Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

561 - Sweetening the Deal

Five minutes, seethed Lex to himself as he stared at the empty conference room. It took less than five minutes for everything to fall completely apart!

From behind him, he heard River – the only other pony present – clear her throat. “After I got everypony to stop shouting, we weren’t sure when you’d be returning, so I thought it’d be best if we adjourned for a little while,” she murmured, resuming the report he’d demanded from her after coming back and finding the place deserted. “The Las Pegasus ponies probably all went back to their rooms. The village and the market are almost certainly too rustic for their tastes, and my yacht is the only route back home for them if they don’t want to spend weeks on a train, so even if they’re not in their quarters they’re probably still somewhere in the manor. The servants should have no trouble locating them if you want to call them back.”

Lex didn’t even consider doing so, knowing that he’d need to deal with this latest round of strife before he could even start to fix things. “And that pony whom Gladmane accused of stealing from him?”

“Tryout,” supplied River. “Feather Duster’s husband and Cleansweep’s father. From what I was able to gather, he came here because he needed to talk to his wife about something, and Gladmane spotted him during the, ah…commotion.” She paused then, and it was only when Lex didn’t say anything that she continued. “The two of them, Feather Duster and Tryout, are waiting for you in my study.”

The name of his personal assistant’s husband brought a scowl to Lex’s lips, remembering the jovial loudmouth that he’d met at the ruins of the train station several days previous. Tryout’s convivial greeting had left him off-balance, not knowing what to make of the newcomer’s banter. Fortunately, Garden Gate had stepped in, berating the pegasus stallion for not showing sufficient respect. After that he’d ceased to occupy Lex’s thoughts, not having run into Tryout since, though he’d been peripherally aware that Feather Duster’s husband had taken up residence in the manor, mostly because Cleansweep had subsequently expressed delight about her family being reunited.

But now, regardless of whether Gladmane’s accusation was true or not, Tryout’s presence had become a distinct liability.

And yours hasn’t? jeered his tulpa. That buffoon might have caused the negotiations to break down, but it was your temper tantrum that made that possible in the first place. You knew how important this was, and yet you still threw a fit and stormed out like a child, angry because you thought someone else was playing with your toys.

A rush of fury ran through him in response to his shadow’s taunting, and he instinctively embraced it, trying to drown out the humiliation he felt over how he’d acted and the consequences it had wrought. But as much as he wanted to bury himself in rage – something that was especially tempting since Tryout made for a convenient scapegoat – Lex knew he couldn’t afford to. After all, it was that very behavior that the rebellious portion of his mind was chastising him for.

Instead, he forced himself to stand in silent witness to the evidence of what his outburst had wrought. Black crystal spikes jutting up through the floor. Overturned chairs from where everypony had rushed to get away from him. The crumpled and scattered pages of the loan agreement that he’d passed around for everyone to review. All because he hadn’t been able to control himself when it came to Sonata and Aria, the same way he hadn’t when they’d plied their charms on him last night.

Nor was that the full extent of the mistakes he’d made.

I shouldn’t have sent them away.

Even if he hadn’t been able to rein in his emotions, this would never have happened if he’d simply kept the mares he loved at his side when he’d met with the Las Pegasus ponies. Certainly, he would have needed to manage their disruptive tendencies, but whatever minor disorder would have resulted from their presence would have been heavily outweighed by the social acumen they possessed. They’d already proven that multiple times over, most recently when they’d helped make his disclosure to the public about the truth behind Block Party’s death, Severance’s treachery, and his fight with the princesses go over so well. And of course, if they’d been there with him then there would have been no unexpected moaning drawing him away.

But instead, he’d let his embarrassment over how they’d manipulated him last night get the better of him, sending the Sirens away despite Sonata all but begging to accompany him to his meeting. Was it any wonder it had turned out to be a disaster? River was experienced at politicking, and Feather Duster was a competent assistant, but neither were able to manage his lack of charisma.

You were so certain you’d finally come to appreciate the Night Mare’s advice about utilizing the ponies at your disposal, sneered the voiceless presence in his mind. But as soon as you felt even slightly unsure of yourself, you reverted back to your old habits. Now look at what it’s cost you.

Letting out a slow breath, Lex turned away from the debris. There’d be time for recrimination later; quite likely in his nightmares. Right now he needed to fix this. “River.”

The pony in question straightened up as he turned his attention toward her. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“How badly has all of this,” he waved a hoof toward the empty room, “hurt my chances of securing a loan from the ponies you brought here?”

Biting her lip, River didn’t answer right away, instead taking a moment to examine the mess, as though the answer to his question could be found amongst the disarray. “I don’t know exactly what the story is between Tryout and Gladmane,” she admitted. “But just the accusation that somepony who’s part of your household, let alone related to two ponies close to you, stole from one of them will probably make the others wary about cutting a deal with you. Plus…”

She didn’t elaborate, but she didn’t need to. “My behavior did little to instill them with confidence in my administration.”

For some reason that made River wince. “It’s just…even divided among all of them, and spread out over ten years, one hundred million bits is a lot of money. Telling them you plan on paying it back with interest doesn’t do them much good if that won’t start for at least a decade. Plus, the terms you put down are heavily slanted in your favor. I know Vanhoover needs this to happen, but even for royalty you’re asking an awful lot from some of the most selfish ponies in Equestria.”

Lex spent a moment digesting that before sending another question River’s way. “Is it your opinion that this is a lost cause?”

If it was, he’d need to use his backup plan of taking control of the Equestrian mint, which would provide short-term relief at the cost of long-term consequences. Even being a prince wouldn’t offset the economic fallout that would result if he did that. While it was better than letting Vanhoover perish, it wouldn’t be the recovery he wanted, and it would set his plans for assuming greater political power back considerably.

Fortunately, River shook her head after pondering his question for a long moment. “I think this can still work, but you’re going to need to give them something.”

A flash of irritation ran through him at the thought of needing to incentivize virtuous behavior, but he shoved it down. “You’re suggesting that I make the terms of the loan more favorable for them?”

“That might be enough,” murmured River, seemingly deep in thought now. “But they’d probably be more agreeable if you offered them favors.”

“Favors,” repeated Lex flatly.

River shrugged. “Ponies who do things for royals don’t usually ask for things in return. In fact, Gladmane himself upset Blueblood quite badly when he did exactly that. But this isn’t a typical situation and you’re not a typical prince, which is probably why they were being so blatant about suggesting changes that were favorable for them.” Pausing as though to consider what she just said, she nodded after a second. “It doesn’t have to be as part of the loan, but telling them that you’re open to helping them get what they want could go a long way toward winning them back.”

“You’re suggesting a quid pro quo arrangement.” It wasn’t a question on Lex’s part, his expression neutral as he continued to suppress his feelings. “That in exchange for them agreeing to fund Vanhoover’s recovery on my terms, I strike favorable deals with them regarding unrelated matters.”

It was unpalatable, but if that was the cost of bringing this city back from the brink, then it was one that he could live with. For all that he’d envisioned himself assuming absolute authority once he took power on the world stage, Lex had known from the beginning that he’d still need to cut deals and make agreements; he’d simply envisioned doing so with foreign heads of state and similar potentates, rather than domestic captains of private enterprise.

River was apparently of the same mind. “It’s not like several of them didn’t already tell you what they want. And this way, they’ll be even more likely to back you when you declare independence and take Las Pegasus as part of your new country.”

The idea that this hasty attempt to repair negotiations actually had a bright side was enough to make Lex snort. “And I assume I’ll need to do this with each and every one of the ponies whose money I want?” Despite this option looking more and more like a viable way out of the mess he’d gotten himself into, he couldn’t bring himself to feel pleased at the prospect of having to make additional agreements with two dozen-odd ponies.

The question caused a pained look to cross River’s face. “You could try it with just a few of them, but they’ll probably flaunt it to the others in private, and then they’ll start wondering why they didn’t get special treatment, and, well…”

“Of course,” muttered Lex, some disgust leaking into his voice as his attempt to remain impassive faltered. Rallying his self-control, he focused on what he needed to do next. “Time is still of the essence, so I want to reconvene everypony tonight. Can you meet with each of them before then and try and get a sense of what it will cost to win them over?”

A hollow laugh escaped River’s lips at that. “That won’t be a problem. For most of these ponies, talking about what’s in it for them is their favorite subject.”

“Just make it clear that you’re not agreeing to anything on my behalf. Not before I know what it is they want.” That was what he had done wrong with Sonata and Aria last night, promising them whatever they wanted before he’d had any idea what they intended to ask for, his embarrassment over which had led to his current predicament. That wouldn’t happen this time. “And make certain they know that I won’t give them anything unless they agree to the loan first.”

“Understood,” replied River. “I’ll need to get started now if we’re going to do this tonight. Should I tell everypony that we’ll be meeting over dinner?”

“Make whatever arrangements you feel necessary,” replied Lex dismissively, already turning toward the door. Now that the current problem was being dealt with, it was time to move on to the next one. “Just take into account that I’ll be bringing Sonata and Aria with me this time.”

“Razzle will be happy to hear that,” muttered River as she fell in behind him. But that lasted only until they exited the conference room, with River turning in a different direction, pausing as she glanced over her shoulder at Lex. “If I can ask, what will you be doing in the meantime?”

Lex didn’t bother looking back at her as he headed toward her study. “Dealing with my personal assistant’s troublesome husband.”

Author's Note:

Lex and River come up with a plan to save the loan negotiations!

If it works, what will it end up costing Lex to get the money he needs? And what will he do with Tryout?

Comments

[CommandoDude]

Legit proud of Lex here. He's recognizing his weakness instead of blaming other people for not doing what he says. He knows why he messed up (because he got flustered) and is going to correct it. Best of all he's learning to rely on the people he trusts to do things he isn't as skilled with. He's come a long way now.

[Firefoxino]

Now I see why sombra wanted slaves all around. Less talk more administration and more things done. 10/10 would crystaaaaalsssssssss again.

[Not so New Brony]

While Lex's decision to compromise with the Las Pegasus elites, this could potentially open up a floodgate of 'proposals' being put forward in exchange from the Las Pegasus elites trying to milk the opportunity for all it's worth since as River pointed out, the ex-prince never agreed to such proposals.

However, Lex's outburst has likely instilled a healthy sense of fear in them or at the very least, wariness of his temperament so we can at least rule out the elites becoming too pushy later. Well, unless they become blinded by their greed that is...

Regardless, it is good that Lex is deciding to nip the issue with Tryout immediately instead of letting it grow into a thorn in his side but given Tryout's intent...well, hopefully Feather Duster got through his thick skull that she isn't sleeping with Lex.

...

Who am I kidding, he'll probably end up making a fool of himself (again) and Feather Duster will probably prostrate herself before Lex begging for mercy on her numbskull of a husband's behalf.

[Booster Spice]

Lex might have got flustered, but he doesnt know or realise yet, or again refuses to admit he is being played by higher powers even with being subordinate to Nightmare?

[Alzrius]

10652044 It's taken several hundred chapters and more than a few mistakes on his part, but Lex is actually showing some personal growth here. True, he's still getting things wrong and fouling up, but at least now he can recognize when he has and try and fix things. That's a function of everyone around him (e.g. Sonata, his tulpa, the Night Mare) telling him he needs to change how he does things, plus his having a high enough Wisdom score (17) to realize that they're right. It's an encouraging sign, and hopefully he'll be able to keep this in mind going forward.

[Alzrius]

10652295 If you mean what we learned last chapter regarding Kara, then he has no idea.

[Alzrius]

10652056 I'll admit that made me chuckle. Nicely done, there.

[Alzrius]

10652112 They say a good compromise leaves everyone mad. Hopefully the Las Pegasus ponies will realize that Lex isn't someone to be trifled with, prince or no, and that they should approach his offer to cut a deal with some sense of restraint. At the end of the day, he could probably afford to expel one or two of from the corporation he wants them to form in order to finance his loan, making examples out of them by showing that he won't deal with someone who's too greedy with his generosity. At the end of the day, those ponies' greed is a weakness that Lex is seeking to exploit here, even if it's his only way of bringing them back to the proverbial table.

As for Tryout...yeah, this is most likely going to get ugly real fast. There are two issues there: whatever happened with him and Gladmane, and his issue with how Lex is (in his view) moving in on his family, and it's not likely that the subsequent discussion will be able to keep them neatly separated. Throw in the fact that Tryout and Feather's marriage is already going through a rocky period, that Feather has reached a point of admiring Lex instead of fearing him, and that Tryout thinks they're having an affair, and this has the potential to go all sorts of bad...mostly for Tryout.

I bet this'll be fun.

[Firefoxino]

10652373
Thanks thanks I'll be here all night