Lunatics

by GottaLovePinkiePie

City in the Sky-high Gutter

Flashes.

Dark room. Stone walls.

Red. Something red.

A forlorn whimper.

A metallic lamp swayed from side to side, the light blinked.

Eyes. Desperate green eyes.

Her hooves bashing, again and again, smashing into a face.

"P-please..."

Red. Red everywhere.

"Please... One last time. Just let me-"

A loud crack echoed through the room.

The body went limp under her.

Heavy, quickening breaths made the room blur.

Her own bloody hooves, right there in front of her.

Everything trembled.

A door opened, a golden unicorn stepped in. A pair of icy blue eyes mirrored in her own.

"Well, that wasn't so hard now... was it?"

Ace's face swam in and out of focus. The sneer burned into the back of her eyes.

The same snicker sounded in her head, pounding against her skull, filling her mind with wickedness.

I killed somepony...

I'm guilty.

In Ace's eyes she could see her own reflection. She could see the devilish smile on her bloody face.

---

The soft rocking of the train had long ago ensnared Tricky into its dark embrace. Streaks of sunlight danced over her cheeks, not one fluffy cloud could be seen in the clear sky. Fresh air swirled into the deserted car, filling it with a crisp scent of autumn.

Under the puffy benches the wheels thundered forward like a raging pack of buffalos on the prairies, a light fog sneared around the train but it was not enough to bury the warm colors of the fallen leaves. Red stained the forests through which the train dashed, golden leaves swirled after the train like birds. The sun scorched hilltops rolled past the windows, unseen by the snoring pegasus.

A sudden hoot broke her slumber, Tricky shuddred where she lay, the remnants of her dream still clinging on. The sound of the lumbering freight cars filled her ears and the daylight stung in her tired eyes. She sat up straight, sunlight still blinding her, and yawned.

That's when her stomach rumbled, the outstretched sound echoed against the walls. Tricky laughed, embarrased, she checked that she was alone in her car. Her stomach bitterly muttered, resulting a hoof pressed harly into her stomach, trying to hush the rumble.

Tricky rose to her hooves, surely there had to be something to eat in the train. The rocking cars swayed her balance, the train was heading up a slope. Tricky glanced out of a window. A valley stretched out before her, the sight knocked the air out of her lungs.

Limitless plains of dying grass stretched out, soft green waves rolled over the oceans of fiery forest. The trees of the Everfree forest were like splashes of paint on a dark canvas, the mountain-tops surrounding Ponyville were covered in a thin layer of snow, glistening like diamonds in sunlight. A river crawled through the countryside, the water gleamed. Faraway cities were scattered throughout the land, but the closest one, was Ponyville. The small houses looked like gingerbread houses from where Tricky was standing, small strands of smoke rose from the chimneys. Even from up there she could see the town hall, the clock tower and a farm she'd passed on her way back to the campsite.

Tricky's good mood faded slightly. Her thoughts wandered back to Blaze, in the hotel room, all by himself. Her first friend, abandoned to the mercy of the royal guards.

Tricky walked up to the open window and leaned out, her hooves dangled in rhythm with the trains movements. The scent of the fallen foliage filled her nostrils. She sighed and let her head rest on the window frame, gaze locked on Ponyville. Her heart felt like leap in her chest, oh how she missed him.

As the train thundered towards its destination, Ponyville slowly disappeared behind the mountains. The train traveled through the avenues of dying trees, the air outside became colder. Tricky gazed up, not even the sky was visible through the thick layer of branches and dying leaves. She trembled where she stood. The gloom of the forest brought her back to the Everfree forest, that first night she'd spent aimlessly wandering through the woods, chased by the monsters. The laugh echoed in her head, Tricky shrugged off her fear. She was far away from that forest now.

Not far enough.

The train made a sharp turn, and the forest opened up to a stunning landscape. Tricky instantly forgot all about the forest and Lunatics. Her breath got stuck in her throat, amazed, she stared at the endless beauty in front of her.

In the distance, great lakes reflected the warmth of the sun, their rippled surface shone in endless colors of blue. Tongues of land reached out into the lake, the tree's sunny colors mirrored in the sky blue waters. Then, out of the tranquil mirror rose monstrous limestone peaks. Trees crawled up it's steep sides, the peaks were bare but snow shone in the daylight like fallen stars. Beyond the mountains, a vast glacier lurked, waiting for winter's arrival.

Tricky leaned out of the window, her hindlegs barely stayed inside. The beauty of the world outside had erased all thoughts of revenge, Blaze and sadness. She could feel her heart cracking, but with appreciation and happiness. A wild sensation of freedom flew through her, an sudden urge was born in her. Her wings rose from her sides, ready for flight.

The sound of brakes roared inside the train, the cars crashed into each other and Tricky was thrown back onto the benches, her moment of freedom broke like a biscuit in milk. Her head hit the wall, stars danced before her eyes. From the front of the train the conductor was shouting:

"Canterlot! We have arrived to Canterlot. Next station stop, Van Hoover!" Tricky massaged her throbbing head.

Canterlot?

---

Spotless white buildings lined the streets, ivory towers with golden spires shone in the sunlight like newborn phoenixes. Crawling rivers and waterfalls streamed through the streets, ending in waterfalls crashing on rocks like the heartbeat of the world. Sophisticated looking ponies trotted through the streets, muzzles pointed upwards, as if something quite improper was going on down on the ground.

Tricky walked, head held low, maybe in hopes of not being noticed by the high-society unicorns. She stayed in the shadows and ran whenever a guard appeared. What was she going to do? Go back to Ponyville? No, the guards would be expecting that. But what other options did she have? She had just walked straight into the guard's beehive. She should just get out as soon as possible and never come back.

The streets got darker and darker, the buildings closed in on her and obscure shop-owners stared after her as she passed. For the first time she dared to raise her head. No guards, no judging high society ponies. Nopony roamed these murky backstreets.

The roofs cast long shadows over the dirty alleys, the shops were replaced by trash bins and dark alleys winding like a spiderweb between the houses. The little sky that was visible from between the houses had turned into a lifeless grey mass of storm clouds invading the peaceful afternoon sunlight. A few lonely raindrops crashed to the ground, shattering like glass on the ground. The gutters were flooding with water mixed with dirt, Tricky's mane fell over her eyes, water dripping from the tips. She aimlessly trotted forward, bitterness pushing away the nagging hunger.

The street twisted and Tricky now found herself at a crossroad. To her left, Canterlot castle loomed in the distance, the warm shimmer of gas lamps lit up the broadening alleys. To her right, the streets ended abruptly at a cliff. A lone statue stood in the rain, guarding the sleeping valley. The street in front of her kept winding forward, continuing into the darkness.

Tricky's shoulders fell, a long sigh escaped her lips. Crossroads of her life.

Right, freedom. She could fly away, live in exile, maybe find Blaze.

Left, the guards. She could give herself in. The look on that guard's face... he would be so full of himself. She was a murderer. He was a hero.

In front of her, procrastination. Delay of the inevitable.

...

...

...

Right it is.

Her hooves thumped against the cobblestones, the sound calmed her nerves even though a riotous part of her still longed to the left. The street opened up to a broad balcony, the statue of the unicorn cast a long shadow over the pegasus. Water flowed down the sides of the marble unicorn, its stone face was forever etched in a look of courteousness. A name plaque under the statue read:

Here lies blood, and let it lie

Speechless still, and never cry.

-In loving memory of Fancy Pants

An image flashed before her eyes, the dimly lit room, Ace sitting at the end of the table playing solitaire.

"... No need to kill Fancy Pants..." She snapped back into reality.

The drizzle fogged around her, the setting made her heart heavy with sadness. Another victim. The statue's eyes were looking down on her, a look of acceptance and interest shining through the stone. Tricky was mesmerized by the statue, it reminded her of someone... Who?

A sob broke her chain of thought. Behind the statue a figure sat under a willow tree, every sob made his body shake in despair. Tricky cautiously approached the sobbing stallion, curiosity taking over her better judgement. She crept forward, trying to pass unnoticed, but as soon as she got close the stallion lifted his head to the newcomer.

Tricky stopped dead where she stood. The two ponies stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You."

"What are you doing here?"

Blaze stood up from the bench, eyes swollen from all the crying. Tricky stared at him, confusion and doubt corrupting her heart. Blaze approached her, a hoof stretched out, but she backed away.

"What are you doing here, Blaze?" Blaze took a deep breath, his eyes twitched from side to side.

"Umm, well you see... Huh, that's actually kind of a funny story..." he smiled awkwardly at her.

"HOW... are you here Blaze? How could you have gotten here before me? Why are you here?" Tricky backed further away from him, Blaze opened and closed his mouth over and over again, the words failed him.

"Oh... you know, teleportation." Blaze swallowed. He nonchalantly leaned on the statue's pedestral. "I'm just visiting..." he nodded towards the statue and took a deep breath. His eyes twitched to a place somewhere behind Tricky.

"... Visiting who?" She looked up at the statue. "Oh, was he...?" Blaze nodded, eyes watering. Tricky looked up at the statue again.

"Oh I'm sorry Blaze I just..." She furrowed her eyebrows, Blaze was biting his lips, a single tear flowed down his cheek. "Blaze?" Blaze's face twisted into a grimace, he shook his head and his shoulders trembled in sobs. An uneasy feeling washed over Tricky, something was not quite right.

"I-I... I'm soo s-sorry... I... I just wanted to see her again."

"See who Blaze?"

"... I'm sorry, he-he said he'd kill her."

"Who said? Blaze what's going on?" Tricky grabbed his shoulders, seeking eye contact but Blaze pulled away.

"I'm so sorry Tricky... P-please forgive me darling?" A tickling feeling ran across her spine, Tricky stepped away from Blaze.

"Blaze... What did you do?" Blaze looked at her, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. His eyes moved to something behind her, a look of fear and remorse stamped cross his face.

Tricky turned around, just in time to see the large piece of wood smashing into her face. The blow sent her flying down into the mud, stars swam in and out of her eyesight. Somewhere near her Blaze screamed in protest, Tricky tried to focus, but every time she blinked everything around her darkened. Desperately she held on to consciousness. Voices echoed in her ears.

Mine...

Mine...

Take her...

Let us live...

We want it...

Take her...

Take it from her...

Mine...

Tricky's body went limp, a long shadow walked up to her.

"Take them away." A heartbroken scream echoed, Blaze unavailingly fought his captors as he wept. He watched as his friend was heedlessly shoved into a bag. Together, the curious group disappeared into the sinister alleys of Canterlot.

Author's Note:

A million thanks for the awesome art by Zorn, Can't thank you enough ^^

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story so far :D