Sonata had finally fallen asleep next to him.
Lex couldn’t resist giving a soft sigh of relief as she finally dozed off, and not just because she’d been trying to convince him that he should go out and play some games with everypony, apparently as a method of bolstering his public image, once he was feeling better. It had been all he could do to refrain from flatly stating that such a thing would be a complete waste of his time.
No, as much as Lex loved the sound of Sonata’s voice, and the way she was pressing against him even now warmed him in more ways than one, he didn’t want to speak to her right now. Not this soon after the harsh words that had passed between them so recently. Only by focusing on pragmatic issues – bending his thoughts towards concrete problems such as the need for an emergency supply of rainclouds or why Cloudbank should have been given Sonata’s extradimensional receptacle – had enabled him to ignore his emotions and carry on the semblance of a normal conversation with her. Even that had taken a great deal of self-control, and in his current state it had been almost more than he could manage.
Even now, looking at her sleeping face, it was all he could do not to wince. For a moment he tried to push the memory of what he’d said away, but the emotional impression was undaunted, rendering the attempt futile. He ceased bothering a moment later, letting the words replay themselves in his head:
“I don’t need you anyway! You’re a burden more often than you’re helpful, so if you don’t like how I’m doing things here then YOU SHOULD JUST LEAVE!”
This time he did wince, and the shame he felt was so powerful that he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore, turning his head. For a moment he could only lie there and struggle with the feeling, and minutes passed before the recrimination slowly began to ebb, leaving him to wonder how he could possibly have said that to her. What if she hadn’t refused?! he raged at himself silently. What it she HAD left right then?! The thought was enough to send cold shudders down his spine. He didn’t want her to leave; of that he was absolutely certain. Not only did he have no desire to go through another painful separation from her, but the mere prospect of her permanent absence from his life was enough to make the future – no matter what intellectual breakthroughs or political ambitions he might achieve – seem bleak in the extreme. Indeed, that was a recurring theme in his nightmares. So why had he said that?!
But even more maddening was the utterly illogical feeling of relief that underlay his self-reproach over his conduct. As horrible as saying that to her had been, giving voice to those words had felt like a burden being lifted from his shoulders, which made no sense whatsoever. He’d been actively concerned that further upsetting her would drive her away ever since their altercation with Nosey that morning, and he had been trying to minimize the potential for such a thing to happen in his further interactions with her. Openly daring her to leave him ran completely counter to that strategy; it accomplished nothing except make that untenable occurrence more likely.
No, he realized an instant later. That’s not correct. His brow furrowed as he realized that giving voice to that particular anxiety had accomplished something. In fact, goading her to leave him had ended up producing the exact opposite effect, causing her to not only restate her love for him, but to repudiate the very idea of ending their relationship again. Moreover, that had been what had caused them to turn the metaphorical corner just now, with her heartfelt words causing him to want to reciprocate her feelings, and so acquiescing to her request to resume his corporeal form…
Lex was still trying to think through the implications of what had just happened when a soft voice came from beyond the tent flap. “Sir?” A moment later it parted slightly, and he caught a glimpse of a stallion’s face beyond it, making eye contact. Seeing that Lex was awake, the pony stepped inside, faltering as he caught sight of the slumbering mare by his side. “Is now a good time?” he asked softly.
Recognizing the stallion as one of C. Shells’ crew, Lex scowled at the stupidity of the question. As though personal convenience matters during a crisis situation. “What is it?” he asked, though he kept his voice down as well.
“The doctors have finished with Spit Polish. We’re going to put him in that cage like you said, but-”
“But you can’t get the lock open,” finished Lex, causing the stallion to nod in reply.
“He’s barely moved since we dragged him there, so I don’t think there’s any rush, but if you want-”
“Wait outside,” ordered Lex dismissively. For a moment the stallion paused, not expecting to be so abruptly sent away, but turned and left a moment later.
For a few seconds, Lex regarded his sleeping girlfriend, trying to put his thoughts in order. He knew they hadn’t resolved any of the underlying issues that had caused them to fight, and he wanted those dealt with so that they could resume the more pleasant aspects of their relationship. But now…for some reason he suddenly felt optimistic that they’d not only be able to work things out, but sooner rather than later. It was enough to make a rare, gentle smile cross his face as he looked at her. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured quietly, brushing his lips across her forehead. “I don’t want to leave you either.”
With that, he gingerly pulled away from her before calling upon his dwindling reserve of dark magic, changing back into a shadow as he floated through the tent flap, causing the stallion outside to jump in surprise. “Let’s go.”
Spit Polish looked, in Lex’s estimation, like a broken wreck of a pony.
Lying on his back on a makeshift exam table inside the medical tent, all four of his hooves were bandaged. His right foreleg was wrapped further up than the others, and was in a sling to prevent him from using it. A huge bruise marked his front, turning his entire chest yellow and purple. And his eyes, red-rimmed and puffy from crying, were downcast, refusing to look at the green-and-purple-eyed shadow hovering nearby. “What’s going to happen to me?”
His voice was weak and pitiful. Much like that wretch of a pony himself, thought Lex vindictively. “You will remain confined until I formally sentence you for your crimes.” As he spoke, he reached out toward the makeshift cage that had been placed in the corner – the same one that had so recently contained Garden Gate – and brushed the lock with a shadowy tendril. It immediately fell open, and the stallion that had retrieved Lex (Ocean Spray, he remembered now) opened the cage, looking at Spit Polish expectantly.
Spit Polish made no move toward the cage. “What will…” he started, only to trail off. Swallowing nervously, he tried again, still looking at the ceiling. “What will my sentence be?” The fear in his voice was matched only by his despair.
“You’ll find out very soon,” promised Lex darkly, and he didn’t miss the shudder that went down the other pony’s spine at the words. As soon as he’d recovered enough to channel additional magic, he fully intended to punish the miserable worm with a curse so harsh it would make Garden Gate’s fate seem pleasant by comparison. But until then, let him writhe in ignorance and wonder what I’ll do to him, he thought spitefully. Although he didn’t believe in cruelty, letting a criminal worry about their fate struck Lex was being perfectly acceptable. “Now, get in the cage.”
Off to the side, a mare in a lab coat – Lex almost thought it was the one Sonata had enchanted, but she was different – looked up. “He needs to stay off those hooves as much as possible. Even short-term weight-bearing could inflame his injuries.” She hesitated for just a moment as Lex turned to look at her, licking her lips before continuing. “I think we should try to cushion the floor of the cage, in case he does try to sit or stand.”
“Do it,” ordered Lex coldly, and the doctor hastened to obey.
A minute later, she’d spread a blanket and some pillows on the floor of the cage. “This should do.” With that taken care of, she glanced at Ocean Spray. “Help me move him?”
“Right.” Nodding, the pegasus stallion followed her over to Spit Polish. A minute later the pair managed to transfer him to the cage, managing to set him down relatively gently on the floor of it. As soon as they did, Ocean Spray shut the door, setting the lock around it, which immediately sprang closed of its own accord. With that done, he turned to look at Lex. “Um, should we leave him here, or…?”
“I don’t care.” Lex floated over to the cage to peer hatefully at the pony within. Spit Polish still didn’t return his gaze, his ears down as he looked at the ground with a miserable look on his face. After a long moment, Lex spoke up. “Just so long as he’s comfortable.” He punctuated the statement by telekinetically picking up the pillow he’d brought from his tent – the same one that Spit Polish had tried to murder him with – and shoving it through the bars to plant it directly against the trapped pony’s face. Spit Polish let out a muffled cry of alarm, raising his bandaged hooves to try and push the pillow away, but Lex refused to let up…for three seconds. Then the purple aura around the pillow disappeared as he released it, falling to the ground as Spit Polish gasped for air. “He does appreciate a good pillow, after all.”
Spit Polish reflexively turned to look at him then, and while Lex didn’t believe himself to be a petty individual, the sight of the other pony in that moment – clearly terrified, shaking like a leaf as he panted for air, his eyes filling with a new round of tears – was deeply satisfying.
As he left the medical tent, Lex’s good humor was already starting to fade.
Although he’d survived Spit Polish’s assassination attempt, the fact that another pony had tried to kill him was a sobering reminder that he’d been foolish to let his guard down so much. In the wilderness he never would have rested without casting at least a few warding spells, no matter how injured he’d been. But despite the fact that Garden Gate had shown him firsthoof how some ponies could cross lines that would, under normal circumstances, be unimaginable in Equestria, he had foolishly left himself vulnerable. If that wretch had used a knife instead of a pillow… The permanent defensive spells on his body could protect him even in his sleep, but they had their limits.
The obvious solution was to always make sure to place additional protections around himself – and, for that matter, Sonata – before sleeping, regardless of their circumstances. But that ran into issues of practicality, which was why he’d been forced to leave Sonata unguarded just now; he didn’t currently have any such spells prepared, having prepared almost all battle spells in anticipation of leaving Vanhoover. Worse, with Severance currently being used by Cloudbank, he couldn’t rectify that particular oversight…and he knew he needed to rest and recover his strength as soon as possible.
That left only one viable option: to retain the services of a guardian. But such an individual would not only need to be strong enough to serve in such a capacity, but also trustworthy…or at least controllable. Unfortunately, there was almost no one here who managed to fit both criteria; even Severance was ineligible, since Lex felt sure that tasking the weapon to guard his life while he slept would definitely have tripped its warning about overreliance. As loathe as he was to admit it, there was only one viable candidate.
As he flowed through the camp, drawing looks and whispers – but also some smiles and even a few tentative waves, all of which he steadfastly ignored – Lex finally found that candidate resting on the far side of the train station. Stretched out on her back and with her eyes closed, she appeared to be enjoying the same sort of carefree sleep that he had so recently taken for granted. At least, until he approached her; despite making no noise as he slid closer to her she crooked one eye open. Perhaps she hadn’t been quite so carefree after all.
“Now this is a surprise.” Stretching languidly as she rolled onto her belly, Aria gave Lex a naughty grin. “What’s going on?”