Broken

Broken: Chapter 7

Stress Test

Silver’s high voice chased his psyche for the rest of the work day. Despite however much he loved gossip and intrigue, he couldn’t find pleasure in his work that day. The few notes in his inbox about the comings and goings of prominent socialites were ash before his eyes, playing second fiddle to the stress behind the editor-in-chief’s cryptic meeting.

Eleven-thirty took its sweet time in coming, and he nearly ran out of his office in order to meet up with her. The code she had given him suggested something serious was happening, else she wouldn’t have asked to meet him somewhere else than their usual place for lunch. He composed himself before emerging from the office, though, skirting the edge of the cubicle floor on his way towards the back entrance. Every surreptitious glance cast his way felt like the great, indomitable eye of Nightmare Moon herself staring down on him, a spotlight to all the world, as if to say ’Look at this fucker right here! He bought a slave! Ostracize and criticize him!’

Despite his excitable nerves, Lavender managed to slip out of the alleyway door to the Observer, slinking past a couple other pen-pushing columnists enjoying a cigarette. A light rain had begun to fall, filling the air with the heavy scent of wet Trottingham, which was surprisingly reminiscent of ‘wet dog.’ He used a simple field of telekinesis to keep himself dry as he slunk through the alley and around the corner, onto the busy street. Despite the weather, ponies were bustling about, on their way to or from lunch appointments and dates. It was only Wednesday, the middle of a busy week for the city, and Lavender lost himself in the press of ponies, knowing he was relatively anonymous in a crowd.

Three blocks away was their pre-determined ‘emergency’ meeting spot, a smoky café that even in the middle of the city saw little business during the busy lunch hour. Probably because it was tucked between two corporate office buildings, the door hidden away in the space where trash bins and homeless ponies dominated the scene. The inside even smelled like a dumpster. But sure enough, Silver was waiting for Lavender, and he smoothly joined her in a dark booth, pushing away the cursory glass of water passed to him by the bored-looking waitress. He’d learned the hard way not to drink the water here.

“What the fuck is happening, Silver?” Lavender whispered, making sure the waitress wasn’t listening in. She was boredly reading some magazine or another, her head bobbing in time with the radio blaring some unintelligible music he could hardly stand.

“It’s this ‘Ignatius’ fellow,” Silver looked haggard, the bags under her eyes scaring Lavender even more than the tense sound of her voice, or the mention of the shady Ignatius that had been looming in the back of his mind. “He… Sky, he knows about me.”

“What?!” Lavender hissed, leaning closer. The waitress was still reading, but he caught her ear flicking towards them. The volume of the radio steadily decreased. He lowered his voice, casting a wary glance towards the entrance. “What do you mean he knows about you?”

“They were at my house last night, Sky.” Silver shuddered. As he watched, she drew her hooves around her torso, hugging herself.

“Stars above, Silver, are you okay?” Lavender reached a hoof out, seeking to console her. Silver abandoned her hug, snatching his hoof up and bringing it to her face. She clutched it there, stunning Lavender Sky so completely that all he could do was watch as a tear trickled out of her eye and onto his hoof.

“I’m okay, Lav… They just… They know about me, and they know my family. They said I needed to pass a message to you, since they couldn’t find you.”

’I’m glad to see that enchantment still works. Thank you, father.’ Lavender thought to himself, scooting closer to comfort Silver with another hoof.

“What message?”

“That Ignatius, he’s waiting for you. They said it’s time they welcomed you into the New Lunar Republic. And if you didn’t show up tonight, they’d… They’d…” Silver’s lip quivered, and she let out a gut-wrenching sob, the tears flowing fast as she clenched her eyes shut. “They said they’d take my sister if you didn’t go!”

She broke down bawling, clutching Lavender’s hoof as if it were a piece of flotsam in the sea. Stunned, it was all Lavender could do to sit there while his one friend in the whole business cried her heart out. This was a pony he knew to be as equally cruel and vicious as him when it came to maneuvering the surprisingly cutthroat world of journalism, who had defended her spot as editor-in-chief with bravado (and some suspect Zebra martial arts) for close to seven years now; at least as long as Lavender had known her.

And she was crying like a foal just now.

“Is she okay?” The waitress asked, tilting her head at them. Lavender hadn’t even heard her approach. He blinked a few times, clearing the shock out of his mind, before glaring at her.

“None of your business.” He growled, waving his free hoof at her. “Leave us alone.”

“Hey, it’s not your restaurant.” The mare bristled, leveling her own glare back at him. “If she’s gonna insist on water works, at least take her outside. Sheesh.” Despite her anger, the waitress turned away, going back to the seat behind the cash register. She didn’t stop looking at them, though, glancing towards the door every now and then as if to say ‘I meant it.’

“Silver, come on.” He muttered, pulling at her gently. She moved woodenly, still sobbing, as they limped towards the door. They were the only patrons at this point, so nopony was there to watch them leave, but still Silver didn’t feel like angering the waitress of their emergency meeting place. At either end of the alley-way, ponies bustled past, paying next to no attention to the shadowy recesses of a stinking crack between two office buildings. Here, Silver clutched to him, though she wasn’t crying as badly as she had been. He wrapped a hoof around her, comforting the poor pony as she struggled to compose herself, all the while his own thoughts running rampant.

’So father’s old enchantment still works. That’s good, I didn’t have to worry as much about Lily getting found out. That’d also explain why she found her way to my house… Being a unicorn with no horn would be a nifty way of slipping undetected past the spell. Still, Candy must have spilled the beans. Nopony else knew Silver was the one to introduce us, leading to me meeting Focus… not unless they know Silver and I are a lot closer than just working partners. That’s a leap on a good day, though… Not unless…’

Realization struck him like a ton of bricks.

’Unless someone in the paper is with the Republic.’

“Silver, I think we should leave.” Lavender muttered quietly, looking warily over his shoulder at the busy street. Nopony was looking their way, each of them too intent on getting where they needed to be through the rain. Still, that was no excuse to linger any longer. Silver composed herself with a few sniffles and a wooden nod.

“Let me go get my things from the booth.” She whispered, turning back towards the shadowy café’s doorway. Lavender released her, looking warily at the other entrance into the alley before following. Inside, the waitress had disappeared, though there were muffled sounds coming from the kitchen in the back. He paid them little mind, focusing instead on the alley.

“What did you bring along?” Lavender asked over his withers, eyes intent on the street.

“The note they gave me to pass on to you. It’s got the information you need to find Ignatius tonight.”

“Tonight? He wants to meet that soon?” Lavender scowled. He didn’t like that, not one bit. This whole week had been a whirlwind of excitement already; he was hoping they could wait at least a little bit before actually having to join the Republic. Time to get his mind wrapped around the whole crazy ordeal.

’Time to enjoy Lily a little bit more.’

The last thought drew a scowl from his lips as Silver fetched what she had from the booth. “Here,” she offered a folded slip of paper. Lavender took it and unfolded it, scanning the tight text there. It seemed to be directions to the industrial part of town; one he wasn’t terribly familiar with. Aside from that, all there was on the paper was a time. Eleven.

“Sunava-“

“There’s something else, too.” Silver sighed, looking back towards the kitchen. “They want me and Lily to come with you. Lav, I don’t like this at all. They know about me and my family, and they want to induct me into this crazy fucking cult… This wasn’t part of our plan. It was supposed to just be you feeding me info.”

“Look at it this way,” Lavender re-folded the slip and tucked it into his saddlebags. “You get to see first-hoof what’s going on for yourself.”

“Look, I got chills just standing next to that club. I don’t want to get involved in sl-“ Lavender clamped her muzzle with a bit of magic, shushing her just as the waitress emerged from the back.

“You two leavin’, then? No lunch?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Sorry, business calls.” Lavender floated two bits her way, flashing as genuine a smile as he could. “For your trouble.” She took them both and nodded, leaving Lavender and Silver to step into the alley. Somepony else was apparently intent on getting inside, so they waited for him to pass before speaking again.

“I know you don’t like it, but it’s this or Platinum. You want to keep your sister out of this, right?”

“Of course I do.” Silver’s expression was dead serious.

“Then go along with it. With any luck, they’ll just be keeping tabs on you. I doubt they actually expect you to do anything. Yeah, this makes it more difficult to blow the cover off of them… Not until we find a way out.” Lavender glanced towards either end of the alley again, his hackles rising as if somepony were watching them. Water dripped down between the buildings, landing thickly on either of them.

“Meet me at my place tonight at ten, and we’ll make a game plan. Trust me, Silver, I don’t want your sister involved in this either.” ’She doesn’t even have her cutie mark yet. Just like Lily…’

“I just want to keep Platinum safe.” Silver whimpered. “I’ll be there tonight at ten.”

“See you then.” Lavender turned his head aside as Silver took off, her hooves running along the building’s sides to propel herself up and out of the alley. To anypony that wasn’t watching them directly, they’d appear to be departing separately.

’At least I HOPE nopony’s watching us directly.’

Inside the café, he saw the waitress peeking at him over the top of her magazine, the radio off now.

He took his time returning to the newspaper, stopping off to actually buy some food (an apple from a street vendor) and a copy of a rival’s newspaper. The ‘Trottingham Times’ were a roughly same-sized newspaper, but they had a better grasp on sports and politics than the ‘Observer,’ who focused more on local issues. He discarded all of the unimportant sections, keeping only the ‘local’ sheaf, a measly four pages thick.

There wasn’t anything aside from a slightly eyebrow-raising article about a prominent charity leader having been accused of cheating on his spouse. He hadn’t heard anything about it from any of his sources. Other than that, though, there wasn’t anything to distract him from the pressing matter at-hoof. ’Think, ol’ boy. Silver getting involved surely slows things down a bit, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t going to get any information about the Republic. You just have to find the right time to unveil is all… But what then? My house is safe, sure, but not THAT safe. Where can I run to ground that these crazies can’t reach me?’

He mulled his options over as he walked back to the office, putting on a cheery façade upon entering the building. Silver’s door was closed, a signal that she was indeed back from lunch. To anypony except the most skilled observer, they’d appear to have come and gone completely separately.

’But that still doesn’t mean I shouldn’t suspect somepony within the paper. Candy wouldn’t gab, especially since somepony like me didn’t even know she worked at a strip club part-time. She’s too tight-lipped to let even a small secret out, let alone something as important as my involvement with the Republic. Silver’s obviously out of the question, so that just leaves-‘

“Lavender.” A strict voice stopped him in his tracks, one he was familiar with, and had been smitten by quite a few times. Just as he was about to step into the cubicle floor, a set of hooves descended the steps into the foyer. Black hooves.

“Hello, Ink Well.” Lavender smiled up at the CEO of the paper, a pony whom it was no big secret he had a major crush on.

A pony who saw fit to neglect to tell Silver she had arranged an interview with two known New Lunar Republic contacts.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

“Come to my office before you leave today; I need to talk to you about something.” Her voice was tense, as it always was, but smooth and free of any sort of distress. He had spoken with her several times over his career, and was usually able to tell when something had her stressed or angry. The other day, when she had spoken to Silver, she’d been much the same as she was now. Clipped, to-the-point, and very succinct. It was the sort of manner of speaking that left no room for questioning. Lavender couldn’t, of course, even if he wanted to.

“Absolutely. I’ll be up shortly after five.” He thought that was the end of it. Just as he was about to slip into the office floor, Ink Well spoke again.

“Don’t be late, Lavender. Ignatius doesn’t like waiting.”

Lavender slipped inside his home, dropping his bags and an additional one near the door before slowly slumping down against it. Lily slipped into the foyer, her face brightening into a smile at the sight of him before slowly darkening.

“Lavender? What’s wrong?” She asked, slowly approaching him. A million thoughts raced through his mind, their frenzied passing played out on his features like an expensive cinema film. Panic, dismay, excitement, and trepidation all welled in his chest. He felt like he wanted to cry, run, and laugh maniacally all at once. Lily continued to step forward, but he slowly sunk further, sliding his back down the door and onto the floor.

’I must be insane. Why, in the blue blazing heavens, would I ever think I could infiltrate the New Lunar Republic? Silver was right; these ponies are everywhere. There must be thousands of them all across the city. How could I stand a chance? And now, I’ve dragged Silver into this madness.’

He began to curl up, slowly drawing his hooves inward, his eyes closing. Darkness consumed his vision, and he began to tremble.

’Silver, my one friend. Her sister’s only a foal; hardly old enough to do anything… The only pony in this world I couldn’t beat, that I couldn’t out-maneuver, scheme around, or manipulate. The only one I could call my friend. And now, I-‘

“Master?” That word pierced through the veil of darkness slowly descending on him, shearing through the funk. Lily slowly pushed her hooves between his, unwinding the ball he had begun to curl up into, and laid down atop him. “Relax,” she whispered, nuzzling into his neck. “… I don’t know what’s wrong, but it’ll all be okay.”

“… Thank you, Lily.” Lavender sighed and closed his eyes again, though this time the stress and anxiety didn’t threaten to crash on him like a tidal wave. It was a warm smile, genuine and happy. He inhaled her scent, glad that the pungent reek of her heat had finally faded away. She smelled of his own soap and conditioner, which were always comforting in their own right… but coupled with the lithe, sensuous form of Lily, it made Lavender forget his troubles for the time being.

’Maybe this is why they do it. Buy mares, use them so… They get to forget themselves, even if for just a minute. Alas such things cannot last.’ He inhaled one last whiff of her mane before slowly rising, allowing Lily time to stand on her own.

“I made dinner for you.” Lily bubbled, prancing back towards the kitchen and dining room. “I found some oil so I tried my hoof at hay fries. Plus we were running out of pasta.”

“Thank you, Lily.” Lavender smiled at her, levitating his bags – including the one with the purchase – into the Study. “Is dinner ready now, or do I have a few?”

“The sooner the better.” Lily frowned, glancing over her withers. “I don’t think hay fries keep very well.”

“Alright, then. Let’s eat.” He smiled as she led him into the kitchen, though the fear of what he had to do that night still weighed heavily on his mind. As she served them crispy, delicious helpings lathered with ketchup , seasoned with rosemary, pepper, and sea salt, his mind wandered back to the conversation with Ink Well.

“You are to report to the address you’ve been given no later than eleven tonight.” Ink Well didn’t waste a moment. As soon as Lavender closed the door behind him, she began speaking, not even looking at him as she leafed through a stack of papers. “On your way home, stop by this address.” She withdrew one of the papers and levitated it to him. “Tell them your name and that you’re there for your package. Take them fifty bits. Do you have that money on you?”

“Eer…” Lavender lagged, still in shock from the sentence she had last left him with. Ink Well was the Republic’s contact within the newspaper. Not just their contact; she was the OWNER of the paper. The implications had his mind reeling. He began to wonder just how involved his crush was with the diabolic sect; was she a slaver? Was she truly intent on bringing about eternal, never-ending night? Had she been involved in Nightmare Moon’s rise five years ago? All of those questions on top of the shock had Lavender stuttering.

“Lavender.” She spoke his name normally, but the tone and inflection made it feel like a whip-crack. Lavender jerked and blinked at her, not even having read the address on the paper he’d been given. “Do you have fifty bits on you?”

“I… I don’t, I’m-“

“Here.” She cut him off, flinging a small pouch at him. Five of the ten-bit coins jingled inside. “A generous contribution from the New Lunar Republic. Don’t let it go to waste.” She went back to leafing through the papers, speaking all the while. “To this meeting, you’re supposed to bring the slave you acquired two nights ago, Silver Bolt, and a detailed map of your home, advantageous routes to and from it, and the details of whatever enchantment has kept you hidden from the Republic’s tails thus far. Ignatius has had his eye on you ever since Lily disappeared in your neighborhood, and since you’ve been involved so closely with our biggest nuisance thus far.”

“Nuisance?” Lavender hung on that word, wondering who she could possibly be referring to. The only ponies he’d been ‘involved’ with were Lily and-

“Silver.” Ink Well shrugged. “She’s been a thorn in our side for far too long. She knows all the right ponies to interview, at exactly the right times in their preparations. It’s caused us to cancel movements and plans more often than I’d care to admit.”

“You’ve got to understand, I’m just-“

“Just a curious slave owner, I get it.” Ink Well shrugged again, finally settling on one piece of paper. She drew it out and began scanning it intently. “Don’t worry, the Republic has seen fit to reward you handsomely for your help.”

“Reward me?” Lavender blinked. “I already have Lily, what more reward could I want?”

At that, Ink Well grinned.

Now, it was approaching ten at night. Silver was due to show up, and Lily was already prepared. He paced back-and-forth in the foyer, impatient for this night and its devilish plot to finally be over. He had bathed with Lily (and enjoyed some of her own brand of ‘stress relief’) but still his nerves were frayed. He felt like he could implode at any second.

In his saddlebags sat the book his father had left detailing the enchantments on their home, the ‘package’ Ink Well had directed him to pick up, and a flask of some seldom-used brandy he kept. Lavender was not a drinking pony, but on nights like tonight, he might just have to be in order to keep from screaming out loud.

At five minutes to, a knock came from his door. Lavender opened it and ushered Silver inside. She looked haggard, and he supposed she had every right to be.

“Is Platinum okay?”

“My sister’s fine. She’s already asleep. I have a friend in the guard watching the house.” At Lavender’s concerned look, she waved him off with a wing. “I trust him; he’s not part of the Republic.”

“Right. Well, no sense in waiting…” Lavender grimaced at the door, steeling himself for the night ahead. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Too right. Lily, come on love, we’re going to see Master Ignatius.”

“Are you selling me back?” Lily balked, a flash of fear crossing her eyes.

“No, no, not at all.” Lavender chuckled, nuzzling her neck affectionately. “We’re infiltrating the New Lunar Republic, Silver and I. Buying you was an easy way to get in contact with them, and now Master Ignatius wants to meet us, to see if he can trust us.”

“Oh. Oh, so you’re using me to get closer to them! So you can stop them!”

“Exactly.” Silver smiled then, and that grin was all the proof Lavender needed to know that she was on-board. “We’re going to stop them from hurting you, or other ponies like you, Lily. Now come on, let’s go kick some ass.”

“Yeah!” Lily bounded out of the door excitedly, and Silver followed.

Lavender hesitated on the threshold, watching the two disappear into the darkness. Slowly, he closed his eyes and craned his head to the starry sky.

“Luna help me, this is going to suck…”