"Bubbles?" the zebra known as Lesser called out to the figure appearing out of the dark forest. "What happened?"
"Aren't they adorable, Advantage?" the Drooling Oasis replied, fluffing its bat ears with its claws. "So fluffy!"
"What of Midnight?" Superior asked. "What's your choice?"
She shook her head. "A name: Gorman. That is all I've found."
The twin zebras glanced toward the unconscious pegasus on the ground. "Any connection?" Lesser asked.
The sea creature shrugged. "How the he..." Her body shook and her head twitched, cutting her voice off. She cleared her throat as the tremors stopped. "I have no idea," she said slowly.
The twins smiled.
"Advantage?" the Oasis asked its master. "Why... Why didn't you tell me Redemption was still alive?"
The twins took a step back. “That wretch did not live."
She glared at them as her tail-fin split into nine tentacles. "According to Midnight's friends, he was disguised as another changeling before Gorman slit his throat!"
"Calm yourself, Elegiac!" Superior commanded her by name.
"Are you just going to deny--" Her lungs failed, cutting her voice short. She looked up at her tentacles; nine green orbs glowed brightly as their power coursed into her.
"He died years ago," Lesser said. With a shared nod, Advantage revived Elegiac's lungs. "His body recycled."
"To who?" she asked them, out of breath. "Who took his body..."
"We knew him as Kernel," Superior replied. The twins looked over to the pegasus on the ground and shook their heads. "Shame."
"Kernel?" Elegiac crooked her head. "You mean, my best friend..."
The twins looked to her and nodded. "One and the same, yes," Lesser said.
"And you couldn't tell me this?" she asked them, holding back her rage for fear of her own tails.
"You would have killed him."
"You don't know that!"
The twins each raised an eyebrow. Elegiac carefully sheathed her fangs under her lips before shaking her head. They looked down at her claws. Their gaze went up from there, passing her eyes and settling on her ears.
"You knew Masquerade before," Superior said.
"He was Foresight then," Lesser explained.
"He didn't betray us," Elegiac said, her gaze at the ground. Advantage hid their shock behind a genuine smile. "...I mean, as badly as I had thought." She looked up at them. "I... I didn't kill him or his friends." Water began to pool around her eye. "They threatened me. I felt scared. Provoked. But I ran." She fought a lump in her throat. "I could have eaten them like the rest. And I was so hungry..." She shook subtly. "Advantage, what is wrong with me?"
The twins shook their heads in unison. "Nothing, sweet child."
"You did what you knew was right," Superior added.
Elegiac exhaled softly. Her claws scratched at her belly. "I'm still so hungry. When do we eat?"
"Where is Redemption?" Lesser asked.
"In a jar. Probably on Midnight's desk."
Advantage smiled. A rustling in the bushes pulled their eyes to a triclopean wretcher emerging from the overgrowth. Elegiac turned her head as well to look at the one other follower to return.
"Hello, Advantage," it said, casually strolling into the conversation. "Is that a pony?" it asked in genuine confusion. It turned from the unconscious pegasus to the Oasis.
"What?" she growled. "You really think I'd eat that again? After what happened last time?"
"You ate Midnight..."
She smiled, baring all her fangs. "And who told you that?"
"Nobody..." The triclops started to back away. It stepped in something cold and wet.
It looked down to find a sparkly, blue gel covering its hind hoof. Looking back up, it only saw Advantage. The twins' eyes stared through the changeling, focused on something behind it. It turned around to find its hoof sitting at the edge if a small pool.
A feminine voice spoke, echoing through the trees. "If nobody told you that I ate Midnight, then you saw it! You're a spy!"
The wretcher tried to gallop away, but its hoof was stuck. Elegiac's head peeked up from under the water. Her bat ears appeared to be dry. She chuckled from under the surface, but the sound resonated with the entire area.
"Let me go, you monster!" the triclops pleaded. "You demon! You deceiver!"
The gel wrapped around its leg and lifted the wretcher off the ground. It dangled over the pool, directly above Elegiac. She looked up and opened her mouth wide, showing off two rows of fangs.
"Please! No!" it shouted as it struggled in the Oasis's grasp. "I want to live!"
Advantage stepped forward. "Who has sent you here?" Lesser asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" it shrieked.
The gel lowered it closer to Elegiac's gaping maw.
"It's Disadvantage!" it screamed, covering its face to hide from the teeth below.
The waters below brought the waves of teeth to a calm. "What?"
"That... Pony... It's Disadvantage..." the triclops whimpered.
"Then who sent you?" the waves crashed below.
"The... The king?" it whimpered. "He told me to bring... To bring Disadvantage back..."
"Gorman," the waters whispered.
"The name that you learned?" Lesser asked as the twins crooked their heads.
"Who?" the triclops asked with a shaking voice.
"Worthless." The waters opened the maw of sharp teeth and the wretcher felt itself descend.
"Elegiac! Let her go!" Superior commanded.
The green orbs' glow forced the waters to crash the wretcher to the safety of the dirt. The waves screamed as the maw collapsed into the pool.
The wretcher fled into the hooves of the twins. They embraced her, patting the crying wretcher on the back.
"There, there..." Lesser said. "You're safe now."
Elegiac peeked out from the pool. Advantage glared at her from over the crying shoulders. Her head slowly retreated back into the blue.
"Tell Gorman we trade souls here," Superior said to the shaking changeling in their embrace.
"Am..." the wretcher started.
"No," Lesser answered as the twins shook their heads. "Your soul won't do."
"Wha...?"
"Just go home, child."
The wretcher slowly retreated from their grasp. It flew up from the ground and disappeared beyond the trees.
Elegiac leaped from the pool, which swirled into her nine tails and finally formed into one tail-fin.
"You just let him go?" she asked, crooking her head as she trotted toward the twins. "How do you even know Gorman wants to barter for the pony?"
"Fair is fair, little siren," Superior replied.
"Gorman should know that," Lesser added.
Elegiac trotted over to the pegasus. It was green in color. She prodded it with a claw.
"What..." She cleared her throat to correct herself. "Who do you expect to get for this?"
"Someone of value," Lesser answered.
"One he'll definitely miss," Superior added.
Elegiac shook her head. "He'll never go for that."
"He will," Lesser affirmed. "For this one." The twins pointed to the green pegasus.
"And if Gorman wants to just take this guy back by force?"
The twins' heads crooked the same way for a moment a thought. They uncrooked their heads and smiled at her. "Then we won't stop you."
Elegiac smiled with a full mouth of fangs.
"How many times do we have to take this train?" Desert asked from his bed in the sleeping car.
"At least once more," Midnight answered from the bed opposite his. "We wanna get back to Canterlot, right?"
"And how did you get back there again?"
"I really, really hope you aren't implying that we ask that sea creature for a lift!" Thunder said from his bunk below Desert's.
"What? You got something against seaponies?"
"That wasn't a seapony." Midnight shrugged. "'Kelpie' is a term that gets circulated by Canterlot scholars. But the title that thing earned from the wretchers was 'Drooling Oasis.'"
Mirage sat up and turned to Midnight. "That's who that was?" He smiled and exhaled. "I didn't even recognize her!"
Midnight sat up. "How do you--?" Realization widened his eyes and cut off the words. He crooked his head. "You were that unicorn?"
"You were Foresight?!"
"Didn't we go over this already?" Thunder asked, half annoyed under the bunk.
"I was probably sleeping through that part."
Midnight nodded. "Yeah, I think you were."
"Wow," Desert said as he lied back down. "It's like we met before we met..."
"Hardly." Midnight lied back down. "I was driven insane by that time. Why do you think I've called Foresight 'father' instead of 'past me?'" He scoffed at the concept. "I'm glad I got over my psychopathic tendencies in time to rejoin Equestria."
"Yet you still added Foresight's kill count to your own," Thunder pointed out.
An audible sigh came from Midnight's bunk. "Gravity would have been confused if I hadn't; I wanted to be honest with her."
"Why are we focused on a random jar when Gravity's still missing?" Desert asked.
"It's not just a random jar, Desert," Midnight explained. "It's a wretcher. One of Advantage's. Returning this will allow us a favor."
"And we use the favor to find Gravity!" Laughs echoed from the bunk above Thunder's. "So we are using these creeps' powers!" The laughs were smothered by a hoof and a realization. Desert slowly uncovered his mouth. "Wait... Advantage... Those twins were--"
"Desert!" Midnight interrupted. "Watch your mouth. Not all of us were there how ever many years ago..."
Desert rubbed his chin in contemplation. "That would have been... 6 years ago."
Midnight shook his head. "I don't wanna know how you remembered that. I'm just saying that Thunder wasn't there and I doubt he wants to hear about Advantage's true form."
"Yeah, just shut up for now," Thunder confirmed. He looked from one bunk to another. "You know we missed the coronation with all this searching and riding?"
Midnight shrugged. "Knowing how Equestria works, I'm sure we'll meet the new princess in due time."
Mirage opened his mouth, but only the sound of the train's brakes could be heard. Looking out the windows, the three found themselves in Appleloosa again. They disembarked and headed to the familiar heart of the woods. They each tightened their armor. Midnight carried the jar, Desert his spear, and Thunder his composure.
They entered the clearing to find the two zebras standing next to a pool with a large tentacle made of water dangling a familiar, green pegasus over itself. On their right, Gorman stood with a blade to the throat of Gravity, who was bound by several strips of duct tape. Seeing this, Midnight lifted the jar farther up with his magic so dropping the jar would break it and destroy the changeling inside.
Each party looked from one to the other and back.
"Well isn't this a fine cucumber we're in," Gorman said.
"Pickle. The term is pickle," Midnight corrected.
"Only the uncultured eat pickles," the griffin scoffed. "Now, if we all pass our hostages to the right, we can watch those we love perish in front of us. But, we can also each pass our tribute to the left and return power to our enemies." He chuckled. "So which is it?"
"We always choose life," Superior replied. "Pass left."
"A simple choice for simple minds," Gorman chastised. "Don't you two ever weigh the value-ness of a single life?" He smiled. "Example: If you kill this little bird, my work will be complete and none of you will ever see me again. Not to mention that Disadvantage dies too!"
"Don't listen to him, Advantage!" Midnight pleaded. "There's nothing to gain from preventable death! You taught me that!"
"Quiet, knave!" Gorman smiled and turned to the twins. "Surely a simple vote is worth deciding the fate of these three? It works back in the Kingdom..."
Advantage sighed, their heads turning from Gorman to Midnight and back. They nodded.
"Raise a hoof if you would let them live!" Gorman yelled, his two claws becoming more dedicated to restraining Gravity and holding the knife.
The twins' hooves stayed at their sides. Even the two that were constantly held by one another descended together. Their oceanic friend made the point to plant two claws into the ground to make up for the tentacle suspending the pegasus.
Thunder and Midnight raised their hooves. They turned to Desert, who raised his spear.
A crooked grin twisted his eyes toward the griffin. "Or maybe I just shoot you with this spear again and we call it fair trade?"
Thunder quickly grabbed at the spear in an attempt to disarm him. After a short struggle, the pegasus pulled the weapon clear. Midnight picked up a stick and tossed it to Mirage. He caught it and looked the small twig over.
"You know," Desert chuckled. "I could still kill him with this!" He looked over the others. "I could kill you all with this stick!"
"Shut up and raise your hoof before they think we're outvoted!" Thunder yelled.
Desert sighed, dropped the stick, and raised the hoof that held it. "Yay..." he droned sarcastically. "It's a tie..."
Gorman smiled. "Then I guess it's decided... By whoever... Passes..." He took a longer pause. "First!"
Heads all looked left and right to see who would. Nothing happened.
The waves of water next to Advantage intensified. The snout peeked up from the shallows. "Can I just eat this thing already?!"
"No!" Gorman yelled. "If we don't trade, then there can be no compromise."
"It certainly feels like that kinda day," Desert said after taking a moment to look up at the sky. "Or night, depending on the kind of pony you are..."
Looking up at the sky, the others were all held aghast by the sight. The sun and moon were out at the same time.
"An omen of true stalemate," Superior said.
"It's just a celestial aberration!" Gorman affirmed. "Like an eclipse... Or a solstice." He shook his head as he lifted his claws to his eyes to eliminate glare.
Midnight looked back to Advantage, who looked back in confusion. The purple unicorn smiled. "Catch!" he mouthed, throwing the jar to the twins.
A queen changeling horn appeared from Superior's forehead in time to catch it. The common changeling horn sprouting from Lesser's head also began to glow. The griffin form beside Gorman melted down to a changeling's, releasing her from bondage. She quickly flew away from him, past Midnight, and straight into Desert, almost tackling him to the ground in doing so.
"Hey!" Gorman screamed in rage.
"Fair is fair, Gorman," Lesser explained, his horn receding into his form.
"You liars! Then why do you wait until my back is turned?!"
"Making sure you give her up," Superior explained calmly.
"We'll get your friend down," Lesser added.
The twins turned to the water beside them and nodded. Gorman flew up and ripped the pegasus from her clutches.
"My, my..." Elegiac said, raising her head from her pool. "So rude."
Advantage looked to Midnight, who smiled back at them with a semi-sinister grin before nodding. The twins turned to the water and Superior whispered into its bat ears.
"It is time, child. Kill him."
Gorman shook his friend awake, both completely unaware of the dire situation. They smiled at each other as the pegasus got to his feet. Looking back from him, Gorman's beak almost bumped into the siren-faced changeling's snout. He backed up, shoo-ing his friend away as the monster crawled closer and closer. The griffin quickly pulled his knife from its sheathe. He looked over the beast for any obvious weakness. The gem in the center of her forehead seemed the best bet. He brought the blade down upon it.
*sploit*
Gorman's knife sunk into one of the nine tentacles that shielded the wretcher from attack. Elegiac whipped her tails back, leaving the griffin no time to retrieve it. Advantage and the others moved to assist their nine-tailed friend, only to find plant-like tentacles blocking their route. Thorny vines crawled and wrapped around the landscape. Of the two fighting, only Gorman saw the vines. Despite the breath of the growling, hungry monster on his beak, he could see a victory. He took a few steps back in a calm fashion that threw the beast off.
Elegiac charged him. Her claws ripped at his armor, pulling it apart. Even with his strength, the griffin could barely keep the wretcher's jaws away from his throat. Every punch and counter did nothing to slow her progress. He used his wings to gain some breathing room. He tried to attack her directly with momentum at his side, only to be blocked at every turn. Her thick scales withstood every attempt at a scratch. He tried to go for the face in the hopes of the tails returning his knife. It didn't happen.
"Boss!" the green pegasus yelled from the sidelines. "Here!" His hooves hurled a sword into the fray.
The griffin grabbed the sword and stood on his back legs to position himself for the right swing. The kelpie chuckled as its gem began to glow. Gorman was lifted off the ground by the wretcher's green magic. Much like its master, the aura did not yield to the griffin's strength and struggles. With a tilt of her head, Elegiac sent the griffin flying into thorny vines that had gathered on the edge of the clearing. Tilting it the other way, Gorman flew to the other side of the clearing to meet the other patch of brambles. Finally, she slammed him to the ground where he started.
"I've been around a thousand years, chicken! You really think you can even touch me?" Elegiac taunted.
Gorman could not rise from the ground, his leg twisted by the impact. "You're nothing! You're nothing but a bloodthirsty witch!" He winced as his claw rubbed his broken leg. His other claw reached for his sword.
Elegiac's claw got there first. She threw the sword behind her, and grinned menacingly at the fallen griffin. The cut and bruised Gorman looked slowly up to her eyes. No shame or glimpse of defeat scarred his bright, green eyes. He smiled back.
The kelpie charged him again. The gem on Gorman's headdress glowed as his twisted leg corrected itself. He flipped onto his back and used his legs to catch Elegiac. He threw her over his head, and she landed tails first into the ground. Her tails had become a pool again, and she peeked out to glare at the griffin. Gorman got up and faced her. He chuckled as his eyes began to glow with the gem. With an outstretched claw, Gorman's magic commanded one of the vines to crash into her puddle. It pushed her head back down into the ooze. He watched the bubbles stop before the vine began to recede. It pulled her up, her pool becoming the tails again. Coughing and surprised, Elegiac struggled in futility to get out of the bind. With a snap of his claw, the sword returned to his grasp. He stepped forward, watching her tails sway underneath. With one strong swing, he cleaved each tentacle free. Elegiac screamed in a pitch that stunned everyone else for a short time. The tails themselves scurried around on the ground like scared worms. The one with his knife almost got past Gorman, but he stopped it with a foot to its hilt. He chuckled as he pulled the blade from it.
The tail leaped up onto his chest and made its way into his beak. It disappeared down Gorman's throat who, other than feeling very repulsed, felt no real change after a fit of retching and coughing.
Thunder finally cut through the thick weeds. Desert jumped over him, spear charged and ready to fire. Gravity followed close behind, her griffin form finally restored.
"Don't you two know when to quit?!" Gorman yelled back at them.
Desert fired. Gorman dodged.
The griffin closed the distance and grabbed the spear from Desert. Stronger than Sword, Gorman ripped the spear from the unicorn's aura and pushed him into the Gravity. He turned from the collapsed pair and flew into the sky, away from the madness of the tangled vines. As he flew over Elegiac, he dropped his knife. It embedded itself into the vine holding her, and the weed immediately retreated back into the woods, carrying the helpless wretch with it. Seeing this, the green pegasus turned and flew into the brush and vines, out of sight.
Desert growled at the sky. Gravity lifted him onto her back and turned her head to Midnight.
"Leave Gorman to us!" she shouted, taking a few steps back.
"Don't wait up!" Desert added, holding on to her back as a couple bounds and a leap saw them take flight and pursuit.
Midnight looked around as the two disappeared over the canopy of trees. Advantage worked together to gather the wormlike tails in what looked like a strange, three-legged event at a fair. Meanwhile, Thunder cut apart more of the vines.
"Thunder!" Midnight called out. "We need to save that kelpie!" He galloped into the woods, following the vine's path.
"I thought you said she's more of an oasis..." Thunder said, catching up to the changeling.
"For both our sakes, I hope she's not..."
The woods were much darker down this path. The vines worked together to turn each tree into a black cactus while binding together to block out the sun above. They followed the siren's song in the dark, her melancholy tones always seeming to be a little farther ahead. In the sparse patches of light, they could also follow the wayward claw and fang marks that scarred the tree trunks or whatever covered them.
Finally they found her. The tailless kelpie sang from the dirt, her body limp and weak from the struggle. Her song didn't stop as she lifted her eyes to the unicorn and pegasus. From the corners of her mouth flowed a thick, green substance not unlike drool. She didn't blink. She just kept staring at them as they stepped closer, her song unwavering. Her claws were worn and torn, giving Thunder an even more uneasy feeling.
Midnight reached a hoof out to Elegiac. The long, almost jagged snout of the siren closed, stopping the song to sniff the limb. Her head retreated from the scent, and her eyes closed.
Her jaws lunged toward the hoof. Midnight pulled back in time to not get caught by the bear-trap-like fangs that were no more than an inch away. Her mouth twitched as though an invisible rope tied them together. Her teeth could now barely part, but she tried to speak nonetheless.
"Bring... Them... Back..." Elegiac hissed between her teeth. "I... Can't... Hear... Them... Bring... Them... Back..."
"Her tails," Midnight said. He turned to Thunder's confused face. "Go back to Advantage and get the tails back!"
"What about you?" Thunder asked, concern weighing heavily in his voice.
"I'm staying here."
"But she wants to eat you!"
Midnight smiled. "She wants to eat you too, but your skin's in the way. At least my death will be painless." He paused to watch Thunder stand there. "Go! I'll try to get Elly on her legs so we can follow, but we need the tails!"
Thunder nodded and galloped back up the path, the canopy too full of spikes for flight.
Midnight rubbed the siren's snout. "It's gonna be alright." He crooked his head. "You know, I used to have this problem too..."
The siren growled.
Thunder hurried back into the clearing. Advantage stood still in the middle of it, moving only to see him coming from behind them. They turned; each head had a tail in their mouth.
"Your friend needs those tails!" Thunder explained. "She's growling and snapping and--"
The twins put their hooves up to silence him. They nodded, and galloped down the path. Thunder was surprised to see these twins moving so quickly without letting go of one another. He was also disgusted by the way the tails squirmed and flailed in their grasp and wind. Finally they found Midnight standing over the collapsed Elegiac, without his unicorn form, and giving her a backrub.
"That's all you managed to get?!" Midnight yelled in his high pitched voice. He shook his head without disturbing the tempo of his hooves digging into the kelpie's thick scales. "Give 'em here," he relented, lifting a hoof and putting the other into overtime.
Advantage spat the tails out onto his hoof. Midnight shimmied to the left so his other hoof could rub Elegiac's lower back. The wormlike tails slithered over his shoulders and followed his foreleg to her rump. They planted themselves there. Midnight brought his other hoof back from its short break and looked from end of the kelpie to the other.
"I don't think these two are doing much," the changeling masseuse said. He shook his head again before looking back to Advantage. "The tails don't stagnate, do they?"
"Drool takes care of it," Lesser replied.
"Of course it does," Midnight scoffed before turning back to his patient. "So..." He patted Elegiac on the back of the neck gently. "You might have some drooling, but I think you'll be just fine now." He smiled at her as she finally opened her eyes again. "You feel alright?"
The two-tailed kelpie groaned.
Midnight patted her on the shoulder and smiled at Advantage.
"Take care of her for us, please," Superior said.
Midnight turned back to Elegiac and reached his hoof out to her again. "You heard momma. Come on up!"
She looked around at each of them before lifting a tentative claw.
10 minutes earlier...
"Hang on, babe!" Gravity called to the unicorn on her back as she soared over the trees.
Gorman flew a few yards ahead of the couple, spear still in his claws. His wounds were taking a toll on his speed, allowing Gravity to gain on him as they flew to the edge of the forest.
Gorman turned, flying backwards with the spear charged. He took aim.
"Desert, look out!" the changeling yelled.
Gravity did a roll to avoid the blast, dropping her companion in the process. She swooped down, charging her magic power to gain more momentum. Desert landed on her back again, just above some aggressive brambles.
"Warn me next time you do that!" he yelled at his partner.
"Sorry!"
Gorman had flown beyond the forest, but not out of sight. The couple sped up to make up lost time.
"Look," Desert said, ducking his head down to avoid excess air. "You are super awesome at flying and catching, so why don't I call out the dodges?"
"Fine!" she yelled over the sound of the wind. "Just don't wait too long or I'll buck you off myself!"
Desert chuckled as they gained enough distance for Gorman to turn around again.
"This time we're a team!" Gravity proclaimed.
The spear fired.
"Roll right!" Desert yelled, jumping to his right and onto Gravity's back again.
The laser flew by on their left.
"Woohoo!" Gravity yelled.
The pair flew forward again, getting even closer to the fleeing griffin lord. Gorman charged and fired the spear again before turning back to focus on flying faster.
One hoof stamp on the left shoulder was all Desert had to do before jumping to his left. They reunited mid-descent and continued after him. They were almost right behind him now. Desert grew a large smirk as they made the final approach. He bent down and whispered his plan. A large grin creased Gravity's beak at the corners. They picked up speed. Desert counted to five.
Gorman continued onward, his wings flapping wildly.
Five.
Desert leaped forward into the air as Gravity flipped upside down. He landed on her hind legs, tucked into her stomach. She kicked forwards, unflipping herself and sending Desert flying into Gorman's path. His shadow caused the griffin to look up.
Reflexes saw a sharp spear awaiting Desert's body.
An unseen claw grabbed his, pulling the spear down and flipping Gorman over only to meet eyes with Gravity. Hooves pounded onto his back as Desert landed between his wings. He wrestled the spear away from Gravity, only to have it slip from his clutches and into a familiar, yellow aura. Desert jumped forward, using his hooves to spin the griffin in the process. He landed on Gorman's stomach. Desert readied the spear as Gravity restrained the griffin's arms.
Mirage plunged the spear into Gorman's chest. He stood up on his hind legs and used his forelegs to steady the spear and himself as they began to fall. He focused power into the weapon.
He fired.
The blast destroyed whatever Gorman wanted to call a heart and his body crashed to the ground. Desert, spear in hoof, descended gently on the back of Gravity. Gorman's body retched on the ground, his open chest leaking green ooze instead of blood. Gravity bucked Desert off of her.
Gorman looked at them and lifted some of the goop up with his claw. "I never asked for this, you know!" he yelled at the couple. "I just wanted to rule in peace and prosperity!" He shook his head. "But you! You monsters... You taint everything you see! You are nothing but a stain on this beautiful world!" He continued to rant as Gravity approached. "Cursed! That's what you are!" She picked his sword up from the ground and shook the dirt off of it. "Cursed to want the only thing you can never have!" He smiled despite the green leaking from his mouth and Gravity glaring at him. "Love!" He laughed. "You will never--"
Gravity dug the sword into Gorman's throat, rendering it useless. She pulled it from his corpse, shook some of the goop off of it, and tossed it onto his melting body. Gorman was soon nothing more than a puddle with a misplaced blade.
"Hated that guy," Gravity said under her breath as she walked away. She stooped down and turned to Desert. "Well, hop back on..."
"Gravity..." Desert said in a solemn tone. He smiled. "That. Was. Awesome!" He laughed and hopped onto her back. "We freakin' killed him!" They took to the skies. "Let's do this again sometime..."
"Yeah... Let's not."
They flew off into the trees, returning to their leader and the brambles.
The green pegasus waited until the coast was clear. He galloped to the puddle and picked up the blade. The triclopean wretcher appeared at his side. He guided the blade to the middle of the goop, and the wretcher's magic pulled the ooze onto the sword and bound it to the blade. The pegasus passed it to the triclops. He shook it around and then shook his head.
"Needs at least one more to become the blade our king truly desires," he said.
"Do you think it's worth these doubles' lives?" green Disadvantage asked.
The triclops shrugged. "I wouldn't know. He seems to think it is."
"And that's good enough for you?"
"Yep." The triclops put a hoof on the pony's shoulder. "The boss says to take the week off by the way. Something about them not believing in ghosts or something... It's hard to understand his accent sometimes." He removed the hoof and took a couple steps back. "Well, good luck!" The wretcher teleported, vanishing into green smoke.
Disadvantage looked around as if expecting someone else. He pulled out the glass bottle that was given to him and unscrewed the cap. A strange green light flickered from the dirt, then sparkled in a light blue. He put the bottle down to it, and the light moved in. He quickly closed it and brought the bottle to the light. It looked like a green orb was trapped in a bottle of water. He sighed, shrugged, and turned toward Canterlot.
He spread his wings and took to the sky, disappearing into the light of sun and moon.