A Near Miss

"Hey Spleens, do you know anything about making cheese?" Near asked as Spleens finished milking Long Shot.

"No," Spleens replied as she moved the pegasus milk to the caravan's magical refrigerator, "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Near said before prodding Long, "Long, honey? I don't think this whole fart war thing is working out very well. I think we should just drop it, or escalate to a full on prank war. I'm fine with either, what do you think?"

Long looked up at Near and slowly got to her hooves, "I'm down for a prank war, so long as farts are still valid ammunition."

"Of course farts still count," Near said as she enveloped Long's wings with her magic, "Let the games begin then."

By this point Long, still sensitive from earlier, had already almost blacked out again and would have collapsed if not for Near's magic holding her up. The last thing Long saw before blacking out was Near uncapping a magic marker.

After finishing her penwork, Near gently set Long down before trotting over to Spleens who was looking at their enchanted map. "You got it to show you where the mud is impassable, clever," the unicorn said as she looked over her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," sighed Spleens, "I was hoping there might be some route through the mud we could take instead of just waiting around, but there isn't one."

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped," Near said, "Question: are you getting enough to eat from Long alone now?"

"Long is giving me enough to keep me from starving, but I certainly wouldn't say no to a nice hug from you." Spleens had barely finished speaking when Near pulled her into a hug and Spleens thoroughly enjoyed the complete lack of any awkward sexual feelings emanating from the unicorn. As nice as lust was, and it was very tasty, platonic friendship and appreciation were emotional staples that no changeling should ever turn down.

By the time the hug was over, Long was standing again. "I'm going for a fly, holler if you need anything," she said, her drawn on monocle and moustache somehow making her seem simultaneously more sophisticated and too silly to be taken seriously. Holding back their giggles, Near and Spleens just nodded before watching Long take to the sky.

"So now what?" Near thought out loud.

"Don't know about you, but a nap sounds great right now," said Spleens, and Near, still tired from moving the caravan, agreed and followed Spleens into the caravan.

Long Shot was in no hurry as she rode the thermals up to one kilotrot, using the lazy elevator of the sky to do all the work for her. As she soared, Long considered how oddly fresh her wings felt, after that massage they felt better than new, even when Long pushed them further than she normally would. Long's thoughts shifted to the other matter on hoof, the prank war.

Long Shot knew she was at a disadvantage as Near merely had to get to her wing roots with magic or hoof to incapacitate Long, which meant that Long would have to get creative and maybe even plan ahead. Being an experienced prankster, Long had had the foresight to bring a few useful items with her, carefully stored in her saddlebags which themselves were with the rest of her belongings in her private storage compartment under the caravan.

As Long slowly descended, she carefully planned out her next move. Upon landing, the thestral found no trace of her companions outside, and based on the snoring coming from inside the caravan, she concluded they were napping. Deciding to put her plan into action a bit earlier than expected, she dug through her saddlebags until she found a small bottle of blue liquid which she then carried quietly into the caravan.