This story is a sequel to The Apple Falls Far from the Tree
(While this story is a direct continuation of an existing plotline, it has been written to be accessible all on its own. You do not need to have read the previous works to understand and enjoy what's here.)
Recently returned from the world of Everglow, Lex Legis, a brusque but brilliant unicorn, has finally achieved his dream...after a fashion. Convinced that he can govern Equestria better than the alicorn princesses, he and his new girlfriend, Sonata Dusk, have negotiated for rulership of the distant city of Vanhoover, devastated in the wake of the elemental chaos that has rocked Equestria.
But Vanhoover's problems go far beyond simple disaster-relief, and the pair soon come to learn that maintaining their dreams might be even more difficult – and more dangerous – than achieving them ever was.
Cover art created by the exceptionally talented Little Tigress.
"It’s a thrilling page-turner of a piece that I looked forward to seeing every day." -Paul Asaran, Paul's Thursday Reviews.
“A wonderful story that will capture your attention, the surprises are everywhere, behind all corners. Keep your eyes open for this art piece of the unexpected.” -Firefoxino, My Little Reviews & Feedback.
"This story gets a 9/10, and I initially thought it had all the obvious external hallmarks of a badfic." -kalash93, Reviewers Cafe.
"So, this fic is a shoe-in for enjoyable." -Karibela, Blunt Reviews Group.
The personalities of both shine through. It's nice to see dear Sonata back, and I'm not even writing her! I'm sure she'll help keep Lex on target, so he can use his natural talents best.
Not to say she can't be distracted on her own. They're good for each other in a lot of little ways.
Their first obstacle is laid before them, and they're not even in the half-destroyed city yet! Has service been suspended due to instability and infastructure damage? Let's find out!
6592822 Thanks! I'm trying to make sure that Sonata is recognizable, since keeping the same tone when handing a character from one author to another can be tricky.
So far the two of them seem to be doing fine; at this point, they're still using their natural strengths to cover each other's weaknesses, which is what makes for a strong couple. The trick will be to see if they can keep doing that, and not have their dynamic fall apart, when they're under pressure...such as the pressure of not being able to get where they're going!
A loose end gets its long-awaited resolution. So far, both characters are flowing naturally from where David left them. Tracking, and I'll try to keep my comments off the politics.
the
6593228 My very first typo! Thanks for catching that.
More seriously, thanks for the comment about the characters seeming true to their previous depictions (though that was easily done for Lex, since he'd always been written by me). I look forward to your insights and reactions, and I'll likewise try to keep the politics to the story, and not in the comments section.
6593293 One thing is a little odd. Either the railroad knowingly sold them tickets to an unavailable destination, they boarded the wrong train and nopony checked their tickets, or the rail line was recently broken and the conductor should have announced it. Otherwise, they would have discovered this problem several days ago.
Then again, I don't suppose anybody wants to read about the whole three days of train ride, so a little fudging to save time makes sense from a storytelling perspective.
So glad to see these characters continued, I can't wait to see Lex and Sonata teaming up in Vanhoover.
6594063 Oh, there's an explanation for this, and it's in the next chapter.
6594416 Thanks! It's great that people are excited to see what happens with these two!
Hehe, you have to be careful never to take journalists too seriously; they're just trying to get a reaction out of people.
Extra word
demands and
6595445 Typos fixed. Thanks for that!
As for the mysterious headline...that will be revealed next chapter!
Now he can use his awesome magic to repair the tracks?
6597567 Maybe...or maybe not. The details of Lex's magic has been one card, or rather, one set of cards, that he's consistently played close to the vest, giving only brief glimpses of the details regarding how they work.
That's not to say those details haven't been thoroughly defined, however. I have a character sheet for Lex that lists exactly what powers he does and doesn't have. I find that very helpful when determining what he can do in response to a given situation.