Truth In The Shadows

CHAPTER FOUR:

SHADOWS

Damn it. Mirage thought to himself as he dragged his hooves along side with Valentine down the street of Ponyville. He had lide when he told Bon Bon he would come to dinner so he could sneak away when they left him to get things set up only to have Valentine stick by his side all day giving him no chance to get back to the forest. First this kid finds her way in the most dangerous place in Equestria, gets attacked by an Ursa and in my efforts to save her, I get myself injured and sh...

   "Hello?" Mirage blinked as the call pulled him from his train of thought. He looked down to see Valentine frowning at him.

   "What?" He huffed. Her frown deepend and tears started to flood her eyes. Mirage blinked at this, she was always cheerful and full of joy, was that all just to hide her true side? A sensitive side? "Um... I'm sorry, kiddo. I'm just a bit frustrated right now." Her sad face was immediately replaced with confusion.

   "What's there to be frustrated about?" She asked in her bright voice, her sudden change in attitude placed a confused look on Mirage's face. What the hell is with this mare? He asked himself.

   "Are you always like this?" He asked.

   "Like what?" She replied, tilting her head to the side. He sighed, rolling his eyes. It took him every ounce of his strength to keep himself from yelling out the next question.

   "Are youalways this... randome?" He asked.

   "She's always been a little different." Came a voice from behind. Mirage turned to see Lyra and Bon Bon side by side, Lyra was staring suspiciously at him. Oh great, the meddling one. He hought to himself. "It's almost time for dinner. Shall we hed over to the house?" Bon Bon asked, a bright smile on her face.

   "Is this is realy necessary?" Mirage asked. "Valentine has already helped me enough by making sure I got to the hospital."

   "Is it realy necessary that you have to be such a jerk?" Lyra countered earning a glare from Mirage and a 'Lyra' from Bon  Bon. "You can't tell me he hasn't been a jerk all day."

   "He's been very nice to me, Sissie!" Valentine chirped. Lyra looked at Valentine in shock, finding hard to believe that he was at all a nice guy. Valentine looked up at the black unicorn, a pleading look in her eye. "You will come with us, won't you?" She asked.

   "I'm sorry kiddo, but I realy have to get outa here." He replied.

   "Oh, honestly! What is so important that you have to get back to what ever life you have in that Celestia forsaken forest?!" Lyra barked, ponies started turning their gaze toward the four.

   "The life I live is my own!" Mirage retorted. "I don't aske you how you live your life, do I?! Now, if you don't mind I would like to leave."

   Mirage never did get his wish as he now found himself in Lyra and Bon Bon's home at the dinner table with Valentine sitting quite happily next to him. Lyra never took her eyes off of him while he reluctantly filled his belly, he was quite hungry after all, he had not eaten in over twenty-four hours and alot of his energy was drained from him using his magic to heal himself since the attack.

   He was using his magic to levitate another bite of his meal to his mouth when he cought site of Lyra sitting at the table opposite him, her horn glowing faintly. She muttered something under her breath and instantly he felt a search of magic fill the room coursing its way toward him, his eyes wide with realization. Bon Bon and Valentine both let out shrieks as the dining room shook a little, none of them, except Lyra, seemed to notice a shadow of smoke that came from Mirage's body and vanish as quickly as it apeared, then everything went silent.

   "What the hell was that?!" Bon Bon asked.

   "Sissy!" Valentine snapped, glaring at her. Bon Bon looked at Valentine apologetically.

   "Sorry sweety." She said, then turned back at the only two in the room who were capable of using magic. "But what was that?" She looked at Mirage who was staring at Lyra in disbelief, then she herself turned to face her marefriend who looked both triumphant and angry toward there guest.

   "How the hell do you know that spell?" Mirage asked, standing up from his seet. "That spell is forbidden!"

   "You're one to talk!" She countered, she too got to her hooves. "You're not what you appear to be so tell us, who and what are you?"

   "None of your damn buisness!" Mirage snapped. "Since you're asking that tells me the spell you used failed."

   "That spell should have removed the elusion spell you're using on yourself right now, the only reason it could have failed is if the pony it's used on is very strong in magic."

   "You have to be strong in order to survive in the forest!"

   "ENOUGH!!!"

   Mirage, Lyra and Bon Bon all jumped as they turned to see Valentine glaring at the two, her wings flared and her lip trembling.

   "I don't care who or what Mirage is, he saved my life in the forest and that's enough for me." she stated sharply at Lyra and Bon Bon, more so Lyra.

   "That reminds me" Mirage said turning his gaze to the pink mare. "...why the hell were you in the forest in the first place?"

   "She sneaks off to the forest every now and again." Lyra answered the question.

   "Yes, but she doesn't usualy go as far into the forest as an Ursa would be." Bon Bon stated then turned to her youger sister. "Why were you so far in the forest, sweety?" Valentine looked at Bon Bon.

   "I decided to go in a little farther into the forest to explore and I saw Mirage jumping through the trees, so I followed him to the river." Her cheeks started to flush red as she looked to her hooves. "He was bathing in the river and I decided to have fun and I took his scarf."

   "Val, it's bad enough that you ventured off into the forest at all, but you followed a complete stranger?!" Lyra asked.

   "Honey." Bon Bon said.

   "Not only a complete stranger, but one who is using an illusion spell as we speek." Lyra continued.

   "Honey!" Bon Bon called again.

   "You saw the shadow around him, didn't you?"

   "Lyra Heartstrings!" Bon Bon snapped.

   "Ooh!" Valentine cood. "You're in for it now, sissie." Bon Bon only called Lyra by her full name when she was getting angry with her.

   "I'll have words for you later young lady." Bon Bon stated, her softer yet just as firm glare focused on Valentine macing her cringe before she turned back to her marefriend. "But you." She pointed a hoof to Lyra. "What's the matter with you? If it weren't for Mirage, Valentine wouldn't have been in her bed last night."

Now would be a great opportunity to get out of here and ack to the forest.Mirage thought to himself, but he never made a move to leave. But how does she know that spell? Revekare only comes from a book that is forbidden to read. Lyra and Bon Bon were still arhuing, none of the three had noticed Valentine was not in her seet. Mirage looked up and saw the end of a yellow tail vanish through the door at the end of the room.

   The sound of a door slamming grabbed their attention, Lyra and Bon Bon turned to face Mirage then followed his gaze to the hall way. Lyra and Bon Bon left the table and ran down the hall way leaving Mirage alone in the dining room. Then again, I can always find out about her later. He tought as he turned the other direction though the house and out the front door using his magic to open and close the door quietly.