“Next is the Trottingham residence,” announced Stuffed Shirt, turning the page of the thick tome that he’d produced.
“It’s a relatively recent addition to the royal holdings, having been gifted to Prince Blueblood’s great-great-grandmother, Princess Pureblood. With a ninety-eight hundred square-foot dwelling sitting on a little less than fifteen hundred acres of land, it’s really more of a bungalow than a proper estate,” he continued, shooting Lex an apologetic look. “There’s only a single servant stationed there full-time; an earth mare named Throw Rug. She’s as old as the hills, but she keeps the place tidy and the clocks wound, along with overseeing some local hires who come in once a week to manage the grounds.”
“Wait, so that Blueblood guy has some sweet old lady cleaning one of his big houses all by herself?” Looking up from where she’d been batting at the iridescent spindle floating over her head – Lex having given it to her to play with – Sonata frowned. “That’s awful! Lex, you’ll send her some help, right?”
“And break up her little love nest?” snickered Aria, glancing at Stuffed Shirt with a leer. “It’s your job to know what all the other servants are up to, right? Be honest: those groundskeepers she brings over are all doing her in the master bedroom every week, aren’t they?”
Bristling, Stuffed Shirt gave both mares an indignant look. “I’ll have you know that I asked Throw Rug if she wanted to retire two years ago, when Prince Blueblood last elected to stay in Trottingham. She indicated that she was quite satisfied with her current arrangement, and didn’t want anything to change.”
“Oh, I bet she was ‘satisfied,’ alright,” leered Aria, clearly enjoying having someone new to tease. “She probably-”
“Aria.”
One word from Lex was all it took to bring the Siren up short. Although she knew he wouldn’t do anything as awful as taking away her voice again, the last thing she wanted was to get another curse because she’d pushed him too far, not when she still couldn’t enjoy being touched unless she was within a few feet of him. “I was just having a little fun,” she groused as she laid back down, returning her attention to the magazine she’d gotten from one of the maids.
“Hmph!” Taking a moment to recover his poise, Stuffed Shirt turned to the next page in his book, his face brightening as he did so. “Next we have the Manehattan assets. These include not only real estate, but a magnificent collection of antiques, portraits, and other objets d’art, most of which are on loan to various museums and galleries. Further, you also have permanent memberships in a number very exclusive institutions, as well as reserved seating at several of the city’s most highly-rated theaters and eateries.” Taking a moment to look the listings over with a fond smile, Stuffed Shirt indulged himself for only a moment before turning back to the business at hoof. “Shall we go over them one by one?”
Lex sighed. They’d been reviewing the full scope of what he’d inherited from Blueblood for over an hour now, ever since the meeting regarding his future plans had finished, and judging by how many pages remained unturned in Stuffed Shirt’s catalog of his new royal possessions, they were barely a quarter of the way through. And while Lex was cautiously optimistic by how his new valet had recovered from his shock at hearing how his new employer was already planning to cleave off part of Equestria and make it a country of his own with no apparent dismay or disapproval – or rather, by how Sonata and Aria hadn’t seemed overly concerned by Stuffed Shirt’s reaction, since they were far better judges of someone’s disposition than he was – the overview held little interest for him in the face of more pressing concerns.
As it was, the only practical benefit to going over his new possessions now was knowing what he’d be able to sell if it became necessary to generate some additional income for Vanhoover before finalizing the loan agreement. Or so he’d thought. But when he’d mentioned the idea to Stuffed Shirt, the valet had hesitantly informed him that any such sale would require getting an appraisal – ideally more than one – before hosting an auction (since that was apparently the most reliable way to maximize the proceeds), a process that could take weeks to arrange, since only a select clientele would be able to field the amount of money necessary to make such sales worthwhile in the first place. Which meant that his negotiations with the Las Pegasus ponies would be over, and the first payouts from the loan arriving, before he could divest himself of any of what he’d acquired. Meaning that doing this now was little more than a vanity exercise.
But at the moment, there was nothing else for him to do. At the insistence of River and Stuffed Shirt, he’d postponed his plans to meet with the Las Pegasus delegation until tomorrow. The market was being patrolled by Garden Gate, the unicorn mare having taken it upon herself to act as a troubleshooter for any minor disputes that arose. The Night Mare’s Knights were currently caught up on the lessons he’d been giving them, and he already had a new set devised. Even the religious doctrines he needed to work on for the new devotees among the local populace was being handled by Cloudbank, the pegasus mare promising to have some material for his review soon.
The only extant matter left was Starlight Glimmer, and as much as Lex hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do about her in his current condition.
He was exhausted, injured, and out of magic – again – and while Princess Twilight had clearly been fatigued by teleporting all the way to Ponyville and back, via overcharged Equestrian magic no less, she still had more strength left than he did at the moment. Even if she didn’t have enough power to teleport herself and her friends away at the first sign of trouble, Lex knew that Twilight would still be able to put up a fight if he tried to force her to turn Starlight over. Worse, her friends would no doubt aid her, and while Lex had followers of his own that he could deploy, he wasn’t willing to risk doing so. Not when several other members of Twilight’s group had Everglow-based magic and equipment on top of their history of defeating various threats.
And besides, they’d be gone soon anyway. In the aftermath of the duel, before he’d been practically carried back to River’s manor by a throng of jubilant ponies, Lex had made sure to take note of what his adversaries were doing. Twilight and her friends had hunkered down on the platform of the demolished train station, apparently eager to leave Vanhoover at the first opportunity. The weeping wreck that was Blueblood had been among their number, still bawling like a baby even after Cleansweep had healed him. That Starlight Glimmer was with them also hadn’t escaped his notice either, and-
A knock at the door of the study broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked up in time to see Trotsworth enter. “Please forgive my interruption, Prince Legis,” he murmured, bowing. “But there’s a guest to see you.”
Stuffed Shirt clucked his tongue in disapproval. “Do they have an appointment? His Highness’s time is very valuable.”
“They don’t,” admitted Trotsworth. “But I thought that this particular guest might warrant the prince’s prompt notification regardless.”
“Why?” Her interest momentarily piqued, Sonata dragged her eyes away from the gemstone orbiting her head, continuing to avoid her attempts to capture it. “Who’s here?”
“A young lady by the name of Rarity.”
Alright Rarity. Deep breaths. You can do this.
Checking her makeup one final time in the mirror of her compact, Rarity nodded in satisfaction, telekinetically returning it to her travel bag. Said bag was, technically, the reason she was here at all, having “accidentally” left it behind on their previous visit to River Bank’s manor. That was the oldest trick in the book, of course – leaving a personal item at someone’s home so that you’d have an excuse to see them again when you went to pick it up – but it had worked when she’d needed to justify coming back here without her friends.
Even with a reason at the ready, however, she’d had a difficult time convincing the others that she’d be perfectly fine returning to the manor on her own. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had both been certain that Lex would take her hostage and try to trade her safe return in exchange for Starlight Glimmer, a prospect which had clearly frightened the mare in question. Twilight and Applejack had been less convinced of that, but had still felt it was a bad idea. Pinkie and Spike had offered to go with her – the former wanting to see Sonata again, and the latter wanting to be her bodyguard – but she’d talked them down, saying that she was just going to talk to the manor’s staff, which was technically true…she simply hadn’t mentioned what she was going to talk to them about, which was meeting with Lex Legis.
Specifically, meeting with him so that she could beg him to bring her beloved Long Road back to life.
The odds of that happening were miniscule, she knew. Sandbar, the naïve but sweet colt whom she’d shamelessly pumped for information when she’d learned that Lex had resurrected him – and whom she’d run into on her way back here, forcing her to put on an impromptu rhapsody about how they came from two different worlds and it could never work out between them but that she’d always remember him fondly, capping it off with a kiss on the cheek before she’d bid him adieu – had informed her in no uncertain terms that Lex’s ability to revive him and his friends had been due to a magic item gifted to him by his goddess, the Night Mare. A magic item that was expended now, and couldn’t be used again.
But it’s not like he can’t simply ask his goddess for another one now, can’t he? In fact, Rarity had no idea if that was plausible or not – she didn’t know very much about these “gods,” and what little she’d heard about the Night Mare suggested that she wasn’t the generous sort – but even if the chance was infinitesimal, it was one she had to take. Especially since, unlike with Princess Cadance’s method of bringing somepony back, Lex’s single instance of resurrection had been neither time-limited nor required an intact body.
If there was even the slightest hope that Equestria’s newest prince would be given the power to resurrect somepony again, Rarity knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t do everything in her power to convince him to bring the love of her life back to her.
No matter how daunting that task seemed.
And daunting was the word for it. Although she’d never laid eyes on Lex Legis before his duel with Twilight, Rarity had heard enough about him – thanks to the conference with the princesses, before Discord and that metal-and-stone monster had disrupted things – that she felt like she had a good grasp on what sort of pony he was. And what she knew wasn’t encouraging.
For one thing, if Soft Mane’s breaking down into tears yesterday was any indication, he was horribly prejudiced against non-ponies. That meant that if he did obtain another instance of resurrection, he’d be disinclined to use it on a donkey, even one as noble as Long Road. Moreover, Lex seemed like the sort of pony who held grudges, and while the two of them had never actually met, Rarity felt certain that his poor relationship with her friends would color his perception of her. And now that he was a prince, any hope of bribing him was completely gone; Rarity knew full well that wealthy ponies would flock to him now, hoping to ply him with expensive gifts in return for royal consideration. While business at the Carousel Boutique was booming – her plans for opening a second shop, this one in Canterlot, were on the verge of coming together if the location she wanted would just open up! – that sort of money was far beyond what she could afford.
But Rarity felt certain that she still had one thing that could tempt him.
Rainbow Dash might be gifted at fighting with her hooves, and Twilight at fighting with her magic, but there’s no mare in Equestria more skilled at wielding their feminine wiles than me!
That was her best, and only, chance. Lex’s hyperactive libido was, according to what her friends had learned while canvassing the half-built village made up of Vanhoover’s refugees, an open secret among those who knew him. He was apparently having torrid affairs with a number of different mares, including a pair of sisters who were the legendary Sirens! And while Rarity had to admit that Sonata and Aria were in a league of their own where beauty was concerned – having gotten a glimpse of them while they’d argued with her friends during the duel – she knew full well that stallions like Lex were always looking for new territory to conquer.
Touching up her perfume, Rarity couldn’t help but wince at using that particular metaphor.
As confident as she felt about her charms, she had no illusions that Lex would be led on as easily as Sandbar had been. Most likely, he’d want everything she had to offer, and if that was what it took in order to secure a promise from him to bring Long Road back to life if he had the chance – a promise that she felt certain he’d keep; for all of his many vices, Lex came across as somepony who was honorable in his own way – then Rarity was prepared to surrender herself to him. Long Road wouldn’t want her to, she knew, but if that was what it took to get him back…
Really, this is just like those silly novels, she reassured herself as she popped a breath mint in her mouth, thinking back to the books she kept – along with a few other items of a delicate nature – locked in the hope chest in her bedroom (all the better to keep them hidden from Sweetie Belle, especially now that she was old enough to have her first boyfriend; that nice young purrsian named Sunflower). The heartbroken maiden, desperate to rescue her beloved, offers herself to the wicked sorcerer in exchange for his help. He accepts, ravishing her cruelly while she tries not to lose herself to his bestial passions, knowing that she can never tell her lover what she sacrificed in order to save him.
She’d read variations of that scene plenty of times, usually in the evening with a glass of wine and a nibble of chocolate. This was no different, except now she was acting it out instead of reading about it. And if life imitates art, Lex will fulfill his promise to bring Long Road back, at which point we’ll be married and expecting in short order, only for me to realize that the baby isn’t my husband’s, starting a new series of entanglements. The absurd thought made her chuckle, helping to quell the butterflies in her stomach as she ran her brush through her mane one last time.
She’d just put it back in her bag when Trotsworth returned. “Miss Rarity? Prince Legis has agreed to see you.”
Having finished readying herself inwardly as well as outwardly, Rarity nodded, walking out of the room with her head – and her tail – held high.
Rarity is the worst.
...in canon too, unfortunately.
a grate chapter.
if Lex ever has the power to bring more pony's or a donkey back he will bring Long Road back for Rarity , it would be a huge political move for him place Rarity in his debt. who is one of the main six.
10595700
Yeah this is a pretty selfish thing to do. And iirc didn't Long Road already reject resurrection in the previous story?
Also, she for some reason is willing to believe gossip that Lex sleeps around which are obviously exaggerated despite his actual relationships with two ponies. And this trade is well...wildly a bad idea anyways. She's going to sleep with one man to get him to resurrect another man and then expect both of them to be perfectly okay with such an arrangement. I mean Long Road would definitely hate that.
10595713
I doubt Lex will do it. He wouldn't ask Nightmare because this is definitely beneath him and Nightmare definitely wouldn't waste her power on this either, especially with the two on rocky terms.
That said, Lex could offer some of his knowledge on the process and that might placate her. I mean, theoretically she could become a cleric powerful enough to do the spell herself.
People are swift to condemn Rarity for acting on behalf of another. Yes, it's someone she likes, but that is how that usually works. It's still a valiant effort, if misguided.
So Rarity is planning to seduce Lex to get a resurrection out of him. Putting aside that we know he can't or at least it's very unlikely the Night Mare would grant him another boon like that right now...
Yeah, Rarity doesn't know Lex as well as she thinks she does.
Desperation often forces one to do things that one would never consider so I can understand Rarity's decision here to a degree. I'm sure there's a hidden sideplot of Rarity seeking ways to bring Long Road back when Twilight came back or at least when news of Cadence's ability to bring back the deceased back to life only to be crushed to hear the costs of such a ressurrection and even more to hear of the caveat Cadence's method required for it to work.
Such a shame that her hopes will be dashed once again when Lex reveals the method he used in the resurrection. Though now I'm worried that she might try to join the Night Mare's religion based on the belief that doing so might one day grant her the means to bring Long Road back to into his arms.
While such a move would prove to be a boon to Lex with setting up the Night Mare's church, Twilight and her friends will undoubtedly assume he bewitched her with mind control magic and immediately believe that all of their preconceived images of Lex being a bad guy to be true, forcing a confrontation, something that Lex can't handle right now. However, I doubt it'll happen...I think
On to lighter matters...relatively speaking, I can't help but feel amused at Lex reviewing all his newfound material wealth though from what I could gather, most of it is property that, as Stuffed Shirt(forgot to mention how much I laughed at the name last time) put it, would require quite a lot of time and effort to liquidate into funds for him to use.
Considering that more than a few of the properties are likely located in territory nominally loyal to the princesses and ultimately pointless given how opulent they are, selling them off before the Crown could seize them would be ideal(though I do wonder if repossession of property even exists in Equestria or at least where the Crown in involved)
However, if some of those properties include...like say, stakes in some local industries and businesses if not outright ownership of those businesses...then we're talking.
Oh dear.
Lex can be moved to consider the appliication of future reaquisition of high level magic for resource trade, but Rarities methods and thinking are so totally against Lexxs views that they are going to be far more crippling to her account values?
10595700 I'm surprised by how many people seem to be upset with Rarity. She's going for what she knows is a long-shot chance to bring her beloved back to life, and she's not really crossing any boundaries to do it. While trading sex for consideration certainly isn't something to be proud of, it's not like she's offering to trade Sweetie Belle's virginity to Lex without her little sister's knowledge or consent. She's offering the only thing of hers that she thinks Lex will be interested in, and if putting her hoof on the scales of potential future resurrectees that way is unfair, it's certainly understandably so.
Of course, whether or not her plan will work is a separate issue altogether.
10595713 I suspect that what you've mentioned here won't be lost on Lex when Rarity makes her pitch.
10595733 It's selfish only in regard to her wanting Long Road to be brought back over anyone else Lex might be able/inclined to resurrect in the future. Which is a rather thorny ethical area unto itself; if you can only resurrect a few people, and there are many who deserve it, how do you make the choice about who gets to come back? Lex has already answered that question to his satisfaction, of course, but I suspect Rarity isn't working off of anything nearly as cerebral. As far as she's concerned, the one who most deserves to be brought back is the one that she loves. (And I'm not aware of Long Road refusing to be resurrected in The Apple Falls Far From the Tree; if I've overlooked something though, please let me know!)
Of course, convincing Lex of the validity of her viewpoint will be hard, which is why she's offering herself in trade for his promise to resurrect Long Road if he gets the chance. It's not likely, and she knows that, but she can't live with herself if she doesn't at least try.
10595778 Yeah, this is one of those areas where we don't really expect people to be rationale. When you've lost someone you love, logic and objectivity tend to go out the window.
10595802 She certainly doesn't, since all of her information about him is second- or third-hoof, other than witnessing his duel with Twilight (and the subsequent brutal beating of Blueblood; one has to wonder how Rarity feels about that). Though I suspect this will be less of a seduction than it will a plea; Rarity making it clear what she's offering in exchange for Lex's consideration. We know he can be tempted with the promise of sex (Aria did it), but at the same time, we've see him turn down clumsy seduction attempts as well (e.g. Feather Duster).
Of course, I suspect Rarity will be able to pull it off a little better than Lex's maid, so there's that.
10598285
There is also the chance none seem to have brought up that Rarity could possibly produce such a diamond. It's literally her destiny to find such things. Being a source of such things would make her quite an asset, more than her lady charms, to her surprise.
10595911 Rarity's desperate, to be sure. Enough so that she's essentially resigning herself to what could very well be called prostitution (i.e. this is a transactional arrangement involving her offering sex) in order to bring Long Road back. That said, my suspicion is that she doesn't fully understand the method by which devote divine spellcasters can gain increasingly potent magic, to the point of resurrection. That's largely because in Equestria, power levels are static, and unless somepony makes the jump to being an alicorn, boosts in ability are both rare and fleeting (e.g. the "Rainbow Powers" used to defeat Tirek).
Now, most of Rarity's friends know better, having trained on Everglow to some extent, but I don't really have the feeling that they've laid that out in terms of power-maximization. That is, I'm not sure that Twilight (or anypony else) ever sat down in a meeting and clearly stated "the magical traditions of Everglow allow for a dedicated user - who can be potentially anyone - to continually grow in strength, with the (presumed) upper limits being far beyond anything we can do here in Equestria." So it's entirely possible that Rarity hasn't really put two and two together to realize that she could take cleric levels and potentially bring Long Road back herself. (Not to mention salient issues of having a Wisdom score equal to (10 + spell level) of the level of the spell she'd want to be able to cast, or having the requisite expensive material component(s) for such spells.)
And I'm glad you got a kick out of that first scene with Stuffed Shirt reading Lex the full scope of what he'd won! Hopefully the princesses won't seize any of it, as you noted; it's possible that they won't simply because they'd see that as a breach of the same recognition that made Blueblood's family royalty in the first place. But then again, it was still due to the Royal Sisters' largess that his family kept that title, so maybe they will? It's one of those areas where we'll just have to wait and see how things unfold.
10598290 A insightful point, to be sure! Though there's the thorny issue of translating the gp value of such things into narrative terms, since monetary value isn't the absolute that the game rules portray it as. Presumably that's some measure of clarity, since cut and color (the other metrics used by the American Gem Society for grading diamonds) don't fit very well (i.e. gems can be manually cut, and color doesn't fit well when judging a linear quantitative value).
Considering that a 25,000 gp diamond (the material component for a true resurrection spell) is far and away beyond the maximum value listed in the tables for generating gems in Ultimate Equipment, the idea seems to be that they're vanishingly rare.
10598308
Good thing you have a pony literally named Rarity who finds gems as her destiny. I'm not saying she could do it easily, but to say she couldn't do it is equally silly.
10596205 Well, we know that Lex can be moved by appeals to his baser instincts, but that's a risky proposition even when it works (which it usually doesn't). Aria did it once and would have gotten what she wanted if Nosey hadn't interrupted. The second time she tried it, she got a curse for her trouble.