//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Special Delivery // Story: Of Hearts and Gazing Eyes // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// Lightning Strike wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but by the time that Sherry led him to leave the painting, he already felt like he would miss it. The cool night air, the rainbow carpet of stars overhead, and the rich aroma of coffee were all now deeply ingrained in his memory. As such, it was a slightly jarring transition when Sherry pulled him back into the art shop, which was considerably less humid and very well lit. “Woah,” Lightning said, shaking his head. “That was a rush.” “Moving from plane to plane can take some getting used to,” Sherry acknowledged. “But I hope you had a good time. I know I did.” The two of them went back to the front of the shop, where Merlina was writing something on a sheet of paper with a long, black pen. She looked up and smiled softly.  “Welcome back. I trust you enjoyed your time with the gallery?” “Oh, yeah! Definitely!” Lightning grinned. “I think your painting skills are the best I’ve ever seen!” This made Merlina’s pale cheeks color for a moment. “Nonsense. I’m nowhere near the best, but your compliment is welcome all the same. I take it that Sherry brought you to her favorite coffee shop?” “Yes, but how did you…” Merlina pointed at a dark stain on his jacket from a bit of spilled coffee. “Oh. Heheh. My bad.” “Let me fix that for you,” Merlina pointed her finger at the stain and the whole thing came off Lightning’s jacket like a sticker being peeled from a window. With a snap of her fingers, the stain popped out of existence. Lightning whistled. “You and Sherry are so amazing! I had no idea you could do so much with magic.” “We can do a lot more than just this,” Sherry supplied. “It’s just that we have to be careful not to attract too much attention.” “You mean, with those SCAR guys,” Lightning correctly guessed. Merlina nodded. “SCAR and other people. If it became public knowledge that magic was real and could solve everyone’s problems, then there would eventually be trouble. I rather like Canterlot and wouldn’t want to see it blasted off the face of the planet.” “Ha ha, yeah, I guess you’re… wait, what?” Lightning did a double take, but Merlina had already moved on. “In any case, your magical contaminant levels should drop enough by tomorrow that you can deliver the next package. There’s only a couple left, and then we can discuss what happens afterwards.” “O-kay…” Lightning nodded once. “Hey, are you and Sherry the only two people working here?” He asked. Lightning had been wondering this for a few days now. Merlina seemed to act as some kind of front-of-house manager while Sherry was… well, he wasn’t sure what Sherry’s position was. Bodyguard-slash-guide maybe. Sherry glanced at Merlina, whose one exposed eye grew bright. “No, Lightning Strike. We are not the only two people working here. There is also my superior, or ‘boss’ as you might call him in your language. I’ll see about introducing you to him, because he’s a very busy person and isn’t always available. Anything else?" "Not really…" Lightning shrugged. "I guess I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for everything!" Sherry and Merlina waved as Lightning mounted his bike and drove off for home. Sherry then turned to her superior.  "He seems to be adjusting rather well to our environment," she remarked. "What do you plan to do with him after all the packages have been delivered?" Merlina stood there in silence, thinking. Finally, she said, “I’ll take the matter to Nidhogg. Lightning Strike has done very well so far, and perhaps he would be interested in a more permanent position with us. Should Nidhogg allow it. In the meantime, keep a close watch over our courier. We wouldn’t want anything happening to him, now would we?” “No, Merlina.” “Excellent. I’m glad you know how important this is.” The next day, Lightning Strike met up with Sherry at the usual spot on CHS’s campus. He was in a very good mood, and Sherry noticed. “Nice to see you’re feeling happier today. Am I just that good of company?” “I’m just excited for the school day to be over,” Lightning admitted. He put his hands into his pockets to protect them from the cold. “Got more deliveries to make, am I right?” “Certainly,” Sherry agreed with a smile. “Your magical contaminant levels should be low enough for you to embark on such a job this afternoon. I’m glad to see you so eager to help.” “Yeah…” Lightning leaned against the wall next to Sherry and smiled, looking up at the overcast sky. “I feel so lucky to have met you and Merlina. It’s like I have a purpose now, beyond graduating high school.” “Whatever makes you happy,” Sherry shrugged. “It’s the weekend tomorrow. Finally a good chance to get away from this school, isn’t it?” “You said it.” The bell soon rang and Lightning went off to his first class of the day, followed closely by Sherry. As he entered the building, Sherry caught ahold of his arm. “What?” The boy asked. “I’m picking up high levels of mistrust aimed at you coming from a larger number of people in here,” Sherry told him. “Watch yourself in here today. There are those here who wish you ill.” Lightning swallowed. “Is it SCAR?” Sherry shook her head. “It’s not that serious. If it was SCAR, I wouldn’t let you come into the building at all. All the same, I’ll watch your back. Just keep your guard up, alright?” “Thanks, Sherry,” Lightning said gratefully. The young man headed to his first class. He felt the gazing eye under his shirt, but it was still cool to the touch. If there was danger, surely it would alert him; it had done so before. After cruising his way through the laughably easy CHS curriculum, Lightning found himself at lunch with Sherry. His friend had somehow managed to get her hands on a bottle of iced tea, even though Lightning was quite sure they didn’t sell that here at school. “I’m so glad it’s Friday,” Lightning said as he tucked into his food. “It’ll be nice to get a break from this borefest of a school.” Sherry put a straw into her bottle of iced tea. “You dislike it that much here?” Lightning shrugged. “I mean, it could be worse, but nearly all my friends are back at Crystal Prep, and all the classes here are so easy because I learned all this back before I changed schools. I don’t hate it here, but I wish people would stop trying to get to know me. I don’t need any more friends.” At this, Sherry’s face grew amused. “But you never would have met me if you hadn’t changed schools,” she pointed out. “So at least there’s that.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Lightning said. “I’ll give this school that one point. But I get the feeling you’d have found me whether I changed schools or not. You’re magic like that.” Sherry’s smile grew wider. “Maybe, but it’s just as likely we would have found someone else. Still, I understand your desire to learn something more challenging.” “I just wish they’d take the kid gloves off and let me do something actually challenging,” Lightning clenched his fist. “And there’s no motocross club here to join, which is a major bummer. Also-” Lightning suddenly stopped. “Hold on. This is about the time when some of those nosy guys like to come over here and convince me to be friends with them.” He looked around. “Can it be that they’ve finally given up?” Sherry turned her head. “You mean those people at that large table who are trying to look like they’re not watching us?” She jerked her chin towards a crowded table where the gang from after school yesterday was sitting. Nearly all of them were looking vaguely in Lightning and Sherry’s direction, but then the one called Soul Writer saw them looking and said something. Everyone at the table then suddenly looked away in different directions. Lightning saw this and snorted. “Not exactly masters of stealth, are they?” “I think they may be suspicious of us after what happened yesterday,” Sherry told Lightning. “My eye’s effects will have worn off by now. I only used it on a low setting to help us get away.” “Speaking of your eyes, what’s the deal with the eye patch? Did you give your eye to someone or what?” “Something like that,” Sherry shrugged. “If things get too out of hand, I’ll take it off, but I find that unlikely. Just think of it as insurance in case events go catastrophically wrong.” “So it’s like a secret weapon?” Lightning asked eagerly, wanting to learn more about magic. “What does it do?” “I can’t tell you that,” Sherry sighed. “Since you’re still a part-timer, there are things we full-timers need to keep confidential. I’m sorry, Lightning. I do want to tell you, but rules are rules.” “Oh… well, I can respect that,” Lightning tried not to sound too disappointed. “Can we use the gallery again today? After work, I mean.” Sherry smiled. “Well, that depends on how long you take for work. If you’re quick, maybe we can use it for a short while.” Lightning grinned. The idea of spending time in another world with Sherry made his day just that much better. He went back to eating his lunch, humming a bouncy tune to himself as he did so. This time, there was no resistance keeping Lightning from getting to his bike after classes had ended for the day. He could still feel people staring at him, but he didn’t really care. He bade Sherry a temporary goodbye as she left him to get to the shop. Within minutes, he was on his motorcycle and speeding off towards his job. After parking his bike outside, Lightning strode into the shop, where Merlina and Sherry stood at the counter, waiting for him. “Welcome back,” Merlina greeted, her one visible eye glinting like a gemstone. “Bright and early today, I see.” “Nobody tried to hold me up after school,” Lightning shrugged. “Anyway, I get to deliver the next package today, right?” “Quite right!” Merlina said, sounding quite pleased. She reached under the counter and brought up another smallish box that was wrapped in brown paper and string. “You remember what to do?” “Yes,” Lightning nodded. He took the box and read the label on it. “So I’m delivering this to one Zephyr Breeze on Roost Crescent. I know where that is, no problem.” “We will eagerly await your return,” Merlina said with a nod to Sherry Spritz. “So long as you’re quick about it,  I don’t think any magic detectors should pick you up.” “Besides, that bike of yours can outrun any SCAR vehicle that they might send,” Sherry added. “I’d wish you good luck, but you don’t need it.” “Thanks anyway,” Lightning gave them both a wave before heading back out of the store and mounting his bike. As the engine roared to life, he briefly wondered about the package in his bag and what it was, but Merlina had promised to explain things to him in due time, and he trusted her. Roose Crescent was near Canterlot High, and as he approached, he could see that the campus was pretty much empty except for the track team, who were running around the soccer field. Everyone else had probably left to enjoy the weekend. That was just fine with Lightning Strike. He circled around the CHS campus and down another street which he knew led to Roost Crescent.  Soon he arrived at the street and stopped his bike, putting down the kickstand and walking up to the house in question with the package in his hand, clipboard at the ready. He raised his hand and rang the doorbell on the two-storey house, then stepped back a respectful distance. He could hear some rather strange sounds coming from inside the house. It almost sounded like a bunch of animals all calling and baying at once. There was even the yowling of a cat mixed in. Lightning Strike was about to ring again when the door opened, revealing a face that he knew. “Oh!” Fluttershy said, putting her hands to her mouth. “Lightning Strike!” “Uh, hi,” Lightning said after a pause. He had not been expecting to run into someone from school here. He briefly considered leaving, but he didn’t want to let Merlina down. Besides, maybe he just had the wrong address. “Ahem. I’ve got a package for one Zephyr Breeze. Does he live here?” Fluttershy looked a touch confused at first. “Well, yes,” she said. “I’d be happy to give it to him, though.” Remembering Merlina’s words, Lightning shook his head. “I’m afraid I can only give this package to the recipient, and nobody else. Sorry for the inconvenience,” he added quickly. “Orders are orders, you see.” “Oh,” Fluttershy frowned. “Well, just wait here. I’ll go get him.” Leaving the door open, Fluttershy disappeared back into the house.  This could be trouble. Lightning thought as he waited. Fluttershy was sure to tell the rest of her groupies about his appearance here today. If there was one thing he didn’t want more of, it was any interaction with those people. Lightning’s musings were interrupted by the return of Fluttershy, this time bringing a tall, gangly young man who had his hair tied up in a messy bun. “Zephyr Breeze, I presume?” Lightning asked, trying to act as professional as he could. “I have something for you.” “All right!” Zephyr pushed past Fluttershy and rubbed his hands together. “Been waiting for this. Let’s see if it’s as good as the seller said it was.” “Just sign here, and you can have it,” Lightning held out the clipboard for Zephyr, who quickly scribbled his signature on the dotted line. Lightning then passed Zephyr the box, which he took with almost indecent glee. “Thanks, dude,” Zephyr said before going back inside his home. Fluttershy looked as though she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what. Lightning, however, wanted nothing more than to get away from here. He waved goodbye to Fluttershy and speedily walked back to his bike after stowing the clipboard in his messenger bag. He slipped his helmet over his head and took off. The gazing eye under his shirt was still cool to the touch, so Lightning assumed he was in no immediate danger. Now all he had to do was get back to Merlina, and then he and Sherry could go hang out together.