//------------------------------// // Chapter XIV: The Feast of Caesar. // Story: Lightning Bolt of Rome // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “How bad is it?” Caesar Titus asked his adviser. “As of this morning,” Zenous examined the scroll once more, “while Jupiter has put out most of last night’s fires, Rome has lost many of its temples, forums, some of its monuments, hundreds if not thousands of homes, and even the House of the Senate was burnt. I have a complete list in this scroll, Caesar.” The adviser cleared his throat before continuing. “Since the Temple of Jupiter was burned, the King of the Skies is currently residing in the Parthenon, or at least in the rotunda since it was the only part of the temple to survive. The Circus Maximus is completely destroyed. Ten of thousands of Roman citizens have found themselves homeless--” The Emperor sighed. “Is there any good news out of this disaster?” “Well… there is. The fire did spare the Amphitheatrum Caesarium. This means that there might still be a way to gain the public’s favor.” “I don’t know.” Titus got out of his chair. “Considering what the Pegasus has done last night, it looks like all popularity has shifted towards him now, hasn’t it?” “I’m afraid so.” Zenous handed the scroll over to him. “Just last night, once the last of the fires were extinguished, he flew over to where the people had fled. They were cheering ‘Long reign Jupiter.’ It seems as of now, your popularity, and therefore your life, is hanging by a thread.” Caesar Titus looked through the names of the places in the capital that were burnt. “Besides, it’s going to be a nightmare for the treasure to rebuild even a third of this.” “Unless…” his adviser started but shook his head, “no, we can’t do that.” “Do what?” “It’s a bad idea, my Lord.” “Zenous, tell me,” Titus said. “Any idea is better than none when you have the very capital to worry about.” He sighed. “Would it be ethical to ask Jupiter to move his offerings over the Empire’s treasury? And before you say anything; yes, I know that Nero had looted every temple in the Empire to reconstruct Rome, but I think that this time, it’s different.” “How so?” “Well, if we asked him to donate even a percentage of his offerings to fund the construction costs, it would ease the treasury by a good amount. Of course, we’re talking about asking the very King of the Gods to lend some loose change, so his worshippers may have a problem if Jupiter isn’t willing to do so.” “I’ll see to that. Is there anything else I should know?” “Since you’ve asked,” the adviser said with caution, “there’s a rumor going around with the Senate this morning. I think it’s best if I get straight to the point: they’re debating if they should make him Emperor.” Titus dropped the scroll. “What?!” “They haven’t fully made their decision yet,” Zenous quickly started. “Considering what has happened during your short reign with the complete destruction of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and now Rome, they’re wondering if it’s best if they should let the very Lord of the Skies become an Earthly Emperor as he is in the Heavens. Who is going to oppose Jupiter of all of the Gods when he is someone who we can not only speak with but see in the flesh?” “But I thought that the Senate had rendered him insane.” “And that’s the opposing argument, Caesar. It’s true that he still denies being Jupiter in spite of making the storm from last night himself, so according to some, they will not give the Pegasus the crown unless he embraces the idea that he is truly Jupiter.” “Gods, this is bad.” Titus started to pace back and forth. “Something must be done, and fast. But what?” He walked from all sides of his desk and eventually circled the Imperial Office to come up with a solution to his problem. “I wonder if the plan of befriending him is still the best option. To do otherwise would just lead toward even more catastrophic consequences. We cannot overthrow him, as he is way too popular as it is. Nor can we have him give into his madness. Only an idiot would do something like that…” “So, what do you propose that we do?” “Until he does something that would make all of Rome not want--” It was then that the Emperor snapped his fingers. “Gladiators! Zenous, that’s it!” “Caesar?” “I know just what to do.” Titus smiled as he exited his office. “Since it’s clear that the people of Rome are in a celebrating mood, tonight we will host a great feast where Jupiter, the Senate, and some of the survivors will attend. We shall say that it’s out of gratitude for saving our city. However, we will be entertained by gladiators.” “My Lord, I’m afraid I don’t quite follow.” The adviser quickly ran behind him. “How is this going to help?” “You know about how he was at the Circus Maximus, especially when he became upset about the fights. So, what if during the entertainment, Jupiter says or does something that is so outrageous about the sport that the Senate has no choice but to forget about letting him have power. Send out the invitations! We have quite the supper to plan this evening.” _*_ “TO JUPITER’S BRAVERY!” Titus toasted as his guest did the same. Lightning Bolt had his fair share of participating in parties in the past. Everything from his childhood birthdays to overseeing the Grand Galloping Gala, nothing could compare to the party that was being thrown in his honor. It combined the drunken lunacy of his college years with the expensive food normally only seen at Royal gatherings. Bolt was currently lying on a reclining couch next to the Emperors with a line of couches forming a huge rectangle where everyone could eat and relax. In the center stood musicians and dancers, jugglers and magicians, fire-eaters and snake charmers, and many other entertainers. Servants went around the huge rectangle in their simple robes, carrying every kind of food imaginable. From loaves of bread to meats and salads to smelly sauces, there didn’t seem to be any kind of enriched food that was missing. Looking down at his own attire once more, the pegasus was impressed at the replacement armor that the Romans had made for him. Since his original armor was lost in the fire, another was created in its place as one of their countless ways of thanking him for “not letting the entire city burn down to the ground.” It was not only made out of gold, but it was embedded with jewels and rare stones from all corners of the Empire. Even his new helmet was decorated with golden eagles that, even though they were made of metal, looked lifelike despite how scaled down they were. “More salad, my Lord?” one of the servants asked. “Not now,” Bolt told her. “I think I’m a little too full as it is.” “I can fix that,” another servant said, carrying an empty bowl in one hand and a long feather in the other. “Fix wha--” Before the stallion could say anything further, the long feather was suddenly jammed down into his muzzle where it touched something that made him gag and feel sick. The servant quickly removed the feather and placed the empty bowl below him in time for the Solar Guard to empty an hour’s worth of his meal into it. “There you go,” the servant said once Bolt was finished expelling his stomach’s contents. “Now you can eat some more salad.” “You should have warned me first,” Lightning coughed out, but the servant with the feather had already left while the other dished up more food on his plate. The Emperor next to him laughed. “I guess you haven’t been to a feast like this in a while?” “You kidding?” Lightning downed some wine to soothe his stomach. “I don’t remember ever going to a party where somepony stuck a feather down somepony else’s throat to make them vomit on purpose.” “Sounds to me like you haven’t been to too many parties lately. Well at least now, we’re giving you something to make up for all of that lost time, no?” “You Romans are weird.” The pegasus put down his glass and turned to the entertainment. “I haven’t seen anything as wild as this since I was younger.” “Ah, we know. Those stories of you getting drunk and telling of all the women and occasional men you’ve bedded. Trust us, we’re not that surprised.” “Uh… what?” The pegasus blinked. “I went to bed with… who?” he asked, blushing at what he just heard. The Emperor started laughing. “It’s just as I thought! You really were drunk! So much so that you can’t remember who you have been with!” “Hey, come on! That was a long time ago, and it was once… or was it twice…?” Titus didn’t stop chuckling. “Oh wow, this is amazing!” Lightning looked away in embarrassment. “Can we please change the subject? I don’t want to remember all of that, especially since I’m married now.” “Married, single, does it really matter all that much when it’s common knowledge to every citizen in the Empire? But no matter. You’re enjoying yourself, I hope?” “I’ll give you this: if there’s anything you guys do right, it’s throwing a party.” “Oh,” Titus waved a hand dismissively, “this is nothing. You should have seen our festivals.” “TO THE SAVIOR OF ROME!” someone cried as he raised his glass, causing everyone else to also raise theirs’ in a toast. Once was toast was drunk, a senator came up to the Emperor with a scroll in hand. “Pardon me, Caesar,” he said. “Since you are here, I figured I might show you the total cost in repairing Rome’s damages.” The Emperor allowed him to show it to him. However, instead of giving it to him, he unrolled the scroll to reveal a dagger. He quickly grabbed it and tried to plunge it into Caesar, but a couple of quick Praetorian Guards immediately grabbed him and seized the knife before the Emperor could be harmed. “Death to Titus!” the senator yelled as he was being dragged away. “Jupiter must be Emperor! The Empire will fall if Titus is still in power!” Now, all eyes were on both Caesar and the Pegasus. Titus, however, was looking at Lightning Bolt who could only blink. “What in the hay just happened?”