Chapter Seventeen: The Battle
The Sirens leapt out of the water landing on the sandy shore.
“We’ve come to collect on our bargain,” Adagio said.
“Yes, pay the price,” Aria said. Forrest smiled, “You’ll have to get through me first,” he said. “Ha, there’s no way that you’ll ever defeat us,” she said.
“Oh, I don't need to defeat you, I just need to distract you,” he said, “Besides, I have a secret that I’ve kept hidden for a very long time,” he said.
“No secret of yours can ever possibly defeat us.”
“Oh, do you want to make a bet on that?” he said smiling.
“We don't really make bets,” Adagio said. “Ironic coming from you three,”
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter, Lily has to come with us to pay the price.”
“You’re going to have to kill me first before that happens,” Forrest said lighting up his magic to reveal a pair of hidden wings. “Wait, what?
You’re an alicorn!” Adagio shouted. “Yep, but I don't really lie to make that fact known to the public.”
“Well it doesn’t really mater, we’ll beat you anyways,” she said.
“Ha, we’ll see about that,” he said. And with that said suddenly he leapt into the air flying towards them. They very quickly dodged his flying attack and then went towards Lily. But then he landed in front of her casting a protection shield around the two of them defending them against the Sirens. They looked at his spell and smiled, “Impressive, but you’ve still forgotten one thing, our voices.”
And with that said they started to sing, but Forrest was prepared as he got out the wax and put it in his ears (he really did need to thank Death someday).
But sadly enough Lily was affected by the song, and she started to wander towards them. He tried to stop her, but the siren’s voices were very powerful.
He decided to skip all the nice stuff and things and instead went for the straight attack. He powered up his magic shooting it at the sirens making a green and blue beam of death against the colors of their voices causing a very big huge enormous explosion turning some of the sand black and the rest of it into glass.
Forrest gasped trying to regain his breath again, he saw that the Sirens were right across from him still standing on the beach. “Impressive,” Adagio said, “But you still can’t defeat us, just give up and let Lily come with us, or else.”
“Never, you’re going to have to kill me first,” he said, “And if I can’t stop you through magic then I'll just have to use another way instead,” he said.
And with that said he growled and then flew at the sirens fighting them with his bare hooves. He tried to punch them but they always managed to dodge his attacks until a hoof kick finally landed on Adagio causing her lip to bleed.
She wiped away the blood, “Oh, you’re going to pay for that.”
Forrest's horn glowed as his eyes turned red, “Bring it on,” he said.
Suddenly both of them shouted as they rushed at each other and both cast their magic at the same time causing the beams of magic to hit and despite his strength Forrest was eventually overcome by the Siren’s powerful voices.
He lay on the sand groaning as they slowly went up to him and smiled.
“You see, you can’t defeat us,” they said.
He smiled, “Oh, I never planned on that, I was only distracting you.”
Adagio glanced at him very curiously, “Distracting us from what though.”
He smiled, “You’ll see soon enough in about three, two, one…”
Suddenly Sebastian appeared behind Adagio and used his magic to bind her up.
“I bet that you didn't see that one coming,” he said.
“Please no bad jokes,” Forrest said. “Sorry, sir,” he said.
“That’s okay, but it’s time that we get these sirens somewhere else,” he said.
“No, you won't because I am tired of your silly little games,” Adagio said breaking the bonds. “No, that’s impossible,” Sebastian said, “That was alicorn magic!”
“Magic that we can easily fight off, but enough, nothing can stop us from collecting our payment which has our own special magic that not even the sea king or any of you combined can stop,” she said. “Well don't be too sure about that because Triton already knows, and he should be here very soon,” Sebastian said. “Very good then, excellent, all is going according to plan.”
“Wait, how come you know that?” Forrest said.
Sebastian sighed, “I suppose that it’s time to tell you the truth, I was once part of the sea kingdom once, but then was cursed to live on land, and right now I’m just trying to redeem myself because the king gave me a chance at mercy.”
“Oh,” Forrest said, “And you never thought to tell me this before then?”
“You weren't ready yet,” he said. “Well maybe I was.”
“ENOUGH!” Adagio shouted, “We will now be taking what is rightfully ours!”
Suddenly golden beams of light snatched Lily and started to drag her across the sand but despite Forrest’s attempts to break it nothing worked, it would not break. “Your magic is useless against ours,” Adagio said.
“Not quite,” another very familiar voice said from behind them.
They all turned to look at King Triton. “Ah, just in time I see,” Sebastian and Adagio said at the same time. “Always a pleasure to meet you.”
“Give me my daughter back right now or else,” he said.
“Or else what? You didn’t even try to kill us last time, and you cannot either,” She said. “Well maybe this time will be different,” he said.
“I doubt that,” she said. “Well then, let’s see, shall we?”
“Let’s,” she said, but before they could Sebastian stopped them.
“Wait,” he said, “Let me see the contract first,” he said.
Adagio glanced at him very shocked and surprised.
“Wait, what?” she said. “Show me the contract.”
“Why should I?” she said. He smiled, “What harm could it do?”
Adagio looked at him, she didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Fine then, here, take a look,” she said giving him it for him to examine.
He looked at it very closely and read it very quickly. “Oh dear,” he said, “It seems that you may have made one small little mistake my dears,” he said smiling at them. “That’s impossible, we don't make mistakes,” Adagio said.
“Oh, really? Well then, why don't you explain this then and to quote from the text, ‘only a relative can take the place of said subject signer’, therefore someone can take her place, right?” he said. “That’s correct,” she said.
“And no doubt that you intended for her father to take her place, right?”
“Yes,” she said, “Because we know how foolish he is and how he would give up his kingdom for his daughter,” she said. “Well it’s true,” Triton said.
“There’s no need king, after all, by these terms I could take her place.”
“No, you can't,” Adagio said, “You’re not related to her at all.”
“Yes, I am, check my blood if you don't believe me, besides, a relative can be a friend, after all, did you specify it to be by blood?”
“Yes, we did,” she said. “And I drank her blood, that makes me, ‘of her blood’, right?” he said. Adagio groaned, he had found a loophole, dammit.
“Yes,” she said. “I thought so, you also forgot one more thing, you can only request one item, I told the king of your plan and guess what, he split the trident up into four parts making it no longer just one item anymore,” he said.
Two loopholes, now that was very impressive. “Your point?”
“The contract is null and void,” he said. She smiled, “No it’s not.”
“How so then?” Sebastian said. “The contract specifically said that she would agree to any consequences of failing to pay out the price, and if it is null and void then how come we still have power over her? If it is then why is not she a seapony again?” Adagio said. “Because it’s your power that’s deceiving us.”
She cursed, how come he was so smart and clever. “You can't ever prove that.”
“No, I can’t, but I can read a contract and yours is null and void.”
“But it’s not because we said that that the only way that it could be is if another was to take her place, but not for retrieving the one item that we wanted.”
“Very well then, take me instead,” Sebastian said. “No, we won’t.”
“Why not? Can you deny a willing exchange of souls?”
“We can and we will as it was stated in the contract, and right now we will only accept Triton, he’s the only one that we want,” she said. “Very well then, let me just make a very small change to your contract first,” he said. “No, once made the deal cannot change,” she said. “Very well then, take the king of the sea,” he said. Triton suddenly slowly went over to the Sirens, “Daddy, I’m so sorry, but you don't have to do this for me,” Lily said. “I do,” he said, “I must.”
Adagio smiled as he signed the paper, “It’s done!” she shouted as the contract suddenly vanished in a golden beam of light freeing Lily, but then…
Nothing happened, no more golden yellow beams of light, just nothing.
“Wait, what’s wrong, why’s it not working?” Adagio screamed.
“You did forget something, a legal citizen of the sea kingdom can take the king’s place in any kind of battle, fight, duel, challenge, deal, or bargain acting in his place with the full power, and Triton didn't sign as himself, he signed as the sea king, there’s a difference darling, and did I forget to mention that he gave me the rights to be a legal citizen again and actually granted me to be the king as well?
It must have slipped my mind,” he said. “Then why is nothing happening?”
Sebastian smiled, “Well it’s simple, I’m not the sea king.”
“I don't understand,” Adagio said. “Well then, let me explain, in order to be a king one must have a kingdom, right?” he said. “Correct,” she said suspecting where this was going to go “Exactly, I decided to rename myself too, I find the king of the ocean has a much better and longer title, did I also forget to mention the fact that I made a deal with the Moon family? I can't leave their service until a family member grants it, and my deal is much older than yours therefore surpassing yours, after all, time beats all, right?” he said smiling.
Oh no, they had managed to fine all the loopholes. “But what does this mean?”
“Good question, Forrest refuses for me to go, and your contract says that I should go so I predict that something very nasty is going to happen very soon enough unless you destroy the deed first because I would not like the surprise that comes out of that thing,” he said pointing at the contract.
“We can face it,” Adagio said. “Oh really, you can face the one who keeps deals, the judge of all?” he said. “Yes,” she said. “I highly doubt that.”
“We can't break the deal,” Adagio said. “Well guess what, you can't have any of us, I can't go with you because Forrest doesn't want me to and you can't take anypony else since your contract only specified one soul for another, you're stuck my dears, you can't go forwards or backwards either, so why don't you just give up then?” he said. “No, we won't, we don't give up any souls, your contact will always stand if you’re still technically a king,” she said. “Not for long, I suspect that once a wedding has taken place that we’ll all finally be free,” he said.
“What wedding?” Adagio said. “Ah, don't worry about it, you’ll see it very soon enough, now then, leave, your contract is useless now, and it’s your choice to destroy it, but you will never get one should from any of these families.”
“We’ll see about that, but you will pay for this Sebastian,” she said.
“I highly doubt that,” he said as they slowly swam away.
Then he turned towards all of them, “I can't believe that actually worked,” Triton said. “Me too,” Forrest said. “What? Did you ever doubt my plan?”
“Just a bit, but now I can't believe that there’s two sea kings,” Triton said.
“Well maybe three soon enough, but trust me, you should let the queen rule.”
“Ha, maybe, but we work together,” Triton said. “Wait, you did all of that for me? You tricked them for me?” Lily said. “Yes, of course, I love you Lily,” Forrest said.
“So do I,” Triton said. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome, but hey, I could do a song about this-,” he said.
But then suddenly Lily started to run over towards him, “What-?” he said.
“Just shut up and go along with it,” she said running into his hooves and kissing him. Then she pulled back, “That felt good,” she said. “What-?” Forrest said.
She laughed and smiled, “Just shut up and kiss me,” she said.
Forrest smiled and obliged, “Ugh, could you please not do that right in front of me?” Triton said. “Well then, time to start planning the wedding,” Sebastian said.
“Hey, one step at a time,” Forrest said. “Yes, please,” Triton said.
“You forget, I’m half king now, I don't have to listen to you anymore.”
“You’re going to be a pain in my butt, aren’t you?”
“Yep, deal with it,” he said as Triton groaned and Forrest and Lily continued to kiss each other as the sky slowly faded away into darkness.