Horn And Wings

by Nameless Narrator

Nothing Left: Chryssie M.D.

Real living is living for others.

---

"The fact that I'm a noble doesn't mean I have infinite money!" said an angry male voice forcefully.

"It's happening no matter what you say," answered a female voice calmly.

"Come on, you could ask a mage or an apothecary. It would be painless."

"You could have had your tubes tied as well before enjoying my booty."

"I thought learning to count was a mare's job so they wouldn't have to carry an inconvenient foal!"

A sound of hoof hitting flesh rang through the void.

"You will never say that again. Now go and tell Searing he's going to have a little brother to play soldiers with."

The furious grinding of teeth would be audible even to anypony outside of the building if, of course, there was any.

"You know what? FINE! He's your responsibility then. We already have an heir who is shaping up to eventually be a great and disciplined soldier. What is the position of the second son of a noble? They always end up with some minor monthly payment of family fortune and spend it all on wine. There's never been a second son worth the effort."

"Oh? Suddenly your begging for a passionate night after twelve years together is an effort?"

"You know what I mean."

"OF COURSE I DO! I am a royal historian, I know the details of most old lineages."

"Then why don't you suppress your maternal instinct for once and do what's right?"

"..."

"You're doing this to spite me, aren't you? You're angry that Searing Light isn't spending more time with you and you want to replace him with somepony more dependent to play dress-up with."

The shocked silence said it all.

"This isn't a popularity contest."

"Prove it then! Get rid of the two week old nusiance growing in you and focus on your growing son in every little way you can!"

"I would if I didn't remember how you reacted the first time I told you I was carrying Searing. We weren't even nobles then, we didn't have the contacts or resources and you panicked just like now."

"I didn't panic!"

"Of course you did, dummy. The scary war-hardened unicorn was completely helpless and was shaking like a little foal when I told him he was going to be a father."

"Well-"

"I know you better than you do. You will grow to love your second son even if you are stubborn like a bull, you will care for him no matter what even if you'll probably never really show it. That's the stallion I married and to whom I'll stay true despite him acting like a total moron from time to time."

The male voice tried to say something but in the end just sighed.

"I'll keep an eye on Searing. You just make sure this little guy doesn't grow up to be a complete disappointment."

"Well, there's always first time with anything. We might get lucky and not end up with a standard template for a second noble son."

Twin nervous laughs could be heard shortly after.

"That's what I love about you, Gift. You're an incurable optimist."

"And you're the anchor that doesn't allow me to fly too far away, Blinding."

Sombra looked down at the bronze unicorn sitting on the invisible floor and staring blankly into the darkness. The king grinned. Finally, FINALLY he was able to get deep enough to hurt the other unicorn. After locking Blazing in the memory all the other fragments of him disappeared and the king stood victorious.

"Even I must admit you were a deserving enemy but your hopes of defeating me were misguided. It took me a while to figure you out but in the end weakness cannot overcome true inner strength. Your hiding behind your failures and using them to fight me, to tire me out and weaken me was a good plan though."

The bronze unicorn recovered a little and his teary eyes focused at the king.

"Yeah, it was. Your magic and willpower are too much to handle for a mistake like me though."

"Fade away then, fragment of memory."

"Not yet, Sombrero."

The king sighed.

"More desperate effort?"

"Well, bear with me for a while more. You destroyed every painful thing that was in me but you missed one little detail."

"Unlikely but I'm listening with interest," the king smiled amusedly. Victory would indeed be his.

"All those little disappointments and failures amount to the colossal and fatal mistake that is me."

The corpses of Blazes on the ground disappeared and the remaining one growled.

"Finally," the king's smile grew wide, "No more hiding, no more tricks."

"Yeah... no more hiding, no more lies, no more tricks."

---

"Commander," the voice chills me to the bone.

"I'm not a guard anymore, Heavy."

"I was wondering about that," the white earthpony narrows his eyes, "You left Canterlot without saying a word to anypony. It sent even the Royal Guard into turmoil with the Nightguard leader... gone and his second-in-command leaving the guard with no explanation."

"Heavy..."

"You know? I considered leaving the castle as well because everything reminded me of Sharp, especially the empty bed in the apartment. Then, few days after the peace with changelings was signed, Celestia asked me to lead this operation and I agreed because it kept me away from home and close to the forest."

"How did you find me?"

"Coincidence, I guess. I come to the town from time to time to buy supplies for the guys in my camp and I noticed ponies at the bakery talking about vampires so I just asked. I must admit I don't know what you promised to the doctor at the asylum but he denied ever seeing you. Too bad you weren't really trying to be stealthy while moving around."

"Let me explain-"

"Soon you'll have all the time in the world to talk, now keep listening. I also visit Sharp's memorial in the Everfree every day and while walking around I found what looked like a book. At first I thought it was something one of the soldiers stole in Equestria and it appeared on our side of the rift alongside other things when it closed. It took me a while to read but after that all I had to do was ask the night staff at the asylum few careful questions."

"So what are you going to do now, tell Luna or leave us be?" I inquire carefully.

"That depends on what you say. I won't lie and say I don't want to see the murderer of my coltfirend die in the most painful way possible."

"HE DID! THANKS TO LUNA'S ROYAL JUDGEMENT HE DID! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE HAD TO GO THROUGH THANKS TO HER."

"Precisely that is the only reason both you and Blazing Light aren't sitting in the dungeon waiting for execution for high treason," he calmly deflects my outburst.

"I'll tell you everything but not here. Doctor Bright Eye kept asking things and since I have to tell the truth I may as well say it to everypony around me. You... are a friend so I'll tell you one thing in all seriousness. If you decide to tell Luna after all then one of us won't leave this town. I know what Blaze has been through and what was the part others played in him ending like this and I will fight for him until the end. Frankly... it can't be worse than what has happened already."

"You sound like Blazing in his drunken days."

"I guess I've grown to understand him a bit more."

"Then let's go. I want to know the truth."

He enters one of the tents and comes out accompanied by a huge grey earthpony who takes his place on watch. Together we leave towards Bright's house. I can't help but notice Heavy didn't bring his combat quarterstaff. He probably though I was bluffing when I said I'd take him on in case he wanted to tell Luna and I can't blame him. He is so much better than me in combat but he doesn't understand that I'm willing to give anything to be with Blaze again and if I can't...

I leave the thought unfinished. I know Blaze was ready to die at any point. Heck, he came to Canterlot to die far away from his family so nopony would find and identify him. After all we've been through I think I understand the feeling of somepony about to lose everything that matters to him. I just don't want to go through the days as somepony who has already lost everything... like Blaze during his first days in the castle.

I smile to myself. There's one thing I wish he understood at that time which is that the fact he lost everything only meant he had everything to gain. It gets harder and harder to stay cheerful and optimistic these days and keep telling myself that his 'gaining' me was worth all his previous pain. When did I become this brooding?

Right, when my coltfriend killed my best friend and was in turn broken by my princess. So... cynical as well? I miss my carefree days as a low-ranked guard in Canterlot but I don't think I can just leave everything behind me. I guess we all grow in ways we'd never anticipate.

The door to doc's place opens shortly after knocking and his questioning face meets Heavy's stern expression and my thoughtful sigh.

"Got a minute, Bright?" I ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

That's enough for him to let us in. Being the good host I know him to be he brings us some tea before asking anything more.

"You wanted to know more about Blaze," I begin, "but before that I thing this gentlecolt should tell you who he is."

"My name is Heavy Hoof. The patient you denied knowing about killed my coltfriend Sharp Biscuit who was princess Luna's bodyguard and the leader of Canterlot Nightguard."

"It's not as bad as it sounds at first," I wave my hooves when Bright looks hard at me.

"I'm listening," says the doc.

I take a deep breath.

"You've heard a little bit of what happened so I'll begin at the part important for Heavy. Remember the day when princess Celestia got attacked in the throne room?"

Heavy nods. My wings... the stubs of them that remain twitch.

"Blaze was still in the infirmary after getting attacked as well and I was coming back from visiting him when I heard sounds from the throne room. Neither the guards or me were able to get inside but Blaze came shortly after with Betty and opened the door-"

"Betty?" asks Heavy.

"The Element of Betrayal, one of the evil Elements from the mirror world. The name is a bit misleading though. Nevermind, we went inside and the guards got done in by an another Element bearer who wounded Celestia, cut off my wings and would have killed me if it weren't for Blaze who killed her. Unfortunately, he was still heavily wounded and was captured after that by a different Bearer. Betty stayed here to protect me and told me that Sombra had two bodyguards who were Bearers, one was an assassin who met her end in the throne room and one was his spymaster who had the ability to take away one's free will. That's when it all went wrong and Blaze came through the newly opened rift and you know the rest."

"Continue," says Heavy.

"There isn't much to say. When Luna in her rage sentenced Blaze to death by banishing him from her realm he knew he had only a short time before going insane and tried to stop Sombra one last time in the Crystal Empire. The fact we're here talking means he succeeded."

"You're leaving something out. What was your role in all this?"

"I knew Sharp was going to die."

"WHAT?!"

"Scream, as a reward for me helping Void get his soul back from Tartarus, showed me a vision of the future. Among the things I saw was Sharp's death."

"Why-why didn't you tell anypony?"

"I talked to Luna about it and we had no idea whether or not Scream could be trusted and it was possible that her vision was just another tool to achieve what she failed during the first invasion."

Heavy's hoof hits the table and his ragged breath interrupts my story.

"Heavy?" I ask but he ignores me.

"Heavy?"

He hits the table again and sobs.

"Blaze didn't want to do any of that he-"

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM!" Heavy bursts out.

"I HAVE TO PROTECT HIM! I HAVE TO CARE BECAUSE NOPONY ELSE DOES! Nopony considered he saved Celestia's life nor that he stopped Sombra once before. Suddenly he was just an enemy whom Luna, unable to kill him directly, sentenced to death by insanity. You know what's the worst thing about all that? If he wasn't in a magical body created by Scream after I GOT HIM KILLED he'd have just died in few days possibly talking to walls in his final hours but with the way things were he was kept alive struggling to keep whatever little was left of his mind. I met him when Canterlot fell and you wouldn't want to know how he looked."

Silence.

"You know what? You can tell Luna if you want, bring as many guards as you want and I will spit in her face when I see her."

Silence interrupted only by quiet sobbing of Heavy Hoof.

"I... I loved them both. I mean I wouldn't have met Sharp if it weren't for Blazing and now there isn't either of them here," Heavy whispers.

"I know this isn't my place to talk," Bright Eye breaks the silence, "and I hate using spells to mess with pony minds but since your friend's condition was caused by magic then it might help to get a better diagnosis. As I told you before there has never been a case of anypony surviving that long without sleep so my methods are insufficient. Do you know anypony skilled enough in that sort of magic?"

"Princess Luna," Heavy smiles sadly.

"Very helpful," I comment.

"Princess Twilight?" Heavy raises his head.

"She's been called away for royal business somewhere on the other side of Everfree forest," says Bright Eye.

"Erm... Heavy?" I ponder an incoming craziness.

"Yes, commander?"

"I have an idea. How is your changeling monitoring mission going?"

"Not great, they know about us and point and laugh most of the time."

"Soooo you're on good terms with changelings?"

"Why?" the rising horror in his face is almost amusing.

"Queen Chrysalis."

"Buck!"

"Buck!"

"Why did you curse as well, doc?"

"I'm coming too," Bright grins.

"No, you're not," I absolutely deny his idea.

"You can't move a patient without my official permit and I doubt you'll bring the changeling queen herself here."

I sigh and so does Heavy.

"Look at the bright side," the doc smiles sadly to complete the full trio of somber faces, "neither of us here seems to have any love left in them. What is there for changelings to take from us?"

Comments

[Anonymous Critic]

"That's what I love about you, Gift. You're an incurable optimist."

...now I know where Blaze gets it from...

[Anonymous Critic]

Ooooh... so it was Heavy who brought the diary, I thought it was Gaze...

[JazzyWaffles]

"Prove it then! Get rid of the two week old nusiance growing in you and focus on your growing son in every little way you can!"

Fucking CHRIST.

[Teraunce]

I'm sad Blinding isn't dead.