//------------------------------// // =Act I: Trust= Chapter One: Infamous // Story: Marked for death // by shadowfoxr //------------------------------// Act I: Trust Chapter one: Infamous A short while after making my epic moral speech I fainted from blood loss, Great. One second I was thinking about what was to come and the next I had a face full of dirt. Well, worse things have happened. I awoke in a white room with a smooth ceiling, what the, where am I? I looked to my left and there were several ponies laying in bed, I looked to my right and saw a door. Light streamed through an open window, I guessed it must have been around midday. Am I in a hospital? How the hell did I end up here? I asked myself, slightly panicked, I looked down and saw my body covered in white sheets. what if they find me here? I've gotta get out of here now! I kicked off the sheets, rolled off my bed and landed on my hooves, unfortunately I was still weak from the lack of blood and slammed into the ground. "heh you're still a little weak there bud" the stallion across from me said, I groaned in response. He got up and pulled me back into my bed. I studied the pony, he had white fur and a sliver and white mane, he seemed about ten years older then me, I couldn't get a glimpse at his cutie mark though at that point that was the last thing on my mind. "thanks" I said to the best of my speaking ability which was not much at that point "No problem" he responded "names Spring, whats yours?" I took a moment to decide if he was trustworthy enough to know my name "Lightning Blaze" I eventually said "huh, nice name kiddo" he complimented me "now you're gonna be in there awhile bud, at least a week" "I can't stay here a week" "why?" he asked, somehow the question penetrated my soul, I didn't want to lie to him again What do I tell him? The truth? either way I needed to decide fast "I umm...I'm trying to get somewhere, somepony in my family is sick and I need to get there fast" "I see" he said, saddened by the news "i'm sorry about that, where do ya' need to get to?" Damnit i'm getting to far into this conversation "I err...need to get to-" If there had been a better time to get interrupted in my life, I would be amazed. The only problem however was the fact that the interruption was worse then the conversation I was having. "Excuse me," a cream nurse pony with a red mane poked her head through the door "is there a pony here named Lightning Blaze?" My blood froze, Spring went to say something but immediately stopped as I tugged in his foreleg and signaled him to be quiet, a confused look ran down his face but he compiled. Silence echoed throughout the room. The nurse turned and talked to a pony outside my view range "I'm sorry but he hasn't passed through here" she told the pony "Okay" a deep stallions voice said "but if he comes through here contact us he is very sick and needs to come to Canterlot quickly" What? The're already looking for me? The words sent panic through my brain "Lets go" the stallion said to what I guessed were more ponies. I heard their armor clacking through the hall. "What the hell was that about?" Spring asked me, severely confused. ah crap, I need to figure out a way out of this, or I could just tell him the truth I sighed, my mind made up "okay then, this is why i'm here and why there are ponies looking for me, I doubt you will believe me especially since they are using the excuse that i'm sick to get me back to Canterlot, but here it goes..." * * * "...and that's why i'm here" I finished, the sun setting outside. Most of the patients in the room had fallen asleep and the rest didn't care to much about the story I was telling. Throughout the story Spring had a serous expression on his face. As I finished Spring suddenly burst with laughter, surprising several of the other ponies in the room "Heh maybe they were right kiddio, maybe you are a bit sick in the head," The words felt like they were drilling holes in my heart "but then again, what would I be if I didn't believe stupid things every now and again" I looked at his face which now held a smile, my morale was lifted greatly "Y-You believe me?" I stuttered, somewhat stunned that somepony would actually believe me over the military. "Yes I do bud" he told me, warmth radiating from his words "Thanks Spring, I really appreciate it" "No problem but," his voice suddenly became serious "I've heard that the Equestrian military is looking for a light blue Pegasus with a lightning bolt cutie mark for the murder of two night guardsmen" I was speechless, it was one thing to be hunted and another to be accused of killing your own kind. Parts of words managed to make it out of my mouth but I couldn't bring myself to admit it. I just tilted my head down and tried to hold my tears back, what I would have given to get my old life back, but there was no going back. "It's okay Blaze, come on i'm gettin' ya' outta here" he said as he slipped one of his forehooves around my shoulder and helped me out of my bed, pain erupted through my legs but shakily managed to stand. "Thanks" I muttered. Spring trotted over to his bed and retrieved a thick, brown hooded cloak "Put this on Blaze, it'll help ya disguise yourself...and look like a bad ass" he laughed. I grabbed the cloak and put it on, it was a fair bit too big for me but I somehow managed to put it on without tripping myself over. We left the room and walked out of the hospital, bypassing any doctors or nurses along the way. Soon enough we were outside in the chilly nights air, the hospital was in the middle of a moderately sized town. Luckily there were no ponies on the street due to the time. I followed Spring as he walked through the town, he mostly went through alleyways and backstreets, soon enough we reached the end of the town. Spring looked at me and handed me a map, a compass and a dagger. "Follow this road east until you get about" -Spring pointed to a small circle on the map- "here and go to the Inn and ask for a pony named Quake Bound, tell him Spring Cob sent ya' " he said before staring at the dagger in my hands "I hope ya' never have to use that but you need a weapon of some sort out there, now you had best be-" he stopped as he saw at least half a dozen guards coming this way. Damnit they couldn't wait a few more minutes could they? My mind scrambled to find a way out of the situation when Spring stepped in front of me "I'll distract 'em now go! before they catch up!" he ordered me "Thanks Spring, I'll never forget this" "just go already Blaze and hope luck is on your side" he told me, giving me one last look before turning and running towards the oncoming soldiers yelling "help! help! My son has fell down a well!" I barely contained a laugh as I stretched my wings out, it was only when I went to take off that I realized it was too weak to fly with "Damnit looks like i'm gonna have to do this the old fashioned way" I said before running into the night. That was the day I met the first person who believed me. To you it might seem like whoever I tell my story to will believe me but that is certainly not the case, in fact, it was a short while after I found that town that I was backstabbed by someone who thought I was a killer. * * * "Looks like we have a new pawn" the black alicorn said to the unicorn facing him. They were on a hill overlooking the town Lightning Blaze was now running from, no bigger then a speck of dust. "Are you sure he will help us?" the white unicorn asked "Give him a year, then we will leave a trail of breadcrumbs to what he will desire most, freedom" the black alicorn said "But brother what if he tries to betray us?" he asked "He won't, he like all of Equestria is unaware of our existence, when we contact him he will be desperate enough to do anything, that is when we strike, we shalt have the throne of Equestria, even if we have to kill the princesses that guard it" "You know that they will not attack a fellow pony Brother" "You should know by now uzril, I am not a pony, I am a god"