snowball fight, but he instantly wiped out and got snow all over him," Sunset replied.

"And how did he wipe out so early?" Eternal asked.

"He was talking like some crazed fanboy about finally being able to join my "adventure" and even tried to show off, so in the end, he wound up slipping on the icy path and dropped his snowballs all over him," Sunset explains.

"Wow… in my honest opinion, that was just pathetic," Eternal said, deadpanned.

Sunset giggled in his response. “Yeah, you can say that. But at least it was a fun time, and not a situation where my friends have to save the world once again.”

"Your meals," the server said, walking over and placing their meal tray on the table. "If you need anything else, just let me know. Enjoy."

"Thank you," Sunset said. As soon as the server left, she and Eternal started eating. But something stopped her from taking a bite out of her burger. For a moment, Sunset thought her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw Eternal's mouth open and all of his teeth turned into fangs. She could also swear she heard him growl as he bit off half of the burger.

"Mmm," Eternal said, munching down. After he had his first bite of a burger, his eyes were drawn to Sunset and then is confused as to why Sunset is looking at him weird.

“Uhhh, Sunset, why are you staring at me like that?” he asked her.

"Oh, uh… n-nothing. I guess I was just spacing out," she lied, waving it off.

"Well, okay if you say so." Eternal continued eating his burger like normal. Sunset shrugged off the experience and just went back to eating her meal. But when she looked back at her old friend again, she got wide-eyed when she noticed his sapphire eyes changing to a dark red color and can ever so slightly see his pupils become slit. She dropped her burger on the tray with her jaw hanging open.

Eternal sees the shock expression and suddenly his eyes instantly turned back to normal as he faces towards his old childhood friend.

"Okay, what's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" Eternal asked again. But then, he remembered how thirsty he was and drank some of his water, leaving the cup half empty. "Now what's with the expression? Sunset didn't know if she could talk her way out of this one. He had already caught her looking at him weirdly twice in a row. But then…

"Sunset! I didn't know you'd be here, what a coincidence!" said another male voice. Hers and Eternal's attention were then brought towards this young man in a black jacket with blue hair and eyes and faded yellow skin.

'What the hell, who is this guy?' Eternal thought to himself.

"Oh, hi Flash. Uh… have you met my friend here?" she gestured to Eternal. Flash turned to the man, but he was keeping his head down, hiding his face in the hoodie and using his hair in order to shield his eyes away from the man.

"Yeah, but… I don't think he's too happy to see me. Do you know him?" Flash asked.

"Actually… he was my childhood friend back in Equestria. And… my, umm… my crush," she murmured that last part so only Flash could hear it, but not Eternal for some reason.

"WHAT?! Hold on, this guy?! You gotta be kidding me, why didn't you tell me?" Flash asked, feeling hurt.

"It slipped my mind over the years since I came here, okay? I didn't know he was gonna show up and find me here. I couldn't just turn my back on him." Sunset said.

Flash looked back and forth from Sunset to Eternal, but squinted his eyes at him, not buying that this guy was Sunset's first crush. Scooching over to her friend, he placed a hand on the table, or more specifically… slammed it on the table.

"You do realize if you break that, you gotta pay for it," Eternal said bluntly.

"Look, I don't know you and you don't know me, so I'll cut right to the point. Who are you and how did you get here?" Flash asked, rather rudely.

"Flash, be nice to him. He hasn't done anything wrong" Sunset objected.

"Sunset, I'm just trying to get some answers. Like for instance, if you're so sweaty, then take off that hood for pete's sake," Flash said, yanking his hoodie off, revealing his face.

"HEY!!!" Eternal shouted, leaping out of his seat, over Flash and landing behind him, putting his hoodie back on. "Don't ever do that again!"

"What's the big deal, it's just a hoodie. And now that I know what you look like under there, I'm gonna tell you this once…" but before he could warn him, Flash suddenly feels something like sharp metal pressed against the back of his neck; threatening to slice it open.

“I suggest you take a walk, boy.” A monotone voice spoke to him from behind. From Eternal and Sunset’s vision; the guy who is behind Flash, is wearing what seems to be a modern look of a cowboy. With a stetson hat on his head, the red mask over his mouth, and the revolver pistols in his gun holsters. The blade that he had on Flash, looked like a Kurki, the kind of version that the Gurkas used in WW2. And from the looks of the situation, he wasn’t happy about what was going on.

"Wait, stop! What do you think you're doing?!" shouted a female voice. Right on cue, Starlight barged into the restaurant while the other customers were either hiding under the tables or fleeing outside and out of harm's way.

"Starlight?!" Sunset asked in surprise.

"Starlight, what are you doing here?" Eternal asked in surprise also.

“Uhhh… visiting.” She replied meekly.

"Furthermore… Where did you come from? Don't you know civilians can't carry weapons out in the open?" he asked the… lone ranger, or whatever he looked like.

The stranger looks toward Eternal after he gave his statement; but, judging from the look of his eyes… He didn’t give a damn. “Well I ain’t no civilian! So stay out of my business, boy.” he responded with resentment. Then he turned towards Sunset who was silent through the situation.

“Ms. Glimmer here, told me you know more about the person I’m looking for… So Sunset Shimmer… where is Prince Eternal Flames?” the stranger asked in a deep voice.

"Uh… you just spoke to him?" Sunset gestures over to the hooded man.

"Wait… why is he looking for me?" Eternal asked.

“Heh heh heh…” Starlight chuckled nervously. “Well Eternal… your mother sent him.” She then raises her arms up in a way like a presenter on an award show. “Meet your new bodyguard… the Shadow Knight.” She said, even though she did say his true name, but wanted to prevent them from knowing who he really is.

"WHAT?!" Eternal shouted, pulling his entire hoodie off, not even caring about whoever sees him in public now. "Was she really that desperate to make sure I'm not hurt?"

“Yeah, she was a kid.” the Shadow Knight replied, removing his blade from Flash’s neck -- who sighed in relief.

"Phew, saved by the bell," Flash said. But then the merc grabs his jacket and then tosses him over next to the front door of the restaurant.

“Now, beat it punk!” The assassin scolded Flash and then he turned back towards the other three Equestrian-turned-people that were with him. Then places his Kurki in its sheath on his belt.

"Who the hell was that guy and why was he getting up in my face like that?" Eternal asked.

"Uh, remember the guy I told you about who wiped out during the snowball battle because he was trying to show?" Sunset asked back. Eternal nodded. "That was him. The guy's name is Flash Sentry. I'm really sorry you had to meet him like that. He's usually nice around other people. I guess seeing you came as a shock to him."

"So it seems. But anyways, what kind of danger was I in for my mother to send in Equestria's most feared assassin?” Eternal asked, turning towards Inferno.

“That is nothing for you to know,” The assassin replied. “Only I, your mother, and Starlight here, know the information. The only thing I’m hired to do is keep you out of harm’s way, not tell you anything… even if you are the son of the Solar Princess.” He explained in a way that sounded like it was out of anger; which got Starlight even more curious.

"And why does it bother you that I'm her son? Is it because I pass off as a snobbish brat?" Eternal asks, folding his arms.

“It was the Canterlot nobles and your mother that saw me a criminal for many years; so I ain’t going to let it slide for today. But, I’ll be forced to since your mommy has promised my freedom for your safety.”

"Wait, you didn't charge her any bits?" Eternal asks in surprise.

“To mercenaries and cold-blooded assassins – like me – the only thing that’s more precious to us… is freedom.” The Shadow Knight stated. Before walking up to Eternal, leading the two to have a silent moment face-to-face. “One that you’re family and the Canterlot nobility have very little knowledge of.” He sternly said.

Soon the merc turns away from Eternal and walks away before stopping next to Starlight. “I’ll be outside, checking the perimeter for any threats.” He whispered to her before he continued to walk towards the front door and finally left the building.

"I am so sorry if we caused any trouble here. Just let me know if you need anything," Starlight said before chuckling nervously and went outside with Inferno.

Meanwhile, Grogar's soldier had to stay back after spotting the assassin. "Damn it! This reconnaissance just got a whole lot more difficult," he said. "Master, it seems we've run into some big trouble. It seems The Shadow Knight has showed up and it looks like he's guarding the prince."

"Blast! Okay, watch your six and do not engage. If he spots you, come here to the castle," Grogar said through telepathy.

“You know I kinda figured one of you would actually be here!” A voice called out to the demon soldier from the end of the alleyway he was hiding in. “Makes me glad that I wasn’t sent here for no reason.”

"Speak of the devil. Shouldn't you be rotting in a prison cell? Or was it a prison "vault?" the soldier asked, backing away into a battle stance. From the end of the alleyway that led out into the streets of town, The Shadow Knight made himself known, eyeing down at the demon he has easily cornered.

“Oooh ouch! I’m hurt… Not really.” The assassin mocked. “But be honest, you guys do miss me. Haven’t had anypony to give you guys a real challenge in years. It must’ve been boring for you.” He said,

"You always were the mouthy one. But mark my words, when the hour of the boy's crowning day finally comes, this world and all its inhabitants will be ours!" the soldier snarled.

“Woooow, you bastards really haven’t changed.” Inferno said sarcastically. “Face it, that’s never gonna happen; not when I’m around. But since I'm in a good mood, today's your lucky day. I’ll let you live… only with a warning. Tell your boss to quit sending your guys here; or else, I’ll send you back to where you came from… without your heads.” He stated.

"Noted," the soldier replied with an intense glare. But then, the soldier opened up a portal in front of Inferno, then jumped in a second before the portal closed. Leaving the assassin alone in the alleyway.

“They’ll be back… they always come back.” He said before heading back to the restaurant to meet up with his client. Walking back in the restaurant, he goes over to Eternal and Sunset. His eyes locked on the bacon-headed beauty and noticed her looking troubled or perhaps frightened. This got the merc confused but simply shrugged it off and as he drew closer to the two, along with Starlight, who waited for him in a seat behind Eternal and Sunset’s table.

Meanwhile, Eternal's troubles were beginning to pile up. Seeing that Flash boy show up like that and approaching Sunset like that had filled his mind with doubts. 'Could it be that he and Sunset have something that I'm too late to achieve? This day might not go as well as I planned. Maybe I should just tell her about my-- No! I can't bring it upon myself to tell her of my curse. This is my burden to bear and mine alone.' he thinks to himself.

"Hey, Eternal listen. Since things have gotten a little… out of hand today, why won't I drop you off at my place now. You can bring your food along with you," Sunset suggested.

"Alright, but first," Eternal goes and grabs his hoodie, putting it back on. "I still have to remain incognito from the public eye, even though it's pointless by now."

"You always did have a sharp mind," Sunset chuckled.

“Well if he goes, I go.” The Shadow Knight stated loudly, enough to make the two friends notice he’s here. Starlight on the other hoof; or hand, remains quite nervous about the situation. Especially since she has to accompany a dangerous assassin into a new world.

"Uh… Sunset? I don't mean to be a pest, but… I promised Celestia that I'd show “Eternal’s bodyguard” around in the human world. So, if it isn't too much trouble, could I also possibly crash at your place?" Starlight asked, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Well… as long as you don't mind sleeping in my sleeping bag. I still have it from my trip to Camp Everfree some time ago. But… Shadow is gonna have to sleep on the couch. Same with Eternal, nothing personal," Sunset explained.

"I might not like it, but I'll work with it," Eternal replied.

“Well if it means I can find a place to rest and watch over Prince Charming here; then I guess it’ll have to do.” Shadow replied, which irritated Eternal. “But first… would you mind telling me where I can find the nearest gun shop here?” He asked, which then had everyone surprised.

"It's five blocks north from here. Four doors away from Carousel Boutique.

“Alright then,” He responded and unexpectedly, he takes out his Kurki - which is still in its sheath and then tosses it to Sunset, which stumbled in her hands before finally having a tight grip on it. “Don’t… Lose… That! I’ll be at your home before dawn,” He stated before walking away from the group towards his destination.

“I better follow him; to make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble. See you guys later.” Starlight said as she took off after the merc, leaving Eternal and Sunset alone with each other.

"Sunset…" Eternal said, getting uneasy with the knife Sunset's holding. "When we get home, could you, uh… put that knife in a place I won't be able to find it? There's something about it that's making my body grow cold." He wasn't kidding around, his body seemed to be shaking violently the longer he's close to that knife.

"Sure, I can do that. Come on, get your food ready and we'll head out," Sunset replied. Eternal took his meal and then Sunset went to the cashier, asking for a bag. He does so and hands it to her before handing it to Eternal. He bags his food and follows her outside towards her bike. She gets on board and starts up the engine. Eternal hops on afterwards, holding onto Sunset once she drives off.

Back in the dimension where Harmony and Death reside, Death stared off into space, feeling concerned and uneasy. Harmony instantly noticed her lover's distress. "It's about Eternal Flames, isn't it, my love?" she asked.

"I'm having my doubts about this plan. You know as well as I do that Grogar's blood runs deep within Eternal's veins. That makes him the same as Grogar and his other followers. And there's only one weakness that can render his immortality useless. The weapons the Shadow Knight uses are made of the material that are poisonous to Eternal." Death explained.

“That was also on my mind, luckily he has Ms. Shimmer to look out for him, since she has the caring spirit that the assassin has lost years ago. But I truly believe that’s not the only thing I'm worried about.” Harmony sadly stated.

"Care to explain, dear?" Death asked, holding his beloved's hoof.

“The fact that worries me is that; what will happen if Inferno Blaze discovers what young Eternal would become… or if Eternal discovers about the assassin’s past.” Harmony explained.

"I see your point. By the way, who is this… other boy that you mentioned during our confrontation with Grogar last night?" Death asked.

"Do you know about Eternal's younger brother?" Harmony asked. Death nodded. "Well… I've chosen his human counterpart."

Death's concerns escalated even more than before. "Please tell me you know who he'll end up with by the end of this whole mess," he said.

"I do, but it's up to him to reignite the passionate flame with his old preschool friend," Harmony said, causing more stress to her beloved.

"Harmony, you're risking a lot on this bargain. If you hadn't noticed, she's still hanging around with this cocky coward! If our plan backfires when Eternal's birthday arrives, Grogar wins and he'll take two victims for the price of one!"

“I know my love… But what choice do we have? We can’t afford to see an innocent soul become lost in the twisted mind of Grogar. While Eternal would be corrupted by it, but the one that I’ve chosen has the will to resist; for his soul is too pure to bend at Grogar’s tyranny.”

"You had this planned, didn’t you.” Death said, now becoming aware of what his wife has planned.

“Yes, indeed. If we eventually lose the bargain, then my champion would have to be the only hope Eternal has. And Grogar will see that fate can never remain a straight line as it is.” Harmony stated. “But, if that too also fails; then we have no choice but to -” Harmony paused right before she said her final words.

"It's never easy, is it?" Death asked, understanding what she almost said.

“In all my years, living among the cosmic beings… I’ve always given life to many peaceful creatures among the land.” Harmony said, as tears soon formed from her eyes. “I never thought that one day, I’ll be forced to take a life away.”

Now Death could sense Harmony's distress and approached her, wrapping her in his hooves. "Whatever happens in the end, we'll try and make things right." he said. Looking back on their bargain, Death knows he's also to blame for this whole mess. A young prince who carries himself and bears the burden of his curse alone… and a pure-hearted young man being brought into the crossfires without even knowing the danger, it's gonna take a hell of a miracle to fix this mess and hopefully it won't end up worse than it's already started.

Meanwhile, back at Celestia's house, while the CHS Principal was watching TV, she could hear the sound of tools could be heard in a room down the hall. In that room, a young man with orange hair, light yellow skin and purple eyes was inside, working on some equipment he's been working on for a while now. His name is Heat Blitz.

"This has to work. It's just gotta work," Heat said to himself. At the moment, he was finishing up what looked like a neon glove that was giving off weird vibrations at the fingertips. The other glove was still under construction and was about to give his finished on a test drive. "Alright, let's see if this'll work."

Putting on the glove, he aimed his hand at the wall. He shot out shock waves, but ended up getting blown back himself and hit the wall behind him and landed on the floor. "OOF!!! Ouch… Still not right," he said, getting up and taking off his glove.

"Heat Blitz, is everything alright?" Celestia called out, knocking on her son's door.

"Y-Yeah, just another failed experiment. I'll be fine," Heat replied.

"Okay, but please be careful there. You don't wanna hurt yourself too much," Celestia replied before walking back into the living room.

"Point taken," Heat replied. "Well, back to the drawing board. This thing still needs some more work done on it before I can use it properly," he says to himself.

But before he could identify what the problem was in his last test, Heat then hears his phone ringing on his desk. He went over to it to see who was calling him and sees that Inferno – the human counterpart – is calling him. Heat then connects his phone to his computer and switches the screen for a video chat. Once he did, a video chat of Inferno appeared on the computer screen, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, red shorts, and dark red shades.

“What’s up, Heat. I didn’t get to see you before I left. How’s it hanging?” He said while sipping from a small cider bottle that had the familiar Apples Family logo on it.

"It's going alright, aside from getting the wind knocked out of me. But on the bright side, that Draconium metal you gave me is pretty sturdy," Heat replied.

“No problem, bro.” Inferno replied, “So has there been any progress?”

"It's produced the necessary for to repel, but I was the one who got repelled. I still need to work out the kinks in that so that I blast others back and not me. I also still haven't figured out how to install the healing pulsations inside this," Heat showed the glove he was working on. "Do you have any suggestions?"

“Hmmmm…” Inferno was doing some quick thinking, while taking another sip from his cider. And then after a few seconds, he replied back. “Well… there is one thing that might work. Another invention I made 2 days before I left for the trip. Check the drawers of your desk and you’ll find a small little capsule with an injection gun.

"Inferno, what's in the capsule?" Heat asks. "Is it some sort of enhancer?"

"No, those are nano-bots inside that capsule. If you inject them inside your body, you'll be able to heal your own wounds. It won't matter how fatal your injuries are or how fatal any infectious disease infects your body. Heck the last time I used them, they instantly cure a person’s cancer in a mili-second.” Inferno explained.

"Really? That's amazing! Wait… what's the drawback?" Heat asks.

Inferno then groans in irritation; like he expected that question. “The nano-bots can only be activated by a high frequency energy pulse – which I had to use in my last test – and that same energy pulse; powers up the suit.” Inferno stated. “So meaning… You have to wear the suit in order to activate the nano-bots. But there’s also one setback that the nano-bots have.”

This then raises concern for Heat. “What is the setback?”

“Well, the first – and last – person I tested on with the nano-bots… the results I got were completely unexpected.” Inferno explained. “But the person didn’t get hurt or died; in fact, the test was successful… a little too successful. After 5 hours after injection, I checked the person’s bloodstream to see if the nano-bots were working perfectly; I soon found out that the nano-bots completely merged with the person’s body … at a “cellular level”.”

"So, the nano-bots immediately become a part of a person's body as the person's new white blood cells or something?" Heat asked.

“Well it wasn’t what I planned. I design the nano-bots to be a temporary medical tool, and then inject it out of the human bloodstream; so it could reused again next time. But realizing that they can merge with the human cells completely, is… well, quite interesting.”

"How long did it take you to design those nano-bots and is it a good thing that they merge a person's body?" Heat asked.

“Well it took me 7 years and it is marvelous that they are able to do that… but it gets me curious quite a bit. Like what other secrets do they hide.” Inferno stated

"7 years?! Jeez, you must've been busy!" Heat said until he got another idea. "Wait a second, I got an idea!"

“What is it?” Inferno asked with curiosity.

"The nano-bots you gave me, what I could invent a suit that could transfer their healing powers directly into the suit and send out healing pulsations inside the human body, allowing the user to not only heal themself, but other people at the same time!" Heat replied.

“Yeah… Yeah! That might work! Fusing the nano-bots with the suit could enhance the suit’s healing unit and not only that; strengthening the suit’s plating and repair it if it takes any damage in the process.” Inferno exclaimed.

"Looks like we've hit another breakthrough. I'm gonna get started on this right away. You're a genius, Inferno. And tell your parents I said hi," Heat said.

“Will do. Take care, my frie-” Inferno paused for a bit and looked away from the screen. “HEY!” He shouted out in anger and soon turned back to Heat. “Gotta go, some asshole is hitting on my mom, see you later.” Then after that, Inferno hung up.

"Oy vey, the worst part about other nobles… is they can't take a hint when they're in the presence of a "married" woman. Especially when the husband and son are in the area. Lets hope Inferno and Magnus doesn't rough 'em up too badly. Now… back to work," Heat said before getting to work on his suit. But then, his eyes dart over to a small picture frame of him as a little kid and a little ponytailed lavender girl with glasses. "Maybe I'll run into you someday if I get lucky."

And so, setting his mind back on the right track, Heat Blitz continued his work. This time, he wasn't gonna stop for nothing… except for a bite later down the line.

A Dark Turn

View Online

That awkward moment back at the burger joint almost got out of hand, but thankfully, no one got hurt and Sunset managed to get Eternal to her house safe and sound. They stepped off her motorbike and walked up towards the front door. "Eternal, listen. I'm really really sorry you had to see all of that happen earlier. I should've told you that Flash and I had some history for quite some time now. And… back then… he was my ex-boyfriend," she explained.

"Excuse me?" Eternal asked, shocked. But at the same time, a smaller part of him was relieved… sort of.

"I know, but if you come inside, I can explain everything a little more," Sunset said. Eternal was still surprised to know she was in a relationship with that guy, but he'd rather not make a scene and just hear her out.

"Sure. Always best to keep an open mind," Eternal replied. Sunset nodded and unlocked the door to her house and stepped inside. Her friend stepped inside and closed the door for her, locking it up.

Sunset walked him over to the couch and sat down with him. "Okay, the thing about Flash is that back then, when I first got here… I wasn't always the nice girl you see me as now. I… was a heartless bitch who wanted to rule Canterlot High and even though Flash was my boyfriend back then, I was never really into him. I used him for my own selfish ends. I didn't know better and all because I was denied the chance to become a princess like your mother and Princess Twilight Sparkle," she explained.

Eternal quirked his eye. "Was it really that important to you to become a princess?" he asked.

"Afraid so. And the day after Twilight's coronation, I went through some extreme lengths to steal Twilight's crown and returned to the human world." Sunset replied. Eternal's eyes widened from her last statement.

"What? You came back? That's strange, my mother never told me you came back. And you said this happened the day after Twilight's coronation?" Eternal asked.

"Yeah, but I think your mom made the decision of not telling you. She probably didn't want you to see the part of me that would've torn you up inside. And believe me… A part of me; on that day, didn’t want you to see me that way too.” Sunset stated in a sad tone. Eternal patted Sunset on her shoulder gently, giving her some comfort.

"I can tell you this: At least you have a conscience that told you not to let me see you like that. Believe me, while you were gone, I've made some mistakes in my life that I'm not proud of and… they made me scared of myself," Eternal replied.

"Mistakes? What do you mean?" Sunset asked.

"A few years ago, when I was barely starting out in my teen years, these other colts my age teased me, lumping me in with my cousin, Blueblood. I told them over and over that I was nothing like him, but they wouldn't lay off. They didn't buy it and pushed it even further, saying a spoiled brat is all I'll ever become. I got so mad that… everything went black. When I woke up, they were pinned underneath me saying "enough, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me, master!" It through me off," he explained.

"Was he hurt?" Sunset asked.

"Black eye, bloody nose and… those weird scratch marks all over his body. It's like he was attacked by some savage beast," Eternal said before shivering from that image.

Considering that into the fact that she witnessed his facial features change during their lunch, she thinks there might be a connection. But it's not something he'd want to tell her even if she asks him. Something tells her she might want to talk this over with her friends. "Uh, Eternal?" she said.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Listen, I'm gonna go and meet up with the girls for a little bit. You just, uh… stay here and watch some TV and I'll be right back," Sunset replied before getting up from the couch.

"When will you be back?"

"Later, or possibly, when you need me.” She replied, pointing towards the phone lying on the couch table in front of him. "It's simple, you pick up this phone and then dial the numbers in this particular order." Sunset then gets out a piece of paper from her purse and writes down her phone number. "Afterwards, press the green button on the left side and you'll hear the phone ringing a few times before I pick up on the other line." she finishes.

"Okay then," Eternal replied. Sunset then gave Eternal a hug before heading out the door. She got out her phone and texted her friends in a group chat, telling them to meet her over at the Sugar Cafe and that it was urgent. They all responded that they'd be there as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Inferno/Shadow and Starlight were walking along the sidewalk of town. Following the directions that Sunset gave to the assassin; reaching closer to their destination.

"It's not much further," Starlight said.

The assassin simply hums in reply, acknowledging her for her statement. Seems that he wasn’t very fond of talking much.

"You know, if you have something that's troubling you, you can always talk to me about it," Starlight said, noticing that look in his eyes.

The assassin didn’t respond to her; however, in his mind, he was quite surprised. In all his life, running from the law and killing many contract targets, he had never met anyone who would stop and listen to what he feels and thinks. He didn’t know how to respond to that, but he simply shrugged any of those thoughts from his mind.

“I rather not say anything about it.” he replied, coldly. Starlight lowered her head in acceptance and hurt from his reply. “However…” He responded again. “T-thank you for asking that.” he hesitantly said. Starlight could see a hint of a twinkle in his eyes, knowing her kindness was opening his heart up little by little. She knows it may take a lot of time to reach towards what he has buried deep within his soul, but she is glad that her little efforts were starting to affect him; piece-by-piece.

Soon, she comes to a stop after finding the gun shop. "Well, here we are. What did you want to do here in the first place?" she asks.

"You'll see," Inferno replied, stepping inside. Starlight followed him in the shop and were greeted by the man behind the counter.

"Hey, welcome to Ammo-lot, we got guns, knives, RPGs and everything in between. How can help you today?" the man asked.

Inferno looks every inch of the store, seeing all the guns and rifles on the shelves around him. Then he turned towards the owner and replied. "Do you have any gunsmith equipment, tools to make cartridges and bullets?”

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. They're in the back, why?" he asked.

Inferno reaches towards two small sacks hanging from his holster belt and then tosses them onto the counter. The owner checks the bags, to see what was inside them. And to his surprise, they were filled with gold coins and gems.

“I like to borrow them for the day, I have a preferred type of bullets that I would like to craft myself.” Inferno stated. “For certain purposes.”

"My word, boy! How on earth did you get all these gems and coins?" the man asked, attempting to count all of the goods.

“That’s none of your concern; however, they are all yours to keep, If I pick out a few of the weapons you have here.

"You know what… if you wanna use the gunsmith tools, be my guest. I won't ask where ya got all these as long as ya don't tell anyone you're using my tools. Go on back, bud," he said.

Inferno tips his hat in thanks and then makes his way to the back of the store. But suddenly stopped after he sees something catches his eye. He then walks towards one of the store’s shelves where revolver guns were on display. There were many to choose from; however, one caught his eye. He reaches out towards the revolver that caught his eye and inspects it like it was a priceless gem.

“Ahhhh… I see your a big fan of revolver guns, aren’t you?” The owner asks the assassin as he left the counter and stood right next to Inferno. “What you got there is a Smith & Wesson model 17-8; the big gun of revolvers in our time. Has a 10-shot cylinder, meaning it can carry up to 10 .22-caliber rounds.” He explained.

“10 shots?” Inferno responded in amazement. His twin Peacemaker revolvers both carry up to 6 rounds, but the revolver he was holding carried 10! That’s enough to excite him. He later walks up to the counter of the store and places the revolver on it. After that, he begins walking around the store, picking up weapons that reached his level of taste; placing them all on the counter and resumes collecting. He picked up a Smith & Wesson SW1911 and an MRI Desert Eagle from the pistol section. Picked up 3 shotguns from the shotgun section: a Remington M1100 semi-auto, a Benelli Supernova pump-action, and the most preferred Winchester M1887 lever-action shotgun.

In the rifles area, he picked up a Winchester M1894 lever-action rifle, to ensure he has a rifle that won’t jamn on him. But that’s not the only one, he’s also picked up another lever-action rifle, the Browning BLR; including a Remington 7400 rifle, a BAR Mark II Safari semi-auto rifle, an AR-15 and the M14 assault rifle.

After placing them on the counter, along with his other choices, he then spots a peculiar knife inside the glass container of the counter. It’s blade was curved like a claw and it’s steel blade is covered in red. He turned towards the owner, who stood right back behind the counter.

“What’s that blade right there?” he asked him.

“Ah, I see you have an eye for something.” He replied, while reaching into the container and pulls out the blade; placing it on the counter. "That here is a Karambit Knife, has a 5-inch curved blade that resembles a raptor’s claw. Made of cold steel with a red color look to it; sharp enough to hook and tear through any flesh of animal.” The owner explained.

Inferno became amused by the owner’s statement and gestures him to put it alongside his pile of choices on the counter. The owner obliges and places the blade next to the weapons.

While Inferno looks at the variety of weapons he’s picked out, the owner – along with Starlight; who was quite intimidated by the pile of weapons Inferno picked out – stood silent behind the counter before asking the assassin. “So… what is your pick.” he said.

Inferno stood silent for a long minute until he finally gave his answer. “I’ll take them.” he stated, which confused both Starlight and the gun store owner.

“Uhh… which one?” the owner asked again.

“All of them.” He gestured towards his whole pile; his answer startled Starlight and the owner.

"ALL OF THEM?! My boy, I appreciate your business, but what would you want to do with all this firepower?" the owner asked.

“Can’t tell you the whole story; but let’s just say, I was hired to protect someone of “great importance”. Got it.” Inferno explains and then hands the owner a piece of paper which has an address to a certain apartment of a certain someone. “I like to have them delivered to this address, and I what no one to know about it.” He stated.

The owner and Starlight checked out the address and Starlight blinked in surprise. "Inferno, that's Sunset's house! How in Celestia's name did you find where she lived?" she asked, completely surprised.

“I have my ways.” He replied. “So can you have these firearms delivered by then.” He asked the owner again.

"Can do. Though with the amount of guns you've picked out, I'm gonna have to ship them in a really big box. Good news is I can have them delivered to this address today.” the owner replied.

“Thank you.” Inferno replied back, which has Starlight puzzled and yet, interested to see Inferno show a little more of his supposed non-existent of emotions. But before she could speak to him about it, he walked towards the back of the store where the gunsmith equipment were and disappeared into the room; getting to work on his ammunition.

"Quick question, little missy. Why does he need to use my gunsmith table even though he's already bought almost my entire stock?" the owner asked.

"I'm not sure, he wouldn't even tell me. But I can assure you he needs them to help his chances of keeping his client safe," Starlight whispered.

"Oh, I see. Is he some sort of mercenary?" the owner asked.

"Well… something like that," she confirmed with a shrug.

Meanwhile in the back of the store, Inferno sat by a work table next to the gunsmith equipment and then pulls out a big sack from the left side of his holster belt. He then places it on the table and then reaches into it. He then pulls his hand out, holding a light-blue smooth stone in his hand and inspects it.

“Let’s get creative.” He says to himself and then begins getting to work on crafting his tools of demon-killing.

While Inferno got to work on his crafting, Twilight was walking down the sidewalk on her way to Sugar Cafe. When Sunset said it was urgent, she knew she couldn't ignore a request from her good friend. However, Twilight wasn't paying attention as she was walking and ended up bumping into someone and almost fell backwards. But then, that person caught her and stood with her back up on her feet.

"Whoa! Hey, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" a young man's voice asked.

"No worries, I wasn't looking where I was--" Twilight paused when she looked up at the young man who helped her, gasping in surprise. "Wait... is it… is it really?" She couldn't find the right words to ask the young man. But she did recognize his facial features, from the light yellow skin and orange hair to his beautiful purple eyes.

"Hold on…" the young man said before realize who he just caught. "...Twilight?" he asked.

"Heat Blitz?" Twilight asked. And then, it hit them. "I… I can't believe it, it's been so long since we last hung out with each other! And you've… grown so much over the years."

"So have you. You look so beautiful," Heat said, making Twilight blush and smile.

"T-Thanks. And… you look real nice yourself. What are you doing out here, are you heading out somewhere or something?" she asked.

"Sort of. One of my tools at home broke, so I gotta go and buy another one or two. I'm working on my own project that might benefit everyone in Canterlot. What about you?" he asked.

"My friend Sunset texted me and my friends. She said she needed to discuss something that was urgent, but didn't explain what it was."

"Oh, I see. I hope it's nothing too serious," and just as he was about to wish her the best, another voice caught their attention.

"Heya, Twilight!" The two old friends looked behind them to see some dude with slightly darker skin and forest green hair, wearing a dark grey beanie on his head, a un-button up shirt; with a second shirt underneath, a blue-green padded vest, and yellowish pants. "Fancy running into you here of all places. I was just in the neighborhood, so I…" but then the guy paused for a moment when he saw Heat Blitz. "Uh… Twilight, who's the kid?"

"Kid?" Heat asked, quirking an eyebrow, tilting his head.

"Uh… This is my friend from preschool, Heat Blitz. Heat Blitz, this is Timber Spruce," Twilight said, turning to Heat. "He's the co-owner of Camp Everfree and… my… my boyfriend." she whispered, quickly breaking apart her friend's entire world into pieces.

"I… I see. Well… I… I gotta go now," Heat replied before dashing off at quick speeds. Somehow Twilight was going to regret she ever said that word. Even a part of her world was shattered to bits when she told him the truth.

"So… you want to go out for some coffee? My treat?" Timber asked awkwardly.

"N-No, not right now. Sunset wants me to meet her at the Sugar Cafe. Maybe some other time," she said before heading off quicker than before.

"Uh, okay then. S-Some other time, maybe," Timber replied.

Twilight didn't reply, she just kept running and running. Her mind was flooded with self-doubt. 'What have I done? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Heat! Please forgive me!' she thought to herself.

Moments later, the girls all arrived at Sugar Cafe with Pinkie being the first one there due to it being her job. She sat on the round table in the corner of the restaurant with the rest of the girls. Sunset and Twilight were the last to arrive and sit down with their friends.

"So, Sunset, you mind telling me what's so urgent for you to want to talk to us?" Rainbow asked.

"First off, I need you girls to keep a secret when I tell you this," Sunset said. However, Twilight already knew the secret the moment she Sunset said, "It's Eternal Flames."

"You mean Principal Celestia's son?" Fluttershy asked quietly. "Aren't the police still searching for him or something?"

"Not the one who lives in our world. It's the Eternal Flames from Equestria. He's come to the human world from Equestria for some reason," Twilight replied quietly back.

Pinkie gasped, "Don't tell me. He's come to our world because he came to find you and tell you something so secret that he can't wait any longer, right?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah but… how did you know?" Sunset asked.

"Just a hunch," Pinkie shrugged.

"If I may, darlings," Rarity said. "Sunset brought Eternal to my shop in order to get him some new clothes and I did so as a personal favor for her."

"That's true, but that's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about," Sunset said. "It seems a couple of others from Equestria came for Eternal. Did uh… any of you remember Starlight Glimmer during our run-in with Juniper Montage?”

"Who could ferget? She done went an' saved our skin had she not persuaded Juniper to give up on her evil ways. Why do ya ask?" Applejack asked.

“Well, she came back to visit again… along with another visitor.” Sunset replied.

"Another visitor? Is it Princess Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, it's not her, not even close. He's dressed up as some lone ranger who goes by the name Shadow Knight," Sunset replied.

"It's a HE?!" Rarity asked, eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Easy there, Juliet. Let's hear her out first," Rainbow said.

"He’s not a “Prince Charming” type, Rarity. He’s Equestria’s deadliest and skilled assassin, and not only that; he’s famous for being the “assassin who killed a demon”.” Sunset explained, after she did, all her friends gasp in shock after now knowing who he really is. “And apparently, The Shadow Knight was hired by Princess Celestia to protect her son. And for some reason, Starlight's showing him around instead of Twilight. And earlier today, he nearly made Flash Sentry piss his pants when he pointed a knife at the back of his head for confronting Eternal and threatening him."

"Good heavens!" Rarity exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Pinkie asked loudly, but the girls all shushed her. "Sorry."

"Oh… my," Fluttershy said.

"I'm all for breaking up a fight, but that's taking it way too far," Rainbow whispered.

"Ah have to agree. It ain't right pullin' a weapon on an unarmed man," AJ agreed.

"Yeah… I think that was uncalled for," Twilight replied, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, moping from earlier.

"Hey, Twilight, you feeling okay?" Sunset asked, quickly noticing her friend's distress.

"Yeah, I mean this in my honest way, but you look like you lost your perfect attendance record," Rainbow said genuinely.

"Did something happen?" Fluttershy asked.

"I… met my old friend from preschool," Twilight replied, more down and trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "And worse… he knows about my relationship with Timber." The other girls were surprised to hear this news. "When I told him Timber was my boyfriend, he just ran off like I broke his whole world. I think… I betrayed him."

"Aww, Twi. Ah'm sorry to hear that," AJ replied.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Fluttershy asked, holding back her tears.

"Maybe I can go and look for him. Everyone needs closure," Rarity said.

"Uh, I don't think this is the time or place, Rares," Rainbow implied. "But you are right, at some point you two might need some closure. And you just gotta hope it doesn't ruin what you two have had over the years."

"Well said, Rainbow." Sunset said before turning to Twilight. "Look, Twilight. Maybe if I see him again, I'll go ahead and talk him into working things out with you. What's your friend's name?"

"It's… Heat Blitz," Twilight answered, choked up.

"Okay, come here," Sunset gently pulls Twilight in and lets her cry on her shoulder. The other girls gathered together, comforting Twilight and making sure they were there for her. It eased the pain, but only for a moment.

Back at Sunset's house, Eternal was watching TV, mostly it was the Canterlot News. Human Inferno once told him before he left that the news reports actual events that either happened already or are currently happening. He took in every bit of information, mostly there was news about criminals who got arrested, sometimes got reports of the weather and then…

"This just in, we've received reports of a hit and run in the downtown area of Canterlot. Resources say the victim was badly damaged but is expected to make a full recovery," said the news reporter. He then went on explaining from the witness who saw the incident said the driver was in a white S.U.V.

Eternal's expression changed to a quiet glare. "Cowardly asshole!" he snarled. In that moment, his eyes changed from sparkling sapphire blue to blood rose red. His pupils slit and his teeth sharpened into bangs. He exited the house by using his demon powers to leap up to the 2nd floor window and then out onto the sidewalk.

He sped through the city, using his enhanced sight, sound and smell. His slit pupils widened when he picked up the trail and sped off at inhuman speeds.

On the other side of the city, young Heat Blitz had purchased the tools he needed and was about to head home, disappointed. The poor guy still couldn't believe his childhood crush was with someone else. It broke his heart and just wanted the pain to go away. He stops at a crosswalk and waits for the symbol to change on the other side.

A few seconds later, he was allowed to cross and so he did. But then, he heard tires screeching and looked to see a white S.U.V coming his way. A man in the driver's seat looked like he was scared out of his wits and wasn't planning on stopping and he was heading straight for Heat.

He's not able to move out of the way in time. But luckily, he didn't have to as a red blur sped past him and tackled the S.U.V head-on, knocking it 10 feet away. Heat's eyes widened when he saw this red blur take shape. It was some sort of demonized creature with long, red hair, wild and feathered out. It bore fangs and had demon red eyes and slit pupils and let out the most demonic roar.

Not long after that, a helicopter flew in hovering over Heat and this strange humanoid demonic creature before him. And it seems it wasn't done yet. This demonic being pierced one of its arms through the window of the car and yanked the driver out into the streets.

"What the hell?! I didn't do anything to you, man!" the drived called out. But this demon wasn't finished with him yet. It leaped away from his car and grabbed the driver by the throat, roaring in his face, making him scream. Heat got so scared, he passed out.

"To run from your crimes like a cowardly bastard shows you can NEVER belong in this world!" said the demon in a distorted voice. "Now face your punishment, Mr. Hit and Run!"

"No! Please! I'm sorry! HELP MEEEE!!!" the driver shouted before he's clawed on his face and his chest, making him scream in agony. The demon was then about to bite him, but he soon hears the sounds of sirens. He growls and drops the man before zooming away, leaving the hit and run man to lick his wounds… but not literally.

Cops arrived on the scene and went to go and check on the two victims the demon left behind. One who passed out from fear and the other screaming in agony, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Damn! What do you think happened here?” One of the police officers asked his partner.

"Beats me, but at least these scratches on his face and body aren't deep. And I may be wrong, but isn't this the S.U.V that was reported not too long ago?" his partner asked.

"Yup, it's a definite match. I'll take care of our injured perpetrator, you go and check on the boy to see if he's alright," Cop 1 said.

"10-4," Cop 2 replied. The cop ran over to Heat Blitz and checked his pulse. He nodded and helped lifted him up, "Hey sonny, wake up." Heat's eyes twitched as he slowly opened them to see an officer. "Are you alright, kid? Are you injured in any way?"

"Injured?" Heat asked, looking around and then was hit with a flashback from earlier, gasping in fear as he sprung to his feet. "W-W-Where'd that monster go?!"

"Take it easy kid, you're safe. Why don't you come down to the station and you can tell me everything that happened here," Cop 2 said. Heat didn't say anything, but he did nod and left with the cops over to the station.

'What was that horrible creature? I thought I was dead for sure,' Heat said in his thoughts.

In Harmony's and Death's dimension, the goddess felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt the strong negative energy resonating from Eternal Flames. She gasped and stumbled backwards, almost falling over. Death felt it as well and even trembled at the immense power coming from the boy. It's obvious his powers were becoming more stronger than Grogar's, yet he was still in his early stages.

"You felt it, too, didn't you?" Death asked.

“Yes, my love. I’m afraid Eternal’s demonic powers are growing increasingly stronger; possibly stronger than Grogar’s.” Harmony replied.

"And what's worse, if he winds up in Grogar's hands and wages war against the city, who knows how many people will become his victims," Death replied.

“That’s not the worse part. Although Eternal may be powerful, but if the Shadow Knight discovers who he really is; he’ll kill him.” Harmony said with a fearful tone

"Even after he swore to Celestia he'd protect him?" Death asked.

"Death, you do remember what happened to Inferno that caused him to have a burning passion for demons, don't you?" Harmony asked.

"I remember that day like it was only yesterday. For those boys to lose their fathers… it'll drive almost anyone into a fight. A fight that no one will win," Death replied.

“But now Inferno possesses the very tool he needs to win any fight he faces. And even with Eternal’s ever increasing power, it won’t save him from the assassin’s hate.” Harmony said. “And I pray never to see that day come.”

"I hope so do, my dear," Death walked over and hugged his beloved goddess, both fearing for the outcome of this whole mess.

“Why did the world we created had to become a place of cruelty?” Harmony asked her lover as tears formed from her eyes.

"That's just how it is. There's nothing we can do to change the world into the one we envisioned. We can only hope it doesn't turn out worse," Death replied

“I do hope you're right, my love.” she said.

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

View Online

Still shaken up from the incident, the police brought Heat Blitz into the station, even took him in for questioning. He was okay with telling detectives that the driver was gonna run him over, but he had to improvise his story about what happened after the crash. He couldn't tell the police that some random demon almost killed the driver.

Still, he felt like he knew the beast. It almost had a striking resemblance to his long lost older brother. But this beast felt evil. What was it and where did it come from? He needed answers and he needed them now.

However, Heat Blitz had to wait until his mom could pick him up from the station. He can only hope that mama bear doesn't try to kill the driver after he almost got Heat. Heat was scared of a lot of things, but his mom takes the top spot, even though he loves her with all his heart.

Moments later, mama bear arrives and runs over to Heat, hugging him in her arms. "Heat Blitz, are you okay, did you get hurt?" Celestia asked, worried.

"No, I'm fine. Just almost got run over." Uh-oh, he shouldn't have said that.

"...Who did it? Who almost ran you over?" Celestia asked in a deep tone, making most of the men at the station back away in fear.

"Mom, they already have him. There's no need to rip his head off and force it down his throat, he's already scared out of his pants from what happened earlier," Heat replied.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked again.

"I'm not sure how to put it… but I think some demon might've beaten you to the punch," Heat whispered quietly. Celestia would've thought that her son was just shaken up, but because of her previous encounters with "demons," she knows who to contact.

"I think I get it. And… I believe you," she said.

Heat was dumbfounded. "You do? How?"

"Call it a hunch. But right now, let's take you home so you can rest up from today," Celestia said, holding him close as they walked out.

At “Ammo-Lot” Gun Store

While Principle Celestia takes her son home and the police department looking into the “Demon of Canterlot City” case, Inferno Blaze is spending his time in the forging room of Ammo-Lot gun store. Crafting his ammunition for his wide variety of new weapons.

He preferred to work alone, so Starlight left the store to catch up with Sunset and the girls; knowing that the mercenary wasn’t planning on leaving the store anytime soon.

To keep him occupied, the owner was kind enough to bring a radio. He even tuned it to the Canterlot news station. During his time inside the forging room of the store, working on his supply of ammunitions, the assassin came across a few picture frames along the walls of the store. And they all had the owner of the store in them, along with a young teenage boy that stood beside him and an older woman in every one of them.

When the owner came into the room where Inferno was working, the merc decided to ask him about the pictures he had.

“Who’s that?” He asked him.

“Pardon?” The owner replied in confusion. Inferno realized that he didn’t get the question, so he repeated his question.

“Who’s that boy standing beside you? In the picture.” Inferno asked again, pointing to one of the picture frames on the wall.

"Oh… that boy… he's my son. We lost him almost 3 years ago and we haven't been able to find him at all. Even with my military connections, we found no trace of him." The owner said, depressed.

Even with his emotionless heart, Inferno was also depressed by what the man told him. For it reminded him of a painful past he wishes to forget. One where, he too, lost a family member of his own.

“I’m sorry.” He said, “I know what it’s like to lose a part of your family.”

"And it's one of the reasons why we act so cold towards everyone. We look like we don't care anymore, but deep down… we can't stop mourning no matter how hard we try." The owner said,

Inferno nodded in agreement. “You're true to that. Hey, I didn’t catch your name. What is it?”

“Flash… Flash Magnus.” The owner – now known as Flash Magnus – replied. “And what might yours be?” he asked towards Inferno.

Inferno knew he couldn’t say his real name, for it was also the name of his counterpart of this world and didn't want to raise any suspicions or confusion. So he went with his vigilante name. “Shadow Knight.” He responded.

"Interesting. Sounds like a codename, but I'm not one to pry in someone else's business. Well, anyways, if you need me for anything else, I'll be in my office," he said, walking away. With Flash magnus getting back to work, Inferno was able to get back to work on his guns and developing his ammunition.

But then, suddenly, the radio broadcasted something… unexpected. "We've just received shocking news. Earlier in the downtown district of Canterlot, a sudden car crash was reported. 2 people were involved, but luckily, there were no casualties. However, camera footage from one of the traffic lights showed that the vehicle matched the same one from an earlier hit and run incident and also captured a strange creature stopping the driver and almost killing him. The lucky survivor who witnessed it, locally known as Heat Blitz said it was some kind of "demon." said the news reporter.

After hearing the word ‘demon’, Inferno halted all of his work and began paying close attention to the radio.

"Traffic light cameras also caught footage of this strange beast not laying a hand on the boy. We're not sure what its intentions were, but after the monster stopped the hit and run driver, it fled back in the direction of the apartment complex district," another news reporter said.

“What the hell?” the assassin said in confusion. There was no possible way that a demon still remained in this world; he chased them off not too long ago. So what was this creature? In his mind, Inferno believed it could be a Rogue; dealt with a few of them in the past. But this one was way different. Rogues usually kill anything in their sight, no matter if it was an innocent being or one of its kind, but the one on the radio was said to have spared a young boy’s life.

Why does this world keep giving him many surprises? But before he could think about answering that question, another thought came to his mind. The creature on the radio stated to have fled in the direction of the apartment complex district in the city.

“Wait a minute? Does the Prince and his little friend live in that area… Oh shit!” He spoke within his mind. And without a moment of hesitation, Inferno got up from his work desk and immediately rushed out of the gunsmithing room. He dashed right passed Flash Magnus–who was restocking the ammunition boxes behind the counter desk–and left the store without noticing the man calling out to him.

After leaving the gun store, Inferno kept on running along the sidewalk of town, while he ran, his left hand began to glow with a mix of black and purple magic aura. It soon begins to form into a sphere, which he shot out from his hand and when it impacted the ground, a portal opened from where it landed. Leading to the area where the apartment district is. And without even preparing for what awaits him, the assassin jumps right into the portal and exits out, right near the apartment complex where Eternal was staying. The portal immediately closed after his exit and soon the merc rushed right into the building.

Inside, he spots the young prince collapsed on the couch, not moving. It seemed he was also watching TV earlier. Inferno grew more worried, even though he wishes not to, but his whole mind was in overdrive and completely erased any emotions feelings out of him. He then rushed over to Eternal's unconscious body and violently shook him.

"Hey, wake up! Answer me! Don't you dare die on me!" Inferno shouted. "WAKE UP!!!"

Within seconds, he feels movement and sees Eternal lifting himself up and looking directly at Inferno with confusion. "Wha… how did you get in here? I had the door locked," he asked.

“Kid, I broke into many places that had high-level security; a little lock is not gonna stop me.” Inferno/Shadow replied.

"Of course, how silly of me," Eternal said, unamused. But when he tried to sit straight up, a sharp jolt of pain ran right through him and grunted in agony, collapsing to the ground. "AGH!!! What the hell?!" he asked, grabbing his side. "That's a new pain!"

Inferno/Shadow lifted Eternal's shirt and checked the side he was grasping. The horror seemed to get worse when he saw a puncture wound on his hip. The wound also seemed to be glowing a dark purple color, which could only mean one thing: 'It did attack him,' he thought.

As the young Equestrian Prince continues to squirm in pain, Inferno reaches into his pocket–which he is still getting used to since he never had wore pants back in Equestria–and pulled out a small vial that contained silver-colored liquid inside, opens the top of the capsule, and pours the liquid onto Eternal’s wound.

"Gah!!! Mother Celestia, that stings! What is that stuff?" Eternal asks.

“Lunar-Essence Potion, should heal up your wound. Though it does sting like hell.” Inferno/Shadow explained as he closes up the vial and puts it back in his pocket.

"So I see.... And you could have told me before doing that!!!” Eternal shouted.

“Hey! It was either that, or hearing you protest like a bitch all night long.” Inferno/Shadow stated.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Eternal snarled.

Meanwhile, Starlight had quickly arrived at the Sugar Cafe to see if her friends were there. As luck would have it, all girls were present and accounted for, but something didn't seem right. She noticed that Twilight was shaking like a leaf in Sunset's arms.

"Did I miss something?" Starlight asked, confused, getting the others attention.

"Oh, hi Starlight. Come on over, we'll fill you in. By the way, where's your Shadow friend?" Sunset asked.

"He's at the gun store, crafting some ammo and customizing his own weapons. What's the matter with Twilight?" Starlight asked back.

“Should we be worried about him?” Rainbow asked with caution.

“Na, he won’t harm anyone… maybe?” Starlight replied. “He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him… I hope. Anyway, back to my last question; what’s the matter with Twilight?” She asked again.

"Oh… she… had a run-in with an old childhood friend on her way here. Unfortunately for him, Timber showed up and Twilight told him about their relationship. He didn't take it too well and just ran off," Sunset explains. Twilight hid her face from everyone, burying it into Sunset's clothes, weeping silently even more. "Twilight's pretty devastated."

"I see. So, why doesn't she just talk to him, work something out?" Starlight asked.

"It's not as easy as it sounds," Rarity chimed in.

"Why not? I patched things up with my best friend, Sunburst and we're closer than ever. But we're not dating, though," Starlight said.

"That's just it. Twilight is dating someone tha--" Rainbow said before Twilight cut her off by slamming her fist on the table.

"STOP IT!!!" the lavender bookworm shouted. “I don’t want to hear anymore of this conversation, alright!”

"Alright, Twilight. We'll change the subject. Maybe there's something to take your mind off of it on the TV," Rainbow said, pointing at the flat screen hanging on the wall.

"From what we can tell, this massive beast could still be hiding in Canterlot as well know it. Authorities are ordered by the chief of police to keep everyone out of the vicinity of the apartment complex district as this beast was last seen fleeing in that direction," said the news reporter, showing the picture of the monster.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rainbow asked in a serious tone.

"No, but Ah know what yer thinkin' an' it's way too dangerous. Ya saw how massive that thing was, it ain't worth the risk," AJ said.

"That thing is still on the loose and we've got the power to bring it to its knees! Why should we stay out of the way?" Rainbow asked.

“Cause we don't know what that thing is, Rainbow. And we can’t face something that we have never/;; seen before.” Sunset explains.

"And another thing, that foul monster isn't human," Rarity said.

"Wait a second, look!" Pinkie said, pointing at the TV. The girls all looked back and gasped at what they saw next. The news played some footage of the monster stopping an S.U.V, punching through the windshield and pulling out the driver before clawing him. But the guy behind the beast was left unharmed and the beast paid him no mind, even when he fainted.

"Thankfully, the claw marks on the hit and run suspect weren't deep and is expected to make a full recovery but will be facing charges soon. As for the unharmed witness, Heat Blitz, he claimed he thought it was a dream because he claimed no one would believe he saw a massive demon save him. He's currently recovering back at home with his mother, Celestia and has been given police protection should the monster ever come back." the news reporter said.

Twilight gasped. "Oh no!" she said.

"I don't get it, that thing didn't go after the other guy? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's okay," Rainbow said.

Starlight somehow knew all too well who this monster was, but she didn't say a word.

"And didn't he say he's with Celestia?" Pinkie asked.

"Maybe we should pay her a visit, check up on him," Fluttershy suggested.

"What do you say, Twilight? You wanna come along?" Sunset asks.

"S...Sure, I'll go," Twilight hesitated.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to. If you don't, I can take you back home," Sunset said.

"No, I gotta do this. But I… I'd rather not face him," Twilight said.

"It's fine. You can stick with me when we arrive. Come on, girls. We're gonna pay our favorite principal a little visit," Sunset said. The girls all got up and left the restaurant, following Sunset down the path on their way to Celestia's.

In the principal's humble abode, Celestia was in the kitchen, cooking up some food while her son stayed cooped up in his room, working on his little project. However, even with his mind focused on his work, his heart wasn't in it. He got out his cell phone and called his friend, Inferno, but didn't put it on video chat.

He waited for the dialing tone to stop, then heard the sound of his buddy's voice. "Hello?"

"Hi, Inferno," Heat replied, bummed out.

"Hiya, Heat. Why do you sound so down in the dumps?" Inferno asked.

"Do you remember the time I invited you over for one of our school projects and you saw that picture of me and Twilight?" Heat asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I… I met her, but… her boyfriend showed up. I… I just lost my chance with her," Heat said, holding back the tears while he worked. "I guess I should've known better than to rely on an old childhood crush to bring us together."

“Whoa. Whoa! Man, don’t give your hopes up. It’s never too late when it comes to love, buddy.” Inferno stated. “I mean you and Twilight know each other longer than this so called boyfriend of hers; who knows maybe she doesn’t like the guy. Look the point is, that you should not give up on her. Throughout your whole life you wanted to be by her side; perhaps this time, you just need to let her come to you.”

"Inferno, her boyfriend has confidence. He's taller than me, older than me and he could probably beat me if he wanted to. Twilight said his name is Timber Spruce. How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?" Heat asked.

“Try not to focus on competing with him, just focus on spending time with Twilight. After all, she hasn’t seen you in what… 7 years?” Inferno said.

"Yeah… we switched middle schools because she has an incredibly high I.Q. In fact, her high I.Q is the reason why she’s able to skip a grade or two," Heat said, semi-proud.

“Hey you had the same choice back then, I mean you are one smart motherfucker for someone who's the youngest son in the family.” Inferno stated.

“Uhh, thanks.” Heat replied, a bit uneasy about Inferno’s bad mouth.

“And yet, you chose not to, and look where that got ya.” Inferno stated again.

"I only chose not to skip a grade because I didn't want others taking advantage of me or having my dad force me into his real estate business… like he did with Eternal. I wish he was still here with me. I miss him," Heat said.

“So did I, man. Heck, I remember the time Fluttershy was picked on by a bunch of bullies, and he went up to them and taught them a lesson. Ha! I laughed for days after that and those dirtbags left Fluttershy alone for eternity.” Inferno said.

"He always was the type of guy to protect others. Anyways, you wouldn't believe what happened to me earlier," Heat said.

“What? What?” Inferno responded out of curiosity.

"I almost got killed today. Some guy in an S.U.V almost turned me into roadkill. But then… I don't know what it was, but this beast came out of nowhere and attacked him before he could reach me and for some reason… it didn't attack me. It was all over the news." Heat explains. "I've never been so scared in my life. I even passed out. Have you ever heard of something as crazy as this?"

"Well… no, not really.” Inferno lied. He knows full well crazy things that've happened in Canterlot City, including the powers that the girls possesses. But this creature that Heat has told him, is beyond anything he’s seen or heard of.

"I see. Well, you're lucky you're on a yacht. That thing is still on the loose in the apartment complex district," Heat said. "I thought it was just a nightmare, but it's real. Thankfully, I got cops watching my back."

"Yeah, that I can agree on, but back on the subject at hand, Twilight's gonna come around. Just give it some time. Anyways, how's your project coming along?" Inferno asked.

"I'm making a little progress. I ran into a snag when one of my tools broke, but I bought myself a spare one. Did uh… you stop whoever was hitting on your mom?" Heat asked randomly.

“Told ya the Draconium was tough. I think you need to get better tools.” Inferno chuckled after his statement. “And also, yeah. Dad and I, taught that guy a very clear lesson he’ll never forget.”

"That's good. Anyways, thanks for the advice on my… situation with Twilight. I'll call you some other time," Heat says.

"Alright. Take care. And don't lose hope, see ya later.” After that, Inferno hanged up, leaving Heat with his thoughts. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring outside of his room.

"That's odd, is mom expecting anyone?" Heat asks, getting up from his desk. He walks over to his bedroom door and walks out, heading into the living room. His mom was answering the door and sees a group of girls at the door.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you girls?" Celestia asked. "I thought you girls would be enjoying your summer vacation. Is something wrong?"

"We heard about the accident your son got into. We want to know if he's alright," Fluttershy said.

"Oh, that. Well, he's okay, but he's a bit shaken up," Celestia said.

"Is it alright if we talk to him? Maybe we can help," Sunset asked.

"I suppose, but try to keep it to a minimal, he's still a bit nervous," Celestia said before she turned around to call out for her son. But then she stops when she sees him already with her in the living room. "Heat Blitz, I didn't realize you were here. You sure get around fast."

"I suppose," Heat replies.

"You have some visitors who want to see you. Is that alright?" his mom asks.

"S-Sure… I don't mind," Heat nods, but looks away. He still didn't have the guts to look at one particular girl in the group. He and the girls sit over by the couch, but even now, none of the girls knew what to say. There was just… awkward silence.

"Heat Blitz, is it?" Sunset asked. Heat nods. "Hey, I know this is gonna sound hard, but earlier when you ran into the monster… did you happen to get a good look at it?"

"S-Sort of. I couldn't see much of its face, because it had this long red hair that covered most of his face and his entire back. All I saw were its blood rose red eyes. Its pupils were slit, like it was some kind of demon." Heat explained.

"Is there any reason why it didn't come after you?" Sunset asked.

"Not that I know of. As crazy as it might sound, maybe I didn't look so appetizing to it," Heat said as he referred to his skinny stature. "But you know… there's something else about that monster that strikes me as odd."

"Care to tell us, darling?" Rarity asked.

"...His eyes… They looked so… sad. Like there was a little boy trapped inside that monster's soul, wanting to be set free. Like a hint of loneliness that was radiating from him," Heat said.

"By the way, was it true you knew Twilight for a long time now?" Pinkie asked so suddenly. Heat's eyes widened in surprise when she mentioned that name. Heat's hands gripped his sleeves tightly, looking down.

"Pinkie! Now's not the time to bring that up at a time like this!" Starlight whispered loudly.

"Yeah… I knew her. We met… back in preschool. But we separated during middle school. Now that I got the chance to meet her again, I…" he sighs in defeat. "Forget it, it's not important." Twilight's guilt was only mounting up a lot quicker.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to bring that up. Right, Pinkie?" Starlight said, glaring at Pinkie.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Pinkie said, twiddling her fingers.

"It's fine… really," Heat lied. "Is there anything else you girls need from me?"

"Yes. If the monster ever shows up again, what do you say to having one of us guard you, give you some protection?" Sunset asked.

“Are you sure? Cause I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me,” Heat replied.

"That's alright. We're used to dealing with things like this. It's the least we can do so you can feel a bit safer," Sunset said.

"I… uh… w-well, I guess so. But only one of you. The less people getting hurt, the better," Heat said, sighing in defeat.

“I guess we can agree to that, as long as you agree to let us help you.” Starlight responded. "Now the only question is: who should be your personal bodyguard?"

"Why don't you leave him in my hands?" Rainbow asked. "I can get him away from the monster quick enough."

"No, it's better if I do it," Twilight said. "I owe it to Heat Blitz for not telling him about what I've been doing these past years."

“Are you sure, Twilight?” Sunset asked her.

"I have to, otherwise the guilt will eat me up even more. Are you okay with having me as your bodyguard, Heat?" Twilight asked.

"Y-Yeah, sure," Heat said, but didn't look in her direction. Twilight can tell he was still hurt from earlier, yet he still agreed to let her volunteer. She wasn't gonna let him down again.

Early evening arrived after everything was settled. The girls all agreed they'd start their search some time tomorrow and Twilight was now watching over Heat. However, she could only stay over for one night, but was allowed to keep a close eye on him outside the house when they're out walking.

As for Sunset, she was walking home with Starlight by her side. Sunset allowed Starlight to let her stay over at her house. As they approached her apartment, Sunset took out her house key and unlocked the door.

The girls enter the house and soon, Sunset gasped. "How did you get in here?!" she asked.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" Starlight asked. When she looked towards the direction that Sunset was looking at, her eyes widened with surprise when she spotted Inferno/Shadow sitting on a chair, next to the couch.

When he noticed the two girls by the doorway, he waves at them while he was still bearing his emotionless expression. “Well, how was your day?” he asked.

Inf- I mean, Shadow?!” Starlight gasped, “What are you doing here? More importantly; how did you get in here?” She asked him.

“I’ve broken into many secured places back in Equestria. Do you really think a little door lock is gonna stop me?” He stated.

"You know, if you were any other person, I'd have gotten the police to haul you out of here for breaking and entering," Sunset said, deadpanned.

“Well, I’m not like other people. And you should watch your tone towards me; while you all were away, I found your “friend of royalty” on the floor injured, so I had to disinfect his wound and lay him in the bedroom.” Shadow explained as he pointed towards the bedroom where he placed Eternal in, which is–surprisingly–Sunset’s bedroom.

"Eternal? What happened to him?!" Sunset asked, panicked.

“I don’t know? He didn’t tell me.” Shadow replied. “Also, I couldn’t describe what the injury was, but it might be related to the rogue demon I heard on the radio back at the gun store; cause his puncture wound looked almost similar to injuries I’ve seen that are usually inflicted by demons or any other creature from Tartarus.”

"Eternal was attacked by a demon?!" Sunset asked, panicked. The noise made Eternal stir as he woke up, but then shouted in agony, arching his back. He gripped his entire body, stumbling out of bed and rolled off too far and wound up falling down on the first floor. He still shouted from the pain on the inside before coughing up lots of small drops of blood.

“Damn! That’s the third time its happened!” Shadow shouted.

“Third time?” Starlight asked.

“Yeah, everytime he kept waking up, his wound kept getting worse and worse; and the pain, more and more brutal.” Shadow explained. "I don't get how or why this is happening."

"Then it's a good thing you got here earlier. You'd better stick around in case he has anymore problems from now on. Is that alright with you, Shadow," Starlight said.

“Well I'm hired to protect him, so I pretty much don’t have a choice.” He replied.

"I don't have much, but if you want, the couch is big enough for you to sleep in," Sunset offered.

“I can sleep on the floor; I’m used to it when I slept on a cell floor for 4 years.” Shadow replied.

"Would it be alright if I slept next to you, Sunset?" Starlight asked.

"Sure. And if you're sure you want to sleep on the floor, then I'll let you use my sleeping bag," Sunset said.

"Do whatever you want," Shadow said. Sunset nodded and walked over to her closet and took out a purple sleeping bag. She then brings it out and sets it up on the floor.

After setting up Shadow's spot, she went over to Eternal and tried to carry him over to the couch, but the boy was way too heavy. "How much… does one prince… eat?" Sunset grunted.

"Hey… I ain't fat. I don't pig out either. It messes up my metabolism," Eternal said, finally getting some of his strength back. He slowly stood up and limped all the way over to the couch and slumped down with a sigh. "Sorry for freaking you out like that, everyone." Eternal was sweating up a storm after the pain he endured.

"Freaking us out? I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. Do you always cough up blood every time you wake up from your naps?" Sunset asks, worried.

"No, it only recently happened since I arrived in this world," Eternal said, stroking his chin.

“Wait a minute. This happened the day you arrived here, and you weren’t even a little suspicious about it?” Starlight asked.

"I did find it suspicious," Eternal said. 'And I know what it means. I'm afraid I'm running low on time, but I can't reveal to them my secret. They must never know.' he thought to himself. "It's probably an after-effect when I jumped through the portal."

Sunset could somehow feel like he wasn't telling the whole story. Though she wasn't sure how she felt he was lying, but now wasn't the time to be snooping in on Eternal's pain. "Alright, listen. How about we rest up for today and then tomorrow we can try to sort this mess out."

"Sounds like a plan. How about you, Shadow?" Starlight asked.

“As long as he breathes and I don’t deal with his mother’s wrath; I say we get some shut-eye.” He replied as he tucks himself in the sleeping bag that he was given and immediately went to sleep.

"Does he hold the world record for falling asleep quickly?" Sunset asked

“He did say he spent 4 years sleepingf on the floor of a prison cell.” Starlight stated.

"Wow. It makes me feel sorry for the guy

“Well, you should have seen how devastated his mother was when she visited him after he was released; she was in tears and rushed over to hug him in mere seconds. Makes me wonder what caused Shadow to reach the peak he’s at and lose everything he cared deeply about.” Starlight stated.

"I can't even begin to imagine myself," Sunset said, feeling sympathy for the mercenary. She and Starlight then went up to her bedroom and got covered themselves up in the blanket. Neither girl could sleep though, as they felt the horrors would soon begin to arise.

3 days went by and so far, neither the girls nor the police could find the monster. Eternal still experienced the pain and agony every time he awoke from his slumber. Sunset tried as hard as she could to find out why Eternal's behavior. As for Starlight, she generally spent most of her time with Inferno–who appreciated her company while not showing it–and during their time together, the assassin’s behavior was very much impacted by the girl and not even himself could not describe how she was doing it.

Twilight's situation with Heat was still a work in progress, though. He still wasn't over the fact that his childhood crush was taken from him and Twilight still found it hard to try to help in patching things up. Especially since he's always locked up in his room, doing who-knows-what in there.

Right now, while Sunset was alone and Eternal was stuck at her house, she took this chance to go and pay a visit to a good friend of hers. She arrived at this humble home and knocked on the door before waiting for an answer.

The door opened up and out steps her friend and classmate, Flash Sentry. "Sunset? What brings you here? Wait, you didn't bring what's-his-name with you, did you?" he asked, backing up a step.

"Who, Eternal?" Sunset asked.

"No, not him. That crazy cowboy guy that pulled a knife at me back at the Cafe.” Flash replied.

"Oh, you mean Shadow. No, he's with Starlight at the gun store. Anyways, what I need from you is a favor… regarding Eternal," Sunset said.

"What about him?" Flash asked.

"He's been keeping some sort of secret from me for some reason ever since he arrived. He's been waking up in agony and coughing up blood. I tried to find out myself, but Eternal just keeps insisting that everything's fine. I'm at my wits end and I'm wondering if you can find out what he's hiding," Sunset said.

"Uh… gee, I dunno. I'm so sure if that's a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I'll help, but I don't think it's right to pry into other people's business. He might have a good reason," Flash said.

"He's been secretive since he got here. I just want to know what he's hiding that's so important," Sunset said.

"Well… alright. I'll see if I can also get some help from one of my friends as well," Flash said before getting his phone out. Just then, Sunset hugged him.

"Thanks, Flash. I'll repay you back somehow," Sunset said before running off.

"I… don't really need anything," he said, but she was already far gone. "Well, might as well get my buddy on the line," Flash dialed a number, then waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" a male voice said over the phone.

"Halo Knight, it's Flash. I need to talk to you about something. Do you think you can meet me over at Sunset's place?"

"I… guess so, what's the occasion?" Halo asked.

"Hard to explain over the phone. Just meet me over at her house as soon as you can. I'll see you later," Flash said before hanging up. "I hope this doesn't end badly."

Moments later, Flash arrives at near Sunset's house, but stood across the street from her house so Eternal wouldn't see him. Minutes later, he also sees a man walking up to him. He had black hair and green skin with blue eyes, wearing glasses and wore a blue shirt and black pants.

"Halo, you made it!" Flash said.

"Yeah. What's going on here? You spying on Sunset or something or trying to ask her out?" Halo asked.

"Actually… she asked me to talk to her childhood friend. His name's Eternal Flames. They've shared some history back in Equestria before she met me," Flash said.

"Eternal Flames? I thought he went missing over a week ago," Halo pointed out.

"No, not the one from our world. I mean the one who's originally from Equestria like Sunset is. She wants me to talk to him because he's keeping some kind of secret from her. She's getting frustrated from whatever Eternal has hidden in his mind. I don't really approve of this, but maybe we can try and reason with him," Flash said.

"Oh. Well, quite frankly, I'd agree that prying in other people's business is disrespectful, but if you're willing to reason with him, then it might be our best bet. But before we do, why do you need me for this?" Halo asked.

"Because if I can't get anywhere with him, you're my last hope. You've proven to be an even bigger help than anyone else I know," Flash explained. "So… you with me?"

"Yeah, okay sure," Halo said. The boys fist bump each other before heading over to Sunset's house and knocking on the door. The door opens up and Eternal reveals himself, not wearing a shirt, plus having bags under his eyes. Flash and Halo quickly took notice of his sleepy eyes and his bandaged area.

"Uh… did you not sleep right? You look tired," Flash pointed out.

"And how'd you get that bruise on your side?" Halo asked.

Eternal wasn't too thrilled to see one of these familiar faces as it only strengthened his doubts about Sunset. "I just… got into an accident, that's all. What are you two doing here?" Eternal asked, trying to fix his bed head.

"We’re not here to cause trouble, we’re just here to talk things out.” Flash answered. "If it's alright with you."

Eternal stroked his chin, thinking for a minute or two. "Alright, fine. I guess I can hear you out, but no funny business." he said. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"It's about Sunset," Flash said.

"Big surprise," Eternal retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Wait, before you jump to conclusions, she asked me to talk to you. She's worried about you. She told me about your agonizing pain you've been experiencing every time you wake up from your long naps," Flash said.

"I've told her before, it's nothing to worry about. It'll calm down in due time," Eternal insists. 'Damn, she's persistent. Why can't she just back off about this curse?' he thought.

"Trust me, if it's anything as bad as what you're going through, it's not gonna get any better if you just let it be. You've got to take action," Halo said.

"And if I act, there's a high chance it'll just get worse," Eternal said. "The last thing I'd want is to put anyone in danger."

"What's so dangerous that you gotta keep it a secret from your friends?" Flash asked.

"I can't say," Eternal argued.

"Can't or won't?" Flash asked, getting annoyed.

"Now Flash, hold on a second. Eternal, why don't you just tell us and we promise we won't tell Sunset about this. Would that be alright with you?" Halo asked.

Eternal was getting annoyed with their persistence, but sighed in defeat. "Alright fine, if it'll get you to shut up, I'll tell you. But I'm not gonna tell you everything."

"That's fine with me," Flash said.

Eternal sighed in annoyance. "The truth is… I'm running out of time. If I don't hurry up and patch things up with Sunset, my life'll be placed in jeopardy. I… have an illness."

"What?! How come you don't just tell Sunset about this?" Flash asked.

"You think I'd want to tell her about this illness? The last thing I want is to make her bare the burden of something like this. I care for her too much to do that," Eternal said, getting a little emotional, clenching his fists with guilt. "In fact, I… I love her too much to do that."

"If I had known about this sooner, I wouldn't have snapped at you like that when we first met. I'm sorry, Eternal. I was a real jerk," Flash said.

"It's fine… and perhaps it's time I hear you out," Eternal said. "You share some history with Sunset, is that right?"

"Yeah, that right. I'm her… ex-boyfriend," Flash said.

"Then, maybe you can tell me more about your relationship with her," Eternal said.

"What for?" Flash asked.

"So I can understand you and her a little more," Eternal said.

“You see… When she and I started dating, it was fine… at first. But she only used me to make herself more popular. It's been like that until junior year when she dumped me for some reason. I didn't mind it because I was getting fed up with her bad attitude. But then, during the Fall Formal, when Princess Twilight came and saved us, I… guess I kinda fell for her," Flash said.

"Well, if you're still in love with the princess, you're out of luck. She's already dating my little brother back home. And my mother's planning on retiring soon and is gonna pass her leadership onto Twilight," Eternal said.

"Whoa, she's gonna lead a whole country? And ouch, guess some things aren't meant to be," Flash said, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, back on the subject of Sunset, I was still unsure about whether or not I wanted to give our relationship another shot after the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games," Flash said.

"In the end…?" Eternal asked.

"I asked her if we could try again as friends back when we visited Camp Everfree. Since then, we've been close friends. And then when you came around… I guess I got a little jealous when I saw you with her," Flash said.

"I see," Eternal said.

"So now that you know, what do you wanna do now?" Halo asked.

"Well, first off… Why don't we go talk to Sunset. She and I need to talk," Eternal said. "And it's best that you guys come with me."

"Well, if that's what you want, we're right behind you," Halo said. With their little chat finished, Eternal locked up the house and followed the two guys to where Sunset might be.

Outside the entrance of Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer was sitting against the old statue, still frustrated with her old friend refusing to tell his secret. She got out her book she uses to talk to Princess Twilight, but she wasn't sure how to break it to her. If she told her of Eternal's behavior and not telling him about the cause of his pain and agony, she'd just say the same thing that Flash did: "It's wrong to pry into other people's business."

And in a way, she might be right. But even so, Sunset was desperate for answers. Opening up her book, she got out a pen and wrote to her friend.

"Dear Princess Twilight,

It's been a while, hasn't it? Listen, I need to ask you something."

She waited a while for her to answer back. Then,

"What'd you need, Sunset?" Twilight wrote back.

"It's hard to explain and I dunno if you know about him, but my childhood friend, Eternal Flames came by a few days ago to come and look for me. But ever since he got here, he's been acting strange lately. He would always wake up in pain and cough up blood. I tried to ask him about it, but he won't talk to me about it. He keeps insisting it'll go away," Sunset wrote.

"Oh… well, let's just say he's going through some stuff. If he hasn't told you about what's bothering him, then I can't tell you either. I hope you understand," Twilight writes.

Now even more frustrated, Sunset slammed the book shut. "Another dead-end," she said, groaning in annoyance.

"Sunset!" Flash's voice called out. Sunset looked down the sidewalk and saw her friend walking up to her, along with Halo and to her shock, Eternal. "Sunset, Eternal wants to talk to you."

"What? Flash, you weren't supposed to confront him!" Sunset said, getting up.

"You never told me to do that. You just told me to find out what's bothering him," Flash said, putting his hands up defensively.

"Anyways, they told you me you wanted to find out what's going on with me, so I'll only tell you the small details of my problem: I'm sick," Eternal said.

"Sick? Are you serious?" Sunset asked in disbelief. But then, she clenches her fist and grabs Eternal's shirt collar. "WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA COME CLEAN?!" she shouted.

"Sunset, wait! It's not what you--" Flash said.

"SHUT UP, FLASH!!! I'M BUSY!!!" Sunset snapped, making Flash jump back in fear. "Eternal Flames, why can't you trust me with your little secret? You've been going through this torture for the past few days since you came here! You keep telling me it's alright and that it'll go away, well I say that's bullshit!"

"Sunset, if I told you the real reason, I'd put you in danger. Not to mention this burden is to big for you to bear," Eternal argued.

"So what, are you saying I can't handle this?" Sunset asked, offended. "Am I not strong enough to handle the truth, or is it some sort of guy thing?"

"Now, just a minute here, that's going too far!" Eternal argued back, growing a bit frustrated. "If you had any idea about the struggles I'm facing at the moment, you'd respect my wishes and let me handle this situation!"

"I thought you and I were best friends! Friends never keep secrets from each other!" Sunset said, gripping his shirt even tighter.

"There are some secrets best left unsaid! Especially the personal ones! Or is it you don't respect others' privacy?" Eternal questioned with a sharp glare.

"Sunset, if you just listen to him," Halo tried to intervene.

"Keep your damn noses out of my business!" Sunset said in a calm, raging tone. Halo hid himself behind Flash from how scary she had gotten. "Eternal Flames, tell me right now… what are you hiding from me?"

"For the last time, I can't tell you that!" Eternal said. "All I can tell you is that I'm sick!"

Sunset's anger then gets the better of her as she slaps him across the face. She panted heavily with tears running down her cheeks. "You have changed… but not in the way I expected. If you don't trust me with your little "illness," then… STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!!!"

From that moment, Eternal's heart shattered and turned to dust. His glare intensifies as he reaches into his shirt and took out the locket necklace Sunset made for him years ago.

"If that's the way you feel about our friendship… then keep your stupid present," Eternal said in a low tone, yanking his locket necklace off and throwing it against the statue, causing it to break before hitting the ground. "I was a fool to fall in love with you,"

Sunset is then taken aback by this confession. "L-Love? You mean?"

"Not anymore, I don't. You've made that violently clear. Farewell… Sunset Shimmer," Eternal said before turning around and walking away.

Flash and Halo wanted to talk him out of this, but seeing the cold look in his eyes proves he's in no mood to talk things out. Flash looked back at Sunset, who was still wracked with shock and disbelief over what she's done.

"Sunset… you didn't have to say all that to him!" Flash said.

"We tried to tell you, Sunset. Eternal wasn't keeping his secret to hurt you, but because he loves you too much to get you involved! For your sake, I can only hope you can patch things up with him after what you just said," Halo said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I… I didn't…" Sunset stuttered.

"Sunset. Maybe it's best if we don't talk for now. At least until we've sorted this mess out. I gotta go for now," Flash said, disappointed before leaving.

"Good luck, Sunset. I hope things turn out okay in the end," Halo said before he headed on home, feeling pity for his good friend. The only one who was left was Sunset Shimmer. Now that she was alone, the first thing she does is go over to the locket her old friend broke. She dropped to her knees and picked up the broken necklace. The more she stared at it, the sadder she became and soon she held it close to her and sobbed quietly to herself.

"What have I done?" Sunset asked her, choked up.

The Hunt Begins

View Online

In the private dimension of the legendary Goddess, Harmony and her lover, Death, they've witnessed the terrible conflict that has befallen the cursed prince and the woman he felt had betrayed him. They didn't like how this was all turning out and feared things were only about to get worse.

"It shouldn't have ended like this!" Death said, frustrated. "Why did she have to go and say all that stuff?! And the prince certainly didn't make things any better!”

“This is as worse as I fear, with anger now boiling in his blood; the prince would surely turn to the darkness.” Harmony replies with worry.

"That's not the only problem. If the human version of his brother doesn't straighten things out, we'll lose him, too!" Death said. "We have to alert the princess about this!"

"Don't. We should try and have a little faith in the others. If things get worse, we'll alert the princess right away," Harmony said.

“And… Grogar?” Death asked, with a tone that sounds like he’s itching to kill something.

"Grogar's still keeping out of the mess he created. And if my hunch is right, he won't have to make a move since he can tell his plan is working in his favor," Harmony said.

“And if it is correct, then that means he’ll send his servants to capture the mortal, Heat Blitz.” Death stated.

Harmony then felt shocked when she realized something. "Death… Grogar said he'd keep away from Eternal, but there was nothing in the deal that said he couldn't go after Heat Blitz! I think… he's in danger."

As the goddess begins to have a panic attack, the Grim Reaper himself, tries his best to console her; wrapping his hooves around her, pulling her into a caring hug. While it did not ease the thoughts in her mind, his show of caring did calm her down a little.

“Don’t worry, my love. I will ensure that the mortal will be protected.” He said,

The goddess turns her eyes towards his skull-like face, with confusion and curiosity. “What?” she replied. “What do you mean?” she asked him.

“I believe I have been on the sidelines for far too long,” Death explained with determination in his voice. And caresses his lover’s cheeks with his skeleton hoof. “You will go and warn Celestia about what’s to come; I shall journey to the human realm, and warn the assassin and the 7 Element bearers about the danger Heat’s in.”

"Death, my love… I trust you. But promise me you'll be okay and avoid any confrontation with Eternal Flames if you can," Harmony said.

“I swear.” He replied. Harmony wished her beloved with a kiss on the lips before she teleported off, leaving Death to tend to his work.

Back in Equestria, in the capital city of Canterlot, Celestia had returned to her leadership duties while also planning out her retirement with her sister, Luna. She was sitting on her throne, going through some important documents. Luna could tell her sister was still heartbroken about her son leaving to spend his time with Eternal.

Though she still had Heat Blitz with her, he was mostly preoccupied with helping out Twilight in the School of Friendship. Celestia felt like her children were growing up way too fast. Luna and Celestia are soon interrupted with a bright glow appearing in front of them. Sure enough, they find Harmony has returned.

"Harmony? What brings you back here? Is everything alright?" Celestia asks.

“I’m afraid not. It's terrible news," Harmony said regretfully.

"What do you mean? What's happened?" Celestia asked, growing worried. "Is it about Eternal? Did something happen to him?"

“Not yet, but I'm afraid he's going through a phase, wallowing in his anger and sadness after he had a bad argument with the woman he loves… or… used to love," Harmony said calmly.

"Sunset? But why? They used to get along so well when they were kids," Celestia said.

“Ms. Shimmer, went too far as to uncover Eternal’s secret; however it costed the bonds of their friendship to be broken. And Grogar will seek to take advantage of Eternal’s emotions to convince him… in becoming his heir.” Harmony explained.

Celestia gasped. Her heart shattered… "I… can't believe she would do that. I… I trusted her and she hurt him. How DARE she!" Celestia's mane slowly flickered out flames and her eyes were changing from purple to demonic yellow, but she was trying to keep it together. "No! NO! I can't change into that monster!"

"Celestia, you must listen to me. My most trusted ally, and the love of my life is already on the move and is going to try and convince your son's friends to aid him in his hour of need," Harmony assured.

Celestia's anger slowly dimmed and was able to regain control. "Your ally? Who would that be?" she asked, confused.

"I will explain another time. But for now, I just came to warn you about the dangers your son might be in and if you need to take action in any way, then let me know," Harmony said. "I must go now. Good luck, princess," and thus, Harmony teleported away, leaving Celestia to think about what's become of the situation at hand.

Meanwhile at the gun store, Inferno tests out his newly added arsenal by the indoor firing range in the back of the store. And he enjoyed every bit of it. Starlight was 5 feet behind him, watching as the assassin was in the zone as he was testing his new Smith & Wesson model 17-8. Just 3 days in this world and already Starlight sees a side of Inferno that she had never seen when they first met. As for the merc, he begins to feel impacted by the girl in ways he cannot explain.

Everytime he was around her, he felt the need to express himself more, overstepping the boundaries of his emotionless state. He didn’t know exactly what tothink anymore, more or less, feel anymore.

But as he's testing out his gear, "Inferno Blaze. Or should that be Shadow?" a voice called out in his head. The assassin paused for a long minute, trying to figure out what he had just heard. "I would like to have a word with you and your little friend behind you."

Suddenly, Starlight heard the voice as well and like Inferno, she was processing about who the voice was. Inferno turns away from the firing range and looked around the room to find the source of the voice.

"You must listen. There's been an accident. I'm afraid… the young prince is at risk of… being attacked after he severed the bond between him and Sunset Shimmer," Death's voice echoed before showing himself inside the gun course on the firing end. Starlight immediately jumped after the Grim Reaper had revealed himself.

He took the form of a tall man, with dark hair and pale skin. He wore a black tux and in one of his hands, he carried a cane with a black metal skull knob.

"Who… are you?" Starlight asked, walking a bit closer, quirking an eyebrow.

"My name is of no importance. I can only tell you this: Sunset's outbursts have broken the bond between her and Eternal. You must keep watch over him at all times, including Heat Blitz. Grogar is sure to send his minions out to take Heat Blitz," Death said.

Soon Inferno’s facial expression suddenly switched from suspicion to one filled with rage, after hearing the name the man had just said. Starlight witnessed this Inferno’s change of emotions and questions what caused it.

"Shadow, please tell you're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do," Starlight said, worried.

“Starlight, you warn Sunset and the others about the danger to Heat’s life, I’ll go after Eternal.” Inferno said as he grabs his gear and leaves the room.

"Alright, but… please be careful," Starlight said, relieved he wasn't gonna go after Sunset. Starlight quickly left the gun store and ran off to find the others. "Sunset, why couldn't you have just let it go?" she said quietly.

As Starlight runs to find the others, Inferno ran the other direction, searching for Eternal. With anger now burning in his veins, for he also had his eyes on another target. ‘After all these years, you finally reveal yourself.’ he said in his mind. ‘Now I will finally have my vengeance.’

But while he's running off towards the prince, Grogar idly stood by from his castle, watching everything go down in his crystal ball. "It seems to me that a window of opportunity has come to me at last. Perhaps it's time we take action. Mages!" Grogar called out. Right away, his two most powerful mages teleport in front of him.

"You called, master?" Mage #1 asked.

"Yes. The time has come to take action. Release… the Drakais. And have them find the one called Heat Blitz and bring him to me," Grogar order.

"As you wish, sire," Mage #2 said. The two teleported themselves into the den. There, they heard multiple growling noises coming from a certain steel door. "You all have a mission. Find the one called Heat Blitz and bring him to master Grogar."

"However, avoid any contact with the one called Eternal Flames. Master has a plan set in mind for him," Mage #1 added. Waving their staffs at the steel door, they casted a double spell that unlocked the door and opened up… letting out the Drakai. The creatures stood 7ft tall, their bodies are slender, with gray skin and six dorsal spins on their backs. They had long arms and legs, wth razor sharp claws. Their heads had 3 long crests and their eyes glowed purple. They had long tails with a three-taloned claw at the end.

The mages used their magic to open a portal to the human world once they were free. "Now go forth, all of you!" they said in unison. The creatures gave out a screech and charged forth in large packs, entering enemy territory before the mages sealed up the portal.

Meanwhile, Twilight was at her home, texting Heat every 5 to 10 minutes to see if he was still doing alright and was always met with "yes," "I'm fine" or "just peachy." She could tell Heat was still upset and she couldn't really blame him, yet he still made an effort to try and forgive her. But then, on some occasions, Twilight received texts from Timber Spruce asking if she wanted to go out again. Twilight didn't know how to tell him no, so she just stopped answering him.

Just then, she received another text, but it was from Pinkie Pie. She was informed by Starlight to tell her to meet her and the girls at Heat's house for an emergency meeting. Twilight didn't waste any time and left her house immediately.

No sooner after she got out of the house, she bumped into Flash and both friends fell to the sidewalks on their rumps. "Ow! Sorry, Twilight." Flash said.

"I'm fine, but, why are you in a hurry?" Twilight asked.

"Sunset and Eternal got into a huge argument. I can't say how bad it got, but I gotta go look for Eternal, he's not in the right of mind," Flash said as quickly as he then both back up and ran off.

"Sunset… and Eternal… argued?" Twilight asked, confused. "It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" She would be in for one serious wake-up call when she finds out how wrong she is about their argument.

She walked along the path at a fast pace. As crazy as it was to hear about her friend arguing with her long-lost friend, she still had to meet with the others to check on Heat Blitz. She's not sure what the emergency was, but she can only hope it's something she and her friends can handle on their own.

In mere moments, she and the other girls arrived at Heat's house along with Starlight. "I got the message, what's going on here?" Twilight asked Starlight. "You said this was an emergency, so what can we do to help?"

"Twilight this is very bad news. I think Heat Blitz might be in serious danger.” Starlight said. “Today, Shadow and I were visited by a strange tall man, who warned us that Heat has now become the target of a powerful demon lord from Equestria, who’s name we never ever speak of… Grogar.”

"Grogar? How bad is he? We can take him on like we busted countless other baddies!" Rainbow boasted with confidence.

"But, didn't she say he's… a… a demon?" Fluttershy asked.

“Not just any demon, Fluttershy. He’s what we call, the Father of Monsters; the Lord of Tartarus. Which is basically a realm which you all like to prefer as Hell.” Starlight explained.

"Sounds like he's big trouble. But why would he want to come after Heat Blitz? He looks like he wouldn't harm a fly," Applejack asked.

“I don’t know, the man never told me or Shadow why?” Starlight replied.

"If Heat Blitz is that important to Grogar to want to capture him, then we'd better keep a close watch on him this time. We can only hope that--" Twilight's then cut off by the sound of another voice she hoped not to hear for a while.

"Twilight, hey!" shouted a male voice. Twilight turned to see Timber Spruce showing up just as Heat came out of his house when he heard the commotion. "What's going on, I thought we were gonna have smoothies."

Heat looked with heartache, feeling his heart cracking even more, almost about to turn to dust and the color in his eyes slowly faded. "Heat, wait! This isn't what it--" Twilight said,

"I'm getting back to work," Heat simply said. He went back inside and closed the door, but didn't slam it shut.

"Twilight, what's going on?" Timber asked, oblivious to the conflict.

"Timber, I… I don't think I can see you anymore. I mean, you're a nice guy, but I've got someone else I need to look out for. In fact, he needs me more than ever," Twilight said.

"Y-You don't mean…" Timber asked, catching on.

"I'm sorry, but… I'm breaking up with you," Twilight said.

"What?!" Timber asked, shocked. "Oh, come on! What about all the memories we made?" He reached in his pocket and took out his phone and showed Twilight all the photos they took some time after their trip to Camp Everfree.

"You'll still have those, but we're still done. I have more important matters now." Twilight said.

"Twilight, are you sure about this, darling?" Rarity asked.

"For the first time, I am," Twilight said.

"What? Oh come on! We had it good, Twilight!" Timber persisted, until… "Wait a sec, it's that boy you ran into some time ago, isn't it?" his demeanor quickly changed from desperate to pissed off in a matter of seconds. As Timber marched up to Heat's front door.

"Timber, you better not try anything with him! He's a really nice guy and he needs me more than you think!" Twilight intervened, getting in front of her ex.

"Twilight, rest assured, I'm not gonna rough him up," Timber said, still tense 'Or I won't rough him up much,' he thought to himself. But when he reached halfway, there was a loud rumble from inside the house, followed by a scream of terror.

"What do you want from me? No! STOP! GET AWAY!!!" Heat's voice muffled from inside. Twilight and the others heard what also sounded like screeching. "STOP! STOP IT!!!"

*BOOM*

The front door quickly gets blown open and the girls see what looks like some sort of demonic creature with Heat Blitz in its razor-sharp claws. Heat Blitz' clothes were shredded and had some scratches on his face. He had his hands against the monster's jaw as if he thought it was trying to eat him.

"HEAT BLITZ!" Twilight exclaimed.

But soon after she screamed, 4 more creatures bursted into the room; with identical traits like the one that is holding Heat hostage. They all screeched out with a roar that was nothing like any man or animal that is heard of.

"Get your claws OFF OF HIM!!!" Twilight snapped. Tapping into the power of her geode to the fullest, the lavender bookworm ponied up and separated Heat Blitz from the monster and slammed the creature onto the pavement using her telekinesis. She also used her magic to put Heat down safely.

"Wha-- What gives?! What's going on here?" Heat asked, scared out of his wits.

"Just find a safe place to hide, we'll handle this thing!" Twilight ordered.

“Darn tootin’” Applejack replied in agreement, just as another one of the creatures immediately jumped at her. But before it could pounce her, Applejack tapped into the power of her geode and the reels back a kick; which sent the creature back and crashing down 10 feet away.

"Follow me!" Starlight said to Heat, grabbing his hand. "It's not safe here!"

"Wait, what about the girls?" Heat asked, concerned.

"They'll take care of those things. But they’re here because they’re after you. If you get caught in the crossfires, you'll just end up getting in the way! Now come on!" Starlight persisted, but Heat yanked away.

"No! Not yet! I gotta grab something!" Heat said before running back in the house and into his room, or what's left of it.

"Heat Blitz!" Starlight called out, but then the creature screeched again, tackling Starlight into the ground with its maw open up.

"Hey, fish breath!" Rainbow called out before sucker punching the one of the demonic creatures at high speeds. The demon slammed against a wall. "Oh yeah! How do you like tha--" the air-headed athlete is then tackled by another one of the creatures. 3 more of the creatures take the liberty of ambushing the girls. Pinkie Pie, quickly gathered up a handful of sprinkles from her pockets and tossed them at one of the creatures, which caused the sprinkles to explode upon impact, agitating the monster.

But before the creature could charge at the pink party girl, it doesn’t pay attention to the farmer girl-who it had pinned down-who took the open opportunity and taps into her magic and then kicks the creature off of her; with tremendous force. Which sent it flying towards a lightpost of the streets of the neighborhood. The impact caused the pole bent all the way and sent it falling on top of the creature, inflicting serious injury towards the demon. It roared with agonizing pain and was unable to move it’s crippled body.

As for Timber, he sat himself up, rubbing his head after receiving a door to the face. "Ugh, did someone get the license number of that truck that hit me?" he asked. But right away, one of the remaining demons stepped in front of him, blanketing him in their shadow. Timber slowly looked up wide-eyed. He stared in the face of danger and what was his response? "Uh… hi there." he waved timidly.

The creature roared, thus making Timber wet his pants and scream in fear, bolting out of there. And who was he to hide behind? None other than his ex-girlfriend, Twilight.

"Timber, get out of here!" Twilight ordered.

"But please! You've got to save me!" Timber cried out.

'Did I seriously fall for the same guy in Camp Everfree?' she asked in her thoughts. 'Heat, I owe you a lot of apologies for this great big mistake.' But apologies would have to wait. The monster she was fighting grabbed Twilight and slid her against the grass. Its hands and feet pinned her arms and legs, rendering her vulnerable.

She stares into the eyes of the creature that’s about to end her life swiftly, as its mouth slowly opened widely; revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, ready to tear into her.

"No! It can't end like this! Not now!" Twilight said, powerless to stop the monster. Tears ran down her face as her life flashed before her eyes. "Heat Blitz… everyone… I… I'm sorry."

"HEY, OVER HERE, YOU STUPID TWAT!!!" Heat's voice called out. Twilight and the demon turned to the young boy and had a strange glove on which was glowing bright turquoise blue. "Let go of my friend, right now! I'm the one you want!"

"Heat! No! Don't do it! These things might kill you! I'll be fine, just run!" Twilight urged.

"No… I won't run away. NOT THIS TIME!!!" Heat said, brimming with rage. He ran straight for the creature, screaming his battle cry and upon placing his gloved palm against the creature's chest, he sent out a strong shock wave that blasted it away, loosening its grip on Twilight and lands 30 feet away. However, the glove quickly stopped glowing after that one shot.

Heat's adrenaline slowly died down and looked over to Twilight, extending his hand out. "Did that monster hurt you?" Heat asked, keeping his calm.

"Y-Yeah… I am now, thanks to you. But… what was that thing you shot out of that glove?" Twilight asked.

"I'll explain later, but right now, we gotta get outta here," Heat said. He pointed out the 3 remaining monsters. They growled and closed in on the group, surrounding the girls in a circle and snapping their jaws at them. They were surrounded on all sides, no way to escape. Heat then got a little reckless and tried to use the same trick as last time. However, when his gloved hand touched one of the creatures, it short-circuited and fizzled out.

"Uh… what was that supposed to do, tickle it?" Rainbow asked,

"Damn it! My glove is out of power! Without a proper power source, I can't shoot out multiple shock waves!" Heat said before the monster back-clawwed him away from it, making him hit the ground hard. "OOF!!!" He quickly got back up and stared into the eyes of his foes, not knowing what to do. The girls couldn't get out of this pickle and Heat could only see one way out of this.

Stepping forth, Heat confronted the monsters with his arms out wide. "Heat, no!" Twilight said.

"You win! I'll come quietly. Don't hurt them and I'll let you take me prisoner.” The creatures halted their movement, confused by Heat’s answer. The creatures looked at each other, sending small chittering noises towards each other as if they were communicating. Soon the creatures turn towards the young boy, with the one in the middle walking towards him; about to grab him. As the creature was just 2 feet away from Heat, a gunshot was heard and the creature’s head suddenly burst into pieces, with its blood splattering over the grass, and it’s corpse collapsed to the ground.

The two remaining creatures turned their focus from Heat and looked towards the killer of their companion; which revealed to be the Shadow Knight himself–with a Winchester M1887 in his hands.

“Did you guys miss me?” he said with a sly tone. The girls didn’t know if he was referring to them or the creatures in front of them.

The two demons roared in anger at the legendary mercenary and then rushed toward him with killing intentions. However, they were slow on their charge as Inferno/Shadow reloads his shotgun and fires at the charging creatures. The first shot blew a big hole into the first charging demon’s chest, killing it instantly; while the other two shots, caused carnage into the 2nd demon’s abdomen and blew open it’s head. The corpses then fell towards both sides of the assassin, missing him as they impacted the ground.

Before he could take pride in his kills, Inferno suddenly picks up a smell of burnt meat and then turns around to see another one of the creatures lying dead on the ground, across the street, burnt all over its body. The assassin becomes puzzled by this and then turns towards the group of friends and Heat.

“What did you guys do before I showed up?” He asked in confusion while pointing towards the burnt corpse behind him.

"We tried to get Heat to safety, then all of a sudden ol' pissy pants here, or should I say "Pissed-in-Pants" here tried to come after Heat. That's when these weird monsters showed up." Rainbow said gesturing to Timber and the monsters.

“Shadow, how did you know we were in trouble.” Starlight asked.

“I was in the neighborhood, saw your little tussel, and I thought I could be of service.” Shadow replied before looking at Timber's wet spot.

"I, uh… I'm gonna just go now," Timber said before running with his tail between his legs.

"Shadow, you made it just in time! You're not gonna believe this, but Heat Blitz actually saved Twilight from one of those monsters," Starlight said.

The assassin arched his eyebrows in confusion. “Did he now?” he replied as he looked towards the mentioned boy. “So does that mean he was the one who turned that Drakai over there into a burnt steak?” He asked as he pointed towards the burnt corpse of the creature behind him.

“I’m sorry, darling. But, what?” Rarity asked in confusion.

“Drakai, which are the creatures that attacked you.” He stated. “Also known as the “Hellhounds of Tartarus”.”

"I don't understand. Why were those things after me?" Heat asked.

"Perhaps it's better if I explain," A voice echoed to the entire group. Soon, the very same tall man Starlight and Inferno/Shadow met appeared right in the middle of the street. “Sorry, I hadn’t arrive to assist you all, my humblest apologies.” He spoke out to them in a way a gentleman would say.

"Well, on the bright side, no one got--" Heat stopped himself when he saw the minor scratch marks and bruises on his body. "I mean… at least we're all still alive."

"And what you did was brave, but I'm afraid there's no time to celebrate. Grogar is sure to keep coming after you and those Drakai were only the beginning," Death said.

"But why is he after me?" Heat asked. "I'm just an ordinary guy."

"I'm afraid I can’t tell you most of the answer you seek.” The man replied. “However, what I can tell you is that, it’s something that involves young Eternal Flames and the secrets of his past. But that’s all I can say.” He explained.

"My brother?! Are you saying my brother is a target, too?!" Heat asked, panicking.

“What he meant was, the counterpart of your brother.” Starlight stated.

"Counterpart? What do you mean "counterpart?" Heat asked, confused.

"We'll explain later. But first, were you able to find Eternal?" Starlight asked Shadow.

"Unfortunately, no. I looked all over for him and couldn't find a single trace of him. He's really upset with whatever he and Sunset argued about. What the hell did she even say to him?" Shadow said.

“Uhhh hello.” Fluttershy said, only to fall deaf in everyone’s ears.

“I don’t know, but it caused Eternal to go missing in whatever part of town he’s in,” Starlight said.

“Well, he couldn’t have gone far,” Applejack replied.”

"But wait, what about Sunset? Shouldn't we get her involved?" Pinkie asked.

“Ooooh No! That girls caused enough damage as it is.” Shadow replied. "If that girl knows what's good for her, she'll shut up and stay out of this mess."

“Ummm excuse me. If you can listen to me for a sec-” Fluttershy tried to speak out but failed. But then, Heat noticed how she was trying to speak.

"Guys, QUIET!!! I think she's trying to say something," Heat says, pointing to Fluttershy.

"Thank you," she replied. "Anyways, look over there," Fluttershy said, pointing at the only surviving Drakai, still pinned under the street lamppost.

The creature continued to pry itself free, but every attempt it made, inflicted more pain to it’s injuries, causing it screech in pain.

"I got this," Shadow said, cocking his gun, approaching the beast. But Fluttershy’s ‘animal-caretaker’ instincts took over and then rushed over to put herself between the assassin and the injured Drakai.

"No! Don't kill him! He's hurt and he needs help," Fluttershy snapped. Getting up close to the Drakai, Fluttershy kneeled down and gave the demon a warm hug, the creature tried to resist and claw at the girl; however, it soon calmed down for some reason. "There, there. No need to be afraid now. Just tell your auntie Fluttershy how she can make you feel all better."

“Auntie... Fluttershy?” Shadow said in confusion.

"It's one of her best traits. She's a parent to animals and her geode allows her to talk to them, but I'm not sure if it has the same effect on demons," Twilight said.

As Fluttershy continued her efforts to calm the Drakai, it eventually paid off as the creature stopped its growls and began to loosen it’s tense body. Not only that, it’s purple glowing eyes suddenly glowed green, as if to show that it has finally calmed down.

"She's incredible. Maybe I can convince her to get the neighbor's cat to stop clawing me every time I go for a walk," Heat said. "Seriously, cat's can be a real pain when they're in a pissy mood now and then."

"I do beg your pardon, young man?" Rarity asked, gripping his shoulder, feeling offended.

“YEAH! Forget the stupid cats, what we should be focusing on is what are we gonna do about this Drakai?” Shadow shouted. “Cause we can’t just keep it out in the open for anyone else to see it.”

"How DARE you insult cats like that!" Rarity said, infuriated.

And at long last… "QUIET!!!" Fluttershy shouted. "Look, I'll take this Drakai home with me to patch him up."

“Good luck trying to carry a 500 lbs demon back to your house.” Shadow said.

"She don't have to. Ah got the strength o' at least 10 bulls," AJ said.

Suddenly, the Drakai growls in anger right as Applejack grew closer to Fluttershy and it. Its eyes went back to its purplish glow once again.

“Fluttershy! I thought you calmed that thing?!” Twilight said.

"I did, but he says he's not letting the "lady with man hands" touch him. Yes, I can understand what he's saying, but these are his words, not mine," Fluttershy said.

"Lady with man hands? Just what is that supposed to mean?!" AJ snapped, offended.

The demon growled again and Fluttershy gasped. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" she asked, giving the creature the disappointed mother stare.

"What'd that monster say this time?" AJ asked.

"OOH! OOH! Let me guess! I think he might have said "Mind yo DAMN MOTHAFUCKING BUSINESS, BITCH!" Pinkie blurted out in a semi-deep tone before squeeing and smiling.

"Umm… yes," Fluttershy said.

"Okay, now I like this demon," Shadow said. “Even though I hate it’s boss.” He whispered.

The demon growled and Fluttershy translated. "He says "who asked you, lover boy?"

“WHY YOU LIL’!” Shadow growled as he pointed his shotgun back at the demon, only for AJ and Rainbow Dash to hold him back. “LET ME AT ‘EM! LET ME AT ‘EM!”

"Easy there, Scrappy-Doo. Let's just focus on getting this demon to a safe place and then we'll look for Eternal.” Rainbow said.

After minutes of struggle, Shadow finally exhausted his anger and gave in. “Ughh… fine. But first.” He said, right before he used his foot to swipe Rainbow Dash on the ground before she could react and then grabbed at AJ’s arm and flipped her over, slamming her to the ground. “Never give your captive an advantage to get free.” He said as he

“Ooooh, let’s give him a name!” Pinkie suggested.

“Pinkie, it’s not a puppy.” Twilight replied.

"If Fluttershy gave him a chance to live, he deserves a name all the same. So… how about we name him… Daris?" Pinkie suggested.

"I don't mean to judge but, is she serious?" Heat asked.

“Never question Pinkie, partner.” Applejack replied. "When it comes to logic, Pinkie's in a league o' her own. If logic had a law, she'd be a wanted gal."

"Noted," Heat said, though he still wasn't sure if he can exactly let it go entirely. "Now back to more important matters." he turns his attention towards the Drakai.

"Not so fast there, sugarcube. We still gotta get those injuries o' yers checked out. Don't wanna risk ‘em scratches infectin' ya," AJ said, grabbing his shoulder.

The Drakai growled. "He says our fangs and claws aren't contagious. The boy's scratches are only minor. Our master ordered us to bring him in alive," Fluttershy translated.

“Alive? Then what about Eternal?” Shadow asked.

The Drakai growled. "He says Grogar won't attack Eternal directly. But hasn't explained why." Fluttershy translated.

“Wait, so your big boss won’t even tell you anything else about Eternal, and you just went along with it?” Rainbow said.

The Drakai growled again. "He says "My master gives me the orders, I follow. He created me for that soul purpose. We exist only to hunt, not to question. The only time we ever questioned his orders, one of our packs suffered a slow and painful death," Fluttershy translated with tears of pity and sadness.

"So you're slaves to that monster and you don't have a say in the matter because he created you all?" Heat asked. The Drakai nodded. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't know. Maybe there's a way I can help." But then, an idea occurred to him. "That's it! Wait right here, I'll be back!" Heat then made a dash for his ransacked house.

“It’s not like he’s going anywhere with his injuries!” Shadow called out to Heat. In mere seconds, he came out just as quick as he went in and had another one of his gloves on and this one was at full power.

"Okay, whatever's embedded in this Drakai's body, I'll rip it out so I can seal it back up," Heat said, putting his other glove on.

“Is that even… safe?” Fluttershy asked as her arms hugged tightly around Daris.

"If he's got anything sharp embedded deep inside him, he won't survive. This is the only way I can think of to help him without killing him." Heat persisted.

"O-Okay, if you say so," Fluttershy said. Fluttershy checked Daris for any objects that might have pierced his body. Thankfully, there was only scratches and bruises. "There's no stab wounds, you're good to go."

"Good. Now hold still… this may sting a little," Heat said as he placed his hand on Daris' chest. Concentrating as hard as he could, his glove emitted a bright glow. Sure enough, within a minute, a small pulsation coarsed through the demon's body. Not only were his external injuries disappearing, but the internal ones as well. His body was recuperating at a fast pace.

And of course, Heat's other glove quickly lost its power and fizzled out. "Heat Blitz… I… I don't know how you did it, but you actually healed him," Fluttershy said, shocked.

"I'm a scientist. A beginner scientist, but a scientist nonetheless. And these gloves… I created them with nano-technology. Of course, these were just the prototypes," Heat said, taking off his gloves and tucking them in his pockets.

"Guess we've got two eggheads now, don't we?" Rainbow asked.

"Rainbow, show some respect!" Rarity scolded.

"Okay, so now that Daris is healed, let's take him home with us!" Pinkie said happily.

"Pinkie, not to sound rude, but is your mind made out of cotton candy?" Heat questioned.

"No, that's the kind of shampoo I use for my hair. You likey?" Pinkie asked, brushing her hair with the back of her hands.

"It, uhh… definitely suits you," Heat says.

Rising back up to his feet, Daris growls at Fluttershy. She nods. "Girls, I'm going to take Daris back to my place where he can lay low. And Heat Blitz… thank you," she said before heading off with the demon.

"Good luck," Heat said.

"Heat Blitz," Twilight spoke up. Heat looked back at his friend. "Listen… I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings back then. I owe you a very big explanation and an apology for not telling you over these past years."

"We can discuss it later, Twilight. I know you're sorry, but now's not the time to let guilt get in our way if that Grogar monster's gonna come after me again," Heat said.

"And another thing, we've also gotta find Eternal. Now that Heat's with us, we should take him somewhere safe until we've handled the damage done here," Shadow said, gesturing to his damaged house.

"I'll ask my parents if he can stay with me. It's only fair," Twilight said.

"Right. We'll keep a look-out for Eternal Flames in the meantime. Let's all split up so we can cover more ground," Starlight said. The girls, Shadow and Heat all agreed and split up while Twilight took Heat to her home.

Meanwhile, in the busiest part of the city, the heartbroken prince overlooked the city from atop a building, his stare cold as ice. Colder than black ice even. With his ex-friend now out of his life, he had no other reason to stick around, except for the intense crime that plagued this city.

"Mother… I was a fool to pursue her. I see no other purpose to pursue her any longer," Eternal talked to himself. He soon picked up the sound of an alarm blaring at a nearby jewelry store. "And now… I'm going to eradicate these vermin." he said before leaping off the building, unleashing his demon powers.

"HEY! STOP THAT GUY!!!" the jeweler shouted.

"Catch me if you can, bastard!" the thief called out all smug. His crime was then brought to a halt when Eternal slammed to the ground, leaving a small crater, making the thief jump back in shock and fear. The man couldn't see Eternal's face due to his hoodie and his long red hair. All he was were his blood red eyes. "Tch, you think I'm afraid of y--"

The thief is then cut off by Eternal grabbing his leg, slamming him to the ground the first three times, then checked to see if he was feeling mouthy still. The thief was about to crack another remark, but Eternal slammed him to more times and left him in the crater, traumatized and bleeding from the heavy blows. Eternal grabbed the bag of jewels from the thief and walked away, looking back at the immobilized thug.

"Puny thug," Eternal said in his distorted demonic voice. Eternal returned to the jeweler and handed him the bag of jewels. "You can call the cops now." And with that, Eternal ran off, leaving the owner speechless.

"Who was that boy?" he asked himself.

The Tide Shifts

View Online

Moments have passed since the group safely secured Heat Blitz, saved a Drakai from death and continued their search for Eternal Flames. With Fluttershy and Twilight busy looking after an Equestrian-style hellhound and a slightly injured boy, the other girls and Shadow searched high and low for any trace of the heart-broken prince.

So far, none of the girls had any luck in their searches. Shadow also felt like he wasn't getting anywhere, but then suddenly, he noticed flashing red and blue lights in the distance. "The hell's going on over there?" he asked.

He jogged over to see what had happened. From what his eyes can tell, it looked like there was an attempted robbery and there were cracks on the ground and a shooken up crook. The police were checking on the crook's mental conditions as well as his minor injuries. Whoever roughed him up, he left him bleeding a bit.

"T-T-Those eyes… those horrible red eyes," the crook said, shaking in fear. "H-He's… he's still out there… you… you gotta help me, man!" he clinged to the police's shirt, begging on bended knees, which the cop could tell he was genuinely spooked.

"Easy there. Though you're likely to face charges for attempted robbery, we'll find this… red-eyed monster you describe," the cop said. Just then, the cop's attention was brought over towards Shadow. "Can I help you, sir?"

"What happened here?" Shadow asked.

"Just a simple robbery gone wrong. Alright, now in you go," the cop said, putting the crook in the back seat of the car before driving him off to the station. Shadow took this chance to finally talk to the jeweler.

"What a night. I need a vacation after this whole mess," the jeweler said. He sees Shadow and starts to wonder what he's here for. "Uh… is there something I can help you with… sir?"

“That guy over there… did he really see a creature with “red eyes”?” Shadow asked. “Like in the color of ‘blood’.”

"I dunno, I was too far away to see it. Plus, he looked pretty human to me. On top of that, I think it was just his long red hair that made him think he had red eyes. Of course, he was wearing a hoodie, so I couldn't see his face. And when he gave me the jewels that crook stole, I could tell he had blue eyes, but he looked so… cold… and sad." the jeweler explained. "I guess the poor boy was down on his luck."

"Wait… did you say sad? How would you describe it?” Shadow asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe… "I've lost everything and don't care anymore" kind of sad. Why, do you know the guy?" the jeweler asked.

“You can say that. Thank you for your time.” Shadow replied as he turned and walked away.

"If you're gonna find him, I'd be careful. I saw him heading towards the West district of the city. That's what we call the bad side of town!" the jeweler called out.

Shadow halted where he stood after hearing what the jeweler said and the directions that he gave him. He turned his head nearly halfway, staying silent for a minute until he finally replied with an answer: “I’ve spent years hunting the Devil himself; I can handle any danger that is thrown at me.”

"Alright, but just remember. I did try to warn you," the jeweler said as he watched Shadow head out into the danger zone. "I gotta give him props for being brave enough to go down that road." he says to himself.

When he said the West district of Canterlot City was the bad side, he wasn't joking around. There were a few worn-out buildings and old train tracks leading to places outside the city and beyond, but weren't operational for what seemed like decades. But what set him off was the neighborhood he was in. It looked like gang territory and it looked like there was a struggle of some kind.

Guys with guns were either waking up or were still unconscious. Inferno had never seen anything like this. Anyone in this district who was gang was roughed up, but it doesn't look like there were any casualties.

"Hey…" one of the gang members said, getting up, beaten and battered. "...you'd better scam, kid and I mean now. I ain't threatening you, even if I want to."

"What thrashed you up?" Shadow asked.

"Trust me… that thing that attacked me and my gang, it… it wasn't human. I ain't gonna… forget eyes as bloodthirsty as those," he said, limping over to the sidewalk. "That cold stare… and… blood red hair…" After saying that, the man collapsed, unconscious.

"Looks like I'm on my own or now," Shadow said before hearing a noise in the distance. Shadow quickly turned to see a man in a grey hoodie with another gang member in his hand, dragging him into the streets where he tossed him aside.

Shadow then draws out his twin revolvers and points them towards the mysterious figure out in the streets. “Hey!” He calls out to them. “Halt right there!”

The hooded figure slowly turns his head towards Shadow and lowers his stance as if getting into position to fight.

“If I were you…. I would stand down!” Shadow sternly said, as a warning to the person in front of him.

As the two were locked in their stances, thunder soon roared in the sky as rain fell hard onto the streets of the town. The hooded man didn't heed his warning and slowly approached him. Shadow could sense his hostility, but he was well-armed and loaded, ready for whatever this man had planned for him.

"Fine, but just remember… you brought this upon yourself," Shadow said, aiming carefully before firing at him. But somehow, the man dodged that shot with precision. He even quickened his pace a little. "Not bad, but it ain't gonna help you. I'm a lot stronger if you think I'm just all guns and no punch."

Right away, Shadow fired some more shots at the man, but he dodged those just as easily and picked up his pace until he was up close with Shadow. Just as he did, the hooded man then ran up to the assassin and landed a high jump kick into his gut. Shadow fell to the ground with a hard thud, losing grip of his pistols in the process. The hooded man stood over as if he took pride in his action, but soon it was short-lived as Shadow quickly recovered and swept his legs, throwing him off-balance.

The hooded man fell to the ground just as quick as Shadow got up to grab his pistols and fire some more shots at him. But even when grounded, the hooded man still dodged his shots at a quick pace.

Shadow's barrels soon ran on empty and quickly reloaded. The hooded man jumped to his feet and threw some swift, hard punch towards Shadow's face, but was quickly dodged and blocked by the experienced assassin; who returns the favor with a quick headbutt to the face, causing the hooded figure to stumble back. Giving Shadow the advantage as he took the opportunity to land a roundhouse kick onto his foe, which forces them to the ground.

The hooded man sprang up using his hands and leaped over Shadow, throwing a triple spin kick to the face. Shadow blocked two of them, but took the last one in order to catch him and slam him back to the ground with him. Shadow crawled up to him and grabbed him by the throat and then repeatedly slammed his fist into the face of the hooded man–which remained hidden under his hood–4 times until the figure managed to catch Shadow’s fist before he could land a 5th blow and threw him off of him.

He sprang back up to his feet, then grabbed Shadow by the throat, got behind him and tightened his grip on him, trying to choke him. The assassin quickly retaliates, in order to save his skin, by taking out his Karambit knife and then with one swift move, stabs it into his enemy’s thigh and then twisting it to cause more pain.

"GAAAAH!!!!" the hooded man shouted, causing him to pull on the assassin’s mask and remove it as he let him go. Shadow's eyes widen upon hearing the man's voice. As the hooded man let go, he stumbled down on one knee, panting heavily. "Damn it… should've known… that was a bad idea…"

Shadow instantly turns around to meet the hooded man face-to-face once more, and to his shock, the hood of the man was removed during their struggle; revealing that Shadow/Inferno's combatant was none other than… Eternal Flames!

As for Eternal, he looks up to the mercenary and becomes shocked as well, when he finally gets a look at Shadow’s real face; which turned out to be the face of the guy who aided him when he first came to this world. And that’s when Eternal realizes that the Shadow Knight is actually the Equestrian counterpart of Inferno Blaze.

"You… You're the Shadow Knight?" Eternal asked

“Eternal?... Wha-what!?” Inferno tries to process the situation in his mind; for he has been fighting the very pony he was assigned to protect 3 minutes ago, and he just stabbed a knife in his leg. "Oh shit, what the hell have I done? DAMN IT!"

"We're both at fault here!" Eternal grunted, keeping pressure on his stab wound. "I was stupid to use that stranglehold trick knowing you were well-armed. What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Why else do you think I'm here? To find you! Asshole!” Inferno shouted. In fact, everyone is scattered around town looking for you!”

"Looking for me? Please, if I were them, I'd stay out of my business. Why would they go around searching all over for me anyways?" Eternal asked

“CAUSE THEY'RE ALL WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!!!” Inferno shouted. “ME AND THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN THROUGH CRAP TODAY TRYING TO FIND YOU!! AND ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS PUSH US AWAY!!!!”

"YOU THINK I WANT TO PUSH YOU AWAY?! I DID IT SO I COULD PROTECT YOU GUYS AND SUNSET HAD THE NERVE TO SNAP AT ME!!!" Eternal snapped back.

“You really think that!? Sunset did that because she gives a living shit about you! AND YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY TO HAVE A PERSON LIKE HER IN YOUR LIFE!!!” Inferno rebutted.

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!!?!?” Eternal shouted back, only to later regret that question.

“BECAUSE I HAD A LIFE LIKE YOU HAD AND THAT WAS ALL TAKEN FROM ME BY A DAMN DEMON!!!!!” Inferno roared out of anger and… sadness, as tears soon began to form in his eyes. “A DEMON MURDERED MY FATHER, A DEMON FRAMED ME OF MURDER, A DEMON CAUSED ME TO NEVER SEE MY MOTHER FOR 10 DAMN YEARS!!!!” He cried out in sorrow.

Eternal's enraged expression quickly changed to a shocked one. "I had no idea. But… Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Eternal asked, more calm.

“What can I do, huh? No one believed me! I was declared a criminal by the nobles of Canterlot... by your mother! So no one had a clear conscience to even hear my side of the story!” Inferno explained, as he was about to have a mental breakdown.

"...I do. And honestly… Now I'm ashamed of my own heritage… ashamed of my own mother. If I had known what you came to be this way, I would've listened to my younger brother. He's always been the voice of reason for someone his age," Eternal said, looking down at the ground.

“And that’s not the rest of it,” Inferno stated. “After the girls and I were told that Grogar was after you… I… was scared. I was afraid that the bastard would put you through the same shit he put me through… FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS!!!” He cried in anger and depression.

"I'm… sorry for what you went through. But you know… we're sort of the same. I lost my father some time ago. I was only 11 years old when he died. Just like Heat Blitz… he was the definition of a pony you could trust. He kept no secrets from anyone, be they good or bad. Understanding of any situation, always lending his ears and taking everyone's story into account, but then one day… he was killed," Eternal explained.

“That’s what my father was like, he was always willing to help others when they were always in the dumps. He always favored the poor more than the nobles… *chuckle*, I remember the time he scolded Prince Blueblood when he was insulting the Earth ponies and Pegasi. Man, Blueblood remained silent for weeks after that.” Inferno chuckled.

"I always thought my cousin was a mistake. I'm disgusted to think he and I are related. But that's besides the point. The truth for me being distant is… I've already had a bad encounter with a demon at birth. You see… because of that encounter, my time here is running short. It's sort of a… sickness that was placed upon me," Eternal explained, looking down. "And it's all the fault… of Grogar."

“Well… I guess you were right,” Inferno said. “We do have something in common. Look Eternal, I know you wish to see this through, but my life was once screwed over by Grogar and I will not let that happen to you.” Inferno stated as he placed his hand on Eternal’s shoulder. “From this day forth, I swear I will help you find a way to break this curse that the demon bastard placed upon you… even if it kills me.” Inferno said, firmly. “Not for money, not for my freedom… but as a friend.”

"Then it looks like we're stuck with each other. But I've only got until my 18th birthday until everything ends," Eternal said.

“And when is that?” Inferno asked.

"2 weeks and 2 days at precisely 3 AM." Eternal said.

“Well then Eternal, it’s time to nut up or shut up, we have 2 weeks to find a cure for your curse. But first you have more pressing matters to take care of.” he stated.

"If you're talking about Sunset, forget about it. She made it perfectly clear that I'm not welcome in her life if I wasn't gonna tell her why I was being so secretive."

“Well, you might wanna because after your big argument, she’s been extremely heartbroken about what she said and hasn’t spoken to Starlight and the others in a while. None of the others heard from her ever since you went into hiding.” Inferno explained. “Eternal, you may think she doesn’t want you in her life; but truth be told, I believe she needs you more than you ever knew. I never saw my mother for 10 years on the run from Royal Guards, so please Eternal; do not make the same mistake I made.” He said.

Eternal sighs in defeat. "Fine, but just remember. I'm doing this because you asked me to." he said as he tried to get up, but quickly sank back down, grunting in pain. "Okay, I still gotta get used to this new pain." he grunted.

“Shit I forgot about that! Don’t worry I got ya.” Inferno quickly got down beside Eternal and gently got him up to his feet, supporting him so he wouldn’t fall. “Also I gotta hand it to ya; I killed 1,203 demons and 4,034 targets back in Equestria; and you manage to hold your own against me for 1 hour. Not bad, kid.” He said with a grin.

"Not all unicorns are weak snobs," Eternal jokes.

“Amen to that.” Inferno replied, which resulted in the two laughing together as they left the place where their battle once was.

Meanwhile, over at Sunset's apartment, the heartbroken young lady was up in her bedroom, sobbing quietly in her pillow. Her phone was blowing up all day with messages and phone calls from her friends, but she didn't answer. She wasn't sure what she was gonna say after what she did to Eternal. She takes out from under her pillow the necklace she made for Eternal back when they were children.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Eternal," Sunset whispered, holding the broken necklace close to her and sobbing some more. She began to recall the times she and him spent together and how he brought out the best of her.

*Flashback*

Almost 12 years ago, in the golden city of Canterlot. Young Sunset was just an ambitious little filly who had dreams of one day becoming royalty, just like Princess Celestia. Her parents were supportive, but they didn't want to let go of her too soon. They wanted her to enjoy her free time making friends and playing like every other filly and colt.

She was currently spending her time reading some books by the local Canterlot pond with her mother, Morning Sun and father Light Ray. Sunset had some books that had some spells she was anxious to learn and wanted to learn fast.

"Hmm, a shock wave spell. This looks promising," Sunset said. "Let me see if I can actually use this spell." she said. She lit up her horn shortly after looking at the spell. The brighter her horn lit up, the more powerful the spell was becoming. But then, her spell backfired when she charged it a little too much and ended up blasting herself back.

When she landed, she wound up hitting something. "OOF!!" Or someone. "Ow! What'd you have to go and do that for?" A young colt's voice said.

"Sorry, I was just trying to get this shock wave spell done," Sunset said, getting back up. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" she turned over to the colt she hit. He had a shiny white coat of fur with sparkling sapphire eyes and red mane with strange scars under his eyes. Sunset gasped when she saw those scars. "Oh no! I did hurt you!"

"What are you talking about?" the colt asked.

"Your eyes!" Sunset pointed out.

"Oh, these," he said, smiling and chuckling. "I was born with these things. They're actually my birth marks. My name's Eternal Flames, by the way. Who are you?"

"Sunset Shimmer. I'm sorry for that little accident."

"No worries, but why did you need to learn the shock wave spell? It's a dangerous offensive that can backfire if you're still a beginner."

"I thought I could master it in one go."

"Nah, my mother says nothing can be learned in a day. I wish I could introduce you to her, but she and my dad are always busy with the nobles."

"But if they're busy, how come you're out here all alone?"

"My mom has the Royal Guards watching over me." Sunset blinked in surprise from hearing him say that. "What?"

"Your mom controls the Royal Guard?! Who is she?"

"Her name is Princess Celestia."

Sunset gasped happily. "YOUR MOM IS THE PRINCESS?! OOH!!! Can you ask her if I can get into her school for gifted unicorns? I've been wanting to get into her school for a while!"

"I… I'll try, but she's hardly got any time to spend with me because of all the nobles. If I get lucky enough to catch her before she and dad go to sleep, I'll recommend you to her. But you're gonna need permission from your parents before anything else," Eternal said.

"O-Oh. So much for that," Sunset said. "My mom and dad said I shouldn't rush myself wanting to grow up. Saying I should make my time last before going to that school."

"I think they're right. Besides, you look a little young to go to my mom's school."

"You should talk, you probably go there and don't want me to go because you're scared that I might pass you up!" Sunset said, getting offended.

"What? I don't go there! I'm almost 6!" Eternal replied.

Sunset blinked in surprise. "...oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were the same age as me."

"Well, that's another reason why I can't tell her. You have to be 8 in order to get in and besides, my mom usually home schools me as well as my aunt Luna," Eternal explained.

"Young prince. It's time to go back," one of the Royal Guards called out.

"Okay, coming!" Eternal called out. "Sorry, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Sunset."

"You too, Eternal." And as he walked off with his royal escort, Sunset realized just much her parents were right about enjoying her life as a kid. And meeting Eternal changed Sunset's mind. Maybe having a friend won't be such a bad thing after all.

*End of flashback*

"Some friend I turned out to be. It's… it's like the Fall Formal all over again," Sunset said as she reminisced about those days. And while she was sulking, she heard a knock on her door. "Who is it?" she called out.

"Shadow Knight," Inferno called out.

"Go away! I'm not in the mood to talk right now!" Sunset called out.

"I brought someone for you and he’s bleeding out right now, so please let us in!" Inferno shouted behind the door. Sunset jolted up from her bed and quickly ran down and answered the door. To her shock and horror, Eternal was with him and had a nasty gash in his thigh.

"Quick, let's bring him into the living room," Sunset said, helping them bring Eternal in. She quickly set Eternal down on the couch and ran over to the bathroom, getting her first aid kit. "How the hell did he wind up in this condition?!"

"It's all my fault. I… tripped while I was walking and… my thigh crushed a glass bottle and a shard cut deep into my skin," Eternal called out, winking to Shadow and giving him a thumbs up. "I've got you covered." he whispered. Shadow smiled in appreciation.

“Uh yeah, what he said. Lucky for him, I stumbled upon him in the streets and managed to pressure the wound before he could lose too much blood.” Shadow lied.

"Well, you're lucky you got him here just in time," Sunset said, coming out with her kit. She took out some bandages, cotton swab and disinfectant. "Now hold still, this'll sting a bit, but it'll help with your wound." she said, spraying the swab with the disinfectant and dabbing it on his stab wound, making him wince in pain.

"That smarts," Eternal said, gritting his teeth.

"Told you so," Sunset said. "Listen, Eternal. I… I want to say I'm sorry for the way I acted. It wasn't right for me to snap at you when you said that you were sick. I got so caught up with finding out what you were keeping from me, that… I didn't take into account your reasons. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I… I suppose," Eternal said, still unsure. Though, Shadow can tell from his facial expression and sends him an expression that says “Really dude.”

"It's okay if you don't forgive me right away. I did say those hurtful things to you. If you're okay with it, maybe we can start over," Sunset said.

"Hmm… well… I guess I can give you another chance," Eternal sighs. "You are patching up my wound, so I might as well."

'It's a start, so I should be grateful about that," Sunset thought to herself before reaching for the disinfectant, but then felt something off with it. "Uh-oh, this stuff is empty. Wait right there, I'll be back with some more disinfectant." She then leaves the living room and heads over to another room to get the medicine. With the boys alone again, Inferno decided to talk to Eternal about something that was bothering him.

“Hey Eternal.” Inferno calls to him.

"What's up?" Eternal replies.

“Well… I don’t know if you have any knowledge of this.” Inferno explained. “But ever since I came to this world, I was still in my emotionless state after your mother bailed me out of the slammer to protect you. But during the past few days here, spending time with Starlight Glimmer, I suddenly forget to never feel any emotions. Soon I began to feel joy, rage, fear, sadness… emotions that I never felt before… well, since the day my father died. And whenever I'm with Starlight… I-I don’t know what… but she… somehow makes me feel… like me again.” Inferno explained his thoughts to the young prince. “But I don’t know exactly what is causing it?”

"You're falling in love with Starlight Glimmer," Eternal said plainly. "It's similar to how I was starting to have feelings with Sunset Shimmer."

“Wha-What!? No, no, no… NO! There’s no way I’m falling in… love.” Inferno panicked, refusing to believe Eternal’s words.

"I thought the same thing when I was younger, but when I--" Eternal paused when Sunset came back with some more disinfectant and had a small smile on her face.

"Did I just hear Shadow's got a crush on Starlight?" Sunset asked.

“I… DO… NOT!” Shadow denies, yet again.

“Yep, he does.” Eternal states as Shadow glares at him for his betrayal.

"Shadow, there's nothing to be ashamed of when you're in love. In fact, you having feelings for Starlight is actually kinda cute. She's a really good friend and she's good at lending a hand. I remember when I was teased back at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns for having this silly kid crush on… some random colt, but that's all behind me," Sunset said, blushing a bit.

'Was she always this cute?' Eternal thought to himself, not realizing he was blushing, too.

“I still don’t believe it! I’m an outlaw assassin and she’s a student of an alicorn princess; that doesn’t make any sense!?!” Shadow said.

"What about the goddess Harmony and her lover, Death? It's rumored they're lovers, but then again, I've never seen it with my own eyes. Plus, Starlight once tried to take away other ponies cutie marks and rewrite history," Eternal said.

“Oh yeah I heard that rumor, and I also heard that our ancestors separated them. So how’s that supposed to be helpful!?!” Shadow replied.

"You and Starlight might be different, but it's up to you to set aside your differences and accept each other, just like any other couple should out there," Eternal said.

“But… but… how can I show her my feelings without her rejecting me for who I am? You got an answer for that?” Shadow asked. “What can I do for her… what can I give her?!”

"For starters, you can try to be her friend. Friends are good listeners and they hang out and do stuff, but it can't always be about yourself.”

“I know I'm not selfish!” Shadow stated.

"Okay. Well, if you really want to get her attention, maybe start things off by taking her to the park. I heard from Twilight she loves kites," Eternal said. "Albeit, she does tend to nerd out when she flies kites, but trust me, she really loves kites. Though, I gotta ask you something, too."

"Like what?"

"Are you sure we're not related? Because according to my father, he says our ancestors have a soft spot for cute, smart, nerdy girls," Eternal said. "At least that's how he put it."

“If I were related to you, then I would hang myself if I find out Blueblood is also my cousin.” Shadow replied.

"Eh, he's a skipped generation and a lost cause. But I will tell you, my brother Heat Blitz is dating Princess Twilight. Those two are major eggheads," Eternal said.

"Speaking of Twilight, where is she? Is she and Timber still…" Sunset asked.

“Nah, she told me that she dumped him… and also your friend Fluttershy has brought in a new pet demon now.” Shadow explained.

"What?! What demons are you talking about? Did something happen?!" Sunset panicked.

“Well your friends along with Heat were attacked by 5 Drakais; I killed 3 of them and I believed Heat fried one of them. As for the fifth, it was wounded by your farmgirl friend and I was about to end its life until Fluttershy got in the way and willingly aided the creature. So we now have a friendly Drakai named ‘Daris’.” Shadow explained again.

"Heat Blitz?! What's he doing here and why did he get involved?!" Eternal asked, growing protective as he tried to get up. But the sharp jolt of pain coursed through his thigh, making him fall back on the couch.

“Whoa easy man, you’re gonna reopen the wound. Also it's not actually your brother, it’s his human counterpart.” Shadow stated.

"He's right. Just like how there's a Twilight in Equestria, there's a Twilight in this dimension, too. So, Shadow, what's happened to Heat? Is he alright?" Sunset asked.

"Not to worry, he's a little bruised up and shaken, but he's still in one piece. His injuries are only minor so he'll live," Inferno said.

"Why was he involved in the first place?" Eternal asked.

"Because… Grogar sent out the drakai to capture him. I don't know why, but he's certain to try and come after him again. Sunset, can you make sure Eternal doesn't go anywhere? And can you make sure not to pry in his business?" Inferno asked.

"You have my word. But, where are you going?" Sunset asks.

"I need to let the girls know that Eternal's back. Also, I need time to myself. And don't worry, I'll make sure to tell them not to bother either of you,” Shadow said and soon he was out the door and left the apartment. Their privacy was now theirs and Sunset looked down at her injured friend, still saddened from earlier.

"Eternal… I really am sorry for driving you away like that," she said softly, sitting on the couch next to him.

"I know, Sunset. I know. To be honest, I was acting rather unreasonable myself. I'll only tell you the fact that… my time is running out. Can't tell you what it is, so I'll just call it… a rare disease that can't be cured completely," Eternal said.

"You serious?!" she asked, worried.

"Afraid so. But I appreciate your concern about this. I haven't told anyone else this secret aside from you and Shadow. Perhaps it's best that I keep it that way," Eternal said, looking away, ashamed that he's keeping a far darker secret from Sunset. But then, he feels her wrap her arms around him, sitting next to him. Eternal was taken aback by her actions, but chose to hug her back. Sunset and Eternal never let go of each other, wanting to feel the warm embrace of each other.

Meanwhile, in the dark realm of the Shadow World where the castle was hidden, Grogar was not too happy with the results left by his drakai. Growling, the fumed demon ram slammed his fist on the table. "Those wretched beasts are USELESS!!! No matter, I'll see to it that the little boy is brought to me sooner or later." Grogar said.

"What should our next plan be, master?" one of his mages asked. But as he asked him, a strangle rumble echoed throughout the castle.

"Check on our recent missing one and make sure that seal isn't broken. His anger's far too unstable to be let out." Grogar ordered.

"As you wish." The mage then used his staff to teleport out of his master's room and arrived in the catacombs of the castle with the other mage. Inside it was a dark violet crystal floating in the center of the room. It was chained up from every side and inside the crystal was a human being surrounded in a dark aura.

Clashing their staffs together, they aimed for the dark crystal and aimed a large dark beam at it, making it glow as bright as daylight.

"Sorry, but master forbids you from losing your temper," Mage 1 says. "And we will not allow you to interfere with the master's plans for the passing of the crown."

"It's a shame this mortal is a lost cause," Mage 2 adds. The mages continue to use their magic until the rumbling in the castle stopped entirely. "We can't keep containing him much longer. Sooner or later, his anger will be too strong even for our magic."

"Then we'll just have to improvise if it comes to that," Mage 1 replies. The two elite mages then stare at the human trapped inside his crystal prison, slightly trembling as his power grows in his dormant state.

Meanwhile, over at Fluttershy's house, the sweet caretaker was humming a sweet tune while putting bandages over Daris' injuries. Surprisingly, the demonic creature was never hostile towards her; willingly, allowing her to tend to his wounds. Daris let out soft, low growls, still unfamiliar with how to speak human English.

"It's true that us humans are fragile, my friends and I included. But there's always a bright side to all of this. You get to live to see another day," Fluttershy said. Daris growled again, looking even more sorrow than before. "Don't say that, Daris! You can't give up on life now! Just because you are a slave to a cruel person, doesn’t mean you need to choose to be one. You now have a gift that my friends and I have given you; a freedom to choose for yourself.”

The Drake tilts his head in surprise, never in his life has he chosen for himself. In his beginnings, he has been caged, tormented, and forced to obey the command of the master. But to choose for himself… to be free; that was never on his mind.

While they conversed, Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel, disturbed them by kicking Daris' legs, but the demon didn't feel any pain. Angel continues to kick at the demon with all his effort, soon Fluttershy begins to notice the bunny’s behavior.

"Angel! Leave him alone! He's hurt and he needs to recover. Now go somewhere else and I'll take care of you later," Fluttershy replies. But Angel didn't listen and continued his kicks, but the bunny had met his match; soon Daris’s tail raised in the air above Angel, the claw on the end lightly grabbed the bunny by his fluffy tail and lifted him 10 inches on the ground. Then the Drakai’s tail moves away from the demons body and then drops Angel back on the ground; 4 feet away from Fluttershy and him.

Daris growled once more. "I'm sorry if he gave you trouble. He's just so uncomfortable around strangers who… look like you," Fluttershy said. Daris lowers his head, and coils back his tail, in sadness. If something so frail and innocent–not really–despises him; then he’ll never find a place in this world. "Daris, listen, I'm not the only one who feels you've got a place here. Heat Blitz thinks so too and you almost succeeded in taking him."

The demon softly growls in agreement, though he wishes not to remember that event; which cost the lives of his fellow members of his pack. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "I'll go get it, you just stay here and rest up some more," Fluttershy then stood up and walked out of her room, heading for the door. She opened it up to see her friends AJ, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

“Girls? What brings you all here?” Fluttershy asked out of curiosity.

"We came by to see if you were alright. May we come in, darling?" Rarity asked.

“Oh… well, of course. Please come in.” Fluttershy replied as she welcomed her fellow classmates/band members into her humble home.

"By the way, where's that demon you're keeping?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah, I want to throw him a special party to welcome him in our group!" Pinkie blurted out.

“Why would you want to throw a party for a demon? In case you’ve forgotten Pinkie, that he and his pals nearly… killed us!” Rainbow stated, bluntly.

"Yeah, but that was then, this is now. You heard what Daris said, he was enslaved by that big fat meanie, Grogar," Pinkie replied. "If anything, his so-called "master" should be punished."

“We ain’t arguing with ya, Pinkie. But ah think we should keep an eye on him, in case he tries any funny business.” Applejack suggested, as she wandered into the living room. Only to find Daris lying on the floor, resting as Fluttershy told him to.

But Applejack’s presence awoke the crippled demon; now opening his eyes to see the farm girl staring at him. In a quick flash, the Drakai jumped from his resting spot and ran behind Fluttershy, growling in anger at Applejack as he hides himself behind his caretaker.

"It's okay, Daris, they're not going to harm you, right girls?" Fluttershy asked sternly.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie said, doing her ritual Pinkie promise bit.

"I won't, but I've got my eye on you, buster," Rainbow warned. Daris growled.

“That’s odd. It’s been a day since after the Drakai attack, but Daris still shows a great deal of resentment towards Applejack? Should he have gotten over the ordeal?” Rarity asked.

“Well…” Fluttershy replied, sheepishly. “Before I had welcomed Daris into my home, I asked Shadow about what I should know about Drakai, but he only gave me one piece of information.” She explained.

“And what’s that, darling?” Rarity asked once again in curiosity.

“Drakais tend to hold a grudge for centuries.” Fluttershy stated.

"Makes sense. But I know I can win Daris over with the party I have in store for him. Have you ever eaten pies before?" Pinkie asks, pulling a lemon cream pie out of her hair. "I tried to give some to Rainbow, but then I found out she's been HIDING all of my pies!"

"I thought we settled that problem," Rainbow said.

“Dash… ya’ lied ta her ‘bout liking her pies fer years; what did ya think was gonna happen if she found out!?” Applejack said.

"I screwed up, I get it! Now can we drop the subject and address the ‘demon in the room’.” Rainbow suggest, wanting to avoid guilt and embarrassment.

During their conversation, Pinkie didn’t notice a tail-claw appearing behind her and hovering next to the pie in her hand. Before the girls could notice, the claw immediately grabbed Pinkie's pie and jerked it out of her hands. Pinkie noticed her pie gone, then turned to Rainbow.

"DASHIE!!! Where's my pie?!" Pinkie asked, pissed.

"Don't look at me, I didn't touch it!” Rainbow replies in her defense, with the girls staring at her with suspicion. Until they heard a sound of a wild animal eating something, they all turned towards Fluttershy’s direction, who then turned around to see Daris devouring the pie he snatched from Pinkie’s hand. And from the sound of his hungry growls as he feasts, he seems to very much enjoy the taste of his new snack.

"Daris says he may have found his new favorite snack," Fluttershy translates. At that moment, Pinkie Pie squealed happily before hugging Daris, who continued to chop down on the pie.

"So, have you girls heard from Sunset and Starlight about the boys?" Fluttershy asked her friends.

“Well, Eternal is healing up from a leg wound last night and had to stay at Sunset’s for awhile.” Pinkie explained, then she soon a grin appeared on her face. “And guess what Sunset also told us; it seems Eternal’s big, bad bodyguard has a little soft spot for Starlight.” She chuckled.

"Ooh, Shadow and Starlight sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Rainbow teased.

"Rainbow Dash, it ain't funny to make fun o' someone crushin' on a gal," AJ scolded.

"Oh, that's so touching! The jaded mercenary falling for the sweet, beautiful apprentice of a powerful Princess… Such a wonderful tale to be told.” Rarity said with admiration.

"And let's not forget Eternal staying at Sunset's place. How much do you girls wanna bet they're gonna plan out their honeymoon?" Rainbow asked teasingly.

"They ain't even married yet! Stop jokin' like that or Ah'm gettin' mah rope!" AJ warned.

Rainbow then shows a panicked expression on her face, raising her hands up to wave them around like crazy. “Whoa! Whoa! Ok, I'll quit it.” She said. "So, how did he bust his leg?"

"He said that he lost his footing while he was walking and ended up falling to the ground. When Eternal fell, his leg landed on an empty glass bottle, breaking it. A shard from that bottle pierced his leg, but luckily, it didn't cut him too deep," Fluttershy explained.

"Ouch. I hope he's gonna be okay," Rainbow said. "Why don't we go and see him so we can check up on him?"

"No, Sunset told me to tell you all they need some time alone. Eternal's not ready to face anyone right now," Fluttershy replied.

The girls wanted to discuss that statement; however, they knew Fluttershy was right, they needed to give Sunset and Eternal some space for awhile. After all, the two had a fallout in their friendship and they need to be alone while rekindling their relationship.

“I guess you're right, darling. Best to give them space.” Rarity spoke for the others, who nodded in agreement. Fluttershy smiled for their acceptance of the situation, then she felt something poking at her shoulder.

She turns around to find Daris’s tail poking at her shoulder, wanting to get her attention. The Drakai then raises an empty pie plate in his claws and then gives a soft, quiet growl as he points the plate towards her.

“What’s with him; too lazy to clean his dishes?” Rainbow snickered.

“Actually, Rainbow Dash… He said he wants more ‘sweet snacks’.” Fluttershy translated.

"Really?" Pinkie asked happily. Then reaching behind her back, Pinkie takes out two more pies and gives them to Daris. "Here you go. Eat as much as you want, Daris." she said with a squee. The Drakai immediately lunges at the party girl, grabbing the two pies and chowing down on them like a hungry lion. Causing the girls to laugh at the demon’s acts of hunger.

Love and Heartache In The Night

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With the others occupied after the battle with the Drakai pack, Twilight took it upon herself to take Heat over to her house. Her family was more than willing to let her bring Heat inside when they saw the state he was in. Of course, Twilight had to improvise that a pack of wild dogs got to him and almost tore him to shreds. As for the house, Heat had to tell Twilight's parents his mom was renovating. Twilight had to call Celestia and tell her what really happened.

Celestia has seen enough magic monsters in her life to know Twilight was telling to truth, so she backed her up on the story when her parents tried to call Celestia. So now they had some cover, Twilight got to work on helping Heat. The poor guy's shirt was all torn up and had nasty slash marks on parts of his body.

Heat was in the living room with Twilight. She had brought a first aid kit to help disinfect some of his injuries. He flinched when he felt his wounded areas sting. "It's okay, I know it stings, but try not to move too much," she said. Twilight looked at Heat's eyes and could still see the pain and fear still dwelling within. His body was slightly shaking and who could blame him? Getting attacked by a pack of Equestrian hellhounds will do that to almost anyone.

"I feel like a real jerk, pushing my problems onto you like this," Heat says with his head down. "If only I wasn't so weak and helpless. If only I had finished my project, you'd all be safe."

"Heat, don't beat yourself up. You actually saved my life from that one Drakai who almost turned me into a snack," Twilight said, covering some of his injuries with some bandages. "You're a lot stronger than you think."

"That was because of my gloves. I originally designed them to have the same healing functions as the nano-bots my friend gave me, but I also enhanced them with a shockwave that can send enemies flying. I didn't take into account that it'd kill," Heat explained. "For a prototype, it worked, but it still needs more work. Changing the subject, I'm glad you're safe."

“Same here, I was so worried of what Grogar would have done to you if those Drakais had taken you away.” Twilight replied, trying her best to hold back tears.

"I don't understand why he would want me. I didn't do anything wrong before all of this. Feels like my life is going out of whack," Heat said. Soon, his body grew weak and he soon fell back against the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"Tired, huh?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. Demons are the worst," he groaned. “Well, except Daris, of course.” As much as she was worried for him, Twilight was still glad he made it out in one piece. While Heat had his eyes closed for a moment, she couldn't help thinking how cute he looks right now. But when she remembered that he was almost topless, her face heated up.

'Oh god! Why did I choose Timber over Heat? Because I was blind! Okay, calm down, Twilight. Now's not the time for you to be thinking about that. Although, I never noticed hooooooly moly, you're wandering off track again!' she thought to herself.

Heat soon opened up his eyes and turned to Twilight. "Hey… why's your face red? Are you catching a fever?" he asked, sitting up. Heat leans in and puts his hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature. "Hmm… you don't seem to be burning up, are you gonna be okay?" The more she looked into his eyes, the more she felt her heart racing.

"Y-Yeah, no problem… j-j-just… just don't mind me," Twilight stuttered. Heat thought she was hiding something, but didn't pry out of respect.

"If you do feel a little under the weather, let me know," he says before sitting back.

'Maybe things'll work out between the two of us,' Twilight thought to herself

The days passed little by little, soon, Eternal's birthday was drawing near. Only a day and a half before he's taken by the dreaded demon ram. He hasn't told Sunset or anyone else about his curse, nor does he have the courage to do so. On a side note, his friendship with Sunset was reignited at long last. But Eternal is still unaware that merely reigniting his friendship with Sunset isn't enough. Furthermore, Shadow Knight has been growing much more attached to Starlight Glimmer, but has yet to express himself fully.

But as the days passed, Eternal's pain only got worse every time he woke up from his sleep. He didn't want to sleep, but he knows his body needs it. Sunset grew more worried for Eternal and it only made her want to stick by him for longer.

There have been no demon attacks as of late, but the girls all made sure Heat was protected from anything that would do him harm. Heat's friendship with Twilight was slowly blossoming into something bigger than that.

As for the rest of the girls, they now find themselves in a shipping triangle, seeing how all three of their friends now found soon-to-be soulmates; who are taking their god darn time making their first move, which is now tiring their patience.

As for Fluttershy, she still takes care of Daris, who has quite evolved past his own savage demon nature. Each day, Daris would sometimes do chores around her house while she was either asleep or away; although there have been a few things that broke while he was doing them altogether. Also, the Drakai had developed a positive relationship with the animals at the Canterlot Animal Shelter and he would care for them while Fluttershy was busy; even he and Angel were on good terms–which everyone thought was impossible–and the two became like foster brothers.

On the subject of Flash, he's decided to accept that he and Sunset were never meant to be. And to hear that his other crush, Princess Twilight, was taken, he decided to move on, even if it was gonna hurt like hell. As for Heat, well, his project on his new healing suit was slightly getting better, even improving on how many times he can produce shockwaves and healing pulses through it. The only thing he needed to do was inject the nano-bots into his system and create a chip that would connect to his mind and make the suit function more efficiently.

As for Shadow, he was still wrapping his head around his feelings towards Starlight. All he felt in his life was sorrow and rage. But to fall in love, was something he didn’t expect to feel ever again; however, as much he’s going to deny it, he cannot escape what is real. He has officially fallen for Starlight Glimmer.

Speaking of Starlight, everyday she has spent with the girls again, made her feel that life was normal again. Although, she did enjoy her time with Shadow during her stay in the human world and even began to notice how much he’s changed. When she first met him, he was lost in all emotions and heartless; however, in the past few weeks, she sees his personality change dramatically; especially every time he’s around her. Whenever they were together, he would sometimes make himself look like a fool and would be the first to start a conversation; and in her mind, she had never seen him act like this before. However, she did find it nice and rather… cute, actually.

Sunset told the girls, except Starlight about this and have thought of a plan to help get the two of them together. So, as of right now, Sunset and Eternal were out, taking a nice walk down Canterlot City Park, admiring their surroundings. However, watching the two while sitting on a park bench undetected, Shadow observes their surroundings, watching if there was any demon activity lurking around. Even when everything seems peaceful, the assassin never learns to take a break.

"They do go well together, don't they?" Starlight asked. Surprising the assassin as he jumps out off the bench he was sitting on and fell face-first to the ground. Starlight giggled amusingly at his adorable foolishness.

The assassin sat himself up from the grass and stared at the girl that snuck up behind him while he wasn’t looking. “Starlight? How did you… Wha-... How in the hell did you sneak up on me while I wasn’t looking?”

"I just walked here like casual. I will say this. I kinda find the new you kinda funny. It's adorable when you think about it."

Shadow couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by this fact and his face turning a bit red after Starlight said ‘adorable’. Starlight couldn't stop giggling.

‘Alright, next time I need to observe my surroundings more.’ He thought in his mind. “Well, Starlight, what brings you to the park?” He asked her.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. And from what I can tell, you're still taking your job as Eternal guard very seriously," Starlight said.

“Well his mom hired me. What else am I supposed to do?” Inferno replied as he removed his stenson and removed his mask because of the sweating he was having, using his stenson as a way to fan himself. He’s lucky that there was no one around except Starlight to see his face.

"From the look on your face, I'd say it's much more than that. My guess is you see Eternal as more than just a job. Tell me… have you and Eternal grown a friendship some time ago?" Starlight asked.

Inferno looks into Starlight’s beautiful eyes and could not bring himself to avoid her question. “Well, I’m gonna need you to sit down for this.” he stated. Starlight didn’t hesitate and gladly sat next to the assassin as he placed his hat back on his head, but didn't put on his mask. “You were correct about me and Eternal now on good terms.”

"That's great!"

“However… it didn’t start pleasant in the beginning.” He stated once again, which brought silence and curiosity to Starlight. “Don’t tell Sunset or the others this… But, remember the night I found him and took him to Sunset’s apartment. And also that he injured his leg when he fell in the streets I found him at.”

"Yeah, he said he got it from falling on a glass bottle, why do you ask?"

“Because he didn’t fall on a glass bottle… I stabbed his leg.” Inferno replied, causing Starlight to gasp in shock as the assassin continues to tell the whole story. “The night I found, he was standing over many beaten and bloodied thugs. When I confronted him, I didn’t even know it was him at the time; however, he acted like he didn’t know me either… like his mind was brainwashed and focused on one thing… to kill. Soon after, we fought for hours. The way he fought was something I had never seen before. When he had me in a chokehold, my survival instincts kicked in; I took out my Karambit blade and I stabbed him in the leg.” He explained

Starlight gasped. "I had no idea. You're lucky you didn't pierce his bones or Celestia would've had your head on a platter!" she whispered.

“I was glad I didn’t as well.” he replied. “After I had found out it was him, I was overwhelmed with so much guilt. Soon I was able to convince him to return back to the others; although, it took a long time of arguing to do it. But in our argument, I soon discovered that he and I have a lot more in common.” Inferno explained.

"Really? What is it that you two have in common?"

Inferno sat silent for a second, unsure if Starlight was ready to hear a dark secret of his past; but his feelings got the better of him and without hesitation, he told her. “We both lost something that was a part of our lives… our fathers.”

"Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that.” Starlight said, having sympathy for the mercenary. And of course, her curiosity got the best of her. “H-how did you lose your father?” She asked him.

The assassin sat silent once again, his face now depleted of emotions; however, Starlight could see a single tear come out of his eye. After a few minutes of silence, Inferno finally gives his answer. “He was murdered… by Grogar.” He said, with a hint of venom in his voice.

Starlight trembled, but with anger. "How many lives does he have to ruin?"

“Countless. However, after I had to bury my father’s body 6ft under, I vowed to make Grogar pay for what he did. To let him know that he had made a fatal mistake; that he has taken his very last soul.” Inferno stated with slight anger and sorrow as tears begin to escape his eyes. “I spent 10 years… 10 years! Hunting that son of a bitch! But he always remains in hiding, staying as far away from my grasp as he possibly can. But I never stopped… not while my father’s soul remains restless.” He explained.

"What about Eternal, how did he lose his father?" Starlight asked.

Inferno was left silent once again, but immediately answered her question. “He didn’t say, but I'm sure it broke his heart the same way my father’s death affected me.” He said. “But his father’s death also cost me my freedom. The last time I was in Canterlot, back before I was the feared assassin in Equestria. I was in the library at midnight, researching all I can find on demons; their weaknesses, their preferred targets, and their abilities. As I was looking for some more information…”

"You… you mean to tell me… that you… killed his father?"

“No I didn’t, please let me finish.” Inferno said. “Like I said, I was looking for more books on demons, I heard a somepony talking in the library. I knew I was the only one in the library at the time, so I went to inspect where the pony was. As I searched along the hallways of the library, I eventually found out where the conversation was. And I found his Majesty, King Blaze Burn, talking to a mysterious individual that was wearing a black hooded cloak, so I couldn’t see their face clearly. As I was listening to their conversation, I saw that the King was upset with the strange pony, as if he knew them for some reason. I kept hidden as I saw the King turn to leave but before he could leave the library, I saw the cloaked figure stabbed him in the back with a small blade 3 times and teleported out of the library before I could catch him.” Inferno explained.

"So… he was murdered by someone else and made you the suspect because you were there at the time of his death," Starlight said.

“Yes.” Inferno replied. “When I tried to tell them who the real culprit was, my words fell deaf to their ears. The only pony who knew of my innocence was my mom, but I was young at the time and I was scared out of my mind…. So I ran. As far away as my legs could carry, and you could see how that landed me.” He explained.

"I can't believe it! Does Eternal know you've been framed?" Starlight asked.

“No… I didn’t tell him. Cause even if I did, he won’t blame me for his father’s death; instead, he’ll hate me for not doing anything to save him.” Inferno stated.

"How old were you when this happened?" Starlight asked.

“I was 12 years old,” Inferno said.

"I see… So you're a year older than Eternal.

“Yeah… but 3 years earlier, I was through the same thing he has. My father was taken from me when i was 4 years younger than Eternal; a 9 year old should never have to see their father die in front of them.” Inferno stated. “Ever!”

"I agree. The poor prince suffered so much and yet he doesn't shed a tear. He must be holding it all in. If anything, he's having the hardest time trying to break out of his shell," Starlight said, observing the prince as he was conversing with Sunset. "Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think you two are more related than you think. Though… if you don't mind me saying so, I've noticed how you've been acting strange whenever you're with me. Something you're not telling me?"

Shadow’s eyes widen in fear and his body remains stiff, without a clue as to how to answer Starlight’s question. “Uhhhhhhh….” He replied, with a though of shooting himself for giving a dumb answer.

Starlight continues to stare at the mercenary expecting an answer out of him. Inferno was speechless, he didn’t know what to say to her. “Well, I…” Just as he was going to answer, his eyes soon noticed that the sky was becoming darker. He turn his head away, only to see that the sun was setting in the horizon. Soon after, Starlight turned her gaze at the setting sun, finding its coloration and beauty.

“Wow, I never expected this world’s sunsets to be beautiful.” Inferno said as he was amazed by the sight he was seeing. Soon he felt Starlight’s body lean against him, with her head laying on his shoulder as they watched the sun setting. The mercenary was once again left speechless and his face red once again.

“Yeah, it’s more beautiful than the way Celestia does it.” Starlight said with a smile”. "Always moving on its own.”

“I guess nature has untold beautiful things to it that ponies don’t need to control it.” Inferno replied while bearing a smile of his own.

But while they were having some time to themselves, the rest of the girls watched from some nearby bushes and were waiting for the two to finally get their confessions over with. Rarity especially, being the romantic drama queen.

"Oh, come on, Shadow. Give the lady a kiss, it's not that hard," Rarity whispered, trying not to give away hers and the other girls positions.

“Shhhh, Rarity they’ll hear us!” Applejack whispered, furiously.

"Umm, girls? Don't you think it's kinda… rude that we're eavesdropping on them?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Only if you get caught.” Rainbow replied. “Besides, we’re doing them a favor.”

"If the favor is to turn Shadow Knight into a ripe tomato, then it's working," Pinkie pointed out, forgetting to whisper. The other girls put their hands over Pinkie's mouth, shushing her.

"Be quiet, they might hear you!" Rainbow whispered furiously.

"Hmm? Shadow, did you hear something?" Starlight asked.

“I think I did?” He replied as he turned his head behind him to see where the noise came from. Luckly, the girls remained hidden in the bushes when he was observing them. After seeing there was nothing, Shadow turned back to his conversation.

“So wanna go take a stroll through town, cause I think I have spent too much time at the park.” Shadow asked, with slightly anxiousness in his voice.

"Sure, I'd love to," Starlight said, getting up from the bench. She and Shadow soon strolled out of the park and along the streets of Canterlot city. Leaving the girls hiding behind the bush they were in.

“Hey, where are they going?” Rainbow said out of curiosity.

"Ooh, maybe they're going on a romantic stroll. How lovely," Rarity said, sighing happily. "Love is in bloom today, dearies."

"I think you watch way too many romance movies or read too many romance novels," Rainbow chuckled teasingly.

"The author writes online romance novels, so does that count?" Pinkie asked. "He has been writing these stories since October of 2016. But he's certainly having a lot of help with his ShadowKnight friend."

"Come again, sugarcube? Ya sayin' that feller knows someone other than Eternal?" AJ asked.

"Oh it's nothing to worry about… ," Pinkie

“Shut up, you guys. We gotta catch up to them before they’re out of our sight!” Rainbow stated as she pointed towards the directions where Shadow and Starlight were heading.

"Shadow, you never really gave me a straight answer about why you've been acting so strange every time we're together. Is there something you're not telling me?" Starlight asked, this time, not even bothering to tease him. "You know you can always feel free to tell me. I am a counselor for the School of Friendship."

“Uhhhhhhhh… well, I… I…” Inferno is at loss with his words, he doesn’t even know what to say. ‘C’mon Inferno; you’re the most feared assassin of Equestria, why is it so difficult to tell a girl that you like her!’ He screamed in his mind. After taking a deep breath, he gives his answer… if only it wasn’t in a different language! “Ifiidiwdiiwdjdj?!” Inferno blurts out in anxiety.

"Uh, what?" Starlight asks, tilting her head in confusion. Her thoughts were interrupted yet again by some more commotion. Only this time, a little ways away, they two can see multiple people lighting up these lanterns and letting them go in the sky. "Hey, look at that! Come on, let's go check it out!" she urged with a beautiful smile.

"O-Okay," Shadow said. Starlight grabbed his hand and took him with her over to where they were now at the Canterlot Park bridge. Starlight's eyes lit up brighter than the night sky. As the sun set in the distance, she watched all of these sky lanterns float gracefully up in the night sky.

"Now I know. Sunset told me how every year around this time of night, the people light up these lanterns to bring everlasting happiness and love, both to each other and anyone out there searching for their significant other. It's sort of like a more giving holiday than Hearts and Hooves Day, or in this world, Valentines Day," Starlight explained. Just then, Starlight finally understood what Shadow couldn't tell her as she looked up at him. "Now I understand why you've been acting differently… and to be honest… I'm flattered." she said, keeping her hand locked with his.

“R-really?” Inferno responded in surprise, Starlight replied with a nod and a warm smile. The mood couldn't be in a more perfect setting as Starlight stared into Shadow's eyes, feeling her heart soar through the skies as she sang.

The assassin couldn’t help but feel that his heart was warming up on the inside, just hearing of how beautiful Starlight’s voice sounded and how the lights of the sky lanterns caused her face to brighten in a way that made her beautiful.

When Starlight had stopped singing, she looked deep into the assassin’s eyes and soon asked him a question that she hoped to find an answer: “Inferno… Are you in love with me?”

The Assassin smiled warmly to her and answered: “Yes.” An answer that brought a big smile to her face. Soon, the assassin found his courage and, he too, sang along with her. Now it's like his anxiety left him the more he stared into her eyes and sang at the same time. Inferno finally felt at ease for the first time in years. Best of all, he's got someone beside him. Someone… Who helped him to finally let love into his heart once again.

As their song ends, they lean in close and let their lips connect for the first time. The girls watched from afar and Rarity could not stop herself from crying tears of joy. Mascara was running down her face, a tissue box in hand, everything a lady like her needs to watch a real life romance take place.

Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out in disgust about how mushy it was getting. "About time, but jeez, cheesy much?" she asked quietly to herself.

"Oh suck it up. Ah think it's sweet," AJ said, taking her stetson off in respect for the new lovers.

"That's so beautiful. It does my heart good to see those two so happy," Fluttershy said. Behind her, Daris growled while stuffing his face full of pies. So far, he's cleaned out a total of 5 pies.

"What did he say?" Pinkie asked.

"He says "you humans are so confusing. I don't see why love is so special. If you ask me, love is completely pointless." Fluttershy translates.

Rarity gasped in a dramatic way after hearing what Fluttershy translated. “Darling! You tell that beast to take back what he just said.” She said, while she was still drying her tears.

Daris growled again. "He says "don't blame me if us demons don't care for love," Fluttershy translates as he continues eating his pie.

Meanwhile, back with Sunset and Eternal, the sun was almost out of view and he was walking back over to Sunset's home. Of course, they weren't holding hands, but they still walked together fairly close.

"Yet another day gone, another cherished moment," Eternal said.

"You're taking it seemingly well. You sure you're not worried? I mean… tomorrow night is your… you know…" Sunset pointed out, worried.

"I know, but I'm not worried. I still got to spend time with you like I have been the past few weeks and it's been fun," Eternal said. "And Sunset… thanks for everything."

"I-It was… no worries," she replied. The two of them arrive at Sunset's front door where she takes out her house key and unlocks her door. She opens up the door and steps up to her doorway and then looks behind her, seeing Eternal not budging, but looks perfectly fine. "Aren't you coming inside?"

"Later. I'm gonna go for another walk to give myself some time to think about things. But I'll be right back after I'm done. You just go ahead and rest up," Eternal assured.

"You sure you're gonna be fine on your own? The city can be dangerous at night," Sunset warned, but Eternal shook his head.

"So can I. Don't worry, not all princes are like my idiot cousin, Blueblood." he reassures.

"Well… okay. But if you run into trouble, come back," Sunset said..

"I will," Eternal then goes up to Sunset and hugs her. She hugs him right back and was about to head inside. But Eternal surprises her when he leans in and kisses her on the forehead before walking off. Sunset's face turned bright red, her eyes slightly shrunk, mouth hanging open. As soon as Eternal was out of ears reach, Sunset's eyes grew to normal, looking happier than she ever felt.

She closes her door and sighs. Sunset walks over to the steps, singing a little song to herself. Lost in her own world, she starts changing out of her regular clothes and into her pajamas. It's like a sense of peace and happiness has come over her. And Eternal was at the center of it. All this time she spent hanging with him, even watching over him, she felt herself growing more attached to him.

After she finished her little song, Sunset headed downstairs and sat on the couch to watch some TV, see what was on.

As for Eternal, the prince strolled down the streets of Canterlot, taking in the view of the city as the light lit the town up. But his mind was drifting towards a certain bacon-haired cute girl. Whether he admitted it to himself or not… he was in love. However, drifting off in his own world distracted him so much, he didn't notice that he bumped into someone.

"Oof! My bad," Eternal said.

"Didn't think I'd be bumping into you here of all places," a male voice said. Eternal looked at the guy, recognizing the blue hair and blue eyes.

"Hey… I know you. you're uh… Flash, right?" Eternal asked.

"The one and only. Listen, I know it's been weeks since that incident at the fast food restaurant, but I just wanna apologize for how I acted that day. I was acting real childish because I still had feelings for Sunset. But I've learned to accept that she likes you more. Listen, if you ever need anything from me, just let me know. It's the least I can do for almost ruining your relationship with Sunset," Flash said.

"I appreciate the offer and I'll let you know if I ever need any assistance. See ya," Eternal replied, continuing onward. Flash sighed and walked off as well.

A few more moments of walking later, things went quiet again. Possibly a little too quiet. Eternal's expression got more cautious and more serious than before. Suddenly, his ears picked up something in the distance.

"Come on, you don't have to do this. You got what you wanted, now let me go," a man's voice said in distress.

"It ain't gonna cut it, old man. That's not nearly enough for the other boys. So cough up the rest of the dough or we'll beat it outta ya," another man's voice demanded.

"I told you before, I already gave you everything I have," the victim insisted.

"Don't play with us, old man. We saw some extra green tucked away in those other pockets of yours, so fork them over now!" the thug persisted. Eternal watched from a dark corner, his blood boiling just from seeing this disgusting display.

"Listen to what he says and we won't rough you up… much," thug 2 said.

"Come on, just kill the bastard already. He's obviously just dead weight anyways," thug 3 said, growing bored.

"No, you don't want to do that," the victim said.

"Hey!" thug 1 shouted, slapping the man with his backhand, knocking him to the ground. "Don't you talk back to me old man." Eternal couldn't stand to see this any longer and appeared out of the dark corner, storming his way over to the disgusting thugs.

"Back away from the man right now!" Eternal shouted, getting the thugs' attention.

"Hey, stay outta this, punk. This doesn't concern you. If you walk away now, you won't wind up with as many bruises as this old fart," Thug 1 threatened.

"If you had half a brain, you'd give up this stupid mugging crap and work for your own damn money, now back away from the man or I'll put you through a living hell," Eternal said, cracking his knuckles.

"Psh, you think we're afraid of a runt like you? How about we show you what we do to people who think they can be heroes? Get him, boys," Thug 1 said as he and his other members walked over to Eternal, taking out a knife and some guns. Eternal was only pissed off even more and spelled trouble for these thugs.

"Who said I was trying to be a hero?" Eternal asked in a dark, deep tone. "I'm gonna show you assholes how a true superior deals with his inferiors…" before the thugs knew it, the earth rumbled underneath their feet and a dark aura surrounded Eternal Flames. "DISGUSTING… FOUL… MORTAAAAAAAAALS!!!"

At that moment, Eternal's entire body glowed a dark violet color. His teeth became jagged, eyes turned dark rose red and he grew claws. His body levitated a few feet off the ground and extended his arm out at the thugs.

"What the hell is this shit?" thug 1 asked, stepping back.

"I dunno, but I ain't about to stick around to find out!" thug 2 replied.

"Same here, my life ain't worth some chump change," thug 3 said, backing away.

"Screw you guys, I'll take care of this little cocky bastard myself," thug 1 said, aiming his gun at Eternal and firing a few shots at him. The thug hit his target in the heart and stomach, but the bullets bounced off his body. "What?! How is he not dead?!"

"Big mistake," Eternal said in a demonic tone before firing some dark aura blasts at all three thugs, constricting them in dark aura. He slowly clenched his hand, tightening the grip his aura has on the thugs. If he makes it into a fist, he'll cut them from breathing. And he was biding his time to make sure they all suffered. He growled with a smirk as he made the three thugs shout out in agony.

Meanwhile, back at Sunset's house, she was happily strolling through her TV channels, not caring if there's nothing to watch. She did the process for hours since she came back to her apartment; however, surprisingly, she isn’t bored out of her mind; which everyone would be in her position. But with love on her mind, she doesn’t have a care in the world

While she was happily strolling through channels, she hears a knock on her door. She gets up from the couch and walks over to check through the peephole. She instantly recognizes Starlight Glimmer and opens up the door. "Did you have a wonderful time hanging out with Shadow Knight, Starlight?" she asked happily.

Starlight nodded. She could also tell something was on Sunset's mind and she had a good feeling what it was. And Starlight couldn't be more happy with her friend. "I sure did," she replied, walking inside. As Sunset closes the door, Starlight walks straight towards the couch and sits on it as she gives a love sigh, as she relaxes her body on the sofa. Sunset sat down beside her as she relaxed on the sofa as well. The two Equestrian-turned human girls sat silently for several minutes, they eventually turned towards each other and then shared a laugh with one another, both knowing that the other had a wonderful time.

"You should've seen how cute he was all embarrassed. I kept pestering him if there was anything on his mind every time we were together. I even got to know so much more about him that I thought possible. He's got so much in common with Eternal, like how they're both without a dad, went through their troubles on their own. It's like they're soul brothers. But even though they went through so much, they still stood strong through it all." Starlight explained. "And so far, only one of them has ever broken out of their shells."

"Something tells me it's not our traumatized prince," Sunset guessed.

"It sure helps to have a sharp mind thanks to those lessons Celestia taught you," Starlight nodded with a slight chuckle.

"So, other than his backstory, how'd it go?" Sunset asked.

"Well… we went for a walk when it was getting dark. I saw this sky lantern festival taking place at the Canterlot City Park bridge, couples were lighting them up, sending their lanterns flying in the sky. I figured out why Shadow Knight was acting the way he was and… he kissed me," Starlight said dreamily. "Right on the lips." She then squealed like a fangirl

"Ooh, that sly dog. Eternal kissed me, too. But it was on the forehead," Sunset replied.

"Wow, he sure isn't shy about showing off how he feels, isn't he?" Starlight asked.

"I don't think he knows the meaning of the word "shy" anymore. So, I'm guessing this means you and Shadow are officially boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I guess so. What about you?"

"Not sure, but I am willing to admit this: I love Eternal. It's hard for me not to fall in love with him since he's been so easy to talk to recently these past few weeks."

"Speaking of which, where'd he go?"

"He said he had to go for a walk. What about you? Where'd Shadow Knight go?"

"You know him. He went to go and check up on Eternal, since it's part of his job. But you know, he sees Eternal more as a friend now because they told each other about their troubled lives."

"That's good to hear. I hope they're okay."

But Sunset's hopes were all in vain. On the street where Eternal was still strangling the thugs, Inferno was walking down the same street the prince was on and noticed the purple glowing light in the distance. He also hears the sounds of people screaming in agony, along with a line that sent chills down his spine.

"YOU...ARE… GOING…TO DIE!!!" said a demonic voice, followed by an evil laugh.

Suddenly a gunshot is heard in the middle of the streets, drawing Eternal’s attention from his victim and now focusing his attention at the source of the gunshot. Only to find Inferno standing in the center of the street with his Smith & Wesson 17-8 raised in the air, with it’s barrel smoking; revealing that Inferno fired the shot. The assassin then brings his pistol towards the demon prince, threatening to shoot him.

“If I were you, I let the guy go and no one gets hurt.” Inferno said with a serious tone. His demonic adversary's eyes drift towards him. Inferno's then surprised as the "demon's" grip loosens and the thugs fall to the ground safely before running off.

"No… NO!!! Cannot risk him! Too dangerous!!!" the demon said before zipping off at high speeds, leaving no trace whatsoever… except for a little trinket that fell off of him. Inferno quenched an eyebrow and picked up what the demon dropped. He gasped upon seeing a repaired locket necklace with a picture of Sunset on it.

“Oh shit.” Inferno said in a shocked expression. Inferno tucked the locket inside his pocket and hastily sprinted back to Sunset's place to alert her of this shocking discovery. As much as he despises having to do this, she deserves to know. The truth always hurts, but in this case, it's gonna break her heart.

At Sunset's house, the girls had decided to watch a movie in order to wait for the boys to come back and they both seemed to be enjoying themselves… at first. But as time went on, Sunset was beginning to grow worried. Starlight sensed Sunset's distress and patted her shoulder, trying to bring her some comfort.

"Relax, Sunset. They'll be back soon. Just have a little faith," Starlight assured. And wouldn't you know it, there's a knock on the door. "See? I told you so."

Sunset quickly got up from the couch and ran over to the door and opened it up. Her smile left her when it was Shadow Knight at the door. "Oh, hi, Shadow. Hey, where's Eternal? Shouldn't he be with you?" Sunset asked. Shadow Knight looked down in despair, barely having the stomach to tell her what went down. Sunset's worried expression only made it worse. "Shadow, what happened? Where's Eternal Flames?"

"Listen, Sunset… I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I found Eternal, but he took off when I saw him in a… demonic frenzy trying to kill a group of thugs. And I know it was him because… he dropped this," Inferno reaches into his pocket, showing Sunset the locket necklace that had Sunset's picture in it. Sunset backed away, placing both hands over her mouth, hearing this shocking news.

"He's a… demon? Then… that puncture wound he got weeks ago… that was him… and the time he saved Heat Blitz from a hit and run… oh no!"

“Which explains why he reacted negatively to my moonstone potion I used to heal his wound… It’s because it was lethal to him, just as it’s lethal to demons.” Shadow stated.

Sunset shook her head in disbelief, but stole her thoughts and ran up to her bed upstairs. "Where did I put it?" she asked herself. She searched frantically and then found her book she uses to keep in contact with Princess Twilight. She gets out her pen and writes down a message to her.

"Dear Princess Twilight,

I need your help with something: Answers. Shadow's informed me about Eternal having these strange demonic powers and took off the moment Inferno saw him. What's going on here and how is it that he has these horrible powers?

Signed, Sunset."

"Sunset? Is there anything I can do to help?" Starlight asked.

"I… I just need you guys here, I don't feel so comfortable on my own right now," Sunset said. Starlight and Inferno looked at each other, nodding.

“Well if we are gonna find a way to uncover Eternal’s situation; then we’re gonna need all hands on deck.” Shadow said. “But since the situation has gotten out of hand… Now there’s no more hiding secrets.” He stated as he removed his stenson and his mask, revealing his face to Sunset finally. Revealing himself to be the Equestrian counterpart of someone she knows.

"Inferno Blaze?" Sunset asked in shock.

“Yeah, I’m his counterpart. So now we got that out of the way, you need to call up your friends cause we’re gonna need help finding Eternal before he inflicts more damage on himself.” Inferno said.

"True," Sunset said before getting her phone out. She added the girls in a group text chat, texting them, "Girls, code red. Eternal's in danger. Meet me at my place. We need to plan a strategy to bring him back. I'll explain once you're all here." Once she got that out of the way, she sighs. "I hope that for Eternal's sake and all our sakes this doesn't end badly."

The Time For Talk Is Over

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Some time after Sunset alerted the girls of the shocking news about Eternal, they rushed over instantly with Rainbow Dash being the first. Fluttershy came second and brought Daris with her, because her parents were at home. Pinkie arrived after her, then came Twilight and Rarity and Applejack in that order.

The girls were immensely shocked at what Inferno saw Eternal do and more so with the kind of power he possesses. "This is crazy, how can he have Grogar's power? In fact, how come he never told us about this?" Rainbow asked.

"Think about it, Dash. Would you want to tell your closest friends you have demonic powers? If so, how do you think they'd react?" Fluttershy asked. "Inferno holds a grudge against Grogar and his demons, so showing off those powers in front of him must've made him feel like he's the enemy now."

"An' this is just a lil' off-topic, but why didn't ya tell us you were Inferno Blaze all along? Ya could've saved us the trouble, we know Twilight has a pony counterpart," Applejack pointed out.

"HEY! You try hiding your identity in a different world for 2 weeks. Besides my counterpart left this place, so showing my face around town will bring suspicion.” Inferno explained.

"Fair point," AJ said.

"Eternal must be scared out there on his own. The poor deary is probably thinking about how careless his actions were, wondering in the vein of hope that none of us know. Is there any way that we can help?" Rarity asked. Just then, Sunset's book started to glow.

She opened it up and read what Twilight wrote. "Sunset, Celestia has the answers you're looking for, but she wants you to come back to Equestria so she can tell you face-to-face. There are some others who know about Eternal's "situation," but they haven't said what it is." as Sunset read this out loud, the other looked confused.

"Girls, I'll be back. I'm heading off to the statue," Sunset said.

"I'll accompany you, too," Inferno said.

"No, it's better if I go with her. You still have a job to watch over Eternal and if Celestia sees you without him, it won't help you keep your freedom. Besides, you and him are friends, right?" Starlight pointed out.

"You do have a point. I'll stay here while you girls head back to Equestria. If I find him, I'll try and talk him out of this mess," Inferno said.

"Then it's agreed. And when I come back I'll text you all to regroup back at my house," Sunset said, determined.

"Right!" the group agreed in unison. And so with their game faces on, they all left the house with 6 of the girls and Inferno scattering to search for Eternal once again. Starlight and Sunset run back to CHS where the broken statue was.

As for Heat Blitz, the young man was over at his aunt Luna's house, putting up the finishing touches on his new prototype nano-suit, which was a black body suit with neon blue lights connecting to certain parts of the suit. Unlike most bodysuits, he made sure to add flexibility as well as maneuverability. While working on finishing his suit, his aunt Luna walks in with a sandwich on a plate and places it on her nephew's work table.

"You've been working hard, Heat Blitz. Perhaps you should take it easy and give this project a little break," Luna implied.

"How can I even rest when my life is threatened by an evil being from another dimension.” Heat said as he then yawned in exhaustion. "If I rest now, I'll be an easy target."

"You'll be an even more easy target if you keep fighting off the urge to sleep. You'll be drained and helpless to fight off whatever's coming after you," Luna said. Again, Heat let out an exhausted yawn, now knowing that he does not have the energy to add anymore modifications to his suit. So he has no choice but to call it a night.

"Okay, you win," Heat said. He put down his tools and started eating his sandwich quickly. Once he was done, he got up from his desk and slumped down on the bed. Luna chuckled at his exhausted state, kissed him on his forehead and said goodnight to him before leaving his room to leave him with his needed rest.

Heat lays comfortably on his bed, waiting to fall into a deep slumber. As Luna heads back down to the living room to relax, she then hears a knock on the door. She signs and goes to answer and see who it is. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's Twilight. Celestia said Heat would be here," Twilight replied from outside. Luna opened up the door and saw her student. "Hi Luna, sorry to disturb you at this hour. But I was hoping to find out if Heat was okay and if I could talk to him."

"That's very kind of you to ask, Twilight, but I'm afraid Heat is currently resting upstairs. For weeks he's been working on some sort of project upstairs without sleep. Just now, he's worked on it for 72 hours straight. I'm afraid he won't be waking up anytime soon." Luna explained.

“What is he working on?” Twilight asked.

“I have no idea, I usually don’t poke around in what he’s doing; makes me feel like some kind of a peeping Tom.” Luna replied.

"Always a vice-principal with principles," Twilight nodded, respecting Luna's decision.

“Indeed, but I also think of myself as the favorable aunt and more fun than my sister.” Luna said with utmost confidence.

"Hehehe, you're not lying about that. Well, when Heat wakes up, could you tell him I stopped by to check up on him?" Twilight asked.

"Sure. You be safe on your way back home, Twilight," Luna said. She then closes the door and as Twilight is about to leave, suddenly, there's a loud rumble, making her lose her balance. Twilight also heard the sound before she even made it a feet away from the house and immediately rushed back to the door, fearing for Heat’s safety.

Luna had already rushed upstairs towards Heat's room. "Heat Blitz! Heat Blitz, are you alright?" the vice-principal called out. Twilight ran upstairs with her and opened up the door. They gasp in fear to see Heat Blitz missing and a giant hole in the wall. "Oh no! No! NO!" Luna shouted.

"What happened here? WHERE IS HE!?!” Twilight shouted with a worried and fearful expression on her face.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" Heat shouted from outside.

"Stop squirming, mortal," a demonic voice replied. Then there was a type of thud sound and Twilight had no choice but to investigate. She harnessed the magic within her geode before flying out of the hole in the wall. At the corner of her eye over to the right, she gasps upon seeing a type of demonic soldier in dark violet and black armor holding onto Heat by the back of his neck. This demon soldier had a punch mark on his cheek and was flailing to get free.

"Heat Blitz!" Twilight shouted. Twilight flies over and uses her telekinetic powers, separating the two from each other, then tossed the demon soldier down to the ground. She slowly set Heat down and checked up on him. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I… couldn't hold him off," Heat said, still completely exhausted.

"And it's only just beginning," said the demon's voice. Twilight and Heat turned towards the soldier, who was on his feet and not a scratch was on him. "Master was right to have us wait in the shadows and let your fatigue do the work. You've saved us a lot of trouble. And since you've only got your girlfriend to back you up, this should be easy."

"G-Girlfriend?!" Twilight asked, blushing.

"You... have no right… to insult… Twilight like that!" Heat said, barely able to keep himself on his feet properly. With a burst of adrenaline, he charges at the demon soldier.

"Heat, no! It's too dangerous!" Twilight shouted, chasing after him. Heat, despite his exhaustion, was too fast for Twilight to catch him. And all too quickly, the soldier swatted him away with a swift swing of his backhand. Heat was sent flying against a wall with a solid thud. Heat collapsed from the attack, small drops of blood leaked down his forehead.

“HEAT!!” Twilight called out to him, having worry cloud her mind. But there was also another emotion that immediately filled her conscience; rage. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you've done to him, you MONSTER!!!" Her geode sent her powers coursing throughout her body, her magic now increased tenfold.

The demon paid no attention to Twilight's rage and walked towards the unconscious Heat. But soon he’s gotta regret even moving an inch towards him, as the demon is then caught in a magic aura before he could reach out for Heat. He tries to escape Twilight’s grasp but strangely, her magic was overpowering him. He then feels his body slowly beginning to feel like he’s literally being crushed. Twilight’s hand curls into a fist, showing that she was crushing him with her magic. But killing this demon wasn’t her goal, she realizes she needs to tend to Heat. She then lifts the demon from the ground and then with a swift move, she hurls him far away from the area, he was airbourne for about a minute until he lands into a pond with a loud splash.

After a few minutes, the demon resurfaces from the pond, with a small fish caught in his mouth. He spats the fish out of his mouth and then groans with disbelief. “Me and my big mouth.” he said with annoyance.

With the adversary out of the way, Twilight checked on Heat's condition. Blood was still running down his face, but it looked like his wounds closed up. Twilight's injured friend woke up, groaning from the pain he felt earlier. "I'm sorry, Twilight… I just… wasn't strong enough."

"Don't talk, Heat. I'll get you back inside. Luna!" Twilight shouted, using her powers to levitate Heat off the ground and brought him back inside Luna's house. The vice-principal saw Heat's condition and gasped. She ran over to him, worried for her nephew's condition.

"What happened to him, Twilight?" Luna asked.

“He was attacked, but we need to worry more on tending to his injuries.” Twilight replied while she was searching for a med kit. After searching through closets and cupboards, she finally found the med kit and took it back to tend to Heat.

"I couldn't… protect you… or myself… I'm… I'm a failure," Heat said, feeling down.

“Don’t say that! You’re not a failure, you tried your best and that’s all that matters.” Twilight assures him.

"Let's face it. They're not gonna stop coming after me for whatever reason. Maybe I should just let them capture me. It's not worth putting your lives on the line," Heat said, giving up on himself. Twilight was worried about him even more. She's never seen him this down since the incident with her and Timber. But she wasn't gonna give up on him and she knew just the guy to call for situations like this.

"No, Heat. You're worth fighting for. If I can't get to you, then maybe a good friend of mine can," she said, getting out her phone and dialing the number. She waits for an answer and then hears a familiar voice on the other end.

"Hey, Twilight. What's up?"

"Hi, Halo Knight. Listen, I need you to come over to Luna's house. Heat's in a very bad situation. Think you can give him some words of encouragement?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know, I mean, it's late and…" Halo Knight said.

"Please, Halo. Heat's been targeted by some… strange people and he's giving up on himself, wanting to let them capture him. You've got to talk some sense into him," Twilight begged.

"Sounds serious. Hmm… okay, I'll head over there as soon as I can." Hearing Halo finally agree gave Twilight some comfort.

"Thanks, Halo. I promise you, I'll make it up to you somehow," Twilight said.

"No, don't. I'm just here to help. That's what friends do. See you soon," Halo said before hanging up. Twilight hung up, too and sat down on the couch, sighing.

"What's this world coming to?" Twilight asked herself.

Meanwhile back at the entrance to CHS, Sunset and Starlight both made it to the statue. Sunset and Starlight both stepped through the portal and traveled back to Equestria. On the other side, they wound up in Twilight's castle where the one and only Princess of Friendship was waiting. "We got here as soon as we could. Is Princess Celestia here?" Sunset asked.

"Yes. She came here a few minutes before you did, so everyone is accounted for. Right on cue, Princess Celestia showed herself as she stepped inside from behind the door.

"Princess, what's going on? Why does Eternal Flames have demon powers?" Sunset asked.

Celestia sighed and looked at Sunset with grief in her eyes. "It all started on the night he was born into this world. He was just a normal unicorn foal. But all too quickly, he stopped breathing. I couldn't bear to have my son die in my arms. I begged and pleaded for him to open his eyes, make a sound, anything. And… my prayer was answered, but sadly, it was no guardian angel who rescued him from death."

"What do you mean?" Starlight asked.

"My son… was resurrected by Grogar. He stole his soul back from him and injected him with his own demon blood. For almost 18 years, my son has lived a cursed life. His demonic powers were growing increasingly stronger with every year that passes. Recently, though, he's been waking up in excruciating pain. I'm not sure if I made the right decision to save my child from death at birth," Celestia explained.

"Y-You mean… all this time when he said his time was running out, he…" Sunset asked. She was shocked beyond belief.

"I'm afraid so, Sunset. At the devil's hour, he will be taken from me and transformed into the next demon king of the Shadow World and the world will plunge into darkness," Celestia said, tears running down her cheeks.

Sunset and Starlight couldn’t believe what they had just heard. All this time, Eternal had demon blood in his veins ever since he was born. And now, by the Devil’s hour, he’ll be forced to become Grogar’s heir; his tool to bring darkness upon their world.

“Is there something we can do to save him and stop Grogar?” Starlight asked.

"I wish there was a way," Celestia says.

"There is a way," a female voice echoed throughout the room. The girls looked all around the room and found no trace of any pony present. But soon, a bright light shined in the center where two figures made themselves known. Harmony, the goddess and next to her, Death.

"Harmony? What do you mean "there is a way?" And is that…?" Celestia asked.

"Yes… I am Death. But there's no time to waste. Your son does have a way to be saved, but time is running out," Death said.

"How do we save him from Grogar?" Starlight asked.

"The one he cares deeply about can save him. If he and his significant other are to love each other and seal their bond, Grogar will have no choice but to allow him to be free and keep his powers in the process. If you choose to fight him as a group, there's a high chance of success. With his bell destroyed, Grogar's life force is deteriorating. Which is one of the reasons why he gave your son his blood. However, if Eternal does not earn love, he will not only become the new king, but also give Grogar a new power source, plunging the entire world into darkness," Harmony stated.

"What? That's it?" Starlight asked. The two divine deities nodded. "Sunset, this is it! Eternal can finally be free!"

"Hang on, I thought Grogar was gonna take my son without question. The only way he'd ever risk something like that is if… you made a deal with him!" Celestia said in a dark tone. "What did you promise that fiend?!"

Harmony and Death look towards each other in dismay before turning back towards the ponies, giving them an answer they were not prepared for. “Our wager was if Eternal and another soul would find love with the ones who would share that love in return, Grogar would release his grip on Eternal and remain in Tartarus for all eternity. But if they don’t, Grogar will not only take Eternal, but also the other chosen that we had wagered… Heat Blitz from the human world.”

Sunset couldn't keep her anger from exploding. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU RISKED HEAT'S NECK IN THIS AS WELL?! IS THAT WHY THOSE DEMONS WERE COMING AFTER HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"

"Do you realize how much damage you've done to that poor boy's life? He had his house torn apart, demon hellhounds almost killing him in the process and now he's forced to have to move into his aunt's house because of all that! You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Starlight scolded, getting up in their faces.

Death spreads his wings, slamming his scythe against the marble floor, and towering over the ponies that accuses them. “Nopony… Ever… Speak to us that way and survive.” Death said in a grim tone. “So I suggest you all show us respect! Besides, these events would never have happened if Eternal’s soul were to remain at rest and not in the hooves of a demon!"

"So you're saying his life was a mistake?" Starlight asked, unfazed by Death's intimidation.

“No… I’m saying that his soul would have found peace and remain pure, if not for Princess Celestia selling his soul to Grogar in order to resurrect him!” Death stated.

"I was praying for an angel to save him, not a demon! And who are you to judge me when you've probably never even had children to begin with! You have no idea what's like for a parent to have their own children die in their hooves!" Celestia scolded. But unbeknownst to the princess, her rebuttal triggered something in Harmony; that she had kept hidden for a millenium.

Harmony’s horn flared up with magic energy and her wings ignited with her magic aura. “DON’T ACCUSE US OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE CHILDREN!!!! CAUSE I HAVE, BUT INSTEAD MY OWN CREATIONS LOCKED AWAY MY LOVE FOR 12 CENTURIES AND THEN ACT LIKE THEY DID NOTHING WRONG!!! WELL OF COURSE YOU DID, YOU WORTHLESS, HEARTLESS BRATS STOLE AWAY MY CHANCE OF EVER KNOWING WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LOVE SOMEPONY WHO LOVES ME FOR WHO I TRULY AM AND NOT FOR WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF!!!!! I GUESS YOU PESTS WOULDN’T KNOW BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ALONE!!!!” Harmony shouted, in a Canterlot voice that was a thousand times more powerful than all 4 of the Alicorn Princesses combined. Tears poured from her eyes before she teleported away while nopony expected.

“Harmony!” Death calls out to her, but she’s already gone. The Grim Reaper growls in rage before turning towards the ponies in the room. “Congrats…” He snarled. “You just shatter her already broken heart.” Death then ignites his horn and teleports out of the room in order to find his love. Leaving the two alicorns and two unicorns alone in Twilight's research room.

After the commotion that went down on the street, Heat was resting up in the living room with Twilight and Luna watching over him. As he was napping, Heat was in a void, thinking to himself about this whole mess. "Why… Why me? What did I do? Did I hurt someone? Was it some sort of grudge I was holding against someone or… what?" he asked himself. He kept wondering why he was being targeted, wandering around in an empty white void.

"Who could possibly hate me so much to want me to end up in the hands of demons?" Heat asked again.

"Perhaps we can explain why." a female voice answered. Heat stopped in his tracks, looking around to find where the voice came from. He knew he was dreaming, so nothing would surprise him in the slightest. Soon, two figures appeared before him. One was a woman with velvet white skin and purple hair. The other one had a black robe over his entire body, so he couldn't see his face, but he had a scythe on hand.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly.

“I am Harmony, the goddess of Life and Creation.” The woman replied.

“And I am Death, otherwise known as the Destroyer of Worlds and Father of Reapers.” The hooded man spoke as well.

"I see. And you said there's a reason why these demons are coming after me? What could it be, did I hurt someone?" Heat asked.

"No, as far as we can tell, you're a very kind young man who only wishes to help others. The ones who are at fault here… are us," Harmony said shamefully. Heat tilted his head in confusion from this statement.

"I don't understand." He said in confusion.

“You see, young man. You’ve heard of the demon lord that has hunted you down for awhile.” Death said. Heat nodded in reply, and so Death continued his explanation. “You see… an innocent soul from another world - a counterpart of your brother - has been placed in a terrible fate many years ago. One that has tainted and tormented his soul. Harmony and I had enough of the boy’s suffering and demanded Grogar to release his grip on him and cease his assaults on our world… and yours.” Death explained.

Soon Harmony continued explaining the rest. “So we struck a wager with the demon lord; that the two souls are able to find love with the ones who share that love in return, Grogar would set the cursed soul free and halt his attacks against many innocent lives. But If the two souls are unable to find love, Grogar would claim the two souls for his own gain…. And one of those souls… is yours.” She finished explaining.

"So… I'm just part of a deal you made with this demon lord because of my older brother's counterpart being cursed?" Heat asked. "I… had no idea. But if that's what's happening, why haven't the demons attacked him?"

"That's mostly our fault. He made this demon lord promise not to go after him or send his own minions or it'd break the deal,"

"Oh no… what do I do? I'm not strong enough to take down a demon lord, let alone a whole entire kingdom of demons. How did this curse even happen?" Heat asked, worried.

“Your brother’s counterpart died after he was born, and thus your mother’s counterpart wishes him not to pass into the afterlife.” Death explained. “So in desperation, she prayed to whoever could save her child from my grasp. And soon an evil had answered her prayers and resurrected him, but at the cost of his soul.”

"I… I see. And I assume it was my brother's counterpart's time to die when he was born. I don't blame Celestia for being so grief-struck about him like that… but I also don't blame you either. It might not be a pleasant thing to do, but you were just doing your job. I'd be upset if I lost my brother at birth, too. To want grief is natural. I can tell you're not evil, just… misunderstood," Heat Blitz said.

Death and Harmony were quite surprised by the young human’s words, in fact they’re shocked by his personality. There was no hate, no resent, just words of forgiveness.

"1,200 years of false imprisonment and one soul other than Harmony believes there is more to me than meets the eye," Death said. "Why do you not hate us?"

"You might be a reaper, but there's always been a sense of grief each time you collect souls. It pains you to do your job. However, for me, death is a part of life. We can try to hide and run all we want, but it always catches us in the end. Plus… Harmony shows a great deal of love for you and sees the exact same thing within you: A lonely being who's always been feared by all. But back to more serious matters regarding the deal. Will the deal only work if both me and my brother's counterpart share love with our destined ones, or just one of us?" Heat asked.

“It has to be both of you, or otherwise Grogar will claim both of your souls. And since now his generals have seen that your friends will watch over you and keep you out of his grasp. Grogar will take extreme measures in order to claim Eternal’s soul and yours.” Harmony stated.

"But if he tries to come after Eternal, that'll break the deal!"

“Yes, but with your friends’ interference, Grogar knows that the wager no longer means anything to him. Soon he, along with his servants and his army will come to your world and take you and Eternal by force.” Death said.

Heat's position was becoming more dim, but that only brought out the spark within him to want to lend a helping hand once more. "Then it looks like I have no choice. I have to help him. But I'd like to ask you both something in return," he said.

“Anything.” Harmony said.

"After all of this is done, will you help me find my real older brother? The one who went missing for almost a month?" Heat asked.

“We will try.” Death replied.

"Thank you. And I promise to let the others know of the good you two possess. You have my word on that," Heat replied with a calm, warm smile.

The two cosmic beings can’t help but feel absolute gratitude towards this mortal, he’s beyond different that the ponies back in Equestria.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the dark streets, Eternal was laying in wait in a dark alleyway, awaiting the day when the infamous demon lord, Grogar would come to claim him. He also couldn't bear to live with the guilt that he was deceiving everyone, including Sunset and his new friend, Inferno Blaze. Now he's most certain that he'll come out and destroy him now that he knows he's a demon.

"Some prince I am. Perhaps it was better for me to have just let Death take my soul. This cursed life is no life worth protecting if others are getting hurt in the process. Oh well, at least no one's around to get hurt," Eternal rambled on silently to himself.

However, the silence broke to the sound of large wingbeats. Too large for a bird to be making. Then, he heard what sounded like metal footsteps like medieval armor boots. And something about this made Eternal's skin crawl. "The boy has got to be here somewhere. I can sense it," a demonic voice said. "There's no sense in hiding from me, boy. I can sense your presence. Either you come with me, or the ones you care about will die."

Shouldn't have said that. Right away, Eternal's eyes changed from blue to demonic red in a matter of seconds and popped out in the middle of the street. He was now face-to-face with his demonic foe. His aura was brimming with darkness and bore fangs. "You stay the fuck away from Sunset and my friends… if you wish to keep your head.” He growled.

"Your threats… they do not sound empty, nor do they feel like it. Such an attitude is worthy of our master to deem you the next king. You will make a fine leader. But I have no time for mere pleasantries right now. For I was informed by my master to take you with me back to him," the demon said calmly.

"You think I'd let you take me to that monstrosity after all the years of torment he's put me through after he resurrected me? Sorry pal, but I think I’ll pass.” Eternal stated.

"What a shame. Then I have no choice but to take you by force," As the demon gets into a fighting stance, he draws out a sword and enchants it with his own demon aura. Eternal assumes his own stance, shrouding his arms in dark demon aura. His eyes filled with his own bloodlust, wanting to end this monster here and now.

"And it's a shame your master is too cowardly to face me head-on," Eternal growled in a demonic voice. His fingers transform into demon claws. They don't break eye-contact, just stand in wait for the other to make a move. Then, by the sound of a black raven cawing, both fighters charge at each other.

The demon makes the first move by swinging his sword upwards diagonally. Eternal leaped out of the way to the demon's left side, spinning his entire body, increasing the speed of his entire momentum effortlessly. Eternal leaps, using back to his feet, using his hands, and charges back at the demon at full force.

Eternal slams his body against the demon, staggering him back until the two smash into an unoccupied building, then tossing him out the window and onto the streets of town. Eternal climbs out of the shattered window and pounces on his fallen enemy, delivering hard punches towards his face several times. The demon then grabbed one of his fists and back hands Eternal off of him. The demon delivers a knee kick to Eternal's face, knocking him back against the wall.

But he doesn't take this lying. Eternal sends the demon soaring by producing dark waves of energy through the palms of his hands and blasting him back out into the streets. Eternal jumped out and grabbed the demon by the throat. He picked him up and tossed him in the air. Eternal leaped high up and landed three slashes using his demon claws. They didn't cut through his armor, but it was enough to deal damage. He then delivers a kick in the demon’s torso, sending him falling towards the ground creating an indent in the street.

And for the finishing blow, Eternal dove down like a torpedo and slammed down on top of the demon with his arms in the shape of an X. The impact produced a massive shockwave, which was in the form of a dark purple wave, that traveled across the area within a 100 yard radius. The earth rumbled from the shock of this attack and multiple vehicles were sent flying across distances with alarms blaring and dogs were barking.

In another street much close to the one Eternal was in, Inferno felt the shockwave knock him back against a wall with rough force. He recovers from the impact and stretches out his bones to ensure they were in place. “Ow, that hurt like hell.” he grunted. Inferno picked himself up and dusted himself off. "That blast was pretty close. And I have a feeling I know who it is.” Inferno sprang forth and sprinted off in the direction of where the blast came from.

He saw a bright purple light glowing over in the distance. Suspicious about what awaits him, the assassin draws out his twin revolvers and proceeds with caution. As he drew closer and closer to the area where he saw the light, he noticed the destruction all around him. While he was relieved that there were no innocent citizens in the area; however, he was curious on what the hell caused this level of wreckage.

"Not bad. Your powers are beyond that of an elite soldier. But can you handle… all 6?" a demonic voice said. Sure enough, 5 more portals open up in the middle of the street and 3 more winged armored demons, along with 2 mages appear. Their energies were beyond powerful. Even Inferno could sense their dark demon aura resonating from afar. If he had remembered what he read from the books in Canterlot; they must be Fallen Souls, demons that once started out as humans, but were then condemned and transformed into obedient soldiers of the Devil himself, to forever be under the influence and command of Grogar.

"I beat one demon soldier, what's to stop me from beating all 6?!" Eternal said in a demonic voice, to shield his identity.

"It is useless. You can never hope to defeat all of us at once, even if you are the future king. Not when we can do this," The leading mage said. With a wave of his staff, he trapped Eternal in an energy chain. The other mage conjured a gravity spell that kept Eternal more immobilized. With the two mages holding him in place, the 4 winged soldiers unleashed a fury of attacks. Slash marks and blunt marking all over his sides, abdomen, chest and his face. The mages added more pain to the suffering by electrocuting Eternal with dark electricity.

Eternal could do nothing but roar out in agony. And then… "Enough!!!" another voice called out. Soon, the soldiers backed off the moment a large red portal opened up above them. Inferno gasped, but ready his revolvers when he saw the infamous, tyrannical demon ram himself slowly descend upon the land. Grogar was in anthro form, standing at a solid 9 feet tall. He had on a black cape held together by a ring where his bell should be.

Inferno growls in rage at the presence of the very demon who murdered his father, his grip on his pistols tighten and his fingers on the triggers; ready for a fight.

"I must apologize for my Fallen Souls' behavior. I only told them to hold you down, not rough you up," Grogar says mockingly.

"Yeah right! You wanted to break me! Well let me tell you something, it ain't gonna work! I've had to live with these powers since the day I was born! I'm gonna break you down for all the pain and hardships you put me through!" Eternal says. He pulled his arm back and leaped up at Grogar, throwing a punch, but Grogar catches it and slams him back down. The demon ram let go of him, then stepped on Eternal.

"I am not here to fight you. I know of what you're capable of. I saw it the moment I saw your soul when Death took you. I had to unlock your hidden potential, which is why I snatched you and gave you my blood. Now, the time has come for you to fulfill your destiny. You can be greater than what you've accomplished as a mere mortal. Not to mention… I can help you get revenge on the traitor… who got your father killed," Grogar said.

In that moment, Eternal's eyes widened with shock. "What? What the hell did you say?" Eternal asked in a calm, angry tone. "What does my father have to do with this?"

Inferno’s eyes widened in shock, how did Grogar find out about the death of Eternal’s father. He was the only witness and he saw the true culprit; was Grogar really going to play that card and use Eternal’s father as a way to have the prince join him. Well of course he’s gonna, he’s a fucking demon.

"With your incredible powers and my guidance… together we can control the world," Grogar said, but Eternal merely scowled.

"And why would I do that, you filthy demon?" he asked.

"Either you join me or your powers will merely destroy you, or I destroy your mortal friend, Heat Blitz and that boy possesses his own power that would prove beneficial to us. Trust me and I'll show you a way to focus your powers that will make you invincible," Grogar said.

Inferno couldn't stand to see or hear this anymore. He comes out of hiding, making his presence known to the demons and then aims his right pistol at Grogar and fires a shot. Unfortunately, the bullet inflicted damage on Grogar’s shoulder. While Inferno wanted him dead; however it was able to keep Grogar distracted, the assassin then reached into his pockets and then threw smoke pellets at the Fallen Souls; who immediately felt the smoke burning their skin, realizing that the smoke pellets were laced with moonstone.

Inferno rushes over to Eternal, removing his cape and covers the prince with it to protect him from the smoke. The assassin then creates a portal next to the two and then the two jump into it. But before they could, Inferno turned to Grogar, who had his hand on his shoulder… that was bleeding? Inferno’s eyes widen with surprise, he knows fully well that demons cannot bleed from being struck by a moonstone object. But shook off the feeling and then called out to the demon lord before he and Eternal escaped. “This isn’t over, Grogar!!” He yelled before he and Eternal were gone.

Grogar grunted in pain, with an angered expression on his face. “So, you want to start a war then, assassin?” He growled. “... Fine, then. Frostbite!” He called out to his general. “Gather our troops, we’ll tear this city apart in order to claim the Prince and the boy.”

"Yes, master!" Frostbite said. With everything said and done, the battle for the world's survival has only just begun. Who knows how bad this war will become when the dark hour comes to pass or what'll become of Eternal and Heat. For the sake of the human world and Equestria, we can only hope the darkness will not completely overpower the pure light.

It's Time To Take Action

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Some time had passed since the incident with the demons occurred. After Eternal and Inferno made their escape, Halo had soon arrived at Luna's house. He knocked on the door, then waited for an answer. The door opens and Twilight reveals herself with a relieved expression. "Halo, thank goodness you made it! Quick, Heat's on the couch resting up, come inside," Twilight said.

"I came as soon as I could. Is Heat pulling through alright?" Halo asked, walking in. Twilight then closed the door and the two walked over to the couch where Heat was sleeping on.

"I-I'm not sure. I heard him mumbling earlier," Twilight said. "He's probably still feeling upset that he couldn't do anything to stop that demon that attacked him. You think you can talk him out of giving up on himself?"

"I'll try, but don't you think we should wait for him to wake up?" Halo asks.

"Yeah, I guess that would be the best thing to do," Twilight said. Halo knows Twilight's feeling uneasy about her friend, Heat, but she's never felt so strongly about him before. In fact, if he recalls, she used to hang out with another certain brainiac, or so to speak.

"Twilight, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to Timber?" Halo asked. Twilight tightened her grip on her skirt at the mention of that name.

She doesn’t want to speak of that coward, not after how he acted when her life had been put in great danger. She was lucky to be alive thanks to Heat. And before that, Timber was surely going to harm Heat, she can’t accept that kind of behavior from him, nor does she want to see him again.

“I… don’t want to talk about it.” She growled.

"Ah, I see. You ended on bad terms. I'm sorry to hear. Well, how about this: how long have you known Heat? Were you two friends at one point before all of this? And what do you find more appealing in him?" Halo asked, trying to understand her from a positive point. This time, Twilight eased her grip on her skirt and looked over at her sleeping friend with a warm smile.

"Heat and I met back in preschool. He liked me because I was so smart and we loved to read. I wanted to be a scientist, he wanted to be an inventor. He and I loved peace and quiet, plus, he loved to sing. But I'm not sure if he still does sing," Twilight said.

"You two must've been really close. They say childhood friendship bonds never sever even when the years pass and we grow up. However, you never seemed to talk about him nowadays, even in high school. Did you accidentally forget about him, or did you still remember him, but rather not mention him?" Halo asked. Sadly, Twilight's smile went away when those painful memories were brought back and started eating away at her happiness.

"During middle school, Heat and I separated because I was able to skip a grade. Heat didn't though, because he wanted to go at his own pace. During high school, I had… unintentionally forgot about him because of Crystal Prep. And I made a stupid mistake of falling for… you know who and his stupid pickup lines," Twilight said, planting her hands against the sides of her head.

“Well, sometimes you make mistakes.” Halo replied. “And then when you do, you eventually learn from them.” he stated.

"I guess you're right. But I feel like dating Timber was my biggest mistake. And… I know this is gonna sound crazy, Halo, but… I love him," Twilight said. She turns to Heat, who's still sleeping from exhaustion and holds his hand. "Even when he gave up hope of being with me, he still cares about me deeply. I owe him my life, too."

"Well, if you feel that way about him, then what's to stop you from telling him? Heat's a good guy I can tell. And when you said you owe his life to him, I'm guessing he puts other people's needs before his own," Halo said.

"Y-Yeah, he--" Twilight then pauses when she hears Heat Blitz stirring, waking up from his nap. Twilight quickly pulled her hand away from his, blushing.

Heat's eyes turn towards Twilight and some other guy he hasn't seen before. "Twilight? Why are you blushing like that? And who's the guy next to you? Is he a friend?" he asked.

"Actually, yeah. I'm Halo Knight. Nice to meet you," Halo said, extending his hand. Heat smiled and shook his hand. "Your aunt and Twilight asked me over because… you were sounding a bit down because you couldn't save Twilight from a demon. She said you… gave up on trying. Is that true?"

Heat felt uneasy about answering his unsettling question, but after remembering his encounter with Harmony and Death, he felt some sense of courage that he had once lost.

"Yes. I made a mistake of trying to stop a demon from hurting Twilight. It was far stronger than me, naturally, it even swatted me away like a rag doll. I slammed against a wall so hard, I felt my bones crack and blood trickling down my forehead," Heat shivered from that feeling. "But, if I hadn't injected those nano bots into my body, I'd be hospitalized for months. I still feel the pain from the impact, the pain of losing… and a sense of failure. In the end, I felt like I failed myself, but most of all… I fail you, Twilight," Heat confessed.

Twilight was moved by Heat's confession. Even Halo was impressed. Now Halo could fully understand why Twilight liked him so much.

"It's okay to admit defeat. But to give up after experiencing that kind of defeat won't do you any good, especially for you and others. You're stronger than you make yourself out to be and admitting defeat only proves you're getting even stronger. But it's up to you to try and do better. You don't even have to do it alone. You've got your friends, your family and maybe more. So keep fighting the good fight and you can overcome any obstacle. You win some, you lose some, but true victory… is living to fight another day," Halo said.

“Well said, Halo.” Twilight replied with a smile. Heat does the same as well, realizing that it doesn’t matter when you lose a battle, but what really matters is that you always get back up and try again.

"Yeah… you're right. I guess I was so caught up in my own self pity, I didn't realize that I can keep fighting. I may not have the brawn, but I still have…”

“Your clever brain.” Twilight interrupted with a smile on her face.

Heat chuckled. "You're really cute, you know that?" Heat asked before covering his mouth.

Twilight immediately blushed and went silent from what Heat had said. ‘He called me cute?’ She said in her head. ‘Did he call me cute?! HE CALLED ME CUUUUUTE!!!!’

"U-Uh… d-d-did I say it wrong, I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to… make you uncomfortable," Heat said, blushing from what he said.

“N-N-No… N-Nothing at all, it was a-actually… n-nice of you to… call me… c-c-c-cute!” Twilight mumbled loudly while her blushing did not vanish from her face. 'Oh no, now he's being cute!' she thought.

Halo stood quite in the room, smiling as he observed the two as they embarrassed themselves and looked like an adorable couple. ‘I ship it.’ He said in his mind. "Well, since now that you feel better, let me know if you want anymore help. My door is always open," Halo said.

"Thanks, Halo. I'll be sure to remember that. Thanks for everything," Heat said

"It was my pleasure. Now you two play nice, okay?" Halo said before getting up and leaving the house, letting the two be in peace.

"You know, Twi… you've got some amazing friends by your side. And any friend of Twilight is a friend of mine," Heat said. Twilight was happy for Heat and how kind he is towards her. Halo was right. What's to stop her from telling him how she feels?

"Heat… I have to ask you something?" Twilight asked.

"Uh… sure, what is it?" Heat asked.

"Do you… umm… still love me?" Twilight asked.

Heat blushed intensely. His best friend from middle school, the girl he had a crush on since forever; had just asked him if he still loves her. Heat thought that he must have heard it miscorrectedly; but no, he wasn’t.

"I, uh… well… yeah. I can't deny that fact, even after I saw you with… that guy, I still had these undying feelings for you. But I felt like I never had the same qualities as him," Heat said, trying not to look away. "But, why would you want to bring that up, Twilight?" he asked curiously.

"Because, first of all, you're better off not having the same qualities as him. You're amazing just the way you are. You invented those pulsing gloves which saved my life, you treat science with respect and not use it as a way to try and win me over and through all the chaos, you never stopped believing in what was right and never stopped thinking about me. And for that, I just wanna say… I… I love you."

Heat’s whole world stopped cold, all around him. He couldn’t believe – though he wanted to – what he had just heard. Twilight just confessed that she had fallen for him, which he possibly did not see coming. When he heard those three words; he instantly forgot about the demons. Grogar, and everything he had witnessed in the past few weeks. His heart began to pound in a fast rhythm, without stopping.

"Y...You do?" Heat asked, blushing more than ever.

"I mean it, I love you," Twilight said again.

"I… I love you too, Twilight," Heat said. Twilight's eyes shedded tears of joy. Heat and Twilight grabbed each other's hands. Their eyes never turn away from each other. Ever so slowly, the two leaned in, Heat wrapped his arms around Twilight. Finally they connect their lips together, sharing their very first kiss.

'Inferno, if I had some good news for you, I've finally gotten the girl of my dreams," Heat said in these thoughts before separating from Twilight. "Wow… that felt amazing." he said out loud.

"I agree. Perhaps after we've taken care of this whole "demons" incident, we can tell everyone about our current relationship," Twilight said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna agree with you on that," Heat nods before Twilight hugs him.

As their love flourished, Grogar, Death and Harmony all sensed it immediately. The two divine deities were relieved to know Heat had found and earned love. Grogar, however, was far from pleased with this predicament.

Grogar growled when half of his plan was foiled and slammed his fist against a wall. "Damn!!! I will not allow my plans to go up in smoke because of some stupid lovestruck kids!" said the demon monarch. "Soldiers! It's time to put our backup plan into action: Provoke the target." he said in a deep tone.

"Yes, master," the Fallen Souls reply in unison.

"One question: How do we provoke our future king?" one of the mages asked.

"It's simple, follow my lead," Grogar smirked, flaring his sharp teeth.

Meanwhile, back at the statue outside Canterlot High, Sunset and Starlight both arrived and made a quick dash back to their friends while Sunset got her phone out. She entered a text in the group chat saying, "Girls, bad news! Eternal's in danger. I finally figured out why he has demon powers. Find Inferno and Eternal and meet me at Canterlot Time Square." And then sent the message.

“Do you think there’s enough time to save him?” Starlight asked her friend.

“I hope so,” Sunset replied with worry in her voice; as she and Starlight ran straight for Canterlot Time Square. "I can't believe he never told me he was born with demon powers! But I can understand why he wouldn't tell me."

"Wanting to protect those around him is a definite possibility, but Inferno Blaze also happens to be a demon hunter. If he found out Eternal was part demon, he'd end up ruining his friendship with him. I'm scared he might actually abandon his job and just kill him on the spot!" Starlight said, equally worried.

“You don’t think Inferno would…” Sunset couldn’t finish her question. For she feared what would happen; would come true. And she would lose her best friend and the person that she truly loved since her childhood.

"If things go our way, maybe he won't kill him," Starlight said. The two girls kept running until they arrived in Time Square. Once there, the rest of the girls, save for one of them had all arrived as planned. But for Twilight, she brought along Heat.

"I got your message earlier, Sunset. What's the news?" Twilight asked.

"Hang on, we're still missing Rainbow Dash. Where is she?" Starlight asked.

"She said she had to stay behind and look for the boys. But it's okay, since she can move faster than any of us here," Twilight said.

"Uh, Twilight?" Applejack said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous to bring Heat Blitz into this? Ya know those demons'll be comin' after him. Also, what's with the getup under his clothes," AJ pointed out, directing the other girls' attention to Twilight's boyfriend. Their eyes all locked on his arms, which are covered by some midnight blue fabric with neon light blue lights surrounding it.

"It's my battle suit. I fixed it up, so now it's fully operational. However, this is just a prototype, so there's no telling what kind of bugs I might've missed during the short time I created this suit," Heat said, lifting up his shirt, showing part of his battle suit.

“Oooooooh, it’s glowy!” Pinkie said in her usual cheerful tone when she sees the neon glow in the suit’s design.

"How long have you been working on that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I've worked on it for weeks since the Drakai pack attacked and came after me. Back then, I only managed to get the gloves done, but the suit in question was far from ready. I spend sleepless days and nights working on it. Big mistake on my part because when I was sleeping, one of the demons came to my house and tried to nab me again," Heat said.

“Speakin’ of Drakai. Fluttershy, where is Daris at anyway?” Applejack asked the animal care-taker.

"He's here, but he's keeping a low profile so no one'll get suspicious. He's on top of one of the buildings here in Time Square. He didn't say which one, though. But if Daris senses demons coming, he'll alert us with his howl," Fluttershy stated.

“Well, that’s… sweet of him.” Rarity hesitantly said, she didn’t expect a demon to be watching over them, especially since the last few weeks she and the girls had a throwdown with a few of his kind.

"I'm still surprised he's hanging around with you. Sometimes, you even impress me, Fluttershy," Heat said.

"All it takes is time, experience and a whole lot of love," Fluttershy said, being humble.

"Girls… are you sure she's not an angel in disguise?" Heat asked, making Fluttershy blush happily and timidly from the compliment.

Soon the group hears Daris’s howls from every direction. They didn’t know where he was, but they did know that his howl wasn’t alarming, more like he's agreeing to something.

“Daris said that “I’m not just an angel in disguise….” Fluttershy then blushes before she finally finishes her translation. “He said ‘I’m a Goddess in disguise’.” She finished, now feeling embarrassed after saying that.

"Well, he ain't wrong, sugarcube," AJ agreed.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" said Rainbow's voice. The girls turned to their tomboy friend and saw that she didn't come alone. Inferno Blaze and Eternal Flames were also with her. Starlight immediately ran to Inferno, latching her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she did.

“Don’t worry me like that, I thought you would get hurt.” Starlight said, with a worried tone in her voice.

Inferno hugged her back, comforting her as he gently held onto her. “As long as I have you, nothing will stop me from getting back to you.” he said softly.

Eternal, however, he was unsure how to react, having been reunited with his friends and his childhood crush. His eyes dart from the ground to his side, ashamed of what Sunset might've found out during the time he was trying to avoid her.

Sunset didn't want him to feel this way. So, she approached him. "Eternal?" she asked, but got no response. "I know about your curse. I know everything about your death at birth and Grogar cursing you with an immortal life as a demon. But you have to listen to me."

“Just hear her out, Eternal. You think you can deal with this alone; well you’re no longer alone in this mess.” Inferno stated. “So it's time to let us help you.”

"How? If things get messy, you might end up as casualties. The last thing I want to is risk the lives of others," Eternal said, shaking.

“Please. I killed 4,000 demons in my time… and counting.” Inferno snarked.

“An’ ah can lift giant boulders with no problem.” Applejack said with a smile.

“And I can run 5 times faster than the Speed of Sound.” Rainbow stated.

“I can create Diamond Shields with my very own hands,” Rarity said.

“I have magic that can rival Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Starlight said.

“And I can make sprinkles explode!” Pinkie cheered.

"I have telekinesis," Twilight said.

"I've finally finished my prototype battle suit. It can produce shock waves more powerful than the ones I made weeks ago. They won't wear out from one shot and they can produce healing pulses more than one time," Heat said.

"I can communicate with animals, demons included," Fluttershy said.

"And I can see into others' memories just by touching them," Sunset said. "But I've also got a hidden power within me that helped me save Twilight when she was pushed into becoming evil. I'm confident that with all of us working together, we can help you. But you have to trust us," Sunset said. "Please… I'm begging you. I don't want to lose my old friend!"

Eternal could hear the desperation in her voice, see the tears in her eyes swell up. He just didn't have it in him to deny Sunset her help. Eternal sighed in defeat and looked directly into her eyes and gave Sunset his answer.

"Very well, but if things get too heated… I'll make the ultimate sacrifice," Eternal said.

“We’re not gonna let that happen.” Starlight claimed.

"Hang on, what's all this about a curse? What's going on here?" Rainbow asked.

"I'll tell you," Eternal said, stepping forth. He sighed before confessing. "I was never meant to live in the first place. I died at birth, but my mother had begged and pleaded for me to come back to her. She got her wish and I was reborn, but at a terrible price. Grogar, the king of the Shadow World, had nabbed me from Death's grasp and gave me his blood after I was brought back to life. For almost 18 years, I've lived with the curse of being a half-demon. My mother has had to live with the guilt and shame of branding me with this cursed life I now live. When my 18th birthday was coming, I had to find Sunset and spend my remaining days with her. And to tell her how much I love her. But when demon powers were awakening, I couldn't tell her without driving her away with the monster that lurks inside me. Sunset… I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you too much to put all this pressure on you. And as for you, Inferno, I couldn't find the courage to tell you since I know you have a long history of killing demons. Can you ever forgive me?"

Inferno didn’t say a word, but instead walked up towards Eternal. While everyone was fearing for the worse, but to their surprise; Inferno placed his hand on the young prince’s shoulder, in a comforting way. “Eternal… You may have demon blood in your veins and the powers of the very race that took my father away from me.” Inferno said. “But in all my life, there was never a time... in any world. Would I call a client…. My friend… and a brother.” he finished. “So no matter what; I will fight by your side till the end.”

Eternal was relieved. "I am pleased to know you have my back. I was afraid you would hunt me down and make me into one of your victims. But I'm pleased that--" Eternal's interrupted by the sound of a howling sound. The girls look up at the skyscrapers, Fluttershy gasped.

"They're coming!" Fluttershy said.

Inferno immediately pulls out his Winchester rifle and quickly loads it, preparing for an attack. The girls all activate the magic in their amulets and pony-up, readying for action. Starlight grabs a pendant – which Twilight made for her right before she left Equestria – from her pocket, placing it around her neck and then tapping into it’s magic, allowing her to pony-up like the girls.

Heat Blitz bolted towards a dark alley where he changed out of his clothes and stuffed them in his backpack, which he brought along the trip before emerging out of the shadows in his battle suit, ready to defend. Daris then jumps down to the ground next to the group, taking a stance preparing for a fight; which he was created for.

The group watched as multiple dark portals opened up in the air and on land. In the air, multiple other drakai and other winged demons flew out of the portals. The land demons walked out of their portals fully armed to the teeth. But behind these lesser demons were the Fallen Souls, the elite of elite demon soldiers. And finally, one big portal revealed the king of all the demons: Grogar, the Shadow King.

"You mortals have been a thorn in my side for far too long! I can no longer stand by and let you ruin my plans. Eternal Flames, you have your choices: One: You surrender to me and become the next Shadow king and I promise you that your pathetic friends will be spared. Or two: You can fight me and I can take this entire world by force! And you will be out one less love interest. And need I remind you that I know about the secrets of your father's death!" Grogar exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? How dare you mention my father's passing!" Eternal shouted in anger, charging at the king. Grogar smirked and raised his hand, sending his drakai out. The demon hellhounds roared as they soared in his direction. But instead of attacking him, they flew past him and surrounded his friends. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"It's your choice, you can either join me… or your friends pay the price… along with this entire world and Equestria!" Grogar said, keeping a cocky smile.

"Do you forget that they have powers?" Eternal asked, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Oh, I'm well aware of their… feeble-minded abilities," Grogar said.

“Not to mention! I killed way more demons than this!” Inferno called out to the two.

“Oh really, assassin. Then how about 90,000.” Grogar replied as a means to taunt Inferno.

“Well, I like to put that to the test!” Inferno responded. “Don’t listen to him, Eternal! Even if you accept, he’ll never keep his side of the deal!”

"I'm not gonna let this monster control my life! I am gonna obliterate him!" Eternal said, radiating his demon aura like crazy. Grogar laughs like it's no big deal.

"Then, by all means… be my guest!" Grogar replied before snapping his fingers. The drakai all roar in hostility and charge to attack.

"LET'S LIGHT 'EM UP, LADIES!!!" Pinkie shouted. The girls, Inferno, Heat, Daris and Eternal all attack in unison. Daris put up an impressive fight, holding his own against his own kind, biting and clawing at the other packs. Inferno used his experienced battling style, shooting down multiple drakai and cutting them up using his moonstone weaponry. AJ out-muscled 5 to 7 drakai, slamming them to the ground by their heads and tossing them back at the king. Pinkie blinded some of them, using her exploding sprinkles.

Rainbow Dash used her super speed to overwhelm them and slam into them with the force of her speed. Fluttershy was surrounded by all sides, but seemed to know how to get out of this dangerous situation.

"Y-Y-You all seems tense… do you want to talk about it?" Fluttershy asked, putting on her cutest and sweetest smile, confusing the drakai.

Twilight used her telekinesis to throw several drakais flying and slamming some to the ground. Starlight, tapping into her own magic through the pendant Princess Twilight made for her, used teleportation to escape from her cornering foes and sent a magic blast at them. As for Heat, his battle suit produced more powerful shock waves, sending several drakai flying.

And Eternal ran to help his friends, but several other demons blocked his path. Covering his hands in demon aura, he converted his hands into claws and slashed at these demons at blinding speeds, clashing with their weapons and as well as grabbing some of them by their massive sharp fangs. He slashed at their throats, even biting into some of their flesh and tearing it off their bodies.

Grogar watched in amusement, chuckling at their efforts. The might continued on until over 500 of his drakai army was slaughtered. "I believe it is time for me to turn the tide of this battle," he said to himself. He extended his hand, aiming towards the group.

The mages picked up on his signal and aimed their staffs at the group. They conjure up a spell, which pins the group down to the ground and the demons back away by a few inches. The only one who's not affected by the spell is Eternal.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Eternal snapped.

"I'm getting serious, here. You can continue fighting on your own, but I can't guarantee that your friends will live long enough. Or, you can surrender to me. Your friends will be spared, not harmed in any way. Now, I'm only gonna tell you once more: Make your choice," Grogar said.

Eternal clenched his fists, looking back at his trapped friends, then back at the gloating king. He grunted in frustration, seeing no way out of this intense situation. He tried to come up with different plans and scenarios of how to get his friends out of this without giving in. But there was no other alternative. Eternal Flames… has lost.

"You win… I'll go with you," Eternal said in a low tone. Grogar's evil grin grew wider as he laughed out loud, savoring this victory.

"I knew you would see things my way. But first, why don't I let you in on a little secret. Not just about your father… but about the little loophole you should've known about that would've spared your miserable life," Grogar said, walking up to him.

"What are you talking about?" Eternal asked.

"You see, boy, recently a few weeks ago, I was visited by 2 powerful deities that were hellbent on intervening with my plans to find a new heir to my throne. They came to me with a little wager, which I gladly accepted: If you and that weakling little boy in that cyber suit were to find love and earn love in return, I would not only allow you to live peacefully, but also keep my demon powers as a bonus. However, if that doesn't happen, you AND him would entirely belong to me. Of course, the deities known as Death and Harmony intervened first by having your worthless mother hire that mercenary to stop me!" Grogar explained.

"What?" Eternal asked in disbelief.

"Yes. You see, they placed yours and Heat's life into the hands of destiny. And destiny has now favored me to take you with me! Oh! And regarding your father's death, why don't you ask your so-called friend how it happened? He witnessed the whole thing go down and didn't lift a finger to help save him," Grogar pointed out

Inferno growled at Grogar’s statement and tried to get up but was forced down by the intense gravity. “Y-you… a-asshole!” He snarled.

Eternal turned to Inferno, clenching his fist. "Is this true, Inferno? Did you really just let my father die out there years ago?" he asked in a low tone.

Inferno remained silent for a second, grunting from the pressure of the gravity. But he knew that he had to tell him soon. “N-no… I didn’t let your father die…. I was in the Canterlot Library; the same place where he was killed. I-I… wanted to save him… I wanted to stop his murderer… But the guards stopped me and tried to arrest me for his death…. I was a kid back then, Eternal! No one would believe me… Not even your mother! For years on the run, I tried to track the suspect down, but I couldn’t find him. Everytime I thought I got him, but I always hit a dead end.” Inferno explained.

"You're right, how could I have been so foolish to blame this on Inferno when it was your own close-minded, useless mother who didn't trust his judgement. And considering what Harmony and Death waged against you, the question still remains: What are you gonna do about it?" Grogar provoked.

"No! You're wrong!!! His mother had nothing to do with his own father's death! I don't know who did it either, because I wasn't born in his world! But I will say this: his mother is no killer! So stop with these web of lies, already!" Heat yelled out. “Also Harmony and Death didn’t wage against him, they wagered in order to save him! To protect him from your tyranny!”

"And look where that got him now. He's now forced to become the new king in order to save your weak, miserable lives. Besides, if anything, I stopped Eternal from passing! I gave him life and I gave him meaning! If anyone is bad, blame no one else except for those 2 foolish deities," Grogar exclaimed loudly.

"No… you're lying! That can't be!" Eternal said, having doubts he can't come to grips with.

"That is quite enough, Grogar. You've caused enough damage as it is!" a female voice echoed, stealing everyone's attention. From behind Grogar, the group noticed two figures floating above him, looking crossed.

“Tormenting these young mortals will gain you nothing! Return back to your domain and do not set a foot back in this world. Remember our wager, you will only claim Eternal’s soul till his 18th year of his birth; which is only two nights from here!” Death stated.

"And who was it that told Celestia to send in some backup and attack my minions first?" Grogar rebutted without missing a beat.

“You dared to send your general to this world to observe the young prince! From our view, you are the one who tried to gain an edge; we just decided to even the playing field!” Harmony spoke her counterclaim.

"I gave the order for my general to keep his distance and not engage the target. There was no benefit in provoking you so early, but since you attacked my soldier that only makes you more guilty than I am! Besides, the boy should be thanking me for saving him from your cold dead claws and giving him life!" Grogar provoked. "Plus, why don't you tell it straight to the boy's face that he was never meant to be born in the first place! I double dare you."

“I have no control over his fate! He was poisoned after he had entered into the world, I had no choice but to claim his soul! If he wasn’t and would have been dying under natural causes… I WOULD HAVE DECIDED TO SPARE HIS SOUL!!!” Death shouted in rage, gripping his scythe, tightly.

“Wait! Did you just say “poisoned”?” Inferno barely asked, still feeling the pressure crushing down on him. Soon he barely turns his head towards Eternal, who watched him and the others still suffer. “Eternal, do you know what this means?! You didn’t die after birth, naturally! You were actually murdered!” He claimed.

"Murdered… So that's it… some fool thought they could kill me?" Eternal asked quietly. "Well… whoever that damn fool was… I'LL KILL THEM!!!" he shouted, letting his demon aura. "And there's only one way to ensure that I make the atrocious bastard pay! He will pay dearly for this. One way… or another."

With his undying fury clouding his judgement, he steps forth, approaching Grogar, then stares up at the demonic ram. "Let's go."

"No! Eternal! Don't do this!!!" Heat shouted out.

"QUIET, YOU!!! This doesn't concern you! I have been betrayed not just by my own family… but by my own country! And I will see to it that they all will PAY!!!" Eternal proclaimed.

"Very good choice. Then follow me, young prince. The time for your birthright is at hand," Grogar said, placing a hand on the now corrupt prince's shoulder, his eyes blood red with pupils slit, focused on his new task: To conquer all.

"Eternal! No! Please, don't do this!!! I can't lose you like this! This isn't like you! You're better than this, I know you are!" Sunset called out in vain.

Inferno grunted from the force of gravity. He used all his might to get himself up, until he was on his knees. He looked up to Grogar and Eternal as they were flying off. Inferno then gathers enough strength to speak his words before he would eventually pass out.

“ETERNAL!!!!!” He screamed loudly for the prince and Grogar to hear him, they turned to the assassin, who was barely on his knees from the intense gravity. “Y-YOU WALK AWAY!!... FROM THIS! I… WILL BE FORCED… TO HUNT YOU DOWN!!! YOU KNOW I WILL! I WON”T ALLOW YOU TO HARM INNOCENT PONIES!!!” He stated with anger and sadness in his voice; anger that the prince would desire to hurt many innocent lives, but also sad, that he’ll be forced to fight his best friend. “So… if you walk away now!... Don’t… EVER… Expect any sort of mercy... from me! When we meet again!”

"I don't ask for mercy from a mere mortal," Eternal's voice became more demonically distorted upon saying that.

"And since you've made your choice," Grogar paused and looked at his mages. They cease their gravity spells and allow the group to move freely. "My minions! Return now! We've got what we came here for!" The demon army all retreated back to their portals to the Shadow Kingdom with their current king. The ram and Eternal turn their backs to the group and walk away, stepping deep… into darkness before the portals all closed.

The entire group watched in shock as their friend had left them. Inferno passes out after exhausting his strength, Starlight rushes to his side after he had lost consciousness. Luckily, he was breathing, which made Starlight relieved. However, for Sunset, she felt heartbroken after the whole ordeal, but she can’t be sure why.

"No… No! No, it's not fair! Why him?! Why couldn't it have been me?!" Sunset asked, tears streaming down her eyes. Harmony landed next to her while placing her hand on the crying girl’s shoulder.

“It’s not his fault, young one. Nor, is it yours. The demon blood coursing in his veins, is affecting his emotions; more importantly, his anger. Once he develops the feeling of rage or vengeance, the demon blood fuels it to the highest degree, forcing him to act upon it rather than with reason. Like a rabid dog biting at anyone that crosses its path.” The goddess explained.

Sunset looks over at Harmony, still crying waterfalls. "How can we stop him? How to we save him from all of this?"

"Death… Harmony… if there's any way we can get him back from Grogar and you might have a solution… then we're all ears. There's no telling how much destruction he could cause," Heat Blitz stated, struggling just to stand on his feet.

“We have none. Love was the only thing that could save Eternal from Grogar’s grasp.” Death replied, with doubt in his voice. “Now with hate burning in his heart, he is beyond reason. Especially with demon blood coursing through his veins.”

"Then… we'll just have to… create our own way… to save him! You tried to save him in… your own way, I don't blame you. But… now it's time… we all pitched in… and brought back Eternal… as a team!" Heat said as he was walking up to the two deities before collapsing at their feet from exhaustion. Death and Harmony were astounded by the boy’s determination and courage, even when he was against all odds. The two deities looked at each other and shook their heads in agreement. They then raise both their arms up and then magic auras appear from their hands and slowly surround the group. Soon, they felt a great boost of energy in their bodies, their bones and muscles instantly healed, and felt their own magic auras increase.

“WHOA!!!! I feel so hyped right now!” Rainbow said in a tone that sounded like she was given tons of sugar.

“OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! I FEEL SO SUPER DUPER POWERED!!!” Pinkie cheered loudly.

The unconscious Inferno instantly wakes up after feeling Harmony and Death’s magic take full effect. He wakes up feeling like he has a lot of stamina and energy in his body. “Oh shit, I feel like I got shot up with a lot of adrenaline.” He said.

"Wha… My body feels like it got some sort of power boost. Was that your doing?" Heat asks after getting back up.

“Indeed,” Harmony replied with a smile.

“We used our magic to boost your energy and regain your strength. Also we placed a spell upon you all so that you’ll be immune to the magic of Grogar’s Elites.” Death explained

"I won't forget this. I promise to pay you back after we've fixed this mess," Heat said.

“Save Eternal and destroy Grogar; and we'll call it even.” Harmony responded with a wink.

“Thank you both... for everything.” Starlight said.

“Our pleasure, Ms.Glimmer.” Death said while bowing in respect.

"In the meantime, let's head back to our homes and rest up. We won't be of much use if we show up into battle without any sleep," Twilight said, getting up.

"Even if we are fully rested, we can't stop all those demons with just 12 of us," Fluttershy said.

“Those 5 elites you saw, aren’t demons… well, they weren’t in the beginning.” Inferno responded. “They’re known as Fallen Souls; ponies, or humans, that were taken from the realm of mortals and placed into torment and their sanity corrupted; turning them into half-demonic elite warriors that would serve Grogar for all eternity. Although they may be powerful, they are still mortal. Except they have powers that could prevent them from even facing death. Which makes them even more dangerous.”

"So yer sayin’ that those 5 varmints… were human?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, and one of them looked very familiar; I’m sure that he looked exactly like the gun shop owner’s son. He said he lost him 3 years ago, and haven’t heard from him since. But now I know why.” Inferno explained. Soon a thought appeared in his mind. “Hey girls, if I may ask; were there any missing people or disappearances in this town?”

"Not counting the Eternal Flames in our world, Five." Twilight said before realizing what he's trying to say. "Oh no… the five missing teens… they're all under Grogar's control!"

Pinkie gasped. "MY PLUMEY-POO IS UNDER GROGAR'S CONTROL?!?!?!" Pinke shouted, grabbing the sides of her head.

“Who?” Inferno said in confusion.

"Pinkie Pie had a boyfriend during the 1st 2 years of high school named Copper Plume, but he went missing during summer vacation. She always referred to him as "Plumey" or on other occasions "Plumey-Plum" or even "Plumey-Poo." Rarity said.

“You know one of them?” Inferno asked Pinkie, who nodded in reply. He then turned to the rest of the girls. “What about the rest of you? Do you all know the other 4?” he asked again.

"Blazing Waters… we were very close at one point. But he's been so upset because of all the bullying he went through back at Crystal Prep. So before the 3rd year started, he went missing. I thought that he gave into his depression or something or moved away," Rainbow said.

"Frostbite. He went through some serious family issues, as well as dealin' with this dick named Seth Cooper who was always making his life a livin' hell. The fella wound up disappearin' in the middle o' Summer one day," AJ said.

"And there's… Israel Yabuki. He's been so down lately ever since he found out his older brother was sent to prison for murdering 2 muggers. He couldn't bear the shame, so I thought he had moved away. He was never the type to commit suicide, though," Fluttershy said.

"Not to mention… Lightning Burn. The poor darling went through a terrible heartache due to his previous ex-girlfriends cheating on him. I thought the poor deary… really did it, but now I see… he's still alive and… suffering," Rarity said, trying to hold back the tears.

“Then there’s a way we can save them.” Inferno said.

“REALLY!” All 5 girls said with hopefulness in their voices.

“Back when I was in Canterlot, I was learning all I could about demons; so that I can know how to kill them. I came across information about Fallen Souls, even a spell on how to save one. Of course, it won’t revert them back to their human selves; however, it would restore their normal selves, mentally.” Inferno explained. “They may be brainwashed and under Grogar’s control, but their memories are not gone; just under lock. The spell would help unlock their memories; however, it won’t be enough to free them. In order for them to fully remember who they are, they need to be reminded of a memory that they hold to heart; a memory that they would never dare to forget. Of course, that part I thought would be impossible, but since you five know them, maybe you girls can help them remember who they are.”

"So I can have my Plumey-Poo again?” Pinkie asked with hope in her eyes.

“Yes.” Inferno replied.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie squealed before hugging Inferno tightly in her arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!!"

“PLEASE!.... Need… air!” Inferno struggled as he felt his body being crushed in the party girl's hug.

"Oop! Sorry. I can't help it! It's been so long since I've seen my Plumey-Poo. Plus, the editor of this story said hugging you tightly was a good idea," Pinkie said.

“You mean the editor I'm gonna kill after this.” Inferno replied in a whisper.

"Hey! Breaking the 4th wall is my job!" Pinkie argued with a happy face, sticking her tongue out and looking damn cute doing it.

"What is she talking about? Where's this "4th wall" she's talking about?" Heat asked, looking around, trying to make sense of it all.

“Nevermind that! Inferno, do you have the means to make the spell?” Sunset asked.

“Yes, in fact I have all the requirements needed. But I’ll need a day to prepare, and quick cause Eternal’s 18th birthday and coronation is in two days. And once he’s the new Shadow King, he’ll lead Grogar’s army in the invasion of the human world, then later… Equestria.” Inferno stated.

"Alright. You get to work on your spell and we'll head home and recuperate. Best of luck to all of you and pray our strength will be enough to stop the demon invasion," Twilight said.

“Well said, Miss Sparkle. Good luck, young ones.” Harmony said, heartly. Soon she and Death began to envelop in a bright glow and then disappeared without a trace. The group then dispersed and headed back to their homes to rest up. They have a lot to prepare in the next two days, 6 friends they need to reclaim from a tyrant, and save two worlds from an invasion from a demonic realm.

The Hour of the Devil

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Defeat: Everyone must face it at some point in their lives. It takes on many forms. But in this situation, it took the form of a lost friend and ally. The Mane 7 and their friends had failed to stop Eternal Flames from joining the dark side. He has willingly joined Grogar and is on his way to become the next king. His friends could only watch in shock and horror as their friend loses his way and his soul to the shadows.

However, the only one who was truly disappointed and heartbroken… was Sunset Shimmer. She knew him since they were kids. They grew up together, making so many memories that could never be replaced. Now she's lost him once again, only this time he was the one to leave her ironically.

As for the others, Inferno is now working on the spell to save Grogar’s Elites, who turned out to be the 5 missing teens and close friends to the Rainbooms. But he was feeling conflicted at the moment. He knew he had to kill Eternal when he meets him again, to prevent any more innocent lives being harmed; however, a part of him could not bring himself to do it. Eternal was his friend, his honorary brother in arms, and he did not to be the one to end his life. Especially after he had failed a second time to save an innocent soul.

Even the 2 ancient beings, Harmony and Death, felt like they had failed. They did not feel comfortable about having to tell the prince's mother the bad news. She'll be so devastated that her son is becoming a full-fledged demon.

Soon, the next day, the sun has risen, but the day is all, but bright and sunny. The girls all met up at their usual spot at the Sugar Cafe. However, Twilight and Heat were a little delayed since they had to drag Sunset along with them. She was still upset over the whole ordeal. Once they met up with their friends, they sat Sunset down with them and the others.

"Sorry for the delay, everyone," Twilight said.

"Hey Starlight, where’s Inferno?” Rainbow asked.

“He’s still at Ammo-Lot, working on the spell. To be honest, he still believes that the ordeal was his fault; even though I kept reassuring him it wasn’t.” Starlight explained.

"Well, when someone loses a very close friend, they can't help but feel guilty for not being able to do more to help them," Halo's voice said. The girls and Heat turn and see their friend, along with Flash Sentry.

"Sorry for butting in, girls. We couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Did something happen, where's Eternal? Is he still mad at Sunset?" Flash asked.

"No, it's worse. But you'd better take a seat, this is gonna be one long story," Heat said. Halo and Flash did so and lent the group their ears.

"Last night… our friends wound up in a heap of trouble. Heat and Eternal Flames were attacked by demons. You guys have seen enough magic-crazed villains over the years to know this is much more serious, right?" Twilight asked.

"How could we forget? But what would the demons want with Heat Blitz and Eternal Flames? Didn't Eternal run away?" Halo asked.

"The one from our world did, but the one from Equestria… he’s pledged his loyalty to a ruthless demon lord known as… Grogar.

"Grogar? Why does he want Eternal and Heat? And if he got Eternal, how did Heat escape?" Flash asked.

"I had a lot of help from my friends… and my sweetheart," Heat said, clearing his throat. Twilight slightly blushed from her boyfriend referring to her as that.

"Oh, you finally got together with Twilight? That's great!" Flash said.

"He's done so much for me and never expected anything in return. But I decided to return the favor by being by his side," Twilight said before kissing Heat on the cheek.

"That's good. I'm happy for you, Twilight," Flash said.

"But onto more pressing matters, we need to find a way to bring Eternal back from Grogar or he'll take control of our world and Equestria with an entire demon army. On top of that, we've also learned something about the 5 missing teens," Rarity said.

“Really? What have you girls’ discovered?” Halo asked.

"It turns out, they're not only under Grogar's control, they're also Grogar's elite soldiers known as the Fallen Souls," Rainbow answered.

“And one of them is my PLUMEY-POO!!!” Pinkie screamed.

"Plumey-poo? You mean Copper Plume? I can't believe it! No wonder I haven't seen that guy around, he and Pinkie always plan the best parties together!" Flash said. "But if that monster has taken him and all those other missing teens, then we wanna help out, too!"

"Yeah. They don't belong to that heignous beast! Flash and I may not have magical abilities like you girls do, or the resources to create the things Heat has made, but we're willing to help out in any way possible!" Halo added. "Just tell us how we can help and we'll get it done."

“Thank you both for willing to help,” Starlight replied with gratitude. “Inferno had proposed a spell that could help free the teens from Grogar’s control, but he says that we all have to pitch in for the spell to work.” She explained their plan.

"And in order to do that, we have to remind the Elite soldiers their greatest memory. Maybe you guys can help them realize their memories, too," Starlight said. Flash blinked in surprise and looked away with an uneasy look of uncertainty.

"One problem. You see, some of those guys and I share some bad history. Who's to say they won't obliterate me just from looking at me? I want to help, but I'm just saying there's a slight chance they still don't trust me since I… kinda hung out with you girls at some points," Flash said, scratching the back of his head.

Starlight was left confused by his statement, possibly because she wasn’t here since her last visit here. “Wait. What did you do to get them so upset with you?” She asked.

"He means some of them missing teens felt kinda jealous he was hanging around with the girls. I could tell they were because some of them were angry, sad and above all, heartbroken because these guys thought he was trying to take them from them," Halo said. "But they never said anything because they didn't want to cause trouble."

“In all my years of assassinations, evading the law, and demon-slaying; that is by far… the stupidest thing I ever heard!” Inferno says as he approaches the group when he enters the cafe. Starlight immediately hugs him and gives him a quick kiss.

“Took you long enough,” Starlight said.

“Sorry, working on spells takes up a lot of hours.” Inferno said.

"And what do you mean by that's stupid?" Applejack asked.

“Well… I don’t know, I'm still getting used to feeling love and this… “friendship” thing.” Inferno stated, honestly. “But what I do know is that why would you decide to hate a person... that the people you like are friends with… than try and befriend them…. Hey like I said, I'm still new to the “friendship” thing.” He explained

"He's been on the boys' bad side since sophomore year. And considering the new position that they're all in, it's going to take a lot of effort to get on their good side. They're brimming with bitter rage and jealousy. But he's only part of their problems: they're struggling with life in general, family problems and bullies, all that hate just comes bursting out now that they're under the control of this demon menace," Halo replied.

“Which is why all of you need to remind them of their best memories, ones that bring them comfort and happiness. Any memory that reminds them of their struggles and anger, would only make it worse.” Inferno stated. “If that happens, they’ll go wild; uncontrollable. And they’ll be difficult to calm down after.”

"I don't mean to be negative, but what exactly have I done to give these guys good memories? You all know how much of an idiot I make myself trying to look cool. But to get in the way of someone else's crush, that's a major screw-up on my part," Flash admits.

“Oh that won’t be a problem, Flash. Cause you’re not gonna help the girls; you’re gonna help me, Starlight, Heat, Twilight, and Sunset to save Eternal. After all, as I heard you're the only other person that he’s on good terms with.” Inferno said.

"I am?" Flash asked.

"You said it yourself, that you were happy he and Sunset would be together and accept the fact that you and Sunset would remain just friends," Halo said.

"I guess you're right. Well, if I'm going down, I'm gonna go down swinging. I'll help in any way I can to bring Eternal and the others back," Flash said.

"That's good to hear. So, Inferno, what are the effects of the spell?" Twilight asked.

“Oh, I forgot. Thank you Twilight. Alright…” Inferno then reaches into a snachel which he had brought with him and then, in his hand, he pulls out a large bottle with glowing light blue liquid inside it. “Tada!” He said. Everyone at the table is left confused and puzzled by the bottle in front of them. They were all speechless at first, until Rainbow decided to break the silence

“Inferno…. What the hell is this?” she asked.

“This… is a memory potion. It helps a person to remember any forgotten memory of their past. I even laced the potion with moonstone dust so that it’ll weaken Grogar’s influence and control over the Elites; but it’ll only open their minds to remembering anything in their past, which is where you girls come in.” Inferno explained.

"And when we help them remember, what are the odds of us freeing them from Grogar's grasp completely, are the odds in our favor?" Rainbow asked.

“Like I said, the potion is laced with moonstone, demons hate it a lot; burns the shit outta them. Also, a demon’s influence over the mind of an individual can only be relinquished by the will of the individual. The Elites were tortured and brainwashed so that their willpower would be weak to demon control, but once they have that will again; they’ll all turn on Grogar.” Inferno explained, again.

"Then it's up to us to help them regain their will. The only obstacle we have now is finding a way to the Shadow Kingdom. And we gotta do it fast," Twilight said.

“And soon; the coronation will take place at 3 AM on the eve of Eternal's 18th birthday. But we won't know how it plays out; however, we do know that once Eternal is the Shadow King of Tartarus, he’ll begin the invasion some time afterwards.” Inferno informed the group.

"Poor Eternal," Sunset muttered in silence, looking down at the table. The girls turned to their friend, surprised since she hasn't spoken much after Eternal turned to the dark side.

"Sunset, I know you're devastated, but you have to pull yourself together. We've been in similar kinds of situations involving evil magic before, this isn't any different," Rainbow tried reassuring her, but didn't work.

"No, we're dealing with an entire kingdom of evil. We're gonna be outnumbered, fighting impossible odds and our strength alone… might not be enough. If we're gonna have a chance to succeed, we're gonna need the help of some powerful allies. Death and Harmony, specifically are the only ones who might have enough power to help us in our time of need," Twilight said.

"What about Heat's battle suit? Isn't it made out of draconium? Maybe we can rely on--" Pinkie tried to suggest.

"No, Pinkie. My suit might be strong, but it's not invincible. I might have been able to complete the prototype last night and put it to use during the might, but I haven't completely worked out all of the bugs and inf- our world’s Inferno knows more about the draconium than I do. He's the one who invented it in the first place, he merely gave some of his material to experiment on because he and I and… this world's Eternal Flames were lab partners," Heat said.

"Wait, your world's Eternal is a science wiz? I thought he didn't have any interest in that," Pinkie said, scratching her head in confusion.

"When he saw the draconium that Inferno made, he kinda got hooked on it. He even designed his own battle suit all by himself. Here, look," Heat got out his phone and scrolled through some pictures he took and showed the girls the battle suit Eternal made and wore. It was a black battle suit with dark red neon lights on it. The armor was thin and highly flexible and had a power core in the shape of a golden star.

"Awesome!!! That's some sweet gear he's got on!" Rainbow said, impressed.

"Ooh, functional and fashionable. Do you suppose he could design a battle suit for me if we ever find him, too?" Rarity asked.

"Uh… I don't think you'd want that. You see, while the suit gives the user enhanced speed, strength and reflexes, as well as absorbs all battle damage, no matter how big it is, it's got one big flaw," Heat said.

"What would that be? Looking too awesome?" Rainbow asked jokingly.

"No! At first, the suit worked fine, but one day, there was a shootout in a neighborhood between these two gangs. People were pinned inside their homes and… Eternal's suit was linked with his hidden anger and took out the gang members. But… some of those gang members almost ended up as casualties. He almost killed them. When he realized the severity of his actions… he took the suit off and had hidden it in a place where no one will ever find it or use it. Even I'm not sure where it is, but it's for the best." Heat explained.

"Damn, that's scary," Rainbow said.

“He must have felt pretty awful after that.” Fluttershy said

"He was. But dad thought that kind of aggression was what he should have if he was to take over the tycoon business. Eternal hated him for that. And to be honest, I can't condone what my dad said when he found out about that suit," Heat said.

“Did Eternal destroy it before your father can get to it?” Twilight asked.

"No, like I said. He's hidden it in a place where no one can find it. He kept the suit because he wanted to perfect it. Make it to where he can have the user fight without losing control of their own sound mind and body," Heat said.

“Did he manage to perfect it?” Rarity asked out of curiosity.

"No. Our dad got too hard on him, always forcing his ambitions on him or he wouldn't amount to anything… like any other middle child out there. Dad had the nerve to insult his own son, my own brother. My mom eventually divorced him a few days before Eternal ran away," Heat said.

“That must’ve been a rough life.” Inferno said, feeling sympathy towards the young man. “Good thing that our Eternal never went through that; however he went through worse.

"Was his dad different?" Heat asked.

“Yeah. Of course, I never met him, but Eternal said that his father was a very good person; would always be there for his children.” Inferno stated. “Of course, that life was cut short when his father was murdered… And I took the blame for it.”

"Oh no. The poor guy. I feel sorry for Eternal and his father. No one should go through so much like he did. Did they ever find out who killed him?" Fluttershy asked.

"No. The Royal Guard found no trace of him because they, including their so-called princess believed I was the murderer," Inferno said. “And for the next 10 years, I was branded a criminal and I lost everything dear to me. No doubt, Eternal doesn't even trust his own mother anymore. If his father were still around, it'd be a different story. He would've given me the benefit of the doubt and searched for who the real culprit was.”

"Maybe when all of this is over, we can talk the princess into dropping the charges and give you a clean slate," Starlight said.

“Oh yeah… try telling that to all of Equestria.” Inferno said with doubt.

"If they won't listen, maybe Eternal can. I hear those of Canterlot royalty have loud, booming Canterlot voices that can make others kneel," Twilight suggested.

“How do you know? You’ve never been to Equestria.” Inferno asked.

"Sunset told me a lot about Canterlot since she was born and raised there. She studied under Princess Celestia when she was little and got to witness Celestia voice firsthand," Twilight explained with a slight giggle.

"Well, anyways, now that we have what we need, we should find a way to head out to the Shadow World and get Eternal before his coronation," Twilight said.

“And we should hurry, cause by the look of the time; we have 16 hours til the coronation.” Inferno stated.

"Alright then, everyone… let's bring our boys home," Twilight said, determined. Everyone smiled and nodded in reply.

“Well if you’re going to invade Grogar’s home turf, you’ll need a guide to get you there.” A familiar, deep raspy voice spoke to them. The group turned around and saw a tall scrawny man, Inferno and Starlight recognized the man from the gun shop; however the voice of the man was all too familiar. It was the voice of the Grim Reaper himself.

“Death?” Heat said with surprise. "Thank god, you're here! Is Harmony here with you?"

“She’s in Equestria, hoping to gain some more allies to help us in the fight against Grogar.” Death replied. “As for me, I will take you to the Shadow World to save your friends. After all, I was once imprisoned there for 1200 years, so I know my own ways of being able to get in and out of there.” He stated.

“Well, that sounds very helpful.” Fluttershy said.

"I do what I can to help in any way possible. I won't allow an already tainted soul to become an evil king and take over all life on Earth and Equestria. And besides, it's thanks to your smart friend here that made me realize something," Death gestured to Heat.

"Me? What did I do that made you realize something?" Heat asked.

"Some lives, no matter how young or old, are too precious to be lost. Eternal's life is one of those many lives," Death said.

"I knew you weren't bad," Heat said. With nothing more to say, Death led the group outside and into a dark alley where no one could see them. He then opened up a portal, leading into the Shadow World, showing the entire group what lied ahead. A giant, dark castle in the middle of an endless void where no life could flourish.

"One more thing before we go," Death said. He aimed his hand at the group and sent a wave of magic coursing through their bodies. "Now, you'll be able to float inside the Shadow World. Had you stepped in, you would've fallen into the abyss below us and never returned. Now come on, follow me."

As instructed, the group follows the powerful deity across the vast, endless realm which is the Shadow World. Although they may have had a few difficulties adjusting to levitation but they were able to get the hang of it. Even Rainbow Dash did the moonwalk as they went.

Unbeknownst to them, Grogar could feel them coming. He storms out of his throne room and teleports down into the training room where Eternal Flames is sparring with all 5 of the Fallen Souls, barely holding his own against all five. "Halt!" Grogar proclaimed.

"Master, what ills you," General Frostbite asked.

"Prepare the Drakai pack… with the Alpha. We have intruders," Grogar commanded.

"As you command. Mages! You know what to do!" the general said, turning to both mages Copper and Israel.

"Yes, sir," the mages replied in unison. They teleported down into the den and approached a massive crimson double door with a skull lock on it. The mages approached the door and pointed their staffs at the lock. Their staffs flashed brightly, lighting up the two eye sockets on the skull lock. The lock then made an unlocking sound and fell to the ground.

Soon, the door opened up and from inside, multiple shined within the darkness along with multiple growling noises. "Your orders are as follows: find the intruders… and capture them," Mage Israel ordered. Soon noises of footsteps and metal were coming towards the two mages.

Out of the shadows, came a Drakai; only it was different. It was a foot bigger than the others and its gray skin also had black stripes on them. It wore golden armor all over its body, except for the helmet that it had in its claw.

“What… Are the intruders that the master has summoned me for?” The Alpha Drakai spoke with a deep, demonic voice.

"Should any intruders try and take our future king before his coronation… you are to capture them, imprison them and make them watch the crowning of our new king. He also says you should beware of the one called the Shadow Knight. He had slayed many demons before," Copper said.

“The hunter is here? I… have waited for our long encounter. Consider it done.” The Alpha replied as he places his helmet over his head and then roughly walked past the mages and then towards deep within the den; there 10 Drakais were waiting instructions.

The mages pointed their staffs at the other end of the den, opening up a large portal leading outside the castle. "Sniff out the intruders, capture and bring them to the dungeons," Israel commanded, pointing his staff to the outside.

“They do not obey you, mage. They only obey the Alpha.” The Alpha Drakai spoke, then he let out a fierce howl which later caused the other Drakais to howl as well. Then the Alpha starts off in a sprint on his arms and legs, then the others follow pursuit; leaving behind the mages as they go hunting.

Meanwhile, as the group arrived on castle grounds, they scaled the stairs, approaching the front door, about to open it. "Must be a pain to get groceries in a dump like this," Rainbow jokes, staring up at the castle in question.

"I'm surprised the door is the same size as Grogar's ego," Rarity pointed out.

“Well, he loves to intimidate his enemies; inflict any fear upon them.” Inferno replies as he draws out his revolvers, just a precaution for what awaits them. Death then extends his hand out, aiming at the large double-door, then uses his powers to open it up. The doors emit a deep creaking noise as he opens the doors, revealing a long carpet in the middle of the doors, leading into an even deeper darkness of the castle.

"Everyone, proceed with caution. Grogar knows we're here, so let's get Eternal and get out of here as soon as possible before we run into trouble," Death whispered.

“Trouble has already found you.” A deep voice calls out to the group.

"Who's there? Show yourself, you coward!" Rainbow called out, putting her dukes up. Then the group hear heavy footsteps coming towards them, along with many other footsteps closing in around them. Out of the darkness, came 10 Drakais; snarling at them with hateful, angry and hungry expressions. Soon another appeared from the shadows, it looked a foot bigger than the others, had black stripes on its gray body, and was wearing golden armor all over its body.

“The Shadow Knight…. We will finally meet... at last.” It spoke to them, or Inferno as it pointed out. With the similar demonic deep voice they heard earlier.

“Uhhh Inferno, darling. Who is this ruffian and how does it know you?” Rarity asked the assassin as she continued to stare at the large armored Drakai in front of them.

“That is the Alpha Drakai, Grogar’s most loyal and strongest demon warlord of Tartarus; fought a thousand battes for him. He's gonna be a lot harder to fight. He knows his way around a battle and if you're not careful, this monster will turn you into his next treat.” Inferno explained.

“Well that’s comforting.” Heat replied with an anxious tone.

"And word on the street is that you're trying to disrupt our master's plan. And I, for one, will not allow that to happen. So say your prayers, puny humans. Drakai, take them down to the dungeons!!!" the Alpha commanded. The other Drakai howled and charged at their so-called meek prey. But the group fought back with a really strong defense.

Inferno immediately engages the Alpha in combat; who proves to be a formidable foe. Inferno aims his pistols, but the demon warlord knocks them away and tries to claw at the assassin; however, Inferno grabs the demon’s arm and hurls him over his shoulders, as the two engage in close combat. The alpha made a swing of his tail at the assassin, but he quickly dodged with a front flip jump.

Rainbow Dash uses her speed to evade and attack the Drakais from every direction while Applejack uses her superstrength to quickly overpowered two Drakais as she swung them around by their tails.

Pinkie was tossing explosive sprinkles at two other Drakai, blinding them in a puff of pink smoke before she unleashed a cupcake-gatling attack on them. "WHEEEEE!!!" she exclaimed, pinning the two Drakai against the wall with her barrage of cupcakes. She giggled so excitedly, she sounded almost psychotic.

Rarity tried pushing back one of the Drakai away using her diamonds the same way she used them on AJ by accident back at camp a few months ago. This time, Rarity pelted her enemy in an elegant, but deadly diamond storm. The diamonds immediately sliced through the Drakai’s body, cutting it into pieces until finally ending it with a decapitation.

“Well… ahem. Never mess with a lady.” she said, while still feeling a little uneasy from the brutal effects of her attack. After killing off the drakai she was fighting, its dead body then turns into a strange black mass, which charges over to the alpha, seeping deep within him and somehow boosting his power. He howled and swatted Inferno at high speeds that even he couldn't react fast enough to dodge. The assassin crashes into a nearby wall and impacts it with a force that would have been enough to shatter the spine. However, Inferno manages to get up from the attack and groans in pain from the hit.

“Ok… That’s new.” He said with a surprised tone.

"You fool. When you destroy my own kind, you only strengthen me. A drakai's body turns into black mass, the source of energy for us demons. And by killing a member of my pack, you've sealed your doom!" the alpha said, grinning.

Inferno gets up from the impact and faces the alpha, but he feels something in his mouth and reaches his fingers inside to see what it is. Soon he finds the object and pulls it out of his mouth; which is revealed to be a loose tooth from his jaw, all bloodied.

“Damn,” He said as he turned his eye on the demon warlord, while showing his tooth to him. “Tooth… ya happy?” he said with an annoyed tone as he flings his loose tooth to the demon’s face, making it growl.

"Not until I've wiped you out of existence!" the alpha snapped, lunging at Inferno. Meanwhile with Twilight, she's making good use of her telekinetic powers to send one of the drakais crashing against the walls and the floor hard.

As for Heat, he was surrounded by 3 drakai. All closing in on the fellow. He couldn't focus on sending just one of them flying, he had to find some way to get all of them. Then, he got an idea that just might work. He looks at the ground, then checks the three drakai surrounding him as if he's analyzing them. With a nod, Heat channels his energy into the palms of his hands, lifts them up in the air and then slams them both to the ground, sending a large shock wave that blasts all three drakai away from him.

"Ever heard of personal space, boys? Oh wait, that's right, you're cramped in that crappy cell all the time," Heat .

“Hey Heat! A little hand here!” Inferno calls out to the boy while he was holding back the Alpha’s jaws as it was trying to bite at the assassin’s head.

"I'm on it!" Heat shouted, leaping into action and grabbing onto the alpha's back. "Bad dog! No more treats for you!" Heat began channeling shockwaves all over the alpha's body inside and out, making it screech in agony. But sadly, it shook Heat off and made him slam against the wall with a loud thud. He yelled in agony before falling to the ground, grunting. Right as the Alpha turns to assassin, Inferno quickly takes his Kukri blade and slashes at the demon warlord’s right eyes, causing him agonizing pain while Inferno rushes over to Heat.\

“Hey kid. You good?” Inferno speaks to the young boy as he shakes his shoulder.

"I've been pushed around a lot in my childhood, but I'll be alright," he strained to speak. He picked himself up, only for the alpha to grab the boy and pin him back down and roar in his face. "Ugh, man these guys have really bad breath," he said, trying not to freak out.

Inferno spotted one of his revolvers on the ground, he rushed over to pick it up and then opened fire on the Alpha Drakai. The alpha demon roars in pain as he lets go of Heat and evades the remaining bullets.

"Heat, are you alright?" Twilight asked.

"Don't worry about me, but P.U, he needs a breath mint!" Heat replied, getting away from the alpha's grasp.

“They’re demons, Heat!” Inferno shouted as he continued to keep the Alpha drakai at bay with his gunfire. “They don’t worry about brushing their teeth!”

"Ugh, how utterly putrid!" Rarity commented.

The alpha was becoming more and more agitated. If he doesn't do something soon, he's gonna get killed. His eyes scanned for any possible windows of opportunity. His eyes locked on Fluttershy and used his tail to sweep Inferno's feet swiftly. He leaps over to Fluttershy and grabs her in his claws.

"ENOUGH!!!" the alpha shouted, getting the group's attention. "I will make this painfully clear to you mere mortals: Surrender now, or I will personally kill this friend on yours… slowly and painfully."

"Fluttershy! Let her go, you rotten freak!" Rainbow shouted.

"Rainbow, stop! He's not playing around, he'll kill her if we try to make a move!" Heat said, holding her back.

"There must be another way!"

“SURRENDER NOW!... Or your friend dies. Make your choice! And to make sure that my point is made...” The Alpha then howled, ordering two more drakai to show up, both with Flash and Halo in their grasp. "Now… call off your attack, or my pack will kill these three without a second thought." he growled impatiently.

The girls saw no way out of this. They couldn't risk their friends dying at the claws of the Drakai just to save one of their other friends. "We… we surrender. Just please, let them go," Heat begged on his knees.

The alpha smirked. "Take them all to the dungeon, but leave this one to me," he points over to Heat Blitz. "The master has been dying to get his hands on him,"

With the battle over, the two other Drakai growled in agreement and took the group off to the dungeons while the alpha grabbed Heat by the neck. "Wha… what are you gonna do to me?" he asked.

"As if you even need to ask. The master says he wants you, so I'm ordered to bring you to him personally. Now shut up and prepare for your own coronation… prince," the alpha smirked when saying that.

Heat's eyes shot wide open as his own fears were being made a reality. The alpha left with his target in claw and made his way up to the top of the castle from the outside.

With the group helplessly trapped in the dungeon, the drakai left back with their leader now that their mission was a success. AJ tried to break out of her cell, but her magic was failing. She had no trouble with breaking or lifting things before, but this wasn't the case.

"It ain't workin'. Why can't Ah break this open?" AJ asked.

"Don't bother. Those cells cancel out all magical abilities, including those little trinkets of yours. You think we'd throw you in the dungeons without planning ahead? Not even the terrible Death himself can escape this, even if he was at full power," said a voice. The group looked out their cells and noticed a mage. They couldn't see his face because of his hood, just his demonic red eyes and silver hair hanging out of his hood.

"Wait a minute… no, it can't be… Israel Yabuki?" Fluttershy asked. "Is that really you?"

The mage then lifted his hood off of him and revealed himself. "You have a lot of nerve, breaking into our master's domain without permission. But to answer your question, the lesser man you knew as Israel Yabuki is gone. I have become much stronger. Once our new king has been crowned, we will finally exact our revenge on those who wronged us," he said, though his voice was distorted and demonic.

“Oh really? Then what excuse do you assholes have in wiping out innocent people in order to achieve your revenge?” Inferno replied in anger. “From the sound of it, you and your pals are no better than those who screwed you over!”

"Who said anything about destroying a world? Why destroy perfectly good worlds when we can enslave and take over. But for those who have given us a personal grudge… they will die," Israel said.

"He speaks for all of us," another voice called out, followed by multiple footsteps. Soon, the 4 other Fallen Souls arrived and all of them removed their hoods and helmets, showing who they really were: Lightning Burn, Blazing Waters, Copper Plume and Frostbite.

"It IS them! The missing boys! Blazy, can you hear me?" Rainbow called out.

"Do not address me as if you know me," Blazing replied in a demonic voice. "The Blazing you knew is long gone. I have grown stronger… more than enough to destroy those who bullied and abused me."

"Though some of us were brought here against our will, we don't care anymore. We vow to exact our revenge and take over this world and the next. Under the guidance of our new king, you mortals won't stand a chance against us," Lightning Burn said.

“Uhhhh spoiler alert, dumbass! You got our buddy, Heat Blitz upstairs; close to your new king.” Inferno stated. “And we all know he won’t accept joining you fuckers. And he could take out your king with a single punch,” he bluffed.

"We know, but there's more than one way to make him our prince. And for the record… we've seen how he fights: He couldn't throw an effective punch even if he tried. Sending out shock waves and healing pulses won't do him any good against… this," Copper then showed the group what looked like a purple, glowing stone with small traces of black mass inside it, radiating with intense power.

"What is that?" Fluttershy asked.

"This… is the Demon Mind Gem. Once Heat Blitz is given this crown with the gem embedded on it… his mind will warp and placed under our master's control, becoming the new prince of the Shadow World," Frostbite said.

“You heartless sons of bitches.” Inferno replied.

"You leave the little guy out of this! He's done nothing to you!" Flash yelled out.

"This isn't the way! You guys are much better than this! You were our friends, why would you guys throw away your lives to join the bad side?" Halo asked.

"Why, you ask?" Lightning asked, in his demon voice. "Simple… We're through with reality taking away our happiness."

"We've suffered for far too long because we were too weak and helpless to stop those who have bullied and abused us!" Blazing added.

"As well as those who brought shame and despair to our families," Israel added.

"Never stopping until they took our happiness," Frostbite said.

"And worming their way into uncharted territory. Now we're going to pay them back tenfold," Copper added.

"And no one is going to stop us from reaching our goal!" The Fallen Souls said in unison before they all left the dungeons.

“HEY! What about your father, Blazing?” Inferno shouted out to one of the Fallen Souls. The Elite halted in place after the assassin said that, turning towards him with a confused yet emotionless expression.

“How do you know who my father is?” he asked.

“Flash Magnus, owner of Ammo-Lot: Guns and Ammunitions; the man that offered to help me to protect Eternal and the man who had searched for you for a long time.” Inferno explained. “After you disappeared, he was heartbroken; desperate to know if you were still alive each day. Hell, he still keeps photos of you on his walls; so that he’ll never forget you. You didn’t know it, Blazing… none of you five do! You guys disappearing hurt everyone you loved, and you were all too blind to see that! Hell, you all never even visited them for once… to tell them that they don’t need to worry about you and that you would never leave them!” he stated. “But what would you guys know about family! You rather served a demon lord who doesn’t give a crap about any of you; than to see the people that you all hurt for years!”

"WATCH YOUR TONGUE MORTAL!" Israel shouted, forcing Inferno against a wall using his magic from his staff. "If our families had any idea of the struggles and torment we've had to endure before all this, they would've prevented it already, but they were too stubborn and caught up in their own troubles to even give us a 2nd thought. You would never understand!"

“SHIT HAPPENS! That’s how life works! You can’t change that. I couldn’t! BECAUSE THAT MASTER OF YOURS, KILLED MY FATHER… THE ONLY HAPPINESS I HAD! HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!… STOLE THAT FROM ME!... KILLED THAT FROM ME!!!! And you fuckers are defending him! So that makes you all murderers as well! Preventing a son to ever find peace for his deceased father!” Inferno in rage; a rage that was so deep and bold that even the Elites were a little intimidated. “And I will not stop until he’s dead!... EVEN IF I HAVE TEAR THROUGH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!.... IN FRONT OF ALL OF TARTARUS! SO THAT NO ONE WILL EVER DARE TAKE ANYTHING FROM ANYONE EVER AGAIN!!!”

"A very juicy thought… perhaps after the coronation we will… put that to the test," Frostbite said before the group left the room. "And one more thing… you watched Eternal's father die because you were too weak to stop him." Soon… there was silence.

Inferno growled in anger as he slammed his fists against the bars of the cell before sliding down onto the ground, for his anger began to diminish. Though he kept slamming the bars with his fist, bruising it with each slam, until he gave up doing it once he was on his knees.

"Hey, Inferno. You can't let them get to you. We'll find a way out of this, I promise," Starlight said, going over to comfort him.

"Those guys really got to him. I've never seen anyone so angry before," Halo said.

"I can't imagine what you must be going through, Inferno," Flash said.

“They… didn’t even… understand my pain. They just… passed off my father’s death like it was nothing to them.” The assassin said to himself. “They… aren’t human anyone…. They are now the very creatures I swore to destroy.” he stated.

"That wasn't them talking," Death stated. "Their human selves are still laying dormant, unable to escape their own pain and suffering. You can't let their demon sides get to you like that. Demons thrive on lies and deception. If there's still a chance they're still human inside, then it's up to all of you to reach out to them. That spell of yours hasn't been used yet, but I guarantee that with all of you working together, you can free them."

“But… how? You've seen what they’re like. They won’t allow us to even get close to them.” Rainbow said.

“Actually, they just invited us.” Inferno stated as he got up from the floor. “You heard what Frostbite said; ‘after the coronation we will… put that to the test’; which meant all five of them wish to challenge me after the coronation… which meant all five of them will be in one place… at the same time.” Inferno explained.

“Yes… That means they’ll be focusing on you rather than pay any attention to everything else around them.” Starlight pointed out what Inferno meant about his statement. “That would give us the opportunity to give them the memory potion while they’re fighting you.”

“Wait, so you’re saying you are gonna act as bait?” Flash asked Inferno.

“Yes.” the assassin replied.

“Well… damn.” Halo said with a surprised expression on his face.

"That's crazy, even for me! These guys are the most elite soldiers, they'll eat you alive!" Rainbow protested.

“I fought 50 demons each day, and many other dangerous creatures Equestria has to offer… I can hold my own against them… maybe.” Inferno replied. “Besides it’ll only be a for a short time, enough for each of you to save them.”

"Let's hope you're right about that. The last thing we want is to lose another friend," Pinkie said.

"You won't lose me, we'll win," Inferno said. 'I hope so,' he thought to himself in his mind.

Time passed by pretty slow, but eventually, one of the mages arrived back in the dungeon. "The hour is upon us… it's time," he said. He activated his magic and teleported himself and the entire group up to the top of the castle. The mage, however, still had them contained in anti-magic cells.

"Master, I've brought the prisoners you asked for," the mage said.

"Good. Now we can begin," Grogar said.

"Wait! Where's Heat Blitz? What have you done to him?" Twilight asked.

"Oh… you mean… him?" Grogar asked, pointing at Heat, who's pinned against a stone tablet via magic.

"LET HIM GO, YOU MONSTER!!!" Twilight shrieked out in utter rage. "YOU BETTER OR ELSE I’LL RIP OFF ALL YOUR LIMBS AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR FUCKING THROATS!!!”

Inferno shed tears of pride from Twilight’s words. “I’m so proud of you.” He said while wiping away the tears.

"Ah've never seen Twilight this angry before," AJ said, intimidated by Twilight's anger.

“I know… and it’s awesome!” Rainbow stated.

Grogar stared at the group unamused by their conversation. "Bring the crown," he said. The mages brought the crown with them as well as the Demon Mind Gem. Grogar took both items and walked over to Heat. "All hail… Prince Heat." Grogar said, putting the crown on Heat's head, followed by the gem. Next thing he knew, Heat was in excruciating pain as the magic flowed throughout his body. He screamed in pain, jolting his body from left and right, flailing in the vein hope of trying to break free.

But all too quickly, he stopped flailing and went limp. Grogar signalled the mages to release him and so they did. Heat fell to the ground, then rose back up to his feet. His body radiated with demon aura. His beautiful purple eyes were replaced with blood red color and slit pupils. His expression was devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"Heat!!! Heat, speak to me! Are you okay?" Twilight asked, panicking, unable to break out of her cell, reaching out to him.

"Save your breath, he's no longer the same boy you fell in love with. He is now one of us. As is Eternal Flames. Speaking of which," Grogar snapped his fingers. In a puff of purple smoke right in the center of the room, Eternal appears, walking over to Grogar. His expression, still filled with that undying, calm rage. "The time has come for you to achieve your goal. And take your place as the rightful ruler… your majesty." Grogar then grabbed the crown that was on top of his head, about to put it on Eternal's.

The Fallen Souls and many other demons in the room kneeled and bowed. Finally… Eternal was finally crowned… King of the Shadow World. The group watched in shock as the other demons chanted this weird chant: "He is the power." All the while, Grogar used his magic and surrounded Eternal in a black mass for a bit. Then, the black mass vanished and Eternal was now heavily armored, brimming with even more destructive power. His armor was black and red.

"No… Eternal!" Sunset called out. Her pleas fell on deaf ears and Eternal finally sat on his new throne as did Heat, sitting next to his brother.

"COMMENCE THE CORONATION!!!" Grogar shouted.

"Oh no," Death said to himself. The mages used their magic and their combined strength, teleporting the castle to the human world on an island a little ways away from the Canterlot beach, which was deserted. The city could be seen from the top of the castle. 3AM roles by and sure enough… it began.

Grogar used his magic and opened multiple portals, allowing his demons' entry back into the human world while also using his magic to bring out the evil spirits of the deceased humans from their graves to gather together to worship their new master.

The creatures of evil quickly arrived at the castle in mere minutes, dancing furiously for their new master. The group had never seen anything like this before. They watched in horror and terror this coronation was bringing. What was worse is Eternal, grinning in enjoyment from his loyal subjects dancing for him. Whether in the air or on castle grounds, they didn't stop dancing for their new master.

Inferno however, doesn’t really much pay any attention to the coronation. Instead he was more focused on saving Heat and the Elites from Grogar’s control, preventing Eternal from beginning the invasion on Earth, and killing Grogar once and for all. As the event was going on, Inferno reaches into his pocket and pulls out a… hairpin? Which he nabbed off of Rarity when they were all captured. While everyone is distracted, Inferno quietly undos the lock of the cage he’s trapped in. These demons really believed that they could cage him… Oh, they’re so gonna regret it. Once he unlocked his cage, he silently exited out of the cage. Starlight notices him escape, but Inferno gestures to her to keep quiet and sneaky hands her the hairpin. After that, Inferno sneaks within the shadows of the castle while the coronation is still going on.

"Hey! What are you doing out of your cage, mortal?" a demon asked, approaching him from the dark, its back hunched, down on all fours, meeting Inferno eye-to-eye. The assassin remained silent and immediately he pounced on the demon and then snapped his neck before he could give off a sound. He then proceeds to drag the body away, hoping that no one spotted him.

After that he then walks towards the opening of the castle, where the demons were dancing. Without any care or worry, he just strolled out of the darkness and revealed himself to everyone.

“HEEEEEEEEEEY! What’s up, everybody!” He shouted in an excited tone like he’s at a party. Catching the attention of every demon in the castle, the Fallen Souls, Grogar, Eternal, and even his friends. “Nice party you got here! Too bad I wasn’t invited, so I thought I'd crash.”

"...Kill him," Eternal commanded.

“Hate to break it to you, Eternal! But I'm already taken!” Inferno replied, while he pointed at the Fallen Souls. “Yeah, your five Elites there wish to settle that little bet with me and I'm a man of my word! Unless you wanna come down from your little throne and fight in their place; then that means they’re a bunch of cowards!” He taunted.

"Be careful what you wish for. And do NOT speak ill of us or our master ever again!" Frostbite said, as he and his elite team charged at the assassin. Inferno smirks and then uses his magic to teleport away before the Elites could reach them.

He then appears behind them, now carrying his twin revolvers which he stole back while he was sneaking around. “Hiya.” he said as he opened fire on the five. When the five were struck, they all let out ear-splitting demonic roars. Copper and Israel combined their magics together and struck Inferno with a large magic beam.

"That was your last mistake! Now we're gonna obliterate you!" Lightning shouted, extending his wings and approaching Inferno at lightning speed. However, Inferno manages to step to the side and then grabs onto Lightning’s leg and then swings him around and tosses him towards a charging Frostbite, causing the two to fall to the ground.

“I was trained by many creatures in Equestria; Dragons, yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, changelings, and kirin. And I had years of experience on my belt…. And you five are just a bunch of teenagers who chose the wrong side,” Inferno stated as he pulled out two dual swords from his back, the steel of the swords forged from moonstone and were blessed with holy light. He charges at the two mages and clashes his twin swords against their staffs, engaging them in melee combat.

While the 5-on-1 duel rages on, Starlight manages to pick the lock in her cage and escapes; she then begins to unlock the other cages that her friends are in while all the other demons are focused on the battle below.

Her friends all sneak out of their cages and regroup. "Remind me to come to you the next time I get locked out of my own house," Rainbow said.

“Maybe later. Right now we need to free the Elites from Grogar’s control before Inferno kills them.” Starlight whispered.

“Really? I'm more worried about what they’ll do to Inferno.” Flash stated.

"Then we'd better go help. There's no time to waste… let's go," Sunset said. Soon, everyone marched forth, heading on their way to take down the demon army. This fight will decide the fate of their friends as well as Equestria and the human world. Will they succeed? Only time will tell.

Equestria Assemble!!!

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5 Fallen Souls, 1 highly trained assassin, the odds couldn't be in better favors. The combatants were locked in a standstill, while the Elites had their demonic powers to overwhelm the assassin; however, Inferno had 10 years of demon-killing and combat experience, and he surprisingly gave the 5 Fallen Souls a challenge they had never faced before in their lives.

While they were preoccupied with their adversary, the king rose from atop his throne, conjured up a dual-bladed spear and aimed it at the city. "MINIONS!!! TAKE THE CITY!!! FALLEN SOULS, YOU ARE TO DESTROY THE RETCHED ASSASSIN, NOW!!!" Eternal's voice echoed.

Right away, the creatures of evil flew off into the city, about to unleash armageddon. But as they all drew near, suddenly the girls appeared and formed a line to hold back the demon horde. Rarity uses her diamond shield to repel back any of the airborne demons and slice through a few of them. Rainbow Dash uses her flight and super speed to divert most of the demonic army away from the city. Twilight then uses her telekinesis to push back the ground force of the army, halting them in their tracks. Applejack uses her strength to hurl boulders at most of the charging demons coming her way.

"Y'all ain't goin' anywhere!" AJ shouted confidentiality.

"Hey! Ghoulies! Who wants a piece of… the Dash?" Rainbow provoked, gesturing to herself, quirking an eyebrow as she smirked. She got lots and lots of takes as more aerial demons chased after her. She acted quickly, zooming around these creatures in a circle, then charged straight at some of them, kicking them out of the air.

Some tried to grab her, but she proved to be a very fast adversary. But when a few of them grabbed her, Rarity used her diamonds, slicing them up and freeing her friend.

"Shame on you all! You know better than to handle a lady like that!" Rarity scolded. Meanwhile, Twilight used her telekinesis to a whole other level by keeping a large handful of the ground demons at bay, pinning most of them to the ground.

"I'll squish you all and feed your carcasses to the sharks, you damn dirty demons!" Twilight was still pissed off from the demons taking away her boyfriend like that. Meanwhile, with Flash and Halo being surrounded by demons, they reached into their pocket and pulled out these little flashlights, which made some of the demons laugh.

"Shall we shed some light on this party?" Halo asked.

"For victory… for glory," Flash nodded before they turned them on. Soon, the rays of the lights made a handful of demons screech in pain. The flashlights they had in question were actually hand-crafted by Inferno and both lights were powered by moonstones, making the rays a whole lot more deadly for demons.

The more exposed the demons were, the more they disintegrated into nothing. Some of the demons ran off to avoid getting fried, others tried to come at Flash and Halo to swap their flashlights out of their hands.

"When you see an opening, let's break for it!" Flash said.

"That's gonna be a miracle in itself!" Halo said. The two boys kept trying their hardest to stop the demons and try to make an opening.

Eternal watched in annoyance. "These mortals do not know when to call it quits," he said, gripping the arms rest of his throne. Heat, on the other hand, had an idea of how to please his brother and ease his troubles. He stood up from his throne and unfurled his demonic wings. "Do not let yourself get killed out there."

Heat remained silent, but nodded at the king's command before taking flight and heading off into battle with his demon army. He arrived on the battlegrounds, standing in front of his soldiers and even stood face-to-face… with a certain lavender telekinetic genius.

"Sire! Don't do this! We can handle this mere mortal lady ourselves!" one of the demons insisted to their prince. Heat shook his head left and right. Twilight was astonished and hurt beyond words and couldn't describe how conflicted she felt about this. Her own boyfriend, Heat Blitz, under the spell of the demons, is forced to fight her against his own will and he can't break free.

"Heat… don't you remember who I am?" Twilight asked.

The young demon prince did not say a word, nor made a sound. He stood there staring at her with an emotionless facial expression. Using his newfound demon magic to summon a dark blade in his hand, then slowly walks towards the nerdy girl.

"Heat, I don't wanna do this to you, so for your own good, put that sword down!" Twilight urged, putting her hands up, preparing to fight him. Heat's expression remained unchanged and stepped forward, causing Twilight to sigh and make the hardest decision of her life. "I'm sorry I have to do this, but… I still love you," she said, pinning him down using her telekinesis. She then sent his sword flying out of his hand.

Suddenly, he broke out of her grasp and flew straight at Twilight, tackling her, but took her up to the skies. The two went upwards more and more, until Twilight uses her magic and sends out a magic shockwave which forces Heat to let go and forces him back.

As the two dueled in the skies, Fluttershy and Pinkie were still inside, helping out Inferno take down the Fallen Souls. Pinkie kept blinding the elite team with her explosive sprinkles and knocking them back with her party cannon.

Inferno diverts 3 of the Elites away from the two girls, leaving them to face two Elites that were once their special people; Israel and Copper Plume. The assassin tangles with Frostbite, who almost had him in a chokehold until Inferno kicks him off him and delivers a straight uppercut to the face. And then the assassin gets kicked from behind by Blazing and is knocked down onto the ground. Before he and Lightning could be able to pin him, Inferno grabs out his moonstone smoke pellets and tosses them at the two Elites. Causing the two to feel burning pain from the moonstone-laced smoke.

As the assassin dukes it out with the other 3 Elites, Fluttershy and Pinkie are left to battle with the two Elite mages.

"Plumey! Plumey, it's me! Your Pinkie-Winkie!" Pinkie shouted.

"Israel, don't you remember me? It's your precious Flutters!" Fluttershy said. But they didn't respond to the girls' call. "It's no use, they're still under Grogar's control!"

"Then we've gotta use that potion right now!" Pinkie suggested.

“But how? We don’t have it.” Fluttershy replied, only to receive a sly grin from Pinkie and suddenly the pink party girl pulls out the potion from her hair and loads it in her party cannon.

“How did you… you know what, nevermind.” Fluttershy said.

"Now watch me work my magic tricks. THIS IS FOR YOU, BOYS!!!" Pinkie shouted. Upon pulling the trigger, she launched the potion at the boys, getting both of them in one shot. They roared from the impact and landed on the ground hard a few feet away from the girls.

Fluttershy ran up to the two and so did Pinkie, comforting them and tried to talk them down. "Come on, Israel, snap out of it! You're not Grogar's soldier. He was just using you to feed off your negative energy to make himself stronger! You can fight this!" Fluttershy said.

"Same goes for you, Plumey-poo! You would've never let that monster control your actions so easily, you're too good for him! Please, open your eyes! Come back to me! I… I love you!" Pinkie Pie begged.

In mere moments, the two mages shouted in agony, their bodies jolting as black mass seeped out of their bodies. Both boys collapsed in Pinkie's and Fluttershy's arms. They opened up their eyes seconds later, gasping and sitting up.

'Wha-- Where… am I?" Copper asked.

"Hey… who spiked my Pepsi?" Israel asked. He and Copper looked up, seeing Fluttershy and Pinkie, getting all wide-eyed. "Flutters?"

"Pinkie Pie?" Copper asked. Pinkie squeed and hugged her boyfriend.

"PLUMEY-POO!!! I missed you so-so-SO much! I’m never leaving you alone again!” Pinkie stated, hugging him tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Umm... P-P-Pinkie-poo, I… can't breathe!" Copper struggled to say.

"Oopsies, sorry," Pinkie said, giving him more breathing room and just showered her boyfriend with loving kisses on his cheeks and lips.

"Was she always this cute and emotional?" Israel asked, still in a daze.

"Nothing comes between Pinkie and Copper. Those two are inseparable," Fluttershy said. "But anyways, are you feeling okay?"

"Aside from some weird blast in the face, I'm okay. But man… I really screwed up," Israel said, putting a hand over his head. His eyes darted towards the staff in his other hand. "This… this disgusting power in my hand… I can't believe I would even think of doing such a thing. How could I have been such an idiot!" Israel shouted, tossing his staff away from him. But the staff quickly vaporized in a purple aura and reappeared in his hand.

"What? How did--?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's the negative energy within us, man. Our weapons choose their masters, we can't just toss them like yesterday's trash," Copper said, covered in Pinkie's lipstick, even though she doesn't wear any. Fluttershy and Israel's pupils shrunk, but Israel looked like he was about to burst out laughing from how Copper looked. "Don't… even… think about it. I can't help it if Pinkie's so attached to me that she has to smother me like this." Copper said, unamused.

“HEY! LOVEBIRDS!” A voice calls out to the four, they turn around to see Inferno locked in mortal bound with Frostbite, Blazing, and Lightning. And looked like the three Elites were about to tear his limbs off. “I CAN USE A HAND HERE!” He shouted.

The adorable duo then helped Israel and Copper back on their feet and readied themselves for some more action. The former mages lit up their staffs.

"I'mma 'bout to whip somebody's ass!" Israel sang, glare.

"Ready to kick some booty, Pinkie?" Copper asked, giving her a confident smirk.

"Sure, but let's make this snappy. I've got plans to do with you after this fiasco is over," Pinkie replied, winking at her boyfriend.

"GET THE TRAITORS!!!" Frostbite yelled as the 3 winged elite soldiers charged forth. Inferno, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Copper and Israel charged forth also, going at it again in another clash. Pinkie and Copper faced off with Blazing, Fluttershy and Israel faced off with Lightning, and Inferno faced off with Frostbite.

"You're going to regret the day you interfered with us! I'll crush you, tear you limb from limb!" Frostbite threatened, blocking and launching punch after punch. Inferno dodge his attacks, blocking and juking, until he finally launched a few attacks of his own; grappling the Elite Demon General tightly and tossing him to the ground.

“The only thing I regret is letting you guys choose the wrong side.” Inferno stated, as their fierce battle continues. As for the other two couples, they were having no trouble at all.

Fluttershy and Israel’s teamwork, easily overwhelmed Lightning; not allowing him to get the upper hand. Lightning tries to out maneuver the two, but Israel’s magic prevents him from escaping his grasp. And worst of all, when he tried to go for Fluttershy, the animal caretaker unleashed her fierce ability on the Elite; her Stare.

"Don't… you… dare!" she said, intimidating the soldier and causing him to back off. But just when their luck seemed to be changing, they're caught by surprise when the alpha Drakai swoops in and snatched Fluttershy, making her scream.

"Fluttershy!!!" Israel yelled, rushing over to save her; however, Lightning grabs him from behind holding him back.

As the mage struggles to break free, the Alpha has Fluttershy pinned to the ground and then raises his razor sharp claws, preparing to end the kind girl’s life.

“Any last words… you worthless bitch.” The Alpha said. But before he could deliver the killing blow, a loud howl was heard across the castle, startling the Alpha, the other girls and the two former mages, the elites, Eternal, and the other demons.

Out of nowhere, Daris appears from the shadows of the castle, roaring angrily at the Alpha and then runs over to tackle him off of Fluttershy. The two demons fell to the ground, with Daris flinging the Alpha 10 feet away from Fluttershy.

The small Drakai puts himself between the Alpha and Fluttershy, protecting her at any cost. The Alpha gets up from his fall and faces the traitor in front of him. On top of his throne, even Eternal was displeased by how one of his demons were defending the mortals.

"You dare betray your own kingdom for those lowly human scums?" Eternal asks, holding back his anger.

“Step aside, this human is mine to kill! Your Alpha commands it.” The Alpha demanded.

Daris gives of a small combination of growls and grunts, before he finally did something that shocked everyone across the battlefield… he spoke. “NOOOOOO!!!” Daris roared at the Alpha.

"Daris… did you just…?" Fluttershy asked in astonishment.

"I… owe Fluttershy… my life when she took me in… after Heat Blitz revitalized me! I will not... let you... lay a hand… or claw… on her or ANY HUMAN!!!" Daris proclaimed.

"Such a disappointment… you always were the lowest and the weakest of the Drakai. I guess I'll just have to destroy you myself. And then, I'm taking down your little friend. Prepare for the end, you worthless underling," the alpha said before howling.

Daris howled in reply before the two charged at each other, both headbutting each other and soon wrestling each other to the ground. The two claw at each other, biting at their neck and limbs before the Alpha tosses Daris to the ground. He then pounces on the reformed Drakai, but proves to be a mistake when Daris catches him with both of his feet and then kicks him over his head and into the ground.

The two dueling Drakais got up from the ground and then lunged at each other again. The Alpha claws at Daris’s face, scarring his right eye. Daris retaliates by using his tail claw to grab at the Alpha’s claw before it could slash at him again and then rolls over, now being the one on top of the Alpha. Then Daris returns the favor and claws at the Alpha’s armor and knocks the helmet off the Alpha’s head, then delivers a barrage of punches at the large drakai’s face.

Fluttershy watches in horror as her friend is now fighting to protect her.

Daris kept one claw on the alpha's neck, then used his other claw to mash up his face with a barrage of punches. Demonic blood was splattering all over the floors and the walls. Some of the alpha's blood even got on Daris. The alpha then takes his tail claw and then slashes at Daris’s side. The smaller drakai howled in pain before the Alpha tossed him against the walls with enough force to shatter it. The Alpha gets up from his bloody beating and then grabs onto Daris’s leg and then flings him around, slamming him against the walls. Then he delivers a few bloody beatings then flings him towards another wall.

Daris falls to the ground, with his body all bruised and bloody from the beating he received. He struggles to get up as the Alpha stomps his foot onto the drakai’s back, applying more pressure; threatening to break his spine.

Fluttershy was in tears seeing how her friend was about to get killed. With no hesitation at all, she uses up all the inner strength she had and then shouts out at the alpha. “LEAVE HIM ALONE, PLEASE!” She yelled, emotionally. Her pleas catch the Alpha’s attention, turning his focus on her.

"The alpha takes orders from no one except his king. This filth has betrayed the pack and joined the weaker side and must be dealt with accordingly. I will not have this filthy traitor breathing another breath of air! It is an insult to our kingdom and demons everywhere!" the Alpha stated.

“Daris… Is not a filthy traitor!” Fluttershy argued. “He’s the most gentle and loyal friend I have ever met. And I know he’s strong, brave, helpful and… he’s even greater than you’ll ever be!” She shouted.

The Alpha growls in rage after hearing that, he did not like being called inferior by anyone; even a weak, puny human. “DON’T… EVER… SPEAK TO ME… LIKE I’M INFERIOR!!!” He roared in rage and attempted to kill the animal lover.

But suddenly, he hears a howl behind him, causing him to turn around. Only to see Daris charging towards him at full speed, raising his claws in the air and then slashes at the Alpha’s exposed neck. Massive amounts of blood poured out of his neck wound, with the Alpha choking on his blood as he fell on his knees; then finally, to the ground.

Daris grunts heavily and falls on his claws in exhaustion. "Daris! Are you alright?" Fluttershy asks, cupping the sides of his face. The drakai growls softly, saying that he’s alright; just tired. "You saved my life. I'm so happy you're safe. Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she said, hugging the new leader of the drakai.

Israel watches from afar and sighs in relief and gratitude that Fluttershy was safe and sound. Knowing that the demon, Daris, was watching over his friend and protecting her.

"You may have destroyed the alpha… but the other drakai and demons bow before me!" Eternal said, swinging his weapon and sending Daris flying backwards from the impact of one of his energy slashes. The attack didn't kill him, only knocked him out unconscious.

“DARIS!” Fluttershy screamed out to the drakai, she then tapped into her geode and then took off towards where Daris had fallen. “Izzy, cover me! I’m going for Daris.” she stated to the mage.

"On it!" Israel nodded. Eternal launched another energy slash, but Israel acted quick enough to conjure up a deflector shield, evaporating the incoming attack. "You're not laying a finger on my Flutters unless you can get past me!"

"Another traitor I shall eradicate!" Eternal said, taking a battle stance. Israel concentrated hard, then shot a beam of magical energy at the young king, but Eternal used his dual bladed spear to deflect the attack by spinning it in a circle. Israel kept up the attack, despite not hitting his target and walked up to the evil king. Soon, his attack stopped when his staff clashed with Eternal's dual bladed spear. Both fighters were at a stand-off, trying to overpower the other. But it was clear Israel was no athlete like Eternal.

"You pathetic fool!" Eternal growled.

"At least I've got more backbone than you to not sit on my ass all night!" Israel remarked.

"You got some guts to talk to your king that way. If you weren't such a weak, talking fishbone, maybe YOU would've been crowned king!" Putting a lot of emphasis on "YOU," Eternal diverted Israel's staff away, then smacked him upside the head with the other end of his weapon, then swatted him to the side.

Eternal faces towards the direction that Fluttershy’s heading and then attempts to fire another energy slash, but suddenly he feels multiple projectiles impact on his chest plate, staggering him in the air. He looks down to the ground and spots Inferno aiming his revolvers at him and then continues to fire many rounds at him, aiming only at his armor.

“You, my friend, need to be taught a strict lesson about messing with a girl’s pet.” the assassin stated while he quickly reloads his revolvers faster than any marksmen gunfighter. Then he proceeds to fire at the new Demon King, getting him to focus on him. Eternal evades the bullets and then unleashes a dark magic bolt towards the merc. Inferno dodges and fires a few more rounds on the dark king.

Eternal evades and charges at the mercenary, taking a swing at him with his double-bladed spear, but Inferno blocks it barely using his Ninjatō before bringing out his Kukri knife to slash at Eternal’s armor. He takes the hit and grabs Inferno by the throat, slamming him to the ground. With his adversary pinned underneath, Eternal unleashes a surge of dark lightning through Inferno's body.

Inferno screams in pain as he struggles to get free from Eternal’s grip, he desperately reaches into his pockets, searching through before he finally touches something that he needs. He then pulls his right hand out of his pocket and then he delivers a hard punch to Eternal’s face, which staggers back the dark king and causes him burning pain. Eternal stumbles a bit, placing his hand on the place he was punched at. He later turns around to face his enemy, revealing a burnt mark on his cheek. The dark king looks at the assassin before his eyes see something.

In Inferno's hand, or what he’s wearing on his hand; is a sliver-like knuckle duster. The assassin raises it up high, showing it off towards his foe. “Moonstone, bitch.” He stated. “The one thing that demons hate the most… let that sink into your mind.”

"And let me fill you in on a human's worst enemy!" Eternal roared, grabbing Inferno by the leg, then swinging him in a circle. "GRAVITY!!!" he shouted, throwing him off the top of the castle.

Soon the rest of the group see Inferno flying overhead and landing roughly into the ground outside the castle walls. Immediately, they all ran off to where he was gonna land; Fluttershy finally reached Daris, who landed outside the castle like Inferno was. Starlight ran towards the fallen Inferno Blaze, who was grunting in pain from the fall and attempted to get up.

“Inferno, stop. You had a very rough fall.” She told the assassin. But Inferno didn’t listen and got up anyway; he then felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, realizing that it had popped out of its socket. He screams in pain as he falls onto his knees with Starlight grabbing him before he falls to the ground.

While Starlight is aiding her boyfriend, Fluttershy and Israel tend to an unconscious Daris, as everyone else regroups where the drakai and assassin fell. As they all stood their ground, they watched as the whole army of evil marched out of the castle, with Eternal and a mind-controlled Heat leading them.

"You're all out of luck. Your world and the next will belong to me!" Eternal said.

"This is no good! We can't hold him off for long! There's too many of them!" Copper said.

“But… we can’t give up now!” Rainbow said, looking at all her friends who had tired and pained expressions on their faces. Even Twilight and Sunset mostly, who were conflicted about watching their loved ones bring war and conquest upon their world.

"This is bad! We need a new strategy and fast! Force just isn't working," Israel said.

"Hey! I think I have an idea!" Pinkie exclaimed.

“What is it, Pinkie?” Starlight asked.

"Sunset! You can transform into Daydream Shimmer and stop them, just like you did during the Friendship Games!" Pinkie said.

"Daydream… Shimmer?" Israel asked.

"Of course! If Sunset can transform, she could be powerful enough to stop the demon army! And possibly bring back everyone who was taken from us," Rarity said.

“But… but… I can’t!” Sunset replied, emotionally. “Even if it’s possible, I can’t fight an army all by myself…. And… I can’t bring myself to… I can’t hurt Eternal again!” She stated, looking at her friends with hopeless eyes.

“You won’t,” Inferno said while he pops his arm back into place, grunting in pain, and then walks next to Sunset. “You won’t do this alone. You got us… And that’s all we need.” He stated with hope in his voice.

"Hold on. Last time she transformed, she needed a great deal of magical energy. She can't transform into Daydream Shimmer through sheer willpower," Twilight said. "We need some sort of outside magical power source."

The group could not think of a solution nor a plan, as Eternal’s army drew closer, heading their way to the Canterlot city.

"Hang on, what about our staffs?" Copper suggests to Israel. "There's a slight possibility they might give her just the kind of energy boost she needs."

"It's a slight possibility, but there's no telling how much magic they have left. Let's just hope it'll be enough," Israel replied.

“Well, what are ya two waiting for, git on with it.” Applejack said. As the farmgirl said, the two mages aim their staffs at Sunset. Magic surged through their staffs before a strong magic beam at Sunset, granting her more power. She felt the magic coursing through her body.

“Remember Sunset, you can’t give up,” Twilight called out to her friend, trying to give her the confidence she needed. Her words suddenly gave Sunset some little inner strength, and soon everyone else began to say their words of encouragement as well.

“Yeah, you can still kick the darkness’s butt,” Rainbow said with an uplifted tone of voice.

"We're by your side to the bitter end! Never forget that!" Rarity encouraged.

“Show those meanies what we’re made of!” Pinkie cheered.

“Yer stronger than ya know ya ar’” Applejack stated.

“We believe in you.” Fluttershy said with Daris growling the same after waking up from his unconscious state.

"Go get 'em, Sunset! Show them what you're made of," Twilight exclaimed.

With the words of encouragement from her friends and the magic boost she's gaining from the former mages, Sunset floats up in the air, disappearing in a bright white light before finally reappearing as Daydream Shimmer.

"I won't lose you again, Eternal. Not by a longshot!" she said, soaring straight ahead, getting close to the army.

But then all of a sudden, she halted in mid-air after seeing a bright glowing… butterfly? Flying up towards her face. The magic aura that emitted from the butterfly felt awfully familiar and suddenly she heard a familiar voice coming from the butterfly as it flew near her face.

“You didn’t think we can’t join the party, Sunset Shimmer.” The voice called out to her. “After all… you’re not alone in this fight.” After that the butterfly flew behind her, with Sunset keeping her focus on the glowing insect. Then she saw it flew over her friends, who saw it as well. Then it hovered in the spot it stopped at, then suddenly it began to glow even brighter and its shape began to change and increase in size.

Then once the light began to dim, it was revealed to be Harmony herself. She stood there, smiling at the group with utmost confidence. The group soon began to feel their inner strength grow a little as they looked at the goddess.

After making her presence known, her eyes then began to glow with magic and her hands erupt with her magic aura. Then all of a sudden, dozens of portals began to appear all around the group and multiple soldiers appeared out of the portals. But that wasn’t just it, as Daydream Shimmer watches the portals pour out troops, she then sees something… or someone appear from one of the portals. The figure looked a bit blurry by the light of the vortex before their appearance became more clear… It was Princess Twilight. And behind her were Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor. The lavender princess looks up to Sunset and gives off a smile seeing her friend again. They all were transformed to human, but they still had their pony appendages; they also wore battle armor.

Then across the other portals, several other armies entered the field. Each one were humanized versions of many of Equestria’s races; such as dragons, changelings, yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, kirin, and storm beasts. Each was led by their rulers: Ember, Thorax, Rutherford, Grandpa Gruff, Queen Nova and Princess Skystar, and Queen Rain Shine.

"Ooh! This feels like Avengers Endgame!" Pinkie said.

“What did you say, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked

"Oh nothing," Pinkie said with a giggle.

Immediately, Sunset rushes back to the group as she and Princess Twilight reunite with each other for a 4th time. The two friends smiled at each other then gave each other a quick hug.

“Never thought we'd meet again under these circumstances,” Princess Twilight said. “But I never leave a friend in need.”

“Neither did we, my former student. You've certainly come a long way,” Princess Celestia said as she, Luna, Cadence, and Shining met up with the group.

Then another group appeared from the portal where the royals came from. Three familiar figures approached the group, which revealed to be Sunburst, Trixie, and Tempest Shadow. Then followed behind them, where the Pillars of Equestria; Starswirl, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, Mistmane, Mage Meadowbrook and of course, their friend, Stygian.

“Trixie! Sunburst!” Starlight cheered as she ran up to hug her best friends. “You guys… all came here for us?"

“The Great and Powerful Trixie never leaves her best friend alone.” Trixie replied in 3rd person, as always.

Inferno stood next to the 3 reunited friends and smiled in delight, then he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Hello, my little Inferno.” It was the voice of his mother.

Inferno turned around and saw his mother, Fleur De Lis, standing in front of him. Wearing her former Royal Guard armor and carrying her rapier in her seath.

“Mom?” He said in shock, before running up to her and hugging her tightly. They were reunited again for the second time; only this time they are now fighting side by side.

While the mother-son reunion was going on, soon Tempest approaches Sunset and Princess Twilight, facing the two in her usually military standard armored suit. “The troops are in position, Princess.” She said.

“Tempest, for the last time, call me Twilight,” Princess Twilight replied.

The scarred women chuckled a bit after seeing Twilight so frustrated. “Of course… Twilight.” She stated.

Sunset looks around at everyone that had arrived in time to help them; however, as she observed, there was a certain dragon missing from the group. “Wait, where’s Spike?” She asked.

“Oh, he’ll be here.” Death replied, after he had teleported next to the group. Soon everyone felt the earth shake beneath their feet and they all turned around to see a massive portal form behind them. Then out of the portal, came a 25-foot tall purple Dragon, with green spikes on his head and back. The dragon roared out in the battle field as he looked down on the group and gave off a smile towards them.

"Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Hope I'm not late." he said in a deep voice.

"Right on schedule," Twilight said with a thumbs up.

"It matters not how many foes you throw my way. I won't rest until the entire world and the next bow before me!" Eternal shouted, pointing his blade up in the sky.

Sunset turned towards Eternal, with a glare appearing on her face as she hovered above her friends and the entire armies of Equestria. “You don’t get it do you, Eternal.” She said loudly. “You may believe that we’re all weak, pathetic, and afraid. But guess what?! We are stronger together, we have each other’s backs no matter what obstacle comes in our way, and we possess a power that is far greater than yours… The Magic of Friendship!” She spoke boldly, as all the Equestria armies cheered and shouted in inspiration. Everyone got themselves ready for the fight of their lives, they all raised their weapons, charged up their magic.

The girls all ponied up for battle, Inferno reaches behind his back and brings out his Winchester rifle, his mother Fleur draws out her rapier, Israel and Copper raise their staffs and charging up their magic, Daris growls out his war cry, the royal princesses flared up their wings and charge up their magic, Shining Armor draws out his sword and creates a small magic shield on his arm. Harmony and Death stood side by side, as the Grim Reaper brings out his scythe.

“Alright, everyone… let's show these demons the power of-” Twilight tries to deliver a speech, but is then interrupted by Pinkie.

“Yeah, yeah… ‘Friendship’, we know. LET’S GO AND KICK THEIR ASSES!!!” Pinkie shouted loudly enough for everyone on their side to hear. Then after that, the girls, Inferno, Flash, Halo, the Princesses, the deities, their friends, and all the armies of Equestria charged into battle; with all the flying warriors soaring towards the demon army from above and Spike stomped forward towards the army of evil, while sounding off his fierce roar.

Seeing his enemies’ forces charge towards him, Eternal raises his blade towards the heroes, signaling his army to charge into the fight. The demons, ghouls, and many other evil creatures all howled and groaned in the air as they all charged towards the Equestrian Armies; along with three of the Elites, Eternal and Heat.

It was a clash of the ages in this grueling battle. Thousands upon thousands of friends and allies were duking it out in an all-out battle royale. Magic blasts shot through the air, weapons clashed with each other, blood being splattered.

Within the action, our heroes fought with everything they got. The girls use their abilities to mow down every demon in their way; Starilight, Trixie, and Sunburst used their magic to fire beams of magic at every demon in every direction; Inferno uses his Winchester to shot down many demons and ghouls around him while his mother uses her supreme rapier skill and royal guard training to take down many of the evil army. The royal princesses fired their magic beams in every direction. The Pillars used their artifacts to tear down many incoming demons.

Spike unleashes his firebreath and stomps on many demons in his path. Tempest uses her magic to electrocute and obliterate many evil creatures that charge at her, even going close-quarter combat with a few. And finally, Princess Twilight and Daydream Shimmer were back-to-back with each other, blasting magic beams at many of the evil army; like the perfect combat duo they are.

And during the fight, Inferno and Israel were shooting down and beating up many demons that came at them, and soon they found themselves swapping weapons and using them on the demon they were fighting with. After that, they looked at each other, surprised that each of their weapons were in each other’s hands.

“Nononono… Give me that.” Inferno said as Israel hands the assassin back his rifle. And Inferno handing back the mage’s staff. “You get the magic stick.” He stated as he and Israel charged back into the battlefield. Israel leaped high in the air and aimed his staff at some of the ground demons, obliterating them in a white magic beam. Just then, he's tackled mid-air by the demon general Frostbite and taken higher into the skies.

"Traitor!!! You deserve no mercy!" Frostbite growled. Israel fights with all his strength to try and break free, but Frostbite proves he's the demon general for a reason and socks Israel Yabuki in the solar plexus, then kicks him down. Israel tried to gain his momentum, but Frostbite beat him to it, grabbing him by the neck and soared downwards with him even faster. "This is the end for you and all your miserable friends!" Just before Frostbite could end the mage, he is then forced off of him by a powerful kick to the side, sending him 20 feet away.

Israel looks up and sees that the person that had saved him is Applejack. She reached her hand towards him and helped him up from the ground.

“Ya alright, Israel?” She asked him.

"I just got my ass handed to me, but I'll be fine," he replied. "Thanks for the save."

“Not a problem,” She said with a smile, until they both saw Frostbite getting up from the kick AJ gave him. And from his painful grunts, it seems that she did a little damage to him, but not enough to send him to the hospital.

"The gal's really getting it together for kicks," Israel mumbled to himself.

“Go an’ help the others. Ah’ll take care of him.” Applejack said with a serious tone. Israel nodded and went on his way while AJ got down to kicking some more ass like the boss she is.

She stares down towards Frostbite with a hatred, yet sadden expression on her face. For the person she was gonna fight is the person that she once had feelings for; however, this was not the Frostbite she once knew, it was a different person that looked like him.

“Ah don’t wanna hurt ya, Frostbite… Ah really don’t.” Applejack said softly to herself while she got into a battle stance. “But ya left me no choice.” she added.

"Whoever told you to hold back on me? I need not your pity," Frostbite replied in his demonic voice, clenching his fists.

Applejack kept her stern face, however a single tear fell from her eye after when Frostbite had said that. “Then ah won’t,” She stated while charging at the demon general. Frostbite charged as well and the two met in the middle with their fists colliding into one another. The earth shook for a moment before AJ made another move, connecting 3 punches to his gut, then to his lower jaw, sending him flying back.

Frostbite regained his foot and charged forth with a hard kick, which AJ blocked. Then the farm girl delivered a hard right side kick which collided with Frostbite’s abdomen; almost nearly breaking his bones. Then she grabbed his arm and then body slammed him to the ground which caused a small crater.

The general then swept AJ's feet, knocking her off-balance. Frostbite rose up to his feet and went in for a finishing blow, but Applejack was too fast and dodged his attack. She balled up her fist and delivered a savage uppercut to his jaw, sending him 10 feet into the air. Then as he came down, the farm girl then jumped up into the air and then gave a roundhouse kick into the demon general’s body which sent him flying to the ground, 15 feet away.

Just as he was about to get up, AJ ran up to him, with tears in her eyes and delivered a knockout slam on the head using both of her knuckles. The ground shook, dust flew everywhere and Frostbite was officially knocked out.

The farm girl looked over the unconscious demon general as she quickly dried away the tears from her eyes. “Ya left me no choice,” She said to him. After a few minutes, Applejack then turned towards the ongoing battle between the armies of Equestria and the armies of Tartarus, and she immediately rushed back into the fight.

Meanwhile, for the fair lady Rarity, she was in a tight bind, trapped inside her own diamond shield, avoiding attacks from Lightning Burn. He was moving at top speeds that she couldn't catch up to or match up with. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, coming at Rarity from any and all directions.

But even with his speed, he couldn’t break Rarity’s diamond shield, as his offensive attacks weren't creating a single dent in her defense. She stood inside the shield, observing Lightning’s coordinated attacks, hoping to find an opening for her to counter it.

"You can defend yourself as long as you want, but you're never going to defeat me if you don't attack sooner or later. Then again, that'd be giving you too much credit, human," Lightning said.

In pained Rarity to hear those words coming from his mouth, knowing that the person she once knew, was nowhere in his mind. She then closes her eyes and surprisingly, 3 large domes of diamond shields appear over her current one. Then slowly the shields began to disperse, forming into volleys of billions of diamond-shaped projectiles. She then stood back on her feet and stared at Lightning with an angry, yet hurt expression on her face.

“Fine then…” Then without warning, she launches the projectiles at the Elite. Who easily dodge most of them, but later he began to notice that the volley of diamond-shaped objects weren’t stopping; in fact, they kept coming at him.

He notices the diamonds he dodge were reversing and sped towards back at him, as if they had minds of their own. He flew as fast as he could, but Rarity's gems were able to catch up to him without effort. Eventually, the gems quickly sliced at him, tearing through his armor. Lightning Burn was losing his momentum and slammed against the ground, sliding against the dirt.

"Please forgive me dearest Lightning. I only meant to stun you," Rarity said.

"I will get you for this," Lightning muffled.

“I'm afraid that won’t happen… I’m sorry.” Rarity replied as she created a large diamond shield above Lightning and with the sway of her hands, she brought the shield down on him with extreme force. The shield then disappears instantly, with Lightning laying on the ground unconscious from the impact, which caused a small indent in the earth.

Lastly, Blazing Waters was locked in combat with Rainbow Dash. The rainbow-haired athlete uses her super speed to avoid many of Blazing’s attacks; even going in and landing a few blows on the demon Elite, swiftly as she goes.

Blazing was growing more agitated, unable to catch up with Rainbow Dash or match up to her incredible speed. Blazing even tried to land a blow with his spear, but once again, Rainbow avoided his attacks.

But for Rainbow Dash to be attacking her sweetheart so effortlessly, it puts a heavy strain on her heart that it's him she has to hurt. He's suffered so much and continues to suffer just as much as she is. She only wishes this nightmare would be over.

So she decided to end the tussle for good, and then she bolted towards the elite at her fullest speed, increasing her momentum and force around her. As she draws closer and closer, she raises her fist up high and it soon makes contact with Blazing's face; causing him to fall towards the ground and knocking him unconscious. But as he falls to the ground, Rainbow catches him and safely sets him down on the ground, tears falling.

“I’m sorry, Blazy!” She cried loudly as she held him in her arms.

With the 5 Fallen Souls taken care of, 2 of them brought back to the good side, there were only 2 more adversaries to stop: The king and the prince. Twilight was really struggling against Heat Blitz, not just because he was attacking her blindly, but because it was her own boyfriend. The lavender girl dodges most of his attacks while she uses her telekinesis to try to restrain him. But the prince continues to break out of her grasp and attacks at Twilight with no holding back.

"Heat Blitz, please! I don't want to hurt you anymore! Snap out of it! You know I love you too much to see you suffer like this! Open your eyes! I beg of you!" Twilight begged, staring deep into his demonized red eyes. His expression remained unchanged. Heat tries to attack her again, but Twilight immediately uses her telekinesis and tosses Heat towards a nearby boulder with enough force to shatter upon impact.

Twilight went over to check on Heat, helping him sit up a little. "Heat! HEAT!” She said, not noticing that the Demon Mind Gem on the crown - on his head - had a crack in it from the forceful impact into the boulder. "Oh no. Oh no, no, Heat! What have I done?" she asked. Twilight hugged Heat, crying softly into his shoulder as he sat motionless.

She cried for a few minutes until she heard a voice speak to her. “You’re squishing me too tight.” the voice said, and to Twilight’s surprise, it sounded like Heat’s voice. Twilight looked down at Heat, blinking his eyes frequently… his eyes turned back to their normal purple color. "Where… am I?"

Twilight gasped. "HEAT!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" she hugged him even tighter, crying happy tears, almost squeezing the breath out of him.

“TWILIGHT!... I… can’t… breathe!” Heat begged as his face began to turn purple as oxygen nearly left his lungs. Twilight eventually let him go, allowing Heat to gasp for air. Heat can still remember the pain he went through when he was forced into becoming a dark prince. But the pain was nothing compared to the one who suffered most: his own girlfriend. Heat hugged Twilight, shaking violently from the traumatic experience he went through. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Twilight. Please… forgive me!" he said, nearly drowning in his own tears. Heat had never been so frightened in his life.

"It's okay, Heat, I'm right here. I'm here," Twilight whispered, shushing him and helping him calm down a little.

6 were down and only one remained. Sunset Shimmer is now faced with her most difficult task. Facing off against her old friend. "I didn't want it to come to this, but you have left me with no other option. If I have to fight you to free you, then so be it. But just remember, this is for your own good."

"Spare me your worthless pity. This world showed me no pity whatsoever and I will show it no mercy for denying my age of lifeless being. The only thing left for me is to build two new worlds here and in Equestria… Ideal worlds where none shall oppose me!" Eternal said in a distorted demonic voice.

The combatants readied themselves, the king pointing his weapon at Sunset. She readied herself with two magic spheres appearing in each of her hands. 'I'll bring you back, Eternal. Even at the cost of my own life,' Daydream thought to herself.

The Real Hero

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Daydream Shimmer and Demon King Eternal Flames stared each other down face-to-face, floating in the air. They both charge up their magic and their hands form magic spheres projectiles, ready to launch at each other at any moment.

Eternal threw a large magic sphere first at high speeds. Daydream Shimmer dodged the first attack, followed by multiple other projectiles.

Once she had dodge them all, She then reared back her arms and then brought them both forwards to unleash a large beam of magic towards Eternal. The Demon King brought up his Aura Shield to block the incoming attack. While it lasted for a few minutes, until the shield gave in and shattered, allowing the beam to slam into Eternal’s gut and forcing him across the battlefield and into the ground.

He rose back up into the air and released a dark magic wave that sent Daydream Shimmer flying backwards. Daydream stopped herself and lit up one of her hands in a magical golden yellow aura before charging at Eternal.

The demon king coated his hand in a black and red aura before charging at Daydream. His hand clashed with hers, sending a large shock wave all across the battlefield that sent most of the demons and Equestrians flying. Eternal and Daydream had both their hands locked with each other. Magic aura was seeping out of their bodies. "For a mere mortal to trifle with my power is insulting! I will send you to your doom!" Eternal said in his demonic voice.

“I don’t think so,” Daydream replied as she charged up her magic even more, causing a small blast of force which sent Eternal back a few feet. Then she flies towards him, with her hand coated with her magic, and then delivers a savage punch to his body; sending him even further. Eternal lands against the tallest tower of the castle, reducing the tower to rubble.

Eternal quickly blasted out of the mess, roaring savagely. He ignited his hands in magic aura and fired small projectiles at Daydream, but for some reason, they stood a few feet away from Daydream, not moving an inch. But with a swift motion of his hands, they all closed in on her from all directions. Daydream, however, manages to swiftly maneuver all of the projectiles; she even manages to grab onto one of them with her hand and then lunge it back towards Eternal.

The demon king, however, crushed the projectile using his hand. He lunged at Daydream, grabbing her by the shoulder and was about to slam her into the ground. But then, in a split second while still in the air… "Help… me…" a voice echoed.

Daydream blinked in surprise. She recognized the voice belonging to Eternal Flames. With all her strength, she broke free from the demon king's grasp, escaping the impact of the crash. She powered up her hands with a magical aura. The demon king did the same. "I've grown tired of your futile efforts! Prepare to die! ALONG WITH THIS ENTIRE, USELESS WORLD!!!" he shouted in anger, he charged up all his magic for one final killing blow. But before he could use it, he heard a loud gunshot and felt excruciating pain in his shoulder; causing him to lose focus and his magic began to weaken.

The Demon King turns around and sees the assassin Inferno Blaze with his Smith & Wesson Model 17-8 revolver. Eternal growled in anger and tried to fire a magic projectile at the assassin to kill him; however, when he tried to use his magic, it appeared to have weakened and short circuit like a torn electric wire. The demon king then realized later that Inferno had shot him with a moonstone bullet, and as Eternal checked his gunshot wound, he then realized that the bullet didn’t exit his shoulder; which explains why his magic was weak. The bullet was still inside him.

Inferno turned towards Daydream with determination in his facial expression. “NOW'S YOUR CHANCE, SUNSET!” He shouted out to her.

"I'll kill you, you wretched fool" Eternal shouted, about to charge at Inferno. However, his whole body was surrounded with Daydream’s magic aura, preventing him from lunging at Inferno. The Demon King struggled to break out of his bind, but was unable to. Out of desperation, Eternal reached into his injured shoulder, sinking his fingers in the bullet wound, roaring in agony before tossing it away. His magic was still fairly weak, but it was growing slowly and steadily.

He concentrated all his strength to break out of Sunset's magical grasp. But before he did, Sunset tossed him away, landing 20 feet onto the battlefield. Soon after, the Demon King got up onto his feet, charging up his own magic and aimed it at Inferno first, sending a surge of energy his way. The assassin immediately dodges the incoming attack; barely, as the force of the magic’s impact causes Inferno to be pushed back into a nearby boulder with extreme force, giving him a few minor cuts and bruises.

With Inferno out of the way for now, his attention was brought back to Daydream Shimmer. He charged up his magic aura, preparing his previous attack. "Now to obliterate you and this wretched little world!" he growled as he unleashed a powerful beam of magic, straight towards Daydream Shimmer.

In reply, she too unleashed a powerful beam of her own, to counter Eternal’s attack. The impact was so powerful, everyone around them was pushed away by a powerful gust of wind. Daydream was baffled by the strength of Eternal's blast. Even in his weakened state, he still proved to be a powerful asset.

The two are left in a standstill, with both vying to gain the edge over the other. The girls saw the struggle these two were having. They feared for their friend and the fate of their world. Harmony and Death watched in shock as the battle unfolded as well, to see if the fate of young Eternal Flames would be sealed. As for Grogar, with an evil smugness on his face as he watches his heir about to destroy Daydream.

Sunset continues to struggle, trying to overpower the Demon King. But all she cared about is saving the person she loved most, as memories of the times she shared with him came back to her like a tidal wave. Later, she felt the warmth and happiness of those memories as she began to lose herself down memory lane.

"Sunset! Don't back down!" Eternal's voice echoed in Sunset's mind. The powered teen gasped in shock after hearing his voice in her consciousness.

'Eternal? How are you talking to me?' she asked in her mind.

"I'm speaking to you telepathically from my possessed body! Listen to me, you've got to destroy my dark side at all costs! The more you struggle with your feelings towards me, the more powerful Grogar becomes. He's feeding off our negative energies!" Eternal said in her mind. "You're the only one who's got the strength to take out my dark side. Please, you gotta hurry!"

'I… I can't! If I do that, I'll just end up killing you! I can't lose you after all we've been through!' Sunset thought.

"Sunset, I understand how you feel, but you have to understand: I'm a threat to this world as well as Equestria right now. I'd rather sacrifice my own life so the world can be safe than to live in a dark, empty shell, causing misery and suffering to innocent lives, especially the ones who are close to me. You included. I… I love you too much to make that happen!" his voice echoed.

Sunset shedded tears from hearing all Eternal had to say, while she wasn’t willing to bring herself to do it; but Eternal was right and she knew that she had to end his suffering… one way or another. As her tears intensified, a weak smile drew on her face as she said her last words to him: “I love you too.” Then she soon discarded her emotions and then increased the full power of her magic, which slowly began to overpower the Demon King’s magic beam and then approached him.

"NO!!! I WON'T LET YOU!!!" Demon King Eternal shouted. Just then, he's slashed from behind by Inferno Blaze with his kukri knife, making him yell in pain and lose his concentration. Inferno jumps out of the line of fire as Daydream’s magic instantly engulfs Eternal as his screams are silenced as the bright light consumes the entire area.

After a few minutes of blinding light, the smoke began to clear and disperse, revealing a large crater in the battlefield; with an unconscious Eternal Flames at the center of it with all the rubble around him. He’s completely shirtless, his pants torn, and his whole body covered in bruises.

Sunset gasped and went over to Eternal. Inferno, Starlight, and the others ran towards Eternal as well as all the armies on the field, both Equestrian and the demon - with the majority now being Drakai since the light vaporized all the other evil creatures and dead. Both Harmony and Death watched from afar as they both prayed for Eternal’s life at hand.

Sunset checked to see if Eternal was still alive. When she put her ear to his chest… she could make out the sound of his beating heart. It was steady and calm. Her eyes swelled up with tears and hugged Eternal's unconscious body, sobbing for the young man, relieved that she didn't kill him in the blast.

However, the notorious demon ram, Grogar was far from pleased. And with all the negative energy he's absorbed amidst the scuffle has restored his power. "That fool. I should've known he was too weak to stop her. How DARE she!" Grogar clenched his fist.

The demon ram soon felt the presence of Harmony and Death beside him as he turned around to meet their glaring gaze towards him.

“It’s over, Grogar. You lost.” Harmony stated to the demon lord.

“And now you will face your punishment for all you have done.” Death exclaimed with an angered tone of voice.

"I've come too far for this. If I can't have either boys… I'll TAKE THEM AND THIS ENTIRE PLANET WITH ME!!!" Grogar shouted in frustration. With a mighty roar and summing up all the magic within him, his body began to glow dark purple. The earth started to rumble and the ocean waves crashed furious against the land.

As everyone was falling onto their hands and knees, even the deities, Harmony and Death as Grogar threatened to tear the planet to pieces.

“NO ONE WILL UNDERESTIMATE THE FULL POWER OF A GOD SUCH AS I!!!!” Grogar shouted in rage as he continued to cause more earthquakes and other natural disasters to destroy the planet, once and for all. But all of a sudden, he felt a large amount of pain in his chest area, which caused him to choke and breathe heavily. He looks down to see, which was a shock to him, a bloody claw impaling him through his back and out of his chest.

The demon ram turned his eyes over his shoulders, to see none other than the traitor, Daris. The Drakai drew his mouth close to the demon lord’s ear and whispered into it.

“Maybe… But Gods… Are Mortal...Too.” He said with his deep, venomous voice as he pulled out his claw from Grogar’s body, allowing the demon lord to ground on his hands and knees, choking on his blood.

Soon his magic that influenced the land began to weaken and the natural disasters all around began to seize their activity. The demon ram looks up to Harmony and Death looking down towards him as they watch the Grogar almost at his final end. But the demon ram wasn’t willing to leave the world empty handed.

As his dying coughs and grunts intensify, he raises his head towards the two deities and the reformed Drakai; with a weak smile on his face as - unbeknownst to the three - two dark crystal-like spears form in both of his hands.

“I will not die… empty-handed.” He said his final words as he swiftly turns around and tosses his two crystal spears towards their two main targets: Eternal and Heat.

Time slowed down to a crawl as the spears sped towards the two as Twilight and Sunset tried their best to shield them. But unbeknownst to them, Inferno ran up to the two, much to the protests of the Starlight, Flash, Halo and the girls. As the spears were about to impale the boys, along with the girls that shielded them; Inferno swiftly got in front of them… and shielded them as the spears impaled the assassin; one in his chest and one in his left section of his abdomen.

In that moment, Eternal's eyes opened up slowly and was met with a sight he didn't want to see. "No… Inferno… NO!" he grunted, struggling to move, crawling over to Inferno.

The assassin was overcomed with intense pain as he slowly fell towards the ground. Starlight and the others ran towards their fallen friend. While they did, Grogar watched how he had failed to do what he had intended as he drew his final breath and succumbed to his fatal wound. Daris ran towards the groups as well, worrying about the assassin. Soon Fleur ran towards the crater, and saw her son lying on the ground, and immediately climbed down to get to him. Following behind her, were the royal princesses, Twilight and Shining, who were all shocked to see the assassin risking his life to save Eternal and Heat; and without hesitation, they joined up with the group to check up on him.

Soon all of the Equestrian armies and the Drakai horde all surround the crater as they watch a tragic event unfold.

Inferno lies on the ground coughing and breathing fast as he was drawing closer to death. Starlight sat beside him and cradled him as everyone surrounded him, with sadden expressions and tears in their eyes.

“I-i-is… e-everyone… s-s-safe.” He barely said in pain.

"You idiot! Why would… you do something so reckless?" Eternal grunted, barely able to hold himself up, aching from the pain. "We… We could've… had a big celebration! You were gonna… live a happy life."

"Inferno, please! Stay with me, darling. You're all I have left! I can't stand the thought of losing you like I lost your father! Please, stay awake for me! Don't leave me!" Fleur begged and pleaded, holding her dying son's hand.

"After all you've been through, you can't just give up now! Please, stay with us! I love you!" Starlight begged with tear-filled eyes.

"C’mon, tough guy, you can fight this… like you always did.” Rainbow said, barely fighting to hold back her tears. As for Fluttershy, she could barely say a word as she held on tightly to Israel while shedding tears from her eyes.

The assassin only gave a weak smile towards all of them as he used every once of his strength to speak. “Y-y-you… a-all don’t know… w-what you’ve already… done.” He replied weakly. “Y-you have already… given me a happy life. One I… w-would never dream of.” He then began to turn his eyes towards each and everyone of them, one at a time.

He looked towards Pinkie and Copper Plume, “Y-y-you helped me smile… and laugh again.”

He then looked towards Rainbow, “You showed me the values of loyalty.”

He then looked towards Fluttershy, Israel, and Daris, “Shown me that kindness would always triumph over cruelty.”

He then looked towards Applejack, “Showed me how to be honest with myself.”

He then looked at Twilight, Heat, Sunset, and Eternal, “For showing me that it's never too late to find redemption and friendship.”

And finally, he looked into the eyes of Starlight, whose eyes were never dried nor quenced. “A-And… for helping me… t-to love… once again.” He said with a weak smile as he looked at all of them as a whole. “You all gave me back… what I-I-I had lost… 10 years… ago. The one thing… I… thought I would… never get back.”

“And what's that?” Heat asked.

“A… family.” Inferno replied warmly, which brought faint smiles upon everyone around him. The assassin brings his hand, shakenly, up to Starlight’s cheek as she brings her hand to hold his against her cheek while she cries.

“W-w-with… friends… L-like you all,” he relied as his life began to sweep away. “What a… lucky guy… I… was.” Inferno drew his final breath as his eyes slowly closed. Starlight felt his hand slowly fall from her face and fell beside him. The Great Shadow Knight…. Had fallen.

“Inferno?... Inferno!...” Starlight said while shaking his arm, hoping he would wake up. But he never did. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" she screamed out loud, holding her dead boyfriend's body.

"Damn it… Damn you!" Eternal grunted, rising up to his feet, starting over at Grogar, who was slowly disappearing. Eternal's body gleamed a bright red color and leaped up in the air, meeting the dying demon ram face-to-face, slamming punch after punch on the demon's face. Opening up his hand, he aimed it straight at his face. "YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Eternal's anger surged through his body, blasting a huge beam of magical energy out of his hand, sending the demon flying up into the sky and up into space in the blink of an eye. He shouted at the top of his lungs, filled with rage. In a matter of moments, a bright light filled the night sky followed by an explosion in the form of a large red ball of mist. Luckily, it was far out of reach for the people on Earth.

His breathing was heavy and floated gently down to the ground. Eternal fell onto his knees and slammed his fist into the ground in frustration. "DAMN IT!!! It should've been me! I was Grogar's intended target, not Inferno! Why! WHY?!" Eternal questioned. And for the first time in years, Eternal's own eyes filled with tears. He sobbed loudly, shouting in misery for his friend's death. A friend whom he cherished as one of his own brothers.

With the group, they all shed tears as they mourn for the loss of their friend. Fluttershy and Pinkie sobbed against their boyfriends. Rainbow fought hard to contain her sadness, but realized that it was useless to contain her emotions and cried. Applejack removed her hat and brought it to her chest, paying tribute to inferno as she could not contain her tears that she had always kept hidden inside. Rarity’s tears messed up her mascara and made her look unladylike; however, she didn’t care. They had all lost a friend today, there was no point in acting uptight. Twilight and Heat held onto each other, as they too, mourn for the death of one of their own. Sunset could not hold back her tears at all as well; even though she had got back the person she loved most; however, she had also lost a great friend; one that sacrificed his life in order to protect her other friend.

Fleur was absolutely heartbroken as well. She had just lost her only son and was now all alone. Losing her husband was hard enough, but losing her son was even harder. Enough to shatter her soul and heart. Starlight sees how heartbroken Fluer was, the mother of the pony she had fallen in love with. The teen moved closer to the grieving mother and slowly wrapped her arms around her and embraced her. It was better to mourn with someone close to you, rather than mourning by yourself.

The Royal Guard all removed their helmets and placed them against their hearts out of respect for the fallen hero that lay before their very eyes. Celestia, Luna and Cadance all bowed their heads down as well to commend Inferno's courageous act in this fierce battle. Celestia was mostly affected by the assassin's demise. On the bright side, she did feel eternally grateful that he had completed his mission in protecting her son. She only wished he could've kept his freedom in the end.

Trixie, Sunburst, Tempest and Spike were also upset to see Inferno gone. Though they never got to meet him, they were relieved to know he was willing to go the extra mile to ensure the safety of his friends. They just wished they could've been there personally to see it.

As for Harmony and Death, they too were grief stricken. While they had made a wager on the freedom and fate of two innocent souls, they did not intend for another soul to sacrifice himself for those two souls. They both felt that they were powerless to change fate and that they could not have predicted this to come.

The battle between Light and Darkness was finally over, evil had been vanquished; however, a hero had fallen, a friend was lost, and today that was supposed to be a celebration… turned into a day of grieving.

~ 3 days later; Canterlot, Equestria ~

Today was the day where a fallen hero would be laid to rest. It was Inferno’s funeral, which was held in the great city of Canterlot in Equestria; where Inferno was born. Though it wasn’t a small one at that, every creature and every pony from all across Equestria showed up to the event. Wanting to give thanks and pay tribute to the pony that sacrificed himself for their world. The pony that they all discarded and misjudged.

Even the nobles of Canterlot showed up for the occasion, feeling immense guilt and held no disrespect to the fallen mercenary. They all felt that they did not deserve to be alive.

The event was held in the center of the city, where everyone could be to watch as the hero would be laid to rest. The Royal Princesses all wore black dresses for the event, since it was a time of mourning. Both the main 6 of Equestria and the humane 7, and their boyfriends, were at the event, all wearing black dresses.

Eternal Flames, along with his mother, his own brother, Heat Blitz, Fleur and Starlight were all at the front of the audience, staring at the open coffin with their deceased friend resting peacefully inside with his content smile.

Starlight walked up to the mic, the letter in her magic grasp and cleared her throat, speaking out to the crowd. "Friends, family, we've all witnessed the horrors that went down recently. We've suffered a lot during our dark times, but the one who truly suffered the most was our very own Inferno Blaze. But even in the face of danger, he never gave into his despair and fought against all odds. He knew the danger that lied ahead and was willing to put his own life on the line," Starlight said.

"With his last, dying breath, he expressed his happiness and content to the ones he truly cared about, and to the ones that condemned him of everything he once had. And now, I have here a letter which he had written before his last moments of being alive." Starlight explained before reading it out loud. Everyone remained silent and paid close attention as Starlight began to read Inferno’s letter.

“My dearest friends,

If you’re reading this, then it means that you’ve done it. You won. You saved the world and defeated the dark lord himself; I knew you all would. But it would also mean that it’s… bad news for me. Even though I had already gone through with the bad times and many losses. When I had lost everything 10 years ago, I lost more than my freedom or my life; I lost myself, I lost who I was. A son, a friend, a pony who had a bright future ahead of him. I thought I had lost that part of me for good, but that all changed when I met you all for the first time.

I began to find my way back into the light with your guidance and your friendship. I finally got to feel what it's like to be… well, me again. You all taught me how to laugh, to care, to hope, and to be devoted to a belief that gave me a chance to find redemption, for not just everyone I had lost, but for myself as well.

I know we all have seen the outcomes from the battles between the Light and the Darkness, and how it will all affect us in the end. But sometimes we would always have faith in each other and believe in ourselves, then maybe we could overcome anything that comes our way.

It’s like one of those stories, where the hero would give his life, to protect the people they loved most, no matter what the outcome would be. And in the end, the good guys win, the survivors cheered, and everyone lives happily ever after…. But the hero... would never get to see that ending. They...He would never know whether his sacrifice would make a big difference. But if it does, I would smile down on each and every one of you. For you all were the greatest friends, and family that I could ever have. Thank you all… for giving me the happiness that I had once lost. And I’ll forever be grateful for that.

I love you all.”

After reading the letter, Starlight’s eyes were wet with tears. And so did everyone else. No one in Canterlot had dried eyes.

Once Starlight finished her speech and read from the letter, Eternal took a stand and made his way towards the mic. He cleared his throat and stared at everyone. "Take heart, everyone. For on this day, our fallen friend and ally will forever be remembered as a real hero. There is a saying that best describes Inferno Blaze: Greater love hath no one than he who lays down his life for his friends. When great deeds are remembered upon this world, one name will stand above all others: Our friend, Inferno Blaze the unicorn. The memory of Inferno's sacrifice and bravery will forever be ingrained in our saddened hearts. The place where Inferno fell will forever be a hallowed place in all the worlds. For there lies one of nature's noble creatures," Eternal said. After saying what's on his mind, Eternal stepped away and sat back down.

Soon after words were said, honored ponies were then given permission to carry out the final event of the funeral: carrying Inferno’s coffin to his final resting place. Soon Celestia ordered two Unicorn guards to close Inferno’s coffin and place it onto one of the royal carriages. After that, two earth pony royal guards were then assigned to pull the carriage. Starlight and Fleur walk alongside each other behind the carriage, with Eternal Flames, Celestia and everypony following behind them. As they all walk in a parade line as everyone in the city watches as Inferno’s coffin is carried throughout the city.

Eternal, though he kept a straight face, he still shedded tears throughout the journey. 'Inferno… if you can hear my thoughts from up above. I want you to know… I'm proud… to officially call you my brother,' he thought to himself, shedding more tears.

Both the main 6 and the humane 7 all walked slowly as they all felt grief and sadness. The Rainbooms felt loss and depression for the death of a good friend. The main 6 also felt sad even though they had never met Inferno personally, but they know that he had made a great impact on everyone and heard how much he had done for their world and for their counterparts’ world as well.

It was a darn shame they never got to thank him personally or get to know him. And so, the group finally stopped at the top of a hill in the cemetery where Celestia, Starlight, Fleur and Eternal all used their magic to slowly levitate Inferno's coffin into the hole. After successfully setting him down, the grave keeper ponies filled up the hole. Inferno's tombstone couldn't have been a more honorable one: a stone statue of said hero atop a stone block. On the front was a plaque that read "Here lies Inferno Blaze, beloved son, friend and brother. A true hero to the bitter end."

"So long, Inferno. You're the best," Eternal said in a low tone, staring at the ground where his friend laid to rest.

The others all stood silently as they all bowed their heads in respect for their fallen friend. Starlight and Fluer stood side-by-side as they looked over Inferno’s grave. "No matter how much the world turned against you… I always believed you were good. And I'm so proud of you, son. Say hello… to your father for me," Fleur said, all choked up. She weeped silently on Starlight, who hugged her in return.

"I could never have found a better stallion in the world to give my happiness to. I'll always love you and I promise… that I'll never find anyone… better than you," Starlight said, holding back the tears as best as she could.

Once the ceremony was over, Eternal closed his eyes and turned, walking away. His mind was made up and knows where he'll go. Except for everyone else, including his crush, Sunset.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sunset asked.

"Until the dust settles, this is no longer my home. I'm going back to the human world and I'm gonna stay there," Eternal replied.

“You’re gonna leave without saying goodbye,” Israel responded to him.

Eternal halted. For a moment, there was a pause. The prince turns around to the group and soon his eyes fall towards Inferno’s grave. Then suddenly - while he questions whether he’s hallucinating or not - he sees Inferno’s spirit standing next to the gravestone, who gave him a smile before he disappeared. While it was a brief moment, it did however give an unnoticeable smile on the prince’s face.

“It's never a goodbye.” He replied before he left the graveyard. "Only a parting until we meet again someday." Eternal kept walking away until his mother came up to him.

"Son, I understand you're upset, but wouldn't it be better for you to stay here?" Celestia asked. Eternal turned to Celestia, looking disappointed.

"Why would I stay here when you didn't lend Inferno an ear and wrongfully accused him of my father's murder?" he asked in a low, deep tone. "I can never this place be my home after the pain you put him through. And now… he's gone. And to top it off… somepony at the hospital where I was born tried to kill me. Until you find the real culprit, I'm not staying here."

Celestia blinked in surprise. "What? What do you mean "someone tried to kill you?" Do you mean that it wasn't Death who took you away from me?" Celestia asked.

"Correct. You placed blame on the wrong guy. Just like you and everypony else in Canterlot did with Inferno Blaze. Speaking of which, I have a strong hunch that the one who killed my father is the same one who tried to kill me," Eternal said.

Of course, Celestia and all of Eternal's friends were shocked to hear this news. "If the killer's here, maybe we can look for him together?" Sunset asked.

"What good will that do if this city doesn't fix its own mistakes? They blamed Inferno for my father's death without concrete proof, just speculation. Death was also wrongfully blamed for killing me, this city needs to pull its own weight around and solve those two crimes on their own. And besides… if I were to find whoever did it, I'd just end up killing them myself… no questions asked and I'd rather not become a cold-blooded killer. One last thing… I still have so much planned for the human world and I want to spend as much time as I can with the mare I love."

Sunset slightly blushed. "Eternal, I…"

Soon the lovebirds heard Daris giving them a soft growl. One that had a combination of disgust… and depress. The two fluttershy's in the group catched on to what he said.

“He said, “Don’t go lovey dovey right now… It's really not the best time at the moment.” Fluttershy translated.

“Hey, I thought he can speak now?” Rainbow asked.

“His grief prevents him from talking… he doesn’t feel like it.” Equestrian Fluttershy replied.

"Anyways… I still have some unfinished business to take care of in the human world. The war left a huge mess that I have to clean up. And… there's still my human counterpart who's still missing and needs to be found," Eternal said.

“I wouldn’t worry about the damage, young prince.” A familiar dark voice calls out to the group. They all turned around to see Death and Harmony standing in front of them. “We’ve taken the privilege to repair all of Grogar’s undoing and some of the damages made in the city…. It's the least we can do.” Death stated.

“It’s what we could do, for Inferno.” Harmony sadly stated as well

"You know, it doesn't have to end like this," another voice stated. Out of nowhere, Discord, the lord of all chaos and disharmony poofed right before their very eyes. "I apologize if I've come at a bad time, but I couldn't help overhearing your little conversation." he says, poofing a top hat on his head and taking it off out of respect.

“What is your business here, Discord.” Harmony asked.

"I merely come with a solution to this whole pandemic. There is a way to bring back your fallen friend, but it's gonna take some time and a lot of searching. I wish I could do it, but I don't have the power to resurrect the dead and it'd just make the whole chapter of this story meaningless," Discord pointed out.

Everyone was left shocked and were all left with a small light of hope. Fluer walked up to the draconequus with tears and small gleams of hope in her eyes. “Y-you mean… we can bring back my little boy?” She asked.

"Yes. But the items you need might not be so easy to get. You will need 5 purple demon crystal shards… and one moonstone," Discord said. "Once you've gathered them all, you will need to sync them with a magical item that's powerful enough to channel their energies enough to resurrect Inferno. Then, all you have to do… is snap your fingers," Discord poofs up a golden prop gauntlet with 6 different colored stones and then snaps his fingers. "Just like that."

“But what about Equestria? Our world? We can’t just drop everything and go. And more importantly, what are we gonna do with Tartarus? Without Grogar, those demons down there will run loose!” Sunset asked.

“That won’t happen, Sunset Shimmer.” Harmony replied. “Not if Tartarus is under new management.” she stated while looking towards the one individual in the group: Daris.

"Hey, that's right. Daris defeated the Alpha Drakai and is the new leader of the pack!" Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“Which means… he’s the new Lord of Tartarus.” Applejack replied.

"And all the Drakai witnessed the fall of their master right in front of their eyes. What a PUNCH! That was way more satisfying than when Ace took a punch to the chest for his little step-brother Luffy in that one fight," human Pinkie said.

"You should've also seen Eternal, he blasted Grogar into space and blew him up," Human Rainbow said.

"True, but it was Daris who delivered the killing blow, I merely finished him off," Eternal said.

“Which is precisely why the demons of Tartarus will have to obey him,” Death added.

"Do you really have to go, Daris? We've only just started becoming great friends," human Fluttershy said. "Will I ever see you again?"

“Y-yes… F-Fluttershy… my friend.” Daris replied with a bit of sadness in his voice. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Daris and her demon friend did the same.

"I'm really gonna miss you," the animal-lover said.

Soon the other Rainbooms followed Fluttershy and dogpiled the Drakai as they cried and hugged their demon friend.

“We’re gonna miss you Daris! I’ll Pinkie Promise to send you as many tasty pies as you want!” Pinkie promised.

“As long as they go to him, and not me.” Rainbow stated.

"You're a couple of years too late to tell her that, Rainbow," AJ pointed out.

“We’ll miss you surely, darling. Just make sure you take care of yourself and your pack. Best wishes, Daris," Rarity said.

"Daris, we may have started on bad terms, but I just want to say… thank you for everything," Sci-Twilight said.

"If we ever decide to pay us a visit, feel free to let us know. You really pulled through for us to the bitter end," Sunset said.

"S-See you… later… my friends," Daris growled before using his new powers to open up a portal to Tartarus. The newest demon king jumped through before the portal closed. Tears fell from Fluttershy’s eyes as she saw her friend leave.

"There there, Fluttershy. As I've said before, it's not really "good-bye" after all," Eternal said, trying to put the animal lover at ease.

“So, my friends.” Discord said to the group as they turned to face him. “Are you all willing to go through the dangers that await you, in order to save Inferno Blaze.”

"If it means we've got a chance to bring him back, then I'm more than ready!" Eternal said, stomping his hoof hard. "The only downside is that pest Grogar could only die once." Eternal's anger slowly rose from inside him and his dark magic aura was slowly seeping out of him, along with his own magical red aura.

"Take it easy, Eternal. The battle's over, take a deep breath and let it all out," Sunset said, walking over to her old friend. She placed a hoof on her friend's back. Eternal took a few deep breaths and calmed down, his magic aura slowly disappearing until it was all gone.

"We'd better get a move on," Eternal said before heading off to the castle where the mirror was still set up at. Now with the evil of the demon ram destroyed, our heroes are now on a new quest… to restore their lost friend and bring him back to the realm of the living.

"Hold on a second," Starlight said. Eternal looked back at Starlight, curious and confused. "I think you should take it easy, Eternal. You too, Sunset. You've been through enough a few days ago and I think you two deserve a little R&R.”

"A break?" he asked before turning to Sunset.

"If you rest now, you'll have more energy to help us find the crystals. Besides… you never got a chance to rest easy since the war, nor did you ever finish your… date with Sunset," Starlight said, making both ponies blush.

"And don't bother trying to argue with us, you've both done more than enough for Equestria and our world. You two are just as much of a hero as Inferno was," Pinkie pointed out.

“Naw… Inferno is the real hero.” Sunset stated as she looked at Eternal's direction. “He’s the reason Eternal and Heat are alive. I think we could all use a break, I'm sure Inferno will be waiting for us for a little longer.”

Eternal was hesitant at first, but he sighed and eventually agreed. "Very well. Sunset… shall we head back and... you know…" he asked.

"S-Sure…" Sunset stutters a bit. The two lovebirds held hooves and looked at each other with small smiles. "Let's go home, Eternal Flames."

Celebration and Grief on The Boys' Birthdays

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Some time after the funeral had ended, the Human 7 and Starlight went to go and check up on the former Fallen Souls, or their closest friends/boyfriends. Pinkie stayed with her lover, Copper Plume at his house until he woke up. When he did, she practically coated his face pink with her lipstick kisses. The two were extremely happy to be back together after all these years.

Rainbow Dash was glad to have Blazing Waters back. He spent his time recovering at his mom and dad's house. Flash Magnus and Aqua Stream were practically in tears of joy knowing their son was brought back. The gun shop owner was also saddened to hear that Shadow Knight, the person that was responsible for getting his son back, had passed away days ago. The family felt griefed and thankful for what he did to make them whole again.

Applejack stayed at Frostbite's house, waiting for the poor, tortured man to wake up and tell him how sorry she was for not being able to aid him in his time of need or trying to look for him. She stayed by his bedside until his eyes opened up later on. AJ had also told him and his family about the death of a good friend of theirs who risked his life to save everyone. They were shocked to hear about it, but she didn't specify who his name was.

Fluttershy went to visit Israel, but came to find out he's been having a bit of an argument with his older brother, having him pinned against the wall. His older brother was bigger and stronger, yet he put up no resistance and Fluttershy watched him shouted his lungs out at him, punching and kicking him. Fluttershy stopped him from doing any more damage by cutting in. She gave him a hug and expressed how much she missed him.

Rarity visited Lightning Burn at his parents' house, offering him gifts, which were some of his favorite snacks and drinks and even a "Welcome Home" card. He gave her a big hug, in which she returned it, expressing her feelings towards him. She was relieved that she had him back, but was saddened that she had to tell him about the death of one of their friends during the war against the demons.

As for Heat Blitz, he had finally calmed after that traumatic experience he had when he was forced to become the demon prince. And the death of Inferno was still fresh on his mind, as it was on Twilight’s. The two spent the day with each other, mostly to help each other recover after the tragic events they were both forced into. They got more closer and closer in every minute they spent together, and they thanked Inferno for giving them their happiness back.

Finally, with Eternal Flames back at Sunset's house, the two spent their time alone, watching the moon go down through the window. Both were dressed in sleeping wear. Sunset was wearing her usual purple pajamas with her cutie mark stitched on the front. Eternal was topless and only wore black sweats. His upper body had a few bandages on his injured spots.

Everyone was trying to have normal lives again, trying to give themselves peace from all the events they endured. Not for themselves, but for Inferno; to make his sacrifice have meaning. Even when they all felt broken and bruised, sometimes they would feel a warm presence hovering above them, as if a watchful guardian angel was looking over them. While it didn’t make sense, they were all sure that it was Inferno, still watching over them from the afterlife.

It took a day or two for everyone to recover and get back on track, but eventually they all manage to adjust and live on with their lives. But before they could, they first have to do something that has long waited enough… Eternal’s REAL 18th birthday party as well as Heat Blitz's 17th birthday.

The whole group brought along the boys for the big celebration over at Sunset's house. The group was out in the living room and dining room, having some snacks and drinks. Pinkie and Copper were firing off their party poppers, celebrating the two boys turning a year older.

"Happy Birthday, Eternal and Heat!" Copper and Pinkie shouted.

“Guys, easy on the confedittie!” Rainbow stated.

“There can never be enough confedittie!” Pinkie responded.

"Typical Pinkie Pie, you can never stop being so cute," Lightning commented. "I don't think I can remember a time when she hasn't smiled." This compliment made the party girl's smile even brighter with an added squeal.

"Careful, if you keep that up, you're gonna kill us with her cuteness. Adorabetes is a thing. But in Twilight's case, I'd call it "Adorkabetes." Israel complimented, making the egghead blush.

"Hey, watch it, you," she giggled.

"Easy there, hot shot. You already have a cutie pie of your own and she's looking mighty jealous if you know what I mean," Heat gestured to Fluttershy. Israel turned to the shy animal lover and walked over to her, nuzzling her.

"Yay," Flutters says, hugging her man.

"So, now that you guys are free, what do you plan to do?" Eternal asked.

"Good question. We don't know. I guess we can just… finish up high school and try to find some jobs or get enrolled into college. Hey, I know! Maybe I can become a writer! I'm sure people would love to hear a story about the fallen hero," Israel said.

"Hehehe, isn't that ironic?" Pinkie asked.

"How so?" Israel asked.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. Hehehe. You do what you like. I plan on opening up a Sweets store one day, or maybe a bakery. If Copper likes, he can work with me," Pinkie said, nuzzling her sweet boyfriend.

"I think I'll weigh out my options until then," Copper said.

"I'm not sure where I plan on going, but I'll weigh out my options later," Lightning said before drinking some of his punch.

"Same here. There's just too many options for me, so I'll just write them down or put them on a wheel or… something," Frostbite said.

"Well, I'm gonna sign up for the S.W.A.T team after school! I'm gonna keep the city safe just like my dad kept our country safe when he was in the war!" Blazing said.

"That's my babe, thinking BIG!" Rainbow said, jabbing his arm playfully. "So, what about you, Heat, what do you plan on doing after school?"

"Well… since I have one more year to complete, I plan on going to Canterlot University so I can get a Master's degree in Product Design and Development. The material my friend left me has the potential to help people, especially if I can relieve them of their illnesses or injuries. If I can hit a major breakthrough, I could even spread a huge cure worldwide," Heat said.

“That sounds great, Heat.” Twilight replied, latching onto him with a supportive smile on her face, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Yeah, if you can do that, go for it! You can bet we've got your backs on that dream. Just don't bust your back beyond repair, you hear?" Lightning joked.

Out of everyone in the group, one individual remained silent through the conversation. Starlight didn’t have any warm expression or a cold one at that. But it also didn’t mean that she was emotionless in any way. After remaining silent through the discussion, Starlight finally found words in her mouth and spoke for the first time since she arrived back through the mirror.

“I bet…” She halted on her first try, before having the guts to say more. “I bet Inferno would be proud of us right now.” She said. The group all looked over at Starlight, feeling sympathy and pity towards the broken-hearted young lady.

"We'll bring him back one day. But you're right. Inferno would've been immensely proud. You know, when I was finally getting to know him, I always felt like he had a lot of good in him, so much to give. And he truly tested that belief. I just wish we all could've told him how proud we are of him for everything he's done for us," Eternal said, going over and patting Starlight on the back lightly. She looks back at him, with tears forming in her eyes, smiling for the first time since after the funeral.

“We already have... sniff… we became his friends… his family.” Starlight tearfully said. “That’s all that mattered to him.” Eternal then gives Starlight a hug to at least help her feel better. Starlight hugged him back, her body shaking as she sobbed quietly. She was heavily affected by her boyfriend's death and it pained him to see her like this.

'We will bring him back. You WILL be together again. And I WILL have my soul brother back!' Eternal thought to himself.

"Scary-looking on the outside, a heart of gold on the inside," Frostbite commented.

"Hey, I got an idea. What do you say we all toast to a hero's brave sacrifice?" Israel suggests. "It's only fair since we owe our lives to the man who saved us."

"Yeah, good idea," Blazing said. Pinkie was instantly one step ahead of everyone and handed everyone a bottle of apple cider. "You're one swift sugar bullet, Pinkie."

"I do what I can," Pinkie shrugs.

"Everyone, let us toast to a brave soldier who performed with honor and integrity above and beyond the call of duty! Who brought out the light amidst the deepest, coldest darkness!" Israel announced, raising his bottle in the air.

Everyone cheered to his toast and then all of them drank their cider afterwards. This gave Starlight a little bit of hope and a small smile. "You guys… you're the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for."

"We'd do anything for a friend in need," Copper said.

"Darn tootin.” Applejack agreed.

"Now then, dearie, dry those tears and have a bite. Today is a day of celebration," Rarity said, offering Starlight a plate of pineapple pizza to go with her apple cider. Starlight accepted with no hesitation and took a bite out of her pineapple pizza, squealing from how good it tasted.

“This is soooo good!” She screamed in delight.

"She's smiling again! That's wonderful! I'm so happy right now I could just… just…" Fluttershy suddenly ponied up and floated in the air as her wings flapped cutely and rapidly. Israel clenched his chest from how cute she looked right now before easing her down, nuzzling her for being so cute.

"Flutters, you're just so cute and precious, you could warm the hearts of millions of men," Israel joked after finishing his nuzzling.

"Too late, she's warmed the hearts of millions of bronies and pegasisters," Pinkie said.

"Bronies? Pegasisters?" Israel asked. "Is she even making sense?"

"What is this "sense" you speak of?" Copper jokes, making everyone laugh.

"Hey, now that we've broken the ice, how 'bout we take this party to the next level? Sunset, do ya have the mic set up fer some karaoke?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, all that's left is to put on YouTube and we should be good to go," Sunset said.

"YouTube?" Eternal asked.

"It's an online community where people post videos of just about anything," Heat said.

"However, it's gone downhill because of some stupid, half-brained bozo adding that stupid COPPA law, which ruined about 90% of the entire website! Now how are people supposed to leave comments if the comments are disabled?" Pinkie pouted.

"We have YouTube Kids for a reason, but that faggot's ears are clogged up with his stupid money, but before we stage a riot, let's just sing, shall we?" Frostbite said.

"Good point, the last thing we need is to start another war," Rainbow said.

"A civil war at that," Lightning pointed out.

“So, who should go first.” Fluttershy asked everyone.

"I'll do it," Heat says. "There's a song I've been meaning to try out, is that alright?"

"Of course. Go right ahead," Twilight said. Heat smiled and went up, grabbing the mic and searched up the song he was lookin for.

"Alright you guys, here we go," Heat says before pressing play. As he sang the lyrics of the song, Heat felt like he was walking on water, gazing up at the endless stars above in his mind. Everyone else watched in amazement, seeing the birthday boy perform like he was some kind of star. It felt like everyone was at a live concert.

When the song ended, Twilight ran up to Heat and hugged him tightly before locking lips with him, even adding some tongue action.

"Okay there, lover girl, I think we get it," AJ said. After their lips separated, Twilight and Heat sat down with the others.

"Hey, since Heat sang for us, how about Eternal take a turn now?" Rainbow asked.

"Me? You want me to sing?" Eternal asked.

"Don't be shy, Eternal. Show them how well you can sing. You should've heard him singing back when we were still kids in Canterlot. He had such a wonderful singing voice," Sunset said.

"Oh, is that so? Care to demonstrate for us?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah, show us what you can do, big guy," Lightning Burn said.

"Alright… if you insist. I do have something that might sound good," Eternal said, getting up and going up to the mic. He cleared his throat. "This song is dedicated to my best friend whom I feel has been more than a best friend… but a brother. This is for you, Inferno Blaze." After his little speech, he pressed play.

The audience was moved to tears upon hearing Eternal's song. They even saw a few tears leaking out of his eyes, still deeply hurt from losing his best friend. One that he’ll never forget for a millennium, or in an infinity.

Once his song ended, the group gave him a round of applause. Sunset put a hand over her heart from how amazing his singing still is. Soon as he places down the microphone, he walks back to Sunset’s side, and is met with her giving him a peck on his cheek.

"Nice vocals there, big guy," Frostbite said.

"Thanks, Frostbite.” Eternal replied.

"After that performance, I don't think I have the nerve to perform on stage," Frostbite said.

"If that's how you feel, how about a group song? You an' me, Rainbow and Blazin'. Ah have the perfect song we can sing, though it's kinda short," AJ recommended.

"Now you're talking!" Rainbow said, excited.

"If it's with my girl, I'm all for it," Blazing said.

"Well… okay then. Ready, AJ?" Frostbite asked. AJ smirked at him with confidence and then all 4 of them got up and approached the TV. AJ searched for the song and then played it right away once she found it.

As soon as all four of them sang in unison, everyone in the room was dancing on their feet. Clearing away the gloomy feelings and replacing them with an uplifting spirit. Even Starlight finds herself smiling by the performance, giving her at least a slight bit of joy.

Once the song ended, Everyone clapped and cheered as the 4 performers took a bow and took in their cheers and admiration. Rainbow's head was getting more swelled up than it already was and she was loving it.

"Quick, get her off the stage or it'll go to her head again," AJ joked. Blazing quickly escorted his rockstar girl back to the couch and sat down along with Frostbite and Applejack.

"I could go for a nice duet with my Prince Charming after listening to such a melodious song. What do you say, Lightning?" Rarity asked.

"You read my mind, my precious little diamond," Lightning replied, nuzzling Rarity. She giggled and pecked her boyfriend on the cheek before going up to the mic. Rarity didn't hesitate in finding the song for her and her lover to sing and then pressed play immediately.

The melody was so soothing and heart-warming. The group all closed their eyes and took in their amazingly harmonious melody. The couples couldn't resist the urge to pull their soulmates closer towards each other. Starlight, on the other hand, just closed her eyes and kept thinking about Inferno and how later in the future they'd cherish this moment once she and her friends bring him back to life.

The song soon came to a close and Rarity and Lightning received a thunderous applause before they shared a beautiful kiss and then went to sit back down.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were locked in some kind of fairy tale. You two were great together," Copper said.

"If there ever comes a time when you two have your anniversary, you should play that song," Pinkie Pie added.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Thanks for the suggestion, Pinkie," Lightning said.

"You're welcome. So, Plumey-Poo, you ready to sing with me, too?" Pinkie asked, clinging to her boyfriend's arm.

"Yeah, let's do it, Pinkie-poo," Copper replied with a teasing wink.

"Aww, aren't you two the sweetest couple," Twilight said. Pinkie giggled and soon, she and Copper stood up and headed over to the TV with Pinkie getting the mic. She searched up the song she was looking for and played it before she and Copper took off.

The song they sang really touched everyone’s hearts. Reminding them what they’ve all experienced when they had met their soulmates for the first time, remembering the good times they had, and not questioning what would happen if they hadn’t met them. They rather not think of that question and to just live in the special moment.

Like the others before, Pinkie and Copper got cheers and bowed their heads. The hyper, sugar loving pink beauty hopped her way back to the couch, sitting down with a cute little plop noise. Copper sat down next to his cute little lady.

“That was so beautiful, darling.” Rarity said as she wiped away any remaining tears.

"I always knew there was beauty within that cuteness of yours, Pinkie," Israel complimented.

"Hehehe, thank you, Izzy," Pinkie called him out by his nickname. "So how about you and Fluttershy get up on that stage and show us your talents."

"Oh… I don’t know. I'm not sure you all will like us.” Fluttershy replied.

"Not like you? Fluttershy, darling, your singing voice is divine. You sing more elegantly than an angel from heaven," Rarity stated.

"Plus, you put most Disney Princesses to shame with your beautiful singing and cuteness," Pinkie Pie added, making Fluttershy blush with a squee, looking away with a smile.

"Awww look, you made the cute little angel blush," Israel said, stroking Fluttershy's cheek, making her giggle and squee again. "Hnnngh!!!" he clutched his chest. "Too cute!!!"

"Careful, Fluttershy, if you keep this up, he's gonna die from adorabetes," Pinkie teased.

“Is that a real thing?” Sunset asked.

“I don’t know, the writers of this story made it up.” Pinkie replied.

“What did you just say?” Eternal said.

“Nothing.” The party girl replied again.

"Okay, if we're done trying to kill me with cuteness, I'd like to sing," Israel jokes.

“Okay then, go right ahead.” Heat responded. Israel and Fluttershy soon get up and walk over to the mic and they scrolled through the song choices on the karaoke machine until they landed on the song they wanted to sing. Israel pressed play and soon, both of them began their wonderful, harmonious duet.

As they sang in perfect harmony, everyone in the room all felt moved and cried emotional tears from their performance. The song hit everyone’s hearts, placing warm smiles on everyone's faces and having the couples to embrace each other and slowly sway to the rhythm of the song.

And once the song came to an end, everyone clapped their hands and cheered for Israel and Fluttershy’s performance. Both were blushing and smiling by their friends’ praise and bowed soon after before sitting back down on the couch.

“That was absolutely sensational and breath-taking, darlings.” Rarity commented.

“Ah agree, that was wonderful,” Applejack added.

“Awww, thanks girls.” Fluttershy replied.

"Thanks a bunch, guys," Israel added before he escorted his cute little angel back on the couch.

“So who’s up next?” Twilight asked, only to receive eyes moving towards her direction. “What?”

“You’re next, Twi.” Sunset stated.

“Yeah! Twilight sings next!” Pinkie shouted.

“C’mon Twilight, it’ll be fun.” Heat said.

“Ok… I’ll do it.” Twilight said as she got up from the couch and grabbed the microphone. She then scrolls through the song list on the karaoke machine, while it took her 2 minutes, she eventually found a song for her to sing. But right before she could play the song, she undid her ponytail, letting her hair loose.

“Twilight removing her ponytail,huh… now this is gonna be very interesting.” Rainbow whispered to Blazing.

"I can't wait to see what she has planned," Blazing whispered back.

After undoing her hair style, Twilight then plays the song on the machine, which soon began with an impressive guitar solo in the beginning. Then soon after, Twilight begins to sing.

Everyone was all taken back by Twilight’s song choice, and were also astonished by her very impressive performance. And out of all of them, Heat was the only one that knew that Twilight was singing this for him. And he can’t help but shed tears by it. The lyrics of the song had everyone filled with love in their hearts and souls.

As soon as the song ended, everyone cheered and clapped for Twilight; although Heat was the loudest out of all of them. Soon he walks over to Twilight and then places his lips onto hers, and Twilight gladly returns his kiss back. The boys shouted "Woo!!!" and the girls went "Awww."

"You were amazing, Twilight!" Heat said, taking his girlfriend with him back to their seat.

"Thanks, Heat. I'm glad you liked it," Twilight replied.

"Guess that leaves me and Starlight. What do you say, wanna go for a duet or do you want one of us to go up there and sing?" Sunset asked.

“You go first, I rather go last.” Starlight replied.

"Are you sure?" Sunset asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.” she replied again.

"Well… okay then, if you insist," Sunset then got up from the couch and searched for the song she wanted to sing. She soon found what she was looking for, but took one more look at all her friends and Eternal Flames. She couldn't help herself in giving them all a warm smile, especially her childhood crush. She then pressed play and gave her friends an amazing show.

Her attention was directed solely onto a certain redhead with fair white skin and sapphire eyes. Eternal felt his face turning red slightly, hearing his crush sing for him. The rest of the group looked over at the big lug, but didn't have it in them to tease him since Eternal's never received this kind of love before in his life. Slowly, but surely, the blush on his face went away and all that remained was a warm smile.

When she finished, Eternal stood up from his seat and clapped for Sunset. She blushed before walking over to Eternal and sat down with him. She nuzzled his shoulder. Eternal wrapped an arm around her and stroked her beautiful bacon hair. Sunset hummed adorably, making Eternal chuckle from how cute she was.

“That was so… beautiful.” Rarity said as she wiped away a few tears in her eyes.

"Astounding! If I were still single I could actually fall for her," Israel said. "But I'm happy with the angel I've got by my side." Soon he gets a boop on his nose from Fluttershy, who was giving him a sly look on her face.

“You better.” She said, which got everyone laughing.

“Ok, before we get ahead of ourselves, I believe it's Starlight’s turn now.” Sunset said.

“YEAH! STARLIGHT! YOU’RE UP!” Pinkie cheered loudly.

Starlight headed over and grabbed the mic. She cleared her throat and looked at her friends. "Before I begin, I'd like to say a few things. I know you all wish to move on from what has occurred 3 days ago. But the thing is… I can’t. For my whole life I had always felt like I didn’t deserve happiness and love. But when I met Princess Twilight, my friends, and… Inferno, I now know that I can also be happy and find love as well. But now… I don’t know if I’ll be happy or be myself again… now that he’s gone. But one thing I know for sure, is that he gave me the opportunity to love, and I'll forever cherish it. So for this song… I’ll sing on the behalf of each and everyone of you, to know that we all deserve to feel love… and i’ll sing… for Inferno.” After giving her heartfelt speech, Starlight then plays the song of her choice. And it wasn’t what anyone expected.

The group, who were filled with happiness earlier, were now filled with grief. But Eternal showed his respect most of all by putting his fist against his heart. His strong brotherly bond towards Inferno still affects him and one way or another, he'll bring him back and reunite him with his loved ones, including his faithful girlfriend. No one can stand seeing Starlight so sad and lonely without her boyfriend.

After her song ended, everyone got up from their seat and gave Starlight a group hug. Starlight can’t help but shed in tears of warmth by her friends comforting her during her time of grieving.

“Thank you so much… everyone.” Starlight barely said as she was feeling comfort by her friends’ group hug.

"We've always got your back. No matter what," Eternal replied.

"Eternal… you're very kind. In a way… you're like the big brother I've always wanted," she said.

"I guess Inferno was right about us… We are one big, happy family.” Pinkie stated.

Later that night, once the festivities were over and everyone went home, Sunset and Eternal had the entire house to themselves. Sunset was dressed in her cute PJs and Eternal was topless, wearing only his black sweats. Both of them were staring out Sunset's window, looking up at the night sky above. Sunset was resting her head on Eternal's lap and he was stroking her head gently while watching the moon shine brightly in the night sky.

"The night sure is peaceful, isn't it?" Eternal asked.

"It sure is," Sunset confirmed with a soft whisper. She then realized something. "Eternal? If you're half demon, doesn't the light emitting from the moon hurt you?"

"Only if we're in Equestria. Because my aunt Luna is in charge of raising and lowering the moon every night, it's natural for it to have traces of her magic. But since we're in the human world and the moon moves on its own, it can't hurt me," Eternal assured. "Now… there's something I gotta say that's been eating me up."

"Really? What is it?" Sunset asked, thinking he's gonna say what she's expecting him to say.

"I… I love you. And… I'm sorry. I never should've been so hard on you that one time when we argued when you sent in Flash and Halo. I acted foolishly. You know I love you very much and I would never do anything to purposely hurt you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" Eternal asked, stroking her cheek.

"Yeah. Of course I forgive you. I love you, too and I'm also sorry for that little incident. I was just blinded by my frustration and didn't consider that your secret was too painful for you to tell me. What do you say we just… forget that ever happened and start over?" Sunset asked.

"If it's with you… then I'm all for it… always," Eternal replied. He put his hand behind her head and picked her up and placed his other arm around her waist. Their eyes turned half-lidded, slowly closing them. They leaned in close to each other and sealed their bond as boyfriend and girlfriend with a passionate kiss on the lips.

With the moon as their witness, it's beautiful rays of light shone down upon the two lovers as if to congratulate them on this blessed evening.

But, little do they know, a sinister plot from a brand new threat was about to unfold back in Equestria's Canterlot. In a secret place, a hooded stallion had a picture of young Eternal Flames pinned on the wall and stabbed it with a knife.

"Just you wait. You'll get yours someday," the stallion said in a deep tone.

The Beginning of the End

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In the dead of the night, right around 3 AM, in the distant island where the castle once stood and now reduced to rubble, a great disturbance was about to unfold. In the catacombs of the castle, where everything was still intact, a large, dark crystal remained there undisturbed, still chained up… until now. The dark crystal was slowly beginning to crack and within this crystal, a figure was curled up as if in a deep slumber.

Suddenly, the area around this crystalized figure began to rumble. The disturbance caused the crystal to crack more and the figure's eyes opened wide, revealing his golden yellow eyes and slit, demonic pupils. Soon, the crystal broke apart and the figure was freed. It was a human, a young male who was probably still a young adult.

He let out a deep breath, gazing at his empty surroundings. As he stood up, he let out a loud, thunderous roar. A roar that would shatter mountains and make the gods themselves tremble beneath him in fear. The shockwaves of his roar caused the rest of the castle to crumble, but through his sheer brute strength and newfound demonic powers, he rose out of the ruins of the already decaying structure. He dug his way out and found the night sky, then some lights out in the distance.

The demonized young man roared again, having found the perfect place to start wreaking havoc and destruction upon. And he’ll feel no remorse, nor mercy at all.

Meanwhile in the realm where Death and Harmony live in, both divine entities felt this strange disturbance as well and both of them knew this was no natural enemy they sensed.

"You felt that, too?" Death asked.

“I’m afraid so… the rage, the bloodlust… I had never felt that in ages.” Harmony replied.

"And that's not all. His power will just keep growing stronger the longer his anger and rage continues to linger. I've never sensed this much hate in over a millenia," Death said in shock. "I only hope the others can stop this menace."

“I hope so too, but this evil will not be the only one they’ll face…. I sense another evil at play. One who wishes to bring upon Equestria something that has never happened in many millenniums before.” Harmony stated with worry.

“And what do they wish to bring upon, my love.” Death asked while grasping his wife’s hands. Harmony turns to her husband with a calm, yet fearful expression on her face.

“War.” She said.

Death was never one to fear anything. But a war is something he hopes will never come to pass in this situation. And another thing that fears him the most was that; whenever there is conflict, his brother would surely follow, along with his other two brothers. Ever since he fell in love with Harmony, Death left his brothers a long time ago. Leaving them to squabble with one another. But if what Harmony said is true, then he’ll be forced to see them once again.

Morning had arrived. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The birds were singing and Sunset had woken up from her well-deserved rest. It was 9:30 A.M and she looked to her right, seeing her new boyfriend still sleeping peacefully with his long, red hair covering up parts of his face. She chuckled from how peaceful he looked.

Knowing that it was morning, Sunset decided that it was time to get up. She sat up in her bed, stretching out her arms and groaned as she did it. After being fully awake, she got up from the bed and went downstairs into the kitchen for a glass of water. Apparently, she woke up with a dry throat and needed to hydrate it.

Minutes later, she heard the bed creaking upstairs and heard footsteps descending. She knew what was coming and was waiting for it. Soon, she felt arms wrapping around her from behind. "Good morning. Sleep well, my sleeping beauty?" Eternal whispered.

"Sure did. How about you?" Sunset asked before she turned to give him a peck on the lips.

"Yup, sure did. So what are the plans for today?" he asked, letting her go while he went to get some water himself.

"Nothing much. I was thinking of maybe just watching a little TV for a bit and then ask my friends out for some lunch at Sugar Cafe," Sunset shrugged.

"Is that so? Well then, I guess I'd better get ready," Eternal replied. He chugged down his cup of water before heading over to the bathroom to get washed up. The whole time, Sunset couldn't stop eyeballing his well-toned butt. She felt like she was living in a fantasy world. Then again, being born into a magical world of talking ponies is fantasy in itself. But even so, this was her reality and for once in her life, she's glad to be in it as long as she has Eternal by her side.

Her thoughts were then interrupted by her phone going off from upstairs. Curious as she is, Sunset headed upstairs and searched for her phone. After a few seconds, she eventually found it and answered the caller.

“Hello, Sunset Shimmer, speaking.” She said.

"Sunset! SUNSET!!! DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?!" Pinkie's voice yelled.

"No, Pinkie. What's going on? Why do you sound so freaked out?" Sunset asked, confused.

"Turn on the TV! TURN ON THE TV!!!" she shouted. Sunset had to put the phone away from her ear from how loud Pinkie was getting. She walked over to the TV and turned it on. "Change it to channel 13!"

"The news? What's so important on the news now? More crime?" Sunset asked, changing the channel before she gasped at what she saw.

"--multiple casualties were reported on this once supposed deserted island. Keep in mind, the footage you're about to watch… is extremely graphic," the news anchor woman said. The screen then showed footage of some people on a boat, watching what looked like Timber Spruce entering the island. And then out of nowhere, a strange flaming demonic figure pops out of the rubble of the destroyed castle, startling the lifeguard.

This strange creature then lets out a mighty roar when he sees his target. Timber in the video attempts to flee, but the creature lept in front of him,grabbing him by the waist.

"Help! HELP ME! HELP ME!!!" he shouted. Suddenly, Sunset sees a gruesome scene that'll never leave her. The creature, who was twice the size of any man, takes Timber by his legs and his upper torso and proceeds to pull him apart little by little. Timber was screaming and shrieking in pain and agony before his body completely pulled in two and then tossed aside, left to bleed to death. This brutal monster let out another roar that was different from its previous one, as if shouting in victory.

The video ended and the screen went back to the news anchor woman. "Truly… a terrifying sight to behold. The incident of this terrible massacre took place at 6:37 A.M this morning. What is this monster, how could it cause such carnage to our beloved citizens, where did it come from and what is its true motive? Police are ordering an immediate evacuation from the beaches to ensure their safety if this monster tries to escape the island. More on this story as it develops," she said.

"Pinkie… get the others… and meet me at my house. And I mean everyone! Get here as soon as you can!" Sunset said, urgently.

"Aye Aye, Captain!" Pinkie replied before both girls hung up.

After hanging up, Sunset immediately got herself dressed up and soon rushed over to the bathroom, where Eternal is in, to knock onto the door.

“Eternal, get dressed. Our friends will be arriving here soon.” She said as she rushed downstairs before he could respond back.

"Oh? What's the occasion?" he asked from inside. After receiving no response from Sunset since she headed downstairs before he could reply. Eternal just finished up his daily personal hygiene routine and then came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and cleaned up. "Sunset, what's going on? Is something troubling you?" he asked again.

"Eternal, someone just got killed today. I think it might've been a demon that slipped out from under our noses," Sunset implied, putting her boyfriend on high alert.

"What?! Shit! How did that even happen?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I've told Pinkie to get the others here as soon as possible," Sunset said.

“Already here, Sunset!” Pinkie’s voice called to the two, who turned around and saw all their friends entering the front door, looking tired and restless as if they were pulled out of bed.

“Wha-Wait, What! How did you all get here so fast?” Sunset asked out of shock.

“Pinkie barged into our homes, told us that you wanted us over to your house, and then dragged us to our music band bus and drove us all the way here.” Fluttershy answered.

“And I never got to have breakfast or spend some me time.” Israel stated.

“Nor did any of us.” Applejack added.

"What's all this about anyway?" Rarity asked.

"And what's with those disturbed looks?" Lightning pointed out.

"Apparently there was something on the news that Pinkie wanted me to see. Do any of you know about Timber Spruce?" Sunset asked.

"You mean my ex? What about him?" Twilight asked.

Sunset paused for a second to take a deep breath, then looked towards everyone. "Earlier this morning, Timber Spruce… was murdered." This shocking news struck almost everyone with shock and awe. "He was… literally torn in half by what looked like a demon. It happened out on the island where the castle once was.”

“A demon? What kind was it?” Heat asked.

"I don't know what it was, I couldn't see its face. But it was definitely 2 times bigger than Timber and it looked like sparks of fire were flickering all over his body.” Sunset explained.

“We never saw a demon like that, after all, we spent 5 years under the influence of one.” Blazing stated, gesturing to himself and the other boys.

"Wait… I think I remember something about this creature while the guys and I were still under the command of Grogar," Israel stated.

"Yeah, I remember, too. He was once a human who showed nothing but bitter hate and had a desire to destroy someone. Grogar deemed him untamable and crystalized him in order to keep him at bay," Copper said.

"I didn't know Grogar couldn't handle a human," Rainbow asked.

"This one was a very hard case. We tried to train him, but there was no point. He had beaten us all, but it just wasn't enough for him. Grogar had to use some of his power to knock him out AND crystalize him. In turn, it shortened his life energy a bit faster," Israel explained.

"It sounds like he might be some sort of rogue demon we've never heard of. We're gonna have to put out all the stops to take care of him," Twilight said.

"Like the old saying goes, when one journey ends, a new one begins," Frostbite said. "Or was it "When one threat is defeated, an even greater one'll take its place?"

"Actually both of those statements are true. Good call, Frostbite," Fluttershy said.

"So we've got some rogue demon we gotta stop, but we have no clue on how to stop him. What's our best course of action?" Lightning asked.

“Guys, guys… Don’t we all know a certain drakai who is the current Lord of Tartarus and may have a stockpile of demon knowledge.” Pinkie hinted.

"Ya mean Daris?" AJ asked.

"We could ask him, but none of us have our demon powers… well, except for Eternal because he has demon blood inside of him," Lightning said.

"So how do we contact Daris?" Rainbow asked.

As the group tried to come up with a solution, an idea suddenly popped into Eternal’s head. "Hang on a second, I think I might know of a way to contact him!" he exclaimed. “Some time ago, when Equestria was under the threat of the Storm King, I saw Tempest using a type of communication spell to speak to him. What if we used that kind of spell to contact Daris?”

“That sounds fantastic, Eternal! But there’s one problem…. How do we get a communication spell in a world that has no magic?” Twilight asked.

The group would have lost hope, until they heard Fluttershy grab their attention. Once the group had their eyes turned on her, they saw a potion bottle in her hand which Eternal immediately realized as the potion to make the communication spell.

“Would this help?” Fluttershy said.

“Fluttershy, where did you get that?” Eternal asked out of confusion.

“Well… before he left, Daris gave me this; saying that if I ever needed to, I would always keep tabs with him. I didn’t know what he meant, but when you talked about the communication spell, I thought maybe this potion could be related to it.” Fluttershy explained.

"Fluttershy, you're a genius!" Sunset said with glee, hugging her friend.

“Oh, it's nothing. Besides it’ll be great to see Daris again.” Fluttershy replied.

“Fluttershy, it's been one day since we’ve seen Daris.” Heat said.

“But it feels like a year!” Fluttershy complained. “I’m worried that the other demons are gonna give him a hard time. What if they hurt him?!” The animal lover was in panic mode.

“Shy, this is Daris we’re talking about, the Drakai that punched a hole through Grogar’s heart. Plus, he's the reigning king of Tartarus, I think he’ll be fine.” Rainbow assured her friend.

"Well… I guess you're right," Fluttershy said.

“Well now that we have the potion, all we need to do is contact him.” Eternal said as Fluttershy hands him over the potion. Soon he grabs a large metal bowl from the kitchen and fills it with water, then he activates the communication spell by pouring the potion into the bowl of water. Soon, the smoke rises and the image of Daris' face appears. The Drakai was now a foot bigger than he was before and now has red stripes on his body, and he was wearing silver armor which looked similar to the Alpha Drakai’s armor.

“Who has commanded my presence?” The Drakai said with a very commanding tone.

“Hi Daris! Remember me?.” Fluttershy said after she shoved Eternal out of the way in excitement to see her demon friend.

“Fluttershy?! Well I'll be damned in the Afterlife! It's wonderful to see you, even though it's been a day after we last spoke.” The Drakai replied with greater joy.

“We see that you improved your voice use.” Heat said.

“Well, when your Lord of Tartarus, You need a strong commanding voice to force all of the entire underworld to obey me…. It's exhausting I tell you.” Daris replied. "Anyways, what is that my most trusted and wonderful friends ask of me?”

“Ooooh, looks like Daris has even learned how to speak like royalty as well.” Rarity whispered to Lightning.

"We have some bad news to share, Daris. Recently earlier this morning, there was a murder that took place out on the island where the castle was. We have reason to believe it might've been a human who was captured by Grogar and kept under lock and key. He escaped and slaughtered someone and he might attack the city," Sunset explained.

The group awaited for a reply from the Drakai, but Daris didn’t say a word and sat silent in his throne. However, when he did reply…. “HE GOT OUT?!?!?!?!” He shouted with rage, which caused the smoke of the spell to spark lightning as he shouted. “I was informed by my guards that they would have him transferred back to Tartarus. Now I’ll have to deal with them once this problem is solved.”

"Is he really that bad?" Rarity asked.

"If you witnessed the amount of hate that lurks within his heart, you'd be doing the same thing I would've done. He's worse than Grogar and the Fallen Souls put together!" Daris explained in a deep tone.

"What can we do to help?" Fluttershy asked.

“No Fluttershy, you and all your friends need to stay away from him, at all cost!” Daris responded out of concern. “This soul is far stronger and more destructive than any other demon you have seen before. No mortal soul can ever defeat him. Which is why I don’t want any of you risking your lives to defeat him… Its suicide!”

"Even myself?" Eternal asked.

"You're better off staying away, too. But should he happen to cross your path, you must get out of there as best as you can. Nothing in the mortal realm can defeat this corrupted monster, not even a former demon king," Daris confirmed. “I beg you all to stay out of this…. This is a fight, you cannot win.” Those were his last words before the smoke of the spell dispersed and vanished into thin air.

“Well… he was very helpful.” Rainbow said sarcastically.

“He was just worried about us, Dash. That’s how he is.” Fluttershy replied.

"Ah know he means well now, but Ah say we still need to find this monster feller and help Daris take him down," Applejack said.

"Same here, we can't just sit around doing nothing," Frostbite said.

"No, you guys have to stay safe. Remember, you just got your regular lives back and you've lost your demon powers. Take this time to reconnect with your families. They mean a whole lot more than saving the world to you right now," Twilight said.

"But, that creep is out there somewhere!" Blazing Waters argued.

"And we've dealt with similar enemies in the past. You guys are still inexperienced in battle. Sure, you fought us as the Fallen Souls, but you don't have the power anymore. I'm gonna have to agree with Twilight, so no, you're not fighting him," Rainbow argued back.

“Hey! We fought Inferno Blaze, you know the most skilled fighter Equestria has ever seen.” Lightning said just to make a point.

“Not actually.... He, uh, was kicking all your butts in seconds.” Fluttershy stated.

“Ok…. Poor choice of words.” Lightning responded. “But still…”

“No BUTS, mister! You boys are staying out of this.” Rarity said.

"Even me?" Heat asks.

"Afraid so, Heat. You suffered some serious trauma when Grogar tortured you like that. I think it's best if you rest up and stay with your mom. But, if we ever get injured, we'll come to you to get healed up," Twilight said before kissing him on the cheek.

"I understand. Just promise me you'll come home safely when all of this is done," Heat said, cupping her cheeks, She nods and they share one more kiss.

"Be careful out there," Heat said. Twilight nods and the two break away.

"Alright, let's go. We've got a job to finish," Twilight said in a serious tone. The other girls nod and huddle up, formulating their next move.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city in an abandoned building on the south side, a sinister plot was being forged. A man in a black hooded robe, along with three other people were gathered together in a circle.

"Never in all my years, in all my wildest dreams, have I even thought of something like this. Are you sure you heard that old fool right about the crystals?" one deep voice asked from the deepest shadows. "I still say this is far fetched."

"Trust me, there's no doubt in my mind he said it. Gather the demon crystal shards and a moon stone gem and all the power will be at our fingertips," the leader confirmed.

“But what of those pests that reside in this world. I had just gotten word that they too are searching for the shards, all to bring back their friend from the dead.” Another voice asked among the three. “The one that has been framed for your crime.”

"Should they get in your way… capture them and bring them all to me. But there's one individual I advise you to not attack: the one called Sunset Shimmer. I have my own reasons for that," the leader said.

“Well they might not be a problem to our plans. After all I heard of an all-powerful demon wreaking havoc upon this world, one that’ll distract them from the real threat.” The third person spoke out. “But if they do reach the shards and resurrect their friend… you know that you'll be the first one he’s after.”

"I'm well aware of that. Which is why that rampaging monster out there is going to ensure they don't achieve that goal. And what better way to ensure that than by luring the beast over to your enemies and watch them be destroyed”

"Fair point. I can easily have my soldiers lead that buffon to the others. I can already see the power falling into our hands. This will be a glorious day for us," the deep, dark voice said.

“Indeed, and with that power in our grasp, we can finally bring down that tyrant bitch that rules over the land of Equestria.” The third voice proclaimed.

"Yes… she will fall and have no choice but to come crawling to me for mercy while you make all of Equestria bow before you. Now… let's rally the soldiers and search the island for the crystals. But keep a low profile. We don't want to arouse suspicions," the leader said. "And one more thing before we move out: ...all hale the Dark Trinity."

"All hale the Dark Trinity," All three hooded men said in unison. The three men gave out deep, evil laughs. It would seem the battle has only just begun. As darkness has now found new life and has slowly grown across two worlds. Soon our heroes will now fight on two fronts, against two threats that wish to destroy everything they love and cherish. Will they defeat these two evils and bring peace to both Equestria and Earth? And will they succeed in bringing back one of their own from the afterlife? Only time will tell. The true battle of light and darkness… has only just begun.

Heirs of Grogar

by Israel Yabuki

The Gloves Are Off

The Aid of an Assassin

A Fine Mess This Turned Out To Be

A Dark Turn

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

The Hunt Begins

The Tide Shifts

Love and Heartache In The Night

The Time For Talk Is Over

It's Time To Take Action

The Hour of the Devil

Equestria Assemble!!!

The Real Hero

Celebration and Grief on The Boys' Birthdays

The Beginning of the End