Bring the Thunder

by Ze Guest

19: Glistering

I was quietly shoving gold and stuff in my bag. Let's be honest, I'm pretty poor all I own is everything in the bag I'm shoving things into. Even Astheno was helping me. She would drop a gold coin on my head once in a while. Pinkie Pie snuck up behind me. "Whatcha doin'" Pinkie asked. I turned my head.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" I said. Pinkie Pie laughed until the ground started shaking and we heard a deep groaning sound. "Mama Dragon." I said and dashed off. As I fled for the stairs, Fluttershy watched as the dragon picked up one of it's dead young and roared in sorrow.

Fluttershy took one step, then another, then she started flying over to the mother and, instead of being killed, she spoke softly to it. Neon- now you're not going to believe this, Neon flew over to the dragon as well. He can fly?! "You can fly?!" I asked.

"I sure can! I'm lighter than air!" Neon hollered back. Both him and Fluttershy were speaking to the mother softly and carefully. When they were done talking to it, they said the promised to burry the dead dragons. Twilight took the still sleeping Rarity and the rest of us took the babies outside.

We buried the dragons and had a moment of silence. Neon and Fluttershy wanted to console the mother more but she went away back to her cave which is when we found out there was a huge opening about a quarter-mile away. Neon stayed by the grave of the dragon he and I killed for a while, just looking at it. I just went to sleep.

Throughout the night, I could hear the mother moaning and howling. If dragons howl that is. I was lucky I was able to get to sleep.

"Welcome to Canterlot Station." a young mare's voice said over the loud speaker.

"Finally!" Icarus said, stretching out. "Thought we would never make it!"

"Well, at least we're here," I said. Icarus was once again in the form of the rust colored stallion with the 80s mane-cut. "Shall we tour the city?"

"Nah, I already know where we're going." We walked around the city getting lost over and over again. Icarus led me to a shabby old alleyway covered in litter.

"This is it? This is where we are going to pull off the heist of the century?" I asked.

"Oh come on! It's only going to be a couple days. And after that we'll be living in the biggest house in the world!" Icarus changed into his regular form. "Ten days." he said. "Oh! and by the way, here!" Icarus tossed me a little brown sack.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's magic! That little bag can hold all the money in the world! I got it from a friend of mine. He can make things with infinite capacity. That's where the gold is going."

We plotted the whole thing that day. Icarus would set everything up by going into the castle tomorrow. He set up a spell so I could watch him while he does his magic. There is supposed to be a guard who checks the vault. Icarus will kill him and turn into him and look for any odd marks in security and a way to get me in when we start taking the money.

At about 3:30 in the morning, Icarus broke into a house. You could hear someone having a major coughing fit. This was the guy who was going to be making sure everything was in order in the vault. Well, not really. Icarus would be doing that. Icarus slit his throat before he even knew he was behind him. Something woke up the wife. She saw Icarus but he quickly snapped her neck with magic before she made a sound. He looked around for any foals. One. Not anymore.

He suited up and went to the castle. He bumped into this one stallion. He had full-body armor on except for his face He had white fur and a brown mane. "Hello there." He said to Icarus. He had a sireish accent. "I believe you'll be takin' care of the vault today, correct?"

Icarus shied a little but said, "Yes sir." and saluted.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. It's just me. Good ol' Rock Well." He patted Icarus on the back and shoved his helmet on his head.

"Hay, Volt!" Icarus said using his thoughts which the spell allowed. "Maybe if I can't find a good place for you to hide, you can dress up as that guy."

"Not a bad idea." I said.

Icarus looked around for a couple of hours, avoiding everyone he could which he was very successful with. Nobody bothered him. They had the place pretty tight. Icarus could hardly find any odd marks but he told me that the changelings were going to attack the cameras so we won't have to worry about being caught while we get the money, just getting in there.

Icarus grabbed a clipboard and carried it into the vault. He opened it up and walked in. "44-19-27-2. Write that down. That's the combination of the vault. Just in case." he said.

"44-19-27-2," I repeated. "Got it!"

Icarus walked in with his pencil and clipboard and marked spaces he was required to check. "Hay! Who are you?" a voice shouted at him.

My heart nearly stopped. I was scared but Icarus turned to face the guard. "Lt. Sharp Wind. I'm just making sure everything is in check." he said.

"Sharp Wind? I thought you called in sick today. I'm doing your job today." My heart was racing and sweat rolled of my forehead . "Hold on," the guard said. "Glister."

I was confused. What did he mean by Glister? "What?" Icarus asked.

"I said, Glister!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Glister!"

"What are you talking about!?"

The guard looked shocked and backed up. He said something under his breath and ran out of the vault. "Guards! Guards! Intruder!" Icarus started frantically looking for a place to hid. He was too late, though.

"Hay! Stop him!" Multiple guards came running in with their spears. Icarus got out of his disguise and quickly attacked the guards. He shot and dodged and attacked but the guards were one step ahead of him.

"Get out of there!" I said trying to be quiet so I don't grab attention.

"What do you think I trying to do!?" he said.

Icarus was doing good for a while but he turned his head and saw someone tackle him to the ground. "Nice hit, Bull!" someone shouted at the guy who tackled Icarus. He got up and held his spear in Icarus's face and smiled.

"I guess all that Glisters isn't Gold." he said. He raised his spear and lowered it. The spell ended. I didn't see the guard, Bull. I didn't hear Icarus. Just a brick wall I was looking at.

I sat there, motionless, quiet, scared, alone. For hours, I sat there until my back hurt and still I stayed. The only things that played in my head was Icarus is dead! You hear me?! Dead! HA! HA! HA! Look what just happened. HA! HA! HA! Bye bye! See you in Hell!

I was slow waking up. I stretched and yawned and shook my head but I still had trouble getting up. I looked at my knapsack. It had a lot of gold in it. Gold. Glister. Glistering Gold. Gold Glisters. Shiny, shiny glistering gold. All that glisters is not quite gold, is it? Is it not? Why is it glistering? Because it's gold? But what else glisters if it isn't gold? Silver? Copper? Tin? Aluminum? They glister, right? That seems right. Gold can glister, but so can silver or copper or tin or aluminum. But what if you don't think it's gold but it is? Then what?

I found myself going back to the dragon's lair returning all the glistering, shiny, lying, evil, sinful, demonic, bastard, sorrowful, greedy, shiny, glistering, glistering gold. Everyone wondered why I had given the evil gold back to the dragon. I don't know, But then, even after Icarus died, I still wanted that shiny, glistering gold, didn't I? And two ponies died because of it. Greedy, greedy, greedy, evil, glistering gold.

Author's Note:

Who cried themselves to sleep? Probably no one.