Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

489 - In the Background

Cleansweep couldn’t have said when it was that her impression of Lex Legis had changed.

At first she’d been deeply suspicious of him. Despite the fact that he’d come bearing gifts and promises to help improve their lives, Cleansweep had initially kept her distance. After all, Block Party had said similar stuff when he’d gotten everypony organized, only for things to grow steadily worse under his management.

And in the beginning Lex had seemed like just another Block Party. He was cold and unapproachable, his magic was scary-looking, and he carried around a giant weapon everywhere, as though ready to cut down anypony who upset him. That was why, when Block Party had died just a few hours after Lex had arrived, Cleansweep had been sure about who’d been behind it. That Lex had practically tortured that Spit Polish guy in front of everyone had only confirmed in her mind that their new ruler was bad news.

But somewhere along the line, she’d started to have doubts.

Part of that had been because of Sonata. Not only was Lex’s girlfriend the most beautiful pony that Cleansweep had ever seen, but Fiddlesticks had said that she was also kind and easygoing, which had been an indirect endorsement of Lex himself. He had to have some good qualities if such an incredible lady had chosen him.

By itself that wouldn’t have been enough to change Cleansweep’s mind, but things had kept happening to make her question her initial evaluation of Lex. Like the way he’d almost killed himself making that huge banquet for everypony. Or how he’d personally gone into Vanhoover to rescue more survivors. Or how he’d fought so hard to defend them from the ghoul army. All of those were things that Block Party never would have done.

And, of course, there had been Fruit Crunch.

That her best friend thought that Lex was the coolest pony alive hadn’t surprised her very much. He was the living embodiment of the sort of character Crunchy had always enjoyed reading about in those adventure stories he loved: a dark and mysterious pony who looked like a villain but tried to help people. Cleansweep had never seen the appeal herself, but she’d been willing to go along with Crunchy’s enthusiasm, particularly after finding out what Spit Polish had done to him. That had been another point in Lex’s favor; while she’d known that Spit Polish had been Block Party’s lieutenant, and that Lex had punished him for a different reason, finding out that he’d beaten her best friend to a pulp – and that Fruit Crunch had been carrying a lot of bad feelings around ever since then, explaining why he’d started to turn into a bully – had made her reexamine her feelings about Lex cursing bad guys.

Her attitude toward Lex had continued to change after she’d joined the Night Mare’s Knights. Seeing him again put himself at risk for someone else – in this case Sonata’s sister – had simply driven home how selfless he was. And the lessons that she and her friends had received from Severance, seeing it carve deep gashes in Fruit Crunch’s leg when he’d gotten a recitation wrong, had made it easy for her to believe Lex when he’d told them that the weapon had acted on its own when it had killed Princess Luna’s guard.

But it had been the little things that had left the biggest impression on her. Living at Miss River’s mansion, and later on taking lessons from Lex himself, had meant that she’d picked up on all sorts of details about him that she’d never had a chance to find out otherwise. Like finding out from her mom about how he’d always used his magic to make oatmeal for himself every morning because he wanted to leave as much food as possible for everypony else. Or how, when he’d told her to ask Dr. House Call each day if any of his patients needed her to heal them, the medical pony had let it slip that Lex would also check in with him daily, using his own magic to help if it looked like somepony was getting worse. Or finding out how it was really himself that Lex was upset at whenever they asked him a question during their lessons.

Or the way his expression softened, just a little, whenever he looked at Sonata or Aria…and became pained whenever that other lady, Nosey, was mentioned.

By then, without even realizing it, Cleansweep had not only stopped being suspicious of Lex, but she’d started to feel comfortable around him. His dour expression and perpetual humorlessness had gone from being threatening to just being part of who he was. His frustration no longer seemed like a harbinger of imminent violence, but rather the stress of someone who couldn’t give less than one hundred percent to everything they did. He wasn’t Lex Legis, the fearsome scion of King Sombra and herald of the dark goddess, but just Lex, an extraordinary pony doing the best he could in extraordinary circumstances.

In fact, it had gotten to the point where Cleansweep was starting to become frustrated that some other ponies couldn’t see what she did. Sure, the ones who had just come back to Vanhoover hadn’t seen most of the good stuff that Lex had done, but blaming him for not doing an even better job and saving more people was just unfair! The first time she’d overheard some grownups angrily talking about how Lex had “hardly rescued anyone,” Venin had barely been able to talk her down from poisoning them on the spot.

Her own parents weren’t much better either. As thankful as she was to have them both back safe and sound, the way the two of them were reacting to Lex had embarrassed Cleansweep to death on more than one occasion. Her dad seemed to be under the impression that Lex’s accomplishments weren’t such a big deal, spinning yarns about his own adventures whenever Lex’s achievements were mentioned. While Cleansweep normally enjoyed listening to her dad’s stories, hearing him try to one-up the stallion who had done so much for everypony made her cringe almost as hard as seeing how scared of Lex her mom was…though she had gotten a little better recently. Hopefully she was coming to see how noble her new boss really was, and that the only ponies he was a threat to were the ones who did evil things…

Which, Cleansweep thought to herself vengefully, cradling Fruit Crunch’s insensate form as Lex’s telekinetic aura pulled them both toward him, dropping his shadow-form and turning back into a pony as he did so, is what Starlight Glimmer is about to find out.

---

“I’m not going to tell you again: get out of my way NOW!”

“Miss, I understand-”

“No! You don’t understand! If you understood, you’d step aside and let me have one of those-”

“Drafty, that’s enough!” Squeezing in between her girlfriend and that old butler, Cloudbank gently but firmly moved Thermal Draft back a few paces. “I know you want to do something, but throwing a fit isn’t helping!”

“Neither is sitting here doing nothing!” huffed Thermal Draft, her tail swishing in agitation. “Cloudy, you know this isn’t right! Lex is out there fighting to protect everypony – again! – and this time he’s got a whole bunch of people helping him! The Siren sisters! Those kids with the animals you said can talk! I think even one of Turbo’s friends is out there doing her part, so why aren’t we?!”

“We did our part!” shot back Cloudbank, trying to keep her frustration in check. “We found Lex and let him know what’s happening, and now we’re staying out of the way so that he can fight without having to worry about us!”

But Thermal Draft wouldn’t back down. “You know we can do more than that! We fought those sea monsters on the docks! We made it past those ghouls in the basement of that bank!”

“Yes, yes we did, and I ALMOST LOST YOU BOTH TIMES!” screamed Cloudbank, her patience finally giving out.

Her words were enough to make Thermal Draft’s eyes widen. “Wait, Cloudy, that’s not-”

But she couldn’t finish as Cloudbank turned away from her, sitting up and putting her face in her fore-hooves, letting out a few shuddering breaths before seeming to compose herself and facing her again. “You’re terrible at heroics, Drafty.” She chuckled as she said it, but her smile was weak, and didn’t reach her eyes. “I mean, you’re really, really bad at it. We go out looking for food while we’re hiding out in Vanhoover, and you get bitten by one of those undead ponies, fall ill, and almost die. You stop me from killing Lex after that kraken made me attack him, by taking the hit yourself. You rush ahead to open that vault, only for a ghoul to get the drop on you.” She stepped forward then, her eyes shimmering, and put a hoof on her girlfriend’s chest. “Every time you try to help, you end up nearly getting yourself killed…and that’s not even counting how our last adventure ended. And now, after we’ve been given a second chance, you want to go out there and put yourself at risk again?” Biting her lip, she shook her head, unable to continue.

“Cloudy…” Her ears folding back, Thermal Draft needed a moment to collect herself. But after several seconds, she took a deep breath and smile, stepping closer to nuzzle the other mare. “I know you’re scared. I am too. But I can keep going even when I’m scared because I know you’re always right there with me.”

That earned a self-deprecating laugh from Cloudbank. “How does that help? I’ve never been able to protect you.”

“You’ve always protected me,” countered Thermal Draft. “When we went out looking for food, that ghoul’s bite paralyzed me. But you threw yourself at it and fought it off long enough for it to wear off, and we were able to escape together. When I was hurt on the docks, it was your healing spell that saved my life, the same way it was when we got to the bank vault.” Cloudbank started to protest again, only for Thermal Draft to silence her with a kiss. “You’ve always been the reason I can be brave,” she whispered once it ended. “Because no matter what happens I know that you’ll be there.”

“And what if that’s not enough?” sniffled Cloudbank. “What if we go out there to help Lex only to find that whoever he’s fighting is more than either of us can handle?”

Thermal Draft smiled, bringing her wings up and letting the tips brush the tears from the corners of Cloudbank’s eyes. “When we were trapped in that vault, fighting our way out would have been suicide. So you figured out that the best course of action was to go up. Well, I think we should follow that same strategy now.” She scowled then, looking over Cloudbank’s shoulder to glare at the old butler, still standing in the doorway she’d been trying to get through. “If a certain somepony would get out of the way so we can get what we need to help Lex!”

The stallion, who had tastefully averted his eyes so as to give the two at least some semblance of privacy during their romantic moment, gave an apologetic bow. “I’m terribly sorry, miss,” he began again, “but Master Legis himself said that these rainclouds were not to be used by anypony without his explicit instructions.”

Glowering, Thermal Draft opened her mouth, but didn’t have a chance to say anything before a new voice rang out. “It’s alright, Trotsworth.”

All three ponies glanced over at where a pegasus mare in a maid uniform was approaching them. While Thermal Draft didn’t recognize her, and Cloudbank didn’t seem to either, Trotsworth raised a brow. The mare, in turn, nodded at him. “Please let them get what they need.”

To Thermal Draft’s surprise, Trotsworth seemed to consider that for a moment. “Has Master Legis sent word that he wishes for these clouds to be put to use?”

The maid shook her head. “No, but…I think it’s what he’d want. Either way, I’ll take responsibility.”

Trotsworth’s expression took on a pensive cast. “As you’re Master Legis’s personal assistant, propriety demands that I presume you understand his wishes best. Are you sure that this is what you want to do, Feather Duster?”

For a moment, Feather Duster seemed to waver, but swallowed and nodded. “I am. Master Legis has been…courteous, toward me, even though I haven’t done much to deserve it. If he’s in danger now, then I can at least help the ponies who want to help him.”

The tiniest of smiles found its way onto Trotsworth’s face. “How very proper of you.” Turning abruptly, he gave Cloudbank and Thermal Draft another bow, before marching down the hallway without so much as a backwards glance.

Cloudbank watched him go for a second, before turning back to Feather Duster. “Wait, so you’re Lex’s ‘personal assistant’?”

“Nevermind that!” Thermal Draft was already rushing through the doorway that Trotsworth had just vacated, squeezing through the ballroom that was currently filled with dark-colored clouds. “Help me find the biggest-, there! That one!” Grabbing the largest one of the bunch, Thermal Draft started pushing the cloud toward the door, causing it to rumble dangerously in response. “We are so going to call down the thunder on whoever’s trying to mess with Lex!”

That’s right, sweetheart, came the silky purr of Kara’s voice in her mind, the same way it had when she’d told her what to say to melt Cloudbank’s heart just now. Just keep following my instructions, and you’ll win his heart in no time.

Author's Note:

As her mentor comes to the rescue, Cleansweep reflects on how her perception of Lex has changed, even as Cloudbank and Thermal Draft prepare to do what they can to help!

But will their efforts make a difference?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

Really liking how much faith one of Lex's students have in him in spite of their first misgivings about him. And the fact that she's comfortable around him shows that in spite of him being socially inept most of the times (instead of all the times in the past which is an improvement), he's not completely unapproachable to the average individual.

And it appears that Lex unintentionally earned Feather Duster's loyalty as well if her willingness to take responsibility if things go awry as a result of her actions is anything to go by. And it seems Thermal Draft's plans, or rather, Kara's plan will certainly be quite electrifying if she and Cloudbank pull it off successfully. It would be really bad if Starlight happens to take control of the clouds herself and use it against Lex.

Though if it does work and Lex just happens to be in need of said aid, I think he'll probably blame himself for being so weak that his ponies had to come to his aid and waste precious resources on him.

[Booster Spice]

Lex is running low, so a handily appearing Zeus can go one way or ther other, depending how quick on the uptake Starlight is at that moment?

[smile444]

10293888

thanks. Is there a way to make the curse a "save for half" deal rather than a "save for negate ?"

[Maxemilien]

First some trust
And then some thunder.

But which shall tear
The story asunder?

[Alzrius]

10300040 It was back in chapter 279, just after we'd first met Cleansweep, that we saw that she found Lex to be a rather frightening figure. But in the two hundred-plus chapters since then, she's had a chance to observe him much more closely, especially since Fruit Crunch has pulled her closer into Lex's orbit. What she's discovered is that, as fearsome as he can be, Lex really does want to do right by everypony. It's something that she can appreciate, not just because she's a good pony herself, but because of what she's been through, and because being part of the Knights has given her a new appreciation for what it means to put yourself on the line for the sake of others.

Even her mother seems to be coming around on Lex. Although Feather Duster is much more of a worrier, she doesn't come across as somepony who's so stricken with fear that she can ignore salient details about the things that frighten her...at least, not indefinitely. While it's questionable how much his turning down her clumsy attempt at seduction changed her opinion of him, it seems safe to say that his not only moving to punish River for terrorizing her, but giving Feather Duster some say in what will happen to her old boss, left quite an impression on her.

As for how well Thermal Draft's, and Kara's, plan will work, well...I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Alzrius]

10300187 It's too early to say at this point. But however it plays out, I'd venture that someone is in for a shock!

[Alzrius]

10300969 Okay, I'm going to try answering in verse myself this time:

Roses are red
Just like Lex's horn
As for what happens next
Poems are hard

...nuts.

[Alzrius]

10300543 While that's certainly possible, it's going to involve some guesswork on our part. Since the d20 System's standard mechanics don't include ways to upgrade effects that require a saving throw (or at least, not in ways that alter the nature of the saving throw itself other than changing its DC), we'll need to make some approximations. As such, each GM will have to judge for themselves exactly what that takes (or even if it can be done at all).

Since you're using Witchcraft's elfshot power to inflict the ability damage (representing how manipulating pressure points in that way is something that requires some degree of magic to perform), I'd recommend the following: take the Amplify metamagic theorem (p. 56) and two levels of Streamline (p. 60), all specialized and corrupted for one-third cost/may only be used for pressure point manipulation (i.e. the elfshot power you've taken), only for increasing the saving throw to inflicting one-half damage on a successful save rather than being negated. That brings the cost down to 6 CP, which is the equivalent to a single feat.

Now, as noted, that involves some guesswork. It's basically presuming that bumping up a spell effect by +2 levels is enough to take it from "save negates" to "save for half damage." We can go back and forth on how balanced that is or is not (there's very little in the standard rules to say either way), but as an off-the-cuff take, I'd say that's not too bad, especially considering that there are numerous other ways that characters can still protect themselves from this power. For instance, someone with the Defiant version of the Fortune ability (p. 53) will still take no damage on a successful save. So will someone who has taken, say, an Immunity (p. 34) to curses (so long as their Immunity is of sufficient strength). Or if they've taken enough Damage Reduction (p. 29) that the initial attack that your use of elfshot is accompanying deals no damage (since the way you have it set up requires a successful attack in order for elfshot to try and kick in). So requiring the equivalent of another feat to change the damage dealt on a successful save seems acceptable.

Hopefully that helps.

[Maxemilien]

10302087
Do not worry
For just like Zecora

The world of rhymes
Is a box like Pandora.