Back In Time To Save The Future

by BronyBlazeFire

Conflict from all angles.

The oaken trunk crumples, and splinters go flying. Sides heaving, Blaze stands upright and she looked to where Eclipsestriker stood. His green eyes blazing as he faced the manticor. ”Eclipsesriker! Get out of here! Get to Ponyville! I’ll hold it off!” She says as she stumbled toward the opposing monster. Her wings flared and she pushes forward with a gallop. Her gaze flicks over to Eclipes who was firing stun spells from his horn. The purple pearl colored magic caused sparks and charges, crackling into the air.

“No! I can help!” Eclipse said adamantly. He kept the beast stunned with his magic, not able to do much ells, lest he give away who he was. He saw Blaze charge in, slamming herself into it.
“I said run! I’ll kill the beast. I don’t want it getting to Ponyville.”

“No wait!” Eclipse cried as Blaze was knocked back again, this time using the tree she hit as a spring board. “Don’t kill it! There has to be another way!” Blaze turns her glare to Eclipse as she opened her wings to dart away. She circled above and swooped to keep the manticor focused on her.

“Well what do you propose? It’s too close to the town? It could wander in and hurt somepony!” She snapped irritably as she dodged a swipe of the claws.

“What if we relocate it?” His voice was strained from the bursts of magic that fired from his horn. Blaze growled in aggravation.

“Fine! But how do we move it?!” She asked as she struggled to keep it distracted.

“That’s easy.” Eclipse said as he took hold of the struggling manticor in his magical aura, levitating it above the ground. Blaze groused and turned to head further into the forest.

“Lets go. Quickly. Before anything ells come out to say hi.” She scooped up Eclipse like one would hold a foal. He was heavy and she gave a grumble, flying father into the forest. The two made their way until Eclipse spotted a clearing where they dropped off the struggling manticor. Then they flew back to the edge of the trees. By the time Blaze set the dark stallion down, she was panting lightly and her wings hurt. Slowly she set herself down beside him. She knew that she would be feeling that in the evening. “Do not tell my father we let it live.” Her voice now was a near whisper, knowing her father could be on the way back wondering what was holding them up.

“Let what live?” The gruff voice made Blaze close her eyes and hold in a grown. Her mind raced as she scrambled to create a lie that could be believed. She was panicking.

“Hi…. Dad.” She drew out her greeting as she slowly turned to her father. His dark muscled build was very imposing as he stared down his muzzle at her. She folded her ears back and grimaced, knowing he was waiting.

Eclipse was at a loss of what to say. His eyes gazed at the two peagsi before him, feeling much like an outsider gazing in a window of a home upon a scene that was private. Despite how large Nightguard was, it was easy to see how Blaze would one day grow larger than he if she followed her current rate. Blaze’s muzzle was pointed with a gently refined shape, exotic and much like what was expected from the fay folk.

“You see there was this manticor…” Blaze trailed off not sure where to go from there. There was no possible way that this would end well.

“A manticor? You took a civilian into battle against a manticor.” With that Blaze’s father cuffed her head, boxing her ear. The effect was next to crippling. Blaze went down and Eclipse realized he needed to speak up. “Not only did you do that, but you let the thing live?! Do you realize that your negligence in this manner may have cost the lives of others?!”

“Sir, it was my fault.”Eclispe took a few careful steps forward, as if to push himself between Blaze and her disapproving father. Nightguard whipped his deep cerulean gaze on the black stallion. “I wouldn’t leave Blaze to fight on her own, and I couldn’t stand to see it killed.” He lowered his head as if to be apologizing to the captain.

“Though what you did was honorable it was extremely reckless. You could have been hurt or worse! You could have gotten Blaze killed trying to protect your flank.” Nightguard’s tail flickered a bit behind him in agitation. “You are lucky neither happened.” Then he turned back to Blaze who was standing slowly. Her tufted ears folded to her head and eyes closed tightly against the ringing that rattled her brain. “You know better Blaze! For that you will join the midday patrol and you will also join the new recruits training. If you can’t remember the basics then you need to have a refresher course.”

“Yes father.” Blaze said slowly with a soft voice. Her right eye peeks open at the two males next to her. Her bowed head and expression seemed to be pleading with Eclipse to let it go. She stood up straighter. The look on Nightguard’s face was firm and definitive. That was not the response he wanted. “Sir yes sir” She said clearly. That got the response her father wanted.

“Good. Now Lieutenant Blazefire, you will escort Eclipsestriker to his dwelling place with no further incidents. I will be observing you.” With the group continued on and toward the safety of Ponyvill. Nightguard fluttered overhead, keeping an eye on the two on the ground. Blaze limped slowly, feeling the earlier close combat with the tree come back to haunt her. The muscles in her left wing were cramped and the occasional spasm sent pins into her flesh. The trek back was painfully quiet. As the town grew closer, Eclipse gazed about him in wonder. The familiar foot paths were decorated with life, even in the dead of night when every residence dark with the peaceful sleep. After a time Nightguard felt they were far enough into the town to be safe and broke away to head to his office, promising to be home with Blaze later. Eclipse and Blaze made their way to an apartment style building. Two homes stacked on top of each other. Under the stair way leading to the second home was a door. It was quaint and sparsely decorated. From outside the building it was like any other. It was nothing special.

“I hope you like music.” Blaze commented absently as she pushed open the door to her humble abode. The building was quaint inside, small and homey. The rich warm yellows of the walls clashed with the cool earthy wooden floor. Shelves of mahogany lined the walls, filled with trinkets. The deep blue seating cushions were worn and looked very well used. Photos of ponies hung on the walls or took space on the surpasses. Eclipse stood in what looked to be a seating room. Around the short half wall off to the left was the kitchen. Pristine and clean, countering the well lived in seating room.

“Our neighbors, nice couple really, like to compete. Musically that is.” Blaze spoke offhandedly, trying to fill the air with words if to banish the ones unspoken. She made her way from one sagging candle to the next. Her talons made quick work of the match, slowly illuminating the room to a point any pony could see, picking up where the moonlight could not. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I’ll make some tea.”

Eclipse took in the room in a calculating fission, cataloging the small living space. His bright eyes pinpointed the framed images of a group of reoccurring ponies. There was a young green earth pony, frequently wrapped in bandages. There was also an orange unicorn filly, who had a striking resemblance to the first. As Eclipse sat down, he noticed it was their manes that gave them the resemblance. While one had blue with red tips, the other had red with blue tips and a stripe. He wondered if they dyed it to be that similar. There was a shocking lack of Blaze among the photos. She would pop up occasionally but not very often.

“Those are my cousins.” Blaze’s sudden voice startled Eclipse out of his reprieve. She sat down two mugs on the small table between the two of them. Her body all but collapsed with a sigh as she took her seat. Her mug rolls between her talons as the scented steam wafts up from the soft pastel ceramic. The silence was one of those awkward ones that make you fidget. “I figured you could stay in Softtones’ room. Whiplash is known to stop by out of the blue when I am in town” Blaze spoke to clear the air again. Her words hung in the space between them as nothing else was said again. Tea was sipped and eyes roamed the room in an attempt to avoid eye contact. “I have some paper work to tend to. The room is down the hall to the left. Just after the restroom. Make yourself at home. Okay Eclipsestriker?”

Eclipse watched as Blaze carried her half full tea mug in the crook of her aching wing. The dark bruising on her side glared accusingly at him even through her dark fur. Shaking his head he rubs the bridge of his nose at the weariness that began to seep into his bones. This mission is going to be harder than I thought.