//------------------------------// // 425 - Without Respect // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// In the wake of what had just happened, Luna couldn’t lift her face from the bedspread, feeling utterly wretched. The last few days had been the most miserable of her life, eclipsing even the years prior to her becoming Nightmare Moon when she’d allowed jealousy and bitterness toward her sister to fester in her heart. For the last three days, she’d drifted in and out of a sea of agony, tormented both by her injuries and by the knowledge that she’d not only failed to protect one of the few ponies that worshiped her, but hadn’t even made his sacrifice worthwhile. Lex Legis had won the battle, and in doing so had made a mockery of Silhouette’s saving her from being cut down by the villain’s magical scythe. But that hadn’t been enough to satisfy the dark wizard, and he had then seen fit to humiliate her like this, turning her back into the unicorn she’d been in her youth. Maybe it had been because she’d been unconscious when he’d done it, or maybe it had been because she’d been too wracked with pain from her wounds and guilt over what had happened to Silhouette to dwell upon it, but although Luna had thought she’d understood the nature of what Lex had done to her before, she knew better now. The vigor with which Twilight’s spell had fought his curse, drawing it out in its attempt to rip it from her, had shown her the truth. But that truth brought her no comfort; far from it… “Luna?” Celestia’s voice made Luna shudder, suddenly wishing that she was alone so that no one would have to see her like this. “Luna, are you alright?” “The spell shouldn’t have hurt her,” murmured Twilight, her voice thick with worry. “Even with all of that extra power I put into it, there shouldn’t have been any deleterious effects.” “I don’t think this is your fault, Twilight.” Cadance’s voice came from right in front of her. “Luna, did Lex’s curse do something to you just now? Some sort of retaliation for trying to lift it?” The question almost made Luna laugh. The evil magic hadn’t done anything to her in response to Twilight’s spell, it was just that she now comprehended the full scope of her condition. She’d known that the pony whom she’d already come to despise most in the world, who embodied all of the horrible traits that she’d displayed as Nightmare Moon and then some, had not only defeated her in a fight but had then decided to change her body against her will to suit his whims. But now she understood, on a visceral level, that Lex Legis’s magic was still inside her. That knowledge made her stomach churn and her skin crawl; it wasn’t that Lex had done something horrible to her. He was still doing something horrible to her! Her body wasn’t her own anymore; it was the body that he wanted her to have: an outward, unmistakable mark of his power over her. The shame of it, the sense of violation, made her want to curl up and die… But Luna knew she didn’t have the luxury of doing that. Quite the opposite; if she didn’t respond right now, she knew that her sister and the others would only become more persistent in their attempts to verify her condition, and the last thing that Luna wanted right now was to talk about how she felt. It was that anxiety alone which gave her the strength to lift her head up at last. She almost winced when she saw that Cadance, Celestia, and Twilight had gathered around her, filling her field of vision. But she pushed that impulse down, somehow managing to give a thin smile. “No,” she murmured at last. “No, I was just…disappointed, is all.” Twilight grimaced at that. “I don’t understand why it didn’t work. Lex is a strong spellcaster, but based on what I saw during our time together on Everglow, he isn’t that strong.” “He might not need to be, if he has a goddess supporting him now,” noted Cadance grimly. “We should discuss that later.” Celestia’s voice was polite, but left no room for argument as she turned back to her sister. “Luna, do you feel up for trying again?” “I have another casting of that spell prepared, and some alicorn magic left,” added Twilight. “Based on what Cadance said about how she needed more than one try to break Lex’s other curses, I think that there’s still a high probability that we’ll overcome this over the course of our next few attempts.” Luna could feel the blood drain from her face at that, hoping that her dark coat hid it. Just the idea of going through that again, of having her face rubbed in how Lex’s invasive, unwelcome magic was still keeping her body in the shape that he found pleasing made her want to throw up. As much as she wanted this curse gone, the thought of how another failed attempt would make her feel was more than she knew she could bear right now. “I’m…I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m very tired at the moment. Perhaps we could try again later?” “Of course we can,” answered Celestia without hesitation. “Whenever you feel ready.” Luna had just enough time to feel grateful for her sister when Celestia looked over at Twilight. “In the meantime, we should try and get everyone together as soon as we can.” Luna paused at that, a sinking feeling washing over her. “Everyone?” Cadance was the one who answered. “It’s one of the things we’ve been discussing through Spike’s letters. There might be some other people who can help, like that angel you and Celestia met, Mihr.” “I’ve sent for Zecora also,” added Twilight. “She might know something about lifting curses that we don’t. And the rest of my friends are coming too, except for Pinkie, I mean…” Biting her lip for a moment, Twilight shook off her malaise a second later. “Fluttershy even said she’d try to get in touch with Discord. Hopefully he’ll be more helpful than he was with Tirek.” That last part was said in a wry voice, before she glanced over at Princess Celestia. “Spike and Soft Mane haven’t sent you anything about Willow, have they?” The taller alicorn shook her head. “I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything about the ‘purrsian’ they said they were going to talk to.” Twilight frowned at that, putting a hoof to her chin. “I should tell them to talk to Rarity. Willow’s son is pretty close to Sweetie Belle and the Crusaders, so she might know-” “When is this…assembly, going to take place?” asked Luna, doing her best to make the question sound casual and not something she was already dreading. Just the thought of having to appear in front of so many people and have them see what Lex had done to her was already making her stomach tighten in anxiety. She must have succeeded, because Celestia gave her a look of resolve rather than concern. “As soon as possible. Even if we can’t figure out a way to break Lex’s curse, this should help us figure out more about him for the next time we face him.” Luna felt her heart start to pound in her chest. “The next time?” Cadance jumped in then, clearly sensing her distress. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” she said quickly. “Right now we’re just getting everyone in one place. Hopefully, Mihr or Discord will be able to lift Lex’s curse without too much trouble, and then we can all figure out what to do next. In the meantime, I’ll finish relieving the stress that Silhouette’s resurrection placed on his body-” She stopped abruptly as she looked behind her. The other princesses turned to see what had startled Cadance, and as they moved Luna, overcome with morbid curiosity, looked as well. But, she realized a second later, it wasn’t what they’d seen; rather, it was what they hadn’t seen. Silhouette was gone. “Really now, Shining Armor! This is just too much!” The crowd of ponies behind Fancy Pants appeared to agree, breaking into a chorus of angry shouting. But Shining Armor didn’t flinch, and although he didn’t show it outwardly, he was proud of how the half-dozen members of the Royal Guard backing him up didn’t either. After what had happened with those escapees from a few days ago, he’d been worried about the standards among the Canterlot guard, and had put them through a few remedial drills while waiting for Celestia and Luna to return. But just showing everyone that they weren’t intimidated wouldn’t solve the situation. Holding up a hoof in a ‘quiet down’ gesture, Shining Armor waited until the yelling had turned into disgruntled muttering before looking at the mob’s apparent ringleader. “Fancy Pants, I know this is inconvenient-” “‘Inconvenient?!” bristled the elegantly-coiffed stallion. “My dear boy, missing opening night at the opera house because the balcony seats are being reupholstered is inconvenient. This,” he pointed a hoof at where Shining Armor and his guards were blocking the entrance to the train station, “is a travesty! Worse, it’s a travesty that we’ve already had to endure!” “I understand that,” nodded Shining Armor. “Really, I do, but-” “There’s no ‘but’ about it,” huffed Fancy Pants. “It was bad enough when you closed down the station a few days ago, to say nothing of all of the sky-ports. But now you’re doing it again!” “The sky-ports are still open,” noted Shining Armor diplomatically. “And the trains aren’t,” shot back Fancy Pants, “much to the consternation of myself and the other good citizens of Canterlot!” Another round of angry shouting broke out then, with more than a few ponies calling out what they were missing out on because of the latest shutdown. “I understand that,” repeated Shining Armor, raising his voice in the most non-hostile manner that he could. “But this came directly from Princess Celestia herself.” That was always a winning move in situations like these, Shining Armor knew. The ponies of Canterlot were incredibly proud that their princess – both princesses, now that Luna had returned – lived among them, and the Royal Sisters were even more popular here than in the rest of Equestria because of it. He could already see more than a few faces in the crowd softening at the revelation that Celestia had ordered this. Fancy Pants appeared to be among the mollified, at least partially. “Did she at least tell you how long the station is going to be closed? I’m expecting several guests for the inaugural meeting of our new Monocle and Top Hat Appreciation Society, and I…oh my, is that fellow alright?” Fancy Pants’ question came with a curious glance over Shining Armor’s shoulder, looking back into the lobby of the train station. Several voices in the crowd were likewise curious, sending a ripple of uncertainty through the assembled ponies. Turning, Shining Armor’s eyebrows raised, and he turned back to Fancy Pants just long enough to say “please excuse me” before turning and ducking inside, rushing over to the pony in question. “Silhouette!” Shining Armor had never actually met Luna’s worshiper before, but he’d heard all about him from the other guards since coming back to Canterlot. He’d joined right after the Elemental Bleeds had concluded, and had quickly earned a reputation, not all of it good. Although he’d thrown himself into his role as a guard so thoroughly that he’d earned a quick promotion, his zealotry toward Luna made him difficult to get along with. But Luna had apparently been pleased by his attitude, and had gone so far as to create a new style of armor for him, denoting that he was assigned to her specifically rather than her and her sister jointly the way the rest of the Royal Guard was. The other thing he’d heard about Silhouette had been that Lex Legis had murdered him. So the fact that he was here now was, Shining Armor had briefly hoped, a good sign regarding what was going on in the train car where Twily and his wife had gone. But now he was less confident… The black-and-white stallion wasn’t wearing his armor. That alone was unusual, and the way his jaw was clenched, along with how stiff-legged his gait was – even taking into account his withered foreleg – spoke volumes about his state of mind. But worst were his eyes, which were bloodshot and focused doggedly in front of him. It was enough to make Shining Armor glance nervously at where the princesses were, wondering if something was wrong. “I’m Shining Armor, and-” “I know who you are,” snapped Silhouette around clenched teeth, not slowing his stride in the least. “Now leave me alone!” Shining Armor frowned. He might not technically be Captain of the Royal Guard anymore, but he was married to one princess and brother to another, which technically made him royalty as well. “Wait a moment,” he said firmly, planning himself in the other stallion’s way and putting a hoof on his chest. “Report on the current disposition of-” “I said LEAVE ME ALONE!” Shining Armor hadn’t been lax in his training since leaving the Royal Guard. Moreover, he had stepped it up after the tragedy of the Elemental Bleeds. But Silhouette’s hoof lashing out caught him completely by surprise, the punch catching him directly across the nose and sending him stumbling back. By that point, they were close enough to the crowd that everyone else saw the blow land, gasps ringing out among the throngs of ponies. The guards stationed at the entrance saw it as well, their fierce expressions melting into ones of shock and confusion. But Silhouette didn't seem to care, resuming his loping march forward before Shining Armor had even hit the ground, his eyes slightly too wide and blazing with an intensity that made it clear he’d show no mercy to anyone who impeded him. Fancy Pants hurriedly moved to the side as Silhouette strode through the entrance, the rest of the crowd quickly parting in front of him as well, making no move to stop the furious stallion as he entered the city. Rubbing his nose, Shining Armor got back to his hooves, watching him go with a sinking feeling. What had happened in that train car? A moment later one of the guards at the entrance seemed to recover, looking at Shining Armor. “Sir, should we go after him?” Shining Armor paused for just a moment, glancing down at the hoof he’d just wiped his nose with, seeing blood on it. Silhouette, he knew, had some of that strange new magic from that world that Twily had been to, which had something to do with his worshiping Luna. Sending a few guards after him when he was apparently upset enough to be casually violent was just asking for trouble. But that was the same reason he couldn’t just let him go either. “Have a pegasus trail him from above, but don’t talk to him or try to interact with him unless he looks like he’s going to hurt somepony. Everyone else is to remain at their posts.” The guard saluted. “Yes sir. And what will you be doing?” Turning back to the train car, Shining Armor came to a quick decision. “Getting some answers.”