• Published 2nd Nov 2015
  • 4,032 Views, 10,120 Comments

Lateral Movement - Alzrius



Having been granted rulership over the city of Vanhoover, and confessed their feelings for each other, Lex Legis and Sonata Dusk have started a new life together. But the challenges of rulership, and a relationship, are more than they bargained for.

  • ...
36
 10,120
 4,032

PreviousChapters Next
178 - Last-Minute Preparations

Sonata blinked in confusion at Cloudbank’s pronouncement. “I am?”

“She is?” echoed C. Shells, her own face showing disbelief.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” frowned Turbo. “She’s supposed to have powerful magic, and you want to leave her behind?”

Sandbar nodded. “I sort of thought tha-”

“Everypony hold on!” interrupted Drafty loudly. As all eyes turned towards her, she rose onto her back legs, gesturing towards Cloudbank as she cast disapproving looks at the three ponies who had voiced their doubts. “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m surprised by Cloudy’s decision, but I’ve known her longer than anypony here, and I’ll be the first to tell you that she never does anything without a reason. If she says that Sonata should stay behind, then I trust her judgment, and you should too!” She finished by falling back onto all fours, letting the sound of her hooves impacting the ground punctuate her point.

Cloudbank couldn’t help but smile at that, touched by her girlfriend’s faith in her. First my speech, then with Lex, and again now. I really need to do something nice for her once we’re done with all this. There really wasn’t any way to take her on a romantic date in the camp – and besides, they already had plans to go on a double-date with Lex and Sonata anyway – but there had to be some way she could make a nice-

“But I wanna help,” came Sonata’s voice, pulling Cloudbank back to the matter at hoof. “I’ve got a lot of magic that can totes tear those ghouls a new one if they try anything.”

Cloudbank walked toward the other mare, putting a hoof on her chest in a gesture of camaraderie. “That’s part of the reason why I want you to stay here,” she said, giving her a friendly smile. At least, she hoped it was friendly. I need to convince her that I’m right, or this could get ugly, she knew. Lex had never technically designated anypony as being his second-in-command as far as she was aware, and while Drafty had raised some good points about his counting on her to get things done, Sonata – both by virtue of her own strength as well as being Lex’s girlfriend – could make a legitimate claim that she should be the one calling the shots. And as much as Cloudbank liked Sonata, the other mare being both personable and incredibly easy on the eyes, she knew that she was…not very proficient where strategic thinking was concerned. “With Lex out of commission, and me taking Severance along, you need to stay here in case anything happens while we’re gone.”

“Huh?” Sonata frowned, looking more confused. “What could happen here? Block Party’s gone, and I mean that’s sad and all, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything else to worry about.”

“I don’t know,” admitted Cloudbank. “That’s the point. With you here, this place will have someone to defend it if something unexpected happens.”

A skeptical look crossed Sonata’s face. “I guess…”

Knowing that she needed to do more to drive the point home, Cloudbank leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. “Also, if Lex wakes up while we’re gone, he’s going to need you here to speak for him.” She gave the other mare a pointed look. “He’s done a lot for this place, and right now the ponies here aren’t afraid of him, but they don’t know what to make of him either.” The wild rumors going around were proof enough of that. “You have to be ready to stop him from ruining his chance to make a good impression, otherwise it could be like what happened with Garden Gate all over again.”

Understanding blossomed on Sonata’s face then, but it immediately turned into an irritable look, her ears folding back. “Maybe he should have Aria help him, then.”

Now it was Cloudbank’s turn to look confused, withdrawing her hoof from Sonata’s chest. “Aria? Are you kidding? She wouldn’t be any help. I’m pretty sure she’d actually make things worse.”

“I know, right?!” The vindication in Sonata’s voice was thick with tension, making no attempt to be quiet. “She would totes make the worst spokespony ever! And if Lex doesn’t realize that, then he’s the one who’s dumb!” She reared one of her fore-hooves back like she was going to kick something, only to pause and glance around. “Never a rock around when you need one,” she muttered dejectedly as she put her hoof back down.

For a moment Cloudbank couldn’t respond, caught off-guard by the minefield she’d just wandered into. “Um…” She glanced back at the others, silently asking if they had any insights as to what was going on, but there was no help to be found. Drafty was pointedly looking upward, refusing to make eye contact, while Turbo just gave her a flat look that clearly communicated his disinterest. C. Shells and Sandbar just shook their heads silently, eyebrows raised at the vehemence of Sonata’s unexpected outburst. Great teamwork, guys, thought Cloudbank wryly as she turned back toward the other mare. “Is everything okay…?” she asked tentatively. She knew that they were in a race against time to get to the bank and back before the sun went down, but at the same time she was loathe to leave if there was some sort of problem going on.

Heaving a sigh that seemed to come from her hooves, Sonata closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, a wan smile crossing her lips. “It’s nothing. Just Lex being Lex.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” nodded Sonata. Her eyes slid over in the direction of her boyfriend’s tent again for a moment before looking back at Cloudbank. “I’ll hold down the fort here,” she conceded.

Letting out a breath that wasn’t quite a sigh, Cloudbank offered her another smile. “Thanks.”

“Sure thing-, oh! I just had a brainshower!”

“I think you mean a ‘brainstorm,’” piped up Drafty. Across from her, Sandbar was snickering despite C. Shells’ attempts to quiet him, while Turbo just rolled his eyes.

“That too!” Sonata’s smile widened, apparently having gotten over her momentary funk. “I may not be able to go with you guys, but I can totes use some magic to help you out!”

“Hot dog!” Sandbar trotted up to Sonata, grinning widely. “Is this gonna be something that makes us super-powerful fighters the way we were in that last battle? Because that was really cool!”

“Got it in one!” beamed Sonata, before singing a brief snippet of an upbeat tune. As it finished, she reached out and brushed a hoof against Sandbar. “There! How do you feel now?”

An excited shudder ran down the earth stallion’s spine. “Fired up!” he whooped. “This is so awesome! I feel like I could take on all those ghouls by myself!”

“You even try to do that and you’ll be pumping out the bilges for a year once we get a new ship,” warned C. Shells.

Sandbar settled down instantly. “I’ll be good.”

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” moaned Turbo, putting a hoof to his face for a moment before glaring at Sonata. “This is what you meant by helping us out? I was expecting magic, not a magic trick!

Sonata tilted her head, blinking. “Whaddaya mean?”

“Come on,” scoffed Turbo. “That’s a trick that mothers use on their foals when they’re afraid of the dark. They go ‘I’ll chant a magic spell and bop you on the nose, and when I do you won’t be afraid anymore.’ It doesn’t actually do anything, it just convinces them that it does.”

But Drafty was shaking her head before Turbo had even finished speaking. “You’re way off, there. Sonata’s magic is the real deal. She used that spell, or one just like it, when we were fighting a horde of monsters before, and it’s the main reason we were able to make it through.”

“Yeah, well, forgive me for preferring magic that would, I dunno…make us invisible or super fast or something,” he groused.

“I don’t have any spells like that,” admitted Sonata with a shrug. “And besides, but this is the only one I know that will give you guys a boost that lasts for more than a few minutes.” She moved as she spoke, going over to C. Shells and singing the spell again before touching her side.

The earth mare instantly let out a breath, unable to keep her gooseflesh from rising at the sensation of the spell going through her, the heady sensation of artificial enthusiasm filling her mind. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

Turbo looked over at Drafty, the pony closest to him. “Is this for real?” He’d seen Cloudbank use magic earlier, and he’d overheard bits and pieces of things in the short amount of time that his group had been with Lex’s, but he still had a hard time believing that somepony who wasn’t a unicorn could cast spells.

Drafty shrugged, not even trying to hide her grin. “Find out for yourself,” she replied, nodding towards Sonata, who was already heading toward him.

Turbo’s frown deepened as Lex’s girlfriend approached him, and he had to resist the urge to back away. Although she hadn’t been the one to curse Garden, her relationship with the stallion who had meant that she was guilty by association. Between that, the alien nature of a pony with no horn casting spells, and the ridiculousness of the magi she was (supposedly) invoking, the entire thing left him feeling awkward and uncomfortable. But if there’s even a chance this can make it easier to survive going back there… “Let’s just get this over with,” he murmured.

Sonata nodded, but then said something that sent a cold shudder down his spine. “Don’t try to resist.”

That made him flare his wings out, stepping away from her. “What?!”

Fortunately, Sonata didn’t seem to take any offense. “I said ‘don’t try to resist,’” she repeated. “It might mess the spell up if you do.”

“What are you talking about?” Turbo looked at the others. “What is she talking about?”

“Look, this is totes harmless,” continued Sonata. “And I’m, like, super sure that it’ll work even if you try to fight it off, but there’s a chance that you might be able to resist it if you really don’t want this, and that’d be a waste. So…don’t try to resist, okay?”

Turbo gave her an incredulous look. “You really need to work on your sales pitch.”

Sonata huffed, rolling her eyes. “Look, do you want me to do this or not?”

Turbo hesitated, keenly aware that everyone else was looking at him now. Sighing, he let out a breath as he forced himself to relax. “Yeah. Okay, let’s do it.”

“Great!” Sonata reared up just long enough to clop her fore-hooves together before falling back onto all fours and walking toward him. A short musical chant later, she pressed a hoof against his side…and Turbo’s eyes widened at the sudden burst of excitement that went through him. “Whoa!”

“How’s that?” asked Drafty, smirking wider now.

In his surprise, Turbo forgot to be critical as he answered. “This is incredible. It’s like…like my entire body’s fizzing like soda.” He knew that sounded ridiculous, like something a colt would say, but it was honestly how he felt. It was like he was bursting with excess energy, enough so that moving almost felt unnatural.

A few seconds were all it took for Sonata to cast the spell on Drafty and Cloudbank, and she stepped back to nod in satisfaction. “And there you go! This won’t make you tougher or anything, but you’ll definitely be able to react to stuff faster!”

“You said that this lasts longer than a few minutes?” asked Cloudbank, rolling her shoulders to try and deal with how tingly her skin felt thanks to Sonata’s spell.

“Oh yeah,” grinned Sonata sheepishly, mildly embarrassed that she’d forgotten that part. “This will last for an hour and a half before it wears off.”

“Will we crash once the rush ends?” asked Turbo.

“Nah.” Sonata waved a hoof dismissively. “It doesn’t work that way. Once the spell runs out you’ll just go back to normal. That might feel like you’ve slowed down a bit after being tip-top for so long, though.”

“Got it,” nodded Cloudbank crisply. “Okay, last thing before we go. Does everypony have a weapon?”

Drafty, C. Shells, and Sandbar all froze, their eyes widening as they realized what they’d forgotten. Cloudbank frowned, but didn’t have a chance to say anything before Turbo gave an amused snort, taking out a few single-edged knives and tossing them to the ground in front of him. “Use these.”

“Where did you get those?” It was difficult to tell if C. Shells was concerned or impressed.

“You do realize that there are massive tables with lots of utensils right over there, right?” smirked Turbo, pleased to have gotten one back after that minor debacle with Sonata’s spells.

Cloudbank didn't give anypony time to respond to his barb, however. “Alright, everypony take a knife and let’s get moving. We’ve got a bank to hit.”

Author's Note:

Now buffed and armed, the party is about to head out!

Will things go smoothly for them, or will there be complications?

PreviousChapters Next