608 - At the Deadline
“Will you hurry up already?! We should have been there by now!”
“I’m going as fast as I can! In case you haven’t noticed it’s totes slippery down here and I do not want to fall!”
“I swear I’m going to trip you if you don’t get your rear in gear! This place stinks and I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to, so get a move on!”
“If you don’t like it, then maybe you should have let me be the one to read the map while you figure out where we can step without gunking up our hooves!”
“Are you kidding me?! You can’t read a map to save your life! Isn’t that why you and Lex ended up going to Tall Tale when you were supposed to go to Vanhoover?”
“Which turned out to be a super-awesome adventure, thank you very much! Besides, I seem to recall you saying we were lost a little while ago!”
“That was your fault! We got turned around because you started screaming and freaked me out!”
“Oh come on! I told you that was because I stepped on a rat! Do you, like, not get how gross that was?!”
“You want to see gross? Try living with a bunch of fish people for weeks on end. They don’t even have sewers, they just go wherever…wait. Wait a second. I think this is it!”
“Really?! Oh my gosh, let me see the map!”
“Hey! Hooves off, you idiot!”
“Aww!”
“Look! Look over there! See?! It says ‘J7’! That’s juncture number seven! So if we turn this corner, the ladder should-”
“I SEE IT! Oh wow, we’re finally there! C’mon, let’s blow this popsicle cart!”
“Wait! Don’t run! You moron, you’re going to-”
“WAAAAAA!”
“…fall.”
The marehole cover exploded upward, arcing through the air high enough that it almost hit the basement ceiling before it finally came crashing down, a terrific clatter filling the air as it hit the ground, tumbling end over end until it came to an abrupt stop as it hit the far wall, leaving only the echoes of the din its sudden flight – as well as the sonic scream Sonata had used to blast it upward – had caused.
A moment later the mare in question – her coat, mane, and tail stained and filthy – hauled herself out of the sewer entrance and into the basement, her sister following after her a moment later.
“Real subtle, Sonata,” groused Aria as she climbed out of the hole, fumbling for a nearby light switch before managing to flip it, illuminating their surroundings. “You better hope that no one heard that, otherwise Lex’s entire plan could be ruined!”
“Shut up!” moaned Sonata miserably, her head swiveling left and right as she frantically looked around. “It was bolted down and I wasn’t going to wait for-, aha!”
Spotting the shelf full of cleaning supplies on the back wall, Sonata immediately abandoned the conversation to rush over to them, opening a bottle of detergent and upending it over herself before grabbing a roll of paper towels and tearing some off, scrubbing her body furiously.
Sighing, Aria glanced at the clock on the nearby wall, noting that there was still a little bit of time until midnight before marching over to where her sister was frantically trying to wash the foul-smelling fluids off. “Gimme those,” she ordered, snatching the paper towels away.
“But-”
“Be quiet,” huffed Aria, reaching for where a hose had been hooked up to a nearby sink. “This’ll go faster if you hold still and let me do it. Now, go stand next to the sewer entrance.”
Sonata almost protested, sure that this was the beginning of some mean prank where she was pushed back down into the smelly gunk waiting at the bottom of the hole. But the look on Aria’s face was sincere, and it took Sonata a second to remember that they didn’t have the same relationship now that they did back on Earth. Feeling guilty at having momentarily forgotten that – even if it had been because of how revolting all that filth was! – Sonata folded her ears back as she followed Aria’s instructions. “Sorry.”
“Just hold still,” replied Aria evenly before turning the water on.
Minutes passed in silence before she put the hose aside, going to work with the paper towels. “There,” she pronounced at last. “All clean.”
Twisting her head as she looked herself over, Sonata let out a relieved breath as she saw that she was no longer covered in filth, pulling her sister into a hug. “Thanks Aria.”
Giving Sonata a quick squeeze in reply, Aria's haughty look was already back in place as they separated, giving her pigtails a toss. “I just didn’t want to have to go through the rest of this with you while you smelled like that,” she snorted. “And when Lex finally gets over his whole ‘we can’t do it because someone’s watching us’ thing, I’m going first.”
Sonata rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, yeah.” Taking just a moment to savor the sisterly bond she felt then, Sonata glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing that they were running short on time. “You should probably get started.”
Nodding, Aria sang a quick note, activating her spell. Feeling the magic fall into place, she turned her gaze upward, brow furrowing as she concentrated.
“Anything?” asked Sonata after several tense seconds.
“Not yet.”
“….how about now?”
“No.”
“…now?”
“No.”
“…”
“…”
“…how about n-”
“She’s not here,” pronounced Aria, with only a slight growl in her voice.
Sonata frowned, despite Lex having predicted exactly that. “You’re sure?”
Aria frowned right back at her. “Look, I used this tracking spell on Lex himself back before he rescued me from the sahuagin, and it never let me down. The range on this thing is enough that it should cover every floor of this apartment building, and the next couple buildings in every direction, and I’m telling you I’m getting nothing. She’s not here, and I’m pretty sure she’s not anywhere in half a block of here.”
“Huh.” Sonata processed that for a moment before shrugging. “So, I guess we move on to phrase two then?”
“It’s phase-, never mind. Let’s just go.”
Shrugging, Sonata followed her sister as the two of them headed upstairs. Despite the noise they’d made, no one seemed to have heard them, with the stairwell being empty as they climbed up to the top floor and glanced down the hallway, confirming that they were alone before walking to the end of it. “Ready?”
“Ready,” nodded Aria.
“Then let’s pinch butt and take names!”
“…I still think you mess those sayings up on purpose.”
Sonata giggled. “Oh, quit complaining and sing already, will ya?”
“Fine, fine.”
Taking a deep breath, Aria closed her eyes as she held it, before opening her eyes as she started to sway in place, raising her voice as she began belting out a quick, catchy tune. “Everypony everypony, why do you sleep the night away?”
A half-second later, Sonata joined in, effortlessly harmonizing with her sister. “Everypony everypony, you all work so hard ev’ry day.”
The next line came from the two of them in unison, projecting their voices louder as they harmonized. “So why don’t you get up, get down, and come on out and play!”
The singing had the desired effect, as light began to spill from under nearby doors, which cracked open a moment later to reveal sleepy and confused ponies, dragged out of bed to see what all the commotion was about. But any complaints they might have had about being woken up were instantly forgotten as the two beauties in the hallway smiled and winked at them, hooves tapping and bodies swaying as they danced in place, clearly inviting their audience to join them.
Not that they could refuse, thanks to the magic infusing the song.
Slowly, the Sirens started down the hallway, heading back toward the stairs.
“Everypony everypony, you wish that you could get your chance?”
Behind them, their bewitched audience slowly wandered after them, unconsciously pacing their steps to match the melody.
“Everypony everypony, find something that could make you prance.”
Making their way down to the next floor, it was easy enough to repeat the process, with ponies coming to investigate the noise only to fall prey to the Sirens’ spell, their eyes glazing over as their bodies began to sway with their song.
“So why not show us what, you’ve got, and come on out and dance!”
Floor by floor, Sonata and Aria worked their magic. Falling in behind them, ponies of all ages swayed, spun, twirled, and leaped to the beat they set. Stallions fell in behind the Sirens, dancing in coordination, as mares provided vocal accompaniment. Foals danced on the backs of adults while babies, rocked by their parents in time with the melody, cheerfully waved their hooves. Elderly ponies swung canes and walkers in sweeping gestures as high notes were hit. Even pets were taken in by the singing, making their way underhoof as they padded along in time with the tempo.
By the time they’d reached the ground floor, everyone in the building was following Sonata and Aria, enchanted in the most literal sense of the word. None of them thought twice about what they were doing as the Sirens led them outside and down the street, capable only of obeying the lyrics telling them to sing, dance, and party like there was no tomorrow. The message filled their minds as they reached the end of the block, heading toward the more populous parts of Las Pegasus’ lower city as they sought to obey the directive they’d been given.
But outside, not everyone who heard the Sirens’ singing joined in the revelry.
From across the street, standing in the mouth of an alley, Lex watched as Sonata and Aria emptied the building.
The sight made him frown, not happy with seeing them use their magic to take over the minds of so many other people, but the exigent circumstances warranted it. That apartment building was the location given in the ransom note, and while it had been exceedingly unlikely that Silhouette – or whoever had kidnapped Feather Duster – had holed up in that place with his hostage, Lex hadn’t been prepared to gamble on that fact; not when a wrong guess could potentially put the residents’ safety at risk. That justified the use of the Sirens’ magic, since it allowed for everyone to be evacuated in a quick and (relatively) orderly fashion.
Fortunately, this was the only residence on the block. Located at the edge of the city, the ramshackle apartment building was surrounded by shuttered shops, a park that looked like it had been abandoned for years, a decrepit-looking building that might have been a schoolhouse once, and a dilapidated old factory. Given that Lex hadn’t been able to spot anyone who looked like Silhouette or Feather Duster in the crowd of ponies that Sonata and Aria had led away, that meant she was likely being held in one of the nearby buildings. Along with whoever took her, Lex knew. Almost certainly watching from some hidden vantage…hm?
Even as Lex watched, a pegasus stallion, dressed in black pants and a bright red button-up jacket and matching cap, winged over to the apartment that the Sirens had just cleared, sparing a puzzled glance for the makeshift parade marching down the street as he touched down in front of the building…and made no move to enter.
His eyes narrowing, Lex watched as the stallion instead stood in front of the door and looked toward the street, fidgeting slightly…just as a distant bell rang, announcing that it was midnight.
Certain that this was no coincidence, Lex spent several seconds weighing the risks, then abandoned his hiding place, stalking toward the unknown pony.
As soon as he caught sight of Lex approaching, the stallion straightened up, a polite smile gracing his features. “Prince Legis! I’m truly honored to-”
“Identify yourself!” demanded Lex as he stalked toward the pegasus. “Now!”
The unknown pony’s smile wavered, but only for a moment. “Of course, Your Highness! My name is Speedy Delivery, and I’m with the Courteous Courier Service, where we guarantee that your shipment is always made with a smile! I’ve been instructed to deliver this message to you personally,” he explained as he reached into a pocket with one wing, withdrawing an envelope.
Lex eyed the paper container for a long moment, making no move to collect it. Instead, he turned his eyes back toward the pegasus. “Who commissioned you to do this?”
“Ah, well, Your Highness, client requests for anonymity are always honored at your business-”
“Who,” rumbled Lex again, his eyes glowing, “commissioned you to do this?”
His smile perilously close to failing, Speedy Delivery gulped. “I, uh, I didn’t get his name, but it was an earth stallion. Blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was covered by his outfit, honest!”
Lex narrowed his eyes at that. The same description as the pony who had arranged for the ransom note to be delivered. A disguise? A collaborator? Or some dupe hired to instruct the couriers out of an abundance of caution on the culprit’s part?
Taking the envelope in his telekinesis, Lex eyed it warily, wishing he could examine it for magic with his circlet. As it was, the only clue was his name written on the outside in plain, blocky letters.
Glancing back at where Speedy Delivery was waiting, Lex made a dismissive gesture. “You may leave.”
“Of course, Sire,” replied the stallion, recovering his poise. “And if you found our service satisfactory, please consider telling your friends and colleagues about the Courteous Courier-”
“Leave. Now.”
Still somehow managing to keep his smile intact, Speedy Delivery bobbed his head once before taking off. Lex watched the stallion go, making sure that he was gone before glancing back down the block. Sonata and Aria were still leading everypony away, following his instructions to make sure that the ponies they’d ensorcelled were nowhere near here when they ceased concentrating on their enchantment. It would hold for a little while without them being there to maintain it, but he wanted to make absolutely sure that none of the ponies they’d enchanted would consider coming back to celebrate at their residence to celebrate, instead seeking to party elsewhere.
Knowing that they’d be back in a few minutes, and not wanting them around in the unlikely event that the envelope was trapped – while there was no reason to think it was, the memory of how Xiriel’s scroll had exploded in his face wasn’t something Lex had forgotten – he telekinetically held the envelope at a distance and opened it.
After several seconds went by with nothing happening, he removed the contents, unfolding them as he made out the single line of script.
The factory. Now. Or she dies.
Swearing, Lex threw the letter to the ground, looking at the building in question, knowing that whoever had sent this had to be in there, watching him right now. But there were few streetlights this close to the edge of the city, and none close enough to illuminate the factory.
For an instant, Lex considered waiting for Sonata and Aria to return. He’d cast his whisper spell on the two of them before they’d set out into the sewers; even if he couldn’t hear anything they said to him, he could still at least send messages to them. But while its duration had yet to expire, its range was limited to a little over two hundred feet, and they were further away than that now, and would likely remain so for at least a few minutes more.
And if whoever had sent this letter – and who had doubtlessly seen him open it and read the contents – saw him standing around and waiting for the Sirens to return, Feather Duster’s life could very well be forfeit. Just like with the people in the apartment building, that wasn’t a risk that could be countenanced in good conscience.
Snarling, Lex took out the floating gemstones that he’d taken from Xiriel, setting them in orbit around himself as he turned and stalked toward the factory.
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and next chapter: a quiet slice of life, describing Spike attempting to make cheese sticks without cheese
Showtime! Hmm, I do wonder how much help the jewels will be since I assume that Dark Streak will be aware of their existence courtesy of Twilight and Starlight though I admit that I forgot if Lex had used them or not in his duel with Twilight though even if that bit of information didn't reach Willow and by extension, Dark Streak, the assassin might recognize the objects due to her experience with sorcerers and wizards and thus prepared accordingly.
So Lex will be once again going into a fight severely stacked against him or is he?
Plied pipers of Hemline?
10866723
Spike does Krafts?
10867122
Maybe more stringers than cheese
10866723 Well yeah. Who doesn't love it when expectations of action are subverted as we instead cut to a slice-of-life segment?
10866901 Well, remember that Twilight and Starlight weren't the ones Dark Streak spoke to at length about Lex's capabilities, since when she was in their company they were mostly concerned with finding Starlight and getting back to Equestria. Likewise, since Lex got those from Xiriel, they're not something that Willow has seen. So they might catch Dark Streak off-guard...though she has made reference to how, when facing a wizard, you couldn't usually prepare for all of the magic items they had, and so had to be flexible.
As it is, the deck is severely stacked against Lex anyway, as much by his power being at such a low ebb as by Dark Streak's preparations. Hopefully he'll figure out how to turn things around before the griffon assassin can complete her commission.
10867122 You know, I was thinking about trying to squeeze a "Pied Piper" joke in there somewhere, but couldn't make it work; I'd written off clothes because in this case, the girls are naked anyway.