//------------------------------// // 428 - Gathering of Dignitaries // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// Line Byline had known that something big was going on even before he’d been summoned to the castle. That wasn’t unusual, of course. Being the editor of the Canterlot Chronicle meant that every reporter in the city wanted to be the first one to let him know about the latest piece of juicy gossip, the newest salacious rumor, or the most recent hearsay of note. It was their way of marking their claim, letting him know that they were the one to have gotten the jump on whatever bit of news they were chasing. That way, if it turned out to have some substance to it, they’d be able to say that it was “their” story when the others invariably started following up on it. Of course, it was ultimately the editor’s pick who got to write the final story for publication, but “first come, first served” was still how that shook out more often than not. It was a game that Line himself had played more times than he could remember, back before he’d traded being a reporter for being the editor of the Chronicle. But once he’d taken over running the paper, he’d gotten a new perspective on things. Now, instead of jealously guarding each new tidbit of information he’d uncovered while trying to rush it back to the office as quickly as possible, he was receiving the reports of all of the Chronicle’s reporters, inundating him with breaking news. The result had been – once he’d learned to filter out the obvious exaggerations and wild speculation – his being able to connect the dots on disparate pieces of information far faster than he’d ever been able to before. With everyone turning over their jealously-hoarded findings to him, he’d been able to see patterns and intersecting areas of investigation before any of his reporters could. And when multiple ponies came to him reporting the same story, trying to let him know some new break or developing angle, it had become easy to determine when something important was going on. That had been what had happened yesterday. It had barely been mid-morning when notes and messages had started flooding in from the city’s train station. An unscheduled train had arrived. Prince Shining Armor and the Royal Guard were blocking everypony’s access to it. Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight had been seen entering one of the cars. An unknown pony had exited one of the cars (possibly the same one) a little while later before apparently going berserk and slugging Shining Armor before disappearing into the city. And then there’d been the latest rumor, that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been on that train, and were now gathering VIPs (Very Important Ponies) and other individuals of note for some sort of meeting, the details of which were entirely hush-hush. Things had calmed down by the afternoon, but sporadic reports had continued to come in through the day and into the evening. Some of Princess Twilight’s known associates had arrived in the city. Several members of the Royal Guard had investigated a basement apartment near the edge of town, turning up a lot of wreckage and little else. The castle staff was buzzing about Princess Luna apparently having sealed herself in her quarters and refusing to see anyone except her sister and the other princesses. By themselves none of those tidbits were particularly notable. Interesting, certainly, but since most of his reporters only had an incomplete picture of what was going on, they weren’t overly concerned. But having access to the larger picture, Line had known better, and so when he’d gone into work this morning he hadn’t been surprised to find himself receiving a royal invitation to the castle before he had a chance to so much as sit down. That had been barely a half-hour ago, and now Line found himself being led through the castle by the same stuffy old steward that always escorted him to the parlor where he knew he’d have to wait for the princesses to be ready to see him. Except now… “Where are we going?” The steward glanced back at him, raising a brow and pursing his lips in a disdainful manner. “I beg your pardon, sir?” Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Line canted his head at a nearby staircase that they’d just passed. “We’re still on the ground floor.” “How very observant of you,” noted the steward dryly, before turning and continuing to walk down the hallway. “This way, if you please.” Frowning, Line fell in behind the old goat. He knew the old stallion was as tight-lipped as they came, but while Line hadn’t been an active reporter for several years, his instincts from those days hadn’t dulled in the slightest, and while he might not get any answers, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. “I’ve been called here to speak to the princesses a couple dozen times over the course of my career. Every time, it’s been in one or the other of their parlors, which are in their respective towers.” “I’m quite familiar with the castle layout, sir.” “But this time we’re still on the ground floor. So where are we going?” Line moved up then, walking alongside the old stallion instead of trailing behind him, looking him in the face as he kept the questions coming. “Does this have something to do with the meeting that the princesses are rumored to be holding? Or with how an unscheduled train arrived at the station yesterday and was cordoned off by members of the Royal Guard?” “I’m afraid I really couldn’t say, sir,” answered the old steward, his expression unflappable. “Well then what can you say?” countered Line. “Just one thing, sir.” “Oh?” Line arched a brow. “What?” “We’re here.” Without further ado, the old steward came to a stop, and Line did the same a second later. It was a good thing he had, because if he’d kept going he would have walked face-first into a set of double doors. Biting back a retort as he saw the old coot smirk, Line stepped back as the door handles were wrapped in the glow of the steward’s horn and pulled open. “Please wait inside.” “And what’s…” The question died on Line’s lips as he looked into the large conference room. Because that was what it was, being a sizeable area dominated by a large table surrounded by chairs. But it wasn’t the space that captured his attention, but the people inside. Off to one side, Princess Twilight was talking to several of her friends, whom Line had never formally met but were nevertheless still famous enough in their own right that he was immediately able to identify them as Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Also nearby was a tiny dragon who could only be the Princess’s assistant, Spike. But there was also a middle-aged earth mare with a grass-green coat, mane, and tail whom Line didn’t recognize, though she was far less notable than the strange bipedal creature standing next to her. It was vaguely reminiscent of a minotaur, being a pony from the waist down and some sort of...hairless monkey-like thing from the waist up, though that description was entirely for lack of a better term. Even stranger, the creature was apparently blind, having cataracts in its eyes. By contrast, the far side of the room had personages that were only somewhat less notable. Princess Cadance and her husband were huddled together, talking in low tones with a pair of crystal ponies – one mare and one stallion – and well as an earth stallion who was also a deep green in color, though unlike the mare on the other side of the room his mane and tail were dark brown. The stallion’s plainness was highlighted not just by the crystal ponies he was standing next to, however, but also by the black-and-white-striped mare on his other side. Although he’d never seen one before, Line knew she had to be a zebra, likely the one that lived in the Everfree Forest near Ponyville. Like Princess Twilight and her friends, Princess Cadance’s group didn’t seem to notice Line’s entrance, being too engrossed in whatever conversation they were having. The only one who glanced over at him was the room’s sole remaining occupant, already seated at the table. Just like with the zebra, Line had never seen an Abyssinian in his life, but could only conclude that this was one, being a pony-sized feline, though he’d never heard of them possessing wings the way she did. With fur that ranged from tawny to deep brown, particularly on her wings, she cut an exotic figure. But her bored expression was a sharp contrast to that, and she seemed to lose interest in him a second after looking at him, turning her attention to a small door across from the one Line had entered from, as if waiting for it to open. Which, he realized a moment later, she probably was. Because with so many notable individuals gathered here, the only ones missing were the ones to whom this castle belonged: Princesses Celestia and Luna. The reason everyone was clustered into groups and talking in low tones was because they were all waiting for them to arrive. The realization made Line’s heart beat slightly faster. When he’d gotten the summons to come to the castle, he’d thought it would be for the princesses to give him a statement to put in the paper about what was going on. Explaining what had happened with their unusual arrival yesterday, or announcing whatever this meeting was about. But now Line knew better. He hadn’t been called here to cover whatever important discussion – and it had to be important, if so many distinguished people were here – the princesses wanted to have. He’d been called here to take part in it. But before he could even consider what that meant, the door across from him had a golden glow suddenly wrap around its handle. A moment later it opened, and Princess Celestia stepped inside. Line immediately bowed, though not so low that he didn’t take note of everyone else’s reactions. The trio with Princess Cadance and her husband all bowed immediately, as did all of Princess Twilight’s friends, though Princess Twilight herself looked unsure if she should do the same. She was saved from her awkwardness as she glanced over at Princess Cadance and her brother, eventually copying the deep nod that they gave their senior monarch. The only one who didn’t move was the Abyssinian, save for sitting up a little straighter in her chair and giving a sigh, as though irritated to have been kept waiting. That earned her a disapproving glance from Princess Twilight, but Princess Celestia didn’t seem to notice, smiling as she looked around the room. “Thank you all for coming here, especially on such short notice,” she began, moving toward the head of the large table. “Although a few other guests were invited, we’re not certain that they’ll be able to attend, so if no one has any objections I’d like to begin.” Line cocked his head slightly at that, noticing how the princess seemed to glance at Cadance and Twilight in turn during that last part. Was she referring to the other ponies that represented the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Or was she alluding to her sister not being here? He couldn’t imagine who else she might have meant, but at the same time knew better than to make any assumptions with so many unusual individuals gathered in one place, making a mental note to request a copy of the guest list from that old steward later. For her part, Princess Celestia sat down, gesturing for everyone else to do the same. “For those of you who aren’t already aware,” she continued once everyone was seated, “there are two separate but related challenges facing Equestria at the present time. Each of you has been asked to be here because I and my fellow princesses believe that you might be able to help us figure out the best way to face these difficulties.” She paused then, looking around to see if anyone had anything to add. When no one said anything, she turned and gave a nod to Twilight. “The first challenge is this pony, Lex Legis.” No sooner had she said that then Twilight had opened one of the saddlebags she was wearing, telekinetically withdrawing a large picture of the stallion in question and some tape, affixing it to the wall behind Princess Celestia. The picture wasn’t a very good one, having been artificially enlarged and cropped, showing Lex’s face from the side, his features slightly obscured, as though he was inside some sort of transparent enclosure. The result was that the image was blurry and somewhat indistinct, and it took Line a moment to realize it had originally come from the picture Nosey had sent him along with her article from Tall Tale, showing Lex Legis inside what looked like some sort of giant pony made of smoky glass, facing off against a dragon. “The other situation…” Celestia faltered for a moment, licking her lips before opening her mouth to try again. But she didn’t have a chance. “Is me.” The voice came from the same doorway that Celestia had entered from, its owner emerging through it an instant later. But although Line had recognized it as Princess Luna’s, the mare that he saw then didn’t match the pony he’d grown accustomed to meeting, and he felt his thoughts screech to a halt as he tried to reconcile the conflicting data. A second later he realized what he was looking at, what had happened to her, and he felt his jaw drop in utter astonishment. Nor was he the only one thrown for a loop, as gasps and horrified exclamations filled the room. Her face carefully composed, Luna closed her eyes at the reactions, opening them only when they’d tapered off a few seconds later. “The other situation is what Lex Legis has done to me.”