//------------------------------// // 530 - Duel Ambitions // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “You should have told me that sooner!” House Call’s nod was perfunctory, his face betraying no hint of either fear or remorse in response to Lex’s snarling. “I understand, sir, but from a medical standpoint it simply wasn’t a priority.” “It wasn’t a priority from any standpoint,” added Aria, reaching a foreleg across Lex’s chest and gently, but firmly, pressing his sitting posture back to a reclining one. Nor was she the only one to do so. “What she said,” added Sonata as she made Lex lie back in bed, having been carried back downstairs. “And you’re totes not going back to work now, so it’s no biggie.” A sour look made it clear that Lex disagreed. “We currently have a dangerous criminal whose whereabouts cannot be confirmed,” he growled. “Her last known sighting places her in the company of one of Equestria’s princesses, suggesting – along with one of her entourage arriving here and attempting to kill me mere minutes after Starlight Glimmer’s defeat – that the two of them are in league. Meanwhile, another member of Equestrian royalty has challenged me to a duel, our finances are on the verge of being completely spent, and almost everypony with the capability to mount a defense if we’re attacked again is injured and exhausted. Given all of that,” he turned to glare at House Call then, his expression souring, “I find it highly imprudent that my chief medical pony neglected to inform me in a timely manner that the treatment I’d received included medication whose potential side effects include alterations to personal temperament!” “Potential side effects, sir,” replied House Call, telekinetically scribbling something down on a notepad as he put his equipment back in his medical bag. “And the drug regimen you were given was short-term in nature, meant only to try and stabilize you. Even without taking into account the unknown effects of the healing magic Miss Cloudbank gave you, I’d be very surprised if you were still feeling any side effects by sunrise.” The pronouncement did nothing to ease Lex’s displeasure, but not for the reasons that he’d rattled off a moment ago. Barely two hours ago he’d been standing on a balcony, reveling in what he’d thought was a sense of acute joy at the outpouring of affection from his people. It had been a heady experience, filling him with a sense of personal vindication so profound it had bordered on transcendent. Finding out that it had been, in all likelihood, an artificial high from the drugs he’d been given had been disappointing in the extreme, obliterating his good mood and then some. “Aw, don’t worry Lex!” cooed Sonata. “If you’re back to being a sourpuss again, then you’re definitely A-okay!” Her statement got a few titters from the other ponies in the room, consisting of River Bank, Garden Gate, Thermal Draft, and Cloudbank. Everypony else had either gone to get some sleep shortly after they’d returned to the medical wing of the manor, or had fallen asleep after insisting on staying by his side and been subsequently carried off to bed…even if that latter group had consisted almost entirely of the Night Mare’s Knights. Before Lex could chide Sonata for her inadvertent rebuke about his attitude, House Call spoke up again. “Normally, somepony who’s been through what you have would need to remain in intensive care for several days to monitor them for potential complications. But seeing as your case is highly atypical,” he continued quickly, seeing the dark look crossing Lex’s face at that, “I’ll confer with Miss Cloudbank about the exact medical effects of her magic and come up with a revised series of suggestions. Until then, I’m going to recommend that you give your body a chance to recover from the stress it’s been under. That means relaxing and avoiding anything stressful, such as spellcasting or vigorous physical activity.” “Don’t worry, doc,” purred Aria, her hoof sliding down Lex’s chest toward his hip. “I’ll make sure he stays completely relaxed. All he’ll need to do is lie back and let me do all the work.” “That’s great!” cheered Sonata, leaning in to nuzzle the stallion between her and her sister, as her voice turned amorous. “And while Aria’s doing chores and stuff, we can have some real fun.” The comment made Aria frown, lifting her head to glare at Sonata. “Did you not hear that I just called dibs on him?” “Um, no you didn’t,” snickered Sonata. “You said you were gonna work, which means that you make the bed while me and Lex mess it up again. Besides, you had him all to yourself for a while, so now the sugarmoon’s over.” “The term is ‘honeymoon,’ you ditz, and I-” “And that’s our cue to leave,” announced Garden Gate, already making for the door. Cloudbank was right behind her, but paused to glance back at Lex. “When Cleansweep wakes up, I’ll work with her to heal everyone else who’s still injured.” “You might need to save some for those two if the catfight gets any worse,” snickered Thermal Draft. River couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the banter, shaking her head before turning to Lex. “I’ve got a few members of my staff on patrol in case Princess Twilight tries something between now and sunrise. I doubt they’ll be able to do much, but they can at least raise an alarm to let us know we have an intruder.” That was enough to draw Sonata and Aria’s immediate attention, the two of them abandoning their argument and turning to face River in unison. “They wouldn’t dare!” chorused the two. “If they try and pick another fight, they’ll have more to worry about than an alarm!” seethed Sonata, her usual bubbliness completely absent. “And they won’t get off as easy as Starlight did,” hissed Aria, her expression murderous before she regained a measure of control over herself, waving a hoof at River. “Now beat it. We’ve got a hero to pamper.” Nodding, River turned for the door, the last one to leave. But she’d barely taken two steps when Lex’s voice caught her. “River stays. I need-” “For realsies?!” blurted Sonata, wide-eyed as she looked back and forth between him and the older mare. “Wow, I thought maybe you’d want a third girl now that Nosey’s gone, but I wouldn’t have guessed it’d be her!” “So what, is this the old lady’s reward for stepping up while you were out?” snickered Aria. “Because if it is, I think we deserve to go first, and she can sit back and watch until it’s her turn.” But Lex had reached the end of his patience where the Siren sisters’ shenanigans were concerned. “I need to talk to her. Alone.” “Aww, but-” “I don’t-” “Now.” The look on Lex’s face made it clear that this was serious, and Sonata and Aria sighed as they slowly disentangled themselves from him. Murmuring assurances that they’d be right outside, the two slowly trudged out of the room, with River following them as far as the door, closing it behind them before she turned to face Lex, waiting for his instructions. For his part, Lex was perfectly content to let her wait. Closing his eyes for a moment, he verified that his anti-scrying spell was still in place. Satisfied that it hadn’t been triggered, he instead focused on his dark magic, its reserves having replenished themselves while he’d rested. Glancing around the room, he enhanced his hearing, then his sense of smell, searching for anything unusual or atypical. It was only when he’d found nothing that he glanced at the corner of the room, where his personal effects had been piled. Telekinetically lifting his circlet, he peered into the magical spectrum as soon as it was back on his brow, sitting up and scanning the room. It was only when he was finally confident that they were alone that he turned his attention back to River. “I want you to prioritize my duel with Blueblood.” Of all the things River had been expecting Lex to say, that had been very far down the list. “You do? But Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer-” “Are not your concern,” finished Lex. “Your concern is to make sure this duel happens, and that it happens the way I want.” “I…I understand,” replied River, despite the fact that nothing could have been further from the truth. Although Blueblood hadn’t issued his challenge when she’d previously explained to Lex exactly who the prince was and what his being there meant for his plans for securing an influx of funds – an explanation given just after Lex had deferred her punishment for what had happened with Feather Duster – she couldn’t imagine how a fight, no matter how formal it was, would change anything now. “Lex…win or lose, you know the Las Pegasus ponies won’t support you, right? Not unless you force them to.” Lex gave her a sharp look at that, and River cringed a little, remembering that he’d already told her that he had no intention of making the rich ponies she’d brought turn over their money if they didn’t want to. But to her surprise, he didn’t rebuke her. Instead, he smirked. “No,” he mused, his face displaying nothing but total confidence. “I think they will. Based on what you’ve told me, I think they’ll rush to give me whatever I want from them.” River hesitated, licking dry lips before speaking again. “May I ask why?” Her luck held, as Lex didn’t seem to take umbrage at being questioned. If anything, he seemed pleased by it, his look of insidious delight deepening. “Blueblood showed his entire hoof when, after I accepted his challenge, he suggested that we both appoint someone to work out the details of the duel for us.” He shook his head. “That’s a point of order specific to Conduct of Satisfaction: A Guide to the Formal Resolution of Conflict and Calumny, one of the oldest texts on dueling from the Pre-Classical Era.” That was enough to make River’s brow furrow. “From before the three tribes were united?” Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recalled Blueblood mentioning – during their dinner back in Las Pegasus – that history had been one of the subjects he’d studied… Lex nodded. “Unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi didn’t share common governance back then, but still needed to work together to produce enough food to survive. As such, individual ponies of different tribes needed a mechanism so that they could deal with conflicts in a way that didn’t lead to escalation or potential loss of life.” “And dueling was the answer?” asked River, still not sure what this had to do with why Lex was so unconcerned about the ramifications of his upcoming duel with Prince Blueblood. “It allowed the aggrieved parties to settle petty disputes on their own,” explained Lex. “A fight, with no established stakes or guidelines, typically accomplished nothing except pulling in friends, family, and neighbors, creating long-lasting feuds that often outlived the original conflict. Likewise, bringing complaints to their leaders, all of whom were suspicious of each other, ran the risk of turning a minor argument between individuals into a large-scale conflict between tribes.” “And you can’t grow food when you’re fighting a war,” reasoned River. “Precisely. So it was in everypony’s interests to come up with a standardized manner of resolving petty strife when it arose. Hence the development of dueling and its attendant codes of conduct, at least until the three tribes discovered Equestria and united as one people, at which point the practice was largely abandoned, remembered mostly as a historical artifact to highlight how far we’ve come.” A bitter note entered his voice then, but River didn’t want to push her luck by commenting on it. “So Blueblood’s saying that you and he should have other ponies negotiate the terms of the duel for you because…?” “As noted in Conduct of Satisfaction, the intent is that your designated agent will be able to represent your interests without being in the throes of whatever indignation led to the challenge being issued and accepted,” replied Lex. “They work out the details, subject to the approval of the ponies they’re working on behalf of, who aren’t supposed to see each other prior to the arrangements being finalized and the duel being either conducted or called off. Once everything is agreed to, the terms are considered ironclad, and breaking them is taken to be unconscionable.” Now able to see what Lex was getting at, River’s eyes widened. “Which means that if he agrees to whatever terms you set, Blueblood will feel honor-bound to uphold them!” Of that much, River felt certain. Blueblood’s narcissism stemmed from his perception that he existed on a higher plane of personal conduct than everypony else. That arrogant nitwit would sooner break his horn off than break his word! “Can you set the terms of the duel to include receiving something from the loser when you win?” “In theory, the terms can include anything, since they need to be mutually agreed upon,” answered Lex easily. “In fact, there’s a tradition of making outrageous demands in an attempt to intimidate the other party into backing down. One of the duties of the representatives is to discourage such things as part of facilitating the process.” “But there’s no need to discourage anything now.” Now that she understood what Lex was doing, River’s imagination was starting to run wild. “Blueblood thinks he’s already won, that you’re all talk and no action. So he’d probably accept any terms we put to him, since he won’t think they matter!” The possibilities were enough to make her head spin. “We could get him to ask those ponies from Las Pegasus to give you the loan you want! Or make an official statement that Celestia and Luna were at fault for that fight! Or-” But her musings were cut short as Lex gave a dark laugh. “No,” he chuckled. “Blueblood has something much more substantial that I want.”