Horn And Wings

by Nameless Narrator

Back To Normal: She's Ruthless

[Blazing's Entry]

Weird, that's the only word that can describe how I feel right now in full, just weird. Ponies usually have some memories from their foalhood, the good times when they played outside with their friends and had to go to bed early. All I have is the image of three ponies looking at me inside a padded cell.

Now, therein lies the strangeness. I KNOW there must be memories like that, I KNOW how things SHOULD be and what things are. I just have no idea how I know. I can read, I can write... I can use the toilet (even the three seashells) but I have no memory of learning it. I guess dwelling on it isn't going to help anything though.

I thought the batpony's idea to start writing a diary was a joke but opening the little book almost felt natural and comforting. The really confusing part is that I'm a unicorn, right? According to what my body is telling me unicorns should be using magic to hold the pen. Every cell inside me is telling me that yet my first reflex was to pick it up with my mouth. I suppose it has something to do with half of my horn missing.

All in all, there's a lot of history apparently around me which I don't know that's making me feel unnatural compared to how my head is telling me things are supposed to be. So no, I'm totally not crazy. The fact that I woke up in an insane asylum means absolutely nothing.

After walking through the town called Ponyville in the company of the batpony mare we arrived at a pretty rundown house and she said she was going to grab something to eat for us and left. I have a lot of time to write right now as a result.

Sorting out my thoughts.

The bespectacled unicorn at the asylum felt comforting. Calm, collected and trying to hold the other two back when I woke up, he was the only one to whom I didn't react at all. Is it possible that's a sign of me not knowing him before? He asked me to visit him in few days for a check-up and, despite the angry growling of the batpony, I agreed.

I'm getting to her but now for the second pony I know... apparently, possibly. I felt uneasy around the earthpony called Heavy Hoof. I could say I have no idea why but that's sort of apparent already. The thing is that no matter how friendly he tried to look...

...no, the friendlier he tried to be the more he made chills ran up my spine. I felt sad around him, that's all. I don't think his friendly approach was a lie though. It's just that I got nervous with him around no matter what. Well, after we left the asylum he went away in the direction of the hills overgrown with apple trees outside of town.

Now for the weird batpony and I say weird only because she freaks me out more than the other one. It's not as much the things she said but the way she said them. Maybe it just felt like she kept trying too hard to make me feel comfortable around her or maybe she could read how I really felt. The thing is... how could anypony know me well enough to see that every string of my being was telling me to trust her, to give everything I have for her.

Unless she was causing it herself. I need to be careful around her, the way my body reacts is just too unnatural. One thing is certain though, I either knew her or she knew me and wants something from me.

[End Entry]

---

Did I live here?

Probably not. The house doesn't seem derelict, just deserted. Two rooms on the ground floor, two more upstairs, none of them seems to have been used regularly. Well, the one I would call a living room probably is the one the owner is sleeping in as there's a mattress lying on the floor covered by a blanket sprinkled with pastry crumbs.

The room upstairs that isn't used for storage is what I would call a bedroom. Why? Just a nagging feeling that a house of this structure should look like this. I feel comfortable here despite it being dark aside from the shimmer of my horn. I must have been pretty good at magic as even when broken in half my horn seems to let the power flow just fine.

I have one complaint and that is the cold in this room but I guess the strange mare wants me to be comfortable because it must have been her who pulled one more mattress out from the storage before she left and prepared a nice makeshift bed here. Considering how I feel around her I should at least enjoy her care before she shows what she really wants.

What if she isn't some mind-controlling pony and I just react this way because I knew her?

My back flops against the mattress as I drop down and look at the ceiling. If that's the case then I'll find out eventually. The thing is that I know she's a batpony. Yes, yes, the physical difference makes it really obvious but the influx of information and images I got from the word was stunning. Everything from what bats are, what animals are, why would a pony have bat wings and what is so terrifying about the fangs emerged at once.

It might feel natural to think about a living being that way but even my first sight of a chair gave me the vision of earthponies working in a carpenter's workshop with files and saws somewhere called Manehattan.

It all started with a tree cut down near Stalliongrad falling on a stray squirrel.

Sometimes I think my head is making fun of me.

*Squeeeeak*

*Hisssss*

"Who's there?" I shut the light of my horn off.

*Tap tap tap*

I stand back up.

The sounds came from a large closet, the only piece of furniture in the room. I can't believe I didn't check it earlier. In all honesty, there wasn't a reason to though. I quickly ponder the fatality of stupidity as a draft of air signalling the passage of something fast and big hits my face.

I quickly rear on my hind legs, spin around and swipe upwards with one front leg because if there's an enemy charging straight at you, you don't really need to see the details to break his nose.

What?

The stupidity of that saying catches me off-guard and I shake my head which suddenly feels as if I was not seeing double, but thinking double. Everything stops when the shock causes me to stop thinking completely and something just takes over and jumps away into the darkness.

Fortunately, my body is reacting faster than I can understand what's going on. I'm being attacked. The enemy is fast, about my size, maybe slightly smaller, relies on teeth and has wings.

Not a pegasus though, their wings are too large to provide enough agility inside. That became painfully apparent when the attacker stopped mid-air right next to my neck and its teeth snapped right when my body moved by itself.

Unfortunately, said body is burdened by a mind that has no idea about anything right now and can only cover my neck when I get tackled into the wall. As a reward for this semi-successful defense I recieve a burning sensation in my front leg and a dull thud when my other leg punches again.

"OW!" I scream when the pain finally makes itself get noticed.

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The high pitched screech is annoying and slightly disorienting but since I'm not really in control anyway it stops abruptly when I kick away the dark shadow and run past it out of the room and towards the stairs down. The flap of wings behind me proves the attacker is close-

My horn lights up as much as possible. It being above my eyes just makes shadows dance as I keep running but the scream from behind me announces my success. Well, not my success... the success of whatever was in charge when I was crapping myself having no clue what to do.

I rush through the door downstairs and I'm on the street. I'm not going to stop running because my mind finally catches up to what happened.

The attacker was pony-sized with wings smaller than pegasi ones and sharp teeth and could screech high enough to rattle windows. There's only one being I can think of that fills all the criteria.

A batpony.

I guess she just got me out of the asylum to have dinner and I got lucky by going lucid for long enough to fend her off. That means I might return to my previous state or if I'm cured then she'd probably want to silence me. Planning will have to come later though, for now - just run.

The adrenaline rush works until I trip and roll on the ground. Having no idea where I am, all I know is that my heart is pounding and lungs burning. What now then? First - lean on the nearest wall. Second - wait until the pain in everything stops.

Good.

My entire body begins shaking. I don't know anything or anypony. I have nowhere to go. As soon as I realize this the shaking stops. Why does it feel so familiar?

Damage report.

The bleeding from my leg stopped despite my running which means the wound was shallow and more painful than dangerous. Sighing, I realize there are only two options. Either I can go to the local guard post or whatever constitutes for security here or I can go back and deal with the threat myself and it's dark, everypony is already inside and I have no clue where the guards are.

I have to commend my sense of direction as even in an unknown city, in the dark and after running away in panic I can find enough landmarks to retrace my steps and end up in front of the house.

So... the enemy didn't expect bright light, isn't too strong, has sharp teeth but not strong enough bite to go through bone. Now, batponies can't use magic and she wouldn't be able to dance in mid-air thanks to space limitations. She is faster than me but that might have been just panic on my side.

Taking a deep breath and shaking my hooves frozen by the run through snow I open the door.

Correction, fail to open the door because it's locked.

All logic fails and I knock. Maybe... nope, I've got nothing. The door opens and a smug, yet relieved, batpony opens.

"Welcome back," says Choking.

"Don't you-"

She snickers at me jumping back and ready to fight and then waves her hoof, inviting me inside.

"Come in, I'll explain."

"Eeeerm."

"I have hot chocolate... well, lukewarm chocolate now. Still better than the frost outside though."

"..."

"Please?"

The pleading expression is almost believable.

"Fine, but you're staying in front of me and no sudden-"

She DOESN'T HAVE WINGS.

I try again when I see her biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, miss. You've got to listen to me, there's somepony upstairs who attacked me."

"I know and she's sorry. Come in, please."

There's still the possibility of two batponies being in league with one hunting for victims and the other feeding but the look on her face when I backed away sent spikes through my heart. No, she's not using magic or anything.

I knew her and I desperately wanted to be with her.

Decided to trust her, I walk inside and there's another batpony in the living room. As soon as I spot her I know she must be sorry for what she did because the damage to her face is definitely not my doing. The specks of blood littering her light-grey coat and a missing fang is nothing I could have done without serious effort.

She sniffs.

"'m thory."

I can't even be angry at her. The batpony looks as if she hasn't eaten in days and the dried blood around her nose just proves she's had enough.

"What happened?" I pat her head.

"Mith leaveth thometime thood thor me. I thouft you were a thnack."

Processing...

...BEEP.

"So you DID want to eat-drink me?"

"Yeth."

Looking from her to Choking, I sort of feel pity for the batpony runt.

"You beat her up?" I ask Choking just to reassure myself.

"I guess I overreacted a little when she told me she chased away a thief," she chuckles nervously.

"So... let me get this straight. You didn't tell her about me. To her I may have really been just somepony trying to break in and rob the place. When she chased me away successfully you smashed her face in."

"Well, she hurt you-"

"And that was YOUR fault!"

"I-"

"Leave us alone for a while."

"But I-"

"GO! AWAY! Before you do more damage."

I don't even look at her but when I hear her hoofsteps leave the room I focus back on the other batpony. It would be wrong to judge Choking just by what she did before but it definitely wasn't the best impression.

"Are you still hungry? Eh, what's your name?"

She nods.

"Doom Thtar."

"Is she," I point to the door, "holding you here?"

"No. Giveth thood erry day."

"She lets you drink from her?"

Doom Star shakes her head.

"Warm thweeth."

"So you don't drink blood?"

"I do. Not much around. Hiding."

"How much do you drink?"

"Hungry."

Whatever force is trying to keep me alive, I hope you're listening to me now.

I tilt my head.

"Can I offer you some? As an apology for tonight."

She looks at the door and bites her lip.

"Don't worry," I pull her closer, "She won't hurt you this time- OW!"

With my reassurance she just chomps my neck. It felt more like a prick than a dog bite or something, not that I remember either. To be honest, the sucking on my neck tickles more than it hurts.

"What's going on? I heard- HEY!" Choking runs back inside.

I hold Doom's head where it is with one leg and wave Choking away with the other.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"O... kay?" Choking asks but stands still.

The sucking sure feels nice but I'm getting light-headed.

"I've got to make... things... right..."

I hope I taste good.

*Thud*

"Heh, the room is spin... nin... nngh."

Comments

[IXOHOXI]

I can use the toilet (even the three seashells)

Nice Demolition Man reference!

[Anonymous Critic]

"So... let me get this straight. You didn't tell her about me. To her I may have really been just somepony trying to break in and rob the place. When she chased me away successfully you smashed her face in."

Ah Choking... you just get Blaze back and you can't even hold off one day before messing something up?

[Two_Madmans]

I can use the toilet (even the three seashells)

Now I must create a portal to Equestria, dissect his head and gain knowledge on how to use these damned seashells!

[JazzyWaffles]

Well. Even with no memories, Blazing is Blazing.