Outbreak

Chapter XI

Heartbroken

It had been quite the busy year for residents of the Changeling Kingdom. Ever since peace talks began with Equestria, an influx of love energy had been provided at a constant rate as a bargaining chip. Changelings, once more filled with life energy, began to see their kingdom for the shit hole that it had been for decades under their love famine. Within months, the kingdom, or at least a majority of it, had been converted from a drab, impoverished community into a dynamic empire filled with never-before-seen innovations in the fields of science and business.

In the city of Chitin on the far-southern coast of the kingdom, the night life was a life to be had. Chitin had become a center for leisure as well as a hub of trade and research with restaurants, night clubs, casinos, theatre, and even local sports customs. Changelings from all over the empire would flock to the city after working in their required occupations or during their days off to drink, party, and regret doing so the very next morning before heading off to the factories.

One bar in the middle of the city, however, was not so dynamic on this night. Long past midnight, not a soul hung around the bar save for the tender and two pegasus stallions.

... you finally find...

...you and I... collide...

"...Fhanks." spoke a white pegasus pony dressed in a royal guard breastplate as he grasped a tray containing two pints of dark lager in his mouth. Turning from the counter occupied by a single, tired changeling worker, he approached his table, a cheap jukebox rapping up Pony Day's "Collide" in the quiet, neon-lit background.

"Yeah, yeah..." the changeling sighed in a raspy, feminine voice while wiping a glass with a white rag. "Just get out of here before one... I would like to go home tonight."

"Jeez, sorry to have bothered you." the pegasus grumbled after setting his tray on his table. "Drink up, pal."

Sitting down, he looked toward the other pegasus accompanying him- Sergeant Flash Sentry. He had been depressed all night, and sought refuge with this stallion in the bar hours prior. Flash silently took his lager and downed a third of the drink, a miserable expression still glued to his face.

"...Look, you really need to just accept what she told you." the white pegasus comforted. "You've been like this all day long now, and it's starting to affect your performance. Why can't you just, you know, move on with life?"

Flash remained silent, taking another swig of his drink.

"Okay, I understand being rejected as much as anypony else..."

"...Blaze, she made me so happy." Flash whined in a voice just as pathetic as his facial expression.

"And that's great!" the white pegasus interrupted. "You should be happy that she's even a friend of yours... you know, not many stallions can say they know Princess Twilight Sparkle on a personal level."

"That's not the-"

"You're lucky to have her as a friend." Blaze continued. "But it's time to just accept the facts- she doesn't like you the way you like her... it's nopony's fault, that's just the way it is."

"...I-I love her, man..." Flash sobbed into his hooves. "It's not fair...!"

"Flash, I know. You've told me ten times tonight." Blaze grumbled. "But believe me, there's nothing you can do about it now."

Flash looked up to his fellow guard, eyes red and puffy with liquid sorrow.

"...I'm sorry Flash, but I have to be your friend here- and as your friend, you need to be set straight." Blaze explained sternly. "You need to move on from her. You just had a little crush is all- you weren't ever in a relationship, nopony ended anything on a sour note, you're the only one who's in the wrong right now."

"But I just wanted to have her... It's not fair! What did I do wrong?!"

"Okay, now you're being childish!" Blaze reprimanded. "You didn't do anything wrong, she didn't do anything wrong! You two are just... too different, and you need to just find a way to live with that. You have to get out of this slump, Flash. We have a job to do here, remember? The guard can't have any foul-ups just because somepony is moping around all day."

...I remember when...

It was together 'till the end...

Now I'm alone again,

where do I begin...

Blaze observed Flash Sentry looking up even sadder than before, on the verge of tears once again at the ill-timed song slipping through the jukebox speakers. Looking around the bar, the white stallion glowered at the bartender.

...I cried a little bit...

You died a little bit...

We say there's no regrets,

I say you will forget...

"...Hey, who the hell put this on?!"

*Sniff* "It's on mix..." Flash cried, burying his face in crossed hooves.

"Oh for fuck's sake..."

Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Blaze had left from the table and was closing in on the jukebox. Once there, he yanked the electrical cord from the nearby wall socket, silencing the machine.

"Hey, hey!" the bar tending female changeling shouted. "That's store-"

"I'll plug it in when we leave, I swear." he dismissed, walking quickly back to the table.

"Okay Flash... I'm going to sum this up real short and sweet." Blaze scolded. "Get. The. Fuck. Over it! I shouldn't have to be talking to my commanding officer like this. But since nopony else has the stones to say what needs to be said, I have to do it myself!"

Flash just stared through teary eyes, the same as he had been doing all evening.

"Look at yourself! You're pathetic, a sergeant of the Royal Guard sobbing like a child who's dog died!" ranted Blaze. "You... you just can't do that! You're a stallion for crying out loud!"

Flash tried to speak, but no words would come.

"...When you finally get to acting like a stallion, you need to come back to the hotel and get some sleep. We have an early day tomorrow, and the squad can't afford to drag your sorry ass around all day long. Get to terms with this... thing before then, or you'll be dragging us down with you."

Leaving the table once again, blaze called to the tender.

"Check, please."