//------------------------------// // 626 - Out of the Frying Pan // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// The voice, when it came, was the only thing he was aware of. “And those who keep their faith unto Me – with offerings of resolve where others tender only platitudes, sacrifices borne of their own forbearance rather than oblations of gold and gems, and the will to strengthen their spirit in My own image – shall find that I keep faith unto them as well. My voice will be heard in their words. My gaze will be seen in their eyes. My form will be glimpsed in their shadow. For those who forge a covenant with I, the Dweller in the Deepest Darkness, shall find that I grant My favor not to those who wish it of Me, but to those who are worthy of it.” The words spoke to his mind and his ears as one, impossible to ignore. It was the only reason he was able to grasp what was being said, and even then only fleetingly. His thoughts were like drawings made in the sand of a beach: for a few moments everything was clear, but then waves of pain and fatigue would blur them, wiping out most of what was there and leaving only a fading impression in their wake. Already he could feel himself struggling to make sense of what had been said, the meaning and the identity of the speaker growing more distant as his awareness grew sluggish again… “In other words, be grateful to me, my champion.” The voice sounded closer now, but when he opened his eyes he found they wouldn’t focus on anything, showing a world that consisted of nothing but wan blurs and formless shapes. Even that glimpse was impossible to maintain, his eyelids fluttering closed of their own accord only a moment later. Although it had been only the tiniest of movements, the effort he’d expended sent a deep sense of lethargy through him, dispelling any thoughts of making a second attempt. It continued speaking regardless. “You managed to cast your teleportation spell, but your fading consciousness was unable to keep a clear destination in mind. Had I not intervened, you would have sent yourself – and that weakling who clings to you, desperate for your favor – down into the ground in a mangled attempt to avoid the final thing you saw: the collapse of the structure you fought within. And while your spell’s protective measures would have shunted you into the nearest open area, the shock of being so abruptly redirected would have killed you both.” He was being told something important now. But the details were already growing hazy and indistinct, pain and exhaustion blurring their meaning before he could give them his full consideration. It would have been a frustrating experience, but even that emotion was too much for him to sustain in his current state. “Fortunately for you, teleportation moves through the Astral Plane, and unlike your little corner of the mortal world, that is a realm where I can manifest my power in full, making it easy to snatch you and your passenger before your fatal journey was completed. But that doesn’t mean I can send you home…” There was a pause, and when the voice spoke again, he had the impression that it was even closer now, as if the speaker was right alongside him, both the audible words and the psychic impression somehow more resonant than before. “Be grateful to me,” came the repeated insistence. “Had your followers not realized that your presence was required in order for them to form a connection to me, you would have failed to honor your pledge to grow my religion in your world, and I would have allowed you to meet your demise. Now I have enough ponies worshiping me that a proper congregation can be formed in that realm, and if their faith remains strong, then in time I’ll be able to manifest there of my own accord.” There was a sense of movement from the speaker again, as if they were circling him. “There are many gods who would have no further need of you now that our pact has been fulfilled, but I am a goddess of loyalty. You have stayed true to my ideals, honored me with your deeds, and shown fidelity to our agreement. For such devotion, I will give you a reward: the chance to grow stronger.” It was getting harder to hold onto any semblance of what was being said to him now. The proverbial waves were coming in faster, and taking longer to roll back out. Like a tide coming in, his ability to maintain even the vaguest aspect of awareness was rapidly drowning beneath the accumulation of damage and weariness. Even the voice was fading out now, but not before it spoke once more… “Avail yourself of this opportunity with everything you have, my champion. Demonstrate the veracity of my dogma once again, and in so doing purge yourself of weakness. Grow your followers. Strengthen your powers. Regain what you’ve lost, and then take what you desire.” Further away now…and yet there was a growing sense of urgency…a growing sensation that something was happening, or perhaps needed to happen…something involving him…something he had to…to… “Rise up!” The voice was so distant now that he could barely hear it, and yet it continued calling to him. “Ascend to new heights of mastery! Surpass the limits that held you back! Pull the weak under your sway and bring order to their lives! Now, open your eyes!” The sense of urgency was growing worse. It was almost painful now, pressing down on him…crushing his chest… “Open your eyes!” The pressure was becoming more unbearable with each passing moment. It drove the breath from his lungs, and his heart felt like it was going to shatter his ribcage with every beat. He tried to move, tried to thrash and fight off whatever was happening to him, but his limbs wouldn’t respond to his commands. “Open your eyes!” Everything hurt now, as though he was on fire from the inside. Something about that triggered a memory, and it made the sense of urgency he’d felt before come roaring back. He had to get back! He couldn’t remember where he’d been or what he’d been doing, but he had to get back! There was no time to be lying here like this but he just…couldn’t…breathe…! “Lex, please, open your eyes!” Lex’s eyes flew open, taking in a deep gulp of air as warm lips pressed over his own, breathing into his mouth. The sensation brought sweet relief to his tortured lungs, and he although he knew he wasn’t moving, everything seemed to lurch wildly, as though he were being spun about. His thoughts were much the same, dimly registering that the pony – a mare – who’d been forcing air into his mouth also had her forelegs on his chest, pressing rhythmically. It was only when he groaned that she stopped, a cry a delight escaping her lips as she sat back. “Lex!” He struggled to identify her, but the lighting was poor and everything was still spinning, albeit slower now as he managed to pull in a breath on his own. For an instant he was sure it was Sonata, but then he managed to focus his vision and saw that the mare had wings, and brown hair, and a cutie mark of an upward-blowing breeze. It took him a few moments to recall her name: Thermal Draft. “You’re alright!” She seemed to be out of breath as well, trembling and very nearly collapsing for some reason. Slowly, his memories began to filter in. This was…he’d just defeated Starlight Glimmer, only for Rainbow Dash to ambush him, and everypony was gathered around, waiting for him to…no…no, that wasn’t right. That had already happened; he’d come back from that and fought Twilight Sparkle, becoming a prince after narrowly winning their duel. Then he’d gone to Las Pegasus, and then… In a flash, the rest of it came back to him, and everything finally ceased spinning as Lex Legis fully returned to consciousness. Immediately, a flood of sensations made themselves known to him, all of them unpleasant. His right eye was throbbing horribly. His left side felt like it was only a few degrees short of being on fire. His lungs throbbed with every ragged breath that he managed, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. There were painful cuts all over his body. His stomach felt hollow, and the back of his throat was parched. It was cold. The plethora of discomfort was enough that he couldn’t do anything except lie there, his strength completely gone, barely able to do more than keep drawing in air as he stared up at Thermal Draft, who was making a sound somewhere between laughter and sobbing as she got back up and shuffled to his side. “I’m so glad you’re alright!” she sniffled. “I don’t know what happened! I went outside to take a look around, and when I came back you’d suddenly stopped breathing! I thought you…that you were…” She shook her head then, wiping her eyes. “But I knew you couldn’t be! You’re not the sort of pony who’ll let anyone punch your ticket!” Managing a shaky smile, she rubbed a hoof over her nose. “I’m just glad I asked Doctor House Call for those lessons about what to do if somepony was ever seriously hurt before we went to raid that bank. I was worried I’d need to use what he taught me on Cloudy; I never thought-” “What…happened…?” rasped Lex. “I…um…” Thermal Draft’s smile fell away, and she swallowed nervously, glancing toward the entrance of the cave they were in…and it was only then that Lex became cognizant of the fact that they were in a cave at all. To his right he could just barely make out the opening, beyond which shined so much light that it was impossible to see anything, though he could feel a cold wind blowing from it. To his left, there was only darkness, the back of the cave beyond where the light reached. “I don’t know,” answered Thermal Draft miserably, dragging Lex’s attention back to her. “We were in that factory, and I heard you scream so I flew back. I saw that griffon, and you were trapped under that rubble, and she was…she looked like she was about to kill you, so I tried to fight her off, and then the ceiling collapsed, so I threw myself on top of you, and then…then we were out there.” She gestured toward the cave entrance. Lex was silent for a long moment, digesting that and comparing it to what the Night Mare had said, because now he knew that had been her voice in his dream. That was why he’d been confused upon waking, thinking that it had been just after his battle with Starlight Glimmer; just like then, the goddess had elected to speak to him as he’d lain insensate from his wounds. And based on what she’d told him… “Lex?” Apparently taking his silence as an invitation to continue, Thermal Draft swallowed nervously. “Lex, something’s wrong. I mean, I’m glad you got us out of there, but something’s really wrong. There are mountains all around us, and I don’t think they’re the ones from back home. I can’t see any towns or anything nearby. It’s snowing really hard even though it’s barely the middle of September, and, um…” She bit her lip then, clearly unnerved. “Nopony’s doing it.” Lex already had an idea what was going on, but he wanted confirmation from her first. “Doing…what…?” “Nopony’s making it snow,” she whimpered. “I looked everywhere, I mean everywhere, and there’s no one making the weather! The clouds are dropping snowflakes on their own, the wind is blowing even though no one’s flapping their wings, and it just keeps happening! It’s been hours, and it’s still going on like this!” Her wings flared out to her sides in alarm before she shivered, wrapping them around herself. She settled down next to him, and Lex belatedly realized that she’d wrapped him in his cloak in an attempt to keep him warm. “Lex, what’s going on? Where are we?” The answer came easily to him. After all, the Night Mare had all but stated outright that – while she’d been able to grab them in the moment that his spell had transported himself and Thermal Draft to the Astral Plane – she hadn’t been able to return them to Equestria. Which made sense, after all; she still couldn’t project her power into that world yet, which meant that she couldn’t return them there after she’d interrupted his spell. But she could transport them somewhere else. Someplace where she had an established religion with a firm powerbase. Someplace that was more hostile than Equestria, requiring strength in order to survive and prosper. Someplace where the weather happened on its own, instead of needing ponies to manufacture it. Someplace he knew all too well, the name of it coming to his lips now, the corners of which turned up in a mirthless grin at having found himself here once again. “…Everglow…”