//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: The Calm Before The Storm 
// Story: Your Name Across The Multiverse 
// by DATONETWIxDASHFAN 
//------------------------------//

Bolt flew back to the others and could see everyone talking; even Aero was speaking with her counterpart, and of course, the only one who could understand her was Blue Berry. Bolt looked around at the group and believed they hadn't noticed yet that the island was almost gone...or maybe they knew time was running out? She sat down and watched everyone talk. It would be best for them to speak with each other and get along finally. Enjoy the time they have left before the storm comes.






"I see. Eirika raised you and gave you that pretty name? And it comes from a legendary Pegasus knight, too! That's awesome!" Berry was just in awe of Aero; the horse was pounding the ground with pride as the small Pegasus girl was amazed by the alt version.

"Berry, please stop encouraging her; it's bad enough you let her eat an entire plate of carrot cake, but now you're feeding her big fat ego, too," said Eirika, sitting next to them as she checked her armor after the battle she had with Layla.

"Sorry, Eirika. I just can't resist the coolness!" Berry said as she hugged Aero.

Eirika sighed and then sighed harder as Aero gave her a look that said, "Let me have this!"

"Fine, you can have your ego fed, but you have to behave," warned Eirika as she glared at her pegasusPegasus!" cheered Berry as she hugged Aero even more, creating another carrot cake, which caused Eirika to grab it before Aero could eat it.

"What did I just say?" yelled Eirika

"You are a bad mother!" shouted Berry, while Aero turned red as she heard that word.

"Mother? Look, I raised Aero when she was a baby, but we're like sisters, right girl?" Eirika smiled as Aero nodded hard. "See."

Berry floated to Aero's ear and whispered, "I thought you said you see her as a mom."

Aero blushed as she spoke horse noises towards Berry, who repeated, "She's pretty stupid and doesn't understand other people's feelings. Is she a blockhead? She's so stupid that she got on backward her first time riding you."

Eirika quickly yelled at Aero about what she was saying to Berry and told Berry to stop praising her ego-loving horse as they ran around the place.






"What are they saying over there?" asked Layla as she watched the group curiously.

Dr. Wanda turned to see what Layla was on about and smiled at the sight.

"Aero is happy. It seems her owner doesn't praise her enough," laughed Wanda, which Eirika clearly heard as she turned to them.

"She doesn't? That's surprising. Maybe she should stop boasting about herself for once," replied the knight as she pulled Aero's ear.

"Oh, come on! Aero is amazing, brave, cute, and smart!" yelled Berry as she got between the knight and PegasusPegasus's right; she's a particular horse, after all," replied Layla. "In my universe, the Pegasus race are mighty knights. Aero will fit right in, even more so with how she moves and fights with you. She reminds me of Lady Spitflame, a great knight who uses her flames to protect people."

"Lady Spitflame? Who's that?" asked Eirika as she let Aero go and placed her hands on her hips.

"She's the captain of the knights and the best flame swordsman in the entire country. Even the princess and the royal knights respect her," replied Layla. "Until she was infected and banned from her country."

"Now, so is she stronger than me?" asked the knight as she smirked.

Layla didn't know what to say since she felt angry when Eirika asked that question after hearing Spitflame's sad past, but she decided to answer anyway.

"Yes, she's stronger than you, as she sacrifices so much to be a great swordswoman," said Layla in a passive-aggressive tone.

Eirika smiled, placed her hands on Layla's shoulder, and stared into her eyes.

"I see. I'll have to be the better swordswoman then," said Eirika with confidence and pride.

Layla stared into the knight's eyes, smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea."

Wanda could see dark rune energy sparkling around Layla, while Eirika didn't notice it as she walked away. She needed to calm her down, so she quickly asked Layla a question.

"I'm guessing you're a powerful mage, right?"

"Huh? Well, no," answered Layla. "I'm a qualified medicine practitioner and a physician."

"Now! You look so young!"

"Yes, I am young, but I studied under my teacher, a wise doctor, and learned a lot from her," replied Layla, feeling a bit of pride.

"Then why could you cast those spells as you fought Eirika?" asked Wonder as she floated behind her. "They were black magic runes."

"Ah yes, it's because I'm infected with the Chaos disease," answered Layla, which shocked Wanda.

"You are sick? You don't look like it, my dear."

"That's because the chaos sickness can cause madness and change your body into other animal parts. I "was" a normal pony, but when I got sick, this horn grew out of my head, and these ears were under my normal ears. My teacher checked the madness with this wrist guard. It can also allow me to summon my crystal blade," explained Layla. As she summoned the blade, it released dark energy but quickly unsummoned it as Eirika prepared her sword.

"No need for a weapon; we are done fighting," said Wanda, putting her hoof up at the knight, who lowered her blade and returned to check on her armor.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm still new to using a sword, still "green in the belly," like Officer Light always says to me. She's pretty mad; I fought with another version of her," said Layla, a bit embarrassed by the situation.

Eirika just huffed and crossed her arms while Wonder was still amazed by this form of magic gained by sickness.

"You're the first person I ever met that has magical powers this way," said Wonder as she flew around Layla, checking every inch of her.

"Um, okay," replied Layla, a bit uncomfortable as Dr. Wonder flew away from them.

"Don't mind her. So you're the first one to have a horn as a symptom? Is this common?"

"Actually, no. Others have reported having strange animal parts grow out of them and using normal or, in this case, infected magic. So far, I'm the only one with rune magic. My teacher and I have a theory that the sickness is evolving," answered Layla.

"You have a theory?"

"Yes, my teacher and I theorized that the Chaos Sickness is a cell parasite that can mutate its host to evolve. After death, the body turns to spores by the parasite. They lay their eggs on these spores. To stop the spread, bodies are burned right away because bodies turning to spores are random; it can happen within seconds or hours."

"That's quite amazing! What do you think of this theory?" asked Wanda as she was getting into this.

"I don't know. It could be a possibility. The sickness can't be cured; it can be suppressed with medicine. This is the best theory we got." answered Layla

"I see, so it's hard to study a parasite at that level of spreading?"

"Yes. If we could fully study it, we could cure the infection. Give the infected a better future. A dawn to look forward to." Layla said, feeling her heart pumping for a brighter tomorrow.

"That is amazing. That's what I want—a better future for all. I can't believe we are thinking alike," replied Wanda, holding her walk out.

Layla was shocked to see that Wanda was thinking the same thing—of course, she was another version of "her" after all—and smiled as she grabbed her hoof.

"So what do you do, if I may ask, Dr. Wanda?"

"I'm a scientist, an astronomer, a geneticist, and an engineer, and I have a PhD in medicine. You can pretty much say everything. Let me take out my degrees." Wanda answered as she pulled her degree from her coat pocket, but a picture fell out, and Layla picked it up. The photo showed a blue, pink, and green-haired human woman wearing a lab coat and holding Wanda and a blue filly. Wanda was a little filly as well, without a horn, both are very happy as they were in the woman arms.

"Is this your teacher? She looks beautiful."

"Teacher? Yes and no; she was also like a mother to me. She was my inspiration." Wanda replied sadly, which made Layla's eyes widen as she noticed the sadness.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes, she was killed."

Layla didn't know what to say; her teacher/mother figure was still alive and well, but her other self's mother figure was gone and dead. She could see the sadness in her eyes and knew the pain of losing someone she loved and cared for.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," apologized Layla as she bowed.

"It's fine; she died a long time ago. It's just that sometimes I still think about her," replied Wanda as she held the picture.

"So, how did you two meet?" asked Layla, as she wanted to cheer her up.

"Oh, I was her test subject. Same with Three, who's in the picture. She's like a sister to me."

"Test subjects?" said Layla in shock and worry.

"Yes, we were tested with rapid brain development from the gene therapy, and I even gained this horn. Unlike your horn here, I can only float small objects. She was there to help us and teach us; she became our family, our mother," explained Wanda as her heart started to beat a bit faster, remembering all the times she spent with her.

"Family?"

"Yes. Human scientists were not always the best and weren't around. We were alone. But she came in and made sure we had everything. She told us stories about humanity and what they could do. I would spend many hours listening to her talk about science, history, and fairy tales. She made me smile and laugh, and she gave me the motivation to keep going. She showed us the planet from where we came as we watched it from the moon base. She told us not to see the world as it was but as it could be. It's why I want a better future for all. A dawn for everyone to see and treasure. It's what she wanted as well." finished Wanda as she put the photo back in her pocket, but she noticed Layla moved to tears, genuinely meeting a version of herself that was also so hopeful.

"That's wonderful! She was a wonderful teacher and mother! I'm sure she was very proud of you!" cried Layla

"Yes. She was, thank you," replied Wanda, smiling and trying to calm Layla down as she cried up a storm.





Flare overheard those two talking and smiled. She was glad there was hope among the group. Terra noticed the smile and asked her why she was smiling.

"Because those girls are the future. I can see it—the hope for future generations. They will fight against the odds and make a better future for their worlds."

"Wow, I would say that is an optimistic view. It's not a bad way to think, even if it is naive and pretty foolish," said Terra as she touched her rifle hanging off her back and remembered her war back home.

"It is not naive and foolish; it's just a better way of thinking. That's what the future is about: hope and faith," said Flare, smiling a bit brighter.

"So, more foolish, then?"

"You remind me of someone; of cos your version. She's the same way in how she sees things."

"Is she a good person?"

"Yes, she is. One of the greatest and strongest people I ever know," answered Flare.

Terra was surprised that Flare was talking about her other self with pride and hope.

"I'm surprised; you said she and I are alike? Since I'm not the greatest, I'm not the strongest."

"Why not? Don't you have faith in yourself?" asked Flare as she stared at her, trying to figure her out.

"Well, I'm not a good person. I have blood on my hands. I'm not a great leader either; I got people killed. I failed to save lives when it mattered the most."

"Hmmm."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing; I just thought you were the type to not care about anything. Just kill things and don't care about anything else," answered Flare.

"That's a correct statement if you met me ten years ago."

"You're a different person now?"

"Yeah, I have someone special. I have something to protect and something to live for. Something to believe in. So I fight to protect her. to keep her safe. She's the only one who can make a better future, even if I can't be a part of it in the long run," answered Terra, thinking about her lover.

"Odd, didn't you just say it was foolish and naive to have an optimistic view?"

"Well, I'm not an idiot. I'm still a realist. The future is going to have problems; there are going to be people who are evil, cruel, and insane. I can't change that, but I still have a little hope for her and those who will come after. After I'm long gone,

Flare couldn't help but smile; it seems everyone is a good person. They all have the same drive and motivation. They will all have a bright future; she could feel it.

"Well, at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel," said Flare as she turned to Terra and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"There's always a light," whispered Terra, sighing as she turned to her. "How are you blasting with so much hope?"

"What?"

"You're happy—too happy. It's weird. We're stuck here, in this weird place. Who freaking knows what's going on in this world or why it's falling apart? So why are you so damn happy and smiling? So hopeful?"

"Huh, that's an easy answer; we're here together, not alone in this. There are others from different worlds. We can talk to each other, learn from each other, fight by each other's sides, and get to know each other. It's a blessing."

"A blessing? More like a curse."

"That's a negative way of seeing things."

"I'm not a positive person."

"Yup, just like her!" laughed Flare, which made Terra loosen her grip on her rifle a bit.





Dr. Wonder was still thinking about what Layla had said until she bumped into someone who was Flash while she was working out.

"Sorry. My apologies."

"It's okay, I didn't see you," said Flash as she stopped her workout and turned to her.

"You're Flash, right?" asked Wonder, to which Flash sighed as she took a battle stance.

"Okay, I'm ready for a fight!"

"What?"

"You're here to challenge me to a battle, right?"

"No."

"But that's what you're supposed to do. You're here to beat me up, right?"

"What? No."

"But, that's what others always say to me, as they wanted to fight me."

"Really? I'm not; I was floating by and accidentally bumping into you."

"You're not challenging me?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"...you sure?"

"Yes! Please excuse me; I have a lot on my mind."

"Really? I know what that's like. So, why are you worried? Maybe I can help."

"Maybe. But why do you care?"

"Because I'm bored and want a sparing partner."

"I just said I didn't want to fight..."

"But you do. I can see the fire in your eyes, the fighting spirit!"

Wonder sighed, closed her eyes, and placed her feet on the ground. She then opened her eyes, revealing to Flash that she was blind.

"Huh? Hey, your eyes are grey."

"I'm blind. So no, there isn't a fighting spirit in these useless eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I don't know; I see some fighting spirit in there," Flash judged as she got really close to Wonder's face.

"Really? How do you know? My eyes can't be read, and I can't see anything. They're useless, like me before I became a sorceress." Wonder said it in a depressed tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Before I became the Sorceress Supreme, the Master of the Mystic Arts, and the world's protector, I was normal. A person with no purpose, who didn't believe in herself and lost her eyes to an evil man. That is until I met the Master. She told me I had the gift, a spark, and with this stone, she could make me a hero, a great person. Someone who wasn't useless, but now, I'm meeting better versions of myself, like Wanda, and I feel like I'm still useless. They're powerful, smarter,  kind, and strong. What am I? Selfless! I almost got a cute turtle killed for god shakes."

"Well, if that's how you feel, Then let's go."

"Go?"

"To fight."

"But I'm blind. Remember."

"I remember; that doesn't mean I can't take you out. I'll have to hit you where you can see."

"What?"

"Let's go," said Flash as she dragged Wonder to an open field near the crater.

"Where are we?"

"An open field. Where can I go all out and not worry about hurting anyone? Okay, let's start."

"Wait, what?"

"You said you want to be a great person, but don't think you are. Then fight me. Prove yourself," said Flash as she took a battle stance and was ready.

Wonder stood there, feeling the breeze on her face. She wondered if it was worth it. If she did this, she would not win, and it would prove nothing.

"Hey, if you don't attack me, I'll strike first!"

"I don't..."

"Too late!" said Flash, which made Wonder freeze up with fear. She was going to die, but something was wrong; nothing happened until she heard Flash's caring voice. "You protected us from Flare when she was mad!"

"I did?"

"Yes, you did; now stop doubting yourself."

"Huh."

"Stop thinking you can't do anything and start believing! Because you are not useless. You are important. So stop acting like a baby and prove it!"

"I can?"

"Yes, now show me the spirit!" yelled Flash as she pounded her chest.

"The spirit?"

"Yes. The fighting spirit The spirit of a hero. The spirit of someone who doesn't care about the odds as they fight because they want to. And if you're going to give up because there are better versions of you, then you can sit down and wait for the end. Because if you do, then you don't deserve to be the Sorceress Supreme; you're no different from the people who hurt others. The person who made you the way you are, as they took your sight, took your life and "you" away. So, are you a hero? Or a coward?" asked Flash as she pointed her finger at her.

Wanda stood there, frozen, not because of the words that were spoken, not because there were more powerful people around her. No. She was frozen by the memories of 'her,' what she said, and those words echoing in her head.

"The world is full of people who will make you doubt yourself. It's also full of people who will believe in you, even when you don't believe in yourself. The question is, are you the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to be the person you want to be? Or are you the kind of person who will let fate take the wheel and go on the ride?"

The words kept playing over and over again. The words she heard all those years ago, the words that her best friend said to her when she was broken and lost When she needed that little push to follow her Master,
The words, the words, the words.

"What's it going to be? Are you a hero or a coward?" asked Flash, which broke Wonder out of her trance.

"I'm not a coward, and I'm not useless!" Wonder yelled as she ran forward and started to punch and kick at the air weakly.

Flash dodged all the blows and even blocked some with her arms.

"That's not enough! Come on, I can tell you're holding back!"

"I'm not holding back!"

"Prove it!" yelled Flash as she walked around her, easily dodging the attacks.

"I will!"

"Then do it!"

Wonder screamed at the top of her lungs, sending out a magic shockwave. She floated in the air, created magic weapons from the sky, and launched them at Flash.

Flash smirked and used her speed to dodge the swords, lances, hammers, axes, kitchen stink, etc. She then got behind Wonder and raised her hand in the air. Which caused Wonder to panic, but it didn't hurt. There was no force behind the attack as Flash patted her back.

"Good job."

"Huh?"

"You showed your fighting spirit. You showed your drive. And you showed that you are not useless; you are a great hero. Even if you are not the greatest or the strongest, It doesn't matter; your actions speak loudest."

"Thank you," cried Wonder as she stood before Flash and started to cry.

"No problem."

After a while, Wonder asked Flash if this was a teaching from her Master or something.

"Nope, Master didn't teach me that. It was my rival and childhood friend!"

"That's interesting."

"Yup. I know, right? She comes and picks me up when I'm down and losing faith in myself. Every. Single. Time."

"You two must be close then."

"We are. She's the reason I want to keep getting stronger, to protect her so no one can ever hurt her again. To keep her safe and happy and not lose the fire she has inside her. It's why I won't fall here. She needs me! She's always been there for me, and I will be there for her, even if she doesn't want me to!"

"Wow, I can sense a lot of passion from those words."

"It's Great to hear that! I want to marry her someday!" Flash smiled as she started to blush.

Wonder laughed as that came out of left field and thought it was a joke. She then turned to Flash, who was still smiling.

"You're not joking?"

"Nope."

"So, are you serious? Like, serious, serious?"

"Serious as the plague. I love her and will spend the rest of my life with her. No matter what she says or what happens,

"Wow, you're dedicated."

"Of course, she's my everything."

"How do you know that you're so sure of it?"

"Well, it's obvious. She makes me happy, and when I'm sad, she cheers me up. When I'm in trouble, she'll do anything to save me. Even if I'm mad at her, she doesn't give up, and we're friends again. When I'm down, she tries to make me happy. She's beautiful, funny, kind, cute, and the best."

"Oh, and how does she feel?"

"She feels the same. She's said it too, before."

"Then why haven't you married her yet?"

"The world is crazy now with her evil mom, and we're still young. But, after this, I will. I will propose and make her mine forever." Flash smiled harder as she gave a thumbs up, leaving Wonder shaking her head, knowing that poor soul would have her hands complete with this one.






Aaira held her head as she sat far away from everyone. All the voices were making her uneasy, not because of everyone here but because she hadn't been used to being with a lot of people since that day.

"Aaira!" called out a voice, which made Aaira turn to the voice and see Rain walking up to her.

"Mind if I join you?"

"You're already here, aren't you?"

"True. Still, it's nice to ask, and I wouldn't want to interrupt your thoughts. You looked deep in thought."

"Thanks for worrying, but my mind is okay...for now," said Aaira as she smiled awkwardly.

"You haven't been around many people, I take it? You seem pretty uncomfortable."

"I am; I haven't been around a lot of people. Not since the day I lost my friends and..."

"Her? You mean your lover."

"She was the love of my life."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know. It just feels like the right thing to say. Sorry if it was offensive."

"None taken."

"So, tell me, what is she like?"

"Who, my love?"

"Yeah, her."

"She's a great person. She had a smile that could melt a heart of stone. Her personality was the sweetest, most caring thing. She was beautiful—the most beautiful—and smart—the smartest. She was kind and brave and had the purest soul I ever saw. She was the light of my life, and when I found out she died, I was broken. It was my fault. I shouldn't have let her go," cried Aaria as she held her head in shame. Allowing her pain to return and for the delusion to return as well, as she could see "her" feet in front of her

Rain grabbed her hand, held it tightly, and smiled at her.

"It's not your fault, no matter how much you blame yourself."

"You don't know anything!" yelled Aaira as she pushed Rain away, not noticing that the others were looking at her now, and Rain landed on her rear.

"Don't get involved. This isn't your business. No one's business. Please leave me alone; go away! Please."

"No, I won't," said Rain as she got up and returned to her.

"Leave me alone!"

"I won't leave; I can't leave you like this. I'm not leaving you," said Rain as she grabbed Aaira's hand again. "She wouldn't want this. I see you suffering. You're a good person—a great one. I know you are. Didn't you say you saved your world from an alien outbreak?"

"I did, but that's not good enough. It won't ever be good enough for her!" yelled Aaira as her dead lover, Faye slowly kneeled and whispered to her to let her in and make her whole.

"Let me in. Let me in. Make me whole again. Let me in. Let me in. Let me in," chanted Faye as Aaira tried to ignore the voice and the illusion, but she couldn't.

Rain noticed the tears and how Aaira was ignoring her. She then did the only thing she could think of: She hugged her, which made Aaira break the trance.

"I lost someone who was like a sister to me. She was everyone's sun, and we loved her dearly. But she was taken from us, and it broke our hearts. Tara took it the hardest, though. She blamed herself, closed herself off from everyone, and became distant. No one could reach her. She was falling into the deep end. But I was able to bring her back."

"How?" whispered Aaira as she turned to her.

"Like this," said Rain softly as she pulled back her arm and made a fist. She punched Aaira in the face with a powerful blow, knocking her back.

"Ouch!" cried Aaira as she rubbed her cheek.

"She needed that, and so do you!" shouted Rain as she stood up and crossed her arms. "You sit here closed off, locking yourself away from all the people who want to help you! That's nobody's limitation but your own! Mark my words! My drill will open a hole, and that hole will be the path for those who want to help you see a better tomorrow. Tomorrow that she wants you to see! For her sake, move forward!"

Everyone stood there in awe at what they saw; it was almost like Rain had an aura of strong will beaming out of her.

Aaira held her hand out and could see a hand grabbing it. She looked up; it was the honest Faye, not the twisted one.

"She's right; you have to move on. You have to let me go."

"But I can't."

"You can, and you will. It's time to move on, Aaira," said Faye as she slowly started to fade.

"I don't want you to go."

"You know..." smiled Faye. "This is the first step. Keep going. I believe in you."

Aaira watched as Faye disappeared, and for the first time in a very long time, her mind was at peace, even if it wouldn't last forever.

"You're right. I can't keep living like this; I can't keep letting the past or the pillar control me," said Aaira as she turned to Rain, who was smiling, which caused Aaira to smile back.

"See, you can move forward. If you just let others help you,

"Right."

"Come on," smiled Rain as she reached out her hand.

"Okay," smiled Aaira as she grabbed her hand and was pulled up.

"We boring normal girls got to stick together!" Rain laughed as she patted Aaira. "Sure, you might have a cool power suit, but you don't have superpowers, a badass sword, magic, or psychic powers!"

"I have kinesis, though," replied Aaira as she picked up a rock and tossed it away.

"Eh?" said Rain before dropping to her knees and screaming that she was the lamest one here, causing everyone to laugh.







Bolt smiled as she saw everything talk. They all needed this. She started to jog in place but stopped as Heat came over and stood beside her.

"This reminds me of us when you finally showed me the way. Believing in others and helping me, even if I didn't know it. It's something we all need to remember, isn't it?"

"You can say that again."

"You're a good Pegasus Bolt and a good friend, too."

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. You're the best, Heat." smiled Bolt as her wing gave a thumbs-up.

"Thanks," smiled Heat as she turned to Bolt, who was looking up now.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking."

"About?"

"How do we keep meeting each other like this? First, our universe collapsed into each other, then the element emeralds sent me and Scoots to your universe, and now this. It's just a lot to take in."

"Yeah, but maybe it was meant to be."

"Huh?"

"Our emeralds brought us together, and they both have the power of creating a miracle. Maybe they're bringing us together because they know the truth."

"What's the truth?"

"That we need to be together. I was brought into your universe to save me and to make me realize the error of my ways and that I shouldn't do things alone. Then, the element emeralds sent you to my universe to teach me another lesson and show me that I must put faith in others. The two of us together are greater than apart."

"Heat..."

"I don't know how or why, but the emeralds have a plan. One, we are a part of. Two, that our and their friendship, trust, and love are the keys to saving this universe."

"You can say that again," laughed Bolt as she looked back at the sky. "I don't know, but something tells me there's more to this. More than we could have ever imagined."

"Probably, but that's not going to stop us."

"Nope."

"Then let's keep moving forward until the very end. Until the emeralds can shine brighter than ever, and our future is as bright as the sun."

"Hell yeah!" smiled Bolt as she raised her hooves. "Let's do this!"

Heat nodded in agreement as the two watched the prism-like sky. Bolt slowly put her hoof on Heat's hoof and spoke, "Maybe this time, we won't repeat our goodbyes. And maybe, just maybe, we can have our happy ending."

"I would like that," smiled Heat as she put her arm around Bolt's waist.

Bolt was caught off guard, but she soon hugged back.
"I love you."

Heat blushed deeply as she heard those words. Bolt didn't know it, but it was the first time someone said that to her.
"I...love you," whispered Heat, but she was suddenly cut off as Berry, with a tank on her head, flew between them, and both were crying, making them both realize that everyone was watching.

"You guys are so cute; I can't stand it! Ahhhhhh, this is too cute, even for me!"

"Berry! You are ruining it!" said Wanda

"Am not! It's too cute for words. I want to have a relationship like theirs! Two star-crossed lovers!"

"Lovers!" shouted Heat. Steam started coming off her, and she grew bright red.

"Yes, yes, you are," everyone nodded and agreed.

"Ahhhhhhh, so cute! I could eat you both up!" Berry went on as she started to cry even more.

Bolt could feel a large amount of Heat coming from Heat's body, and she could see she was freaking out from the embarrassment.
"Heat!? Calm down," said Bolt as she tried to escape her grip.

"Oh, look at that; they're so sweet, they can't keep their hands off each other." teased Layla

"They're the perfect couple, the love of each other's lives!" chimed in Flare.

"They're so cute, I could die." gushed Aaira

"It's too much!" screamed Rain as she started to fake cry.

"Remember to invite us to the wedding! Have a lot of kids!" Berry said as she was ugly crying now.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, as Heat repeated "wedding" and "kids" as her body released a pillar of flames, burning poor Bolt to a crisp.

"Heat. Please. Calm. Down!" shouted a charred Bolt as her body was covered in soot, and her mane was burning as everyone was laughing.


Up in the broken sky, the Rainbow Comet was glitching with more force than ever. A small crack appeared in the middle, leaking out a black slime trail...

end of chapter 5