Flapping my wings harder I push ahead of Crossback, once more gaining the lead. I don't know how long we've been flying but by the looks of it, he isn’t even close to tired!
Looking back I see he's gaining on me, again. Pumping my wings I try to push ahead but now he's right beside me. After exchanging a quick glance with each other we both nod and flap our wings harder, each of us trying to get in the lead again.
Ponyville is now in the distance, and its coming in fast. "Blaze did you think of how we're going to stop?" Crossback yelled to me.
"Uhm…. Nope!" I yelled back, laughing and slightly crying a bit, because I know this will probably hurt if we mess it up. "I have an idea though, and we don't have time to debate!"
"What is it?"
"Fold in your wings and dig your hooves into the ground, they'll be our anchor! And whoever arrives the closest is the winner!" Hopefully the logic of Equestria will kick in…
"That's insane! But let's do it!"
“He’s a little too anxious to do this… please don’t let this turn out bad!”
Ponyville's gates are getting closer, not much time left. We both fly close to the ground and fold in our wings, hitting the ground with a loud 'Boom' we begin to slide, as I hoped would happen our hooves have started to slow us down gradually.
The ground at our hooves was being torn up, and mine was beginning to spark, "You know we're going to have to fix this right?!" Crossback shouted at me.
Smiling I turn to him and shout back, "You, Twilight, Night, and Fortune can fix it with your magic!" at the mention of the word 'magic' Crossback's mouth drops and his eyes widen, "What?" I yell, confused.
"I could've used my magic to just teleport us inside!"
"But would it have slowed us down?!" I shouted, thinking for a moment he looks away and shouts back, "Nope!"
Shaking my head I look in front of me, the library is only about 40 yards away, and we've slowed down enough that we should make it right in front of the doo-
"Ow..." I whisper to myself as I come to a stop and my face slams into the ground, leaving my flank hanging in the air.
Lifting my head I look over to Crossback, he's on his back and his eyes are closed, "Owchies…" I heard him groan. Quickly fixing myself I get back on all fours and brush myself off. "Hey Crossback you alright?"
"Yep… just let me get up…" he says, as he rolls over and lifts himself up, brushing off his mane, tail, and cloak.
Looking ahead I see that the library is only about 20 yards away, "a short sprinting distance… and we never did get to see who won…" turning to my side I see Crossback is looking at the library also, he slowly turns towards me and grins. I take in a deep breath, "Go!" I charge forward, hoping I would be the faster of us while sprinting.
"Oh no you don't!" Crossback shouts, closing in on my side. The library is only a good 10 yards away now. Ignoring the pain in my hooves I speed ahead for a brief second and just as I'm about to reach the door, I trip and somehow Crossback trips in the process and we end up sliding and rolling towards the door, "Hurts a lot more when its your chest instead of your hooves…"
After coughing a little I open my eyes and realize my hooves are right at the door, meaning I’ve won! "I beat you!" I shouted at Crossback, who's hooves were also at the door, but touched at a later time in my opinion.
"Don't fool yourself I beat you!" Crossback shouted at me, getting up quickly I put Crossback in a hold,
"Don't kid yourself!" he quickly flips me out of and puts me in one of his own,
"You already know I beat you!"
Quickly breaking out of the hold I put my leg around Crossback's neck, "This says otherwise!"
"I'm gonna give him a wet willy! I haven't done that since I was a kid!"
"That requires fingers…"
"Then I'll do this!" putting my hoof onto Crossback's head I gave him an old-fashioned nuggie. He was trying to break out of it but there was no way I was going to let him go, this was way too much fun!
While I was administering the nuggie the door opened and some light hit me in the eye, making me realize how bucking dark it is. After my eyes adjust for a moment I see Fortune was standing at the door with a big smile plastered on his face.
Letting Crossback go I smile back and say, "Hey there Fortune, we're back."
"I can see that. It’s good to have you back to your... semi-old self Blaze."
"Agreed." I chuckled, Crossback then hoofed me in the gut. "Oof!" I coughed out, falling to the ground I hold my side "Dash couldn't have prepared me for this at all!"
"I think that's what you get for giving him a nuggie." Fortune said through his laughter. "Come on in guys. We've been waiting for you to get back."
Crossback helped me up and brought me inside, closing the door after us with his magic.
Everypony in the room just sat there and started at us, well more precisely, me! "Uh oh…" I whispered, pushing Crossback off me.
"What was that for?" Crossback said, shocked at how I just tried to save him.
"Did you want to be caught in what's about to happen?" I gulped, pointing to the girls, who were all charging towards me. Bracing for the impact I close my eyes.
But it never came… “Usually a glomp would have come by now…” i mumbled, opening my right eye and look at all of them, noticing the big grins on their faces, and the holy cow grin on Pinkie’s face.
"Trolls.. they exist everywhere…." I let out a heavy sigh, "Hey there girls."
"Blaze?" I head a familiar filly's voice say from behind the group. Moving past them I see an orange filly with a dark magenta mane and tail, with big light purple eyes. She trots up in front of me and smiles softly.
"Hey Scoots… I'm glad to see you're all right..." Seeing her slowly brings back the images of when Gieremund took her, quickly pushing those images out of my head I pick her up and hold her close, fighting the tears that want to come out. I feel her hooves wrap around my neck as she whispers "Thank you… for saving me."
Pulling back I give her a light kiss on the forehead and tousle her mane, "Anytime Scoots…" Turning my head back around I say, "hey Fortune?"
"Yeah?" Fortune replied, cocking his head to the side.
"Dash… is still asleep right?"
"Yeah… she’s in Twilight's room… but she should've woken up by now."
"I see… I’ll try and get her up… if I'm not back in 3 minutes… call for help." I say jokingly.
"Okey dokie lokie!" Pinkie says, saluting me then taking out a suitcase then taking a grandfather clock out and paying close attention to the time.
"Where did she... nevermind." I say, chalking it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. I start moving towards Twilight's room, as I turn the corner I can hear quick breathing and an occasional groan coming from who I assume is Dashie. Continuing on I see her laying in Twilight's bed, but… shes squirming around a lot and I can see sweat forming on her forehead. "She must be having a nightmare… all because of me…"
"It's not your fault, if you hadn't told Fortune to put her under a sleep spell she would've chased after you and gotten hurt...
At any rate she's just dreaming about the worst possible scenarios."
"I… I guess you're right…" shaking her a little I whisper softly, "Dashie… Wake up."
"N-no…" is her reply, shaking my head I look back at her and shake her again, hoping to wake her up.
"Dashie… Come on and wake up so I can see your beautiful eyes."
"No... Blaze…"
"I swear… she knows I'm here and is doing this on purpose..." I mumble and turn around, I'm about to get Fortune to wake her up when a thought crosses my mind. "Oh hey! I have an idea." Turning back around I look at her and feel a grin slowly forming on my face as I trot over to her bed and put my mouth near her ear. "Hey Dashie Spitfire's here to tell you you're now a member of the Wonderbolts." Quickly moving away I brace for what’s about to come.
"Spitfire?! I'm ready to join the Wonderbolts! I mean what took ya so long to come get me?" Dashie says as she sits up and starts effortlessly doing wing-pushups.
Chuckling a little I wait for her to notice me.
"B-Blaze!?" she says as she practically tackles me into the wall and starts crying onto my chest. Gently stroking her mane I say, "Hey you…" Lifting her head off my chest I wipe away her tears and give her a light kiss on the lips.
Pulling back I give her a big smile. Which is rewarded with a heavy hoof to the gut, in the same place Crossback hit me, then to the face, and I fall to the ground. "Ok… so you are mad?! Why was I not warned of the female mood swings!" I choke out, NONE of her previous hits could've prepared me for this. "I can understand the gut punch... but was the uppercut necessary?!"
"Buck yes I'm mad! First you come back looking like… that! Then you put on a cheesy smile? You deserved to be hit." She shouts then exhales hard, I can practically see the steam coming out of her nose… "You had me so worried… didn't you tell me you wouldn't make me worried about you anymore?!"
"I'm really sorry Dashie… but look on the bright side… " I said, chuckling a little which was interrupted by a few coughs.
"Which is?" she says, giving me a questioning look.
"Don't say it dude."
"I am the bright side!" I smirked and stood proudly on two hooves.
"…you never change…" she said, flying through the door and out of my sight.
"I think it’d be a bad thing for me to change too much… oh, and I’ll catch up after I find my air." I said, chuckling and coughing again.
________________________________________
Dash's POV
"I'm glad that he's safe… and even though that new… form of his looks really cool… I'm scared at what may happen if it comes back again." A flashback to my dream invades my mind, putting my hooves to my head and shaking the images out of my mind I silently tell myself, "It was only a dream… it was only a dream…"
Lowering my hooves I let out a sigh and straighten my face, "can't let them see me like this can I?" I whisper to myself.
Moving further down the hall I come to the library section of Twilight's house. "Hey guys, what's up?" I say, getting the attention of everypony in the room.
They all let out a sigh of relief "Glad to see you're ok. We were beginning to worry." Rarity said.
"No need to worry about me." I say, waving my hoof. “I am the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria afterall.”
A loud gong sound then comes from the clock Pinkie was sitting in front of. Then as quickly as it came it shuts off and Pinkie says "Welp. I'm going to go get Nurse Redheart."
"And why is that?" AJ spoke up, after taking her hooves from her head.
"Don't you remember what Blaze said? 'If I'm not back in 3 minutes go get help.' And it’s been 3 minutes and he's not out yet." Pinkie said, turning around and trotting out the door.
"I… may have hit him a little... hard after he lied to me…" I said, giggling.
"What did he lie to you about?" Twilight said, obviously curious.
"uhm… I'm going to check on Blaze." I said, dodging the question and flying back into Twilight's room. Blaze is on the bed now and he has his hooves crossed and a flower is between them. When I fly into the room he opens his eye and quickly shuts it.
Face-hoofing I fly over to the bed and play along, "Oh no! Blaze! Whatever has happened to you?" my acting skills have improved since I've had to deal with Blaze everyday.
"I'm dead because of those hits you hit me with…" Blaze replied.
"Then why are you talking?"
No response, "It's a little late to not answer." I said after a few seconds of silence.
Still no response, "What if I told you… that somewhere... somehow... a duck is watching you..." when you live with Blaze you learn to make absolutely no sense, it's the only way to talk to him.
"DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT!" Blaze shouted after jumping out of bed and staring me in the eyes.
"You give in too easily…" I said, shaking my head at him.
"Oop." He quickly put his hoof over his mouth.
"Well now that you're done messing around lets go and tell everypony." I said as I turned around and walked towards the main room.
"Fine… by the way, did Pinkie leave?" Blaze said after following me.
"Yeah… how'd you know?"
"Heard the gong." He chuckled.
"Oh yeah…"
We get in the main room and everyone looks in our direction. "What's up with all the looks?" I say, confused.
"Hold on. Let me time this." Blaze says, after sitting on his flank.
"Time wha-" I try to say but Blaze interrupts me and shouts "Now!"
Pinkie then enters with a confused and tired looking Nurse Redheart behind her, "Ok then Mrs. Pinkie I followed you because of the tracks outside leading here... so where exactly is Blaze?"
"Right here." Blaze says, turning around I see he's on his back again holding a flower, causing everypony to hold in their laughter and me to shake my head.
"Oh for the love of…" Nurse Redheart says, face-hoofing.
"Oh no! We need medical attention STAT!" Pinkie yells, shaking Nurse Redheart.
"It's ok Pinkie, I've had my fun. Thanks though." Blaze chuckles, opening his eyes he eats the flower and stands up.
"Blaze! You're ok!" Pinkie runs behind me and gives Blaze a 'Pinkie' hug.
"On second thought… a doctor… sounds lovely… right now!" he says between each breath, I guess Pinkie was squeezing the life out of him.
"Oops hehe sorry!" Pinkie giggles, letting Blaze go. While Blaze is getting back his air everypony starts laughing, even Nurse Redheart.
"He's always been that kinda guy… he's kind of like a male Pinkie Pie… no matter what the situation is you can count on him to get through it and make everypony laugh in the end… guess that's why I fell in love with him… well that and he's a pretty fast and cool colt... I guess I was just worrying too much with that dream I had... but it felt so real..."
________________________________________
Blaze's POV
"Aren't you going to tell them what Celestia said?"
"You know to be honest I had completely forgotten about that."
Getting everypony's attention I say, "Ehem! Ok… well now that I can breathe, I can tell you all what Celestia said."
Slowly they all stop laughing and listen to me, Nurse Redheart then smiles, nods her head and turns around, preparing to walk out. "Hold on there Nurse. You need to hear this as well, just in case I end up in the hospital again, you’ll know how to handle it, cause water will not work on me." i chuckled
"Oh… ok." She says, simply turning around and walking back towards the group.
"Ok then, everypony take a seat… this may take a while."
I began to tell them what Celestia told me, about the Ardourian Veil and how to control it and where it came from. Then I tell them more about Slipstream, how he somehow got into my thoughts and transferred his powers to me after he used me as a... catalyst, for his escape. "So Crossback did I leave anything out?"
"Not that I can think of." He replies.
"All right then. There you all have it, I've basically got the powers of a dragon." I say, pleased with my explanation.
"Blaze, would you mind… uhm… putting on the Veil? I'd like to see it when I'm not terrified." Twilight says. She always was the one pony who loved taking notes.
"All right, but if you take notes I'm burning the paper." I say, half-serious. Extending and flapping my wings I get into the air and hover while I 'prepare' my transformation.
Closing my eyes I try to think of all the things that make me angry, memories or people, but forcing all the painful memories out was pretty tough work, I thought I had some when I was a on Earth but… looks like that wasn't totally true. "Think of how Gieremund took Scoots and tried to kill Rarity. It may be painful, but it'll do the trick."
"Wow, you've been really helpful."
"Should I have thrown in the occasional curse word and put-down in there?"
"No no… I like it better like this."
"Damn right you do."
Concentrating I remember back to when Gieremund had Scoots in his grasp… almost about to choke her to death… my breathing was beginning to slow… I could feel my body heating up… and I could almost feel my rage slowly build up... "Don't let it control you."
Opening my eyes I look at my hooves… "they're on fire... so it worked." Looking at the ponies in front of me I see that everypony except Crossback have their mouths open in awe. "Anypony got a mirror? Never exactly got a good look at myself." My voice sounded like I should be commanding the Royal Guards in Canterlot… guess no matter what I couldn't stop that.
Snapping out of her trance Rarity levitates a full body mirror out of nowhere and puts it in front of me. "Hey… I look pretty cool." My coat is a mildly bright red, and along with my tail, my mane is black and dark red with a slight glint of orange. My eyes are pitch black… and my cutie mark is a black and red fire… well, bonfire to be more exact. The mirror then disappeared, as quickly as it came.
"Yeah you look cool until you lose control." I heard Night mumble.
"Yeah but I won't lose control anymore Night, I can control this… well the transformation, not the whole fire thing, but I'll learn how to."
"Hey everypony! I'm not sure I could call this a… Vague Blaze!" Pinkie shouted, bursting into laughter.
"Oh man that was horrible Pinkie…." I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore…. "And yet I can't help but laugh!"
I laughed and giggled for a good five seconds before everypony joined in. We would've stopped laughing but Pinkie just kept repeating it over and over until it was overplayed.
"Ok then Blaze, let's go home... I think we could all use a good night's rest." Dashie said, after.
"Agreed. Let me just take this off." I had to think of something calming… something that makes me happy… So, I thought about how happy Scoots was when she figured out that she was flying…
I felt my body cool slowly, so I looked at my left hoof… I was back to normal…
Looking up I see everypony's staring at me again, "What is it this time?" I ask with a heavy sigh.
The same mirror is then put in front of me and I scan over my body, "Yes I'm very sexy but besides that I don't really see what you're all looking at…" I sigh, unable to find anything. Checking out my mane I see what they're all looking at… it never switched back.