Phantoms of the Truth

Chapter 14

The Extremely-Totally-Normal Day

“Blaze~” Came a ghostly voice from the void

“Blaze~!” It said slightly louder but no response came as it sighed

“Blaz-Oh for god’s sake, wake up!” Neckros shouted as Blaze awoke as is face smashed into the cold floor below as he groaned

“Oh, good, your awake!” He said happily as he lifted him to his feet

“Ow, what the hell happened?” Blaze asked, his voice sounding different as he opened his eyes in confusion “Wait, what’s with my voice?”

“Oh yea, you may want to look in the mirror for that,” Neckros suggested as he waited, trying not to snigger

When Blaze got to a mirror he had in his lab, as he has now discovered, he saw himself, but his body features were more curved and slightly slimmer as he noticed his more noticeable eyelashes. Then he spoke.

“What the fuck,” He blurted, his voice now sounding more feminine now, heck it was, this almost made him yell out in frustration but then he noticed Neckros pointing to his left

Blaze turned and saw the sleeping form of Dash, her mane was a mess as she silently sored, this for some reason made Blaze smile slightly as he ushered for Neckros to leave with him as he nodded.

They began to walk down the hall of their home as Blaze remembered the experiments he was performing and that Dash had offered to help, even though she knew nothing about science. But they both concluded that it was only a temporary transformation.

“-So, until then I’m stuck with 2 crazy girls who would love to put a hole through me?” Neckros joked as he saw Serafin instantly coming around the corner as he leaped to the ceiling as he stuck to it like a cat

“Don’t hurt me she-demon!” He yelled as she just raised and eyebrow before focusing on Blaze, even more confused at him-she

“Umm, I don’t really have a response for this,” She managed to say as Blaze sighed

“Science can be both great and deadly,” Was all Blaze said as he walked passed her as she shrugged and followed, Neckros also jumped back into Blaze’s head as they continued to walk

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As they approached the living space they saw Loki boarding up the windows as KAI helped also in his efforts as Serafin and Blaze approached. Loki then turned and nearly screamed as he quickly noticed it was just them.

“You know saying ‘Them’ doesn’t help,” Loki said to no one as he then turned to face his allies “So, I guess you aren’t affected by it Blazette?”

“Call me that again, and I’ll have Serafin turn your body the same colour as your skeleton,” Blaze warned as he then turned gears “And what do you mean, not affected?”

“Heat,” Both Loki, KAI and Serafin spoke at the same time

“Wait, isn’t that the day that girls’ hormones go off the charts for 24 hours?” Blaze asked as KAI nodded

“Yes, to put it simply, the ship has set sailed, and if coming in full speed, our direction,” He said as he glanced through and eye-hole

“Wait-wait-wait, if this affects girls, then why aren’t you affected, Serafin?” Blaze asked before adding “I mean I was a guy so my brain wouldn’t be affected, but what about you?”

“No, it does affect me, but I’m the embodiment of fire, heat etc. so I can control it like normal heat sources, no matter the phycology behind it. That and I don’t like any of you ‘that’ way,” Serafin explained before ending coldly

“Dam, who knew the Goddess of fire could be so cold,” Loki quipped as he felt her glare intensify “Joking,”

“So then, why did you board the windows up like a zombie apocalypse, because I really don’t want to have to use the Box again,” Blaze cringed as he shook his head “Too many teddies,”

“Well you see, about half of the ‘Friends’ we have are looking for us, mainly Me, You, fucking Neckros for some reason and Serafin,” Loki pointed out

"Hehehehehe, i'll just stay in here, where its safe, goodbye~" Neckros spoke through Blaze mouth as the sound of a distant door echoed

“Wait, why me?” Serafin asked as he just gave a deadpan stare

“Really? Remember the little conversation we had before about our ‘Demons’ you told me you’re Bisexual,” Loki stated as Serafin actually blushed slightly as she threw a fire ball into Loki’s face as he tried to put the flames out

“Yes, but remember what I said about talking about that stuff around me, I hate it,” She countered as Blaze then hit the table

“Alright! Can we please focus here!?” he barked as they nodded as he sighed “Right, Loki, do you have any way of getting us out of here?”

“Well I do have one wa-“Loki began to speak before a pink hoof grabbed his throat from the boarded window as he yelled out in fear “Fuck! Frying pan! Frying pan!”

KAI then ran over and began to smashed the pink appendage with a frying pan as it wiggled away. Then a purple aura surrounded one board as it disappeared.

“Dammit! They got the egg head here! We have to fall back!” KAI ordered as he dodged another swipe “My systems obligate a safe route out of this mess needs to be ready in 5 minutes,”

“Alright then, Loki hurry up!” Blaze ordered as they followed him down the hall “And Neckros,”

Blaze then pulled him out of his head as he tried to go back in.

“If we’re dying your dying with us, Ain’t no choice!” Blaze snapped as he nodded and teleported ahead

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Eventually they met Loki and Neckros at a couch. It was a basic, tan couch, nothing special about it as they sat waiting for the rest.

“GET TO THE COUCH!!!” Loki ordered in a strange tone of voice as Serafin, KAI and Blaze just stared

“You are fucking kidding, right?” They all said but heard an explosion behind them as KAI shook

“How? My systems are unreachable unless-there was someone already in the base,” KAI finished as he turned to Blaze his head sparking as he smiled sheepishly

“Dash, whoops,” He said as KAI just walked to the couch and sat on an arm as he waited “Guess we have not choice , let’s go!”

Neckros, Loki and Serafin sat on the couch, KAI and Blaze held on to the arms as they waited for Loki to do something.

“So, tell me Loki, what’s a couch going to do against the 7 sins of hell?” Blaze asked worryingly

“More like 4,” Neckros added

“It’s my flying couch,” Loki said as Blaze just looked at him in surprise

“Wait, you have a couch that flys?” Blaze asked in scepticism

“It doesn’t just fly,” Loki began as the final door opened, revealing Twilight, Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack, that’s when Loki held a controller in his hand “IT FLYS.”

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The day was silent as the sun had risen to the highest point in the sky. Sadly, like all days the peaceful sky was then interrupted by yelling, mostly at someone as a rectangular object flew past the plains below.

Blaze hung on the back of the couch as he held on for dear life, KAI was also holding onto Blaze’s leg as he whipped around in the air like a paper bag.

“KAI just go back into my head!” Blaze begged as he felt his leg about to tear from its socket

“I can’t do it whilst this sort of sudden movement is occurring, I could damage your systems or even kill you!” Shouted back as Loki messed with the controls with Serafin as Neckros just sat back and relaxed

“So, what if we pushed ‘This’ button?” Serafin asked as she hit a green button, that then caused an explosion in the distance, making Serafin wince “Whoops,”

“How about you try the massive red button that you both have been constantly avoiding?” Neckros suggested as they looked at each other and shrugged as they hit it

*SCREECH*

The Couch then stopped abruptly as KAI landed on Neckros and Blaze landed on Serafin’s head as he blew her hair out of his face.

“Wait, if the couch stopped so suddenly…” Neckros started as the rest all gulped before all saying

“Find us in the Alps.”

Then the couch dropped vertically down as they all yelled, the ground becoming increasingly closer. This day had just been one big mess and it was only going to get worse for one.

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Later that night…

After crashing in a ravine and trekking the rest of the way back, the Heat had worn off and piles of apologised came crashing in. After repairing the damages to Blaze’s home and getting an antidote for his Sex change, they all sat down as Blaze waited for Serafin to finish explaining some things.

“-So whatever you do, he has been trying to protect you from this, so don’t hate him for it,” Serafin finished before Blaze sighed, a frown now forming as he looked over all of them

“Ok, ok, you all deserve to know my cause, why I recklessly throw my life on the line,” Blaze started “I do because it’s my fault that all these dangerous foes have attacked this world, it’s my fault that they target you, my closest friends,”

“But the main reason I fight,” Blaze paused “KAI, uncloak… uncloak everything, ‘Everything’,”

Then they all gasped, even Loki was a bit surprised as the ‘Real’ Blaze sat in front of them, the one who dared to fight Gods and smile in the face of his own death, was now trying not to break under the pain that he cloaked all this time.

His metal arm, his right eye and other parts of his body were covered in a black, virus like substance as his seemed to move. His eyes showed no happiness, only fear and regret as Neckros spoke up, his expression the same.

“It’s simply called, Corruption, the stuff my kind are made of, it is a curse that is rare but if inflicted will slowly consume them, change them, into one of me, only mindless and crazed, an animal,” Neckros explain before pointing at himself

“This was my fault, if I didn’t latch onto him through force he might have stayed that way, but now… the corruption spreads, increasing each day,” Neckros finished as Twilight spoke up

“Why? Why did you keep this from us? We could have helped,” She demanded as she looked angry but sad

“Because nothing can help me, nothing can stop this pain, only death awaits me in the end,” He said hollowly as he got up and began to walk away “KAI,”

Without even hearing he cloaked the corruption as he disappeared into the darkness, leaving his friends to think. But nothing could be said as they knew they truly didn’t understand.

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Blaze just stared into space as he looked at his arm, what was the point in fighting if he was just going to die? Why did he keep this lie up all this time? For them? For himself? Why?

Only the sound of his door broke his trance as he looked to see Dash standing in the doorway as he didn’t even try to sound fine.

“What? Expecting me to make another stupid quip?” Blaze asked sarcastically as she just shook her head and walked in

“No, just thought I do something smart and hear you out,” She said calmly as Blaze just stood up, now he looked angry

“Really? Alright then let’s see, I’m a fucking cyborg with the ability to bring harm where ever I go, I’ve got God knows how long left before I become a creature like Neckros, I’ve single-handedly caused a robot army to target me and all the people I know, I also have no answers to why I was brought here in the first place!”

“Did I leave anything out!” Blaze finished as he just sat on the ground and stared down “Because sure as hell don’t know what else I could do,”

Dash didn’t know what to say, he was right but she didn’t want to say it, he was broken and she didn’t know what she could say. All she could do was act. So she embraced him, it was slightly embarrassing, but at this point she’ll do anything just to make him smile again.

“Why?” Blaze whispered “Why do you always stay near me? for god's sake i'm a bad luck charm, if anything!”

She then pulled away to face him, their muzzles touching as she just smiled.

“Because you’re the dumbest, most reckless person ive ever met, you don’t care if the person in your way if stronger or smarter, you still fight, with that goofy smile on your face,” Dash said softly as she inched closer “And… I-I like you for that,”

She then closed the gap between them as Blaze stiffened in response before closing his eyes and pulling Dash in closer, they sat for what felt like hours, enjoying the silence before parting, both with an almost permanent blush plastered on their faces as Blaze finally smiled again.

“I guess that’s another thing I can add to the list,” Dash said playfully

“Yea I guess,” He said before pulling her into a hug “Thank you… for everything Dash,”

“I’m just glad to have my idiot back, but… for now, let’s just keep this between us, ok?” She asked as he nodded in response as she sighed and closed her eyes

“I don’t care if I die tomorrow or years later, all I care about is what I do have here and now, and I like to see anyone try and take that away for me now,” Blaze thought as he closed his eyes in happiness

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Somewhere…

A orb of crystal hovered as it read the thoughts of Blaze as he sat embracing Dash with a smile, this only seemed to make the owner of the golden-plated claw spit in disgust.

“So you finally admit your love to each other, how disgusting, such vile emotions are not worthy to such a lowlife like you Blaze Hawk,” the figure hissed before chuckling darkly

“Challenge Accepted, Blaze Hawk, you’ve caused enough chaos and disharmony to the world, and you must be punished,” came a figure as he smashed the orb in a golden-armoured hand

The light then revealed a heavily armoured figure, his golden plates glowed with a tint of blue, his grey cape trailing behind him as he cracked his knuckles. Blaze wouldn’t know what hit him, because it was the last thing he would be expecting.

To Be Continued…