Lightning Bolt of Rome

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter VII: Fortunata’s Lyre.

“For once, things are looking up,” Titus said as his back was being rubbed. Deep in the palace resided the Imperial Baths with expansive mosaics that covered the floor in colorful pictures of heroes, admiring beauties, exotic plants, and bloodthirsty animals. The walls were painted with a realistic view of the sea with Neptune in the water. All around the baths were copies of Greek statues in dramatic poses, some pouring water and creating mists of steam.

“If you mean that the Pegasus has agreed to stay in Rome, then I assume so,” Zenous agreed. Although fully clothed, the adviser did his best to ignore how warm this particular room was; even his curly hair was straightening out in the humidity. “However, with Jupiter now in Rome, I think things have become a little more complicated.”

“How so?”

“For one, you’re not exactly liked by the Empire,” he said, dabbing his forehead with a rag. “Some say that you have a resemblance to Nero, from your voice to your playing with the lyre.”

Titus rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t remind me. But I’m not really like that monster at all. Sure, we may share our love for all things theatrical and have a high taste of luxury. The people who truly know me know that there are huge differences between us. True, I play the lyre, but at least I have talent, and I for one care about my citizens. Do you remember what happened last summer?”

“I do. Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under ash, thousands died, and a good chunk of the treasury went towards relief – what Roman could forget such a disaster of that scale?”

“That is my point -- a little to the left,” he told his slave that was rubbing his fleshy back. “If Nero were alive when we realized that those cities were built next to a fire mountain, he would have been too busy composing a hymn about their destruction while declaring war on Mt. Vesuvius.”

“Perhaps, Caesar.” Zenous took a gulp of water to try to cool himself down in the misty room. “Yet, do you worry about Jupiter returning?”

“Why should I? He’s accepted our agreement to stay until he recovers. Not only that, but the people seemed pleased to have the real god himself in their midst.”

“That’s exactly my point,” his adviser said. “What if he gets too popular, or another disaster happens? What if the people, or even the Senate, wish to overthrow you and put him in your place? After all, what good is an emperor when you have the very god you worship in the flesh?”

The Emperor waved for the slave to stop giving him a back massage. “That is quite the problem indeed. Did Jupiter say anything of political ambitions?”

“I don’t think so, my Lord.”

“Good. Hopefully, it will stay that way. Besides, in his mad state, I very much doubt that the Senate would allow putting him in charge of the Empire.”

“That brings up another problem. Although we haven’t seen him use any powers other than flight, what if he begins using his other powers while he’s not in the right state of mind? Even though he denies his godhood, he could very well send lightning bolts when provoked.”

“The best we can do is to keep him happy.” Caesar Titus wiped his sweat off with a towel. “Of course, that is going to be tricky. A powerful god with insanity is far more dangerous than one with a sober mind.”

“I understand,” Zenous nodded, wiping his face and neck with the rag in his hand. “Besides, Jupiter wasn’t all too pleased about staying in Rome.”

“Crossed was more like it.” The Emperor handed the towel over to the slave before he got up off the table and headed towards the cool baths. “Screamed in anger after he reluctantly agreed to stay and be treated. Hopefully, the doctors will find a way to cure his illness.”

“I wonder,” his adviser followed him to the edge of the bath, “how does one cure sickness in the mind? With bodies, I think I can comprehend how, but healing the mentality of a god? How does one hope to accomplish such an impossibility?”

“Zenous, we live in Rome.” Caesar lowered himself into the cool waters of his sunken-in bath with a sigh. “The word ‘impossible’ isn’t in our vocabulary.”

_*_

As the sun lowered itself into the western sea, a woman approached the steps of the Temple of Jupiter with a lyre in her hand. Her dark hair was tied up and curled down her head like a fountain. The High Priest approached her. “What brings you here?”

“My master sent me,” she said, holding the instrument like an infant. “He’s one of the doctors, Victus of Alexandria. He thought that my music would help soothe his Lordship’s frustration.”

The High Priest shrugged. "I hope so. Jupiter was quite upset when he came back to his temple."

“Is he angry?” the slave girl asked as she followed the elderly man through the line of columns to the large center door.

“He has calmed down a bit, but he is still annoyed with his circumstances. The doctors, including your master, are somewhat unsure of what to do.”

“My master said that the best way to relax a stormy mind is to play him tranquil music. I have played for some of those who came to see him, and they said that my playing helps.”

“Do they?” The slave girl nodded. Standing at the front door to the main temple where a couple of Praetorian guards stood at either side, both of which carried a spear and a net. The High Priest knocked on the door. “My Lord, a musician, sent by one of your doctors, is hoping to gain an audience with you.”

“Go ahead,” an unamused voice was heard from the door.

Iovanius slowly opened one of the doors to the slave girl. Taking in a nervous breath, she stepped inside the Holy of Holies where she found the famed Pegasus on a violet pillow near the foot of a mighty statue, surrounded by many offerings of fruit and wine.

She was surprised to find that he wasn’t wearing his golden armor, finally getting a good look at the being underneath. A completely white coat, folded wings that were as large and magnificent as an eagle’s, a fiery red mane with a straight but shortened tail, and eyes as blue as the seas. However, she could see the look of disappointment upon the creature’s face.

“Let me guess. You’re another worshipper, doctor, or priestess,” Bolt spoke. “And before you start bowing and calling me ‘your Lordship, ‘mighty Jupiter’, or ‘O Great God of the Skies, I’m not worthy’, just don’t. I’ve just about had it with all of this.” His head flopped onto the pillow. “I wonder if this is how Princess Celestia feels.”

“How so?” the slave girl asked as she cautiously approached the Pegasus.

He rolled his eyes. “Forget it, you don’t want to listen anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you wouldn’t take a single word I say seriously.” He buried his head underneath his hooves. “Just… say your prayers, offer me your offerings, or whatever you’re in for and just go.”

She stopped several feet away from the pony. “I’m not here for any of those things. I was sent here to play my lyre for you.”

Lightning craned his neck up. “What for?”

“My master says that my playing helps soothe any troubled mind.” The pegasus eyed her and her instrument with suspicion. “Perhaps, you also want someone to talk to.”

“No, I need a real friend in this weird place. Someone that doesn’t think I’m crazy.”

The musician sat down on the marble floor. “I will listen if you want. I won’t call you crazy, just talk to you like a friend would.”

“Whatever,” he waved a hoof at the many bowls beside him. “Help yourself to the offerings, I’ve already eaten anyway.”

She looked up in shock. “But it’s forbidden to take food or drink from the gods.”

“But I’m not a god,” he corrected her. “And I wouldn’t mind sharing this anyway. So if you want something, be my guest.”

The slave girl eyed one of the many cups of wine, which she carefully took a few sips from. “Would it please you if I played my lyre?”

Lightning Bolt told her to go ahead. She started with several quick notes on her stringed instrument, which, as much as the pegasus quietly admitted, did sound nice to listen to. The slave girl really did have some talent, playing a melody and counter-melodies with her two hands. Even as she played these multiple strings at once for a minute, the sound was like the sound of rain falling on the rooftops and the echo of the music in this enormous room only made it resonate more mysteriously and exotically.

Then, she changed the tune to a much slower pace, yet as she played, she began to speak. “What is it like?”

“What?”

“This life you knew, this Equestria, what is it like?”

The guard paused for a moment to register what he just heard. “You… you really want to listen to me?”

“Master told me that I’m a good listener. So please, speak. What was Equestria like, as well as your Princess you served?”

“Well,” Bolt shifted on his oversized pillow, “as I’ve been trying to say, I’m the Captain of the Guard for Celestia. She is now the ruler over my country during the day while her younger sister takes over at night. But as to what Equestria is like uh… I’m sorry, who are you again?”

“Fortunata.”

“Right, as I was saying, my country is a place where all sorts of ponies, not just Pegasi like me, but Earth Ponies and Unicorns all live together in harmony alongside a few others like Gryphons, Donkeys, Buffalos, and occasionally Dragons. I guess it may sound too fantastic for you Fortunata, but where I come from, we don’t really have these temples and sacrifices to any gods, because everypony knows that Celestia and Luna are practically goddesses that look over us.”

Fortunata tilted her head. “How strange. Is it possible, then, that gods have gods that they worship too?”

Bolt shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve never taken philosophy.”

“But tell me more,” she urged him on. “Do you remember having a family of your own?”

The pegasus sighed. “I have a wife, but I’ve been seeing less and less of her ever since my promotion. My Midnight Blue… we just had a daughter not too long ago.”

“You miss them?”

Bolt nodded. “I do. It’s one of the reasons I want to leave. Celestia promised me that after I and my unit escorted her to Saddle Arabia, I would have some time off to spend with my family. But since I’ve seen your map of this Empire… I don’t know if there’s any way of going home.”

Fortunata stopped playing. “I think I have a good idea what you’re going through.”

The pony’s ears perked up. “You do?”

She nodded. “I was born in Alexandria where my husband went into debt. We owed so many people from all the luxuries we had that all of us, even my son, had to pitch in to do something. When no one offered us a job, we resorted to nexum, allowing us to pay off our debts by pledging ourselves as slaves.”

“What?” Bolt said in shock. “You sold yourselves into slavery? Are you mad!?”

“We had no choice. We had to sell ourselves to pay everything back or be thrown into prison. What else could we do? We were eventually separated across the Empire. I’m not sure if my husband and son are still in Egypt, but I hope that we will meet again someday and go back to the way things were.

“Since my master is a doctor and he encourages me to play the lyre, I hope that our debt will still be repaid. Jupiter or not, I hope you understand what it’s like for a mother to miss her family across the sea, in a place where you have no control.”

Bolt opened his wings and gently flew over to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, everything will be alright. You know, I may not exactly be free myself, with all these guards watching me and your Emperor wanting me here, but perhaps I could free you.” Fortunata looked up. “Perhaps when the Emperor returns, I can ask him to not only repay your debts but to set you free as well.”

“You… you would actually do that?” she said in amazement.

“I swore an oath to my Princess that I would protect and serve all. You were able to talk to me as a pony, so consider this a token of my gratitude for what you’ve done.” He offered a hoof to her. “Friends?”

The overjoyed Fortunata shook his hoof and left the temple with a thousand ‘thank you’s.

Comments

[CrackedInkWell]

6499869 Here, have a chapter.

[German Kaiserreich]

[Rocky Runner]

Yay! And how sweet, what you got goin' on there between Fortunata and Lightning Bolt... I expect to see some "discussions" between Titus and "Jupiter" on certain aspects of Roman society...

[Autarch Prime]

6499912 We'll graciously receive the chapter.

[batran]

It be pretty coolif lightning goes on to save rome and emperor titus

[Paperbag Wizard]

ust… say your prayers offer me your offerings or whatever you’re in for and just go.”
Needs some commas.

[CrackedInkWell]

6501643 Thanks for pointing those out.

[Greatazuredragon]

“The best any of us we could do is to keep him happy,” Caesar Titus took a towel to wipe the sweat off of him, “Which of course is going to be tricky. A powerful God with insanity is far more dangerous than one with a sober mind.”

The funniest part is that from their point of view their reasoning is perfectly solid and makes sense.

[TheDriderPony]

You know, it's too bad he didn't land a few decades earlier. I'm sure Caligula would've had a field day.