Stallion of Tomorrow

by Jade Dawn

LexCorp

Ha-La, Kal-El...

Who are you?

Ha-La Kal-El, don Jor-El va Lara-Lor-Van-Vax-El...

I can't understand you, please…

El-Kor...El-Eoeo...Kelex-I...

Please, tell me...who are you? Who am I?!

Ha-La, Kal-El!

Dawning Hope awoke with a start, bolting upright in his bed as he reflexively clutched the sheets. He breathed heavily as his racing heart slowed back into a normal beat, his fur slightly damp from sweat. Gradually he worked himself back into a calm state.

He then realized that he’d fallen asleep still in his cloak and shirt. Luckily for him, last night had been uneventful, but the worries of the day had left him so tired that he must have just wandered to his bed once he’d gotten back and just went right to sleep without undressing.

And more importantly, he’d gone to sleep still wearing the crystal.

He’d heard those kind of voices before. They were always very vague and distant, like a hoarse whisper in a deep cavern, but they were usually more of the same; utterly incomprehensible to him. They didn’t come often–this was the first one that he’d heard them in months–but when they did, they always only came when he was in close proximity to the crystal. He didn’t know why, nor did he know exactly what he was hearing.

But he had a few ideas.

Now fully awake, Dawning crawled out of bed and got to removing his outfit. He noticed that, luckily, he hadn’t bolted awake so hard that he went through the ceiling, wincing as he remembered that one time where it’d happened in Dodge Junction. That hadn’t been fun to try and explain. Once the cloak and shirt were off he checked his bedside clock, realizing that he was getting dangerously close to running late for work. He walked briskly into the kitchen and pulled out a couple slices of bread from the bread box, giving each a good toasting with his heat vision and wolfing them down.

As he ate he wondered if he should just bring his outfit along. He normally didn’t bring it with him when he went out in broad daylight; he preferred to operate at night. And besides, he wasn’t planning on doing any sneaking into the LexCorp complex yet. Not to mention that he’d be with the very ponies that had been sent to look for him for most of the day, so there was a risk in that.

But then again, if he did decide to do some snooping around in areas that his press pass normally wouldn’t allow him into, it might be a good idea to just bring it. Just in case.

Having finally made up his mind–or at least having gotten to the point where he wouldn’t argue with himself too much about it–he finished the last of his toast, then went and dressed himself in his usual shirt and tie, putting on his glasses last. Once finished dressing, he stuffed the shirt and cloak into the very bottom of his saddlebags, and then packed his usual wares on top.

Just in case.

As he slung his bags over his midsection, he took one last glance at the clock. He had just enough time to get to the Planet, meet up with Lucky and Quicksnap, and then head on over the the Manefair Hotel to meet up with the Element Bearers.

“It really sticks out,” Rainbow said.

Rarity tilted her head as she observed the structure before them. “Hmmm…yes, it does clash with the architecture a fair bit, doesn’t it?”

The three were standing outside one of the city’s many terminals for the new tram line, just a few blocks down from the Manefair Hotel. And as Rarity had noted, it did indeed clash with the surrounding structures of the city; a glossy white elevated platform on pylons about thirty feet off the ground, lined with glass railings and a black-tinted transparent roof.

“Shouldn’t Lucky and her friends be here soon?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, they oughta’ be,” Rainbow replied, scanning the ever shifting crowds of ponies on the sidewalks and streets of the late morning rush. Finally she spotted them stepping out of a taxi carriage a little ways down the street. Quicksnap had his camera bag and Dawning had a pair of saddlebags hanging from his sides. All three had press badges hanging around their necks.

Lucky spotted the three almost immediately and quickly made her way down the street to them, Dawning and Quicksnap following behind. “Nice to see you again!” she chirped happily as she came up to them. “And of course you’ve already met my underlings here…” she gestured to the two with a chuckle.

“Oh, I didn’t know that you two would be joining us,” Fluttershy said, smiling a bit as she looked at Dawning. “N-not that I’m complaining, of course, it’s…it’s nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, uh…nice to see you again too,” Dawning replied.

“So,” Quicksnap said. “You ready to go Supermane hunting?”

“Ah ah ah, first things first, Quicksnap,” Lucky reminded him. “Whiteout wants us to pander to Lex’s ego a bit; then we can start looking.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Either way, I think we’re gonna get some great things out of today.”

“Well, I sure hope so,” Dawning agreed.

“So are we gonna get going or what?” Rainbow asked.

Lucky nodded. “The tram should be arriving in just a minute. Now if you’d just follow us upstairs…”

“Lead on, Miss Lead,” Rarity said.

Lucky led the five up the steps to the tram terminal. They saw that a number of benches and vending machines were lined around the roof’s support pillars and along the glass railings, and further up on the pillars were large screens that displayed news bulletins, weather reports, and a map of the tram’s route around Manehattan. From speakers located somewhere out of sight, they could hear a feminine voice announcing tram arrival times, and occasionally relaying facts about the tram itself, more often than not about how generously it had been provided to the city by LexCorp Industries.

The tram was just pulling in as they arrived; a sleek vehicle comprised of multiple long cars, each with a glossy white body and black-tinted windows. The foremost and rearmost cars sloped down into an aerodynamic form at the front and back ends respectively. It came in with barely more than a low hum, with none of the loud clanging and whooshing of a usual train. From underneath it at various points were what appeared to be large clamps that wrapped around the single rail of the line; these were the hover units that elevated the train and ran it along its path.

The doors automatically opened with a soft whoosh, disgorging its previous passengers onto the terminal and allowing a stream of new ones to enter. The group joined with this crowd, Dawning stepping aside as he approached.

“Oh, please, after you,” he said, letting the group pass on in before him.

Rarity stopped by him as she entered. “My, such a gentlecolt,” she said, playfully batting her eyes at him. “Any more like you where you come from?”

Dawning found himself blushing. “Um…maybe?”

Rarity chuckled as she passed by into the tram, Dawning following behind her. The edge of his saddlebags clipped the edge of the doorway, and he got stuck for a moment before pulling loose and joining the group.

Lucky shook her head at him with a little smile. “Dawning, you’re a nice guy and a good reporter, but you overpack.”

Dawning shrugged. “Just want to be prepared is all.”

“What do you even have in there?” Fluttershy asked as she eyed his saddlebags, noticing how stuffed they looked.

“Oh, y’know, pencils, pens, notepads…” Dawning’s glasses slid down his nose a bit and he stopped to readjust them. “…a couple granola bars, extra pencils, a tape recorder or two, and, uh…paperclips. Y’know, just, um…journalist supplies,” he chuckled lightly.

They sat down on the soft blue-colored seating alongside the windows, Dawning setting his bags down beside him and Quicksnap doing the same with his camera, pulling out some kind of flat, glassy-looking rectangle that lit up on one side when he pushed a button along the edge. The doors closed with a hiss, and the tram began to pull out of the station. Fluttershy internally marveled at how smooth it was, even as the thing began to pick up speed and the buildings outside passed by faster and faster; it barely felt like they were moving at all.

“It’s like we’re sliding on air,” Fluttershy said aloud.

“No engineers?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, no,” Quicksnap said. “The trams are run by onboard computers in the front and back. If they need to alter their programming in any way they can do it remotely from the control center back at the main hub.”

“It’s actually pretty impressive,” Lucky said, although the way she said it it sounded like it bothered her to admit it. “For all of his ego, Lex does sometimes put out some pretty good stuff…when his price can be afforded, of course.”

“But who exactly is this Lex guy?” Rainbow asked. “I’ve been hearing you say that name a lot, but, like, who is he?”

Lucky, Dawning, and Quicksnap all looked at her like she’d said the stupidest thing in the world.

“Uh, Tech Lexicon?” Quicksnap prodded. “LexCorp Industries? Not ringing any bells for you?”

“Tech Lexicon…” Rarity repeated. “Hmm…you know, I think I remember meeting somepony of that name a few years back at a Grand Galloping Galla, if memory serves.”

“You’ve met him?”

“I believe so. Some kind of technological entrepreneur, if I remember him right.”

“Curly red mane and an ego that poured out from the seams?” Lucky asked.

Rarity thought for a moment. “…well, yes, I do remember he came across as quite sure of himself…”

“Yup,” Lucky said. “Sounds like Lex. Must’ve been back when he was still building up capital for LexCorp.”

“But who is he?” Rainbow asked again.

“Hoo boy…” Lucky shook her head as she leaned back in her seat. “Where do I begin?”

“Well,” Dawning said, trying to help the conversation. “He’s a businesspony for starters…”

“The businesspony,” Lucky interrupted. “Tech Lexicon is only the most wealthy and influential pony in all of Manehattan right now, and he will not let you forget it.”

“Why ‘Lex’, though?” Rainbow asked.

Lucky shrugged. “It’s just what he prefers to be called.”

“And LexCorp is his company?” Fluttershy asked.

“What tipped you off?” Lucky snarked. “Anyway, LexCorp’s a technological research company; their whole thing is inventing new technologies and selling them to the public or any other interested parties. They’ve done a whole lot; basic appliances, airship engines, computers, power plants…heck, this monorail and the system it runs on was donated to the city by LexCorp. It’s all run on his tech. Even minor stuff they’ve got a hoof in, like entertainment.”

“Yup,” Quicksnap said as he held up the tablet he was tapping on. “LexPad 1.9.8. It’s basically a personal computer; you can store files on it, write on it, play games on it, all that cool stuff. Camera kinda sucks, though…”

“And that’s not all,” Lucky continued. “All that is only half of what they’ve been up to these past few years. Lex’s big focus right now is in weapons tech.” She chuckled dryly. “You would not believe some of the stuff he has cooked up in those labs of his. You’ll probably see a good deal of it today, actually.”

“Weapons?” Fluttershy repeated, feeling herself growing a bit uncomfortable.

“But I haven’t heard anything about this Lex guy or LexCorp or any of that before,” Rainbow said. “I mean, I don’t exactly follow that stuff, but still, I feel like I’d have heard of them before now.”

“Well, to be fair,” Dawning said. “LexCorp wasn’t really a big name until a couple years ago. Oh, sure, they were around and growing, and they were definitely attracting some attention. But their big popularity boost didn’t come until relatively recently.”

“What happened?” Rarity asked.

“The Storm King. That’s what happened,” Lucky replied. “Lemme’ put it to you this way; an enemy invasion force sweeps across Equestria, barely detected until the last minute. They capture major cities, lock the Princesses in stone, enslave the populace, all that evil empire jazz. The Royal Guard is helpless to stop them, and that’s putting it lightly. Eventually it blows over and the heroes–that’s you–swoop in and save the day…but that doesn’t change the fact that they got that far. I don’t know if you saw much of it, but I remember ponies around here were mad. There was a stretch of a week or so where you couldn’t go one day without seeing at least one crowd in the streets holding up signs and shouting and all that.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured.

“But then here comes this guy, and he comes with all sorts of promises of better defenses and first-response weaponry, throws up some pictures of ponies in muzzles and cages and says ‘never again’, and boom…now that he’s hit on what the ponies want, he’s got a whole new wave of investors and interested parties.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, I…I can see how that sort of thing would get him so much attention.”

“Oh yeah, it worked like charm. And of course, LexCorp’s usual sales pitch helped ‘em a lot too.”

“And that is?”

“Well, you see,” Dawning said. “LexCorp focuses a lot of their products on what they call ‘the common pony’. Basically the idea is that their technologies can be used by just about anypony or anyone, no matter what race or species.”

In spite of herself, Rainbow found herself nodding. “Not a bad pitch.”

“Sounds like something that would appeal to a lot of ponies,” Fluttershy added.

“Oh, believe me, it is,” Lucky replied. “Heck, just take a look at Manehattan; this city has about eighteen million ponies living in it, and about forty to fifty percent of them are earth ponies. Pegasi, unicorns, and other non-pony races make up the other fifty percent, and no matter who or what they are…well, no offense, but none of them are exactly like you or your friend on the throne.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I never really thought of us as better than anypony else because of our adventures or what we do…”

“Maybe not, but I think you can imagine how popular it is.” She shook her head. “Which makes the whole thing all the scummier.”

“But how so?” Rarity asked. “I should think something like that would be a good thing.”

Lucky chuckled. “If it was anypony else, maybe I’d believe it. But this is Tech Lexicon we’re talking here, and everything that that name brings to the table.”

“Why? What’s wrong with Lexicon?” Rainbow asked.

Dawning rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s…a character.”

“He’s a bit braggy,” Quicksnap added.

“He’s a smarmbag,” Lucky said. “He’s arrogant, smug, full of himself, just an all around narcissist. Just take a look at his company and everything it owns; LexAir, LexCom, LexCrop, that stupid LexPad Quicksnap’s got, and don’t get me started on those rumors of a LexMart…the guy can’t make one thing without his name on it.”

“Sheesh. Talk about cocky,” Rainbow said. She shot a preemptive look at Rarity. “And before you say anything, yeah, I’m fully aware of who’s saying that.”

Rarity ignored her. “You were saying, Miss Lead?”

“I was saying that Lex doesn’t really give a care. Not about ‘the common pony’ or whatever prose he waxes with. The only thing he really cares about is making a profit and pandering to his own ego. Unfortunately, he’s got enough goodwill and followers by now that nopony’s gonna see that until he screws them over.” She sighed. “You know, in the old days ponies in power would oppress those who were weaker or had less than them. Nowadays they make ‘em think they care for a cheap buck. So yay for progress, I guess.”

Quicksnap looked out the window. “Hey, speaking of Lex, we’re getting close to LexCorp Plaza.”

Dawning and Lucky turned to look themselves. “Ah, perfect timing,” Lucky said, then turned back to the Elements. “Get yourselves ready for some pure unfiltered ego.”

It was just a few minutes later when the tram and its passengers arrived at their destination, and the Elements and Daily Planet crew stepped out to behold the gigantic LexCorp Tower and plaza beyond. While not quite as tall as the Crystaller Building, the tower was easily a close contender for Manehattan’s tallest skyscraper; a looming structure of shimmering metal and glass, with the top-most portion of the building above the logo consisting of a structure that, when looked at from a certain angle, almost resembled a giant “L”; Tech Lexicon’s penthouse suite. Beneath this and above the rest of the building was the LexCorp company logo, plastered along the side of the building in neon background lighting.

Stretching away from either side of the tower, running parallel to Manehattan Island’s coast, was a large wall intermittently broken up by large gates and adjacent security booths. Several of these were wide open, allowing vast lines of ponies to stream in, an the six fell into line with the rest of the crowd. Flanking the gates, one on each side, were guards dressed in army green and black kevlar armor, their faces obscured by black-visored helmets. Slung over each of their backs were heavy-looking grey assault rifles, and at their waists were smaller pistols.

Looking at those silent, faceless guards made Fluttershy uneasy, and she found herself shying away from them and ducking her head as she passed. Dawning seemed to notice her discomfort and came alongside her.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re mostly for show,” he whispered to her. He took another glance at them and then added, “Not that I blame you.”

In spite of herself, Fluttershy smiled a little. She still felt a bit nervous around the guards, even more so after hearing about their employer, but she appreciated Dawning’s attempts at comfort. As she lifted her head back up and looked away from them, though, she didn’t catch Dawning cast a little glance of his own back to the guards as he adjusted his saddlebags a bit.

The group passed through the gates, beyond which was the area dubbed LexCorp Plaza; a monstrously huge, vaguely polygonal platform of concrete, pavement and steel that jutted out from the coast into Manehattan Bay. But it was so massive in size that if one were to stand in the midst of it, they’d likely forget it was an artificial construct. The center portion of the Plaza was open, ringed by a number of office and laboratory buildings, behind which were warehouses and a pair of docks beyond. This open area was dotted about with various exhibits, and a stage with a podium and back-projector screen currently displaying the LexCorp logo had been erected in the middle. At the far end of the plaza was a huge building with some kind of large dome that was just barely visible over the edge of its walls. The presence of scaffolding and a few cranes nearby betrayed the fact that the building wasn’t quite finished yet.

“Holy cow…” Rainbow gawked, her mouth agape. “It’s so big.”

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Quicksnap replied. He’d already taken his camera out and was snapping pictures of the crowded Plaza.

“I can’t imagine what it must’ve cost to build all this…” said Rarity.

Lucky shook her head. “A lot of bits and a whole lot of sweat and tears.”

As they descended into the Plaza, their eyes were drawn to the various exhibits throughout the area, each displaying something unique and surrounded by crowds of onlookers. At one nearby tent, a pretty young mare was showing off a set of crystalline slabs that were labelled as the next version of the LexPad. In a large fenced-off area a little ways away was a gigantic, four-legged walker topped by a head-like cockpit, and they saw it rear up to grip a large box with its forelegs, which morphed from hoof-like endings into gripping claws as it did so. A rhythmic whirring sound drew their attention to a large helicopter, far larger than the pedal-powered kind that some ponies flew–like the one Fluttershy knew Cherry Berry back in Ponyville owned–and an announcer’s voice boasted that it was electric powered and could carry at last ten passengers at a time. Over the heads of the crowd, the top of some kind of greenhouse could be seen, displaying the latest in technological agriculture breakthroughs.

It wasn't even half of everything on display.

In spite of what Lucky had told them on the tram, the three Element Bearers could hardly contain their wonder as they found themselves staring with wide eyes at all that was on display. The reactions of the Daily Planet reporters varied; Quicksnap had become fully engrossed in his task, snapping pictures of just about everything they passed by. Lucky kept her face stoic, as though uninterested or bored by the whole thing. Dawning kept looking around in different directions, occasionally adjusting those large round glasses of his.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked as she took notice of the latter. “You look like you’re looking for something.”

“Hm?” Dawning shook his head, sounding like he’d just been pulled out of some inner contemplation. “Oh, no, just taking it all in, that’s all. I mean…it is kind of amazing, isn’t it?”

“Oh, um, yes,” Fluttershy replied. “I suppose so.”

“You suppose so?” Rainbow interjected. “This stuff is friggin’ awesome!”

“I do have to admit,” Rarity added. “I can see why ponies are so taken with this company.”

“Ah, you’d better watch out; the Lex Effect is starting already.” Lucky dryly chuckled.

“Speaking of which, where is Mr. Lexicon?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, he’s probably around here somewhere,” Quicksnap said. “At every Lexpo there’s always one big product announcement that he does personally, so…”

And then over the sounds of the throng they heard somepony shout “Here he comes!”. And with that the crowd erupted into the sounds of cheering and stomping and clapping of hooves. The sea of bodies began to part, and through the open path came a small knot of ponies, most of them wore dark suits and black sunglasses. But one in particular, the one they crowded behind, stood out. He was a tall, light gray earth pony stallion with a short, slightly curly red mane and tail, dressed in a dark blue business suit that partially obscured the electrified Tesla coil he had for a cutie mark. Two piercing green eyes looked out on the world, and his chiseled face bore a smile that was at once confident, self-assured, and haughty.

Tech Lexicon in the flesh.

Directly behind him, standing in the midst of the suited ponies surrounding Lex and dressed similarly to them, was a tall, lean-looking pegasus mare with a cream-colored coat and a dark yellow mane, her eyes masked by her sunglasses. As they looked at her, the Elements found themselves internally likening her build to that of Tempest Shadow.

“That’s Merciful Grace,” Lucky whispered to them. “Lex’s head flunky. Don’t let the name fool you, there’s nothing merciful or graceful about her.”

The crowd continued to cheer as Lex stepped up onto the stage. Merciful followed him up and stood just off to the far side of the platform, while the rest of the suited security agents silently took up positions around the base. Lex approached the microphone and tapped it a little, and at the small boom the echoed through the adjacent loudspeakers, the crowd fell silent. The only sounds that could be heard were a few murmurings and the occasional sounds of camera shutters clicking, Quicksnap taking part in the latter.

Still bearing that smile, Lex cleared his throat and started to speak.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” he began. “First off, I’d like to thank all of you for this wonderful turnout. You know, if anypony told me a decade ago that I would have this much of an audience one day…well, I’d take it with just a little bit of salt, but I don’t think I’d necessarily rule it out.”

A laugh went through the crowd, and Lex chuckled with them before continuing.

“But really, I like to think that I’ve earned this admiration of yours. I hoped I would. From the very beginning, I envisioned LexCorp as a company that would serve the interests of the common pony; an organization that would fight to make all ponies equal. Earth pony, pegasus, unicorn…I wanted each and every one of you to be able to share in what I could offer the world. Nopony left out, nopony left lower. Nopony less than. And if I may brag just a little, I think we’ve done a darn good job of doing that, don’t you think?”

Cheering and shouts of praise came up from the crowd. Lex let it go on for a bit before raising a hoof for silence.

“And today…today, I come to you offering more.”

The screen behind him changed to display a slideshow of images, all taken from the Storm King’s invasion. Photographs of airships over smoking cityscapes, blurred images of Storm Creatures stalking through streets, and pictures of cages and harnesses in piles flashed by.

“Almost two years ago now, I stood before you with these sights in mind and made a promise: never again. Never again would Equestria fall to attack. Never again would we be tread upon. Not on my watch. And here at LexCorp, we’ve heard the cries of the masses, and we’ve listened. So today, I am proud to officially announce that the first fruits of our Guardian Angel Initiative are nearing completion; in fact, many of them you might have already seen on display here today.”

The pictures of the Storm King’s terror were replaced by images of blueprints and technical schematics of varying subjects. Some displayed hoof-held weaponry or artillery weapons. Others displayed armored vehicles of various types, some ground-based, others airborne. The Elements and the Planet reporters instantly recognized the weapons the guards had carried and the four-legged walker among them.

As the crowed ooh’ed and aah’ed at the displays, Lex continued on. “The latest and most advanced in defense and security technologies. The absolute peak of modern weapons and artillery development. All for a safer and more secure Equestria, one ready to counter any hostile threat that comes the way of the free world.”

The crowd erupted into cheers. The Planet trio looked on grimly. Rainbow felt torn between getting excited at the sheer awesome on display and the ramifications of what it could actually be used for. Rarity and Fluttershy, the latter in particular, felt a distinct sense of unease as they watched.

“But,” Lex continued as he looked out over the crowd. “All of this is probably well known to you by now. After all, I’ve been promising this for years now. No, today…” For just a moment he abruptly stopped, right at the moment his eyes passed over where the Elements were standing. Then the moment passed and he resumed. “…today, I come before you to personally announce a brand new endeavor, one that our brilliant LexCorp scientists have been working on in secret for years. Something that I hope will usher in a new era of power generation for Equestria and lands beyond for years to come. So without further to do, fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you…the LexCore!”

Murmurs of curiosity and wonder rose while the screen displayed schematics of a large structure that bore a striking resemblance to the domed building on the other end of the Plaza, right behind the stage and screen. The display zoomed in on an area deep beneath the building, showing a large, spherical area surrounding a platform of crystals. Eight lasers, four on the bottom and four up top, were mounted within the sphere, projecting tight white beams at the crystal pile, which in turn generated animated waves that were seemingly absorbed by some kind of panels lining the interior of the sphere.

“The very latest in crystallic fusion reactor technology,” Lex boasted. He was grinning wide now, barely trying to keep it restrained. “Built around a special crystal power source–researched and developed by our most brilliant scientists–the reactor uses high intensity lasers to agitate the crystals’ structure, creating radiation emissions that are then absorbed by the panels you see there and converted into energy. And rest assured, this radiation is completely harmless to the biologies of ponies and any other terrestrial creature.”

He leaned forward. “Under this process, we’ve been able to achieve power outputs far beyond those of conventional power plants, and well beyond even those projected by theoretical nuclear reactors, and with none of the pollutive or toxic drawbacks of either. This single LexCore alone is capable of powering the entire city of Manehattan by itself with minimal strain…which is precisely what I intend for it to do.”

The crowd roared. Lex stood there, still grinning, and even from where the Elements and reporters were standing they could see that he was absolutely basking in their worship.

“As we speak, LexCorp is finalizing deals with city council to transfer the city’s power grid entirely to the LexCore. Six months from now, the entire lower end will be hooked in and receiving power from its new source. In about a year, all of Manehattan will be lit up by LexCore-powered lights. And one day, I hope there will come a time when all of Equestria’s major metropolitan centers are run by our miracle power source.”

Lex gestured out to the crowd. “This is my latest gift to all of you, one that you all can share. It’s what I’ve always sought to give to the world; power to the average pony. All will be able to take a share of what I have to offer. No one will be left less than. No one will be powerless. Because here at LexCorp…we aim to make sure all of ponykind can run with the mighty!”

Thunderous applause. Smiling and soaking it all in, Lex gave a bow. As the crowd continued to applaud him, he stepped away from the podium, Merciful and his other guards following behind him as he left the stage. Even after he’d disappeared the noise of the crowd blared over the Plaza, as ponies excitedly chatted the newest offering or went back to exploring the exhibits.

The little group, though, was quiet for a moment as they took it all in.

“So,” Lucky prompted. “Tech Lexicon. What do you think?”

“I think Dawning’s right,” Rainbow replied. “He is a character.”

“He’s very, erm…” Rarity paused as she tried to find the right word. “Charismatic, shall we say.”

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. “Um…the power plant seems like a good idea, but the weapons…oh, I really don’t know what to think about that.”

“Lex in a nutshell,” Lucky said. “For every almost good thing he does, there’s always a dark side to it somewhere. Sometimes it takes a bit of thinking and looking, but it’s there.”

“What about you, Dawning?” Rarity asked. “What’s your take?”

Dawning blinked. “Um, well…well in a way, I almost think it’s a pity. I mean…” He paused for a moment. “…he’s smart, there’s no getting around that. And a lot of the stuff he’s put out over the past few years has been pretty useful, but, well, then there’s his ego, and…well, if he could get over that, he actually might be really something.”

Lucky chuckled. “Never change, Dawning. See, that’s what I love about this guy,” she told the Elements. “He tries to look for the best in everybody…even scumbags like Lex.”

“Did you notice how he paused when he looked over this way?” Quicksnap asked. “I think he noticed you.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured. “What would that mean?”

“It means he’s probably gonna want to ingratiate himself to a couple of Equestria’s heroes, that’s what,” Lucky said. Then she frowned as she spotted something behind them. “Oh, speak of the devil…”

They turned to follow her gaze. Sure enough, Tech Lexicon, still being flanked by Merciful and the guards, was making his way through the crowd toward them, his head held high and wearing his best charming smile.

“Well this is certainly a pleasant surprise,” he said as he came up to them. “If I’d known that three of Equestria’s national heroes were going to be attending my little event, I’d have prepared something a bit more extravagant. Oh, do forgive me, I don’t think we’ve formally met.” He gave a little bow. “Tech Lexicon. But please, feel free to call me Lex. It’s a bit catchier, I find,” he smirked.

“It’s, um, a pleasure to meet you,” Fluttershy stammered.

“Oh, please, the pleasure’s all mine. Ah, and I see you’ve already met my best critic and her minions,” he said as he looked at the Planet reporter trio. “Hello, Miss Lead. So nice to see you again.”

“If I told you likewise would you believe me?” Lucky asked.

“Hmm…not really,” Lex said with a chuckle.

“Um, I don’t mean to be rude,” Dawning interjected. “But I kind of wanted to get a look around the exhibits, get some statements…anypony mind if I…”

“Yeah, I was gonna go get some pictures myself,” Quicksnap added.

“Oh no, not at all, you boys go do your job,” Lex said. “You ought to check out the agriculture section while you’re wandering around; might pick up something interesting.”

“I’ll, uh, keep that in mind. Thanks,” Dawning replied as he and Quicksnap moved off and disappeared into the crowd.

Lucky gave Lex a disapproving look. “You know just because Dawning comes from a farming community…”

“Miss Lead, I think you and I both know that if I wanted to insult somepony I’d be far more open about it. But anyway…” He returned his attention to the Elements “…anyway, I can’t believe you’d come all this way to see my little showcase. So forgive me for prying a little, but are you just visiting or is it something more…official, shall we say?”

Rarity was at first unsure if she should answer, but eventually replied with, “Um, official, in a sense…”

“We’re looking for a certain urban legend around here,” Rainbow blurted.

“Ah, yes,” Lex nodded. “The so-called ‘Supermane’. Yes, I’m quite familiar with that one. Your friend on the throne finally decided to investigate all those stories, I presume?”

“Something like that, yes,” Rarity replied.

“Do you think he exists?” Fluttershy asked.

Lex shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I can’t say I’ve been too terribly focused on urban legends of an invincible earth pony vigilante. I will say this though…” He turned to Lucky with a not-so-friendly smirk. “…you couldn’t have picked a better mare as an ally in your search. She’s been writing pieces on him whenever a new whisper of his supposed heroics comes down the street…when she can spare time from writing about me, of course.”

Lucky met his smirk with one of her own. “Oh, you’ve certainly been keeping me busy, Lex…like trying to remind everypony of how many families were relocated from the coastline to build this floating concrete peninsula of yours…”

“Whom all have been provided for and placed in new living arrangements…”

“…that are of lesser qualities that the ones you booted them from. Not to mention the disruption it’s made to the shipping lanes going in and out of the bay. And don’t even get me started on half the stuff you’ve just showed off that everypony seems to be swallowing up without a second thought.”

“Ah-ha. I knew you were going to get to that eventually.” Before Lucky could answer, though, he’d turned back to the Elements. “Tell me, as some of Equestria’s best defenders up until now, what do you think?”

“Well, it is pretty cool, not gonna lie,” Rainbow replied. “But, um…”

“Is all of that really necessary?” Fluttershy asked. “It just…I mean, no offense, but it just seems a teeny bit, um–“

“Overkill?” Lex asked. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, I’ve heard it all before. And yes, it is a bit drastic; in a sense, that’s the whole point of our work here. For the past decade or so, Equestria’s been a practical doormat for every supervillain to come down the pike. And please, I don’t mean any offense to you ladies or your heroic efforts, but…well, you have to understand, some of us don’t like waiting on the sidelines for the heroes to save us. Some ponies would rather the nation grow itself a spine, and that’s what I hope to provide; a suitable defense to keep the nation safe in times of crisis.”

“This goes way beyond ‘suitable defense’, Lex” Lucky interjected. “This is pretty much an entire army you’ve got in your basement. You could wipe the floor with the entire Royal Guard if you really wanted too.”

“I know. Tragic, isn’t it?” Lex chuckled. “And you’ve heard what their ‘newest defenses’ against intruders are, right? Fans on the rooftops? Geese? I mean, sweet Celestia, as a citizen I’d expect our military to put in some amount of effort.” He gave his best impression of a sorrowful sigh. “Unfortunately, there are some ponies who share your concerns to a much greater degree. Truth be told, I’ve been pitching my wares to Princess Celestia for a long time, but regretfully she hasn’t been too receptive of the whole thing. And so far it seems she’s taught her successor a little too well in that regard.” Then the smile came back. “Ah, well. Defense isn’t LexCorp’s only invested interest as you can see.”

“Like the LexCore?” Rarity asked.

“Oh yes, especially that,” Lex nodded. “I don’t mean to sound excited, but I expect big things to come out of this little venture of mine. It’ll completely change power generation as we know it. A whole new slew of possibilities right at our hoof-tips.”

“Like the possibility of you monopolizing the city’s power grid for one,” Lucky pointed out. “You do realize that’s what you’re essentially doing, right? And what about all the ponies that’ll be put out of their jobs when you put their companies out of business?”

Lex shrugged. “Well, I suppose I could just buy them, now could I?”

At this point, none of the ponies knew if he was joking or not.

“But anyway, I’m very much optimistic for the possibilities that LexCore will bring. And so are a great many other ponies, it seems. You know I’ve already got my teams working on contracts for ones in Fillydelphia and Baltimare? It’s already building up interest across the board.”

“And you mentioned other customers,” Rarity said. “I take it you’re planning on expanding outside Equestria’s business opportunities at some point?”

“Oh yes, absolutely, when I can. I’ve heard whispers that the Griffons in particular have taken an interest in what I have to offer.” He looked at Lucky with that same old smirk. “What do you think, Miss Lead? ‘LexCorp International’…I think it has a nice ring to it, but what say you?”

“I think it sounds like a corporate nightmare, Lex.”

Lex laughed–not just a chuckle, an actual laugh. “I knew I could count on you for an honest opinion. Take it up with Luna.”

Behind him, Merciful Grace was listening to something in a little device in her left ear. She tapped Lex on the shoulder and whispered something to him. They watched Lex nod as he listened, and after a moment he turned back to them.

“Well, I’m sorry, but it seems that some business has arisen in one of the labs. If you don’t mind, I think I ought to be taking my leave. Ladies…” he bowed again. “…it was a sincere pleasure meeting you in the flesh. And Miss Lead, always a pleasure to bump into you.”

“Likewise,” Lucky replied with a gritted smile.

They caught a glimpse of one last smirk from Tech Lexicon as he, Merciful, and the rest of his entourage turned and headed off in the direction of the LexCore building, disappearing into the churning crowd of visitors.

Only after they’d disappeared did Lucky let her smile drop into a grimace. “Up yours, flankhole,” she muttered.

Rainbow shook her head. “I don’t think I like this guy.”

“You don’t think?”

“He’s definitely got a kind of charisma to him,” Rarity said. “And not in the best way. What say you, Fluttersh…are you alright, darling?”

Fluttershy had her head and ears lowered as she nervously rubbed her forelegs together. “Um, I don’t know…I guess I just feel a little…uneasy about all this.”

“Would you prefer to leave?” Rarity asked in concern.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to take the rest of you away from your tasks. I know Lucky and her friends need to cover this, and…”

“Ah, don’t worry about holding us up,” Lucky said. “You do you.”

“Hey, tell ya’ what,” said Rainbow Dash. “How about you and I go out and get an early lunch, maybe walk around the city for a bit, then meet up with the gang after their done here so we can actually get down to talking Supermane. Sound good?”

“I…I think that’d be nice,” Fluttershy said.

“Alrighty then, sounds like a plan. Rarity, Lucky, tell the guys we’re heading out for me, ‘kay?”

“No problem at all, Darling.”

“Great. See ya around, then.” With that, she and Fluttershy left the two and began heading back towards the tram terminal outside the Plaza, leaving the corporate world of Tech Lexicon behind them.

Dawning Hope was only half paying attention as he listened to the mare at the greenhouse drone on about the improved of wheats and vegetables that LexCorp’s scientists had bred, taking down shorthoof notes as she talked. From the way she talked, he could easily tell that she’d rather have gotten one of the more exciting exhibits. He certainly didn’t blame her. Smallville may have been a farming community indeed, but the agricultural stuff didn’t exactly jump out of him as a tie to home or anything. Besides, he knew one of Lex’s jabs when he heard one.

At least Quicksnap seemed to be happy, or at least enveloped in his element; he was content with going around the side of the exhibit snapping pictures of the vegetation on the other side of the glass for now. As long as he got good pictures for the paper, he seemed to be happy enough.

Dawning took a glance over his shoulder, peering straight through the bodies of the crowd to see if he could catch a glimpse of Lex. Finally, he spotted him and his entourage as they made their way to the glass-doored entry to the LexCore reactor building, and once he saw that he devoted his full attention to it. The exhibition mare seemed oblivious to his lack of attention as she dully prattled on.

Dawning felt a growing sense of anticipation as he watched Lex’s group cross the lobby to a set of elevators; anticipation and tension. This just might be it. He’d been waiting to get a good look at the LexCorp plaza for a while, and now his best chance to get in and have a good look around without raising suspicion had finally come. What came next depended on whatever he saw while he watched Lex descend into the depths of LexCorp’s labs.

He watched through the walls of the building as Lex and Merciful split away from the other suited guards, stepping into the elevator as they chatted between themselves. The tension in Dawning’s chest kicked into overdrive as he watched the elevator descend, going down past the first lower floor, then the second, then–

–and then suddenly the elevator disappeared behind a thick, solid gray lining beneath the ground.

Dawning blinked in confusion. He focused his vision harder, but still the gray layer remained. He pushed himself harder still, yet for all his efforts he couldn’t pierce this barrier.

Then it hit him. It’s lead. That was why he couldn’t see through it; because of that stupid inability to see through lead.

Dawning turned away, disappointed. He almost felt he was being taunted. He knew it was there, maybe even right below his hooves somewhere in the lower labs. But that lead barrier just had to be there and throw him off the trail.

And the worst part was that, in a way, he could actually find a justifiable reason for it to be there. Lex had said that the LexCore reactor’s emissions were harmless, but they likely didn’t want to take any chances of irradiating the city. Not to mention other, more toxic technologies they likely tested under there.

But even then, Dawning felt bitterly disappointed. He was so close, and yet so far all at once.

As he felt the extra weight in his saddlebags, he wondered why he’d even bothered bringing the cloak and shirt at all. Even if he had found it down there, he wasn’t sure now if he would have been able to slip away to sneak in, let alone how to actually get in without being spotted. He began to wonder if maybe this setback wasn’t all that bad, then; it’d give him more time to properly plan.

But right now, he had a job to do. So he pushed Lex and the lead layer and everything else to the back of his mind and returned his attention to the exhibitor mare as she talked.