Imbalanced: New Age

by Nameless Narrator


Chasing a Dream: Ponyville

[Blazing's Entry]

I still can't get over not being even thirty yet, obvious death shenanigans aside, and having a daughter who is the queen of a mutant race of changelings. I mean, having had a daughter of blah blah blah. Who knows how things are now?

Thinking back on it, I wasn't that much different those days. Lost in the big world, considered an enemy of some extremely powerful individuals... where did I go wrong? I'm just kidding. I remember being terrified each and every day of losing, of being the only pony able to stop king Sombra in the mirror world before his armies could take over our one.

But in the end I won the first time around. I destroyed the Crystal Heart in the mirror world and blew up Sombra, his closest guards, Scream, the alicorn of Lust, who was behind all of it, and myself.

Even now I'm still not sure whether my next choice was the right one. Void gave me an option to die there and then as I was supposed to, or to travel through dimensions and time to find a reality where I could prevent Scream's death, and put her and Void back together. Those two loved each other far too much, but I'm starting to get it. Immortals can grow desperate, watching their loved ones come and go over and over for eons. Two immortals who grew so close as Void and Scream were apparently a real rarity.

Well, it made Scream eventually go insane after Celestia imprisoned Void in Tartarus. All the nonsense with Sombra's rise to power in both worlds was just her ploy to make Celestia suffer. In our world it was Twilight who finally stopped him, in the mirror world it was me.

Void manipulated me. For my own good, I guess, but still. I accepted his offer and used his reality jumping spell to travel from world to world for over a year before I landed in the world where I am now. Thankfully, the spell dropped me off at the right time before the invasion happened. I knew what was coming and what I needed to do to stop Sombra, and in the end I managed to do it in time to prevent Scream from getting to position where she had to be killed for us to live. I righted most of the mistakes I made the first time around. Void and Scream got back together and were both instrumental in helping me fight the gods.

With what the voice in my head said, I'm getting the feeling that something happened to them.

I admitted to everything in the end. Chokey got over me not being the original Blazing Light and killing him in order to stay in this reality. We fell in love, more stuff happened, Crom came along, Nightmare and Harmony attacked, and here I am now. What a long, strange trip it's been...

While I was jumping through the various versions of Equestria, I stumbled upon one where Nightmare Moon after her return destroyed Celestia, the Element bearers, and instilled eternal night. Sadly, I landed in her throne room. My special talent in stealing and manipulating energy coupled with magic resistance interested her, and she didn't kill me immediately.

Heh, I completely forgot. I was still cursed by Chrysalis back then to be a unicorn-changeling hybrid. Good times. Ye olde bugbutt was nice to me every time we met... well, aside from the first few times before the invasion and such. Details, details.

Yeah, the changeling thing plus my special talent saved me from death by angry god of End and Entropy. Instead, she made me breed with most of mare and stallion population in Canterlot in order to spawn hordes of new changelings feeding on fear. Shove it in, release eggs, next...

Bleh, I'll never be horny enough for that to be a good memory.

Guiding Light was one of the first generation of the Nightmare changelings. She and her kind wiped out all life on the face of Equus in the next twenty years. I was long gone by then, having been sent into the next dimension by Nightmare Moon's apprentice Trixie mere weeks after my arrival. With the world now a dead piece of rock and Nightmare being completely victorious in the struggle against Discord and Harmony, the last Nightmare changelings were dying of starvation.

Since my body stores energy either from spells or divine power being used at me, when I egged the first clutch part of it went into them. Guiding was able to decrypt a makeshift version of the dimension jumping spell to eventually land in the same reality I did, and at the similar time. Of course that Celestia, Luna, Equestrian Intelligence Service, and generally everypony else wanted to get rid of her and the last dozen or so Nightmare changelings at once, but it was after dealing with Sombra's invasion so I was kinda a hero and my word had some weight. So, I ended up with a daughter only some four years younger than I was.

So they all gave the 'evil' intruders a chance. I gave their leader my family name, and because she led her tiny hive here I called her Guiding... Guiding Light. Then they changed their name to dreamlings because of obvious public relations reasons. In the end, after Luna got possessed by Nightmare again which resulted in one of my non-alicorn deaths (There have been a few, heh. I miss being resurrected by powerful being who needed my services soon after each death. This natural alicorn revival takes way too long.), Guiding left Canterlot and moved her hive to small village called Pine Hills.

Am I repeating myself? Quite likely. I've forgotten a lot of my past, and it always comes flooding back when something important happens.

Heh, the Corrupted who almost got me called Pine Hills a place of death. It makes sense for Guiding and her kind to kick some serious ass if their home is in danger. If they managed to instill fear in Corrupted, then my daughter grew into a real badass.

Sorta hope she still remembers me.

[End Entry]


Step.

"Ow."

Limp.

"Ow."

Step.

"Ow."

I sigh. The first onset of corruption I managed to burn off during the fight healed my serious wounds completely, but the taint that remained after my power went out and she got inside me wasn't that beneficial. It's the evening of the second day after the attack, and I'm exhausted, hurting all over from bruises, and with a crazy headache.

However, I'm finally, after hours of walking through farmland, entering what has to be the Ponyville town itself.

Desert Shade wasn't lying that the Ponyville territory marked on my map was safe. Combined squads of Corrupted and ponies are patrolling roads and borders, there are farmers and travellers walking around without worries, and in the distance I can hear the noises of a bustling town.

As for me, I'm just limping ahead in hope to spot something resembling an inn where I can wash myself up and have a real rest. The corruption inside me didn't allow for a good night's sleep outside. I had dreams of rutting and being rutted by any and all Corrupted, from submitting to the smallest Drones to dominating powerful Protectors, all jumbled together and confused. I woke up aroused and barely able to think, no amount of 'manual stress relief' helping in the slightest. I'll either get used to it, or lose it and start humping a tree in frustration.

As for my divine power, it is as I though. It's not returning, nothing at all. I still feel something unnatural inside me, something other than the taint, but I cannot use nor identify it. Right now I'm an alicorn only in appearance. Hmm, that means that if I die... I'm gone. There is no imprint of my self preserved in scattered divine power that could come back together to reform me.

Should I be a bit more careful and avoid Pine Hills? Nah.

That Crom is not behind the execution order is nothing more than wishful thinking. I saw the letter, the seal, and the signature.

Still, all these circumstances mean that if I really am the problem then things will sort themselves out if I fail anywhere along the road. No reason to think too hard about it.

Especially WITH THE DAMN HEADACHE!

Great another Corrupted patrol is passing by, leaving behind whispers inside my head. The only good thing about the taint is that it allows me to feel Corrupted around. The fact that they must be able to sense me as well is irrelevant, because they were able to feel and hear me before from much further anyway. That one's a boon for me.

The confusing buzzing, whispering, and constant headache will pass eventually, I hope.

The passing pony guards are wearing dark purple plate armors, much more covering than the Royal Guard outfits I remember from my past life. Those were mostly ornamental, but these platemails are made to protect from Corrupted. The shared symbol on chestplates reaching high up the pony necks is Twilight's star cutie mark. They must be her branch of the Guard, the Hex Guards. At least weapons haven't changed, spears are still the most common equipment. The Corrupted are wearing armors too, full scale mails covering their entire bodies but sliding as if they were a part of them, which they actually might. A Protector is a member of the passing patrol, and she's carrying a black halberd with vines of pure corruption crawling all over it. Perhaps these Corrupted belonging to Nightshade's hive learned to harden a separate part of themselves into armor and weapons while retaining the flexibility of the body underneath or something. I'm just going by my first guess here.

I've spent some time in old Ponyville, and this is a much bigger town, filled with one to three-story houses, businesses, ponies rushing around or standing in stalls by the roadside offering their wares.

"Three apples for one bit!" a young mare calls out, holding a sign reading the same up.

That's an offer I can't refuse, although when I go through my money pouches I realize I should. The part of the reward I got from Desert Shade is getting thinner rapidly.

Screw it, fresh fruit is fresh fruit and the price really is killer.

I know I should walk around a little more to check out estabilishments offering a bed, but I'm so damn worn out that I just enter the first building with a sign depicting a bed and a tankard above the door. Thankfully, the sight of taint crawling all over my body doesn't dissuade the innkeeper at all, I guess he's used to afflicted ponies being around, and he offers me food and a room at a reasonable price.

Three words.

Running.

Warm.

Water.

Damn, even the touch of my own hooves lathered in soap feels like an orgy of oiled up mares rubbing all over me. Corrupted can really bring your breeding instinct up a thousand notches.

"Whah!" water in my nose wakes me up.

I fell asleep in the bath. Drowning like that would be a silly end to my story, granted, but sort of a fitting one if I'm to be honest.

Still dizzy and with eyes like thin mailbox slots, I towel myself off and answer the angelic call of the warm bed.

It's late afternoon of the new day when I wake up. The innkeeper must be a really nice pony not to have kicked me out in the morning. I'm well-rested, having avoided yet another wishful dream of being violated, and with my bags ready, I walk down to the front desk of the lobby.

"You've been out like a light, sir. I didn't have the heart do wake you up for breakfast," the chubby innkeeper earthpony smiles as I approach.

"Gotta thank you for that, I had a rough few days."

"Something to do with that?" he nods to my left shoulder where I noticed the dark lines of corruption are the thickest, "You look about as bad as I remember anypony being while still remaining a pony. Whoever got you, it was a close call."

"Yeah. It was two days ago. Couldn't get a good night's sleep ever since until tonight."

"Ahh, they say the first few days are the worst."

"Good to know it's supposed to get better. Say, do you know where I could find somepony by the name Mana Burn?"

"Princess Twilight's son? I'd ask around in the underground enclave, since he could be attending court business with his brother Knowledge and the princess. That, or you could visit Queen Nightshade's glade in Ponyville central park. Mana Burn, as her right hoof and a substitute leader of her hive could come and see who wants something from Nightshade when she's out for business."

"Nightshade isn't in Ponyville?"

"She spends a lot of her time north in the Separated territory. They say the nobility in Canterlot are causing trouble so she's been convening with the Separated King and princess Luna a lot recently to come to some way of relieving the tension."

"Trouble?"

"There's always something, but mostly just stubborn Canterlot unicorns thinking they are better than anypony else, no offense," his eyes dart to my horn.

"I know exactly what you're talking about. They want Canterlot to be a city of purebred ponies ruling everything from an ivory tower, right?"

"You said it. Although Corrupted are the big issue rather than earthponies these days. You know, a pony gets lost or just gives up on life and goes out into the wild, and there will always be somepony else blaming Corrupted for abduction and attack. The princesses are fighting against a big push from the nobles to ban Corrupted from Canterlot specifically, since there have been a bunch of disappearances of youth in highborne families."

"Huh."

He shrugs.

"Who knows, they might have joined some secret society that managed to drag a docile Breeder into a cellar somewhere and lost their minds while toying with their captive. Wouldn't be the first time that happened."

"From what I heard, Nightshade wouldn't look too kindly on that."

"Oh no, they don't dare try it here in Ponyville. They aren't that stupid. The last convicted groups lured a Breeder from the east, somewhere along the road to Manehattan. The land between Canterlot and Manehattan is dangerous outside of caravan trails."

"I can imagine. I came on hoof from Vanhoover."

"Holy moly!"

"Yeah. By the way, is there a settlement anywhere around Dodge Junction?"

"The what now?"

Oh yeah, that town must have been overrun and gone instantly.

"I mean, southeast from here, beyond the Everfree."

"Not as far as I know. Eastern Equestria is dead land until you reach Manehattan. It's the same west with Vanhoover."

"Well, that just means I need to resupply here. Do you sell," I shudder, "-"

"Dried and pressed hay bars? You bet," he chuckles at my surprised expression, "Everypony travelling for a long time looks the same when buying stuff."

"And some fresh fruit and vegetables, please."

"No problem."

I'm hundred percent sure I could find something a tiny bit cheaper if I visited the market, but I don't care for spending time here.

The central park of Ponyville is easy to find. At a certain point of walking deeper into the town, the surroundings turn from pony housing to corrupted vegetation. There are still dwellings, but the few ponies around look busy and less well-off than the rest. This must be the 'cheap' area of the town. The park itself is a large circle of greenery spanning the entire central square of Ponyville, a well-maintained one, surprisingly. In the middle is a building-sized circle of black trees dripping black goo from their leaves and wines. A gravel path leads straight towards the only empty gap to pass through.

Nightshade is supposed to be away then, so I won't piss off anypony too important. I walk straight towards what has to be a Corrupted version of a throne room.

There is nothing inside, only a circle of sunlight in the middle. Should I wait? I shrug and sit down. Five minutes won't hurt.

In much less than that, a Corrupted unicorn looking something inbetween a Protector and just a tainted pony arrives, wearing a lighter version of Hex Guard armor. His coat is a light shade of grey, he is a bit taller than I am but not by much, and his physique is that of an ancient statue just like most stronger Corrupted. His mane and tail, however, are dark purple with lighter strands which immediately remind me of Twilight. A very handsome Corrupted, if I say so. Shining Armor-esque good looks coupled with the body of a warrior.

"Can I help you?" he asks politely.

"I was told to ask for a pony called Mana Burn."

"Heh, a pony. Haven't been called one in a long time. So, who told you to find me?"

"A crazy Corrupted lady who said she really wanted an alicorn pet but then decided against it when I told her I needed to get to Pine Hills."

Seeing Corrupted surprised is a delight. I get the feeling that in their self-assurance they don't get much into a situation where they are shocked. Also, the Corrupted I met up north must have been Nightshade herself.

"Why?"

"Personal reasons. She said you barely returned from there."

His eyes glaze over as he looks in the distance.

"That place... my mother, princess Twilight, sent me there when we first discovered that beings with strong mental potential can tap into Corrupted hive mind. She said she remembered a queen of something called the dreamlings from before corruption. I can't quite recall her name-"

"Guiding Light."

He looks at me, brows furrowed and gears in his head turning.

"You are an old alicorn, aren't you? Much older than you look."

"Who I am doesn't matter. I have no intent of causing trouble for anypony. Just, please, tell me what happened. It is... personal."

He stares... and stares... and stares.

"Guiding Light... Blaze... Blazing Light," he raises his eyebrow, "Did I guess correctly?"

"How? Did Twilight-?"

He shakes his head.

"No, although my mother did often mention she felt guilty about her role in your... demise..." he puckers his lips, "Hmmm..."

"Can we not discuss me? As I said, I am nopony important."

He laughs quietly.

"I helped a griffon called Cromach contact my Queen and my mom in order to free Manehattan from griffon occupation. He had a wall full of pictures of ponies, mostly of you, himself, and some mares called Contradiction and Choking Darkness. Those, and numerous others. He spoke highly of you when we trained together during my short stay in the city. He couldn't answer one question that has been nagging me for a long time. Do you know an alicorn called Joy?"

"Never heard the name. What is she supposed to be the alicorn of?"

"Lust."

Did Scream change her name after something happened to Void? Is there a correlation?

"That one called herself Scream, I knew her. White mane, gold coat, every word an invitation to bed, slightly crazy but insanely good at magic?"

He shakes his head.

"No. I met Joy only once in Canterlot. Red mane, red eyes, tail, black coat, cutie mark of a dripping marehood disguised as a flower. When I saw the pictures in Cromach's office I assumed it was her, but he denied it."

"They might have met," I shrug, "Crom seems to be unaging, and knew Scream before. If there is a new alicorn of Lust then she might have somehow gotten to know him. Back to my question, please. Pine Hills."

"Fine," he sighs, "No more stalling. Your relative, Guiding Light, was already a Corrupted when I went to Pine Hills. She and several others wiped out all other Corrupted in the vicinity of the ruins, and the Everfree packs don't dare come close even now, thirty years later, I feel the fear in their minds so I believe the threat still exists. I remember being assaulted by visions when I got there. Visions of dreamlings fightings against hordes of Corrupted, stealing their power and devouring their corpses to gain more strength. They protected the town ponies as long as they could, but they didn't stop the wave. They turned into monsters themselves as they ate the remains of their enemies to survive, set on obliterating all Corrupted around. I tried one more time, several years later, to approach the place with normal ponies, but the result was the same. We barely got out. There is nothing more than a vigilant will set on killing intruders there. Only a living memory of the dreamlings' last stand."

"B-but they are still there, right?" I ask, staring blankly at the short, dark green grass underneath me.

"Including their leader, I counted four of them before I got massacred and barely ran away with chunks of my body missing. Don't go there, I implore you. Come visit my mother. She would like to see you, reminisce, and maybe... ask for forgiveness."

I shake my head. With the second testimony of Crom waiting for me all this time, I'm having second thoughts about risking my life in Pine Hills, but... but Guiding tore the fabric of time and space to get to me, details aside. I can't leave her like that without even trying to talk. If I had my old full power, I could maybe cure her or at least relieve her of her long pointless duty. This way I'll at least know for myself, that much I owe her.

"If Twilight wants forgiveness then you can tell her she's got it. Her only fault was blindly listening to Celestia instead of using her head. She was young, scared, and panicked when faced with something way out of her league. We all made our mistakes, and since she protected one of the last groups of ponies for a century after you Corrupted came she must have learned to keep her head cool. I forgive her, whatever little it means."

To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and realize the prisoner was you. Trite and disgusting, but at least for once I can see it being true.

"She will be glad to hear it. It still eats her inside sometimes."

"Just give me time to leave Ponyville. I have my own path to walk, and I don't want to drag anypony else down with me."

"I could send Corrupted or Hex Guards with you at least part of the way."

"No."

"Then maybe when you return-"

"I can't afford to waste time, so if I get out of Pine Hills alive I'll be going northeast to Manehattan. You can help by telling me if there's a settlement on the way."

"There is nothing. Eastern Equestria is a wild territory, and areas too close to the ocean are infested with corrupted griffons. Avoid them at all costs. They don't mate, they don't play with you, for corrupted carnivores you are just food. If you go straight north from Pine Hills, though, you will reach caravan roads sooner than by going northeast. The time gained by going northeast in a straight line is not worth the risk, trust me."

"Thanks, I'll consider it," I stand up and stretch my legs, "Well, I'll be going if that's all."

"Come back to Ponyville after you find what you seek," he takes a hesitant breath, "This might not be my place to say... but I know how Nightshade acted the few times she did something really, really stupid, when she surrendered to considering herself a monster. I can recognize the look in your eyes. I don't know what burdens you, but I have met those who didn't recover from your passing until these days. Do you know what was the final feeling the vision in Pine Hills imparted on me? Patience... waiting for something. Now I realize it was waiting for somepony. If there is the tiniest bit of hope for them, then it lies with you."

Yeah, the alicorn of nothing remaining. Blaze, the alicorn of Hope is gone, I know it deep inside. Only Blazing Light, the useless unicorn is left, now with a pair of wings.

"It might be a long time before I return, if ever. Just tell your mom to think for herself and not follow anypony else blindly. She's a smart pony. The old purplesmart," I refuse to acknowledge the last part of his speech.

"Heh, never heard that nickname."

"It's very old."

We part ways. I'm heading further east through once again growing pony houses, and he heads north.

The buzzing in my head returns, and I turn my tracing spell on. A small group of armored Corrupted is following me just out of my normal sight.

I guess a little protection at least part of the way won't hurt.