Imbalanced

by Nameless Narrator

The Shadow King: Canterlot

[Fading Light's Combat Log Entry]

All forces surrounding the rift were routed quickly but something keeps it from getting bigger. Twilight Sparkle, the imperial archmage, went to investigate some old castle where she felt magic being used but returned without success.

You are a big idiot who has no idea what he's doing.

The king chose me to lead the charge and I respect him completely. He knows my strength and as long as I serve him I will act with no hesitation. Our side of the rift is being remade to an impenetrable fortress enough to withstand the attack of the traitor Element bearers.

You are the one on the wrong side.

Their opposition doesn't matter though. They might feel it does but when the king gets to the Crystal Heart here he will take his time with them and this time they will serve without a word. That is still in the future as right now we are getting ready to siege Canterlot. The city itself is of no value but taking the seat of power should undermine the enemy morale and make sure no forces flank us from there.

STOP HIM!

The road to the Crystal Empire will be long unless they don't block the train tracks and I'm not sure I have enough time. The blue alicorn did something to me and I think my lack of sleep for past three days is taking its toll but I'm managing to stave off the tiredness by coffee and a method of rest developed by griffon monks which I learned in the Imperial Military Academy. It's an emergency measure but it helps things not get worse too quickly.

You've never been there!

I shall rest when I'm dead and as long as my king's goal is achieved I will have no regrets. After all, whenever I think of the future of retirement and making a harem suitable for a war hero my brain just revolts and dismisses the thought. Mares aren't the thing for me apparently. I live to serve.

All hail the super bad evil guy the King!

Weird... I must be really tired. Time for some more coffee.

[End Entry]

---

I look up at the castle glowing with defensive magic and feel a pang of guilt when I realize I'm glad it's not up to me to break through all of it. That's what unicorns are for and when they're done then my time will come. The princesses made a terrible mistake in barricading themselves inside and cutting their escape routes.

The magical assault is organized by Twilight who isn't participating personally but using her magic to spot new enemy unicorns switching with the tired ones and telling our soldiers where to focus their fire.

At least somepony is doing what they should.

Apparently I'm tired enough to begin hearing voices. Hearing isn't a problem as long as I don't listen so... I don't. I am in control.

"General Fading?" a pegasus interrupts my watching the smoke billowing out of the fortress.

"Yes?"

"The city is ours aside from the castle and there are some citizens claiming to be angry at the royals for hiding and not caring about the commoners and they want to help us get inside."

"Shove them to the brig. The king will deal with them when he has the time."

"Errr... one of them asked specifically for you."

"Me?"

"I mean she dropped the name Light and described you really well."

"You know that talking to our enemies can get you beheaded, right?"

"Sorry, sir."

"Guards, seize this-"

He did nothing wrong.

"-dutiful colleague of yours and take few hours off. Bring the prisoner to me before that."

The guard deserved some sort of punishment but dying for such a minor transgression would be a waste of resources. With our units crawling through the city I don't feel the need to punish the guard myself when I can always send him in the first wave when we finally decide to scale the castle walls.

My resolve to at least threaten the disobedient guar- soldier disappears when I recognize the visitor. Shaking my head to stop worrying about why I'm calling armed ponies guards instead of soldiers I look down at the bruised batpony. The red eyes make me shiver but I don't feel cold.

I feel... hungry.

This is a mirror image of the batpony king Sombra gave me to feed on after my injury aside from having only short stumps where wings would be. It's funny how the king's caring for his subjects shows in little ways. The batpony is almost my height, lean but muscular in the right places and her color scheme hurts the eye. She certainly physically isn't the type ponies would go crazy about as from my experience they prefer mares with a bit more backside and less crippled-back look.

Yet somehow the king knew I'd go exactly for the type when he gave her to me. Too bad she... broke.

Why is she just looking at me? I'm a soldier who survived the onslaught of a whole battery of unicorns. I survived a fatal injury albeit with the help of king Sombra himself. Why is this batpony looking at me sadly hurting so much?

I think it's worse for her.

Shut up, voice. You are just a figment or my imagination caused by exhaustion.

"What do you want from me?"

She nods at the soldiers around us.

"Just the two of us... please."

The guards aim their spears at her. I put my hoof in the air.

"It's fine. She can't be hiding a weapon on her."

The soldiers bow and leave us alone in the shadows of a small alley. After a while of waiting I notice she just keeps looking at me.

"So?"

"I'm just sad."

It's stupid of somepony provoking one of the highest ranked enemy soldiers by saying something this pointless but-

Comfort her!

"We have no reason to massacre the ponies who surrendered. For you as a normal citizen the situation probably won't change at all."

She giggles and I lean back in surprise.

"It's not that. I just wanted to see you."

"Me? Why? I'm just a-"

War hero? Sexiest stallion alive? Unstoppable supersoldier? A dream of every mare in the empire? Somehow none of those seem to fit in your head, isn't it right?

"Well, if you want some stress relief, a backrub or anything I'll be happy to spend time with you."

"Why?"

"I don't have anypony else... you killed my best friend."

"That makes no sense."

"No... I suppose it doesn't."

I feel a choking sensation around my neck and to my surprise it's not caused by her words. There's a necklace with the symbol of my cutie mark on it suddenly hanging there. It somehow feels right in its place so I don't question it and just take it off.

"Here, it's got my butt tattoo on it so if you show it to soldiers it will prove you belong to me at least for now and you should be safe."

She puts the necklace on and fumbles with it thoughtfully.

"Nothing can change you," she smiles to herself.

"I am general Fading Light, the unbreakable shield of the Empire. You got that one right, girl. Now run home and hide in the bed. I promise you things will be better tomorrow... or maybe next week when the king takes his rightful place."

"You know what? I actually believe you."

She leaves and I lean on the cool wall to clear my head a little.

"Heh. She has no idea how important she is," a female voice comes from the other end of the alley and then a small rock hits me.

A slim but tall hooded pony, presumably a pegasus due to her golden wings poking through her brown robe, is playing with another small rock.

"For Celestia!" she almost spits out and throws the rock at my face, "And her cake-filled fat ass!"

No matter how strange her battlecry is I recognize a troublemaker when I see one and I follow her through the alley. Not stopping after she clears a corner I get unpleasantly intimate with the best-looking rump I've ever seen and then a set of two hooves kissing me hard. In a daze I shake my head but the pegasus kicks me again from the side and before she begins running away a quiet 'thud' comes from the ground. I have trouble huffing out the pain because for a pegasus she had the leg strength of an earthpony on some serious steroids.

When I finally stop breathing heavily and my vision stops swaying she's nowhere to be seen. Following a pegasus is impossible for me anyway so I have a look around for some clues. The only thing I find is something I nearly step on.

It's a small and unremarkable journal that can be found in any store.

As a figment of your imagination I order you to read it.

I don't need a talking headache to tell me that.

You don't? I guess it's time to part ways then.

What?

All this time I was on the edge about which one of us should be in control of this body and, to be honest, most of the time I thought it should be me. Not that I could have done anything about it but you were a hopeless screw-up. Then you yelled at me that I should take over and do things better.

I don't remember any of that.

Obviously, now shut up! I'm making a vital decision here. That night made me think a lot and I realized you were right so I've been trying to help you instead of just complaining and hounding you for every failure. We were a good team and despite you deserving some good ass-kicking now and then I think you're a pretty decent guy now. Well... no. I KNOW you are a decent guy now. The little bat's devotion to you is unbelievable considering what you've done and for the first time I really believe you don't need me anymore to make things right.

What things?

All this time you've been unconsciously thinking about how to break the Element of Imprisonment but it isn't magic so it's impossible for you. It takes over the mind without a possibility of resistance AS YOU KNOW.

I don't-

You do, trust me. Ever since the minute you woke up on the torture table in Sombra's dungeon I've been working it out and I know a solution. The Element only takes away one mind so, as I said, the batty pony made me believe you don't need me anymore.

What are you talking about?

Just read the damn book!

One knows they have a mental problem when they begin listening to the voices coming from nowhere. I take the book to the room reserved for me during the siege and begin reading.

It doesn't take long. As soon as I get to the second page I realize that my other self is gone.

I'm now alone in my head and it's never felt emptier.

Comments

[Anonymous Critic]

Aloooooone... (cue Spongebob reference)