Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Does Bruno Is Screwed?

A battered, bruised body stumbled through the revolving door at the front of the building. Shuffling hooves clattered loudly against the immaculate white tile floor.

A group of uniformed employees looked up from the desk where they were seated beside the security gate. As their expressions twitched, the wandering bodies of mares and stallions in business suits came to a stunned stop, nearly dropping their suitcases. All eyes were locked on the figure limping towards the center of the lobby.

"Uhhhhhhh..." One security officer stood up, straightening his hat and collar. "Yeah, no."

"Let me through," Bruno grunted, brushing at a smudge of dried blood across his chin. "I gotta see the boss."

"You gotta see your way outside the door," the officer retorted, gesturing back the way the thug came in. "You don't have to see nopony—"

"Like Tartarus I don't."

"Sir—"

Bruno galloped towards the security gate.

"Sir!" The officer and two others rushed to intervene. They stopped Bruno in his tracks, pressing a hoof to his chest. "Maybe you don't understand Equestrian Basic, so how about I put this simply." He frowned in Bruno's face. "Get lost, you bum."

"Damned slave wage mule!" Bruno hissed, summoning gasps from the various workers frozen in the background. "Do you have any earthly idea who I am?! Do you have any idea I mean to this damned company?!" He pointed at the elevator doors past the security gate. "Unless you let me upstairs to see the boss right this second, things are gonna start imploding and you shall be the first dingleberry to get squashed against the toilet seat!"

"How very poetic," the security guard slurred with a nod. He forcefully spun Bruno around with the help of his companions. "Now how about going right outside and practicing that speech with the gutter rats. I'm sure they miss you."

"Dammit! I said let me through!" Bruno struggled and fought with the guards, creating an awful racket. "I'm worth ten of you yuppies combined! You don't know because the boss doesn't tell you! And right now, she's going to ride up shit creek unless I get to warn her about—"

A shrill whistle filled the air.

Everyone froze—including the guards. They turned to see that the elevator doors had opened, and two stallions in dark suits and even darker shades were approaching the chaotic scenes. They both waved badges indicating their higher rank in security.

"Let go of this stallion," one pony grunted.

"Thank you for doing your jobs," the other added, reaching in and grasping Bruno by the shoulder. "We'll take it from here."

"But... but..." One of the lobby guards blinked curiously, watching with a drooped jaw as Bruno was casually led past the security guard. "He's just some random creep from off the street! What exactly is going on here?"

"Take it with Mid-Level Management. Corporate Business. End of the Discussion." And the two stallions entered the elevator with Bruno.

As the doors closed behind, the guards on the bottom floor were left speechless. They all exchanged stupified glances for the next full minute.

With awkward grace, the suited workers resumed trotting to their destination. The lobby was eerily quiet as nopony said another word.

"Whew..." Bruno brushed his fetlocks and slicked his disheveled mane back. "Boy oh boy..."

The tall stallions stood silently on either side of the thug in the cramped elevator as it rose one floor at a time with successive ding(!) noises.

"...friggin' lemmings in the lower department. I swear to Celestia." Bruno rubbed his bruised leg as he smirked up at the heavy ponies on either side of him. "So glad you guys found me when you did. I've got some super serious news for the boss. She's gonna want to hear it from a trusted muzzle—believe me."

One thug replied in deadpan, "We did not randomly find you."

The other nodded, adding, "The boss has been waiting for your arrival."

"Oh?" Bruno blinked. "The boss has been waiting for me?"

The thugs said nothing.

Bruno blinked again. Suddenly, his ears drooped. He looked straight ahead, his pupils slowly shrinking. A lump formed in his throat... one that he swiftly dispensed with.

At last, the marker on the elevator panel reached the forty-second floor with a resonating—

Ding!

The doors opened up before Bruno, unveiling a long white corridor lined with white marble walls and matching benches. The room was lit brightly from crevices located below the walls, and there were islands in the center with foliage, water fountains, and the occasional statue of Saddle Arabian mythological figures.

Bruno was already trembling by the time he made his first step. His ears twitched to the thuds of the thugs' hooves on either side of him. He struggled to keep an even pace, and soon he found himself trotting briskly towards a pair of thick cedar doors at the end of the hallway. Two more guards stood there, deadpan. Bruno heard muffled voices, as well as the faint melody of classic music. At last, the guards ahead of them opened the door, revealing a spacious office overlooking the entire southern half of Manehattan Island through multiple tall-stretching windows.

A turqoise pegasus stood casually to the right of the doorframe, leaning back against a Saddle Arabian vase. "—so I laid low, sticking to the shadows and pocketed police precincts until I was certain that all this crazy bullshit had blown over. I mean... pffft... call me a 'coward,' but at least I got out of there without that freaky white knight seeing my snazzy face! Which is the least I can say about the other morons who got their asses beat!"

"Indeed." A figure at the desk spoke, nodding towards the Neigh York vista. "You are most curiously resourceful, Miss Dust."

"Hey! Be curious all you want! But trust me..." Lightning Dust smirked, tapping her skull while winking. "It's all hollow. The only thing you should be concerned with..." She flapped her wings. "...is these babies. Heck... they're all I care about, and they keep me afloat!"

"That they do."

"Heheheh..." Lightning Dust finally turned to look at the doorway. Her eyes reflected Bruno's battered figure. "Oh hey! Speak of the devil!"

Bruno's brow furrowed. "...how did you get here so fast?"

"Uhhh..." Lightning Dust tilted her head to the side. "I flew? How about you? How'd you crawl out of your ass so fast. Or—wait—maybe you're still there."

"Miss Dust." The pony at the desk spoke. "Some silence, if you would."

"Ahem..." Lightning Dust stepped aside, whistling a quiet imitation of a dropping bomb.

"Bruno... you're awfully late. I expected you here before my arrival from New Trottingham."

Bruno gulped hard. "Miss Jasmine. Boss. You gotta understand—" He took a bold step forward.

The guards at his side yanked him in place.

He winced.

From the desk, a dainty hoof raised in the air, waving.

The guards let go of Bruno, but kept close behind him.

Shuddering, Bruno trotted forward, past Lightning Dust and a plethora of Saddle Arabian heirlooms. "It was an ambush. Someone... something must have been tracking the weaponry! You know that stool pigeon you sent me on a hunt for! I'm telling you... they tipped someone off! And we got creamed!"

"Is Maurice dead?"

"Huh?"

The chair rotated around. Smoke-colored eyes peered at the thug from beneath a dark purple mane. "Maurice. The embezzler. Did you kill him?"

"Erm... yes, boss." Bruno nodded. "I took him out just as I asked."

Jasper Jasmine's eyes calmly darted over towards Lightning Dust. "Miss Dust says that this mysterious 'vigilante' attacked the warehouse after the death of Maurice."

"Yeah?" Bruno's eyes shifted back and forth. "So?"

"So he must not have cared for Maurice... or at least he didn't owe the traitor much." Jasper meditatively flexed a fetlock from where she sat. "So... exactly who was this attacker in league with?"

"Pffft... I don't know!" Bruno clenched his jaw. "You tasked me with grilling the new blood at the warehouse, didn't you?"

"And you failed."

"Did I?!" Bruno fumed and fumed... at least until he sensed the proximity of the guards behind him. Calming slightly, he spoke in a breathy tone. "Look. I was just seconds away from getting a confession out of those green noobies. Maurice was the perfect lesson for them to witness. If any of them was responsible for the leaks we've been having, then I would have gotten the truth out of them! Right then and there!"

"Only you didn't," Jasmine said. "And now all of the ponies who were there at the warehouse have skipped town." A breath. "All but two."

Bruno blinked. He glanced aside at Lightning Dust.

Jasmine spoke the moment she sensed him looking at the pegasus. "Miss Dust showed up here at sunrise. She's been here all day... waiting just to speak with me and inform me of the losses we nearly suffered down at the warehouse."

"Nearly... suffered?"

"Mmmm... yes. Thanks to her, my chief assistant was able to get the supplies rerouted. Apparently whoever attacked the warehouse wasn't interested in our little addition to the organization's arsenal. But rather... they just wanted everypony out cold."

"It's a scare tactic, I'm telling ya!" Bruno hissed. "Somepony is out to freak us out!"

"Well, it appeared to have worked," Jasmine said, calmly glancing at him. "Because many of my latest hires have fled for the hills..." She raised an eyebrow. "And one whom I thought I trusted with my assets has gone to the Manehattan First National Bank to withdraw his entire funds... which are five times bigger—my insiders have informed me—than the wages I've supposedly paid him until now."

Bruno's jaw dropped low. He swiveled to gaze at Lightning Dust.

"Hell..." Lightning Dust. "It's the first friggin' thing I would do after such a crazy bust." Her eyes narrowed. "If I was a damned embezzling traitor."

"Maurice wasn't working alone, was he?" Jasmine droned.

"He... it..." Bruno gulped, then turned to face his boss, trembling. "Things have been going downhill, Miss Jasmine. You of all ponies know this! What... with royalty busting at the seems with brand new alicorns... with those yaks in the north wreaking havoc on the stock market! And Manehattan Daily News! They're barking up your tail!" He frowned, pointing out the windows. "One of my boys! I heard him! He had spotted somepony with a sound stone receiver! This was no normal bust! Someone was trying to get some scoop! Some dirty, grimy scoop!"

"And we all know how much that would have cost me, Bruno," Jasmine said. "But what would it have cost you?"

"I have a family to look out for!" Bruno shook in place, frowning. "My younger sister's battling cancer for Celestia's sake! You know what it means to look after your own flesh and blood! Or at least you once did!"

"Yeowch there, big guy—" Lightning Dust began.

"Shut up, bitch!" Bruno hissed, then pointed at the pegasus. "Why don't you ask her how she got out of that place last night unscathed while the rest of us crawled out of their in stitches!"

"My assistant sent a scout to the docks right after Miss Dust gave her testimony," Jasmine said. "You had already gone to the bank by then, Bruno. You cashed out... and with money you and Maurice owe me. The only question remains... just what made you decide to come here now?"

"To tell you what went down, of course..." Bruno slowly shook his head. "Look... I got a little greedy. But I have needs. My family has needs. And nopony else beneath you would listen."

"There's a far bigger picture at play here, Bruno," Jasmine said calmly. "What you've done here is risk shattering the frame entirely."

"I just needed to make sure my family was safe no matter what went down." The stallion gulped. "I promise you..." He shook his head again. "...I had nothing to do with how badly things went south at the meet overnight. I'm here as a sign of trust... and... and..." He clenched his teeth. "...and to ask that you would forgive me. After all, you're a reasonable pony."

Jasmine slowly nodded. A gentle breath. "And were you being 'reasonable'... when you chose to shoot Maurice in the head... and increase the share that you withdrew for your family?"

Bruno blinked.

Lightning Dust stood in place, tonguing the inside of her muzzle.

Silence.

At last, the horse got out of her seat. Her presence was magnified by her height as she strolled past her desk. "Come. Come this way, Bruno."

Bruno fidgeted. Sensing the muscles of the thugs behind him, he strolled hesitantly towards Jasper Jasmine and her desk. The guards remained where they were standing.

Jasmine shuffled to a stop, staring out the tall, majestic windows at the buildings and skyscrapers glinting with the dazzling red sunset. "Take a moment to absorb what you see before you. Are you a fan of sunsets?"

"I... uhm..." Bruno cleared his throat, standing in a disheveled mess at her side. "I-I usually wake up at sunset... considering my job description—"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of what I've paid you to do," Jasmine droned. "As well as what I've not paid for you to do."

Bruno gulped.

"But... do take a look." Jasmine gestured at the rippling bay water as the sun continued its lazy dive into the ocean. "Beautiful, is it not?"

"Sure. I suppose."

"And yet... it pales in comparison to the sunsets we have back at home. There... my family's oases are practically engulfed in fiery red sands that catch ablaze in the dying day. It is like... embracing a basket of jewels all around you... just before night falls and you are awash in stars... and the melodic howl of a desert... bittersweet... like a lost widow amid the dust. And yet... I gave it all away to come here... to come to this dim imitation... I mean... just..."

She reached to the edge of the desk, flipping a switch.

With a mechanical hum, one large panel of glass slid up, exposing the forty-second floor office with a chilling breeze. The sounds of honking horns and clopping hooves echoed their way up, filling the once-serene office with bedlam.

Bruno couldn't help but wince.

"Breathe it in," Jasper Jasmine said, gazing down at the pony. "Just try."

"I... I'm used to it."

"Tell me what you're used to, Bruno."

Bruno shuddered. "Smog. Filth. Angry ponies and a ton of garbage."

"Yes. Indeed. So much... rubbish," Jasmine exhaled. "Now... tell me... why would I give up the pearl of the desert that is Saddle Arabia for this Equestrian monument to detritus?"

"I... I guess I don't know, boss."

"Because I saw something in it that's precious... that's worth saving." For the first time since Bruno came into the office, Jasper Jasmine frowned. "And you've robbed from me, Bruno... you've taken a bleeding chunk out of my meticulous plan for salvation."

Bruno clenched his jaw shut.

"Mmmmm..." Jasper Jasmine took a few steps back and picked a mug up from her desktop. "Although... I must admit... there is one advantage to living and working in this dense maretropolis."

"Oh yeah?" Bruno muttered, brushing his bangs back. "What's that?"

"The skyscrapers cast a thick, obscuring shade." Jasmine raised the mug to her muzzle—but stopped at the last second. "...Gentlecolts."

Two sets of hooves suddenly gripped Bruno from behind.

"H-huh?!" Bruno gasped as he felt himself being shoved straight towards the open window by the guards. "Wait! No! Please—No no no no—!"

Lightning Dust's wide eyes reflected the image of a flailing stallion being thrown out into the windy air.

A howling scream filled the office. Jasmine sipped from her mug calmly. Soon, the screaming faded into nothingness.

The two thugs brushed their hooves clean and straightened their suits.

Exhaling, Jasper Jasmine strolled back to her desk and took a seat. "A pity." She placed the mug down and pressed the switch to the window. "That Manehattenites can get so terribly inebriated that they forget to buckle up... despite the ardent commands of their taxi pilots." The window closed behind her, and the office refilled with soft classical music from the distant speakers. A few seconds later, and Jasmine flipped the switch to an intercom. "Walter," she inquired. "Patch an order to Accounting. Have ten thousand bits donated to the Central Manehattan Taxi Agency. Immediately, please."

"Right away, ma'am."

Jasper Jasmine leaned away from the intercom, exhaling. "By morning... they should understand what a pity it is too." She took another sip from her mug, then glanced up at Lightning Dust. She muttered: "Step closer."

Lightning Dust remained trembling in place, still in shock.

Jasmine swallowed and spoke firmer: "That was not a suggestion."

Lightning jolted. With fluttering wings, she glided to a stop directly in front of Jasmine.

"Bruno was onto something." Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "How did you come out of the warehouse meet unscathed?"

"How else?" Lightning gulped. Hard. "I'm a friggin' coward."

"Don't sell yourself short, Miss Dust," Jasmine remarked. "I've read your file. You could have been a Wonderbolt—only you were too brash. You're a pony who craves excitement. You would never run from a fight."

Lightning's ears twitched. "... ... ...are you calling me a liar?"

"No." Jasmine shook her head. "I'd say you're learning. Finding a middle-ground between ferocity and survivalism isn't easy... especially for somepony as young as you. What matters in the end is that you stay loyal to those who give you an opportunity to make a difference in this world. So... you tell me." Her smoke-colored eyes narrowed. "...are you learning?"

Lightning Dust glanced past her. "If I don't say 'yes,' will you throw me out a window."

Jasmine actually smiled. "Of course not, Miss Dust." She pointed with the mug. "You have wings."

Lightning Dust's feathers drooped slightly.

"I am many things, Miss Dust." Jasmine placed the mug down again and folded her fetlocks together. "But—most chiefly—I am creative... most creative." She stared directly at the pegasus. "You would do well to remember that."

"Right." Lightning Dust took a deep breath. "And—I hope—you would do well to remember who showed up here first."

"Mmmmm... indeed." Jasper Jasmine stood up and extended a hoof.

Lightning Dust glanced at it contemplatively... before eventually shaking the limb.

"Consider yourself promoted to official overseer of my riverside operations, Miss Dust." She squeezed the mare's hoof over her desk. "Be loyal... be smart... be secret... and together... you and I will save this world."

Lightning Dust gulped, forcing a smile. "Sounds like what I-I've always wanted."

"For Celestia knows..." Jasper Jasmine turned about, gazing lethargically out the windows. "...nopony else wants to go the distance. And the few who do?" The horse sighed, ears drooping foalishly. "Well... where even are they?"