The streets were silent, covered by an infinity of posters stuck on every pole, wall, and storefront. All the messages followed the same pattern: "We thank you for having the best hero ever seen in MLP." The night wind made the papers flutter like flags of a questionable victory.
"You see all these posters? That's right, I'm the best hero ever seen in MLP."
The voice echoed with a tone of absolute satisfaction, laden with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. It was an intimate narration, as if the protagonist himself were whispering directly into the ear of whoever was listening to his story.
"But hold on, I'm going to explain why. For that, I need to tell you a bit about the past. But don't get excited - I'm not going to tell my entire past. That's superhero secret stuff. Let's go to a past so close to the present..."
The images shifted to a few months ago. An ordinary street, beaten by the midday sun, where a shirtless man staggered down the sidewalk. His body was covered with injuries, scratches, and burns that suggested he had escaped from an explosion. Each step seemed painful, but he persisted in his walk.
"You see there? That's me, all messed up."
The man continued walking until he spotted a commotion near the central square. A group of people had surrounded a teenage girl, shouting accusations while trying to grab her. The girl struggled, trying to escape from the hands that pulled her from all sides.
"And you're also seeing this teenager? No, just look at her haircut... my holy history! This is the worst haircut I've ever seen. It's so bizarre... Yeah, she's a thief. Just look at the people chasing her."
The narrator paused, and there was something different in his tone when he continued.
"But I'm going to be honest. It was this teenage thief, with the strange haircut, who changed my life."
At that exact moment, a violent tremor shook the entire city. The ground cracked beneath people's feet, and one of the tallest buildings began to collapse. Enormous pieces of concrete and glass fell like deadly rain. Panic took hold of the crowd.
In the midst of the chaos, two small children, appearing to be at most four years old, were falling from the tenth floor of the collapsing building.
The girl who was being chased stopped struggling. Her eyes began to glow with all the colors of the rainbow, and the same luminosity enveloped her entire body. With an impossible impulse, she launched herself into the skies, flying toward the falling children.
She reached them in the air, wrapping them in her arms while her multicolored energy expanded, creating a kind of protective shield. Not satisfied with saving just the two children, she moved with superhuman speed, rescuing people trapped in the rubble and moving cars away from the impact area.
The injured man remained standing, watching everything with his mouth open.
"Just look at her, she's so—"
A piece of concrete the size of a refrigerator fell directly toward him. He didn't even notice, hypnotized by the demonstration of power. The girl, even while occupied with other rescues, noticed the danger and flew to him, pushing him away at the last second.
When the dust settled and silence returned, something incredible happened. The same people who minutes before were chasing the teenager now surrounded her with gratitude. They offered shelter, food, affection. The accusations were replaced by tears of relief and words of thanks.
"I should have known that there are twists in life. See that? This little thief with the most bizarre haircut in the multiverse was welcomed. The people gave her shelter, gave her food. And the most hilarious part: the people gave her a hero name. Check it out... Shine."
A sarcastic pause.
"I have to confess, the writer wasn't very creative with that name."
The injured man contemplated the scene for long minutes. He saw how a rejected person transformed into a heroine in a matter of seconds. He saw how the same people who condemned her now adored her. And something ignited inside him.
"And then I decided: if a beggar was welcomed and baptized as a heroine, then I also decided... I'm going to be a hero. The best hero."
Three months later, three armed men invaded the city's Central Bank. They acted with the confidence of those who had already studied every detail of the location: security cameras, escape routes, guard movement schedules. It was a professional job.
They were filling bags with money when the main door opened slowly. A man dressed completely in black entered with calculated steps. He wore a mask that covered half his face and carried a dark-bladed sword strapped to his back.
He observed the thieves for a moment, then declared in a firm voice:
"Alright, that's enough, people. Everyone freeze. I am justice and you are the law."
One of the robbers laughed, keeping his weapon pointed at the newcomer.
"Get out of here, hick! We don't need another partner."
The masked man sighed theatrically.
"Ugh... I guess I'll have no choice."
He gripped the sword's hilt tightly. In that instant, something impossible happened: the sun disappeared. An absolute darkness enveloped the bank for exactly eight seconds. There was no moon, stars, or any source of light. It was as if night itself had been summoned to that specific location.
When daylight returned, the three robbers were on the ground with their throats cut, blood forming pools around their bodies.
"Just so you know, this is the protagonist. The one who was narrating. He's the one who said he's going to be the best hero."
Police sirens could already be heard in the distance. Several cars were quickly approaching the bank. The officers entered with guns drawn, finding the masked man standing calmly in the middle of the bodies.
"Freeze right there!" shouted the sergeant, pointing his pistol.
"Easy, people. I already solved everything here," the masked man responded naturally.
"Don't move!"
Once again, he gripped the sword tightly. Night returned for eight seconds. When the sun returned, he had completely disappeared, leaving only the confused and frightened officers looking at each other.
In the following weeks, similar incidents began to occur throughout the city. Robberies that ended with dead criminals and a mysterious vigilante who brought darkness. The press soon began covering the cases.
"The police should arrest that psychopath," declared a reporter on the evening news. "He arrives and brings the night - that's sinister. We can't even rob in peace!"
Opinions were divided. For some, he was a necessary vigilante. For most, he was just another killer. No one saw him as a hero the way he imagined.
But he never gave up. He continued "saving" people from criminals, always eliminating the criminals in the process. Always bringing that supernatural night that became his trademark.
That's how some began to call him "Blood Night."
"I'm being loved! The people already gave me a hero name!"
**[M.L.P - Multiverse: Forbidden Legacy]**