Flim hissed as the cold water stung his wounds. He felt the metallic taste of blood on his tongue, along with some small grains of sand. It was probably a good idea to wash out the wounds, seeing how the quarry was not the most sanitary place, but it still stung badly. Beneath his chin he held a small, earthenware bowl to catch the crimson water. ”Are you done soon?”
Ditzy shrugged, but did not answer. She continued to rub the wounds softly with Flim’s shirt, as that was the cleanest piece of cloth they had. Even her featherlight touch sent small spikes of pain through his face.
After ten minutes, Ditzy sullenly went away and laid down by the quarry wall, her eyes right into the white stone. She draped her wing over her back with a scuffling movement, then laid still, save for the even movement of her chest rising and falling. They were all silent for a few minutes while Ditzy seemed to fall asleep, no doubt dreaming herself away from the quarry to someplace better.
”My soul hurt,” Flim commented dryly. ”’Ditzy’ and ’sad’ in the same sentence should be grammatically incorrect.”
”A-Agreed,” Topsy said with a without looking away from Ditzy’s small form. His expression bordered on despair. ”But I won’t let her do anything d-dangerous. She is-s too v-valuable.”
”It’s not exactly right to stop her like that, you know that?” Filthy said hesitantly, evidently glad for any distraction he might have from his small bowl of crimson water. He looked just as miserable as Ditzy when he saw it. ”I too realize that letting her wander off is madness, but to physically stop her…”
Topsy gave a hapless smirk. ”I am Topsy Twitchy, i-insane wonderb-bolt and convicted-d c-criminal. I l-long since stopped d-doing what was r-right.”
”Cut him some slack, m’kay,” Suri said bitingly to Filthy. ”Ditzy shouldn’t care for whatever happens to Marmalade. She was the one who had to clean Flim’s face after the tyrant’s abuse for Celestia’s sake.”
”Doesn’t make much sense to me either,” Flam said evenly. ”But Ditzy has always been the best one of us.”
”I don’t get it,” Suri mumbled and shook her head. ”How can somepony be that…” the fuchsia mare paused for a second, ”I’m not even sure if I should say foolish or compassionate…”
”Trixie doesn’t think we should talk about Ditzy like she isn’t here,” Trixie interjected, somewhat accusing. ”Has anypony given any thought to how we are going to get out of this one?”
”The way I see it, we have the following problems to overcome,” Flam said stilly. ”The griffons have their eyes and ears at the quarry every hour of the day, they know the surroundings better than us, and they can fly. Furthermore we don’t have our equipment.”
”That, and we still have to break into the castle,” Flim pointed out. The other ponies, Ditzy excluded, looked at him dubiously.
”Wait, are you suggesting we are going after that idol?” Trixie asked. ”But we will have enough problems just making a beeline out. Trixie is not sure if it’s a good idea to go after the idol now of all times.”
”We are rather close to it now, and thing’s won’t be easier any other time,” Flim responded. ”Let’s just keep our eyes and ears peeled for opportunity in that community as well, alright?”
”We have quite a bit to figure out before we can even think about the idol,” Flam reminded. ”Concentrate on what I said; the guards, and how to escape them.”
”Well, good thing that Gamon the Gross doesn’t seem too fast at least,” Suri said. ”I’m surprised every time I see him get up in the air.”
”Hang on a moment there,” Flam said slowly. ”Gamon was the one who took our gear, didn’t he?”
”Yup,” Filthy confirmed glumly. ”And if he has scratched my boomerang, I will sue his grandchildren when we get home. Six hundred years of interest with a rate of one hundred percent a month. I’m gonna sue their pants off, see if I don’t.”
”Whatever,” Flam said, much to Filthy’s annoyance. ”Maybe he still has our stuff. We just need to get to his… office, I guess we can call it?”
”Yea, that will be a breeze,” Suri said with a sarcastic voice. ”Just waltz right in. Get me a coffee too while you’re at it.”
”Oh, but since did we have to get invited?” Flam asked with a shrug. ”We’ll just have to break in, get our things back and then we break out of here. Somehow. I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.”
”There are a lot of guards around…” Trixie reminded him tentatively. ”While they may not miss one pony, Trixie can’t see how we can get out of this hole in the first place.”
”I c-could fly you…” Topsy suggested. ”But… they would s-see me…”
”So we will need a distraction then,” Flam said with an elevated voice. ”Something to keep the griffon’s attention down on the quarry while one of us get our things… brother of mine, how do you feel about a circus performance?”
Flim flashed a grin. ”What do you have in mind, dearest brother of mine?”
”Well, one must give the ponies… griffons, what they want… and I think Gamon might be looking for a new taskmaster.” Flam began.
”…and I feel ready for a promotion, yes.” Flim filled in pensively ”I see what you mean…” He contemplated for a moment. Gamon did not seem to be the most forgiving griffon, and it was as good a certain that if a taskmaster was supplanted under his watch, then he or she would not have a pleasant time. Put shortly, supplanting Marmalade would probably kill her. ”Okay, I can do that,” Flim answered. ”Tomorrow.”
Flam nodded. ”Tomorrow it is. If you are going to do this, then what do you reckon you will need?”
Both Topsy and Suri looked surprised and more than a little freaked out by Flim’s callous answer. Good-natured Flim had just accepted what was, more or less, an assassination? Did he and his brother have an ulterior plan, or had they decided to let every boundary step back this time? ”Are… are you really…?” Suri asked silently. Her eyes shifted from one brother to the other, looking for an explanation.
”-Getting out? Yes, yes we are.” Flam interrupted. His tone was cold as ice. Suri did not say anything more.
”Prankster?” Flim asked, and like a specter the black parrot landed on a broken of marble chunk. ”Well… I really just wanted to know you were there,” Flim said to the parrot, who looked at the unicorn with a judgmental look. ”Might need you tomorrow.”
One could practically hear the bird saying how lucky Flim was that Prankster put up with all of their shenanigans.
”I don’t like this one bit,” Filthy said with a heavy look to Flam. ”Much I can accept, but not this. As nasty as Marmalade is, she does not deserve to die. Nopony does.”
”Some ponies do,” Flam corrected darkly. ”But not Marmalade, I agree. I’m very much open for alternatives actually. You have a few hours to come up with one, for I’m definitely not going to let my friends waste away here while we think. This is not the time for intricate planning; every day we remain will make us weaker and weaker.”
”Trixie don’t think she can do this,” Trixie mumbled with a look of shame, for the plan and because her inability in equal measure. ”She sees your argument, but…” Trixie hesitated.
”But it’s cynical. You don’t like it, but the logic in it is nonetheless true. You know what needs to be done, but you still hate it.” Flim filled in. Trixie looked at him and nodded slowly. ”Well, my brother is a cynical stallion.”
Both Filthy and Trixie was left speechless by Flim’s cold, blunt way to go about this. ”Soo… you feel like this too?” Trixie asked. ”You don’t want to?”
”I learned to see my brother’s point of view a long time ago,” Flim said with a shrug. ”I follow his lead, and that has yet to lead me wrong.” Suri noted that Flam flinched a little at the last words.
”But you can’t like this!” Trixie said loudly, stomping her hoof in the ground. ”You must have your own feelings about this! You are to smart too just accept his plan without… without anything else.”
”Oh, I have feelings,” Flim said lightly. ”I have a thing for pegasi. I like cider and ice-cream with mint taste. I look out for my friends, and especially my brother. I like lying and tricking ponies to see if they can expose me before it is too late. So I clearly have feelings.”
”Funny,” Trixie said darkly.
Flim sighed. ”Look, Trixie, and Suri and Filthy too. I have feelings, but I put my brother’s planning ability over my them when I deem it necessary. This is our lives on the line here. Not just mine, but yours and my brother’s too. I have already made a grave mistake here, and thankfully only I got hurt. I’m not going to take any risk that you get hurt. You are so much more important than Marmalade. ”
”Shut it,” Flam said with a harsh glare at Trixie, who was just about to answer. ”You have no clue what my brother and I have been through. You have no right to judge us, none! Speaking of which, you should get some rest, brother of mine,” Flam turned to Flim with a considerably kinder tone. ”Leave the backup to Prankster and me. Topsy, I need you to sneak over to those cranes and get some rope. Loosen it up at least, or get it here if you can. Make sure you stay out of trouble.”
Flim nodded shortly and trotted a little while to the side for what little privacy there was in their little corner of the quarry. Trixie stood still and glared at Flam. ”How about you enlighten Trixie then?” she asked with a challenging tone. ”Just what have you two been through?”
”That is a secret you will have to pry from my cold, dead hooves,” Flam said ominously. His tone and glare deterred Trixie from asking more about it.
For now.
*****
Flim awoke thanks to something soft and feathery gently brushing over his sore face. He recognized the feeling very well, seeing as he had spent quite some time in bed with pegasus mares. Only problem was that, last he checked, he was prisoner in ancient Griffonstone, and not sweet talking anypony into a good time.
So why would a wing brush against him?
”Oh no, get back to sleep! I’m not here!” Ditzy whispered in a stressed voice. Flim shook his head and sat up. Or rather, he tried to sit up, but found his forelegs tied together. His heartbeat quickened as his flee-or-fight instincts took hold. A dark green shimmer encased his horn.
”NO!” Ditzy squealed and awkwardly grabbed Flim’s horn in a last-ditch effort to prevent him from using magic. She had no idea how unicorn magic worked, but she knew their sparkly horns had something to do with it.
Flim let his magic fizzle out, more because Ditzy’s heartwrenching cry than her clumsy attempt to stifle it. He looked at the frightened, cloud gray mare that sill held her hooves around his horn as if it might explode if she let go.
”Good evening,” Flim began politely with a small nod from the ground. ”Mind explaining?” he said and nodded towards his bound forelegs. ”And can you please sit me up, at least? I’d like to see the pony I talk too.”
Ditzy’s look changed from scared to meek. She took Flim by his shoulders and heaved him up so that he sat with his back to the quarry wall. The other ponies seemed to sleep soundly, even if Flim thought he could see one of Topsy’s wispy ears follow them. Then again, if you lived in Everfree you must probably be a light sleeper.
”I assume Topsy got the rope then, so there is that,” Flim said and tried to tug at the ropes around his hooves. ”But tying up me was not in the plan, was it?”
”I won’t let you do this, Flam, I won’t” Ditzy said with a stern look at the bound unicorn. ”There must be some better way. I know there is a way to get into Gamon’s office and get our gear without… this. It’s bad enough that you let her be punished, I’m not gonna let you hurt her even more.”
”So you tied me up in my sleep?” Flim asked, calm as ever. ”I’m not sure the rest of our friends would just stand there and… you know, not help me come morning. And furthermore, you know I’m rather good at ropes, right? I have ways to slip out of them too.”
”Oh…” Ditzy said in a small tone and looked down on the ground. She scuffed a hoof nervously. ”I didn’t think of that.”
”Still, I didn’t think you had it in you to do such an underhoofed deed. Maybe my brother and I have begun to rub off on you,” Flim said with a commending smile. ”Anyway, let’s negotiate. What would it take for me to convince you to let me loose?”
”Don’t hurt Marmalade,” Ditzy said immediately. ”Don’t hurt anypony or anygriffon. You promise that, I promise I will let help you out. I will even give you a whole muffin.”
”I can accept that, as long as it doesn’t come at the expense of you or any of our friends being hurt instead.” Flim replied. ”And I want a cup of apple juice with the muffin.”
Ditzy shook her head. ”Nuh-uh. It’s better that I get hurt than anypony else.”
Flim groaned tiredly. ”How did a pony like you end up with us? You are way too kind for this kind of work.”
Ditzy giggled. ”One can never be too kind, silly,” she said happily, causing Flim to groan even louder.
”Care to tell me something, Ditzy?” Flim asked with a more serious voice. ”Why are you so convinced that it is better that you suffer than anypony else? You, who are so nice and kind, why should you suffer for somepony as nasty as Marmalade? She does, at least to some degree, deserve whatever is coming to her. You don’t.”
”Well… I don’t want to suffer,” Ditzy responded. ”But if I can stop anypony from hurting, then I must try, right? That’s what good ponies do, and I want to be a good pony.”
”Ditzy…” Flim didn’t quite seem what to say. ”I just can’t understand you. You who have seen so much bullying for nothing… how can you be so kind?”
”I like being kind. Then ponies become happy and I like seeing ponies happy. Happiness is the best thing a pony can have.” Ditzy said in her usual, simple way.
”Kindness is not such a simple thing though,” Flim pointed out. ”For example, I bet there are ponies here who would love me if Marmalade… had an accident. So, if I’m being unkind to her, then I’m kind to them.”
Ditzy opened her mouth to answer, but not a word left it. She looked at Flim’s even face and then down on her hooves. She mumbled a little to herself, evidently trying to sort out the mess of opposite arguments that Flim’s question had planted in her.
”See? Your goal is, admittedly, admirable, but you can’t make everypony happy. That’s just impossible.” Flim said with a small smirk. ”Or is your happiness worth more than the other ponies in this quarry?”
”I don’t know,” Ditzy admitted. ”I don’t… I’m not more valuable than anypony…” Ditzy bit her lip. ”But you don’t need to do this, do you?” She asked, pleading now. ”You don’t need to hurt Marmalade, you just need a diversion right? Can’t you come up with something else, something better? Please?”
”No, it has to be perfect,” Flam interjected from behind Ditzy. The pegasus spun around and looked at Flam laying on his back with his boater hat pulled down over his face. ”It has to be so perfect that the chance of Trixie and Topsy being discovered is… well, zero. And the one thing I have seen that kept the griffon’s attention was my brother’s scuffle with Marmalade. Sorry, Ditzy Doo, but this will do what we need it to, and that’s all that matters.”
”Is not!” Ditzy said loudly. ”We are not the only ponies here! Everypony matters! We can’t just… not do anything when ponies are hurt. We are better than that!”
”No, you are better,” Flam corrected, still without removing the hat from his face. ”I’m just a cynical con artist, trying to look out for what few friends I have. I don’t care if I’m good or bad if I get what I want.”
”But-” Ditzy began, but Flam interrupted her.
”But that doesn’t mean I want to see ponies suffer and die when I could have thought a little while longer and prevented it.” He was silent for a moment. ”I may or may not have a seed of a shadow of a littlest fragment of an idea as to how we could avoid making Marmalade marmalade tomorrow.”
”Marmalade marmalade?” Ditzy asked with a small crook of her neck that told Flim that she was confused.
Flam sighed. ”Might be she does not have to die a horrible screaming death tomorrow.” He elaborated. ”Maybe. That would depend on somepony other than me, and I’m not telling you who. I look into it myself, and he or she will make the decision on his or her own, as I want to hear the unbiased opinion weather it can be done without risk.” Flam rolled over on the side, turning his back to Ditzy.
The pegasus looked at the pretending-to-be-asleep unicorn. She trotted up to him and poked him on the side. No reaction.
Poke.
…
Poke.
…
Poke.
…
Po-
”LET ME SLEEP!” Flam growled. ”LEAVE IT TO ME, OKAY!?”
Ditzy uttered a big smile. ”I knew you were too good to be bad,” she said happily. She laid down on the ground and draped a wing over her. She began snoring softly within minutes.
Flim looked at Ditzy, then at his bound forehooves. She had not untied him. ”Hello? Anypony wants to help me?”
…
”Nopony? Really, nopony at all?”
…
”Prankster?” Flim said and looked up at the bird perched on a small outcropping. The parrot opened his eyes and looked down on Flim. He held up his fore hooves. ”Help,” he said.
The parrot answered by tucking his head under one of his wings again.
Flim had a look of betrayal on his face when he looked at the parrot. ”Et tu, Prankster?”
*****
”Alllllright,” Flam said. He swallowed and his eyes darted to the left. ”Okay then… showtime.” He had, in much more of a hurry than he would have liked, prepared his new, and revised plan. Topsy had agreed to play his part suspiciously fast. Flam suspected it was to make Ditzy happy.
Not that he could go back and change plan now. Now he could only hope.
”Curtains rise,” Flim said with a yawn. ”I’ll keep the griffons entertained. Don’t you worry none. Though… just in case of something going haywire, stay at the ready, okay?”
”M’kay,” Suri said with a harrowed look. She looked so stressed she might bolt, not that anypony could fault her for it. She was the newest pony in their group, and still not a criminal at heart. She had not been in many stressful situations in their company, and definitely none as dangerous as this one.
”You be careful now, Trixie and Topsy,” Ditzy said. If Flam and Suri were nervous, then Ditzy was soon going to climb the walls. Her veering eyes darted between Trixie, Topsy and Flim fast enough to be a golden and black blur. ”And be careful with Marmalade. If you can’t get our stuff, then run, okay? Promise me! And… and stay out of sight, Trixie. And-”
”Curtains rise,” Flim repeated with a predatory smile. ”For here comes the mane attraction.” The other ponies followed his eyes, and saw Marmalade coming down in the quarry. She was limping and had a part enraged part terrified look in her eyes. She already held the whip in her mouth. Ditzy turned away and put her hooves over her ears. She could not bear to watch or hear this.
Without missing a beat, Flim trotted out to meet her. ”Hey, guess what? I’m not gonna work today!” He said loud enough for the whole quarry to hear him. The griffons guards looked down, but didn’t care otherwise. A slave dropped his pickaxe and turned to watch. Somepony else followed suit. So far Flam was right; Marmalade’s authority was hurt from yesterday.
Marmalade fixed a hateful glare at Flim. ”I’m going to… to…” she opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to fabricate a word foul enough. She spat instead and snapped her whip in the air.
”You are going to stammer?” Flim asked cockily. ”Oh no! Please, not the stammer!” He held up his hooves in a defensive gesture. Some ponies around snickered. That was the last straw. Marmalade screamed in anger and snapped her whip at Flim.
”Woa!” Flim said in a mock surprised tone and dodged the whip. ”Hey, hey, hey! Put that down before you get hurt!”
”Just. Stand. Still.” Marmalade growled and snapped the whip again. Flim jumped over it with another exaggerated ’woa!’.
”Let’s make this a bit more interesting, shall we?” He asked. ”Filthy?”
”Mr. Rich,” Filthy answered and threw Flim the rope Topsy had salvaged last night. Flim caught it in his mouth with a practiced move and snapped it to block Marmalade’s lash. While his opponent was busy pulling her own whip back, Flim took the opportunity to tie his own to his hoof.
”Just so you know,” Flim said as he leaped forward, somersaulted under Marmalade’s snap. He stood up just in front of her and kicked her injured hoof. ”I don’t play fair.”
Marmalade screamed. Flim backed off in shock. He had not expected that; he had expected a small gasp and a window of opportunity. Instead, Marmalade screamed at the top of her lungs and slumped to the ground. She sobbed and cradled the hoof Flim had struck.
Flim stood over her, dumbfounded. This was not good at all; he was not supposed to beat Marmalade yet. Trixie would need time to do her part, and until then he had to continue fighting Marmalade without the griffons being bored. He had expected to taunt and dodge for the first few minutes, then go in and do some more attacking. After that he would basically torment her for as long as he could before praying that Topsy could get Trixie down in the quarry again.
But now Marmalade did not look like she could put up much of a fight anymore. Both of his first two steps went up in smoke. He swallowed. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
”Sorry Ditzy, but I told you. You are much more important to me than her.” Flim thought remorsefully and snapped his rope. Marmalade whimpered and looked up at Flim as he neared. ”Your whiplash yesterday… it hurt. Now open wide, it’s time for a dose of your own medicine.”
*****
For the first time in her life, Trixie wished her coat was a more drab color. She felt like she was shining brightly, that everypony looked at her. Normally she would have loved that, but right now she did not want to be seen. As fast as she could bring herself, she backed towards the edge of the quarry. She swallowed, closed her eyes and backed out in thin air.
For one panic filled second she was weightless. She opened her mouth to scream just when Topsy caught her as silently as possible. Trixie opened her eyes and closed them again. She had not thought about exactly how high up she was, or that Topsy was the only thing that kept her from becoming a wet smear on the ground.
The terrifying trip lasted less than a minute and when Trixie felt solid ground under her hooves again she wanted to kiss the ground. She took a moment to calm down a little. Her heart continued to hammer painfully hard in her chest.
”I w-will wait h-here,” Topsy whispered in a stressed voice. ”Hurry.”
Trixie did not need to be told twice. She swallowed and began making her way around the beautiful city. She peeked behind a corner, and saw the edge of the quarry behind a burly griffon guard. So far the plan seemed to be working. Nopony, or griffon, was noticeably missing her.
Trixie quickly darted behind the griffon guard and down a back alley. She looked around the corner again and saw the gigantic birdbath they had been marched past when they first were caught. There were still a few fledgling griffons here. From this angle she could also see a cave entrance behind a golden grating close to the birdbath. Trixie darted back, that was not what she was looking for.
She peeked around another corner, and spotted something much more yielding. A lone guard outside a rather large building. Trixie licked her lips. That had to be the house she was looking for, why else would there be a guard here, close to the quarry, but not guarding it specifically?
For that matter, Trixie did not have time to stumble around and search any longer. So, now there was only the matter of getting in unnoticed. She had to get rid of the guard.
Trixie looked around, and immediately everything fell into place in her brilliant mind. She simply needed to utilize the inherit inertia which would arise from a high-velocity motion in the x-axis of a hardened body of recrystallized carbonate materials. Given sufficient initiation energy, the motion should be able to, in accordance with Neighton’s third law, cause enough of an impact to the caput-region of the Gryphus to allow her safe entrance to the property in question.
Said and done. She levitated up a rock and threw it at the griffon’s head.
The guard fell with a thump. Trixie stepped forward with a proud grin. ”Trixie is afraid you are no match to her superior intellect,” she said haughtily as she lifted up the griffon’s keyring and went into the house.
The moment she opened the door she knew she had found the right house. Gamon’s stench was unmistakable, and unfortunately very easy to pick up in this house. The moment Trixie breathed she felt like somepony had shoved a stinking piece of cloth down her throat. The marble was more gray than white, most of it coated with what looked like liquified dust; some gray, gluey phlegm clung to the floor and lower walls. The less known about it the better. Feathers were haphazardly strewn about the room, some of them stuck in the unknown gunk. There were some plates on a shelf, made of gold, but Trixie would never consider stealing them. Just paying somebody to clean them would cost more than they were worth.
She shut her eyes, nose, mouth and flattened her ears. Somehow every sense felt repulsed by the level of uncleanliness. Through extreme willpower she opened her eyes and tried to look past the tears. She had to find their equipment and pray that Gamon had not touched it for an extended period of time.
In fact she had seen the massive marble chest at the same moment she came in, but it was on the other side of the room. She had no chance of lifting it with her magic, and she could not teleport. She would have to cross the room with her bare hooves exposed to the horrible phlegm.
The Desperate and Whimpering Trixie began to tiptoe through the mess, placing only the utmost tip of her hooves on the floor, and even then she was pretty sure she could feel the gunk under her hooves. To move those ten something ponylegnths were among the most horrifying experiences Trixie remembered, including the time she felt the Alicorn Amulet devour her soul.
The chest was unlocked, so she just took the whole sack inside it. Since it did not smell of month-old onion she assumed it had not been in Gamon’s possession for long, and it was heavy enough to contain their fake idol. She knew she ought to make sure that it was indeed what she came for, but she could not abide this room anymore. Some primal instinct, as natural as eating or breathing, told her to get out of here.
Also, Topsy could not wait for her to find anything else. She began the precarious journey back to the door. She really really should learn how to teleport some day. After way to long time in the foul room Trixie carefully peeked out of the door. The guard groaned and moved groggily, whereupon Trixie whacked him a few more times with the rock before she began making her way back to Topsy.
”Thtop it already!” Gamon’s slur sounded from the quarry. ”Dithpothe of the filthy pony!”
Trixie froze for a moment, before she realized just what Gamon had said. Flim’s time was up. Trixie swallowed and dashed through the streets back to Topsy. She found him, legs bent and wings spread to take off. Trixie galloped past him; did she still have time?
Breath caught in her throat. Flim was, as slow as possible, dragging an openly weeping Marmalade towards the edge of the quarry. There was not enough time.
”Fly,” Trixie squeaked, terrified. ”You will have to get me later.”
”B-but-”
”Now!” Trixie growled, without taking her eyes of Flim. Why was Marmalade not fighting back? Why had Flim defeated her so fast? This was not supposed to happen; Topsy should have ferried Trixie to safety first. She had no way of getting down in the quarry on her own, and if she was found here, then the curtains would close for the last time.
Topsy jumped out in the air and flew down the steeping precipice that made up all sides of the Griffonstone plateau. That way, when the guards were watching the quarry, Topsy could fly unseen. Flim closed in on the cliff. Topsy flew faster than Trixie had ever seen him. Closer and closer they both came.
Flim stood by the edge, hesitated for a moment, all while the griffons cheering rose louder and louder. Trixie quivered in equal parts disgust and anxiety. How could they cheer for something like this? Cheer for somepony’s death? Trixie nearly vomited at the thought.
”DO IT!” Gamon commanded. Flim turned around and preformed an elaborate, and very slow, bow. Then he tackled marmalade over the edge.
Topsy dove the last part and struck the falling pony’s side with what must have been a staggering force. Trixie watched as hypnotized as Topsy fought to keep the new burden up. He was visibly struggling, flapping his wings madly with the none of subtlety needed. In fact, one could probably hear him even from inside the quarry if you actually tried. Thankfully the griffons were still hooting and cheering for the show.
It felt like an eternity before Topsy got his flying under control, but he did. Maramlade was now dangling beneath him as Topsy ferried her up to their corner of the quarry. They had to figure out a better place to hide her later, possibly by cutting her mane and discolor her coat with marble dust. The griffons did not seem to keep track of their slaves very well.
Trixie slumped down, shaking with adrenaline that had coursed freely through her body for the last fifteen minutes. She turned around to find a place to hide until the night when Topsy could collect her.
The griffon guard stared back just a moment before he flew forward and pinned Trixie to the wall by her throat. He had a lot of bumps on his head.
”I should kill you right now, disgusting little wretch,” he hissed. ”But I think you and your friends deserve worse.”
Trixie let out a choked peep in abject terror.