//------------------------------// // Flashes of our Past // Story: Lunatics // by GottaLovePinkiePie //------------------------------// Tricky was resting her throbbing head against the cool concrete wall of the hospital. It truly was a miserable place, the emergency room was full of exhausted, sweating ponies, waiting for their turn while an extremely old nurse made her way through the crammed rows of seats. The hospital wasn't much bigger than the inn Tricky and Blaze were staying in. Normally it wouldn't be filled with so many ponies but apparently a merciless epidemic of Potomac Fever was spreading through the neighborhood. Tricky closed her eyes and tried not to breathe in the stench that hung in the air like rainclouds. Next to her a skyblue unicorn was throwing up into a rusty bucket, another nurse was consoling him and handed him a few pills which he happily swallowed. It was hard not to think of her own searing pain, or the horrible sounds of the puke hitting the bottom of the bucket right next to her. Blaze wasn't there, he'd gone out for a walk right after having dropped her off by the hospital. The whole way he had been apologizing over and over again, but she had been trying not to cry out in agony for every step she took so she hadn't answered him. She hoped he didn't think she hated him. Blaze was the only friend she had, and she wouldn't want to lose him. He was the only pony she had right now. The image of her uncle laughing flashed before her eyes, so life-like she opened her eyes just to make sure he wasn't actually standing right in front of her. Her eyesight blurred, her eyelids became heavy. She didn't have any force left to keep them open so she just let them close, leaving her in her own chaotic world. Her head was spinning, all her thoughts mixed together, her brain felt like dough being baked inside her skull. It was not a nice feeling. Tricky's head tipped to the side, unconscious. Nopony in the room noticed anything. The old nurse was wobbling through the empty emergency room, it was her last shift and she couldn't wait until she finally got to rest her aching hips. Suddenly she noticed a pegasus lying on the floor. She was pale and a bandage was carelessly bound around her back. The nurse sighed and called out to the new intern to come to her. The stressed mare came rushing to her help and together they hauled the pegasus to a bed standing nearby. The intern started peeling away the layers of dirty cloth, but by every layer her expression changed from tired to confused to disgusted. The older mare peered at the growing stain of foul-smelling liquid mixed with blood. The younger nurse looked at the old mare, searching for any signs of confirmation. The old mare stared back at her. “Go on then! We haven't got all day.” The intern looked down, ripped away the last piece of cloth and gasped in disgust. The older nurse grimaced, even with all her experience, this was new. And revolting. This is going to be a long night, she bitterly thought to herself before she covered her nuzzle with a shaking hoof. The regular beeping of the machines cut through the silence of the empty hospital. Tricky was sleeping in a shabby bed with green covers, her ribcage rose shakingly by every breath she took. Under her closed eyelids her eyes were restlessly moving. She was dreaming. In her dream, she was younger, just a filly. Beside her, her father was standing over the limp body of a unicorn mare, her beautiful long mane flowed over her dead body. Tricky stared into the unseeing eyes of her beloved mother, not understanding what was happening. The rain was pouring down on the duo, a pair of aristocratic unicorns walked past them, not even looking down at them. The dream changed, she was standing in front of a wooden door on a dirty impasse, her father was pounding on the door in desperation. The door opened slightly, inside a big, buffy earthpony blocked the way inside. “Who goes there?” Tricky's father hesitated for a second, looking back at Tricky. In his eyes she could see a sorrow that made her heart shatter. He turned around and said to the guard: “We are here to see Scar Ace. Tell him... Tell him Ace of Clovers is here. Tell him, that I accept his offer.” The dream changed again, she was in the same room as in her first dream, except that the paint was peeling off the walls. Scar Ace was waiting for them by the same table that she'd seen him sitting by before. “Welcome, brother. I have so many plans to discuss.” The guard from the door scooped up Tricky and carried her out of the room. She screamed after her dad, but he didn't do anything. He just sat there with Scar Ace, a look of defeat upon his face. The door slammed shut and Tricky was carried into a small room with a tiny window facing the ocean. The guard threw her inside and locked the door behind him, leaving her alone in the dark and empty room. No matter how hard she screamed nopony came to her solace. She was trapped in her own nightmares, endlessly drumming on the door, screaming for her mother and father. Blaze was not a favorite among the nurses. Three days of impatiently ramping around the hospital, arguing with the doctors, trying to find a cure to Tricky's sudden coma might have had something to do with it, but he didn't care. Which upset the nurses even more. Apparently his friend, Tricky, had accidentally fallen into a bonfire and gotten major burns to her wings. Everyone had their own versions of what happened, but nopony believed the explanation Blaze kept on repeating. The injuries were a revolting sight and no one at the hospital dared to hope for miracles. Nurse Redheart had been unsuccessful in trying to break the news gently to Blaze, who only wanted to hear one thing: that Tricky was going to be alright. They were the main subjects of scandalous gossip in Foal Mountain Hospital, Nurse Tenderheart and Redheart swore by their medical degrees that they had seen an upset Tricky flying over the nearby mountains but many doubted the credibility of their story. Nurse Coldheart was the oldest nurse in Foal Mountain Hospital, and she took pride in being so. She despised gossip, but the infamous Blaze-Tricky affair did spark a foreign curiosity in her. She often walked past a frustrated looking Blaze, faithfully sitting by his friends bed whilst cursing his newfound situation. Nurse Coldheart was not a romantic, but the scene was touching, if you liked that sort of nonsense. The afternoon was as chaotic as ever, but Nurse Coldheart, out of her own gnawing curiotity, took the time to wobble over to Tricky's room. When she opened the door a gust of stuffy air slammed into her face. Inside, the pale shadow of Tricky lay in the exact same place as before. In the darkest corner of the room Blaze sat, drowning in his own misery. As she pushed the door ajar he rose to his feet, a miserably weak hope spreading over his features. Nurse Coldheart immediately regretted her decision, she wobbled over to the bed and pretended to check the heart rate monitors and other machines with complicated names she couldn't remember. In the last years Nurse Coldheart's mind was still a steel trap, only one that had been left out too long and had started rusting shut. Blaze fell back into his chair and gave out a disappointed sigh. She glanced at him, he looked like a young colt who had just been denied christmas. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and suddenly one of her hooves was tangled up with a wire, as she tried to step away she fell to the floor, dragging down the monitors and machines with her. She grabbed the curtains for support but the metal bar gave in and they all tumbled down on Nurse Coldheart and the bed Tricky was resting in. The bed tipped, and Tricky disappeared together with Nurse Coldheart under the mess of broken machines and curtains. Blaze cried out in surprise and Nurse Coldheart could hear hurrying steps entering the room. She could feel how her face turned red, never had this happened before. The bed glowed in a bright red glow as Blaze helped the other nurses and doctors clean up the mess. Nurse Coldheart was immediately tended to, but she waved away all the worried questions and helping hooves. Blaze had hurried over to Tricky as soon as the bed was in its original place. Nurses Tenderheart and Redheart both stopped what they were doing to stare at him as he threw curtains and machines aside, uncovering the cream-colored pegasus. The whole room froze, some glanced at each other, wondering what they should do. An awkward silence stretched out as Blaze gently lifted up Tricky and laid her onto the bed. Nurse Tenderheart let out an upset sob, Nurse Coldheart stared. That was when Tricky finally opened her eyes. Blaze jumped back in surprise, Nurse Redheart gasped and the doctors exchanged confused looks. Tricky opened her mouth, first she didn't utter a sound but then: “I would do anything right now for an apple pie...” Blaze burst out laughing, Tricky smiled weakly. The doctors hurried over, pushing Blaze to the side. Nurse Coldheart saw a sudden look of confusion and fear flash across Tricky's face. Nurse Coldheart took the chance to drag Blaze aside. She left the room, Blaze followed her, giving Tricky a reassuring smile. He then turned to face the exhausted elder mare. “Walk with me.” She was extremely slow, but Blaze kept her pace. “I guess I owe you one, Nurse.” Blaze gave her a genuine smile, she continued as if she hadn't heard him. “Well, I must say that was quite a miracle back there, but it doesn't change that there is still many unanswered questions that need to be answered.” She gave him a stern look. “For example, her injuries are far too serious to have been caused by a simple bonfire accident. And, the most troubling mystery, she doesn't have a cutiemark.” She whispered the last words, glancing at the nearest by passers, wondering if they could hear her. Blaze also glanced to their sides as he replied: “I have noticed, but honestly, I have no idea, and neither does she.” Nurse Coldheart gave him a confused look. “How could she not? I thought I was the one with ...uuh, what was it called again...” She grubbled for herself a couple of seconds before continuing. “Well that certainly is curious... I guess it wasn't a complete mistake that she was put in the foals division after all.” And with that she trotted away, humming a familiar tune on her way, leaving Blaze dumb-founded in the corridor.