Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

573 - Spell Components

“This isn’t working.”

Fruit Crunch’s blunt assessment caused Cloudbank to frown, a piece of toast halfway to her mouth. Fighting down the urge to sigh, she lowered her food, giving the colt a patient look. “It hasn’t even been a week yet. We don’t know that it’s not working.”

“But none of us have gained a single spell yet!” complained the colt, huffing as he took a bite of his muffin. “We’f been waken-”

“Chew with your mouth closed, please,” interrupted Fiddlesticks, cringing at the sight of Fruit Crunch’s half-eaten food.

Glowering at the filly – who didn’t notice as she focused on mashing up another pile of blueberries for Tiddlywinks, the giggling baby’s blue-stained fur a testament to the limited success she was having feeding him – Fruit Crunch huffed, swallowing before starting again. “I was saying, we’ve been waking up every night at midnight to pray for spells for days now, and it’s not working. Also, you’re squishing those berries wrong.”

Fiddlesticks glanced up sharply at the unwanted criticism, but didn’t have a chance to speak up before Feathercap cut in. “Maybe we should give it a few more days?” he asked as he levitated a pitcher of orange juice over to refill his glass. “I mean, we didn’t gain our spirit animals all at once either.”

“We kinda did,” noted Cleansweep, stirring her bowl of cereal idly. “I mean, we all went to sleep and then the Night Mare gave them to us, just like that.” Pausing, she glanced at Venin, coiled around her middle like usual. “Are you sure you don’t want any breakfast?”

Thank you, but like my companions, I remain healthy and nourished so long as you are, came the serpent’s reply.

“You know, we didn’t actually gain Altaer and the others right away,” observed Straightlace, finishing his yogurt and wiping his muzzle with a napkin. “We spent a few nights learning prayers from Severance first, remember? Maybe this is the same.”

To abandon an enterprise so soon after undertaking it is beneath your dignity as servitors of the First Convoker and the Supreme Predator both, agreed Altaer, perched on the back of Straightlace’s chair. It smacks of diffidence.

It smacks of a waste of time, huffed Lyden, glancing at the eagle sidelong. The path to greater power will not be found by mewling for the Supreme Predator’s favor.

And yet that favor is bestowed upon the elder in our midst, as a reward for her show of devotion, argued Ulespy from where he’d settled on the chandelier that hung over the dining room where they’d gathered for breakfast, spreading one wing out to indicate Cloudbank. Ergo, it’s too soon to conclude that this line of inquiry is fruitless.

What’s fruitless is this bickering, chided Nemel, trundling across the table as she delivered more blueberries to Fiddlesticks. We should listen to what our clan’s mentor thinks of the situation, rather than second-guessing her.

Knowing that meant her, Cloudbank didn’t answer right away, buttering another piece of toast – normally there would have been some servant pony trying to do it for her, but they’d all been called away to some assembly for some reason; it was just as well, since they usually put on too much – and taking a bite before replying. “Listen, I know it’s frustrating to have nothing to show for your effort,” she began slowly. “Believe me, I do. And it’s not just you guys; you know those other ponies who’ve been joining us each night to pray? None of them have received any spells yet either. So at the very least, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong.”

“Or you’re just not a very good teacher,” muttered Fruit Crunch.

But although he’d lowered his voice, it was still audible to everyone in the dining room, causing Cleansweep to scowl at her friend. “Crunchy!”

“I’m just saying, if it’s not us then maybe it’s her!” protested Fruit Crunch, swiping another muffin before he stood up, giving Cloudbank a sour look. “I agreed to this because I wanted to start winning fights for a change, but so far we haven’t learned anything that’ll make us stronger, which means we’re not going to be any more of a help to Lex-”

“Prince Legis,” corrected Straightlace frostily.

“-than we have been the next time some nutjob pony attacks,” finished Fruit Crunch, refusing to acknowledge the interruption as he kept his eyes on Cloudbank. “I’ll keep showing up for midnight prayers, but if something doesn’t happen soon, then I think we should try something else.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out the door, Lyden padding after him.

Wincing at her friend’s outburst, Cleansweep gave Cloudbank an apologetic look. “He doesn’t mean that. He still thinks that if he’d done more to stop Starlight Glimmer, Lex-, sorry, Prince Legis wouldn’t have been hurt so badly.”

“Fruit Crunch is dumb like that,” muttered Fiddlesticks, but there was no heat in her voice as she fed Tiddlywinks another spoonful of mashed berries (most of which got in his mouth this time). “I’m still amazed he kept it together as well as he did when he got up in Starlight’s face during Lex’s duel. I know we all had orders not to, but I really thought he was going to take a swing at her anyway.”

“You really should call His Highness by his title,” frowned Straightlace. “Our teacher is a prince now. Ignoring that is disrespectful.”

“So is calling Miss Cloudbank a bad teacher,” murmured Feathercap, shielding his face behind his binoculars as if he expected his friends to get angry with him for saying so.

But Cloudbank herself was the one who replied, shaking her head. “He might be right,” she sighed. “The truth is, I barely know what I’m doing. I only learned a little bit of the Night Mare’s doctrine from Severance before I…passed on, so it’s entirely possible that I’m not teaching everypony how to pray to her correctly. Except she still grants me spells when I do, so I don’t know why it’s not working for anyone else.”

Silence fell then, the remaining Knights sharing worried looks among themselves and their spirit animals, not sure what to say to that.

“Was…” Feathercap faltered as everyone looked at him, gulping as he marshalled his courage. “Was anything different when you first started receiving spells from the Night Mare?”

Cloudbank tilted her head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, maybe praying for her to renew your spells isn’t the same as whatever you had to do in order to start getting them in the first place,” explained the colt. “It’s like, when I registered at the library, I had to fill out a form and everything in order to get my card, but after that checking out books was a lot easier.”

An excellent hypothesis! proclaimed Ulespy, fluttering down to perch on the back of Feathercap’s chair. If the conditions to begin receiving the Supreme Predator’s favor are more stringent than merely renewing said favor, then that might be the key to explaining why your efforts to date have been futile!

“But nothing was different,” protested Cloudbank. “The first time I received spells from the Night Mare was the first time I prayed to her for them, right after the battle at the dockyards.”

“Maybe there was something unusual then, and you just didn’t realize it?” offered Cleansweep.

Straightlace frowned, a skeptical look crossing his face. “But wouldn’t the Night Mare let us know if that was the case? I mean, she wants more ponies to worship her, right? So why not just say ‘do X, Y, and Z in order to receive my power’?”

“That’s not how it worked for us,” pointed out Fiddlesticks. “We knew we wanted her to give us magic powers when we started sneaking out to see Severance, but it didn’t tell us that we’d be given spirit animals when it began teaching us. We just followed its instructions, and then we met her in a dream after we fought that Silhouette guy.”

“And the Night Mare’s a goddess of self-reliance anyway,” added Cloudbank. “I may not know as much about her as I should, but I know that she helps those who help themselves. That was one of the first things Lex told me about her when he introduced me to her faith.”

Straightlace winced. “You should really call him Prince-”

“Maybe that’s it,” murmured Feathercap, frowning lightly as he turned his binoculars over in his hooves. As with Fruit Crunch, his voice wasn’t so low that everyone around him was unable to hear him.

“Maybe what’s it?” pressed Cleansweep.

Looking up, Feathercap licked his lips. “Well, Miss Cloudbank started getting spells from the Night Mare right after she helped win the battle against those sea monsters. And we got our spirit animals after we helped defeat that Silhouette guy. So…maybe the Night Mare only offers her power to people who’ve won a fight?”

Nemel’s head bobbed up and down approvingly, the motion looking odd on a badger. The idea has merit. The Supreme Predator would surely want any who emulate her to prove their worthiness.

But Cloudbank only shook her head. “I’ve spoken with the ponies who’ve been praying with us each night, and some of them have won fights.”

Were their victories sincere displays of combat prowess? asked Altaer haughtily. I doubt the Supreme Predator would find value if their altercation was a mere tussle.

“Some of those ponies were trapped in Vanhoover, just like I was,” replied Cloudbank, giving the eagle a flat look. “That meant they had to deal with the ghouls, and some of them said they actually fought and killed some of them. I don’t have any way of proving that, but I doubt that each and every one of them are lying. Besides, you guys have won fights – regardless of what Fruit Crunch thinks – so you should be getting spells anyway.”

Feathercap looked down, crestfallen. “So much for that idea, I guess.”

Venin’s tongue flicked out and back. Don’t be discouraged. Your idea was a good one.

And it might yet be correct, added Ulespy, leaning down to give the unicorn a gentle nip on the ear. Perhaps there are simply criteria in addition to the one you identified.

“If that’s the case, then we should look for commonalities between when Cloudbank gained spells for the first time, and when we gained our spirit animals,” noted Fiddlesticks as she again tried to get Tiddlywinks to eat without making too large of a mess. “Other than having just gotten into a fight, I mean.”

“I can think of one,” came a familiar voice from the doorway. “And that’s Severance.”

Cleansweep’s eyes lit up. “Crunchy! You came back!” Flying out of her seat, she rushed over to give the returning colt a hug.

“Miss me already, Dust Bunny?” Fruit Crunch grinned. But his smile faded as he looked at the others, before his eyes finally settled on Cloudbank. “I’m sorry for what I said before,” he murmured, his voice thick with contrition. “I know you’re doing your best to help us out. I just got frustrated that nothing’s seemed to go right lately.” One hoof rose up to pat Lyden – the wolf still at his side – between the ears. “Fortunately, I had someone to remind me that being a good leader means not lashing out at your allies.”

The other Knights smiled at that, turning toward Cloudbank in hope that she’d accept his apology. They weren’t disappointed as the older mare flashed Fruit Crunch a smile. “It’s alright. Believe me, I know how upsetting it is when you feel like you’re not strong enough to protect the people you care about.” Then it was her turn for her smile to fall away. “But unfortunately, Severance isn’t the key to this particular puzzle. After the battle at the docks was over, I gave it back to Lex.” Missing the way Straightlace pursed his lips, she shuddered at the memory. “I didn’t want it anywhere around me, since it refused to do anything when that kraken made me use it to hurt Drafty.”

Fruit Crunch’s shoulders slumped at that, shuffling back to his seat dejectedly. “Darn it. I was sure that had to be it, since that thing was so full of the Night Mare’s power.”

“Wait, what?” Feathercap looked over at Fruit Crunch then, his eyes widening. “What did you say?”

“Huh?” Fruit Crunch looked back at the smaller colt. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly brimming with excitement, Feathercap pointed at Fruit Crunch. “Say that again. What you just said, say it again. Word for word.”

Sharing a confused look with everypony else, Fruit Crunch slowly repeated himself. “I was sure that had to be it, since that thing was so full of the Night Mare’s power.”

“The Night Mare’s power…” murmured Feathercap, his eyes widening. “The Night Mare’s power!”

“Whatever brainstorm you’re having, tell the rest of us already!” snapped Cleansweep. “I can’t take the suspense!”

“Well, this is just a guess,” began Feathercap. “But when Miss Nosey, that reporter from Canterlot, was talking to Princess Luna before Le-, er, before Prince Legis took away her wings,” he corrected himself quickly, glancing at Straightlace, “she told him about some of His Highness’s adventures, and one of the things she mentioned was that, during the battle on the docks, he held back that kraken-”

“-with the Night Mare’s power!” finished Cloudbank, starting to see where he was going with this. “That’s what he called it afterward, when we were all filling each other in about what happened!”

“Okay,” drawled Straightlace, glancing between Cloudbank and Feathercap. “So that means…?”

“That means Severance and Prince Legis both have the Night Mare’s power in them,” realized Fiddlesticks. “So if you pray to the Night Mare while in their presence…”

“…and if you’ve managed to win a serious fight,” continued Cleansweep, catching on also.

“Then that’s what it takes for the Night Mare to give you magic powers!” concluded Fruit Crunch in a rush.

So that means the High Alpha is the only way into the Supreme Predator’s good graces now, concluded Lyden. It’s only appropriate that honoring him is the path to her approval.

Presuming that this new theory is correct, cautioned Ulespy. But if so, it would explain a great deal.

“But aren’t you guys a source of the Night Mare’s power?” asked Straightlace, looking at each of the spirit animals in turn. “Or what about Miss Cloudbank’s spells? They come from the Night Mare too.”

“I think there’s more to it than that,” muttered Cloudbank, thinking out loud. “Severance told me something about how it’s hard for gods to manifest on a world where no one, or almost no one, worships them. But if it and Lex-”

“Prince Legis,” corrected Straightlace automatically.

“-Prince Legis both have an actual piece of the Night Mare’s divine power in them, then it’s like part of her is actually here on Equestria. You need to reach out to that part of her that’s in this world in order to make that connection in the first place. That’s different than her simply sending spells to me, or how your spirit animals were created by her but are tied directly to all of you.”

“And the connection we made to her through Severance was enough to give us Lyden and the others, but not get spells?” Fruit Crunch put a hoof to his chin as he pondered that.

“Maybe the amount of power she put in each of them is different, and that has something to do with it,” offered Feathercap. “Or maybe the battle we fought with Silhouette wasn’t impressive enough, since it wasn’t to the death the way Miss Cloudbank’s was against that kraken. Or maybe it was because we wanted powers – which our spirit animals give us – and not spells.” He looked at Cloudbank then. “You wanted her to give you healing magic, right?”

“A healing spell,” realized Cloudbank, thinking back. “Lex told me that divine magic could heal, and that a healing spell could save Drafty, so that’s what I prayed for!”

“That has to be it!” cheered Cleansweep. “So if we pray to the Night Mare again with Prince Legis there, we’ll be able to ask her to give us real spells this time!”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Fruit Crunch shot to his hooves, a wide grin on his face as he turned and ran for the door, Lyden right behind him. “C’mon! Let’s go find Lex! Midnight’s only fifteen hours away!”

“Prince Legis!” corrected Straightlace as he and the others – Cloudbank included – rushed after him.

Author's Note:

Putting their heads together, the Night Mare's Knights and Cloudbank come up with a theory about what it takes to begin receiving spells from the Night Mare!

Is their hypothesis correct? And with Lex about to head off to Las Pegasus, will they have a chance to test it out?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

Interesting ideas from that brainstorm session and good thing they thought of it before Lex leaves though I am quite curious if their hypothesis will actually bear fruit. If it does work then Lex will need to play a more active role in establishing the Night Mare's religion and sooner than he planned though given how impatient some people are, they might leave if they don't get what they were promised.

Still though, 1 week? Geez, talk about impatient...

Granted, the only ones who was impatient here was Fruit Crunch and the rest of the NMK so the older members of the congregation should be more patient...I hope? Then again...there were those who came to join expecting instant gratification and even though they left, I'm thinking some might actually leave if they get no sign of the Night Mare's promise of power.

Putting that aside, I did forget that despite the divines power their degree of influence on Equestria is limited with Lashtada having the most number of worshippers and thus ability to grant their followers magic so the fact that none of the Night Mare's newfound congregation not being able to get powers is pretty much a given.

[Booster Spice]

The congregate needs to concentrate to accumulate?

[Alzrius]

10709933 More like they needed to cogitate in order to consummate a way to elucidate.

[Alzrius]

10709810 The kids were being rather impatient, weren't they? But then again, that sort of impatience is one of the hallmarks of being children; "delayed gratification" is something we associate with maturity, after all. (Remember how badly the CMCs wanted their cutie marks?)

As for whether or not the theory they've developed is true, it's interesting to consider, but does raise some notable questions. We've known for some time now that foreign deities face a catch-22 when it comes to manifesting on a world where they're unknown. Specifically, that they can only make use of their power on that world if they have a stable (no pun intended) body of worshipers there, but how are they supposed to maintain a body of worshipers when they can't - initially - offer them any divine patronage?

I'll point out that this is something we actually see in Dungeons & Dragons, but only if you go back to the Spelljammer rules from AD&D Second Edition. Since solar systems were all in their own crystal spheres, those acted as metaphysical as well as physical boundaries, where gods couldn't manifest in crystal spheres without first having a congregation of worshipers active in that spell for a full year.

However, even under those rules there are all sorts of loopholes and corner-cases where exceptions can be slipped through. Spells like contact home power allow for divine spellcasters to reach out and receive their deity's full complement of spells even when in a crystal sphere where they have no manifestation. Avatars of deities can physically travel to worlds where they have no influence via plane-shifting magic and planar pathways, though they're essentially limited to their own powers and abilities when they do (which is why they typically go with a large suite of servitors if they pursue such a course of action). Divine portfolios of deities with extant connections to a world can be subsumed by other gods (though that usually requires killing the deity in question, or otherwise inheriting their connection to that world). There are other options as well; like a lot of "natural" laws, those who can bend it usually do.

If Cloudbank and the NMKs are right, then the Night Mare is using Lex in a similar manner, essentially having him operate as a relay by which ponies can reach out and contact her before she's established a full hoofhold in Equestria. That would certainly explain why she demanded penance from Lex in exchange for her taking Severance back as well.

Of course, they might not be correct at all; it'll be interesting to see what happens next.