Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

842 - She Who Would Be Queen

“GET BACK HERE!!! NENET!!! NENET!!!”

Adagio’s furious howl followed Nenet as she burst out of the workshop and into the opulent bedroom, terror and exhilaration causing her to abandon all caution as she hurled herself toward the door opposite her. It was still ajar, thanks to her unlocking spell holding Adagio’s ward – which otherwise would have automatically shut and locked it – at bay.

For a split-second, she considered transforming again. Both her gynosphinx body and her hybrid form had wings, unlike the fully human shape she was in now. But she didn’t dare, knowing that Adagio had to be hot on her heels; changing forms would have slowed her down, costing her at least a half-second as she adjusted to her weight and center of balance being redistributed.

And at that moment, her instincts were screaming that even that half-second wasn’t something she could spare.

She was proven right an instant later.

Ducking through the boudoir’s entrance, Nenet’s magical sense perked up, registering something behind her, and she literally dove into the hallway, yelping as she lost her balance and went sprawling. Hugging Belligerence and Lex’s spine to her chest, she rolled over several times, somehow managing to catch a glimpse of a golden aura – which she knew was the telekinetic grip from Adagio’s ring – hovering right in front of the doorway where she’d been a moment ago.

Gibbering at the near-miss, Nenet didn’t wait to come to a full stop, instead managing to somehow get her feet back under her as she took off down the hallway.

Behind her, she could hear Adagio screaming her name again.

Gotta stay out of her line of sight! Otherwise she’ll grab me with her ring again!

But that was going to be easier said than done, since the corridor that led away from Adagio’s chambers was a long, straight line.

It took all the willpower Nenet could muster up to force herself to stop running, the urge to bolt still pressing down on her. But she forced that desire away, knowing that it wouldn’t help; the hallway she was in now was far longer than Adagio’s bedroom was wide, which meant that her pursuer would catch sight of her – and thus recapture her – long before she reached the nearest intersection.

Which means I have to change things up, or I’m as good as caught!

Gulping down a lungful of air, Nenet held it for just a moment, trying to regulate her breathing. Pronouncing the words correctly and making the precise gestures necessary to activate a spell was hard enough in an unfamiliar body, especially given how recently she’d gained the power to actually cast spells at all; doing so while running full-tilt was completely impossible. Thus, her only hope had been to take the calculated risk of stopping in order to call upon her magic.

Then she quickly cast the spell she’d prepared just in case something like this happened.

A moment later, a thick mist filled the hallway, rendering everything hidden behind a cloud of vapor.

Then she wheeled around and started running again.

She had no idea if this would even work. She’d prepared this spell after being inspired by what Lex had told her during the flight here, about how he’d once hidden inside the acidic fog cloud of a dragon’s breath weapon in order to surprise the beast. While she was familiar with the technique – even before forming her bond with her master, she’d been able to see into the magical spectrum enough to determine that Paska had used a similar spell while fighting that old adlet – the idea of using something so simple to outwit a stronger opponent had struck a chord in her, knowing that she was heading into a similar situation.

Of course, now that she was actually in the middle of it, the situation seemed decidedly dissimilar.

For one thing, Adagio had been the one who’d taught her that spell.

Given that, there was every reason to think that the enraged Siren – as she’d called herself – knew multiple ways to counter this bit of magic. Heck, Nenet could think of several herself. From a gust of wind to disperse it to a simple mistsight spell, there were many methods of defeating such a primitive visual obscurement. But given how low on magic Adagio had to be, there was an equal chance that she didn’t have any of those countermeasures available at the moment.

If that was the case, then Nenet had bought herself a little time.

Very little, since the fog only covered an area a few feet wide. If Adagio simply ran through it – which she’d be able to do very quickly, with her footwear being ensorcelled to increase her speed – then she’d be through it in a heartbeat.

Nenet knew she had to be around the corner by then, or this would all be over.

Almost to the corner! Almost to the corner! Almost to the-

Another tingling of magic reached Nenet’s ears at the same time as she heard Adagio’s voice raised in harsh song of anger, and she dived to the side in anticipation of whatever was coming her way.

But this time it was in vain, as the ground under her feet suddenly bucked and writhed, as though the entire mountain were shaking.

Which was exactly what was happening, Nenet realized as she went tumbling.

Flung off her feet, she heard herself crying out in terror as she clutched at Belligerence and Lex’s spine, trying to hang onto both of them even as she tried to catch herself. Instead, all she did was hit the ground hard, and it was only after her second attempt to get back up had failed that she remembered that both of her other forms had wings.

Biting her lip so hard she almost drew blood, she turned back into her Three Feet in the Evening body – knowing that her gynosphinx form would make her lose her hands, and that whatever Adagio had done to Lex’s spine was making it extremely difficult to move with magic – and flapped her wings, somehow managing to pick herself up to achieve liftoff, silently glad that these hallways had been made big enough to account for creatures the size of Sissel and Blat!

A second later she was at the intersection, clumsily winging around and almost slamming into the corner as she made the turn, glancing back at the bank of fog that she’d made-

Just in time to see Adagio emerging from it, her teeth bared and her eyes wild, running at a full tilt with no concern for how the ground was shaking.

Yelping, Nenet beat her wings harder as she made her way down the connecting corridor.

If I can just make it to the next intersection!

Not even noticing that the tremors had stopped, Nenet didn’t glance back as she flew as fast as she could, convinced that Adagio was on the verge of catching her. And yet, no golden aura grabbed her as she neared the next turn, nor did a raised voice sing out with a magical attack. Had she reached the end of her magic at last?

She had just started to let herself hope that was the case when Adagio emerged from the wall up ahead of her.

This wasn’t like when Paska had slipped out of a hidden alcove. Even as her brain struggled to process what was happening, Nenet could see Adagio emerging from the stone itself, another of the rings on her right hand shimmering slightly as she passed through the wall as though it wasn’t even there.

Shrieking, the sphinx somehow managed to avoid a collision, angling herself so that she flew just over Adagio’s head, her feet coming within an inch of the Siren’s outstretched grasp.

Reaching the next intersection, Nenet banked hard as she turned, hearing a rush of footsteps right behind her. Notgonnamakeitnotgonnamakeitnotgonna-

Then an eruption sounded behind her, mingled with a cry from Adagio, and when both fell silent there were no more footsteps dogging her.

For a second Nenet didn’t know what had happened.

Then she remembered the glyph she’d laid down on her way in, right after she’d realized that she was capable of taking a human form.

She triggered it...I set it to release a stunning blast if someone other than me walked over it...and she triggered it!

A hysterical laugh escaped Nenet’s lips then, equal parts relieved and disbelieving that anything of hers had been able to affect Adagio at all, and she was still laughing as she reached the exit, returning to her full-gynosphinx body.

Master, I’m almost out! she reported telepathically, still in the grip of exaltation as flapped her wings harder. It didn’t matter if Grisela’s lesser puppets saw her now, she was nearly home free! I have your spine, and I’m almost past the wards! I even still have Belligerence!

Are you being pursued? Rather than sharing her elation, Lex’s mental voice sounded tense. Is there anything that could impede your getting out of there?

No, nothing! Gaining altitude, Nenet flew back the way she came, making sure nothing on the ground would be able to catch her. I should be clear in the next few sec-

A golden aura sprang to life around her before she could finish her thought. NO!

Nenet, what’s happened?! demanded Lex, his voice having gone from tense to anxious.

She’s got me! Struggling harder, Nenet tried with everything she had to break free. But just like before, she couldn’t extricate herself from the telekinetic grasp, barely able to look down as she saw Adagio finish emerging from the side of the mountain itself, the glow from her stone-walking ring fading even as the telekinetic one continued to shine.

Biting her lip, Nenet shifted back to her hybrid form, hoping to slip free again, but this time the golden aura contracted around her as she switched bodies.

Adagio, it seemed, wasn’t about to fall for the same trick twice.

Nor was she content to leave Nenet hovering in the air, as the golden aura suddenly shot downward, taking the bipedal sphinx with it. Nenet didn’t have a chance to do anything besides brace herself before she hit the ground, the impact making her already-bruised ribs flare in pain as she struck the snow-covered earth hard enough to leave a crater.

“You’re not going to ruin this for me!” snarled Adagio, waving Grisela’s puppets off as she strode over to where Nenet had hit the ground, the telekinetic aura continuing to pin her in place. “I’ve worked too hard to miss this chance!”

“What are you talking about?” moaned Nenet, still clutching Belligerence and Lex’s vertebrae as tightly as she could. “What chance?”

“To be adored, you dimwit, by everyone in this world!”

Nenet, listen to me very carefully. You need to calm down and assess the situation. No matter how bad it seems, figure out what you can do with the resources at your disposal.

There’s nothing I can do! she wailed, despair already starting to set in. I almost made it, but now-

Think! interrupted Lex. What spells do you have left? What innate magic can you use? What about your countermagic? Is there anything you can use it on?

The question made Nenet’s heart lurch, as she realized that in all the chaos and confusion of confronting her neglectful parent, she’d forgotten about the greatest power her master had given her. That had been because she’d resigned herself to Adagio’s spells being beyond what she could hope to counter – the strength of the wards surrounding this area had proven that much, since all she’d needed to do was glance at them in the magical spectrum to know that her countermagic couldn’t bring them down – but there had been one salient detail that she’d overlooked:

Right now Adagio was relying on the magic items she wore, rather than her own spells.

Nenet had looked those over in the magical spectrum, back in the workroom. It had been difficult to get a bead on those rings, as the bracelet she was wearing – what let her use that many magic rings at a time; normally wearing so many caused them to interfere with each other – had been so powerful that it had overshadowed their auras, but if she could maybe use her countermagic to shut down the telekinetic one...

Master, I have an idea!

Adagio had almost reached her then, and Nenet resisted the urge to use her countermagic immediately, instead letting her approach. The aura keeping Belligerence suppressed was degrading rapidly – apparently, even the Siren couldn’t keep such a powerful weapon contained for very long – and would likely fall apart in the next few seconds. If I can hit her with Belligerence once I’ve disabled her ring, that just might distract her long enough for me to get away!

Rather than asking for any details – what ring her mother was wearing or why it was so important to disable it – Lex’s reply was simple and to the point. Remember, sacrifice the quill if you have to. Getting beyond the wards with my vertebrae is what matters. I’ll know once you do, and will teleport you back immediately.

Yes, Master!

Now she just needed to get Adagio to lower her guard, even a little bit. “What do you mean ‘be adored by everyone in this world’?” she moaned, trying her best to look like there wasn’t any fight left in her. “I thought you said you were making this” – she glanced at the bones clutched tightly in her grasp – “into a weapon so you didn’t have to pay for whatever deals you made...”

Adagio snickered, looking down on Nenet both literally and figuratively. “That’s just the beginning. Sure, I cut a few buy-now pay-later deals with certain...let’s just say, eldritch powers, in order to up my game. And those agreements aren’t exactly favorable for me over the long-term; aristeia isn’t something you can get for cheap, not to mention everything else I acquired.”

Smirking, she pointed at Lex’s spine. “But Kryonex, the demigod whose blood I managed to steal, is an actual deity. True, he’s not very much of one – why anyone would want yetis as worshipers I can’t imagine – but divinity is a power beyond reckoning. By making that into an artifact, I’ll be able to run my creditors off when they come looking to collect. And then...”

She leaned in closer, and Nenet got ready.

“When the Pony Empire’s Queen Iliana kicks the bucket in a few years, guess who’s going to be there to take her place?”

With a silent act of will, Nenet threw as much countermagic as she could at Adagio’s ring, letting that amorphous power extend its tendrils toward the magic item, sinking into it as she silently commanded them to shut it down-

Only for them to crumble as the ring’s magic proved stronger.

Unable to help herself, Nenet’s eyes widened in shock. “Huh?!”

Mistaking the source of the sphinx’s surprise, Adagio gave a throaty chuckle. “I know. Everyone thinks that she’s going to live forever. And why wouldn’t they? After two centuries of keeping her little kingdom together, there’s no reason for them to assume there won’t be many more. But the secret’s starting to get out. Seers and soothsayers, prophets and augurs, oracles and mediums...all across the Empire, they’re starting to receive visions, all of the same thing: a future without Iliana in it.”

Reaching down, she put her hand over Nenet’s, her nails digging painfully into the sphinx’s fingers. “And when that happens, it’ll be time for Empress Adagio to step up, as the beloved new queen of this world’s ponies. And after that, who knows? Maybe it’ll be time for some new wars of conquest. After all, it’d be horribly unfair of the ponies to keep me all to themselves.”

Her smile turned predatory then, as she slowly began forcing Nenet’s hand open. “Now, be a good girl and let Mommy get back to work.”

Master, it didn’t work! wailed Solvei mentally. It didn’t work and I don’t know what else to do! She’s taking your spine back!

In her mind, Lex cursed. I didn’t want to attempt this in my current state, but I’m going to try and augment our link. It might let me punch through the teleport trap and bring you back. Hold on.

Fighting back a whimper, Nenet thrashed again as Adagio pried her fingers open, trying to struggle free despite knowing that it was futile...

Then Belligerence was at full power again, shining brightly in Nenet’s eyes.

Sucking in a breath, Nenet immediately turned the spear around in her grasp. Trapped in the grip of Adagio’s ring, she couldn’t bring it into position to strike at her with it, but she was able to lay it alongside the Siren’s shoulder, brushing her face. Irritated, Adagio brought her ring-laden hand to brush it away, even as she opened the last of Nenet’s fingers...

And the quill’s barbs sprouted, spearing Adagio’s fingers.

A shriek of pain left the Siren’s lips, and she yanked her hand – both hands – away from Nenet...or at least, she tried to. But her right hand was stuck fast, the barbs getting caught in the chain linking her bracelet to her rings, and Adagio found herself stuck fast. That was enough to break her concentration, and the telekinetic aura around Nenet immediately fell apart, freeing her.

Immediately, she turned to get up, still clenching Lex’s spine and the quill as she sprang to her feet. This was her chance! This was-

“Oh no you don’t!” roared Adagio, her left hand reaching out to grab Nenet by the wing.

Memories of what Grisela had done to her assaulted Nenet then, causing her to react viscerally as her tail – her hideous, spiked tail – came around and struck Adagio in the side of the head. But unlike Belligerence, all her tail’s strike managed to do was tear a few strands of hair from the Siren’s head, causing her to snarl. “THAT’S IT!” she screamed, batting Nenet’s tail away. “I’ve tried to be nice, and I’ve tried to make you understand, but now-”

But Nenet didn't hear the rest, suddenly vanishing...

---

...and reappearing in front of the dark shadow that was her master.

“Y-you did it!” she breathed, almost collapsing in relief, scarcely able to believe what had happened. “You enhanced our link and got me out!”

“No,” murmured Lex, and Nenet could see the confusion in his glowing green eyes. “I was still gathering my strength, when I felt that you were clear.”

“Huh?” Blinking, she could only tilt her head, not sure what he was saying. “But...but I wasn’t...”

“I suddenly registered your distance and direction again, and thought you'd gotten past the wards,” explained Lex. “Are you saying that’s not what happened?”

Dazed, Nenet shook her head, tail swishing in agitation. “Yes. I mean, no, that’s not what happened. I tried to get away, but I didn’t make it two steps before Adagio was on me again. I don’t know why you were able to teleport me out. That shouldn’t have been possible without the key to bypass...”

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of her tail out of the corner of her eye. There was still a few wisps of blonde curls among its spikes, and Nenet had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Her hair,” she breathed, reaching down to pluck the strands free. “It was her hair. Master, that was the key she made to circumvent the wards! And I got it without realizing! This...this tail that I hate...that shows how polluted I am...it's the reason you were able to bring me back!”

Feeling her eyes water, she looked back at him with a smile...only to see that Lex was staring at her with frightening intensity.

“‘Adagio’?”

Author's Note:

After multiple close calls, Nenet manages to get back with Lex's spine!

How will he go about repairing the damage to his body? And what will he do now that he knows just who Nenet’s mother is?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

So taking over the pony empire...now I can see why she's so desperate for the godsblood now though even without Lex's interference, I doubt she would succeed, especially since Iliana will definitely have a lot of enemies likely plotting the same. I mean, if the future doesn't have her in it then one of them likely bumped her off so there will likely be conflicts over succession.

Then again, with godsblood, Adagio would have had an edge though with Nenet having escaped by the skin of her teeth or tail in this case, it's not gonna happen. Though with knowledge of Adagio being Nenet's mother...things just got more complicated Lex again, didn't it?

Though his immediate concern is to figure out how to put his spine back without dying again. Everything else can come after...if it'll allow him that is.

[Booster Spice]

This is getting to Initiative rolls again. The trick with the hair and the body works both ways, Adagio can trace, and Lex can backspell? Still, if Lex can get the Greater Healing, Restoration and whatever the other requisite equivalent spells are, he will have Hvitdods blood speelbound to his form, making him a Class Cryomancer?

[Alzrius]

11618807 You have to give Adagio credit: she doesn't dream small. Of course, that's true to form for her, since even after a thousand years on Earth her first thought upon seeing Equestrian magic was that it was an opportunity to make the entire world adore them. Seems that she hasn't lost her ambition here, despite having tons of potential opponents waiting in the wings. In that regard, she's not like Sonata and Aria at all, being ready to work hard to get what she wants.

Of course, the artifact that she's trying to make is currently back in Lex's possession now, and he's no doubt going to try and reintegrate it into his body immediately. That naturally begets the question of how he'll try and do so, whether or not it will succeed, and what (if any) potential side effects will result from Adagio's (apparently incomplete) tampering with it. Somehow, I doubt that adding godsblood to it will have little-to-no effect on him, but who can say?

Of course, now that he knows that the missing Siren sister is here, I doubt Lex will let that particular issue go by without his doing something about it. After all, he promised Sonata and Aria that he'd bring Adagio back...and make her love him just like they do. And I can't see Lex being the sort of person who'd forget/abandon a promise. And all of that is occurring against the backdrop of a potential major change in the leadership of Everglow's Pony Empire.

"More complicated" is right!

[Alzrius]

11618874 That's all theoretically correct, with regard to being able to home in on a missing piece of one's own body, but it still requires the necessary spells to be able to use, and Adagio seems to be at the point where she has to rely on magic items to get things done. She doubtlessly has a few spells left (e.g. for finishing the artifact she was trying to make), but I doubt she was prepared to trace someone else's teleportation (remember, she thought that Nenet was there because her new master was dead, and she wanted to resurrect him).

As for what could potentially happen to Lex if he's able to successfully place his godsblood-infused spine back into his body, well...I suppose we'll have to wait and see.