Blaze

by Blazing_Mane01

Chapter 5.) The Feather-Works Show

The flames of vengeance burned brightly within me, so much so that it was driving me insane. I grabbed a big boulder with my magic and lifted it over the body I call my own. I was whispering my final words when I heard some rustling in the woods behind me.

"Who's there!?"

My anger has escaped my mouth and forced toward somepony else. The trees shook a little as a shadow walked among their umbrella-shaped heads. Once it made its way into the moonlight, its lavender shade materialized.

"Sorry, Blaze. I was too worried. I was thinking maybe you had gotten cold or something, sleeping directly in Princess Luna's handiwork."

"Oh, well, uhh... Thanks. Sorry I shouted. My mind isn't really going through the most... 'appropriate' thoughts."

Twilight was quick to forgive me. As she walked up to my left, I tossed the boulder to my right. Shorlty after I fixed my vision back on her, she had sat down next to me. "I understand... It's not easy coping with that kind of stuff. About 2 years ago, I almost lost my brother to a changeling attack."

This is news. "Changelings?"

"Oh, it's these stupid little zombie-looking ponies who feed off love and all that happy stuff."

Zombies? Her brother? I could feel something horrible coming up. "Okay, but you didn't lose ANYPONY!! I don't even have an acquaintance from my village! My family - all of them - dead!"

Twilight quickly doubled over. "Whoa!"

"What makes you think nearly losing your brother is ANY comparison to what I've gone through!?"

"I know I know! I-It's just that --"

"JUST SHUT UP!!!" I can't believe my lips just formed those words. My anger is for that shadow, not Twilight. I quickly try to bury my frustration as she stumbles away from me. "No... Sorry, I shouldn't've said that. Please don't be scared."

She regains her hooves' former claim on the ground and responds, "No no, I'm sorry. I should've thought about that before I said anything..."

My eyes went from burning flames to trickling water at the sound of her apology. Out of the corner of my eye, I can make out a blush on her cheeks. I slowly walk back to where I was sitting previously and again sit down and face the lake. Twilight followed. For a short moment, it was silent, but eventually Twilight asked, "You weren't going to do... what I thought you were going to do with that boulder, were you?"

"... I'm afraid I was."

"No!" Two hooves linked around my neck faster than I could process. "You can't die!"

Cut short of breath, I asked, "Twilight? Wha --"

"Not yet! We... We still want to help you!"

Something about the way she said that seemed familiar to me. It's almost as if I heard that same voice before say something similar...

Twelve years ago.

"Ivory?"

Twilight lifted her head with a look on her face. "What did you say?"

"Uhh...? Oh, it's nothing... You reminded me of Faded Ivory."

"Oh... Well, uhh, okay..." She placed her cheek on my neck once more, but I could tell she had a little bit of concern in her expression.

"Don't worry about it," I say. The muscles in my left foreleg find their way around Twilight without my command. I felt the color flow through her cheeks again as she lays one against my neck and sighs. "It's alright."

I look down in the reflection. My figure clearly shows a comfortable Twilight Sparkle, but I can't stop thinking it's Faded Ivory. Her face. Her face resembles Ivory in almost every nook and cranny. A couple minutes pass, and I slowly feel the urge to share a little more about what I remember.

"Hey, wanna know how I got my cutie mark?"

"Sure," Twilight says without moving a muscle.

"Heh," I say, and bring a smile with it. "My cutie mark is a majestic silver feather, shining with magic, burning with intensity. Seriously. It's a burning magic feather. The day I got this, the village was holding its annual Feather-Work Show to celebrate the village's beginning..."

I was the one responsible to infuse the feathers with magic so that at a certain point, they would explode with beautiful lights and designs. The crowd always have loved my amazing fire art.

However, somehow, I infused magic into a feather that was still attached to the airdroper. Yeah... That didn't turn out well. The pony got away from any serious damages, and managed to leave the accident with only a couple blisters and some missing hair. But at that point, he had already been KO'd and we needed another airdroper. Feeling bad about my mistake, I stepped forth.

So I was now in charge with duties "Pyro Artist" and "Airdroper." These two jobs required me to fly 300 feet above the village while setting and throwing feather-works. It demanded a CRAZY amount of focus and skill to circle around in the air, while infusing feathers with my pyrotechnics, WHILE dodging the ones I throw!

Well, one of those times, I missed that last step...

I woke up in the woods that night, with a migrane straight out of Hell. I was famished, so I fixed up a sloppy sandwich of dead grass, leaves, and some bird feathers. It was really satisfying...

Until I imploded.

I stood there, throwing up fire for a few seconds. I just ate one of my feather-works! My entire body was being punished with this insane amount of heat. I could feel it everywhere; I even threw up a couple flames! I realized then that there was a fire inside me! My eyes glew bright red, my mane and tail ignited, and my light brown fur irradiated a blinding illumination. Then all of a sudden, it stopped. Everything just stopped. My body was now glowing with this new energy, and I felt better than I had ever before. Of course, my guts were scorched, but you know... Once the fire settled down, that energy took its outer appearance as my cutie mark.

The last thing I remember from that dawn was Faded Ivory running for me. But, I was on the brink of fainting by then, and it was all blur until I did.

"It was kind of funny, how in essence the same thing happened to both airdropers because of my foolishness," I ended my flashback. Twilight is once again speechless, as she opened her mouth but no audible noise would come out. Her eyes had grown a little as she processed my story.

"... ... Wow!" her lips finally formed. "So you actually have your cutie mark based on your rare combination of the wings and horn!"

"Heheh. If you wanna look at it that way, then sure."

"That's so amazing! So your special attribute as a pony revolves around your abilities! Not just with the feather-works, but as an... An..." I guess she couldn't think of a good name for a pony with both features. I can't blame her; my village tried for years. "...Anyway, the only other ponies I know that have wings and horns are Princesses Celestia and Luna, their niece Cadenza, and the Queen Changeling! Do you have some connection with royalty!?"

"I don't know. I don't remember. Sorry."

Twilight dropped her ears and smile to my answer. She got her hooves off from my neck and assumed a comfortable sitting position facing the water. I could tell she had something on her mind. I confirm this when I start to lift my hoof away when she snaps:

"No, wait!"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Please, stay here."

She looked like she was going to die if I wandered too far away. My mind thinks of a similar moment almost instantaneously:

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

Slowly, my hoof again finds its resting location around Twilight Sparkle. I sit there and stare off into the trees as the moon glistens on our manes. Her reaction is a half-sigh, half-yawn, as we are up VERY late, maybe 3:00 in the morning. She succumbs to drowsiness sooner than I do. As she sleeps, I simply observe her as she breathes, how she turns.

How she smiles.

The way Faded Ivory did.

Comments

[Blazing_Mane01]

What the... 10 VIEWS!!?? I've got more people reading my story than they comment! Please comment!

[Blazing_Mane01]

1162431 Are you still reading my story? I have over 10 views on the newest chapter (5) alone.

[Still Breeze]

Ha... Light brown, there we go...

No! THIS is my favourite chapter! I like the shipping, though it is a little broad to say the least, but the way he speaks about the similarities with Twilight and Ivory is very nice.

And now I feel bad, because there is only one chapter left...