Tricky relished the liberating feeling of air flowing through her feathers, the moist softness of the clouds that she flew through. Tricky loved flying. She closed her eyes for a second and let herself fall. The tingling feeling in her stomach washed away all her worries with the wind.
As she opened her eyes, Hollow Shades was the size of her hoof, quilcky growing as she approached the ground. She couldn't help but smile, and dove down towards the town.
Unicorns were truly amazing healers, before she'd gotten to the hospital, half of her right wing had been burned off. The bone under was visible and the stench of burning flesh was repugnant, to say the least. Now, it looked better than normal.
The ground was thundering towards her, she stretched out her wings and landed gracefully on the street outside of the inn with a confident smirk on her face.
Two royal guards were marching through the street, she politely greeted them before stepping in through the door. The old receptionist was snoring on the counter, Tricky trotted past her and reached their door.
“Blaze, I'm here! I was wondering if we should go back and thank Nurse Coldheart. She was so kind to us.” Tricky stopped short in the doorway.
The room was empty, one of the beds looked like it had been slept in, but that could have been from before the accident. The walls still bore burnmarks, and her bed still lay scorched in a corner of the abandoned room.
At first glance nothing seemed to be wrong in the room, maybe Blaze had just left for breakfast. Still, something struck her as odd. Even if she had only known Blaze for about a week, there was one thing that he always did.
He always made his bed. The bed in the room wasn't. Even though every sense she had told her otherwise, she cautiously entered the room.
“Blaze?” No answer. She took another step, further away from the safety of the hallway.
This is straight out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
The thought popped into her head, but she didn't really know what she was thinking about. She took another step, and another, and another...
She had reached the other side of the room. Still on edge she listened for any sounds, but the only noise she could hear was her own rushed breathing.
She sighed, and let her head drop forward. Then, somwhere befind her, a floorboard creaked. Tricky spun around, heart pounding in her chest.
Behind her the door was calmly closing, probably a draft from the main entrance. Or so she told herself.
From the corner of her eye, Tricky suddenly glimpsed something on the wall to her left. Slowly, she turned, terrified of what she was about to see.
Scratches adorned the wall, forming five words.
You can't run from us
Tricky felt her heart gradually slow down, paralyzed with fear. She couldn't look away, however hard she tried to, the words kept staring back at her. Tricky closed her eyes.
This isn't happening, this isn't happening... I'm just dreaming. I will wake up, in my bed and Blaze will be here, snoring. This isn't real... It can't be...
The door flung open. Tricky jerked around and screamed on top of her lungs. A dark shadow stood in the doorway, and he shrieked along with her. Blaze and Tricky just stood there, both paralyzed by fear, screaming at eachother.
Gradually, their screams turned into laugh, but their happiness was shortlived. As soon as Blaze saw the text on the wall his laugh died and made way for fear. He walked over to the wall and let his hoof slide over the words, wondering:
“Who do you think it could be?” Tricky swallowed as she walked over to his side.
“There is only one pony I know with claws...” They looked at eachother.
“The Lunatic.”
“Wait for me Blaze... hey hold on! Uughh... Shouldn't we eat something soon? We have been walking for ages!!!” Blaze ignored her, maybe he was just too concentrated on reading the map that he was levitating before him, but she didn't really think that was the case. Tricky was still convinced he was holding it upside-down, but as the one with amnesia her opinion was apparently untrustworthy and improbable.
She threw her head back and let out a growl. Blaze just continued on walking.
“Oh come on Blaze! Why the hay are we going to Filly Delphia anyway? Heeellloooo?? Oh great you're ignoring me. Why are you ignoring me? It's not like it's my fault that a crazy nutjob is chasing me, and now you as well. I can't help it!” Tricky thought she saw a murderous glare flash back at her.
“Can't you at least say something? I didn't choose this!” No answer.
“Blaze, I'm sorry i dragged you into this... I really am.” Still nothing. Not even another darling, which she normally just found a little weird. But right now, nothing would have made her happier than just that one familiar word.
For a moment a childish motivation took over. Tricky stopped dead on the forest path, Blaze wandered onward, oblivious to her absence. She watched him disappear into the thick forest.
A hollow regret welled up in her heart. The only one she had trusted was leaving.
Or am I leaving him?
She didn't know what to do, she was more lost than ever.
In her head, Ace's laugh echoed. Her regret changed into anger.
You won't get away, you son of a horse. I will find you, and when I do you'll be wishing you died as a foal. It's going to be biblical.
It's best for everypony. Best for Blaze, best for her... This was the only good this she could do. He can never know who I really am. It's better he remembers me like I was before, not like the mad serial-killer's nephew. She remembered those word's he'd said in the inn when he had told her about what had happened.
Never forgive...
All that she'd ever caused him was trouble and mischief. He could go to Filly Delphia, leave her, and live a normal life. He would forget about her. She would become that crazy mare he once met.
Without her, he could be happy. Like he'd been with Millie.
He deserves better, she bitterly thought and turned around. Behind her the path was dark and the vegetation dense. She stared into the forest, confidence and hope quickly faded away. Without hesitation, she put one hoof in front of the other, one step at a time. At every step her heart cracked a little more.
Blaze reappeared behind her, his cocking eyebrow almost slipped off his face.
“You coming?” Tricky looked back at him. A guilt was stamped across her features.
“No.” Blaze's jaw dropped, his face suddenly ashen.
“Wha-...Why?” Tricky bit her lip, eyes avoiding his wondering looks.
“Because you have the chance to be happy.” Blaze sighed, he sounded almost relieved. Tricky furrowed her eyebrows, a slight scowl spreading from ear to ear.
“What's that even supposed to mean Tricky?” An ice cold determination echoed in her voice when she answered:
“You are free. That's what I mean.” Blaze's face was like a question mark. “You don't understand how lucky you are, do you?”
She couldn't help snapping at him, the unfairness of this obscure new world fueling her hopelessness.
“You can go off, and do whatever you want. You can live a normal happy life, like ponies are supposed to. I can't. I have flee for the rest of my life from this Lunatic. I have to go find Ace. I have to figure out who the hay I am!” Her breathing came in ragged gasps. Blaze approached her, a smirk appeared on his face.
“Is that so, darling?” His newfound confidence intimidated Tricky. Her heart felt like a deflating balloon, but she held her head high, meeting his sneer.
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, guess what Tricky, you don't. But, what puzzles me the most, is your sudden interest in Ace. Why do you want to see him anyway? Hm?” Blaze's muzzle was only a few centimeters from Tricky's. Her legs started shaking, her terrified heart was beating so hard that even Blaze could hear it.
“I-...I remembered him the other day? You were there, it was pretty much the first thing that I could recall from before I lost my memory.”
“Really? And even after everything I told you about him you still have this need to go say hello?”
Tricky blinked. Shit.
Blaze moved forward, she closed her eyes, expecting a slap, but instead he gently whispered in her ear:
“You have a tell, Tricky. I know that you are lying.” The balloon in Tricky's chest exploded. He stepped away, Tricky felt herself collapse to the ground, unable to look into Blaze's fiery eyes.
No tears, just bitter regret. Blaze's hoof appeared under her chin, lifting her head up towards him. It would have been easier to gaze into the sun.
In her eyes Blaze could see how she was fighting tears. His expression softened, feeling sorry for her.
Tricky stared at the hoof that he offered her, not sure wether to take it or not, but in the end she placed her hoof in his. He flashed her a reassuring smile, and hugged her.
Tricky was so surprised that she froze in his arms. What is he doing? Unsure what to do she just stood there motionless, waiting for him to back off. When he finally did Tricky was staring at him, looking so confused that he started laughing.
“What, you've never been hugged before?”
“I don't know, really... Why aren't you mad?” Blaze smiled at her.
“How could I really? I was a little pissed before, I'll admit it, but you didn't ask for this. I'll help you in any way I can, because...” he stared into her eyes. “You're my friend, Tricky. Nothing will ever change that.” Tricky looked at him in disbelief, he sighed and sat down next to her.
“Life is too short to be scared. Nopony ever gets exactly what they expected. There aren't really any happy endings, we can't live forever. But...” She was hanging onto every word he said, desperately trying to understand. “... the goal of life isn't to live forever. It's to create something that will.” Blaze smiled, encouraging her. “Everything happens for a reason, maybe you forgot your past so that you could create a new one.”
“I know that everything has a reason, I just wish I knew what that reason really was...” Tricky sighed, crestfallen and hopeless. Blaze chuckled.
“Come on now, you're making me sentimental darling.” He stood up and smiled at her. She returned his smile, unsure what he actually meant.
The rest of the day they talked about Filly Delphia and all the other big cities in Equestria, Tricky had forgotten all about them. Blaze talked about Canterlot the most, the fantastic view and the morning sun, rising in the faraway horizon. He told her how he'd once visited Canterlot Castle and he could describe every corner of it in detail.
Encouraged by Tricky's interest he mauled on, oblivious to the thinning forest, only when Tricky interrupted him with a sudden Wow... he acknowledged his surroundings.
Far away in the distance, a great mountain rose over the rolling green plains, a huge shadow against the setting sun. In the distance, Canterlot glimmered like a star in the dark sky.
Tricky giggled at his astonishment.
“I told you it was upside-down.”