//------------------------------//
// The Shadow King: Crippled 
// Story: Imbalanced 
// by Nameless Narrator 
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[Choking's Entry]

I needed to do more and my love was obviously not enough to get Blaze up quickly so I decided to get in contact with some ponies who could share. With Heavy Hoof still suspicious of Blaze he was out of question and I realized at that time Blaze had nopony around him aside from me, Heavy and Sharp.

So I made a foalish but understandable mistake, I wrote a letter to his parents in Manehatten to come visit him here in Canterlot. Betty warned me that it might shock Blaze if he woke up by some miracle but that would have been good enough for me. I had no idea he killed his mother by mistake in his reality but when Betty told me I thought it would be amazing if he woke up and saw her by his bed. What I completely forgot to ask was the reason for him killing her.

Blaze's mother is a nice lady, a royal historian. When I saw her I realized I knew her from occasional visits to the Canterlot royal library which isn't open to public.

As for Blaze's dad... he got what he had coming. Good news is that Heavy's been visiting Blaze again after the family incident.

I also forgot how good changeling sense of hearing was. If you somehow get to read my diary, Blaze, (it's not as if I'm hiding it but you've never wanted to see it) then I want you to know I'm sorry.

[End Entry]





The door to the infirmary room opens and a female earthpony comes inside, her eyes fixed on me. She looks familiar, not due to some outstanding features but thanks to me seeing her before. Before I can ask her business here I get my answer when she looks at the patient lying on the bed with tubes sticking out of him and her eyes widen and her mouth drops.

"Miss Precious Gift?" I ask just to make sure.

She nods.

"I'm Choking, I sent you the letter."

Her look of confusion when she comes closer to the bed where Blaze is changes when she identifies the color scheme of her son. I can't hold against her that it took her a while, the last time she saw him he was still a unicorn and as far as I know that was over two years ago.

"That... is my son?"

"I can assure you it's him. I've known him since he arrived here over two years ago. Back when he was still a unicorn."

Those words are enough for her to have to wipe her eyes. 

"I haven't hear from him for so long and the first letter I get says he's dying..."

"I'm sorry, I lied a little. He's not dying, I just thought you might not come otherwise."

"You...!"

"Eeerm, before you throw me through the wall just let me explain," I nervously smile at the earthpony shooting deathbeams from her eyes.

"I wonder what you can come up with after almost making my heart stop."

"Blaze is a changeling who can heal really fast when he's near somepony who loves him. I thought you could help."

Her scowl turns thoughtful for a second and then her narrow eyes focus on me again.

"The guards outside told me and my husband that nopony was allowed in. I can see myself being here but usually nopony aside from close family members is allowed to see a recovering patient."

The question in that statement sticks out like a sore hoof.

"I'm, erm, Blaze's marefriend. I'm the only pony who can make him get better faster so I'm allowed to come here whenever."

So here it comes, the look that sizes me up. From what I've heard, mothers never like their son's marefriends.

"All right... humor me for a second. You're wild, irresponsible, have no problem lying and cheating to get what you want and you wouldn't have hesitated to bash my skull in with a steel pipe if I said a bad word when I saw Blazing lying on the bed."

My chin hurts, probably from it hitting the floor.

"Close that mouth or something might fly in," she continues, "I might be old and not in my best shape but the sponge inside my head still works."

"Eh, sorry?" I try to stop her sizing me up but she's got the best of me.

Then she smiles.

"Did I guess correctly?"

"Maaaybe?"

"I'll take that as yes. Nice to meet you, Choking."

"Nice to meet you, Blaze's mom."

"Cheeky little thing, aren't you? So what can I do to make Blazing feel better?"

"I don't really know, most of the time I just sit here next to him. I think you being here might be enough."

"You don't think things through much, do you?"

"Hey!"

"Hot-headed and hasty but with good intentions."

"Stop that!"

"I'm complimenting you, young lady!"

I grin, something makes sense now.

"Now I know where Blaze got his sugar and whip approach to ponies from."

"It's important to compliment when appropriate and same goes for the other side of the coin. So... how long have the two of you been together? And one more thing - are you really a mare or are you one of those trap things?"

"Ask your son, I'm sure he knows."

"I can't because somepony let him get hurt more than he's ever been before!" she barks.

For some time, the silence of the room is broken only by beeping of the machines and grinding of my teeth.

"I'm sorry," Precious Gift says meekly, "That was-"

"-incredibly stupid and needless," I interrupt, scowling.

"I see that politeness towards your elders isn't your strong side."

"You know, it's important to compliment when-"

Her hoof ruffles my mane and I see her smile for a second before she hugs me.

"You might never understand how happy I am right now," she whispers to my ear.

"Huh?"

"Blazing has never been too happy as a colt, always overthinking things and worried about smallest details, about somehow failing my expectations of him. All I've ever wanted was for him to find his way and be happy, to smile from time to time. I felt I failed as a mother when he was drinking himself to sleep every night at an age where nopony should be even smelling wine unless in company of his friends while having fun. There was nothing I could have done to change it."

"Miss-"

"Were you worried I wouldn't like you?"

"Sorta..."

"That's impossible. You were here, holding the hoof of my son when I entered. That was the only thing I needed to see, no questions or anything. You succeeded where I failed."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Blaze just is who he is," I pat her back when I feel my neck getting wet, "But hey, let's not get all sappy here. Have you got some funny stories from when he was younger with which I can torture him later?"

"Actually, there's not that many but there was this time we were in a restaurant when Blaze was around ten years old and when we finished our food me and my husband told him that we forgot to bring money and that we were going to run without paying. You should have seen the look on Blazing's face."

I improvise based on what I remember happening whenever I asked something new from Blaze in the bedroom.

"Good impression!" Precious Gift appreciates the expression of nervousness and utter horror I conjure up, "I did regret later reminding him of that situation too often though. The little bugger returned the favor when I got older and wasn't able to run that fast and said that he was the one able to run away now and that he would let me work off the price of the food in the kitchen."

"Heh, I wouldn't peg Blaze to be that cheeky as a colt."

"Well, being cheeky is what we adults often use when we hear something we don't like whether it's true or not. I pride myself on my sense of humor though so I usually didn't have a problem with it, Blinding on the other hoof..."

"Blaze's dad?"

"Hm? Yes. Blinding was brought up differently by his dad. He had to be self-sufficient, tough and confident... everything that Blazing lacked and they often got into each others mane over the smallest things. I have no problem saying it, Blinding is overconfident, lacks any self-reflection and his common sense apparently got shot in the knee when he was working as a mercenary. Blazing is his polar opposite. He overanalyzes everything he does but he can make the right decision in the end and if you're really his marefriend then I think you know that you probably don't like Blazing for his... confidence."

"I've heard legends about it but it's harder to find than the lost city of Ee," I snort.

"Very much so, just like your respect for your elders."

"Damn!"

Precious Gift giggles.

"Well, when my older son, Searing, joined the army Blinding had nopony to talk to about serious business and he considered Blazing a wimp. He used to drink a lot after his mercenary career ended to drown out... nevermind, I think you might be too young for that story. The point is that Blinding was an agressive drunk, not violent but agressive and loud and sometimes words hurt more than blows ever could. I don't know whether Blazing still practices martial arts but that was the time he started with it."

"He does, he's the best at it in Canterlot and maybe entire Equestria. He actually taught me everything I know about it shortly after he began working in the castle."

"Things actually got better when Blinding got drunk one evening and began yelling at him again for... various reasons, Celestia knows most of his complaints were substantiated. I tried to stop him but he began yelling at me, blaming me for Blazing's weakness. That was when Blaze blew up and began yelling as well. Blinding considered everything Blazing said a slander, it wasn't but some types have hard time understanding their faults, and tried to hit him. Boy was that a mistake. Blazing wiped the floor with this ex-mercenary twice his size and put his ego down a notch. It still wasn't enough but they actually began talking from time and at least both were polite with one another."

"Where is Blinding Light anyway?"

"He was here before and is waiting outside now. From what I understand nopony was here."

"I must have been out... call of nature and whatnot."

"That's maybe for the best. I don't think he'd react well to him being a changeling and accompanied by a thestral on top of it."

"Batpony is enough, I prefer it not sounding so stuck up."

"As you wish. Well, Blinding was furious when Blazing ran away from home after being kicked out of Manehatten Trade and Business University. I think the running away got to him more than the failure and he really didn't take it well. I guess that's a rift in the family which won't ever heal but I think deep down he's happy Blazing is still alive... hope more than think."

"Come on, they're still family. It can't be that bad."

"Well you haven't been there. One of them is hard-headed, stubborn and inflexible... and the other one is my husband."

"Good one. I think none of them realizes that it's actually their only similarity which doesn't allow them to get closer."

"You'd be right on that one. But enough of my family's history, I want to know everything about you."

"What do you want to know?" I realize I have no clue where to begin.

"How did you meet my son?"

"Wow... it seems forever ago, so much stuff happened-"

Our chat continues, punctuated only by beeping of the machines. Blaze's transformation, the invasion of Canterlot, Crystal Empire. In the end I'm stopped by Precious Gift.

"I want to thank you for leading my son out of his shell but I'll have to leave soon, Blinding got us return tickets for this evening and I don't want to run all the way to the train station. Can you give me few minutes alone with my colt?"

"Sure."

She just sits there in silence.

I leave the room and see a huge white unicorn with blonde mane who wasn't there when I came back to Blaze's room.

"Mister Blinding Light?" I ask.

"Yes?"

That one word. Those three letters are so charged with enmity that I involuntarily take a step back.

"Do you want to see your son before you leave?"

"That thing is not my son, bat. My son was a worthless trash who ran away from home instead of facing his responsibility and failure. That... creature is a changeling who consorts with bats and other traitors. I prefer to think my son froze to death in a ditch somewhere as he deserved for his failures which still leaves me with better feeling than that."

My ears splay back. Not at the words but at the tone of not giving a buck.

"That PONY is my coltfriend!", I snarl and stab Blinding's chest with my hoof, "That PONY helped stop changelings from ruling Canterlot. That PONY stopped the invasion in the Crystal Empire. That PONY is the only reason you are still alive. That PONY is a bucking HERO and you WILL NEVER talk bad about him again!"

Shaking with fury, I realize I pushed a warforged unicorn twice my size into the wall. When he raises his hoof I growl at him.

"Touch me and I'll have you spend the rest of your life in a slammer you piece of shit!"

"Calm down, commander," says a slow voice from behind me.

I turn around to see Heavy Hoof rising from a bench next to the door to Blaze's room. After what Blinding said I felt I needed to see a friend... or have a drink but not this friend.

"Take your pet away, officer, or princess Celestia will find out what happens in the shadows cast by her sun," says Blinding.

"Mind letting me handle this, commander? Some situations need cool head," asks Heavy.

"I-I..."

I've never felt so betrayed in my entire life so I just slink away and sit on the bench.

"This isn't one of those though," is what I hear Heavy say and I turn my head only to see Heavy's hoof connect with Blinding's face with a nasty cracking noise coming from his jaw and the wall where the back of his head hits.

Heavy then picks up the slumped unicorn of his size by the neck and lets him swing his hind legs for few seconds before dropping him back on the ground. Blinding, to his credit, lands on all fours without stumbling but looks in disbelief at Heavy.

"You might be surprised to know that there's a lot of ponies who owe everything including their lives to Blazing Light. I just happen to be one of them and I will not hesitate to lay it down to end your miserable hateful existence."

Or maybe he was just the right friend to be right here and right now.

When Precious Gift leaves Blaze's room she looks at her husband and smiles at me and Heavy who is standing next to me. We go back inside together this time and stop next to the bed where Blaze is lying.

That is the time I realize I may have made a mistake. I have no idea when Blaze woke up but the tears running down his cheeks tell me that he heard everything.