Mareton watched the girls run away and shrugged. He'd catch up at his leisure. The SwinnDell sister's wouldn't be going anywhere while he had their horns. That was how unicorns worked. Take their horn away, and they couldn't think straight. This held especially true for psychically linked unicorn twins. Wimps.

He licked his lips. His cloak was very hot. Ridiculously hot. He felt like he was suffocating. But he could endure it until he was repaired.

He shuffled awkwardly down the alley. This motion would take some getting used to.

"Mareton? Really? Again?"

Sebastius Mareton whirled around, the raised his eyebrows when he saw the gray earth pony behind him. "Bravado? Seriously?"

The two earth pony explorers circled each other warily.

"What, this city not big enough for you?" Mareton hissed.

"What's with the cloak?" Bravado demanded. "Trying to roast yourself alive, or has your wonderfully superior brain suddenly collapsed on itself?"

They glared at each other for a while.

"I don't have time for this," Sebastius said, tossing his mane. He left the alley and entered a semi-busy street. There were no marketplaces, just zebras and ponies trotting around, on their way somewhere, going about their business. Swinn, Dell, and the orphan colt were standing right in the middle of the street.

"You know full well what I meant, you so-called honest orphan!" Swinn was screaming. "If all I wanted to do was run away, I could have done that without a navigator!"

"You pay money. You say 'get us away'. I get you away. You want doctor's house, you pay again."

"How about this. You take us to the doctor's house, and I won't wring your head off your neck!" Swinn seized the orphan's neck in her hooves.

"Swinn!" Dell said. "The guards will kill you!"

Swinn only just seemed to notice the guards loitering in front of a coffee shop. She let the colt go.

"Strong grip, missy," the colt said, rubbing his neck.

"Ahem," Sebastius said. "That wasn't that funny, abandoning me to the most annoying stallion in existence."

"I can do far more than just 'annoy' you, Mareton," Bravado said, coming up behind them. "In fact-" he stopped as he caught sight of Swinn and Dell. "What happened to your… Mareton, you didn't…"

"It was only a matter of time," Sebastius said. "I've been wanting to deprive a unicorn of their natural specialness ever since I got that ice dagger. Everyunicorn knows that's the desire of earth ponies."

"You…" Bravado growled.

"What are you going to do?" Sebastius said, raising his eyebrows. "Just sock me on the forehead again? Because I-" He rose his hoof to his neck as he was talking, and then winced suddenly as he felt the cut.

Suddenly he remembered why it would not be a good idea to have his head attacked. He looked up and saw Bravado raise one hoof to punch.

"W-wait, I'm-"

That was as far as he got.