//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: A Deal With The Devil // Story: This Bright Blazing Future // by Dynasty-Kaine //------------------------------// The next morning at breakfast... "I love all of you guys, but seriously when did my house become the boarding house?" Rapidfire asked mildly irritably. "Oh brother, why are you complaining?" Spitfire started with a wicked smile. "This is the most popular you've been in years!" He punched her in the shoulder as he passed her at the kitchen table heading towards the oven. Everyone was drearily making their way to the table or already had, and Rapid had started making breakfast for everyone. He had often been the team cook when they were roughing it on long tours. The smell of vegi sausages cooking on the oven and the sweet scent of his special brown sugar waffles wafting through the air. Everyone slowly perked up at the smell but it took her and Dash a cup of coffee on top of that to wake up. Spitfire looked over at the cyan mare sitting next to her remembering their conversation the night before. Dash had seemed insistent on heading home, but the golden mare just could not bear that thought with Fleetfoot lurking about. In the end they both agreed to stay near one another a while longer. "You enjoying the sight Spits?" Dash with an edge of humor about her voice. "Guess you caught me, didn't ya?" she replied with a tone that seemed less than it could be. "You sound worried what's wrong?" "I dunno, guess I just am." "What the, Soarin come here a minute!" Rapidfire suddenly called out from in front of the sink. Soarin got up and went over to look out the window at what her brother could see before him, and the level of shock in the two stallions only increased. Something they were seeing was bothering them greatly and Spitfire felt the need to know what it was. They had begun muttering among themselves and she could only guess at what it could be to no real solution. "What are you two muttering about over there?" Spitfire inquired at last. "Dash, take my sister and Misty back into your room." Rapid ignored his sister's question. Rainbow looked crestfallen, "But what about breakf--" "Just do it, now!" Rapid rounded on her with urgency. As Dash tried to wrangle her away into her room she rolled away towards the window after her brother and Soarin had left it. What she saw out of it shocked her as well. It was Wave Chill leading Fleetfoot via a leash down to the house, but it was odd to her that they were wearing normal clothes. Well, mostly normal that is. Fleetfoot had an extremely short black skirt and a very tight purple and showy tank top that barely seemed to fit her. She also wore a black ringed collar with a lock sitting in the center of her neck to which the leash was affixed. Wave wore a simple black shirt covered by a leather flight jacket and dark black denim jeans. "Guess that is her public attire so she doesn't get arrested." Spitfire said aloud. "What is she even thinking coming down here like that?" "Spits what are you do--" Dash interjected but stopped as she looked out the window. The golden mare watched the one she loved, and gauged her reactions of shock and dismay. There may have even been a tint of jealousy as well, but Spitfire couldn't be certain. It became apparent that she wanted to say something but the words were hard to come by. "Now I understand what you meant last night by her being a problem." Dash said almost breathlessly. "Pretty sure even Sig would say there is a song that describes her, she's got looks that Kill." "Would you sleep with her though?" Spitfire asked hesitantly afraid of the answer. "Nope." was the rainbow maned mare's simple response. "I've got more than she could ever offer in you Spits." She was absolutely touched by Dash's sentiment, and a fire raised rapidly inside of her heart. She felt a great deal of strength bolster behind her own resolve, and she quickly headed for the front door despite the cyan mare's protests. Her brother and Soarin stood just outside on the porch, the door still ajar. Instead of going right through it she listened in. "Fleetfoot get your dirty hide off of my property right this minute!" Rapid rose his voice defensively. "Aw, but I thought all team members were welcome to visit each other?" she returned coyly. "You may have once been welcome here, but no longer are you welcomed here!" he retorted with fire. "I'm warning you out of respect for who you once were." "Oh come now Rapid, we both know I'm here to converse with your reforming sister." she said ending with a grimace. "As much as I disdain her choice to go back...we should at least see what is to be, no?" "You and her were always the same in that you had no patience for any situation!" Soarin chimed in. "Always trying to tackle the biggest obstacles first!" "So what if we do?" Fleetfoot turned to Soarin. "It isn't like we ever failed to rise to every single occasion. I will wait here willingly for you to go get your sister if it makes you feel better Rapid." They continued their argument and yet Wave Chill just sat there looking mildly uncomfortable. What's on his mind that has him so unnerved? Rainbow Dash had come up behind her about this time and nudged Spitfire's arm ever so slightly to announce her presence. She felt something was amiss here and was ready to take a chance that not even she could predict the consequences to. "Fleetfoot the answer is NO!" Rapid roared once more. "Now get off of my--" "I hear some cocky loud mouth requesting my audience?" Spitfire said with authority as she stepped out from the front door. "What business could you possibly have with me at this point?" She saw a quick glimmer of a sick and sadistic smile cross the arctic blue mare's lips, almost as if this had been what she had wanted the entire time. Dash followed skiddishly behind the golden mare, and Misty seemed to have gone to the room as ordered. As quickly as Fleetfoot had shown that face she concealed it again, she was wearing herself quite the fancy mask. "Ah Captain, just the mare I wanted to see!" Fleet started with mock politeness. "Word is your going around trying to redeem yourself by putting right those you wronged. Seems this includes the team as I see you've already seen Val, your brother, and somehow even got Soary to talk to you again! Impressive, but there is a bit of a problem now." "Don't call him that Fleetfoot, I don't care as to who you've become at the moment but leave Soarin be." Spitfire said crossing her arms looking not impressed. "You are right, we do have a bit of a problem in that I'm going to be breaking your hold on your precious Wave Chill here. There is someone who needs him more." "What, that pitiful heap of a mare Misty Fly?" she cocked her eyebrow in disbelief. "As if! She needs much more than just Chill here to cope with herself, but maybe after what he has experienced with me..." The golden mare saw a very sly look pass Fleet's face and Wave Chill went rigid as he turned and faced her, shock written on his face. "What are you talking about?" he questioned in a panic. "I'm not to be ordered to do something I don't want by MY pet!" "You will be silent while I am talking with the good Captain Wave Chill!" she said with a voice full of threatening presence. "Guess we just found out who the real master is, didn't we?" Spitfire concluded aloud. "I'll bite though, what is your angle in this Fleetfoot?" "Hmm, I am glad you asked Spitty!" the arctic blue pegasus said with a total change in tone. "I'm sure you wish to bring Misty and Chill back together like they once were, and I am willing to give you that chance! To prove that either you are right or wrong about their hearts being truly meant for one another. But--" "There is a catch isn't there?" Rainbow Dash said stepping to the golden mare's side. "Oh why hello there, you must be the love interest that caused this amazing degree of change in Spitfire!" Fleetfoot said with a slight twitch in her eye. "You would be right, there is a catch for our Captain. I'll have Wave Chill spend the entire day with Misty Fly, but in exchange I want you Spitty to spend the day with me as I entertain guests in my brothel. Surely you can resist being around all that temptation by now?" There it was, the trap she had been expecting. Fleetfoot was going to try her hardest to tempt the golden mare back into her old ways, but she was sacrificing Wave Chill in the process. She could easily bring down two birds with one stone this way, but could she resist not being dragged back to her old ways? Could she really avoid letting herself be consumed again? It was then something unexpected happened. "Then I have a condition of my own Fleetfoot, you disgraceful Wonderbolt!" Dash roared, a fire in her eyes. "I am to be allowed to accompany Spitfire through her endeavor with you, and if you don't agree to that then this deal is not happening!" The golden mare turned to Dash with an expression purely awestruck, "D-Dash are you sure about this?" The mare she loved did not reply and instead stared down the arctic blue mare in front of her. Fleetfoot was noticeably irritated by the cyan mare's terms being added to the pile, and knowing her that was because it complicated her plans more than she liked. It had added the edge they needed for this negotiation to be truly fair. Finally, Fleet smiled wickedly as if settling on a course of action to take. "Fine Rainbow Dash, I agree to your terms. But I am quite curious as to the Captain's answer as well." she looked to Spitfire hungrily. "What do you say, are we in agreement?" "Yes we are Fleetfoot, name the time and place." she answered with conviction. "Well then we shall trade off this evening and stay with the party specified until the next evening." the dominatrix mare started. "As for place, Wave and Misty can decide for themselves. We on the other hand will be visiting a lovely place, and in fact it was the first brothel I established. It entertains a rather enjoyable clientele. This should be quite the evening!" "Is that all then?" Rapidfire interjected at last. "Oh yes, that should do Rapid." she turned and began walking away. "See you two ladies tonight!" Following numbly behind her was Wave Chill, he was presumably broken from being used as a pawn by the one he thought cared. She had just shown him that she would use whomever she needed to get what she wanted, and that included him it seemed. Once they disappeared though Spitfire got an ear full from the two stallions that were trying to protect her. "Sis what in the name of Celestia do you think you're doing?!" was Rapidfire's howl. "Captain I don't think you know what you are getting yourself into with Fleetfoot." came the concerned voice of Soarin. "She is on a mission to corrupt you again, and she will do anything to achieve that goal." "Guys stop it, I don't have a damn thing to worry about as long as I've got my Dashie standing beside me!" Spitfire said with unbreakable confidence. "My Dashie?" the cyan mare chipped in. "What do you mean by that, it isn't like we are an official thing yet. Are we?" She turned to Dash and drew her into a deep and passionate kiss, her arms and wings protectively enveloping the younger mare. As their lips parted she stared right into the magenta eyes of the mare she loved so much. "I'd say we are quite officially together at this point, wouldn't you agree?" the golden mare said with such a gentle and loving voice. "Y-Yeah totally Spitty." Dash replied with a crimson blush lighting her cheeks. As long as the rainbow maned mare was by her side and in her mind she could withstand anything Fleetfoot would throw at her. Now she just had to go tell Misty Fly the good news! ______________________________________________________________________________ Meanwhile... "Seriously, what the hell was that Fleet?" Wave yelled out yanking the leash she was on forcibly. "Ouch, that hurt you ass!" the arctic blue mare returned venomously. "I sure as hell hope it did, maybe you can feel some of what I'm feeling while you're at it!" the steel blue stallion fumed. "I mean seriously what am I to you, just a simple pawn that you can throw away at a moments notice?" "No, you are THEE pawn!" she looked up at him, a twitch in her eye. "You are the piece that makes all others fall! What you don't understand is I need to subject you to this to have any chance of corrupting our fearless leader again!" "You don't want me, you only want Spitfire!" he stared at her incredulously. "No that's not right Wave, I want everyone!" she answered with a laugh. "But in order to do that I have to sacrifice you...don't worry though I'll come back once I force Spitfire back into her old ways. If I'm lucky I'll nab that rainbow haired upstart as well, just for fun of course!" "Fleetfoot, I'm not going to do this!" Wave Chill declared defiantly. "Oh it is far too late for you to have a choice!" The arctic blue pegasus whipped her neck in an odd fashion recoiling the leash and looping it quickly around the stallion. With one motion she reached up and grabbed the leash pulling it tightly. As she unlatched it from her neck she began using it to restrain her now captive pawn. "What are you doing to me Fleetfoot, I thought that I--" "You thought wrong." she answered simply. "I'll have anypony, anytime that I please. The world is my own little pleasure palace at this point! Now be a good boy and stay put until tonight." She then left him tied up in the very room they frequently shared, together. Alone with his thoughts he began to slowly realize just how far off track he had gotten. Betrayed by the very mare that had given him everything and more, and all in a sick and twisted scheme to get something back that may never return. Maybe he had been trying to help her all along and in going along with her perversion had doomed her to this. He then remembered the eyes that had haunted him every day he had been parted from them. "Misty..." he mused aloud. "...Oh what a fool I have been." Wave Chill may not have liked Fleetfoot's plan one bit anymore, but maybe he could still turn this around for Misty and himself. He slowly realized that the dominatrix had chained up his real heart, and with betrayal those shackles had come free. The stallion knew he couldn't do much for his Captain, but maybe he could get word to Soarin or Rapidfire after he got traded off. It was a long shot but he knew he had to try to put things the way they needed to be. Can I really do any good for anypony this far down the road?