537 - Delegation of Duties
“Feathercap’s going to keep Ulespy circling overhead during the fight,” explained Fruit Crunch, moving at a trot as he kept pace with Lex. “Once the duel starts, he’ll look through his eyes and keep watch on the crowd, just in case Princess Twilight or her goons try anything funny. If they do-”
“Then I’ll swoop in and handle it,” promised Straightlace darkly, flying alongside the earth colt.
Decorum, chastised Altaer. Composure is the watchword of confidence.
The gentle rebuke made Straightlace huff. But he wasn’t the only one who seemed to relish the prospect of violence. “You wanna dish out some payback for what Rainbow Dash did, you’ll have to get in line,” murmured Aria.
“Don’t encourage him,” chided Fiddlesticks. Living in the same house as Sonata’s sister had put them in a weird place where they weren’t strangers, but weren’t exactly close either. But knowing that this wasn’t the time to work out how to relate to the older mare, she quickly turned towards Straightlace, giving him a scowl. “You’ll handle it if they do something with magic,” she corrected. “If they try anything physical, then Fruit Crunch and I will deal with it.”
And Cleansweep and I will assist either way with our poison. Coiled around the aforementioned filly’s belly, the snake’s head turned toward her companion, tongue flicking out to taste the air. You still have some healing magic after restoring the others this morning, yes?
Cleansweep nodded, but didn’t have a chance to speak before Garden Gate chimed in, not having heard the telepathic part of the conversation. “Not by yourselves you won’t,” she declared, her horn lighting up as she adjusted the knives tucked into her belt. “Look, I’ve heard about what you kids can do, but my friends and I have experience. If things go sideways, I want you to back us up instead of taking point.”
“You do realize that ‘things going sideways’ will probably mean that Twilight and her friends bust out the Elements of Harmony, right?” noted Thermal Draft wryly. “I don’t think-”
“They don’t have them,” interrupted Cleansweep, mildly irked at being talked over. “I…checked, when they showed up at the manor yesterday. They didn’t bring the Elements, I’m pretty sure.”
“For realsies?” blinked Sonata, almost stumbling as she glanced over from where she was walking alongside Lex. “How did you check on that?”
“I’d like to know that also,” frowned Feather Duster, though the effect was somewhat ruined by how Tiddlywinks – cradled in her foreleg – was cooing as he chewed on a strand of her mane.
The Knights shared an uncomfortable look, but were saved as Cloudbank gave a conspicuous nod, her eyes trained upward where a pegasus was headed toward them. “Heads up.”
Coming in fast, Turbo swooped downward, banking in a wide arc so that he joined the procession from behind. Slowing down to match everyone’s speed, he effortlessly made the transition from flight to trot, legs touching the ground in the same instant that he folded his wings to his side, avoiding Garden’s gaze as he moved alongside Cloudbank. “They’re here,” he confirmed immediately. “All six of them, plus a tiny dragon and something that looks like it’s half pony and half…I don’t know what. Minotaur, maybe? No sign of any jewelry, but that other mare you told me about – unicorn, purple coat, mane, and tail? – she’s there too.”
“Starlight Glimmer.” Cloudbank pronounced her name like a curse, but her gaze was anxious as she glanced at Thermal Draft.
Nor was she alone in reacting to the name, Lyden baring his teeth with a loud growl. If we’re needed, I strongly recommend targeting that one first.
“Um, did her horn still look like it was hurt?” squeaked Feathercap, his face pale. “Th-they were saying something about having healing magic of their own before, right? So if they used it on her…”
Turbo shook his head. “I don’t know, kid. It was just a quick flyby.”
“If things do get ugly, there are a lot of ponies who’ll be caught in the crossfire,” warned C. Shells, looking over the crowd that had already gathered to watch the duel.
“There weren’t last time,” noted River. Although outwardly calm, the terse note in her voice betrayed her anxiety.
“I’ve sent medical ponies ahead, just to be safe,” added House Call. “But if this turns into a debacle…”
“That will not be allowed to happen.”
All eyes turned to Lex as he finally broke the silence he’d maintained since he’d left the manor. Coming to a halt, he turned to face the ponies gathered around him, looking each of them over as they all stopped what they were doing, giving him their full attention. Waiting for him to tell them how he would prevent what they were worrying about from coming to pass.
Even a few days ago, he would have taken that for granted. More than that, he would have made it clear that all he expected from them was not to interfere if things went the way they were supposed to, and to retreat and leave everything to him if they didn’t. But now…
“Those who bend to your will shall be as your limbs, serving as extensions of yourself. Their eyes are your eyes. Their hooves are your hooves. Their magic is your magic. To fail to make use of their strength is to fail to make use of your strength, limiting what you can do.”
The Night Mare’s words, still fresh in his mind, took on new meaning now. If worse came to worst, and this duel turned out to be a trap or otherwise devolved into a general melee, then Lex knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. And while that was still a bitter realization, it no longer caused him untenable frustration the way it had before. The thought of having to put other ponies into harm’s way in order to secure things was still repugnant, of course, but attempting to go it alone had no greater chances of assuring everyone’s safety. In fact, in his current state, it had less. Which meant that the responsible thing to do wasn’t to simply dismiss them all, but to delegate tasks to them ahead of time…and hope that they’d be able to carry them out.
“Your worries will, in all likelihood, turn out to be groundless,” he pronounced at last. “While I hold the royal institutions of Equestria in extremely low esteem, its members regard themselves as being wholly legitimate in the authority they claim to exercise. As such, a public abrogation of a challenge proposed by one of their own would severely discountenance their pretensions of prestige. Ergo, the odds of duplicity on their part, while not nil, are improbable.”
“…well, that makes me feel better,” snorted Aria, rolling her eyes.
Lex, of course, missed her sarcasm completely. “As well it should. However, in the event that treachery occurs, I expect you all to follow these directives.” He paused again, and when no one objected, turned to C. Shells, House Call, and River Bank. “You three and yours will work on getting everypony who isn’t part of this group to safety. Do what you can to usher everyone toward the manor. That will cut down on any delays in deploying medical resources.” Catching Feather Duster’s gaze, Lex paused just long enough to glance at the baby she was carrying. “You’ll go with them also.”
“Understood,” replied C. Shells with a brisk nod, House Call and Feather Duster doing the same. While she looked vaguely annoyed at having someone else speak for her, River copied the gesture as well.
“Sonata, Aria, I want you to assist them if it looks like everypony is starting to panic. Use your magic to make the crowd evacuate northward in a calm and orderly manner. Otherwise, I want you to keep your attention focused on Princess Twilight’s friends. Several of them have spent time on Everglow, and have made at least some study of that world’s magical traditions. As spellcasters, you’re best qualified to notice if they attempt to interfere.”
“Ooh!” Reaching a foreleg into the sky, Sonata waved it frantically. “Ooh! Ooh! I have a question!”
Belatedly realizing she required prompting for some reason, Lex bit back a sigh. “Yes, Sonata?”
“What if they use those Element thingies?”
The question made Lex frown. Sonata was the only one, along with Aria and River, that he’d shared his suspicions about Twilight stepping in for Blueblood with. But apparently she hadn’t put together that Twilight’s acting on her own went against the Elements’ activation requirements. “Based on what I learned from Twilight Sparkle during our brief association on Everglow-”
“Wait,” interrupted Fruit Crunch, his eyes widening at finding out something new about his hero, “you met her before?! On that other world?!”
“Briefly,” repeated Lex. “And she was careless enough to reveal that the Elements needed to be returned to the Tree of Harmony-”
This time it was Garden Gate who interrupted, her brow furrowed. “The Tree of what now?”
“My point,” continued Lex, his voice tight, “is that it’s highly unlikely that the Elements of Harmony will be put to use here. But if they are, then they become priority one for everyone for myself, Sonata and Aria, the Night Mare’s Knights, and Garden Gate and her subalterns.”
Slip ‘n’ Slide raised a brow, leaning closer to Funshine. “What’d he call us?”
“Be quiet, Slip,” hissed Granola Bar.
Lex kept going. “The Elements of Harmony only work if Princess Twilight and her friends are each wielding their respective gemstone. Separating even one of them from their talisman, or incapacitating them outright, will render the whole of them inert.”
Cloudbank looked relieved, but Thermal Draft had the opposite reaction, miffed at having been left out. “What about us?”
“Drafty…”
“We can help too!” insisted the darker of the two pegasus mares. “We did when Starlight attacked, so now-”
“I have a different job in mind for the two of you.” Lex didn’t take his eyes off the pair as he nodded at Turbo. “If a larger battle does break out, I want you to keep Spike and Soft Mane – the dragon and the pony-hybrid Turbo mentioned – from interfering.”
Cloudbank started to say something, then paused, turning to the pegasus who’d delivered the report. “You did say he was a small dragon, right?”
“He is,” replied Lex before Turbo could open his mouth. “But while not physically powerful, be aware that he can still breathe fire. And Soft Mane has a modest selection of divine spells, most of which she’ll likely use for healing. Don’t let her use them to revive anypony that the rest of us defeat.”
“What about Starlight Glimmer? If she steps out of line, who gets to put her in her place?” Aria’s tone made it obvious that she wanted in on that particular venture quite badly.
But she was destined to be disappointed. “Presuming that I’m correct about the Elements of Harmony not being put into use, I want the Night Mare’s Knights and Garden Gate and her subordinates to keep a close eye on her. While I question how much she’ll want to upset her allies, I’m aware that she personally has little vested interest in the sanctity of this duel, so I want you all to be ready to strike the moment she looks like she’s attempting anything untoward.”
The Exalted Primogenitor is wise, murmured Nemel reverently.
It shall be done, Grand Vizier, echoed Ulespy.
“Well, she can’t be tougher than a city full of ghouls, right?” chuckled Funshine, only for his grin to falter as he glanced first at Garden, then at the Knights, seeing that they weren’t smiling back. “Right?”
Gulping at the silent testament to Starlight’s power, Hopscotch nevertheless nodded. “W-we’ll do our best!” she promised.
“I expect nothing less.”
With that said, Lex looked over the assembled ponies again, taking a moment to review the tasks he’d given each of them. But despite having come up with those assignments on the spot, no necessary alterations suggested themselves, and he decided to bring the impromptu meeting to an end. “I’ll reiterate that these roles are strictly reactive in nature. If all goes well, you won’t need to carry out these instructions. Having said that, I want you all to disincentivize perfidy on their part by being conspicuous in your preparedness.”
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
This time Lex did sigh. “That means that you should make it obvious that you’re ready to take action if necessary, Sonata. I want those ponies to know that if they try anything, you’ll stop them.”
“Ohhh! Like being eye candy, except with a totes nasty flavor!” she grinned. “I gotcha!”
Her exclamation sent a wave of chuckling through the group, though that might have been from the pained look on Lex’s face. But he didn’t have a chance to say anything else as a feeble voice rang out. “Fillies and gentlecolts! I must ask you to fall silent as we prepare to resolve the ongoing feud between His Royal Highness, Prince Blueblood, and the knave who calls himself Lex Legis!”
The announcement made Lex’s lip curl. “It’s time. You all have your directions.”
He was already turning as he spoke, scanning the ponies waiting ahead of him. Blueblood was easily spotted, the fool having turned his back on him in a pathetic display of contempt. But Lex was far more interested in the glimpses of deep purple that he could see further back in the crowd, the sight reminding him of how, for all that he’d accepted the necessity of giving instructions to everypony, the crux of what was about to happen was entirely his own.
“Leave the rest to me.”
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Lots of planning for worst-case scenario though I suppose the only one to watch out for would be Starlight though I suppose Spike and Softmane need to be observed as well due to the former's history at supporting Twilight and her friends and the latter...well, she healed the wrong pony and caused the uproar at the mansion. Rainbow might do something reckless (again) if she sees something off but Applejack is there to keep her in check so maybe she'll behave...hopefully Twilight drilled the idea that interfering in the duel would be bad.
Putting that aside, I like how Lex delegated tasks to everyone even if it is just in reactive roles instead of proactive but given the situation, there's little room for such a thing even if Lex wanted to. Though I suppose part of it is to ensure that none of them try anything to jeopardize the duel like his opponent's companions are likely to do.
Shame what happened at the mansion, if it hadn't happen, then the Mane 6 could have mingled a little with Lex's entourage or tried to at least to get a better picture of Lex rather than the one portrayed to them by others.(Like the mural for example, still chuckling at the memory)
Trouble is with reactive preps, it only takes one scared guardsman, one Leroy Jenkins, or a floating piece of irritant dust and a fire breathing dragon sneeze to cause Everything to go Boom?
Never mind Insane Starlight.
welcome to my web said Lex to Twi Little
10538043 Well, if things go wrong there's a plan in place now. But if not, then Lex is going to have to face Twilight on his own, with very little power to bring to bear.
10537941 The potential for things to go wrong is always there, which is why Lex wanted there to be at least some semblance of a plan in place. The more worrying thing now is what if everything goes right, since he's facing Twilight without any backup.
10537707 Lex is definitely hoping that the plan he laid out won't be put into use, though the fact that he's being so proactive in including everypony else at all is a positive sign (at least for him). The last time he willingly involved so many other ponies in a battle plan, they were facing down Tlerekithres and his sea monster army, leaving Lex with no choice but to deputize everypony to fight. Now, at least, he's able to face the prospect of letting everypony help where it's not (strictly speaking) absolutely necessary. For him, that's big.
Now let's just hope that Starlight's horn is still too injured to interfere, that Rainbow or Pinkie or Spike (et al) don't get worried and rush to help Twilight, that Aria or Straightlace don't let their residual anger get the better of them, etc. It doesn't take very many ponies to potentially turn this into a disaster when both sides are expecting treachery. But as it stands now, a great deal of goodwill has already been lost between the opposing camps...though I suppose that will spare everyone from the insanity of a Pinkie/Sonata reunion. The giggling and shrieking would be off the proverbial charts.
10538132
Even if they're on opposing sides, I can still imagine them trying to give the other the stink eye in a comical fashion that either devolves into a funny face competition or gets hushed by their companions. I mean, sure Pinkie's friend hurt Lex but Pinkie hasn't done anything malicious against Lex...well, besides the whole 'Evil Enchantress' bit for Lex but Sonata doesn't know that.