Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: A park near the Ponyville borders

Time: 1004 years after the defeat of Nightmare Moon

Twilight looked Flaming Star as he finished his tale. "So that's it?" she said, "A feeling of inadequacy? A need to win?"

Flaming Star stretched and tried his best to appear nonchalant as he replied, "I- I suppose so. A perfectionist by extension. I promised the Paradox I would be the best… And I… am… the… best."

Twilight looked at Flaming Star's face attempting to look determined, but saw through the ploy. "I understand what you're feeling. I too try to be a perfectionist, but it can be hard."

Flaming Star looked at Twilight again, was she just making these parallels up? Or did she truly understand what he went through. Slowly he said, "You… understand?"

Twilight smiled quietly and placed a hoof on his shoulder, "I understand. However, something princess Celestia taught me was that it is good to try to be a perfectionist, but you cannot let the perfectionist become you. You have other things to your life, and trying best may be important, but it cannot carry on to your interactions with other ponies."

Flaming Star nodded slowly, "I've spent so much time trying not to let the power become me that I let the perfection take control. Well… thanks… I guess."

Then after a pause, Twilight frowned and said, "But what you did was wrong."

Flaming Star closed his eyes and groaned as he said, "Yeah, yeah. I KNOW it was wrong and selfish and screwed up. But... but I couldn't stand people knowing that their example, their leader had failed on a stupid little mission with a group of fully-trained veterans."

Twilight sighed as well as she replied, "It can be difficult, but as Sunset said, it's not about the immediate victory! Friends matter more right?"

Flaming Star looked down at his hoofs and said, "I really don't have any friends," he confessed, "just followers. I never saw the use in friends thanks to the fact that I thought that some connection greater than teamwork would skew my judgment skills vital for planning out a victory."

Twilight looked somberly at Flaming Star as she said, "From the looks of it, your judgment skills were already askew. Victory shouldn't be the predominate factor in any situation; it is simply a sign that you delivered well. But a victory is not a victory over the dead bodies of friends. And even if you didn't have friends then... you have one now."

Flaming Star stared blankly ahead and there was an uncomfortable pause, soon Twilight began to rise, and Flaming Star, against his better judgment, blurted out: "Would you… come to lunch with me?"

Twilight, who had been wishing he would say that the second she had finished talking gave a huge bounce and exclaimed, "Yes please!"

Flaming Star eyed her scrupulously as he said, "Okay… Well, do you know any good places to eat?"

Twilight nodded vigorously, "There a special place I like to go to all the time in Ponyville. Follow me!"

Torn between a mild excitement and a bitter regret about the new situation he had gotten himself into, Flaming Star followed the obviously ecstatic Twilight slowly as she literally bounced through town square. As they moved, Twilight talked. "While we're eating, I can tell you about my adventures! And then maybe you could tell me about a few of yours! It will be really exciting! Ooooh! Maybe we could even write a book about it all! I could put it in a special place in the library for ponies to read! What should we call it? The adventures of Twilight and Flaming Star?"

Flaming Star simply groaned and put his head down, trying to be inconspicuous. He then noticed Sunset and Fluttershy standing and watching him from a distance. Fluttershy just smiled while she put a hoof about Sunset, and Sunset simply grinned and winked. Flaming Star averted his gaze as he followed the bouncing Twilight through the town.

"Oh dear," said Fluttershy as Flaming Star and Twilight passed out of view, "Flaming Star doesn't look at all happy."

Sunset nodded, "Yep. That will happen to a pony when he's grumpy, and boy is that pony grumpy. I just hope he will begin to understand what it means to get off his pedestal and understand to act and be nice like the rest of us."

Flaming Star heard every word Sunset had said, but he chose to ignore it, instead shaking his head and continuing to follow Twilight. Soon they arrived at the little restaurant on a corner a few blocks down from Sugar Cube corner. The waitress was most certainly surprised to see a regal-looking, yet extremely bothered, alicorn and a hyper-excited Twilight walk in.

"Oh, er… lunch for two?" Asker the waitress, a little bit flustered. Flaming Star nodded, he then turned to Twilight.

"Twilight," he said, "stop bouncing for one second and hand me an example of your people's currency, please."

Twilight gave him a bit, after a minute of looking it over carefully, he used his tremendous powers to duplicate a small bag of them. Twilight stopped talking for a moment to look at them. "Are you allowed to do that?" she said.

Flaming Star looked at the bag and said, "I am a traveler, I think I'm allowed to do it… at least once."

The waitress returned and seated them in a nice spot outside. The waitress then handed them their menus. Flaming Star looked over it with an amused expression. Ponies were vegetarians, so he wasn't surprised to see everything containing only green foods in one way or another.

Looking the menu over for a bit, he decided he would have the oat soup, while Twilight decided on the daisy sandwich. As the waitress took their orders and went off to prepare it, Twilight said, "So, Flaming Star, how do you like it here?"

Flaming Star looked about for a moment before saying, "It's okay. By far the most peaceful, of course, but I suppose I really have been too shaken up to let it all sink in."

Twilight nodded slowly as he talked, and then said, "What do you think of Sunset?"

Flaming Star snorted at the question, but then replied, "Eh, he's a good kid. I'm surprised he got married though. Last time we met, the only thing I was thinking was how wonderful it would be to kill him and leave his body strewn across the molten plains of the battlefield. But… but he's really different now, you guys have changed him in ways I cannot imagine! What's your secret?"

Twilight gave him a huge smile and said, "The magic of friendship."

Flaming Star blinked at her. After a pause, he said, "The magic… of friendship. That's it."

Twilight nodded vigorously, "Never underestimate it! It changed me as well! There is something in it that changes everypony!"

Flaming Star thought about it for a moment and then said, "I… suppose… I guess I really haven't had time to contemplate it really. I never had any friends, I never trusted myself or the other people, and, sadly, it paid off when most of the people who had tried getting close to me turned against each other. It wasn't pretty, and I saw it eat away at Sunset, turning him into a monster. But he seems to be really happy now!"

At this moment, the waitress brought out the food, and the two tucked in. After a bit, they returned to their conversation.

"Well, if Sunset can trust us, I am sure you can too!" exclaimed Twilight.

Flaming Star thought about it for a moment. "I… don't know," he said, "I will have to think about it."

"What's there to think about?" Persisted Twilight

"Twilight, you must understand, Sunset is young and gullible, the betrayals dug out his heart, but the wounds were fresh, and you and your friends love restored his soul before the cancer had dug too deep, but me… well… let's just say your perspective of literally EVERYTHING changes when you become my age." Said Flaming Star after a bit more though.

Twilight seemed to accept the answer, but immediately followed it up. "That's another thing! What is it like to be so old?!"

Flaming Star sighed, "I don't know… just… old. I was blessed with a timeless personality, so I never felt affected by the ages, but I consistently get bouts of déjà vu, nostalgia, and sometimes depression. Eternity is a long time, and it's starting to feel like I have the real deal."

Twilight quieted down after that somber response and the two ate in silence for a time. Finally, Twilight said, "Will you really live forever?"

Flaming Star tried to smile, but failed. "Eh… No. I have at least another dozen thousand years on me, but the world changes, and sometimes I want the multiverse to just stand still. I can no longer just enjoy the moment, for even a hundred years is nothing but a mere drop in the ocean of the lifetime of a dimensional traveler."

Twilight smiled sadly, she suddenly reached across and took Flaming Star's hoof in her own, and they remained in the position for a good thirty seconds. Blushing profusely, Twilight let go and looked down, then she said, "Did that moment just pass on by?"

Flaming Star stared at the hoof Twilight had been holding, for the first time in his life… he was speechless. After a pause, he said, "I- I really cannot say…"

For the rest of the lunch, the two ate without talking. Flaming Star paid for the food, and the two went on their own separate ways. He sat under a tree and watched as the sun crossed over zenith and traveled on to the full west. After a bit, Sunset passed by. He stopped when he saw Flaming Star and sat next to him.

"Greetings firstborn," said Sunset as he sat down next to him.

Flaming Star barely registered his presence for a second, then he mumbled, "Just call me Flaming Star, Sunset."

Sunset grinned and said, "I know that face. What kind of lunch did you have anyway?"

Flaming Star glared defensively at Sunset and snapped, "It was nothing big, we just ate lunch, no big deal."

Sunset continued grinning, "I'm a married pony, Flaming Star, I know how these things worth. For once, and I'm sure you will be forced to agree, I know more about this all than you do."

Flaming Star sighed resignedly and said, "Well… she did say some stuff that really held onto my brain. Something that rarely happens. I guess our conversation really gave me pause… amazing."

Sunset looked at the sun slowly setting and said, "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

Flaming Star nodded, "I am. Pinkie Pie's party. You, er, you are invited if you wish to go."

Sunset chuckled, "It would be foolish of me to refuse a Pinkie invitation. Would you mind if I brought some friends over?"

Flaming Star shrugged, "From what I perceive of this Pinkie Pie… I am sure no one would mind."

With that, the two alicorns got up and went their separate ways. Flaming Star immediately traveled to Sugar Cube corner and knocked. The door flew open and Pinkie Pie's head popped out.

"There you are slow-poke! Let's go! We're about to play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony!"

Flaming Star just raised his eyebrows, but Pinkie grabbed his hoof and dragged him inside. The building was brightly lit, and colorful streamers were everywhere.

"Here we are! You're welcome-to-Ponyville party! Ooooh! Let's go meet my friend friend friends! You've already met my friend friend friends Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and Fluttershy, but I have more friend friend friends that I want you to meet!"

With that, Pinkie dragged Flaming Star over to a small group of ponies at the food table.

"This is Rarity!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Oh my," said Rarity as she saw Flaming Star, "I am delighted to meet you my dear sir. Are you a prince?"

Flaming Star laughed, "Well, I suppose you could say that. I am please to meet you as well, Rarity."

Pinkie then grabbed Flaming Star's hoof again and dragged him to the other end of the table.

"This is Applejack!"

"Howdy partner!" said Applejack, treating Flaming Star to a smile, "How ya' doin'?"

Flaming Star bowed and said, "I am doing fine, Applejack. It is a pleasure to meet you."

At this point, Sunset tapped Flaming Star's shoulder. Flaming Star turned around and said, "Oh, greetings Sunset."

Sunset nodded and said, "I want you to meet one of my closest groups of friends: the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They literally saved my life when I first came here to Ponyville."

Sweetie Bell trotted up and said, "Hi! I'm Sweetie Bell! Please to meet you!"

Then Scootaloo galloped in, with her wings buzzing in excitement as she said, "Yeah! And I'm Scootaloo!"

Finally Apple Bloom came up and said, "I'm Apple Bloom, pleased to meet you!"

Flaming Star bowed and said, "I am pleased to meet all three of you. I am glad to have met you all…"

His voice trailed off as he saw Twilight standing in a corner, talking with Rarity. He gave the CMC a quick smile and trotted off.

"Hey, er Twilight, I-I wanted to thank you for going to lunch with me," Flaming Star said as Rarity moved off to talk to Sweetie Bell.

Twilight blushed and responded, "Thank you. I'm really sorry if I seemed a little too straightforward though."

Flaming Star shook his head, "Oh no, it was fine, your actions really gave me pause, something I have not felt in a long, long time. And coming from someone such as myself, that means a lot."

Twilight looked over at Pinkie and said, "They're playing pin-the-tail-on-the-pony now, do you want to play?"

Flaming Star chuckled as he said, "No, I don't think so, it wouldn't really be fair."

Twilight laughed as Sunset tried his hoof at it and got it perfect in no time at all. "I guess you could say that, I suppose you guys do have a little bit of an advantage."

"No kidding," Chuckled Flaming Star. There was an uncomfortable pause, but after a whole minute (though it seemed like an hour) Flaming Star said, "I'm going to try the food before it's all gone. I will see you later Twilight. Take care of yourself."

Twilight looked disappointed at his going, but nodded and said, "Oh… okay."

Flaming Star gave out a huge sigh as soon as he was out of ear shot, but then decided to go ahead and try some of the food anyway. It was sweet, but it had no substance for Flaming Star, who had probably tasted every food ever in the eons of his existence. After a while of trying to "get into" the feel of the party, he went outside and sat down, looking at the moon rising above them.

"What am I doing here?" he muttered.

Suddenly, he was joined by Sunset, who had seen he leave. Sunset sat down next to him and said, "We're here to recuperate. I came here because my mind had shattered; you came here because your view of the multiverse was compromised. We're all here due to something life-changing, and we're in the right place. Give these ponies a chance, Flaming Star! They are the better than the best friends anypony could want."

Flaming Star shook his head. "I don't know. Unlike you, Sunset, I've never had any friends. Sure, I had people who were nice to me, but that was because their lives literally depended on my actions, and those who truly cared about me eventually learned to hate me due to who I am. Like you, Sunset. It… it really never turns out well."

Sunset thought about what Flaming Star had said for a moment, and then replied, "And what of Twilight? Do you consider her a friend?"

Flaming Star chuckled, almost derisively, "I have no idea. In all my years, I have not met a being quite like her. It's baffling really. I don't know, I just don't know."

Sunset sighed and he got up, "I'm going back inside, let me know if you want any food."

Dimension: The Inferno

Planet: The Inferno

Specific Location: The Inferno

Time: Eternity

The sound reverberated to every corner of the infernal real; the sound of the colossal monument that is Mount Azrael shattering into dust and debris. As the frozen shards finished slicing though the air, the dust cleared, and the rocks of ice and frozen stone finished falling from the sky, the only creature standing was Legion.

Legion took a deep, rumbling breath before taking a step… it shook the entire circle. Legion was massive, twenty feet tall, every square inch covered excessively in layers-upon-layers of powerful armor. Even his face was covered in a powerful masked helmet, with only a thin, red-glowing, T-visor slicing through the face-plate. Extending an armored hand, Legion conjured forth his massive sword, the demonic claymore, out of thin air. Looking at the hellish runes glowing on the side of the blade, Legion nodded his head slowly. He then lifted his left hand and snapped his finger once; a ripple spread through the air as a wordless message was sent: Legion had returned. Almost immediately, the demon Xaphan approached Legion, his head bowed low.

"Commander," he said in rasping tones, "You called for me?"

Legion ignored the trembling demon for a moment as he turned his armored head around slowly, smelling the air.

"The winds of time and space are talking to me," Legion said in a voice like thunder to no one in particular, "It is telling me that the traveler council has fallen and that most dimensions are ripe for the conquest… save three. These are protected by the harmony units, and they cannot be invaded properly by evil. You, underling, will take a score of you best demons and raid the harmony tree dimension first… it is the least protected. Leave no creature alive, we cannot have the harmony units interfering with the plans."

Xaphan nodded and said, "It will be done commander."

As Xaphan scurried off, Legion continued to look around. A soft hum of interest escaped the masked visor as Legion whispered the unintelligible word that Abbadon had said to the mountain two years ago. After that, Legion rumbled a little louder, "Ah… I understand. It is almost time."