“That went, like, super well!”
Sonata’s happy squeal was punctuated by her flinging herself onto the bed, twisting as she bounced so that she was looking at Lex when she came to a stop, grinning. “You gotta wonder if that was paper or plastic, because we totes had that in the bag!”
“Was there ever any doubt?” smirked Aria, glancing back at Lex as she sauntered into the bedroom portion of their suite ahead of him. “After all, when there’s something we want, we always get it.”
Lex ignored her baited comment, save for rolling his eyes, as he strode into the room and began to telekinetically unfasten the outfit Coat Tail had prepared for him.
Although he knew nothing about fashion, everypony had assured him that the ensemble looked good on him. The deep brown overcoat had been a only few shades darker than his mane, with dark red embroidery along the edges that – to hear Feather Duster say it – had “splendidly” accentuated his horn. The second article had been the black vest he’d worn underneath it, which Sonata had dubbed “snazzy.” Third and last had been the rubies that Coat Tail had used to accessorize the outfit, both for the coat’s cufflinks and the vest’s fasteners, which according to Aria had made for a “pretty intense” look. The overall effect had met with River’s approval as well, looking him over before they’d entered the dining hall and pronouncing him to look “every inch a prince,” whatever that meant.
But if his outfit had been a spectacle, it had been nothing compared to the dinner itself.
The long table in the dining hall had been absolutely covered with food, the layout of which had been as colorful as it was expansive. A selection of grapes that had been peeled, chilled, and rolled in sugar had sat next to a series of cheeses sliced and arranged to look like a bouquet of flowers, both of which had sat around a set of green, red, and yellow peppers stuffed with lightly-roasted oats seasoned with cumin and oregano. And that had just been one entrée among dozens. The table, despite being a massive construction of solid wood, had nearly sagged beneath the enormity of the feast spread across it.
The sight had reminded Lex of the description he’d heard of the empowered food-creation spells he’d cast several weeks back, the last of which he’d fed too much power into and had almost died casting as a result. As it was, River had mentioned – whispering to him as he’d moved to his seat at the head of the table – that it was apparently the result of his Royal Confectioner, Puff Pastry, finding out that the rescheduled meeting would be taking place over a meal. Upon hearing that, she had immediately rushed down to the kitchen and dragooned the manor staff there into helping her, somehow turning out the prodigious amount of food in just a few hours.
And that had just been the beginning of the evening…
“Master Legis?” called Feather Duster, standing in the doorway. “Oh! I’m sorry, I mean, Prince Legis? Forgive me for interrupting while you’re preparing to retire for the night, but I wanted to ask…when you leave for Las Pegasus tomorrow morning, will I be going with you?”
“Of course you will!” answered Sonata before Lex could even open his mouth. “You were great tonight! We totes don’t want to break up the band!”
“Eh, we’re gonna need someone to carry our bags and do the laundry and all that boring stuff,” admitted Aria. “Besides, you make a decent backup singer.”
“R-right,” Feather blushed, biting her lip as she looked down at the carpet. “I, um…I really didn’t think I was very good, compared to you two.”
“Compared to us, no one is,” purred Aria, stretching a little as she undid her pigtails in preparation for bed. “And I don’t just mean when it comes to singing.”
“Hey, be nice,” huffed Sonata, lazily tossing a pillow at her sister. “I thought she did really well.”
Lex sighed, not in the mood for more of the pair’s antics, despite the pleasant nature of the surprise they’d given him – and everypony else – after the meal had concluded.
The servants had been clearing the remaining food away (with River quietly assuring him the leftovers would go to everypony in the village), and Lex had been preparing to resume the negotiations, when Sonata and Aria had spoken up. Except it hadn’t been “spoken” so much as “sung.”
What followed had been a musical performance that, in hindsight, had been no less of a seduction than the one they’d used on him the night before. Except instead of words of love and adoration spoken in tandem to win him over, it had been a song of admiration for what he’d done combined with anticipation for what he would do next, praising his accomplishments while teasing the listeners to be part of his plans for the future. With an upbeat tempo, their voices perfectly harmonizing as they freely switched between singing together and supporting one another, the two of them had effortlessly kept the dinner guests spellbound.
Not literally, of course; Lex had used his circlet to check for spellcasting as soon as he’d realized what they were doing, and to his relief neither Siren had laced their voice with a spell. But with how enthralled everypony had been, they might as well have. By the time they’d gotten a full minute into their song, the guests had all been singing along.
To Lex’s surprise, it had been Feather Duster who’d gotten into it most. While River and a few other ponies had gotten in a word here and there, the maid had somehow ended up with her own solo part where she had – to Lex’s mild embarrassment – sung about how she’d once feared him but now revered him, for some reason segueing into how he’d put her husband in his place before returning to the song’s refrain, at which point Sonata and Aria had picked it back up.
By the time the performance had finished, the Las Pegasus ponies had been dancing and laughing, completely at ease with what he was asking of them. Gladmane hadn’t even mentioned what had happened with Tryout. Razzle Dazzle had been in tears, her withered old face wearing a smile so wide it had to have made her muzzle ache. And while they’d all quite clearly still expected him to accompany them back to their city and endorse their endeavors – more than one had mentioned how they were looking forward to showing him the best of what Las Pegasus had to offer – there hadn’t been a single objection raised about lending him the money he wanted.
One by one, many of them still humming Sonata and Aria’s song, they’d all signed the loan papers.
Just like that, Lex had gotten the money he’d so desperately needed.
He hadn’t needed to say so much as two words the entire time, and it had all come together thanks to the ponies he’d brought with him. While Lex had always known he’d need to delegate responsibility to others to make his vision for the future work, it had been something else to see it in action. The fact that he'd felt the barbed wire around his foreleg shift without cutting him – a sign of the Night Mare's pleasure – when everypony had finished signing the papers hadn't surprised Lex in the least. And speaking of the ponies who worked for him…
“Your contract specifies that you’re expected to accompany me on matters of business-related travel unless I say otherwise,” he answered Feather Duster at last. Pausing then, he turned to make eye contact with her. “If, however, you feel that your husband’s punishment requires you to stay here for the sake of your family-”
“No!” Her ears folding back as she realized she’d interrupted him, Feather Duster gave an apologetic bow. “I’m sorry, I just meant that that won’t be necessary. I’ll need to talk to Cleansweep before we go, but I’m sure she and her friends will be able to manage without me for a little while.” The corners of her lips turned up as she raised her head. “She’s so busy with her friends these days, I barely see her when she isn’t asleep anyway.” Giving a quick nod to Sonata and Aria, she backed away, pulling the door shut behind her. “Good night, Your Highness.”
“Feather Duster.”
Turning back, the mare in question blinked as she moved back to the threshold. “Yes, Sire?”
Picking up a piece of paper and a quill, Lex scribbled on it for a moment before levitating it over to her. “Before you turn in for the night, collect everything on here and bring them to my study.”
Looking over the list she’d been given, Feather cocked her head. “Of course. I think we have most of these.” Pausing, she waited for just a moment. When it was clear that neither an explanation nor any further instructions would be forthcoming, she bowed her head again and left.
“What was that about?” Arching a brow, Aria gave him curious look, only for it to melt into a lopsided smirk as she moved over to the bed. “Actually, let me guess. That was a list of toys you’ll be using tonight to ‘thank’ us for all of our help.”
Sonata’s eyes lit up instantly. “Ooh! Is one of them a frisbee?!” Jumping to her hooves, she pranced in place at the thought. “I want you to throw it as far as you can, and I bet I’ll be able to catch it in my mouth before it hits the ground!”
Ignoring the pained look that crossed Aria’s face, Lex turned his attention away from the duo, focusing instead on divesting himself of his clothes. “It’s materials for a spellbook.”
Aria frowned. “A what?”
Sonata tilted her head. “Wait a minute…I remember those things from back on Everglow. Don’t wizards there need them to cast their spells or something?”
Lex nodded absently. “They’re assistive devices used for preparing thaumaturgical spells. The formulas found therein function like molds, imprinting the structural layout of a given spell into the user’s thoughts while simultaneously compressing the necessary energy to activate the spell when it’s cast.”
“Hm.” Already losing interest, Aria rolled over. “I’ve never seen you use one of those before.”
“I don’t need such things,” replied Lex truthfully. He didn’t need spellbooks to prepare his spells. His thaumaturgical spellcasting required assistance in other ways. “But constructing one for someone else is easy enough to do.”
“Wait.” Sitting up a little as she dismissed thoughts of chasing frisbees, Sonata struggled to put two and two together. “If you’re making a spellbook…you’re going to teach somepony magic? Who? Those kids with the animals?”
“My Royal Magician,” answered Lex idly. “Constance Halation.”
Aria raised a brow. “The geek girl from your new flunky squad? Why her?”
Again, Lex had an answer at the ready. “Her area of expertise is non-traditional magic. Since I don’t need her to come with us to Las Pegasus, I’m going to write down a few simple non-combative spells and see if she can decipher how to prepare them by the time we get back. It’s one of several projects I’ll be assigning the ponies who will be staying here while we’re gone.”
“Aw, that’s great!” Flopping down next to Aria, Sonata shot him a toothy grin. “So you’re keeping them, huh? They’ll be totes happy to hear that. They were all, like, super worried you were going to fire them.”
“I considered it,” admitted Lex as he removed the last of the clothes he’d been given, laying them on a nearby divan. “But I’ve recently been given cause to put more effort into finding ways to make use of the ponies who work for me.”
“In that case…” Scooting a little closer to her sister than was appropriate, Aria gave him a sultry look. “Why not come make use of the two you’ve got right here?”
But rather than tempt him, the lewd entreaty made him grimace. “About that. There’s something I need to tell you two.”
Exchanging a worried look, both Sirens sat up. “What is it?” murmured Sonata, an undercurrent of nervousness in her voice.
Sighing, Lex sat down across from them, trying to figure out the most delicate way to break what he’d learned to them, despite knowing that he had no skill at being tactful. “I’ve been made aware that the walls in this manor are of only limited usefulness where noise-cancellation is concerned. Hence why, Sonata, I was able to overhear your…appreciation, of those cupcakes earlier today. It’s since occurred to me that this means that the two of you are likewise audible, at least to the ponies resting nearby, when we’re engaged in carnal activities.”
Silence reigned for a long moment as both mares blinked.
“Wait…” said Sonata slowly. “You heard me going on about those cupcakes, and now you’re saying that means everyone can hear us when we’re doing it at night?”
Lex nodded, certain she had to be mortified. Certainly he was, and he wasn’t even vocal the way they were. “That’s correct.”
The two of them shared a look that lasted for a long moment before turning back to him.
“Well duh,” shrugged Sonata.
“You didn’t know that before now?” snickered Aria.
Lex could only stare at them, eyes widening. “You knew?!”
“Yeah,” scoffed Sonata, putting a hoof to her chest. “I mean, hello, Sirens here. We’re supposed to be loud. It’s kinda hard to enchant people if they can just go inside and shut their doors and windows.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t know!” laughed Aria. “So you weren’t aware that the servants are calling our bedroom ‘The Screamery’?”
“I don’t like that name,” huffed Sonata as she pointed at her sister. “I scream, she screams, we both scream, but nopony brings us ice cream.”
Still chuckling, Aria leered. “Oh, we should definitely have some of that.”
But Sonata shook her head, pouting. “It’s no good. I asked for some yesterday, and they said somepony took it all. It really bummed me out.”
Putting his face in his hooves, Lex could only groan.