Horn And Wings

by Nameless Narrator

Nothing Left: Towards The One In Pain

It is in your moments of decision when your destiny is shaped.

---

The place wasn't dark, it was just black as the eye could see with any shape of a different color being visible from far away. Not that it mattered, the only inhabitants were two unicorns, one bronze with sandy-blonde mane and one grey with long, flowing black mane somehow contrasting with the blackness of their surroundings. There, of course, were still many corpses of copies of the bronze unicorn lying around.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" growled Sombra.

"I gave up years ago, now I'm just doing what I feel like doing," Blaze smiled, breathing heavily.

Sombra cursed again and threw a suddenly materialized chair at Blaze who just rolled away. As much as this place was unfamiliar to the king he was getting better at using his magic here and driving the previous owner into a corner. He knew the twists and drawbacks of the visualization spell. He knew that every wound he sustained or inflicted here would change his chances at finally possessing this body.

He knew that with his power and knowledge he would win eventually.

The 'eventually' was beginning to bother him. The stupid, powerless unicorn was resisting him for way too long with having the home-ground advantage. He'd survived all the possibilities Sombra had shown him and for some weird reason the images of his own death didn't concern the bronze unicorn in the slightest. Well, they had broken him for a while but before Sombra could finish him off another copy had stopped him.

"Disappear already!" the king screamed in frustration and burned away the fragments around him

"You're trying to kill all memories of me failing myself and others. I have millions of those. Every single day there was a way of me failing my parents, friends or others."

"Then I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"

"You will, you are strong, determined and willful... everything I've never been able to be."

"At last you realize you will lose."

"I can't lose anymore. I lost long time ago. You have to realize there is nothing for you to take from me."

"YOUR BODY! ARE YOU DEAF? ARE YOU SO BRAINDEAD YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ALL THIS TIME?"

Blazing was growing worried his only hope would fail. In his last moments in the Crystal Castle he'd truly wanted to live. He'd wanted to get rid of Sombra and return home to Chokey, stuff her face full of mango and then kiss the juice off her. After first few exchanges of blows with the king he knew that would never happen.

The king was too strong. Blaze wasn't the one to fight fair though and his strength lay in planning and forethought. Unfortunately for him, right now he was fighting an enemy so much stronger that all his predictions were ending with his death. There was one crucial thing Blaze had always believed though.

You learn nothing from victory, only in defeat you can improve yourself and Blaze was learning very quickly right now.

---

"And that's how the ugly duckling became the regent of Canterlot," I conclude the daily storytelling session.

The unexpected ending is followed by rustling of a blanket and a bronze head peeks out wearing a confused expression. My mouth opens at the first sign of clarity in the unicorn's eyes but I'm careful not to move too fast or say anything too loud.

Just like that I catch Blaze's gaze and smile softly. He backs off a bit but slowly sits up. I wasn't really trying to do anything special today with the reading but it's been three days since I recieved Blaze's diary and my mind has been elsewhere even during our storytelling time. Well, I guess anypony would be confused how a story about my short trip to Tartarus ended with a bird becoming royalty or just the sheer stupidity was able to break through the normally blank eyes of Blazing Light.

I raise my hoof and when he twitches I back off again. I was hoping the brief moment would be more than just some shadow of a feeling or something but apparently I was wrong. I'm not sure though because for the first time in weeks I feel like he's watching me, not just staring somewhere else with me in the way.

"Blaze?"

No reaction, just silence.

"Love?" I lean in.

He leans back again but when I don't back away again he raises a hoof and touches the tuft of hair on the tip of my ear. That's one of the more visible marks differentiating batponies from the more usual three races. A small problem raises with me being veeeery ticklish at that spot.

I snort, he twitches. I think I'm getting used to it. The key is not forcing the issue but persevere. He twitches again when I do the same thing to him and then pat his head but the next thing he does is touch my coat without hesitation. I wonder why until he scratches his neck and then runs his hoof through my coat again.

"Yeah, batponies do have shorter coats. It's a remnant from times when we used to hunt prey in the forest and didn't want our coats to get tangled in something. Well, that goes more for blood-drinkers than me but nopony cares about keeping the bloodline pure... mostly."

It pisses me off that I still don't know whether he's reacting to my words, my voice, my presence or something completely different but more than that I'm happy to see at least something instead of just an empty shell. I gotta admit the foal-like wonder in his eyes after finding out our coats are different feels... amazing.

"I'd love to stay but miss Pearl is trying to make friends with the potted plants in the hall and I have to stop her before she gets to the cactus. I'll be back tomorrow, Blaze."

Even if he somehow comes back he'll never know how happy I was the moment he didn't shy away when I hugged him.

That's why I try to feel his warmth wrapped in my legs for as long as I can.

"OW!" comes from the outside.

"Buck... I gotta call Redheart now."

Amusing the old lady long enough for the nurse to come gives me enough time to think. If there is a chance for Blaze to get better then I can't leave Heavy to brood over Sharpie's death. I have to talk to him before he decides to tell Luna. If he's done that already then I'll be walking into a trap I might not come out of.

The blue eyes staring in amazement at my ears flash through my head.

I've never killed anypony, aside from changelings during the invasion, but at this point I won't hesitate to delete any threat to Blaze. Especially from somepony who didn't do a single thing to either help him save us all or protect him from becoming a what caused his fall. I test the hidden blades in my horseshoes.

"You're a friend, Heavy, but if you do or did something too stupid..."

Fulfilling that would be much easier if he wasn't a hundred times better fighter than me at all aspects.

Decided not to wait another day, I walk through the daily slog on autopilot and stop at home before moonrise. My knocking on the door of the bedroom closet wakes up my housemate.

"Yes?" asks Doomie, rubbing her eyes.

"I have to go out this evening and there's a good chance I won't be able to come back. In case I'm not back within few days this place is yours. Deeds are in the old desk in the storeroom and the key is in the kitchen. You've been very helpful in cleaning this place up and I don't want it to go to waste."

"Help?"

"No. If everything's okay then I'll be back soon and if not then you won't be able to help anyway."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Was fun."

I eat an apple before I leave. It's not too late but with winter in full swing it's dark already. It's also cold as the beds in Stalliongrad but I can't afford to put on any clothes because they might rustle and I need my ears unobstructed and ready. The message said there was a camp in the Sweet Apple Acres but unfortunately I can't fly to find it quickly.

Any semblance of stealth goes out of the window when I reach the huge orchard covering ground everywhere the eye can see and the frozen grass under my hooves crunches with every step. Looking around, I spot a light that isn't coming from the direction of the Apple family dwelling. As quietly as possible, which isn't too much, I walk towards it and when I pass through the wall of trees I get to a clearing with a campfire and a white, blue-maned pony sitting with his back turned to me.

The pony doesn't even move when I sneak up on him from behind and press a blade to his neck.

"No sudden moves," I whisper.

"What?" says a very different voice from the one I was expecting.

I draw the blade back and realize my captive isn't an earthpony but a familiar unicorn.

"P-p-prince Shining Armor?" I jump backwards right into the hooves of somepony who restrains me without hurting me but leaving zero chance for movement. Shining turns around.

"You look familiar and from your expression I guess you were looking for somepony else. Care to explain before my friend here decides to have a late night snack?"

"I-I thought... I'm looking for an earthpony, blue, white, no horn, bigger, more muscular," I stutter out.

"Ah," an amused male voice behind my ear chuckles and I'm released, "An understandable mistake."

"She might be lying, Cross," comments Shining Armor. Contrary to his statement he doesn't seem worried at all.

"Even so, she isn't dangerous at all."

I examine the figure that was holding me a while ago. It's a batpony with spiky, dark purple mane and classic yellow eyes-

-he's not a batpony. The rumors about a group of changelings near Ponyville make themselves get remembered.

"You're a changeling, mister... Cross, was it?" I ask.

"You've got good eyes, lady. I pride myself on my disguise."

"Firstly, your bulky build says 'fruit-eater' but the thin and long fangs scream 'blood-drinker'. To be honest they are way too long even for that. I guess they are made to look scary to others but to a real batpony it's like a kick in the head. Your wings are too big, almost pegasus-sized who can go faster thanks to their higher drag but bat wings are better for mid-air agility. Plus there is your lack of cutie mark-"

"That one's intentional. Peace treaty requirements," interrupts Cross.

"In short, you look like somepony who took the batpony elements and improved them to fit what he wanted."

The fake batpony bows slightly.

"Let me repay you for that insight. If you were looking for an earthpony of similar color as prince Shining here then you've got the wrong camp," he points to a larger hill overlooking this place, "This place has a clear line of sight of Ponyville and one obvious scouting weakness which is that hill from where somepony could watch us while mostly hidden. That's where you'll be heading."

"Wow, you've thought of the chance of somepony being better than you and turned it into an advantage?"

"You can't win every fight, young lady, but knowing your position and turning your weaknesses into strong points helps a lot."

"Erm... thanks. By the way, how good are you at martial arts?" is my last question brought to life by a familiar saying.

"I've spent over two hundred years in the Griffon Empire. I might not be a grandmaster but I think I could tie your legs around your chest," Cross smiles.

I grin to myself and leave the 'batpony' who pulls out a pair of mittens and sits down at the table next to the firepit where Shining Armor is sitting.

His little saying made me wonder how somepony could be cool-headed enough to do a thing like that. Cross, as a changeling, might be old and experienced enough to do that but how could somepony like Blaze have achieved that level of self-reflection?

Maybe one day I'll understand but for now I have to make sure there is at least some possibility of going that far.

I don't even get a chance to sneak on the earthpony I've been looking for who is sitting cross-legged with his back to the fire. As soon as I take few careful steps through the grass his eyes open and focus on me.

"Come here and sit down, Darky. It's cold out there."

Heavy has no idea that the tone of his voice when he began talking made me shiver more than the weather ever could.

Comments

[Anonymous Critic]

The blue eyes staring in amazement at my ears flash through my head.

I thought blaze had gray eyes. I distinctly remember him remarking how he hated how they looked with his coat somewhere in the early chapters of Imbalanced.

[Anonymous Critic]

I eat an apple before I leave. It's not too late but with winter in full swing it's dark already. It's also cold as the beds in Stalliongrad but I can't afford to put on any clothes because they might rustle and I need my ears unobstructed and ready. The message said there was a camp in the Sweet Apple Acres but unfortunately I can't fly to find it quickly.

...what message?

[Two_Madmans]

9237464
I was thinking they were close to his chitin color

[JazzyWaffles]

OKAY. I'm back. Turns out the reading order is:
this fic (except the last two chapters) ---> Diplomatic Relations ---> this fic again (last two chapters).

Boy, that's confusing.

[Nameless Narrator]

9696509
Yes, as I explained in the comments every time, I screwed everything up, but when I tried to put it into one story, it somehow ended up WORSE.