//------------------------------// // Chapter 14.) Faded Ivory // Story: Blaze // by Blazing_Mane01 //------------------------------// The ballroom is only right up ahead. Pass this turn here, and it's right there. Now, to get into a hiding spot... I floated around the room, pondering upon where I should settle down for the moment. There are many satisfactory locations, but I need a good one; one where Ivory would never think to look. At that thought, I looked up and saw the beams going across the ceiling. I started to formulate an idea. I could probably suspend myself from those beams by placing my hooves in distinct shapes etched through them. If need be, I can always use my wings to stay locked in position. A twinkle developed in my eyes as I began to carry out this plan. "Heheheh..." I mutter to myself. "Up where she can't go is the last place she'd think to search." As I make final adjustments to my stealthy position, a few other ponies enter the room. One of them was my mommy, Luna, and another pink filly that looks a little older than me. That was my cousin, Cadence. Nopony seems aware that I'm even in here! Heheh, I'm a ninja... The group then began to discuss some issues and whatnot that I could care less for. They always talk about what they plan to do with gold bits, relationships, career planning, blah blah blah. "Blaze?" I perked my ears up. That voice was really far away, somewhere in the castle. Closing in. It's possible it was Faded Ivory, I mean, it sounded a bit like her. But it was really muffled, due to both the castle's walls and the indistinct talking from the others directly below me. "Blaze!!" It WAS Faded Ivory! She was getting closer and closer to the ballroom. I hid a smirk of challenge as I tensed up to make absolutely sure I didn't slip now. There she is. Here we go! "Blaze? Where'd you run off to now?" I did my best from cracking up with laughter. Ivory is completely priceless! The look on her face, her impatient trotting pace through the others looking for me, how her head constantly bobbed from side to side causing her white mane to fly in her face... "Blaze, are you even in here!?" I started to break a sweat. This is rich! This is too perfect! She is completely baffled as to my whereabouts. "Come on, Blaze! The Princess Celestia wants to talk to you!" I gulped. Did she really!? I mean, I just ran into her! Literally! I remained motionless, praying that Sunnie didn't really want to see me, and that it's just another one of Ivory's ploys to draw me out. As I lay in suspense, a drop of sweat trickled down my face and now dangled from my nose. This isn't good. There are ponies below me whom, if it lands on one of them or if they notice it, could bust me for being here right now. But Ivory is almost immediately below me, so maybe I'll get away with it. But that means I'll lose, and I hate losing... There it goes. And sure enough, it finds its landing pad as Faded Ivory's flank. Her reaction was a high-pitched squeal, along with flailing hooves and a 180-degree turn. She had one foreleg up to protect herself, it seemed. That was too much for me. I tried to hold it in, but the ensueing laughter burst its way through my practically interlocked lips, causing me to laugh out loud and lose focus of my grip on the beams, therefore falling directly into the crowd. By the time I opened my eyes to notice I was falling, it was too late to flap my wings. I landed square in the middle of the crowd, causing everypony to flail a 180. It only made my case of laughter worse. Why, even mommy had a look of shock on her face! "Blaze!!" Ivory's voice cracked, "That was NOT funny!!" I rolled over, stood up, and threw my right foreleg around Ivory's back, all the while laughing. I just couldn't stop! It was all too perfect! And to make things even funnier, she slapped me!! I choke out in between laughing, "Ivory, you shoulda seen the look on your face! You were like, 'Waaahh!!' " I imitated her earlier reaction. "It wasn't funny, Blaze! You embarressed me!" "Well, you shouldn't've been standing there!" I fall back onto the floor, utterly unable to cease the hilarity of it all. But I was eventually picked up by mother and taken somewhere, but I was too busy laughing to care right now. That night, I had woken up due to an abrupt noise. It sounded like it came from the forest. It was a growl of some sort, like some kind of angry, hungry animal. I opened my window to glance outside. Following another roar was a screech from another pony. The creature was probably chasing the poor soul to who knows where. Being the energetic filly I am, I instantly leaped out the window and started to fly to see if I could help. I had a nagging feeling it was somepony I knew. Somepony that I cared for. Somepony who cared for me back. Somepony like Faded Ivory. The roars and the yelling were approaching rapidly. Stomping through the forest was now audible. The squealing did sound a bit like Ivory, but the wind whistling in my ear prevented me from hearing it clearly. "Hang on, Ivory! I'm coming!!" I've never flown so fast before. I felt as if the wind was cutting me. The trees brushed by my figure with such speed that a crash would be fatal. Faded Ivory can't die! Don't die! I'm coming! Tears wanted to form in my eyes, but the velocity at which I was traveling just tore them away, and I was only getting faster and faster. Then I heard a snap, and then a boom, and I was racing against sound. I've never traveled this fast before... I had to duck my head so that my face wouldn't peel off. My hooves were stretched straight out in front of me, making an odd whistling sound as they tore through the air. The creature threatening Ivory was getting much closer... I'm not going to be able to slow down fast enough... Which means... Make it count, Blaze. Make it count... Aiming at the faint noises I could make out, I flew like an arrow into my enemy's side. I remember hitting it, then being blinded by red for a minute, then tearing through something else and flying in the forest again. The cry that escaped the monster's mouth was only audible for a second, but it was drowned out, followed by a huge thump. The creature must've fell from the collision immediately following. But I kept going. I couldn't stop. At the moment, it was difficult to see due to the blood in my face. When I cleaned up enough to see, however, all I saw was this fat tree. It was headed straight for me -- No, I was headed straight for it. WHAM!!!