501 - Princes and Principles
For the ponies of Vanhoover, there was no containing the wild jubilation that broke out in the wake of Starlight’s defeat.
Thousands of hooves stomped in joyful prancing, legs rising and falling so fast that the vibrations could be felt through the earth. Pegasi launched themselves into the sky, twirling and diving in joy as unicorns shot colorful sparks and flashes of light from their horns, putting on an impromptu fireworks display. And absolutely everypony cheered or laughed or whistled, raising a din as thunderous as Starlight’s final attack.
None of which Lex acknowledged. Instead, he kept his gaze firmly on Starlight Glimmer, examining her in the magical spectrum via his circlet, which fortunately was still under the effects of the additional magic he’d imbued it with a few minutes prior. Although visualizing the magical pathways in her body hadn’t let him discern whatever method the madmare had used to increase her power so much – nor did it provide any additional insight now – even a casual glance showed that however she’d done it, Starlight had pushed herself too far.
Her body’s magical channels were all strained, with the ones in her horn being in far worse condition, looking almost shredded from how much magic she’d used during their fight. The damage was so bad that it was actually manifesting as physical injuries, with heavy bruising already beginning to cover her horn, though some of that was no doubt from his striking it with his shield in that last exchange. Either way, the combination of internal and external wounds meant that – just like when Princess Luna had tried to attack him with magic after he’d injured her horn – Starlight Glimmer likely wouldn’t be casting spells anytime soon without magical healing.
Even so, Lex knew it would be necessary to put some supplementary curses on her. Since he still wasn’t sure how she’d managed to surpass the limits of standard Equestrian spellcasting so dramatically, there remained a chance that Starlight could present a threat before she’d finished convalescing, requiring that further maledictions be used on her in order to secure everypony’s safety. Those curses, however, would have to wait. While Lex had a miniscule amount of dark magic left, it wasn’t enough for anything other than a single, temporary curse. Nor did he dare try and augment it with what little stamina he had left, since that was purely the result of the spell his shadow had used on him…a spell that would wear off in the next few minutes, at which point Lex had no doubt that he’d be even more debilitated than he was before, likely losing consciousness completely. It would take at least a day before he was in any condition to-
“Lex!” His ruminating was interrupted as Sonata threw her forelegs around his middle and nuzzled him. “We did it! Together! You and me, just like I always dreamed about! Ooh! We should call ourselves Team Lexata from now on! We can have t-shirts made!”
Disentangling himself from the overly affectionate mare, Lex resisted the urge to berate her – and everypony else – for celebrating when there were still injured ponies who needed attending to. “Sonata, Aria and the others need medical attention. I told the doctors to come here before I left River’s manor, but it’s going take them some time to get here. We need to do what we can for them in the meantime.”
Sonata opened her mouth to reply, but before she could a new voice cut in. “Can we help?”
Swinging his head around, Lex tensed as he saw the other four ponies that Starlight had brought with her approaching them. His distrust must have shown on his face, because they all flinched and looked away, save for the unicorn mare, who gulped and took a step forward. “We could load everypony that’s hurt into the wagons we brought,” she offered timidly. “That might make it easier to take them to where the doctors are.”
“Do you actually think I’m going to trust you with the welfare of any of my little ponies?” growled Lex. “You knew what Starlight was planning on doing when she came here, and you participated anyway. That makes you accessories to her crimes.”
The four of them blanched at that, with even the earth stallion – whose coat was already white – turning pale. But Sonata quickly intervened. “Aw, don’t be like that, Lex,” she pleaded gently. “These guys were totes tricked by Starlight too, just like I was. You saw how upset they were when they found out that she’d kept her cutie mark.”
“You were under a spell,” countered Lex, pointing at the other four accusingly. “These four were not.”
Sonata blinked. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“You were under an enchantment until just over a minute ago,” explained Lex, “similar to the sort you and Aria are able to use on others.”
The revelation made Sonata’s jaw drop. “For realsies? Starlight put the whammy on me?” For a moment she just stood there, gobsmacked. Then she smiled. “That’s great! I was feeling super guilty about what happened, but if I was under a spell then it totes wasn’t my fault!” Sitting back on her haunches, she clapped her fore-hooves together. “Oh wow, that’s, like, a serious toad off my mind!”
“…Right.” Resisting the urge to correct Sonata’s butchered idiom, Lex turned back to the other ponies from Starlight’s group. “But since the four of you have no such excuse, you will be held to account for your part in what’s happened here.”
“We didn’t know that Starlight was going to go crazy and hurt so many ponies!” protested the unicorn stallion.
“And we’ll give back the cutie marks that Starlight stole,” added the earth stallion, holding up a glass jar with Aria’s cutie mark in it. Opening the lid, the mark streaked out of its own accord, unerringly streaking back toward where the Siren was still lying in the dirt, planting itself on her flank and displacing the equals sign there. At a nod from the pale-coated stallion, the two unicorns did the same, sending Fruit Crunch and Peachy Keen’s cutie marks rushing back to their owners, the latter giving a cry of delight as she and the symbol of her destiny were reunited.
“Sonata’s is still in the cutie mark vault back in our village,” added the pegasus mare nervously. “And, um, ours too.”
“That’s right!” Her eyes widening, Sonata glanced back at the equals sign on her flank. “Ick! I want this thing off my butt, like, pronto! I can’t sing with it there! It’s like Canterlot High all over again!”
“I’ll send some ponies out to retrieve it, and every other cutie mark that Starlight wrongfully acquired, as soon as it’s feasible,” replied Lex, retrieving the orange prism from where it was orbiting Starlight’s head as he spoke. The alterations he’d made to it, causing it to inhibit spellcasting rather than abetting it, were going to wear off in another few minutes, and the last thing he wanted was for Starlight to have access to it once that happened, placing it and the other four back in his saddlebag. “In the meantime, I’m-”
But he didn’t have a chance to finish as music suddenly blared, horns trumpeting from behind the crowd, causing everypony to settle down as they turned to look at what was happening.
They weren’t made to wait long. Even as Lex watched, the assembled ponies moved out of the way, making room for several ponies in formalwear who marched in unison as they continued to pipe a lively tune. Behind them, another pony unrolled a red carpet, which quickly saw several more attendants – for it was quickly becoming clear that was what they were – line up on either side of it, flinging flower petals into the air and letting them drift down to the colorful cloth below. Only then did the star of the procession appear.
Striding forward in measured paces, the unicorn stallion was draped in the garb of royalty. His back was covered with a deep purple cape, its white fur trim having black spots, the garment being affixed across his chest with a large, smooth sapphire. Resting atop his head was an ornate crown, and it took Lex a moment to recognize that they greyish-white metal was platinum, glinting in cool contrast with the not only the sapphire on the stallion’s chest, but also the ones set in each of the crown’s five upward protrusions. Even the newcomer’s hoofwear was of the same make.
With his nose in the air and a smirk on his lips, the stallion took his time crossing the carpet. It was only after he’d passed through the crowd – now whispering furiously – that it became apparent that there was more to his retinue, as a group of almost two dozen ponies came marching behind him. Taking care not to step on the carpet themselves, they moved in time with the regally-dressed stallion, mimicking not just his pace but also his refusal to look anypony in the eye, instead keeping their gaze focused upward.
“Oh my gosh,” breathed Sonata, her eyes sparkling as she turned to Lex. “Do you know what this means?”
“I have an idea,” he murmured, recognizing the pony in question from the description River Bank had given him that morning.
“Exactly!” gushed Sonata, her cutie mark forgotten as she fidgeted with excitement. “We beat Starlight on our first try without using any continues, so now we get the best ending! Ooh! I call dibs on entering my initials for the high score!”
Before Lex could ask her what she was talking about, the trumpeters finally reached the end of the carpet, lowering their instruments. Once the echo of the music had died away, the reedy-looking stallion who had been unrolling the length of fabric cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. “Presenting,” he called in stentorian tones, “His Royal Highness, Scion of Princess Platinum, Heir to the Unicorn Homeland, recognized by Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia as her nephew, Lawful Monarch of Equestria and Defender of the Realm, Prince Blueblood!”
The last syllable had barely crossed his lips when he knelt down, with everypony in Blueblood’s party doing the same. Further back, a few members of the crowd prostrated themselves, but most just watched the proceedings, cognizant of the fact that Lex had remained standing.
Blueblood himself didn’t seem to notice, eyes closed as though enraptured with the sound of his list of titles even as he struck a pose, placing one hoof over his heart as the pegasus members of his party flapping their wings gently, causing his mane and cape to flutter behind him.
After several seconds, the pony who had formally announced Blueblood produced a scroll, unrolling it and reading from it out loud. “His Royal Highness, in his capacity as a sovereign ruler of our fair land, has elected to take it upon himself to come to the city of Vanhoover so that he may exercise his royal prerogative to mete out justice upon one who would injure the majesty of the nation of Equestria and its people. To that end, he calls upon the pony known as Lex Legis, who has offered grievous insult to the dignity of Their Royal Highnesses, Princesses Celestia and Luna, to abase himself and offer apologies and recompense for his crass and boorish demeanor-”
“I refuse.”
The interruption almost made the herald drop his scroll, staring at Lex with wide eyes. “You…what?”
“I refuse,” repeated Lex. “Those incompetent nags deserved what they got. They should be thanking me for letting them off so easily, rather than sending the dregs of their so-called administration here to waste my time with this nonsense.”
The herald quite clearly had no idea how to respond to this, but was saved from having to figure out what to say as Blueblood erupted. “You…you…ill-bred swine! How dare you insult my noble pedigree and its institution with such slanderous talk!” Striding to the very edge of his carpet, Blueblood pointed a hoof at Lex, his expression furious. “I demand that you retract that ignominious swill this instant, do you hear me?! I DEMAND IT!”
“I’ve already given you my answer,” snorted Lex, clearly unimpressed by the prince’s tantrum. But other than Sonata (who didn’t seem to understand most of what was being said), he was the only one. Everypony else watched the exchange with wide eyes…save only for River Bank, standing near the back of the crowd.
“You…!” For a moment Blueblood was red-faced, grinding his teeth before he let out an abrupt huff, his face turning stony as he adjusted his cloak. “Very well then. I came here so that you might understand the error of your ways once you’d beheld the illustriousness that you had so brazenly impugned, but I see now I underestimated the depths of your barbarism. As such, you leave me no choice but to use my last resort. Valet!” he yelled, turning to the pony who had been acting as his herald. “Bring me…”
He paused then, and it wasn’t lost on anypony that it was entirely for dramatic effect, eyeing Lex to see if the tension would cause his defiance to crack.
When it didn’t, he continued speaking, his voice filled with the gravity of someone who knows that he’s committed to a course of action from which there was no return. “…my slippers.”
“No, Your Highness!” cried the valet, his voice rising to a horrified falsetto. “Not the royal slippers!”
“Don’t try to stop me, Valet!” cried Blueblood. “My anger is too great! Produce them at once!”
Slowly, with great reverence, the skinny stallion produced a long box, lacquered white and with a replica of Blueblood’s compass rose cutie mark on it. Trembling, he walked it over to the prince and knelt down, opening it to reveal the four slippers within, each as white and unblemished as Blueblood’s coat, all perfectly identical.
But a moment later one was made different from the other three, as Blueblood lifted it in the golden glow of his telekinetic aura.
“Lex Legis,” intoned the prince gravely, “your affrontery against my noble person has escalated to a point that can no longer be forgiven. Now, my honor cannot be satisfied unless I have satisfaction. As such, I do hereby challenge you to a duel!”
And then he floated his slipper over and slapped Lex across the face with it.
Or at least he would have, had Lex not telekinetically grabbed one of the black crystal stalagmites he’d attacked Starlight with and torn it free from the ground, bringing the jagged end of it down sharply on the prince’s hoofwear and pinning it to the dirt before it ever reached his face, drawing a horrified cry of “my slipper!” from Blueblood’s lips.
“I accept your challenge.”
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A quick announcement: I'm taking my annual vacation (though this year it's going to be a "staycation") over the weekend, so the next chapter will be released on Tuesday, August 4th. Please look forward to it!
10358804
Enjoy yourself.
So Blueblood is actually going to challenge Lex to a duel? Normally, I'd imagine it would be fencing as so many other stories seem to use. But given his apparent aversion to anything physical, I doubt Blueblood would be trained in any form of combat so the only thing I can think of is the magic duel between Twilight and Trixie in the episode of the same name in season three.
If that is the case, I do wonder how versed Blueblood actually is in the magic department in comparison to Lex. Still, Lex isn't exactly fit for anything too strenuous so either Blueblood actually shows common courtesy and give Lex time to recover(fat chance of that) or the more likely thing to happen, for the prince to have a fit at what was done to his slipper and proceed with the duel anyways.
Also, have fun and stay safe!
The battle done
A prince has come
As haughty as the sun.
And this brat
Won't stand for that
Outburst from Legis, Lex
A duel he says, but we shall see
If he backs his talk and pomp.
Because it seems
He lost his slipper
To deliver a "daring" stomp.
if blowing your own dick ..ops did i say that i meant to say your own horn was a art form Blueblood would be a zero every time.
Please let the ponce be stupid enough to make it to the death. One quick crystal shot between the eyes would be so cathartic after how long it took to put Starlight down.
I wonder who Blueblood has as his Champion?
Best ability would be Tempest, but he wouldnt be seen in the same country as someone he looks to be so disfigured?
10358815 Thanks! I plan to!
10358947 What's interesting is that Blueblood previously made it clear to River Bank that, if Lex didn't back down, he'd "lay him low in honorable combat" in chapter 468. And yet in that same chapter, he admitted to never having studied fighting, finding it crass. So what's his plan here, then? Is it a magic duel? Will he appoint somepony else? Or is there some other aspect to this seemingly-insane plan of his? Vain he may be, Blueblood isn't (completely) stupid, so he must have some sort of strategy here. We'll just have to wait and find out what it is.
Also, thanks for the kind wishes!
10359027 One can only hope that Blueblood doesn't end up much the same as his slipper. Lex might be a few minutes out from collapsing, by his own admission, but based on what we've seen of Blueblood so far even that would be enough for him to stomp all over the vain prince.
10359187 And yet he's so good at tooting his own horn.
10359231 I doubt Lex would go that far...but given how savagely he put down the attempted slap, it probably wouldn't be much short of that.
10359260 An interesting idea. If you're right, it could make things notably for difficult for Lex than if Blueblood was intent on taking him on personally.
10359747
yes he is vary flexible