Bullets of Fire

by BlackWater

19 - Deception is not a Good Forte

Have you heard anything from Light Scribe?" Spitfire asked the court messenger.

"Only a little. He seems to be doing okay," the unicorn mare replied kindly. It certainly was true, after all. She had heard him mumble a few things through his cold-induced hacking. He could be doing better but, then, he could be a lot worse off too.

"It's too bad he caught the cold before I got here. The Princess wanted to keep things pretty tight with our connection. She said Light Scribe was good about that."

"Oh, I won't go telling ponies anything. You have my word," the unicorn acted both aghast at the implied doubt and fervent to please in an attempt to win over the 'Bolt's trust.

Spitfire gave her lop-sided smile of reassurance, "I don't doubt you. I'm glad we met and you've been a great help over the past few days."

The other mare's pastel green coat almost seemed sickly in the odd tunnel lighting. It made it seem as if there were some eerie aura emanating from the court messenger. It had to be Spitfire's imagination. The pegasus shook the sensation off and reassessed the unicorn. She was one of Celestia's many ponies assigned to relay orders and oversee matters throughout Equestria. They had little direct power and their overseer jobs were mostly just that - observations. This mare in particular was named "Issai" and her cutie mark was some sort of green fruit. Spitfire thought it looked odd but then she rarely ate any fruit besides plain apples. Maybe she just wasn't that adventurous. It was a funny thought in any other context.

"We have one more day of digging before the vault is complete and secure enough to haul the first artifacts in," Issai remarked as they began a new thread of conversation. They were walking leisurely through the entrance tunnel as was usual in Spitfire's routine. Nonpony came into the tunnels without the captain knowing about it. Issai came and went quite often but it was expected since she was a messenger. When she was present at the dig site, she spent quite a bit of time giving orders to the workers via a collection of scrolls. They had been Light Scribe's before he had taken sick leave.

Spitfire liked to think she had been appropriately observant in everything. If something was amiss then she would surely know about it. "The artifacts are already in route then?"

The unicorn smiled at that. "Oh yes. They'll arrive before midnight and we don't even need to worry about guarding them. I've been told they will already have an armed escort."

Spitfire gave an intrigued look. "For some dusty old relics?"

"These are not some insignificant curiosities," Issai corrected. "The artifacts have to be guarded and secured carefully. Some of them hold great magical abilities that would be dangerous in the wrong hooves."

The Wonderbolt knew it was true from what Celestia had told her but she couldn't imagine some evil organization trying to end the world with some ancient relic of magic. It just seemed too absurd.

Fire Streak was set. Lightning Streak was still sore about the earlier disagreement but he was willing to make an autograph at Fire Streak's desperate pleading. That was the trick. You have to understand when to use forced humility to your advantage, he thought pridefully to himself. Groveling usually got him anything he wanted. This time was no exception. The stallion knew the gift would work and the mare would see him as her new hero.

Finesse. That's what it all came down to. He noted when he spoke to her that she had a thin ribbon around her neck. It was a simple accessory but girls seemed to adore that stuff - at least High Winds did. A new ribbon with Lightning's special stylized signature was sure to catch her attention. It was so perfect that the off-white stallion had to hold back a maniacal laugh.

Of course, he wasn't laughing on the return journey because he nearly forgot where the house had been. After wasting a good half-hour going the wrong way, he finally got on the right track and found the mansion. It really was quite big for a house but it probably didn't have more than three or four occupants. For some reason, that tended to be the case.

There was nopony outside so the Wonderbolt had to go the long distance up to the door. He almost knocked before realizing there was a button. Door bell? Fancy indeed, he thought. Perhaps he was simply too used to hotel rooms to be a good judge of such things.

Some nearby birds were singing without any care in the world. It was probably because the day was without clouds. Nothing but sunshine and a refreshing breeze was present. Combined with the sea of green grass, it was actually a far cry from what the stallion was used to. Cities, stages, tracks, and air were his most familiar settings. That and the hotels.

He pressed the button next to the door and an almost cheery ring echoed through the building. There was a moment of silence thereafter where he assumed the mare was getting to the door. The moment stretched on and Fire Streak felt a small but noticeable wave of drowsiness come on. It had been a long flight there and back.

Finally the door opened, if only by a crack. The red-maned mare from before was peaking through. "Yes?" she quietly asked as she recognized the pegasus.

"Back!" he replied enthusiastically. "And your gift is fresh off the oven!"

Her eyes lit up as if she was suddenly a different pony. The sight of the ribbon that he was now holding up to her was apparently too much for her to contain her excitement. All restraint went, almost literally, out of the door. She flew out of the house and grabbed the ribbon as if it were a million bits.

"Whoa!" Fire Streak cried as he was nearly knocked down. "I thought you'd like it...but not that much!"

Her smile was priceless. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I guess 'fan' is a bit of a tame word, huh?" the stallion gave an uncertain laugh.

She didn't respond as she looked intensely at the ribbon that was now in her hooves.

"So...what's your name? If you don't mind my asking..." the pegasus tried.

"You really just got this from Lightning Streak?" she asked, not having heard his own inquiry. She kept staring in awe at the ribbon and marveled that it might have come from her favorite stallion in the entire world.

"Uh...yeah. It wasn't easy though because he can be kind of...um...head-strong..." Fire emphasized his final words as he struggled to give a diplomatic answer. Nevermind that Fire Streak himself might have been the head-strong one.

The mare slowly lifted a hoof to the ribbon around her neck. It finally dawned on her to try on the new one. The Wonderbolt just sat down on the porch and watched helplessly. He thought he had just done a great favor and it seemed to be having an incredible effect on the young mare. Yet somehow...he was still left as the pony on the outside.

There was no question as to who his captor was now. He had seen her the last time she checked on him even though he was too weak to actually respond. His throat was so rough that it hurt badly just to whisper. At first he thought things were as bad as they could possibly get and then he started to realize that something deeper was going on that he couldn't see.

His captor was the pastel green unicorn from his school days. They had gone through magic school together and even shared a few short jobs after their graduation. He hadn't seen the mare in quite some time now but he never forgot that look in her eye when they had last seen each other. It had been years and the look haunted him still. She had given him a worried look. He never knew if she had been worried for him or for herself but it was irrelevant now. That was what he told himself. What mattered was what she was doing in the present.

He guessed from her words, actions, comings, and goings that she had taken his place at the dig site. Of course, she was not a court messenger and had no authority to do so. That was not even to mention the fact that she basically kidnapped him. This whole scenario was very much like the warning that Celestia had given about the dig operation. Light Scribe was just shocked that Issai had a part in it. He always thought she had gone off in fulfillment of her talent - her cutie mark. He imagined growing prime kiwis in a garden was a great, if peaceful, life for her. He had guessed wrong, apparently.

She had knocked him out rather painfully and then kept him under with magic. She seemed hostile at first but maybe that was just the sickness talking. There was something very off about her...as if she was still the nice Issai he once knew and something else was making her misbehave. She may have caused the cold he now suffered but she also took care of him. He had fresh sheets, soup, and tissues for his runny nose. She checked up regularly to get anything that he needed. It was...confusing.

In the end, he knew he still had to act as soon as possible. The artifacts were in very real danger. Regardless of how Issai was acting, she was currently the number one threat for those magic relics. He had to stop her and it was a fresh wave of soreness and coughing that prevented him from taking the appropriate action. He would have to make his move when she came to check on him next.

Perhaps it was bad luck that it was that very instant that the check-up occurred. He meant to make his move when she returned and he was feeling a tad better. The sickness was currently making him as lethal as a lily pad. "I-issai," he mumbled weakly.

"Light, some things never change. I think you're one of them," the mare replied as she walked into the room.

It finally started to clear up in his head. The headache, that is. He still hadn't a clue why Issai had gotten wrapped up in these dark affairs. "Why are you doing this?"

Issai had not a single pause to her reply, "Because you're too blind to see what needs to be done. You've been sucked into a sub-par life and Celestia brainwashes you into thinking it's the best it could be."

"Nopony has brainwashed me. This is how I've decided that I want to live," he replied with too much anger. The emotions and speech just made the pain worse.

"And what about me? Is this not how I've decided to live?"

"How is this a better life for you? You could be living a peaceful life, not hurting anypony. You have a wonderful talent, Issai. Why are you running from it?" Light Scribe's voice sounded like it was rolling over gravel and a small cough often escaped behind his words. He would keep speaking with her even if it hurt. It was not just his duty that he had to think about. Issai used to be a friend and he didn't want her to become his enemy.

"I'm running to it, not from it. Once this is all over, I'll finally be able to live a good life..."

"With what? Money? That's what these stupid struggles are always about!" the stallion couldn't hide his contempt.

"I'm not doing this for money," the mare countered darkly as she turned away.

"Then what? None of this makes sense," Light Scribe forced himself out of the bed. It hurt as bad as he thought it would but he had no choice. He would be loyal in his duties even if it meant his end.

Issai turned back to face him when he got up. Her expression was conflicted and the beige unicorn knew then that there really was something going on...had she been threatened into this?

"The only thing you thought about - the only thing you still think about - is your stupid duties!" she shouted. "You keep hurting yourself trying to live up to impossible ideals and the only way to snap you out of it is to take away your obligations."

Slowly he tried to wrap his mind around her meaning. "Is-" he stuttered as his throat burned with a new vengeance. "Issai...what are you saying?"

"You said 'good luck' so many times and then you would go off to do Celestia's dirty chores. You wanted me to have a perfect life but you didn't want any part in it! Did you think I wanted to live some peaceful life alone?!"

With the final word and a shove, the mare sent him reeling back into his bed. He collapsed there in the sheets with a fresh bout of pain sweeping over him. The headache throbbed back with stark resolve. "You really should get your rest," Issai said darkly. "Maybe you'll start thinking straight."

He tried not to pass out as the room spun in his vision. He did notice, however, when Issai stormed out of the room in a huff. Was it wrong for him to wish his friends the best? Was he somehow responsible for feelings that she never told him about? As he got back under the sheets, he realized that he failed to stop her from continuing her mission. Somehow, he didn't care about it as much as he did a moment ago. The personal conflict he had with Issai was taking a far higher priority for him. For the first time in a long while, Light Scribe let his royal duty slip as he questioned his own personal loyalties. Celestia was not to blame but perhaps it was true that he had left friendships behind for his... occupation. Was he content to always be some errand-runner? He didn't want riches or fame...maybe that was why Issai had that look in her eye. She had the same simple ambition that he had long forgotten about and she somehow blamed Celestia for his own poor choices.

She had been alone ever since they had parted ways.

Comments

[Man Of War]

Oh, bit of a love thing now. Pretty good, looking forward to more!