//------------------------------// // 678 - Rumination and Reflection // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// A certain mare was on Lex’s mind from the moment he opened his eyes. It wasn’t Thermal Draft, despite the fact that he woke up embracing the pegasus in the most intimate way possible. Nor was it any of mares he loved – Sonata, in her adorable idiocy; Aria, in her irascible passion; Nosey, whom he couldn’t stop caring about despite her having broken his heart – whose unknown dispositions continued to be a source of anguish for him. It wasn’t even Feather Duster, who had been depending on him to rescue her, and who might very well have died in agony for it. Instead, as he breathed in the scent of Thermal Draft’s mane, feeling the soft feathers of her wings brush over where his forelegs were curled around her chest, Lex found himself unable to stop thinking about Cloudbank. Despite the antagonism that had marked the beginning of their relationship, the pink-and-white pegasus was one of the few ponies who had earned Lex’s respect, consistently demonstrating a rare combination of courage and competence during their time in Vanhoover. More notably, Cloudbank hadn’t felt it necessary to discard her morals in order to maintain those virtues the way ponies such as Garden Gate had, willingly placing herself at risk in order to protect the lives of everypony around her. It had been no surprise to Lex that, upon introducing Cloudbank to the Night Mare’s faith, the goddess had seen fit to share power with her. That his own shortsightedness had gotten her – along with several other ponies – killed was something that Lex still felt guilty about. No matter that he’d brought her back later; she should never have had to go through that in the first place. That Cloudbank had then turned around and rushed to his aid against Starlight Glimmer, nearly losing her life a second time in the process, only compounded his regret over not having been able to live up to his obligations toward her. And now he’d had an affair with her girlfriend. Is this how you reward one of your most trusted followers? sneered his tulpa. Bad enough you couldn’t prevent her beloved’s soul from being put in such a precarious state, but now you’ve violated the sanctity of their relationship! And all for your own selfish pleasure! The accusation cut deeply, and it was all Lex to do to stop himself from shoving the sleeping mare away, as though that would have made anything better. She was the one who initiated this! Not me! Even to himself, that excuse sounded petulant and hollow, making him grimace. But he didn’t have time to dwell on his newest regret, the vehemence behind the rebuke provoking an unexpected reaction as Solvei’s thoughts intruded on his consciousness. Hm? Ah, Master, is that you? There was a pause in the winter wolf’s thoughts, and Lex registered her emotional state as one of mild embarrassment. I’m sorry, I was asleep. Did you need me for something? N-, yes, answered Lex, pushing away his recrimination over what had happened last night in favor of what still needed to be done now. Were you able to follow those tracks back to their source? The discomfort he picked up from Solvei then answered his question before her actual reply came. I’m sorry, Master. I traced them back as far as I could, but with how heavily the snow was falling… Although the answer wasn’t unexpected – she had warned him about that last night – Lex couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The emotion must have been strong enough that Solvei picked up on it, because he noted a sudden spike of remorse from her a moment later. Master, I know I let you down, but I swear I’ll do better next time! From now on, I promise I won’t sleep until I’ve carried out your orders, no matter how tired I feel! Or how hungry, or- That’s enough. Rather than reassuring him, Lex felt a rush of guilt at Solvei’s words. They’d spent most of yesterday reaching this village, only to immediately get into a fight after arriving; that was exhausting by any measure, but while he and Thermal Draft had retired afterward, he’d immediately told Solvei to go on a trek that he’d known would be long and potentially dangerous, without regard for the fact that she’d likely been tired and in need of food. I’m not upset with you. Really? Yes. With how he’d just abused Cloudbank’s trust, the indifference he’d shown toward Solvei struck Lex as being particularly egregious now. Eat something, then find a secure location and rest. I’ll summon you later. His awareness of Solvei’s emotional state registered relief then. Thank you, Master. Please don’t hesitate to wake me up if you need me. I’m hoping it won’t come to that. But considering that they were in a village that had thrown in with monsters in order to save their own lives, as well as a motley crew of so-called “adventurers” who were dangerously mercurial in their temperament, Lex knew there was a strong chance that it would. The thought brought a sigh to his lips as he slowly separated himself from Thermal Draft, trying not to wake her as he slipped out of bed and began getting dressed. As despicable as he found the villagers’ actions, he knew he couldn’t hold it against them; they had acted under duress, the same way Fireflower’s siblings had back in Tall Tale when threatened by that dragon. To punish them for things that were beyond their control would not only be unjust, but cruel. And so would abandoning them to their fate, Lex knew. This was the situation he’d most wanted to avoid. As much as his personal failings ate away at him, they didn’t interfere with his finding a way to get himself and Thermal Draft home safely. All of the other issues that he needed to address, from researching how to free the pegasus from the lingering effects of her infernal contract to figuring out a way to dissolve the bond between himself and Solvei, had no imminence to them, and so could be suspended until after they’d made their way back to Equestria. That wasn’t the case with what was happening in this village. Grisela, who had quite clearly been the leader of the yeti horde, had survived their initial encounter. If he left now, there was nothing to stop her from continuing her depredations on the ponies here. Which meant that he was duty-bound to stay here until he’d rectified the situation. It was the last thing he wanted to do; more than anything, he wanted to leave this misbegotten world behind and go home to Equestria. To find out if Sonata and the others were alright. To continue building the political apparatus he’d worked so hard to create before the princesses dismantled it all. To continue guiding his people and his homeland toward the future that they needed and deserved, which the alicorns would never be able to give them. But his moral framework – the guiding principles that he had painstakingly constructed to ensure that his actions and achievements were put toward virtuous ends – was very clear about the situation in which he now found himself. His obligation to address wrongs was proximate to his ability to do so; the mere existence of injustice unto itself created no imperative that he address it. Rather, it was when he had the means to do so that he became duty-bound to try and fix things. It was, in other words, an issue of power, both having the requisite amount of it – be it magical, fiscal, political, or any other sort – and being able to adequately project it toward a particular problem. That had been one of the primary reasons why he’d set out to install himself as Equestria’s ruler. Not only would he be able to remove the incompetent princesses who’d long since ceased to properly utilize their authority, but he’d be able to much more effectively address the problems that they’d allowed to fester once he had the resources of an entire nation to call upon. By that same token, he’d been able to suspend concerns about problems occurring beyond Equestria’s borders. Without adequate means of addressing problems in his own country, there was no point in attempting to fix things abroad. His influence couldn’t reach across the ocean without the power that a regime afforded him, much less another world entirely such as Everglow. But he wasn’t in Equestria now; he was here, on this other world. Which meant that the problem he’d encountered in this village wasn’t one beyond the reach of his ability to address. While his influence was diminished without the support of the governmental infrastructure he’d started to build for himself, his magical aptitude meant that he was far from helpless; if anything, that particular aspect of his might had grown, thanks to the magic items he’d found and his bond with Solvei. Even Thermal Draft made him slightly stronger in that regard, due to her newfound ability to construct micro-rituals. And since this village had already tried to reach out for help elsewhere and found none, he had no choice but to use his strength for their benefit. “Mmm…Lex…?” From behind him, Thermal Draft’s yawn drew his attention out of his frustrated ruminations, the pegasus sitting up in bed, blushing as she made eye contact with him. “G-good morning…” The simple greeting made Lex freeze, realizing he had no idea how to address Thermal Draft now. For all that he felt culpable about what had happened between them, he hadn’t been wrong about her being the one to initiate things…except, he realized now, he had no idea what had motivated her to do so. To the extent that he’d been able to determine, she and Cloudbank were very happy together, so why…? His blank look made her fidget, drawing the blanket up until it covered everything below her chin. “Can you please not stare at me so much?” she muttered, looking down. “It’s embarrassing…” That was in stark contrast to how she’d acted last night, and only served to make Lex more confused now. I don’t have time for this, he decided, turning back to his scattered clothes with a scowl. “Get dressed. We have a lot of ground to cover today.” Blinking, Thermal Draft slid out of bed, her bashfulness apparently forgotten as she began to pick up her clothes. “We do?” Lex nodded. “Solvei wasn’t able to follow those monsters’ tracks back to their lair. We’ll travel to where she lost the trail, and then search from the air. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll try enhancing the rod you were using last night.” Midway through putting her pants on, Thermal Draft almost fell over. “Was…was that a dirty joke?” “What?” For a moment Lex couldn’t understand what she was talking about, before he realized the inadvertent double entendre he’d made. “No!” “R-right. Sorry.” Biting her lip, she went back to getting dressed. For almost a minute, the only sound was the rustling of fabric as the two of them put their clothes back on. It was only when they were almost done that Thermal Draft cleared her throat. “Listen, Lex. About last night…” But he had no intention of broaching that topic, telekinetically yanking the door open as he put his mask back on. “We should get going. Flying will let us catch up to Solvei quickly, but we still have a lot of ground to cover.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he exited the room, making for the stairs. “Wait, we’re leaving right-, ngh?!” Lex spun in place as Thermal Draft gave a pained groan, hurrying to her side as she sagged against the doorframe. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing, I’m just a little sore,” she grunted, wincing as she lifted one of her back legs experimentally, before giving him a wry grin. “And also a little dehydrated. Can we at least stop for breakfast before we leave?” “…let’s put this place behind us first, then I’ll create some food,” offered Lex, embarrassment softening his voice. First Solvei, now Thermal Draft; why couldn’t he seem to do right by anyone lately? Thankfully, Thermal Draft seemed to find his course of action acceptable. “Works for me. This hasn’t exactly been the friendliest town I’ve ever visited.” Pushing off from the doorjamb, she extended one elbow toward him. “Walk me downstairs?” For an instant he was tempted to tell her to simply use her wings, but kept that statement to himself. Instead, he hooked his foreleg around hers, letting her lean on him as he helped her through the hallway and down the staircase. They had just made it past the halfway point when a voice called out to them. “Hey lovebirds! Sleep well? Or at all?” “Damn it, Spinner! We’re trying not to pick a fight this time!” “Oh come on, Mysty! After two hours of panting and screaming and grunting and moaning, we’re not supposed to say anything?!” “Knock it off, both of you.” Rising from their table near the fireplace, Valor waved a hoof at another table opposite theirs, upon which rested two bowls of some steaming liquid. “Peace offering,” she declared. “It’s not much, but I promise it’s got no meat in it.” Thermal Draft, her ears having flattened at Spinner’s crass comment, flicked them back up at that, looking at the bowls with interest. But Lex held her foreleg fast within his own, glaring at the five earth mares. “We want nothing from the likes of you,” he spat, guiding Thermal Draft toward the exit. From her place at the table, Shadow Star snorted. “What a surprise. The jerkass is still a jerk even after getting some ass.” Lex’s eyes flashed, and although he knew he couldn’t start a fight over mere insults – it was a frivolous waste of power, and risked putting his companion in danger for nothing – he still found himself sorely tempted to lash out at the masked mare. That what had happened between himself and Thermal Draft last night had been overheard by those five was humiliating in its own right. That he hadn’t realized that their conjugal activities would be audible to others, despite this same scenario having happened back in Vanhoover with the servants overhearing him being with Sonata and Aria, only made that realization worse. “You-” But he didn’t have a chance to finish as Mystaria suddenly upended her bowl over Shadow Star’s head, causing the masked mare to sputter. “Hey! What did you do that for?!” “If you don’t want to make a new friend, that’s fine!” retorted Mystaria. “I can’t make you get along with someone. But can we please stop trying to make new enemies?! Last time I checked, we have more than enough of those!” But Shadow didn’t seem ready to back down. “That guy-” She didn’t have a chance to finish as Woodheart put a hoof on her shoulder, shaking her head. “Shadow, I know how you feel. I’m still mad at him for what he did to Littleknight” – she sent a glare of her own at Lex then, before turning her gaze back toward the masked mare with a sigh – “but Mysty’s right. If we end up working together, I don’t want to keep fighting all the time.” The announcement made Lex narrow his eyes. “We won’t be working together,” he spat. “I believe I was quite clear last night about wanting nothing more to do with any of you, and that remains true now.” At his side, Thermal Draft’s expression was pained. “Lex, maybe we could use their help…” The plea made his lip curl, and he stalked toward the door, bringing the pegasus along with him. He had almost reached it when Mystaria’s next words stopped him in his tracks. “Wait! We think we might know where that hag from last night is hiding!”