//------------------------------// // 728 - Learned Too Late // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// Once again, Lex found himself locking lips with a mare he barely knew. Unlike when he’d slept with Thermal Draft a few days ago, however, the kiss he was giving Valor now had no passion or desire behind it. Instead, there was only controlled tension as he breathed into the earth mare’s mouth, one hoof over her nose as he forced air into her lungs. A second breath followed the first before he switched his attention to her chest, placing both forelegs over her heart and pressing down in quick, rhythmic motions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation hadn’t been unknown to Lex before his first visit to Everglow. Rather, the technique was one that he’d heard about even before he’d been dragged forward in time during King Sombra’s attack on the Crystal Empire, having been just one of the flurries of advancements – medical and otherwise – that had resulted from all three tribes of ponies coming together to found Equestria. In that regard, it was emblematic of the potential that the Royal Sisters had allowed to lie fallow for over a millennium, rather than nurturing. Of course, for all of his criticisms about how uninterested the alicorns had been in developing Equestria, Lex himself hadn’t bothered to learn this procedure during his younger years, eschewing medicine in favor of more conceptual pursuits. It was only because it had been outlined in one of the medical textbooks that he had borrowed from House Call during his trip to Las Pegasus that he’d bothered to study this particular medical practice in detail. Without that, he wouldn’t have known the precise timing or ratio of breaths to compressions to use. Even so, Lex was currently on his third round of alternating between breathing into Valor’s mouth and trying to restart her heart. That his attempts to revive her weren’t working became harder to ignore with each passing moment. He’d dammed up the flow of the river because Valor needed attention as soon as possible, but in doing so he’d cut off everyone else’s escape. If she didn’t respond in the next few seconds, he’d have no other choice but to give up on her and focus on saving everyone else- “HRNGH!” A sudden convulsion ran through Valor then, her back arching as her limbs flailed wildly. No sooner had Lex taken his hooves off of her chest than she flopped over, rising to her knees as she began to retch, spitting up what had to be gallons of water. It was only after she’d stopped emptying her lungs that she collapsed, coughing and choking before her eyes – which had flown open during her sudden burst of activity – fluttered closed as she went limp, drawing in a ragged breath, followed by another, and then another as her respiration finally resumed. Lex didn’t bother checking her over further, instead grabbing her with his telekinesis and draping her over his back, already turning to head deeper into the tunnel. With the webbing cleared, there were no obstructions to worry about, which was fortunate since he could feel his muscles screaming in protest at hauling along a mare who seemed heavier than he was. Fortunately, according to what Akna had told him, the entrance to the Shrine proper was just up ahead- But that thought was abruptly shoved from his mind as a wet, guttural hacking came from Vidrig. Barely able to keep from falling over in surprise, Lex wasted a half-second staring as what should have been the monster’s waterlogged corpse began to tremble. Gnarled fingers spasmed and flexed before closing tightly around the handle of her axe, having somehow managed to hold onto the weapon even after losing consciousness. Twisted legs slowly drew themselves up against her torso, toes planting themselves against the rocky and uneven floor. And then Vidrig lifted her head up, her hideous face hidden by the wet tangle that was her hair...but from between the stringy black strands, Lex could see her eyes slowly turn in his direction. That was enough to spur him to action. Even as Vidrig took a breath – though it sounded more like a feral rasp – Lex called upon his dark magic. The effort caused his back knees to buckle, and he almost lost his grip on Valor as he fought to keep himself from toppling over completely, concentrating fiercely. Managing to rise into a hunched posture, Vidrig made a single, shaky step in his direction...then she was impaled by the stake of black crystal that rose up from underneath her, piercing her just beneath her ribs and erupting upward through her back. That should have been a lethal strike, Lex knew. But Vidrig had already survived a spear through the head and drowning. As such, it wasn’t surprising that being skewered failed to end her life. Instead, she simply writhed and struggled – not having regained enough air to scream – and a second later a loud clang sounded through the tunnel as she slashed at the black crystal, which was barely two inches thick, with her axe. Lex didn’t bother to appraise her progress, knowing that even if it was enchanted, the blade would be unable to free her. What little he’d seen of Vidrig suggested that she had unnatural strength, but not to the point where she’d be able to cut herself loose. Nor did she have any magic that could help her now; if she did, she wouldn’t have tried to chop down the crystal spike impaling her. Better to simply leave her hanging there until he unleashed the river. With how backed up it was, the torrent would explode through the tunnel with enough pressure to tear her to pieces, all of which would be washed away. It was a scenario which would happen in a few moments, as Lex dragged himself and Valor further down the tunnel, looking for the area that Akna had told him about. We should be past the area where the webs were, he decided after several seconds of painstaking travel. The entrance should be...there! Sure enough, there was a fork in the tunnel ahead, just like the adlet shaman had told him about. But where the right-hoof path of the tunnel continued down deeper into the earth, the left terminated barely more than a dozen feet in, ending in a cul-de-sac. By itself, it didn’t seem particularly notable, save perhaps for being a geologic oddity, but a mere thought was all it took for Lex to activate his circlet, viewing the branch again. Sure enough, the magical spectrum showed that the spell diverting the course of the river – keeping the water from entering the small offshoot – was still active. As was the much stronger spell protecting the entrance to the Shrine. Stumbling into the left tunnel, Lex fought the urge to collapse, not willing to trust that the enchantment which kept the river out would hold against the incredible rush of water he was about to unleash. Instead, he approached the back wall of the cave, where he could see the active spell waiting. Putting a hoof on the unhewn rock, he whispered the words that Akna had revealed to him. “Light can be quenched at the source, but darkness never can be.” To his relief, the wall of the cave shimmered, growing hazy before vanishing entirely, revealing a large tunnel containing a series of steps leading upward. Gritting his teeth, he hauled Valor inside, ascending barely a dozen of the steps before laying her as gently as he could on the stone stairs. This should be far enough, he decided, before turning and heading back down. Now he just had to undo the plug further up the tunnel, and- Master, I’ve got everyone, and we’re ready to go into the river- No! Lex fought down a surge of panic at the thought of everyone being in the water when he released the pressure, realizing that by now it had to have backed up to the point where it would affect the water on the surface. Stay off the ice! Master? Forcing himself to remain calm, Lex hunkered down on one of the lower steps. It was high enough up that even if the water managed to surge into the side-tunnel, it wouldn’t be able to reach him, while still giving him enough of a vantage point to see the others as they flowed through the water. Grabbing them with his telekinesis would be tricky, especially in his enervated state, but there was simply no alternative. But first, he needed them all to get clear. Solvei, listen carefully. I had to stop the flow of the water. Right now, the pressure is being redirected upward, which is going to shatter the ice. As soon as I release it, everything will flow down through, which means that if you’re in the water when that happens you’ll all be battered to death by the ice chunks. You have to wait until I tell you it’s safe! He registered anxiety from her then. But Master, Sissel is almost here! And the other ponies are saying that Woodheart and Littleknight won’t survive the trip! This time Lex had a response at the ready. Once the pressure is released, there’ll be a few moments when everything is pulled through at an accelerated rate. If you time it right, you can make it down after the ice has cleared the passage but before the water returns to its normal rate. That should get everyone here fast enough that no one will drown. I understand, Master. Please tell me when, and I’ll- Her response cut off abruptly. But Lex didn’t need to ask what had happened, instantly aware that she had just been severely wounded. It was enough to make his heart leap into his throat, feeling as though he’d just seen it happen despite not knowing what was going on. SOLVEI!!! Hold on, I’m going to summon you here! Lex knew from experience that he couldn’t use divine authority on Solvei if she was more than thirty feet or so away from him. In order to heal her now, he’d have to bring her to his location, but all that would taken was a moment’s focus- N-no...Master...don’t... What?! He couldn’t fathom what she was saying, his connection to her informing him that her condition was deteriorating rapidly. Whatever had happened, the wound she’d just taken wasn’t just serious, it was critical, to the point where – he realized with a sudden rush of horror – her life was in danger. But just as he was about to disregard her wishes and bring her to him, she spoke again. Have to...tell them... Through their link, his cognizance of her emotions informed him of a sudden sense resolve coming from her, only for it to turn to despair a moment later. No...no... Then, for some reason, there was a sense of peace coming from her, and the rapid shift in her emotions scared Lex even worse. Master...we’re in...the river...Please...release it... What are you saying?! raged Lex, trying to think of a solution to what was happening, only to realize that he didn’t have enough information to work with. You’ll be killed! You’ll all be killed! Trust me...please...I won’t...won’t let you...down again... All of a sudden, his awareness of her presence was fading. It was enough that Lex very nearly summoned her on the spot, pausing just long enough to concentrate on the black crystals he’d used to seal up the tunnel. In an instant, they were gone, and suddenly the entire space was filled with a roar as the pent-up water surged down the tunnel. Lex, however, was no longer paying attention to anything except the winter wolf. Of course I trust you! I’ve always trusted you! He had no idea why it suddenly seemed so important to tell her that, but he couldn’t stop himself. If it wasn’t for you, Thermal Draft and I would be dead right now! You’ve never let me down, do you understand?! Not once! Memories of his time with Solvei came to him then, so powerfully that he could almost see them. Solvei crying as he fed her during their first meeting. Stroking her fur when they confronted Bolverk and her family. Watching her finish off Prevarius. Seeing her cavort with the mares of Fail Forward. The way she’d hovered over him protectively in the days after he’d almost killed Woodheart. Like puzzle pieces falling into place, the medley of their time together showed him what he’d already realized but had failed to truly appreciate before now. That Solvei was someone who mattered to him. No matter that she wasn’t a pony. No matter that he still didn’t know how they’d become so intimately connected. No matter that he’d known her for less than a month. Everything about her had already become precious and irreplaceable. In that moment, Lex felt his heart break, because in all of the memories that he had of his time with Solvei, none of them involved him telling her that. If anything, he’d done the exact opposite; he’d continually made it known that he wanted to break their bond, taken her obedience completely for granted, and never once expressed any gratitude for everything she’d done for him. It was a state of affairs that even a few moments ago would have meant nothing to him, but now bordered on unbearable, his chest tightening as he reached out to summon her to his side. Solvei, thank y- It was at that moment that he felt her die. The scream that erupted from Lex’s lips then drowned out the roar of the water. Pain, both physical and emotional, was a sensation that Lex was intimately familiar with. Between the numerous wounds he’d suffered, inflicted by his enemies as well as his own magical mishaps, and having lost so many people that he cared for, Lex had truly believed that he’d known how to handle whatever agony could be thrown at him. But as the backlash of Solvei’s death struck him, he realized just how wrong he’d been. The agony assaulted him on every level. Body and mind. Heart and soul. It went beyond anything that could be endured or fought through, reverberating throughout every facet of his being, shredding any pretense of resistance or defense as it wiped away conscious thought and outward awareness alike. His connection to Solvei hadn’t been a bond of equals. Facilitated and strengthened by the Night Mare’s power, it had been nothing less than his pouring part of himself – the very essence of what made him Lex Legis – into her. It had been why his cutie mark had appeared on her flank. But now that Solvei had died, she’d taken that part of him with her, leaving Lex unprepared for what it meant to feel a piece of himself be so violently torn away. The result was that he could do nothing except continue to wail in absolute anguish, blood running from his eyes and nose and ears as he tumbled down the steps of the Shrine’s entrance. But he didn’t feel the cuts and bruises that the fall dealt him, nor did he hear the sound of the water rushing closer, nor the steps approaching from deeper within the Shrine. All he was aware of was the all-encompassing torment of Solvei’s absence. It was a pain that stayed with him even after he finally lost consciousness.