Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

349 - Comrades in Arms

Fruit Crunch was the first one to see Lex approaching.

The colt’s face lit up with a smile, taking his hoof away from Severance and galloping over as the dour unicorn stalked towards the group. “Lex! I’m so glad you’re here! Remember how you said you didn’t want any of us having to fight because you were worried we might get hurt? Well guess what? You don’t have to worry anymore because we have magic powers now!” That last part was punctuated by his rearing up on his hind legs and waving his hooves excitedly, quite clearly overcome with joy.

Lex, however, didn’t share in the foal’s enthusiasm, a stony expression on his face as he strode toward Severance without giving a reply. But Fruit Crunch was too enraptured to notice. “The Night Mare gave them to us last night!” he continued gushing. “We’ve been meeting with Severance for a little while, and after we won that fight with Silhouette it said we should all gather together and I totally thought it meant we should all meet with it but it actually meant that it was waiting for us all to fall asleep and then- OW!”

His rambling was abruptly cut off as the large gray wolf that had been hanging back with the rest of his group padded forward and lightly nipped his flank. Restrain yourself, came a rich, masculine voice a moment later. The High Alpha has no use for a yipping pup.

“Aww,” pouted Fruit Crunch, barely noticing that Lex had come to an immediate stop in response to the mental rebuke. Instead, he turned back to the older stallion, his grin coming back in full force as he did. “Sorry. But you’ve gotta admit that this is way cool, right?”

But Lex didn’t respond immediately, his eyes focused intently on the wolf standing behind Fruit Crunch before turning to sweep over the other animals fifteen feet away. Barely noticing the nervous expressions of the foals alongside them, he looked each creature over carefully. To his eyes they looked no different than any other members of their species. But there had been no mistaking that voice just now, nor how it fit with what Feather Duster had said about her daughter’s new pet. Which meant…

Holding out his foreleg – the one with the barbed wire wrapped around it – towards the animals, Lex called upon the power the Night Mare had given him. “Genuflect!” he snapped.

The word had barely left his mouth when he felt the invisible bands of power lash out, wrapping around the animals – or whatever they really were, since he’d practiced with this power back in Tall Tale and knew that it couldn’t affect ordinary fauna – and causing them to immediately abase themselves before him. The wolf behind Fruit Crunch fell to its belly, placing its chin on the ground as it lowered its eyes deferentially. High Alpha, came its voice again, soft and gracious.

The other four were the same. Lord Sovereign, acknowledged the serpent beside Cleansweep, its voice female and surprisingly dainty as it coiled itself and raised its head up before lowering it in an elaborate bow.

Grand Vizier, murmured the owl resting on Feathercap’s back, fluttering down to the ground before holding its wings open and leaning forward, the closest to kneeling it could come.

Exalted Primogenitor. Like the serpent, the voice of the badger next to Fiddlesticks was female, but deeper and more mature. Its show of obeisance was barely noticeable, flattening itself out as much as it could.

First Convoker. Hopping down from its perch on Straightlace’s outstretched foreleg, the eagle’s pose was almost identical to the owls, spreading its wings out and lowering its head awkwardly.

For their part, the foals’ eyes widened, looking at their animals in with mixed reactions. “Should, um, should we be doing that too?” muttered Feathercap.

“I can’t really kneel while carrying Tiddlywinks,” protested Fiddlesticks, one foreleg curling around her baby brother as he giggled and tried to eat a dandelion.

“You should just do the best you can,” offered Straightlace, starting to bend down before stopping in mid-motion, giving Lex an uncertain look. “Is there some sort of special name we should call you, too?”

“I thought we should each call him what our spirit animal calls him,” interjected Cleansweep, already kneeling as she looked back at Lex. “Or is that too confusing?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got the best idea!” cheered Fruit Crunch, the nip to his flank already forgotten as he grinned at his friends. “We can call Lex ‘Super Sorcerer!’ That’s such an awesome name!” Eyes sparkling, he turned back to his hero. “And you can give us all superhero names too, based on our abilities! Like, Dust Bunny here can heal people just by touching them! And Straightlace has these amazing defensive powers! And I can summon-”

But his explanation of everypony’s powers came to an abrupt halt as Lex suddenly reached out with a hoof, grabbing Fruit Crunch’s foreleg from where he’d been waving it around as he’d gotten worked up again. His eyes narrowed as they looked over the fresh scars on the child’s limb; he hadn’t noticed those last night, but in the daylight they were plainly visible. “Where did you get these injuries?” he rumbled dangerously.

High Alpha, came the voice from the recumbent lupine, those scars are Fruit Crunch’s pride. He-

“Silence,” ordered Lex, not so much as bothering to look at the creature, which complied with his wishes instantly thanks to the Night Mare’s power. Instead, he kept his eyes on Fruit Crunch. “Tell me how you sustained these wounds,” he said again.

Lex’s voice was toneless, his expression showing neither anger nor excitement, and the marked lack of reaction was enough to punch through Fruit Crunch’s exuberance. Hoping he wasn’t about to get a repeat of the dressing down he’d received last night before they’d worked things out, the colt swallowed nervously before answering. “F-from Severance. We were learning lessons about the Night Mare, reciting stuff that Severance told us, and every time I got a line wrong I got one of these,” he nodded toward his scars. Seeing Lex’s expression darken at that, he quickly pressed ahead. “But it’s okay, because I volunteered for it! Severance said the Night Mare would be impressed if I showed bravery and accepted the consequences for when I messed up! And, you know…and now we match.” A hopeful smile punctuated the end of his explanation, glancing between the wounds on his foreleg and the barbed wire wrapped around Lex’s.

Lex didn’t answer immediately, save to let go of his hoof, and Fruit Crunch felt his heart pounding as he waited for his hero’s reaction to everything they’d just sprung on him. A glance out of the corner of his eyes showed that his friends were similarly tense, watching Lex’s face with nervous expressions. But when Lex didn’t say anything after several seconds, Fruit Crunch couldn’t stand to wait anymore, and was just about to ask him what he thought when the older stallion spoke up first.

“Why did you do this?”

“Why?” echoed Fruit Crunch, not having expected that question. Wasn’t it obvious? “Because…I want to be like you! We all do! You’re strong and you’re brave and you help everypony and you never give up, no matter what happens! And you said…” He had to pause, swallowing his nervousness. “You said that it was admirable, the way I…the way we fought that Silhouette guy before.” He gave Lex a pleading look, desperately wanting him to understand. “I know you don’t want anypony else to be in danger, but we can help now! So just…just…” Faltering, he struggled to come up with the right words. “So just give us a chance! Give me a chance!”

“Crunchy…” murmured Cleansweep, her heart aching at just how badly her friend needed Lex’s approval. Please, don’t say anything cruel to him, she prayed silently as she looked at the older pony. It had become common knowledge throughout the camp that Lex wasn’t the friendliest of ponies, but if he said something awful right now, she had no doubt that it would break Fruit Crunch’s heart. Just like my mom…

“Th-that’s right!” she blurted suddenly. “We did this…I did this because I want to help.” Catching Fruit Crunch’s eye as he turned to look at her, she gave him a smile that came from the bottom of her heart. I’m not just going to stand here and do nothing while my best friend is hurting, she decided. I’m a healer! When she looked back at Lex a moment later, her face was one of conviction. “I want to help the ponies who are important to me, however I can.”

“So do I.” Straightlace stomped a hoof lightly. “I want to figure out what I can do to make things here better, instead of just doing what my dad…or anypony else says!”

Clutching Tiddlywinks to her chest, Fiddlesticks nodded. “I thought my little brother was the only family I had left. But now, I feel like we’ve both found a new one. I want to be there for all of them…” She made herself look over at the others then, meeting their eyes one by one. “I want to be there for all of you.”

“I, um…” Shaking slightly, Feathercap shielded his face with his binoculars. But a moment later, he let out a slow breath and put them down, mustering up his courage. “I was really happy last night, when everyone said how good my plan was.” Gulping, he drew himself up to his full height. “I thought…I used to think that it was enough to just watch everything from far away, but now…now I want to try and do more. To help out and make a contribution.”

“You guys…” Looking back at his friends, Fruit Crunch didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry, and very nearly did both. Barely managing to maintain his composure, Fruit Crunch turned back to Lex, his expression now one of pride rather than desperation. “So there you have it,” he beamed. “That’s why we became the Night Mare’s Knights.”

There was nothing more to do then, Fruit Crunch knew, except wait for Lex’s reaction. But for some reason, the prospect of the stallion’s disapproval no longer worried him the way it had a few moments ago. He still wanted it, of course, but now it didn’t seem like it would rip his heart out if Lex didn’t appreciate everything that they’d done. Even so, Fruit Crunch leaned forward slightly as he saw Lex start to open his mouth…

“I wasn’t talking to any of you.”

Fruit Crunch blinked, completely nonplussed by that answer. He wasn’t alone, as he saw his friends all glance at each other in confusion. “I…what?”

“I was talking,” continued Lex, “to Severance.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when his horn lit up with a churning aura of deep purple, a matching one surrounding the floating scythe instantaneously. A second later he yanked the weapon toward him, catching it with one hoof. “Why,” he repeated, glaring up at the blade dispassionately, “did you do this?”

Fruit Crunch could only guess at the scythe’s answer, but it didn’t seem to please Lex, his lip curling. “I’m the one who makes that decision,” he growled. “Not you.” Still holding the scythe in his telekinetic aura, he turned and started walking back toward the train station without so much as a backwards glance.

Despite his newfound confidence, Fruit Crunch still took a step after him. “Lex…?”

To his mild surprise and relief, Lex stopped, glancing back at him. “I’m speaking with Princesses Celestia and Luna at noon in the train station,” he announced. “When I’m done with them, I want all of you to come find me. We’ll discuss what’s happened to you then.” Without another word, he resumed walking.

For a moment, Fruit Crunch didn’t move. Then, with a smile so wide that it almost hurt his cheeks, he jumped up and punched the air.

“ALRIGHT!”

Author's Note:

The Knight Mare's Knights present themselves to Lex, and confirm their bonds with each other.

But have they won his approval?

Comments

[howard035]

That genuflect scene was so cool.

[James Fire]

And that's the most they're gonna get out of Lex, for now.

[David Silver]

I liked this chapter. It was very easy to imagine each thing happening.

[Not so New Brony]

Uh oh, looks like Lex is not happy with Severance though the Knights seem to be free of his ire, for the moment.

Wonder if the reason for his leniency towards the foals was due to his views of foals being stupid and thus be granted some patience.

Then again, from Lex's perspective, the Knights got their powers after he gave Fruit Crunch a talk so he might feel responsible.

[WARGAMES]

9586816
What is genuflect?

[howard035]

9586966
Basically bowing, showing submission to a superior.

[Booster Spice]

Toss up as to whether Lex is more annoyed that others wish to be his followers, fawning at what they believe to be his behaviour in leadership, instead of them being themselves, or that he hasnt got the experience and knowledge to realise thats exactly what they are goign to do because copying something you know can be done, is a lot easier than coming up with something unique. Thats why drones out number genius a million to one.

Is this going to fold onto his thinking of Celestia etc, Declaiming her because to him, its her fault that these children have been put through such a series of events that leads to them thinking and behaving in such a manner?

[WARGAMES]

9586971
Thx

[DDDDDDDDD23]

9587220
if he does it would just be him attempting to ignore blame for his failures.

[Alzrius]

9586816 I thought so too.

As much as they have a fractious relationship, the Night Mare has given Lex an incredible degree of authority over magical beasts. There are very few that can defy him when he uses that power.

[Alzrius]

9586833 For now, but for how long?

[Alzrius]

9586870 Thanks!

The original outline didn't have Cleansweep and the others chiming in to support Fruit Crunch, but when I sat down and actually wrote the scene, it just sort of happened. Cleansweep wouldn't just sit there and do nothing in the face of her best friend looking so vulnerable, since she's not only been there for him before, but also internalized being a healer during the exchange with her mother. And once I had her speaking up, the other Knights quite clearly would too, and everything just fell into place.

[Alzrius]

9586902 Lex did seem to be unusually reticent, didn't he? Was it because he's still feeling down about what happened with the girls? Or maybe he's trying to focus in on the upcoming meeting with Celestia and Luna and can't afford to get distracted this close to it? Or does he not blame the foals for what they've done, or perhaps even approve?

So far we don't know, but I suspect that we'll find out soon.

[Alzrius]

9587220 I suspect that, as much as Lex wants to be a leader, he doesn't really know how to treat followers. Similar to being liked, such a thing is so far outside of his realm of experience that when he somehow manages to acquire some ponies who do admire him and want to emulate him, he doesn't know what to do with them. It's not hard to believe that Lex is simply ignoring the entire situation until he has a better handle on it, though his telling them to find him after the meeting suggests that he's going to try dealing with them sooner rather than later.

Here's hoping he doesn't make a mess of things. Again.

As for blaming Celestia for this, well...that's iffy. Lex is a firm believer in proximate cause insofar as liability is concerned (though he also believes in vicarious liability, a la respondeat superior), and in this case it might be hard to suggest that Celestia is responsible for the Night Mare's Knights having done what they've done. After all, Lex himself is the one who introduced the Night Mare to Equestria, which most likely constitutes a "new intervening act" that "cuts the chain of causation." Factor in issues of children having diminished capacity to appreciate the consequences of their actions, and the entire thing is fairly complex, but I wouldn't expect Lex to blame the alicorns for this. After all, he has a lot of other things he can blame them for.

[howard035]

9587583
And this also answers the question of whether they are magical beasts or Eidolons, as I had suspected they were.

[Alzrius]

9587605 That's one of a few hints that I dropped in this chapter about the Knights and their spirit animals.

[David Silver]

9587590
Yay for discovery writing!

[James Fire]

9587564
Can you just... stop? If you don't like the story, you don't need to be here.

[WARGAMES]

9588490
*tank rolls up*
*tank shoots ddddd23*
* everyone claps*

[WARGAMES]

9587220
To be fair, that seems true , but in real life, the drones have new awesome ideas, and then the heroes do it better
E.g command and conquer
E.a made generals( and tw3 and then they fucked it up)
NASA scienced up a rocket, but we only remember the pilots