(Three years, thirty-three days until nightmare returns)

“Hey, Zebra,” Zecora heard from behind her as she prepared the concoction for the session, “I have a question for you.”

“What is it?” Zecora asked while she continued her work.

“You said that necklace had something to do with marriage back in your land, right?” Zecora tensed up when she heard that question. “Why did you keep it? Are you married to the one who gave it to you?”

A month had passed since Arden had been put into stasis, now it was just her and Chrysalis. Zecora would go hunting, gathering herbs, and keep attempting to get in touch with the town. Meanwhile, Chrysalis was keeping Arden nurtured. The changeling also took upon herself to keep Arden’s body active. Using electric shocks, Chrysalis would stimulate Arden’s muscles. And Zecora, on the other hand, would break down the tension produced by that method using massages.

Chrysalis had also begun to act strangely. The changeling seemed to be concerned with something. However, she would not say what it was worrying her. Sometimes, when Zecora was at home, Chrysalis would sit by the table, close her eyes, and stand still for several hours. Chrysalis’ horn would be glowing the entire time, Zecora did ask about it, the changeling said she was checking on Arden’s mental state.

Every now and then Chrysalis would start a conversation regarding Zecora’s past. Most of the time it was about Zecora’s travels, her training, or sometimes about Arden. The latter topic being the easiest to discuss, and the one to cause a lot of frustration to the Changeling.

“You don’t want to talk about it?” Chrysalis asked while Zecora placed the final ingredient in the cauldron.

“This one...never had the chance to wear the necklace. Giving the necklace represents the proposal. Putting it on in front of a witness completes the ceremony.” Zecora replied with a sad tone. “Gamba left this one before that happened. Therefore, this mare hasn’t married anypony yet.”

“Why keep it then?” Zecora heard as she placed the potion inside vials. “The idiot only hurt you. You should just get rid of the necklace.”

“It was a reminder of what others can do when angered. This one never thought she would find somepony else that she would be interested in after that.”

After saying that, Zecora placed the vials by Arden’s side. Then she walked back to the table and sat opposite Chrysalis. The changeling had Arden’s sword in her hands. Chrysalis would spend her time tinkering with it when she wasn’t taking care of Arden.

“Now that you have this idiot over here. You can just throw it away.”

“That is true. This one might do just that. Or dismantle it for the materials.”

“The real issue is what will you do if this Gamba were ever to come after you.”

“That...This one is not so sure as to what she would do. This one doesn’t think she could face Gamba.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve seen ponies who couldn’t do certain things before become oddly motivated after meeting their so-called ‘love’.”

“Are you trying to cheer this one up?” Zecora asked leaning on top of the table.

“I don’t know. Is it working like that?” Chrysalis replied with a smirk. “But one thing I am sure about is that your little friend over there won’t be happy to meet you all mopy because of the past. And after what you two been through, I guess that neither of you deserves any misery for quite a while.”

Zecora chuckled for a moment. “The changeling has changed a lot since our first meeting.”

The remark seemed to make Chrysalis chuckle quietly. A smirk formed on her muzzle. Chrysalis just kept on tinkering with the blade.

“I’m aware of it. Though, I never expected that I would be like this. Caring for another. Nursing a pony of all things back to health. Befriending the one who hunted me. Regaining my former strength. Using my abilities to heal. Being rescued after a stupid decision.”

“Does the changeling regret it?”

“Oddly enough...” Chrysalis said as the smirk turned into a sincere smile. “...no. Being like this feels good. I just wish things would always stay like this.”

“Why won’t they?” Zecora asked as she tilted her head.

“First, your friend over there has to wake up. Second, I still need to free my kind. Therefore, I will eventually head out to face them. Once I’m Queen, I won’t be able to spend time with you like this.”

“In that case. This one shall come to visit you every time she can.” Zecora replied smiling.

“I would like that. Please do.”

After that last sentence, the room went quiet. They both just sat there. Enjoying each other’s company, Zecora wasn’t inclined to go out and Chrysalis seemed too busy messing with the sword to leave. Zecora looked over to where Arden was resting. The reason for all the recent changes in her life.

‘How much change can one pony bring by simply appearing? It forced its way into this one’s life. And now, this one can’t see herself going back to how life was before this. One year, just one year has passed. And yet, so much happened that it feels like longer.’

“Chrysalis,” Zecora said breaking the silence. “Has the cerulean caused any changes to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Has something in the changeling’s life changed?”

Chrysalis stopped messing with the sword. She placed it on top of the table and crossed her arms. Chrysalis had an annoyed expression on her face as she seemed to be trying to think.

“As much as I hate to admit it. Basically, everything that changed for me is his fault. Because of the stallion that suddenly appeared in front of my hideout. Because of the stallion that tricked me and ticked me off as no other being has ever done before.”

“Does the changeling care about him at least a bit now?”

“I can say that I tolerate him.”

“That’s some progress,” Zecora said chuckling.

(Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia’s chambers)

“Celestia, I long for the day I can finally return to your side. The months continue to pass as I am forced to watch your golden sun cross the sky and illuminate the land and I am unable to see you. What helps keep my desires in check is the promise I made and the beautiful creations you make. The serene sunset that paints the sky pink as your eyes. The white clouds that playfully travel across the sky remind me of your snow white coat.”

“I hope this finds you well. Please be assured that I won’t falter in my pursuit for the cure of my illness.”

The princess read that letter out loud in her room. That was one of the many letters she traded with her admirer. Celestia kept all of the letters he sent, ever since the letter where he confessed his feelings. Arden had made sure to answer every single letter she ever sent to him and that allowed her to fill one box with them. He even went out of his way to tell her about his progress with magic.

And that was not all. Celestia had another special box. This box was guarded in more secrecy than the first one. Why? Because this box contained something that she had received from Arden at Hearts Warming Eve. Arden sent her a picture of himself, in fact, he sent many pictures of himself in different scenarios. How did he do it? Arden said he couldn’t tell her how.

The pictures were of him exercising, fighting a blurry image, carrying rubble, running, crafting potions. The background was always blurry like a surreal painting of sorts which made Celestia unable to discern where he was. Very rarely Celestia would receive a picture of him in a close-up. Those usually were taken in a pale light, probably the moon or an indoor area.

Receiving all those pictures and letters and keeping them in secret felt wrong. A princess shouldn’t keep secrets from her subjects, however, ever since Arden arrived she had been piling them up like crazy. But somehow, Celestia felt a rush and excitement with the idea of keeping all of that under the wraps. She had never been so close to somepony like that.

The excitement made her think of something. Something that caused her to feel insecure and ashamed. Celestia had thought of sending Arden a picture of herself. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The mixture of shame and excitement caused her to back away from the thought whenever it happened to appear.

‘I wonder how strong he is now. How long until he returns? I can’t wait to see him again. Oh, well. I guess I can read one more letter before going out for my duties.’

Celestia picked up another letter. That one was a bit different. One night, Celestia received a letter from Arden that had a bit of a different tone to it. Most of them asked how she was, how he wished her well, how he longed to see her, and so forth. This one had something else.

“Princess, I can’t help but wonder. How would it feel to kiss your lips? What taste would you have? I wish to try it. I want to feel it. How does it feel to be embraced by you with nothing in between our bodies? I want to feel your warm embrace. Just the two of us in a moment where we can forget everypony else. I want to caress your mane. I want to sleep by your side. Your touch, your warmth. I-?!”

Celestia stopped reading. In the corner of her eyes, she saw somepony she recognized. A lavender unicorn, with her eyes wide open. A huge smile on her face as her eyes beamed.

“T-Twilight?! I-I this is not what if looks like!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!” Twilight squealed as she shot down the door.

“Twilight? Please calm down!”

“The Princess has an admirer! The Princess has an admirer! You have to tell me everything! Who is he? Or is it a she? Do I know them! What is in the box over there?”

Celestia was so flustered that she forgot about her magic. Celestia tried to get out of her bed the fastest she could. But all she accomplished was her landing face first on the floor. When she got up, Celestia saw Twilight with some of the pictures and some letters in her hands. Celestia’s student was turning red as her eyes scanned each picture.

“Twilight!” Celestia shouted taking the pictures and letters from Twilights hands. “You know better than to go poking around somepony else’s things!”

“Princess, did you fall for Arden?” Twilight asked with a smirk.

“O-of course not! He is the one who has been sending me these indecent things!”

“Then why are you keeping them?” Twilight’s smirk shifted into a mischievous grin.

“I-I-I can use them to make sure that he can’t try and run away from the assignment I gave him.”

“Then why is your lipstick marking that picture you’re holding?”

Celestia froze up. With a bit of hesitation, she moved her eyes slowly to one of the pictures she had in her hands. Twilight was right. There was a mark of her lips on the picture of Arden. Celestia began to sweat a lot. She tried to form words in an attempt to explain why that was there. But all that came out of her mouth were a series of “I”s and “a”s. Celestia took a deep breath and slammed everything she had taken out of the boxes in their respective spots.

“Princess?”

Celestia ignored Twilight’s voice. Celestia then used her magic to pick up all of her things. After that, she pulled one book from her shelves. One of the bookcases slid into the floor. Celestia rushed inside and placed the box into the room. She headed back out and closed the door behind her.

“Twilight...” Celestia said with a low tone, her voice was cracking a bit.

“I-I’m sorry Princess. I was just excited. You never showed that sort of interest for any being before. And since...and since I spend a lot of time with you because of your tutoring...I was happy to see you interested in somepony.”

Celestia looked to Twilight. The filly that appeared one day and caused a major ruckus when her magic went overboard, had actually become her confidant. She could talk with Twilight about anything. That pony would be happy just to listen to her talk no matter what the subject was.

‘It’s just like...just like when Luna was with me. When I actually acted as a responsible sister to her.’ Celestia thought as the image of her little sister appeared by Twilight’s side. ‘Twilight, you are a little ray of light that appeared after all that time in the dark. I’m so glad you are my student.’

Celestia walked up to her student and gave her a hug.

“Thank you, Twilight.”

“Princess?”

“Thank you, for being my friend.”

(Ponyville Spa)

“Ms. Rarity! So good to see you again.”

“Good morning, Aloe. How are things going here? And how is Lotus doing?”

“She is okay. You should see the creep who tried to force her to speak.”

“Those ruffians haven’t caused anything but trouble. Perhaps it is a good thing that Arden is away. Imagine how they would be if Arden was still around.”

“They would probably be stalking the stallion 24/7. But back to business. Did you want to make an appointment?”

“Yes. I would like to book the usual request for the next Saturday.”

“A specific hour?”

“How about the first thing after lunch?”

“Sure. I’ll book it right away.”

“Thank you, Aloe. Tell Lotus that I wished her to get well soon.”

“Will do Ms. Rarity. Good luck with your shop.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

After saying that, Rarity got out on the streets. She had to return to her shop and get on with her work. Her shop had become sort of an attraction in the town. Almost every day, ponies would come by the shop from out of town to make some sort of purchase. The jewelry and accessories were the main products to go out. It wasn’t a bad thing, even if Rarity wanted her dresses and other garments to leave. But nevertheless, she was making a decent amount of bits.

It was actually hard to believe that her shop had so many clients in just a year. A small shop in a town whose main profit came from selling produce suddenly attracting the attention of so many ponies? If somepony had told Rarity that her shop would grow so much in one year, she would probably thank them for the vote of confidence. But she knew that keeping a shop running on her own wasn’t an easy task.

Rarity saw her shop in the distance. A handful of ponies were waiting outside. Rarity began to remember how that building was before she began working there. A pile of broken glass and rotten wood. If it wasn’t for her parents’ help, she would probably still be repairing the place. Then there was the day when that weird stallion came running out of the woods.

That day made Ponyville pop-up on the maps and magazines. Visits from the Princess, a news article depicting the strange stallion who had received a special task from the ruler of Equestria. The places that he frequented began to be hotspots for ponies who wanted info about the stranger.

All of that increased the number of ponies visiting, the number of ponies seeing the shop and the number of goods that were purchased in her shop.

‘Arden even helped out with my sales one time. That was the first big sales day I had ever had. Then there was the idea for undergarments. I had so many lucky breaks since he came by. He was like a lucky charm. And I made him be severely injured and then that mystery sickness. Not to mention he has such a mysterious past...oh, I wanted to know all the details! I wonder if any of my stories are correct. Then there is the whole event in four years.’

Rarity opened the door while gesturing for the clients to wait for one moment. Rarity entered the shop and saw the mess of her previous night of work. She had become better at cleaning, however, Rarity still wanted to find herself an assistant to help with the shop. But it wasn’t like any of the stallions in town would agree to work there with the pay she could afford. And most of the mares had their own little stands of goods from flowers to baked goods and even small decorations.

Firing up her horn, Rarity began to clean up. Unusable cloth, fallen needles, scrapped designs. All the efforts that bore no fruits were gathered and discarded. What was still usable was placed aside. It took about twenty minutes to clean up the shop thanks to her magic.

Rarity then walked up to her door and opened it. The handful of ponies that were originally outside had increased substantially. Not that Rarity was about to complain about more costumers.

‘Okay! Time to get to work. Let’s hope that any of these ponies are here for a dress or tuxedo for the upcoming gala. If the news is correct it should happen in two months. Oh, how I wish that I’ve been invited to it. Be surrounded by the high-class of Canterlot. Finding myself a prince. Showing my beautiful creations to all. Although, I might have caught a prince already. I mean...he has sent me a few letters every now and then. I can’t help but wonder what is it that he is doing right now.’

(Castle Town)

“Thanks for escorting me Shining,” Cadence said as they wandered through the town. “I really needed a break from the castle.”

“No problem at all, Princess.”

“Princess? I thought that I had already told you to call me Cadence.”

“I am on duty. I have to show the proper etiquette. Not to mention that the glares aren’t helping a lot with acting naturally.”

“This is so annoying. I wish I could simply change my appearance and walk around without a worry.”

“Why don’t you ask for Princess Celestia’s disguises?” Shining whispered.

“You mean those tacky outfits? I would probably draw more attention than actually hiding under a neon sign with my name on it. Don’t you remember when she was nearly arrested because the guards thought she was a stalker?”

“That was very funny actually,” Shining replied with a chuckle. “But changing the subject a little...”

“What is it?”

“I noticed that you’ve been hanging out with Twilight a lot this past year. Mind if I ask you why? Did she get into some trouble? Or is it problems with guys?”

“Oh, so the protective sibling runs in the family,” Cadence giggled. “It isn’t anything like that. I’m the one who reached out to Twilight.”

“Really? You were asking for help from Twilight?” Shining asked tilting his head.

“Yeah. I’ve been experimenting with my talent. I want to be able to do more with it.”

“What’s with the sudden change? You always said you were happy with what you could do. You were so proud of it.”

“Well, it’s kinda silly actually. I guess I can say that I’ve been stung with a bit of jealousy. I was the only one who could see the hearts of others and tell if they loved another being. But then...”

“Arden came by. And he was able to see any emotion that came by.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda frustrating though. I worked so hard this past year and nothing. Not a single new readable emotion.”

“What about your abilities with your talent?”

“I did make some progress. Blocking out love temporarily. Transferring love between two ponies. Using the love of one to strengthen the other. I discovered a bunch of different uses for my talent. But not a single new emotion I can read,” Cadence said with a sad tone.

“Why are you so sad about it? You discovered a bunch of different things you can do. I know that I would be happy about it.”

“I know I should be happy about that. But I’m not. My talent was unique. And now there is somepony who does the same thing I do and with a wider array of emotions for him to read. How does he do it? It must hurt a lot. Imagine feeling the fear other ponies are feeling. The sadness, anger...it must drive you insane.”

“Why would you be jealous of that?”

“Wouldn’t you? Imagine the mental fortitude you need to be able to withstand it. Sometimes our own emotions overwhelm us and cause enough pain for some to wish for death. Imagine having to deal with that and then add the weight of other ponies emotions. How strong would you need to be? It’s like he could deal with all that while I can only handle love.”

“Which also happens to be one of the strongest feelings out there,” Shining said shrugging. “So before you go selling yourself short. Try to look at how strong you have to be to see the heartache that can be caused by love.”

“That’s true, thank you Shining,” Cadence said smiling at the Captain. “Look at you. Giving good advice to the Princess of Love about love. Haven’t you grown?”

“I guess so,” Shining replied scratching the back of his neck. “Maybe having a protegeé has had an impact on me.”

‘You changed this last year, didn’t you? You would usually be stuttering when I made that sort of remark. Good, I was hoping that he would grow soon. Now he needs to be a better leader. I bet that if he had some sort of motivation his skills won’t stop improving. The valiant knight keeps on growing I guess.'

“The young pegasus? How is she doing?”

“She has promise. But needs to be more patient. She tends to rush things like I used to. I ended up in trouble a lot of times before I learned to think a bit more before acting. I’ll try to get that into her head before she ends up in a bad situation.”

“Aren’t you the responsible one? Well, since you’re so grown up you probably won’t be jealous of the fact that Arden created a shield that withstood a stronger blast than yours. Isn’t that right?”

“Stop pulling my leg, Cadence.”

“I’m dead serious. Celestia told me that she sent him flying after the whole thing in the throne room. She blasted him against a wall and the shield was still standing. Just like he was.”

Cadence saw Shining look at her in disbelief. His ears dropped and then he started to scratch his chin. Then she saw him begin an old habit of his, he started muttering quietly. Shining had a tendency to do this when he felt insecure, or so Twilight told her.

‘I guess that when you’re talent is brought up you’re ought to feel envious. It doesn’t matter how mature or how much you say you don’t care. But that envy can push us to try and better ourselves. Or...to simply make us bitter. I’m glad I ended up as the first option.’

“I guess that I should try a bit harder then.” Shining finally spoke up. “Maybe even talk to him and see if he has any tips for my shields,” he said smiling. His eyes had lightened up like when he was trying his best to become the captain.

“I guess you should. After all, a captain that was outdone by a novice. That won’t look nice on your resumé.”

“Captain that was outdone by a novice...I guess I better try to change that,” Shining retorted with a frown before he started laughing. “I do wonder what that kid is doing. He better be training hard. Otherwise, I’ll be the one to outshine him.”

(???)

Arden grabbed hold of the knob and twisted it. Nightmare following him from behind quietly. They hadn’t talked much since the day Zecora died. Arden would let her out of her chains and then proceed to the next door. He stepped through the door and saw a familiar corridor.

A long corridor that was bathed in golden light. There were big columns, huge stained-glass windows were on his right side. The symbol of a circle with two wings and bove some triangles was present in every single window. Arden walked forward expecting a small skeleton using a blue jacket with a hoodie and some black shorts to pop out of the blue.

The skeleton didn’t appear. Arden saw a small light shining in a dark corner at the end of the corridor. Then a metal glint began to shine in the dark corner.

“The only monster in the underground steps forward,” Arden muttered as a small child stepped forward.

“How can you call a small thing like that a monster?” Nightmare mocked walking up to him.

Arden placed his hand in front of Nightmare blocking her path. “I made a promise to someone that I would be there to help them. And you are getting back to the real world which is where we will meet. So, shut up and stay back. I already lost someone to this place. I’m not about to lose another one.”

“You’re not about to lose another one?”

“The mare who keeps appearing here every single day. As much as she complains about everything I wouldn’t have made it this far if she wasn’t here. Even if she could have helped me save Zecora and didn’t. She showed me that sometimes we won’t have help. So you need to be strong to face whatever they throw at you and protect the ones you love.”

The child was completely out of the shadows and approaching them at a slow pace. They wore a striped blue and purple t-shirt, blue pants, and brown shoes. A golden necklace with a heart-shaped pendant was around their neck. They were armed with a knife and a terrible looking grin. Arden couldn’t see the child’s eyes underneath their hair, but he knew that they were red at that point.

Arden stepped forward and placed himself in the child’s way. They stopped and looked up at him.

“You were probably expecting Sans. Well, you have to make do with me.”

The child raised the knife and pointed at him as if he was challenging Arden.

“Hold your horses now. I suppose should tell you something. Do you remember your friend Flowey?”

The child lowered the dagger.

“He was the one ruling this world before you appeared. He had the power to reset. Do you know why? Because in this world of yours. The power to reset and retry is granted to whoever has the most determination. In other words, the being with the most willpower holds this world in the palm of their hands.”

The child’s grin disappeared.

“Tell me this child: between the two of us, who do you think has the strongest will? Because they will be the ones to win this fight.”

The child dashed at Arden with the knife ready to pierce him. Arden just stepped to the side.

“Easy there, friend. I haven’t even said the intro yet. You haven’t even been judged. This is the judgment hall and you need to be judged for all the Lv. You earned and the Exp you gathered.” The child continued to attempt to cut him. “I declare that you...are about to have a bad time.”

The child’s eyes gave out an eerie red glint before they backed away from Arden. A small red heart appeared in front of the child’s chest.

“Well, kid. It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you. Should be burning in hell.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgt6m6njVw

There weren’t any turns. It was just a relentless assault between a shadow creature and a human child. Arden’s attacks had improved a lot since the night he faced Zecora. He had more focus and precision. His body was lighter and he felt confident about how he fought.

‘Zecora, you helped me grow even after I failed you. I won’t disappoint you. I’m going to keep fighting.’

The kid’s body was slower than the soul in front of it. Arden had struck the child’s body multiple times now. But they would keep moving as if they were unaffected by the damage. Arden, on the other hand, had been affected by the damage his body had received up to that point. That’s when Arden realized what he had to do to win.

‘I have to take down the soul. Bringing the ‘rip your soul out off you’ to a new level. Well, I can’t pull the same stunt as him. But I can do something similar. If my hand can turn into a weapon then maybe...’

Arden parried an attack from the kid and pushed them back. That move gave him the chance to gain some distance. Arden then lowered his sword and got down to his knees. His hand returned to normal and he stared down at the child who seemed ready to strike with the slightest movement.

“Let us have a test of courage. If you have it in you come here and stab me through the heart. I won’t use my weapons or my hands. But I will defeat you if you aren’t strong enough.”

The child let out a spine-chilling laugh as it raised one of its hands to its head. Arden stared down at them defiantly. The child charged forward and ran the knife through Arden’s chest like it was nothing. Arden was face to face with the child’s crimson eyes. They smiled joyfully as they twisted the knife stuck in Arden’s torso.

Arden slowly closed his eyes and his head began to slowly got lower. Then he felt the child trying to pull out the knife.

Again.

And again.

And again.

“This is nothing. There are worst pains than this,” Arden muttered at the child’s ear. “And you should know. I lied.”

The child tried to back away. But Arden wrapped his arms around them as if he was giving them a hug.

“My soul has nearly broken a few weeks ago. But it refused to give in. But yours? It should have been put to rest a long time ago. You no longer need to stay determined. You are free.”

After saying that Arden sprung his trap. His sword shot out of his chest and pierced the child’s soul. The soul pulsated for a few more seconds before the sound of shattering glass echoed through the halls. Arden opened his eyes and saw the child’s body drained of its color. Arden carefully placed the child on the floor and got up. He then removed the knife from his chest and dropped it.

“Children shouldn’t have to bear the burden of so many lives. It can break them. It can rob them from their future.”

“Are you done yet?” Arden heard from behind him.

“We are done with this place,” Arden replied looking over his shoulder.

The room began to dissolve. Arden then walked away from Nightmare. He heard some noises as if something was crawling around the floor or on the walls.

“It seems that snakes have slithered their way here. I love snakes. But I’ll have to get rid off these ones,” Arden said in a clear tone.

Arden quickly turned around to see two dogs that seemed to be undead. Their skulls were exposed, their fur was slowly peeling off. Bite wounds were evident with the exposed muscles. They were so thin that Arden could see their bones even in the areas where skin and fur were still present.

“Come here doggy.”

One of the dogs barked and growled at Arden while the other circled around him. It was a very similar scenario to when he met Chrysalis in the cave. Arden rushed the dog that was circling around him. The beast tried to run, however, Arden was faster. Arden pierced the blade through the dog’s neck with everything he had.

Arden heard the sound of steps rushing towards him. Arden rolled to the side, swiftly transforming his hand back, leaving the wounded monster on the ground as it skirmished until it had stopped moving entirely. There was only one left now. Arden looked back on the furtive one that tried to attack him and saw that it was acting like a cornered beast.

‘That is when we make our most insane and harsh decisions.’

Arden prepared his blade and then lunged at the beast. The monster responded by rushing at Arden from the front without hesitation. Arden dispersed himself at the last second, completely avoiding the attack. The beast landed on the floor and rolled for a second. Arden rebuilt himself and took advantage of the moment with a downward slash at the monster’s neck.

The creature dropped dead. Arden stood up confident that he had won when he felt something touching the back of his neck. It felt sharp and it was trembling a bit.

“I have to ask, why?” Arden asked with a dark tone to his voice.

“I don’t need a reason,” Nightmare retorted, her voice was cold and her usual attitude was gone. She sounded afraid and filled with resentment.

“Then why isn’t your hand steady?” Arden replied with irony, hoping that she would try to retort the old way she always did. By getting flustered and angry.

“I have my reasons,” Even in the absence of stuttering Arden knew that tone. He had heard some of his patients speak like that whenever they were ashamed of the topic they were talking about.

“You’re contradicting yourself,” Arden pointed out trying to force Nightmare into showing her reasons. Apply enough pressure and the people and they will either break and tell them their intentions or they will burst while revealing something about them.

“And you are at my mercy,” Nightmare replied with the same tone. She was not about to let out what was happening to her. What had been happening to her in these last couple of months.

'I don't know what is up with her. But just talking won't do. If my math is right there is only one more level to this tower. And if that mad God keeps up his game...he will pull out some stunt. Not to mention I doubt he will pull any punches in there. I better try to use that level to try and force Nightmare into speaking what is on her mind.'

“I am not,” Arden said turning around to face Nightmare. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her confident smile was gone.

'That isn't the face of someone who is enjoying this. Just what is going on in there Nightmare? I wish I could see her heart right now. She's been with only Luna as a companion. Maybe she can't bring herself to tell me what's wrong.

“Oh, yeah? Why not?” Nightmare asked while trying to keep her face dry and hold the tears in.

'This is going to be a bit of a low blow considering that time when she kept telling me not to die.'

“Because if I don’t finish this tower I die.”

“And I care because?” Nightmare replied after hesitating for a second.

'Come on already! I'll just have to try something else at this point.'

“Enough with the charade,” Arden said smacking the blade with the back of his hand.

“There isn’t a charade,” Nightmare replied repositioning the blade.

“Then I’ll just take my leave and head to the next level. I’ll wait for you by the door. You can give your dogs a funeral,” Arden retorted after hitting the blade again.

“What makes you think they are mine?” Her voice finally cracked, no stuttering but it was there. The sign that he hit the spot.

'So it has to do with these things. Let's push on that, shall we?'

“These are different from the enemies I faced so far. They feel out of place. Out of synch. The same way it felt when you attacked me on the night we met.”

“You remember that much...” Nightmare's voice was cracking more, she still keeping her act together. But it was getting harder for her.

'This should force her to the brink. Then I just need to make her speak up. I am sure I can push her over once we are on the next floor.'

“I make a point to remember important moments of my life. The time you rescued me when we faced the Colossus. When we ran away from the Reaper. When you shared your story with me. When you cried because of how worried you were. When we ventured through the caste of the ruler of darkness. The time we got stuck in the water temple and you began to try and smash the walls so we could get out. I remember it all. Because those moments showed me what kind of being you were. I mean...you are. Now, go mourne your dogs. I think we can finish this on the next level,” Arden replied turning away from her and proceeding to the stairs.

'Maybe this would be easier with my eyes. I could have even prevented whatever it is that made her act this way. But then again...by going in there...I could have made things worse. Well, I won't be able to know the outcome if I can't even get out of this alive. It's way past due to make my will shine through here.'

Author's Notes:

Here is another one! I hope you guys enjoy it.

Please, feel free to leave your impressions on the chapter in the comments.

Just so you guys know I've been having a few problem writing. A small roadblock but I'm working my way around it with the help of my editor and my brainstormer. However, I still feel the need to apologize to you guys. There has been a huge amount of ideas for a bunch of different stories popping up. And I've been discussing them with my brainstormer. I've been trying to clear up my head in order to keep writing the stories by trying to get this ideas writen down.

I am sorry for taking so long to write this story and the others.

And now I believe we found a major project to write. If it all goes well this ought to break this little block.

Thank you for your time and thank you for reading.