Horn And Wings

Chapters

Hidden: Not Really A Nice Place
Hidden: A Spooky Ghost
Hidden: One Nostalgic Session
Nothing Left: The Fight Begins
Nothing Left: Towards The One In Pain
Nothing Left: Chryssie M.D.
Nothing Left: Something Left
Back To Normal: She's Ruthless
Back To Normal: She's Hasty
Back To Normal: She's Crazy
Back To Normal: ... But She's Mine
The Darkness Inside: Quite The Impression
The Darkness Inside: In Case Of Trouble
The Darkness Inside: Found Out
United We Stand: Part II
Epilogue: Last Laugh
Hidden: (Broken) Horn And (Torn) Wings

Hidden: Not Really A Nice Place

A coward dies a thousand deaths whereas a hero dies only once.

Standing behind a bar and cleaning some glasses, Blazing Light wasn't having exactly a bad time but was thinking about the value of friendship as the pony in front of him kept crying about his love life. At least he had a love life, lucky bastard. The promise to his sexy boss that he'd help this evening was sort of weighing on his mind more and more the longer the washed-out noble kept on talking but being a bartender for one evening wasn't difficult and he'd get some bits as a bonus to his coal duty.

The noblepony slumped from his chair and landed on the ground leaving two other helpers pulling him to the kitchen where he would promtly be delivered to his house via a carriage. Blazing grinned and looked around. The party was in full swing, everypony was mingling and most importantly nopony was paying attention to him and he was free to keep looking for a black batpony doubtlessly trying to win over a lesser noble for the night. Eventually he succeeded and had to snicker when he saw his boss surrounded by stallions and mares on all sides fighting for her attention.

After few days in her occasional company he didn't exactly have his hopes up but it seemed that she liked him. That of course didn't mean she would want to know him deeper but at least he got a smile from her now and then. Now, seeing the asskissers around her, he knew she could have anything she wanted from any of those ponies. He should just stick to attainable dreams - a roof over his head and something warm to eat.

Or perhaps, you know, maybe down the road... in few years... as they say... if, by some stroke of luck, he got somewhere from hauling coal in Canterlot castle he could ask her out on a date or two...

Blazing's sadistic grin would shock anypony not knowing its target was Blazing himself. He cursed the little hope remaining and returned to cleaning glasses. To his surprise there was a pegasus mare standing in front of the bar and talking to him, at least trying to talk to him. Her features were somewhat obscured by the gems laid out on her body in a pattern leading everypony looking at her to slide their gaze all over her body and begin panting. The only other eye-catching point was her emerald eyes seemingly looking deep into Blazing right now.

He couldn't believe his luck when she, when he offered her a drink, said she would want his company more than just some wine and that the two of them should find a place where nopony would bother their little chat. Blazing looked around, saw his boss still flirting with suitors and decided he deserved at least something for his efforts so he abandoned his promise of helping through the evening and followed the pegasus out of the ballroom.

When they found a quiet spot he got exactly what he deserved. The pegasus revealed her sharp teeth and thoughtfully left the castle and a unicorn corpse while planning what to do with the information she recieved.

"Evening, mayor!" I smile at the brown, grey-maned mare sitting behind a desk.

"Ah, you're here about the house, miss...?"

"Choking Darkness but call me Darky, please."

"Alright, miss Darky. The house is vacant and for sale but I'm afraid I have to warn you that some of the previous inhabitants seemed a bit unsettled by it."

"Yeah, doc told me the place was haunted."

"Well, whatever the rumors are the place definitely isn't home to any supernatural fenomena. We had princess Sparkle take a look at it and she said there was nothing unusual about the place. I guess the previous owners just needed an excuse to move out without upsetting their neighbors."

"Okaaaaay?"

"Nevermind that. If you're still interested then I have the deeds right here," Mayor Mare pulls out a set of papers from a drawer in her desk, "All it takes is the bits and a signature."

"Sure. Let me just get a check for?"

"Three thousand bits."

"That's actually REALLY cheap. You must be dying to sell the place."

"Well, you know, bad reputation, no real maintenance done for past two years. I'll be glad to have it off my hooves."

"Here you go," I say as calm as possible.

There is just a liiiiitle problem with all this. Even with the place being super cheap I'm not really a mare focused on saving money so I may have, just a bit, forged Blaze's signature in my checkbook to get access to his funds. Unfortunately, trying to sneak something by a civil servant is like trying to hide very smelly cheese from a sewer rat.

"This is a joint check co-signed by your husband?"

"Eeh yeah, totally."

"Is he around?"

"Nope, still packing our things back in Canterlot."

"I'll have to have the signature compared to the original kept at the bank. You should be notified of the transaction within two days."

I sigh.

"Fine, the sooner the better. I understand your concern but how could a batpony like me forge a unicorn signature? Has that actually ever happened before?"

The mention of my 'unicorn husband' seems to be enough for the official to let it slide and sign the ownership papers. Normally I would have been slightly appaled (VERY slightly) at the notion that a high-ranked civil servant could ignore a possible (and very real) fraud but now I just smile inwardly and pass her the check.

"It happens from time to time but it's always easy to figure out," she thinks for a moment, "You know what? You look credible and from what I've heard from doctor Bright Eye you are helping in the local asylum so I won't push it."

Yeah, it's not at all because she wants to pawn off the place on some poor soul without any regards for their safety.

"Thank you. By the way... what were the completely fake reasons for past tenants leaving?"

"Well, they mentioned hearing flapping of wings and hoofsteps at night and sometimes they felt very weak in the morning but, as I said, we had the princess of Magic herself take a look at the house and there's nothing wrong with it aside from slight disrepair."

"Meh. It seems to me like some of the neighbors just kept making noises and they couldn't sleep so they left."

"Exactly," Mayor Mare agrees.

We trade absolutely insincere smiles and I leave with the deed to the house in my saddlebag.

"Don't try to lie to the liar, bitch," I mumble smugly to myself after leaving the town hall.

"Eeew, the vampire is here," whispers somepony inside the Sugarcube Corner, one of the local bakeries where one of the Elements works.

It seems that evening is a rush hour for this estabilishment as most working ponies want to grab something to eat after shifts. That also means that my successful avoiding of grabbing unwanted attention for past days ends here. I don't think the owners mind my presence here because money is money but the locals quite obviously aren't used to batponies being around.

"She thinks she's gonna fool us by buying some food but I heard that Roseluck's pet hamster was found dead without a drop of blood left."

Roseluck... Roseluck...

Right, one of my new neighbors. Well, if that rumor is true then I probably shouldn't expect any housewarming gifts.

"She doesn't even have proper wings. I bet she's useless at hunting now so she got kicked out of their little vampire village and has to-"

What? I dare you to continue that line of thought, you little wimp. No... I'm actually wondering what piece of bullcrap your mind can follow that with.

"-give her body to the doctor at the asylum so he lets her feed on the patients who can't defend themselves."

It takes all my self-control not to beat that little shit to a pulp. All this also makes me wonder whether the locals have any idea how good my hearing is but then the thought comes to me that they might know it full well and are just loud enough to make me recieve the message.

Waiting patiently in the line gets more and more difficult as the stupidity of insults rises but when I don't make a move and don't suddenly bite the neck of the pony standing in front of me the patrons eventually get hungry and return to their food.

"Hey, miss Cake," I greet the chubby blue earthpony working the counter.

"Hello, Darky. What'll it be?"

"Hot chocolate and two strawberry bagels."

"That's quite a calorie bomb. A fit young lady like you wouldn't want to end up like chubby old me," she smiles widely.

"Don't sell yourself short, miss Cake. I know more than enough stallions who would fall head over heels for somepony of your stature."

"They'd have to go through my husband first then," she wiggles her bottom slightly so it's just me who sees it, "because all this is his."

I can't help myself and grin widely. The blue mare was the first pony to speak to me aside from the doc and my coming here every day is something I need not to snap at somepony.

"I wish I had somepony to wiggle my bottom for," I sigh.

"You're sweet enough even without my baking to land somepony nice."

"It's sorta hard when half of the stallions here think I'll suck their blood rather than their... nevermind," I stuff a hoof into my mouth.

The salesmare snorts and covers her mouth as well.

"Oh don't mind them," she waves her hoof when she stops blushing, "They always come around eventually. It's like the time when Zecora was considered a brain-eating shaman who kidnapped little fillies."

"Zecora?"

"She's a zebra witch-doctor who lives in the Everfree forest and who is now more than welcome whenever ponies around here need somepony to treat their illness."

"Well... it gives me hope at least," I present the usual amount of bits when mister Cake comes with my order.

"Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

I wish I could believe that.

"Thanks. Have a nice evening."

"You too, Darky."

Mrs. Cake isn't the only pony who doesn't shy away from me but most of the younger ones do. Her positive attitude, and her and her husband's baking, is something that brightens my day every single time though. Sipping my hot chocolate through a straw I turn to leave when an obviously furious cream-colored earthpony with reddish mane and a rose cutie mark storms through the door.

"Where is that monster?!"

After turning her head around her eyes focus on me and narrow considerably.

"YOU!"

"Err, yeah?"

"YOUUUUU ABOMINATION!"

"Pardon me?"

She throws something she's been holding on the ground. It's a dead hamster.

"A damn vampire! You arrive here and suddenly my pet gets drained!"

I sniff the air, trying not snarl at the stupid villager.

"I've been here for about two weeks. This thing hasn't been dead for more than two days."

"Don't call Snippy a thing, you... you... THING!"

Something suddenly comes to me.

"Wait... you picked up a pet that you should have buried right after it died and then you came here when you heard I was here just to make a scene?"

"I-"

Suddenly I really just want to hit somepony but I can't do it without a reason.

"Or did you actually dig out your pet just so you could show how broken you are in front of your small-minded friends?" I provoke the mare despite seeing that there's no dirt anywhere on the little body.

Her eyes go wide and she raises her hoof to punch me. Before it can connect I slap it away easily and stop at the last second from sending her flying into some of the tables around. It wouldn't help and it might make the Cakes angry so I just stop and knock on her head lightly.

"I would much rather grab your head and ram it through the door because right now I actually believe a bit of brain damage might do you good but I don't want to break a perfectly fine door," I growl, lean closer and make her twitch when I bare my fangs, "And no, I didn't eat your stupid pet. Short fangs mean I'm a fruit-eater, not a blood-drinker so grab that little corpse and give it a proper burial to show it you actually liked it."

With that I calmly walk out of the bakery leaving the sniffing and tearing up earthpony behind me. Hurray for self-control.

Slowly eating and walking to the address written on the deed I'm gradually getting an idea who or what I might meet there.

Hidden: A Spooky Ghost

From caring comes courage.

Blazing Light was having trouble ignoring a tall and armored earthpony threatening him despite his friends holding him and pulling him up a rather long staircase. Their plan was pretty simple - pull him up, put his bags full of coal on his back, push him down the stairs. Alive or not, when he dropped down he'd still be just a low-rank servant whose word wouldn't mean anything against an honorable guard.

The preparations were ready and the leader pushed Blazing down. There was a chance of him surviving the long staircase but it was slim enough for the thugs' plan to work. Thankfully, one of Blazing's first bounces broke his neck so he didn't feel the pain of rolling into the darkness.

Nopony bothered investigating the accident too much. After all, stone steps got fairly slippery at night during this time of the year.

The house I bought is nothing special. From the outside it looks like many of the surrounding ones - two stories, two windows facing the street in each one. Aside from the drawn curtains in each one this place doesn't radiate any evil aura or anything. Well, the night is coming and according to the rumors that's when the real fun begins here.

The key unlocking the door doesn't summon infernal hordes of Tartarus but something familiar does tingle my nose when I enter. The place smells of disuse, there's dust floating in the air and I can also smell something which I still can't place. I could go in and begin searching all the rooms but I've learned to trust my instincts so I just keep standing still, listening and sniffing around.

The sound of two ponies talking from one of the neighboring houses doesn't bother me. The silence inside here shouldn't bother me as well but the little things I've heard today make me involuntarily shiver. To stop my nerves from taking over I take a deep breath and stomp a bit on the cracked floorboards. A quiet 'thump' from upstairs makes me freeze again.

Silence.

If I discount the supernatural possibilities a sound like that would mean that there's somepony up there and, more importantly, they have good enough hearing to know I stopped moving... or they just froze up after hearing me stomp loudly. There's also the possibility that my stomping inside this rickety structure just caused something to fall upstairs.

There's only one set of stairs leading up at the end of the entrance hall so I don't waste time with checking what looks like a living room through the left door and a kitchen through the right one. The last door down here seems to lead to the bathroom.

The stairs are apparently in the middle of the house because a T section when I'm up leads me to an empty storeroom and the bedroom on the other side. I open the bedroom door and the smell suddenly becomes clear.

Sweat, stale air, unwashed coat. Memories of Blaze's old apartment make me smile as I step in and begin looking around. The place where he thought he found peace and stability for quite a while. My smile turns inwards when what happened thanks to me forces itself to be remembered as well. I sigh.

Something in the back of my head is still screaming at me though. Sweat, stale air, scarcely washed coat, the remnants of somepony staying in one room for too long day after day.

Daily...

I turn around just in time when the door of a small closet slams open and I spot a grey blur lunging itself at me. Unfortunately for my assailant, it is as Blaze would say - when there's an enemy charging in a straight line you've got more than enough time to thank Celestia, kick his sorry flank and learn a new language. Purely on reflex I balance on my hind legs, bend down and then push up against the charging enemy which makes him swing over my head and get slammed to the ground at the end of the happy half-circle of pain.

Correction - her.

The coughing and groaning creature lying on her back is a female batpony with light grey coat, brown mane and yellow eyes. The long, thin fangs reveal that she indeed is a blood-drinker or a vampire as the superstitious villagers kept on saying. She's also very skinny and it's easy to spot her ribs almost showing even in the gloom of the room.

I jump on her and show her a little surprise improvement I had a blacksmith friend make to my combat horseshoes. The other batpony begins squirming when she notices the blade that slides from my hoof and touches her neck. Fighting fair has never been my strongest side.

"Who are you?" I growl threateningly.

"Get out, this place is mine!" she says sullenly but not too loudly.

"Wrong answer," I punch her with my non-deadly hoof.

"Mine! Mine!" she tries to bite the hoof holding her down.

My next blow isn't just to get her attention like the one before.

"Stop squirming, you runt!"

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

She spits out blood and opens her mouth again. Before I can remove my hoof from her neck I suddenly feel like my head exploded and jump backwards. My legs fail me, my head is spinning and I literally can't hear anything other than the high-pitched screaming.

Thankfully, another blur of grey is still enough when dazed for my reflexes to kick in and punch up with both hooves. My curiosity gets the better of me though and I pull the blade in my horseshoe back before doing so. The cracking noise does a lot to make me sick even more than I felt after her screech but a quick shake of my hooves is enough to see that it's not my bones that are broken.

She, on the other hoof, rammed her head with full weight of her body behind it into two pieces of steel and I'm sure she's regretting it more than enough now. Stunned and on her back, the other batpony is easy prey and I straddle her again.

"KEE-"

*whoosh*

The sound of the blade sliding out again makes her stop and just keep sniffing blood. I don't think I'd be able to take another screech so I pry open her mouth and slide the blade inside.

"One more attempt at ANYTHING and you'll have another breathing hole."

Her eyes go wide and she begins shaking all over. When the yellow pinpricks stop darting from side to side looking for an escape route she nods carefully not to cut herself. I pull the blade back but keep my other front leg on her neck.

"You win. Take the closet. Don't kill me!" she blurts out.

"Elaborate."

"Ela-what?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Start with that."

"I'm Doom Star-"

I've almost forgotten the stupid naming habits of those traditionalists, especially among blood-drinkers. Soul Eater, Dark Impaler, Bonecrusher and other wannabe scary names always ran in those families which was never really helping those batponies who didn't want to sound like total plotholes. NO, Choking Darkness doesn't count!

"-I live here."

"Why?"

"I won this place. Got it from the ponies who lived here. Made them leave."

"You chased away the previous inhabitants?"

"Yes!" she smiles victoriously.

The smile fades when I narrow my eyes.

"You attacked ponies who bought this place?" I raise my hoof again.

"No. I ran around at night. They got scared. They left."

"Well, I own this place now."

"I know. You're good. I'll leave. Don't hurt me."

"Keep talking!"

"Your... eyes are pretty?"

I sigh. The starved half-wild batpony squirming tearfully under me obviously isn't overly dangerous but a little caution is advisable.

"You live in the closet?"

"Yes. Closet is cool. Shady, warm, can hang there easily."

Heh, sleeping while hanging upside down. I've never been a fan personally. This place is fairly big though...

"Why don't you sleep in this bedroom?"

"Too high, leg slipped once, dropped while sleeping."

I hide the blade completely and let her breathe freely again, waiting for her next move. When she just keeps looking at me completely paralyzed I pull out one bagel from the bakery and offer it to her. Blood-drinkers have no problem eating normal food, all they need is to get some fresh blood from time to time. She looks at the still warm pastry.

"Hungry?" I ask.

She doesn't answer but slurps back a string of drool from her cheek and snatches the food from my hooves. I stand back up and watch her devour it. When she's done she gets up as well and tenses like a spring obviously thinking about attacking me again. In the end she just lowers her head and begins slinking to the window.

"You know what?" I decide my final action, "You can stay in the closet if you promise not to try and drain me at night."

Her ears perk up when she works through it.

"But you'll have to take a bath."

"HISSSSSSSSSSSS."

"Too bad. My house, my rules."

"HISSSSSSSSS."

I reach back to my bag.

"You can have half of my last bagel."

"HISSSSS- I'll be good."

The knocking on my door this soon surprises me. I've been checking the house for safety hazards and outside of the floors there didn't seem to be anything serious. Not seeing any orange glow of torches or hearing angry chanting of villagers holding pitchforks I decide to open.

"Good evening, Darky," says Bright Eye.

"Heya, doc. What brings ya here?"

"I just wanted to see whether or not some tentacled monstrosity ate you and turned you into a copy of itself."

"It did and since you've so foalishly came here you're gonna get a tentacle party all over your everything."

The doctor blushes.

"Ahem, sooooo about the house?"

"All sorted, including the spooky ghost."

"Really?"

"Yep. Turns out there's a different batpony living in the closet here. She's a blood-drinker which explains the rumors. Unless of course she's completely innocent and there really is an eldrich abomination somewhere around."

"What did you do with her?"

"She was so starved that I just gave her a bagel which knocked her out cold and she's sleeping now. I had to persuade her to behave a bit before that though."

His eyes dart to my horseshoes.

"I would ask you about your past but I'm scared you'll persuade me as well."

"I have better ways of working with handsome hunks like yourself," I show how long my tongue is as I lick my lips playfully.

"Stop, I'm blushing," the doc grins nervously.

"Wanna come in?"

"Eeeh. I actually wanted to ask where you were staying tonight."

"I'm done with staying at the hotel so I guess I'll just find some half-clean blankets and a mattress."

"In this cold? As a friend I would like to invite you to stay at my place, at least for the evening."

"Awwww. No nighttime fun?"

"I am an experienced divorcee so young ladies like you don't hold sway over me."

"Ooooh, a challenge."

"Stop it."

"Fiiiine. What are ya carrying anyway?" I ask, looking at the bigger bag on the doctor's back.

"I borrowed some books on amnesia from princess Twilight."

"A hard-working bachelor, wow. You've succeeded in luring me into your den which means I'm yours tonight."

"All you're getting is something to drink and semi-decent cooking."

"Only if there's gonna be a semi-decent dessert. Let's go."

I lock the door and get ready for an evening of teasing poor Bright Eye.

Hidden: One Nostalgic Session

Love and desire are the spirit's wings to great deeds.

Blazing Light howled victoriously when his hoof stomped the fallen earthpony into the ground. He wasn't thinking about the bronze armor that had replaced his coat few moments earlier. He wasn't thinking about the distant shouting aimed at him. All he was thinking about was the earthpony that had hurt him so much, had hurt - why couldn't he remember the name? - so much. He shook his head and bared his suddenly sharp teeth.

Little green sparks kept leaping through his new armor and became stronger as he buried his muzzle into Valiant Charge's chest and ripped out a chunk of steel and flesh as he bit through the Royal Guard breastplate. The earthpony's scream rang through the nighttime air of Canterlot castle gardens. Somepony bumped to him from the side but he barely felt it and just shook the assailant off his body and his sharp teeth buried themselves into his enemy again. After some effort he ripped out the heart of the wretch that dared to touch her, that dared to touch him as well.

He crushed the still beating organ in his mouth, turned around and saw a batpony backing away from him with a disgusted and horrified expression. Why was she acting like that? Didn't he do all this for her? Didn't he save her from that bastard who had bothered her for past years? Yes, he did! So why did she look as if she was going to start crying?

A flash of bright light coming from the castle entrance blinded him and an another impact hit his body. He tried to take a step towards the ungrateful batpony who just shuffled back again but he fell down. He didn't notice the approaching blue princess. He didn't notice that half of his body had evaporated in the blast. He didn't notice anything anymore.

Princess Luna successfully eradicated the monster.

The end of my first month in Ponyville is close and I think I'm getting used to the routine. Get up, grab breakfast at the Sugarcube Corner, bring something back to Doom Star, get thanked by the happy batpony and then go to work. I don't think either of us is thinking about the future. She's just happy to have something warm to eat and she doesn't get snowed on and I... am simply glad I don't have to pay rent now that I have my own house.

Working at the asylum gets weird from time to time due to random screams and ponies just walking into walls and ignoring their surroundings. There isn't that much to do around the place but since there's only me, doctors Bright and Stable and two other nurses for both day and night shifts it feels like a lot. It might be a bit cynical but I'm thankful for not many ponies visiting their relatives or friends during the snowy days.

I'm thankful because it allows me to spend more time here, in the little room with one bronze unicorn looking out of the window. Well, sitting on the bed turned towards it. I must admit I feel a bit nostalgic as all this reminds me of the first winter when he arrived in Canterlot. It's funny how things have a way of coming back in circles.

"Remember the day ya thought Sharpie would eat ya?"

I've been talking his ears off since the day Bright Eye told me that reminding the patient of something might help in bringing him back. It hasn't been working at all but heck, I like sorting through the good memories. Nopony would have me pinned as one to sit and reminisce about 'good old days' but I guess everypony has moments like this.

"Your first day in Canterlot when I saw ya talking to him, well, his neck. Ya looked so small then and somehow, without growing up too much, ya now feel much taller."

Maybe the change wasn't only inside him.

"All I saw in ya was a squeaky, young unicorn trying to land a job at the castle and work his way up to be the right hoof of one of the princesses. Heck, I had no idea ya were two years older than me at the time, ya didn't look it at all or maybe I was just too stupid to notice. I think it was a bit of both."

I grin. My life full of paperwork, parties and fun got turned around pretty hard thanks to this pony.

"Then I noticed ya actually liked the small room ya lived in. Ya had no interest in gaining status and just wanted everypony to stay away from ya as long as your job allowed you to stay warm and not starve, ya had literally no ambitions and no... future, I guess?"

I wipe a tear. I'm not really sad, it's just that I can see much more now than I was able to see before or maybe it's just the hindsight of knowing him that helps.

"And ya were happy! I was happy. Practicing and imagining kicking Valiant in the face under night sky or at the gym with Sharpie was fun to me then. I would never have thought that he would try to kill ya. Well, I drove both of ya crazy."

There's a memory that used to be painful but makes me smile now.

"Ya know? Even the changeling invasion wasn't that bad. Shining and Cadence did forgive ya eventually, especially when they found out that our holding Chrysalis' forces outside held her attention long enough for the 'real heroes' to do their job."

Reminding him the bad stuff that happened might not be the best idea but all that was sprinkled with little bits of fun we had, I hope he remembers that as well.

"I think I fell for ya after that when I saw how happy Heavy and Sharpie were together. When you personally tried to persuade the princess that almost killed ya to SAVE the changelings who had real, loving partners in ponies right after the invasion. Ya may have hated yourself but ya had those who couldn't do that no matter what around ya."

Is this how it ends, after all that?

"I'd love to remind ya of the good times. I'd love to tell ya I've always been there for ya after that... but that wouldn't be true, would it? I could have made the first move, I knew ya would never do it, yet I didn't. Then... Nightmare Night happened and ya killed Blaze and told me it was better than what was going to happen to him. I'm getting the two of ya mixed together. Is it a good thing?"

He doesn't answer, obviously.

"Ya travelled to the mirror world alone, BY YOURSELF. No princess, no Discord, not a single super-awesome being set on saving this world wanted to go but ya. I know why, Void told me, but they didn't do anything. He also told me how it was supposed to end. Then it was all over, or so we thought, and ya were just lying there and looking at Void and Scream. Not at the princesses happy that their world is safe but at the two other alicorns whom ya helped to be together again."

That was the point when I finally understood how wrong you were about everything. I couldn't tell you, obviously, because that wouldn't change anything so I wanted to show you.

"Then ya moved to my place and shone a bit of light into my darkness. Bleh, even I can't stomach that innuendo. I thought everything was going to be fine despite your daughter and all the ruckus around."

I grin.

"Yeah... that was dumb. Everything could have been just fine but mirror Sombra had other plans. I don't know why he was so set on getting ya. Revenge, something else? Well, he got ya in the end and turned into one of his tools. Thanks for giving me Betty to protect me. Without his advice I would have had no idea what happened to ya."

Now comes the part that was entirely my fault.

"I should have told Sharpie what was going to happen. I should have told Luna so she would spare your life, she probably wouldn't though. When she returned even batponies were worried about her being fake and their recovering social status disappearing. She met him on her first day back in Canterlot and while he was a guard his little problem kept him isolated. Knowing how painful loneliness is, he decided to keep the exiled princess company day after day. Did ya really think Luna needed a bodyguard?"

No, nothing I could have said would have changed the outcome.

"Celestia could have said something but she fell unconscious after the assassination attempt and had no idea what ya did. Then there was only Fading Light, Sombra's unbreakable general leading every charge against Equestrian forces who killed Luna's closest friend. She would have cursed ya no matter what. That pissed me off, it makes me boil even now. Ya did so much for them and not a single pony even tried to bring ya back. Ya were just an enemy and the bearer of the Element of Betrayal. When Luna told me to take a break I decided I wanted to be by your side no matter if that was under the princesses or Sombra."

I will keep telling this to you until some little part of you comes back.

"And here we are, hiding from Luna. Me hoping I've got the right unicorn and talking to a brick wall. Ya know? It's not just ya. I actually like helping all these wrecks around here. It's nice not doing paperwork and beating up drunks for once. Too bad ya aren't around to keep me warm at night."

My ear twitches as I hear something scratch the wall near the door. The face of doctor Bright Eye quickly disappearing behind it doesn't go away fast enough when I jump and rush outside. Slamming the doctor to the wall, I put the razor in my horseshoe to his eye while my other hoof is pinning him by the neck.

"How much did you hear?" I growl.

"I-"

"Why did you eavesdrop on me?"

"I-"

"One wrong word and you're a stain on the wall."

With everything being clear I stop choking him. The blade stays where it was though.

"I've been standing here since you started."

"And you didn't have the decency to, I dunno, COUGH?"

"I must admit my curiosity got the better of me."

"Curiosity killed the cat... it might aim higher."

"Let me start by saying I mean no harm to you or your... friend, no matter who he is. The crazy glint in your eye isn't helping though."

"This is no joke," I push him hard.

"Ouch. I don't know how I can make you trust me. Maybe you could think about the fact that I haven't asked anypony about your 'being a Canterlot guard' story and a strange unicorn walking out of the Everfree forest."

His eyes focus behind me and somepony yanks me away from the doctor holding my neck in a perfect choke hold.

"I'll kill you if you tell anypony!" I groan at the doctor who ignores me.

The hooves holding me are weak but the hold doesn't allow me to escape easily. I hold my breath, kick back and tense my neck muscles. The choke around my neck breaks and I jump to the side so I have clear sight of the doctor and the ambusher.

I stop dead in my tracks when I see why the doctor was ignoring me. The pony holding me from behind was Blaze who is now, after my blow, trying to look as small as possible and fuse into the wall. When I take a step forward he hides his head in his hooves and sobs.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry," he just keeps mumbling.

Bright Eye groans.

"I-I think your friend doesn't think you slitting my throat would be a good idea."

I just stand there, unable to comprehend what has just happened.

Nothing Left: The Fight Begins

Mistakes are often forgivable, only if one has the courage to admit them.

Darkness, infinite pools of blackness everywhere the eye couldn't see. Contrasting with the midnight background was a bronze-coated unicorn, the only one still standing among the corpses of many of his copies. He wasn't bothered by the sight of his other selves stabbed, broken or crippled in various ways, he was just looking for one invader who had no place there.

The enemy was standing there, breathing heavily and grinning.

"Foalish creature, you really believed that all your little pieces would be enough to destroy me," snorted the threatening pony, a grey unicorn with flowing black mane and curved horn.

"Not really," answered Blazing light-heartedly.

"You were correct about your fractured bits being useless then."

"I usually am," Blaze smiled inwardly.

"So it's only you and me now. I admit I must commend you for your endurance but this body will be mine."

"Why? The body Scream made is gone. All that's left is me from before I got turned into a changeling."

Sombra cursed and his rage fused the darkness into glass. Then a small part of the glassy surface turned into a crystal chalice full of wine which Sombra picked up and took a sip.

"I can keep myself alive with magic, worm. As long as I have your body I might- I WILL be able to learn Scream's spell from the remnants in it."

Blaze sighed.

"I guess I'll never understand the desire for immortality."

"Your little brain has no idea how much there is in this world to know, to find out. The amount of power I could gain with infinite time on my hooves is-"

"Why?" Blaze raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Why do you need all that power? Do you enjoy manipulating others? Do you just need to feel superior? Is it something else?"

"The more power one achieves the more he knows how much there is to gain."

"Once again - why?"

"I... don't understand you. How can you be content with your weakness? How can you live with how little you are? How can you take the feeling that there are beings better than you in every aspect?"

Blazing finally understood the king and smiled.

"I see. You're just afraid there might somepony stronger and bigger."

"I AM AFRAID OF NOTHING!" screamed Sombra.

"Heh. I am afraid of everything. Every new day, every minute is a new chance to fail the ones I don't want to ever feel bad. That fear is what drives me towards stopping you here at any cost."

"You miserable-"

"Call me what you want. You can't ever come close to what I call myself every waking second."

Sombra took a deap breath.

"I don't need to do anything of that sort. I just have to destroy what's left of you."

"You're so scared for your life, your future that you don't understand what 'at any cost' means."

The hundreds of broken copies of Blazing Light stood back up with snapping of tendons and cracking of bones.

"What is this?"

"If I have to remember my every wound, every painful memory, every failure, every fear then I will. If I have to break myself completely to stop you then I will. If I have to destroy my future just to end your threat then I will."

The army of fractured pieces of Blazing's mind assaulted Sombra again.

"No matter how much I hate doing it after finally finding somethi- somepony to live for."

Well, I royally buggered everything up. My outburst aimed at Bright Eye ended up with me hurting Blaze, not seriously by any means but it somehow put me into the category of ponies he's scared of... which means everypony else. I hope he'll come around but for now there's very little I can do, even less than before.

Sighing to myself, I leave my post at the asylum reception and walk to Bright's office. It's been two days and I haven't seen Blaze or talked to the doc since. I guess I'm lucky to still be working here.

"Come in!" comes from inside after I knock.

I hesitate. Not knowing what to say is something new to me but so is seriously apologizing for doing dumb things. I've always just waved things off, forgotten them and relied on my friendly approach to leave trouble in the dirt even before they could surface. That might be a bit difficult here since threatening to kill somepony and actually trying to do so might for some weird reason stick in memory.

"Eeeehm," I open the door.

"Please don't kill me, I have a wife and five foals!" Bright dives under his desk.

"What?" my eyes bulge.

"Owwww. I shouldn't be doing this at my age," laments the doctor, smiling and crawling out of his hiding place.

"A bit over thirty-nine? You derelict wreck!" I walk to the desk.

"Hey, you sound like my wife just before she found herself a new colt-toy."

He returns back to the chair and I just stand in front the desk and shuffle the papers on it.

"So...?"

"Well, if I wasn't a psychiatrist myself then I would have probably needed one. Yesterday I twitched every time I saw you in the lobby. Today I noticed you trying to avoid me. I know you're sorry. I know we all do crazy things when we're scared."

"I wasn't scared... more like absolutely terrified."

"Care to tell me more? Mares tell me I'm a great listener from time to time," he employs a mockingly seductive voice.

"Keep talking like that and you'll get my tongue inside your ear and not just my words."

"So...?" this time it's his turn and he gives me enough time to collect myself.

"I-I can't tell you everything that happened but I just stopped thinking at the idea that I'll lose him again. I'm not trying to make up an excuse, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'll understand and not blow up anymore if you want to kick me out and all I ask for is that you don't tell anypony about Blaze," I bite my lip.

"I have overlooked many things concerning you and your friend. The thing is that no matter how clumsy you are you've never refused any dirty task here and you've never complained which is even rarer. Heck, I even noticed that some of our male patients were getting sponge baths a bit more often than scheduled."

I stop the blushing by biting my lip again but harder this time.

"Ehm, well, they don't have much going for them here so they may as well be clean?"

"Does it have something to do with that flirty attitude?"

"Maybe some other time. If you're not gonna fire me then... thanks and now I'll just go."

"You know, I've had patients with similar symptoms to yours. I can treat that sort of condition."

"Nah, I'm fine in that department buuuut... how willing are you to treat the symptoms, as you say?"

"It might need a bit more than just a kiss and dirty talking to get a stallion of my age to get going though."

"A light dinner tonight?"

"Can't do that sort of exercise on full stomach."

"Tell me about it. I once had a coltfriend who was way too set on trying the back entrance and-"

"STOP! For the love of Celestia don't continue unless you want me to hide in one of our padded cells, I won't even care if it's occupied."

"Well yeah, it wasn't pretty."

"I want to know one thing though - does your friend know about it?"

"Yes. He said he had no problem with me sleeping around but somehow it's never happened. It may have been thanks to me jumping his bones every chance I got or-"

"Or maybe it was that you wanted something different which you translated into sex before. Sorry, I'm sliding back to my psychiatrist mindset."

I stay silent and think.

"I think you're wrong... at least in something and I intend to show you tonight."

"I'll have my ice bucket ready."

"What about pills, grandpa?"

"You're gonna get a spanking!"

"I'll look forward to it. And... thanks again, I mean it."

"Don't worry. Friends can forgive and forget."

"What about friends with benefits?" I stick out my tongue.

"OUT!" Bright throws a couch cushion at me, laughing.

I leave the office with much lighter heart and better mood. I wish it was this easy to change Blaze's mind but hope fails me on this one. Still, I have to try so I walk upstairs and unlock the metal door. Upon seeing me the unicorn pulls his blanket up and hides his head under the pillow.

"It's gonna be alright," I pat the covered body which tenses up, "I just wish I knew what to do, how to help. I feel like nothing is coming through and I'm having doubts that throwing everything away was a good idea."

A whimper from under the pillow is all I get.

"I-I'll come back tomorrow to tell you the story of a bronze changeling who saved the lives of all four princesses."

All the energy I got from talking to Bright is gone, sapped by my helplessness. Kicking a small rock fallen from a potted plant, I return to the lobby and assume my place as a happy and cheery receptionist.

"Hey, batty! This big stallion brought something for you," says a passing white earthpony with pink mane who has been volunteering here as well.

Redheart is working as a nurse in local hospital but helps here when patients hurt themselves occasionally. Despite her jokes about me trying to seduce her to get access to Ponyville hospital blood reserves she's a really nice mare, pretty great-looking as well.

For a second I ponder inviting her to tonight's evening with the doctor and then slap myself and promise my libido a very cold shower after that. Too bad she notices the way I'm staring. Fortunately, it doesn't bother her and she just playfully winks back.

The cold shower comes immediately when she presents the item brough to me.

The pony responsible for making this square of paper and binding would have been incredibly proud to see that despite all bloodstains, red and green, all burn marks, scratches and dirt the writing in this little journal is still readable. I confirm my worst suspicions when I open the little book on the first page and read:

How to begin? Leaving my home in Manehatten was the most difficult thing I've ever done-

"Who... brought this here?"

"A white stallion, huge guy, blue mane, strange blue patches of fur right above his hooves. Pretty muscular too, looked like a soldier or a guard," she pauses, "Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No no no, everything's great. Thanks for telling me, Reddy."

"Oooh a new nickname. Kay then, seeya!"

"Yea you too," I say distractedly, "Thanks for helping with miss Pearl. She gets confused around doors from time to time."

"No problem. If you need me you know where to find me."

Yeah... the problem is that somepony knows where to find ME. What's worse, he probably knows about Blaze as well otherwise he wouldn't have brought his diary here.

When I curiously open the last page a piece of paper falls out.

Meet me at the camp in the Sweet Apple Acres after dark. It doesn't matter what day, just don't make me wait too long. Don't forget... Biscuits.

Why did it have to be Heavy Hoof?

I sigh.

"Well, at least it wasn't Luna."

Nothing Left: Towards The One In Pain

It is in your moments of decision when your destiny is shaped.

The place wasn't dark, it was just black as the eye could see with any shape of a different color being visible from far away. Not that it mattered, the only inhabitants were two unicorns, one bronze with sandy-blonde mane and one grey with long, flowing black mane somehow contrasting with the blackness of their surroundings. There, of course, were still many corpses of copies of the bronze unicorn lying around.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" growled Sombra.

"I gave up years ago, now I'm just doing what I feel like doing," Blaze smiled, breathing heavily.

Sombra cursed again and threw a suddenly materialized chair at Blaze who just rolled away. As much as this place was unfamiliar to the king he was getting better at using his magic here and driving the previous owner into a corner. He knew the twists and drawbacks of the visualization spell. He knew that every wound he sustained or inflicted here would change his chances at finally possessing this body.

He knew that with his power and knowledge he would win eventually.

The 'eventually' was beginning to bother him. The stupid, powerless unicorn was resisting him for way too long with having the home-ground advantage. He'd survived all the possibilities Sombra had shown him and for some weird reason the images of his own death didn't concern the bronze unicorn in the slightest. Well, they had broken him for a while but before Sombra could finish him off another copy had stopped him.

"Disappear already!" the king screamed in frustration and burned away the fragments around him

"You're trying to kill all memories of me failing myself and others. I have millions of those. Every single day there was a way of me failing my parents, friends or others."

"Then I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"

"You will, you are strong, determined and willful... everything I've never been able to be."

"At last you realize you will lose."

"I can't lose anymore. I lost long time ago. You have to realize there is nothing for you to take from me."

"YOUR BODY! ARE YOU DEAF? ARE YOU SO BRAINDEAD YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ALL THIS TIME?"

Blazing was growing worried his only hope would fail. In his last moments in the Crystal Castle he'd truly wanted to live. He'd wanted to get rid of Sombra and return home to Chokey, stuff her face full of mango and then kiss the juice off her. After first few exchanges of blows with the king he knew that would never happen.

The king was too strong. Blaze wasn't the one to fight fair though and his strength lay in planning and forethought. Unfortunately for him, right now he was fighting an enemy so much stronger that all his predictions were ending with his death. There was one crucial thing Blaze had always believed though.

You learn nothing from victory, only in defeat you can improve yourself and Blaze was learning very quickly right now.

"And that's how the ugly duckling became the regent of Canterlot," I conclude the daily storytelling session.

The unexpected ending is followed by rustling of a blanket and a bronze head peeks out wearing a confused expression. My mouth opens at the first sign of clarity in the unicorn's eyes but I'm careful not to move too fast or say anything too loud.

Just like that I catch Blaze's gaze and smile softly. He backs off a bit but slowly sits up. I wasn't really trying to do anything special today with the reading but it's been three days since I recieved Blaze's diary and my mind has been elsewhere even during our storytelling time. Well, I guess anypony would be confused how a story about my short trip to Tartarus ended with a bird becoming royalty or just the sheer stupidity was able to break through the normally blank eyes of Blazing Light.

I raise my hoof and when he twitches I back off again. I was hoping the brief moment would be more than just some shadow of a feeling or something but apparently I was wrong. I'm not sure though because for the first time in weeks I feel like he's watching me, not just staring somewhere else with me in the way.

"Blaze?"

No reaction, just silence.

"Love?" I lean in.

He leans back again but when I don't back away again he raises a hoof and touches the tuft of hair on the tip of my ear. That's one of the more visible marks differentiating batponies from the more usual three races. A small problem raises with me being veeeery ticklish at that spot.

I snort, he twitches. I think I'm getting used to it. The key is not forcing the issue but persevere. He twitches again when I do the same thing to him and then pat his head but the next thing he does is touch my coat without hesitation. I wonder why until he scratches his neck and then runs his hoof through my coat again.

"Yeah, batponies do have shorter coats. It's a remnant from times when we used to hunt prey in the forest and didn't want our coats to get tangled in something. Well, that goes more for blood-drinkers than me but nopony cares about keeping the bloodline pure... mostly."

It pisses me off that I still don't know whether he's reacting to my words, my voice, my presence or something completely different but more than that I'm happy to see at least something instead of just an empty shell. I gotta admit the foal-like wonder in his eyes after finding out our coats are different feels... amazing.

"I'd love to stay but miss Pearl is trying to make friends with the potted plants in the hall and I have to stop her before she gets to the cactus. I'll be back tomorrow, Blaze."

Even if he somehow comes back he'll never know how happy I was the moment he didn't shy away when I hugged him.

That's why I try to feel his warmth wrapped in my legs for as long as I can.

"OW!" comes from the outside.

"Buck... I gotta call Redheart now."

Amusing the old lady long enough for the nurse to come gives me enough time to think. If there is a chance for Blaze to get better then I can't leave Heavy to brood over Sharpie's death. I have to talk to him before he decides to tell Luna. If he's done that already then I'll be walking into a trap I might not come out of.

The blue eyes staring in amazement at my ears flash through my head.

I've never killed anypony, aside from changelings during the invasion, but at this point I won't hesitate to delete any threat to Blaze. Especially from somepony who didn't do a single thing to either help him save us all or protect him from becoming a what caused his fall. I test the hidden blades in my horseshoes.

"You're a friend, Heavy, but if you do or did something too stupid..."

Fulfilling that would be much easier if he wasn't a hundred times better fighter than me at all aspects.

Decided not to wait another day, I walk through the daily slog on autopilot and stop at home before moonrise. My knocking on the door of the bedroom closet wakes up my housemate.

"Yes?" asks Doomie, rubbing her eyes.

"I have to go out this evening and there's a good chance I won't be able to come back. In case I'm not back within few days this place is yours. Deeds are in the old desk in the storeroom and the key is in the kitchen. You've been very helpful in cleaning this place up and I don't want it to go to waste."

"Help?"

"No. If everything's okay then I'll be back soon and if not then you won't be able to help anyway."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Was fun."

I eat an apple before I leave. It's not too late but with winter in full swing it's dark already. It's also cold as the beds in Stalliongrad but I can't afford to put on any clothes because they might rustle and I need my ears unobstructed and ready. The message said there was a camp in the Sweet Apple Acres but unfortunately I can't fly to find it quickly.

Any semblance of stealth goes out of the window when I reach the huge orchard covering ground everywhere the eye can see and the frozen grass under my hooves crunches with every step. Looking around, I spot a light that isn't coming from the direction of the Apple family dwelling. As quietly as possible, which isn't too much, I walk towards it and when I pass through the wall of trees I get to a clearing with a campfire and a white, blue-maned pony sitting with his back turned to me.

The pony doesn't even move when I sneak up on him from behind and press a blade to his neck.

"No sudden moves," I whisper.

"What?" says a very different voice from the one I was expecting.

I draw the blade back and realize my captive isn't an earthpony but a familiar unicorn.

"P-p-prince Shining Armor?" I jump backwards right into the hooves of somepony who restrains me without hurting me but leaving zero chance for movement. Shining turns around.

"You look familiar and from your expression I guess you were looking for somepony else. Care to explain before my friend here decides to have a late night snack?"

"I-I thought... I'm looking for an earthpony, blue, white, no horn, bigger, more muscular," I stutter out.

"Ah," an amused male voice behind my ear chuckles and I'm released, "An understandable mistake."

"She might be lying, Cross," comments Shining Armor. Contrary to his statement he doesn't seem worried at all.

"Even so, she isn't dangerous at all."

I examine the figure that was holding me a while ago. It's a batpony with spiky, dark purple mane and classic yellow eyes-

-he's not a batpony. The rumors about a group of changelings near Ponyville make themselves get remembered.

"You're a changeling, mister... Cross, was it?" I ask.

"You've got good eyes, lady. I pride myself on my disguise."

"Firstly, your bulky build says 'fruit-eater' but the thin and long fangs scream 'blood-drinker'. To be honest they are way too long even for that. I guess they are made to look scary to others but to a real batpony it's like a kick in the head. Your wings are too big, almost pegasus-sized who can go faster thanks to their higher drag but bat wings are better for mid-air agility. Plus there is your lack of cutie mark-"

"That one's intentional. Peace treaty requirements," interrupts Cross.

"In short, you look like somepony who took the batpony elements and improved them to fit what he wanted."

The fake batpony bows slightly.

"Let me repay you for that insight. If you were looking for an earthpony of similar color as prince Shining here then you've got the wrong camp," he points to a larger hill overlooking this place, "This place has a clear line of sight of Ponyville and one obvious scouting weakness which is that hill from where somepony could watch us while mostly hidden. That's where you'll be heading."

"Wow, you've thought of the chance of somepony being better than you and turned it into an advantage?"

"You can't win every fight, young lady, but knowing your position and turning your weaknesses into strong points helps a lot."

"Erm... thanks. By the way, how good are you at martial arts?" is my last question brought to life by a familiar saying.

"I've spent over two hundred years in the Griffon Empire. I might not be a grandmaster but I think I could tie your legs around your chest," Cross smiles.

I grin to myself and leave the 'batpony' who pulls out a pair of mittens and sits down at the table next to the firepit where Shining Armor is sitting.

His little saying made me wonder how somepony could be cool-headed enough to do a thing like that. Cross, as a changeling, might be old and experienced enough to do that but how could somepony like Blaze have achieved that level of self-reflection?

Maybe one day I'll understand but for now I have to make sure there is at least some possibility of going that far.

I don't even get a chance to sneak on the earthpony I've been looking for who is sitting cross-legged with his back to the fire. As soon as I take few careful steps through the grass his eyes open and focus on me.

"Come here and sit down, Darky. It's cold out there."

Heavy has no idea that the tone of his voice when he began talking made me shiver more than the weather ever could.

Nothing Left: Chryssie M.D.

Real living is living for others.

"The fact that I'm a noble doesn't mean I have infinite money!" said an angry male voice forcefully.

"It's happening no matter what you say," answered a female voice calmly.

"Come on, you could ask a mage or an apothecary. It would be painless."

"You could have had your tubes tied as well before enjoying my booty."

"I thought learning to count was a mare's job so they wouldn't have to carry an inconvenient foal!"

A sound of hoof hitting flesh rang through the void.

"You will never say that again. Now go and tell Searing he's going to have a little brother to play soldiers with."

The furious grinding of teeth would be audible even to anypony outside of the building if, of course, there was any.

"You know what? FINE! He's your responsibility then. We already have an heir who is shaping up to eventually be a great and disciplined soldier. What is the position of the second son of a noble? They always end up with some minor monthly payment of family fortune and spend it all on wine. There's never been a second son worth the effort."

"Oh? Suddenly your begging for a passionate night after twelve years together is an effort?"

"You know what I mean."

"OF COURSE I DO! I am a royal historian, I know the details of most old lineages."

"Then why don't you suppress your maternal instinct for once and do what's right?"

"..."

"You're doing this to spite me, aren't you? You're angry that Searing Light isn't spending more time with you and you want to replace him with somepony more dependent to play dress-up with."

The shocked silence said it all.

"This isn't a popularity contest."

"Prove it then! Get rid of the two week old nusiance growing in you and focus on your growing son in every little way you can!"

"I would if I didn't remember how you reacted the first time I told you I was carrying Searing. We weren't even nobles then, we didn't have the contacts or resources and you panicked just like now."

"I didn't panic!"

"Of course you did, dummy. The scary war-hardened unicorn was completely helpless and was shaking like a little foal when I told him he was going to be a father."

"Well-"

"I know you better than you do. You will grow to love your second son even if you are stubborn like a bull, you will care for him no matter what even if you'll probably never really show it. That's the stallion I married and to whom I'll stay true despite him acting like a total moron from time to time."

The male voice tried to say something but in the end just sighed.

"I'll keep an eye on Searing. You just make sure this little guy doesn't grow up to be a complete disappointment."

"Well, there's always first time with anything. We might get lucky and not end up with a standard template for a second noble son."

Twin nervous laughs could be heard shortly after.

"That's what I love about you, Gift. You're an incurable optimist."

"And you're the anchor that doesn't allow me to fly too far away, Blinding."

Sombra looked down at the bronze unicorn sitting on the invisible floor and staring blankly into the darkness. The king grinned. Finally, FINALLY he was able to get deep enough to hurt the other unicorn. After locking Blazing in the memory all the other fragments of him disappeared and the king stood victorious.

"Even I must admit you were a deserving enemy but your hopes of defeating me were misguided. It took me a while to figure you out but in the end weakness cannot overcome true inner strength. Your hiding behind your failures and using them to fight me, to tire me out and weaken me was a good plan though."

The bronze unicorn recovered a little and his teary eyes focused at the king.

"Yeah, it was. Your magic and willpower are too much to handle for a mistake like me though."

"Fade away then, fragment of memory."

"Not yet, Sombrero."

The king sighed.

"More desperate effort?"

"Well, bear with me for a while more. You destroyed every painful thing that was in me but you missed one little detail."

"Unlikely but I'm listening with interest," the king smiled amusedly. Victory would indeed be his.

"All those little disappointments and failures amount to the colossal and fatal mistake that is me."

The corpses of Blazes on the ground disappeared and the remaining one growled.

"Finally," the king's smile grew wide, "No more hiding, no more tricks."

"Yeah... no more hiding, no more lies, no more tricks."

"Commander," the voice chills me to the bone.

"I'm not a guard anymore, Heavy."

"I was wondering about that," the white earthpony narrows his eyes, "You left Canterlot without saying a word to anypony. It sent even the Royal Guard into turmoil with the Nightguard leader... gone and his second-in-command leaving the guard with no explanation."

"Heavy..."

"You know? I considered leaving the castle as well because everything reminded me of Sharp, especially the empty bed in the apartment. Then, few days after the peace with changelings was signed, Celestia asked me to lead this operation and I agreed because it kept me away from home and close to the forest."

"How did you find me?"

"Coincidence, I guess. I come to the town from time to time to buy supplies for the guys in my camp and I noticed ponies at the bakery talking about vampires so I just asked. I must admit I don't know what you promised to the doctor at the asylum but he denied ever seeing you. Too bad you weren't really trying to be stealthy while moving around."

"Let me explain-"

"Soon you'll have all the time in the world to talk, now keep listening. I also visit Sharp's memorial in the Everfree every day and while walking around I found what looked like a book. At first I thought it was something one of the soldiers stole in Equestria and it appeared on our side of the rift alongside other things when it closed. It took me a while to read but after that all I had to do was ask the night staff at the asylum few careful questions."

"So what are you going to do now, tell Luna or leave us be?" I inquire carefully.

"That depends on what you say. I won't lie and say I don't want to see the murderer of my coltfirend die in the most painful way possible."

"HE DID! THANKS TO LUNA'S ROYAL JUDGEMENT HE DID! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE HAD TO GO THROUGH THANKS TO HER."

"Precisely that is the only reason both you and Blazing Light aren't sitting in the dungeon waiting for execution for high treason," he calmly deflects my outburst.

"I'll tell you everything but not here. Doctor Bright Eye kept asking things and since I have to tell the truth I may as well say it to everypony around me. You... are a friend so I'll tell you one thing in all seriousness. If you decide to tell Luna after all then one of us won't leave this town. I know what Blaze has been through and what was the part others played in him ending like this and I will fight for him until the end. Frankly... it can't be worse than what has happened already."

"You sound like Blazing in his drunken days."

"I guess I've grown to understand him a bit more."

"Then let's go. I want to know the truth."

He enters one of the tents and comes out accompanied by a huge grey earthpony who takes his place on watch. Together we leave towards Bright's house. I can't help but notice Heavy didn't bring his combat quarterstaff. He probably though I was bluffing when I said I'd take him on in case he wanted to tell Luna and I can't blame him. He is so much better than me in combat but he doesn't understand that I'm willing to give anything to be with Blaze again and if I can't...

I leave the thought unfinished. I know Blaze was ready to die at any point. Heck, he came to Canterlot to die far away from his family so nopony would find and identify him. After all we've been through I think I understand the feeling of somepony about to lose everything that matters to him. I just don't want to go through the days as somepony who has already lost everything... like Blaze during his first days in the castle.

I smile to myself. There's one thing I wish he understood at that time which is that the fact he lost everything only meant he had everything to gain. It gets harder and harder to stay cheerful and optimistic these days and keep telling myself that his 'gaining' me was worth all his previous pain. When did I become this brooding?

Right, when my coltfriend killed my best friend and was in turn broken by my princess. So... cynical as well? I miss my carefree days as a low-ranked guard in Canterlot but I don't think I can just leave everything behind me. I guess we all grow in ways we'd never anticipate.

The door to doc's place opens shortly after knocking and his questioning face meets Heavy's stern expression and my thoughtful sigh.

"Got a minute, Bright?" I ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

That's enough for him to let us in. Being the good host I know him to be he brings us some tea before asking anything more.

"You wanted to know more about Blaze," I begin, "but before that I thing this gentlecolt should tell you who he is."

"My name is Heavy Hoof. The patient you denied knowing about killed my coltfriend Sharp Biscuit who was princess Luna's bodyguard and the leader of Canterlot Nightguard."

"It's not as bad as it sounds at first," I wave my hooves when Bright looks hard at me.

"I'm listening," says the doc.

I take a deep breath.

"You've heard a little bit of what happened so I'll begin at the part important for Heavy. Remember the day when princess Celestia got attacked in the throne room?"

Heavy nods. My wings... the stubs of them that remain twitch.

"Blaze was still in the infirmary after getting attacked as well and I was coming back from visiting him when I heard sounds from the throne room. Neither the guards or me were able to get inside but Blaze came shortly after with Betty and opened the door-"

"Betty?" asks Heavy.

"The Element of Betrayal, one of the evil Elements from the mirror world. The name is a bit misleading though. Nevermind, we went inside and the guards got done in by an another Element bearer who wounded Celestia, cut off my wings and would have killed me if it weren't for Blaze who killed her. Unfortunately, he was still heavily wounded and was captured after that by a different Bearer. Betty stayed here to protect me and told me that Sombra had two bodyguards who were Bearers, one was an assassin who met her end in the throne room and one was his spymaster who had the ability to take away one's free will. That's when it all went wrong and Blaze came through the newly opened rift and you know the rest."

"Continue," says Heavy.

"There isn't much to say. When Luna in her rage sentenced Blaze to death by banishing him from her realm he knew he had only a short time before going insane and tried to stop Sombra one last time in the Crystal Empire. The fact we're here talking means he succeeded."

"You're leaving something out. What was your role in all this?"

"I knew Sharp was going to die."

"WHAT?!"

"Scream, as a reward for me helping Void get his soul back from Tartarus, showed me a vision of the future. Among the things I saw was Sharp's death."

"Why-why didn't you tell anypony?"

"I talked to Luna about it and we had no idea whether or not Scream could be trusted and it was possible that her vision was just another tool to achieve what she failed during the first invasion."

Heavy's hoof hits the table and his ragged breath interrupts my story.

"Heavy?" I ask but he ignores me.

"Heavy?"

He hits the table again and sobs.

"Blaze didn't want to do any of that he-"

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM!" Heavy bursts out.

"I HAVE TO PROTECT HIM! I HAVE TO CARE BECAUSE NOPONY ELSE DOES! Nopony considered he saved Celestia's life nor that he stopped Sombra once before. Suddenly he was just an enemy whom Luna, unable to kill him directly, sentenced to death by insanity. You know what's the worst thing about all that? If he wasn't in a magical body created by Scream after I GOT HIM KILLED he'd have just died in few days possibly talking to walls in his final hours but with the way things were he was kept alive struggling to keep whatever little was left of his mind. I met him when Canterlot fell and you wouldn't want to know how he looked."

Silence.

"You know what? You can tell Luna if you want, bring as many guards as you want and I will spit in her face when I see her."

Silence interrupted only by quiet sobbing of Heavy Hoof.

"I... I loved them both. I mean I wouldn't have met Sharp if it weren't for Blazing and now there isn't either of them here," Heavy whispers.

"I know this isn't my place to talk," Bright Eye breaks the silence, "and I hate using spells to mess with pony minds but since your friend's condition was caused by magic then it might help to get a better diagnosis. As I told you before there has never been a case of anypony surviving that long without sleep so my methods are insufficient. Do you know anypony skilled enough in that sort of magic?"

"Princess Luna," Heavy smiles sadly.

"Very helpful," I comment.

"Princess Twilight?" Heavy raises his head.

"She's been called away for royal business somewhere on the other side of Everfree forest," says Bright Eye.

"Erm... Heavy?" I ponder an incoming craziness.

"Yes, commander?"

"I have an idea. How is your changeling monitoring mission going?"

"Not great, they know about us and point and laugh most of the time."

"Soooo you're on good terms with changelings?"

"Why?" the rising horror in his face is almost amusing.

"Queen Chrysalis."

"Buck!"

"Why did you curse as well, doc?"

"I'm coming too," Bright grins.

"No, you're not," I absolutely deny his idea.

"You can't move a patient without my official permit and I doubt you'll bring the changeling queen herself here."

I sigh and so does Heavy.

"Look at the bright side," the doc smiles sadly to complete the full trio of somber faces, "neither of us here seems to have any love left in them. What is there for changelings to take from us?"

Nothing Left: Something Left

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

The bronze unicorn's legs failed him and his rump unceremoniously hit the ground. He sighed dejectedly and looked up at king Sombra standing victoriously in front of him. The fight would have taken long time if there was a way of measuring it and both combatants were tired. It was clear who was more resillient though.

Sombra had dragged Blazing through every memory, he'd learned all the little tricks and strategies the bronze unicorn had been using and finally there was nothing left. He'd known he would win from the beginning but even then it took far longer than expected. None of that mattered anymore as he could no longer sense any relevant power in his foe.

Sombra won. The body was his and his only now. What he hadn't counted on was that a lesser being could learn something from the king as well.

This place was Blazing's head, that much he'd realized during the fight. What he hadn't known at the start was that compared to the king there was no reason for him to need to use spells here. All he needed was somepony else to show him the way and now he was brimming with dark magic the king had been using to deal with his fragments previously and with him now.

Blaze grinned and wisps of black smoke danced around his body. A two-sided mirror appeared between him and the soul of king Sombra. Having been defeated and rising up so many times throughout the fight, Blazing had been sacrificing parts of himself to gain the slightest edge and a chance to find the king's weakness. In the end there was nothing more to give up and the king was still there, strong as ever.

An angular black crystal on the top of the mirror glowed.

"Do you really think I can't remove my own spell?" asked Sombra, clearly annoyed at Blazing's stalling attempts.

"Heh, remove? You've been throwing all my mistakes at me so much that I actually learned the spell from you. Do you have the courage to look inside instead of breaking it? After all this I really want to know - can YOU face your greatest fear?"

"I hate to repeat myself but there is nothing I fear, stop playing for time and just die."

Blazing looked into the mirror.

"Oh no, the horror, my brain iz meeeeeeltiiiing! Whatever shall I do? I will die alone and unloved," he screamed, overacting so much that an entire Canterlot theatre scene must have commited sucide at that point.

Sombra couldn't help himself and facehoofed. Involuntarily, his curiosity got the better of him and he looked up into the mirror.

Blazing Light had no idea what the king saw, all he heard was a choked groan and the sound of a body hitting the ground. He turned away from his vision and walked around the mirror. The bigger unicorn was lying on the ground, shivering and mumbling to himself. Blazing kicked him for good measure.

"And stay down..."

Sombra's soul stopped breathing and the bronze unicorn just sat down, his entire body made of lead. The mirror was still there, showing the ultimate fear and failure of whoever looked into it.

For the bronze unicorn the image in front of him was a one of him, sitting slumped in the darkness. No matter what broke the king, the only thing Blaze saw in the magical mirror was the same thing he'd seen every single morning in any completely non-magical one.

The image behind the glass smiled and the mirror disappeared. Blaze raised a hoof, a small book appeared and he tore out a single sheet of paper. His broken horn glowed and a pen appeared as well. He knew he was too weak to return and that he would fade just like the king had moments ago but no matter what little remained of him he would stay here long enough to do one more thing.

One last thing to do, one more duty to fulfill before he could let everything go. That mantra which had followed him most of his life surfaced once again and he grinned.

Levitating the pen he scribbled a short message on the paper and closed his eyes.

I nibble the ear belonging to the pony lying in the bed next to me and giggle when it twitches away and tickles my nose. The following lick makes the entire head move.

"Whatever you're trying to do, commander, is not going to work," says far too familiar voice.

"Heavy?!" I'm immediately awake but the reality of Heavy Hoof lying with me in bed doesn't really make sense.

"Before you begin - no, you're not charming enough to set me straight."

"Damn, there goes my opener. Am I THAT predictable?"

"Just a bit."

"Alright, back to business at hoof."

"No comment,"

"Har har. Why are you with me here? More like - why isn't Bright here with me or Bright with you?"

"First of all, your doctor friend isn't gay, there's not enough colorful clothing anywhere around and no decorative wooden inlay in the walls. Second reason might be that he is a good host and took the couch for tonight, leaving us here when you fell asleep at the table after our little chat."

"That makes sense," I yawn.

"Don't sound too disappointed. So?"

"So what?"

"Are we going to visit the queen of changelings?"

My coughing fit would be enough to wake anypony up with the added benefit of my lungs hitting the wall on the other side of the room.

"I'm not sure I was being serious. It's all a bit hazy."

"To be honest, it is a good idea."

"I'm surprised you turned around so easily."

Heavy looks blankly at the ground.

"I really did love them both and the best thing was that either one was okay with it. All I wanted from you was to give me a second opinion on Blaze's diary. I would have never told princess Luna, not after seeing you pushing a wheelchair with some crazy lady trying to talk to the trees outside the asylum."

"That's miss Pearl, she gets confused around trees... and chairs and ponies and, well, everything."

Heavy smiles and stretches his legs. Not for the first time I have to curse the heavens for him having no interest in mares because that body is... whoah.

"You're panting, commander."

"Your fault, not mine. Also," I point to myself, "not a guard anymore, just a reminder."

"Noted. On my part, I'll try to eat more cake to be less... droolworthy. Enough of that though, we should go."

"Crap, it's late! Why didn't Bright Eye wake me up?"

"He said he'll somehow manage when he left. He wanted to get the paperwork done early so we could leave for the Everfree as soon as possible."

"Let's go then. Wanna grab breakfast at Donut-, I mean Sugarcube Corner?"

"Good idea, it might be a long trip."

"Not really, it's only few hours away. Pretty close to Sharp's memorial actually... sorry," I add when I see Heavy's smile turn bitter.

"It's fine. I prefer remembering the good times we had instead of dwelling on what will never again be," he shakes his head, "The thing is that Blazing's diary mentions travelling to the hive and it taking some two weeks."

"That's was actually true before they built the bridge over Ghastly Gorge. That thing makes it trivial and both changelings and ponies keep an eye on it."

"Let's go then."

For the first time in my life and maybe for the first time in documented existence it is the mare who spends less time in the bathroom than the stallion. Honestly, with Heavy's looks I wouldn't have it any other way. Funnily enough, there are no snippy remarks to us walking through Ponyville alhough there's more ponies than usual looking our way. More mares, to be precise.

"Damn, if that girl begins licking the lollipop any faster she'll get friction burns," I comment at one of the more openly interested mares.

"I don't think that's physically possible," Heavy looks directly at her, "Aaand there she goes, she swallowed the wooden bit as well."

"And yet," I comment as the mare keeps moving her hoof up and down, "she didn't seem to notice. I wish ponies here reacted that well to me too."

"Problems?"

"The batpony thing. Marked by the moon, bringer of nightmares, vampire, all the fun jazz. Plus the crippled wing stubs," I flutter the useless things, "It was so much easier in Canterlot."

Heavy takes my head into his hooves, looks into my eyes and nuzzles my nose. In the distance, dozens of mares collectively send their waves of jealousy and hatred towards me. Not a single buck was, is and will be given about them that day because all I see are warm, brown eyes.

"You are beautiful, friendly and, from what I've heard, amazing in bed. There is nopony who could stay mad at you after they got to know you."

I really can't help blushing, nopony could.

"Thank ya, my knight in shining thong."

"Pfff," Heavy rolls his eyes, "That's what I get for trying to cheer you up."

"Yep! Ya get the cheery me with all the perks and benefits," I wiggle my bottom ineffectively.

"And now there's a fair amount of stallions looking at me with murder in their eyes. Thank you, I haven't had a nemesis in a while."

We could go making fun of ponies around for a long time... and we do. A nice change of pace comes when nopony starts insulting me at the bakery aside from whispers of shock at me being accompanied by Heavy. The words 'Big Mac grade' come as a bit of strangeness but for once I'm happy, only if mrs. Cake would stop with the 'knowing' glances alternating between us.

Full of sugar and energy, we leave for the asylum and I'm surprised to see one of the night shift nurses at the reception. At the sight of us she just waves in the direction of Bright's office. Bright isn't alone, sitting on the couch and playing with something shiny in his hooves is Blaze who seems surprisingly relaxed.

"Ah, here you are!" Bright greets us, "I have the temporary release papers ready and filled. We can't just snatch a patient and go for a walk into the most dangerous forest in Equestria. Please just sign your names next to mine and we're ready to go."

Seeing no apparent problem, both me and Heavy do so. When the doc files the form he produces a leash from a drawer in his table.

"Standard procedure," he explains upon seeing our questioning gazes, "Trust me, it's for his good. We can either go with the wheelchair or the leash but I'm not letting a mostly self-unaware patient just move around."

Another memory surfaces, a great one, at least for me.

"Give it to me."

Blaze doesn't complain or anything when I put it around his neck.

The trip is uneventful discounting hydras, necromancers, rogue changeling armies and a tale about a young recruit hated for being different up until the point he recieved a very important lesson from his sargeant and a further one from pony who later became his coltfriend. I know the story from Blaze but hearing Heavy's viewpoint on all that keeps my attention. Blaze doesn't seem to care about anything in the story itself but whenever we forget some detail and go silent trying to remember he curiously stops and just looks at us.

All in all, it's a pretty fun trip. Up until the point when a squad of changelings surrounds us, it is.

"Intruders! Get ready, guys, we'll be feasting tonig- I mean... buck," he pulls out a piece of paper from a bag on his back and tries again.

"Welcome, our new tourist friends. We hope your visit to our fair hive will be full of enjoyment and fun fun fun. We are the visitor welcoming squad and will be happy to show you the best spots around."

The longer the stunned silence goes on the more nervous the changeling leader seems to get.

"I'm afraid we're here on business, young po- changeling," Bright gathers his wits first, "We need to see your queen for her expertise in mind control magic."

The changeling begins thumping through the pamphlet and throws it away in disgust after a while.

"That thing is useless. Fine, let's go."

"Tourist guide to the Hive... how does that work?" my quick glance reveals the paper's title.

"Don't push your luck, dinner. Ehm, I mean pony, of course."

"Ooookay, nevermind then."

The building we're ushered in is surprisingly similar to the throne room in Canterlot castle aside from it being mostly empty. The 'mostly' is the important part. When the pair of green eyes stops examining us, queen Chrysalis gets up from the throne and speaks.

"One of you I know, two of you are... strange. Who is the unicorn with the glasses?" she asks, looking at Bright Eye.

"A psychiatrist from Ponyville, not tasty at all."

I can't even be mad at him acting like an idiot. Heavy himself is slightly on edge and I would be as well if I haven't met the queen before.

"Rude," comments the queen but doesn't seem too offended, "Who is the one looking like Shining Armor. As much as I hate saying it - like a better version of Shining Armor."

"Heavy Hoof, a Royal Guard. We've met at Sharp Biscuit's memorial after the invasion."

"Ah yes. You, little and very, so very cheeky bat," she grins, "I know. Who is the other unicorn and why is he marked as a friend of the hive? Try to explain in a way that would not result in him 'helping' my subjects more."

Heavy is the one to open his mouth first.

"From what I understand you might remember him as a bronze changeling-"

"What do you require from me?" the queen interrupts immediately.

I make a mental note to ask Blaze if he- WHEN he recovers what happened between him and Chrysalis.

"We'd like your help in getting into his head. We suspect his condition was brought by magic and for various reasons you're the only reachable expert on that subject."

"Unfortunately for you, changelings are mostly adept at forceful manipulation and not analysis. There is one spell I can provide for you, a visualization spell which allows you to see a mind and interact with it as if you were a part of it. Be warned though, any danger posed to you will be very real and might kill you."

"I'm going in," I don't hesitate, " As for you-"

"Don't even bother. I'm with you, commander."

"I'm going too. I can't leave my best scrubbing nurse get hurt."

Chrysalis nods and her horn glows.

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

Darkness.

A scene of massacre.

Hundreds, no... thousands of Blaze's lying on the floor maimed, crushed, sliced and burned, all of them forming a circle around a grey unicorn who used to strike fear into the hearts of Equestrians.

"BLAZE!" I yell into the blackness. Not a single one of them moves or answers.

"BLAZE!"

"Blaze...?"

"Is that king Sombra? How?" asks Heavy, standing by the grey corpse.

"No idea. Ignore him and keep looking, Blaze must be somewhere around."

"Everywhere around," mumbles Bright with fairly bad taste.

"SHUT UP! He's okay, just messing with us. He won against Sombra or something so he must be here. He's just hiding among the dead ones and he'll jump when we get close. RIGHT, BLAZE?"

"Heh... heh... right?" my mouth finally catches up to my head.

This isn't a fairy tale.

"This one is holding something, commander. I wonder what it- WHOA!" Heavy reaches for something in the hooves of the only Blaze who seems to be sitting and then gets pushed away by an invisible force.

Bright Eye tries from behind and ends up the same way. With a bitter smile I walk closer and take the crumpled piece of paper from Blaze's hooves. I knew it would work, I remembered the last thought on the last page of his journal.

I read aloud.

I was wrong, Sombra was too strong. All this time I hoped I could win against him here so I could somehow return to you. A little bit more, okay a lot more, and I would have done that. Well, I wasn't strong enough but I took him down with me. The only thing I want now is to stay here long enough for you to find this message. I don't know whether it will work, I don't even know whether you are looking. All I know is that you're safe from him now.

Remember when Scream revived me after you left me hanging? Good one, right? Sombra wanted to know the spell for himself and the entire second invasion was aimed at getting it. I am sorry for putting all ponies in danger. I should have refused Void's offer in the Crystal Empire and let things here work out the way they should have.

Damn, this was supposed to be short and to the point.

Fine, the most important part. I learned something about this body from Sombra. I mean really, that guy loved to hear himself talk. The spell restored my body to the point before I got cursed and turned into a changeling. It is a legacy left behind by the alicorn of Life and Sombra wanted to harness its energy to become immortal. I guess Void might be able to tell you more details but he's not here. What I was able to understand was that I might be able to restore something back myself. As much as I wanted I wasn't able to get back so I focused all the power I stole from Sombra to preserve what little I could.

In short, something might get back. Not me, I must disappear along with Sombra locked here. I don't know whether it will work, it probably won't, to be honest. The only thing I know is that you'll be the key somehow if by some miracle it does. There's only one thing I ask of you in case you decide to try.

There's one pony I hurt the most and I need him to know I am sorry. If you find this somehow then the restoration will become possible and if you don't then I will fade along with everything else and leave an empty shell, I suppose. So... in case you try something then ask Heavy for permission first. If he can't get over Sharp's death then leave me be and he will have his revenge.

No matter what will happen I want to tell you this:

Chokey, thank you for the best three years of my life.

Every single Blaze fades into the darkness after I finish reading, leaving only the three of us as visible shapes sharply contrasting with the black background. The spell ends when I let the piece of paper drop and the real world comes back.

Blaze is sitting on the stone floor, staring blankly. All signs of intelligence and recovery from before are completely gone.

I do the only thing left to do and look at Heavy Hoof. He looks back.

"I've never seen you this... broken, Darky. What do you think I'm going to say - let him die? The message warned you that it won't be him that comes back though."

"He said he'd try to preserve something. So... can I?"

"Go for it. Got an idea what to do?"

"Blaze?" I say to the empty face and wave my hoof.

Nothing happens.

"Smell and touch are the strongest triggers for amnesia patients most of the time," interjects Bright Eye, "There's one thing I want you to do first. Come back to the asylum. If something we don't like comes back we'll need a place to hold it."

"I agree," says Chrysalis harshly, "Get out of here!"

"Hey, what's-"

"Get. Out."

The growl sends shivers up everypony's spine and we back out of the throne room. What my sensitive ears catch before we leave makes me smile as much as I can in this situation.

"You'll be always welcome in my hive, no matter what happens," a whisper and a quiet sob.

The silence hanging over us would feel creepy if any of us was in the mood to notice. Blaze is simply following the tug of the leash.

We arrive back in the late afternoon and get ready inside one of the padded cells in the asylum. At one point I jumped into a nearby shop and bought a little package. I didn't answer the questioning gazes of my companions at the time.

"Touch and smell you said?" I scrunch my nose.

"Yes."

There's only one thing I was able to think about during the trip that combined both of those. I hug the brainless unicorn and kiss him. I don't stop until the body tenses and front legs try to push me back.

"Owwww," Blaze groans, "What did I do yesterday?"

The rest of us keep waiting. Blaze looks at each one of us carefully.

"I sold my organs while drunk and you're the mob, right?" he facehoofs.

I pull out the package I bough before from my saddlebag and open it. With a weak orange glow swirling around his horn, Blaze holds the presented notebook and a pen in front of him.

"It's a fresh journal so you can write down things you don't want to forget."

"Thanks, miss...?"

"Choking," I fight off a wave of nausea, "Darkness."

"Blazing? Light?" he grins nervously.

"I know, I'm your guardian angel," Tugging at the leash, I shoot Bright Eye a fiery look when he opens his mouth to say something undoubtedly connected to the discharging protocol of the asylum.

He is my second chance and I'm not going to waste it.

Back To Normal: She's Ruthless

[Blazing's Entry]

Weird, that's the only word that can describe how I feel right now in full, just weird. Ponies usually have some memories from their foalhood, the good times when they played outside with their friends and had to go to bed early. All I have is the image of three ponies looking at me inside a padded cell.

Now, therein lies the strangeness. I KNOW there must be memories like that, I KNOW how things SHOULD be and what things are. I just have no idea how I know. I can read, I can write... I can use the toilet (even the three seashells) but I have no memory of learning it. I guess dwelling on it isn't going to help anything though.

I thought the batpony's idea to start writing a diary was a joke but opening the little book almost felt natural and comforting. The really confusing part is that I'm a unicorn, right? According to what my body is telling me unicorns should be using magic to hold the pen. Every cell inside me is telling me that yet my first reflex was to pick it up with my mouth. I suppose it has something to do with half of my horn missing.

All in all, there's a lot of history apparently around me which I don't know that's making me feel unnatural compared to how my head is telling me things are supposed to be. So no, I'm totally not crazy. The fact that I woke up in an insane asylum means absolutely nothing.

After walking through the town called Ponyville in the company of the batpony mare we arrived at a pretty rundown house and she said she was going to grab something to eat for us and left. I have a lot of time to write right now as a result.

Sorting out my thoughts.

The bespectacled unicorn at the asylum felt comforting. Calm, collected and trying to hold the other two back when I woke up, he was the only one to whom I didn't react at all. Is it possible that's a sign of me not knowing him before? He asked me to visit him in few days for a check-up and, despite the angry growling of the batpony, I agreed.

I'm getting to her but now for the second pony I know... apparently, possibly. I felt uneasy around the earthpony called Heavy Hoof. I could say I have no idea why but that's sort of apparent already. The thing is that no matter how friendly he tried to look...

...no, the friendlier he tried to be the more he made chills ran up my spine. I felt sad around him, that's all. I don't think his friendly approach was a lie though. It's just that I got nervous with him around no matter what. Well, after we left the asylum he went away in the direction of the hills overgrown with apple trees outside of town.

Now for the weird batpony and I say weird only because she freaks me out more than the other one. It's not as much the things she said but the way she said them. Maybe it just felt like she kept trying too hard to make me feel comfortable around her or maybe she could read how I really felt. The thing is... how could anypony know me well enough to see that every string of my being was telling me to trust her, to give everything I have for her.

Unless she was causing it herself. I need to be careful around her, the way my body reacts is just too unnatural. One thing is certain though, I either knew her or she knew me and wants something from me.

[End Entry]

Did I live here?

Probably not. The house doesn't seem derelict, just deserted. Two rooms on the ground floor, two more upstairs, none of them seems to have been used regularly. Well, the one I would call a living room probably is the one the owner is sleeping in as there's a mattress lying on the floor covered by a blanket sprinkled with pastry crumbs.

The room upstairs that isn't used for storage is what I would call a bedroom. Why? Just a nagging feeling that a house of this structure should look like this. I feel comfortable here despite it being dark aside from the shimmer of my horn. I must have been pretty good at magic as even when broken in half my horn seems to let the power flow just fine.

I have one complaint and that is the cold in this room but I guess the strange mare wants me to be comfortable because it must have been her who pulled one more mattress out from the storage before she left and prepared a nice makeshift bed here. Considering how I feel around her I should at least enjoy her care before she shows what she really wants.

What if she isn't some mind-controlling pony and I just react this way because I knew her?

My back flops against the mattress as I drop down and look at the ceiling. If that's the case then I'll find out eventually. The thing is that I know she's a batpony. Yes, yes, the physical difference makes it really obvious but the influx of information and images I got from the word was stunning. Everything from what bats are, what animals are, why would a pony have bat wings and what is so terrifying about the fangs emerged at once.

It might feel natural to think about a living being that way but even my first sight of a chair gave me the vision of earthponies working in a carpenter's workshop with files and saws somewhere called Manehattan.

It all started with a tree cut down near Stalliongrad falling on a stray squirrel.

Sometimes I think my head is making fun of me.

*Squeeeeak*

*Hisssss*

"Who's there?" I shut the light of my horn off.

*Tap tap tap*

I stand back up.

The sounds came from a large closet, the only piece of furniture in the room. I can't believe I didn't check it earlier. In all honesty, there wasn't a reason to though. I quickly ponder the fatality of stupidity as a draft of air signalling the passage of something fast and big hits my face.

I quickly rear on my hind legs, spin around and swipe upwards with one front leg because if there's an enemy charging straight at you, you don't really need to see the details to break his nose.

What?

The stupidity of that saying catches me off-guard and I shake my head which suddenly feels as if I was not seeing double, but thinking double. Everything stops when the shock causes me to stop thinking completely and something just takes over and jumps away into the darkness.

Fortunately, my body is reacting faster than I can understand what's going on. I'm being attacked. The enemy is fast, about my size, maybe slightly smaller, relies on teeth and has wings.

Not a pegasus though, their wings are too large to provide enough agility inside. That became painfully apparent when the attacker stopped mid-air right next to my neck and its teeth snapped right when my body moved by itself.

Unfortunately, said body is burdened by a mind that has no idea about anything right now and can only cover my neck when I get tackled into the wall. As a reward for this semi-successful defense I recieve a burning sensation in my front leg and a dull thud when my other leg punches again.

"OW!" I scream when the pain finally makes itself get noticed.

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The high pitched screech is annoying and slightly disorienting but since I'm not really in control anyway it stops abruptly when I kick away the dark shadow and run past it out of the room and towards the stairs down. The flap of wings behind me proves the attacker is close-

My horn lights up as much as possible. It being above my eyes just makes shadows dance as I keep running but the scream from behind me announces my success. Well, not my success... the success of whatever was in charge when I was crapping myself having no clue what to do.

I rush through the door downstairs and I'm on the street. I'm not going to stop running because my mind finally catches up to what happened.

The attacker was pony-sized with wings smaller than pegasi ones and sharp teeth and could screech high enough to rattle windows. There's only one being I can think of that fills all the criteria.

A batpony.

I guess she just got me out of the asylum to have dinner and I got lucky by going lucid for long enough to fend her off. That means I might return to my previous state or if I'm cured then she'd probably want to silence me. Planning will have to come later though, for now - just run.

The adrenaline rush works until I trip and roll on the ground. Having no idea where I am, all I know is that my heart is pounding and lungs burning. What now then? First - lean on the nearest wall. Second - wait until the pain in everything stops.

Good.

My entire body begins shaking. I don't know anything or anypony. I have nowhere to go. As soon as I realize this the shaking stops. Why does it feel so familiar?

Damage report.

The bleeding from my leg stopped despite my running which means the wound was shallow and more painful than dangerous. Sighing, I realize there are only two options. Either I can go to the local guard post or whatever constitutes for security here or I can go back and deal with the threat myself and it's dark, everypony is already inside and I have no clue where the guards are.

I have to commend my sense of direction as even in an unknown city, in the dark and after running away in panic I can find enough landmarks to retrace my steps and end up in front of the house.

So... the enemy didn't expect bright light, isn't too strong, has sharp teeth but not strong enough bite to go through bone. Now, batponies can't use magic and she wouldn't be able to dance in mid-air thanks to space limitations. She is faster than me but that might have been just panic on my side.

Taking a deep breath and shaking my hooves frozen by the run through snow I open the door.

Correction, fail to open the door because it's locked.

All logic fails and I knock. Maybe... nope, I've got nothing. The door opens and a smug, yet relieved, batpony opens.

"Welcome back," says Choking.

"Don't you-"

She snickers at me jumping back and ready to fight and then waves her hoof, inviting me inside.

"Come in, I'll explain."

"Eeeerm."

"I have hot chocolate... well, lukewarm chocolate now. Still better than the frost outside though."

"..."

"Please?"

The pleading expression is almost believable.

"Fine, but you're staying in front of me and no sudden-"

She DOESN'T HAVE WINGS.

I try again when I see her biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, miss. You've got to listen to me, there's somepony upstairs who attacked me."

"I know and she's sorry. Come in, please."

There's still the possibility of two batponies being in league with one hunting for victims and the other feeding but the look on her face when I backed away sent spikes through my heart. No, she's not using magic or anything.

I knew her and I desperately wanted to be with her.

Decided to trust her, I walk inside and there's another batpony in the living room. As soon as I spot her I know she must be sorry for what she did because the damage to her face is definitely not my doing. The specks of blood littering her light-grey coat and a missing fang is nothing I could have done without serious effort.

She sniffs.

"'m thory."

I can't even be angry at her. The batpony looks as if she hasn't eaten in days and the dried blood around her nose just proves she's had enough.

"What happened?" I pat her head.

"Mith leaveth thometime thood thor me. I thouft you were a thnack."

Processing...

...BEEP.

"So you DID want to eat-drink me?"

"Yeth."

Looking from her to Choking, I sort of feel pity for the batpony runt.

"You beat her up?" I ask Choking just to reassure myself.

"I guess I overreacted a little when she told me she chased away a thief," she chuckles nervously.

"So... let me get this straight. You didn't tell her about me. To her I may have really been just somepony trying to break in and rob the place. When she chased me away successfully you smashed her face in."

"Well, she hurt you-"

"And that was YOUR fault!"

"I-"

"Leave us alone for a while."

"But I-"

"GO! AWAY! Before you do more damage."

I don't even look at her but when I hear her hoofsteps leave the room I focus back on the other batpony. It would be wrong to judge Choking just by what she did before but it definitely wasn't the best impression.

"Are you still hungry? Eh, what's your name?"

She nods.

"Doom Thtar."

"Is she," I point to the door, "holding you here?"

"No. Giveth thood erry day."

"She lets you drink from her?"

Doom Star shakes her head.

"Warm thweeth."

"So you don't drink blood?"

"I do. Not much around. Hiding."

"How much do you drink?"

"Hungry."

Whatever force is trying to keep me alive, I hope you're listening to me now.

I tilt my head.

"Can I offer you some? As an apology for tonight."

She looks at the door and bites her lip.

"Don't worry," I pull her closer, "She won't hurt you this time- OW!"

With my reassurance she just chomps my neck. It felt more like a prick than a dog bite or something, not that I remember either. To be honest, the sucking on my neck tickles more than it hurts.

"What's going on? I heard- HEY!" Choking runs back inside.

I hold Doom's head where it is with one leg and wave Choking away with the other.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"O... kay?" Choking asks but stands still.

The sucking sure feels nice but I'm getting light-headed.

"I've got to make... things... right..."

I hope I taste good.

*Thud*

"Heh, the room is spin... nin... nngh."

Back To Normal: She's Hasty

[Blazing's Entry]

"Misunderstanding" cleared up, smooth sailing ahead, neck bandage applied.

Tired, shower still working. A square hole and a square peg put together.

In all seriousness now.

With me slightly overfeeding Doom Star, or Doomie as Choking refers to her, she now thinks I'm some sort of a juice box combined with her dad. I must admit it's a bit flattering but having a daughter only few years younger than me is silly. Although she's a bit simple she doesn't have a bad bone in her body and with me feeding her past three days she's looking better and better.

Choking, on the other hoof, feels as strange as usual and doesn't miss an opportunity of watching me spending time with Doomie. I think there's a lot she's not telling me but there is no way I'd believe her to be some sort of pony who uses others. It might be just my body talking but after watching her give Doomie a bath - okay, I personally love stewing in hot water and I guess it's not for everypony but Doom Star's reluctance to get clean is astonishing for a probably adult pony - I think that under the hot-headedness and barely contained paranoia she's a really kind pony.

I sort of want to see a bit more of that side of her.

[End Entry]

I tried to be useful by spending most of the day walking around the house trying to find all damaged spots and health hazards. Too bad my knowledge of carpentry is limited to knowing something is broken just as it begins cracking under my hooves.

Yes, I tried to evaluate the status of the upper floor by stomping around. Don't judge me! Doomie was mad at me for waking her up but joined me after a while and the two of us jumping around must have been a blast for the neighbors. I have to wonder at how little it takes for her to be happy.

There's one thing that's been bothering me since my awakening which is that I can't find anything I'm good at. I sometimes have a good, albeit questionable, idea like the floor inspection but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly fitting me. It might have something to do with my lack of cutie mark. Well, it probably has.

The real question is whether or not I want to know about my past. All I know is that we're hiding away in this small town, the reason is me and unless I do anything ridiculous to draw attention to myself everything should be okay.

At the time I decided not to push the fact that Choking was lying to herself more than she was to me. Sometimes ponies just want things to be true so much they ignore all evidence to the contrary. To be honest, if she's this determined to be with me then I shouldn't be the one ruining it.

Or should I?

The big problem, the reeeeeally big one is bothering me. She doesn't love me. She might be telling herself that but I'm not the pony she wants to be with. I don't know her and I saw her finally getting it when I yelled at her for beating up Doom Star. I wasn't acting the way she thought I would and it began breaking the little world she built around herself after whatever happened happened.

Hmmm, maybe I used to be a psychiatrist? I guess I can notice and interpret those little details about ponies pretty well. Is that why I woke up at the asylum? Was I one of the staff that has gone crazy, killed somepony and was hidden away from the law by friends?

Eh, whatever. I don't intend to do anything blatantly stupid to make myself stand out so I should just deal with the problem in front of me... the problem being a mare stuck in a memory.

ENOUGH!

The problem of me being dirty as if I spent a day working on a farm.

Doomie is sleeping after a day of messing around and a little snack, ehm, and Choking is at work which means I have the house to myself. With towel in my magical grasp and the bathroom as my destination I intend to spend at least a part of this evening pretending I'm a rubber ducky.

With only a head sticking out of the tub I realize I've been humming a tune I don't remember ever hearing and it stops as soon as I focus. That sucks, it was a nice one.

The bathroom door opens.

"Wo-wa-occupied!" I yell, stop soaping myself and hide in the tub again.

"I know," a black head peeks inside and then the rest of Choking follows.

"I, erm, don't mean to be rude but I'm trying to have a bath here."

"I can help you wash your back," she sticks her tongue out, "...and more."

That voice, the hunger in those words could melt an ice sculpture and make jello hard as steel.

"NO! I mean I'm fine, thanks for the offer."

"That wasn't an offer," Choking licks her lips and with a dreamy smile approaches the tub.

My body is telling me to drag her to the tub, my... lower regions are agreeing violently but the chills going up my spine make my head take control and I stand up, dripping.

"I'm sorry but no. No matter how gorgeous you are I can't do this, not right now."

The feeble show of resistance means nothing to her as she leans towards me and whispers to my ear.

"Your body... disagrees."

Then she bites my ear, sending electricity through my entire body down to my hooves.

"Stop it," I push her away.

I may as well have hit her with a hammer. The disbelieving expression when she steps back almost makes me rethink everything, almost. I have to retain some self-control and set limits, at least for now.

It's completely obvious from the nervous twitching of her front legs she doesn't understand what's going on.

"You can't do this. I don't know what used to be between us but your overly sexy approach is doing nothing to help, it's freaking me out, to be honest. You don't have to do anything like this. I want to get to know you but that will take time."

"Have to?" her voice is shaking when she turns around and walks through the door, "I'm such an idiot."

Breathing as if I've just moved a grand piano, I towel myself off. I had to do that, I had to do that, I had to do that. I can't just slip into a role she has ready for me because, well, the role isn't for me. It will be healthier if she just gets rid of the illusion and faces reality.

"The reality that I'm not worth being looked at by her," I hear a whisper from somewhere.

A sudden headache makes me groan but fades away pretty fast. I guess I must have just left the hot water too fast, this place isn't really well-heated and the winter is biting down pretty hard these days. I shake my head and something becomes crystal clear - no matter how good the reason was for me acting like that I was insensitive and have to make things right... when she so obviously can't.

Since the living room is the only really heated place in the entire house I shiver my way through every room without success.

"Miss Darkness!"

A thud comes from the storage room on the upper floor.

"Miss Darkness!"

Quiet sobbing lingers in the air.

Following the trail, I open a large chest where blankets must have been kept. Now it holds a crying batpony who keeps punching the bottom weakly.

"Buck, buck, BUCK!" she hits the bottom of the chest again with a crack. Unfortunately the chest is made of solid oak so the sound must have come from her hoof.

"Miss Darkness..."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"What?"

"I'm Chokey, your Chokey. Nopony else has the right to call me that but you. Why can't you understand it?!"

"Because I'm not the one you're looking for. I can't help you the way you want me to."

She sits up but the long breath she releases feels as if something important leaves with it.

"I made a mistake," she says flatly, "I shouldn't have bothered you, mister Light."

Why does it hurt?

Why does it hurt so much?

WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?

HEAVENS WHY? WHAT IS THIS?!

The chest breaks into pieces in a burst of orange lightning and I jump backwards to avoid the scatter. Fortunately, I end up only scratched in places but the orange glow above my eyes isn't stopping.

When the dust settles I see Choking with tiny bronze sparks running through her coat. The only reflex left in me is to feel her warmth.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened," I hold her in my hooves with no desire to let go.

I do know what happened. The soulless look, the empty words... all that tore apart my heart almost literally.

"I'm fine, mist-"

"Don't- please, don't call me that. I think I understand a little bit of how you feel. I don't want to be mister... that to you, ever, erm Chokey."

"But you were right. You're not Blaze."

"No, I'm not. Does it mean I'm not allowed to try and make you happy for a while?"

She chuckles but still keeps looking at the floor.

"Well, you DID refuse a mare's company in the bathtub earlier."

"Yeah, about that... can you- can we try things out? I mean at slower pace."

The orange sparks stop and burrow into her coat. She wipes her eyes, smiles and breathes out.

"I don't know."

"Hey, I can be a charmer if I want to. Your vampire friend seems to like me so I can't be that tasteless."

"That. Was. Awful."

"I have to make an ass of myself to have a chance at getting yours."

"Heavens, stop that," she snorts, "Fine, I'll slow down but I have one request."

"Okaaaay?"

"The tub, you, me, now."

"Well-"

"Nothing too kinky. I'm covered in dust even on the inside and since you ran here half-wet you're dirty as heck too. By the way, what was that?"

"I have no idea. My magic is kind of doing whatever it wants to. I'm just glad it protected you from the flying wood. The sparks running into you didn't hurt?"

She hesitates and I immediately know the next thing she says will be a lie.

"They just felt warm," she smiles, looking into the darkness of the room, "Hey, can I ride your back?"

I bend my legs and press my muzzle to the floor.

"Only if I, someday in the future, get to ride yours."

"It's a promise."

Back To Normal: She's Crazy

[Blazing's Entry]

Damn, that was close. Any normal explanation would revolve around a heart-attack or something similar but that wasn't it by any stretch of the imagination. I think it was a warning that my course of action was too wrong. Being a hostage to something feels pretty awful though.

Your understanding of the situation is disgusting.

No, I don't care. I don't care what happened, I don't care who you are and most of all I don't care about what you want. I am me and I chose to try things out with that crazy batpony.

I will make you listen.

Shut up, she's weird! Even you can't deny that. Who would try to hump you in the bathtub without knowing you? What's wrong with her? I can't deny she's hot in a strange fashion if I discount the creepy wing bits but I wouldn't give her ten out of ten.

She's the best pony in the entire creation.

Maybe for you she was, not for me! I don't know her and she doesn't know me. She's in love with, I guess, you but you're supposed to be gone so why don't you just disappear and let me live my life?

This isn't your life, it is mine.

No, you're gone, you're amnesia or whatever. You're a headache that has no reason to exist anymore. You're a memory that's dragging me AND her down.

I won't let you hurt her and I will claw myself from the depths of Tartarus if I have to. She deserves to be happy.

What's so special about her? She's just a batpony. Nothing more, nothing less.

She's the only pony who has ever believed I was worth a second look. She is the only reason for my life and as long as she's not completely happy I will keep coming back to make her smile.

I want to try things out with her, that's the best I can do now.

I'll be back.

[End Entry]

No reason to sugarcoat it, I'm freaked out. I almost died yesterday and while I feel completely fine physically the magic I 'possess' is definitely not mine. The thing is that no matter all that I really hurt the crazy batpony. Yes, she needed a bite of reality sandwich but after all that she toned everything down and the bath, while awkward, was more than enjoyable.

Yes, she's a nice mare. Deep, deep, deeeeeeeeep down I mean. No, I'm not saying that because my past self will try to kill me again if I don't. Well, she'll be coming back from the asylum soon so I might as well try to make myself useful and cook dinner. Hitting a little snag right at the start might be enough to discourage somepony but-

It's oatmeal, HOW CAN IT BE ON FIRE?

Good, adding milk softened the blow and it's calm now. Bubbling but calm. Let's not try my luck further and go for some hayburgers. Putting some pre-prepared hay blobs on a frying pan and just lighting the gas stove can't go wro-

MY FACE, IT'S CHEWING MY FACE!

Aaaand back on the pan you go, you little bastard. I have no idea how can a raw hayburger try to lay eggs in my brain but for a second there I really felt violated both mentally and physically.

NOT AGAIN!

This time I react fast enough and slap the flying burger into the oatmeal where a mass of black tentacles drags it below the bubbling surface. In reaction to my rapidly narrowing eyes the entire bowl seems to move backwards.

"Hey, did that bowl of oatmeal just burp?" a cheery, yet reserved, voice greets me from the kitchen door.

"Maybe."

"Phew," Choking wipes her forehead in all seriousness, "For a second I thought I swallowed some patient's meds by mistake."

"Be quiet," I hiss at the grumbling dinner and smile at Choking, "Well, as it turns out I'm not that good at cooking."

"Cool, can't be worse than mine though."

"That, and I use that term loosely, food," I point at the bowl, "just ate a hayburger that tried to mate with me."

"Shoulda said ya were taken already, that usually helps," she just waves her hoof.

"Wait what? You're not bothered at all that my food would make Tartarus demons pray to Celestia for redemption?"

Instead of explaining she just walks over to the kitchen counter-

A deep rumble resonates through the ground and a raspy voice from underneath our hooves recites.

Klaatu.

Choking picks up a single egg and a bowl-

Barada.

Cracks the egg which spills its contents that begin levitating in the air-

Nikto.

A mass of black tendrils shoots out of an appearing pentagram on the floor burning with ethereal cyan flames and snatches the egg.

Choking, completely unphased, asks:

"Omelettes?"

I scream and throw the oatmeal into the pentagram which disappears with a 'poof'. Looking like I've just been shocked by high voltage, I point at the floor with my mouth soundlessly opening and closing.

Choking grins.

"Let's say neither of us is a good cook and order takeout?"

"Gnnngh," I can't unglue my mouth so I just nod my head.

"Great!"

I've never had chineighese food but Choking is apparently a huge fan and a well-known one at that. As a common customer they gave her a little silver chime that allows her to order from a distance and it works its magic this time. The kung-pao celery smells great up until the point when I open the little package and a black slime jumps out of it at Choking's dinner.

"No! Bad eldrich horror, shoo!" she yells.

I can't stand her tearing up eyes and wibbling lip so I stand up.

"I'll go make us some sandwiches."

She nods and throws the paper bags out of the window where they explode and begin eating through the cobblestone road.

"Oh, wait wait wait. Wanna snuggle a bit tonight?"

"After an evening like this? I'm sorry but it's still too early for me."

"Oh," she twitches, "Well, crap. I forgot to give miss Pearl her medication."

"Can't the night shift take care of that?"

"They don't know about it and I really don't want to find her impaled on a ficus. Don't worry about me, I'll be back soon," she runs out of the door.

She definitely doesn't come soon, at least not while I'm awake.

Waking up to ash and dust, I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust. I also yawn loudly and after my coughing fit ends I curse the dusty room. Choking hasn't gotten to cleaning the upper floor yet and my stubborn refusal to sleep downstairs with her is costing me. It's dusty, it's cold but I have some sort of privacy if I count out the fact that there is an another batpony sleeping across the room from me inside a closet.

It's the little details like these that make life interesting, I guess.

Soooo... my plans for today are... they might include...

Well, the house isn't breaking into pieces as I found out during past week so I guess I could try to be as useful as I can. Choking left me some money in case I wanted something but all I really want now is not to be a freeloader. The attempt at cooking will never be mentioned again. Now, I could try to find some no-experience job but that might be pretty difficult in this small town and would probably involve just hauling stuff. If that's the case then I might as well just stay here and deal with the furniture in the storeroom first.

Yeah, that sounds good. There's one thing to do first though - since I've got to plan the stuff before doing anything there's enough time to see Bright Eye for the scheduled visit. Putting on a red sweater Choking bought for me, I decide to head for the asylum.

It's early so I write a note informing Choking, who is probably having breakfast at the Sugarcube Corner right now and will bring something back home before going to work, that I'll be out and leave.

I haven't been here since that fateful day and the atmosphere inside makes me look carefully at every door but my nerves stop annoying me when I reach Bright's office.

"Ah, my mysterious patient, come in!" Bright Eye smiles and scratches his head.

He is waiting for something but what?

"Good morning, doctor. You wanted to see me when I settled in so here I am."

"Yes yes, how do you feel?"

Great. Headaches, confusion, my magic trying to kill me, everything's juuuust fine.

"Eeh... it's alright, I guess."

"Oookay, what's wrong?"

Apparently I'm not the only one who can read others like a book.

"I would tell you but I don't want to end up here again."

"Now, saying that isn't really helping your case so just tell me what's wrong. I'm not going to tell anypony else, doctor's oath."

"Well, I sort of hurt Choking few days ago-"

Bright raises his eyebrow and scratches his chin. I immediately raise my hooves.

"-Nothing like that. I just told her that I wasn't the one she was in love with and she took it bad. What happened after that was that my magic acted up and almost killed me."

"Say again? The second part, I mean. I'll tell you something about the first thing after that."

"When I told her that my magic exploded the chest she was in-"

"Errrm, chest?"

"-She hid there to cry after I refused to have an erotic massage in the bathtub."

"I see."

"The explosion would have hurt her but the magic protected her somehow and sent the wood fragments at me."

"Everything?"

"Well, I felt like it was trying to tear me apart when it went wild."

"I'm sorry to say I can't really help you with magical problems. Anything else?"

"When I got home I got attacked by Choking's housemate by accident and I felt as if something else took over and got me out of there."

"That's bad... in more ways than the obvious one."

Exactly the wrong thing to say, dear doctor, to a patient who is internally freaking out just remembering the things.

"What do you mean?"

"First things first - I don't know about your past but you were supposed to be a very important persona non grata in Equestria. You'll really have to ask the details somewhere else but it seems to me like something is left from your past self and it's trying to get out. Unfortunately, you are in the way."

"What can I do?"

"No matter what, don't tell Darky."

"How come? It might help me get some info about myself from her."

"That's the other thing I wanted to get to. You said she took what you said really bad. Do you know she tried to kill me after I overheard her telling some things to you while you were still dormant?"

"Wow, what stopped her? When Doom Star attacked me she broke her jaw and bruised her really badly even when it was her fault."

"You did."

"What?"

"She seems to get very agressive and ruthless when you are in danger. Something seals away the cheery attitude and replaces it with cold steel. In other words, she's completely terrified of losing you and there's the REAL problem. If you tell her your past self might be coming back she could try to help it and you might not like the methods. Trust me, I'm a psychiatrist and I know what was used in the past to make the subjects remember. All she needs is the right book and you could be in serious trouble."

"Oh heavens, I need to get far away from her."

"I might have good news for you, she's not some crazy maniac. Your telling me about rejecting her helped me piece some things together. Do you know she was here last night?"

"Yeah, she said she forgot to give somepony medicine."

"That's not exactly the case. One could say she forgot her medicine."

"She's taking pills or something?"

"The 'or something' is a bit more correct. I'm not sure how to approach the subject."

"Well, I told you about me possibly going insane again."

"Fine, but don't interrupt me unless I tell you to. She was here to sleep with me last night."

"What?"

"Tsk, tsk," the doctor shakes his head, "Let me continue. Our friend has a condition that makes her love horizontal gymnastics a lot more than others do. Has she been distracted or twitchy recently?"

"Yes, she's been covering it up but since the storeroom incident she's been slightly irritated and distant but whenever I told her she just kept giggling and saying everything's okay."

"I thought so. Yeah, it exhibits the same signs as any other addiction."

"Can you do something for her?"

"More than I did last night? No, I can't, she explicitly asked me not to. She said it helped her find the right coltfriend. The only one who didn't mind was you, past you, and she said the condition went away whenever you were around which tells me the whole thing isn't really about sex but maybe just a remaining influence of past trauma, it usually is the case."

It dawns on me.

"So when I told her I wasn't the one she knew she relapsed."

"Exactly. So... how does it make you feel?"

The desire to punch the doctor that appeared the moment he told me he slept with Choking is still there but not significant.

"Truth be told, I wanted to punch your teeth out at first but since you're doing this basically as a good friend I really can't."

"I would be lying if I said it was just that. Darky is amazing in that respect. It is a bit unsettling that I sometimes can't help thinking about the unusually high number of those who helped her get her experience but that's life."

"Thanks, now I want to punch you again."

"I would think your magic would have something to say about that," Bright grins mischievously.

Oh... oh? Yeah.

"Wow, how is it that you're not being set on fire or anything?"

"Darky told me past you was fine with her sleeping around and from what I guess you are attuned to some of your previous experiences. Your body reacting on reflex while you were attacked and such."

I have to focus on this one. I really did want to punch the doctor but that was just me being... jealous? Why, because he slept with somepony I wasn't even sure I wanted to be with? Yeah, that's nonsense, that was just stupid male jealousy and pride.

So... deep down... as far down as the magic goes...

"I was... happy? Happy that she's satisfied?"

The doctor writes something to his little notebook.

"I think I would have wanted to meet past you. He might have helped me get a perspective on my wife leaving me for a younger upgrade, or maybe even prevent it. Well, I don't see a reason to keep you here. If you need anything I'm here every day and don't forget - don't tell her about things, at least for now. Either you will remember everything and then you'll know what to do or your past self will disappear completely eventually."

"Thanks, doc."

I get up to leave.

"Just one more thing. It would help you to trust her. I know it must feel weird somepony knowing more about you and your reactions than you but-"

He pauses for a bit and sighs.

"- don't let your fear stand in the way of possible happiness."

He sighs again.

"I need a drink."

"Bad memories?" I ask.

"Just memories," he smiles bitterly, "Memories from which I should have learned before it was too late. But that's not your problem. Have fun, young colt."

"Don't write yourself off, granddad," I grin, "If you've made a crazy, sex-addicted batpony happy for a while then I'm sure you'll find somepony again."

*Gulk*

"I think I threw up a bit in my mouth. Off you go!"

"Bye, doc."

Seeing Choking munching on a muffin in the asylum lobby, I smile and wave. As a reward, she blows me a strawberry flavored kiss. I really should just calm down and let things happen.

Back To Normal: ... But She's Mine

[Blazing's Entry]

So, what now?

That's the right question because with everything on the table I actually have a choice. I think Choking is slowly grasping the idea of me being a completely different pony from the one she knew which means I have a certain degree of freedom concerning her. She's calmed down since the magic incident and acts more like a friend than some overly clingy marefriend. That means if I choose to leave her I might not be torn to bits by my own horn. It could be a start of a completely new life.

On the other hoof, said life would begin with no resources or anything. That in itself is enough of a problem but the possibility of her going crazy and tying me up in the storeroom is a bigger one. I can't really count out the threat of me just blowing up randomly because of my magic being pissed off at me. The thing is that I have no freedom like this and it feels disgusting. If I do what is being asked of me I'll be okay but just the lack of choice, even if the first option doesn't involve anything really unpleasant, is just suffocating me.

I could talk to her about that, see how she reacts and how I react.

The other option is staying with her. In past days I made the house presentable, with a little help from Doomie, while Choking was at work and nothing ominous happened while I was walking through Ponyville to buy tools and supplies. As a result we now have a real living room, albeit a little shabby, a bedroom, a marginally useful kitchen (sorry, I mean summoning portal to Tartarus) and a storeroom that actually isn't full of old containers and partially broken furniture.

This place is becoming a home. Is it worth risking all that just for a bit of freedom?

The answer is yes. I can't base a relationship on a lie, at least from my side.

[End Entry]

Everypony knows this feeling, the 'we need to talk' atmosphere hanging around the living room. I didn't want Choking to feel too uncomfortable so I made the effort of preparing some more exotic fruit salad and burning through my 'allowance'. After all, I don't want to hurt her, I just want to know at least something about our situation.

The house is clean, the food is ready, the radio is humming some slightly annoying tune and I'm nervously drumming my hooves on the floor. I also got the fireplace here working although it involved using chimney sweeping tools and me almost falling down from a frozen roof. Apparently I suffer from extreme vertigo and fear of heights, you learn something new every day. I mean I know the entire building does have a heating system which I'm definitely not able to fix and I know that the only room where it's working IS the living room but the cracking of burning wood and sparks flying around just feel friendlier.

Too bad the pony I'm waiting for is running late.

For a while I ponder her sleeping with Bright again tonight, a thing I am surprisingly okay with inside, but then the clicking of keys and stomping of hooves in the hallway to get rid of snow chases the idea away.

"Heya!" a black head peeks into the living room, "Wooow!"

"Hungry?" I levitate a big bowl of assorted apples, mangos, bananas and other exotic treats up.

The bulging eyes and an audible gulp of the black batpony make my bite my lip to stop the incoming grin.

"Wait, where did ya? I mean let me put my cloak off, I mean I'm hungry, I mean..."

"It was a bit expensive considering it's winter but whatever, it was the money you gave me for my personal use so it's no big deal."

She shakes off her clothes and jumps on the mattress serving as a coach. There were tables in the storeroom, there were chairs and chests but no damn coach so I improvised and pulled a heavy wardrobe in the middle of the room, put a mattress in front of it and propped one more against it to serve as something to lean on. It looks crummy as heck but it does the job.

"If ya keep spending your money like this I'm gonna give ya the rest of them."

"Huh?"

"Uhhhhhhm. Ya sure ya wanna know?"

"Yes, I do. I sort of wanted to talk to you about something and all this is just so you don't run away," I grin angelically.

"The dinner, the setting... You're breaking up with me," she gasps, overacting.

"Well, about that..."

"Err wait. You're not kidding," she freezes.

"How would you feel if I wanted to leave you? You know, to find myself and whatnot."

She picks up a banana and begins it licking and taking it down her mouth before pulling it back up.

"Are you sure about it?"

She sucks at the banana so hard part of it rips off and goes down her throat.

"No. To be honest, I'm not. I like being here, I just don't like you acting as if we have a past together, it creeps me out a bit. I pondered leaving and trying to explore the world on my own just to find out things for myself and not just get images from memories that aren't mine but I don't want to leave you here alone. Don't take it the wrong way, I don't love you. You are a liar, you are obsessed with what I'm supposed to be, you act crazy from time to time and you sleep with other ponies. The thing is that even with all that I really like you and I want to get to love you."

Now, if she whips out a rope and tries to bind me with it, the plan is to run.

...

Still no reaction outside of her scrunching her nose and watching me carefully. After a while she sighs deeply and giggles.

"You said before I was clinging to a memory that didn't exist anymore and you were right. You said I wasn't in love with you and you were right. Did you think at that point about how you, a pony with no memory of anything, could know me that well? Hardly, because you were scared to your hooves and I could easily see it. Before we managed to wake you up at the asylum I found a message from my Blaze that he would try to preserve something of himself in whoever wakes up if I decide to try and he did. He lived for me, he was obsessed with me. I know it sounds wrong but he was the type who couldn't live for himself no matter what and I wasn't able to fully appreciate that until he was gone. Well, he preserved something."

She leaves the room, leaving me to question what's going on, but returns shortly after with a small book, my journal. Then she pulls out a similar book from her saddlebag. It looks much more battered and damaged but it is the same kind of notebook.

"I read yours, I'm like that - a cheating liar, you would say. No, I'm not sorry. Yes, I would have done it again. You are somepony else but you are built on aspects that made me love Blaze. You don't have his past and I won't let you read his diary because you aren't him. He preserved in you his kindness, the ability to read others easily and his reluctance to hurt anypony else then himself at all cost. He also gave you something more important. No, I'm not going to say me. I've known him for years and he began as a nervous wreck scared of everypony around him who just wanted to be alone and drink himself to death. The thing was that he worked his way up with nothing to hope for other than my occasional company as a reward. Over the years he grew up and gave you the best of what he had. He was an idiot in that respect. He wanted to be the best he could for me but without his bad points it's me who feels really bad right now. Your reactions just made me sure of it. It's not a question of whether I love you but a question of whether you can love me. I used to consider myself an exotic and sexy piece of flank but my wings are gone, I'm slowly gaining weight because my job involves standing still, sitting or walking slowly otherwise the patients I'm wheeling would throw up and I've seen things that don't really let me smile all the time like I used to. I'm not a good catch."

She's taking it better than I expected. Perhaps I was wrong about her.

Risk it or not...

I crawl closer to the pony sitting on the other end of the mattress, reach around her and dig my hooves into her flank.

"If you're worried about your looks then you don't have to be at all," I dig a bit deeper and elicit a little gasp from her, "You're a bit softer on the outside which just makes you much more cuddleable but deeper there are muscles made of steel that won't allow you to break."

"Idiot," she bites my ear and I recieve an urgent message from my lower regions that we're ready to go to war, "I know every spot of your body too."

"Erm, I meant it. I don't really remember what you like... I just meant what I said. As for your wings," I rub the stubs lightly but push harder when I get to the point where the bone should continue if it wasn't missing, "In the right mood, wounds like these can be very sensitive."

She moans louder at the massage but pushes me away.

"Fine, fine. Stop making me blush, dummy."

Pushing her muzzle down and mine to her forehead, I make her close her eyes.

"I'm not done yet," I whisper, "If you can't smile all the time then it's just up to me to make you."

Yes, she might be weird, crippled, cheaty and everything else in the world but right now I'm sure of one thing.

She's mine.

"Liar," she mumbles.

"Wuh-wat?"

"You're making me cry, you're not supposed to."

"You're not crying," I smile and look her in her tearing up eyes, "You're laughing liquid joy."

That does it. She bursts out laughing at the sheer stupidity and wipes her eyes.

"I give up. You know what? Ask me anything and if I don't think it will put you in danger I will answer."

"Okay. What's with the house?"

"Heh, funny story. I've never been too keen on saving up so I forged your signature and bought this place with your money to take care of ya when Bright released ya from the asylum."

Noooot sure how to feel about this one.

"Do you have any idea why did Heavy Hoof make me feel really bad when he was actually pretty friendly?"

"I don't want to tell ya this one but ask him, he's your friend and ya can trust him with anything."

"Why are we hiding?"

"Again, ask Heavy. If ya do it will make sense. We're hiding from princess Luna. Correction - ya are hiding from her, I'm hiding from the guards who would probably execute me for taking care of ya.

Errrrm, that might take some time to sink in.

"Oh, one more thing. Why does you hearing your name make you sick?"

"Craaaaap. Only Sharpie knew this so don't go telling anypony and I mean ANYPONY. My mom used to be heavily into bondage and stuff and one day she got so horny she forgot to be careful and made my dad tie a rope around her neck for some breath play. Nine months later she had the dumb idea of naming me after the last thing she remembered from the night. As ya know, I swing a bit on the wilder side but hey, like mother like daughter."

...

"Yea , yea, laugh away."

"I'm-"

*Snort*

"sorry-"

*Cough*

"if I do-"

*Facehoof*

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

"Are ya quite done?" asks Choking when I stop laughing and groaning, fake annoyance ringing in the voice.

"Got one more question."

"Nothing about the name or I'll slap ya."

"Fiiiiiine," I pout, trying to stop grinning at her indignant expression, "Will you spend the rest of my life with me?"

Her mouth keeps opening and shutting with nothing coming out for few seconds.

"I'm not sure. You've got no job, you're getting tubby and ya need a shave. Work on it and we'll talk again in few months. Or-"

She grins devilishly.

"-we can start working out and burning fat right here-"

She jumps at me and straddles my waist.

"-and now."

She yawns loudly. I look at her questioningly, she pokes her belly and rubs her nethers straddling me on mine. In the end she smiles as if recieving an answer to an unspoken question.

"You know? It would be a shame not to finish the salad. Why don't we leave this for desert."

With the hunger of somepony finishing hauling a trainload of coal she begins chomping on the delicacies in the bowl in front of us and I join in. It feels as if all the dirt and poison from her wounds finally got cleansed and the healing can begin.

I let her lie down to my lap with another yawn, slide behind her and wrap my legs around the black body being now warmed up by the fireplace from the front and my from the back. I can't help myself and rub my hooves over her.

She's really soft in the right places.

The Darkness Inside: Quite The Impression

Canterlot, a white mountain fortress visible from most parts of Equestria, a beacon of justice, honor and all things knightly and also a temporary home to a certain pegasus.

"How long have you served in the guard, pal?" the tall pegasus asked. He had the build of somepony deserving to be royalty, not even prince Blueblood could match his posture and calm poise and everything about the pegasus showed his presence wasn't an act.

"Who's asking?" the recipient of the precious question narrowed his eyes.

The bar both of them were sitting in was one of a kind even in a city like this, it was a bar for guards. No matter if the incoming badge-wearing pavement-pounder had bat wings or pegasi ones or no wings at all they were all brothers here. All the official and unofficial distance between the Royal Guard and the Nightguard was left behind the unmarked door leading to the street because all guards knew one thing - when in trouble, you can only rely on those whom the trouble might be aiming for next.

None of that meant that other patrons couldn't visit the large room with dim, yellowish light hanging in the air trapped by the smoke of lit cigarettes, they just usually left and never returned after being in the presence of those who had seen enough dirt to keep them from ever being clean. In short, the atmosphere of the guard bar was that of a post-apocalyptic mercenary one with the slight difference that the ponies inside weren't used to seeing monsters roaming the wasteland, they were used to seeing monsters roaming the minds of other ponies.

"Why don't you tell me?" the pegasus grinned and presented a rolled up letter bearing a seal of midday sun.

Icy Gaze was the name of the pegasus and quite obviously stemmed from his sapphire blue eyes almost glowing even in the light of the dusty room.

"A mercenary working for the crown? What is Equestria coming to..." the guard rolled his eyes.

"So, do you know anything or not?" Icy Gaze asked calmly. The orders in said letter weren't to be done in a hurry and his entire mission had a more exploratory context than anything else.

"Not really," the guard shrugged, "He was a bit of a loner but if you could find the batpony he kept hanging out with she might tell you more. I don't think even the recruits he's been training would be able to tell you anything. There's one thing they say though-"

"Who is 'they'?" asked Icy Gaze, his cold stare (TM) shutting the guard mid-sentence.

"I mean it's sort of a legend around the castle. It's said he used to be a unicorn but got cursed by the changeling queen and then turned into one of them. As a revenge he decimated a good part of her invading force during the changeling attack almost two years ago."

"Unicorn you say?" Icy scratched his chin.

"Yep, they say the princesses hushed it up because all of them were under his mind-control spell."

"Once again," Icy's mouth formed a grin of a tiger ready to pounce, "Who is 'they'?"

"Once again," parodied the older guard, "it's sort of a legend, kid."

The audible threat in the guard's voice was enough to make the ones in nearby chairs take stock of the situation and the pegasus mercenary noticed that as well. While his observation skills wouldn't rival those of trained and experienced guards he'd spent enough time in shady bars to know when to depart otherwise he would risk being 'departed' at much faster pace and with some considerable assistance.

Icy stood up and towered over the half-drunk guard.

"The crown thanks you for your cooperation," he said politely and left the estabilishment.

The piece of information seemed useless but gaining some more would either require considerable amount of time or money and while he had the money thanks to a rather heavy bag of bits he'd gotten along with the letter, the time was an unknown resource.

Spreading his wings which dwarfed those of most pegasi, he flew towards his current cheap home with a plan in mind.

Tomorrow he would visit the Everfree forest.

"Hi, Chokin-hnng-key," I greet my questionably better half returning from another day of protecting weak patients from all dangers of the world such as shadows, plants or windows.

"I'm deciding to find that considerably adorable," she flashes a smile at my stutter.

There is something I remember from when I found her crying in the chest and that was her preferred pet name. She doesn't let it show but I know it means a lot to her.

So, I got this idea today. Let's see if it works.

"Wanna eat out tonight?" I ask at the undressing batpony.

"Ya dirty colt," she winks, "But if both of us eat out, who's gonna be the second mare?-"

She playfully slaps me.

"-Oh ya meant Doomie, the batpony I think of as my little sister? Is it some smutty family action you want?-"

Um, what's going on?

"-Should I give her a makeover to look like me. Do I look like I'd enjoy some perverted fantasy about bat twins taking care of your every need?-"

Help, somepony help.

"-Close your mouth or something will fly in."

"I-I-I j-just wanted to take you out... for dinner?" I say weakly.

"I know," she snorts, "but watching ya foam at the mouth was way too much fun. Let me put something nicer on and let's go."

Forget happy twenty years of married life, I'll murder her right here and now and spare myself the hassle.

She's going to wear something but I don't have anything aside from the sweater she bought. She has to know that, right?

Nervous, nervous.

Rushing upstairs to get dressed and grab some money, I estimate the amount of bits in my bag and hope it's going to be enough. Running my hooves through my mane to straighten the tangled mess a bit, I almost fall down the stairs when I see her waiting by the door.

Okay, she isn't wearing a dress as well but her mane is combed in a way to let two strands of red fall down the sides of her face with the rest neatly tucked behind her ears and allow a red river to flow down her midnight black neck.

I keep staring, completely ignoring the rest of fancy improvements she made to her visage.

"Is that hungry look aimed at me or the incoming dinner?" she stifles a giggle.

"Sooo pretty..." I keep staring at her like a moth drawn to a flame.

She put on her Nightguard horseshoes which by themselves wouldn't be anything interesting but the gilded surface compliments her tail braided into two interlocking strands well. She turns around and I almost swallow my tongue. The little binding at the base of her tail and the braids that make it very thin offer her almost no protection from prying eyes like mine focused at her backside.

"H-how did you do all that so quickly?" I can't even think of a good compliment, nothing I could say would do the simplicity, sexiness and hidden class justice.

"Plenty of experience, Blaze," she winks.

I feel reeeeeeally grubby compared to her but I can't let it show, this is her evening.

I have to gather all my courage when the door slams shut behind us. This is my first date after all. I can't even imagine how I would feel if it was with somepony who wasn't in love with me already, at least a bit. I guess I should just push my advantage.

Okay then, I don't exactly have this thing planned out but I've found out from the Cakes that there's a nice restaurant not far from here that isn't super high-class but is clean and has a good reputation. All in all it is a place where a normal pony would take his partner to feel a little bit pampered without the hassle of microscopic portions of food and obnoxious waiters connected with true high-society estabilishments.

The greeting pony hiccups a bit when he notices the unusual details about Choking but gathers his wits remarkably fast and bows slightly.

"Welcome to the White Castle, sir, madam."

"Hello, erm, we have a reservation under the name Shady," I almost shiver at his official stare.

"Ah yes," he waves at one of the waiters, shows him the name and table number and nods at us, "Follow him to your table."

"Thanks."

"Have a nice evening."

"Shady?" Choking pokes me as we follow the waiter through the full but not crowded hall lit by chandeliers dimmed enough to ensure privacy to everypony sitting at the tables.

"Well, you know... Light... Darkness..."

Why does it sound so much worse when I have to say it?

"Ya know that I could jab at ya for this the eeeentire evening, right?"

"Well, at least I'll be entertaining. They say mares love a guy who can make them smile," I grin, very probably like a complete idiot.

She just smiles inwardly.

"What's wrong?" I ask at the reaction.

"Nothing," she shakes her head, "Feeling confident then?"

"As long as they don't ask me to cook what we order then I think the evening should be fine. Besides, I have the advantage of not having to try too hard to make you come with me on a second date unlike most of the others here."

She looks around and scowls.

"Sorry... am I making you feel as if I take you for granted?"

Her look when she snaps from whatever trance she was in proves that what's bothering her isn't anything I said.

"No no no it's just," she looks at me thoughtfully, "nothing, nevermind."

I look around but I can't see much thanks to the ingenious lighting.

She sort of managed to kill the light-hearted mood but I'm not complaining, I'm still here with her.

"I'll just have to take your mind off things," I nuzzle her neck.

Okay, I don't know why or how but while I can't see or hear anything wrong I can definitely feel the atmosphere turning unfriendly. It weakens when we sit down at our table and the waiter gives us the menu... menus... menii?

Menus.

I can almost feel the growl inside me shake my bones. Still, I don't feel the animosity being aimed at me but somewhere else.

"Blaze, you okay?" a menu gently pokes my head.

"Wha?"

"You've been looking around for past minute. Are ya ready to order?"

"Eh no, give me a second."

I look around one last time and something brown obscures my vision. Choking pushes the side of my head with her menu to look at her and then down at mine.

"We don't have to eat here if ya don't feel right."

What? Nonononono.

"Ice salad!" I blurt out, "White wine. Eleven-vegetable soup. Sweet beans?"

"Sounds great. White wine?"

"Can't drink too much red and then black out on you."

"Ooo, red and black. Another pun?"

Uh, what?

"Mhm, totally."

"You're a bad liar."

"I hope so. Don't wanna lie to you anyway and if I ever slip I'll make sure you know."

"D'awwww. Stop making me weak at the knees, or better yet - leave it for later."

The waiter comes back with a little pad and a quill.

"What'll it be?"

The orders sort of make me cringe as Choking apparently has a very strange taste concerning combining fruit and vegetables... and pastry. Whatever, as long as it makes her happy I shouldn't care.

"I should amuse you somehow while we wait, right?" I ask after the waiter leaves.

"Not really, my experience, and I have a ton of that, taught me that only little girls who have no idea what they want ask for that. I, fortunately, have enough substance to do it myself, I hope."

The silence draws out.

"Or maybe not. Amuse me, slave!" she grins and claps.

Rolling my eyes, I go through the repertoire of icebreakers I have and quickly find out there are none. I can remember things and details when I see them or hear about them but trying to pull something out just like that is impossible.

Maybe that could be it? My greatest problem might be my strength in this situation.

"Eerm. How are things going at the asylum? You always talk about the lady that likes cacti too much. Is she old or something?"

"Miss Pearl? She's really nice and shares cookies she gets from her daughter in Canterlot. Well, last week she tried to share them with Screwloose, another patient who thinks she's a dog, and I had to pull them apart otherwise she'd have drowned the old lady in slobber."

"I would think asylum would be a more evil place. You know, maniacs and such."

"The place here in Ponyville is one of the calm sort. During my days as a guard in Canterlot I visited one there and that was waaaaay different."

Why do I feel so uneasy and why does she keep cringing and twitching her ears?

"Something bad happened?"

"No, what made ya think that?"

"You... keep twitching."

"It's nothing. Do ya like this place?"

"Never been here before."

"I know. I mean right here and now."

Okay, she knows my tells better than anypony.

"Honestly, I feel as if somepony was planning to smack me over the head with a mallet as soon as I leave."

She smiles and wipes her eyes.

"Yea, you're not a changeling anymore so ya probably can't hear them. Remember your crazy journal entry? He, or something from him, can hear the ponies around laughing at us and talking smack. I can see them looking at us even in this light."

"Can you ignore them? It would suck to have a dinner like this ruined by a bunch of idiots."

"I really wish I could, Blaze, but I can't turn my ears off."

"What are they saying?"

"Ya... don't wanna know."

Seeing her nervously drum the table I just let go and feel the burning bile inside me.

"Shield your eyes, love," I whisper.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"OWWWWWWWWW!"

"WHAT THE HAY?!"

I grin victoriously. If there's one thing I understand about my past self it is that nopony ever messes with Chokey and leaves unscathed. The little point of light that appeared on my horn was so bright it must have permanently damaged the eyes of everypony looking directly in our direction.

Serves them right, small-minded, vitriolic, assholes.

Calm down, it's okay now.

"SHUT! UP!" I scream, having no idea where it came form, "Will you stupid hicks just shut up?! I don't care about anypony around here and YES, I AM INSANE!-"

I stand up and a small bolt of black lightning strikes the floor at some of the tables.

"Blaze-"

"NO! These ignorant worms will NEVER insult you behind your back again and if I hear any lie about blood sucking AGAIN then I WILL OBLITERATE SAID PONY AND EVERY SINGLE MEMORY OF HIM OR HER!"

A black crystal crashes from the ground and impales the table of some wretch trying to defend his hateful attitude, spraying him with food remnants.

My head is spinning.

"Come on, let's go home," Chokey pushes me.

"You will remember her, because she's the only reason you ponies aren't on fire and screaming!"

"Come oooon," I'm being pushed towards the exit.

I cough and collect myself.

"Alright, I'm fine but one more untrue word and I will," the cracking of more black crystals growing from the walls forces some weak squeals from ponies, "end your miserable little existence."

"Blaaaze-" Chokey pushes me out of the door.

"AND SCREW, MAY I ADD, YOU!"

Wiping my forehead, the not-completely-my rage fades and I can feel my legs shaking harder than a plugged blender.

"Sorry for ruining the evening. I just couldn't-" I begin.

"Don't even start. I know where all that came from and they had it coming. The black crystals were new though, never seen that one before."

"Eeerm-"

"One more apology and I won't shove ya into the tub and give ya a full-body scrubbing."

"Ssssss- I mean if you insist."

"That's better. You're now my berserker in shining armor."

"I'm yours. Unleash me and I'll go to the ends of Equestria for you."

"I think I'll just keep ya close."

With my body slowly losing all energy I have to lean on Chokey to get home but I guess that's what partners are for, to help when the other can't find the strength to go on.

The Darkness Inside: In Case Of Trouble

It was a beautiful afternoon considering it being the middle of winter. The sky was steel grey, the snow formed a thin layer on the ground but it wasn't snowing or drizzling right now making it ideal to go play outside, if one had the time.

"A thestral in Ponyville?" Icy Gaze wondered, watching the unusual pony's slow progress through the library square.

It wasn't just the race of the black mare but most of all the two things on her back, correction - the lack of two things on her back, that caught Icy's attention. It had to be her according to the statement of the Canterlot guards which meant that if there ever was a chance to find his target it would be through her.

Now, the stranger who had given him the letter with his mission had warned Icy that there might be some danger involved in tracking the black batpony but he believed his experience should be more than enough to ensure his safety and the quick apprehension of his target. There was no reason to risk though and since he had enough time he decided to just observe for now.

The newspaper he was using to cover his presence at some uninteresting corner cafe said something about a growing unrest in Canterlot but he ignored it and kept his eyes on the mare. For past few days he'd managed to get a good feel for the layout of Ponyville and right now it seemed that she was on the way from local mental institution.

Choking turned around, blew the large pegasus watching her in secret a kiss and snickered when he hid behind his paper again. Nopony in the vicinity would be able to notice her scowl when she turned back and began whistling as she walked in just slightly different direction than before. After the evening few days ago she'd begun to like the effect that braided tail had on ponies and with every step she bounced her behind to keep the pegasus' attention and distract him from whatever the real deal was.

He probably had no idea but she had noticed him walking around Ponyville several times before. After all, somepony of his majestic looks couldn't escape her attention and this seemed like the first time he noticed her but the way he looked at her didn't seem... usual. Stallions normally reacted to her with a mixture of embarrassment and desire which sort of skyrocketed after her tail experiment but this guy was completely different.

She didn't even twitch when her sensitive ears picked the sound of a chair being pulled on the ground and then the distinct rhytm of hoofsteps crunching on the snow. So he was following her which meant he either wanted something or...

...no, he was keeping his distance. He wasn't a guard though otherwise he'd have known the habits of that profession, the mistrust to every fellow pony and the unconscious ability to sniff out every little detail that was out of place. He was sneaky, that she had to give him. Well, not sneaky as such because anypony of his size would have hard time keeping his presence hidden but he was good at being inconspicuous, just a part of the normal street hubbub. Too bad for him he had no clue about batpony senses.

Icy Gaze kept following the unaware mare who switched between whistling and humming. The guards at the castle had presented her as an air-headed bimbo and everything he'd seen supported that image but something was off. Everything felt too much, too real, too gossip-like. Icy knew to trust his instincts despite his age, they had saved him enough times to at least give them the benefit of the doubt. That meant she either was really just a dumb club mare or she was leading him on but since the cafe mistake she hadn't even turned around or did anything slightly suspicious.

In the meantime, Choking decided it would be a good idea to go and do some shopping today.

"Why? Why would she be testing beds and sofas?" grumbled Icy Gaze after yet another hour of following his mark.

All that would be worth it if the money he'd gotten was just the first half of the payment. All worth watching the batpony chatter on and on about nonsense at the bakery. All worth following her into the spa and spending a horrible half hour being stomped on by one of the masseuses while the dumb bat was curious about apparently EVERYTHING in this one pony town. Right now, though, he was beginning to doubt it as he was freezing his hooves off in the snow while she had apparently dozed off on one of the presented beds.

At last, this walk through purgatory was over and she had to wake up after incessant jabbing of hoof belonging to the store owner.

SHE DECIDED TO BUY THE DAMN THING?!

Okay, another ten minutes watching her go through the bonus equipment available for purchase. Icy swore that if the store owner showed her one more diagram of localized heating he'd come back with a torch and show him some general overheating later.

Amused by his imagination presenting him with screaming store owner as all his beds melted Icy managed to not begin banging on the window.

At last, it was over and he could follow the batdumbass again. The last building she entered was a two-story house that looked slightly out of date and Icy could hear two voices from inside one of which belonged to a stallion. Very carefully he slipped towards the window of a room that looked inhabited and peeked through.

He saw a bronze unicorn reading a book. That was all he needed.

"I'm hooooome," a cheery singsong voice rings through the entry hall.

"How was your day?" I look up from the book I'm reading. To be honest, I was only half-reading it as after starting I quickly realized that it was a history book and got bored rather fast.

"Much the same as every other - get up, have breakfast, go to work, save miss Pearl from the wines in the asylum garden, smile at the visitors, get stalked on the way home, smile at ya."

"Ummmm, say again?"

"Yea... I think we have a problem."

"Maybe you should elaborate a bit? I'm afraid I still don't consider stalking you a death threat, more like I can see why somepony would do it. Especially with the tail thing, ehm."

She turns around, wraps her thin tail around my neck and shoves my face where I really want to and don't want to be at the same time.

"Blaze like?"

"Blaze like very much," I mumble with my muzzle making only partially intelligible noises.

Her bottom lets my face go and I can finally breathe again.

"Back to business, darling. What's wrong? If there was somepony following you we can just tell the guards around," I stumble out when I stop blushing furiously.

"That guy was from Canterlot, I'm sure of it, but not from high society. His saddlebags, horseshoes and the lance he was hiding pretty well were all well-kept and high-grade equipment."

"A Royal Guard?"

"He wasn't wearing a badge or anything but even without it I don't think so. Royal Guards usually know batponies well enough to be able to track one without being noticed. This guy was some sort of a soldier but he didn't have the experience of moving through a city which every guard gets with served time."

"So, where did you leave him?"

"He followed me here."

"What?"

"I wasn't able to shake him off without alerting him and he kept following me through half of the town. Sorry for coming home late by the way."

"Yea, a reeeeeally big problem in comparison to, let's say, a soldier tracking you."

"Exactly."

I would love to add something useful but I can't do anything to help. I can't fight a soldier and he knows where we live. I am completely dependent on her.

Buck this.

I am useless. All that nonsense about finding my way in the world would be fine but I don't know anything, anypony...

Buck...

"Calm down, Blaze," she shakes me by my shoulders.

"Huh?"

"I know that expression, stop it. I won't let them take ya."

"But I want to be good for something, to help."

"You will, trust me. This time I'll just have to find out how so calm down and just be ready to listen to me."

Taking a deep breath, I bite down on my hoof.

"Just tell me what to do."

"That's the spirit," she ruffles my mane, "Now go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich."

5 4 3 2 1... gonna blow. She can't be seriously thinking about eating at the time like this.

A surge of power cascades through me from my horn down making my bones creak.

All right, all right, I'm going.

"Lettuce or daisy?" I roll my eyes.

"Whatever is fine. I just need something to occupy me while I think of what to do."

"Whatever you wish, my lady and mistress," I grumble and leave.

I know I have to trust her but she could at least try to look like she's being serious about things.

To make you freak out even more?

True. Even if we might have to hide again for a while it will definitely be easier with full stomach so I pick up a knife and begin buttering bread. Trust trust trust, it's all about trust in critical situation. I have to do what little I can even if I think I'd be able to do more, precision is the key.

With a plate resembling the artwork of a culinary master I return back to the living room, wearing a calm, collected and completely fake expression.

"Any ideas?"

"Yep. I don't really care," she shrugs, "but it would eat ya inside to know somepony else might get caught in the cross between us and Luna. With that in mind we need to find Doomie a safe place. If we have to leave then I don't want her starving again and I didn't have enough time to find her a job."

Neither did I. I completely forgot about her actually having some future but with the way Chokey told me she found her I should have done something.

"There is the expression again," Chokey knocks on my head, "It. Is. Not. Your. Fault."

"But I was just lying here, reading some stupid book instead of helping."

"Calm down. Ya can't let it burn ya when ya are powerless. Just wait, do what ya can and work to better yourself. I had to go through all that when ya were protecting me from Valiant, Sombra, everypony who even looked at me funny. Trust me and just roll with it."

"You know, you are pretty wise when you want to."

"I like to make a wrong impression just to make foals of ponies. To be honest though, most of it is your fault. Well, you know what I mean."

Yeah, I think I'm getting used to my dual nature. I just have to understand that I need somepony to hold my hoof until I'm strong enough.

"So, should we leave her some money and move out?"

"Nah, she doesn't really understand the value much and it would be temporary at best anyway. I think we're gonna need help with this. Let me slip out for a while and go talk to Doom Star."

I just nod and walk upstairs.

The younger batpony twitches when I open her closet.

"Doomie," I say softly.

"Hrmhm- AH!"

My magic envelops her before she falls down after hanging head down.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhm," she nods and tilts her head questioningly.

"I hate to break it to you but you might have to leave."

"Why?" she shows her regrown fangs a little. Apparently drinking blood gives her pretty decent regeneration ability.

"We might have to leave the house because some nasty guys are looking for me and Chokey. We don't want you to get hurt if they come."

"Bite them," she frowns.

"You have more courage than me, girl. That won't work though because they will be well-trained and will probably try to kill you if you show up."

"Hide in closet."

"And then what? Do you want to stay here and go back to starving?"

"Stay here with you. Enough food."

I have no clue what to say so I offer the only thing I'm apparently good for.

"Do you want dinner?" I tilt my head to show her the usual feeding spot.

When she slips into my lap and begins sucking on my neck I don't bother limiting her and just breathe slowly with my back resting against the back of the closet.

"Polite coughing, Blaze."

"Uh what?" I snap out of my daze and realize Chokey is talking to me and she's not alone.

"I'm not sure I'm going to agree after seeing this," says a different voice I can identify as Bright Eye.

"Whass goin' on?"

"Well, ya see... I asked the Cakes if they could help but they have too much to do with their own foals so after thinking a bit more I found a perfect pony to ask to take care of our friend here. Ya will never find somepony more kind, warm-hearted, giving and-"

"Attempts like these make me regret employing you, Darky," Bright Eye cools her off and measures Doomie up and down, "I'm not sure I can afford passing out every day."

"Wu- what? Not a problem." I wave my hoof, "She doesn't need to drink that much blood, I just wanted to make her more pliable, right?"

"Bite you," Doomie playfully chomps my neck again but doesn't even draw blood. Then she returns Bright's examining look, "Stay with him?"

"It would be a good idea to go now," Chokey says in all seriousness and turns to Bright Eye, "Bright, I'm gonna give ya the deeds to this house. If anything happens ya can keep this place, sell it or anything. It should cover some costs of taking care of the runt."

"Not runt. Old like you."

"Heh yeah, she looks like she is just around two-three years younger than me. So?"

Bright sighs and looks at me and Chokey repeatedly.

"Fine. I seem to be pretty good at attracting stray batponies. What do you want me to do?"

"Take her home with ya for a week or so. As I told you I was followed today so whoever wants us knows where we live. If things clear up somehow then ya'll be the first to know."

"Doomie?" I hug the silent batpony.

"New juicebox got closet?"

"I think we'll work something out," Bright pats her head and she follows him to the door.

"New juicebox tasty?"

"Stop it."

Doomie turns to us and grins.

"I think you've been spending too much time with her," I nudge Chokey when they leave the bedroom.

"I'm the best example ever."

"Do you think they'll be safe?"

"If they get home tonight then yeah."

My blood freezes.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think I sent them out together in the darkness... unicorn and a batpony."

"Heavens, you can't be serious?!"

"I'm a cheating liar, ya know? I don't have to play nice."

The Darkness Inside: Found Out

Sitting inside the Ponyville library, Icy Gaze pondered his situation. He could hear the muffled sounds from the cellar or maybe the voices were just inside his head. An operation of this scale was far out of his league but he was still clinging to the hope that whoever hired him would take their time protecting him.

As if...

It was pretty obvious that nothing of that sort would happen but maybe, just maybe, he might get away with just finishing his secondary objective and leaving quietly, in secret and most of all soon. Icy picked a quill from the stash right next to the table. At least this place was well stocked and he had to thank the stroke of luck that allowed him to do all this. With princess Twilight still being on the other side of the Everfree this place served as a base long enough.

What would he do with the fillies though? True, they were the Elements of Harmony or their bearers or however the entire thing worked but they were still just young girls so killing them was out of the question. They knew his face and they could identify him but that could still be remedied by moving to the Griffon Empire for few years. The first half of the payment he'd gotten should suffice more than enough.

No. Not counting the princess of Magic herself there were only two other bearers missing and he knew more than well their whereabouts. After he gathered all of them his job would be done, marginally, and he'd be able to leave without his reputation untarnished.

As for the second part of his mission, the traitors...

All he had to do was find them but if he reported their location and they left later on then he might be on the list of ponies to be deemed untrustworthy and worth removing. The planned extended visit to the land of griffons could be enough to save him but who knew how far the reach of Equestrian crown went and if the seal on the magic amulet used for sending letters over long distances and the one on the mission statement were to be believed it was princess Celestia herself who would be on his back for any failure.

Icy sighed.

Even out of his comfort zone he still had enough self-control to work out the best solution or at least one good enough. He would send a letter about the location of the traitors, see to it they stay there and then capture last two bearers. Crown or not, he was still holding few of the most valuable Equestrian citizens hostage and there might be enough ponies on his tail just for that. With the certainty of somepony who knows he'd be thrown to sharks if he made a single mistake he sighed again and started writing.

Well, I don't have to feel guilty about anything because yesterday me and Chokey visited Bright Eye to see if everything was going okay and, surprisingly, it was. Turns out that Doomie likes to keep him company during evenings and since he spends most of the day in the asylum her sleeping schedule isn't really a problem. Bright Eye himself, as a fairly well-known resident of Ponyville, sleeps with windows open in his house and Doom Star spends most of the night flying around.

I was ready to reconsider my relationship with Chokey when I realized she was willing to send two of her friends to take the fall just to give us a little time to gather our things and leave but after I stopped panicking I thought things through and came to the conclusion that nothing serious could have happened to Bright and Doomie anyway because, well, they aren't us.

I have to keep repeating to myself that Chokey knew that all along. The problem is that I somehow feel that not even the forgotten side inside me believes that.

Now, we haven't seen the guy stalking Chokey since but there are other things bothering me that might or might not be connected to us. The disappearance of three Elements of Harmony is one and the black stormclouds hanging over Canterlot for past days is the other. I have spent some time every evening in the Sugarcube corner where ponies go to share fresh gossip and there has been enough travellers passing through from Canterlot to overhear things about civil unrest.

On one hoof that gives the princesses something to worry about besides me and Chokey. On the other it means, at least according to her, that some ancient evil is probably taking over Equestria again. She was smiling when she said that but it sort of scared me. Not in some personal danger sense but the general worry such as a wave of floods threatening to destroy some town might bring to ponies living there.

All in all, things are weird, I can't do anything, Chokey is at work and I'm reading yet again.

The book is boring but it helps keeps mind off things I can't deal with. The thing is that I'll never be able to do so if I just keep sitting here and repeating the pattern over and over. I have to change something or the time will come when I will just cry at being powerless again.

So...

The guards in Ponyville apparently have no idea about my situation. During our shopping trips with Chokey none of the patrols bothered us in the slightest so I think the hunt for me or her isn't a priority at the moment. Yes, the stalker few days ago might be a signal to be more careful but supposedly he has no idea Chokey knew about him and he was very easy to spot if one knew who to look for.

I need to get a job, preferrably something physical since we're not in money trouble and I don't really have any skills to do anything else. With the house being our property we don't have to pay rent which means that even not that significant pay Chokey gets is enough to live on if we don't go on some crazy shopping spree. I really shouldn't get my hopes up but it can't hurt to ask around.

The red sweater I'm wearing covers my bronze fur well when I walk through the town to the one place I know I can get either the information I want or at least some other pointers.

Something is off.

I turn to look around but I don't see anything suspicious. That doesn't stop the unpleasant feeling which I now know from the restaurant experience is the better use of my senses by my, let's say, subconscious. If I can believe it then it means I am being watched but an exploratory turning of my head shows nothing.

Alright then, there is no way for me to improve my hearing. Right... what now? What now? What now? Hmmm...

Bait whoever is watching and never stay alone for too long.

That sounds like a good idea and suits me just fine when I enter the Sugarcube Corner with a calm smile. I have to control myself not to grin when half of the occupants gasp at my entrance. They've been doing that since the dinner incident which worried me at first but now that I know nopony is going to do anything I just find it amusing... very slightly.

"Good afternoon, mrs. Cake," I smile at the chubby mare working the counter.

"Hello, mister Light," she snickers a bit.

"What's wrong?" I lean back and my smile grows uncertain.

"Nothing. Nothing. I was just talking yesterday to my husband about redecorating this place. We're thinking about something shinier, let's say, something in," she snickers again as the horror in my face grows, "dark crystal?"

I utter something incomprehensible lost even on me but the look in her face and the collective hypervetilating of the closest guests force me to silently grin as well. Time to strike back.

"Funny you should ask, I'm actually looking for a job and I was hoping you'd give me some pointers. You know everything going on in the town."

"Is your lady trying to get you out more? Anything in particular?"

"I think she likes me where I am but I'm getting old, fat and crummy so I need something to spruce me up, something with lifting."

She considers this a stab at her and looks aghast so I add:

"Not all of us have the luxury to mature with age just like good wine. I, for myself, just get flabby," I bow a bit but her knowing look and shifty grin sort of put me on edge.

"You have the mouth rivaling your marefriend."

Now I throw out an overly hurt look.

"Well I never..." I say with the nobbiest voice I can muster.

"Oh shush," mrs. Cake waves her hoof, "I took it the wrong way. Unfortunately I can't help you right now. Why don't you come back in few days and I'll ask around in the meantime."

"Thanks. By the way, do you have anything extra interesting to surprise my batter half?"

"Possibly a prayer for you if you try a pun like that again in her presence," she purses her lips in thought, "I do have something that would melt her teeth but don't expect any happy fun times after eating it, it's fairly filling. A bit pricy though, thirty bits a piece."

"Worth it?"

"Definitely."

"Two servings to go, please."

She pulls out something wobbly that smells heavily of fermented plums and drops it into a plastic serving box.

"Here you go, have a nice day."

"You too."

Well, that didn't work as planned but I can't expect anything out of the blue.

As soon as I walk outside the unpleasant feeling returns but I still can't spot anything or anypony.

Sooo... are my nerves just playing with me? Possibly but not probably.

A feeling of dread assaults me when I look into the distance in the direction of Canterlot. The clouds are hanging awfully low today and there don't seem to be any pegasi on the weather duty at the moment. Walking back home I try really hard not to start running. Now that I know where to look I manage to spot shadows behind some chimneys. Whoever they are I wasn't able to see them before but I was able to sense them...

... I could hear them but I didn't realize it. Still, my ears don't pick up anything unusual so they must be doing something my past self was familiar with. Thankfully none of them, whoever they are, decide to do anything.

Never before have I been happy to find our house empty and I drop off the sweet treats and walk outside again. If the shadows are guards set on us by the one who followed Chokey earlier then they know where she works and it will be better for us to stay together. If worst comes to worst then I'll ask Bright Eye to let Chokey go home early and we'll leave immediately.

The dark shadows are moving through the clouds hanging over the asylum already.

"Heya," I wave when I enter through the front entrance to the asylum trying to keep my voice steady. It helps that my little bat is completely fine and waves back at me cheerily.

I look around the entry hall which is completely empty.

"Chokey," I lean to her and whisper, "there are some guys moving through the clouds above the town and there's a lot of them on the roof and everywhere around."

"I would say they are the weather pegasi but the terrified look in your face makes me doubt it. How did you notice?"

"I... I don't know. Something kept bugging me all the time I was outside but I couldn't see anypony."

"Aaaah," she shushes me, closes her eyes and begins moving her ears, "Oh buck me backwards."

"What? Here and now?"

"Nightguards. You were able to hear their high-pitched screeching but you, I mean you you, had no idea what it was."

"Here for us?"

"Unless it has something to do with the strange news from Canterlot then yes. I think Luna has plans for us. How many of them were outside?"

"A lot. Ten, twenty and way more all around town unless it was just one group following me."

"Hmmm, I wonder why they aren't doing anything."

A white pegasus mare enters the asylum lobby. Outside of her being remarkably good looking there isn't anything too particular about her.

Danger!

... friend?

"Chokey, I'm getting really conflicted messages about that mare," I nod unnoticeably towards the mare who stopped just few steps into the hall and is looking around and whisper, "Do you know her?"

"I very much doubt it," the mare smiles evilly and looks straight at us.

Both of us turn towards her but that's about as much as we manage to do because the entry door gets kicked in followed by a stream of batponies in silver armors rushing inside.

"Kill them!"

The pegasus measures our reaction with her green eyes and smiles when I shove Chokey behind me. It's a reflex, all I can do is take a blow for her at best.

The Nightguards form into a half-circle and then...

... a bronze changeling with a metal construction resembling a griffon arm in place of his left front leg walks inside.

"Wait, what?" the guards turn around from him to us with confused whispers.

The standoff seems to go on forever or at least until the point when one of the guards shouts.

"AFTER HIM! Secure the witnesses!"

Five heavily armed guards take their steps towards us while the rest follows the changeling.

"Heh. That worked better than I hoped," says the pegasus.

"Cooperate with us and-" begins the leading batpony but can't finish when a green mist swirls around the pegasus mare's forehead, forms a shape of a horn and all five guards rise up and slam at blinding speed into the nearest wall.

"I doubt that..." she purrs amusedly and the guards slam to the marble floor. None of them even tries to move this time around.

With me and Chokey staring, frozen in place, she comes closer and green fire envelops her head, showing a gnarled horn.

"Queen Chrysalis?" Chokey stutters.

"In the flesh," the horn disappears again and all that remains is a pure white pegasus.

"What's going-"

"Be quiet," she orders, allowing zero resistance, "You, bat, go round up whatever constitutes for local armed forces and get them ready to fight off the other bats. I've got business with this guy so I can't leave him here."

"What the heck is going on?!"

"What's going on is that I'm doing Celestia a little favor and you a huge one. There's a high number of thestrals under the influence of mind-control magic even I can't break running around. Scream asked me to help in this case but failed to tell me more details so I don't know too much."

"So what do you want with Blaze?"

"He has... sentimental value, that's all. I've just warned you as well so there's that. Until I know more I'm not involving myself in this."

"Fine."

"What?" I turn to Chokey.

"Blaze, go with her. This isn't a being that offers help from her nature."

"I can't leave you here alone."

"What did I tell ya about waiting for the right moment to help?"

"Damn! I'm not useless! I can at least take an arrow for you!"

"What do you think would hurt me more?" she smiles sadly.

"WHY?! WHY CAN'T I STAY HERE AND HELP?"

"STOP ACTING LIKE A LITTLE FOAL!" she yells right in my face, "There is something ya can do right now and that is not being in the way."

So... all this time I was just a burden. I was lying to myself.

"I... okay."

The fire inside dies out. I hang my head.

"Now go with the nice lady."

"Okay."

"It's gonna be all right."

"Okay."

Choking Darkness scribbles a note on a paper, leaves it on the reception counter and runs outside.

"Come," Chrysalis commands.

"Okay."

At this point...

... nothing.

I can't do anything at all. I'm just a liability to be protected.

United We Stand: Part II

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Chokey runs off and I follow queen Chrysalis in her pegasus form out of the asylum.

"Get on my back!" she orders.

"Huh?"

"What?" she snickers, "You don't want to ride a changeling queen?"

"I, uhm, well..."

There is no reason to argue, I'm not thinking clearly. Or maybe, just maybe I am thinking clearly for the first time since my awakening. I lied to myself all that time. I lied to myself that I might be good enough for the batpony who sacrificed everything for me and is now risking her life just so I can run. In a normal situation I might have found a job, I might have eventually been able to lead a normal life but now we have princess Luna on our backs.

It all goes in a big circle beginning and ending with me being worthless.

Without further questions, or incoherent mumbling, I climb on Chrysalis' back. I can't help but notice the curves of her pegasus form as I do so. Even in a situation like this I'm still a stallion. Well, maybe not a stallion... stallions have courage and the ability to fight for what's important for them. I'm just a big pussy... a thing. Perhaps Chrysalis can find a use for me.

"I might," she says and takes off with a leap.

"You can read my thoughts?" I say uninterestedly. It doesn't really matter if she does.

"I can do a lot more."

"So... why did you rescue me? I doubt I can help you in any way except for feeding you."

"That is also a possibility if everything else fails."

"Heh. I wouldn't even mind. At least I'd be useful in some way."

"Deal. If I fail then you won't be alive tomorrow."

I... can't find anything wrong with it. Chokey will find somepony better if she runs away from the guard. I mean she could find ten better ponies hanging around every dumpster in Canterlot.

"And you don't see anything wrong with HER running away?" Chrysalis asks.

"No? I mean she can't fight off the entire Nightguard."

"And you're turning on yourself when YOU have to run."

"That's different! I SHOULD be able to protect her. I HAVE to."

"Why? You're thinking about her the same way she's right now thinking about you."

"I don't know. It's just something in me. It tells me that's what I live for. If I lose her then I have no reason to exist anymore."

"Why? Can't you find somepony else?"

We begin descending right on the edge of Everfree Forest. It seems that our destination is a cave just off the beaten path. The mouth of the cave looks as if something tore it to pieces. We land and I drop off Chrysalis' back.

Her horn glowing green, she keeps looking at one spot that seems darker than the rest of the dry cave.

When she doesn't say anything for a while I go to the spot and look closer. I would say there's dried up blood on the ground but it's green. Perhaps it's changeling blood? Further exploration reveals two thin but deep cuts in the rocky floor. Did somepony important to Chrysalis die here?

"Not exactly. The exact opposite, one might say," she mumbles.

"So... why are we here?" I ask. This doesn't exactly look like a safe place.

"I lied to your marefriend a little," she smiles to herself, "That's just a thing I do. I also lied to you."

"What about?" I'm not scared. I don't really feel a thing anymore.

"You will not live through today no matter if I fail. Sit down, look up!"

I don't have a reason to resist. If she just uses me to feed herself and helps Chokey then I'll be happy.

"Can you tell me what's going on at least?"

"No. You're of no use to me with the way you are at the moment. Look into my eyes and die."

There is no mind control, no blackmail, nothing. I just don't want to live anymore so I look up.

It's so cold.

"Didn't expect to see YOU here," says a familiar female voice.

"Life is full of unexpected twists and turns," a raspy male voice answers.

"Where is he?"

"Straight to the point, I see." the stallion chuckes, "What makes you think I'll help you?"

"I'm sure this means very little to you but Nightmare Moon will devour the world if you don't."

"Oh, how horrible," the stallion snorted, "Whatever shall I, imprisoned here, do?"

"What if I pull you out with him?"

"For a devious queen it took you a while to get it."

"How are you still here anyway? I thought you died."

"I used to be the best necromancer in the world. Why do you think crystal ponies still don't want to remember my experiments? Even here, in the world where I was defeated, they still have the image of me ingrained in their little heads. Death will come for me when I want it, not the other way around. So... do we have a deal?"

"Sure, just remember one thing. Scream showed me what happened to changelings under your rule. If you try to rule the world again... you might hide from the good guys but I'll know where to look. Especially since you'll be stuck inside my pet."

"I only seek knowledge. The entire 'rule the world' thing was just so ponies didn't whine when they had to mine me fifty tons of crystals for my experiments. Don't worry though... I have all I want right here within the reach of my hoof. The magic of the alicorn of Life, at least what little remains of it."

The feeling of being stuck in a glacier disappears.

Something pokes my chest.

"Get up, you lazy moron!" says the stallion.

"Five more minutes," I mumble.

"Get up!" a female voice orders.

"Huh... what?" I blink, "My queen? What?"

Everything is blurry. I'm so Celestia-damn cold. The figurative ants aren't crawling through just my legs but the entire body. Everything hurts like blazes, heh heh, but I can't disappoint my queen, right?

I'm enveloped by warmth and my head follows the lead of a pair of hooves rubbing my ears.

"Gnnnngh..."

"Still works, my little pet," Chrysalis purrs amusedly.

The warm embrace gradually allows me to control my body again and I get up shakily.

"Your touch could make a statue go for a cold shower," I grin.

"So... feeling better?"

"Even my horseshoes hurt and I can't really think but yeah... it's something."

"Let me be the first to welcome you back among the living. The one renting the room in your head before was getting annoying."

"HEY!"

I know she's joking to put me at ease. Chrysalis is pretty fun to have around when she's not under pressure.

The fog in my head rises a little.

The last moments... the last moments of my unaware self were chilling. I knew the feeling once and it hasn't left me, it just got buried under other things. It reminded me of the time I left my home, how all this began. I can't be mad at his inability to protect Chokey. I can't be mad at him finally giving up.

I did the same thing. Words can't explain how lucky I was at the time.

You and me both, me newest experiment.

"Sombra?!"

In the metaphorical flesh.

"Talking to you in your head, is he?" Chrysalis grins, "You should thank him. I wouldn't have found you if it weren't for him."

"Yeah, not happening. I'd much rather eat my hoof."

Such insolence.

Shut up, you geology nerd.

I will make you eat those words.

Can't be worse than Chokey's cooking.

Too true...

"What's going on, my queen?" I ask Chrysalis, ignoring the possibility of Choking's food being able to harm a dead spirit.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember. It just doesn't make sense for Luna to go all out like this... and fail."

"There's more to it. Nightmare Moon possessed Luna when she in a fit of rage cursed you for killing her bodyguard. She's trying to do something in Ponyville and she isn't afraid the Elements would stop her. That much I gathered from the message Scream sent me."

"Can you help me get back there? I have to do something."

"Can you?" she raises an eyebrow. It's a move I mastered over the years though and I'm fairly resistant to it.

Sombra?

Yes?

Little help?

Why should I?

Because if you don't I'll go there and get ripped into pieces by Nightmare Moon. I've seen a world where she succeeded and I don't want that to happen. Unfortunately, my getting tentacled in the rump means the same for you.

When this is over... we'll talk again.

Come on, isn't this what you wanted all along? To be the most powerful and knowledgeable unicorn in the universe, to reach the power of alicorns and gods. Now you can find out how far you got.

Tempting. Let's go. Show your stuff, magic thief.

Sombra's power begins flowing through me. It feels different from any other magic I've ever stolen but it handles the same. It's just power after all, just a lot more than I'm used to. In response to the surge inside I do the only trick I know and a set of phoenix wings lights up the cavern. They are much more corporeal then usual and I experimentally jump and flap them.

"Guess you don't need a ride back," Chrysalis comments.

I don't like where this is going.

"You're not coming?"

"No. I have to prepare my hive in case something goes wrong. There is a group of elite changelings partially loyal to me in Ponyville and they might help and there are few of us running a distraction for controlled Nightguards."

I know better than to press the subject.

"Thank you for your help, my queen," I bow, "I'd like to repay it one day."

She just laughs.

I don't want to fly to Ponyville but I don't have the luxury of running. This body is woefully weak. Weeks of sitting inside of the asylum and not doing anything after that crippled my physique a lot. I guess I have to rely on magic, what an irony.

Not sure how my broken horn works but hoping it won't randomly stop, I spread the wings and fly as fast as possible back to Ponyville... about one meter above ground.

By the time Ponyville is in clear view I'm getting the hang of flying but my legs feel like uncontrolled noodles. I guess my vertigo is completely uncontrollable.

A surge of interesting energy is coming from that way.

A little black arrow appears in front of me and I rise above the houses, following it.

I reach the library square just in time to see a group of ponies surrounded on all sides by Nightguards and dark spikes coming at them from a laughing black alicorn. My body reacts on its own. I guess I'm too used to a second personality or something in my head monitoring the situation and that's Sombra's job at the moment.

Drawing as much power as I can, I land and use my wings to shield the group from the attack.

Something is completely wrong. Everything touching the wings evaporates and the alicorn I think is Nightmare Moon screams with what I hope is pain. That's not the problem though. I can't control Sombra's power too well.

I have an idea.

The feeling of something splitting away from me disppears when I take a step to the side and see a shadowy form of Sombra standing there, levitating a large warmace. Breathing heavily, I let my wings get smalled and the phoenix fire envelops my entire body like armor. Sombra's power is still flowing to me but in much smaller amount that I can control.

Something is still wrong. I feel sticky inside...

... with globs of power?

Oh? I stole a bit of Nightmare's power.

Be careful.

"BLAZE!"

"DAD!"

I look behind me and can't stop my eyes from tearing up.

"Chokey! Guiding!"

The god of chaos appears, sitting on a deck chair, wearing 3D glasses and munching popcorn. Two other Discords appear and point at him.

"DISCORD!" they yell and disappear instantly. The second god stays there, silently crunching his snack and observing.

"See, Luna?" Nightmare Moon laughs, pain completely forgotten, "Even the traitor is here. Let's show him... suffering."

"You talk too much," I melt a bit of the god's power and augment my own. The burst of black-tipped phoenix flames strikes a black barrier and melts it away, spent in the process.

Not bad. Keep some of that stuff around for research.

A spear melts in the air in front of me.

"Keep the Nightguards away from us. They're just under her control!" I yell when a charging batpony gets his ribs crushed by shadow Sombra's mace.

Protect the others, Sombra! I'm going in.

Yeah, because that's smart.

Shut up an magickify something!

The key to fighting magic users is to not give them time to concentrate and I charge Nightmare Moon. My flame shroud burns away everything getting too close but the longer I stay in the black cloud around the alicorn the more wrong I feel. My punches connect few times but I can feel the now familiar overdose of magic again. I have to use it somehow.

The power feels like it's melding with my body and something warns me that's not a good thing.

Jumping and punching, I'm not fighting against the alicorn that keeps shielding herself, I'm fighting against the power enveloping her. I can keep her physically on her back hoof but just remaining here will eventualy destroy me.

Use the fire on yourself!

What?

For some reason your magic takes on the characteristic of phoenix flames. They don't get burned by their fire, it burns away all impurities and revitalizes them.

Not really certain about it, I locate the sticky dark power and focus mine on it.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA, PATHETIC CREATURE!" Nightmare Moon laughs when she realizes what I'm trying to do.

It works for a second. Then the power latches onto mine and something feels completely wrong. Even more than before.

I drop to the ground as the burning of rupturing veins wrecks my body. There's a horrified scream which I'm shocked to find out isn't mine.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW? YOU'RE JUST A MORTAL!"

Through the veil of flames I look at the recoiling deity trying to douse the fire in her coat. It isn't my fire, not the golden-red one...

...these are purple-black flames.

Oops. Turns out that twisting the power of life with the deepest darkness turns it into the power of death. Go ham, I guess.

IT HURTS! Every cell in my body keeps screaming at me but I have to go on. The power that once took away my right eye keeps consuming my phoenix flames but whenever it touches me I feel a chill run through me.

Through the agony inside me I know one thing though. This thing works against Nightmare Moon much better. Black fire destroys the Nightmare's tentacles and burns away its power as I keep punching and kicking. I go deeper and deeper and suddenly the veil of smoke is gone. Looking down at my scorched legs, I see charred bones and some remains of my bronze coat here and there.

"What are you doing here?" a whisper comes from a midnight blue alicorn lying in the eye of the hurricane of black smoke.

I try to talk by my attempt only makes ash come out of my mouth. I try to wave at her to follow me out but my leg burns off in the black fire. There's nothing protecting me anymore. The black purple-tipped flames douse everything.

Sombra, can you hear me?

I... underestimated... a god.

Good way to go though, right?

Shut up.

...

Yeah, I guess.

...

I guess my research will remain unfini-

...

Epilogue: Last Laugh

Black smoke cleared, ponies left.

The wounded Nightguards were carried off to the hospital, the dead ones' closest relatives were being told the news. Shining Armor and Twilight, after being informed by Choking about the whereabouts of the missing Bearers, were dissipating the stasis spell cast by Nightmare Moon.

All in all, there were no victims of the entire incident outside of about twenty guards and Guiding Light's changelings... and one traitor, forgotten and unforgiven.

By almost everypony.

A week after Nightmare Moon's defeat, Discord, wearing a maid outfit just for the shocked looks of the villagers, was sweeping an unremarkable spot in front of the Golden Oaks library castle or whatever the thing was called now. He didn't seem to mind that his efforts only brought dust and grime onto his pan and whistled while he worked. Whatever he was doing didn't take him long and with a bag full of dust he disappeared in a flash.

The obsidian temple where he reappeared held fairly unpleasant memories for him. This was a place where he felt vulnerable but if one wanted his fun to continue, one needed to take certain risks. Out of nowhere he summoned a red button and slammed his hand into it repeatedly.

*Ding ding ding*

Black flames swirled in front of Discord in response to the sound every hotel receptionist knows.

"What do you want?" said a deep voice when the fire settled and frowning Void appeared.

Even Discord had to consciously stop the shiver running up his spine when yellow, glowing eyes focused at him. His smile was too forced this time.

"You owe me a favor, remember?"

"Sadly, I do."

Discord poured the dust out of his bag and snapped his fingers. The ash stormed and formed a body of a bronze-coated unicorn with sandy blonde mane and broken horn.

If it was possible through his midnight black coat Void would have paled as his mind put two and two together.

"Call his soul here," Discord smiled. Void's reaction reassured him slightly.

"First, what do you want with him? He has been through a lot and-"

Discord put his hands up.

"I just want to show him something and offer him a deal."

Void knew this couldn't end well, especially thanks to his recent involvement with Choking Darkness.

Sighing, he let the blue shadows of the dead envelop him. As much as he didn't want to submit Blazing Light to whatever Discord wanted, peace with the god was more important, especially with Luna and Celestia being currently very weak.

The blue tempest around Void gradually cleared up until only one shadow remained.

"Give us some privacy, please," Discord's sweet tone made Void scowl even more but he disappeared.

"Hello, my favourite source of amusement."

My sudden intake of breath feels like cold water running through my every vein. Shaking my head, I look around.

"Whoa. What? Why am I all blue?"

"No idea. Try to cheer up and it might go away," Discord ruffles my ghostly mane.

I don't like this.

Sombra's voice somehow feels heavier. Maybe because both of us are really dead now.

What do you mean?

It's Discord.

There could be a better reason but no matter what I can't think of one.

"What's going on?" I ask, "No offense but the one time a god set her mind on me I burned to death. Not cool, I have to say."

"Let's say," Discord mused, "I intend to improve the impression. How would you feel about returning to the world?"

Is he for real? I might see Chokey again!

I still don't like this.

Couldn't care less.

"Deal! What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. Just do your thing, it's fun to watch."

Not even you can be this stupid.

Don't you understand? This is my chance to be with her again. I don't have to do anything. It's just because Discord loves to watch me get dragged into stuff. Honestly, I don't care if I have to walk through dragons this time. I WILL stay by her side... as long as she wants me to.

I'm not dissuading you from anything. I'm coming as well.

Why? I've gone through... no, just no.

I've seen the error of my ways. Yeah, totally.

"What now?" I ask Discord.

"Close your eyes and you'll wake up in Ponyville. Your little bat friend returned back to Canterlot after Luna was stopped."

The only change my closed eyes make is that I see only darkness instead of black obsidian.

How will you get to Canterlot without money, magic or anything. I can help.

NO!

You will trust him but you won't trust me when I say bullcrap?

He didn't try to kill me!

I don't want to either. I want to study you. The reason all this is even possible is because the magic of alicorn of Life remaining in you from Scream's spell allows it.

And what will happen after you're finished studying? You pop out, make an immortal body and enslave Equestria.

You can't stop me anyway. I'll help you reach your marefriend, give you magic rivaling Luna's and let you live your life for as long as you want. You will be able to protect her from anything Discord throws at you. When you die I'll stay hidden, recuperating for few centuries and then I'll return. I couldn't care less about material wealth and influence, I just want knowledge.

He's right. Punching things won't help me if Discord decides to put me through some sort of torturous adventure for cheap giggles.

Deal.

Something cold touches my back and I can feel my coat getting wet. I'm standing in front of the Ponyville library, snow setting on me.

Go to the train station and order a ticket. I'll do the rest.

Without the keys I would have to break into our house in Ponyville, currently belonging to Bright Eye, and risk attracting attention. So... the plan is to find Chokey without alerting guards to my presence, talk to her and decide what to do with Luna trying to kill me.

The crunching of snow under my hooves is soothing as I reach the train station. It turns out the next train to Canterlot passes through in about half an hour. It is time to test if Sombra is at least somewhat useful. The salespony behind the station counter smiles at me trainedly.

"One ticket to Canterlot, please," I smile back, trying to keep my composure.

He blanks off for a second.

"Here it is. Have a nice trip!" he presents the piece of paper and waves me off.

Mind control sure is useful.

Getting second thoughts? I can give you any mare you desire just like that.

I don't know in which part of my head you are but I won't hesitate to bash it with a hammer if you try something like that without my permission.

Heh heh heh.

Time to enjoy the ride. The slow thumping of the train sends me to sleep almost immediately.

The door to Chokey's apartment resonates with my knocking.

"Coming!"

My heart flutters. It's here. Everything I have ever hoped and cared for is behind this door.

"Yes?" Chokey opens the door.

There are two things I don't remember. She has her wings back. Well, not her wings but a blackfire one on one side and a phoenix one on the other.

The second one is her blank stare when she looks at me.

"Hey! It's me, Blaze," I grin nervously and hug her, "What happened? You got your wings back! I-"

"Sir, calm down! I think you knocked on the wrong door," she pushes me away.

My confusion obscures the pain in my chest as her hoof pushes through me and the place she touched turns to ash.

I cough. Trying to speak reminds me of my last seeing Luna and the dry coughing sends out just more ash. I look pleadingly at Chokey. I don't know what I'm asking for, I just want things to be what they used to.

Color drains from the world and time stops.

"Oh," Discord appears in the grey world, "I forgot to tell you your friend Void wiped her memories of you."

"Why would he do that?" for some reason I'm able to speak to him.

"Well, she couldn't deal with losing you so he gave her the choice of giving her new wings and allow her to forget you completely. She agreed."

"She... did that... willingly?"

"Of course. After all, the only thing you brought her was pain."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"And spoil the surprise? Don't be silly."

He disappears and an echoing laughter accompanies my body turning back into black ash.

"You should have seen the look on your face."

Discords laughter rings through my fading senses.

"Priceless!"

Hidden: (Broken) Horn And (Torn) Wings

The loneliest ponies know the value of kindness.

The saddest ponies smile the brightest.

The most damaged ponies grow to be the wisest.

... if they can get to that point.

Blazing Light finally reached the famous and quite beautiful white walls of Canterlot castle. After a quick discussion with the gate guards and showing them his job application he was let in with the directions to the Nightguard leader's office. Walking up four flights of high stairs left him breathing heavily but he persevered. The little flicker of hope inside him drove him forward and he faked the most determined expression he could muster at this point.

Nopony answered his repeated knocking so he decided to sit down. If his future rested on him being patient enough to wait few... hours he was sure he could at least do that. He kept going over the lies he could tell this Choking pony about his qualities to let him get whatever job was here to get. There was no way he would just tell the truth as the only answer he would get would be a swift kick to the rump.

The waiting was getting longer and longer and with every passing minute he was more sure that all this was a mistake. He was getting to the conclusion that running away from home was just another of his failures. Perhaps he could go back and apologize for everything? No... for once he would stand up and face his decision himself.

What seemed like hours passed.

Nopony was coming leading him to the suspicion that the job he'd come here to apply for was no longer an option. It was a sign of fate that he really had no place in this world. This time he wasn't able to snap back to the part of him determined to wait here until he starved. Right now he knew he wasn't fit to waste the time of anypony here.

With that he left the castle, spent all his remaining bits on a bottle of the cheapest and the most sour wine he could find and began drinking on his way to the walls of Canterlot city. He thought about the crappy product in his hooves and the crappy product that was holding the wine. He wasn't a pony, he was just a manufacturing failure.

With enough liquid courage in him the swaying unicorn walked up the stairs leading to the battlements and made the world a little better place.

"Miss Darkness!"

It's been a week since my moving to Ponyville and I've been living in a small hotel and looking for a cheap house.

"Miss Darkness!"

I've also been working in the local mental institution or relaxation resort or whatever one might call it. Basically it's an insane asylum crossed with holiday resort where ponies can rest after serious events. They were understaffed thanks to recent invasion which left a trail of death throughout Equestria so doctor Bright Eye allowed me to help around even without any previous experience.

"Miss Darkness!"

There was one more reason though...

"DARKY!"

"Listening," I finally react to dr. Bright calling me.

"Thank you."

"Told ya how to call me. What do ya need?" I smile smugly.

"I don't think it's me who needs your help right now. Your 'friend' is screaming his lungs off in his cell."

I'm suddenly awake

"Buck! Thanks doc, I'm going."

"Should I come too?"

"Only if ya hear me scream as well!" I'm already clearing the stairs to the second floor.

A patient resembling my... friend was found wandering around the Everfree forest and starving to death. He didn't react to anything anypony said or did to him, he just kept following two guys in guard armor who led him here where he was diagnosed as basically a braindead hollow shell.

When I by a lucky coincidence noticed his familiar face in the asylum window I used my impeccable charm and the diplomatic weight of my Nightguard badge to find out what happened from the doc. Despite what Bright Eye said I knew there was something left of my friend the second I saw him. Well, few seconds later when Bright told me that I was the only pony the patient wasn't terrified of.

"What's wrong?" I ask without expecting an answer and run to the bronze-coated unicorn with broken horn and blonde mane drenched with sweat sitting straight on the bed and shaking all over.

He twitches and pulls up his blanket but when he notices it's me he stops screaming and lets out a soft sigh. This has been happening for few days and the result is always the same. On one hoof I'm glad he calms down and goes back to sleep again because I have a pretty good idea about what caused his condition but on the other he's losing his muscles due to lack of movement and staying indoors all the time can't be healthy.

In the end I just pat his head and help him get comfortable on the pillow. I hate it's the only thing I can do but Bright told me these things are more than uncertain and take long time. The thing is that I threw away everything I had - my guard career, my reputation with princess Luna and my friends - just to have a one in a million chance that this unicorn might really be Blaze and that he might recover one day.

I had to...

This guy who saved Equestria twice had everypony, almost including me, turn against him in the end and yet I'm sure that without him we'd be licking Sombra's hooves right now. That's why I had to take the risk, hide all traces behind me and at least try to make up for my and everypony else's mistakes.

Who am I kidding? The real reason for hiding is making sure Luna doesn't find him and torture him again.

"Better?" asks Bright Eye when I return back to the asylum lobby where I'm working partially as a receptionist, partially as a nurse and partially as a bouncer or whatever they call the guys helping restrain the crazies.

"Yeah. Blaze is sleeping again."

"Blaze?"

"I meant the patient... I call him that because his bronze coat looks like fire in the ligh-"

The doc raises an eyebrow. A move that can mean anything and achieve anything in the hooves of the right pony.

"-That's not gonna pass, is it?" I grin nervously.

"I'm not going to push it but you should tell me what you know so I can help him."

"I don't know that much. I don't even know if he really is who I think he is. All I know is that you were probably right when you described his condition as one caused by a long-term sleep deprivation. Two weeks of no sleep at all to be precise."

"That's impossible. Nopony can survive that."

"I suppose magic was involved."

"That doesn't matter. No unicorn could keep using magic after at most four days without sleep even if he somehow stayed conscious."

"If I'm right then it was more like he wasn't able to die during those two weeks."

I'm not going to tell the doc anything more but the little details I shared from time to time might help him in doing something. At times like this I really wish I had any interest in psychology but I really don't.

"What monster would do such a thing to another living being?" asks Bright with narrow eyes and ears splayed back.

I just shake my head.

"Wrong question, doc."

He sighs and gestures to the two stumps where my bat wings used to be.

"Does it have something to do with that?"

"A bit... what tipped you off?"

He smiles a bit.

"Unicorn with a broken horn and a batpony with torn wings who appear under mysterous circumstances and don't or can't talk about their past but seem to know each other. The two of you would make up a pretty mysterious alicorn albeit a bit crappy one."

I snort at the image but can't help smiling as well.

"Yeah, we would be the princess of almost-getting-things-done and rule a trash can in Canterlot with rats as our subjects."

"On a loosely related subject - I found the place you were looking for."

"Oh, the house?"

"Yes. It's a bit older house but surprisingly cheap. I was surprised myself at something of that sort being in Ponyville so I went to the Mayor's office and asked about why the place was so inexpensive."

"Two stories, broken floors?"

"Two stories yes, broken floors no. The house isn't actually too big but it's in decent shape and as I said extremely cheap."

"Flooding?"

"No."

"Discord's secret base?"

"No, that's Fluttershy's cottage. Wait... you've been here only for over a week and you know about Discord already?"

"All plates at the hotel I'm staying in suddenly began flying around and chase the customers. It was pretty fun actually."

"Well, no. The Mayor didn't say anything about any chaos magic."

"Bad neighbours?"

"Roseluck - a flower vendor and Lyra Heartstrings - a bit quirky musician."

"I'm running out of ideas but this is actually fun. Gas leaks?"

"No but if Lyra's imagination is something to go by then you might want to get the pipes checked eventually."

"Hmmm... is it built on ancient buffalo burial ground?"

"Ding ding ding, we've got a winner!"

"You're kidding."

"I am actually but from what I heard from the Mayor the place is supposed to be haunted."

"Why can't things ever be easy?" I roll my eyes.

"Well, it's not like you HAVE to buy the place."

"In past three years I've developed a sense for these things. Where can I sign the papers?"

"It's town property so you've got to talk to Mayor Mare. Say, what does your special sense tell you about the group of changelings that moved to the Sweet Apple Acres yesterday?"

"Ugh. It's asking about the closest place that sells hard liquor."

"I thought it might."

"Can ya let me off the hook early today, doc?"

"You know what? Go give miss Pearl a sponge bath and you can leave after that."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Can you give me a plush doll of yourself to give to your patient?"

"Ya sure ya don't want one for yourself as well?" I grin.

"I am a happily divorced pony, miss."

"Awwwww..."

"That means it would have to be a life-sized one."

The doc waves his hoof towards the patients' rooms and I rush off in search of a sponge and a bucket.