Blaze of Glory:Broken Shadows

Chapter 3

Blaze awoke on the floor of his bathroom with the sun shining in making the bathroom much brighter than he would have liked in his current state.

Ugh what happened last night? Blaze wondered, feeling like his head had been ripped in half.

Blaze stumbled out of his bathroom down the hallway towards the kitchen.

He went into his kitchen looking for something to help him wake up, he walked to his refrigerator and noticed a box of Coca Cola.

Perfect. Blaze thought as he grabbed a can and opened it.

And as he knocked back the can of cola Blaze began to stretch, his entire body sore and stiff.

He then exercised his wings making sure to loosen the muscles to lessen the chances of getting a wing-cramp.

After he finished his morning exercises and his can of Coke, Blaze went back to the bathroom having an urgent need for it after the build up while he was asleep and the newly added Coca Cola.

As he relieved himself Blaze remembered what happened last night and was instantly overcome with guilt.

Oh Celestia I was such an ass, granted I had good reason but did I have to be such a jerk about it? He asked himself.

He was then hit with a realization.

Guilt?! What the hay? I haven't felt guilt in years. Blaze wondered, unsure of what this meant.

Finishing up his business he washed his hooves and dried them off.

As he thought of exactly why he felt this way he heard a knock at the door and walked to the front door to answer it.

When Blaze opened the door he came face to face with someone with whom he shared a complicated past.

The new unicorn colt had a coat of the darkest shade of violet which was a borderline black, his mane was a stark contrast to his coat as it was a vibrant white almost looking as if it were glowing, his horn and his eyes were a blazing red.

“'Sup Blaze?” The colt asked, looking him over.

“*Sigh* Hi Nocturne.” Blaze exclaimed,obviously not enthusiastic about meeting Nocturne.

Nocturne let out a laugh. “Aw Blaze if I didn't know better I'd say you weren't happy to see me!” He said, while his crimson eyes which were still locked on Blaze showed that the mirth was only coat deep.

“Lets just get this over with shall we?” Blaze said, not in the mood for Nocturne's usual teasing.

“Yeah yeah, you're no fun anymore Blaze.” Nocturne said, looking at him with an expression of mock disappointment and began to walk out of the front door.

“Whatever.” Blaze said, as they both left his house and started to walk down the dirt road toward the town which felt hot under their hooves as a result of it being a particularly hot day in Ponyville.

As they walked the world came to life all around them. Birds were chirping, woodland creatures were scurrying about looking for food and shade from the heat, to anypony else but these two it would have been an amazing sight but Blaze and Nocturne were focused only on the task at hand.

“So who's the unfortunate sucker who angered the boss?” Blaze asked, eager to get this over with.

“Well I'm glad you asked, the mark is an earth pony named Feather Hoof, he ran a furniture store back in Manehattan and he thought he could cheat the boss out of what was owed and fled here to Ponyville so the boss sent us to “convince” him to pay.” Nocturne said, smirking when he said convince.

“Of course because Celestia forbid we get anything exciting or out of the ordinary.” Blaze said, sighing in resignation.

“You can take it up with the boss when we get back but for now we have a job to do. So stop complaining and start asking ponies if they know where we can find this guy.” Nocturne said, obviously no happier than Blaze was at doing this but for very different reasons.

“On it.” Blaze said, as he flew off towards the town square deeply regretting what he would soon have to do.

“Good.” Nocturne said with a wide smile on his face as he watched him fly away, he knew Blaze hated these jobs and he enjoyed seeing his associate suffer.

*****

When Rainbow awoke from her dream she was sad to see that she was back in her own cloud home having remembered her dream in vivid detail wishing she was with Spitfire and the rest of her idols in the Wonderbolts right now, but something else entered her mind and squeezed past her sorrow refusing to be left unattended to.

Why was I dreaming about Blaze and talking about him with Spitfire of all ponies? Rainbow wondered, suddenly very unsure of her feelings toward the rude colt.

These thoughts stayed with her as she flew into her kitchen which had a sink that was full of dirty dishes. The counters at least were clean but the table was covered in all manner of stains that would probably never come out. Dash ignored all of this as she flew to her refrigerator and took out a jug of milk and drank right from the jug feeling too lazy too find a clean glass.

It was just as she was headed back to her room to take a shower that she remembered her pet Tank and went to go feed him.

When she arrived in Tank's room he sat there looking at her slowly his expression unreadable but Rainbow was sure he was not pleased with her for being late with his food.

How could I ever join the Wonderbolts if I can't even properly care for a pet? Rainbow wondered as she grabbed Tanks food bag and began to pour some of the pellets that she received from her friend Fluttershy into his food bowl.

After she was done feeding Tank she proceeded upstairs to her room feeling even more like taking a shower, needing to clear her mind just as much as she needed to get clean.

After she turned on the water set it to maximum heat and stepped into the shower, Dash began to assess all the different thoughts and emotions running through her mind like the water running through her coat.

I've had to deal with ponies who were less than receptive before, so why do I care so much about this one? Rainbow wondered, thoughts now back on Blaze.

This one question hounded her the entire time she took a shower. I'll find out today why he has had such an effect on me. Rainbow decided, grabbing her bottle of shampoo by the handle and beginning to rub it through her mane and coat feeling the strange liquid combined with the hot water soaking past her coat and down to her well toned muscles. She let out a moan letting herself relax for the first time in a while, as she felt herself get lost in the sensation of the shower massaging her muscles.

She let herself soak for about ten minutes before she realized that she had been in the shower for too long.

Breaking her reverie, she rinsed herself one last time and turned the shower off.

When she finished Rainbow found her favorite towel which was yellow, dark blue and red with a light blue lightning bolt in the middle, smiling a bittersweet smile because this towel was a gift from her parents who passed away a year ago next Monday.

After she was done drying herself off Rainbow thought of her parents.

I wonder if they are proud of me? She thought as she set her towel down and began to pray for her parents and hoped that they approved of her and her choices.

“I love you mom and dad, I promise I'll live my life to the fullest for me and for you!” She said aloud as she proceeded to leave the bathroom.

Well no sense moping forever, time to go see what the day has to offer. She thought before she flew downstairs and out the door.

*****

Rainbow was flying through the air over Ponyville trying to figure out what she was going to do today until she decided to confront Blaze when suddenly she saw him leaving her good friend Twilight Sparkle's library.

What could he want with Twi'? She wondered, then decided to go check it out flying towards the library leaving her signature prismatic trail in the air behind her.

When she arrived at Twilight's front door her curiosity was almost overpowering her and seeing as Dash was not known for her patience this would not be a surprise to anyone. And after she knocked on her friends door she began to pace back and forth.

As the door opened Dash could barely contain her excitement.

“Oh! Hey Rainbow Dash, whats up?” Asked Twilight Sparkle her violet mane in a mess and slightly singed at the tips.

Probably another one of her crazy experiments. Rainbow Dash thought recalling in wry amusement all the times her violet coated unicorn friend had messed stuff up experimenting with magic.

“Yo Twilight. I just wanted to ask if you know what that colt with the silver coat and red mane who was just here wanted.” Rainbow stated like it was no big deal.

“He wanted to know about that one pony, Feather Hoof and asked if I knew where he lived. He said it was urgent. Why? Do you know him?” Twilight asked, noticing Rainbows apparent interest in this colt almost staring Rainbow down trying to figure her cyan coated friend out.

“Thanks for the info Twi', and to answer your question I met him yesterday and I just have this really uneasy feeling about that guy so I'm gonna follow him and make sure he doesn't hurt anypony.” Rainbow stated to her close friend and prepared to take off.

As Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground she heard her friend call out.

“Be careful Rainbow!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed from the ground.

“Will do Twilight, I'll catch you later!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew off.

I really hope she doesn't do something stupid again. Twilight mused before going back into her library.

*****

Blaze left Twilight's library knowing exactly where to go and soon he found Nocturne in the Ponyville market at a fruit vendors stall trying to get some information out of a pony with a light yellow body, orange mane and green eyes and as he approached closer he heard Nocturne speaking with the new mare.

“Listen Ms. Golden Harvest, just tell me what you know and I'll leave you in peace.” Nocturne said with a voice devoid of warmth and a smile that made Blaze's skin crawl even though he had seen it quite a few times before.

“Look I-I already told you, I don't know anything so please just leave me alone.” The mare identified as Golden Harvest said, looking as if she was ready to bolt and probably would have if she wasn't frozen in fear.

“Ahem.” Blaze said clearing his throat once he was close enough to be heard.

“Nocturne I found what we're looking for, so you can stop terrorizing this poor mare now.” Blaze said looking at his dark accomplice with an icy glare showing his disapproval as clear as day. Then turning to Golden Harvest he said “I'm sorry for the trouble my associate has caused you miss. I hope this makes up for the inconvenience.” he said with a bow as he produced a bag of bits and set it down on the stall counter. “Well we shall be on our way now, have a wonderful day Miss Golden Harvest.”

After this he and Nocturne trotted out of the market heading towards the town proper were Blaze had learned Feather Hoof lived.

*****

Rainbow Dash was soaring through the air over Ponyville looking for Blaze, the sinking feeling that now resided in her stomach growing larger and larger.

It didn't take her long before Rainbow found Blaze, he was talking to a pony she had never seen before and she instantly felt her blood chill when her eyes fell on his dark violet coat feeling an aura of malice and hatred from this pony that she hadn't felt since Nightmare Moon.

Whoa creepy! Now I know I need to keep an eye on him. She said inwardly now following the duo at a steady pace, from the sky.

*****

As they approached Feather Hoof's home Blaze and Nocturne discussed how they were going to handle him.

“So Blaze do we go old school here and find ways to “convince” him without hurting him, or just beat him till he gets the message and we get our money? 'Cause personally I prefer option two.” Nocturne asked with his emotionless smile back again.

“I know you do Nocturne and that's one of the reasons I hate you, lets try to do this peacefully first but if he doesn't cooperate then we do things your way got it?”

“Bah fine we'll try it peacefully.”

“Good.”

As they knocked on the front door of Feather Hoof's house Blaze couldn't shake the feeling something was going to go wrong.

The door opened to reveal a colt with a teal coat, green eyes and a white mane.

“Hello Feather Hoof may we come in? We have something we would like to discuss with you.”

“Uh yeah I guess so. I'll go fix us some tea.” Feather Hoof said with more than a hint of trepidation.

“No need we wont be here long.” Nocturne said flashing his trademark cruel smile.

“Oh! All right then.” Said Feather Hoof now very concerned about what these strange ponies could want.

Blaze, Nocturne and Feather Hoof then proceeded inside the house.

*****

After all three of them disappeared into the house Rainbow Dash dropped out of the clouds and snuck over to a window and peered inside the living room.

Nothing at the moment. Guess I wait. She said to herself.

But what Rainbow didn't know is that she was about to see something that she never would have even dreamed of seeing.

*****

“So what did you gentlecolts need? I get the feeling you're not here to talk about buying any furniture.” Feather Hoof said as he guided them through the hallway of his house towards the living room.

“Oh, I think you know why we're here Mr. Hoof.” Blaze said as he followed him.

“I'm certain I don't know what you mean.” Feather hoof said as he led them to his living room and told them to take a seat.

“Thank you.” Blaze said courteously as he sat down on the chair which was made of phenomenally strong bamboo with some very soft fabric on it.

“No problem but it just struck me that I don't know your names.” Feather Hoof said as he sat down on his own chair.

“You don't need to know my name.” Nocturne said as he too took a seat although he looked severely out of place in the comfortable chair with his blood red eyes and his obvious displeasure.

“My names Blaze my good man and my grumpy friend here? He's Nocturne.” Blaze said, trying to be civil.

“Ah, a fine set of names, now what is it you needed of me?”

“Well you see, we're from Manehattan and I think you know what that means.”

“Oh no! Buck me I thought I'd be safe here in Ponyville.” Feather Hoof said realization now dawning on his face being replaced quickly with fear.

“Now look Mr. Hoof our boss wants us to make an example of you, but I don't. So just pay us what is owed and I will personally tell the boss that we brutalized you and you can go on with your life. Deal?”
Blaze said while staring Feather Hoof straight in his eyes, blue and green meeting.

“But I can't pay you what I don't have.” Feather Hoof said while his eyes darted all around the room trying to find a way to escape.

“Please Mr. Hoof just pay us and we'll go.” Blaze said with a sigh already knowing where this would go.

“I don't have it.” Feather Hoof said looking on the verge of crying.

“Arghh! Buck this I let you try it your way Blaze, now we do it my way!” Said Nocturne as he rose from his chair and began to levitate Feather Hoof with magic.

“Now where the buck is the bosses money?! If you don't tell me then Blaze here will break each of your hooves one by one.” Nocturne said smiling his cruel smile once more and nodding towards Blaze who reluctantly nodded back.

“I-I really don't have it.” Feather Hoof said, now allowing his fear to show.

“Oh well. Blaze, do it.” Nocturne said as he dropped the earth pony to the floor.

“I warned you.” Blaze said with a sigh as he approached Feather Hoof.

When he was close enough Blaze grabbed one of Feather Hoof's front hooves and began to twist until bones started to break.

“AGHH!!!” Feather Hoof screamed now openly crying.

“So do you have our money now?” Nocturne asked obviously satisfied with the way things were going.

“No! I told you I don't have it!” Feather Hoof said emphatically.

“What a shame. Blaze? Once more.” Nocturne commanded with malice obvious in his voice.

“Yeah yeah.” Blaze said as he grabbed another hoof in his own and began twisting once more.

"Owww! Please stop!" Feather Hoof said with tears in his eyes.

“We will cripple you if you make us.” Nocturne stated calmly.

“Look I don't have the money right now but I can have it for you by next month deal?” Feather said begging them for mercy.

“All right you have one month but before we leave, Blaze finish up on that hoof so he has a taste of what will happen if he betrays our generosity.” Nocturne said coldly.

“Fine.” Blaze said as he finished snapping Feather Hoof's other front hoof.

As they walked out of Feather Hoof's house Blaze came face to face with Rainbow Dash.

“What the buck was that for you jerk? He didn't do anything to you. I mean sure I thought you were rude but I didn't think you were a criminal Blaze.” Rainbow Dash said looking at him with a burning intensity.

“Hahahahaha. Oh look Blaze you have an admirer. Ha, have fun I'll meet you back at your place tomorrow." Nocturne said, his amusement apparent as he walked away.

“Yeah Nocturne, later.” Blaze called out to his associate and then turned back to the cyan colored mare now staring him down.

“Look girl I told you to stay out of my way and leave me alone and now you know why. So go away unless you wanna end up like him as seems to be the fate of all who get to know me.” Blaze said his eyes misting over momentarily.

“Oh hay no! Now you have to answer to me and you will apologize to me and to Feather Hoof.” Rainbow said as she kept boring a hole through him with her eyes.

“Not gonna happen.” Blaze said nonchalantly.

“What?! Why the buck not?!” Rainbow asked in total surprise.

“As far as you go I have nothing to apologize for, and as for Feather Hoof he put himself in that position and got what he deserved.” Blaze explained as if this happened everyday.

“Now I'm going home. Follow if you want, I don't care.” Blaze said as he walked away.

Shaking herself out of her stunned state Rainbow took off after him.

*****

As they approached Blaze's house, Blaze turned towards the cyan mare still following him.

“Are you gonna continue following me?” Blaze asked approaching his house.

“Yep.” Dash said as she continued following him.

“Well unless you're coming in my house this is as far as you go.” Blaze said with a smile as he approached his front door thinking that fact would stop her.

“Ha I'll just sleep in a cloud outside your house and I will follow you for the next month and make sure that you don' hurt anypony again and that's a promise.” Rainbow Dash said and she meant it too.

“Eh, do what you want.” Blaze said as he entered his house and shut the door leaving Rainbow outside.

True to her word Dash fpund a cloud in the sky above Blaze's home and fell asleep.

Insane mare. Blaze said inwardly as he looked out his window and saw Rainbow Dash in the clouds.

Whatever. He said inwardly again before he slid into his bed and fell asleep as well.

Thus began the month that would change both of their lives forever.

End chapter 3.