Blaze

by Blazing_Mane01

Chapter 18.) What Friendship Can And Can't Be

After a short moment, I backed away from Twilight. I needed to get started searching for Ivory, just in case she really did had a time bomb ticking away at her life. I sighed, partially out of exhaustion, the other half due to the large landmass we have to cover...

"Everypony... I'm sorry I had to drag you all into this..." I dropped my ears, feeling guilty perhaps that I've not returned their favors, and knowing possibly that being royalty I may never get the chance later.

"Blaze," Rainbow Dash was the first to reply, "why are you making such a big deal out of it? We told you we were gonna help you, and that's what we're doing!"

Twilight was next, "Hey, what are friends for?"

Hearing that only makes me lower my head further. "Yeah, but you have to agree; there are things that simple friendship can and can't do. I fear I won't be able to repay you."

"Oh, c'mon, Blaze," AppleJack stepped up, "We weren't worried bout you repayin' us. Otherwise, we probly wouldn'ta bothered ta follow you when you left for your village. We don't expect nothin'."

"Yeah! What she said!" Rainbow spoke again.

"The way I see it, Blaze," Twilight continued, "right now I'm helping you for three reasons. One is the fact that you had nothing before you met us; two is because you're in the royal blood line; and three..." she faded out before she finished. She had also dropped her smile and turned slightly to the left, away from the other six ponies. I've heard this before...

"But I don't have you, Blaze. Not truly. Not the way... I want..."

"Twilight!" I said, slightly louder than I intended to.

She makes eye contact with me again, pupils unnoticably shrunken. "Yes, Blaze?"

I give her a serious look. "Finish."

She blushed. "Because... Because you're a good friend!"

I immediately return a sinister smile. Yeah, and she said she wasn't very good at keeping secrets... and she isn't. "Thank you."

But Rarity picked up on the shy romance. "Ooh, I see how it is, Twilight! Feeling a little tongue-tied around our little Blaze here?"

Twilight tried her best to brush off, but to no avail. "No! Rarity, stop it!"

"It's okay, Twilight... You're not the only victim of love, dear. You don't have to be such a drama queen... because that's my job! Trust me, it's easier in the long run to just admit it before you stop seeing him."

"Rarity, please knock it off --"

"Hey, ladies!" I make them brake up, because we still have work to do. "We gotta start searching for Ivory now! Every second we waste could be another second that she's suffering through!"

"Yes, sir!" Twilight snapped back into her cheery tone.

"Okay." I nod. I then turn my attention to the princess, who so patiently observed us. "Princess, do you remember where Ivory was at when the elder attacked?"

She gazed to the left, then to the right. "I can't find it from here, but maybe we can check her reserved house in the eastern part of the city. Or rather, where it would be..."

"The East..." I follow her eyes with mine.

"Let's go," Celestia continued, flapping her wings once. Within a second, she was already at full gallop and 'in front' of the other six ponies, beginning to get a head start before I got into full speed myself. Everypony needed to register the sudden event before they followed.

Finally on the look for Faded Ivory, several thoughts are reeling through my mind. Where is she? How is she? Is she even alive? Will she remember me? Intolerable anxiety tears away at my heart. Keeping a steady pace with the princess, I glance back to find my friends also at full speed; five of them are back several meters, one of them keeping up with us on her wings. Feeling guilty further about not repaying them, I quickly exhale and refocus in front of me. I told myself I'd be able to indirectly help them out later... somehow...

Suddenly, Celestia stops. Unprepared, I slide across the cobblestone into a boulder of rubble about half my size, trip over it, and slam my face into a half-still-standing building. Now, you'd expect me to stop when I hit the wall, right? Nope. The wall went with me, and I continued into a main room of the structure.

But my landing on the ground didn't hurt all that much. Maybe it was because I landed on something soft?

"AHH!! THE MONSTER'S BACK!!"

The high-pitched voice was right next to my ear, so I instantly jumped back in my dizziness. Then once I put two and two together, I knew I landed on another pony! I attempt to focus on the scared Equestrian, but for some reason I can't.

"Wait... Do I know you?"

I tilt my head. I still can't see straight, but her voice seemed familiar.

"Where have I seen you before?"

I clear my throat. "Uhh, I don't know. I can't see you."

"Oh, hang on," the pony went in the back of the room, grabbed what I assumed to be a towel or rag, and returned and wiped my face. The amount of force she put into it made me snicker, and I made several different facial gestures in the process. If I can get her to laugh, I'll know if she's Ivory or not.

And as I expected, she began to giggle. The pitch was slightly lower, but it's her. I found her.

"Ivory!"

"What? What do you want?"

I grabbed the towel and dropped it on the floor. "Ivory, it's me! It's Blaze!"

"Oh, you mean the lost heir to the throne? Don't make me laugh, dear. Everypony in Canterlot knows he died a long time ago."

I gasp. Somehow, Faded Ivory also lived a lie. One different than mine.

"No, Ivory! It really is me!!"

She just looked at me, confused.

I couldn't believe it. Everything was only now falling together and making sense. We were BOTH lied to. Our lives in our prime never existed. We were kept separated, most likely by the elder, and he manipulated our minds further so we thought our lives fell apart. The emotions between us were never real. Faded Ivory never said those thirteen words that drove the majority of my search.

I step back, while I process it all in my mind. The truth. I know I've been lied to, but Celestia may not have healed her yet, or maybe the elder got to her a second time. With this new information, I sew together the ripped strands of my version of the lie:

First of all, to the best of my knowledge the village was real, because I went back to the ruins. Everything that happened there must've been real, except for what involved Ivory, which in my case was pretty much each day.

Then I remember; Princess Celestia hadn't used her heal spell on me at that point. So that means EVERYTHING that happened there... might not have. But if that's true, then where was I all my life? Where did I grow up? Better yet, who the hell am I? Am I Blaze? Am I really Luna's son? I have to be, right? Because that was what I saw during the heal spell...

The more I think about it, the more I notice more and more of my past has been really fucked up. This whole week so far could've been all just a ploy. All this time I've spent with the doctors, the town of Ponyville, the Element Bearers - Was it really fake? Braking my wing? That night with Twilight? Helping with the party? Bumping into Rarity? Going back to the village? Meeting the elder again? Exploding at the train station? Did any of that really happen!?

It had to have, because Celestia and I were in the exact same spot when I learned the truth. Damn it! I can't make sense of it still! Why did the elder have to make it so complicated!?

Then it hit me. What if the elder was also lied to? What if there's a bigger force at work here than I realize? What if the elder was only a pawn of a more monstrous plan?

If so, then we're in some deep shit.

Comments

[Blazing_Mane01]

so what'd you think, still breeze?

[Still Breeze]

Lol, I'm confused!

[Blazing_Mane01]

Ehh, so is Blaze, bro. I'll make it work out, though.

[bronys unite]

I understand everything

[Blazing_Mane01]

1484341 uh-huh.

[bronys unite]

Im being serious its only your basic its part of a bigger picture and your not close twist am I the only one who saw this happening jesus.

[Quagga]

Woah. Trippy stuff.
Blaze's life was really rough.

.....
Or was that fake too? Ha!

[Blazing_Mane01]

1489671 Whatever you say bro. Not doubting you now.

1490169 To be honest I could do a lot more, but I'm not sure; cancelling everything out? Ehh, I have my doubts.