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."