The vines wrapping around the buildings of Canterlot all but vanished by the time the train arrived at the station. Midnight and his team awoke to the shining sun once again lighting the world alone. Elegiac whimpered in her bed, on her back and eyes half open. Midnight rushed over to her.
"I really hope you're just not a morning pony," the changeling said as he scanned the kelpie.
"Hungry..." she groaned.
"I thought you were always hungry," Desert joked as he approached.
"My stomach hurts more than usual," Elegiac whined. "Usually it makes me want to... Hunt. But now I just want to lie here forever."
"Well, you can't," Midnight said, shaking his head. "Advantage asked us to take care of you and nothing good comes from lying around on a train forever."
The conductor's voice interrupted the conversation. "Next stop, Crystal Empire!"
The changeling chuckled. "Then again, several more hours can't hurt." He looked into his saddlebag, sighed, then turned to the others. "I only have enough to cover two tickets to the Empire... Only one of us can go on with her."
Mirage nodded and galloped out of the car.
"Place feels empty now," Hunter said, trotting back into the base.
Gorman placed his sword on his table before turning to his subordinate. "Why must you always dwell on such melancholy estates?" He smiled. "We took a huge step toward victory today! With our new weapon, we killed that freaky queen and finished off that race of abominations for good!"
Hunter sighed. "It just seems like we're being hypocrites. We used their army and magic against them, especially with that sword. What was so bad about Advantage if their weapons are so good?"
The questions wiped the smile off Gorman's beak. He glanced back at the sword. "I'd consider it a just purpose; that recipe was something they stole from the queen they themselves betrayed." He glared at Hunter. "Everything was bad about 'Advantage,'" he explained, saying their name in a mocking tone. "They justified dismemberment and killing with that awful power of necromancy." He shook his head. "There's nothing good that can come from living forever, let alone leading forever. The Gormans taught me that. Strength of devotion comes from leaders changing with the eras, not sitting there ripping their subjects apart for over a thousand years."
"Just answer me one question, Gorman: If Advantage had no intention of helping Gravity, would you still have killed them?"
The griffin thought for a moment. "If they had been reasonable, I would take Gravity and leave this cursed place. Their fate or fates would be out of my claws." He smiled again. "So let's hope this 'Midnight' can be reasonable."
"I really only have enough for two..." the changeling's gaze bounced from Thunder to Gravity and back. "...Honestly it might not be the best time for me to do this."
Thunder held up a hoof. "Hold on, do we even need to go to the Crystal Empire?"
"The Crystal Empire is overflowing with love," Midnight explained. "If we can get Elegiac there, I'm sure more than just her stomach would get better." He looked to the rest of the group. "But with one spare ticket... Who's going with her?"
"Don't you want to go?" Gravity asked him.
The changeling shrugged. "Our history might not be the most... Helpful for her ailments."
Thunder smiled. "Look, you know that place better than anyone here. You go, keep Elegiac safe and we can handle whatever the Colonel wants back home." He trotted up and put a hoof on the changeling's shoulder. "Okay?" He smiled, only to be met with unease. "Put your form back on and be firm. You'll do fine!"
Midnight reluctantly nodded. "Alright. You guys take care of the office. I'll figure out how to help Elegiac at the empire and we'll be back as soon as we can..." He took a deep breath, becoming a purple unicorn again and forced a smile.
Thunder nodded and left with Gravity. Midnight jumped onto the bunk above Elegiac's and waited for the conductor.
"Are you still here?" Gorman asked his subordinate.
Hunter looked around. "Where else should I be?"
"How about that little base of yours... Finding out where Midnight went off to with our little griffin?"
The pegasus shook his head. "You really think nopony has noticed me missing? If I show my face around there, there's gonna be a lot more questions than just 'How was your day, Hunter?!'" He raised his voice. "They'll haul me off! I've probably lost my only job because of you!"
"Gunter, calm down..."
"Calm down?!" he yelled. "You just killed off a whole hive of changelings and I'm the one who needs to calm down?!"
"That hive was on a perilous edge, a bomb ready to blow at any second," the griffin affirmed. "It's hardly my fault that their queen would light their fuse..."
"I can't believe you are trying to defend yourself, you... murderer!" Hunter was almost out of breath now. "That's all you are... I can't believe I let you talk me into all of this."
"It was all an unintended consequence, Gunter!" Gorman insisted, his claw reaching for his sword. "Don't make mistakes now!"
Hunter turned, galloping for the door. Gorman beat him to it, blade in hand. The sword burned in the griffin's claw. The pegasus took a few steps back. Gorman closed the distance, his flaming blade warming Hunter's chin and poking his neck.
"Advantage went against their word, Gunter," he said in a heavy tone. "I won't let you do the same."
"So what?" Hunter growled. "You're going to kill me, too?"
"I didn't come here to kill anyone, Gunter! It's all gotten out of claw!" His eyes wavered as he began to rant, but his sword remained at the pony's neck. "Advantage said they would help me. But as soon as Midnight gets involved they throw all their favor upon him! Their complete disregard for justice drove away all others they owed devotion to! Their formal followers died at the hooves of Midnight under your care and Advantage just blamed us! They forsaked the souls of their fallen and forgave the real murderer! When they awoke a demon from the abyss to kill you, I knew I had to stop it."
Hunter couldn't stay quiet. "You would have let me die at the hooves of that thing and you know it! Advantage even sided with you during the stalemate!"
"I sided with Advantage!" he affirmed. "Had I voted your life free there would have been no stalemate! I stalled for the time needed to get those vines into the forest. Those vines were able to subdue the demon that I knew Advantage would release on us anyways!"
"Then why aren't we dead?" Hunter asked. "That demon is still alive last I checked..."
"Without its leader, that beast is weakened." Gorman lowered the sword. "Please, Gunter, help me get the real monster that is still free. She took me from my home, let me take her back." He dropped the sword. "We don't even need to kill anything."
Hunter trotted around Gorman and opened the door. "I'm going to find Midnight. I'll see what I can find out about the 'real monster' here."
Gorman smiled. "Thank you."
Hunter disappeared into the daylight, slamming the door behind him.
Gravity hugged Mirage on the train platform. Thunder trotted around them as the train took off. The three made their way back to the office, only to be greeted by their Colonel.
"That you, Midnight?" the gruff unicorn asked the griffin.
She tried to hide her confusion. "No... I'm Gravity."
"Midnight's taking care of a prospective changeling," Thunder explained with a smile. "Gravity here is our first changeling immigrant."
"That's all well and good, Sword, but Equestria was facing a crisis without a single report from any of you." He smirked as he looked from Desert's displeasure to Thunder's straight face, the fear shaking a corner of his snout just slightly. "So let's hear it! What happened back there?"
Gravity kept a claw on Desert's shoulder. Thunder stepped forward. "We negotiated the release of Gravity from the claws of Gorman."
"Isn't it customary to report a kidnapping by a crime boss?"
"Let's just say it was a bit too complicated for that." He shook his head. "We didn't even know if she was alive for most of our mission."
"And what of Gorman?"
"We believe that he was killed by Mirage, sir," Thunder said, nodding toward his friend.
The Colonel put a hoof up to the eager unicorn. "And what of Midnight?" he asked Thunder. "Where exactly has he gone?"
"The Crystal Empire. He had to leave us behind as he only had enough money for--"
"Can you get a message to him?"
Thunder shook his head after being knocked out of his rhythm. The Colonel was talking to Desert.
"I asked you if you can get a message to him." He turned to Gravity. "You too if there's still a horn under there..."
They both crooked their heads.
"Dragon fire, you fools! The magic spell that burns paper and sends the ashes across the winds to a designated receiver!"
Mirage shrugged. “I mean, it sounds cool!”
The Colonel sighed and pointed at them. “You two, come with me!” He turned to Thunder. “You are dismissed, Sword. We'll call you back when we've made contact with Midnight.” He glanced up toward the sky. “It'll be at least twel--” He made eye contact with Desert. “It'll be at least 24 hours.” He waved the pegasus off. “See you then.”
18 hours later...
“We're all alone.”
The voice shook Midnight out of his dream. He looked around the bunk car but it was pitch black. The curtains had been rolled down. He groaned as he stretched over the side of his bunk to look at the one below it.
“Are you awake?” Elegiac whispered at him, her green eyes glowing in the dark.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Why?”
He saw the eyes crook with her invisible head and he couldn't help but return the gesture. “Why am I awake?”
She giggled. “No... Why are we alone?”
Midnight shrugged. “Ponies probably saw you and turned around...”
“Midnight, why did you betray us all those years ago?”
The changeling rested his head back onto his bed. “Advantage kept hassling me. I couldn't take it.”
“Hassling you about what?”
“My destiny.”
Midnight turned his ear toward the lower bunk. Hearing nothing, he went back to sleep.
“But wait...”
Midnight’s eyes were open again. With a groan and a stretch he looked down at the bunk below his.
“Are you awake?” Elegiac whispered.
“Just get on with your question.”
“Why?”
Midnight sighed. “Because Advantage didn't want to see me die.”
“That was your destiny?” Elegiac scoffed. “That's a terrible destiny...”
Midnight scoffed and laid his head back down.
“Wait...” the glowing eyes said to the closing ones. “Did you think that Advantage ever stopped hassling you?”
“What are you talking about?” He scoffed. “After I put the wretched hive behind me, I never heard from Advantage again. Even after all these years, it was Kernel who brought us back together.”
“Advantage never stopped caring, you know.”
“What.”
“They kept me up at night with stories about you. About your journeys. Now I'm wondering why you aren't keeping me awake...”
“Because maybe you're keeping yourself
awake?”
“I will be at this rate,” she muttered to herself.
“What?”
“I said ‘why do you even need sleep?’”
“Because on my diet of strictly rationed forms of love, I tire easily.”
“Well, that's no fun.”
Elegiac tossed and turned a couple times. “So why are we going to the Crystal Empire anyways? Isn't it cursed or something?”
Midnight shook his weary head in the darkness. “How the heck do you know that?”
She paused for a moment. “You ever just let something spill out of your mouth without thinking and wonder how it got there?”
“Only when I'm this tired,” he hinted.
“But seriously, is it really cursed? That's really cool...”
“Yeah. It's in the frozen north, after all...”
“Did... Did you just make a pun?” She giggled.
“Elly, I am really, really tired. If I was any more tired, I'd be this train.” He groaned internally as the words slid off his tongue.
Elegiac giggled some more. “Are you going to be like this all night?”
“Probably...”
“Well, you should probably stop.” Elegiac’s snout snapped shut loudly as she tried to stop herself from giggling. “I'd hate to accidentally bite your head off...”
“What? What are... Water you talking about?” The groans of his fear echoed inside his skull.
Elly’s giggling kicked right back in. “You know what? Forget it...”
“Forget what?!”
“Nothing.”
“Did you not just threaten me with decapitation?!”
“That depends... Does that word mean what I hope it means?”
“Beheading somepony? Literally taking their head off?”
“Oh...” she said, disappointed.
“What did you think it meant?”
“Midnight?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up. Can you just... Shut up for a few minutes.”
Midnight took the opportunity to rest his head back on his pillow. His eyes stayed open, waiting for her to say something.
Elegiac let out a painful groan.
“What's wrong?” he called out to her.
“I can't get up...”
“Why would you--” Midnight peeked over the edge at her green eyes. “You were actually going to try to kill me?!”
“Midnight, seriously, shut up!” she snarled. “My stomach is twisting itself into a knot...” she whined.
“Something you ate?”
She glared at him. “I've eaten a live dragon whole...” She winced in pain. “You think anything in this world can give me indi...gestion?”
“Hunger pains?”
“I'm always hungry!” she snarled.
“What do you want me to do then?”
Her eyes smiled at him. “I can think of... Quite a few things...” The pain caused her to wince for a moment.
“Well?”
“I'm trying to narrow down...”
“What would help you the most?” He leaned closer. “I could massage your stomach area...”
“Could you?” she strained.
“Elly, close your eyes.”
The greenness disappeared as she did.
Midnight shined a flashlight spell onto the kelpie. She was resting on her back with her forelegs at her side and her hind legs spread apart. Her stomach seemed fine; there were no visible signs of bruising, scratches, or blood. Elly peeked an eye open to the light.
“Well?”
Midnight kept staring at her chest. “I think I see what’s wrong...”
“Yeah, it's a stomach ache, genius.”
Midnight’s horn glowed brighter. Elegiac felt her stomach churn even harder. The pain grew so intense she could no longer speak. Finally, it subsided.
“What the heck... Did you do?” she asked him.
“I should ask you the same question,” he replied. “Your ‘stomach ache’ was actually a fulcrum imbalance set upon by a lack of a host template and a frank miscalculation of proper cavity proportions.” He smiled smugly. “And I fixed it for you.”
Elegiac crooked her head and stayed that way for a minute. “So... What happened to my stomach?”
“It was being crushed by your other organs. Apparently, your body forgot what your insides are supposed to be like.” Midnight pulled his head back above his bunk.
“And you fixed it, how?” she asked.
Midnight sighed. “Your body’s genetics had deteriorated thanks to all your wretching, so I had to supply some of my own.”
Elly let out a quiet gasp. “You... Gave me some of your genetics...?”
“I guess... I just focused on proper organ sizes and sent that to you. More magic than anything.”
“And you didn't think to do it the fun way?”
“What ‘fun way?’ You would've died within a few agonizing hours if I hadn't done something!”
Elly rolled her eyes as she put her head back on her pillow. “Sure, whatever.” She sighed as she rolled over. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Glad to hear it,” Midnight muttered under his breath as he rolled back into bed. He closed his eyes.
Elegiac threw up.
Midnight’s eyes opened up wider than ever and he looked over the side, flashlight spell ready. There was no mess, only a scroll of paper lying on the floor of the car.
“Well,” Elegiac said, catching her breath. “That’s a new one...”
Midnight picked up the scroll with his magic and opened it.
“Hey, Midnight!
Guess who just learned how to do dragonfire spells? That’s right, it’s Desert Mirage! So how’s the train ride been treating you? Can you get me some Crystal snowg So the Colonel wants you and the water thingy to stay in the Crystal Empire until after the Equestria Games. He’ll have us take care of any loose ends that come up, but it shouldn’t be too bad since Gorman’s gone.
Also, can I invoke the sacred bro-code right now? I wanna get a bit more serious with Gravity but I’m not entirely sure how. Thought I might write her a song or something. Do changelings listen to love songs? I’m invoking bro-code here, so you can’t be upset that she’s a changeling because your helping you’re good friend out here.”
Midnight calmly reached into his pack and pulled out a marker. He wrote his response carefully, making sure that it wouldn’t go off the page. He rolled the scroll back up, inside out, and flared it away.
“What happened?” Elly asked him.
“Mirage tried to send me a letter. Turns out having a dragon snout allowed you to intercept my mail.” Midnight sighed and fell back into his bed.
“Alrighty then.”
Green fire burst from Mirage’s horn as the scroll was returned.
“Did he get the message?” the Colonel asked him.
“Yep,” Mirage replied, seeing the scroll inside out in front of him. He quickly picked it up and galloped out of the Colonel’s office so nopony else could see Midnight’s response.