I do not own Kamen Rider Ryuki or Ever After High. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. Special thanks to Kamen Rider Chrome as my beta-reader and helping dream up ideas for the story.

Knights of the Otherworld

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 39: The Swan's Lake

The Enchanted Lake, a place of magical serenity with simply magical sights at all hours of the day. It has inspired poets, artists, and more with the magic which makes it look so perfect.

Duchess Swan is no different as she uses it to practice her routines, something she does with greater skill now that the burden of her destiny no longer weighs down on her and a handsome Knight has come into her life.

Uh...is the water supposed to look like that?

Oh, dear. What happened to the lake?

I don't know but Duchess isn't going to be happy.

Enchanted Lake

Duchess was a dancer, a ballerina to be precise, and she got to be that good because she practiced hard. Despite her harsh attitude at times, she adored the serenity and grace in the art of ballet. Her favorite spot to practice was at a lake just outside Book End. The grassy field, the crystal blue water, it was a lovely spot so she could focus and perfect her moves.

And, being in love, it somehow influenced the way she danced. Maybe it was because she now had a choice in how her story would go. She used to be bitter about her destiny, as it would leave her alone and cursed. But things were different now as she was given hope for a better ending to her tale and it was all thanks to Kyle.

When she first met Kyle, he had attempted to flirt with her but she had not been impressed. He didn't dress like a knight, flirted way too much for her taste, and she was admittedly prickly when it came to flirty boys thanks to her mother's story. She pretty much insulted him and he bit back just as sharply. It started to become a pattern and their relationship progressed like that until he helped her to find a different angle in her story, a loophole in her destiny. It took off the chip on her shoulder.

Unlike her mother's first love, Kyle was not fooled by Rothbart's tricks. He knew her so well that he could expose the imposter and came to her rescue. It made her heart flutter and cement the fact that he was her Prince Charming. It always bothered her when he flirted with other girls before they finally got the message across that they wanted to be serious. Now, though, she had all his attention. He was still a bit of a flirt, giving girls a roguish smile, but she got a lot more from him. However, they still exchanged barbs and bantered from time-to-time.

OK, so maybe their fighting could be seen as aggressive flirting between two passionate people. And they were pretty passionate. Duchess blushed as she rubbed her neck, thinking of the love bite he had left there one time. Oh yes, passion was certainly not lacking between them.

Her reason for coming to the Enchanted Lake was her desire to practice, but also to just let loose so she could do all the kinds of dancing she wanted to do and simply lose herself to the motions. She could just not think, enjoy the effort of dancing, and perhaps get better as she now has more positive influence in her life. Her Magic Touch allowed her to dance on the water itself, ensuring she had all the space she needed on the lake's smooth and calm surface.

As Duchess practiced a new routine, dancing gracefully upon the surface of the water, she moved to a far end where she started to smell something odd. Blinking from her trance, she opened her eyes, seeing something akin to pond scum under her feet. It was all she could comprehend before she slipped and fell, falling into the water and slime. She was not just drenched, but covered in disgusting green slime.

"Ew, what is this stuff?" Duchess grimaced in disgust as she pulled herself from the water. She was covered in slime, making her feel filthy. Wiping it from her body, she looked back at the lake. Her eyes widened when she saw her lake covered in slime. "Where is this slime coming from?" She found a tube that was dumping it and saw it led right up to a building at the edge of Book End. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Time to go black swan on this place."

But first, she needed to get cleaned up.

Ever After High - Dorms

Duchess angrily stomped back to the dorm. She had confronted the owner of the restaurant - the Marsh King - to complain to him about dumping his waste in her lake but he had rebuffed her concerns like they were nothing. Clearly, he would not stop dumping his waste into her lake. Duchess immediately resolved to bring him down, but to do that, she needed help.

Duchess went to ask for help from her classmates, only to be rejected. They were still mad at her for some innocent pranks she played on them. Still, she knew some of them had to help considering what was at stake! Undeterred, she came to the next person she knew who would be likely to help: Raven Queen.

Raven frowned in the doorway of her room after Duchess knocked on her door, "You expect me to help you after you got that unicorn riled up and it poked us all in Beast Training and Care class?"

Duchess played it cool, "Oh come on. Sparkles doesn't poke that hard. Besides, Gawain calmed her down."

Raven slammed the door in her face. Undaunted, Duchess went to Dexter who might have the pull to help her out.

"So, Dexter, I really need your help," Duchess began innocently.

"You expect me to help after you two dropped my glasses into a seeing double potion?" Dexter frowned. His vision doubled thanks to Duchess' prank. Now he was seeing double all the time. Not so bad when he was with Cupid, but a pain in the butt in everything else.

"Oh come on, it was funny," Duchess insisted.

Dexter just shut the door in her face.

Duchess huffed. Well, there was always one guy she could count on to help her.

Book End - Hocus Latte

Kyle was hanging out in Hocus Latte, getting a drink and reading the online MirrorBlogs about him. A few said good things about him, and a few not so good things. Many considered him one of the scary knights next to Max, since his armor was such a dark color and based off an animal which was scary to many folks. His aggressive fighting style, especially when he got mad, didn't help either.

Kyle walked a fine line between hero and villain. Being a Knight of the Round Table, Kyle was considered a hero. Knights were meant to be noble, courageous, chivalrous and basically the good guys. He was all that and more. On the other hand, his familiar Venosnaker, his venomous attitude and his snake-like armor weren't things traditionally associated with a classic knight. The armor made him look intimidating while his cold and bloodthirsty mannerism in combat made people wary of him. He still had admirers among the princesses but there was gossip that made it sound like he was a villain playing at being a hero, like Max.

Kyle shrugged whenever such a rumor was brought to his attention.. He didn't really care what they labeled him. He was willing to do what needed to be done to obtain victory. It might be dirty, bloody and scary but his main priority was protecting people from Mirror Monsters and other threats. They didn't care for heroic speeches or a flashy knight making flashy movements. He got the job done. That was all that mattered. People like Rex or Arthur could make the heroic speeches.

The door to the store rang, announcing someone entering. By reflex, Kyle's eyes looked to see who had entered. To his pleasant surprise, it was his girlfriend Duchess. She glanced around before spotting him and started heading towards her with a look of determination.

"Hey, Duchess-"

"Come with me!" Duchess grabbed his hand and tugged him along. He didn't resist as he let his girlfriend pull him along.

"Oh, are you dragging me away to have some fun, Goose Princess?" Kyle snickered but she did not bite back with her usual retort. She looked serious. That instantly made Kyle worry, "Duchess, what's wrong?"

Duchess only made a short reply as she pulled him out the door, "I need to show you something."

Enchanted Lake

"What happened to the lake?" Kyle questioned, disgusted as he saw the layer of slime that stained the surface of the once pristine lake.

"Some slimy jerk is dumping his slime here!" Duchess snapped. "My beautiful lake!"

She had angry tears in her eyes and Kyle put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently to comfort her. Duchess often didn't get too emotional, other than being angry or haughty. For her to be showing tears, it demonstrated just how much she cared about the lake. As a good boyfriend, whatever upset Kyle's girlfriend, upset him.

"Show me who's doing this. I'll teach him a lesson," Kyle hissed. Nobody upsetted his girl and got away with it.

"It's a diner," Duchess answered, trying to get her emotions under control. "Owned by someone calling themselves the Marsh King. He's dumping his waste and I want him to stop. Except the jerk says 'that's just the price of doing business.'"

"Let me take care of him," Kyle insisted. "Maybe A few words can get him to change his attitude."

"Kyle, as much as I love you, you can't just beat up every problem," Duchess huffed. She was tempted to just let him kick the Marsh King's butt. Still, she knew that wouldn't help anything.

Kyle rolled his eyes, "Why is it that since I'm the more brutal of the knights in a fight everyone thinks I use violence to solve all my problems? I can be civil just like everyone else. I meant just maybe throwing some weight as a hero of Book End around. If he turns me down, I can work with Merlin or something."

Oh," Duchess blushed, realizing her slip. "Uh, sure, let's try that."

Book End - The Marsh Pit

The Marsh King's diner - The Marsh Pit - at first glance looked like one of the glossy diners from the fifties. The kind with a polished metal exterior and windows which made it look a little like a train car. What gave it its name though was the fact that it looked like it had been dredged out of a swamp. It was covered in moss, some lingering swamp plants, and looked like it was still soaked. A big bog tree seemed to be growing over the roof as well. A theme diner was always fun if done right, but the Marsh Pit just looked super gross.

"OK, just looking at it, I can already tell there are some major health code violations here," Kyle remarked. "I'm getting sick just by looking at it."

"I know," Duchess muttered. "You won't catch me dead eating here."

"Enchanting deals all at the Marsh Pit! Marsh meat just like mom used to do it!" the owner of said diner declared, passing flyers around.

The Marsh King, as the label on his shirt declared, was a humanoid frog who was hefty in the gut with a thick, blubbery voice. He even had the gall to wear a crown on his head. It was clear he was from a story about frogs, although which one was up for debate.

Many would have expected Kyle to be blunt and openly tell the guy to stop dumping his waste, but outside of his suit, Kyle did like to think he had a reputation to maintain. He was a Knight of the Round Table after all. The Marsh King wasn't a Mirror Monster and thus had to be treated in a civil way. So instead of causing a scene, he opted to act casual.

Walking up the Marsh King, he spoke, "Hey, I think your place sprung a leak. There's a runoff dripping slime down in the Enchanted Lake. Just thought I'd warn you before the police knights spotted it or something."

The Marsh King glanced at Kyle and spotted Duchess before chuckling, "Heh, heh, heh, don't know what you're talking about. That's just common practice. Slime's a natural part of the marsh and I gotta put it somewhere."

Kyle frowned slightly, even when the Marsh King smugly slapped a flyer into his hands. Clearly, the guy had no fear of being caught for dumping his slime and had no intention of stopping. Either he paid someone off, or he had a perfect excuse all lined up.

"Your funeral," Kyle shrugged, turning and walking away.

"See? I told you," Duchess huffed.

"You did. Now we play hardball," Kyle replied, balling up the flyer. "Let's go talk to Merlin and see what our options are. No way what this guy is doing is legal."

Book End Library

The couple went to the library where they brought their issue up with Merlin. The wizard, as foolish as he could be, was in fact active in the community. He played part of the role in town politics and kept up to date on civic bylaws and other rules about setting up shop. It was a fact the couple was surprised to learn when Merlin immediately got serious and made some phone calls and checked some books in his office before reporting to the pair.

"According to town records, he has the permits to set up his shop there," Merlin reported, bringing a book to where Kyle and Duchess were waiting.

"But he's dumping waste in the lake!" Kyle complained. "There has to be laws against it!"

"You'll need to have evidence of any health code violations before law enforcement can do anything," Merlin replied.

"But he's got a big tube leading to the lake right from his diner!" Duchess snapped.

"Which is really stupid if you ask me," Merlin shook his head. "But he can claim the waste is biodegradable if it really looks like swamp slime. He'd be fined and told to move it, but the lake would eventually recover. All you need to do is get evidence that he's breaking health codes, environmental laws, and others before the police can step up and shut him down."

"Fine, we'll get some evidence," Kyle frowned. "Shouldn't be hard since the place looks gross anyway."

"We may need a bit more help," Duchess rubbed her chin. "I know a couple of people who hate to see the environment get polluted."

"Are you sure they'll help? You have been pranking our classmates pretty hard all week," Kyle remarked.

"Oh, these ones will have to step up when I tell them," Duchess insisted. "They love the lake nearly as much as I do."

Ever After High - Dorms

A knock came to Ashlynn's door. Checking her hair for a moment, she approached and opened the door. Once it was open, she gasped when she saw it was Duchess with Kyle behind her.

"Duchess!" Ashlynn frowned. She was about to close her door when Kyle stopped her.

"Ash, Duchess has something she wants to say to you," Kyle said. He then turned to his girlfriend. "Duchess."

"Ashlynn, I'm really sorry about the other day," Duchess apologized. "I didn't mean to ruin your art project but this is important. The Enchanted Lake is in trouble!"

Ashlynn looked at Duchess for a moment. She was, admittedly, a little sore at Duchess for her prank. The prank was just a small paint trap in art class. Sadly, the one it hit freaked out a little from the unexpected paint splash to the face. He stumbled and broke some projects people were working on, including Ashlynn's. She has been working on it for a week and it was almost ruined. Fortunately the art teacher managed to get Madam Yaga to fix them up, but it was very close to being ruined!

"I'll go get Hunter," Ashlynn said after a moment before she went to close the door.

"Isn't he in there with you?" Kyle pointed out.

"Um...no?" Ashlynn blushed prettily, stepping closer to her door to block the view inside.

"I can see his boots right there by your bed. Hey, Hunter!" Kyle called. "Hate to ruin the moment, but we've got knightly stuff to do!" A yelp and a thud like someone falling came from inside Ashlynn's room, making her blush grow bright. Kyle chuckled as he and Duchess decided to give the two some space, "We'll wait outside."

Duchess couldn't help but giggle as they went, much to Ashlynn's increased mortification.

Book End - The Marsh Pit

The group of four managed to concoct a simple, although effective plan to get what they needed to put the Marsh King out of business. Heading to the Marsh Pit, they hid in the tall grass around the place and waited for their chance.

The Marsh King was dumping more of his waste down the tube in the back of his property. Ashlynn already had her MirrorPad out, filming him was dumping the slime. They already took a video of where the tube led and the state of the lake at the moment. When the Marsh King finished emptying his bucket, she nodded to Hunter who in turn gave a signal.

The Marsh King chuckled when he got rid of the slime, apparently amused that despite some kids complaining, he still got away with his pollution. His laughs were cut off though when an acorn hit his head. Grunting, he turned and spotted a squirrel who blew a raspberry at him. This wasn't just an ordinary squirrel though. This was Hunter's pet squirrel Pesky who loved to cause trouble for others, making him a perfect distraction.

"Come here, you!" the Marsh King yelled as he angrily chased the squirrel. "That's the last acorn you'll ever throw!"

The four teens watched the Marsh King leave to go after the squirrel. Once he was far enough away, they got out from the grass, heading to the back door of the diner.

"OK, while Pesky has him distracted, let's collect some evidence," Hunter instructed. "By the way, Kyle, why didn't you use the Mirror World to sneak in?"

"I tried. It was too dirty. No polished surfaces," Kyle answered. That alone made him sure that it would be easy to find evidence.

The group looked inside the kitchen in the back and Kyle resisted the urge to gag. It was just so disgusting. The cooking utensils were dirty, there was rotten food in the fridge, and said fridge wasn't even closed properly. Flies were everywhere, and a couple of frogs were soaking in a pot. Not soaking like they were just there to be made into french cuisine, but soaking like a pair who got to enjoy a jacuzzi.

"OK, now I need a bath from looking at this crud," Kyle grimaced. Next to him, Duchess gagged slightly from the sight and the smell. How could any customer not smell this? Were they all swamp creatures like the Marsh King?!

Hunter looked at the dirty stove, but also the other tools in the kitchen. On the stove, where stews and other things were made, the cooking utensils looked rather ornate with gold and even some purple gems in the handles. Hunter blinked at the sight of them looking so clean compared to the rest of the kitchen. "Hey, wait, I think...Ashlynn, does this look like magic to you?"

"Hm?" Ashlynn looked at the cooking tools and she gasped, "I don't believe it! He's using magic to make his food taste better! Those are all magical cooking implements! You need a license to use those!"

Kyle blinked, "You do?"

Ashlynn nodded, quickly filming the instruments in the dirty pots and pans, "Yes! These take a lot of skill to use and if used wrong, they can do all sorts of strange things. Like making food so good people can't stop eating it, or even make food monsters!"

Duchess looked at the tools and how the water and grease they were soaking in was glowing slightly. The sight made her growl, "So he's dumping magical waste into my lake too?!"

"That's worse than just grease! The magic might cause all kinds of damage that could take years for the lake to recover from!" Hunter gasped.

"What can it do to any wildlife that gets exposed to it?" Kyle asked. He knew Prof. Rumpelstiltskin had mentioned something about it. Magic waste or residue always had weird effects on things it came into contact with.

"Anything from changing the color of their fur to turning them into monsters too!" Ashlynn gasped in horror at the thought of her animal friends being harmed in such a way.

Kyle nodded, "Sounds serious. Let's take some pictures and video for evidence,"

"We better clean up the lake before it's too late too," Hunter added.

Enchanted Lake

On its own, the Enchanted Lake was already magical. It had to be to stay so perfectly clean and clear. Still, it was such a small amount that it didn't garner much attention from creatures which were sensitive to it. Ever since the Marsh King began dumping his magic-laced waste into the lake though, the amount of magical energy in the lake was steadily rising. It was subtle, but to creatures sensitive to it, the magic was becoming too large to ignore.

*Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!*

Two Mirror Monsters rose from the greasy reflection in the water, jumping onto the shore. Both were of the Zelle breed, but were a type never seen in Imperer's herd. One was black with red accenting and its horns following the curve of its head and down to the base of its neck. This was called an Igazelle

The second Zelle monster was mostly gold with white accenting and green lines on its limbs. Its horns rose from the sides of its head before curving to meet together in a form not unlike a halo. It was called a Begazelle.

The two monsters slogged to the shore, shaking water and slime from their forms. Rather than just move on, the two monsters seemed interested in the slime coating them and the water nearby. They sniffed and poked at it before actually slurping it up. Both shuddered, but it was not out of disgust. Sparkles shimmered around their forms as they seemed to receive a sudden rush of energy. It swiftly ended though, but neither Zelle was dismayed. Instead, they moved to the edge of the lake before dunking their heads into the water, eagerly slurping up all the slime they could like gazelles at a watering hole. As they gulped down more of the slime, their forms began to bulk up and grow.

Enchanted Lake - The Next Day

The Marsh King was arrested and his restaurant was shut down after Ashlynn submitted the evidence to the proper authorities. Afterward, men in hazmat suits came to clean up and gather all the magical waste. They literally put a cork on the tube he used to dump his waste, sealing it up. They would remove it later once they could get the equipment. They just had to plug the leak immediately.

Kyle decided to ask Vivi for help in cleaning the lake. When she learned that a beautiful lake like her home had been contaminated, she was livid and quickly offered her aid. Ashlynn, Kyle, Duchess and Hunter went with Vivi to oversee the cleanup.

Hunter was wary of the next Lady of the Lake, they all were since she had made a terrible first impression and had been an enemy not too long ago. Still, she was an ally now and they needed to learn to trust her. At least her zealotry towards Arthur ensured she stayed on their side, although if he turned down the chance to raise Camelot, it may trigger her again.

Vivi stood at the edge of the lake and performed arm motions. Using her magic, she separated the slime from the lake with ease. With some focus, she lifted the slime up above the lake, not missing a drop before she compressed it into several balls the size of a basketball. She pulled the balls towards her before she looked to the other people.

"Shall I dispose of this?" she asked, holding the spheres of concentrated waste above her hand.

"Let the hazmat guys do that," Kyle answered as two people in hazmat suits brought several large barrels for the hazardous magical material. Vivi floated the balls of slime over to them and put them into the barrels which they sealed shut.

"Good, the lake's clean and before anything really bad happened," Duchess smiled.

*EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

"Duchess!" Hunter cried as he covered his ears. "I think you spoke too soon!"

"Is it a monster?" Ashlynn asked.

"It is and it's a big one," Kyle warned, taking out his Advent Deck.

Two monsters rose from the surface of the lake and they were massive hulks with glowing green veins covering their bodies. They vaguely resembled Zelles, but larger and covered in dense muscle and armor. The large-sized Mirror Monsters snarled, stomping towards them, and sending the hazmat suits fleeing.

"What the-?!" Kyle gasped, but then yelped when the Begazelle threw a punch at him. He managed to get out of the way, but the ground under the monster's fist cratered slightly. "Holy shoot!"

"Kyle!" Duchess panicked.

"Vivi, protect the girls and take them someplace safe!" Kyle ordered. He dashed for the lake and held his deck to its reflective surface. Hunter wasn't far behind, skidding to the shore after rolling under a swipe from the rampaging Igazelle. "Henshin!"

Kyle transformed into Ohja as Hunter became Falco. Once donned in their armor, they spun around and faced the pair of bulky monsters.

"Hunter, take the big one! I'll take the ugly one!" Ohja ordered.

"Wait, which one's which?!" Falco cried as Ohja charged into the fray. "Oh nevermind!"

[Sword Vent!]

Ohja lunged at the Igazelle and slashed at its face repeatedly before it smacked him to the ground. It brought its fist up to crush him but he rolled out of the way.

Meanwhile, Falco was firing at the Bagazelle with his Bow Visor. They felt like mosquito bites against its enhanced armored hide, annoying it. It lunged at him and he leaped aside to avoid a body slam that shook the ground. It got back up and smacked him, sending him tumbling.

As Ohja got back to his feet, the Igazelle smacked him, sending him flying. He tumbled through the air before landing in a heap, groaning in pain.

"Darn it," Ohja groaned. That slime really powered these monsters up.

[Strike Vent!]

The hulked-out Igazelle took a blast of high-pressure water to its head, knocking it back. Ohja took the opportunity to pull back and get breathing space. Looking to the source, he saw Abyss emerging from the Enchanted Lake's reflection. With his shark armor, it really made him look like a merfolk. Appropriate considering who he was dating.

"Ben, what are you doing here?" Ohja asked.

"I was in the area and heard the monsters emerging," Abyss answered, helping Ohja up. The tone had been so loud, Abyss was surprised he had been one of the first to show up. It was likely all the others had as well. "What happened to them though?"

"They must've consumed some of the magical waste," Falco theorized. "They're sensitive to magic, aren't they? Will all that slop in the lake, they must have noticed it."

"So, not only did that creep dump his waste into the lake, but whatever magic he was using to make his food went into it too and it's like steroids for these things," Ohja huffed. "Does our luck just suck or did someone curse us?"

"Can't we ever catch a break?" asked Falco. "Whatever happened to the old days of fairy tale hijinks?"

"Blame the monsters," Abyss shrugged. "Kyle, I think we can't hold back on these monsters. They're way bigger and stronger than almost anything we fought before. If we don't stop them here, they'll rampage in Book End."

"Yeah," Ohja agreed. "Secret weapon time."

"Huh?" Falco blinked.

Ohja and Abyss drew their next cards, making Falco's eyes widened when he saw the sapphire backgrounds of Survive Shippu in their hands. From nearby, Ashlynn gasped in shock at the sight while Duchess merely looked smug.

Black smoke and water began to swirl around Ohja and Abyss respectively, causing the pair of monsters to pause, wary of something new happening. Even with their enhanced forms, they were wary of what the Knights were doing. Both held out their Visors, allowing them to transform into their Zwei forms before they inserted the cards.

[Survive!]

In blasts of their respective elements, the two Riders transformed into their Survive Modes, earning gasps and shouts from the people who were nearby.

"They can do it too?" Ashlynn gasped. She had been there when Ryuki first transformed and saw images of Knight in Survive Mode. Rumors said Abyss could do it, although no one confirmed it during the One Day War. This was the first time she saw any of the other Knights access it.

"Sure can. Ever since Kyle got serious about me," Duchess bragged.

"Let's get venomous," Ohja hissed.

"...Did you just use a catchphrase?" Abyss asked.

Ohja looked to his friend and shrugged, "I'm trying something new."

"Well, it needs work," Abyss retorted. "Now let's finish this!"

Both knights charged into the fray as the pair of brute Zelles roared and began swinging at thim. Unlike before, the two enhanced Riders were able to parry the strikes and even retaliate, sparks blasting off where their blows struck. Their attacks were actually hurting the hulked out monsters despite their overwhelming size and muscle.

"Wow," Falco watched. The Survive armor was really no joke. He wondered when it would be his turn to get an upgrade like that.

"My man," Duchess grinned smugly.

[Shoot Vent!]

Emerging from the Mirror World, Venosnaker and Abyssodon rose from the water and moved to their contractors' sides. Both shimmered before their forms shattered to reveal their evolved forms, Venoviper and Abysscharzone. Pointing their weapons, the knights unleashed projectiles from their respective elements, copied by larger blasts from their partners. Both Zelles were flung back, bashed by the water blasts, or roaring from the acidic venom.

"And now for the finishing blow," Ohja lowered his weapon to reach for his deck.

"Right behind you," Abyss agreed.

The two Knights drew their Final Vent cards and activated them with their Visors.

[Final Vent!]

The Knights leaped upon their evolved Contract Beasts as they transformed into their vehicle modes. Gunning the engines, they raced at the recovering Zelles as they tried to get up although their enhanced physique worked against them now. They were just so bulky, their normal balance had been compromised.

Ohja popped a wheelie, allowing Venoviper to fire several globs of potent venom at the Igazelle, making it roar as more corrosive venom began eating at its body. Abysscharzone extended its saw blade nose, the blade roaring to life before Abyss gunned the accelerator. Both vehicles roared in close before unleashing a rapid spin, sending their respective blades cutting through their targets leaving a red hot trail through their forms. Both Zelles roared before they exploded, sending pieces flying in all directions. The fire only provided a silhouette of the two knights on their respective machines.

As the energy spheres rose from the two beasts, Venoviper and Abysscharzone quickly transformed back to claim it, giving oddly energetic roars of delight before they dove back into the reflection of the lake.

"Guess they liked it," Abyss commented. "Still, you said they were eating slime or something? What the heck was in it?"

"That slime was magical waste," Ohja answered.

Abyss tilted his head, "So it mutated them?"

"Afraid so," Falco confirmed, approaching the pair. "Good thing we cut off the source now before more monsters started eating it." He could only imagine how terrible it could've been if an army of hulked out Mirror Monsters invaded Book End. It was not pretty.

"And now the day really is saved," Duchess nodded as she and Ashlynn approached. "Now come on. The reporters are going to want to talk to me for leading the charge to save the lake!"

Many rolled their eyes, but did head in the direction of town where people were no doubt waiting to find out what happened.

Ever After High - Student Lounge

That afternoon, the evening news covered the arrest of the Marsh King, the closing of his unsanitary diner, the clean-up of the lake, and the battle that took place there.

And then there was Duchess who gave an interview.

"I discovered the Marsh King was dumping his waste in the lake, so Sir Kyle and I reported him and submitted the evidence that got him arrested. Now the lake is clean, all thanks to us and a couple of friends."

Neither Hunter nor Ashlynn were mentioned by name. Vital as they were to helping Duchess even get the evidence to prove the Marsh King's illegal dumping operation, not being given any credit stung more than a little. Especially after they had to deal with the two mutated Mirror Monsters.

"Really?" Ashlynn and Hunter asked Duchess as they watched the news in the Students' Lounge.

"Well, what were you expecting?" Duchess smirked, shutting the television off.

"She's actually getting better," Kyle commented. "She mentioned she had friends help."

"Still would have been nice to get some credit," Hunter sighed. He looked at his MirrorPhone, "You and Ben kind of stole the show when those monsters showed up."

Pictures of Kyle and Ben's Survive Modes had started popping up online after their first public debut. The news cameras really got good footage of them decimating those Mirror Monsters. Despite what some may say about Kyle's Survive Form and how evil it looked, he did not care. He still looked awesome. Duchess was garnering all sorts of attention on top of being the one saving the Enchanted Lake. Shy Meeshell was rather flustered about people asking her about Ben and her relationship. Blondie's reports had long since explained a princess' favor had unlocked Ryuki and Knight's own survive modes.

It made Hunter wonder if he had Ashlynn's princessly favor, could he do it too?

That was nice of Duchess to get the lake cleaned up. A happy ending.

I'm not too sure about that, Mom. You saw what that stuff did to those monsters.

Well, it's all been taken away. It won't bother anyone anymore.

Really? So why isn't the story over?

The truck carrying the hazardous waste was en route to a facility where it could be safely disposed of. As the driver looked at his side view mirror, his eyes widened at the sight of a white mechanical dragon.

"Dragon!" he screamed as the dragon burst out of the mirror. The driver, in his panic, nearly lost control of the truck. The dragon stopped it with a blast of frost fire, freezing the vehicle in ice.

Whyte Knight stepped up to the back of the truck and ripped the doors open.

"Grab it," Whyte Knight ordered and the Black Knights with him grabbed barrels of magical waste. Once offloaded, the knights carried them to the reflective glass of the truck before promptly vanishing into it. Whyte Knight observed and followed only once all the barrels were taken.

"You saw nothing!" he threatened the truck driver and his partner, making both yelp and duck down. Satisfied that they were properly intimidated, he followed his minions into the glass, disappearing from sight.

"We are so getting fired after this," the driver groaned.

OK, now I know when Victor steals some magical slime, it's not good news.

Indeed, Brooke. He must be planning something nefarious. Let's hope our Knights of the Round Table will be ready for it.

A/N: And we have a short chapter, but also we see that the Order of the White Dragon are still plotting and now have a potentially valuable resource.