Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

616 - Playing the Part

Nosey couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

When Thermal Draft had told her to take Feather Duster – who refused to wake up, no matter how vigorously she’d been shaken – and run, Nosey had naturally objected. Despite the pegasus assuring her that she had a plan, Nosey had been dubious. After all, whoever had kidnapped Feather Duster had done so in order to lure Lex into a trap.

That alone had been enough to make Nosey nervous about this entire endeavor. While she didn’t regret coming along to help, the fact was that there were only two reasons why someone would challenge Lex, a pony who was – thanks to Princess Luna’s recent tell-all – famous across Equestria for his deeds. The first was that they’d wildly misjudged themselves, thinking that they had the power to overcome someone who’d defeated dragons, devils, and princesses.

The second was that they actually had the strength to do just that.

And with how methodical their preparations had been so far, Nosey didn’t like how distinct that second possibility seemed.

That was why she’d strongly objected to Thermal Draft acting as a distraction. Avoiding coming into contact with someone who could potentially take on Lex and win had been a top priority for the newsmare, still cognizant of what had happened the last time she’d blundered into a situation that she wasn’t prepared for. And while Nosey still wasn’t sure how the kidnapper had detected them, she’d been more than ready to try her luck at slipping away with Thermal Draft, carrying Feather Duster between the two of them.

But Drafty had felt differently, stepping out to confront the mastermind of her own accord.

For a single instant, Nosey had considered leaving her there. It had been what Drafty had told her to do, after all, and getting Feather Duster to safety was still a priority. But even knowing that, Nosey hadn’t been able to take even a single step away, one thought keeping her hooves rooted to the ground.

Lex would never abandon anyone.

So she’d stayed in place, peeking out from around the edge of the humungous vat that sat across from the similarly-sized container that they’d pulled Feather Duster out of, and watched as Thermal Draft had stepped out to confront the kidnapper.

…and changed into Lex as she did so.

The sight had been enough to leave Nosey completely gobsmacked, all thoughts of danger completely forgotten as she stared at pegasus-turned-unicorn, trying to figure out what she’d just witnessed, dimly listening as “Lex” ordered the shadowy figure to turn around.

The fact that the figure turned out to be Feather Duster only made things more confusing.

It’s a changeling invasion. It’s got to be. That was the only thing Nosey could think of, having lived through one such attack already. She’d been lurking outside of Canterlot Castle when the shapeshifting bugs had invaded, fuming over her inability to interview anypony more important than Princess Celestia’s steward’s barber about upcoming nuptials between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, when all of a sudden there’d been a swarm of the things outside of the shield around the city, battering it relentlessly.

Curiosity had warred with panic at the sight, leaving her standing completely still when the bugs broke through a moment later. As such, she’d been an easy target for them to hit with their sticky green goop, leaving her pinned to a wall and – as she’d realized a few seconds later – completely unable to so much as track what was going on! It was almost funny to recall now, but at the time that had been her biggest worry: that she wouldn’t be able to properly witness and document everything that was happening for the article she’d write later on.

She had, in retrospect, been too naïve to be afraid.

Xiriel had cured her of that.

“I’ll give you one more chance. Remove that headpiece you’re wearing, or I’ll remove it for you.”

The strange command from Drafty – or the changeling that was impersonating Drafty, presuming that she’d ever been a real pony to begin with – dragged Nosey out of the whirlpool of guesswork and speculation that her thoughts had become, slowly putting Feather Duster down as she continued watching the standoff. Drafty wanted Feather Duster’s copycat to remove her headpiece? Why? What did that have to do with-

Then the accessory in question came off, and all of a sudden there was a black griffon dressed in what looked like some sort of commando outfit standing where Feather Duster’s double had been.

Nosey could only stare, completely lost by that point. What the actual f-

“A griffon?” murmured Thermal Draft, still disguised as Lex, apparently as surprised by the revelation as anyone. But she shook it off a moment later. “Who are you, and why did you kidnap Feather Duster?”

“My name isn’t important,” answered the griffon in a voice far too casual for Nosey’s liking. “As for why I abducted your maid…” She shrugged then, and Nosey noticed that she let her headpiece – now looking more like a nondescript chapeau than the lacy headband it had been a moment ago – slip from her talons as she did so. “She was just the easiest way to get to you.”

She thinks that’s the real Lex, realized Nosey, swallowing silently as her eyes darted between the two figures. She doesn’t know she’s talking to an imposter!

“For what purpose?” demanded Drafty, and Nosey had to admit that she was doing a good impression of Lex, perfectly mimicking the forceful tenor he so often used.

But if the griffon was even slightly intimidated, she didn’t show it. “So I could do this.”

Then she kicked out, rearing upright as she launched the chains – formerly used to bind the real Feather Duster – collected in a heap in front of her back paws directly at Thermal Draft’s face.

Nosey held her breath in fright as she watched the disguised pegasus, still looking so much like Lex, fling herself to the side, barely avoiding the heavy mass of metal. But the half-second she spent dodging was all the time the griffon needed, wings flapping as she rushed forward, her talons smoothly drawing a pair of daggers from her bandoliers. There was no hesitation in her movements, no hint of doubt or indecision as she brought her blades up.

The same couldn’t be said for Thermal Draft. Although her impersonation of Lex had been flawless up until that point, Nosey could see her eyes – Lex’s eyes – widen in alarm as the griffon barreled toward her. While the reporter knew that the real Lex would have raised a barrier of black crystals between them, or turned into a shadow, or cast some spell she’d never heard of, Thermal Draft’s ability to copy the unicorn prince was apparently limited to his appearance alone. No aura burst to life around that red horn. Those brown eyes stayed brown, rather than being awash in green and purple. No precise gestures were made nor arcane words spoken.

Instead, what saved Thermal Draft was that she tripped, her back legs becoming entangled in the chains she’d just avoided as she reflexively stepped backwards.

It was a brief respite. Although the sudden collapse onto her back caused the swipes of the griffon’s daggers to miss, Drafty’s attacker didn’t hesitate to press her assault, pouncing on the downed pony like a hawk descending on a field mouse. Nosey could only watch as the griffon dropped heavily onto Thermal Draft, coming down hard on her torso and causing her breath to exit her lungs in a rush, stunned.

That was all the opportunity the griffon needed, settling over the fallen pegasus-turned-unicorn so that her back legs were pinning Thermal Draft’s forelegs to the ground, resting her weight on them as she straddled the pony’s torso. By that time Drafty, realizing how bad her position was, began to thrash, but she had no leverage, back legs kicking uselessly as she tried and failed to free herself. In desperation, she brought her head up sharply, trying to headbutt the griffon…but was forced to abort the motion midway through as the griffon held one of her daggers in front of her; had Drafty gone through with it, she’d have impaled her neck on the blade.

As it was, the griffon slowly brought the dagger forward, until its tip was resting against the captured pony’s throat. Even then she kept pushing, forcing Drafty to lower her head back to the ground, until finally she was lying flat, with the griffon still pressing the point of the blade against her neck. In her other talon, she raised the matching dagger up high, reversing her grip so that it was pointed downward, right above Drafty’s face.

The entire thing had taken barely fifteen seconds.

Momentarily overwhelmed by the sight of such brutal efficiency, Nosey felt her blood run cold as she realized what was about to happen. If the griffon brought either dagger down, it would mean the end of Thermal Draft, and whether she was a changeling or not, Nosey wasn’t prepared to watch the other pony die…especially not while she was wearing Lex’s form! Maybe I can blind her with that fireworks spell I learned as a kid! It wasn’t very impressive, and not dangerous in the least, being a modest explosion of colored light and sound with no actual pyrotechnics behind it – it was more of a party popper than an actual firework, really – but maybe in the relative gloom it would be enough to startle her. She could grab Drafty and get away with Feather Duster, just like she’d originally planned, and hopefully lose that griffon before she…she…

Belatedly, Nosey realized that the griffon hadn’t moved, declining to finish Thermal Draft off instead of bringing her daggers down.

A moment later she found out why.

“Too easy,” murmured the griffon, staring down at the disguised Drafty from behind her goggles. Her head twisted as she looked around, and Nosey held her breath as she slunk back further behind the vat. Apparently she hadn’t been detected, because a moment later she heard the griffon speak again. “Are you really Lex Legis?”

“What? Of course I-, ngh!”

Drafty’s answer was cut off as the griffon once again reversed her grip on the dagger she was holding aloft, bringing the butt of it down hard across Drafty’s face. As her victim reeled from the blow, she reached up and yanked off the circlet the captured pony was wearing…only to watch as it immediately faded into nothing in her grasp. “An illusion?” she muttered. “But it felt real to the touch…” She considered that for a moment as she looked the pony beneath her over. “Explain yourself. Now.”

“My…my magic is beyond your feeble understand-, hrgh!”

Another sharp blow to the face cut Drafty off, the griffon snorting in irritation. “Let me make this easy for you. I’m here to kill Lex Legis. So if you want to save yourself, you’ll stop with the games.”

Drafty swallowed, looking away from the dagger and the person holding it. “I’m not scared of you. I know that death doesn’t have to be permanent.”

“I have ways of defeating resurrection magic,” replied the griffon coldly. “So if you’re thinking someone will bring you back, think again.” She let that sink in for a moment before continuing. “Now, are you Lex Legis?”

Beneath her, Nosey could see Thermal Draft swallow, breathing faster, but her expression remained defiant. “Why would you assume otherw-”

This time, it wasn’t a blow to the face that interrupted her. It was the upraised dagger coming down sharply, stopping a fraction of an inch from her eye. “When I fought Lex Legis, I cut him. I stabbed him. I poisoned him, electrocuted him, and sliced through one of his eyes. And the only time he so much as flinched was when he was trying to lure me into a trap. You’ve been all talk and no action. So either you’re an imposter using some sort of advanced shapechanging magic, or you've healed up and this is all part of some elaborate ploy.” She spun the dagger idly, as though it were a drill about to be lowered into her captive’s eye. “So, which one is it?”

Drafty swallowed, but clenched her jaw, saying nothing.

“Last chance,” hissed the griffon. “Then I decide to be safe rather than sorry.” The dagger spun faster. “Tell me your name.”

“…you first.”

“Have it your way. I’m not supposed to kill anyone except my quarry, but if you turn out to be a fake after all, what my employer doesn’t know won’t hurt them.”

She moved her dagger away from Drafty’s eye then, but only to return it to a raised position. “I’m Dark Streak, and you, whether you’re the real Lex Legis or not, have been an incredible disappoint-”

That was when Nosey cut loose with her fireworks spell.

Author's Note:

Drafty does her best against Dark Streak, but is quickly subdued!

Fortunately, she's able to use the assassin's uncertainty about her identity against her, earning some information in the process! But will Nosey be able to get her out of there to put it to good use?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

So much for professionalism on Dark Streak's part but given her profession, there are undoubtedly plenty of things that she hid from her previous employers, especially if it jeopardized her pay.

Still, she did give out quite a bit of info for Nosey and Drafty to pass on to Lex later for him to mull over should the confrontation with the assassin end up not being the final one. Though it would be all too easy for Lex to realize that the Crown is behind the assassin since they have the most grievance with him. Not to mention the funds should he ever learn how much Dark Streak was promised.

However, all of this relies on the fact that both Nosey and Drafty make it out of this alive though I'll give them both props. Drafty for standing her ground and Nosey for moving to save the former. Hopefully, the fireworks spell will get them an opportunity to escape with Feather Duster in tow or attract Lex's attention.

[Firefoxino]

Fire in the hole!

1 fire damage

OH.

[Alzrius]

10898519 Things like that last part are a bit of a hint that Dark Streak is Neutral Evil rather than Lawful Evil. She'll stick to a contract, but she's not going to treat it as some sort of commandment which must be adhered to. Being put in a situation where she's not completely sure whether or not the Lex Legis in front of her is the real deal or not, she's going with the "kill and cover it up later if wrong" option, rather than the "let them go, just to be on the safe side" option.

Of course, if Nosey can't buy some time, and alert Lex and the Sirens, Dark Streak won't have much problem with that. The good news is that fireworks tend to be loud and bright, so hopefully they'll come running. Or at least as well as Lex can move, in his current state.

[Alzrius]

10898681 Well, there's already a fire in the place, but a splash of light and sound can't make things any worse, right?

[Booster Spice]

thermal is rather outclassed even with assistance against suprise attack?

Depends on just how accurate Noseys fireworks are in a factory full of combustiblematerials and residues, and if she gets an average, critical fail damp squib, or critical sucess, What Vat?

[Alzrius]

10899273 Well, she did say that the spell had no actual pyrotechnics involved, being just a mild burst of light and sound. It's not like she's with the Flaming Sky Firework Troupe or anything.