50 - From the Heart
For a long moment, Sonata stood frozen, stupefied at the realization that the worst thing that could possibly happen was happening. Lex was standing right there, and quite clearly had been there for at least a minute or two, which meant that he’d no doubt heard everything…heard Fireflower’s heartfelt declaration of love for her, and the anemic nature of her rejection.
But that wasn’t what worried her the most. Rather, what sent a shiver through her was the look on Lex’s face as he stood there. In the time she had known him, Sonata had seen Lex rant in anger. She’d seen him calmly and condescendingly analyze a situation. She’d even seen him in such a towering rage that he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
But she’d never, not once seen him with the completely expressionless look on his face that he had now. And that frightened her more than anything.
“Sonata? What are y- AAAHHH!!!”
Fireflower leapt into the air as he let out a scream of terror at the sight of Lex. He had no idea how Sonata’s boyfriend had found them – some bit of magic, no doubt – but his sudden appearance here could only mean one thing: death was imminent. After all, this was the wizard who had, when he thought that his girlfriend was in danger, almost killed Fireflower before; only the fact that he’d been mistaken had kept him from finishing the job.
But now…now Fireflower was certain that he’d receive no such mercy this time around.
He might not have been threatening Sonata, but he had no hope that such a distinction would count for anything. After all, he’d been openly trying to replace the other stallion in Sonata’s heart, despite knowing both how much Lex cared for her and how deadly his wrath was. It was enough to make Fireflower briefly wonder if this was some sort of punishment from the gods for his hubris. What had he been thinking, trying to steal the girl of someone so powerful and prone to rage?
Fireflower opened his mouth, even as he realized that he had no idea what to say. But then, it didn’t really matter what he said, so long as Lex listened to it and in doing so let Fireflower have another few seconds of life.
“L-”
“No.”
Lex’s immediate rebuttal, delivered softly in a flat tone that lacked any inflection, was enough to make the blood drain from Fireflower’s face. Next to him, Sonata winced, as though that single word had been a physical blow.
Neither knew that Lex hadn’t been speaking to them. Rather, his soft denial had been in answer to Severance, who had silently asked Lex if he wanted Fireflower dead.
But Lex’s answer hadn’t been borne out of any sense of mercy or calmness. Indeed, at that moment he felt neither of those things. But at the same time, he didn’t feel any sense of rage the way he had when he’d thought Fireflower had been trying to hurt Sonata, back when they’d all been camping in the woods outside of Tall Tale. Instead, as his eyes slid between the two of them, all Lex felt was confusion.
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what was going on. He had arrived just in time to hear Fireflower tell Sonata that he loved her, followed by an impassioned plea for her to return his feelings, and her soft…or rather, weak, denial. But Lex had also seen Sonata affirm that he was the reason she wouldn’t return Fireflower’s feelings, even as she couldn’t seem to explain why that was.
But as for how he felt in response to having witnessed the entire exchange…Lex didn’t know.
This entire situation was so far removed from his personal experience, or from the conceptual philosophies that he enjoyed contemplating, that he simply had no frame of reference to use to formulate a response. Intuitively, he knew that Fireflower had been trying to take Sonata away from him…but at the same time, Fireflower’s outpouring of emotion had made it clear that he wasn’t trying to leave Lex bereft. Rather, he was simply overcome by his desire to be with Sonata, a feeling Lex was intimately familiar with.
That knowledge – and Sonata’s rejection – had been enough to quash any angry impulses Lex might have had. It certainly didn’t mean that he approved of what Fireflower had done, of course; understanding did not constitute endorsement. But at the same time, that left Lex with no idea how to express his disapproval. After all, however much it had lacked strength, Sonata had said no. Did that mean that the matter was closed, and no input from him was needed? Or was he now supposed to make a show of superiority over the reaffirmation of his exclusive right to Sonata’s affection?
Turning his eyes towards his mate, Lex had no fewer questions when it came to her. Was she completely blameless for Fireflower’s confession, or did she deserve to be chastised for being outgoing enough that he’d developed such feelings in the first place? Should she be praised for staying faithful, or would a statement of relief from himself indicate that he had less that total faith in her fidelity? And why had her refusal been so feeble? Or…had it been? Perhaps that was the proper manner in which to turn down someone’s expression of love? Again, Lex had no basis for drawing a conclusion.
All three stood there paralyzed, two in fear, one in indecision. A moment later, the stalemate was broken as an unexpected sound drew everyone’s attention.
Laughter.
As they’d traveled through the city, Waterlily had been able to feel herself coming down from the pervasive fear that had gripped her.
Although being inside an actual city was overwhelming – the sheer number of people had been daunting to someone who’d grown up around her siblings and no one else – there had been something about it that had been strangely calming. As they’d progressed through the streets, she had cringed away from everyone who’d try to talk to her, but every time she did she felt more and more that it was a pointless thing to do. There was something about the place that, contrary to everything she had expected, had put her at ease.
They’d almost arrived at their destination when she’d figured out what it was: the entire place was suffused with an atmosphere of joy.
Everything about this “Tall Tale” place radiated happiness and goodwill. The streets were lit up with more lights than Waterlily had ever seen, making everything seem to glow. Colorful banners and balloons were all over. Beautiful music and delicious-smelling foods were pervasive. But what struck her even more than all of those were the ponies.
Everywhere Waterlily looked, on every corner and in every building, ponies were smiling. Laughing. Singing and dancing. Hugging. Playing games. Clapping their hooves and cheering.
It was like everyone was one big family.
In fact, the only pony that didn’t seem to feel that way was her companion, Lex something-or-other. She’d seen several ponies call out to him, or try to strike up a conversation with him, only for him to either ignore them or curtly brush them off. At first she’d thought he was doing it for her sake, but then she’d seen him finally stop to talk to some ponies to ask for directions to where he said her family was, and his body language had been unmistakably uncomfortable. It made no sense to her at all.
But as they finally entered a building, she put it out of her thoughts. She was finally going to see her brothers and sisters again! The thought made her chest ache in anticipation.
Then Lex stopped in a doorway, and Waterlily heard a familiar voice from beyond it. Her heartbeat quickened as she recognized it – that was Fireflower!
But what she heard next was even more amazing; he was making a love confession! Overcome with curiosity as to who could possibly have ensnared her brother’s heart, Waterlily tried to peek around Lex to get a glimpse into the room, but the doorway was too narrow for her to catch anything other than a glimpse. She was about to nudge her way past him when she heard her brother’s outpouring stop, and she held still as she realized that she hadn’t heard whoever he was talking to answer back.
Straining her ears, she heard a soft female voice apologize, and give a halting, incomplete explanation. It was enough to make Waterlily gasp, putting a hoof over her mouth. She was turning him down?! Poor Fireflower! Why would anybody turn down such a nice guy? Sure, he was a big goof, but he was a loveable goof, the kind who was so earnest that everything he did was adorable in a hopeless way.
“Is…is it because of Lex?”
Waterlily’s eyes widened at hearing her brother’s question, going back to her companion, who was still standing in the doorway like a statue. No way. No. Way. Waterlily’s jaw fell slack as she instantly put the pieces together. Fireflower was confessing to a girl without realizing that her boyfriend was right there! And worse, he had no idea that her boyfriend had just brought his sister back to life!
A second later, she heard Fireflower give a terrified scream, obviously having just realized that Lex was right there, and that was it. That was all Waterlily could take. She doubled over, clenching her jaw and pressing a hoof to her mouth to try and stay quiet. It was just so incredibly absurd, so absolutely like Fireflower to try so hard and screw up so spectacularly.
Only vaguely aware that Lex was saying something, Waterlily snorted as she tried to stifle her mirth, but it was futile. An instant later her laughter bubbled forth, causing her to almost collapse as she struggled to regain control of herself, tears pooling in her eyes.
Her laughter had turned everyone’s attention to her, and she managed to calm down enough to stumble towards the room, Lex moving aside to let her enter. Still chuckling, she looked at Fireflower, smiling wider. “Wow, I’m just…only you could have messed that up so badly, Fireflower.”
For a split-second, her brother’s face was one of incomprehension, and then it hit him. Bug-eyed, he stared at her, mouth agape as he struggled to make sense of what was right in front of him. It took a few seconds before he managed to speak. “L-Lily…?” he croaked, his voice full of hope, clearly wanting to believe that it was her but not daring to.
She nodded, still giggling, and then he launched himself at her, yelling her name as he hugged her with all of his strength. The force of his embrace almost knocked them both to the ground, and suddenly Waterlily found herself crying instead of laughing as she hugged him back fiercely.
A moment later Shadowvine stomped into the room, clad in an apron and hairnet and frowning severely. “Busy says to quiet…quiet…” she trailed off as she looked at the pair embracing in the middle of the room, her attitude falling away in shock.
Waterlily and Fireflower parted, the former giving her sister a teary smile. “Hey Viney,” she sniffled. “Love the new look.”
Shadowvine’s response was a whimper, her eyes shimmering as she stood there for a moment before bolting from the room. Only a few seconds passed before she returned, however, the rest of her siblings in tow. Joyous shouts filled the room as they immediately dogpiled Waterlily, crying out in disbelief and happiness as they all struggled to embrace her at once, Fireflower included.
None of them could keep from crying as their family was made whole again. In the center of her siblings’ embrace, Waterlily wept the hardest, feeling the last of her tension and fear and grief fall away as she finally felt, on a fundamental level, that she wasn’t alone anymore.
Naturally, none of them noticed Lex and Sonata quietly slip from the room.
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Ok, I expected some form intervention from Waterlily and I got it though I didn't expect her to do it that way. That actually made me laugh, thanks.
Lex's confusion is understandable given his inexperience in the realm of love and its intricacies but at least his analytical mind abated his anger before things went south. And while I'm a bit wary of Kara's blessing and their effects, it might come into play when Lex and Sonata talk.
7769162 I'm glad you liked Waterlily's intervention! Her sudden bout of laughter seemed like the best way to break the mounting tension between the other three.
As for Lex, he was completely paralyzed in the face of a situation so alien to his experiences. He knew what he shouldn't do, which was fly into a rage, but what he should do was beyond his knowledge. It remains to be seen how he deals with this confusion.
When playing Patty Cake, first make sure your horseshoes are not enriched uranium.
7770673
Why? We like boom
No typos! You are going to put me out of work if you keep this up!
Clearly the only response available.
He thinks of her like that? Already?
Go Fireflower! Find someone that isn't currently with someone. Much better for your health.
7775018
Woo hoo! Now let's see if I can keep the streak alive!
In this situation it is. Lex has, more than once, responded with killing fury at the thought that Sonata was in danger. So it's natural to think that that would be the case when someone is trying to steal her away.
I'm not sure what you mean by "already." That said, this wasn't the first time he's used that term with regards to her. For example, in chapter 13, when he thought Fireflower had attacked her:
That said, this isn't a term I've used casually in the story. On the contrary, its use is very deliberate on my end, for two reasons:
1) Lex only uses that term for Sonata during moments of peak stress, such as when he thought she was being attacked, or when he heard Fireflower confess to her.
2) The use of that term with regards to Lex and Sonata was first made by the Night Mare in chapter 47 of The Apple Falls Far from the Tree:
That Lex also uses that term isn't a coincidence. It highlights how, in a manner akin to the Night Mare, he's extremely serious about something that he considers so important. In his mind, use of that term is entirely appropriate.
Ironically, I've been thinking something very similar...
7775061
It's alive! Now kill it.