//------------------------------// // 393 - Lesson Planning // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// Together, the Night Mare’s Knights frolicked and laughed as they trotted toward the train station. They would have galloped the entire way there, but Feather Duster had forbidden it, worried about them running around in the dark. Even after Feathercap had conjured a faint light at the end of his horn Feather Duster had sternly told them to stay together and go slowly, hovering above them to make sure they didn’t leave her sight. Even then, the foals were so overjoyed at their animals’ return that the warning had little impact on their mood; the fact that Fiddlesticks couldn’t really run while carrying her baby brother (who had already fallen back asleep) did more to slow their pace than anything else, happily conversing among themselves as they hurried to go meet with the pony who had brought their beloved companions back. “I think we should all give him a kiss on the cheek,” giggled Cleansweep, spinning around in midair. “That’s the most heartfelt way to say thank you.” Altaer ruffled his feathers at the suggestion. Perhaps a more dignified gesture is in order, in accordance with the First Convoker’s eminence? “No kidding,” chuckled Fruit Crunch. “Besides, that’s okay for you and Fiddleface, but us guys don’t do that, Dust Bunny.” Fiddlesticks rolled her eyes. “You’re right. When boys are happy to see each other, they tackle one another and roll around in the dirt, the same way they would if they were fighting.” Almost as an afterthought she added, “And don’t call me that!” I’m sure whatever form your gratitude takes, the Exalted Primogenitor will be pleased to receive it. Nemel couldn’t have sounded happier as she trundled alongside Fiddlesticks. The joy of the young is always a delight to those who’re grown, even if they don’t show it. “I still think we should do something bigger,” added Straightlace. “I mean, bringing all of our spirit animals back deserves something more than just saying ‘thank you,’ don’t you think?” While I concur with your sentiment, I feel obliged to point out again that your premise is flawed, noted Ulespy. The Grand Vizier is a being of many talents, but he was not the one who brought us back to you. Should our physical forms be destroyed, we will always return when next you dream. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t say thank you anyway,” offered Feathercap timidly. “I mean, Lex is the reason we were able to meet you guys in the first place, since he brought Severance here. So it is kind of thanks to him that you’re back now.” The best way to show your appreciation for the High Alpha is to continue making him proud of you, asserted Lyden confidently. Don’t forget that we’re answering his summons now, which means he likely has a task for us. “Or maybe he wants to give us our reward!” grinned Fruit Crunch, the mere thought being uplifting enough that he couldn’t help but give a little hop of excitement as they reached the back of the train station, his fantasies from a day ago coming back to him now in full force. “I bet he’s going to want to take us all on as his apprentices!” Even if he does, you should temper your expectations, chided Venin gently. Your guardian – she looked upward at that, where Cleansweep was coming in to land as they neared the station platform – made it sound as though the Lord Sovereign’s victory left him enervated. Once he states his wishes, you should let him rest. “Aw, if he’s still hurting after that fight, then I can just use my powers to fix him up again!” grinned Cleansweep. While she normally found Lex’s demeanor rather menacing, getting Venin back had left her feeling exceptionally magnanimous. “In fact, that’d be a great time to put a kiss on his ch-, ERK?!” Rounding the corner of the train station, Cleansweep came to a dead stop in midair, eyes wide as jaw hanging open at the sight that greeted her. Nor was she the only one, as each of the Knights had a similar reaction as they caught up to her, stunned by what awaited them on the platform. Their animals, by contrast, seemed far less concerned, quieting down as they looked at the spectacle and waited to be addressed. Feather Duster’s reaction was somewhere between both extremes, turning the corner and grimacing at what she saw. Lex and Aria were kissing. Far heavier than the chaste kisses that Cleansweep had been proposing, the two of them were locked in a passionate embrace. Eyes closed and forelegs around each other, neither seemed aware of anypony else as they pressed their lips together. Aria’s soft moan was faintly audible as she tilted her head, clearly wanting more. “Okay, that’s enough! Let’s go!” whispered Feather Duster, landing beside the foals and trying to shoo them back around the side of the station. But none of the Knights responded, eyes locked on the spectacle in front of them. “Wow,” muttered Cleansweep. “No wonder he’s so tired.” The comment was enough to make Feathercap glance at her. “What do you mean?” “Kissing that hard is really exhausting,” Cleansweep explained, nodding her head towards her mother without taking her eyes off of the amorous duo. “Whenever Mom and Dad did that, they’d end up going right to bed a few minutes later.” “Cleansweep!” yelped Feather Duster, mortified. The sound of her embarrassed shriek was enough to alert Lex and Aria that they weren’t alone, the former pulling away from the latter instantly, red-faced. For her part, Aria looked mildly annoyed before giving a sardonic smirk as she glanced at their audience, her eyes flickering from Cleansweep to Feather Duster. “Well, looks like watching runs in the family, huh?” The jab earned her a dark look from Lex, his features having already settled back into their usual scowl. “That’s enough, Aria.” He didn’t bother waiting for her to acknowledge his warning before looking at Feather Duster, clearly blaming her for what had just happened. “From now on, announce yourself before entering my presence.” “Y-yes, Master Legis,” gulped Feather Duster. Only slightly mollified, Lex turned his attention to the rest of the foals. “As for the rest of you-” “Is she your girlfriend too?” blurted Feathercap suddenly, earning surprised looks from the rest of the Knights. “Her and Miss Sonata and Miss Nosey?” You’re being impertinent! snapped Altaer immediately. Show the First Convoker respect! Lyden moved forward. High Alpha, please forgive these pups. Our return has made them forget themselves. But Aria couldn’t hear the animals’ telepathic entreaties, and sauntered forward, grinning as she looked at Feathercap. “That’s right, kiddo,” she answered, her voice full of mirth. “We’re all Lex’s girlfriends. And as you can see, he takes really good care of us.” The foals’ eyes widened at that, and Feather Duster bit her lip, but Lex was the one who spoke next. “All of you, be quiet.” The words weren’t shouted, nor did his expression change, but the bright green-and-purple light that radiated from his eyes then made it clear that Lex’s patience had run out. Looking at Aria, she made a placating gesture in response and slunk off to the side, leaning against the wall of the station in silence acquiescence. Once he was satisfied that she’d stay silent, Lex turned his eyes back to the group in front of him, looking over each of the animals in turn. “How were those creatures revived?” he demanded. “It happened on all by itself,” answered Fruit Crunch. Although he’d been remembering the fantasy he’d had the previous evening about becoming Lex’s pupil, he was suddenly reminded of how the actual encounter had gone. Shaking his head, he forced that memory down. This isn’t like that. Just play it cool and it’ll be fine. Lyden had told them to focus on being useful, and Fruit Crunch trusted his spirit animal’s judgment completely. “They said that even if they, um, die, they’ll always come back after we go to sleep and dream for a little while.” Lex appeared to chew on that for a moment, and Fruit Crunch was pleased to see his eyes change back to normal a few seconds later. “I want you five to tell me everything that Severance taught you with regard to the Night Mare,” he said at last. “Right now.” The request caught Fruit Crunch by surprise, and he exchanged confused glances with his friends. The same question was written all over their faces: this was what Lex had called them up in the middle of the night for? Tilting her head slightly, Fiddlesticks cleared her throat before giving voice to their confusion “Can’t you just ask Severance about that?” Lex’s expression darkened at that, but it was Nemel that spoke up. The Exalted Primogenitor is asking all of you. Perhaps rather than question why that is, you should be pleased that he wishes to hear this from all of you, rather than another. The foals winced a little at that, and it was Straightlace who stepped forward then. “Well,” he started. He glanced over at Feather Duster, who had a look of mingled worry and curiosity on her face, and faltered for a moment. But he rallied quickly, drawing himself up as he looked at Lex. “The first thing we learned were some prayers to the goddess…” “And in the darkness, when all light is gone, the truth between the strong and the weak is made known, for the strong revel in the darkness, while the weak fear it.” Fruit Crunch finished the last verse, before giving Lex a tentative smile. “And that’s it. That’s as far as we’ve gotten.” Outwardly, Lex was perfectly calm, giving a curt nod in response to the colt’s statement. Inwardly, however, he was seething, and not just because of the paucity of useful information that he’d gained from them relaying Severance’s lessons to him. Rather, it was the content of those lessons that had him gritting his teeth in anger. The foals had learned little more than several basic prayers and a few aphorisms, which collectively comprised only the most basic teachings about the Night Mare’s religion. That wasn’t unexpected, of course; those children had only spent a small amount of time with Severance over the course of a few days. And while Lex had gleaned a few new insights into the Night Mare’s dogma from what they’d told him, none of it was useful with regards to figuring out how to outmaneuver the ultimatum she’d given him. But what bothered him far more was how those foals had blindly accepted what they’d been told, with no deeper examination of the underlying philosophy of what they’d been taught nor any attempt to integrate it into an existing moral framework. By itself that wasn’t surprising; Lex was fully aware that – save for exceptional individuals like himself, who had been autodidactic his entire life – the nature of children was to require adult guidance and supervision. But now that those foals had magical abilities of their own, granted to them via those “spirit animals,” which were effectively immortal thanks to their ability to be endlessly restored whenever the children slept, the lack of such supervision was a state of affairs that could not be left unattended. Simple lessons about how “the weak suffer what they must” and “mercy is a sin” had led to them, thanks to their newfound abilities, not being afraid to take a pony hostage on the battlefield, casually threatening him with death in order to make his companions surrender. And while they’d been bluffing this time, it was all too easy to imagine that the day would come when they wouldn’t be insincere in their threat. Which meant that corrective action needed to be taken… “So, um, is that helpful at all?” asked Fruit Crunch, the colt’s voice pulling Lex out of his thoughts. Apparently his voice roused Feather Duster as well, because she suddenly shivered. “I can’t believe that scythe taught you such horrible things!” she huffed, giving Cleansweep an angry look. “There are more important things about someone than whether or not they’re strong or weak! Things like kindness! Or generosity! Or loyalty! Or-” “Actually, loyalty was in there,” noted Straightlace. “The part that says ‘and the strong shall keep the weak as their own,’ implies-” “No no no!” yelled Feather Duster. “That’s not how good ponies should think of each other!” She looked at Lex then, desperate. “Master Legis, please! Tell them!” “Yeah Lex,” chuckled Aria from where she was still leaning against the station, apparently amused by the entire exchange. “Tell them.” Lex didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he let his eyes glance over each of the children and their animals in turn, his gaze coming to rest on Fruit Crunch. As much as he didn’t like it, there was only one acceptable choice. “All of you go back to River’s mansion and rest,” he ordered, turning around. The foals sagged in place at the dismissal, disappointment written all over their faces. But they perked up a moment later as Lex spoke again. “Starting the day after tomorrow, I’ll be personally instructing each of you from now on.”