432 - Threat Response
No one was sure what to say to Luna’s announcement, resulting in a round of uncertain looks being shared as another awkward silence fell.
This time Celestia was the one to break it. “Luna, are you sure about this?”
Luna’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly. “You surprise me, Sister. I thought you would have been relieved to hear that I’m relinquishing my pretensions of godhood. You made no secret of how uncomfortable you were with the idea when I first announced it.”
Celestia winced slightly at that. “I was, yes. I’m just worried about…you said that you’re making this decision because of what Lex Legis did to you, so…”
A sharp frown crossed Luna’s face then. “So you’re worried about my ability to make important decisions while I’m struggling to cope with what’s happened to me, is that it?” The tension in the room spiked, with everypony holding their breath as Celestia sputtered, trying to come up with a response…only to stop as Luna’s stern expression melted into gentle laughter. “Forgive me, Celestia,” she chuckled softly. “Seeing you that nervous made it impossible for me not to tease you.”
“Luna…” Celestia meant for her voice to be reproachful, but all that came out was relief.
Her laughter petering out, the former alicorn gave her sister a warm smile. “I understand your concern, and I know that it comes from a place of love, but I’m sure that this is the right decision. And the way I know is it’s your idea, since you were against me presenting myself as a goddess in the first place.” She shook her head ruefully, her smile turning sad. “You’ve always been wiser than me, and this is simply another example of it. Even if I can’t trust my judgment right now, I know that I can trust yours.” Stepping closer, she put a foreleg around Celestia, pulling her close. “I love you, Sister.”
Blinking back tears, Celestia returned the embrace. “I love you too, Luna.”
This time everyone knew exactly how to react, as happy smiles, tears of joy, and several cries of “aww!” filled the room. Only Willow didn’t seem to be moved, her mask of indifference slipping just enough for her to roll her eyes.
With the tension now gone, Line Byline immediately gave voice to several follow-up questions, his pencil scribbling furiously over his notepad. “Princess Luna, can you tell us how those worshipers of yours that you’ve contacted so far have taken the news? And does your decision have anything to do with that guard going berserk at the train station yesterday morning? Will you encourage the ponies who thought of you as a goddess to join Lashtada’s religion instead, or-”
“Really now, darling,” cut in Rarity with a huff, “don’t you think that’s a little crass, bombarding her with questions like that?”
“I’m asking on behalf of the public,” responded Line indignantly, only for his features to soften as he looked back at the Royal Sisters. “But if I’ve overstepped my bounds…”
“It’s perfectly alright,” Luna assured him. “I know that being a reporter is your destiny, Line. I just don’t think I can give you very many satisfactory answers right now. I’ve only spoken to two of my worshipers, my former worshipers now, in their dreams.” Her features fell then, a look of regret crossing her face. “It would be a betrayal of their trust to go into further detail, so I’ll say only that they took it as well as can be expected. I hope that will hold true for the others as well. As for directing them to Lashtada’s religion…” She glanced at Cadance then, looking slightly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Cadance was able to guess what she was trying to say. “I completely understand. A goddess isn’t something that can be replaced casually.”
Surprisingly, Pillow spoke up then. “I agree, Your Highness, but if they’re having a crisis of faith, we might be able to help.” He looked at Luna then, his expression earnest. “Princess, I don’t mean to pry, but if you think that any of the ponies you’re releasing from your service could benefit from spiritual counseling, I’d ask you to let them know that I’m more than willing to listen to them in their hour of need.”
“We both are,” added Cozy…only for Aisle to place a hoof on her side a moment later.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he murmured, not trying to hide his concern. “You’re still recovering from what happened in Vanhoover.”
Cozy frowned, but didn’t have a chance to say anything before Pillow jumped back in. “He’s right, my love. I might have been the one who died there, but we’ve seen that the scars that place left on your heart are far worse than mine.”
Flushing at the reminder of how she’d lost her composure at the mention of Lex, Cozy nodded. “I know, I just…I want to try and help someone, the way I couldn’t when I was there.” She looked back and forth between Pillow and Aisle then. “Maybe we could do it together, the three of us, like when we spoke to Fencer?”
Aisle blanched at that, but Pillow smiled. “Maybe we should.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” added Cadance, also looking pleased. “But only if Luna’s comfortable with it.”
“I shall keep it in mind, should any of my now-ex-faithful seem particularly distraught,” acknowledged Luna.
“Does that include…” Line flipped through his notepad, consulting it before continuing. “Silhouette, I believe his name is? He’s supposed to be one of your most devoted worshipers, as well as a member of the Royal Guard, and yet eyewitnesses say that he was extremely agitated when he left the train station yesterday, even taking a swing at Prince Shining Armor. Now I’m hearing that his apartment was searched, but-”
“We’re still investigating the situation with Silhouette,” broke in Shining Armor, his voice tense. “And nothing about that is ready for the press yet.”
Line raised a brow, before looking at Princess Celestia. When she nodded, he did the same, putting his notebook down. “I understand.”
“Good,” retorted Shining Armor, “because I think we’re getting off-track. We’ve got a plan for how to remove the curse Lex placed on Luna, but we don’t have one for dealing with him yet.”
“Well, why not just take the Crystal Heart and the crystal ponies and go to Vanhoover?” Spike’s question came around a mouthful of chocolate cake, having cut himself another slice. “Just load them all onto a train, ride it straight to Vanhoover, and then have the crystal ponies do their thing. Problem solved.” Swallowing the mouthful of chocolatey goodness, he shot a toothy grin at Pillow and Cozy. “No need to thank me, helping out with saving the Crystal Empire is what Spike the Brave and Glorious does.”
Grass Patch giggled, Soft Mane pinched the bridge of her nose, and Twilight gave her assistant a patronizing smile. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, Spike.”
Blinking, Spike stopped with another forkful of cake halfway to his mouth. “What do you mean?”
Telekinetically removing the dessert from his grasp before he could give himself a stomachache, Twilight nodded toward her sister-in-law. “I did some more research about the Crystal Fair after we defeated King Sombra. While the Crystal Heart is able to collect the light and love of the crystal ponies, the Crystal Empire itself is what allows for the transfer of energy.”
Nodding, Cadance continued. “The Crystal Empire’s foundations are made out of a unique substance that resonates with both the Crystal Heart and the crystal ponies. Without that, there’s no way for them to transfer their energy to the artifact, and it can only operate at minimum power. So we can use it against Lex if he attacks the Crystal Empire, but not anywhere else.”
“Plus the Crystal Heart has to stay there to keep the weather under control,” added Shining Armor. “Remember how snowy it was when you guys first went there? That was because it’s power was at an extremely low ebb after King Sombra had kept it hidden for so long, and it wasn’t able to push back the Frozen North.”
“Oh…” Looking crestfallen that his idea wasn’t viable, Spike didn’t reach for any more desserts. Taking pity on her boyfriend, Soft Mane reached over and gabbed a cookie, handing it to him the moment Twilight’s attention was elsewhere. The gesture had the desired effect, Spike’s smile returning as he gave her a grateful look before chowing down.
“That’s why we need to come up with a different plan for dealing with him,” continued Shining Armor. “We don’t necessarily have to kill him,” he noted, giving Twilight a look. “But I think we can all agree that he’s too dangerous to be allowed to go free, so unless he does try to attack the Crystal Empire when we’re undoing the curse he placed on Luna, we need to figure a way we can fight against his magic, and well as that scythe of his.”
Applejack sighed. “Listen…this ain’t easy for me to talk about, but if y’all’re really serious about pickin’ a fight with Lex, I guess I gotta…”
Twilight licked her lips. “Applejack, you don’t-”
But Applejack wouldn’t be deterred. “Now don’t you try and stop me, Twilight. Princess Luna was able to be honest with us about what happened to her, so I’ve gotta do the same.” Her ears folding back were the only sign of the discomfort she felt as she forged ahead. “That scythe’s name is Severance, and it’s alive. More than that though, if you try to use it, it can get in your head and twist your thoughts around. I know because it happened to me…and that’s why I ended up sending Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to that other world, and then Pinkie Pie after ‘em.”
“They know, AJ.” Twilight’s voice was quiet. “Or at least, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance do. I told them about that yesterday evening.”
“Even after Rainbow Dash helped me get rid of that thing, I still needed…wait, you did what now?!” Cringing at the realization that she’d just confessed for nothing, Applejack looked around guiltily, almost wilting under the surprised looks she was receiving.
But none of those looks turned into condemnation. Rather, most of them morphed into sympathy a second later. “Darling, you were under the control of some sort of dark magic?” asked Rarity. “You poor dear! That must have been positively dreadful!”
“I wondered why you were carrying that thing around with you all the time,” murmured Fluttershy, her voice thick with guilt. “I didn’t realize it had put a spell on you. I’m really sorry.”
“Wow, I had no idea what had happened,” admitted Spike, looking equally chagrined. “But you’re okay now though, right?”
“I am now, Spike,” admitted Applejack, trying not to get choked up as she smiled at her friends. “I am now.” Rubbing her eyes for a second, she made herself get back to the topic at hoof. “But the point is, if that thing could make me into a right awful version of myself, it’s probably done the same thing to Lex, and-”
“I’m not so sure,” admitted Twilight in a small voice.
Applejack’s eyebrows went up. “Now hold on just an apple-pickin’ minute, Twilight. You saw how Severance made me all ruthless and uncompromisin’, and that sure sounds like Lex to a T don’t it? So why would you say that?”
“Because Lex was that way before he got Severance,” replied Twilight without hesitation. “Believe me, I wish this was as simple as him having turned into somepony completely different because of Severance altering his personality, but that’s just not what it seems like. Remember how he acted when we first met him on Everglow? Does that really sound different from what we’ve been told he’s like in Vanhoover?”
“Sure it does! Lex wasn’t killin’ ponies when we met him before,” protested Applejack. “If he’s doin’ that now, then it must be ‘cuz Severance’s makin’ him!”
“Maybe,” admitted Twilight. “But don’t forget that when you had Severance, it almost killed Rainbow Dash all on its own, and according to what Princess Celestia told us, Lex said the same thing when it killed Silhouette-”
“Which was almost certainly a lie,” interjected Celestia. “Lex isn’t trustworthy, Twilight. We can’t take his word for it that he didn’t know his weapon would cut somepony down right in front of him.”
“Silhouette had almost interrupted a magical ritual that Lex was carrying out the previous night, disabling several of his followers and infuriating him,” added Luna. “It makes sense that he would want revenge.”
“But you told us that Severance was originally aiming for you, not Silhouette,” pleaded Twilight. “If it acted on its own, then this is all just one big misunderstanding.”
“It’s no misunderstanding, Twilight. Lex has been very consistent in his hostility toward us, even before he acquired his weapon. Remember when he attacked me in this very castle after I wouldn’t surrender Equestria to him then and there, swearing to cast myself and Luna down? He was yelling similar statements about how much he hated us right after he cut Silhouette down.” Celestia gave Twilight a sorrowful look. “I know you want to believe that there’s good in everypony. It’s why you’re such an excellent Princess of Friendship. But Shining Armor is right. Lex is a threat to all of Equestria. We can’t simply ignore him after everything he’s done.”
And just like that, the decision had been made. “He needs to be stopped. And we need to come up with a way to stop him.”
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So is Celestia still under the influence of that spell making her not trust Lex? Twilight basically guesses the truth and Celestia is pretty quick to dismiss it.
Hopefully Twilight is the one who meets Lex next.
As much as I want to defend Lex, his actions and attitude towards the Crown in the past has been pretty hostile. Even if Severance's actions had been the final nail in the coffin, Lex never truly tried to get along with them.
Though he never bothered to get along with anyone save for those truly close to him so having him be amicable towards the ponies who, in his eyes, are responsible for Equestria's stagnation is a longshot to say the least.
Still, it's amusing and yet horrifying at the potential disaster in the making due to the small yet not so insignificant part Aria played in the final decision on the Crown's stance on Lex.
10018889
Aria's enchantment has worn off by now but due to how subtle it was, Celestia truly believes the idea that Lex can't be trusted is truly her own.
I suppose one could ask when she started feeling this way and have her question herself but I doubt it will be enough to change her mind given what Lex has done.
Last chapter I
Did not write in rhyme.
I hope to now make up
For that lost time.
The mood seems bleak
War with Lex seems nigh
But Twilight Sparkle
Has a Twinkle,
in her mind's eye.
Is that enough
To stop 'fore
War begins
Or shall Eq'stria
Make Lex Legis
Pay for his "sins".
Lies take hold,
When truth is held
If it doth not come to light
Lex Legis may not see
After a soon coming
Night.
10018889
I believe that the spell have worn out its initial course..
But like a good/bad experience that can be clouded or enhanched by once emotions.
I believe that all the spell did was just enforcing Celestias already bad experience about Lex.
More expo, info, refutation of options.
All Lex needs to deal with the Crystal Empire attempt, is either some Pepper, or a pair of magical musical monsters singing in resonant harmonic dissonance?
some one hand me a clue X 4
10018889 As noted, the enchantment has worn off, but Celestia now believes that the idea is her own.
Twilight, however, is a genius in her own right, and is already picking up on the inconsistencies that arise when comparing Celestia and Luna's recounting of the fight with what they think it means about Lex. She's tentatively concluded that Lex wasn't under Severance's control, and noted that the weapon has a history of using lethal force against perceived threats without its wielder's direct permission. Moreover, it hasn't escaped her notice that that's the incident that caused everything to fall apart, and that this might just be a misunderstanding.
But Celestia is quite clearly no longer open to that possibility. Not after what Lex did to Luna. At this point, her mind is all but made up, and something far more concrete is going to be needed to change her mind.
10019006 There's plenty of blame to go around, to be sure. Celestia and Luna have obviously decided that Lex is a villain through and through, based on what happened in Vanhoover. Aria's hurt caused her to spitefully use her magic to help lay the groundwork for things to fall apart. Severance lashed out in accordance with its creator's will, caring for nothing else.
But ultimately, Lex is at the core of each of these problems. He was the one who initially decided that Celestia and Luna were unfit to govern, and made no attempt to hide that fact. He was the one whose inability to relate to others caused him to hurt Aria's feelings so badly. He refused to listen to Severance's warnings about how it was unacceptable to ignore the Night Mare's interests so completely for so long, driving it to act on its own to protect them. Of course, Lex himself would argue that he's right about Celestia and Luna, that Aria is responsible for her own actions, and that Severance's actions were a betrayal that he's already sanctioned it for and also attempted to make right (since he offered to use the resurrection gem the Night Mare gave him to bring Silhouette back, invoking the goddess's wrath), but was spurned by Celestia and Luna.
But whether or not that absolves him of responsibility for his role in creating the current situation is something that I suspect he and most other ponies will disagree on.
10019024 Glad to see you back! Though I hope you don't feel obligated to write a poem for each chapter; it's awesome, but don't let it become a burden.
At this point, though, it's reasonable to wonder if the truth coming out would be enough to avert the looming hostilities. Lex might have had his hoof forced where cursing Luna is concerned, but he's already made up his mind to stand by his action, and I suspect that regardless of what details can be uncovered, Celestia and Luna won't forgive what he did to the latter princess so easily (though if they can remove his curse with the power of the Crystal Heart, that might help alleviate their ill will).
10019905 Well, Flurry Heart isn't born yet...but I do wonder if your other idea might be viable.
10020940 Well, to be fair Twilight does seem to realize that something's not right about all this.
10020979
yep that will end so good.
agreed and at the same time she is the worsted one.
can you see Lex when she tries t hug it out?
10020976
'Tis no burden
I like to write
A poem for chapters
On their release night.
I merely got busy
Didn't finish the chapter
Until it was many a day after.
As for your other bit
I must agree,
that the truth wouldn't help much
Because it would take more, I see.
It seems like the problems
Lex Legis has faced
Have to do with how
He communicates.