Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

457 - In Discretion

“Finally!”

Standing in front of the manor with several young butlers in tow, Trotsworth raised an eyebrow at Aria’s groan of frustration. “Is everything quite alright, miss?”

The mare in question shot him a sour look, her features highlighted by the setting sun. “No, everything is not alright! That took forever!” She glared backward pointedly, directing her ire toward the team of exhausted ponies who were hauling a cart filled with bags of what had to be bits, judging from the way they jingled. And they were jingling quite a bit, since the cart only had wheels on its left side, the others having apparently fallen off at some point, likely due to the weight of their payload.

In an effort to keep moving, some of the ponies under Aria’s direction had apparently compensated for this by simply carrying the right side of the cart on their backs. Even as Trotsworth watched, a half-dozen ponies grabbed the right side of the wagon and lifted it, raising it enough so that a pair of bedraggled-looking earth stallions could stagger out from under it, barely getting clear before they collapsed. Behind them, the others slowly lowered the lopsided wagon down, grunting with effort. Trotsworth could only imagine how heavy that had been; a healthy earth stallion could haul an impressive amount, but pulling that many bits had quite clearly taxed their limits. “How unfortunate,” he replied smoothly, before turning to the other butlers he’d brought. “Deposit these bits with the others as per Master Legis’s instructions. And fetch some refreshments for Miss Blaze’s associates.”

“Associates,” snorted Aria, uttering the words like a curse. “These wimps are the reason this took us all day! We lost two wheels, and suddenly it’s all ‘this is really heavy’ and ‘we need to stop and rest’ over and over!” She rolled her eyes then, giving her team a baleful look. “The only reason we made it back before dark is because I was walking in front of them.” Trotsworth didn’t miss how all of the stallions on her crew – and a few of the mares – turned red at that, making sure not to meet Aria’s eyes. Apparently the sight of her backside had been quite the motivator for them.

“Well, I’m sure that Master Legis will be pleased to see that you’ve returned safely,” he replied diplomatically as the younger butlers began to unload the bags of bits. “Would you like me to take the bank ledger to him while you have something to eat?”

“Let him wait for it,” snapped Aria peevishly, grabbing the book and pointedly not giving it to him. “He makes me go out on these boring errands of his, so he can get his precious notebook when I’m good and ready to give it to him.” The corners of her lips turned upward into a spiteful smirk then. “Besides, I bet he’s worried sick about me, knowing that I should have been back before now.” She glanced at Trotsworth, wearing a petulant expression that quite resembled the one that Master Piggy often wore. “He’s been asking about me, right? Probably wondering what was taking so long?”

Trotsworth cocked his head slightly, his face carefully neutral thanks to long years of practice. “Actually, Master Legis has spent the last several hours entertaining a guest in his study.”

Now Aria was the one raising a brow. “A guest?”

“A young lady. I’m afraid I didn’t catch her name.”

“Really?” To Trotsworth’s mild surprise, the fit of jealousy he expected Aria to display failed to manifest. Instead, she looked almost intrigued. “You know what? I think I’ll go bring him that ledger right now after all. I’m sure he can’t wait to get a look at it.” She was already moving before she’d finished speaking, trotting inside with a renewed spring in her step, making it clear that she was the one who couldn’t wait to get a look at Lex’s guest.

Nor had her lack of anger at hearing that her stallion was with another mare been lost on the rest of the staff. “Looks like it’s going to be a loud one in the Screamery tonight,” muttered one of the butlers as he hoisted a bag, using the name that the staff had given Lex’s quarters (which, unlike Master Piggy’s and those foals’, were in the same wing of the manor as the servants’) after hearing how vocal Aria could be at night.

“I can’t wait to change the bedsheets tomorrow morning,” snorted another, his voice sarcastic. “We’ll need to leave the ‘S’ off the name after that.”

“That’s quite enough of that!” chided Trotsworth. “Remember that you’re professionals,” he admonished the pair, their ears folding back at the scolding, “and professionals maintain decorum at all times.” Or at least, whenever there was someone else around. He knew there was no stopping the staff from gossiping amongst themselves, but these two had apparently forgotten that the rest of Aria’s team was still in their presence, paying close attention to what was being said.

Properly chastised, the pair joined the rest of the staff in getting back to work. This time there was no idle chitchat, and Trotsworth nodded to himself as he turned to head back inside. He’d need to speak to the rest of the staff, he decided, just to make sure they importance of being discrete with their impressions of their new employer.

And to make sure they had sufficient earplugs; Miss Blaze really could be quite vociferous in her appreciation of her lover’s skill.

---

Garden sighed as she exited Lex’s suite. When he’d said he’d wanted to know everything that had happened after she’d arrived in Canterlot, he hadn’t been kidding! What had followed had been nothing short of an interrogation, one which had lasted the entire afternoon and into the evening.

The first order of business had been the sick ponies he’d sent with her, confirming that Princess Cadance had cured them all and that they’d subsequently been sent to a hospital. After that he’d turned his attention to Princess Cadance herself. That particular line of inquiry had been extremely thorough. He’d had numerous questions of exceeding specificity about every bit of magic she’d used, including and especially when she’d brought Pillowcase back to life.

By contrast, she and her friends’ escape from Canterlot had interested him very little. Although Garden had firmly believed that Lex wouldn’t have a problem with them evading the princess and the guards in order to come back, she’d still been slightly nervous about admitting that they’d gone on the lam. But Lex had seemed almost contemptuous of the idea that they’d done anything wrong. “Any attempt to detain you based on your actions here in Vanhoover would not have been lawful,” he’d said, his voice dismissive. “The princesses abdicated any claim of sovereignty over this area when they ceded it to me, meaning that they had no authority to conduct oversight of your or anypony else’s actions here.”

After that they’d moved on to Princess Luna’s appearance in her dream (the contents of which, prior to the alicorn’s arrival, she’d glossed over). Garden had shamefacedly confessed that she’d unintentionally informed Luna about Lex’s use of curses, but to her relief he hadn’t seem particularly upset about that either, eschewing the idea that his activities were some sort of secret. “Order needs to be enforced,” had been his response. “And maledictions are an excellent tool with which to punish transgressors.”

And then she’d shared the news that Twilight Sparkle and her friends were returning to Equestria.

Garden hadn’t been sure what she’d expected Lex’s reaction to that particular revelation to be, but it hadn’t been for him to simply narrow his eyes and make her repeat exactly what she’d overheard Spike, Soft Mane, and Grass Patch say, making sure she was word-for-word certain about what they’d said. Once she confirmed that she was, he’d gone silent for a few seconds, before asking if she had any other information that needed to be brought to his attention. Shocked at how blithely he seemed to be taking the news that Princess Twilight was coming back – even if it was to help try and remove the curse that Lex had, she’d recently found out, placed on Luna, Garden couldn’t help but think that it still sounded like the alicorns were gathering their strength for a rematch – she had confirmed that it was. But before Garden could ask what Lex thought about what she’d told him, he had dismissed her, telling her to go see Cleansweep about having the lingering damage to her horn repaired.

But despite the prospect of her horn being fully healed, Garden found herself lingering outside the door to Lex’s room, worried that she hadn’t fully conveyed her concerns to him. Everything she’d heard about Princess Twilight indicated that she did whatever Princess Celestia told her to do, and after being defeated in battle and having her little sister cursed, Garden had no doubt that Princess Celestia would tell her protégé to gather up her friends, head to Vanhoover, and use the Elements of Harmony to blast Lex into oblivion. For all she knew, they were already on their way there right now; Spike’s missive had said they’d be back “tomorrow” and that had been several days ago.

And if that happened…if they showed up here intent on killing the pony who had given her back her life…

I need to get some knives, Garden decided, turning and heading down the hallway. There had to be a kitchen somewhere in this huge house. Surely they’d be able to spare some cutlery?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she rounded a corner and nearly walked straight into a mare, stopping just before they collided. “Oh! I’m sorry.” The apology came to her lips automatically, intent on finding what she was looking for, only for her to do a double-take at how ridiculously good-looking the mare was. Up until now, Lex’s girlfriend had been the single most attractive mare Garden had ever seen, but this new girl was easily in the same league. More than that, though, was the odd feeling that she’d seen her somewhere before.

The newcomer seemed to be thinking the same thing, because her eyes widened at the sight of her. “Wait, I remember you!” she blurted. “You’re the chick with the knives, from that big fight with the ghouls!” She paused for a moment, looking her over slowly before cracking a grin. “So you’re part of the harem now too, huh?”

Fighting back a wince at the reminder of what she still thought of as a suicide attempt – since guilt over sending Turbo to what had turned out to be his death had driven her to throw herself at the ghoul army with no thought of her own survival – Garden shook her head in bewilderment. “Excuse me?

Apparently misunderstanding the source of her confusion, the other mare smirked, shifting her weight so that she was posing in a way that showed off her generous figure. “Right. You haven’t seen me since Lex gave me history’s greatest makeover. Before, I had a body several times larger, could only whisper, and was flinging fireballs at those monsters.”

It took Garden a second to process what she was being told. Then her eyebrows rose and her jaw dropped. “Wait, you’re…whatshername?! Sonata’s sister?!”

That earned her an irritated look, followed by a haughty toss of her pigtailed mane. “Aria Blaze, thank you very much.” But her smirk returned a second later, giving Garden another appreciative once over. “You’ll want to know my name so you can scream it along with Lex's.” She stepped closer than was polite then. “So,” she purred, “did he already break you in? Or do I get to help him do it?”

Not knowing what Aria was talking about and not liking what she understood, Garden stepped back. “Listen, I don’t know what you think is going on, but Lex already has a girlfriend. Maybe you’ve heard of her, since she’s your sister.”

Aria snickered at that. “Oh, you are out of the loop, aren’t you?” She grinned then, clearly enjoying Garden’s discomfort. “He’s doing both of us now. Me and Sonata. Together. And he was doing Blondie too, but she couldn’t hack it and ran back to Canterlot.” Her smile faded a little at that, but she shrugged a second later, as though she couldn’t have cared less. “But if you don’t know that, I guess you’re not the new bedwarmer after all, huh?”

Garden couldn’t bring herself to respond, deeply uncomfortable with what she was hearing. It wasn’t that Lex was apparently in a relationship with multiple girls that bothered her. Rather, it was the candid discussion of his love life that made her feel awkward and embarrassed.

After going through multiple emotional upheavals since the fall of Vanhoover – being forced to recognize what a monster she’d become, being acknowledged as reformed, and then forgiven by two of the ponies she’d wronged – Garden had spent the five-day train ride back sorting out her feelings about a lot of things. Including Lex. And what she knew for sure was that, in addition to the gratitude she felt for her savior, she deeply respected and admired him. But she was equally sure that she didn’t have any romantic or amorous feelings for him. While she preferred stallions, thinking about Lex’s sex life was like thinking about her father’s sex life. It was just wrong.

“I need to go,” she muttered, pushing past the other mare. It gave her a small measure of satisfaction when Aria hurriedly pulled away from her when they made contact, all of her earlier flirting gone.

But she apparently recovered quickly, because her mocking voice followed Garden down the hall. “Have it your way, cutie! I’m sure he’ll make me scream enough for both of us!”

Author's Note:

Aria and Garden talk, confirming that they want different things from their respective relationships with Lex, who now knows that Twilight has returned to Equestria!

What will he do now that he's aware that the newest princess is back?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

And things just got more awkward and worrying given how quickly Garden thought of getting some knives to protect Lex. While her desire to help is commendable, I doubt Lex would be happy with her wanting to do so with several sharp and lethal knives.

And of course Aria, as expected, was herself though the idea of Garden Gate being in a relationship with Lex would be weird since...well, the lady in question already stated the reason why. Still, I doubt she sees him as a new father figure when one compares how different her own father is to Lex.

Pfft, and I just imagined Garden calling Lex daddy by mistake when he brings Turbo back to life, followed by the awkwardness when her own father is brought back as well.

As for Twilight, he could prepare countermeasures against her and the Mane 6 or he could just talk and reason his way out since the fight was technically a misunderstanding. And while I doubt it would work, he'd probably try to convince them to help him overthrow the princesses instead.

And should they prove hostile, which is likely if he says he wants to overthrow the princesses, he could technically arrest them for assaulting the him, the leader of Vanhoover and the people, grateful of his aid in the princesses' neglectful absence would support his decision. Followed by a swift deportation and banning from entry.

[Booster Spice]

If IDW are adding a collection of races to Season 10 comics, will they be useable, as Kelpies are a variation of Fey Singing Aquatic ponies, but IDW is goign for teh Slime version? Wouldnt that make Sirens a possible Seapony, Slime base, or Dragon Kelpie, instead of Kirin Dragon Pony? or 4 way hybrid, manufactured at the grandparent level?

Big difference between dragging a wheeled cart, dragging a no wheeled cart, and carrying it on your back? but they didnt have the capability to drop the axel and turn the cart into a sled all that quickly?

Trotsworth hasnt diplomatically tried mentioning to Lex about the acoustic properties of large houses and the rambunctiousness of exitable young due to interupted sleep?

[Alzrius]

10138718 While Garden has found catharsis, reclaiming her original identity, the skills she learned to survive as Fencer are still there, including her ability to fight with knives the way she did against the ghoul army (albeit without the magical enhancements that Lex and Sonata gave her). Having already lost her father and Turbo, she's determined not to lose someone else who's important to her, and so the prospect that Twilight might be coming to kill Lex in the near future has her looking to arm herself. While I doubt she thinks she can win, Garden isn't a mare who'll lie down and give up without a fight.

Aria, as you insightfully noted, was being herself here. She's not particular possessive when it comes to sex, but she still wants to be at the top of any hierarchy she finds herself in, since as far as she's concerned it's normal for those at the top to be served (e.g. adored) by those they outrank. So she was fine with the prospect of Lex doing Garden; she was more concerned with asserting herself over her, sexually. Of course, as it turned out, Garden wasn't interested in that kind of relationship with Lex (or Aria) anyway, which in Aria's mind basically meant she "won" by default. That wasn't accurate, of course, but she sees someone else's discomfort as her own strength, so of course Aria couldn't stop needling her about it.

As for Garden, the reason she wasn't interested wasn't so much because she sees Lex as a father figure per se, but rather because she's put him into the same category of "people to be venerated." Children look up to their parents, worshipers look up to their gods, and everyone looks up to their heroes, and looking up at someone means that you don't want to see the things that lowers them down to your level, which typically includes their sexual proclivities. It's the same reason that Silhouette freaked out so badly at the sight of what Lex had done to Luna, and her resulting anguish.

It's also the opposite of friendship, since friendship means being peers, which requires you to be relate to someone from a position of equality. So Luna's working against friendship came back to bite her rather hard. Lex, by contrast, is leaning much harder towards being above others and revered for it.

As for what he'll do if and when it comes down to a fight with Twilight...I guess we'll have to see, should that happen.

[Alzrius]

10139079 I've never held the comics as being canon, with "canon" being what's informed my presentation of how Equestria appears in this series (notwithstanding the changes made in this fic's predecessors). Now, I might be inclined to lift interesting materials, so long as they can be cherry-picked without associated materials from the comics that I don't care for necessarily being brought over also. Certainly, the idea of adding more outré creatures and cultures isn't necessarily a problem; it seems likely that there's more to the wider world, after all (it's no coincidence that the "season 10" comics are debuting with a trip to Zecora's homeland), and likewise, the d20 System lends itself to adding a lot more of, well...everything. It's expansive by nature. So I suppose the answer is a big "maybe."

The ponies pulling the cart figured that since they still had wheels on one side, it was easier to just prop up the other with some strong earth stallions. Given how heavy the cart was, turning it into a sled wasn't really feasible, even if they'd had the know-how and the tools to do it (which they didn't). The bumpy and debris-strewn roads of the city, and the unpaved ground outside of it, would have made for a poor degree of terrain anyway, especially for the rough bottom of the wagon.

As for Trotsworth not saying anything about Aria's being audible, this chapter makes it clear that he's of the opinion that servants should be discrete on their employer's behalf. Since there's no wider risk of embarrassment for Lex (i.e. there's no one besides the servants who can hear her, since the other guests are in a different wing of the mansion), he'd rather have everypony keep quiet about it. Of course, that's a bit unrealistic for the other servants, but Trotsworth is trying to turn them into consummate professionals the way he is. It just won't happen before they engage in a bit more rumor-mongering.

[Maxemilien]

Filler, 'tis not
Info, is what we got.

Learn what is taught
And remember a lot.

This rhyme was weak,
but so are my eyes.

Next time though
There might be a big surprise...

[Alzrius]

10140413 There was indeed some pointed information in this chapter. In between the various maneuverings of the mares in his life, Lex has learned some new information. But what will be do with it? We might find out soon...