//------------------------------// // Immediate Problems // Story: A blaze rekindled // by RedBlack //------------------------------// *Calming Blaze POV* So much anger. So much sadness. So much despair. That was the best way I could describe my surroundings currently. The full wrath from the leftover rage. The feeling of despair and sadness coming together to make the intense emotion of hopelessness. Ah. I recognize this place. It's a bit sad that I remember something like this isn't it? Well. I should wake up. Eventually, the world slowly disappears as a single line of a bright light appears in the distance, devouring everything as my eyes open. A white ceiling and smell of antiseptics and a very strong flowery scent in the air. A very annoying beeping sound that rings through the room. Instantly rising, I spread my magic to gather a sense of the surrounding area. That was interrupted however, by a rush of blood coming through my throat and stinging pain coursing through every inch of my body, forcing me to back down. Shit. My veins took much more damage than I thought. I still managed it though. There's a single pony sitting in a room and two other ponies in another room. A doctor, a nurse and most likely a patient. Not much going on. That's good. It means Discord was defeated. Though, for how long, I can't say. Looking out the window on the right, I see the peaceful view of Ponyville. I think I missed the weekly incident. Good. I'm too mentally drained for that. Looking around the room, I spot some essentials for a hospital. A bathroom, a wide drawer, some machinery and the bed I'm currently on. There were over fifty different bundles of all kinds of flowers on the drawers. Figured out where the flowery scent was coming from. Some of the flowers repeated and others didn't. There was even a blue lunar moon flower that was said to only bloom in the highest mountain of Equestria at its peak during a full moon by taking in the energy of the moon around the area. Who put it here? Oh right, Luna. She controls the moon. With that dilemma out of the way, I try to get up, but my body barely moves. Fuck. My nervous systems are pretty numb. Damn it. How long was I out for. Thankfully, I can still move my head. Spotting the door to leave the room, I squint my eyes, trying to see if I can look outside. As stupid as the action was, it worked, looking through a small crack, I spot a wall. Well, how about an A for effort yeah? As I lie there, about an hour ot two pass and I spend it trying to move my body and distracting myself. This is such a waste of time. Isn't there a way I could go and work out or something? I'm still too weak and I can't spend my time in a hospital bed while who knows what is going out there. But I can't. Fucking. MOVE. *Sigh* "Ok, calm yourself idiot, you getting mad will only end in you being in a shit mood. There. Much better" I tell myself as I lie in the bed comfortably. Oh who am I kidding, I need to move. Wait. "I can talk?" With that realization, I start to mentally make a list of all the feeling I have right now. Every inch of my body hurts like tartarus. My eyes are definitely a bit blurry. My horn seems to be mostly fine somehow. Must be because shadow magic isn't really used from the horn a lot. My teeth feel a bit weird. Other than those, I don't feel any different. Wait, is it just me or does the room look a bit dark. Now that I think about it, everything looks slightly dimmer. Huh, well, I'll think about that later. For now, I need to get out. "NURSE! NURSE REDHEART!" Seems my voice is still loud and clear. I hear myself as my yell echoes throughout the hallways. After about half a minute, the white nurse with a pink mane rushes in through the door. "Oh, you're awake!" She said in a relieved tone. "How long was I out for?" "Oh don't worry about that, you should go back to sleep, you're still injured after all" she said in a very nervous tone. "Screw that, how long was I out" my crude language came out from the annoyance of pain and it seemed to shock her. "H-hey! That is no way to talk young stallion, you should watch your language" she finished in a stern voice, like she's berating a child. Well, she is, but still. "Will you answer my damn question or not!" I yell in an increasingly louder voice. She paused for a few seconds, contemplating something, then let out a sigh. "Fine, if you really want to know, you've been asleep for almost 4 weeks" she said in a tone that expected me to freak out. Which I did. "WHAT!" Faust damn it, that's so much time wasted, and the strength I lost just from lying here through all that time. "D-don't worry about it hun, it may feel like a lot, but you should focus on the bright side, you're still alive after your injury, and 4 weeks isn't really all that bad in a peaceful town like Ponyville, so why don't you just take a rest?" she said in a reassuring tone. As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn't. "Where's my mother?" "Delicate Cuisines?" "Yes, how do you know her?" "Oh I know her since she told me about her injury at her workplace because of that one stallion, funny how that same stallion came in the hospital with suspicious injuries just a day after though" "Must be karma, now where is my mother?" "She spent about 3 weeks waiting for you, then her friend came and took her away because she was pushing herself to stay here" My jaw tightened a bit at that. For fucks sake. I came here with the objective to stop the villains, protect mother and live a peaceful life. And so far, I've failed all three of them. "Just go back to sleep dear, how about this? I'll wake you up when you mommy visits ok?" "Yeah, sure" I reluctantly give in since I can't move right now. Besides, I need some time to plan out the foreseeable future. First things first, I need to get a shard from Chrysalis's throne. Then find a way to create mithril. I'll also need something close to ironwood in durability for the handle of the hammer. Then, I'll need to acquire a forge. One that can handle the heat from Lord Torch's fire. After that, I'll have to enchant it somehow, but that can wait a bit more. *Sigh* For now, I should rest and heal up as fast as I can. With that thought, the world slowly gets disconnected as I head into a deep sleep. The slightest trace of magic being used came from the room, waking me up completely. Staying still, I try to feel for anything through the room, and when I don't, I open my eyes. As I thought, there was somepony. "So, you going to kill me?" I ask myself. "I would, but no" he said as he took a seat on the air. He's not here physically. "Then what're you doing here?" "For Celestia's sake, will you let your guard down already? You know I'm not here for real" "The last time I did, I found a mind controlled tyrant next to one of the strongest artifacts in Equestria" "I guess you're right, I can't get you to lower your guard" he finished with a relaxed tone. "Stop fucking around and tell me your objective" "Woah, profanity, I guess I should've expected that from seeing your world" My world? Wait. If he's seen that destroyed world, and I travelled back in time, then wouldn't that mean, he lived my life? "Ah, there it is, we're both impulsive, but realistic, so I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out. Seems living in my world made you a bit delusional huh?" he asked with a sneer. Holy shit. I didn't just go back in time. I didn't just follow Twilight or something. I replaced myself with this dude. Then. This is my fault isn't it? "I-" "Don't even fucking start with that crap other me, I don't need your freaking pity or your stupid apology" "No, I didn't-" "I DON'T CARE! YOU MESSED UP MY LIFE, SO I'M GONNA DO THE SAME WITH YOURS!" he kept going as he approached me. "SO PREPARE YOURSELF, I'M WINNING THIS FREAKING WAR, JUST LIKE I WON ALL OF YOURS, AND MAKE YOU PAY FOR IT!" With that, his connection was cut off, leaving only the smallest trace of magic being used and me. Fuck. I need to apologize. And I need a drink. Priorities ponies, priorities. As I sit deep in thought, the heavy falls of hooves alert me towards the door as it was bent in half when it was opened. "Blaze!" mother rushes towards me with relief washing over her. "Mom! You're alright!" I yell as she grabs me into a tight hug, one I feel slightly guilty to indulge in. Only slightly. Its hard to give up something like this. "I'm fine son, what about you? Do you feel any pain right now? Can you move?" she asked with a worried voice as I tried to act tough. But I still couldn't move. "I'm fine mom, no need to worry" "Don't lie to your mother, where does it hurt?" Damn, I still can't lie to mother without getting caught. *Sigh* "Pretty much everywhere" I say with a sigh, earning a small gasp from her. "That's it, I'm taking days off from work to take care of you, I'll quit if I have to" she said with a resolute tone. "H-hey, don't worry mom, I'll be fine, I promise, you know I don't break promises" I try to reassure her as she stares at me with a pout. "Fine, but you better not let this one be the first to break" she said after a sigh. "I won't, I'll make sure of it" I say with a reassuring smile. "I still took the day off though" she said with a playful smile as she brought out a tall glass of chocolate milkshake from her, actually, where did she get that from? "Wait, how did you get permission to take the glass?" She just stares at me with a blank smile for a few seconds. "Mom?" I ask with a nervous tone. "Its your favorite flavor, so enjoy it" she just casually said as she diverted her eyes as far as she could. After mother's visit, I'm filled with a bit more strength as I stare at the small garden on the drawer. Before I could go into my thoughts a bit more, Luna barges in. Well, more specifically, teleports in. "Hey Lu" I greet her casually as she just stares at me with a pout. "You almost get yourself killed and that's all you got to say?" she said with slight anger as she manifested a chair and sat on it right next to me. "Well, I don't really like to get too dramatic" "I know that much" She sits there with a masked face I know too well. "Drop it, tell me what's wrong" I simply say as her mask slowly breaks. Tears start to stream as her choked sobs fill the room. "I should've helped you" she states through her cries. "Lu, there was no way you could've known, you're not omniscient" "I'm an alicorn goddess, and I just slept as my friend was fighting for his life" Oh for fucks sake. Forcing magic through my body, I move as I swallow a rush of blood. That's probably really unhealthy. "Wha? Blaze, you should-" I cut her off as I bring her head into my chest, giving her a comforting hug. Good thing I'm much bigger than I should be because of my magic enhancements. "Stop that Lu, try to be logical, that always calmed me down" I say as I brush her mane. She muffles something in response, but she calmed down at least. A single chuckle escapes her, grabbing my attention. "Is that how you ended up breaking a controller during the Gala night?" she asked with a small smile as she looked up at my face. "That game was absolute bull and you know it" I say with an annoyed smile at the memory. She only laughs at my response. "You can let go now, this is actually pretty uncomfortable for my neck" she said as I release her. She stretched her neck to the sides, giving out an audible crack at the movements before reaching into her mane. "Anyways, I still have to rest since I work the night shift, so to speak" she said with a cough as she pulled out a bottle of bourbon that I recognized. "You really brought bourbon as a gift for a patient?" I ask her with a teasing voice. "Should I take it back" she said with a plain voice. "No, it's perfect, it's mine now" I say as I grab it and put inside the sheets as I lie back down finally. With a short chuckle, she gave me tight hug before leaving. "No" "I can't allow you to drink whilst recovering Blaze" "Fuck you, I don't take your permission for shit Sunbutt" I'm currently in a power struggle with the bottle of bourbon in the middle of me and Celestia. "You can, have it back, when you recover" she said as she pulled harder. "Well YOU, can have it, from my cold, dead, hooves" I say through gritted teeth as my body is suffering through the pain. With a final tug, she takes the bottle from me and puts it in her sub space or something. Giving a weary sigh, she puts down a bag of fruits next to the flowers. "Why do you even drink anyway? You're much too young for alcohol" "I don't need to give you a reason" I say with an irritated voice as I lie back down. Asshole. I was gonna use that to numb the pain. "I suppose you don't" she gives another sigh, "But your body is still developing and drinking alcohol could really mess with that. If anything, alcohol is bad for the body at ANY age" Tch. I can't argue against a healthy logic like that. I try to say something, but even I didn't know what it was and all that came out was mumbling. "Well, I must leave now, I still have duties to tend to" as she was about to teleport away, I asked something. "Why do you have so much shit to do anyway?" I ask her. It was a genuine question from somepony who's never been a high authority figure before. "Ruling a country is a much more demanding job than you think" "It's hard to say since what I think is quite literally, I have no clue how running a country works" She just raises an eyebrow at this. "What?" I ask her. "Nothing, it's just, you always seem so knowledgeable with everything, so it's a bit surprising" she finished with a chuckle and went away with a flash of light. Huh. Am I acting too brazenly? Twilight came by, then left pretty quickly because of a 'cutie pox', don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure it's related to the troublemakers in town. I wanna say Applebloom since this sounds like Zebra magic, and she's taken interest in that lately. "Hey dude" the brown colt walks in with a smile and a saddlebag. "Did you bring me ice cream?" I ask Buttons as he sat next to me on the bed. "Heck yeah" he said with a smile as he brings out two buckets of chocolate ice cream. He gives me one and puts the other on the rather cramped drawer. "So, can you move?" he asked as he opened the ice cream. "Nope, I'll need another week or so" "Finally, I'm better than you physically" he stated with a teasing voice "Oh shut it" I say as we share a laugh. He took the plastic spoon out of the bag and moved to take the first bite. "Hey, manners dude, give me the first bite" I tell him as he stops in his tracks. "Fine, only because you're injured" he says as he scoops up some and puts it in my mouth. Ah. Ice cream, eases the pain. "Where were you Buttons, I needed this, this morning" "School, and the town went into a brief lockdown because of Applebloom" he said as he took his own spoonful. "Called it, anything interesting in class then?" I ask as he puts more ice cream into my mouth. "Eh, just algebra today" "Sounds boring" "It is" After a hefty meal of eggs, yogurt, cheese, soybeans and fish, which I didn't expect. Apparently its good for building muscle. Night had come, and I couldn't sleep. Turns out, not moving much all day tends to leave you with a lot of energy. So now I'm here, the moon is high up in the sky as the lights around town are dimming out. My room, only brightened by the shine of the moon, felt slightly lonely. After trying for about thirty minutes, I finally convinced mother to go back home. She shouldn't sleep in a hospital. Though, I do slightly regret that now. After extensive use of my still injured body, I can now somehow use it without much difficulty. The pain however, is still there, and it stings whenever I move. I just lie in my bed as I wait for the sensation of sleep to takeover. I'm really missing that bottle of bourbon right about now. *Thud, thud* I perked up, looking towards the tapping on the window. I see a friendly face at the window. Throwing the empty ice cream bucket, I hit the handle, opening the window enough for him to slither through. "Hey Drega" I greet him casually as he fully comes in and pulls his tail up, revealing a pretty big basket. With a hiss, he presents me the basket and curls up on the bed. "Holy shit, Drega, how'd you get these?" I say as I life up a bottle of bourbon, but the label was pretty damn old, it was almost gone entirely. Looking closely at it, I spotted a small section that read "rewed at Sun calendar, 3" A thousand year bourbon? "Dude, thanks, how did you even manage this? I don't think even Sunbutt has stuff this aged" He gives me proud smile as he wraps himself loosely around my neck. With a small chuckle, I give him a pat and open the bottle. "Finally, I needed a drink all day"